word

English Online Dictionary. What means word‎? What does word mean?

English

Alternative forms

• worde (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɜːd/
• (General American) enPR: wûrd, IPA^(key): /wɝd/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d
• Homophone: whirred (accents with the wine-whine merger)

Etymology 1

From Middle English word, from Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥dʰh₁om. Doublet of verb and verve; further related to vrata.

Noun

word (countable and uncountable, plural words)

2. (semantics) The smallest unit of language that has a particular meaning and can be expressed by itself; the smallest discrete, meaningful unit of language. (contrast morpheme.)
   1. The smallest discrete unit of spoken language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more phonemes and one or more morphemes
      • 2006 Feb. 17, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 4:

        I can't believe you want me back.
        You've got Jen to thank for that. Her words the other day moved me deeply. Very deeply indeed.
        Really? What did she say.
        Like I remember! Point is it's the effect of her words that's important.

   2. The smallest discrete unit of written language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more letters or symbols and one or more morphemes
   3. A discrete, meaningful unit of language approved by an authority or native speaker (compare non-word).
3. Something like such a unit of language:

   Hypernym: syntagma

   1. A sequence of letters, characters, or sounds, considered as a discrete entity, though it does not necessarily belong to a language or have a meaning.
   2. (telegraphy) A unit of text equivalent to five characters and one space. [from 19th c.]
   4. (computing) A fixed-size group of bits handled as a unit by a machine and which can be stored in or retrieved from a typical register (so that it has the same size as such a register). [from 20th c.]
   5. (computer science) A finite string that is not a command or operator. [from 20th or 21st c.]
   6. (group theory) A group element, expressed as a product of group elements.
4. The fact or act of speaking, as opposed to taking action. [from 9th c].
5. (now rare outside certain phrases) Something that someone said; a comment, utterance; speech. [from 10th c.]
6. (obsolete outside certain phrases) A watchword or rallying cry, a verbal signal (even when consisting of multiple words).

7. (obsolete) A proverb or motto.
9. (uncountable) News; tidings. [from 10th c.]

10. An order; a request or instruction; an expression of will. [from 10th c.]

11. A promise; an oath or guarantee. [from 10th c.]

    Synonym: promise

12. A brief discussion or conversation. [from 15th c.]

13. (meiosis) A minor reprimand.

14. (in the plural) See words.

15. (theology, sometimes Word) Communication from God; the message of the Christian gospel; the Bible, Scripture. [from 10th c.]

    Synonyms: word of God, Bible

16. (theology, sometimes Word) Logos, Christ. [from 8th c.]

    Synonyms: God, Logos

Usage notes

• In English and other languages with a tradition of space-delimited writing, it is customary to treat "word" as referring to any sequence of characters delimited by spaces. However, this is not applicable to languages such as Chinese and Japanese, which are normally written without spaces, or to languages such as Vietnamese, which are written with spaces delimiting syllables. In computing, the size (length) of a word, while being fixed in a particular machine or processor family design, can be different in different designs, for many reasons. See Word (computer architecture) for a full explanation.

Synonyms

• vocable; see also Thesaurus:word

Derived terms

Descendants

• Chinese Pidgin English: word, 𭉉 (Chinese spelling)

Translations

Verb

word (third-person singular simple present words, present participle wording, simple past and past participle worded)

1. (transitive) To say or write (something) using particular words; to phrase (something).

   Synonyms: express, phrase, put into words, state

2. (transitive, obsolete) To flatter with words, to cajole.
3. (transitive) To ply or overpower with words.
4. (transitive, rare) To conjure with a word.
5. (intransitive, archaic) To speak, to use words; to converse, to discourse.

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

word

1. (slang) Truth, indeed, that is the truth! The shortened form of the statement "My word is my bond."

2. (slang, emphatic, stereotypically, African-American Vernacular) An abbreviated form of word up; a statement of the acknowledgment of fact with a hint of nonchalant approval.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:word.

See also

• allomorph
• compound word
• grapheme
• idiomatic
• lexeme
• listeme
• morpheme
• orthographic
• phrase
• set phrase
• syllable
• term

Etymology 2

Variant of worth (“to become, turn into, grow, get”), from Middle English worthen, from Old English weorþan (“to turn into, become, grow”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to turn, turn into, become”). More at worth § Verb.

Verb

word

1. Alternative form of worth (“to become”).

See also

• Appendix:Wordhood

Further reading

• word on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• drow

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• worde (obsolete, see usage notes below)

Etymology

From Dutch worden, from Middle Dutch werden, from Old Dutch werthan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɔrt/

Verb

word (present word, present participle wordende, past participle geword)

1. to become; to get (to change one’s state)

   Ek het ryk geword. ― I became rich.

   Ek word ryk. ― I am becoming rich.

   Sy word beter. ― She is getting better.

2. Forms the present passive voice when followed by a past participle

   Die kat word gevoer. ― The cat is being fed.

Usage notes

• The verb has an archaic preterite werd: Die kat werd gevoer. (“The cat was fed.”) In contemporary Afrikaans the perfect is used instead: Die kat is gevoer.
• Until the early 20th century this verb still often distinguished the infinitive worde from the present tense word (as is now still done with wees ↔ is and hê ↔ het): Dit moet verbeter worde en dit word ook verbeter. (“It must be improved and it is being improved.”)

Chinese Pidgin English

Alternative forms

• 𭉉 (Chinese spelling)

Etymology

From English word.

Noun

word

1. word

   • 挨仙^{[sic – meaning ⿰口仙]}㕭𭉉
     *aai¹ sin¹[sen¹] ju¹ wut³
     I send you word.
     I will send you word.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɔrt/
• Rhymes: -ɔrt

Verb

word

1. inflection of worden:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰh₁om. Doublet of verbe.

Alternative forms

• vord, weord, woord, worde, wourd, wurd

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wurd/, /woːrd/

Noun

word (plural wordes or (early) word)

1. A word (separable, discrete linguistic unit)
2. A statement; a linguistic unit said or written by someone:
   1. A speech; a formal statement.
   2. A byword or maxim; a short expression of truth.
   3. A promise; an oath or guarantee.
   4. A motto; an expression associated with a person or people.
   5. A piece of news (often warning or recommending)
   6. An order or directive; something necessary.
   7. A religious precept, stricture, or belief.
3. The act of speaking (especially as opposed to action):
4. Discourse; the exchange of statements.
   1. The basic, non-figurative reading of something.
   2. The way one speaks (especially with modifying adjective)
5. (theology) The Logos (Jesus Christ)
6. (rare) The human faculty of language as a whole.

Related terms

Descendants

• English: word
• Scots: wird, wourd

References

• “wō̆rd, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 27 February 2020.

Etymology 2

Noun

word

1. Alternative form of werde

Old English

Alternative forms

• ƿord
• uord — Northumbrian
• wyrde

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /word/, [worˠd]

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą.

Noun

word n (nominative plural word)

1. word
2. speech, utterance, statement
3. (grammar) verb
4. news, information, rumour
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Sermon on the Nativiity of Our Lord"

5. command, request

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle English: word, wurd, weord
  • Scots: word, wourd
  • English: word

Etymology 2

Unknown. Perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥dʰos (“sweetbriar”). Compare Latin rubus (“bramble”), Persian گل (gol, “flower”).

Noun

word ?

1. thornbush

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɔrd/

Noun

word n

1. word

Declension