| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| waddlingly | adverb | In a waddling manner. |
| wag-halter | noun | One who moves or wears a halter; one likely to be hanged. |
| wainscoted | imp. & past participle | of Wainscot |
| wainwright | noun | Same as Wagonwright. |
| waistcloth | noun | A cloth or wrapper worn about the waist; by extension, such a garment worn about the hips and passing between the thighs., A covering of canvas or tarpaulin for the hammocks, stowed on the nettings, between the quarterdeck and the forecastle. |
| wake-robin | noun | Any plant of the genus Arum, especially, in England, the cuckoopint (Arum maculatum). |
| waldensian | adjective | Of or pertaining to the Waldenses., One Holding the Waldensian doctrines. |
| waldheimia | noun | A genus of brachiopods of which many species are found in the fossil state. A few still exist in the deep sea. |
| wallflower | noun | A perennial, cruciferous plant (Cheiranthus Cheiri), with sweet-scented flowers varying in color from yellow to orange and deep red. In Europe it very common on old walls., A lady at a ball, who, either from choice, or because not asked to dance, remains a spectator. |
| wall-sided | adjective | Having sides nearly perpendicular; — said of certain vessels to distinguish them from those having flaring sides, or sides tumbling home (see under Tumble, v. i.). |
| wanderment | noun | The act of wandering, or roaming. |
| wantonness | noun | The quality or state of being wanton; negligence of restraint; sportiveness; recklessness; lasciviousness. |
| wapinschaw | noun | An exhibition of arms. according to the rank of the individual, by all persons bearing arms; — formerly made at certain seasons in each district. |
| war-beaten | adjective | Warworn. |
| warblingly | adverb | In a warbling manner. |
| wardenship | noun | The office or jurisdiction of a warden. |
| warega fly | A Brazilian fly whose larvae live in the skin of man and animals, producing painful sores. | |
| warehouses | plural | of Warehouse |
| warehoused | imp. & past participle | of Warehouse |
| warmthless | adjective | Being without warmth; not communicating warmth; cold. |
| warrandice | noun | The obligation by which a person, conveying a subject or a right, is bound to uphold that subject or right against every claim, challenge, or burden arising from circumstances prior to the conveyance; warranty. |
| warranting | present participle & vb. noun | of Warrant |
| warrantise | noun | Authority; security; warranty., To warrant. |
| warranties | plural | of Warranty |
| warriangle | noun | See Wariangle. |
| warrioress | noun | A female warrior. |
| warwickite | noun | A dark brown or black mineral, occurring in prismatic crystals imbedded in limestone near Warwick, New York. It consists of the borate and titanate of magnesia and iron. |
| wasteboard | noun | See Washboard, 3. |
| watchhouse | noun | A house in which a watch or guard is placed., A place where persons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a police station; a lockup. |
| watchmaker | noun | One whose occupation is to make and repair watches. |
| watchtower | noun | A tower in which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies, the approach of danger, or the like. |
| water aloe | See Water soldier. | |
| water arum | An aroid herb (Calla palustris) having a white spathe. It is an inhabitant of the north temperate zone. | |
| water back | See under 1st Back. | |
| water bath | A device for regulating the temperature of anything subjected to heat, by surrounding the vessel containing it with another vessel containing water which can be kept at a desired temperature; also, a vessel designed for this purpose. | |
| water bear | Any species of Tardigrada, 2. See Illust. of Tardigrada. | |
| water bird | Any aquatic bird; a water fowl. | |
| waterboard | noun | A board set up to windward in a boat, to keep out water. |
| water buck | A large, heavy antelope (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) native of Central Africa. It frequents the banks of rivers and is a good swimmer. It has a white ring around the rump. Called also photomok, water antelope, and waterbok. | |
| water butt | A large, open-headed cask, set up on end, to contain water. | |
| water cart | A cart carrying water; esp., one carrying water for sale, or for sprinkling streets, gardens, etc. | |
| water cavy | The capybara. | |
| water cell | A cell containing water; specifically (Zool.), one of the cells or chambers in which water is stored up in the stomach of a camel. | |
| water cock | A large gallinule (Gallicrex cristatus) native of Australia, India, and the East Indies. In the breeding season the male is black and has a fleshy red caruncle, or horn, on the top of its head. Called also kora. | |
| water crow | The dipper., The European coot. | |
| water cure | Hydropathy., A hydropathic institution. | |
| water deck | A covering of painting canvas for the equipments of a dragoon’s horse. | |
| water deer | A small Chinese deer (Hydropotes inermis). Both sexes are destitute of antlers, but the male has large, descending canine tusks., The water chevrotain. | |
| water dock | A tall, coarse dock growing in wet places. The American water dock is Rumex orbiculatus, the European is R. Hydrolapathum. | |
| water flag | A European species of Iris (Iris Pseudacorus) having bright yellow flowers. | |
| water flea | Any one of numerous species of small aquatic Entomostraca belonging to the genera Cyclops, Daphnia, etc; — so called because they swim with sudden leaps, or starts. | |
| waterflood | noun | A flood of water; an inundation. |
| water gage | See Water gauge. | |
| water gall | A cavity made in the earth by a torrent of water; a washout., A watery appearance in the sky, accompanying the rainbow; a secondary or broken rainbow. | |
| water gang | A passage for water, such as was usually made in a sea wall, to drain water out of marshes. | |
| water gate | A gate, or valve, by which a flow of water is permitted, prevented, or regulated. | |
| water hare | A small American hare or rabbit (Lepus aquaticus) found on or near the southern coasts of the United States; — called also water rabbit, and swamp hare. | |
| water hemp | See under Hemp. | |
| waterhorse | noun | A pile of salted fish heaped up to drain. |
| water inch | Same as Inch of water, under Water. | |
| wateriness | noun | The quality or state of being watery; moisture; humidity. |
| water-laid | adjective | Having a left-hand twist; — said of cordage; as, a water-laid, or left-hand, rope. |
| water lily | A blossom or plant of any species of the genus Nymphaea, distinguished for its large floating leaves and beautiful flowers. See Nymphaea. | |
| water lime | Hydraulic lime. | |
| water line | Any one of certain lines of a vessel, model, or plan, parallel with the surface of the water at various heights from the keel., Any one of several lines marked upon the outside of a vessel, corresponding with the surface of the water when she is afloat on an even keel. The lowest line indicates the vessel’s proper submergence when not loaded, and is called the light water line; the highest, called the load water line, indicates her proper submergence when loaded. | |
| watermelon | noun | The very large ovoid or roundish fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of many varieties; also, the plant itself. The fruit sometimes weighs many pounds; its pulp is usually pink in color, and full of a sweet watery juice. It is a native of tropical Africa, but is now cultivated in many countries. See Illust. of Melon. |
| water mill | A mill whose machinery is moved by water; — distinguished from a windmill, and a steam mill. | |
| water mint | A kind of mint (Mentha aquatica) growing in wet places, and sometimes having a perfume resembling bergamot. | |
| water mite | Any of numerous species of aquatic mites belonging to Hydrachna and allied genera of the family Hydrachnidae, usually having the legs fringed and adapted for swimming. They are often red or red and black in color, and while young are parasites of fresh-water insects and mussels. Called also water tick, and water spider. | |
| water mole | The shrew mole. See under Shrew., The duck mole. See under Duck. | |
| water newt | Any one of numerous species of aquatic salamanders; a triton. | |
| water piet | The water ousel. | |
| water pipe | A pipe for conveying water. | |
| water pore | A pore by which the water tubes of various invertebrates open externally., One of certain minute pores in the leaves of some plants. They are without true guardian cells, but in other respects closely resemble ordinary stomata. | |
| waterproof | adjective | Proof against penetration or permeation by water; impervious to water; as, a waterproof garment; a waterproof roof., A substance or preparation for rendering cloth, leather, etc., impervious to water., Cloth made waterproof, or any article made of such cloth, or of other waterproof material, as rubber; esp., an outer garment made of such material., To render impervious to water, as cloth, leather, etc. |
| water rail | Any one of numerous species of rails of the genus Rallus, as the common European species (Rallus aquaticus). See Illust. of Rail. | |
| water rate | A rate or tax for a supply of water. | |
| water rice | Indian rice. See under Rice. | |
| water sail | A small sail sometimes set under a studding sail or under a driver boom, and reaching nearly to the water. | |
| waterscape | noun | A sea view; — distinguished from landscape. |
| watershoot | noun | A sprig or shoot from the root or stock of a tree., That which serves to guard from falling water; a drip or dripstone., A trough for discharging water. |
| water-soak | verb t. | To soak water; to fill the interstices of with water. |
| waterspout | noun | A remarkable meteorological phenomenon, of the nature of a tornado or whirlwind, usually observed over the sea, but sometimes over the land. |
| water tick | Same as Water mite. | |
| water tree | A climbing shrub (Tetracera alnifolia, / potatoria) of Western Africa, which pours out a watery sap from the freshly cut stems. | |
| water tube | One of a system of tubular excretory organs having external openings, found in many invertebrates. They are believed to be analogous in function to the kidneys of vertebrates. See Illust. under Trematodea, and Sporocyst. | |
| water vine | Any plant of the genus Phytocrene, climbing shrubs of Asia and Africa, the stems of which are singularly porous, and when cut stream with a limpid potable juice. | |
| water vole | See under Vole. | |
| water wing | One of two walls built on either side of the junction of a bridge with the bank of a river, to protect the abutment of the bridge and the bank from the action of the current. | |
| wattlebird | noun | Any one of several species of honey eaters belonging to Anthochaera and allied genera of the family Meliphagidae. These birds usually have a large and conspicuous wattle of naked skin hanging down below each ear. They are natives of Australia and adjacent islands., The Australian brush turkey. |
| waveringly | adverb | In a wavering manner. |
| wawaskeesh | noun | The wapiti, or wapiti, or American elk. |
| waymenting | present participle & vb. noun | of Wayment |
| wayz-goose | noun | A stubble goose., An annual feast of the persons employed in a printing office. |
| weak-kneed | adjective | Having weak knees; hence, easily yielding; wanting resolution. |
| weanedness | noun | Quality or state of being weaned. |
| weaponless | adjective | Having no weapon. |
| weathering | present participle & vb. noun | of Weather, The action of the elements on a rock in altering its color, texture, or composition, or in rounding off its edges. |
| weatherbit | verb t. | To take another turn with, as a cable around a windlass. |
| weaverfish | noun | See Weever. |
| web-footed | adjective | Having webbed feet; palmiped; as, a goose or a duck is a web-footed fowl. |
| websterite | noun | A hydrous sulphate of alumina occurring in white reniform masses. |
| weighboard | noun | Clay intersecting a vein. |
| weightless | adjective | Having no weight; imponderable; hence, light. |
| wel-begone | adjective | Surrounded with happiness or prosperity. |
| well-being | noun | The state or condition of being well; welfare; happiness; prosperity; as, virtue is essential to the well-being of men or of society. |
| well-known | adjective | Fully known; generally known or acknowledged. |
| wellspring | noun | A fountain; a spring; a source of continual supply. |
| wellwisher | noun | One who wishes another well; one who is benevolently or friendlily inclined. |
| wentletrap | noun | Any one of numerous species of elegant, usually white, marine shells of the genus Scalaria, especially Scalaria pretiosa, which was formerly highly valued; — called also staircase shell. See Scalaria. |
| werewolves | plural | of Werewolf |
| west india | Alt. of West Indian | |
| westwardly | adverb | In a westward direction. |
| wharfinger | noun | A man who owns, or has the care of, a wharf. |
| whatsoe’er | pronoun | A contraction of whatsoever; — used in poetry. |
| whatsoever | pronoun & adjective | Whatever. |
| wheelhouse | noun | A small house on or above a vessel’s deck, containing the steering wheel., A paddle box. See under Paddle. |
| wheelswarf | noun | See Swarf. |
| wheel-worn | adjective | Worn by the action of wheels; as, a wheel-worn road. |
| whenceever | adverb & conj. | Whencesoever. |
| whensoever | adverb & conj. | At what time soever; at whatever time; whenever. |
| whereabout | adverb | Alt. of Whereabouts, Alt. of Whereabouts |
| whethering | noun | The retention of the afterbirth in cows. |
