wide

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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

Adjective

wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)

  1. Having a large physical extent from side to side.
    We walked down a wide corridor.
  2. 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.
  3. (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area.
    That team needs a decent wide player.
  4. 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.
  5. (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth.
  6. (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive.
    The wide, lifeless expanse.
  7. (obsolete) Located some distance away; distant, far.
  8. (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc.
    • 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: , 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, 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, “.] The Syxte Sermon of Maister Hugh Latymer, whiche He Preached before K. Edward , the XII. Day of Aprill.”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, , London: John Day, , published 1562, →OCLC, folio 75, verso:
      But I tell you, it is farre wyde, that the people haue ſuche iudgmentes, the Byſhoppes they coulde laughe at it.
    • , George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar], The Temple: Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, , →OCLC; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, , 1885, →OCLC:
      How wide is all this long pretence!
  9. (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
  10. (British, slang) Antagonistic, shrewd, unscrupulous, provocative.
    • 1951, Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time, page 31:
      But the first visitor to penetrate from the outside world proved to be Sergeant Williams; large and pink and scrubbed-looking; and for a little while Grant forgot about battles long ago and considered wide boys alive today.

Antonyms

  • narrow (regarding empty area)
  • thin (regarding occupied area)
  • skinny (sometimes offensive, regarding body width)

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Adverb

wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)

  1. extensively
    He travelled far and wide.
  2. completely
    He was wide awake.
  3. 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.
  4. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

wide (plural wides)

  1. (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

Adverb

wīde

  1. widely, afar, far and wide
    wīdfērende ― coming from afar
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