nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: waif Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The noun is derived from Late Middle English weif (“ownerless property subject to seizure and forfeiture; the right of such seizure and forfeiture; revenues obtained from such seizure and forfeiture”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman waif, weif [and other forms] (compare Anglo-Latin waivum [and other forms], Medieval Latin waivium), possibly from Old French waif, a variant of gaif, gayf (“property that is lost and unclaimed; of property: lost and unclaimed”) (Norman) [and other forms], probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”), from Proto-Germanic *waif-, from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /weɪf/ 1. An article of movable property which has been found, and of which the owner is not known, such as goods washed up on a beach or thrown away by an absconding thief; such items belong to the Crown, which may grant the right of ownership to them to a lord of a manor. Labels: UK, archaic Example: waifs and strays 2. Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance. Labels: figuratively 3. A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast. Labels: figuratively Example: But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him? Example: Tenderly Kala nursed her little waif, wondering silently why it did not gain strength and agility as did the little apes of other mothers. It was nearly a year from the time the little fellow came into her possession before he would walk alone, and as for climbing—my, but how stupid he was! 4. A very thin person, especially a young one. Labels: broadly, figuratively Example: When we had done all the things there were to do, he passed out and I clung to his reassuringly solid, soft stomach—paternal, so different to the indie waifs—and cried. 5. A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but not persistently naturalized. Labels: broadly, figuratively
Word: waif Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from Late Middle English weif (“ownerless property subject to seizure and forfeiture; the right of such seizure and forfeiture; revenues obtained from such seizure and forfeiture”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman waif, weif [and other forms] (compare Anglo-Latin waivum [and other forms], Medieval Latin waivium), possibly from Old French waif, a variant of gaif, gayf (“property that is lost and unclaimed; of property: lost and unclaimed”) (Norman) [and other forms], probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”), from Proto-Germanic *waif-, from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /weɪf/ 1. To cast aside or reject, and thus make a waif. Labels: transitive Example: It is true that Guy, Count of Ponthieu, holds fief under me, but I have no control over the laws of his realm. And by those laws, he hath right of life and death over all stranded and waifed on his coast.
Word: waif Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Possibly from Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”); see further at etymology 1. Pronunciation: /weɪf/ 1. A small flag used as a signal. Labels: historical Example: [page 440] The allusion to waifs and waif-poles in the last chapter but one, necessitates some account of the laws and regulations of the whale fishery, of which the waif may be deemed the grand symbol and badge. […] [page 441] [A] fish is technically fast when it bears a waif, or any other recognised symbol of possession; so long as the party waifing it plainly evince their ability at any time to take it alongside, as well as their intention to do so.
Word: waif Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Origin unknown; possibly related to the following words: * waff (“waving movement; gust or puff of air or wind; odour, scent; slight blow; slight attack of illness; glimpse; apparition, wraith; of the wind: to cause (something) to move to and fro; to flutter or wave to and fro in the wind; to produce a current of air by waving, to fan”) (Northern England, Scotland), a variant of waive (etymology 2) or wave (see further at those entries). * Middle English wef, weffe (“bad odour, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either: ** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or ** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan). Pronunciation: /weɪf/ 1. Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried by wind or water. Example: Hot as the brackish waifs of yellow spume That shift and steam — loose clots of arid fume From the sea's panting mouth of dry desire; There stands he, like one labouring at a loom.
Word: wail Part of Speech: verb Etymology: c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb. Pronunciation: /weɪl/, [weɪɫ] 1. To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish. Labels: intransitive 2. To weep, lament persistently or bitterly. Labels: intransitive 3. To make a noise like mourning or crying. Labels: intransitive Example: The wind wailed and the rain streamed down. 4. To lament; to bewail; to grieve over. Labels: transitive Example: to wail one's death Example: My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes 5. To perform with great liveliness and force. Labels: slang Example: Another outstanding surfer from Hawaii - Fred Hemmings. Fred only stands up on alternate Wednesdays, but when he does, he really wails. Example: At Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted
Word: wail Part of Speech: noun Etymology: c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb. Pronunciation: /weɪl/, [weɪɫ] 1. A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish. Example: She let out a loud, doleful wail. 2. Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl. Example: The wail of snow-dark winter winds. Example: A bird's wail in the night. 3. A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.
Word: wail Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Old Norse val (“choice”). Compare Icelandic velja (“to choose”). More at wale. Pronunciation: /weɪl/, [weɪɫ] 1. Synonym of wale (“to choose; to select”). Labels: obsolete Example: Wailed wine and metes
Word: wailer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wayler, weilere; equivalent to wail + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈweɪlə/, /ˈweɪlɚ/ 1. One who wails or laments. 2. A professional hired mourner.
