Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Page 1646

&hand; Whifflers, or fifers, generally went first in a procession, from which circumstance the name was transferred to other persons who succeeded to that office, and at length was given to those who went forward merely to clear the way for the procession. . . . In the city of London, young freemen, who march at the head of their proper companies on the Lord Mayor's day, sometimes with flags, were called whifflers, or bachelor whifflers, not because they cleared the way, but because they went first, as whifflers did." Nares.

4. (Zoöl) The golden-eye. [Local, U.S.]

Whiffletree

Whif"fle*tree` (?), n. Same as Whippletree.

Whig

Whig (?), n. [See Whey.] Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet herbs, used as a cooling beverage. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Whig

Whig, n. [Said to be from whiggam, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, whiggamore one who drives horses (a term applied to some western Scotchmen), contracted to whig. In 1648, a party of these people marched to Edinburgh to oppose the king and the duke of Hamilton (the Whiggamore raid), and hence the name of Whig was given to the party opposed to the court. Cf. Scot. whig to go quickly.]

1. (Eng. Politics) One of a political party which grew up in England in the seventeenth century, in the reigns of Charles I. and II., when great contests existed respecting the royal prerogatives and the rights of the people. Those who supported the king in his high claims were called Tories, and the advocates of popular rights, of parliamentary power over the crown, and of toleration to Dissenters, were, after 1679, called Whigs. The terms Liberal and Radical have now generally superseded Whig in English politics. See the note under Tory.

2. (Amer. Hist.) (a) A friend and supporter of the American Revolution; -- opposed to Tory, and Royalist. (b) One of the political party in the United States from about 1829 to 1856, opposed in politics to the Democratic party.

Whig

Whig, a. Of or pertaining to the Whigs.

Whiggamore

Whig"ga*more (?), n. [See Whig.] A Whig; -- a cant term applied in contempt to Scotch Presbyterians. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Whiggarchy

Whig"gar*chy (?), n. [Whig + -archy.] Government by Whigs. [Cont] Swift.

Whiggery

Whig"ger*y (?), n. The principles or practices of the Whigs; Whiggism.

Whiggish

Whig"gish (?), a. Of or pertaining to Whigs; partaking of, or characterized by, the principles of Whigs.

Whiggishly

Whig"gish*ly, adv. In a Whiggish manner.

Whiggism

Whig"gism (?), n. The principles of the Whigs.

Whigling

Whig"ling (?), n. A petty or inferior Whig; -- used in contempt. Spectator.

While

While (?), n. [AS. hwīl; akin to OS. hwīl, hwīla, OFries. hwīle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wīla, hwīla, hwīl, Icel. hvīla a bed, hvīld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. &root;20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

1. Space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent. All this while." Shak.

This mighty queen may no while endure. Chaucer.

[Some guest that] hath outside his welcome while, And tells the jest without the smile. Coleridge.

I will go forth and breathe the air a while. Longfellow.

2. That which requires time; labor; pains. [Obs.]

Satan . . . cast him how he might quite her while. Chaucer.

At whiles, at times; at intervals.

And so on us at whiles it falls, to claim Powers that we dread. J. H. Newman.

-- The while, The whiles, in or during the time that; meantime; while. Tennyson. -- Within a while, in a short time; soon. -- Worth while, worth the time which it requires; worth the time and pains; hence, worth the expense; as, it is not always worth while for a man to prosecute for small debts.

While

While, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whiling.] To cause to pass away pleasantly or without irksomeness or disgust; to spend or pass; -- usually followed by away.

The lovely lady whiled the hours away. Longfellow.

While

While, v. i. To loiter. [R.] Spectator.

While

While, conj.

1. During the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep. While I have time and space." Chaucer.

Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it. I. Watts.

2. Hence, under which circumstances; in which case; though; whereas. While as, While that, during or at the time that. [Obs.]

While

While, prep. Until; till. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight. Beau. & Fl.

Whilere

Whil`ere" (?), adv. [While + ere] A little while ago; recently; just now; erewhile. [Obs.]

