Definition of word in english language

What Is the Definition of Word?

«The trouble with words,» said British dramatist Dennis Potter, «is that you never know whose mouths they’ve been in.».

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A word is a speech sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning and may consist of a single morpheme or a combination of morphemes.

The branch of linguistics that studies word structures is called morphology. The branch of linguistics that studies word meanings is called lexical semantics.

Etymology

​From Old English, «word»

Examples and Observations

  • «[A word is the] smallest unit of grammar that can stand alone as a complete utterance, separated by spaces in written language and potentially by pauses in speech.»
    -David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003
  • «A grammar . . . is divided into two major components, syntax and morphology. This division follows from the special status of the word as a basic linguistic unit, with syntax dealing with the combination of words to make sentences, and morphology with the form of words themselves.» -R. Huddleston and G. Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2002
  • «We want words to do more than they can. We try to do with them what comes to very much like trying to mend a watch with a pickaxe or to paint a miniature with a mop; we expect them to help us to grip and dissect that which in ultimate essence is as ungrippable as shadow. Nevertheless there they are; we have got to live with them, and the wise course is to treat them as we do our neighbours, and make the best and not the worst of them.»
    -Samuel Butler, The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, 1912
  • Big Words
    «A Czech study . . . looked at how using big words (a classic strategy for impressing others) affects perceived intelligence. Counter-intuitvely, grandiose vocabulary diminished participants’ impressions of authors’ cerebral capacity. Put another way: simpler writing seems smarter.»
    -Julie Beck, «How to Look Smart.» The Atlantic, September 2014
  • The Power of Words
    «It is obvious that the fundamental means which man possesses of extending his orders of abstractions indefinitely is conditioned, and consists in general in symbolism and, in particular, in speech. Words, considered as symbols for humans, provide us with endlessly flexible conditional semantic stimuli, which are just as ‘real’ and effective for man as any other powerful stimulus.
  • Virginia Woolf on Words
    «It is words that are to blame. They are the wildest, freest, most irresponsible, most un-teachable of all things. Of course, you can catch them and sort them and place them in alphabetical order in dictionaries. But words do not live in dictionaries; they live in the mind. If you want proof of this, consider how often in moments of emotion when we most need words we find none. Yet there is the dictionary; there at our disposal are some half-a-million words all in alphabetical order. But can we use them? No, because words do not live in dictionaries, they live in the mind. Look once more at the dictionary. There beyond a doubt lie plays more splendid than Antony and Cleopatra; poems lovelier than the ‘Ode to a Nightingale’; novels beside which Pride and Prejudice or David Copperfield are the crude bunglings of amateurs. It is only a question of finding the right words and putting them in the right order. But we cannot do it because they do not live in dictionaries; they live in the mind. And how do they live in the mind? Variously and strangely, much as human beings live, ranging hither and thither, falling in love, and mating together.»
    -Virginia Woolf, «Craftsmanship.» The Death of the Moth and Other Essays, 1942
  • Word Word
    «Word Word [1983: coined by US writer Paul Dickson]. A non-technical, tongue-in-cheek term for a word repeated in contrastive statements and questions: ‘Are you talking about an American Indian or an Indian Indian?’; ‘It happens in Irish English as well as English English.'»
    -Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992

Although
the borderline between various linguistic units is not always sharp
and clear, we shall try to define every new term on its first
appearance at once simply and unambiguously, if not always very
rigorously. The approximate definition of the term word
has already been given in the opening page of the book.

The
important point to remember about
definitions
is that they should indicate the most essential characteristic
features of the notion expressed by the term under discussion, the
features by which this notion is distinguished from other similar
notions. For instance, in defining the word one must distinguish it
from other linguistic units, such as the phoneme, the morpheme, or
the word-group. In contrast with a definition, a description
aims at enumerating all the essential features of a notion.

To
make things easier we shall begin by a preliminary description,
illustrating it with some examples.

The
word
may be described as the basic unit of language. Uniting meaning and
form, it is composed of one or more morphemes, each consisting of one
or more spoken sounds or their written representation. Morphemes as
we have already said are also meaningful units but they cannot be
used independently, they are always parts of words whereas words can
be used as a complete utterance (e. g. Listen!).
The
combinations of morphemes within words are subject to certain linking
conditions. When a derivational affix is added a new word is formed,
thus, listen
and
listener
are
different words. In fulfilling different grammatical functions words
may take functional affixes: listen
and
listened
are
different forms of the same word. Different forms of the same word
can be also built analytically with the help of auxiliaries. E.g.:
The
world should listen then as I am listening now
(Shelley).

When
used in sentences together with other words they are syntactically
organised. Their freedom of entering into syntactic constructions is
limited by many factors, rules and constraints (e. g.: They
told me this story
but
not *They
spoke me this story).

The
definition of every basic notion is a very hard task: the definition
of a word is one of the most difficult in linguistics because the

27

simplest
word has many different aspects. It has a sound form because it is a
certain arrangement of phonemes; it has its morphological structure,
being also a certain arrangement of morphemes; when used in actual
speech, it may occur in different word forms, different syntactic
functions and signal various meanings. Being the central element of
any language system, the word is a sort of focus for the problems of
phonology, lexicology, syntax, morphology and also for some other
sciences that have to deal with language and speech, such as
philosophy and psychology, and probably quite a few other branches of
knowledge. All attempts to characterise the word are necessarily
specific for each domain of science and are therefore considered
one-sided by the representatives of all the other domains and
criticised for incompleteness. The variants of definitions were so
numerous that some authors (A. Rossetti, D.N. Shmelev) collecting
them produced works of impressive scope and bulk.

A
few examples will suffice to show that any definition is conditioned
by the aims and interests of its author.

Thomas
Hobbes (1588-1679),
one
of the great English philosophers, revealed a materialistic approach
to the problem of nomination when he wrote that words are not mere
sounds but names of matter. Three centuries later the great Russian
physiologist I.P. Pavlov (1849-1936)
examined
the word in connection with his studies of the second signal system,
and defined it as a universal signal that can substitute any other
signal from the environment in evoking a response in a human
organism. One of the latest developments of science and engineering
is machine translation. It also deals with words and requires a
rigorous definition for them. It runs as follows: a word is a
sequence of graphemes which can occur between spaces, or the
representation of such a sequence on morphemic level.

Within
the scope of linguistics the word has been defined syntactically,
semantically, phonologically and by combining various approaches.

It
has been syntactically defined for instance as “the minimum
sentence” by H. Sweet and much later by L. Bloomfield as “a
minimum free form”. This last definition, although structural in
orientation, may be said to be, to a certain degree, equivalent to
Sweet’s, as practically it amounts to the same thing: free forms
are later defined as “forms which occur as sentences”.

E.
Sapir takes into consideration the syntactic and semantic aspects
when he calls the word “one of the smallest completely satisfying
bits of isolated ‘meaning’, into which the sentence resolves
itself”. Sapir also points out one more, very important
characteristic of the word, its indivisibility:
“It cannot be cut into without a disturbance of meaning, one or two
other or both of the several parts remaining as a helpless waif on
our hands”. The essence of indivisibility will be clear from a
comparison of the article a
and
the prefix a-
in
a
lion
and
alive.
A lion
is
a word-group because we can separate its elements and insert other
words between them: a
living lion, a dead lion. Alive
is
a word: it is indivisible, i.e. structurally impermeable: nothing can
be inserted between its elements. The morpheme a-
is
not free, is not a word. The

28

situation
becomes more complicated if we cannot be guided by solid spelling.’
“The Oxford English Dictionary», for instance, does not
include the
reciprocal pronouns each
other
and
one
another
under
separate headings, although
they should certainly be analysed as word-units, not as word-groups
since they have become indivisible: we now say with
each other
and
with
one another
instead
of the older forms one
with another
or
each
with the other.
1

Altogether
is
one word according to its spelling, but how is one to treat all
right,
which
is rather a similar combination?

When
discussing the internal cohesion of the word the English linguist
John Lyons points out that it should be discussed in terms of two
criteria “positional
mobility”
and
“un­interrupt­abili­ty”.
To illustrate the first he segments into morphemes the following
sentence:

the

boy

s

walk

ed

slow

ly

up

the

hill

The
sentence may be regarded as a sequence of ten morphemes, which occur
in a particular order relative to one another. There are several
possible changes in this order which yield an acceptable English
sentence:

slow

ly

the

boy

s

walk

ed

up

the

hill
up

the

hill

slow

ly

walk

ed

the

boy

s

Yet
under all the permutations certain groups of morphemes behave as
‘blocks’ —
they
occur always together, and in the same order relative to one another.
There is no possibility of the sequence s

the

boy,
ly

slow,
ed

walk.
One
of the characteristics of the word is that it tends to be internally
stable (in terms of the order of the component morphemes), but
positionally mobile (permutable with other words in the same
sentence)”.2

A
purely semantic treatment will be found in Stephen Ullmann’s
explanation: with him connected discourse, if analysed from the
semantic point of view, “will fall into a certain number of
meaningful segments which are ultimately composed of meaningful
units. These meaningful units are called words.»3

The
semantic-phonological approach may be illustrated by A.H.Gardiner’s
definition: “A word is an articulate sound-symbol in its aspect of
denoting something which is spoken about.»4

The
eminent French linguist A. Meillet (1866-1936)
combines
the semantic, phonological and grammatical criteria and advances a
formula which underlies many subsequent definitions, both abroad and
in our country, including the one given in the beginning of this
book: “A word is defined by the association of a particular meaning
with a

1Sapir
E.
Language.
An Introduction to the Study of Speech. London, 1921,
P.
35.

2 Lyons,
John.
Introduction
to Theoretical Linguistics. Cambridge: Univ. Press, 1969.
P. 203.

3 Ullmann
St.
The
Principles of Semantics. Glasgow, 1957.
P.
30.

4 Gardiner
A.H.
The
Definition of the Word and the Sentence //
The
British Journal of Psychology. 1922.
XII.
P. 355
(quoted
from: Ullmann
St.,
Op.
cit., P. 51).

29

particular
group of sounds capable of a particular grammatical employment.»1

This
definition does not permit us to distinguish words from phrases
because not only child,
but
a
pretty child
as
well are combinations of a particular group of sounds with a
particular meaning capable of a particular grammatical employment.

We
can, nevertheless, accept this formula with some modifications,
adding that a word is the smallest significant unit of a given
language capable of functioning alone and characterised by positional
mobility
within
a sentence, morphological
uninterruptability
and semantic
integrity.2
All these criteria are necessary because they permit us to create a
basis for the oppositions between the word and the phrase, the word
and the phoneme, and the word and the morpheme: their common feature
is that they are all units of the language, their difference lies in
the fact that the phoneme is not significant, and a morpheme cannot
be used as a complete utterance.

Another
reason for this supplement is the widespread scepticism concerning
the subject. It has even become a debatable point whether a word is a
linguistic unit and not an arbitrary segment of speech. This opinion
is put forth by S. Potter, who writes that “unlike a phoneme or a
syllable, a word is not a linguistic unit at all.»3
He calls it a conventional and arbitrary segment of utterance, and
finally adopts the already mentioned
definition of L. Bloomfield. This position is, however, as
we have already mentioned, untenable, and in fact S. Potter himself
makes ample use of the word as a unit in his linguistic analysis.

The
weak point of all the above definitions is that they do not establish
the relationship between language and thought, which is formulated if
we treat the word as a dialectical unity of form and content, in
which the form is the spoken or written expression which calls up a
specific meaning, whereas the content is the meaning rendering the
emotion or the concept in the mind of the speaker which he intends to
convey to his listener.

Summing
up our review of different definitions, we come to the conclusion
that they are bound to be strongly dependent upon the line of
approach, the aim the scholar has in view. For a comprehensive word
theory, therefore, a description seems more appropriate than a
definition.

The
problem of creating a word theory based upon the materialistic
understanding of the relationship between word and thought on the one
hand, and language and society, on the other, has been one of the
most discussed for many years. The efforts of many eminent scholars
such as V.V. Vinogradov, A. I. Smirnitsky, O.S. Akhmanova, M.D.
Stepanova, A.A. Ufimtseva —
to
name but a few, resulted in throwing light

1Meillet
A.
Linguistique
historique et linguistique generate. Paris,
1926.
Vol.
I. P. 30.

2 It
might be objected that such words as articles, conjunctions and a few
other words
never occur as sentences, but they are not numerous and could be
collected into a
list of exceptions.

3 See:
Potter
S.
Modern
Linguistics. London, 1957.
P.
78.

30

on this problem and achieved a
clear presentation of the word as a basic unit of the language. The
main points may now be summarised.

