# Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary 1908/Whitlow Wyvern

fāte, fär; mē, hėr; mīne; mōte; mūte; mōōn; then.
Whitlow, hwit′lō, n. a painful inflammatory affection of the fingers, almost always proceeding to suppuration, paronychia.—n. Whit′low-grass, a small British saxifrage: the small Draba verna of America. [A corr. of whick-flaw=quick-flaw. Cf. Quick and Flaw.]
Whit-Monday, hwit′-mun′dā, n. the Monday following Whitsunday.
Whitsour, hwit′sowr, n. a kind of summer apple.
Whitsun, hwit′sun, adj. pertaining to, or observed at, Whitsuntide.—ns. Whit′sun-ale, a festival formerly held at Whitsuntide; Whit′sunday, Whit′suntide, the seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorating the day of Pentecost, when the converts in the primitive Church wore white robes: in Scotland, one of the term-days (May 15) on which rents, annuities, &c. are payable, the Whitsunday removal terms in towns being fixed as May 28; Whit′suntide, the season of Pentecost, comprising the week following Pentecost Sunday; Whit′sun-week, the week beginning with Whitsunday.
Whittaw, hwit′aw, n. (prov.) a saddler.—Also Whitt′awer.
Whittie-whattie, hwit′i-hwot′i, v.i. (Scot.) to mutter, whisper.—n. language intended to deceive.
Whittle, hwit′l, v.t. to pare or cut with a knife: to cut to an edge.—v.i. to cut wood aimlessly: (obs. slang) to confess at the gallows.—n. a small pocket-knife. [M. E. thwitel—A.S. thwítan, to cut.]
Whittle, hwit′l, n. (prov.) a woollen shawl: a blanket. [A.S. hwítel, a white mantle—hwít, white.]
Whiz, hwiz, v.i. to make a hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air:—pr.p. whiz′zing; pa.t. and pa.p. whizzed.—n. a hissing sound.—ns. Whiz′zer; Whiz′zing.—adv. Whiz′zingly. [Imit.; cf. Wheeze, Whist, and Hiss.]
Who, hōō, pron. (both rel. and interrog.) what person? which person.—pron. Whoev′er, every one who: whatever person.—Who but he, who else? he only.—As who should say, as if one should say.—The who (Shak.), who. [A.S. hwá; cog. with Goth. hwas, Ice. hver, Ger. wer; also with Sans. kas, Gr. pos, L. quis.]
Whoa, hwō, interj. stop!
Whole, hōl, adj. sound, as in health (so in B.): unimpaired: containing the total amount, number, &c.: all: not defective: complete: in mining, as yet unworked.—n. the entire thing: a system or combination of parts.—adv. wholly.—adjs. Whole′-col′oured, all of one colour; Whole′-foot′ed (coll.) unreserved; Whole′-heart′ed, -souled, noble: hearty, generous; Whole′-hoofed, having undivided hoof; Whole′-length, giving the whole figure, as a portrait: full-length.—n. a portrait or statue giving the whole figure.—ns. Whole′ness; Whole′sāle, sale of goods by the whole piece or large quantity.—adj. buying and selling in large quantities: extensive.—n. Whole′sāler, one who sells by wholesale.—adjs. Whole′-skinned, having an unbroken skin: unhurt: safe in reputation; Whole′some, healthy: sound: salutary: (Shak.) prosperous.—adv. Whole′somely.—ns. Whole′someness; Whole′-stitch, a lace-making stitch used in filling.—adv. Wholly (hō′li), completely, altogether.—n. Wholth, wholeness, soundness.—Whole number, a unit, or a number composed of units, an integral number.—Upon, On, the whole, generally speaking, to sum up.—With whole skin, safe, unscathed. [A.S. hál, healthy; Ice. heill, Ger. heil. By-form hale (1).]
Whom, hōōm, pron. objective case of who.—prons. Whomev′er, Whomsoev′er, objective case of whoever, whosoever. [A.S. hwám, which was orig. dat. of hwá, who, and replaced in the 12th and 13th centuries the older accus. hwone.]
Whommle, hwom′l, Whomble, hwomb′l, v.t. (prov.). Same as Whemmle.
Whoobub, hōō′bub, n. (Shak.). Same as Hubbub.
Whoop, hwōōp, or hōōp, n. a loud eager cry.—v.i. to give a clear, sharp cry: to shout in scorn, eagerness, &c.—v.t. to insult with shouts.—interj. (Shak.) ho!—ns. Whoop′er, one who whoops: a species of swan; Whoop′ing-cough, Hooping-cough, an infectious and epidemic disease, mostly attacking children under ten, esp. in spring and autumn, its characteristic sign a cough occurring in paroxysms consisting of a series of short expiratory puffs followed by a deep inspiration of air through the contracted cleft of the glottis. [O. Fr. houper, to shout; cf. Houp! Houp-la! Perh. of Teut. origin, cog. with Goth. wōpjan, to crow.]
Whoot. See Hoot.
Whop, Whap, hwop, v.t. (coll.) to whip.—v.i. to flop on the ground.—n. Whop′per, one who whops: anything very large, esp. a monstrous lie.—adj. Whop′ping (slang), very large. [Whip.]
Whore, hōr, n. a woman who prostitutes her body for hire, a prostitute, harlot, strumpet, hence any unchaste woman.—v.i. to practise lewdness.—v.t. to corrupt by lewd commerce.—ns. Whore′dom, unlawful sexual intercourse: idolatry; Whore′house, a brothel; Whore′master (Shak.), a pimp.—adj. Whore′masterly, libidinous.—ns. Whore′monger, a lecher: a pander; Whore′son (Shak.), a bastard.—adj. mean, scurvy.—adj. Whō′rish.—adv. Whō′rishly.—n. Whō′rishness. [Ice. hóra, an adulteress, fem. of hórr, an adulterer. The word was confused with A.S. horu (Old High Ger. horo), dirt. There is no connection with hire.]
Whorl, hworl, n. a number of leaves in a circle round the stem: a turn in a spiral shell: a volution—e.g. in the ear: the fly of a spindle.—p.adj. Whorled, having whorls: arranged in the form of a whorl or whorls. [By-form of whirl.]
Whortleberry, hwor′tl-ber-i, n. a widely-spread health plant with a purple edible berry, called also the Bilberry—in Scotland, Blaeberry—sometimes abbrev. Whort. [A.S. wyrtil, a shrub (Ger. wurzel, root), dim. of wyrt, root, and berie, berry; confused rather than conn. with A.S. heort berge, berry of the buckthorn.]
Whose, hōōz, pron. the possessive case of who or which.—pron. Whosesoev′er (B.), of whomsoever. [M. E. hwas—A.S. hwæs, gen. of hwá, who.]
Whoso, hōō′so, Whosoever, hōō-so-ev′ėr, indef. rel. pron. every one who: whoever.
Whot, hwot, adj. (Spens.). Same as Hot.
Whummle, a form of whemmle.
Whunstane, a form of whinstone.
Why, hwī, adv. and conj. for what cause or reason? on which account: wherefore.—interj. used as an expletive or exclamation.—n. Why′-not (obs.), a dilemma.—Why, so (Shak.), an expression of unwilling consent.—The cause why, The reason why, the reason why a thing is, or is to be done; The why and wherefore, the whole reason. [A.S. hwí, hwý, instrumental case of hwá, who.]
Whydah, Whidah, hwid′a, n. a genus of birds of the Weaver family, natives of the tropical parts of Africa, often brought to Britain as cage-birds. [From the country of Whydah in Dahomey.]
Wick, wik, n. a creek. [Ice. vík, a bay. Cf. Viking.]
Wick, wik, v.t. in curling, to strike a stone in an oblique direction. [Prob. A.S. wícan, to bend.]
Wick, wik, n. the twisted threads of cotton or other substance in a candle or lamp which draw up the inflammable liquid to a flame. [A.S. weoca; allied to weak—A.S. wác.]
Wick, wik, adj. (prov.) quick, alive.—n. a lively person.
Wick, wik, n. a village or town, as in Berwick, Greenwich. [A.S. wíc—L. vicus, a village.]
Wicked, wik′ed, adj. evil in principle or practice: deviating from morality: sinful: ungodly: mischievous: (prov.) active, brisk.—n. (B.) a wicked person, (pl.) wicked persons collectively.—adv. Wick′edly.—n. Wick′edness.—Wicked Bible, an edition printed in 1632 in which the word 'not' was omitted in Exodus xx. 14.—The wicked one, the devil. [Orig. a pa.p. with the sense 'rendered evil' from wikken, to make evil, wikke, bad; A.S. wicca, wizard.]
Wicken, wik′n, n. the mountain-ash or rowan-tree.—Also Wick′y.
Wicker, wik′ėr, n. a small pliant twig or osier: wickerwork.—adj. made of twigs or osiers.—adj. Wick′ered, made of wicker: covered with wickerwork.—n. Wick′erwork, basketwork of any kind. [M. E. wiker—A.S. wicen, pa.p. of wícan, to bend.]
Wicket, wik′et, n. a small gate: one of three upright rods bowled at in cricket: a batsman's stay at the wicket: the ground where the wickets are placed.—ns. Wick′et-door, -gate, a wicket; Wick′et-keep′er, in cricket, the fieldsman who stands immediately behind the wicket. [O. Fr. wiket (Fr. guichet), a dim. form, prob. from Ice. vik-inn, pa.p. of víkja, to move; cf. A.S. wícan, to bend.]
Widdershins, Widershins, &c. See Withershins.
Widdy, wid′i, provincial form of widow and of withy (see Withe).
Wide, wīd, adj. extended far: having a considerable distance between: broad: distant: bulging, expanded: deviating, errant, wild.—n. wideness: in cricket, a ball that goes wide of the wicket, counting one to the batting side.—advs. Wīde, Wīde′ly.—adj. Wīde′-awake′, fully awake: on the alert: ready.—n. a kind of soft felt hat.—n. Wīde′awakeness.—adj. Wīde′-chapped, wide-mouthed.—v.t. and v.i, Wī′den, to make or grow wide or wider: (Shak.) to throw open.—ns. Wīde′ner, one who, or that which, widens: a kind of tool; Wīde′ness, width.—adjs. Wīde′-spread, diffused; Wīde′-stretched (Shak.), large; Wīde′-wa′tered, bordered or covered by wide waters.—n. Width, wideness, breadth. [A.S. wíd; Ice. víthr, Ger. weit.]
Widgeon, Wigeon, wij′on, n. a genus of Ducks having the bill shorter than the head, the legs short, the feet rather small, the wings long and pointed, and the tail wedge-shaped: a fool. [O. Fr. vigeon—L. vipio, vipionis, a small crane.]
Widow, wid′ō, n. a woman who has lost her husband by death.—v.t. to bereave of a husband: to strip of anything valued: (Shak.) to endow with a widow's right: to be widow to.—ns. Wid′ow-bench, a widow's share of her husband's estate besides her jointure; Wid′ow-bewitched′, a grass-widow; Wid′ow-bird, a corruption of Whydah-bird; Wid′ower, a man whose wife is dead; Wid′owerhood; Wid′owhood, state of being a widow, or (rarely) of being a widower: (Shak.) a widow's right; Wid′ow-hun′ter, one who seeks to marry a widow for her money; Wid′ow-mā′ker, one who bereaves women of their husbands; Wid′ow's-cham′ber, the apparel and bedroom furniture of the widow of a London freeman, to which she was entitled; Wid′ow-wail, a dwarf shrub with pink, sweet-scented flowers, native to Spain and southern France.—Widow's lawn, a fine thin muslin; Widow's man, a fictitious person; Widow's silk, a silk fabric with dull surface, for mournings; Widow's weeds, the mourning dress of a widow. [A.S. widwe, wuduwe; Ger. wittwe, L. vidua, bereft of a husband, Sans. vidhavā.]
Wield, wēld, v.t. to use with full command: to manage: to use.—adj. Wiel′dable, capable of being wielded.—ns. Wiel′der; Wiel′diness.—adjs. Wield′less (Spens.), not capable of being wielded, unmanageable; Wiel′dy, capable of being wielded: manageable: dexterous, active.—Wield the sceptre, to have supreme command or control. [A.S. geweldan—wealdan; Goth. waldan, Ger. walten.]
Wiery, wē′ri, adj. (obs.) wet, marshy, moist. [A.S. wær, a pond.]
Wife, wīf, n. a woman: a married woman: the mistress of a house, a hostess—often in this sense 'goodwife.'—n. Wife′hood, the state of being a wife.—adjs. Wife′less, without a wife; Wife′-like, Wife′ly. [A.S. wíf; Ice. víf, Ger. weib; not conn. with weave.]
Wig, wig, n. an artificial covering of hair for the head, worn to conceal baldness, formerly for fashion's sake, as in the full-dress full-bottomed form of Queen Anne's time, still worn by the Speaker and by judges, and the smaller tie-wig, still represented by the judge's undress wig and the barrister's or advocate's frizzed wig: a judge. (For Bag-wig, see Bag.)—n. Wig′-block, a block or shaped piece of wood for fitting a wig on.—adj. Wigged, wearing a wig.—n. Wig′gery, false hair: excess of formality.—adj. Wig′less, without a wig.—n. Wig′-mā′ker, a maker of wigs. [Short for periwig.]
