Is Weller A Word? Dictionary, Slang, Name and Scrabble?

A very valid question, that many people are asking. Is Weller a word?

The short answer is yes. Weller is indeed a word. But it is not a valid word for playing Scrabble, and neither does it appear in a dictionary. It is however used for slang and as a name. Who knows, in future, it may become a dictionary word in it’s own right.

If you’re interested in more than the short answer, then read on…

What is a word?

Interesting fact: Word is the only noun that describes exactly what word it is. When you say the word “word” is a word people may think your head needs examining but it is grammatically and factually correct. You can’t say that the word “dog” is a dog. It isn’t. A dog is a fur covered, slobbering mammal.

The first thing to understand before we get on to whether weller meets the definition of being a word is to understand what a word is in the first place. In this case, we mean the word as a noun.

Google defines a word as “a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.”

Google forgot to mention that words are typically made up of a series of letters.

The word word itself derived from the German word Wort, which is the German word for word. The French use mot, as in a Bon Mot, and the Spanish use Palabra. Probably my favourite language for Word is Dutch. Their word for word is Woord.

All this is to say that for Weller to be a word, it needs to be a meaningful element of speech or writing.

What does the noun Weller mean?

Merriman-Webster claims that Weller is not a word according to it’s dictionary. Indeed, it turns out that Weller is not a word for playing Scrabble.

The Urban Dictionary describes a Weller as a person who’s first words will alway be “Well…er” when asked a question. In other words, they are indecisive, non-committal and a bit of a droner. Often, they will either not say what they mean, or else they will say what they mean, usually that you are incorrect or wrong.

Weller is sometimes used as a cooler way, or at least a less educated way, of saying better or healthier.

Examples of Weller in a sentence

Eric: ‘Ere mate, you seen Basil lately? Is he still sick?

Steve: Nah mate. I heard he’s gettin’ weller.

In this first example, Steve is using weller as a synonym for better or healthier.

Cheryl: Aye man. Do you like Ant?

Nicole: I do. But Dec is weller.

In this second example, Nicole is explaining that Dec is better than Ant.

Wictionary confirms that Weller is a word.

What does the name Weller mean?

Whilst Weller doesn’t meet the Scrabble definition of a word, it is a reasonably popular name.

In English, a Weller is someone who lives near a stream or well. It has comes from the same derivation as Well. It may also mean a person who digs wells. Similar names include a Wellman and Waterman.

In German, the name stems from wëllen, which is to roll, spread or smear. In this case, a Weller was an occupational name for a person who made the walls of ancient homes. There is also a connection to wëlle which means to roll and was connected with people who bailed hay or wool.

Names similar to Weller include Waller, Wheller, Seller, Peller, Wella and Geller.

Weller’s live most commonly in the UK, Germany and the USA according to researchers at Forebears. There are estimated to be around 50,000 Weller’s alive today around the globe.

Famous Wellers

Possibly the most famous of all Wellers is Paul Weller – the British mod singer-songwriter. Paul, middle name John, Weller was born on 25 May 1958 and played punk with the Jam before switching to The Style Council before eventually playing under his own name.

The most famous brand is Wella Professionals who make all manner of hair styling products, from sprays to gels.

Not at all famous is the author, Doug Weller, who researched this scrap of Weller facts. He has the happy situation that an abbreviation of his name is D.Weller or dweller. Dweller is a real word and worth 11 points at scrabble.

So, is Weller a word?

Thanks to this exploration into the world of language we’ve concluded that Weller is not a formal dictionary or Scrabble word, but it is a word and used as slang and as a name.