W - Wagenboom

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W.
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W (dŭb'l ū), the twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, is usually a consonant, but sometimes it is a vowel, forming the second element of certain diphthongs, as in few, how. It takes its written form and its name from the repetition of a V, this being the original form of the Roman capital letter which we call U. Etymologically it is most related to v and u. See V, and U. Some of the uneducated classes in England, especially in London, confuse w and v, substituting the one for the other, as weal for veal, and veal for weal; wine for vine, and vine for wine, etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 266-268.
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Waag (wäg), n. (Zoöl.) The grivet.
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Waahoo (wäh�), n. (Bot.) The burning bush; -- said to be called after a quack medicine made from it.
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Wabble (wŏbb'l), v. i. [Cf. Prov. G. wabbeln to wabble, and E. whap. Cf. .] To move staggeringly or unsteadily from one side to the other; to vacillate; to move the manner of a rotating disk when the axis of rotation is inclined to that of the disk; -- said of a turning or whirling body; as, a top wabbles; a buzz saw wabbles.
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Wabble, n. A hobbling, unequal motion, as of a wheel unevenly hung; a staggering to and fro.
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Wabbly (?), a. Inclined to wabble; wabbling.
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{ Wacke (?), Wacky (?), } n. [G. wacke, MHG. wacke a large stone, OHG. waggo a pebble.] (Geol.) A soft, earthy, dark-colored rock or clay derived from the alteration of basalt.
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Wad (?), n. [See .] Woad. [Obs.]
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Wad, n. [Probably of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. vadd wadding, Dan vat, D. & G. watte. Cf. .]
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1. A little mass, tuft, or bundle, as of hay or tow. Holland.
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2. Specifically: A little mass of some soft or flexible material, such as hay, straw, tow, paper, or old rope yarn, used for retaining a charge of powder in a gun, or for keeping the powder and shot close; also, to diminish or avoid the effects of windage. Also, by extension, a dusk of felt, pasteboard, etc., serving a similar purpose.
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3. A soft mass, especially of some loose, fibrous substance, used for various purposes, as for stopping an aperture, padding a garment, etc.
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Coloq. Wed hook , a rod with a screw or hook at the end, used for removing the wad from a gun.
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Wad, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wadding.]
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1. To form into a mass, or wad, or into wadding; as, to wad tow or cotton.
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2. To insert or crowd a wad into; as, to wad a gun; also, to stuff or line with some soft substance, or wadding, like cotton; as, to wad a cloak.
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{ Wad, Wadd, } n. (Min.) (a) An earthy oxide of manganese, or mixture of different oxides and water, with some oxide of iron, and often silica, alumina, lime, or baryta; black ocher. There are several varieties. (b) Plumbago, or black lead.
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Waddie (?), n. & v. See .
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Wadding (?), n. [See a little mass.]
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1. A wad, or the materials for wads; any pliable substance of which wads may be made.
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2. Any soft stuff of loose texture, used for stuffing or padding garments; esp., sheets of carded cotton prepared for the purpose.
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Waddle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Waddled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waddling (?).] [Freq. of wade; cf. AS. wædlian to beg, from wadan to go. See .] To walk with short steps, swaying the body from one side to the other, like a duck or very fat person; to move clumsily and totteringly along; to toddle; to stumble; as, a child waddles when he begins to walk; a goose waddles. Shak.
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She drawls her words, and waddles in her pace. Young.
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Waddle, v. t. To trample or tread down, as high grass, by walking through it. [R.] Drayton.
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Waddler (?), n. One who, or that which, waddles.
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Waddlingly, adv. In a waddling manner.
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Waddy, n.; pl. Waddies (�). [Written also waddie, whaddie.] [Native name. Thought by some to be a corrup. of E. wood.] [Australia] 1. An aboriginal war club.
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2. A piece of wood; stick; peg; also, a walking stick.
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Waddy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waddied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waddying.] To attack or beat with a waddy.
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Waddywood (?), n. An Australian tree (Pittosporum bicolor); also, its wood, used in making waddies.
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Wade (?), n. Woad. [Obs.] Mortimer.
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Wade (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Waded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wading.] [OE. waden to wade, to go, AS. wadan; akin to OFries. wada, D. waden, OHG. watan, Icel. va�a, Sw. vada, Dan. vade, L. vadere to go, walk, vadum a ford. Cf. , , , .]
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1. To go; to move forward. [Obs.]
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When might is joined unto cruelty,
Alas, too deep will the venom wade. Chaucer.
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Forbear, and wade no further in this speech. Old Play.
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2. To walk in a substance that yields to the feet; to move, sinking at each step, as in water, mud, sand, etc.
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So eagerly the fiend . . .
With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies. Milton.
