wreath /rēth/ noun (pl wreaths /rēdhz/)- A circlet or ring of flowers or foliage, eg for wearing on the head as a symbol of honour, or laying on a grave as a tribute
- A circlet of other intertwined materials
- A representation of such a circlet beneath a crest (heraldry)
- A carved representation of a wreath of foliage (architecture)
- A single twist or coil in a helical object
- A drift or curl of vapour or smoke
- A snowdrift
- A defect in glass
ORIGIN: OE writha; related to wrīthan to writhe wreathe /rēdh/ transitive verb - To form by twisting
- To twist together
- To form into a wreath
- To twine about or encircle
- To twist or contort (limbs)
- To cause (the face) to crease or pucker (in smiles)
- (of snow) to cover by drifting (Scot)
- To encircle, decorate, etc with a wreath or wreaths
intransitive verb- To be interwoven
- To twine
- To twist
- To form coils
- (of snow) to form a drift or wreath (Scot)
- To turn (obsolete)
wreathed /rēdhd or rēdhˈid/ adjective wreathˈen /rēˈdhən/ adjective (archaic pap) Wreathed wreathˈer /rēˈdhər/ noun wreathˈless adjective wreathˈy /rēˈthi or rēˈdhi/ adjective wreathed string noun (building) The continuous curved outer string round the well hole of a wooden stair wreath filament noun A type of filament used in large gas-filled electric lamps, the filament wire being festooned from a horizontal supporting spider |