WHIFFLERWhif"fler, n.
1. One who whiffles, or frequently changes his opinion or course; one who uses shifts and evasions in argument; hence, a trifler. Every whiffler in a laced coat who frequents the chocolate house shall talk of the constitution. Swift.
2. One who plays on a whiffle; a fifer or piper. [Obs.]
3. An officer who went before procession to clear the way by blowing a horn, or otherwise; hence, any person who marched at the head of a procession; a harbinger. Which like a mighty whiffler 'fore the king, Seems to prepare his way. Shak.
Note: "Whifflers, or fifers, generally went first in a procession, from which circumstance the name was transferred to other persons who succeeded to that office, and at length was given to those who went forward merely to clear the way for the procession. . . . In the city of London, young freemen, who march at the head of their proper companies on the Lord Mayor's day, sometimes with flags, were called whifflers, or bachelor whifflers, not because they cleared the way, but because they went first, as whifflers did." Nares.
4. (Zoöl)
Defn: The golden-eye. [Local, U.S.]
WHIFFLETREEWhif"fle*tree`, n.
Defn: Same as Whippletree.
WHIGWhig, n. Etym: [See Whey.]
Defn: Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet herbs, used as a cooling beverage. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
WHIG Whig, n. Etym: [Said to be from whiggam, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, whiggamore one who drives horses (a term applied to some western Scotchmen), contracted to whig. In 1648, a party of these people marched to Edinburgh to oppose the king and the duke of Hamilton (the Whiggamore raid), and hence the name of Whig was given to the party opposed to the court. Cf. Scot. whig to go quickly.]
1. (Eng. Politics)
Defn: One of a political party which grew up in England in the seventeenth century, in the reigns of Charles I. and II., when great contests existed respecting the royal prerogatives and the rights of the people. Those who supported the king in his high claims were called Tories, and the advocates of popular rights, of parliamentary power over the crown, and of toleration to Dissenters, were, after 1679, called Whigs. The terms Liberal and Radical have now generally superseded Whig in English politics. See the note under Tory.
2. (Amer. Hist.) (a) A friend and supporter of the American Revolution; — opposed to Tory, and Royalist. (b) One of the political party in the United States from about 1829 to 1856, opposed in politics to the Democratic party.
WHIGWhig, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Whigs.
WHIGGAMOREWhig"ga*more, n. Etym: [See Whig.]
Defn: A Whig; — a cant term applied in contempt to ScotchPresbyterians. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
WHIGGARCHYWhig"gar*chy, n. Etym: [Whig + -archy.]
Defn: Government by Whigs. [Cont] Swift.
WHIGGERYWhig"ger*y, n.
Defn: The principles or practices of the Whigs; Whiggism.
WHIGGISHWhig"gish, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Whigs; partaking of, or characterized by, the principles of Whigs.
WHIGGISHLYWhig"gish*ly, adv.
Defn: In a Whiggish manner.
WHIGGISMWhig"gism, n.
Defn: The principles of the Whigs.
WHIGLINGWhig"ling, n.
Defn: A petty or inferior Whig; — used in contempt. Spectator.
WHILE While, n. Etym: [AS. hwil; akin to OS. hwil, hwila, OFries. hwile, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wila, hwila, hwil, Icel. hvila a bed, hvild rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. Quiet, Whilom.]
1. Space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent. "All this while." Shak. This mighty queen may no while endure. Chaucer. [Some guest that] hath outside his welcome while, And tells the jest without the smile. Coleridge. I will go forth and breathe the air a while. Longfellow.
2. That which requires time; labor; pains. [Obs.] Satan . . . cast him how he might quite her while. Chaucer. At whiles, at times; at intervals. And so on us at whiles it falls, to claim Powers that we dread. J. H. Newman. — The while, The whiles, in or during the time that; meantime; while. Tennyson. — Within a while, in a short time; soon. — Worth while, worth the time which it requires; worth the time and pains; hence, worth the expense; as, it is not always worth while for a man to prosecute for small debts.
WHILEWhile, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiling.]
Defn: To cause to pass away pleasantly or without irksomeness or disgust; to spend or pass; — usually followed by away. The lovely lady whiled the hours away. Longfellow.
WHILEWhile, v. i.
Defn: To loiter. [R.] Spectator.
WHILEWhile, conj.
1. During the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep. "While I have time and space." Chaucer. Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it. I. Watts.
2. Hence, under which circumstances; in which case; though; whereas. While as, While that, during or at the time that. [Obs.]
WHILEWhile, prep.
Defn: Until; till. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight. Beau. & Fl.
WHILEREWhil`ere", adv. Etym: [While + ere]
Defn: A little while ago; recently; just now; erewhile. [Obs.]Helpeth me now as I did you whilere. Chaucer.He who, with all heaven's heraldry, whilere Entered the world.Milton.
WHILESWhiles, adv. Etym: [See While, n., and -wards.]
1. Meanwhile; meantime. [R.] The good knight whiles humming to himself the lay of some majored troubadour. Sir. W. Scott.
2. sometimes; at times. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott. The whiles. See under While, n.
WHILESWhiles, conj.
Defn: During the time that; while. [Archaic] Chaucer. Fuller. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him. Matt. v. 25.
WHILKWhilk, n. Etym: [See Whelk a mollusk.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of mollusk, a whelk. [Prov. Eng.]
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The scoter. [Prov. Eng.]
WHILKWhilk, pron.
Defn: Which. [Obs. or Scot.]
Note: Whilk is sometimes used in Chaucer to represent the Northern dialect.
WHILOM Whi"lom, adv. Etym: [AS. hwilum, properly, at times, dative pl. of hwil; akin to G. weiland formerly, OHG. hwilm, See While, n.]
Defn: Formerly; once; of old; erewhile; at times. [Obs. or Poetic]Spenser.Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, There was a duke that highteTheseus. Chaucer.
WHILSTWhilst, adv. Etym: [From Whiles; cf. Amongst.]
Defn: While. [Archaic]Whilst the emperor lay at Antioch. Gibbon.The whilst, in the meantime; while. [Archaic.] Shak.
WHIMWhim, n. Etym: [Cf. Whimbrel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European widgeon. [Prov. Eng.]
WHIM Whim, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. hwima to wander with the eyes, vim giddiness, Norw. kvima to whisk or flutter about, to trifle, Dan. vimse to skip, whisk, jump from one thing to another, dial. Sw. hvimsa to be unsteady, dizzy, W. chwimio to move briskly.]
