Wharf - Wheel

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Wharf (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wharfed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wharfing.]
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1. To guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf; to furnish with a wharf or wharfs.
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2. To place upon a wharf; to bring to a wharf.
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Wharfage (?), n.
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1. The fee or duty paid for the privilege of using a wharf for loading or unloading goods; pierage, collectively; quayage.
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2. A wharf or wharfs, collectively; wharfing.
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Wharfing, n.
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1. Wharfs, collectively.
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2. (Hydraul. Engin.) A mode of facing sea walls and embankments with planks driven as piles and secured by ties. Knight.
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Wharfinger (?), n. [For wharfager.] A man who owns, or has the care of, a wharf.
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{ Wharl (?), Wharling, } n. A guttural pronunciation of the letter r; a burr. See , n., 6.
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A strange, uncouth wharling in their speech. Fuller.
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Wharp (?), n. A kind of fine sand from the banks of the Trent, used as a polishing powder. [Eng.]
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What (?), pron., a., & adv. [AS. hwæt, neuter of hwā who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. √182. See .]
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1. As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost?
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What see'st thou in the ground? Shak.
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What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Ps. viii. 4.
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What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! Matt. viii. 27.
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☞ Originally, what, when, where, which, who, why, etc., were interrogatives only, and it is often difficult to determine whether they are used as interrogatives or relatives.
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What in this sense, when it refers to things, may be used either substantively or adjectively; when it refers to persons, it is used only adjectively with a noun expressed, who being the pronoun used substantively.
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2. As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following. “What welcome be thou.” Chaucer.
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What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Matt. xxvi. 40.
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(b) Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable, or how great; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage!
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What a piece of work is man! Shak.
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O what a riddle of absurdity! Young.
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☞ What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized.
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(c) Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how; as, what happy boys!
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What partial judges are our love and hate! Dryden.
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3. As a relative pronoun: --
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(a) Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which, or those [persons] who, or those [things] which; -- called a compound relative.
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With joy beyond what victory bestows. Cowper.
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I'm thinking Captain Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they see their whaleboats. Cooper.
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What followed was in perfect harmony with this beginning. Macaulay.
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I know well . . . how little you will be disposed to criticise what comes to you from me. J. H. Newman.
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(b) Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which; the sort or kind of . . . which; rarely, the . . . on, or at, which.
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See what natures accompany what colors. Bacon.
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To restrain what power either the devil or any earthly enemy hath to work us woe. Milton.
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We know what master laid thy keel,
What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel. Longfellow.
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(c) Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw.
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4. Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely. “What after so befall.” Chaucer.
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Whether it were the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will, . . . or what it was. Bacon.
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5. Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition.
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What for lust [pleasure] and what for lore. Chaucer.
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Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom shrunk. Shak.
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The year before he had so used the matter that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty small castles. Knolles.
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☞ In such phrases as I tell you what, what anticipates the following statement, being elliptical for what I think, what it is, how it is, etc. “I tell thee what, corporal Bardolph, I could tear her.” Shak. Here what relates to the last clause, “I could tear her;” this is what I tell you.
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What not is often used at the close of an enumeration of several particulars or articles, it being an abbreviated clause, the verb of which, being either the same as that of the principal clause or a general word, as be, say, mention, enumerate, etc., is omitted. “Men hunt, hawk, and what not.” Becon. “Some dead puppy, or log, orwhat not.” C. Kingsley. “Battles, tournaments, hunts, and what not.” De Quincey. Hence, the words are often used in a general sense with the force of a substantive, equivalent to anything you please, a miscellany, a variety, etc. From this arises the name whatnot, applied to an étagère, as being a piece of furniture intended for receiving miscellaneous articles of use or ornament.
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But what is used for but that, usually after a negative, and excludes everything contrary to the assertion in the following sentence. “Her needle is not so absolutely perfect in tent and cross stitch but what my superintendence is advisable.” Sir W. Scott. “Never fear but what our kite shall fly as high.” Ld. Lytton.
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Coloq. What ho! an exclamation of calling. -- Coloq. What if , what will it matter if; what will happen or be the result if. “What if it be a poison?” Shak. -- Coloq. What of this ? Coloq. that? Coloq. it? etc., what follows from this, that, it, etc., often with the implication that it is of no consequence. “All this is so; but what of this, my lord?” Shak. “The night is spent, why, what of that?” Shak. -- Coloq. What though , even granting that; allowing that; supposing it true that. “What though the rose have prickles, yet't is plucked.” Shak. -- Coloq. What time , or Coloq. What time as , when. [Obs. or Archaic] “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Ps. lvi. 3.
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What time the morn mysterious visions brings. Pope.
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What (?), n. Something; thing; stuff. [Obs.]
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And gave him for to feed,
Such homely what as serves the simple �lown. Spenser.
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What, interrog. adv. Why? For what purpose? On what account? [Obs.]
