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Wick
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of quick (“alive, living; also, active, lively”). England, Northern-England, Yorkshire
"Well! yo must know I were in th' Infirmary for a fever, and times were rare and bad; and there be good chaps there to a man, while he's wick, whate'er they may be about cutting him up at after."
- 1 A town in north-eastern Caithness, Highland council area, Scotland (OS grid ref ND3650).
- 2 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Luppitt parish, East Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref ST1703). countable, uncountable
- 3 A river in Caithness, Highland council area that flows through the town into Wick Bay on the North Sea; in full, the Wick River.
- 4 A number of places in England:; An eastern suburb of Bournemouth in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset (OS grid ref SZ1951). countable, uncountable
- 5 A number of places in England:; A village in Wick and Abson parish, South Gloucestershire district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref ST7072). countable, uncountable
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- 6 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Brent Knoll parish, Somerset, previously in Sedgemoor district (OS grid ref ST3253) countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Curry Rivel parish, Somerset, previously in South Somerset district (OS grid ref ST4026). countable, uncountable
- 8 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Stogursey parish, Somerset, previously in Somerset West and Taunton district (OS grid ref ST2144). countable, uncountable
- 9 A number of places in England:; A northern suburb of Littlehampton, Arun district, West Sussex (OS grid ref TQ0203). countable, uncountable
- 10 A number of places in England:; A village in Downton parish, south Wiltshire (OS grid ref SU1621). countable, uncountable
- 11 A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish in Wychavon district, Worcestershire (OS grid ref SO9645). countable, uncountable
- 12 A village and community in Vale of Glamorgan borough county borough, Wales (OS grid ref SS9272). countable, uncountable
- 13 An unincorporated community in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. countable, uncountable
- 14 An unincorporated community in Tyler County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
- 15 A surname from Old English. countable
- 1 A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, or oil) at one end, to be ignited at the other end to produce a flame. countable
"Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke."
- 2 A hamlet or village; also, a town. England
"And by report, there vvere eight thouſand Gaules there ſlaine: the reſt abandoned the vvarre, and ſlipt every one into their ovvne vvickes and villages."
- 3 A maggot. England, UK, Yorkshire, countable, dialectal
- 4 A angle or corner; specifically, a corner of the eye or mouth. England, dialectal
"[H]ee vvould therefore haue you to make ſome expert Horſe farrier, to ſlit vp the vveekes of your Horſes mouth, equallie on both ſides of his cheekes, vvith a ſharpe rayſor, and then to ſeare it vvith a hot yron, and ſo heale it in ſuch ſorte, as the ſydes thereof may no more grovv together, but appeare like a natural mouth: to vvhome I make this anſvvere, that I imagine neither hee, nor any other Horſe-man hath heere in England ſeene a horſe of that ſhallovvneſſe of mouth, vvhich vvold not giue place for a reaſonable bytt to lie in; […]"
- 5 A shot where the played bowl or stone touches a stationary bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; a cannon. England
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- 6 An inlet, such as a creek or small bay. England, Northern-England, Scotland
"The power thou dost covet / O'er tempest and wave, / Shall be thine, thou proud maiden, / By beach and by cave,— / By stack and by skerry, by noup, and by voe, / By air and by wick, and by helyer and gio, / And by every wild shore which the northern winds know, / And the northern tides lave."
- 7 A basket made of wickers (“flexible branches or twigs of a plant such as willow woven together”); a creel. England, countable
"A captive fish still fills the anxious eyes / And willow-wicks lie ready for the prize; […]"
- 8 a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame wordnet
- 9 A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, or oil) at one end, to be ignited at the other end to produce a flame.; Synonym of wicking (“the material of which wicks (etymology 1 sense 1) are made”). uncountable
"There liues vvithin the very flame of loue / A kind of weeke or ſnufe that vvill abate it, […]"
- 10 A farm; specifically, a dairy farm. East-Anglia, England, Essex
"Note a fearme [farm] in the North parts is called a Tacke, in Lancaſhire a Fermeholt, in Eſſex a Wike."
- 11 The growing part of a plant nearest to the roots. England, UK, Yorkshire, countable, dialectal, uncountable
"Fed close? Why, it’s eaten into t’ hard wick."
- 12 A angle or corner; specifically, a corner of the eye or mouth.; Short for wick-tooth (“a canine tooth”). England, abbreviation, alt-of, dialectal
- 13 Synonym of port (“a narrow opening between other players' bowls or stones wide enough for a delivered bowl or stone to pass through”). England
- 14 Wickers collectively; also, synonym of wickerwork (“wickers woven together”). England, uncountable
- 15 any piece of cord that conveys liquid by capillary action wordnet
- 16 A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, or oil) at one end, to be ignited at the other end to produce a flame.; Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action; specifically (medicine), a strip of gauze placed in a wound, etc., to absorb fluids. broadly, countable
- 17 An enclosed piece of land; a close. England, obsolete
- 18 The part of the root of a weed that remains viable in the ground after inadequate digging prior to cultivation. England, UK, Yorkshire, countable, dialectal, in-plural, uncountable
- 19 A grove; also, a hollow. England, dialectal
- 20 Often in dip one's wick: the penis. countable, euphemistic, slang
"His wick was stone stiff."
