WELCOME

welcome

(adjective) giving pleasure or satisfaction or received with pleasure or freely granted; “a welcome relief”; “a welcome guest”; “made the children feel welcome”; “you are welcome to join us”

welcome

(noun) a greeting or reception; “the proposal got a warm welcome”

welcome

(noun) the state of being welcome; “don’t outstay your welcome”

welcome, receive

(verb) bid welcome to; greet upon arrival

welcome

(verb) receive someone, as into one’s house

welcome

(verb) accept gladly; “I welcome your proposals”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

welcome (comparative more welcome, superlative most welcome)

Whose arrival is a cause of joy; received with gladness; admitted willingly to the house, entertainment, or company.

Producing gladness.

Free to have or enjoy gratuitously.

Interjection

welcome

Greeting given upon someone's arrival.

(nonstandard, especially, Southern US) Ellipsis of you're welcome.

Usage notes

When used with reference to a place, "welcome" is always followed by "to". The signs often seen in many non-English-speaking countries welcoming tourists with "in", such as "Welcome in Heidelberg!", sound unnatural to some English speakers and show interference from other languages, many of which use a cognate of "in" in this situation, and especially with a cognate of "welcome".

Noun

welcome (plural welcomes)

The act of greeting someone’s arrival, especially by saying "Welcome!"; reception.

The utterance of such a greeting.

Kind reception of a guest or newcomer.

The state of being a welcome guest.

Verb

welcome (third-person singular simple present welcomes, present participle welcoming, simple past and past participle welcomed)

To affirm or greet the arrival of someone, especially by saying "Welcome!".

To accept something willingly or gladly.

Proper noun

Welcome (plural Welcomes)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Welcome is the 13855th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2181 individuals. Welcome is most common among White (45.99%) and Black/African American (44.93%) individuals.

Source: Wiktionary


Wel"come, a. Etym: [OE. welcome, welcume, wilcume, AS. wilcuma a welcome guest, from wil-, as a prefix, akin to willa will + cuma a comer, fr. cuman to come; hence, properly, one who comes so as to please another's will; cf. Icel. velkominn welcome, G. willkommen. See Will, n., and Come.]

1. Received with gladness; admitted willingly to the house, entertainment, or company; as, a welcome visitor. When the glad soul is made Heaven's welcome guest. Cowper.

2. Producing gladness; grateful; as, a welcome present; welcome news. "O, welcome hour!" Milton.

3. Free to have or enjoy gratuitously; as, you are welcome to the use of my library.

Note: Welcome is used elliptically for you are welcome. "Welcome, great monarch, to your own." Dryden. Welcome-to-our-house (Bot.), a kind of spurge (Euphorbia Cyparissias). Dr. Prior.

Wel"come, n.

1. Salutation to a newcomer. "Welcome ever smiles." Shak.

2. Kind reception of a guest or newcomer; as, we entered the house and found a ready welcome. His warmest welcome at an inn. Shenstone. Truth finds an entrance and a welcome too. South. To bid welcome, to receive with professions of kindness. To thee and thy company I bid A hearty welcome. Shak.

Wel"come, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Welcomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Welcoming.] Etym: [AS. wilcumian.]

Definition: To salute with kindness, as a newcomer; to receive and entertain hospitably and cheerfully; as, to welcome a visitor; to welcome a new idea. "I welcome you to land." Addison. Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long. Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

21 June 2024

DEMURRAGE

(noun) a charge required as compensation for the delay of a ship or freight car or other cargo beyond its scheduled time of departure


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Coffee Trivia

Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free. Studies from the National Institute of Health (US) have shown that virtually all decaf coffee types contain caffeine. A 236-ml (8-oz) cup of decaf coffee contains up to 7 mg of caffeine, whereas a regular cup provided 70-140 mg.

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