wield
Audio Help [weeld] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [weeld] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
| 1. | to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating. |
| 2. | to use (a weapon, instrument, etc.) effectively; handle or employ actively. |
| 3. | Archaic. to guide or direct. |
| 4. | Archaic. to govern; manage. |
[Origin: bef. 900; ME welden, OE wieldan to control, deriv. of wealdan to rule; c. G walten, ON valda, Goth waldan; akin to L valére to be strong, prevail
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] —Related forms
wield·a·ble, adjective
wielder, noun
—Synonyms 1. exert, employ, utilize. 2. manipulate, control.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
wield
To learn more about wield visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| wield
Audio Help (wēld) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. wield·ed, wield·ing, wields
[Middle English welden, from Old English wealdan, to rule, and wieldan, to govern; see wal- in Indo-European roots.] wield'a·ble adj., wield'er n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
wield
O.E. weldan (Mercian), wieldan, wealdan (W.Saxon) "to govern, possess, have control over" (class VII strong verb; past tense weold, pp. gewealden), merged with weak verb wyldan, both from P.Gmc. *wal-t- (cf. O.S., Goth. waldan, O.Fris. walda "to govern, rule," O.N. valda "to rule, wield, to cause," O.H.G. waltan, Ger. walten "to rule, govern"), probably from PIE *waldh- (cf. O.C.S. vlado "to rule," vlasti "power;" Lith. veldu "to rule, possess"), from base *wal- "to be strong, to rule" (see valiant).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| wield | |
verb | |
| 1. | have and exercise; "wield power and authority" |
| 2. | handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe"; "The young violinist didn't manage her bow very well" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
wield1 [wiːld] verb
to use
Example: He can certainly wield an axe.
wield2 [wiːld] verbExample: He can certainly wield an axe.
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to have and use
Example: to wield authority
Example: to wield authority
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Wield
Her"ald\, n. [OE. herald, heraud, OF. heralt, heraut, herault, F. h['e]raut, LL. heraldus, haraldus, fr. (assumed) OHG. heriwalto, hariwaldo, a (civil) officer who serves the army; hari, heri, army + waltan to manage, govern, G. walten; akin to E. wield. See Harry, Wield.]1. (Antiq.) An officer whose business was to denounce or proclaim war, to challenge to battle, to proclaim peace, and to bear messages from the commander of an army. He was invested with a sacred and inviolable character. 2. In the Middle Ages, the officer charged with the above duties, and also with the care of genealogies, of the rights and privileges of noble families, and especially of armorial bearings. In modern times, some vestiges of this office remain, especially in England. See Heralds' College (below), and King-at-Arms. 3. A proclaimer; one who, or that which, publishes or announces; as, the herald of another's fame. --Shak. 4. A forerunner; a a precursor; a harbinger. It was the lark, the herald of the morn. --Shak. 5. Any messenger. "My herald is returned." --Shak. Heralds' College, in England, an ancient corporation, dependent upon the crown, instituted or perhaps recognized by Richard III. in 1483, consisting of the three Kings-at-Arms and the Chester, Lancaster, Richmond, Somerset, Windsor, and York Heralds, together with the Earl Marshal. This retains from the Middle Ages the charge of the armorial bearings of persons privileged to bear them, as well as of genealogies and kindred subjects; -- called also College of Arms.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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