Wig, wig, v.t. (coll.) to scold.—n. Wig′ging, a scolding. [Prob. derived from 'to snatch at one's wig,' to handle roughly.]
Wigan, wig′an, n. a stiff canvas-like fabric for stiffening shirts, borders, &c. [Wigan, the town.]
Wigeon. See Widgeon.
Wiggle, wig′l, v.i. (prov.) to waggle, wriggle.—n. a wiggling motion.—n. Wigg′ler, one who wriggles.
Wight, wīt, n. a creature or a person—used chiefly in sport or irony. [A.S. wiht, a creature, prob. from wegan, to move, carry; Ger. wicht. Cf. Whit.]
Wight, wīt, adj. swift, nimble: courageous, strong.—adv. Wight′ly, swiftly, nimbly. [Ice. vígr, warlike—víg, war (A.S. wíg).]
Wigwag, wig′wag, v.i. to twist about, to signal by means of flags.—adj. twisting.—adv. to and fro.
Wigwam, wig′wam, n. an Indian hut. [Eng. corr. of Algonkin word.]
Wild, wīld, adj. frolicsome, light-hearted: being in a state of nature: not tamed or cultivated: uncivilised: desert: unsheltered: violent: eager, keen: licentious: fantastic: wide of the mark.—n. an uncultivated region: a forest or desert.—ns. Wīld′-ass, an Asiatic or African ass living naturally in a wild state; Wīld′-boar, a wild swine or animal of the hog kind.—adj. Wīld′-born, born in a wild state.—n. Wīld′-cat, the undomesticated cat.—adj. (U.S.) haphazard, reckless, unsound financially.—ns. Wīld′-cherr′y, any uncultivated tree bearing cherries, or its fruit; Wīld′-duck, any duck excepting the domesticated duck.—v.t. Wilder (wil′dėr), to bewilder.—v.i. to wander widely or wildly.—adv. Wil′deredly, in a wildered manner.—ns. Wil′dering, any plant growing wild, esp. one that has escaped from a state of cultivation; Wil′derment, confusion; Wil′derness, a wild or waste place: an uncultivated region: a confused mass: (Shak.) wildness; Wīld′-fire, a composition of inflammable materials: a kind of lightning flitting at intervals: a disease of sheep; Wīld′-fowl, the birds of the duck tribe: game-birds; Wīld′-fowl′ing, the pursuit of wild-fowl; Wīld′-goose, a bird of the goose kind which is wild or feral; Wīld′-goose-chase (see Chase); Wīld-hon′ey, the honey of wild bees; Wīld′ing, that which grows wild or without cultivation: a wild crab-apple.—adj. uncultivated.—adj. Wīld′ish, somewhat wild.—n. Wīld′-land, land completely uncultivated.—adv. Wīld′ly.—ns. Wīld′ness; Wīld′-oat, a tall perennial Old World grass.—adj. Wīld′-wood, belonging to wild uncultivated wood.—n. a forest.—Wild animals, undomesticated animals; Wild birds, birds not domesticated, esp. those protected at certain seasons under the Act of 1880; Wild hunt, the name given in Germany to a noise sometimes heard in the air at night, mostly between Christmas and Epiphany, as of a host of spirits rushing along, accompanied by the shouting of huntsmen and the baying of dogs—the 'Seven Whistlers' and 'Gabriel's Hounds' of our own north country; Wild shot, a chance shot.—Run wild, to take to loose living: to revert to the wild or uncultivated state; Sow wild oats (see Oat). [A.S. wild; prob. orig. 'self-willed,' from the root of will; Ger. wild.]
Wild, wīld, a variety of weald.
Wildgrave, wīld′grāv, n. a German noble, whose office was connected with hunting. [Ger. wild, game, graf, count.]
Wile, wīl, n. a trick: a sly artifice.—v.t. to beguile, inveigle: coax, cajole: to make to pass easily or pleasantly (confused with while).—adj. Wile′ful, full of wiles. [A.S. wíl, wíle; Ice. vél, væl, a trick. Doublet guile.]
Will, wil, n. power of choosing or determining: volition: choice or determination: pleasure: command: arbitrary disposal: feeling towards, as in good or ill will: disposition of one's effects at death, the written document containing such.—v.i. to have a wish, desire: to resolve, be resolved: to be accustomed, certain, ready, or sure (to do, &c.)—used as an auxiliary, esp. in future constructions: to exercise the will: to decree: (B.) to be willing.—v.t. to wish, desire: to determine: to be resolved to do: to command: to dispose of by will: to subject to another's will, as in hypnotism:—pa.t. would.—adj. Wil′ful, governed only by one's will: done or suffered by design: obstinate: (Shak.) willing.—adv. Wil′fully.—n. Wil′fulness.—adj. Willed, having a will: brought under another's will.—n. Will′er, one who wishes, one who wills.—adjs. Will′ing, having the will inclined to a thing: desirous: disposed: chosen; Will′ing-heart′ed, heartily consenting.—adv. Will′ingly.—n. Will′ingness.—adj. Will′yard (Scot.), wilful: shy.—ns. Good′-will (see Good); Ill′-will (see Ill).—At will, at pleasure; Conjoint, Joint, will, a testamentary act by two persons jointly in the same instrument; Have one's will, to obtain what one desires; Tenant at will, one who holds lands at the will of the owner; With a will, with all one's heart; Work one's will, to do exactly what one wants. [A.S. willa, will—willan, wyllan, to wish; Goth. wiljan, Ger. wollen, L. velle.]
Willet, wil′et, n. a North American bird of the snipe family, belonging to the tattler group—also Stone-curlew.
Williewaught, wil′i-wäht, n. (Scot.), for gude-willie waught. [See Waught.]
Will-o'-the-wisp, wil′-o-the-wisp′, n. the ignis-fatuus: any deluding person or thing.
Willow, wil′ō, n. any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, having slender, pliant branches: the wood of the willow: a cricket-bat.—v.t. to beat with willow rods, as in cleaning cotton, &c.—adj. Will′owed, abounding with, or containing, willows.—n. Will′ow-herb, a perennial herb (Epilobium) of the evening primrose family—also Rose-bay, Bay-willow, French or Persian willow.—adj. Will′owish, like a willow, slender and supple.—ns. Will′ow-machine′, a machine for extracting dirt from hemp, cotton, &c.—also Will′ow; Will′ow-moth, a common British night-moth; Will′ow-war′bler, -wren, a small European sylviine bird; Will′ow-weed, one of various species of Polygonum or knot-weed: the purple loose-strife.—adj. Will′owy, abounding in willows: flexible, graceful.—n. Weep′ing-will′ow, a very ornamental species, a native of the East, much planted in Britain on account of its beautiful pendent twigs.—Bedford willow, a species whose bark is especially rich in salicin and in tannin; White, or Huntingdon, willow, the largest of British species, reaching a height of eighty feet. [A.S. welig; Low Ger. wilge, Dut. wilg.]
Will-worship, wil′-wur′ship, n. (B.) worship that is self-invented, superstitious observance without divine authority.
Willy, wil′i, n. (prov.) a willow basket.
Willy-nilly, wil′i-nil′i, adv. willing or unwilling.—adj. vacillating. [Will and nill.]
Wilt, wilt, v.i. to droop, lose energy.—v.t. to render limp or pithless. [Cf. Welk; cf. Ger. welk, withered.]
Wilt, wilt, 2d pers. sing. of will.
Wily, wī′li, adj. full of wiles or tricks: using craft or stratagem: artful: sly.—adv. Wī′lily.—n. Wī′liness, cunning.
Wimble, wim′bl, n. an instrument for boring holes, turned by a handle.—v.t. to bore through with such. [Scand., Dan. vimmel, auger; conn. with Old Dut. weme, a wimble, and wemelen, to whirl.]
Wimble, wim′bl, adj. (Spens.) active, nimble. [Sw. vimmel, giddy—vima, to be giddy; allied to whim.]
Wimple, wim′pl, n. a hood or veil folded round the neck and face (still a part of a nun's dress): a flag.—v.t. to hide with a wimple: (Shak.) to hoodwink: to lay in folds.—v.i. to ripple: (Spens.) to lie in folds. [A.S. wimpel, a neck-covering; cf. Ger. wimpel, a pennon, Fr. guimpe, a nun's veil, Eng. gimp, a thin cloth for trimming.]
Win, win, v.t. to get by labour: to gain in contest: to allure to kindness, to gain: to achieve, effect: to attain: to induce: in mining, to sink down to a bed of coal: to obtain the favour of.—v.i. to gain the victory: to gain favour: (prov.) to make one's way, to succeed in getting:—pr.p. win′ning; pa.t. and pa.p. won (wun).—n. a victory, success.—ns. Win′ner; Win′ning, the act of one who wins: that which is won (usually in pl.): a shaft or pit to open a bed of coal.—adj. influencing: attractive.—adv. Win′ningly.—ns. Win′ningness; Win′ning-post, the goal of a race-course.—Win by a head, to win very narrowly; Win in a canter, to win easily, as it were at an easy gallop; Win on, upon, to gain upon, to obtain favour with; Win, or Gain, one's spurs, to earn one's knighthood by valour on the field, hence to gain recognition or reputation by merit of any kind. [A.S. winnan, to suffer, to struggle; Ice. vinna, to accomplish, Ger. gewinnen, to win.]
Win, win, v.t. (Scot.) to dry by exposure to the wind. [Wind.]
Wince, wins, v.i. to shrink or start back: to be affected acutely, as by a sarcasm: to be restive, as a horse uneasy at its rider.—n. Win′cer, one who winces. [O. Fr. guinchir, ganchir, to wince—Old High Ger. wenkan (Ger. wanken), to wince. Allied to Eng. wink, and Ger. winken, to nod.]
Wincey, Winsey, win′si, n. a cloth, plain or twilled, usually with a cotton warp and woollen filling—same as linsey-woolsey (q.v.).
Winch, winsh, n. the crank of a wheel or axle: a kind of hoisting machine: a dyer's reel suspended horizontally by the ends of its axis over the vat, so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment of the bath according as it is turned on the right or left.—Also Wince. [A.S. wince, prob. orig. 'a bent handle,' and so akin to Eng. wink.]
Wind, wind (poet. wīnd), n. air in motion: breath: flatulence: anything insignificant: the wind instruments in an orchestra: air impregnated with scent: a hint or suggestion of something secret, publicity: (slang) a part of the body near the stomach: a disease of sheep in which the inflamed intestines are distended by gases.—v.t. (wīnd) to sound or signal by blowing: to scent: (wind) to expose to the wind: to drive hard, so as to put out of breath: to allow to recover wind:—pr.p. wīnd′ing and wind′ing; pa.p. wind′ed and wound.—ns. Wind′age, the difference between the size of the bore of a gun and that of the ball or shell: the influence of the wind in deflecting a missile; Wind′bag, a person of mere words.—adjs. Wind′-bound, hindered from sailing by a contrary wind; Wind′-brō′ken, affected with convulsive breathing—of a horse; Wind′-chang′ing, fickle.—ns. Wind′-chart, a chart showing the direction of the wind; Wind′-chest, the box or reservoir that supplies compressed air to the pipes or reeds of an organ; Wind′-drop′sy, tympanites; Wind′-egg, an addle-egg, one soft-shelled or imperfectly formed; Wīnd′er, one who sounds a horn: one who, or that which, winds or rolls; Wind′fall, fruit blown off a tree by the wind: any unexpected money or other advantage.—adj. Windfall′en, blown down by wind.—ns. Wind′-flow′er, the wood-anemone; Wind′-fur′nace, any form of furnace using the natural draught of a chimney without aid of a bellows; Wind′-gall, a puffy swelling about the fetlock joints of a horse; Wind′-gauge, an instrument for gauging or measuring the velocity of the wind: an appliance fixed to a gun by means of which the force of the wind is ascertained so that allowance may be made for it in sighting; Wind′-gun, air-gun; Wind′-hō′ver, the kestrel.—adv. Wind′ily.—ns. Wind′iness; Wind′-in′strument, a musical instrument sounded by means of wind or by the breath.—adj. Wind′less, without wind.—ns. Wind′mill, a mill for performing any class of work in which fixed machinery can be employed, and in which the motive-power is the force of the wind acting on a set of sails; Wind′pipe, the passage for the breath between the mouth and lungs, the trachea.—adj. Wind′-rode (naut.), riding at anchor with head to the wind.—ns. Wind′rose, a graphic representation of the relative frequency of winds from different directions drawn with reference to a centre; Wind′row, a row of hay raked together to be made into cocks, a row of peats, &c., set up for drying; Wind′-sail (naut.), a wide funnel of canvas used to convey a stream of air below deck.—adj. Wind′-shā′ken, agitated by the wind.—ns. Wind′side, the side next the wind; Wind′-suck′er, the kestrel: a critic ready to fasten on any weak spot, however small or unimportant.—adjs. Wind′-swift, swift as the wind; Wind′-tight, air-tight.—adv. Wind′ward, toward where the wind blows from.—adj. toward the wind.—n. the point from which the wind blows.—adj. Wind′y.—A capful of wind, a slight breeze; Before the wind, carried along by the wind; Between wind and water, that part of a ship's side which is now in, now out of, the water owing to the fluctuation of the waves: any vulnerable point; Broken wind, a form of paroxysmal dyspnœa; Cast, or Lay, an anchor to windward, to make prudent provision for the future; Down the wind, moving with the wind; Fight windmills, to struggle with imaginary opposition, as Don Quixote tilted at the windmill; Get one's wind, to recover one's breath; Get the wind of, to get on the windward side of; Get to windward of, to secure an advantage over; Get wind of, to learn about, to be informed of; Have the wind of, to be on the trail of; How the wind blows, or lies, the state of the wind: the position of affairs; In the wind, astir, afoot; In the wind's eye, In the teeth of the wind, right against the wind; Sail close to the wind, to keep the boat's head near enough to wind as to fill but not shake the sails: to be almost indecent; Second wind, new powers of respiration succeeding to the first breathlessness; Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind, to act wrongly and receive a crushing retribution. [A.S. wind; Ice. vindr, Ger. wind, L. ventus, Gr. aētēs, Sans. vāta, wind.]
Wind, wīnd, v.t. to turn: to twist: to coil: to haul or hoist, as by a winch: to encircle: to change: (Spens.) to weave.—v.i. to turn completely or often: to turn round something: to twist: to move spirally: to meander: to beat about the bush:—pr.p. wīnd′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. wound.—n. Wīnd′er, one who winds: an instrument for winding: a twisting plant.—adj. Wīnd′ing, curving, full of bends: twisted.—n. a turning: a twist.—n. Wīnd′ing-en′gine, a machine for hoisting.—adv. Wīnd′ingly.—ns. Wīnd′ing-machine′, a twisting or warping machine; Wīnd′ing-sheet, a sheet enwrapping a corpse: the dripping grease which clings to the side of a candle; Wīnd′-up, the close.—Wind a ship, to turn her about end for end; Wind up, to come to a conclusion: to tighten, to excite very much: to give new life to: to adjust for final settlement: (Shak.) to restore to harmony. [A.S. windan; Ger. winden, Ice. vinda, Goth. windan. Cf. Wend, Wander.]
Windlass, wind′las, n. a modification of the wheel and axle, used for raising weights, consisting of a revolving cylinder.—v.i. to use a windlass.—v.t. to hoist by means of such. [Skeat explains as a corruption, due to confusion with the succeeding word, of M. E. windas, a windlass—Ice. vindáss—vinda, to wind; Dut. windas.]
Windlass, wind′las, n. (Shak.) indirect, crafty action.—v.i. to take a round-about course. [For wind-lace, a winding course; from wind (n.) and lace, a twist.]
Windle, win′dl, n. an engine for turning: a dry measure. [A.S. windel—windan, to turn.]
Windlestraw, win′dl-straw, n. the stalk of various grasses. [A.S. windel, a woven basket, streów, straw.]
Window, win′dō, n. an opening in the wall of a building for air and light: the frame in the opening: a cover, lid.—v.t. to furnish with windows: (Shak.) to make rents in: (Shak.) to place in a window.—ns. Wind′ow-bar, a wooden or iron bar fitted into a window for security: (Shak.) lattice-work across a woman's stomacher; Win′dow-blind, a blind or screen for a window; Win′dow-bole (same as Bole, 3); Win′dow-cur′tain, a curtain hung over a window, inside a room.—adj. Win′dowed, having a window or windows.—ns. Win′dow-frame, a frame or case which surrounds a window; Win′dow-gar′dening, the cultivation of plants indoors before a window, or in boxes fitted on the outside sill; Win′dow-glass, glass suitable for windows.—adj. Win′dowless, having no windows.—ns. Win′dow-pane, a square of glass set in a window; Win′dow-sash, a light frame in which panes of glass are set; Win′dow-screen, any device for filling the opening of a window; Win′dow-seat, a seat in the recess of a window; Win′dow-shade, a sheet covering the window when pulled out; Win′dow-sill, the flat piece of wood at the bottom of a window-frame.—Window tax, till 1851 a tax in Great Britain levied on windows of houses.—Blind window, a window space blocked up with masonry. [M. E. windowe—Ice. vindauga—vindr, wind, auga, eye.]
Windring, wīnd′ring, adj. (Shak.) winding.
Windsor, win′zor, adj. pertaining to Windsor, as in Wind′sor-chair, a kind of strong, plain, polished chair, made entirely of wood; Wind′sor-soap, a kind of perfumed brown toilet-soap.
Wine, wīn, n. the fermented juice of the grape: a liquor made from other fruits: (fig.) intoxication: a wine-drinking, a wine-party.—ns. Wine′-bag, a wine-skin: a tippler; Wine′-bibb′er, a bibber or drinker of wine: a drunkard; Wine′-bibb′ing; Wine′-bis′cuit, a sweet biscuit intended to be served with wine; Wine′-cask, a cask for holding wine; Wine′-cell′ar, a cellar for storing wine.—adj. Wine′-col′oured, of the colour of red wine.—ns. Wine′-cool′er, a receptacle for cooling wine in bottles about to be served at table; Wine′-fat, the vat receiving the liquor from a wine-press; Wine′-glass, a small glass used in drinking wine; Wine′-glass′ful; Wine′-grow′er, one who cultivates a vineyard and makes wine; Wine′-meas′ure, an old English liquid measure, its gallon 5⁄6 of the gallon in beer-measure, containing 231 cubic inches—the standard United States gallon; Wine′-mer′chant, a merchant who deals in wine, esp. at wholesale; Wine′-par′ty, a drinking-party; Wine′-press, a machine in which grapes are pressed in the manufacture of wine; Wine′-skin, a skin for holding wine; Wine′-stone, crude argol; Wine′-tāst′er, one whose business it is to sample wines; Wine′-vault, a vaulted wine-cellar: (pl.) a place where wine is tasted or drunk.—Adam's wine, water; Rhine, Rhenish, wine, wine produced on the banks of the Rhine, esp. hock; Spirit of wine, alcohol; White wine, Chablis, Sauterne, the wines of Germany—formerly Madeira and sherry. [A.S. wín; Goth, wein, Ger. wein; all from L. vinum; cog. with Gr. oinos.]
Wing, wing, n. the organ of a bird, or other animal or insect, by which it flies: flight, means of flying: anything resembling a wing, any side-piece, the side of a building, &c.: one of the longer sides of crown-works or horn-works in fortification: the flank corps or division of an army on either side: the ships on either extremity of a fleet ranged in line: (fig.) protection.—v.t. to furnish or transport with wings: to lend speed to: to supply with side-pieces: to bear in flight, to traverse by flying: to wound on the wing, to wound a person in arm or shoulder.—v.i. to soar on the wing.—adv. Wing′-and-wing′, the condition of a ship sailing before the wind with studding sails on both sides.—n. Wing′-case, the horny case or cover over the wings of some insects, as the beetle.—adj. Winged, furnished with wings: swift: wounded in the wing: lofty, sublime: alate, abounding in wings.—adv. Wing′edly, on or by wings.—adjs. Wing′-foot′ed, having wings on the feet, aliped; Wing′less, without wings.—ns. Wing′let, the bastard wing or alula of a bird: the pterygium of a weevil; Wing′-shell, a stromb: an aviculoid bivalve, a hammer-oyster: a wing-snail; Wing′-shoot′ing, the act or practice of shooting flying birds; Wing′-shot, a shot at a bird on the wing: one who shoots flying birds.—adj. shot in the wing, or while on the wing.—adj. Wing′y, having wings: soaring on wings.—Winged bull, a common form in Assyrian sculpture, symbolic of domination.—Make, Take, wing, to depart; On, Upon, the wing, flying, in motion: departing; On the wings of the wind, with the highest speed; Under one's wing, under one's protection. [Ice. vængr, a wing; Sw. vinge.]
Wink, wingk, v.i. to move the eyelids quickly: to give a hint by winking: to seem not to see, connive at (gener. with at): to flicker, twinkle, sparkle.—v.t. to close and open quickly.—n. act of winking: a hint given by winking.—ns. Wink′-a-peep, the scarlet pimpernel; Wink′er, one who winks: a horse's blinkers: (Shak.) an eye: the winking membrane of a bird's eye, the winking muscle: a small bellows in an organ, regulated by a spring, controlling variations of wind-pressure; Wink′ing, the act of winking.—adv. Wink′ingly.—Forty winks (coll.), a short nap; Like winking (slang), very rapidly; Tip one the wink, to wink to one as a sign of caution, or of mutual understanding, &c. [A.S. wincian (Ger. winken); akin to A.S. wancol, wavering.]
Winkle=Periwinkle (q.v.).
Winna, win′a, a Scotch form for will not.
Winning, win′ing, adj. and n.—n. Win′ner.—adv. Win′ningly. [Win.]
Winnock, win′ok, n. (Scot.) a window.—Also Win′dock.
Winnow, win′ō, v.i. to separate the chaff from the grain by wind: to fan: to examine: to sift: to blow upon: (Milt.) to set in motion: (rare) to flap, flutter.—v.i. to separate chaff from grain.—n. a fan for winnowing.—ns. Winn′ower; Winn′owing; Winn′owing-fan, -machine′, a fan, machine, for winnowing. [A.S. windwian, to winnow.]
Winsey=Wincey (q.v.).
Winsome, win′sum, adj. cheerful: pleasant: attractive.—adv. Win′somely.—n. Win′someness. [A.S. wyn-sum, pleasant—wyn, joy (Ger. wonne).]
Winter, win′tėr, n. the cold season of the year: a year: any season of cheerlessness: the last corn of the harvest, a harvest festival.—adj. wintry.—v.i. to pass the winter.—v.t. to feed, or to detain, during winter.—ns. Win′ter-app′le, an apple that keeps well in winter, or that does not ripen till winter; Win′ter-bar′ley, a kind of barley which is sown in autumn.—adj. Win′ter-beat′en (Spens.), beaten or injured by the cold of winter.—ns. Win′ter-berr′y, a name given to several shrubs of the genus Ilex, growing in the eastern parts of North America; Win′ter-bloom, the witch-hazel; Win′ter-bourne, an intermittent spring in the chalk-districts; Win′ter-cherr′y, one of the Solanaceæ, a plant with edible red berries—also called in the United States Strawberry-tomatoes: the Balloon-vine, having large triangular, inflated fruit.—adj. Win′ter-clad, warmly clad.—ns. Win′ter-clov′er, the partridge-berry; Win′ter-cress, a cruciferous plant, cultivated for winter salad; Win′ter-crop, a crop that will endure the winter, or that yields fodder in winter-time.—adj. Win′tered, having seen many winters: exposed to winter: (Shak.) worn in winter.—ns. Win′ter-fall′ow, a fallow made in the winter; Win′ter-gar′den, an ornamental garden for winter; Win′ter-green, a plant of genus Pyrola, also of Chimaphila: a plant of genus Gualtheria, whose oil is an aromatic stimulant, used chiefly in flavouring confectionery and syrups.—v.t. Win′ter-ground (Shak.), to protect, as a plant, from the inclemency of winter.—ns. Win′ter-lodge, -lodg′ment, the hibernacle of a plant.—adj. Win′terly, cheerless.—n.pl. Win′ter-quar′ters, the quarters of an army during winter: a winter residence.—ns. Win′ter-sett′le, an old word for a winter dwelling; Win′ter-tide, winter: Win′ter-wheat, wheat sown in autumn; Win′triness.—adjs. Win′try, Win′tery, resembling, or suitable to, winter: stormy. [A.S. winter; Ger. winter; of uncertain origin; not conn. with wind.]
Winter, win′tėr, n. an appliance for fixing on the front of a grate, to keep warm a tea-kettle or the like.
Winter's-bark, win′tėrs-bärk, n. a stimulant, aromatic, and tonic bark, named from Captain Winter, who first brought it from the Strait of Magellan in 1579.
Wintle, win′tl v.i. (Scot.) to stagger.—n. a stagger.
Winy, wī′ni, adj. having the qualities of, or resembling, wine: influenced by wine.
Winze, winz, n. (Scot.) a curse. [Wish.]
Winze, winz, n. in mining, a small ventilating shaft between two levels. [Prob. related to winnow.]
Wipe, wīp, v.t. to clean by rubbing (with away, off, out): cleanse, clear away: to apply solder to with a piece of cloth or leather: (coll.) to beat.—n. act of cleaning by rubbing: a blow: a scar: (slang) handkerchief.—ns. Wī′per; Wī′ping, the act of wiping: a thrashing. [A.S. wípian; cf. Low Ger. wiep, a wisp.]
