nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: soccer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Originally British English; as an abbreviation for association football, via abbreviation assoc. + -er (suffix); earlier socker (1885), also socca (1889), with soccer attested 1888. Compare contemporary rugger, from rugby. Similarly constructed coinages from the same period include: brekker (“breakfast”), fresher (“freshman”) and footer (“football”). See Oxford -er. Pronunciation: /ˈsɒk.ə/, /ˈsɑk.ɚ/ 1. Association football. Labels: Australia, Ireland, Philippines, US, uncountable Example: The 'Varsity played Aston Villa and were beaten after a very exciting game; this was pre-eminently the most important "Socker" game played in Oxford this term. Example: Golf is perhaps seven or eight years old in Oxford, ... football, seu Rugger, sive Soccer, not more than sixteen or seventeen.
Word: soccer Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Originally British English; as an abbreviation for association football, via abbreviation assoc. + -er (suffix); earlier socker (1885), also socca (1889), with soccer attested 1888. Compare contemporary rugger, from rugby. Similarly constructed coinages from the same period include: brekker (“breakfast”), fresher (“freshman”) and footer (“football”). See Oxford -er. Pronunciation: /ˈsɒk.ə/, /ˈsɑk.ɚ/ 1. To kick the football directly off the ground, without using one's hands. Example: The rule seems to have encouraged players to soccer the ball along the ground. Example: […]West Perth seemed on the verge of victory, only to succumb by 4 points after a soccered goal from Old Easts with less than half a minute remaining.
Word: football Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot + ball, because the ball was primarily manipulated with the feet in early versions of the game (though some modern varieties involve more handling than kicking). The name for the briefcase is a play on “dropkick”, the code name of an early version of the nuclear war plan. Pronunciation: /ˈfʊt.bɔːl/, [ˈfʊʔt̚bɔːl], [ˈfʊʔtʰbɔːl], [ˈfʊʔbɔːl], /ˈfʊt.bɔl/ 1. To play football. Labels: intransitive, rare Example: It was an announcement of the outbreak of what is now termed World War I. Some of us lads were footballing when we heard the news. It left us bewildered. Example: You walked up our road, passed the elms that bordered our park until Dutch disease killed them in the early 1970s, diagonally crossed its field where we footballed, turned right at the drinking fountain and cattle trough […]
Word: zipper Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1925, zip + -er. The trade name was registered in 1925 by B.F. Goodrich for “boots made of rubber and fabric,” claiming use of the name since June 1923. No longer a registered trademark. Pronunciation: /ˈzɪpɚ/, /ˈzɪpə(ɹ)/ 1. A zip fastener. Labels: Australia, US Example: He got his T-shirt stuck in the zipper of his jacket. 2. A pressure-sensitive plastic closure, as on a Ziploc bag. 3. A leucine zipper. 4. A scar on a person's body. Labels: slang Example: I also competed in track and field at Idaho, and it's all because of putting the shot that I've got my long scar, my zipper, down the back of my neck. Example: Making the transition from high school to college teams, for instance, he could not believe the scars his new players were sporting. "So many athletes had zippers down the side of their knee, or knees; they thought nothing of it and called this or that a Band-Aid operation. […] 5. An air patrol carried out at dawn or dusk. Labels: US, dated, slang Example: […] the usual gap between the time the last strike of the day departed and the first night hecklers arrived was closed with "zippers" — night fighters who, using day fighter tactics, proceeded to the target in daylight in time to relieve the last day blanket patrol. Example: They would handle all the night combat air patrols, the night hecklers who would go over the enemy airfields, and we formed a new little gimmick called "zippers" to help close that gap between the time the daylight strikes left the target and darkness. 6. A string of clothes pegs or clips attached to the body and then quickly pulled off. 7. A technique for arbitrarily traversing an aggregate data structure and updating its contents. See zipper (data structure). 8. A zipline. Example: Skills acquired include learning the "Flea Hop" and the "Tarzan Swing" as well as "Riding the Zipper" (sliding 400 feet on a cable between two mountain peaks), canoeing in white-water rapids, bushwacking and learning to "rappel" hundreds of feet down sheer rock cliffs on a rope.
Word: zipper Part of Speech: verb Etymology: 1925, zip + -er. The trade name was registered in 1925 by B.F. Goodrich for “boots made of rubber and fabric,” claiming use of the name since June 1923. No longer a registered trademark. Pronunciation: /ˈzɪpɚ/, /ˈzɪpə(ɹ)/ 1. To close a zipper. Example: He zippered his sweater against the cold. 2. To put a zipper on an article. Example: These fall jackets are zippered. 3. To act in a manner similar to a zipper. Example: If more drivers knew how to zipper, the accident would not have disrupted traffic so much. 4. To act in a manner similar to a zipper.
