Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

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Withe-rod

Withe"-rod` (?), n. (Bot.) A North American shrub (Viburnum nudum) whose tough osierlike shoots are sometimes used for binding sheaves.

Withers

With"ers (?), n. pl. [Properly, the parts which resist the pull or strain in drawing a load; fr. OE. wither resistance, AS. wi\'ebre, fr. wi\'eber against; akin to G. widerrist withers. See With, prep.] The ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse, at the base of the neck. See Illust. of Horse.

Let the galled jade wince; our withers are unwrung. Shak.

Wither-wrung

With"er-wrung` (?), a. Injured or hurt in the withers, as a horse.

Withhold

With*hold" (?), v. t. [imp. Withheld (?); p. p. Withheld, Obs. or Archaic Withholden (); p. pr. & vb. n. Withholding.] [With again, against, back + hold.]

1. To hold back; to restrain; to keep from action.

Withhold, O sovereign prince, your hasty hand From knitting league with him. Spenser.

2. To retain; to keep back; not to grant; as, to withhold assent to a proposition.

Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold Longer thy offered good. Milton.

3. To keep; to maintain; to retain. [Obs.]

To withhold it the more easily in heart. Chaucer.

Withholder

With*hold"er (?), n. One who withholds.

Withholdment

With*hold"ment (?), n. The act of withholding.

Within

With*in" (?), prep. [OE. withinne, withinnen, AS. wi\'ebinnan; wi\'eb with, against, toward + innan in, inwardly, within, from in in. See With, prep., In, prep.]

1. In the inner or interior part of; inside of; not without; as, within doors.

O, unhappy youth! Come not within these doors; within this roof The enemy of all your graces lives. Shak.

Till this be cured by religion, it is as impossible for a man to be happy -- that is, pleased and contented within himself -- as it is for a sick man to be at ease. Tillotson.

2. In the limits or compass of; not further in length than; as, within five miles; not longer in time than; as, within an hour; not exceeding in quantity; as, expenses kept within one's income. That he repair should again within a little while." Chaucer.

Within these five hours lived Lord Hastings, Untainted, unexamined, free, at liberty. Shak.

3. Hence, inside the limits, reach, or influence of; not going outside of; not beyond, overstepping, exceeding, or the like.

Both he and she are still within my power. Dryden.

Within himself The danger lies, yet lies within his power. Milton.

Were every action concluded within itself, and drew no consequence after it, we should, undoubtedly, never err in our choice of good. Locke.

Within

With*in", adv.

1. In the inner part; inwardly; internally. The wound festers within." Carew.

Ills from within thy reason must prevent. Dryden.

2. In the house; in doors; as, the master is within.

Withinforth

With*in"forth` (?), adv. Within; inside; inwardly. [Obs.] Wyclif.

[It is much greater] labor for to withinforth call into mind, without sight of the eye withoutforth upon images, what he before knew and thought upon. Bp. Peacock.

Withinside

With*in"side` (?), adv. In the inner parts; inside. [Obs.] Graves.

Without

With*out" (?), prep. [OE. withoute, withouten, AS. wi\'ebtan; wi\'eb with, against, toward + tan outside, fr.t out. See With, prep., Out.]

1. On or at the outside of; out of; not within; as, without doors.

Without the gate Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein. Dryden.

2. Out of the limits of; out of reach of; beyond.

Eternity, before the world and after, is without our reach. T. Burnet.

3. Not with; otherwise than with; in absence of, separation from, or destitution of; not with use or employment of; independently of; exclusively of; with omission; as, without labor; without damage.

I wolde it do withouten negligence. Chaucer.

Wise men will do it without a law. Bacon.

Without the separation of the two monarchies, the most advantageous terms . . . must end in our destruction. Addison.

There is no living with thee nor without thee. Tatler.

To do without. See under Do. -- Without day [a translation of L. sine die], without the appointment of a day to appear or assemble again; finally; as, the Fortieth Congress then adjourned without day. -- Without recourse. See under Recourse.
Without
With*out", conj. Unless; except; -- introducing a clause.
You will never live to my age without you keep yourselves in breath with exercise, and in heart with joyfulness. Sir P. Sidney.
&hand; Now rarely used by good writers or speakers.

Without

With*out", adv.

