Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word work. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in work.
Definitions and meaning of work
work
Alternative forms
(obsolete)werke, worke
(nonstandard, AAVE)wuk
(obsolete except as LGBT slang)werk
Pronunciation
enPR: wûrk, IPA(key): /wɜː(ɹ)k/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wɜːk/, [wɜːk]
(MLE) IPA(key): [wɜːk], [wœːk]
(Broad Geordie) IPA(key): [wɔːk]
(Liverpool) IPA(key): [wɛːk]
(Dublin English) IPA(key): [wʊːɹk]
(General American) IPA(key): /wɝk/, [wɚk]
(NYC, Southern American English, dated) IPA(key): /wɜɪ̯k/
(General Australian) IPA(key): /wɵːk/
(New Zealand) IPA(key): /wøːk/
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k
Etymology 1
From Middle Englishwork, werk, from Old Englishweorc, from Proto-West Germanic*werk, from Proto-Germanic*werką, from Proto-Indo-European*wérǵom.
Akin to Scotswark, Saterland FrisianWierk, West Frisianwurk, Dutchwerk, GermanWerk, German Low GermanWark, Danishværk, Norwegian Bokmålverk, Norwegian Nynorskverk, Swedishverk and yrke, Icelandicverk, Gothic𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌹(gawaurki), Ancient Greekἔργον(érgon, “work”) (from ϝέργον(wérgon)), Avestan𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰(vərəz, “to work, to perform”), Armenianգործ(gorc, “work”), Albanianargëtoj(“entertain, reward, please”). English cognates include bulwark, boulevard, energy, erg, georgic, liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright. Doublet of erg and ergon.
Noun
work (countable and uncountable, pluralworks)
(uncountable) Employment.
labour, occupation, job.
Synonyms:see Thesaurus:occupation
The place where one is employed.
(by extension) One's employer.
(dated) A factory; a works.
(uncountable) Effort.
effort expended on a particular task.
Synonyms:see Thesaurus:work
Sustained effort to overcome obstacles and achieve a result.
Something on which effort is expended.
(physics) A measure of energy expended in moving an object; most commonly, force times distance. No work is done if the object does not move.
(physics, more generally) A measure of energy that is usefully extracted from a process.
Product; the result of effort.
(uncountable, often in combination) The result of a particular manner of production.
(uncountable, often in combination) Something produced using the specified material or tool.
(countable) A literary, artistic, or intellectual production.
(countable) A fortification.
(uncountable, slang, professional wrestling) The staging of events to appear as real.
(mining) Ore before it is dressed.
(slang, plural only) The equipment needed to inject a drug (syringes, needles, swabs etc.)
Derived terms
Descendants
Pijin: waka
Translations
See also
(product (combining form)):-ing
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishwerken and worchen, from Old Englishwyrċan and wircan (Mercian), from Proto-Germanic*wurkijaną(“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European*wr̥ǵyéti(“to be working, to be at work”), from the root *werǵ-. Cognate with Old Frisianwerka, wirka, Old Saxonwirkian, Low Germanwarken, Dutchwerken, Old High Germanwurken (Germanwirken, werken and werkeln), Old Norseyrkja and orka, (Swedishyrka and orka), Gothic𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽(waurkjan).
Verb
work (third-person singular simple presentworks, present participleworking, simple past and past participleworkedor(rare/archaic)wrought)
(intransitive) To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.
Followed by in (or at, etc.) Said of one's workplace (building), or one's department, or one's trade (sphere of business).
Followed by as. Said of one's job title
Followed by for. Said of a company or individual who employs.
Followed by with. General use, said of either fellow employees or instruments or clients.
(intransitive) To effect by gradual degrees;
(transitive) To effect by gradual degrees.
(transitive) To embroider with thread.
(transitive) To set into action.
(transitive) To cause to ferment.
(intransitive) To ferment.
(transitive) To exhaust, by working.
(transitive) To shape, form, or improve a material.
(transitive) To operate in a certain place, area, or speciality.
(transitive) To operate in or through; as, to work the phones.
(transitive) To provoke or excite; to influence.
(transitive) To use or manipulate to one’s advantage.
(transitive, law) To cause to happen or to occur as a consequence.
(transitive) To cause to work.
(intransitive) To function correctly; to act as intended; to achieve the goal designed for.
(intransitive, figuratively) To influence.
(intransitive) To move in an agitated manner.
(intransitive) To behave in a certain way when handled
(ditransitive, poetic) To cause (someone) to feel (something); to do unto somebody (something, whether good or bad).
(obsolete, intransitive) To hurt; to ache.
(slang, transitive) To pull off; to wear, perform, etc. successfully or to advantage.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Descendants
→ Cantonese: work(adjective)
Translations
Further reading
"work" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 334.