Word: wide Part of Speech: adj Etymology: PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yiddish ווײַט (vayt, “distant, far”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vid (“wide”), Faroese and Icelandic víður (“wide”); also Breton gwez (“trees”), Cornish gwedh, gwëdh, gwydh, gwÿdh (“trees”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic fiodh (“timber, wood”), Manx fuygh (“timber, wood”), Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”), Latin dīvidō (“to divide, separate”), Latgalian vyds (“middle”), Latvian vidus (“center, middle”), Lithuanian vidùs (“interior, inside; inward”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B wätk- (“to distinguish, separate”). Related to widow. Pronunciation: /waɪd/, /wɑed/ 1. Having a large physical extent from side to side. Example: We walked down a wide corridor. Example: Over a wider region either side of the path of totality, a partial eclipse is seen. 2. Large in scope. Example: The inquiry had a wide remit. Example: The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail. 3. Overweight, obese. Labels: derogatory, humorous, slang 4. Operating at the side of the playing area. Example: That team needs a decent wide player. 5. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc. Example: Two balls before lunch, he bowled a wide. Example: Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide. 6. Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth. Labels: dated 7. Vast, great in extent, extensive. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, archaic Example: The wide, lifeless expanse. 8. Located some distance away; distant, far. Labels: obsolete Example: Mr Hunt's house, you know, lies wide from Harlowe-place. Example: the contrary [being] so wide from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God 9. Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc. Labels: obsolete Example: And I trust anon by the help of an infallible guide, to perfect such Prutenic tables, as shall mend the astronomy of our wide expositors. Example: But I tell you, it is farre wyde, that the people haue ſuche iudgmentes, the Byſhoppes they coulde laughe at it. 10. Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation. Example: a wide character; a wide stream 11. Sharp-witted. Labels: UK, slang Example: But the first visitor to penetrate from the outside world proved to be Sergeant Williams; large and pink and scrubbed-looking; and for a little while Grant forgot about battles long ago and considered wide boys alive today.