| whewellite | noun | Calcium oxalate, occurring in colorless or white monoclinic crystals. |
| whey-faced | adjective | Having a pale or white face, as from fright. |
| whiggamore | noun | A Whig; — a cant term applied in contempt to Scotch Presbyterians. |
| whiggarchy | noun | Government by Whigs. |
| whiggishly | adverb | In a Whiggish manner. |
| whimpering | present participle & vb. noun | of Whimper |
| whipstitch | noun | A tailor; — so called in contempt., Anything hastily put or stitched together; hence, a hasty composition., The act or process of whipstitching., To rafter; to plow in ridges, as land. |
| whirlabout | noun | Something that whirls or turns about in a rapid manner; a whirligig. |
| whirlicote | noun | An open car or chariot. |
| whiskyfied | adjective | Alt. of Whiskeyfied |
| whispering | present participle & vb. noun | of Whisper, a. & n. from Whisper. v. t. |
| whitebeard | noun | An old man; a graybeard. |
| whitebelly | noun | The American widgeon, or baldpate., The prairie chicken. |
| white-face | noun | A white mark in the forehead of a horse, descending almost to the nose; — called also white-blaze. |
| white-foot | noun | A white mark on the foot of a horse, between the fetlock and the coffin. |
| whitesmith | noun | One who works in tinned or galvanized iron, or white iron; a tinsmith., A worker in iron who finishes or polishes the work, in distinction from one who forges it. |
| whitethorn | noun | The hawthorn. |
| whitmonday | noun | The day following Whitsunday; — called also Whitsun Monday. |
| whitneyite | noun | an arsenide of copper from Lake Superior. |
| whitsunday | noun | The seventh Sunday, and the fiftieth day, after Easter; a festival of the church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; — so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white garments., See the Note under Term, n., 12. |
| whitterick | noun | The curlew. |
| whittlings | noun pl. | Chips made by one who whittles; shavings cut from a stick with a knife. |
| whizzingly | adverb | With a whizzing sound. |
| whomsoever | pronoun | The objective of whosoever. See Whosoever. |
| wickedness | noun | The quality or state of being wicked; departure from the rules of the divine or the moral law; evil disposition or practices; immorality; depravity; sinfulness., A wicked thing or act; crime; sin; iniquity. |
| wickerwork | noun | A texture of osiers, twigs, or rods; articles made of such a texture. |
| wide-awake | adjective | Fully awake; not drowsy or dull; hence, knowing; keen; alert., A broad-brimmed, low-crowned felt hat. |
| widespread | adjective | Spread to a great distance; widely extended; extending far and wide; as, widespread wings; a widespread movement. |
| widow bird | See Whidan bird. | |
| widow-wail | noun | A low, narrowleaved evergreen shrub (Cneorum tricoccon) found in Southern Europe. |
| wildebeest | noun | The gnu. |
| wilderment | noun | The state of being bewildered; confusion; bewilderment. |
| wilderness | verb t. | A tract of land, or a region, uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide, barren plain; a wild; a waste; a desert; a pathless waste of any kind., A disorderly or neglected place., Quality or state of being wild; wildness. |
| wilfulness | noun | See Willful, Willfully, and Willfulness. |
| wind-break | verb t. | To break the wind of; to cause to lose breath; to exhaust., A clump of trees serving for a protection against the force of wind. |
| windfallen | adjective | Blown down by the wind. |
| windflower | noun | The anemone; — so called because formerly supposed to open only when the wind was blowing. See Anemone. |
| windowless | adjective | Destitute of a window. |
| windowpane | noun | See Pane, n., (3) b., A thin, spotted American turbot (Pleuronectes maculatus) remarkable for its translucency. It is not valued as a food fish. Called also spotted turbot, daylight, spotted sand flounder, and water flounder. |
| wind-plant | noun | A windflower. |
| windrowing | present participle & vb. noun | of Windrow |
| winebibber | noun | One who drinks much wine. |
| wing-shell | noun | Any one of various species of marine bivalve shells belonging to the genus Avicula, in which the hinge border projects like a wing., Any marine gastropod shell of the genus Strombus. See Strombus., Any pteropod shell. |
| winterkill | verb t. | To kill by the cold, or exposure to the inclemency of winter; as, the wheat was winterkilled. |
| winter-rig | verb t. | To fallow or till in winter. |
| wintertide | noun | Winter time. |
