| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| waddling | present participle & vb. noun | of Waddle |
| wafering | present participle & vb. noun | of Wafer |
| wagering | present participle & vb. noun | of Wager, Hazarding; pertaining to the act of one who wagers. |
| waggling | present participle & vb. noun | of Waggle |
| wagoning | present participle & vb. noun | of Wagon |
| wagonage | noun | Money paid for carriage or conveyance in wagon., A collection of wagons; wagons, collectively. |
| wagonful | noun | As much as a wagon will hold; enough to fill a wagon; a wagonload. |
| wailment | noun | Lamentation; loud weeping; wailing. |
| wainable | adjective | Capable of being plowed or cultivated; arable; tillable. |
| wainbote | noun | See Cartbote. See also the Note under Bote. |
| wainscot | noun | Oaken timber or boarding., A wooden lining or boarding of the walls of apartments, usually made in panels., Any one of numerous species of European moths of the family Leucanidae., To line with boards or panelwork, or as if with panelwork; as, to wainscot a hall. |
| waitress | noun | A female waiter or attendant; a waiting maid or waiting woman. |
| wakening | present participle & vb. noun | of Waken, The act of one who wakens; esp., the act of ceasing to sleep; an awakening., The revival of an action. |
| waketime | noun | Time during which one is awake. |
| walhalla | noun | See Valhalla. |
| walkable | adjective | Fit to be walked on; capable of being walked on or over. |
| wallaroo | noun | Any one of several species of kangaroos of the genus Macropus, especially M. robustus, sometimes called the great wallaroo. |
| wallbird | noun | The spotted flycatcher. |
| wall-eye | noun | An eye in which the iris is of a very light gray or whitish color; — said usually of horses., An American fresh-water food fish (Stizostedion vitreum) having large and prominent eyes; — called also glasseye, pike perch, yellow pike, and wall-eyed perch., A California surf fish (Holconotus argenteus)., The alewife; — called also wall-eyed herring. |
| wallhick | noun | The lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor). |
| walloons | noun pl. | A Romanic people inhabiting that part of Belgium which comprises the provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liege, and Luxembourg, and about one third of Brabant; also, the language spoken by this people. Used also adjectively. |
| walloped | imp. & past participle | of Wallop |
| wallowed | imp. & past participle | of Wallow |
| wallower | noun | One who, or that which, wallows., A lantern wheel; a trundle. |
| wallwort | noun | The dwarf elder, or danewort (Sambucus Ebulus). |
| waltzing | present participle & vb. noun | of Waltz |
| wandered | imp. & past participle | of Wander |
| wanderer | noun | One who wanders; a rambler; one who roves; hence, one who deviates from duty. |
| wanderoo | noun | A large monkey (Macacus silenus) native of Malabar. It is black, or nearly so, but has a long white or gray beard encircling the face. Called also maha, silenus, neelbhunder, lion-tailed baboon, and great wanderoo. |
| wantless | adjective | Having no want; abundant; fruitful. |
| wantoned | imp. & past participle | of Wanton |
| wantonly | adverb | In a wanton manner; without regularity or restraint; loosely; sportively; gayly; playfully; recklessly; lasciviously., Unintentionally; accidentally. |
| wantrust | noun | Failing or diminishing trust; want of trust or confidence; distrust. |
| wappened | adjective | A word of doubtful meaning used once by Shakespeare. |
| warbling | present participle & vb. noun | of Warble |
| wardenry | noun | Alt. of Wardenship |
| wardmote | noun | Anciently, a meeting of the inhabitants of a ward; also, a court formerly held in each ward of London for trying defaults in matters relating to the watch, police, and the like. |
| wardrobe | verb t. | A room or apartment where clothes are kept, or wearing apparel is stored; a portable closet for hanging up clothes., Wearing apparel, in general; articles of dress or personal decoration., A privy. |
| wardroom | noun | A room occupied as a messroom by the commissioned officers of a war vessel. See Gunroom., A room used by the citizens of a city ward, for meetings, political caucuses, elections, etc. |
| wardship | noun | The office of a ward or keeper; care and protection of a ward; guardianship; right of guardianship., The state of begin under a guardian; pupilage. |
| wardsmen | plural | of Wardsman |
| wardsman | noun | A man who keeps ward; a guard. |
| wareless | noun | Unwary; incautious; unheeding; careless; unaware. |
| wareroom | noun | A room in which goods are stored or exhibited for sale. |
| warfarer | noun | One engaged in warfare; a military man; a soldier; a warrior. |
| warhable | adjective | Fit for war. |
| wariment | noun | Wariness. |
