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w¹ or W

(dŭbəl-y, -y)

n. pl. w's or W's also ws or Ws

1. The 23rd letter of the modern English alphabet.

2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter w.

3. The 23rd in a series.

4. Something shaped like the letter W.

(click for a larger image)

Hollywood sign, Los Angeles, California

Originally reading "Hollywoodland," the Hollywood sign was erected in 1923 at the cost of $21,000 as an advertisement for a real estate development.

W¹

The symbol for tungsten.

[From German Wolfram; see WOLFRAM.]

W²

abbr.

1. watt

2. Wednesday

3. week

a. west

b. western

5. Sports win

6. Sports winger

w²

abbr.

1. weight

2. width

3. Physics work

abbr.

1. wife

2. also w/ with

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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