1. A sudden turn or start of the mind; a temporary eccentricity; a freak; a fancy; a capricious notion; a humor; a caprice. Let every man enjoy his whim. Churchill.
2. (Mining)
Defn: A large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes; — called also whim gin, and whimsey. Whim gin (Mining), a whim. See Whim, 2. — Whim shaft (Mining), a shaft through which ore, water, etc., is raised from a mine by means of a whim.
Syn. — Freak; caprice; whimsey; fancy. — Whim, Freak, Caprice. Freak denotes an impulsive, inconsiderate change of mind, as by a child or a lunatic. Whim is a mental eccentricity due to peculiar processes or habits of thought. Caprice is closely allied in meaning to freak, but implies more definitely a quality of willfulness or wantonness.
WHIMWhim, v. i.
Defn: To be subject to, or indulge in, whims; to be whimsical, giddy, or freakish. [R.] Congreve.
WHIMBRELWhim"brel, n. Etym: [Cf. Whimper.] (Zoöl)
Defn: Any one of several species of small curlews, especially theEuropean species (Numenius phæopus), called also Jack curlew, halfcurlew, stone curlew, and tang whaup. See Illustration in Appendix.Hudsonian or, Eskimo, whimbreal, the Hudsonian curlew.
WHIMLINGWhim"ling, n. Etym: [Whim + -ling.]
Defn: One given to whims; hence, a weak, childish person; a child.Go, whimling, and fetch two or three grating loaves. Beau. & Fl.
WHIMMYWhim"my, a.
Defn: Full of whims; whimsical. The study of Rabbinical literature either finds a man whimmy or makes him so. Coleridge.
WHIMPERWhim"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whimpered; p. pr. & vb. n. Whimpering.]Etym: [Cf. Scot. whimmer, G. wimmern.]
Defn: To cry with a low, whining, broken voice; to whine; to complain; as, a child whimpers. Was there ever yet preacher but there were gainsayers that spurned, that winced, that whimpered against him Latimer.
WHIMPERWhim"per, v. t.
Defn: To utter in alow, whining tone.
WHIMPERWhim"per, n.
Defn: A low, whining, broken cry; a low, whining sound, expressive of complaint or grief.
WHIMPERERWhim"per*er, n.
Defn: One who whimpers.
WHIMPLEWhim"ple, v. t.
Defn: See Wimple.
WHIMPLEWhim"ple, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Whiffle.]
Defn: To whiffle; to veer.
WHIMSEY; WHIMSYWhim"sey, Whimsy, n.; pl. Whimseys or Whimsies. Etym: [See Whim.]
1. A whim; a freak; a capricious notion, a fanciful or odd conceit. "The whimsies of poets and painters." Ray. Men's folly, whimsies, and inconstancy. Swift. Mistaking the whimseys of a feverish brain for the calm revelation of truth. Bancroft.
2. (Mining)
Defn: A whim.
WHIMSEYWhim"sey, v. t.
Defn: To fill with whimseys, or whims; to make fantastic; to craze.[R.]To have a man's brain whimsied with his wealth. J. Fletcher.
WHIMSICALWhim"si*cal, a. Etym: [From Whimsey.]
1. Full of, or characterized by, whims; actuated by a whim; having peculiar notions; queer; strange; freakish. "A whimsical insult." Macaulay. My neighbors call me whimsical. Addison.
2. Odd or fantastic in appearance; quaintly devised; fantastic. "A whimsical chair." Evelyn.
Syn.— Quaint; capricious; fanciful; fantastic.
WHIMSICALITYWhim`si*cal"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being whimsical; whimsicalness.
WHIMSICALLYWhim"si*cal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a whimsical manner; freakishly.
WHIMSICALNESSWhim"si*cal*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being whimsical; freakishness; whimsical disposition.
WHIMSYWhim"sy, n.
Defn: A whimsey.
WHIMWHAMWhim"wham, n. Etym: [Formed from whim by reduplication.]
1. A whimsical thing; an odd device; a trifle; a trinket; a gimcrack. [R.] They'll pull ye all to pieces for your whimwhams. Bear. & Fl.
2. A whim, or whimsey; a freak.
WHINWhin, n. Etym: [W. chwyn weeds, a single weed.]
1. (Bot.) (a) Gorse; furze. See Furze. Through the whins, and by the cairn. Burns.
(b) Woad-waxed. Gray.
2. Same as Whinstone. [Prov. Eng.] Moor whin or Petty whin (Bot.), a low prickly shrub (Genista Anglica) common in Western Europe. — Whin bruiser, a machine for cutting and bruising whin, or furze, to feed cattle on. — Whin Sparrow (Zoöl.), the hedge sparrow. [Prov. Eng.] — Whin Thrush (Zoöl.), the redwing. [Prov. Eng.]
WHINBERRYWhin"ber*ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The English bilberry; — so called because it grows on moors among the whins, or furze. Dr. Prior.
WHINCHATWhin"chat`, n. Etym: [So called because it frequents whins.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small warbler (Pratincola rubetra) common in Europe; — called also whinchacker, whincheck, whin-clocharet.
WHINE Whine, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whined; p. pr. & vb. n. Whining.] Etym: [OE. whinen, AS. hwinan to make a whistling, whizzing sound; akin to Icel. hvina, Sw. hvina, Dan. hvine, and probably to G. wiehern to neigh, OHG. wihn, hweijn; perhaps of imitative origin. Cf. Whinny, v. i.]
Defn: To utter a plaintive cry, as some animals; to mean with a childish noise; to complain, or to tell of sorrow, distress, or the like, in a plaintive, nasal tone; hence, to complain or to beg in a mean, unmanly way; to moan basely. "Whining plovers." Spenser. The hounds were . . . staying their coming, but with a whining accent, craving liberty. Sir P. Sidney. Dost thou come here to whine Shak.
WHINEWhine, v. t.
Defn: To utter or express plaintively, or in a mean, unmanly way; as, to whine out an excuse.
WHINEWhine, n.
Defn: A plaintive tone; the nasal, childish tone of mean complaint; mean or affected complaint.
WHINERWhin"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, whines.
WHINGEWhinge, v. i.
Defn: To whine. [Scot.] Burns.
WHINGERWhing"er, n. Etym: [See Whinyard.]
Defn: A kind of hanger or sword used as a knife at meals and as aweapon. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]The chief acknowledged that he had corrected her with his whinger.Sir W. Scott.
WHININGLYWhin"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a whining manner; in a tone of mean complaint.
WHINNERWhin"ner, v. i.
Defn: To whinny. [Colloq.]
WHINNYWhin"ny, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whinnied; p. pr. & vb. n. Whinnying.]Etym: [From Whine]
Defn: To utter the ordinary call or cry of a horse; to neigh.
WHINNYWhin"ny, n.; pl. Whinnies (.
Defn: The ordinary cry or call of a horse; a neigh. "The stately horse . . . stooped with a low whinny." Tennyson.
WHINNYWhin"ny, a.
Defn: Abounding in whin, gorse, or furze.A fine, large, whinny, . . . unimproved common. Sterne.
WHINOCK Whin"ock, n. Etym: [Cf. Scot. whin, quhene, a few, AS. hw, hwne, a little, hwn little, few. Cf. Wheen.]
Defn: The small pig of a litter. [Local, U. S.]
WHINSTONEWhin"stone", n. Etym: [Whin + stone; cf. Scot. quhynstane.]
Defn: A provincial name given in England to basaltic rocks, and applied by miners to other kind of dark-colored unstratified rocks which resist the point of the pick. — for example, to masses of chert. Whin-dikes, and whin-sills, are names sometimes given to veins or beds of basalt.
WHINYARD Whin"yard, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. & Scot. whingar, whinger; perhaps from AS. winn contention, war + geard, gyrd, a staff, rod, yard; or cf. AS. hwinan to whistle, E. whine.]
1. A sword, or hanger. [Obs.]
2. Etym: [From the shape of the bill.] (Zoöl) (a) The shoveler. [Prov. Eng.] (b) The poachard. [Prov. Eng.]
WHIP Whip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whipped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whipping.] Etym: [OE. whippen to overlay, as a cord, with other cords, probably akin to G. & D. wippen to shake, to move up and down, Sw. vippa, Dan. vippe to swing to and fro, to shake, to toss up, and L. vibrare to shake. Cf. Vibrate.]
1. To strike with a lash, a cord, a rod, or anything slender and lithe; to lash; to beat; as, to whip a horse, or a carpet.
2. To drive with lashes or strokes of a whip; to cause to rotate by lashing with a cord; as, to whip a top.
3. To punish with a whip, scourge, or rod; to flog; to beat; as, to whip a vagrant; to whip one with thirty nine lashes; to whip a perverse boy. Who, for false quantities, was whipped at school. Dryden.
4. To apply that which hurts keenly to; to lash, as with sarcasm, abuse, or the like; to apply cutting language to. They would whip me with their fine wits. Shak.
5. To thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking; as, to whip wheat.
6. To beat (eggs, cream, or the like) into a froth, as with a whisk, fork, or the like.
7. To conquer; to defeat, as in a contest or game; to beat; to surpass. [Slang, U. S.]
8. To overlay (a cord, rope, or the like) with other cords going round and round it; to overcast, as the edge of a seam; to wrap; — often with about, around, or over. Its string is firmly whipped about with small gut. Moxon.
9. To sew lightly; specifically, to form (a fabric) into gathers by loosely overcasting the rolled edge and drawing up the thread; as, to whip a ruffle. In half-whipped muslin needles useless lie. Gay.
10. To take or move by a sudden motion; to jerk; to snatch; — with into, out, up, off, and the like. She, in a hurry, whips up her darling under her arm. L'Estrange. He whips out his pocketbook every moment, and writes descriptions of everything he sees. Walpole.
11. (Naut.) (a) To hoist or purchase by means of a whip. (b) To secure the end of (a rope, or the like) from untwisting by overcasting it with small stuff.
12. To fish (a body of water) with a rod and artificial fly, the motion being that employed in using a whip. Whipping their rough surface for a trout. Emerson. To whip in, to drive in, or keep from scattering, as hounds in a hurt; hence, to collect, or to keep together, as member of a party, or the like. — To whip the cat. (a) To practice extreme parsimony. [Prov. Eng.] Forby. (b) To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do. [Prov. & U. S.]
WHIPWhip, v. i.
Defn: To move nimbly; to start or turn suddenly and do something; to whisk; as, he whipped around the corner. With speed from thence he whipped. Sackville. Two friends, traveling, met a bear upon the way; the one whips up a tree, and the other throws himself flat upon the ground. L'Estrange.
WHIPWhip, n. Etym: [OE. whippe. See Whip, v. t.]
1. An instrument or driving horses or other animals, or for correction, consisting usually of a lash attached to a handle, or of a handle and lash so combined as to form a flexible rod. "[A] whip's lash." Chaucer. In his right hand he holds a whip, with which he is supposed to drive the horses of the sun. Addison.
2. A coachman; a driver of a carriage; as, a good whip. Beaconsfield.
3. (Mach.) (a) One of the arms or frames of a windmill, on which the sails are spread. (b) The length of the arm reckoned from the shaft.
4. (Naut.) (a) A small tackle with a single rope, used to hoist light bodies. (b) The long pennant. See Pennant (a)
5. A huntsman who whips in the hounds; whipper-in.
6. (Eng. Politics) (a) A person (as a member of Parliament) appointed to enforce party discipline, and secure the attendance of the members of a Parliament party at any important session, especially when their votes are needed. (b) A call made upon members of a Parliament party to be in their places at a given time, as when a vote is to be taken. Whip and spur, with the utmost haste. — Whip crane, or Whip purchase, a simple form of crane having a small drum from which the load is suspended, turned by pulling on a rope wound around larger drum on the same axle. — Whip gin. See Gin block, under 5th Gin. — Whip grafting. See under Grafting. — Whip hand, the hand with which the whip is used; hence, advantage; mastery; as, to have or get the whip hand of a person. Dryden. — Whip ray (Zoöl.), the European eagle ray. See under Ray. — Whip roll (Weaving), a roll or bar, behind the reeds in a loom, on which the warp threads rest. — Whip scorpion (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of arachnids belonging to Thelyphonus and allied genera. They somewhat resemble true scorpions, but have a long, slender bristle, or lashlike organ, at the end of the body, instead of a sting. — Whip snake (Zoöl.), any one of various species of slender snakes. Specifically: (a) A bright green South American tree snake (Philodryas viridissimus) having a long and slender body. It is not venomous. Called also emerald whip snake. (b) The coachwhip snake.
WHIPCORDWhip"cord`, n.
Defn: A kind of hard-twisted or braided cord, sometimes used for making whiplashes.
WHIPGRAFTWhip"graft`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whipgrafted; p. pr. & vb. n.Whipgrafting.]
Defn: To graft by cutting the scion and stock in a certain manner.See Whip grafting, under Grafting.
WHIPLASHWhip"lash`, n.
Defn: The lash of a whip, — usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted.
WHIPPAREE Whip`pa*ree", n. (Zoöl.) (a) A large sting ray (Dasybatis, or Trygon, Sayi) native of the Southern United States. It is destitute of large spines on the body and tail. (b) A large sting ray (Rhinoptera bonasus, or R. quadriloba) of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its snout appears to be four- lobed when viewed in front, whence it is also called cow-nosed ray.
WHIPPERWhip"per, n.
1. One who whips; especially, an officer who inflicts the penalty of legal whipping.
2. One who raises coal or merchandise with a tackle from a chip's hold. [Eng.]
3. (Spinning)
Defn: A kind of simple willow.
WHIPPERINWhip"per*in`, n.
1. A huntsman who keeps the hounds from wandering, and whips them in, if necessary, to the of chase.
2. Hence, one who enforces the discipline of a party, and urges the attendance and support of the members on all necessary occasions.
WHIPPERSNAPPERWhip"per*snap`per, n.
Defn: A diminutive, insignificant, or presumptuous person. [Colloq.]"Little whippersnappers like you." T. Hughes.
WHIPPINGWhip"ping,
Defn: a & n. from Whip, v. Whipping post, a post to which offenders are tied, to be legally whipped.
WHIPPLETREEWhip"ple*tree`, n. Etym: [See Whip, and cf. Whiffletree.]
1. The pivoted or swinging bar to which the traces, or tugs, of a harness are fastened, and by which a carriage, a plow, or other implement or vehicle, is drawn; a whiffletree; a swingletree; a singletree. See Singletree. [People] cut their own whippletree in the woodlot. Emerson.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The cornel tree. Chaucer.
WHIP-POOR-WILLWhip"-poor-will`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American bird (Antrostomus vociferus) allied to the nighthawk and goatsucker; — so called in imitation of the peculiar notes which it utters in the evening. [Written also whippowil.]
WHIPSAWWhip"saw`, n.
Defn: A saw for dividing timber lengthwise, usually set in a frame, and worked by two persons; also, a fret saw.
WHIP-SHAPEDWhip"-shaped`, a.
Defn: Shaped like the lash of a whip; long, slender, round, and tapering; as, a whip-shaped root or stem.
WHIPSTAFFWhip"staff`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A bar attached to the tiller, for convenience in steering.
WHIPSTALKWhip"stalk`, n.
Defn: A whipstock.
WHIPSTERWhip"ster, n. Etym: [Whip + -ster.]
Defn: A nimble little fellow; a whippersnapper.Every puny whipster gets my sword. Shak.
WHIPSTICKWhip"stick`, n.
Defn: Whip handle; whipstock.
WHIPSTITCHWhip"stitch`, n.
1. A tailor; — so called in contempt.
2. Anything hastily put or stitched together; hence, a hasty composition. [R.] Dryden.
3. (Agric.)
Defn: The act or process of whipstitching.
WHIPSTITCHWhip"stitch`, v. t. (Agric.)
Defn: To rafter; to plow in ridges, as land. [Eng.]
WHIPSTOCKWhip"stock`, n.
Defn: The rod or handle to which the lash of a whip is fastened.
WHIPTWhipt, imp. & p. p. of Whip.
Defn: Whipped.
WHIP-TOM-KELLYWhip"-tom`-kel"ly, n. Etym: [So called in imitation of its notes.](Zoöl.)
Defn: A vireo (Vireo altiloquus) native of the West Indies andFlorida; — called also black-whiskered vireo.
WHIPWORMWhip"worm`, n. Etym: [So called from its shape.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A nematode worm (Trichocephalus dispar) often found parasitic in the human intestine. Its body is thickened posteriorly, but is very long and threadlike anteriorly.
WHIRWhir, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whirred; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirring.] Etym:[Perhaps of imitative origin; cf. D. hvirre to whirl, and E. hurr,hurry, whirl.
Defn: To whirl round, or revolve, with a whizzing noise; to fly or more quickly with a buzzing or whizzing sound; to whiz. The partridge bursts away on whirring wings. Beattie.
WHIRWhir, v. t. Etym: [See Whir to whiz.]
Defn: To hurry a long with a whizzing sound. [R.] This world to me is like a lasting storm, Whirring me from my friends. Shak.
WHIRWhir, n.
Defn: A buzzing or whizzing sound produced by rapid or whirling motion; as, the whir of a partridge; the whir of a spinning wheel.
WHIRLWhirl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirling.] Etym:[OE. whirlen, probably from the Scand.; cf. Icel. & Sw. hvirfla, Dan.hvirvle; akin to D. wervelen, G. wirbeln, freq. of the verb seen inIcel. hverfa to turn. sq. root16. See Wharf, and cf. Warble, Whorl.]
1. To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve. He whirls his sword around without delay. Dryden.
2. To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch; to harry. Chaucer. See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood. Milton. The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly. Tennyson.
WHIRLWhirl, v. i.
1. To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate. "The whirling year vainly my dizzy eyes pursue." J. H. Newman. The wooden engine flies and whirls about. Dryden.
2. To move hastily or swiftly. But whirled away to shun his hateful sight. Dryden.
WHIRLWhirl, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. hvirvel, Sw. hvirfvel, Icel. hvirfill thecrown of the head, G. wirbel whirl, crown of the head, D. wervel. SeeWhirl, v. t.]
1. A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; rapid or confusing motion; as, the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel. "In no breathless whirl." J. H. Newman. The rapid . . . whirl of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above. South.
2. Anything that moves with a whirling motion. He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and whirls of March dust. Carlyle.
3. A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are attached.
4. (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: A whorl. See Whorl.
WHIRLABOUTWhirl"a*bout`, n.
Defn: Something that whirls or turns about in a rapid manner; a whirligig.
WHIRLBATWhirl"bat`, n.
