# dictionary

word: Walk₂
definition:
Walk

Walk
v. t.
1.
To pass through, over, or upon; to traverse; to perambulate; as, to walk the streets.

As we walk our earthly round.
Keble.

2.
To cause to walk; to lead, drive, or ride with a slow pace; as, to walk one's horses; to walk the dog.
walk
Shak.

3.
[AS. wealcan to roll.  See Walk to move on foot.]
To subject, as cloth or yarn, to the fulling process; to full.
[Obs. or Scot.]

4.
(Sporting)
To put or keep (a puppy) in a walk; to train (puppies) in a walk.
[Cant]

5.
To move in a manner likened to walking.
[Colloq.]
She walked a spinning wheel into the house, making it use first one and then the other of its own spindling legs to achieve progression rather than lifting it by main force.
C. E. Craddock.
To walk one's chalks, to make off; take French leave. -- To walk the plank, to walk off the plank into the water and be drowned; -- an expression derived from the practice of pirates who extended a plank from the side of a ship, and compelled those whom they would drown to walk off into the water; figuratively, to vacate an office by compulsion. Bartlett.


word: Walk₃
definition:
Walk

Walk
n.
1.
The act of walking, or moving on the feet with a slow pace; advance without running or leaping.

2.
The act of walking for recreation or exercise; as, a morning walk; an evening walk.

3.
Manner of walking; gait; step; as, we often know a person at a distance by his walk.

4.
That in or through which one walks; place or distance walked over; a place for walking; a path or avenue prepared for foot passengers, or for taking air and exercise; way; road; hence, a place or region in which animals may graze; place of wandering; range; as, a sheep walk.

A woody mountain . . . with goodliest trees
Planted, with walks and bowers.
Milton.

He had walk for a hundred sheep.
Latimer.

Amid the sound of steps that beat
The murmuring walks like rain.
Bryant.

5.
A frequented track; habitual place of action; sphere; as, the walk of the historian.

The mountains are his walks.
Sandys.

He opened a boundless walk for his imagination.
Pope.

6.
Conduct; course of action; behavior.

7.
The route or district regularly served by a vender; as, a milkman's walk.
[Eng.]

8.
In coffee, coconut, and other plantations, the space between them.

9.
(Sporting)
(a)
A place for keeping and training puppies.
(b)
An inclosed area of some extent to which a gamecock is confined to prepare him for fighting.


word: Walker
definition:
Walker

Walk"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who walks; a pedestrian.

2.
That with which one walks; a foot.
[Obs.]

Lame Mulciber, his walkers quite misgrown.
Chapman.

3.
(Law)
A forest officer appointed to walk over a certain space for inspection; a forester.

4.
[AS. wealcere.  See Walk, v. t., 3.]
A fuller of cloth.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

She cursed the weaver and the walker
The cloth that had wrought.
Percy's Reliques.

5.
(Zool.)
Any ambulatorial orthopterous insect, as a stick insect.

6.
(construction, tunneling)
A shift superintendent or assistant superintendent who supervises several shifters{4} and their crews.  Since these crews are usually separated by some distance, the walker is frequently seen walking between them.  Also called walking boss.

7.
A low frame having casters or wheels, designed to enclose a baby on its sides and provide support while the baby is learning to walk; it usually has a seat so that the baby can sit while not walking.

Syn. -- go-cart, baby-walker.

8.
A low rectangular frame of light metal about waist high, usually having two horizontal arms mounted on four legs with an open rear, designed to be carried or pushed in front of a person whose legs are impaired, to provide support while walking; it may have wheels on two of the four legs.


word: Walking
definition:
Walking

Walk"ing
a. & n. from Walk, v.

Walking beam. See Beam, 10. -- Walking crane, a kind of traveling crane.  See under Crane. -- Walking fern. (Bot.) See Walking leaf, below. -- Walking fish (Zool.), any one of numerous species of Asiatic fishes of the genus Ophiocephalus, some of which, as Ophiocephalus marulius, become over four feet long.  They have a special cavity over the gills lined with a membrane adapted to retain moisture to aid in respiration, and are thus able to travel considerable distances over the land at night, whence the name.  They construct a curious nest for their young.  Called also langya. -- Walking gentleman (Theater), an actor who usually fills subordinate parts which require a gentlemanly appearance but few words. [Cant] -- Walking lady (Theater), an actress who usually fills such parts as require only a ladylike appearance on the stage. [Cant] -- Walking leaf. (a) (Bot.) A little American fern (Camptosorus rhizophyllus); -- so called because the fronds taper into slender prolongations which often root at the apex, thus producing new plants. (b) (Zool.) A leaf insect.  See under Leaf. -- Walking papers, or Walking ticket, an order to leave; dismissal, as from office; as, to get one's walking papers, i. e. to be dismissed or fired. [Colloq.] Bartlett. -- Walking stick. (a) A stick or staff carried in the hand for hand for support or amusement when walking; a cane. (b) (Zool.) A stick insect; -- called also walking straw.  See Illust. of Stick insect, under Stick. -- Walking wheel (Mach.), a prime mover consisting of a wheel driven by the weight of men or animals walking either in it or on it; a treadwheel.


word: Walk-mill
definition:
Walk-mill

Walk"-mill`
(?)
n.
[Walk to Walking Leaf, or full + mill.]
A fulling mill.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.


word: walk-off
definition:
walk-off

walk"-off`
(?)
a.
(Baseball)
Game-ending and game-winning; such as to end the game immediately, and allow the players to walk off the field; -- of hits, especially home runs, which occur in the last half of the ninth or a later inning, which put the home team ahead of the visiting team and thereby end the game immediatey.  This occurs in baseball because, when the last half of the ninth inning arrives, if the home team (which bats last) is already ahead in the score the last half of that inning is not played, the winner of the game having already been decided.  Likewise, as soon as the home team gets ahead in the score after the visiting team has batted in the ninth inning, the game is ended.
[Baseball jargon]

Curtis's homer over the left-center-field fence beat the Braves and was the first walk-off homer by a Yankee in the World Series since Mickey Mantle slugged one against the St. Louis Cardinals in game 3 in 1964.
Jack Curry (New York Times, Oct. 28, 1999 p. D4)

There are so many people in here who are happy for Chad.  We know what he's been through.  Those hits could make Chad Curtis's whole year.  When you hit a walk-off homer in the World Series, that's something he's going to remember for a long time.
Paul O'Neill (the Yankee outfielder, quoted by Jack Curry in the New York Times, Oct. 27, 1999 p. D4)


word: Walk-over
definition:
Walk-over

Walk"-o`ver
(?)
n.
In racing, the going over a course by a horse which has no competitor for the prize.

2.
Hence:
(colloquially)
A one-sided contest; an uncontested, or an easy, victory.

Syn. -- walk; cake-walk.


word: Wall
definition:
Wall

Wall
(?)
n.
(Naut.)
A kind of knot often used at the end of a rope; a wall knot; a wale.

Wall knot, a knot made by unlaying the strands of a rope, and making a bight with the first strand, then passing the second over the end of the first, and the third over the end of the second and through the bight of the first; a wale knot. Wall knots may be single or double, crowned or double-crowned.


word: Wall₂
definition:
Wall

Wall
(?)
n.
[AS. weall, from L. vallum a wall, vallus a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. _; a nail.  Cf. Interval.]

1.
A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room.

The plaster of the wall of the King's palace.
Dan. v. 5.

2.
A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense.

The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Ex. xiv. 22.

In such a night,
Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls.
Shak.

To rush undaunted to defend the walls.
Dryden.

3.
An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a steam-engine cylinder.

4.
(Mining)
(a)
The side of a level or drift.
(b)
The country rock bounding a vein laterally.
Raymond.

&hand_; Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc.

Blank wall, Blind wall, etc.  See under Blank, Blind, etc. -- To drive to the wall, to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over. -- To go to the wall, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes. -- To take the wall. to take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence.  “I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.” Shak. -- Wall barley (Bot.), a kind of grass (Hordeum murinum) much resembling barley; squirrel grass.  See under Squirrel. -- Wall box. (Mach.) See Wall frame, below. -- Wall creeper (Zool.), a small bright-colored bird (Tichodroma muraria) native of Asia and Southern Europe. It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red at the base and black distally, some of them with white spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also spider catcher. -- Wall cress (Bot.), a name given to several low cruciferous herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress.  See under Mouse-ear. -- Wall frame (Mach.), a frame set in a wall to receive a pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the wall; -- called also wall box. -- Wall fruit, fruit borne by trees trained against a wall. -- Wall gecko (Zool.), any one of several species of Old World geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means of suckers on the feet. -- Wall lizard (Zool.), a common European lizard (Lacerta muralis) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks and crevices of walls; -- called also wall newt. -- Wall louse, a wood louse. -- Wall moss (Bot.), any species of moss growing on walls. -- Wall newt (Zool.), the wall lizard. Shak. -- Wall paper, paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper hangings. -- Wall pellitory (Bot.), a European plant (Parictaria officinalis) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed medicinal. -- Wall pennywort (Bot.), a plant (Cotyledon Umbilicus) having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in Western Europe. -- Wall pepper (Bot.), a low mosslike plant (Sedum acre) with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in Europe, and is sometimes seen in America. -- Wall pie (Bot.), a kind of fern; wall rue. -- Wall piece, a gun planted on a wall. H. L. Scott. -- Wall plate (Arch.), a piece of timber placed horizontally upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like.  See Illust. of Roof. -- Wall rock, granular limestone used in building walls. [U. S.] Bartlett. -- Wall rue (Bot.), a species of small fern (Asplenium Ruta-muraria) growing on walls, rocks, and the like. -- Wall spring, a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks. -- Wall tent, a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to the walls of a house. -- Wall wasp (Zool.), a common European solitary wasp (Odynerus parietus) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.


word: Wall₃
definition:
Wall

Wall
(_;)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Walled (_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Walling.]
1.
To inclose with a wall, or as with a wall.
walled
Shak.

The king of Thebes, Amphion,
That with his singing walled that city.
Chaucer.

2.
To defend by walls, or as if by walls; to fortify.

The terror of his name that walls us in.
Denham.

3.
To close or fill with a wall, as a doorway.


word: Wallaba
definition:
Wallaba

Wal"la*ba
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
A leguminous tree (Eperua falcata) of Demerara, with pinnate leaves and clusters of red flowers. The reddish brown wood is used for palings and shingles.
J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).


word: Wallaby
definition:
Wallaby

Wal"la*by
(?)
n.
pl. Wallabies (#).
[From a native name.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of kangaroos belonging to the genus Halmaturus, native of Australia and Tasmania, especially the smaller species, as the brush kangaroo (Halmaturus Bennettii) and the pademelon (Halmaturus thetidis). The wallabies chiefly inhabit the wooded district and bushy plains.
[Written also wallabee, and whallabee.]


word: Wallachian
definition:
Wallachian

Wal*la"chi*an
(?)
a.
[Also Walachian, Wallach, Wallack, Vlach, etc.]
Of or pertaining to Wallachia, a former principality, now part of the kingdom, of Roumania.
n. An inhabitant of Wallachia; also, the language of the Wallachians; Roumanian.


word: Wallah
definition:
Wallah

Wal"lah
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A black variety of the jaguar; -- called also tapir tiger.
[Written also walla.]


word: Wallaroo
definition:
Wallaroo

Wal`la*roo"
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of kangaroos of the genus Macropus, especially Macropus robustus, sometimes called the great wallaroo.


word: Wallerian degeneration
definition:
Wallerian degeneration

Wal*le"ri*an de*gen`er*a"tion
(?)
(Med.)
A form of degeneration occurring in nerve fibers as a result of their division; -- so called from Dr. Waller, who published an account of it in 1850.


word: Wallet
definition:
Wallet

Wal"let
(?)
n.
[OE. walet, probably the same word as OE. watel a bag.  See Wattle.]
1.
A bag or sack for carrying about the person, as a bag for carrying the necessaries for a journey; a knapsack; a beggar's receptacle for charity; a peddler's pack.

[His hood] was trussed up in his walet.
Chaucer.

2.
A pocketbook for keeping money about the person.

3.
Anything protuberant and swagging.
Wallets
Shak.


word: Walleteer
definition:
Walleteer

Wal`let*eer"
(?)
n.
One who carries a wallet; a foot traveler; a tramping beggar.
[Colloq.]
Wright.


word: Wall-eye
definition:
Wall-eye

Wall"-eye`
(?)
n.
[See Wall-eyed.]

1.
An eye in which the iris is of a very light gray or whitish color; -- said usually of horses.
Booth.

&hand_; Jonson has defined wall-eye to be “a disease in the crystalline humor of the eye; glaucoma.” But glaucoma is not a disease of the crystalline humor, nor is wall-eye a disease at all, but merely a natural blemish. Tully. In the north of England, as Brockett states, persons are said to be wall-eyed when the white of the eye is very large and distorted, or on one side.

2.
(Zool.)
(a)
An American fresh-water food fish (Stizostedion vitreum) having large and prominent eyes; -- called also glasseye, pike perch, yellow pike, and wall-eyed perch.
(b)
A California surf fish (Holconotus argenteus).
(c)
The alewife; -- called also wall-eyed herring.


word: Wall-eyed
definition:
Wall-eyed

Wall"-eyed`
(?)
a.
[Icel. valdeygðr, or vagleygr; fr. vagl a beam, a beam in the eye (akin to Sw. vagel a roost, a perch, a sty in the eye) + eygr having eyes (from auga eye).  See Eye.]
Having an eye of a very light gray or whitish color.
Booth.

&hand_; Shakespeare, in using wall-eyed as a term of reproach (as “wall-eyed rage,” a “wall-eyed wretch”), alludes probably to the idea of unnatural or distorted vision.  See the Note under Wall-eye. It is an eye which is utterly and incurably perverted, an eye that knows no pity.


word: Wallflower
definition:
Wallflower

Wall"flow`er
(?)
n.
1.
(Bot.)
A perennial, cruciferous plant (Cheiranthus Cheiri), with sweet-scented flowers varying in color from yellow to orange and deep red. In Europe it very common on old walls.

&hand_; The name is sometimes extended to other species of Cheiranthus and of the related genus Erysimum, especially the American Western wallflower (Erysimum asperum), a biennial herb with orange-yellow flowers.

2.
A lady at a ball, who, either from choice, or because not asked to dance, remains a spectator.
[Colloq.]

3.
(Bot.)
In Australia, the desert poison bush (Gastrolobium grandiflorum); -- called also native wallflower.


word: Walling
definition:
Walling

Wall"ing
n.
1.
The act of making a wall or walls.

2.
Walls, in general; material for walls.

Walling wax, a composition of wax and tallow used by etchers and engravers to make a bank, or wall, round the edge of a plate, so as to form a trough for holding the acid used in etching, and the like. Fairholt.


word: Walloons
definition:
Walloons

Wal*loons"
(?)
n. pl.
sing. Walloon (_;)
[Cf. F. wallon.]
A Romanic people inhabiting that part of Belgium which comprises the provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liége, and Luxembourg, and about one third of Brabant; also, the language spoken by this people. Used also adjectively.
[Written also Wallons.]
Walloon
Shak.

Walloon guard, the bodyguard of the Spanish monarch; -- so called because formerly consisting of Walloons.


word: Wallop
definition:
Wallop

Wal"lop
(?)
v. i.
[Cf. OFlem. walop a gallop; of uncertain origin.  Cf. Gallop.]
To move quickly, but with great effort; to gallop.
[Prov. Eng. & Scot.]


word: Wallop₃
definition:
Wallop

Wal"lop
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Walloped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Walloping.]
[Probably fr. AS. weallan to spring up, to boil or bubble. √147.  See Well, n. & v. i.]

1.
To boil with a continued bubbling or heaving and rolling, with noise.
[Prov. Eng.]
Brockett.

2.
To move in a rolling, cumbersome manner; to waddle.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.

3.
To be slatternly.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.


word: Wallop₄
definition:
Wallop

Wal"lop
v. t.
1.
To beat soundly; to flog; to whip.
[Prov. Eng., Scot., & Colloq. U. S.]

2.
To wrap up temporarily.
[Prov. Eng.]

3.
To throw or tumble over.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Wallop₅
definition:
Wallop

Wal"lop
n.
1.
A thick piece of fat.
Halliwell.

2.
A blow.
[Prov. Eng., Scot., & Colloq. U. S.]


word: Wallow
definition:
Wallow

Wal"low
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wallowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wallowing.]
[OE. walwen, AS. wealwian; akin to Goth. walwjan (in comp.) to roll, L. volvere; cf. Skr. val to turn. √147.  Cf. Voluble Well, n.]

1.
To roll one's self about, as in mire; to tumble and roll about; to move lazily or heavily in any medium; to flounder; as, swine wallow in the mire.

I may wallow in the lily beds.
Shak.

2.
To live in filth or gross vice; to disport one's self in a beastly and unworthy manner.

God sees a man wallowing in his native impurity.
South.

3.
To wither; to fade.
[Prov. Eng. & Scot.]


word: Wallow₃
definition:
Wallow

Wal"low
n.
A kind of rolling walk.

One taught the toss, and one the new French wallow.
Dryden.

2.
Act of wallowing.

3.
A place to which an animal comes to wallow; also, the depression in the ground made by its wallowing; as, a buffalo wallow.


word: Wallower
definition:
Wallower

Wal"low*er
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, wallows.

2.
(Mach.)
A lantern wheel; a trundle.


word: Wall-plat
definition:
Wall-plat

Wall"-plat`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
The spotted flycatcher. It builds its nest on walls.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Wall-sided
definition:
Wall-sided

Wall"-sid`ed
(?)
a.
(Naut.)
Having sides nearly perpendicular; -- said of certain vessels to distinguish them from those having flaring sides, or sides tumbling home (see under Tumble, v. i.).


word: Wall Street
definition:
Wall Street

Wall Street
A street towards the southern end of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, extending from Broadway to the East River; -- so called from the old wall which extended along it when the city belonged to the Dutch. It is the chief financial center of the United States, hence the name is often used for the money market and the financial interests of the country; -- in American financial publications, also referred to as the street.


word: Walm
definition:
Walm

Walm
(?)
v. i.
[AS. weallan; cf. wælm, billow. √147.]
To roll; to spout; to boil up.
[Obs.]
Holland.


word: Walnut
definition:
Walnut

Wal"nut
(?)
n.
[OE. walnot, AS. wealh-hnutu a Welsh or foreign nut, a walnut; wealh foreign, strange, n., a Welshman, Celt (akin to OHG. Walh, properly, a Celt, from the name of a Celtic tribe, in L. Volcae) + hnutu a nut; akin to D. walnoot, G. walnuss, Icel. valhnot, Sw. valnöt, Dan valnöd.  See Nut, and cf. Welsh.]
(Bot.)
The fruit or nut of any tree of the genus Juglans; also, the tree, and its timber. The seven or eight known species are all natives of the north temperate zone.

&hand_; In some parts of America, especially in New England, the name walnut is given to several species of hickory (Carya), and their fruit.

Ash-leaved walnut, a tree (Juglans fraxinifolia), native in Transcaucasia. -- Black walnut, a North American tree (Juglans nigra) valuable for its purplish brown wood, which is extensively used in cabinetwork and for gunstocks.  The nuts are thick-shelled, and nearly globular. -- English walnut, or European walnut, a tree (Juglans regia), native of Asia from the Caucasus to Japan, valuable for its timber and for its excellent nuts, which are also called Madeira nuts. -- Walnut brown, a deep warm brown color, like that of the heartwood of the black walnut. -- Walnut oil, oil extracted from walnut meats.  It is used in cooking, making soap, etc. -- White walnut, a North American tree (Juglans cinerea), bearing long, oval, thick-shelled, oily nuts, commonly called butternuts.  See Butternut.


word: Walrus
definition:
Walrus

Wal"rus
(?)
n.
[D. walrus; of Scand. origin; cf. Dan valros, Sw. vallross, Norw. hvalros; literally, whale horse; akin to Icel. hrosshvalr, AS. horshwael.  See Whale, and Horse.]
(Zool.)
A very large marine mammal (Trichecus rosmarus) of the Seal family, native of the Arctic Ocean. The male has long and powerful tusks descending from the upper jaw. It uses these in procuring food and in fighting.  It is hunted for its oil, ivory, and skin. It feeds largely on mollusks. Called also morse.

&hand_; The walrus of the North Pacific and Behring Strait (Trichecus obesus) is regarded by some as a distinct species, by others as a variety of the common walrus.


word: Walty
definition:
Walty

Wal"ty
(?)
a.
[Cf. Walter to roll.]
Liable to roll over; crank; as, a walty ship.
[R.]
Longfellow.


word: Waltz
definition:
Waltz

Waltz
(?)
n.
[G. walzer, from walzen to roll, revolve, dance, OHG. walzan to roll; akin to AS. wealtan.  See Welter.]
A dance performed by two persons in circular figures with a whirling motion; also, a piece of music composed in triple measure for this kind of dance.


word: Wamble
definition:
Wamble

Wam"ble
(?)
v. i.
[Cf. Dan. vamle, and vammel squeamish, ready to vomit, Icel. væma to feel nausea, væminn nauseous.]
1.
To heave; to be disturbed by nausea; -- said of the stomach.
L'Estrange.

2.
To move irregularly to and fro; to roll.


word: Wampee
definition:
Wampee

Wam*pee"
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
(a)
A tree (Cookia punctata) of the Orange family, growing in China and the East Indies; also, its fruit, which is about the size of a large grape, and has a hard rind and a peculiar flavor.
(b)
The pickerel weed.
[Southern U. S.]


word: Wampum
definition:
Wampum

Wam"pum
(?)
n.
[North American Indian wampum, wompam, from the Mass. wómpi, Del. wāpe, white.]
Beads made of shells, used by the North American Indians as money, and also wrought into belts, etc., as an ornament.

Round his waist his belt of wampum.
Longfellow.

Girded with his wampum braid.
Whittier.

&hand_; These beads were of two kinds, one white, and the other black or dark purple. The term wampum is properly applied only to the white; the dark purple ones are called suckanhock.  See Seawan. “It [wampum] consisted of cylindrical pieces of the shells of testaceous fishes, a quarter of an inch long, and in diameter less than a pipestem, drilled . . . so as to be strung upon a thread. The beads of a white color, rated at half the value of the black or violet, passed each as the equivalent of a farthing in transactions between the natives and the planters.”  Palfrey.


word: Wan₂
definition:
Wan

Wan
(_;)
a.
[AS. wann, wonn, wan, won, dark, lurid, livid, perhaps originally, worn out by toil, from winnan to labor, strive.  See Win.]
Having a pale or sickly hue; languid of look; pale; pallid.
wan
Spenser.

My color . . . [is] wan and of a leaden hue.
Chaucer.

Why so pale and wan, fond lover?
Suckling.

With the wan moon overhead.
Longfellow.


word: Wan₄
definition:
Wan

Wan
(?)
v. i.
To grow wan; to become pale or sickly in looks.
wanned
Shak.

And ever he mutter'd and madden'd, and ever wann'd with despair.
Tennyson.


word: Wand
definition:
Wand

Wand
(?)
n.
[Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. vöndr, akin to Dan. vaand, Goth. wandus; perhaps originally, a pliant twig, and akin to E. wind to turn.]
1.
A small stick; a rod; a verge.

With good smart blows of a wand on his back.
Locke.

2.
(a)
A staff of authority.

Though he had both spurs and wand, they seemed rather marks of sovereignty than instruments of punishment.
Sir P. Sidney.

Picus bore a buckler in his hand;
His other waved a long divining wand.
Dryden.

Wand of peace (Scots Law), a wand, or staff, carried by the messenger of a court, which he breaks when deforced (that is, hindered from executing process), as a symbol of the deforcement, and protest for remedy of law. Burrill.


word: Wander
definition:
Wander

Wan"der
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wandered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wandering.]
[OE. wandren, wandrien, AS. wandrian; akin to G. wandern to wander; fr. AS. windan to turn.  See Wind to turn.]

1.
To ramble here and there without any certain course or with no definite object in view; to range about; to stroll; to rove; as, to wander over the fields.

They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins.
Heb. xi. 37.

He wandereth abroad for bread.
Job xv. 23.

2.
To go away; to depart; to stray off; to deviate; to go astray; as, a writer wanders from his subject.

When God caused me to wander from my father's house.
Gen. xx. 13.

O, let me not wander from thy commandments.
Ps. cxix. 10.

3.
To be delirious; not to be under the guidance of reason; to rave; as, the mind wanders.


word: Wander₂
definition:
Wander

Wan"der
v. t.
To travel over without a certain course; to traverse; to stroll through.
[R.]
wandered
Milton.


word: Wanderer
definition:
Wanderer

Wan"der*er
(?)
n.
One who wanders; a rambler; one who roves; hence, one who deviates from duty.


word: Wandering
definition:
Wandering

Wan"der*ing
a. & n. from Wander, v.

Wandering albatross (Zool.), the great white albatross.  See Illust. of Albatross. -- Wandering cell (Physiol.), an animal cell which possesses the power of spontaneous movement, as one of the white corpuscles of the blood. -- Wandering Jew (Bot.), any one of several creeping species of Tradescantia, which have alternate, pointed leaves, and a soft, herbaceous stem which roots freely at the joints.  They are commonly cultivated in hanging baskets, window boxes, etc. -- Wandering kidney (Med.), a morbid condition in which one kidney, or, rarely, both kidneys, can be moved in certain directions; -- called also floating kidney, movable kidney. -- Wandering liver (Med.), a morbid condition of the liver, similar to wandering kidney. -- Wandering mouse (Zool.), the whitefooted, or deer, mouse.  See Illust. of Mouse. -- Wandering spider (Zool.), any one of a tribe of spiders that wander about in search of their prey.


word: Wanderoo
definition:
Wanderoo

Wan`der*oo"
(?)
n.
[Cingalese wanderu a monkey.]
(Zool.)
A large monkey (Macacus silenus) native of Malabar. It is black, or nearly so, but has a long white or gray beard encircling the face. Called also maha, silenus, neelbhunder, lion-tailed baboon, and great wanderoo.
[Written also ouanderoo.]

&hand_; The name is sometimes applied also to other allied species.


word: Wane
definition:
Wane

Wane
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Waned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waning.]
[OE. wanien, AS. wanian, wonian, from wan, won, deficient, wanting; akin to D. wan-, G. wahnsinn, insanity, OHG. wan, wana-, lacking, wan_;n to lessen, Icel. vanr lacking, Goth. vans; cf. Gr. _; bereaved, Skr. _;na wanting, inferior. _;_;_;_;.  Cf. Want lack, and Wanton.]

1.
To be diminished; to decrease; -- contrasted with wax, and especially applied to the illuminated part of the moon.

Like the moon, aye wax ye and wane.
Waning moons their settled periods keep.
Addison.

2.
To decline; to fail; to sink.

You saw but sorrow in its waning form.
Dryden.

Land and trade ever will wax and wane together.
Sir J. Child.


word: Wane₃
definition:
Wane

Wane
n.
1.
The decrease of the illuminated part of the moon to the eye of a spectator.

2.
Decline; failure; diminution; decrease; declension.

An age in which the church is in its wane.
South.

Though the year be on the wane.
Keble.

3.
An inequality in a board.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.

4.
(Forestry)
The natural curvature of a log or of the edge of a board sawed from a log.


word: Waney
definition:
Waney

Wan"ey
(?)
n.
A sharp or uneven edge on a board that is cut from a log not perfectly squared, or that is made in the process of squaring.  See Wany, a.


word: Wang
definition:
Wang

Wang
(?)
n.
[OE. wange, AS. wange, wonge, cheek, jaw; akin to D. wang, OS. & OHG. wanga, G. wange.]

1.
The jaw, jawbone, or cheek bone.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

So work aye the wangs in his head.
Chaucer.

2.
A slap; a blow.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.

Wang tooth, a cheek tooth; a molar. [Obs.] Chaucer.


word: Wangan
definition:
Wangan

Wan"gan
(?)
n.
[American Indian.]
A boat for conveying provisions, tools, etc.; -- so called by Maine lumbermen.
[Written also wangun.]
Bartlett.


word: Wanger
definition:
Wanger

Wang"er
(?)
n.
[AS. wangere.  See 1st Wang.]
A pillow for the cheek; a pillow.
[Obs. & R.]

His bright helm was his wanger.
Chaucer.


word: Wanghee
definition:
Wanghee

Wang*hee"
(?)
n.
[Chin. wang yellow + he_; a root.]
(Bot.)
The Chinese name of one or two species of bamboo, or jointed cane, of the genus Phyllostachys. The slender stems are much used for walking sticks.
[Written also whanghee.]


word: Wanhope
definition:
Wanhope

Wan"hope`
(?)
n.
[AS. wan, won, deficient, wanting + hopa hope: cf. D. wanhoop. _;_;_;_;.  See Wane, and Hope.]
Want of hope; despair; also, faint or delusive hope; delusion. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
Wanhope
Chaucer.


word: Wanhorn
definition:
Wanhorn

Wan"horn`
(?)
n.
[Corruption fr. Siamese wanhom.]
(Bot.)
An East Indian plant (Kaempferia Galanga) of the Ginger family.  See Galanga.


word: Waning
definition:
Waning

Wan"ing
(?)
n.
The act or process of waning, or decreasing.

This earthly moon, the Church, hath fulls and wanings, and sometimes her eclipses.
Bp. Hall.


word: Wanion
definition:
Wanion

Wan"ion
(?)
n.
[Probably for OE. waniand waning, p. pr. of wanien; hence, used of the waning of the moon, supposed to be an unlucky time.  See Wane.]
A word of uncertain signification, used only in the phrase with a wanion, apparently equivalent to with a vengeance, with a plague, or with misfortune.
[Obs.]
B. Jonson. Latimer.


word: wanna
definition:
wanna

wan"na
(w&obreve_;n"nŭ)
phr.
[phonetic transcription of colloquial speech, from want to.]
Want to; as, I wanna go home.
[colloq., phonetic spelling]

 Phonetic transcriptions of rapid colloquial speech are sometimes used in place of the grammatically proper spelling in order to provide a flavor of the original spirit of a spoken dialogue.  See also the related entries for gonna, gotta, and wannabe.


word: wannabe
definition:
wannabe

wan"na
(w&obreve_;n"nŭ*bē`)
n.
[phonetic transcription of colloquial speech, from want to be.]
A person who wants to be or become a different type of person -- what the person wants to be is usually clear from the context; at hollywood and vine one can meet both famous actors and wannabes.
[colloq., phonetic spelling]


word: Wanness
definition:
Wanness

Wan"ness
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being wan; a sallow, dead, pale color; paleness; pallor; as, the wanness of the cheeks after a fever.


word: Wannish
definition:
Wannish

Wan"nish
a.
Somewhat wan; of a pale hue.

No sun, but a wannish glare,
In fold upon fold of hueless cloud.
Tennyson.


word: Want
definition:
Want

Want
(277)
n.
[Originally an adj., from Icel. vant, neuter of vanr lacking, deficient. √139.  See Wane, v. i.]

1.
The state of not having; the condition of being without anything; absence or scarcity of what is needed or desired; deficiency; lack; as, a want of power or knowledge for any purpose; want of food and clothing.

And me, his parent, would full soon devour
For want of other prey.
Milton.

From having wishes in consequence of our wants, we often feel wants in consequence of our wishes.
Rambler.

Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and more saucy.
Franklin.

2.
Specifically, absence or lack of necessaries; destitution; poverty; penury; indigence; need.

Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches, as to conceive how others can be in want.
Swift.

3.
That which is needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt; what is not possessed, and is necessary for use or pleasure.

Habitual superfluities become actual wants.
Paley.

4.
(Mining)
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
[Eng.]


word: Want₂
definition:
Want

Want
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Wanting.]

1.
To be without; to be destitute of, or deficient in; not to have; to lack; as, to want knowledge; to want judgment; to want learning; to want food and clothing.

They that want honesty, want anything.
Beau. & Fl.

Nor think, though men were none,
That heaven would want spectators, God want praise.
Milton.

The unhappy never want enemies.
Richardson.

2.
To have occasion for, as useful, proper, or requisite; to require; to need; as, in winter we want a fire; in summer we want cooling breezes.

3.
To feel need of; to wish or long for; to desire; to crave.
wants
Addison.

I want to speak to you about something.
A. Trollope.


word: Want₃
definition:
Want

Want
v. i.
[Icel. vanta to be wanting.  See Want to lack.]

1.
To be absent; to be deficient or lacking; to fail; not to be sufficient; to fall or come short; to lack; -- often used impersonally with of; as, it wants ten minutes of four.

The disposition, the manners, and the thoughts are all before it; where any of those are wanting or imperfect, so much wants or is imperfect in the imitation of human life.
Dryden.

2.
To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.

You have a gift, sir (thank your education),
Will never let you want.
B. Jonson.

For as in bodies, thus in souls, we find
What wants in blood and spirits, swelled with wind.
Pope.

&hand_; Want was formerly used impersonally with an indirect object. “Him wanted audience.”
Chaucer.


word: Wanting
definition:
Wanting

Want"ing
a.
Absent; lacking; missing; also, deficient; destitute; needy; as, one of the twelve is wanting; I shall not be wanting in exertion.


word: Wanton
definition:
Wanton

Wan"ton
(?)
a.
[OE. wantoun, contr. from wantowen; pref. wan- wanting (see Wane, v. i.), hence expressing negation + towen, p. p., AS. togen, p. p. of teón to draw, to educate, bring up; hence, properly, ill bred.  See Tug, v. t.]

1.
Untrained; undisciplined; unrestrained; hence, loose; free; luxuriant; roving; sportive.
wanton
Spenser.
wanton
Shak.

A wanton and a merry [friar].
Chaucer.

[She] her unadorned golden tresses wore
Disheveled, but in wanton ringlets waved.
Milton.

How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise!
Addison.

2.
Wandering from moral rectitude; perverse; dissolute.
wanton
Roscommon.

3.
Specifically: Deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous; lecherous.

Not with wanton looking of folly.
Chaucer.

[Thou art] froward by nature, enemy to peace,
Lascivious, wanton.
Shak.

4.
Reckless; heedless; as, wanton mischief.


word: Wanton₂
definition:
Wanton

Wan"ton
n.
1.
A roving, frolicsome thing; a trifler; -- used rarely as a term of endearment.

I am afeard you make a wanton of me.
Shak.

Peace, my wantons; he will do
More than you can aim unto.
B. Jonson.

2.
One brought up without restraint; a pampered pet.

Anything, sir,
That's dry and wholesome; I am no bred wanton.
Beau. & Fl.

3.
A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.


word: Wanton₃
definition:
Wanton

Wan"ton
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wantoned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wantoning.]

1.
To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic.

Nature here wantoned as in her prime.
Milton.

How merrily we would sally into the fields, and strip under the first warmth of the sun, and wanton like young dace in the streams!
Lamb.

2.
To sport in lewdness; to play the wanton; to play lasciviously.


word: Wantonly
definition:
Wantonly

Wan"ton*ly
adv.
1.
In a wanton manner; without regularity or restraint; loosely; sportively; gayly; playfully; recklessly; lasciviously.

2.
Unintentionally; accidentally.
[Obs.]
J. Dee.


word: Wantonness
definition:
Wantonness

Wan"ton*ness
n.
The quality or state of being wanton; negligence of restraint; sportiveness; recklessness; lasciviousness.
Gower.

The tumults threatened to abuse all acts of grace, and turn them into wantonness.
Eikon Basilike.

Young gentlemen would be as sad as night
Only for wantonness.
Shak.


word: Wantrust
definition:
Wantrust

Wan"trust`
(?)
n.
[Pref. wan- as in wanton + trust.]
Failing or diminishing trust; want of trust or confidence; distrust.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.


word: Wanty
definition:
Wanty

Wan"ty
(?)
n.
[For womb tie, that is, belly_;and.  See Womb, and Tie.]
A surcingle, or strap of leather, used for binding a load upon the back of a beast; also, a leather tie; a short wagon rope.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Wany₂
definition:
Wany

Wan"y
a.
1.
Waning or diminished in some parts; not of uniform size throughout; -- said especially of sawed boards or timber when tapering or uneven, from being cut too near the outside of the log.

2.
Spoiled by wet; -- said of timber.
Halliwell.


word: Wapatoo
definition:
Wapatoo

Wap"a*too`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
The edible tuber of a species of arrowhead (Sagittaria variabilis); -- so called by the Indians of Oregon.
[Written also wappato.]


word: Waped
definition:
Waped

Waped
(?)
a.
[Prov. E. wape pale, v., to stupefy, akin to wap to beat.  Cf. Whap, and Wappened.]
Cast down; crushed by misery; dejected.
[Obs.]


word: Wapentake
definition:
Wapentake

Wap"en*take
(?; 277)
n.
[AS. w_;penge_;_;c, w_;pentāc, from Icel. vāpnatāk, literally, a weapon taking or weapon touching, hence an expression of assent (“si displicuit sententia fremitu aspernantur; sin placuit frameas concutiunt.” Tacitus, “Germania,” xi.).  See Weapon, and Take. This name had its origin in a custom of touching lances or spears when the hundreder, or chief, entered on his office. “Cum quis accipiebat praefecturam wapentachii, die statuto in loco ubi consueverant congregari, omnes majores natu contra eum conveniebant, et descendente eo de equo suo, omnes assurgebant ei. Ipse vero, erecta lancea sua, ab omnibus secundum morem fœdus accipiebat; omnes enim quot-quot venissent cum lanceis suis ipsius hastam tangebant, et ita se confirmabant per contactum armorum, pace palam concessa. Waepnu enim arma sonat; tac, tactus est -- hac de causa totus ille conventus dicitur Wapentac, eo quod per tactum armorum suorum ad invicem confœderati sunt.” L L. Edward Confessor, 33.  D. Wilkins.]
In some northern counties of England, a division, or district, answering to the hundred in other counties. Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire are divided into wapentakes, instead of hundreds.
[Written also wapentac.]
Selden. Blackstone.


word: Wapinschaw
definition:
Wapinschaw

Wap"in*schaw
(?)
n.
[Scot.  See Weapon, and Show.]
An exhibition of arms. according to the rank of the individual, by all persons bearing arms; -- formerly made at certain seasons in each district.
[Scot.]
Jamieson. Sir W. Scott.


word: Wapiti
definition:
Wapiti

Wap"i*ti
(?)
n.
[Probably the Iroquois name. Bartlett.]
(Zool.)
The American elk (Cervus Canadensis). It is closely related to the European red deer, which it somewhat exceeds in size.

&hand_; By some writers it is thought to be a variety of the red deer, but it is considered a distinct species by others. It is noted for the large, branching antlers of the male.


word: Wapp
definition:
Wapp

Wapp
(?)
n.
[CF. Prov. E. wap to wrap up.]
(Naut.)
(a)
A fair-leader.
(b)
A rope with wall knots in it with which the shrouds are set taut.


word: Wappened
definition:
Wappened

Wap"pened
(?)
a.
[Cf. Waped, Wapper.]
A word of doubtful meaning used once by Shakespeare.

This [gold] is it

That makes the wappen'd widow wed again.

It is conjectured by some that it is an error for wappered, meaning tremulous or exhausted.


word: Wapper
definition:
Wapper

Wap"per
(?)
v. t. & i.
[freq. of wap, v.; cf. dial. G. wappern, wippern, to move up and down, to rock.]
To cause to shake; to tremble; to move tremulously, as from weakness; to totter.
[Obs.]


word: War₂
definition:
War

War
(?)
n.
[OE. & AS. werre; akin to OHG. werra scandal, quarrel, sedition, werran to confound, mix, D. warren, G. wirren, verwirren, to embroil, confound, disturb, and perhaps to E. worse; cf. OF. werre war, F. querre, of Teutonic origin.  Cf. Guerrilla, Warrior.]

1.
A contest between nations or states, carried on by force, whether for defence, for revenging insults and redressing wrongs, for the extension of commerce, for the acquisition of territory, for obtaining and establishing the superiority and dominion of one over the other, or for any other purpose; armed conflict of sovereign powers; declared and open hostilities.

Men will ever distinguish war from mere bloodshed.
F. W. Robertson.

&hand_; As war is the contest of nations or states, it always implies that such contest is authorized by the monarch or the sovereign power of the nation. A war begun by attacking another nation, is called an offensive war, and such attack is aggressive. War undertaken to repel invasion, or the attacks of an enemy, is called defensive.

2.
(Law)
A condition of belligerency to be maintained by physical force. In this sense, levying war against the sovereign authority is treason.

3.
Instruments of war.
[Poetic]

His complement of stores, and total war.
Prior.

4.
Forces; army.
[Poetic]

On their embattled ranks the waves return,
And overwhelm their war.
Milton.

5.
The profession of arms; the art of war.

Thou art but a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth.
1 Sam. xvii. 33.

6.
a state of opposition or contest; an act of opposition; an inimical contest, act, or action; enmity; hostility.
war
Milton.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart.
Ps. lv. 21.

Civil war, a war between different sections or parties of the same country or nation. -- Holy war. See under Holy. -- Man of war. (Naut.) See in the Vocabulary. -- Public war, a war between independent sovereign states. -- War cry, a cry or signal used in war; as, the Indian war cry. -- War dance, a dance among savages preliminary to going to war. Among the North American Indians, it is begun by some distinguished chief, and whoever joins in it thereby enlists as one of the party engaged in a warlike excursion. Schoolcraft. -- War field, a field of war or battle. -- War horse, a horse used in war; the horse of a cavalry soldier; especially, a strong, powerful, spirited horse for military service; a charger. -- War paint, paint put on the face and other parts of the body by savages, as a token of going to war.  “Wash the war paint from your faces.” Longfellow. -- War song, a song of or pertaining to war; especially, among the American Indians, a song at the war dance, full of incitements to military ardor. -- War whoop, a war cry, especially that uttered by the American Indians.


word: War₃
definition:
War

War
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Warred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Warring.]
1.
To make war; to invade or attack a state or nation with force of arms; to carry on hostilities; to be in a state by violence.

Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it.
Isa. vii. 1.

Why should I war without the walls of Troy?
Shak.

Our countrymen were warring on that day!
Byron.

2.
To contend; to strive violently; to fight.
war
1 Pet. ii. 11.


word: War₄
definition:
War

War
(?)
v. t.
1.
To make war upon; to fight.
[R.]

To war the Scot, and borders to defend.
Daniel.

2.
To carry on, as a contest; to wage.
[R.]

That thou . . . mightest war a good warfare.
Tim. i. 18.


word: Warble
definition:
Warble

War"ble
(?)
n.
[Cf. Wormil.]

1.
(Far.)
(a)
A small, hard tumor which is produced on the back of a horse by the heat or pressure of the saddle in traveling.
(b)
A small tumor produced by the larvae of the gadfly in the backs of horses, cattle, etc. Called also warblet, warbeetle, warnles.

2.
(Zool.)
See Wormil.


word: Warble₂
definition:
Warble

War"ble
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warbled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Warbling (?).]
[OE. werbelen, OF. werbler; of Teutonic origin; cf. G. wirbeln to turn, to warble, D. wervelen, akin to E. whirl.  See Whirl.]

1.
To sing in a trilling, quavering, or vibratory manner; to modulate with turns or variations; to trill; as, certain birds are remarkable for warbling their songs.

2.
To utter musically; to modulate; to carol.

If she be right invoked in warbled song.
Milton.

Warbling sweet the nuptial lay.
Trumbull.

3.
To cause to quaver or vibrate.
warbled
Milton.


word: Warble₃
definition:
Warble

War"ble
v. i.
1.
To be quavered or modulated; to be uttered melodiously.

Such strains ne'er warble in the linnet's throat.
Gay.

3.
To sing in a trilling manner, or with many turns and variations.
warbling
Milton.

3.
To sing with sudden changes from chest to head tones; to yodel.


word: Warble₄
definition:
Warble

War"ble
n.
A quavering modulation of the voice; a musical trill; a song.

And he, the wondrous child,
Whose silver warble wild
Outvalued every pulsing sound.
Emerson.


word: Warbler
definition:
Warbler

War"bler
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, warbles; a singer; a songster; -- applied chiefly to birds.

In lulling strains the feathered warblers woo.
Tickell.

2.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of small Old World singing birds belonging to the family Sylviidae, many of which are noted songsters. The bluethroat, blackcap, reed warbler (see under Reed), and sedge warbler (see under Sedge) are well-known species.

3.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of small, often bright colored, American singing birds of the family or subfamily Mniotiltidae, or Sylvicolinae. They are allied to the Old World warblers, but most of them are not particularly musical.

&hand_; The American warblers are often divided, according to their habits, into bush warblers, creeping warblers, fly-catching warblers, ground warblers, wood warblers, wormeating warblers, etc.

Bush warbler (Zool.) any American warbler of the genus Opornis, as the Connecticut warbler (Opornis agilis). -- Creeping warbler (Zool.), any one of several species of very small American warblers belonging to Parula, Mniotilta, and allied genera, as the blue yellow-backed warbler (Parula Americana), and the black-and-white creeper (Mniotilta varia). -- Fly-catching warbler (Zool.), any one of several species of warblers belonging to Setophaga, Sylvania, and allied genera having the bill hooked and notched at the tip, with strong rictal bristles at the base, as the hooded warbler (Sylvania mitrata), the black-capped warbler (Sylvania pusilla), the Canadian warbler (Sylvania Canadensis), and the American redstart (see Redstart). -- Ground warbler (Zool.), any American warbler of the genus Geothlypis, as the mourning ground warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia), and the Maryland yellowthroat (see Yellowthroat). -- Wood warbler (Zool.), any one of numerous American warblers of the genus Dendroica. Among the most common wood warblers in the Eastern States are the yellowbird, or yellow warbler (see under Yellow), the black-throated green warbler (Dendroica virens), the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata), the blackpoll (Dendroica striata), the bay-breasted warbler (Dendroica castanea), the chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica Pennsylvanica), the Cape May warbler (Dendroica tigrina), the prairie warbler (see under Prairie), and the pine warbler (Dendroica pinus).  See also Magnolia warbler, under Magnolia, and Blackburnian warbler.


word: Warburg's tincture
definition:
Warburg's tincture

War"burg's tinc"ture
(?)
(Pharm.)
A preparation containing quinine and many other ingredients, often used in the treatment of malarial affections. It was invented by Dr. Warburg of London.


word: -wards
definition:
-wards

-ward

{ -ward (wẽrd), -wards (wẽrdz) }
[AS. -weard, -weardes; akin to OS. & OFries. -ward. OHG. -wert, G. -wärts, Icel. -verðr, Goth. -vaírþs, L. vertere to turn, versus toward, and E. worth to become. √143.  See Worth. v. i., and cf. Verse. Adverbs ending in -wards (AS. -weardes) and some other adverbs, such as besides, betimes, since (OE. sithens). etc., were originally genitive forms used adverbially.]
Suffixes denoting course or direction to; motion or tendency toward; as in backward, or backwards; toward, or towards, etc.


word: Ward
definition:
Ward

Ward
(?)
n.
[AS. weard, fem., guard, weard, masc., keeper, guard; akin to OS. ward a watcher, warden, G. wart, OHG. wart, Icel. vörðr a warden, a watch, Goth. -wards in daúrawards a doorkeeper, and E. wary; cf. OF. warde guard, from the German.  See Ware, a., Wary, and cf. Guard, Wraith.]
1.
The act of guarding; watch; guard; guardianship; specifically, a guarding during the day.  See the Note under Watch, n., 1.

Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward.
Spenser.

2.
One who, or that which, guards; garrison; defender; protector; means of guarding; defense; protection.

For the best ward of mine honor.
Shak.

The assieged castle's ward
Their steadfast stands did mightily maintain.
Spenser.

For want of other ward,
He lifted up his hand, his front to guard.
Dryden.

3.
The state of being under guard or guardianship; confinement under guard; the condition of a child under a guardian; custody.

And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard.
Gen. xl. 3.

I must attend his majesty's command, to whom I am now in ward.
Shak.

It is also inconvenient, in Ireland, that the wards and marriages of gentlemen's children should be in the disposal of any of those lords.
Spenser.

4.
A guarding or defensive motion or position, as in fencing; guard.
ward
Shak.

5.
One who, or that which, is guarded.

Throughout the trembling city placed a guard,
Dealing an equal share to every ward.
Dryden.

6.
(a)
A projecting ridge of metal in the interior of a lock, to prevent the use of any key which has not a corresponding notch for passing it.
(b)
A notch or slit in a key corresponding to a ridge in the lock which it fits; a ward notch.
Knight.

The lock is made . . . more secure by attaching wards to the front, as well as to the back, plate of the lock, in which case the key must be furnished with corresponding notches.
Tomlinson.

Ward penny (O. Eng. Law),  money paid to the sheriff or castellan for watching and warding a castle. -- Ward staff, a constable's or watchman's staff. [Obs.]


word: Ward₂
definition:
Ward

Ward
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warded; p. pr. & vb. n. Warding.]
[OE. wardien, AS. weardian to keep, protect; akin to OS. ward_;n to watch, take care, OFries. wardia, OHG. wart_;n, G. warten to wait, wait on, attend to, Icel. var_;a to guarantee defend, Sw. vårda to guard, to watch; cf. OF. warder, of German origin.  See Ward, n., and cf. Award, Guard, Reward.]

1.
To keep in safety; to watch; to guard; formerly, in a specific sense, to guard during the day time.

Whose gates he found fast shut, no living wight
To ward the same.
Spenser.

2.
To defend; to protect.

Tell him it was a hand that warded him
From thousand dangers.
Shak.

3.
To defend by walls, fortifications, etc.
[Obs.]

4.
To fend off; to repel; to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches; -- usually followed by off.

Now wards a felling blow, now strikes again.
Daniel.

The pointed javelin warded off his rage.
Addison.

It instructs the scholar in the various methods of warding off the force of objections.
I. Watts.


word: Ward₃
definition:
Ward

Ward
v. i.
1.
To be vigilant; to keep guard.

2.
To act on the defensive with a weapon.

She redoubling her blows drove the stranger to no other shift than to ward and go back.
Sir P. Sidney.


word: Ward-corn
definition:
Ward-corn

Ward"-corn`
(?)
n.
[Ward + F. corne horn, L. cornu.]
(O. Eng. Law)
The duty of keeping watch and ward (see the Note under Watch, n., 1) with a horn to be blown upon any occasion of surprise.
Burrill.


word: Wardcorps
definition:
Wardcorps

Ward"corps`
(?)
n.
[Wars + corps.]
Guardian; one set to watch over another.
[Obs.]
wardcorps
Chaucer.


word: Warden
definition:
Warden

Ward"en
(?)
n.
[OE. wardein, OF. wardein, gardein, gardain, F. gardien.  See Guardian, and Ward guard.]

1.
A keeper; a guardian; a watchman.

He called to the warden on the . . . battlements.
Sir. W. Scott.

2.
An officer who keeps or guards; a keeper; as, the warden of a prison.

3.
A head official; as, the warden of a college; specifically (Eccl.), a churchwarden.

4.
[Properly, a keeping pear.]
A large, hard pear, chiefly used for baking and roasting.
[Obs.]

I would have had him roasted like a warden.
Beau. & Fl.

Warden pie, a pie made of warden pears. [Obs.] Shak.


word: Warder
definition:
Warder

Ward"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who wards or keeps; a keeper; a guard.
warders
Dryden.

2.
A truncheon or staff carried by a king or a commander in chief, and used in signaling his will.

When, lo! the king suddenly changed his mind,
Casts down his warder to arrest them there.
Daniel.

Wafting his warder thrice about his head,
He cast it up with his auspicious hand,
Which was the signal, through the English spread,
This they should charge.
Drayton.


word: Wardian
definition:
Wardian

Ward"i*an
(?)
a.
Designating, or pertaining to, a kind of glass inclosure for keeping ferns, mosses, etc., or for transporting growing plants from a distance; as, a Wardian case of plants; -- so named from the inventor, Nathaniel B. Ward, an Englishman.


word: Wardmote
definition:
Wardmote

Ward"mote`
(?)
n.
Anciently, a meeting of the inhabitants of a ward; also, a court formerly held in each ward of London for trying defaults in matters relating to the watch, police, and the like.
Brande & C.
wardmotes
Piers Plowman.


word: Wardrobe
definition:
Wardrobe

Ward"robe`
(?)
n.
[OE. warderobe, OF. warderobe, F. garderobe; of German origin.  See Ward, v. t., and Robe.]

1.
A room or apartment where clothes are kept, or wearing apparel is stored; a portable closet for hanging up clothes.

2.
Wearing apparel, in general; articles of dress or personal decoration.

Flowers that their gay wardrobe wear.
Milton.

With a pair of saddlebags containing his wardrobe.
T. Hughes.

3.
A privy.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.


word: Wardroom
definition:
Wardroom

Ward"room`
(?)
n.
1.
(Naut.)
A room occupied as a messroom by the commissioned officers of a war vessel.  See Gunroom.
Totten.

2.
A room used by the citizens of a city ward, for meetings, political caucuses, elections, etc.
[U. S.]


word: Wardship
definition:
Wardship

Ward"ship
(?)
n.
1.
The office of a ward or keeper; care and protection of a ward; guardianship; right of guardianship.

Wardship is incident to tenure in socage.
Blackstone.

2.
The state of begin under a guardian; pupilage.

It was the wisest act . . . in my wardship.
B. Jonson.


word: Ware₃
definition:
Ware

Ware
n.
[AS. wār.]
(Bot.)
Seaweed.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Ware goose (Zool.), the brant; -- so called because it feeds on ware, or seaweed. [Prov. Eng.]


word: Ware₄
definition:
Ware

Ware
n.
[OE. ware, AS. waru; akin to D. waar, G. waare, Icel. & Sw. vara, Dan. vare; and probably to E. worth, a.  See Worth, a.]
Articles of merchandise; the sum of articles of a particular kind or class; style or class of manufactures; especially, in the plural, goods; commodities; merchandise.
wares
Shak.
ware
Chaucer.

It the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the Sabbath, or on the holy day.
Neh. x. 31.

&hand_; Although originally and properly a collective noun, it admits of a plural form, when articles of merchandise of different kinds are meant. It is often used in composition; as in hardware, glassware, tinware, etc.


word: Ware₅
definition:
Ware

Ware
a.
[OE. war, AS. wær. √142.  See Wary.]
A ware; taking notice; hence, wary; cautious; on one's guard.  See Beware.
[Obs.]

She was ware and knew it bet [better] than he.
Chaucer.

Of whom be thou ware also.
2. Tim. iv. 15.

He is ware enough; he is wily and circumspect for stirring up any sedition.
Latimer.

The only good that grows of passed fear
Is to be wise, and ware of like again.
Spenser.


word: Ware₇
definition:
Ware

Ware
v. t.
[As. warian.]
To make ware; to warn; to take heed of; to beware of; to guard against.
Ware
Chaucer.

God . . . ware you for the sin of avarice.
Chaucer.

Then ware a rising tempest on the main.
Dryden.


word: Warega fly
definition:
Warega fly

Wa*re"ga fly`
(?)
(Zool.)
A Brazilian fly whose larvae live in the skin of man and animals, producing painful sores.


word: Warehouse₂
definition:
Warehouse

Ware"house`
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warehoused (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Warehousing.]

1.
To deposit or secure in a warehouse.

2.
To place in the warehouse of the government or customhouse stores, to be kept until duties are paid.


word: Warehouseman
definition:
Warehouseman

Ware"house`man
(?)
n.
pl. Warehousemen (_;).
1.
One who keeps a warehouse; the owner or keeper of a dock warehouse or wharf store.

2.
One who keeps a wholesale shop or store for Manchester or woolen goods.
[Eng.]

Warehouseman's itch (Med.), a form of eczema occurring on the back of the hands of warehousemen.


word: Warehousing
definition:
Warehousing

Ware"hous`ing
(?)
n.
The act of placing goods in a warehouse, or in a customhouse store.

Warehousing system, an arrangement for lodging imported articles in the customhouse stores, without payment of duties until they are taken out for home consumption. If reexported, they are not charged with a duty.  See Bonded warehouse, under Bonded, a.


word: Wareless
definition:
Wareless

Ware"less
(?)
a.
[See Ware, n.]
Unwary; incautious; unheeding; careless; unaware.
[Obs.]

And wareless of the evil
That by themselves unto themselves is wrought.
Spenser.


word: Warely
definition:
Warely

Ware"ly
adv.
Cautiously; warily.
[Obs.]

They bound him hand and foot with iron chains,
And with continual watch did warely keep.
Spenser.


word: Warfare
definition:
Warfare

War"fare`
(?)
n.
[War + OE. fare a journey, a passage, course, AS. faru. See Fare, n.]

1.
Military service; military life; contest carried on by enemies; hostilities; war.

The Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel.
I Sam. xxviii. 1.

This day from battle rest;
Faithful hath been your warfare.
Milton.

2.
Contest; struggle.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
2 Cor. x. 4.


word: Wariangle
definition:
Wariangle

War`i*an"gle
(?)
n.
[OE. wariangel, weryangle; cf. AS. wearg outlaw, criminal, OHG, warg, warch, Goth. wargs (in comp.), G. würgengel, i. e., destroying angel, destroyer, killer, and E. worry.]
(Zool.)
The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio); -- called also würger, worrier, and throttler.
[Written also warriangle, weirangle, etc.]
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]


word: Wariness
definition:
Wariness

Wa"ri*ness
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being wary; care to foresee and guard against evil; cautiousness.
wariness
G. W. Cable.

To determine what are little things in religion, great wariness is to be used.
Sprat.


word: Warish
definition:
Warish

War"ish
(?)
v. t.
[OF. warir to protect, heal, cure, F. guéri_; to cure; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. werian, weren, to protect, to hinder.  See Garret.]
To protect from the effects of; hence, to cure; to heal.
[Obs.]

My brother shall be warished hastily.
Chaucer.

Varro testifies that even at this day there be some who warish and cure the stinging of serpents with their spittle.
Holland.


word: Warish₂
definition:
Warish

War"ish
v. i.
To be cured; to recover.
[Obs.]

Your daughter . . . shall warish and escape.
Chaucer.


word: Warison
definition:
Warison

War"i*son
(?)
n.
[OF. warison safety, supplies, cure, F. guérison cure.  See Warish, v. t.]

1.
Preparation; protection; provision; supply.
[Obs.]

2.
Reward; requital; guerdon.
[Obs. or Scot.]

Wit and wisdom is good warysoun.
Proverbs of Hending.


word: Warlike
definition:
Warlike

War"like`
(?)
a.
1.
Fit for war; disposed for war; as, a warlike state; a warlike disposition.

Old Siward, with ten thousand warlike men.
Shak.

2.
Belonging or relating to war; military; martial.

The great archangel from his warlike toil Surceased.
Milton.


word: Warling
definition:
Warling

War"ling
(?)
n.
One often quarreled with; -- _; word coined, perhaps, to rhyme with darling.
[Obs.]

Better be an old man's darling than a young man's warling.
Camde_;.


word: Warlock
definition:
Warlock

War"lock
(?)
n.
[OE. warloghe a deceiver, a name or the Devil, AS. w_;rloga a belier or breaker of his agreement, word, or pledge; w_;r covenant, troth (aki_; to L. verus true; see Very) + loga a liar (in comp.), leógan to lie.  See 3d Lie.]
A male witch; a wizard; a sprite; an imp.
[Written also warluck.]
Dryden.

It was Eyvind Kallda's crew
Of warlocks blue,
With their caps of darkness hooded!
Longfellow.


word: Warlock₂
definition:
Warlock

War"lock
a.
Of or pertaining to a warlock or warlock; impish.
[R.]

Thou shalt win the warlock fight.
J. R. Drak_;.


word: Warm
definition:
Warm

Warm
(?)
a.
[Compar. Warmer; superl. Warmest.]
[AS. wearm; akin to OS., OFries., D., & G. warm, Icel. varmr, Sw. & Dan. varm, Goth. warmjan to warm; probably akin to Lith. virti to cook, boil; or perhaps to Skr. gharma heat, OL. formus warm. _;_;_;, _;_;_;.]

1.
Having heat in a moderate degree; not cold as, warm milk.
warm
Shak.

Warm and still is the summer night.
Longfellow.

2.
Having a sensation of heat, esp. of gentle heat; glowing.

3.
Subject to heat; having prevalence of heat, or little or no cold weather; as, the warm climate of Egypt.

4.
Fig.: Not cool, indifferent, lukewarm, or the like, in spirit or temper; zealous; ardent; fervent; excited; sprightly; irritable; excitable.

Mirth, and youth, and warm desire!
Milton.

Each warm wish springs mutual from the heart.
Pope.

They say he's warm man and does not care to be mad_; mouths at.
Addison.

I had been none of the warmest of partisans.
Hawthor_;_;.

5.
Violent; vehement; furious; excited; passionate; as, a warm contest; a warm debate.

Welcome, daylight; we shall have warm work on't.
Dryden.

6.
Being well off as to property, or in good circumstances; forehanded; rich.
[Colloq.]

Warm householders, every one of them.
W. Irving.

You shall have a draft upon him, payable at sight: and let me tell you he as warm a man as any within five miles round him.
Goldsmith.

7.
In children's games, being near the object sought for; hence, being close to the discovery of some person, thing, or fact concealed.
[Colloq.]

Here, indeed, young Mr. Dowse was getting “warm,” _;_; children say at blindman's buff.
Black.

8.
(Paint.)
Having yellow or red for a basis, or in their composition; -- said of colors, and opposed to cold which is of blue and its compounds.


word: Warm₂
definition:
Warm

Warm
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warmed (_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Warming.]
[AS. wearmian.  See Warm, a.]

1.
To communicate a moderate degree of heat to; to render warm; to supply or furnish heat to; as, a stove warms an apartment.

Then shall it [an ash tree] be for a man to burn; for he will take thereof and warm himself.
Isa. xliv 15

Enough to warm, but not enough to burn.
Longfellow.

2.
To make engaged or earnest; to interest; to engage; to excite ardor or zeal; to enliven.

I formerly warmed my head with reading controversial writings.
Pope.

Bright hopes, that erst bosom warmed.
Keble.


word: Warm₃
definition:
Warm

Warm
(?)
v. i.
[AS. wearmian.]

1.
To become warm, or moderately heated; as, the earth soon warms in a clear day summer.

There shall not be a coal to warm at.
Isa. xlvii. 14.

2.
To become ardent or animated; as, the speake_; warms as he proceeds.


word: Warm₄
definition:
Warm

Warm
n.
The act of warming, or the state of being warmed; a warming; a heating.
[Colloq.]
Dickens.


word: Warm-blooded
definition:
Warm-blooded

Warm"-blood`ed
(?)
a.
(Physiol.)
Having warm blood; -- applied especially to those animals, as birds and mammals, which have warm blood, or, more properly, the power of maintaining a nearly uniform temperature whatever the temperature of the surrounding air.  See Homoiothermal.


word: Warmful
definition:
Warmful

Warm"ful
(?)
a.
Abounding in capacity to warm; giving warmth; as, a warmful garment.
[R.]
Chapman.


word: Warm-hearted
definition:
Warm-hearted

Warm"-heart`ed
(?)
a.
Having strong affection; cordial; sincere; hearty; sympathetic.
Warm"-heart`ed*ness, n.


word: Warming
definition:
Warming

Warm"ing
a. & n. from Warm, v.

Warming pan, a long-handled covered pan into which live coals are put, -- used for warming beds. Shak.


word: Warmouth
definition:
Warmouth

War"mouth
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An American freshwater bream, or sunfish (Chaenobryttus gulosus); -- called also red-eyed bream.


word: Warmth
definition:
Warmth

Warmth
(?)
n.
1.
The quality or state of being warm; gentle heat; as, the warmth of the sun; the warmth of the blood; vital warmth.

Here kindly warmth their mounting juice ferments.
Addison.

2.
A state of lively and excited interest; zeal; ardor; fervor; passion; enthusiasm; earnestness; as, the warmth of love or piety; he replied with much warmth.
Spiritual warmth
Jer. Taylor.

That warmth . . . which agrees with Christian zeal.
Sprat.

3.
(Paint.)
The glowing effect which arises from the use of warm colors; hence, any similar appearance or effect in a painting, or work of color.


word: Warn
definition:
Warn

Warn
(w&asuml_;rn)
v. t.
[OE. wernen, AS. weornan, wyrnan.  Cf. Warn to admonish.]
To refuse.
[Written also wern, worn.]
[Obs.]
Chaucer.


word: Warn₂
definition:
Warn

Warn
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Warning.]
[OE. warnen, warnien, AS. warnian, wearnian, to take heed, to warn; akin to AS. wearn denial, refusal, OS. warning, wernian, to refuse, OHG. warnen, G. warnen to warn, OFries. warna, werna, Icel. varna to refuse; and probably to E. wary. _;_;_;_;.]

1.
To make ware or aware; to give previous information to; to give notice to; to notify; to admonish; hence, to notify or summon by authority; as, to warn a town meeting; to warn a tenant to quit a house.
Warned
Dryden.

Cornelius the centurion . . . was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee.
Acts x. 22.

Who is it that hath warned us to the walls?
Shak.

2.
To give notice to, of approaching or probable danger or evil; to caution against anything that may prove injurious.
warns
Dryden.

3.
To ward off.
[Obs.]
Spenser.


word: Warning
definition:
Warning

Warn"ing
a.
Giving previous notice; cautioning; admonishing; as, a warning voice.

That warning timepiece never ceased.
Longfellow.

Warning piece, Warning wheel (Horol.), a piece or wheel which produces a sound shortly before the clock strikes.


word: Warning₂
definition:
Warning

Warn"ing
n.
1.
Previous notice.
warning
Dryden.

A great journey to take upon so short a warning.
L'Estrange.

2.
Caution against danger, or against faults or evil practices which incur danger; admonition; monition.

Could warning make the world more just or wise.
Dryden.


word: Warnstore
definition:
Warnstore

Warn"store
(?)
v. t.
[Cf. OF. warnesture, garnesture, provisions, supplies, and E. garnish.]
To furnish.
[Obs.]
warnstore
Chaucer.


word: Warp
definition:
Warp

Warp
(w&asuml_;rp)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warped (w&asuml_;rpt); p. pr. & vb. n. Warping.]
[OE. warpen; fr. Icel. varpa to throw, cast, varp a casting, fr. verpa to throw; akin to Dan. varpe to warp a ship, Sw. varpa, AS. weorpan to cast, OS. werpan, OFries. werpa, D. & LG. werpen, G. werfen, Goth. waírpan; cf. Skr. v&rsdot_;j to twist. √144.  Cf. Wrap.]

1.
To throw; hence, to send forth, or throw out, as words; to utter.
[Obs.]
Piers Plowman.

2.
To turn or twist out of shape; esp., to twist or bend out of a flat plane by contraction or otherwise.

The planks looked warped.
Coleridge.

Walter warped his mouth at this
To something so mock solemn, that I laughed.
Tennyson.

3.
To turn aside from the true direction; to cause to bend or incline; to pervert.

This first avowed, nor folly warped my mind.
Dryden.

I have no private considerations to warp me in this controversy.
Addison.

We are divested of all those passions which cloud the intellects, and warp the understandings, of men.
Southey.

4.
To weave; to fabricate.
[R. & Poetic.]
Nares.

While doth he mischief warp.
Sternhold.

5.
(Naut.)
To tow or move, as a vessel, with a line, or warp, attached to a buoy, anchor, or other fixed object.

6.
To cast prematurely, as young; -- said of cattle, sheep, etc.
[Prov. Eng.]

7.
(Agric.)
To let the tide or other water in upon (lowlying land), for the purpose of fertilization, by a deposit of warp, or slimy substance.
[Prov. Eng.]

8.
(Rope Making)
To run off the reel into hauls to be tarred, as yarns.

9.
(Weaving)
To arrange (yarns) on a warp beam.

10.
(Aeronautics)
To twist the end surfaces of (an aerocurve in an airfoil) in order to restore or maintain equilibrium.

Warped surface (Geom.), a surface generated by a straight line moving so that no two of its consecutive positions shall be in the same plane. Davies & Peck.


word: Warp₂
definition:
Warp

Warp
(?)
v. i.
1.
To turn, twist, or be twisted out of shape; esp., to be twisted or bent out of a flat plane; as, a board warps in seasoning or shrinking.

One of you will prove a shrunk panel, and, like green timber, warp, warp.
Shak.

They clamp one piece of wood to the end of another, to keep it from casting, or warping.
Moxon.

2.
to turn or incline from a straight, true, or proper course; to deviate; to swerve.

There is our commission,
From which we would not have you warp.
Shak.

3.
To fly with a bending or waving motion; to turn and wave, like a flock of birds or insects.

A pitchy cloud
Of locusts, warping on the eastern wind.
Milton.

4.
To cast the young prematurely; to slink; -- said of cattle, sheep, etc.
[Prov. Eng.]

5.
(Weaving)
To wind yarn off bobbins for forming the warp of a web; to wind a warp on a warp beam.


word: Warp₃
definition:
Warp

Warp
n.
[AS. wearp; akin to Icel. varp a casting, throwing, Sw. varp the draught of a net, Dan. varp a towline, OHG. warf warp, G. werft.  See Warp, v.]

1.
(Weaving)
The threads which are extended lengthwise in the loom, and crossed by the woof.

2.
(Naut.)
A rope used in hauling or moving a vessel, usually with one end attached to an anchor, a post, or other fixed object; a towing line; a warping hawser.

3.
(Agric.)
A slimy substance deposited on land by tides, etc., by which a rich alluvial soil is formed.
Lyell.

4.
A premature casting of young; -- said of cattle, sheep, etc.
[Prov. Eng.]

5.
Four; esp., four herrings; a cast.  See Cast, n., 17.
[Prov. Eng.]
Wright.

6.
[From Warp, v.]
The state of being warped or twisted; as, the warp of a board.

Warp beam, the roller on which the warp is wound in a loom. -- Warp fabric, fabric produced by warp knitting. -- Warp frame, or Warp-net frame, a machine for making warp lace having a number of needles and employing a thread for each needle. -- Warp knitting, a kind of knitting in which a number of threads are interchained each with one or more contiguous threads on either side; -- also called warp weaving. -- Warp lace, or Warp net, lace having a warp crossed by weft threads.


word: Warpage
definition:
Warpage

Warp"age
(?)
n.
The act of warping; also, a charge per ton made on shipping in some harbors.


word: Warpath
definition:
Warpath

War"path`
(?)
n.
The route taken by a party of Indians going on a warlike expedition.
Schoolcraft.

On the warpath, on a hostile expedition; hence, colloquially, about to attack a person or measure.


word: Warper
definition:
Warper

Warp"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who, or that which, warps or twists out of shape.

2.
One who, or that which, forms yarn or thread into warps or webs for the loom.


word: Warping
definition:
Warping

Warp"ing
n.
1.
The act or process of one who, or that which, warps.

2.
The art or occupation of preparing warp or webs for the weaver.
Craig.

Warping bank, a bank of earth raised round a field to retain water let in for the purpose of enriching land. Craig. -- Warping hook, a hook used by rope makers for hanging the yarn on, when warping it into hauls for tarring. -- Warping mill, a machine for warping yarn. -- Warping penny, money, varying according to the length of the thread, paid to the weaver by the spinner on laying the warp. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. -- Warping post, a strong post used in warping rope-yarn.


word: Warp knitting
definition:
Warp knitting

Warp knitting
A kind of knitting in which a number of threads are interchained each with one or more contiguous threads on either side.


word: Warp speed
definition:
Warp speed

Warp speed
[From science fiction tales of spaceship drives operating by warping the shape of space or of time.]
literally, a speed faster than the speed of light; fig., an extremely high speed, usually the fastest possible; -- used only in the figurative sense except in fiction.


word: Warrandice
definition:
Warrandice

War"ran*dice
(?)
n.
[See Warrantise.]
(Scots Law)
The obligation by which a person, conveying a subject or a right, is bound to uphold that subject or right against every claim, challenge, or burden arising from circumstances prior to the conveyance; warranty.
[Written also warrandise.]
Craig.


word: Warrant
definition:
Warrant

War"rant
(?)
n.
[OE. warant, OF. warant a warrant, a defender, protector, F. garant, originally a p. pr. of German origin, fr. OHG. werēn to grant, warrant, G. gewähren; akin to OFries. wera.  Cf. Guarantee.]

1.
That which warrants or authorizes; a commission giving authority, or justifying the doing of anything; an act, instrument, or obligation, by which one person authorizes another to do something which he has not otherwise a right to do; an act or instrument investing one with a right or authority, and thus securing him from loss or damage; commission; authority.

2.
That which vouches or insures for anything; guaranty; security.

I give thee warrant of thy place.
Shak.

His worth is warrant for his welcome hither.
Shak.

3.
That which attests or proves; a voucher.

4.
Right; legality; allowance.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Bench warrant. (Law) See in the Vocabulary. -- Dock warrant (Com.), a customhouse license or authority. -- General warrant. (Law) See under General. -- Land warrant. See under Land. -- Search warrant. (Law) See under Search, n. -- Warrant of attorney (Law), written authority given by one person to another empowering him to transact business for him; specifically, written authority given by a client to his attorney to appear for him in court, and to suffer judgment to pass against him by confession in favor of some specified person. Bouvier. -- Warrant officer, a noncommissioned officer, as a sergeant, corporal, bandmaster, etc., in the army, or a quartermaster, gunner, boatswain, etc., in the navy. -- Warrant to sue and defend. (a) (O. Eng. Law) A special warrant from the crown, authorizing a party to appoint an attorney to sue or defend for him. (b) A special authority given by a party to his attorney to commence a suit, or to appear and defend a suit in his behalf. This warrant is now disused. Burrill.


word: Warrant₂
definition:
Warrant

War"rant
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Warranted; p. pr. & vb. n. Warranting.]
[OE. waranten, OF. warantir, garantir, guarantir, garentir, garandir, F.  garantir to warrant, fr. OF. warant, garant, guarant, a warrant, a protector, a defender, F. garant. √142.  See Warrant, n.]

1.
To make secure; to give assurance against harm; to guarantee safety to; to give authority or power to do, or forbear to do, anything by which the person authorized is secured, or saved harmless, from any loss or damage by his action.

That show I first my body to warrant.
Chaucer.

I'll warrant him from drowning.
Shak.

In a place
Less warranted than this, or less secure,
I can not be.
Milton.

2.
To support by authority or proof; to justify; to maintain; to sanction; as, reason warrants it.

True fortitude is seen in great exploits,
That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides.
Addison.

How little while it is since he went forth out of his study, -- chewing a Hebrew text of Scripture in his mouth, I warrant.
Hawthorne.

3.
To give a warrant or warranty to; to assure as if by giving a warrant to.

[My neck is] as smooth as silk, I warrant ye.
L' Estrange.

4.
(Law)
(a)
To secure to, as a grantee, an estate granted; to assure.
(b)
To secure to, as a purchaser of goods, the title to the same; to indemnify against loss.
(c)
To secure to, as a purchaser, the quality or quantity of the goods sold, as represented.  See Warranty, n., 2.
(d)
To assure, as a thing sold, to the purchaser; that is, to engage that the thing is what it appears, or is represented, to be, which implies a covenant to make good any defect or loss incurred by it.


word: Warrantable
definition:
Warrantable

War"rant*a*ble
(?)
a.
Authorized by commission, precept, or right; justifiable; defensible; as, the seizure of a thief is always warrantable by law and justice; falsehood is never warrantable.

His meals are coarse and short, his employment warrantable, his sleep certain and refreshing.
South.


word: Warranter
definition:
Warranter

War"rant*er
(?)
n.
1.
One who warrants, gives authority, or legally empowers.

2.
(Law)
One who assures, or covenants to assure; one who contracts to secure another in a right, or to make good any defect of title or quality; one who gives a warranty; a guarantor; as, the warranter of a horse.


word: Warrantise
definition:
Warrantise

War"rant*ise
(?)
n.
[OF. warentise, warandise, garantise.  See Warrant, n.]
Authority; security; warranty.
[Obs.]
Shak.


word: Warranty
definition:
Warranty

War"rant*y
(?)
n.
pl. Warranties (#).
[OF. warantie, F. garantie.  See Warrant, n., and cf. Guaranty.]

1.
(Anc. Law)
A covenant real, whereby the grantor of an estate of freehold and his heirs were bound to warrant and defend the title, and, in case of eviction by title paramount, to yield other lands of equal value in recompense. This warranty has long singe become obsolete, and its place supplied by personal covenants for title. Among these is the covenant of warranty, which runs with the land, and is in the nature of a real covenant.
Kent.

2.
(Modern Law)
An engagement or undertaking, express or implied, that a certain fact regarding the subject of a contract is, or shall be, as it is expressly or impliedly declared or promised to be. In sales of goods by persons in possession, there is an implied warranty of title, but, as to the quality of goods, the rule of every sale is, Caveat emptor.
Chitty. Bouvier.

3.
(Insurance Law)
A stipulation or engagement by a party insured, that certain things, relating to the subject of insurance, or affecting the risk, exist, or shall exist, or have been done, or shall be done. These warranties, when express, should appear in the policy; but there are certain implied warranties.
Bouvier.

4.
Justificatory mandate or precept; authority; warrant.
[R.]
Shak.

If they disobey precept, that is no excuse to us, nor gives us any warranty . . . to disobey likewise.
Kettlewe_;_;.

5.
Security; warrant; guaranty.

The stamp was a warranty of the public.
Locke.


word: Warray
definition:
Warray

War"ray
(?)
v. t.
[OF. werreier, werrier, guerroier, F. guerroyer, from OF. werre war, F. guerre; of German origin.  See War.]
To make war upon. [Obs.] Fairfax.
warrayeth
Chaucer.


word: Warre
definition:
Warre

Warre
(?)
a.
[OE. werre; of Scand. origin.  See Worse.]
Worse.
[Obs.]

They say the world is much warre than it wont.
Spenser.


word: Warren
definition:
Warren

War"ren
(w&obreve_;r"rĕn)
n.
[OF. waresne, warenne, garene, F. garenne, from OF. warer, garer, to beware, to take care; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. war&omacrn (in comp.), OS. war&omacrn to take care, to observe, akin to E. wary. √142.  See Wary.]

1.
(Eng Law)
(a)
A place privileged, by prescription or grant the king, for keeping certain animals (as hares, conies, partridges, pheasants, etc.) called beasts and fowls of warren.
Burrill.
(b)
A privilege which one has in his lands, by royal grant or prescription, of hunting and taking wild beasts and birds of warren, to the exclusion of any other person not entering by his permission.
Spelman.

They wend both warren and in waste.
Piers Plowman.

&hand_; The warren is the next franchise in degree to the park; and a forest, which is the highest in dignity, comprehends a chase, a park, and a free warren.

2.
A piece of ground for the breeding of rabbits.

3.
A place for keeping flash, in a river.


word: Warrin
definition:
Warrin

War"rin
(?)
n.
[From a native name.]
(Zool.)
An Australian lorikeet (Trichoglossus multicolor) remarkable for the variety and brilliancy of its colors; -- called also blue-bellied lorikeet, and blue-bellied parrot.


word: Warrior
definition:
Warrior

War"rior
(?; 277)
n.
[OE. werreour, OF. werreour, guerreor, from guerre, werre, war.  See War, and Warray.]
A man engaged or experienced in war, or in the military life; a soldier; a champion.

Warriors old with ordered spear and shield.
Milton.

Warrior ant (Zool.), a reddish ant (Formica sanguinea) native of Europe and America. It is one of the species which move in armies to capture and enslave other ants.


word: War room
definition:
War room

War" room`
1.
a room in a military headquarters to which the current status of military operations is reported from the field, and the situation is evaluated, as by use of maps showing the locations of all relevant military units, both friendly and hostile.  The room may also be used to plan tactics or strategy.

2.
A room at the center of operations of an organization, such as a large business enterprise, where the status of operations may be discussed, or plans made, and often containing special equipment, such as charts, maps, or computers, to assist such functions.


word: War story
definition:
War story

War story
A recounting of a memorable personal experience, especially one involving challenge, hardship, danger, or other interesting features.


word: Warsaw
definition:
Warsaw

War"saw
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
(a)
The black grouper (Epinephelus nigritus) of the southern coasts of the United States.
(b)
The jewfish; -- called also guasa.


word: Wart
definition:
Wart

Wart
(?)
n.
[OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. vårta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.]

1.
(Med.)
A small, usually hard, tumor on the skin formed by enlargement of its vascular papillae, and thickening of the epidermis which covers them.

2.
An excrescence or protuberance more or less resembling a true wart; specifically (Bot.), a glandular excrescence or hardened protuberance on plants.

Fig wart, Moist wart (Med.), a soft, bright red, pointed or tufted tumor found about the genitals, often massed into groups of large size. It is a variety of condyloma.  Called also pointed wart, venereal wart. L. A. Duhring. -- Wart cress (Bot.), the swine's cress.  See under Swine. -- Wart snake (Zool.), any one of several species of East Indian colubrine snakes of the genus Acrochordus, having the body covered with wartlike tubercles or spinose scales, and lacking cephalic plates and ventral scutes. -- Wart spurge (Bot.), a kind of wartwort (Euphorbia Helioscopia).


word: Wart hog
definition:
Wart hog

Wart" hog`
(?)
(Zool.)
Either one of two species of large, savage African wild hogs of the genus Phacochœrus.  These animals have a pair of large, rough, fleshy tubercles behind the tusks and second pair behind the eyes. The tusks are large and strong, and both pairs curve upward. The body is scantily covered with bristles, but there is long dorsal mane. The South African species (Phacochœrus Aethiopicus) is the best known. Called also vlacke vark. The second species (Phacochœrus Aeliani) is native of the coasts of the Red Sea.


word: Wartwort
definition:
Wartwort

Wart"wort`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
A name given to several plants because they were thought to be a cure for warts, as a kind of spurge (Euphorbia Helioscopia), and the nipplewort (Lampsana communis).


word: Warty
definition:
Warty

Wart"y
(?)
a.
1.
Having warts; full of warts; overgrow with warts; as, a warty leaf.

2.
Of the nature of warts; as, a warty excrescence.

Warty egg (Zool.), a marine univalve shell (Ovulum verrucosum), having the surface covered with wartlike elevations.


word: Warty-back
definition:
Warty-back

Wart"y-back`
n.
An American fresh-water mussel (Quadrula pustulosa). Its shell is used in making buttons.


word: Warwickite
definition:
Warwickite

War"wick*ite
(?)
n.
(Min.)
A dark brown or black mineral, occurring in prismatic crystals imbedded in limestone near Warwick, New York. It consists of the borate and titanate of magnesia and iron.


word: Wary
definition:
Wary

Wa"ry
(?)
a.
[Compar. Warier (?); superl. Wariest.]
[OE. war, AS. wær; akin to Icel. v_;rr, Dan. & Sw. var, Goth. wars, G. gewahr aware, OHG. wara notice, attention, Gr. _; to see.  Cf. Aware, Garment, Garnish, Garrison, Panorama, Ward, v. t. Ware, a., Warren.]

1.
Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, artifices, and dangers; timorously or suspiciously prudent; circumspect; scrupulous; careful.
wary
Shak.

We should be wary, therefore, what persecution we raise against the living labors of public men.
Milton.

2.
Characterized by caution; guarded; careful.

It behoveth our words to be wary and few.
Hooker.


word: Warye
definition:
Warye

War"ye
(?)
v. t.
[AS. wergian, wyrgean.  Cf. Worry.]
To curse; to curse; to execrate; to condemn; also, to vex.
[Obs.]
[Spelled also warrie, warry, and wary.]
warye
Chaucer.


word: Was
definition:
Was

Was
(w&obreve_;z)
[AS. wæs, 2d pers. w&aemacr_;re, 3d pers. wæs, pl. w&aemacr_;ron, with the inf. wesan to be; akin to D. wezen, imp. was, OHG. wesan, imp. was, G. wesen, n., a being, essence, war was, Icel. vera to be, imp. var, Goth. wisan to be, to dwell, to remain, imp. was, Skr. vas to remain, to dwell. √148.   Cf. Vernacular, Wassail, Were, v.]
The first and third persons singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, preterit (imperfect) tense; as, I was; he was.


word: Wase
definition:
Wase

Wase
(wās)
n.
[Cf. Sw. vase a sheaf.]
A bundle of straw, or other material, to relieve the pressure of burdens carried upon the head.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.


word: Wash
definition:
Wash

Wash
(w&obreve_;sh)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Washed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Washing.]
[OE. waschen, AS. wascan; akin to D. wasschen, G. waschen, OHG. wascan, Icel. & Sw. vaska, Dan. vaske, and perhaps to E. water. √150.]
1.
To cleanse by ablution, or dipping or rubbing in water; to apply water or other liquid to for the purpose of cleansing; to scrub with water, etc., or as with water; as, to wash the hands or body; to wash garments; to wash sheep or wool; to wash the pavement or floor; to wash the bark of trees.

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, . . . he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.
Matt. xxvii. 24.

2.
To cover with water or any liquid; to wet; to fall on and moisten; hence, to overflow or dash against; as, waves wash the shore.

Fresh-blown roses washed with dew.
Milton.

[The landscape] washed with a cold, gray mist.
Longfellow.

3.
To waste or abrade by the force of water in motion; as, heavy rains wash a road or an embankment.

4.
To remove by washing to take away by, or as by, the action of water; to drag or draw off as by the tide; -- often with away, off, out, etc.; as, to wash dirt from the hands.

Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.
Acts xxii. 16.

The tide will wash you off.
Shak.

5.
To cover with a thin or watery coat of color; to tint lightly and thinly.

6.
To overlay with a thin coat of metal; as, steel washed with silver.

7.
To cause dephosphorisation of (molten pig iron) by adding substances containing iron oxide, and sometimes manganese oxide.

8.
To pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid for the purpose of purifying it, esp. by removing soluble constituents.

To wash gold, etc., to treat earth or gravel, or crushed ore, with water, in order to separate the gold or other metal, or metallic ore, through their higher density. -- To wash the hands of. See under Hand.


word: Wash₂
definition:
Wash

Wash
v. i.
1.
To perform the act of ablution.

Wash in Jordan seven times.
2 Kings v. 10.

2.
To clean anything by rubbing or dipping it in water; to perform the business of cleansing clothes, ore, etc., in water.
wash
Shak.

3.
To bear without injury the operation of being washed; as, some calicoes do not wash.
[Colloq.]

4.
To be wasted or worn away by the action of water, as by a running or overflowing stream, or by the dashing of the sea; -- said of road, a beach, etc.

5.
To use washes, as for the face or hair.

6.
To move with a lapping or swashing sound, or the like; to lap; splash; as, to hear the water washing.

7.
to be accepted as true or valid; to be proven true by subsequent evidence; -- usually used in the negative; as, his alibi won't wash.
[informal]


word: Wash₃
definition:
Wash

Wash
n.
1.
The act of washing; an ablution; a cleansing, wetting, or dashing with water; hence, a quantity, as of clothes, washed at once.

2.
A piece of ground washed by the action of a sea or river, or sometimes covered and sometimes left dry; the shallowest part of a river, or arm of the sea; also, a bog; a marsh; a fen; as, the washes in Lincolnshire.
Wash
Cowper.

These Lincoln washes have devoured them.
Shak.

3.
Substances collected and deposited by the action of water; as, the wash of a sewer, of a river, etc.

The wash of pastures, fields, commons, and roads, where rain water hath a long time settled.
Mortimer.

4.
Waste liquid, the refuse of food, the collection from washed dishes, etc., from a kitchen, often used as food for pigs.
Shak.

5.
(Distilling)
(a)
The fermented wort before the spirit is extracted.
(b)
A mixture of dunder, molasses, water, and scummings, used in the West Indies for distillation.
B. Edwards.

6.
That with which anything is washed, or wetted, smeared, tinted, etc., upon the surface.
Specifically:

7.
(Naut.)
(a)
The blade of an oar, or the thin part which enters the water.
(b)
The backward current or disturbed water caused by the action of oars, or of a steamer's screw or paddles, etc.

8.
The flow, swash, or breaking of a body of water, as a wave; also, the sound of it.

9.
Ten strikes, or bushels, of oysters.
[Prov. Eng.]

10.
[Western U. S.]
(Geol.)
(a)
Gravel and other rock débris transported and deposited by running water; coarse alluvium.
(b)
An alluvial cone formed by a stream at the base of a mountain.

11.
The dry bed of an intermittent stream, sometimes at the bottom of a canyon; as, the Amargosa wash, Diamond wash; -- called also dry wash.
[Western U. S.]

12.
(Arch.)
The upper surface of a member or material when given a slope to shed water. Hence, a structure or receptacle shaped so as to receive and carry off water, as a carriage wash in a stable.

13.
an action or situation in which the gains and losses are equal, or closely compensate each other.

14.
(Aeronautics)
the disturbance of the air left behind in the wake of a moving airplane or one of its parts.

Wash ball, a ball of soap to be used in washing the hands or face. Swift. -- Wash barrel (Fisheries), a barrel nearly full of split mackerel, loosely put in, and afterward filled with salt water in order to soak the blood from the fish before salting. -- Wash bottle. (Chem.) (a) A bottle partially filled with some liquid through which gases are passed for the purpose of purifying them, especially by removing soluble constituents. (b) A washing bottle. See under Washing. -- Wash gilding. See Water gilding. -- Wash leather, split sheepskin dressed with oil, in imitation of chamois, or shammy, and used for dusting, cleaning glass or plate, etc.; also, alumed, or buff, leather for soldiers' belts.


word: Wash₄
definition:
Wash

Wash
a.
1.
Washy; weak.
[Obs.]

Their bodies of so weak and wash a temper.
Beau. & Fl.

2.
Capable of being washed without injury; washable; as, wash goods.
[Colloq.]


word: Washboard
definition:
Washboard

Wash"board`
(?)
n.
1.
A fluted, or ribbed, board on which clothes are rubbed in washing them.

2.
A board running round, and serving as a facing for, the walls of a room, next to the floor; a mopboard.

3.
(Naut.)
A broad, thin plank, fixed along the gunwale of boat to keep the sea from breaking inboard; also, a plank on the sill of a lower deck port, for the same purpose; -- called also wasteboard.
Mar. Dict.


word: Wash drawing
definition:
Wash drawing

Wash drawing
(Art)
In water-color painting, work in, or a work done chiefly in, washes, as distinguished from that done in stipple, in body color, etc.


word: Washed
definition:
Washed

Washed
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
Appearing as if overlaid with a thin layer of different color; -- said of the colors of certain birds and insects.


word: Washer
definition:
Washer

Wash"er
(?)
n.
[AS. wæscere.]
1.
One who, or that which, washes.

2.
A ring of metal, leather, or other material, or a perforated plate, used for various purposes, as around a bolt or screw to form a seat for the head or nut, or around a wagon axle to prevent endwise motion of the hub of the wheel and relieve friction, or in a joint to form a packing, etc.

3.
(Plumbing)
A fitting, usually having a plug, applied to a cistern, tub, sink, or the like, and forming the outlet opening.

4.
(Zool.)
The common raccoon.

5.
(Zool.)
Same as Washerwoman, 2.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Washerman
definition:
Washerman

Wash"er*man
(?)
n.
pl. Washermen (_;).
A man who washes clothes, esp. for hire, or for others.


word: Washerwoman
definition:
Washerwoman

Wash"er*wom`an
(?)
n.
pl. Washerwomen (_;).

1.
A woman who washes clothes, especially for hire, or for others.

2.
(Zool.)
The pied wagtail; -- so called in allusion to its beating the water with its tail while tripping along the leaves of water plants.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Washing
definition:
Washing

Wash"ing
n.
1.
The act of one who washes; the act of cleansing with water; ablution.

2.
The clothes washed, esp. at one time; a wash.

3.
(Mining)
Gold dust procured by washing; also, a place where this is done; a washery.

4.
A thin covering or coat; as, a washing of silver.

5.
(Stock Exchanges)
The operation of simultaneously buying and selling the same stock for the purpose of manipulating the market. The transaction is fictitious, and is prohibited by stock-exchange rules.

6.
(Pottery)
The covering of a piece with an infusible powder, which prevents it from sticking to its supports, while receiving the glaze.

Washing bear (Zool.), the raccoon. -- Washing bottle (Chem.), a bottle fitted with glass tubes passing through the cork, so that on blowing into one of the tubes a stream of water issuing from the other may be directed upon anything to be washed or rinsed, as a precipitate upon a filter, etc. -- Washing fluid, a liquid used as a cleanser, and consisting usually of alkaline salts resembling soaps in their action. -- Washing machine, a machine for washing; specifically, a machine for washing clothes. -- Washing soda. (Chem.) See Sodium carbonate, under Sodium. -- Washing stuff, any earthy deposit containing gold enough to pay for washing it; -- so called among gold miners.


word: Washingtonian
definition:
Washingtonian

Wash`ing*to"ni*an
(?)
a.
1.
Pertaining to, or characteristic of, George Washington; as, a Washingtonian policy.
Lowell.

2.
Designating, or pertaining to, a temperance society and movement started in Baltimore in 1840 on the principle of total abstinence.
n. A member of the Washingtonian Society.


word: Washoe process
definition:
Washoe process

Wash"oe proc`ess
(?)
[From the Washoe district, Nevada.]
The process of treating silver ores by grinding in pans or tubs with the addition of mercury, and sometimes of chemicals such as blue vitriol and salt.


word: Wash-off
definition:
Wash-off

Wash"-off`
(?)
a.
(Calico Printing)
Capable of being washed off; not permanent or durable; -- said of colors not fixed by steaming or otherwise.


word: Washout
definition:
Washout

Wash"out`
(?)
n.
1.
The washing out or away of earth, etc., especially of a portion of the bed of a road or railroad by a fall of rain or a freshet; also, a place, especially in the bed of a road or railroad, where the earth has been washed away.

2.
a complete failure; -- of an enterprise.

3.
a person who has failed a course of study or training, leaving the program before its completion.


word: Wash out
definition:
Wash out

Wash out
(?)
v. i. & t.
1.
to be removed by washing; -- of spots and stains, especially on clothing.

2.
to be removed, broken, or destroyed by the action of flowing water; as, the bridge was washed out by the flood.

3.
to fail in a course of study or training, especially to leave before completion of the course.


word: Washpot
definition:
Washpot

Wash"pot`
(?)
n.
1.
A pot or vessel in which anything is washed.

2.
(Tin-Plate Manuf.)
A pot containing melted tin into which the plates are dipped to be coated.


word: Washstand
definition:
Washstand

Wash"stand`
(?)
n.
A piece of furniture holding the ewer or pitcher, basin, and other requisites for washing the person.


word: Wash stand
definition:
Wash stand

Wash stand
In a stable or garage, a place in the floor prepared so that carriages or automobiles may be washed there and the water run off.
[Cant]


word: Washy
definition:
Washy

Wash"y
(?)
a.
[From Wash.]
1.
Watery; damp; soft.
Washy
Milton.

2.
Lacking substance or strength; weak; thin; dilute; feeble; as, washy tea; washy resolutions.

 A polish . . . not over thin and washy.
Sir H. Wotton.

3.
Not firm or hardy; liable to sweat profusely with labor; as, a washy horse.
[Local, U. S.]


word: Wasite
definition:
Wasite

Wa"site
(?)
n.
[See Wasium.]
(Min.)
A variety of allanite from Sweden supposed to contain wasium.


word: Wasium
definition:
Wasium

Wa"si*um
(?)
n.
[NL. So called from Wasa, or Vasa, the name of a former royal family of Sweden.]
(Chem.)
A rare element supposed by Bahr to have been extracted from wasite, but now identified with thorium.


word: Wasp
definition:
Wasp

Wasp
(?)
n.
[OE. waspe, AS. wæps, wæfs; akin to D. wesp, G. wespe, OHG. wafsa, wefsa, Lith. vapsa gadfly, Russ. osa wasp, L. vespa, and perhaps to E. weave.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of stinging hymenopterous insects, esp. any of the numerous species of the genus Vespa, which includes the true, or social, wasps, some of which are called yellow jackets.

&hand_; The social wasps make a complex series of combs, of a substance like stiff paper, often of large size, and protect them by a paperlike covering. The larvae are reared in the cells of the combs, and eat insects and insect larvae brought to them by the adults, but the latter feed mainly on the honey and pollen of flowers, and on the sweet juices of fruit.  See Illust. in Appendix.

Digger wasp, any one of numerous species of solitary wasps that make their nests in burrows which they dig in the ground, as the sand wasps.  See Sand wasp, under Sand. -- Mud wasp. See under Mud. -- Potter wasp. See under Potter. -- Wasp fly, a species of fly resembling a wasp, but without a sting.


word: Waspish
definition:
Waspish

Wasp"ish
(?)
a.
1.
Resembling a wasp in form; having a slender waist, like a wasp.

2.
Quick to resent a trifling affront; characterized by snappishness; irritable; irascible; petulant; snappish.

He was naturally a waspish and hot man.
Bp. Hall.

Much do I suffer, much, to keep in peace
This jealous, waspish, wrong-head, rhyming race.
Pope.


word: Wassail
definition:
Wassail

Was"sail
(?)
n.
[AS. wes hāl (or an equivalent form in another dialect) be in health, which was the form of drinking a health. The form wes is imperative.  See Was, and Whole.]

1.
An ancient expression of good wishes on a festive occasion, especially in drinking to some one.

Geoffrey of Monmouth relates, on the authority of Walter Calenius, that this lady [Rowena], the daughter of Hengist, knelt down on the approach of the king, and, presenting him with a cup of wine, exclaimed, Lord king waes heil, that is, literally, Health be to you.
N. Drake.

2.
An occasion on which such good wishes are expressed in drinking; a drinking bout; a carouse.
wassail
Sir W. Scott.

The king doth wake to-night and takes his rouse,
Keeps wassail.
Shak.

The victors abandoned themselves to feasting and wassail.
Prescott.

3.
The liquor used for a wassail; esp., a beverage formerly much used in England at Christmas and other festivals, made of ale (or wine) flavored with spices, sugar, toast, roasted apples, etc.; -- called also lamb's wool.

A jolly wassail bowl,
A wassail of good ale.
Old Song.

4.
A festive or drinking song or glee.
[Obs.]

Have you done your wassail! 'T is a handsome, drowsy ditty, I'll assure you.
Beau. & Fl.


word: Wassail₂
definition:
Wassail

Was"sail
a.
Of or pertaining to wassail, or to a wassail; convivial; as, a wassail bowl.
wassail
Shak.

Wassail bowl, a bowl in which wassail was mixed, and placed upon the table.  “Spiced wassail bowl.” J. Fletcher. “When the cloth was removed, the butler brought in a huge silver vessel . . . Its appearance was hailed with acclamation, being the wassail bowl so renowned in Christmas festivity.” W. Irving. -- Wassail cup, a cup from which wassail was drunk.


word: Wassail₃
definition:
Wassail

Was"sail
v. i.
To hold a wassail; to carouse.

Spending all the day, and good part of the night, in dancing, caroling, and wassailing.
Sir P. Sidney.


word: Wassailer
definition:
Wassailer

Was"sail*er
(?)
n.
One who drinks wassail; one who engages in festivity, especially in drinking; a reveler.

The rudeness and swilled insolence
Of such late wassailers.
Milton.


word: Wast
definition:
Wast

Wast
(?)
The second person singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, imperfect tense; -- now used only in solemn or poetical style.  See Was.


word: Waste
definition:
Waste

Waste
(?)
a.
[OE. wast, OF. wast, from L. vastus, influenced by the kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosti, G. wüst, OS. w_;sti, D. woest, AS. wēste.  Cf. Vast.]

1.
Desolate; devastated; stripped; bare; hence, dreary; dismal; gloomy; cheerless.

The dismal situation waste and wild.
Milton.

His heart became appalled as he gazed forward into the waste darkness of futurity.
Sir W. Scott.

2.
Lying unused; unproductive; worthless; valueless; refuse; rejected; as, waste land; waste paper.

But his waste words returned to him in vain.
Spenser.

Not a waste or needless sound,
Till we come to holier ground.
Milton.

Ill day which made this beauty waste.
Emerson.

3.
Lost for want of occupiers or use; superfluous.

And strangled with her waste fertility.
Milton.

Waste gate, a gate by which the superfluous water of a reservoir, or the like, is discharged. -- Waste paper. See under Paper. -- Waste pipe, a pipe for carrying off waste, or superfluous, water or other fluids. Specifically: (a) (Steam Boilers) An escape pipe.  See under Escape. (b) (Plumbing) The outlet pipe at the bottom of a bowl, tub, sink, or the like. -- Waste steam. (a) Steam which escapes the air. (b) Exhaust steam. -- Waste trap, a trap for a waste pipe, as of a sink.


word: Waste₂
definition:
Waste

Waste
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Wasting.]
[OE. wasten, OF. waster, guaster, gaster, F. gâter to spoil, L. vastare to devastate, to lay waste, fr. vastus waste, desert, uncultivated, ravaged, vast, but influenced by a kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosten, G. wüsten, AS. wēstan.  See Waste, a.]

1.
To bring to ruin; to devastate; to desolate; to destroy.

Thou barren ground, whom winter's wrath hath wasted,
Art made a mirror to behold my plight.
Spenser.

The Tiber
Insults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds.
Dryden.

2.
To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to consume; to spend; to wear out.

Until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.
Num. xiv. 33.

O, were I able
To waste it all myself, and leave ye none!
Milton.

Here condemned
To waste eternal days in woe and pain.
Milton.

Wasted by such a course of life, the infirmities of age daily grew on him.
Robertson.

3.
To spend unnecessarily or carelessly; to employ prodigally; to expend without valuable result; to apply to useless purposes; to lavish vainly; to squander; to cause to be lost; to destroy by scattering or injury.

The younger son gathered all together, and . . . wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luke xv. 13.

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Gray.

4.
(Law)
To damage, impair, or injure, as an estate, voluntarily, or by suffering the buildings, fences, etc., to go to decay.


word: Waste₃
definition:
Waste

Waste
(wāst)
v. i.
1.
To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value, or the like, gradually; to be consumed; to dwindle; to grow less; -- commonly used with away.

The time wasteth night and day.
Chaucer.

The barrel of meal shall not waste.
1 Kings xvii. 14.

But man dieth, and wasteth away.
Job xiv. 10.

2.
(Sporting)
To procure or sustain a reduction of flesh; -- said of a jockey in preparation for a race, etc.


word: Waste₄
definition:
Waste

Waste
n.
[OE. waste; cf. the kindred AS. wēsten, OHG. w&omacrstī, wuostī, G. wüste.  See Waste, a. & v.]

1.
The act of wasting, or the state of being wasted; a squandering; needless destruction; useless consumption or expenditure; devastation; loss without equivalent gain; gradual loss or decrease, by use, wear, or decay; as, a waste of property, time, labor, words, etc.
Waste
Chaucer.

For all this waste of wealth loss of blood.
Milton.

He will never . . . in the way of waste, attempt us again.
Shak.

Little wastes in great establishments, constantly occurring, may defeat the energies of a mighty capital.
L. Beecher.

2.
That which is wasted or desolate; a devastated, uncultivated, or wild country; a deserted region; an unoccupied or unemployed space; a dreary void; a desert; a wilderness.
wastes
Emerson.

All the leafy nation sinks at last,
And Vulcan rides in triumph o'er the waste.
Dryden.

The gloomy waste of waters which bears his name is his tomb and his monument.
Bancroft.

3.
That which is of no value; worthless remnants; refuse. Specifically: Remnants of cops, or other refuse resulting from the working of cotton, wool, hemp, and the like, used for wiping machinery, absorbing oil in the axle boxes of railway cars, etc.

4.
(Law)
Spoil, destruction, or injury, done to houses, woods, fences, lands, etc., by a tenant for life or for years, to the prejudice of the heir, or of him in reversion or remainder.

&hand_; Waste is voluntary, as by pulling down buildings; or permissive, as by suffering them to fall for want of necessary repairs. Whatever does a lasting damage to the freehold is a waste.
Blackstone.

5.
(Mining)
Old or abandoned workings, whether left as vacant space or filled with refuse.

6.
(Phys. Geog.)
Material derived by mechanical and chemical erosion from the land, carried by streams to the sea.


word: Wastebasket
definition:
Wastebasket

Waste"bas`ket
(?)
n.
A basket used in offices, libraries, etc., as a receptacle for waste paper.


word: Wastebook
definition:
Wastebook

Waste"book`
(?)
n.
(Com.)
A book in which rough entries of transactions are made, previous to their being carried into the journal.


word: Wasteful
definition:
Wasteful

Waste"ful
(?)
a.
1.
Full of waste; destructive to property; ruinous; as, wasteful practices or negligence; wasteful expenses.

2.
Expending, or tending to expend, property, or that which is valuable, in a needless or useless manner; lavish; prodigal; as, a wasteful person; a wasteful disposition.

3.
Waste; desolate; unoccupied; untilled.
[Obs.]

In wilderness and wasteful desert strayed.
Spenser.


word: Wastel
definition:
Wastel

Was"tel
(?)
n.
[OF. wastel, gastel, F. gâteau, LL. wastellus, fr. MHG. wastel a kind of bread; cf. OHG. & AS. wist food.]
A kind of white and fine bread or cake; -- called also wastel bread, and wastel cake.
[Obs.]

Roasted flesh or milk and wasted bread.
Chaucer.

The simnel bread and wastel cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Wasteness
definition:
Wasteness

Waste"ness
(?)
n.
1.
The quality or state of being waste; a desolate state or condition; desolation.

A day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness.
Zeph. i. 15.

2.
That which is waste; a desert; a waste.
[R.]

Through woods and wasteness wide him daily sought.
Spenser.


word: Waster
definition:
Waster

Wast"er
(?)
n.
[OE. wastour, OF. wasteor, gasteor.  See Waste, v. t.]

1.
One who, or that which, wastes; one who squanders; one who consumes or expends extravagantly; a spendthrift; a prodigal.

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Prov. xviii. 9.

Sconces are great wasters of candles.
Swift.

2.
An imperfection in the wick of a candle, causing it to waste; -- called also a thief.
Halliwell.

3.
A kind of cudgel; also, a blunt-edged sword used as a foil.

Half a dozen of veneys at wasters with a good fellow for a broken head.
Beau. & Fl.

Being unable to wield the intellectual arms of reason, they are fain to betake them unto wasters.
Sir T. Browne.


word: Wasteweir
definition:
Wasteweir

Waste"weir`
(?)
n.
An overfall, or weir, for the escape, or overflow, of superfluous water from a canal, reservoir, pond, or the like.


word: Wasting
definition:
Wasting

Wast"ing
a.
Causing waste; also, undergoing waste; diminishing; as, a wasting disease; a wasting fortune.

Wasting palsy (Med.), progressive muscular atrophy.  See under Progressive.


word: Wastrel
definition:
Wastrel

Wast"rel
(?)
n.
1.
Any waste thing or substance
(a)
Waste land or common land.
[Obs.]
Carew.
(b)
A profligate.
[Prov. Eng.]
(c)
A neglected child; a street Arab.
[Eng.]

2.
Anything cast away as bad or useless, as imperfect bricks, china, etc.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]


word: Watch
definition:
Watch

Watch
(w&obreve_;ch)
n.
[OE. wacche, AS. wæcce, fr. wacian to wake; akin to D. wacht, waak, G. wacht, wache. √134.  See Wake, v. i. ]

1.
The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night.

Shepherds keeping watch by night.
Milton.

All the long night their mournful watch they keep.
Addison.

&hand_; Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward, which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or protection, without reference to time.

Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward.
Spenser.

Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . .  Watch, is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins.
Blackstone.

2.
One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard.

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
Matt. xxvii. 65.

3.
The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept.

He upbraids Iago, that he made him
Brave me upon the watch.
Shak.

4.
The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night.

I did stand my watch upon the hill.
Shak.

Might we but hear . . . 
Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock
Count the night watches to his feathery dames.
Milton.

5.
A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring.

&hand_; Watches are often distinguished by the kind of escapement used, as an anchor watch, a lever watch, a chronometer watch, etc. (see the Note under Escapement, n., 3); also, by the kind of case, as a gold or silver watch, an open-faced watch, a hunting watch, or hunter, etc.

6.
(Naut.)
(a)
An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty.   Cf. Dogwatch.
(b)
That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the port watch, and the starboard watch.

Anchor watch (Naut.), a detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck when a vessel is at anchor. -- To be on the watch, to be looking steadily for some event. -- Watch and ward (Law), the charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace. Wharton. Burrill. -- Watch and watch (Naut.), the regular alternation in being on watch and off watch of the two watches into which a ship's crew is commonly divided. -- Watch barrel, the brass box in a watch, containing the mainspring. -- Watch bell (Naut.), a bell struck when the half-hour glass is run out, or at the end of each half hour. Craig. -- Watch bill (Naut.), a list of the officers and crew of a ship as divided into watches, with their stations. Totten. -- Watch case, the case, or outside covering, of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept. -- Watch chain. Same as watch guard, below. -- Watch clock, a watchman's clock; see under Watchman. -- Watch fire, a fire lighted at night, as a signal, or for the use of a watch or guard. -- Watch glass. (a) A concavo-convex glass for covering the face, or dial, of a watch; -- also called watch crystal. (b) (Naut.) A half-hour glass used to measure the time of a watch on deck. -- Watch guard, a chain or cord by which a watch is attached to the person. -- Watch gun (Naut.), a gun sometimes fired on shipboard at 8 p. m., when the night watch begins. -- Watch light, a low-burning lamp used by watchers at night; formerly, a candle having a rush wick. -- Watch night, The last night of the year; -- so called by the Methodists, Moravians, and others, who observe it by holding religious meetings lasting until after midnight. -- Watch paper, an old-fashioned ornament for the inside of a watch case, made of paper cut in some fanciful design, as a vase with flowers, etc. -- Watch tackle (Naut.), a small, handy purchase, consisting of a tailed double block, and a single block with a hook.


word: Watch₂
definition:
Watch

Watch
(?)
v. i.
[Cf. AS. wœccan, wacian. √134.  See Watch, n., Wake, v. i. ]

1.
To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil.

I have two nights watched with you.
Shak.

Couldest thou not watch one hour ?
Mark xiv. 37.

2.
To be attentive or vigilant; to give heed; to be on the lookout; to keep guard; to act as sentinel.

Take ye heed, watch and pray.
Mark xiii. 33.

The Son gave signal high
To the bright minister that watched.
Milton.

3.
To be expectant; to look with expectation; to wait; to seek opportunity.

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning.
Ps. cxxx. 6.

4.
To remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant; to attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever.

5.
(Naut.)
To serve the purpose of a watchman by floating properly in its place; -- said of a buoy.

To watch over, to be cautiously observant of; to inspect, superintend, and guard.


word: Watch₃
definition:
Watch

Watch
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Watched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Watching.]

1.
To give heed to; to observe the actions or motions of, for any purpose; to keep in view; not to lose from sight and observation; as, to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature.

Saul also sent messengers unto David's house to watch him, and to slay him.
1 Sam. xix. 11

I must cool a little, and watch my opportunity.
Landor.

In lazy mood I watched the little circles die.
Longfellow.

2.
To tend; to guard; to have in keeping.

And flaming ministers, to watch and tend
Their earthy charge.
Milton.

Paris watched the flocks in the groves of Ida.
Broome.


word: Watchdog
definition:
Watchdog

Watch"dog`
(w&obreve_;ch"d&obreve_;g`)
n.
A dog kept to watch and guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders.


word: Watcher
definition:
Watcher

Watch"er
(-ẽr)
n.
One who watches; one who sits up or continues; a diligent observer; specifically, one who attends upon the sick during the night.


word: Watchet
definition:
Watchet

Watchet
(-ĕt)
a.
[Probably from F. vaciet bilberry, whortleberry; cf. L. vaccinium blueberry, whortleberry.]
Pale or light blue.
[Obs.]
Watchet
Spenser.

Who stares in Germany at watchet eyes?
Dryden.


word: Watchful
definition:
Watchful

Watch"ful
(?)
a.
Full of watch; vigilant; attentive; careful to observe closely; observant; cautious; -- with of before the thing to be regulated or guarded; as, to be watchful of one's behavior; and with against before the thing to be avoided; as, to be watchful against the growth of vicious habits.
watchful
Shak.
watchful
Milton.

'Twixt prayer and watchful love his heart dividing.
Keble.


word: Watchhouse
definition:
Watchhouse

Watch"house`
(?)
n.
pl. Watchhouses (_;).
1.
A house in which a watch or guard is placed.

2.
A place where persons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a police station; a lockup.


word: Watchman
definition:
Watchman

Watch"man
(?)
n.
pl. Watchmen (_;).

1.
One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel.

2.
Specifically, one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night.

Watchman beetle (Zool.), the European dor. -- Watchman's clock, a watchman's detector in which the apparatus for recording the times of visiting several stations is contained within a single clock. -- Watchman's detector, or Watchman's time detector, an apparatus for recording the time when a watchman visits a station on his rounds. -- Watchman's rattle, an instrument having at the end of a handle a revolving arm, which, by the action of a strong spring upon cogs, produces, when in motion, a loud, harsh, rattling sound.


word: Watchtower
definition:
Watchtower

Watch"tow`er
(?)
n.
A tower in which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies, the approach of danger, or the like.


word: Watchword
definition:
Watchword

Watch"word`
(?)
n.
1.
A word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a friend is known from an enemy, or a person who has a right to pass the watch from one who has not; a countersign; a password.

2.
A sentiment or motto; esp., one used as a rallying cry or a signal for action.

Nor deal in watchwords overmuch.
Tennyson.


word: Water
definition:
Water

Wa"ter
(w&asuml_;"tẽr)
n.
[AS. wæter; akin to OS. watar, OFries. wetir, weter, LG. & D. water, G. wasser, OHG. wazzar, Icel. vatn, Sw. vatten, Dan. vand, Goth. wat&omacr, O. Slav. & Russ. voda, Gr. 'y`dwr, Skr. udan water, ud to wet, and perhaps to L. unda wave. √137.  Cf. Dropsy, Hydra, Otter, Wet, Whisky.]
1.
The fluid which descends from the clouds in rain, and which forms rivers, lakes, seas, etc.
water
Shak.
water
Milton.

&hand_; Pure water consists of hydrogen and oxygen, H2O, and is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, transparent liquid, which is very slightly compressible. At its maximum density, 39° Fahr. or 4° C., it is the standard for specific gravities, one cubic centimeter weighing one gram. It freezes at 32° Fahr. or 0° C. and boils at 212° Fahr. or 100° C. (see Ice, Steam). It is the most important natural solvent, and is frequently impregnated with foreign matter which is mostly removed by distillation; hence, rain water is nearly pure. It is an important ingredient in the tissue of animals and plants, the human body containing about two thirds its weight of water.

2.
A body of water, standing or flowing; a lake, river, or other collection of water.

Remembering he had passed over a small water a poor scholar when first coming to the university, he kneeled.
Fuller.

3.
Any liquid secretion, humor, or the like, resembling water; esp., the urine.

4.
(Pharm.)
A solution in water of a gaseous or readily volatile substance; as, ammonia water.
U. S. Pharm.

5.
The limpidity and luster of a precious stone, especially a diamond; as, a diamond of the first water, that is, perfectly pure and transparent. Hence, of the first water, that is, of the first excellence.

6.
A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc.  See Water, v. t., 3, Damask, v. t., and Damaskeen.

7.
An addition to the shares representing the capital of a stock company so that the aggregate par value of the shares is increased while their value for investment is diminished, or “diluted.”
[Brokers' Cant]

&hand_; Water is often used adjectively and in the formation of many self-explaining compounds; as, water drainage; water gauge, or water-gauge; waterfowl, water-fowl, or water fowl; water-beaten; water-borne, water-circled, water-girdled, water-rocked, etc.

Hard water. See under Hard. -- Inch of water, a unit of measure of quantity of water, being the quantity which will flow through an orifice one inch square, or a circular orifice one inch in diameter, in a vertical surface, under a stated constant head; also called miner's inch, and water inch. The shape of the orifice and the head vary in different localities. In the Western United States, for hydraulic mining, the standard aperture is square and the head from 4 to 9 inches above its center. In Europe, for experimental hydraulics, the orifice is usually round and the head from 1/12 of an inch to 1 inch above its top. -- Mineral water, waters which are so impregnated with foreign ingredients, such as gaseous, sulphureous, and saline substances, as to give them medicinal properties, or a particular flavor or temperature. -- Soft water, water not impregnated with lime or mineral salts. -- To hold water. See under Hold, v. t. -- To keep one's head above water, to keep afloat; fig., to avoid failure or sinking in the struggles of life. [Colloq.] -- To make water. (a) To pass urine. Swift. (b) (Naut.) To admit water; to leak. -- Water of crystallization (Chem.), the water combined with many salts in their crystalline form. This water is loosely, but, nevertheless, chemically, combined, for it is held in fixed and definite amount for each substance containing it. Thus, while pure copper sulphate, CuSO4, is a white amorphous substance, blue vitriol, the crystallized form, CuSO4.5H2O, contains five molecules of water of crystallization. -- Water on the brain (Med.), hydrocephalus. -- Water on the chest (Med.), hydrothorax.

&hand_; Other phrases, in which water occurs as the first element, will be found in alphabetical order in the Vocabulary.


word: Water₂
definition:
Water

Wa"ter
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Watered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Watering.]
[AS. wæterian, gewæterian.]

1.
To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate; as, to water land; to water flowers.

With tears watering the ground.
Milton.

Men whose lives gilded on like rivers that water the woodlands.
Longfellow.

2.
To supply with water for drink; to cause or allow to drink; as, to water cattle and horses.

3.
To wet and calender, as cloth, so as to impart to it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines; to diversify with wavelike lines; as, to water silk.  Cf. Water, n., 6.

4.
To add water to (anything), thereby extending the quantity or bulk while reducing the strength or quality; to extend; to dilute; to weaken.

To water stock, to increase the capital stock of a company by issuing new stock, thus diminishing the value of the individual shares.   Cf. Water, n., 7. [Brokers' Cant]


word: Water₃
definition:
Water

Wa"ter
v. i.
1.
To shed, secrete, or fill with, water or liquid matter; as, his eyes began to water.

If thine eyes can water for his death.
Shak.

2.
To get or take in water; as, the ship put into port to water.

The mouth waters, a phrase denoting that a person or animal has a longing desire for something, since the sight of food often causes one who is hungry to have an increased flow of saliva.


word: Water adder
definition:
Water adder

Wa"ter ad"der
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The water moccasin.
(b)
The common, harmless American water snake (Tropidonotus sipedon).  See Illust. under Water Snake.


word: Water agrimony
definition:
Water agrimony

Wa"ter ag"ri*mo*ny
(?)
(Bot.)
A kind of bur marigold (Bidens tripartita) found in wet places in Europe.


word: Water arum
definition:
Water arum

Wa"ter a"rum
(?)
(Bot.)
An aroid herb (Calla palustris) having a white spathe. It is an inhabitant of the north temperate zone.


word: Water bailiff
definition:
Water bailiff

Wa"ter bail"iff
(?)
An officer of the customs, whose duty it is to search vessels.
[Eng.]


word: Water ballast
definition:
Water ballast

Wa"ter bal"last
(?)
(Naut.)
Water confined in specially constructed compartments in a vessel's hold, to serve as ballast.


word: Water barometer
definition:
Water barometer

Wa"ter ba*rom"e*ter
(?)
(Physics)
A barometer in which the changes of atmospheric pressure are indicated by the motion of a column of water instead of mercury. It requires a column of water about thirty-three feet in height.


word: Water bath
definition:
Water bath

Wa"ter bath`
(?)
A device for regulating the temperature of anything subjected to heat, by surrounding the vessel containing it with another vessel containing water which can be kept at a desired temperature; also, a vessel designed for this purpose.


word: Water battery
definition:
Water battery

Wa"ter bat"ter*y
(?)
1.
(Elec.)
A voltaic battery in which the exciting fluid is water.

2.
(Mil.)
A battery nearly on a level with the water.


word: Water bed
definition:
Water bed

Wa"ter bed`
(?)
A kind of mattress made of, or covered with, waterproof fabric and filled with water, thus providing uniform support to the body lying on it; -- also a bed constructed so as to contain such a mattress. It is used in hospitals for bedridden patients, as well as in some private homes.


word: Water beetle
definition:
Water beetle

Wa"ter bee"tle
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of aquatic beetles belonging to Dytiscus and allied genera of the family Dytiscidae, and to various genera of the family Hydrophilidae.  These beetles swim with great agility, the fringed hind legs acting together like oars.


word: Waterboard
definition:
Waterboard

Wa"ter*board`
(?)
n.
A board set up to windward in a boat, to keep out water.
Ham. Nav. Encyc.


word: Water buck
definition:
Water buck

Wa"ter buck`
(?)
(Zool.)
A large, heavy antelope (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) native of Central Africa. It frequents the banks of rivers and is a good swimmer. It has a white ring around the rump. Called also photomok, water antelope, and waterbok.

&hand_; The name is also applied to other related species, as the leche (Kobus leche), which has similar habits.


word: Water bug
definition:
Water bug

Wa"ter bug`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The Croton bug.
(b)
Any one of numerous species of large, rapacious, aquatic, hemipterous insects belonging to Belostoma, Benacus, Zaitha, and other genera of the family Belostomatidae. Their hind legs are long and fringed, and act like oars. Some of these insects are of great size, being among the largest existing Hemiptera. Many of them come out of the water and fly about at night.


word: Water can
definition:
Water can

Wa"ter can`
(?)
(Bot.)
Any one of several species of Nuphar; the yellow frog lily; -- so called from the shape of the seed vessel.  See Nuphar, and cf. Candock.
Dr. Prior.


word: Water carriage
definition:
Water carriage

Wa"ter car"riage
(?)
1.
Transportation or conveyance by water; means of transporting by water.

2.
A vessel or boat.
[Obs.]
Arbuthnot.


word: Water cart
definition:
Water cart

Wa"ter cart`
(?)
A cart carrying water; esp., one carrying water for sale, or for sprinkling streets, gardens, etc.


word: Water celery
definition:
Water celery

Wa"ter cel"er*y
(?)
(Bot.)
A very acrid herb (Ranunculus sceleratus) growing in ditches and wet places; -- called also cursed crowfoot.


word: Water cell
definition:
Water cell

Wa"ter cell`
(?)
A cell containing water; specifically (Zool.), one of the cells or chambers in which water is stored up in the stomach of a camel.


word: Water chestnut
definition:
Water chestnut

Wa"ter chest"nut
(?)
(Bot.)
The fruit of Trapa natans and Trapa bicornis, Old World water plants bearing edible nutlike fruits armed with several hard and sharp points; also, the plant itself; -- called also water caltrop.


word: Water chevrotain
definition:
Water chevrotain

Wa"ter chev`ro*tain"
(?)
(Zool.)
A large West African chevrotain (Hyaemoschus aquaticus). It has a larger body and shorter legs than the other allied species. Called also water deerlet.


word: Water chickweed
definition:
Water chickweed

Wa"ter chick"weed`
(?)
(Bot.)
A small annual plant (Montia fontana) growing in wet places in southern regions.


word: Water chinquapin
definition:
Water chinquapin

Wa"ter chin"qua*pin
(?)
(Bot.)
The American lotus, and its edible seeds, which somewhat resemble chinquapins.   Cf. Yoncopin.


word: Water clock
definition:
Water clock

Wa"ter clock`
(?)
An instrument or machine serving to measure time by the fall, or flow, of a certain quantity of water; a clepsydra.


word: Water-closet
definition:
Water-closet

Wa"ter-clos`et
(?)
n.
A privy; especially, a privy furnished with a contrivance for introducing a stream of water to cleanse it.


word: Water cock
definition:
Water cock

Wa"ter cock`
(?)
(Zool.)
A large gallinule (Gallicrex cristatus) native of Australia, India, and the East Indies. In the breeding season the male is black and has a fleshy red caruncle, or horn, on the top of its head. Called also kora.


word: Water color
definition:
Water color

Wa"ter col`or
(?)
(Paint.)
1.
A color ground with water and gum or other glutinous medium; a color the vehicle of which is water; -- so called in distinction from oil color.

&hand_; It preserves its consistency when dried in a solid cake, which is used by rubbing off a portion on a moistened palette. Moist water colors are water colors kept in a semifluid or pasty state in little metal tubes or pans.

2.
A picture painted with such colors.


word: Watercourse
definition:
Watercourse

Wa"ter*course`
(?)
n.
(Shipbuilding)
One of the holes in floor or other plates to permit water to flow through.


word: Water course
definition:
Water course

Wa"ter course`
(?)
1.
A stream of water; a river or brook.
Isa. xliv. 4.

2.
A natural channel for water; also, a canal for the conveyance of water, especially in draining lands.

3.
(Law)
A running stream of water having a bed and banks; the easement one may have in the flowing of such a stream in its accustomed course.  A water course may be sometimes dry.
Angell. Burrill.


word: Water craft
definition:
Water craft

Wa"ter craft`
(?)
Any vessel or boat plying on water; vessels and boats, collectively.


word: Water crake
definition:
Water crake

Wa"ter crake`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The dipper.
(b)
The spotted crake (Porzana maruetta).  See Illust. of Crake.
(c)
The swamp hen, or crake, of Australia.


word: Water crane
definition:
Water crane

Wa"ter crane`
(?)
A goose-neck apparatus for supplying water from an elevated tank, as to the tender of a locomotive.


word: Water cress
definition:
Water cress

Wa"ter cress`
(?)
(Bot.)
A perennial cruciferous herb (Nasturtium officinale) growing usually in clear running or spring water. The leaves are pungent, and used for salad and as an antiscorbutic.


word: Water crow
definition:
Water crow

Wa"ter crow`
(?)
[So called in allusion to its dark plumage.]
(Zool.)
(a)
The dipper.
(b)
The European coot.


word: Water crowfoot
definition:
Water crowfoot

Wa"ter crow"foot`
(?)
(Bot.)
An aquatic kind of buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis), used as food for cattle in parts of England.

Great water crowfoot, an American water plant (Ranunculus multifidus), having deep yellow flowers.


word: Water deck
definition:
Water deck

Wa"ter deck`
(?)
A covering of painting canvas for the equipments of a dragoon's horse.
Wilhelm.


word: Water deer
definition:
Water deer

Wa"ter deer`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
A small Chinese deer (Hydropotes inermis). Both sexes are destitute of antlers, but the male has large, descending canine tusks.
(b)
The water chevrotain.


word: Water devil
definition:
Water devil

Wa"ter dev"il
(?)
(Zool.)
The rapacious larva of a large water beetle (Hydrophilus piceus), and of other similar species.  See Illust. of Water beetle.


word: Water dock
definition:
Water dock

Wa"ter dock`
(?)
(Bot.)
A tall, coarse dock growing in wet places. The American water dock is Rumex orbiculatus, the European is Rumex Hydrolapathum.


word: Water doctor
definition:
Water doctor

Wa"ter doc"tor
(?)
(Med.)
(a)
One who professes to be able to divine diseases by inspection of the urine.
(b)
A physician who treats diseases with water; an hydropathist.


word: Water dog
definition:
Water dog

Wa"ter dog`
(?)
1.
(Zool.)
A dog accustomed to the water, or trained to retrieve waterfowl. Retrievers, waters spaniels, and Newfoundland dogs are so trained.

2.
(Zool.)
The menobranchus.

3.
A small floating cloud, supposed to indicate rain.

4.
A sailor, esp. an old sailor; an old salt.
[Colloq.]


word: Water dressing
definition:
Water dressing

Wa"ter dress"ing
(?)
(Med.)
The treatment of wounds or ulcers by the application of water; also, a dressing saturated with water only, for application to a wound or an ulcer.


word: Water dropwort
definition:
Water dropwort

Wa"ter drop"wort`
(?)
(Bot.)
A European poisonous umbelliferous plant (Enanthe fistulosa) with large hollow stems and finely divided leaves.


word: Water engine
definition:
Water engine

Wa"ter en"gine
(?)
An engine to raise water; or an engine moved by water; also, an engine or machine for extinguishing fires; a fire engine.


word: Waterfall
definition:
Waterfall

Wa"ter*fall`
(?)
n.
1.
A fall, or perpendicular descent, of the water of a river or stream, or a descent nearly perpendicular; a cascade; a cataract.

2.
(Hairdressing)
An arrangement of a woman's back hair over a cushion or frame in some resemblance to a waterfall.

3.
A certain kind of neck scarf.
T. Hughes.


word: Water feather-foil
definition:
Water feather-foil

Water feather

{ Wa"ter feath"er (?). Wa"ter feath"er-foil` (?). }
(Bot.)
The water violet (Hottonia palustris); also, the less showy American plant Hottonia inflata.


word: Water flag
definition:
Water flag

Wa"ter flag`
(?)
(Bot.)
A European species of Iris (Iris Pseudacorus) having bright yellow flowers.


word: Water flannel
definition:
Water flannel

Wa"ter flan"nel
(?)
(Bot.)
A floating mass formed in pools by the entangled filaments of a European fresh-water alga (Cladophora crispata).


word: Water flea
definition:
Water flea

Wa"ter flea`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of small aquatic Entomostraca belonging to the genera Cyclops, Daphnia, etc; -- so called because they swim with sudden leaps, or starts.


word: Water flounder
definition:
Water flounder

Wa"ter floun"der
(?)
(Zool.)
The windowpane (Pleuronectes maculatus).
[Local, U. S.]


word: Waterfowl
definition:
Waterfowl

Wa"ter*fowl`
(?)
n.
Any bird that frequents the water, or lives about rivers, lakes, etc., or on or near the sea; an aquatic fowl; -- used also collectively.

&hand_; Of aquatic fowls, some are waders, or furnished with long legs; others are swimmers, or furnished with webbed feet.


word: Water frame
definition:
Water frame

Wa"ter frame`
(?)
A name given to the first power spinning machine, because driven by water power.


word: Water furrow
definition:
Water furrow

Wa"ter fur"row
(?)
(Agric.)
A deep furrow for conducting water from the ground, and keeping the surface soil dry.


word: Water gall
definition:
Water gall

Wa"ter gall`
(?)
1.
A cavity made in the earth by a torrent of water; a washout.

2.
A watery appearance in the sky, accompanying the rainbow; a secondary or broken rainbow.

These water galls, in her dim element,
Foretell new storms to those already spent.
Shak.

False good news are [is] always produced by true good, like the water gall by the rainbow.
Walpole.


word: Water gang
definition:
Water gang

Wa"ter gang`
(?)
(O. E. Law)
A passage for water, such as was usually made in a sea wall, to drain water out of marshes.
Burrill.


word: Water gate
definition:
Water gate

Wa"ter gate`
(?)
A gate, or valve, by which a flow of water is permitted, prevented, or regulated.


word: Water gauge
definition:
Water gauge

Wa"ter gauge`
(?)
[Written also water gage.]

1.
A wall or bank to hold water back.
Craig.

2.
An instrument for measuring or ascertaining the depth or quantity of water, or for indicating the height of its surface, as in the boiler of a steam engine.  See Gauge.


word: Water gavel
definition:
Water gavel

Wa"ter gav"el
(?)
(O. Eng. Law)
A gavel or rent paid for a privilege, as of fishing, in some river or water.


word: Water germander
definition:
Water germander

Wa"ter ger*man"der
(?)
(Bot.)
A labiate plant (Teucrium Scordium) found in marshy places in Europe.


word: Water gilding
definition:
Water gilding

Wa"ter gild"ing
(?)
The act, or the process, of gilding metallic surfaces by covering them with a thin coating of amalgam of gold, and then volatilizing the mercury by heat; -- called also wash gilding.


word: Water glass
definition:
Water glass

Wa"ter glass`
(?)
1.
(Chem.)
See Soluble glass, under Glass.

2.
A clepsydra.

3.
An instrument consisting of an open box or tube with a glass bottom, used for examining objects in the water, as upon the sea bottom in shallow places.

4.
A water gauge for a steam boiler.


word: Water god
definition:
Water god

Wa"ter god`
(?)
(Myth.)
A fabulous deity supposed to dwell in, and preside over, some body of water.


word: Water grass
definition:
Water grass

Water grass
(a)
A tall march perennial grass (Paspalum dilatatum) of the southern United States and the American tropics.
(b)
Manna grass.
(c)
The grass Chloris elegans.
(d)
[Dial. Eng.]
Velvet grass.
The water cress.
One of various horsetails.


word: Water gruel
definition:
Water gruel

Wa"ter gru"el
(?)
A liquid food composed of water and a small portion of meal, or other farinaceous substance, boiled and seasoned.


word: Water hammer
definition:
Water hammer

Wa"ter ham"mer
(?)
(Physics)
1.
A vessel partly filled with water, exhausted of air, and hermetically sealed. When reversed or shaken, the water being unimpeded by air, strikes the sides in solid mass with a sound like that of a hammer.

2.
A concussion, or blow, made by water in striking, as against the sides of a pipe or vessel containing it.

3.
A metal hammer used when heated, as by dipping in hot water, to blister the skin, as for counterritation.


word: Water hare
definition:
Water hare

Wa"ter hare
(?)
(Zool.)
A small American hare or rabbit (Lepus aquaticus) found on or near the southern coasts of the United States; -- called also water rabbit, and swamp hare.


word: Water hemlock
definition:
Water hemlock

Wa"ter hem"lock
(?)
(Bot)
(a)
A poisonous umbelliferous plant (Cicuta virosa) of Europe; also, any one of several plants of that genus.
(b)
A poisonous plant (Œnanthe crocata) resembling the above.


word: Water hyacinth
definition:
Water hyacinth

Wa"ter hy"a*cinth
(?)
(Bot.)
Either of several tropical aquatic plants of the genus Eichhornia, related to the pickerel weed.


word: Watering
definition:
Watering

Wa"ter*ing
a. & n. from Water, v.

Watering call (Mil.), a sound of trumpet or bugle summoning cavalry soldiers to assemble for the purpose of watering their horses. -- Watering cart, a sprinkling cart.  See Water. -- Watering place. (a) A place where water may be obtained, as for a ship, for cattle, etc. (b) A place where there are springs of medicinal water, or a place by the sea, or by some large body of water, to which people resort for bathing, recreation, boating, etc. -- Watering pot. (a) A kind of bucket fitted with a rose, or perforated nozzle, -- used for watering flowers, paths, etc. (b) (Zool.) Any one of several species of marine bivalve shells of the genus Aspergillum, or Brechites. The valves are small, and consolidated with the capacious calcareous tube which incases the entire animal. The tube is closed at the anterior end by a convex disk perforated by numerous pores, or tubules, and resembling the rose of a watering pot. -- Watering trough, a trough from which cattle, horses, and other animals drink.


word: Waterish
definition:
Waterish

Wa"ter*ish
a.
[AS. wæterisc.]
1.
Resembling water; thin; watery.

Feed upon such nice and waterish diet.
Shak.

2.
Somewhat watery; moist; as, waterish land.


word: Water joint
definition:
Water joint

Wa"ter joint`
(?)
(Arch.)
A joint in a stone pavement where the stones are left slightly higher than elsewhere, the rest of the surface being sunken or dished. The raised surface is intended to prevent the settling of water in the joints.


word: Water-laid
definition:
Water-laid

Wa"ter-laid`
(?)
a.
Having a left-hand twist; -- said of cordage; as, a water-laid, or left-hand, rope.


word: Waterlandian
definition:
Waterlandian

Waterlander

{ Wa`ter*land"er (?), Wa`ter*land"i*an (?) }
n.
(Eccl. Hist.)
One of a body of Dutch Anabaptists who separated from the Mennonites in the sixteenth century; -- so called from a district in North Holland denominated Waterland.


word: Waterleaf
definition:
Waterleaf

Wa"ter*leaf`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
Any plant of the American genus Hydrophyllum, herbs having white or pale blue bell-shaped flowers.
Gray.


word: Water lemon
definition:
Water lemon

Wa"ter lem"on
(?)
(Bot.)
The edible fruit of two species of passion flower (Passiflora laurifolia, and Passiflora maliformis); -- so called in the West Indies.


word: Water lettuce
definition:
Water lettuce

Wa"ter let"tuce
(?)
(Bot.)
A plant (Pistia stratiotes) which floats on tropical waters, and forms a rosette of spongy, wedge-shaped leaves.
J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).


word: Water level
definition:
Water level

Wa"ter lev"el
(?)
1.
The level formed by the surface of still water.

2.
A kind of leveling instrument.  See under Level, n.


word: Water lily
definition:
Water lily

Wa"ter lil`y
(?)
(Bot.)
A blossom or plant of any species of the genus Nymphaea, distinguished for its large floating leaves and beautiful flowers.  See Nymphaea.

&hand_; The name is extended to various plants of other related genera, as Nuphar, Euryale, Nelumbo, and Victoria.  See Euryale, Lotus, and Victoria, 1.


word: Water line
definition:
Water line

Wa"ter line`
(?)
1.
(Shipbuilding)
Any one of certain lines of a vessel, model, or plan, parallel with the surface of the water at various heights from the keel.

&hand_; In a half-breadth plan, the water lines are outward curves showing the horizontal form of the ship at their several heights; in a sheer plan, they are projected as straight horizontal lines.

2.
(Naut.)
Any one of several lines marked upon the outside of a vessel, corresponding with the surface of the water when she is afloat on an even keel. The lowest line indicates the vessel's proper submergence when not loaded, and is called the light water line; the highest, called the load water line, indicates her proper submergence when loaded.

Water-line model (Shipbuilding), a model of a vessel formed of boards which are shaped according to the water lines as shown in the plans and laid upon each other to form a solid model.


word: Water lizard
definition:
Water lizard

Wa"ter liz"ard
(?)
(Zool.)
Any aquatic lizard of the genus Varanus, as the monitor of the Nile.  See Monitor, n., 3.


word: Water locust
definition:
Water locust

Wa"ter lo"cust
(?)
(Bot.)
A thorny leguminous tree (Gleditschia monosperma) which grows in the swamps of the Mississippi valley.


word: Water-logged
definition:
Water-logged

Wa"ter-logged
(?)
a.
Filled or saturated with water so as to be heavy, unmanageable, or loglike; -- said of a vessel, when, by receiving a great quantity of water into her hold, she has become so heavy as not to be manageable by the helm.


word: Waterman
definition:
Waterman

Wa"ter*man
n.
pl. Watermen (_;).

1.
A man who plies for hire on rivers, lakes, or canals, or in harbors, in distinction from a seaman who is engaged on the high seas; a man who manages fresh-water craft; a boatman; a ferryman.

2.
An attendant on cab stands, etc., who supplies water to the horses.
[Eng.]
Dickens.

3.
A water demon.
Tylor.


word: Watermanship
definition:
Watermanship

Wa"ter*man*ship`
n.
1.
The business or skill of a waterman.

2.
Art of, or skill in, rowing; oarsmanship; specif., skill in managing the blade in the water, as distinguished from managing arms, body, etc., in the stroke.


word: Watermark
definition:
Watermark

Wa"ter*mark`
(?)
n.
1.
A mark indicating the height to which water has risen, or at which it has stood; the usual limit of high or low water.

2.
A letter, device, or the like, wrought into paper during the process of manufacture.

&hand_; “The watermark in paper is produced by bending the wires of the mold, or by wires bent into the shape of the required letter or device, and sewed to the surface of the mold; -- it has the effect of making the paper thinner in places. The old makers employed watermarks of an eccentric kind. Those of Caxton and other early printers were an oxhead and star, a collared dog's head, a crown, a shield, a jug, etc. A fool's cap and bells, employed as a watermark, gave the name to foolscap paper; a postman's horn, such as was formerly in use, gave the name to post paper.”  Tomlinson.


3.
(Naut.)
See Water line, 2.
[R.]


word: Water meadow
definition:
Water meadow

Wa"ter mead"ow
(?)
(Agric.)
A meadow, or piece of low, flat land, capable of being kept in a state of fertility by being overflowed with water from some adjoining river or stream.


word: Water measure
definition:
Water measure

Wa"ter meas"ure
(?)
A measure formerly used for articles brought by water, as coals, oysters, etc. The water-measure bushel was three gallons larger than the Winchester bushel.
Cowell.


word: Water measurer
definition:
Water measurer

Wa"ter meas"ur*er
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of water; the skater.  See Skater, n., 2.


word: Watermelon
definition:
Watermelon

Wa"ter*mel`on
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
The very large ovoid or roundish fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of many varieties; also, the plant itself. The fruit sometimes weighs many pounds; its pulp is usually pink in color, and full of a sweet watery juice. It is a native of tropical Africa, but is now cultivated in many countries.  See Illust. of Melon.


word: Water meter
definition:
Water meter

Wa"ter me"ter
(?)
A contrivance for measuring a supply of water delivered or received for any purpose, as from a street main.


word: Water milfoil
definition:
Water milfoil

Wa"ter mil"foil
(?)
(Bot.)
Any plant of the genus Myriophyllum, aquatic herbs with whorled leaves, the submersed ones pinnately parted into capillary divisions.


word: Water mill
definition:
Water mill

Wa"ter mill`
(?)
A mill whose machinery is moved by water; -- distinguished from a windmill, and a steam mill.


word: Water mint
definition:
Water mint

Wa"ter mint`
(?)
A kind of mint (Mentha aquatica) growing in wet places, and sometimes having a perfume resembling bergamot.


word: Water mite
definition:
Water mite

Wa"ter mite`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any of numerous species of aquatic mites belonging to Hydrachna and allied genera of the family Hydrachnidae, usually having the legs fringed and adapted for swimming. They are often red or red and black in color, and while young are parasites of fresh-water insects and mussels.  Called also water tick, and water spider.


word: Water moccasin
definition:
Water moccasin

Wa"ter moc"ca*sin
(?)
(Zool.)
A venomous North American snake (Ancistrodon piscivorus) allied to the rattlesnake but destitute of a rattle. It lives in or about pools and ponds, and feeds largely of fishes. Called also water snake, water adder, water viper.


word: Water mole
definition:
Water mole

Wa"ter mole`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The shrew mole.  See under Shrew.
(b)
The duck mole.  See under Duck.


word: Water monitor
definition:
Water monitor

Wa"ter mon"i*tor
(?)
(Zool.)
A very large lizard (Varanaus salvator) native of India. It frequents the borders of streams and swims actively. It becomes five or six feet long. Called also two-banded monitor, and kabaragoya. The name is also applied to other aquatic monitors.


word: Water monkey
definition:
Water monkey

Water monkey
A jar or bottle, as of porous earthenware, in which water is cooled by evaporation.


word: Water motor
definition:
Water motor

Wa"ter mo"tor
(?)
1.
A water engine.

2.
A water wheel; especially, a small water wheel driven by water from a street main.


word: Water mouse
definition:
Water mouse

Wa"ter mouse`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of mice belonging to the genus Hydromys, native of Australia and Tasmania. Their hind legs are strong and their toes partially webbed. They live on the borders of streams, and swim well. They are remarkable as being the only rodents found in Australia.


word: Water nymph
definition:
Water nymph

Wa"ter nymph`
(?)
1.
(Myth.)
A goddess of any stream or other body of water, whether one of the Naiads, Nereids, or Oceanides.

2.
(Bot.)
A water lily (Nymphaea).


word: Water ouzel
definition:
Water ouzel

Water ousel

{ Wa"ter ou"sel (?), Wa"ter ou"zel  }
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of small insessorial birds of the genus Cinclus (or Hydrobates), especially the European water ousel (Cinclus aquaticus), and the American water ousel (Cinclus Mexicanus). These birds live about the water, and are in the habit of walking on the bottom of streams beneath the water in search of food.


word: Water parsnip
definition:
Water parsnip

Wa"ter pars"nip
(?)
(Bot.)
Any plant of the aquatic umbelliferous genus Sium, poisonous herbs with pinnate or dissected leaves and small white flowers.


word: Water parting
definition:
Water parting

Water parting
(Phys. Geog.)
A summit from the opposite sides of which rain waters flow to different streams; a line separating the drainage districts of two streams or coasts; a divide; a watershed.


word: Water pheasant
definition:
Water pheasant

Wa"ter pheas"ant
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The pintail.  See Pintail, n., 1.
(b)
The goosander.
(c)
The hooded merganser.


word: Water pitcher
definition:
Water pitcher

Wa"ter pitch"er
(?)
1.
A pitcher for water.

2.
(Bot.)
One of a family of plants having pitcher-shaped leaves. The sidesaddle flower (Sarracenia purpurea) is the type.


word: Water plantain
definition:
Water plantain

Wa"ter plan"tain
(?)
(Bot.)
A kind of plant with acrid leaves.  See under 2d Plantain.


word: Water plate
definition:
Water plate

Wa"ter plate`
(?)
A plate heated by hot water contained in a double bottom or jacket.
Knight.


word: Water pocket
definition:
Water pocket

Water pocket
A water hole in the bed of an intermittent stream, esp. the bowl at the foot of a cliff over which the stream leaps when in the flood stage.
[Western U. S.]


word: Water pore
definition:
Water pore

Wa"ter pore`
(?)
1.
(Zool.)
A pore by which the water tubes of various invertebrates open externally.

2.
(Bot.)
One of certain minute pores in the leaves of some plants. They are without true guardian cells, but in other respects closely resemble ordinary stomata.
Goodale.


word: Waterpot
definition:
Waterpot

Wa"ter*pot`
(?)
n.
A vessel for holding or conveying water, or for sprinkling water on cloth, plants, etc.


word: Water power
definition:
Water power

Wa"ter pow"er
(?)
1.
The power of water employed to move machinery, etc.

2.
A fall of water which may be used to drive machinery; a site for a water mill; a water privilege.


word: Water privilege
definition:
Water privilege

Wa"ter priv"i*lege
(?)
The advantage of using water as a mechanical power; also, the place where water is, or may be, so used.  See under Privilege.


word: Waterproof
definition:
Waterproof

Wa"ter*proof`
(?)
a.
Proof against penetration or permeation by water; impervious to water; as, a waterproof garment; a waterproof roof.


word: Waterproof₂
definition:
Waterproof

Wa"ter*proof`
n.
1.
A substance or preparation for rendering cloth, leather, etc., impervious to water.

2.
Cloth made waterproof, or any article made of such cloth, or of other waterproof material, as rubber; esp., an outer garment made of such material.


word: Waterproofing
definition:
Waterproofing

Wa"ter*proof`ing
n.
1.
The act or process of making waterproof.

2.
Same as Waterproof, n., 1.


word: Water radish
definition:
Water radish

Wa"ter rad"ish
(?)
(Bot.)
A coarse yellow-flowered plant (Nasturtium amphibium) related to the water cress and to the horse-radish.


word: Water rail
definition:
Water rail

Wa"ter rail`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of rails of the genus Rallus, as the common European species (Rallus aquaticus).  See Illust. of Rail.


word: Water rat
definition:
Water rat

Wa"ter rat`
(?)
1.
(Zool.)
(a)
The water vole.  See under Vole.
(b)
The muskrat.
(c)
The beaver rat.  See under Beaver.

2.
A thief on the water; a pirate.


word: Water rattler
definition:
Water rattler

Water rattle

{ Wa"ter rat"tle (?). Wa"ter rat"tler (?). }
(Zool.)
The diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus); -- so called from its preference for damp places near water.


word: Water-ret
definition:
Water-ret

Wa"ter-ret`
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Water-retted; p. pr. & vb. n. Water-retting.]
To ret, or rot, in water, as flax; to water-rot.


word: Water rocket
definition:
Water rocket

Wa"ter rock"et
(?)
1.
(Bot.)
A cruciferous plant (Nasturtium sylvestre) with small yellow flowers.

2.
A kind of firework to be discharged in the water.


word: Water-rot
definition:
Water-rot

Wa"ter-rot`
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Water-rotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Water-rotting.]
To rot by steeping in water; to water-ret; as, to water-rot hemp or flax.


word: Water sail
definition:
Water sail

Wa"ter sail`
(?)
(Naut.)
A small sail sometimes set under a studding sail or under a driver boom, and reaching nearly to the water.


word: Water sapphire
definition:
Water sapphire

Wa"ter sap"phire
(?)
[Equiv. to F. saphir d'eau.]
(Min.)
A deep blue variety of iolite, sometimes used as a gem; -- called also saphir d'eau.


word: Waterscape
definition:
Waterscape

Wa"ter*scape"
(?)
n.
[Cf. Landscape.]
A sea view; -- distinguished from landscape.
[Jocose]
Fairholt.


word: Watershed
definition:
Watershed

Wa"ter*shed`
(?)
n.
[Cf. G. wasserscheide; wasser water + scheide a place where two things separate, fr. scheiden to separate.]

1.
The whole region or extent of country which contributes to the supply of a river or lake.

2.
The line of division between two adjacent rivers or lakes with respect to the flow of water by natural channels into them; the natural boundary of a basin; -- called also divide and water parting.

3.
a point in time marking an important transition between two situations, or phases of an activity; a turning point.


word: Water shield
definition:
Water shield

Wa"ter shield`
(?)
(Bot.)
An aquatic American plant (Brasenia peltata) having floating oval leaves, and the covered with a clear jelly.


word: Watershoot
definition:
Watershoot

Wa"ter*shoot`
(?)
n.
1.
A sprig or shoot from the root or stock of a tree.
[Obs.]

2.
(Arch.)
That which serves to guard from falling water; a drip or dripstone.

3.
A trough for discharging water.


word: Water shrew
definition:
Water shrew

Wa"ter shrew`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of shrews having fringed feet and capable of swimming actively. The two common European species (Crossopus fodiens, and Crossopus ciliatus) are the best known. The most common American water shrew, or marsh shrew (Neosorex palustris), is rarely seen, owing to its nocturnal habits.


word: Water snail
definition:
Water snail

Wa"ter snail`
(?)
1.
(Zool.)
Any aquatic pulmonate gastropod belonging to Planorbis, Limnaea, and allied genera; a pond snail.

2.
(Mech.)
The Archimedean screw.
[R.]


word: Water snake
definition:
Water snake

Wa"ter snake`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
A common North American colubrine snake (Tropidonotus sipedon) which lives chiefly in the water.
(b)
Any species of snakes of the family Homalopsidae, all of which are aquatic in their habits.


word: Water soldier
definition:
Water soldier

Wa"ter sol`dier
(?)
(Bot.)
An aquatic European plant (Stratiotes aloides) with bayonet-shaped leaves.


word: Water souchy
definition:
Water souchy

Wa"ter souch`y
(?)
(Cookery)
A dish consisting of small fish stewed and served in a little water.
[Written also water souchet.]
Zoutch


word: Water spaniel
definition:
Water spaniel

Wa"ter span"iel
(?)
A curly-haired breed of spaniels, naturally very fond of the water.


word: Water sparrow
definition:
Water sparrow

Wa"ter spar"row
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
The reed warbler.
[Prov. Eng.]
(b)
The reed bunting.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Water speedwell
definition:
Water speedwell

Wa"ter speed"well
(?)
(Bot.)
A kind of speedwell (Veronica Anagallis) found in wet places in Europe and America.


word: Water spider
definition:
Water spider

Wa"ter spi"der
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
An aquatic European spider (Argyoneta aquatica) which constructs its web beneath the surface of the water on water plants. It lives in a bell-shaped structure of silk, open beneath like a diving bell, and filled with air which the spider carries down in the form of small bubbles attached one at a time to the spinnerets and hind feet. Called also diving spider.
(b)
A water mite.
(c)
Any spider that habitually lives on or about the water, especially the large American species (Dolomedes lanceolatus) which runs rapidly on the surface of water; -- called also raft spider.


word: Waterspout
definition:
Waterspout

Wa"ter*spout`
(?)
n.
A remarkable meteorological phenomenon, of the nature of a tornado or whirlwind, usually observed over the sea, but sometimes over the land.

&hand_; Tall columns, apparently of cloud, and reaching from the sea to the clouds, are seen moving along, often several at once, sometimes straight and vertical, at other times inclined and tortuous, but always in rapid rotation. At their bases, the sea is violently agitated and heaped up with a leaping or boiling motion, water, at least in some cases, being actually carried up in considerable quantity, and scattered round from a great height, as solid bodies are by tornadoes on land.  Sir J. Herschel.


word: Water sprite
definition:
Water sprite

Wa"ter sprite`
(?)
A sprite, or spirit, imagined as inhabiting the water.
J. R. Drake.


word: Water star grass
definition:
Water star grass

Wa"ter star" grass`
(?)
(Bot.)
An aquatic plant (Schollera graminea) with grassy leaves, and yellow star-shaped blossoms.


word: Water supply
definition:
Water supply

Wa"ter sup*ply"
(?)
A supply of water; specifically, water collected, as in reservoirs, and conveyed, as by pipes, for use in a city, mill, or the like.


word: Water table
definition:
Water table

Wa"ter ta"ble
(?)
1.
(Arch.)
A molding, or other projection, in the wall of a building, to throw off the water, -- generally used in the United States for the first table above the surface of the ground (see Table, n., 9), that is, for the table at the top of the foundation and the beginning of the upper wall.

2.
(Hydraulic Engin.)
The upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water. The water table may be within a few inches of the surface or many feet below it.


word: Watertath
definition:
Watertath

Wa"ter*tath`
(?)
n.
[Water + tath, n.]
A kind of coarse grass growing in wet grounds, and supposed to be injurious to sheep.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Water telescope
definition:
Water telescope

Water telescope
1.
(Optics)
A telescope in which the medium between the objective and the eye piece is water instead of air, used in some experiments in aberration.

2.
A telescope devised for looking into a body of water.


word: Water tender
definition:
Water tender

Water tender
(Nav.)
In the United States navy, a first-class petty officer in charge in a fireroom. He “tends” water to the boilers, sees that fires are properly cleaned and stoked, etc. There is also a rating of chief water tender, who is a chief petty officer.


word: Water thermometer
definition:
Water thermometer

Wa"ter ther*mom"e*ter
(?)
(Physics)
A thermometer filled with water instead of mercury, for ascertaining the precise temperature at which water attains its maximum density. This is about 39° Fahr., or 4° Centigrade; and from that point down to 32° Fahr., or 0° Centigrade, or the freezing point, it expands.


word: Water thrush
definition:
Water thrush

Wa"ter thrush`
(?)
(Zool.)
(a)
A North American bird of the genus Seiurus, belonging to the Warbler family, especially the common species (Seiurus Noveboracensis).
(b)
The European water ousel.
(b)
The pied wagtail.


word: Water tiger
definition:
Water tiger

Wa"ter ti"ger
(?)
(Zool.)
A diving, or water, beetle, especially the larva of a water beetle.  See Illust. b of Water beetle.


word: Water torch
definition:
Water torch

Wa"ter torch`
(?)
(Bot.)
The common cat-tail (Typha latifolia), the spike of which makes a good torch soaked in oil.
Dr. Prior.


word: Water tower
definition:
Water tower

Wa"ter tow"er
(?)
1.
A large metal pipe made to be extended vertically by sections, and used for discharging water upon burning buildings.

2.
A tower or standpipe used as a water storage reservoir, to deliver water at a required head of pressure, as to a fountain.


word: Water tree
definition:
Water tree

Wa"ter tree`
(?)
(Bot.)
A climbing shrub (Tetracera alnifolia syn. Tetracera potatoria) of Western Africa, which pours out a watery sap from the freshly cut stems.


word: Water tube
definition:
Water tube

Wa"ter tube`
(w&asuml_;"tẽr tūb`)
1.
(Zool.)
One of a system of tubular excretory organs having external openings, found in many invertebrates.  They are believed to be analogous in function to the kidneys of vertebrates.  See Illust. under Trematodea, and Sporocyst.

2.
Any tube for passing or holding water; specif., in some steam boilers, a tube in which water circulates and steam is generated.


word: Water tupelo
definition:
Water tupelo

Wa"ter tu"pe*lo
(w&asuml_;"tẽr tū"pe̝*l&omacr)
(Bot.)
A species of large tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) growing in swamps in the southern of the United States.  See Ogeechee lime.


word: Water turkey
definition:
Water turkey

Wa"ter tur"key
(w&asuml_;"tẽr tûr"k&ybreve_;)
(Zool.)
The American snakebird.  See Snakebird.


word: Water tuyere
definition:
Water tuyere

Wa"ter tu`yère"
(w&asuml_;"tẽr twe̝`yâr")
A tuyère kept cool by water circulating within a casing. It is used for hot blast.


word: Water vine
definition:
Water vine

Wa"ter vine`
(?)
(Bot.)
Any plant of the genus Phytocrene, climbing shrubs of Asia and Africa, the stems of which are singularly porous, and when cut stream with a limpid potable juice.


word: Waterway
definition:
Waterway

Wa"ter*way`
(?)
n.
(Naut.)
Heavy plank or timber extending fore and aft the whole length of a vessel's deck at the line of junction with the sides, forming a channel to the scuppers, which are cut through it. In iron vessels the waterway is variously constructed.


word: Water wheel
definition:
Water wheel

Wa"ter wheel`
(?)
1.
Any wheel for propelling machinery or for other purposes, that is made to rotate by the direct action of water; -- called an overshot wheel when the water is applied at the top, an undershot wheel when at the bottom, a breast wheel when at an intermediate point; other forms are called reaction wheel, vortex wheel, turbine wheel, etc.

2.
The paddle wheel of a steam vessel.

3.
A wheel for raising water; a noria, or the like.


word: Water willow
definition:
Water willow

Wa"ter wil`low
(?)
(Bot.)
An American aquatic plant (Dianthera Americana) with long willowlike leaves, and spikes of small purplish flowers.


word: Water wing
definition:
Water wing

Wa"ter wing`
(?)
(Arch.)
One of two walls built on either side of the junction of a bridge with the bank of a river, to protect the abutment of the bridge and the bank from the action of the current.


word: Water-withe
definition:
Water-withe

Wa"ter-withe`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
A vinelike plant (Vitis Caribaea) growing in parched districts in the West Indies, and containing a great amount of sap which is sometimes used for quenching thirst.


word: Waterwork
definition:
Waterwork

Wa"ter*work`
(?)
n.
1.
(Paint.)
Painting executed in size or distemper, on canvas or walls, -- formerly, frequently taking the place of tapestry.
Shak. Fairholt.

2.
An hydraulic apparatus, or a system of works or fixtures, by which a supply of water is furnished for useful or ornamental purposes, including dams, sluices, pumps, aqueducts, distributing pipes, fountains, etc.; -- used chiefly in the plural.


word: Waterworn
definition:
Waterworn

Wa"ter*worn`
(?)
a.
Worn, smoothed, or polished by the action of water; as, waterworn stones.


word: Waterwort
definition:
Waterwort

Wa"ter*wort`
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
Any plant of the natural order Elatineae, consisting of two genera (Elatine, and Bergia), mostly small annual herbs growing in the edges of ponds. Some have a peppery or acrid taste.


word: Watery
definition:
Watery

Wa"ter*y
(?)
a.
[AS. waeterig.]

1.
Of or pertaining to water; consisting of water.
watery
Dryden.
watery
Milton.

2.
Abounding with water; wet; hence, tearful.

3.
Resembling water; thin or transparent, as a liquid; as, watery humors.

The oily and watery parts of the aliment.
Arbuthnot.

4.
Hence, abounding in thin, tasteless, or insipid fluid; tasteless; insipid; vapid; spiritless.


word: Watt
definition:
Watt

Watt
(?)
n.
[From the distinguished mechanician and scientist, James Watt.]
(Physics)
A unit of power or activity equal to 107 C.G.S. units of power, or to work done at the rate of one joule a second.  An English horse power is approximately equal to 746 watts.


word: Watteau
definition:
Watteau

Wat*teau"
(?)
a.
(Art)
Having the appearance of that which is seen in pictures by Antoine Watteau, a French painter of the eighteenth century; -- said esp. of women's garments; as, a Watteau bodice.


word: Watteau back
definition:
Watteau back

Watteau back
The back of a woman's gown in which one or more very broad folds are carried from the neck to the floor without being held in at the waist, while the front and sides of the gown are shaped to the person and have a belt or its equivalent.


word: Wattmeter
definition:
Wattmeter

Watt"me`ter
(?)
n.
[Watt + meter.]
(Physics)
An instrument for measuring power in watts, -- much used in measuring the energy of an electric current.


word: Wattle
definition:
Wattle

Wat"tle
(?)
n.
[AS. watel, watul, watol, hurdle, covering, wattle; cf. OE. watel a bag.  Cf. Wallet.]

1.
A twig or flexible rod; hence, a hurdle made of such rods.

And there he built with wattles from the marsh
A little lonely church in days of yore.
Tennyson.

2.
A rod laid on a roof to support the thatch.

3.
(Zool.)
(a)
A naked fleshy, and usually wrinkled and highly colored, process of the skin hanging from the chin or throat of a bird or reptile.
(b)
Barbel of a fish.

4.
(a)
The astringent bark of several Australian trees of the genus Acacia, used in tanning; -- called also wattle bark.

5.
Material consisting of wattled twigs, withes, etc., used for walls, fences, and the like.
wattle
Frances Macnab.

6.
(Bot.)
In Australasia, any tree of the genus Acacia; -- so called from the wattles, or hurdles, which the early settlers made of the long, pliable branches or of the split stems of the slender species.  The bark of such trees is also called wattle.  See also Savanna wattle, under Savanna.

Wattle turkey. (Zool.) Same as Brush turkey.


word: Wattle₂
definition:
Wattle

Wat"tle
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wattled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wattling (?).]

1.
To bind with twigs.

2.
To twist or interweave, one with another, as twigs; to form a network with; to plat; as, to wattle branches.

3.
To form, by interweaving or platting twigs.

The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes.
Milton.


word: Wattlebird
definition:
Wattlebird

Wat"tle*bird`
(?)
n.
1.
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of honey eaters belonging to Anthochaera and allied genera of the family Meliphagidae.  These birds usually have a large and conspicuous wattle of naked skin hanging down below each ear. They are natives of Australia and adjacent islands.

&hand_; The best-known species (Anthochaera carunculata) has the upper parts grayish brown, with a white stripe on each feather, and the wing and tail quills dark brown or blackish, tipped with withe. Its wattles, in life, are light blood-red. Called also wattled crow, wattled bee-eater, wattled honey eater.  Another species (Anthochaera inauris) is streaked with black, gray, and white, and its long wattles are white, tipped with orange. The bush wattlebirds, belonging to the genus Anellobia, are closely related, but lack conspicuous wattles. The most common species (Anthochaera mellivora) is dark brown, finely streaked with white. Called also goruck creeper.

2.
(Zool.)
The Australian brush turkey.


word: Wattled
definition:
Wattled

Wat"tled
(?)
a.
Furnished with wattles, or pendent fleshy processes at the chin or throat.

The wattled cocks strut to and fro.
Longfellow.


word: Wattless
definition:
Wattless

Watt"less
(?)
a.
(Elec.)
Without any power (cf. Watt); -- said of an alternating current or component of current when it differs in phase by ninety degrees from the electromotive force which produces it, or of an electromotive force or component thereof when the current it produces differs from it in phase by 90 degrees.


word: Wattling
definition:
Wattling

Wat"tling
(?)
n.
The act or process of binding or platting with twigs; also, the network so formed.

Made with a wattling of canes or sticks.
Dampier.


word: Waught
definition:
Waught

Waucht

{ Waucht, Waught  }
(?)
n.
[Cf. Quaff.]
A large draught of any liquid.
[Scot.]
Jamieson.


word: Waul
definition:
Waul

Waul
(?)
v. i.
[Of imitative origin.]
To cry as a cat; to squall; to wail.
[Written also wawl.]

The helpless infant, coming wauling and crying into the world.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Wave₂
definition:
Wave

Wave
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Waved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waving.]
[OE. waven, AS. wafian to waver, to hesitate, to wonder; akin to wæfre wavering, restless, MHG. wabern to be in motion, Icel. vafra to hover about; cf. Icel. vāfa to vibrate.  Cf. Waft, Waver.]

1.
To play loosely; to move like a wave, one way and the other; to float; to flutter; to undulate.

His purple robes waved careless to the winds.
Trumbull.

Where the flags of three nations has successively waved.
Hawthorne.

2.
To be moved to and fro as a signal.
B. Jonson.

3.
To fluctuate; to waver; to be in an unsettled state; to vacillate.
[Obs.]

He waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor harm.
Shak.


word: Wave₃
definition:
Wave

Wave
v. t.
1.
To move one way and the other; to brandish.
waved
Dryden.

2.
To raise into inequalities of surface; to give an undulating form a surface to.

Horns whelked and waved like the enridged sea.
Shak.

3.
To move like a wave, or by floating; to waft.
[Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.

4.
To call attention to, or give a direction or command to, by a waving motion, as of the hand; to signify by waving; to beckon; to signal; to indicate.

Look, with what courteous action
It waves you to a more removed ground.
Shak.

She spoke, and bowing waved
Dismissal.
Tennyson.


word: Wave₄
definition:
Wave

Wave
n.
[From Wave, v.; not the same word as OE. wawe, waghe, a wave, which is akin to E. wag to move. √138.  See Wave, v. i.]

1.
An advancing ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid, as of the sea, resulting from the oscillatory motion of the particles composing it when disturbed by any force their position of rest; an undulation.

The wave behind impels the wave before.
Pope.

2.
(Physics)
A vibration propagated from particle to particle through a body or elastic medium, as in the transmission of sound; an assemblage of vibrating molecules in all phases of a vibration, with no phase repeated; a wave of vibration; an undulation.  See Undulation.

3.
Water; a body of water.
[Poetic]
wave
Sir W. Scott.

Build a ship to save thee from the flood,
I 'll furnish thee with fresh wave, bread, and wine.
Chapman.

4.
Unevenness; inequality of surface.
Sir I. Newton.

5.
A waving or undulating motion; a signal made with the hand, a flag, etc.

6.
The undulating line or streak of luster on cloth watered, or calendered, or on damask steel.

7.
Something resembling or likened to a water wave, as in rising unusually high, in being of unusual extent, or in progressive motion; a swelling or excitement, as of feeling or energy; a tide; flood; period of intensity, usual activity, or the like; as, a wave of enthusiasm; waves of applause.

Wave front (Physics), the surface of initial displacement of the particles in a medium, as a wave of vibration advances. -- Wave length (Physics), the space, reckoned in the direction of propagation, occupied by a complete wave or undulation, as of light, sound, etc.; the distance from a point or phase in a wave to the nearest point at which the same phase occurs. -- Wave line (Shipbuilding), a line of a vessel's hull, shaped in accordance with the wave-line system. -- Wave-line system, Wave-line theory (Shipbuilding), a system or theory of designing the lines of a vessel, which takes into consideration the length and shape of a wave which travels at a certain speed. -- Wave loaf, a loaf for a wave offering. Lev. viii. 27. -- Wave moth (Zool.), any one of numerous species of small geometrid moths belonging to Acidalia and allied genera; -- so called from the wavelike color markings on the wings. -- Wave offering, an offering made in the Jewish services by waving the object, as a loaf of bread, toward the four cardinal points. Num. xviii. 11. -- Wave of vibration (Physics), a wave which consists in, or is occasioned by, the production and transmission of a vibratory state from particle to particle through a body. -- Wave surface. (a) (Physics) A surface of simultaneous and equal displacement of the particles composing a wave of vibration. (b) (Geom.) A mathematical surface of the fourth order which, upon certain hypotheses, is the locus of a wave surface of light in the interior of crystals. It is used in explaining the phenomena of double refraction.  See under Refraction. -- Wave theory. (Physics) See Undulatory theory, under Undulatory.


word: Waved
definition:
Waved

Waved
(?)
a.
1.
Exhibiting a wavelike form or outline; undulating; intended; wavy; as, waved edge.

2.
Having a wavelike appearance; marked with wavelike lines of color; as, waved, or watered, silk.

3.
(Her.)
Having undulations like waves; -- said of one of the lines in heraldry which serve as outlines to the ordinaries, etc.


word: Wavellite
definition:
Wavellite

Wa"vel*lite
(?)
n.
[After Dr. Wm. Wavel, the discoverer.]
(Min.)
A hydrous phosphate of alumina, occurring usually in hemispherical radiated forms varying in color from white to yellow, green, or black.


word: Waver
definition:
Waver

Wa"ver
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wavered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wavering.]
[OE. waveren, from AS. wæfre wavering, restless.  See Wave, v. i.]

1.
To play or move to and fro; to move one way and the other; hence, to totter; to reel; to swing; to flutter.

With banners and pennons wavering with the wind.
Ld. Berners.

Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities.
Sir W. Scott.

2.
To be unsettled in opinion; to vacillate; to be undetermined; to fluctuate; as, to water in judgment.

Let us hold fast . . . without wavering.
Heb. x. 23.

In feeble hearts, propense enough before
To waver, or fall off and join with idols.
Milton.


word: Waver₂
definition:
Waver

Wa"ver
n.
[From Wave, or Waver, v.]
A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.


word: Waverer
definition:
Waverer

Wa"ver*er
(?)
n.
One who wavers; one who is unsettled in doctrine, faith, opinion, or the like.
Shak.


word: Waveson
definition:
Waveson

Wave"son
(?)
n.
[From Wave; cf. Jetsam.]
(O. Eng. Law)
Goods which, after shipwreck, appear floating on the waves, or sea.


word: Wave-worn
definition:
Wave-worn

Wave"-worn`
(?)
a.
Worn by the waves.

The shore that o'er his wave-worn basis bowed.
Shak.


word: Wavy
definition:
Wavy

Wav"y
(?)
a.
1.
Rising or swelling in waves; full of waves.
wavy
Chapman.

2.
Playing to and fro; undulating; as, wavy flames.

Let her glad valleys smile with wavy corn.
Prior.

3.
(Bot.)
Undulating on the border or surface; waved.


word: Wawaskeesh
definition:
Wawaskeesh

Wa*was"keesh
(?)
n.
[From an Indian name.]
(Zool.)
The wapiti, or wapiti, or American elk.


word: Wawe₂
definition:
Wawe

Wawe
(w&asuml_;)
n.
[OE. wawe, waghe; cf. Icel. vāgr; akin to E. wag; not the same word as wave.]
A wave.
[Obs.]
Chaucer. Spenser.


word: Wax
definition:
Wax

Wax
(wăks)
v. i.
[imp. Waxed (?); p. p. Waxed, and Obs. or Poetic Waxen (_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Waxing.]
[AS. weaxan; akin to OFries. waxa, D. wassen, OS. & OHG. wahsan, G. wachsen, Icel. vaxa, Sw. växa, Dan. voxe, Goth. wahsjan, Gr. _; to increase, Skr. waksh, uksh, to grow. √135.  Cf. Waist.]

1.
To increase in size; to grow bigger; to become larger or fuller; -- opposed to wane.

The waxing and the waning of the moon.
Hakewill.

Truth's treasures . . . never shall wax ne wane.
P. Plowman.

2.
To pass from one state to another; to become; to grow; as, to wax strong; to wax warmer or colder; to wax feeble; to wax old; to wax worse and worse.

Your clothes are not waxen old upon you.
Deut. xxix. 5.

Where young Adonis oft reposes,
Waxing well of his deep wound.
Milton.

Waxing kernels (Med.), small tumors formed by the enlargement of the lymphatic glands, especially in the groins of children; -- popularly so called, because supposed to be caused by growth of the body. Dunglison.


word: Wax₂
definition:
Wax

Wax
n.
[AS. weax; akin to OFries. wax, D. was, G. wachs, OHG. wahs, Icel. & Sw. vax, Dan. vox, Lith. vaszkas, Russ. vosk'.]

1.
A fatty, solid substance, produced by bees, and employed by them in the construction of their comb; -- usually called beeswax. It is first excreted, from a row of pouches along their sides, in the form of scales, which, being masticated and mixed with saliva, become whitened and tenacious. Its natural color is pale or dull yellow.

&hand_; Beeswax consists essentially of cerotic acid (constituting the more soluble part) and of myricyl palmitate (constituting the less soluble part).

2.
Hence, any substance resembling beeswax in consistency or appearance.

Japanese wax, a waxlike substance made in Japan from the berries of certain species of Rhus, esp. Rhus succedanea. -- Mineral wax. (Min.) See Wax, 2 (f), above. -- Wax cloth. See Waxed cloth, under Waxed. -- Wax end. See Waxed end, under Waxed. -- Wax flower, a flower made of, or resembling, wax. -- Wax insect (Zool.), any one of several species of scale insects belonging to the family Coccidae, which secrete from their bodies a waxlike substance, especially the Chinese wax insect (Coccus Sinensis) from which a large amount of the commercial Chinese wax is obtained. Called also pela. -- Wax light, a candle or taper of wax. -- Wax moth (Zool.), a pyralid moth (Galleria cereana) whose larvae feed upon honeycomb, and construct silken galleries among the fragments. The moth has dusky gray wings streaked with brown near the outer edge. The larva is yellowish white with brownish dots. Called also bee moth. -- Wax myrtle. (Bot.) See Bayberry. -- Wax painting, a kind of painting practiced by the ancients, under the name of encaustic. The pigments were ground with wax, and diluted. After being applied, the wax was melted with hot irons and the color thus fixed. -- Wax palm. (Bot.) (a) A species of palm (Ceroxylon Andicola) native of the Andes, the stem of which is covered with a secretion, consisting of two thirds resin and one third wax, which, when melted with a third of fat, makes excellent candles. (b) A Brazilian tree (Copernicia cerifera) the young leaves of which are covered with a useful waxy secretion. -- Wax paper, paper prepared with a coating of white wax and other ingredients. -- Wax plant (Bot.), a name given to several plants, as: (a) The Indian pipe (see under Indian). (b) The Hoya carnosa, a climbing plant with polished, fleshy leaves. (c) Certain species of Begonia with similar foliage. -- Wax tree (Bot.) (a) A tree or shrub (Ligustrum lucidum) of China, on which certain insects make a thick deposit of a substance resembling white wax. (b) A kind of sumac (Rhus succedanea) of Japan, the berries of which yield a sort of wax. (c) A rubiaceous tree (Elaeagia utilis) of New Grenada, called by the inhabitants “arbol del cera.” -- Wax yellow, a dull yellow, resembling the natural color of beeswax.


word: Wax₃
definition:
Wax

Wax
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Waxed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waxing.]
To smear or rub with wax; to treat with wax; as, to wax a thread or a table.

Waxed cloth, cloth covered with a coating of wax, used as a cover, of tables and for other purposes; -- called also wax cloth. -- Waxed end, a thread pointed with a bristle and covered with shoemaker's wax, used in sewing leather, as for boots, shoes, and the like; -- called also wax end. Brockett.


word: Waxberry
definition:
Waxberry

Wax"ber`ry
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
The wax-covered fruit of the wax myrtle, or bayberry.  See Bayberry, and Candleberry tree.


word: Waxbill
definition:
Waxbill

Wax"bill`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of finchlike birds belonging to Estrelda and allied genera, native of Asia, Africa, and Australia. The bill is large, conical, and usually red in color, resembling sealing wax. Several of the species are often kept as cage birds.


word: Waxen
definition:
Waxen

Wax"en
(?)
a.
1.
Made of wax.
waxen
Milton.

2.
Covered with wax; waxed; as, a waxen tablet.

3.
Resembling wax; waxy; hence, soft; yielding.

Men have marble, women waxen, minds.
Shak.

Waxen chatterer (Zool.), the Bohemian chatterer.


word: Waxwing
definition:
Waxwing

Wax"wing`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of small birds of the genus Ampelis, in which some of the secondary quills are usually tipped with small horny ornaments resembling red sealing wax. The Bohemian waxwing (see under Bohemian) and the cedar bird are examples. Called also waxbird.


word: Waxwork
definition:
Waxwork

Wax"work`
(?)
n.
1.
Work made of wax; especially, a figure or figures formed or partly of wax, in imitation of real beings.

2.
(Bot.)
An American climbing shrub (Celastrus scandens). It bears a profusion of yellow berrylike pods, which open in the autumn, and display the scarlet coverings of the seeds.


word: Waxworks
definition:
Waxworks

Wax"works`
(?)
n. pl.
An exhibition of wax figures, or the place of exhibition; as, Madame Toussaud's Waxworks.


word: Waxworker
definition:
Waxworker

Wax"work`er
(?)
n.
1.
One who works in wax; one who makes waxwork.

2.
A bee that makes or produces wax.


word: Waxy
definition:
Waxy

Wax"y
(?)
a.
Resembling wax in appearance or consistency; viscid; adhesive; soft; hence, yielding; pliable; impressible.
Waxy
Bp. Hall.

Waxy degeneration (Med.), amyloid degeneration.  See under Amyloid. -- Waxy kidney, Waxy liver, etc. (Med.), a kidney or liver affected by waxy degeneration.


word: Way
definition:
Way

Way
(?)
adv.
[Aphetic form of away.]
Away.
[Obs. or Archaic]
Chaucer.

To do way, to take away; to remove. [Obs.] “Do way your hands.” Chaucer. -- To make way with, to make away with.  See under Away. [Archaic]


word: Way₂
definition:
Way

Way
n.
[OE. wey, way, AS. weg; akin to OS., D., OHG., & G. weg, Icel. vegr, Sw. väg, Dan. vei, Goth. wigs, L. via, and AS. wegan to move, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah. √136.   Cf. Convex, Inveigh, Vehicle, Vex, Via, Voyage, Wag, Wagon, Wee, Weigh.]

1.
That by, upon, or along, which one passes or processes; opportunity or room to pass; place of passing; passage; road, street, track, or path of any kind; as, they built a way to the mine.
way
Shak.

I shall him seek by way and eke by street.
Chaucer.

The way seems difficult, and steep to scale.
Milton.

The season and ways were very improper for his majesty's forces to march so great a distance.
Evelyn.

2.
Length of space; distance; interval; as, a great way; a long way.

And whenever the way seemed long,
Or his heart began to fail.
Longfellow.

3.
A moving; passage; procession; journey.

I prythee, now, lead the way.
Shak.

4.
Course or direction of motion or process; tendency of action; advance.

If that way be your walk, you have not far.
Milton.

And let eternal justice take the way.
Dryden.

5.
The means by which anything is reached, or anything is accomplished; scheme; device; plan.

My best way is to creep under his gaberdine.
Shak.

By noble ways we conquest will prepare.
Dryden.

What impious ways my wishes took!
Prior.

6.
Manner; method; mode; fashion; style; as, the way of expressing one's ideas.

7.
Regular course; habitual method of life or action; plan of conduct; mode of dealing.
way
Sir. P. Sidney.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Prov. iii. 17.

When men lived in a grander way.
Longfellow.

8.
Sphere or scope of observation.
Jer. Taylor.

The public ministers that fell in my way.
Sir W. Temple.

9.
Determined course; resolved mode of action or conduct; as, to have one's way.

10.
(Naut.)
(a)
Progress; as, a ship has way.
(b)
pl.
The timbers on which a ship is launched.

11.
pl.
(Mach.)
The longitudinal guides, or guiding surfaces, on the bed of a planer, lathe, or the like, along which a table or carriage moves.

12.
(Law)
Right of way.  See below.

By the way, in passing; apropos; aside; apart from, though connected with, the main object or subject of discourse. -- By way of, for the purpose of; as being; in character of. -- Covert way. (Fort.) See Covered way, under Covered. -- In the family way. See under Family. -- In the way, so as to meet, fall in with, obstruct, hinder, etc. -- In the way with, traveling or going with; meeting or being with; in the presence of. -- Milky way. (Astron.) See Galaxy, 1. -- No way, No ways. See Noway, Noways, in the Vocabulary. -- On the way, traveling or going; hence, in process; advancing toward completion; as, on the way to this country; on the way to success. -- Out of the way. See under Out. -- Right of way (Law), a right of private passage over another's ground. It may arise either by grant or prescription. It may be attached to a house, entry, gate, well, or city lot, as well as to a country farm. Kent. -- To be under way, or To have way (Naut.), to be in motion, as when a ship begins to move. -- To give way. See under Give. -- To go one's way, or To come one's way, to go or come; to depart or come along. Shak. -- To go one's way to proceed in a manner favorable to one; -- of events. -- To come one's way to come into one's possession (of objects) or to become available, as an opportunity; as, good things will come your way. -- To go the way of all the earth or to go the way of all flesh to die. -- To make one's way, to advance in life by one's personal efforts. -- To make way. See under Make, v. t. -- Ways and means. (a) Methods; resources; facilities. (b) (Legislation) Means for raising money; resources for revenue. -- Way leave, permission to cross, or a right of way across, land; also, rent paid for such right. [Eng] -- Way of the cross (Eccl.), the course taken in visiting in rotation the stations of the cross.  See Station, n., 7 (c). -- Way of the rounds (Fort.), a space left for the passage of the rounds between a rampart and the wall of a fortified town. -- Way pane, a pane for cartage in irrigated land.  See Pane, n., 4. [Prov. Eng.] -- Way passenger, a passenger taken up, or set down, at some intermediate place between the principal stations on a line of travel. -- Ways of God, his providential government, or his works. -- Way station, an intermediate station between principal stations on a line of travel, especially on a railroad. -- Way train, a train which stops at the intermediate, or way, stations; an accommodation train. -- Way warden, the surveyor of a road.

All keep the broad highway, and take delight
With many rather for to go astray.
Spenser.

There is but one road by which to climb up.
Addison.

When night
Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons
Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.
Milton.


word: Waybill
definition:
Waybill

Way"bill`
(?)
n.
A list of passengers in a public vehicle, or of the baggage or gods transported by a common carrier on a land route. When the goods are transported by water, the list is called a bill of lading.


word: Waybread
definition:
Waybread

Way"bread`
(?)
n.
[AS. wegbr_;de.  See Way, and Broad.]
(Bot.)
The common dooryard plantain (Plantago major).


word: Waybung
definition:
Waybung

Way"bung`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An Australian insessorial bird (Corcorax melanorhamphus) noted for the curious actions of the male during the breeding season. It is black with a white patch on each wing.


word: Wayed
definition:
Wayed

Wayed
(?)
a.
Used to the way; broken.
[R.]

A horse that is not well wayed; he starts at every bird that flies out the hedge.
Selden.


word: Wayfare
definition:
Wayfare

Way"fare`
(?)
v. i.
[Way + fare to go.]
To journey; to travel; to go to and fro.
[Obs.]

A certain Laconian, as he wayfared, came unto a place where there dwelt an old friend of his.
Holland.


word: Wayfaring
definition:
Wayfaring

Way"far`ing
a.
Traveling; passing; being on a journey.
wayfaring
Judg. xix. 17.

Wayfaring tree (Bot.), a European shrub (Viburnum lantana) having large ovate leaves and dense cymes of small white flowers. -- American wayfaring tree (Bot.), the (Viburnum lantanoides).


word: Way-going
definition:
Way-going

Way"-go`ing
(?)
a.
Going away; departing; of or pertaining to one who goes away.

Way-going crop (Law of Leases), a crop of grain to which tenants for years are sometimes entitled by custom; grain sown in the fall to be reaped at the next harvest; a crop which will not ripen until after the termination of the lease. Burrill.


word: Waylay
definition:
Waylay

Way"lay`
(?; 277)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Waylaid (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waylaying.]
[Way + lay.]
To lie in wait for; to meet or encounter in the way; especially, to watch for the passing of, with a view to seize, rob, or slay; to beset in ambush.

Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadshill shall rob those men that we have already waylaid.
Shak.

She often contrived to waylay him in his walks.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Wayment
definition:
Wayment

Way"ment
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Waymented; p. pr. & vb. n. Waymenting.]
[OE. waymenten, OF. waimenter, gaimenter, guaimenter, from wai, guai, woe! (of Teutonic origin; see Woe) and L. lamentari to lament.  See Lament.]
To lament; to grieve; to wail.
[Written also waiment.]
[Obs.]

Thilke science . . . maketh a man to waymenten.
Chaucer.

For what boots it to weep and wayment,
When ill is chanced?
Spenser.


word: -ways
definition:
-ways

-ways
(?)
A suffix formed from way by the addition of the adverbial -s (see -wards). It is often used interchangeably with wise; as, endways or endwise; noways or nowise, etc.


word: Way shaft
definition:
Way shaft

Way" shaft`
(?)
1.
(Mach.)
A rock shaft.

2.
(Mining)
An interior shaft, usually one connecting two levels.
Raymond.


word: Wayward
definition:
Wayward

Way"ward
(?)
a.
[OE. weiward, for aweiward, i. e., turned away.  See Away, and -ward.]
Taking one's own way; disobedient; froward; perverse; willful.

My wife is in a wayward mood.
Shak.

Wayward beauty doth not fancy move.
Fairfax.

Wilt thou forgive the wayward thought?
Keble.


word: Way-wise
definition:
Way-wise

Way"-wise`
(?)
a.
Skillful in finding the way; well acquainted with the way or route; wise from having traveled.


word: Waywiser
definition:
Waywiser

Way"wis`er
(?)
n.
[Cf. G. wegweiser a waymark, a guide; weg way + weisen to show, direct.]
An instrument for measuring the distance which one has traveled on the road; an odometer, pedometer, or perambulator.

The waywiser to a coach, exactly measuring the miles, and showing them by an index.
Evelyn.


word: Waywode
definition:
Waywode

Way"wode
(?)
n.
[Russ. voevoda, or Pol. woiewoda; properly, a leader of an army, a leader in war.  Cf. Vaivode.]
Originally, the title of a military commander in various Slavonic countries; afterwards applied to governors of towns or provinces. It was assumed for a time by the rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia, who were afterwards called hospodars, and has also been given to some inferior Turkish officers.
[Written also vaivode, voivode, waiwode, and woiwode.]


word: Wayz-goose
definition:
Wayz-goose

Wayz"-goose`
(?)
n.
[Wase stubble + goose.]

1.
A stubble goose.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

2.
An annual feast of the persons employed in a printing office.
[Written also way-goose.]
[Eng.]


word: We
definition:
We

We
(wē)
pron.
pl. of I.
[Poss. Our (our) or Ours (ourz); obj. Us (ŭs).  See I.]
[As. wē; akin to OS. wī, OFries. & LG. wi, D. wij, G. wir, Icel. vēr, Sw. & Dan. vi, Goth. weis, Skr. vayam. √190.]
The plural nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the word with which a person in speaking or writing denotes a number or company of which he is one, as the subject of an action expressed by a verb.

&hand_; We is frequently used to express men in general, including the speaker. We is also often used by individuals, as authors, editors, etc., in speaking of themselves, in order to avoid the appearance of egotism in the too frequent repetition of the pronoun I. The plural style is also in use among kings and other sovereigns, and is said to have been begun by King John of England. Before that time, monarchs used the singular number in their edicts. The German and the French sovereigns followed the example of King John in a. d. 1200.


word: Weak
definition:
Weak

Weak
(wēk)
a.
[Compar. Weaker (wēk"ẽr); superl. Weakest.]
[OE. weik, Icel. veikr; akin to Sw. vek, Dan. veg soft, flexible, pliant, AS. wāc weak, soft, pliant, D. week, G. weich, OHG. weih; all from the verb seen in Icel. vīkja to turn, veer, recede, AS. wīcan to yield, give way, G. weichen, OHG. wīhhan, akin to Skr. vij, and probably to E. week, L. vicis a change, turn, Gr. e'i`kein to yield, give way. √132.  Cf. Week, Wink, v. i. Vicissitude.]

1.
Wanting physical strength.

A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man.
Shak.

Weak with hunger, mad with love.
Dryden.

A voice not soft, weak, piping, and womanish.
Ascham.

2.
Not possessing or manifesting intellectual, logical, moral, or political strength, vigor, etc.

To think every thing disputable is a proof of a weak mind and captious temper.
Beattie.

Origen was never weak enough to imagine that there were two Gods.
Waterland.

If evil thence ensue,
She first his weak indulgence will accuse.
Milton.

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom. xiv. 1.

Guard thy heart
On this weak side, where most our nature fails.
Addison.

A case so weak . . . hath much persisted in.
Hooker.

I must make fair weather yet awhile,
Till Henry be more weak, and I more strong.
Shak.

3.
(Gram.)
(a)
Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) and past participle by adding to the present the suffix -ed, -d, or the variant form -t; as in the verbs abash, abashed; abate, abated; deny, denied; feel, felt.  See Strong, 19 (a).
(b)
Pertaining to, or designating, a noun in Anglo-Saxon, etc., the stem of which ends in -n.  See Strong, 19 (b).

4.
(Stock Exchange)
Tending toward a lower price or lower prices; as, wheat is weak; a weak market.

5.
(Card Playing)
Lacking in good cards; deficient as to number or strength; as, a hand weak in trumps.

6.
(Photog.)
Lacking contrast; as, a weak negative.

&hand_; Weak is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, weak-eyed, weak-handed, weak-hearted, weak-minded, weak-spirited, and the like.

Weak conjugation (Gram.), the conjugation of weak verbs; -- called also new conjugation, or regular conjugation, and distinguished from the old conjugation, or irregular conjugation. -- Weak declension (Anglo-Saxon Gram.), the declension of weak nouns; also, one of the declensions of adjectives. -- Weak side, the side or aspect of a person's character or disposition by which he is most easily affected or influenced; weakness; infirmity. -- weak sore or weak ulcer (Med.), a sore covered with pale, flabby, sluggish granulations.


word: Weak₂
definition:
Weak

Weak
(?)
v. t. & i.
[Cf. AS. w_;can. wācian.  See Weak, a.]
To make or become weak; to weaken.
[R.]

Never to seek weaking variety.
Marston.


word: Weaken
definition:
Weaken

Weak"en
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weakened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Weakening.]

1.
To make weak; to lessen the strength of; to deprive of strength; to debilitate; to enfeeble; to enervate; as, to weaken the body or the mind; to weaken the hands of a magistrate; to weaken the force of an objection or an argument.

Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done.
Neh. vi. 9.

2.
To reduce in quality, strength, or spirit; as, to weaken tea; to weaken any solution or decoction.


word: Weaken₂
definition:
Weaken

Weak"en
v. i.
To become weak or weaker; to lose strength, spirit, or determination; to become less positive or resolute; as, the patient weakened; the witness weakened on cross-examination.
weakens
Shak.


word: Weakfish
definition:
Weakfish

Weak"fish`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any fish of the genus Cynoscion; a squeteague; -- so called from its tender mouth.  See Squeteague.

