wreathe

[ reeth ]

/ rið /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wreathe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.

to encircle or adorn with or as with a wreath.

to form as a wreath by twisting or twining.

to surround in curving or curling masses or form.

to envelop: a face wreathed in smiles.

verb (used without object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.

to take the form of a wreath or wreaths.

to move in curving or curling masses, as smoke.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

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Origin of wreathe

1520–30; earlier wrethe, partly v. use of wreath, partly back formation from wrethen, obsolete past participle of writhe

OTHER WORDS FROM wreathe

wreath·er, nounin·ter·wreathe, verb, in·ter·wreathed, in·ter·wreath·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wreathe

wraith wreath wreathe writhe

Words nearby wreathe

wrathful, wrathy, wreak, wreak havoc, wreath, wreathe, wreathed column, wreathy, wreck, wreckage, wrecked

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for wreathe

In epicurean Rome it was a marionette that invited you to wreathe yourself with roses before they could fade.
The Lords of the Ghostland|Edgar Saltus
Then wreathe these double fringes thickly and closely round the bars of the grate, securing them with pins.
Miss Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book|Eliza Leslie
It is but making her a flaunting paradox to wreathe her in gems and flowers.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
It was in her power for a time to wreathe him with incongruous objects.
The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

And laugh of glee, and song of mirth, then wreathe their merry twine.
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, January 1844|Various

British Dictionary definitions for wreathe

wreathe

/ (riːð) /

verb

to form into or take the form of a wreath by intertwining or twisting together

(tr) to decorate, crown, or encircle with wreaths

to move or cause to move in a twisting waysmoke wreathed up to the ceiling

Word Origin for wreathe

C16: perhaps back formation from wrēthen, from Old English writhen, past participle of wrīthan to writhe; see wreath

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

wreathe

verb (used with object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.

verb (used without object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of wreathe

OTHER WORDS FROM wreathe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wreathe

Words nearby wreathe

Words related to wreathe

Example sentences from the Web for wreathe

British Dictionary definitions for wreathe

verb

Word Origin for wreathe