wire
See also: Wire
English
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Etymology
From Middle English wir, wyr, from Old English wīr (“wire, metal thread, wire-ornament”), from Proto-Germanic *wīraz (“wire”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁iros (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”).
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /waɪə(ɹ)/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: wīʹər, wīr, IPA(key): /ˈwaɪɚ/
Audio (US): (file) Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -aɪə(r)
Noun
wire (countable and uncountable, plural wires)
- (uncountable) Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.
- 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
- From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
- A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable.
- A metal conductor that carries electricity.
- A fence made of usually barbed wire.
- (sports) A finish line of a racetrack.
- (informal) A telecommunication wire or cable
- (by extension) An electric telegraph; a telegram.
- (slang) A hidden listening device on the person of an undercover operative for the purposes of obtaining incriminating spoken evidence.
- (informal) A deadline or critical endpoint.
- This election is going to go right to the wire
- (billiards) A wire strung with beads and hung horizontally above or near the table which is used to keep score.
- (usually in the plural) Any of the system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence, the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; strings.
- to pull the wires for office
- (archaic, thieves' slang) A pickpocket who targets women.
- (slang) A covert signal sent between people cheating in a card game.
- (Scotland) A knitting needle.
Synonyms
- (thin thread of metal): cable, steel wire, thread
- (metal conductor that carries electricity): conducting wire
- (fencing made of usually barbed wire): barbed wire
- (informal: telegraph): See telegraph
- (informal: message transmitted by telegraph): See telegram
- (object used to keep the score in billiards): score string
Hyponyms
Derived terms
- American wire gauge
- archwire
- barbed wire
- by wire
- cheese wire
- chicken wire
- conducting wire
- contact wire
- crosswire
- down to the wire
- drive-by-wire
- enameled wire
- Fedwire
- firewire
- fly-by-wire
- flywire
- French wire
- fuse wire
- get one's wires crossed
- guidewire
- guy-wire
- have one's wires crossed
- haywire
- highwire
- highwire walker
- interwire
- intrawire
- Kirschner wire
- K-wire
- live wire
- magnesium wire
- microguidewire
- microwire
- mosquito wire
- mulga wire
- multiwire
- nanowire
- newswire
- nonwireless
- office wire
- on the wire
- over-the-wire
- page wire
- piano wire
- pinion wire
- pressure wire
- private-wire house
- pull the wires
- razor wire
- razor-wired
- slackwire
- slidewire
- smoothwire
- softwire
- spit and baling wire
- tightwire
- trawlwire
- tripwire
- under the wire
- underwire
- underwired
- wire bail
- wireball
- wirebird
- wirebound
- wire broadcasting
- wire brush
- wire clippers
- wire cloth
- wire cloth
- wire copy
- wire cutter
- wire cutters
- wired
- wiredraw
- wiredrawer
- wire edge
- wire-edged
- wire entanglement
- wireform
- wire fox terrier
- wireframe, wire frame
- wire fraud
- wire fu
- wire gauze
- wiregrass
- wirehair
- wirehaired, wire-haired
- wirehead
- wire-heel
- wirehouse
- wirelength
- wireless
- wirelessly
- wirelessness
- wirelike
- wireline
- wiremaker
- wiremaking
- wireman
- wire netting
- wirephoto
- wirer
- wire recorder
- wirerimmed
- wireroom
- wire rope
- wirescape
- wire service
- wiresmith
- wiresome
- wire speed
- wire stem
- wiretap
- wiretapper
- wire-to-wire
- wire transfer
- wirewalker
- wirewalking
- wirewater
- wireweed
- wire wool
- wirework
- wireworker
- wireworker
- wireworm
- wire wrap
- wiring
- wiry
- word on the wire
- X-by-wire
- zip-wire
Translations
thin thread of metal
|
metal conductor that carries electricity
|
fence made of usually barbed wire
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sports: finish line of a racetrack
informal: telegraph — see telegraph
informal: message transmitted by telegraph — see telegram
device used to keep the score in billiards — see score string
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also
Verb
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- To fasten with wire, especially with reference to wine bottles, corks, or fencing.
- We need to wire that hole in the fence.
- 1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, 1992 Bantam edition, →ISBN, page 222:
- I could see him in his plane flying low over the river or a reservoir, dropping the club out with a chunk of lead wired to the shaft.
- To string on a wire.
- wire beads
- To equip with wires for use with electricity.
- To add something into an electrical system by means of wiring; to incorporate or include something.
- I'll just wire your camera to the computer screen.
- To send a message or monetary funds to another person through a telecommunications system, formerly predominantly by telegraph.
- Urgent: please wire me another 100 pounds sterling.
- The detective wired ahead, hoping that the fugitive would be caught at the railway station.
- To make someone tense or psyched up.
- I'm never going to sleep: I'm completely wired from all that coffee.
- (slang) To install eavesdropping equipment.
- We wired the suspect's house.
- To snare by means of a wire or wires.
- (transitive, croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot.
Synonyms
- (equip for use with electricity): electrify
- (informal: send a message or funds by telecommunications): cable
Antonyms
- (to fasten with wire): unwire
Troponyms
Derived terms
Translations
to fasten with wire
|
to string on a wire
to equip with wires for use with electricity
|
to add something into an electrical system by means of wiring
|
informal: to send a message or a money value to another person through a telecommunications system
|
to make someone tense or psyched-up
slang: to install eavesdropping equipment
|
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aɪə(r)
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Sports
- English informal terms
- English slang
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Billiards
- English terms with archaic senses
- Scottish English
- English transitive verbs
- en:Croquet
- English 1-syllable words
- English basic words
- en:Espionage
- en:Technology