wipe
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian (“to wipe, rub, cleanse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīpōną (“to wipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weib-, *(s)weip- (“to twist, wind around”). Cognate with German wippen (“to bob”), Swedish veva (“to turn, wind, crank”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (weipan, “to wreathe, crown”), Old English swīfan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”). More at swivel, swift.
Verb [edit]
wipe (third-person singular simple present wipes, present participle wiping, simple past and past participle wiped)
- (transitive) To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (cf. rub)
- Melissa wiped her glasses with her shirt.
- I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
- Tom started to wipe his eyes.
- 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said politely...
- (transitive, computing) To erase.
- I accidentally wiped my hard drive.
Translations [edit]
remove surface substance
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erase a computer disk
Noun [edit]
wipe (plural wipes)
- A soft piece of cloth or cloth-like material used for wiping.
- A kind of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
