answer

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English [edit]

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Alternative forms [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Middle English answere, andsware, from Old English andswaru (“answer”), from Proto-Germanic *andaswarō (“answer”), equivalent to and- +‎ swear. Cognate with Old Frisian ondser (“answer”), Old Saxon andswōr (“answer”), Danish and Swedish ansvar (“liability, responsibility, answer”), Icelandic andsvar (“answer, response”). Compare also Old English andwyrde (“answer”) (cognate to Dutch antwoord, German Antwort), Old English andcwiss (“reply”), German Schwur (“oath, vow”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

answer (plural answers)

  1. A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.
    Her answer to his proposal was a slap in the face.
  2. A solution to a problem.
    There is no simple answer to corruption.
  3. (law) A document filed in response to a complaint, responding to each point raised in the complaint and raising counterpoints.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
response
solution
reply to e-mail
document filed in response to a complaint

See also [edit]

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Middle English answeren, andswaren, from Old English andswarian (“to answer, respond, give an answer”), from Proto-Germanic *and- (“back, in return”) + *swarō (“oath”), from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”), equivalent to and- +‎ swear. Cognate with Old Frisian ondswera (“to answer”), Danish ansvare (“to answer, account for”), Swedish ansvara (“to answer, account for”), Icelandic andsvara (“to answer, reply”).

Verb [edit]

answer (third-person singular simple present answers, present participle answering, simple past and past participle answered)

  1. To make a reply or response to.
    He answered the question.
  2. To respond to a call by someone at a door or telephone, or other similar piece of equipment.
    She answered the door.
  3. To suit a need or purpose satisfactorily.
    It answers the need.
    • 1903, Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh, Ch. 41
      Theobald spoke as if watches had half-a-dozen purposes besides time-keeping, but he could hardly open his mouth without using one or other of his tags, and "answering every purpose" was one of them.
  4. (law) To file a document in response to a complaint.
  5. To correspond to; to be in harmony with; to be in agreement with.
    The use of dunder in the making of rum answers the purpose of yeast in the fermentation of flour. — B. Edwards.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
to make a reply or response to
to respond to a call
to suit a need or purpose satisfactorily
law: to file a response to a complaint
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

See also [edit]

Statistics [edit]

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