worry

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worry

/ˈwʌ.ɹi/ Australia, New Zealand, UK
[ˈwʌɹɪj] British, Southern, Standard
/ˈwɝ.i/
/ˈwʌ.ɹi/
/ˈwɝ.i/ Canada
/ˈwʊ.ɹi/ Northern England
/ˈwɒ.ɹi/ Australia, New Zealand, UK, nonstandard
/ˈwəʊ.ɹi/ West Country, nonstandard

Rhymes with -ʌɹi

Where it comes from

From Middle English worien (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-West Germanic *wurgijan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”).

Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin urgere (“to press, push”), Sanskrit वृहति (vṛhati, “to tear out, pluck”), Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string; squeeze”), Russian (poetic) отверза́ть (otverzátʹ, “to open”, literally “to untie”). Related to wring.

verb worries · worrying · worried

intransitive To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. So you go along for a long time / And nothing seems to worry your mind / But what it adds up to / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you
transitive Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; to exercise. Your tone of voice worries me.
transitive To harass; to irritate or distress. The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.
transitive To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf. Your dog’s been worrying sheep again.
transitive To touch repeatedly; to fiddle with. Christian paced the caravan, worrying his beard.
Scotland, obsolete, transitive To strangle. We read (Law's Memor. Pref. lix.) that "one John Brugh, a notorious warlock (wizard) in the parochin of Fossoquhy, by the space of thirty-six years, was worried at a stake and burned, 1643."

noun worries

countable, uncountable A strong feeling of anxiety. I'm afflicted by worry throughout the night.
countable, uncountable An instance or cause of such a feeling. My main worry is that I'll miss the train.
countable, uncountable A person who causes worry. They could never make him speak a word, although he was old enough, in short, he was a perfect worry night and day.

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