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3. Hence, to move with difficulty or labor; to proceed �lowly among objects or circumstances that constantly �inder or embarrass; as, to wade through a dull book.
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And wades through fumes, and gropes his way. Dryden.
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The king's admirable conduct has waded through all these difficulties. Davenant.
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Wade, v. t. To pass or cross by wading; as, he waded �he rivers and swamps.
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Wade (?), n. The act of wading. [Colloq.]
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Wader (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, wades.
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2. (Zoöl.) Any long-legged bird that wades in the water in search of food, especially any species of limicoline or grallatorial birds; -- called also wading bird. See Illust. g, under .
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Wading, a. & n. from , v.
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Coloq. Wading bird . (Zoöl.) See , 2.
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Wadmol (?), n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. va�māl a woollen stuff, Dan vadmel. Cf. a small mass, and .] A coarse, hairy, woolen cloth, formerly used for garments by the poor, and for various other purposes. [Spelled also wadmal, wadmeal, wadmoll, wadmel, etc.] Beck (Draper's Dict.). Sir W. Scott.
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Wadset (?), n. [Scot. wad a pledge; akin to Sw. vad a wager. See .] (Scots Law) A kind of pledge or mortgage. [Written also wadsett.]
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Wadsetter (?), n. One who holds by a wadset.
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Wady (?), n.; pl. Wadies (#). [Ar. wādī a valley, a channel of a river, a river.] A ravine through which a brook flows; the channel of a water course, which is dry except in the rainy season.
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Wae (?), n. A wave. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Waeg (?), n. (Zoöl.) The kittiwake. [Scot.]
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Wafer (?), n. [OE. wafre, OF. waufre, qaufre, F. qaufre; of Teutonic origin; cf. LG. & D. wafel, G. waffel, Dan. vaffel, Sw. våffla; all akin to G. wabe a honeycomb, OHG. waba, being named from the resemblance to a honeycomb. G. wabe is probably akin to E. weave. See , and cf. , .]
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1. (Cookery) A thin cake made of flour and other ingredients.
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Wafers piping hot out of the gleed. Chaucer.
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The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers, and marchpanes. Holland.
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A woman's oaths are wafers -- break with making B. Jonson.
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2. (Eccl.) A thin cake or piece of bread (commonly unleavened, circular, and stamped with a crucifix or with the sacred monogram) used in the Eucharist, as in the Roman Catholic Church.
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3. An adhesive disk of dried paste, made of flour, gelatin, isinglass, or the like, and coloring matter, -- used in sealing letters and other documents.
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4. Any thin but rigid plate of solid material, esp. of discoidal shape; -- a term used commonly to refer to the thin slices of silicon used as starting material for the manufacture of integrated circuits.
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Coloq. Wafer cake , a sweet, thin cake. Shak. -- Coloq. Wafer irons , or Coloq. Wafer tongs (Cookery), a pincher-shaped contrivance, having flat plates, or blades, between which wafers are baked. -- Coloq. Wafer woman , a woman who sold wafer cakes; also, one employed in amorous intrigues. Beau. & Fl.
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Wafer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wafered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wafering.] To seal or close with a wafer.
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Waferer (?), n. A dealer in the cakes called wafers; a confectioner. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Waffle (?), n. [D. wafel. See .] 1. A thin cake baked and then rolled; a wafer.
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2. A soft indented cake cooked in a waffle iron.
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Coloq. Waffle iron , an iron utensil or mold made in two parts shutting together, -- used for cooking waffles over a fire.
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Waft (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wafted; p. pr. & vb. n. Wafting.] [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See to waver.] 1. To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Obs.]
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But soft: who wafts us yonder? Shak.
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2. To cause to move or go in a wavy manner, or by the impulse of waves, as of water or air; to bear along on a buoyant medium; as, a balloon was wafted over the channel.
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A gentle wafting to immortal life. Milton.
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Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul,
And waft a sigh from Indus to the pole. Pope.
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3. To cause to float; to keep from sinking; to buoy. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
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☞ This verb is regular; but waft was formerly som�times used, as by Shakespeare, instead of wafted.
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Waft, v. i. To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
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And now the shouts waft near the citadel. Dryden.
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Waft, n. 1. A wave or current of wind. “Everywaft of the air.” Longfellow.
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In this dire season, oft the whirlwind's wing
Sweeps up the burden of whole wintry plains
In one wide waft. Thomson.
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2. A signal made by waving something, as a flag, in the air.
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3. An unpleasant flavor. [Obs.]
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4. (Naut.) A knot, or stop, in the middle of a flag. [Written also wheft.]
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☞ A flag with a waft in it, when hoisted at the staff, or half way to the gaff, means, a man overboard; at the peak, a desire to communicate; at the masthead, “Recall boats.”