The
word
is the
fundamental
unit
of language.
It is a dialectical
unity
of form
and
content.
Its content or meaning is not identical to notion, but it may reflect
human notions, and in this sense may be considered as the form of
their existence. Concepts fixed in the meaning of words are formed as
generalised and approximately correct reflections of reality,
therefore in signifying them words reflect reality in their content.

The
acoustic aspect of the word serves to name objects of reality, not to
reflect them. In this sense the word may be regarded as a sign. This
sign, however, is not arbitrary but motivated by the whole process of
its development. That is to say, when a word first comes into
existence it is built out of the elements already available in the
language and according to the existing patterns.

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Definition of a Word

A word is a speech sound or a combination of sound having a particular meaning for an idea, object or thought and has a spoken or written form. In English language word is composed by an individual letter (e.g., ‘I’), I am a boy, or by combination of letters (e.g., Jam, name of a person) Jam is a boy. Morphology, a branch of linguistics, deals with the structure of words where we learn under which rules new words are formed, how we assigned a meaning to a word? how a word functions in a proper context? how to spell a word? etc.

Examples of word: All sentences are formed by a series of words. A sentence starts with a word, consists on words and ends with a word. Therefore, there is nothing else in a sentence than a word. 

Some different examples are: Boy, kite, fox, mobile phone, nature, etc.

Different Types of Word

There are many types of word; abbreviation, acronym, antonym, back formation, Clipped words (clipping), collocation, compound words, Content words, contractions, derivation, diminutive, function word, homograph, homonym, homophone, legalism, linker, conjunct, borrowed, metonym, monosyllable, polysyllable, rhyme, synonym, etc. Read below for short introduction to each type of word.

Abbreviation

An abbreviation is a word that is a short form of a long word.

Example: Dr for doctor, gym for gymnasium

Acronym

Acronym is one of the commonly used types of word formed from the first letter or letters of a compound word/ term and used as a single word.

Example: PIA for Pakistan International Airline

Antonym

An antonym is a word that has opposite meaning of an another word

Example: Forward is an antonym of word backward or open is an antonym of word close.

Back formation

Back formation word is a new word that is produced by removing a part of another word.

Example: In English, ‘tweeze’ (pluck) is a back formation from ‘tweezers’.

Clipped words

Clipped word is a word that has been clipped from an already existing long word for ease of use.

Example: ad for advertisement

Collocation

Collocation is a use of certain words that are frequently used together in form of a phrase or a short sentence.

Example: Make the bed,

Compound words

Compound words are created by placing two or more words together. When compound word is formed the individual words lose their meaning and form a new meaning collectively. Both words are joined by a hyphen, a space or sometime can be written together. 

Example: Ink-pot, ice cream,

Content word

A content word is a word that carries some information or has meaning in speech and writing.

Example:  Energy, goal, idea.

Contraction

A Contraction is a word that is formed by shortening two or more  words and  joining them by an apostrophe.

Example:  ‘Don’t’ is a contraction of the word ‘do not’.

Derivation

Derivation is a word that is derived from within a language or from another language.

Example: Strategize (to make a plan) from strategy (a plan).

Diminutive

Diminutive is a word that is formed by adding a diminutive suffix with a word.

Example: Duckling by adding suffix link with word duck.

Function word

Function word is a word that is mainly used for expressing some grammatical relationships between other words in a sentence.

Example: (Such as preposition, or auxiliary verb) but, with, into etc.

Homograph

Homograph is a word that is same in written form (spelled alike) as another word but with a different meaning, origin, and occasionally pronounced with a different pronunciation

Example:  Bow for ship and same word bow for shooting arrows.

Homonym

Homonyms are the words that are spelled alike and have same pronunciation as another word but have a different meaning.

Example: Lead (noun) a material and lead (verb) to guide or direct.

Homophone

Homophones are the words that have same pronunciation as another word but differ in spelling, meaning, and origin.

Example: To, two, and too are homophones.

Hyponym

Hyponym is a word that has more specific meaning than another more general word of which it is an example.

Example: ‘Parrot’ is a hyponym of ‘birds’.

Legalism

Legalism is a type of word that is used in law terminology.

Example: Summon, confess, judiciary

Linker/ conjuncts

Linker or conjuncts are the words or phrase like ‘however’ or ‘what’s more’ that links what has already been written or said to what is following.

Example: however, whereas, moreover.

Loanword/ borrowed

A loanword or borrowed word is a word taken from one language to use it in another language without any change.

Example: The word pizza is taken from Italian language and used in English language

Metonym

Metonym is a word which we use to refer to something else that it is directly related to that.

Example: ‘Islamabad’ is frequently used as a metonym for the Pakistan government.

Monosyllable

Monosyllable is a word that has only one syllable.

Example: Come, go, in, yes, or no are monosyllables.

Polysyllable

Polysyllable is a word that has two or more than two syllables.

Example: Interwoven, something or language are polysyllables.

Rhyme

Rhyme is a type of word used in poetry that ends with similar sound as the other words in stanza.

Example; good, wood, should, could.

Synonym

Synonym is a word that has similar meaning as another word.

Example: ‘happiness’ is a synonym for ‘joy’.

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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.


noun

a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as with the loss of primary accent that distinguishes the one-wordblackbird (primary stress on “black”, and secondary stress on “bird”) from black bird (primary stress on both words). Words are usually separated by spaces in writing, and are distinguished phonologically, as by accent, in many languages.

(used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, the first letter being lowercase or uppercase, with or without a following hyphen): My mom married at 20, and she mentions the m-word every time I meet someone she thinks is eligible.See also C-word, F-word, N-word.

words,

  1. speech or talk: to express one’s emotion in words;Words mean little when action is called for.
  2. the text or lyrics of a song as distinguished from the music.
  3. contentious or angry speech; a quarrel: We had words and she walked out on me.

a short talk or conversation: Marston, I’d like a word with you.

an expression or utterance: a word of warning.

warrant, assurance, or promise: I give you my word I’ll be there.

news; tidings; information: We received word of his death.

a verbal signal, as a password, watchword, or countersign.

an authoritative utterance, or command: His word was law.

Also called machine word. Computers. a string of bits, characters, or bytes treated as a single entity by a computer, particularly for numeric purposes.

(initial capital letter)Also called the Word, the Word of God.

  1. the Scriptures; the Bible.
  2. the Logos.
  3. the message of the gospel of Christ.

a proverb or motto.

verb (used with object)

to express in words; select words to express; phrase: to word a contract with great care.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about word

    at a word, in immediate response to an order or request; in an instant: At a word they came to take the situation in hand.

    be as good as one’s word, to hold to one’s promises.

    eat one’s words, to retract one’s statement, especially with humility: They predicted his failure, but he made them eat their words.

    have a word, to talk briefly: Tell your aunt that I would like to have a word with her.

    have no words for, to be unable to describe: She had no words for the sights she had witnessed.

    in a word, in summary; in short: In a word, there was no comparison.Also in one word.

    in so many words, in unequivocal terms; explicitly: She told them in so many words to get out.

    keep one’s word, to fulfill one’s promise: I said I’d meet the deadline, and I kept my word.

    man of his word / woman of her word, a person who can be trusted to keep a promise; a reliable person.

    (upon) my word! (used as an exclamation of surprise or astonishment.)

    of few words, laconic; taciturn: a woman of few words but of profound thoughts.

    of many words, talkative; loquacious; wordy: a person of many words but of little wit.

    put in a good word for, to speak favorably of; commend: He put in a good word for her with the boss.Also put in a word for.

    take one at one’s word, to take a statement to be literal and true.

    take the words out of one’s mouth, to say exactly what another person was about to say.

    weigh one’s words, to choose one’s words carefully in speaking or writing: It was an important message, and he was weighing his words.

Origin of word

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch woord, German Wort, Old Norse orth, orð, Gothic waurd, waúrd, all from Germanic wurdam (unattested); akin to Latin verbum “word,” Greek rhḗtōr (dialect wrḗtōr ) “public speaker, orator, rhetorician,” Old Prussian wirds “word,” Lithuanian var̃das “name”

OTHER WORDS FROM word

in·ter·word, adjectiveout·word, verb (used with object)well-word·ed, adjective

Words nearby word

Worcester china, Worcester sauce, Worcestershire, Worcestershire sauce, Worcs, word, word accent, wordage, word association, word association test, word-blind

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to word

conversation, talk, account, advice, announcement, comment, expression, information, message, news, remark, report, rumor, saying, speech, concept, name, phrase, sound, term

How to use word in a sentence

  • In other words, the large-scale burning this summer shows that these campaigns have yet to effectively prevent deforestation or the subsequent uncontrolled wildfires in Brazil.

  • In this example, I went with the word “shoes” as this is a product listing for shoes.

  • That may feel like a strange word to describe a perennial 50-game winner — one that’s been so good, and so close — with a generational scoring talent.

  • Think of good synonyms or words connected to the brand, without compromising your Google ranking.

  • If you mouse over the word, you’ll see original English word.

  • This is acting in every sense of the word—bringing an unevolved animal to life and making it utterly believable.

  • She vowed to repay the money—no official word, however, on whether she ever did that.

  • But news of the classes is spread mainly by word of mouth, and participants bring along their friends and families.

  • Still other people have moved away from the word “diet” altogether.

  • Back in Iran, he once got word that the Iranians were going to raid a village where his men were stationed.

  • Not a word now,” cried Longcluse harshly, extending his hand quickly towards him; “I may do that which can’t be undone.

  • Every word that now fell from the agitated Empress was balm to the affrighted nerves of her daughter.

  • When we were mounted Mac leaned over and muttered an admonitory word for Piegan’s ear alone.

  • Now for the tempering of the Gudgeons, I leave it to the judgment of the Workman; but a word or two of the polishing of it.

  • Huxley quotes with satirical gusto Dr. Wace’s declaration as to the word «Infidel.»

British Dictionary definitions for word (1 of 3)


noun

one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemesRelated adjective: lexical, verbal

an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussionto have a word with someone

an utterance or expression, esp a brief onea word of greeting

news or informationhe sent word that he would be late

a verbal signal for action; commandwhen I give the word, fire!

an undertaking or promiseI give you my word; he kept his word

an autocratic decree or utterance; orderhis word must be obeyed

a watchword or slogan, as of a political partythe word now is «freedom»

computing a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction

as good as one’s word doing what one has undertaken or promised to do

at a word at once

by word of mouth orally rather than by written means

in a word briefly or in short

my word!

  1. an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc
  2. Australian an exclamation of agreement

of one’s word given to or noted for keeping one’s promisesI am a man of my word

put in a word for or put in a good word for to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend

take someone at his word or take someone at her word to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she sayswhen he told her to go, she took him at his word and left

take someone’s word for it to accept or believe what someone says

the last word

  1. the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp a remark that supposedly settles an issue
  2. the latest or most fashionable design, make, or modelthe last word in bikinis
  3. the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc)the last word in luxury

the word the proper or most fitting expressioncold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!

upon my word!

  1. archaic on my honour
  2. an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc

word for word

  1. (of a report, transcription, etc) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim
  2. translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense

word of honour a promise; oath

(modifier) of, relating to, or consisting of wordsa word list

verb

(tr) to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase

(tr often foll by up) Australian informal to inform or advise (a person)

Word Origin for word

Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command

British Dictionary definitions for word (2 of 3)


noun the Word

Christianity the 2nd person of the Trinity

Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelationOften called: the Word of God

Word Origin for Word

translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1

British Dictionary definitions for word (3 of 3)


n combining form

(preceded by the and an initial letter) a euphemistic way of referring to a word by its first letter because it is considered to be in some way unmentionable by the userthe C-word, meaning cancer

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with word


In addition to the idioms beginning with word

  • word for word
  • word of honor
  • word of mouth, by
  • words fail me
  • words of one syllable, in
  • words stick in one’s throat
  • words to that effect
  • word to the wise, a

also see:

  • actions speak louder than words
  • at a loss (for words)
  • at a word
  • break one’s word
  • eat one’s words
  • famous last words
  • fighting words
  • four-letter word
  • from the word go
  • get a word in edgewise
  • give the word
  • go back on (one’s word)
  • good as one’s word
  • hang on someone’s words
  • have a word with
  • have words with
  • in brief (a word)
  • in other words
  • in so many words
  • keep one’s word
  • last word
  • leave word
  • man of his word
  • mark my words
  • mince matters (words)
  • mum’s the word
  • not breathe a word
  • not open one’s mouth (utter a word)
  • of few words
  • picture is worth a thousand words
  • play on words
  • put in a good word
  • put into words
  • put words in someone’s mouth
  • swallow one’s words
  • take someone at his or her word
  • take the words out of someone’s mouth
  • true to (one’s word)
  • weasel word
  • weigh one’s words

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Noun



How do you spell that word?



