W

W (?), the twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, is usually a consonant, but sometimes it is a vowel, forming the second element of certain diphthongs, as in few, how. It takes its written form and its name from the repetition of a V, this being the original form of the Roman capital letter which we call U. Etymologically it is most related to v and u. See V, and U. Some of the uneducated classes in England, especially in London, confuse w and v, substituting the one for the other, as weal for veal, and veal for weal; wine for vine, and vine for wine, etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 266-268.

Waag

Waag (?), n. (Zoöl.) The grivet.

Waahoo

Waa*hoo" (?), n. (Bot.) The burning bush; -- said to be called after a quack medicine made from it.

Wabble

Wab"ble (?), v. i. [Cf. Prov. G. wabbeln to wabble, and E. whap. Cf. Quaver.] To move staggeringly or unsteadily from one side to the other; to vacillate; to move the manner of a rotating disk when the axis of rotation is inclined to that of the disk; -- said of a turning or whirling body; as, a top wabbles; a buzz saw wabbles. <-- now replaced by wobble. -->

Wabble

Wab"ble, n. A hobbling, unequal motion, as of a wheel unevenly hung; a staggering to and fro.

Wabbly

Wab"bly (?), a. Inclined to wabble; wabbling.

Wacke, Wacky

Wack"e (?), Wack"y (?), n. [G. wacke, MHG.wacke a large stone, OHG. waggo a pebble.] (Geol.) A soft, earthy, dark-colored rock or clay derived from the alteration of basalt.
Wad
Wad (?), n. [See Woad.] Woad. [Obs.]
Wad
Wad, n. [Probably of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. vadd wadding, Dan vat, D. & G. watte. Cf. Wadmol.]
1. A little mass, tuft, or bundle, as of hay or tow. Holland.
2. Specifically: A little mass of some soft or flexible material, such as hay, straw, tow, paper, or old rope yarn, used for retaining a charge of powder in a gun, or for keeping the powder and shot close; also, to diminish or avoid the effects of windage. Also, by extension, a dusk of felt, pasteboard, etc., serving a similar purpose.
3. A soft mass, especially of some loose, fibrous substance, used for various purposes, as for stopping an aperture, padding a garment, etc. Wed hook, a rod with a screw or hook at the end, used for removing the wad from a gun.
Wad
Wad, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wadding.]
1. To form into a mass, or wad, or into wadding; as, to wad tow or cotton.
2. To insert or crowd a wad into; as, to wad a gun; also, to stuff or line with some soft substance, or wadding, like cotton; as, to wad a cloak.
Wad, Wadd
Wad, Wadd, n. (Min.) (a) An earthy oxide of manganese, or mixture of different oxides and water, with some oxide of iron, and often silica, alumina, lime, or baryta; black ocher. There are several varieties. (b) Plumbago, or black lead.
Wadding
Wad"ding (?), n. [See Wad a little mass.]
1. A wad, or the materials for wads; any pliable substance of which wads may be made.
2. Any soft stuff of loose texture, used for stuffing or padding garments; esp., sheets of carded cotton prepared for the purpose.
Waddle
Wad"dle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Waddled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waddling (?).] [Freq. of wade; cf. AS. wædlian to beg, from wadan to go. See Wade.] To walk with short steps, swaying the body from one side to the other, like a duck or very fat person; to move clumsily and totteringly along; to toddle; to stumble; as, a child waddles when he begins to walk; a goose waddles. Shak.
She drawls her words, and waddles in her pace. Young.

Waddle
Wad"dle, v. t. To trample or tread down, as high grass, by walking through it. [R.] Drayton.
Waddler
Wad"dler (?), n. One who, or that which, waddles.
Waddlingly
Wad"dling*ly, adv. In a waddling manner.
Wade
Wade (?), n. Woad. [Obs.] Mortimer.
Wade
Wade (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Waded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wading.] [OE. waden to wade, to go, AS. wadan; akin to OFries. wada, D. waden, OHG. watan, Icel. vaa, Sw. vada, Dan. vade, L. vadere to go, walk, vadum a ford. Cf. Evade, Invade, Pervade, Waddle.]
1. To go; to move forward. [Obs.]
When might is joined unto cruelty, Alas, too deep will the venom wade. Chaucer.

Forbear, and wade no further in this speech. Old Play.

2. To walk in a substance that yields to the feet; to move, sinking at each step, as in water, mud, sand, etc.
So eagerly the fiend . . . With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way, And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies. Milton.

3. Hence, to move with difficulty or labor; to proceed lowly among objects or circumstances that constantly inder or embarrass; as, to wade through a dull book.
And wades through fumes, and gropes his way. Dryden.

The king's admirable conduct has waded through all these difficulties. Davenant.

