wel

See also: we'l and wel-

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʋɛl/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch wel, from Old Dutch *wela, wala, from Proto-Germanic *wela, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. Compare German wohl, English well, Icelandic vel, Swedish väl, Danish and Norwegian vel.

Adverb

wel

  1. The opposite of not (used to add positive emphasis to the verb, much like the auxiliaries "do" or "does" in affirmative sentences in English)
    Ik dacht dat je niet van golf hield? — Ik hou wél van golf!
    I thought you didn't like golf? — I do like golf!
    Je ziet wel dat...
    You [can] certainly see that...
    Ik ken hem wel, maar niet goed.
    I do know him, but not well.
    Maar wat wil je dan wel?
    Well then, what do you want?
  2. no less than, as much as, as many as (expressing amazement)
    Zij heeft wel twaalf uur gewerkt vandaag!
    She has worked no less than twelve hours today!
  3. fairly
    Ik voel me wel aardig, maar niet echt goed.
    I feel fairly decent, but not really good.
  4. (dated, regional) well
    Wat God doet, dat is wel gedaan.
    What God does, that is well done.
    "Dat is wel gedacht," zeide hij.
    "That is well thought through, " he said.
Usage notes
  • In sense 1, the word is often strongly stressed (especially when directly contradicting a negative statement or question) and therefore written with an accent: wél.
  • Using wel as adverbial form of goed is rare. Usually, the adjective is used in its bare form (as with other adjectives).
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From the adverb wel.

Noun

wel n (uncountable)

  1. weal (general state of well-being and prosperity)

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch *welle, from Old Dutch *wella, from Proto-Germanic *wallijō.

Noun

wel f (plural wellen, diminutive welletje n)

  1. (rare) well, source

Etymology 4

Noun

wel c (plural wellen, diminutive welletje n)

  1. well; shaft (excavation made for the extraction of mineral resources)

Etymology 5

See etymology on the main entry.

Verb

wel

  1. first-person singular present indicative of wellen
  2. imperative of wellen

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wela, wala, from Proto-Germanic *wela.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wel/

Adverb

wel (comparative bat or beter, superlative best)

  1. well

Alternative forms

Descendants

  • Dutch: wel
  • Limburgish: wèl, waal

Further reading

  • “wel (III), wale”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “wel (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Middle English

Adverb

wel

  1. well
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
      Ful wel she sange the service devine, / Entuned in hire nose ful swetely.

North Frisian

Verb

wel

  1. (Föhr-Amrum Dialect) to want
  2. (Föhr-Amrum Dialect) shall, will (future tense auxiliary verb)

Usage notes

  • wel, wal, wääl, wul, and wulen were previously written as well, wall, wäl, wull and wullen respectively.

Conjugation

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wela, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. Akin to Old Frisian wela, Old Saxon wela, Old High German wola, Old Norse vel, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰 (waila).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wel/

Adverb

wel (comparative bet, superlative best)

  1. well

Descendants

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English oil.

Noun

wel

  1. oil

Adjective

wel

  1. slippery
  2. tricky; cunning
  3. inedible
  4. feral

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English well.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wɛl/

Interjection

wel

  1. well

Westrobothnian

Etymology

From Old Norse væla.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [wèːɽ]
    Rhymes: -èːɽ

Verb

wel

  1. to cry, to wail
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