Defn: Anything moved with a whirl, as preparatory for a blow, or toaugment the force of it; — applied by poets to the cestus of ancientboxers.The whirlbat and the rapid race shall be Reserved for Cæsar. Dryden.
WHIRL-BLASTWhirl"-blast`, n.
Defn: A whirling blast or wind.A whirl-blast from behind the hill. Wordsworth.
WHIRLBONE Whirl"bone`, n. (Anat.) (a) The huckle bone. [Obs.] (b) The patella, or kneepan. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
WHIRLERWhirl"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, whirls.
WHIRLICOTEWhirl"i*cote, n.
Defn: An open car or chariot. [Obs.] Of old time coaches were not known in this island, but chariots, or whirlicotes. Stow.
WHIRLIGIGWhirl"i*gig, n. Etym: [Whirl + gig.]
1. A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an axis, or like a top. Johnson.
2. Anything which whirls around, or in which persons or things are whirled about, as a frame with seats or wooden horses. With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head. G. W. Cable.
3. A mediæval instrument for punishing petty offenders, being a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which the offender was whirled round with great velocity.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of beetles belonging to Gyrinus and allied genera. The body is firm, oval or boatlike in form, and usually dark colored with a bronzelike luster. These beetles live mostly on the surface of water, and move about with great celerity in a gyrating, or circular, manner, but they are also able to dive and swim rapidly. The larva is aquatic. Called also weaver, whirlwig, and whirlwig beetle.
WHIRLINGWhirl"ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Whirl, v. t. Whirling table. (a) (Physics) An apparatus provided with one or more revolving disks, with weights, pulleys, and other attachments, for illustrating the phenomena and laws of centrifugal force, and the like. (b) A potter's wheel.
WHIRLPITWhirl"pit`, n.
Defn: A whirlpool. [Obs.] "Raging whirlpits." Sandys.
WHIRLPOOLWhirl"pool`, n.
1. An eddy or vortex of water; a place in a body of water where the water moves round in a circle so as to produce a depression or cavity in the center, into which floating objects may be drawn; any body of water having a more or less circular motion caused by its flowing in an irregular channel, by the coming together of opposing currents, or the like.
2. A sea monster of the whale kind. [Obs.] Spenser. The Indian Sea breedeth the most and the biggest fishes that are; among which the whales and whirlpools, called "balænæ," take up in length as much as four . . . arpents of land. Holland.
WHIRLWIGWhirl"wig`, n. Etym: [Cf. Earwig.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A whirligig.
WHIRLWIND Whirl"wind`, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw. hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind. See Whirl, and Wind, n.]
1. A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. It usually has a rapid progressive motion. The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods. And drowns the villages. Bryant.
Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones.
2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. "The whirlwind of hounds and hunters." Macaulay.
WHIRRYWhir"ry, v. i.
Defn: To whir. [Obs.]
WHIRTLEWhir"tle, n. (Mech.)
Defn: A perforated steel die through which wires or tubes are drawn to form them.
WHISKWhisk, n. Etym: [See Whist, n.]
Defn: A game at cards; whist. [Obs.] Taylor (1630).
WHISK Whisk, n. Etym: [Probably for wisk, and of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. visk a wisp; akin to Dan. visk, Sw. viska, D. wisch, OHG. wisc, G. wisch. See Wisp.]
1. The act of whisking; a rapid, sweeping motion, as of something light; a sudden motion or quick puff. This first sad whisk Takes off thy dukedom; thou art but an earl. J. Fletcher.
2. A small bunch of grass, straw, twigs, hair, or the like, used for a brush; hence, a brush or small besom, as of broom corn.
3. A small culinary instrument made of wire, or the like, for whisking or beating eggs, cream, etc. Boyle.
4. A kind of cape, forming part of a woman's dress. My wife in her new lace whisk. Pepys.
5. An impertinent fellow. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
6. A plane used by coopers for evening chines.
WHISKWhisk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whisked; p. pr. & vb. n. Whisking.] Etym:[Cf. Dan. viske, Sw. viska, G. wischen, D. wisschen. See Whisk, n.]
1. To sweep, brush, or agitate, with a light, rapid motion; as, to whisk dust from a table; to whisk the white of eggs into a froth.
2. To move with a quick, sweeping motion. He that walks in gray, whisking his riding rod. J. Fletcher. I beg she would not impale worms, nor whisk carp out of one element into another. Walpole.
WHISKWhisk, v. i.
Defn: To move nimbly at with velocity; to make a sudden agile movement.
WHISKERWhisk"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, whisks, or moves with a quick, sweeping motion.
2. Formerly, the hair of the upper lip; a mustache; — usually in the plural. Hoary whiskers and a forky beard. Pope.
3. pl.
Defn: That part of the beard which grows upon the sides of the face, or upon the chin, or upon both; as, side whiskers; chin whiskers.
4. A hair of the beard.
5. One of the long, projecting hairs growing at the sides of the mouth of a cat, or other animal.
6. pl. (Naut.)
Defn: Iron rods extending on either side of the bowsprit, to spread, or guy out, the stays, etc.
WHISKEREDWhisk"ered, a.
1. Formed into whiskers; furnished with whiskers; having or wearing whiskers. Our forefathers, a grave, whiskered race. Cowper.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having elongated hairs, feathers, or bristles on the cheeks.The whiskered vermin race. Grainger.
WHISKERLESSWhisk"er*less, a.
Defn: Being without whiskers.
WHISKETWhis"ket, n. Etym: [Cf. Wisket.]
1. A basket; esp., a straw provender basket. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: A small lathe for turning wooden pins.
WHISKEYWhis"key, n.
Defn: Same as Whisky, a liquor.
WHISKEY; WHISKY Whis"key, Whis"ky, n.; pl. Whiskeys or Whiskies. Etym: [See Whisk, v. t. & n.]
Defn: A light carriage built for rapid motion; — called also tim- whiskey.
WHISKINWhisk"in, n.
Defn: A shallow drinking bowl. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.
WHISKINGWhisk"ing, a.
1. Sweeping along lightly.
2. Large; great. [Prov. Eng.]
WHISKY; WHISKEYWhis"ky, Whis"key, n. Etym: [Ir. or Gael. uisge water (perhaps akinto E. wash, water) in uisgebeatha whiskey, properly, water of life.Cf. Usquebaugh.]