Word: yourself Part of Speech: pron Etymology: From Middle English yourself, equivalent to your + -self. Pronunciation: /jəˈsɛlf/, /jɔːˈsɛlf/, /jʊəˈsɛlf/, /jɚˈsɛlf/, /jɔɹˈsɛlf/ 1. Your own self (singular). Labels: pronoun, reflexive Example: Be careful with that fire or you'll burn yourself. Example: After a good night's sleep you'll feel like yourself again. 2. You (singular); used emphatically, especially to indicate exclusiveness of the referent's participation in the predicate, i.e., that no one else is involved. Labels: emphatic, pronoun Example: You yourself know that what you wrote was wrong. 3. You (singular); even when "you" has not been used previously; see usage notes. Labels: Ireland, especially, proscribed Example: I spoke with yourself last in February. Example: No one understands me like yourself.
Word: yours Part of Speech: pron Etymology: From Middle English youres, ȝoures, attested since the 1300s. Equivalent to your + -s (compare -'s); formed by analogy to his. Displaced yourn in standard speech. Pronunciation: /jɔː(ɹ)z/, /jʊəz/, /jəz/, /jɔɹz/, /jʊɚz/ 1. That or those belonging to you; the possessive second-person singular pronoun used without a following noun. Example: If this edit is mine, the other must be yours. Example: Their encyclopedia is good, but yours is even better. 2. Your house or home. Labels: informal Example: Let's go over to yours. 3. Written at the end of a letter, before the signature. Example: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Yours, Sincerely yours,
Word: your Part of Speech: det Etymology: From Middle English your, youre, ȝour, ȝoure, from Old English ēower, īower (“your”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *iuwar, from Proto-Germanic *izweraz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jou (“your”), Dutch jouw (“your”), German Low German jo, jos (“your”), German euer (“your”, plural), Danish jeres (“your”). Pronunciation: /jɔː(ɹ)/, /jʊə(ɹ)/, /jə(ɹ)/, /jɔɹ/, /jʊɹ/ 1. Belonging to you; of you; related to you (singular; one owner). Example: Let’s meet tomorrow at your convenience. Example: Is this your cat? 2. Belonging to you; of you; related to you (plural; more owners). Example: Then Ieſus ſaid vnto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 3. A determiner that conveys familiarity and mutual knowledge of the modified noun. Example: Not your average Tom, Dick and Harry. Example: Your Show of Shows 4. That; the specified (usually used with a human referent) Labels: Ireland Example: Your man just bought a new car. Example: Have you seen what your one over there is doing?
Word: your Part of Speech: contraction 1. Misspelling of you're. Labels: alt-of, contraction, misspelling Example: In a possible case of nominative determinism, [Harry] Styles clearly demonstrated his penchant for grammar at a 2015 show, adding an apostrophe and an E to a Philadelphia fan’s sign so it said “You’re so nice” rather than “your so nice” (he then wrote “thank you – love, Harry” and gave it back, in case there was any doubt about the sign’s message).
Word: younger Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /ˈjʌŋɡə/, /ˈjʌŋɡɚ/ 1. comparative form of young: more young Labels: comparative, form-of Example: Our neighbors' son is younger than our daughter. Example: Reading this book takes me back to my younger days.
Word: younger Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /ˈjʌŋɡə/, /ˈjʌŋɡɚ/ 1. Synonym of junior. Labels: not-comparable
Word: younger Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈjʌŋɡə/, /ˈjʌŋɡɚ/ 1. One who is younger than another. Example: Hugh and Charlie also played fairly well, so perhaps it was not wonderful that James, who had always regarded cricket as a childish waste of time, felt rather at a loss, and did not care to display his inferiority to his youngers. Example: Youngers did not like olders to be mean and bossy.
Word: young Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yong, yonge, from Old English ġeong, from Proto-West Germanic *jung, from Proto-Germanic *jungaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuHn̥ḱós, from *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”). Cognates Cognate with Alemannic German jung, jungu, junhs, jungà, jòng (“young”), Bavarian junk (“young”), Central Franconian, Luxembourgish jonk (“young”), Cimbrian djung, jung, junk (“young”), Dutch jong (“young”), German, German Low German, Mòcheno and Vilamovian jung (“young”), Limburgish jong, jonk (“young”), Yiddish יונג (yung, “young”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ung (“young”), Faroese, Icelandic ungur (“young”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍃 (juggs, “young”). Pronunciation: /jʌŋ/, /jʊŋɡ/, /jʊŋ/, /jəŋɡ/, [jɐŋɡ] 1. In the early part of growth or life; born not long ago. Example: a lamb is a young sheep Example: these picture books are for young readers 2. At an early stage of existence or development; having recently come into existence. Example: the age of space travel is still young Example: a young business 3. advanced in age; (far towards or) at a specified stage of existence or age. Example: And thou, our Mother, twice two centuries young, Bend with bright shafts of truth thy bow fresh-strung. Example: How young is your dog? 4. Junior (of two related people with the same name). Example: The young Mr. Chester must be in the wrong, and the old Mr. Chester must be in the right. 5. Early (of a decade of life). Example: 1922, E. Barrington, “The Mystery of Stella” in “The Ladies!” A Shining Constellation of Wit and Beauty, Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, pp. 40-41, […] Miss Hessy is as pretty a girl as eye can see, in her young twenties and a bit of a fortune to boot. Example: Ephraim would be in his young thirties. 6. Youthful; having the look or qualities of a young person. Example: Think of banking today and the image is of grey-suited men in towering skyscrapers. Its future, however, is being shaped in converted warehouses and funky offices in San Francisco, New York and London, where bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food. Example: My grandmother is a very active woman and is quite young for her age. 7. Of or belonging to the early part of life. Example: The cynical world soon shattered my young dreams. 8. Having little experience; inexperienced; unpracticed; ignorant; weak. Labels: obsolete Example: Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.
