W (part 2)

3. The texture of very fine thread spun by a spider for catching insects at its prey; a cobweb. "The smallest spider's 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)

Defn: 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. Specifically: - (a) The blade of a sword. [Obs.] The sword, whereof the web was steel, Pommel rich stone, hilt gold. Fairfax.

(b) The blade of a saw. (c) The thin, sharp part of a colter. (d) The bit of a key.

7. (Mach. & Engin.)

Defn: A plate or thin portion, continuous or perforated, connecting stiffening ribs or flanges, or other parts of an object. Specifically: — (a) The thin vertical plate or portion connecting the upper and lower flanges of an lower flanges of an iron girder, rolled beam, or railroad rail. (b) A disk or solid construction serving, instead of spokes, for connecting the rim and hub, in some kinds of car wheels, sheaves, etc. (c) The arm of a crank between the shaft and the wrist. (d) The part of a blackmith's anvil between the face and the foot.

8. (Med.)

Defn: Pterygium; — called also webeye. Shak.

9. (Anat.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

WEB
Web, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Webbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Webbing.]

Defn: To unite or surround with a web, or as if with a web; to envelop; to entangle.

WEBBED
Webbed, a.

1. Provided with a web.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the toes united by a membrane, or web; as, the webbed feet of aquatic fowls.

WEBBER
Web"ber, n.

Defn: One who forms webs; a weaver; a webster. [Obs.]

WEBBING
Web"bing, n.

Defn: A woven band of cotton or flax, used for reins, girths, bed bottoms, etc.

WEBBY
Web"by, a.

Defn: 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.

WEBER We"ber, n. Etym: [From the name of Professor Weber, a German electrician.] (Elec.)

Defn: The standard unit of electrical quantity, and also of current.
See Coulomb, and Amp. [Obs.]

WEBEYE
Web"eye`, n. (Med.)

Defn: See Web, n., 8.

WEB-FINGERED
Web"-fin`gered, a.

Defn: Having the fingers united by a web for a considerable part of their length.

WEBFOOT
Web"foot`, n.; pl. Webfeet (.

1. A foot the toes of which are connected by a membrane.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any web-footed bird.

WEB-FOOTED
Web"-foot`ed, a.

Defn: Having webbed feet; palmiped; as, a goose or a duck is a web- footed fowl.

WEBSTER
Web"ster, n. Etym: [AS. webbestre. See Web, Weave, and -ster.]

Defn: A weaver; originally, a female weaver. [Obs.] Brathwait.

WEBSTERITE
Web"ster*ite, n. Etym: [So named after Webster, the geologist.]
(Min.)

Defn: A hydrous sulphate of alumina occurring in white reniform masses.

WEB-TOED
Web"-toed`, a.

Defn: Having the toes united by a web for a considerable part of their length.

WEBWORM
Web"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of various species of moths whose gregarious larvæ eat the leaves of trees, and construct a large web to which they retreat when not feeding.

Note: The most destructive webworms belong to the family Bombycidæ, 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).

WED Wed (wêd), n. Etym: [AS. wedd; akin to OFries. wed, OD. wedde, OHG, wetti, G. wette a wager, Icel. veedh a pledge, Sw. vad a wager, an appeal, Goth. wadi a pledge, Lith. vaduti to redeem (a pledge), LL. vadium, L. vas, vadis, bail, security, vadimonium security, and Gr. Athlete, Gage a pledge, Wage.]

Defn: A pledge; a pawn. [Obs.] Gower. Piers Plowman.
Let him be ware, his neck lieth to wed [i. e., for a security].
Chaucer.

WED Wed, v. t. [imp. Wedded; p. p. Wedded or Wed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wedding.] Etym: [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. veedhja, Dan. vedde, Sw. vädja to appeal, Goth. gawadjon 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.

WED
Wed, v. i.

Defn: To contact matrimony; to marry. "When I shall wed." Shak.

WEDDAHS
Wed"dahs, n. pl. (Ethnol.)

Defn: See Veddahs.

WEDDED
Wed"ded, a.

1. Joined in wedlock; married. Let wwedded dame. Pope.

2. Of or pertaining to wedlock, or marriage. "Wedded love." Milton.

WEDDER
Wed"der, n.

Defn: See Wether. Sir W. Scott.

WEDDING
Wed"ding, n. Etym: [AS. wedding.]

Defn: Nuptial ceremony; nuptial festivities; marriage; nuptials.
Simple and brief was the wedding, as that of Ruth and of Boaz.
Longfellow.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.

WEDER
Wed"er, n.

Defn: Weather. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEDGE Wedge, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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 of gold." 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. Fox wedge. (Mach. & Carpentry) See under Fox. — Spherical wedge (Geom.), the portion of a sphere included between two planes which intersect in a diameter.

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. "My heart, as wedged with a sigh, would rive in twain." 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)

Defn: To cut, as clay, into wedgelike masses, and work by dashing together, in order to expel air bubbles, etc. Tomlinson.

WEDGEBILL
Wedge"bill`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

WEDGE-FORMED
Wedge"-formed`, a.

Defn: Having the form of a wedge; cuneiform. Wedge-formed characters.
See Arrow-headed characters, under Arrowheaded.

WEDGE GAUGE; WEDGE GAGE
Wedge gauge or gage .

Defn: A wedge with a graduated edge, to measure the width of a space into which it is thrust.

WEDGE GEAR
Wedge gear.

Defn: A friction gear wheel with wedge-shaped circumferential grooves. — Wedge gearing.

WEDGE-SHAPED
Wedge"-shaped`, a.

1. Having the shape of a wedge; cuneiform.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Broad and truncate at the summit, and tapering down to the base; as, a wedge-shaped leaf.

WEDGE-SHELL
Wedge"-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small marine bivalves belonging to Donax and allied genera in which the shell is wedge-shaped.

WEDGE-TAILED
Wedge"-tailed", a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

WEDGEWISE
Wedge"wise`, adv.

Defn: In the manner of a wedge.

WEDGWOOD WARE
Wedg"wood` ware`. Etym: [From the name of the inventor, Josiah
Wedgwood, of England.]

Defn: 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.

WEDGY
Wedg"y, a.

Defn: Like a wedge; wedge-shaped.

WEDLOCK
Wed"lock, n. Etym: [AS. wedlac a pledge, be trothal; wedd a pledge +
lac a gift, an offering. See Wed, n., and cf. Lake, v. i.,
Knowledge.]

1. The ceremony, or the state, of marriage; matrimony. "That blissful yoke . . . that men clepeth [call] spousal, or 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.

Syn.
— See Marriage.

WEDLOCK
Wed"lock, v. t.

Defn: To marry; to unite in marriage; to wed. [R.] "Man thus wedlocked." Milton.

WEDNESDAY Wednes"day (; 48), n. Etym: [OE. wednesdai, wodnesdei, AS. Wodnes dæg, i. e., Woden's day (a translation of L. dies Mercurii); fr. Woden the highest god of the Teutonic peoples, but identified with the Roman god Mercury; akin to OS. Wodan, OHG. Wuotan, Icel. Oedhinn, D. woensdag Wednesday, Icel. oedhinsdagr, Dan. & Sw. onsdag. See Day, and cf. Woden, Wood, a.]

Defn: The fourth day of the week; the next day after Tuesday. Ash
Wednesday. See in the Vocabulary.

WEE Wee, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: A little; a bit, as of space, time, or distance. [Obs. or
Scot.]

WEE
Wee, a.

Defn: Very small; little. [Colloq. & Scot.]
A little wee face, with a little yellow beard. Shak.

WEECH-ELM
Weech"-elm`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The wych-elm. [Obs.] Bacon.

WEED Weed, n. Etym: [OE. wede, AS. w, w; akin to OS. wadi, giwadi, OFries, w, w, OD. wade, OHG. wat, Icel. va, Zend vadh to clothe.]

1. A garment; clothing; especially, an upper or outer garment.
"Lowweeds." Spenser. "Woman's weeds." Shak. "This beggar woman's
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.

WEED
Weed, n.

Defn: A sudden illness or relapse, often attended with fever, which attacks women in childbed. [Scot.]

WEED Weed, n. Etym: [OE. weed, weod, AS. weód, wiód, akin to OS. wiod, LG. woden the stalks and leaves of vegetables D. wieden to weed, OS. wiodon.]

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.

Note: 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)

Defn: An animal unfit to breed from.

5. Tobacco, or a cigar. [Slang] Weed hook, a hook used for cutting away or extirpating weeds. Tusser.

WEED
Weed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Weeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Weeding.] Etym:
[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. "Weed up thyme." 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)

Defn: To reject as unfit for breeding purposes.

WEEDER
Weed"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, weeds, or frees from anything noxious.

WEEDERY
Weed"er*y, n.

Defn: Weeds, collectively; also, a place full of weeds or for growing weeds. [R.] Dr. H. More.

WEEDING
Weed"ing,

Defn: 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.

WEEDING-RHIM
Weed"ing-rhim`, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. rim to remove.]

Defn: A kind of implement used for tearing up weeds esp. on summer fallows. [Prov. Eng.]

WEEDLESS
Weed"less, a.

Defn: Free from weeds or noxious matter.

WEEDY
Weed"y, a. [Compar. Weedier; superl. Weediest.]

1. Of or pertaining to weeds; consisting of weeds. "Weedy trophies." 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.]

WEEDY
Weed"y, a.

Defn: Dressed in weeds, or mourning garments. [R. or Colloq.]
She was as weedy as in the early days of her mourning. Dickens.

WEEK Week, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

WEEK-END
Week"-end", n.

Defn: The end of the week; specif., though loosely, the period observed commonly as a holiday, from Saturday noon or Friday night to Monday; as, to visit one for a week-end; also, a house party during a week-end.

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.

WEEKLY
Week"ly, n.; pl. Weeklies (.

Defn: A publication issued once in seven days, or appearing once a week.

WEEKLY
Week"ly, adv.

Defn: Once a week; by hebdomadal periods; as, each performs service weekly.

WEEKWAM
Week"wam, n.

Defn: See Wigwam. [R.]

WEEL
Weel, a. & adv.

Defn: Well. [Obs. or Scot.]

WEEL
Weel, n. Etym: [AS. wæl. *147.]

Defn: A whirlpool. [Obs.]

WEEL; WEELY Weel, Weel"y,Etym: [Prov. E. weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs.]

Defn: A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs. [Obs.] Carew.

WEEN Ween, v. i. Etym: [OE. wenen, AS. w, fr. w hope, expectation, opinion; akin to D. waan, OFries. w, OS. & OHG. wan, G. wahn delusion, Icel. van hope, expectation, Goth. w, and D. wanen to fancy, G. wähnen, Icel. vana to hope, Goth. w, and perhaps to E. winsome, wish.]

Defn: 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.

WEEP
Weep, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lapwing; the wipe; — so called from its cry.

WEEP
Weep, obs.

Defn: imp. of Weep, for wept. Chaucer.

WEEP Weep, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wept; p. pr. & vb. n. Weeping.] Etym: [OE. wepen, AS. w, from w lamentation; akin to OFries. w to lament, OS. w lamentation, OHG. wuof, Icel. a shouting, crying, OS. w to lament, OHG. wuoffan, wuoffen, Icel. , Goth. w.

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. "They weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat." 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.

WEEP
Weep, v. t.

1. To lament; to bewail; to bemoan. "I weep bitterly the dead." 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.

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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The capuchin. See Capuchin, 3 (a).

WEEPFUL
Weep"ful, a.

Defn: Full of weeping or lamentation; grieving. [Obs.] Wyclif.

WEEPING
Weep"ing, n.

Defn: The act of one who weeps; lamentation with tears; shedding of tears.

WEEPING
Weep"ing, a.

1. Grieving; lamenting; shedding tears. "Weeping eyes." I. Watts.

2. Discharging water, or other liquid, in drops or very slowly; surcharged with water. "Weeping grounds." 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. — Weeping willow (Bot.), a species of willow (Salix Babylonica) whose branches grow very long and slender, and hang down almost perpendicularly.

WEEPINGLY
Weep"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a weeping manner.

WEEPING-RIPE
Weep"ing-ripe`, a.

Defn: Ripe for weeping; ready to weep. [Obs.] Shak.

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 larvæ of any species of the genus Ptylus, allied to the cuckoo spits, which in tropical countries secrete large quantities of a watery fluid.

WEERISH
Weer"ish, a.

Defn: See Wearish. [Obs.]

WEESEL
Wee"sel, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Weasel.

WEET
Weet, a. & n.

Defn: Wet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEET
Weet, v. i. [imp. Wot.] Etym: [See Wit to know.]

Defn: To know; to wit. [Obs.] Tyndale. Spenser.

WEET-BIRD
Weet"-bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wryneck; — so called from its cry. [Prov. Eng.]

WEETINGLY
Weet"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: Knowingly. [Obs.] Spenser.

WEETLESS
Weet"less, a.

Defn: Unknowing; also, unknown; unmeaning. [Obs.] Spenser.

WEET-WEET Weet"-weet`, n. Etym: [So called from its piping cry when disturbed.] (Zoöl.) (a) The common European sandpiper. (b) The chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.]

WEETWEET
Weet"*weet`, n. [Native name in Victoria.]

Defn: 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.

WEEVER
Wee"ver, n. Etym: [Probably from F. vive, OF. vivre, a kind of fish,
L. vipera viper. Cf. Viper.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of edible marine fishes belonging to the genus Trachinus, of the family Trachinidæ. 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.

Note: 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 (T. vipera), about half as large (called also otter pike, and stingfish).

WEEVIL Wee"vil, n. Etym: [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.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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 larvæ 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 larvæ 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.

WEEVILED
Wee"viled, a.

Defn: Infested by weevils; as, weeviled grain. [Written also weevilled.]

WEEVILY
Wee"vil*y, a.

Defn: Having weevils; weeviled. [Written also weevilly.]

WEEZEL
Wee"zel, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Weasel.

WEFT
Weft, obs.

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Wave.

WEFT
Weft, n. Etym: [Cf. Waif.]

Defn: A thing waved, waived, or cast away; a waif. [Obs.] "A forlorn weft." Spenser.

WEFT
Weft, n. Etym: [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.

WEFTAGE
Weft"age, n.

Defn: Texture. [Obs.] Grew.

WEGOTISM
We"go*tism, n. Etym: [From we, in imitation of egotism.]

Defn: Excessive use of the pronoun we; — called also weism. [Colloq. or Cant]

WEHRGELD; WEHRGELT
Wehr"geld`, Wehr"gelt`, n. (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: See Weregild.

WEHRWOLF
Wehr"wolf`, n.

Defn: See Werewolf.

WEIGELA; WEIGELIA
Wei"gel*a, Wei*ge"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. So named after C. E. Weigel, a
German naturalist.] (Bot.)

Defn: A hardy garden shrub (Diervilla Japonica) belonging to the
Honeysuckle family, with withe or red flowers. It was introduced from
China.

WEIGH
Weigh, n. (Naut.)

Defn: 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.).

WEIGH
Weigh, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Weighed; p. pr. & vb. n. Weighing.] Etym:
[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. Way, and cf.
Wey.]

1. To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up; as, to weigh anchor. "Weigh the vessel up." 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. "A body weighing divers ounces." 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] "I weigh not you." 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.

WEIGH
Weigh, v. i.

1. To have weight; to be heavy. "They only weigh the heavier." 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.

WEIGH
Weigh, n. Etym: [See Wey.]

Defn: A certain quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See Wey.

WEIGHABLE
Weigh"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being weighed.

WEIGHAGE
Weigh"age (; 48), n.

Defn: A duty or toil paid for weighing merchandise. Bouvier.

WEIGHBEAM
Weigh"beam`, n.

Defn: A kind of large steelyard for weighing merchandise; — also called weighmaster's beam.

WEIGHBOARD
Weigh"board`, n. (Mining)

Defn: Clay intersecting a vein. Weale.

WEIGHBRIDGE
Weigh"bridge`, n.

Defn: A weighing machine on which loaded carts may be weighed; platform scales.

WEIGHER
Weigh"er, n.

Defn: One who weighs; specifically, an officer whose duty it is to weigh commodities.

WEIGH-HOUSE
Weigh"-*house`, n.; pl. Weigh-houses (.

Defn: A building at or within which goods, and the like, are weighed.

WEIGHING
Weigh"ing,

Defn: 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.

WEIGHLOCK
Weigh"lock`, n.

Defn: A lock, as on a canal, in which boats are weighed and their tonnage is settled.

WEIGHMASTER
Weigh"mas`ter, n.

Defn: One whose business it is to weigh ore, hay, merchandise, etc.; one licensed as a public weigher.

WEIGHT Weight, n. Etym: [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.

Note: 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. "The weight of this said time." 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.)

Defn: 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.

Syn. — Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden; load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness.

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)

Defn: To assign a weight to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation. See Weight of observations, under Weight.

WEIGHTILY
Weight"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a weighty manner.

WEIGHTINESS
Weight"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being weighty; weight; force; importance; impressiveness.

WEIGHTLESS
Weight"less, a.

Defn: Having no weight; imponderable; hence, light. Shak.

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. "For sundry weighty reasons." Shak. Let me have your advice in a weighty affair. Swift.

3. Rigorous; severe; afflictive. [R.] "Attend our weightier judgment." Shak.

Syn. — Heavy; ponderous; burdensome; onerous; forcible; momentous; efficacious; impressive; cogent.

WEIL'S DISEASE
Weil's disease. (Med.)

Defn: An acute infectious febrile disease, resembling typhoid fever, with muscular pains, disturbance of the digestive organs, jaundice, etc.

WEIR; WEAR
Weir, Wear, n. Etym: [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. vr to check, hinder. sq. root142. 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.

WEIRD
Weird, n. Etym: [OE. wirde, werde, AS. wyrd fate, fortune, one of the
Fates, fr. weor to be, to become; akin to OS. wurd fate, OHG. wurt,
Icel. ur. 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.

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.

Note: Shakespeare uses the term for the three witches in Macbeth.
The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land. Shak.

WEIRD
Weird, v. t.

Defn: To foretell the fate of; to predict; to destine to. [Scot.]
Jamieson.

WEIRDNESS
Weird"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being weird.

WEISM
We"ism, n.

Defn: Same as Wegotism.

WEISMANNISM
Weis"mann*ism, n. (Biol.)

Defn: 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.

WEISS BEER
Weiss beer. [G. weissbier white beer.]

Defn: A light-colored highly effervescent beer made by the top- fermentation process.

WEIVE
Weive, v. t.

Defn: See Waive. [Obs.] Gower.

WEKA
We"ka, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A New Zealand rail (Ocydromus australis) which has wings so short as to be incapable of flight.

WEKAU
We"kau, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small New Zealand owl (Sceloglaux albifacies). It has short wings and long legs, and lives chiefly on the ground.

WEKEEN
We*keen", n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The meadow pipit. [Prov. Eng.]

WELAWAY
Wel"a*way, interj. Etym: [OE. welaway, walaway, weilawey; wei wo!
(Icel. vei) + la lo! (AS. la) + wei wo!; cf. AS. wa la wa. See Woe.]

Defn: Alas! [Obs.]
Then welaway, for she undone was clean. Wyatt.

WEL-BEGONE
Wel"-be*gone`, a. Etym: [OE. wel-begon. See Well, and Begone.]

Defn: Surrounded with happiness or prosperity. [Obs.]
Fair and rich and young and wel-begone. Chaucer.

WELCH
Welch, a.

Defn: See Welsh. [R.]

WELCHER
Welch"er, n.

Defn: See Welsher.

WELCHMAN
Welch"man, n.

Defn: See Welshman. [R.]

WELCOME Wel"come, a. Etym: [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. "O, welcome hour!" Milton.

3. Free to have or enjoy gratuitously; as, you are welcome to the use of my library.

Note: 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.

WELCOME
Wel"come, n.

1. Salutation to a newcomer. "Welcome ever smiles." 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.

WELCOME
Wel"come, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Welcomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Welcoming.]
Etym: [AS. wilcumian.]

Defn: To salute with kindness, as a newcomer; to receive and entertain hospitably and cheerfully; as, to welcome a visitor; to welcome a new idea. "I welcome you to land." Addison. Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long. Milton.

WELCOMELY
Wel"come*ly, adv.

Defn: In a welcome manner.

WELCOMENESS
Wel"come*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being welcome; gratefulness; agreeableness; kind reception.

WELCOMER
Wel"com*er, n.

Defn: One who welcomes; one who salutes, or receives kindly, a newcomer. Shak.

WELD
Weld, v. t.

Defn: To wield. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WELD Weld, n. Etym: [OE. welde; akin to Scot. wald, Prov. G. waude, G. wau, Dan. & Sw. vau, D. wouw.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

WELD Weld, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Welded; p. pr. & vb. n. Welding.] Etym: [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.

Note: 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.

WELD
Weld, n.

Defn: 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.

WELDABLE
Weld"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being welded.

WELDER
Weld"er, n.

Defn: One who welds, or unites pieces of iron, etc., by welding.

WELDER
Weld"er, n.

1. One who welds, or wields. [Obs.]

2. A manager; an actual occupant. [Ireland. Obs.] "The welder . . . who . . . lives miserably." Swift.

WELDON'S PROCESS
Wel"don's proc"ess, (Chem.)

Defn: 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.

WELD STEEL
Weld steel.

Defn: A compound of iron, such as puddled steel, made without complete fusion.

WELE
Wele, n. Etym: [See Weal prosperity.]

Defn: Prosperity; happiness; well-being; weal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WELEFUL
Wele"ful, a.

Defn: Producing prosperity or happiness; blessed. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WELEW
We"lew, v. t.

Defn: To welk, or wither. [Obs.]

WELFARE
Wel"fare`, n. Etym: [Well + fare to go, to proceed, to happen.]

Defn: 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.

WELFARING
Wel"far`ing, a.

Defn: Faring well; prosperous; thriving. [Obs.] "A welfaring person."
Chaucer.

WELK
Welk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Welked; p. pr. & vb. n. Welking.] Etym:
[OE. welken; cf. D. & G. welken to wither, G. welk withered, OHG.
welc moist. See Welkin, and cf. Wilt.]

Defn: To wither; to fade; also, to decay; to decline; to wane. [Obs.]
When ruddy Phwelk in west. Spenser.
The church, that before by insensible degrees welked and impaired,
now with large steps went down hill decaying. Milton.

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.]

WELK
Welk, n.

Defn: A pustule. See 2d Whelk.

WELK
Welk, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A whelk. [R.]

WELKED
Welked, v. t.

Defn: See Whelked.

WELKIN Wel"kin, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

Note: Used adjectively by Shakespeare in the phase, "Your welkin eye," with uncertain meaning.

WELL Well, n. Etym: [OE. welle, AS. wella, wylla, from weallan to well up, surge, boil; akin to D. wel a spring or fountain. 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. "This well of
mercy." 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.)

Defn: A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.

7. (Arch.)

Defn: An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.

8. (Metal.)

Defn: 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.

WELL Well, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Welled; p. pr. & vb. n. Welling.] Etym: [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. Voluble, Wallop to boil, Wallow, Weld of metal.]

Defn: To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
"[Blood] welled from out the wound." Dryden. "[Yon spring] wells
softly forth." 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.

WELL
Well, v. t.

Defn: To pour forth, as from a well. Spenser.

WELL Well, adv. [Compar. and superl. wanting, the deficiency being supplied by better and best, from another root.] Etym: [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 a ten or twelve." 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. "It boded well to you." 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.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.

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. "Your friends are 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)

Defn: Safe; as, a chip warranted well at a certain day and place.
Burrill.

WE'LL
We'll.

Defn: Contraction for we will or we shall. "We'll follow them." Shak.

WELLADAY
Well"a*day, interj. Etym: [Corrupted from wela way.]

Defn: Alas! Welaway! Shak.

WELLAT
Wel"lat, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The king parrakeet See under King.

WELL-BEING
Well"-be`ing, n.

Defn: The state or condition of being well; welfare; happiness; prosperity; as, virtue is essential to the well-being of men or of society.

WELL-BORN
Well"-born`, a.

Defn: Born of a noble or respect able family; not of mean birth.

WELL-BRED
Well"-bred`, a.

Defn: Having good breeding; refined in manners; polite; cultivated.
I am as well-bred as the earl's granddaughter. Thackera

WELLDOER
Well"do`er, n.

Defn: One who does well; one who does good to another; a benefactor.

WELLDOING
Well"do`ing, n.

Defn: A doing well; right performance of duties. Also used adjectively.

WELLDRAIN Well"drain`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Welldrained; p. pr. & vb. n. Well- draining.]

Defn: To drain, as land; by means of wells, or pits, which receive the water, and from which it is discharged by machinery.

WELLFARE
Well"fare`, n.

Defn: See Welfare. [Obs.]

WELL-FAVORED
Well"-fa"vored, a.

Defn: Handsome; wellformed; beautiful; pleasing to the eye.
Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. Gen. xxix. 17.

WELLHEAD
Well"head`, n.

Defn: 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.

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.

WELL-INFORMED
Well`-in*formed", a.

Defn: Correctly informed; provided with information; well furnished with authentic knowledge; intelligent.

WELLINGTON BOOT
Wel"ling*ton boot. [After the Duke of Wellington.]

Defn: A riding boot for men, the front of which came above the knee; also, a similar shorter boot worn under the trousers.

WELLINGTONIA
Wel`ling*to"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL. So named after the Duke of
Wellington.] (Bot.)

Defn: A name given to the "big trees" (Sequoia gigantea) of
California, and still used in England. See Sequoia.

WELLINGTONS
Wel"ling*tons, n. pl. Etym: [After the Duke of Wellington.]

Defn: A kind of long boots for men.

WELL-INTENTIONED
Well`-in*ten"tioned, a.

Defn: Having upright intentions or honorable purposes. Dutchmen who had sold themselves to France, as the wellintentioned party. Macaulay.

WELL-KNOWN
Well"-known`, a.

Defn: Fully known; generally known or acknowledged.
A church well known with a well-known rite. M. Arnold.

WELL-LIKING
Well"-lik`ing, a.

Defn: 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.).

WELL-MANNERED
Well`-man"nered, a.

Defn: Polite; well-bred; complaisant; courteous. Dryden.

WELL-MEANER
Well"-mean`er, n.

Defn: One whose intention is good. "Well-meaners think no harm."
Dryden.

WELL-MEANING
Well"-mean`ing, a.

Defn: Having a good intention.

WELL-NATURED
Well`-na"tured, a.

Defn: Good-natured; kind.
Well-natured, temperate, and wise. Denham.

WELL-NIGH
Well"-nigh`, adv.

Defn: Almost; nearly. Chaucer.

WELL-PLIGHTED
Well"-plight`ed, a.

Defn: Being well folded. [Obs.] "Her well-plighted frock." Spenser.

WELL-READ
Well"-read`, a.

Defn: Of extensive reading; deeply versed; — often followed by in.

WELL-SEEN
Well"-seen`, a.

Defn: Having seen much; hence, accomplished; experienced. [Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.
Well-seen in arms and proved in many a fight. Spenser.

WELL-SET
Well"-set`, a.

1. Properly or firmly set.

2. Well put together; having symmetry of parts.

WELL-SPED
Well"-sped`, a.

Defn: Having good success.

WELL-SPOKEN
Well"-spo`ken, a. Etym: [Well + speak.]

1. Speaking well; speaking with fitness or grace; speaking kindly. "A knight well-spoken." Shak.

2. Spoken with propriety; as, well-spoken words.

WELLSPRING
Well"spring` n.

Defn: 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.

WELL-WILLER
Well"-will`er, n.

Defn: One who wishes well, or means kindly. [R.] "A well-willer of yours." Brydges.

WELL-WISH
Well"-wish` n.

Defn: A wish of happiness. "A well-wish for his friends." Addison.

WELLWISHER
Well"wish`er, n.

Defn: One who wishes another well; one who is benevolently or friendlily inclined.

WELS
Wels, n. Etym: [G.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The sheatfish; — called also waller.

WELSBACH
Wels"bach, a.

Defn: 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.

WELSH Welsh, a. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

WELSH
Welsh, n.

1. The language of Wales, or of the Welsh people.

2. pl.

Defn: The natives or inhabitants of Wales.

Note: 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.

WELSHER
Welsh"er, n.

Defn: 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.]

WELSHMAN
Welsh"man, n.; pl. Welshmen (.

1. A native or inhabitant of Wales; one of the Welsh.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A squirrel fish. (b) The large-mouthed black bass. See Black bass. [Southern U. S.]

WELSOME
Wel"some, a.

Defn: Prosperous; well. [Obs.] Wyclif.
— Wel"some*ly, adv. Wyclif.

WELT Welt, n. Etym: [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; as; (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.)

Defn: A narrow border, as of an ordinary, but not extending around the ends. Welt joint, a joint, as of plates, made with a welt, instead of by overlapping the edges. See Weld, n., 1 (d).

WELT
Welt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Welted; p. pr. & vb. n. Welting.]

Defn: To furnish with a welt; to sew or fasten a welt on; as, to welt a boot or a shoe; to welt a sleeve.

WELT
Welt, v. t.

Defn: To wilt. [R.]

WELTANSCHAUUNG
Welt"an"schau`ung, n.; pl. Weltanschauungen (#). [G.]

Defn: 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.

WELTE
Welte, obs.

Defn: imp. of Weld, to wield. Chaucer.

WELTER Wel"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Weltered; p. pr. & vb. n. Weltering.] Etym: [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. 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. "The weltering waves." Milton. Waves that, hardly weltering, die away. Wordsworth. Through this blindly weltering sea. Trench.

WELTER
Wel"ter, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Wilt, v. i.]

Defn: To wither; to wilt. [R.]
Weltered hearts and blighted . . . memories. I. Taylor.

WELTER
Wel"ter, a. (Horse Racing)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, the most heavily weighted race in a meeting; as, a welter race; the welter stakes.

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.

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.

WELTSCHMERTZ
Welt"schmertz`, n. [G., fr. welt world + schmertz pain. See World;
Smart, v. i.]

Defn: Sorrow or sadness over the present or future evils or woes of the world in general; sentimental pessimism.

WELWITSCHIA
Wel*witsch"i*a, n. Etym: [NL. So named after the discoverer, Dr.
Friedrich Welwitsch.] (Bot.)

Defn: An African plant (Welwitschia mirabilis) belonging to the order Gnetaceæ. 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.

WEM
Wem, n. Etym: [Cf. Womb.]

Defn: The abdomen; the uterus; the womb. [Obs.]

WEM
Wem, n. Etym: [AS. wam, wamm.]

Defn: Spot; blemish; harm; hurt. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Withouten wem of you, through foul and fair. Chaucer.

WEM
Wem, v. t. Etym: [AS. wemman.]

Defn: To stain; to blemish; to harm; to corrupt. [Obs.]

WEMLESS
Wem"less, a.

Defn: Having no wem, or blemish; spotless. [Obs.] "Virgin wemless."
Chaucer.

WEN
Wen, n. Etym: [AS. wenn; akin to D. wen, LG. wenne.] (Med.)

Defn: An indolent, encysted tumor of the skin; especially, a sebaceous cyst.

WENCH Wench, n. Etym: [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. [U. S.]

WENCH
Wench, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wenched; p. pr. & vb. n. Wenching.]

Defn: To frequent the company of wenches, or women of ill fame.

WENCHER
Wench"er, n.

Defn: One who wenches; a lewd man.

WENCHLESS
Wench"less, a.

Defn: Being without a wench. Shak.

WEND
Wend, obs.

Defn: p. p. of Wene. Chaucer.

WEND Wend, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wended, Obs. Went; p. pr. & vb. n. Wending.] Etym: [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. "To Canterbury they wend." Chaucer. To Athens shall the lovers wend. Shak.

2. To turn round. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.

WEND
Wend, v. t.

Defn: To direct; to betake;- used chiefly in the phrase to wend one's way. Also used reflexively. "Great voyages to wend." Surrey.

WEND
Wend, n. (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit. [Obs.]
Burrill.

WENDE
Wende, obs.

Defn: imp. of Wene. Chaucer.

WENDIC; WENDISH
Wend"ic, Wend"ish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining the Wends, or their language.

WENDIC
Wend"ic, n.

Defn: The language of the Wends.

WENDS
Wends, n. pl.; sing. Wend. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A Slavic tribe which once occupied the northern and eastern parts of Germany, of which a small remnant exists.

WENE
Wene, v. i.

Defn: To ween. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEN-LI
Wên"-li`, n. [Chin. wên li.]

Defn: 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.

WENLOCK GROUP
Wen"lock group`, (Geol.)

Defn: The middle subdivision of the Upper Silurian in Great Britain; — so named from the typical locality in Shropshire.

WENNEL
Wen"nel, n.

Defn: See Weanel. [Obs.] Tusser.

WENNISH; WENNY
Wen"nish, Wen"ny, a. Etym: [From Wen.]

Defn: Having the nature of a wen; resembling a wen; as, a wennish excrescence.

WENONA
We*no"na, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A sand snake (Charina plumbea) of Western North America, of the family Erycidæ.

WENT
Went,

Defn: 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.

WENT
Went, n.

Defn: Course; way; path; journey; direction. [Obs.] "At a turning of
a 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.

WENTLETRAP Wen"tle*trap`, n. Etym: [D. wenteltrap a winding staircase; cf. G. wendeltreppe.] [Obs.]

Defn: 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.

WEP
Wep, obs.

Defn: imp. of Weep.

WEPEN
Wep"en, n.

Defn: Weapon. [Obs.]

WEPT
Wept,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Weep.

WERCHE
Werche, v. t. & i.

Defn: To work. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERE
Were, v. t. & i.

Defn: To wear. See 3d Wear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERE
Were, n.

Defn: A weir. See Weir. [Obs.] Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney.

WERE
Were, v. t. Etym: [AS. werian.]

Defn: To guard; to protect. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERE Were. Etym: [AS. wre (thou) wast, w (we, you, they) were, w imp. subj. See Was.]

Defn: The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be. See Be.

WERE
Were, n. Etym: [AS. wer; akin to OS. & OHG. wer, Goth. waír, L. vir,
Skr. vira. 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.

WEREGILD
Were"gild`, n. Etym: [AS. wergild; wer a man, value set on a man's
life + gild payment of money; akin to G. wehrgeld. Were a man, and
Geld, n.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: 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.

WEREWOLF
Were"wolf`, n.; pl. Werewolves. Etym: [AS. werwulf; wer a man + wulf
a wolf; cf. G. wärwolf, währwolf, wehrwolf, a werewolf, MHG. werwolf.
Were a man, and Wolf, and cf. Virile, World.]

Defn: 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.

WERK; WERKE
Werk, n., Werke, v.

Defn: See Work. [Obs.]

WERN
Wern, v. t. Etym: [See 1st Warn.]

Defn: To refuse. [Obs.] He is too great a niggard that will wern A man to light a candle at his lantern. Chaucer.

WERNERIAN
Wer*ne"ri*an, a.

Defn: 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.

WERNERITE
Wer"ner*ite, n. Etym: [See Wernerian.] (Min.)

Defn: The common grayish or white variety of soapolite.

WEROOLE
We*roo"le, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An Australian lorikeet (Ptilosclera versicolor) noted for the variety of its colors; — called also varied lorikeet.

WERRE
Werre, n.

Defn: War. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERREY
Wer"rey, v. t.

Defn: To warray. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERST
Werst, n.

Defn: See Verst.

WERT
Wert

Defn: , 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.

WERT
Wert, n.

Defn: A wart. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WERYANGLE
Wer`y*an"gle, n.

Defn: See Wariangle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WESAND
We"sand, n.

Defn: See Weasand. [Obs.]

WESH
Wesh, obs. imp. of Wash.

Defn: Washed. Chaucer.

WESIL
We"sil n.

Defn: See Weasand. [Obs.]

WESLEYAN
Wes"ley*an, a. Etym: [See Wesleyanism.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Wesley or Wesleyanism.

WESLEYAN
Wes"ley*an, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: One who adopts the principles of Wesleyanism; a Methodist.

WESLEYANISM
Wes"ley*an*ism, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: 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.

WEST
West, n. Etym: [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. 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. Specifically: (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 11 — West northwest, West southwest, that point which lies 22Illust. of Compass.

WEST
West, a.

Defn: 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. West end, the fashionable part of London, commencing from the east, at Charing Cross.

WEST
West, adv. Etym: [AS. west.]

Defn: Westward.

WEST
West, v. i.

1. To pass to the west; to set, as the sun. [Obs.] "The hot sun gan to west." Chaucer.

2. To turn or move toward the west; to veer from the north or south toward the west.

WESTERING
West"er*ing, a.

Defn: Passing to the west.
Toward heaven's descent had sloped his westering wheel. Milton.

WESTERLY
West"er*ly, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the west; toward the west; coming from the west; western.

WESTERLY
West"er*ly, adv.

Defn: Toward the west; westward.

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.

WESTERNER
West"ern*er, n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of the west.

WESTERNMOST
West"ern*most`, a.

Defn: Situated the farthest towards the west; most western.

WEST INDIA; WEST INDIAN
West` In"di*a, West` In"di*an.

Defn: 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.

WEST INDIAN
West` In"di*an.

Defn: A native of, or a dweller in, the West Indies.

WESTING
West"ing, n. (Naut. & Surv.)

Defn: 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.

WESTLING
West"ling, n.

Defn: A westerner. [R.]

WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY
West"min`ster As*sem"bly.

Defn: See under Assembly.

WESTMOST
West"most`, a.

Defn: Lying farthest to the west; westernmost.

WESTWARD; WESTWARDS West"ward, West"wards, adv. Etym: [AS. westweard. See West, and - ward. ]

Defn: Toward the west; as, to ride or sail westward.
Westward the course of empire takes its way. Berkeley.

WESTWARD
West"ward, a.

Defn: Lying toward the west.
Yond same star that's westward from the pole. Shak.

WESTWARD
West"ward, n.

Defn: The western region or countries; the west.

WESTWARDLY
West"ward*ly, adv.

Defn: In a westward direction.

WESTY
West"y, a.

Defn: Dizzy; giddy. [Prov. Eng.]

WET
Wet, a. [Compar. Wetter; superl. Wettest.] Etym: [OE. wet, weet, AS.
wt; akin to OFries. wt, Icel. vatr, Sw. våt, Dan. vaad, and E. water.
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 cheeks." Shak.

2. Very damp; rainy; as, wet weather; a wet season. "Wet October's torrent flood." Milton.

3. (Chem.)

Defn: 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]

Syn.
— Nasty; humid; damp; moist. See Nasty.

WET
Wet, n. Etym: [AS. wæta. 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]

WET
Wet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wet (rarely Wetted); p. pr. & vb. n.
Wetting.] Etym: [AS. wætan.]

Defn: 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. "[The scene] did draw tears from me and wetted my paper." 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.

WETBIRD
Wet"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The chaffinch, whose cry is thought to foretell rain. [Prov.
Eng.]

WET-BULB THERMOMETER
Wet-bulb thermometer. (Physics)

Defn: That one of the two similar thermometers of a psychrometer the bulb of which is moistened; also, the entire instrument.

WETHER Weth"er, n. Etym: [OE. wether, AS. we; akin to OS. wethar, withar, a ram, D. weder, G. widder, OHG. widar, Icel. ver, Sw. vädur, Dan. vædder, Goth. wiprus a lamb, L. vitulus calf, Skr. vatsa, L. vetus old, Gr. Veal, Veteran.]

Defn: A castrated ram.

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.

Note: Wetness generally implies more water or liquid than is implied by humidness or moisture.

WET NURSE
Wet" nurse`.

Defn: A nurse who suckles a child, especially the child of another woman. Cf. Dry nurse.

WET PLATE
Wet plate. (Photog.)

Defn: 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.

WET-SHOD
Wet"-shod`, a.

Defn: Having the feet, or the shoes on the feet, wet.

WETTISH
Wet"tish, a.

Defn: Somewhat wet; moist; humid.

WEVIL
We"vil, n.

Defn: See Weevil.

WEX
Wex, v. t. & i.

Defn: To grow; to wax. [Obs.] Chaucer. "Each wexing moon." Dryden.

WEX
Wex, obs. imp. of Wex.

Defn: Waxed. Chaucer.

WEX
Wex, n.

Defn: Wax. [Obs.] "Yelwe as wex." Chaucer.

WEY
Wey, n.

Defn: Way; road; path. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEY
Wey, v. t. & i.

Defn: To weigh. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEY
Wey, n. Etym: [OE. weye, AS. w weight. Weight.]

Defn: A certain measure of weight. [Eng.] "A weye of Essex cheese."
Piers Plowman.

Note: A wey is 6 Simmonds.

WEYLE
Weyle, v. t. & i.

Defn: To wail. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEYLEWAY
Wey"le*way, interj.

Defn: See Welaway. [Obs.]

WEYVE
Weyve, v. t.

Defn: To waive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WEZAND
We"zand, n.

Defn: See Weasand. [Obs.]

WHAAP Whaap, n. Etym: [So called from one of its notes.] (Zoöl.) (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.]

WHACK
Whack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Whacking.] Etym:
[Cf. Thwack.]

Defn: 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.

WHACK
Whack, v. i.

Defn: To strike anything with a smart blow. To whack away, to continue striking heavy blows; as, to whack away at a log. [Colloq.]

WHACK
Whack, n.

Defn: A smart resounding blow. [Colloq.]

WHACKER
Whack"er, n.

1. One who whacks. [Colloq.]

2. Anything very large; specif., a great lie; a whapper. [Colloq.] Halliwell.

WHACKING
Whack"ing, a.

Defn: Very large; whapping. [Colloq.]

WHAHOO
Wha*hoo", n. (Bot.)

Defn: An American tree, the winged elm. (Ulmus alata).

WHALA
Whala, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whaled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whaling.] Etym:
[Cf. Wale. ]

Defn: To lash with stripes; to wale; to thrash; to drub. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.] Halliwell. Bartlett.

WHALE
Whale, n. Etym: [OE. whal, AS. hwæl; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal,
walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf.
Narwhal, Walrus.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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. (Zoöl.) (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 (Zoöl.), any one of several species of degraded amphipod crustaceans belonging to the genus Cyamus, especially C. ceti. They are parasitic on various cetaceans. — Whale's bone, ivory. [Obs.] — Whale shark. (Zoöl.) (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 (Zoöl.), a balanoglossus.

WHALEBACK
Whale"back`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: 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.

WHALEBOAT
Whale"boat`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A long, narrow boat, sharp at both ends, used by whalemen.

WHALEBONE
Whale"bone`, n.

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

WHALEMAN
Whale"man, n.; pl. Whalemen (.

Defn: A man employed in the whale fishery.

WHALER
Whal"er, n.

Defn: A vessel or person employed in the whale fishery.

WHALER
Whal"er, n.

Defn: One who whales, or beats; a big, strong fellow; hence, anything of great or unusual size. [Colloq. U. S.]

WHALING
Whal"ing, n.

Defn: The hunting of whales.

WHALING
Whal"ing, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or employed in, the pursuit of whales; as, a whaling voyage; a whaling vessel.

WHALL
Whall, n. Etym: [See Wall-eye.]

Defn: A light color of the iris in horses; wall-eye. [Written also whaul.]

WHALLY
Whall"y, a.

Defn: Having the iris of light color; — said of horses. "Whally eyes." Spenser.

WHAME
Whame, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A breeze fly.

WHAMMEL
Wham"mel, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Whelm.]

Defn: To turn over. [Prov. Eng.]

WHAN
Whan, adv.

Defn: When. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WHANG
Whang, n. Etym: [Cf. Thong.]

Defn: A leather thong. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

WHANG
Whang, v. t.

Defn: To beat. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

WHANGDOODLE
Whang"doo`dle, n.

Defn: An imaginary creature, of undefined character. [Slang]

WHANGHEE
Whang*hee", n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Wanghee.

WHAP; WHOP Whap, Whop, v. i. Etym: [Cf. OE. quappen to palpitate, E. quob, quaver, wabble, awhape, wap.]

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

WHAP; WHOP
Whap, Whop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whapping.]

Defn: To beat or strike.

WHAP; WHOP
Whap, Whop, n.

Defn: A blow, or quick, smart stroke.

WHAPPER; WHOPPER
Whap"per, Whop"per, n. Etym: [See Whap.]

Defn: Something uncommonly large of the kind; something astonishing; — applied especially to a bold lie. [Colloq.]

WHAPPING; WHOPPING
Whap"ping, Whop"ping, a.

Defn: Very large; monstrous; astonishing; as, a whapping story.
[Colloq.]

WHARF Wharf, n.; pl. Wharfs or Wharves. Etym: [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, hwarbon, 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.

Note: 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. Etym: [AS. hwearf.]

Defn: The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea. [Obs.] "The fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe 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. (Zoöl.) (a) The common brown rat. (b) A neglected boy who lives around the wharfs. [Slang]

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.

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.

WHARFING
Wharf"ing, n.

1. Wharfs, collectively.

2. (Hydraul. Engin.)

Defn: A mode of facing sea walls and embankments with planks driven as piles and secured by ties. Knight.

WHARFINGER
Wharf"in*ger, n. Etym: [For wharfager.]

Defn: A man who owns, or has the care of, a wharf.

WHARL; WHARLING
Wharl, Wharl"ing, n.

Defn: A guttural pronunciation of the letter r; a burr. See Burr, n.,
6.
A strange, uncouth wharling in their speech. Fuller.

WHARP
Wharp, n.

Defn: A kind of fine sand from the banks of the Trent, used as a polishing powder. [Eng.]

WHAT
What, pron., a., & adv. Etym: [AS. hwæt, neuter of hwa who; akin to
OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz,
Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. sq. root182. 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.

Note: 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. 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 welcome be thou." Chaucer. What, could ye not watch with me one hour Matt. xxvi. 40.

(b) Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable, or how great; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage! What a piece of work is man! Shak. O what a riddle of absurdity! Young.

Note: What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized. (c) Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how; as, what happy boys! What partial judges are our and hate! Dryden.

3. As a relative pronoun: — (a) Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which, or those [persons] who, or those [things] which; — called a compound relative. 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.

(b) Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which; the sort or kind of . . . which; rarely, the . . . on, or at, which. 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.

(c) Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw.

4. Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; — used indefinitely. "What after so befall." 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.

Note: 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, orwhat 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. 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 that it etc., what follows from this, that, it, etc., often with the implication that it is of no consequence. "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. What time the morn mysterious visions brings. Pope.

WHAT
What, n.