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Waftage (?), n. Conveyance on a buoyant medium, as air or water. Shak.
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Boats prepared for waftage to and fro. Drayton.
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Wafter (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, wafts.
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O Charon,
Thou wafter of the soul to bliss or bane. Beau. & FL.
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2. A boat for passage. Ainsworth.
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Wafture (?), n. The act of waving; a wavelike motion; a waft. R. Browning.
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An angry wafture of your hand. Shak.
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Wag (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wagging.] [OE. waggen; probably of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. vagga to rock a cradle, vagga cradle, Icel. vagga, Dan. vugge; akin to AS. wagian to move, wag, wegan to bear, carry, G. & D. bewegen to move, and E. weigh. √136. See .] To move one way and the other with quick turns; to shake to and fro; to move vibratingly; to cause to vibrate, as a part of the body; as, to wag the head.
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No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure. Shak.
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Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. Jer. xviii. 16.
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☞ Wag expresses specifically the motion of the head and body used in buffoonery, mirth, derision, sport, and mockery.
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Wag, v. i. 1. To move one way and the other; to be shaken to and fro; to vibrate.
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The resty sieve wagged ne'er the more. Dryden.
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2. To be in action or motion; to move; to get along; to progress; to stir. [Colloq.]
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“Thus we may see,” quoth he, “how the world wags.” Shak.
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3. To go; to depart; to pack oft. [R.]
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I will provoke him to 't, or let him wag. Shak.
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Wag, n. [From , v.]
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1. The act of wagging; a shake; as, a wag of the head. [Colloq.]
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2. [Perhaps shortened from wag-halter a rogue.] A man full of sport and humor; a ludicrous fellow; a humorist; a wit; a joker.
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We wink at wags when they offend. Dryden.
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A counselor never pleaded without a piece of pack thread in his hand, which he used to twist about a finger all the while he was speaking; the wags used to call it the thread of his discourse. Addison.
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Wagati (?), n. (Zoöl.) A small East Indian wild cat (Felis wagati), regarded by some as a variety of the leopard cat.
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Wage (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waging (?).] [OE. wagen, OF. wagier, gagier, to pledge, promise, F. gager to wager, lay, bet, fr. LL. wadium a pledge; of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. wadi a pledge, gawadjōn to pledge, akin to E. wed, G. wette a wager. See , and cf. .]
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1. To pledge; to hazard on the event of a contest; to stake; to bet, to lay; to wager; as, to wage a dollar. Hakluyt.
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My life I never but as a pawn
To wage against thy enemies. Shak.
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2. To expose one's self to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. “Too weak to wage an instant trial with the king.” Shak.
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To wake and wage a danger profitless. Shak.
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3. To engage in, as a contest, as if by previous gage or pledge; to carry on, as a war.
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[He pondered] which of all his sons was fit
To reign and wage immortal war with wit. Dryden.
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The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the destruction of the other. I. Taylor.
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4. To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. [Obs.] “Thou . . . must wage thy works for wealth.” Spenser.
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5. To put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to. [Obs.]
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Abundance of treasure which he had in store, wherewith he might wage soldiers. Holinshed.
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I would have them waged for their labor. Latimer.
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6. (O. Eng. Law) To give security for the performance of. Burrill.
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Coloq. To wage battle (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under , n. Burrill. -- Coloq. To wage one's law (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under , n.
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Wage, v. i. To bind one's self; to engage. [Obs.]
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Wage, n. [OF. wage, gage, guarantee, engagement. See , v. t. ]
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1. That which is staked or ventured; that for which one incurs risk or danger; prize; gage. [Obs.] “That warlike wage.” Spenser.
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2. That for which one labors; meed; reward; stipulated payment for service performed; hire; pay; compensation; -- at present generally used in the plural. See . “My day's wage.” Sir W. Scott. “At least I earned my wage.” Thackeray. “Pay them a wage in advance.” J. Morley. “The wages of virtue.” Tennyson.
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By Tom Thumb, a fairy page,
He sent it, and doth him engage,
By promise of a mighty wage,
It secretly to carry. Drayton.
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Our praises are our wages. Shak.
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Existing legislation on the subject of wages. Encyc. Brit.
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☞ Wage is used adjectively and as the first part of compounds which are usually self-explaining; as, wage worker, or wage-worker; wage-earner, etc.
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Coloq. Board wages . See under 1st .
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Syn. -- Hire; reward; stipend; salary; allowance; pay; compensation; remuneration; fruit.
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Wagel (?), n. (Zoöl.) See .
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Wagenboom (?), n. [D., literally, wagon tree.] (Bot.) A south African proteaceous tree (Protea grandiflora); also, its tough wood, used for making wagon wheels.
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