1. On or art the outside; not on the inside; not within; outwardly; externally.

Without were fightings, within were fears. 2 Cor. vii. 5.

2. Outside of the house; out of doors.

The people came unto the house without. Chaucer.

Without-door

With*out"-door` (?), a. Outdoor; exterior. [Obs.] Her without-door form." Shak.

Withouten

With*out"en (?), prep. Without. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Withoutforth

With*out"forth` (?), adv. Without; outside' outwardly. Cf. Withinforth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Withsay

With*say" (?), v. t. To contradict; to gainsay; to deny; to renounce. [Obs.] Gower.

If that he his Christendom withsay. Chaucer.

Withset

With*set" (?), v. t. To set against; to oppose. [Obs.] Their way he them withset." R. of Brunne.

Withstand

With*stand" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Withstood (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Withstanding.] [AS. wi&edh;standan. See With, prep., and Stand.] To stand against; to oppose; to resist, either with physical or moral force; as, to withstand an attack of troops; to withstand eloquence or arguments. Piers Plowman.

I withstood him to the face. Gal. ii. 11.

Some village Hampden, that, with dauntless breast. The little tyrant of his fields withstood. Gray.

Withstander

With*stand"er (?), n. One who withstands, or opposes; an opponent; a resisting power.

Withstood

With*stood" (?), imp. & p. p. o Withstand.

Withvine

With"vine` (?), n. [Withe + vine.] (Bot.) Quitch grass.

Withwind

With"wind` (?), n. [AS. wi&edh;owinde.] (Bot.) A kind of bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

He bare a burden ybound with a broad list, In a withewyndes wise ybounden about. Piers Plowman.

Withwine

With"wine` (?), n. (Bot.) Same as Withvine.

Withy

With"y (?), n.; pl. Withies (#). [OE. withe, wipi, AS. wīig a willow, willow twig; akin to G. weide willow, OHG. wīda, Icel. vīja, a withy, Sw. vide a willow twig, Dan. vidie a willow, osier, Gr. , and probably to L. vitis a vine, viere to plait, Russ. vite. &root;141. Cf. Wine, Withe.]

1. (Bot.) The osier willow (Salix viminalis). See Osier, n. (a).

2. A withe. See Withe, 1.

Withy

With"y, a. Made of withes; like a withe; flexible and tough; also, abounding in withes.

The stream is brimful now, and lies high in this little withy plantation. G. Eliot.

Witing

Wit"ing (?), n. [See Wit, v.] Knowledge. [Obs.] Withouten witing of any other wight." Chaucer.

Witless

Wit"less (?), a. Destitute of wit or understanding; wanting thought; hence, indiscreet; not under the guidance of judgment. Witless bravery." Shak.

A witty mother! witless else her son. Shak.

Witless pity breedeth fruitless love. Fairfax.

-- Wit"less*ly, adv. -- Wit"less*ness, n.

Witling

Wit"ling (?), n. [Wit + -ling; cf. G. witzling.] A person who has little wit or understanding; a pretender to wit or smartness.

A beau and witing perished in the forming. Pope.

Ye newspaper witlings! ye pert scribbling folks! Goldsmith.

Witness

Wit"ness (?), n. [AS. witness, gewitnes, from witan to know. &root;133. See Wit, v. i.]

1. Attestation of a fact or an event; testimony.

May we with . . . the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge? Shak.

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. John v. 31.

2. That which furnishes evidence or proof.

Laban said to Jacob, . . . This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness. Gen. xxxi. 51, 52.

3. One who is cognizant; a person who beholds, or otherwise has personal knowledge of, anything; as, an eyewitness; an earwitness. Thyself art witness I am betrothed." Shak.

Upon my looking round, I was witness to appearances which filled me with melancholy and regret. R. Hall.

4. (Law) (a) One who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; as, the witness in court agreed in all essential facts. (b) One who sees the execution of an instrument, and subscribes it for the purpose of confirming its authenticity by his testimony; one who witnesses a will, a deed, a marriage, or the like. Privileged witnesses. (Law) See under Privileged. -- With a witness, effectually; to a great degree; with great force, so as to leave some mark as a testimony. [Colloq.]

This, I confess, is haste with a witness. South.