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What should I tell the answer of the knight. Chaucer.
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But what do I stand reckoning upon advantages and gains lost by the misrule and turbulency of the prelates? What do I pick up so thriftily their scatterings and diminishings of the meaner subject? Milton.
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whatchamacallit (?), n. Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known. [Also spelled whachamacallit.]
Syn. -- thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what-do-you-call-it. [PJC]

Whate'er (?), pron. A contraction of what-ever; -- used in poetry. “Whate'er is in his way.” Shak.
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Whatever (?), pron. Anything soever which; the thing or things of any kind; being this or that; of one nature or another; one thing or another; anything that may be; all that; the whole that; all particulars that; -- used both substantively and adjectively.
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Whatever fortune stays from his word. Shak.
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Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields. Milton.
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Whatever be its intrinsic value. J. H. Newman.
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☞ Whatever often follows a noun, being used elliptically. “There being no room for any physical discovery whatever” [sc. it may be]. Whately.
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Whatnot (?), n. [See the Note under , pron., 5.] A kind of stand, or piece of furniture, having shelves for books, ornaments, etc.; an étagère.
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Whatso (?), indef. pron. Whatsoever; whosoever; whatever; anything that. [Obs.]
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Whatso he were, of high or low estate. Chaucer.
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Whatso the heaven in his wide vault contains. Spenser.
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Whatsoe'er (?), pron. A contraction of whatsoever; -- used in poetry. Shak.
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Whatsoever (?), pron. & a. Whatever. “In whatsoever shape he lurk.” Milton.
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Whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Gen. xxxi. 16.
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☞ The word is sometimes divided by tmesis. “What things soever ye desire.” Mark xi. 24.
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Whaul (hw�l), n. Same as .
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Whaup (hw�p), n. (Zoöl.) See . [Prov. Eng.]
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Wheal (?), n. [OE. whele, AS. hwele putrefaction, hwelian to putrefy.] A pustule; a whelk. Wiseman.
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Wheal, n. [Cf. .]
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1. A more or less elongated mark raised by a stroke; also, a similar mark made by any cause; a weal; a wale.
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2. Specifically (Med.), a flat, burning or itching eminence on the skin, such as is produced by a mosquito bite, or in urticaria.
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Wheal, n. [Cornish hwel.] (Mining) A mine.
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Whealworm (?), n. (Zoöl.) The harvest mite; -- so called from the wheals, caused by its bite.
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Wheat (hwēt), n. [OE. whete, AS. hwǣte; akin to OS. hwēti, D. weit, G. weizen, OHG. weizzi, Icel. hveiti, Sw. hvete, Dan. hvede, Goth. hwaiteis, and E. white. See .] (Bot.) A cereal grass (Triticum vulgare) and its grain, which furnishes a white flour for bread, and, next to rice, is the grain most largely used by the human race.
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☞ Of this grain the varieties are numerous, as red wheat, white wheat, bald wheat, bearded wheat, winter wheat, summer wheat, and the like. Wheat is not known to exist as a wild native plant, and all statements as to its origin are either incorrect or at best only guesses.
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Coloq. Buck wheat . (Bot.) See . -- Coloq. German wheat . (Bot.) See 2d . -- Coloq. Guinea wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn. -- Coloq. Indian wheat , or Coloq. Tartary wheat (Bot.), a grain (Fagopyrum Tartaricum) much like buckwheat, but only half as large. -- Coloq. Turkey wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn. -- Coloq. Wheat aphid , or Coloq. Wheat aphis (Zoöl.), any one of several species of Aphis and allied genera, which suck the sap of growing wheat. -- Coloq. Wheat beetle . (Zoöl.) (a) A small, slender, rusty brown beetle (Sylvanus Surinamensis) whose larvæ feed upon wheat, rice, and other grains. (b) A very small, reddish brown, oval beetle (Anobium paniceum) whose larvæ eat the interior of grains of wheat. -- Coloq. Wheat duck (Zoöl.), the American widgeon. [Western U. S.] -- Coloq. Wheat fly . (Zoöl.) Same as Wheat midge, below. -- Coloq. Wheat grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Agropyrum caninum) somewhat resembling wheat. It grows in the northern parts of Europe and America. -- Coloq. Wheat jointworm . (Zoöl.) See . -- Coloq. Wheat louse (Zoöl.), any wheat aphid. -- Coloq. Wheat maggot (Zoöl.), the larva of a wheat midge. -- Coloq. Wheat midge . (Zoöl.) (a) A small two-winged fly (Diplosis tritici) which is very destructive to growing wheat, both in Europe and America. The female lays her eggs in the flowers of wheat, and the larvæ suck the juice of the young kernels and when full grown change to pupæ in the earth. (b) The Hessian fly. See under . -- Coloq. Wheat moth (Zoöl.), any moth whose larvæ devour the grains of wheat, chiefly after it is harvested; a grain moth. See , also Grain moth, under . -- Coloq. Wheat thief (Bot.), gromwell; -- so called because it is a troublesome weed in wheat fields. See . -- Coloq. Wheat thrips (Zoöl.), a small brown thrips (Thrips cerealium) which is very injurious to the grains of growing wheat. -- Coloq. Wheat weevil . (Zoöl.) (a) The grain weevil. (b) The rice weevil when found in wheat.
