wide
See also: -wide
English
Etymology
| PIE word |
|---|
| *dwóh₁ |
From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to separate, divide”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”).
Cognate with Scots wyd, wid (“of great extent; vast”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Danish vid (“wide”), Swedish vid (“wide”), Icelandic víður (“wide”), Latin dīvidō (“separate, sunder”), Latin vītō (“avoid, shun”). Related to widow.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /waɪd/
- (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /wɑed/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) Audio (AU) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aɪd
Adjective
wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)
- Having a large physical extent from side to side.
- We walked down a wide corridor.
- Large in scope.
- 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:
- The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
- The inquiry had a wide remit.
-
- (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area.
- That team needs a decent wide player.
- On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.
- Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide.
- 1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], OCLC 606546850; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Ancient Irish Histories), Dublin: […] Society of Stationers, […] Hibernia Press, […] [b]y John Morrison, 1809, OCLC 22906028:
- Surely he shoots wide on the Bow-Hand.
- 1656, Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, and Philip Massinger, The Old Law
- I was but two bows wide.
- (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth.
- (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive.
- The wide, lifeless expanse.
- (obsolete) Located some distance away; distant, far. [15th–19th c.]
- 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXXXI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], OCLC 13631815:
- Mr Hunt's house, you know, lies wide from Harlowe-place.
- 1654, H[enry] Hammond, Of Fundamentals in a Notion Referring to Practise, London: […] J[ames] Flesher for Richard Royston, […], OCLC 228724047:
- the contrary [being] so wide from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God
-
- (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc.
- 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: […], 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], OCLC 868004604, book:
- And I trust anon by the help of an infallible guide, to perfect such Prutenic tables, as shall mend the astronomy of our wide expositors.
- 1549 April 22 (Gregorian calendar), Hughe Latymer [i.e., Hugh Latimer]; Augustine Bernher, compiler, “[27 Sermons Preached by the Ryght Reuerende Father in God and Constant Matir of Iesus Christe, Maister Hugh Latimer, […].] The Syxte Sermon of Maister Hugh Latymer, whiche He Preached before K. Edward [VI], the XII. Day of Aprill.”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published 1562, OCLC 12219849, folio 75, verso:
- But I tell you, it is farre wyde, that the people haue ſuche iudgmentes, the Byſhoppes they coulde laughe at it.
- [1633], George Herbert, [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple: Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], OCLC 1048966979; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, […], 1885, OCLC 54151361:
- How wide is all this long pretence!
-
- (computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
- a wide character; a wide stream
- (Scotland, slang) Antagonistic, provocative.
Antonyms
- narrow (regarding empty area)
- thin (regarding occupied area)
- skinny (sometimes offensive, regarding body width)
Hyponyms
- Africa-wide
- America-wide
- Asia-wide
- Europe-wide
- EU-wide
- kilometre-wide
- km-wide
- metre-wide
- m-wide
- nation-wide
- region-wide
- site-wide
- space-wide
- system-wide
- US-wide
- worldwide
Derived terms
- midwide
- wide-angle
- wide awake
- wide-eyed
- widely
- widen
- wideness
- wide of the mark
- wide open
- wide-ranging
- wide-reaching
- wide receiver
- widescale, wide-scale
- widescreen
- wide shot
- widespread
Related terms
- width
Translations
having a large physical extent from side to side
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large in scope
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operating at the side of the playing area
|
References
- The Dictionary of the Scots Language
Adverb
wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)
- extensively
- He travelled far and wide.
- completely
- He was wide awake.
- away from or to one side of a given goal
- The arrow fell wide of the mark.
- A few shots were fired but they all went wide.
- 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
- The Reds carved the first opening of the second period as Glen Johnson's pull-back found David Ngog but the Frenchman hooked wide from six yards.
- So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], OCLC 236076664, line 359:
- And with his knee the dore he opens wide
-
Derived terms
- wide-ranging
Translations
extensively
|
completely (with awake)
|
away from the given goal
|
Noun
wide (plural wides)
- (cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score
Old English
Etymology
wīd + -e
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwiː.de/
Adverb
wīde
- widely, afar, far and wide
- wīdfērende ― coming from afar