Witness

Wit"ness, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Witnessed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Witnessing.]

1. To see or know by personal presence; to have direct cognizance of.

This is but a faint sketch of the incalculable calamities and horrors we must expect, should we ever witness the triumphs of modern infidelity. R. Hall.

General Washington did not live to witness the restoration of peace. Marshall.

2. To give testimony to; to testify to; to attest.

Behold how many things they witness against thee. Mark xv. 4.

3. (Law) To see the execution of, as an instrument, and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity; as, to witness a bond or a deed.

Witness

Wit"ness, v. i. To bear testimony; to give evidence; to testify. Chaucer.

The men of Belial witnessed against him. 1 Kings xxi. 13.

The witnessing of the truth was then so generally attended with this event [martyrdom] that martyrdom now signifies not only to witness, but to witness to death. South.

Witnesser

Wit"ness*er (?), n. One who witness.

Wit-snapper

Wit"-snap`per (?), n. One who affects repartee; a wit-cracker. [Obs.] Shak.

Wit-starved

Wit"-starved` (?), a. Barren of wit; destitute of genius. Examiner.

Witted

Wit"ted (?), a. Having (such) a wit or understanding; as, a quick-witted boy.

Witticaster

Wit"tic*as`ter (?), n. [Formed like criticaster.] A witling. [R.] Milton.

Witticism

Wit"ti*cism (?), n. [From Witty.] A witty saying; a sentence or phrase which is affectedly witty; an attempt at wit; a conceit. Milton.

He is full of conceptions, points of epigram, and witticisms; all which are below the dignity of heroic verse. Addison.

Wittified

Wit"ti*fied (?), a. [Witty + -fy + -ed.] Possessed of wit; witty. [R.] R. North.

Witily

Wi"ti*ly, adv. In a witty manner; wisely; ingeniously; artfully; with it; with a delicate turn or phrase, or with an ingenious association of ideas.

Who his own harm so wittily contrives. Dryden.

Wittiness

Wit"ti*ness, n. The quality of being witty.

Wittingly

Wit"ting*ly (?), adv. [See Wit, v.] Knowingly; with knowledge; by design.

Wittol

Wit"tol (?), n. [Said to be for white tail, and so called in allusion to its white tail; but cf. witwal.]

1. (Zoöl.) The wheatear. [Prov. Eng.]

2. A man who knows his wife's infidelity and submits to it; a tame cuckold; -- so called because the cuckoo lays its eggs in the wittol's nest. [Obs.] Shak.

Wittolly

Wit"tol*ly (?), a. Like a wittol; cuckoldly. [Obs.] Shak.

Witts

Witts (?), n. (Mining) Tin ore freed from earthy matter by stamping. Knight.

Witty

Wit"ty (?), a. [Compar. Wittier (?); superl. Wittiest.] [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]

1. Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [Obs.] The deep-revolving witty Buckingham." Shak.

2. Especially, possessing wit or humor; good at repartee; droll; facetious; sometimes, sarcastic; as, a witty remark, poem, and the like. Honeycomb, who was so unmercifully witty upon the women." Addison. Syn. -- Acute; smart; sharp; arch; keen; facetious; amusing; humorous; satirical; ironical; taunting.

Witwal, Witwall

Wit"wal`, Wit"wall` (?), n. [Akin to G. wittewal, wiedewall, MHG. witewal, D. wiedewaal, wielewaal, OD. weduwael, and perhaps the same word as OE. wodewale. Cf. Wood, n., Wittol.] (Zoöl.) (a) The golden oriole. (b) The greater spotted woodpecker. [Prov. Eng.]
Witworm
Wit"worm` (?), n. One who, or that which, feeds on or destroys wit. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Wive
Wive, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wived (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wiving.] [AS. wīfian, gewīfian. See Wite.] To marry, as a man; to take a wife.
Wherefore we pray you hastily to wive. Chaucer.

Wive
Wive, v. t.
1. To match to a wife; to provide with a wife. An I could get me but a wife . . . I were manned, horsed, and wived." Shak.
2. To take for a wife; to marry.
I have wived his sister. Sir W. Scott.

