work

Meanings

Noun

• Employment.
• Effort.
• Product; the result of effort.
• The staging of events to appear as real.
• Ore before it is dressed.
• The equipment needed to inject a drug (syringes, needles, swabs etc.)

Verb

• To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.
• To effect by gradual degrees.
• To embroider with thread.
• To set into action.
• To cause to ferment.
• To ferment.
• To exhaust, by working.
• To shape, form, or improve a material.
• To operate in a certain place, area, or speciality.
• To operate in or through; as, to work the phones.
• To provoke or excite; to influence.
• To use or manipulate to one’s advantage.
• To cause to happen or to occur as a consequence.
• To cause to work.
• To function correctly; to act as intended; to achieve the goal designed for.
• To influence.
• To effect by gradual degrees; as, to work into the earth.
• To move in an agitated manner.
• To behave in a certain way when handled
• To cause (someone) to feel (something); to do unto somebody (something, whether good or bad).
• To hurt; to ache.
• To pull off; to wear, perform, etc. successfully or to advantage.

Origin

• From Middle English work, werk, from Old English weorc, from Proto-Germanic *werką, from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom; akin to Scots wark, Saterland Frisian Wierk, West Frisian wurk, Dutch werk, German Werk, German Low German Wark, Danish værk, Norwegian Bokmål verk, Norwegian Nynorsk verk, Swedish verk and yrke, Icelandic verk, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌹, Ancient Greek ἔργον ("work") (from ϝέργον), Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰 ("to work, to perform"), Armenian գործ ("work"), Albanian argëtoj ("entertain, reward, please"). English cognates include bulwark, boulevard, energy, erg, georgic, liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright. ergon.
• From Middle English werken and worchen, from Old English wyrċan and wircan (Mercian), from Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną ("to work"), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ("to work"). Cognate with Old Frisian werka, wirka, Old Saxon wirkian, Low German warken, Dutch werken, Old High German wurken (German wirken, werken and werkeln), Old Norse yrkja and orka, (Swedish yrka and orka), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽.