answer
pronunciation
How to pronounce answer in British English:
UK [ˈɑːnsə(r)]
How to pronounce answer in American English:
US [ˈænsər]
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- Noun:
- a statement (either spoken or written) that is made in reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
- a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem
- the speech act of replying to a question
- the principle pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint; in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of `guilty' or `not guilty' (or nolo contendere); in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff'
- a nonverbal reaction
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- Verb:
- reply or respond to
- give the correct answer or solution to
- respond to a signal
- understand the meaning of
- give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument)
- be liable or accountable
- be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
- match or correspond
- be satisfactory for; meet the requirements of or serve the purpose of
- react to a stimulus or command
Word Origin
- answer
- answer: [OE] Etymologically, the word answer contains the notion of making a sworn statement rebutting a charge. It comes from a prehistoric West and North Germanic compound *andswarō; the first element of this was the prefix *and- ‘against’, related to German ent- ‘away, un-’ and to Greek anti-, source of English anti-; and the second element came from the same source as English swear.In Old English, the Germanic compound became andswaru (noun) and andswarian (verb) ‘reply’, which by the 14th century had been reduced to answer. The synonymous respond has a similar semantic history: Latin respondēre meant ‘make a solemn promise in return’, hence ‘reply’. And, as another element in the jigsaw, Swedish ansvar means ‘responsibility’ – a sense echoed by English answerable.=> swear
- answer (n.)
- Old English andswaru "an answer, a reply," from and- "against" (see ante) + -swaru "affirmation," from swerian "to swear" (see swear), suggesting an original sense of "make a sworn statement rebutting a charge." A common Germanic compound (cognates: Old Saxon antswor, Old Norse andsvar, Old Frisian ondser, Danish and Swedish ansvar), implying a Proto-Germanic *andswara-. Meaning "a reply to a question," the main modern sense, was present in Old English. Meaning "solution of a problem" is from c. 1300.
- answer (v.)
- Old English answarian "to answer;" see answer (n.). Meaning "to respond in antiphony" is from early 15c.; that of "to be responsible for" is early 13c. Related: Answered; answering. The telephone answering machine is from 1961.
Example
- 1. So what is the answer ?
- 2. He gave me the answer .
- 3. You already know the answer .
- 4. Do you need an answer ?
- 5. The answer is government intervention .