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wel·come

(wĕlkəm)

adj.

1. Received with pleasure and hospitality into one's company or home: a welcome guest.

2. Giving pleasure or satisfaction; agreeable or gratifying: a welcome respite from hard work.

3. Cordially or willingly permitted or invited: You are welcome to join us.

4. Used in the expression you're welcome to acknowledge an expression of gratitude.

1. A cordial greeting or hospitable reception given to an arriving person.

2. A reception upon arrival: gave the stranger an unfriendly welcome.

3. The state of being welcome: Don't overstay your welcome.

tr.v. wel·comed, wel·com·ing, wel·comes

1. To greet, receive, or entertain (another or others) cordially or hospitably.

2. To receive or accept gladly: would welcome a little privacy.

interj.

Used to greet cordially a visitor or recent arrival.

Idiom:

wear out (one's) welcome

To visit so often or stay so long as to become a nuisance.

[Middle English, alteration (influenced by wel, well) of Old English wilcuma, welcome guest, welcome; see g^wā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

welcome·ly adv.

welcome·ness n.

welcom·er n.

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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