worry

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Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Middle English werien, worien, wirwen ‘to choke, strangle’, from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną (compare Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- ‘bind, squeeze’ (compare Latin urgere ‘to press, push’, Lithuanian ver̃žti ‘to string; squeeze’, Russian (poetic) отверзать (otverzát’) ‘to open’, literally ‘untie’). Related to wring.

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

worry (third-person singular simple present worries, present participle worrying, simple past and past participle worried)

  1. (transitive) To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.
    Your dog’s been worrying sheep again.
  2. (transitive) To harass; to irritate or distress.
    The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.
  3. (transitive) Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress.
    Your tone of voice worries me.
  4. (intransitive) To be troubled, to give way to mental anxiety.
    Stop worrying about your test, it’ll be fine.
  5. (transitive, obsolete, except in Scots) To strangle.

Translations [edit]

Noun [edit]

worry (plural worries)

  1. A strong feeling of anxiety.
    I'm afflicted by worry throughout the night.
  2. An instance or cause of such a feeling.
    My main worry is that I'll miss the train.

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]


Scots [edit]

Verb [edit]

worry

  1. (transitive) To strangle.