Wire, wīr, n. a thread of metal: the metal thread used in telegraphy, &c.: the string of an instrument: the slender shaft of the plumage of certain birds: a telegram: (slang) a clever pickpocket: (Shak.) the lash, scourge.—adj. formed of wire.—v.t. to bind, snare, or supply with wire: to keep the ends of a broken bone together with wire: to send by telegraph.—v.i. to telegraph.—n. Wire′-bridge, a suspension-bridge.—adj. Wired, having wiry feathers.—n. Wire′-dan′cer, a performer on a tight wire.—v.t. Wire′-draw, to draw into wire: to draw or spin out to a great length: to strain or stretch the meaning of anything.—ns. Wire′drawer; Wire′drawing.—adj. Wire′drawn, spun out into needless fine distinctions.—ns. Wire′-gauze, a kind of stiff close fabric made of fine wire; Wire′-grass, a kind of fine meadow-grass; Wire′-guard, wire-netting placed in front of a fire; Wire′-heel, a defect or disease of the foot; Wire′-man, one who puts up or takes care of wires; Wire′-net′ting, Wire′work, a texture of wire woven in the form of a net; Wire′-pull′er, one who exercises an influence felt but not seen, as if the actors were his puppets and he pulled the wires that move them: an intriguer; Wire′-pull′ing; Wī′rer, a snarer; Wire′-rope, a rope of twisted iron or steel.—adj. Wire′-sewed, -stitched, sewed with wire instead of thread.—ns. Wire′way, transportation by means of wires; Wire′work, articles made of wire; Wire′worker; Wire′working; Wire′-worm, a name given to the larvæ of click-beetles, from their slenderness and uncommon hardness, very injurious to root, grain, and fodder crops.—adj. Wire′wove, denoting a fine glazed quality of writing-paper.—adv. Wī′rily.—n. Wī′riness, the state of being wiry.—adj. Wī′ry, made of, or like, wire: flexible and strong.—Wire away, or in, to act with vigour.—Pull the wires (see Wire-puller above). [A.S. wír; Ice. vírr; perh. conn. with L. viriæ, bracelets.]
Wis, wis, v. (in the form I wis) erroneously used as 'I know.' [I wis is the M. E. adv. i-wis—A.S. ge-wis, certainly; cf. Ger. ge-wiss.]
Wisard, wiz′ard, n. Same as Wizard.
Wisdom, wiz′dum, n. quality of being wise: judgment: right use of knowledge: learning: (B.) skilfulness, speculation, spiritual perception: the apocryphal Book of the Wisdom of Solomon (see Apocrypha).—n. Wis′dom-tooth, a large double back-tooth, so called because it appears late, when people are supposed to have arrived at the age of wisdom. [A.S. wísdóm, wisdom. Cf. Wise.]
Wise, wīz, adj. having wit or knowledge: able to make use of knowledge well: judging rightly: discreet: learned: skilful: dictated by wisdom: containing wisdom: pious, godly.—adjs. Wise′-heart′ed, having wisdom: prudent; Wise′-like (Scot.), sensible, judicious: looking as if capable of playing one's part well.—n. Wise′ling, one who pretends to be wise.—adv. Wise′ly.—n. Wise′ness.—Wise woman, a witch: (Scot.) a midwife.—Never the wiser, still in ignorance. [A.S. wís; Ger. weise; from root of wit.]
Wise, wīz, v.t. (Scot.) to guide in a certain direction, to incline.
Wise, wīz, n. way, manner.—In any wise, In no wise, in any way, in no way; On this wise, in this way. [A.S. wíse, orig. wiseness; Ger. weise; akin to wise (1) and wit. Doublet guise.]
Wiseacre, wī′zā-kėr, n. one who pretends to wisdom without grounds, a simpleton quite unconscious of being such. [Perh. through the medium of Dutch from Ger. weissager, a soothsayer, weissagen, to foretell—Old High Ger. wīzago, a prophet.]
Wish, wish, v.i. to have a desire: to long (so in B.): to be inclined.—v.t. to desire or long for: to ask: to invoke: (Shak.) to recommend.—n. desire, longing: thing desired: expression of desire.—n. Wish′er.—adj. Wish′ful, having a wish or desire: eager.—adv. Wish′fully.—ns. Wish′fulness; Wish′ing-bone, Wish′-bone, the furcula or merrythought of a fowl; Wish′ing-cap, a cap by wearing which one obtains everything he wishes. [A.S. wýscan—wúsc, a wish; Ger. wünschen, Sw. önska.]
Wishtonwish, wish′ton-wish, n. the North American prairie-dog. [Amer. Ind.]
Wish-wash, wish′-wosh, n. (coll.) anything wishy-washy.—adj. Wish′y-wash′y, thin and weak, diluted, feeble. [Formed from wash.]
Wisket, wis′ket, n. (prov.) a basket.
Wisp, wisp, n. a small bundle of straw or hay: a small broom: will-o'-the-wisp: a disease affecting the feet of cattle.—v.t. to rub down with a wisp.—adj. Wis′py, like a wisp. [M. E. wisp, wips, conn. with wipe; cf. Low Ger. wiep, Norw. vippa, a wisp.]
Wist, wist, v.pa.t. (B.) knew. [A.S. wiste, pa.t. of witan, 3d pers. sing. pr.t. wát, to know. Cf. Wit.]
Wistaria, wis-tā′ri-a, n. a genus of leguminous plants, some of the species amongst the most magnificent ornamental climbers known in English gardens, named from the American anatomist, Caspar Wistar (1761-1818).
Wistful, wist′fōōl, adj. hushed: full of thought: thoughtful: earnest: eager, wishful, longing.—adv. Wist′fully.—n. Wist′fulness.—adv. Wist′ly (Shak.), silently, earnestly. [Most prob. for whistful, whistly—i.e. silently; and not conn. with wish. Skeat, however, makes it a substitution for wishful, confused with wisly=certainly—Ice. viss, certain (distinct from, yet allied to, víss, wise).]
Wistiti=Ouistiti (q.v.)—Wis′tit (obs.).
Wit, wit, v.i. to know:—pr.t. 1st pers. sing. Wot; 2d, Wost (erroneously Wot′test); 3d, Wot (erroneously Wot′teth):—pl. 1st, 2d, 3d, Wot; pa.t. Wist (erroneously Wot′ted); pr.p. Wit′ting, Weet′ing (erroneously Wot′ting); pa.p. Wist.—To do to wit, to cause to know; To wit, that is to say—the A.S. gerund tó witanne. [A.S. witan, to know (pr.t. ic wát, þu wást, he wát, pl. witon; pa.t. wiste—also wisse, pl. wiston, pa.p. wist); Goth. witan, Ger. wissen; cf. L. vidēre, Gr. idein.]
Wit, wit, n. understanding: a mental faculty (chiefly in pl.): the power of combining ideas with a ludicrous effect, the result of this power: ingenuity: (rare) imagination: (obs.) information.—adj. Wit′less, wanting wit or understanding: thoughtless.—adv. Wit′lessly.—ns. Wit′lessness; Wit′ling, one who has little wit: a pretender to wit; Wit′-mong′er, a poor would-be wit; Wit′-snap′per (Shak.), one who affects wit or repartee.—adj. Wit′ted, having wit or understanding.—n. Witticism (wit′i-sizm), a witty remark: a sentence or phrase affectedly witty.—adv. Wit′tily.—n. Wit′tiness.—adv. Wit′tingly, knowingly: by design.—adj. Wit′ty, possessed of wit: amusing: droll: sarcastic: (B.) ingenious: (Shak.) wise, discreet.—v.i. Wit′wanton, to indulge in irreverent wit.—At one's wits' end, utterly perplexed; Live by one's wits, to live in a haphazard manner by any shift; The five wits, the five senses. [A.S. wit, from the verb above.]
Wit, wit, n. a person of understanding or judgment, esp. a person who has a keen perception of the ludicrous and can express it neatly. [Perh. a use of the preceding word; others trace through A.S. wita, gewita, a counsellor—witan, to know.]
Witan, wit′an, n.pl. members of the Witenagemot. [Pl. of A.S. wita, a man of knowledge. See preceding words.]
Witch, wich, n. a woman regarded as having supernatural or magical power and knowledge through compact with the devil or some minor evil spirit: a hag, crone: (coll.) a fascinating young girl: (Shak.) a wizard.—v.t. to bewitch, to effect by means of witchcraft.—ns. Witch′craft, the craft or practice of witches: the black art, sorcery: supernatural power; Witch′-doc′tor, a medicine-man; Witch′ery, witchcraft: fascination; Witch′es'-broom, a popular name for the broom-like tufts of branches developed on the silver-fir, birch, cherry, &c. by means of an uredineous fungus; Witch′es'-but′ter, a dark-brown fungus (see Nostoc); Witch′es'-thim′ble, the sea-campion; Witch′-find′er, one whose business was to detect witches.—adj. Witch′ing, weird: fascinating.—adv. Witch′ingly.—ns. Witch′-knot, a knot, esp. in the hair, tied by means of witchcraft; Witch′-meal, the inflammable pollen of the club-moss.—adj. Witch′-ridd′en, ridden by witches.—n. Witch′-wife, a woman who practises witchcraft. [M. E. wicche (both masc. and fem.)—A.S. wicca (masc.), wicce (fem.), wizard, witch; prob. reduced from wítega, wítiga, witga, a seer (Old High Ger. wīzago)—a supposed adj. wítig, seeing—wítan, to see, allied to witan, to know. For the change, cf. Orchard—A.S. ortgeard. Cf. Wit and Wicked.]
Witch, Witch-elm, wich, wich′-elm, n. the common wild elm—also Witch′-hā′zel.—n. Witch′en, the mountain-ash or rowan. [A.S. wice, the service-tree—wícan, to bend.]
Wit-cracker, wit′-krak′ėr, n. (Shak.) a joker, jester.
Wite, wīt, v.t. (Spens.) to blame, to reproach.—n. (Spens.) blame, reproach.—adj. Wite′less (Spens.), blameless. [A.S. wítan, to punish, fine (Ice. víta); ult. conn. with witan, to know.]
Witenagemot, wit′e-na-ge-mōt′, n. the supreme council of England in Anglo-Saxon times, composed of the bishops, the ealdormen of shires, and a number of the king's friends and dependents, the king's thanes. It was thus purely a council of royal officers and territorial magnates, not at all resembling the representative House of Commons. [A.S. witena gemót—wita, a wise man, gemót, a meeting.]
With, n. Same as Withe.
With, with, prep. denoting nearness, agreement, or connection: by: in competition or contrast: on the side of: immediately after: among: possessing: in respect of, in the regard of: like: by, by means of, through: showing, using: from.—adv. Withal′, with all or the rest: likewise: moreover.—prep. an emphatic form of with.—With that, thereupon. [A.S. wið; Ice. við, Ger. wider. It absorbed the A.S. mid, with (Ger. mit).]
Withdraw, with-draw′, v.t. to draw back or away: to take back: to recall.—v.i. to retire: to go away.—ns. Withdraw′al, Withdraw′ment; Withdraw′er; Withdraw′ing-room, a room used to retire into: a drawing-room. [Pfx. with-, against, and draw.]
Withe, with, or wīth, Withy, with′y, n. a flexible twig, esp. of willow: a band of twisted twigs: an elastic handle to a tool to save the hand from the shock of blows: a boom-iron.—adj. Withy (with′i or wī′thi), made of withes: like withes, flexible. [A.S. withthe, a form of withig, a withy; Ice. vidhir, Ger. weide, willow.]
Wither, with′ėr, v.i. to fade or become dry: to lose freshness: to shrink: waste.—v.t. to cause to dry up: to cause to decay, perish, waste.—adj. With′ered, dried up.—n. With′eredness.—adj. With′ering, blasting, blighting, scorching.—n. With′ering-floor, the drying-floor of a malt-house.—adv. With′eringly. [A.S. wedrian, to expose to weather.]
Withers, with′ėrz, n.pl. the ridge between the shoulder-bones of a horse and behind the root of the neck.—adj. With′er-wrung, injured in the withers. [A.S. wither, against, an extension of with, against.]
Withershins, Widdershins, with′-, wid′ėr-shinz, adv. (Scot.) in the contrary direction—to the left, contrary to the course of the sun, in the wrong way.—Also Widd′ersins, Widd′ersinnis. Cf. the Gaelic deiseil, to the right, going round in the way of the sun. [Widder- is the Ice. vithra, against (A.S. wither, Ger. wieder, Dut. weder); Sins is the adverbial genitive, from Ice. sinni, walk, movement, originally journey, cog. with A.S. síth, Goth. sinths, journey, Old High Ger. sind.]
Withhold, with-hōld′, v.t. to hold back: to keep back.—v.i. to stay back:—pa.t. and pa.p. Withheld′ (arch. pa.p. Withhol′den).—ns. Withhol′der; Withhold′ment. [Pfx. with-, against, and hold.]
Within, with-in′, prep. in the inner part: inside: in the reach of: not going outside of.—adv. in the inner part: inwardly: at home.—Within call, hail, not too far to hear a call, hail. [A.S. wiðinnan—wið, against, with, innan, in.]
Without, with-owt′, prep. outside or out of: beyond: not with: in absence of: not having: except: all but.—adv. on the outside: out of doors.—conj. except.—adj. Without′-door (Shak.), being out of doors.—prep. Without′en (Spens.), without.—Without book, on no authority; Without distinction, indiscriminately.—From without, from the outside. [A.S. wiðútan—wið, against, útan, outside.]
Withstand, with-stand′, v.t. to stand against: to oppose or resist:—pa.t. and pa.p. Withstood′.—n. Withstand′er.
Withwind, with′wīnd, n. the bindweed.
Witloof, wit′lōf, n. a kind of chicory with large roots. [Dut.]
