welcome

Meanings

1. 1
   interj

   Said to greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive.

   Welcome to our home! Please come in.

2. 2
   verb

   To greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive.

   They welcomed us warmly at the door.

3. 3
   verb

   To be glad to accept or receive something.

   I welcome your suggestions for improving the plan.

4. 4
   adj

   Pleasing and gladly received.

   After the long walk, a hot meal was a welcome relief.

5. 5
   noun

   The way someone is greeted when they arrive.

   The proposal got a warm welcome from everyone.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Welcome is an Old English word whose first element was wil-, meaning "pleasure." It originally referred to a person whose arrival was pleasing.

From Middle English welcome, wolcume, wulcume, wilcume, from Old English wilcuma (“a wished-for guest”; compare also wilcume (“welcome!”, interjection)), from Proto-West Germanic *willjakwemō, from Proto-Germanic *wiljakwemô (“a wished-for arrival or guest”), possibly from *wiljakwemaną (“to be welcome”), equivalent to will (“desire”) + come (“comer, arrival”). The component wil- was replaced by wel- when the sense “guest” of the second component was no longer understood, likely under influence from the adverb well. Cognates Cognate with Scots walcome, Yola welcome, welkome, North Frisian welk…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary