Word

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A meaningful unit of language that carries sense when spoken or written ; a brief remark or quick exchange in conversation ; a pledge or solemn assurance of what one will do ; news or information passed along from someone
2. The smallest independent unit of speech or writing that conveys meaning ; a short spoken comment or private talk ; a commitment someone makes that others can rely on ; a piece of news or a message received
3. An element of language that expresses an idea when uttered or written ; a quick verbal exchange or brief discussion ; a solemn vow or guarantee given to another ; information or tidings relayed from one person to another

Etymology: Russian "vratʹ" means "to lie," and Serbo-Croatian "varati" means "to cheat." Both belong to the same ancient family as English "word," whose Proto-Indo-European root, "werh₁-, meant "to say, speak." Sanskrit "vrata," meaning "command" or "law," is a distant relative too, so speech, deception and authority all trace back to one prehistoric verb. The English noun descends from Old English "word" and Proto-Germanic "wurdą. Its closest Latin cousin is "verbum," which gave English "verb." "Verb" and "verve" are doublets, meaning they share an origin but reached English by different routes. The verb is a separate story. It is a variant of "worth," from Old English "weorþan," meaning "to turn into" or "to become." The two verbs look alike only by coincidence of spelling.

Synonyms: term, expression, name, phrase, utterance