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Added 3 October 2026

verb

/vɜːb/ noun

In Latin: verbum Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about verb at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
The word “speak” is an English verb.
Any word; a vocable.
An action as opposed to a trait or thing.
Kindness is a verb, not an adjective. You're only kind if you do kind things.

verb

To use any word that is or was not a verb (especially a noun) as if it were a verb.
Used as a placeholder for any verb.

Origin

From Middle English verbe, directly from Latin verbum (“word, verb”), reinforced by Old French verbe, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-. Doublet of verve and word.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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