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dwell

Syllabification: (dwell)

Pronunciation: /dwel/

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Definition of dwell

verb (past and past participle dwelt /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

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: [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'

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Other

dwell

verb (past and past participle dwelt /dwelt/ or dwelled)

noun

Derivatives

dweller

Origin:

dwell in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for dwell

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