Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A spoken or written reply, as to a question.
  • noun A correct reply.
  • noun A solution, as to a problem.
  • noun A correct solution.
  • noun An act in response or retaliation.
  • noun Something markedly similar to another of the same class.
  • noun Law A defendant's response to the allegations against him or her.
  • intransitive verb To speak or write as a return, as to a question.
  • intransitive verb To act in response.
  • intransitive verb To be liable or accountable.
  • intransitive verb To serve the purpose; suffice.
  • intransitive verb To correspond; match.
  • intransitive verb To speak or write in response to.
  • intransitive verb To say or write in reply.
  • intransitive verb To argue in defense of oneself against (an accusation or charge).
  • intransitive verb To act in response to.
  • intransitive verb To be sufficient for (a need, for instance); fulfill.
  • intransitive verb To conform or correspond to.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make answer; speak or write in reply to a question (expressed or implied), request, appeal, petition, prayer, call, demand, challenge, address, argument, letter, or anything said or written; reply; respond: used with to, or absolutely.
  • In particular— To reply to a charge or an accusation; make a statement in defense or justification of one's self, with regard to a charge or an accusation; specifically, in law, to interpose a pleading responsive to plaintiff's allegations of fact: sometimes used to include also the interposing of a demurrer: formerly sometimes with with.
  • To give a solution of a problem; find the result; give an answer, as to a question set for examination: as, he answered correctly in most instances.
  • To reply or respond in act; act or move in response; do something in return for or in consequence of some speech, act, or movement from another source.
  • To speak in behalf of another; declare one's self responsible or accountable, or give assurance or guaranty, for another; be responsible or accountable: used with for, rarely absolutely: as, I will answer for his safety; I am satisfied, but I cannot answer for my partner.
  • To act or suffer in consequence of responsibility; meet the consequences: with for, rarely absolutely.
  • To meet, satisfy, or fulfil one's wishes, expectations, or requirements; be of service: with for; absolutely, to serve the purpose; attain the end; suit; serve or do (well or ill, etc.).
  • To conform, correspond; be similar, equivalent, proportionate, or correlative in character, quality, or condition: with to.
  • To make answer to; speak or write in reply to; reply or respond to.
  • In particular— To reply to a charge or an accusation by; make a statement to, or in reply to, in defense or justification of one's self with regard to a charge or an accusation.
  • To solve; find the result of; give an answer to, as to a question set for examination: as, he answered every question.
  • To say or offer in reply, or in reply to; utter, or enunciate to, by way of response.
  • To reply or respond to in act; act or move in response to or in consequence of: either as a mere result, in obedience to or sympathy with, or as a hostile act in retaliation or reprisal against: as, to answer prayer; to answer a summons; to answer a signal, as a ring at the door: hence, to answer the bell, or the door; to answer the helm (said of a ship when she obeys her rudder).
  • To be responsible for; be accountable for.
  • To act or suffer in consequence of responsibility for; meet the consequences of; atone for; make amends for; make satisfaction for.
  • To meet, satisfy, or fulfil one's wishes, expectations, or requirements with regard to; satisfy (a claim); repay (an expense); serve (the purpose); accomplish (the end); serve; suit.
  • To conform to; correspond to; be similar, equivalent, proportionate, or correlative to in quality, attributes, position, etc.
  • To meet or confront.
  • noun A reply, response, or rejoinder, spoken or written, to a question (expressed or implied), request, appeal, prayer, call, petition, demand, challenge, objection, argument, address, letter, or to anything said or written.
  • noun In particular— A reply to a charge or an accusation; a statement made in defense or justification of one's self, with regard to a charge or an accusation; a defense; specifically, in law, a pleading on the part of the defendant, responding to the plaintiff's claim on questions of fact: correlative to demurrer, which raises only questions of law. The word as used in equity nearly, and as used in recent codes of procedure closely, corresponds to the common-law plea.
  • noun The solution of a problem; the result of a mathematical operation; a statement made in response to a question set for examination: implying correctness, unless qualified.
  • noun A reply or response in act; an act or motion in return or in consequence, either as a mere result due to obedience, consent, or sympathy, or as a hostile procedure in retaliation or reprisal.
  • noun Specifically— In fencing, the return hit.
  • noun In fugue-music, the enunciation of the subject or theme by the second voice.
  • noun Often abbreviated to ans. and adjective

