/riːðz/, /riːθs/, U.S. /riðz/, /riθs/.wreathn.
/riːθ/, U.S. /riθ//riːðz/, /riːθs/, U.S. /riðz/, /riθs/. I. Something twisted, turned, or coiled in form, and related senses.† 7. A mass of twisted or tangled things. Obsolete. rare.† 8. Architecture. A raised horizontal course or band of stone or brick on a building; a string course, a belt course. Obsolete.In quots. translating French cordon; cf. cordon n. 2.† 11. A defect in glass, esp. flint glass, in which slight variations in density produce a wavy appearance. Also in plural in same sense. Obsolete.
1. † b. A ring, band, or circlet of metal, esp. one worn as an ornament; a torque (torque n.1). Obsolete (archaic in later use).In quot. OE1 as part of a riddle probably describing a chalice (perhaps decorated with an ornamental band around the rim), using imagery evoking a precious ring or torque. † e. A twisted stick of boiled sugar. Obsolete. rare.† f. A bread roll. Usually with of. Obsolete.† g. In a seed drill: a metal ring screwed on to the spindle to keep it in place. Obsolete.
a. Something twisted into a circular shape; a twisted length of rope, ribbon, straw, etc. Now rare except as implied by branch II.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > coiled object
wreathOE
windingc1050
the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > condition of being twisted spirally > spirally twisted object
wreathOE
writhec1400
wreathing1600
twist1604
writh1650
OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 51 Hi fengon him sona on, and becnytton anne wriþan [L. fascialem] eall onbutan his swuran.
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) lxv. 383 Loramento ligneo conligatum fundamentum aedificii non dissoluitur : mid wriþan treowenum gewriþen grundweall getimbrunge na byþ toslopen.
a1425 (?a1350) Gospel of Nicodemus (Galba) (1907) l. 65 (MED) A wonden wrethe þat his heuid hid spred he all furth on brede.
c1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 75 I shal teche yow to knowe to deme þe fumes of an hert, for sum tyme þei croteye in wrethis [Fr. en torche] and sumtyme flatt.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 290/2 Wrethe of olde cordes dypped in grece and pytche,..tourbiginaulx.
1552 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Edward VI (1914) 120 White taffata for wreathes abowte their hattes.
1578 J. Florio Firste Fruites f. 114v The wood feller cutteth his wood in peeces, and putting diuers of those peeces together, maketh a fagot, and with a wreath of wood dooth bynd it about.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 187 A low Tulipant (or wreath of silke and gold).
1642 T. Fuller Holy State v. xv. 420 Where one gaineth a garland of bayes, hundreds have had a wreath of hemp.
1656 J. Smith Compl. Pract. Physick 162 Let them be thicker, by wispes or wreathes of small sticks—wrapt up in linnen.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Rigging A circular wreath of rope, called the grommet, or collar.
1797 T. Archer Triumph Agric. 34 With tortuous wreath the sheaves they aptly bind, And place erect, yet pervious to the wind.
1842 Ladies' Cabinet Dec. 441 Four wreaths of ribbon form a tablier descending only to the knee, they are each terminated by a rosette.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 295 Wreaths, four short pieces of hemp rope placed round the legs of a horse.
2005 P. Warwick Voices from Battle of Trafalgar iv. 120 Thick wreaths of rope oakum were bound around the masts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > neck ornaments > [noun] > necklace or collar
wreathOE
chain1397
collarc1400
sarpe1429
carket15..
baldric1530
carcanetc1530
necklace1530
carcan1539
caskanet1607
necklet1641
lunula1719
throatlet1844
chapletc1850
dog collar1855
necklace-collar1859
mala1872
choker1928
OE Riddle 59 5 Ic seah in healle hring gylddenne [read gyldenne] men sceawian... Friþospede bæd god nergende gæste sinum se þe wende wriþan.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xxxvii. 503 Ic geslea ænne wriþan on his nosu & ænne bridel on his welerum.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1287 A wrethe of gold..Vp on his heed, and ful of stones brighte.
1443 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Ld. Middleton (1911) 111 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 5567) XXVII. 1 The scheriffez of Coventre hath a stondyng cupp of sylver and gylt. Item a salt seller, the wrethis gilt.
c1480 (a1400) St. Euphemia 196 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 422 To quham þe Iug..gef a kirtil & of fyne gold a wrethe þar-til.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 43 [He] tuke..a grete wrethe of gold..and put jt about his hals.
?1515 Hyckescorner (de Worde) sig. B.iii They be yemen of the wrethe yt be shakled in gyues.
1569 T. Stocker tr. Diodorus Siculus Hist. Successors Alexander i. 19 There were in all lxiiij. fayre and strong choise mulets, and euery of them had a Crowne of golde on his head,..and about their necks collers or wreathes of gold set with many and riche precious stones.
1855 B. Thorpe tr. Beowulf 4041 Oft she a ringed wreath [Old English beah-wriðan] to the warrior gave.
c. Heraldry. A representation of a twisted band or circlet as part of a coat of arms; spec. a twisted band, typically of two colours (strictly, a colour and a metal), covering the join between a crest and a helmet, or depicted below a crest shown in isolation; = torse n.1See also crest-wreath n.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > extra-scutal devices > [noun] > figure or device over shield and helmet > crest-wreath
wreath1478
torse1572
orle1834
crest-wreath1864
1478 in Trans. Shropshire Archæol. Soc. (1909) 9 384 A shild of azure and pourpll parted in pale, a cross engrayled gold or bythwen foure rosses silver, and to his tymbre a gauntellet sillver sette in a wrethe gold and azure.
