| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| wagonwright | noun | One who makes wagons. |
| wainscoting | present participle & vb. noun | of Wainscot, The act or occupation of covering or lining with boards in panel., The material used to wainscot a house, or the wainscot as a whole; panelwork. |
| wanderingly | adverb | In a wandering manner. |
| warefulness | noun | Wariness; cautiousness. |
| warehousing | present participle & vb. noun | of Warehouse, The act of placing goods in a warehouse, or in a customhouse store. |
| warlikeness | noun | Quality of being warlike. |
| warrantable | adjective | Authorized by commission, precept, or right; justifiable; defensible; as, the seizure of a thief is always warrantable by law and justice; falsehood is never warrantable. |
| washerwomen | plural | of Washerwoman |
| washerwoman | noun | A woman who washes clothes, especially for hire, or for others., The pied wagtail; — so called in allusion to its beating the water with its tail while tripping along the leaves of water plants. |
| wastebasket | noun | A basket used in offices, libraries, etc., as a receptacle for waste paper. |
| wastethrift | noun | A spendthrift. |
| watchhouses | plural | of Watchhouse |
| water adder | The water moccasin., The common, harmless American water snake (Tropidonotus sipedon). See Illust. under Water Snake. | |
| water beech | The American hornbeam. See Hornbeam. | |
| water-bound | adjective | Prevented by a flood from proceeding. |
| water brain | A disease of sheep; gid. | |
| water brash | See under Brash. | |
| water clock | An instrument or machine serving to measure time by the fall, or flow, of a certain quantity of water; a clepsydra. | |
| water color | A color ground with water and gum or other glutinous medium; a color the vehicle of which is water; — so called in distinction from oil color., A picture painted with such colors. | |
| water craft | Any vessel or boat plying on water; vessels and boats, collectively. | |
| water crake | The dipper., The spotted crake (Porzana maruetta). See Illust. of Crake., The swamp hen, or crake, of Australia. | |
| water crane | A goose-neck apparatus for supplying water from an elevated tank, as to the tender of a locomotive. | |
| water cress | A perennial cruciferous herb (Nasturtium officinale) growing usually in clear running or spring water. The leaves are pungent, and used for salad and as an antiscorbutic. | |
| water devil | The rapacious larva of a large water beetle (Hydrophilus piceus), and of other similar species. See Illust. of Water beetle. | |
| water drain | A drain or channel for draining off water. | |
| water eagle | The osprey. | |
| water elder | The guelder-rose. | |
| water frame | A name given to the first power spinning machine, because driven by water power. | |
| water gauge | A wall or bank to hold water back., An instrument for measuring or ascertaining the depth or quantity of water, or for indicating the height of its surface, as in the boiler of a steam engine. See Gauge. | |
| water gavel | A gavel or rent paid for a privilege, as of fishing, in some river or water. | |
| water glass | See Soluble glass, under Glass. | |
| water gruel | A liquid food composed of water and a small portion of meal, or other farinaceous substance, boiled and seasoned. | |
| water joint | A joint in a stone pavement where the stones are left slightly higher than elsewhere, the rest of the surface being sunken or dished. The raised surface is intended to prevent the settling of water in the joints. | |
| waterlander | noun | Alt. of Waterlandian |
| water lemon | The edible fruit of two species of passion flower (Passiflora laurifolia, and P. maliformis); — so called in the West Indies. | |
| water level | The level formed by the surface of still water., A kind of leveling instrument. See under Level, n. | |
| water meter | A contrivance for measuring a supply of water delivered or received for any purpose, as from a street main. | |
| water motor | A water engine., A water wheel; especially, a small water wheel driven by water from a street main. | |
| water mouse | Any one of several species of mice belonging to the genus Hydromys, native of Australia and Tasmania. Their hind legs are strong and their toes partially webbed. They live on the borders of streams, and swim well. They are remarkable as being the only rodents found in Australia. | |
| water nymph | A goddess of any stream or other body of water, whether one of the Naiads, Nereids, or Oceanides., A water lily (Nymphaea). | |
| water ousel | Alt. of Water ouzel | |
| water ouzel | Any one of several species of small insessorial birds of the genus Cinclus (or Hydrobates), especially the European water ousel (C. aquaticus), and the American water ousel (C. Mexicanus). These birds live about the water, and are in the habit of walking on the bottom of streams beneath the water in search of food. | |
| water plant | A plant that grows in water; an aquatic plant. | |
| water plate | A plate heated by hot water contained in a double bottom or jacket. | |
| water poise | A hydrometer. | |
| water power | The power of water employed to move machinery, etc., A fall of water which may be used to drive machinery; a site for a water mill; a water privilege. | |
| water qualm | See Water brash, under Brash. | |
| water screw | A screw propeller. | |
| water shrew | Any one of several species of shrews having fringed feet and capable of swimming actively. The two common European species (Crossopus fodiens, and C. ciliatus) are the best known. The most common American water shrew, or marsh shrew (Neosorex palustris), is rarely seen, owing to its nocturnal habits. | |
| water snail | Any aquatic pulmonate gastropod belonging to Planorbis, Limnaea, and allied genera; a pond snail., The Archimedean screw. | |
| water snake | A common North American colubrine snake (Tropidonotus sipedon) which lives chiefly in the water., Any species of snakes of the family Homalopsidae, all of which are aquatic in their habits. | |
| water tabby | A kind of waved or watered tabby. See Tabby, n., 1. | |
| water table | A molding, or other projection, in the wall of a building, to throw off the water, — generally used in the United States for the first table above the surface of the ground (see Table, n., 9), that is, for the table at the top of the foundation and the beginning of the upper wall. | |
| water thief | A pirate. | |
| water thyme | See Anacharis. | |
| water tiger | A diving, or water, beetle, especially the larva of a water beetle. See Illust. b of Water beetle. | |
| water-tight | adjective | So tight as to retain, or not to admit, water; not leaky. |
| water torch | The common cat-tail (Typha latifolia), the spike of which makes a good torch soaked in oil. | |
| water tower | A large metal pipe made to be extended vertically by sections, and used for discharging water upon burning buildings. | |
| water viper | See Water moccasin. | |
| water wheel | Any wheel for propelling machinery or for other purposes, that is made to rotate by the direct action of water; — called an overshot wheel when the water is applied at the top, an undershot wheel when at the bottom, a breast wheel when at an intermediate point; other forms are called reaction wheel, vortex wheel, turbine wheel, etc., The paddle wheel of a steam vessel., A wheel for raising water; a noria, or the like. | |
| water witch | The dabchick., The stormy petrel. | |
| water-white | noun | A vinelike plant (Vitis Caribaea) growing in parched districts in the West Indies, and containing a great amount of sap which is sometimes used for quenching thirst. |
| waywodeship | noun | The office, province, or jurisdiction of a waywode. |
| weakishness | noun | Quality or state of being weakish. |
| weak-minded | adjective | Having a weak mind, either naturally or by reason of disease; feebleminded; foolish; idiotic. |
| wealthiness | noun | The quality or state of being wealthy, or rich; richness; opulence. |
| weather-bit | noun | A turn of the cable about the end of the windlass, without the bits. |
| weathercock | noun | A vane, or weather vane; — so called because originally often in the figure of a cock, turning on the top of a spire with the wind, and showing its direction., Hence, any thing or person that turns easily and frequently; one who veers with every change of current opinion; a fickle, inconstant person., To supply with a weathercock; to serve as a weathercock for. |
| weathermost | adjective | Being farthest to the windward. |
| weatherwise | adjective | Skillful in forecasting the changes of the weather. |
| weatherworn | adjective | Worn by the action of, or by exposure to, the weather. |
| wedge-shell | noun | Any one of numerous species of small marine bivalves belonging to Donax and allied genera in which the shell is wedge-shaped. |
| weighbridge | noun | A weighing machine on which loaded carts may be weighed; platform scales. |
| weigh-house | noun | A building at or within which goods, and the like, are weighed. |
| weighmaster | noun | One whose business it is to weigh ore, hay, merchandise, etc.; one licensed as a public weigher. |
| weightiness | noun | The quality or state of being weighty; weight; force; importance; impressiveness. |
| welcomeness | noun | The quality or state of being welcome; gratefulness; agreeableness; kind reception. |
| welldrained | imp. & past participle | of Welldrain |
| wellingtons | noun pl. | A kind of long boots for men. |
| well-liking | adjective | Being in good condition. |
| well-meaner | noun | One whose intention is good. |
| well-spoken | adjective | Speaking well; speaking with fitness or grace; speaking kindly., Spoken with propriety; as, well-spoken words. |
| well-willer | noun | One who wishes well, or means kindly. |
| welwitschia | noun | An African plant (Welwitschia mirabilis) belonging to the order Gnetaceae. It consists of a short, woody, topshaped stem, and never more than two leaves, which are the cotyledons enormously developed, and at length split into diverging segments. |
