wain
/weɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A wagon; a four-wheeled cart for hauling loads, usually pulled by horses or oxen.
Archaic; Literary
verb
Misspelling of wane.
noun
Alternative form of wean.
Example Sentences
- ""The Hay Wain" is a famous painting by John Constable."
- "Many roads and tracks crossed the green fields, and there was much coming and going: wains moving in lines towards the Great Gate, and others passing out."
- "And the hill-king spake to his footpages twain. Time with me goes slow. — "Put ye the gray pacers now unto the wain," But that grief is heavy I know."
- "As the auto industry is waining away, the city is looking for something new. http://www.modeldmedia.com/inthenews/urbanfarm15108.aspx"
- "Bee! thou little mundane bird! Fly away to where I bid thee; O'er the moon, beneath the sun, Behind the lofty heaven's stars, Close by the Wain's axle - fly To the great Creator's court."
Etymology
From Middle English wayn, from Old English wæġn, from Proto-West Germanic *wagn, from Proto-Germanic *wagnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *woǵʰnos, from *weǵʰ- (“to bring, transport”). Doublet of wagon, borrowed from Middle Dutch. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian wein, Dutch wagen, German Wagen, Danish vogn, Norwegian vogn, Swedish vagn.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /weɪn/
- British English: /weɪn/