Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wallow

/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English

Syllables
wal-low
IPA
/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.

Intransitive verb

verb

To move lazily or heavily in any medium.

Intransitive verb

verb

To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically.

Intransitive verb

verb

To live or exist in filth or in a sickening manner.

Intransitive verb

noun

An instance of wallowing.

Intransitive verb

noun

A pool of water or mud in which animals wallow, or the depression left by them in the ground.

Intransitive verb

noun

A kind of rolling walk.

Intransitive verb

verb

To fade, fade away, wither, droop; fail to flourish.

British usage; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *welH-, walowen, wealwian, *walwōn, *walwijaną, *welw-

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce wallow?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/.
What does wallow mean?
To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.
Where does wallow come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce wallow

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wallow”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wallow”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “wallow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.