well

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American, Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈwɛl/ (UK, New Zealand, l-vocalization) IPA(key): /ˈwɛʊ̯/ (Australian) IPA(key): /ˈwel/ (Victoria, celery-salary merger) IPA(key): /ˈwæl/ IPA(key): /ˈwəl/, [ˈwɫ̩] (interjection, unstressed) (Northumbria) IPA(key): /ˈwiːl/ (interjection) IPA(key): /ˈweɪ/ Rhymes: -ɛl Homophone: wool (interjection or unstressed, some accents) Hyphenation: well === Etymology 1 === From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, *wala (“well”, literally “as wished, as desired”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“wish, desire”). ==== Alternative forms ==== wall (dialectal) weel, weil (Scotland) welp (US, colloquial) ==== Adverb ==== well (comparative better, superlative best) (manner) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily. 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain) This day is not going well. (manner) Completely, fully. (degree) To a significant degree. (degree, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) Very (as a general-purpose intensifier). In a desirable manner; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously. October 10, 1714, Alexander Pope, letter to Joseph Addison All the world speaks well of you. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Adjective ==== well (comparative better or weller, superlative best or wellest) In good health. Highly satisfactory Good, content. (uncommon) Prudent; good; well-advised. (archaic, now chiefly Bermuda) Good to eat; tasty, delicious. ===== Alternative forms ===== (Bermuda) val, vell ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Interjection ==== well Used as a discourse marker. 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain) Well, I am sorry. — It’s okay, Anna. Used as a hedge. Expressing reluctance to say something. An exclamation of sarcastic surprise (often doubled or tripled and in a lowering intonation). An exclamation of indignance. (Ireland) Used as a greeting, short for "Are you well?" Used as a question to demand an answer from someone. ===== Synonyms ===== (reluctance): like, you know (filled pause): I mean, like (acknowledgment of previous statement): so (indignant): see, look, as if ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English welle, from Old English wielle (“well”), from Proto-West Germanic *wallijā, from Proto-Germanic *wallijǭ (“well, swirl, wave”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn; wind; roll”). Cognate with West Frisian wel (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German Low German Well (“well”), German Welle (“wave”), Danish væld (“well; spring”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vella (“boiling; bubbling; eruption”). ==== Noun ==== well (plural wells) A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids. A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring. A small depression, e.g. suitable for holding liquid or other objects. (figurative) A source of supply. (nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate. (nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat. (nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market. (nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water. (military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries. (architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole. The open space between the bench and the counsel tables in a courtroom. (metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls. A well drink. (video games) The playfield of Tetris and similar video games, into which the blocks fall. (biology) In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes. (graphical user interface) The region of an interface that contains tabs. ===== Synonyms ===== (excavation in the earth, from which run branches or galleries): shaft ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 3 === From Middle English wellen, from a merger of Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive), both meaning “to boil.” Further from Proto-Germanic *wallaną and *wallijaną. Doublet of wall. Cognate with German wallen (“boil, seethe”), Danish vælde (“gush”), Norwegian Nynorsk vella and outside Germanic, with Albanian valë (“hot, boiling”). ==== Verb ==== well (third-person singular simple present wells, present participle welling, simple past and past participle welled) (intransitive) To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring. (intransitive) To have something seep out of the surface. ===== Derived terms ===== upwell well up ===== Translations ===== === References === “well”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “well”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. == German == === Pronunciation === === Verb === well singular imperative of wellen (colloquial) first-person singular present of wellen == Luxembourgish == === Etymology === From the accusative of Middle High German wīle, from Old High German wīla, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu. Cognate with German weil. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /væl/ Rhymes: -æl Homophone: Well === Conjunction === well because == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === ==== Adverb ==== well alternative form of wel ==== Adjective ==== well alternative form of wel === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== well (Late Middle English) alternative form of welle == Middle Welsh == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈweɬ/ === Adjective === well soft mutation of gwell === Mutation === == Old English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /well/, [weɫ] Rhymes: -ell === Etymology 1 === ==== Adverb ==== well (comparative bet, superlative betest) alternative form of wel === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== well m or f alternative form of wiell (“spring, fountain, well”) ===== Declension ===== Masculine Strong a-stem: Feminine Strong ō-stem: == Pennsylvania German == === Etymology === From Middle High German welich, from Old High German welih. Compare German welch. === Adverb === well which === Pronoun === well which == Welsh == === Pronunciation === (North Wales) IPA(key): /ˈwɛɬ/ (South Wales) IPA(key): /ˈweːɬ/, /ˈwɛɬ/ === Adjective === well soft mutation of gwell === Adverb === well soft mutation of gwell === Mutation === == Yola == === Etymology 1 === ==== Interjection ==== well alternative form of waal (“well”) ==== Adverb ==== well alternative form of waal (“well”) === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== well alternative form of woul (“will”) === Etymology 3 === From Middle English welle, from Old English wielle. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /wɛl/ ==== Noun ==== well well === References ===