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wick·et (wĭkĭt)
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n.
1. A small door or gate, especially one built into or near a larger one.
2. A small window or opening, often fitted with glass or a grating.
3. A sluice gate for regulating the amount of water in a millrace or canal or for emptying a lock.
4. Sports In cricket:
a. Either of the two sets of three stumps, topped by bails, that forms the target of the bowler and is defended by the batsman.
b. A batsman's innings, which may be terminated by the ball knocking the bails off the stumps.
c. The termination of a batsman's innings.
d. The period during which two batsmen are in together.
e. See pitch2.
5. Games Any of the small arches, usually made of wire, through which players try to drive their ball in croquet.
[Middle English, from Old North French wiket, nook, wicket; see weik-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
(click for a larger image)
wicket
ball approaching a cricket wicket, which is made up of three vertical stumps and two bails that are positioned horizontally
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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