Word: young Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yong, yonge, from Old English ġeong, from Proto-West Germanic *jung, from Proto-Germanic *jungaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuHn̥ḱós, from *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”). Cognates Cognate with Alemannic German jung, jungu, junhs, jungà, jòng (“young”), Bavarian junk (“young”), Central Franconian, Luxembourgish jonk (“young”), Cimbrian djung, jung, junk (“young”), Dutch jong (“young”), German, German Low German, Mòcheno and Vilamovian jung (“young”), Limburgish jong, jonk (“young”), Yiddish יונג (yung, “young”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ung (“young”), Faroese, Icelandic ungur (“young”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍃 (juggs, “young”). Pronunciation: /jʌŋ/, /jʊŋɡ/, /jʊŋ/, /jəŋɡ/, [jɐŋɡ] 1. Offspring, especially the immature offspring of animals. Labels: often Example: The lion caught a gnu to feed its young. Example: The lion's young are curious about the world around them.
Word: young Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yong, yonge, from Old English ġeong, from Proto-West Germanic *jung, from Proto-Germanic *jungaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuHn̥ḱós, from *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”). Cognates Cognate with Alemannic German jung, jungu, junhs, jungà, jòng (“young”), Bavarian junk (“young”), Central Franconian, Luxembourgish jonk (“young”), Cimbrian djung, jung, junk (“young”), Dutch jong (“young”), German, German Low German, Mòcheno and Vilamovian jung (“young”), Limburgish jong, jonk (“young”), Yiddish יונג (yung, “young”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ung (“young”), Faroese, Icelandic ungur (“young”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍃 (juggs, “young”). Pronunciation: /jʌŋ/, /jʊŋɡ/, /jʊŋ/, /jəŋɡ/, [jɐŋɡ] 1. To become or seem to become younger. Labels: informal Example: The aging (or younging) of a population refers to the fact that a population, as a unit of observation, is getting older (or younger). 2. To cause to appear younger. Labels: informal Example: Medicare data was "younged" by a month to achieve conformity with the conventional completed ages recorded in the census. 3. To exhibit younging. Example: Shoshonitic magmatism younged southwards in the Superior Province, commensurate with the southwardly diachronous accretion of allochthonous subprovinces. Example: The existence of magmatic belts younging northward implies that slabs of Asian mantle subducted one after another under ranges north of the Himalayas.
Word: you Part of Speech: det Etymology: From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-West Germanic *iwwi (“you”, dative case of *jiʀ), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), the Western form of Proto-Germanic *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you”, plural). Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), German euch (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šo (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”). See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with Danish I and archaic Swedish I. Compare the shift to the second-person singular informal Spanish vos, historically a formal pronoun. Pronunciation: /ju/, /jɪ/, /jə/, /juː/, /(j)iː/ 1. The individual or group spoken or written to. Example: Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus? 2. Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis. Example: You idiot! Example: 'You genius!' I shouted in Aretta's ear. 'You absolute genius! Why didn't you tell us you were so good?' 3. Your. Labels: nonstandard Example: Tell me about ’e barber who shaved you hair so close,—was he kind to you? Example: “No. I need a ride into Buenos Aires. You remember what we arranged?” “You wife’s a-gonna give a-birt?” “That’s right. Are you free?”
Word: you Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-West Germanic *iwwi (“you”, dative case of *jiʀ), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), the Western form of Proto-Germanic *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you”, plural). Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), German euch (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šo (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”). See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with Danish I and archaic Swedish I. Compare the shift to the second-person singular informal Spanish vos, historically a formal pronoun. Pronunciation: /ju/, /jɪ/, /jə/, /juː/, /(j)iː/ 1. To address (a person) using the pronoun you (in the past, especially to use you rather than thou, when you was considered more formal). Labels: transitive Example: Youing consists in relating everything in the conversation to the person you wish to flatter, and introducing the word “you” into your speech as often as possible. Example: Now even Princess Anne had dropped it. Sarah had heard her youing away on television the other night just like the inhabitants of her mother’s dominions beyond the seas.
Word: you Part of Speech: noun 1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u. Example: ‘Eff. You. En,’ said Mr Banstead. ‘Fun![…]’ Example: It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh."
