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an⋅swer

   [an-ser, ahn-]
–noun
1. a spoken or written reply or response to a question, request, letter, etc.: He sent an answer to my letter promptly.
2. a correct response to a question asked to test one's knowledge.
3. an equivalent or approximation: a singing group that tried to be the French answer to the Beatles.
4. an action serving as a reply or response: The answer was a volley of fire.
5. a solution to a problem, esp. in mathematics.
6. a reply to a charge or accusation.
7. Law. a pleading in which a party responds to his or her opponent's statement of position, esp. the defendant's reply to the plaintiff's complaint.
8. Music. the entrance of a fugue subject, usually on the dominant, either slightly altered or transposed exactly after each presentation in the tonic.
–verb (used without object)
9. to speak or write in response; make answer; reply.
10. to respond by an act or motion: He answered with a nod. The champion answered with a right to the jaw.
11. to act or suffer in consequence of (usually fol. by for).
12. to be or declare oneself responsible or accountable (usually fol. by for): I will answer for his safety.
13. to be satisfactory or serve (usually fol. by for): His cane answered for a baseball bat.
14. to conform; correspond (usually fol. by to): The prisoner answered to the description issued by the police.
–verb (used with object)
15. to speak or write in response to; reply to: to answer a person; to answer a question.
16. to act or move in response to: Answer the doorbell. We answered their goal with two quick goals of our own.
17. to solve or present a solution of.
18. to serve or fulfill: This will answer the purpose.
19. to discharge (a responsibility, claim, debt, etc.).
20. to conform or correspond to; be similar or equivalent to: This dog answers your description.
21. to atone for; make amends for.
22. to reply or respond favorably to: I would like to answer your request but am unable to do so.
—Verb phrase
23. answer back, to reply impertinently or rudely: Well-behaved children do not answer back when scolded.
—Idiom
24. answer the helm, Nautical. (of a vessel) to maneuver or remain steady according to the position of the rudder.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME andswerien, OE andswerian, andswarian deriv. of andswaru an answer, equiv. to and- opposite, facing (cf. and, along ) + Gmc *swarō, deriv. of swear
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Answer
Spanish: respuesta, contestación, German: die Antwort, Japanese: 答え
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an·swer     (ān'sər)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
    1. A spoken or written reply, as to a question.
    2. A correct reply.
    3. A solution, as to a problem.
    4. A correct solution.
    1. A solution, as to a problem.
    2. A correct solution.
  3. An act in retaliation or response: Our only possible answer was to sue.
  4. Something markedly similar to another of the same class: cable TV's answer to the commercial networks' sportscasts.
  5. Law A defendant's defense against charges.
v.   an·swered, an·swer·ing, an·swers

v.   intr.
  1. To speak, write, or act as a return, as to a question.
  2. To be liable or accountable: You must answer for your actions.
  3. To serve the purpose; suffice: "Often I do use three words where one would answer" (Mark Twain).
  4. To correspond; match: I found a dog answering to that description.
v.   tr.
  1. To speak, write, or act as a return to; respond to.
  2. To respond correctly to.
  3. To fulfill the demands or needs of; serve: "My fortune has answered my desires" (Isaak Walton).
  4. To conform or correspond to: The suspect answers the description given by the police.

[Middle English answere, from Old English andswaru; see swer- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs relate to action taken in return to a stimulus. Answer, respond, and reply, the most general, all mean to speak, write, or act in response: Please answer my question. Did you expect the President to respond personally to your letter? The opposing team scored three runs; the home team replied with two of their own.
Respond also denotes a reaction, either voluntary (A bystander responded to the victim's need for help) or involuntary (She responded in spite of herself to the antics of the puppy). To retort is to answer verbally in a quick, caustic, or witty manner: She won the debate by retorting sharply to her opponent's questions. See Also Synonyms at satisfy.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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answer 
O.E. andswaru, from and- "against" (see ante-) + -swaru "affirmation," from swerian "to swear," reflecting the original sense of "make a sworn statement rebutting a charge." A common Gmc. compound (cf. O.S. antswor, O.N. andsvar, O.Fris. ondser), implying a P.Gmc. *andswara-. Meaning "a reply to a question," the main modern sense, was in O.E. Answerable "liable to be held responsible" is from 1548.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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answer

noun
1. a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation; "I waited several days for his answer"; "he wrote replies to several of his critics" 
2. a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem; "they were trying to find a peaceful solution"; "the answers were in the back of the book"; "he computed the result to four decimal places" [syn: solution] 
3. the speech act of replying to a question [ant: enquiry] 
4. the principal pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint; in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of 'guilty' or 'not guilty' (or nolo contendere); in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff's complaint that the defendant hopes to controvert and it can contain affirmative defenses or counterclaims 
5. a nonverbal reaction; "his answer to any problem was to get drunk"; "their answer was to sue me" 

verb
1. react verbally; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the question"; "We answered that we would accept the invitation" 
2. respond to a signal; "answer the door"; "answer the telephone" 
3. give the correct answer or solution to; "answer a question"; "answer the riddle" 
4. understand the meaning of; "The question concerning the meaning of life cannot be answered" 
5. give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument); "The defendant answered to all the charges of the prosecution" 
6. be liable or accountable; "She must answer for her actions" 
7. be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity; "A few words would answer"; "This car suits my purpose well"; "Will $100 do?"; "A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into medical school"; "Nothing else will serve" [syn: suffice] 
8. match or correspond; "The drawing of the suspect answers to the description the victim gave" 
9. be satisfactory for; meet the requirements of or serve the purpose of; "This may answer her needs" 
10. react to a stimulus or command; "The steering of my new car answers to the slightest touch" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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answer

