From Reads to Words
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Tap any rung for its meaning.
The L is a stepping stone — borrowed at rung 1 to keep leads a real word, then given back at the summit. There may be several par routes — the census above shows which ones climbers actually took.
Third person singular of read: to look at and understand written words.
From Old English 'rædan', meaning to advise, interpret, or read. The original sense was broader, covering interpreting signs or riddles. Related to German 'raten', meaning to advise or guess, which kept the older meaning.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗A unit of language with meaning.
Word comes from Old English 'word,' meaning a spoken sound with meaning. It is related to Dutch 'woord' and German 'Wort,' and all trace back to a root connected to speaking or saying. The word has remained remarkably stable in form across the history of English.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗Definitions give each word’s most common meaning — the full entries live at Wiktionary.