wield

English

Etymology

From Middle English welden, from Old English wieldan (“to control”), from Proto-Germanic *waldijaną. See Template:Dutch, Template:Norwegian.

Pronunciation

• enPR: wēld, IPA^(key): /wiːld/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːld
• Homophones: weald, Weald
• Homophone: wheeled (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Verb

wield (third-person singular simple present wields, present participle wielding, simple past and past participle wielded)

1. (obsolete) To command, rule over; to possess or own.
   • Template:RQ:Mlry MrtArthr1

     There was never kyng sauff myselff that welded evir such knyghtes.

2. (obsolete) To control, to guide or manage.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.10:

     With such his chearefull speaches he doth wield / Her mind so well, that to his will she bends […].

3. To handle with skill and ease, especially a weapon or tool.
4. To exercise (authority or influence) effectively.

Derived terms

• bewield
• unwield
• wieldsome
• wieldy

Translations

to handle with skill and ease

• Bulgarian: владея (bg) (vladeja)
• Catalan: manejar (ca), manipular (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使用 (zh) (shǐyòng)

• Czech: ovládat (cs) impf, zvládat impf, zvládnout (cs) pf
• Dutch: beheersen (nl)
• Finnish: hallita (fi)
• French: manier (fr)
• German: beherrschen (de)
• Greek: χειρίζομαι (el) (cheirízomai)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: maneggiare (it)
• Japanese: つかいこなす (ja) (tukai-konasu)
• Maori: mau
• Occitan: manejar, gaubejar, mestrejar (oc)
• Portuguese: manusear (pt)
• Russian: владе́ть (ru) impf (vladétʹ) (+ instrumental case), ору́довать (ru) impf (orúdovatʹ) (+ instrumental case)
• Serbo-Croatian: vladati (sh)
• Spanish: manejar (es), manipular (es)
• Swedish: svinga (sv), hantera (sv)

to exercise authority or influence

• Catalan: exercir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行使 (zh) (xíngshǐ)

• Dutch: uitoefenen (nl)
• Finnish: hallita (fi)
• French: exercer (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Einfluss ausüben
• Occitan: exercir
• Portuguese: exercer (pt)
• Russian: вла́ствовать (ru) impf (vlástvovatʹ) (+ instrumental case), облада́ть (ru) impf (obladátʹ) (+ instrumental case)
• Serbo-Croatian: vlastovati, vladati (sh)
• Spanish: ejercer (es)

to handle or use a weapon

• Catalan: fer anar
• French: brandir (fr)
• Maori: mau, whakarere
• Portuguese: empunhar (pt), brandir (pt), manusear (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: rukovati (sh)
• Spanish: blandir (es), empuñar (es)
• Welsh: trin (cy)

Anagrams

• Wilde, wiled

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Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian wilde, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Cognate with English wild.

Adjective

wield

1. wild

Alternative forms

• wüüld

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Scots

Etymology

From Old English wieldan (“to control”), a derivative of wealdan (“to govern”), from Proto-Germanic *waldaną. Cognate with German walten, Swedish vålla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wiːld/

Verb

wield

1. To control, to guide or manage.