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Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

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    WHUR — WINDFALL

    WHUR, v.i. To pronounce the letter r with too much force.

    WHUR, n. The sound of a body moving through the air with velocity. [See Whir.]

    WHURT, n. A whortleberry or bilberry. [See Whort.]

    WHY, adv. [L., for what. The original phrase is for what, for why.]

    1. For what cause or reason, interrogatively.NWAD WHY.2

    Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die? Jeremiah 27:13.NWAD WHY.3

    2. For which reason or cause, relatively.NWAD WHY.4

    No ground of enmity, why he should mean me ill.NWAD WHY.5

    3. For what reason or cause; for which; relatively.NWAD WHY.6

    Turn the discourse; I have a reason why I would not have you speak so tenderly.NWAD WHY.7

    4. It is used sometimes emphatically, or rather as a expletive.NWAD WHY.8

    If her chill heart I cannot move, why, Ill enjoy the very love.NWAD WHY.9

    WI, from the Gothic weiha, signifies holy. It is found in some names, as in Wibert, holy-bright, or bright-holy, eminent for sanctity.

    WIC, WICK, a termination, denotes jurisdiction, as in bailiwick. Its primary sense is a village or mansion, L.; hence it occurs in Berwick, Harwich, Norwich, etc. It signifies also a bay or a castle.

    WICK, n. A number of threads of cotton or some similar substance, loosely twisted into a string, round which wax or tallow is applied by means of melting and running in a mold, and thus forming a candle or torch.

    WICKED, a. [The primary sense is to wind and turn, or to depart, to fall away.]

    1. Evil in principle or practice; deviating from the divine law; addicted to vice; sinful; immoral. This is a word of comprehensive signification, extending to every thing that is contrary to the moral law, and both to persons and actions. We say, a wicked man, a wicked deed, wicked ways, wicked lives, a wicked heart, wicked designs, wicked works.NWAD WICKED.2

    No man was ever wicked without secret discontent.NWAD WICKED.3

    2. A word of slight blame; as the wicked urchin.NWAD WICKED.4

    3. Cursed; baneful; pernicious; as wicked words, words pernicious in their efforts.NWAD WICKED.5

    [This last signification may throw some light on the word witch.]NWAD WICKED.6

    The wicked, in Scripture, persons who live in sin; transgressors of the divine law; all who are unreconciled to God, unsanctified or impenitent.NWAD WICKED.7

    WICKEDLY, adv. IN a manner or with motives and designs contrary to the divine law; viciously; corruptly; immorally.

    All that do wickedly shall be stubble. Malachi 4:1.NWAD WICKEDLY.2

    I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. 2 Samuel 24:17.NWAD WICKEDLY.3

    WICKEDNESS, n. Departure from the rules of the divine law; evil disposition or practices; immorality; crime; sin; sinfulness; corrupt manners Wickedness generally signifies evil practices.

    What wickedness is this that is done among you? Judges 20:12.NWAD WICKEDNESS.2

    But wickedness expresses also the corrupt dispositions of the heart.NWAD WICKEDNESS.3

    Their inward part is very wickedness. Psalm 5:9.NWAD WICKEDNESS.4

    In heart ye work wickedness. Psalm 58:2.NWAD WICKEDNESS.5

    WICKEN, WICKEN-TREE, n. The Sorbus aucuparia, mountain ash, or roan-tree.

    WICKER, a. [L., to grow. The word signifies a shoot.] Made of twigs or oziers; as a wicker basket; a wicker chair.

    WICKET, n. A small gate.

    The wicket, often opend, knew the key.NWAD WICKET.2

    WICKLIFFITE, n. A follower of Wickliffe, the English reformer.

    WIDE, a.

    1. Broad; having a great or considerable distance or extent between the sides; opposed to narrow; as wide cloth; a wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall or entry. In this use, wide is distinguished from long, which refers to the extent or distance between the ends.NWAD WIDE.2

    2. Broad; having a great extent each way; as a wide plain; the wide ocean.NWAD WIDE.3

    3. Remote; distant. This position is very wide from the truth.NWAD WIDE.4

    4. Broad to a certain degree; as three feet wide.NWAD WIDE.5

    WIDE, adv.

