Wiktionary

wield

See also: WIELD

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English wēlden, which combines forms from two closely related verbs: Old English wealdan (“to control, rule”) (strong class 7) and Old English wieldan (“to control, subdue”) (weak). Both verbs ultimately derive from Proto-West Germanic *waldan, from Proto-Germanic *waldaną (“to rule”).

The reason for the merger was that in Middle English the -d in the stem made it hard to distinguish between strong and weak forms in the past tense.[1]

Pronunciation

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Verb

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wield (third-person singular simple present wields, present participle wielding, simple past and past participle wielded)

  1. (obsolete) To command, rule over; to possess or own.
  2. (obsolete) To control, to guide or manage.
  3. (obsolete) To carry out, to bring about.
  4. To handle with skill and ease, especially a weapon or tool.
  5. To exercise (authority or influence) effectively.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “wield, verb.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021.

Anagrams

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Saterland Frisian

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Adjective

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wield (masculine wielden, feminine, plural or definite wielde)

  1. Alternative spelling of wíeld

Scots

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Etymology

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From Old English wieldan (“to control”), a derivative of wealdan (“to govern”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldan. Cognate with German walten, Swedish vålla.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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wield

  1. To control, to guide or manage.
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