prolific English writer best known for his science-fiction novels; he also wrote on contemporary social problems and wrote popular accounts of history and science (1866-1946)
"The professor assigned us to read Wells' The Time Machine as our first introduction to classic science fiction."
plural of well
"The old villagers gathered around the wells to draw fresh water for their crops after the summer drought ended."
In plain English: Wells are deep holes dug into the ground to reach and collect water.
"The hikers drank fresh water directly from the wells in the desert."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of well
"The water wells up from the ground whenever it rains heavily."
In plain English: To well is for liquid to rise up and flow out of a hole, like water gushing from a spring or a broken pipe.
"The community dug new wells to provide clean water for the village."
A English topographic surname, from Middle English for someone living near a well or a spring.
"The genealogist confirmed that our family name Wells originated because an ancestor lived next to the village spring in the 14th century."
The word "wells" comes from Old English wella, which originally referred to a residence located near a group of springs. As the complex grammar of Middle English simplified, this phrase was reinterpreted as a plural noun describing multiple water sources rather than just one house by a spring.