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Wreathed

 - 5 dictionary results

wreath

  [reeth] noun, plural wreaths  [reethz, reeths] , verb
Use Wreathed in a Sentence
–noun
1. a circular band of flowers, foliage, or any ornamental work, for adorning the head or for any decorative purpose; a garland or chaplet.
2. any ringlike, curving, or curling mass or formation: a wreath of clouds.
3. (in stair building)
a. a curved section of a handrail.
b. Also called wreathpiece. a curved section of a string.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
4. to wreathe.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME wrethe, OE writha something wound or coiled; akin to writhe

Related forms:
wreathlike, adjective

wreathe

  [reeth] verb, wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath⋅en; wreath⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to encircle or adorn with or as with a wreath.
2. to form as a wreath by twisting or twining.
3. to surround in curving or curling masses or form.
4. to envelop: a face wreathed in smiles.
–verb (used without object)
5. to take the form of a wreath or wreaths.
6. to move in curving or curling masses, as smoke.
Origin:
1520–30; earlier wrethe, partly v. use of wreath, partly back formation from wrethen, obs. ptp. of writhe

Related forms:
wreather, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Wreathed
wreathe   (rēth)   
v.   wreathed, wreath·ing, wreathes

v.   tr.

  1. To twist or entwine into a wreath.

  2. To twist or curl into a wreathlike shape or contour.

  3. To crown, decorate, or encircle with or as if with a wreath.

  4. To coil or curl.

  5. To form a wreath or wreathlike shape around.

v.   intr.

  1. To assume the form of a wreath.

  2. To curl, writhe, or spiral: The smoke wreathed upward.


[From wreath.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

wreath 
O.E. wriða "fillet, bandage, band" (lit. “that which is wound around”), from P.Gmc. *writhon (cf. O.N. riða, Dan. vride, O.H.G. ridan "to turn, twist," O.S., O.Fris. wreth "angry," Du. wreed "rough, harsh, cruel," O.H.G. reid "twisted," O.N. reiða "angry"), from PIE *wreit- "to turn, bend" (cf. O.E. wriða "band," wriðan "to twist, torture," wraþ "angry"), from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see versus). Meaning "ring or garland of flowers" is first recorded 1563.

wreathe 
1530, a back-formation from wrethen, M.E. pp. of writhe.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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