W, w
- the 23rd letter of the English alphabet, a semivowel.
- any spoken sound represented by the letter W or w, as in way, bewitch, or row.
- something having the shape of a W.
- a written or printed representation of the letter W or w.
- a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter W or w.
w
- watt; watts.
- withdrawn; withdrew.
- withheld.
W
W1
Origin of W1
W2
- the 23rd in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the 22nd.
- Biochemistry. tryptophan.
w/
- with.
w.
W.
- Wales.
- warden.
- warehouse.
- Washington.
- watt; watts.
- Wednesday.
- weight.
- Welsh.
- west.
- western.
- width.
- Physics. work.
Examples from the Web for w
Contemporary Examples
“[W]hen the going got tough, his economic team picked Wall Street,” Warren said.
“By 2013, I had accepted my role as the… camouflage,” Williams said in an interview with W magazine.
At first glance, the late Sir Ernest Gowers looks—to put it bluntly—like a bit of a W——-.
Risking eye rolls from D.C. residents, the rooftop bar at the W Hotel still offers one of the best views of the city.
“[W]hen a novelist finds an audience, even a small one … the relation is based on recognition, not misunderstanding,” he writes.
Historical Examples
Look at 'is 'orse,—w'ich it aren't; it's a snyle, that's w'at it is.
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
Eh, but the w'ys o' the Almichty are truly no to be mizzered by mortal line!
Salted With FireGeorge MacDonald
The corner of the 'W' instead of being clear and distinct, is blunt and defective.
The Film of FearArnold Fredericks
The "a" was misplaced, the "W" minus its lower right-hand corner.
The Film of FearArnold Fredericks
In a moment he's onto Emil, an' begins to w'irl his hypnotic rope.
Faro Nell and Her FriendsAlfred Henry Lewis
w
W
- the 23rd letter and 18th consonant of the modern English alphabet
- a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a bilabial semivowel, as in web
W
- watt
- West
- physics work
- chem tungsten
- women's (size)
Word Origin
w.
- week
- weight
- width
- wife
- with
- cricket
- wide
- wicket
W.
- Wales
- Welsh
Word Origin and History for w
W
not in the Roman alphabet, but the Modern English sound it represents is close to the devocalized consonant expressed by Roman -U- or -V-. In Old English, this originally was written -uu-, but by 8c. began to be expressed by the runic character wyn (Kentish wen), which looked like this: ƿ (the character is a late addition to the online font set and doesn't display properly on many computers, so it's something like a cross between lower-case -p- and a reversed -y-). In 11c., Norman scribes introduced -w-, a ligatured doubling of Roman -u- which had been used on the continent for the Germanic "w" sound, and wyn disappeared c.1300. -W- is not properly a letter in the modern French alphabet, and it is used there only in borrowed foreign words, e.g. wagon, weekend, Western, whisky, wombat.
w
- Abbreviation of width
W
- The symbol for tungsten.
- Abbreviation of watt
tungsten
- A hard, gray to white metallic element that is very resistant to corrosion. It has the highest melting point of all elements, and it retains its strength at high temperatures. It is used to make light-bulb filaments and to increase the hardness and strength of steel. Atomic number 74; atomic weight 183.84; melting point 3,410°C; boiling point 5,900°C; specific gravity 19.3 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Also called wolfram See Periodic Table.