Spotted weakfish (Zool.), the spotted squeteague.


word: Weak-hearted
definition:
Weak-hearted

Weak"-heart`ed
(?)
a.
Having little courage; of feeble spirit; dispirited; faint-hearted.
Weak-hearted
Shak.


word: Weak-kneed
definition:
Weak-kneed

Weak"-kneed`
(?)
a.
Having weak knees; hence, easily yielding; wanting resolution.
H. James.


word: Weakling
definition:
Weakling

Weak"ling
(?)
n.
[Weak + -ling.]
A weak or feeble creature.
Shak.
weakling
Fuller.

We may not be weaklings because we have a strong enemy.
Latimer.


word: Weakly₂
definition:
Weakly

Weak"ly
a.
[Compar. Weaklier (?); superl. Weakliest.]
Not strong of constitution; infirm; feeble; as, a weakly woman; a man of a weakly constitution.


word: Weak-minded
definition:
Weak-minded

Weak"-mind`ed
(?)
a.
Having a weak mind, either naturally or by reason of disease; feebleminded; foolish; idiotic.
Weak"-mind`ed*ness, n.


word: Weakness
definition:
Weakness

Weak"ness
n.
1.
The quality or state of being weak; want of strength or firmness; lack of vigor; want of resolution or of moral strength; feebleness.

2.
That which is a mark of lack of strength or resolution; a fault; a defect.

Many take pleasure in spreading abroad the weakness of an exalted character.
Spectator.


word: Weal₃
definition:
Weal

Weal
n.
[OE. wele, AS. wela, weola, wealth, from wel well.  See Well, adv., and cf. Wealth.]

1.
A sound, healthy, or prosperous state of a person or thing; prosperity; happiness; welfare.

God . . . grant you wele and prosperity.
Chaucer.

As we love the weal of our souls and bodies.
Bacon.

To him linked in weal or woe.
Milton.

Never was there a time when it more concerned the public weal that the character of the Parliament should stand high.
Macaulay.

2.
The body politic; the state; common wealth.
[Obs.]

The special watchmen of our English weal.
Shak.


word: Weal-balanced
definition:
Weal-balanced

Weal"-bal`anced
(?)
a.
Balanced or considered with reference to public weal.
[Obs.]
Shak.


word: Weald
definition:
Weald

Weald
(?)
n.
[AS.  See Wold.]
A wood or forest; a wooded land or region; also, an open country; -- often used in place names.

Fled all night long by glimmering waste and weald,
And heard the spirits of the waste and weald
Moan as she fled.
Tennyson.

Weald clay (Geol.), the uppermost member of the Wealden strata.  See Wealden.


word: Wealden
definition:
Wealden

Weald"en
(?; 277)
a.
[AS. weald, wald, a forest, a wood. So called because this formation occurs in the wealds, or woods, of Kent and Sussex.  See Weald.]
(Geol.)
Of or pertaining to the lowest division of the Cretaceous formation in England and on the Continent, which overlies the Oolitic series.


word: Wealdish
definition:
Wealdish

Weald"ish
a.
Of or pertaining to a weald, esp. to the weald in the county of Kent, England.
[Obs.]
Fuller.


word: Wealth
definition:
Wealth

Wealth
(?)
n.
[OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury.  See Weal prosperity.]

1.
Weal; welfare; prosperity; good.
[Obs.]
wealth
1 Cor. x. 24.

2.
Large possessions; a comparative abundance of things which are objects of human desire; esp., abundance of worldly estate; affluence; opulence; riches.

I have little wealth to lose.
Shak.

Each day new wealth, without their care, provides.
Dryden.

Wealth comprises all articles of value and nothing else.
F. A. Walker.

3.
(Econ.)
(a)
In the private sense, all property which has a money value.
(b)
In the public sense, all objects, esp. material objects, which have economic utility.
(c)
Those energies, faculties, and habits directly contributing to make people industrially efficient; in this sense, specifically called personal wealth.

Active wealth. See under Active.


word: Wealthful
definition:
Wealthful

Wealth"ful
(?)
a.
Full of wealth; wealthy; prosperous.
[R.]
Sir T. More.
Wealth"ful*ly, adv. [R.]


word: Wealthily
definition:
Wealthily

Wealth"i*ly
(?)
adv.
In a wealthy manner; richly.

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua.
Shak.


word: Wealthy
definition:
Wealthy

Wealth"y
(?)
a.
[Compar. Wealthier (?); superl. Wealthiest.]

1.
Having wealth; having large possessions, or larger than most men, as lands, goods, money, or securities; opulent; affluent; rich.

A wealthy Hebrew of my tribe.
Shak.

Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
Ps. lxvi. 12.

2.
Hence, ample; full; satisfactory; abundant.
[R.]

The wealthy witness of my pen.
B. Jonson.


word: Wean
definition:
Wean

Wean
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weaned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Weaning.]
[OE. wenen, AS. wenian, wennan, to accustom; akin to D. wennen, G. gewöhnen, OHG. giwennan, Icel. venja, Sw. vänja, Dan. vænne, Icel. vanr accustomed, wont; cf. AS. āwenian to wean, G. entwöhnen.  See Wont, a.]

1.
To accustom and reconcile, as a child or other young animal, to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder; to cause to cease to depend on the mother nourishment.

And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
Gen. xxi. 8.

2.
Hence, to detach or alienate the affections of, from any object of desire; to reconcile to the want or loss of anything.
Wean
Shak.

The troubles of age were intended . . . to wean us gradually from our fondness of life.
Swift.


word: Weanling
definition:
Weanling

Wean"ling
a. & n. from Wean, v.

The weaning of the whelp is the great test of the skill of the kennel man.
J. H. Walsh.

Weaning brash. (Med.) See under Brash.


word: Weapon
definition:
Weapon

Weap"on
(wĕp"ŭn; 277)
n.
[OE. wepen, AS. w&aemacr_;pen; akin to OS. wāpan, OFries. wēpin, wēpen, D. wapen, G. waffe, OHG. waffan, wāfan, Icel. vāpn, Dan. vaaben, Sw. vapen, Goth. wēpna, pl.; of uncertain origin.  Cf. Wapentake.]

1.
An instrument of offensive of defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying, defeating, or injuring an enemy, as a gun, a sword, etc.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
2 Cor. x. 4.

They, astonished, all resistance lost,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropped.
Milton.

2.
Fig.: The means or instrument with which one contends against another; as, argument was his only weapon.
weapons
Shak.

3.
(Bot.)
A thorn, prickle, or sting with which many plants are furnished.

Concealed weapons. See under Concealed. -- Weapon salve, a salve which was supposed to cure a wound by being applied to the weapon that made it. [Obs.] Boyle.


word: Wear₂
definition:
Wear

Wear
(wâr)
v. t.
[Cf. Veer.]
(Naut.)
To cause to go about, as a vessel, by putting the helm up, instead of alee as in tacking, so that the vessel's bow is turned away from, and her stern is presented to, the wind, and, as she turns still farther, her sails fill on the other side; to veer.


word: Wear₃
definition:
Wear

Wear
v. t.
[imp. Wore (w&omacrr); p. p. Worn (w&omacrrn); p. pr. & vb. n. Wearing. Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being Weared.]
[OE. weren, werien, AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to OHG. werien, weren, to clothe, Goth. wasjan, L. vestis clothing, vestire to clothe, Gr. "enny`nai, Skr. vas.  Cf. Vest.]

1.
To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle.

What compass will you wear your farthingale?
Shak.

On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore,
Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore.
Pope.

2.
To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance.
wears
Shak.

His innocent gestures wear
A meaning half divine.
Keble.

3.
To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly.

4.
To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend.

That wicked wight his days doth wear.
Spenser.

The waters wear the stones.
Job xiv. 19.

5.
To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole.

6.
To form or shape by, or as by, attrition.

Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us.
Locke.

To wear away, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay. -- To wear off, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth. -- To wear on or To wear upon, to wear. [Obs.] “[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]” Chaucer. -- To wear out. (a) To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book. (b) To consume tediously. “To wear out miserable days.” Milton. (c) To harass; to tire. “[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High.” Dan vii. 25. (d) To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service. -- To wear the breeches. See under Breeches. [Colloq.]


word: Wear₄
definition:
Wear

Wear
v. i.
1.
To endure or suffer use; to last under employment; to bear the consequences of use, as waste, consumption, or attrition; as, a coat wears well or ill; -- hence, sometimes applied to character, qualifications, etc.; as, a man wears well as an acquaintance.

2.
To be wasted, consumed, or diminished, by being used; to suffer injury, loss, or extinction by use or time; to decay, or be spent, gradually.
wore
Milton.

Away, I say; time wears.
Shak.

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee.
Ex. xviii. 18.

His stock of money began to wear very low.
Sir W. Scott.

The family . . . wore out in the earlier part of the century.
Beaconsfield.

To wear off, to pass away by degrees; as, the follies of youth wear off with age. -- To wear on, to pass on; as, time wears on. G. Eliot. -- To wear weary, to become weary, as by wear, long occupation, tedious employment, etc.


word: Wear₅
definition:
Wear

Wear
n.
1.
The act of wearing, or the state of being worn; consumption by use; diminution by friction; as, the wear of a garment.

2.
The thing worn; style of dress; the fashion.

Motley 's the only wear.
Shak.

3.
The result of wearing or use; consumption, diminution, or impairment due to use, friction, or the like; as, the wear of this coat has been good.

Wear and tear, the loss by wearing, as of machinery in use; the loss or injury to which anything is subjected by use, accident, etc.


word: Wearer
definition:
Wearer

Wear"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who wears or carries as appendant to the body; as, the wearer of a cloak, a sword, a crown, a shackle, etc.

Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed,
And fluttered into rags.
Milton.

2.
That which wastes or diminishes.


word: Weariful
definition:
Weariful

Wea"ri*ful
(?)
a.
Abounding in qualities which cause weariness; wearisome.
Wea"ri*ful*ly, adv.


word: Weariness
definition:
Weariness

Wea"ri*ness
n.
The quality or state of being weary or tried; lassitude; exhaustion of strength; fatigue.

With weariness and wine oppressed.
Dryden.

A man would die, though he were neither valiant nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing so oft over and over.
Bacon.


word: Wearing
definition:
Wearing

Wear"ing
(?)
n.
1.
The act of one who wears; the manner in which a thing wears; use; conduct; consumption.

Belike he meant to ward, and there to see his wearing.
Latimer.

2.
That which is worn; clothes; garments.
[Obs.]

Give me my nightly wearing and adieu.
Shak.


word: Wearish
definition:
Wearish

Wear"ish
(?)
a.
[Etymol. uncertain, but perhaps akin to weary.]

1.
Weak; withered; shrunk.
[Obs.]
wearish
Ford.

A little, wearish old man, very melancholy by nature.
Burton.

2.
Insipid; tasteless; unsavory.
[Obs.]

Wearish as meat is that is not well tasted.
Palsgrave.


word: Wearisome
definition:
Wearisome

Wea"ri*some
(?)
a.
Causing weariness; tiresome; tedious; weariful; as, a wearisome march; a wearisome day's work; a wearisome book.

These high wild hills and rough uneven ways
Draws out our miles, and makes them wearisome.
Shak.


word: Weary
definition:
Weary

Wea"ry
(?)
a.
[Compar. Wearier (?); superl. Weariest.]
[OE. weri, AS. w_;rig; akin to OS. w_;rig, OHG. wu_;rag; of uncertain origin; cf. AS. w_;rian to ramble.]

1.
Having the strength exhausted by toil or exertion; worn out in respect to strength, endurance, etc.; tired; fatigued.

I care not for my spirits if my legs were not weary.
Shak.

[I] am weary, thinking of your task.
Longfellow.

2.
Causing weariness; tiresome.
Weary
Spenser.
weary
Coleridge.

3.
Having one's patience, relish, or contentment exhausted; tired; sick; -- with of before the cause; as, weary of marching, or of confinement; weary of study.


word: Weary₂
definition:
Weary

Wea"ry
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wearied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wearying.]

1.
To reduce or exhaust the physical strength or endurance of; to tire; to fatigue; as, to weary one's self with labor or traveling.

So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers.
Shak.

2.
To make weary of anything; to exhaust the patience of, as by continuance.

I stay too long by thee; I weary thee.
Shak.

3.
To harass by anything irksome.

I would not cease
To weary him with my assiduous cries.
Milton.

To weary out, to subdue or exhaust by fatigue.


word: Weary₃
definition:
Weary

Wea"ry
v. i.
To grow tired; to become exhausted or impatient; as, to weary of an undertaking.


word: Weasand
definition:
Weasand

Wea"sand
(?)
n.
[OE. wesand, AS. wāsend; akin to OFries. wāsende, wāsande; cf. OHG. weisunt.]
The windpipe; -- called also, formerly, wesil.
[Formerly, written also, wesand, and wezand.]

Cut his weasand with thy knife.
Shak.


word: Weasel
definition:
Weasel

Wea"sel
(?)
n.
[OE. wesele, AS. wesle; akin to D. wezel, G. wiesel, OHG. wisala, Icel. hreyivīsla, Dan. väsel, Sw. vessla; of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. _;, _;, cat, weasel.]
(Zool.)
Any one of various species of small carnivores belonging to the genus Putorius, as the ermine and ferret. They have a slender, elongated body, and are noted for the quickness of their movements and for their bloodthirsty habit in destroying poultry, rats, etc.  The ermine and some other species are brown in summer, and turn white in winter; others are brown at all seasons.

Malacca weasel, the rasse. -- Weasel coot, a female or young male of the smew; -- so called from the resemblance of the head to that of a weasel. Called also weasel duck. -- Weasel lemur, a short-tailed lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus). It is reddish brown above, grayish brown below, with the throat white.


word: Weaser
definition:
Weaser

Wea"ser
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
The American merganser; -- called also weaser sheldrake.
[Local, U. S.]


word: Weasiness
definition:
Weasiness

Wea"si*ness
(?)
n.
Quality or state of being weasy; full feeding; sensual indulgence.
[Obs.]
Joye.


word: Weather
definition:
Weather

Weath"er
(?)
n.
[OE. weder, AS. weder; akin to OS. wedar, OFries. weder, D. weder, weêr, G. wetter, OHG. wetar, Icel. veðr, Dan. veir, Sw. väder wind, air, weather, and perhaps to OSlav. vedro fair weather; or perhaps to Lith. vetra storm, Russ. vieter', vietr', wind, and E. wind.  Cf. Wither.]

1.
The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness, or any other meteorological phenomena; meteorological condition of the atmosphere; as, warm weather; cold weather; wet weather; dry weather, etc.

Not amiss to cool a man's stomach this hot weather.
Shak.

Fair weather cometh out of the north.
Job xxxvii. 22.

2.
Vicissitude of season; meteorological change; alternation of the state of the air.
Bacon.

3.
Storm; tempest.

What gusts of weather from that gathering cloud
My thoughts presage!
Dryden.

4.
A light rain; a shower.
[Obs.]
Wyclif.

Stress of weather, violent winds; force of tempests. -- To make fair weather, to flatter; to give flattering representations. [R.] -- To make good weather, or To make bad weather (Naut.), to endure a gale well or ill; -- said of a vessel. Shak. -- Under the weather, ill; also, financially embarrassed. [Colloq. U. S.] Bartlett. -- Weather box. Same as Weather house, below. Thackeray. -- Weather breeder, a fine day which is supposed to presage foul weather. -- Weather bureau, a popular name for the signal service.  See Signal service, under Signal, a. [U. S.] -- Weather cloth (Naut.), a long piece of canvas of tarpaulin used to preserve the hammocks from injury by the weather when stowed in the nettings. -- Weather door. (Mining) See Trapdoor, 2. -- Weather gall. Same as Water gall, 2. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. -- Weather house, a mechanical contrivance in the form of a house, which indicates changes in atmospheric conditions by the appearance or retirement of toy images.
[1913 Webster]
Peace to the artist whose ingenious thought
Devised the weather house, that useful toy! Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
-- Weather molding, or Weather moulding (Arch.), a canopy or cornice over a door or a window, to throw off the rain. -- Weather of a windmill sail, the obliquity of the sail, or the angle which it makes with its plane of revolution. -- Weather report, a daily report of meteorological observations, and of probable changes in the weather; esp., one published by government authority. -- Weather spy, a stargazer; one who foretells the weather. [R.] Donne. -- Weather strip (Arch.), a strip of wood, rubber, or other material, applied to an outer door or window so as to cover the joint made by it with the sill, casings, or threshold, in order to exclude rain, snow, cold air, etc.


word: Weather₂
definition:
Weather

Weath"er
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weathered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Weathering.]

1.
To expose to the air; to air; to season by exposure to air.

[An eagle] soaring through his wide empire of the air
To weather his broad sails.
Spenser.

This gear lacks weathering.
Latimer.

2.
Hence, to sustain the trying effect of; to bear up against and overcome; to sustain; to endure; to resist; as, to weather the storm.

For I can weather the roughest gale.
Longfellow.

You will weather the difficulties yet.
F. W. Robertson.

3.
(Naut.)
To sail or pass to the windward of; as, to weather a cape; to weather another ship.

4.
(Falconry)
To place (a hawk) unhooded in the open air.
Encyc. Brit.

To weather a point. (a) (Naut.) To pass a point of land, leaving it on the lee side. (b) Hence, to gain or accomplish anything against opposition. -- To weather out, to encounter successfully, though with difficulty; as, to weather out a storm.


word: Weather₃
definition:
Weather

Weath"er
v. i.
To undergo or endure the action of the atmosphere; to suffer meteorological influences; sometimes, to wear away, or alter, under atmospheric influences; to suffer waste by weather.

The organisms . . . seem indestructible, while the hard matrix in which they are imbedded has weathered from around them.
H. Miller.


word: Weather₄
definition:
Weather

Weath"er
a.
(Naut.)
Being toward the wind, or windward -- opposed to lee; as, weather bow, weather braces, weather gauge, weather lifts, weather quarter, weather shrouds, etc.

Weather gauge. (a) (Naut.) The position of a ship to the windward of another. (b) Fig.: A position of advantage or superiority; advantage in position.
[1913 Webster]
To veer, and tack, and steer a cause
Against the weather gauge of laws. Hudibras.
[1913 Webster]
-- Weather helm (Naut.), a tendency on the part of a sailing vessel to come up into the wind, rendering it necessary to put the helm up, that is, toward the weather side. -- Weather shore (Naut.), the shore to the windward of a ship. Totten. -- Weather tide (Naut.), the tide which sets against the lee side of a ship, impelling her to the windward. Mar. Dict.


word: Weather-beaten
definition:
Weather-beaten

Weath"er-beat`en
(?)
a.
Beaten or harassed by the weather; worn by exposure to the weather, especially to severe weather.
Shak.


word: Weather-bit
definition:
Weather-bit

Weath"er-bit`
(?)
n.
(Naut.)
A turn of the cable about the end of the windlass, without the bits.


word: Weatherbit
definition:
Weatherbit

Weath"er*bit`
v. t.
(Naut.)
To take another turn with, as a cable around a windlass.
Totten.


word: Weather-bitten
definition:
Weather-bitten

Weath"er-bit`ten
(?)
a.
Eaten into, defaced, or worn, by exposure to the weather.
Coleridge.


word: Weatherboard
definition:
Weatherboard

Weath"er*board`
(?)
n.
1.
(Naut.)
(a)
That side of a vessel which is toward the wind; the windward side.
(b)
A piece of plank placed in a porthole, or other opening, to keep out water.

2.
(a)
(Arch.)
A board extending from the ridge to the eaves along the slope of the gable, and forming a close junction between the shingling of a roof and the side of the building beneath.
(b)
A clapboard or feather-edged board used in weatherboarding.


word: Weather-board
definition:
Weather-board

Weath"er-board`
v. t.
(Arch.)
To nail boards upon so as to lap one over another, in order to exclude rain, snow, etc.
Gwilt.


word: Weatherboarding
definition:
Weatherboarding

Weath"er*board`ing
n.
(Arch.)
(a)
The covering or siding of a building, formed of boards lapping over one another, to exclude rain, snow, etc.
(b)
Boards adapted or intended for such use.


word: Weather-bound
definition:
Weather-bound

Weath"er-bound`
(?)
a.
Kept in port or at anchor by storms; delayed by bad weather; as, a weather-bound vessel.


word: Weathercock
definition:
Weathercock

Weath"er*cock`
(?)
n.
1.
A vane, or weather vane; -- so called because originally often in the figure of a cock, turning on the top of a spire with the wind, and showing its direction.
wedercok
Chaucer.

Noisy weathercocks rattled and sang of mutation.
Longfellow.

2.
Hence, any thing or person that turns easily and frequently; one who veers with every change of current opinion; a fickle, inconstant person.


word: Weathercock₂
definition:
Weathercock

Weath"er*cock`
v. t.
To supply with a weathercock; to serve as a weathercock for.

Whose blazing wyvern weathercock the spire.
Tennyson.


word: Weather-driven
definition:
Weather-driven

Weath"er-driv`en
(?)
a.
Driven by winds or storms; forced by stress of weather.
Carew.


word: Weathered
definition:
Weathered

Weath"ered
(?)
a.
1.
(Arch.)
Made sloping, so as to throw off water; as, a weathered cornice or window sill.

2.
(Geol.)
Having the surface altered in color, texture, or composition, or the edges rounded off by exposure to the elements.


word: Weather-fend
definition:
Weather-fend

Weath"er-fend`
(?)
v. t.
To defend from the weather; to shelter.
Shak.

[We] barked the white spruce to weather-fend the roof.
Emerson.


word: Weatherglass
definition:
Weatherglass

Weath"er*glass`
(?)
n.
An instrument to indicate the state of the atmosphere, especially changes of atmospheric pressure, and hence changes of weather, as a barometer or baroscope.

Poor man's weatherglass. (Bot.) See under Poor.


word: Weathering
definition:
Weathering

Weath"er*ing
n.
(Geol.)
The action of the elements on a rock in altering its color, texture, or composition, or in rounding off its edges.


word: Weatherly
definition:
Weatherly

Weath"er*ly
a.
(Naut.)
Working, or able to sail, close to the wind; as, a weatherly ship.
Cooper.


word: Weather map
definition:
Weather map

Weath"er map
A map or chart showing the principal meteorological elements at a given hour and over an extended region. Such maps usually show the height of the barometer, the temperature of the air, the relative humidity, the state of the weather, and the direction and velocity of the wind. Isobars and isotherms outline the general distribution of temperature and pressure, while shaded areas indicate the sections over which rain has just fallen. Other lines inclose areas where the temperature has fallen or risen markedly. In tabular form are shown changes of pressure and of temperature, maximum and minimum temperatures, and total rain for each weather station since the last issue, usually 12 hours.


word: Weather signal
definition:
Weather signal

Weather signal
Any signal giving information about the weather. The system used by the United States Weather Bureau includes temperature, cold or hot wave, rain or snow, wind direction, storm, and hurricane signals.


word: Weather station
definition:
Weather station

Weather station
(Meteor.)
A station for taking meteorological observations, making weather forecasts, or disseminating such information. Such stations are of the first order when they make observations of all the important elements either hourly or by self-registering instruments; of the second order when only important observations are taken; of the third order when simpler work is done, as to record rainfall and maximum and minimum temperatures.


word: Weatherwiser
definition:
Weatherwiser

Weath"er*wis`er
(?)
n.
[Cf. Waywiser.]
Something that foreshows the weather.
[Obs.]
Derham.


word: Weave
definition:
Weave

Weave
(wēv)
v. t.
[imp. Wove (w&omacrv); p. p. Woven (w&omacrv"'n), Wove; p. pr. & vb. n. Weaving. The regular imp. & p. p. Weaved (wēvd), is rarely used.]
[OE. weven, AS. wefan; akin to D. weven, G. weben, OHG. weban, Icel. vefa, Sw. väfva, Dan. væve, Gr. "yfai`nein, v., "y`fos web, Skr. ūr&nsdot_;avābhi spider, lit., wool weaver.  Cf. Waper, Waffle, Web, Weevil, Weft, Woof.]

1.
To unite, as threads of any kind, in such a manner as to form a texture; to entwine or interlace into a fabric; as, to weave wool, silk, etc.; hence, to unite by close connection or intermixture; to unite intimately.

This weaves itself, perforce, into my business.
Shak.

That in their green shops weave the smooth-haired silk
To deck her sons.
Milton.

And for these words, thus woven into song.
Byron.

2.
To form, as cloth, by interlacing threads; to compose, as a texture of any kind, by putting together textile materials; as, to weave broadcloth; to weave a carpet; hence, to form into a fabric; to compose; to fabricate; as, to weave the plot of a story.

When she weaved the sleided silk.
Shak.

Her starry wreaths the virgin jasmin weaves.
Ld. Lytton.


word: Weaver
definition:
Weaver

Weav"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who weaves, or whose occupation is to weave.
Weavers
P. Plowman.

2.
(Zool.)
A weaver bird.

3.
(Zool.)
An aquatic beetle of the genus Gyrinus.  See Whirling.

Weaver bird (Zool.), any one of numerous species of Asiatic, Fast Indian, and African birds belonging to Ploceus and allied genera of the family Ploceidae.  Weaver birds resemble finches and sparrows in size, colors, and shape of the bill. They construct pensile nests composed of interlaced grass and other similar materials.  In some of the species the nest is retort-shaped, with the opening at the bottom of the tube. -- Weavers' shuttle (Zool.), an East Indian marine univalve shell (Radius volva); -- so called from its shape.  See Illust. of Shuttle shell, under Shuttle.


word: Weaving
definition:
Weaving

Weav"ing
n.
1.
The act of one who, or that which, weaves; the act or art of forming cloth in a loom by the union or intertexture of threads.

2.
(Far.)
An incessant motion of a horse's head, neck, and body, from side to side, fancied to resemble the motion of a hand weaver in throwing the shuttle.
Youatt.


word: Weazen
definition:
Weazen

Wea"zen
(?)
a.
[See Wizen.]
Thin; sharp; withered; wizened; as, a weazen face.

They were weazen and shriveled.
Dickens.


word: Web₂
definition:
Web

Web
n.
[OE. web, AS. webb; akin to D. web, webbe, OHG. weppi, G. gewebe, Icel. vefr, Sw. väf, Dan. væv.  See Weave.]

1.
That which is woven; a texture; textile fabric; esp., something woven in a loom.

Penelope, for her Ulysses' sake,
Devised a web her wooers to deceive.
Spenser.

Not web might be woven, not a shuttle thrown, or penalty of exile.
Bancroft.

2.
A whole piece of linen cloth as woven.

3.
The texture of very fine thread spun by a spider for catching insects at its prey; a cobweb.
web
Shak.

4.
Fig.: Tissue; texture; complicated fabrication.

The somber spirit of our forefathers, who wove their web of life with hardly a . . . thread of rose-color or gold.
Hawthorne.

Such has been the perplexing ingenuity of commentators that it is difficult to extricate the truth from the web of conjectures.
W. Irving.

5.
(Carriages)
A band of webbing used to regulate the extension of the hood.

6.
A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead.

And Christians slain roll up in webs of lead.
Fairfax.

The sword, whereof the web was steel,
Pommel rich stone, hilt gold.
Fairfax.

7.
(Mach. & Engin.)
A plate or thin portion, continuous or perforated, connecting stiffening ribs or flanges, or other parts of an object.

8.
(Med.)
Pterygium; -- called also webeye.
Shak.

9.
(Anat.)
The membrane which unites the fingers or toes, either at their bases, as in man, or for a greater part of their length, as in many water birds and amphibians.

10.
(Zool.)
The series of barbs implanted on each side of the shaft of a feather, whether stiff and united together by barbules, as in ordinary feathers, or soft and separate, as in downy feathers.  See Feather.

Pin and web (Med.), two diseases of the eye, caligo and pterygium; -- sometimes wrongly explained as one disease.  See Pin, n., 8, and Web, n., 8. “He never yet had pinne or webbe, his sight for to decay.” Gascoigne. -- Web member (Engin.), one of the braces in a web system. -- Web press, a printing press which takes paper from a roll instead of being fed with sheets. -- Web system (Engin.), the system of braces connecting the flanges of a lattice girder, post, or the like.


word: Web₃
definition:
Web

Web
(wĕb)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Webbed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Webbing.]
To unite or surround with a web, or as if with a web; to envelop; to entangle.


word: Webbed
definition:
Webbed

Webbed
(?)
a.
1.
Provided with a web.

2.
(Zool.)
Having the toes united by a membrane, or web; as, the webbed feet of aquatic fowls.


word: Webby
definition:
Webby

Web"by
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to a web or webs; like a web; filled or covered with webs.

Bats on their webby wings in darkness move.
Crabbe.


word: Weber
definition:
Weber

We"ber
(?)
n.
[From the name of Professor Weber, a German electrician.]
(Elec.)
The standard unit of electrical quantity, and also of current.  See Coulomb, and Amp_;re.
[Obs.]


word: Web-fingered
definition:
Web-fingered

Web"-fin`gered
(?)
a.
Having the fingers united by a web for a considerable part of their length.


word: Webfoot
definition:
Webfoot

Web"foot`
(?)
n.
pl. Webfeet (_;).

1.
A foot the toes of which are connected by a membrane.

2.
(Zool.)
Any web-footed bird.


word: Web-footed
definition:
Web-footed

Web"-foot`ed
a.
Having webbed feet; palmiped; as, a goose or a duck is a web-footed fowl.


word: Webster
definition:
Webster

Web"ster
(?)
n.
[AS. webbestre.  See Web, Weave, and -ster.]
A weaver; originally, a female weaver.
[Obs.]
Brathwait.


word: Websterite
definition:
Websterite

Web"ster*ite
(?)
n.
[So named after Webster, the geologist.]
(Min.)
A hydrous sulphate of alumina occurring in white reniform masses.


word: Web-toed
definition:
Web-toed

Web"-toed`
(?)
a.
Having the toes united by a web for a considerable part of their length.


word: Webworm
definition:
Webworm

Web"worm`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of various species of moths whose gregarious larvae eat the leaves of trees, and construct a large web to which they retreat when not feeding.

&hand_; The most destructive webworms belong to the family Bombycidae, as the fall webworm (Hyphantria textor), which feeds on various fruit and forest trees, and the common tent caterpillar, which feeds on various fruit trees (see Tent caterpillar, under Tent.) The grapevine webworm is the larva of a geometrid moth (see Vine inchworm, under Vine).


word: Wed
definition:
Wed

Wed
(wĕd)
n.
[AS. wedd; akin to OFries. wed, OD. wedde, OHG, wetti, G. wette a wager, Icel. veð a pledge, Sw. vad a wager, an appeal, Goth. wadi a pledge, Lith. vadůti to redeem (a pledge), LL. vadium, L. vas, vadis, bail, security, vadimonium security, and Gr. _;, _; a prize.   Cf. Athlete, Gage a pledge, Wage.]
A pledge; a pawn.
[Obs.]
Gower. Piers Plowman.

Let him be ware, his neck lieth to wed [i. e., for a security].
Chaucer.


word: Wed₂
definition:
Wed

Wed
v. t.
[imp. Wedded; p. p. Wedded or Wed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wedding.]
[OE. wedden, AS. weddian to covenant, promise, to wed, marry; akin to OFries. weddia to promise, D. wedden to wager, to bet, G. wetten, Icel. veðja, Dan. vedde, Sw. vädja to appeal, Goth. gawadj&omacrn to betroth.  See Wed, n.]

1.
To take for husband or for wife by a formal ceremony; to marry; to espouse.

With this ring I thee wed.
Bk. of Com. Prayer.

I saw thee first, and wedded thee.
Milton.

2.
To join in marriage; to give in wedlock.

And Adam, wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her.
Milton.

3.
Fig.: To unite as if by the affections or the bond of marriage; to attach firmly or indissolubly.

Thou art wedded to calamity.
Shak.

Men are wedded to their lusts.
Tillotson.

[Flowers] are wedded thus, like beauty to old age.
Cowper.

4.
To take to one's self and support; to espouse.
[Obs.]

They positively and concernedly wedded his cause.
Clarendon.


word: Wedded
definition:
Wedded

Wed"ded
(?)
a.
1.
Joined in wedlock; married.

Let w_;alth, let honor, wait the wedded dame.
Pope.

2.
Of or pertaining to wedlock, or marriage.
Wedded
Milton.


word: Wedding
definition:
Wedding

Wed"ding
(?)
n.
[AS. wedding.]
Nuptial ceremony; nuptial festivities; marriage; nuptials.

Simple and brief was the wedding, as that of Ruth and of Boaz.
Longfellow.

&hand_; Certain anniversaries of an unbroken marriage have received fanciful, and more or less appropriate, names. Thus, the fifth anniversary is called the wooden wedding; the tenth, the tin wedding; the fifteenth, the crystal wedding; the twentieth, the china wedding; the twenty-fifth, the silver wedding; the fiftieth, the golden wedding; the sixtieth, the diamond wedding. These anniversaries are often celebrated by appropriate presents of wood, tin, china, silver, gold, etc., given by friends.

&hand_; Wedding is often used adjectively; as, wedding cake, wedding cards, wedding clothes, wedding day, wedding feast, wedding guest, wedding ring, etc.

Let her beauty be her wedding dower.
Shak.

Wedding favor, a marriage favor.  See under Marriage.


word: Wedge
definition:
Wedge

Wedge
(wĕj)
n.
[OE. wegge, AS. wecg; akin to D. wig, wigge, OHG. wecki, G. weck a (wedge-shaped) loaf, Icel. veggr, Dan. vægge, Sw. vigg, and probably to Lith. vagis a peg.  Cf. Wigg.]

1.
A piece of metal, or other hard material, thick at one end, and tapering to a thin edge at the other, used in splitting wood, rocks, etc., in raising heavy bodies, and the like. It is one of the six elementary machines called the mechanical powers.  See Illust. of Mechanical powers, under Mechanical.

2.
(Geom.)
A solid of five sides, having a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends.

3.
A mass of metal, especially when of a wedgelike form.
Wedges
Shak.

4.
Anything in the form of a wedge, as a body of troops drawn up in such a form.

In warlike muster they appear,
In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings.
Milton.

5.
The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos; -- so called after a person (Wedgewood) who occupied this position on the first list of 1828.
[Cant, Cambridge Univ., Eng.]
C. A. Bristed.

6.
(Golf)
A golf club having an iron head with the face nearly horizontal, used for lofting the golf ball at a high angle, as when hitting the ball out of a sand trap or the rough.

Fox wedge. (Mach. & Carpentry) See under Fox. -- Spherical wedge (Geom.), the portion of a sphere included between two planes which intersect in a diameter.


word: Wedge₂
definition:
Wedge

Wedge
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wedged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wedging.]

1.
To cleave or separate with a wedge or wedges, or as with a wedge; to rive.
wedged
Shak.

2.
To force or drive as a wedge is driven.

Among the crowd in the abbey where a finger
Could not be wedged in more.
Shak.

He 's just the sort of man to wedge himself into a snug berth.
Mrs. J. H. Ewing.

3.
To force by crowding and pushing as a wedge does; as, to wedge one's way.
Milton.

4.
To press closely; to fix, or make fast, in the manner of a wedge that is driven into something.

Wedged in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.
Dryden.

5.
To fasten with a wedge, or with wedges; as, to wedge a scythe on the snath; to wedge a rail or a piece of timber in its place.

6.
(Pottery)
To cut, as clay, into wedgelike masses, and work by dashing together, in order to expel air bubbles, etc.
Tomlinson.


word: Wedgebill
definition:
Wedgebill

Wedge"bill`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An Australian crested insessorial bird (Sphenostoma cristatum) having a wedge-shaped bill. Its color is dull brown, like the earth of the plains where it lives.


word: Wedge-formed
definition:
Wedge-formed

Wedge"-formed`
(?)
a.
Having the form of a wedge; cuneiform.

Wedge-formed characters, Wedge-shaped characters. See Arrow-headed characters, under Arrowheaded, and cf. cuneiform.


word: wedge gage
definition:
wedge gage

wedge gauge

{ wedge gauge or wedge gage  }
A wedge with a graduated edge, to measure the width of a space into which it is thrust.


word: Wedge gear
definition:
Wedge gear

Wedge gear
A friction gear wheel with wedge-shaped circumferential grooves.
Wedge gearing.


word: Wedge-shaped
definition:
Wedge-shaped

Wedge"-shaped`
(?)
a.
1.
Having the shape of a wedge; cuneiform.

2.
(Bot.)
Broad and truncate at the summit, and tapering down to the base; as, a wedge-shaped leaf.


word: Wedge-shell
definition:
Wedge-shell

Wedge"-shell`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of small marine bivalves belonging to Donax and allied genera in which the shell is wedge-shaped.


word: Wedge-tailed
definition:
Wedge-tailed

Wedge"-tailed"
(?)
a.
(Zool.)
Having a tail which has the middle pair of feathers longest, the rest successively and decidedly shorter, and all more or less attenuate; -- said of certain birds.  See Illust. of Wood hoopoe, under Wood.

Wedge-tailed eagle, an Australian eagle (Aquila audax) which feeds on various small species of kangaroos, and on lambs; -- called also mountain eagle, bold eagle, and eagle hawk. -- Wedge-tailed gull, an arctic gull (Rhodostethia rosea) in which the plumage is tinged with rose; -- called also Ross's gull.


word: Wedgwood ware
definition:
Wedgwood ware

Wedg"wood` ware`
(?)
[From the name of the inventor, Josiah Wedgwood, of England.]
A kind of fine pottery, the most remarkable being what is called jasper, either white, or colored throughout the body, and capable of being molded into the most delicate forms, so that fine and minute bas-reliefs like cameos were made of it, fit even for being set as jewels.


word: Wedlock
definition:
Wedlock

Wed"lock
(?)
n.
[AS. wedlāc a pledge, be trothal; wedd a pledge + lāc a gift, an offering.  See Wed, n., and cf. Lake, v. i., Knowledge.]

1.
The ceremony, or the state, of marriage; matrimony.
wedlock
Chaucer.

For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of discord or continual strife?
Shak.

2.
A wife; a married woman.
[Obs.]
B. Jonson.


word: Wednesday
definition:
Wednesday

Wednes"day
(?; 48)
n.
[OE. wednesdai, wodnesdei, AS. W&omacrdnes dæg, i. e., Woden's day (a translation of L. dies Mercurii); fr. W&omacrden the highest god of the Teutonic peoples, but identified with the Roman god Mercury; akin to OS. W&omacrdan, OHG. Wuotan, Icel. Oðinn, D. woensdag Wednesday, Icel. &omacrðinsdagr, Dan. & Sw. onsdag.  See Day, and cf. Woden, Wood, a.]
The fourth day of the week; the next day after Tuesday.

Ash Wednesday. See in the Vocabulary.


word: Wee
definition:
Wee

Wee
(?)
n.
[OE. we a bit, in a little we, probably originally meaning, a little way, the word we for wei being later taken as synonymous with little.  See Way.]
A little; a bit, as of space, time, or distance.
[Obs. or Scot.]


word: Wee₂
definition:
Wee

Wee
a.
Very small; little.
[Colloq. & Scot.]

A little wee face, with a little yellow beard.
Shak.


word: Weed
definition:
Weed

Weed
(wēd)
n.
[OE. wede, AS. w&aemacr_;de, w&aemacr_;d; akin to OS. wādi, giwādi, OFries, wēde, wēd, OD. wade, OHG. wāt, Icel. vāð, Zend vadh to clothe.]

1.
A garment; clothing; especially, an upper or outer garment.
weeds
Spenser.
weeds
Shak.
weed
Tennyson.

He on his bed sat, the soft weeds he wore
Put off.
Chapman.

2.
An article of dress worn in token of grief; a mourning garment or badge; as, he wore a weed on his hat; especially, in the plural, mourning garb, as of a woman; as, a widow's weeds.

In a mourning weed, with ashes upon her head, and tears abundantly flowing.
Milton.


word: Weed₂
definition:
Weed

Weed
n.
A sudden illness or relapse, often attended with fever, which attacks women in childbed.
[Scot.]


word: Weed₃
definition:
Weed

Weed
n.
[OE. weed, weod, AS. weód, wiód, akin to OS. wiod, LG. woden the stalks and leaves of vegetables D. wieden to weed, OS. wiod&omacrn.]

1.
Underbrush; low shrubs.
[Obs. or Archaic]

One rushing forth out of the thickest weed.
Spenser.

A wild and wanton pard . . . 
Crouched fawning in the weed.
Tennyson.

2.
Any plant growing in cultivated ground to the injury of the crop or desired vegetation, or to the disfigurement of the place; an unsightly, useless, or injurious plant.

Too much manuring filled that field with weeds.
Denham.

&hand_; The word has no definite application to any particular plant, or species of plants. Whatever plants grow among corn or grass, in hedges, or elsewhere, and are useless to man, injurious to crops, or unsightly or out of place, are denominated weeds.

3.
Fig.: Something unprofitable or troublesome; anything useless.

4.
(Stock Breeding)
An animal unfit to breed from.

5.
Tobacco, or a cigar.
[Slang]

Weed hook, a hook used for cutting away or extirpating weeds. Tusser.


word: Weed₄
definition:
Weed

Weed
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Weeding.]
[AS. weódian.  See 3d Weed.]

1.
To free from noxious plants; to clear of weeds; as, to weed corn or onions; to weed a garden.

2.
To take away, as noxious plants; to remove, as something hurtful; to extirpate; -- commonly used with out; as, to weed out inefficiency from an enterprise.
Weed
Shak.

Wise fathers . . . weeding from their children ill things.
Ascham.

Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out.
Bacon.

3.
To free from anything hurtful or offensive.

He weeded the kingdom of such as were devoted to Elaiana.
Howell.

4.
(Stock Breeding)
To reject as unfit for breeding purposes.


word: Weedery
definition:
Weedery

Weed"er*y
(?)
n.
Weeds, collectively; also, a place full of weeds or for growing weeds.
[R.]
Dr. H. More.


word: Weeding
definition:
Weeding

Weed"ing
a. & n. from Weed, v.

Weeding chisel, a tool with a divided chisel-like end, for cutting the roots of large weeds under ground. -- Weeding forceps, an instrument for taking up some sorts of plants in weeding. -- Weeding fork, a strong, three-pronged fork, used in clearing ground of weeds; -- called also weeding iron. -- Weeding hook. Same as Weed hook, under 3d Weed. -- Weeding iron. See Weeding fork, above. -- Weeding tongs. Same as Weeding forceps, above.


word: Weeding-rhim
definition:
Weeding-rhim

Weed"ing-rhim`
(?)
n.
[Cf. Prov. E. rim to remove.]
A kind of implement used for tearing up weeds esp. on summer fallows.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Weedless
definition:
Weedless

Weed"less
a.
1.
Free from weeds or noxious matter.

2.
Free from weeds; -- said of a kind of motor-boat propeller the blades of which curve backwardly, as respects the direction of rotation, so that they draw through the water, and so do not gather weeds with which they come in contact.


word: Weed out
definition:
Weed out

Weed out
v. t.
to selectively remove; same as weed{2}, v. t.; -- of things that are useless or harmful.


word: Weedy
definition:
Weedy

Weed"y
(?)
a.
[Compar. Weedier (?); superl. Weediest.]

1.
Of or pertaining to weeds; consisting of weeds.
Weedy
Shak.

2.
Abounding with weeds; as, weedy grounds; a weedy garden; weedy corn.

See from the weedy earth a rivulet break.
Bryant.

3.
Scraggy; ill-shaped; ungainly; -- said of colts or horses, and also of persons.
[Colloq.]


word: Weedy₂
definition:
Weedy

Weed"y
a.
Dressed in weeds, or mourning garments.
[R. or Colloq.]

She was as weedy as in the early days of her mourning.
Dickens.


word: Week
definition:
Week

Week
(?)
n.
[OE. weke, wike, woke, wuke AS. weocu, wicu, wucu; akin to OS. wika, OFries. wike, D. week, G. woche, OHG. wohha, wehha, Icel. vika, Sw. vecka, Dan. uge, Goth. wik_;, probably originally meaning, a succession or change, and akin to G. wechsel change, L. vicis turn, alternation, and E. weak.  Cf. Weak.]
A period of seven days, usually that reckoned from one Sabbath or Sunday to the next.

I fast twice in the week.
Luke xviii. 12.

&hand_; Although it [the week] did not enter into the calendar of the Greeks, and was not introduced at Rome till after the reign of Theodesius, it has been employed from time immemorial in almost all Eastern countries.  Encyc. Brit.


Feast of Weeks. See Pentecost, 1. -- Prophetic week, a week of years, or seven years. Dan. ix. 24. -- Week day. See under Day.


word: Week-end
definition:
Week-end

Week"-end"
n.
The end of the week, usually comprising the period from Friday evening to Monday morning, observed commonly as a period of respite from work or school; as, to visit one for a week-end; also, a house party during a week-end.  Contrasted to work days.
Where work days continue throught Saturday morning, the weekend starts on Saturday at noon.


word: Weekly
definition:
Weekly

Week"ly
(?)
a.
1.
Of or pertaining to a week, or week days; as, weekly labor.

2.
Coming, happening, or done once a week; hebdomadary; as, a weekly payment; a weekly gazette.


word: Weekly₂
definition:
Weekly

Week"ly
n.
pl. Weeklies (_;).
A publication issued once in seven days, or appearing once a week.


word: Weely
definition:
Weely

Weel

{ Weel (?), Weel"y (?), }
[Prov. E. weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs.]
A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs.
[Obs.]
Carew.


word: Ween
definition:
Ween

Ween
(?)
v. i.
[OE. wenen, AS. w_;nan, fr. w_;n hope, expectation, opinion; akin to D. waan, OFries. w_;n, OS. & OHG. wān, G. wahn delusion, Icel. vān hope, expectation, Goth. w_;ns, and D. wanen to fancy, G. wähnen, Icel. vāna to hope, Goth. w_;njan, and perhaps to E. winsome, wish.]
To think; to imagine; to fancy.
[Obs. or Poetic]
Spenser. Milton.

I have lost more than thou wenest.
Chaucer.

For well I ween,
Never before in the bowers of light
Had the form of an earthly fay been seen.
J. R. Drake.

Though never a dream the roses sent
Of science or love's compliment,
I ween they smelt as sweet.
Mrs. Browning.


word: Weep₃
definition:
Weep

Weep
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wept (wĕpt); p. pr. & vb. n. Weeping.]
[OE. wepen, AS. wēpan, from w&omacrp lamentation; akin to OFries. w_;pa to lament, OS. w&omacrp lamentation, OHG. wuof, Icel. &omacrp a shouting, crying, OS. w&omacrpian to lament, OHG. wuoffan, wuoffen, Icel. œpa, Goth. w&omacrpjan. √129.]

1.
Formerly, to express sorrow, grief, or anguish, by outcry, or by other manifest signs; in modern use, to show grief or other passions by shedding tears; to shed tears; to cry.

And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck.
Acts xx. 37.

Phocion was rarely seen to weep or to laugh.
Mitford.

And eyes that wake to weep.
Mrs. Hemans.

And they wept together in silence.
Longfellow.

2.
To lament; to complain.
weep
Num. xi. 13.

3.
To flow in drops; to run in drops.

The blood weeps from my heart.
Shak.

4.
To drop water, or the like; to drip; to be soaked.

5.
To hang the branches, as if in sorrow; to be pendent; to droop; -- said of a plant or its branches.


word: Weep₄
definition:
Weep

Weep
v. t.
1.
To lament; to bewail; to bemoan.
weep
A. S. Hardy.

We wandering go
Through dreary wastes, and weep each other's woe.
Pope.

2.
To shed, or pour forth, as tears; to shed drop by drop, as if tears; as, to weep tears of joy.

Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth.
Milton.

Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm.
Milton.


word: Weeper
definition:
Weeper

Weep"er
(?)
n.
1.
One who weeps; esp., one who sheds tears.

2.
A white band or border worn on the sleeve as a badge of mourning.
Goldsmith.

3.
(Zool.)
The capuchin.  See Capuchin, 3 (a).


word: Weeping₂
definition:
Weeping

Weep"ing
a.
1.
Grieving; lamenting; shedding tears.
Weeping
I. Watts.

2.
Discharging water, or other liquid, in drops or very slowly; surcharged with water.
Weeping
Mortimer.

3.
Having slender, pendent branches; -- said of trees; as, weeping willow; a weeping ash.

4.
Pertaining to lamentation, or those who weep.

Weeping cross, a cross erected on or by the highway, especially for the devotions of penitents; hence, to return by the weeping cross, to return from some undertaking in humiliation or penitence. -- Weeping rock, a porous rock from which water gradually issues. -- Weeping sinew, a ganglion.  See Ganglion, n., 2. [Colloq.] -- Weeping spring, a spring that discharges water slowly.


word: weeping beech
definition:
weeping beech

weeping beech
n.
a variety of European beech (Fagus pendula, Fagus sylvatica pendula) with pendulous limbs.


word: weeping love grass
definition:
weeping love grass

weeping love grass
n.
a perennial South African grass (Eragrostis curvula) having densly clumped flimsy stems; introduced into U.S. esp. for erosion control.

Syn. -- African love grass.


word: weeping spruce
definition:
weeping spruce

weeping spruce
n.
a medium-sized spruce of California and Oregon (Picea breweriana) having pendulous branches.

Syn. -- Brewer's spruce.


word: Weeping tree
definition:
Weeping tree

Weep"ing tree
(a)
Any tree having pendulous branches.
(b)
A tree from which honeydew or other liquid secretions of insects drip in considerable quantities, esp. one infested by the larvae of any species of the genus Ptylus, allied to the cuckoo spits, which in tropical countries secrete large quantities of a watery fluid.


word: weeping tree broom
definition:
weeping tree broom

weeping tree broom
n.
a small shrubby tree of New Zealand having weeping branches and racemes of white to violet flowers followed by woolly indehiscent 2-seeded pods.

 a broom is any of various shrubs of the genera Cytisus or Genista or Spartium having long slender branches and racemes of yellow flowers.


word: Weeping willow
definition:
Weeping willow

Weep"ing wil"low
(Bot.)
a tree (Salix babylonica) of the willow family with slender leaves, native to China, whose branches grow very long and slender, and hang down almost perpendicularly.  It grows best where soil is moist, as by the banks of streams and is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree.

Syn. -- Babylonian weeping willow.


word: Weet-weet
definition:
Weet-weet

Weet"-weet`
(?)
n.
[So called from its piping cry when disturbed.]
(Zool.)
(a)
The common European sandpiper.
(b)
The chaffinch.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Weet-weet₂
definition:
Weet-weet

Weet"-weet`
(?)
n.
[Native name in Victoria.]
A throwing toy, or implement, of the Australian aborigines, consisting of a cigar-shaped stick fastened at one end to a flexible twig. It weighs in all about two ounces, and is about two feet long.


word: Weever
definition:
Weever

Wee"ver
(?)
n.
[Probably from F. vive, OF. vivre, a kind of fish, L. vipera viper.  Cf. Viper.]
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of edible marine fishes belonging to the genus Trachinus, of the family Trachinidae. They have a broad spinose head, with the eyes looking upward. The long dorsal fin is supported by numerous strong, sharp spines which cause painful wounds.

&hand_; The two British species are the great, or greater, weever (Trachinus draco), which becomes a foot long (called also gowdie, sea cat, stingbull, and weaverfish), and the lesser weever (Trachinus vipera), about half as large (called also otter pike, and stingfish).


word: Weevil
definition:
Weevil

Wee"vil
(?)
n.
[OE. wivel, wevil, AS. wifel, wibil; akin to OD. wevel, OHG. wibil, wibel, G. wiebel, wibel, and probably to Lith. vabalas beetle, and E. weave.  See Weave.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of snout beetles, or Rhynchophora, in which the head is elongated and usually curved downward. Many of the species are very injurious to cultivated plants. The larvae of some of the species live in nuts, fruit, and grain by eating out the interior, as the plum weevil, or curculio, the nut weevils, and the grain weevil (see under Plum, Nut, and Grain). The larvae of other species bore under the bark and into the pith of trees and various other plants, as the pine weevils (see under Pine).  See also Pea weevil, Rice weevil, Seed weevil, under Pea, Rice, and Seed.


word: Weft₃
definition:
Weft

Weft
n.
[AS. weft, wefta, fr. wefan, to weave.  See Weave.]

1.
The woof of cloth; the threads that cross the warp from selvage to selvage; the thread carried by the shuttle in weaving.

2.
A web; a thing woven.


word: Wegotism
definition:
Wegotism

We"go*tism
(?)
n.
[From we, in imitation of egotism.]
Excessive use of the pronoun we; -- called also weism.
[Colloq. or Cant]


word: Weigelia
definition:
Weigelia

Weigela

{ Wei"gel*a (?), Wei*ge"li*a (?), }
n.
[NL. So named after C. E. Weigel, a German naturalist.]
(Bot.)
A hardy garden shrub (Diervilla Japonica) belonging to the Honeysuckle family, with white or red flowers. It was introduced from China.


word: Weigh
definition:
Weigh

Weigh
(wā)
n.
(Naut.)
A corruption of Way, used only in the phrase under weigh.

An expedition was got under weigh from New York.
Thackeray.

The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable difficulty got under weigh.
Jowett (Thucyd.).


word: Weigh₂
definition:
Weigh

Weigh
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weighed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Weighing.]
[OE. weien, weyen, weghen, AS. wegan to bear, move; akin to D. wegen to weigh, G. wägen, wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel. vega to move, carry, lift, weigh, Sw. väga to weigh, Dan. veie, Goth. gawigan to shake, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah. _;_;_;_;.  See Way, and cf. Wey.]

1.
To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up; as, to weigh anchor.
Weigh
Cowper.

2.
To examine by the balance; to ascertain the weight of, that is, the force with which a thing tends to the center of the earth; to determine the heaviness, or quantity of matter of; as, to weigh sugar; to weigh gold.

Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
Dan. v. 27.

3.
To be equivalent to in weight; to counterbalance; to have the heaviness of.
weighing
Boyle.

4.
To pay, allot, take, or give by weight.

They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zech. xi. 12.

5.
To examine or test as if by the balance; to ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; to estimate deliberately and maturely; to balance.

A young man not weighed in state affairs.
Bacon.

Had no better weighed
The strength he was to cope with, or his own.
Milton.

Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only what is spoken.
Hooker.

In nice balance, truth with gold she weighs.
Pope.

Without sufficiently weighing his expressions.
Sir W. Scott.

6.
To consider as worthy of notice; to regard.
[Obs. or Archaic]
weigh
Shak.

All that she so dear did weigh.
Spenser.

To weigh down. (a) To overbalance. (b) To oppress with weight; to overburden; to depress. “To weigh thy spirits down.”  Milton.


word: Weigh₃
definition:
Weigh

Weigh
(?)
v. i.
1.
To have weight; to be heavy.
weigh
Cowper.

2.
To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance.

Your vows to her and me . . . will even weigh.
Shak.

This objection ought to weigh with those whose reading is designed for much talk and little knowledge.
Locke.

3.
To bear heavily; to press hard.

Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart.
Shak.

4.
To judge; to estimate.
[R.]

Could not weigh of worthiness aright.
Spenser.

To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.


word: Weigh₄
definition:
Weigh

Weigh
n.
[See Wey.]
A certain quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight.  See Wey.


word: Weighbeam
definition:
Weighbeam

Weigh"beam`
(?)
n.
A kind of large steelyard for weighing merchandise; -- also called weighmaster's beam.


word: Weighbridge
definition:
Weighbridge

Weigh"bridge`
(?)
n.
A weighing machine on which loaded carts may be weighed; platform scales.


word: Weigher
definition:
Weigher

Weigh"er
(?)
n.
One who weighs; specifically, an officer whose duty it is to weigh commodities.


word: Weigh-house
definition:
Weigh-house

Weigh"-house`
(?)
n.
pl. Weigh-houses (_;).
A building at or within which goods, and the like, are weighed.


word: Weighing
definition:
Weighing

Weigh"ing
a. & n. from Weigh, v.

Weighing cage, a cage in which small living animals may be conveniently weighed. -- Weighing house. See Weigh-house. -- Weighing machine, any large machine or apparatus for weighing; especially, platform scales arranged for weighing heavy bodies, as loaded wagons.


word: Weighlock
definition:
Weighlock

Weigh"lock`
(?)
n.
A lock, as on a canal, in which boats are weighed and their tonnage is settled.


word: Weighmaster
definition:
Weighmaster

Weigh"mas`ter
(?)
n.
One whose business it is to weigh ore, hay, merchandise, etc.; one licensed as a public weigher.


word: Weight
definition:
Weight

Weight
(?)
n.
[OE. weght, wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G. gewicht, Icel. vætt, Sw. vigt, Dan. vægt.  See Weigh, v. t.]

1.
The quality of being heavy; that property of bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards, as pounds, grams, etc.

&hand_; Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity; hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body.

2.
The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as, a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.

For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell,
Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes.
Shak.

3.
Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight of care or business.
weight
Shak.

For the public all this weight he bears.
Milton.

[He] who singly bore the world's sad weight.
Keble.

4.
Importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast weight.

In such a point of weight, so near mine honor.
Shak.

5.
A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy weight; apothecaries' weight.

6.
A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock weight; a paper weight.

A man leapeth better with weights in his hands.
Bacon.

7.
A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce weight.

8.
(Mech.)
The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it.
[Obs.]

Atomic weight. (Chem.) See under Atomic, and cf. Element. -- Dead weight, Feather weight, Heavy weight, Light weight, etc.  See under Dead, Feather, etc. -- Weight of observation (Astron. & Physics), a number expressing the most probable relative value of each observation in determining the result of a series of observations of the same kind.


word: Weight₂
definition:
Weight

Weight
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Weighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Weighting.]

1.
To load with a weight or weights; to load down; to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.

The arrows of satire, . . . weighted with sense.
Coleridge.

2.
(Astron. & Physics)
To assign a weight to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation.  See Weight of observations, under Weight.

3.
(Dyeing)
To load (fabrics) as with barite, to increase the weight, etc.

4.
(Math.)
to assign a numerical value expressing relative importance to (a measurement), to be multiplied by the value of the measurement in determining averages or other aggregate quantities; as, they weighted part one of the test twice as heavily as part 2.


word: Weightiness
definition:
Weightiness

Weight"i*ness
(?)
n.
The quality or state of being weighty; weight; force; importance; impressiveness.


word: Weighty
definition:
Weighty

Weight"y
(?)
a.
[Compar. Weightier (?); superl. Weightiest.]

1.
Having weight; heavy; ponderous; as, a weighty body.

2.
Adapted to turn the balance in the mind, or to convince; important; forcible; serious; momentous.
weighty
Shak.

Let me have your advice in a weighty affair.
Swift.

3.
Rigorous; severe; afflictive.
[R.]
weightier
Shak.


word: Weil's disease
definition:
Weil's disease

Weil's disease
(?)
(Med.)
An acute infectious febrile disease, resembling typhoid fever, with muscular pains, disturbance of the digestive organs, jaundice, etc.


word: Wear₆
definition:
Wear

Weir

{ Weir (wēr), Wear,}
n.
[OE. wer, AS. wer; akin to G. wehr, AS. werian to defend, protect, hinder, G. wehren, Goth. warjan; and perhaps to E. wary; or cf. Skr. v&rsdot_; to check, hinder. √142.   Cf. Garret.]
1.
A dam in a river to stop and raise the water, for the purpose of conducting it to a mill, forming a fish pond, or the like.

2.
A fence of stakes, brushwood, or the like, set in a stream, tideway, or inlet of the sea, for taking fish.

3.
A long notch with a horizontal edge, as in the top of a vertical plate or plank, through which water flows, -- used in measuring the quantity of flowing water.


word: Weird
definition:
Weird

Weird
(wērd)
n.
[OE. wirde, werde, AS. wyrd fate, fortune, one of the Fates, fr. weorðan to be, to become; akin to OS. wurd fate, OHG. wurt, Icel. urðr. √143.  See Worth to become.]

1.
Fate; destiny; one of the Fates, or Norns; also, a prediction.
[Obs. or Scot.]

2.
A spell or charm.
[Obs. or Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.


word: Weird₂
definition:
Weird

Weird
a.

1.
Of or pertaining to fate; concerned with destiny.

2.
Of or pertaining to witchcraft; caused by, or suggesting, magical influence; supernatural; unearthly; wild; as, a weird appearance, look, sound, etc.

Myself too had weird seizures.
Tennyson.

Those sweet, low tones, that seemed like a weird incantation.
Longfellow.

Weird sisters, the Fates. [Scot.] G. Douglas.

&hand_; Shakespeare uses the term for the three witches in Macbeth.

The weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land.
Shak.


word: Weismannism
definition:
Weismannism

Weis"mann*ism
(?)
n.
(Biol.)
The theories and teachings in regard to heredity propounded by the German biologist August Weismann, esp. in regard to germ plasm as the basis of heredity and the impossibility of transmitting acquired characteristics; -- often called neo-Darwinism.


word: Weiss beer
definition:
Weiss beer

Weiss beer
(?)
[G. weissbier white beer.]
A light-colored highly effervescent beer made by the top-fermentation process.


word: Weka
definition:
Weka

We"ka
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A New Zealand rail (Ocydromus australis) which has wings so short as to be incapable of flight.


word: Wekau
definition:
Wekau

We"kau
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A small New Zealand owl (Sceloglaux albifacies). It has short wings and long legs, and lives chiefly on the ground.


word: Welaway
definition:
Welaway

Wel"a*way
(?)
interj.
[OE. welaway, walaway, weilawey; wei wo! (Icel. vei) + la lo! (AS. lā) + wei wo!; cf. AS. wā lā wā.  See Woe.]
Alas!
[Obs.]

Then welaway, for she undone was clean.
Wyatt.


word: Wel-begone
definition:
Wel-begone

Wel"-be*gone`
(?)
a.
[OE. wel-begon.  See Well, and Begone.]
Surrounded with happiness or prosperity.
[Obs.]

Fair and rich and young and wel-begone.
Chaucer.


word: Welcome
definition:
Welcome

Wel"come
(?)
a.
[OE. welcome, welcume, wilcume, AS. wilcuma a welcome guest, from wil-, as a prefix, akin to willa will + cuma a comer, fr. cuman to come; hence, properly, one who comes so as to please another's will; cf. Icel. velkominn welcome, G. willkommen.  See Will, n., and Come.]

1.
Received with gladness; admitted willingly to the house, entertainment, or company; as, a welcome visitor.

When the glad soul is made Heaven's welcome guest.
Cowper.

2.
Producing gladness; grateful; as, a welcome present; welcome news.
welcome
Milton.

3.
Free to have or enjoy gratuitously; as, you are welcome to the use of my library.

&hand_; Welcome is used elliptically for you are welcome. “Welcome, great monarch, to your own.”
Dryden.

Welcome-to-our-house (Bot.), a kind of spurge (Euphorbia Cyparissias). Dr. Prior.


word: Welcome₂
definition:
Welcome

Wel"come
n.

1.
Salutation to a newcomer.
Welcome
Shak.

2.
Kind reception of a guest or newcomer; as, we entered the house and found a ready welcome.

His warmest welcome at an inn.
Shenstone.

Truth finds an entrance and a welcome too.
South.

To bid welcome, to receive with professions of kindness.

To thee and thy company I bid
A hearty welcome.
Shak.


word: Welcome₃
definition:
Welcome

Wel"come
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Welcomed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Welcoming.]
[AS. wilcumian.]
To salute with kindness, as a newcomer; to receive and entertain hospitably and cheerfully; as, to welcome a visitor; to welcome a new idea.
welcome
Addison.

Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.
Milton.


word: Welcomeness
definition:
Welcomeness

Wel"come*ness
n.
The quality or state of being welcome; gratefulness; agreeableness; kind reception.


word: Welcomer
definition:
Welcomer

Wel"com*er
(?)
n.
One who welcomes; one who salutes, or receives kindly, a newcomer.
Shak.


word: Weld₂
definition:
Weld

Weld
(wĕld)
n.
[OE. welde; akin to Scot. wald, Prov. G. waude, G. wau, Dan. & Sw. vau, D. wouw.]

1.
(Bot.)
An herb (Reseda luteola) related to mignonette, growing in Europe, and to some extent in America; dyer's broom; dyer's rocket; dyer's weed; wild woad. It is used by dyers to give a yellow color.
[Written also woald, wold, and would.]

2.
Coloring matter or dye extracted from this plant.


word: Weld₃
definition:
Weld

Weld
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Welded; p. pr. & vb. n. Welding.]
[Probably originally the same word as well to spring up, to gush; perhaps from the Scand.; cf. Sw. välla to weld, uppvälla to boil up, to spring up, Dan. vælde to gush, G. wellen to weld.  See Well to spring.]

1.
To press or beat into intimate and permanent union, as two pieces of iron when heated almost to fusion.

&hand_; Very few of the metals, besides iron and platinum. are capable of being welded. Horn and tortoise shell possess this useful property.

2.
Fig.: To unite closely or intimately.

Two women faster welded in one love.
Tennyson.


word: Weld₄
definition:
Weld

Weld
n.
The state of being welded; the joint made by welding.

Butt weld. See under Butt. -- Scarf weld, a joint made by overlapping, and welding together, the scarfed ends of two pieces.


word: Welder₂
definition:
Welder

Weld"er
n.

1.
One who welds, or wields.
[Obs.]

2.
A manager; an actual occupant.
[Ireland. Obs.]
welder
Swift.


word: Weldon's process
definition:
Weldon's process

Wel"don's proc"ess
(?)
(Chem.)
A process for the recovery or regeneration of manganese dioxide in the manufacture of chlorine, by means of milk of lime and the oxygen of the air; -- so called after the inventor.


word: Welfare
definition:
Welfare

Wel"fare`
(?)
n.
[Well + fare to go, to proceed, to happen.]
Well-doing or well-being in any respect; the enjoyment of health and the common blessings of life; exemption from any evil or calamity; prosperity; happiness.

How to study for the people's welfare.
Shak.

In whose deep eyes
Men read the welfare of the times to come.
Emerson.


word: Welk
definition:
Welk

Welk
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Welked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Welking.]
[OE. welken; cf. D. & G. welken to wither, G. welk withered, OHG. welc moist.  See Welkin, and cf. Wilt.]
To wither; to fade; also, to decay; to decline; to wane.
[Obs.]

When ruddy Ph_;bus 'gins to welk in west.
Spenser.

The church, that before by insensible degrees welked and impaired, now with large steps went down hill decaying.
Milton.


word: Welk₂
definition:
Welk

Welk
v. t.

1.
To cause to wither; to wilt.
[Obs.]

Mot thy welked neck be to-broke [broken].
Chaucer.

2.
To contract; to shorten.
[Obs.]

Now sad winter welked hath the day.
Spenser.

3.
To soak; also, to beat severely.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Welkin
definition:
Welkin

Wel"kin
(?)
n.
[OE. welken, welkene, welkne, wolcne, weolcne, AS. wolcen, pl. wolcnu, a cloud; akin to D. wolk, OFries. wolken, OS. wolkan, G. wolke, OHG. wolchan, and probably to G. welk withered, OHG. welc moist, Russ. & OSlav. vlaga moisture, Lith. vilgyti to moisten.]
The visible regions of the air; the vault of heaven; the sky.

On the welkne shoon the sterres lyght.
Chaucer.

The fair welkin foully overcast.
Spenser.

When storms the welkin rend.
Wordsworth.

&hand_; Used adjectively by Shakespeare in the phase, “Your welkin eye,” with uncertain meaning.


word: Well
definition:
Well

Well
(?)
n.
[OE. welle, AS. wella, wylla, from weallan to well up, surge, boil; akin to D. wel a spring or fountain. _;_;_;_;.  See Well, v. i.]

1.
An issue of water from the earth; a spring; a fountain.

Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well.
Milton.

2.
A pit or hole sunk into the earth to such a depth as to reach a supply of water, generally of a cylindrical form, and often walled with stone or bricks to prevent the earth from caving in.

The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.
John iv. 11.

3.
A shaft made in the earth to obtain oil or brine.

4.
Fig.: A source of supply; fountain; wellspring.
well
Chaucer.

Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled.
Spenser.

A well of serious thought and pure.
Keble.

5.
(Naut.)
(a)
An inclosure in the middle of a vessel's hold, around the pumps, from the bottom to the lower deck, to preserve the pumps from damage and facilitate their inspection.
(b)
A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water for the preservation of fish alive while they are transported to market.
(c)
A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of water.
(d)
A depressed space in the after part of the deck; -- often called the cockpit.

6.
(Mil.)
A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.

7.
(Arch.)
An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.

8.
(Metal.)
The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.

Artesian well, Driven well. See under Artesian, and Driven. -- Pump well. (Naut.) See Well, 5 (a), above. -- Well boring, the art or process of boring an artesian well. -- Well drain. (a) A drain or vent for water, somewhat like a well or pit, serving to discharge the water of wet land. (b) A drain conducting to a well or pit. -- Well room. (a) A room where a well or spring is situated; especially, one built over a mineral spring. (b) (Naut.) A depression in the bottom of a boat, into which water may run, and whence it is thrown out with a scoop. -- Well sinker, one who sinks or digs wells. -- Well sinking, the art or process of sinking or digging wells. -- Well staircase (Arch.), a staircase having a wellhole (see Wellhole (b)), as distinguished from one which occupies the whole of the space left for it in the floor. -- Well sweep. Same as Sweep, n., 12. -- Well water, the water that flows into a well from subterraneous springs; the water drawn from a well.


word: Well₂
definition:
Well

Well
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Welled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Welling.]
[OE. wellen, AS. wyllan, wellan, fr. weallan; akin to OFries. walla, OS. & OHG. wallan, G. wallen, Icel. vella, G. welle, wave, OHG. wella, walm, AS. wylm; cf. L. volvere to roll, Gr. _; to inwrap, _; to roll.  Cf. Voluble, Wallop to boil, Wallow, Weld of metal.]
To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
welled
Dryden.
wells
Bryant.

From his two springs in Gojam's sunny realm,
Pure welling out, he through the lucid lake
Of fair Dambea rolls his infant streams.
Thomson.


word: Well₄
definition:
Well

Well
adv.
[Compar. and superl. wanting, the deficiency being supplied by better and best, from another root.]
[OE. wel, AS. wel; akin to OS., OFries., & D. wel, G. wohl, OHG. wola, wela, Icel. & Dan. vel, Sw. väl, Goth. waíla; originally meaning, according to one's will or wish.  See Will, v. t., and cf. Wealth.]

1.
In a good or proper manner; justly; rightly; not ill or wickedly.

If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
Gen. iv. 7.

2.
Suitably to one's condition, to the occasion, or to a proposed end or use; suitably; abundantly; fully; adequately; thoroughly.

Lot . . . beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere.
Gen. xiii. 10.

WE are wellable to overcome it.
Num. xiii. 30.

She looketh well to the ways of her household.
Prov. xxxi. 27.

Servant of God, well done! well hast thou fought
The better fight.
Milton.

3.
Fully or about; -- used with numbers.
[Obs.]
Well
Chaucer.

Well nine and twenty in a company.
Chaucer.

4.
In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favorably; advantageously; conveniently.
well
Dryden.

Know
In measure what the mind may well contain.
Milton.

All the world speaks well of you.
Pope.

5.
Considerably; not a little; far.

Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age.
Gen. xviii. 11.

&hand_; Well is sometimes used elliptically for it is well, as an expression of satisfaction with what has been said or done, and sometimes it expresses concession, or is merely expletive; as, well, the work is done; well, let us go; well, well, be it so.

&hand_; Well, like above, ill, and so, is used before many participial adjectives in its usual adverbial senses, and subject to the same custom with regard to the use of the hyphen (see the Note under Ill, adv.); as, a well-affected supporter; he was well affected toward the project; a well-trained speaker; he was well trained in speaking; well-educated, or well educated; well-dressed, or well dressed; well-appearing; well-behaved; well-controlled; well-designed; well-directed; well-formed; well-meant; well-minded; well-ordered; well-performed; well-pleased; well-pleasing; well-seasoned; well-steered; well-tasted; well-told, etc. Such compound epithets usually have an obvious meaning, and since they may be formed at will, only a few of this class are given in the Vocabulary.

As well. See under As. -- As well as, and also; together with; not less than; one as much as the other; as, a sickness long, as well as severe; London is the largest city in England, as well as the capital. -- Well enough, well or good in a moderate degree; so as to give satisfaction, or so as to require no alteration. -- Well off, in good condition; especially, in good condition as to property or any advantages; thriving; prosperous. -- Well to do, well off; prosperous; -- used also adjectively. “The class well to do in the world.” J. H. Newman. -- Well to live, in easy circumstances; well off; well to do. Shak.


word: Well₅
definition:
Well

Well
a.

1.
Good in condition or circumstances; desirable, either in a natural or moral sense; fortunate; convenient; advantageous; happy; as, it is well for the country that the crops did not fail; it is well that the mistake was discovered.

It was well with us in Egypt.
Num. xi. 18.

2.
Being in health; sound in body; not ailing, diseased, or sick; healthy; as, a well man; the patient is perfectly well.
well
Shak.

Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake?
Gen. xliii. 27.

3.
Being in favor; favored; fortunate.

He followed the fortunes of that family, and was well with Henry the Fourth.
Dryden.

4.
(Marine Insurance)
Safe; as, a chip warranted well at a certain day and place.
Burrill.


word: Well-being
definition:
Well-being

Well"-be`ing
(?)
n.
The state or condition of being well; welfare; happiness; prosperity; as, virtue is essential to the well-being of men or of society.


word: Well-bred
definition:
Well-bred

Well"-bred`
(?)
a.
Having good breeding; refined in manners; polite; cultivated.

I am as well-bred as the earl's granddaughter.
Thackera_;.


word: Welldrain
definition:
Welldrain

Well"drain`
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Welldrained (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Well-draining.]
To drain, as land; by means of wells, or pits, which receive the water, and from which it is discharged by machinery.


word: Well-favored
definition:
Well-favored

Well"-fa"vored
(?)
a.
Handsome; wellformed; beautiful; pleasing to the eye.

Rachel was beautiful and well-favored.
Gen. xxix. 17.


word: Wellhead
definition:
Wellhead

Well"head`
(?)
n.
A source, spring, or fountain.

At the wellhead the purest streams arise.
Spenser.

Our public-school and university life is a great wellhead of new and irresponsible words.
Earle.


word: Wellhole
definition:
Wellhole

Well"hole`
(?)
n.

1.
(Arch.)
(a)
The open space in a floor, to accommodate a staircase.
(b)
The open space left beyond the ends of the steps of a staircase.

2.
A cavity which receives a counterbalancing weight in certain mechanical contrivances, and is adapted also for other purposes.
W. M. Buchanan.


word: Well-informed
definition:
Well-informed

Well`-in*formed"
(?)
a.
Correctly informed; provided with information; well furnished with authentic knowledge; intelligent.


word: Wellington boot
definition:
Wellington boot

Wel"ling*ton boot
[After the Duke of Wellington.]
A riding boot for men, the front of which came above the knee; also, a similar shorter boot worn under the trousers.


word: Wellingtonia
definition:
Wellingtonia

Wel`ling*to"ni*a
(?)
n.
[NL. So named after the Duke of Wellington.]
(Bot.)
A name given to the “big trees” (Sequoia gigantea) of California, and still used in England.  See Sequoia.


word: Wellingtons
definition:
Wellingtons

Wel"ling*tons
(?)
n. pl.
[After the Duke of Wellington.]
A kind of long boots for men.


word: Well-intentioned
definition:
Well-intentioned

Well`-in*ten"tioned
(?)
a.
Having upright intentions or honorable purposes.

Dutchmen who had sold themselves to France, as the wellintentioned party.
Macaulay.


word: Well-known
definition:
Well-known

Well"-known`
(?)
a.
Fully known; generally known or acknowledged.

A church well known with a well-known rite.
M. Arnold.


word: Well-liking
definition:
Well-liking

Well"-lik`ing
(?)
a.
Being in good condition.
[Obs. or Archaic]

They also shall bring forth more fruit in their age, and shall be fat and well-liking.
Bk. of Com. Prayer (Ps. xcii.).


word: Well-natured
definition:
Well-natured

Well`-na"tured
(?)
a.
Good-natured; kind.

Well-natured, temperate, and wise.
Denham.


word: Well-seen
definition:
Well-seen

Well"-seen`
(?)
a.
Having seen much; hence, accomplished; experienced.
[Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.

Well-seen in arms and proved in many a fight.
Spenser.


word: Well-set
definition:
Well-set

Well"-set`
(?)
a.

1.
Properly or firmly set.

2.
Well put together; having symmetry of parts.


word: Well-spoken
definition:
Well-spoken

Well"-spo`ken
(?)
a.
[Well + speak.]

1.
Speaking well; speaking with fitness or grace; speaking kindly.
well-spoken
Shak.

2.
Spoken with propriety; as, well-spoken words.


word: Wellspring
definition:
Wellspring

Well"spring`
(?)
n.
A fountain; a spring; a source of continual supply.

Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly.
Prov. xvi. 22.


word: Wellwisher
definition:
Wellwisher

Well"wish`er
(?)
n.
One who wishes another well; one who is benevolently or friendlily inclined.


word: Welsbach
definition:
Welsbach

Wels"bach
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to Auer von Welsbach or the incandescent gas burner invented by him.
-- Welsbach burner, a burner in which the combustion of a mixture of air and gas or vapor is employed to heat to incandescence a mantle composed of thoria and ceria. The mantle is made by soaking a “stocking” in a solution of nitrates of thorium and cerium (approx. 99:1), drying, and, for use, igniting to burn the thread and convert the nitrates into oxides, which remain as a fragile ash. The light far exceeds that obtained from the same amount of gas with the ordinary fishtail burner, but has a slight greenish hue.


word: Welsh
definition:
Welsh

Welsh
(?)
a.
[AS. wælisc, welisc, from wealh a stranger, foreigner, not of Saxon origin, a Welshman, a Celt, Gael; akin to OHG. walh, whence G. wälsch or welsch, Celtic, Welsh, Italian, French, Foreign, strange, OHG. walhisc; from the name of a Celtic tribe.  See Walnut.]
Of or pertaining to Wales, or its inhabitants.
[Sometimes written also Welch.]

Welsh flannel, a fine kind of flannel made from the fleece of the flocks of the Welsh mountains, and largely manufactured by hand. -- Welsh glaive, or Welsh hook, a weapon of war used in former times by the Welsh, commonly regarded as a kind of poleax. Fairholt. Craig. -- Welsh mortgage (O. Eng. Law), a species of mortgage, being a conveyance of an estate, redeemable at any time on payment of the principal, with an understanding that the profits in the mean time shall be received by the mortgagee without account, in satisfaction of interest. Burrill. -- Welsh mutton, a choice and delicate kind of mutton obtained from a breed of small sheep in Wales. -- Welsh onion (Bot.), a kind of onion (Allium fistulosum) having hollow inflated stalks and leaves, but scarcely any bulb, a native of Siberia. It is said to have been introduced from Germany, and is supposed to have derived its name from the German term wälsch foreign. -- Welsh parsley, hemp, or halters made from hemp. [Obs. & Jocular] J. Fletcher. -- Welsh rabbit. See under Rabbit.


word: Welsh₂
definition:
Welsh

Welsh
n.

1.
The language of Wales, or of the Welsh people.

2.
pl.
The natives or inhabitants of Wales.

&hand_; The Welsh call themselves Cymry, in the plural, and a Welshman Cymro, and their country Cymru, of which the adjective is Cymreig, and the name of their language Cymraeg. They are a branch of the Celtic family, and a relic of the earliest known population of England, driven into the mountains of Wales by the Anglo-Saxon invaders.


word: Welsh₃
definition:
Welsh

Welsh
(?)
v. t. & i.
(a)
To cheat by avoiding payment of bets; -- said esp. of an absconding bookmaker at a race track.
[Slang]
(b)
To avoid dishonorably the fulfillment of a pecuniary obligation.
[Slang]


word: Welsher
definition:
Welsher

Welsh"er
(?)
n.
One who cheats at a horse race; one who bets, without a chance of being able to pay; one who receives money to back certain horses and absconds with it.
[Written also welcher.]
[Slang, Eng.]


word: Welshman
definition:
Welshman

Welsh"man
(?)
n.
pl. Welshmen (_;).

1.
A native or inhabitant of Wales; one of the Welsh.

2.
(Zool.)
(a)
A squirrel fish.
(b)
The large-mouthed black bass.  See Black bass.
[Southern U. S.]


word: welt
definition:
welt

welt
(wĕlt)
n.
[OE. welte, probably fr. W. gwald a hem, a welt, gwaldu to welt or to hem.]

1.
That which, being sewed or otherwise fastened to an edge or border, serves to guard, strengthen, or adorn it
(a)
A small cord covered with cloth and sewed on a seam or border to strengthen it; an edge of cloth folded on itself, usually over a cord, and sewed down.
(b)
A hem, border, or fringe.
[Obs.]
(c)
In shoemaking, a narrow strip of leather around a shoe, between the upper leather and sole.
(d)
In steam boilers and sheet-iron work, a strip riveted upon the edges of plates that form a butt joint.
(e)
In carpentry, a strip of wood fastened over a flush seam or joint, or an angle, to strengthen it.
(f)
In machine-made stockings, a strip, or flap, of which the heel is formed.

2.
(Her.)
A narrow border, as of an ordinary, but not extending around the ends.

3.
A raised ridge on the surface of the skin, produced by a blow, as from a stick or whip; a wale; a weal; as, to raise welts on the back with a whip.

Syn. -- wale; weal; wheal.

4.
A blow that produces a welt{3}.

Welt joint, a joint, as of plates, made with a welt, instead of by overlapping the edges.  See Weld, n., 1 (d).


word: Welt
definition:
Welt

Welt
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Welted; p. pr. & vb. n. Welting.]
To furnish with a welt; to sew or fasten a welt on; as, to welt a boot or a shoe; to welt a sleeve.


word: Weltanschauung
definition:
Weltanschauung

Welt"an"schau`ung
(?)
n.
pl. Weltanschauungen (#)
[G.]
Lit., world view; a conception of the course of events in, and of the purpose of, the world as a whole, forming a philosophical view or apprehension of the universe; the general idea embodied in a cosmology.


word: Welter
definition:
Welter

Wel"ter
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Weltered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Weltering.]
[Freq. of OE. walten to roll over, AS. wealtan; akin to LG. weltern, G. walzen to roll, to waltz, sich wälzen to welter, OHG. walzan to roll, Icel. velta, Dan. vælte, Sw. vältra, välta; cf. Goth. waltjan; probably akin to E. wallow, well, v. i. √146.  See Well, v. i., and cf. Waltz.]

1.
To roll, as the body of an animal; to tumble about, especially in anything foul or defiling; to wallow.

When we welter in pleasures and idleness, then we eat and drink with drunkards.
Latimer.

These wizards welter in wealth's waves.
Spenser.

He must not float upon his watery bier
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind,
Without the meed of some melodious tear.
Milton.

The priests at the altar . . . weltering in their blood.
Landor.

2.
To rise and fall, as waves; to tumble over, as billows.
weltering
Milton.

Waves that, hardly weltering, die away.
Wordsworth.

Through this blindly weltering sea.
Trench.


word: Welter₂
definition:
Welter

Wel"ter
v. t.
[Cf. Wilt, v. i.]
To wither; to wilt.
[R.]

Weltered hearts and blighted . . . memories.
I. Taylor.


word: Welter₃
definition:
Welter

Wel"ter
a.
(Horse Racing)
Of, pertaining to, or designating, the most heavily weighted race in a meeting; as, a welter race; the welter stakes.


word: Welter₄
definition:
Welter

Wel"ter
n.

1.
That in which any person or thing welters, or wallows; filth; mire; slough.

The foul welter of our so-called religious or other controversies.
Carlyle.

2.
A rising or falling, as of waves; as, the welter of the billows; the welter of a tempest.


word: Welterweight
definition:
Welterweight

Wel"ter*weight`
(?)
n.
1.
(Horse Racing)
A weight of 28 pounds (one of 40 pounds is called a heavy welterweight) sometimes imposed in addition to weight for age, chiefly in steeplechases and hurdle races.

2.
A boxer or wrestler whose weight is intermediate between that of a lightweight and that of a middleweight.


word: Weltschmertz
definition:
Weltschmertz

Welt"schmertz`
(vĕlt"shmĕrts`)
n.
[G., fr. welt world + schmertz pain. See World; Smart, v. i.]
Sorrow or sadness over the present or future evils or woes of the world in general; sentimental pessimism.


word: Welwitschia
definition:
Welwitschia

Wel*witsch"i*a
(?)
n.
[NL. So named after the discoverer, Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch.]
(Bot.)
An African plant (Welwitschia mirabilis) belonging to the order Gnetaceae. It consists of a short, woody, topshaped stem, and never more than two leaves, which are the cotyledons enormously developed, and at length split into diverging segments.


word: Wem₂
definition:
Wem

Wem
n.
[AS. wam, wamm.]
Spot; blemish; harm; hurt.
[Obs.]
Wyclif.

Withouten wem of you, through foul and fair.
Chaucer.


word: Wen
definition:
Wen

Wen
(wĕn)
n.
[AS. wenn; akin to D. wen, LG. wenne.]
(Med.)
An indolent, encysted tumor of the skin; especially, a sebaceous cyst.


word: Wench
definition:
Wench

Wench
(wĕnch)
n.
[OE. wenche, for older wenchel a child, originally, weak, tottering; cf. AS. wencle a maid, a daughter, wencel a pupil, orphan, wincel, winclu, children, offspring, wencel weak, wancol unstable, OHG. wanchol; perhaps akin to E. wink.  See Wink.]

1.
A young woman; a girl; a maiden.
Shak.

Lord and lady, groom and wench.
Chaucer.

That they may send again
My most sweet wench, and gifts to boot.
Chapman.

He was received by the daughter of the house, a pretty, buxom, blue-eyed little wench.
W. Black.

2.
A low, vicious young woman; a drab; a strumpet.

She shall be called his wench or his leman.
Chaucer.

It is not a digression to talk of bawds in a discourse upon wenches.
Spectator.

3.
A colored woman; a negress.
[Archaic, U. S.]


word: Wench₂
definition:
Wench

Wench
(wĕnch)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wenched (wĕncht); p. pr. & vb. n. Wenching.]
To frequent the company of wenches, or women of ill fame.


word: Wend₂
definition:
Wend

Wend
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wended, Obs. Went; p. pr. & vb. n. Wending.]
[AS. wendan to turn, to go, caus. of windan to wind; akin to OS. wendian, OFries. wenda, D. wenden to turn, G. wenden, Icel. venda, Sw. vända, Dan. vende, Goth. wandjan.  See Wind to turn, and cf. Went.]

1.
To go; to pass; to betake one's self.
wend
Chaucer.

To Athens shall the lovers wend.
Shak.

2.
To turn round.
[Obs.]
Sir W. Raleigh.


word: Wend₃
definition:
Wend

Wend
v. t.
To direct; to betake; -- used chiefly in the phrase to wend one's way. Also used reflexively.
wend
Surrey.


word: Wends
definition:
Wends

Wends
(?)
n. pl.
sing. Wend
(Ethnol.)
A Slavic tribe which once occupied the northern and eastern parts of Germany, of which a small remnant exists.


word: Wen-li
definition:
Wen-li

Wên"-li`
(?)
n.
[Chin. wên li.]
The higher literary idiom of Chinese, that of the canonical books and of all composition pretending to literary standing.  It employs a classical or academic diction, and a more condensed and sententious style than Mandarin, and differs also in the doubling and arrangement of words.


word: Wenlock group
definition:
Wenlock group

Wen"lock group`
(?)
(Geol.)
The middle subdivision of the Upper Silurian in Great Britain; -- so named from the typical locality in Shropshire.


word: Wenny
definition:
Wenny

Wennish

{ Wen"nish (?), Wen"ny (?) }
a.
[From Wen.]
Having the nature of a wen; resembling a wen; as, a wennish excrescence.


word: Wenona
definition:
Wenona

We*no"na
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A sand snake (Charina plumbea) of Western North America, of the family Erycidae.


word: Went
definition:
Went

Went
(?)
imp. & p. p. of Wend; -- now obsolete except as the imperfect of go, with which it has no etymological connection.  See Go.

To the church both be they went.
Chaucer.


word: Went₂
definition:
Went

Went
n.
Course; way; path; journey; direction.
[Obs.]
wente
Chaucer.

But here my weary team, nigh overspent,
Shall breathe itself awhile after so long a went.
Spenser.

He knew the diverse went of mortal ways.
Spenser.


word: Wentletrap
definition:
Wentletrap

Wen"tle*trap`
(?)
n.
[D. wenteltrap a winding staircase; cf. G. wendeltreppe.]
[Obs.]
Any one of numerous species of elegant, usually white, marine shells of the genus Scalaria, especially Scalaria pretiosa, which was formerly highly valued; -- called also staircase shell.  See Scalaria.


word: Were₄
definition:
Were

Were
(wẽr; 277)
[AS. w&aemacr_;re (thou) wast, w&aemacr_;ron (we, you, they) were, w&aemacr_;re imp. subj.  See Was.]
The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be.  See Be.


word: Were₅
definition:
Were

Were
(wēr)
n.
[AS. wer; akin to OS. & OHG. wer, Goth. waír, L. vir, Skr. vīra.  Cf. Weregild, and Werewolf.]

1.
A man.
[Obs.]

2.
A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild.
[Obs.]

Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were.
Bosworth.


word: Weregild
definition:
Weregild

Were"gild`
(?)
n.
[AS. wergild; wer a man, value set on a man's life + gild payment of money; akin to G. wehrgeld. √285.  See Were a man, and Geld, n.]
(O. Eng. Law)
The price of a man's head; a compensation paid of a man killed, partly to the king for the loss of a subject, partly to the lord of a vassal, and partly to the next of kin. It was paid by the murderer.
[Written also weregeld, weregelt, etc.]
Blackstone.


word: Werewolf
definition:
Werewolf

Were"wolf`
(?)
n.
pl. Werewolves (#).
[AS. werwulf; wer a man + wulf a wolf; cf. G. wärwolf, währwolf, wehrwolf, a werewolf, MHG. werwolf. √285.  See Were a man, and Wolf, and cf. Virile, World.]
A person transformed into a wolf in form and appetite, either temporarily or permanently, whether by supernatural influences, by witchcraft, or voluntarily; a lycanthrope. Belief in werewolves, formerly general, is not now extinct.

The werwolf went about his prey.
William of Palerne.

The brutes that wear our form and face,
The werewolves of the human race.
Longfellow.


word: Wern
definition:
Wern

Wern
(?)
v. t.
[See 1st Warn.]
To refuse.
[Obs.]

He is too great a niggard that will wern
A man to light a candle at his lantern.
Chaucer.


word: Wernerian
definition:
Wernerian

Wer*ne"ri*an
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to A. G. Werner, The German mineralogist and geologist, who classified minerals according to their external characters, and advocated the theory that the strata of the earth's crust were formed by depositions from water; designating, or according to, Werner's system.


word: Wernerite
definition:
Wernerite

Wer"ner*ite
(?)
n.
[See Wernerian.]
(Min.)
The common grayish or white variety of soapolite.


word: Weroole
definition:
Weroole

We*roo"le
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An Australian lorikeet (Ptilosclera versicolor) noted for the variety of its colors; -- called also varied lorikeet.


word: Wert
definition:
Wert

Wert
(wẽrt)
The second person singular, indicative and subjunctive moods, imperfect tense, of the verb be. It is formed from were, with the ending -t, after the analogy of wast. Now used only in solemn or poetic style.


word: Wesleyanism
definition:
Wesleyanism

Wes"ley*an*ism
(?)
n.
(Eccl.)
The system of doctrines and church polity inculcated by John Wesley (b. 1703; d. 1791), the founder of the religious sect called Methodist; Methodism.  See Methodist, n., 2.


word: West
definition:
West

West
(?)
n.
[AS. west, adv.; akin to D. west, G. west, westen, OHG. westan, Icel. vestr, Sw. vest, vester, vestan, Dan. vest, vesten, and perhaps to L. vesper evening, Gr. _;. _;_;_;_;.  Cf. Vesper, Visigoth.]

1.
The point in the heavens where the sun is seen to set at the equinox; or, the corresponding point on the earth; that one of the four cardinal points of the compass which is in a direction at right angles to that of north and south, and on the left hand of a person facing north; the point directly opposite to east.

And fresh from the west is the free wind's breath.
Bryant.

2.
A country, or region of country, which, with regard to some other country or region, is situated in the direction toward the west.

3.
(a)
The Westen hemisphere, or the New World so called, it having been discovered by sailing westward from Europe; the Occident.
(b)
(U. S. Hist. & Geog.)
Formerly, that part of the  United States west of the Alleghany mountains; now, commonly, the whole region west of the Mississippi river; esp., that part which is north of the Indian Territory, New Mexico, etc. Usually with the definite article.

West by north, West by south, according to the notation of the mariner's compass, that point which lies 111/4° to the north or south, respectively, of the point due west. -- West northwest, West southwest, that point which lies 221/2° to the north or south of west, or halfway between west and northwest or southwest, respectively.  See Illust. of Compass.


word: West₂
definition:
West

West
a.
1.
Lying toward the west; situated at the west, or in a western direction from the point of observation or reckoning; proceeding toward the west, or coming from the west; as, a west course is one toward the west; an east and west line; a west wind blows from the west.

This shall be your west border.
Num. xxxiv. 6.

2.
(Eccl.)
Designating, or situated in, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the east, or the part containing the chancel and choir.

West end, the fashionable part of London, commencing from the east, at Charing Cross.


word: West₄
definition:
West

West
v. i.

1.
To pass to the west; to set, as the sun.
[Obs.]
west
Chaucer.

2.
To turn or move toward the west; to veer from the north or south toward the west.


word: Westering
definition:
Westering

West"er*ing
(?)
a.
Passing to the west.

Toward heaven's descent had sloped his westering wheel.
Milton.


word: Westerly
definition:
Westerly

West"er*ly
a.
Of or pertaining to the west; toward the west; coming from the west; western.


word: Western
definition:
Western

West"ern
(?)
a.

1.
Of or pertaining to the west; situated in the west, or in the region nearly in the direction of west; being in that quarter where the sun sets; as, the western shore of France; the western ocean.

Far o'er the glowing western main.
Keble.

2.
Moving toward the west; as, a ship makes a western course; coming from the west; as, a western breeze.

Western Church. See Latin Church, under Latin. -- Western empire (Hist.), the western portion of the Roman empire, as divided, by the will of Theodosius the Great, between his sons Honorius and Arcadius, a. d. 395.


word: West Indian
definition:
West Indian

West India

{ West` In"di*a (?), West` In"di*an (?).}
Belonging or relating to the West Indies.

West India tea (Bot.), a shrubby plant (Capraria biflora) having oblanceolate toothed leaves which are sometimes used in the West Indies as a substitute for tea.


word: Westing
definition:
Westing

West"ing
(?)
n.
(Naut. & Surv.)
The distance, reckoned toward the west, between the two meridians passing through the extremities of a course, or portion of a ship's path; the departure of a course which lies to the west of north.


word: Westwards
definition:
Westwards

Westward

{ West"ward (?), West"wards (?), }
adv.
[AS. westweard.  See West, and -ward. ]
Toward the west; as, to ride or sail westward.

