English Explanatory Dictionary

string

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
  2. Any similar long, thin and flexible object.
  3. A segment of wire (typically made of plastic or metal) or other material used as vibrating element on a musical instrument.
  4. A length of nylon or other material on the head of a racquet.
  5. A thread or cord on which a number of objects or parts are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; hence, a line or series of things arranged on a thread, or as if so arranged.
  6. A cohesive substance taking the form of a string.
  7. A series of items or events.
  8. A slightly elevated (long, thin) peat ridge in a bog.
  9. The members of a sports team or squad regarded as most likely to achieve success. (Perhaps metaphorical as the "strings" that hold the squad together.) Often first string, second string etc.
  10. In various games and competitions, a certain number of turns at play, of rounds, etc.
  11. A drove of horses, or a group of racehorses kept by one owner or at one stable.
  12. An ordered sequence of text characters stored consecutively in memory and capable of being processed as a single entity.
verb
  1. To put (items) on a string.
  2. To put strings on (something).
  3. To form into a string or strings, as a substance which is stretched, or people who are moving along, etc.
  4. To drive the ball against the end of the table and back, in order to determine which player is to open the game.
  5. To deliberately state that a certain bird is present when it is not; to knowingly mislead other birders about the occurrence of a bird, especially a rarity; to misidentify a common bird as a rare species.

Pronunciation

/stɹɪŋ/ En-us-string.ogg

Word forms

string strings stringing strung stringed strang

Etymology

From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *strangi, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”). Cognate with Scots string (“string”), Dutch streng (“cord, strand”), Low German strenge (“strand, cord, rope”), German Strang (“strand, cord, rope”), Danish streng (“string”), Swedish sträng (“string, cord, wire”), Icelandic strengur (“string”), Latvian stringt (“to be tight, wither”), Latin stringō (“to tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).

Synonyms

string cord rope line thread twine sequence series kermi string section conditions provisions stringer stringboard stringpiece stable lace

Related words

string along stringed string out string up

Derived words

aerosol string another string to one's bow apron string apron-string apron-string hold bandstring banjo string bit string bitstring bonnetstring bootstring bytestring capstring casing string checkstring completion string connection string C-string C-style string destring dickstring Dirac string docstring double-string drawstring drill string eggstring empty string eyestring eye-string fiddlestring first-string first string format string four-string four-string banjo four-string guitar gob-string G-string G string gutstring hairstring hame string hamstring harp on one string harp on the same string harpstring hatstring have the world on a string have two strings to one's bow heart strings here-string hold the purse strings how long is a piece of string hyperstring idiot string interstring keystring kissing string latchstring

Translations

Chinese Mandarin: 弦 Chinese Mandarin: 琴弦 Chinese Mandarin: 弓弦 Finnish: nauha Finnish: kieli Finnish: jänne Greek: χορδή Hindi: डोर Hindi: डोरी Hindi: धागा Hungarian: szál Hungarian: rost Hungarian: húr Hungarian: cipőfűző Italian: corda Japanese: 弦 Japanese: 弓弦 Latvian: stīga Polish: struna Romanian: coardă Romanian: strună Russian: струна́ Russian: тетива́ Russian: ни́тка Scottish Gaelic: teud Slovak: struna Slovak: tetiva Spanish: floema Tagalog: bagting
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