Word: yet Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yet, yit, from Old English ġīet, gȳta, from Proto-West Germanic *jūta, from Proto-Germanic *juta (compare West Frisian jit, jitte (“yet”), Dutch ooit (“ever”), German jetzt (“now”)), compound of (1) *ju (“already”, adverb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew-, accusative of *h₂óyu (“long time”) and (2) the Proto-Germanic *ta (“to, towards”), from Proto-Indo-European *do. More at aye and -th. Pronunciation: /jɛt/ 1. Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time. Labels: not-comparable Example: I haven't finished yet. Example: Have you finished yet? 2. Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time. Labels: not-comparable Example: Don't switch it on yet – wait until I've reconnected the pump. 3. Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time. Labels: archaic, not-comparable, poetic Example: He is yet breathing. (He is still breathing.) Example: O, say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave […]? (US National Anthem) 4. At some future time; eventually. Labels: not-comparable Example: The riddle will be solved yet. Example: He'll be hanged yet. 5. Not as of the time referenced. Labels: not-comparable, with-infinitive Example: I’ve yet to see him. — I have not yet seen him. Example: I had yet to go to a convention. — I had not yet gone to a convention. 6. In addition. Labels: not-comparable Example: There are two hours yet to go until our destination. Example: It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers. 7. Even. Labels: not-comparable Example: K-2 is yet higher than this. Example: Oh no! Yet more problems!
Word: yet Part of Speech: conj Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yet, yit, from Old English ġīet, gȳta, from Proto-West Germanic *jūta, from Proto-Germanic *juta (compare West Frisian jit, jitte (“yet”), Dutch ooit (“ever”), German jetzt (“now”)), compound of (1) *ju (“already”, adverb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew-, accusative of *h₂óyu (“long time”) and (2) the Proto-Germanic *ta (“to, towards”), from Proto-Indo-European *do. More at aye and -th. Pronunciation: /jɛt/ 1. Nevertheless; however; but; despite that. Example: I thought I knew you, yet how wrong was I! Example: It’s incredible yet true.
Word: yet Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yeten, from Old English ġēotan (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-West Germanic *geutan, from Proto-Germanic *geutaną (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Cognate with Scots yat (“to pour, yet”), West Frisian jitte (“to scatter, shed, pour”), Dutch gieten (“to pour, cast, mould”), German gießen (“to pour, cast, mould”), Swedish gjuta (“to pour, cast”). Doublet of yote. Pronunciation: /jɛt/ 1. To pour. Labels: obsolete Example: […] & stablenes of perseueraunce; graunt me for all wor[l]dly consolacyons the swete, gracyous vnccyon of the holy goost, & for all carnall loue Example: Some with a fals herte, and a payntyd face In his lordes seruyce to haue chefe rowme and place Into his lordes erys yetyth secretly Lyes venemous, […] 2. To melt; found; cast (e.g. metal, by pouring it into a mould when molten). Labels: dialectal, obsolete Example: […] whiche shall present him selfe openly stained or embrued with sondry colours, or poudered with the duste of stones that he cutteth, or perfumed with tedious sauours of the metalles by him yoten.
Word: yet Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yeten, from Old English ġēotan (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-West Germanic *geutan, from Proto-Germanic *geutaną (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Cognate with Scots yat (“to pour, yet”), West Frisian jitte (“to scatter, shed, pour”), Dutch gieten (“to pour, cast, mould”), German gießen (“to pour, cast, mould”), Swedish gjuta (“to pour, cast”). Doublet of yote. Pronunciation: /jɛt/ 1. A metal pan or boiler; yetling. Labels: dialectal
Word: yet Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Inherited from Middle English yeten, ȝeten, from Old English ġietan, from Proto-Germanic *getaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed-. More at get. Pronunciation: /jɛt/ 1. To get. Labels: West-Country, nonstandard
Word: wrung Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ɹʌŋ/, /ɹʊŋ/, /ɹʊŋɡ/ 1. simple past and past participle of wring Labels: form-of, participle, past Example: I wrung out my wet jeans and hung them out to dry.
Word: copacetic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Stephen Goranson says "there is good reason to think that Irving Bacheller invented the word [with the spelling copasetic] for a fictional character with a private vocabulary in his best-selling and later-serialized 1919 book about Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, A Man for the Ages", and its currency increased by use in the 1920 song "At the New Jump Steady Ball" (see quotation below). Alternatively, it has been speculated that it may have originated among African Americans in the Southern US in the late 19th or early 20th century, perhaps specifically in the jargon of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who certainly helped popularize it in any case. Many hypotheses about its origin (etymon) exist, all lacking supporting evidence: Possible origins * That it derives from Cajun French coup esètique / coupersètique (“capable of being coped with successfully; able to cope with anything and everything”). * That it derives from a word *copasetti used by Italian speakers in New York. * That it derives from Chinook Jargon copasenee (“everything is satisfactory”) — if the Chinook Jargon term is not itself derived from English. * The common suggestion that the term derives from Hebrew הכל בסדר (hakól b'séder, “everything is in order”) has been rejected, as has the fanciful suggestion that it derives from criminals' observation that they could go about their business because "the cop is on the settee". Pronunciation: /kəʊ.pəˈsɛt.ɪk/, /ˌkoʊ.pəˈsɛt.ɪk/ 1. Fine, excellent, OK, in excellent order. Labels: US, slang Example: ["][…]an' as to looks I'd call him, as ye might say, real copasetic." Mrs. Lukins expressed this opinion solemnly and with a slight cough. Its last word stood for nothing more than an indefinite depth of meaning.[…] There was one other word in her lexicon which was in the nature of a jewel to be used only on special occasions. It was the word "copasetic". Example: Extract of lemon and ginger ale / Sweet pertuna with shoe polish, then you're bound for jail / "Copacetic" was the password for one and all / The new Jump Steady ball
Word: wrought Part of Speech: adj Etymology: The past participle of Middle English worchen (“to work”), from Old English wyrċan (past tense worhte, past participle (ġe)worht; cf. also the metathetic variant (ġe)wroht), from Proto-West Germanic *wurkijan, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to work”). Doublet of worked. Cognate with wright (as in wheelwright etc.), Dutch gewrocht, archaic past participle of werken (archaic past tense wrocht), Low German wracht, archaic past participle of warken (archaic past tense wrach, archaic past participle wracht). Pronunciation: /ɹɔːt/, /ɹoːt/, /ɹɔt/, /ɹɑt/, /ɾɔt/ 1. Having been worked or prepared somehow. Example: Is that fence made out of wrought iron?
