The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 1879
Welt , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Welted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Welting .] To furnish with a welt; to sew or fasten a welt on; as, to welt a boot or a shoe; to welt a sleeve .
Welt <Xpage=1641>
Welt , v. t. To wilt. [R.]
Welte <Xpage=1641>
Welte (?) , obs. imp. of Weld , to wield.
Chaucer.
Welter <Xpage=1641>
Wel"ter (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Weltered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Weltering .] [Freq. of OE. walten to roll over, AS. wealtan ; akin to LG. weltern , G. walzen to roll, to waltz, sich w\'84lzen to welter, OHG. walzan to roll, Icel. velta , Dan. v\'91lte , Sw. v\'84ltra , v\'84lta ; cf. Goth. waltjan ; probably akin to E. wallow , well , v. i. <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Well , v. i. , and cf. Waltz .]
1. To roll, as the body of an animal; to tumble about, especially in anything foul or defiling; to wallow.
When we welter in pleasures and idleness, then we eat and drink with drunkards. Latimer.
These wizards welter in wealth's waves. Spenser.
He must not float upon his watery bier Unwept, and welter to the parching wind, Without the meed of some melodious tear. Milton.
The priests at the altar . . . weltering in their blood. Landor.
2. To rise and fall, as waves; to tumble over, as billows. "The weltering waves."
Milton.
Waves that, hardly weltering , die away. Wordsworth.
Through this blindly weltering sea. Trench.
Welter <Xpage=1641>
Wel"ter , v. t. [Cf. Wilt , v. i. ] To wither; to wilt. [R.]
Weltered hearts and blighted . . . memories. I. Taylor.
Welter <Xpage=1641>
Wel"ter , a. (Horse Racing) Of, pertaining to, or designating, the most heavily weighted race in a meeting; as, a welter race; the welter stakes .
Welter <Xpage=1641>
Wel"ter , n.
1. That in which any person or thing welters, or wallows; filth; mire; slough.
The foul welter of our so-called religious or other controversies. Carlyle.
2. A rising or falling, as of waves; as, the welter of the billows; the welter of a tempest .
Welwitschia <Xpage=1641>
Wel*witsch"i*a (?) , n. [NL. So named after the discoverer, Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch .] (Bot.) An African plant ( Welwitschia mirabilis ) belonging to the order Gnetace\'91 . It consists of a short, woody, topshaped stem, and never more than two leaves, which are the cotyledons enormously developed, and at length split into diverging segments.
Wem <Xpage=1641>
Wem (?) , n. [Cf. Womb .] The abdomen; the uterus; the womb. [Obs.]
Wem <Xpage=1641>
Wem , n. [AS. wam , wamm .] Spot; blemish; harm; hurt. [Obs.]
Wyclif.
Withouten wem of you, through foul and fair. Chaucer.
Wem <Xpage=1641>
Wem , v. t. [AS. wemman .] To stain; to blemish; to harm; to corrupt. [Obs.]
Wemless <Xpage=1641>
Wem"less , a. Having no wem, or blemish; spotless. [Obs.] "Virgin wemless ."
Chaucer.
Wem <Xpage=1641>
Wem (?) , n. [AS. wenn ; akin to D. wen , LG. wenne .] (Med.) An indolent, encysted tumor of the skin; especially, a sebaceous cyst.
Wench <Xpage=1641>
Wench (?) , n. [OE. wenche , for older wenchel a child, originally, weak, tottering; cf. AS. wencle a maid, a daughter, wencel a pupil, orphan, wincel , winclu , children, offspring, wencel weak, wancol unstable, OHG. wanchol ; perhaps akin to E. wink . See Wink .]
1. A young woman; a girl; a maiden.
Shak.
Lord and lady, groom and wench . Chaucer.
That they may send again My most sweet wench , and gifts to boot. Chapman.
He was received by the daughter of the house, a pretty, buxom, blue-eyed little wench . W. Black.
2. A low, vicious young woman; a drab; a strumpet.
She shall be called his wench or his leman. Chaucer.
It is not a digression to talk of bawds in a discourse upon wenches . Spectator.
3. A colored woman; a negress. [U. S.]
Wench <Xpage=1641>
Wench (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Wenched (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wenching .] To frequent the company of wenches, or women of ill fame.