Word: wailer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wail + -er; see wail (“choose, select”). Pronunciation: /ˈweɪlə/, /ˈweɪlɚ/ 1. A boy employed to pick out stones, pyrites, etc. remaining in the coal after it is screened. Labels: historical
Word: wallow Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb). Pronunciation: /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/ 1. To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud. Labels: intransitive Example: Pigs wallow in the mud. Example: O be thou my Charon, / And giue me ſwift tranſportance to theſe fieldes, / VVhere I may wallow in the lilly beds, / Propoſ'd for the deſeruer. 2. To move lazily or heavily in any medium. Labels: intransitive Example: The fire was thrown to a great height; the fountains and jets all wallowed together; new ones appeared, and danced joyously round the margin, then converging towards the centre they merged into one glowing mass, which upheaved itself pyramidally and disappeared with a vast plunge. Example: “A Hot Steam’s somebody who can’t get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads an‘ if you walk through him, when you die you’ll be one too, an’ you’ll go around at night suckin‘ people’s breath-” 3. To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: She wallowed in her misery. Example: If there be any lazy Fellow, any that cannot away with Work, any that would wallow in Pleaſures, he is haſty to be prieſted. And, when he is made one, and hath gotten a Benefice, he conſorts with his Neighbour Prieſts, who are altogether given to Pleaſures; and then both he, and they, live, not like Chriſtians, but like Epicures; drinking, eating, feaſting, and revelling, till the Cow come Home, as the saying is; [...] 4. To live or exist in filth or in a sickening manner. Labels: intransitive Example: God sees a man wallowing in his native impurity. Example: The floors are at times inches deep with dirt and scraps of clothing. The whole place wallows with putrefaction. In some of the rooms it would seem that there had not been a breath of fresh air for five years.
Word: wallow Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb). Pronunciation: /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/ 1. An instance of wallowing. Labels: intransitive 2. A pool of water or mud in which animals wallow, or the depression left by them in the ground. Labels: intransitive Example: However, we have no time to linger, and picking our way among the countless buffalo wallows which indent the level surface of the summit, the wagon, […] Example: Soon, the incessant wind would dry the stenchy wallow to corduroyed cement. 3. A kind of rolling walk. Labels: intransitive
Word: wallow Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English walwen, from Old English wealwian (“to fade, wither”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of Old English fealwian (“to grow pale, turn yellow, ripen, wither”). Alternatively, perhaps related to Middle English welken (“to fade, droop, wither”), modern English welk. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/ 1. To fade, fade away, wither, droop; fail to flourish. Labels: UK, dialectal, intransitive
Word: wallow Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English walwe, walh, from Old English wealg, from Proto-West Germanic *walg, from Proto-Germanic *walgaz. Cognate with Dutch walg (“disgust”), dialectal Norwegian valg (“tasteless”). Doublet of waugh. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/ 1. Tasteless, flat. Labels: dialectal, intransitive
Word: wane Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wane, from Old English wana (“defect, shortage”), from Proto-West Germanic *wanō, from Proto-Germanic *wanô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to leave, abandon; empty, deserted”). Cognates See also wan-, want, and waste. Compare also Dutch waan (“insanity”) and German Wahn (“insanity”) deprecated defect, Old Norse vanr (“lacking”) ( > Danish prefix van-, only found in compounds), Latin vanus, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐍃 (wans, “missing, lacking”), Albanian vonë (“late, futile, mentally retarded”), Armenian ունայն (unayn, “empty”), Old Saxon and Old High German wanon (“to decrease”), Modern Dutch weinig (“a few”), Modern German weniger (“less”), comparative of wenig (“few”) (-ig being a derivate suffix; -er the suffix of comparatives). Doublet of vain, vaunt, vaniloquent, vast, vacuum, vacant, vacate, which are Latin-derived, via the PIE root. Pronunciation: /weɪn/ 1. A gradual diminution in power, value, intensity etc. Example: In the morning, one might say, his face was of a fine florid hue, but after twelve o’clock, meridian—his dinner hour—it blazed like a grate full of Christmas coals; and continued blazing—but, as it were, with a gradual wane—till six o’clock, P.M., or thereabouts; […]. Example: 1913, Michael Ott, The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Wenzel Anton Kaunitz", His influence which was on the wane during the reign of Joseph II grew still less during the reign of Leopold II (1790-2). 2. The lunar phase during which the sun seems to illuminate less of the moon as its sunlit area becomes progressively smaller as visible from Earth. Example: Some French peasants also prefer to sow in the wane. Example: It was very dark, for although the sky was clear the moon was now well in the wane, and would not rise till the small hours. 3. The end of a period. Labels: literary Example: The day was in its prime, the day was in its wane, and still, uneasy in mind and body, she slept on. Example: The situation of the Venetian party in the wane of the eighteenth century had become extremely critical. 4. A rounded corner caused by lack of wood, often showing bark. Example: 2002, Peter Ross, Appraisal and Repair of Timber Structures, p. 11, Sapwood, or even bark, may appear on the corners, or may have been cut off, resulting in wane, or missing timber.
Word: wane Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English wanen, wanien, from Old English wanian, wonian, from Proto-West Germanic *wanōn, from Proto-Germanic *wanōną. Pronunciation: /weɪn/ 1. To progressively lose its splendor, value, ardor, power, intensity etc.; to decline. Labels: intransitive Example: You saw but sorrow in its waning form. Example: Land and trade ever will wax and wane together. 2. For light to dim or diminish in strength. Labels: intransitive Example: The skies may hold not the splendour of sundown fast; / It wanes into twilight as dawn dies down into day. 3. For the Moon to pass through the phases of its monthly cycle where its surface is less and less visible. Labels: intransitive Example: The fall of Jack, and the subsequent fall of Jill, simply represent the vanishing of one moon-spot after another, as the moon wanes. 4. Said of a time period that comes to an end. Labels: intransitive Example: Fast as autumn days toward winter: yet it seems//Here that autumn wanes not, here that woods and streams 5. To decrease physically in size, amount, numbers or surface. Labels: archaic, intransitive Example: The snow which had been for some time waning, had given way entirely under the fresh gale of the preceding night. Example: Denisovans had little genetic diversity, suggesting that their small population waned further as populations of modern humans expanded. 6. To cause to decrease. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: In which no lustful finger can profane him, Nor any earth with black eclipses wane him Example: Proud once and princely was the mansion, ere a succession of spendthrifts waned away its splendour.
Word: wane Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Scots wean. Pronunciation: /weɪn/ 1. A child. Labels: Scotland, slang
Word: wane Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wōne, wāne (“dwelling," "custom”), of unclear origins, compare wont. Pronunciation: /weɪn/ 1. A house or dwelling. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, obsolete
Word: wary Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From the adjective ware + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛə.ɹi/, /ˈwɛɚ.i/, /ˈweːɹi/, /ˈweəɹi/, /ˈwiəɹi/ 1. Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent Example: He is wary of dogs. 2. Characterized by caution; guarded; careful; on one's guard 3. thrifty, provident
Word: wary Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English warien, from Old English wierġan (“to curse, do evil”), from Proto-West Germanic *wargijan, from Proto-Germanic *wargijaną (“to condemn, curse”), from Proto-Germanic *wargaz (“criminal”). Doublet of warry. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛə.ɹi/, /ˈwɛɚ.i/, /ˈweːɹi/, /ˈweəɹi/, /ˈwiəɹi/ 1. To curse, revile. Labels: dialectal
Word: waster Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wastere, waister, wastar, wastour, equivalent to waste + -er. Compare Anglo-Norman wastur, Old French gastëor. Pronunciation: /ˈweɪstə/ 1. Someone or something that wastes; someone who squanders or spends extravagantly. 2. An imperfection in the wick of a candle, causing it to waste. Labels: dialectal 3. A destroyer or plunderer. Labels: obsolete Example: He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. 4. An item that is spoiled during its manufacture. Example: Unless the cast was very hot indeed, the steel would refuse to ascend, and a great many wasters were caused thereby. 5. An idle, worthless person; a loser. Labels: derogatory, slang Example: 2024, Laura Carter, Fake It 'til You Make It I don't want a total waster and I'm definitely not looking for a hook-up, but I really do need an okay date. Someone normal. Someone I can introduce to family and friends […]
Word: waster Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown Pronunciation: /ˈweɪstə/ 1. A kind of cudgel; also, a blunt-edged sword used as a foil. Labels: obsolete Example: Or, as they that play at wasters exercise themselves by a few cudgels how to avoid an enemy's blows, let us arm ourselves against all such violent incursions which may invade our minds. 2. A leister; a spear for catching fish. Labels: Scotland, obsolete
Word: wavy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From wave + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈweɪvi/ 1. Rising or swelling in waves. Example: wavy seas 2. Full of waves. Example: wavy swimming pool 3. Moving to and fro; undulating. Example: wavy bridge 4. Having wave-like shapes on its border or surface; waved. Example: wavy hair Example: One of the half-pay men brought me a nasty wavy dagger that had been picked up in the road. 'One of your Indian curiosities, I suppose, Dr Tulloch?' he remarked. 5. Moving up and down relative to the surface; undulate. 6. Undé, in a wavy line; applied to ordinaries, or division lines, especially to symbolize a river. Example: Per pale erm. and az. a fess wavy gu. Example: Parted per fess wavy gu. and arg.; over all a lion passant sa. pierced with a dagger ppr., hafted and pommelled of the second, the haft appearing between the shoulders and the point under the belly, tending towards the hind legs[…] 7. Drunk. Labels: slang 8. Cool and fashionable. Labels: slang Example: Wavy like Beyoncé on a surfboard
Word: wavy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See wavey. Pronunciation: /ˈweɪvi/ 1. Alternative form of wavey (goose). Labels: alt-of, alternative, dated, possibly Example: According to Indian report, a great breeding-ground for the blue wavy is the country lying in the interior of the north-east point of Labrador, Cape Dudley Digges. Example: The blue and white wavies breed in the barren grounds and feed chiefly on berries.
Word: weaponry Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From weapon + -ry. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛp.ən.ɹi/ 1. Weapons collectively Labels: uncountable, usually Example: The army has a wide array of weaponry. Example: The dispatches […] also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies. Having lectured the Arab world about democracy for years, its collusion in suppressing freedom was undeniable as protesters were met by weaponry and tear gas made in the west, employed by a military trained by westerners.
Word: weighty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English weighti, weghti, wighti, equivalent to weight + -y. Cognate with Scots weichty, wechty, wichty, Saterland Frisian wichtich, West Frisian wichtich, Dutch wichtig, gewichtig, German wichtig, Danish vigtig, Swedish viktig. Compare typologically Russian ве́ский (véskij), весо́мый (vesómyj) (< вес (ves)). Also compare the same meaning development from cognate (by borrowing) Polish waga (< ... < Proto-Germanic *wēgō): ważny (whence Russian ва́жный (vážnyj)). Pronunciation: /ˈweɪti/ 1. Having a lot of weight; heavy. Example: And so a weighty rock she aimed / With much enthusiasm Example: To fund the purchase, he had to sell a late Renoir, The Judgment of Paris, with its depiction of weighty ladies frolicking in a roseate garden. 2. Important; serious; not trivial or petty. Labels: figuratively Example: a weighty argument Example: But I have now reached a point in the progress of my narrative, when it becomes necessary to turn away from these light descriptions, to the more grave and weighty matter of the second battle with Master Tibeats, and the flight through the great Pacoudrie Swamp. 3. Rigorous; severe; afflictive.
Word: Weld Part of Speech: name 1. A surname from Old English possibly deriving from the Old English word for woodland. The family is mainly located in the Southern regions of England. Example: Johnson’s latest misstep played out during an extraordinary and awkward 50 seconds of live television on MSNBC, where Johnson and running mate William Weld were appearing in a town hall. Host Chris Matthews ticked through a list of regions, hoping to jog the Libertarian Party candidate’s memories, but to no avail. 2. A town in Franklin County, Maine, United States, named after Benjamin Weld.
Word: welder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From weld + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛldə(ɹ)/ 1. One who welds, that is, unites pieces of steel, aluminum, or other metals by welding. 2. A machine that welds. 3. A machine that welds. 4. One who welds, that is, wields.
Word: welder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Of Irish origin. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛldə(ɹ)/ 1. A manager; an actual occupant; a land-tenant holding under the farmer or middleman.
Word: whaler Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From whale + -er. In sense 1, displaced Old English hwælhunta (literally “whale hunter”). Pronunciation: /ˈweɪlə/, /ˈweɪlɚ/, /ˈhweɪlɚ/, /ˈhweɪlə/ 1. One who hunts whales; any person employed in the whaling industry. Example: Near-synonym: whaleman Example: For a whaler's wife to have been “ 'round the Cape” half a dozen times, or even more, was nothing extraordinary. 2. A seagoing vessel used for hunting whales. Example: Near-synonym: whaleship Example: But o' Thursday t' Resolution, first whaler back this season, came in port. 3. One who whales (flogs or beats). 4. A large, strong person. Labels: slang 5. Something of unusually great size, a whopper, a whacker. Labels: slang 6. Any shark of the family Carcharhinidae; a requiem shark. Labels: Australia Example: The whalers (or requiem sharks) are one of the largest and best known family of sharks. Worldwide there are 48 species in 12 genera. However, relatively few species are on the Great Barrier Reef. Example: 2003, Mark Thornley, Veda Dante, Peter Wilson, Action Guide: Surfing Australia, Tuttle Publishing, HK, page 264, The whaler shark family, which includes the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos),silvertip (Carcharhinus albimarginatus), bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) and bronze whaler (Carcharhinus brachyurus) are fast moving, territorial and have bitten divers snd surfers in the past. 7. A sundowner; one who cruises about. Labels: Australia, dated, slang Example: the nomad, “the whaler,” it is who will find the new order hostile to his vested interest of doing nothing.
