wen

views updated May 21 2018

wen¹ / wen/ • n. a boil or other swelling or growth on the skin, esp. a sebaceous cyst. ∎ archaic an outstandingly large or overcrowded city: the great wen of London.wen² (also wyn / win/ ) • n. a runic letter, used in Old and Middle English, later replaced by w.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

wen

views updated May 17 2018

wen morbid lump on the body; (in mod. use) sebaceous tumour under the skin. OE. wen(n), wæn(n) = Du. wen, prob. rel. to MLG. wene, LG. wehne, wähne tumour, wart; of unkn. orig.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

wen

views updated Jun 11 2018

wen (wen) n. see sebaceous cyst.

A Dictionary of Nursing

wen

views updated Jun 27 2018

wen a runic letter, used in Old and Middle English, later replaced by w.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

WEN

views updated Jun 08 2018

WEN (or Wen) (wɛn) Women's Environmental Network

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH