Chapter 1859

&hand; At common law a wager is considered as a legal contract which the courts must enforce unless it be on a subject contrary to public policy, or immoral, or tending to the detriment of the public, or affecting the interest, feelings, or character of a third person. In many of the United States an action can not be sustained upon any wager or bet.

Chitty. Bouvier.

3. That on which bets are laid; the subject of a bet.

Wager of battel , ∨ Wager of battle (O. Eng. Law) , the giving of gage, or pledge, for trying a cause by single combat, formerly allowed in military, criminal, and civil causes. In writs of right, where the trial was by champions, the tenant produced his champion, who, by throwing down his glove as a gage, thus waged , or stipulated, battle with the champion of the demandant, who, by taking up the glove, accepted the challenge. The wager of battel , which has been long in disuse, was abolished in England in 1819, by a statute passed in consequence of a defendant's having waged his battle in a case which arose about that period. See Battel . -- Wager of law (Law) , the giving of gage, or sureties, by a defendant in an action of debt, that at a certain day assigned he would take a law, or oath, in open court, that he did not owe the debt, and at the same time bring with him eleven neighbors (called compurgators ), who should avow upon their oaths that they believed in their consciences that he spoke the truth. -- Wager policy . (Insurance Law) See under Policy .

Wager <Xpage=1622>

Wa"ger , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wagered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wagering .] To hazard on the issue of a contest, or on some question that is to be decided, or on some casualty; to lay; to stake; to bet.

And wagered with him Pieces of gold 'gainst this which he wore. Shak.

Wager <Xpage=1622>

Wa"ger , v. i. To make a bet; to lay a wager.

'T was merry when You wagered on your angling. Shak.

Wagerer <Xpage=1622>

Wa"ger*er (?) , n. One who wagers, or lays a bet.

Wagering <Xpage=1622>

Wa"ger*ing , a. Hazarding; pertaining to the act of one who wagers.

Wagering policy . (Com.) See Wager policy , under Policy .

Wages <Xpage=1622>

Wa"ges (?) , n. plural in termination, but singular in signification. [Plural of wage ; cf. F. gages , pl., wages, hire. See Wage , n. ] A compensation given to a hired person for services; price paid for labor; recompense; hire. See Wage , n. , 2.

The wages of sin is death. Rom. vi. 23.

Wages fund (Polit. Econ.) , the aggregate capital existing at any time in any country, which theoretically is unconditionally destined to be paid out in wages. It was formerly held, by Mill and other political economists, that the average rate of wages in any country at any time depended upon the relation of the wages fund to the number of laborers. This theory has been greatly modified by the discovery of other conditions affecting wages, which it does not take into account.

Encyc. Brit.

Syn. -- See under Wage , n.

Waggel <Xpage=1622>

Wag"gel (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The young of the great black-backed gull ( Larus marinus ), formerly considered a distinct species. [Prov. Eng.]

Waggery <Xpage=1622>

Wag"ger*y (?) , n. ; pl. Waggeries (#) . [From Wag .] The manner or action of a wag; mischievous merriment; sportive trick or gayety; good-humored sarcasm; pleasantry; jocularity; as, the waggery of a schoolboy .

Locke.

A drollery and lurking waggery of expression. W. Irving.

Waggie <Xpage=1622>

Wag"gie (?) , n. The pied wagtail. [Prov. Eng.]

Waggish </ <Xpage=1622>

Wag"gish <?/ , a. 1. Like a wag; mischievous in sport; roguish in merriment or good humor; frolicsome. "A company of waggish boys."

L'Estrange.

2. Done, made, or laid in waggery or for sport; sportive; humorous; as, a waggish trick .

-- Wag"gish*ly , adv. -- Wag"gish*ness , n.

Waggle <Xpage=1622>

Wag"gle (?) , v. i. [Freq. of wag ; cf. D. waggelen , G. wackeln .] To reel, sway, or move from side to side; to move with a wagging motion; to waddle.

Why do you go nodding and waggling so? L'Estrange.

Waggle <Xpage=1622>

Wag"gle , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Waggled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Waggling (?) .] To move frequently one way and the other; to wag; as, a bird waggles his tail .

Wag-halter <Xpage=1622>

Wag"-hal`ter (?) , n. [ Wag + halter .] One who moves or wears a halter; one likely to be hanged. [Colloq. & Obs.]