1513 in S. Glover Hist. County of Derby (1829) I. App. 61 Robert Darley bayryth goulls halff a Buk..issant owt of a wrayth goulls and sylver.
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie 105 He beareth on a wreathe ‘Topaze’ and ‘Saphiere’ an Alcian.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 393/2 A Sarazens Face..environed about the Temples with a Wreath or Torce.
1863 C. Boutell Man. Heraldry xvii. 209 The Crest was worn supported by a Chapeau or Wreath.
1965 H. Child Heraldic Design i. 62 The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers. Crest: on a wreath or and azure a dexter arm embowed vested party per pale or and gules.
2015 Anc. Mesoamerica 26 54/1 A beautiful quarterly coat of arms with bordure, helmet, wreath, mantling, crest, and motto.
d. A ring-shaped pad of hay, cloth, etc., worn in order to provide support or cushioning when carrying heavy objects on the head; = roll n.1 9c. Now rare (English regional (Yorkshire) in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > pad for head
wreath1519
roll1548
wrase1565
writh1570
1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xiiii. f. 149 Maydens: that cary geere vpon theyr heed putte a wrethe of haye betwene the vessell and theyr heed to stay it from goglynge.
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. i. sig. Rrr/3 Tortillon,..a Wreath of Cloth which Women lay upon their heads when they carry a Pail or Basket.
1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby The skeel..is carried on a ‘wreath’ or pad.
1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. Roll, a circular pad or wreath placed on the head of women when they have heavy loads to carry on their heads.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > stick or tube
wreath1562
rock1718
sugar stick1825
pipe1843
lemon platt1916
slim jim1916
seaside rock1963
1562 W. Bullein Bk. Compoundes f. 8v in Bulwarke of Defence Penedis, which be litle wrethes of Suger, desolued in the decoction of Barly.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Penide, a Pennet; the little wreath of sugar taken in a cold.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > loaf > [noun] > roll
roll1581
bapc1600
wreath1600
breadcake1635
French roll1652
cookie1701
sugar-roll1727
petit pain1766
souter's clod1773
twist1830
simit1836
bread roll1838
pistolet1853
flute1855
twist-loaf1856
Parker House roll1873
crescent roll1886
bagel1898
Kaiser roll1898
buttery1899
croissant1899
split1905
pan de sal1910
bridge roll1926
Kaiser1927
Kaiser bun1933
Bialystok roll1951
pletzel1952
panini1955
bialy1958
Bialystok1960
1600 in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 220 They beat their corne to powder: then they make paste of it, and of the paste, cakes or wreathes.
1615 R. Cocks Diary 29 Aug. (1883) I. 47 A present of..10 wreathes of bread, and a basket of grapes.
a1644 W. Chillingworth Addit. Disc. (1687) iii. 65 To the Virgins name and honour, they offer by way of sacrifice a Cake or wreath of Bread.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > axle > other parts of
clout?1523
colletc1530
stud1683
pole1730
wreath1733
virtival1794
thrust screw1858
toe-step1888
1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxii. 157 The Spindle is kept from moving end-ways, by Wreaths, in the same Manner as the Axis of a Wheel-Barrow is.
1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxiii. 179 The Hopper and Spindle are..kept in their Place..by two Wreaths screw'd on to the Spindle.
2. † b. English regional (northern). A raised mark on the skin left by a blow; a welt. Obsolete.
a. A fold, crease, or wrinkle (esp. of skin); a roll of fat. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > corrugation > [noun] > wrinkled condition > wrinkle or crease
rimpleeOE
frouncec1374
runklea1400
wrinklea1420
ruge?a1425
crimple1440
wreathc1440
wrimple1499
rumple?a1513
scrumple?a1513
wimple1513
crease1578
bag1587
crinkle1596
pucker1598
press1601
crumple1607
creasing1665
ruck1774
cramp1828
fold1840
ruckle1853
bumfle1867
c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1093 (MED) All falterde þe flesche in his foule lippys, Ilke wrethe as a wolfe-heuede, it wraythe owtt at ones!
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xxvii. 484 As it [sc. the fig] is verie fat the iuice doth constraine the skin to fall into wreathes.
1610 G. Markham Maister-peece ii. v. 225 If he haue a short chub neck, with a thicke skin, and many wreathes, or rolles, about the setting on of his chaps.
1677 N. Cox Gentleman's Recreation (ed. 2) i. 126 The Wild-Goat is as big as a Hart... They have Wreaths and Wrinkles on their Horns.
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. ii. 71 You will know whether it [sc. the horny part of the hoof] be smooth and even, or, otherwise, in Wreathes or Wrinkles.
1936 Daily Mail 9 Jan. 5/1 ‘ silf’ removes those outward rolls and wreaths of fat.
ΚΠ
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Wreath, the mark and swelling on the skin occasioned by a blow.
1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech S. Cheshire 439 There was wreathes on his back as thick as whip-cōrd.
1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield 288 Wraithe, a mark on the flesh caused by beating.