Defn: Something; thing; stuff. [Obs.]
And gave him for to feed, Such homely what as serves the simple
Spenser.

WHAT
What, interrog. adv.

Defn: 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.

WHATE'ER
What*e'er", pron.

Defn: A contraction of what-ever; — used in poetry. "Whate'er is in his way." Shak.

WHATEVER
What*ev"er, pron.

Defn: 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.

Note: Whatever often follows a noun, being used elliptically. "There being no room for any physical discovery whatever" [sc. it may be]. Whately.

WHATNOT
What"not, n. Etym: [See the Note under What, pron., 5.]

Defn: A kind of stand, or piece of furniture, having shelves for books, ornaments, etc.; an étagère.

WHATSO
What"so, indef. pron.

Defn: Whatsoever; whosoever; whatever; anything that. [Obs.]
Whatso he were, of high or low estate. Chaucer.
Whatso the heaven in his wide vault contains. Spenser.

WHATSOE'ER
What`so*e'er", pron.

Defn: A contraction of whatsoever; — used in poetry. Shak.

WHATSOEVER
What`so*ev"er, pron. & a.

Defn: Whatever. "In whatsoever shape he lurk." Milton.
Whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Gen. xxxi. 16.

Note: The word is sometimes divided by tmesis. "What things soever ye desire." Mark xi. 24.

WHAUL
Whaul, n.

Defn: Same as Whall.

WHAUP
Whaup, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Whaap. [Prov. Eng.]

WHEAL Wheal, n. Etym: [OE. whele, AS. hwele putrefaction, hwelian to putrefy.]

Defn: A pustule; a whelk. Wiseman.

WHEAL
Wheal, n. Etym: [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.

WHEAL
Wheal, n. Etym: [Cornish hwel.] (Mining)

Defn: A mine.

WHEALWORM
Wheal"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The harvest mite; — so called from the wheals, caused by its bite.

WHEAT Wheat, n. Etym: [OE. whete, AS. hwte; akin to OS. hwti, D. weit, G. weizen, OHG. weizzi, Icel. hveiti, Sw. hvete, Dan. hvede, Goth. hwaiteis, and E. while. See White.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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 (Zoöl.), any one of several species of Aphis and allied genera, which suck the sap of growing wheat. — Wheat beetle. (Zoöl.) (a) A small, slender, rusty brown beetle (Sylvanus Surinamensis) whose larvæ feed upon wheat, rice, and other grains. (b) A very small, reddish brown, oval beetle (Anobium paniceum) whose larvæ eat the interior of grains of wheat. — Wheat duck (Zoöl.), the American widgeon. [Western U. S.] — Wheat fly. (Zoöl.) 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. (Zoöl.) See Jointworm. — Wheat louse (Zoöl.), any wheat aphid. — Wheat maggot (Zoöl.), the larva of a wheat midge. — Wheat midge. (Zoöl.) (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 larvæ suck the juice of the young kernels and when full grown change to pupæ in the earth. (b) The Hessian fly. See under Hessian. — Wheat moth (Zoöl.), any moth whose larvæ 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 (Zoöl.), a small brown thrips (Thrips cerealium) which is very injurious to the grains of growing wheat. — Wheat weevil. (Zoöl.) (a) The grain weevil. (b) The rice weevil when found in wheat.

WHEATBIRD
Wheat"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A bird that feeds on wheat, especially the chaffinch.

WHEATEAR
Wheat"ear`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small European singing bird (Saxicola oenanthe). 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.

WHEATEN
Wheat"en, a. Etym: [AS. hwæten.]

Defn: Made of wheat; as, wheaten bread. Cowper.

WHEAT RUST
Wheat rust.

Defn: A disease of wheat and other grasses caused by the rust fungus
Puccinia graminis; also, the fungus itself.

WHEAT SAWFLY Wheat sawfly. (a) A small European sawfly (Cephus pygmæus) whose larva does great injury to wheat by boring in the stalks. (b) Any of several small American sawflies of the genus Dolerus, as D. sericeus and D. arvensis, whose larvæ injure the stems or heads of wheat. (c) Pachynematus extensicornis, whose larvæ feed chiefly on the blades of wheat; — called also grass sawfly.

WHEATSEL BIRD
Wheat"sel bird`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The male of the chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.]

WHEATSTONE'S BRIDGE
Wheat"stone's bridge`. (Elec.)

Defn: See under Bridge.

WHEATSTONE'S RODS
Wheat"stone's rods. (Acoustics)

Defn: 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.

WHEATWORM
Wheat"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small nematode worm (Anguillula tritici) which attacks the grains of wheat in the ear. It is found in wheat affected with smut, each of the diseased grains containing a large number of the minute young of the worm.

WHEDER
Whed"er pron. & conj.

Defn: Whether. [Obs.]

WHEEDLE
Whee"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling.]
Etym: [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.

WHEEDLE
Whee"dle, v. i.

Defn: To flatter; to coax; to cajole.

WHEEL Wheel, n. Etym: [OE. wheel, hweol, AS. hweól, hweogul, hweowol; akin to D. wiel, Icel. hvel, Gr. cakra; cf. Icel. hjol, 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. Specifically: — (a) A spinning wheel. See under Spinning. (b) An instrument of torture formerly used. His examination is like that which is made by the rack and wheel. Addison.

Note: 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. (c) (Naut.) A circular frame having handles on the periphery, and an axle which is so connected with the tiller as to form a means of controlling the rudder for the purpose of steering. (d) (Pottery) A potter's wheel. See under Potter. 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. (e) (Pyrotechny)

Defn: A firework which, while burning, is caused to revolve on an axis by the reaction of the escaping gases. (f) (Poetry) The burden or refrain of a song.

Note: "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 aëry 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

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. "The beetle wheels her droning flight." Gray. Now heaven, in all her glory, shone, and rolled Her motions, as the great first mover's hand First wheeled their course. Milton.

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.

WHEELBAND
Wheel"band`, n.

Defn: The tire of a wheel.

WHEELBARROW
Wheel"bar`row, n.

Defn: A light vehicle for conveying small loads. It has two handles and one wheel, and is rolled by a single person.

WHEEL BASE
Wheel base.

Defn: 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.

WHEELBIRD
Wheel"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European goatsucker. [Prov. Eng.]

WHEELED
Wheeled, a.

Defn: Having wheels; — used chiefly in composition; as, a four- wheeled carriage.

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.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European goatsucker. [Prov. Eng.]

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.

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.

WHEELMAN
Wheel"man, n.; pl. Wheelmen (.

Defn: One who rides a bicycle or tricycle; a cycler, or cyclist.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Wheel of fortune.

Defn: 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.

WHEEL-SHAPED
Wheel"-shaped`, a.

1. Shaped like a wheel.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Expanding into a flat, circular border at top, with scarcely any tube; as, a wheel-shaped corolla.

WHEELSWARF
Wheel"swarf`, n.

Defn: See Swarf.

WHEELWORK
Wheel"work`, n. (Mach.)

Defn: A combination of wheels, and their connection, in a machine or mechanism.

WHEEL-WORN
Wheel"-worn`, a.

Defn: Worn by the action of wheels; as, a wheel-worn road.

WHEELWRIGHT
Wheel"wright`, n.

Defn: A man whose occupation is to make or repair wheels and wheeled vehicles, as carts, wagons, and the like.

WHEELY
Wheel"y, a.

Defn: Circular; suitable to rotation.

WHEEN
Wheen, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. hw, hw, a little, somewhat, hw little, few.]

Defn: A quantity; a goodly number. [Scot.] "A wheen other dogs." Sir
W. Scott.

WHEEZE
Wheeze, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wheezed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheezing.] Etym:
[OE. whesen, AS. hwsan (cf. Icel. hvæsa to hiss, Sw. hväsa, Dan.
hvæse); akin to AS. hwsta a cough, D. hoest, G. husten, OHG. huosto,
Icel. h, Lith. kosti to cough, Skr. k. sq. root43. Cf. Husky hoarse.]

Defn: To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma. "Wheezing lungs." Shak.

WHEEZE
Wheeze, n.

1. A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration.

2. (Phon.)

Defn: 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.

WHEEZY
Wheez"y, a.

Defn: Breathing with difficulty and with a wheeze; wheezing. Used also figuratively.

WHEFT
Wheft, n. (Naut.)

Defn: See Waft, n., 4.

WHELK Whelk, n. Etym: [OE. welk, wilk, AS. weoloc, weloc, wiloc. Cf. Whilk, and Wilk.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

WHELK
Whelk, n. Etym: [OE. whelke, dim. of whele. See Wheal a pustule.]

1. A papule; a pustule; acne. "His whelks white." Chaucer.

2. A stripe or mark; a ridge; a wale. Chin whelk (Med.), sycosis.
— Rosy whelk (Med.), grog blossom.

WHELKED
Whelked, a.

Defn: Having whelks; whelky; as, whelked horns. Shak.

WHELKY
Whelk"y, a.

1. Having whelks, ridges, or protuberances; hence, streaked; striated.

2. Shelly. "Whelky pearls." Spenser.

WHELM Whelm, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whelmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Whelming.] Etym: [OE. whelmen to turn over, akin to OE. whelven, AS. whelfan, hwylfan, in , , to overwhelm, cover over; akin to OS. bihwelbian, D. welven to arch, G. wölben, OHG. welben, Icel. hvelfa to overturn; cf. Gr.

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. "The whelming weight of crime." J. H. Newman.

3. To throw (something) over a thing so as to cover it. [Obs.] Mortimer.

WHELP Whelp, n. Etym: [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. "A bear robbed of her 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.)

Defn: 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.

WHELP
Whelp, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whelped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whelping.]

Defn: To bring forth young; — said of the female of the dog and some beasts of prey.

WHELP
Whelp, v. t.

Defn: 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.

WHEN When, adv. Etym: [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. Who.]

1. At what time; — used interrogatively. When shall these things be Matt. xxiv. 3.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.

WHENAS
When"as`, conj.

Defn: Whereas; while [Obs.] Whenas, if they would inquire into themselves, they would find no such matter. Barrow.

WHENCE Whence, adv. Etym: [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.

Note: All the words of this class, whence, where, whither,
whereabouts, etc., are occasionally used as pronouns by a harsh
construction.
O, how unlike the place from whence they fell Milton.

Note: From whence, though a pleonasm, is fully authorized by the use
of good writers.
From whence come wars and fightings among you James iv. 1.
Of whence, also a pleonasm, has become obsolete.

WHENCEEVER
Whence*ev"er, adv. & conj.

Defn: Whencesoever. [R.]

WHENCEFORTH
Whence`forth", adv.

Defn: From, or forth from, what or which place; whence. [Obs.]
Spenser.

WHENCESOEVER
Whence`so*ev"er, adv. & conj.

Defn: From what place soever; from what cause or source soever.
Any idea, whencesoever we have it. Locke.

WHENE'ER
When*e'er, adv. & conj.

Defn: Whenever.

WHENEVER
When*ev"er, adv. & conj.

Defn: At whatever time. "Whenever that shall be." Milton.

WHENNES
When"nes, adv.

Defn: Whence. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WHENSOEVER
When`so*ev"er, adv. & conj.

Defn: At what time soever; at whatever time; whenever. Mark xiv. 7.

WHER; WHERE
Wher, Where (, pron. & conj. Etym: [See Whether.]

Defn: Whether. [Sometimes written whe'r.] [Obs.] Piers Plowman. Men must enquire (this is mine assent), Wher she be wise or sober or dronkelewe. Chaucer.

WHERE
Where, adv. Etym: [OE. wher, whar, AS. hw; akin to D. waar, OS. hw,
OHG. hwar, war, wa, G. wo, Icel. and Sw. hvar, Dan. hvor, Goth. hwar,
and E. who; cf. Skr. karhi when. sq. root182. 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.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.

Note: 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

Syn.
— See Whither.

WHERE
Where, conj.

Defn: Whereas. And flight and die is death destroying death; Where fearing dying pays death servile breath. Shak.

WHERE
Where, n.

Defn: Place; situation. [Obs. or Colloq.]
Finding the nymph asleep in secret where. Spenser.

WHEREABOUT; WHEREABOUTS
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

Note: In this sense, whereabouts is the common form.

2. Concerning which; about which. "The object whereabout they are conversant." Hooker.

WHEREABOUT; WHEREABOUTS
Where"a*bout`, Where"a*bouts`, n.

Defn: The place where a person or thing is; as, they did not know his
whereabouts. Shak.
A puzzling notice of thy whereabout. Wordsworth.

WHEREAS
Where*as", adv.

Defn: At which place; where. [Obs.] Chaucer.
At last they came whereas that lady bode. Spenser.

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.

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

WHEREBY
Where*by", adv.

1. By which; — used relatively. "You take my life when you take the means whereby I life." Shak.

2. By what; how; — used interrogatively. Whereby shall I know this Luke i. 18.

WHERE'ER
Wher*e'er", adv.

Defn: Wherever; — a contracted and poetical form. Cowper.

WHEREFORE
Where"fore, adv.& conj. Etym: [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.

WHEREFORE
Where"fore, n.

Defn: the reason why. [Colloq.]

WHEREFORM
Where*form", adv. Etym: [Where + from.]

Defn: From which; from which or what place. Tennyson.

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.

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.

WHERENESS
Where"ness, n.

Defn: 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.

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.

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

WHEREOUT
Where*out", adv.

Defn: Out of which. [R.]
The cleft whereout the lightning breaketh. Holland.

WHERESO
Where"so, adv.

Defn: Wheresoever. [Obs.]

WHERESOE'ER
Where`so*e'er", adv.

Defn: Wheresoever. [Poetic] "Wheresoe'er they rove." Milton.

WHERESOEVER
Where`so*ev"er, adv.

Defn: In what place soever; in whatever place; wherever.

WHERETHROUGH
Where*through", adv.

Defn: Through which. [R.] "Wherethrough that I may know." Chaucer. Windows . . . wherethrough the sun Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee. Shak.

WHERETO
Where*to", adv.

1. To which; — used relatively. "Whereto we have already attained." Phil. iii. 16. Whereto all bonds do tie me day by day. Shak.

2. To what; to what end; — used interrogatively.

WHEREUNTO
Where`un*to", adv.

Defn: Same as Whereto.

WHEREUPON
Where`up*on", adv.

Defn: Upon which; in consequence of which; after which.
The townsmen mutinied and sent to Essex; whereupon he came thither.
Clarendon.

WHEREVER
Wher*ev"er, adv.

Defn: At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
He can not but love virtue wherever it is. Atterbury.

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.

WHEREWITH
Where*with", n.

Defn: 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.

WHEREWITHAL
Where`with*al", adv. & n.

Defn: Wherewith. "Wherewithal shall we be clothed" 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.

WHERRET
Wher"ret, v. t. Etym: [From Whir.]

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.]

WHERRET
Wher"ret, n.

Defn: A box on the ear. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

WHERRY Wher"ry, n.; pl. Wherries. Etym: [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.

WHERRY
Wher"ry, n. Etym: [Cf. W. chwerw bitter.]

Defn: A liquor made from the pulp of crab apples after the verjuice is expressed; — sometimes called crab wherry. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

WHERSO
Wher"so, adv.

Defn: Wheresoever. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WHET Whet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whetting.] Etym: [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 Cæsar, I have not slept. Shak. To whet on, To whet forward, to urge on or forward; to instigate. Shak.

WHET
Whet, n.

1. The act of whetting.

2. That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer. "Sips, drams, and whets." Spectator. Whet slate (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting instruments; novaculite; — called also whetstone slate, and oilstone.

WHETHER Wheth"er, pron. Etym: [OE. whether, AS. hwæ; akin to OS. hwe, OFries. hweder, OHG. hwedar, wedar, G. weder, conj., neither, Icel. hvarr whether, Goth. hwa, Lith. katras, L. uter, Gr. katara, from the interrogatively pronoun, in AS. hwa who. Who, and cf. Either, Neither, Or, conj.]

Defn: 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.

WHETHER
Wheth"er, conj.

Defn: 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.

WHETHERING
Wheth"er*ing, n.

Defn: The retention of the afterbirth in cows. Gardner.

WHETILE
Whet"ile, n. Etym: [Cf. Whitile.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The green woodpecker, or yaffle. See Yaffle. [Prov. Eng.]

WHETSTONE
Whet"stone`, n. Etym: [AS. hwetstan.]

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.]

WHETTER
Whet"ter, n.

1. One who, or that which, whets, sharpens, or stimulates.

2. A tippler; one who drinks whets. [Obs.] Steele.

WHETTLEBONES
Whet"tle*bones, n. pl.

Defn: The vertebræ of the back. [Prov. Eng.] Dunglison.

WHEW
Whew (hwu), n. & interj.

Defn: A sound like a half-formed whistle, expressing astonishment, scorn, or dislike. Whew duck, the European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]

WHEW
Whew, v. i.

Defn: To whistle with a shrill pipe, like a plover. [Prov. Eng. &
Scot.]

WHEWELLITE
Whew"ell*ite, n. Etym: [So named after Prof. Whewell of Cambridge,
England.] (Min.)

Defn: Calcium oxalate, occurring in colorless or white monoclinic crystals.

WHEWER Whew"er, n. Etym: [Cf. W. chwiwell a widgeon, chwiws widgeons, waterfowls; or cf. E. whew, v. i.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]

WHEY Whey, n. Etym: [AS. hwæg; cf. D. wei, hui, Fries. weye, LG. wey, waje. ]

Defn: 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.

WHEY CURE
Whey cure.

Defn: Treatment with whey as a drink and in baths.

WHEYEY
Whey"ey, a.

Defn: Of the nature of, or containing, whey; resembling whey; wheyish. Bacon.

WHEYFACE
Whey"face`, n.

Defn: One who is pale, as from fear.

WHEY-FACED
Whey"-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a pale or white face, as from fright. "Whey-faced cavaliers." Aytoun.

WHEYISH
Whey"ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat like whey; wheyey. J. Philips.
— Whey"ish*ness, n.

WHICH Which, pron. Etym: [OE. which, whilk, AS. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc, from the root of hwa who + lic body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries. hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. welih, hwelih, Icel. hvilikr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks, hwleiks; cf. L. qualis. 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.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.

WHICHEVER; WHICHSOEVER
Which*ev"er, Which`so*ev"er, pron. & a.

Defn: 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.

WHIDAH BIRD
Whid"ah bird`, (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.

WHIDER
Whid"er, adv.

Defn: Whither. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WHIFF Whiff, n. Etym: [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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The marysole, or sail fluke.

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.

WHIFF
Whiff, v. i.

Defn: To emit whiffs, as of smoke; to puff.

WHIFFET
Whif"fet, n.

Defn: A little whiff or puff.

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.

WHIFFLE
Whif"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whiffled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiffling.]
Etym: [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

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.

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.

WHIFFLE
Whif"fle, n.

Defn: A fife or small flute. [Obs.] Douce.

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.

Note: "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. (Zoöl)

Defn: The golden-eye. [Local, U.S.]

WHIFFLETREE
Whif"fle*tree`, n.

Defn: Same as Whippletree.

WHIG
Whig, n. Etym: [See Whey.]

Defn: Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet herbs, used as a cooling beverage. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

WHIG Whig, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.

WHIG
Whig, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Whigs.

WHIGGAMORE
Whig"ga*more, n. Etym: [See Whig.]

Defn: A Whig; — a cant term applied in contempt to Scotch
Presbyterians. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

WHIGGARCHY
Whig"gar*chy, n. Etym: [Whig + -archy.]

Defn: Government by Whigs. [Cont] Swift.

WHIGGERY
Whig"ger*y, n.

Defn: The principles or practices of the Whigs; Whiggism.

WHIGGISH
Whig"gish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Whigs; partaking of, or characterized by, the principles of Whigs.

WHIGGISHLY
Whig"gish*ly, adv.

Defn: In a Whiggish manner.

WHIGGISM
Whig"gism, n.

Defn: The principles of the Whigs.

WHIGLING
Whig"ling, n.

Defn: A petty or inferior Whig; — used in contempt. Spectator.

WHILE While, n. Etym: [AS. hwil; akin to OS. hwil, hwila, OFries. hwile, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wila, hwila, hwil, Icel. hvila a bed, hvild rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. Quiet, Whilom.]

1. Space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent. "All this 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. And so on us at whiles it falls, to claim Powers that we dread. J. H. Newman. — 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.

WHILE
While, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiling.]

Defn: 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.

WHILE
While, v. i.

Defn: To loiter. [R.] Spectator.

WHILE
While, conj.

1. During the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep. "While I have time and space." 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.]

WHILE
While, prep.

Defn: Until; till. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight. Beau. & Fl.

WHILERE
Whil`ere", adv. Etym: [While + ere]

Defn: 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.

WHILES
Whiles, adv. Etym: [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.

WHILES
Whiles, conj.

Defn: During the time that; while. [Archaic] Chaucer. Fuller. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him. Matt. v. 25.

WHILK
Whilk, n. Etym: [See Whelk a mollusk.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of mollusk, a whelk. [Prov. Eng.]

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The scoter. [Prov. Eng.]

WHILK
Whilk, pron.

Defn: Which. [Obs. or Scot.]

Note: Whilk is sometimes used in Chaucer to represent the Northern dialect.

WHILOM Whi"lom, adv. Etym: [AS. hwilum, properly, at times, dative pl. of hwil; akin to G. weiland formerly, OHG. hwilm, See While, n.]

Defn: 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.

WHILST
Whilst, adv. Etym: [From Whiles; cf. Amongst.]

Defn: While. [Archaic]
Whilst the emperor lay at Antioch. Gibbon.
The whilst, in the meantime; while. [Archaic.] Shak.

WHIM
Whim, n. Etym: [Cf. Whimbrel.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]

WHIM Whim, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.

Syn. — Freak; caprice; whimsey; fancy. — Whim, Freak, Caprice. Freak denotes an impulsive, inconsiderate change of mind, as by a child or a lunatic. Whim is a mental eccentricity due to peculiar processes or habits of thought. Caprice is closely allied in meaning to freak, but implies more definitely a quality of willfulness or wantonness.

WHIM
Whim, v. i.

Defn: To be subject to, or indulge in, whims; to be whimsical, giddy, or freakish. [R.] Congreve.

WHIMBREL
Whim"brel, n. Etym: [Cf. Whimper.] (Zoöl)

Defn: Any one of several species of small curlews, especially the
European species (Numenius phæopus), called also Jack curlew, half
curlew, stone curlew, and tang whaup. See Illustration in Appendix.
Hudsonian or, Eskimo, whimbreal, the Hudsonian curlew.

WHIMLING
Whim"ling, n. Etym: [Whim + -ling.]

Defn: One given to whims; hence, a weak, childish person; a child.
Go, whimling, and fetch two or three grating loaves. Beau. & Fl.

WHIMMY
Whim"my, a.

Defn: Full of whims; whimsical. The study of Rabbinical literature either finds a man whimmy or makes him so. Coleridge.

WHIMPER
Whim"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whimpered; p. pr. & vb. n. Whimpering.]
Etym: [Cf. Scot. whimmer, G. wimmern.]

Defn: 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.

WHIMPER
Whim"per, v. t.

Defn: To utter in alow, whining tone.

WHIMPER
Whim"per, n.

Defn: A low, whining, broken cry; a low, whining sound, expressive of complaint or grief.