    1. At a distance; far. His fame was spread wide.NWAD WIDE.7

    2. With great extent; used chiefly in composition; as wide-skirted meads; wide-waving swords; wide-wasting pestilence; wide-spreading evil.NWAD WIDE.8

    WIDELY, adv.

    1. With great extent each way. The gospel was widely disseminated by the apostles.NWAD WIDELY.2

    2. Very much; to a great distance; far. We differ widely in opinion.NWAD WIDELY.3

    WIDEN, v.t. To make wide or wider; to extend in breadth; as, to widen a field; to widen a breach. [Note.--In America, females say, to widen a stocking.]

    WIDEN, v.i. To grow wide or wider; to enlarge; to extend itself.

    And arches widen, and long aisles extend.NWAD WIDEN.3

    WIDENED, pp. Made wide or wider; extended in breadth.

    WIDENESS, n.

    1. Breadth; width; great extent between the sides; as the wideness of a room.NWAD WIDENESS.2

    2. Large extent in all directions; as the wideness of the sea or ocean.NWAD WIDENESS.3

    WIDENING, ppr. Extending the distance between the sides; enlarging in all directions.

    WIDGEON, n. A fowl of the duck kind, or genus Anas, having a black bill, the head and upper part of the neck of a bright bay, the back and sides waved with black and white, and the belly white.

    WIDOW, n. [L. See Wide.] A woman who has lost her husband by death. Luke 2:37.

    Widows chamber, in London, the apparel and furniture of the bed-chamber of the widow of a freeman, to which she is entitled.NWAD WIDOW.2

    WIDOW, v.t.

    1. To bereave of a husband; but rarely used except in the participle.NWAD WIDOW.4

    2. To endow with a widows right. [Unusual.]NWAD WIDOW.5

    3. To strip of any thing good.NWAD WIDOW.6

    The widowd isle in mourning--NWAD WIDOW.7

    WIDOW-BENCH, n. [widow and bench.] In Sussex, that share which a widow is allowed of her husbands estate, besides her jointure.

    WIDOWED, pp.

    1. Bereaved of a husband by death.NWAD WIDOWED.2

    2. Deprived of some good; stripped.NWAD WIDOWED.3

    Trees of their shriveld fruits are widowd.NWAD WIDOWED.4

    WIDOWER, n. A man who has lost his wife by death.

    WIDOWHOOD, n.

    1. The state of being a widow.NWAD WIDOWHOOD.2

    2. Estate settled on a widow. [Not in use.]NWAD WIDOWHOOD.3

    WIDOW-HUNTER, n. [widow and hunter.] One who seeks or courts widows for a jointure or fortune.

    WIDOWING, ppr. Bereaving of a husband; depriving; stripping.

    WIDOW-MAKER, n. [widow and maker.] One who make widows by destroying lives.

    WIDOW-WAIL, n. In botany, a plant of the genus Cneorum.

    WIDTH, n. [from wide.] Breadth; wideness; the extent of a thing from side to side; as the width of cloth; the width of a door.

    WIELD, v.t. [L. The primary sense of power and strength is to stretch or strain.]

    1. To use with full command or power, as a thing not too heavy for the holder; to manage; as, to wield a sword; to wield the scepter.NWAD WIELD.2

    Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed.NWAD WIELD.3

    2. To use or employ with the hand.NWAD WIELD.4

    Nothing but the influence of a civilized power could induce a savage to wield a spade.NWAD WIELD.5

    3. To handle; in an ironical sense.NWAD WIELD.6

    Base Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot wield?NWAD WIELD.7

    To wield the scepter, to govern with supreme command.NWAD WIELD.8

    WIELDED, pp. Used with command; managed.

    WIELDING, ppr. Using with power; managing.

    WIELDLESS, a. Unmanageable.

    WIELDY, a. That may be wielded; manageable.

    WIERY, a. [from wire.]

    1. Made of wire; having the properties of wire. It would be better written wiry.NWAD WIERY.2

    2. Wet; marshy. [Not in use.]NWAD WIERY.3

    WIFE, n. plu. Wives. [G., a woman.]