| wariness | noun | The quality or state of being wary; care to foresee and guard against evil; cautiousness. |
| warkloom | noun | A tool; an implement. |
| warmness | noun | Warmth. |
| warmouth | noun | An American freshwater bream, or sunfish (Chaenobryttus gulosus); — called also red-eyed bream. |
| warproof | noun | Valor tried by war. |
| warragal | noun | The dingo. |
| warranty | noun | A covenant real, whereby the grantor of an estate of freehold and his heirs were bound to warrant and defend the title, and, in case of eviction by title paramount, to yield other lands of equal value in recompense. This warranty has long singe become obsolete, and its place supplied by personal covenants for title. Among these is the covenant of warranty, which runs with the land, and is in the nature of a real covenant., An engagement or undertaking, express or implied, that a certain fact regarding the subject of a contract is, or shall be, as it is expressly or impliedly declared or promised to be. In sales of goods by persons in possession, there is an implied warranty of title, but, as to the quality of goods, the rule of every sale is, Caveat emptor., A stipulation or engagement by a party insured, that certain things, relating to the subject of insurance, or affecting the risk, exist, or shall exist, or have been done, or shall be done. These warranties, when express, should appear in the policy; but there are certain implied warranties., Justificatory mandate or precept; authority; warrant., Security; warrant; guaranty., To warrant; to guarantee. |
| warrener | noun | The keeper of a warren. |
| wart hog | Either one of two species of large, savage African wild hogs of the genus Phacoch/rus. These animals have a pair of large, rough, fleshy tubercles behind the tusks and second pair behind the eyes. The tusks are large and strong, and both pairs curve upward. The body is scantily covered with bristles, but there is long dorsal mane. The South African species (Phacoch/rus Aethiopicus) is the best known. Called also vlacke vark. The second species (P. Aeliani) is native of the coasts of the Red Sea. | |
| wartless | adjective | Having no wart. |
| wartweed | noun | Same as Wartwort. |
| wartwort | noun | A name given to several plants because they were thought to be a cure for warts, as a kind of spurge (Euphorbia Helioscopia), and the nipplewort (Lampsana communis). |
| washable | adjective | Capable of being washed without damage to fabric or color. |
| washbowl | noun | A basin, or bowl, to hold water for washing one’s hands, face, etc. |
| washdish | noun | A washbowl., Same as Washerwoman, 2. |
| wash-off | adjective | Capable of being washed off; not permanent or durable; — said of colors not fixed by steaming or otherwise. |
| wasteful | adjective | Full of waste; destructive to property; ruinous; as, wasteful practices or negligence; wasteful expenses., Expending, or tending to expend, property, or that which is valuable, in a needless or useless manner; lavish; prodigal; as, a wasteful person; a wasteful disposition., Waste; desolate; unoccupied; untilled. |
| wastorel | noun | See Wastrel. |
| watching | present participle & vb. noun | of Watch |
| watchdog | noun | A dog kept to watch and guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders. |
| watchful | adjective | Full of watch; vigilant; attentive; careful to observe closely; observant; cautious; — with of before the thing to be regulated or guarded; as, to be watchful of one’s behavior; and with against before the thing to be avoided; as, to be watchful against the growth of vicious habits. |
| watchmen | plural | of Watchman |
| watchman | noun | One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel., Specifically, one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night. |
| watering | present participle & vb. noun | of Water, a. & n. from Water, v. |
| waterage | noun | Money paid for transportation of goods, etc., by water. |
| waterbok | noun | A water buck. |
| waterish | adjective | Resembling water; thin; watery., Somewhat watery; moist; as, waterish land. |
| watermen | plural | of Waterman |
| waterman | noun | A man who plies for hire on rivers, lakes, or canals, or in harbors, in distinction from a seaman who is engaged on the high seas; a man who manages fresh-water craft; a boatman; a ferryman., An attendant on cab stands, etc., who supplies water to the horses., A water demon. |
| waterpot | noun | A vessel for holding or conveying water, or for sprinkling water on cloth, plants, etc. |
| waterway | noun | Heavy plank or timber extending fore and aft the whole length of a vessel’s deck at the line of junction with the sides, forming a channel to the scuppers, which are cut through it. In iron vessels the waterway is variously constructed. |
| wattling | present participle & vb. noun | of Wattle, The act or process of binding or platting with twigs; also, the network so formed. |