WHIMPERER
Whim"per*er, n.

Defn: One who whimpers.

WHIMPLE
Whim"ple, v. t.

Defn: See Wimple.

WHIMPLE
Whim"ple, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Whiffle.]

Defn: To whiffle; to veer.

WHIMSEY; WHIMSY
Whim"sey, Whimsy, n.; pl. Whimseys or Whimsies. Etym: [See Whim.]

1. A whim; a freak; a capricious notion, a fanciful or odd conceit. "The whimsies of poets and painters." Ray. Men's folly, whimsies, and inconstancy. Swift. Mistaking the whimseys of a feverish brain for the calm revelation of truth. Bancroft.

2. (Mining)

Defn: A whim.

WHIMSEY
Whim"sey, v. t.

Defn: To fill with whimseys, or whims; to make fantastic; to craze.
[R.]
To have a man's brain whimsied with his wealth. J. Fletcher.

WHIMSICAL
Whim"si*cal, a. Etym: [From Whimsey.]

1. Full of, or characterized by, whims; actuated by a whim; having peculiar notions; queer; strange; freakish. "A whimsical insult." Macaulay. My neighbors call me whimsical. Addison.

2. Odd or fantastic in appearance; quaintly devised; fantastic. "A whimsical chair." Evelyn.

Syn.
— Quaint; capricious; fanciful; fantastic.

WHIMSICALITY
Whim`si*cal"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whimsical; whimsicalness.

WHIMSICALLY
Whim"si*cal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whimsical manner; freakishly.

WHIMSICALNESS
Whim"si*cal*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whimsical; freakishness; whimsical disposition.

WHIMSY
Whim"sy, n.

Defn: A whimsey.

WHIMWHAM
Whim"wham, n. Etym: [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.

WHIN
Whin, n. Etym: [W. chwyn weeds, a single weed.]

1. (Bot.) (a) Gorse; furze. See Furze. Through the whins, and by the cairn. Burns.

(b) Woad-waxed. Gray.

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 (Zoöl.), the hedge sparrow. [Prov. Eng.] — Whin Thrush (Zoöl.), the redwing. [Prov. Eng.]

WHINBERRY
Whin"ber*ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The English bilberry; — so called because it grows on moors among the whins, or furze. Dr. Prior.

WHINCHAT
Whin"chat`, n. Etym: [So called because it frequents whins.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small warbler (Pratincola rubetra) common in Europe; — called also whinchacker, whincheck, whin-clocharet.

WHINE Whine, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whined; p. pr. & vb. n. Whining.] Etym: [OE. whinen, AS. hwinan to make a whistling, whizzing sound; akin to Icel. hvina, Sw. hvina, Dan. hvine, and probably to G. wiehern to neigh, OHG. wihn, hweijn; perhaps of imitative origin. Cf. Whinny, v. i.]

Defn: To utter a plaintive cry, as some animals; to mean 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 plovers." Spenser. The hounds were . . . staying their coming, but with a whining accent, craving liberty. Sir P. Sidney. Dost thou come here to whine Shak.

WHINE
Whine, v. t.

Defn: To utter or express plaintively, or in a mean, unmanly way; as, to whine out an excuse.

WHINE
Whine, n.

Defn: A plaintive tone; the nasal, childish tone of mean complaint; mean or affected complaint.

WHINER
Whin"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whines.

WHINGE
Whinge, v. i.

Defn: To whine. [Scot.] Burns.

WHINGER
Whing"er, n. Etym: [See Whinyard.]

Defn: 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.

WHININGLY
Whin"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whining manner; in a tone of mean complaint.

WHINNER
Whin"ner, v. i.

Defn: To whinny. [Colloq.]

WHINNY
Whin"ny, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whinnied; p. pr. & vb. n. Whinnying.]
Etym: [From Whine]

Defn: To utter the ordinary call or cry of a horse; to neigh.

WHINNY
Whin"ny, n.; pl. Whinnies (.

Defn: The ordinary cry or call of a horse; a neigh. "The stately horse . . . stooped with a low whinny." Tennyson.

WHINNY
Whin"ny, a.

Defn: Abounding in whin, gorse, or furze.
A fine, large, whinny, . . . unimproved common. Sterne.

WHINOCK Whin"ock, n. Etym: [Cf. Scot. whin, quhene, a few, AS. hw, hwne, a little, hwn little, few. Cf. Wheen.]

Defn: The small pig of a litter. [Local, U. S.]

WHINSTONE
Whin"stone", n. Etym: [Whin + stone; cf. Scot. quhynstane.]

Defn: 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.

WHINYARD Whin"yard, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. & Scot. whingar, whinger; perhaps from AS. winn contention, war + geard, gyrd, a staff, rod, yard; or cf. AS. hwinan to whistle, E. whine.]

1. A sword, or hanger. [Obs.]

2. Etym: [From the shape of the bill.] (Zoöl) (a) The shoveler. [Prov. Eng.] (b) The poachard. [Prov. Eng.]

WHIP Whip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whipped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whipping.] Etym: [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.]

WHIP
Whip, v. i.

Defn: 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.

WHIP
Whip, n. Etym: [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. "[A] whip's lash." 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. 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

WHIPCORD
Whip"cord`, n.

Defn: A kind of hard-twisted or braided cord, sometimes used for making whiplashes.

WHIPGRAFT
Whip"graft`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whipgrafted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Whipgrafting.]

Defn: To graft by cutting the scion and stock in a certain manner.
See Whip grafting, under Grafting.

WHIPLASH
Whip"lash`, n.

Defn: The lash of a whip, — usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted.

WHIPPAREE Whip`pa*ree", n. (Zoöl.) (a) A large sting ray (Dasybatis, 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 R. 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.

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)

Defn: A kind of simple willow.

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.

WHIPPERSNAPPER
Whip"per*snap`per, n.

Defn: A diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person. [Colloq.]
"Little whippersnappers like you." T. Hughes.

WHIPPING
Whip"ping,

Defn: a & n. from Whip, v. Whipping post, a post to which offenders are tied, to be legally whipped.

WHIPPLETREE
Whip"ple*tree`, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: The cornel tree. Chaucer.

WHIP-POOR-WILL
Whip"-poor-will`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.]

WHIPSAW
Whip"saw`, n.

Defn: A saw for dividing timber lengthwise, usually set in a frame, and worked by two persons; also, a fret saw.

WHIP-SHAPED
Whip"-shaped`, a.

Defn: Shaped like the lash of a whip; long, slender, round, and tapering; as, a whip-shaped root or stem.

WHIPSTAFF
Whip"staff`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A bar attached to the tiller, for convenience in steering.

WHIPSTALK
Whip"stalk`, n.

Defn: A whipstock.

WHIPSTER
Whip"ster, n. Etym: [Whip + -ster.]

Defn: A nimble little fellow; a whippersnapper.
Every puny whipster gets my sword. Shak.

WHIPSTICK
Whip"stick`, n.

Defn: Whip handle; whipstock.

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.)

Defn: The act or process of whipstitching.

WHIPSTITCH
Whip"stitch`, v. t. (Agric.)

Defn: To rafter; to plow in ridges, as land. [Eng.]

WHIPSTOCK
Whip"stock`, n.

Defn: The rod or handle to which the lash of a whip is fastened.

WHIPT
Whipt, imp. & p. p. of Whip.

Defn: Whipped.

WHIP-TOM-KELLY
Whip"-tom`-kel"ly, n. Etym: [So called in imitation of its notes.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A vireo (Vireo altiloquus) native of the West Indies and
Florida; — called also black-whiskered vireo.

WHIPWORM
Whip"worm`, n. Etym: [So called from its shape.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A nematode worm (Trichocephalus dispar) often found parasitic in the human intestine. Its body is thickened posteriorly, but is very long and threadlike anteriorly.

WHIR
Whir, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whirred; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirring.] Etym:
[Perhaps of imitative origin; cf. D. hvirre to whirl, and E. hurr,
hurry, whirl.

Defn: 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.

WHIR
Whir, v. t. Etym: [See Whir to whiz.]

Defn: To hurry a long with a whizzing sound. [R.] This world to me is like a lasting storm, Whirring me from my friends. Shak.

WHIR
Whir, n.

Defn: A buzzing or whizzing sound produced by rapid or whirling motion; as, the whir of a partridge; the whir of a spinning wheel.

WHIRL
Whirl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirling.] Etym:
[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. sq. root16. 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.

WHIRL
Whirl, v. i.

1. To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate. "The whirling year vainly my dizzy eyes pursue." 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.

WHIRL
Whirl, n. Etym: [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. "In no breathless 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. & Zoöl.)

Defn: A whorl. See Whorl.

WHIRLABOUT
Whirl"a*bout`, n.

Defn: Something that whirls or turns about in a rapid manner; a whirligig.

WHIRLBAT
Whirl"bat`, n.

Defn: 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 Cæsar. Dryden.

WHIRL-BLAST
Whirl"-blast`, n.

Defn: A whirling blast or wind.
A whirl-blast from behind the hill. Wordsworth.

WHIRLBONE Whirl"bone`, n. (Anat.) (a) The huckle bone. [Obs.] (b) The patella, or kneepan. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

WHIRLER
Whirl"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whirls.

WHIRLICOTE
Whirl"i*cote, n.

Defn: An open car or chariot. [Obs.] Of old time coaches were not known in this island, but chariots, or whirlicotes. Stow.

WHIRLIGIG
Whirl"i*gig, n. Etym: [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 mediæval 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

WHIRLING
Whirl"ing,

Defn: 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.

WHIRLPIT
Whirl"pit`, n.

Defn: A whirlpool. [Obs.] "Raging whirlpits." Sandys.

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 "balænæ," take up in length as much as four . . . arpents of land. Holland.

WHIRLWIG
Whirl"wig`, n. Etym: [Cf. Earwig.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A whirligig.

WHIRLWIND Whirl"wind`, n. Etym: [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.

Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones.

2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. "The whirlwind of hounds and hunters." Macaulay.

WHIRRY
Whir"ry, v. i.

Defn: To whir. [Obs.]

WHIRTLE
Whir"tle, n. (Mech.)

Defn: A perforated steel die through which wires or tubes are drawn to form them.

WHISK
Whisk, n. Etym: [See Whist, n.]

Defn: A game at cards; whist. [Obs.] Taylor (1630).

WHISK Whisk, n. Etym: [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.

WHISK
Whisk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whisked; p. pr. & vb. n. Whisking.] Etym:
[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.

WHISK
Whisk, v. i.

Defn: To move nimbly at with velocity; to make a sudden agile movement.

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.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: Iron rods extending on either side of the bowsprit, to spread, or guy out, the stays, etc.

WHISKERED
Whisk"ered, a.

1. Formed into whiskers; furnished with whiskers; having or wearing whiskers. Our forefathers, a grave, whiskered race. Cowper.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having elongated hairs, feathers, or bristles on the cheeks.
The whiskered vermin race. Grainger.

WHISKERLESS
Whisk"er*less, a.

Defn: Being without whiskers.

WHISKET
Whis"ket, n. Etym: [Cf. Wisket.]

1. A basket; esp., a straw provender basket. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: A small lathe for turning wooden pins.

WHISKEY
Whis"key, n.

Defn: Same as Whisky, a liquor.

WHISKEY; WHISKY Whis"key, Whis"ky, n.; pl. Whiskeys or Whiskies. Etym: [See Whisk, v. t. & n.]

Defn: A light carriage built for rapid motion; — called also tim- whiskey.

WHISKIN
Whisk"in, n.

Defn: A shallow drinking bowl. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.

WHISKING
Whisk"ing, a.

1. Sweeping along lightly.

2. Large; great. [Prov. Eng.]

WHISKY; WHISKEY
Whis"ky, Whis"key, n. Etym: [Ir. or Gael. uisge water (perhaps akin
to E. wash, water) in uisgebeatha whiskey, properly, water of life.
Cf. Usquebaugh.]

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

WHISKYFIED; WHISKEYFIED
Whis"ky*fied, Whis"key*fied, a. Etym: [Whisky + -fy.]

Defn: Drunk with whisky; intoxicated. [Humorous] Thackeray.

WHISKY RING; WHISKEY RING
Whisky, or Whiskey, Ring . (U. S. Hist.)

Defn: 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.

WHISP
Whisp, n.

Defn: See Wisp.

WHISP
Whisp, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A flock of snipe.

WHISPER
Whis"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whispered; p. pr. & vb. n. Whispering.]
Etym: [AS. hwisprian; akin to G. wispern, wispeln, OHG. hwispal,
Icel. hviskra, 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.

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.] "He came to whisper Wolsey." Shak.

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. "The whispers of the leaves." Tennyson.

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.

WHISPERING
Whis"per*ing,

Defn: 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.

WHISPERINGLY
Whis"per*ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers. Tennyson.

WHISPEROUSLY
Whis"per*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: Whisperingly. [R.]

WHIST
Whist, interj. Etym: [Cf. G. st! pst! bst! Hist.]

Defn: Be silent; be still; hush; silence.

WHIST
Whist, n. Etym: [From Whist, interj.]

Defn: 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, he hand is finished, and the cards are again shuffled and distributed.

Note: 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.

WHIST
Whist, v. t. Etym: [From Whist, interj.]

Defn: To hush or silence. [Obs.] Spenser.

WHIST
Whist, v. i.

Defn: To be or become silent or still; to be hushed or mute. [R.]
Surrey.

WHIST
Whist, a. Etym: [Properly p. p. of whist, v.]

Defn: Not speaking; not making a noise; silent; mute; still; quiet.
"So whist and dead a silence." Sir J. Harrington.
The winds, with wonder whist, Smoothly the waters kissed. Milton.

Note: This adjective generally follows its noun, or is used predicatively.

WHISTLE
Whis"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whistled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling.]
Etym: [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hvisla
to whisper, and E. whisper. 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.

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.

Note: "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.

WHISTLE Whis"tle, n. Etym: [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 (Zoöl.), the American golden-eye.

WHISTLEFISH
Whis"tle*fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A gossat, or rockling; — called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.

WHISTLER
Whis"tler, n. Etym: [AS. hwistlere.]

1. One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The ring ousel. (b) The widgeon. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The golden-eye. (d) The golden plover and the gray plover.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The hoary, or northern, marmot (Arctomys pruinosus).

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The whistlefish.

WHISTLEWING
Whis"tle*wing`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American golden-eye.

WHISTLEWOOD
Whis"tle*wood`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The moosewood, or striped maple. See Maple.

WHISTLING
Whis"tling,

Defn: a. & n. from Whistle, v. Whistling buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy. — Whistling coot (Zoöl.), the American black scoter. — Whistling Dick. (Zoöl.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush (Colluricincla Selbii). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] — Whistling duck. (Zoöl.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck. — Whistling eagle (Zoöl.), a small Australian eagle (Haliastur sphenurus); — called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle. — Whistling plover. (Zoöl.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black- bellied, or gray, plover. — Whistling snipe (Zoöl.), the American woodcock. — Whistling swan. (Zoöl.) (a) The European whooper swan; — called also wild swan, and elk. (b) An American swan (Olor columbianus). See under Swan. — Whistling teal (Zoöl.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. — Whistling thrush. (Zoöl.) (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.]

WHISTLINGLY
Whis"tling*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whistling manner; shrilly.

WHISTLY
Whist"ly, adv.

Defn: In a whist manner; silently. [Obs.]

WHIT
Whit, n. Etym: [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See
Wight, and cf. Aught, Naught.]

Defn: The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; — generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. "Samuel told him every whit." 1 Sam. iii. 18. "Every whit as great." South. So shall I no whit be behind in duty. Shak. It does not me a whit displease. Cowley.

WHITE White, a. [Compar. Whiter; superl. Whitest.] Etym: [OE. whit, AS. hw; akin to OFries. and OS. hwit, D. wit, G. weiss, OHG. wiz, hwiz, Icel. hvitr, Sw. hvit, Dan. hvid, Goth. hweits, Lith. szveisti, to make bright, Russ. sviet' light, Skr. white, to be bright. Wheat, Whitsunday.]

1. Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; — the opposite of Ant: black or dark; as, white paper; a white skin. "Pearls white." Chaucer. White as the whitest lily on a stream. Longfellow.

2. Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear. Or whispering with white lips, "The foe! They come! they come!" Byron.

3. Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure. White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear. Dryden. No whiter page than Addison's remains. Pope.

4. Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary. Your high engendered battles 'gainst a head So old and white as this. Shak.

5. Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable. On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life. Sir W. Scott.

6. Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling. Come forth, my white spouse. Chaucer. I am his white boy, and will not be gullet. Ford.

Note: White is used in many self-explaining compounds, as white- backed, white-bearded, white-footed. White alder. (Bot.) See Sweet pepper bush, under Pepper. — White ant (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of social pseudoneuropterous insects of the genus Termes. These insects are very abundant in tropical countries, and form large and complex communities consisting of numerous asexual workers of one or more kinds, of large-headed asexual individuals called soldiers, of one or more queens (or fertile females) often having the body enormously distended by the eggs, and, at certain seasons of numerous winged males, together with the larvæ and pupæ of each kind in various stages of development. Many of the species construct large and complicated nests, sometimes in the form of domelike structures rising several feet above the ground and connected with extensive subterranean galleries and chambers. In their social habits they closely resemble the true ants. They feed upon animal and vegetable substances of various kinds, including timber, and are often very destructive to buildings and furniture. — White arsenic (Chem.), arsenious oxide, As2O3, a substance of a white color, and vitreous adamantine luster, having an astringent, sweetish taste. It is a deadly poison. — White bass (Zoöl.), a fresh-water North American bass (Roccus chrysops) found in the Great Likes. — White bear (Zoöl.), the polar bear. See under Polar. — White blood cell. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White brand (Zoöl.), the snow goose. — White brass, a white alloy of copper; white copper. — White campion. (Bot.) (a) A kind of catchfly (Silene stellata) with white flowers. (b) A white-flowered Lychnis (Lychnis vespertina). — White canon (R. C. Ch.), a Premonstratensian. — White caps, the members of a secret organization in various of the United States, who attempt to drive away or reform obnoxious persons by lynch-law methods. They appear masked in white. — White cedar (Bot.), an evergreen tree of North America (Thuja occidentalis), also the related Cupressus thyoides, or Chamæcyparis sphæroidea, a slender evergreen conifer which grows in the so-called cedar swamps of the Northern and Atlantic States. Both are much valued for their durable timber. In California the name is given to the Libocedrus decurrens, the timber of which is also useful, though often subject to dry rot. Goodale. The white cedar of Demerara, Guiana, etc., is a lofty tree (Icica, or Bursera, altissima) whose fragrant wood is used for canoes and cabinetwork, as it is not attacked by insect. — White cell. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White cell-blood (Med.), leucocythæmia. — White clover (Bot.), a species of small perennial clover bearing white flowers. It furnishes excellent food for cattle and horses, as well as for the honeybee. See also under Clover. — White copper, a whitish alloy of copper. See German silver, under German. — White copperas (Min.), a native hydrous sulphate of iron; coquimbite. — White coral (Zoöl.), an ornamental branched coral (Amphihelia oculata) native of the Mediterranean. — White corpuscle. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White cricket (Zoöl.), the tree cricket. — White crop, a crop of grain which loses its green color, or becomes white, in ripening, as wheat, rye, barley, and oats, as distinguished from a green crop, or a root crop. — White currant (Bot.), a variety of the common red currant, having white berries. — White daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy. See under Daisy. — White damp, a kind of poisonous gas encountered in coal mines. Raymond. — White elephant (Zoöl.), a whitish, or albino, variety of the Asiatic elephant. — White elm (Bot.), a majestic tree of North America (Ulmus Americana), the timber of which is much used for hubs of wheels, and for other purposes. — White ensign. See Saint George's ensign, under Saint. — White feather, a mark or symbol of cowardice. See To show the white feather, under Feather, n. — White fir (Bot.), a name given to several coniferous trees of the Pacific States, as Abies grandis, and A. concolor. — White flesher (Zoöl.), the ruffed grouse. See under Ruffed. [Canada] — White frost. See Hoarfrost. — White game (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. — White garnet (Min.), leucite. — White grass (Bot.), an American grass (Leersia Virginica) with greenish-white paleæ. — White grouse. (Zoöl.) (a) The white ptarmigan. (b) The prairie chicken. [Local, U. S.] — White grub (Zoöl.), the larva of the June bug and other allied species. These grubs eat the roots of grasses and other plants, and often do much damage. — White hake (Zoöl.), the squirrel hake. See under Squirrel. — White hawk, or kite (Zoöl.), the hen harrier. — White heat, the temperature at which bodies become incandescent, and appear white from the bright light which they emit. — White hellebore (Bot.), a plant of the genus Veratrum (V. album) See Hellebore, 2. — White herring, a fresh, or unsmoked, herring, as distinguished from a red, or cured, herring. [R.] Shak. — White hoolet (Zoöl.), the barn owl. [Prov. Eng.] — White horses (Naut.), white-topped waves; whitecaps. — The White House. See under House. — White ibis (Zoöl.), an American ibis (Guara alba) having the plumage pure white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. It inhabits tropical America and the Southern United States. Called also Spanish curlew. — White iron. (a) Thin sheets of iron coated with tin; tinned iron. (b) A hard, silvery-white cast iron containing a large proportion of combined carbon. — White iron pyrites (Min.), marcasite. — White land, a tough clayey soil, of a whitish hue when dry, but blackish after rain. [Eng.] — White lark (Zoöl.), the snow bunting. — White lead. (a) A carbonate of lead much used in painting, and for other purposes; ceruse. (b) (Min.) Native lead carbonate; cerusite. — White leather, buff leather; leather tanned with alum and salt. — White leg (Med.), milk leg. See under Milk. — White lettuce (Bot.), rattlesnake root. See under Rattlesnake. — White lie. See under Lie. — White light. (a) (Physics) Light having the different colors in the same proportion as in the light coming directly from the sun, without having been decomposed, as by passing through a prism. See the Note under Color, n., 1. (b) A kind of firework which gives a brilliant white illumination for signals, etc. — White lime, a solution or preparation of lime for whitewashing; whitewash. — White line (Print.), a void space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a blank line. — White meat. (a) Any light-colored flesh, especially of poultry. (b) Food made from milk or eggs, as butter, cheese, etc. Driving their cattle continually with them, and feeding only upon their milk and white meats. Spenser. — White merganser (Zoöl.), the smew. — White metal. (a) Any one of several white alloys, as pewter, britannia, etc. (b) (Metal.) A fine grade of copper sulphide obtained at a certain stage in copper smelting. — White miller. (Zoöl.) (a) The common clothes moth. (b) A common American bombycid moth (Spilosoma Virginica) which is pure white with a few small black spots; — called also ermine moth, and virgin moth. See Woolly bear, under Woolly. — White money, silver money. — White mouse (Zoöl.), the albino variety of the common mouse. — White mullet (Zoöl.), a silvery mullet (Mugil curema) ranging from the coast of the United States to Brazil; — called also blue- back mullet, and liza. — White nun (Zoöl.), the smew; — so called from the white crest and the band of black feathers on the back of its head, which give the appearance of a hood. — White oak. (Bot.) See under Oak. — White owl. (Zoöl.) (a) The snowy owl. (b) The barn owl. — White partridge (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. — White perch. (Zoöl.) (a) A North American fresh-water bass (Morone Americana) valued as a food fish. (b) The croaker, or fresh- water drum. (c) Any California surf fish. — White pine. (Bot.) See the Note under Pine. — White poplar (Bot.), a European tree (Populus alba) often cultivated as a shade tree in America; abele. — White poppy (Bot.), the opium-yielding poppy. See Poppy. — White powder, a kind of gunpowder formerly believed to exist, and to have the power of exploding without noise. [Obs.] A pistol charged with white powder. Beau. & Fl. — White precipitate. (Old Chem.) See under Precipitate. — White rabbit. (Zoöl.) (a) The American northern hare in its winter pelage. (b) An albino rabbit. — White rent, (a) (Eng. Law) Formerly, rent payable in silver; — opposed to black rent. See Blackmail, n., 3. (b) A rent, or duty, of eight pence, payable yearly by every tinner in Devon and Cornwall to the Duke of Cornwall, as lord of the soil. [Prov. Eng.] — White rhinoceros. (Zoöl.) (a) The one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus). See Rhinoceros. (b) The umhofo. — White ribbon, the distinctive badge of certain organizations for the promotion of temperance or of moral purity; as, the White-ribbon Army. — White rope (Naut.), untarred hemp rope. — White rot. (Bot.) (a) Either of several plants, as marsh pennywort and butterwort, which were thought to produce the disease called rot in sheep. (b) A disease of grapes. See White rot, under Rot. — White sage (Bot.), a white, woolly undershrub (Eurotia lanata) of Western North America; — called also winter fat. — White salmon (Zoöl.), the silver salmon. — White salt, salt dried and calcined; decrepitated salt. — White scale (Zoöl.), a scale insect (Aspidiotus Nerii) injurious to the orange tree. See Orange scale, under Orange. — White shark (Zoöl.), a species of man-eating shark. See under Shark. — White softening. (Med.) See Softening of the brain, under Softening. — White spruce. (Bot.) See Spruce, n., 1. — White squall (Naut.), a sudden gust of wind, or furious blow, which comes up without being marked in its approach otherwise than by whitecaps, or white, broken water, on the surface of the sea. — White staff, the badge of the lord high treasurer of England. Macaulay. — White stork (Zoöl.), the common European stork. — White sturgeon. (Zoöl.) See Shovelnose (d). — White sucker. (Zoöl.) (a) The common sucker. (b) The common red horse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum). — White swelling (Med.), a chronic swelling of the knee, produced by a strumous inflammation of the synovial membranes of the kneejoint and of the cancellar texture of the end of the bone forming the kneejoint; — applied also to a lingering chronic swelling of almost any kind. — White tombac. See Tombac. — White trout (Zoöl.), the white weakfish, or silver squeteague (Cynoscion nothus), of the Southern United States. — White vitriol (Chem.), hydrous sulphate of zinc. See White vitriol, under Vitriol. — White wagtail (Zoöl.), the common, or pied, wagtail. — White wax, beeswax rendered white by bleaching. — White whale (Zoöl.), the beluga. — White widgeon (Zoöl.), the smew. — White wine. any wine of a clear, transparent color, bordering on white, as Madeira, sherry, Lisbon, etc.; — distinguished from wines of a deep red color, as port and Burgundy. "White wine of Lepe." Chaucer. — White witch, a witch or wizard whose supernatural powers are supposed to be exercised for good and beneficent purposes. Addison. Cotton Mather. — White wolf. (Zoöl.) (a) A light-colored wolf (Canis laniger) native of Thibet; — called also chanco, golden wolf, and Thibetan wolf. (b) The albino variety of the gray wolf. — White wren (Zoöl.), the willow warbler; — so called from the color of the under parts.

