The Collaborative Dictionary

Wire \Wire\ (w[imac]r), n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel. v[imac]rr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine gold; perhaps akin to E. withy. [root]141.] [1913 Webster]

A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel. [1913 Webster] Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square, triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in the drawplate, or between the rollers. [1913 Webster]

A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph; as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang), the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for office; -- in this sense, synonymous with strings. [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

One who picks women's pockets. [Thieves' Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

A knitting needle. [Scot.] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing Cant] [Webster 1913 Suppl.] Wire bed, Wire mattress, an elastic bed bottom or mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in various ways. Wire bridge, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made of wire. Wire cartridge, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed in a wire cage. Wire cloth, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, -- used for strainers, and for various other purposes. Wire edge, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening it. Wire fence, a fence consisting of posts with strained horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework, between. Wire gauge or Wire gage. (a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal plate with a series of notches of various widths in its edge. (b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is used in describing the size or thickness. There are many different standards for wire gauges, as in different countries, or for different kinds of metal, the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge being often used and designated by the abbreviations B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively. Wire gauze, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling gauze. Wire grass (Bot.), either of the two common grasses Eleusine Indica, valuable for hay and pasture, and Poa compressa, or blue grass. See Blue grass. Wire grub (Zool.), a wireworm. Wire iron, wire rods of iron. Wire lathing, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the place of wooden lathing for holding plastering. Wire mattress. See Wire bed, above. Wire micrometer, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine wires, across the field of the instrument. Wire nail, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed and pointed. Wire netting, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary wire gauze. Wire rod, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing. Wire rope, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of wires. down to the wire, up to the last moment, as in a race or competition; as, the two front runners were neck-and-neck down to the wire. From wire[6]. under the wire, just in time; shortly before the deadline; as, to file an application just under the wire. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster]

Wire \Wire\, v. i.

To pass like a wire; to flow in a wirelike form, or in a tenuous stream. [R.] --P. Fletcher. [1913 Webster]

To send a telegraphic message. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

Wire \Wire\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wired; p. pr. & vb. n. Wiring.]

To bind with wire; to attach with wires; to apply wire to; as, to wire corks in bottling liquors. [1913 Webster]

To put upon a wire; as, to wire beads. [1913 Webster]

To snare by means of a wire or wires. [1913 Webster]

To send (a message) by telegraph. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

(Croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

to equip with a system of wiring, especially for supply of electrical power or communication; as, to wire an office for networking the computers; to wire a building with 220-Volt current. [PJC]

to equip with an electronic system for eavesdropping; to bug; as, to wire the office of a mob boss; to wire an informant so as to record his conversations. [PJC]

Word Net

wire

1 ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc

2 a metal conductor that carries electricity over a distance [syn: conducting wire]

3 the finishing line on a racetrack

4 a message transmitted by telegraph [syn: telegram]

1 provide with electrical circuits; "wire the addition to the house"

2 send cables, wires, or telegrams [syn: cable, telegraph]

3 fasten with wire; "The columns were wired to the beams for support" [ant: unwire]

4 string on a wire; "wire beads"

5 equip for use with electricity; "electrify an appliance" [syn: electrify]

Moby Thesaurus

BX cable, Teletype, armored cable, band, bandage, battery cable, bell wire, belt, bend, bind, bind up, brace, braid, brail, bundle, cable, cablegram, cannon, chain, cinch, coaxial cable, cord, cutpurse, day letter, dip, diver, do up, electric cable, electric cord, fast telegram, flash, gird, girdle, girt, girth, highline, hookup wire, lace, lash, lead, leash, ligament, ligation, ligature, line, night letter, power line, radio, radiogram, rope, send a wire, sign off, sign on, splice, spun yarn, strap, string, swaddle, swathe, telegram, telegraph, telegraph line, telephone line, telex, tendon, thong, three-wire cable, tie, tie up, transmission line, triaxial cable, truss, twine, twist, underground cable, wire line, wrap, wrap up, yarn

English

Etymology

wīr < Proto-Germanic *wiraz < Proto-Indo-European *wei- ('to turn,' 'to twist,' 'to plait'). Cognate with Swedish vira ('to twist'), Latin vieo, viere ('to weave together'), Welsh gwyr ('bent'), and Greek ίρις ('rainbow').

Pronunciation

• (UK) /waɪə/

• Rhymes: -aɪə(r)

Noun

1. Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.
2. A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable
3. A metal conductor that carries electricity.
4. A fence made of usually barbed wire.
5. A finish line of a racetrack.
6. A telecommunication wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph; a telegram
7. A hidden listening device on the person of an undercover operative for the purposes of obtaining incriminating spoken evidence.
8. A deadline or critical endpoint.

   This election is going to go right to the wire

Synonyms

• (thin thread of metal): cable, steel wire, thread
• (metal conductor that carries electricity): conducting wire
• (fencing made of usually barbed wire): barbed wire
• (informal: telegraph): See telegraph
• (informal: message transmitted by telegraph): See telegram

Translations