| waveless | adjective | Free from waves; undisturbed; not agitated; as, the waveless sea. |
| wavering | present participle & vb. noun | of Waver |
| waveworn | adjective | Worn by the waves. |
| waviness | noun | The quality or state of being wavy. |
| waxberry | noun | The wax-covered fruit of the wax myrtle, or bayberry. See Bayberry, and Candleberry tree. |
| waxiness | noun | Quality or state of being waxy. |
| waybread | noun | The common dooryard plantain (Plantago major). |
| wayfarer | noun | One who travels; a traveler; a passenger. |
| waylayer | noun | One who waylays another. |
| wayleway | interj. | See Welaway. |
| waymaker | noun | One who makes a way; a precursor. |
| way-wise | adjective | Skillful in finding the way; well acquainted with the way or route; wise from having traveled. |
| waywiser | noun | An instrument for measuring the distance which one has traveled on the road; an odometer, pedometer, or perambulator. |
| weakened | imp. & past participle | of Weaken |
| weakener | noun | One who, or that which, weakens. |
| weakfish | noun | Any fish of the genus Cynoscion; a squeteague; — so called from its tender mouth. See Squeteague. |
| weakling | noun | A weak or feeble creature., Weak; feeble. |
| weakness | noun | The quality or state of being weak; want of strength or firmness; lack of vigor; want of resolution or of moral strength; feebleness., That which is a mark of lack of strength or resolution; a fault; a defect. |
| wealdish | adjective | Of or pertaining to a weald, esp. to the weald in the county of Kent, England. |
| wealsmen | plural | of Wealsman |
| wealsman | noun | A statesman; a politician. |
| weanling | a. & n. from Wean, v., A child or animal newly weaned; a wean., Recently weaned. | |
| weaponed | adjective | Furnished with weapons, or arms; armed; equipped. |
| weaponry | noun | Weapons, collectively; as, an array of weaponry. |
| wearable | adjective | Capable of being worn; suitable to be worn. |
| weariful | adjective | Abounding in qualities which cause weariness; wearisome. |
| wearying | present participle & vb. noun | of Weary |
| web-toed | adjective | Having the toes united by a web for a considerable part of their length. |
| weedless | adjective | Free from weeds or noxious matter. |
| weeklies | plural | of Weekly |
| weetless | adjective | Unknowing; also, unknown; unmeaning. |
| weeviled | adjective | Infested by weevils; as, weeviled grain. |
| wegotism | noun | Excessive use of the pronoun we; — called also weism. |
| wehrgeld | noun | Alt. of Wehrgelt |
| wehrgelt | noun | See Weregild. |
| wehrwolf | noun | See Werewolf. |
| weigelia | noun | A hardy garden shrub (Diervilla Japonica) belonging to the Honeysuckle family, with white or red flowers. It was introduced from China. |
| weighing | present participle & vb. noun | of Weigh, a. & n. from Weigh, v. |
| weighage | noun | A duty or toil paid for weighing merchandise. |
| weighted | imp. & past participle | of Weight |
| welchman | noun | See Welshman. |
| welcomed | imp. & past participle | of Welcome |
| welcomer | noun | One who welcomes; one who salutes, or receives kindly, a newcomer. |
| weldable | adjective | Capable of being welded. |
| welladay | interj. | Alas! Welaway! |
| welldoer | noun | One who does well; one who does good to another; a benefactor. |
| wellfare | noun | See Welfare. |
| wellhead | noun | A source, spring, or fountain. |
| wellhole | noun | The open space in a floor, to accommodate a staircase., The open space left beyond the ends of the steps of a staircase., A cavity which receives a counterbalancing weight in certain mechanical contrivances, and is adapted also for other purposes. |
| well-set | adjective | Properly or firmly set., Well put together; having symmetry of parts. |
| welshmen | plural | of Welshman |
| welshman | noun | A native or inhabitant of Wales; one of the Welsh., A squirrel fish., The large-mouthed black bass. See Black bass. |
| weltered | imp. & past participle | of Welter |
| wenching | present participle & vb. noun | of Wench |
| weregild | noun | The price of a man’s head; a compensation paid of a man killed, partly to the king for the loss of a subject, partly to the lord of a vassal, and partly to the next of kin. It was paid by the murderer. |
| werewolf | noun | A person transformed into a wolf in form and appetite, either temporarily or permanently, whether by supernatural influences, by witchcraft, or voluntarily; a lycanthrope. Belief in werewolves, formerly general, is not now extinct. |
| wesleyan | adjective | Of or pertaining to Wesley or Wesleyanism., One who adopts the principles of Wesleyanism; a Methodist. |
| westerly | adjective | Of or pertaining to the west; toward the west; coming from the west; western., Toward the west; westward. |
| westling | noun | A westerner. |
| westmost | adjective | Lying farthest to the west; westernmost. |