Word: wrought Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The past participle of Middle English worchen (“to work”), from Old English wyrċan (past tense worhte, past participle (ġe)worht; cf. also the metathetic variant (ġe)wroht), from Proto-West Germanic *wurkijan, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to work”). Doublet of worked. Cognate with wright (as in wheelwright etc.), Dutch gewrocht, archaic past participle of werken (archaic past tense wrocht), Low German wracht, archaic past participle of warken (archaic past tense wrach, archaic past participle wracht). Pronunciation: /ɹɔːt/, /ɹoːt/, /ɹɔt/, /ɹɑt/, /ɾɔt/ 1. simple past and past participle of work Labels: archaic, form-of, participle, past, rare Example: What hath God wrought? Example: My mariners, / Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me— 2. simple past and past participle of wreak Labels: form-of, participle, past Example: We are, however, in danger of ignoring the more fundamental lessons, forgetting the imperative to root out and to curb within our societies at every level—most importantly that of the individual—the greed, avarice, corruption and hubris which has wrought and will wreak so much havoc, not just in our relatively rich countries, but has its impact most unfairly on the poorer, unsophisticated countries. Example: Laboratory manuals of paleopathology have long taken the form of atlases illustrating the skeletal changes wrought by various diseases.
Word: wrote Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ɹəʊt/, /ɹoʊt/ 1. simple past of write Labels: form-of, past Example: We all wrote down the instructions. 2. past participle of write Labels: colloquial, form-of, nonstandard, participle, past Example: I have wrote without any Reſentment againſt him, knowing very well how apt young People are to miſtake their Talents, to fancy they are Maſters of every Point of Knowledge wherein they have dipped never ſo little[…] Example: I take it very kind in the gentleman to have wrote up to you and said, “let Mrs Gamp take care of him till I come home;” but ev’rythink he does is kind. There an’t a many like him. If there was, we shouldn’t want no churches.’
Word: wrong Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒŋ/, /ɹæŋ/, /ˈɹɔŋ/, /ˈɹɑŋ/ 1. Incorrect or untrue. Example: Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong. Example: Among this princely heap, if any here / By false intelligence or wrong surmise / Hold me a foe […] 2. Asserting something incorrect or untrue. Example: You're wrong: he's not Superman at all. 3. Immoral, not good, bad. Example: It is wrong to lie. Example: Shepard: Some part of you must still realize this is wrong. You can fight this! 4. Improper; unfit; unsuitable. Example: A bikini is the wrong thing to wear on a cold day. 5. Not working; out of order. Example: Something is wrong with my cellphone. Example: Don't cry, honey. Tell me what's wrong. 6. Designed to be worn or placed inward. Example: the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth 7. Twisted; wry. Example: a wrong nose
Word: wrong Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒŋ/, /ɹæŋ/, /ˈɹɔŋ/, /ˈɹɑŋ/ 1. In a way that isn't right; incorrectly, wrongly. Labels: informal Example: I spelled several names wrong in my address book. Example: You're doing it all wrong!
Word: wrong Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒŋ/, /ɹæŋ/, /ˈɹɔŋ/, /ˈɹɑŋ/ 1. Something that is immoral or not good. Example: Injustice is a heinous wrong. 2. An instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer). Example: Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue's cloak? Shall I call her good when she proves unkind? 3. The incorrect or unjust position or opinion. Example: I blame not her: she could say little less; She had the wrong. 4. The opposite of right; the concept of badness. Example: Thus much of this will make Black white, foul fair, wrong right, Base noble, old young, coward valiant.
Word: wrong Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒŋ/, /ɹæŋ/, /ˈɹɔŋ/, /ˈɹɑŋ/ 1. To treat unjustly; to injure or harm; to do wrong by. Example: The dealer wronged us by selling us this lemon of a car. Example: Thou dost then wrong me, as that slaughterer doth Which giveth many wounds when one will kill. 2. To deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice. Example: ... And might by no suit gain our audience. When we are wrong'd and would unfold our griefs, We are denied access unto his person Even by those men that most have done us wrong. 3. To slander; to impute evil to unjustly. Example: O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who (you all know) are honorable men. I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men.
