Chapter V: Moth (11)

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.

WHISPER Whis"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.

WHISPER Whis"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.

WHISPERER Whis"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.

WHISPERING Whis"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.

WHISPERINGLY Whis"per*ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers. Tennyson.

WHISPEROUSLY Whis"per*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: Whisperingly. [R.]

WHIST Whist, interj. Etym: [Cf. G. st! pst! bst! Hist.]

Defn: Be silent; be still; hush; silence.

WHIST Whist, 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.

WHIST Whist, v. t. Etym: [From Whist, interj.]

Defn: To hush or silence. [Obs.] Spenser.

WHIST Whist, v. i.

Defn: To be or become silent or still; to be hushed or mute. [R.] Surrey.

WHIST Whist, 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.

WHISTLE Whis"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whistled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling.] Etym: [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hvisla to 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.

WHISTLE Whis"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 him up. 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, mounts aloft." Burton. (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to dismiss. 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 of whistling. [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.

WHISTLEFISH Whis"tle*fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.

WHISTLER Whis"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.

WHISTLEWING Whis"tle*wing`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American golden-eye.

WHISTLEWOOD Whis"tle*wood`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The moosewood, or striped maple. See Maple.

WHISTLING Whis"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.]

WHISTLINGLY Whis"tling*ly, adv.

Defn: In a whistling manner; shrilly.

WHISTLY Whist"ly, adv.

Defn: In a whist manner; silently. [Obs.]

WHIT Whit, n. Etym: [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See Wight, 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.

WHITE White, 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.

3. Specifically, the central part of the butt in archery, which was formerly painted white; the center of a mark at which a missile is shot. 'T was I won the wager, though you hit the white. Shak.

4. A person with a white skin; a member of the white, or Caucasian, races of men.

5. A white pigment; as, Venice white.

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of butterflies belonging to Pieris, and allied genera in which the color is usually white. See Cabbage butterfly, under Cabbage. Black and white. See under Black. -- Flake white, Paris white, etc. See under Flack, Paris, etc. -- White of a seed (Bot.), the albumen. See Albumen, 2. -- White of egg, the viscous pellucid fluid which surrounds the yolk in an egg, particularly in the egg of a fowl. In a hen's egg it is alkaline, and contains about 86 per cent of water and 14 per cent of solid matter, the greater portion of which is egg albumin. It likewise contains a small amount of globulin, and traces of fats and sugar, with some inorganic matter. Heated above 60º C. it coagulates to a solid mass, owing to the albumin which it contains. Parr. -- White of the eye (Anat.), the white part of the ball of the eye surrounding the transparent cornea.

WHITE White, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whited; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiting.] Etym: [AS. hwitan.]

Defn: To make white; to whiten; to whitewash; to bleach. Whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of . . . uncleanness. Matt. xxiii. 27. So as no fuller on earth can white them. Mark. ix. 3.

WHITEBACK White"back`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The canvasback.

WHITEBAIT White"bait`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The young of several species of herrings, especially of the common herring, esteemed a great delicacy by epicures in England. (b) A small translucent fish (Salanx Chinensis) abundant at certain seasons on the coasts of China and Japan, and used in the same manner as the European whitebait.

WHITEBEAM White"beam`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The common beam tree of England (Pyrus Aria); -- so called from the white, woolly under surface of the leaves.

WHITEBEARD White"beard`, n.

Defn: An old man; a graybeard.

WHITEBELLY White"bel`ly, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The American widgeon, or baldpate. (b) The prairie chicken.

WHITEBILL White"bill`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American coot.

WHITE-BLAZE White"-blaze`, n.

Defn: See White-face.

WHITEBLOW White"blow`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Whitlow grass, under Whitlow.

WHITEBOY White"boy`, n.

1. A favorite. [Obs.] See White, a., 6. "One of God's whiteboys." Bunyan.

2. One of an association of poor Roman catholics which arose in Ireland about 1760, ostensibly to resist the collection of tithes, the members of which were so called from the white shirts they wore in their nocturnal raids.

WHITEBOYISM White"boy`ism, n.

Defn: The conduct or principle of the Whiteboys.