Witness, wit′nes, n. knowledge brought in proof: testimony of a fact: that which furnishes proof: one who sees or has personal knowledge of a thing: one who attests.—v.t. to have direct knowledge of: to see: to give testimony to: to show: (Shak.) to foretell.—v.i. to give evidence.—ns. Wit′ness-box, the enclosure in which a witness stands when giving evidence in a court of law; Wit′nesser.—With a witness (Shak.), to a great degree. [A.S. witnes, testimony—witan, to know.]
Wittol, wit′ol, n. one who knows his wife's faithlessness, and submits to it.—adj. Witt′olly (Shak.), like a wittol or contented cuckold. [Formerly also wittal, wittold, a particular use of witwal, the popinjay; cf. the similar allusions to the cuckoo, from which grew the word cuckold.]
Witwal, wit′wawl, n. the popinjay, or green woodpecker, the greater spotted woodpecker. [Var. of woodwale, a woodpecker.]
Wive, wīv, v.t. to take for a wife: to provide with a wife.—v.i. to marry.—n. Wive′hood (Spens.), wifehood. [A.S. wífian—wíf, wife.]
Wivern, wī′vern, n. Same as Wyvern.
Wives, wīvz, pl. of wife.
Wizard, wiz′ard, n. one who practises witchcraft or magic: (obs.) a wise man.—adj. with magical powers.—adv. Wiz′ardly, like a wizard.—n. Wiz′ardry, sorcery. [O. Fr. guiscart—Ice. vizkr (for vitskr), from vita, to know.]
Wizen, wiz′n, Wizened, wiz′nd, adj. dried up: thin: shrivelled.—v.i. and v.t. to become dry, to make dry.—adj. Wiz′en-faced, having a thin, shrivelled face. [A.S. wisnian, to wither; cog. with Ice. visinn, wizened, visna, to wither.]
Wizier=Vizir.
Wo. Same as Woe.
Woad, wōd, n. a genus of cruciferous plants, whose few species are mostly natives of the countries around the Mediterranean—Dyer's woad yields a good and very permanent dye, but is now largely superseded by indigo.—adj. Woad′ed, dyed blue with woad. [A.S. wád; Ger. waid; L. vitrum.]
Wobble, Wobbler, Wobbling. See Wabble.
Woden, wō′den, n. the Anglo-Saxon form of the Norse Odin.—n. Wō′denism, the worship of Woden.
Woe, Wo, wō, n. grief: misery: a heavy calamity: a curse: an exclamation of grief.—adj. sad, wretched.—adjs. Woe′begone, Wō′begone, beset with woe (see Begone); Woe′ful, Wō′ful, Woe′some (Scot. Wae′some), sorrowful: bringing calamity: wretched.—advs. Woe′fully, Wō′fully.—ns. Woe′fulness, Wō′fulness.—adjs. Woe′-wea′ried, -worn, wearied, worn, with woe.—Woe worth the day (see Worth).—In weal and woe, in prosperity and adversity. [A.S. (interj.) wá; Ger. weh; L. væ, Gr. ouai. Cf. Wail.]
Woiwode. See Voivode.
Wold, wōld, n. an open tract of country. [A.S. weald, wald, a wood, perh. ultimately conn. with wealdan, to possess, wield.]
Wolf, woolf, n. the common name of certain species of the genus Canis—including the ravenous Common Wolf, the Abyssinian Wolf, the Antarctic Wolf, the Maned Wolf, and the Prairie Wolf or Coyote: anything very ravenous: a greedy and cunning person: (obs.) a tuberculous excrescence: (mus.) a harsh discord heard in the organ, &c.:—pl. Wolves.—v.i. to hunt for wolves.—v.t. (slang) to devour ravenously.—ns. Wolf′-dog, a dog of large breed kept to guard sheep, esp. against wolves; Wol′fer, one who hunts wolves; Wolf′-fish, a fierce and voracious salt-water fish—called also Sea-wolf and Cat-fish; Wolf′-hound (see Borzoi); Wol′fing, the hunting of wolves for their skins.—adjs. Wol′fish, Wol′vish, like a wolf either in form or quality: rapacious.—adv. Wol′fishly.—ns. Wolf′kin, Wolf′ling, a young wolf; Wolf's′-bane, aconite; Wolf's′-foot, -claw, the club-moss Lycopodium; Wolf′-skin, the skin or pelt of a wolf; Wolf's′-peach, the tomato; Wolf′-spī′der, the tarantula; Wolf′-tooth, a small supernumerary premolar in a horse.—Cry wolf, to give a false alarm—from the story of the boy who cried 'Wolf' when there was none, and was not believed when there was one; Have a wolf by the ears, to be in a very difficult situation; Have a wolf in the stomach, to be ravenously hungry; Keep the wolf from the door, to keep out hunger; See a wolf, to lose one's voice, in allusion to an old superstition. [A.S. wulf; Ger. wolf; L. lupus; Gr. lykos.]
Wolffian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to, or associated with, the name of the German embryologist K. F. Wolff (1733-94)—applied to the primordial renal organs in the embryo of the higher vertebrates, performing the function of kidneys till superseded by the true or permanent kidneys.
Wolfian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to the philosophy of Johann Christian von Wolf (1679-1754). He systematised and popularised the philosophy of Leibnitz, and gave a strong impulse to that development of natural theology and rationalism which soon almost drove out revelation by rendering it unnecessary—also Wolff′ian.—n. Wolf′ianism.
Wolfian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to, or associated with, the name of Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the most gifted classical scholar and first critic of his age—applied esp. to his theory that the Odyssey and Iliad are composed of numerous ballads by different minstrels, strung together in a kind of unity by subsequent editors.
Wolfram, wol′fram, n. a native compound of tungstate of iron and manganese. [Ger.]
Wolverene, Wolverine, wool-ve-rēn′, n. a name given to the American glutton or carcajou, from its rapacity. [Extension of wolf.]
Woman, woom′an, n. the female of man, an adult female of the human race: the female sex, women collectively: a female attendant:—pl. Women (wim′en).—v.t. to cause to act like a woman, to unite to a woman (both Shak.): to call a person 'woman' abusively.—n. Wom′an-bod′y (Scot.), a woman, used disparagingly.—adjs. Wom′an-born, born of woman; Wom′an-built, built by women.—adv. Wom′anfully, like a woman.—adj. Wom′an-grown, grown to womanhood.—ns. Wom′an-hāt′er, a misogynist; Wom′anhood, the state, character, or qualities of a woman.—adj. Wom′anish, having the qualities of a woman: feminine.—adv. Wom′anishly.—ns. Wom′anishness; Wom′ankind, Wom′enkind, women taken together: the female sex.—adj. Wom′an-like, like a woman.—n. Wom′anliness.—adj. Wom′anly, like or becoming a woman: feminine.—adv. in the manner of a woman.—ns. Wom′an-post (Shak.), a female messenger; Wom′an-quell′er, a killer of women; Wom′an-suff′rage, the exercise of the electoral franchise by women.—adjs. Wom′an-tired (Shak.), hen-pecked; Wom′an-vest′ed, wearing women's clothes.—Woman of the town, a whore; Woman of the world, a woman of fashion.—Women's rights, the movement of women towards personal and proprietary independence.—Play the woman, to give way to weakness. [A.S. wimman, wífman, a compound of wíf, a woman, man, man.]
Womb, wōōm, n. the uterus, the organ in which the young of mammals are developed and kept till birth: (Shak.) the stomach: the place where anything is produced: any deep cavity.—v.t. (Shak.) to contain.—adj. Womb′y (Shak.), capacious. [A.S. wamb; Ger. wamme, paunch.]
Wombat, wom′bat, n. an Australian marsupial mammal of the opossum family. [Native name.]
Won, wun, v.i. to dwell: to abide: to be accustomed.—n. a dwelling: an abode.—n. Won′ing, dwelling. [A.S. wunian, Dut. wonen, Ger. wohnen, to dwell.]
Won, wun, pa.t. and pa.p. of win.
Wonder, wun′dėr, n. the state of mind produced by something new, unexpected, or extraordinary: a strange thing: a prodigy: a sweet fried cake—also Cruller.—v.i. to feel wonder: to be amazed (with at): to speculate expectantly.—p.adj. Won′dered (Shak.), having performed, or able to perform, wonders.—n. Won′derer.—adj. Won′derful, full of wonder: exciting wonder: strange: (B.) wonderfully.—adv. Won′derfully.—ns. Won′derfulness; Won′dering.—adv. Won′deringly, with wonder.—ns. Won′derland, a land of wonders; Won′derment, surprise.—adjs. Won′derous (same as Wondrous); Won′der-struck, -strick′en, struck with wonder or astonishment.—ns. Won′der-work, a prodigy, miracle: thaumaturgy; Won′der-work′er; Won′der-work′ing.—adjs. Won′der-wound′ed (Shak.), wonder-stricken; Won′drous, such as may excite wonder: strange.—adv. Won′drously.—ns. Won′drousness.—Bird of wonder, the phœnix; Nine days' wonder, something that astonishes everybody for the moment; Seven wonders of the world (see Seven). [A.S. wundor; Ger. wunder, Ice. undr.]
Wonga-wonga, wong′ga-wong′ga, n. the large Australian white-faced pigeon—a table delicacy.
Wont, wunt, adj. used or accustomed.—n. habit.—v.i. to be accustomed.—adj. Won′ted, accustomed: usual.—n. Won′tedness.—adj. Wont′less (Spens.), unaccustomed. [Orig. pa.p. of won, to dwell—A.S. wunian; Ger. wohnen.]
Won′t, wōnt, will not. [Contr. of M. E. wol not.]
Woo, wōō, v.t. to ask in order to marriage: to court: to solicit eagerly, to seek.—v.i. to court or make love: to ask.—ns. Woo′er; Woo′ing. [A.S. wógian, to woo—wóg, wóh, bent.]
Wood, wood, n. the solid part of trees: trees cut or sawed: timber: a collection of growing trees: the cask or barrel, as distinguished from the bottle: (print.) a woodblock.—v.t. to supply with wood.—ns. Wood′-ac′id, wood-vinegar, impure acetic acid from wood-distillation; Wood′-anem′one, the wind-flower, a little woodland plant, blooming in early spring, with a single white flower purplish outside; Wood′-ant, a large forest-dwelling ant: a white ant infesting the wood of old buildings.—n.pl. Wood′-ash′es, ashes obtained by burning wood or plants—the source of many potassium salts.—ns. Wood′bine, Wood′bind, the honeysuckle, applied also to other climbers, such as some kinds of ivy, the Virginia-creeper, &c.; Wood′-bird, a bird that lives in the woods; Wood′block, a die cut in relief on wood and ready to furnish ink impressions: a woodcut.—adjs. Wood′-bō′ring; Wood′-born, born in the woods.—ns. Wood′-car′ving, the process of carving in wood; Wood′chat, a bird which, notwithstanding its name, is not a species of Chat, but of Shrike; Wood′chuck, the green woodpecker; Wood′-coal, coal like wood in texture: charcoal: lignite or brown coal; Wood′cock, a genus of birds allied to the snipes, but of a more bulky body, and with shorter and stronger legs; Wood′cock's-head, a tobacco-pipe; Wood′craft, skill in the chase or anything pertaining to forests, forestry generally; Wood′cut, an engraving cut on wood: an impression from it; Wood′-cut′ter, one who cuts wood: a wood-engraver; Wood′-cut′ting, the act or employment of cutting wood: wood-engraving.—adjs. Wood′ed, supplied with wood: covered with wood; Wood′en, made of wood: hard: dull, insensible: heavy, stupid: clumsy, without grace or spirit—of literary style, &c.—ns. Wood′-engrā′ver; Wood′-engrāving, the art of engraving designs on wood, differing from copper and steel plate engraving by having the parts intended to print on the paper in relief: an engraving on or taken from wood; Wood′en-head, a blockhead, stupid person.—adj. Wood′en-head′ed, stupid.—n. Wood′en-head′edness.—adv. Wood′enly.—ns. Woodenness, wooden quality: want of spirit or expression, clumsiness; Wood′-ē′vil, red-water: severe constipation in cattle, often occurring after eating freely of hedge-cuttings or shoots of trees; Wood′-fī′bre, fibre derived from wood; Wood′-fret′ter, a wood-borer or wood-eater; Wood′-god, a deity of the woods; Wood′-grouse, the capercailzie; Wood′-hole, a place where wood is stored; Wood′-hon′ey, wild honey; Wood′-horse, a saw-horse; Wood′-house, a house or shed in which wood for fuel is deposited; Wood′-ī′bis (see Tantalus); Wood′iness, the state or quality of being woody; Wood′land, land covered with wood; Wood′lander, an inhabitant of the woods; Wood′lark, a species of lark, found in or near woods, singing chiefly on the wing; Wood′-lay′er, a young oak, &c., laid down in a hedge.—adj. Wood′less, without wood.—ns. Wood′lessness; Wood′-louse, any terrestrial isopod of the family Oniscidæ—the Scotch slater, common under stones, &c.: a termite or white ant: any one of the pseudo-neuropterous family Psocidæ, found in the woodwork of houses; Wood′man, a man who cuts down trees: a forest officer: a huntsman; Wood′-mite, a beetle-mite; Wood′-naph′tha, the mixture of light hydrocarbons distilled from wood (see Pyroxylic); Wood′-night′shade, bitter-sweet, or woody nightshade; Wood′-note (Milt.), a wild musical note, like that of a song-bird; Wood′-nymph, a nymph or goddess of the woods; Wood′-off′ering (B.), wood burned on the altar; Wood′-ō′pal, silicified wood; Wood′-owl, the European brown owl; Wood′-pā′per, paper prepared from wood; Wood′pecker, one of a family (Picidæ) of birds in the order Picariæ, remarkable for the structural modification of the skull in adaptation to its use as an axe, and for the long flexible tongue, which is used for extracting insects from holes and crevices of trees; Wood′-pig′eon, the cushat or ringdove; Wood′-pulp, wood-fibre reduced to a pulp, used in making paper; Wood′-reeve, the overseer of a wood; Wood′ruff, a genus of rubiaceous plants with whorled leaves and a funnel-shaped corolla—Sweet Woodruff has a creeping root-stock sending up erect stems, and small white flowers; when dried it has a very agreeable fragrance like vernal-grass—(obs.) Wood′-roof; Wood′-sage, the wood germander; Wood′-sand′piper, a common European tattler, allied to the redshank; Wood′-screw, a screw for fastening pieces of wood or wood and metal; Wood′shed, a shed for storing firewood; Wood′-shook, the pekan, fisher, or Pennant's marten—also Black-cat and Black-fox; Wood′-skin, a Guiana Indian's canoe, made of the bark of the purple heart-tree; Woods′man, a woodman; Wood′-soot, soot from burnt wood; Wood′-sorr′el, a plant of the genus Oxalis; Wood′-spir′it (same as Pyroxylic spirit); Wood′-spite, the green woodpecker or yaffle; Wood′-stamp, a stamp made of wood, as for stamping fabrics in colours; Wood′-stone, petrified wood; Wood′-swall′ow, an Australian name for any of the fly-catching Artamidæ, also called Swallow-shrike—the resemblance to shrikes being considerably closer than to swallows either in appearance or habits.—adj. Wood′sy, pertaining to, or characteristic of, woods.—ns. Wood′-tar, tar obtained from the dry distillation of wood; Wood′thrush, a singing-thrush common in the woods of the eastern United States, reddish-brown above, olive on the rump, white spotted with black on breast; Wood′-tick, any tick of the family Ixonidæ: a small insect which makes a ticking sound in the woodwork of a house, the death-watch; Wood′-tin, a nodular variety of cassiterite, or tin-stone; Wood′-vin′egar (see Wood-acid); Wood′wale, a woodpecker, esp. the green woodpecker, Yaffle or Rainbird; Wood′-warb′ler, the yellow willow-warbler or woodwren: an American warbler, esp. of the beautiful genus Dendrœca; Wood′ward, an officer to guard the woods; Wood′work, a part of any structure made of wood; Wood′worm, a worm or larva infesting wood; Wood′wren, the willow-warbler or willow-wren (Phylloscopus trochilus): the true wood-warbler or yellow willow-wren (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)—neither being properly wrens.—adj. Wood′y, abounding with woods: pertaining to woods: consisting of wood.—n. Wood′y-night′shade (see Wood-nightshade).—Wooden horse, or Timber-mare (see Horse); Wooden leg, an artificial leg made of wood; Wooden spoon, a spoon of wood presented to the person who stands lowest for the year in the mathematical tripos list at Cambridge; Wooden type, large type cut in wood.—Commissioners of Woods and Forests, a department of government having charge of the Crown woods and forests. [A.S. wudu; cog. with Ice. vidhr, wood; akin to Ir. fiodh, timber.]