    1. The lawful consort of man; a woman who is united to man in the lawful bonds of wedlock; the correlative of husband.NWAD WIFE.2

    The husband of one wife. 1 Timothy 3:2, 12.NWAD WIFE.3

    Let every one of you in particular, so love his wife even as himself, and let the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:33.NWAD WIFE.4

    2. A woman of low employment; as strawberry wives. [Not in use.]NWAD WIFE.5

    WIG, in Saxon, signifies war. It is found in some names.

    WIG, n. [G., roll butter. It would seem that the sense is a roll or twist interwoven.]

    1. A covering for the head, consisting of hair interwoven or united by a kind of network; formerly much worn by men.NWAD WIG.3

    2. A sort of cake.NWAD WIG.4

    WIGEON. [See Widgeon.]

    WIGHT, n. [g., a living being. L., to live.] A being; a person. It is obsolete, except in irony or burlesque. [See Aught.]

    The wight of all the world who lovd thee best.NWAD WIGHT.2

    WIGHT, a. Swift; nimble. [This seems to be a dialectical form of quick.]

    WIGHTLY, adv. Swiftly; nimbly.

    WIGWAM, n. An Indian cabin or hut, so called in America. It is sometimes written weekwam.

    WILD, a. [G.]

    1. Roving; wandering; inhabiting the forest or open field; hence, not tamed or domesticated; as a wild boar; a wild ox; a wild cat; a wild bee.NWAD WILD.2

    2. Growing without culture; as wild parsnep; wild cherry; wild tansy. Wild rice, a palatable and nutritious food, grows spontaneously in the lakes and ponds of the North West territory.NWAD WILD.3

    3. Desert; not inhabited; as a wild forest.NWAD WILD.4

    4. Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; as the wild natives of Africa or America.NWAD WILD.5

    5. Turbulent; tempestuous; irregular; as a wild tumult.NWAD WILD.6

    The wild winds howl.NWAD WILD.7

    6. Licentious; ungoverned; as wild passions.NWAD WILD.8

    Valor grown wild by pride--NWAD WILD.9

    7. Inconstant; mutable; fickle.NWAD WILD.10

    In the ruling passion, there also the wild are constant, and the cunning known.NWAD WILD.11

    8. Inordinate; loose.NWAD WILD.12

    A fop well dressd, extravagant and wild.NWAD WILD.13

    9. Uncouth; loose.NWAD WILD.14

    --What are these, so witherd, and so wild in their attire?NWAD WILD.15

    10. Irregular; disorderly; done without plan or order; as, to make wild work.NWAD WILD.16

    11. Not well digested; not framed according to the ordinary rules of reason; not being within the limits of probable practicability; imaginary; fanciful; as a wild project or scheme; wild speculations.NWAD WILD.17

    12. Exposed to the wind and sea; as a wild roadstead.NWAD WILD.18

    13. Made or found in the forest; as wild honey.NWAD WILD.19

    Wild is prefixed to the names of many plants, to distinguish them from such of the name as are cultivated in gardens, as wild basil, wild parsnep, wild carrot, wild olive, etc.NWAD WILD.20

    WILD, n. A desert; an uninhabited and uncultivated tract or region; a forest or sandy desert; as the wilds of America; the wilds of Africa; the sandy wilds of Arabia.

    Then Libya first, of all her moisture draind, became a barren waste, a wild of sand.NWAD WILD.22

    WILDFIRE, n. [wild and fire.]

    1. A composition of inflammable materials.NWAD WILDFIRE.2

    Brimstone, pitch, wildfire, burn easily, and are hard to quench.NWAD WILDFIRE.3

    2. A disease of sheep, attended with inflammation of the skin; a kind of erysipelas.NWAD WILDFIRE.4

    WILD-FOWL, n. [wild and fowl.] Fowls of the forest, or untamed.

    WILD-GOOSE, n. [wild and goose.] An aquatic fowl of the genus Anas, the Anas anser, a fowl of passage. These geese fly to the south in autumn, and return to the north in the spring. This species is the stock of the common domestic goose. The wild goose of North America, also migratory, is a distinct species, the Anas canadensis.

    Wild-goose chase, the pursuit of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose.NWAD WILD-GOOSE.2

    WILD-HONEY, n. [wild and honey.] Honey that is found int he forest, in hollow trees or among rocks.