Westward the course of empire takes its way.
Berkeley.


word: Wet
definition:
Wet

Wet
(wĕt)
a.
[Compar. Wetter (?); superl. Wettest.]
[OE. wet, weet, AS. w&aemacr_;t; akin to OFries. wēt, Icel. vātr, Sw. våt, Dan. vaad, and E. water. √137.  See Water.]

1.
Containing, or consisting of, water or other liquid; moist; soaked with a liquid; having water or other liquid upon the surface; as, wet land; a wet cloth; a wet table.
Wet
Shak.

2.
Very damp; rainy; as, wet weather; a wet season.
Wet
Milton.

3.
(Chem.)
Employing, or done by means of, water or some other liquid; as, the wet extraction of copper, in distinction from dry extraction in which dry heat or fusion is employed.

4.
Refreshed with liquor; drunk.
[Slang]
Prior.

Wet blanket, Wet dock, etc.  See under Blanket, Dock, etc. -- Wet goods, intoxicating liquors. [Slang]


word: Wet₂
definition:
Wet

Wet
(?)
n.
[AS. w&aemacr_;ta.  See Wet, a.]

1.
Water or wetness; moisture or humidity in considerable degree.

Have here a cloth and wipe away the wet.
Chaucer.

Now the sun, with more effectual beams,
Had cheered the face of earth, and dried the wet
From drooping plant.
Milton.

2.
Rainy weather; foggy or misty weather.

3.
A dram; a drink.
[Slang]


word: Wet₃
definition:
Wet

Wet
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wet (rarely Wetted); p. pr. & vb. n. Wetting.]
[AS. w&aemacr_;tan.]
To fill or moisten with water or other liquid; to sprinkle; to cause to have water or other fluid adherent to the surface; to dip or soak in a liquid; as, to wet a sponge; to wet the hands; to wet cloth.
wetted
Burke.

Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise . . . 
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored sky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers.
Milton.

To wet one's whistle, to moisten one's throat; to drink a dram of liquor. [Colloq.]

Let us drink the other cup to wet our whistles.
Walton.


word: wetback
definition:
wetback

wet"back
n.
1.
A Mexican who enters the United States illegally, by wading across the Rio Grande; -- disparaging and offensive.

2.
Hence:
An offensive term for a person of Mexican descent, usually intended and considered as an ethnic slur.
[wns=1]

Syn. -- greaser, taco.


word: Wetbird
definition:
Wetbird

Wet"bird`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
The chaffinch, whose cry is thought to foretell rain.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Wet-bulb thermometer
definition:
Wet-bulb thermometer

Wet-bulb thermometer
(Physics)
That one of the two similar thermometers of a psychrometer the bulb of which is moistened; also, the entire instrument.


word: Wether
definition:
Wether

Weth"er
(?)
n.
[OE. wether, AS. weðer; akin to OS. wethar, withar, a ram, D. weder, G. widder, OHG. widar, Icel. veðr, Sw. vädur, Dan. vædder, Goth. wiþrus a lamb, L. vitulus calf, Skr. vatsa, L. vetus old, Gr. 'e`tos year; -- originally meaning, a yearling.  Cf. Veal, Veteran.]
A castrated ram.


word: Wetness
definition:
Wetness

Wet"ness
(?)
n.
1.
The quality or state of being wet; moisture; humidity; as, the wetness of land; the wetness of a cloth.

2.
A watery or moist state of the atmosphere; a state of being rainy, foggy, or misty; as, the wetness of weather or the season.

&hand_; Wetness generally implies more water or liquid than is implied by humidness or moisture.

3.
Sweat or sweating; -- a euphemism.
[Colloq.]


word: Wet nurse
definition:
Wet nurse

Wet" nurse`
(?)
A nurse who suckles a child, especially the child of another woman.  Cf. Dry nurse.


word: Wet plate
definition:
Wet plate

Wet plate
(Photog.)
A plate the film of which retains its sensitiveness only while wet. The film used in such plates is of collodion impregnated with bromides and iodides. Before exposure the plate is immersed in a solution of silver nitrate, and immediately after exposure it is developed and fixed.


word: Wey₃
definition:
Wey

Wey
(?)
n.
[OE. weye, AS. w_;ge weight. _;_;_;_;.  See Weight.]
A certain measure of weight.
[Eng.]
weye
Piers Plowman.

&hand_; A wey is 6_; tods, or 182 pounds, of wool; a load, or five quarters, of wheat, 40 bushels of salt, each weighing 56 pounds; 32 cloves of cheese, each weighing seven pounds; 48 bushels of oats and barley; and from two cwt. to three cwt. of butter.
Simmonds.


word: Whaap
definition:
Whaap

Whaap
(?)
n.
[So called from one of its notes.]
(Zool.)
(a)
The European curlew; -- called also awp, whaup, great whaup, and stock whaup.
(b)
The whimbrel; -- called also May whaup, little whaup, and tang whaup.
[Prov. Eng. & Scot.]


word: whachamacallit
definition:
whachamacallit

whachamacallit
(?)
n.
Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known.
[Also spelled whatchamacallit.]

Syn. -- thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what-do-you-call-it.


word: Whack
definition:
Whack

Whack
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whacked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whacking.]
[Cf. Thwack.]
1.
To strike; to beat; to give a heavy or resounding blow to; to thrash; to make with whacks.
[Colloq.]

Rodsmen were whackingtheir way through willow brakes.
G. W. Cable.

2.
To divide into shares; as, to whack the spoils of a robbery; -- often with up.
[Slang]


word: Whack₂
definition:
Whack

Whack
v. i.
To strike anything with a smart blow.

To whack away, to continue striking heavy blows; as, to whack away at a log. [Colloq.]


word: Whack₃
definition:
Whack

Whack
n.
1.
A smart resounding blow.
[Colloq.]

2.
A portion; share; allowance.
[Slang]

3.
an attempt; as, to take a whack at it.
[Colloq.]

-- Out of whack, out of order. [Slang]


word: Whacker
definition:
Whacker

Whack"er
(?)
n.

1.
One who whacks.
[Colloq.]

2.
Anything very large; specif., a great lie; a whopper.
[Colloq.]
Halliwell.


word: Whala
definition:
Whala

Whala
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whaled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whaling.]
[Cf. Wale. ]
To lash with stripes; to wale; to thrash; to drub.
[Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]
Halliwell. Bartlett.


word: Whale
definition:
Whale

Whale
n.
[OE. whal, AS. hwæl; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk.  Cf. Narwhal, Walrus.]
(Zool.)
Any aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea, especially any one of the large species, some of which become nearly one hundred feet long. Whales are hunted chiefly for their oil and baleen, or whalebone.

&hand_; The existing whales are divided into two groups: the toothed whales (Odontocete), including those that have teeth, as the cachalot, or sperm whale (see Sperm whale); and the baleen, or whalebone, whales (Mysticete), comprising those that are destitute of teeth, but have plates of baleen hanging from the upper jaw, as the right whales. The most important species of whalebone whales are the bowhead, or Greenland, whale (see Illust. of Right whale), the Biscay whale, the Antarctic whale, the gray whale (see under Gray), the humpback, the finback, and the rorqual.

Whale bird. (Zool.) (a) Any one of several species of large Antarctic petrels which follow whaling vessels, to feed on the blubber and floating oil; especially, Prion turtur (called also blue petrel), and Pseudoprion desolatus. (b) The turnstone; -- so called because it lives on the carcasses of whales. [Canada] -- Whale fin (Com.), whalebone. Simmonds. -- Whale fishery, the fishing for, or occupation of taking, whales. -- Whale louse (Zool.), any one of several species of degraded amphipod crustaceans belonging to the genus Cyamus, especially Cyamus ceti. They are parasitic on various cetaceans. -- Whale's bone, ivory. [Obs.] -- Whale shark. (Zool.) (a) The basking, or liver, shark. (b) A very large harmless shark (Rhinodon typicus) native of the Indian Ocean. It sometimes becomes sixty feet long. -- Whale shot, the name formerly given to spermaceti. -- Whale's tongue (Zool.), a balanoglossus.


word: Whaleback
definition:
Whaleback

Whale"back`
(?)
n.
(Naut.)
A form of vessel, often with steam power, having sharp ends and a very convex upper deck, much used on the Great Lakes, esp. for carrying grain.


word: Whalebone
definition:
Whalebone

Whale"bone`
(?)
n.
A firm, elastic substance resembling horn, taken from the upper jaw of the right whale; baleen. It is used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, and for various other purposes.  See Baleen.

&hand_; Whalebone is chiefly obtained from the bowhead, or Greenland, whale, the Biscay whale, and the Antarctic, or southern, whale. It is prepared for manufacture by being softened by boiling, and dyed black.


word: Whaler₂
definition:
Whaler

Whal"er
n.
One who whales, or beats; a big, strong fellow; hence, anything of great or unusual size.
[Colloq. U. S.]


word: Whaling₂
definition:
Whaling

Whal"ing
a.
Pertaining to, or employed in, the pursuit of whales; as, a whaling voyage; a whaling vessel.


word: Whall
definition:
Whall

Whall
(?)
n.
[See Wall-eye.]
A light color of the iris in horses; wall-eye.
[Written also whaul.]


word: Whang₂
definition:
Whang

Whang
v. t.
1.
To beat; thrash; bang; also, to throw, hurl, or fling about, violently.
[Scot. & Dial. Eng.]

2.
To slice, esp. in large pieces; to chop.
[Scot.]


word: Whang₃
definition:
Whang

Whang
n.
1.
A blow; whack.
[Dial. or Colloq.]

2.
A large piece or slice; chunk.
[Scot. & Dial. Eng.]

3.
Formerly, a house-cleaning party.
[Local, U. S.]


word: Whop
definition:
Whop

Whap

{ Whap (?), Whop  }
v. i.
[Cf. OE. quappen to palpitate, E. quob, quaver, wabble, awhape, wap.]
To throw one's self quickly, or by an abrupt motion; to turn suddenly; as, she whapped down on the floor; the fish whapped over.
Bartlett.

&hand_; This word is used adverbially in the north of England, as in the United States, when anything vanishes, or is gone suddenly; as, whap went the cigar out of my mouth.


word: Whop₂
definition:
Whop

Whap

{ Whap, Whop  }
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whapped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whapping.]
To beat or strike.


word: Whopper
definition:
Whopper

Whapper

{ Whap"per (?), Whop"per  }
n.
[See Whap.]
Something uncommonly large of the kind; something astonishing; -- applied especially to a bold lie.  Now (1998) usually spelled whopper.
[Colloq.]


word: Whopping
definition:
Whopping

Whapping

{ Whap"ping (?), Whop"ping  }
a.
Very large; monstrous; astonishing; as, a whapping story.
[Colloq.]


word: Wharf
definition:
Wharf

Wharf
(?)
n.
pl. Wharfs (#) or Wharves (#).
[AS. hwerf, hwearf, a returning, a change, from hweorfan to turn, turn about, go about; akin to D. werf a wharf, G. werft, Sw. varf a shipbuilder's yard, Dan. verft wharf, dockyard, G. werben to enlist, to engage, woo, OHG. werban to turn about, go about, be active or occupied, Icel. hverfa to turn, Goth. hwaírban, hwarb&omacrn, to walk.   Cf. Whirl.]

1.
A structure or platform of timber, masonry, iron, earth, or other material, built on the shore of a harbor, river, canal, or the like, and usually extending from the shore to deep water, so that vessels may lie close alongside to receive and discharge cargo, passengers, etc.; a quay; a pier.

Commerce pushes its wharves into the sea.
Bancroft.

Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame.
Tennyson.

&hand_; The plural of this word is generally written wharves in the United States, and wharfs in England; but many recent English writers use wharves.

2.
[AS. hwearf.]
The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea.
[Obs.]
wharf
Shak.

Wharf boat, a kind of boat moored at the bank of a river, and used for a wharf, in places where the height of the water is so variable that a fixed wharf would be useless. [U. S.] Bartlett. -- Wharf rat. (Zool.) (a) The common brown rat. (b) A neglected boy who lives around the wharfs. [Slang]


word: Wharf₂
definition:
Wharf

Wharf
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wharfed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wharfing.]

1.
To guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf; to furnish with a wharf or wharfs.

2.
To place upon a wharf; to bring to a wharf.


word: Wharfage
definition:
Wharfage

Wharf"age
(?)
n.

1.
The fee or duty paid for the privilege of using a wharf for loading or unloading goods; pierage, collectively; quayage.

2.
A wharf or wharfs, collectively; wharfing.


word: Wharfing
definition:
Wharfing

Wharf"ing
n.
1.
Wharfs, collectively.

2.
(Hydraul. Engin.)
A mode of facing sea walls and embankments with planks driven as piles and secured by ties.
Knight.


word: Wharling
definition:
Wharling

Wharl

{ Wharl (hw&asuml_;rl), Wharl"ing, }
n.
A guttural pronunciation of the letter r; a burr.  See Burr, n., 6.

A strange, uncouth wharling in their speech.
Fuller.


word: Wharp
definition:
Wharp

Wharp
(hw&asuml_;rp)
n.
A kind of fine sand from the banks of the Trent, used as a polishing powder.
[Eng.]


word: What
definition:
What

What
(hw&obreve_;t)
pron., a., & adv.
[AS. hwæt, neuter of hwā who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. √182.  See Who.]

1.
As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost?

What see'st thou in the ground?
Shak.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
Ps. viii. 4.

What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Matt. viii. 27.

&hand_; Originally, what, when, where, which, who, why, etc., were interrogatives only, and it is often difficult to determine whether they are used as interrogatives or relatives.
[1913 Webster]
What in this sense, when it refers to things, may be used either substantively or adjectively; when it refers to persons, it is used only adjectively with a noun expressed, who being the pronoun used substantively.

2.
As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following.
What
Chaucer.

What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Matt. xxvi. 40.

What a piece of work is man!
Shak.

O what a riddle of absurdity!
Young.

&hand_; What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized.

What partial judges are our love and hate!
Dryden.

3.
As a relative pronoun

With joy beyond what victory bestows.
Cowper.

I'm thinking Captain Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they see their whaleboats.
Cooper.

What followed was in perfect harmony with this beginning.
Macaulay.

I know well . . . how little you will be disposed to criticise what comes to you from me.
J. H. Newman.

See what natures accompany what colors.
Bacon.

To restrain what power either the devil or any earthly enemy hath to work us woe.
Milton.

We know what master laid thy keel,
What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel.
Longfellow.

4.
Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely.
What
Chaucer.

Whether it were the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will, . . . or what it was.
Bacon.

5.
Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition.

What for lust [pleasure] and what for lore.
Chaucer.

Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom shrunk.
Shak.

The year before he had so used the matter that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty small castles.
Knolles.

&hand_; In such phrases as I tell you what, what anticipates the following statement, being elliptical for what I think, what it is, how it is, etc.  “I tell thee what, corporal Bardolph, I could tear her.” Shak.  Here what relates to the last clause, “I could tear her;”  this is what I tell you.

What not is often used at the close of an enumeration of several particulars or articles, it being an abbreviated clause, the verb of which, being either the same as that of the principal clause or a general word, as be, say, mention, enumerate, etc., is omitted. “Men hunt, hawk, and what not.” Becon. “Some dead puppy, or log, or what not.” C. Kingsley. “Battles, tournaments, hunts, and what not.” De Quincey. Hence, the words are often used in a general sense with the force of a substantive, equivalent to anything you please, a miscellany, a variety, etc.  From this arises the name whatnot, applied to an étagère, as being a piece of furniture intended for receiving miscellaneous articles of use or ornament.

[1913 Webster]
But what is used for but that, usually after a negative, and excludes everything contrary to the assertion in the following sentence. “Her needle is not so absolutely perfect in tent and cross stitch but what my superintendence is advisable.” Sir W. Scott. “Never fear but what our kite shall fly as high.” Ld. Lytton.

What ho! an exclamation of calling. -- What if, what will it matter if; what will happen or be the result if. “What if it be a poison?” Shak. -- What of this? What of that? What of it? etc., what follows from this, that, it, etc., often with the implication that it is of no consequence; so what?  “All this is so; but what of this, my lord?” Shak. “The night is spent, why, what of that?” Shak. -- What though, even granting that; allowing that; supposing it true that.  “What though the rose have prickles, yet't is plucked.” Shak. -- What time, or What time as, when. [Obs. or Archaic] “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Ps. lvi. 3.
[1913 Webster]
What time the morn mysterious visions brings. Pope.


word: What₂
definition:
What

What
(?)
n.
Something; thing; stuff.
[Obs.]

And gave him for to feed,
Such homely what as serves the simple clown.
Spenser.


word: What₃
definition:
What

What
interrog. adv.
Why? For what purpose? On what account?
[Obs.]

What should I tell the answer of the knight.
Chaucer.

But what do I stand reckoning upon advantages and gains lost by the misrule and turbulency of the prelates? What do I pick up so thriftily their scatterings and diminishings of the meaner subject?
Milton.


word: whatchamacallit
definition:
whatchamacallit

whatchamacallit
(?)
n.
Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known.
[Also spelled whachamacallit.]

Syn. -- thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what-do-you-call-it.


word: Whatever
definition:
Whatever

What*ev"er
(?)
pron.
Anything soever which; the thing or things of any kind; being this or that; of one nature or another; one thing or another; anything that may be; all that; the whole that; all particulars that; -- used both substantively and adjectively.

Whatever fortune stays from his word.
Shak.

Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields.
Milton.

Whatever be its intrinsic value.
J. H. Newman.

&hand_; Whatever often follows a noun, being used elliptically. “There being no room for any physical discovery whatever” [sc. it may be].
Whately.


word: Whatnot shelf
definition:
Whatnot shelf

Whatnot

What"not (hw&obreve_;t"n&obreve_;t), What"not shelf` (hw&obreve_;t"n&obreve_;t shĕlf`)
n.
[See the Note under What, pron., 5.]
A kind of stand, or piece of furniture, having shelves for books, ornaments, etc.; an étagère.


word: Whatso
definition:
Whatso

What"so
(?)
indef. pron.
Whatsoever; whosoever; whatever; anything that.
[Obs.]

Whatso he were, of high or low estate.
Chaucer.

Whatso the heaven in his wide vault contains.
Spenser.


word: Whatsoever
definition:
Whatsoever

What`so*ev"er
(?)
pron. & a.
Whatever.
whatsoever
Milton.

Whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
Gen. xxxi. 16.

&hand_; The word is sometimes divided by tmesis. “What things soever ye desire.”
Mark xi. 24.


word: Wheal
definition:
Wheal

Wheal
(?)
n.
[OE. whele, AS. hwele putrefaction, hwelian to putrefy.]
A pustule; a whelk.
Wiseman.


word: Wheal₂
definition:
Wheal

Wheal
n.
[Cf. Wale.]

1.
A more or less elongated mark raised by a stroke; also, a similar mark made by any cause; a weal; a wale.

2.
Specifically (Med.), a flat, burning or itching eminence on the skin, such as is produced by a mosquito bite, or in urticaria.


word: Whealworm
definition:
Whealworm

Wheal"worm`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
The harvest mite; -- so called from the wheals, caused by its bite.


word: Wheat
definition:
Wheat

Wheat
(hwēt)
n.
[OE. whete, AS. hw&aemacr_;te; akin to OS. hwēti, D. weit, G. weizen, OHG. weizzi, Icel. hveiti, Sw. hvete, Dan. hvede, Goth. hwaiteis, and E. white.  See White.]
(Bot.)
A cereal grass (Triticum vulgare) and its grain, which furnishes a white flour for bread, and, next to rice, is the grain most largely used by the human race.

&hand_; Of this grain the varieties are numerous, as red wheat, white wheat, bald wheat, bearded wheat, winter wheat, summer wheat, and the like. Wheat is not known to exist as a wild native plant, and all statements as to its origin are either incorrect or at best only guesses.

Buck wheat. (Bot.) See Buckwheat. -- German wheat. (Bot.) See 2d Spelt. -- Guinea wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn. -- Indian wheat, or Tartary wheat (Bot.), a grain (Fagopyrum Tartaricum) much like buckwheat, but only half as large. -- Turkey wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn. -- Wheat aphid, or Wheat aphis (Zool.), any one of several species of Aphis and allied genera, which suck the sap of growing wheat. -- Wheat beetle. (Zool.) (a) A small, slender, rusty brown beetle (Sylvanus Surinamensis) whose larvae feed upon wheat, rice, and other grains. (b) A very small, reddish brown, oval beetle (Anobium paniceum) whose larvae eat the interior of grains of wheat. -- Wheat duck (Zool.), the American widgeon. [Western U. S.] -- Wheat fly. (Zool.) Same as Wheat midge, below. -- Wheat grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Agropyrum caninum) somewhat resembling wheat. It grows in the northern parts of Europe and America. -- Wheat jointworm. (Zool.) See Jointworm. -- Wheat louse (Zool.), any wheat aphid. -- Wheat maggot (Zool.), the larva of a wheat midge. -- Wheat midge. (Zool.) (a) A small two-winged fly (Diplosis tritici) which is very destructive to growing wheat, both in Europe and America. The female lays her eggs in the flowers of wheat, and the larvae suck the juice of the young kernels and when full grown change to pupae in the earth. (b) The Hessian fly.  See under Hessian. -- Wheat moth (Zool.), any moth whose larvae devour the grains of wheat, chiefly after it is harvested; a grain moth.  See Angoumois Moth, also Grain moth, under Grain. -- Wheat thief (Bot.), gromwell; -- so called because it is a troublesome weed in wheat fields.  See Gromwell. -- Wheat thrips (Zool.), a small brown thrips (Thrips cerealium) which is very injurious to the grains of growing wheat. -- Wheat weevil. (Zool.) (a) The grain weevil. (b) The rice weevil when found in wheat.


word: Wheatear
definition:
Wheatear

Wheat"ear`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A small European singing bird (Saxicola œnanthe). The male is white beneath, bluish gray above, with black wings and a black stripe through each eye. The tail is black at the tip and in the middle, but white at the base and on each side. Called also checkbird, chickell, dykehopper, fallow chat, fallow finch, stonechat, and whitetail.


word: Wheat rust
definition:
Wheat rust

Wheat rust
A disease of wheat and other grasses caused by the rust fungus Puccinia graminis; also, the fungus itself.


word: Wheat sawfly
definition:
Wheat sawfly

Wheat sawfly
(a)
A small European sawfly (Cephus pygmaeus) whose larva does great injury to wheat by boring in the stalks.
(b)
Any of several small American sawflies of the genus Dolerus, as Dolerus sericeus and Dolerus arvensis, whose larvae injure the stems or heads of wheat.
(c)
Pachynematus extensicornis, whose larvae feed chiefly on the blades of wheat; -- called also grass sawfly.


word: Wheatstone's rods
definition:
Wheatstone's rods

Wheat"stone's rods
(Acoustics)
Flexible rods the period of vibration of which in two planes at right angles are in some exact ratio to one another. When one end of such a rod is fixed, the free end describes in vibrating the corresponding Lissajous figure. So called because devised by Sir Charles Wheatstone.


word: Wheatworm
definition:
Wheatworm

Wheat"worm`
(?)
n.
A small nematode worm (Tylenchus tritici, formerly Anguillula tritici) which attacks wheat, advancing through the stem to the grains in the ear. In wheat affected with smut, each of the diseased grains may contain a large number of the minute young of the worm.


word: Wheedle
definition:
Wheedle

Whee"dle
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wheedled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling (?).]
[Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, n.]

1.
To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax.

The unlucky art of wheedling fools.
Dryden.

And wheedle a world that loves him not.
Tennyson.

2.
To grain, or get away, by flattery.

A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her.
Congreve.


word: Wheel
definition:
Wheel

Wheel
(hwēl)
n.
[OE. wheel, hweol, AS. hweól, hweogul, hweowol; akin to D. wiel, Icel. hvēl, Gr. ky`klos, Skr. cakra; cf. Icel. hj&omacrl, Dan. hiul, Sw. hjul. √218.  Cf. Cycle, Cyclopedia.]

1.
A circular frame turning about an axis; a rotating disk, whether solid, or a frame composed of an outer rim, spokes or radii, and a central hub or nave, in which is inserted the axle, -- used for supporting and conveying vehicles, in machinery, and for various purposes; as, the wheel of a wagon, of a locomotive, of a mill, of a watch, etc.

The gasping charioteer beneath the wheel
Of his own car.
Dryden.

2.
Any instrument having the form of, or chiefly consisting of, a wheel.

His examination is like that which is made by the rack and wheel.
Addison.

&hand_; This mode of torture is said to have been first employed in Germany, in the fourteenth century. The criminal was laid on a cart wheel with his legs and arms extended, and his limbs in that posture were fractured with an iron bar. In France, where its use was restricted to the most atrocious crimes, the criminal was first laid on a frame of wood in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, with grooves cut transversely in it above and below the knees and elbows, and the executioner struck eight blows with an iron bar, so as to break the limbs in those places, sometimes finishing by two or three blows on the chest or stomach, which usually put an end to the life of the criminal, and were hence called coups-de-grace -- blows of mercy. The criminal was then unbound, and laid on a small wheel, with his face upward, and his arms and legs doubled under him, there to expire, if he had survived the previous treatment.  Brande.


Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer. xviii. 3.

Turn, turn, my wheel! This earthen jar
A touch can make, a touch can mar.
Longfellow.

&hand_; “This meaning has a low degree of authority, but is supposed from the context in the few cases where the word is found.”  Nares.


You must sing a-down a-down,
An you call him a-down-a.
O, how the wheel becomes it!
Shak.

3.
A bicycle or a tricycle; a velocipede.

4.
A rolling or revolving body; anything of a circular form; a disk; an orb.
Milton.

5.
A turn revolution; rotation; compass.

According to the common vicissitude and wheel of things, the proud and the insolent, after long trampling upon others, come at length to be trampled upon themselves.
South.

[He] throws his steep flight in many an aery wheel.
Milton.

A wheel within a wheel, or Wheels within wheels, a complication of circumstances, motives, etc. -- Balance wheel. See in the Vocab. -- Bevel wheel, Brake wheel, Cam wheel, Fifth wheel, Overshot wheel, Spinning wheel, etc. See under Bevel, Brake, etc. -- Core wheel. (Mach.) (a) A mortise gear. (b) A wheel having a rim perforated to receive wooden cogs; the skeleton of a mortise gear. -- Measuring wheel, an odometer, or perambulator. -- Wheel and axle (Mech.), one of the elementary machines or mechanical powers, consisting of a wheel fixed to an axle, and used for raising great weights, by applying the power to the circumference of the wheel, and attaching the weight, by a rope or chain, to that of the axle. Called also axis in peritrochio, and perpetual lever, -- the principle of equilibrium involved being the same as in the lever, while its action is continuous.  See Mechanical powers, under Mechanical. -- Wheel animal, or Wheel animalcule (Zool.), any one of numerous species of rotifers having a ciliated disk at the anterior end. -- Wheel barometer. (Physics) See under Barometer. -- Wheel boat, a boat with wheels, to be used either on water or upon inclined planes or railways. -- Wheel bug (Zool.), a large North American hemipterous insect (Prionidus cristatus) which sucks the blood of other insects. So named from the curious shape of the prothorax. -- Wheel carriage, a carriage moving on wheels. -- Wheel chains, or Wheel ropes (Naut.), the chains or ropes connecting the wheel and rudder. -- Wheel cutter, a machine for shaping the cogs of gear wheels; a gear cutter. -- Wheel horse, one of the horses nearest to the wheels, as opposed to a leader, or forward horse; -- called also wheeler. -- Wheel lathe, a lathe for turning railway-car wheels. -- Wheel lock. (a) A letter lock.  See under Letter. (b) A kind of gunlock in which sparks were struck from a flint, or piece of iron pyrites, by a revolving wheel. (c) A kind of brake a carriage. -- Wheel ore (Min.), a variety of bournonite so named from the shape of its twin crystals.  See Bournonite. -- Wheel pit (Steam Engine), a pit in the ground, in which the lower part of the fly wheel runs. -- Wheel plow, or Wheel plough, a plow having one or two wheels attached, to render it more steady, and to regulate the depth of the furrow. -- Wheel press, a press by which railway-car wheels are forced on, or off, their axles. -- Wheel race, the place in which a water wheel is set. -- Wheel rope (Naut.), a tiller rope.  See under Tiller. -- Wheel stitch (Needlework), a stitch resembling a spider's web, worked into the material, and not over an open space. Caulfeild & S. (Dict. of Needlework). -- Wheel tree (Bot.), a tree (Aspidosperma excelsum) of Guiana, which has a trunk so curiously fluted that a transverse section resembles the hub and spokes of a coarsely made wheel.  See Paddlewood. -- Wheel urchin (Zool.), any sea urchin of the genus Rotula having a round, flat shell. -- Wheel window (Arch.), a circular window having radiating mullions arranged like the spokes of a wheel.  Cf. Rose window, under Rose.


word: Wheel₂
definition:
Wheel

Wheel
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Wheeled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wheeling.]

1.
To convey on wheels, or in a wheeled vehicle; as, to wheel a load of hay or wood.

2.
To put into a rotatory motion; to cause to turn or revolve; to cause to gyrate; to make or perform in a circle.
wheels
Gray.

Now heaven, in all her glory, shone, and rolled
Her motions, as the great first mover's hand
First wheeled their course.
Milton.


word: Wheel₃
definition:
Wheel

Wheel
v. i.

1.
To turn on an axis, or as on an axis; to revolve; to more about; to rotate; to gyrate.

The moon carried about the earth always shows the same
face to us, not once wheeling upon her own center.
Bentley.

2.
To change direction, as if revolving upon an axis or pivot; to turn; as, the troops wheeled to the right.

Being able to advance no further, they are in a fair way to
wheel about to the other extreme.
South.

3.
To go round in a circuit; to fetch a compass.

Then wheeling down the steep of heaven he flies.
Pope.

4.
To roll forward.

Thunder mixed with hail,
Hail mixed with fire, must rend the Egyptian sky,
And wheel on the earth, devouring where it rolls.
Milton.


word: Wheelbarrow
definition:
Wheelbarrow

Wheel"bar`row
(?)
n.
A light vehicle for conveying small loads. It has two handles and one wheel, and is rolled by a single person.


word: Wheel base
definition:
Wheel base

Wheel base
The figure inclosed by lines through the points contact of the wheels of a vehicle, etc., with the surface or rails on which they run; more esp., the length of this figure between the points of contact of the two extreme wheels on either side.


word: Wheeled
definition:
Wheeled

Wheeled
(?)
a.
Having wheels; -- used chiefly in composition; as, a four-wheeled carriage.


word: Wheeler
definition:
Wheeler

Wheel"er
(?)
n.

1.
One who wheels, or turns.

2.
A maker of wheels; a wheelwright.
[Obs.]

3.
A wheel horse.  See under Wheel.

4.
(Naut.)
A steam vessel propelled by a paddle wheel or by paddle wheels; -- used chiefly in the terms side-wheeler and stern-wheeler.

5.
A worker on sewed muslin.
[Eng.]

6.
(Zool.)
The European goatsucker.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Wheelhouse
definition:
Wheelhouse

Wheel"house`
(?)
n.
(Naut.)
(a)
A small house on or above a vessel's deck, containing the steering wheel.
(b)
 A paddle box.  See under Paddle.


word: Wheeling
definition:
Wheeling

Wheel"ing
(?)
n.

1.
The act of conveying anything, or traveling, on wheels, or in a wheeled vehicle.

2.
The act or practice of using a cycle; cycling.

3.
Condition of a road or roads, which admits of passing on wheels; as, it is good wheeling, or bad wheeling.

4.
A turning, or circular movement.


word: Wheelman
definition:
Wheelman

Wheel"man
(?)
n.
pl. Wheelmen (_;).
One who rides a bicycle or tricycle; a cycler, or cyclist.


word: Wheel of fortune
definition:
Wheel of fortune

Wheel of fortune
A gambling or lottery device consisting of a wheel which is spun horizontally, articles or sums to which certain marks on its circumference point when it stops being distributed according to varying rules.


word: Wheel-shaped
definition:
Wheel-shaped

Wheel"-shaped`
(?)
a.

1.
Shaped like a wheel.

2.
(Bot.)
Expanding into a flat, circular border at top, with scarcely any tube; as, a wheel-shaped corolla.


word: Wheelwork
definition:
Wheelwork

Wheel"work`
(?)
n.
(Mach.)
A combination of wheels, and their connection, in a machine or mechanism.


word: Wheelwright
definition:
Wheelwright

Wheel"wright`
(?)
n.
A man whose occupation is to make or repair wheels and wheeled vehicles, as carts, wagons, and the like.


word: Wheen
definition:
Wheen

Wheen
(?)
n.
[Cf. AS. hwēne, hw&aemacr_;ne, a little, somewhat, hw&omacrn little, few.]
A quantity; a goodly number.
[Scot.]
wheen
Sir W. Scott.


word: Wheeze
definition:
Wheeze

Wheeze
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Wheezed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wheezing.]
[OE. whesen, AS. hwēsan (cf. Icel. hvæsa to hiss, Sw. hväsa, Dan. hvæse); akin to AS. hw&omacrsta a cough, D. hoest, G. husten, OHG. huosto, Icel. h&omacrsti, Lith. kosti to cough, Skr. kās. √43.  Cf. Husky hoarse.]
To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma.
Wheezing
Shak.


word: Wheeze₂
definition:
Wheeze

Wheeze
n.
1.
A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration.

2.
(Phon.)
An ordinary whisper exaggerated so as to produce the hoarse sound known as the  “stage whisper.” It is a forcible whisper with some admixture of tone.


word: Wheezy
definition:
Wheezy

Wheez"y
(?)
a.
Breathing with difficulty and with a wheeze; wheezing. Used also figuratively.


word: Wheft
definition:
Wheft

Wheft
(?)
n.
1.
(Naut.)
See Waft, n., 4.

2.
(Naut.)
A kind of streamer or flag used either as a signal, or at the masthead for ornament or to indicate the direction of the wind to aid in steering.


word: Whelk
definition:
Whelk

Whelk
(hwĕlk)
n.
[OE. welk, wilk, AS. weoloc, weloc, wiloc.  Cf. Whilk, and Wilk.]
(Zool.)
Any one numerous species of large marine gastropods belonging to Buccinum and allied genera; especially, Buccinum undatum, common on the coasts both of Europe and North America, and much used as food in Europe.

Whelk tingle, a dog whelk.  See under Dog.


word: Whelk₂
definition:
Whelk

Whelk
n.
[OE. whelke, dim. of whele.  See Wheal a pustule.]

1.
A papule; a pustule; acne.
whelks
Chaucer.

2.
A stripe or mark; a ridge; a wale.

Chin whelk (Med.), sycosis. -- Rosy whelk (Med.), grog blossom.


word: Whelky
definition:
Whelky

Whelk"y
(?)
a.

1.
Having whelks, ridges, or protuberances; hence, streaked; striated.

2.
Shelly.
Whelky
Spenser.


word: Whelm
definition:
Whelm

Whelm
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whelmed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whelming.]
[OE. whelmen to turn over, akin to OE. whelven, AS. whelfan, hwylfan, in _;whylfan, _;whelfan, to overwhelm, cover over; akin to OS. bihwelbian, D. welven to arch, G. wölben, OHG. welben, Icel. hvelfa to overturn; cf. Gr. _; bosom, a hollow, a gulf.]

1.
To cover with water or other fluid; to cover by immersion in something that envelops on all sides; to overwhelm; to ingulf.

She is my prize, or ocean whelm them all!
Shak.

The whelming billow and the faithless oar.
Gay.

2.
Fig.: To cover completely, as if with water; to immerse; to overcome; as, to whelm one in sorrows.
whelming
J. H. Newman.

3.
To throw (something) over a thing so as to cover it.
[Obs.]
Mortimer.


word: Whelp
definition:
Whelp

Whelp
(?)
n.
[AS. hwelp; akin to D. welp, G. & OHG. welf, Icel. hvelpr, Dan. hvalp, Sw. valp.]

1.
One of the young of a dog or a beast of prey; a puppy; a cub; as, a lion's whelps.
whelps
2 Sam. xvii. 8.

2.
A child; a youth; -- jocosely or in contempt.

That awkward whelp with his money bags would have made his entrance.
Addison.

3.
(Naut.)
One of the longitudinal ribs or ridges on the barrel of a capstan or a windless; -- usually in the plural; as, the whelps of a windlass.

4.
One of the teeth of a sprocket wheel.


word: Whelp₂
definition:
Whelp

Whelp
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whelped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whelping.]
To bring forth young; -- said of the female of the dog and some beasts of prey.


word: Whelp₃
definition:
Whelp

Whelp
v. t.
To bring forth, as cubs or young; to give birth to.

Unless she had whelped it herself, she could not have loved a thing better.
B. Jonson.

Did thy foul fancy whelp so black a scheme?
Young.


word: When
definition:
When

When
(?)
adv.
[OE. when, whan, whenne, whanne, AS. hwænne, hwanne, hwonne; akin to OS. hwan, OD. wan, OHG. wanne, G. wann when, wenn if, when, Goth. hwan when, and to E. who. _;_;_;_;.  See Who.]

1.
At what time; -- used interrogatively.

When shall these things be?
Matt. xxiv. 3.

&hand_; See the Note under What, pron., 1.

2.
At what time; at, during, or after the time that; at or just after, the moment that; -- used relatively.

Kings may
Take their advantage when and how they list.
Daniel.

Book lore ne'er served, when trial came,
Nor gifts, when faith was dead.
J. H. Newman.

3.
While; whereas; although; -- used in the manner of a conjunction to introduce a dependent adverbial sentence or clause, having a causal, conditional, or adversative relation to the principal proposition; as, he chose to turn highwayman when he might have continued an honest man; he removed the tree when it was the best in the grounds.

4.
Which time; then; -- used elliptically as a noun.

I was adopted heir by his consent;
Since when, his oath is broke.
Shak.

&hand_; When was formerly used as an exclamation of surprise or impatience, like what!

Come hither; mend my ruff:
Here, when! thou art such a tedious lady!
J. Webster.

When as, When that, at the time that; when. [Obs.]

When as sacred light began to dawn.
Milton.

When that mine eye is famished for a look.
Shak.


word: Whenas
definition:
Whenas

When"as`
(?)
conj.
Whereas; while
[Obs.]

Whenas, if they would inquire into themselves, they would find no such matter.
Barrow.


word: Whence
definition:
Whence

Whence
(?)
adv.
[OE. whennes, whens (with adverbial s, properly a genitive ending; -- see -wards), also whenne, whanene, AS. hwanan, hwanon, hwonan, hwanone; akin to D. when.  See When, and cf. Hence, Thence.]

1.
From what place; hence, from what or which source, origin, antecedent, premise, or the like; how; -- used interrogatively.

Whence hath this man this wisdom?
Matt. xiii. 54.

Whence and what art thou?
Milton.

2.
From what or which place, source, material, cause, etc.; the place, source, etc., from which; -- used relatively.

Grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Descends.
Milton.

&hand_; All the words of this class, whence, where, whither, whereabouts, etc., are occasionally used as pronouns by a harsh construction.
[1913 Webster]
O, how unlike the place from whence they fell? Milton.


&hand_; From whence, though a pleonasm, is fully authorized by the use of good writers.
[1913 Webster]
From whence come wars and fightings among you? James iv. 1.
[1913 Webster]
Of whence, also a pleonasm, has become obsolete.


word: Whenceforth
definition:
Whenceforth

Whence`forth"
(?)
adv.
From, or forth from, what or which place; whence.
[Obs.]
Spenser.


word: Whencesoever
definition:
Whencesoever

Whence`so*ev"er
(?)
adv. & conj.
From what place soever; from what cause or source soever.

Any idea, whencesoever we have it.
Locke.


word: Whensoever
definition:
Whensoever

When`so*ev"er
(?)
adv. & conj.
At what time soever; at whatever time; whenever.
Mark xiv. 7.


word: Where
definition:
Where

Wher

Wher
(?)
Where
(_;)
pron. & conj.
[See Whether.]
Whether.
[Sometimes written whe'r.]
[Obs.]
Piers Plowman.

Men must enquire (this is mine assent),
Wher she be wise or sober or dronkelewe.
Chaucer.


word: Where₂
definition:
Where

Where
(?)
adv.
[OE. wher, whar, AS. hw_;r; akin to D. waar, OS. hw_;r, OHG. hwār, wār, wā, G. wo, Icel. and Sw. hvar, Dan. hvor, Goth. hwar, and E. who; cf. Skr. karhi when. √182.  See Who, and cf. There.]

1.
At or in what place; hence, in what situation, position, or circumstances; -- used interrogatively.

God called unto Adam, . . . Where art thou?
Gen. iii. 9.

&hand_; See the Note under What, pron., 1.

2.
At or in which place; at the place in which; hence, in the case or instance in which; -- used relatively.

She visited that place where first she was so happy.
Sir P. Sidney.

Where I thought the remnant of mine age
Should have been cherished by her childlike duty.
Shak.

Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly.
Shak.

But where he rode one mile, the dwarf ran four.
Sir W. Scott.

3.
To what or which place; hence, to what goal, result, or issue; whither; -- used interrogatively and relatively; as, where are you going?

But where does this tend?
Goldsmith.

Lodged in sunny cleft,
Where the gold breezes come not.
Bryant.

&hand_; Where is often used pronominally with or without a preposition, in elliptical sentences for a place in which, the place in which, or what place.

The star . . . stood over where the young child was.
Matt. ii. 9.

The Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Matt. viii. 20.

Within about twenty paces of where we were.
Goldsmith.

Where did the minstrels come from?
Dickens.

&hand_; Where is much used in composition with preposition, and then is equivalent to a pronoun.  Cf. Whereat, Whereby, Wherefore, Wherein, etc.

Where away (Naut.), in what direction; as, where away is the land?


word: Where₃
definition:
Where

Where
conj.
Whereas.

And flight and die is death destroying death;
Where fearing dying pays death servile breath.
Shak.


word: Where₄
definition:
Where

Where
n.
Place; situation.
[Obs. or Colloq.]

Finding the nymph asleep in secret where.
Spenser.


word: Whereabouts
definition:
Whereabouts

Whereabout

{ Where"a*bout` (?), Where"a*bouts` (?) }
adv.

1.
About where; near what or which place; -- used interrogatively and relatively; as, whereabouts did you meet him?

&hand_; In this sense, whereabouts is the common form.

2.
Concerning which; about which.
whereabout
Hooker.


word: Whereabouts₂
definition:
Whereabouts

Whereabout

{ Where"a*bout` (?), Where"a*bouts` (?), }
n.
The place where a person or thing is; as, they did not know his whereabouts.
Shak.

A puzzling notice of thy whereabout.
Wordsworth.


word: Whereas
definition:
Whereas

Where*as"
(?)
adv.
At which place; where.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

At last they came whereas that lady bode.
Spenser.


word: Whereas₂
definition:
Whereas

Where*as"
conj.

1.
Considering that; it being the case that; since; -- used to introduce a preamble which is the basis of declarations, affirmations, commands, requests, or like, that follow.

2.
When in fact; while on the contrary; the case being in truth that; although; -- implying opposition to something that precedes; or implying recognition of facts, sometimes followed by a different statement, and sometimes by inferences or something consequent.

Are not those found to be the greatest zealots who are most notoriously ignorant? whereas true zeal should always begin with true knowledge.
Sprat.


word: Whereat
definition:
Whereat

Where*at"
(?)
adv.

1.
At which; upon which; whereupon; -- used relatively.

They vote; whereat his speech he thus renews.
Milton.

Whereat he was no less angry and ashamed than desirous to obey Zelmane.
Sir P. Sidney.

2.
At what; -- used interrogatively; as, whereat are you offended?


word: Whereby
definition:
Whereby

Where*by"
(?)
adv.

1.
By which; -- used relatively.
whereby
Shak.

2.
By what; how; -- used interrogatively.

Whereby shall I know this?
Luke i. 18.


word: Wherefore
definition:
Wherefore

Where"fore
(?)
adv. & conj.
[Where + for.]

1.
For which reason; so; -- used relatively.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matt. vii. 20.

2.
For what reason; why; -- used interrogatively.

But wherefore that I tell my tale.
Chaucer.

Wherefore didst thou doubt?
Matt. xiv. 31.


word: Wherein
definition:
Wherein

Where*in"
(?)
adv.

1.
In which; in which place, thing, time, respect, or the like; -- used relatively.

Her clothes wherein she was clad.
Chaucer.

There are times wherein a man ought to be cautious as well as innocent.
Swift.

2.
In what; -- used interrogatively.

Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him!
Mal. ii. 17.


word: Whereinto
definition:
Whereinto

Where`in*to"
(?)
adv.

1.
Into which; -- used relatively.

Where is that palace whereinto foul things
Sometimes intrude not?
Shak.

The brook, whereinto he loved to look.
Emerson.

2.
Into what; -- used interrogatively.


word: Whereness
definition:
Whereness

Where"ness
(?)
n.
The quality or state of having a place; ubiety; situation; position.
[R.]

A point hath no dimensions, but only a whereness, and is next to nothing.
Grew.


word: Whereof
definition:
Whereof

Where*of"
(?)
adv.

1.
Of which; of whom; formerly, also, with which; -- used relatively.

I do not find the certain numbers whereof their armies did consist.
Sir J. Davies.

Let it work like Borgias' wine,
Whereof his sire, the pope, was poisoned.
Marlowe.

Edward's seven sons, whereof thyself art one.
Shak.

2.
Of what; -- used interrogatively.

Whereof was the house built?
Johnson.


word: Whereon
definition:
Whereon

Where*on"
(?)
adv.

1.
On which; -- used relatively; as, the earth whereon we live.

O fair foundation laid whereon to build.
Milton.

2.
On what; -- used interrogatively; as, whereon do we stand?


word: Whereout
definition:
Whereout

Where*out"
(?)
adv.
Out of which.
[R.]

The cleft whereout the lightning breaketh.
Holland.


word: Wherethrough
definition:
Wherethrough

Where*through"
(?)
adv.
Through which.
[R.]
Wherethrough
Chaucer.

Windows . . . wherethrough the sun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee.
Shak.


word: Whereto
definition:
Whereto

Where*to"
(?)
adv.

1.
To which; -- used relatively.
Whereto
Phil. iii. 16.

Whereto all bonds do tie me day by day.
Shak.

2.
To what; to what end; -- used interrogatively.


word: Whereupon
definition:
Whereupon

Where`up*on"
(?)
adv.
Upon which; in consequence of which; after which.

The townsmen mutinied and sent to Essex; whereupon he came thither.
Clarendon.


word: Wherever
definition:
Wherever

Wher*ev"er
(?)
adv.
At or in whatever place; wheresoever.

He can not but love virtue wherever it is.
Atterbury.


word: Wherewith
definition:
Wherewith

Where*with"
(?)
adv.

1.
With which; -- used relatively.

The love wherewith thou hast loved me.
John xvii. 26.

2.
With what; -- used interrogatively.

Wherewith shall I save Israel?
Judg. vi. 15.


word: Wherewith₂
definition:
Wherewith

Where*with"
n.
The necessary means or instrument.

So shall I have wherewith to answer him.
Ps. cxix. 42.

The wherewith to meet excessive loss by radiation.
H. Spencer.


word: Wherewithal
definition:
Wherewithal

Where`with*al"
(?)
adv. & n.
Wherewith.
Wherewithal
Matt. vi. 31.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
Ps. cxix. 9.

