welcome
Meaning
A word of kindly greeting, especially to someone who has just arrived.
A greeting or reception, especially a friendly one.
To greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive.
Received with pleasure; giving pleasure.
Structure
Usage
Welcome to our home, please come in.
The delegates received a warm welcome from the local community.
We welcome any suggestions you may have to improve the service.
Etymology
The word 'welcome' has a transparently literal origin in Old English. It is a compound of 'wilcuma', where 'wil-' meant 'pleasure, desire' (related to 'will') and 'cuma' meant 'guest, comer'. Thus, a 'wilcuma' was a person whose arrival was pleasing or desired. Over time, the spelling shifted to 'welcome', and its function broadened from a noun for the desirable guest to an expression of greeting, a description of the reception, and the act of greeting itself. The core logic connecting a wished-for arrival to a friendly reception remains perfectly clear in the modern word.
Analysis
'wel' originates from Old English 'wela' (wealth, well-being) and functions as a root conveying the sense of 'good' or 'well'. 'come' originates from Old English 'cuman' (to come, arrive) and functions as the core verb root.