| westward | adverb | Alt. of Westwards, Lying toward the west., The western region or countries; the west. |
| westness | noun | The quality or state of being wet; moisture; humidity; as, the wetness of land; the wetness of a cloth., A watery or moist state of the atmosphere; a state of being rainy, foggy, or misty; as, the wetness of weather or the season. |
| wet-shod | adjective | Having the feet, or the shoes on the feet, wet. |
| weyleway | interj. | See Welaway. |
| whacking | present participle & vb. noun | of Whack, Very large; whapping. |
| whalemen | plural | of Whaleman |
| whaleman | noun | A man employed in the whale fishery. |
| whanghee | noun | See Wanghee. |
| whapping | present participle & vb. noun | of Whop, Alt. of Whopping |
| whopping | adjective | Very large; monstrous; astonishing; as, a whapping story. |
| wharfing | present participle & vb. noun | of Wharf, Wharfs, collectively., A mode of facing sea walls and embankments with planks driven as piles and secured by ties. |
| wharfage | noun | The fee or duty paid for the privilege of using a wharf for loading or unloading goods; pierage, collectively; quayage., A wharf or wharfs, collectively; wharfing. |
| wharling | noun | A guttural pronunciation of the letter r; a burr. See Burr, n., 6. |
| whate’er | pronoun | A contraction of what-ever; — used in poetry. |
| whatever | pronoun | 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. |
| wheatear | noun | A small European singing bird (Saxicola /nanthe). 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. |
| wheedled | imp. & past participle | of Wheedle |
| wheeling | present participle & vb. noun | of Wheel, The act of conveying anything, or traveling, on wheels, or in a wheeled vehicle., The act or practice of using a cycle; cycling., Condition of a road or roads, which admits of passing on wheels; as, it is good wheeling, or bad wheeling., A turning, or circular movement. |
| wheelmen | plural | of Wheelman |
| wheelman | noun | One who rides a bicycle or tricycle; a cycler, or cyclist. |
| wheezing | present participle & vb. noun | of Wheeze |
| whelming | present participle & vb. noun | of Whelm |
| whelping | present participle & vb. noun | of Whelp |
| whene’er | adverb & conj. | Whenever. |
| whenever | adverb & conj. | At whatever time. |
| where’er | adverb | Wherever; — a contracted and poetical form. |
| whereout | adverb | Out of which. |
| wherever | adverb | At or in whatever place; wheresoever. |
| whereret | verb t. | To hurry; to trouble; to tease., To box (one) on the ear; to strike or box. (the ear); as, to wherret a child. |
| wherries | plural | of Wherry |
| whetting | present participle & vb. noun | of Whet |
| wheyface | noun | One who is pale, as from fear. |
| whiffing | present participle & vb. noun | of Whiff, The act of one who, or that which, whiffs., A mode of fishing with a hand line for pollack, mackerel, and the like. |
| whiffled | imp. & past participle | of Whiffle |
| whiffler | noun | One who whiffles, or frequently changes his opinion or course; one who uses shifts and evasions in argument; hence, a trifler., One who plays on a whiffle; a fifer or piper., An officer who went before procession to clear the way by blowing a horn, or otherwise; hence, any person who marched at the head of a procession; a harbinger., The golden-eye. |
| whiggery | noun | The principles or practices of the Whigs; Whiggism. |
| whiggish | adjective | Of or pertaining to Whigs; partaking of, or characterized by, the principles of Whigs. |
| whiggism | noun | The principles of the Whigs. |
| whigling | noun | A petty or inferior Whig; — used in contempt. |
| whimbrel | noun | Any one of several species of small curlews, especially the European species (Numenius phaeopus), called also Jack curlew, half curlew, stone curlew, and tang whaup. See Illustration in Appendix. |
| whimling | noun | One given to whims; hence, a weak, childish person; a child. |
| whimseys | plural | of Whimsy |
| whimsies | plural | of Whimsy |
| whimwham | noun | A whimsical thing; an odd device; a trifle; a trinket; a gimcrack., A whim, or whimsey; a freak. |
| whinchat | noun | A small warbler (Pratincola rubetra) common in Europe; — called also whinchacker, whincheck, whin-clocharet. |
| whinnied | imp. & past participle | of Whinny |
| whinnies | plural | of Whinny |
| whinyard | noun | A sword, or hanger., The shoveler., The poachard. |
| whipping | present participle & vb. noun | of Whip, a & n. from Whip, v. |
| whipcord | noun | A kind of hard-twisted or braided cord, sometimes used for making whiplashes. |
| whiplash | noun | The lash of a whip, — usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted. |
| whipster | noun | A nimble little fellow; a whippersnapper. |
| whipworm | noun | A nematode worm (Trichocephalus dispar) often found parasitic in the human intestine. Its body is thickened posteriorly, but is very long and threadlike anteriorly. |
