word

Etymology 1

From Middle English word, from Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥dʰh₁om. Doublet of verb and verve; further related to vrata.

noun

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.)
   1. The smallest discrete unit of spoken language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more phonemes and one or more morphemes
      Then all was silent save the voice of the high priest, whose words grew louder and louder, […] 1894, Alex. R. Mackwen, “The Samaritan Passover”, in Littell's Living Age, volume 1, number 6
      I can't believe you want me back. You've got Jen to thank for that. Her words the other day moved me deeply. Very deeply indeed. Really? What did she say. Like I remember! Point is it's the effect of her words that's important. 2006 Feb. 17, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 4
   2. The smallest discrete unit of written language with a particular meaning, composed of one or more letters or symbols and one or more morphemes
      The name was a confused gift of love from her father, who could not read the word but picked it out of the Bible for its visual shape, […] 2003, Jan Furman, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon: A Casebook, page 194
      Well-meaning academics even introduced spelling absurdities such as the “s” in the word “island,” a misguided Renaissance attempt to restore the etymology of the [unrelated] Latin word insula. 2009, Stanislas Dehaene, Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read
   3. A discrete, meaningful unit of language approved by an authority or native speaker (compare non-word).
      Ain’t! How often am I to tell you ain’t ain’t a word? 1896, Israel Zangwill, Without Prejudice, page 21
      Fisherwoman isn’t even a word. It’s not in the dictionary. 1999, Linda Greenlaw, The Hungry Ocean, Hyperion, page 11
2. Something like such a unit of language:
   1. 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
      In still another variation, the nonsense word is presented and the teacher asks, "What sound was in the beginning of the word?" "In the middle?" and so on. The child should always respond with the phoneme; he should not use letter labels. 1974, Thinking Goes to School: Piaget's Theory in Practice, page 183
      I wrote a nonsense word, "umbalooie," in the Input Panel's Writing Pad. Input Panel converted it to "cembalos" and displayed it in the Text Preview pane. 2003, How To Do Everything with Your Tablet PC, page 278
      Here the scribe has dropped the με from καθημενος, thereby creating the nonsense word καθηνος. 2006, Scribal Habits and Theological Influences in the Apocalypse, page 141
      If M. V. has sustained impairment to a phonological output process common to reading and repetition, we might anticipate that her mispronunciations will partially reflect the underlying phonemic form of the nonsense word. 2013, The Cognitive Neuropsychology of Language, page 91
   2. (telegraphy) A unit of text equivalent to five characters and one space.
   3. (computing) A fixed-size group of bits handled as a unit by a machine and which can be stored in or retrieved from a typical register (so that it has the same size as such a register).
      The size of a register in the MIPS architecture is 32 bits; groups of 32 bits occur so frequently that they are given the name word in the MIPS architecture. 1997, John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson, Computer Organization and Design, 2nd edition, San Francisco, California: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., §3.3, page 109
   4. (computer science) A finite string that is not a command or operator.
   5. (group theory) A group element, expressed as a product of group elements.
3. The fact or act of speaking, as opposed to taking action. .
   […] she believed them still so very much attached to each other, that they could not be too sedulously divided in word and deed on every occasion. 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
   As they fell apart against Austria, England badly needed someone capable of leading by word and example. 8 September 2004, Richard Williams, The Guardian
4. (now rare outside certain phrases) Something that someone said; a comment, utterance; speech.
   She said; but at the happy word "he lives", / My father stooped, re-fathered, o'er my wound. 1847, Alfred Tennyson, The Princess
   There is only one other point on which I offer a word of remark. 1853, Charles Dickens, Bleak House
   "The Kaiser laid down his arms at a quarter to twelve. In me, however, they have an opponent who ceases fighting only at five minutes past twelve," said Hitler some time ago. He has never spoken a truer word. April 1 1945, Sebastian Haffner, The Observer
   Despite appearances to the contrary … dragomans stuck rigidly to their brief, which was not to translate the Sultan's words, but his word. 2011, David Bellos, Is That a Fish in Your Ear?, Penguin, published 2012, page 126
   In what sense is God's Word living? No other word, whether written or spoken, has the power that the Bible has to change lives. 2011, John Lehew (senior), The Encouragement of Peter, page 108
5. (obsolete outside certain phrases) A watchword or rallying cry, a verbal signal (even when consisting of multiple words).
   Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George, inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons! 1592, William Shakespeare, Richard III
   I have the word : sentinel, do thou stand; […] c. 1623, John Fletcher, William Rowley, The Maid in the Mill, published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio), published 1647, scene 3
   mum's the word
6. (obsolete) A proverb or motto.
   Among all other was wrytten in her trone / In golde letters, this worde, whiche I dyde rede: / Garder le fortune que est mauelz et bone. 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Court
   Let the word be 'Not without mustard'. Your crest is very rare, sir. 1599, Ben Jonson, Every Man out of His Humour
   The old word is, 'What the eye views not, the heart rues not.' 1646, Joseph Hall, The Balm of Gilead
7. (uncountable) News; tidings.
   Have you had any word from John yet?
   I've tried for weeks to get word, but I still don't know where she is or if she's all right.
8. An order; a request or instruction; an expression of will.
   He sent word that we should strike camp before winter.
   Don't fire till I give the word
   Their mother's word was law.
9. A promise; an oath or guarantee.
   I give you my word that I will be there on time.
10. A brief discussion or conversation.
    Can I have a word with you?
11. (meiosis) A minor reprimand.
    I had a word with him about it.
12. (in the plural) See words.
    There had been words between him and the secretary about the outcome of the meeting.
13. (theology, sometimes Word) Communication from God; the message of the Christian gospel; the Bible, Scripture.
    Her parents had lived in Botswana, spreading the word among the tribespeople.
14. (theology, sometimes Word) Logos, Christ.