3. A flexible branch interwoven among rods or stakes to form a hedge or hurdle (hurdle n. 1a). Also as a mass noun: such branches collectively; a fence or hurdle made from such branches. English regional (south-western) in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > [noun] > folding sheep > fold or pen > materials for
fold-dike1437
fold-stakec1475
wreath1495
toiling1805
fold-shore1811
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xvii. clii. sig. Tviv/2 The sowles & stakes be pyghte in the grounde, & there abowte ben wrethes wouen & wounden of thornes & roddes [a1398 BL Add. þeraboute beþ ywreþe, ywralled and ywounde þornes and ȝerdes; L. circa quos spine & virgule circumnectuntur].
1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 25 The sides whereof are secured by timber props, interspersed with wreaths of brush wood.
1811 T. Davis Gen. View Agric. Wilts. (new ed.) 263 Hurdles for sheep-folding..made of hazel rods closely wreathed, the upright rods called sails, and the long rods wreaths.
1999 P. A. Andrews Felt Tents & Pavilions I. 465 It suggests that the structure described is..one in which the walls at least were wattled from flexible rods, perhaps woven in and out of stouter uprights, like the wreaths and sales of a hurdle.
4. † a. A twist or coil in something. Also (later usually): a twisting, coiling, or sinuous movement. Obsolete except as implied in sense 4b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun]
rundlec1300
waif1513
enwrapping1543
convolution1545
entrail?a1549
wreath1555
roundness1572
spire1572
rolling1576
enfold1578
infold1578
obvolution1578
gyre1590
whorl1592
enfoldment1593
twine1600
turn1625
volume1646
volution1752
swirl1786
coil1805
swirling1825
convolute1846
whirl1862
enfolding1873
snaking1888
1555 R. Eden Two Viages into Guinea in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 358 They weare rynges made of golden wyres with a knotte or wrethe lyke vnto that whiche chyldren make in a rynge of a russhe.
1589 J. Lyly Pappe with Hatchet sig. Div The Cedar..knitteth it selfe with such wreaths into the earth, that it cannot be remooued.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 242 The very tailes of them [sc. large sheep] hanging in many wreathes to the ground.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 517 Of his tortuous Traine [the serpent] Curld many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve. View more context for this quotation
1712 A. Pope tr. Ovid Sapho to Phaon in tr. Ovid Epist. (ed. 8) 15 Round your Neck in wanton Wreaths I twine.
1757 J. Dyer Fleece iii. 86 A diff'rent spinning ev'ry diff'rent web Asks from your glowing fingers: some require The more compact, and some the looser wreath.
1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 58 A troop of porpoises..In curling wreaths..gambol on the tide.
1898 G. Meredith Odes French Hist. 72 A lowly look on..twisted wreaths of the worm in dirt.
b. A curl or coil of smoke, mist, flame, etc., ascending or moving with a twisting or swirling motion.In quot. 1875: a wave of water; cf. roll n.1 10a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > of smoke, mist, or cloud
wralling1398
wreath1633
spire1699
wreathing1818
folding1853
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island iv. xxxiii. 46 The smoak mounting in village nigh, With folded wreaths steals through the quiet aire.
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine v. xviii. 173 The Pillar of smoak which ascended from the sacrifice, curled onely upwards in direct wreaths to heaven.
1793 W. Wordsworth Evening Walk 112 As the sun declines..The shepherd, all involved in wreaths of fire,..shows a shadowy speck.
1859 C. Dickens Tale of Two Cities ii. v. 59 Wreaths of dust were spinning round..before the morning blast.
1874 M. A. Barker Station Life N.Z. xvii. 135 The faint wreath of smoke stealing up through the calm air.
1875 F. T. Buckland Log-bk. Fisherman 365 Wreaths of sea came rolling in.
1899 A. C. Gunter M.S. Bradford Special xvi, 210 As he puffs the wreaths out of his complacent lips.
1955 O. Manning Doves of Venus i. i. 4 The rosy cameo of chimneys..billowed smoke wreaths.
2004 M. Gatiss Vesuvius Club xvii. 169 Opium smoke hung in wreaths over the heads of the multitude that crammed the room.
2019 Guardian (Nexis) 21 Nov. (Environment section) Sheep shake water from soaked fleeces and wreaths of mist rise from woods.
5. Hunting. The tail of a boar. Now rare and historical (in later use chiefly in heraldic contexts).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Artiodactyla (cloven-hoofed animals) > [noun] > group Suiformes (hippos and pigs) > family Suidae (swine) > male > tail of
wreath1575
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxxix. 241 The tayle of a Bore, is to be termed his wreath.
1627 J. Taylor Armado sig. D2 A Deere, Bore, a Hare,..haue no more tayles then a Iack-an-Apes, for it is a Deeres Single, a Bores wreath, a Hare or Connyes Scut.
1713 J. Puckle Club (ed. 3) 90 [The flatterer's] next Discourse was of the Tail, or Single, of a Deer; the Wreath of a Boar.
1818 ‘W. H. Scott’ Brit. Field Sports 209 The Wild Boar (at rest) couched; his Ordure, the Cesses; his Tail, the Wreath.
1893 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 268/2 There is no beauty of outline in the bristly boar... His tail, though nobly entitled ‘the wreath’, is nevertheless a caricature.
1967 J. Franklyn Shield & Crest (ed. 3) iv. 107 Both possess a curled tail, named the wreath, which terminates in a tuft.