Wood, wood, adj. (Shak.) mad, furious.—n. Wood′ness. [A.S. wód; Ice. ódhr, Goth. wods, frantic, Ger. wuth, madness.]
Woodburytype, wood′ber-i-tīp, n. a method of photograph printing in which a sensitised gelatine film, developed under a negative to an extra relief, is impressed on soft metal by hydraulic pressure. This in turn can be printed by special ink in a press, and as it gives all the gradations of tint, it may be said to be a perfect photo-mechanical printing process. [Named from the inventor.]
Woodchuck, wood′chuk, n. the marmot. [Corr. from an Amer. Ind. name.]
Woodie, wood′i, n. (Scot.) the gallows. [A form of widdy, withy,]
Woof, woof, n. same as Weft (q.v.).—adj. Woof′y, dense. [A.S. ówef, áweb—áwefan, to weave—á-, prefix, wefan, to weave.]
Wooingly, wōō′ing-li, adv. in a wooing or persuasive manner. [Woo.]
Wool, wool, n. the soft, curly hair of sheep and other animals: short, thick hair: any light, fleecy substance resembling wool.—n. Wool′ball, a ball of wool, such as is sometimes found in a sheep's stomach.—adj. Wool′-bear′ing, bearing or yielding wool.—ns. Wool′-card′ing, the process of separating the fibres of wool preparatory to spinning; Wool′-comb′er, one whose occupation is to comb wool in order to disentangle and straighten out the fibres; Wool′-comb′ing; Wool′-drī′ver, one who buys up wool for a market.—adj. Wool′-dyed, dyed before spinning or weaving.—ns. Wool′fat, lanolin; Wool′fell, the skin with the wool still on it; Wool′-gath′ering, indulgence of idle fancies.—adj. dreamy: listless.—n. Wool′-grow′er, one who raises sheep for the production of wool.—adj. Wool′len, made of, or pertaining to, wool: clad in wool, rustic.—n. cloth made of wool.—ns. Wool′len-cord, a ribbed stuff, the face all of wool; Wool′len-drā′per, one who deals in woollen goods; Wool′liness.—adjs. Wool′ly, consisting of, or like, wool: clothed with wool; Wool′ly-haired, -head′ed, having the hair like wool.—ns. Wool′ly-pas′tinum, a kind of red orpiment; Wool′man, a dealer in wool; Wool′-mill, a building for the spinning of wool and the weaving of woollen cloth; Wool′pack, the package in which wool was formerly done up for sale: a bundle weighing 240 lb.: cirro-cumulus cloud; Wool′-pack′er; Wool′-pick′er, a machine for cleaning wool; Wool′sack, the seat of the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords, being a large square sack of wool covered with scarlet; Wool′sey, a material made of cotton and wool.—n.pl. Wool′-shears, shears used in shearing sheep.—ns. Wool′-sort′er, one who sorts wool according to quality, &c.; Wool′-stā′ple, the fibre or pile of wool; Wool′-stā′pler, a wool-factor: a wool-sorter.—adv. Wool′ward (Shak.), in wool, as a penance.—ns. Wool′-wind′er, one who bundles wool for packing; Wool′work, needlework imitative of tapestry.—Wool-sorters' disease (see Anthrax).—Angora wool, the wool of the Angora goat; Berlin-wool, a kind of fine-dyed wool used for worsted work. [A.S. wull; Goth. wulla, Ger. wolle, L. villus.]
Woold, wōōld, v.t. to wind about.—adj. Wool′ded.—ns. Wool′der, a stick used in woolding a mast or yard, or a pin in a rope-maker's top; Wool′ding.
Woom, wōōm, n. beaver fur.
Woomera, wōōm′ėr-a, n. a stick for spear-throwing (Austral.).
Woon, wōōn, n. a governor of a province. [Burmese.]
Woon, wōōn, v.i. (Spens.). Same as Won (1).
Woorali, woo′ra-li, n. a S. American poison for arrows.—Also Woo′rara, Wou′rali, same as Curari (q.v.).
Wootz, woots, n. steel made by fusing iron with carbonaceous matter. [Perh. the Canarese ukku, steel.]
Wop, wop, v.t. See Whop.
Word, wurd, n. an oral or written sign expressing an idea or notion: talk, discourse: signal or sign: message: promise: declaration: a pass-word, a watch-word, a war-cry: the Holy Scripture, or a part of it: (pl.) verbal contention.—v.t. to express in words: (Shak.) to flatter.—v.i. to speak, talk.—ns. Word′-blind′ness, loss of ability to read; Word′-book, a book with a collection of words: a vocabulary.—adj. Word′-bound, unable to find expression in words.—n. Word′-build′ing, the formation or composition of words.—adj. Wor′ded, expressed in words.—adv. Wor′dily.—ns. Wor′diness; Wor′ding, act, manner, or style of expressing in words.—adj. Wor′dish (obs.), verbose.—n. Wor′dishness.—adj. Word′less (Shak.), without words, silent.—ns. Word′-mem′ory, the power of recalling words to the mind; Word′-paint′er, one who describes vividly; Word′-paint′ing, the act of describing anything clearly and fully by words only; Word′-pic′ture, a description in words which presents an object to the mind as if in a picture.—adj. Wor′dy, full of words: using or containing many words.—Word for word, literally, verbatim.—Break one's word, to fail to fulfil a promise; By word of mouth, orally; Good word, favourable mention, praise; Hard words, angry, hot words; Have a word with, to have some conversation with; Have words with, to quarrel, dispute with; In a word, In one word, in short, to sum up; In word, in speech only, in profession only; Pass one's word, to make a promise; The Word, the Scripture: (theol.) the second person in the Trinity, the Logos. [A.S. word; Goth. waurd, Ice. orth, Ger. wort; also conn. with L. verbum, a word, Gr. eirein, to speak.]
Wordsworthian, wurds-wur′thi-an, adj. pertaining to the style of the sovereign poet of nature, William Wordsworth (1770-1850).—n. an admirer of Wordsworth.
Wore, wōr, pa.t. of wear.
Work, wurk, n. effort directed to an end: employment: the result of work: that on which one works: anything made or done: embroidery: deed: effect: a literary composition: a book: management: an establishment for any manufacture, a factory (gener. in pl.): (physics) the product of a force by the component displacement of its point and application in the direction of the force: (pl.), (fort.) walls, trenches, &c.: (theol.) acts performed in obedience to the Divine law: a manufactory, workshop, place of work (esp. in pl.): mechanism—e.g. of a watch.—v.i. to make efforts to attain anything: to perform: to be in action: to be occupied in business or labour: to produce effects, to make progress with difficulty, to strain or labour: to ferment: to be agitated, to seethe: to embroider.—v.t. to make by labour: to bring into any state by action: to effect: to carry on operations in: to put in motion: to purge: to influence: to manage: to solve: to achieve: to cause to ferment: to provoke, agitate: to keep employed: to embroider:—pa.t. and pa.p. worked or wrought (rawt).—ns. Workabil′ity, Work′ableness.—adjs. Work′able, that may be worked; Work′aday, work-day, toiling, plodding.—ns. Work′-bag, -bas′ket, a bag, basket, for holding materials for work, esp. needlework; Work′-box, a lady's box for holding materials for work; Work′-day, a day for work: a week-day.—adj. pertaining to a work-day.—ns. Work′er, a toiler, performer: among insects, the neuter or undeveloped female; Work′-fell′ow, one who is engaged in the same work with another.—ns.pl. Work′folk, Work′folks, persons engaged in manual labour.—adj. Work′ful, industrious.—ns. Work′girl, a girl or young woman employed in some manual labour; Work′house, a house where any work or manufacture is carried on: a house of shelter for the poor, who are made to work; Work′ing, action, operation: fermentation: (pl.) the parts of a mine, &c., where actual operations are in hand.—adj. active: labouring: connected with labour.—ns. Work′ing-beam, the oscillating lever of a steam-engine connecting the piston-rod and the crank-shaft, a walking-beam; Work′ing-class, manual labourers (often in pl.); Wor′king-day, a day on which work is done, as distinguished from the Sabbath and holidays: the period of actual work each day.—adj. laborious: plodding.—ns. Work′ing-draw′ing, a drawing of the details of a building by which the builders are guided in their work; Work′ing-house (Shak.), workshop; Work′ing-par′ty, a group of persons who do some work in common, or who meet periodically for such a purpose; Work′man, Work′ing-man, a man who works or labours, esp. manually: a skilful artificer.—adjs. Work′man-like, like a workman: becoming a skilful workman: well performed; Work′manly, becoming a skilful workman.—adv. in a manner becoming a skilful workman.—ns. Work′manship, the skill of a workman: manner of making: work done; Work′-mas′ter, a skilled or directing workman, esp. in some great undertaking.—n.pl. Work′-peo′ple, people engaged in labour.—ns. Work′room, a room for working in; Work′shop, a shop where work is done.—adj. Work′some, industrious.—ns. Work′-tā′ble, a small table used by ladies at their needlework; Work′-woman, a woman who makes her living by some manual labour.—Work of art, a production in one of the fine arts; Work double tides, to work through continuous tides, night and day; Work in, to intermix, to make to penetrate; Work into, to make way gradually into: to change, alter; Work off, to separate and throw off, to get rid of, circulate: to produce as by work, esp. to print; Work on, or upon, to act or operate upon, to influence; Work one's passage, to give one's work on board in place of passage-money; Work out, to effect by continued labour: to expiate: to exhaust: to solve or study anything fully out; Work up, to excite, rouse: to create by slow degrees, to expand, elaborate: to use up, as material: (naut.) to set at an irksome or needless task; Work with, to strive to influence by appeals, &c.—Board of Works, the body which has the management and control of public works and buildings, of which the expenses are defrayed from the crown revenues or parliamentary grants; Have one's work cut out, to have one's work prescribed: to have a difficult task before one; Make short work of (see Short); Out of work, out of working order: without employment; Set to work, to employ in some work: to engage in some work; Seven Works of Corporal Mercy, to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, visit prisoners, visit the sick, harbour strangers, bury the dead—of Spiritual Mercy, to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, console the afflicted, bear wrongs patiently, forgive injuries, pray for the living and the dead. [A.S. weorc; Ice. verk, Ger. werk; further conn. with Gr. ergon.]