Helpeth me now as I did you whilere. Chaucer.

He who, with all heaven's heraldry, whilere Entered the world. Milton.

Whiles

Whiles (?), adv. [See While, n., and -wards.]

1. Meanwhile; meantime. [R.]

The good knight whiles humming to himself the lay of some majored troubadour. Sir. W. Scott.

2. sometimes; at times. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott. The whiles. See under While, n.

Whiles

Whiles, conj. During the time that; while. [Archaic] Chaucer. Fuller.

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him. Matt. v. 25.

Whilk

Whilk (?), n. [See Whelk a mollusk.]

1. (Zoöl.) A kind of mollusk, a whelk. [Prov. Eng.]

2. (Zoöl.) The scoter. [Prov. Eng.]

Whilk

Whilk, pron. Which. [Obs. or Scot.] &hand; Whilk is sometimes used in Chaucer to represent the Northern dialect.

Whilom

Whi"lom (?), adv. [AS. hwīlum, properly, at times, dative pl. of hwīl; akin to G. weiland formerly, OHG. hwīlm, See While, n.] Formerly; once; of old; erewhile; at times. [Obs. or Poetic] Spenser.

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, There was a duke that highte Theseus. Chaucer.

Whilst

Whilst (?), adv. [From Whiles; cf. Amongst.] While. [Archaic]

Whilst the emperor lay at Antioch. Gibbon.

The whilst, in the meantime; while. [Archaic.] Shak.

Whim

Whim (?), n. [Cf. Whimbrel.] (Zoöl.) The European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]

Whim

Whim, n. [Cf. Icel. hwima to wander with the eyes, vim giddiness, Norw. kvima to whisk or flutter about, to trifle, Dan. vimse to skip, whisk, jump from one thing to another, dial. Sw. hvimsa to be unsteady, dizzy, W. chwimio to move briskly.]

1. A sudden turn or start of the mind; a temporary eccentricity; a freak; a fancy; a capricious notion; a humor; a caprice.

Let every man enjoy his whim. Churchill.

2. (Mining) A large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes; -- called also whim gin, and whimsey. Whim gin (Mining), a whim. See Whim, 2. -- Whim shaft (Mining), a shaft through which ore, water, etc., is raised from a mine by means of a whim. Syn. -- Freak; caprice; whimsey; fancy. -- Whim, Freak, Caprice. Freak denotes an impulsive, inconsiderate change of mind, as by a child or a lunatic. Whim is a mental eccentricity due to peculiar processes or habits of thought. Caprice is closely allied in meaning to freak, but implies more definitely a quality of willfulness or wantonness.

Whim

Whim, v. i. To be subject to, or indulge in, whims; to be whimsical, giddy, or freakish. [R.] Congreve.

Whimbrel

Whim"brel (?), n. [Cf. Whimper.] (Zoöl) Any one of several species of small curlews, especially the European species (Numenius phæopus), called also Jack curlew, half curlew, stone curlew, and tang whaup. See Illustration in Appendix. Hudsonian or, Eskimo, whimbreal, the Hudsonian curlew.

Whimling

Whim"ling (?), n. [Whim + -ling.] One given to whims; hence, a weak, childish person; a child.

Go, whimling, and fetch two or three grating loaves. Beau. & Fl.

Whimmy

Whim"my (?), a. Full of whims; whimsical.

The study of Rabbinical literature either finds a man whimmy or makes him so. Coleridge.

Whimper

Whim"per (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whimpered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whimpering.] [Cf. Scot. whimmer, G. wimmern.] To cry with a low, whining, broken voice; to whine; to complain; as, a child whimpers.

Was there ever yet preacher but there were gainsayers that spurned, that winced, that whimpered against him? Latimer.

Whimper

Whim"per, v. t. To utter in alow, whining tone.

Whimper

Whim"per, n. A low, whining, broken cry; a low, whining sound, expressive of complaint or grief.

Whimperer

Whim"per*er (?), n. One who whimpers.

Whimple

Whim"ple (?), v. t. See Wimple.

