Wanhorn Wan"horn` noun [ Corruption from Siamese
wanhom .]
(Botany) An East Indian plant ( Kæmpferia Galanga ) of the Ginger family. See Galanga .
Waniand Wan"i·and noun [ See
Wanion .]
The wane of the moon. [ Obsolete]
Halliwell.
Waning Wan"ing noun The act or process of waning, or decreasing. This earthly moon, the Church, hath fulls and wanings , and sometimes her eclipses.
Bp. Hall.
Wanion Wan"ion noun [ Probably for Middle English
waniand waning, present participle of
wanien ; hence, used of the waning of the moon, supposed to be an unlucky time. See
Wane .]
A word of uncertain signification, used only in the phrase with a wanion , apparently equivalent to with a vengeance , with a plague , or with misfortune . [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson. Latimer.
Wankle Wan"kle adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
wancol .]
Not to be depended on; weak; unstable. [ Prov. Eng.]
Grose.
Wanly Wan"ly adverb In a wan, or pale, manner.
Wanned Wanned adjective Made wan, or pale.
Wanness Wan"ness noun The quality or state of being wan; a sallow, dead, pale color; paleness; pallor; as, the wanness of the cheeks after a fever.
Wannish Wan"nish adjective Somewhat wan; of a pale hue. No sun, but a wannish glare,
In fold upon fold of hueless cloud.
Tennyson.
Want Want -277
noun [ Originally an adj., from Icelandic
vant , neuter of
vanr lacking, deficient. √139. See
Wane ,
intransitive verb ]
1. The state of not having;
Want Want transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Wanted ;
present participle & verbal noun Wanting .]
1. To be without; to be destitute of, or deficient in; not to have; to lack; as, to want knowledge; to want judgment; to want learning; to want food and clothing. They that want honesty, want anything.
Beau. & Fl. Nor think, though men were none,
That heaven would want spectators, God want praise.
Milton. The unhappy never want enemies.
Richardson. 2. To have occasion for, as useful, proper, or requisite; to require; to need; as, in winter we want a fire; in summer we want cooling breezes. 3. To feel need of; to wish or long for; to desire; to crave. " What
wants my son?"
Addison. I want to speak to you about something.
A. Trollope.
Want Want intransitive verb [ Icelandic
vanta to be wanting. See
Want to lack.]
1. To be absent; to be deficient or lacking; to fail; not to be sufficient; to fall or come short; to lack; -- often used impersonally with of ; as, it wants ten minutes of four. The disposition, the manners, and the thoughts are all before it; where any of those are wanting or imperfect, so much wants or is imperfect in the imitation of human life.
Dryden. 2. To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack. You have a gift, sir (thank your education),
Will never let you want .
B. Jonson. For as in bodies, thus in souls, we find
What wants in blood and spirits, swelled with wind.
Pope. »
Want was formerly used impersonally with an indirect object. "Him
wanted audience."
Chaucer.
Wantage Want"age noun That which is wanting; deficiency.
Wanting Want"ing adjective Absent; lacking; missing; also, deficient; destitute; needy; as, one of the twelve is wanting ; I shall not be wanting in exertion.
Wantless Want"less adjective Having no want; abundant; fruitful.
Wanton Wan"ton adjective [ Middle English
wantoun , contr. from
wantowen ; prefix
wan- wanting (see
Wane ,
intransitive verb ), hence expressing negation +
towen , past participle , Anglo-Saxon
togen , past participle of
teón to draw, to educate, bring up; hence, properly, ill bred. See
Tug ,
transitive verb ]
1. Untrained; undisciplined; unrestrained; hence, loose; free; luxuriant; roving; sportive. "In woods and
wanton wilderness."
Spenser. "A wild and
wanton herd."
Shak. A wanton and a merry [ friar].
Chaucer. [ She] her unadorned golden tresses wore
Disheveled, but in wanton ringlets waved.
Milton. How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise!
Addison. 2. Wandering from moral rectitude; perverse; dissolute. "Men grown
wanton by prosperity."
Roscommon. 3. Specifically: Deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous; lecherous. Not with wanton looking of folly.
Chaucer. [ Thou art] froward by nature, enemy to peace,
Lascivious, wanton .
Shak. 4. Reckless; heedless; as, wanton mischief.
Wanton Wan"ton noun 1. A roving, frolicsome thing; a trifler; -- used rarely as a term of endearment. I am afeard you make a wanton of me.
Shak. Peace, my wantons ; he will do
More than you can aim unto.
B. Jonson. 2. One brought up without restraint; a pampered pet. Anything, sir,
That's dry and wholesome; I am no bred wanton .
Beau. & Fl. 3. A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.
Wanton Wan"ton intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Wantoned ;
present participle & verbal noun Wantoning .]
1. To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic. Nature here wantoned as in her prime.
Milton. How merrily we would sally into the fields, and strip under the first warmth of the sun, and wanton like young dace in the streams!
