Front matter (continued 21)

Winsey=Wincey (q.v.).

Winsome, win′sum, adj. cheerful: pleasant: attractive.—adv. Win′somely.—n. Win′someness. [A.S. wyn-sum, pleasant—wyn, joy (Ger. wonne).]

Winter, win′tėr, n. the cold season of the year: a year: any season of cheerlessness: the last corn of the harvest, a harvest festival.—adj. wintry.—v.i. to pass the winter.—v.t. to feed, or to detain, during winter.—ns. Win′ter-app′le, an apple that keeps well in winter, or that does not ripen till winter; Win′ter-bar′ley, a kind of barley which is sown in autumn.—adj. Win′ter-beat′en (Spens.), beaten or injured by the cold of winter.—ns. Win′ter-berr′y, a name given to several shrubs of the genus Ilex, growing in the eastern parts of North America; Win′ter-bloom, the witch-hazel; Win′ter-bourne, an intermittent spring in the chalk-districts; Win′ter-cherr′y, one of the Solanaceæ, a plant with edible red berries—also called in the United States Strawberry-tomatoes: the Balloon-vine, having large triangular, inflated fruit.—adj. Win′ter-clad, warmly clad.—ns. Win′ter-clov′er, the partridge-berry; Win′ter-cress, a cruciferous plant, cultivated for winter salad; Win′ter-crop, a crop that will endure the winter, or that yields fodder in winter-time.—adj. Win′tered, having seen many winters: exposed to winter: (Shak.) worn in winter.—ns. Win′ter-fall′ow, a fallow made in the winter; Win′ter-gar′den, an ornamental garden for winter; Win′ter-green, a plant of genus Pyrola, also of Chimaphila: a plant of genus Gualtheria, whose oil is an aromatic stimulant, used chiefly in flavouring confectionery and syrups.—v.t. Win′ter-ground (Shak.), to protect, as a plant, from the inclemency of winter.—ns. Win′ter-lodge, -lodg′ment, the hibernacle of a plant.—adj. Win′terly, cheerless.—n.pl. Win′ter-quar′ters, the quarters of an army during winter: a winter residence.—ns. Win′ter-sett′le, an old word for a winter dwelling; Win′ter-tide, winter: Win′ter-wheat, wheat sown in autumn; Win′triness.—adjs. Win′try, Win′tery, resembling, or suitable to, winter: stormy. [A.S. winter; Ger. winter; of uncertain origin; not conn. with wind.]

Winter, win′tėr, n. an appliance for fixing on the front of a grate, to keep warm a tea-kettle or the like.

Winter's-bark, win′tėrs-bärk, n. a stimulant, aromatic, and tonic bark, named from Captain Winter, who first brought it from the Strait of Magellan in 1579.

Wintle, win′tl v.i. (Scot.) to stagger.—n. a stagger.

Winy, wī′ni, adj. having the qualities of, or resembling, wine: influenced by wine.

Winze, winz, n. (Scot.) a curse. [Wish.]

Winze, winz, n. in mining, a small ventilating shaft between two levels. [Prob. related to winnow.]

Wipe, wīp, v.t. to clean by rubbing (with away, off, out): cleanse, clear away: to apply solder to with a piece of cloth or leather: (coll.) to beat.—n. act of cleaning by rubbing: a blow: a scar: (slang) handkerchief.—ns. Wī′per; Wī′ping, the act of wiping: a thrashing. [A.S. wípian; cf. Low Ger. wiep, a wisp.]

Wire, wīr, n. a thread of metal: the metal thread used in telegraphy, &c.: the string of an instrument: the slender shaft of the plumage of certain birds: a telegram: (slang) a clever pickpocket: (Shak.) the lash, scourge.—adj. formed of wire.—v.t. to bind, snare, or supply with wire: to keep the ends of a broken bone together with wire: to send by telegraph.—v.i. to telegraph.—n. Wire′-bridge, a suspension-bridge.—adj. Wired, having wiry feathers.—n. Wire′-dan′cer, a performer on a tight wire.—v.t. Wire′-draw, to draw into wire: to draw or spin out to a great length: to strain or stretch the meaning of anything.—ns. Wire′drawer; Wire′drawing.—adj. Wire′drawn, spun out into needless fine distinctions.—ns. Wire′-gauze, a kind of stiff close fabric made of fine wire; Wire′-grass, a kind of fine meadow-grass; Wire′-guard, wire-netting placed in front of a fire; Wire′-heel, a defect or disease of the foot; Wire′-man, one who puts up or takes care of wires; Wire′-net′ting, Wire′work, a texture of wire woven in the form of a net; Wire′-pull′er, one who exercises an influence felt but not seen, as if the actors were his puppets and he pulled the wires that move them: an intriguer; Wire′-pull′ing; Wī′rer, a snarer; Wire′-rope, a rope of twisted iron or steel.—adj. Wire′-sewed, -stitched, sewed with wire instead of thread.—ns. Wire′way, transportation by means of wires; Wire′work, articles made of wire; Wire′worker; Wire′working; Wire′-worm, a name given to the larvæ of click-beetles, from their slenderness and uncommon hardness, very injurious to root, grain, and fodder crops.—adj. Wire′wove, denoting a fine glazed quality of writing-paper.—adv. Wī′rily.—n. Wī′riness, the state of being wiry.—adj. Wī′ry, made of, or like, wire: flexible and strong.—Wire away, or in, to act with vigour.—Pull the wires (see Wire-puller above). [A.S. wír; Ice. vírr; perh. conn. with L. viriæ, bracelets.]

Wis, wis, v. (in the form I wis) erroneously used as 'I know.' [I wis is the M. E. adv. i-wis—A.S. ge-wis, certainly; cf. Ger. ge-wiss.]

Wisard, wiz′ard, n. Same as Wizard.

Wisdom, wiz′dum, n. quality of being wise: judgment: right use of knowledge: learning: (B.) skilfulness, speculation, spiritual perception: the apocryphal Book of the Wisdom of Solomon (see Apocrypha).—n. Wis′dom-tooth, a large double back-tooth, so called because it appears late, when people are supposed to have arrived at the age of wisdom. [A.S. wísdóm, wisdom. Cf. Wise.]

Wise, wīz, adj. having wit or knowledge: able to make use of knowledge well: judging rightly: discreet: learned: skilful: dictated by wisdom: containing wisdom: pious, godly.—adjs. Wise′-heart′ed, having wisdom: prudent; Wise′-like (Scot.), sensible, judicious: looking as if capable of playing one's part well.—n. Wise′ling, one who pretends to be wise.—adv. Wise′ly.—n. Wise′ness.—Wise woman, a witch: (Scot.) a midwife.—Never the wiser, still in ignorance. [A.S. wís; Ger. weise; from root of wit.]

Wise, wīz, v.t. (Scot.) to guide in a certain direction, to incline.

Wise, wīz, n. way, manner.—In any wise, In no wise, in any way, in no way; On this wise, in this way. [A.S. wíse, orig. wiseness; Ger. weise; akin to wise (1) and wit. Doublet guise.]

Wiseacre, wī′zā-kėr, n. one who pretends to wisdom without grounds, a simpleton quite unconscious of being such. [Perh. through the medium of Dutch from Ger. weissager, a soothsayer, weissagen, to foretell—Old High Ger. wīzago, a prophet.]

Wish, wish, v.i. to have a desire: to long (so in B.): to be inclined.—v.t. to desire or long for: to ask: to invoke: (Shak.) to recommend.—n. desire, longing: thing desired: expression of desire.—n. Wish′er.—adj. Wish′ful, having a wish or desire: eager.—adv. Wish′fully.—ns. Wish′fulness; Wish′ing-bone, Wish′-bone, the furcula or merrythought of a fowl; Wish′ing-cap, a cap by wearing which one obtains everything he wishes. [A.S. wýscan—wúsc, a wish; Ger. wünschen, Sw. önska.]

Wishtonwish, wish′ton-wish, n. the North American prairie-dog. [Amer. Ind.]

Wish-wash, wish′-wosh, n. (coll.) anything wishy-washy.—adj. Wish′y-wash′y, thin and weak, diluted, feeble. [Formed from wash.]

Wisket, wis′ket, n. (prov.) a basket.

Wisp, wisp, n. a small bundle of straw or hay: a small broom: will-o'-the-wisp: a disease affecting the feet of cattle.—v.t. to rub down with a wisp.—adj. Wis′py, like a wisp. [M. E. wisp, wips, conn. with wipe; cf. Low Ger. wiep, Norw. vippa, a wisp.]

Wist, wist, v.pa.t. (B.) knew. [A.S. wiste, pa.t. of witan, 3d pers. sing. pr.t. wát, to know. Cf. Wit.]

Wistaria, wis-tā′ri-a, n. a genus of leguminous plants, some of the species amongst the most magnificent ornamental climbers known in English gardens, named from the American anatomist, Caspar Wistar (1761-1818).

Wistful, wist′fōōl, adj. hushed: full of thought: thoughtful: earnest: eager, wishful, longing.—adv. Wist′fully.—n. Wist′fulness.—adv. Wist′ly (Shak.), silently, earnestly. [Most prob. for whistful, whistly—i.e. silently; and not conn. with wish. Skeat, however, makes it a substitution for wishful, confused with wisly=certainly—Ice. viss, certain (distinct from, yet allied to, víss, wise).]

Wistiti=Ouistiti (q.v.)—Wis′tit (obs.).

Wit, wit, v.i. to know:—pr.t. 1st pers. sing. Wot; 2d, Wost (erroneously Wot′test); 3d, Wot (erroneously Wot′teth):—pl. 1st, 2d, 3d, Wot; pa.t. Wist (erroneously Wot′ted); pr.p. Wit′ting, Weet′ing (erroneously Wot′ting); pa.p. Wist.—To do to wit, to cause to know; To wit, that is to say—the A.S. gerund tó witanne. [A.S. witan, to know (pr.t. ic wát, þu wást, he wát, pl. witon; pa.t. wiste—also wisse, pl. wiston, pa.p. wist); Goth. witan, Ger. wissen; cf. L. vidēre, Gr. idein.]

Wit, wit, n. understanding: a mental faculty (chiefly in pl.): the power of combining ideas with a ludicrous effect, the result of this power: ingenuity: (rare) imagination: (obs.) information.—adj. Wit′less, wanting wit or understanding: thoughtless.—adv. Wit′lessly.—ns. Wit′lessness; Wit′ling, one who has little wit: a pretender to wit; Wit′-mong′er, a poor would-be wit; Wit′-snap′per (Shak.), one who affects wit or repartee.—adj. Wit′ted, having wit or understanding.—n. Witticism (wit′i-sizm), a witty remark: a sentence or phrase affectedly witty.—adv. Wit′tily.—n. Wit′tiness.—adv. Wit′tingly, knowingly: by design.—adj. Wit′ty, possessed of wit: amusing: droll: sarcastic: (B.) ingenious: (Shak.) wise, discreet.—v.i. Wit′wanton, to indulge in irreverent wit.—At one's wits' end, utterly perplexed; Live by one's wits, to live in a haphazard manner by any shift; The five wits, the five senses. [A.S. wit, from the verb above.]

Wit, wit, n. a person of understanding or judgment, esp. a person who has a keen perception of the ludicrous and can express it neatly. [Perh. a use of the preceding word; others trace through A.S. wita, gewita, a counsellor—witan, to know.]

Witan, wit′an, n.pl. members of the Witenagemot. [Pl. of A.S. wita, a man of knowledge. See preceding words.]

Witch, wich, n. a woman regarded as having supernatural or magical power and knowledge through compact with the devil or some minor evil spirit: a hag, crone: (coll.) a fascinating young girl: (Shak.) a wizard.—v.t. to bewitch, to effect by means of witchcraft.—ns. Witch′craft, the craft or practice of witches: the black art, sorcery: supernatural power; Witch′-doc′tor, a medicine-man; Witch′ery, witchcraft: fascination; Witch′es'-broom, a popular name for the broom-like tufts of branches developed on the silver-fir, birch, cherry, &c. by means of an uredineous fungus; Witch′es'-but′ter, a dark-brown fungus (see Nostoc); Witch′es'-thim′ble, the sea-campion; Witch′-find′er, one whose business was to detect witches.—adj. Witch′ing, weird: fascinating.—adv. Witch′ingly.—ns. Witch′-knot, a knot, esp. in the hair, tied by means of witchcraft; Witch′-meal, the inflammable pollen of the club-moss.—adj. Witch′-ridd′en, ridden by witches.—n. Witch′-wife, a woman who practises witchcraft. [M. E. wicche (both masc. and fem.)—A.S. wicca (masc.), wicce (fem.), wizard, witch; prob. reduced from wítega, wítiga, witga, a seer (Old High Ger. wīzago)—a supposed adj. wítig, seeing—wítan, to see, allied to witan, to know. For the change, cf. Orchard—A.S. ortgeard. Cf. Wit and Wicked.]

Witch, Witch-elm, wich, wich′-elm, n. the common wild elm—also Witch′-hā′zel.—n. Witch′en, the mountain-ash or rowan. [A.S. wice, the service-tree—wícan, to bend.]

Wit-cracker, wit′-krak′ėr, n. (Shak.) a joker, jester.

Wite, wīt, v.t. (Spens.) to blame, to reproach.—n. (Spens.) blame, reproach.—adj. Wite′less (Spens.), blameless. [A.S. wítan, to punish, fine (Ice. víta); ult. conn. with witan, to know.]

Witenagemot, wit′e-na-ge-mōt′, n. the supreme council of England in Anglo-Saxon times, composed of the bishops, the ealdormen of shires, and a number of the king's friends and dependents, the king's thanes. It was thus purely a council of royal officers and territorial magnates, not at all resembling the representative House of Commons. [A.S. witena gemót—wita, a wise man, gemót, a meeting.]

With, n. Same as Withe.

With, with, prep. denoting nearness, agreement, or connection: by: in competition or contrast: on the side of: immediately after: among: possessing: in respect of, in the regard of: like: by, by means of, through: showing, using: from.—adv. Withal′, with all or the rest: likewise: moreover.—prep. an emphatic form of with.—With that, thereupon. [A.S. wið; Ice. við, Ger. wider. It absorbed the A.S. mid, with (Ger. mit).]

Withdraw, with-draw′, v.t. to draw back or away: to take back: to recall.—v.i. to retire: to go away.—ns. Withdraw′al, Withdraw′ment; Withdraw′er; Withdraw′ing-room, a room used to retire into: a drawing-room. [Pfx. with-, against, and draw.]

Withe, with, or wīth, Withy, with′y, n. a flexible twig, esp. of willow: a band of twisted twigs: an elastic handle to a tool to save the hand from the shock of blows: a boom-iron.—adj. Withy (with′i or wī′thi), made of withes: like withes, flexible. [A.S. withthe, a form of withig, a withy; Ice. vidhir, Ger. weide, willow.]

Wither, with′ėr, v.i. to fade or become dry: to lose freshness: to shrink: waste.—v.t. to cause to dry up: to cause to decay, perish, waste.—adj. With′ered, dried up.—n. With′eredness.—adj. With′ering, blasting, blighting, scorching.—n. With′ering-floor, the drying-floor of a malt-house.—adv. With′eringly. [A.S. wedrian, to expose to weather.]

Withers, with′ėrz, n.pl. the ridge between the shoulder-bones of a horse and behind the root of the neck.—adj. With′er-wrung, injured in the withers. [A.S. wither, against, an extension of with, against.]

Withershins, Widdershins, with′-, wid′ėr-shinz, adv. (Scot.) in the contrary direction—to the left, contrary to the course of the sun, in the wrong way.—Also Widd′ersins, Widd′ersinnis. Cf. the Gaelic deiseil, to the right, going round in the way of the sun. [Widder- is the Ice. vithra, against (A.S. wither, Ger. wieder, Dut. weder); Sins is the adverbial genitive, from Ice. sinni, walk, movement, originally journey, cog. with A.S. síth, Goth. sinths, journey, Old High Ger. sind.]

Withhold, with-hōld′, v.t. to hold back: to keep back.—v.i. to stay back:—pa.t. and pa.p. Withheld′ (arch. pa.p. Withhol′den).—ns. Withhol′der; Withhold′ment. [Pfx. with-, against, and hold.]

Within, with-in′, prep. in the inner part: inside: in the reach of: not going outside of.—adv. in the inner part: inwardly: at home.—Within call, hail, not too far to hear a call, hail. [A.S. wiðinnan—wið, against, with, innan, in.]

Without, with-owt′, prep. outside or out of: beyond: not with: in absence of: not having: except: all but.—adv. on the outside: out of doors.—conj. except.—adj. Without′-door (Shak.), being out of doors.—prep. Without′en (Spens.), without.—Without book, on no authority; Without distinction, indiscriminately.—From without, from the outside. [A.S. wiðútan—wið, against, útan, outside.]

Withstand, with-stand′, v.t. to stand against: to oppose or resist:—pa.t. and pa.p. Withstood′.—n. Withstand′er.

Withwind, with′wīnd, n. the bindweed.

Witloof, wit′lōf, n. a kind of chicory with large roots. [Dut.]

Witness, wit′nes, n. knowledge brought in proof: testimony of a fact: that which furnishes proof: one who sees or has personal knowledge of a thing: one who attests.—v.t. to have direct knowledge of: to see: to give testimony to: to show: (Shak.) to foretell.—v.i. to give evidence.—ns. Wit′ness-box, the enclosure in which a witness stands when giving evidence in a court of law; Wit′nesser.—With a witness (Shak.), to a great degree. [A.S. witnes, testimony—witan, to know.]

Wittol, wit′ol, n. one who knows his wife's faithlessness, and submits to it.—adj. Witt′olly (Shak.), like a wittol or contented cuckold. [Formerly also wittal, wittold, a particular use of witwal, the popinjay; cf. the similar allusions to the cuckoo, from which grew the word cuckold.]

Witwal, wit′wawl, n. the popinjay, or green woodpecker, the greater spotted woodpecker. [Var. of woodwale, a woodpecker.]

Wive, wīv, v.t. to take for a wife: to provide with a wife.—v.i. to marry.—n. Wive′hood (Spens.), wifehood. [A.S. wífian—wíf, wife.]

Wivern, wī′vern, n. Same as Wyvern.

Wives, wīvz, pl. of wife.

Wizard, wiz′ard, n. one who practises witchcraft or magic: (obs.) a wise man.—adj. with magical powers.—adv. Wiz′ardly, like a wizard.—n. Wiz′ardry, sorcery. [O. Fr. guiscart—Ice. vizkr (for vitskr), from vita, to know.]

Wizen, wiz′n, Wizened, wiz′nd, adj. dried up: thin: shrivelled.—v.i. and v.t. to become dry, to make dry.—adj. Wiz′en-faced, having a thin, shrivelled face. [A.S. wisnian, to wither; cog. with Ice. visinn, wizened, visna, to wither.]

Wizier=Vizir.

Wo. Same as Woe.

Woad, wōd, n. a genus of cruciferous plants, whose few species are mostly natives of the countries around the Mediterranean—Dyer's woad yields a good and very permanent dye, but is now largely superseded by indigo.—adj. Woad′ed, dyed blue with woad. [A.S. wád; Ger. waid; L. vitrum.]

Wobble, Wobbler, Wobbling. See Wabble.

Woden, wō′den, n. the Anglo-Saxon form of the Norse Odin.—n. Wō′denism, the worship of Woden.

Woe, Wo, wō, n. grief: misery: a heavy calamity: a curse: an exclamation of grief.—adj. sad, wretched.—adjs. Woe′begone, Wō′begone, beset with woe (see Begone); Woe′ful, Wō′ful, Woe′some (Scot. Wae′some), sorrowful: bringing calamity: wretched.—advs. Woe′fully, Wō′fully.—ns. Woe′fulness, Wō′fulness.—adjs. Woe′-wea′ried, -worn, wearied, worn, with woe.—Woe worth the day (see Worth).—In weal and woe, in prosperity and adversity. [A.S. (interj.) wá; Ger. weh; L. væ, Gr. ouai. Cf. Wail.]

Woiwode. See Voivode.

Wold, wōld, n. an open tract of country. [A.S. weald, wald, a wood, perh. ultimately conn. with wealdan, to possess, wield.]

Wolf, woolf, n. the common name of certain species of the genus Canis—including the ravenous Common Wolf, the Abyssinian Wolf, the Antarctic Wolf, the Maned Wolf, and the Prairie Wolf or Coyote: anything very ravenous: a greedy and cunning person: (obs.) a tuberculous excrescence: (mus.) a harsh discord heard in the organ, &c.:—pl. Wolves.—v.i. to hunt for wolves.—v.t. (slang) to devour ravenously.—ns. Wolf′-dog, a dog of large breed kept to guard sheep, esp. against wolves; Wol′fer, one who hunts wolves; Wolf′-fish, a fierce and voracious salt-water fish—called also Sea-wolf and Cat-fish; Wolf′-hound (see Borzoi); Wol′fing, the hunting of wolves for their skins.—adjs. Wol′fish, Wol′vish, like a wolf either in form or quality: rapacious.—adv. Wol′fishly.—ns. Wolf′kin, Wolf′ling, a young wolf; Wolf's′-bane, aconite; Wolf's′-foot, -claw, the club-moss Lycopodium; Wolf′-skin, the skin or pelt of a wolf; Wolf's′-peach, the tomato; Wolf′-spī′der, the tarantula; Wolf′-tooth, a small supernumerary premolar in a horse.—Cry wolf, to give a false alarm—from the story of the boy who cried 'Wolf' when there was none, and was not believed when there was one; Have a wolf by the ears, to be in a very difficult situation; Have a wolf in the stomach, to be ravenously hungry; Keep the wolf from the door, to keep out hunger; See a wolf, to lose one's voice, in allusion to an old superstition. [A.S. wulf; Ger. wolf; L. lupus; Gr. lykos.]

Wolffian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to, or associated with, the name of the German embryologist K. F. Wolff (1733-94)—applied to the primordial renal organs in the embryo of the higher vertebrates, performing the function of kidneys till superseded by the true or permanent kidneys.

Wolfian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to the philosophy of Johann Christian von Wolf (1679-1754). He systematised and popularised the philosophy of Leibnitz, and gave a strong impulse to that development of natural theology and rationalism which soon almost drove out revelation by rendering it unnecessary—also Wolff′ian.—n. Wolf′ianism.

Wolfian, wōōl′fi-an, adj. pertaining to, or associated with, the name of Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the most gifted classical scholar and first critic of his age—applied esp. to his theory that the Odyssey and Iliad are composed of numerous ballads by different minstrels, strung together in a kind of unity by subsequent editors.

Wolfram, wol′fram, n. a native compound of tungstate of iron and manganese. [Ger.]

Wolverene, Wolverine, wool-ve-rēn′, n. a name given to the American glutton or carcajou, from its rapacity. [Extension of wolf.]

Woman, woom′an, n. the female of man, an adult female of the human race: the female sex, women collectively: a female attendant:—pl. Women (wim′en).—v.t. to cause to act like a woman, to unite to a woman (both Shak.): to call a person 'woman' abusively.—n. Wom′an-bod′y (Scot.), a woman, used disparagingly.—adjs. Wom′an-born, born of woman; Wom′an-built, built by women.—adv. Wom′anfully, like a woman.—adj. Wom′an-grown, grown to womanhood.—ns. Wom′an-hāt′er, a misogynist; Wom′anhood, the state, character, or qualities of a woman.—adj. Wom′anish, having the qualities of a woman: feminine.—adv. Wom′anishly.—ns. Wom′anishness; Wom′ankind, Wom′enkind, women taken together: the female sex.—adj. Wom′an-like, like a woman.—n. Wom′anliness.—adj. Wom′anly, like or becoming a woman: feminine.—adv. in the manner of a woman.—ns. Wom′an-post (Shak.), a female messenger; Wom′an-quell′er, a killer of women; Wom′an-suff′rage, the exercise of the electoral franchise by women.—adjs. Wom′an-tired (Shak.), hen-pecked; Wom′an-vest′ed, wearing women's clothes.—Woman of the town, a whore; Woman of the world, a woman of fashion.—Women's rights, the movement of women towards personal and proprietary independence.—Play the woman, to give way to weakness. [A.S. wimman, wífman, a compound of wíf, a woman, man, man.]

Womb, wōōm, n. the uterus, the organ in which the young of mammals are developed and kept till birth: (Shak.) the stomach: the place where anything is produced: any deep cavity.—v.t. (Shak.) to contain.—adj. Womb′y (Shak.), capacious. [A.S. wamb; Ger. wamme, paunch.]

Wombat, wom′bat, n. an Australian marsupial mammal of the opossum family. [Native name.]

Won, wun, v.i. to dwell: to abide: to be accustomed.—n. a dwelling: an abode.—n. Won′ing, dwelling. [A.S. wunian, Dut. wonen, Ger. wohnen, to dwell.]

Won, wun, pa.t. and pa.p. of win.

Wonder, wun′dėr, n. the state of mind produced by something new, unexpected, or extraordinary: a strange thing: a prodigy: a sweet fried cake—also Cruller.—v.i. to feel wonder: to be amazed (with at): to speculate expectantly.—p.adj. Won′dered (Shak.), having performed, or able to perform, wonders.—n. Won′derer.—adj. Won′derful, full of wonder: exciting wonder: strange: (B.) wonderfully.—adv. Won′derfully.—ns. Won′derfulness; Won′dering.—adv. Won′deringly, with wonder.—ns. Won′derland, a land of wonders; Won′derment, surprise.—adjs. Won′derous (same as Wondrous); Won′der-struck, -strick′en, struck with wonder or astonishment.—ns. Won′der-work, a prodigy, miracle: thaumaturgy; Won′der-work′er; Won′der-work′ing.—adjs. Won′der-wound′ed (Shak.), wonder-stricken; Won′drous, such as may excite wonder: strange.—adv. Won′drously.—ns. Won′drousness.—Bird of wonder, the phœnix; Nine days' wonder, something that astonishes everybody for the moment; Seven wonders of the world (see Seven). [A.S. wundor; Ger. wunder, Ice. undr.]

Wonga-wonga, wong′ga-wong′ga, n. the large Australian white-faced pigeon—a table delicacy.

Wont, wunt, adj. used or accustomed.—n. habit.—v.i. to be accustomed.—adj. Won′ted, accustomed: usual.—n. Won′tedness.—adj. Wont′less (Spens.), unaccustomed. [Orig. pa.p. of won, to dwell—A.S. wunian; Ger. wohnen.]

Won′t, wōnt, will not. [Contr. of M. E. wol not.]

Woo, wōō, v.t. to ask in order to marriage: to court: to solicit eagerly, to seek.—v.i. to court or make love: to ask.—ns. Woo′er; Woo′ing. [A.S. wógian, to woo—wóg, wóh, bent.]