Word: wheeze Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English whesen, perhaps from Old Norse hvæsa (“to hiss”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to pant”). Pronunciation: /ʍiːz/, /wiːz/ 1. To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma. Example: If the air smelled even faintly of dog, Lionel coughed, wheezed and sneezed. 2. To convulse with laughter; to become breathless due to intense laughing. Labels: slang Example: Mrs. Hearty began to shake and wheeze with laughter, and Millie stood looking at Bindle. Example: He began to wheeze again, and tears rolled down his furrowed cheeks. Nate was laughing, too, infected by Check's contagious wheezing. 3. To make a sound that resembles the sound of human wheezing. Example: "Even the fish know it; they don't rise to the bait any more and the birds are scared - hear how they wheeze and cry as they seek the land." Example: One boy in a black tuxedo and red shoes plays a wheezing accordion like a roadside undertaker.
Word: wheeze Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English whesen, perhaps from Old Norse hvæsa (“to hiss”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to pant”). Pronunciation: /ʍiːz/, /wiːz/ 1. A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration. 2. An ordinary whisper exaggerated so as to produce the hoarse sound known as the "stage whisper"; a forcible whisper with some admixture of tone. 3. An ulterior scheme or plan. Labels: Ireland, UK, informal Example: Didn’t catch me napping that wheeze. Example: The main point of fuel duty, though, is as a fiscal wheeze: it made up 5% of the tax take in 2010. 4. Something very humorous or laughable. Labels: slang Example: The new comedy is a wheeze. Example: You think you're going to win? That's a real wheeze! 5. A sound that resembles a human wheezing. Example: At the same time I felt them fall over my brows — time to get a cut — the engine gave a final wheeze and died.
Word: whirlwind Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr. Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːlwɪnd/, /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/ 1. A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. Example: VVhile in the mean time there iſſued out on the Eaſt-ſide a ſtrong VVind, but pure and refreſhing, vvhich dividing into ſeveral parts that turned round became ſo many innocuous VVhirl-vvinds of ſincere Air, tinctured only vvith a cool refreſhing ſmell, as if it had paſſed over ſome large field of Lilies and Roſes. Example: And his hoofs ground the rocks to fire and dust, / His strong sides made the torrents rise in spray, / And turbulence, as if a whirlwind’s gust / Surrounded us; […] 2. A person or body of objects or events sweeping violently onward. Labels: figuratively Example: Once he got that new scooter he turned into a whirlwind and damaged all the flowers. Example: The weeks leading up to the convention were a whirlwind of preparation and hurried activity.
Word: whirlwind Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr. Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːlwɪnd/, /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/ 1. Rapid and minimal. Labels: not-comparable Example: a whirlwind tour, a whirlwind romance Example: So you aren't deserting the Caversham ship. They'll understand. After all, their courtship was pretty whirlwind itself.
Word: witless Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English witles, from Old English witlēas (“senseless; witless”), from Proto-Germanic *witjalausaz (“witless”), equivalent to wit + -less. Cognate with Swedish vettlös (“senseless; witless; wild”), Icelandic vitlaus (“senseless; witless; foolish; mad”). 1. Lacking wit or understanding; foolish. Example: Then will we march to all thoſe Indian Mines, My witleſſe brother to the Chriſtians loſt: And ranſome them with fame and vſurie. Example: To be his whore, is witles; Out upon't; 2. Indiscreet; not using clear and sound judgment. 3. Mindless, lacking conscious thought or the capacity for it. Example: Rage warps my clearest cry To witless agony.
Word: worth Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *werþ, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz (“worthy, valuable”); from Proto-Indo-European *wert-. Cognate with Scots wirth (“worth”), Cimbrian bèart (“worth, value”), Dutch waard, weerd (“worth”), German wert (“worth”) (the source of Polish wart (“worth”), Ukrainian вартість (vartistʹ, “worth, value”), etc), Luxembourgish wäert (“worth”), Yiddish ווערט (vert), ווערד (verd, “worth, value”), Danish værd (“worth”), Faroese and Icelandic verður (“worth”), Norwegian Bokmål verdt (“worth”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“worth”), Swedish värd (“worth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸 (wairþ, “worth, value”), Welsh gwerth (“worth, value”). Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːθ/, /wɝθ/, /ˈwəːθ/, /ˈwøːθ/, /ˈwʌɾθ/ 1. Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. Labels: not-comparable Example: How much / What is your house worth? - Now it's worth half what I paid for it. So it'd sure would be worthwhile to repair before putting it for sale. Example: Cleanliness is a virtue worth more than others. 2. Deserving of. Labels: not-comparable Example: This rickety beater of a car isn’t worth repairing anymore. Example: He found going to the Edinburgh Castle was worth it. 3. Valuable, worthwhile. Labels: not-comparable, obsolete 4. Making a fair equivalent of, repaying or compensating. Labels: not-comparable Example: This job is hardly worth the effort.
Word: worth Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *werþ, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz (“worthy, valuable”); from Proto-Indo-European *wert-. Cognate with Scots wirth (“worth”), Cimbrian bèart (“worth, value”), Dutch waard, weerd (“worth”), German wert (“worth”) (the source of Polish wart (“worth”), Ukrainian вартість (vartistʹ, “worth, value”), etc), Luxembourgish wäert (“worth”), Yiddish ווערט (vert), ווערד (verd, “worth, value”), Danish værd (“worth”), Faroese and Icelandic verður (“worth”), Norwegian Bokmål verdt (“worth”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“worth”), Swedish värd (“worth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸 (wairþ, “worth, value”), Welsh gwerth (“worth, value”). Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːθ/, /wɝθ/, /ˈwəːθ/, /ˈwøːθ/, /ˈwʌɾθ/ 1. Value. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I’ll have a dollar's worth of candy, please. Example: They have proven their worths as individual fighting men and their worth as a unit. 2. Merit, excellence. Labels: uncountable Example: Our new director is a man whose worth is well acknowledged. Example: Manchester United's Tom Cleverley impressed on his first competitive start and Lampard demonstrated his continued worth at international level in a performance that was little more than a stroll once England swiftly exerted their obvious authority. 3. An amount that could be achieved or produced in a specified time. Labels: uncountable Example: Although most modern OTDR equipment can store at least eight days' worth of data (in line with current industry standards), when it was downloaded from the Class 57s involved, it was discovered they had stored just over eight hours' worth of data. 4. High social standing, noble rank. Labels: obsolete, uncountable Example: VVhat bee they men of any worth or no? […] No my good Lord, they bee men of no great account, For they bee none but Tylers, Thatchers, Millers, and ſuch like.
Word: worth Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English worthen, wurthen, werthen (“to be; exist; come into being; come into existence”), from Old English weorþan (“to come into being; be made; become; arise; be”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to come about; happen; come into being; become”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn; turn out”). Cognate with Dutch worden, dated Low German warrn, German werden, Old Norse verða (Norwegian verta, Swedish varda), Latin vertere. Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːθ/, /wɝθ/, /ˈwəːθ/, /ˈwøːθ/, /ˈwʌɾθ/ 1. To be, become, betide. Labels: obsolete Example: Sonne of man, prophecie and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Howle ye, woe worth the day. Example: For, adds our erudite Friend, the Saxon weorthan equivalent to the German werden, means to grow, to become; traces of which old vocable are still found in the North-country dialects, as, ‘What is word of him?’ meaning ‘What is become of him?’ and the like. Nay we in modern English still say, ‘Woe worth the hour.’ [i.e. Woe befall the hour]
Word: wrack Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake. Pronunciation: /ɹæk/ 1. The remains of something; a wreck. Example: Lytle was already moaning in shame, fallen back in bed with his hand across his face like he'd just washed up somewhere, a piece of wrack. 2. Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment; consequence; trouble. Labels: UK, archaic, dialectal, literary Example: The dead mans corps hath made ſome Serpents weépe, / Such rewth may ryſe in beaſts of bloudy race: / And yet can man (which bragges aboue the reſt) / Uſe wracke for rewth? can murder like him beſt? 3. Ruin; destruction. Labels: dialectal Example: Therefore, in sign her treasure suffered wrack, Since Hero's time hath half the world been black.
Word: wrack Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake. Pronunciation: /ɹæk/ 1. To execute vengeance on; avenge. Labels: UK, dialectal, transitive 2. To worry; tease; torment. Labels: UK, dialectal, transitive
Word: wrack Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch wrak, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (“to drive out”), the source of wreak and wreck. Doublet of vraic. Cognate with German Wrack, Old Norse rek, Danish vrag, Swedish vrak, Old English wræc); also compare Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan), 𐍅𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wrakjan, “persecute”), Old Norse reka (“drive”). Pronunciation: /ɹæk/ 1. Remnant from a shipwreck as washed ashore; flotsam or jetsam. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable 2. The right to claim such items. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable 3. Any marine vegetation cast up on shore, especially seaweed of the family Fucaceae. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. Weeds, vegetation, or rubbish floating on a river or pond. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A high, flying cloud; a rack. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A dull wrack was drifting slowly across the sky, and a star or two twinkled dimly here and there through the rifts of the clouds.