“Please” is a useful word.



Our teacher often used words I didn’t know.



What is the French word for car?



Describe the experience in your own words.



The lawyer used Joe’s words against him.



She gave the word to begin.



We will wait for your word before we serve dinner.

Verb



Could we word the headline differently?



tried to word the declaration exactly right

See More

Recent Examples on the Web



Despite the red flags, hundreds of investors were receiving their dividends on time and word was spreading.


Lizzie Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2023





For Lin, surviving sepsis left him determined to make sure that the word gets out about sepsis — and not just in English.


Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2023





Hayes became the first woman to earn the honor in 1977, earning the title after her Grammy win for best spoken word recording for Great American Documents.


Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2023





The Clue: This word starts with a consonant and ends with a vowel.


Erik Kain, Forbes, 4 Feb. 2023





The word comes in the wake a ransomware attack that diverted attention from the company’s plans to address lagging profitability.


Eric Killelea, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2023





Because such people possessed no special skill or status, the word gradually fell into disrepute.


San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2023





Detroit police on Monday called for help from the public – a week after Kemp on Jan. 23 reported Kelly missing and began spreading the word via social media and notifying news outlets.


Andrea May Sahouri, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2023





The word Tuesday was that more than 12,000 tickets had been sold.


Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2023




Make sure to word your instructions carefully.


Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023





How is the city’s referendum worded?


Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023





In addition, how a query was worded influenced the accuracy of the model’s response.


Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 16 Mar. 2023





The players all share a loose but focused way about them, words infielder David Fletcher used to describe the clubhouse.


Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023





The problem was that a news event happens, some real concrete event happens in the real world, and then it is passed on as information through various news outlets, each one spinning it or at least wording it in a way that aligned to either their core agenda or to the likings of their audience.


IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2020





At each stage, MyPerfectResume offers suggestions on what content to include and how to word it for the best results.


Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2022





Your doctor may know how to word a letter that makes clear your medical need for accommodation without giving unnecessary detail.


Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 30 June 2022





Gerritson said the new standards simply re-word the old standards.


Trisha Powell Crain | Tcrain@al.com, al, 29 Mar. 2022



See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘word.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

word

 (wûrd)

n.

1. A sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing or printing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning and may consist of a single morpheme or of a combination of morphemes.

2.

a. Something said; an utterance, remark, or comment: May I say a word about that?

b. A command or direction; an order: gave the word to retreat.

c. An assurance or promise; sworn intention: She has kept her word.

d. A verbal signal; a password or watchword.

3. words

a. Discourse or talk; speech: Actions speak louder than words.

b. Music The text of a vocal composition; lyrics.

c. Hostile or angry remarks made back and forth.

4.

a. News: Any word on your promotion?

b. Rumor: Word has it they’re divorcing.

5. Used euphemistically in combination with the initial letter of a term that is considered offensive or taboo or that one does not want to utter: «Although economists here will not call it a recession yet, the dreaded ‘R’ word is beginning to pop up in the media» (Francine S. Kiefer).

6. Word

b. The Scriptures; the Bible.

7. Computers A set of bits that is of a fixed size and is typically operated on by a computer’s processor.

tr.v. word·ed, word·ing, words

To express in words: worded the petition carefully.

interj.

Slang Used to express approval or an affirmative response to something. Sometimes used with up.

Idioms:

at a word

In immediate response.

good word

1. A favorable comment: She put in a good word for me.

2. Favorable news.

have a word with

To have a brief conversation with (someone); speak to.

have no words for

To be unable to describe or talk about.

in a word

In short; in summary: In a word, the situation is serious.

in so many words

1. In precisely those words; exactly: hinted at impending indictments but did not say it in so many words.

2. Speaking candidly and straightforwardly: In so many words, the weather has been beastly.

of few words

Not conversational or loquacious; laconic: a person of few words.

of (one’s) word

Displaying personal dependability: a woman of her word.

take at (someone’s) word

To be convinced of another’s sincerity and act in accord with his or her statement: We took them at their word that the job would be done on time.

take (someone’s) word for it

To believe what someone says without investigating further.

upon my word

Indeed; really.


American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

word

(wɜːd)

n

1. (Linguistics) one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes.

2. an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion: to have a word with someone.

3. an utterance or expression, esp a brief one: a word of greeting.

4. news or information: he sent word that he would be late.

5. a verbal signal for action; command: when I give the word, fire!.

6. an undertaking or promise: I give you my word; he kept his word.

7. an autocratic decree or utterance; order: his word must be obeyed.

8. a watchword or slogan, as of a political party: the word now is ‘freedom’.

9. (Computer Science) computing a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction

10. as good as one’s word doing what one has undertaken or promised to do

11. at a word at once

12. by word of mouth orally rather than by written means

13. in a word briefly or in short

14. my word!

a. an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc

b. Austral an exclamation of agreement

15. of one’s word given to or noted for keeping one’s promises: I am a man of my word.

16. put in a word for put in a good word for to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend

17. take someone at his word take someone at her word to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says: when he told her to go, she took him at his word and left.

18. take someone’s word for it to accept or believe what someone says

19. the last word

a. the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp a remark that supposedly settles an issue

b. the latest or most fashionable design, make, or model: the last word in bikinis.

c. the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc): the last word in luxury.

20. the word the proper or most fitting expression: cold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!.

21. upon my word!

a. archaic on my honour

b. an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc

22. word for word

a. (of a report, transcription, etc) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim

b. translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense

23. word of honour a promise; oath

24. (modifier) of, relating to, or consisting of words: a word list.

vb

25. (tr) to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase

26. informal (often foll by: up) Austral to inform or advise (a person)

[Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command]


Word

(wɜːd)

n

1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity the 2nd person of the Trinity

2. (Theology) Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelation. Often called: the Word of God

[translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

word

(wɜrd)

n.

1. a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning, is typically seen as the smallest such unit capable of independent use, is separated from other such units by spaces in writing, and is often distinguished phonologically, as by accent or pause.

2. words,

a. verbal expression, esp. speech or talk: to express one’s emotions in words.

b. the text or lyrics of a song as distinguished from the music.

c. contentious or angry speech; a quarrel.

3. a short talk or conversation: May I have a word with you?

4. an expression or utterance: a word of warning.

5. warrant, assurance, or promise: I give you my word I’ll be there.

6. news; tidings; information: We received word of an uprising.

7. a verbal signal, as a password, watchword, or countersign.

8. an authoritative utterance or command: His word was law.

9. a string of bits or bytes of fixed length treated as a unit for storage and processing by a computer.

10. (cap.) Also called the Word, the Word′ of God′.

a. the Scriptures; the Bible.

b. the Logos.

c. the message of the gospel of Christ.

11. a proverb or motto.

12. (used to form a usu. humorous euphemism by combining with the initial letter of a taboo or supposedly taboo word): a ban on television’s use of the F-word. Taxes — politicians’ dreaded T-word.

v.t.

13. to select words to express; phrase: to word a contract carefully.

interj.

14. Sometimes, word up. Slang. (used to express satisfaction, approval, or agreement): You got a job? Word!

Idioms:

1. be as good as one’s word, to do what one has promised.

2. eat one’s words, to retract one’s statement, esp. with humility.

3. in a word, in summary; in short.

4. in so many words, in unequivocal terms; explicitly: She told them in so many words to get out.

5. man of his word or woman of her word, a trustworthy, reliable person.

6. my word! or upon my word! (used as an exclamation of surprise or astonishment.)

7. of few words, not talkative; laconic; taciturn.

8. of many words, talkative; loquacious; wordy.

9. put in a (good) word for, to speak favorably on behalf of; commend.

10. take one at one’s word, to take a statement to be literal and true.

11. take the words out of someone’s mouth, to say exactly what another person was about to say.

[before 900; Middle English, Old English, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon word, Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd; akin to Latin verbum word, Lithuanian vardas name]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Word(s)

 

See Also: SPEAKING; WORDS, DEFINED; WORDS, EFFECT OF; WORDS OF PRAISE; WRITERS/WRITING

  1. Applying words like bandages —William Mcllvanney
  2. Words should be scattered like seed; no matter how small the seed may be, if it has once found favorable ground, it unfolds its strength —Seneca
  3. Words, like Nature, half reveal and half conceal the Soul within —Alfred, Lord Tennyson
  4. Her words still hung in the air between us like a whisp of tobacco smoke —Evelyn Waugh
  5. It is with words as with sunbeams, the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn —Robert Southey
  6. Words, like men, grow an individuality; their character changes with years and with use —Anon
  7. Words, like fine flowers, have their color too —Ernest Rhys
  8. Words, like clothes, get old-fashioned, or mean and ridiculous, when they have been for some time laid aside —William Hazlitt
  9. Words, like fashions, disappear and recur throughout English history —Virginia Graham
  10. The word seemed to linger in the air, to throb in the air like the note of a violin —Katherine Mansfield
  11. Her words at first seemed fitful like the talking of the trees —Dante Gabriel Rossetti
  12. (She spoke to them slowly,) dropping the words like ping pong balls —Helen Hudson
  13. Every word hanging like the sack of cement on a murdered body at the bottom of the river —Diane Wakoski
  14. Her words fell like rain on a waterproof umbrella; they made a noise, but they could not reach the head which they seemed destined to deluge —Frances Trollope
  15. His words were smoother than oil (and yet be they swords) —The Book of Common Prayer
  16. It is as easy to draw back a stone thrown from the hand, as to recall a word once spoken —Menander
  17. Like blood from a cut vein, words flowed —James Morrow
  18. My words slipped from me like broken weapons —Edith Wharton
  19. An old sentence … ran through her mind like a frightened mouse in a maze —Babs H. Deal
  20. The rest [words meant to remain unspoken] rolled out like string from a hidden ball of twine —Lynne Sharon Schwartz
  21. The sentence rang over and over again in his mind like a dirge —Margaret Millar
  22. Stiff as frozen rope words poke out —Marge Piercy
  23. They [a group at a party] flung them [words] like weapons, handled them like jewels, tossed them on air with reckless abandon as though they scattered confetti —Mary Hedin
  24. The word hissed like steam escaping from an overloaded pressure system —Ross Macdonald
  25. A word once spoken, like an arrow shot, can never be retracted —Anon

    This simile was first used by Talmudic rabbis

  26. Words as meaningless and wonderful as wind chimes —Sharon Sheehe Stark
  27. The words came out like bullets —H. E. Bates
  28. Words came out … tumbling like a litter of puppies from a kennel —F. van Wyck Mason
  29. The words crumbled in his mouth like ashes —William Diehl
  30. Words … danced in my mind like wild ponies that moved only to my command —Hortense Calisher
  31. Words falling softly as rose petals —Mary Hedin
  32. Words, frothy and toneless like a chain of bursting bubbles —L. P. Hartley
  33. Words gushing and tumbling as if a hose had been turned on —Rose Tremain
  34. Words gush like toothpaste —Margaret Atwood
  35. The words [just spoken] hung like smoke in the air —Doris Grumbach
  36. Words … like bits of cold wind —Mary Hedin
  37. (She dealt her) words like blades —Emily Dickinson
  38. Words, like butterflies, stagger from his lips —John Updike
  39. Words, like glass, obscure when they do not aid vision —Joseph Joubet
  40. Words … limp and clear like a jellyfish … hard and mean and secretive like a horned snail … austere and comical as top hats, or smooth and lively and flattering as ribbons —Alice Munro

    The narrator of Munro’s story, Spelling, contemplates the meaning of words while visiting an old woman.

