Answer

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɑːn.sə/

Definitions

1. A response given to a question, problem, or situation that provides information or a solution
2. A response provided for a query, challenge, or situation that offers insight or a solution
3. A reply issued in reaction to a question, inquiry, or dilemma that conveys information or resolves an issue

Etymology: The most striking thing about "answer" is that its oldest sense was legal rather than conversational. Its Old English ancestor, "andswaru", was built from "and-", meaning "against", and "swaru", meaning an affirmation, and the pair is tied to "swerian", "to swear". The original picture is a sworn statement rebutting a charge, so a reply once meant defending yourself in court before it meant answering a question at the dinner table. The verb followed the same path. Old English "andswarian" meant to respond, but also to deny an allegation under oath, and the Proto-Germanic roots behind it carry the same sense of swearing against an accusation. Over the centuries the courtroom flavour thinned into the everyday exchange we use now. The word's family is wide across Germanic languages. Its relatives include Old Saxon "andswōr", Danish and Swedish "ansvar", meaning liability or responsibility, and Icelandic "andsvar", meaning reply. The Danish and Swedish forms still keep a trace of the older idea that answering means being accountable for something.

Synonyms: response, reply, solution, retort, rejoinder

Antonyms: question, inquiry, doubt, ambiguity, uncertainty