in so many words

in so man·y word

I i

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [in soh men-ee wurd]
- /ɪn soʊ ˈmɛn i wɜrd/
- /ɪn ˈsəʊ ˈmeni wɜːd/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [in soh men-ee wurd]
- /ɪn soʊ ˈmɛn i wɜrd/

Definitions of in so many words words

noun in so many words a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as with the loss of primary accent that distinguishes black·bird· from black· bird·. Words are usually separated by spaces in writing, and are distinguished phonologically, as by accent, in many languages. 1
noun in so many words (used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, the first letter being lowercase or uppercase, with or without a following hyphen): My mom married at 20, and she mentions the m-word every time I meet someone she thinks is eligible. See also f-word, n-word. 1
noun in so many words words. speech or talk: to express one's emotion in words; Words mean little when action is called for. the text or lyrics of a song as distinguished from the music. contentious or angry speech; a quarrel: We had words and she walked out on me. 1
noun in so many words a short talk or conversation: Marston, I'd like a word with you. 1
noun in so many words an expression or utterance: a word of warning. 1
noun in so many words warrant, assurance, or promise: I give you my word I'll be there. 1

See all 33 definitions of in so many words

Information block about the term

Origin of in so many words

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch woord, German Wort, Old Norse orth, Gothic waurd; akin to OPruss wirds, Latin verbum ‘word’, Lithuanian var̃das ‘name’

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for In so many words

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of In so many words

in so many words popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

in so many words usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

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