    WILD-LAND, n. [wild and land.]

    1. Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it unfit for cultivation.NWAD WILD-LAND.2

    2. In America, forest; land not settled and cultivated.NWAD WILD-LAND.3

    WILD-SERVICE, n. A plant. The wilder myrtle-leaved service is a tree of the genus Crataegus, [C. Torminalis.]

    WILDER, v.t. To lose or cause to lose the way or track; to puzzle with mazes or difficulties; to bewilder.

    Long lost and wilderd in the maze of fate.NWAD WILDER.2

    WILDERED, pp. Lost in a pathless tract; puzzled.

    WILDERING, ppr. Puzzling.

    WILDERNESS, n. [from wild.]

    1. A desert; a tract of land or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings, whether a forest or a wide barren plain. In the United States, it is applied only to a forest. In Scripture, it is applied frequently to the deserts of Arabia. The Israelites wandered int he wilderness forty years.NWAD WILDERNESS.2

    2. The ocean.NWAD WILDERNESS.3

    The watry wilderness yields no supply.NWAD WILDERNESS.4

    3. A state of disorder. [Not in use.]NWAD WILDERNESS.5

    4. A wood in a garden, resembling a forest.NWAD WILDERNESS.6

    WILDING, n. A wild sour apple.

    WILDLY, adv.

    1. Without cultivation.NWAD WILDLY.2

    2. Without tameness.NWAD WILDLY.3

    3. With disorder; with perturbation or distraction; with a fierce or roving look; as, to start wildly from ones seat; to stare wildly.NWAD WILDLY.4

    4. Without attention; heedlessly.NWAD WILDLY.5

    5. Capriciously; irrationally; extravagantly.NWAD WILDLY.6

    Who is there so wildly skeptical as to question whether the sun will rise in the east?NWAD WILDLY.7

    6. Irregularly.NWAD WILDLY.8

    She, wildly wanton, wears by night away the sign of all our labors done by day.NWAD WILDLY.9

    WILDNESS, n.

    1. Rudeness; rough uncultivated state; as the wildness of a forest or heath.NWAD WILDNESS.2

    2. Inordinate disposition to rove; irregularity of manners; as the wildness of youth.NWAD WILDNESS.3

    3. Savageness; brutality.NWAD WILDNESS.4

    4. Savage state; rudeness.NWAD WILDNESS.5

    5. Uncultivated state; as the wildness of land.NWAD WILDNESS.6

    6. A wandering; irregularity.NWAD WILDNESS.7

    Delirium is but a short wildness of the imagination.NWAD WILDNESS.8

    7. Alienation of mind.NWAD WILDNESS.9

    8. State of being untamed.NWAD WILDNESS.10

    9. The quality of being undisciplined, or not subjected to method or rules.NWAD WILDNESS.11

    Is there any danger that this discipline will tame too much the fiery spirit, the enchanting wildness, and magnificent irregularity of the orators genius?NWAD WILDNESS.12

    WILDS, n. Among farmers, the part of a plow by which it is drawn.

    WILE, n. A trick or stratagem practiced for ensnaring or deception; a sly, insidious artifice.

    That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.NWAD WILE.2

    WILE, v.t. To deceive; to beguile. [Little used.]

    WILILY, adv. [from wily.] By stratagem; with insidious art. Joshua 9:4.

    WILINESS, n. [from wily.] Cunning; guile.

    WILK, WHILK, n. [G., to wither, or cause to wither.] A species of shell. [See Welk.]

    WILL, n. [See the Verb.]