Wade
Wade, v. t. To pass or cross by wading; as, he waded he rivers and swamps.
Wade
Wade (?), n. The act of wading. [Colloq.]
Wader
Wad"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, wades.
2. (Zoöl.) Any long-legged bird that wades in the water in search of food, especially any species of limicoline or grallatorial birds; -- called also wading bird. See Illust. g, under Aves.
Wading
Wad"ing, a. & n. from Wade, v. Wading bird. (Zoöl.) See Wader, 2.
Wadmol
Wad"mol (?), n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel.vamāl a woollen stuff, Dan vadmel. Cf. Wad a small mass, and Woodmeil.] A coarse, hairy, woolen cloth, formerly used for garments by the poor, and for various other purposes. [Spelled also wadmal, wadmeal, wadmoll, wadmel, etc.] Beck (Draper's Dict.). Sir W. Scott.
Wadset
Wad"set (?), n. [Scot. wad a pledge; akin to Sw. vad a wager. See Wed.] (Scots Law) A kind of pledge or mortgage. [Written also wadsett.]
Wadsetter
Wad"set*ter (?), n. One who holds by a wadset.
Wady
Wad"y (?), n.; pl. Wadies (#). [Ar. wādī a valley, a channel of a river, a river.] A ravine through which a brook flows; the channel of a water course, which is dry except in the rainy season.
Wae
Wae (?), n. A wave. [Obs.] Spenser.
Waeg
Waeg (?), n. (Zoöl.) The kittiwake. [Scot.]
Wafer
Wa"fer (?), n. [OE. wafre, OF. waufre, qaufre, F. qaufre; of Teutonic origin; cf. LG. & D. wafel, G. waffel, Dan. vaffel, Sw. våffla; all akin to G. wabe a honeycomb, OHG. waba, being named from the resemblance to a honeycomb. G. wabe is probably akin to E. weave. See Weave, and cf. Waffle, Gauffer.]
1. (Cookery) A thin cake made of flour and other ingredients.
Wafers piping hot out of the gleed. Chaucer.

The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers, and marchpanes. Holland.

A woman's oaths are wafers -- break with making B. Jonson.

2. (Eccl.) A thin cake or piece of bread (commonly unleavened, circular, and stamped with a crucifix or with the sacred monogram) used in the Eucharist, as in the Roman Catholic Church.
3. An adhesive disk of dried paste, made of flour, gelatin, isinglass, or the like, and coloring matter, -- used in sealing letters and other documents. <-- 4. Any thin but rigid plate of solid material, esp. of discoidal shape; -- a term used commonly to refer to the thin slices of silicon used as starting material for the manufacture of integrated circuits. --> Wafer cake, a sweet, thin cake. Shak. -- Wafer irons, ∨ Wafer tongs (Cookery), a pincher-shaped contrivance, having flat plates, or blades, between which wafers are baked. -- Wafer woman, a woman who sold wafer cakes; also, one employed in amorous intrigues. Beau. & Fl.
Wafer
Wa"fer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wafered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wafering.] To seal or close with a wafer.
Waferer
Wa"fer*er (?), n. A dealer in the cakes called wafers; a confectioner. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Waffle
Waffle (?), n. [D. wafel. See Wafer.]
1. A thin cake baked and then rolled; a wafer.
2. A soft indented cake cooked in a waffle iron. Waffle iron, an iron utensil or mold made in two parts shutting together, -- used for cooking waffles over a fire.
Waft
Waft (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wafted; p. pr. & vb. n. Wafting.] [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
1. To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Obs.]
But soft: who wafts us yonder? Shak.

2. To cause to move or go in a wavy manner, or by the impulse of waves, as of water or air; to bear along on a buoyant medium; as, a balloon was wafted over the channel.
A gentle wafting to immortal life. Milton.

Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul, And waft a sigh from Indus to the pole. Pope.

3. To cause to float; to keep from sinking; to buoy. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. &hand; This verb is regular; but waft was formerly somtimes used, as by Shakespeare, instead of wafted.
Waft
Waft, v. i. To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
And now the shouts waft near the citadel. Dryden.

Waft
Waft, n.
1. A wave or current of wind. Everywaft of the air." Longfellow.
In this dire season, oft the whirlwind's wing Sweeps up the burden of whole wintry plains In one wide waft. Thomson.

2. A signal made by waving something, as a flag, in the air.
3. An unpleasant flavor. [Obs.]
4. (Naut.) A knot, or stop, in the middle of a flag. [Written also wheft.] &hand; A flag with a waft in it, when hoisted at the staff, or half way to the gaff, means, a man overboard; at the peak, a desire to communicate; at the masthead, Recall boats."
Waftage
Waft"age (?), n. Conveyance on a buoyant medium, as air or water. Shak.
Boats prepared for waftage to and fro. Drayton.