Wood, wood, n. the solid part of trees: trees cut or sawed: timber: a collection of growing trees: the cask or barrel, as distinguished from the bottle: (print.) a woodblock.—v.t. to supply with wood.—ns. Wood′-ac′id, wood-vinegar, impure acetic acid from wood-distillation; Wood′-anem′one, the wind-flower, a little woodland plant, blooming in early spring, with a single white flower purplish outside; Wood′-ant, a large forest-dwelling ant: a white ant infesting the wood of old buildings.—n.pl. Wood′-ash′es, ashes obtained by burning wood or plants—the source of many potassium salts.—ns. Wood′bine, Wood′bind, the honeysuckle, applied also to other climbers, such as some kinds of ivy, the Virginia-creeper, &c.; Wood′-bird, a bird that lives in the woods; Wood′block, a die cut in relief on wood and ready to furnish ink impressions: a woodcut.—adjs. Wood′-bō′ring; Wood′-born, born in the woods.—ns. Wood′-car′ving, the process of carving in wood; Wood′chat, a bird which, notwithstanding its name, is not a species of Chat, but of Shrike; Wood′chuck, the green woodpecker; Wood′-coal, coal like wood in texture: charcoal: lignite or brown coal; Wood′cock, a genus of birds allied to the snipes, but of a more bulky body, and with shorter and stronger legs; Wood′cock's-head, a tobacco-pipe; Wood′craft, skill in the chase or anything pertaining to forests, forestry generally; Wood′cut, an engraving cut on wood: an impression from it; Wood′-cut′ter, one who cuts wood: a wood-engraver; Wood′-cut′ting, the act or employment of cutting wood: wood-engraving.—adjs. Wood′ed, supplied with wood: covered with wood; Wood′en, made of wood: hard: dull, insensible: heavy, stupid: clumsy, without grace or spirit—of literary style, &c.—ns. Wood′-engrā′ver; Wood′-engrāving, the art of engraving designs on wood, differing from copper and steel plate engraving by having the parts intended to print on the paper in relief: an engraving on or taken from wood; Wood′en-head, a blockhead, stupid person.—adj. Wood′en-head′ed, stupid.—n. Wood′en-head′edness.—adv. Wood′enly.—ns. Woodenness, wooden quality: want of spirit or expression, clumsiness; Wood′-ē′vil, red-water: severe constipation in cattle, often occurring after eating freely of hedge-cuttings or shoots of trees; Wood′-fī′bre, fibre derived from wood; Wood′-fret′ter, a wood-borer or wood-eater; Wood′-god, a deity of the woods; Wood′-grouse, the capercailzie; Wood′-hole, a place where wood is stored; Wood′-hon′ey, wild honey; Wood′-horse, a saw-horse; Wood′-house, a house or shed in which wood for fuel is deposited; Wood′-ī′bis (see Tantalus); Wood′iness, the state or quality of being woody; Wood′land, land covered with wood; Wood′lander, an inhabitant of the woods; Wood′lark, a species of lark, found in or near woods, singing chiefly on the wing; Wood′-lay′er, a young oak, &c., laid down in a hedge.—adj. Wood′less, without wood.—ns. Wood′lessness; Wood′-louse, any terrestrial isopod of the family Oniscidæ—the Scotch slater, common under stones, &c.: a termite or white ant: any one of the pseudo-neuropterous family Psocidæ, found in the woodwork of houses; Wood′man, a man who cuts down trees: a forest officer: a huntsman; Wood′-mite, a beetle-mite; Wood′-naph′tha, the mixture of light hydrocarbons distilled from wood (see Pyroxylic); Wood′-night′shade, bitter-sweet, or woody nightshade; Wood′-note (Milt.), a wild musical note, like that of a song-bird; Wood′-nymph, a nymph or goddess of the woods; Wood′-off′ering (B.), wood burned on the altar; Wood′-ō′pal, silicified wood; Wood′-owl, the European brown owl; Wood′-pā′per, paper prepared from wood; Wood′pecker, one of a family (Picidæ) of birds in the order Picariæ, remarkable for the structural modification of the skull in adaptation to its use as an axe, and for the long flexible tongue, which is used for extracting insects from holes and crevices of trees; Wood′-pig′eon, the cushat or ringdove; Wood′-pulp, wood-fibre reduced to a pulp, used in making paper; Wood′-reeve, the overseer of a wood; Wood′ruff, a genus of rubiaceous plants with whorled leaves and a funnel-shaped corolla—Sweet Woodruff has a creeping root-stock sending up erect stems, and small white flowers; when dried it has a very agreeable fragrance like vernal-grass—(obs.) Wood′-roof; Wood′-sage, the wood germander; Wood′-sand′piper, a common European tattler, allied to the redshank; Wood′-screw, a screw for fastening pieces of wood or wood and metal; Wood′shed, a shed for storing firewood; Wood′-shook, the pekan, fisher, or Pennant's marten—also Black-cat and Black-fox; Wood′-skin, a Guiana Indian's canoe, made of the bark of the purple heart-tree; Woods′man, a woodman; Wood′-soot, soot from burnt wood; Wood′-sorr′el, a plant of the genus Oxalis; Wood′-spir′it (same as Pyroxylic spirit); Wood′-spite, the green woodpecker or yaffle; Wood′-stamp, a stamp made of wood, as for stamping fabrics in colours; Wood′-stone, petrified wood; Wood′-swall′ow, an Australian name for any of the fly-catching Artamidæ, also called Swallow-shrike—the resemblance to shrikes being considerably closer than to swallows either in appearance or habits.—adj. Wood′sy, pertaining to, or characteristic of, woods.—ns. Wood′-tar, tar obtained from the dry distillation of wood; Wood′thrush, a singing-thrush common in the woods of the eastern United States, reddish-brown above, olive on the rump, white spotted with black on breast; Wood′-tick, any tick of the family Ixonidæ: a small insect which makes a ticking sound in the woodwork of a house, the death-watch; Wood′-tin, a nodular variety of cassiterite, or tin-stone; Wood′-vin′egar (see Wood-acid); Wood′wale, a woodpecker, esp. the green woodpecker, Yaffle or Rainbird; Wood′-warb′ler, the yellow willow-warbler or woodwren: an American warbler, esp. of the beautiful genus Dendrœca; Wood′ward, an officer to guard the woods; Wood′work, a part of any structure made of wood; Wood′worm, a worm or larva infesting wood; Wood′wren, the willow-warbler or willow-wren (Phylloscopus trochilus): the true wood-warbler or yellow willow-wren (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)—neither being properly wrens.—adj. Wood′y, abounding with woods: pertaining to woods: consisting of wood.—n. Wood′y-night′shade (see Wood-nightshade).—Wooden horse, or Timber-mare (see Horse); Wooden leg, an artificial leg made of wood; Wooden spoon, a spoon of wood presented to the person who stands lowest for the year in the mathematical tripos list at Cambridge; Wooden type, large type cut in wood.—Commissioners of Woods and Forests, a department of government having charge of the Crown woods and forests. [A.S. wudu; cog. with Ice. vidhr, wood; akin to Ir. fiodh, timber.]

Wood, wood, adj. (Shak.) mad, furious.—n. Wood′ness. [A.S. wód; Ice. ódhr, Goth. wods, frantic, Ger. wuth, madness.]

Woodburytype, wood′ber-i-tīp, n. a method of photograph printing in which a sensitised gelatine film, developed under a negative to an extra relief, is impressed on soft metal by hydraulic pressure. This in turn can be printed by special ink in a press, and as it gives all the gradations of tint, it may be said to be a perfect photo-mechanical printing process. [Named from the inventor.]

Woodchuck, wood′chuk, n. the marmot. [Corr. from an Amer. Ind. name.]

Woodie, wood′i, n. (Scot.) the gallows. [A form of widdy, withy,]

Woof, woof, n. same as Weft (q.v.).—adj. Woof′y, dense. [A.S. ówef, áweb—áwefan, to weave—á-, prefix, wefan, to weave.]

Wooingly, wōō′ing-li, adv. in a wooing or persuasive manner. [Woo.]

Wool, wool, n. the soft, curly hair of sheep and other animals: short, thick hair: any light, fleecy substance resembling wool.—n. Wool′ball, a ball of wool, such as is sometimes found in a sheep's stomach.—adj. Wool′-bear′ing, bearing or yielding wool.—ns. Wool′-card′ing, the process of separating the fibres of wool preparatory to spinning; Wool′-comb′er, one whose occupation is to comb wool in order to disentangle and straighten out the fibres; Wool′-comb′ing; Wool′-drī′ver, one who buys up wool for a market.—adj. Wool′-dyed, dyed before spinning or weaving.—ns. Wool′fat, lanolin; Wool′fell, the skin with the wool still on it; Wool′-gath′ering, indulgence of idle fancies.—adj. dreamy: listless.—n. Wool′-grow′er, one who raises sheep for the production of wool.—adj. Wool′len, made of, or pertaining to, wool: clad in wool, rustic.—n. cloth made of wool.—ns. Wool′len-cord, a ribbed stuff, the face all of wool; Wool′len-drā′per, one who deals in woollen goods; Wool′liness.—adjs. Wool′ly, consisting of, or like, wool: clothed with wool; Wool′ly-haired, -head′ed, having the hair like wool.—ns. Wool′ly-pas′tinum, a kind of red orpiment; Wool′man, a dealer in wool; Wool′-mill, a building for the spinning of wool and the weaving of woollen cloth; Wool′pack, the package in which wool was formerly done up for sale: a bundle weighing 240 lb.: cirro-cumulus cloud; Wool′-pack′er; Wool′-pick′er, a machine for cleaning wool; Wool′sack, the seat of the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords, being a large square sack of wool covered with scarlet; Wool′sey, a material made of cotton and wool.—n.pl. Wool′-shears, shears used in shearing sheep.—ns. Wool′-sort′er, one who sorts wool according to quality, &c.; Wool′-stā′ple, the fibre or pile of wool; Wool′-stā′pler, a wool-factor: a wool-sorter.—adv. Wool′ward (Shak.), in wool, as a penance.—ns. Wool′-wind′er, one who bundles wool for packing; Wool′work, needlework imitative of tapestry.—Wool-sorters' disease (see Anthrax).—Angora wool, the wool of the Angora goat; Berlin-wool, a kind of fine-dyed wool used for worsted work. [A.S. wull; Goth. wulla, Ger. wolle, L. villus.]

Woold, wōōld, v.t. to wind about.—adj. Wool′ded.—ns. Wool′der, a stick used in woolding a mast or yard, or a pin in a rope-maker's top; Wool′ding.

Woom, wōōm, n. beaver fur.

Woomera, wōōm′ėr-a, n. a stick for spear-throwing (Austral.).

Woon, wōōn, n. a governor of a province. [Burmese.]

Woon, wōōn, v.i. (Spens.). Same as Won (1).

Woorali, woo′ra-li, n. a S. American poison for arrows.—Also Woo′rara, Wou′rali, same as Curari (q.v.).

Wootz, woots, n. steel made by fusing iron with carbonaceous matter. [Perh. the Canarese ukku, steel.]

Wop, wop, v.t. See Whop.

Word, wurd, n. an oral or written sign expressing an idea or notion: talk, discourse: signal or sign: message: promise: declaration: a pass-word, a watch-word, a war-cry: the Holy Scripture, or a part of it: (pl.) verbal contention.—v.t. to express in words: (Shak.) to flatter.—v.i. to speak, talk.—ns. Word′-blind′ness, loss of ability to read; Word′-book, a book with a collection of words: a vocabulary.—adj. Word′-bound, unable to find expression in words.—n. Word′-build′ing, the formation or composition of words.—adj. Wor′ded, expressed in words.—adv. Wor′dily.—ns. Wor′diness; Wor′ding, act, manner, or style of expressing in words.—adj. Wor′dish (obs.), verbose.—n. Wor′dishness.—adj. Word′less (Shak.), without words, silent.—ns. Word′-mem′ory, the power of recalling words to the mind; Word′-paint′er, one who describes vividly; Word′-paint′ing, the act of describing anything clearly and fully by words only; Word′-pic′ture, a description in words which presents an object to the mind as if in a picture.—adj. Wor′dy, full of words: using or containing many words.—Word for word, literally, verbatim.—Break one's word, to fail to fulfil a promise; By word of mouth, orally; Good word, favourable mention, praise; Hard words, angry, hot words; Have a word with, to have some conversation with; Have words with, to quarrel, dispute with; In a word, In one word, in short, to sum up; In word, in speech only, in profession only; Pass one's word, to make a promise; The Word, the Scripture: (theol.) the second person in the Trinity, the Logos. [A.S. word; Goth. waurd, Ice. orth, Ger. wort; also conn. with L. verbum, a word, Gr. eirein, to speak.]

Wordsworthian, wurds-wur′thi-an, adj. pertaining to the style of the sovereign poet of nature, William Wordsworth (1770-1850).—n. an admirer of Wordsworth.

Wore, wōr, pa.t. of wear.

Work, wurk, n. effort directed to an end: employment: the result of work: that on which one works: anything made or done: embroidery: deed: effect: a literary composition: a book: management: an establishment for any manufacture, a factory (gener. in pl.): (physics) the product of a force by the component displacement of its point and application in the direction of the force: (pl.), (fort.) walls, trenches, &c.: (theol.) acts performed in obedience to the Divine law: a manufactory, workshop, place of work (esp. in pl.): mechanism—e.g. of a watch.—v.i. to make efforts to attain anything: to perform: to be in action: to be occupied in business or labour: to produce effects, to make progress with difficulty, to strain or labour: to ferment: to be agitated, to seethe: to embroider.—v.t. to make by labour: to bring into any state by action: to effect: to carry on operations in: to put in motion: to purge: to influence: to manage: to solve: to achieve: to cause to ferment: to provoke, agitate: to keep employed: to embroider:—pa.t. and pa.p. worked or wrought (rawt).—ns. Workabil′ity, Work′ableness.—adjs. Work′able, that may be worked; Work′aday, work-day, toiling, plodding.—ns. Work′-bag, -bas′ket, a bag, basket, for holding materials for work, esp. needlework; Work′-box, a lady's box for holding materials for work; Work′-day, a day for work: a week-day.—adj. pertaining to a work-day.—ns. Work′er, a toiler, performer: among insects, the neuter or undeveloped female; Work′-fell′ow, one who is engaged in the same work with another.—ns.pl. Work′folk, Work′folks, persons engaged in manual labour.—adj. Work′ful, industrious.—ns. Work′girl, a girl or young woman employed in some manual labour; Work′house, a house where any work or manufacture is carried on: a house of shelter for the poor, who are made to work; Work′ing, action, operation: fermentation: (pl.) the parts of a mine, &c., where actual operations are in hand.—adj. active: labouring: connected with labour.—ns. Work′ing-beam, the oscillating lever of a steam-engine connecting the piston-rod and the crank-shaft, a walking-beam; Work′ing-class, manual labourers (often in pl.); Wor′king-day, a day on which work is done, as distinguished from the Sabbath and holidays: the period of actual work each day.—adj. laborious: plodding.—ns. Work′ing-draw′ing, a drawing of the details of a building by which the builders are guided in their work; Work′ing-house (Shak.), workshop; Work′ing-par′ty, a group of persons who do some work in common, or who meet periodically for such a purpose; Work′man, Work′ing-man, a man who works or labours, esp. manually: a skilful artificer.—adjs. Work′man-like, like a workman: becoming a skilful workman: well performed; Work′manly, becoming a skilful workman.—adv. in a manner becoming a skilful workman.—ns. Work′manship, the skill of a workman: manner of making: work done; Work′-mas′ter, a skilled or directing workman, esp. in some great undertaking.—n.pl. Work′-peo′ple, people engaged in labour.—ns. Work′room, a room for working in; Work′shop, a shop where work is done.—adj. Work′some, industrious.—ns. Work′-tā′ble, a small table used by ladies at their needlework; Work′-woman, a woman who makes her living by some manual labour.—Work of art, a production in one of the fine arts; Work double tides, to work through continuous tides, night and day; Work in, to intermix, to make to penetrate; Work into, to make way gradually into: to change, alter; Work off, to separate and throw off, to get rid of, circulate: to produce as by work, esp. to print; Work on, or upon, to act or operate upon, to influence; Work one's passage, to give one's work on board in place of passage-money; Work out, to effect by continued labour: to expiate: to exhaust: to solve or study anything fully out; Work up, to excite, rouse: to create by slow degrees, to expand, elaborate: to use up, as material: (naut.) to set at an irksome or needless task; Work with, to strive to influence by appeals, &c.—Board of Works, the body which has the management and control of public works and buildings, of which the expenses are defrayed from the crown revenues or parliamentary grants; Have one's work cut out, to have one's work prescribed: to have a difficult task before one; Make short work of (see Short); Out of work, out of working order: without employment; Set to work, to employ in some work: to engage in some work; Seven Works of Corporal Mercy, to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, visit prisoners, visit the sick, harbour strangers, bury the dead—of Spiritual Mercy, to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, console the afflicted, bear wrongs patiently, forgive injuries, pray for the living and the dead. [A.S. weorc; Ice. verk, Ger. werk; further conn. with Gr. ergon.]

