wick

Use wick in a sentence

Lighted wicks on the candles of a birthday cake.

noun

The definition of wick is the waxy cord that is lit in a candle or oil lamp.
An example of wick is the white cord in the center of a candle on which the flame burns.

verb

To wick is to pull or absorb liquid.
An example of to wick is the action of a paper towel absorbing a spill.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"wick." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK>.

APA Style

wick. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK

wick

a piece of cord or tape, or a thin bundle of threads, in a candle, oil lamp, cigarette lighter, etc., designed to absorb fuel by capillary attraction and, when lighted, to burn with a small, steady flame

Origin of wick

Middle English wicke from Old English weoca, akin to German wieche, wick yarn from Indo-European base an unverified form weg-, to weave: see veil

to draw or absorb (water, perspiration, etc.) by capillary attraction: a fabric that wicks sweat away from the skin

a village, town, or hamlet: now archaic except as compounded (often in the form -wich) in place names, as in Warwick, Greenwich

Origin of wick

Middle English wik from Old English wic, akin to Middle High German wich, village from early West Germanic borrowing from Classical Latin vicus, group of houses: see eco-

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"wick." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK>.

APA Style

wick. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK

wick

noun

A cord or strand of loosely woven, twisted, or braided fibers, as on a candle or oil lamp, that draws up fuel to the flame by capillary action.
A piece of material that conveys liquid by capillary action.

tr. & intr.v.

wicked, wick·ing, wicks

To convey or be conveyed by capillary action: water gradually wicking up through the bricks.

Origin of wick

Middle English wike from Old English wēoce

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"wick." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK>.

APA Style

wick. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK

Noun

(plural wicks)

A bundle, twist, braid, or woven strip of cord, fabric, fibre/fiber, or other porous material in a candle, oil lamp, kerosene heater, or the like, that draws up liquid fuel, such as melted tallow, wax, or the oil, delivering it to the base of the flame for conversion to gases and burning; any other length of material burned for illumination in small successive portions.
Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke.
Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action; e.g. a strip of gauze placed in a wound to serve as a drain.
(curling) A narrow opening in the field, flanked by other players' stones.
(curling) A shot where the played stone touches a stationary stone just enough that the played stone changes direction.
(slang) Penis.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present wicks, present participle wicking, simple past and past participle wicked)

To convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action.
The fabric wicks perspiration away from the body.
(intransitive, of a liquid) To traverse (i.e. be conveyed by capillary action) through a wick or other porous material, as water through a sponge. Usually followed by through.
The moisture slowly wicked through the wood.
(curling) To strike (a stone) obliquely; to strike (a stationary stone) just enough that the played stone changes direction.

Origin

Middle English weke, wicke; Old English wÄ“oce.

Noun

(plural wicks)

(UK, dialect, chiefly East Anglia and Essex) A farm, especially a dairy farm.
(archaic) A village; hamlet; castle; dwelling; street; creek; bay; harbour; a place of work, jurisdiction, or exercise of authority.

Usage notes

Present in compounds (meaning “village", “jurisdiction", or “harbour"), as, bailiwick, Warwick, Greenwick, Southwick, Hampton Wick, etc., also -wich.

Origin

From earlier Middle English wik, wich (“village, hamlet, town"); from Old English wÄ«c (“dwelling place, abode"); Germanic borrowing from Latin vÄ«cus (“village, estate") (see vicinity). Came to mean “dairy farm" around 13th-14th century (e.g. Gatwick “Goat-farm"). Compare cognates: Old High German wÃ®ch, wih (“village"), German Weichbild (“municipal area"), Dutch wijk (“quarter, district"), Ancient Greek Î¿á¼¶ÎºÎ¿Ï‚ (oikos, “house"), Old Frisian wik, Old Saxon wic (“village").

Adjective

(comparative wicker or more wick, superlative wickest or most wick)

(UK, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Alive; lively; full of life; active; bustling; nimble; quick.
as wick as an eel
T' wickest young chap at ivver Ah seen.
He's a strange wick bairn alus runnin' aboot.
I'll skin ye wick! (skin you alive)
I thowt they was dead last back end but they're wick enif noo.
"Are you afraid of going across the churchyard in the dark?" "Lor' bless yer noÃ¤ miss! It isn't dead uns I'm scar'd on, it's wick uns."
I'll swop wi' him my poor dead horse for his wick. "” Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, page 210

Noun

(UK, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Liveliness; life.
I niver knew such an a thing afore in all my wick. "” Ashby, 12 July 1875
(UK, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) The growing part of a plant nearest to the roots.
Fed close? Why, it's eaten into t' hard wick. (spoken of a pasture which has been fed very close)
(UK, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) A maggot.

Origin

From Old English cwic (“alive"); similar to an archaic meaning of quick (“endowed with life; having a high degree of vigor, energy, or activity"), and quicken (“come to life").

Noun

(plural wicks)

(now dialectal) A corner of the mouth or eye.

Origin

From Old Norse vik.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"wick." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK>.

APA Style

wick. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WICK

wick

wick

wick

Sentence Examples

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR wick IN THE DICTIONARY

wick

wick

wick

Sentence Examples

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR wick IN THE DICTIONARY

Join YourDictionary today