Wafter
Waft"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, wafts.
O Charon, Thou wafter of the soul to bliss or bane. Beau. & FL.

2. A boat for passage. Ainsworth.
Wafture
Waf"ture (?), n. The act of waving; a wavelike motion; a waft. R. Browning.
An angry wafture of your hand. Shak.

Wag
Wag (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wagging.] [OE. waggen; probably of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. vagga to rock a cradle, vagga cradle, Icel. vagga, Dan. vugge; akin to AS. wagian to move, wag, wegan to bear, carry, G. & D. bewegen to move, and E. weigh. √136. See Weigh.] To move one way and the other with quick turns; to shake to and fro; to move vibratingly; to cause to vibrate, as a part of the body; as, to wag the head.
No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure. Shak.

Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. Jer. xviii. 16.
&hand; Wag expresses specifically the motion of the head and body used in buffoonery, mirth, derision, sport, and mockery.
Wag
Wag, v. i.
1. To move one way and the other; to be shaken to and fro; to vibrate.
The resty sieve wagged ne'er the more. Dryden.

2. To be in action or motion; to move; to get along; to progress; to stir. [Colloq.]
Thus we may see," quoth he, how the world wags." Shak.

3. To go; to depart; to pack oft. [R.]
I will provoke him to 't, or let him wag. Shak.

Wag
Wag, n. [From Wag, v.]
1. The act of wagging; a shake; as, a wag of the head. [Colloq.]
2. [Perhaps shortened from wag-halter a rogue.] A man full of sport and humor; a ludicrous fellow; a humorist; a wit; a joker.
We wink at wags when they offend. Dryden.

A counselor never pleaded without a piece of pack thread in his hand, which he used to twist about a finger all the while he was speaking; the wags used to call it the thread of his discourse. Addison.

Wagati
Wa*ga"ti (?), n. (Zoöl.) A small East Indian wild cat (Felis wagati), regarded by some as a variety of the leopard cat.
Wage
Wage (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waging (?).] [OE. wagen, OF. wagier, gagier, to pledge, promise, F. gager to wager, lay, bet, fr. LL. wadium a pledge; of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. wadi a pledge, gawadjn to pledge, akin to E. wed, G. wette a wager. See Wed, and cf. Gage.]
1. To pledge; to hazard on the event of a contest; to stake; to bet, to lay; to wager; as, to wage a dollar. Hakluyt.
My life I never but as a pawn To wage against thy enemies. Shak.

2. To expose one's self to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. Too weak to wage an instant trial with the king." Shak.
To wake and wage a danger profitless. Shak.

3. To engage in, as a contest, as if by previous gage or pledge; to carry on, as a war.
[He pondered] which of all his sons was fit To reign and wage immortal war with wit. Dryden.

The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the destruction of the other. I. Taylor.

4. To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. [Obs.] Thou . . . must wage thy works for wealth." Spenser.
5. To put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to. [Obs.]
Abundance of treasure which he had in store, wherewith he might wage soldiers. Holinshed.

I would have them waged for their labor. Latimer.

6. (O. Eng. Law) To give security for the performance of. Burrill. To wage battle (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under Wager, n. Burrill. -- To wage one's law (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under Wager, n.
Wage
Wage, v. i. To bind one's self; to engage. [Obs.]
Wage
Wage, n. [OF. wage, gage, guarantee, engagement. See Wage, v. t. ]
1. That which is staked or ventured; that for which one incurs risk or danger; prize; gage. [Obs.] That warlike wage." Spenser.
2. That for which one labors; meed; reward; stipulated payment for service performed; hire; pay; compensation; -- at present generally used in the plural. See Wages. My day's wage." Sir W. Scott. At least I earned my wage." Thackeray. Pay them a wage in advance." J. Morley. The wages of virtue." Tennyson.
By Tom Thumb, a fairy page, He sent it, and doth him engage, By promise of a mighty wage, It secretly to carry. Drayton.

Our praises are our wages. Shak.

Existing legislation on the subject of wages. Encyc. Brit.
&hand; Wage is used adjectively and as the first part of compounds which are usually self-explaining; as, wage worker, or wage-worker; wage-earner, etc. Board wages. See under 1st Board. Syn. -- Hire; reward; stipend; salary; allowance; pay; compensation; remuneration; fruit.
Wagel
Wag"el (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Waggel.
Wagenboom
Wa"gen*boom` (?), n. [D., literally, wagon tree.] (Bot.) A south African proteaceous tree (Protea grandiflora); also, its tough wood, used for making wagon wheels.