Wiktionary

wield

See also: WIELD

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English welden, from the merger of Old English wealdan (“to control, rule”) (strong class 7) and Old English wieldan (“to control, subdue”) (weak). Both verbs derive from Proto-West Germanic *waldan and *waldijan, respectively; and are ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waldaną (“to rule”).

The reason for the merger was that in Middle English the -d in the stem made it hard to distinguish between strong and weak forms in the past tense.[1]

Verb

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wield (third-person singular simple present wields, present participle wielding, simple past and past participle wielded)

  1. To handle with skill and ease, especially a weapon or tool.
  2. To exercise (authority or influence) effectively.
    • 2025 August 27, Dana Suskind, “AI Engineers Need Their Own Hippocratic Oath. Here’s What It Should Say”, in TIME‎[1], archived from the original on 30 August 2025:
      The question isn't whether AI will reshape human society—it's whether its engineers will wield that power thoughtfully.
  3. (obsolete) To command, rule over; to possess or own.
  4. (obsolete) To control, to guide or manage.
  5. (obsolete) To carry out, to bring about.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English welde, from Old English *wield, ġewield (“power, control, dominion”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldi, from Proto-Germanic *waldiz (“power, might, control”).

Alternative forms

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Noun

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wield (countable and uncountable, plural wields)

  1. Rule, command; power, control, wielding.
    • 1872, George Francis Savage-Armstrong, The tragedy of Israel, volume 2, page 64:
      What boots it if I beat the heathen home,
      And fold the mountains in my wield, and fire […]
    • 1887, Richard Wagner, Siegfried:
      […] telling him of the treasures concealed in the cave, of the mysterious ring and tarnhelmet, possessing which he can hold the wield of the world.
    • 1968, John Allen, Masters of British Drama, page 32:
      All wealth in my wield is, I know by my wit […]
    • 2019, Lele Iturrioz, Summer:
      “Trust me, I will make them listen,” he hissed and for the first time, he used his wield fallaciously, because instead of giving life, he absorbed it from the tree.

References

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  1. ^ “wield, verb.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2021.

Anagrams

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Middle English

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Adjective

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wield

  1. alternative form of wilde

Saterland Frisian

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Adjective

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wield (masculine wielden, feminine, plural or definite wielde)

  1. alternative spelling of wíeld

Scots

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Etymology

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From Old English wieldan (“to control”), a derivative of wealdan (“to govern”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldan. Cognate with German walten, Swedish vålla.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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wield

  1. To control, to guide or manage.
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