Way-wise adjective Skillful in finding the way; well acquainted with the way or route; wise from having traveled.

Wayside noun The side of the way; the edge or border of a road or path.

Wayside adjective Of or pertaining to the wayside; as, wayside flowers. "A wayside inn." Longfellow.

Wayward adjective [ Middle English weiward , for aweiward , i. e., turned away. See Away , and -ward .] Taking one's own way; disobedient; froward; perverse; willful.

My wife is in a wayward mood.

Shak.

Wayward beauty doth not fancy move.

Fairfax.

Wilt thou forgive the wayward thought?

Keble.

-- Way"ward*ly , adverb -- Way"ward*ness , noun

Waywiser noun [ Confer German wegweiser a waymark, a guide; weg way + weisen to show, direct.] An instrument for measuring the distance which one has traveled on the road; an odometer, pedometer, or perambulator.

The waywiser to a coach, exactly measuring the miles, and showing them by an index.

Evelyn.

Waywode noun [ Russian voevoda , or Pol. woiewoda ; properly, a leader of an army, a leader in war. Confer Vaivode .] Originally, the title of a military commander in various Slavonic countries; afterwards applied to governors of towns or provinces. It was assumed for a time by the rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia, who were afterwards called hospodars , and has also been given to some inferior Turkish officers. [ Written also vaivode , voivode , waiwode , and woiwode .]

Waywodeship noun The office, province, or jurisdiction of a waywode.

Wayworn adjective Wearied by traveling.

Wayz-goose noun [ Wase stubble + goose .]

1. A stubble goose. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.]

2. An annual feast of the persons employed in a printing office. [ Written also way-goose .] [ Eng.]

We (wē) pron. ; plural of I. [ Poss. Our (our) or Ours (ourz); obj. Us (ŭs). See I .] [ As. wē ; akin to Old Saxon wī , OFries. & LG. wi , Dutch wij , German wir , Icelandic vēr , Swedish & Danish vi , Goth. weis , Sanskrit vayam . √190.] The plural nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the word with which a person in speaking or writing denotes a number or company of which he is one, as the subject of an action expressed by a verb.

» We is frequently used to express men in general, including the speaker. We is also often used by individuals, as authors, editors, etc., in speaking of themselves, in order to avoid the appearance of egotism in the too frequent repetition of the pronoun I . The plural style is also in use among kings and other sovereigns, and is said to have been begun by King John of England. Before that time, monarchs used the singular number in their edicts. The German and the French sovereigns followed the example of King John in a.d. 1200.

Weak (wēk) adjective [ Compar. Weaker (-ẽr); superl. Weakest .] [ Middle English weik , Icelandic veikr ; akin to Swedish vek , Danish veg soft, flexible, pliant, Anglo-Saxon wāc weak, soft, pliant, Dutch week , German weich , Old High German weih ; all from the verb seen in Icelandic vīkja to turn, veer, recede, Anglo-Saxon wīcan to yield, give way, German weichen , Old High German wīhhan , akin to Sanskrit vij , and probably to English week , Latin vicis a change, turn, Greek e'i`kein to yield, give way. √132. Confer Week , Wink , intransitive verb Vicissitude .]

1. Wanting physical strength. Specifically: --

(a) Deficient in strength of body; feeble; infirm; sickly; debilitated; enfeebled; exhausted.

A poor, infirm, weak , and despised old man.

Shak.

Weak with hunger, mad with love.

Dryden.

(b) Not able to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain; as, a weak timber; a weak rope.

(c) Not firmly united or adhesive; easily broken or separated into pieces; not compact; as, a weak ship.

(d) Not stiff; pliant; frail; soft; as, the weak stalk of a plant.

(e) Not able to resist external force or onset; easily subdued or overcome; as, a weak barrier; as, a weak fortress.

(f) Lacking force of utterance or sound; not sonorous; low; small; feeble; faint.

A voice not soft, weak , piping, and womanish.

Ascham.

(g) Not thoroughly or abundantly impregnated with the usual or required ingredients, or with stimulating and nourishing substances; of less than the usual strength; as, weak tea, broth, or liquor; a weak decoction or solution; a weak dose of medicine.

(h) Lacking ability for an appropriate function or office; as, weak eyes; a weak stomach; a weak magistrate; a weak regiment, or army.

2. Not possessing or manifesting intellectual, logical, moral, or political strength, vigor, etc. Specifically: -

(a) Feeble of mind; wanting discernment; lacking vigor; spiritless; as, a weak king or magistrate.

To think every thing disputable is a proof of a weak mind and captious temper.

Beattie.

Origen was never weak enough to imagine that there were two Gods.

Waterland.

(b) Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.

If evil thence ensue,
She first his weak indulgence will accuse.