Whimple

Whim"ple, v. i. [Cf. Whiffle.] To whiffle; to veer.

Whimsey, Whimsy

Whim"sey, Whimsy (?), n.; pl. Whimseys (#) or Whimsies (#). [See Whim.]
1. A whim; a freak; a capricious notion, a fanciful or odd conceit. The whimsies of poets and painters." Ray.
Men's folly, whimsies, and inconstancy. Swift.

Mistaking the whimseys of a feverish brain for the calm revelation of truth. Bancroft.

2. (Mining) A whim.
Whimsey
Whim"sey, v. t. To fill with whimseys, or whims; to make fantastic; to craze. [R.]
To have a man's brain whimsied with his wealth. J. Fletcher.

Whimsical
Whim"si*cal (?), a. [From Whimsey.]
1. Full of, or characterized by, whims; actuated by a whim; having peculiar notions; queer; strange; freakish. A whimsical insult." Macaulay.
My neighbors call me whimsical. Addison.

2. Odd or fantastic in appearance; quaintly devised; fantastic. A whimsical chair." Evelyn. Syn. -- Quaint; capricious; fanciful; fantastic.
Whimsicality
Whim`si*cal"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being whimsical; whimsicalness.
Whimsically
Whim"si*cal*ly (?), adv. In a whimsical manner; freakishly.
Whimsicalness
Whim"si*cal*ness, n. The quality or state of being whimsical; freakishness; whimsical disposition.
Whimsy
Whim"sy (?), n. A whimsey.
Whimwham
Whim"wham (?), n. [Formed from whim by reduplication.]
1. A whimsical thing; an odd device; a trifle; a trinket; a gimcrack. [R.]
They'll pull ye all to pieces for your whimwhams. Bear. & Fl.

2. A whim, or whimsey; a freak.
Whin
Whin (?), n. [W. chwyn weeds, a single weed.]
1. (Bot.) (a) Gorse; furze. See Furze.
Through the whins, and by the cairn. Burns.
(b) Woad-waxed. Gray.
2. Same as Whinstone. [Prov. Eng.] Moor whin ∨ Petty whin (Bot.), a low prickly shrub (Genista Anglica) common in Western Europe. -- Whin bruiser, a machine for cutting and bruising whin, or furze, to feed cattle on. -- Whin Sparrow (Zoöl.), the hedge sparrow. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whin Thrush (Zoöl.), the redwing. [Prov. Eng.]
Whinberry
Whin"ber*ry (?), n. (Bot.) The English bilberry; -- so called because it grows on moors among the whins, or furze. Dr. Prior.
Whinchat
Whin"chat` (?), n. [So called because it frequents whins.] (Zoöl.) A small warbler (Pratincola rubetra) common in Europe; -- called also whinchacker, whincheck, whin-clocharet.
Whine
Whine (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whining.] [OE. whinen, AS. hwīnan to make a whistling, whizzing sound; akin to Icel. hvīna, Sw. hvina, Dan. hvine, and probably to G. wiehern to neigh, OHG. wihn, hweijn; perhaps of imitative origin. Cf. Whinny, v. i.] To utter a plaintive cry, as some animals; to mean with a childish noise; to complain, or to tell of sorrow, distress, or the like, in a plaintive, nasal tone; hence, to complain or to beg in a mean, unmanly way; to moan basely. Whining plovers." Spenser.
The hounds were . . . staying their coming, but with a whining accent, craving liberty. Sir P. Sidney.

Dost thou come here to whine? Shak.

Whine
Whine, v. t. To utter or express plaintively, or in a mean, unmanly way; as, to whine out an excuse.
Whine
Whine, n. A plaintive tone; the nasal, childish tone of mean complaint; mean or affected complaint.
Whiner
Whin"er (?), n. One who, or that which, whines.
Whinge
Whinge (?), v. i. To whine. [Scot.] Burns.
Whinger
Whing"er, n. [See Whinyard.] A kind of hanger or sword used as a knife at meals and as a weapon. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
The chief acknowledged that he had corrected her with his whinger. Sir W. Scott.

