Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-der.
Proto-Germanic *dwalaz
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Germanic *-janą
Proto-Germanic *dwaljaną
Proto-West Germanic *dwalljan
Old English dwellan
▲
Old Norse dveljainflu.
Middle English dwellen
English dwell
From Middle English dwellen (“delay, live, remain, persist”), from Old English dwellan (“to mislead, deceive; be led into error, stray”), from Proto-Germanic *dwaljaną (“to hold up, delay; hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwelH- (“to whirl, swirl, blur, obfuscate”), which is cognate with Old Norse dvelja and related to Proto-Germanic *dwelaną (“to go astray”), which underwent semantic change in its descendants. Cognates include Danish dvæle (“to linger, dwell”) and Swedish dväljas (“to dwell, reside”).
Meanings
A period of time in which a system or component remains in a given state.
A brief pause in the motion of part of a mechanism to allow an operation to be completed.
A planned delay in a timed control program.
In a petrol engine, the period of time the ignition points are closed to let current flow through the ignition coil in between each spark. This is measured as an angle in degrees around the camshaft in the distributor which controls the points, for example in a 4-cylinder engine it might be 55° (spark at 90° intervals, points closed for 55° between each).
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-der.
Proto-Germanic *dwalaz
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Germanic *-janą
Proto-Germanic *dwaljaną
Proto-West Germanic *dwalljan
Old English dwellan
▲
Old Norse dveljainflu.
Middle English dwellen
English dwell
From Middle English dwellen (“delay, live, remain, persist”), from Old English dwellan (“to mislead, deceive; be led into error, stray”), from Proto-Germanic *dwaljaną (“to hold up, delay; hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwelH- (“to whirl, swirl, blur, obfuscate”), which is cognate with Old Norse dvelja and related to Proto-Germanic *dwelaną (“to go astray”), which underwent semantic change in its descendants. Cognates include Danish dvæle (“to linger, dwell”) and Swedish dväljas (“to dwell, reside”).
Meanings
(intransitive, literary) To live; to reside.
Well, since my baby left me,
Well, I found a new place to dwell.
Well, it's down at the end of Lonely Street
At Heartbreak Hotel. 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel”, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley (lyrics), performed by Elvis Presley:
I am fully resolved to go dwell in another house. 1622, Henry Peacham (Jr.), The Compleat Gentleman:
The poor man dwells in a humble cottage near the hall where the lord of the domain resides. 1871, Charles John Smith, Synonyms Discriminated: A Complete Catalogue of Synonymous Words in the English Language:
(intransitive) To linger (on); to remain fixated.
Corporal Jenkins: They're always getting dropped into impossible situations. Forced to survive unbeatable odds. Just like you on Akuze!
Shepard: Fifty marines died there, Jenkins.
Corporal Jenkins: Sorry, Commander. I-- I didn't mean to offend you. I respect what you did there. We all do.
Doctor Chakwas: Let's not dwell on the past, Commander. Was there something else you needed? 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-1:
So it came about that long ere Ailie reached home it was on young Heriotside that her mind dwelled, and it was the love of him that made her eyes glow and her cheeks redden. 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
Stop dwelling on the past!
Middlesbrough will wonder whether it might have been different if the volley that Jelle Vossen slashed towards John Ruddy’s net after nine minutes had been a couple inches lower rather than clanging off the crossbar. They should not dwell on that moment too long, however. 2015 May 25, Daniel Taylor, “Norwich reach Premier League after early blitz sees off Middlesbrough”, in The Guardian (London):
Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir. 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
(intransitive) To be in a given state.
(intransitive) To abide; to remain; to continue.
