Dictionary [W]

Word	Definition
wack	old name for decomposed basalt
wadmal	thick coarse wool
waftage	transportation through water or air
wafture	act of waving or wafting
wagonette	carriage with one crosswise seat in front, two seats in back
wagtail	an obsequious person; a harlot
wainage	team and implements needed for cultivation of land
wainscot	to line with boards or panels; fine oak panelling
wair	timber of six feet in length and one foot in width
waits	musicians employed to play on ceremonial occasions
wakerife	wakeful; indisposed to sleep
waldflute	organ flute stop of 4 feet in length
waldgrave	old German title of nobility
waldhorn	French valveless hunting horn
wale	to choose; the act of choosing
walleteer	one who carries a wallet
wallfish	snail
wallflower	yellowish-red
wallydrag	feeble or worthless person or animal
walm	to spout; to boil up
walty	inclined to tip over or lean
wamble	churning of the stomach; wobbling or rolling motion
wame	the womb or belly; a protuberant hollow part
wamus	cardigan or jacket buttoned at neck and wrists
wanchancy	unlucky; uncanny
wang	the cheek; a molar
wanhope	despair
wanigan	pay office in a lumber camp
wanion	ill luck; misfortune
wankle	unstable or unsteady
wantage	deficiency; shortage
wanze	to decrease; to waste away
wapenshaw	periodic gathering to evaluate readiness of men for combat
wapentake	archaic sub-division of certain counties
waqf	charitable donation for Islamic religious purposes
warble	small tumour suffered by horses under the saddle area
wardcorn	payment of corn in place of military service
warden	kind of pear used in cooking
wardmote	meeting of a ward or a court of a ward
wardroom	quarters for ship's officers
warison	wealth; reward; punishment
warrantise	the act of guaranteeing or warranting; an assurance
warray	to make war on
warren	heart-shaped hoe
warrener	keeper of a warren of rabbits
wase	small bundle of hay or straw for resting one's head
washball	ball of toilet soap
washboard	broad thin plank along ship's gunwale to keep out sea water
washery	location where industrial washing takes place
washeteria	laundromat or launderette
washi	thin Japanese paper used to make kites and lanterns
washland	area periodically flooded by river
wasm	an outdated policy, doctrine or theory
wassail	toast to someone's health; to go caroling or carousing; spiced ale
wasserman	man-shaped sea monster
wastel	sweet flaky bread made with fine flour and butter
wastelot	unused lot of land in a built-up area
waster	wooden sword used for practicing fencing
wastive	liable to waste
watchet	pale blue
watchglass	small dish used for holding small amounts of a solution
watching	fully afloat
waterage	fee paid for travelling on water
waterish	resembling or filled with water; insipid or diluted
waterman	boatman or ferryman
waterwork	piece of fabric painted to resemble a tapestry
wattmeter	instrument for measuring electrical power
waulk	to full cloth
waulker	cloth fuller
wavemeter	instrument for measuring wavelengths
waveson	goods floating on the sea after a shipwreck
waxcloth	oilcloth; linoleum
wayboard	thin geological seam separating larger strata
waygone	exhausted from long travels
wayment	lamentation; grief
waywiser	instrument for measuring distance travelled
wayzgoose	annual employees' dinner or outing
wear	to turn a ship's stern to windward to alter its course
wearish	tasteless; savourless
weasand	the gullet or windpipe
weatherboard	weather side of a ship
weatherly	able to sail close to the wind with little leeway
weatherometer	instrument for measuring weather-resisting properties of paint
webcast	live broadcast transmitted on the World Wide Web
weber	unit of magnetic flux equal to 100 million maxwells
webster	a female weaver
webwheel	wheel in which spokes, rim and centre made from one piece of material
wedeln	skiing in a swiveling motion with skis close together
weed	garment or outfit worn during mourning
weedicide	something that kills weeds
weedy	dressed in widow's mourning clothes
weftage	texture
wegotism	excessive use of the pronoun 'we' in speech or writing