- 21 Life; also, liveliness. England, UK, Yorkshire, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable
- 1 Of a material (especially a textile): to convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action. transitive
"The fabric wicks perspiration away from the body."
- 2 To strike (a stationary bowl or stone) with one's own bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; to cannon. England, transitive
"He vvas the king of a' the Core, / To guard, or dravv, or vvick a bore, […]"
- 3 Of a material: to convey or draw off liquid by capillary action. intransitive
- 4 To strike a stationary bowl or stone with one's own bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; to cannon. England, intransitive
- 5 Chiefly followed by through or up: of a liquid: to move by capillary action through a porous material. intransitive
"The moisture slowly wicked through the wood."
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English wek, weke, wicke (“fibrous cord drawing fuel to flame of a candle, etc.; material used to make this object”), from Old English wēoce (“wick”), from Proto-West Germanic *weukā (“flax bundle; wick”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weg- (“to weave”). It has been suggested that noun etymology 1 sense 2 (“penis”) is derived from Hampton Wick, used as rhyming slang for prick. If so, that sense should be placed under etymology 2. The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch wiek (“wick; wing; blade, propeller”) * German Wieche (“wick; wisp”) * Swedish veke (“wick”) * West Frisian wjok, wjuk (“wing”)
The noun is derived from Middle English wek, weke, wicke (“fibrous cord drawing fuel to flame of a candle, etc.; material used to make this object”), from Old English wēoce (“wick”), from Proto-West Germanic *weukā (“flax bundle; wick”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weg- (“to weave”). It has been suggested that noun etymology 1 sense 2 (“penis”) is derived from Hampton Wick, used as rhyming slang for prick. If so, that sense should be placed under etymology 2. The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch wiek (“wick; wing; blade, propeller”) * German Wieche (“wick; wisp”) * Swedish veke (“wick”) * West Frisian wjok, wjuk (“wing”)
From Middle English wik, wike, wich, wicke (“dwelling, home; building or land, probably enclosed, in which work is done; area, region, territory; city, town; hamlet, village”), from Old English wīc (“dwelling place, abode, lodging; temporary dwelling place, camp; place where a thing remains; town, village”), and then probably: * from Latin vīcus (“row of houses; street; quarter, neighbourhood; hamlet, village; municipal section or ward; farm”), from Proto-Italic *weikos (“village”); and/or * from Proto-West Germanic *wīhs (“burgh, village; colony, settlement; dwelling”), from Proto-Germanic *wīhsą (“settlement; village”); both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“to enter in; to settle; settlement”). Doublet of vicus and -wich. cognates * Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house”) (whence English eco-) * Dutch wijk (“quarter, district”) * Old Frisian wik * Old High German wîch, wih (“village”) (modern German Weichbild (“municipal area”)) * Old Saxon wic (“village”)
A variant of quick.
A variant of quick.
From Late Middle English wike, wyke (“corner of part of the body”), from Old Norse *vík (“angle, bend, corner”) (attested in munnvík (“corner of the mouth”)), from víkja (“to move, bend, curve; to retreat”) (related to Old Norse vikna (“to cave in, yield”)), probably from Proto-Germanic *wīkwaną (“to cease; to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃weyg-, *weyg- (“to bend, turn; to wind”).
Probably borrowed from Scots wick (“(noun) shot in which a bowl or stone is aimed at another so that one or other is deflected at an angle towards the tee, cannon; (verb) to strike (a bowl or curling stone) in such a manner; to (attempt to) reach the tee in this manner”), The Scots noun is probably derived from Middle English wike, wyke (“corner of part of the body”); the verb from Old Norse víkja (“to move, bend, curve; to retreat”): see further at etymology 4.
Probably borrowed from Scots wick (“(noun) shot in which a bowl or stone is aimed at another so that one or other is deflected at an angle towards the tee, cannon; (verb) to strike (a bowl or curling stone) in such a manner; to (attempt to) reach the tee in this manner”), The Scots noun is probably derived from Middle English wike, wyke (“corner of part of the body”); the verb from Old Norse víkja (“to move, bend, curve; to retreat”): see further at etymology 4.
Possibly from Middle English *wik (compare Old English wīc (“small bay, bight; creek, inlet”)), or from Old Norse vík (“bay; small creek, inlet”) (in place names; compare *vík (“angle, bend, corner”), attested in munnvík (“corner of the mouth”)), from Proto-Germanic *wīkō (“bay; fjord, inlet”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyg- (“to bend, turn; to wind”), *weyk- (“to bend, curve”).
Probably a clipping of wicker.
From Old Norse vík (“bay, inlet”), from Proto-Germanic *wīkō.
From Old English wīc (“dairy farm”).
See also for "wick"
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