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REFERENCE

wide

adj. · adv. · n.
US //ˈwaɪd// UK //wˈaɪd// wide
  1. 1 distance from side to side (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    measuring a large distance from one side to the other.

    having a great extent from side to side; broad in physical dimension.

    Example

    The river is very wide at this point, so we need a boat to cross.

    Example

    The architect designed a wide hallway to accommodate the heavy flow of visitors expected during peak gallery hours.
  2. 2 large in scope (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    including many different types of things or people.

    extensive in scope, range, or variety.

    Example

    The shop offers a wide range of organic vegetables from local farms.

    Example

    The university provides a wide variety of extracurricular activities, ranging from competitive sports to specialized academic societies.
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  1. 3 missing the target (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    far from the point you were aiming at.

    located or directed at a distance from the intended mark or goal.

    Example

    His shot was wide of the goal and hit the fence behind it.

    Example

    The striker's final attempt was agonizingly wide, missing the far post by only a few inches in the closing minutes of the match.
  2. 4 computing/text (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    using more computer memory to show special characters from different languages.

    supporting a greater range of text characters than the traditional 8-bit representation, typically referring to 16-bit or 32-bit encoding.

    Example

    The software uses wide characters to display the text correctly in Japanese.

    Example

    Modern applications rely on wide character strings to ensure full compatibility with international phonetic symbols and non-Latin scripts.
    • multi byte
    • unicode
  3. 5 fully or completely (adv.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to the full or largest possible amount.

    to the full extent; completely or fully.

    Example

    She opened the window wide to let the fresh air into the room.

    Example

    The child stared with eyes wide in amazement as the magician pulled a rabbit from the empty hat.
  4. 6 cricket penalty (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Sport

    a ball thrown too far from the batter, giving the other team a point.

    a ball that passes so far from the batsman that it is deemed unplayable, resulting in an extra run for the batting side.

    Example

    The bowler was frustrated after giving away a wide in the final over.

    Example

    The umpire signaled a wide by extending both arms horizontally, penalizing the bowler for a delivery that strayed too far outside the off stump.
Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yiddish ווײַט (vayt, “distant, far”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vid (“wide”), Faroese and Icelandic víður (“wide”); also Breton gwez (“trees”), Cornish gwedh, gwëdh, gwydh, gwÿdh (“trees”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic fiodh (“timber, wood”), Manx fuygh (“timber, wood”), Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”), Latin dīvidō (“to divide, separate”), Latgalian vyds (“middle”), Latvian vidus (“center, middle”), Lithuanian vidùs (“interior, inside; inward”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B wätk- (“to distinguish, separate”). Related to widow.

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