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answer

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English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englishanswere,andsware, fromOld Englishandswaru(“answer”), fromand-(“against”) +‎-swaru(“affirmation”), (fromProto-Indo-European*h₂ent-(“front, forehead”) andOld Englishswerian(“to swear”), fromProto-Indo-European*swer-), suggesting an original meaning of "a sworn statement rebutting a charge". The cognates suggest the existence ofProto-Germanic*andaswarō(“a reply to a question”). Cognate withOld Frisianondser(“answer”),Old Saxonandswōr(“answer”),Danish andSwedishansvar(“liability, responsibility, answer”),Icelandicandsvar(“answer, response”). Compare alsoOld Englishandwyrde(“answer”) (cognate toDutchantwoord,GermanAntwort),Old Englishandcwiss(“reply”),GermanSchwur(“oath, vow”).

Noun

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answer (pluralanswers)

  1. Aresponse orreply; somethingsaid ordone inreaction to astatement orquestion.
    Heranswer to his proposal was a slap in the face.
  2. Asolution to a problem.
    There is no simpleanswer to corruption.
    Violence is not theanswer to disagreements.
  3. (after a possessive, withto) Someone or something that fills a similar role or position.
    • 1977 December 3, “England's Bryant”, inGay Community News, volume 5, number22, page 2:
      Anti-pornography crusader Mary Whitehouse, who successfully brought London'sGay News to trial recently on charges of "blasphemy," is emerging as England'sanswer to Anita Bryant.
  4. (law) Adocument filed in response to acomplaint, responding to each point raised in the complaint and raisingcounterpoints.
Derived terms
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Terms derived fromanswer (noun)
Translations
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response
solution
reply to email
document filed in response to a complaint

See also

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Etymology 2

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FromMiddle Englishansweren,andswaren,answerien, fromOld Englishandswarian,answarien(“to answer, to respond, to deny an allegation under oath”), fromProto-Germanic*andaswarōną,*andaswarjaną(“to answer, to give a response, to rebut”), from*anda-(“against”) +‎*swarjaną,*swarōną(“to swear an oath, to answer, to respond”), fromProto-Indo-European*h₂ent-(“face, forehead”) and*swer-(“to swear”). Cognate withOld Frisianondswera(“to answer”),Danishansvare(“to answer, account for”),Swedishansvara(“to answer, account for”),Icelandicandsvara(“to answer, reply”).

Verb

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answer (third-person singular simple presentanswers,present participleanswering,simple past and past participleanswered)

  1. (ambitransitive) To make a reply or response to.
    Heanswered the question.
  2. (transitive) To speak in defence against; to reply to in defence.
    toanswer a charge or accusation
  3. (ambitransitive) To respond to a call by someone at a door or telephone, or other similar piece of equipment.
    Sheanswered the door.
    Nobodyanswered when I knocked on the door.
  4. (ambitransitive) To suit a need or purpose satisfactorily.
    • 1815 December (indicated as1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 6, inEmma: […], volume III, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] forJohn Murray,→OCLC:
      Mr. Knightley had done all in his power for Mr. Woodhouse’s entertainment. Books of engravings, drawers of medals, cameos, corals, shells, and every other family collection within his cabinets, had been prepared for his old friend, to while away the morning; and the kindness had perfectlyanswered.
    • 1864, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu,Uncle Silas:
      Inexperienced girl as I was, I fired at the idea of becoming his dupe, and fancying, perhaps, that there was more in merely answering his note than it would have amounted to, I said — "That kind of thing mayanswer very well with button-makers, but ladies don't like it.[…]
    • 1871,Alexander J. Ellis,On Early English Pronunciation‎[1], London: Trübner & Co., Part III, Chapter 7, section 1, p. 656, footnote 1:
      Of course for publication in a newspaper, my palaeotype would notanswer, but my glossotype would enable the author to give his Pennsylvania German in an English form and much more intelligibly.
    • 1903,Samuel Butler, chapter 41, inThe Way of All Flesh:
      Theobald spoke as if watches had half-a-dozen purposes besides time-keeping, but he could hardly open his mouth without using one or other of his tags, and "answering every purpose" was one of them.
    Itanswers the need.
  5. To beaccountable orresponsible; to makeamends.
    Synonym:answer for
    The man mustanswer to his employer for the money entrusted to his care.
    He has a lot toanswer for.
  6. (law) To file a document in response to acomplaint.
  7. Tocorrespond to; to be inharmony with; to be inagreement with.
    • 1775,Richard Brinsley Sheridan,The Duenna, Dublin: G. Burnetet al., 1794, Act II, Scene 2, p. 25,[2]
      Egad, I wish she hadanswer’d her picture as well.
    • 1793,Bryan Edwards,The History, Civil and Commercial, of the British Colonies in the West Indies‎[3], Dublin: Luke White, Volume II, Book V, Chapter 2, p. 231:
      The use ofdunder in the making of rum,answers the purpose of yeast in the fermentation of flour.
    • 1979 December 29, John Millea, “Media Madness”, inGay Community News, volume 7, number23, page 5:
      Before I knew about sex, I knew that the word queer was an insult associated with skiny boys who couldn't throw a football, and since Ianswered this description, I took my share of abuse.
  8. To be opposite, or to act in opposition.
    • 1786,William Gilpin,Observations, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty, made in the year 1772: on several parts of England; particularly the mountains, and lakes of Cumberland, and Westmoreland‎[4], London: R. Blamire, Volume II, Section 19, p. 85:
      The windowsanswering each other, we could just discern the glowing horizon through them[…]
  9. To be or act in conformity, or by way of accommodation, correspondence, relation, or proportion; to conform; to correspond; to suit; usually withto.
  10. To respond to satisfactorily; to meet successfully by way of explanation, argument, or justification; to refute.
  11. To be or act in compliance with, in fulfillment or satisfaction of, as an order, obligation, or demand.
    Heanswered my claim upon him.
    The servantanswered the bell.
    • c.1597 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene iii]:
      […] this proud king[…] studies day and night / Toanswer all the debts he owes unto you
    • 1764, John Nourse,Navigation Or, the Art of Sailing Upon the Sea, page65:
      The faster a ship sails, the better she will answer her helm; if she sail very slow, she will scarce steer at all. If she heel much, she won'tanswer the helm so well.
  12. (obsolete) To render account to or for.
  13. (obsolete) To atone for; to be punished for.
  14. (obsolete) To be or act as an equivalent to, or as adequate or sufficient for; to serve for; to repay.
Derived terms
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Terms derived fromanswer (verb)
Translations
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to make a reply or response to
to respond to a call
to suit a need or purpose satisfactorily
law: to file a response to a complaint
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Noun

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answer

  1. Alternative form ofanswere
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