weighage	fee paid for weighing goods
weirdward	bordering upon the supernatural
weld	yellow dye; plant from which it is extracted
welk	to twist about
welkin	the vault of the sky; firmament; heaven
wellaway	expression of sorrow or lamentation; alas
welter	to be in a state of turmoil or chaos
wen	enormously congested city
wergild	fine paid by family of murderer to family of murder victim
wertfrei	without value judgement; neutral
westing	space or distance westward
wether	castrated ram
wey	old measure for dry goods usually equal to 40 bushels
whang	a leather thong; a thick slice
whangam	an imaginary animal
wharfinger	keeper or owner of a wharf
whatabouts	things with which one is occupied
wheal	a Cornish mine
wheaten	the golden colour of ripe wheat
wheelhouse	shelter where ship's steering wheel kept
wheep	sound made by a steel weapon when drawn from a sheath
wheeple	to whistle feebly
whelky	knobby; rounded
whelve	to cover with an upside down vessel
whemmle	to overturn; to throw into a state of disorder
whenas	when
whencesoever	from whatsoever place or source
whereagainst	against which
whereinsoever	in whatsoever respect or place
whereinto	into which; into what
whereof	of what
whereon	on what
whereout	out of which
wherethrough	through which; through the agency of
whereuntil	to what
wherewith	with what
wherret	a blow on the ear or side of the head
wherry	light shallow boat; barge
whey	off-white
whichsoever	every one that
whicker	to neigh; to bleat
whiff	to fish with hand line towed behind a boat
whiffet	paltry person; little dog
whiffler	official who clears way for a procession
whifflery	levity; trifling
whift	a slight puff or blast
whiggarchy	government by Whigs
whilom	formerly; once; former
whin	gorse; furze
whinger	dirk or short sword
whinstone	hard and compact rock
whinyard	short sword
whipcat	tailor
whipcord	fabric with bold twill used for making dresses
whipjack	whining beggar who pretends to be a sailor
whippet	a small tank
whippletree	crosspiece of a carriage to which harnesses attached
whippy	pliant; supple
whipsaw	narrow saw for cutting timber lengthwise
whipstaff	vertical lever controlling ship's rudder
whipstall	airplane stall causing nose to whip forward and down
whirret	to give a sharp blow to
whiskerando	a whiskered person
whiskerine	beard-growing contest
whiss	to hiss or whistle
whistler	mythical bird whose whistle is fatal to the listener
whitecoat	white-furred seal pup
whither	to what place
whithersoever	to any place whatsoever
whitherward	toward what or which place
whitleather	leather dressed with alum
whitlow	abscess around a fingernail
whitster	bleacher of cloth and clothing
whittawer	one who makes saddles or harnesses
whittle	a woollen shawl or blanket
whodunitry	genre of writing poor mystery novels
wholestitch	weaving stitch that fills in a pattern
whoreson	bastard; whore's son; term of contempt
whosoever	every one who
wicket	small door forming part of larger door of a church or castle
widdershins	counterclockwise
widgeon	freshwater duck
widget	any small manufactured object
wieldless	unmanageable
wigan	stiff plain-woven cotton
wight	a supernatural man-like being
wight	nimble; strong; courageous
wilder	to cause to stray
wilding	that which grows without cultivation
williwaw	sudden squall, tumult or disturbance
willowish	of the colour of willow leaves
wimble	instrument for boring holes; gimlet; auger
wimple	cloth covering for head and neck worn by nuns
wincey	plain or twilled cotton
windbound	hindered from sailing by contrary winds
windcheater	windproof jacket
windgall	puffy swelling around a horse's joints
windlass	winch used to raise a ship's anchor
windlass	circuitous movement; indirect action
windle	appliance for winding yarn
windlestraw	anything light or insubstantial; feeble person
windrose	diagram showing yearly wind strengths for a locality
windrow	hay raked together into a line
windthrow	the blowing over of trees by the wind
winglet	a small wing
winkler	one who extracts or forces something out little by little
winterbourne	intermittent spring of water