World, wurld, n. the earth and its inhabitants: the system of things: present state of existence: any planet or heavenly body: public life or society: an organic whole: business: the public: a secular life: course of life: a very large extent of country, as the 'New World:' very much or a great deal, as 'a world of good:' time, as in the phrase 'world without end'=eternally: possibility, as in 'nothing in the world:' (B.) the ungodly.—adjs. Worl′ded, containing worlds; World′-har′dened, hardened by the love of worldly things.—ns. World′-lang′uage, a universal language; World′liness; World′ling, one who is devoted to worldly or temporal possessions.—adjs. World′ly, pertaining to the world, esp. as distinguished from the world to come: devoted to this life and its enjoyments: bent on gain—also adv.; World′ly-mind′ed, having the mind set on the present world.—n. World′ly-mind′edness.—adjs. World′ly-wise, wise in this world's affairs; World′-old, exceedingly ancient; World′-wea′ried, -wea′ry, tired of the world; World′wide, wide or extensive as the world.—All the world, everybody: everything; All the world and his wife (coll.), everybody: also, an ill-assorted mass; A world, a great deal; Carry the world before one, to pass to success through every obstacle; For all the world, precisely, entirely; Go to the world (Shak.), to get married; In the world, an intensive phrase, usually following an interrogative pronoun or adverb.—The New World, the western hemisphere, the Americas; The Old World, the eastern hemisphere, comprising Europe, Africa, and Asia; The other world, the non-material sphere, the spiritual world; The whole world, the sum of what is contained in the world; The world's end, the most distant point possible. [A.S. woruld, world, weorold, (lit.) 'a generation of men,' from wer, a man, and yldo, sig. an age; Ice. veröld, Old High Ger. weralt (Ger. welt).]
Worm, wurm, n. a term destitute of scientific precision, but often applied to any one of the members of numerous classes of invertebrate animals which are more or less earthworm-like in appearance, the earthworm, a grub, a maggot: anything spiral: the thread of a screw: the lytta or vermiform cartilage of a dog's tongue: the instrument used to withdraw the charge of a gun: a spiral pipe surrounded by cold water into which steam or vapours pass for condensation in distilling: anything that corrupts, gnaws, or torments: remorse: a debased being, a groveller: (pl.) any intestinal disease arising from the presence of parasitic worms.—v.i. to move like a worm, to squirm: to work slowly or secretly.—v.t. to effect by slow and secret means: to elicit by underhand means: to remove the lytta or vermiform cartilage of a dog's tongue.—n. Worm′-cast, the earth voided by the earthworm.—adjs. Worm′-eat′en, eaten by worms: old: worn-out; Worm′-eat′ing, living habitually on worms; Wormed, bored by worms: injured by worms.—ns. Worm′-fence, a zigzag fence formed of stakes; Worm′-fē′ver, a feverish condition in children ascribed to intestinal worms; Worm′-gear, a gear-wheel having teeth shaped so as to mesh with a worm or shaft on which a spiral is turned, an endless screw; Worm′-gear′ing; Worm′-grass, pink-root: a kind of stonecrop; Worm′-hole, the hole made by a worm.—adj. Worm′-holed, perforated by worm-holes.—ns. Worm′-pow′der, a vermifuge; Worm′-seed, santonica: the treacle mustard; Worm′-wheel, a wheel gearing with an endless screw or worm, receiving or imparting motion.—adj. Wor′my, like a worm: grovelling: containing a worm: abounding with worms: gloomy, dismal, like the grave. [A.S. wyrm, dragon, snake, creeping animal; cog. with Goth. waurms, a serpent, Ice. ormr, Ger. wurm; also with L. vermis.]
Wormian, wurm′i-an, adj. associated with the name of the Danish anatomist Olaus Worm (1588-1654), applied esp. to the supernumerary bones developed in the sutures of the skull.
Wormwood, wurm′wood, n. the bitter plant Artemisia absinthium: bitterness. [A.S. wermod (Ger. wermuth), wormwood; perh. lit. 'keep-mind,' in allusion to its medicinal (anthelmintic and tonic) properties—werian, to protect (Ger. wehren), mód, mind.]
Worn, wōrn, pa.p. of wear.
Worn-out, wōrn′-owt, adj. much injured or rendered useless by wear: wearied: past, gone.
Worricow, wur′i-kow, n. (Scot.) a hobgoblin: the devil: anything frightful or even only grotesque.
Worry, wur′i, v.t. to tear with the teeth: to harass: to tease: (Scot.) to choke.—v.i. to trouble one's self: to be unduly anxious: to fret:—pa.t. and pa.p. worr′ied.—n. act of worrying: trouble, perplexity, vexation.—ns. Worr′ier, one who worries himself or others; Worr′iment (coll.), anxiety.—adj. Worr′isome, causing trouble.—v. Worr′it (slang), to worry.—n. (slang) annoyance.—adj. Worr′ying, harassing.—adv. Worr′yingly.—Worry down, to swallow with a strong effort. [A.S. wyrgan, found in compound áwyrgan, to harm; cf. Dut. worgen, Ger. würgen, to choke; A.S. wearg, werg, a wolf.]
Worse, wurs, adj. (used as comp. of bad) bad or evil in a greater degree: more sick.—adv. bad in a higher degree: less: (Shak.) with more severity.—v.t. (obs.) to worst.—v.i. Wor′sen, to grow worse.—v.t. to make worse.—adv. Wor′ser, a redundant comparative of worse.—The worse, defeat, disadvantage. [A.S. wyrsa, from wiers-sa from wirsiza (Goth. wairsiza), formed with comp. suffix -iz from a Teut. root wers, found in Ger. ver-wirren, to confuse.]
Worship, wur′ship, n. religious service: fervent esteem: adoration paid to God: a title of honour in addressing certain magistrates, &c.: submissive respect.—v.t. to respect highly: to treat with civil reverence: to pay divine honours to: to adore or idolise.—v.i. to perform acts of adoration: to perform religious service:—pr.p. wor′shipping; pa.t. and pa.p. wor′shipped.—adjs. Wor′shipable, Wor′shipful, worthy of worship or honour, used as a term of respect.—adv. Wor′shipfully.—n. Wor′shipfulness.—adj. Wor′shipless, destitute of worship or worshippers.—n. Wor′shipper.—House, or Place, of worship, a church or chapel. [A.S. weorthscipe—weorth, wurth, worth, affix -scipe, -ship.]
Worst, wurst, adj. bad or evil in the highest degree.—adv. to a very bad or very evil degree.—n. the highest degree of badness: the most evil state.—v.t. to get the advantage over in a contest: to defeat.—v.i. (obs.) to grow worse. [A.S. wyrst, wyrrest, wyrresta, from the same source as worse.]
Worsted, woost′ed, or woorst′ed, n. twisted thread or yarn spun out of long, combed wool: woollen yarn for ornamental needlework.—adj. made of worsted yarn.—n. Worst′ed-work, needlework done with worsted. [From Worstead, a village near Norwich in England.]
Wort, wurt, n. a plant of the cabbage kind. [A.S. wyrt; Ger. wurz, wurzel, a root.]
Wort, wurt, n. new beer unfermented or in the act of fermentation: the sweet infusion of malt. [A.S. wyrte, new beer (Ice. virtr)—wyrt, root. See preceding word.]
Worth, wurth, n. value: possessions: that quality which renders a thing valuable: price: moral excellence: importance.—adj. equal in value to: having a certain moral value: deserving of.—adj. Worth′ful.—adv. Worth′ily (th), in a worthy manner: justly: truly.—n. Worth′iness (th).—adj. Worth′less, of no worth or value: having no value, virtue, excellence, &c.: useless.—adv. Worth′lessly.—n. Worth′lessness.—adj. Worthy (wur′thi), having worth: valuable: deserving: suited to: (B.) deserving (either of good or bad).—n. a man of eminent worth: a local celebrity: (Shak.) anything of value:—pl. Wor′thies.—v.t. to make worthy.—Worthiest of blood, male, as opposed to female—of inheritance.—Nine worthies, Hector, Alexander the Great, Julius Cæsar; Joshua, David, Judas Maccabæus; Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon. [A.S. weorth, wurth (Ger. wert), value.]
Worth, wurth, v.i. to be, happen, as in the phrase Woe worth=woe be to (with the noun in the dative). [A.S. weorthan, to become; cf. Ger. werden.]
Wot, wot, Wotteth, wot′eth, v.t. (B.) pr.t. of obsolete wit, to know. [Wit.]
Would, wood, pa.t. of will.—adj. Would′-be, aspiring, trying, or merely professing to be.—n. a vain pretender. [A.S. wolde, pa.t. of willan.]
Woulfe-bottle, woolf′-bot′l, n. a form of three-necked bottle, generally arranged in a series known as Woulfe's apparatus, used for the purpose of purifying gases, or of dissolving them in suitable solvents—from the name of the London chemist, Peter Woulfe (1727-1806).
Wound, wownd, pa.t. and pa.p. of wind.
Wound, wōōnd, n. any division of soft parts, including the skin, produced by external mechanical force—whether incised, punctured, contused, lacerated, or poisoned: any cut, bruise, hurt, or injury.—v.t. to make a wound in: to injure.—adj. Woun′dable, capable of being wounded.—n. Woun′der.—adv. Woun′dily (coll.), excessively.—n. Woun′ding.—adj. Wound′less, exempt from being wounded, invulnerable: harmless.—n. Wound′wort, a name applied to several plants of popular repute as vulneraries, as the kidney-vetch, &c.: a plant of genus Stachys, the marsh or clown's woundwort.—adj. Woun′dy, causing wounds: (coll.) excessive. [A.S. wund (Ger. wunde, Ice. und)—A.S. wund, wounded; prob. orig. pa.p. of A.S. winnan, to fight, strive.]
Wourali. See Woorali.
Wove, Woven, pa.t. and pa.p. of weave.
Wow, wow, v.i. (Spens.) to woo.
Wow, wow, interj. an exclamation of wonder.
Wowf, wowf, adj. (Scot.) crazy.
Wow-Wow, wow′-wow, n. the gibbon of Sumatra.
Wox, Woxen. (Spens.), pa.t. and pa.p. of wax.
Wrack, Rack, rak, n. a term loosely given to various seaweeds, esp. to the Fucaceæ, common on British shores, long valuable as a source of kelp, and utilised as manure: shipwreck: ruin.—adj. Wrack′ful, destructive. [Lit. 'something cast ashore,' A.S. wræc, exile, misery—wrecan, to drive, urge. Wrack is a doublet of wreck.]
Wrack, rak, by-form of wreck.
Wraith, rāth, n. a spectre: an apparition in the exact likeness of a person seen before or soon after his death. [Cf. dial. form warth, an apparition; prob. orig. having the sense of 'guardian spirit'—Ice. vörthr, a guardian.]
Wrangle, rang′gl, v.i. to make a disturbance: to dispute: to dispute noisily or peevishly.—n. a noisy dispute.—ns. Wrang′ler, one who wrangles or disputes angrily: (Shak.) a stubborn foe: in the University of Cambridge, one of those who have attained the first class in the public mathematical honour examinations; Wrang′lership.—adj. Wrang′lesome, given to wrangling.—n. Wrang′ling.—Senior wrangler, the student taking the first place in the class mentioned, the second being called Second wrangler, and so on in the same way. [A freq. of wring.]
Wrap, rap, v.t. to roll or fold together: to enfold: hide: to cover by winding something round (often with up):—pr.p. wrap′ping; pa.t. and pa.p. wrapped.—n. a wrapper, as a shawl, &c.—ns. Wrap′page, act of wrapping: things used as wrappers; Wrap′per, one who, or that which, wraps: a loose outer garment of a woman; Wrap′ping; Wrap′-ras′cal, a loose greatcoat worn about 1740 (a humorous term).—Wrapped up in, bound up in: engrossed with: comprised in. [A form of warp—M. E. wrappen, also wlappen. Cf. Lap (v.t. to wrap) and Envelop.]
Wrap. Same as Rap.
Wrasse, ras, n. a genus of bony fishes representative of the large family Labridæ, and including many species on European and North African coasts. Common British species are the ballan-wrasse, the red wrasse, and the gibbous wrasse. [Perh. the W. gwrachen.]
Wrath, räth, n. violent anger: holy indignation: heat.—adj. violently angry.—adj. Wrath′ful, full of wrath: very angry: springing from, or expressing, wrath.—adv. Wrath′fully.—n. Wrath′fulness.—adv. Wrath′ily.—adjs. Wrath′less; Wrath′y, apt to wrath. [Old Northumbrian wrǽððo—A.S. wráð, adj. wroth; Ice. reithi.]
Wrawl, rawl, v.i. (Spens.) to cry as a cat, to caterwaul. [Imit.]
Wraxling, raks′ling, n. wrestling.