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To speak in defense against; to reply to in defense
  • transitive verb To speak or write in return to, as in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration, argument, or the like; to reply to (a question, remark, etc.); to respond to.
  • transitive verb To respond to satisfactorily; to meet successfully by way of explanation, argument, or justification, and the like; to refute.
  • transitive verb To be or act in return or response to.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English answere, from Old English andswaru; see swer- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English answeren, andswaren, from Old English andswarian ("to answer, respond, give an answer"), from Proto-Germanic *and- (“back, in return”) + *swarō (“oath”), from Proto-Germanic *swarjanan (“to speak, swear”), equivalent to and- +‎ swear. Cognate with Old Frisian ondswera ("to answer"), Danish ansvare ("to answer, account for"), Swedish ansvara ("to answer, account for"), Icelandic andsvara ("to answer, reply").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English answere, andsware, from Old English andswaru ("answer"), from Proto-Germanic *and- (“back, in return”) + *swarō (“oath”), from Proto-Germanic *swarjanan (“to speak, swear”), equivalent to and- +‎ swear. Cognate with Old Frisian ondser ("answer"), Old Saxon andswōr ("answer"), Danish and Swedish ansvar ("liability, responsibility, answer"), Icelandic andsvar ("answer, response"). Compare also Old English andwyrde ("answer"), Old English andcwiss ("reply"), German Schwur ("oath, vow").

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Examples

  • If (Operator = "Add") answer: = aVar + bVar msgbox, % answer%

    AutoHotkey Community 2009

  • Gosub, % operator% return add: answer: = aVar + bVar msgbox, % answer% return multiply: answer: = aVar * bVar msgbox, % answer% return

    AutoHotkey Community 2009

  • Allows you to answer your own questions within minutes of posting them ensuring you receive maximum exposure ... even if you chose not to select specific answers as * best answer*.

    Digital Point Forums duncancarver 2008

  • i helpful, there is "=" and ": =" with = you don't use quotes, eg. this = This is GREAT! but how to use vars? put them in \% here\%. but: = works different. you need quotes. this: = "something is here" vars are naked this: = "the answer is" answer gives you the \% answer\%. and not ... the actual answer.

    AutoHotkey Community 2009

  • "I found them at family prayer, asking the Lord to send them some food; my heart was touched as I listened to the simplicity of the petition, and I could not but feel the Lord had directed my steps to the house in answer to their prayer, and was reminded of that passage of Scripture, '_while they are yet speaking, I will answer_.'

    Gathering Jewels The Secret of a Beautiful Life: In Memoriam of Mr. & Mrs. James Knowles. Selected from Their Diaries. James Sheridan Knowles 1823

  • I. iii.l14 (22,2) My answer must be made] I shall be called to account, and must _answer_ as for seditious words.

    Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • FROM hussaini_users WHERE [question] = @question AND [answer] = @answer "; conn = new SqlConnection (" Data Source = SQLB23. webcontrolcenter.com; User ID = wbsd; Password = ***** "); cmd = new SqlCommand (cmdString, conn); cmd.

    ASP.NET Forums 2010

  • Goto might improve readability by allowing the value to be returned directly: mathFunction (operator, aVar, bVar) {answer: = mathFunction_ (operator, aVar, bVar) msgbox, % answer% return answer mathFunction_ (operator, aVar, bVar) {

    AutoHotkey Community 2009

  • McCain answer is to stick by what he knows is right and limit the child, child may still be angry with parent however the child is better off for the decision to be limited.

    GI Bill poses challenge to McCain 2008

  • The main answer is the one you identify: my expertise in the area Malkin wandered into.

    IsThatLegal? 2005

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