Welcome

How to spell welcome

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce welcome

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does welcome mean?

1. verbTo greet someone arriving in a warm and friendly way, or to receive something gladly.
2. adjectiveGladly received or causing pleasure because it is wanted or needed.
3. interjectionA word said to greet someone who has just arrived.
4. nounThe act or manner of greeting someone on arrival.

Welcome in a sentence

• verb

  The staff always welcome new colleagues on their first morning.

• adjective

  The bonus was a welcome surprise after a hard quarter.

• interjection

  A large sign reading welcome hung above the office entrance.

• noun

  The town gave the returning team a hero's welcome.

• verb

  Most homeowners welcome a fall in interest rates.

• adjective

  A cup of tea is always welcome on a cold afternoon.

Where does welcome come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Welcome is a native English word that goes back to Old English wilcuma, the noun for a person whose arrival was pleasing, in other words a welcome guest. It was built from the elements meaning will or desire and cuma, a comer or visitor, so the literal sense was something like a desired arrival. The greeting itself comes from the related phrase wilcume, used when receiving someone. Over time the first part was reshaped under the influence of the word well, which is why it is spelled wel- and not wil-, and that small shift is exactly the trap, since people sometimes add an extra l as in well. Old Norse and other Germanic languages had close cousins of the same compound, which reinforced its form in early English. By the medieval period the word had branched out into a greeting, a verb, an adjective and a noun, all sharing the same friendly idea of a pleasing arrival.

How the word is built

• wel- (well, pleasingly)
• -come (from cuma: a comer, guest)