Word: heinous Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English hainous, from Old French haïneus (compare French haineux) from haïr (“to hate”), hadir (“to hate”) (compare Old French en-hadir (“to become filled with hate”)), from Frankish *hattjan (“to hate”) (compare Middle English hetien). More at hate. The fluctuation between pronunciations with /eɪ/ and /iː/ is old; the former reflects adoption of an unmonophthongised pronunciation of Old French -ai-, while the latter reflects a monophthongised form. Pronunciation: /ˈheɪnəs/, /ˈhiːnəs/ 1. Totally reprehensible. Example: I hope they catch the person responsible for that heinous crime. Example: The perpetrators of this heinous act must be brought to justice. 2. Bad, evil or villainous.
Word: written Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Morphologically write + -en. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪ.tn̩/, [ˈɹɪʔt̚n̩], [ˈɹɪ.ʔn̩], [ˈɹɪ.ɾn̩], /ˈɾɪtən/ 1. Of, relating, or characteristic of writing (i.e., of that which has been written). Labels: not-comparable Example: Written language is a way of representing spoken language. 2. Having been written. Labels: not-comparable Example: I can speak Japanese fairly well, but I have no understanding whatsoever of written Japanese.
Word: written Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Morphologically write + -en. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪ.tn̩/, [ˈɹɪʔt̚n̩], [ˈɹɪ.ʔn̩], [ˈɹɪ.ɾn̩], /ˈɾɪtən/ 1. A rap that was written in advance, as opposed to a freestyle.
Word: written Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Morphologically write + -en. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪ.tn̩/, [ˈɹɪʔt̚n̩], [ˈɹɪ.ʔn̩], [ˈɹɪ.ɾn̩], /ˈɾɪtən/ 1. past participle of write Labels: form-of, participle, past Example: Has your girlfriend written you a letter yet? Example: The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone,[…]. Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read.
Word: writer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wreyd-der.? Proto-Germanic *wrītaną Proto-West Germanic *wrītan Old English wrītan Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Old English wrītere Middle English writer English writer From Middle English writer, writere, from Old English wrītere (“draughtsman; painter; writer; scribe; copyist”) and ġewritere (“writer; composer”), equivalent to write + -er and writ + -er. Cognate with Icelandic ritari (“clerk, secretary”), Faroese ritari (“clerk, secretary”). Pronunciation: /ˈɹaɪ.tə(ɹ)/, [ˈɹ̠aɪtə(ɹ̠)], /ˈɹaɪ.təɹ/, [ˈɹ̠aɪɾɚ], [ˈɹ̠ɐɪɾɚ] 1. A person who writes, or produces literary work; an author can refer to themselves as "the writer". Example: Has your girlfriend written you another letter already? She’s quite a writer! Example: I met some of my favourite authors at the writers' convention. 2. Anything that writes or produces output. Example: If the writer is set to autoflush mode, then all characters in the buffer are sent to their destination whenever println is called. 3. The seller of an option. 4. A clerk of a certain rank in the service of the East India Company, who, after serving a certain number of years, became a factor. Labels: historical 5. An ordinary legal practitioner in Scottish country towns. Labels: Scotland 6. A petty officer in the United States navy who keeps the watch-muster and other books of the ship. Labels: US 7. A graffiti artist. Labels: slang Example: Writers were reunited with their crews, none having seen each other since back in the day, since they'd spun from teenage affiliations into lives more burdened and serious. Example: Two aspects of style co-exist in graffiti art, as explained in chapter 2. There is a writer's personal style, and there is iconic style, or style as convention.
Word: write Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (“to carve, write”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey- (“to rip, tear”). Cognate with West Frisian write (“to wear by rubbing, rip, tear”), Dutch wrijten (“to argue, quarrel”), Middle Low German wrîten (“to scratch, draw, write”) (> Low German wrieten, rieten (“to tear, split”)), German reißen (“to tear, rip”), Norwegian rita (“to rough-sketch, carve, write”), Swedish rita (“to draw, design, delineate, model”), Icelandic rita (“to cut, scratch, write”), German ritzen (“to carve, scratch”), Proto-Slavic *ryti (“to carve, engrave, dig”), Polish ryć (“to engrave, dig”), Czech rýt (“to engrave, dig”). See also rit and rat. Pronunciation: /ɹaɪt/, [ɹaɪt], /ɹəɪt/, [ɹəɪʔ], [ɹɑjt] 1. The act or style of writing. Example: The pen also gives a better write than the ordinary counter pen. The ink stand cannot be stolen, for it is fastened to the counter or desk. 2. The operation of storing data, as in memory or onto disk. Example: How many writes per second can this hard disk handle? Example: In other words, the system can do 1200 reads per second with no writes, the average write is twice as slow as the average read, and the relationship is linear.