    1. That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different thing from desire.NWAD WILL.2

    A power over a man’s subsistence, amounts to a power over his will.NWAD WILL.3

    2. Choice; determination. It is my will to prosecute the trespasser.NWAD WILL.4

    3. Choice; discretion; pleasure.NWAD WILL.5

    Go, then, the guilty at thy will chastise.NWAD WILL.6

    4. Command; direction.NWAD WILL.7

    Our prayers should be according to the will of God.NWAD WILL.8

    5. Disposition; inclination; desire. What is your will, Sir? In this phrase, the word may also signify determination, especially when addressed to a superior.NWAD WILL.9

    6. Power; arbitrary disposal.NWAD WILL.10

    Deliver me not over to the will of my enemies. Psalm 27:12.NWAD WILL.11

    7. Divine determination; moral purpose or counsel.NWAD WILL.12

    Thy will be done. Lords Prayer.NWAD WILL.13

    8. Testament; the disposition of a man’s estate, to take effect after his death. Wills are written, or nuncupative, that is, verbal.NWAD WILL.14

    Good will,NWAD WILL.15

    1. Favor; kindness.NWAD WILL.16

    2. Right intention. Philippians 1:15.NWAD WILL.17

    Ill will, enmity; unfriendliness. It expresses less than malice.NWAD WILL.18

    To have ones will, to obtain what is desired.NWAD WILL.19

    At will. To hold an estate at the will of another, is to enjoy the possession at his pleasure, and be liable to be ousted at any time by the lessor or proprietor.NWAD WILL.20

    Will with a wisp, Jack with a lantern; ignis fatuus; a luminous appearance sometimes seen in the air over moist ground, supposed to proceed from hydrogen gas.NWAD WILL.21

    WILL, v.t. [G., L., Gr. The sense is to set, or to set forward, to stretch forward. The sense is well expressed by the L.]

    1. To determine; to decide int he mind that something shall be done or forborne; implying power to carry the purpose into effect. In this manner God wills whatever comes to pass. So in the style of princes; we will that execution be done.NWAD WILL.23

    A man that sits still is said to be at liberty, because he can walk if he will it.NWAD WILL.24

    2. To command; to direct.NWAD WILL.25

    Tis yours, O queen! To will the work which duty bids me to fulfill.NWAD WILL.26

    3. To be inclined or resolved to have.NWAD WILL.27

    There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?NWAD WILL.28

    4. To wish; to desire. What will you?NWAD WILL.29

    5. To dispose of estate and effects by testament.NWAD WILL.30

    6. It is sometimes equivalent to may be. Let the circumstances be what they will; that is, any circumstances, of whatever nature.NWAD WILL.31

    7. Will is used as an auxiliary verb, and a sign of the future tense. It has different signification in different persons.NWAD WILL.32

    1. I will go, is a present promise to go; and with an emphasis on will, it expresses determination.NWAD WILL.33

    2. Thou wilt go, you will go, express foretelling; simply stating an event that is to come.NWAD WILL.34

    3. He will go, is also a foretelling. The use of will in the plural, is the same. We will, promises; ye will, they will, foretell.NWAD WILL.35

    WILLED, pp.

    1. Determined; resolved; desired.NWAD WILLED.2

    2. Disposed of by will or testament.NWAD WILLED.3

    WILLER, n. One who wills.

    WILLFUL, a. [will and full.]

    1. Governed by the will without yielding to reason; obstinate; stubborn; perverse; inflexible; as a willful man.NWAD WILLFUL.2

    2. Stubborn; refractory; as a willful horse.NWAD WILLFUL.3

    WILLFULLY, adv.

    1. Obstinately; stubbornly.NWAD WILLFULLY.2

    2. By design; with set purpose.NWAD WILLFULLY.3

    If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 10:26.NWAD WILLFULLY.4

    WILLFULNESS, n. Obstinacy; stubbornness; perverseness.

    Sins of presumption are such as proceed from pride, arrogance, willfulness, and haughtiness of mens heart.NWAD WILLFULNESS.2

    WILLING, ppr.

    1. Determining; resolving; desiring.NWAD WILLING.2

    2. Disposing of by will.NWAD WILLING.3

    WILLING, a.

    1. Free to do or grant; having the mind inclined; disposed; not averse. Let every man give, who is able and willing.NWAD WILLING.5

    2. Pleased; desirous.NWAD WILLING.6

    Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure. Acts 24:27.NWAD WILLING.7

    3. Ready; prompt.NWAD WILLING.8

    He stoopd with weary wings and willing feet.NWAD WILLING.9

    4. Chosen; received of choice or without reluctance; as, to be held in willing chains.NWAD WILLING.10

    5. Spontaneous.NWAD WILLING.11

    No spouts of blood run wiling from a tree.NWAD WILLING.12

    6. Consenting.NWAD WILLING.13

    WILLING-HEARTED, a. Well disposed; having a free heart. Exodus 35:5.