6. † a. Each of the turns, convolutions, or coils of a ringed or spiral structure; esp. a whorl of a spiral shell; (also) each of the rings of woven straw forming a traditional domed beehive (skep). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [noun] > a spiral > a single coil in a spiral or helix
splint1607
wreath1634
spiral1728
1634 W. Wood New Englands Prospect ii. iii. 61 These men are the most curious minters of their Wampompeage and Mowhakes, which they forme out of the inmost wreaths of Periwinkle-shels.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 65 There is in most hives 17 or 18 wreathes.
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine v. vii. 155 The four first wreaths of my scrue are undoubtedly..true.
1669 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 4 1012 The open of the shell is pretty sound, the second turn or wreath is very large for the proportion.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Scalare A peculiar species of..screw shell, the several wreaths of which [etc.].
1779 W. Marshall Exper. & Observ. conc. Agric. & Weather 58 Let the wreaths (or twists) of the [sheaf] bands be turned upward, toward the ears.
1818 G. Mantell in Gleaner's Port-folio Sept. 68 There is a third species [of Turrilites] discovered at Hamsey, which is destitute of tubercles, the wreaths being ornamented with transverse undulating costæ.
1858 Encycl. Brit. XV. 382/1 The shell of the adult is smooth, of a dull green colour, with red-brown bands and very convex wreaths.
1880 R. Rimmer Land & Freshwater Shells Brit. Isles 202/2 (gloss.) Whorl, each turn or wreath of a spiral shell.
b. Conchology. A gastropod mollusc of the genus Turbo or related genera, having a stout spiral shell with a rounded apex; a turban shell. Also: the shell of this animal. Cf. turbo n. 2. Now chiefly in wreath shell n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Holostomata > family Turbinidae > member of
turbo1661
wreath1777
wreath shell1799
star shell1936
1777 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (ed. 4, quarto) IV. vi. 111 Turbo. Wreath... Its animal [is] a Slug.
1797 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 595/2 The clathrus, or barbed wreath, has a taper shell of eight spires.
1883 J. W. Van Dervoort Water World xvii. 277 Among the most common may be mentioned the Helix, or snail genus; the Paletta, or limpet; and the Turbo, or wreath genus, of which the periwinkle is a species.
1965 M. Young Miss MacIntosh, my Darling xxix. 340 Sea-polished rock fringed by the wild beach grass, livid medusa, starfish, eye shell, ear shell, wing shell,..crown wreath, starred wreath, wave wreath, golden mouthed wreath, and the blackened dwarf spruce trees were the ghosts of themselves.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > confusion or disorder > entanglement or entangled state > [noun] > that which is entangled > tangled mass
matting?1615
wreath1648
scurry1839
jungle1850
fog1869
tangle-twine1878
tardle1898
snaggle1904
1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Een Wrongel van Pieren, a Wreath of Wormes for bobbing.
1745 Literary Jrnl. 1 339 'Tis of a spongy Nature, and, in Effect a Wreath of Nerves, and secretory Vessels wove into one another.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > string-course or -moulding
curstable1278
tablec1400
ledgement1435
wreath1677
cordon1706
tablette1723
belt1730
string1809
string-course1825
belt course1830
tablet1830
string-moulding1833
rope border1855
stringing course1861
racecourse1883
1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. i. sig. *Vv/3 Cordon de muraille, an outstanding wreath or edge of stone on the out-side of a building, commonly distinguishing the several Stories.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 71 A very thick Wall of fair Stone, with a very lovely wreath [Fr. un fort beau cordon] on the outside.
9. Chiefly Scottish.
a. A bank or drift of snow; a snowdrift. Frequently in wreath of snow. Cf. snow-wreath n. 1.Probably originally with reference to an accumulation of swirls of snow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > snow > [noun] > an accumulation or expanse of snow > snow-drift
snowdrifta1400
writhe1594
wreath1692
snow-wreath1818
1692 Let. in C. Leslie Answer to Bk. State of Protestants in Ireland App. 63 To get thither they were to pass over Mountains, and wreaths of Snow, in a vehement Storm.
1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd i. ii. 13 The thick blawn Wreaths of Snaw..May smoor your Wathers.
1744 J. Thomson Winter in Seasons (new ed.) 226 Scarce his Head Rais'd o'er the heapy Wreath, the branching Elk Lies slumbering sullen in the white Abyss.
c1790 in R. Burns Wks. (1800) IV. 177 Weeping at the eye o' life, I wander through a wreath o' snaw.
1806 J. Grahame Birds Scotl. 13 While yet in mountain cleughs Lingers the frozen wreath.
1843 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Mexico II. v. ii. 350 [He] lived to see his empire melt away like the winter's wreath.
1855 C. Kingsley Glaucus 26 Those wild gardens amid the wreaths of the untrodden snow.
1942 Press & Jrnl. (Aberdeen) 17 Feb. 3/1 The lorry struck a wreath of snow and capsized.
2012 Donside Piper & Herald (Nexis) 15 June The..hills, chief among them Ben Alder, and in the north, The Cairngorms, all were laced with lingering wreaths of snow.
b. A long sloping or flat-topped mound of sand; an accumulation of drifted sand. Frequently in wreath of sand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > ridge > [noun] > ridge of sand
full1749
wreath1772
wave1789
sand belt1865
yardang1904
1772 S. Law Domest. Winter-piece i. 26 The briny surges of the ocean swell'd; Whose troubled waters roll'd against the strand, And, foaming, lash'd the golden wreaths of sand.
