English Explanatory Dictionary

wreath

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Something twisted, intertwined, or curled.
  2. An ornamental circular band made, for example, of plaited flowers and leaves, and used as decoration; a garland or chaplet, especially one given to a victor.
  3. A defect in glass.
  4. An appendage to the shield, placed above it, and supporting the crest; an orle, a torse. It generally represents a twist of two cords of silk, one tinctured like the principal metal, the other like the principal color in the coat of arms.
verb
  1. Alternative spelling of wreathe.

Pronunciation

rēth /ɹiːθ/ /ɹiθ/ En-us-wreath.ogg /ɹiːð/ /ɹið/

Word forms

wreath wreaths wreathing wreathed

Etymology

From Middle English wreth, wrethe (“coiled or rounded shape; decorative garland, wreath; chaplet, crown; ring”, noun), from Old English wrǣd, wrǣþ, wriþa (“bandage”), from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan (“to twist; to weave”), from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to twist; to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist”). Doublet of wreathe and writhe.

Synonyms

orle torse

Derived words

Advent wreath bridal wreath Hippocratic wreath laurel wreath oak wreath olive wreath snow wreath wreath product wreathwork Yule wreath unwreath
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