width
Meaning
The measurement or distance from one side of something to the other; how wide something is.
A piece of something that has a particular width.
Structure
Usage
The width of the room is twelve feet.
You need to measure the length and width of the table.
Cut the fabric into strips of equal width.
Etymology
The word 'width' is a native English formation, built upon the existing adjective 'wide'. The Old English adjective wīd, meaning "spacious" or "far-extending", has Proto-Germanic origins (wīdaz) and is distantly related to words in other Indo-European languages implying separation or space. In Old English, the abstract noun suffix -þu was commonly added to adjectives to create nouns denoting a state or quality, as seen in lengþu (length) from lang (long). Over time, the suffix evolved into Modern English '-th'. Thus, 'width' literally means "the quality or state of being wide", a logical and direct derivation that concretizes the abstract dimension of breadth.
Analysis
- wid(e): From Old English wīd (spacious, extensive). Functional role: The adjectival root providing the core meaning of "wide". - th: From Old English -þu, -þo, a suffix forming abstract nouns of state or quality. Functional role: A noun-forming suffix.