I can tell you, I am a mad wag-halter . Marston.

Wagnerite <Xpage=1622>

Wag"ner*ite (?) , n. (Min.) A fluophosphate of magnesia, occurring in yellowish crystals, and also in massive forms.

Wagon <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on (?) , n. [D. wagen . &root;136. See Wain .]

1. A wheeled carriage; a vehicle on four wheels, and usually drawn by horses; especially, one used for carrying freight or merchandise.

&hand; In the United States, light wagons are used for the conveyance of persons and light commodities.

2. A freight car on a railway. [Eng.]

3. A chariot [Obs.]

Spenser.

4. (Astron.) The Dipper, or Charles's Wain.

&hand; This word and its compounds are often written with two g's ( waggon , waggonage , etc.), chiefly in England. The forms wagon , wagonage , etc., are, however, etymologically preferable, and in the United States are almost universally used.

Wagon boiler . See the Note under Boiler , 3. -- Wagon ceiling (Arch.) , a semicircular, or wagon-headed, arch or ceiling; -- sometimes used also of a ceiling whose section is polygonal instead of semicircular. -- Wagon master , an officer or person in charge of one or more wagons, especially of those used for transporting freight, as the supplies of an army, and the like. -- Wagon shoe , a skid, or shoe, for retarding the motion of a wagon wheel; a drag. -- Wagon vault . (Arch.) See under 1st Vault .

Wagon <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wagoned (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wagoning .] To transport in a wagon or wagons; as, goods are wagoned from city to city .

Wagon <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on , v. i. To wagon goods as a business; as, the man wagons between Philadelphia and its suburbs .

Wagonage <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*age (?) , n. 1. Money paid for carriage or conveyance in wagon.

2. A collection of wagons; wagons, collectively.

Wagonage , provender, and a piece or two of cannon. Carlyle.

Wagoner <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*er (?) , n. 1. One who conducts a wagon; one whose business it is to drive a wagon.

2. (Astron.) The constellation Charles's Wain, or Ursa Major. See Ursa major , under Ursa .

Wagonette <Xpage=1622>

Wag`on*ette" (?) , n. A kind of pleasure wagon, uncovered and with seats extended along the sides, designed to carry six or eight persons besides the driver.

Wagonful <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*ful (?) , n. ; pl. Wagonfuls (<?/) . As much as a wagon will hold; enough to fill a wagon; a wagonload.

Wagon-headed <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on-head`ed (?) , a. Having a top, or head, shaped like the top of a covered wagon, or resembling in section or outline an inverted U , thus <?/; as, a wagonheaded ceiling .

Wagonload <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*load` (?) , n. Same as Wagonful .

Wagon-roofed <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on-roofed` (?) , a. Having a roof, or top, shaped like an inverted U ; wagon-headed.

Wagonry <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*ry (?) , n. Conveyance by means of a wagon or wagons. [Obs.]

Milton.

Wagonwright <Xpage=1622>

Wag"on*wright` (?) , n. One who makes wagons.

Wagtail <Xpage=1622>

Wag"tail` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of many species of Old World singing birds belonging to Motacilla and several allied genera of the family Motacillid\'91 . They have the habit of constantly jerking their long tails up and down, whence the name.

Field wagtail , any one of several species of wagtails of the genus Budytes having the tail shorter, the legs longer, and the hind claw longer and straighter, than do the water wagtails. Most of the species are yellow beneath. Called also yellow wagtail . -- Garden wagtail , the Indian black-breasted wagtail ( Nemoricola Indica ). -- Pied wagtail , the common European water wagtail ( Motacilla lugubris ). It is variegated with black and white. The name is applied also to other allied species having similar colors. Called also pied dishwasher . -- Wagtail flycatcher , a true flycatcher ( Sauloprocta motacilloides ) common in Southern Australia, where it is very tame, and frequents stock yards and gardens and often builds its nest about houses; -- called also black fantail . -- Water wagtail . (a) Any one of several species of wagtails of the restricted genus Motacilla . They live chiefly on the shores of ponds and streams. (b) The American water thrush. See Water thrush . -- Wood wagtail , an Asiatic wagtail; ( Calobates sulphurea ) having a slender bill and short legs.

Wah <Xpage=1622>

Wah (w&aum;) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The panda.

Wahabee <Xpage=1622>

Wa*ha"bee (?) , n. [Ar. wah\'bebi .] A follower of Abdel Wahab (b. 1691; d. 1787), a reformer of Mohammedanism. His doctrines prevail particularly among the Bedouins, and the sect, though checked in its influence, extends to most parts of Arabia, and also into India. [Written also Wahaby .]

Waid <Xpage=1622>

Waid (?) , a. [For weighed .] Oppressed with weight; crushed; weighed down. [Obs.]

Tusser.

Waif <Xpage=1622>

Waif (?) , n. [OF. waif , gaif , as adj., lost, unclaimed, chose gaive a waif, LL. wayfium , res vaivae ; of Scand. origin. See Waive .]

1. (Eng. Law.) Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice.

Blackstone.

2. Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance. "Rolling in his mind old waifs of rhyme."

Tennyson.

3. A wanderer; a castaway; a stray; a homeless child.

A waif Desirous to return, and not received. Cowper.

Waift <Xpage=1622>

Waift (?) , n. A waif. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Wail <Xpage=1622>

Wail (?) , v. t. [Cf. Icel. val choice, velja to choose, akin to Goth. waljan , G. w\'84hlen .] To choose; to select. [Obs.] " Wailed wine and meats."

Henryson.

Wail <Xpage=1622>

Wail , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wailed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wailing .] [OE. wailen , weilen , probably fr. Icel. v\'91la ; cf. Icel. v\'91 , vei , woe, and E. wayment , also OE. wai , wei , woe. Cf. Woe .] To lament; to bewail; to grieve over; as, to wail one's death .

Shak.

Wail <Xpage=1622>

Wail , v. i. To express sorrow audibly; to make mournful outcry; to weep.

Therefore I will wail and howl.

Micah i. 8.

Wail <Xpage=1622>

Wail , n. Loud weeping; violent lamentation; wailing. "The wail of the forest."

Longfellow.

Wailer <Xpage=1622>

Wail"er (?) , n. One who wails or laments.

Waileress <Xpage=1622>

Wail"er*ess (?) , n. A woman who wails. [Obs.]

Wailful <Xpage=1622>

Wail"ful (?) , a. Sorrowful; mournful. " Like wailful widows." Spenser . " Wailful sonnets." Shak .

Wailingly <Xpage=1622>

Wail"ing*ly , adv. In a wailing manner.

Wailment <Xpage=1622>

Wail"ment (?) , n. Lamentation; loud weeping; wailing. [Obs.]

Bp. Hacket.

Waiment <Xpage=1622>

Wai"ment (?) . v. & n. See Wayment . [Obs.]

Wain <Xpage=1622>

Wain (?) , n. [OE. wain , AS. w\'91gn ; akin to D. & G. wagen , OHG. wagan , Icel. & Sw. vagn , Dan. vogn , and E. way . <?/ <?/<?/<?/. See Way , Weigh , and cf. Wagon .]

1. A four-wheeled vehicle for the transportation of goods, produce, etc.; a wagon.

The wardens see nothing but a wain of hay. Jeffrey.

Driving in ponderous wains their household goods to the seashore. Longfellow.

2. A chariot. [Obs.]

The Wain . (Astron.) See Charles's Wain , in the Vocabulary. -- Wain rope , a cart rope.

Shak.

Wainable <Xpage=1622>

Wain"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being plowed or cultivated; arable; tillable. [Obs.]

Cowell.

Wainage <Xpage=1622>

Wain"age (?; 48) , n. [From Wain .] A finding of carriages, carts, etc., for the transportation of goods, produce, etc.

Ainsworth.

Wainage <Xpage=1622>

Wain"age , n. (O. Eng. Law) See Gainage , a.

Wainbote <Xpage=1622>

Wain"bote` (?) , n. [ Wain + bote .] (O. Eng. Law) See Cartbote . See also the Note under Bote .

Wainscot <Xpage=1622>

Wain"scot (?) , n. [OD. waeghe-schot , D. wagen-schot , a clapboard, fr. OD. waeg , weeg , a wall (akin to AS. wah ; cf. Icel. veggr ) + schot a covering of boards (akin to E. shot , shoot ).]

1. Oaken timber or boarding. [Obs.]

A wedge wainscot is fittest and most proper for cleaving of an oaken tree. Urquhart.

Inclosed in a chest of wainscot . J. Dart.

2. (Arch.) A wooden lining or boarding of the walls of apartments, usually made in panels.

3. <Xpage=1622>

3. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of European moths of the family Leucanid\'91 .

&hand; They are reddish or yellowish, streaked or lined with black and white. Their larv\'91 feed on grasses and sedges.

Wainscot <Xpage=1622>

Wain"scot , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wainscoted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wainscoting .] To line with boards or panelwork, or as if with panelwork; as, to wainscot a hall .

Music soundeth better in chambers wainscoted than hanged. Bacon.

The other is wainscoted with looking-glass. Addison.

Wainscoting <Xpage=1622>

Wain"scot*ing , n. 1. The act or occupation of covering or lining with boards in panel.

2. The material used to wainscot a house, or the wainscot as a whole; panelwork.

Wainwright <Xpage=1622>

Wain"wright` (?) , n. Same as Wagonwright .

Wair <Xpage=1622>

Wair (?) , n. (Carp.) A piece of plank two yard<?/ long and a foot broad.

Bailey.

Waist <Xpage=1622>

Waist (?) , n. [OE. wast ; originally, growth, akin to AS. weaxan to grow; cf. AS. w\'91stm growth. See Wax to grow.]

1. That part of the human body which is immediately below the ribs or thorax; the small part of the body between the thorax and hips.

Chaucer.

I am in the waist two yards about. Shak.

2. Hence, the middle part of other bodies; especially (Naut.) , that part of a vessel's deck, bulwarks, etc., which is between the quarter-deck and the forecastle; the middle part of the ship.

3. A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line.

4. A girdle or belt for the waist. [Obs.]

Shak.

Waist anchor . See Sheet anchor , 1, in the Vocabulary.

Waistband <Xpage=1622>

Waist"band (?) , n. 1. The band which encompasses the waist; esp., one on the upper part of breeches, trousers, pantaloons, skirts, or the like.

2. A sash worn by women around the waist. [R.]

Waistcloth <Xpage=1622>

Waist"cloth (?) , n. 1. A cloth or wrapper worn about the waist; by extension, such a garment worn about the hips and passing between the thighs.

2. (Naut.) A covering of canvas or tarpaulin for the hammocks, stowed on the nettings, between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.

Waistcoat <Xpage=1622>

Waist"coat (?) , n. (a) A short, sleeveless coat or garment for men, worn under the coat, extending no lower than the hips, and covering the waist; a vest. (b) A garment occasionally worn by women as a part of fashionable costume.

&hand; The waistcoat was a part of female attire as well as male . . . It was only when the waistcoat was worn without a gown or upper dress that it was considered the mark of a mad or profligate woman.

Nares.

Syn. -- See Vest .

Waistcoateer <Xpage=1622>

Waist`coat*eer" (?) , n. One wearing a waistcoat; esp., a woman wearing one uncovered, or thought fit for such a habit; hence, a loose woman; strumpet. [Obs.]

Do you think you are here, sir, Amongst your waistcoateers , your base wenches? Beau. & Fl.

Waistcoating <Xpage=1622>

Waist"coat*ing , n. A fabric designed for waistcoats; esp., one in which there is a pattern, differently colored yarns being used.

Waister <Xpage=1622>

Waist"er (?) , n. (Naut.) A seaman, usually a green hand or a broken-down man, stationed in the waist of a vessel of war.

R. H. Dana, Jr.

Wait <Xpage=1622>

Wait (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Waited ; p. pr. & vb. n. Waiting .] [OE. waiten , OF. waitier , gaitier , to watch, attend, F. guetter to watch, to wait for, fr. OHG. wahta a guard, watch, G. wacht , from OHG. wahh\'c7n to watch, be awake. \'fb134. See Wake , v. i. ]

1. To watch; to observe; to take notice. [Obs.]

"But [unless] ye wait well and be privy, I wot right well, I am but dead," quoth she. Chaucer.

2. To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart.

All the days of my appointed time will I wait , till my change come. Job xiv. 14.

They also serve who only stand and wait . Milton.

Haste, my dear father; 't is no time to wait . Dryden.

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