Defn: An intoxicating liquor distilled from grain, potatoes, etc., especially in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from maize, rye, or wheat, but in Scotland and Ireland it is often made from malted barley. Bourbon whisky, corn whisky made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. — Crooked whisky. See under Crooked. — Whisky Jack (Zoöl.), the Canada jay (Perisoreus Canadensis). It is noted for its fearless and familiar habits when it frequents the camps of lumbermen in the winter season. Its color is dull grayish blue, lighter beneath. Called also moose bird.
WHISKYFIED; WHISKEYFIEDWhis"ky*fied, Whis"key*fied, a. Etym: [Whisky + -fy.]
Defn: Drunk with whisky; intoxicated. [Humorous] Thackeray.
WHISKY RING; WHISKEY RINGWhisky, or Whiskey, Ring . (U. S. Hist.)
Defn: A conspiracy of distillers and government officials during the administration of President Grant to defraud the government of the excise taxes. The frauds were detected in 1875 through the efforts of the Secretary of the Treasury. B. H. Bristow, and most of the offenders were convicted.
WHISPWhisp, n.
Defn: See Wisp.
WHISPWhisp, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A flock of snipe.
WHISPERWhis"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whispered; p. pr. & vb. n. Whispering.]Etym: [AS. hwisprian; akin to G. wispern, wispeln, OHG. hwispal,Icel. hviskra, Sw. hviska, Dan. hviske; of imitative origin. Cf.Whistle.]
1. To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound. See Whisper, n.
2. To make a low, sibilant sound or noise. The hollow, whispering breeze. Thomson.
3. To speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting. All that hate me whisper together against me. Ps. xli. 7.
WHISPERWhis"per, v. t.
1. To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper. They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley.
2. To address in a whisper, or low voice. [Archaic] And whisper one another in the ear. Shak. Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed. Keble.
3. To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. [Obs.] "He came to whisper Wolsey." Shak.
WHISPERWhis"per, n.
1. A low, soft, sibilant voice or utterance, which can be heard only by those near at hand; voice or utterance that employs only breath sound without tone, friction against the edges of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages taking the place of the vibration of the cords that produces tone; sometimes, in a limited sense, the sound produced by such friction as distinguished from breath sound made by friction against parts of the mouth. See Voice, n., 2, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 153, 154. The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone. Bacon. Soft whispers through the assembly went. Dryden.
2. A cautious or timorous speech. South.
3. Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.
4. A low, sibilant sound. "The whispers of the leaves." Tennyson.
WHISPERERWhis"per*er, n.
1. One who whispers.
2. A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly; hence; a backbiter; one who slanders secretly. Prov. xvi. 28.
WHISPERINGWhis"per*ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Whisper. v. t. Whispering gallery, or Whispering dome, one of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.
WHISPERINGLYWhis"per*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers. Tennyson.
WHISPEROUSLYWhis"per*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: Whisperingly. [R.]
WHISTWhist, interj. Etym: [Cf. G. st! pst! bst! Hist.]
Defn: Be silent; be still; hush; silence.
WHISTWhist, n. Etym: [From Whist, interj.]
Defn: A certain game at cards; — so called because it requires silence and close attention. It is played by four persons (those who sit opposite each other being partners) with a complete pack of fifty-two cards. Each player has thirteen cards, and when these are played out, he hand is finished, and the cards are again shuffled and distributed.
Note: Points are scored for the tricks taken in excess of six, and for the honors held. In long whist, now seldom played, ten points make the game; in short whist, now usually played in England, five points make the game. In American whist, so-called, honors are not counted, and seven points by tricks make the game.
WHISTWhist, v. t. Etym: [From Whist, interj.]
Defn: To hush or silence. [Obs.] Spenser.
WHISTWhist, v. i.
Defn: To be or become silent or still; to be hushed or mute. [R.]Surrey.
WHISTWhist, a. Etym: [Properly p. p. of whist, v.]
Defn: Not speaking; not making a noise; silent; mute; still; quiet."So whist and dead a silence." Sir J. Harrington.The winds, with wonder whist, Smoothly the waters kissed. Milton.
Note: This adjective generally follows its noun, or is used predicatively.
WHISTLEWhis"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whistled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling.]Etym: [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hvislato whisper, and E. whisper. Whisper.]
1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds. The weary plowman leaves the task of day, And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. Gay.
2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument, somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp, shrill tone.
3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air. The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar. Pope.
WHISTLEWhis"tle, v. t.
1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air.
2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle.He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled himup. Addison.To whistle off. (a) To dismiss by a whistle; — a term in hawking."AS a long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the fist, mountsaloft." Burton. (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; todismiss.I 'ld whistle her off, and let her down the wind To prey at fortune.Shak.
Note: "A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned." Nares.
WHISTLE Whis"tle, n. Etym: [AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle. See Whistle, v. i.]
1. A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle. Might we but hear The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, . . . Or whistle from the lodge. Milton. The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and by that means lost his whistle. Spectator. They fear his whistle, and forsake the seas. Dryden.
2. The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like, passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of a metallic bell or cup.
3. An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity, or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips; as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam whistle (see Steam whistle, under Steam). The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew. Pope.
4. The mouth and throat; — so called as being the organs ofwhistling. [Colloq.]So was her jolly whistle well ywet. Chaucer.Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles. Walton.Whistle duck (Zoöl.), the American golden-eye.
WHISTLEFISHWhis"tle*fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A gossat, or rockling; — called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.
WHISTLERWhis"tler, n. Etym: [AS. hwistlere.]
1. One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The ring ousel. (b) The widgeon. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The golden-eye. (d) The golden plover and the gray plover.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hoary, or northern, marmot (Arctomys pruinosus).
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The whistlefish.
WHISTLEWINGWhis"tle*wing`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American golden-eye.
WHISTLEWOODWhis"tle*wood`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The moosewood, or striped maple. See Maple.
WHISTLINGWhis"tling,
Defn: a. & n. from Whistle, v. Whistling buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy. — Whistling coot (Zoöl.), the American black scoter. — Whistling Dick. (Zoöl.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush (Colluricincla Selbii). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] — Whistling duck. (Zoöl.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck. — Whistling eagle (Zoöl.), a small Australian eagle (Haliastur sphenurus); — called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle. — Whistling plover. (Zoöl.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black- bellied, or gray, plover. — Whistling snipe (Zoöl.), the American woodcock. — Whistling swan. (Zoöl.) (a) The European whooper swan; — called also wild swan, and elk. (b) An American swan (Olor columbianus). See under Swan. — Whistling teal (Zoöl.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. — Whistling thrush. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus, native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle. (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]
WHISTLINGLYWhis"tling*ly, adv.