Word: wring Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Partly: * from Middle English wring, wringe (“twisting or wringing (of the neck)”), from Middle English wringen, wryngen (verb); and * from the modern English verb. See further at etymology 1. Pronunciation: /ɹɪŋ/, /ˈɹɪŋɡ/ 1. A powerful squeezing or twisting action. Labels: also, figuratively Example: I grasped his hand and gave it a grateful wring. Example: The VVring by the hand, and the Banquet is ours. 2. Followed by down: the product of wringing, such as cider or wine. Labels: dated Example: She had just got off her mare to look at the last wring-down of cider for the year; […] 3. A sharp physical pain, especially in the abdomen; also, mental pain or distress. Labels: obsolete Example: Hens dung ſvvallovved [by a horse] by hap, bringeth frets and vvrings in the bellie: […] Example: [T]here vvas brought unto him an horſe named Babylonius, vvhich happening to be ſore vexed vvith a ſuddaine gripe or vvring in his belly, fell dovvne, and vvhiles hee vvas not able to endure the paine, vvallovveth along, and happeneth to beſprent his capariſon and ornaments richly garniſhed vvith gold and precious ſtones. At vvhich ſtrange ſight he tooke great joy, and cryed out, vvith the applauſe of thoſe next about him, That Babylon vvas fallen, and lay along on the ground diſpoyled of all her ornaments.
Word: wring Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wring, wringe, wrynge (“a press, especially for olives or wine”) [and other forms], from Old English wringe, from wringan (verb): see further at etymology 1. Pronunciation: /ɹɪŋ/, /ˈɹɪŋɡ/ 1. A device for compressing or pressing, especially for making cheese, cider from apples, or wine from grapes. Labels: archaic Example: If you boil Cider eſpecial care muſt be had to put it into the furnace immediately from the vvring; othervviſe, if it be let ſtand in Vats, or veſſels, tvvo or three days after the preſſure, the beſt and moſt ſpiritous part vvill aſcend and fly avvay in the vapours vvhen fire is put under it; […] A Friend of mine having made proviſion of Apples for Cider, vvhereof ſo great a part vvere found rotten vvhen the time of grinding them came, that they did as 'tvvere vvaſh the room vvith their juice, through vvhich they vvere carried to the vvring, had Cider from them not only paſſable, but exceeding good; […] Example: In order to avoid a great deal of trouble, and to perform the work more effectually, by diveſting the nevv made Cyder of vvhat pummice and other impurities remain; after ſtraining it through a hair ſieve, on its coming from the VVring, or Preſs, it is neceſſary to be provided vvith a large open vat, keeve, or clive, vvhich vvill contain a vvhole pounding, or making of Cyder; or as much as can be preſſed in one day: […]
Word: weave Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English weven (“to weave”), from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, braid”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian weev, weew, weewe (“to weave”), Saterland Frisian weeuwe (“to weave”), Dutch weven (“to weave”), German weben (“to weave”), Luxembourgish wiewen (“to weave”), Yiddish וועבן (vebn, “to weave”), Danish væve (“to weave”), Faroese veva (“to weave”), Icelandic vefa (“to weave”), Norwegian Bokmål veve (“to weave”), Norwegian Nynorsk veva, veve (“to weave”), Swedish väva (“to weave”). Pronunciation: /wiːv/ 1. To form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another. Labels: transitive Example: This loom weaves yarn into cloth. Example: Eugene "Uncle Onio" Punzal has lived on Kauai his whole life. He began weaving coconut fronds when he was a young child after seeing traditional weavers selling their pāpales (a traditional style of crownless hat) and baskets to tourists on the beach. 2. To spin a cocoon or a web. Labels: transitive Example: Spiders weave beautiful but deadly webs. 3. To unite by close connection or intermixture. Labels: transitive Example: This weaves itself, perforce, into my business. Example: these words, thus woven into song 4. To compose creatively and intricately; to fabricate. Labels: transitive Example: to weave the plot of a story Example: According to the simple meaning, these verses warn against forgetting the Torah and against idol worship, but our Sages wove them into an Aggadic passage which deals with physical danger in order to say: Jews must protect their physical health.
Word: weave Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English weven (“to weave”), from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, braid”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian weev, weew, weewe (“to weave”), Saterland Frisian weeuwe (“to weave”), Dutch weven (“to weave”), German weben (“to weave”), Luxembourgish wiewen (“to weave”), Yiddish וועבן (vebn, “to weave”), Danish væve (“to weave”), Faroese veva (“to weave”), Icelandic vefa (“to weave”), Norwegian Bokmål veve (“to weave”), Norwegian Nynorsk veva, veve (“to weave”), Swedish väva (“to weave”). Pronunciation: /wiːv/ 1. A type or way of weaving. Example: That rug has a very tight weave. Example: Although fabrics of complex weave can most surely be identified as being imports, others, including a vast array of simple fabrics—bedding, table linens, everyday clothing fabrics—could have been made on either side of the Atlantic, since the materials and equipment were the same. 2. Human or artificial hair worn to alter one's appearance, either to supplement or to cover the natural hair. Example: The physician should evaluate for a history of tight ponytails, buns, chignons, braids, twists, weaves, cornrows, dreadlocks, sisterlocks, and hair wefts in addition to the usage of religious hair coverings.