| whirring | present participle & vb. noun | of Whir |
| whirling | present participle & vb. noun | of Whirl, a. & n. from Whirl, v. t. |
| whirlbat | noun | Anything moved with a whirl, as preparatory for a blow, or to augment the force of it; — applied by poets to the cestus of ancient boxers. |
| whirlpit | noun | A whirlpool. |
| whirlwig | noun | A whirligig. |
| whisking | present participle & vb. noun | of Whisk, Sweeping along lightly., Large; great. |
| whiskeys | plural | of Whisky |
| whiskies | plural | of Whisky |
| whistled | imp. & past participle | of Whistle |
| whistler | noun | One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound., The ring ousel., The widgeon., The golden-eye., The golden plover and the gray plover., The hoary, or northern, marmot (Arctomys pruinosus)., The whistlefish. |
| whiteboy | noun | A favorite., One of an association of poor Roman catholics which arose in Ireland about 1760, ostensibly to resist the collection of tithes, the members of which were so called from the white shirts they wore in their nocturnal raids. |
| whitecap | noun | The European redstart; — so called from its white forehead., The whitethroat; — so called from its gray head., The European tree sparrow., A wave whose crest breaks into white foam, as when the wind is freshening. |
| whitened | imp. & past participle | of Whiten |
| whitener | noun | One who, or that which, whitens; a bleacher; a blancher; a whitewasher. |
| whitetop | noun | Fiorin. |
| whitflaw | noun | Whitlow. |
| whitling | noun | A young full trout during its second season. |
| whitsour | noun | A sort of apple. |
| whitster | noun | A whitener; a bleacher; a whitester. |
| whittled | imp. & past participle | of Whittle |
| whittret | noun | A weasel. |
| whitwall | noun | Same as Whetile. |
| whizzing | present participle & vb. noun | of Whiz |
| whooping | present participle & vb. noun | of Whoop, a. & n. from Whoop, v. t. |
| whoredom | noun | The practice of unlawful intercourse with the other sex; fornication; lewdness., The sin of worshiping idols; idolatry. |
| whoreson | noun | A bastard; colloquially, a low, scurvy fellow; — used generally in contempt, or in coarse humor. Also used adjectively. |
| wichitas | noun pl. | A tribe of Indians native of the region between the Arkansas and Red rivers. They are related to the Pawnees. See Pawnees. |
| wickedly | adverb | In a wicked manner; in a manner, or with motives and designs, contrary to the divine law or the law of morality; viciously; corruptly; immorally. |
| wickered | adjective | Made of, secured by, or covered with, wickers or wickerwork. |
| widening | present participle & vb. noun | of Widen |
| wideness | noun | The quality or state of being wide; breadth; width; great extent from side to side; as, the wideness of a room., Large extent in all directions; broadness; greatness; as, the wideness of the sea or ocean. |
| widowing | present participle & vb. noun | of Widow |
| wielding | present participle & vb. noun | of Wield, Power; authority; rule. |
| wifehood | noun | Womanhood., The state of being a wife; the character of a wife. |
| wifeless | adjective | Without a wife; unmarried. |
| wifelike | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or like, a wife or a woman. |
| wild-cat | adjective | Unsound; worthless; irresponsible; unsafe; — said to have been originally applied to the notes of an insolvent bank in Michigan upon which there was the figure of a panther., Running without control; running along the line without a train; as, a wild-cat locomotive. |
| wildered | imp. & past participle | of Wilder |
| wildfire | noun | A composition of inflammable materials, which, kindled, is very hard to quench; Greek fire., An old name for erysipelas., A disease of sheep, attended with inflammation of the skin., A sort of lightning unaccompanied by thunder. |
| wildness | noun | The quality or state of being wild; an uncultivated or untamed state; disposition to rove or go unrestrained; rudeness; savageness; irregularity; distraction. |
| wildwood | noun | A wild or unfrequented wood. Also used adjectively; as, wildwood flowers; wildwood echoes. |
| wilfully | noun | Alt. of Wilfulness |
| wiliness | noun | The quality or state of being wily; craftiness; cunning; guile. |
| williwaw | noun | Alt. of Willywaw |
| willywaw | noun | A whirlwind, or whirlwind squall, encountered in the Straits of Magellan. |
| willowed | adjective | Abounding with willows; containing willows; covered or overgrown with willows. |
| willower | noun | A willow. See Willow, n., 2. |
| willsome | adjective | Willful; obstinate., Fat; indolent., Doubtful; uncertain. |
| willying | noun | The process of cleansing wool, cotton, or the like, with a willy, or willow. |
| wimbling | present participle & vb. noun | of Wimble |
| wimpling | present participle & vb. noun | of Wimple |