Word: wrack Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch wrak, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (“to drive out”), the source of wreak and wreck. Doublet of vraic. Cognate with German Wrack, Old Norse rek, Danish vrag, Swedish vrak, Old English wræc); also compare Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan), 𐍅𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wrakjan, “persecute”), Old Norse reka (“drive”). Pronunciation: /ɹæk/ 1. To wreck, especially a ship. Labels: transitive Example: Nor did the croakers have long to wait. The second night after the drowning of the mate the little yacht was suddenly wracked from stem to stern. About one o’clock in the morning there was a terrific impact that threw the slumbering guests and crew from berth and bunk. A mighty shudder ran through the frail craft; she lay far over to starboard; the engines stopped. 2. Alternative form of rack (“to cause to suffer pain, etc.”). Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: It marked her first performance in over four years after revealing that her body had been wracked with painful spasms following her diagnosis with the rare and chronic neurological disorder.
Word: wrasse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Plural of dialectal (Cornwall) wrah, wraugh, wrath, from Cornish wragh (“old woman, hag; wrasse”), lenited form of gwragh. Pronunciation: /ɹæs/ 1. Any one of numerous edible, marine, spiny-finned fishes of the family Labridae, of which several species are found in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coast of Europe. Many of the species are brightly colored.
Word: wreath Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wreth, wrethe (“coiled or rounded shape; decorative garland, wreath; chaplet, crown; ring”, noun), from Old English *wreoþa, wriþa (“band, coil, ring”), from Proto-West Germanic *wriþō, from Proto-Germanic *wriþô, from *wrīþaną (“to twist; to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist”). Doublet of wreathe and writhe. Pronunciation: /ɹiːθ/, /ɹiθ/ 1. Something twisted, intertwined, or curled. Example: a wreath of smoke a wreath of clouds Example: The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them. 2. An ornamental circular band made, for example, of plaited flowers and leaves, and used as decoration; a garland or chaplet, especially one given to a victor. Example: So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all. 3. A defect in glass. 4. An appendage to the shield, placed above it, and supporting the crest; an orle, a torse. It generally represents a twist of two cords of silk, one tinctured like the principal metal, the other like the principal color in the coat of arms.
Word: wreath Part of Speech: verb Etymology: See wreathe. Pronunciation: /ɹiːθ/, /ɹiːð/, /ɹiθ/, /ɹið/ 1. Alternative spelling of wreathe. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: Sale) or Salovv a kind of vvoodde like VVyllovv, fit to vvreath and bynde in leapes to catch fiſh vvithall. Example: [T]o wreſt the will of man, or to wreath his hearte to our humours, it is not in the compaſſe of Arte, but in the power of the moſt higheſt.
Word: writhe Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”). Pronunciation: /ɹaɪð/ 1. To twist, wring (something). Labels: transitive 2. To contort (a part of the body). Labels: transitive Example: Cicero (as I remember) had gotten a custome to wryth his nose, which signifieth a naturall scoffer. Example: She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! / She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! / They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years, / Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, / Cold, on the stroke of midnight, / The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers! 3. To twist bodily; to contort one's self; to be distorted. Labels: intransitive Example: The game was engulfed in controversy when Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly in a midfield challenge with Suarez. The tackle drew an angry response from Liverpool's players- Lucas in particular as Suarez writhed in agony - but it was an obvious injustice when the England Under-21 midfielder was shown the red card. 4. To extort. Labels: transitive
Word: writhe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”). Pronunciation: /ɹaɪð/ 1. A contortion. Labels: rare 2. The number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot
Word: youth Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English youthe, youghte, ȝouþe, from Old English ġeoguþ (“the state of being young; youth”), from Proto-West Germanic *juwunþa, from Proto-Germanic *jugunþō, *jugunþiz (“youth”), corresponding to young + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Juugd, West Frisian jeugd, Dutch jeugd, German Low German Jöögd, German Jugend. Pronunciation: /juːθ/, /juθ/, /jʉwθ/, /jʉːθ/, /jʉθ/ 1. The quality or state of being young. Labels: uncountable Example: Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers. Example: Feel awfully about Scott... It was a terrible thing for him to love youth so much that he jumped straight from youth to senility without going through manhood. The minute he felt youth going he was frightened again and thought there was nothing between youth and age. 2. The part of life following childhood; the period of existence preceding maturity or age; the whole early part of life, from childhood, or, sometimes, from infancy, to adulthood. Labels: uncountable Example: Make the most of your youth, it will not last forever. Example: I made many mistakes in my youth, but learned from them all. 3. A young person. Labels: countable Example: There was a group of youths hanging around the parking lot, reading fashion magazines and listening to music. 4. A young man; a male adolescent or young adult. Labels: countable Example: […]and then a youth appeared—no one quite knew where from or to whom he belonged—but he settled down with them in a happy-go-lucky way, and they all lived together. 5. Young persons, collectively. Labels: uncountable Example: The actual brides- and grooms-to-be are not in attendance—many youth would be embarrassed by their parents’ matchmaking efforts, and often do not live in the same city anyway.