1854 H. Keddie Phemie Millar II. i. 2 The sand was blown into huge wreaths rising level with walls, and blocking up garden doors.
1888 R. L. Stevenson in Scribner's Mag. Feb. 251/1 Endless links and sand wreaths.
1926 Courier (Dundee) 13 Mar. 5/7 Over half a mile of the line is under wreaths of sand six to twelve feet deep.
2017 Kincardineshire Observer (Nexis) 3 Mar. His car stuck in a wreath of sand across Stonehaven promenade before he even got to the scene.
10. Architecture and Joinery. A curved section of the handrail or (less commonly) stringboard of a staircase.Recorded earliest as a modifier (see Compounds 1b).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > stairs > [noun] > handrail > parts of
ramp1733
wreath1781
1781 W. Pain Estimate Prices 30 in Builder's Golden Rule Circular string-board, glued up, to answer the wreath-rail.
1814 P. Nicholson in Trans. Soc. Arts 32 134 The Plank, out of which the Wreath is to be cut.
1820 P. Nicholson Staircases & Handrails p. iii Squaring the wreath upon geometrical principles.
1850 J. Jeays Orthogonal Syst. Hand-railing 13 In cases where the well-hole is large, several blocks are glued together, and the wreath thus prepared is joined to the straight parts of the string-board.
1892 Dict. Archit. (Archit. Publ. Soc.) (at cited word) A wreath of a staircase handrail is continuous in a circular or elliptic staircase.
1944 E. E. Haycraft in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder v. 227/2 (caption) The wreath for a staircase handrail, showing shape cut from a plank.
2000 B. Porter & R. Rose Carpentry & Joinery xi. 260/1 Once the vertical faces of the wreath have been worked the two falling moulds can be applied.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > marks or imperfections in
thread1593
streak1807
seed1821
stripe1823
bull's-eye1832
stria1832
tear1832
bullion1834
wreath1839
sand-hole1867
bullion-point1881
pontil mark1923
oil spot1962
saliva1969
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 584 An uniform flint-glass, free from striæ, or wreath, is much in demand for the optician.
1890 Photogr. News 18 Apr. 305/2 The rapid destruction of the material..is, he says, prevented, and a better product free from threads or streaks, striae, or wreaths is thus obtained.
1915 Trans. Amer. Ceramic Soc. 17 231 The defects commonly occurring in window glass are of the following nature: (1) ‘Salts’—due to incomplete reduction of salt-cake... (7) Striae and wreath.
II. Specific uses of sense 1, denoting a circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems, and senses derived from this.
12.
a.
(a) A circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems designed to be worn on the head, esp. as a mark of distinction or honour; a chaplet of flowers. Hence in figurative contexts: a mark of distinction or honour.See also bridal wreath n. 1, laurel-wreath n., myrtle wreath n., triumphal wreath, etc.In quot. OE in figurative context, with reference to the wreaths of poetry (Prudentius Cathemerinon 3. 28).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > token of victory or supreme excellence > [noun] > award for merit > wreath or fillet
crownOE
wreathOE
garland?a1513
OE Prudentius Glosses (Boulogne 189) in H. D. Meritt Old Eng. Prudentius Glosses (1959) 14 Serta[que] mystica : archana, smeaþancollice wriþan oþþe cnottan.
a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Claud.) (2009) 99 I for þe suffur a wreþe of strong þornes.
1578 T. Blenerhasset 2nd Pt. Mirrour for Magistrates Guidericus f. 3v He who once as Victor wore the wreath, By chaunged chaunce is forst agaynst his wyl That garlande gay, and vitall lyfe to leaue?
1586 W. Warner Albions Eng. i. iii. 7 Apollos sonne perceauing him with Garland on his head,..caused him to cast the wreath away.
1595 E. Spenser Epithalamion in Amoretti & Epithalamion xiv, sig. H2v Hymen also crowne with wreathes of vine.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 459 A Crown, Golden in shew, is but a wreath of thorns, Brings dangers. View more context for this quotation
1694 M. Prior For New Year: To Sun 1 As its Infant Months bestow Springing Wreaths for William's Brow.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis v, in tr. Virgil Wks. 332 The common Crew, with Wreaths of Poplar Boughs, Their Temples crown.
1737 R. Glover Leonidas i. 196 He the wreath Pontific bore amid the Spartan camp.
1749 T. Warton Triumph of Isis 61 To wear the well-earn'd wreath that merit brings.
1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 46 A Grecian Maid Adorn'd with wreaths of myrtle.
1891 Hardwicke's Sci.-gossip 27 29/2 He is ready to resign his victor's wreath to Darwin.
1990 W. Perriam Fifty-minute Hour (1991) iv. 48 My poor unlucky father was into wish-fulfilment and could see me with an athletics blue or crowned with laurel wreaths.
2011 A. Knight Master of Shadows vii. 102 A wreath of star lilies and white roses crowned her head.
(b) A circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems for laying on a grave, monument, etc., as a mark of remembrance.See also funeral wreath n., poppy wreath n., remembrance wreath n., etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > foliage
maple leaf1394
vinea1400
vinet1412
traila1423
garlandc1524
foilery1527
wreath?1586
leaf work1592
foliage1598
sprig1613
branching1652
leafage1658
leafing1688
acanthus leaf1703
feuillage1714
sprigging1775
foliature1814
pampre1842
palmette1850
vine-scroll1886
olive acanthus1888
foliage-border1891
branched work-
?1586 A. Day Vpon Life & Death Sir P. Sidney sig. A4v Of Lawrell fresh a wreath, set on his beere, And let his praise within your ditties ring.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 712 But fairer wreaths are due..To those who, posted at the shrine of truth, Have fall'n in her defence.
