Word
wee
US/ˈwi/
UK/wˈiː/
Definitions
01small
B1 · Intermediate Informal · Dialect
adj. very small or little. You will hear this most often in Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England.
adj. denoting smallness in size, amount, or degree. While widely understood, it is a characteristic marker of Scottish, Irish, and Northern English dialects.
Español:pequeño
“Would you like a wee bit of milk in your tea?”
“The cottage was tucked away in a wee corner of the valley, barely visible from the main road.”
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it describes.
Teaching tip
In Scotland, 'wee' is often used as a term of endearment or to make a request sound less demanding, even if the object isn't physically small.
02urine
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Informal · British English
n. a polite but informal word for urine.
n. a colloquial, non-technical term for urine, frequently used by or when speaking to children.
“The puppy had a wee on the carpet before we could take him outside.”
“The toddler proudly announced that he needed a wee, marking a successful milestone in his potty training.”
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'to have a wee' or 'to go for a wee'.
Teaching tip
This is a 'nursery' word; it is safer and more polite than 'piss' but less clinical than 'urine'.
03to urinate
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · British English
v. to go to the toilet to pass liquid from your body.
v. to discharge urine from the body. Intransitive in this colloquial sense.
“Make sure the kids wee before we get in the car for the long drive.”
“The vet asked if the cat had been able to wee normally since the surgery.”
Etymology
From Middle English wey, weygh, wegh, weȝe, wæȝe (“little bit”), from Old English wǣġ, wǣġe (“weight”), from Proto-West Germanic wāgu, from Proto-Germanic wēgō (“scales, weight”) and *wēgǭ (“weight”), related to Middle English weġan (“to move, weigh”) (15c).
Onomatopoeic for the sound of urination. The noun derives from the verb.
* see we
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/wee
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0