| windbore | noun | The lower, or bottom, pipe in a lift of pumps in a mine. |
| windfall | noun | Anything blown down or off by the wind, as fruit from a tree, or the tree itself, or a portion of a forest prostrated by a violent wind, etc., An unexpected legacy, or other gain. |
| windgall | noun | A soft tumor or synovial swelling on the fetlock joint of a horse; — so called from having formerly been supposed to contain air. |
| windlace | noun & verb | See Windlass. |
| windlass | noun | A winding and circuitous way; a roundabout course; a shift., To take a roundabout course; to work warily or by indirect means., A machine for raising weights, consisting of a horizontal cylinder or roller moving on its axis, and turned by a crank, lever, or similar means, so as to wind up a rope or chain attached to the weight. In vessels the windlass is often used instead of the capstan for raising the anchor. It is usually set upon the forecastle, and is worked by hand or steam., An apparatus resembling a winch or windlass, for bending the bow of an arblast, or crossbow., To raise with, or as with, a windlass; to use a windlass. |
| windless | adjective | Having no wind; calm., Wanting wind; out of breath. |
| windmill | noun | A mill operated by the power of the wind, usually by the action of the wind upon oblique vanes or sails which radiate from a horizontal shaft. |
| windowed | imp. & past participle | of Window, Having windows or openings. |
| windpipe | noun | The passage for the breath from the larynx to the lungs; the trachea; the weasand. See Illust. under Lung. |
| windward | noun | The point or side from which the wind blows; as, to ply to the windward; — opposed to leeward., Situated toward the point from which the wind blows; as, the Windward Islands., Toward the wind; in the direction from which the wind blows. |
| wineless | adjective | destitute of wine; as, wineless life. |
| wingfish | noun | A sea robin having large, winglike pectoral fins. See Sea robin, under Robin. |
| wingless | adjective | Having no wings; not able to ascend or fly. |
| winnowed | imp. & past participle | of Winnew |
| winnower | noun | One who, or that which, winnows; specifically, a winnowing machine. |
| wintered | imp. & past participle | of Winter |
| winterly | adjective | Like winter; wintry; cold; hence, disagreeable, cheerless; as, winterly news. |
| wirbling | present participle & vb. noun | of Wirble |
| wiredrew | imp. | of Wiredraw |
| wiredraw | verb t. | To form (a piece of metal) into wire, by drawing it through a hole in a plate of steel., Hence, to draw by art or violence., Hence, also, to draw or spin out to great length and tenuity; as, to wiredraw an argument., To pass, or to draw off, (as steam) through narrow ports, or the like, thus reducing its pressure or force by friction. |
| wirework | noun | Work, especially openwork, formed of wires. |
| wireworm | noun | One of the larvae of various species of snapping beetles, or elaters; — so called from their slenderness and the uncommon hardness of the integument. Wireworms are sometimes very destructive to the roots of plants. Called also wire grub., A galleyworm. |
| wiriness | noun | The quality of being wiry. |
| wiseacre | verb | A learned or wise man., One who makes undue pretensions to wisdom; a would-be-wise person; hence, in contempt, a simpleton; a dunce. |
| wiseling | noun | One who pretends to be wise; a wiseacre; a witling. |
| wiseness | noun | Wisdom. |
| wishable | adjective | Capable or worthy of being wished for; desirable. |
| wishbone | noun | The forked bone in front of the breastbone in birds; — called also merrythought, and wishing bone. See Merrythought, and Furculum. |
| wishedly | adverb | According to wish; conformably to desire. |
| wistaria | noun | A genus of climbing leguminous plants bearing long, pendulous clusters of pale bluish flowers. |
| witching | present participle & vb. noun | of Witch, That witches or enchants; suited to enchantment or witchcraft; bewitching. |
| witchery | noun | Sorcery; enchantment; witchcraft., Fascination; irresistible influence; enchantment. |
| witchuck | noun | The sand martin, or bank swallow. |
| witcraft | noun | Art or skill of the mind; contrivance; invention; wit., The art of reasoning; logic. |
| witeless | adjective | Blameless. |
| withdrew | imp. | of Withdraw |
| withdraw | verb t. | To take back or away, as what has been bestowed or enjoyed; to draw back; to cause to move away or retire; as, to withdraw aid, favor, capital, or the like., To take back; to recall or retract; as, to withdraw false charges., To retire; to retreat; to quit a company or place; to go away; as, he withdrew from the company. |
| withered | imp. & past participle | of Wither, Faded; dried up; shriveled; wilted; wasted; wasted away. |
| withheld | imp. | of Withhold, of Withhold |