Wencher <Xpage=1641>
Wench"er (?) , n. One who wenches; a lewd man.
Wenchless <Xpage=1641>
Wench"less , a. Being without a wench.
Shak.
Wend <Xpage=1641>
Wend (?) , obs. p. p. of Wene .
Chaucer.
Wend <Xpage=1641>
Wend , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Wended , Obs . Went ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wending .] [AS. wendan to turn, to go, caus. of windan to wind; akin to OS. wendian , OFries. wenda , D. wenden to turn, G. wenden , Icel. venda , Sw. v\'84nda , Dan. vende , Goth. wandjan . See Wind to turn, and cf. Went .]
1. To go; to pass; to betake one's self. "To Canterbury they wend ."
Chaucer.
To Athens shall the lovers wend . Shak.
2. To turn round. [Obs.]
Sir W. Raleigh.
Wend <Xpage=1641>
Wend , v. t. To direct; to betake;- used chiefly in the phrase to wend one's way . Also used reflexively. "Great voyages to wend ."
Surrey.
Wend <Xpage=1641>
Wend , n. (O. Eng. Law) A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit. [Obs.]
Burrill.
Wende <Xpage=1641>
Wende (?) , obs. imp. of Wene .
Chaucer.
Wendic, Wendish <Xpage=1641>
Wend"ic (?) , Wend"ish (?) , a. Of or pertaining the Wends, or their language.
Wendic <Xpage=1641>
Wend"ic (?) , n. The language of the Wends.
Wends <Xpage=1641>
Wends (?) , n. pl. ; sing. Wend . (Ethnol.) A Slavic tribe which once occupied the northern and eastern parts of Germany, of which a small remnant exists.
Wene <Xpage=1641>
Wene (?) , v. i. To ween. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Wenlock group <Xpage=1641>
Wen"lock group` (?) , (Geol.) The middle subdivision of the Upper Silurian in Great Britain; -- so named from the typical locality in Shropshire.
Wennel <Xpage=1641>
Wen"nel (?) , n. See Weanel . [Obs.]
Tusser.
Wennish, Wenny <Xpage=1641>
Wen"nish (?) , Wen"ny (?) , a. [From Wen .] Having the nature of a wen; resembling a wen; as, a wennish excrescence .
Wenona <Xpage=1641>
We*no"na (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A sand snake ( Charina plumbea ) of Western North America, of the family Erycid\'91 .
Went <Xpage=1641>
Went (?) , imp. & p. p. of Wend ; -- now obsolete except as the imperfect of go , with which it has no etymological connection. See Go .
To the church both be they went . Chaucer.
Went <Xpage=1641>
Went , n. Course; way; path; journey; direction. [Obs.] "At a turning of a wente ."
Chaucer.
But here my weary team, nigh overspent, Shall breathe itself awhile after so long a went . Spenser.
He knew the diverse went of mortal ways. Spenser.
Wentletrap <Xpage=1641>
Wen"tle*trap` (?) , n. [D. wenteltrap a winding staircase; cf. G. wendeltreppe .] [Obs.] Any one of numerous species of elegant, usually white, marine shells of the genus Scalaria, especially Scalaria pretiosa , which was formerly highly valued; -- called also staircase shell . See Scalaria .
Wep <Xpage=1641>
Wep (?) , obs. imp. of Weep .
Wepen <Xpage=1641>
Wep"en (?) , n. Weapon. [Obs.]
Wept <Xpage=1641>
Wept (?) , imp. & p. p. of Weep .
Werche <Xpage=1641>
Werche (?) , v. t. & i. To work. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Were <Xpage=1641>
Were (?) , v. t. & i. To wear. See 3d Wear . [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Were <Xpage=1641>
Were , n. A weir. See Weir . [Obs.]
Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney.
Were <Xpage=1641>
Were , v. t. [AS. werian .] To guard; to protect. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Were <Xpage=1641>
Were (?) . [AS. w <?/ re (thou) wast, w<?/ron (we, you, they) were, w<?/re imp. subj. See Was .] The imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be . See Be .
Were <Xpage=1641>
Were (?) , n. [AS. wer ; akin to OS. & OHG. wer , Goth. wa\'a1r , L. vir , Skr. v\'c6ra . Cf. Weregild , and Werewolf .]
1. A man. [Obs.]
2. A fine for slaying a man; the money value set upon a man's life; weregild. [Obs.]
Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were . Bosworth.
Weregild <Xpage=1641>
Were"gild` (?) , n. [AS. wergild ; wer a man, value set on a man's life + gild payment of money; akin to G. wehrgeld . <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Were a man, and Geld , n. ] (O. Eng. Law) The price of a man's head; a compensation paid of a man killed, partly to the king for the loss of a subject, partly to the lord of a vassal, and partly to the next of kin. It was paid by the murderer. [Written also weregeld , weregelt , etc.]
Blackstone.
Werewolf <Xpage=1641>
Were"wolf` (?) , n. ; pl. Werewolves (#) . [AS. werwulf ; wer a man + wulf a wolf; cf. G. w\'84rwolf , w\'84hrwolf , wehrwolf , a werewolf, MHG. werwolf . <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Were a man, and Wolf , and cf. Virile , World .] A person transformed into a wolf in form and appetite, either temporarily or permanently, whether by supernatural influences, by witchcraft, or voluntarily; a lycanthrope. Belief in werewolves, formerly general, is not now extinct.
The werwolf went about his prey. William of Palerne.
The brutes that wear our form and face, The werewolves of the human race. Longfellow.
Werk, n., Werke <Xpage=1641>
Werk (?) , n. , Werke , v. See Work . [Obs.]
Wern <Xpage=1641>
Wern (?) , v. t. [See 1st Warn .] To refuse. [Obs.]
He is too great a niggard that will wern A man to light a candle at his lantern. Chaucer.
Wernerian <Xpage=1641>
Wer*ne"ri*an (?) , a. Of or pertaining to A. G. Werner , The German mineralogist and geologist, who classified minerals according to their external characters, and advocated the theory that the strata of the earth's crust were formed by depositions from water; designating, or according to, Werner's system.
Wernerite <Xpage=1641>
Wer"ner*ite (?) , n. [See Wernerian .] (Min.) The common grayish or white variety of soapolite.
Weroole <Xpage=1641>
We*roo"le (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) An Australian lorikeet ( Ptilosclera versicolor ) noted for the variety of its colors; -- called also varied lorikeet .
Werre <Xpage=1641>
Werre (?) , n. War. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
<page="1642"> Page 1642
Werrey <Xpage=1642>
Wer"rey (?) , v. t. To warray. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Werst <Xpage=1642>
Werst (?) , n. See Verst .
Wert <Xpage=1642>
Wert (?) , The second person singular, indicative and subjunctive moods, imperfect tense, of the verb be . It is formed from were , with the ending -t , after the analogy of wast . Now used only in solemn or poetic style.
Wert <Xpage=1642>
Wert , n. A wart. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Weryangle <Xpage=1642>
Wer`y*an"gle (?) , n. See Wariangle . [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Wesand <Xpage=1642>
We"sand (?) , n. See Weasand . [Obs.]
Wesh <Xpage=1642>
Wesh (?) , obs. imp. of Wash . Washed.
Chaucer.
Wesil <Xpage=1642>
We"sil (?) n. See Weasand . [Obs.]
Wesleyan <Xpage=1642>
Wes"ley*an (?) , a. [See Wesleyanism .] Of or pertaining to Wesley or Wesleyanism.
Wesleyan <Xpage=1642>
Wes"ley*an , n. (Eccl.) One who adopts the principles of Wesleyanism; a Methodist.
Wesleyanism <Xpage=1642>
Wes"ley*an*ism (?) , n. (Eccl.) The system of doctrines and church polity inculcated by John Wesley (b. 1703; d. 1791), the founder of the religious sect called Methodist; Methodism. See Methodist , n. , 2.
West <Xpage=1642>
West (?) , n. [AS. west , adv.; akin to D. west , G. west , westen , OHG. westan , Icel. vestr , Sw. vest , vester , vestan , Dan. vest , vesten , and perhaps to L. vesper evening, Gr. <?/. <?/<?/<?/<?/. Cf. Vesper , Visigoth .]
1. The point in the heavens where the sun is seen to set at the equinox; or, the corresponding point on the earth; that one of the four cardinal points of the compass which is in a direction at right angles to that of north and south, and on the left hand of a person facing north; the point directly opposite to east.
And fresh from the west is the free wind's breath. Bryant.
2. A country, or region of country, which, with regard to some other country or region, is situated in the direction toward the west.
3. Specifically: (a) The Westen hemisphere, or the New World so called, it having been discovered by sailing westward from Europe; the Occident. (b) (U. S. Hist. & Geog.) Formerly, that part of the United States west of the Alleghany mountains; now, commonly, the whole region west of the Mississippi river; esp., that part which is north of the Indian Territory, New Mexico, etc. Usually with the definite article.
West by north , West by south , according to the notation of the mariner's compass, that point which lies 11<frac14/° to the north or south, respectively, of the point due west. -- West northwest , West southwest , that point which lies 22<frac12/° to the north or south of west, or halfway between west and northwest or southwest, respectively. See Illust . of Compass .
West <Xpage=1642>
West , a. Lying toward the west; situated at the west, or in a western direction from the point of observation or reckoning; proceeding toward the west, or coming from the west; as, a west course is one toward the west; an east and west line; a west wind blows from the west .
This shall be your west border. Num. xxxiv. 6.
West end , the fashionable part of London, commencing from the east, at Charing Cross.
West <Xpage=1642>
West , adv. [AS. west .] Westward.
West <Xpage=1642>
West , v. i.
1. To pass to the west; to set, as the sun. [Obs.] "The hot sun gan to west ."
Chaucer.
2. To turn or move toward the west; to veer from the north or south toward the west.
Westering <Xpage=1642>
West"er*ing (?) , a. Passing to the west.
Toward heaven's descent had sloped his westering wheel. Milton.
Westerly <Xpage=1642>
West"er*ly , a. Of or pertaining to the west; toward the west; coming from the west; western.
Westerly <Xpage=1642>
West"er*ly , adv. Toward the west; westward.
Western <Xpage=1642>
West"ern (?) , a.
1. Of or pertaining to the west; situated in the west, or in the region nearly in the direction of west; being in that quarter where the sun sets; as, the western shore of France; the western ocean .
Far o'er the glowing western main. Keble.
2. Moving toward the west; as, a ship makes a western course ; coming from the west; as, a western breeze .
Western Church . See Latin Church , under Latin . -- Western empire (Hist.) , the western portion of the Roman empire, as divided, by the will of Theodosius the Great, between his sons Honorius and Arcadius, a. d. 395.
Westerner <Xpage=1642>
West"ern*er (?) , n. A native or inhabitant of the west.
Westernmost <Xpage=1642>
West"ern*most` (?) , a. Situated the farthest towards the west; most western.
West India, West Indian <Xpage=1642>
West` In"di*a (?) , West` In"di*an (?) . Belonging or relating to the West Indies.
West India tea (Bot.) , a shrubby plant ( Capraria biflora ) having oblanceolate toothed leaves which are sometimes used in the West Indies as a substitute for tea.
West Indian <Xpage=1642>
West` In"di*an . A native of, or a dweller in, the West Indies.
Westing <Xpage=1642>
West"ing (?) , n. (Naut. & Surv.) The distance, reckoned toward the west, between the two meridians passing through the extremities of a course, or portion of a ship's path; the departure of a course which lies to the west of north.
Westling <Xpage=1642>
West"ling (?) , n. A westerner. [R.]
Westminster Assembly <Xpage=1642>
West"min`ster As*sem"bly (?) . See under Assembly .
Westmost <Xpage=1642>
West"most` (?) , a. Lying farthest to the west; westernmost.
Westward, Westwards <Xpage=1642>
West"ward (?) , West"wards (?) , adv. [AS. westweard . See West , and -ward . ] Toward the west; as, to ride or sail westward .
Westward the course of empire takes its way. Berkeley.
Westward <Xpage=1642>
West"ward , a. Lying toward the west.
Yond same star that's westward from the pole. Shak.
Westward <Xpage=1642>
West"ward , n. The western region or countries; the west.
Westwardly <Xpage=1642>
West"ward*ly , adv. In a westward direction.
Westy <Xpage=1642>
West"y (?) , a. Dizzy; giddy. [Prov. Eng.]
Wet <Xpage=1642>