I'll rather dwell in my necessity. c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
My liefe (ſayd ſhe) ye know, that long ygo, / Whileſt ye in durance dwelt, ye to me gaue / A little mayde, the which ye chylded tho ; / The ſame againe if now ye liſt to haue, / The ſame is yonder Lady, whom high God did ſaue. 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 17, page 512:
Thy soul was like a star and dwelt apart. 1802, William Wordsworth, Milton!-:
da bebo (live, reside) · cmn 居留 (live, reside) · id tinggal (live, reside) · ru прожива́ть (live, reside) · ko 거주하다 (live, reside) · cmn 居住 (live, reside) · sv bo (live, reside) · ota اوتورمق (live, reside) · fi asustaa (live, reside) · uk ме́шкати (live, reside) · wa dimorer (live, reside) · ca capficar-se (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · tr ikamet etmek (live, reside) · pt morar (live, reside) · fi vatvoa (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · sa वसति (live, reside) · ko 살다 (live, reside) · fi asua (live, reside) · vi ở (live, reside) · is dvelja (live, reside) · bg обита́вам (live, reside) · izh elustaa (live, reside) · txb walāk- (live, reside) · sv dväljas (live, reside) · gl vivir (live, reside) · got 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌽 (live, reside) · ja 住む (live, reside) · ga cónaigh (live, reside) · pl zamieszkiwać (live, reside) · be жыць (live, reside) · ar سَكَنَ (live, reside) · th อาศัยอยู่ (live, reside) · de verweilen (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · enm dwellen (live, reside) · uk прожива́ти (live, reside) · hu lakik (live, reside) · ru жить (live, reside) · el αναλογίζομαι (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · de wohnen (live, reside) · lo ສະຖິຕ (live, reside) · da forblive (live, reside) · nl verblijven (live, reside) · ary سْكن (live, reside) · mi rauroha (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · grc ναίω (live, reside) · pt remoer (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · da dvæle (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · chr ᎡᎯ (live, reside) · sq banoj (live, reside) · izh ellää (live, reside) · nl rondhangen (live, reside) · es rumiar (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · gl residir (live, reside) · el τρώω κόλλημα (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · id berdiam (live, reside) · th อยู่ (live, reside) · wa dimani (live, reside) · itk אַלְבֵירְגַארֵי (live, reside) · yi וווינען (live, reside) · ja 居住する (live, reside) · cs rozebírat (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · tr eğleşmek (live, reside) · unm wiki (live, reside) · es morar (live, reside) · ru обита́ть (live, reside) · da dvæle (live, reside) · bg спирам се на (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · sv leva (live, reside) · cmn 住 (live, reside) · lv dzīvot (live, reside) · nb dvele (live, reside) · ro sta cu gândul (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · km នៅ (live, reside) · de verbleiben (live, reside) · fr résider (live, reside) · la habitō (live, reside) · cu витати (live, reside) · mn суух (live, reside) · fi kelata (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · an habitar (live, reside) · tsg hula (live, reside) · pt viver (live, reside) · km រស់នៅ (live, reside) · fi oleskella (live, reside) · ar قَطَنَ (live, reside) · pl mieszkać (live, reside) · tr kalmak (live, reside) · ar أَقَامَ (live, reside) · nn dvelje (live, reside) · id mendiami (live, reside) · gd còmhnaich (live, reside) · izh assua (live, reside) · sl bivati (live, reside) · te నివసించు (live, reside) · eo loĝi (live, reside) · uk жи́ти (live, reside) · bg живе́я (live, reside) · sa क्षेति (live, reside) · es ponderar (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · es habitar (live, reside) · ro trăi (live, reside) · mi noho (live, reside) · ro locui (live, reside) · eu bizi izan (live, reside) · sv älta (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · sh boraviti (live, reside) · cs probírat (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · ga bheith i do chónaí (live, reside) · da leve (live, reside) · de leben (live, reside) · ang būan (live, reside) · grc οἰκέω (live, reside) · be пражыва́ць (live, reside) · hy բնակել (live, reside) · gl morar (live, reside) · es darle vueltas a (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · enm lenden (live, reside) · nn dvele (live, reside) · pt habitar (live, reside) · fi pyöritellä (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · lv mist (live, reside) · la incolō (live, reside) · da bo (live, reside) · lv gremdēties (to continue to think or talk about (something or someone)) · tr oturmak (live, reside) · rom beśel (live, reside) · wa lodjî (live, reside) · gl habitar (live, reside) · cs bydlet (live, reside) · fo dvølja (live, reside)