The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 1874
They, astonished, all resistance lost, All courage; down their idle weapons dropped. Milton.
2. Fig.: The means or instrument with which one contends against another; as, argument was his only weapon . "Woman's weapons , water drops."
Shak.
3. (Bot.) A thorn, prickle, or sting with which many plants are furnished.
Concealed weapons . See under Concealed . -- Weapon salve , a salve which was supposed to cure a wound by being applied to the weapon that made it. [Obs.] Boyle .
Weaponed <Xpage=1636>
Weap"oned (?) , a. Furnished with weapons, or arms; armed; equipped.
Weaponless <Xpage=1636>
Weap"on*less (?) , a. Having no weapon.
Weaponry <Xpage=1636>
Weap"on*ry (?) , n. Weapons, collectively; as, an array of weaponry . [Poetic]
Wear <Xpage=1636>
Wear (?; 277) , n. Same as Weir .
Wear <Xpage=1636>
Wear (?) , v. t. [Cf. Veer .] (Naut.) To cause to go about, as a vessel, by putting the helm up , instead of alee as in tacking, so that the vessel's bow is turned away from, and her stern is presented to, the wind, and, as she turns still farther, her sails fill on the other side; to veer.
Wear <Xpage=1636>
Wear , v. t. [ imp. Wore (?) ; p. p. Worn (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wearing . Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being Weared .] [OE. weren , werien , AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to OHG. werien , weren , to clothe, Goth. wasjan , L. vestis clothing, vestire to clothe, Gr. <?/, Skr. vas . Cf. Vest .]
1. To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle.
What compass will you wear your farthingale? Shak.
On her white breast a sparkling cross s<?/<?/ wore , Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore. Pope.
2. To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance . "He wears the rose of youth upon him."
Shak.
His innocent gestures wear A meaning half divine. Keble.
3. To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly .
4. To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend.
That wicked wight his days doth wear . Spenser.
The waters wear the stones. Job xiv. 19.
5. To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole .
6. To form or shape by, or as by, attrition.
Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us. Locke.
To wear away , to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay. -- To wear off , to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth. -- To wear on ∨ upon , to wear. [Obs.] "[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]" Chaucer . -- To wear out . (a) To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book . (b) To consume tediously. " To wear out miserable days." Milton . (c) To harass; to tire. "[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan vii. 25 . (d) To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service. -- To wear the breeches . See under Breeches . [Colloq.]
Wear <Xpage=1636>
Wear , v. i. 1. To endure or suffer use; to last under employment; to bear the consequences of use, as waste, consumption, or attrition; as, a coat wears well or ill; -- hence, sometimes applied to character, qualifications, etc.; as, a man wears well as an acquaintance .
2. To be wasted, consumed, or diminished, by being used; to suffer injury, loss, or extinction by use or time; to decay, or be spent, gradually. "Thus wore out night."
Milton.
Away, I say; time wears . Shak.
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee. Ex. xviii. 18.
His stock of money began to wear very low. Sir W. Scott.
The family . . . wore out in the earlier part of the century. Beaconsfield.
To wear off , to pass away by degrees; as, the follies of youth wear off with age. -- To wear on , to pass on; as, time wears on . G . Eliot . -- To wear weary , to become weary, as by wear, long occupation, tedious employment, etc.
Wear <Xpage=1636>
Wear , n. 1. The act of wearing, or the state of being worn; consumption by use; diminution by friction; as, the wear of a garment .
2. The thing worn; style of dress; the fashion.
Motley <?/s the only wear . Shak.
Wear and tear , the loss by wearing, as of machinery in use; the loss or injury to which anything is subjected by use, accident, etc.
Wearable <Xpage=1636>
Wear"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being worn; suitable to be worn.
Wearer <Xpage=1636>
Wear"er (?) , n. 1. One who wears or carries as appendant to the body; as, the wearer of a cloak, a sword, a crown, a shackle, etc .
Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers , tossed, And fluttered into rags. Milton.
2. That which wastes or diminishes.
Weariable <Xpage=1636>
Wea"ri*a*ble (?) , a. That may be wearied.
Weariful <Xpage=1636>
Wea"ri*ful (?) , a. Abounding in qualities which cause weariness; wearisome. -- Wea"ri*ful*ly , adv.
Weariless <Xpage=1636>
Wea"ri*less , a. Incapable of being wearied.
Wearily <Xpage=1636>
Wea"ri*ly , adv. In a weary manner.
Weariness <Xpage=1636>
Wea"ri*ness , n. The quality or state of being weary or tried; lassitude; exhaustion of strength; fatigue.
With weariness and wine oppressed. Dryden.
A man would die, though he were neither valiant nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing so oft over and over. Bacon.
<page="1637"> Page 1637
Wearing <Xpage=1637>
Wear"ing (?) , n. 1. The act of one who wears; the manner in which a thing wears; use; conduct; consumption.
Belike he meant to ward, and there to see his wearing . Latimer.
2. That which is worn; clothes; garments. [Obs.]
Give me my nightly wearing and adieu. Shak.
Wearing <Xpage=1637>
Wear"ing (?) , a. Pertaining to, or designed for, wear; as, wearing apparel .
Wearish <Xpage=1637>
Wear"ish (?) , a. [Etymol. uncertain, but perhaps akin to weary .]
1. Weak; withered; shrunk. [Obs.] "A wearish hand."
Ford.
A little, wearish old man, very melancholy by nature. Burton.
2. Insipid; tasteless; unsavory. [Obs.]
Wearish as meat is that is not well tasted. Palsgrave.
Wearisome <Xpage=1637>
Wea"ri*some (?) , a. Causing weariness; tiresome; tedious; weariful; as, a wearisome march; a wearisome day's work; a wearisome book .
These high wild hills and rough uneven ways Draws out our miles, and makes them wearisome . Shak.
Syn. -- Irksome; tiresome; tedious; fatiguing; annoying; vexatious. See Irksome .
-- Wea"ri*some*ly , adv. -- Wea"ri*some*ness , n.
Weary <Xpage=1637>
Wea"ry (?) , a. [ Compar. Wearier (?) ; superl. Weariest .] [OE. weri , AS. w<?/rig ; akin to OS. w<?/rig , OHG. wu<?/rag ; of uncertain origin; cf. AS. w<?/rian to ramble.]
1. Having the strength exhausted by toil or exertion; worn out in respect to strength, endurance, etc.; tired; fatigued.
I care not for my spirits if my legs were not weary . Shak.
[I] am weary , thinking of your task. Longfellow.
2. Causing weariness; tiresome. " Weary way." Spenser . "There passed a weary time." Coleridge .
3. Having one's patience, relish, or contentment exhausted; tired; sick; -- with of before the cause; as, weary of marching, or of confinement; weary of study.
Syn. -- Fatigued; tiresome; irksome; wearisome.
Weary <Xpage=1637>
Wea"ry , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wearied (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wearying .]
1. To reduce or exhaust the physical strength or endurance of; to tire; to fatigue; as, to weary one's self with labor or traveling .
So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers. Shak.
2. To make weary of anything; to exhaust the patience of, as by continuance.
I stay too long by thee; I weary thee. Shak.
3. To harass by anything irksome.
I would not cease To weary him with my assiduous cries. Milton.
To weary out , to subdue or exhaust by fatigue.
Syn. -- To jade; tire; fatigue; fag. See Jade .
Weary <Xpage=1637>
Wea"ry , v. i. To grow tired; to become exhausted or impatient; as, to weary of an undertaking .
Weasand <Xpage=1637>
Wea"sand (?) , n. [OE. wesand , AS. w\'besend ; akin to OFries. w\'besende , w\'besande ; cf. OHG. weisunt .] The windpipe; -- called also, formerly, wesil . [Formerly, written also, wesand , and wezand .]
Cut his weasand with thy knife. Shak.
Weasel <Xpage=1637>
Wea"sel (?) , n. [OE. wesele , AS. wesle ; akin to D. wezel , G. wiesel , OHG. wisala , Icel. hreyi v\'c6sla , Dan. v\'84sel , Sw. vessla ; of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. <?/, <?/, cat, weasel.] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of various species of small carnivores belonging to the genus Putorius , as the ermine and ferret. They have a slender, elongated body, and are noted for the quickness of their movements and for their bloodthirsty habit in destroying poultry, rats, etc. The ermine and some other species are brown in summer, and turn white in winter; others are brown at all seasons.
Malacca weasel , the rasse. -- Weasel coot , a female or young male of the smew; -- so called from the resemblance of the head to that of a weasel. Called also weasel duck . -- Weasel lemur , a short-tailed lemur ( Lepilemur mustelinus ). It is reddish brown above, grayish brown below, with the throat white.
Weasel-faced <Xpage=1637>
Wea"sel-faced` (?) , a. Having a thin, sharp face, like a weasel.
Weaser <Xpage=1637>
Wea"ser (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The American merganser; -- called also weaser sheldrake . [Local, U. S.]
Weasiness <Xpage=1637>
Wea"si*ness (?) , n. Quality or state of being weasy; full feeding; sensual indulgence. [Obs.]
Joye.
Weasy <Xpage=1637>
Wea"sy (?) , a. [Cf. Weasand .] Given to sensual indulgence; gluttonous. [Obs.]
Joye.
Weather <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er (?) , n. [OE. weder , AS. weder ; akin to OS. wedar , OFries. weder , D. weder , we\'88r , G. wetter , OHG. wetar , Icel. ve&edh;r , Dan. veir , Sw. v\'84der wind, air, weather, and perhaps to OSlav. vedro fair weather; or perhaps to Lith. vetra storm, Russ. vieter' , vietr' , wind, and E. wind . Cf. Wither .]
1. The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness, or any other meteorological phenomena; meteorological condition of the atmosphere; as, warm weather ; cold weather ; wet weather ; dry weather , etc.
Not amiss to cool a man's stomach this hot weather . Shak.
Fair weather cometh out of the north. Job xxxvii. 22.
2. Vicissitude of season; meteorological change; alternation of the state of the air.
Bacon.
3. Storm; tempest.
What gusts of weather from that gathering cloud My thoughts presage! Dryden.
4. A light rain; a shower. [Obs.]
Wyclif.
Stress of weather , violent winds; force of tempests. -- To make fair weather , to flatter; to give flattering representations. [R.] -- To make good , ∨ bad , weather (Naut.) , to endure a gale well or ill; -- said of a vessel. Shak . -- Under the weather , ill; also, financially embarrassed. [Colloq. U. S.] Bartlett . -- Weather box . Same as Weather house , below. Thackeray . -- Weather breeder , a fine day which is supposed to presage foul weather. -- Weather bureau , a popular name for the signal service. See Signal service , under Signal , a. [U.S.] -- Weather cloth (Naut.) , a long piece of canvas of tarpaulin used to preserve the hammocks from injury by the weather when stowed in the nettings. -- Weather door . (Mining) See Trapdoor , 2. -- Weather gall . Same as Water gall , 2. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell . -- Weather house , a mechanical contrivance in the form of a house, which indicates changes in atmospheric conditions by the appearance or retirement of toy images.
Peace to the artist whose ingenious thought Devised the weather house , that useful toy! Cowper.
-- Weather molding , ∨ Weather moulding (Arch.) , a canopy or cornice over a door or a window, to throw off the rain. -- Weather of a windmill sail , the obliquity of the sail, or the angle which it makes with its plane of revolution. -- Weather report , a daily report of meteorological observations, and of probable changes in the weather; esp., one published by government authority. -- Weather spy , a stargazer; one who foretells the weather. [R.] Donne . -- Weather strip (Arch.) , a strip of wood, rubber, or other material, applied to an outer door or window so as to cover the joint made by it with the sill, casings, or threshold, in order to exclude rain, snow, cold air, etc.
Weather <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Weathered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Weathering .]
1. To expose to the air; to air; to season by exposure to air.
[An eagle] soaring through his wide empire of the air To weather his broad sails. Spenser.
This gear lacks weathering . Latimer.
2. Hence, to sustain the trying effect of; to bear up against and overcome; to sustain; to endure; to resist; as, to weather the storm .
For I can weather the roughest gale. Longfellow.
You will weather the difficulties yet. F. W. Robertson.
3. (Naut.) To sail or pass to the windward of; as, to weather a cape; to weather another ship .
4. (Falconry) To place (a hawk) unhooded in the open air.
Encyc. Brit.
To weather a point . (a) (Naut.) To pass a point of land, leaving it on the lee side. (b) Hence, to gain or accomplish anything against opposition. -- To weather out , to encounter successfully, though with difficulty; as, to weather out a storm .
Weather <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er , v. i. To undergo or endure the action of the atmosphere; to suffer meteorological influences; sometimes, to wear away, or alter, under atmospheric influences; to suffer waste by weather.
The organisms . . . seem indestructible, while the hard matrix in which they are imbedded has weathered from around them. H. Miller.
Weather <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er , a. (Naut.) Being toward the wind, or windward -- opposed to lee ; as, weather bow, weather braces, weather gauge, weather lifts, weather quarter, weather shrouds, etc .
Weather gauge . (a) (Naut.) The position of a ship to the windward of another. (b) Fig.: A position of advantage or superiority; advantage in position.
To veer, and tack, and steer a cause Against the weather gauge of laws. Hudibras.
-- Weather helm (Naut.) , a tendency on the part of a sailing vessel to come up into the wind, rendering it necessary to put the helm up, that is, toward the weather side. -- Weather shore (Naut.) , the shore to the windward of a ship. Totten . -- Weather tide (Naut.) , the tide which sets against the lee side of a ship, impelling her to the windward. Mar. Dict .
Weather-beaten <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er-beat`en (?) , a. Beaten or harassed by the weather; worn by exposure to the weather, especially to severe weather.
Shak.
Weather-bit <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er-bit` (?) , n. (Naut.) A turn of the cable about the end of the windlass, without the bits.
Weatherbit <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er*bit` , v. t. (Naut.) To take another turn with, as a cable around a windlass.
Totten.
Weather-bitten <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er-bit`ten (?) , a. Eaten into, defaced, or worn, by exposure to the weather.
Coleridge.
Weatherboard <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er*board` (?) , n. 1. (Naut.) (a) That side of a vessel which is toward the wind; the windward side. (b) A piece of plank placed in a porthole, or other opening, to keep out water.
2. (a) (Arch.) A board extending from the ridge to the eaves along the slope of the gable, and forming a close junction between the shingling of a roof and the side of the building beneath. (b) A clapboard or feather-edged board used in weatherboarding.
Weather-board <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er-board` , v. t. (Arch.) To nail boards upon so as to lap one over another, in order to exclude rain, snow, etc.
Gwilt.
Weatherboarding <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er*board`ing , n. (Arch.) (a) The covering or siding of a building, formed of boards lapping over one another, to exclude rain, snow, etc. (b) Boards adapted or intended for such use.
Weather-bound <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er-bound` (?) , a. Kept in port or at anchor by storms; delayed by bad weather; as, a weather-bound vessel .
Weathercock <Xpage=1637>
Weath"er*cock` (?) , n. 1. A vane, or weather vane; -- so called because originally often in the figure of a cock, turning on the top of a spire with the wind, and showing its direction. "As a wedercok that turneth his face with every wind."
Chaucer.
Noisy weathercocks rattled and sang of mutation. Longfellow.