World, wurld, n. the earth and its inhabitants: the system of things: present state of existence: any planet or heavenly body: public life or society: an organic whole: business: the public: a secular life: course of life: a very large extent of country, as the 'New World:' very much or a great deal, as 'a world of good:' time, as in the phrase 'world without end'=eternally: possibility, as in 'nothing in the world:' (B.) the ungodly.—adjs. Worl′ded, containing worlds; World′-har′dened, hardened by the love of worldly things.—ns. World′-lang′uage, a universal language; World′liness; World′ling, one who is devoted to worldly or temporal possessions.—adjs. World′ly, pertaining to the world, esp. as distinguished from the world to come: devoted to this life and its enjoyments: bent on gain—also adv.; World′ly-mind′ed, having the mind set on the present world.—n. World′ly-mind′edness.—adjs. World′ly-wise, wise in this world's affairs; World′-old, exceedingly ancient; World′-wea′ried, -wea′ry, tired of the world; World′wide, wide or extensive as the world.—All the world, everybody: everything; All the world and his wife (coll.), everybody: also, an ill-assorted mass; A world, a great deal; Carry the world before one, to pass to success through every obstacle; For all the world, precisely, entirely; Go to the world (Shak.), to get married; In the world, an intensive phrase, usually following an interrogative pronoun or adverb.—The New World, the western hemisphere, the Americas; The Old World, the eastern hemisphere, comprising Europe, Africa, and Asia; The other world, the non-material sphere, the spiritual world; The whole world, the sum of what is contained in the world; The world's end, the most distant point possible. [A.S. woruld, world, weorold, (lit.) 'a generation of men,' from wer, a man, and yldo, sig. an age; Ice. veröld, Old High Ger. weralt (Ger. welt).]

Worm, wurm, n. a term destitute of scientific precision, but often applied to any one of the members of numerous classes of invertebrate animals which are more or less earthworm-like in appearance, the earthworm, a grub, a maggot: anything spiral: the thread of a screw: the lytta or vermiform cartilage of a dog's tongue: the instrument used to withdraw the charge of a gun: a spiral pipe surrounded by cold water into which steam or vapours pass for condensation in distilling: anything that corrupts, gnaws, or torments: remorse: a debased being, a groveller: (pl.) any intestinal disease arising from the presence of parasitic worms.—v.i. to move like a worm, to squirm: to work slowly or secretly.—v.t. to effect by slow and secret means: to elicit by underhand means: to remove the lytta or vermiform cartilage of a dog's tongue.—n. Worm′-cast, the earth voided by the earthworm.—adjs. Worm′-eat′en, eaten by worms: old: worn-out; Worm′-eat′ing, living habitually on worms; Wormed, bored by worms: injured by worms.—ns. Worm′-fence, a zigzag fence formed of stakes; Worm′-fē′ver, a feverish condition in children ascribed to intestinal worms; Worm′-gear, a gear-wheel having teeth shaped so as to mesh with a worm or shaft on which a spiral is turned, an endless screw; Worm′-gear′ing; Worm′-grass, pink-root: a kind of stonecrop; Worm′-hole, the hole made by a worm.—adj. Worm′-holed, perforated by worm-holes.—ns. Worm′-pow′der, a vermifuge; Worm′-seed, santonica: the treacle mustard; Worm′-wheel, a wheel gearing with an endless screw or worm, receiving or imparting motion.—adj. Wor′my, like a worm: grovelling: containing a worm: abounding with worms: gloomy, dismal, like the grave. [A.S. wyrm, dragon, snake, creeping animal; cog. with Goth. waurms, a serpent, Ice. ormr, Ger. wurm; also with L. vermis.]

Wormian, wurm′i-an, adj. associated with the name of the Danish anatomist Olaus Worm (1588-1654), applied esp. to the supernumerary bones developed in the sutures of the skull.

Wormwood, wurm′wood, n. the bitter plant Artemisia absinthium: bitterness. [A.S. wermod (Ger. wermuth), wormwood; perh. lit. 'keep-mind,' in allusion to its medicinal (anthelmintic and tonic) properties—werian, to protect (Ger. wehren), mód, mind.]

Worn, wōrn, pa.p. of wear.

Worn-out, wōrn′-owt, adj. much injured or rendered useless by wear: wearied: past, gone.

Worricow, wur′i-kow, n. (Scot.) a hobgoblin: the devil: anything frightful or even only grotesque.

Worry, wur′i, v.t. to tear with the teeth: to harass: to tease: (Scot.) to choke.—v.i. to trouble one's self: to be unduly anxious: to fret:—pa.t. and pa.p. worr′ied.—n. act of worrying: trouble, perplexity, vexation.—ns. Worr′ier, one who worries himself or others; Worr′iment (coll.), anxiety.—adj. Worr′isome, causing trouble.—v. Worr′it (slang), to worry.—n. (slang) annoyance.—adj. Worr′ying, harassing.—adv. Worr′yingly.—Worry down, to swallow with a strong effort. [A.S. wyrgan, found in compound áwyrgan, to harm; cf. Dut. worgen, Ger. würgen, to choke; A.S. wearg, werg, a wolf.]

Worse, wurs, adj. (used as comp. of bad) bad or evil in a greater degree: more sick.—adv. bad in a higher degree: less: (Shak.) with more severity.—v.t. (obs.) to worst.—v.i. Wor′sen, to grow worse.—v.t. to make worse.—adv. Wor′ser, a redundant comparative of worse.—The worse, defeat, disadvantage. [A.S. wyrsa, from wiers-sa from wirsiza (Goth. wairsiza), formed with comp. suffix -iz from a Teut. root wers, found in Ger. ver-wirren, to confuse.]

Worship, wur′ship, n. religious service: fervent esteem: adoration paid to God: a title of honour in addressing certain magistrates, &c.: submissive respect.—v.t. to respect highly: to treat with civil reverence: to pay divine honours to: to adore or idolise.—v.i. to perform acts of adoration: to perform religious service:—pr.p. wor′shipping; pa.t. and pa.p. wor′shipped.—adjs. Wor′shipable, Wor′shipful, worthy of worship or honour, used as a term of respect.—adv. Wor′shipfully.—n. Wor′shipfulness.—adj. Wor′shipless, destitute of worship or worshippers.—n. Wor′shipper.—House, or Place, of worship, a church or chapel. [A.S. weorthscipe—weorth, wurth, worth, affix -scipe, -ship.]

Worst, wurst, adj. bad or evil in the highest degree.—adv. to a very bad or very evil degree.—n. the highest degree of badness: the most evil state.—v.t. to get the advantage over in a contest: to defeat.—v.i. (obs.) to grow worse. [A.S. wyrst, wyrrest, wyrresta, from the same source as worse.]

Worsted, woost′ed, or woorst′ed, n. twisted thread or yarn spun out of long, combed wool: woollen yarn for ornamental needlework.—adj. made of worsted yarn.—n. Worst′ed-work, needlework done with worsted. [From Worstead, a village near Norwich in England.]

Wort, wurt, n. a plant of the cabbage kind. [A.S. wyrt; Ger. wurz, wurzel, a root.]

Wort, wurt, n. new beer unfermented or in the act of fermentation: the sweet infusion of malt. [A.S. wyrte, new beer (Ice. virtr)—wyrt, root. See preceding word.]

Worth, wurth, n. value: possessions: that quality which renders a thing valuable: price: moral excellence: importance.—adj. equal in value to: having a certain moral value: deserving of.—adj. Worth′ful.—adv. Worth′ily (th), in a worthy manner: justly: truly.—n. Worth′iness (th).—adj. Worth′less, of no worth or value: having no value, virtue, excellence, &c.: useless.—adv. Worth′lessly.—n. Worth′lessness.—adj. Worthy (wur′thi), having worth: valuable: deserving: suited to: (B.) deserving (either of good or bad).—n. a man of eminent worth: a local celebrity: (Shak.) anything of value:—pl. Wor′thies.—v.t. to make worthy.—Worthiest of blood, male, as opposed to female—of inheritance.—Nine worthies, Hector, Alexander the Great, Julius Cæsar; Joshua, David, Judas Maccabæus; Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon. [A.S. weorth, wurth (Ger. wert), value.]

Worth, wurth, v.i. to be, happen, as in the phrase Woe worth=woe be to (with the noun in the dative). [A.S. weorthan, to become; cf. Ger. werden.]

Wot, wot, Wotteth, wot′eth, v.t. (B.) pr.t. of obsolete wit, to know. [Wit.]

Would, wood, pa.t. of will.—adj. Would′-be, aspiring, trying, or merely professing to be.—n. a vain pretender. [A.S. wolde, pa.t. of willan.]

Woulfe-bottle, woolf′-bot′l, n. a form of three-necked bottle, generally arranged in a series known as Woulfe's apparatus, used for the purpose of purifying gases, or of dissolving them in suitable solvents—from the name of the London chemist, Peter Woulfe (1727-1806).

Wound, wownd, pa.t. and pa.p. of wind.

Wound, wōōnd, n. any division of soft parts, including the skin, produced by external mechanical force—whether incised, punctured, contused, lacerated, or poisoned: any cut, bruise, hurt, or injury.—v.t. to make a wound in: to injure.—adj. Woun′dable, capable of being wounded.—n. Woun′der.—adv. Woun′dily (coll.), excessively.—n. Woun′ding.—adj. Wound′less, exempt from being wounded, invulnerable: harmless.—n. Wound′wort, a name applied to several plants of popular repute as vulneraries, as the kidney-vetch, &c.: a plant of genus Stachys, the marsh or clown's woundwort.—adj. Woun′dy, causing wounds: (coll.) excessive. [A.S. wund (Ger. wunde, Ice. und)—A.S. wund, wounded; prob. orig. pa.p. of A.S. winnan, to fight, strive.]

Wourali. See Woorali.

Wove, Woven, pa.t. and pa.p. of weave.

Wow, wow, v.i. (Spens.) to woo.

Wow, wow, interj. an exclamation of wonder.

Wowf, wowf, adj. (Scot.) crazy.

Wow-Wow, wow′-wow, n. the gibbon of Sumatra.

Wox, Woxen. (Spens.), pa.t. and pa.p. of wax.

Wrack, Rack, rak, n. a term loosely given to various seaweeds, esp. to the Fucaceæ, common on British shores, long valuable as a source of kelp, and utilised as manure: shipwreck: ruin.—adj. Wrack′ful, destructive. [Lit. 'something cast ashore,' A.S. wræc, exile, misery—wrecan, to drive, urge. Wrack is a doublet of wreck.]

Wrack, rak, by-form of wreck.

Wraith, rāth, n. a spectre: an apparition in the exact likeness of a person seen before or soon after his death. [Cf. dial. form warth, an apparition; prob. orig. having the sense of 'guardian spirit'—Ice. vörthr, a guardian.]

Wrangle, rang′gl, v.i. to make a disturbance: to dispute: to dispute noisily or peevishly.—n. a noisy dispute.—ns. Wrang′ler, one who wrangles or disputes angrily: (Shak.) a stubborn foe: in the University of Cambridge, one of those who have attained the first class in the public mathematical honour examinations; Wrang′lership.—adj. Wrang′lesome, given to wrangling.—n. Wrang′ling.—Senior wrangler, the student taking the first place in the class mentioned, the second being called Second wrangler, and so on in the same way. [A freq. of wring.]

Wrap, rap, v.t. to roll or fold together: to enfold: hide: to cover by winding something round (often with up):—pr.p. wrap′ping; pa.t. and pa.p. wrapped.—n. a wrapper, as a shawl, &c.—ns. Wrap′page, act of wrapping: things used as wrappers; Wrap′per, one who, or that which, wraps: a loose outer garment of a woman; Wrap′ping; Wrap′-ras′cal, a loose greatcoat worn about 1740 (a humorous term).—Wrapped up in, bound up in: engrossed with: comprised in. [A form of warp—M. E. wrappen, also wlappen. Cf. Lap (v.t. to wrap) and Envelop.]

Wrap. Same as Rap.

Wrasse, ras, n. a genus of bony fishes representative of the large family Labridæ, and including many species on European and North African coasts. Common British species are the ballan-wrasse, the red wrasse, and the gibbous wrasse. [Perh. the W. gwrachen.]

Wrath, räth, n. violent anger: holy indignation: heat.—adj. violently angry.—adj. Wrath′ful, full of wrath: very angry: springing from, or expressing, wrath.—adv. Wrath′fully.—n. Wrath′fulness.—adv. Wrath′ily.—adjs. Wrath′less; Wrath′y, apt to wrath. [Old Northumbrian wrǽððo—A.S. wráð, adj. wroth; Ice. reithi.]

Wrawl, rawl, v.i. (Spens.) to cry as a cat, to caterwaul. [Imit.]

Wraxling, raks′ling, n. wrestling.

Wreak, rēk, v.t. to inflict: avenge.—n. Wreak′er.—adjs. Wreak′ful, revengeful: angry; Wreak′less, unpunished. [A.S. wrecan, orig. to drive, and so to punish, avenge; Ice. reka, to drive, pursue, Ger. rächen; conn. with L. urgēre.]

Wreak, rēk, v.i. (Shak.). Same as Reck.

Wreath, rēth, n. a chaplet: a garland: anything long and circular: a defect in glass.—v.t. Wreathe (rēth), to form by twisting: to form into a wreath: to twine about or encircle.—v.i. to be interwoven.—adj. Wreath′en (th), wreathed.—n. Wreath′er (th).—adjs. Wreath′less; Wreath′y. [A.S. wrædh, 'a twisted band'—wríthan, to writhe.]