Defn: In a whistling manner; shrilly.
WHISTLYWhist"ly, adv.
Defn: In a whist manner; silently. [Obs.]
WHITWhit, n. Etym: [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. SeeWight, and cf. Aught, Naught.]
Defn: The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; — generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. "Samuel told him every whit." 1 Sam. iii. 18. "Every whit as great." South. So shall I no whit be behind in duty. Shak. It does not me a whit displease. Cowley.
WHITE White, a. [Compar. Whiter; superl. Whitest.] Etym: [OE. whit, AS. hw; akin to OFries. and OS. hwit, D. wit, G. weiss, OHG. wiz, hwiz, Icel. hvitr, Sw. hvit, Dan. hvid, Goth. hweits, Lith. szveisti, to make bright, Russ. sviet' light, Skr. white, to be bright. Wheat, Whitsunday.]
1. Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; — the opposite of Ant: black or dark; as, white paper; a white skin. "Pearls white." Chaucer. White as the whitest lily on a stream. Longfellow.
2. Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear. Or whispering with white lips, "The foe! They come! they come!" Byron.
3. Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure. White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear. Dryden. No whiter page than Addison's remains. Pope.
4. Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary. Your high engendered battles 'gainst a head So old and white as this. Shak.
5. Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable. On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life. Sir W. Scott.
6. Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling. Come forth, my white spouse. Chaucer. I am his white boy, and will not be gullet. Ford.
Note: White is used in many self-explaining compounds, as white- backed, white-bearded, white-footed. White alder. (Bot.) See Sweet pepper bush, under Pepper. — White ant (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of social pseudoneuropterous insects of the genus Termes. These insects are very abundant in tropical countries, and form large and complex communities consisting of numerous asexual workers of one or more kinds, of large-headed asexual individuals called soldiers, of one or more queens (or fertile females) often having the body enormously distended by the eggs, and, at certain seasons of numerous winged males, together with the larvæ and pupæ of each kind in various stages of development. Many of the species construct large and complicated nests, sometimes in the form of domelike structures rising several feet above the ground and connected with extensive subterranean galleries and chambers. In their social habits they closely resemble the true ants. They feed upon animal and vegetable substances of various kinds, including timber, and are often very destructive to buildings and furniture. — White arsenic (Chem.), arsenious oxide, As2O3, a substance of a white color, and vitreous adamantine luster, having an astringent, sweetish taste. It is a deadly poison. — White bass (Zoöl.), a fresh-water North American bass (Roccus chrysops) found in the Great Likes. — White bear (Zoöl.), the polar bear. See under Polar. — White blood cell. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White brand (Zoöl.), the snow goose. — White brass, a white alloy of copper; white copper. — White campion. (Bot.) (a) A kind of catchfly (Silene stellata) with white flowers. (b) A white-flowered Lychnis (Lychnis vespertina). — White canon (R. C. Ch.), a Premonstratensian. — White caps, the members of a secret organization in various of the United States, who attempt to drive away or reform obnoxious persons by lynch-law methods. They appear masked in white. — White cedar (Bot.), an evergreen tree of North America (Thuja occidentalis), also the related Cupressus thyoides, or Chamæcyparis sphæroidea, a slender evergreen conifer which grows in the so-called cedar swamps of the Northern and Atlantic States. Both are much valued for their durable timber. In California the name is given to the Libocedrus decurrens, the timber of which is also useful, though often subject to dry rot. Goodale. The white cedar of Demerara, Guiana, etc., is a lofty tree (Icica, or Bursera, altissima) whose fragrant wood is used for canoes and cabinetwork, as it is not attacked by insect. — White cell. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White cell-blood (Med.), leucocythæmia. — White clover (Bot.), a species of small perennial clover bearing white flowers. It furnishes excellent food for cattle and horses, as well as for the honeybee. See also under Clover. — White copper, a whitish alloy of copper. See German silver, under German. — White copperas (Min.), a native hydrous sulphate of iron; coquimbite. — White coral (Zoöl.), an ornamental branched coral (Amphihelia oculata) native of the Mediterranean. — White corpuscle. (Physiol.) See Leucocyte. — White cricket (Zoöl.), the tree cricket. — White crop, a crop of grain which loses its green color, or becomes white, in ripening, as wheat, rye, barley, and oats, as distinguished from a green crop, or a root crop. — White currant (Bot.), a variety of the common red currant, having white berries. — White daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy. See under Daisy. — White damp, a kind of poisonous gas encountered in coal mines. Raymond. — White elephant (Zoöl.), a whitish, or albino, variety of the Asiatic elephant. — White elm (Bot.), a majestic tree of North America (Ulmus Americana), the timber of which is much used for hubs of wheels, and for other purposes. — White ensign. See Saint George's ensign, under Saint. — White feather, a mark or symbol of cowardice. See To show the white feather, under Feather, n. — White fir (Bot.), a name given to several coniferous trees of the Pacific States, as Abies grandis, and A. concolor. — White flesher (Zoöl.), the ruffed grouse. See under Ruffed. [Canada] — White frost. See Hoarfrost. — White game (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. — White garnet (Min.), leucite. — White grass (Bot.), an American grass (Leersia Virginica) with greenish-white paleæ. — White grouse. (Zoöl.) (a) The white ptarmigan. (b) The prairie chicken. [Local, U. S.] — White grub (Zoöl.), the larva of the June bug and other allied species. These grubs eat the roots of grasses and other plants, and often do much damage. — White hake (Zoöl.), the squirrel hake. See under Squirrel. — White hawk, or kite (Zoöl.), the hen harrier. — White heat, the temperature at which bodies become incandescent, and appear white from the bright light which they emit. — White hellebore (Bot.), a plant of the genus Veratrum (V. album) See Hellebore, 2. — White herring, a fresh, or unsmoked, herring, as distinguished from a red, or cured, herring. [R.] Shak. — White hoolet (Zoöl.), the barn