wield

Meaning

Verb

• To command, rule over; to possess or own.
• To control, to guide or manage.
• To carry out, to bring about.
• To handle with skill and ease, especially a weapon or tool.
• To exercise (authority or influence) effectively.

Origin

• From Middle English welden, which combines forms from two closely related verbs: Old English wealdan ("to control, rule") and Old English wieldan ("to control, subdue") . The reason for the merger was that in Middle English the -d in the stem made it hard to distinguish between strong and weak forms in the past tense. Both verbs ultimately derive from Proto-Germanic *waldaną ("to rule").