| withhold | verb t. | To hold back; to restrain; to keep from action., To retain; to keep back; not to grant; as, to withhold assent to a proposition., To keep; to maintain; to retain. |
| withvine | noun | Quitch grass. |
| withwind | noun | A kind of bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). |
| withwine | noun | Same as Withvine. |
| wittolly | adjective | Like a wittol; cuckoldly. |
| wivehood | noun | Wifehood. |
| wiveless | adjective | Wifeless. |
| wizardly | adjective | Resembling or becoming a wizard; wizardlike; weird. |
| wizardry | noun | The character or practices o/ wizards; sorcery; magic. |
| wlatsome | adjective | Loathsome; disgusting; hateful. |
| wodegeld | noun | A geld, or payment, for wood. |
| woefully | adverb | Alt. of Wofully |
| wolffian | adjective | Discovered, or first described, by Caspar Friedrich Wolff (1733-1794), the founder of modern embryology. |
| wolfling | noun | A young wolf. |
| womanish | adjective | Suitable to a woman, having the qualities of a woman; effeminate; not becoming a man; — usually in a reproachful sense. See the Note under Effeminate. |
| womanize | verb t. | To make like a woman; to make effeminate. |
| wondered | imp. & past participle | of Wonder, Having performed wonders; able to perform wonderful things. |
| wonderer | noun | One who wonders. |
| wonderly | adverb | Wonderfully; wondrously. |
| wondrous | noun | In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully., Wonderful; astonishing; admirable; marvelous; such as excite surprise and astonishment; strange. |
| wontless | adjective | Unaccustomed. |
| woodbind | noun | Woodbine. |
| woodbine | verb t. | A climbing plant having flowers of great fragrance (Lonicera Periclymenum); the honeysuckle., The Virginia creeper. See Virginia creeper, under Virginia. |
| woodchat | noun | Any one of several species of Asiatic singing birds belonging to the genera Ianthia and Larvivora. They are closely allied to the European robin. The males are usually bright blue above, and more or less red or rufous beneath., A European shrike (Enneoctonus rufus). In the male the head and nape are rufous red; the back, wings, and tail are black, varied with white. |
| woodcock | noun | Any one of several species of long-billed limicoline birds belonging to the genera Scolopax and Philohela. They are mostly nocturnal in their habits, and are highly esteemed as game birds., Fig.: A simpleton. |
| woodenly | adverb | Clumsily; stupidly; blockishly. |
| woodhack | noun | Alt. of Woodhacker |
| woodhole | noun | A place where wood is stored. |
| woodland | noun | Land covered with wood or trees; forest; land on which trees are suffered to grow, either for fuel or timber., Of or pertaining to woods or woodland; living in the forest; sylvan. |
| woodless | adjective | Having no wood; destitute of wood. |
| woodmeil | noun | See Wadmol. |
| woodness | noun | Anger; madness; insanity; rage. |
| woodpeck | noun | A woodpecker. |
| woodrock | noun | A compact woodlike variety of asbestus. |
| woodruff | noun | Alt. of Woodroof |
| woodroof | noun | A little European herb (Asperula odorata) having a pleasant taste. It is sometimes used for flavoring wine. See Illust. of Whorl. |
| woodsmen | plural | of Woodsman |
| woodsman | noun | A woodman; especially, one who lives in the forest. |
| woodwall | noun | The yaffle. |
| woodward | noun | An officer of the forest, whose duty it was to guard the woods. |
| wood-wax | noun | Alt. of Wood-waxen |
| woodwork | noun | Work made of wood; that part of any structure which is wrought of wood. |
| woodworm | noun | See Wood worm, under Wood. |
| wooingly | adverb | In a wooing manner; enticingly; with persuasiveness. |
| woolding | present participle & vb. noun | of Woold, The act of winding or wrapping anything with a rope, as a mast., A rope used for binding masts and spars. |
| woolenet | noun | A thin, light fabric of wool. |
| woolfell | noun | A skin with the wool; a skin from which the wool has not been sheared or pulled. |
| woolhead | noun | The buffel duck. |
| woolpack | noun | A pack or bag of wool weighing two hundred and forty pounds. |
| woolsack | noun | A sack or bag of wool; specifically, the seat of the lord chancellor of England in the House of Lords, being a large, square sack of wool resembling a divan in form. |
| woolward | adverb | In wool; with woolen raiment next the skin. |
| wordbook | noun | A collection of words; a vocabulary; a dictionary; a lexicon. |
| wordless | adjective | Not using words; not speaking; silent; speechless. |
| wordsman | noun | One who deals in words, or in mere words; a verbalist. |
| workable | adjective | Capable of being worked, or worth working; as, a workable mine; workable clay. |
| workaday | noun | See Workyday. |
| workfolk | noun | People that labor. |
| workless | adjective | Without work; not laboring; as, many people were still workless., Not carried out in practice; not exemplified in fact; as, workless faith. |