  41. The word spiralled through the silence like a worm in wood —Harris Downey
  42. The words (out) of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords —The Holy Bible/Psalms
  43. Words … plunked down with a click like chessmen —Yehuda Amichai
  44. Words … poured wetly from her red lips as from a pitcher —Lynne Sharon Schwartz
  45. The words rang in the silence like the sound of a great cash register —Kingsley Amis
  46. Words ran together too quickly, like rapid water —Joanna Wojewski Higgins
  47. Words roll around in Benna’s mouth [heroine of novel, Anagrams, by Lorrie Moore] like Life Savers on a tongue —Carol Hills, New York Times Book Review, November 2, 1986
  48. Words that string and creep like insects —Conrad Aiken
  49. Words … tumbling out and tripping over each other like mice —Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
  50. The words went by like flights of moths under the star-soaked sky —Adrienne Rich
  51. Words … white and anonymous as a snowball —Donald McCaig

    See Also: WHITE

  52. (If he once … let loose … the) words would come like a great flood, like vomiting —George Garrett
  53. Your words to the end, hard as a pair of new cowboy boots —A. D. Winans

    See Also: TOUGHNESS

Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

word

Past participle: worded
Gerund: wording

Imperative
word
word
Present
I word
you word
he/she/it words
we word
you word
they word
Preterite
I worded
you worded
he/she/it worded
we worded
you worded
they worded
Present Continuous
I am wording
you are wording
he/she/it is wording
we are wording
you are wording
they are wording
Present Perfect
I have worded
you have worded
he/she/it has worded
we have worded
you have worded
they have worded
Past Continuous
I was wording
you were wording
he/she/it was wording
we were wording
you were wording
they were wording
Past Perfect
I had worded
you had worded
he/she/it had worded
we had worded
you had worded
they had worded
Future
I will word
you will word
he/she/it will word
we will word
you will word
they will word
Future Perfect
I will have worded
you will have worded
he/she/it will have worded
we will have worded
you will have worded
they will have worded
Future Continuous
I will be wording
you will be wording
he/she/it will be wording
we will be wording
you will be wording
they will be wording
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been wording
you have been wording
he/she/it has been wording
we have been wording
you have been wording
they have been wording
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been wording
you will have been wording
he/she/it will have been wording
we will have been wording
you will have been wording
they will have been wording
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been wording
you had been wording
he/she/it had been wording
we had been wording
you had been wording
they had been wording
Conditional
I would word
you would word
he/she/it would word
we would word
you would word
they would word
Past Conditional
I would have worded
you would have worded
he/she/it would have worded
we would have worded
you would have worded
they would have worded

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun 1. word — a unit of language that native speakers can identify; «words are the blocks from which sentences are made»; «he hardly said ten words all morning»

language unit, linguistic unit — one of the natural units into which linguistic messages can be analyzed

anagram — a word or phrase spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase

anaphor — a word (such as a pronoun) used to avoid repetition; the referent of an anaphor is determined by its antecedent

antonym, opposite, opposite word — a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other; «to him the antonym of `gay’ was `depressed'»

back-formation — a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it

charade — a word acted out in an episode of the game of charades

cognate word, cognate — a word is cognate with another if both derive from the same word in an ancestral language

content word, open-class word — a word to which an independent meaning can be assigned

contraction — a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds; «`won’t’ is a contraction of `will not'»; «`o’clock’ is a contraction of `of the clock'»

deictic, deictic word — a word specifying identity or spatial or temporal location from the perspective of a speaker or hearer in the context in which the communication occurs; «words that introduce particulars of the speaker’s and hearer’s shared cognitive field into the message»- R.Rommetveit

derivative — (linguistics) a word that is derived from another word; «`electricity’ is a derivative of `electric'»

diminutive — a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness

dirty word — a word that is considered to be unmentionable; «`failure’ is a dirty word to him»

dissyllable, disyllable — a word having two syllables

descriptor, form, signifier, word form — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something; «the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached»

four-letter Anglo-Saxon word, four-letter word — any of several short English words (often having 4 letters) generally regarded as obscene or offensive

closed-class word, function word — a word that is uninflected and serves a grammatical function but has little identifiable meaning

guide word, guideword, catchword — a word printed at the top of the page of a dictionary or other reference book to indicate the first or last item on that page

head word, head — (grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent

headword — a word placed at the beginning of a line or paragraph (as in a dictionary entry)

heteronym — two words are heteronyms if they are spelled the same way but differ in pronunciation; «the word `bow’ is an example of a heteronym»

holonym, whole name — a word that names the whole of which a given word is a part; «`hat’ is a holonym for `brim’ and `crown'»

homonym — two words are homonyms if they are pronounced or spelled the same way but have different meanings

hypernym, superordinate word, superordinate — a word that is more generic than a given word

hyponym, subordinate word, subordinate — a word that is more specific than a given word

key word — a significant word used in indexing or cataloging

hybrid, loanblend, loan-blend — a word that is composed of parts from different languages (e.g., `monolingual’ has a Greek prefix and a Latin root)

loanword, loan — a word borrowed from another language; e.g. `blitz’ is a German word borrowed into modern English

meronym, part name — a word that names a part of a larger whole; «`brim’ and `crown’ are meronyms of `hat'»

metonym — a word that denotes one thing but refers to a related thing; «Washington is a metonym for the United States government»; «plastic is a metonym for credit card»

monosyllabic word, monosyllable — a word or utterance of one syllable

neologism, neology, coinage — a newly invented word or phrase

hapax legomenon, nonce word — a word with a special meaning used for a special occasion

oxytone — word having stress or an acute accent on the last syllable

palindrome — a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward

primitive — a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; «`pick’ is the primitive from which `picket’ is derived»

paroxytone — word having stress or acute accent on the next to last syllable

partitive — word (such a `some’ or `less’) that is used to indicate a part as distinct from a whole

polysemant, polysemantic word, polysemous word — a word having more than one meaning

2. word — a brief statement; «he didn’t say a word about it»

statement — a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; «according to his statement he was in London on that day»

3. word - information about recent and important eventsword — information about recent and important events; «they awaited news of the outcome»

news, tidings, intelligence

info, information — a message received and understood

good word — good news

latest — the most recent news or development; «have you heard the latest?»

update — news that updates your information

4. word — a verbal command for action; «when I give the word, charge!»

order — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed; «the British ships dropped anchor and waited for orders from London»

5. word — an exchange of views on some topic; «we had a good discussion»; «we had a word or two about it»

give-and-take, discussion

speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, voice communication, oral communication, speech, language — (language) communication by word of mouth; «his speech was garbled»; «he uttered harsh language»; «he recorded the spoken language of the streets»

argumentation, debate, argument — a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal; «the argument over foreign aid goes on and on»

deliberation — (usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question; «the deliberations of the jury»

group discussion, conference — a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic

panel discussion — discussion of a subject of public interest by a group of persons forming a panel usually before an audience

postmortem, post-mortem — discussion of an event after it has occurred

public discussion, ventilation — free and open discussion of (or debate on) some question of public interest; «such a proposal deserves thorough public discussion»

negotiation, talks, dialogue — a discussion intended to produce an agreement; «the buyout negotiation lasted several days»; «they disagreed but kept an open dialogue»; «talks between Israelis and Palestinians»

6. word - a promiseword — a promise; «he gave his word»  

parole, word of honor

promise — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future

7. word — a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory; «large computers use words up to 64 bits long»

computer memory unit — a unit for measuring computer memory

byte — a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information

KiB, kibibyte, kilobyte, kB, K — a unit of information equal to 1024 bytes

8. Word — the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity (incarnate in Jesus)

Logos, Son

9. word - a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted groupword — a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group; «he forgot the password»

countersign, password, watchword, parole

arcanum, secret — information known only to a special group; «the secret of Cajun cooking»

positive identification — evidence proving that you are who you say you are; evidence establishing that you are among the group of people already known to the system; recognition by the system leads to acceptance; «a system for positive identification can prevent the use of a single identity by several people»

10. word - the sacred writings of the Christian religionsWord — the sacred writings of the Christian religions; «he went to carry the Word to the heathen»

Christian Bible, Good Book, Holy Scripture, Holy Writ, Scripture, Bible, Word of God, Book

religious text, religious writing, sacred text, sacred writing — writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity

family Bible — a large Bible with pages to record marriages and births

Old Testament — the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible

Testament — either of the two main parts of the Christian Bible

New Testament — the collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ’s death; the second half of the Christian Bible

covenant — (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return

eisegesis — personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas

exegesis — an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible)

text — a passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon; «the preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon»

Gabriel — (Bible) the archangel who was the messenger of God

Noachian deluge, Noah and the Flood, Noah’s flood, the Flood — (Biblical) the great deluge that is said in the Book of Genesis to have occurred in the time of Noah; it was brought by God upon the earth because of the wickedness of human beings

demythologise, demythologize — remove the mythical element from (writings); «the Bible should be demythologized and examined for its historical value»

Verb 1. word - put into words or an expressionword — put into words or an expression; «He formulated his concerns to the board of trustees»

give voice, phrase, articulate, formulate

ask — direct or put; seek an answer to; «ask a question»

evince, express, show — give expression to; «She showed her disappointment»

lexicalise, lexicalize — make or coin into a word or accept a new word into the lexicon of a language; «The concept expressed by German `Gemuetlichkeit’ is not lexicalized in English»

dogmatise, dogmatize — state as a dogma

formularise, formularize — express as a formula

couch, redact, put, frame, cast — formulate in a particular style or language; «I wouldn’t put it that way»; «She cast her request in very polite language»

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

word

noun

2. chat, tête-à-tête, talk, discussion, consultation, chitchat, brief conversation, colloquy, confabulation, confab (informal), heart-to-heart, powwow (informal) James, could I have a quick word with you?

4. message, news, latest (informal), report, information, account, notice, advice, communication, intelligence, bulletin, dispatch, gen (Brit. informal), communiqué, intimation, tidings There is no word from the authorities on the reported attack.

5. promise, guarantee, pledge, undertaking, vow, assurance, oath, parole, word of honour, solemn oath, solemn word He simply cannot be trusted to keep his word.

have words argue, fight, row, clash, disagree, fall out (informal), feud, quarrel, squabble, wrangle, bicker, have a row, lock horns, cross swords, be at each other’s throats, have a tiff (informal), have a barney (Brit. informal) We had words and she stormed out.

the last word

1. final say, ultimatum Our manager has the last word on all major decisions.

2. summation, finis We’ll let this gentleman have the last word.

the last word in something epitome, newest, best, latest, crown, cream, rage, ultimate, vogue, perfection, mother of all (informal), quintessence, crème de la crème (French), ne plus ultra (French), dernier cri (French) The spa is the last word in luxury.

word for word

2. verbatim, direct, strict, accurate, exact, precise, faithful, literal, unadulterated, unabridged, unvarnished, undeviating, unembellished a word-for-word account of what had been said

Quotations
«In the beginning was the Word» Bible: St. John
«Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind» [Rudyard Kipling]
«For words, like Nature, half reveal»
«And half conceal the Soul within» [Alfred, Lord Tennyson]
«`When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'» [Lewis Carroll Through the Looking-Glass]
«Words just say what you want them to say; they don’t know any better» [A.L. Kennedy The Role of Notable Silences in Scottish History]
«and once sent out, a word takes wing beyond recall» [Horace Epistles]
«Words are the physicians of a mind diseased» [Aeschylus Prometheus Bound]
«Thought flies and words go on foot» [Julien Green Journal]
«How often misused words generate misleading thoughts» [Herbert Spencer Principles of Ethics]
«Words are the tokens current and accepted for conceits, as moneys are for values» [Francis Bacon The Advancement of Learning]
«Words are wise men’s counters, they do but reckon by them» [Thomas Hobbes Leviathan]
«Oaths are but words, and words but wind» [Samuel Butler Hudibras]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

word

noun

1. A sound or combination of sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning:

3. Something communicated, as information:

4. A declaration that one will or will not do a certain thing:

assurance, covenant, engagement, guarantee, guaranty, pledge, plight, promise, solemn word, vow, warrant, word of honor.

5. An authoritative indication to be obeyed:

behest, bidding, charge, command, commandment, dictate, direction, directive, injunction, instruction (often used in plural), mandate, order.