Word: Yule Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Middle English yol, youle, from Old English ġeōl (“Christmas, Yule”), either cognate with or from Old Norse jól, from Proto-Germanic *jehwlą. Cognate with Gothic 𐌾𐌹𐌿𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃 (jiuleis); see also Old English ġēola and Old Norse ýlir. Pronunciation: /juːl/, /jʉwl/, [jʊwl], /jul/, /jʉːl/ 1. Christmastide, the Christmas season, the Twelve Days of Christmas (between December 25ᵗʰ and January 5ᵗʰ). 2. A pagan wintertime holiday celebrated by Germanic peoples, particularly the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon peoples, or a modern reconstruction of this holiday celebrated by neo-pagans. 3. A surname.
Word: Yule Part of Speech: intj Etymology: From Middle English yol, youle, from Old English ġeōl (“Christmas, Yule”), either cognate with or from Old Norse jól, from Proto-Germanic *jehwlą. Cognate with Gothic 𐌾𐌹𐌿𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃 (jiuleis); see also Old English ġēola and Old Norse ýlir. Pronunciation: /juːl/, /jʉwl/, [jʊwl], /jul/, /jʉːl/ 1. A proclamation of joy at Christmas. Labels: obsolete Example: In the Countrey churches, at Christmas in the Holy-daies after Prayers, they will dance in the Church, and as they doe dance, they cry (or sing) Yole, Yole, Yole etc.
Word: zaffre Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Italian zaffera, from Latin sapphirus (“sapphire”). Doublet of sapphire. Pronunciation: /ˈzæfə(ɹ)/ 1. Cobalt oxide obtained by roasting cobalt ore, used as a blue pigment. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: If Zaffre or Regulus of Cobalt be dissolved in the same manner in spirit of nitre, or aqua fortis, a reddish colour is produced on exposing the paper to heat. 2. A cobalt blue colour, like that of the pigment. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: organize Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English organizen, organysen, partly from Middle French organiser and partly from its etymon, Medieval Latin organizō, from Latin organum (“organ”). By surface analysis, organ + -ize. Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡənaɪz/, /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ 1. To arrange in working order. Labels: transitive Example: Multiple bits moving in macroprocess join triplet macrounits which logically organize information networks encoding units in structures enclosing triplet code. 2. To constitute in parts, each having a special function, act, office, or relation; to systematize. Labels: transitive Example: This original and supreme will organizes the government. Example: With Arthur it was clearly the Falklands factor writ large. Actions such as organizing and building the Wansdyke or Cadbury 11 (the refortification) would have strengthened the authority and extended the power of whichever king was the organizer. 3. To furnish with organs; to give an organic structure to; to endow with capacity for the functions of life Labels: transitive Example: an organized being Example: organized matter 4. To sing in parts. Labels: transitive Example: to organize an anthem Example: Formerly , those Catholic priests who sung in parts : so to sing , was to organize 5. To band together into a group or union that can bargain and act collectively; to unionize. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: the workers decided to organize; their next task was to organize the workers at the steel mill
Word: intensify Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From intense + -ify. Compare French intensifier. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈtɛnsɪfaɪ/ 1. To render more intense. Labels: transitive Example: to intensify the heat or cold Example: to intensify colors 2. To become intense, or more intense; to act with increasing power or energy. Labels: intransitive Example: Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force. Example: Feminist critiques of continuity discourse have become increasingly audible within the mainstream Jewish world, intensifying last year after [Steven M.] Cohen himself was accused of serial sexual harassment.
Word: entreaty Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From entreat + -y. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈtɹiːti/, /ənˈtɹiːti/, /ɛnˈtɹiːti/ 1. The act of entreating or beseeching; a strong petition; pressing solicitation; begging. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 1779, William Ward, An Essay on Grammar as it may be applied to the English Language, New Edition, page 202, In all commands or entreaties, the ſtate commanded, or entreated, muſt be contingent; i. e. capable of being, or not being, as the command or entreaty expreſſes it. Example: She gathered many of the stones which I built into the walls of the hut; also, she turned a deaf ear to my entreaties when I begged her to desist. 2. A treatment; reception; entertainment. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable
Word: inwreathe Part of Speech: verb 1. To surround or encompass as with a wreath. Labels: obsolete, poetic, transitive Example: Nor less the palm of peace inwreathes thy brow Example: It was far down the afternoon; and when all the spearings of the crimson fight were done: and floating in the lovely sunset sea and sky, sun and whale both stilly died together; then, such a sweetness and such plaintiveness, such inwreathing orisons curled up in that rosy air, that it almost seemed as if far over from the deep green convent valleys of the Manilla isles, the Spanish land-breeze, wantonly turned sailor, had gone to sea, freighted with these vesper hymns.
Word: valor Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈvælɚ/ 1. US standard spelling of valour. Labels: US, alt-of, standard, uncountable, usually