team
/ˈtiːm/ noun, verb, interjection, proper noun
Forms teams teaming teamed
- noun A set of draught animals, such as two horses in front of a carriage.
- noun Any group of people involved in the same activity, especially sports or work. “We need more volunteers for the netball team.”
- noun (obsolete) A group of animals moving together, especially young ducks.
- noun (UK, law, obsolete) A royalty or privilege granted by royal charter to a lord of a manor, of having, keeping, and judging in his court, his bondmen, neifes, and villains, and their offspring, or suit, that is, goods and chattels, and appurtenances thereto.
- noun A group of people who favor one side of a binary debate that is divided and lacks a well-established clear consensus.
- verb (intransitive) To form a group, as for sports or work. “They teamed to complete the project.”
- verb (intransitive, by extension) To go together well; to harmonize.
- verb (transitive) To convey or haul with a team. “to team lumber”
- verb (transitive) To form together into a team. “to team oxen”
- verb (transitive) To give work to a gang under a subcontractor.
- interjection (video games, colloquial) Used to propose that another player team up with the speaker.
- proper noun A river in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, which flows into the River Tyne. It has other names further upstream in County Durham.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English tem, teem, teme, from Old English tēam (“child-bearing, offspring, brood, set of draught animals”), from Proto-West Germanic *taum, from Proto-Germanic *taumaz (“that which draws or pulls”), from Proto-Germanic *taugijaną, *tugōną, *teuhōną, *teuhaną (“to lead, bring, pull, draw”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull, lead”). Cognate with Scots team, teem (“a chain, harness”), Saterland Frisian Toom (“bridle; breeding”), West Frisian team (“bridle, team”), Dutch toom (“bridle, reins, flock of birds”), German Low German Toom (“bridle”), German Zaum (“bridle”), Danish tømme (“rein”), Swedish töm (“leash, rein”). More at teem, tie, tow.
Possibly of Brythonic origin, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European but the exact root is unclear, with suggestions including *temH- (“dark”), *temh₁- (“to cut”), and *teh₂- (“to melt, flow”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A group of young animals, especially of young ducks; a brood; a litter.
- noun Hence, a number of animals moving together.
- verb To engage in the occupation of driving a team of horses, cattle, or the like, as in conveying or hauling lumber, goods, etc.; to be a teamster. team up, to form one or more teams, either for a common endeavor, or to compete in a contest.
- verb To convey or haul with a team; as, to team lumber. [R.]
Etymology [OE. tem, team, AS. teám, offspring, progeny, race of descendants, family; akin to D. toom a bridle, LG. toom progeny, team, bridle, G. zaum a bridle, zeugen to beget, Icel. taumr to rein, bridle, Dan. tömme, Sw. töm, and also to E. tow to drag, tug to draw. *64. See Tug, and cf. Teem to bear.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “team”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details