6. New information, especially about recent events and happenings:

7. Idle, often sensational and groundless talk about others:

8. A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed.Used in plural:

altercation, argument, bicker, clash, contention, controversy, debate, difficulty, disagreement, dispute, fight, polemic, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle.

verb

To convey in language or words of a particular form:

The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

خَبَر، كَلِمَهكلمةكَلِمَةكَلِمَهمُحادَثَه قَصيرَه

дума

motparaula

slovoslib

ordsamtaleæresordbeskedformulere

vorto

sõna

گفتار

sana

מלה

riječ

szórövid beszélgetés

parolaverbovocabulo

kata

fréttirloforî, heitorðorîorî, samtal

単語福音言葉言語言質

단어말씀낱말

verbumvocabulum

formulavimasgerai įsimenantisįsiterpti į pokalbįišreikšti žodžiaislaikytis žodžio

godavārdsīsa sarunaizteikt vārdospāris vārduvārds

cuvânt

božie slovočestné slovopár slovsformulovaťslovo

besedačastna besedadržati besedo

rečреч

ord

คำ

từ

word

[wɜːd]

A. N

1. (gen) → palabra f; (= remark) → palabra f (Ling) → voz f, vocablo m
I remember every word he saidrecuerdo todas y cada una de sus palabras
that’s not the word I would have chosenyo no me hubiera expresado así
the words (= lyrics) → la letra
I won’t hear a word against himno permito que se le critique
a big worduna palabra difícil
in word and deedde palabra y hecho
words fail meno me lo puedo creer
words failed meme quedé sin habla
a man of few wordsun hombre nada locuaz
I can’t find (the) words to tell youno encuentro palabras para decirte …
fine wordspalabras elocuentes (pero quizá poco sinceras)
word for wordpalabra por palabra
too stupid for wordsde lo más estúpido
what’s the word for «shop» in Spanish?¿cómo se dice «shop» en español?
the Spanish have a word for iten español existe una palabra para eso
there is no other word for itno se puede llamar de otro modo
silly isn’t the word for it¡llamarle estúpido es poco!
I can’t get a word out of himno logro sacarle una palabra
in a worden pocas palabras, en una palabra
in other wordsen otros términos, es decir, esto es
in the words of Calderóncon palabras de Calderón, como dice Calderón
in his own wordscon sus propias palabras
she didn’t say so in so many wordsno lo dijo exactamente así, no lo dijo así concretamente
to have the last word in an argumentdecir la última palabra en una discusión
to measure one’s wordsmedir las palabras
by word of mouthverbalmente, de palabra
a word of adviceun consejo
a word of thanksunas palabras de agradecimiento
a word of warninguna advertencia
I can’t put my feelings into wordsno tengo palabras para expresar lo que siento
to put in a (good) word for sbavalar a algn, interceder por algn
don’t say a word about itno digas nada de eso
he never said a wordno dijo una sola palabra
he didn’t say a word about it to meni me lo mencionó
nobody had a good word to say about himnadie quería defenderle, nadie habló en su favor
I now call on Mr Allison to say a few wordsahora le cedo la palabra al Sr. Allison, ahora le invito al Sr. Allison a hacer uso de la palabra
to weigh one’s wordsmedir las palabras
with these words, he sat downy tras pronunciar estas palabras se sentó
without a wordsin decir palabra or ni pío
from the word godesde el principio mismo
it’s the last word in luxuryes el último grito en lo que a lujo se refiere
you’re putting words into my mouthte refieres a cosas que yo no he dicho
you took the words right out of my mouthme quitaste la palabra de la boca
the word on the street is that …los que saben del tema dicen que …
many a true word is spoken in jestlas bromas a veces pueden ser veras
a word to the wise (is sufficient)al buen entendedor pocas palabras le bastan
see also breathe A2
see also eat A
see also edgeways, mince A2

2. (= talk) to have a word with sbhablar (dos palabras) con algn, tener unas palabras con algn
I’ll have a word with him about itlo hablaré con él, se lo mencionaré
could I have a (short) word with you?¿puedo hablar un momento contigo?
I had a few words with him yesterdaytuve unas palabras con él ayer
to have a word in sb’s ear (Brit) → decir algo a algn en confianza

3. (= angry words)
to have words with sbreñir or (esp LAm) pelear(se) con algn
the referee had words with himel árbitro le dijo cuatro palabras
words passed between themcambiaron algunas palabras injuriosas

4. (no pl) (= message) → recado m; (= news) → noticia f, aviso m
to bring word of sth to sbinformar a algn de algo
word came thatllegó noticia de que …, se supo que …
if word gets out thatsi sale a la luz que …, si llega a saberse que …
the word is going round thatse dice que …, corre la voz de que …
word has it that …, the word is thatse dice que …
to leave word (with/for sb) thatdejar recado (con/para algn) de que …, dejar dicho (con/para algn) que …
there’s still no word from Johntodavía no sabemos nada de John
pass the word that it’s time to godiles que es hora de marcharnos
to send wordmandar recado
to send sb word of sthavisar a algn de algo
to spread the wordpropagar la noticia

Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

word

[ˈwɜːrd]

npl [song] → paroles fpl
I really like the words of this song → J’adore les paroles de cette chanson.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

word

n

(= remark)Wort nt; wordsWorte pl; a word of adviceein Rat(schlag) m; a word of encouragement/warningeine Ermunterung/Warnung; fine wordsschöne Worte pl; a man of few wordsein Mann, der nicht viele Worte macht; I can’t get a word out of himich kann kein Wort aus ihm herausbekommen; by word of mouthdurch mündliche Überlieferung; to say a few wordsein paar Worte sprechen; to be lost or at a loss for wordsnicht wissen, was man sagen soll; to take somebody at his wordjdn beim Wort nehmen; to have a word with somebody (about something) (= talk to)mit jdm (über etw) sprechen; to have a word with somebody (= reprimand, discipline)jdn ins Gebet nehmen; John, could I have a word?John, kann ich dich mal sprechen?; (could I have) a word in your ear?kann ich Sie bitte allein or unter vier Augen sprechen?; a word to the wiseein guter Rat; you took the words out of my mouthdu hast mir das Wort aus dem Mund genommen; I wish you wouldn’t put words into my mouthich wünschte, Sie würden mir nicht das Wort im Munde herumdrehen; to put in or say a (good) word for somebodyfür jdn ein gutes Wort einlegen; nobody had a good word to say for himniemand wusste etwas Gutes über ihn zu sagen; without a wordohne ein Wort; don’t say or breathe a word about itsag aber bitte keinen Ton or kein Sterbenswörtchen (inf)davon; remember, not a word to anyonevergiss nicht, kein Sterbenswörtchen (inf)

words pl (= text, lyrics)Text m

no pl (= message, news)Nachricht f; word went round that …es ging die Nachricht um, dass …; to leave word (with somebody/for somebody) that …(bei jdm/für jdn) (die Nachricht) hinterlassen, dass …; is there any word from John yet?schon von John gehört?, schon Nachrichten von John?; to send wordNachricht geben; to send word to somebodyjdn benachrichtigen; to send somebody word of somethingjdn von etw benachrichtigen; to spread the word (around) (inf)es allen sagen (inf); what’s the word on Charlie? (inf)was gibts Neues von Charlie?

(= promise, assurance)Wort nt; word of honour (Brit) or honor (US) → Ehrenwort nt; a man of his wordein Mann, der zu seinem Wort steht; to be true to or as good as one’s word, to keep one’s wordsein Wort halten; I give you my wordich gebe dir mein (Ehren)wort; to go back on one’s wordsein Wort nicht halten; to break one’s wordsein Wort brechen; I only have his word for itich habe nur sein Wort dafür; take my word for itverlass dich drauf, das kannst du mir glauben; you don’t have to take my word for itdu kannst das ruhig nachprüfen; it’s his word against mineAussage steht gegen Aussage; upon my word! (old) my word!meine Güte!

(= order)Wort nt; (also word of command)Kommando nt, → Befehl m; to give the word (to do something) (Mil) → das Kommando geben(, etw zu tun); just say the wordsag nur ein Wort; his word is law heresein Wort ist hier Gesetz


word

:

word association

nWortassoziation f

word-blind

adjwortblind

word blindness

nWortblindheit f

word break

n (of a word) → (Silben)trennung f

word class

nWortklasse f

wordcount

n (Comput) → Wortzählung f

wordcrunch

vt (Comput inf) text(nach Wörtern) analysieren

word deafness

n (Med, Psych) → Worttaubheit f

word ending

n (Ling) → Wortendung f

word game

nBuchstabenspiel nt


word

:

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

word

[wɜːd]

2. vt (document, protest) → formulare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

word

(wəːd) noun

1. the smallest unit of language (whether written, spoken or read).

2. a (brief) conversation. I’d like a (quick) word with you in my office.

3. news. When you get there, send word that you’ve arrived safely.

4. a solemn promise. He gave her his word that it would never happen again.

verb

to express in written or spoken language. How are you going to word the letter so that it doesn’t seem rude?

ˈwording noun

the manner of expressing something, the choice of words etc.

ˈword processor noun

a program for writing or editing texts, letters etc and storing them in the computer’s memory; a computer used for doing this.

ˈword processing nounˌword-ˈperfect adjective

repeated, or able to repeat something, precisely in the original words. a word-perfect performance; He wants to be word-perfect by next week’s rehearsal.

by word of mouth

by one person telling another in speech, not in writing. She got the information by word of mouth.

get a word in edgeways

to break into a conversation etc and say something.

in a word

to sum up briefly. In a word, I don’t like him.

keep/break one’s word

to keep or fail to keep one’s promise.

take (someone) at his/her word

to believe (someone) without question and act according to his words.

take someone’s word for it

to assume that what someone says is correct (without checking).

word for word

in the exact, original words. That’s precisely what he told me, word for word.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

word

كَلِمَة slovo ord Wort λέξη palabra sana mot riječ parola 単語 단어 woord ord słowo palavra слово ord คำ sözcük từ

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

word

n. vocablo, palabra, término.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

  • What is the word for …?
  • All one word

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

word

n palabra; — finding difficulty dificultad f para encontrar palabras

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

According to traditional grammar, a word is defined as, “the basic unit of language”. The word is usually a speech sound or mixture of sounds which is represented in speaking and writing.

Few examples of words are fan, cat, building, scooter, kite, gun, jug, pen, dog, chair, tree, football, sky, etc.

You can also define it as, “a letter or group/set of letters which has some meaning”. So, therefore the words are classified according to their meaning and action.

It works as a symbol to represent/refer to something/someone in the language.

The group of words makes a sentence. These sentences contain different types of functions (of the words) in it.

The structure (formation) of words can be studied with Morphology which is usually a branch (part) of linguistics.

The meaning of words can be studied with Lexical semantics which is also a branch (part) of linguistics.

Also Read: What is a Sentence in English Grammar? | Best Guide for 2021

The word can be used in many ways. Few of them are mentioned below.

  1. Noun (rabbit, ring, pencil, US, etc)
  2. Pronoun (he, she, it, we, they, etc)
  3. Adjective (big, small, fast, slow, etc)
  4. Verb (jumping, singing, dancing, etc)
  5. Adverb (slowly, fastly, smoothly, etc)
  6. Preposition (in, on, into, for, under, etc)
  7. Conjunction (and, or, but, etc)
  8. Subject (in the sentences)
  9. Verb and many more!

Now, let us understand the basic rules of the words.

Rules/Conditions for word

There are some set of rules (criteria) in the English Language which describes the basic necessity of becoming a proper word.

Rule 1: Every word should have some potential pause in between the speech and space should be given in between while writing.

For example, consider the two words like “football” and “match” which are two different words. So, if you want to use them in a sentence, you need to give a pause in between the words for pronouncing.

It cannot be like “Iwanttowatchafootballmatch” which is very difficult to read (without spaces).

But, if you give pause between the words while reading like, “I”, “want”, “to”, “watch”, “a”, “football”, “match”.

Example Sentence: I want to watch a football match.

We can observe that the above sentence can be read more conveniently and it is the only correct way to read, speak and write.

  • Incorrect: Iwanttowatchafootballmatch.
  • Correct: I want to watch a football match.

So, always remember that pauses and spaces should be there in between the words.

Rule 2: Every word in English grammar must contain at least one root word.

The root word is a basic word which has meaning in it. But if we further break down the words, then it can’t be a word anymore and it also doesn’t have any meaning in it.

So, let us consider the above example which is “football”. If we break this word further, (such as “foot” + “ball”), we can observe that it has some meaning (even after breaking down).

Now if we further break down the above two words (“foot” + “ball”) like “fo” + “ot” and “ba” + “ll”, then we can observe that the words which are divided have no meaning to it.

So, always you need to remember that the word should have atleast one root word.

Rule 3: Every word you want to use should have some meaning.

Yes, you heard it right!

We know that there are many words in the English Language. If you have any doubt or don’t know the meaning of it, then you can check in the dictionary.

But there are also words which are not defined in the English Language. Many words don’t have any meaning.

So, you need to use only the words which have some meaning in it.

For example, consider the words “Nuculer” and “lakkanah” are not defined in English Language and doesn’t have any meaning.

Always remember that not every word in the language have some meaning to it.

Also Read: 12 Rules of Grammar | (Grammar Basic Rules with examples)

More examples of Word

Words List Words List
apple ice
aeroplane jam
bat king
biscuit life
cap mango
doll nest
eagle orange
fish pride
grapes raincoat
happy sad

Quiz Time! (Test your knowledge here)

#1. A word can be ____________.

all of the above

all of the above

a noun

a noun

an adjective

an adjective

a verb

a verb

Answer: A word can be a noun, verb, adjective, preposition, etc.

#2. A root word is a word that _____________.

none

none

can be divided further

can be divided further

cannot be divided further

cannot be divided further

both

both

Answer: A root word is a word that cannot be divided further.