[The builders of Babel], still with vain design,
New Babels, had they wherewithal, would build.
Milton.


word: Wherret
definition:
Wherret

Wher"ret
(?)
v. t.
[From Whir.]
[Also spelled whirret.]
1.
To hurry; to trouble; to tease.
[Obs.]
Bickerstaff.

2.
To box (one) on the ear; to strike or box (the ear); as, to wherret a child.
[Obs.]


word: Wherry
definition:
Wherry

Wher"ry
(?)
n.
pl. Wherries (#).
[Cf. Icel. hverfr shifty, crank, hverfa to turn, E. whirl, wharf.]
(Naut.)
(a)
A passenger barge or lighter plying on rivers; also, a kind of light, half-decked vessel used in fishing.
[Eng.]
(b)
A long, narrow, light boat, sharp at both ends, for fast rowing or sailing; esp., a racing boat rowed by one person with sculls.


word: Wherry₂
definition:
Wherry

Wher"ry
n.
[Cf. W. chwerw bitter.]
A liquor made from the pulp of crab apples after the verjuice is expressed; -- sometimes called crab wherry.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.


word: Whet
definition:
Whet

Whet
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whetting.]
[AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. vättja, and AS. hwæt vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bold, active, Sw. hvass sharp, Dan. hvas, Goth. hwassaba sharply, and probably to Skr. cud to impel, urge on.]

1.
To rub or on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a knife.

The mower whets his scythe.
Milton.

Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak.
Byron.

2.
To make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage.

Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar,
I have not slept.
Shak.

To whet on, To whet forward, to urge on or forward; to instigate. Shak.


word: Whet₂
definition:
Whet

Whet
n.

1.
The act of whetting.

2.
That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer.
whets
Spectator.

Whet slate (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting instruments; novaculite; -- called also whetstone slate, and oilstone.


word: Whether
definition:
Whether

Wheth"er
(?)
pron.
[OE. whether, AS. hwæ_;er; akin to OS. hwe_;ar, OFries. hweder, OHG. hwedar, wedar, G. weder, conj., neither, Icel. hvārr whether, Goth. hwa_;ar, Lith. katras, L. uter, Gr. _;, _;, Skr. katara, from the interrogatively pronoun, in AS. hwā who. _;_;_;_;.  See Who, and cf. Either, Neither, Or, conj.]
Which (of two); which one (of two); -- used interrogatively and relatively.
[Archaic]

Now choose yourself whether that you liketh.
Chaucer.

One day in doubt I cast for to compare
Whether in beauties' glory did exceed.
Spenser.

Whether of them twain did the will of his father?
Matt. xxi. 31.


word: Whether₂
definition:
Whether

Wheth"er
conj.
In case; if; -- used to introduce the first or two or more alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is the simple negative of the first it is sometimes only indicated by the particle not or no after the correlative, and sometimes it is omitted entirely as being distinctly implied in the whether of the first.

And now who knows
But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours?
Shak.

You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge.
Shak.

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
Rom. xiv. 8.

But whether thus these things, or whether not;
Whether the sun, predominant in heaven,
Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun, . . . 
Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid.
Milton.

Whether or no, in either case; in any case; as, I will go whether or no. -- Whether that, whether. Shak.


word: Whetile
definition:
Whetile

Whet"ile
(?)
n.
[Cf. Whitile.]
(Zool.)
The green woodpecker, or yaffle.  See Yaffle.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Whetstone
definition:
Whetstone

Whet"stone`
(?)
n.
[AS. hwetstān.]
A piece of stone, natural or artificial, used for whetting, or sharpening, edge tools.

The dullness of the fools is the whetstone of the wits.
Shak.

Diligence is to the understanding as the whetstone to the razor.
South.

&hand_; Some whetstones are used dry, others are moistened with water, or lubricated with oil.

To give the whetstone, to give a premium for extravagance in falsehood. [Obs.]


word: Whetter
definition:
Whetter

Whet"ter
(?)
n.

1.
One who, or that which, whets, sharpens, or stimulates.

2.
A tippler; one who drinks whets.
[Obs.]
Steele.


word: Whew
definition:
Whew

Whew
(hwū)
n. & interj.
A sound like a half-formed whistle, expressing astonishment, scorn, or dislike.

Whew duck, the European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]


word: Whewellite
definition:
Whewellite

Whew"ell*ite
(?)
n.
[So named after Prof. Whewell of Cambridge, England.]
(Min.)
Calcium oxalate, occurring in colorless or white monoclinic crystals.


word: Whewer
definition:
Whewer

Whew"er
(?)
n.
[Cf. W. chwiwell a widgeon, chwiws widgeons, waterfowls; or cf. E. whew, v. i.]
(Zool.)
The European widgeon.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Whey
definition:
Whey

Whey
(?)
n.
[AS. hwæg; cf. D. wei, hui, Fries. weye, LG. wey, waje. ]
The serum, or watery part, of milk, separated from the more thick or coagulable part, esp. in the process of making cheese.
In this process, the thick part is called curd, and the thin part whey.


word: Which
definition:
Which

Which
(?)
pron.
[OE. which, whilk, AS. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc, from the root of hwā who + līc body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries. hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. welīh, hwelīh, Icel. hvīlīkr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks, hw_;leiks; cf. L. qualis. _;_;_;_;.  See Who, and Like, a., and cf. Such.]

1.
Of what sort or kind; what; what a; who.
[Obs.]

And which they weren and of what degree.
Chaucer.

2.
A interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was it? which is the house? he asked which route he should take; which is best, to live or to die?  See the Note under What, pron., 1.

Which of you convinceth me of sin?
John viii. 46.

3.
A relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a following noun or clause (generally involving a reference, however, to something which has preceded). It is used in all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons.

And when thou fail'st -- as God forbid the hour! --
Must Edward fall, which peril heaven forfend!
Shak.

God . . . rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen. ii. 2.

Our Father, which art in heaven.
Matt. vi. 9.

The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Cor. iii. 17.

4.
A compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the . . . which, and the like; as, take which you will.

&hand_; The which was formerly often used for which. The expressions which that, which as, were also sometimes used by way of emphasis.

Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
James ii. 7.

&hand_; Which, referring to a series of preceding sentences, or members of a sentence, may have all joined to it adjectively. “All which, as a method of a proclamation, is very convenient.” Carlyle.


word: Whichsoever
definition:
Whichsoever

Whichever

{ Which*ev"er (?), Which`so*ev"er (?), }
pron. & a.
Whether one or another; whether one or the other; which; that one (of two or more) which; as, whichever road you take, it will lead you to town.


word: Whidah bird
definition:
Whidah bird

Whid"ah bird`
(?)
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of finchlike birds belonging to the genus Vidua, native of Asia and Africa. In the breeding season the male has very long, drooping tail feathers. Called also vida finch, whidah finch, whydah bird, whydah finch, widow bird, and widow finch.

&hand_; Some of the species are often kept as cage birds, especially Vidua paradisea, which is dark brownish above, pale buff beneath, with a reddish collar around the neck.


word: Whiff
definition:
Whiff

Whiff
(?)
n.
[OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.]

1.
A sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke.

But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls.
Shak.

The skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe,
And a scornful laugh laughed he.
Longfellow.

2.
A glimpse; a hasty view.
[Prov. Eng.]

3.
(Zool.)
The marysole, or sail fluke.


word: Whiff₂
definition:
Whiff

Whiff
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whiffed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whiffing.]

1.
To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff.

2.
To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away.

Old Empedocles, . . . who, when he leaped into Etna, having a dry, sear body, and light, the smoke took him, and whiffed him up into the moon.
B. Jonson.


word: Whiffing
definition:
Whiffing

Whiff"ing
(?)
n.

1.
The act of one who, or that which, whiffs.

2.
A mode of fishing with a hand line for pollack, mackerel, and the like.


word: Whiffle
definition:
Whiffle

Whif"fle
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whiffled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whiffling (?).]
[Freq. of whiff to puff, perhaps influenced by D. weifelen to waver.]

1.
To waver, or shake, as if moved by gusts of wind; to shift, turn, or veer about.
D_;mpier.

2.
To change from one opinion or course to another; to use evasions; to prevaricate; to be fickle.

A person of whiffing and unsteady turn of mind can not keep close to a point of controversy.
I. Watts.


word: Whiffle₂
definition:
Whiffle

Whif"fle
v. t.

1.
To disperse with, or as with, a whiff, or puff; to scatter.
[Obs.]
Dr. H. More.

2.
To wave or shake quickly; to cause to whiffle.


word: Whiffler
definition:
Whiffler

Whif"fler
(?)
n.

1.
One who whiffles, or frequently changes his opinion or course; one who uses shifts and evasions in argument; hence, a trifler.

Every whiffler in a laced coat who frequents the chocolate house shall talk of the constitution.
Swift.

2.
One who plays on a whiffle; a fifer or piper.
[Obs.]

3.
An officer who went before procession to clear the way by blowing a horn, or otherwise; hence, any person who marched at the head of a procession; a harbinger.

Which like a mighty whiffler 'fore the king,
Seems to prepare his way.
Shak.

&hand_; “Whifflers, or fifers, generally went first in a procession, from which circumstance the name was transferred to other persons who succeeded to that office, and at length was given to those who went forward merely to clear the way for the procession.  . . . In the city of London, young freemen, who march at the head of their proper companies on the Lord Mayor's day, sometimes with flags, were called whifflers, or bachelor whifflers, not because they cleared the way, but because they went first, as whifflers did.”  Nares.


4.
(Zool.)
The golden-eye.
[Local, U. S.]


word: Whig
definition:
Whig

Whig
(?)
n.
[See Whey.]
Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet herbs, used as a cooling beverage.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]


word: Whig₂
definition:
Whig

Whig
n.
[Said to be from whiggam, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, whiggamore one who drives horses (a term applied to some western Scotchmen), contracted to whig. In 1648, a party of these people marched to Edinburgh to oppose the king and the duke of Hamilton (the Whiggamore raid), and hence the name of Whig was given to the party opposed to the court.  Cf. Scot. whig to go quickly.]

1.
(Eng. Politics)
One of a political party which grew up in England in the seventeenth century, in the reigns of Charles I. and II., when great contests existed respecting the royal prerogatives and the rights of the people. Those who supported the king in his high claims were called Tories, and the advocates of popular rights, of parliamentary power over the crown, and of toleration to Dissenters, were, after 1679, called Whigs. The terms Liberal and Radical have now generally superseded Whig in English politics.  See the note under Tory.

2.
(Amer. Hist.)
(a)
A friend and supporter of the American Revolution; -- opposed to Tory, and Royalist.
(b)
One of the political party in the United States from about 1829 to 1856, opposed in politics to the Democratic party.


word: Whiggamore
definition:
Whiggamore

Whig"ga*more
(?)
n.
[See Whig.]
A Whig; -- a cant term applied in contempt to Scotch Presbyterians.
[Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.


word: Whiggish
definition:
Whiggish

Whig"gish
(?)
a.
Of or pertaining to Whigs; partaking of, or characterized by, the principles of Whigs.


word: While
definition:
While

While
(?)
n.
[AS. hwīl; akin to OS. hwīl, hwīla, OFries. hwīle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wīla, hwīla, hwīl, Icel. hvīla a bed, hvīld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. _; the proper time of season. √20.  Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]
1.
Space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent.
while
Shak.

This mighty queen may no while endure.
Chaucer.

[Some guest that] hath outside his welcome while,
And tells the jest without the smile.
Coleridge.

I will go forth and breathe the air a while.
Longfellow.

2.
That which requires time; labor; pains.
[Obs.]

Satan . . . cast him how he might quite her while.
Chaucer.

At whiles, at times; at intervals.
[1913 Webster]
And so on us at whiles it falls, to claim
Powers that we dread. J. H. Newman.
[1913 Webster]
-- The while, The whiles, in or during the time that; meantime; while. Tennyson. -- Within a while, in a short time; soon. -- Worth while, worth the time which it requires; worth the time and pains; hence, worth the expense; as, it is not always worth while for a man to prosecute for small debts.


word: While₂
definition:
While

While
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whiling.]
To cause to pass away pleasantly or without irksomeness or disgust; to spend or pass; -- usually followed by away.

The lovely lady whiled the hours away.
Longfellow.


word: While₄
definition:
While

While
conj.
1.
During the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep.
While
Chaucer.

Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it.
I. Watts.

2.
Hence, under which circumstances; in which case; though; whereas.

While as, While that, during or at the time that. [Obs.]


word: While₅
definition:
While

While
prep.
Until; till.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

I may be conveyed into your chamber;
I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
Beau. & Fl.


word: Whilere
definition:
Whilere

Whil`ere"
(?)
adv.
[While + ere]
A little while ago; recently; just now; erewhile.
[Obs.]

Helpeth me now as I did you whilere.
Chaucer.

He who, with all heaven's heraldry, whilere
Entered the world.
Milton.


word: Whiles
definition:
Whiles

Whiles
(?)
adv.
[See While, n., and -wards.]
1.
Meanwhile; meantime.
[R.]

The good knight whiles humming to himself the lay of some majored troubadour.
Sir. W. Scott.

2.
sometimes; at times.
[Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.

The whiles. See under While, n.


word: Whiles₂
definition:
Whiles

Whiles
conj.
During the time that; while.
[Archaic]
Chaucer. Fuller.

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.
Matt. v. 25.


word: Whilk
definition:
Whilk

Whilk
(?)
n.
[See Whelk a mollusk.]

1.
(Zool.)
A kind of mollusk, a whelk.
[Prov. Eng.]

2.
(Zool.)
The scoter.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Whilk₂
definition:
Whilk

Whilk
pron.
Which.
[Obs. or Scot.]

&hand_; Whilk is sometimes used in Chaucer to represent the Northern dialect.


word: Whilom
definition:
Whilom

Whi"lom
(hwī"lŭm)
adv.
[AS. hwīlum, properly, at times, dative pl. of hwīl; akin to G. weiland formerly, OHG. hwīl&omacrm, See While, n.]
Formerly; once; of old; erewhile; at times.
[Obs. or Poetic]
Spenser.

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
There was a duke that highte Theseus.
Chaucer.


word: Whilst
definition:
Whilst

Whilst
(?)
adv.
[From Whiles; cf. Amongst.]
While.
[Archaic]

Whilst the emperor lay at Antioch.
Gibbon.

The whilst, in the meantime; while. [Archaic.] Shak.


word: Whim₂
definition:
Whim

Whim
n.
[Cf. Icel. hwima to wander with the eyes, vim giddiness, Norw. kvima to whisk or flutter about, to trifle, Dan. vimse to skip, whisk, jump from one thing to another, dial. Sw. hvimsa to be unsteady, dizzy, W. chwimio to move briskly.]

1.
A sudden turn or start of the mind; a temporary eccentricity; a freak; a fancy; a capricious notion; a humor; a caprice.

Let every man enjoy his whim.
Churchill.

2.
(Mining)
A large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes; -- called also whim gin, and whimsey.

Whim gin (Mining), a whim.  See Whim, 2. -- Whim shaft (Mining), a shaft through which ore, water, etc., is raised from a mine by means of a whim.


word: Whim₃
definition:
Whim

Whim
v. i.
To be subject to, or indulge in, whims; to be whimsical, giddy, or freakish.
[R.]
Congreve.


word: Whimbrel
definition:
Whimbrel

Whim"brel
(?)
n.
[Cf. Whimper.]
(Zool.)
Any one of several species of small curlews, especially the European species (Numenius phaeopus), called also Jack curlew, half curlew, stone curlew, and tang whaup.  See Illustration in Appendix.

Hudsonian or, Eskimo, whimbreal, the Hudsonian curlew.


word: Whimling
definition:
Whimling

Whim"ling
(?)
n.
[Whim + -ling.]
One given to whims; hence, a weak, childish person; a child.

Go, whimling, and fetch two or three grating loaves.
Beau. & Fl.


word: Whimmy
definition:
Whimmy

Whim"my
(?)
a.
Full of whims; whimsical.

The study of Rabbinical literature either finds a man whimmy or makes him so.
Coleridge.


word: Whimper
definition:
Whimper

Whim"per
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whimpered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whimpering.]
[Cf. Scot. whimmer, G. wimmern.]
To cry with a low, whining, broken voice; to whine; to complain; as, a child whimpers.

Was there ever yet preacher but there were gainsayers that spurned, that winced, that whimpered against him?
Latimer.


word: Whimper₃
definition:
Whimper

Whim"per
n.
A low, whining, broken cry; a low, whining sound, expressive of complaint or grief.


word: Whimsy
definition:
Whimsy

Whimsey

{ Whim"sey, Whimsy  }
(?)
n.
pl. Whimseys (#) or Whimsies (#).
[See Whim.]

1.
A whim; a freak; a capricious notion, a fanciful or odd conceit.
whimsies
Ray.

Men's folly, whimsies, and inconstancy.
Swift.

Mistaking the whimseys of a feverish brain for the calm revelation of truth.
Bancroft.

2.
(Mining)
A whim.


word: Whimsey
definition:
Whimsey

Whim"sey
v. t.
To fill with whimseys, or whims; to make fantastic; to craze.
[R.]

To have a man's brain whimsied with his wealth.
J. Fletcher.


word: Whimsical
definition:
Whimsical

Whim"si*cal
(?)
a.
[From Whimsey.]

1.
Full of, or characterized by, whims; actuated by a whim; having peculiar notions; queer; strange; freakish.
whimsical
Macaulay.

My neighbors call me whimsical.
Addison.

2.
Odd or fantastic in appearance; quaintly devised; fantastic.
whimsical
Evelyn.


word: Whimsicalness
definition:
Whimsicalness

Whim"si*cal*ness
n.
The quality or state of being whimsical; freakishness; whimsical disposition.


word: Whimwham
definition:
Whimwham

Whim"wham
(?)
n.
[Formed from whim by reduplication.]

1.
A whimsical thing; an odd device; a trifle; a trinket; a gimcrack.
[R.]

They'll pull ye all to pieces for your whimwhams.
Bear. & Fl.

2.
A whim, or whimsey; a freak.


word: Whin
definition:
Whin

Whin
(?)
n.
[W. chwyn weeds, a single weed.]

1.
(Bot.)
(a)
Gorse; furze.  See Furze.

Through the whins, and by the cairn.
Burns.

2.
Same as Whinstone.
[Prov. Eng.]

Moor whin or Petty whin (Bot.), a low prickly shrub (Genista Anglica) common in Western Europe. -- Whin bruiser, a machine for cutting and bruising whin, or furze, to feed cattle on. -- Whin Sparrow (Zool.), the hedge sparrow. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whin Thrush (Zool.), the redwing. [Prov. Eng.]


word: Whinberry
definition:
Whinberry

Whin"ber*ry
(?)
n.
(Bot.)
The English bilberry; -- so called because it grows on moors among the whins, or furze.
Dr. Prior.


word: Whinchat
definition:
Whinchat

Whin"chat`
(?)
n.
[So called because it frequents whins.]
(Zool.)
A small warbler (Pratincola rubetra) common in Europe; -- called also whinchacker, whincheck, whin-clocharet.


word: Whine
definition:
Whine

Whine
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whining.]
[OE. whinen, AS. hwīnan to make a whistling, whizzing sound; akin to Icel. hvīna, Sw. hvina, Dan. hvine, and probably to G. wiehern to neigh, OHG. wih&omacrn, hweij&omacrn; perhaps of imitative origin.  Cf. Whinny, v. i.]
To utter a plaintive cry, as some animals; to moan with a childish noise; to complain, or to tell of sorrow, distress, or the like, in a plaintive, nasal tone; hence, to complain or to beg in a mean, unmanly way; to moan basely.
Whining
Spenser.

The hounds were . . . staying their coming, but with a whining accent, craving liberty.
Sir P. Sidney.

Dost thou come here to whine?
Shak.


word: Whine₂
definition:
Whine

Whine
v. t.
To utter or express plaintively, or in a mean, unmanly way; as, to whine out an excuse.


word: Whine₃
definition:
Whine

Whine
n.
A plaintive tone; the nasal, childish tone of mean complaint; mean or affected complaint.


word: Whinger
definition:
Whinger

Whing"er
n.
[See Whinyard.]
A kind of hanger or sword used as a knife at meals and as a weapon.
[Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

The chief acknowledged that he had corrected her with his whinger.
Sir W. Scott.


word: Whinny
definition:
Whinny

Whin"ny
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whinnied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whinnying.]
[From Whine]
To utter the ordinary call or cry of a horse; to neigh.


word: Whinny₂
definition:
Whinny

Whin"ny
n.
pl. Whinnies (_;).
The ordinary cry or call of a horse; a neigh.
whinny
Tennyson.


word: Whinny₃
definition:
Whinny

Whin"ny
a.
Abounding in whin, gorse, or furze.

A fine, large, whinny, . . . unimproved common.
Sterne.


word: Whinock
definition:
Whinock

Whin"ock
(hwĭn"ŭk)
n.
[Cf. Scot. whin, quhene, a few, AS. hwēne, hw&aemacr_;ne, a little, hw&omacrn little, few.  Cf. Wheen.]
The small pig of a litter.
[Local, U. S.]


word: Whinstone
definition:
Whinstone

Whin"stone"
(?)
n.
[Whin + stone; cf. Scot. quhynstane.]
A provincial name given in England to basaltic rocks, and applied by miners to other kind of dark-colored unstratified rocks which resist the point of the pick. -- for example, to masses of chert. Whin-dikes, and whin-sills, are names sometimes given to veins or beds of basalt.


word: Whinyard
definition:
Whinyard

Whin"yard
(?)
n.
[Cf. Prov. E. & Scot. whingar, whinger; perhaps from AS. winn contention, war + geard, gyrd, a staff, rod, yard; or cf. AS. hwīnan to whistle, E. whine.]
1.
A sword, or hanger.
[Obs.]

2.
[From the shape of the bill.]
(Zool.)
(a)
The shoveler.
[Prov. Eng.]
(b)
The poachard.
[Prov. Eng.]


word: Whip
definition:
Whip

Whip
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whipped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whipping.]
[OE. whippen to overlay, as a cord, with other cords, probably akin to G. & D. wippen to shake, to move up and down, Sw. vippa, Dan. vippe to swing to and fro, to shake, to toss up, and L. vibrare to shake.  Cf. Vibrate.]

1.
To strike with a lash, a cord, a rod, or anything slender and lithe; to lash; to beat; as, to whip a horse, or a carpet.

2.
To drive with lashes or strokes of a whip; to cause to rotate by lashing with a cord; as, to whip a top.

3.
To punish with a whip, scourge, or rod; to flog; to beat; as, to whip a vagrant; to whip one with thirty nine lashes; to whip a perverse boy.

Who, for false quantities, was whipped at school.
Dryden.

4.
To apply that which hurts keenly to; to lash, as with sarcasm, abuse, or the like; to apply cutting language to.

They would whip me with their fine wits.
Shak.

5.
To thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking; as, to whip wheat.

6.
To beat (eggs, cream, or the like) into a froth, as with a whisk, fork, or the like.

7.
To conquer; to defeat, as in a contest or game; to beat; to surpass.
[Slang, U. S.]

8.
To overlay (a cord, rope, or the like) with other cords going round and round it; to overcast, as the edge of a seam; to wrap; -- often with about, around, or over.

Its string is firmly whipped about with small gut.
Moxon.

9.
To sew lightly; specifically, to form (a fabric) into gathers by loosely overcasting the rolled edge and drawing up the thread; as, to whip a ruffle.

In half-whipped muslin needles useless lie.
Gay.

10.
To take or move by a sudden motion; to jerk; to snatch; -- with into, out, up, off, and the like.

She, in a hurry, whips up her darling under her arm.
L'Estrange.

He whips out his pocketbook every moment, and writes descriptions of everything he sees.
Walpole.

11.
(Naut.)
(a)
To hoist or purchase by means of a whip.
(b)
To secure the end of (a rope, or the like) from untwisting by overcasting it with small stuff.

12.
To fish (a body of water) with a rod and artificial fly, the motion being that employed in using a whip.

Whipping their rough surface for a trout.
Emerson.

To whip in, to drive in, or keep from scattering, as hounds in a hurt; hence, to collect, or to keep together, as member of a party, or the like. -- To whip the cat. (a) To practice extreme parsimony. [Prov. Eng.] Forby. (b) To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do. [Prov. & U. S.]


word: Whip₂
definition:
Whip

Whip
(?)
v. i.
To move nimbly; to start or turn suddenly and do something; to whisk; as, he whipped around the corner.

With speed from thence he whipped.
Sackville.

Two friends, traveling, met a bear upon the way; the one whips up a tree, and the other throws himself flat upon the ground.
L'Estrange.


word: Whip₃
definition:
Whip

Whip
n.
[OE. whippe.  See Whip, v. t.]

1.
An instrument or driving horses or other animals, or for correction, consisting usually of a lash attached to a handle, or of a handle and lash so combined as to form a flexible rod.
whip's
Chaucer.

In his right hand he holds a whip, with which he is supposed to drive the horses of the sun.
Addison.

2.
A coachman; a driver of a carriage; as, a good whip.
Beaconsfield.

3.
(Mach.)
(a)
One of the arms or frames of a windmill, on which the sails are spread.
(b)
The length of the arm reckoned from the shaft.

4.
(Naut.)
(a)
A small tackle with a single rope, used to hoist light bodies.
(b)
The long pennant.  See Pennant (a)

5.
A huntsman who whips in the hounds; whipper-in.

6.
(Eng. Politics)
(a)
A person (as a member of Parliament) appointed to enforce party discipline, and secure the attendance of the members of a Parliament party at any important session, especially when their votes are needed.
(b)
A call made upon members of a Parliament party to be in their places at a given time, as when a vote is to be taken.

7.
A whipping motion; a thrashing about; as, the whip of a tense rope or wire which has suddenly parted; also, the quality of being whiplike or flexible; flexibility; suppleness, as of the shaft of a golf club.

8.
(Mech.)
Any of various pieces that operate with a quick vibratory motion, as a spring in certain electrical devices for making a circuit, or a rocking certain piano actions.

Whip and spur, with the utmost haste. -- Whip crane, or Whip purchase, a simple form of crane having a small drum from which the load is suspended, turned by pulling on a rope wound around larger drum on the same axle. -- Whip gin. See Gin block, under 5th Gin. -- Whip grafting. See under Grafting. -- Whip hand, the hand with which the whip is used; hence, advantage; mastery; as, to have or get the whip hand of a person. Dryden. -- Whip ray (Zool.), the European eagle ray.  See under Ray. -- Whip roll (Weaving), a roll or bar, behind the reeds in a loom, on which the warp threads rest. -- Whip scorpion (Zool.), any one of numerous species of arachnids belonging to Thelyphonus and allied genera. They somewhat resemble true scorpions, but have a long, slender bristle, or lashlike organ, at the end of the body, instead of a sting. -- Whip snake (Zool.), any one of various species of slender snakes.  Specifically: (a) A bright green South American tree snake (Philodryas viridissimus) having a long and slender body. It is not venomous. Called also emerald whip snake. (b) The coachwhip snake.


word: Whipcord
definition:
Whipcord

Whip"cord`
(?)
n.
A kind of hard-twisted or braided cord, sometimes used for making whiplashes.


word: Whipgraft
definition:
Whipgraft

Whip"graft`
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whipgrafted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whipgrafting.]
To graft by cutting the scion and stock in a certain manner.  See Whip grafting, under Grafting.


word: Whiplash
definition:
Whiplash

Whip"lash`
(?)
n.
1.
The lash of a whip, -- usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted.

2.
a sudden change of direction, resembling the motion of the tip of a whip when it is cracked.

3.
a stinging psychological effect reminiscent of being stung by a whip.

4.
a whiplash injury.


word: Whiplash injury
definition:
Whiplash injury

Whip"lash` in"ju*ry
(?)
n.
an injury to the neck caused by the sudden motion of the head backward and forward, as occurs to the occupants of a vehicle hit from behind by another vehicle.


word: Whipparee
definition:
Whipparee

Whip`pa*ree"
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
(a)
A large sting ray (Dasybatis Sayi, or Trygon Sayi) native of the Southern United States. It is destitute of large spines on the body and tail.
(b)
A large sting ray (Rhinoptera bonasus, or Rhinoptera quadriloba) of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its snout appears to be four-lobed when viewed in front, whence it is also called cow-nosed ray.


word: Whipper
definition:
Whipper

Whip"per
(?)
n.

1.
One who whips; especially, an officer who inflicts the penalty of legal whipping.

2.
One who raises coal or merchandise with a tackle from a chip's hold.
[Eng.]

3.
(Spinning)
A kind of simple willow.


word: Whipperin
definition:
Whipperin

Whip"per*in`
(?)
n.

1.
A huntsman who keeps the hounds from wandering, and whips them in, if necessary, to the of chase.

2.
Hence, one who enforces the discipline of a party, and urges the attendance and support of the members on all necessary occasions.


word: Whippersnapper
definition:
Whippersnapper

Whip"per*snap`per
(?)
n.
A diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person.
[Colloq.]
whippersnappers
T. Hughes.


word: Whipping
definition:
Whipping

Whip"ping
(?)
a & n. from Whip, v.

Whipping post, a post to which offenders are tied, to be legally whipped.


word: Whippletree
definition:
Whippletree

Whip"ple*tree`
(?)
n.
[See Whip, and cf. Whiffletree.]

1.
The pivoted or swinging bar to which the traces, or tugs, of a harness are fastened, and by which a carriage, a plow, or other implement or vehicle, is drawn; a whiffletree; a swingletree; a singletree.  See Singletree.

[People] cut their own whippletree in the woodlot.
Emerson.

2.
(Bot.)
The cornel tree.
Chaucer.


word: Whip-poor-will
definition:
Whip-poor-will

Whip"-poor-will`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
An American bird (Antrostomus vociferus) allied to the nighthawk and goatsucker; -- so called in imitation of the peculiar notes which it utters in the evening.
[Written also whippowil.]


word: Whipsaw
definition:
Whipsaw

Whip"saw`
(?)
n.
1.
A saw for dividing timber lengthwise, usually set in a frame, and worked by two persons; also, a fret saw.

2.
A kind of narrow ripsaw, tapering from butt to point, with hook teeth and averaging from 5 to 71/2 feet in length, used by one or two men.


word: Whipsaw₂
definition:
Whipsaw

Whip"saw`
v. t.
1.
To saw with the whipsaw.

2.
To defeat in, or cause to lose, two different bets at the same turn or in one play, as a player at faro who has made two bets at the same time, one that a card will lose and another that a different card will win; hence, to defeat in spite of every effort.

3.
to cause to suffer a setback or losses by subjecting to two forces at the same time or in rapid succession; as, consumers were whipsawed by both inflation and higher sales taxes.

4.
(Finance)
to cause to suffer a series of losses in trading when buying and selling at the wrong times in a rapidly fluctuating market; --  especially used when an attempt is made, by selling short, to recover losses from a long purchase in a declining market, and the short sale also results in a loss when the market subsequently rises.  Used mostly in the passive; as, to be whipsawed by exaggerated responses to a changing outlook.


word: Whip-shaped
definition:
Whip-shaped

Whip"-shaped`
(?)
a.
Shaped like the lash of a whip; long, slender, round, and tapering; as, a whip-shaped root or stem.


word: Whipster
definition:
Whipster

Whip"ster
(?)
n.
[Whip + -ster.]
A nimble little fellow; a whippersnapper.

Every puny whipster gets my sword.
Shak.


word: Whipstitch
definition:
Whipstitch

Whip"stitch`
(?)
n.

1.
A tailor; -- so called in contempt.

2.
Anything hastily put or stitched together; hence, a hasty composition.
[R.]
Dryden.

3.
(Agric.)
The act or process of whipstitching.

4.
A small bit; esp., a small interval of time; an instant; a minute.
[Dial. or Colloq.]


word: Whipstitch₂
definition:
Whipstitch

Whip"stitch`
v. t.
1.
(Agric.)
To rafter; to plow in ridges, as land.
[Eng.]

2.
To sew by passing the thread over and over; to overcast; whip.


word: Whip-tom-kelly
definition:
Whip-tom-kelly

Whip"-tom`-kel"ly
(?)
n.
[So called in imitation of its notes.]
(Zool.)
A vireo (Vireo altiloquus) native of the West Indies and Florida; -- called also black-whiskered vireo.


word: Whipworm
definition:
Whipworm

Whip"worm`
(?)
n.
[So called from its shape.]
(Zool.)
A nematode worm (Trichocephalus dispar) often found parasitic in the human intestine. Its body is thickened posteriorly, but is very long and threadlike anteriorly.


word: Whir
definition:
Whir

Whir
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whirred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whirring.]
[Perhaps of imitative origin; cf. D. hvirre to whirl, and E. hurr, hurry, whirl. _;_;_;.]
To whirl round, or revolve, with a whizzing noise; to fly or more quickly with a buzzing or whizzing sound; to whiz.

The partridge bursts away on whirring wings.
Beattie.


word: Whir₂
definition:
Whir

Whir
v. t.
[See Whir to whiz.]
To hurry a long with a whizzing sound.
[R.]

This world to me is like a lasting storm,
Whirring me from my friends.
Shak.


word: Whir₃
definition:
Whir

Whir
n.
A buzzing or whizzing sound produced by rapid or whirling motion; as, the whir of a partridge; the whir of a spinning wheel.


word: Whirl
definition:
Whirl

Whirl
(?)
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whirled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whirling.]
[OE. whirlen, probably from the Scand.; cf. Icel. & Sw. hvirfla, Dan. hvirvle; akin to D. wervelen, G. wirbeln, freq. of the verb seen in Icel. hverfa to turn. √16.  See Wharf, and cf. Warble, Whorl.]

1.
To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve.

He whirls his sword around without delay.
Dryden.

2.
To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch; to harry.
Chaucer.

See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels,
That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood.
Milton.

The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly.
Tennyson.


word: Whirl₂
definition:
Whirl

Whirl
v. i.

1.
To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate.
whirling
J. H. Newman.

The wooden engine flies and whirls about.
Dryden.

2.
To move hastily or swiftly.

But whirled away to shun his hateful sight.
Dryden.


word: Whirl₃
definition:
Whirl

Whirl
n.
[Cf. Dan. hvirvel, Sw. hvirfvel, Icel. hvirfill the crown of the head, G. wirbel whirl, crown of the head, D. wervel.  See Whirl, v. t.]

1.
A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; rapid or confusing motion; as, the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel.
whirl
J. H. Newman.

The rapid . . . whirl of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above.
South.

2.
Anything that moves with a whirling motion.

He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and whirls of March dust.
Carlyle.

3.
A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are attached.

4.
(Bot. & Zool.)
A whorl.  See Whorl.


word: Whirlabout
definition:
Whirlabout

Whirl"a*bout`
(?)
n.
Something that whirls or turns about in a rapid manner; a whirligig.


word: Whirlbat
definition:
Whirlbat

Whirl"bat`
(?)
n.
Anything moved with a whirl, as preparatory for a blow, or to augment the force of it; -- applied by poets to the cestus of ancient boxers.

The whirlbat and the rapid race shall be
Reserved for Caesar.
Dryden.


word: Whirl-blast
definition:
Whirl-blast

Whirl"-blast`
(?)
n.
A whirling blast or wind.

A whirl-blast from behind the hill.
Wordsworth.


word: Whirlbone
definition:
Whirlbone

Whirl"bone`
(?)
n.
(Anat.)
(a)
The huckle bone.
[Obs.]
(b)
The patella, or kneepan.
[Obs.]
Ainsworth.


word: Whirlicote
definition:
Whirlicote

Whirl"i*cote
(?)
n.
An open car or chariot.
[Obs.]

Of old time coaches were not known in this island, but chariots, or whirlicotes.
Stow.


word: Whirligig
definition:
Whirligig

Whirl"i*gig
(?)
n.
[Whirl + gig.]

1.
A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an axis, or like a top.
Johnson.

2.
Anything which whirls around, or in which persons or things are whirled about, as a frame with seats or wooden horses.

With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head.
G. W. Cable.

3.
A mediaeval instrument for punishing petty offenders, being a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which the offender was whirled round with great velocity.

4.
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of beetles belonging to Gyrinus and allied genera. The body is firm, oval or boatlike in form, and usually dark colored with a bronzelike luster. These beetles live mostly on the surface of water, and move about with great celerity in a gyrating, or circular, manner, but they are also able to dive and swim rapidly. The larva is aquatic. Called also weaver, whirlwig, and whirlwig beetle.


word: Whirling
definition:
Whirling

Whirl"ing
(?)
a. & n. from Whirl, v. t.

Whirling table. (a) (Physics) An apparatus provided with one or more revolving disks, with weights, pulleys, and other attachments, for illustrating the phenomena and laws of centrifugal force, and the like. (b) A potter's wheel.


word: Whirlpool
definition:
Whirlpool

Whirl"pool`
(?)
n.

1.
An eddy or vortex of water; a place in a body of water where the water moves round in a circle so as to produce a depression or cavity in the center, into which floating objects may be drawn; any body of water having a more or less circular motion caused by its flowing in an irregular channel, by the coming together of opposing currents, or the like.

2.
A sea monster of the whale kind.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

The Indian Sea breedeth the most and the biggest fishes that are; among which the whales and whirlpools, called “balaenae,” take up in length as much as four . . . arpents of land.
Holland.


word: Whirlwind
definition:
Whirlwind

Whirl"wind`
(?)
n.
[Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw. hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind.  See Whirl, and Wind, n.]

1.
A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. It usually has a rapid progressive motion.

The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods.
And drowns the villages.
Bryant.

&hand_; Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones.

2.
Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward.
whirlwind
Macaulay.


word: Whirtle
definition:
Whirtle

Whir"tle
(?)
n.
(Mech.)
A perforated steel die through which wires or tubes are drawn to form them.


word: Whisk₂
definition:
Whisk

Whisk
n.
[Probably for wisk, and of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. visk a wisp; akin to Dan. visk, Sw. viska, D. wisch, OHG. wisc, G. wisch.  See Wisp.]

1.
The act of whisking; a rapid, sweeping motion, as of something light; a sudden motion or quick puff.

This first sad whisk
Takes off thy dukedom; thou art but an earl.
J. Fletcher.

2.
A small bunch of grass, straw, twigs, hair, or the like, used for a brush; hence, a brush or small besom, as of broom corn.

3.
A small culinary instrument made of wire, or the like, for whisking or beating eggs, cream, etc.
Boyle.

4.
A kind of cape, forming part of a woman's dress.

My wife in her new lace whisk.
Pepys.

5.
An impertinent fellow.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.

6.
A plane used by coopers for evening chines.


word: Whisk₃
definition:
Whisk

Whisk
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Whisked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whisking.]
[Cf. Dan. viske, Sw. viska, G. wischen, D. wisschen.  See Whisk, n.]

1.
To sweep, brush, or agitate, with a light, rapid motion; as, to whisk dust from a table; to whisk the white of eggs into a froth.

2.
To move with a quick, sweeping motion.

He that walks in gray, whisking his riding rod.
J. Fletcher.

I beg she would not impale worms, nor whisk carp out of one element into another.
Walpole.


word: Whisker
definition:
Whisker

Whisk"er
(?)
n.

1.
One who, or that which, whisks, or moves with a quick, sweeping motion.

2.
Formerly, the hair of the upper lip; a mustache; -- usually in the plural.

Hoary whiskers and a forky beard.
Pope.

3.
pl.
That part of the beard which grows upon the sides of the face, or upon the chin, or upon both; as, side whiskers; chin whiskers.

4.
A hair of the beard.

5.
One of the long, projecting hairs growing at the sides of the mouth of a cat, or other animal.

6.
pl.
(Naut.)
Iron rods extending on either side of the bowsprit, to spread, or guy out, the stays, etc.


word: Whiskered
definition:
Whiskered

Whisk"ered
(?)
a.

1.
Formed into whiskers; furnished with whiskers; having or wearing whiskers.

Our forefathers, a grave, whiskered race.
Cowper.

2.
(Zool.)
Having elongated hairs, feathers, or bristles on the cheeks.

The whiskered vermin race.
Grainger.


word: Whisket
definition:
Whisket

Whis"ket
(?)
n.
[Cf. Wisket.]

1.
A basket; esp., a straw provender basket.
[Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.

2.
(Mach.)
A small lathe for turning wooden pins.


word: Whisky
definition:
Whisky

Whiskey

{ Whis"key, Whis"ky, }
n.
pl. Whiskeys (#) or Whiskies.
[See Whisk, v. t. & n.]
A light carriage built for rapid motion; -- called also tim-whiskey.


word: Whisky Ring
definition:
Whisky Ring

Whiskey Ring

{ Whiskey Ring, or Whisky Ring  }
(U. S. Hist.)
A conspiracy of distillers and government officials during the administration of President Grant to defraud the government of the excise taxes. The frauds were detected in 1875 through the efforts of the Secretary of the Treasury B. H. Bristow, and most of the offenders were convicted.


word: Whiskey₂
definition:
Whiskey

Whisky

{ Whis"ky, Whis"key  }
(?)
n.
[Ir. or Gael. uisge water (perhaps akin to E. wash, water) in uisgebeatha whiskey, properly, water of life.  Cf. Usquebaugh.]
An intoxicating liquor distilled from grain, potatoes, etc., especially in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from maize, rye, or wheat, but in Scotland and Ireland it is often made from malted barley.

Bourbon whisky, corn whisky made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. -- Crooked whisky. See under Crooked. -- Whisky Jack (Zool.), the Canada jay (Perisoreus Canadensis). It is noted for its fearless and familiar habits when it frequents the camps of lumbermen in the winter season. Its color is dull grayish blue, lighter beneath. Called also moose bird.


word: Whiskeyfied
definition:
Whiskeyfied

Whiskyfied

{ Whis"ky*fied, Whis"key*fied  }
(?)
a.
[Whisky + -fy.]
Drunk with whisky; intoxicated.
[Humorous]
Thackeray.


word: Whisper
definition:
Whisper

Whis"per
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whispered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whispering.]
[AS. hwisprian; akin to G. wispern, wispeln, OHG. hwispal_;n, Icel. hvīskra, Sw. hviska, Dan. hviske; of imitative origin.  Cf. Whistle.]

1.
To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.  See Whisper, n.

2.
To make a low, sibilant sound or noise.

The hollow, whispering breeze.
Thomson.

3.
To speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.

All that hate me whisper together against me.
Ps. xli. 7.


word: Whisper₂
definition:
Whisper

Whis"per
v. t.

1.
To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.

They might buzz and whisper it one to another.
Bentley.

2.
To address in a whisper, or low voice.
[Archaic]

And whisper one another in the ear.
Shak.

Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed.
Keble.

3.
To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
[Obs.]
whisper
Shak.


word: Whisper₃
definition:
Whisper

Whis"per
n.

1.
A low, soft, sibilant voice or utterance, which can be heard only by those near at hand; voice or utterance that employs only breath sound without tone, friction against the edges of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages taking the place of the vibration of the cords that produces tone; sometimes, in a limited sense, the sound produced by such friction as distinguished from breath sound made by friction against parts of the mouth.  See Voice, n., 2, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 153, 154.

The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone.
Bacon.

Soft whispers through the assembly went.
Dryden.

2.
A cautious or timorous speech.
South.

3.
Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.

4.
A low, sibilant sound.
whispers
Tennyson.


word: Whisperer
definition:
Whisperer

Whis"per*er
(?)
n.

1.
One who whispers.

2.
A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly; hence; a backbiter; one who slanders secretly.
Prov. xvi. 28.


word: Whispering
definition:
Whispering

Whis"per*ing
a. & n. from Whisper. v. t.

Whispering gallery, or Whispering dome, one of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.  The dome of the U. S. capitol building is one example.


word: Whisperingly
definition:
Whisperingly

Whis"per*ing*ly
adv.
In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers.
Tennyson.


word: Whist
definition:
Whist

Whist
(?)
interj.
[Cf. G. st! pst! bst! _;_;_;.   Cf. Hist.]
Be silent; be still; hush; silence.


word: Whist₂
definition:
Whist

Whist
n.
[From Whist, interj.]
A certain game at cards; -- so called because it requires silence and close attention. It is played by four persons (those who sit opposite each other being partners) with a complete pack of fifty-two cards. Each player has thirteen cards, and when these are played out, the hand is finished, and the cards are again shuffled and distributed.

&hand_; Points are scored for the tricks taken in excess of six, and for the honors held. In long whist, now seldom played, ten points make the game; in short whist, now usually played in England, five points make the game. In American whist, so-called, honors are not counted, and seven points by tricks make the game.

-- Bridge whist. See Bridge, n., above. -- Duplicate whist, a form of whist in playing which the hands are preserved as dealt and played again by other players, as when each side holds in the second round the cards played by the opposing side in the first round. -- Solo whist. See Solo whist, above.


word: Whist₅
definition:
Whist

Whist
a.
[Properly p. p. of whist, v.]
Not speaking; not making a noise; silent; mute; still; quiet.
whist
Sir J. Harrington.

The winds, with wonder whist,
Smoothly the waters kissed.
Milton.

&hand_; This adjective generally follows its noun, or is used predicatively.


word: Whistle
definition:
Whistle

Whis"tle
(?)
v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Whistled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling (?).]
[AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hvīsla to whisper, and E. whisper. √43.  See Whisper.]

1.
To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.

The weary plowman leaves the task of day,
And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way.
Gay.

2.
To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument, somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp, shrill tone.

3.
To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.

The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar.
Pope.


word: Whistle₂
definition:
Whistle

Whis"tle
v. t.

1.
To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air.

2.
To send, signal, or call by a whistle.

He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled him up.
Addison.

To whistle off. (a) To dismiss by a whistle; -- a term in hawking. “AS a long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the fist, mounts aloft.” Burton. (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to dismiss.

I 'ld whistle her off, and let her down the wind
To prey at fortune.
Shak.

&hand_; “A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned.”  Nares.


word: Whistle₃
definition:
Whistle

Whis"tle
n.
[AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle.  See Whistle, v. i.]

1.
A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle.

Might we but hear
The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, . . . 
Or whistle from the lodge.
Milton.

The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and by that means lost his whistle.
Spectator.

They fear his whistle, and forsake the seas.
Dryden.

2.
The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like, passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of a metallic bell or cup.

3.
An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity, or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips; as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam whistle (see Steam whistle, under Steam).

The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew.
Pope.

4.
The mouth and throat; -- so called as being the organs of whistling.
[Colloq.]

So was her jolly whistle well ywet.
Chaucer.

Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles.
Walton.

Whistle duck (Zool.), the American golden-eye.


word: Whistlefish
definition:
Whistlefish

Whis"tle*fish`
(?)
n.
(Zool.)
A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.


word: Whistler
definition:
Whistler

Whis"tler
(?)
n.
[AS. hwistlere.]

1.
One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound.

2.
(Zool.)
(a)
The ring ousel.
(b)
The widgeon.
[Prov. Eng.]
(c)
The golden-eye.
(d)
The golden plover and the gray plover.

3.
(Zool.)
The hoary, or northern, marmot (Arctomys pruinosus).

4.
(Zool.)
The whistlefish.


word: Whistling
definition:
Whistling

Whis"tling
(?)
a. & n. from Whistle, v.

Whistling buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy. -- Whistling coot (Zool.), the American black scoter. -- Whistling Dick. (Zool.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush (Colluricincla Selbii). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whistling duck. (Zool.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck. -- Whistling eagle (Zool.), a small Australian eagle (Haliastur sphenurus); -- called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle. -- Whistling plover. (Zool.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied, or gray, plover. -- Whistling snipe (Zool.), the American woodcock. -- Whistling swan. (Zool.) (a) The European whooper swan; -- called also wild swan, and elk. (b) An American swan (Olor columbianus).  See under Swan. -- Whistling teal (Zool.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. -- Whistling thrush. (Zool.) (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus, native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle. (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]