1887 Nuneaton Chron. In Memoriam C. N. Newdegate 13 Apr. Floral Tributes. Prior to the funeral, a large number of..wreaths were received.
1939 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 11 Nov. in War Diaries (2001) 15 He and I laid wreaths of poppies on the memorial.
1983 Daily Tel. 30 Apr. 12/4 A widow who put wreaths and vases of flowers on her husband's grave.
2021 Guardian (Nexis) 14 Apr. The president laid a wreath in honor of those lost troops.
(c) A circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems used for decoration, esp. at Christmas.See also Advent wreath n. at advent n. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1833 R. Hey Moral of Flowers 163 A sprig of bay..formed part of the Christmas wreath, and together with holly and other evergreens was wont to deck houses and churches, &c.
1857 Harper's Mag. Dec. 51/2 Everywhere wreaths, festoons, zigzags, garlands—on the walls, the ceiling—above the pictures, the windows, and the doors.
1956 T. Capote Christmas Memory (1996) 36 After weaving and ribboning holly wreaths for all the front windows, our next project is the fashioning of family gifts.
2005 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 9 Oct. viii. 5 (Advt.) Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces and mantlepieces, each beautifully decorated by local designers.
b. A representation of a wreath of flowers, leaves, etc., in metal, stone, or some other material.
ΚΠ
1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece iii. 273 The many large Inscriptions upon Marble, in the Walls of a very fair and large Court, with many Basso-relievo's of Figures, and Wreaths, and several Inscriptions defaced, over the Doors.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. iii. 28 A certain brightly painted china plate, whose bird of paradise, nestling in a wreath of convolvuli and rosebuds, had [etc.].
1890 S. Young Ann. Barber-surgeons London 506 Four..wrought silver garlands or wreaths for crowning the Master and Wardens on Election Day.
1916 N.Y. Times 27 Dec. 6/1 The cap ornament for members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps is to consist of a wreath inclosing the letters R.O.T.C.
1959 Amer. Jrnl. Archaeol. 63 384/2 The small altar..bears..on the right side a calf before a laurel tree, on the left the patera and praefericulum, and on the back a wreath.
2019 Collie Mail (Nexis) 19 Mar. A bronze wreath and Rising Sun emblem are affixed to the middle of the monument.
13. † b. Botany. The corolla of a flower (see corolla n. 2). Obsolete. rare.
a. figurative. Something which crowns or encircles a person or thing in a manner reminiscent of a wreath worn on the head.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > luminous appearance > [noun] > corona
crown1563
wreath1567
corone1569
corona1658
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xiii. f. 171v The stripling with a wreath of reede about his horned head Auaunst his body too the waste.
a1593 C. Marlowe Edward II (1594) sig. I3 [May] this crowne,..like the snakie wreathe of Tisiphon, Engirt the temples of his hatefull head.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 103 The wreath of radient fire In flitkering Phœbus front. View more context for this quotation
1613 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals I. iv. 65 Sow-thistle.., whose downy wreath, If any one can blow off at a breath, We deeme her for a Maide.
1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 397 The glory..That plays like a wreath of halo-light Around his Mary's head.
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vi. xvii. 136 Twilight o'er the east wove her serenest wreath.
1835 W. Wordsworth in Athenæum 12 Dec. 930/3 Our haughty life is crowned with darkness, Like London with its own black wreath.
1983 W. Kennedy Ironweed (1988) iv. 105 Her blond hair swept upward into a soft wreath.
2015 Space Daily (Nexis) 11 Mar. The shadow of the spacecraft encircled in a wreath of light.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [noun] > parts of > petal > petals or corolla
bella1616
foliation1672
wrapper1718
pavilion1731
corolla1753
wreath1760
corol1791
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. i. iii. 7 The Petal..encloses and protects it [sc. the flower] in the manner of a Corolla, or Wreath.
?1884 Young Ladies' Treasure Bk. xlvii. 455 The next part is the gaudy corolla, or wreath, consisting of coloured petals.
c. Chiefly Zoology. An encircling array or whorl of structures, as cilia, spines, tentacles, etc.
ΚΠ
1841 A. Pritchard Hist. Infusoria 99 The distinguishing characters of this genus are the numerous proboscides placed round the mouth of the creature, as it were a wreath of cilia.
1859 E. C. C. Agassiz First Lesson Nat. Hist. (ed. 2) iv. 79 The mouth is at one end of the body, and is surrounded by a wreath of tentacles.
1876 A. Macalister Introd. Animal Morphol. & Systematic Zool.: Invertebrata xxxvii. 294 The dorsal processes are branched... Sometimes they form a dorsal circlet or wreath around the anus.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. ix. 167 There can be little doubt that the ‘arms’ [of brachiopods] correspond to the horseshoe or wreath of tentacles in Bryozoa.
1964 D. J. Crisp in J. F. Danielli et al. Recent Progr. Surface Sci. 2 379 The protective function of resisting the ingress of water down the spiracles has been developed in some insects to provide a wreath of water-repellent hairs around a large spiracular opening, or siphon.