| winterweed | noun | A kind of speedwell (Veronica hederifolia) which spreads chiefly in winter. |
| wistonwish | noun | See Wishtonwish. |
| witchcraft | noun | The practices or art of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with evil spirits., Power more than natural; irresistible influence. |
| witcheries | plural | of Witchery |
| witch-tree | noun | The witch-hazel. |
| withdrawal | noun | The act of withdrawing; withdrawment; retreat; retraction. |
| withdrawer | noun | One who withdraws; one who takes back, or retracts. |
| witherband | noun | A piece of iron in a saddle near a horse’s withers, to strengthen the bow. |
| witherling | noun | A withered person; one who is decrepit. |
| withholden | of Withhold | |
| withholder | noun | One who withholds. |
| withinside | adverb | In the inner parts; inside. |
| witnessing | present participle & vb. noun | of Witness |
| woad-waxen | noun | A leguminous plant (Genista tinctoria) of Europe and Russian Asia, and adventitious in America; — called also greenwood, greenweed, dyer’s greenweed, and whin, wood-wash, wood-wax, and wood-waxen. |
| woe-begone | adjective | Beset or overwhelmed with woe; immersed in grief or sorrow; woeful. |
| woefulness | noun | Alt. of Wofulness |
| wolframate | noun | A salt of wolframic acid; a tungstate. |
| wolframite | noun | Tungstate of iron and manganese, generally of a brownish or grayish black color, submetallic luster, and high specific gravity. It occurs in cleavable masses, and also crystallized. Called also wolfram. |
| wolframium | noun | The technical name of the element tungsten. See Tungsten. |
| wonderland | noun | A land full of wonders, or marvels. |
| wonderment | noun | Surprise; astonishment; a wonderful appearance; a wonder. |
| wonderwork | noun | A wonderful work or act; a prodigy; a miracle. |
| wontedness | noun | The quality or state of being accustomed. |
| wood-bound | adjective | Incumbered with tall, woody hedgerows. |
| woodcutter | noun | A person who cuts wood., An engraver on wood. |
| woodenness | noun | Quality of being wooden; clumsiness; stupidity; blockishness. |
| woodhacker | noun | The yaffle. |
| woodlander | noun | A dweller in a woodland. |
| wood-layer | noun | A young oak, or other timber plant, laid down in a hedge among the whitethorn or other plants used in hedges. |
| woodmonger | noun | A wood seller. |
| woodpecker | noun | Any one of numerous species of scansorial birds belonging to Picus and many allied genera of the family Picidae. |
| woodwardia | noun | A genus of ferns, one species of which (Woodwardia radicans) is a showy plant in California, the Azores, etc. |
| wood-waxen | noun | Same as Woadwaxen. |
| woolgrower | noun | One who raises sheep for the production of wool. |
| woolliness | noun | The quality or state of being woolly. |
| workbasket | noun | A basket for holding materials for needlework, or the like. |
| workfellow | noun | One engaged in the same work with another; a companion in work. |
| workhouses | plural | of Workhouse |
| workingmen | plural | of Workingman |
| workingman | noun | A laboring man; a man who earns his daily support by manual labor. |
| workmaster | noun | The performer of any work; a master workman. |
| world-wide | adjective | Extended throughout the world; as, world-wide fame. |
| worm-eaten | adjective | Eaten, or eaten into, by a worm or by worms; as, worm-eaten timber., Worn-out; old; worthless. |
| worm-shell | noun | Any species of Vermetus. |
| worryingly | adverb | In a worrying manner. |
| worshipped | of Worship | |
| worshiping | present participle & vb. noun | of Worship |
| worshipful | adjective | Entitled to worship, reverence, or high respect; claiming respect; worthy of honor; — often used as a term of respect, sometimes ironically. |
| worthiness | noun | The quality or state of being worthy; desert; merit; excellence; dignity; virtue; worth. |
| worthwhile | adj. | Worth the time or effort spent. |
| wrain-bolt | noun | Same as Wringbolt. |
| wraprascal | noun | A kind of coarse upper coat, or overcoat, formerly worn. |
| wreathless | adjective | Destitute of a wreath. |
| wretchedly | adverb | In a wretched manner; miserably; despicable. |
| wretchless | adjective | Reckless; hence, disregarded. |
| wringstaff | noun | A strong piece of plank used in applying wringbolts. |
| writership | noun | The office of a writer. |
| wrongdoing | noun | Evil or wicked behavior or action. |
| wych-hazel | noun | The wych-elm; — so called because its leaves are like those of the hazel. |
| wycliffite | noun | A follower of Wyclif, the English reformer; a Lollard. |