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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

word

/wɜːd/
The smallest unit of language that has a particular meaning and can be expressed by itself; the smallest discrete, meaningful unit of language. (contrast morpheme.)

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    Origin

    From Middle English word, from Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą (“word”), from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰom (“word”), from *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb, verve, and vort; further related to vrata.

    Cognates

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

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*werh₁- “to say, speak”
    • rootProto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁- “to do, put, place, set”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishword
      • inheritedOld Englishword
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*word
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*wurdą “word”
            • inheritedProto-Indo-European*werdʰom “word”

    Related: English verb (doublet), English verve (doublet), English vort (doublet), Scots wird, North Frisian uurd, Saterland Frisian Woud, West Frisian wurd, Alemannic German wort, Bavarian boart, Cimbrian bóart, Dutch woord, German Wort, German Low German Woord, Limburgish waord, Luxembourgish Wuert, Mòcheno bourt, Vilamovian wiüt, Yiddish וואָרט, da,nb,nn,sv ord, Elfdalian uord, fo,is,gmq-scy orð, Gutnish ård, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳, Ancient Greek ῥητός

    Meanings

    noun
    1. The smallest unit of language that has a particular meaning and can be expressed by itself; the smallest discrete, meaningful unit of language. (contrast morpheme.)
    2. The smallest discrete unit of spoken language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more phonemes and one or more morphemes.
    3. The smallest discrete unit of written language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more letters or symbols and one or more morphemes.
    4. A discrete, meaningful unit of language approved by an authority or native speaker (compare non-word).
    5. A sign used in a sign language.
    6. A sequence of letters, characters, or sounds, considered as a discrete entity, though it does not necessarily belong to a language or have a meaning.
    verb
    1. To say or write (something) using particular words; to phrase (something).
    2. To flatter with words, to cajole.
    3. To ply or overpower with words.
    4. To conjure with a word.
    5. To speak, to use words; to converse, to discourse.
    intj
    1. Truth, indeed, that is the truth! The shortened form of the statement “My word is my bond.”
    2. An abbreviated form of word up; a statement of the acknowledgment of fact with a hint of nonchalant approval.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: word