2001 D. J. Patterson & M. A. Burford Guide Protozoa Marine Aquaculture Ponds 14 Mesodinium are small, almost spherical, and have a wreath of cilia around the centre of the cell.
14.
a. A trailing cluster of flowers, berries, tendrils, or foliage.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > plants collectively > [noun] > tuft, clump, or cluster of plants
hassockc1450
tuft?1523
tusk1530
tush1570
hill1572
dollop1573
clumpa1586
rush1593
trail1597
tussock1607
wreath1610
stool1712
tump1802
sheaf1845
massif1888
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 631 A poore Chappel..adorned onlie with wilde mosse, and wreathes of clasping Ivie.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 158 Long wavy wreaths Of flow'rs..Blush'd on the panels.
1798 W. Wordsworth Lines Early Spring in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 116 Through primrose-tufts,..The periwinkle trail'd its wreathes.
1854 H. B. Stowe Sunny Memories Foreign Lands I. viii. 141 Out of these wild arches and windows wave wreaths of ivy, and slender harebells shake their blue pendants.
a1903 W. C. Boulter in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 396/2 Red oxberries, growing in wreaths in the hedges, used for chilblains.
1989 Irish Times 6 May 11/5 A trailing wreath of fumitory.
b. With modifier, in the names of plants that have flowers or foliage in trailing clusters or arching sprays, or are used to make ornamental wreaths.See also bridal wreath n. 2, maiden's wreath n., purple wreath n., queen's wreath n., snow-wreath n. 2.
ΚΠ
1842 A. J. Downing Cottage Resid. 86 St. Peters' Wreath, [Spirea] hypericifolia.
1982 D. M. Stone Great Public Gardens Eastern U.S. 126 A wide stretch of lawn at the extreme right bordered with garland wreath, Spiraea arguta,..adds a pleasing contrapuntal note.
2006 Nat. Areas Jrnl. 26 120 (table) Stephanomeria diegensis. San Diego wreath. Annual.
15. A collection of poems, songs, or short literary pieces (used frequently in the titles of such collections); = garland n. 4. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > a compilation > [noun] > anthology > titles of anthologies
sylva1636
wreath1752
1752 (title) The wreath. A curious collection of above two hundred new songs.
1799 E. Dubois (title) The wreath; composed of selections from Sappho..accompanied by a prose translation and notes.
1806 Bell's Court & Fashionable Mag. Aug. 344/2 The poem which begins this collection, or rosy wreath, is built upon an idea truly poetical.
1843 (title) The Ayrshire wreath: a collection of original pieces, in prose and verse.
1881 ‘A.L.O.E.’ (title) A wreath of Indian stories.
1967 P. McGinley (title) A wreath of Christmas legends.
2005 Kirkus Rev. (Nexis) 1 Nov. A wreath of poems about winter celebrations, light and dark, in the Northern hemisphere.
Compounds
C1.
a. General use in various types of compound (chiefly in sense 12a), as in wreath-crowned, wreath-encircled, wreath maker, wreath offering, wreath-shaped, etc.
ΚΠ
1767 W. L. Lewis tr. Statius Thebaid II. x. 499 The pious Sire With Joy embrac'd the Wreath-encircled Fire.
1788 J. Bristow in Minutes Evid. Trial Warren Hastings VIII. App. 580 2 Wreath Makers.
1828 F. D. Hemans Körner & his Sister in Rec. of Woman (ed. 2) 246 With his wreath-offering silently to stand, In the hush'd presence of the glorious dead.
1857 W. H. Simmons Alasco 100 No more the shepherd sung—Nor blithely danced the wreath-crown'd village bands.
1909 Amer. Jrnl. Archaeol. 13 290 Three vases..repeat the familiar wreath pattern on two small ewers and a squat amphora.
1946 Boys' Life Aug. 31/1 A striking, wreath-shaped group of stars close to Hercules.
1996 Times 29 Feb. 14/7 American officials said the proposed wreath ceremony was under discussion at the highest levels.
2020 Thai News Service (Nexis) 7 Dec. The Commander-in-Chief proceeded to the War Memorial in slow march with the wreath bearers marching in front.
b. Architecture and Joinery. As a modifier, with the sense ‘designating a curved section of the handrail or stringboard of a staircase; of or relating to such a part’, as in wreath line, wreath part, wreath piece, wreath rail, etc. Cf. sense 10.
ΚΠ
1781 W. Pain Estimate Prices 30 in Builder's Golden Rule Circular string-board, glued up, to answer the wreath-rail.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 597 Draw a line, which will give the wreath line formed by the nosings of the winders.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 597 In preparing the string for the wreath part, a cylinder should be made.
1877 Builder 27 Oct. 1082/2 I make m m' equal to the height of all the risers to be covered by the wreath-piece.
1894 J. H. Monckton Stair-building (ed. 4) Pref. The geometry of this unfoldment we have published before in unfolding a central wreath-line for finding lengths of balusters, etc.
1914 M. Williams Stair Builders' Guide vi. 72 The wreath part of the scroll as shown in plan Fig. 125 is merely a quadrant curve, the drawing of the face mold for which is the simplest of all in the realm of wreath construction.
