Wort

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Wort. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Wort, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Wort in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Wort you have here. The definition of the word Wort will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofWort, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: wort, wòrt, and wört

German

Etymology

From Middle High German wort. Compare Dutch woord, English word, Danish ord. Doublet of Verb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vɔrt/, , , ,
  • (file)
  • (file)

Noun

Wort n (strong, genitive Wortes or Worts, plural Wörter or Worte, diminutive Wörtchen n or Wörtlein n)

  1. (plural Wörter) word as an isolated unit
    Im Deutschen gibt es wenig Wörter, die mit y geschrieben werden.
    In German there are few words spelt with y.
  2. (plural Worte) utterance, word with context
    Er erklärte das Problem mit wenigen Worten.
    He explained the problem in few words.
    Keiner wagte dem Wort des Königs zu widersprechen.
    No one dared contradict the king's word.
  3. (uncountable) speech, speaking, (figuratively) floor
    Er beherrscht unsere Sprache in Wort und Schrift.
    He masters our language in speech and writing.
    Der Präsident erteilte dem Abgeordneten das Wort.
    The president gave the delegate the floor.
  4. (uncountable) promise, (figuratively) word
    Ich gebe dir mein Wort, dass ich pünktlich da bin.
    I give you my word that I shall be there on time.
  5. (Christianity) the Word (epithet for Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity)
  6. (biblical) the Word of God, Scripture, the scriptures (collectively)

Usage notes

  • A clear distinction is usually made in the standard language between the plural forms Wörter and Worte (as above). Note, however, the compound Sprichwort (proverb), whose plural is more commonly Sprichwörter rather than the expected Sprichworte. Generally, the distinction is much less clear in colloquial German, where Worte is not seldom heard for sense 1, and Wörter is occasionally heard for sense 2.

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

  • Wort” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Wort” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • Wort” in Duden online
  • Friedrich Kluge (1883), “Wort”, in , John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Hunsrik

Etymology

From Middle High German wort.

Pronunciation

Noun

Wort n (plural Werter or Worte)

  1. word

Usage notes

The plural forms are used as mentioned in the entry above.

Derived terms

Further reading