Link Centre Dictionary

Wells

UK/wɛlz/ US/ˈwɛlz/ fairly common

noun

1.

prolific English writer best known for his science-fiction novels; he also wrote on contemporary social problems and wrote popular accounts of history and science (1866-1946)

Synonyms

Origin

From Old English wella, genitive plural of well (“spring”), in reference to a residence near a group of springs. The original use of the genitive case here would've indicated origin. The -s ending of the modern form would be added later on upon reanalysis after the breakdown of the case system (outside of pronouns) that occurred in the development of English.

Phrases

  • Hay-Wells syndrome
  • Jim Wells County
  • Muckle-Wells syndrome
  • Wells County
  • Wells Crossing
  • Wells River

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.