Word
wield
US/ˈwiɫd/
UK/wˈiːld/
Definition
v. to hold and use a tool or weapon with your hands. It can also mean to have and use power or influence over other people.
v. to handle or employ a tool, weapon, or instrument effectively; to exercise power, authority, or influence. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Examples
“The knight learned how to wield a heavy sword.”
“The CEO continues to wield significant influence over the board's final decisions regarding the merger.”
“In a democracy, the electorate is supposed to wield the ultimate power, yet the complexity of modern bureaucracy often obscures how that power is actually applied.”
Examples
simple
“The knight learned how to wield a heavy sword.”
contextual
“The CEO continues to wield significant influence over the board's final decisions regarding the merger.”
complex
“In a democracy, the electorate is supposed to wield the ultimate power, yet the complexity of modern bureaucracy often obscures how that power is actually applied.”
Usage
Transitive verb — always takes a direct object, whether physical (a hammer) or abstract (authority).
Real-World Examples
Common in history writing
“Also, showing strength, wielding power, is seen as the right thing to do in Thai society.” “Through international organisations, they wield power under the pretence of simply following the experts.” Etymology
From Middle English welden, from the merger of Old English wealdan (“to control, rule”) (strong class 7) and Old English wieldan (“to control, subdue”) (weak). Both verbs derive from Proto-West Germanic waldan and waldijan, respectively; and are ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waldaną (“to rule”). The reason for the merger was that in Middle English the -d in the stem made it hard to distinguish between strong and weak forms in the past tense.
From Middle English welde, from Old English wield, ġewield (“power, control, dominion”), from Proto-West Germanic waldi, from Proto-Germanic *waldiz (“power, might, control”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/wield