WHITE
White, n.

1. The color of pure snow; one of the natural colors of bodies, yet not strictly a color, but a composition of all colors; the opposite of black; whiteness. See the Note under Color, n., 1. Finely attired in a of white. Shak.

2. Something having the color of snow; something white, or nearly so; as, the white of the eye.

3. Specifically, the central part of the butt in archery, which was formerly painted white; the center of a mark at which a missile is shot. 'T was I won the wager, though you hit the white. Shak.

4. A person with a white skin; a member of the white, or Caucasian, races of men.

5. A white pigment; as, Venice white.

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of butterflies belonging to Pieris, and allied genera in which the color is usually white. See Cabbage butterfly, under Cabbage. Black and white. See under Black. — Flake white, Paris white, etc. See under Flack, Paris, etc. — White of a seed (Bot.), the albumen. See Albumen, 2. — White of egg, the viscous pellucid fluid which surrounds the yolk in an egg, particularly in the egg of a fowl. In a hen's egg it is alkaline, and contains about 86 per cent of water and 14 per cent of solid matter, the greater portion of which is egg albumin. It likewise contains a small amount of globulin, and traces of fats and sugar, with some inorganic matter. Heated above 60º C. it coagulates to a solid mass, owing to the albumin which it contains. Parr. — White of the eye (Anat.), the white part of the ball of the eye surrounding the transparent cornea.

WHITE
White, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whited; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiting.] Etym:
[AS. hwitan.]

Defn: To make white; to whiten; to whitewash; to bleach.
Whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of . . . uncleanness. Matt. xxiii. 27.
So as no fuller on earth can white them. Mark. ix. 3.

WHITEBACK
White"back`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The canvasback.

WHITEBAIT White"bait`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The young of several species of herrings, especially of the common herring, esteemed a great delicacy by epicures in England. (b) A small translucent fish (Salanx Chinensis) abundant at certain seasons on the coasts of China and Japan, and used in the same manner as the European whitebait.

WHITEBEAM
White"beam`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The common beam tree of England (Pyrus Aria); — so called from the white, woolly under surface of the leaves.

WHITEBEARD
White"beard`, n.

Defn: An old man; a graybeard.

WHITEBELLY White"bel`ly, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The American widgeon, or baldpate. (b) The prairie chicken.

WHITEBILL
White"bill`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American coot.

WHITE-BLAZE
White"-blaze`, n.

Defn: See White-face.

WHITEBLOW
White"blow`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Whitlow grass, under Whitlow.

WHITEBOY
White"boy`, n.

1. A favorite. [Obs.] See White, a., 6. "One of God's whiteboys." Bunyan.

2. One of an association of poor Roman catholics which arose in Ireland about 1760, ostensibly to resist the collection of tithes, the members of which were so called from the white shirts they wore in their nocturnal raids.

WHITEBOYISM
White"boy`ism, n.

Defn: The conduct or principle of the Whiteboys.

WHITECAP
White"cap`, n.

1. (Zoöl.) (a) The European redstart; — so called from its white forehead. (b) The whitethroat; — so called from its gray head. (c) The European tree sparrow.

2. A wave whose crest breaks into white foam, as when the wind is freshening.

WHITECOAT
White"coat`, n.

Defn: The skin of a newborn seal; also, the seal itself. [Sealers'
Cant]

WHITE-EAR
White"-ear`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wheatear.

WHITE ELEPHANT
White elephant.

Defn: Something requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit; any burdensome possession. [Slang]

WHITE-EYE
White"-eye`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of small Old World singing of the genus Zosterops, as Zosterops palpebrosus of India, and Z. coerulescens of Australia. The eyes are encircled by a ring of white feathers, whence the name. Called also bush creeper, and white-eyed tit.

WHITE-FACE
White"-face`, n.

Defn: A white mark in the forehead of a horse, descending almost to the nose; — called also white-blaze.

WHITEFISH White"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of Coregonus, a genus of excellent food fishes allied to the salmons. They inhabit the lakes of the colder parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. The largest and most important American species (C. clupeiformis) is abundant in the Great Lakes, and in other lakes farther north. Called also lake whitefish, and Oswego bass. (b) The menhaden. (c) The beluga, or white whale.

Note: Various other fishes are locally called whitefish, as the silver salmon, the whiting (a), the yellowtail, and the young of the bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).

WHITEFLAW
White"flaw`, n. Etym: [See Whitlow.] (Med.)

Defn: A whitlow. [Obs.] Holland.

WHITE FLY
White fly.

Defn: Any one of numerous small injurious hemipterous insects of the genus Aleyrodes, allied to scale insects. They are usually covered with a white or gray powder.

WHITE-FOOT
White"-foot`, n. (Far.)

Defn: A white mark on the foot of a horse, between the fetlock and the coffin.

WHITE FRIAR
White" fri`ar. (Eccl.)

Defn: A mendicant monk of the Carmelite order, so called from the white cloaks worn by the order. See Carmelite.

WHITE-FRONTED
White`-front"ed, a.

Defn: Having a white front; as, the white-fronted lemur. White- fronted goose (Zoöl.), the white brant, or snow goose. See Snow goose, under Snow.

WHITEHEAD White"head`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The blue-winged snow goose. (b) The surf scoter.

WHITEHEAD TORPEDO; WHITEHEAD
White"head` tor*pe"do, or White"head`, n.

Defn: A form of self-propelling torpedo.

WHITE-HEART
White"-heart`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A somewhat heart-shaped cherry with a whitish skin.

WHITE HORSE
White horse.

Defn: A large mass of tough sinewy substance in the head of sperm whales, just above the upper jaw and extending in streaks into the junk above it. It resembles blubber, but contains no oil. Also, the part of the head in which it occurs.

WHITE-HOT
White"-hot`, a.

Defn: White with heat; heated to whiteness, or incandescence.

WHITE-LIMED
White"-limed`, a.

Defn: Whitewashed or plastered with lime. "White-limed walls." Shak.

WHITE LIST White list. (a) A list of business concerns regarded as worthy of patronage by reason of compliance with certain conditions, as in regard to treatment of employees; as, the white list of the Consumers' League. [Cant] (b) (New York Stock Exchange) The official list of all transactions, published daily on white paper, divided into sales from 10 to 12, 12 to 2, and 2 to 3.

WHITE-LIVERED
White"-liv`ered, a.

Defn: Having a pale look; feeble; hence, cowardly; pusillanimous;
dastardly.
They must not be milksops, nor white-livered knights. Latimer.

WHITELY
White"ly, a.

Defn: Like, or coming near to, white. [Obs.]

WHITE MUSTARD
White mustard.

Defn: A kind of mustard (Sinapis alba) with rough-hairy foliage, a long-beaked hispid pod, and pale seeds, which yield mustard and mustard oil. The plant is also grown for forage.

WHITEN
Whit"en, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whitened; p. pr. & vb. n. Whitening.]
Etym: [OE. whitenen; cf. Icel. hvitna.]

Defn: To grow white; to turn or become white or whiter; as, the hair whitens with age; the sea whitens with foam; the trees in spring whiten with blossoms.

WHITEN
Whit"en, v. t.

Defn: To make white; to bleach; to blanch; to whitewash; as, to whiten a wall; to whiten cloth. The broad stream of the Foyle then whitened by vast flocks of wild swans. Macaulay.

Syn.
— See Blanch.

WHITENER
Whit"en*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whitens; a bleacher; a blancher; a whitewasher.

WHITENESS
White"ness, n. Etym: [AS. hwitness.]

1. The quality or state of being white; white color, or freedom from darkness or obscurity on the surface. Chaucer.

2. Want of a sanguineous tinge; paleness; as from terror, grief, etc. "The whiteness in thy cheek." Shak.

3. Freedom from stain or blemish; purity; cleanness. He had kept The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o'er him wept. Byron.

4. Nakedness. [Obs.] Chapman.

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A flock of swans.

WHITENING
Whit"en*ing, n.

1. The act or process of making or becoming white.

2. That which is used to render white; whiting. [R.] Whitening stone, a sharpening and polishing stone used by cutlers; also, a finishing grindstone of fine texture.

WHITE PERSON
White person.

Defn: A person of the Caucasian race (6 Fed. Rep. 256). In the time of slavery in the United States white person was generally construed as a person without admixture of colored blood. In various statutes and decisions in different States since 1865 white person is construed as in effect: one not having any negro blood (Ark., Okla.); one having less than one eighth of negro blood (Ala., Fla., Ga., Ind., Ky., Md., Minn., Miss., Mo., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex.); one having less than one fourth (Mich., Neb., Ore., Va.); one having less than one half (Ohio).

WHITE PLAGUE
White plague.

Defn: Tuberculosis, esp. of the lungs.

WHITE-POT
White"-pot`, n.

Defn: A kind of food made of milk or cream, eggs, sugar, bread, etc., baked in a pot. King.

WHITERUMP
White"rump`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American black-tailed godwit.

WHITES
Whites, n. pl.

1. (Med.)

Defn: Leucorrh

2. The finest flour made from white wheat.

3. Cloth or garments of a plain white color.

WHITESIDE
White"side`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The golden-eye.

WHITE SLAVE
White slave.

Defn: A woman held in involuntary confinement for purposes of prostitution; loosely, any woman forced into unwilling prostitution.

WHITE SLAVER
White slaver.

Defn: A person engaged in procuring or holding a woman or women for unwilling prostitution.

WHITE SLAVING
White slaving.

Defn: The action of one who procures or holds a woman or women for unwilling prostitution.

WHITESMITH
White"smith`, n.

1. One who works in tinned or galvanized iron, or white iron; a tinsmith.

2. A worker in iron who finishes or polishes the work, in distinction from one who forges it.

WHITESTER
White"ster, n. Etym: [White + -ster.]

Defn: A bleacher of lines; a whitener; a whitster. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITETAIL
White"tail`, n.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Virginia deer.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wheatear. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITETHORN
White"thorn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The hawthorn.

WHITETHROAT
White"throat`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of Old World warblers, esp. the common European species (Sylvia cinerea), called also strawsmear, nettlebird, muff, and whitecap, the garden whitethroat, or golden warbler (S. hortensis), and the lesser whitethroat (S. curruca).

WHITETOP
White"top`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Fiorin.

WHITEWALL
White"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The spotted flycatcher; — so called from the white color of the under parts. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITEWASH
White"wash` (, n.

1. Any wash or liquid composition for whitening something, as a wash for making the skin fair. Addison.

2. A composition of line and water, or of whiting size, and water, or the like, used for whitening walls, ceilings, etc.; milk of lime.

WHITEWASH
White"wash`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whitewashed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Whitewashing.]

1. To apply a white liquid composition to; to whiten with whitewash.

2. To make white; to give a fair external appearance to; to clear from imputations or disgrace; hence, to clear (a bankrupt) from obligation to pay debts.

WHITEWASHER
White"wash`er, n.

Defn: One who whitewashes.

WHITE-WATER
White"-wa`ter, n. (Far.)

Defn: A dangerous disease of sheep.

WHITEWEED
White"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial composite herb (Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum) with conspicuous white rays and a yellow disk, a common weed in grass lands and pastures; — called also oxeye daisy.

WHITEWING White"wing`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The chaffinch; — so called from the white bands on the wing. (b) The velvet duck.

WHITEWOOD
White"wood`, n.

Defn: The soft and easily-worked wood of the tulip tree (Liriodendron). It is much used in cabinetwork, carriage building, etc.

Note: Several other kinds of light-colored wood are called whitewood in various countries, as the wood of Bignonia leucoxylon in the West Indies, of Pittosporum bicolor in Tasmania, etc. Whitewood bark. See the Note under Canella.

WHITEWORT White"wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) Wild camomile. (b) A kind of Solomon's seal (Polygonum officinale).

WHITFLAW
Whit"flaw`, n. Etym: [See Whitlow.]

Defn: Whitlow. [Obs.] "The nails fallen off by whitflaws." Herrick.

WHITHER Whith"er, adv. Etym: [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]

1. To what place; — used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou "Whider may I flee" Chaucer. Sir Valentine, whither away so fast Shak.

2. To what or which place; — used relatively. That no man should know . . . whither that he went. Chaucer. We came unto the land whither thou sentest us. Num. xiii. 27.

3. To what point, degree, end, conclusion, or design; whereunto; whereto; — used in a sense not physical. Nor have I . . . whither to appeal. Milton. Any whither, to any place; anywhere. [Obs.] "Any whither, in hope of life eternal." Jer. Taylor. — No whither, to no place; nowhere. [Obs.] 2 Kings v. 25.

Syn. — Where. — Whither, Where. Whither properly implies motion to place, and where rest in a place. Whither is now, however, to a great extent, obsolete, except in poetry, or in compositions of a grave and serious character and in language where precision is required. Where has taken its place, as in the question, "Where are you going"

WHITHERSOEVER
Whith`er*so*ev"er, adv. Etym: [Whither + soever.]

Defn: To whatever place; to what place soever; wheresoever; as, I will go whithersoever you lead.

WHITHERWARD
Whith"er*ward, adv.

Defn: In what direction; toward what or which place. R. of Brunne. Whitherward to turn for a good course of life was by no means too apparent. Carlyle.

WHITILE Whit"ile, n. Etym: [Perhaps properly, the cutter (see Whittle, v.), or cf. whitewall, witwal.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The yaffle. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITING
Whit"ing, n. Etym: [From White.]

1. (Zoöl.) (a) A common European food fish (Melangus vulgaris) of the Codfish family; — called also fittin. (b) A North American fish (Merlucius vulgaris) allied to the preceding; — called also silver hake. (c) Any one of several species of North American marine sciænoid food fishes belonging to genus Menticirrhus, especially M. Americanus, found from Maryland to Brazil, and M. littoralis, common from Virginia to Texas; — called also silver whiting, and surf whiting.

Note: Various other fishes are locally called whiting, as the kingfish (a), the sailor's choice (b), the Pacific tomcod, and certain species of lake whitefishes.

2. Chalk prepared in an impalpable powder by pulverizing and repeated washing, used as a pigment, as an ingredient in putty, for cleaning silver, etc. Whiting pollack. (Zoöl.) Same as Pollack. — Whiting pout (Zoöl.), the bib, 2.

WHITING-MOP
Whit"ing-mop`, n. [Obs.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young whiting. [Prov. Eng.]

2. A fair lass. "This pretty whiting-mop." Massinger.

WHITISH
Whit"ish, a. Etym: [From White.]

1. Somewhat white; approaching white; white in a moderate degree.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Covered with an opaque white powder.

WHITISHNESS
Whit"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whitish or somewhat white.

WHITLEATHER
Whit"leath`er, n. Etym: [White + leather.]

1. Leather dressed or tawed with alum, salt, etc., remarkable for its pliability and toughness; white leather.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The paxwax. See Paxwax.

WHITLING
Whit"ling, n. Etym: [White + -ling.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young full trout during its second season. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITLOW Whit"low, n. Etym: [Prov. E. whickflaw, for quickflaw, i. e., a flaw or sore at the quick; cf. Icel. kvika the quick under the nail or under a horse's hoof. See Quick, a., and Flaw.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: An inflammation of the fingers or toes, generally of the last phalanx, terminating usually in suppuration. The inflammation may occupy any seat between the skin and the bone, but is usually applied to a felon or inflammation of the periosteal structures of the bone.

2. (Far.)

Defn: An inflammatory disease of the feet. It occurs round the hoof, where an acrid matter is collected. Whitlow grass (Bot.), name given to several inconspicuous herbs, which were thought to be a cure for the whitlow, as Saxifraga tridactylites, Draba verna, and several species of Paronychia.

WHITLOW-WORT
Whit"low-wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Whitlow grass, under Whitlow.

WHITMONDAY
Whit"mon`day, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: The day following Whitsunday; — called also Whitsun Monday.

WHITNEYITE Whit"ney*ite, n. Etym: [So called after J.D. Whitney, an American geologist.] (Min.)

Defn: an arsenide of copper from Lake Superior.

WHITSON
Whit"son, a.

Defn: See Whitsun. [Obs.]

WHITSOUR
Whit"sour`, n. Etym: [White + sour.] (Bot.)

Defn: A sort of apple.

WHITSTER
Whit"ster, n. Etym: [Contracted fr. whitester.]

Defn: A whitener; a bleacher; a whitester. [Obs.]
The whitsters in Datchet mead. Shak.

WHITSUN
Whit"sun, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or observed at, Whitsuntide; as, Whitsun week; Whitsun Tuesday; Whitsun pastorals.

WHITSUNDAY
Whit"sun*day, n. Etym: [White + Sunday.]

1. (Eccl.)

Defn: The seventh Sunday, and the fiftieth day, after Easter; a festival of the church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; — so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white garments.

2. (Scots Law)

Defn: See the Note under Term, n., 12.

WHITSUNTIDE
Whit"sun*tide`, n. Etym: [Whitsunday + tide.]

Defn: The week commencing with Whitsunday, esp. the first three days
— Whitsunday, Whitsun Monday, and Whitsun Tuesday; the time of
Pentecost. R. of Gloucester.

WHITTEN TREE
Whit"ten tree`. Etym: [Probably from white; cf. AS. hwitingtreów.]
(Bot.)

Defn: Either of two shrubs (Viburnum Lantana, and V. Opulus), so called on account of their whitish branches.

WHITTERICK
Whit"ter*ick, n.

Defn: The curlew. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITTLE Whit"tle, n. Etym: [AS. hwitel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hvitill a white bed cover. See White.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) Same as Whittle shawl, below. Whittle shawl, a kind of fine woolen shawl, originally and especially a white one.

WHITTLE
Whit"tle, n. Etym: [OE. thwitel, fr. AS. pwitan to cut. Cf. Thwittle,
Thwaite a piece of ground.]

Defn: A knife; esp., a pocket, sheath, or clasp knife. "A butcher's whittle." Dryden. "Rude whittles." Macaulay. He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose. Betterton.

WHITTLE
Whit"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whittled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whittling.]

1. To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp knife or pocketknife.

2. To edge; to sharpen; to render eager or excited; esp., to excite with liquor; to inebriate. [Obs.] "In vino veritas." When men are well whittled, their tongues run at random. Withals.

WHITTLE
Whit"tle, v. i.

Defn: To cut or shape a piece of wood with am small knife; to cut up
a piece of wood with a knife.
Dexterity with a pocketknife is a part of a Nantucket education; but
I am inclined to think the propensity is national. Americans must and
will whittle. Willis.

WHITTLINGS
Whit"tlings, n. pl.

Defn: Chips made by one who whittles; shavings cut from a stick with a knife.

WHITTRET
Whit"tret, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A weasel. [Scot.]

WHITTUESDAY
Whit"tues`day, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: The day following Whitmonday; — called also Whitsun Tuesday.

WHITWALL
Whit"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Whetile.

WHITWORTH BALL
Whit"worth ball`. (Gun.)

Defn: A prejectile used in the Whitworth gun.

WHITWORTH GUN
Whit"worth gun`. (Gun.)

Defn: A form of rifled cannon and small arms invented by Sir Joseph
Whitworth, of Manchester, England.

Note: In Mr. Whitworth's system, the bore of the gun has a polygonal section, and the twist is rapid. The ball, which is pointed in front, is made to fit the bore accurately, and is very much elongated, its length being about three and one half times as great as its diameter. H. L. Scott.

WHITY-BROWN
Whit"y-brown`, a.

Defn: Of a color between white and brown. Pegge.

WHIZ
Whiz, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whizzed; p. pr. & vb. n. Whizzing.] Etym:
[Of imitative origin. Whistle, and Hiss.]

Defn: To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air; to fly or move swiftly with a sharp hissing or whistling sound. [Written also whizz.] It flew, and whizzing, cut the liquid way. Dryden.

WHIZ
Whiz, n.

Defn: A hissing and humming sound.
Like the whiz of my crossbow. Coleridge.