Whiningly
Whin"ing*ly (?), adv. In a whining manner; in a tone of mean complaint.
Whinner
Whin"ner (?), v. i. To whinny. [Colloq.]
Whinny
Whin"ny (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whinnied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whinnying.] [From Whine] To utter the ordinary call or cry of a horse; to neigh.
Whinny
Whin"ny, n.; pl. Whinnies (). The ordinary cry or call of a horse; a neigh. The stately horse . . . stooped with a low whinny." Tennyson.
Whinny
Whin"ny, a. Abounding in whin, gorse, or furze.
A fine, large, whinny, . . . unimproved common. Sterne.

Whinock
Whin"ock (?), n. [Cf. Scot. whin, quhene, a few, AS. hwne, hwne, a little, hwn little, few. Cf. Wheen.] The small pig of a litter. [Local, U. S.]
Whinstone
Whin"stone" (?), n. [Whin + stone; cf. Scot. quhynstane.] A provincial name given in England to basaltic rocks, and applied by miners to other kind of dark-colored unstratified rocks which resist the point of the pick. -- for example, to masses of chert. Whin-dikes, and whin-sills, are names sometimes given to veins or beds of basalt.
Whinyard
Whin"yard (?), n. [Cf. Prov. E. & Scot. whingar, whinger; perhaps from AS. winn contention, war + geard, gyrd, a staff, rod, yard; or cf. AS. hwīnan to whistle, E. whine.]
1. A sword, or hanger. [Obs.]
2. [From the shape of the bill.] (Zoöl) (a) The shoveler. [Prov. Eng.] (b) The poachard. [Prov. Eng.]
Whip
Whip (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whipped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whipping.] [OE. whippen to overlay, as a cord, with other cords, probably akin to G. & D. wippen to shake, to move up and down, Sw. vippa, Dan. vippe to swing to and fro, to shake, to toss up, and L. vibrare to shake. Cf. Vibrate.]
1. To strike with a lash, a cord, a rod, or anything slender and lithe; to lash; to beat; as, to whip a horse, or a carpet.
2. To drive with lashes or strokes of a whip; to cause to rotate by lashing with a cord; as, to whip a top.
3. To punish with a whip, scourge, or rod; to flog; to beat; as, to whip a vagrant; to whip one with thirty nine lashes; to whip a perverse boy.
Who, for false quantities, was whipped at school. Dryden.

4. To apply that which hurts keenly to; to lash, as with sarcasm, abuse, or the like; to apply cutting language to.
They would whip me with their fine wits. Shak.

5. To thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking; as, to whip wheat.
6. To beat (eggs, cream, or the like) into a froth, as with a whisk, fork, or the like.
7. To conquer; to defeat, as in a contest or game; to beat; to surpass. [Slang, U. S.]
8. To overlay (a cord, rope, or the like) with other cords going round and round it; to overcast, as the edge of a seam; to wrap; -- often with about, around, or over.
Its string is firmly whipped about with small gut. Moxon.

9. To sew lightly; specifically, to form (a fabric) into gathers by loosely overcasting the rolled edge and drawing up the thread; as, to whip a ruffle.
In half-whipped muslin needles useless lie. Gay.

10. To take or move by a sudden motion; to jerk; to snatch; -- with into, out, up, off, and the like.
She, in a hurry, whips up her darling under her arm. L'Estrange.

He whips out his pocketbook every moment, and writes descriptions of everything he sees. Walpole.

11. (Naut.) (a) To hoist or purchase by means of a whip. (b) To secure the end of (a rope, or the like) from untwisting by overcasting it with small stuff.
12. To fish (a body of water) with a rod and artificial fly, the motion being that employed in using a whip.
Whipping their rough surface for a trout. Emerson.
To whip in, to drive in, or keep from scattering, as hounds in a hurt; hence, to collect, or to keep together, as member of a party, or the like. -- To whip the cat. (a) To practice extreme parsimony. [Prov. Eng.] Forby. (b) To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do. [Prov. & U. S.]