wide

From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wī- (“apart, asunder, in two”), from Proto-Indo-European *weye- (“to drive, separate”). Cognate with Scots wyd, wid (“of great extent; vast”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Swedish vid (“wide”), Icelandic víður (“wide”), Latin dīvidō (“separate, sunder”), Latin vītō (“avoid, shun”). Related to widow.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /waɪd/
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /wɑed/

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• Rhymes: -aɪd

wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)

1. Having a large physical extent from side to side.

   We walked down a wide corridor.

2. Large in scope.
   • 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:

     The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.

   The inquiry had a wide remit.

3. (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area.

   That team needs a decent wide player.

4. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.

   Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide.

   • Spenser

     Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand.

   • Massinger

     I was but two bows wide.

5. (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth.
6. (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive.

   The wide, lifeless expanse.

7. Remote; distant; far.

   The hut was not wide from the sea.

   The cabin is not wide from the lake.

   • Hammond

     the contrary being so wide from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God

8. (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc.
   • John Milton

     And I trust anon by the help of an infallible guide, to perfect such Prutenic tables, as shall mend the astronomy of our wide expositors.

   • Latimer

     It is far wide that the people have such judgments.

   • Herbert

     How wide is all this long pretence!

9. (computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.

   a wide character; a wide stream

• narrow (regarding empty area)
• thin (regarding occupied area)
• skinny (sometimes offensive, regarding body width)

• width

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

wide (comparative wider, superlative widest)

1. extensively

   He travelled far and wide.

2. completely

   He was wide awake.

3. away from a given goal

   The arrow fell wide of the mark.

   • 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC‎:

     The Reds carved the first opening of the second period as Glen Johnson's pull-back found David Ngog but the Frenchman hooked wide from six yards.

4. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

• wide-ranging

wide (plural wides)

1. (cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score

• ƿīde

From wīd.

• IPA^(key): /wiː.de/

wīde

1. widely