WHITECAP White"cap`, n.

1. (Zoöl.) (a) The European redstart; -- so called from its white forehead. (b) The whitethroat; -- so called from its gray head. (c) The European tree sparrow.

2. A wave whose crest breaks into white foam, as when the wind is freshening.

WHITECOAT White"coat`, n.

Defn: The skin of a newborn seal; also, the seal itself. [Sealers' Cant]

WHITE-EAR White"-ear`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wheatear.

WHITE ELEPHANT White elephant.

Defn: Something requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit; any burdensome possession. [Slang]

WHITE-EYE White"-eye`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of small Old World singing of the genus Zosterops, as Zosterops palpebrosus of India, and Z. coerulescens of Australia. The eyes are encircled by a ring of white feathers, whence the name. Called also bush creeper, and white-eyed tit.

WHITE-FACE White"-face`, n.

Defn: A white mark in the forehead of a horse, descending almost to the nose; -- called also white-blaze.

WHITEFISH White"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of Coregonus, a genus of excellent food fishes allied to the salmons. They inhabit the lakes of the colder parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. The largest and most important American species (C. clupeiformis) is abundant in the Great Lakes, and in other lakes farther north. Called also lake whitefish, and Oswego bass. (b) The menhaden. (c) The beluga, or white whale.

Note: Various other fishes are locally called whitefish, as the silver salmon, the whiting (a), the yellowtail, and the young of the bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).

WHITEFLAW White"flaw`, n. Etym: [See Whitlow.] (Med.)

Defn: A whitlow. [Obs.] Holland.

WHITE FLY White fly.

Defn: Any one of numerous small injurious hemipterous insects of the genus Aleyrodes, allied to scale insects. They are usually covered with a white or gray powder.

WHITE-FOOT White"-foot`, n. (Far.)

Defn: A white mark on the foot of a horse, between the fetlock and the coffin.

WHITE FRIAR White" fri`ar. (Eccl.)

Defn: A mendicant monk of the Carmelite order, so called from the white cloaks worn by the order. See Carmelite.

WHITE-FRONTED White`-front"ed, a.

Defn: Having a white front; as, the white-fronted lemur. White- fronted goose (Zoöl.), the white brant, or snow goose. See Snow goose, under Snow.

WHITEHEAD White"head`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The blue-winged snow goose. (b) The surf scoter.

WHITEHEAD TORPEDO; WHITEHEAD White"head` tor*pe"do, or White"head`, n.

Defn: A form of self-propelling torpedo.

WHITE-HEART White"-heart`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A somewhat heart-shaped cherry with a whitish skin.

WHITE HORSE White horse.

Defn: A large mass of tough sinewy substance in the head of sperm whales, just above the upper jaw and extending in streaks into the junk above it. It resembles blubber, but contains no oil. Also, the part of the head in which it occurs.

WHITE-HOT White"-hot`, a.

Defn: White with heat; heated to whiteness, or incandescence.

WHITE-LIMED White"-limed`, a.

Defn: Whitewashed or plastered with lime. "White-limed walls." Shak.

WHITE LIST White list. (a) A list of business concerns regarded as worthy of patronage by reason of compliance with certain conditions, as in regard to treatment of employees; as, the white list of the Consumers' League. [Cant] (b) (New York Stock Exchange) The official list of all transactions, published daily on white paper, divided into sales from 10 to 12, 12 to 2, and 2 to 3.

WHITE-LIVERED White"-liv`ered, a.

Defn: Having a pale look; feeble; hence, cowardly; pusillanimous; dastardly. They must not be milksops, nor white-livered knights. Latimer.

WHITELY White"ly, a.

Defn: Like, or coming near to, white. [Obs.]

WHITE MUSTARD White mustard.

Defn: A kind of mustard (Sinapis alba) with rough-hairy foliage, a long-beaked hispid pod, and pale seeds, which yield mustard and mustard oil. The plant is also grown for forage.

WHITEN Whit"en, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whitened; p. pr. & vb. n. Whitening.] Etym: [OE. whitenen; cf. Icel. hvitna.]