Wreak, rēk, v.t. to inflict: avenge.—n. Wreak′er.—adjs. Wreak′ful, revengeful: angry; Wreak′less, unpunished. [A.S. wrecan, orig. to drive, and so to punish, avenge; Ice. reka, to drive, pursue, Ger. rächen; conn. with L. urgēre.]
Wreak, rēk, v.i. (Shak.). Same as Reck.
Wreath, rēth, n. a chaplet: a garland: anything long and circular: a defect in glass.—v.t. Wreathe (rēth), to form by twisting: to form into a wreath: to twine about or encircle.—v.i. to be interwoven.—adj. Wreath′en (th), wreathed.—n. Wreath′er (th).—adjs. Wreath′less; Wreath′y. [A.S. wrædh, 'a twisted band'—wríthan, to writhe.]
Wreck, rek, n. destruction: destruction of a ship: ruins of a destroyed ship: remains of anything ruined: shipwrecked property.—v.t. to destroy or disable: to ruin.—v.i. to suffer wreck or ruin.—ns. Wreck′age, the act of wrecking: wrecked material; Wreck′er, a person who purposely causes a wreck or who plunders wreckage: one who lures a ship on to the rocks for purposes of plunder: one who criminally ruins anything: a person employed by the owners in recovering disabled vessels or their cargo.—adj. Wreck′ful, causing ruin.—n. Wreck′-mas′ter, a person taking charge of a disabled ship and its cargo.—Wreck commissioners, a tribunal which inquires into shipping disasters.—Receivers of wrecks, wreck-masters. [A.S. wræc, expulsion—wrecan, to drive, Low Ger. wrak, Dut. wrak, Ice. reki, a thing drifted ashore; a doublet of wrack.]
Wreck, rek, n. (Spens.) same as Wreak.—v.t. (Milt.) to wreak.
Wren, ren, n. a genus (Troglodytes) and family (Troglodytidæ) of birds, having a slender, slightly curved and pointed bill, the wings very short and rounded, the tail short and carried erect, the legs slender and rather long.—ns. Wren′ning, the stoning of a wren to death on St Stephen's Day, December 26th—Wrenning Day—once practised in the North Country; Wren′-tit, a Californian bird (Chamæa fasciata), of dubious relations, at once resembling the wren and the titmouse. [A.S. wrenna, wrǽnna—wrǽne, lascivious.]
Wrench, rensh, v.t. to wring or pull with a twist: to force by violence: to sprain.—v.i. to undergo a violent wrenching.—n. a violent twist: a sprain: an instrument for turning bolts, &c.: in coursing, bringing the hare round at less than a right angle—half a point in the recognised code of points for judging. [A.S. wrencan (Ger. renken)—wrenc, fraud; root of wring.]
Wrest, rest, v.t, to twist from by force: to twist from truth or from its natural meaning.—n. violent pulling and twisting: distortion: an instrument, like a wrench, for tuning the piano, &c.—n. Wrest′er. [A.S. wrǽstan—wrǽst, firm, from wráth, pa.t. of wríthan, to writhe; Dan. vriste.]
Wrestle, res′l, v.i. to contend by grappling and trying to throw the other down: to struggle: to apply one's self keenly to: (Scot.) to pray earnestly.—v.t. to contend with in wrestling.—n. a bout at wrestling: a struggle between two to throw each other down.—ns. Wrest′ler; Wrest′ling, the sport or exercise of two persons struggling to throw each other to the ground in an athletic contest governed by certain fixed rules—catch-hold, ground-wrestling, catch-as-catch-can, back-hold, &c. [A.S. wrǽstlian; a freq. of wrǽstan, to wrest.]
Wretch, rech, n. a most miserable person: one sunk in vice: a worthless person: body, creature (in pity, sometimes admiration).—adj. Wretch′ed, very miserable: distressingly bad: despicable: worthless.—adv. Wretch′edly.—n. Wretch′edness. [A.S. wrecca, an outcast—wræc, pa.t. of wrecan, to drive.]
Wrethe, rēth, v.t. and v.i. (Spens.). Same as Wreathe.
Wrick, rik, v.t. (prov.) to twist, turn. [Low Ger. wrikken, to turn.]
Wriggle, rig′l, v.i. to twist to and fro: to move sinuously: to use crooked means.—v.t. to cause to wriggle.—n. the motion of wriggling.—ns. Wrigg′ler, one who wriggles: one who uses trickery; Wrigg′ling;. [A freq. of obs. wrig, to move about, itself a variant of wrick, M. E. wrikken, to twist; cf. Dut. wriggelen, to wriggle.]
Wright, rīt, n. a maker (chiefly used in compounds, as ship-wright, &c.). [A.S. wyrhta—wyrht, a work—wyrcan, to work.]
Wring, ring, v.t. to twist: to force, or force out, by twisting: to force or compress: to pain: to extort: to bend out of its position.—v.i. to writhe: to twist:—pa.t. and pa.p. wrung, (B.) wringed.—ns. Wring′-bolt, a bolt with a ring or eye, used to secure a ship's planks against the frame till they are permanently fixed in place; Wring′er, one who wrings: a machine for forcing water from wet clothes—also Wring′ing-machine′.—adj. Wring′ing-wet, so wet that water can be wrung out.—n.pl. Wring′-staves, strong pieces of wood used in applying wring-bolts.—Wring from, to extort; Wring off, to force off by wringing; Wring out, to squeeze out by twisting; Wring the hands, to manifest grief by convulsive clasping of the hands. [A.S. wringan, to twist; Dut. wringen, Ger. ringen. Cf. Wreak, Wry.]
Wrinkle, ring′kl, n. (coll.) a tip, valuable hint. [Perh. from A.S. wrenc, a trick. Cf. Wrench.]
Wrinkle, ring′kl, n. a small ridge on a surface caused by twisting or shrinking: unevenness.—v.t. to contract into wrinkles or furrows: to make rough.—v.i. to shrink into ridges.—adj. Wrink′ly, full of wrinkles: liable to be wrinkled. [M. E. wrinkel, conn. with A.S. wringan, to twist; prob. related to Sw. rynka, Dan. rynke, a wrinkle.]
Wrist, rist, n. the joint by which the hand is united to the arm: a stud or pin projecting from the side of a crank.—ns. Wrist′band, the band or part of a sleeve which covers the wrist; Wrist′-drop, inability to extend the hand, often caused by lead-poisoning; Wrist′let, an elastic band used to confine the upper part of a glove to the wrist: a bracelet: (slang) a handcuff; Wrist′-plate, an oscillating plate bearing wrist-pins for the connection of rods or pitmans, as on the cut-off gear of an engine; Wrist′-pin, any pin connecting a pitman to a cross-head; Wrist′-shot, in golf, a short stroke usually played with an iron, from the wrist, without swinging the club over the shoulder. [A.S. wrist—wríthan, to twist; Ger. rist.]
Writ, rit, obsolete pa.t. and pa.p. of write.
Writ, rit, n. a writing: (law) a written document by which one is summoned or required to do something: a formal document, any writing.—Holy Writ, the Scriptures.—Serve a writ on, to deliver a summons to.
Write, rīt, v.t. to form letters with a pen or pencil: to express in writing: to compose: to engrave: to record: to communicate by letter.—v.i. to perform the act of writing: to be employed as a clerk: to compose books: to send letters: to practise the art of writing: to work as an author: to compose a letter:—pr.p. wrī′ting; pa.t. wrōte; pa.p. writ′ten.—ns. Wrī′ter, one who writes: a professional scribe or clerk: an ordinary legal practitioner in Scotch country towns: an author: a petty officer in the United States navy who keeps the watch-muster and other books of the ship—usually Ship-writer:—fem. Wrī′teress (rare); Wrī′ter's-cramp (see Cramp); Wrī′tership, the office of a writer; Wrī′ting, the forming letters with a pen or pencil: that which is written: literary production; Wrī′ting-book, a book of paper for practising penmanship; Wrī′ting-case, a portable case containing materials for writing; Wrī′ting-cham′ber, a room fitted for writing: a law office; Wrī′ting-desk, a desk with a sloping top for writing upon: a portable writing-case; Wrī′ting-ink, ink suited for writing with; Wrī′ting-mas′ter, a master who teaches the art of penmanship: the yellow-bunting; Wrīting-pā′per, paper finished with a smooth surface, for writing upon; Wrī′ting-school, a school for penmanship; Wrī′ting-tā′ble, a table fitted or used for writing upon.—adj. Writ′ten, reduced to writing—opposed to Oral.—Writers to the Signet, an ancient society of solicitors in Scotland who formerly had the exclusive right to prepare all summonses and other writs pertaining to the supreme court of justice, and still have the exclusive privilege of preparing crown writs, which include all charters, precepts, and writs from the sovereign or prince of Scotland.—Write down, to put down in written characters: to condemn in writing; Write off, to cancel by an entry on the opposite side of the account; Write out, to transcribe: to exhaust one's mental capacity by too much writing; Write up, to put a full description of in writing: to praise something in writing above its merits. [A.S. wrítan; Ice. ríta; the original meaning being 'to scratch' (cf. the cog. Ger. reissen, to tear).]
Writhe, rīth, v.t. to turn to and fro: to twist violently: to wrest: (obs.) to extort.—v.i. to twist.—n. (rare) a contortion.—adv. Wrī′thingly. [A.S. wríthan, to twist; Ice. rítha. Cf. Wreath, Wrest, Wrist.]
Writhle, rith′l, v.t. (Spens.) to wrinkle: (Shak.) to shrivel.
Wrizzled, riz′ld, adj. (Spens.) wrinkled.
Wroke, rōk, Wroken, rōk′n, obsolete pa.p. of wreak.
Wrong, rong, adj. not according to rule or right, deviating from what is correct or suitable: perverse: not fit or suitable: incorrect: not right or true.—n. whatever is not right or just: any injury done to another: an erroneous view.—adv. not rightly.—v.t. to do wrong to: to deprive of some right: to injure.—ns. Wrong′-do′er, one who does wrong: one who injures another; Wrong′-do′ing, evil or wicked action or conduct; Wrong′er, one who wrongs.—adj. Wrong′ful, wrong: unjust: injurious.—adv. Wrong′fully.—n. Wrong′fulness.—adj. Wrong′-head′ed, obstinately and perversely stubborn.—adv. Wrong′-head′edly.—n. Wrong′-head′edness.—adv. Wrong′ly, in a wrong manner.—adj. Wrong′-mind′ed, having erroneous views.—n. Wrong′ness.—adj. Wrong′ous, unjust, illegal.—adv. Wrong′ously.—adj. Wrong′-timed, inopportune.—Go wrong, to fail to work properly: to stray from virtue; Have wrong, to be wrong: to suffer injustice; In the wrong, holding an erroneous view or unjust position; Private wrong, a violation of the civil or personal rights of an individual in his private capacity; Put in the wrong, to cause to appear in error. [A.S. wrang, a wrong; most prob. Scand., Ice. rangr, unjust, Dan. vrang, wrong. Skeat explains A.S. wrang as from wrang, pa.t. of wringan, to wring, like Fr. tort, from L. tortus, twisted.]
Wrote, rōt. pa.t. of write.
Wroth, rōth, adj. wrathful. [A.S. wráth, angry—wráth, pa.t. of wríthan, to writhe; cf. Ice. reithr.]
Wrought, rawt, pa.t. and pa.p. of work.—n. Wrought′-ī′ron, malleable iron. [A.S. worhte, geworht, pa.t. and pa.p. of wyrcan, wircan, to work.]
Wrung, rung, pa.t. and pa.p. of wring.
Wry, rī, adj. twisted or turned to one side: not in the right direction.—n. (prov.) distortion.—v.i. (Shak.) to go astray.—v.t. to give a twist to, pervert.—n. Wry′bill, a New Zealand plover with bill bent sideways.—adv. Wry′ly.—adj. Wry′-mouthed, having a crooked mouth, unflattering.—n. Wry′-neck, a twisted or distorted neck: a small bird allied to the woodpecker, which twists round its head strangely when surprised.—adj. Wry′-necked.—n. Wry′ness.—Make a wry face, or mouth, to pucker up the face, or mouth, in sign of disgust or pain. [A.S. wrigian, to drive, bend. Ult. conn. with wriggle and writhe.]
Wull, wul, v.i. (Spens.). Same as Will.
Wuther, wuth′ėr, v.i. (prov.) to roar sullenly.—n. a low roaring. [Perh. traceable to A.S. wóth, a cry.]
Wuzzent, wuz′ent, adj. (Scot.) wizened.
Wuzzle, wuz′l, v.t. (U.S.) to jumble.
Wych-elm, n. See Witch-elm.
Wyclifite, Wycliffite, wik′lif-īt, adj. pertaining to the English reformer and translator of the Bible, John Wycliffe (1325-84).—n. a follower of Wycliffe; a Lollard.
Wykehamist, wik′am-ist, n. a student, or former student, of Winchester College, founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester (died 1404).
Wylie-coat, wī′li-kōt, n. (Scot.) a flannel undervest or petticoat.
Wynd, wīnd, n. (Scot.) a lane: narrow alley in a town. [Same as Wind (2).]
Wyvern, wī′vrn, n. (her.) a fictitious monster allied to the dragon and the griffin, and having its two legs and feet like those of the eagle. [O. Fr. wivre, a viper—L. vipera.]