wee
wee Lexical Profile
wee Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Scottish Very small in size, amount, or degree; tiny or little.
"She poured a wee drop of milk into her morning tea."
Very early in the morning, shortly after midnight (used especially in the phrase 'the wee hours').
"The delegates continued negotiating into the wee hours of the morning."
• noun
British An act of urination, or urine itself (used in informal, everyday, or children's speech).
"Make sure the children go for a quick wee before we get in the car for the long drive."
Scottish A short time or a small amount; a little bit.
"Wait just a wee, and I will fetch my coat so we can walk together."
• verb
British To urinate (used in informal or children's speech).
"The puppy is still being house-trained and occasionally wees on the kitchen rug."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'wee' with the plural subject pronoun 'we' or the exclamation of excitement 'whee'. Additionally, while the adjective meaning 'tiny' is primarily Scottish and Irish (though understood globally in fixed phrases like 'the wee hours'), the noun and verb senses referring to urination are strictly informal British, Australian, and New Zealand usage.
• Rhymes for wee
Word Origin & Etymology
The adjective sense derives from Middle English 'wei', originally a noun meaning 'a small weight or quantity', from Old English 'wǣge' (weight). The informal British verb and noun meaning 'to urinate' arose in the early 20th century, likely as nursery-talk shortening of 'wee-wee' or influenced by 'pee'.