wide

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /waɪd/ UK /waɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #2410

Meanings

1

adj
Measuring a large distance from one side to the other.

They walked along the wide, busy road.
2

adj
Large in range or amount; covering a lot.

The shop offers a wide range of products.
3

adv
As far open or apart as possible.

Open your eyes wide and look up.
4

adv
Far away from the intended target.

The arrow went wide of the mark.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · measuring a large distance... broad

4 adv · far away from the intended... astray

More thick

Opposites

long narrow scrawny skinny thin

Word family

Forms widerwideswidest

Derived forms enmidwidewide-anglewide-awakewide-bodiedwide-bodywide-cutwide-eyedwide-fieldwide-flungwide-gabwide-handed

Related forms width

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

Proverbs (1)

See all

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yid…

wid Middle English wīd Old English *wīdaz Proto-Germanic *h₁weydʰh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# wide

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj, adv
**IPA (US):** /waɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /waɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 2410

## Meanings
1. Measuring a large distance from one side to the other.
2. Large in range or amount; covering a lot.
3. As far open or apart as possible.
4. Far away from the intended target.

## Examples
- They walked along the wide, busy road.
- The shop offers a wide range of products.
- Open your eyes wide and look up.
- The arrow went wide of the mark.

## Synonyms
- broad
- thick

## Antonyms
- long
- narrow
- scrawny
- skinny
- thin

## Derived Forms
- en
- midwide
- wide-angle
- wide-awake
- wide-bodied
- wide-body
- wide-cut
- wide-eyed
- wide-field
- wide-flung
- wide-gab
- wide-handed

## Related Forms
- width

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wid
- Root: wīd
- Root: *wīdaz
- Root: *h₁weydʰh₁-

## Etymology
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yid…

## AI Etymology
Wide is from Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Important historical forms include Middle English wid, Old English wīd, Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, and Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-. In present-day use, it can mean measuring a large distance from one side to the other, or large in range or amount; covering a lot.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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