English - Etymology

From Middle English welcome, wolcume, wulcume, wilcume, from Old English wilcuma ("one whose coming is pleasant, a welcome person or thing, a guest"; compare also wilcume (“welcome!”, interjection)), from Proto-Germanic *weljakwumô (“a comer, a welcomed guest”), equivalent to will (“desire”) +‎ come (“comer, arrival”). Cognate with Scots walcome (“welcome”), West Frisian wolkom (“welcome”), Dutch welkom (“welcome”), German willkommen (“welcome”), Danish and Norwegian velkommen (“welcome”), Swedish välkommen (“welcome”), Icelandic velkomin (“welcome”).

Similar constructions are common in Romance languages, such as Italian benvenuto, Spanish bienvenido, French bienvenue and Portuguese bem-vindo, each meaning “[may you have fared] well [in] coming [here]”. These do not derive from Classic Latin, where a similar construction is not found, and presumably are instead the result of a calque from Germanic to Proto-Romance (Vulgar Latin).

English - Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛl.kəm/

English - Interjection

welcome

1. Greeting given upon someone's arrival.

Translations

English - Verb

welcome (third-person singular simple present welcomes, present participle welcoming, simple past and past participle welcomed)

1. To affirm or greet the arrival of someone, especially by saying "Welcome!".
2. To accept something willingly or gladly.

   We welcome suggestions for improvement.

Translations

English - Adjective

welcome (comparative more welcome, superlative most welcome)

1. Whose arrival is a cause of joy; received with gladness; admitted willingly to the house, entertainment, or company.

   a welcome visitor

   • William Cowper (1731-1800)

     When the glad soul is made Heaven's welcome guest.

2. Producing gladness.

   a welcome present;  welcome news

3. Free to have or enjoy gratuitously.

   You are welcome to the use of my library.

   • 1915, George A. Birmingham, Gossamer, chapterI:

     As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.

Translations

English - Noun

welcome (plural welcomes)

1. The act of greeting someone’s arrival, especially by saying "Welcome!"; reception.
2. The utterance of such a greeting.
3. Kind reception of a guest or newcomer.

   We entered the house and found a ready welcome.

   • Shenstone

     his warmest welcome at an inn

   • South

     Truth finds an entrance and a welcome too.

Translations

قافية