| workroom | noun | Any room or apartment used especially for labor. |
| workship | noun | Workmanship. |
| workshop | noun | A shop where any manufacture or handiwork is carried on. |
| workyday | noun | A week day or working day, as distinguished from Sunday or a holiday. Also used adjectively. |
| wormhole | noun | A burrow made by a worm. |
| wormling | noun | A little worm. |
| wormseed | noun | Any one of several plants, as Artemisia santonica, and Chenopodium anthelminticum, whose seeds have the property of expelling worms from the stomach and intestines. |
| wormwood | noun | A composite plant (Artemisia Absinthium), having a bitter and slightly aromatic taste, formerly used as a tonic and a vermifuge, and to protect woolen garments from moths. It gives the peculiar flavor to the cordial called absinthe. The volatile oil is a narcotic poison. The term is often extended to other species of the same genus., Anything very bitter or grievous; bitterness. |
| worn-out | adjective | Consumed, or rendered useless, by wearing; as, worn-out garments. |
| worrying | present participle & vb. noun | of Worry |
| worsting | present participle & vb. noun | of Worst |
| worthful | adjective | Full of worth; worthy; deserving. |
| worthily | adverb | In a worthy manner; excellently; deservedly; according to merit; justly; suitably; becomingly. |
| worthies | plural | of Worthy |
| would-be | adjective | Desiring or professing to be; vainly pretending to be; as, a would-be poet. |
| woulding | noun | Emotion of desire; inclination; velleity. |
| wounding | present participle & vb. noun | of Wound |
| woundily | adverb | In a woundy manner; excessively; woundy. |
| wrackful | adjective | Ruinous; destructive. |
| wrangled | imp. & past participle | of Wrangle |
| wrangler | noun | An angry disputant; one who disputes with heat or peevishness., One of those who stand in the first rank of honors in the University of Cambridge, England. They are called, according to their rank, senior wrangler, second wrangler, third wrangler, etc. Cf. Optime. |
| wrannock | noun | Alt. of Wranny |
| wrapping | present participle & vb. noun | of Wrap |
| wrappage | noun | The act of wrapping., That which wraps; envelope; covering. |
| wrathful | adjective | Full of wrath; very angry; greatly incensed; ireful; passionate; as, a wrathful man., Springing from, or expressing, wrath; as, a wrathful countenance. |
| wrathily | adverb | In a wrathy manner; very angrily; wrathfully. |
| wrawness | noun | Peevishness; ill temper; anger. |
| wreaking | present participle & vb. noun | of Wreak |
| wreakful | adjective | Revengeful; angry; furious. |
| wreathed | imp. | of Wreathe, of Wreathe |
| wreathen | archaic | of Wreathe, Twisted; made into a wreath. |
| wrecking | present participle & vb. noun | of Wreck, a. & n. from Wreck, v. |
| wreckage | noun | The act of wrecking, or state of being wrecked., That which has been wrecked; remains of a wreck. |
| wreckful | adjective | Causing wreck; involving ruin; destructive. |
| wrenched | imp. & past participle | of Wrench |
| wresting | present participle & vb. noun | of Wrest |
| wrestled | imp. & past participle | of Wrestle |
| wrestler | noun | One who wrestles; one who is skillful in wrestling. |
| wretched | adjective | Very miserable; sunk in, or accompanied by, deep affliction or distress, as from want, anxiety, or grief; calamitous; woeful; very afflicting., Worthless; paltry; very poor or mean; miserable; as, a wretched poem; a wretched cabin., Hatefully contemptible; despicable; wicked. |
| wriggled | imp. & past participle | of Wriggle |
| wriggler | noun | One who, or that which, wriggles. |
| wringing | present participle & vb. noun | of Wring, a. & n. from Wring, v. |
| wrinkled | imp. & past participle | of Wrinkle |
| wristlet | noun | An elastic band worn around the wrist, as for the purpose of securing the upper part of a glove. |
| writable | adjective | Capable of, or suitable for, being written down. |
| writhing | present participle & vb. noun | of Writhe |
| wronging | present participle & vb. noun | of Wrong |
| wrongful | adjective | Full of wrong; injurious; unjust; unfair; as, a wrongful taking of property; wrongful dealing. |
| wrongous | adjective | Constituting, or of the nature of, a wrong; unjust; wrongful., Not right; illegal; as, wrongous imprisonment. |
| wrymouth | noun | Any one of several species of large, elongated, marine fishes of the genus Cryptacanthodes, especially C. maculatus of the American coast. A whitish variety is called ghostfish. |
| wung-out | adjective | Having the sails set in the manner called wing-and-wing. |
| wurraluh | noun | The Australian white-quilled honey eater (Entomyza albipennis). |
| wyandots | noun pl. | Same as Hurons. |
| wych-elm | noun | A species of elm (Ulmus montana) found in Northern and Western Europe; Scotch elm. |