| wesleyanism | noun | The system of doctrines and church polity inculcated by John Wesley (b. 1703; d. 1791), the founder of the religious sect called Methodist; Methodism. See Methodist, n., 2. |
| westernmost | adjective | Situated the farthest towards the west; most western. |
| west indian | Belonging or relating to the West Indies., A native of, or a dweller in, the West Indies. | |
| wheelbarrow | noun | A light vehicle for conveying small loads. It has two handles and one wheel, and is rolled by a single person. |
| wheelwright | noun | A man whose occupation is to make or repair wheels and wheeled vehicles, as carts, wagons, and the like. |
| whenceforth | adverb | From, or forth from, what or which place; whence. |
| whereabouts | adverb | About where; near what or which place; — used interrogatively and relatively; as, whereabouts did you meet him?, Concerning which; about which., The place where a person or thing is; as, they did not know his whereabouts. |
| wheresoe’er | adverb | Wheresoever. |
| wheresoever | adverb | In what place soever; in whatever place; wherever. |
| wherewithal | adverb & noun | Wherewith. |
| whichsoever | pronoun & adjective | Whether one or another; whether one or the other; which; that one (of two or more) which; as, whichever road you take, it will lead you to town. |
| whidah bird | Any one of several species of finchlike birds belonging to the genus Vidua, native of Asia and Africa. In the breeding season the male has very long, drooping tail feathers. Called also vida finch, whidah finch, whydah bird, whydah finch, widow bird, and widow finch. | |
| whiffletree | noun | Same as Whippletree. |
| whimsically | adverb | In a whimsical manner; freakishly. |
| whipgrafted | imp. & past participle | of Whipgraft |
| whippletree | noun | The pivoted or swinging bar to which the traces, or tugs, of a harness are fastened, and by which a carriage, a plow, or other implement or vehicle, is drawn; a whiffletree; a swingletree; a singletree. See Singletree., The cornel tree. |
| whip-shaped | adjective | Shaped like the lash of a whip; long, slender, round, and tapering; as, a whip-shaped root or stem. |
| whirl-blast | noun | A whirling blast or wind. |
| whiskerless | adjective | Being without whiskers. |
| whiskeyfied | adjective | Drunk with whisky; intoxicated. |
| whistlefish | noun | A gossat, or rockling; — called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe. |
| whistlewing | noun | The American golden-eye. |
| whistlewood | noun | The moosewood, or striped maple. See Maple. |
| whistlingly | adverb | In a whistling manner; shrilly. |
| white-blaze | noun | See White-face. |
| whiteboyism | noun | The conduct or principle of the Whiteboys. |
| white friar | A mendicant monk of the Carmelite order, so called from the white cloaks worn by the order. See Carmelite. | |
| white-heart | noun | A somewhat heart-shaped cherry with a whitish skin. |
| white-limed | adjective | Whitewashed or plastered with lime. |
| whitethroat | noun | Any one of several species of Old World warblers, esp. the common European species (Sylvia cinerea), called also strawsmear, nettlebird, muff, and whitecap, the garden whitethroat, or golden warbler (S. hortensis), and the lesser whitethroat (S. curruca). |
| whitewashed | imp. & past participle | of Whitewash |
| whitewasher | noun | One who whitewashes. |
| white-water | noun | A dangerous disease of sheep. |
| whitherward | adverb | In what direction; toward what or which place. |
| whiting-mop | noun | A young whiting., A fair lass. |
| whitishness | noun | The quality or state of being whitish or somewhat white. |
| whitleather | noun | Leather dressed or tawed with alum, salt, etc., remarkable for its pliability and toughness; white leather., The paxwax. See Paxwax. |
| whitsuntide | noun | The week commencing with Whitsunday, esp. the first three days — Whitsunday, Whitsun Monday, and Whitsun Tuesday; the time of Pentecost. |
| whittuesday | noun | The day following Whitmonday; — called also Whitsun Tuesday. |
| whity-brown | adjective | Of a color between white and brown. |
| wheremaster | noun | A man who practices lewdness; a lecher; a whoremonger., One keeps or procures whores for others; a pimp; a procurer. |
| whoremonger | noun | A whoremaster; a lecher; a man who frequents the society of whores. |
| whosesoever | pronoun | The possessive of whosoever. See Whosoever. |
| whydah bird | Alt. of Whydah finch | |
| wicken tree | Same as Quicken tree. | |
| wickliffite | noun | See Wyclifite. |
| widowerhood | noun | The state of being a widower. |
| widow-maker | noun | One who makes widows by destroying husbands. |
| willingness | noun | The quality or state of being willing; free choice or consent of the will; freedom from reluctance; readiness of the mind to do or forbear. |
| willow-herb | noun | A perennial herb (Epilobium spicatum) with narrow willowlike leaves and showy rose-purple flowers. The name is sometimes made to include other species of the same genus. |
