Chapter 1880

Wet (?) , a. [ Compar. Wetter (?) ; superl. Wettest .] [OE. wet , weet , AS. w <?/ t ; akin to OFries. w <?/ t , Icel. v\'betr , Sw. v\'86t , Dan. vaad , and E. water . <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Water .]

1. Containing, or consisting of, water or other liquid; moist; soaked with a liquid; having water or other liquid upon the surface; as, wet land; a wet cloth; a wet table. " Wet cheeks."

Shak.

2. Very damp; rainy; as, wet weather; a wet season . " Wet October's torrent flood."

Milton.

3. (Chem.) Employing, or done by means of, water or some other liquid; as, the wet extraction of copper, in distinction from dry extraction in which dry heat or fusion is employed .

4. Refreshed with liquor; drunk. [Slang]

Prior.

Wet blanket , Wet dock , etc. See under Blanket , Dock , etc. -- Wet goods , intoxicating liquors. [Slang]

Syn. -- Nasty; humid; damp; moist. See Nasty .

Wet <Xpage=1642>

Wet (?) , n. [AS. w&aemac;ta . See Wet , a. ]

1. Water or wetness; moisture or humidity in considerable degree.

Have here a cloth and wipe away the wet . Chaucer.

Now the sun, with more effectual beams, Had cheered the face of earth, and dried the wet From drooping plant. Milton.

2. Rainy weather; foggy or misty weather.

3. A dram; a drink. [Slang]

Wet <Xpage=1642>

Wet , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wet (rarely Wetted ); p. pr. & vb. n. Wetting .] [AS. w&aemac;tan .] To fill or moisten with water or other liquid; to sprinkle; to cause to have water or other fluid adherent to the surface; to dip or soak in a liquid; as, to wet a sponge; to wet the hands; to wet cloth. "[The scene] did draw tears from me and wetted my paper."

Burke.

Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise . . . Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored sky, Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers. Milton.

To wet one's whistle , to moisten one's throat; to drink a dram of liquor. [Colloq.]

Let us drink the other cup to wet our whistles . Walton.

Wetbird <Xpage=1642>

Wet"bird` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The chaffinch, whose cry is thought to foretell rain. [Prov. Eng.]

Wether <Xpage=1642>

Weth"er (?) , n. [OE. wether , AS. we<?/er ; akin to OS. wethar , withar , a ram, D. weder , G. widder , OHG. widar , Icel. ve <?/ r , Sw. v\'84dur , Dan. v\'91dder , Goth. wiprus a lamb, L. vitulus calf, Skr. vatsa , L. vetus old, Gr. <?/ year; -- originally meaning, a yearling. Cf. Veal , Veteran .] A castrated ram.

Westness <Xpage=1642>

West"ness (?) , n.

1. The quality or state of being wet; moisture; humidity; as, the wetness of land; the wetness of a cloth .

2. A watery or moist state of the atmosphere; a state of being rainy, foggy, or misty; as, the wetness of weather or the season .

&hand; Wetness generally implies more water or liquid than is implied by humidness or moisture .

Wet nurse <Xpage=1642>

Wet" nurse` (?) . A nurse who suckles a child, especially the child of another woman. Cf. Dry nurse .

Wet-shod <Xpage=1642>

Wet"-shod` (?) , a. Having the feet, or the shoes on the feet, wet.

Wettish <Xpage=1642>

Wet"tish (?) , a. Somewhat wet; moist; humid.

Wevil <Xpage=1642>

We"vil (?) , n. See Weevil .

Wex <Xpage=1642>

Wex (?) , v. t. & i. To grow; to wax. [Obs.] Chaucer . "Each wexing moon." Dryden .

Wex <Xpage=1642>

Wex , obs. imp. of Wex . Waxed.

Chaucer.

Wex <Xpage=1642>

Wex , n. Wax. [Obs.] "Yelwe as wex ."

Chaucer.

Wey <Xpage=1642>

Wey (?) , n. Way; road; path. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Wey <Xpage=1642>

Wey , v. t. & i. To weigh. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Wey <Xpage=1642>

Wey (?) , n. [OE. weye , AS. w<?/ge weight. <?/<?/<?/<?/. See Weight .] A certain measure of weight. [Eng.] "A weye of Essex cheese."

Piers Plowman.

&hand; A wey is 6<?/ tods, or 182 pounds, of wool; a load, or five quarters, of wheat, 40 bushels of salt, each weighing 56 pounds; 32 cloves of cheese, each weighing seven pounds; 48 bushels of oats and barley; and from two cwt. to three cwt. of butter.

Simmonds.

Weyle <Xpage=1642>

Weyle (?) , v. t. & i. To wail. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Weyleway <Xpage=1642>

Wey"le*way (?) , interj. See Welaway . [Obs.]

Weyve <Xpage=1642>

Weyve (?) , v. t. To waive. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Wezand <Xpage=1642>

We"zand (?) , n. See Weasand . [Obs.]

Whaap <Xpage=1642>

Whaap (?) , n. [So called from one of its notes.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) The European curlew; -- called also awp , whaup , great whaup , and stock whaup . (b) The whimbrel; -- called also May whaup , little whaup , and tang whaup . [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Whack <Xpage=1642>

Whack (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Whacked (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Whacking .] [Cf. Thwack .] To strike; to beat; to give a heavy or resounding blow to; to thrash; to make with whacks. [Colloq.]

Rodsmen were whacking their way through willow brakes. G. W. Cable.

Whack <Xpage=1642>

Whack , v. i. To strike anything with a smart blow.

To whack away , to continue striking heavy blows; as, to whack away at a log . [Colloq.]

Whack <Xpage=1642>

Whack , n. A smart resounding blow. [Colloq.]

Whacker <Xpage=1642>

Whack"er (?) , n.

1. One who whacks. [Colloq.]

2. Anything very large; specif., a great lie; a whapper. [Colloq.] <-- = whopper -->

Halliwell.

Whacking <Xpage=1642>

Whack"ing , a. Very large; whapping. [Colloq.]

Whahoo <Xpage=1642>

Wha*hoo" (?) , n. (Bot.) An American tree, the winged elm. ( Ulmus alata ).

Whala <Xpage=1642>

Whala (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Whaled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Whaling .] [Cf. Wale . ] To lash with stripes; to wale; to thrash; to drub. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

Halliwell. Bartlett.

Whale <Xpage=1642>

Whale , n. [OE. whal , AS. hw\'91l ; akin to D. wal visch, G. wal , wal fisch, OHG. wal , Icel. hvalr , Dan. & Sw. hval , hval fisk. Cf. Narwhal , Walrus .] (Zo\'94l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea , especially any one of the large species, some of which become nearly one hundred feet long. Whales are hunted chiefly for their oil and baleen, or whalebone. <-- since the 1920's and the replacement of whale oil by petroleum products and electricity, whales have been hunted primarily for their meat. Due to dramatic decreases in the whale population, the International Whaling Commission was formed to regulate the hunt, so as to avoid extinction of the endangered species. In the 1990's, only a few countries continued to hunt whales in significant numbers. -->

&hand; The existing whales are divided into two groups: the toothed whales ( Odontocete ), including those that have teeth, as the cachalot, or sperm whale (see Sperm whale ); and the baleen, or whalebone, whales ( Mysticete ), comprising those that are destitute of teeth, but have plates of baleen hanging from the upper jaw, as the right whales. The most important species of whalebone whales are the bowhead, or Greenland, whale (see Illust . of Right whale ), the Biscay whale, the Antarctic whale, the gray whale (see under Gray ), the humpback, the finback, and the rorqual.

Whale bird . (Zo\'94l.) (a) Any one of several species of large Antarctic petrels which follow whaling vessels, to feed on the blubber and floating oil; especially, Prion turtur (called also blue petrel ), and Pseudoprion desolatus . (b) The turnstone; -- so called because it lives on the carcasses of whales. [Canada] -- Whale fin (Com.) , whalebone. Simmonds . -- Whale fishery , the fishing for, or occupation of taking, whales. -- Whale louse (Zo\'94l.) , any one of several species of degraded amphipod crustaceans belonging to the genus Cyamus , especially C. ceti . They are parasitic on various cetaceans. -- Whale's bone , ivory. [Obs.] -- Whale shark . (Zo\'94l.) (a) The basking, or liver, shark. (b) A very large harmless shark ( Rhinodon typicus ) native of the Indian Ocean. It sometimes becomes sixty feet long. -- Whale shot , the name formerly given to spermaceti. -- Whale's tongue (Zo\'94l.) , a balanoglossus.

Whaleboat <Xpage=1642>

Whale"boat` (?) , n. (Naut.) A long, narrow boat, sharp at both ends, used by whalemen.

Whalebone <Xpage=1642>

Whale"bone` (?) , n. A firm, elastic substance resembling horn, taken from the upper jaw of the right whale; baleen. It is used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, and for various other purposes. See Baleen .

&hand; Whalebone is chiefly obtained from the bowhead, or Greenland, whale, the Biscay whale, and the Antarctic, or southern, whale. It is prepared for manufacture by being softened by boiling, and dyed black.

Whaleman <Xpage=1642>

Whale"man (?) , n. ; pl. Whalemen (<?/) . A man employed in the whale fishery.

Whaler <Xpage=1642>

Whal"er (?) , n. A vessel or person employed in the whale fishery.

Whaler <Xpage=1642>

Whal"er , n. One who whales, or beats; a big, strong fellow; hence, anything of great or unusual size. [Colloq. U. S.]

Whaling <Xpage=1642>

Whal"ing , n. The hunting of whales.

Whaling <Xpage=1642>

Whal"ing , a. Pertaining to, or employed in, the pursuit of whales; as, a whaling voyage; a whaling vessel.

Whall <Xpage=1642>

Whall (?) , n. [See Wall-eye .] A light color of the iris in horses; wall-eye. [Written also whaul .]

Whally <Xpage=1642>

Whall"y (?) , a. Having the iris of light color; -- said of horses. " Whally eyes."

Spenser.

Whame <Xpage=1642>

Whame (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A breeze fly.

Whammel <Xpage=1642>

Wham"mel (?) , v. t. [Cf. Whelm .] To turn over. [Prov. Eng.]

Whan <Xpage=1642>

Whan (?) , adv. When. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Whang <Xpage=1642>

Whang (?) , n. [Cf. Thong .] A leather thong. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

Whang <Xpage=1642>

Whang , v. t. To beat. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.]

Whanghee <Xpage=1642>

Whang*hee" (?) , n. (Bot.) See Wanghee .

Whap, Whop <Xpage=1642>

Whap (?) , Whop , v. i. [Cf. OE. quappen to palpitate, E. quob , quaver , wabble , awhape , wap .] To throw one's self quickly, or by an abrupt motion; to turn suddenly; as, she whapped down on the floor; the fish whapped over.

Bartlett.

&hand; This word is used adverbially in the north of England, as in the United States, when anything vanishes, or is gone suddenly; as, whap went the cigar out of my mouth.

Whap, Whop <Xpage=1642>

Whap , Whop , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Whapped (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Whapping .] To beat or strike.

Whap, Whop <Xpage=1642>

Whap , Whop , n. A blow, or quick, smart stroke.

Whapper, Whopper <Xpage=1642>

Whap"per (?) , Whop"per , n. [See Whap .] Something uncommonly large of the kind; something astonishing; -- applied especially to a bold lie. [Colloq.] <-- now usu. whopper. -->

Whapping, Whopping <Xpage=1642>

Whap"ping (?) , Whop"ping , a. Very large; monstrous; astonishing; as, a whapping story . [Colloq.] <-- now usu. whopping. -->

Wharf <Xpage=1642>

Wharf (?) , n. ; pl. Wharfs (#) or Wharves (#) . [AS. hwerf , hwearf , a returning, a change, from hweorfan to turn, turn about, go about; akin to D. werf a wharf, G. werft , Sw. varf a shipbuilder's yard, Dan. verft wharf, dockyard, G. werben to enlist, to engage, woo, OHG. werban to turn about, go about, be active or occupied, Icel. hverfa to turn, Goth. hwa\'a1rban , hwarb\'d3n , to walk. Cf. Whirl .]

1. A structure or platform of timber, masonry, iron, earth, or other material, built on the shore of a harbor, river, canal, or the like, and usually extending from the shore to deep water, so that vessels may lie close alongside to receive and discharge cargo, passengers, etc.; a quay; a pier.

Commerce pushes its wharves into the sea. Bancroft.

Out upon the wharfs they came, Knight and burgher, lord and dame. Tennyson.

&hand; The plural of this word is generally written wharves in the United States, and wharfs in England; but many recent English writers use wharves .

2. [AS. hwearf .] The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea. [Obs.] "The fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf ."

Shak.

Wharf boat , a kind of boat moored at the bank of a river, and used for a wharf, in places where the height of the water is so variable that a fixed wharf would be useless. [U. S.] Bartlett . -- Wharf rat . (Zo\'94l.) (a) The common brown rat. (b) A neglected boy who lives around the wharfs. [Slang]

<page="1643"> Page 1643

Wharf <Xpage=1643>

Wharf (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wharfed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wharfing .]

1. To guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf; to furnish with a wharf or wharfs.

2. To place upon a wharf; to bring to a wharf.

Wharfage <Xpage=1643>

Wharf"age (?) , n.

1. The fee or duty paid for the privilege of using a wharf for loading or unloading goods; pierage, collectively; quayage.

2. A wharf or wharfs, collectively; wharfing.

Wharfing <Xpage=1643>

Wharf"ing , n.

1. Wharfs, collectively.

2. (Hydraul. Engin.) A mode of facing sea walls and embankments with planks driven as piles and secured by ties.

Knight.

Wharfinger <Xpage=1643>

Wharf"in*ger (?) , n. [For wharfager .] A man who owns, or has the care of, a wharf.

Wharl, Wharling <Xpage=1643>

Wharl (?) , Wharl"ing , n. A guttural pronunciation of the letter r ; a burr. See Burr , n. , 6.

A strange, uncouth wharling in their speech. Fuller.

Wharp <Xpage=1643>

Wharp (?) , n. A kind of fine sand from the banks of the Trent, used as a polishing powder. [Eng.]

What <Xpage=1643>

What (?) , pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw\'91t , neuter of hw\'be who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet , D. & LG. wat , G. was , OHG. waz , hwaz , Icel. hvat , Sw. & Dan. hvad , Goth. hwa . &root;182. See Who .]

1. As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost?

What see'st thou in the ground? Shak.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Ps. viii. 4.

What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! Matt. viii. 27.

&hand; Originally, what , when , where , which , who , why , etc., were interrogatives only, and it is often difficult to determine whether they are used as interrogatives or relatives.

What in this sense, when it refers to things, may be used either substantively or adjectively; when it refers to persons, it is used only adjectively with a noun expressed, who being the pronoun used substantively.

2. As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following. " What welcome be thou."

Chaucer.

What , could ye not watch with me one hour? Matt. xxvi. 40.

(b) Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable , or how great ; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage!

What a piece of work is man! Shak.

O what a riddle of absurdity! Young.

&hand; What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized.

(c) Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how ; as, what happy boys!

What partial judges are our and hate! Dryden.

3. As a relative pronoun : --

(a) Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which , or those [persons] who , or those [things] which ; -- called a compound relative .

With joy beyond what victory bestows. Cowper.

I'm thinking Captain Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they see their whaleboats. Cooper.

What followed was in perfect harmony with this beginning. Macaulay.

I know well . . . how little you will be disposed to criticise what comes to you from me. J. H. Newman.

(b) Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which ; the sort or kind of . . . which ; rarely, the . . . on , or at , which .

See what natures accompany what colors. Bacon.

To restrain what power either the devil or any earthly enemy hath to work us woe. Milton.

We know what master laid thy keel, What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel. Longfellow.

(c) Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw .

4. Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely. " What after so befall."

Chaucer.

Whether it were the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will, . . . or what it was. Bacon.