Defn: To grow white; to turn or become white or whiter; as, the hair whitens with age; the sea whitens with foam; the trees in spring whiten with blossoms.

WHITEN Whit"en, v. t.

Defn: To make white; to bleach; to blanch; to whitewash; as, to whiten a wall; to whiten cloth. The broad stream of the Foyle then whitened by vast flocks of wild swans. Macaulay.

Syn. -- See Blanch.

WHITENER Whit"en*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whitens; a bleacher; a blancher; a whitewasher.

WHITENESS White"ness, n. Etym: [AS. hwitness.]

1. The quality or state of being white; white color, or freedom from darkness or obscurity on the surface. Chaucer.

2. Want of a sanguineous tinge; paleness; as from terror, grief, etc. "The whiteness in thy cheek." Shak.

3. Freedom from stain or blemish; purity; cleanness. He had kept The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o'er him wept. Byron.

4. Nakedness. [Obs.] Chapman.

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A flock of swans.

WHITENING Whit"en*ing, n.

1. The act or process of making or becoming white.

2. That which is used to render white; whiting. [R.] Whitening stone, a sharpening and polishing stone used by cutlers; also, a finishing grindstone of fine texture.

WHITE PERSON White person.

Defn: A person of the Caucasian race (6 Fed. Rep. 256). In the time of slavery in the United States white person was generally construed as a person without admixture of colored blood. In various statutes and decisions in different States since 1865 white person is construed as in effect: one not having any negro blood (Ark., Okla.); one having less than one eighth of negro blood (Ala., Fla., Ga., Ind., Ky., Md., Minn., Miss., Mo., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex.); one having less than one fourth (Mich., Neb., Ore., Va.); one having less than one half (Ohio).

WHITE PLAGUE White plague.

Defn: Tuberculosis, esp. of the lungs.

WHITE-POT White"-pot`, n.

Defn: A kind of food made of milk or cream, eggs, sugar, bread, etc., baked in a pot. King.

WHITERUMP White"rump`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American black-tailed godwit.

WHITES Whites, n. pl.

1. (Med.)

Defn: Leucorrh

2. The finest flour made from white wheat.

3. Cloth or garments of a plain white color.

WHITESIDE White"side`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The golden-eye.

WHITE SLAVE White slave.

Defn: A woman held in involuntary confinement for purposes of prostitution; loosely, any woman forced into unwilling prostitution.

WHITE SLAVER White slaver.

Defn: A person engaged in procuring or holding a woman or women for unwilling prostitution.

WHITE SLAVING White slaving.

Defn: The action of one who procures or holds a woman or women for unwilling prostitution.

WHITESMITH White"smith`, n.

1. One who works in tinned or galvanized iron, or white iron; a tinsmith.

2. A worker in iron who finishes or polishes the work, in distinction from one who forges it.

WHITESTER White"ster, n. Etym: [White + -ster.]

Defn: A bleacher of lines; a whitener; a whitster. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITETAIL White"tail`, n.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Virginia deer.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wheatear. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITETHORN White"thorn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The hawthorn.

WHITETHROAT White"throat`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of Old World warblers, esp. the common European species (Sylvia cinerea), called also strawsmear, nettlebird, muff, and whitecap, the garden whitethroat, or golden warbler (S. hortensis), and the lesser whitethroat (S. curruca).

WHITETOP White"top`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Fiorin.

WHITEWALL White"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The spotted flycatcher; -- so called from the white color of the under parts. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITEWASH White"wash` (, n.

1. Any wash or liquid composition for whitening something, as a wash for making the skin fair. Addison.

2. A composition of line and water, or of whiting size, and water, or the like, used for whitening walls, ceilings, etc.; milk of lime.

WHITEWASH White"wash`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whitewashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Whitewashing.]

1. To apply a white liquid composition to; to whiten with whitewash.

2. To make white; to give a fair external appearance to; to clear from imputations or disgrace; hence, to clear (a bankrupt) from obligation to pay debts.

WHITEWASHER White"wash`er, n.

Defn: One who whitewashes.

WHITE-WATER White"-wa`ter, n. (Far.)

Defn: A dangerous disease of sheep.

