wound
pronunciation
How to pronounce wound in British English:
UK [waʊnd , wuːnd]
How to pronounce wound in American English:
US [waʊnd , wuːnd]
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- Noun:
- any break in the skin or an organ caused by violence or surgical incision
- a casualty to military personnel resulting from combat
- a figurative injury (to your feelings or pride)
- the act of inflicting a wound
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- Verb:
- cause injuries or bodily harm to
- hurt the feelings of
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- Adjective:
- put in a coil
Word Origin
- wound
- wound: [OE] Wound is a widespread Germanic word, with relatives in German wunde, Dutch wond, and Icelandic und (Danish vunde is a reborrowing from Low German). Its ultimate origins are uncertain, but it has been speculated that it may go back to an Indo-European base *wen-, which also produced Welsh gwanu ‘stab’.
- wound (n.)
- Old English wund "hurt, injury, ulcer," from Proto-Germanic *wundaz (cognates: Old Saxon wunda, Old Norse und, Old Frisian wunde, Old High German wunta, German wunde "wound"), perhaps from PIE root *wen- (2) "to beat, wound."
- wound (v.)
- Old English wundian "to wound," from the source of wound (n.). Cognate with Old Frisian wundia, Middle Dutch and Dutch wonden, Old High German wunton, German verwunden, Gothic gawundon. Figurative use, of feelings, etc., from c. 1200. Related: Wounded; wounding.
Example
- 1. Some might even call it an open wound .
- 2. Is that a battle wound you have ?
- 3. Sure enough , ralph returned home with another bullet wound .
- 4. It 's an emotional block inside your own psyche , a wound in your heart and mind .
- 5. But I sense you are having particular difficulty because you are still reworking an old wound .