Etimology
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)
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.)
Something like such a unit of language:
The fact or act of speaking, as opposed to taking action. [from 9th c].
(now rare outside certain phrases) Something that someone said; a comment, utterance; speech. [from 10th c.]
(obsolete outside certain phrases) A watchword or rallying cry, a verbal signal (even when consisting of multiple words).
(obsolete) A proverb or motto.
(uncountable) News; tidings. [from 10th c.]
An order; a request or instruction; an expression of will. [from 10th c.]
A promise; an oath or guarantee. [from 10th c.]
A brief discussion or conversation. [from 15th c.]
(meiosis) A minor reprimand.
(in the plural) See words.
(theology, sometimes Word) Communication from God; the message of the Christian gospel; the Bible, Scripture. [from 10th c.]
(theology, sometimes Word) Logos, Christ. [from 8th c.]
Examples
But every word, whether written or spoken, which urges the woman to antagonism against the man, every word which is written or spoken to try and make of her a hybrid, self-contained opponent of men, makes a rift in the lute to which the world looks for its sweetest music.
The word, whether written or spoken, does not look like or sound like its meaning — it does not resemble its signified. We only connect the two because we have learnt the code — language. Without such knowledge, 'Maggie' would just be a meaningless pattern of shapes or sounds.
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, […]
Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
Then all was silent save the voice of the high priest, whose words grew louder and louder, […]
Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.
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.
Polonius: What do you read, my lord?Hamlet: Words, words, words.
The name was a confused gift of love from her father, who could not read the word but picked it out of the Bible for its visual shape, […]
Well-meaning academics even introduced spelling absurdities such as the “s” in the word “island,” a misguided Renaissance attempt to restore the etymology of the [unrelated] Latin word insula.
“Ain’t! How often am I to tell you ain’t ain’t a word?”
Fisherwoman isn’t even a word. It’s not in the dictionary.
Hypernym: syntagma
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’ 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.
Here the scribe has dropped the με from καθημενος, thereby creating the nonsense word καθηνος.
If M. V. has sustained impairment to a phonological output process common to reading and repetition, we might anticipate that her mispronunciations will partially reflect the underlying phonemic form of the nonsense word.
The size of a register in the MIPS architecture is 32 bits; groups of 32 bits occur so frequently that they are given the name word in the MIPS architecture.
[…] 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.
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.
"The Kaiser laid down his arms at a quarter to twelve. In me, however, they have an opponent who ceases fighting only at five minutes past twelve," said Hitler some time ago. He has never spoken a truer word.
Despite appearances to the contrary [...] dragomans stuck rigidly to their brief, which was not to translate the Sultan's words, but his word.
In what sense is God's Word living? No other word, whether written or spoken, has the power that the Bible has to change lives.
Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George, inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
I have the word : sentinel, do thou stand; […]
mum's the word
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.'
Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals.
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.
He sent word that we should strike camp before winter.
Don't fire till I give the word
Their mother's word was law.
I give you my word that I will be there on time.
Synonym: promise
Can I have a word with you?
I had a word with him about it.
There had been words between him and the secretary about the outcome of the meeting.
Her parents had lived in Botswana, spreading the word among the tribespeople.
Synonyms: word of God, Bible
Synonyms: God, Logos
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 wroughtWith human hands the creed of creedsIn loveliness of perfect deeds,More strong than all poetic thought; […]
Related words
synonyms
vocable; see also Thesaurus:word
verb
word (third-person singular simple present words, present participle wording, simple past and past participle worded)
(transitive) To say or write (something) using particular words; to phrase (something).
(transitive, obsolete) To flatter with words, to cajole.
(transitive) To ply or overpower with words.
(transitive, rare) To conjure with a word.
(intransitive, archaic) To speak, to use words; to converse, to discourse.
Examples
Synonyms: express, phrase, put into words, state
I’m not sure how to word this letter to the council.
He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not / be noble to myself.
[…] 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].
Against him […] who could word heaven and earth out of nothing, and can when he pleases word them into nothing again.
"Postcolonialism" might well be another linguistic construct, desperately begging for a referent that will never show up, simply because it never existed on its own and was literally worded into existence by the very term that pretends to be born from it.
The being of each person is worded into existence in the Word, […]
Thus wording timidly among the fierce: / "O Father, I am here the simplest voice, […] "
interjection
word
(slang) Truth, indeed, that is the truth! The shortened form of the statement "My word is my bond."
(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.
Examples
"Yo, that movie was epic!" / "Word?" / "Word."
" […] 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! […] "
Etimology
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
Alternative form of worth (“to become”).