well

¹well

noun \ˈwel\

Definition of WELL

1

a : an issue of water from the earth : a pool fed by a spring b : source, origin

2

a : a pit or hole sunk into the earth to reach a supply of water b : a shaft or hole sunk to obtain oil, brine, or gas

3

a : an enclosure in the middle of a ship's hold to protect from damage and facilitate the inspection of the pumps b : a compartment in the hold of a fishing boat in which fish are kept alive

4

: an open space extending vertically through floors of a structure

5

: a space having a construction or shape suggesting a well for water

6

a : something resembling a well in being damp, cool, deep, or dark b : a deep vertical hole c : a source from which something may be drawn as needed

7

: a pronounced minimum of a variable in physics <a potential well>

Examples of WELL

1. <his quirkily dysfunctional family proved to be a bottomless well of inspiration for the novelist>
2. <the spot where the spring bubbles up to the surface and forms a deep well>

Origin of WELL

Middle English welle, from Old English; akin to Old English weallan to bubble, boil, Old High German wella wave, Lithuanian vilnis

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WELL

Synonyms: cradle, font, fountain, fountainhead, origin, root, seedbed, spring, source, wellspring

Related Words: beginning, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold; baseline, first base, ground zero, square one

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Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

Rhymes with WELL

bel, bell, belle, cel, cell, dell, dwell, el, ell, fell, gel, Hel, hell, jell, knell, l, mell, quell, sell, shell, smell, snell, spell, swell, tell, yell