In addition to the idioms beginning with answer, also see know all the answers; take no for an answer.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Main Entry: 1an·swer
Function: noun
1 : the defendant's written response to the plaintiff's complaint in a civil suit in which he or she may deny any of plaintiff's allegations, offer any defenses, and make any counterclaims against the plaintiff, cross-claims against other defendants, or third-party claims against third parties otherwise not involved in the lawsuit
2 : a written response to a counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim : REPLY —see also responsive pleading at PLEADING 1
NOTE: In federal cases, answers are governed by Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Under Rule 12, certain defenses (as lack of jurisdiction) may be made by motion rather than included in the answer.


Main Entry: 2answer
Function: intransitive verb
1 : to serve or file an answer
2 : to make oneself responsible or accountable (as for the debt of another) transitive verb 1 : to reply to in an answer <answer the complaint>
2 : to make a defense against (as a charge or accusation) —an·swer·able adjective

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Answer

An"swer\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Answered; p. pr. & vb. n. Answering.] [OE. andswerien, AS. andswerian, andswarian, to answer, fr. andswaru, n., answer. See Answer, n.]

1. To speak in defense against; to reply to in defense; as, to answer a charge; to answer an accusation.

2. To speak or write in return to, as in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration, argument, or the like; to reply to (a question, remark, etc.); to respond to.

She answers him as if she knew his mind. --Shak.

So spake the apostate angel, though in pain: . . . And him thus answered soon his bold compeer. --Milton.

3. To respond to satisfactorily; to meet successfully by way of explanation, argument, or justification, and the like; to refute.

No man was able to answer him a word. --Matt. xxii. 46.

These shifts refuted, answer thine appellant. --Milton.

The reasoning was not and could not be answered. --Macaulay.

4. To be or act in return or response to. Hence: (a) To be or act in compliance with, in fulfillment or satisfaction of, as an order, obligation, demand; as, he answered my claim upon him; the servant answered the bell.

This proud king . . . studies day and night To answer all the debts he owes unto you. --Shak. (b) To render account to or for.

I will . . . send him to answer thee. --Shak. (c) To atone; to be punished for.

And grievously hath C[ae]zar answered it. --Shak. (d) To be opposite to; to face.

The windows answering each other, we could just discern the glowing horizon them. --Gilpin. (e) To be or act an equivalent to, or as adequate or sufficient for; to serve for; to repay. [R.]

Money answereth all things. --Eccles. x. 19. (f) To be or act in accommodation, conformity, relation, or proportion to; to correspond to; to suit.

Weapons must needs be dangerous things, if they answered the bulk of so prodigious a person. --Swift.

Answer

An"swer\, v. i. 1. To speak or write by way of return (originally, to a charge), or in reply; to make response.

There was no voice, nor any that answered. --1 Kings xviii. 26.

2. To make a satisfactory response or return. Hence: To render account, or to be responsible; to be accountable; to make amends; as, the man must answer to his employer for the money intrusted to his care.

Let his neck answer for it, if there is any martial law. --Shak.

3. To be or act in return. Hence: (a) To be or act by way of compliance, fulfillment, reciprocation, or satisfaction; to serve the purpose; as, gypsum answers as a manure on some soils.

Do the strings answer to thy noble hand? --Dryden. (b) To be opposite, or to act in opposition. (c) To be or act as an equivalent, or as adequate or sufficient; as, a very few will answer. (d) To be or act in conformity, or by way of accommodation, correspondence, relation, or proportion; to conform; to correspond; to suit; -- usually with to.

That the time may have all shadow and silence in it, and the place answer to convenience. --Shak.

If this but answer to my just belief, I 'll remember you. --Shak.

As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. --Pro?. xxvii. 19.

Answer

An"swer\, n. [OE. andsware, AS. andswaru; and against + swerian to swear. ?, ?. See Anti-, and Swear, and cf. 1st un-.]

1. A reply to a change; a defense.

At my first answer no man stood with me. --2 Tim. iv. 16.

2. Something said or written in reply to a question, a call, an argument, an address, or the like; a reply.

A soft answer turneth away wrath. --Prov. xv. 1.

I called him, but he gave me no answer. --Cant. v. 6.

3. Something done in return for, or in consequence of, something else; a responsive action.

Great the slaughter is Here made by the Roman; great the answer be Britons must take. --Shak.

4. A solution, the result of a mathematical operation; as, the answer to a problem.

5. (Law) A counter-statement of facts in a course of pleadings; a confutation of what the other party has alleged; a responsive declaration by a witness in reply to a question. In Equity, it is the usual form of defense to the complainant's charges in his bill. --Bouvier.

Syn: Reply; rejoinder; response. See Reply.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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