Wivehood
Wive"hood (?), n. Wifehood. [Obs.] Spenser.
Wiveless
Wive"less, a. Wifeless. [Obs.] Homilies.
Wively
Wive"ly, a. Wifely. [Obs.] Udall.
Wiver, Wivern
Wiv"er (?), Wiv"ern (?), n. [OE. wivere a serpent, OF. wivre, guivre, F. givre, guivre, wiver, from L. vipera; probably influenced by OHG. wipera, from the Latin. See Viper, and cf. Weever.]
1. (Her.) A fabulous two-legged, winged creature, like a cockatrice, but having the head of a dragon, and without spurs. [Written also wyvern.]
The jargon of heraldry, its griffins, its mold warps, its wiverns, and its dragons. Sir W. Scott.

2. (Zoöl.) The weever.
Wives
Wives (?), n., pl of Wife.
Wizard
Wiz"ard (?), n. [Probably from wise + -ard.]
1. A wise man; a sage. [Obs.]
See how from far upon the eastern road The star-led wizards [Magi] haste with odors sweet! Milton.

2. One devoted to the black art; a magician; a conjurer; a sorcerer; an enchanter.
The wily wizard must be caught. Dryden.

Wizard
Wiz"ard, a.
1. Enchanting; charming. Collins.
2. Haunted by wizards.
Where Deva spreads her wizard stream. Milton.

Wizardly
Wiz"ard*ly, a. Resembling or becoming a wizard; wizardlike; weird.
Wizardry
Wiz"ard*ry (?), n. The character or practices o wizards; sorcery; magic. He acquired a reputation bordering on wizardry." J. A. Symonds.
Wizen
Wiz"en (?), v. i. [OE. wisenen, AS. wisnian akin to weornian to decay, OHG. wesann to grow dry, G. verwesen to rot, Icel. visna to wither, Sw. vissna, Dan. visne, and probably to L. virus an offensive odor, poison. Cf. Virus.] To wither; to dry. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Wizen
Wiz"en, a. Wizened; thin; weazen; withered.
A little lonely, wizen, strangely clad boy. Dickens.

Wizen
Wiz"en, n. The weasand. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Wizened
Wiz"ened (?), a. Dried; shriveled; withered; shrunken; weazen; as, a wizened old man.
Wizen-faced
Wiz"en-faced` (?), a. Having a shriveled, thin, withered face.
Wlatsome
Wlat"some (?), a. [AS. wlatian to disgust, irk, wltta loathing.] Loathsome; disgusting; hateful. [Obs.]
Murder is . . . wlatsom and abhominable to God. Chaucer.

Wo
Wo (?), n. & a. See Woe. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Woad
Woad (?), n. [OE. wod, AS. wād; akin to D. weede, G. waid, OHG. weit, Dan. vaid, veid, Sw. veide, L. vitrum.] [Written also wad, and wade.]
1. (Bot.) An herbaceous cruciferous plant (Isatis tinctoria). It was formerly cultivated for the blue coloring matter derived from its leaves.
2. A blue dyestuff, or coloring matter, consisting of the powdered and fermented leaves of the Isatis tinctoria. It is now superseded by indigo, but is somewhat used with indigo as a ferment in dyeing.
Their bodies . . . painted with woad in sundry figures. Milton.
Wild woad (Bot.), the weld (Reseda luteola). See Weld. -- Woad mill, a mill grinding and preparing woad.
Woaded
Woad"ed, a. Colored or stained with woad. Man tattoed or woaded, winter-clad in skins." Tennyson.
Woad-waxen
Woad"-wax`en (?), n. [Cf. Wood-wax.] (Bot.) 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.
Woald
Woald (?), n. See Weld.
Wobble
Wob"ble (?), v. i. See Wabble.
Wode
Wode (?), a. [AS. w&omac;d.] Mad. See Wood, a. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer.
Wode
Wode, n. Wood. Chaucer.
Wodegeld
Wode"geld` (?), n. [See Wood, and Geld.] (O. Eng. Law) A geld, or payment, for wood. Burrill.
Woden
Wo"den (?), n. [AS. Wden; akin to OS. Wdan, OHG. Wuotan, Icel. O\'ebinn, and probably to E. wood, a. Cf. Wednesday.] (Northern Myth.) A deity corresponding to Odin, the supreme deity of the Scandinavians. Wednesday is named for him. See Odin.