Wreck, rek, n. destruction: destruction of a ship: ruins of a destroyed ship: remains of anything ruined: shipwrecked property.—v.t. to destroy or disable: to ruin.—v.i. to suffer wreck or ruin.—ns. Wreck′age, the act of wrecking: wrecked material; Wreck′er, a person who purposely causes a wreck or who plunders wreckage: one who lures a ship on to the rocks for purposes of plunder: one who criminally ruins anything: a person employed by the owners in recovering disabled vessels or their cargo.—adj. Wreck′ful, causing ruin.—n. Wreck′-mas′ter, a person taking charge of a disabled ship and its cargo.—Wreck commissioners, a tribunal which inquires into shipping disasters.—Receivers of wrecks, wreck-masters. [A.S. wræc, expulsion—wrecan, to drive, Low Ger. wrak, Dut. wrak, Ice. reki, a thing drifted ashore; a doublet of wrack.]

Wreck, rek, n. (Spens.) same as Wreak.—v.t. (Milt.) to wreak.

Wren, ren, n. a genus (Troglodytes) and family (Troglodytidæ) of birds, having a slender, slightly curved and pointed bill, the wings very short and rounded, the tail short and carried erect, the legs slender and rather long.—ns. Wren′ning, the stoning of a wren to death on St Stephen's Day, December 26th—Wrenning Day—once practised in the North Country; Wren′-tit, a Californian bird (Chamæa fasciata), of dubious relations, at once resembling the wren and the titmouse. [A.S. wrenna, wrǽnna—wrǽne, lascivious.]

Wrench, rensh, v.t. to wring or pull with a twist: to force by violence: to sprain.—v.i. to undergo a violent wrenching.—n. a violent twist: a sprain: an instrument for turning bolts, &c.: in coursing, bringing the hare round at less than a right angle—half a point in the recognised code of points for judging. [A.S. wrencan (Ger. renken)—wrenc, fraud; root of wring.]

Wrest, rest, v.t, to twist from by force: to twist from truth or from its natural meaning.—n. violent pulling and twisting: distortion: an instrument, like a wrench, for tuning the piano, &c.—n. Wrest′er. [A.S. wrǽstan—wrǽst, firm, from wráth, pa.t. of wríthan, to writhe; Dan. vriste.]

Wrestle, res′l, v.i. to contend by grappling and trying to throw the other down: to struggle: to apply one's self keenly to: (Scot.) to pray earnestly.—v.t. to contend with in wrestling.—n. a bout at wrestling: a struggle between two to throw each other down.—ns. Wrest′ler; Wrest′ling, the sport or exercise of two persons struggling to throw each other to the ground in an athletic contest governed by certain fixed rules—catch-hold, ground-wrestling, catch-as-catch-can, back-hold, &c. [A.S. wrǽstlian; a freq. of wrǽstan, to wrest.]

Wretch, rech, n. a most miserable person: one sunk in vice: a worthless person: body, creature (in pity, sometimes admiration).—adj. Wretch′ed, very miserable: distressingly bad: despicable: worthless.—adv. Wretch′edly.—n. Wretch′edness. [A.S. wrecca, an outcast—wræc, pa.t. of wrecan, to drive.]

Wrethe, rēth, v.t. and v.i. (Spens.). Same as Wreathe.

Wrick, rik, v.t. (prov.) to twist, turn. [Low Ger. wrikken, to turn.]

Wriggle, rig′l, v.i. to twist to and fro: to move sinuously: to use crooked means.—v.t. to cause to wriggle.—n. the motion of wriggling.—ns. Wrigg′ler, one who wriggles: one who uses trickery; Wrigg′ling;. [A freq. of obs. wrig, to move about, itself a variant of wrick, M. E. wrikken, to twist; cf. Dut. wriggelen, to wriggle.]

Wright, rīt, n. a maker (chiefly used in compounds, as ship-wright, &c.). [A.S. wyrhta—wyrht, a work—wyrcan, to work.]

Wring, ring, v.t. to twist: to force, or force out, by twisting: to force or compress: to pain: to extort: to bend out of its position.—v.i. to writhe: to twist:—pa.t. and pa.p. wrung, (B.) wringed.—ns. Wring′-bolt, a bolt with a ring or eye, used to secure a ship's planks against the frame till they are permanently fixed in place; Wring′er, one who wrings: a machine for forcing water from wet clothes—also Wring′ing-machine′.—adj. Wring′ing-wet, so wet that water can be wrung out.—n.pl. Wring′-staves, strong pieces of wood used in applying wring-bolts.—Wring from, to extort; Wring off, to force off by wringing; Wring out, to squeeze out by twisting; Wring the hands, to manifest grief by convulsive clasping of the hands. [A.S. wringan, to twist; Dut. wringen, Ger. ringen. Cf. Wreak, Wry.]

Wrinkle, ring′kl, n. (coll.) a tip, valuable hint. [Perh. from A.S. wrenc, a trick. Cf. Wrench.]

Wrinkle, ring′kl, n. a small ridge on a surface caused by twisting or shrinking: unevenness.—v.t. to contract into wrinkles or furrows: to make rough.—v.i. to shrink into ridges.—adj. Wrink′ly, full of wrinkles: liable to be wrinkled. [M. E. wrinkel, conn. with A.S. wringan, to twist; prob. related to Sw. rynka, Dan. rynke, a wrinkle.]

Wrist, rist, n. the joint by which the hand is united to the arm: a stud or pin projecting from the side of a crank.—ns. Wrist′band, the band or part of a sleeve which covers the wrist; Wrist′-drop, inability to extend the hand, often caused by lead-poisoning; Wrist′let, an elastic band used to confine the upper part of a glove to the wrist: a bracelet: (slang) a handcuff; Wrist′-plate, an oscillating plate bearing wrist-pins for the connection of rods or pitmans, as on the cut-off gear of an engine; Wrist′-pin, any pin connecting a pitman to a cross-head; Wrist′-shot, in golf, a short stroke usually played with an iron, from the wrist, without swinging the club over the shoulder. [A.S. wrist—wríthan, to twist; Ger. rist.]

Writ, rit, obsolete pa.t. and pa.p. of write.

Writ, rit, n. a writing: (law) a written document by which one is summoned or required to do something: a formal document, any writing.—Holy Writ, the Scriptures.—Serve a writ on, to deliver a summons to.

Write, rīt, v.t. to form letters with a pen or pencil: to express in writing: to compose: to engrave: to record: to communicate by letter.—v.i. to perform the act of writing: to be employed as a clerk: to compose books: to send letters: to practise the art of writing: to work as an author: to compose a letter:—pr.p. wrī′ting; pa.t. wrōte; pa.p. writ′ten.—ns. Wrī′ter, one who writes: a professional scribe or clerk: an ordinary legal practitioner in Scotch country towns: an author: a petty officer in the United States navy who keeps the watch-muster and other books of the ship—usually Ship-writer:—fem. Wrī′teress (rare); Wrī′ter's-cramp (see Cramp); Wrī′tership, the office of a writer; Wrī′ting, the forming letters with a pen or pencil: that which is written: literary production; Wrī′ting-book, a book of paper for practising penmanship; Wrī′ting-case, a portable case containing materials for writing; Wrī′ting-cham′ber, a room fitted for writing: a law office; Wrī′ting-desk, a desk with a sloping top for writing upon: a portable writing-case; Wrī′ting-ink, ink suited for writing with; Wrī′ting-mas′ter, a master who teaches the art of penmanship: the yellow-bunting; Wrīting-pā′per, paper finished with a smooth surface, for writing upon; Wrī′ting-school, a school for penmanship; Wrī′ting-tā′ble, a table fitted or used for writing upon.—adj. Writ′ten, reduced to writing—opposed to Oral.—Writers to the Signet, an ancient society of solicitors in Scotland who formerly had the exclusive right to prepare all summonses and other writs pertaining to the supreme court of justice, and still have the exclusive privilege of preparing crown writs, which include all charters, precepts, and writs from the sovereign or prince of Scotland.—Write down, to put down in written characters: to condemn in writing; Write off, to cancel by an entry on the opposite side of the account; Write out, to transcribe: to exhaust one's mental capacity by too much writing; Write up, to put a full description of in writing: to praise something in writing above its merits. [A.S. wrítan; Ice. ríta; the original meaning being 'to scratch' (cf. the cog. Ger. reissen, to tear).]

Writhe, rīth, v.t. to turn to and fro: to twist violently: to wrest: (obs.) to extort.—v.i. to twist.—n. (rare) a contortion.—adv. Wrī′thingly. [A.S. wríthan, to twist; Ice. rítha. Cf. Wreath, Wrest, Wrist.]

Writhle, rith′l, v.t. (Spens.) to wrinkle: (Shak.) to shrivel.

Wrizzled, riz′ld, adj. (Spens.) wrinkled.

Wroke, rōk, Wroken, rōk′n, obsolete pa.p. of wreak.

Wrong, rong, adj. not according to rule or right, deviating from what is correct or suitable: perverse: not fit or suitable: incorrect: not right or true.—n. whatever is not right or just: any injury done to another: an erroneous view.—adv. not rightly.—v.t. to do wrong to: to deprive of some right: to injure.—ns. Wrong′-do′er, one who does wrong: one who injures another; Wrong′-do′ing, evil or wicked action or conduct; Wrong′er, one who wrongs.—adj. Wrong′ful, wrong: unjust: injurious.—adv. Wrong′fully.—n. Wrong′fulness.—adj. Wrong′-head′ed, obstinately and perversely stubborn.—adv. Wrong′-head′edly.—n. Wrong′-head′edness.—adv. Wrong′ly, in a wrong manner.—adj. Wrong′-mind′ed, having erroneous views.—n. Wrong′ness.—adj. Wrong′ous, unjust, illegal.—adv. Wrong′ously.—adj. Wrong′-timed, inopportune.—Go wrong, to fail to work properly: to stray from virtue; Have wrong, to be wrong: to suffer injustice; In the wrong, holding an erroneous view or unjust position; Private wrong, a violation of the civil or personal rights of an individual in his private capacity; Put in the wrong, to cause to appear in error. [A.S. wrang, a wrong; most prob. Scand., Ice. rangr, unjust, Dan. vrang, wrong. Skeat explains A.S. wrang as from wrang, pa.t. of wringan, to wring, like Fr. tort, from L. tortus, twisted.]

Wrote, rōt. pa.t. of write.

Wroth, rōth, adj. wrathful. [A.S. wráth, angry—wráth, pa.t. of wríthan, to writhe; cf. Ice. reithr.]

Wrought, rawt, pa.t. and pa.p. of work.—n. Wrought′-ī′ron, malleable iron. [A.S. worhte, geworht, pa.t. and pa.p. of wyrcan, wircan, to work.]

Wrung, rung, pa.t. and pa.p. of wring.

Wry, rī, adj. twisted or turned to one side: not in the right direction.—n. (prov.) distortion.—v.i. (Shak.) to go astray.—v.t. to give a twist to, pervert.—n. Wry′bill, a New Zealand plover with bill bent sideways.—adv. Wry′ly.—adj. Wry′-mouthed, having a crooked mouth, unflattering.—n. Wry′-neck, a twisted or distorted neck: a small bird allied to the woodpecker, which twists round its head strangely when surprised.—adj. Wry′-necked.—n. Wry′ness.—Make a wry face, or mouth, to pucker up the face, or mouth, in sign of disgust or pain. [A.S. wrigian, to drive, bend. Ult. conn. with wriggle and writhe.]

Wull, wul, v.i. (Spens.). Same as Will.

Wuther, wuth′ėr, v.i. (prov.) to roar sullenly.—n. a low roaring. [Perh. traceable to A.S. wóth, a cry.]

Wuzzent, wuz′ent, adj. (Scot.) wizened.

Wuzzle, wuz′l, v.t. (U.S.) to jumble.

Wych-elm, n. See Witch-elm.

Wyclifite, Wycliffite, wik′lif-īt, adj. pertaining to the English reformer and translator of the Bible, John Wycliffe (1325-84).—n. a follower of Wycliffe; a Lollard.

Wykehamist, wik′am-ist, n. a student, or former student, of Winchester College, founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester (died 1404).

Wylie-coat, wī′li-kōt, n. (Scot.) a flannel undervest or petticoat.

Wynd, wīnd, n. (Scot.) a lane: narrow alley in a town. [Same as Wind (2).]

Wyvern, wī′vrn, n. (her.) a fictitious monster allied to the dragon and the griffin, and having its two legs and feet like those of the eagle. [O. Fr. wivre, a viper—L. vipera.]

the twenty-fourth letter in our alphabet, having in modern English the value of ks, which it had in Anglo-Saxon—except at the beginning of a word, where it is pronounced like z. As a numeral X stands for ten, for a thousand, X for ten thousand; X as an abbreviation represents the word Christ—Xian, Xmas; x in algebra is the first of the unknown quantities; and the use of X, XX, and XXX on barrels of stout is a well-known way of indicating the quality.—X-rays, the name given by Röntgen of Würzburg in 1895 to those dark or invisible rays emitted, under the influence of an electric current, from a glass-bulb highly exhausted of air through an aluminium window into a close box, and which when passed through the hand or other part of the body imprint a shadow-picture of the bones on a sensitive photographic plate—a discovery of high value in surgery, enabling a bullet, &c., embedded in the flesh to be carefully localised.

Xantheine, zan′the-in, n. the yellow colouring matter of flowers. [From Gr. xanthos, yellow.]

Xanthian, zan′thi-an, adj. pertaining to Xanthus, the capital of ancient Lycia, in Asia Minor.

Xanthin, zan′thin, n. a name given to the yellow colouring matter of various flowers, to a principle in madder, and to a deposit of urine.—n. Xan′thate, a salt of xanthic acid.—adj. Xan′thic. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.]

Xanthium, zan′thi-um, n. a weedy plant of the aster family.—Also Cockle-bur, Clot-bur.

Xanthochroi, zan-thok′roi, n.pl. one of the five groups of men, according to Huxley and other ethnologists, comprising the fair whites.—n. Xanthochroi′a, a yellow discolouration of the skin.—adjs. Xanthochrō′ic, Xanthoch′rōous. [Formed through L. from Gr. xanthos, yellow, chroa, skin.]

Xanthoma, zan-thō′ma, n. a skin disease consisting of a growth of flat or tuberculated yellowish patches, often on the eyelids.—adj. Xanthoma′atous. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.]

Xanthomelanous, zan-thō-mel′a-nus, adj. applied to a type of men with black hair and yellow or olive skins. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, melas, -anos, black.]

Xanthophyll, zan′thō-fil, n. any one of certain yellow pigments contained in leaves.

Xanthopsy, zan′thop-si, n. a kind of colour-blindness in which everything looks yellowish.

Xanthosis, zan-thō′sis, n. the formation of a yellowish pigment in the areolar or muscular tissue, discolouring the skin—esp. in cancerous tumours.

Xanthous, zan′thus, adj. yellow. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.]

Xanthoxylum, zan-thok′si-lum, n. a genus of the Rutaceæ, comprising over one hundred species, of which many are found in Brazil and the West Indies—the Prickly Ash or Toothache-tree. [Formed from Gr. xanthos, yellow, xylon, wood.]

Xanthura, zan-thū′ra, n. a genus of American jays, with yellow tail. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, oura, tail.]

Xantippe, zan-tip′e, n. a scold, shrew. [Wife of Socrates.]

Xebec, zē′bek, n. a small three-masted vessel much used by the former corsairs of Algiers. [Sp.,—Turk. sumbakī.]

Xema, zē′ma, n. the genus of fork-tailed gulls.

Xenarthral, zen-arth′ral, adj. peculiarly jointed, as dorso-lumbar vertebræ. [Gr. xenos, strange, arthron, a joint.]

Xenial, zē′ni-al, adj. of or belonging to hospitality. [Gr. xenos, a guest.]

Xenium, zē′ni-um, n. a present made to a guest, stranger, or ambassador. [Gr.]

Xenodochy, zē-nod′ō-ki, n. reception of strangers.—n. Xenodochē′um, a building for the reception of strangers: an inn in modern Greece.

Xenogamy, zen-og′a-mi, n. (bot.) cross-fertilisation. [Gr. xenos, strange, gamos, marriage.]

Xenogenesis, zen-ō-jen′e-sis, n. the generation of something altogether and permanently unlike the parent.—adj. Xenogenet′ic. [Gr. xenos, a stranger, genesis, birth.]

Xenomania, zen-ō-mā′ni-a, n. an inordinate attachment to things foreign. [Gr. xenos, foreign, mania, madness.]

Xenomenia, zen-ō-mē′nī-a, n. vicarious or supplementary menstruation. [Gr. xenos, strange, mēniaia, menses.]

Xenomorphic, zen-ō-mor′fik, adj. not having its own proper form, but an irregular shape impressed by adjacent minerals. [Gr. xenos, strange, morphē, form.]

Xenops, zē′nops, n. a genus of South American tree-creepers, with short turned-up bills. [Gr. xenos, strange, ōps, face.]

Xenurus, zē-nū′rus, n. a genus of armadillos.—adj. Xenū′rine. [Gr. xenos, strange, oura, tail.]

Xeransis, zē-ran′sis, n. siccation.—Also Xerō′sis.

Xerantic, zē-ran′tik, adj. drying up, exsiccant.

Xerasia, zē-rā′si-a, n. a morbid dryness of the hair.—Also Xerō′sis. [Gr. xēros, dry.]

Xeroderma, zē-rō-der′ma, n. a morbid state of dryness of the skin due to diminished secretion of the sebaceous glands.

Xerodes, zē-rō′dēs, n. any tumour attended with dryness.

Xeromyrum, zē-rom′i-rum, n. a dry ointment.

Xerophagy, zē-rof′a-ji, n. the habit of living on dry food. [Gr. xēros, dry, phagein, to eat.]

Xerophilous, zē-rof′i-lus, adj. (bot.) loving dryness.

Xerophthalmia, zē-rof-thal′mi-a, n. a dry form of conjunctivis.

Xerostomia, zē-rō-stō′mi-a, n. abnormal dryness of the mouth.

Xerotes, zē′rō-tēz, n. a dry habit of body.—adj. Xerot′ic.

Xerotribia, zē-rō-trib′i-a, n. dry friction.—Also Xerotrip′sis.

Xiphoid, zif′oid, adj. resembling the sword-fish.

Xoanon, zō′a-non, n. a primitive statue, fallen from heaven, originally of wood, later overlaid with ivory and gold. [Gr.]

X-rays. See under X.

Xylanthrax, zī-lan′thraks, n. wood-coal.

Xylem, zī′lem, n. the woody part of vegetable tissue—opposed to the phloëm, or bast part.

Xylobalsamum, zī-lō-bal′sa-mum, n. the dried twigs of the balm-of-Gilead tree.

Xylocarp, zī′lō-kärp, n. a hard and woody fruit.—adj. Xylocar′pous.

Xylography, zi-log′ra-fi, n. the art of engraving on wood.—ns. Xyl′ograph, an impression or print from a wood block: an impression of the grain of wood for surface decoration; Xylog′rapher.—adjs. Xylograph′ic, -al. [Gr. xylon, wood, graphein, to write.]

Xyloid, zī′loid, adj. woody, ligneous.

Xyloidine, zī-loi′din, n. an explosive like gun-cotton, prepared by the action of strong nitric acid on starch or woody fibre. [Gr. xylon, wood, eidos, form, appearance.]

Xylol, zī′lol, n. any of the metameric dimethyl benzenes. [Gr. xylon, wood, L. oleum, oil.]

Xylonite, zī′-lō-nīt, n. a kind of celluloid (q.v.). [Gr. xylon, wood.]

Xylophagan, zī-lof′a-gan, n. one of the Xyloph′aga, a genus of boring bivalves.

Xylophagous, zī-lof′a-gus, adj. wood-eating.

Xylophilous, zī-lof′i-lus, adj. fond of wood, living upon wood.

Xylophone, zī′lō-fōn, n. a musical instrument consisting of a graduated series of wooden bars, which are rested on straw, and are struck by wooden hammers. [Gr. xylon, wood, phōnē, a voice.]

Xylopia, zī-lō′pī-a, n. a genus of plants, natives of the tropics, chiefly in America. [Gr. xylon, wood, pikros, bitter.]

Xylopyrography, zī-lō-pī-rog′ra-fi, n. poker-painting.

Xyst, zist, n. a covered portico used by athletes for their exercises.—Also Xyst′os, Xyst′us.

Xyster, zis′tėr, n. a surgeon's instrument for scraping bones.

the twenty-fifth letter of our alphabet.—Y=150; Y=150,000.—ns. Y′-level, an engineers' spirit-level, so called because of the telescope formerly resting on 'Y's,' capable of being rotated at will—now substituted by the 'dumpy-level'—also Wye-level; Y′-moth, the gamma, a destructive noctuid moth, with a silvery Y-shaped mark on the upper wings; Y′-track, a short track laid at right angles to a railway-line, connected with it by two switches resembling a Y, used instead of a turn-table for reversing engines.

Yacca, yak′a, n. a kind of evergreen in the West Indies.

Yacht, yot, n. a sailing or steam vessel, elegantly fitted up for pleasure-trips or racing, or as a vessel of state.—v.i. to sail in a yacht.—adj. Yacht′-built, built on the model of a yacht.—ns. Yacht′-club, a club of yachtsmen; Yacht′er, one engaged in sailing a yacht; Yacht′ing, sailing in a yacht; Yachts′man, one who keeps or sails a yacht; Yachts′manship, the art of sailing a yacht. [Dut. jagt (formerly jacht), from jagen, to chase=Old High Ger. jagōn, Ger. jagen, to hunt.]

Yaff, yaf, v.i. (Scot.) to bark like a snarling dog.

Yaffingale, yaf′ing-gāl, n. (Tenn.) the green woodpecker. [From Prov. Eng. yaffle (and under the influence of nightingale), from the sound.]

Yager, yā′gėr, n. formerly one of various bodies of light infantry in German armies, largely recruited from foresters, now one of various corps of infantry or cavalry, generally riflemen.—Also Jä′ger. [Ger. jäger, a huntsman.]

Yagger, yag′ėr, n. (Scot.) a peddler, a stroller. [Dut. jager, a huntsman—jagen, to hunt.]

Yahoo, ya-hōō′, n. a name given by Swift in Gulliver's Travels to a class of animals which have the forms of men but the understanding and passions of the lowest brutes: a despicable character.

Yahveh, yä-vā′=Jehovah.—n. Yah′vist=Jehovist.

Yak, yak, n. a species of ox found in Tibet, and domesticated there, covered all over with a thick coat of long silky hair, that of the lower parts hanging down almost to the ground. [Tibetan.]

Yakut, ya-kōōt′, n. a member of a mixed Turkish race in Siberia, in the Lena district.

Yald, Yauld, yäld, adj. (Scot.) active, supple.

Yam, yam, n. a large root like the potato growing in tropical countries. [Port. inhame.]

Yama, yam′a, n. in Hindu mythology, the first mortal progenitor of the human race. [Sans.]

Yamadou, yam′a-dōō, n. an oil from the yellow-nutmeg.

Yammer, yam′ėr, v.i. to lament, wail: to whine.—n. Yamm′ering. [A.S. geómerian—geómor, sad.]

Yamun, yä′mun, n. the office and residence of a mandarin. [Chin.]

Yank, yangk, v.t. to carry, move with a jerk (with out, over).—n. (Scot.) a blow, buffet.—n. Yank′er (Scot.), a rap: a big lie.—adj. Yank′ing (Scot.), active: (U.S.) pulling, jerking.—n. Yank′ie (Scot.), a scold: an impudent woman. [Scand., Sw. prov. jakka, to rove about, Ice. jaga, to move about.]

Yankee, yang′kē, n. a citizen of the New England States in America: an inhabitant of the United States—also Yank (coll.).—ns. Yank′eedom, the country inhabited by Yankees: Yankees generally; Yank′ee-Doo′dle, a Yankee, from a popular air—also adj.—adj. Yank′eefied.—n. Yank′eeism, Yankee characteristics. [Perh. a corr. of English, or of Fr. Anglais, by the North American Indians.]

Yap, yap, v.i. (prov.) to yelp, bark constantly.—n. a yelp: a cur.—n. Yap′ster, a dog.

Yapok, Yapock, yap′ok, n. the S. Amer. water-opossum. [From the river Oyapok, in French Guiana.]

Yapon, yä′pon, n. a bushy evergreen shrub of the holly family, native to the S.E. coasts of the U.S., its leaves yielding the medicinal 'black drink' of the Indians.—Also Yau′pon, Yu′pon. [Most prob. Amer. Ind.]

Yapp, yap, n. a kind of limp leather binding in which the cover overlaps the edge of the book.

Yard, yärd, n. an English measure of 3 feet or 36 inches: a long beam on a mast for spreading square sails: the penis.—ns. Yard′-arm, either half of a ship's yard (right or left) from the centre to the end; Yard′stick, a stick 3 feet long, any standard of measurement—also Yard′wand. [A.S. gyrd, gierd, a rod, measure; Dut. garde, Ger. gerte; further conn. with Goth. gazds, a stick, L. hasta, a spear.]

Yard, yärd, n. an enclosed place, esp. near a building, as 'prison-yard,' or where any special work is carried on, as 'brick-yard,' 'wood-yard,' 'dock-yard,' 'navy-yard:' a garden.—v.t. to enclose in a yard.—ns. Yard′age, the use of a yard, or the charge made for such: the cutting of coal at so much per yard; Yard′-land, the amount of land held by a tenant in villeinage, in older English usage, varying from 15 to 40 acres; Yard′man, the person having special charge of a farm-yard: one employed in a railway-yard in making up trains, &c.; Yard′-mas′ter, one who has the special oversight of a railway-yard. [A.S. geard, hedge, enclosure; Ger. garten; conn. with L. hortus, Gr. chortos.]

Yare, yār, adj. ready: dexterous: quick: easily handled, manageable.—adv. Yare′ly (Shak.), promptly: dexterously: skilfully. [A.S. gearu, gearo, ready, prompt; Dut. gaar, dressed, Ger. gar, wholly.]

Yarn, yärn, n. spun thread: one of the threads of a rope: a sailor's story (spun out to some length), a story generally.—v.i. to tell stories. [A.S. gearn, thread; Ice. and Ger. garn.]

Yarpha, yär′fa, n. peaty soil in Shetland.

Yarr, yär, n. (prov.) the corn spurry.

Yarrish, yär′ish, adj. (prov.) having a rough, dry taste.

Yarrow, yar′ō, n. the plant milfoil. [A.S. gearuwe; Ger. garbe.]

Yashmak, yash′mak, n. the double veil worn by Moslem women in public, the eyes only being uncovered. [Ar.]

Yasht, yäsht, n. in the Zend-Avesta, one of a collection of hymns and prayers.

Yataghan, yat′a-gan, n. a long Turkish dagger, without guard, usually curved. [Turk.]

Yate, yāt, n. (Spens.) a gate.

Yaud, yäd, n. Scotch form of jade.

Yaup, yäp, n. (prov.) the blue titmouse.

Yaup, yäp, v.i. (Scot.) to be hungry.—adj. hungry.

Yaw, yaw, v.i. to move unsteadily: (naut.) to deviate temporarily or to turn out of the line of her course, as a ship.—n. a deviation from the course. [Scand., cf. Norw. gaga, to bend back, Ice. gagr, bent back.]

Yawl, yawl, v.i. to howl. [Cf. Gowl.]

Yawl, yawl, n. a ship's small boat, generally with four or six oars: a small fishing-boat: a small sailing-boat with jigger and curtailed mainboom. [Dut. jol. Cf. Jollyboat.]

Yawn, yawn, v.i. to open the jaws involuntarily from drowsiness: to gape: to gape with astonishment.—n. the opening of the mouth from drowsiness.—adj. Yawn′ing, gaping: opening wide: drowsy.—n. act of opening wide or gaping: a modification of the ordinary movements of respiration, in which the inspiration is deeper than usual, accompanied by a kind of spasmodic contraction of the muscles which depress the lower jaw, and by a great elevation of the ribs and to some degree of the shoulder-blades.—adv. Yawn′ingly. [A.S. gánian, to yawn—gínan, pa.t. gán, to gape widely; Ice. gína, to gape, Gr. chainein, to gape.]

Yaws, yaws, n. a tropical epidemic and contagious disease of the skin—also Frambœsia, Button scurvy, Verruga Peruviana, Buba or Boba, Patta, Tetia, &c.—adj. Yaw′ey, pertaining to the yaws. [African yaw, a raspberry.]

Y-clad, i-klad′, an obsolete form of clad, pa.p. of clothe.

Yclept, or Ycleped, i-klept′, pa.p. (obs.) called. [Clepe.]

Ye, yē, pron. the nom. pl. of the 2d person—in old English ye was always used as a nominative, and you as a dative or accusative, as in the English Bible. [M. E. ye, ȝe, nom.; your, ȝour, gen.; you, ȝou, yow, dat. and accus. pl. A.S. ge, nom. ye; eówer, gen. of you; eów, to you, you, dat. and accus.]

Yea, yā, adv. yes: verily.—adj. (B.) true.—n. an affirmative vote. [A.S. geá; Dut. and Ger. ja, Ice. já. Cf. Yes.]

Yead, Yede, yēd, v.i. (Spens.) to go: to march:—pr.p. yead′ing; pa.p. yōde. [A.S. eode, went, pa.t. of gán, to go.]

Yean, yēn, v.t. to bring forth young.—n. Yean′ling (Shak.), the young of a sheep: a lamb. [A.S. éanian, to bring forth—eacen, pregnant.]

Year, yēr, n. a period of time determined by the revolution of the earth in its orbit, and embracing the four seasons, popularly a period beginning with 1st January and ending with 31st December, consisting of 365 days (excepting every fourth year, called 'bissextile' or 'leap-year,' in which one day is added to February, making the number 366)—the Calendar, Civil, or Legal year: a space of twelve calendar months: (pl.) period of life, esp. age or old age.—ns. Year′-book, a book published annually, containing reports of judicial cases, or of discoveries, events, &c.; Year′ling, an animal a year old.—adj. a year old.—adjs. Year′long, lasting a year; Year′ly, happening every year: lasting a year.—adv. once a year: from year to year.—Year of Grace, or of our Lord, date of the Christian era.—Anomalistic year (see Anomaly); Astronomical year, the interval between one vernal equinox and the next, or one complete mean apparent circuit of the ecliptic by the sun, or mean motion through 360° of longitude—365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 49.7 seconds—called also the Equinoctial, Solar, or Tropical year; Canicular year—the ancient Egyptian—counted from one heliacal rising of Sirius to the next—(the Canicular Cycle was the cycle of 1461 years of 365 days each, or 1460 Julian years, also called the Sothiac period); Ecclesiastical year, the year as arranged in the ecclesiastical calendar, with saints' days, festivals, &c.; Embolismic year, a year of thirteen lunar months or 384 days, occurring in a lunisolar calendar like that of the Jews; Hebrew year, a lunisolar year, of 12 or 13 months of 29 or 30 days—in every cycle of nineteen years the 3d, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th having thirteen months instead of twelve; Julian year, a period of 365¼ days, thus causing an annual error of about 11 minutes—corrected by dropping 10 days in 1582 under Pope Gregory XIII.—not adopted in England till 3d September 1752, which became September 14 (see Style); Legal year, the year by which dates were reckoned, which till 1752 began in England on 25th March, that date being originally chosen by Dionysius Exiguus as being the Annunciation—exactly nine months before Christmas. In Scotland the year began on 1st January since 1600.—The most common New Year's Days were these four—(a) 25th December; (b) 25th March; (c) Easter; (d) 1st January. Thus England used both the first and second from the 6th century to 1066; the fourth till 1155; then the second till the day after 31st December 1751, which was called 1st January 1752. Scotland used the second till 1599, when the day after 31st December 1599 was called 1st January 1600. France under Charlemagne used the first, and afterwards also the third and second till 1563; Lunar year, a period of twelve lunar months or 354 days, Platonic year, a cycle of years at the end of which the heavenly bodies are in the same place as at the Creation—also Great, or Perfect, year; Sabbatic, -al, year (see Sabbath); Sidereal year, the period required by the sun to move from a given star to the same star again—affected by Nutation only, one of the most invariable quantities which nature affords us, having a mean value of 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 9.6 seconds.—In years, advanced in age. [A.S. geár, gér; Ger. jahr, Ice. ár, Gr. hōra, season.]

Yearn, yėrn, v.i. to feel earnest desire: to feel uneasiness, as from longing or pity.—n. Yearn′ing, earnest desire, tenderness, or pity.—adj. longing.—adv. Yearn′ingly. [A.S. giernan, giernian, to desire—georn, desirous, eager; cf. Ger. begehren. to long for.]

Yearn, yėrn, v.i. and v.t. (Shak.) to grieve. [M. E. ermen—A.S. yrman, to vex—earm, poor.]

Yearn, yėrn, v.t. (Spens.) to earn.

Yearn, yėrn, v.i. to curdle, as milk—also Earn.—n. Yearn′ing, rennet.

Yeast, yēst, n. the froth of malt liquors in fermentation: the vegetable growth to which fermentation is due, of value in brewing, baking, &c.: (Shak.) spume or foam of water.—v.i. to ferment.—ns. Yeast′iness, the state of being yeasty or frothy; Yeast′-plant, a small plant causing alcoholic fermentation in saccharine liquids; Yeast′-pow′der, a baking powder.—adj. Yeast′y, like yeast: frothy, foamy: unsubstantial. [A.S. gist, gyst; Ger. gäscht, gischt.]

Yeld, yeld, adj. (Scot.) barren, not giving milk. [A variant of geld.]

Yeldring, yel′dring, n. the same as Yowley.—Also Yel′drock.

Yelk. Same as Yolk.

Yell, yel, v.i. to howl or cry out with a sharp noise: to scream from pain or terror.—v.t. to utter with a yell.—n. a sharp outcry.—n. Yell′ing.—v.i. Yell′och (Scot.), to yell.—n. a yell. [A.S. gellan, gyllan; Ger. gellen; conn. with A.S. galan, to sing.]

Yellow, yel′ō, adj. of a bright gold colour.—n. a bright golden colour: (pl.) the peach-yellows (see Peach): (Shak.) jaundice in horses.—v.t. to make yellow.—v.i. to become yellow.—adjs. Yell′ow-backed, -bell′ied, -billed, -breast′ed, -cov′ered, -crowned, -eyed, -foot′ed, -front′ed, -head′ed, -horned, -legged, -necked, -polled, -ringed, -rumped, -shoul′dered, -spot′ted, &c.—ns. Yell′ow-bird, one of various birds of a yellow colour—the golden oriole, summer-warbler, &c.; Yell′ow-boy, a gold coin: a mulatto or dark quadroon:—fem. Yell′ow-girl; Yell′ow-bunt′ing, the yellow-hammer; Yell′ow-earth, a yellow ochre sometimes used as a pigment; Yell′ow-fē′ver, a pestilential contagious fever of a continuous and special type, presenting at least two well-defined stages, the first occupying 36 to 150 hours, marked by a rapid circulation and high temperature; the second being characterised by general depression and black vomit—also known as Yellow Jack, Bronze John, El Vomito, and Vomito Prieto or Vomito Amarilli; Yell′ow-flag, a flag of a yellow colour, displayed by a vessel in quarantine or over a military hospital or ambulance; Yell′ow-gum, the melæna or black jaundice of infants; Yell′ow-hamm′er, -amm′er, a song-bird, so named from its yellow colour: the common yellow-bunting.—adj. Yell′owish, somewhat yellow.—ns. Yell′owishness; Yell′ow-met′al, a brass consisting of sixty parts copper and forty parts zinc; Yell′owness; Yell′ow-root, an American herb whose root-stock yields berberine—also Orange-root, Goldenseal; Yell′ow-soap, common soap composed of tallow, resin, and soda; Yell′ow-wash, a lotion consisting of a mixture of mercuric chloride and lime-water; Yell′ow-weed, weld; Yell′ow-wood, a name given to Fustic and many other trees—e.g. satin-wood, and various kinds of podocarpus, rhus, xanthoxylum, &c.; Yell′ow-wort, an annual of the gentian family—also Yell′ow-cen′taury.—adj. Yell′owy, yellowish.—ns. Yell′ow-yol′dring, -yor′ling, or -yow′ley, the European yellow-hammer.—Yellow berries, Persian berries. [A.S. geolo; Ger. gelb; cog. with L. heluus, light bay.]

Yelp, yelp, v.i. to utter a sharp bark.—n. a sharp, quick cry or bark.—n. Yelp′er. [A.S. gilpan, to boast, exult; Ice. giálpa, to yelp.]

Yen, yen, n. a Japanese gold or silver coin, used as the monetary unit since 1871, and now equivalent to about 2s. 0½d. of our money. [Jap.,—Chin. yuen, round, a dollar.]

Yeoman, yō′man, n. in early English history, a common menial attendant, but after the fifteenth century, one of a class of small freeholders, forming the next grade below gentlemen: a man of small estate, any small farmer or countryman above the grade of labourer: an officer of the royal household: a member of the yeomanry cavalry: (Shak.) a journeyman, assistant: a gentleman in a royal or noble household, ranking between a sergeant and a groom.—adj. Yeo′manly, of yeoman's rank: humble and honest.—adv. staunchly, bravely.—n. Yeo′manry, the collective body of yeomen or smaller freeholders: a cavalry volunteer force in Great Britain, formed during the wars of the French Revolution, its organisation by counties, under the lords-lieutenant, raised and drilled locally, the men providing their own horses and uniform.—Yeomen of the guard, a veteran company of picked soldiers, employed in conjunction with the gentlemen-at-arms on grand occasions as the sovereign's bodyguard—constituted a corps in 1485 by Henry VII., and still wearing the costume of that period; Yeoman's service, powerful aid, such as came from the yeomen in the English armies of early times. [M. E. yoman, yemen, doubtless from an A.S. gáman, not found, but seen in Old Frisian gāman, villager—gā, a village (Ger. gau, district), man, man.]

Yerba, yer′ba, n. the Paraguay tea or maté. [Sp.,—L. herba.]

Yerk, yėrk, v.t. to throw or thrust with a sudden, quick motion, to jerk: (obs.) to beat, rouse, excite (Scot.): to bind or tie with a jerk. [Akin to jerk.]

Yes, yes, adv. ay: a word of affirmation or consent. [A.S. gise, gese—geá, yea, sý, let it be.]

Yester, yes′tėr, adj. relating to yesterday: last.—n. Yes′terday, the day last past.—adv. on the day last past.—ns. Yes′tereve, -n, Yes′terevening, the evening last past; Yes′termorn, Yes′termorning, the morning last past; Yes′ternight, the night last past; Yes′teryear, last year.—adv. Yestreen′ (Scot.), last evening, contracted from yestereven. [A.S. geostran-, giestran- (only in compounds); Ger. gestern; cf. L. hesternus, Gr. chthes.]

Yet, yet, adv. in addition: besides: at the same time: up to the present time: hitherto: even: however.—conj. nevertheless: however. [A.S. git, gita; Ger. jetz.]

Yett, yet, n. (Scot.) a gate, door—another term of yate, itself a dialectal form of gate.

Yeve, yēv, v.t. to give:—pa.p. (Spens.) Yev′en.

Yew, ū, n. a tree of genus Taxus—natural order Taxaceæ, itself a suborder of Coniferæ—widely diffused over the whole northern parts of the world, with narrow lanceolate or linear leaves (in Europe long planted in graveyards), yielding an elastic wood good for bows: its wood.—adj. Yew′en (Spens.), made of yew.—n. Yew′-tree. [A.S. íw, éow, éoh; Ger. eibe, Ir. iubhar.]

Yex, yeks, v.i. (prov.) to hiccup.—n. a hiccup.

Yggdrasil, ig′dra-sil, n. (Scand. myth.) the ash-tree binding together heaven, earth, and hell, and extending its branches over the whole world and above the heavens—according to Vigfusson and Powell, not a primitive Scandinavian idea, but originating after the contact with Christianity, and so a corruption of the cross [Ice. Yggdra Syll; cf. Yggr, Uggr, a surname of Odin, syll, sill. Magnusson explains as 'Odin's horse,' Ice. sleipner, horse.]

Yiddish, yid′ish, n. a strange compound of very corrupt Hebrew and ancient or provincial German spoken by the commoner Jews—extensively in the East End of London.—ns. Yid, Yidd′isher, a Jew. [Ger. jüdisch, Jewish.]

Yield, yēld, v.t. to resign: to grant: to give out: to produce: to allow.—v.i. to submit: to comply with: to give place.—n. amount yielded: product.—adj. Yield′able, that may be yielded: inclined to yield.—ns. Yield′ableness; Yield′er.—adj. Yield′ing, inclined to give way or comply: compliant.—adv. Yield′ingly.—n. Yield′ingness.—Yield up the ghost (see 'Give up the ghost,' under Give). [A.S. gieldan, gildan, to pay, gelten, Ice. gjalda.]

Yill, yil, n. (Scot.) ale. [Ale.]

Yite, yīt, n. (prov.) the yellow-bunting.—Also Yoit.

Y-level, Y-moth. See Y.

Yo, yō, interj. expressive of effort, &c.—Yo-ho, in order to call attention.

Yodel, Yodle, yō′dl, v.t. and v.i. to sing, changing frequently from the ordinary voice to falsetto and back again after the manner of the mountaineers of the Tyrol.—n. a song sung in this fashion—also Jō′del.—ns. Yō′deler, Yō′dler. [Ger. dial. jodeln.]

Yoga, yō′ga, n. a system of Hindu philosophy showing the means of emancipation of the soul from further migrations.—ns. Yō′gi, a Hindu ascetic who practises the yoga system, consisting in the withdrawal of the senses from external objects, long continuance in unnatural postures, &c.; Yō′gism. [Hind. yoga—Sans. yoga, union.]

Yoicks, yō′iks, interj. an old fox-hunting cry.—v.t. Yō′ick, to urge on by this cry.

Yojana, yō′ja-na, n. an Indian measure of distance, usually about five miles.—Also Yō′jan.

Yoke, yōk, n. that which joins together: the frame of wood joining oxen for drawing together: any similar frame, as one for carrying pails: (prov.) a chain of hills: a stretch of work—e.g. from meal-time to meal-time: a mark of servitude: slavery: a pair or couple.—v.t. to put a yoke on: to join together: to enslave.—v.i. to be joined: to go along with.—ns. Yoke′-dev′il (Shak.), a companion devil; Yoke′-fell′ow, -mate, an associate: a mate or fellow.—adj. Yoke′-toed, pair-toed.—n. Yōk′ing, as much work as is done at a stretch. [A.S. geoc, iuc, ioc; Ger. joch; L. jugum, Gr. zygon.]

Yokel, yō′kl, n. a country bumpkin.—adj. Yō′kelish. [Ety. dub.; but cf. Gawk and Gowk.]

Yolding, Yoldring. Same as Yowley.

Yolk, yōk, Yelk, yelk, n. the yellow part of an egg: the vitellus of a seed: wool-oil.—adjs. Yolked, having a yolk; Yolk′y, like yolk. [A.S. geoloca, geoleca—geolo, yellow.]

Yon, yon, Yonder, yon′dėr, adv. at a distance within view.—adj. being at a distance within view. [A.S. geon; Goth. jains (masc.), jaina (fem.), Ger. jen-er, that.]

Yond, yond, adj. (Spens.) furious, mad—apparently a mere coinage from the foregoing.

Yoni, yō′nē, n. the pudendum muliebre, the symbol under which Sakti is worshipped in India.

Yonker=Younker (q.v.).

Yoop, yoop, n. a word imitative of a sobbing sound.

Yore, yōr, n. in old time. [A.S. geára, formerly, gen. pl. of gár, a year.]

Yorker, york′ėr, n. a term in cricket applied to a ball pitched to a point directly under the batsman's bat—formerly called tice from entice. [Prob. from Yorkshire, but history quite unknown.]

Yorkish, york′ish, adj. pertaining to the county or city of York: adhering to the House of York in the Wars of the Roses.—n. York′ist, one of this party.—Yorkshire grit, a grit from Yorkshire used for polishing; Yorkshire pudding, a pudding made of unsweetened batter, and baked under meat so as to catch the drippings.

You, ū, pron. 2d pers. pron. pl., but also used as singular.—pron.pl. You′-uns, a provincial form for you, you ones.—You're another, the vulgar form of tu quoque, effective in vituperation, but not an argument. [A.S. eów, orig. only dat. and accus. Cf. Ye.]

Young, yung, adj. not long born: in early life: in the first part of growth: vigorous: relating to youth: junior, the younger of two persons having the same name: inexperienced: newly arrived—in Australia.—n. the offspring of animals.—adjs. Young′-eyed (Shak.), with the bright eyes of youth; Young′ish, somewhat young.—n. Young′ling, a young person or animal.—adj. youthful, young.—adv. Young′ly.—ns. Young′ness; Young′ster, a young person: a lad; Youngth (Spens.), youth.—adj. Youngth′ly (Spens.), youthful.—Young blood, fresh accession of strength; Young England, the name applied, during the Corn-Law struggle (1842-45), to a little band of young Tory politicians, who hated Free Trade and Radicalism, and professed a sentimental attachment to earlier forms of social life in England; Young England, America, &c., the rising generation in England, America, &c.; Young Ireland, a group of Irish politicians who broke away from O'Connell about 1844, because of his rooted aversion to physical force; Young Italy, an association of Italian republican agitators, active about 1834, under the lead of Mazzini; Young person, Mr Podsnap's phrase for youth generally, considered as too inexperienced to hear about some matters within the range of adult human experience—from Dickens's Our Mutual Friend; Young Pretender, Prince Charlie, as distinguished from his father the Pretender or Old Pretender.—With young, pregnant. [A.S. geong; Ger. jung; also conn. with L. juvenis, Sans. yuvan, young.]

Younker, yung′kėr, n. a young person: (Shak.) a simpleton: (Spens.) a young gentleman or knight. [Old Dut. joncker (Dut. jonker), from jonk-heer, 'young master' or 'lord;' Ger. junker.]

Your, ūr, pron. poss. of you: belonging to you: (Shak.) used to denote a class or species well known, the use implying something of contempt.—Yourn (prov.), yours. [A.S. eówer. Cf. Ye.]

Yours, ūrz, pron. poss. of you, not followed by a noun: used in many idiomatic senses, as e.g. 'you and yours,' your family, property, 'yours of yesterday,' your letter, &c.—Yours faithfully, sincerely, truly, &c., Yours to command, &c., are forms used in letters just before the signature, as phrases of conventional politeness, for the most part: also sometimes used by a vulgar speaker in alluding to himself.

Yourself, ūr-self′, pron. your own self or person:—pl. Yourselves′.

Youth, yōōth, n. state of being young: early life: a young person: young persons taken together: (Shak.) recentness, freshness.—adj. Youth′ful, pertaining to youth or early life: young: suitable to youth: fresh: buoyant, vigorous.—adv. Youth′fully.—ns. Youth′fulness; Youth′head, Youth′hood (obs.), youth.—adjs. Youth′ly (Spens.), young, youthful; Youth′some, youthful; Youth′y, young. [A.S. geogoth—geong, young; Ger. jugend.]

Yowl, yowl, v.i. to cry mournfully, as a dog: to yell, bawl.—n. a distressed cry.—n. Yowl′ing, a howling. [M. E. yowlen—Ice. gaula, to howl; cf. Scot. gowl and Eng. yell.]

Yowley, yow′li, n. the yellow-bunting.—Also Yel′dring, Yel′drock, Yor′ling, &c. [A.S. geolu, yellow.]

Y-pointing, i-point′ing, adj. (Milt.) pointing, looking up into the air. [An erroneous formation, as the prefix y- was confined to the past participle, and then, too, only or nearly always to words of Anglo-Saxon origin.]

Y-ravish, i-rav′ish, v.t. (Shak.) to ravish. [An erroneous formation. Cf. Y-pointing.]

Yslaked, an obsolete pa.p. of slake.

Y-track. See Y.

Ytterbium, i-ter′bi-um, n. an element discovered by Marignac in gadolinite.

Yttrium, it′ri-um, n. a rare metal obtained as a blackish-gray powder, and contained in a few minerals in which there are usually also present compounds of one or more other rare metals, such as cerium, didymium, erbium, and lanthanum.—n. Ytt′ria, its oxide, a yellowish-white powder.—adjs. Ytt′ric; Yttrif′erous; Ytt′rious.—ns. Ytt′ro-cē′rite, a violet mineral found embedded in quartz, a fluoride of yttrium, cerium, and calcium; Ytt′ro-col′umbite, -tan′talite, a brownish mineral found at Ytterby, a tantalate of yttrium, uranium, and iron, with calcium. [From Ytterby, a town in Sweden, where it was first discovered.]

Yucca, yuk′a, n. a genus of plants of natural order Liliaceæ, natives of Mexico, &c., some cultivated in gardens on account of the singularity and splendour of their appearance.—Yucca gloriosa, a native of Virginia, but quite hardy in England, the stem two or three feet high, its upper part producing a great tuft or crown of large sword-shaped evergreen leaves, each terminating in a sharp black spine. From the centre of this crown of leaves rises the flower-stalk, three feet high, branching out into a large panicle, the flowers white with a purple stripe. [West Indian name.]

Yuck, yuk, v.i. (prov.) to itch.—n. the itch.—adj. Yuck′y, itchy.

Yucker, yuk′ėr, n. the American flicker or golden-winged woodpecker.

Yufts, yufts, n. Russia leather.

Yuga, yōō′ga, n. one of the Hindu ages of the world.—Also Yug. [Sans.]

Yulan, yōō′lan, n. a Chinese magnolia, with large white flowers. [Chin.]

Yule, yool, n. the season or feast of Christmas.—n. Yule′tide, the time or season of Yule or Christmas.—Yule log, the block of wood cut down in the forest, then dragged to the house, and set alight in celebration of Christmas. [A.S. géol, yule, se ǽrra géola, December; Ice. jól. Not conn. either with Ice. hjól, wheel, or M. E. youlen, yollen, to cry out or yawl.]

Yunx, yungks, n. the wry-neck.

Y-wis, i-wis′, adv. (Spens.) certainly, truly. [Cf. Iwis.]

the twenty-sixth and last letter in our alphabet, is derived through the Greek zeta, from zayin, the seventh Semitic letter—its sound a voiced sibilant, either a voiced s as in 'zeal,' or a voiced sh as in 'azure.'—The cedilla (ç) is a 'little zed,' as is implied by the Italian name zediglia, from zeticula.

Zabian, zā′bi-an, adj. and n. the same as Sabian.—ns. Zā′baism, Zā′bism, the doctrines esp. of the Pseudo-Zabians, or Syrian Zabians (in Haurân, Edessa, Bagdad), remnants of the ancient Syrian but Hellenised heathens, from about the 9th to the 12th century. Under the name Zabians used to be grouped several peoples distinct in origin and by no means alike in religion. The medieval Arabic and Jewish writers called nearly all those heathens or Sabæans who were neither Jews or Christians, nor Mohammedans or Magians. Now the name Sabæans denotes strictly the ancient inhabitants of southern Arabia, who were but little modified by Babylonian influences; the Zabians of the Koran were originally non-Christian Gnostics—the ancestors of the still existing Mandæans (q.v.) or Joannes' Christians.

Zabra, zä′bra, n. a small vessel on the Spanish coast. [Sp.]

Zabrus, zā′brus, n. a large genus of caraboid beetles. [Gr. zabros, gluttonous.]

Zadkiel, zad′ki-el, n. the name assumed by Richard James Morrison (1794-1874), the compiler of a popular astrological almanac, a retired commander in the royal navy, a Hebraist, mathematician, astronomer, and a real believer in his pseudo-science.

Zaffre, Zaffer, zaf′ėr, n. the impure oxide obtained by partially roasting cobalt ore previously mixed with two or three times its weight of fine sand. [Fr. zafre, of Ar. origin.]

Zalophus, zal′ō-fus, n. a genus of otaries or eared seals. [Gr. za-, intens., lophos, a crest.]

Zambomba, tham-bom′ba, n. a simple Spanish musical instrument made by stretching a piece of parchment over a wide-mouthed jar and inserting a stick in it which is rubbed with the fingers.

Zamia, zā′mi-a, n. a genus of palm-like trees or low shrubs of the order Cycadaceæ—some species yield an edible starchy pith. [L. zamia, a dead fir-cone—Gr. zēmia, damage.]

Zamindar=Zemindar (q.v.).

Zamouse, za-moos′, n. the short-horned buffalo of West Africa.

Zampogna, tsam-pō′nya, n. the Italian bagpipe. [It.]

Zander, zan′dėr, n. the European pike-perch.—Also San′der and Zant. [Ger.]

Zanella, zā-nel′a, n. a mixed twilled fabric for covering umbrellas.

Zanje, than′hē, n. an irrigating canal.—n. Zanjē′ro, one who superintends the distribution of such water. [Sp. Amer.]

Zante, zan′te, n. the same as Zan′te-wood, the wood of the smoke-tree, from Zante, one of the principal Ionian Islands: satin-wood.—n. Zan′tiote, a native of Zante.—Zante currant, the small seedless fruit of a Zante grape.

Zany, zā′ni, n. a merry-andrew: a buffoon.—v.t. to play the zany to.—n. Zā′nyism, condition or habits of a buffoon. [Fr. zani—It. zani, a corr. of Giovanni, John. Cf. the similar use of the names John and Jack.]

Zaporogian, zā-pō-rō′ji-an, adj. pertaining to those Little Russian or Ukraine Cossacks who dwelt near the Porogi or falls of the Dnieper.—n. one of the foregoing.

Zapotilla, zap-ō-til′a, n. the same as Sapodilla.

Zaptieh, zap′ti-ā, n. a Turkish policeman.—Also Zab′tieh.

Zarape, za-rä′pe, n. the same as Serape.

Zarathustrian, zar-a-thōōs′tri-an, adj. and n.=Zoroastrian.—Zarathus′trianism, Zarathus′trism=Zoroastrianism; Zarathus′tric=Zoroastric.

Zaratite, zar′a-tīt, n. a hydrous carbonate of nickel, found usually as an incrustation on chromite. [From Zarate, a Spaniard.]

Zareba, zā-rē′ba, n. in the Soudan, a stockade, thorn-hedge, &c. against wild animals or enemies, a fortified camp generally.—Also Zaree′ba, Zere′ba, Zeri′ba.

Zarf, zärf, n. an ornamental holder for a hot coffee-cup.—Also Zurf. [Ar. zarf, a vessel.]

Zarnich, zär′nik, n. a native sulphide of arsenic, orpiment, realgar.—Also Zar′nec. [Ar. zernikh—Gr. arsenikon, arsenic.]

Zarzuela, thär-thōō-ā′la, n. a kind of operetta or vaudeville—named from the royal residence of La Zarzuela in Spain.

Zastruga, zas-trōō′ga, n. one of a series of long parallel snow-ridges on the open wind-swept plains of Russia. [Russian.]

Zati, zä′ti, n. the capped macaque of India and Ceylon.

Zax, zaks, n. a slaters' hammer.—Also Sax (q.v.).

Zea, zē′a, n. a cereal having monœcious flowers. The only species is Z. mays, the well-known maize or Indian corn. [Gr.]

Zeal, zēl, n. boiling or passionate ardour for anything: enthusiasm.—n. Zeal′ant (Bacon), a zealot or enthusiast.—adj. Zeal′less, wanting zeal.—ns. Zealot (zel′ot), one full of zeal: an enthusiast: a fanatic: one of a fanatical Jewish party whose restless opposition to the Roman domination finally brought about the ruin of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; Zealotism (zel′-), the character of a zealot; Zealotry (zel′-).—adj. Zealous (zel′-), full of zeal: warmly engaged or ardent in anything.—adv. Zealously (zel′-).—n. Zealousness (zel′-). [O. Fr. zele—L. zelus—Gr. zēlos, zeein, to boil. Cf. Yeast.]

Zebec, Zebeck=Xebec (q.v.).

Zebra, zē′bra, n. a generic name given to the group of striped Equidæ—all of which are peculiar to the African continent—and thus including the Dauw or Burchell's Zebra, the Quagga, and the true or Mountain Zebra.—n. Zē′bra-wood, the hard and beautifully striped wood of a Guiana tree.—adj. Zē′brine, like the zebra. [Of African origin.]

Zebu, zē′bū, n. the humped domestic ox of India (or Brahminy bull), a kind of ox very nearly allied to the common ox, diffused over India, China, the east coast of Africa, &c. [Fr. zébu, the whimsical name taken by Buffon from the exhibitors of such a beast at a French fair as if African.]

Zebub, zē′bub, n. an Abyssinian fly hurtful to cattle, similar to the tsetse. [Ar. zubāb, a fly.]

Zecchino, tsek-kē′nō, n. a Venetian gold coin, the same as the sequin (q.v.).

Zechstein, zek′stīn, n. a deposit of calcareous rock which covers the Kupfer-schiefer. [Ger.,—zeche, a mine, stein, a stone.]

Zed, zed, n. the letter Z, also called zee and izzard: a bar of metal of form similar to the letter Z.

Zedoary, zed′ō-ā-ri, n. certain species of curcuma, natives of India, China, &c., whose root-stocks (rhizomes) are aromatic, bitter, pungent, and tonic, and used for similar purposes with ginger—a powerful sudorific. [Ar. Jedwar.]

Zein, zē′in, n. a proteid found in Indian corn. [Zea.]

Zeitgeist, tsīt′gīst, n. the spirit of the age. [Ger.]

Zel, zel, n. a form of Oriental cymbal. [Pers. zil.]

Zelotypia, zel-ō-tip′i-a, n. morbid zeal in the prosecution of any project or cause. [Gr. zēlotypia, jealousy, zēlos, zeal, typtein, to strike.]