answer

/ˈænsə/AN-sur
/ˈænsɚ/AN-sur

Meaningswear against

Common meaning: to reply

Other meanings: a reply

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SWAR‘murmur, hum, buzz, speak’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 466, p. 746 · scan
  2. Old Englishandswarian‘to reply’sourceB&T
  3. Middle Englishandsweriensource
  4. Englishanswer‘to reply’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English and- + swerian ‘against + swear’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry ANSWER, p. 26 · dictionary scan

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app