WHIZZINGLY
Whiz"zing*ly, adv.

Defn: With a whizzing sound.

WHO Who, pron. [Possess. whose; object. Whom.] Etym: [OE. who, wha, AS. hwa, interrogative pron., neut. hwæt; akin to OFries. hwa, neut. hwet, OS. hwe, neut. hwat, D. wie, neut. wat, G. wer, neut.was, OHG. wer, hwer, neut. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, neut., Dan. hvo, neut. hvad, Sw. ho, hvem, neut. hvad, Goth. hwas, fem. hwo, neut. hwa, Lith. kas, Ir. & Gael. co, W. pwy, L. quod, neuter of qui, Gr. po`teros whether, Skr. kas. sq. root182. Cf. How, Quantity, Quorum, Quote, Ubiquity, What, When, Where, Whether, Which, Whither, Whom, Why.]

1. Originally, an interrogative pronoun, later, a relative pronoun also; — used always substantively, and either as singular or plural. See the Note under What, pron., 1. As interrogative pronouns, who and whom ask the question: What or which person or persons Who and whom, as relative pronouns (in the sense of that), are properly used of persons (corresponding to which, as applied to things), but are sometimes, less properly and now rarely, used of animals, plants, etc. Who and whom, as compound relatives, are also used especially of persons, meaning the person that; the persons that; the one that; whosoever. "Let who will be President." Macaulay. [He] should not tell whose children they were. Chaucer. There thou tell'st of kings, and who aspire; Who fall, who rise, who triumph, who do moan. Daniel. Adders who with cloven tongues Do hiss into madness. Shak. Whom I could pity thus forlorn. Milton. How hard is our fate, who serve in the state. Addison. Who cheapens life, abates the fear of death. Young. The brace of large greyhounds, who were the companions of his sports. Sir W. Scott.

2. One; any; one. [Obs., except in the archaic phrase, as who should say.] As who should say, it were a very dangerous matter if a man in any point should be found wiser than his forefathers were. Robynson (More's Utopia).

WHOA
Whoa, interj.

Defn: Stop; stand; hold. See Ho, 2.

WHOBUB
Who"bub, n.

Defn: Hubbub. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

WHOEVER
Who*ev"er, pron.

Defn: Whatever person; any person who; be or she who; any one who; as, he shall be punished, whoever he may be. "Whoever envies or repines." Milton. "Whoever the king favors." Shak.

WHOLE Whole, a. Etym: [OE. hole, hol, hal, hool, AS. hal well, sound, healthy; akin to OFries. & OS. h, D. heel, G. heil, Icel. heill, Sw. hel whole, Dan. heel, Goth. hails well, sound, OIr. c augury. Cf. Hale, Hail to greet, Heal to cure, Health, Holy.]

1. Containing the total amount, number, etc.; comprising all the parts; free from deficiency; all; total; entire; as, the whole earth; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation. "On their whole host I flew unarmed." Milton. The whole race of mankind. Shak.

2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; not broken or fractured; unimpaired; uninjured; integral; as, a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole. My life is yet whole in me. 2 Sam. i. 9.

3. Possessing, or being in a state of, heath and soundness; healthy; sound; well. [She] findeth there her friends hole and sound. Chaucer. They that be whole need not a physician. Matt. ix. 12. When Sir Lancelot's deadly hurt was whole. Tennyson. Whole blood. (Law of Descent) See under Blood, n., 2. — Whole note (Mus.), the note which represents a note of longest duration in common use; a semibreve. — Whole number (Math.), a number which is not a fraction or mixed number; an integer. Whole snipe (Zoöl.), the common snipe, as distinguished from the smaller jacksnipe. [Prov. Eng.]

Syn. — All; total; complete; entire; integral; undivided; uninjured; unimpaired; unbroken; healthy. — Whole, Total, Entire, Complete. When we use the word whole, we refer to a thing as made up of parts, none of which are wanting; as, a whole week; a whole year; the whole creation. When we use the word total, we have reference to all as taken together, and forming a single totality; as, the total amount; the total income. When we speak of a thing as entire, we have no reference to parts at all, but regard the thing as an integer, i. e., continuous or unbroken; as, an entire year; entire prosperity. When we speak of a thing as complete, there is reference to some progress which results in a filling out to some end or object, or a perfected state with no deficiency; as, complete success; a complete victory. All the whole army stood agazed on him. Shak. One entire and perfect chrysolite. Shak. Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life. Milton. So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. Milton.

WHOLE
Whole, n.

1. The entire thing; the entire assemblage of parts; totality; all of a thing, without defect or exception; a thing complete in itself. "This not the whole of life to live, Nor all of death to die. J. Montgomery.

2. A regular combination of parts; a system. Parts answering parts shall slide into a whole. Pope. Committee of the whole. See under Committee. — Upon the whole, considering all things; taking everything into account; in view of all the circumstances or conditions.

Syn.
— Totality; total; amount; aggregate; gross.

WHOLE-HOOFED
Whole"-hoofed`, a.

Defn: Having an undivided hoof, as the horse.

WHOLE-LENGTH
Whole"-length`, a.

Defn: Representing the whole figure; — said of a picture or statue.
— n.

Defn: A portrait or statue representing the whole figure.

WHOLENESS
Whole"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whole, entire, or sound; entireness; totality; completeness.

WHOLESALE
Whole"sale`, n.

Defn: Sale of goods by the piece or large quantity, as distinguished from retail. By wholesale, in the mass; in large quantities; without distinction or discrimination. Some, from vanity or envy, despise a valuable book, and throw contempt upon it by wholesale. I. Watts.

WHOLESALE
Whole"sale`, a.

1. Pertaining to, or engaged in, trade by the piece or large quantity; selling to retailers or jobbers rather than to consumers; as, a wholesale merchant; the wholesale price.

2. Extensive and indiscriminate; as, wholesale slaughter. "A time for wholesale trust." Mrs. Humphry Ward.

WHOLESOME
Whole"some, a. [Compar. Wholesomer; superl. Wholesomest.] Etym:
[Whole + some; cf. Icel. heilsamr, G. heilsam, D. heilzaam.]

1. Tending to promote health; favoring health; salubrious; salutary. Wholesome thirst and appetite. Milton. From which the industrious poor derive an agreeable and wholesome variety of food. A Smith.

2. Contributing to the health of the mind; favorable to morals, religion, or prosperity; conducive to good; salutary; sound; as, wholesome advice; wholesome doctrines; wholesome truths; wholesome laws. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. Prov. xv. 4. I can not . . . make you a wholesome answer; my wit's diseased. Shak. A wholesome suspicion began to be entertained. Sir W. Scott.

3. Sound; healthy. [Obs.] Shak.
— Whole"some*ly, adv.
— Whole"some*ness, n.

WHOLE-SOULED
Whole"-souled`, a.

Defn: Thoroughly imbued with a right spirit; noble-minded; devoted.

WHOLLY
Whol"ly, adv.

1. In a whole or complete manner; entirely; completely; perfectly. Nor wholly overcome, nor wholly yield. Dryden.

2. To the exclusion of other things; totally; fully. They employed themselves wholly in domestic life. Addison.

WHOM
Whom, pron. Etym: [OE. wham, AS. dative hwam, hw. See Who.]

Defn: The objective case of who. See Who.

Note: In Old English, whom was also commonly used as a dative. Cf.
Him.
And every grass that groweth upon root She shall eke know, and whom
it will do boot. Chaucer.

WHOMSOEVER
Whom`so*ev"er, pron.

Defn: The objective of whosoever. See Whosoever. The Most High ruleth in the kingdow of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Dan. iv. 17.

WHOOBUB
Whoo"bub, n.

Defn: Hubbub. [Obs.] Shak.

WHOOP
Whoop (, n. Etym: [See Hoopoe.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The hoopoe.

WHOOP
Whoop, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whooped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whooping.] Etym:
[OE. houpen. See Hoop, v. i.]

1. To utter a whoop, or loud cry, as eagerness, enthusiasm, or enjoyment; to cry out; to shout; to halloo; to utter a war whoop; to hoot, as an owl. Each whooping with a merry shout. Wordsworth. When naught was heard but now and then the howl Of some vile cur, or whooping of the owl. W. Browne.

2. To cough or breathe with a sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.

WHOOP
Whoop, v. t.

Defn: To insult with shouts; to chase with derision.
And suffered me by the voice of slaves to be Whooped out of Rome.
Shak.

WHOOP
Whoop, n.

1. A shout of pursuit or of war; a very of eagerness, enthusiasm, enjoyment, vengeance, terror, or the like; an halloo; a hoot, or cry, as of an owl. A fox, crossing the road, drew off a considerable detachment, who clapped spurs to their horses, and pursued him with whoops and halloos. Addison. The whoop of the crane. Longfellow.

2. A loud, shrill, prolonged sound or sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.

WHOOPER
Whoop"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whooops. Woopher swan. (Zoöl.) See the
Note under Swan.

WHOOPING
Whoop"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Whoop, v. t. Whooping cough (Med.), a violent, convulsive cough, returning at longer or shorter intervals, and consisting of several expirations, followed by a sonorous inspiration, or whoop; chin cough; hooping cough. Dunglison. — Whooping crane (Zoöl.), a North American crane (Crus Americana) noted for the loud, whooplike note which it utters. — Whooping swan (Zoöl.), the whooper swan. See the Note under Swan.

WHOOT
Whoot, v. i. Etym: [See Hoot.]

Defn: To hoot. [Obs.]

WHOP
Whop, v. t.

Defn: Same as Whap. Forby.

WHOP
Whop, n.

Defn: Same as Whap.

WHOPPER
Whop"per, n. Etym: [Cf. Whapper.]

1. One who, or that which, whops.

2. Same as Whapper.

WHORE
Whore, n. Etym: [OE. hore, AS. h; akin to D. hoer, hoere, G. hure,
OHG. huora, huorra, Icel. h, Dan. hore, Sw. hora, Goth. h an
adulterer, AS. h adultery, OHG. huor, and probably to L. carus dear.
Cf. Charity.]

Defn: A woman who practices unlawful sexual commerce with men, especially one who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a harlot. Wyclif.

Syn.
— Harlot; courtesan; prostitute; strumpet.

WHORE
Whore, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whored; p. pr. & vb. n. Whoring.] Etym:
[Cf. Icel. h. See Whore, n.]

1. To have unlawful sexual intercourse; to practice lewdness.

2. (Script.)

Defn: To worship false and impure gods.

WHORE
Whore, v. t.

Defn: To corrupt by lewd intercourse; to make a whore of; to debauch.
[R.] Congreve.

WHOREDOM
Whore"dom, n. Etym: [OE. hordom; cf. Icel. h.]

1. The practice of unlawful intercourse with the other sex; fornication; lewdness.

2. (Script.)

Defn: The sin of worshiping idols; idolatry. O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled; they will not . . . turn unto their God. Hos. v. 3, 4.

WHOREMASTER
Whore"mas`ter, n.

1. A man who practices lewdness; a lecher; a whoremonger.

2. One keeps or procures whores for others; a pimp; a procurer.

WHOREMASTERLY
Whore"mas`ter*ly, a.

Defn: Having the character of a whoremaster; lecherous; libidinous.

WHOREMONGER
Whore"mon`ger, n.

Defn: A whoremaster; a lecher; a man who frequents the society of whores.

WHORESON
Whore"son, n.

Defn: A bastard; colloquially, a low, scurvy fellow; — used generally in contempt, or in coarse humor. Also used adjectively. [Archaic] Shak.

WHORISH
Whor"ish, a.

Defn: Resembling a whore in character or conduct; addicted to
unlawful pleasures; incontinent; lewd; unchaste.
— Whor"ish*ly, adv.
— Whor"ish*ness, n.

WHORL Whorl, n. Etym: [OE. whorvil the whirl of a spindle; akin to AS. hweorfa the whirl of a spindle, hweorfan to turn; cf. OD. worvel the whirl of a spindle. See Whirl, n. & v.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A circle of two or more leaves, flowers, or other organs, about the same part or joint of a stem.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve shell.

3. (Spinning)

Defn: The fly of a spindle.

WHORLED
Whorled, a.

Defn: Furnished with whorls; arranged in the form of a whorl or whorls; verticillate; as, whorled leaves.

WHORLER
Whorl"er, n.

Defn: A potter's wheel.

WHORT
Whort, n. Etym: [See Whortleberry.] (Bot.)

Defn: The whortleberry, or bilberry. See Whortleberry (a).

WHORTLE
Whor"tle, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The whortleberry, or bilberry.
[He] looked ahead of him from behind a tump of whortles. R. D.
Blackmore.

WHORTLEBERRY Whor"tle*ber`ry, n. Etym: [AS. wyrtil a small shrub (dim. of wyrt wort) + E. berry. See Wort, and cf. Huckleberry, Hurtleberry.] (Bot.) (a) In England, the fruit of Vaccinium Myrtillus; also, the plant itself. See Bilberry, 1. (b) The fruit of several shrubby plants of the genus Gaylussacia; also, any one of these plants. See Huckleberry.

WHOSE
Whose, pron. Etym: [OE. whos, whas, AS. hwæs, gen. of hwa. See Who.]

Defn: The possessive case of who or which. See Who, and Which.
Whose daughter art thou tell me, I pray thee. Gen. xxiv. 23.
The question whose solution I require. Dryden.

WHOSESOEVER
Whose`so*ev"er, pron.

Defn: The possessive of whosoever. See Whosoever.

WHOSO
Who"so, pron.

Defn: Whosoever. Piers Plowman.
Whoso shrinks or falters now, . . . Brand the craven on his brow!
Whittier.

WHOSOEVER
Who`so*ev"er, pron.

Defn: Whatsoever person; any person whatever that; whoever.
Whosoever will, let him take . . . freely. Rev. xxii. 17.

WHOT
Whot, a.

Defn: Hot. [Obs.] Spenser.

WHUR
Whur, v. i. Etym: [Probably of imitative origin. Cf. Hurr, Hurry,
Whir.]

1. To make a rough, humming sound, like one who pronounces the letter r with too much force; to whir; to birr.

2. To snarl or growl, as a dog. Halliwell.

WHUR
Whur, n.

Defn: A humming or whirring sound, like that of a body moving through the air with velocity; a whir.

WHURRY
Whur"ry, v. t. Etym: [See Hurry.]

Defn: To whisk along quickly; to hurry. [R.]
Whurrying the chariot with them to the shore. Vicars.

WHURT
Whurt, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Whort.

WHY Why, adv. Etym: [OE. whi, why, AS. hwi, hw, instrumental case of hwa, hwæt; akin to Icel. hvi why, Dan. & Sw. hvi; cf. Goth. hw. Who.]

1. For what cause, reason, or purpose; on what account; wherefore; — used interrogatively. See the Note under What, pron., 1. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel Ezek. xxxiii. 11.

2. For which; on account of which; — used relatively. No ground of enmity between us known Why he should mean me ill or seek to harm. Milton. Turn the discourse; I have a reason why I would not have you speak so tenderly. Dryden.

3. The reason or cause for which; that on account of which; on what account; as, I know not why he left town so suddenly; — used as a compound relative.

Note: Why is sometimes used as an interjection or an expletive in
expression of surprise or content at a turn of affairs; used also in
calling. "Why, Jessica!" Shak.
If her chill heart I can not move, Why, I'll enjoy the very love.
Cowley.
Sometimes, also, it is used as a noun.
The how and the why and the where. Goldsmith.
For why, because; why. See Forwhy. [Obs. or Colloq.]

WHY
Why, n.

Defn: A young heifer. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.

WHYDAH BIRD; WHYDAH FINCH
Whyd"ah bird`, or Whyd"ah finch`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The whidah bird.

WHY-NOT
Why"-not`, n.

Defn: A violent and peremptory procedure without any assigned reason;
a sudden conclusive happening. [Obs.]
When the church Was taken with a why-not in the lurch. Hudibras.
This game . . . was like to have been lost with a why-not. Nugæ
Antiq.

WICH
Wich, n.

Defn: A variant of 1st Wick.

WICHITAS
Wich"i*tas, n. pl.; sing. Wichita (. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A tribe of Indians native of the region between the Arkansas and Red rivers. They are related to the Pawnees. See Pawnees.

WICK; WICH Wick, or Wich, n. Etym: [AS. wic village, fr. L. vicus. In some names of places, perhaps fr. Icel. vik an inlet, creek, bay. See Vicinity, and cf. Villa.]

1. A street; a village; a castle; a dwelling; a place of work, or exercise of authority; — now obsolete except in composition; as, bailiwick, Warwick, Greenwick. Stow.

2. (Curling)

Defn: A narrow port or passage in the rink or course, flanked by the stones of previous players.

WICK Wick, n. Etym: [OE. wicke, weyke, weke, AS. weoca or wecca; cf. D. wiek a roll of lint, Prov. G. wicke, and wieche, OHG. wiohha, Sw. veke, Dan. væge; of uncertain origin.]

Defn: A bundle of fibers, or a loosely twisted or braided cord, tape, or tube, usually made of soft spun cotton threads, which by capillary attraction draws up a steady supply of the oil in lamps, the melted tallow or wax in candles, or other material used for illumination, in small successive portions, to be burned. But true it is, that when the oil is spent The light goes out, and wick is thrown away. Spenser.

WICK
Wick, v. i. (Curling)

Defn: To strike a stone in an oblique direction. Jamieson.

WICKE
Wick"e, a.

Defn: Wicked. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. "With full wikke intent."
Chaucer.

WICKED
Wicked, a.

Defn: Having a wick; — used chiefly in composition; as, a two-wicked lamp.

WICKED Wick"ed a. Etym: [OE. wicked, fr. wicke wicked; probably originally the same word as wicche wizard, witch. See Witch.]

1. Evil in principle or practice; deviating from morality; contrary to the moral or divine law; addicted to vice or sin; sinful; immoral; profligate; — said of persons and things; as, a wicked king; a wicked woman; a wicked deed; wicked designs. Hence, then, and evil go with thee along, Thy offspring, to the place of evil, hell, Thou and thy wicked crew! Milton. Never, never, wicked man was wise. Pope.

2. Cursed; baneful; hurtful; bad; pernicious; dangerous. [Obs.] "Wicked dew." Shak. This were a wicked way, but whoso had a guide. P. Plowman.

3. Ludicrously or sportively mischievous; disposed to mischief; roguish. [Colloq.] Pen looked uncommonly wicked. Thackeray.

Syn. — Iniquitous; sinful; criminal; guilty; immoral; unjust; unrighteous; unholy; irreligious; ungodly; profane; vicious; pernicious; atrocious; nefarious; heinous; flagrant; flagitious; abandoned. See Iniquitous.

WICKEDLY
Wick"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a wicked manner; in a manner, or with motives and designs,
contrary to the divine law or the law of morality; viciously;
corruptly; immorally.
I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. 2 Sam. xxiv. 17.

WICKEDNESS
Wick"ed*ness, n.

1. The quality or state of being wicked; departure from the rules of the divine or the moral law; evil disposition or practices; immorality; depravity; sinfulness. God saw that the wickedness of man was great. Gen. vi. 5. Their inward part is very wickedness. Ps. v. 9.

2. A wicked thing or act; crime; sin; iniquity. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man comes to good. Shak.

WICKEN TREE
Wick"en tree`.

Defn: Same as Quicken tree.

WICKER Wick"er, n. Etym: [OE. wiker, wikir, osier, probably akin to AS. wican to give way. Cf. Weak.]

1. A small pliant twig or osier; a rod for making basketwork and the like; a withe.

2. Wickerwork; a piece of wickerwork, esp. a basket. Then quick did dress His half milk up for cheese, and in a press Of wicker pressed it. Chapman.

3. Same as 1st Wike. [Prov. Eng.]

WICKER
Wick"er, a.

Defn: Made of, or covered with, twigs or osiers, or wickerwork. Each one a little wicker basket had, Made of fine twigs, entrailéd curiously. Spenser.

WICKERED
Wick"ered, a.

Defn: Made of, secured by, or covered with, wickers or wickerwork. Ships of light timber, wickered with osier between, and covered over with leather. Milton.

WICKERWORK
Wick"er*work`, n.

Defn: A texture of osiers, twigs, or rods; articles made of such a texture.

WICKET Wick"et, n. Etym: [OE. wiket, OF. wiket, guichet, F. quichet; probably of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. v a small creek, inlet, bay, vik a corner.]

1. A small gate or door, especially one forming part of, or placed near, a larger door or gate; a narrow opening or entrance cut in or beside a door or gate, or the door which is used to close such entrance or aperture. Piers Plowman. "Heaven's wicket." Milton. And so went to the high street, . . . and came to the great tower, but the gate and wicket was fast closed. Ld. Berners. The wicket, often opened, knew the key. Dryden.

2. A small gate by which the chamber of canal locks is emptied, or by which the amount of water passing to a water wheel is regulated.

3. (Cricket) (a) A small framework at which the ball is bowled. It consists of three rods, or stumps, set vertically in the ground, with one or two short rods, called bails, lying horizontally across the top. (b) The ground on which the wickets are set.

4. A place of shelter made of the boughs of trees, — used by lumbermen, etc. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.

5. (Mining)

Defn: The space between the pillars, in postand-stall working.
Raymond. Wicket door, Wicket gate, a small door or gate; a wicket.
See def. 1, above. Bunyan.
— Wicket keeper (Cricket), the player who stands behind the wicket
to catch the balls and endeavor to put the batsman out.

WICKING
Wick"ing, n.

Defn: the material of which wicks are made; esp., a loosely braided or twisted cord or tape of cotton.

WICKIUP WICKYUP
{ Wick"i*up Wick"y*up }, n.

Defn: Vars of Wikiup.

WICLIFITE; WICKLIFFITE
Wic"lif*ite, Wick"liff*ite, n.

Defn: See Wyclifite.

WICOPY
Wic"o*py, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Leatherwood.

WIDAL'S TEST; WIDAL TEST; WIDAL'S REACTION; WIDAL REACTION Wi*dal's", or Wi*dal", test or reaction . [After Fernand Widal (b. 1862), French physician.] (Med.)

Defn: A test for typhoid fever based on the fact that blood serum of one affected, in a bouillon culture of typhoid bacilli, causes the bacilli to agglutinate and lose their motility.

WIDDY
Wid"dy, n. Etym: [Cf. Withy.]

Defn: A rope or halter made of flexible twigs, or withes, as of birch. [Scot.]

WIDE Wide, a. [Compar. Wider; superl. Widest.] Etym: [OE. wid, wyde, AS. wid; akin to OFries. & OS. wid, D. wijd, G. weit, OHG. wit, Icel. vi\'ebr, Sw. & Dan. vid; of uncertain origin.]

1. Having considerable distance or extent between the sides; spacious across; much extended in a direction at right angles to that of length; not narrow; broad; as, wide cloth; a wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall or entry. The chambers and the stables weren wyde. Chaucer. Wide is the gate . . . that leadeth to destruction. Matt. vii. 18.

2. Having a great extent every way; extended; spacious; broad; vast; extensive; as, a wide plain; the wide ocean; a wide difference. "This wyde world." Chaucer. For sceptered cynics earth were far too wide a den. Byron. When the wide bloom, on earth that lies, Seems of a brighter world than ours. Bryant.

3. Of large scope; comprehensive; liberal; broad; as, wide views; a wide understanding. Men of strongest head and widest culture. M. Arnold.