WHITEWEED White"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial composite herb (Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum) with conspicuous white rays and a yellow disk, a common weed in grass lands and pastures; -- called also oxeye daisy.

WHITEWING White"wing`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The chaffinch; -- so called from the white bands on the wing. (b) The velvet duck.

WHITEWOOD White"wood`, n.

Defn: The soft and easily-worked wood of the tulip tree (Liriodendron). It is much used in cabinetwork, carriage building, etc.

Note: Several other kinds of light-colored wood are called whitewood in various countries, as the wood of Bignonia leucoxylon in the West Indies, of Pittosporum bicolor in Tasmania, etc. Whitewood bark. See the Note under Canella.

WHITEWORT White"wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) Wild camomile. (b) A kind of Solomon's seal (Polygonum officinale).

WHITFLAW Whit"flaw`, n. Etym: [See Whitlow.]

Defn: Whitlow. [Obs.] "The nails fallen off by whitflaws." Herrick.

WHITHER Whith"er, adv. Etym: [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]

1. To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou "Whider may I flee" Chaucer. Sir Valentine, whither away so fast Shak.

2. To what or which place; -- used relatively. That no man should know . . . whither that he went. Chaucer. We came unto the land whither thou sentest us. Num. xiii. 27.

3. To what point, degree, end, conclusion, or design; whereunto; whereto; -- used in a sense not physical. Nor have I . . . whither to appeal. Milton. Any whither, to any place; anywhere. [Obs.] "Any whither, in hope of life eternal." Jer. Taylor. -- No whither, to no place; nowhere. [Obs.] 2 Kings v. 25.

Syn. -- Where. -- Whither, Where. Whither properly implies motion to place, and where rest in a place. Whither is now, however, to a great extent, obsolete, except in poetry, or in compositions of a grave and serious character and in language where precision is required. Where has taken its place, as in the question, "Where are you going"

WHITHERSOEVER Whith`er*so*ev"er, adv. Etym: [Whither + soever.]

Defn: To whatever place; to what place soever; wheresoever; as, I will go whithersoever you lead.

WHITHERWARD Whith"er*ward, adv.

Defn: In what direction; toward what or which place. R. of Brunne. Whitherward to turn for a good course of life was by no means too apparent. Carlyle.

WHITILE Whit"ile, n. Etym: [Perhaps properly, the cutter (see Whittle, v.), or cf. whitewall, witwal.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The yaffle. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITING Whit"ing, n. Etym: [From White.]

1. (Zoöl.) (a) A common European food fish (Melangus vulgaris) of the Codfish family; -- called also fittin. (b) A North American fish (Merlucius vulgaris) allied to the preceding; -- called also silver hake. (c) Any one of several species of North American marine sciænoid food fishes belonging to genus Menticirrhus, especially M. Americanus, found from Maryland to Brazil, and M. littoralis, common from Virginia to Texas; -- called also silver whiting, and surf whiting.

Note: Various other fishes are locally called whiting, as the kingfish (a), the sailor's choice (b), the Pacific tomcod, and certain species of lake whitefishes.

2. Chalk prepared in an impalpable powder by pulverizing and repeated washing, used as a pigment, as an ingredient in putty, for cleaning silver, etc. Whiting pollack. (Zoöl.) Same as Pollack. -- Whiting pout (Zoöl.), the bib, 2.

WHITING-MOP Whit"ing-mop`, n. [Obs.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young whiting. [Prov. Eng.]

2. A fair lass. "This pretty whiting-mop." Massinger.

WHITISH Whit"ish, a. Etym: [From White.]

1. Somewhat white; approaching white; white in a moderate degree.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Covered with an opaque white powder.

WHITISHNESS Whit"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whitish or somewhat white.

WHITLEATHER Whit"leath`er, n. Etym: [White + leather.]

1. Leather dressed or tawed with alum, salt, etc., remarkable for its pliability and toughness; white leather.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The paxwax. See Paxwax.

