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dwell

Pronunciation: /dwɛl/

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Definition of dwell

verb (past and past participle dwelt or dwelled)

[no object]
  • 1 [with adverbial of place] formal live in or at a specified place:groups of gypsies still dwell in these caves (as adjective, in combination -dwelling)bottom-dwelling fish
  • 2 (dwell on/upon) think, speak, or write at length about (a particular subject, especially one that is a source of unhappiness, anxiety, or dissatisfaction):I’ve got better things to do than dwell on the past
  • (dwell on/upon) (of one’s eyes or attention) linger on (a particular object or place):she let her eyes dwell on them for a moment

noun

technical
  • a slight regular pause in the motion of a machine.

Derivatives

dweller

noun
[in combination]:city-dwellers

Origin:

Old English dwellan 'lead astray, hinder, delay' (in Middle English 'tarry, remain in a place'), of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch dwellen 'stun, perplex' and Old Norse dvelja 'delay, tarry, stay'

dwell in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of dwell in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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