Milton.

(c) Not having full confidence or conviction; not decided or confirmed; vacillating; wavering.

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

Rom. xiv. 1.

(d) Not able to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable; as, weak resolutions; weak virtue.

Guard thy heart
On this weak side, where most our nature fails.

Addison.

(e) Wanting in power to influence or bind; as, weak ties; a weak sense of honor of duty.

(f) Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained; as, a weak argument or case. "Convinced of his weak arguing." Milton.

A case so weak . . . hath much persisted in.

Hooker.

(g) Wanting in point or vigor of expression; as, a weak sentence; a weak style.

(h) Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble. " Weak prayers." Shak.

(i) Lacking in elements of political strength; not wielding or having authority or energy; deficient in the resources that are essential to a ruler or nation; as, a weak monarch; a weak government or state.

I must make fair weather yet awhile,
Till Henry be more weak , and I more strong.

Shak.

(k) (Stock Exchange) Tending towards lower prices; as, a weak market.

3. (Gram.) (a) Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) and past participle by adding to the present the suffix -ed , -d , or the variant form -t ; as in the verbs abash , abashed ; abate , abated ; deny , denied ; feel , felt . See Strong , 19 (a) . (b) Pertaining to, or designating, a noun in Anglo- Saxon, etc., the stem of which ends in -n . See Strong , 19 (b) .

» Weak is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, weak -eyed, weak -handed, weak -hearted, weak -minded, weak -spirited, and the like.

Weak conjugation (Gram.) , the conjugation of weak verbs; -- called also new, or regular, conjugation , and distinguished from the old , or irregular , conjugation . -- Weak declension (Anglo- Saxon Gram.) , the declension of weak nouns; also, one of the declensions of adjectives. -- Weak side , the side or aspect of a person's character or disposition by which he is most easily affected or influenced; weakness; infirmity. -- Weak sore or ulcer (Medicine) , a sore covered with pale, flabby, sluggish granulations.

Weak transitive verb & i. [ Confer Anglo-Saxon w...can . wācian . See Weak , adjective ] To make or become weak; to weaken. [ R.]

Never to seek weaking variety.

Marston.

Weak adjective
1. (Stock Exchange) Tending toward a lower price or lower prices; as, wheat is weak ; a weak market.

2. (Card Playing) Lacking in good cards; deficient as to number or strength; as, a hand weak in trumps.

3. (Photog.) Lacking contrast; as, a weak negative.

Weak-hearted adjective Having little courage; of feeble spirit; dispirited; faint-hearted. " Weak- hearted enemies." Shak.

Weak-kneed adjective Having weak knees; hence, easily yielding; wanting resolution. H. James.

Weak-minded adjective Having a weak mind, either naturally or by reason of disease; feebleminded; foolish; idiotic. -- Weak"-mind`ed*ness , noun

Weaken transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Weakened ; present participle & verbal noun Weakening .]

1. To make weak; to lessen the strength of; to deprive of strength; to debilitate; to enfeeble; to enervate; as, to weaken the body or the mind; to weaken the hands of a magistrate; to weaken the force of an objection or an argument.

Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done.

Neh. vi. 9.

2. To reduce in quality, strength, or spirit; as, to weaken tea; to weaken any solution or decoction.

Weaken intransitive verb To become weak or weaker; to lose strength, spirit, or determination; to become less positive or resolute; as, the patient weakened ; the witness weakened on cross-examination. "His notion weakens , his discernings are lethargied." Shak.

Weakener noun One who, or that which, weakens. "[ Fastings] weakeners of sin." South.

Weakfish noun (Zoology) Any fish of the genus Cynoscion ; a squeteague; -- so called from its tender mouth. See Squeteague .

Spotted weakfish (Zoology) , the spotted squeteague.

Weakish adjective Somewhat weak; rather weak.

Weakishness noun Quality or state of being weakish.

Weakling noun [ Weak + - ling .] A weak or feeble creature. Shak. "All looking on him as a weakling , which would post to the grave." Fuller.

We may not be weaklings because we have a strong enemy.

Latimer.

Weakling adjective Weak; feeble. Sir T. North.

Weakly adverb In a weak manner; with little strength or vigor; feebly.

Weakly adjective [ Compar. Weaklier ; superl. Weakliest .] Not strong of constitution; infirm; feeble; as, a weakly woman; a man of a weakly constitution.

Weakness noun
1. The quality or state of being weak; want of strength or firmness; lack of vigor; want of resolution or of moral strength; feebleness.

2. That which is a mark of lack of strength or resolution; a fault; a defect.

Many take pleasure in spreading abroad the weakness of an exalted character.

Spectator.

Syn. -- Feebleness; debility; languor; imbecility; infirmness; infirmity; decrepitude; frailty; faintness.

Weal noun The mark of a stripe. See Wale .

Weal transitive verb To mark with stripes. See Wale .

Weal noun [ Middle English wele , Anglo-Saxon wela , weola , wealth, from wel well. See Well , adverb , and confer Wealth .]

1. A sound, healthy, or prosperous state of a person or thing; prosperity; happiness; welfare.

God . . . grant you wele and prosperity.

Chaucer.

As we love the weal of our souls and bodies.

Bacon.

To him linked in weal or woe.

Milton.

Never was there a time when it more concerned the public weal that the character of the Parliament should stand high.

Macaulay.

2. The body politic; the state; common wealth. [ Obsolete]

The special watchmen of our English weal .

Shak.

Weal transitive verb To promote the weal of; to cause to be prosperous. [ Obsolete] Beau. & Fl.

Weal-balanced adjective Balanced or considered with reference to public weal. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Weald noun [ Anglo-Saxon See Wold .] A wood or forest; a wooded land or region; also, an open country; -- often used in place names.

Fled all night long by glimmering waste and weald ,
And heard the spirits of the waste and weald
Moan as she fled.

Tennyson.

Weald clay (Geol.) , the uppermost member of the Wealden strata. See Wealden .

Wealden adjective [ Anglo-Saxon weald , wald , a forest, a wood. So called because this formation occurs in the wealds , or woods, of Kent and Sussex. See Weald .] (Geol.) Of or pertaining to the lowest division of the Cretaceous formation in England and on the Continent, which overlies the Oölitic series.

Wealden noun (Geol.) The Wealden group or strata.

Wealdish adjective Of or pertaining to a weald, esp. to the weald in the county of Kent, England. [ Obsolete] Fuller.

Wealful adjective Weleful. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wealsman noun ; plural Wealsmen . [ Weal + man .] A statesman; a politician. [ R.] Shak.

Wealth noun [ Middle English welthe , from wele ; confer Dutch weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]

1. Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [ Obsolete] "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth ." 1 Cor. x. 24.

2. Large possessions; a comparative abundance of things which are objects of human desire; esp., abundance of worldly estate; affluence; opulence; riches.

I have little wealth to lose.

Shak.

Each day new wealth , without their care, provides.

Dryden.

Wealth comprises all articles of value and nothing else.

F. A. Walker.

Active wealth . See under Active .

Syn. -- Riches; affluence; opulence; abundance.

Wealth noun (Economy) (a) In the private sense, all pooperty which has a money value. (b) In the public sense, all objects, esp. material objects, which have economic utility. (c) Specif. called personal wealth . Those energies, faculties, and habits directly contributing to make people industrially efficient.

Wealthful adjective Full of wealth; wealthy; prosperous. [ R.] Sir T. More. -- Wealth"ful*ly , adverb [ R.]

Wealthily adverb In a wealthy manner; richly.

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua.

Shak.

Wealthiness noun The quality or state of being wealthy, or rich; richness; opulence.

Wealthy adjective [ Compar. Wealthier ; superl. Wealthiest .]

1. Having wealth; having large possessions, or larger than most men, as lands, goods, money, or securities; opulent; affluent; rich.

A wealthy Hebrew of my tribe.

Shak.

Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

Ps. lxvi. 12.

2. Hence, ample; full; satisfactory; abundant. [ R.]

The wealthy witness of my pen.

B. Jonson.

Wean transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Weaned ; present participle & verbal noun Weaning .] [ Middle English wenen , Anglo-Saxon wenian , wennan , to accustom; akin to Dutch wennen , G. ge wöhnen , Old High German gi wennan , Icelandic venja , Swedish vänja , Danish vænne , Icelandic vanr accustomed, wont; confer Anglo-Saxon ā wenian to wean, G. ent wöhnen . See Wont , adjective ]

1. To accustom and reconcile, as a child or other young animal, to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder; to cause to cease to depend on the mother nourishment.

And the child grew, and was weaned ; and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned .

Gen. xxi. 8.

2. Hence, to detach or alienate the affections of, from any object of desire; to reconcile to the want or loss of anything. " Wean them from themselves." Shak.

The troubles of age were intended . . . to wean us gradually from our fondness of life.

Swift.

Wean noun A weanling; a young child.

I, being but a yearling wean .

Mrs. Browning.

Weanedness noun Quality or state of being weaned.

Weanel noun A weanling. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Weanling adjective & noun from Wean , v.

The weaning of the whelp is the great test of the skill of the kennel man.

J. H. Walsh.

Weaning brash . (Medicine) See under Brash .

Weanling noun [ Wean + - ling .] A child or animal newly weaned; a wean.

Weanling adjective Recently weaned. Milton.