In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
WIN
win
(noun) a victory (as in a race or other competition); “he was happy to get the win”
winnings, win, profits
(noun) something won (especially money)
win
(verb) be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; “He won the Gold Medal in skating”; “Our home team won”; “Win the game”
gain, advance, win, pull ahead, make headway, get ahead, gain ground
(verb) obtain advantages, such as points, etc.; “The home team was gaining ground”; “After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one playoff berth in the Western Conference”; “win points”
acquire, win, gain
(verb) win something through one’s efforts; “I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese”; “Gain an understanding of international finance”; “win someone’s confidence and friendship”
earn, garner, win
(verb) acquire or deserve by one’s efforts or actions; “its beauty won Paris the name ’City of Lights’”
succeed, win, come through, bring home the bacon, deliver the goods
(verb) attain success or reach a desired goal; “The enterprise succeeded”; “We succeeded in getting tickets to the show”; “she struggled to overcome her handicap and won”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Verb
win (third-person singular simple present wins, present participle winning, simple past (obsolete) wan or won, past participle won)
(obsolete, transitive) To conquer, defeat.
(transitive, intransitive) To reach some destination or object, despite difficulty or toil (now usually intransitive, with preposition or locative adverb).
(transitive) To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.).
(transitive) To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest.
(transitive) To obtain (someone) by wooing; to make an ally or friend of (frequently with over).
(intransitive) To achieve victory.
(intransitive) To have power, coercion or control.
(transitive) To obtain (something desired).
(transitive) To cause a victory for someone.
(transitive, mining) To extract (ore, coal, etc.).
Etymology 2
Noun
win (plural wins)
An individual victory.
Antonym: loss
(slang) A feat carried out successfully; a victorious achievement.
Antonym: fail
(obsolete) Gain; profit; income.
(obsolete) Wealth; goods owned.
Etymology 3
Noun
win (plural wins)
(Scotland) Pleasure; joy; delight.
Etymology 4
Verb
win
(transitive, Scotland) To dry by exposure to the wind.
Phrase
WIN
Initialism of whip inflation now: a 1974 US political slogan.
Etymology 1
Noun
Win (plural Wins)
(colloquial) A Winchester firearm.
Etymology 2
Proper noun
Win
(computing) Windows, an operating system family developed by Microsoft.
Etymology 3
Diminutives.
Proper noun
Win
A diminutive of the female given name Winifred.
A diminutive of the male given name Winston.
Etymology 4
Proper noun
Win (plural Wins)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Win is the 11209th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2820 individuals. Win is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (88.01%) individuals.
Source: Wiktionary
Win, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Won, Obs. Wan (; p. pr. & vb. n. Winning.] Etym: [OE. winnen, AS. winnan to strive, labor, fight, endure; akin to OFries. winna, OS. winnan, D. winnen to win, gain, G. gewinnen, OHG. winnan to strive, struggle, Icel. vinna to labor, suffer, win, Dan. vinde to win, Sw. vinna, Goth. winnan to suffer, Skr.van to wish, get, gain, conquer. sq. root138. Cf. Venerate, Winsome, Wish, Wont, a.]
1. To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. "This city for to win." Chaucer. "Who thus shall Canaan win." Milton. Thy well-breathed horse Impels the flying car, and wins the course. Dryden.
2. To allure to kindness; to bring to compliance; to gain or obtain, as by solicitation or courtship. Thy virtue wan me; with virtue preserve me. Sir P. Sidney. She is a woman; therefore to be won. Shak.
3. To gain over to one's side or party; to obtain the favor, friendship, or support of; to render friendly or approving; as, to win an enemy; to win a jury.
4. To come to by toil or effort; to reach; to overtake. [Archaic] Even in the porch he him did win. Spenser. And when the stony path began, By which the naked peak they wan, Up flew the snowy ptarmigan. Sir W. Scott.
5. (Mining)
Definition: To extract, as ore or coal. Raymond.
Syn.
– To gain; get; procure; earn. See Gain.
Win, v. i.
Definition: To gain the victory; to be successful; to triumph; to prevail. Nor is it aught but just That he, who in debate of truth hath won, should win in arms. Milton. To win of, to be conqueror over. [Obs.] Shak.
– To win on or upon. (a) To gain favor or influence with. "You have a softness and beneficence winning on the hearts of others." Dryden. (b) To gain ground on. "The rabble . . . will in time win upon power." Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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CRITICAL
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
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