Chapter 1867

Wash"pot` (?) , n. 1. A pot or vessel in which anything is washed.

2. (Tin-Plate Manuf.) A pot containing melted tin into which the plates are dipped to be coated.

Washstand <Xpage=1629>

Wash"stand` (?) , n. A piece of furniture holding the ewer or pitcher, basin, and other requisites for washing the person.

Washtub <Xpage=1629>

Wash"tub` (?) , n. A tub in which clothes are washed.

Washy <Xpage=1629>

Wash"y (?) , a. [From Wash .] 1. Watery; damp; soft. " Washy ooze."

Milton.

2. Lacking substance or strength; weak; thin; dilute; feeble; as, washy tea; washy resolutions .

A polish . . . not over thin and washy . Sir H. Wotton.

3. Not firm or hardy; liable to sweat profusely with labor; as, a washy horse . [Local, U. S.]

Wasite <Xpage=1629>

Wa"site (?) , n. [See Wasium .] (Min.) A variety of allanite from Sweden supposed to contain wasium.

Wasium <Xpage=1629>

Wa"si*um (?) , n. [NL. So called from Wasa , or Vasa , the name of a former royal family of Sweden.] (Chem.) A rare element supposed by Bahr to have been extracted from wasite, but now identified with thorium.

Wasp <Xpage=1629>

Wasp (?) , n. [OE. waspe , AS. w\'91ps , w\'91fs ; akin to D. wesp , G. wespe , OHG. wafsa , wefsa , Lith. vapsa gadfly, Russ. osa wasp, L. vespa , and perhaps to E. weave .] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of stinging hymenopterous insects, esp. any of the numerous species of the genus Vespa , which includes the true, or social, wasps, some of which are called yellow jackets .

&hand; The social wasps make a complex series of combs, of a substance like stiff paper, often of large size, and protect them by a paperlike covering. The larv\'91 are reared in the cells of the combs, and eat insects and insect larv\'91 brought to them by the adults, but the latter feed mainly on the honey and pollen of flowers, and on the sweet juices of fruit. See Illust . in Appendix.

Digger wasp , any one of numerous species of solitary wasps that make their nests in burrows which they dig in the ground, as the sand wasps. See Sand wasp , under Sand . -- Mud wasp . See under Mud . -- Potter wasp . See under Potter . -- Wasp fly , a species of fly resembling a wasp, but without a sting.

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Waspish <Xpage=1630>

Wasp"ish (?) , a. 1. Resembling a wasp in form; having a slender waist, like a wasp.

2. Quick to resent a trifling affront; characterized by snappishness; irritable; irascible; petulant; snappish.

He was naturally a waspish and hot man. Bp. Hall.

Much do I suffer, much, to keep in peace This jealous, waspish , wrong-head, rhyming race. Pope.

Syn. -- Snappish; petulant; irritable; irascible; testy; peevish; captious.

-- Wasp"ish*ly , adv. -- Wasp"ish*ness , n.

Wassail <Xpage=1630>

Was"sail (?) , n. [AS. wes h\'bel (or an equivalent form in another dialect) be in health, which was the form of drinking a health. The form wes is imperative. See Was , and Whole .]

1. An ancient expression of good wishes on a festive occasion, especially in drinking to some one.

Geoffrey of Monmouth relates, on the authority of Walter Calenius, that this lady [Rowena], the daughter of Hengist, knelt down on the approach of the king, and, presenting him with a cup of wine, exclaimed, Lord king w\'91s heil , that is, literally, Health be to you. N. Drake.

2. An occasion on which such good wishes are expressed in drinking; a drinking bout; a carouse. "In merry wassail he . . . peals his loud song."

Sir W. Scott.

The king doth wake to-night and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail . Shak.

The victors abandoned themselves to feasting and wassail . Prescott.

3. The liquor used for a wassail; esp., a beverage formerly much used in England at Christmas and other festivals, made of ale (or wine) flavored with spices, sugar, toast, roasted apples, etc.; -- called also lamb's wool .

A jolly wassail bowl, A wassail of good ale. Old Song.

4. A festive or drinking song or glee. [Obs.]

Have you done your wassail ! 'T is a handsome, drowsy ditty, I'll assure you. Beau. & Fl.

Wassail <Xpage=1630>

Was"sail , a. Of or pertaining to wassail, or to a wassail; convivial; as, a wassail bowl . "A wassail candle, my lord, all tallow."

Shak.

Wassail bowl , a bowl in which wassail was mixed, and placed upon the table. "Spiced wassail bowl ." J. Fletcher . "When the cloth was removed, the butler brought in a huge silver vessel . . . Its appearance was hailed with acclamation, being the wassail bowl so renowned in Christmas festivity." W. Irving . -- Wassail cup , a cup from which wassail was drunk.

Wassail <Xpage=1630>

Was"sail , v. i. To hold a wassail; to carouse.

Spending all the day, and good part of the night, in dancing, caroling, and wassailing . Sir P. Sidney.

Wassailer <Xpage=1630>

Was"sail*er (?) , n. One who drinks wassail; one who engages in festivity, especially in drinking; a reveler.