Lamb. 2. To sport in lewdness; to play the wanton; to play lasciviously.
Wanton Wan"ton transitive verb To cause to become wanton; also, to waste in wantonness. [ Obsolete]
Wantonize Wan"ton·ize intransitive verb To behave wantonly; to frolic; to wanton. [ R.]
Lamb.
Wantonly Wan"ton·ly adverb 1. In a wanton manner; without regularity or restraint; loosely; sportively; gayly; playfully; recklessly; lasciviously. 2. Unintentionally; accidentally. [ Obsolete]
J. Dee.
Wantonness Wan"ton·ness noun The quality or state of being wanton; negligence of restraint; sportiveness; recklessness; lasciviousness. Gower. The tumults threatened to abuse all acts of grace, and turn them into wantonness .
Eikon Basilike. Young gentlemen would be as sad as night
Only for wantonness .
Shak.
Wantrust Wan"trust` noun [ Prefix
wan- as in
wanton + trust .]
Failing or diminishing trust; want of trust or confidence; distrust. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Wantwit Want"wit` noun One destitute of wit or sense; a blockhead; a fool. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Wanty Wan"ty noun [ For
womb tie , that is, belly...and. See
Womb , and
Tie .]
A surcingle, or strap of leather, used for binding a load upon the back of a beast; also, a leather tie; a short wagon rope. [ Prov. Eng.]
Wany Wan"y intransitive verb To wane. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Wany Wan"y adjective 1. Waning or diminished in some parts; not of uniform size throughout; -- said especially of sawed boards or timber when tapering or uneven, from being cut too near the outside of the log. 2. Spoiled by wet; -- said of timber. Halliwell.
Wanze Wanze intransitive verb To wane; to wither. [ Obsolete]
Wap Wap transitive verb & i. [ See
Whap .]
To beat; to whap. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.]
Sir T. Malory.
Wap Wap noun A blow or beating; a whap. [ Prov. Eng.]
Wapacut Wap"a·cut noun (Zoology) The American hawk owl. See under Hawk .
Wapatoo Wap"a·too` noun (Botany) The edible tuber of a species of arrowhead ( Sagittaria variabilis ); -- so called by the Indians of Oregon. [ Written also
wappato .]
Waped Waped adjective [ Prov. English
wape pale, v., to stupefy, akin to
wap to beat. Confer
Whap , and
Wappened .]
Cast down; crushed by misery; dejected. [ Obsolete]
Wapentake Wap"en·take noun [ Anglo-Saxon
w...penge......c ,
w...pentāc , from Icelandic
vāpnatāk , literally, a weapon taking or weapon touching, hence an expression of assent ("si displicuit sententia fremitu aspernantur; sin placuit frameas concutiunt."
Tacitus, "Germania," xi. ). See
Weapon , and
Take . This name had its origin in a custom of touching lances or spears when the hundreder, or chief, entered on his office. "Cum quis accipiebat præfecturam wapentachii, die statuto in loco ubi consueverant congregari, omnes majores natu contra eum conveniebant, et descendente eo de equo suo, omnes assurgebant ei. Ipse vero, erecta lancea sua, ab omnibus secundum morem fœdus accipiebat; omnes enim quot-quot venissent cum lanceis suis ipsius hastam tangebant, et ita se confirmabant per contactum armorum, pace palam concessa.
Wæpnu enim arma sonat;
tac , tactus est -- hac de causa totus ille conventus dicitur
Wapentac , eo quod per tactum armorum suorum ad invicem confœderati sunt."
L Latin Edward Confessor, 33. D. Wilkins. ]
In some northern counties of England, a division, or district, answering to the hundred in other counties. Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire are divided into wapentakes, instead of hundreds. [ Written also
wapentac .]
Selden. Blackstone.
Wapinschaw Wap"in·schaw noun [ Scot. See
Weapon , and
Show .]
An exhibition of arms. according to the rank of the individual, by all persons bearing arms; -- formerly made at certain seasons in each district. [ Scot.]
Jamieson. Sir W. Scott.
Wapiti Wap"i·ti noun [ Probably the Iroquois name.
Bartlett .]
(Zoology) The American elk ( Cervus Canadensis ). It is closely related to the European red deer, which it somewhat exceeds in size. » By some writers it is thought to be a variety of the red deer, but it is considered a distinct species by others. It is noted for the large, branching antlers of the male.
Wapp Wapp noun [ CF. Prov. English
wap to wrap up.]
(Nautical) (a) A fair-leader. (b) A rope with wall knots in it with which the shrouds are set taut.
Wappato Wap"pa·to noun (Botany) See Wapatoo .
Wappened Wap"pened adjective [ Confer
Waped ,
Wapper .]
A word of doubtful meaning used once by Shakespeare. This [ gold] is it
That makes the wappen'd widow wed again.