4. Of a certain measure between the sides; measuring in a direction at right angles to that of length; as, a table three feet wide.

5. Remote; distant; far. The contrary being so wide from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God. Hammond.

6. Far from truth, from propriety, from necessity, or the like. "Our
wide expositors." Milton.
It is far wide that the people have such judgments. Latimer.
How wide is all this long pretense ! Herbert.

7. On one side or the other of the mark; too far side-wise from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc. Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand. Spenser. I was but two bows wide. Massinger.

8. (Phon.)

Defn: Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the mouth organs; — opposed to primary as used by Mr. Bell, and to narrow as used by Mr. Sweet. The effect, as explained by Mr. Bell, is due to the relaxation or tension of the pharynx; as explained by Mr. Sweet and others, it is due to the action of the tongue. The wide of e (eve) is î (îll); of a (ate) is ê (ênd), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 13-15.

Note: Wide is often prefixed to words, esp. to participles and participial adjectives, to form self-explaining compounds; as, wide- beaming, wide-branched, wide-chopped, wide-echoing, wide-extended, wide-mouthed, wide-spread, wide-spreading, and the like. Far and wide. See under Far. — Wide gauge. See the Note under Cauge, 6.

WIDE
Wide, adv. Etym: [As. w.]

1. To a distance; far; widely; to a great distance or extent; as, his fame was spread wide. [I] went wyde in this world, wonders to hear. Piers Plowman.

2. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening. Shak.

3. So as to be or strike far from, or on one side of, an object or purpose; aside; astray.

WIDE
Wide, n.

1. That which is wide; wide space; width; extent. "The waste wide of that abyss." Tennyson.

2. That which goes wide, or to one side of the mark.

WIDE-ANGLE
Wide"-an`gle, a. (Photog. & Optics)

Defn: Having or covering an angle wider than the ordinary; — applied to certain lenses of relatively short focus. Lenses for ordinary purposes have an angle of 50º or less. Wide-angle lenses may cover as much as 100º and are useful for photographing at short range, but the pictures appear distorted.

WIDE-AWAKE
Wide`-a*wake", a.

Defn: Fully awake; not Dickens.

WIDE-AWAKE
Wide`-a*wake", n.

Defn: A broad-brimmed, low-crowned felt hat.

WIDEGAP
Wide"gap`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The angler; — called also widegab, and widegut.

WIDELY
Wide"ly, adv.

1. In a wide manner; to a wide degree or extent; far; extensively; as, the gospel was widely disseminated by the apostles.

2. Very much; to a great degree or extent; as, to differ widely in opinion.

WIDEN
Wid"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Widened; p. pr. & vb. n. Widening.]

Defn: To make wide or wider; to extend in breadth; to increase the width of; as, to widen a field; to widen a breach; to widen a stocking.

WIDEN
Wid"en, v. i.

Defn: To grow wide or wider; to enlarge; to spread; to extend.
Arches widen, and long aisles extend. Pope.

WIDENESS
Wide"ness, n.

1. The quality or state of being wide; breadth; width; great extent from side to side; as, the wideness of a room. "I landed in a small creek about the wideness of my canoe." Swift.

2. Large extent in all directions; broadness; greatness; as, the wideness of the sea or ocean.

WIDESPREAD
Wide"spread`, a.

Defn: Spread to a great distance; widely extended; extending far and wide; as, widespread wings; a widespread movement.

WIDEWHERE
Wide"where`, adv. Etym: [See Wide, and Where.]

Defn: Widely; far and wide. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WIDGEON Widg"eon, n. Etym: [Probably from an old French form of F. vigeon, vingeon, gingeon; of uncertain origin; cf. L. vipio, -onis, a kind of small crane.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of fresh-water ducks, especially
those belonging to the subgenus Mareca, of the genus Anas. The common
European widgeon (Anas penelope) and the American widgeon (A.
Americana) are the most important species. The latter is called also
baldhead, baldpate, baldface, baldcrown, smoking duck, wheat, duck,
and whitebelly. Bald-faced, or Green-headed, widgeon, the American
widgeon.
— Black widgeon, the European tufted duck.
— Gray widgeon. (a) The gadwall. (b) The pintail duck.
— Great headed widgeon, the poachard.
— Pied widgeon. (a) The poachard. (b) The goosander. Saw-billed
widgeon, the merganser.
— Sea widgeon. See in the Vocabulary.
— Spear widgeon, the goosander. [Prov. Eng.] — Spoonbilled
widgeon, the shoveler.
— White widgeon, the smew.
— Wood widgeon, the wood duck.

WIDISH
Wid"ish, a.

Defn: Moderately wide. Tyndall.

WIDMANSTATTEN FIGURES; WIDMANSTAETTEN FIGURES
Wid"man*stät`ten fig"ures. (Min.)

Defn: Certain figures appearing on etched meteoric iron; — so called after A. B. Widmanstätten, of Vienna, who first described them in 1808. See the Note and Illust. under Meteorite.

WIDOW Wid"ow, n. Etym: [OE. widewe, widwe, AS. weoduwe, widuwe, wuduwe; akin to OFries. widwe, OS. widowa, D. weduwe, G. wittwe, witwe, OHG. wituwa, witawa, Goth. widuw, Russ. udova, OIr. fedb, W. gweddw, L. vidua, Skr. vidhava; and probably to Skr. vidh to be empty, to lack; cf. Gr. Vidual.]

Defn: A woman who has lost her husband by death, and has not married again; one living bereaved of a husband. "A poor widow." Chaucer. Grass widow. See under Grass. — Widow bewitched, a woman separated from her husband; a grass widow. [Colloq.] Widow-in-mourning (Zoöl.), the macavahu. — Widow monkey (Zoöl.), a small South American monkey (Callithrix lugens); — so called on account of its color, which is black except the dull whitish arms, neck, and face, and a ring of pure white around the face. — Widow's chamber (Eng. Law), in London, the apparel and furniture of the bedchamber of the widow of a freeman, to which she was formerly entitled.

WIDOW
Wid"ow, a.

Defn: Widowed. "A widow woman." 1 Kings xvii. 9. "This widow lady."
Shak.

WIDOW
Wid"ow, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Widowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Widowing.]

1. To reduce to the condition of a widow; to bereave of a husband; — rarely used except in the past participle. Though in thus city he Hath widowed and unchilded many a one, Which to this hour bewail the injury. Shak.

2. To deprive of one who is loved; to strip of anything beloved or highly esteemed; to make desolate or bare; to bereave. The widowed isle, in mourning, Dries up her tears. Dryden. Tress of their shriveled fruits Are widowed, dreary storms o'er all prevail. J. Philips. Mourn, widowed queen; forgotten Sion, mourn. Heber.

3. To endow with a widow's right. [R.] Shak.

4. To become, or survive as, the widow of. [Obs.] Let me be married to three kings in a forenoon, and widow them all. Shak.

WIDOW BIRD
Wid"ow bird`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Whidan bird.

WIDOWER
Wid"ow*er, n.

Defn: A man who has lost his wife by death, and has not married again. Shak.

WIDOWERHOOD
Wid"ow*er*hood, n.

Defn: The state of being a widower.

WIDOWHOOD
Wid"ow*hood, n.

1. The state of being a widow; the time during which a woman is widow; also, rarely, the state of being a widower. Johnson clung to her memory during a widowhood of more than thirty years. Leslie Stephen.

2. Estate settled on a widow. [Obs.] "I 'll assure her of her widowhood . . . in all my lands." Shak.

WIDOW-HUNTER
Wid"ow-hunt`er, n.

Defn: One who courts widows, seeking to marry one with a fortune.
Addison.

WIDOWLY
Wid"ow*ly, a.

Defn: Becoming or like a widow.

WIDOW-MAKER
Wid"ow-mak`er, n.

Defn: One who makes widows by destroying husbands. [R.] Shak.

WIDOW-WAIL
Wid"ow-wail`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A low, narrowleaved evergreen shrub (Cneorum tricoccon) found in Southern Europe.

WIDTH
Width, n. Etym: [From Wide.]

Defn: The quality of being wide; extent from side to side; breadth; wideness; as, the width of cloth; the width of a door.

WIDUAL
Wid"u*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a widow; vidual. [Obs.] Bale.

WIDWE
Wid"we, n.

Defn: A widow. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WIELD Wield, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wielded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wielding.] Etym: [OE. welden to govern, to have power over, to possess, AS. geweldan, gewyldan, from wealdan; akin to OS. waldan, OFries. walda, G. walten, OHG. waltan, Icel. valda, Sw. vålla to occasion, to cause, Dan. volde, Goth. waldan to govern, rule, L. valere to be strong. Cf. Herald, Valiant.]

1. To govern; to rule; to keep, or have in charge; also, to possess. [Obs.] When a strong armed man keepeth his house, all things that he wieldeth ben in peace. Wyclif (Luke xi. 21). Wile [ne will] ye wield gold neither silver ne money in your girdles. Wyclif (Matt. x. 9.)

2. To direct or regulate by influence or authority; to manage; to control; to sway. The famous orators . . . whose resistless eloquence Wielded at will that fierce democraty. Milton. Her newborn power was wielded from the first by unprincipled and ambitions men. De Quincey.

3. To use with full command or power, as a thing not too heavy for the holder; to manage; to handle; hence, to use or employ; as, to wield a sword; to wield the scepter. Base Hungarian wight! wilt thou the spigot wield! Shak. Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed. Milton. Nothing but the influence of a civilized power could induce a savage to wield a spade. S. S. Smith. To wield the scepter, to govern with supreme command.

WIELDABLE
Wield"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being wielded.

WIELDANCE
Wield"ance, n.

Defn: The act or power of wielding. [Obs.] "Our weak wieldance." Bp.
Hall.

WIELDER
Wield"er, n.

Defn: One who wields or employs; a manager; a controller.
A wielder of the great arm of the war. Milton.

WIELDING
Wield"ing, n.

Defn: Power; authority; rule. [Obs.]
To have them in your might and in your wielding. Chaucer.

WIELDLESS
Wield"less, a.

Defn: Not to be wielded; unmanageable; unwieldy. [R.] "Wieldless might." Spenser.

WIELDSOME
Wield"some, a.

Defn: Admitting of being easily wielded or managed. [Obs.] Golding.

WIELDY
Wield"y, a.

Defn: Capable of being wielded; manageable; wieldable; — opposed to unwieldy. [R.] Johnson.

WIENER SCHNITZEL
Wie"ner Schnit"zel. [G., Vienna cutlet.]

Defn: A veal cutlet variously seasoned garnished, often with lemon, sardines, and capers.

WIER
Wier, n.

Defn: Same as Weir.

WIERANGLE
Wier`an"gle, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Wariangle. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

WIERY
Wier"y, a. Etym: [Cf. Wearish.]

Defn: Wet; moist; marshy. [Obs.]

WIERY
Wi"er*y, a. Etym: [From Wire; cf. Fiery.]

Defn: Wiry. [Obs.] "Wiery gold." Peacham.

WIFE Wife, n.; pl; Wives. Etym: [OE. wif, AS. wif; akin to OFries. & OS. wif, D. wijf, G. weib, OHG. wib, Icel. vif, Dan. viv; and perhaps to Skr. vip excited, agitated, inspired, vip to tremble, L. vibrare to vibrate, E. vibrate. Cf. Tacitus, [" Germania" 8]: Inesse quin etiam sanctum aliquid et providum putant, nec aut consilia earum aspernantur aut responsa neglegunt. Cf. Hussy a jade, Woman.]

1. A woman; an adult female; — now used in literature only in certain compounds and phrases, as alewife, fishwife, goodwife, and the like. " Both men and wives." Piers Plowman. On the green he saw sitting a wife. Chaucer.

2. The lawful consort of a man; a woman who is united to a man in wedlock; a woman who has a husband; a married woman; — correlative of husband. " The husband of one wife." 1 Tin. iii. 2. Let every one you . . . so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Eph. v. 33. To give to wife, To take to wife, to give or take (a woman) in marriage. — Wife's equity (Law), the equitable right or claim of a married woman to a reasonable and adequate provision, by way of settlement or otherwise, out of her choses in action, or out of any property of hers which is under the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery, for the support of herself and her children. Burrill.

WIFEHOOD
Wife"hood, n. Etym: [AS. wifhad.]

1. Womanhood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. The state of being a wife; the character of a wife.

WIFELESS
Wife"less, a.

Defn: Without a wife; unmarried. Chaucer.

WIFELIKE
Wife"like`, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or like, a wife or a woman. " Wifelike government." Shak.

WIFELY
Wife"ly, a. Etym: [AS. wiflic.]

Defn: Becoming or life; of or pertaining to a wife. "Wifely
patience." Chaucer.
With all the tenderness of wifely love. Dryden.

WIG
Wig, n. Etym: [Abbreviation from periwig.]

1. A covering for the head, consisting of hair interwoven or united by a kind of network, either in imitation of the natural growth, or in abundant and flowing curls, worn to supply a deficiency of natural hair, or for ornament, or according to traditional usage, as a part of an official or professional dress, the latter especially in England by judges and barristers.

2. An old seal; — so called by fishermen. Wig tree. (Bot.) See Smoke tree, under Smoke.

WIG
Wig, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wigged; p. pr. & vb. n. Wigging.]

Defn: To censure or rebuke; to hold up to reprobation; to scold.
[Slang]

WIGAN
Wig"an, n.

Defn: A kind of canvaslike cotton fabric, used to stiffen and protect the lower part of trousers and of the skirts of women's dresses, etc.; — so called from Wigan, the name of a town in Lancashire, England.

WIGEON
Wi"geon, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A widgeon. [R.]

WIGG; WIG Wigg, Wig, n. Etym: [Cf. D. wegge a sort of bread, G. weck, orig., a wedge-shaped loaf or cake. See Wedge.]

Defn: A kind of raised seedcake. "Wiggs and ale." Pepys.

WIGGED
Wigged

Defn: , a. Having the head covered with a wig; wearing a wig.

WIGGERY
Wig"ger*y, n.

1. A wig or wigs; false hair. [R.] A. Trollope.

2. Any cover or screen, as red-tapism. [R.] Fire peels the wiggeries away from them [facts.] Carlyle.

WIGGLE
Wig"gle, v. t. & i. Etym: [Cf. Wag, v. t., Waggle.]

Defn: To move to and fro with a quick, jerking motion; to bend rapidly, or with a wavering motion, from side to side; to wag; to squirm; to wriggle; as, the dog wiggles his tail; the tadpole wiggles in the water. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

WIGGLE
Wig"gle, n.

Defn: Act of wiggling; a wriggle. [Colloq.]

WIGGLER
Wig"gler, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The young, either larva or pupa, of the mosquito; — called also wiggletail.

WIGHER
Wig"her, v. i. Etym: [Cf. G. wiehern, E. whine.]

Defn: To neigh; to whinny. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

WIGHT
Wight, n.

Defn: Weight. [Obs.]

WIGHT Wight, n. Etym: [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. vætt a wight, vætt a whit, Goth. waíhts, waíht, thing; cf. Russ. veshche a thing. Whit.]

1. A whit; a bit; a jot. [Obs.] She was fallen asleep a little wight. Chaucer.

2. A supernatural being. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. A human being; a person, either male or female; — now used chiefly in irony or burlesque, or in humorous language. "Worst of all wightes." Chaucer. Every wight that hath discretion. Chaucer. Oh, say me true if thou wert mortal wight. Milton.

WIGHT
Wight, a. Etym: [OE. wight, wiht, probably of Scand. origin; cf.
Icel. vigr in fighting condition, neut. vigh war, akin to AS. wig See
Vanquish.]

Defn: Swift; nimble; agile; strong and active. [Obs. or Poetic]
'T is full wight, God wot, as is a roe. Chaucer.
He was so wimble and so wight. Spenser.
They were Night and Day, and Day and Night, Pilgrims wight with steps
forthright. Emerson.

WIGHTLY
Wight"ly, adv.

Defn: Swiftly; nimbly; quickly. [Obs.]

WIGLESS
Wig"less, a.

Defn: Having or wearing no wig.

WIGWAG
Wig"wag`, v. i. Etym: [See Wag, v. t.] (Naut.)

Defn: To signal by means of a flag waved from side to side according to a code adopted for the purpose. [Colloq.]

WIGWAM Wig"wam, n. Etym: [From the Algonquin or Massachusetts Indian word wek, "his house," or "dwelling place;" with possessive and locative affixes, we-kou-om-ut, "in his (or their) house," contracted by the English to weekwam, and wigwam.]

Defn: An Indian cabin or hut, usually of a conical form, and made of a framework of poles covered with hides, bark, or mats; — called also tepee. [Sometimes written also weekwam.] Very spacious was the wigwam, Made of deerskin dressed and whitened, With the gods of the Dacotahs Drawn and painted on its curtains. Longfellow.

Note: "The wigwam, or Indian house, of a circular or oval shape, was made of bark or mats laid over a framework of branches of trees stuck in the ground in such a manner as to converge at the top, where was a central aperture for the escape of smoke from the fire beneath. The better sort had also a lining of mats. For entrance and egress, two low openings were left on opposite sides, one or the other of which was closed with bark or mats, according to the direction of the wind." Palfrey.

WIKE
Wike, n.

Defn: A temporary mark or boundary, as a bough of a tree set up in marking out or dividing anything, as tithes, swaths to be mowed in common ground, etc.; — called also wicker. [Prov. Eng.]

WIKE
Wike, n. Etym: [AS. wic. See Wick a village.]

Defn: A home; a dwelling. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

WIKIUP Wik"i*up`, n. [Of North American Indian origin; cf. Dakota wakeya, wokeya.]

Defn: The hut used by the nomadic Indian tribes of the arid regions of the west and southwest United States, typically elliptical in form, with a rough frame covered with reed mats or grass or brushwood.

WIKKE
Wik"ke, a.

Defn: Wicked. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WILD Wild, a. [Compar. Wilder; superl. Wildest.] Etym: [OE. wilde, AS. wilde; akin to OFries. wilde, D. wild, OS. & OHG. wildi, G. wild, Sw. & Dan. vild, Icel. villr wild, bewildered, astray, Goth. wilpeis wild, and G. & OHG. wild game, deer; of uncertain origin.]

1. Living in a state of nature; inhabiting natural haunts, as the forest or open field; not familiar with, or not easily approached by, man; not tamed or domesticated; as, a wild boar; a wild ox; a wild cat. Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way. Shak.

2. Growing or produced without culture; growing or prepared without the aid and care of man; native; not cultivated; brought forth by unassisted nature or by animals not domesticated; as, wild parsnip, wild camomile, wild strawberry, wild honey. The woods and desert caves, With wild thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown. Milton.

3. Desert; not inhabited or cultivated; as, wild land. "To trace the forests wild." Shak.

4. Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; ferocious; rude; as, wild natives of Africa or America.

5. Not submitted to restraint, training, or regulation; turbulent; tempestuous; violent; ungoverned; licentious; inordinate; disorderly; irregular; fanciful; imaginary; visionary; crazy. "Valor grown wild by pride." Prior. "A wild, speculative project." Swift. What are these So withered and so wild in their attire Shak. With mountains, as with weapons, armed; which makes Wild work in heaven. Milton. The wild winds howl. Addison. Search then the ruling passion, there, alone The wild are constant, and the cunning known. Pope.

6. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered; as, a wild roadstead.

7. Indicating strong emotion, intense excitement, or as, a wild look.

8. (Naut.)

Defn: Hard to steer; — said of a vessel.

Note: Many plants are named by prefixing wild to the names of other better known or cultivated plants to which they a bear a real or fancied resemblance; as, wild allspice, wild pink, etc. See the Phrases below.

To run wild, to go unrestrained or untamed; to live or untamed; to live or grow without culture or training. — To sow one's wild oats. See under Oat. Wild allspice. (Bot.), spicewood. — Wild balsam apple (Bot.), an American climbing cucurbitaceous plant (Echinocystis lobata). — Wild basil (Bot.), a fragrant labiate herb (Calamintha Clinopodium) common in Europe and America. — Wild bean (Bot.), a name of several leguminous plants, mostly species of Phaseolus and Apios. — Wild bee (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of undomesticated social bees, especially the domestic bee when it has escaped from domestication and built its nest in a hollow tree or among rocks. — Wild bergamot. (Bot.) See under Bergamot. — Wild boar (Zoöl.), the European wild hog (Sus scrofa), from which the common domesticated swine is descended. — Wild brier (Bot.), any uncultivated species of brier. See Brier. — Wild bugloss (Bot.), an annual rough-leaved plant (Lycopsis arvensis) with small blue flowers. — Wild camomile (Bot.), one or more plants of the composite genus Matricaria, much resembling camomile. — Wild cat. (Zoöl.) (a) A European carnivore (Felis catus) somewhat resembling the domestic cat, but larger stronger, and having a short tail. It is destructive to the smaller domestic animals, such as lambs, kids, poultry, and the like. (b) The common American lynx, or bay lynx. (c) (Naut.) A wheel which can be adjusted so as to revolve either with, or on, the shaft of a capstan. Luce. — Wild celery. (Bot.) See Tape grass, under Tape. — Wild cherry. (Bot.) (a) Any uncultivated tree which bears cherries. The wild red cherry is Prunus Pennsylvanica. The wild black cherry is P. serotina, the wood of which is much used for cabinetwork, being of a light red color and a compact texture. (b) The fruit of various species of Prunus. — Wild cinnamon. See the Note under Canella. — Wild comfrey (Bot.), an American plant (Cynoglossum Virginicum) of the Borage family. It has large bristly leaves and small blue flowers. — Wild cumin (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant (Lagoecia cuminoides) native in the countries about the Mediterranean. — Wild drake (Zoöl.) the mallard. — Wild elder (Bot.), an American plant (Aralia hispida) of the Ginseng family. — Wild fowl (Zoöl.) any wild bird, especially any of those considered as game birds. — Wild goose (Zoöl.), any one of several species of undomesticated geese, especially the Canada goose (Branta Canadensis), the European bean goose, and the graylag. See Graylag, and Bean goose, under Bean. — Wild goose chase, the pursuit of something unattainable, or of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose. Shak. — Wild honey, honey made by wild bees, and deposited in trees, rocks, the like. — Wild hyacinth. (Bot.) See Hyacinth, 1 (b). Wild Irishman (Bot.), a thorny bush (Discaria Toumatou) of the Buckthorn family, found in New Zealand, where the natives use the spines in tattooing. — Wild land. (a) Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it unfit for cultivation. (b) Land which is not settled and cultivated. — Wild licorice. (Bot.) See under Licorice. — Wild mammee (Bot.), the oblong, yellowish, acid fruit of a tropical American tree (Rheedia lateriflora); — so called in the West Indies. — Wild marjoram (Bot.), a labiate plant (Origanum vulgare) much like the sweet marjoram, but less aromatic. — Wild oat. (Bot.) (a) A tall, oatlike kind of soft grass (Arrhenatherum avenaceum). (b) See Wild oats, under Oat. — Wild pieplant (Bot.), a species of dock (Rumex hymenosepalus) found from Texas to California. Its acid, juicy stems are used as a substitute for the garden rhubarb. — Wild pigeon. (Zoöl.) (a) The rock dove. (b) The passenger pigeon. — Wild pink (Bot.), an American plant (Silene Pennsylvanica) with pale, pinkish flowers; a kind of catchfly. — Wild plantain (Bot.), an arborescent endogenous herb (Heliconia Bihai), much resembling the banana. Its leaves and leaf sheaths are much used in the West Indies as coverings for packages of merchandise. — Wild plum. (Bot.) (a) Any kind of plum growing without cultivation. (b) The South African prune. See under Prune. — Wild rice. (Bot.) See Indian rice, under Rice. — Wild rosemary (Bot.), the evergreen shrub Andromeda polifolia. See Marsh rosemary, under Rosemary. — Wild sage. (Bot.) See Sagebrush. — Wild sarsaparilla (Bot.), a species of ginseng (Aralia nudicaulis) bearing a single long-stalked leaf. — Wild sensitive plant (Bot.), either one of two annual leguminous herbs (Cassia Chamæcrista, and C. nictitans), in both of which the leaflets close quickly when the plant is disturbed. — Wild service.(Bot.) See Sorb. — Wild Spaniard (Bot.), any one of several umbelliferous plants of the genus Aciphylla, natives of New Zealand. The leaves bear numerous bayonetlike spines, and the plants form an impenetrable thicket. — Wild turkey. (Zoöl.) See 2d Turkey.

