Definition of WICK

wick

Meanings

Plural: wicks

Noun

  • any piece of cord that conveys liquid by capillary action
    • "the physician put a wick in the wound to drain it"
  • a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame
  • A bundle, twist, braid, or woven strip of cord, fabric, fibre, or other porous material in a candle, oil lamp, kerosene heater, or the like, that draws up liquid fuel, such as melted tallow, wax, or the oil, delivering it to the base of the flame for conversion to gases and burning; any other length of material burned for illumination in small successive portions.
  • Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action, such as a strip of gauze placed in a wound to serve as a drain.
  • A narrow opening in the field, flanked by other players' stones.
  • A shot where the played stone touches a stationary stone just enough that the played stone changes direction.
  • The penis.
  • A farm, especially a dairy farm.
  • Liveliness; life.
  • The growing part of a plant nearest to the roots.
  • (Usually plural) The parts of weed roots that remain viable in the ground after inadequate digging prior to cultivation.
  • A maggot.
  • A corner or angle.
  • A grove; a hollow.
  • A corner of the mouth or eye.
  • An inlet or bay.

Verb

  • To convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action.
  • To traverse (i.e. be conveyed by capillary action) through a wick or other porous material, as water through a sponge. Usually followed by through.
  • To strike (a stone) obliquely; to strike (a stationary stone) just enough that the played stone changes direction.

Adj

  • Alive; lively; full of life; active; bustling; nimble; quick.
  • resistant to being put to use, stiff, stubborn (as for example a rope or a screw).

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English weke, wicke (“wick”), from Old English wēoce (“wick”), from Proto-West Germanic *weukā (“flax bundle, wick”), from Proto-Indo-European *weg- (“to weave”).
Compare West Frisian wjok, wjuk (“wing”), Dutch wiek (“wing; propeller, blade; wick”), German Wieche (“wisp; wick”), Swedish veke (“wick”).

Synonyms

taper

Scrabble Score: 13

wick is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
wick is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
wick is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

wick is a valid Words With Friends word