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word

noun
/wɜːd/UK/wɜɹd/US/wəɹd/CA/wɛːd//wɝd/US/wʌrd/

Etymology

From Middle English word, from Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą (“word”), from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰh₁om (“word”), from *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb, verve, and vort; further related to vrata. Cognates Cognate with Scots wird (“word”), North Frisian uurd, Uurt, wurd, wårde, wür (“word”), Saterland Frisian Woud, Wud (“word”), West Frisian wurd (“word”), Alemannic German wort, wourd, wuart, wòrt, wört (“word”), Bavarian boart, bort, bört, Wurt (“word”), Cimbrian bóart, bort (“word”), Dutch woord (“word”), German Wort (“word”), German Low German Woord, Woort (“word”), Limburgish waord, Woërt (“word”), Luxembourgish Wuert (“word”), Mòcheno bourt (“word”), Vilamovian wiüt, wuyt (“word”), Yiddish וואָרט (vort, “word”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ord (“word”), Elfdalian uord (“word”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Scanian orð (“word”), Gutnish ård (“word”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳 (waurd, “word”); also Ancient Greek ῥητός (rhētós, “spoken, stipulated”); also Latin verbum (“word”), Umbrian 𐌖𐌄𐌓𐌚𐌀𐌋𐌄 (uerfale, “temple”), Ancient Greek εἴρω (eírō, “to say, speak, tell”), Latgalian vuords (“name; word”), Latvian vārds (“name; word”), Lithuanian var̃das (“name”), Russian врать (vratʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian ва̏рати, vȁrati (“to cheat, deceive, trick, swindle; to be mistaken”), Armenian հորջորջել (horǰorǰel, “to call, name”), Ashkun vīri (“word”), Kamkata-viri vëri, viri (“word”), Prasuni veri, verī, vëre, vëri (“word”), Sanskrit व्रत (vrata, “command; law; will”).

  1. inherited from *werdʰh₁om✻ — “word”
  2. inherited from *wurdą✻ — “word”
  3. inherited from *word✻
  4. inherited from word
  5. inherited from word

Definitions

  1. The smallest unit of language that has a particular meaning and can be expressed by itself

    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.)

    • Brian and Abby signed the word clothing, in which the thumbs brush down the chest as though something is hanging there. They both spoke the word clothing. Brian then signed the word for change, […]

  2. Something like such a unit of language

    Something like such a unit of language:

    • In still another variation, the nonsense word is presented and the teacher asks, "What sound was in the beginning of the word?" "In the middle?" and so on. The child should always respond with the phoneme; he should not use letter labels.
    • All 15.5 million ‘words’ (or so–the exact length depends on the repeat sequences, which vary greatly) in the twenty-second chapter of the human autobiography have been read and written down in English letters: 47 million As, Cs, Gs and Ts.
    • I wrote a nonsense word, "umbalooie," in the Input Panel's Writing Pad. Input Panel converted it to "cembalos" and displayed it in the Text Preview pane.

  3. The fact or act of speaking, as opposed to taking action. .

    • […] she believed them still so very much attached to each other, that they could not be too sedulously divided in word and deed on every occasion.
    • As they fell apart against Austria, England badly needed someone capable of leading by word and example.
  4. ›+ 22 more definitions

    1. Something that someone said

      Something that someone said; a comment, utterance; speech.

      • And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
      • She said; but at the happy word "he lives", / My father stooped, re-fathered, o'er my wound.
      • There is only one other point on which I offer a word of remark.

    2. A watchword or rallying cry, a verbal signal (even when consisting of multiple words).

      • mum's the word
      • Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George, inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
      • I have the word : sentinel, do thou stand; […]

    3. A proverb or motto.

      • Among all other was wrytten in her trone / In golde letters, this worde, whiche I dyde rede: / Garder le fortune que est mauelz et bone.
      • Let the word be 'Not without mustard'. Your crest is very rare, sir.
      • The old word is, 'What the eye views not, the heart rues not.'

    4. News

      News; tidings.

      • Have you had any word from John yet?
      • I've tried for weeks to get word, but I still don't know where she is or if she's all right.
      • […] Arise and take the young childe, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and bee thou there vntill I bring thee word: for Herode will seeke the young childe, to destroy him.

    5. An order

      An order; a request or instruction; an expression of will.

      • He sent word that we should strike camp before winter.
      • Don't fire till I give the word
      • Their mother's word was law.

    6. A promise

      A promise; an oath or guarantee.

      • I give you my word that I will be there on time.

    7. A brief discussion or conversation.

      • I managed to murmur some words of consolation as I left the funeral.
      • Can I have a word with you?

    8. A minor reprimand.

      • I had a word with him about it.

    9. See words.

      • There had been words between him and the secretary about the outcome of the meeting.

    10. Communication from God

      Communication from God; the message of the Christian gospel; the Bible, Scripture.

      • Her parents had lived in Botswana, spreading the word among the tribespeople.

    11. Logos, Christ.

      • And that worde was made flesshe, and dwelt amonge vs, and we sawe the glory off yt, as the glory off the only begotten sonne off the father, which worde was full of grace, and verite.
      • And so the Word had breath, and wrought ⁠With human hands the creed of creeds ⁠In loveliness of perfect deeds, More strong than all poetic thought; […]

    12. To say or write (something) using particular words

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

      • I’m not sure how to word this letter to the council.

    13. To flatter with words, to cajole.

      • He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not / be noble to myself.

    14. To ply or overpower with words.

      • […] if one were to be worded to death, Italian is the fittest Language [for that task]
      • […] if a man were to be worded to death, or stoned to death by words, the High-Dutch were the fittest [language for that task].

    15. To conjure with a word.

      • Against him […] who could word heaven and earth out of nothing, and can when he pleases word them into nothing again.
      • The being of each person is worded into existence in the Word, […]

    16. To speak, to use words

      To speak, to use words; to converse, to discourse.

      • Thus wording timidly among the fierce: / "O Father, I am here the simplest voice, […]"

    17. Truth, indeed, that is the truth! The shortened form of the statement "My word is my…

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

      • "Yo, that movie was epic!" / "Word?" ("You speak the truth?") / "Word." ("I speak the truth.")

    18. An abbreviated form of word up

      An abbreviated form of word up; a statement of the acknowledgment of fact with a hint of nonchalant approval.

      • "[…] Know what I'm sayin'?" / "Word!" the other man strongly agreed. "Let's do this — "
      • "[…] Not bad at all, man. Worth da wait, dawg. Word." / "You liked it?" I asked dumbly, stoned still, and feeling victorious. / "Yeah, man," said Oral B. "Word up. […]"
      • "[…] I mean, I don't blame you... Word! […]"

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

    20. Scripture

      Scripture; the Bible.

    21. The creative word of God

      The creative word of God; Logos.

      • In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
      • And so the Word had breath, and wrought ⁠With human hands the creed of creeds ⁠In loveliness of perfect deeds, More strong than all poetic thought; […]

    22. Microsoft Word, word processor software developed by Microsoft.

      • You have to type that up in Word.

The neighborhood

Derived

action word, a-word, babble-word, babble word, bad word, bareword, baseword, big word, brunch word, bug-word, buzz-word, buzz word, buzzword, b-word, byword, catch-all word, catchword, Champernowne word, code word, codeword, compound predicate word, compound word, connecting word, content word, counterword, cranberry word, crutch word, curse word, cuss word, C-word, description word, dirty word, doubleword, d-word, dword, Dyck word, echo word, empty word, empty words, e-word · +404 more

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at word. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01word02opposed03unopposed04opponent05stop06cease07fail

A definitional loop anchored at word. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at word

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA