well

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Contents

English [edit]

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Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel, wæl, well (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *walō (“well”, literally "as wished, as desired"), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“wish, desire”). Cognate with Scots wele, weil (“well”), North Frisian wel, weil, wal (“well”), West Frisian wol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), Low German wol (“well”), German wol, wohl (“well”), Danish vel (“well”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vel, val (“well”). Non-Germanic cognate include Albanian vallë (“well, perhaps, wishfully”). Related to will.

Alternative forms [edit]

Adverb [edit]

well (comparative better, superlative best)

  1. (manner) Accurately, competently.
    He does his job well.
    • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion[1], page 266:
      In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
  2. (manner) Completely, fully.
    A well done steak.
  3. (degree) To a significant degree.
    That author is well known.
    • 1995 Feb, Luke Timothy Johnson, “The New Testament and the examined life: Thoughts on teaching”, Christian Century, volume 112, number 4, page 108: 
      Indeed, some readers may feel that I am beating a horse now already well dead. But in fact, that dead horse is still being driven daily through the pages of introductory textbooks.
    • 2000, Colin Robinson, “Energy Economists and Economic Liberalism”, Energy Journal, volume 21, number 2, page 1: 
      Energy markets demonstrated in the 1970s and 1980s that they were well capable of adapting to a perceived scarcity.
    • 2006, Spider Robinson, Callahan's legacy:
      neither of us was paying attention to any damn imaginary scoring judges -- we were both well content, if a little fatigued.
  4. (degree, UK, slang) Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
    • 1999, "Drummond Pearson", What Ash are doing right now... (on Internet newsgroup alt.music.ash)
      That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he is well cool in Scream.
    • 2002, "jibaili", FIFA 2003 How is it? (on Internet newsgroup microsoft.public.xbox)
      Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 is well wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf[sic] them FIFA 2003 is easliy[sic] the best..
    • 2003, Steve Eddy, Empower, Book 2
      Hey, you should've seen it, it was well good.
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from well (adverb)
Translations [edit]
accurately; competently
completely; fully
to a significant degree
(slang) very
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

Adjective [edit]

well (comparative better, superlative best)

  1. In good health.
    I had been sick, but now I'm well.
  2. (archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised.
    • 1897, National Association of Railway Surgeons, Railway surgeon, page 191:
      On leaving the operating table it is well to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
in good health
prudent

Interjection [edit]

well

  1. Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.
    A: The car is broken.
    B: Well, we could walk to the movies instead.
    A: I didn't like the music.
    B: Well, I thought it was good.
    A: (Accidentally sets tent on fire).
    B: Well, I guess we're sleeping under the stars tonight.
  2. An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled.
    Well, well, well, what do we have here?
  3. Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.
    It was a bit... well... too loud.
  4. Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause.
    - So what have you been doing?
    - Well, we went for a picnic, and then it started raining so we came home early.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
used to introduce a statement that may be contrary to expectations
to acknowledge a statement or situation
exclamation of surprise
used in conversation to fill space
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

Etymology 2 [edit]

Old English well (“well”)

Noun [edit]

well (plural wells)

  1. A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.
  2. A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally, a spring.
  3. A small depression suitable for holding liquid, or other objects.
  4. (nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.
  5. (nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.
  6. A well drink.
    They're having a special tonight: $1 wells.
  7. (video games) The playfield of the video game Tetris.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
hole sunk into the ground
spring
small depression
lowest part of a ship's hull
cockpit of a sailing boat — see cockpit of a sailing boat

Etymology 3 [edit]

Old English weallan. Cognate with German wallen (“boil, seethe”), Danish vælde (“gush”), Albanian valoj (“I boil, seethe”).

Verb [edit]

well (third-person singular simple present wells, present participle welling, simple past and past participle welled)

  1. To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
    • Dryden
      [Blood] welled from out the wound.
    • Bryant
      [Yon spring] wells softly forth.
  2. To have something seep out of the surface.
    Her eyes welled with tears.
Translations [edit]
to issue forth
to have something seep out of the surface

Statistics [edit]

Luxembourgish [edit]

Conjunction [edit]

well

  1. because
    Ech gi geschwënn um Bett, well ech midd sinn.
    I'm going to bed soon, because I am tired.

Old English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Proto-Germanic *wall-, whence also Old High German wella, Old Norse vella.

Noun [edit]

well m

  1. well

Welsh [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Adjective [edit]

well

  1. soft mutation of gwell

Adverb [edit]

well

  1. soft mutation of gwell
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