1958 Wood-worker Mar. 20/3 This gives you the size of the piece of wood you need to build up for the wreath rail.
1977 C. M. Harris Hist. Archit. Sourcebk. 576/1 Wreath piece, a curved section of a stair string.
C2. † wreath-drifted adj. Scottish Obsolete rare (of snow) formed into banks.
wreath animalcule n. Biology (now historical) a dinoflagellate, esp. one of Ehrenberg's genus Peridinium (order Peridiniales in later classifications). [After German Kranzthierchen (1835 or earlier), referring to the transverse flagellum encircling the cell (formerly mistaken for a ciliary band).]
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > protozoa > class Flagellata or Mastigophora > subclass Dinoflagellida > [noun] > member of order Peridinales > member of genus Peridinium
wreath animalcule1841
1841 A. Pritchard Hist. Infusoria 246 Peridinium. The wreath Animalcules.
1955 G. F. Papenfuss in Cent. Progr. Nat. Sci. 1853–1953 (Calif. Acad. Sci.) 156 Ehrenberg..placed them..in his twelfth family, the Peridinaea or ‘Kranzthierchen’ (wreath animalcules), which formed the last family in his group ‘Polygastrica anentera’.
ΚΠ
1830 W. Motherwell in Edinb. Lit. Jrnl. 20 Nov. 321/2 More dazzlingly white Than the wreath-drifted snows.
wreath hurdle n. English regional (south-western) now rare a hurdle (hurdle n. 1a) made by interweaving flexible branches among rods or stakes.
ΚΠ
1818 W. Chafin Anecd. & Hist. Cranbourn Chase (ed. 2) 65 The making of wreath hurdles is a profitable business.
1949 Western (Yeovil, Somerset) Gaz. 22 Apr. (North Dorset ed.) 1/8 Implements, &c., including: 25 Rolls Sheep Netting; 11 dozen Wreath Hurdles.
wreath-laying n. the action or an act of laying a wreath on a grave or monument as a mark of remembrance, typically as part of a commemorative ceremony; (also) a ceremony of this type.Frequently as a modifier, esp. in wreath-laying ceremony.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > commemoration, remembrance > [noun] > solemn or religious remembrance
minda1325
obsequyc1385
wreath-laying1888
Remembrance Day1895
Veterans Day1912
silence1919
Poppy Day1921
Remembrance Sunday1925
moment of silence1942
1888 Guardian 18 July 1054/2 The Bastille fête was..celebrated... The wreath-laying before the statue of Strasbourg by the Patriotic League was rendered less impressive this year by the split between M. Déronlède's party..and the remainder.
1896 Leeds Mercury Weekly Suppl. 25 July 7/4 There was the procession and the wreath-laying ceremony at the mausoleum.
1928 Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 22 June. 7/7 We join our French friends in a simple wreath-laying service at the St. Omer War memorial.
2001 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 11 Nov. (Final ed.) The number of..old soldiers who can still attend wreath-layings and other Remembrance Day ceremonies is sadly dwindling.
2019 Impact News Service (Nexis) 19 Sept. Residents were invited to attend the service at the cenotaph,..which included wreath-laying and one minute's..silence.
wreath shell n. Conchology (the shell of) a gastropod mollusc of the genus Turbo (cf. sense 6b); a turban shell.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Holostomata > family Turbinidae > member of
turbo1661
wreath1777
wreath shell1799
star shell1936
1799 E. Donovan Nat. Hist. Brit. Shells I. Pl. XXII Turbo Cinctus. Girdled Wreath Shell.
1918 Commerce Rep. 28 Feb. 776 Yakogai..or wreath shell (a mollusk of the genus Turbo), is another South Sea shell which is imported [into Japan] in small amounts.
1996 Jrnl. Protein Chem. 15 709 The complete amino acid sequences of two isoforms, SP1 and SP2, of mannuronate lyase from a wreath shell, Turbo cornutus, were determined.
wreath work n. decoration resembling twisted or interlaced strands (cf. sense 1a); (now) esp. decoration involving or depicting wreaths (cf. sense 12a).
ΚΠ
1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. ix. 384 The same person..hath contrived an Engine to turne wreath work.
1730 W. George in W. C. Lukis Family Mem. W. Stukeley (1887) III. 255 Another large partition, encompassed with plaited wreath-work.
2018 Times West Virginian (Fairmont) (Nexis) 18 Mar. Some people are here selling their own homemade cupcakes, wreath work, or jewelry.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > floriculture and flower arranging > [noun] > flower arrangement > garland or wreath
flower-garland1303
garland1303
aneusc1500
whip1513
crants1592
anadem1598
wreathing1600
festoon1610
swag1795
lei1843
wreathage1872
garlandage1885
1872 C. D. E. Fortnum Descr. Catal. Maiolica & Enamelled Earthenware Italy 318 Trophies of various arms and utensils in grisaille, bordered above and below with wreathage and bead moulding.
1883 W. Allingham in Athenæum July 79 Then one sees..In their hedgerow wreathage manifold Clustering.
ˈwreathwise adv. now rare in the manner of a wreath; in a twisting or coiling manner.
ΚΠ
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes at Sertico Any thing made chaplet, circlet, coronet, garland or wreath-wise.
1843 Graham's Mag. June 335 Simple nymphs and swains..husked the golden corn, or bound the lachrymose onion wreath-wise upon its supporting wisp of straw.
1935 Daily Tel. 30 May 8/1 Her attendants will wear delphiniums arranged wreathwise.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.OE