Idioms for answer
answer the helm, Nautical.
(of a vessel) to maneuver or remain steady according to the position of the rudder.
Origin of answer
synonym study for answer
1.
Answer,
rejoinder,
reply,
response,
retort all mean words used to meet a question, remark, charge, etc. An
answer is a return remark:
an answer giving the desired information. A
rejoinder is a quick, usually clever answer or remark made in reply to another's comment, not to a question.
Reply usually refers to a direct or point-by-point response to a suggestion, proposal, question, or the like:
a reply to a letter. A
response often suggests an answer to an appeal, exhortation, etc., or an expected or fixed reply:
a response to inquiry; a response in a church service. A
retort implies a keen, prompt answer, especially one that turns a remark upon the person who made it:
a sharp retort.
historical usage of answer
In English, the verb
answer derives from the noun, though both are equally old and occur in Old English translations of the Gospels. The Old English noun is
andswaru “response to a question,” composed of the Old English prefix
and- “against, contra-” and
-swer with two meanings: the legal sense of “a swearing on oath, as in giving testimony” and the neutral, nonlegal sense of “a reply, a response to a question.” In both its legal and general senses, Old English
andswaru parallels the Latin verb
respondēre, originally a legal term meaning “to make a formal response,” and then used in the general sense “to answer, reply.”
OTHER WORDS FROM answer
Words nearby answer
ansi,
ansiform,
anson,
ansonia,
anstoss,
answer,
answer back,
answer for,
answer print,
answer to,
answerable
British Dictionary definitions for answer to
answer
/ (ˈɑːnsə) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for answer
Old English
andswaru an answer; related to Old Frisian
ondser, Old Norse
andsvar; see
swear
Idioms and Phrases with answer to (1 of 2)
answer to
Explain or justify something to someone, as in If Mary doesn't help us finish this project, she'll have to answer to the boss. This expression was at first used mainly for replying to legal charges. [c. a.d. 950]
Idioms and Phrases with answer to (2 of 2)
answer