ida bell wells-barnett

Wells

[welz]
noun
1.
Henry, 1805–78, U.S. businessman: pioneered in banking, stagecoach services, and express shipping.
2.
H(erbert) G(eorge) 1866–1946, English novelist and historian.
3.
Horace, 1815–48, U.S. dentist: pioneered use of nitrous oxide as an anesthetic.
4.
Ida Bell (Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) 1862–1931, U.S. journalist and civil-rights leader.
5.
a historic town in E Somersetshire, in SW England: cathedral.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Ida bell wells-barnett is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Wells1 (wɛlz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
a city in SW England, in Somerset: 12th-century cathedral. Pop: 10 406 (2001)

Wells2 (wɛlz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  Henry. 1805--78, US businessman, who founded (1852) with William Fargo the express mail service Wells, Fargo and Company
2.  H(erbert) G(eorge). 1866--1946, British writer. His science-fiction stories include The Time Machine (1895), War of the Worlds (1898), and The Shape of Things to Come (1933). His novels on contemporary social questions, such as Kipps (1905), Tono-Bungay (1909), and Ann Veronica (1909), affected the opinions of his day. His nonfiction works include The Outline of History (1920)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

well
"in a satisfactory manner," O.E. wel, common Gmc. (cf. O.S. wela, O.N. vel, O.Fris. wel, Du. wel, O.H.G. wela, Ger. wohl, Goth. waila "well"), from PIE *wel-, *wol- (cf. Skt. prati varam "at will," O.C.S. vole "well," Welsh gwell "better," L. velle "to wish, will," O.E. willan "to wish;" see
will (v.)). Also used as an interjection and an expression of surprise in O.E. Well-to-do "prosperous" is recorded from 1825.

well
"to spring, rise, gush," O.E. wiellan (Anglian wællan), causative of weallan "to boil, bubble up" (class VII strong verb; past tense weoll, pp. weallen), from P.Gmc. *wal-, *wel- "roll" (cf. O.S. wallan, O.N. vella, O.Fris. walla, O.H.G. wallan, Ger. wallen, Goth. wulan "to bubble, boil"), from
PIE base *wel- "to turn, roll" (see vulva), on notion of "roiling or bubbling water."

well
"hole dug for water, spring of water," O.E. wielle (W.Saxon), welle (Anglian), from wiellan (see well (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

Wells (wělz), Horace. 1815-1848.

American dentist who was the first to use nitrous oxide to anesthetize patients during oral surgery.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
well   (wěl)  Pronunciation Key 
A deep hole or shaft sunk into the Earth to tap a liquid or gaseous substance such as water, oil, gas, or brine. If the substance is not under sufficient pressure to flow freely from the well, it must be pumped or raised mechanically to the surface. Water or pressurized gas is sometimes pumped into a nonproducing oil well to push petroleum resources out of underground reservoirs. See also artesian well.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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