#3. A group of words can make a ___________.

none

none

sentence

sentence

letters

letters

words

words

Answer: A group of words can make a sentence.

#4. Morphology is a branch of ___________.

none

none

Linguistics

Linguistics

Phonology

Phonology

Semantics

Semantics

Answer: Morphology is a branch of Linguistics.

#5. The meaning of words can be studied with ___________.

none

none

both

both

Morphology

Morphology

Lexical semantics

Lexical semantics

Answer: The meaning of the words can be studied with Lexical semantics.

#6. The word is the largest unit in the language. Is it true or false?

#7. Is cat a word? State true or false.

Answer: “Cat” is a word.

#8. A word is a _____________.

group of paragraphs

group of paragraphs

group of letters

group of letters

group of sentences

group of sentences

All of the above

All of the above

Answer: A word is a group of letters which delivers a message or an idea.

#9. A word is usually a speech sound or mixture of it. Is it true or false?

#10. The structure of words can be studied with ___________.

Morphology

Morphology

both

both

Lexical semantics

Lexical semantics

none

none

Answer: The structure of words can be studied with Morphology.

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Summary: (What is a word?)

What is a word? - English Topper
(What is a word?)
  • Generally, the word is the basic and smallest unit in the language.
  • It is categorised based on its meaning.
  • Morphology is the study of Words structure (formation) and Lexical semantics is the study of meanings of the words. These both belong to a branch of Linguistics.
  • A word should have at least one root and meaning to it.

Also Read: What is Grammar? | (Grammar definition, types & examples) | Best Guide 2021

If you are interested to learn more, then you can refer wikipedia from here.

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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WORD

Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command.

info

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

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PRONUNCIATION OF WORD

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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WORD

Word is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb word in English.

WHAT DOES WORD MEAN IN ENGLISH?

word

Word

In linguistics, a word is the smallest element that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content. This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own. A word may consist of a single morpheme, or several, whereas a morpheme may not be able to stand on its own as a word. A complex word will typically include a root and one or more affixes, or more than one root in a compound. Words can be put together to build larger elements of language, such as phrases, clauses, and sentences. The term word may refer to a spoken word or to a written word, or sometimes to the abstract concept behind either. Spoken words are made up of units of sound called phonemes, and written words of symbols called graphemes, such as the letters of the English alphabet.


Definition of word in the English dictionary

The first definition of word in the dictionary is one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes related adjective lexical verbal. Other definition of word is an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion. Word is also an utterance or expression, esp a brief one.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WORD

PRESENT

Present

I word

you word

he/she/it words

we word

you word

they word

Present continuous

I am wording

you are wording

he/she/it is wording

we are wording

you are wording

they are wording

Present perfect

I have worded

you have worded

he/she/it has worded

we have worded

you have worded

they have worded

Present perfect continuous

I have been wording

you have been wording

he/she/it has been wording

we have been wording

you have been wording

they have been wording

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I worded

you worded

he/she/it worded

we worded

you worded

they worded

Past continuous

I was wording

you were wording

he/she/it was wording

we were wording

you were wording

they were wording

Past perfect

I had worded

you had worded

he/she/it had worded

we had worded

you had worded

they had worded

Past perfect continuous

I had been wording

you had been wording

he/she/it had been wording

we had been wording

you had been wording

they had been wording

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will word

you will word

he/she/it will word

we will word

you will word

they will word

Future continuous

I will be wording

you will be wording

he/she/it will be wording

we will be wording

you will be wording

they will be wording

Future perfect

I will have worded

you will have worded

he/she/it will have worded

we will have worded

you will have worded

they will have worded

Future perfect continuous

I will have been wording

you will have been wording

he/she/it will have been wording

we will have been wording

you will have been wording

they will have been wording

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would word

you would word

he/she/it would word

we would word

you would word

they would word

Conditional continuous

I would be wording

you would be wording

he/she/it would be wording

we would be wording

you would be wording

they would be wording

Conditional perfect

I would have word

you would have word

he/she/it would have word

we would have word

you would have word

they would have word

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been wording

you would have been wording

he/she/it would have been wording

we would have been wording

you would have been wording

they would have been wording

Conditional or «future-in-the-past» tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you word
we let´s word
you word

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Present Participle

wording

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH WORD

Synonyms and antonyms of word in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS OF «WORD»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «word» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «word» into 25 languages

online translator

TRANSLATION OF WORD

Find out the translation of word to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of word from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «word» in English.

Translator English — Chinese


1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English — Spanish


palabra

570 millions of speakers

English


word

510 millions of speakers

Translator English — Hindi


शब्द

380 millions of speakers

Translator English — Arabic


كَلِمَة

280 millions of speakers

Translator English — Russian


слово

278 millions of speakers

Translator English — Portuguese


palavra

270 millions of speakers

Translator English — Bengali


শব্দ

260 millions of speakers

Translator English — French


mot

220 millions of speakers

Translator English — Malay


perkataan

190 millions of speakers

Translator English — German


Wort

180 millions of speakers

Translator English — Japanese


単語

130 millions of speakers

Translator English — Korean


단어

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Javanese


Tembung

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Vietnamese


từ

80 millions of speakers

Translator English — Tamil


சொல்

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Marathi


शब्द

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Turkish


sözcük

70 millions of speakers

Translator English — Italian


parola

65 millions of speakers

Translator English — Polish


słowo

50 millions of speakers

Translator English — Ukrainian


слово

40 millions of speakers

Translator English — Romanian


cuvânt

30 millions of speakers

Translator English — Greek


λέξη

15 millions of speakers

Translator English — Afrikaans


woord

14 millions of speakers

Translator English — Swedish


ord

10 millions of speakers

Translator English — Norwegian


ord

5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of word

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WORD»

The term «word» is very widely used and occupies the 884 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Trends

FREQUENCY

Very widely used

The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «word» in the different countries.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of word

List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «word».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WORD» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «word» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «word» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about word

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WORD»

Discover the use of word in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to word and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

But what about feck? Or ferkin? Or foul—as in FUBAR, or «Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition»? In a thoroughly updated edition of The F-Word, Jesse Sheidlower offers a rich, revealing look at the f-bomb and its illimitable uses.

2

Children’s Writer’s Word Book

You’ll find: Lists of specific words that are introduced at seven key reading levels (kindergarten through sixth grade) A thesaurus of those words with synonyms, annotated with reading levels Detailed guidelines for sentence length, word …

«[The Weighty Word Book] will appeal to kids who want to sound as smart as they are.

Paul M. Levitt, Douglas A. Burger, Elissa S. Guralnick, 2009

Exercises designed to develop vocabulary skills present words together with their pronunciations, definitions and use in sentences

5

The Everything Giant Book of Word Searches: Over 300 Puzzles …

Over 300 puzzles for big word search fans!

6

Keyboarding & Word Processing, Complete Course, Lessons 1-120

This comprehensive text provides three semesters of keyboarding and word processing instruction.

Susie VanHuss, Connie Forde, Donna Woo, 2008

Willard Van Orman Quine begins this influential work by declaring, «Language is asocial art.

Willard Van Orman Quine, 2013

8

The Scrabble Word-Building Book: Updated Edition

Using the completely revised and updated The Scrabble® Word-Building Book, you can! This essential strategy guide shows you how to build on your opponents’ words and become a master of this classic game.

9

Word Smart: How to Build an Educated Vocabulary

Provides the definitions of words that are commonly misused or misunderstood and uses them in a sentence, along with a guide for how to memorize words quickly and quick quizzes.

Adam Robinson, Princeton Review, 2012

10

Easy Microsoft Office Word 2003

• •Includes more than 100 hands-on tasks to get the reader up and running with Microsoft Word 11. •Written by an experienced Microsoft Word consultant, trainer, and author. •Each task is designed to teach the easiest, fastest or …

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WORD»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term word is used in the context of the following news items.

Oxford Dictionary Adds ‘Fo’ Shizzle,’ ‘Masshole’ and ‘Hot Mess’

The precise origin of the word is uncertain, the editors say, but it may be a blend of twist or twitch and jerk. Their definition: “To dance to popular music in a … «TIME, Jun 15»

Microsoft releases Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android phones …

Microsoft today launched Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android phones. Previously in preview, the apps have now hit general availability on Google Play … «VentureBeat, Jun 15»

Obama uses N-word, says we are ‘not cured’ of racism

Washington (CNN) President Barack Obama used the n-word during an interview released Monday to make a point that there’s still plenty of room for America to … «CNN, Jun 15»

All the ridiculous words two Indian-American teenagers got right to …

By now, academics are even working on theories to explain … «Quartz, May 15»

Go Forth And Pwn For Shizzle, Word List Guardians Tell Scrabble …

A new batch of 6,500 words are now available to Scrabble players, after publishing house Collins updated its widely used Official Scrabble Words list Thursday. «NPR, May 15»

Microsoft releases Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android tablets …

Microsoft today launched Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android tablets. Previously in preview, the apps have now hit general availability on Google Play: … «VentureBeat, Jan 15»

Merriam-Webster Announces Its Word of the Year

That is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2014. If it sounds awfully broad, that is because the editors based in Springfield, Mass., rely more on hard data … «TIME, Dec 14»

Oxford names ‘vape’ 2014 Word of the Year

The Oxford Dictionaries named «vape» 2014’s Word of the Year. Oxford defines the verb as «to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette … «USA TODAY, Nov 14»

Microsoft Word mobile app shoots to top of Apple’s charts

Word is not alone. Microsoft made Excel and PowerPoint, available as free, individual apps for the iPhone on Thursday — just as they had been for the iPad. «CNET, Nov 14»

Now You Can Use The Word ‘Selfie’ in Scrabble

Those words, among more than 5,000 others, are included in the Fifth Edition of The Official SCRABBLE Player’s Dictionary, put out by American dictionary … «TIME, Aug 14»

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Word [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/word>. Apr 2023 ».

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Discover all that is hidden in the words on educalingo

In traditional grammar, word is the basic unit of language.A word refers to a speech sound, or a mixture of two or more speech sounds in both written and verbal form of language. A word works as a symbol to represent/refer to something/someone in language to communicate a specific meaning.

Contents

  • 1 What is word and its example?
  • 2 What is word and its types?
  • 3 What is word linguistics?
  • 4 What is the meaning of word?
  • 5 What are words called?
  • 6 What is word in language?
  • 7 What is a word class in grammar?
  • 8 Why do we define words?
  • 9 Why do we say word?
  • 10 What is morpheme and word?
  • 11 What is word Slideshare?
  • 12 Is word a noun or verb?
  • 13 What are the parts of a word?
  • 14 What is word Wikipedia?
  • 15 What type of word is there?
  • 16 What is word boundaries?
  • 17 What is called sentence?
  • 18 Is your name a word?
  • 19 What are the 4 main word classes?
  • 20 What is word class in syntax?

What is word and its example?

The definition of a word is a letter or group of letters that has meaning when spoken or written. An example of a word is dog.An example of words are the seventeen sets of letters that are written to form this sentence.

What is word and its types?

There are eight types of words that are often referred to as ‘word classes’ or ‘parts of speech’ and are commonly distinguished in English: nouns, determiners, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions.These are the different types of words in the English language.

What is word linguistics?

In linguistics, a word of a spoken language can be defined as the smallest sequence of phonemes that can be uttered in isolation with objective or practical meaning.In many languages, the notion of what constitutes a “word” may be learned as part of learning the writing system.

What is the meaning of word?

1 : a sound or combination of sounds that has meaning and is spoken by a human being. 2 : a written or printed letter or letters standing for a spoken word. 3 : a brief remark or conversation I’d like a word with you.

What are words called?

All words belong to categories called word classes (or parts of speech) according to the part they play in a sentence. The main word classes in English are listed below. Noun. Verb. Adjective.

What is word in language?

A word is a speech sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning and may consist of a single morpheme or a combination of morphemes. The branch of linguistics that studies word structures is called morphology.

A word class is a group of words that have the same basic behaviour, for example nouns, adjectives, or verbs.

Why do we define words?

The definition of definition is “a statement expressing the essential nature of something.” At least that’s one way Webster defines the word.Because definitions enable us to have a common understanding of a word or subject; they allow us to all be on the same page when discussing or reading about an issue.

Why do we say word?

‘Word’ in slang is a word one would use to indicate acknowledgement, approval, recognition or affirmation, of something somebody else just said.

What is morpheme and word?

Word vs Morpheme
A morpheme is usually considered as the smallest element of a word or else a grammar element, whereas a word is a complete meaningful element of language.

What is word Slideshare?