winterim	short winter term at a private school designed for personal study
winterkill	to kill by exposure to cold
winze	small ventilating shaft between two levels of a mine
wippen	part of piano hammer raised when note played
wirble	to whirl; to turn round and round
wiredraw	to reduce fluid pressure by passing it through a small orifice
wirewove	very fine quality of writing paper
wis	to know, to believe
wiseacre	someone who unduly assumes air of superior wisdom
wiseling	one who pretends to be wise
wisent	European bison
wisket	a basket
wist	to know
wistly	longingly; earnestly
witchknot	knot in hair supposedly tied by witches
witeless	without fault; blameless
witenagemot	early English national council
withal	besides; therewith; nevertheless; with
withe	elastic tool handle to save the hand from shock of blows
withe	partition between chimney flues
witherling	withered or decrepit person; an adversary
withy	flexible; wiry and agile; willow
witling	one who utters markedly feeble witticisms
witticaster	a petty or inferior wit
wittol	one who knows wife's faithlessness and submits to it
witwanton	to engage in irreverent wit
wive	to take for a wife; to marry a woman
wivern	mythical two-legged winged monster
woad	broad-leafed plant yielding blue dye
woggle	ring of leather or plastic used to thread neckerchief
wold	open tract of country
womanthrope	a hater of women
womby	hollow; capacious
wondermonger	one who promises miracles
wonderwork	prodigy; miracle; thaumaturgy
wone	a dwelling-place; custom or habit
woning	state of dwelling; dwelling-place
wontless	unaccustomed
wood	mad; insane; wild
woodmeal	sawdust and other wood waste used as industrial filler
woodreeve	overseer of a wood
woodshedding	spontaneous barbershop singing
woodwose	wild man of the woods, used in heraldry as supporter; satyr or faun
woofits	an unwell feeling; depression
woolage	untidy hair
woolbird	sheep
woold	to wind a rope or chain around
woolfell	skin with the wool still on it
woolpack	cirrocumulus cloud; a bale or bundle of wool
woolsack	large wool-filled scarlet sack for the Lord Chancellor
woolsey	cotton and wool blend
woolward	with wool next to the skin as punishment
woonerf	road in a residential district which uses various measures to calm traffic
woopie	well-off older person
worcester	fine wool
wordbound	unable to find expression in words
wordbreak	point of division in a word that runs onto the next line
wordish	verbose
workerist	one who supports worker's rights
workshy	hating or avoiding work; lazy
worksome	industrious
worldling	a person engrossed in concerns of the present world
wormcast	spiral heap of earth left by burrowing worm
wormery	place where worms are bred
wormil	lump in the skin of an animal's back
wormwood	something bitter, galling, or grievous
worricow	scarecrow; hobgoblin; frightening-looking person
worsement	deterioration or deprecation of property without the owner's consent
worsification	the composition of bad poetry
wort	any herb or vegetable
wort	infusion of malt before fermentation
wortle	perforated plate through which wire drawn to make thinner
woubit	a small and shabby person
woundless	harmless
woundy	causing wounds; characterized by wounds
woundy	excessively; extremely
wrack	seaweed or wreckage cast up on shore
wrackful	destructive
wranglership	position of being a wrangler at Cambridge University
wrawl	to caterwaul
wreakless	unpunished
wretchock	smallest or weakest of a brood
wrick	to twist; to sprain; to strain
wright	maker; repairer
wristlet	wristband; small strap worn around the wrist
writative	characterized by an inclination to write
writhled	wrinkled; shriveled
wrongous	unjust; wrongful
wroth	wrathful; in commotion; stormy
wrox	to decay; to rot
wuffler	agricultural machine for turning and fluffing bales of hay
wurley	a nest; an aboriginal hut
wurst	large sausage
wurzel	kind of beet
wuthering	blowing strongly with a roaring sound
wye	a Y-branching pipe or railroad track arrangement
wyn	old English rune having value 'w'
wynd	narrow street or lane
wyrd	the personification of fate or destiny

Posted in: English Dictionary