It is conjectured by some that it is an error for
wappered , meaning tremulous or exhausted.
Wapper Wap"per transitive verb & i. [ freq. of
wap , v.; confer dial. German
wappern ,
wippern , to move up and down, to rock.]
To cause to shake; to tremble; to move tremulously, as from weakness; to totter. [ Obsolete]
Wapper Wap"per noun (Zoology) A gudgeon. [ Prov. Eng.]
Wappet Wap"pet noun A small yelping cur. [ Prov. Eng.]
Wapping Wap"ping noun Yelping. [ R.]
Fuller.
War War adjective Ware; aware. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
War War noun [ Middle English & Anglo-Saxon
werre ; akin to Old High German
werra scandal, quarrel, sedition,
werran to confound, mix, Dutch
warren , German
wirren , ver
wirren , to embroil, confound, disturb, and perhaps to English
worse ; confer Old French
werre war, French
querre , of Teutonic origin. Confer
Guerrilla ,
Warrior .]
1. A contest between nations or states, carried on by force, whether for defence, for revenging insults and redressing wrongs, for the extension of commerce, for the acquisition of territory, for obtaining and establishing the superiority and dominion of one over the other, or for any other purpose; armed conflict of sovereign powers; declared and open hostilities. Men will ever distinguish war from mere bloodshed.
F. W. Robertson. » As
war is the contest of nations or states, it always implies that such contest is authorized by the monarch or the sovereign power of the nation. A war begun by attacking another nation, is called an
offensive war, and such attack is
aggressive . War undertaken to repel invasion, or the attacks of an enemy, is called
defensive .
2. (Law) A condition of belligerency to be maintained by physical force. In this sense, levying war against the sovereign authority is treason. 3. Instruments of war. [ Poetic]
His complement of stores, and total war .
Prior. 4. Forces; army. [ Poetic]
On their embattled ranks the waves return,
And overwhelm their war .
Milton. 5. The profession of arms; the art of war. Thou art but a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth.
1 Sam. xvii. 33. 6. a state of opposition or contest; an act of opposition; an inimical contest, act, or action; enmity; hostility. "Raised impious
war in heaven."
Milton. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart.
Ps. lv. 21. Civil war ,
a war between different sections or parties of the same country or nation. --
Holy war .
See under Holy . --
Man of war .
(Nautical) See in the Vocabulary. --
Public war ,
a war between independent sovereign states. --
War cry ,
a cry or signal used in war; as, the Indian war cry . --
War dance ,
a dance among savages preliminary to going to war. Among the North American Indians, it is begun by some distinguished chief, and whoever joins in it thereby enlists as one of the party engaged in a warlike excursion. Schoolcraft. --
War field ,
a field of war or battle. --
War horse ,
a horse used in war; the horse of a cavalry soldier; especially, a strong, powerful, spirited horse for military service; a charger. --
War paint ,
paint put on the face and other parts of the body by savages, as a token of going to war. "Wash the
war paint from your faces."
Longfellow. --
War song ,
a song of or pertaining to war; especially, among the American Indians, a song at the war dance, full of incitements to military ardor. --
War whoop ,
a war cry, especially that uttered by the American Indians.
War War intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Warred ;
present participle & verbal noun Warring .]
1. To make war; to invade or attack a state or nation with force of arms; to carry on hostilities; to be in a state by violence. Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it.
Isa. vii. 1. Why should I war without the walls of Troy?
Shak. Our countrymen were warring on that day!
Byron. 2. To contend; to strive violently; to fight. "Lusts which
war against the soul."
1 Pet. ii. 11.
War War transitive verb 1. To make war upon; to fight. [ R.]
To war the Scot, and borders to defend.
Daniel. 2. To carry on, as a contest; to wage. [ R.]
That thou . . . mightest war a good warfare.
Tim. i. 18.
War-beaten War"-beat`en adjective Warworn.
Warble War"ble noun [ Confer
Wormil .]
1. (Far.) (a) A small, hard tumor which is produced on the back of a horse by the heat or pressure of the saddle in traveling. (b) A small tumor produced by the larvæ of the gadfly in the backs of horses, cattle, etc. Called also warblet , warbeetle , warnles . 2. (Zoology) See Wormil .
Warble War"ble transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Warbled ;
present participle & verbal noun Warbling .] [ Middle English
werbelen , Old French
werbler ; of Teutonic origin; confer German
wirbeln to turn, to warble, Dutch
wervelen , akin to English
whirl . See
Whirl .]
1. To sing in a trilling, quavering, or vibratory manner; to modulate with turns or variations; to trill; as, certain birds are remarkable for warbling their songs. 2. To utter musically; to modulate; to carol. If she be right invoked in warbled song.
Milton. Warbling sweet the nuptial lay.
Trumbull. 3. To cause to quaver or vibrate. "And touch the
warbled string."
Milton.
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