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Wheatbird (?), n. (Zoöl.) A bird that feeds on wheat, especially the chaffinch.
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Wheatear (?), n. (Zoöl.) A small European singing bird (Saxicola œnanthe). The male is white beneath, bluish gray above, with black wings and a black stripe through each eye. The tail is black at the tip and in the middle, but white at the base and on each side. Called also checkbird, chickell, dykehopper, fallow chat, fallow finch, stonechat, and whitetail.
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Wheaten (?), a. [AS. hwæten.] Made of wheat; as, wheaten bread. Cowper.
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Wheat rust. A disease of wheat and other grasses caused by the rust fungus Puccinia graminis; also, the fungus itself.
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Wheat sawfly. (a) A small European sawfly (Cephus pygmæus) whose larva does great injury to wheat by boring in the stalks. (b) Any of several small American sawflies of the genus Dolerus, as Dolerus sericeus and Dolerus arvensis, whose larvæ injure the stems or heads of wheat. (c) Pachynematus extensicornis, whose larvæ feed chiefly on the blades of wheat; -- called also grass sawfly.
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Wheatsel bird (?). (Zoöl.) The male of the chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.]
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Wheatstone's bridge (?). (Elec.) See under .
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Wheatstone's rods. (Acoustics) Flexible rods the period of vibration of which in two planes at right angles are in some exact ratio to one another. When one end of such a rod is fixed, the free end describes in vibrating the corresponding Lissajous figure. So called because devised by Sir Charles Wheatstone.
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Wheatworm (?), n. A small nematode worm (Tylenchus tritici, formerly Anguillula tritici) which attacks wheat, advancing through the stem to the grains in the ear. In wheat affected with smut, each of the diseased grains may contain a large number of the minute young of the worm.
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Wheder (?), pron. & conj. Whether. [Obs.]
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Wheedle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling (?).] [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, n.]
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1. To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax.
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The unlucky art of wheedling fools. Dryden.
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And wheedle a world that loves him not. Tennyson.
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2. To grain, or get away, by flattery.
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A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her. Congreve.
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Wheedle, v. i. To flatter; to coax; to cajole.
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Wheel (hwēl), n. [OE. wheel, hweol, AS. hweól, hweogul, hweowol; akin to D. wiel, Icel. hvēl, Gr. kyklos, Skr. cakra; cf. Icel. hjōl, Dan. hiul, Sw. hjul. √218. Cf. , .]
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1. A circular frame turning about an axis; a rotating disk, whether solid, or a frame composed of an outer rim, spokes or radii, and a central hub or nave, in which is inserted the axle, -- used for supporting and conveying vehicles, in machinery, and for various purposes; as, the wheel of a wagon, of a locomotive, of a mill, of a watch, etc.
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The gasping charioteer beneath the wheel
Of his own car. Dryden.
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2. Any instrument having the form of, or chiefly consisting of, a wheel. Specifically: --
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(a) A spinning wheel. See under .
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(b) An instrument of torture formerly used.
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His examination is like that which is made by the rack and wheel. Addison.
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☞ This mode of torture is said to have been first employed in Germany, in the fourteenth century. The criminal was laid on a cart wheel with his legs and arms extended, and his limbs in that posture were fractured with an iron bar. In France, where its use was restricted to the most atrocious crimes, the criminal was first laid on a frame of wood in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, with grooves cut transversely in it above and below the knees and elbows, and the executioner struck eight blows with an iron bar, so as to break the limbs in those places, sometimes finishing by two or three blows on the chest or stomach, which usually put an end to the life of the criminal, and were hence called coups-de-grace -- blows of mercy. The criminal was then unbound, and laid on a small wheel, with his face upward, and his arms and legs doubled under him, there to expire, if he had survived the previous treatment. Brande.
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(c) (Naut.) A circular frame having handles on the periphery, and an axle which is so connected with the tiller as to form a means of controlling the rudder for the purpose of steering.
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(d) (Pottery) A potter's wheel. See under .
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Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. Jer. xviii. 3.
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Turn, turn, my wheel! This earthen jar
A touch can make, a touch can mar. Longfellow.
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(e) (Pyrotechny) A firework which, while burning, is caused to revolve on an axis by the reaction of the escaping gases.
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(f) (Poetry) The burden or refrain of a song.
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☞ “This meaning has a low degree of authority, but is supposed from the context in the few cases where the word is found.” Nares.
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You must sing a-down a-down,
An you call him a-down-a.
O, how the wheel becomes it! Shak.
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