Word: weave Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English weven (“to wander”); probably from Old Norse veifa (“move around, wave”), related to Latin vibrare. Pronunciation: /wiːv/ 1. To move by turning and twisting. Labels: intransitive Example: The drunk weaved into another bar. Example: The victims’ feeling of incredulity at what they were seeing, swiftly turning to paralysing fear as the van bore down on them, swerving and weaving to hit as many people as possible, can barely be imagined. 2. To make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side. Labels: transitive Example: The ambulance weaved its way through the heavy traffic. Example: Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread: For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drank the milk of Paradise. 3. To move the head back and forth in a stereotyped pattern, typically as a symptom of stress. Labels: intransitive
Word: wove Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /wəʊv/, /woʊv/ 1. simple past of weave Labels: form-of, past Example: She wove a beautiful basket out of reeds. 2. past participle of weave Labels: colloquial, form-of, nonstandard, participle, past Example: One might have wove Stuffs with it, had it been prepar'd. Example: […]and the pearls which they have wove among her black tresses, were whiter than the frozen hail drops.
Word: wove Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /wəʊv/, /woʊv/ 1. made on a mould of closely woven wire Labels: not-comparable
Word: wound Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Noun from Middle English wund, from Old English wund, from Proto-West Germanic *wundu, from Proto-Germanic *wundō (“wound”), from Proto-Indo-European *wen- (“to strive, toil, win”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Wuunde (“wound”), Cimbrian bunta (“wound”), Dutch wond, wonde (“wound”), German Wunde (“wonde”), Luxembourgish Wonn (“wound”), Yiddish וווּנד (vund, “wound”), Icelandic und (“wound”), Gothic *𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌰 (*wunda, “wound”) (whence 𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍆𐌽𐌹 (wundufni, “disease, plague”)); also Old Armenian վանդեմ (vandem, “to destroy; to catch a disease”). Verb from Middle English wunden, from Old English wundian, from Proto-Germanic *wundōną (“to wound”). Cognates Cognate with Cimbrian buntan (“to wound”), Dutch wonden (“to wound”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍉𐌽 (gawundōn, “to wound”). Pronunciation: /ˈwuːnd/, /ˈwʉwnd/, /ˈwund/, /ˈwʉːnd/, /ˈwʉnd/ 1. An injury, such as a cut, stab, or tear, to a (usually external) part of the body. Example: The visitors were without Wayne Rooney after he suffered a head wound in training, which also keeps him out of England's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine. Example: Showers of blood / Rained from the wounds of slaughtered Englishmen. 2. A hurt to a person's feelings, reputation, prospects, etc. Labels: figuratively Example: It took a long time to get over the wound of that insult. 3. An injury to a person by which the skin is divided or its continuity broken.
Word: wound Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Noun from Middle English wund, from Old English wund, from Proto-West Germanic *wundu, from Proto-Germanic *wundō (“wound”), from Proto-Indo-European *wen- (“to strive, toil, win”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Wuunde (“wound”), Cimbrian bunta (“wound”), Dutch wond, wonde (“wound”), German Wunde (“wonde”), Luxembourgish Wonn (“wound”), Yiddish וווּנד (vund, “wound”), Icelandic und (“wound”), Gothic *𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌰 (*wunda, “wound”) (whence 𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍆𐌽𐌹 (wundufni, “disease, plague”)); also Old Armenian վանդեմ (vandem, “to destroy; to catch a disease”). Verb from Middle English wunden, from Old English wundian, from Proto-Germanic *wundōną (“to wound”). Cognates Cognate with Cimbrian buntan (“to wound”), Dutch wonden (“to wound”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍉𐌽 (gawundōn, “to wound”). Pronunciation: /ˈwuːnd/, /ˈwʉwnd/, /ˈwund/, /ˈwʉːnd/, /ˈwʉnd/ 1. To hurt or injure (someone) by cutting, piercing, or tearing the skin. Labels: transitive Example: The police officer wounded the suspect during the fight that ensued. 2. To hurt (a person's feelings). Labels: transitive Example: The actor's pride was wounded when the leading role went to his rival. Example: I find neglect or rejection from my own community much harder to take and more wounding than the same thing or worse from the outside world.
Word: wound Part of Speech: verb Etymology: See wind (Etymology 2) Pronunciation: /ˈwaʊ̯nd/, [ˈwaʊ̯nd], /ˈwæʊ̯nd/, [ˈwæʊ̯nd], /ˈwaːnd/ 1. simple past and past participle of wind Labels: form-of, participle, past Example: “[…] Captain Markam had been found lying half-insensible, gagged and bound, on the floor of the sitting-room, his hands and feet tightly pinioned, and a woollen comforter wound closely round his mouth and neck ; whilst Mrs. Markham's jewel-case, containing valuable jewellery and the secret plans of Port Arthur, had disappeared.[…]”
Word: would Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Old English wolde, past tense of willan, predecessor of will. The loss of /l/ in this word is probably due to weak stress, as in should and could (though in the latter, the /l/ was due to the analogy of the former two). Pronunciation: /wəd/, /əd/, /(w)ʊ(l)d/, /wʊd/, /wɵd/ 1. Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality. Example: When the golf ball is there, the whole self-interference package — the hopes, worries, and fears; the thoughts on how-to and how-not-to; the woulds, the coulds, and the shoulds — is there too. Example: Shushona you must learn to rightfully prioritize all the woulds, shoulds and coulds of your life.