Weathered Weath"ered adjective 1. (Architecture) Made sloping, so as to throw off water; as, a weathered cornice or window sill. 2. (Geol.) Having the surface altered in color, texture, or composition, or the edges rounded off by exposure to the elements.

Weatherglass Weath"er·glass` noun An instrument to indicate the state of the atmosphere, especially changes of atmospheric pressure, and hence changes of weather, as a barometer or baroscope. Poor man's weatherglass . (Botany) See under Poor .

Weathering Weath"er·ing noun (Geol.) The action of the elements on a rock in altering its color, texture, or composition, or in rounding off its edges.

Weatherliness Weath"er·li·ness noun (Nautical) The quality of being weatherly.

Weatherly Weath"er·ly adjective (Nautical) Working, or able to sail, close to the wind; as, a weatherly ship. Cooper.

Weathermost Weath"er·most` adjective (Nautical) Being farthest to the windward.

Weatherproof Weath"er·proof` adjective Proof against rough weather.

Weatherwise Weath"er·wise` adjective Skillful in forecasting the changes of the weather. Hakluyt.

Weatherwiser Weath"er·wis`er noun [ Confer Waywiser .] Something that foreshows the weather. [ Obsolete] Derham.

Weatherworn Weath"er·worn` adjective Worn by the action of, or by exposure to, the weather.

Weave Weave transitive verb [ imperfect Wove ; past participle Woven , Wove ; present participle & verbal noun Weaving . The regular imperfect & past participle Weaved is rarely used.] [ Middle English weven , Anglo-Saxon wefan ; akin to Dutch weven , German weben , Old High German weban , Icelandic vefa , Swedish väfva , Danish væve , Greek ..., v., ... web, Sanskrit ...r...avābhi spider, lit., wool weaver. Confer Waper , Waffle , Web , Weevil , Weft , Woof .] 1. To unite, as threads of any kind, in such a manner as to form a texture; to entwine or interlace into a fabric; as, to weave wool, silk, etc.; hence, to unite by close connection or intermixture; to unite intimately.

This weaves itself, perforce, into my business.

Shak.

That in their green shops weave the smooth-haired silk
To deck her sons.

Milton.

And for these words, thus woven into song.

Byron. 2. To form, as cloth, by interlacing threads; to compose, as a texture of any kind, by putting together textile materials; as, to weave broadcloth; to weave a carpet; hence, to form into a fabric; to compose; to fabricate; as, to weave the plot of a story.

When she weaved the sleided silk.

Shak.

Her starry wreaths the virgin jasmin weaves .

Ld. Lytton.

Weave Weave intransitive verb 1. To practice weaving; to work with a loom. 2. To become woven or interwoven.

Weave Weave noun A particular method or pattern of weaving; as, the cassimere weave .

Weaver Weav"er noun 1. One who weaves, or whose occupation is to weave. " Weavers of linen." P. Plowman. 2. (Zoology) A weaver bird. 3. (Zoology) An aquatic beetle of the genus Gyrinus . See Whirling . Weaver bird (Zoology) , any one of numerous species of Asiatic, Fast Indian, and African birds belonging to Ploceus and allied genera of the family Ploceidæ . Weaver birds resemble finches and sparrows in size, colors, and shape of the bill. They construct pensile nests composed of interlaced grass and other similar materials. In some of the species the nest is retort-shaped, with the opening at the bottom of the tube. -- Weavers' shuttle (Zoology) , an East Indian marine univalve shell ( Radius volva ); -- so called from its shape. See Illust. of Shuttle shell , under Shuttle .

Weaverfish Weav"er·fish` noun [ See Weever .] (Zoology) See Weever .

Weaving Weav"ing noun 1. The act of one who, or that which, weaves; the act or art of forming cloth in a loom by the union or intertexture of threads. 2. (Far.) An incessant motion of a horse's head, neck, and body, from side to side, fancied to resemble the motion of a hand weaver in throwing the shuttle. Youatt.

Weazand Wea"zand noun See Weasand . [ Obsolete]

Weazen Wea"zen adjective [ See Wizen .] Thin; sharp; withered; wizened; as, a weazen face.

They were weazen and shriveled.

Dickens.

Weazeny Wea"zen·y adjective Somewhat weazen; shriveled. [ Colloq.] " Weazeny , baked pears." Lowell.

Web Web noun [ Middle English webbe , Anglo-Saxon webba . See Weave .] A weaver. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Web Web noun [ Middle English web , Anglo-Saxon webb ; akin to Dutch web , webbe , Old High German weppi , German gewebe , Icelandic vefr , Swedish väf , Danish væv . See Weave .] 1. That which is woven; a texture; textile fabric; esp., something woven in a loom.

Penelope, for her Ulysses' sake,
Devised a web her wooers to deceive.

Spenser.

Not web might be woven, not a shuttle thrown, or penalty of exile.

Bancroft. 2. A whole piece of linen cloth as woven. 3. The texture of very fine thread spun by a spider for catching insects at its prey; a cobweb. "The smallest spider's web ." Shak. 4. Fig.: Tissue; texture; complicated fabrication.

The somber spirit of our forefathers, who wove their web of life with hardly a . . . thread of rose-color or gold.

Hawthorne.

Such has been the perplexing ingenuity of commentators that it is difficult to extricate the truth from the web of conjectures.

W. Irving. 5. (Carriages) A band of webbing used to regulate the extension of the hood. 6. A thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead.

And Christians slain roll up in webs of lead.

Fairfax. Specifically: - (a) The blade of a sword. [ Obsolete]

The sword, whereof the web was steel,
Pommel rich stone, hilt gold.

Fairfax. (b) The blade of a saw. (c) The thin, sharp part of a colter. (d) The bit of a key. 7. (Mach. & Engin.) A plate or thin portion, continuous or perforated, connecting stiffening ribs or flanges, or other parts of an object. Specifically: -- (a) The thin vertical plate or portion connecting the upper and lower flanges of an lower flanges of an iron girder, rolled beam, or railroad rail. (b) A disk or solid construction serving, instead of spokes, for connecting the rim and hub, in some kinds of car wheels, sheaves, etc. (c) The arm of a crank between the shaft and the wrist. (d) The part of a blackmith's anvil between the face and the foot. 8. (Medicine) Pterygium; -- called also webeye . Shak. 9. (Anat.) The membrane which unites the fingers or toes, either at their bases, as in man, or for a greater part of their length, as in many water birds and amphibians. 10. (Zoology) The series of barbs implanted on each side of the shaft of a feather, whether stiff and united together by barbules, as in ordinary feathers, or soft and separate, as in downy feathers. See Feather . Pin and web (Medicine) , two diseases of the eye, caligo and pterygium; -- sometimes wrongly explained as one disease. See Pin , noun , 8, and Web , noun , 8. "He never yet had pinne or webbe , his sight for to decay." Gascoigne. -- Web member (Engineering) , one of the braces in a web system. -- Web press , a printing press which takes paper from a roll instead of being fed with sheets. -- Web system (Engineering) , the system of braces connecting the flanges of a lattice girder, post, or the like.

Web Web transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Webbed ; present participle & verbal noun Webbing .] To unite or surround with a web, or as if with a web; to envelop; to entangle.

Web-fingered Web"-fin`gered adjective Having the fingers united by a web for a considerable part of their length.

Web-footed Web"-foot`ed adjective Having webbed feet; palmiped; as, a goose or a duck is a web-footed fowl.

Web-toed Web"-toed` adjective Having the toes united by a web for a considerable part of their length.

Webbed Webbed adjective 1. Provided with a web. 2. (Zoology) Having the toes united by a membrane, or web; as, the webbed feet of aquatic fowls.

Webber Web"ber noun One who forms webs; a weaver; a webster. [ Obsolete]

Webbing Web"bing noun A woven band of cotton or flax, used for reins, girths, bed bottoms, etc.

Webby Web"by adjective Of or pertaining to a web or webs; like a web; filled or covered with webs.

Bats on their webby wings in darkness move.

Crabbe.

Weber We"ber noun [ From the name of Professor Weber , a German electrician.] (Electricity) The standard unit of electrical quantity, and also of current. See Coulomb , and Amp...re . [ Obsolete]

Webeye Web"eye` noun (Medicine) See Web , noun , 8.

Webfoot Web"foot` noun ; plural Webfeet 1. A foot the toes of which are connected by a membrane. 2. (Zoology) Any web-footed bird.

Webster Web"ster noun [ Anglo-Saxon webbestre . See Web , Weave , and -ster .] A weaver; originally, a female weaver. [ Obsolete] Brathwait.

Websterite Web"ster·ite noun [ So named after Webster , the geologist.] (Min.) A hydrous sulphate of alumina occurring in white reniform masses.

Webworm Web"worm` noun (Zoology) Any one of various species of moths whose gregarious larvæ eat the leaves of trees, and construct a large web to which they retreat when not feeding. » The most destructive webworms belong to the family Bombycidæ , as the fall webworm ( Hyphantria textor ), which feeds on various fruit and forest trees, and the common tent caterpillar, which feeds on various fruit trees (see Tent caterpillar , under Tent .) The grapevine webworm is the larva of a geometrid moth (see Vine inchworm , under Vine ).

Wed Wed (wĕd) noun [ Anglo-Saxon wedd ; akin to OFries. wed , OD. wedde , OHG, wetti , German wette a wager, Icelandic veð a pledge, Swedish vad a wager, an appeal, Goth. wadi a pledge, Lithuanian vadůti to redeem (a pledge), Late Latin vadium , Latin vas , vadis , bail, security, vadimonium security, and Greek ..., ... a prize. Confer Athlete , Gage a pledge, Wage .] A pledge; a pawn. [ Obsolete] Gower. Piers Plowman.

Let him be ware, his neck lieth to wed [ i. e. , for a security].

Chaucer.

Wed Wed transitive verb [ imperfect Wedded ; past participle Wedded or Wed ; present participle & verbal noun Wedding .] [ Middle English wedden , Anglo-Saxon weddian to covenant, promise, to wed, marry; akin to OFries. weddia to promise, Dutch wedden to wager, to bet, German wetten , Icelandic veðja , Danish vedde , Swedish vädja to appeal, Goth. ga wadjōn to betroth. See Wed , noun ] 1. To take for husband or for wife by a formal ceremony; to marry; to espouse.

With this ring I thee wed .

Bk. of Com. Prayer.

I saw thee first, and wedded thee.

Milton. 2. To join in marriage; to give in wedlock.

And Adam, wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her.

Milton. 3. Fig.: To unite as if by the affections or the bond of marriage; to attach firmly or indissolubly.

Thou art wedded to calamity.

Shak.

Men are wedded to their lusts.

Tillotson.

[ Flowers] are wedded thus, like beauty to old age.

Cowper. 4. To take to one's self and support; to espouse. [ Obsolete]

They positively and concernedly wedded his cause.

Clarendon.

Wed Wed intransitive verb To contact matrimony; to marry. "When I shall wed ." Shak.

Weddahs Wed"dahs noun plural (Ethnol.) See Veddahs .

Wedded Wed"ded adjective 1. Joined in wedlock; married.

Let w...alth, let honor, wait the wedded dame.

Pope. 2. Of or pertaining to wedlock, or marriage. " Wedded love." Milton.

Wedder Wed"der noun See Wether . Sir W. Scott.

Wedding Wed"ding noun [ Anglo-Saxon wedding .] Nuptial ceremony; nuptial festivities; marriage; nuptials.

Simple and brief was the wedding , as that of Ruth and of Boaz.

Longfellow. » Certain anniversaries of an unbroken marriage have received fanciful, and more or less appropriate, names. Thus, the fifth anniversary is called the wooden wedding ; the tenth, the tin wedding ; the fifteenth, the crystal wedding ; the twentieth, the china wedding ; the twenty-fifth, the silver wedding ; the fiftieth, the golden wedding ; the sixtieth, the diamond wedding . These anniversaries are often celebrated by appropriate presents of wood, tin, china, silver, gold, etc., given by friends. » Wedding is often used adjectively; as, wedding cake, wedding cards, wedding clothes, wedding day, wedding feast, wedding guest, wedding ring, etc.

Let her beauty be her wedding dower.

Shak. Wedding favor , a marriage favor. See under Marriage .

Weder Wed"er noun Weather. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wedge Wedge noun [ Middle English wegge , Anglo-Saxon wecg ; akin to Dutch wig , wigge , Old High German wecki , German weck a (wedge-shaped) loaf, Icelandic veggr , Danish vægge , Swedish vigg , and probably to Lithuanian vagis a peg. Confer Wigg .] 1. A piece of metal, or other hard material, thick at one end, and tapering to a thin edge at the other, used in splitting wood, rocks, etc., in raising heavy bodies, and the like. It is one of the six elementary machines called the mechanical powers . See Illust. of Mechanical powers , under Mechanical . 2. (Geom.) A solid of five sides, having a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends. 3. A mass of metal, especially when of a wedgelike form. " Wedges of gold." Shak. 4. Anything in the form of a wedge, as a body of troops drawn up in such a form.

In warlike muster they appear,
In rhombs, and wedges , and half-moons, and wings.

Milton. 5. The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos; -- so called after a person ( Wedge wood) who occupied this position on the first list of 1828. [ Cant, Cambridge Univ., Eng.] C. A. Bristed. Fox wedge . (Mach. & Carpentry) See under Fox . -- Spherical wedge (Geom.) , the portion of a sphere included between two planes which intersect in a diameter.

Wedge Wedge transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Wedged ; present participle & verbal noun Wedging .] 1. To cleave or separate with a wedge or wedges, or as with a wedge; to rive. "My heart, as wedged with a sigh, would rive in twain." Shak. 2. To force or drive as a wedge is driven.

Among the crowd in the abbey where a finger
Could not be wedged in more.

Shak.

He 's just the sort of man to wedge himself into a snug berth.

Mrs. J. H. Ewing. 3. To force by crowding and pushing as a wedge does; as, to wedge one's way. Milton. 4. To press closely; to fix, or make fast, in the manner of a wedge that is driven into something.

Wedged in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.

Dryden. 5. To fasten with a wedge, or with wedges; as, to wedge a scythe on the snath; to wedge a rail or a piece of timber in its place. 6. (Pottery) To cut, as clay, into wedgelike masses, and work by dashing together, in order to expel air bubbles, etc. Tomlinson.

Wedge gauge, gage Wedge gauge, gage A wedge with a graduated edge, to measure the width of a space into which it is thrust.

Wedge gear Wedge gear A friction gear wheel with wedge-shaped circumferential grooves. -- Wedge gearing .

Wedge-formed Wedge"-formed` adjective Having the form of a wedge; cuneiform. Wedge-formed characters . See Arrow-headed characters , under Arrowheaded .

Wedge-shaped Wedge"-shaped` adjective 1. Having the shape of a wedge; cuneiform. 2. (Botany) Broad and truncate at the summit, and tapering down to the base; as, a wedge-shaped leaf.

Wedge-shell Wedge"-shell` noun (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of small marine bivalves belonging to Donax and allied genera in which the shell is wedge- shaped.