- wreathe
- wreathe (v.) 1520s, a back-formation from wrethen, Middle English pp. of WRITHE (Cf. writhe). Related: Wreathed; wreathing.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
wreathe
Look at other dictionaries:
Wreathe — Wreathe, v. t. [imp. {Wreathed}; p. p. {Wreathed}; Archaic {Wreathen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wreathing}.] [See {Wreath}, n.] [Written also {wreath}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To cause to revolve or writhe; to twist about; to turn. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] And… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Wreathe — Wreathe, v. i. To be intewoven or entwined; to twine together; as, a bower of wreathing trees. Dryden. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wreathe — index intertwine Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
wreathe — [ri:ð] v literary [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: Partly from wreath; partly from wrethen, old past participle of writhe] 1.) be wreathed in sth to be covered in something ▪ The mountains were wreathed in mist. 2.) be wreathed in smiles to be smiling… … Dictionary of contemporary English
wreathe — [ rið ] verb MAINLY LITERARY 1. ) transitive usually passive if something is wreathed in something such as smoke, steam, or shadow, it is surrounded by it: The city below them was wreathed in mist. a ) intransitive if smoke, steam or MIST… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
wreathe — *wind, coil, curl, twist, twine, entwine … New Dictionary of Synonyms
wreathe — ► VERB 1) (usu. be wreathed) envelop, surround, or encircle. 2) (of smoke) move with a curling motion. ORIGIN from WRITHE(Cf. ↑writhe), reinforced by WREATH(Cf. ↑wreath) … English terms dictionary
wreathe — [rēth] vt. wreathed, wreathing [Early ModE, back form. < ME wrethen, pp. of writhen,WRITHE; in later use < WREATH] 1. to coil, twist, or entwine, esp. so as to form into a wreath 2. to coil, twist, or entwine around; encircle [clouds… … English World dictionary
wreathe — en·wreathe; in·ter·wreathe; un·wreathe; wreathe; … English syllables
wreathe — UK [riːð] / US [rɪð] verb Word forms wreathe : present tense I/you/we/they wreathe he/she/it wreathes present participle wreathing past tense wreathed past participle wreathed mainly literary 1) a) [transitive, usually passive] if something is… … English dictionary