owl. [Prov. Eng.] — White horses (Naut.), white-topped waves; whitecaps. — The White House. See under House. — White ibis (Zoöl.), an American ibis (Guara alba) having the plumage pure white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. It inhabits tropical America and the Southern United States. Called also Spanish curlew. — White iron. (a) Thin sheets of iron coated with tin; tinned iron. (b) A hard, silvery-white cast iron containing a large proportion of combined carbon. — White iron pyrites (Min.), marcasite. — White land, a tough clayey soil, of a whitish hue when dry, but blackish after rain. [Eng.] — White lark (Zoöl.), the snow bunting. — White lead. (a) A carbonate of lead much used in painting, and for other purposes; ceruse. (b) (Min.) Native lead carbonate; cerusite. — White leather, buff leather; leather tanned with alum and salt. — White leg (Med.), milk leg. See under Milk. — White lettuce (Bot.), rattlesnake root. See under Rattlesnake. — White lie. See under Lie. — White light. (a) (Physics) Light having the different colors in the same proportion as in the light coming directly from the sun, without having been decomposed, as by passing through a prism. See the Note under Color, n., 1. (b) A kind of firework which gives a brilliant white illumination for signals, etc. — White lime, a solution or preparation of lime for whitewashing; whitewash. — White line (Print.), a void space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a blank line. — White meat. (a) Any light-colored flesh, especially of poultry. (b) Food made from milk or eggs, as butter, cheese, etc. Driving their cattle continually with them, and feeding only upon their milk and white meats. Spenser. — White merganser (Zoöl.), the smew. — White metal. (a) Any one of several white alloys, as pewter, britannia, etc. (b) (Metal.) A fine grade of copper sulphide obtained at a certain stage in copper smelting. — White miller. (Zoöl.) (a) The common clothes moth. (b) A common American bombycid moth (Spilosoma Virginica) which is pure white with a few small black spots; — called also ermine moth, and virgin moth. See Woolly bear, under Woolly. — White money, silver money. — White mouse (Zoöl.), the albino variety of the common mouse. — White mullet (Zoöl.), a silvery mullet (Mugil curema) ranging from the coast of the United States to Brazil; — called also blue- back mullet, and liza. — White nun (Zoöl.), the smew; — so called from the white crest and the band of black feathers on the back of its head, which give the appearance of a hood. — White oak. (Bot.) See under Oak. — White owl. (Zoöl.) (a) The snowy owl. (b) The barn owl. — White partridge (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. — White perch. (Zoöl.) (a) A North American fresh-water bass (Morone Americana) valued as a food fish. (b) The croaker, or fresh- water drum. (c) Any California surf fish. — White pine. (Bot.) See the Note under Pine. — White poplar (Bot.), a European tree (Populus alba) often cultivated as a shade tree in America; abele. — White poppy (Bot.), the opium-yielding poppy. See Poppy. — White powder, a kind of gunpowder formerly believed to exist, and to have the power of exploding without noise. [Obs.] A pistol charged with white powder. Beau. & Fl. — White precipitate. (Old Chem.) See under Precipitate. — White rabbit. (Zoöl.) (a) The American northern hare in its winter pelage. (b) An albino rabbit. — White rent, (a) (Eng. Law) Formerly, rent payable in silver; — opposed to black rent. See Blackmail, n., 3. (b) A rent, or duty, of eight pence, payable yearly by every tinner in Devon and Cornwall to the Duke of Cornwall, as lord of the soil. [Prov. Eng.] — White rhinoceros. (Zoöl.) (a) The one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus). See Rhinoceros. (b) The umhofo. — White ribbon, the distinctive badge of certain organizations for the promotion of temperance or of moral purity; as, the White-ribbon Army. — White rope (Naut.), untarred hemp rope. — White rot. (Bot.) (a) Either of several plants, as marsh pennywort and butterwort, which were thought to produce the disease called rot in sheep. (b) A disease of grapes. See White rot, under Rot. — White sage (Bot.), a white, woolly undershrub (Eurotia lanata) of Western North America; — called also winter fat. — White salmon (Zoöl.), the silver salmon. — White salt, salt dried and calcined; decrepitated salt. — White scale (Zoöl.), a scale insect (Aspidiotus Nerii) injurious to the orange tree. See Orange scale, under Orange. — White shark (Zoöl.), a species of man-eating shark. See under Shark. — White softening. (Med.) See Softening of the brain, under Softening. — White spruce. (Bot.) See Spruce, n., 1. — White squall (Naut.), a sudden gust of wind, or furious blow, which comes up without being marked in its approach otherwise than by whitecaps, or white, broken water, on the surface of the sea. — White staff, the badge of the lord high treasurer of England. Macaulay. — White stork (Zoöl.), the common European stork. — White sturgeon. (Zoöl.) See Shovelnose (d). — White sucker. (Zoöl.) (a) The common sucker. (b) The common red horse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum). — White swelling (Med.), a chronic swelling of the knee, produced by a strumous inflammation of the synovial membranes of the kneejoint and of the cancellar texture of the end of the bone forming the kneejoint; — applied also to a lingering chronic swelling of almost any kind. — White tombac. See Tombac. — White trout (Zoöl.), the white weakfish, or silver squeteague (Cynoscion nothus), of the Southern United States. — White vitriol (Chem.), hydrous sulphate of zinc. See White vitriol, under Vitriol. — White wagtail (Zoöl.), the common, or pied, wagtail. — White wax, beeswax rendered white by bleaching. — White whale (Zoöl.), the beluga. — White widgeon (Zoöl.), the smew. — White wine. any wine of a clear, transparent color, bordering on white, as Madeira, sherry, Lisbon, etc.; — distinguished from wines of a deep red color, as port and Burgundy. "White wine of Lepe." Chaucer. — White witch, a witch or wizard whose supernatural powers are supposed to be exercised for good and beneficent purposes. Addison. Cotton Mather. — White wolf. (Zoöl.) (a) A light-colored wolf (Canis laniger) native of Thibet; — called also chanco, golden wolf, and Thibetan wolf. (b) The albino variety of the gray wolf. — White wren (Zoöl.), the willow warbler; — so called from the color of the under parts.
WHITEWhite, n.
1. The color of pure snow; one of the natural colors of bodies, yet not strictly a color, but a composition of all colors; the opposite of black; whiteness. See the Note under Color, n., 1. Finely attired in a of white. Shak.
2. Something having the color of snow; something white, or nearly so; as, the white of the eye.