Definition: word
word
n 1: a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words
are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he
hardly said ten words all morning"
2: a brief statement; "he didn't say a word about it"
3: new information about specific and timely events; "they
awaited news of the outcome" [syn: news, intelligence,
tidings]
4: the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity
(incarnate in Jesus) [syn: Son, Word, Logos]
5: a promise; "he gave his word" [syn: parole, word of honor]
6: a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group;
"he forgot the password" [syn: password, watchword, parole,
countersign]
7: an exchange of views on some topic; "we had a good
discussion"; "we had a word or two about it" [syn: discussion,
give-and-take]
8: the sacred writings of the Christian religion; "he went to
carry the Word to the heathen" [syn: Bible, bible, Good
Book, Holy Scripture, Holy Writ, Scripture, Word
of God, Word]
9: a verbal command for action; "when I give the word, charge!"
10: a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory; "large
computers use words up to 64 bits long"
v : put into words or an expression; "He formulated his concerns
to the board of trustees" [syn: formulate, phrase, articulate]
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Word \Word\, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa['u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. "rh`twr an orator. Cf. Verb.] 1. The spoken sign of a conception or an idea; an articulate or vocal sound, or a combination of articulate and vocal sounds, uttered by the human voice, and by custom expressing an idea or ideas; a single component part of human speech or language; a constituent part of a sentence; a term; a vocable. ``A glutton of words.'' --Piers Plowman. You cram these words into mine ears, against The stomach of my sense. --Shak. Amongst men who confound their ideas with words, there must be endless disputes. --Locke. 2. Hence, the written or printed character, or combination of characters, expressing such a term; as, the words on a page. 3. pl. Talk; discourse; speech; language. Why should calamity be full of words? --Shak. Be thy words severe; Sharp as he merits, but the sword forbear. --Dryden. 4. Account; tidings; message; communication; information; -- used only in the singular. I pray you . . . bring me word thither How the world goes. --Shak. 5. Signal; order; command; direction. Give the word through. --Shak. 6. Language considered as implying the faith or authority of the person who utters it; statement; affirmation; declaration; promise. Obey thy parents; keep thy word justly. --Shak. I know you brave, and take you at your word. --Dryden. I desire not the reader should take my word. --Dryden. 7. pl. Verbal contention; dispute. Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me. --Shak. 8. A brief remark or observation; an expression; a phrase, clause, or short sentence. All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. --Gal. v. 14. She said; but at the happy word ``he lives,'' My father stooped, re-fathered, o'er my wound. --Tennyson. There is only one other point on which I offer a word of remark. --Dickens. By word of mouth, orally; by actual speaking. --Boyle. Compound word. See under Compound, a. Good word, commendation; favorable account. ``And gave the harmless fellow a good word.'' --Pope. In a word, briefly; to sum up. In word, in declaration; in profession. ``Let us not love in word, . . . but in deed and in truth.'' --1 John iii. 8. Nuns of the Word Incarnate (R. C. Ch.), an order of nuns founded in France in 1625, and approved in 1638. The order, which also exists in the United States, was instituted for the purpose of doing honor to the ``Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God.'' The word, or The Word. (Theol.) (a) The gospel message; esp., the Scriptures, as a revelation of God. ``Bold to speak the word without fear.'' --Phil. i. 14. (b) The second person in the Trinity before his manifestation in time by the incarnation; among those who reject a Trinity of persons, some one or all of the divine attributes personified. --John i. 1. To eat one's words, to retract what has been said. To have the words for, to speak for; to act as spokesman. [Obs.] ``Our host hadde the wordes for us all.'' --Chaucer. Word blindness (Physiol.), inability to understand printed or written words or symbols, although the person affected may be able to see quite well, speak fluently, and write correctly. --Landois & Stirling. Word deafness (Physiol.), inability to understand spoken words, though the person affected may hear them and other sounds, and hence is not deaf. Word dumbness (Physiol.), inability to express ideas in verbal language, though the power of speech is unimpaired. Word for word, in the exact words; verbatim; literally; exactly; as, to repeat anything word for word. Word painting, the act of describing an object fully and vividly by words only, so as to present it clearly to the mind, as if in a picture. Word picture, an accurate and vivid description, which presents an object clearly to the mind, as if in a picture. Word square, a series of words so arranged that they can be read vertically and horizontally with like results. Note: H E A R T E M B E R A B U S E R E S I N T R E N T (A word square) Syn: See Term.
Word \Word\, v. i. To use words, as in discussion; to argue; to dispute. [R.]
Word \Word\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Worded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wording.] 1. To express in words; to phrase. The apology for the king is the same, but worded with greater deference to that great prince. --Addison. 2. To ply with words; also, to cause to be by the use of a word or words. [Obs.] --Howell. 3. To flatter with words; to cajole. [Obs.] --Shak. To word it, to bandy words; to dispute. [Obs.] ``To word it with a shrew.'' --L'Estrange.
Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10)
Word Microsoft Word
word <storage> A fundamental unit of storage in a computer. The size of a word in a particular computer architecture is one of its chief distinguishing characteristics. The size of a word is usually the same as the width of the computer's data bus so it is possible to read or write a word in a single operation. An instruction is usually one or more words long and a word can be used to hold a whole number of characters. These days, this nearly always means a whole number of bytes (eight bits), most often 32 or 64 bits. In the past when six bit character sets were used, a word might be a multiple of six bits, e.g. 24 bits (four characters) in the ICL 1900 series. (1994-11-11)
