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Wells
//wɛlz// name, noun, verb
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 An English topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a well or a spring.
- 2 A male given name transferred from the surname.
- 3 A small cathedral city and civil parish with a city council in Somerset, England, previously in Mendip district (OS grid ref ST5445).
- 4 A small town in Norfolk, England; in full, Wells-next-the-Sea.
- 5 A town in the Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia, Canada.
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- 6 A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Pipe Creek Township, Miami County, Indiana; named for founder James Oscar Wells.
- 7 A locale in the United States:; A census-designated place in Ottawa County, Kansas.
- 8 A locale in the United States:; A town in York County, Maine; named for the city in England.
- 9 A locale in the United States:; A city in Faribault County, Minnesota; named for J. W. Wells, father-in-law of Canadian-American Minnesota politician Clark W. Thompson.
- 10 A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lowndes County, Mississippi.
- 11 A locale in the United States:; A city in Elko County, Nevada.
- 12 A locale in the United States:; A town and census-designated place therein, in Hamilton County, New York; named for land agent Joshua Wells.
- 13 A locale in the United States:; A town in Cherokee County, Texas; named for railroad engineer Maj. E. H. Wells.
- 14 A locale in the United States:; A town and census-designated place therein, in Rutland County, Vermont.
- 15 A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Marshall County, West Virginia.
- 16 A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Rockland, Manitowoc County and Rantoul, Calumet County, Wisconsin.
- 17 A locale in the United States:; A town in Monroe County, Wisconsin; named for early settler James Wells.
- 18 A locale in the United States:; A number of townships, including in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, listed under Wells Township.
Noun
- 1 plural of well form-of, plural
"The town's water supply consisted of three wells, but a new one was being dug to meet demand from the new development."
Verb
- 1 third-person singular simple present indicative of well form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
"Every time she sees her little grandson, her face wells with joy."
Etymology
From Old English wella, genitive plural of well (“spring”), in reference to a residence near a group of springs. The original use of the genitive case here would've indicated origin. The -s ending of the modern form would be added later on upon reanalysis after the breakdown of the case system (outside of pronouns) that occurred in the development of English.
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