•“A word’ is a free morpheme or a combination of morphemes that together form a basic segment of speech” .

Is word a noun or verb?

word used as a noun:
A distinct unit of language (sounds in speech or written letters) with a particular meaning, composed of one or more morphemes, and also of one or more phonemes that determine its sound pattern. A distinct unit of language which is approved by some authority.

What are the parts of a word?

The parts of a word are called morphemes. These include suffixes, prefixes and root words. Take the word ‘microbiology,’ for example.

What is word Wikipedia?

A word is something spoken by the mouth, that can be pronounced. In alphabetic writing, it is a collection of letters used together to communicate a meaning. These can also usually be pronounced.Some words have different pronunciation, for example, ‘wind’ (the noun) and ‘wind’ (the verb) are pronounced differently.

What type of word is there?

The word “there” have multiple functions. In verbal and written English, the word can be used as an adverb, a pronoun, a noun, an interjection, or an adjective. This word is classified as an adverb if it is used to modify a verb in the sentence.

What is word boundaries?

A word boundary is a zero-width test between two characters. To pass the test, there must be a word character on one side, and a non-word character on the other side. It does not matter which side each character appears on, but there must be one of each.

What is called sentence?

A sentence is a set of words that are put together to mean something. A sentence is the basic unit of language which expresses a complete thought. It does this by following the grammatical basic rules of syntax.A complete sentence has at least a subject and a main verb to state (declare) a complete thought.

Is your name a word?

Yes, names are words. Specifically, they are proper nouns: they refer to specific people, places, or things. “John” is a proper noun; “ground” is a common noun. But both are words.

What are the 4 main word classes?

There are four major word classes: verb, noun, adjective, adverb.

What is word class in syntax?

In English grammar, a word class is a set of words that display the same formal properties, especially their inflections and distribution.It is also variously called grammatical category, lexical category, and syntactic category (although these terms are not wholly or universally synonymous).

Collins

  
      n  

1    one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes  
   Related adj     
  lexical  
  
  verbal  

2    an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion  
to have a word with someone     

3    an utterance or expression, esp. a brief one  
a word of greeting     

4    news or information  
he sent word that he would be late     

5    a verbal signal for action; command  
when I give the word, fire!     

6    an undertaking or promise  
I give you my word, he kept his word     

7    an autocratic decree or utterance; order  
his word must be obeyed     

8    a watchword or slogan, as of a political party  
the word now is «freedom»     

9      (Computing)   a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction  

10   
as good as one’s word   doing what one has undertaken or promised to do  

12   
by word of mouth   orally rather than by written means  

13   
in a word   briefly or in short  

a    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

b      (Austral)   an exclamation of agreement  

15   
of one’s word   given to or noted for keeping one’s promises  
I am a man of my word     

16   
put in a word or good word for   to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend  

17   
take someone at his or her word   to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says  
when he told her to go, she took him at his word and left     

18   
take someone’s word for it   to accept or believe what someone says  

a    the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp. a remark that supposedly settles an issue  

b    the latest or most fashionable design, make, or model  
the last word in bikinis     

c    the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc.)  
the last word in luxury     

20   
the word   the proper or most fitting expression  
cold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!     

b    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

a    (of a report, transcription, etc.) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim  

b    translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense  

23   
word of honour   a promise; oath  

24    modifier   of, relating to, or consisting of words  
a word list     
      vb  

25    tr   to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase  

26    tr; often foll by: up     (Austral)  
informal   to inform or advise (a person),   (See also)
  
  
  words  

     (Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command)  

boo-word  
      n   any word that seems to cause irrational fear  
«communism» became a boo-word in the McCarthy era     

buzz word  
      n  
Informal   a word, often originating in a particular jargon, that becomes a vogue word in the community as a whole or among a particular group  

content word  
      n   a word to which an independent meaning can be given by reference to a world outside any sentence in which the word may occur  
   Compare     
  function word  
  
  lexical meaning  

four-letter word  
      n   any of several short English words referring to sex or excrement: often used as swearwords and regarded generally as offensive or obscene  

function word  
      n     (Grammar)   a word, such as the, with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning  
   Compare     
  content word  
  
  grammatical meaning  

f-word  
      n  

the.   sometimes cap      a euphemistic way of referring to the word     
  fuck  

     (from f(uck) + word)  

ghost word  
      n   a word that has entered the language through the perpetuation, in dictionaries, etc., of an error  

loan word  
      n   a word adopted, often with some modification of its form, from one language into another  

nonce word  
      n   a word coined for a single occasion  

portmanteau word  
      n      another name for     
  blend  
  
  7  

     (C19: from the idea that two meanings are packed into one word)  

reserved word  
      n   a word in a programming language or computer system that has a fixed meaning and therefore cannot be redefined by a programmer  

Word  
      n  

the  

1      (Christianity)   the 2nd person of the Trinity  

2    Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelation,   (Often called)
  
the Word of God  
     (translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1)  

-word  
      n combining form   preceded by the and an initial letter   a euphemistic way of referring to a word by its first letter because it is considered to be in some way unmentionable by the user  
the C-word, meaning cancer     

word association  
      n   an early method of psychoanalysis in which the patient thinks of the first word that comes into consciousness on hearing a given word. In this way it was claimed that aspects of the unconscious could be revealed before defence mechanisms intervene  

word blindness  
      n   the nontechnical name for alexia and dyslexia  

  word-blind      adj  

word class  
      n     (Linguistics)   a form class in which the members are words  
   See     
  part of speech  

word deafness  
      n   loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp. as the result of a cerebral lesion,   (Also called)
  
auditory aphasia  

  word-deaf      adj  

word game  
      n   any game involving the formation, discovery, or alteration of a word or words  

word order  
      n   the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections  

word-perfect   ,   (U.S.)   letter-perfect  
      adj  

1    correct in every detail  

2    (of a speech, part in a play, etc.) memorized perfectly  

3    (of a speaker, actor, etc.) knowing one’s speech, role, etc., perfectly  

word picture  
      n   a verbal description, esp. a vivid one  

word processing  
      n   the composition of documents using a computer system to input, edit, store, and print them  

word processor  
      n  

a    a computer program that performs word processing  

b    a computer system designed for word processing  

word square  
      n   a puzzle in which the player must fill a square grid with words that read the same across as down  

word stress  
      n   the stress accent on the syllables of individual words either in a sentence or in isolation  

word wrapping  
      n     (Computing)   the automatic shifting of a word at the end of a line to a new line in order to keep within preset margins  

English Collins Dictionary — English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collins

Word  
      n  

the  

1      (Christianity)   the 2nd person of the Trinity  

2    Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelation,   (Often called)
  
the Word of God  
     (translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1)  

boo-word  
      n   any word that seems to cause irrational fear  
«communism» became a boo-word in the McCarthy era     

buzz word  
      n  
Informal   a word, often originating in a particular jargon, that becomes a vogue word in the community as a whole or among a particular group  

content word  
      n   a word to which an independent meaning can be given by reference to a world outside any sentence in which the word may occur  
   Compare     
  function word  
  
  lexical meaning  

four-letter word  
      n   any of several short English words referring to sex or excrement: often used as swearwords and regarded generally as offensive or obscene  

function word  
      n     (Grammar)   a word, such as the, with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning  
   Compare     
  content word  
  
  grammatical meaning  

f-word  
      n  

the.   sometimes cap      a euphemistic way of referring to the word     
  fuck  

     (from f(uck) + word)  

ghost word  
      n   a word that has entered the language through the perpetuation, in dictionaries, etc., of an error  

loan word  
      n   a word adopted, often with some modification of its form, from one language into another  

nonce word  
      n   a word coined for a single occasion  

portmanteau word  
      n      another name for     
  blend  
  
  7  

     (C19: from the idea that two meanings are packed into one word)  

reserved word  
      n   a word in a programming language or computer system that has a fixed meaning and therefore cannot be redefined by a programmer  

word  
      n  

1    one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes  
   Related adj     
  lexical  
  
  verbal  

2    an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion  
to have a word with someone     

3    an utterance or expression, esp. a brief one  
a word of greeting     

4    news or information  
he sent word that he would be late     

5    a verbal signal for action; command  
when I give the word, fire!     

6    an undertaking or promise  
I give you my word, he kept his word     

7    an autocratic decree or utterance; order  
his word must be obeyed     

8    a watchword or slogan, as of a political party  
the word now is «freedom»     

9      (Computing)   a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction  

10   
as good as one’s word   doing what one has undertaken or promised to do  

12   
by word of mouth   orally rather than by written means  

13   
in a word   briefly or in short  

a    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

b      (Austral)   an exclamation of agreement  

15   
of one’s word   given to or noted for keeping one’s promises  
I am a man of my word     

16   
put in a word or good word for   to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend  

17   
take someone at his or her word   to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says  
when he told her to go, she took him at his word and left     

18   
take someone’s word for it   to accept or believe what someone says  

a    the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp. a remark that supposedly settles an issue  

b    the latest or most fashionable design, make, or model  
the last word in bikinis     

c    the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc.)  
the last word in luxury     

20   
the word   the proper or most fitting expression  
cold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!     

b    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

a    (of a report, transcription, etc.) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim  

b    translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense  

23   
word of honour   a promise; oath  

24    modifier   of, relating to, or consisting of words  
a word list     
      vb  

25    tr   to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase  

26    tr; often foll by: up     (Austral)  
informal   to inform or advise (a person),   (See also)
  
  
  words  

     (Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command)  

-word  
      n combining form   preceded by the and an initial letter   a euphemistic way of referring to a word by its first letter because it is considered to be in some way unmentionable by the user  
the C-word, meaning cancer     

word association  
      n   an early method of psychoanalysis in which the patient thinks of the first word that comes into consciousness on hearing a given word. In this way it was claimed that aspects of the unconscious could be revealed before defence mechanisms intervene  

word blindness  
      n   the nontechnical name for alexia and dyslexia  

  word-blind      adj  

word class  
      n     (Linguistics)   a form class in which the members are words  
   See     
  part of speech  

word deafness  
      n   loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp. as the result of a cerebral lesion,   (Also called)
  
auditory aphasia  

  word-deaf      adj  

word game  
      n   any game involving the formation, discovery, or alteration of a word or words  

word order  
      n   the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections  

word-perfect   ,   (U.S.)   letter-perfect  
      adj  

1    correct in every detail  

2    (of a speech, part in a play, etc.) memorized perfectly  

3    (of a speaker, actor, etc.) knowing one’s speech, role, etc., perfectly  

word picture  
      n   a verbal description, esp. a vivid one  

word processing  
      n   the composition of documents using a computer system to input, edit, store, and print them  

word processor  
      n  

a    a computer program that performs word processing  

b    a computer system designed for word processing  

word square  
      n   a puzzle in which the player must fill a square grid with words that read the same across as down  

word stress  
      n   the stress accent on the syllables of individual words either in a sentence or in isolation  

word wrapping  
      n     (Computing)   the automatic shifting of a word at the end of a line to a new line in order to keep within preset margins  

English Collins Dictionary — English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collins

household name   , word         
      n   a person or thing that is very well known  

boo-word  
      n   any word that seems to cause irrational fear  
«communism» became a boo-word in the McCarthy era     

buzz word  
      n  
Informal   a word, often originating in a particular jargon, that becomes a vogue word in the community as a whole or among a particular group  

content word  
      n   a word to which an independent meaning can be given by reference to a world outside any sentence in which the word may occur  
   Compare     
  function word  
  
  lexical meaning  

four-letter word  
      n   any of several short English words referring to sex or excrement: often used as swearwords and regarded generally as offensive or obscene  

function word  
      n     (Grammar)   a word, such as the, with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning  
   Compare     
  content word  
  
  grammatical meaning  

f-word  
      n  

the.   sometimes cap      a euphemistic way of referring to the word     
  fuck  

     (from f(uck) + word)  

ghost word  
      n   a word that has entered the language through the perpetuation, in dictionaries, etc., of an error  

loan word  
      n   a word adopted, often with some modification of its form, from one language into another  

nonce word  
      n   a word coined for a single occasion  

portmanteau word  
      n      another name for     
  blend  
  
  7  

     (C19: from the idea that two meanings are packed into one word)  

reserved word  
      n   a word in a programming language or computer system that has a fixed meaning and therefore cannot be redefined by a programmer  

word         
      n  

1    one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes  
   Related adj     
  lexical  
  
  verbal  

2    an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion  
to have a word with someone     

3    an utterance or expression, esp. a brief one  
a word of greeting     

4    news or information  
he sent word that he would be late     

5    a verbal signal for action; command  
when I give the word, fire!     