    WILLINGLY, adv.

    1. With free will; without reluctance; cheerfully.NWAD WILLINGLY.2

    2. By ones own choice.NWAD WILLINGLY.3

    The condition of that people is not so much to be envied as some would willingly represent it.NWAD WILLINGLY.4

    WILLINGNESS, n. Free choice or consent of the will; freedom from reluctance; readiness of the mind to do or forbear.

    Sweet is the love that comes with willingness.NWAD WILLINGNESS.2

    WILLOW, n. [L.] A tree of the genus Salix. There are several species of willow, the white, the black, the purple or red, the sallow, and the broad leaved willow, etc. A species called the weeping willow, has long and slender branches which droop and hang downward, the Salix Babylonica.

    WILLOWED, a. Abounding with willows.

    WILLOW-GALL, n. A protuberance on the leaves of willows.

    WILLOW-HERB, n. The purple loose strife, a plant of the genus Lythrum; also, the yellow loose strife, of the genus Lysimachia; also, the French willow, of the genus Epilobium.

    WILLOWISH, a. Like the color of the willow.

    WILLOW-TUFTED, a. Tufted with willows.

    WILLOW-WEED, n. A name sometimes given to the smartweed or persicaria.

    WILLOW-WORT, n. A plant.

    WILLOWY, a. Abounding with willows.

    WILT, v.i. [G., to fade; that is, to shrink or withdraw.] To begin to wither; to lose freshness and become flaccid, as a plant when exposed to great heat in a dry day, or when first separated from its root. This is a legitimate word, for which there is no substitute in the language. It is not synonymous with wither, as it expresses only the beginning of withering. A wilted plant often revives and becomes fresh; not so a withered plant.

    WILT, v.t.

    1. To cause to begin to wither; to make flaccid; as a green plant.NWAD WILT.3

    2. To cause to languish; to depress or destroy the vigor and energy of.NWAD WILT.4

    Despots have wilted the human race into sloth and imbecility.NWAD WILT.5

    WILTED, pp. Having become flaccid and lost its freshness, as a plant.

    WILTING, ppr. Beginning to fade or wither.

    WILY, a. [from wile.] Cunning; sly; using craft or stratagem to accomplish a purpose; subtle; as a wily adversary.

    WIMBLE, n. [See Whim.] An instrument for boring holes, turned by a handle.

    WIMBLE, a. Active; nimble.

    WIMBREL, n. A bird of the curlew kind, a species of Soclopax.

    WIMPLE, n. [G., a pendant.] A hood or vail. Isaiah 3:22.

    WIMPLE, v.t. To draw down, as a vail.

    WIN, v.t. pret. and pp. won. [G.]

    1. To gain by success in competition or contest; as, to win the prize in a game; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. Battles are won by superior strength or skill.NWAD WIN.2

    --Who thus shall Canaan win.NWAD WIN.3

    2. To gain by solicitation or courtship.NWAD WIN.4

    3. To obtain; to allure to kindness or compliance. Thy virtue won me. Win your enemy by kindness.NWAD WIN.5

    4. To gain by persuasion or influence; as, an orator wins his audience by argument. The advocate has won the jury.NWAD WIN.6

    And Mammon wins his way, where seraphs might despair.NWAD WIN.7

    WIN, v.t.

    1. To gain the victory.NWAD WIN.9

    Nor is it aught but just that he, who in debate of truth hath won, should win in arms.NWAD WIN.10

    To win upon, to gain favor or influence; as, to win upon the heart or affections.NWAD WIN.11

    2. To gain ground.NWAD WIN.12

    The rabble will in time win upon power.NWAD WIN.13

    To win of, to be conqueror.NWAD WIN.14

    WINCE, v.i.

    1. To shrink, as from a blow or from pain; to start back.NWAD WINCE.2

    I will not stir nor wince.NWAD WINCE.3

    2. To kick or flounce when uneasy, or impatient of a rider; as, a horse winces.NWAD WINCE.4

    WINCER, n. One that winces, shrinks or kicks.