| willow-weed | noun | A European species of loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris)., Any kind of Polygonum with willowlike foliage. |
| willow-wort | noun | Same as Willow-weed., Any plant of the order Salicaceae, or the Willow family. |
| willy nilly | See Will I, nill I, etc., under 3d Will. | |
| wind-broken | adjective | Having the power of breathing impaired by the rupture, dilatation, or running together of air cells of the lungs, so that while the inspiration is by one effort, the expiration is by two; affected with pulmonary emphysema or with heaves; — said of a horse. |
| windlestrae | noun | Alt. of Windlestraw |
| windlestraw | noun | A grass used for making ropes or for plaiting, esp. Agrostis Spica-ventis. |
| wind-sucker | noun | A horse given to wind-sucking, The kestrel. |
| wing-footed | adjective | Having wings attached to the feet; as, wing-footed Mercury; hence, swift; moving with rapidity; fleet., Having part or all of the feet adapted for flying., Having the anterior lobes of the foot so modified as to form a pair of winglike swimming organs; — said of the pteropod mollusks. |
| wing-handed | adjective | Having the anterior limbs or hands adapted for flight, as the bats and pterodactyls. |
| wing-leaved | adjective | Having pinnate or pinnately divided leaves. |
| wingmanship | noun | Power or skill in flying. |
| winkle-hawk | noun | A rectangular rent made in cloth; — called also winkle-hole. |
| winnebagoes | noun | A tribe of North American Indians who originally occupied the region about Green Bay, Lake Michigan, but were driven back from the lake and nearly exterminated in 1640 by the IIlinnois. |
| winningness | noun | The quality or state of being winning. |
| winsomeness | noun | The characteristic of being winsome; attractiveness of manner. |
| wintergreen | noun | A plant which keeps its leaves green through the winter. |
| wiredrawing | present participle & vb. noun | of Wiredraw |
| wire-drawer | noun | One who draws metal into wire. |
| wire-puller | noun | One who pulls the wires, as of a puppet; hence, one who operates by secret means; an intriguer. |
| wire-tailed | adjective | Having some or all of the tail quills terminated in a long, slender, pointed shaft, without a web or barbules. |
| wire-worker | noun | One who manufactures articles from wire. |
| wishtonwish | noun | The prairie dog. |
| wishy-washy | adjective | Thin and pale; weak; without strength or substance; — originally said of liquids. Fig., weak-minded; spiritless., A weak or thin drink or liquor; wish-wash. |
| witch-hazel | noun | The wych-elm., An American shrub or small tree (Hamamelis Virginica), which blossoms late in autumn. |
| wit-cracker | noun | One who breaks jests; a joker. |
| withdrawing | present participle & vb. noun | of Withdraw |
| withholding | present participle & vb. noun | of Withhold |
| withinforth | adverb | Within; inside; inwardly. |
| withstander | noun | One who withstands, or opposes; an opponent; a resisting power. |
| wit-snapper | noun | One who affects repartee; a wit-cracker. |
| wit-starved | adjective | Barren of wit; destitute of genius. |
| witticaster | noun | A witling. |
| wizen-faced | adjective | Having a shriveled, thin, withered face. |
| wolf’s-claw | noun | A kind of club moss. See Lycopodium. |
| wolf’s-foot | noun | Club moss. See Lycopodium. |
| wolf’s-milk | noun | Any kind of spurge (Euphorbia); — so called from its acrid milky juice. |
| womanliness | noun | The quality or state of being womanly. |
| wonderingly | adverb | In a wondering manner. |
| woodcracker | noun | The nuthatch. |
| woodcutting | noun | The act or employment of cutting wood or timber., The act or art of engraving on wood. |
| woodknacker | noun | The yaffle. |
| woolly-head | noun | A negro. |
| working-day | adjective | Pertaining to, or characteristic of, working days, or workdays; everyday; hence, plodding; hard-working. |
| workmanlike | adjective | Becoming a workman, especially a skillful one; skillful; well performed. |
| workmanship | noun | The art or skill of a workman; the execution or manner of making anything., That which is effected, made, or produced; manufacture, something made by manual labor. |
| worldliness | noun | The quality of being worldly; a predominant passion for obtaining the good things of this life; covetousness; addictedness to gain and temporal enjoyments; worldly-mindedness. |
| worldlywise | adjective | Wise in regard to things of this world. |
| worm-shaped | adjective | Shaped like a worm; /hick and almost cylindrical, but variously curved or bent; as, a worm-shaped root. |
| worshipping | of Worship | |
| worshipable | adjective | Capable of being worshiped; worthy of worship. |
| wranglesome | adjective | Contentious; quarrelsome. |
| wringstaves | plural | of Wringstaff |
| writability | noun | Ability or capacity to write. |
| wrongheaded | adjective | Wrong in opinion or principle; having a perverse understanding; perverse. |
| wrong-timed | adjective | Done at an improper time; ill-timed. |