The rudeness and swilled insolence Of such late wassailers . Milton.

Wast <Xpage=1630>

Wast (?) . The second person singular of the verb be , in the indicative mood, imperfect tense; -- now used only in solemn or poetical style. See Was .

Wastage <Xpage=1630>

Wast"age (?) , n. Loss by use, decay, evaporation, leakage, or the like; waste.

Waste <Xpage=1630>

Waste (?) , a. [OE. wast , OF. wast , from L. vastus , influenced by the kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosti , G. w\'81st , OS. w<?/sti , D. woest , AS. w&emac;ste . Cf. Vast .]

1. Desolate; devastated; stripped; bare; hence, dreary; dismal; gloomy; cheerless.

The dismal situation waste and wild. Milton.

His heart became appalled as he gazed forward into the waste darkness of futurity. Sir W. Scott.

2. Lying unused; unproductive; worthless; valueless; refuse; rejected; as, waste land; waste paper .

But his waste words returned to him in vain. Spenser.

Not a waste or needless sound, Till we come to holier ground. Milton.

Ill day which made this beauty waste . Emerson.

3. Lost for want of occupiers or use; superfluous.

And strangled with her waste fertility. Milton.

Waste gate , a gate by which the superfluous water of a reservoir, or the like, is discharged. -- Waste paper . See under Paper . -- Waste pipe , a pipe for carrying off waste, or superfluous, water or other fluids. Specifically: (a) (Steam Boilers) An escape pipe. See under Escape . (b) (Plumbing) The outlet pipe at the bottom of a bowl, tub, sink, or the like. -- Waste steam . (a) Steam which escapes the air. (b) Exhaust steam. -- Waste trap , a trap for a waste pipe, as of a sink.

Waste <Xpage=1630>

Waste , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wasted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wasting .] [OE. wasten , OF. waster , guaster , gaster , F. g\'83ter to spoil, L. vastare to devastate, to lay waste, fr. vastus waste, desert, uncultivated, ravaged, vast, but influenced by a kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosten , G. w\'81sten , AS. w&emac;stan . See Waste , a. ]

1. To bring to ruin; to devastate; to desolate; to destroy.

Thou barren ground, whom winter's wrath hath wasted , Art made a mirror to behold my plight. Spenser.

The Tiber Insults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds. Dryden.

2. To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to consume; to spend; to wear out.

Until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. Num. xiv. 33.

O, were I able To waste it all myself, and leave ye none! Milton.

Here condemned To waste eternal days in woe and pain. Milton.

Wasted by such a course of life, the infirmities of age daily grew on him. Robertson.

3. To spend unnecessarily or carelessly; to employ prodigally; to expend without valuable result; to apply to useless purposes; to lavish vainly; to squander; to cause to be lost; to destroy by scattering or injury.

The younger son gathered all together, and . . . wasted his substance with riotous living. Luke xv. 13.

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. Gray.

4. (Law) To damage, impair, or injure, as an estate, voluntarily, or by suffering the buildings, fences, etc., to go to decay.

Syn. -- To squander; dissipate; lavish; desolate.

Waste <Xpage=1630>

Waste (?) , v. i. 1. To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value, or the like, gradually; to be consumed; to dwindle; to grow less.

The time wasteth night and day. Chaucer.

The barrel of meal shall not waste . 1 Kings xvii. 14.

But man dieth, and wasteth away. Job xiv. 10.

2. (Sporting) To procure or sustain a reduction of flesh; -- said of a jockey in preparation for a race, etc.

Waste <Xpage=1630>

Waste , n. [OE. waste ; cf. the kindred AS. w<?/sten , OHG. w<?/st\'c6 , wuost\'c6 , G. w\'81ste . See Waste , a. & v. ]

1. The act of wasting, or the state of being wasted; a squandering; needless destruction; useless consumption or expenditure; devastation; loss without equivalent gain; gradual loss or decrease, by use, wear, or decay; as, a waste of property, time, labor, words, etc . " Waste . . . of catel and of time."

Chaucer.

For all this waste of wealth loss of blood. Milton.

He will never . . . in the way of waste , attempt us again. Shak.

Little wastes in great establishments, constantly occurring, may defeat the energies of a mighty capital. L. Beecher.

2. That which is wasted or desolate; a devastated, uncultivated, or wild country; a deserted region; an unoccupied or unemployed space; a dreary void; a desert; a wilderness. "The wastes of Nature."

Emerson.

All the leafy nation sinks at last, And Vulcan rides in triumph o'er the waste . Dryden.

The gloomy waste of waters which bears his name is his tomb and his monument. Bancroft.

3. That which is of no value; worthless remnants; refuse. Specifically: Remnants of cops, or other refuse resulting from the working of cotton, wool, hemp, and the like, used for wiping machinery, absorbing oil in the axle boxes of railway cars, etc.

4. (Law) Spoil, destruction, or injury, done to houses, woods, fences, lands, etc., by a tenant for life or for years, to the prejudice of the heir, or of him in reversion or remainder.

&hand; Waste is voluntary , as by pulling down buildings; or permissive , as by suffering them to fall for want of necessary repairs. Whatever does a lasting damage to the freehold is a waste .

Blackstone.

5. (Mining) Old or abandoned workings, whether left as vacant space or filled with refuse.

Syn. -- Prodigality; diminution; loss; dissipation; destruction; devastation; havoc; desolation; ravage.

Wastebasket <Xpage=1630>

Waste"bas`ket (?) , n. A basket used in offices, libraries, etc., as a receptacle for waste paper.

Wasteboard <Xpage=1630>

Waste"board` (?) , n. (Naut.) See Washboard , 3 .

Wastebook <Xpage=1630>

Waste"book` (?) , n. (Com.) A book in which rough entries of transactions are made, previous to their being carried into the journal.

Wasteful <Xpage=1630>

Waste"ful (?) , c. 1. Full of waste; destructive to property; ruinous; as; wasteful practices or negligence; wasteful expenses.

2. Expending, or tending to expend, property, or that which is valuable, in a needless or useless manner; lavish; prodigal; as, a wasteful person; a wasteful disposition .

3. Waste; desolate; unoccupied; untilled. [Obs.]

In wilderness and wasteful desert strayed. Spenser.

Syn. -- Lavish; profuse; prodigal; extravagant.

-- Waste"ful*ly , adv. -- Waste"ful*ness , n.

Wastel <Xpage=1630>

Was"tel (?) , n. [OF. wastel , gastel , F. g\'83teau , LL. wastellus , fr. MHG. wastel a kind of bread; cf. OHG. & AS. wist food.] A kind of white and fine bread or cake; -- called also wastel bread , and wastel cake . [Obs.]

Roasted flesh or milk and wasted bread. Chaucer.

The simnel bread and wastel cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility. Sir W. Scott.

Wasteness <Xpage=1630>

Waste"ness (?) , n. 1. The quality or state of being waste; a desolate state or condition; desolation.

A day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness . Zeph. i. 15.

2. That which is waste; a desert; a waste. [R.]

Through woods and wasteness wide him daily sought. Spenser.

Waster <Xpage=1630>

Wast"er (?) , n. [OE. wastour , OF. wasteor , gasteor . See Waste , v. t. ]

1. One who, or that which, wastes; one who squanders; one who consumes or expends extravagantly; a spendthrift; a prodigal.

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster . Prov. xviii. 9.

Sconces are great wasters of candles. Swift.

2. An imperfection in the wick of a candle, causing it to waste; -- called also a thief .

Halliwell.

3. A kind of cudgel; also, a blunt-edged sword used as a foil.

Half a dozen of veneys at wasters with a good fellow for a broken head. Beau. & Fl.

Being unable to wield the intellectual arms of reason, they are fain to betake them unto wasters . Sir T. Browne.

Wastethrift <Xpage=1630>

Waste"thrift` (?) , n. A spendthrift. [Obs.]

Wasteweir <Xpage=1630>

Waste"weir` (?) , n. An overfall, or weir, for the escape, or overflow, of superfluous water from a canal, reservoir, pond, or the like.

Wasting <Xpage=1630>

Wast"ing , a. Causing waste; also, undergoing waste; diminishing; as, a wasting disease; a wasting fortune. <-- wasting asset = 2nd sense. Should be separate senses. -->

Wasting palsy (Med.) , progressive muscular atrophy. See under Progressive .

Wastor <Xpage=1630>

Wast"or , n. A waster; a thief. [Obs. or R.] [Written also wastour .]

Chaucer. Southey.

Wastorel <Xpage=1630>

Wast"o*rel (?) , n. See Wastrel . [Obs.]

Wastrel <Xpage=1630>

Wast"rel (?) , n. 1. Any waste thing or substance ; as: (a) Waste land or common land. [Obs.] Carew . (b) A profligate. [Prov. Eng.] (c) A neglected child; a street Arab. [Eng.]

2. Anything cast away as bad or useless, as imperfect bricks, china, etc. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Watch <Xpage=1630>

Watch (?) , n. [OE. wacche , AS. w\'91cce , fr. wacian to wake; akin to D. wacht , waak , G. wacht, wache. <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Wake , v. i. ]

1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night.

Shepherds keeping watch by night. Milton.

All the long night their mournful watch they keep. Addison.

&hand; Watch was formerly distinguished from ward , the former signifying a watching or guarding by night , and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward , to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward , which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard , or protection , without reference to time.

Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward . Spenser.

Ward , guard, or custodia , is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch , is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins. Blackstone.

2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard.

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch ; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. Matt. xxvii. 65.

3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept.

He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch . Shak.

4. The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night.

I did stand my watch upon the hill. Shak.

Might we but hear . . . Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames. Milton.

5. A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring. <-- or electric or electronic mechanisms. -->

&hand; Watches are often distinguished by the kind of escapement used, as an anchor watch , a lever watch , a chronometer watch , etc. (see the Note under Escapement , n. , 3); also, by the kind of case, as a gold or silver watch , an open-faced watch , a hunting watch , or hunter , etc.

6. (Naut.) (a) An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch . (b) That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the port watch , and the starboard watch .