wen
1 Americannoun
-
Pathology. a benign encysted tumor of the skin, especially on the scalp, containing sebaceous matter; a sebaceous cyst.
-
British. a large, crowded city or a crowded urban district.
London is the great wen of England.
noun
noun
-
pathol a sebaceous cyst, esp one occurring on the scalp
-
a large overcrowded city (esp London in the phrase the great wen )
noun
Etymology
Origin of wen
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English wenn; cognate with Dutch wen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One boy, in response to a prompt about what he liked, wrote: “To cee wen somone pente.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 11, 2022
The officials were questioned about their claims after journalists wen to look at jail records and found that the overwhelming majority of people arrested in connection to the unrest in Minneapolis had Minnesota addresses.
From Slate • May 31, 2020
Streak of Luck wen to the lead with Toinette in a comfortable second spot.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2019
Elsewhere, military art troupes, or wen yi bing, have been given a public dressing down by President Xi Jinping over a string of recent scandals involving high-profile entertainers exploiting privileges and profiteering.
From BBC • Aug. 28, 2013
Where the devil wen the royal hounds to be kept?
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