WILD
Wild, n.

Defn: An uninhabited and uncultivated tract or region; a forest or desert; a wilderness; a waste; as, the wilds of America; the wilds of Africa. then Libya first, of all her moisture drained, Became a barren waste, a wild of sand. Addison.

WILD
Wild, adv.

Defn: Wildly; as, to talk wild. Shak.

WILD-CAT
Wild"-cat`, a.

1. Unsound; worthless; irresponsible; unsafe; — said to have been originally applied to the notes of an insolvent bank in Michigan upon which there was the figure of a panther.

2. (Railroad)

Defn: Running without control; running along the line without a train; as, a wild-cat locomotive.

WILDEBEEST
Wilde"beest`, n. Etym: [D. wild wild + beeste beast.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The gnu.

WILDED
Wild"ed, a.

Defn: Become wild. [R.]
An old garden plant escaped and wilded. J. Earle.

WILDER
Wil"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wildered; p. pr. & vb. n. Wildering.]
Etym: [Akin to E. wild, Dan. forvilde to bewilder, Icel. villr
bewildered, villa to bewilder; cf. AS. wildor a wild animal. See
Wild, a., and cf. Wilderness.]

Defn: To bewilder; to perplex.
Long lost and wildered in the maze of fate. Pope.
Again the wildered fancy dreams Of spouting fountains, frozen as they
rose. Bryant.

WILDERING
Wild"er*ing, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant growing in a state of nature; especially, one which has run wild, or escaped from cultivation.

WILDERMENT
Wil"der*ment, n.

Defn: The state of being bewildered; confusion; bewilderment. And snatched her breathless from beneath This wilderment of wreck and death. Moore.

WILDERNESS Wil"der*ness, n. Etym: [OE. wildernesse, wilderne,probably from AS. wildor a wild beast; cf. D. wildernis wilderness. See Wilder, v. t.]

1. A tract of land, or a region, uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide, barren plain; a wild; a waste; a desert; a pathless waste of any kind. The wat'ry wilderness yields no supply. Waller.

2. A disorderly or neglected place. Cowper.

3. Quality or state of being wild; wildness. [Obs.] These paths and bowers doubt not but our joint hands. Will keep from wilderness with ease. Milton.

WILDFIRE
Wild"fire, n.

1. A composition of inflammable materials, which, kindled, is very hard to quench; Greek fire. Brimstone, pitch, wildfire . . . burn cruelly, and hard to quench. Bacon.

2. (Med.) (a) An old name for erysipelas. (b) A disease of sheep, attended with inflammation of the skin.

3. A sort of lightning unaccompanied by thunder. [R.]

WILDGRAVE
Wild"grave`, n. Etym: [G. wildgraf or D. wildgraaf. See Wild, and cf.
Margrave.]

Defn: A waldgrave, or head forest keeper. See Waldgrave.
The wildgrave winds his bugle horn. Sir W. Scott.

WILDING
Wild"ing, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A wild or uncultivated plant; especially, a wild apple tree or crab apple; also, the fruit of such a plant. Spenser. Ten ruddy wildings in the wood I found. Dryden. The fruit of the tree . . . is small, of little juice, and bad quality. I presume it to be a wilding. Landor.

WILDING
Wild"ing, a.

Defn: Not tame, domesticated, or cultivated; wild. [Poetic] "Wilding
flowers." Tennyson.
The ground squirrel gayly chirps by his den, And the wilding bee hums
merrily by. Bryant.

WILDISH
Wild"ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat wild; rather wild. "A wildish destiny." Wordsworth.

WILDLY
Wild"ly, adv.

Defn: In a wild manner; without cultivation; with disorder; rudely; distractedly; extravagantly.

WILDNESS
Wild"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being wild; an uncultivated or untamed state; disposition to rove or go unrestrained; rudeness; savageness; irregularity; distraction.

WILDWOOD
Wild"wood, n.

Defn: A wild or unfrequented wood. Also used adjectively; as, wildwood flowers; wildwood echoes. Burns.

WILE
Wile, n. Etym: [OE. wile, AS. wil; cf. Icel. v, væl. Cf. Guile.]

Defn: A trick or stratagem practiced for insnaring or deception; a sly, insidious; artifice; a beguilement; an allurement. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. vi. 11. Not more almighty to resist our might, Than wise to frustrate all our plots and wiles. Milton.

WILE
Wile, v. t.

1. To practice artifice upon; to deceive; to beguile; to allure. [R.] Spenser.

2. To draw or turn away, as by diversion; to while or while away; to cause to pass pleasantly. Tennyson.

WILEFUL
Wile"ful, a.

Defn: Full of wiles; trickish; deceitful.

WILFLEY TABLE
Wil"fley ta`ble. (Ore Dressing)

Defn: An inclined percussion table, usually with longitudinal grooves in its surface, agitated by side blows at right angles to the flow of the pulp; — so called after the inventor.

WILFUL; WILFULLY; WILFULNESS
Wil"ful, a., Wil"ful*ly, adv., Wil"ful*ness, n.

Defn: See Willful, Willfully, and Willfulness.

WILINESS
Wi"li*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being wily; craftiness; cunning; guile.

WILK
Wilk, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Whelk. [Obs.]

WILL
Will, n. Etym: [OE. wille, AS. willa; akin to OFries. willa, OS.
willeo, willio, D. wil, G. wille, Icel. vili, Dan. villie, Sw. vilja,
Goth wilja. See Will, v.]

1. The power of choosing; the faculty or endowment of the soul by which it is capable of choosing; the faculty or power of the mind by which we decide to do or not to do; the power or faculty of preferring or selecting one of two or more objects. It is necessary to form a distinct notion of what is meant by the word "volition" in order to understand the import of the word will, for this last word expresses the power of mind of which "volition" is the act. Stewart. Will is an ambiguous word, being sometimes put for the faculty of willing; sometimes for the act of that faculty, besides [having] other meanings. But "volition" always signifies the act of willing, and nothing else. Reid. Appetite is the will's solicitor, and the will is appetite's controller; what we covet according to the one, by the other we often reject. Hooker. The will is plainly that by which the mind chooses anything. J. Edwards.

2. The choice which is made; a determination or preference which results from the act or exercise of the power of choice; a volition. The word "will," however, is not always used in this its proper acceptation, but is frequently substituted for "volition", as when I say that my hand mover in obedience to my will. Stewart.

3. The choice or determination of one who has authority; a decree; a command; discretionary pleasure. Thy will be done. Matt. vi. 10. Our prayers should be according to the will of God. Law.

4. Strong wish or inclination; desire; purpose.

Note: "Inclination is another word with which will is frequently confounded. Thus, when the apothecary says, in Romeo and Juliet, — My poverty, but not my will, consents; . . . Put this in any liquid thing you will, And drink it off. the word will is plainly used as, synonymous with inclination; not in the strict logical sense, as the immediate antecedent of action. It is with the same latitude that the word is used in common conversation, when we speak of doing a thing which duty prescribes, against one's own will; or when we speak of doing a thing willingly or unwillingly." Stewart.

5. That which is strongly wished or desired. What's your will, good friar Shak. The mariner hath his will. Coleridge.

6. Arbitrary disposal; power to control, dispose, or determine. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies. Ps. xxvii. 12.

7 7 (Law)

Defn: The legal declaration of a person's mind as to the manner in which he would have his property or estate disposed of after his death; the written instrument, legally executed, by which a man makes disposition of his estate, to take effect after his death; testament; devise. See the Note under Testament, 1.

Note: Wills are written or nuncupative, that is, oral. See Nuncupative will, under Nuncupative. At will (Law), at pleasure. To hold an estate at the will of another, is to enjoy the possession at his pleasure, and be liable to be ousted at any time by the lessor or proprietor. An estate at will is at the will of both parties. — Good will. See under Good. — Ill will, enmity; unfriendliness; malevolence. — To have one's will, to obtain what is desired; to do what one pleases. — Will worship, worship according to the dictates of the will or fancy; formal worship. [Obs.] — Will worshiper, one who offers will worship. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. — With a will, with willingness and zeal; with all one's heart or strength; earnestly; heartily.

WILL Will, v. t. & auxiliary. [imp. Would. Indic. present, I will (Obs. I wol), thou wilt, he will (Obs. he wol); we, ye, they will.] Etym: [OE. willen, imp. wolde; akin to OS. willan, OFries. willa, D. willen, G. wollen, OHG. wollan, wellan, Icel. & Sw. vilja, Dan. ville, Goth. wiljan, OSlav. voliti, L. velle to wish, volo I wish; cf. Skr. vrs to choose, to prefer. Cf. Voluntary, Welcome, Well, adv.]

1. To wish; to desire; to incline to have. A wife as of herself no thing ne sholde [should] Wille in effect, but as her husband wolde [would]. Chaucer. Caleb said unto her, What will thou Judg. i. 14. They would none of my counsel. Prov. i. 30.

2. As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent on the verb. Thus, in first person, "I will" denotes willingness, consent, promise; and when "will" is emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as, I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, "You will go," or "He will go," describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.

Note: Will, auxiliary, may be used elliptically for will go. "I'll to her lodgings." Marlowe.

Note: As in shall (which see), the second and third persons may be virtually converted into the first, either by question or indirect statement, so as to receive the meaning which belongs to will in that person; thus, "Will you go" (answer, "I will go") asks assent, requests, etc.; while "Will he go" simply inquires concerning futurity; thus, also,"He says or thinks he will go," "You say or think you will go," both signify willingness or consent.

Note: Would, as the preterit of will, is chiefly employed in conditional, subjunctive, or optative senses; as, he would go if he could; he could go if he would; he said that he would go; I would fain go, but can not; I would that I were young again; and other like phrases. In the last use, the first personal pronoun is often omitted; as, would that he were here; would to Heaven that it were so; and, omitting the to in such an adjuration. "Would God I had died for thee." Would is used for both present and future time, in conditional propositions, and would have for past time; as, he would go now if he were ready; if it should rain, he would not go; he would have gone, had he been able. Would not, as also will not, signifies refusal. "He was angry, and would not go in." Luke xv. 28. Would is never a past participle.

Note: In Ireland, Scotland, and the United States, especially in the southern and western portions of the United States, shall and will, should and would, are often misused, as in the following examples: — I am able to devote as much time and attention to other subjects as I will [shall] be under the necessity of doing next winter. Chalmers. A countryman, telling us what he had seen, remarked that if the conflagration went on, as it was doing, we would [should] have, as our next season's employment, the Old Town of Edinburgh to rebuild. H. Miller. I feel assured that I will [shall] not have the misfortune to find conflicting views held by one so enlightened as your excellency. J. Y. Mason.

WILL
Will, v. i.

Defn: To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire. And behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus . . . touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. Matt. viii. 2, 3.

Note: This word has been confused with will, v. i., to choose, which, unlike this, is of the weak conjugation. Will I, nill I, or Will ye, hill ye, or Will he, nill he, whether I, you, or he will it or not; hence, without choice; compulsorily; — sometimes corrupted into willy nilly. "If I must take service willy nilly." J. H. Newman. "Land for all who would till it, and reading and writing will ye, nill ye." Lowell.

WILL
Will, v. t. [imp. & p. p Willed; p. pr. & vb. n. Willing. Indic.
present I will, thou willeth, he wills; we, ye, they will.] Etym:
[Cf. AS. willian. See Will, n.]

1. To form a distinct volition of; to determine by an act of choice; to ordain; to decree. "What she will to do or say." Milton. By all law and reason, that which the Parliament will not, is no more established in this kingdom. Milton. Two things he [God] willeth, that we should be good, and that we should be happy. Barrow.

2. To enjoin or command, as that which is determined by an act of volition; to direct; to order. [Obs. or R.] They willed me say so, madam. Shak. Send for music, And will the cooks to use their best of cunning To please the palate. Beau. & Fl. As you go, will the lord mayor . . . To attend our further pleasure presently. J. Webster.

3. To give or direct the disposal of by testament; to bequeath; to devise; as, to will one's estate to a child; also, to order or direct by testament; as, he willed that his nephew should have his watch.

WILL
Will, v. i.

Defn: To exercise an act of volition; to choose; to decide; to determine; to decree. At Winchester he lies, so himself willed. Robert of Brunne. He that shall turn his thoughts inward upon what passes in his own mind when he wills. Locke. I contend for liberty as it signifies a power in man to do as he wills or pleases. Collins.

WILLEMITE
Wil"lem*ite, n. Etym: [From Willem I., king of the Netherlands.]
(Min.)

Defn: A silicate of zinc, usually occurring massive and of a greenish yellow color, also in reddish crystals (troostite) containing manganese.

WILLER
Will"er, n.

Defn: One who wills.

WILLET
Wil"let, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large North American snipe (Symphemia semipalmata); — called also pill-willet, will-willet, semipalmated tattler, or snipe, duck snipe, and stone curlew. Carolina willet, the Hudsonian godwit.

WILLFUL
Will"ful, a. Etym: [Will + full.] Etym: [Written also wilful.]

1. Of set purpose; self-determined; voluntary; as, willful murder. Foxe. In willful poverty chose to lead his life. Chaucer. Thou to me Art all things under heaven, all places thou, Who, for my willful crime, art banished hence. Milton.

2. Governed by the will without yielding to reason; obstinate; perverse; inflexible; stubborn; refractory; as, a willful man or horse. — Will"ful*ly, adv. — Will"ful*ness, n.

WILLIER
Wil"li*er, n.

Defn: One who works at a willying machine.

WILLING
Will"ing, a. Etym: [From Will, v. t.]

1. Free to do or to grant; having the mind inclined; not opposed in mind; not choosing to refuse; disposed; not averse; desirous; consenting; complying; ready. Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. Acts xxiv. 27. With wearied wings and willing feet. Milton. [Fruit] shaken in August from the willing boughs. Bryant.

2. Received of choice, or without reluctance; submitted to voluntarily; chosen; desired. [They] are held, with his melodious harmony, In willing chains and sweet captivity. Milton.

3. Spontaneous; self-moved. [R.] No spouts of blood run willing from a tree. Dryden.

WILLINGLY
Will"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a willing manner; with free will; without reluctance;
cheerfully. Chaucer.
The condition of that people is not so much to be envied as some
would willingly represent it. Addison.

WILLINGNESS
Will"ing*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being willing; free choice or consent
of the will; freedom from reluctance; readiness of the mind to do or
forbear.
Sweet is the love which comes with willingness. Dryden.

WILLIWAW; WILLYWAW
Wil"li*waw, Wil"ly*waw, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A whirlwind, or whirlwind squall, encountered in the Straits of
Magellan. W. C. Russell.

WILLOCK Wil"lock, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The common guillemot. (b) The puffin. [Prov. Eng.]

WILL-O'-THE-WISP
Will"-o'-the-wisp`, n.

Defn: See Ignis fatuus.

WILLOW Wil"low, n. Etym: [OE. wilowe, wilwe, AS. wilig, welig; akin to OD. wilge, D. wilg, LG. wilge. Cf. Willy.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: Any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, including many species, most of which are characterized often used as an emblem of sorrow, desolation, or desertion. "A wreath of willow to show my forsaken plight." Sir W. Scott. Hence, a lover forsaken by, or having lost, the person beloved, is said to wear the willow. And I must wear the willow garland For him that's dead or false to me. Campbell.

2. (Textile Manuf.)

Defn: A machine in which cotton or wool is opened and cleansed by the action of long spikes projecting from a drum which revolves within a box studded with similar spikes; — probably so called from having been originally a cylindrical cage made of willow rods, though some derive the term from winnow, as denoting the winnowing, or cleansing, action of the machine. Called also willy, twilly, twilly devil, and devil. Almond willow, Pussy willow, Weeping willow. (Bot.) See under Almond, Pussy, and Weeping. — Willow biter (Zoöl.) the blue tit. [Prov. Eng.] — Willow fly (Zoöl.), a greenish European stone fly (Chloroperla viridis); — called also yellow Sally. — Willow gall (Zoöl.), a conical, scaly gall produced on willows by the larva of a small dipterous fly (Cecidomyia strobiloides). — Willow grouse (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. See ptarmigan. — Willow lark (Zoöl.), the sedge warbler. [Prov. Eng.] — Willow ptarmigan (Zoöl.) (a) The European reed bunting, or black-headed bunting. See under Reed. (b) A sparrow (Passer salicicolus) native of Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe. — Willow tea, the prepared leaves of a species of willow largely grown in the neighborhood of Shanghai, extensively used by the poorer classes of Chinese as a substitute for tea. McElrath. — Willow thrush (Zoöl.), a variety of the veery, or Wilson's thrush. See Veery. — Willow warbler (Zoöl.), a very small European warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus); — called also bee bird, haybird, golden wren, pettychaps, sweet William, Tom Thumb, and willow wren.

WILLOW
Wil"low, v. t.

Defn: To open and cleanse, as cotton, flax, or wool, by means of a willow. See Willow, n., 2.

WILLOWED
Wil"lowed, a.

Defn: Abounding with willows; containing willows; covered or overgrown with willows. "Willowed meads." Collins.

WILLOWER
Wil"low*er, n.

Defn: A willow. See Willow, n., 2.

WILLOW-HERB
Wil"low-herb`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial herb (Epilobium spicatum) with narrow willowlike leaves and showy rose-purple flowers. The name is sometimes made to include other species of the same genus. Spiked willow-herb, a perennial herb (Lythrum Salicaria) with willowy leaves and spiked purplish flowers.

WILLOWISH
Wil"low*ish, a.

Defn: Having the color of the willow; resembling the willow; willowy.
Walton.

WILLOW-THORN
Wil"low-thorn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A thorny European shrub (Hippophaë rhamnoides) resembling a willow.

WILLOW-WEED Wil"low-weed`, n. (Bot.) (a) A European species of loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris). (b) Any kind of Polygonum with willowlike foliage.

WILLOW-WORT Wil"low-wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) Same as Willow-weed. (b) Any plant of the order Salicaceæ, or the Willow family.

WILLOWY
Wil"low*y, a.

1. Abounding with willows. Where willowy Camus lingers with delight. Gray.

2. Resembling a willow; pliant; flexible; pendent; drooping; graceful.

WILLSOME
Will"some, a. Etym: [Written also wilsome.]

1. Willful; obstinate. [Obs.]

2. Fat; indolent. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

3. Doubtful; uncertain. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
— Will"some*ness, n. [Obs.]

WILLY
Wil"ly, n. Etym: [Cf. Willow.]

1. A large wicker basket. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

2. (Textile Manuf.)

Defn: Same as 1st Willow, 2.

WILLYING
Wil"ly*ing, n.

Defn: The process of cleansing wool, cotton, or the like, with a willy, or willow. Willying machine. Same as 1st Willow, 2

WILLY NILLY
Wil"ly nil"ly.

Defn: See Will I, nill I, etc., under 3d Will.

WILNE
Wil"ne, v. t. Etym: [AS. wilnian.]

Defn: To wish; to desire. [Obs.] "He willneth no destruction."
Chaucer.

WILT
Wilt,

Defn: 2d pers. sing. of Will.

WILT Wilt, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wilting.] Etym: [Written also welt, a modification of welk.]

Defn: To begin to wither; to lose freshness and become flaccid, as a plant when exposed when exposed to drought, or to great heat in a dry day, or when separated from its root; to droop;. to wither. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.]

WILT
Wilt, v. t.

1. To cause to begin to wither; to make flaccid, as a green plant. [Prov. Eng. U. S.]

2. Hence, to cause to languish; to depress or destroy the vigor and energy of. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.] Despots have wilted the human race into sloth and imbecility. Dr. T. Dwight.

WILTON CARPET
Wil"ton car`pet.

Defn: A kind of carpet woven with loops like the Brussels, but differing from it in having the loops cut so as to form an elastic velvet pile; — so called because made originally at Wilton, England.

WILWE
Wil"we, n.

Defn: Willow. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WILY
Wil"y, a. [Compar. Wilier; superl. Wiliest.] Etym: [From Wile.]

Defn: Full of wiles, tricks, or stratagems; using craft or stratagem to accomplish a purpose; mischievously artful; subtle. "Wily and wise." Chaucer. "The wily snake." Milton. This false, wily, doubling disposition of mind. South.

Syn.
— Cunning; artful; sly; crafty. See Cunning.

WIMBLE Wim"ble, n. Etym: [OE. wimbil; akin to Dan. vimmel, OD. wemelen to bore. Cf. Gimlet.]

Defn: An instrument for boring holes, turned by a handle. Specifically: (a) A gimlet. " It is but like the little wimble, to let in the greater auger." Selden. (b) A stonecutter's brace for boring holes in stone. (c) An auger used for boring in earth.

WIMBLE
Wim"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wimbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wimbling.]

Defn: To bore or pierce, as with a wimble. "A foot soldier . . . wimbled also a hole through said coffin." Wood.

WIMBLE Wim"ble, a. Etym: [Cf. Sw. vimmelkantig giddy, whimsical, dial. Sw. vimmla to be giddy or skittish, and E. whim.]

Defn: Active; nimble.[Obs.] Spenser.

WIMBREL
Wim"brel, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The whimbrel.

WIMPLE Wim"ple, n. Etym: [OE. wimpel, AS. winpel; akin to D. & G. wimpel a pennant, streamer, OHG. wimpal a veil, Icel. vimpill, Dan. & Sw. vimpel a pennant, streamer; of uncertain origin. Cf. Gimp.]

1. A covering of silk, linen, or other material, for the neck and chin, formerly worn by women as an outdoor protection, and still retained in the dress of nuns. Full seemly her wympel ipinched is. Chaucer. For she had laid her mournful stole aside, And widowlike sad wimple thrown away. Spenser. Then Vivian rose, And from her brown-locked head the wimple throws. M. Arnold.

2. A flag or streamer. Weale.

WIMPLE
Wim"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wimpled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wimpling.]

1. To clothe with a wimple; to cover, as with a veil; hence, to hoodwink. "She sat ywympled well." Chaucer. This wimpled, whining, purblind, wayward boy. Shak.

2. To draw down, as a veil; to lay in folds or plaits, as a veil.

3. To cause to appear as if laid in folds or plaits; to cause to ripple or undulate; as, the wind wimples the surface of water.

WIMPLE
Wim"ple, v. i.