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definitions

wicking

[ wik-ing ]
/ ˈwɪk ɪŋ /
|

noun

material for wicks.

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Nearby words

  1. wicker,
  2. wickerwork,
  3. wicket,
  4. wicket maiden,
  5. wicketkeeper,
  6. wickiup,
  7. wickliffe,
  8. wickliffe, john,
  9. wicklow,
  10. wickthing

Origin of wicking

First recorded in 1840–50; wick1 + -ing1

wick

1
[ wik ]
/ wɪk /

noun

a bundle or loose twist or braid of soft threads, or a woven strip or tube, as of cotton or asbestos, which in a candle, lamp, oil stove, cigarette lighter, or the like, serves to draw up the melted tallow or wax or the oil or other flammable liquid to be burned.

verb (used with object)

to draw off (liquid) by capillary action.

Origin of wick

1
before 1000; Middle English wicke, weke, Old English wice, wēoc(e); cognate with Middle Dutch wiecke, Middle Low German wêke, Old High German wiohha lint, wick (German Wieke lint); akin to Sanskrit vāgura noose
Related formswick·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wicking

British Dictionary definitions for wicking

wicking

/ (ˈwɪkɪŋ) /

adjective

acting to move moisture by capillary action from the inside to the surfacewicking fabric

wick

1
/ (wɪk) /

noun

a cord or band of loosely twisted or woven fibres, as in a candle, cigarette lighter, etc, that supplies fuel to a flame by capillary action
get on someone's wick British slang to cause irritation to a person
Derived Formswicking, noun

Word Origin for wick

Old English weoce; related to Old High German wioh, Middle Dutch wēke (Dutch wiek)

wick

2
/ (wɪk) /

noun

archaic a village or hamlet

Word Origin for wick

Old English wīc; related to -wich in place names, Latin vīcus, Greek oîkos

wick

3
/ (wɪk) /

adjective Northern English dialect

lively or active
alive or crawlinga dog wick with fleas

Word Origin for wick

dialect variant of quick alive

Wick

/ (wɪk) /

noun

a town in N Scotland, in Highland, at the head of Wick Bay (an inlet of the North Sea). Pop: 7333 (2001)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for wicking
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper