West Indian West` In"di·an A native of, or a dweller in, the West Indies.

Westering West"er·ing adjective Passing to the west.

Toward heaven's descent had sloped his westering wheel.

Milton.

Westerly West"er·ly adjective Of or pertaining to the west; toward the west; coming from the west; western.

Westerly West"er·ly adverb Toward the west; westward.

Western West"ern adjective 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 West"ern·er noun A native or inhabitant of the west.

Westernmost West"ern·most` adjective Situated the farthest towards the west; most western.

Westing West"ing noun (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 West"ling noun A westerner. [ R.]

Westminster Assembly West"min`ster As·sem"bly See under Assembly .

Westmost West"most` adjective Lying farthest to the west; westernmost.

Westward West"ward adjective Lying toward the west.

Yond same star that's westward from the pole.

Shak.

Westward West"ward noun The western region or countries; the west.

Westward, Westwards West"ward, West"wards adverb [ Anglo-Saxon westweard . See West , and - ward . ] Toward the west; as, to ride or sail westward .

Westward the course of empire takes its way.

Berkeley.

Westwardly West"ward·ly adverb In a westward direction.

Westy West"y adjective Dizzy; giddy. [ Prov. Eng.]

Wet Wet (wĕt) adjective [ Compar. Wetter ; superl. Wettest .] [ Middle English wet , weet , Anglo-Saxon wǣt ; akin to OFries. wēt , Icelandic vātr , Swedish våt , Danish vaad , and English water . √137. 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. (Chemistry) 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 Wet noun [ Anglo-Saxon wǣta . See Wet , adjective ] 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 Wet transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Wet (rarely Wetted ); present participle & verbal noun Wetting .] [ Anglo-Saxon wǣtan .] 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.

Wet nurse Wet" nurse` A nurse who suckles a child, especially the child of another woman. Confer Dry nurse .

Wet plate Wet plate (Photog.) A plate the film of which retains its sensitiveness only while wet. The film used in such plates is of collodion impregnated with bromides and iodides. Before exposure the plate is immersed in a solution of silver nitrate, and immediately after exposure it is developed and fixed.

Wet-bulb thermometer Wet-bulb thermometer (Physics) That one of the two similar thermometers of a psychrometer the bulb of which is moistened; also, the entire instrument.

Wet-shod Wet"-shod` adjective Having the feet, or the shoes on the feet, wet.

Wetbird Wet"bird` noun (Zoology) The chaffinch, whose cry is thought to foretell rain. [ Prov. Eng.]

Wether Weth"er noun [ Middle English wether , Anglo-Saxon weðer ; akin to Old Saxon wethar , withar , a ram, Dutch weder , German widder , Old High German widar , Icelandic veðr , Swedish vädur , Danish vædder , Goth. wiþrus a lamb, Latin vitulus calf, Sanskrit vatsa , Latin vetus old, Greek 'e`tos year; -- originally meaning, a yearling. Confer Veal , Veteran .] A castrated ram.

Wetness Wet"ness noun 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. » Wetness generally implies more water or liquid than is implied by humidness or moisture .

Wettish Wet"tish adjective Somewhat wet; moist; humid.

Wevil We"vil noun See Weevil .

Wex Wex transitive verb & i. To grow; to wax. [ Obsolete] Chaucer. "Each wexing moon." Dryden.

Wex Wex obsolete imperfect of Wex . Waxed. Chaucer.

Wex Wex noun Wax. [ Obsolete] "Yelwe as wex ." Chaucer.

Wey Wey noun Way; road; path. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wey Wey transitive verb & i. To weigh. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wey Wey noun [ Middle English weye , Anglo-Saxon w...ge weight. ............. See Weight .] A certain measure of weight. [ Eng.] "A weye of Essex cheese." Piers Plowman. » 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 Weyle transitive verb & i. To wail. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Weyleway Wey"le·way interj. See Welaway . [ Obsolete]

Weyve Weyve transitive verb To waive. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wezand We"zand noun See Weasand . [ Obsolete]

Whaap Whaap noun [ So called from one of its notes.] (Zoology) (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 Whack transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Whacked ; present participle & verbal noun Whacking .] [ Confer 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 Whack intransitive verb To strike anything with a smart blow. To whack away , to continue striking heavy blows; as, to whack away at a log. [ Colloq.]

Whack Whack noun A smart resounding blow. [ Colloq.]

Whack Whack transitive verb To divide into shares; as, to whack the spoils of a robbery; -- often with up . [ Slang]

Whack Whack noun A portion; share; allowance. [ Slang] -- Out of whack , out of order. [ Slang]

Whacker Whack"er noun 1. One who whacks. [ Colloq.] 2. Anything very large; specif., a great lie; a whapper. [ Colloq.] Halliwell.

Whacking Whack"ing adjective Very large; whapping. [ Colloq.]

Whahoo Wha·hoo" noun (Botany) An American tree, the winged elm. ( Ulmus alata ).

Whala Whala transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Whaled ; present participle & verbal noun Whaling .] [ Confer Wale . ] To lash with stripes; to wale; to thrash; to drub. [ Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.] Halliwell. Bartlett.

Whale Whale noun [ Middle English whal , Anglo-Saxon hwæl ; akin to Dutch wal visch, German wal , wal fisch, Old High German wal , Icelandic hvalr , Dan. & Swedish hval , hval fisk. Confer Narwhal , Walrus .] (Zoology) 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. » 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 . (Zoology) (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 (Zoology) , 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. [ Obsolete] -- Whale shark . (Zoology) (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 (Zoology) , a balanoglossus.

Whaleback Whale"back` noun (Nautical) A form of vessel, often with steam power, having sharp ends and a very convex upper deck, much used on the Great Lakes, esp. for carrying grain.