    WINCH, n. A windlass; or an instrument with which to turn or strain something forcibly; as a winch to strain the cord of a bedstead, or to turn a wheel.

    WINCH, v.i. To wince; to shrink; to kick with impatience or uneasiness. [This is a more correct orthography than wince.]

    WINCHING, WINCING, ppr. Flinching; shrinking; kicking.

    WINCOPIPE, n. The vulgar name of a little flower, that, when it opens in the morning, bodes a fair day.

    WIND, n. [L., G. The primary sense is to move, flow, rush or drive along.]

    1. Air in motion with any degree of velocity, indefinitely; a current of air. When the air moves moderately, we call it a light wind, or a breeze; when with more velocity, we call it a fresh breeze, and when with violence, we call it a gale, storm or tempest. The word gale is used by the poets for a moderate breeze, but seamen use it as equivalent to storm. Winds are denominated from the point of compass from which they blow; as a north wind; an east wind; a south wind; a west wind; a southwest wind, etc.NWAD WIND.2

    2. The four winds, the cardinal points of the heavens.NWAD WIND.3

    Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain. Ezekiel 37:9.NWAD WIND.4

    This sense of the word seems to have had its origin with the orientals, as it was the practice of the Hebrews to give to each of the four cardinal points the name of wind.NWAD WIND.5

    3. Direction of the wind from other points of the compass than the cardinal, or any point of compass; as a compass of eight winds.NWAD WIND.6

    4. Breath; power of respiration.NWAD WIND.7

    If my wind were but long enough to say my prayers, I would repent.NWAD WIND.8

    5. Air in motion form any force or action; as the wind of a cannon ball; the wind of a bellows.NWAD WIND.9

    6. Breath modulated by the organs or by an instrument.NWAD WIND.10

    Their instruments were various in their kind, some for the bow, and some for breathing wind.NWAD WIND.11

    7. Air impregnated with scent.NWAD WIND.12

    A pack of dog-fish had him in the wind.NWAD WIND.13

    8. Any thing insignificant or light as wind.NWAD WIND.14

    Think not with wind or airy threats to awe.NWAD WIND.15

    9. Flatulence; air generated in the stomach and bowels; as, to be troubled with wind.NWAD WIND.16

    10. The name given to a disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. It occurs immediately after shearing.NWAD WIND.17

    Down the wind, decaying; declining; in a state of decay; as, he went down the wind. [Not used.]NWAD WIND.18

    To take or have the wind, or to get wind, to be divulged; to become public. The story got wind, or took wind.NWAD WIND.19

    In the winds eye, in seamens language, towards the direct point from which the wind blows.NWAD WIND.20

    Between wind and water, denoting that part of a ships side or bottom which is frequently brought above water by the rolling of the ship, or fluctuation of the waters surface.NWAD WIND.21

    To carry the wind, in the manege, is when a horse tosses his nose as high as his ears.NWAD WIND.22

    Constant or perennial wind, a wind that blows constantly from one point of the compass; as the trade wind of the tropics.NWAD WIND.23

    Shifting, variable or erratic winds, are such as are changeable, now blowing from one point and now from another, and then ceasing altogether.NWAD WIND.24

    Stated or periodical wind, a wind that constantly returns at a certain time, and blows steadily from one point for a certain time. Such are the monsoons in India, and land and sea breezes.NWAD WIND.25

    Trade wind, a wind that blows constantly from one point, such as the tropical wind in the Atlantic.NWAD WIND.26

    WINDAGE, n. The difference between the diameter of a piece and that of a ball or shell.

    WINDBOUND, a. [wind and bound.] Prevented from sailing by a contrary wind.

    WIND-DROPSY, n. [wind and dropsy.] A swelling of the belly from wind in the intestines; tympauites.

    WIND-EGG, n. [wind and egg.] An addle egg.

    WINDER, v.t. To fan; to clean grain with a fan. [Local.]

    WINDER-MEB, n. A bird of the genus Larus, or gull-kind.

    WINDFALL, n. [wind and fall.]

    1. Fruit blown off the tree by wind.NWAD WINDFALL.2

    2. An unexpected legacy.NWAD WINDFALL.3

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