6    an undertaking or promise  
I give you my word, he kept his word     

7    an autocratic decree or utterance; order  
his word must be obeyed     

8    a watchword or slogan, as of a political party  
the word now is «freedom»     

9      (Computing)   a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction  

10   
as good as one’s word   doing what one has undertaken or promised to do  

12   
by word of mouth   orally rather than by written means  

13   
in a word   briefly or in short  

a    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

b      (Austral)   an exclamation of agreement  

15   
of one’s word   given to or noted for keeping one’s promises  
I am a man of my word     

16   
put in a word or good word for   to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend  

17   
take someone at his or her word   to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says  
when he told her to go, she took him at his word and left     

18   
take someone’s word for it   to accept or believe what someone says  

a    the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp. a remark that supposedly settles an issue  

b    the latest or most fashionable design, make, or model  
the last word in bikinis     

c    the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc.)  
the last word in luxury     

20   
the word   the proper or most fitting expression  
cold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!     

b    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

a    (of a report, transcription, etc.) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim  

b    translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense  

23   
word of honour   a promise; oath  

24    modifier   of, relating to, or consisting of words  
a word list     
      vb  

25    tr   to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase  

26    tr; often foll by: up     (Austral)  
informal   to inform or advise (a person),   (See also)
  
  
  words  

     (Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command)  

Word  
      n  

the  

1      (Christianity)   the 2nd person of the Trinity  

2    Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelation,   (Often called)
  
the Word of God  
     (translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1)  

-word  
      n combining form   preceded by the and an initial letter   a euphemistic way of referring to a word by its first letter because it is considered to be in some way unmentionable by the user  
the C-word, meaning cancer     

word association  
      n   an early method of psychoanalysis in which the patient thinks of the first word that comes into consciousness on hearing a given word. In this way it was claimed that aspects of the unconscious could be revealed before defence mechanisms intervene  

word blindness  
      n   the nontechnical name for alexia and dyslexia  

  word-blind      adj  

word class  
      n     (Linguistics)   a form class in which the members are words  
   See     
  part of speech  

word deafness  
      n   loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp. as the result of a cerebral lesion,   (Also called)
  
auditory aphasia  

  word-deaf      adj  

word game  
      n   any game involving the formation, discovery, or alteration of a word or words  

word order  
      n   the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections  

word-perfect   ,   (U.S.)   letter-perfect  
      adj  

1    correct in every detail  

2    (of a speech, part in a play, etc.) memorized perfectly  

3    (of a speaker, actor, etc.) knowing one’s speech, role, etc., perfectly  

word picture  
      n   a verbal description, esp. a vivid one  

word processing  
      n   the composition of documents using a computer system to input, edit, store, and print them  

word processor  
      n  

a    a computer program that performs word processing  

b    a computer system designed for word processing  

word square  
      n   a puzzle in which the player must fill a square grid with words that read the same across as down  

word stress  
      n   the stress accent on the syllables of individual words either in a sentence or in isolation  

word wrapping  
      n     (Computing)   the automatic shifting of a word at the end of a line to a new line in order to keep within preset margins  

English Collins Dictionary — English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collins

Inner Light   , Word         
      n     (Quakerism)   the presence and inner working of God in the soul acting as a guiding spirit that is superior even to Scripture and unites man to Christ  

boo-word  
      n   any word that seems to cause irrational fear  
«communism» became a boo-word in the McCarthy era     

buzz word  
      n  
Informal   a word, often originating in a particular jargon, that becomes a vogue word in the community as a whole or among a particular group  

content word  
      n   a word to which an independent meaning can be given by reference to a world outside any sentence in which the word may occur  
   Compare     
  function word  
  
  lexical meaning  

four-letter word  
      n   any of several short English words referring to sex or excrement: often used as swearwords and regarded generally as offensive or obscene  

function word  
      n     (Grammar)   a word, such as the, with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning  
   Compare     
  content word  
  
  grammatical meaning  

f-word  
      n  

the.   sometimes cap      a euphemistic way of referring to the word     
  fuck  

     (from f(uck) + word)  

ghost word  
      n   a word that has entered the language through the perpetuation, in dictionaries, etc., of an error  

loan word  
      n   a word adopted, often with some modification of its form, from one language into another  

nonce word  
      n   a word coined for a single occasion  

portmanteau word  
      n      another name for     
  blend  
  
  7  

     (C19: from the idea that two meanings are packed into one word)  

reserved word  
      n   a word in a programming language or computer system that has a fixed meaning and therefore cannot be redefined by a programmer  

word  
      n  

1    one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyse these further into morphemes  
   Related adj     
  lexical  
  
  verbal  

2    an instance of vocal intercourse; chat, talk, or discussion  
to have a word with someone     

3    an utterance or expression, esp. a brief one  
a word of greeting     

4    news or information  
he sent word that he would be late     

5    a verbal signal for action; command  
when I give the word, fire!     

6    an undertaking or promise  
I give you my word, he kept his word     

7    an autocratic decree or utterance; order  
his word must be obeyed     

8    a watchword or slogan, as of a political party  
the word now is «freedom»     

9      (Computing)   a set of bits used to store, transmit, or operate upon an item of information in a computer, such as a program instruction  

10   
as good as one’s word   doing what one has undertaken or promised to do  

12   
by word of mouth   orally rather than by written means  

13   
in a word   briefly or in short  

a    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

b      (Austral)   an exclamation of agreement  

15   
of one’s word   given to or noted for keeping one’s promises  
I am a man of my word     

16   
put in a word or good word for   to make favourable mention of (someone); recommend  

17   
take someone at his or her word   to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says  
when he told her to go, she took him at his word and left     

18   
take someone’s word for it   to accept or believe what someone says  

a    the closing remark of a conversation or argument, esp. a remark that supposedly settles an issue  

b    the latest or most fashionable design, make, or model  
the last word in bikinis     

c    the finest example (of some quality, condition, etc.)  
the last word in luxury     

20   
the word   the proper or most fitting expression  
cold is not the word for it, it’s freezing!     

b    an exclamation of surprise, annoyance, etc.  

a    (of a report, transcription, etc.) using exactly the same words as those employed in the situation being reported; verbatim  

b    translated by substituting each word in the new text for each corresponding word in the original rather than by general sense  

23   
word of honour   a promise; oath  

24    modifier   of, relating to, or consisting of words  
a word list     
      vb  

25    tr   to state in words, usually specially selected ones; phrase  

26    tr; often foll by: up     (Austral)  
informal   to inform or advise (a person),   (See also)
  
  
  words  

     (Old English word; related to Old High German wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd, Latin verbum, Sanskrit vratá command)  

Word         
      n  

the  

1      (Christianity)   the 2nd person of the Trinity  

2    Scripture, the Bible, or the Gospels as embodying or representing divine revelation,   (Often called)
  
the Word of God  
     (translation of Greek logos, as in John 1:1)  

-word  
      n combining form   preceded by the and an initial letter   a euphemistic way of referring to a word by its first letter because it is considered to be in some way unmentionable by the user  
the C-word, meaning cancer     

word association  
      n   an early method of psychoanalysis in which the patient thinks of the first word that comes into consciousness on hearing a given word. In this way it was claimed that aspects of the unconscious could be revealed before defence mechanisms intervene  

word blindness  
      n   the nontechnical name for alexia and dyslexia  

  word-blind      adj  

word class  
      n     (Linguistics)   a form class in which the members are words  
   See     
  part of speech  

word deafness  
      n   loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp. as the result of a cerebral lesion,   (Also called)
  
auditory aphasia  

  word-deaf      adj  

word game  
      n   any game involving the formation, discovery, or alteration of a word or words  

word order  
      n   the arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In many languages, including English, word order plays an important part in determining meanings expressed in other languages by inflections  

word-perfect   ,   (U.S.)   letter-perfect  
      adj  

1    correct in every detail  

2    (of a speech, part in a play, etc.) memorized perfectly  

3    (of a speaker, actor, etc.) knowing one’s speech, role, etc., perfectly  

word picture  
      n   a verbal description, esp. a vivid one  

word processing  
      n   the composition of documents using a computer system to input, edit, store, and print them  

word processor  
      n  

a    a computer program that performs word processing  

b    a computer system designed for word processing  

word square  
      n   a puzzle in which the player must fill a square grid with words that read the same across as down  

word stress  
      n   the stress accent on the syllables of individual words either in a sentence or in isolation  

word wrapping  
      n     (Computing)   the automatic shifting of a word at the end of a line to a new line in order to keep within preset margins  

English Collins Dictionary — English Definition & Thesaurus  

Collins

word

  
      n  

1    brief conversation, chat, chitchat, colloquy, confab     (informal)   confabulation, consultation, discussion, talk, tête-à-tête  

2    brief statement, comment, declaration, expression, remark, utterance  

3    expression, locution, name, term, vocable  

4    account, advice, bulletin, communication, communiqué, dispatch, gen     (Brit. informal)   information, intelligence, intimation, latest     (informal)   message, news, notice, report, tidings  

5    command, go-ahead     (informal)   green light, order, signal  

6    affirmation, assertion, assurance, guarantee, oath, parole, pledge, promise, solemn oath, solemn word, undertaking, vow, word of honour  

7    bidding, command, commandment, decree, edict, mandate, order, ukase     (rare)   will  

8    countersign, password, slogan, watchword  

9    in a word      briefly, concisely, in a nutshell, in short, succinctly, to put it briefly, to sum up  
      vb  

10    couch, express, phrase, put, say, state, utter  

last word, the  

1    final say, finis, mother (of all), summation, ultimatum  

2    best, cream, crème de la crème, crown, epitome, ne plus ultra, perfection, quintessence, ultimate  

3    dernier cri, fashion, latest, newest, rage, vogue  

English Collins Dictionary — English synonyms & Thesaurus  

portmanteau word

n.

Vocabulary

Options

a new word formed by joining together two others and combining their meanings.
Examples: brunch, camcorder, carjack, motel, greenwash, smog, workaholic.


Additional comments:

Collaborative Dictionary     English Definition

sound out (a word)

v.

to say, pronounce, speak

ex.: The child sounded out each word out loud as she read her book.

the f-word

n.

euphemism referring to the word «fuck»

the n-word

n.

euphemism referring to the taboo word «nigger»

the c-word

n.

euphemism used to refer to the taboo word «cunt»

smackeroo

n.

colloquial word for a dollar

charver

n.

charver is another word for chav

If you lived in Newcastle you would know it. Common in NE England

!

Momasita

n.

An endearing word for mom.

!

kerned yoghourt

Conjugate

v.

kerned is a Somerset word meaning ‘thickened’

ship

n.

An abbreviation of the word ‘relationship.’ The word describes fans’ approval of fictional or desired romances between characters or pop culture figures.

Example: I totally ship Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

n.

artificial long word coined to mean a lung disease known as silicosis, a type of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of ultra-microscopic particles of crystalline silica volcanic dust. It has the particularity of being the longest word in the English language published in a dictionary

Longer tech. terms exist (up to 189,819 letters!).The word, presumably coined in 1935 by E.M. Smith (pres. of the National Puzzlers’League) in imitation of very long medical terms, contains 45 letters

bung

n.

a colloquial word meaning a bribe: policemen accepting bungs from journalists

F-bomb

n.

Used as an euphemism for replacing the word ‘fuck’, with reference to the latter’s taboo status and potential to shock or offend

[informal] Ex: Known for her banters and taste for swearing, the down-to-earth and much loved popstar was nonetheless warned to avoid dropping the F-bomb during the broadcast live ceremony

craption

n.

word created with «crap» and «caption» to mean a bad quality caption

[Fam.];[Fig.]

employerism

n.

a portmanteau of ’employer’ and ‘voyeurism’. signifies the act of searching for an employer or the practice of an employer when looking to fill positions. The term places an emphasis on the secretive connotation of the word ‘voyeur’, denoting a clandestine and thus superior form of employment search

[Tech.] Ex.: Employerism is what one must engage in, if one wishes to embark upon a more productive job hunt!

grawlix

n.

string of symbols used instead of an obscene word (ex.: #!@*)

Lesewut

n.

Lesewut is a German word for «reading craze» (literally) used to describe a specific period in the intellectual history of Germany from the late eighteenth century onward.

gazunder

n.

a humorous and old-fashioned word that means a chamber pot

Comes from the fact that the chamber pot ‘gazunder’ (= goes under) the bed

!

automagically

adv.

Supernaturally performed from force of habit or without conscious thought; a portmanteau word formed from «automatically» and «magically»

Wherever he went, flowers automagically materialized in the hands of all nearby women.

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