Modern English preserves the inherited spelling word while pronunciation continues the history of English vowel and rhotic systems.
CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP RECORD
COVERAGE LEDGER ↗EDGE / 0624continuationestablished
A CLAIM
YOU CAN AUDIT.
A relationship—not a generated explanation. Both endpoints, every editorial field, every citation, and every dossier reuse are preserved below.
word
a meaningful spoken or written unit; an utterance or expression
OPEN NODE 653 ↗DESCENDS FROM→
PARENT / EARLIER FORM / attestedMiddle English · Middle English · meaningful language unitword
word, utterance, expression
OPEN NODE 654 ↗01
THE COMPLETE RELATIONSHIP
EVERY FIELD, NOT A FAIRY TALE
The core linguistic-unit sense continues alongside utterance, promise, news, command, and technical extensions.
Merriam-Webster reports use before the twelfth century.
Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors
established — no additional confidence note is attached.
reviewed
02
CITATION REGISTER
SOURCES ON THIS EDGE
Word — Definition, Word History, and First Known UseWord History and current definitions
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Supplies the inherited English form, current semantic range, and pre-twelfth-century horizon.
Word — American Heritage DictionaryHeadword definitions and etymology
contextAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Independently documents the modern form and Old English ancestry.
03
EDITORIAL REUSE