verb

1. (transitive) To say or write (something) using particular words; to phrase (something).
   I’m not sure how to word this letter to the council.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To flatter with words, to cajole.
   He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not / be noble to myself. 1607, William Shakespeare, Anthony and Cleopatra, act 5, scene 2
3. (transitive) To ply or overpower with words.
   […] if one were to be worded to death, Italian is the fittest Language [for that task] November 30 1621, James Howell, letter to Francis Bacon, from Turin
   […] if a man were to be worded to death, or stoned to death by words, the High-Dutch were the fittest [language for that task]. April 1829, “Webster's Dictionary”, in The North American Review, volume 28, page 438
4. (transitive, rare) To conjure with a word.
   Against him […] who could word heaven and earth out of nothing, and can when he pleases word them into nothing again. c. 1645-1715, Robert South, Sermon on Psalm XXXIX. 9
   "Postcolonialism" might well be another linguistic construct, desperately begging for a referent that will never show up, simply because it never existed on its own and was literally worded into existence by the very term that pretends to be born from it. 1994, “Liminal Postmodernisms”, in Postmodern Studies, volume 8, page 162
   The being of each person is worded into existence in the Word, […] 2013, Carla Mae Streeter, Foundations of Spirituality: The Human and the Holy, page 92
5. (intransitive, archaic) To speak, to use words; to converse, to discourse.

intj

1. (slang) Truth, indeed, that is the truth! The shortened form of the statement "My word is my bond."
   "Yo, that movie was epic!" / "Word?" ("You speak the truth?") / "Word." ("I speak the truth.")
2. (slang, emphatic, stereotypically, African-American Vernacular) An abbreviated form of word up; a statement of the acknowledgment of fact with a hint of nonchalant approval.
   "[…] Know what I'm sayin'?" / "Word!" the other man strongly agreed. "Let's do this — " 2004, Shannon Holmes, Never Go Home Again: A Novel, page 218
   "[…] Not bad at all, man. Worth da wait, dawg. Word." / "You liked it?" I asked dumbly, stoned still, and feeling victorious. / "Yeah, man," said Oral B. "Word up. […]" 2007, Gabe Rotter, Duck Duck Wally: A Novel, page 105
   "[…] I mean, I don't blame you... Word! […]" 2007, Relentless Aaron, The Last Kingpin, page 34

Etymology 2

Variant of worth (“to become, turn into, grow, get”), from Middle English worthen, from Old English weorþan (“to turn into, become, grow”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to turn, turn into, become”). More at worth § Verb.

verb

1. Alternative form of worth (“to become”).