Word
worcester
Phoneticsworces·ter
/ˈwʊstɝ/
Definitions
01the city in England
n. a historic city in the west of England, famous for its cathedral and for making porcelain and sauce.
n. a cathedral city and the county town of Worcestershire, England, situated on the River Severn.
“We spent the afternoon walking along the river in Worcester.”
“The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final conflict of the English Civil War, where Cromwell defeated the Royalist forces.”
Pitfall
I visited Wor-ces-ter last week.
I visited Wooster last week.
The name is famously difficult to pronounce; the 'ce' is silent, so it sounds like 'Wooster'.
02Worcester sauce
n. a short way of saying Worcester sauce, which is a dark, spicy liquid used to add flavour to food.
n. a common ellipsis for Worcester sauce, a fermented liquid condiment used for seasoning and umami depth.
“Could you pass the Worcester? This cheese on toast needs more flavour.”
“The chef added a dash of Worcester to the stew to enhance the savoury profile of the beef.”
Informal · British English
Usage
Usually uncountable when referring to the sauce itself.
Synonyms
03Worcester College, Oxford
n. a short name for one of the colleges at the University of Oxford.
n. an informal ellipsis referring to Worcester College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford.
“She is studying history at Worcester.”
“Worcester is renowned among Oxford colleges for its extensive and beautiful gardens, including a large lake.”
Informal · British English
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English Wirchestre, Wirechestre, from Old English Weogornaċeaster (“Roman fort of the Weogoran”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/worcester