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lick one's wounds

 - 5 dictionary results

wound

1  [woond; Older Use and Literary wound]
Use lick one's wounds in a Sentence
–noun
1. an injury, usually involving division of tissue or rupture of the integument or mucous membrane, due to external violence or some mechanical agency rather than disease.
2. a similar injury to the tissue of a plant.
3. an injury or hurt to feelings, sensibilities, reputation, etc.
–verb (used with object)
4. to inflict a wound upon; injure; hurt.
–verb (used without object)
5. to inflict a wound.
—Idiom
6. lick one's wounds, to attempt to heal one's injuries or soothe one's hurt feelings after a defeat.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE wund; c. OHG wunta (G Wunde), ON und, Goth wunds; (v.) ME wounden, OE wundian, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
wound⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
wound⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. cut, stab, laceration, lesion, trauma. See injury. 3. insult, pain, anguish. 4. harm, damage; cut, stab, lacerate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

wound  (n.)
O.E. wund "hurt, injury," from P.Gmc. *wundaz (cf. O.S. wunda, O.N. und, O.Fris. wunde, O.H.G. wunta, Ger. wunde "wound"), perhaps from PIE base *wen- "to beat, wound." The verb is from O.E. wundian.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2wound
Function: transitive verb
: to cause a wound to or in
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

wound (w&oomacr;nd)
n.

  1. Injury to a part or tissue of the body, especially one caused by physical trauma and characterized by tearing, cutting, piercing, or breaking of the tissue.

  2. An incision.

wound v.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

lick one's wounds

Recuperate from injuries or hurt feelings. For example, They were badly beaten in the debate and went home sadly to lick their wounds. This expression alludes to an animal's behavior when wounded. It was originally put as lick oneself clean or whole, dating from the mid-1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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