WHITLING Whit"ling, n. Etym: [White + -ling.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young full trout during its second season. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITLOW Whit"low, n. Etym: [Prov. E. whickflaw, for quickflaw, i. e., a flaw or sore at the quick; cf. Icel. kvika the quick under the nail or under a horse's hoof. See Quick, a., and Flaw.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: An inflammation of the fingers or toes, generally of the last phalanx, terminating usually in suppuration. The inflammation may occupy any seat between the skin and the bone, but is usually applied to a felon or inflammation of the periosteal structures of the bone.

2. (Far.)

Defn: An inflammatory disease of the feet. It occurs round the hoof, where an acrid matter is collected. Whitlow grass (Bot.), name given to several inconspicuous herbs, which were thought to be a cure for the whitlow, as Saxifraga tridactylites, Draba verna, and several species of Paronychia.

WHITLOW-WORT Whit"low-wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Whitlow grass, under Whitlow.

WHITMONDAY Whit"mon`day, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: The day following Whitsunday; -- called also Whitsun Monday.

WHITNEYITE Whit"ney*ite, n. Etym: [So called after J.D. Whitney, an American geologist.] (Min.)

Defn: an arsenide of copper from Lake Superior.

WHITSON Whit"son, a.

Defn: See Whitsun. [Obs.]

WHITSOUR Whit"sour`, n. Etym: [White + sour.] (Bot.)

Defn: A sort of apple.

WHITSTER Whit"ster, n. Etym: [Contracted fr. whitester.]

Defn: A whitener; a bleacher; a whitester. [Obs.] The whitsters in Datchet mead. Shak.

WHITSUN Whit"sun, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or observed at, Whitsuntide; as, Whitsun week; Whitsun Tuesday; Whitsun pastorals.

WHITSUNDAY Whit"sun*day, n. Etym: [White + Sunday.]

1. (Eccl.)

Defn: The seventh Sunday, and the fiftieth day, after Easter; a festival of the church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; -- so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white garments.

2. (Scots Law)

Defn: See the Note under Term, n., 12.

WHITSUNTIDE Whit"sun*tide`, n. Etym: [Whitsunday + tide.]

Defn: The week commencing with Whitsunday, esp. the first three days -- Whitsunday, Whitsun Monday, and Whitsun Tuesday; the time of Pentecost. R. of Gloucester.

WHITTEN TREE Whit"ten tree`. Etym: [Probably from white; cf. AS. hwitingtreów.] (Bot.)

Defn: Either of two shrubs (Viburnum Lantana, and V. Opulus), so called on account of their whitish branches.

WHITTERICK Whit"ter*ick, n.

Defn: The curlew. [Prov. Eng.]

WHITTLE Whit"tle, n. Etym: [AS. hwitel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hvitill a white bed cover. See White.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) Same as Whittle shawl, below. Whittle shawl, a kind of fine woolen shawl, originally and especially a white one.

WHITTLE Whit"tle, n. Etym: [OE. thwitel, fr. AS. pwitan to cut. Cf. Thwittle, Thwaite a piece of ground.]

Defn: A knife; esp., a pocket, sheath, or clasp knife. "A butcher's whittle." Dryden. "Rude whittles." Macaulay. He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose. Betterton.

WHITTLE Whit"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whittled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whittling.]

1. To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp knife or pocketknife.

2. To edge; to sharpen; to render eager or excited; esp., to excite with liquor; to inebriate. [Obs.] "In vino veritas." When men are well whittled, their tongues run at random. Withals.

WHITTLE Whit"tle, v. i.

Defn: To cut or shape a piece of wood with am small knife; to cut up a piece of wood with a knife. Dexterity with a pocketknife is a part of a Nantucket education; but I am inclined to think the propensity is national. Americans must and will whittle. Willis.

WHITTLINGS Whit"tlings, n. pl.

Defn: Chips made by one who whittles; shavings cut from a stick with a knife.

WHITTRET Whit"tret, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A weasel. [Scot.]

WHITTUESDAY Whit"tues`day, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: The day following Whitmonday; -- called also Whitsun Tuesday.

WHITWALL Whit"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Whetile.

WHITWORTH BALL Whit"worth ball`. (Gun.)

Defn: A prejectile used in the Whitworth gun.

WHITWORTH GUN Whit"worth gun`. (Gun.)

Defn: A form of rifled cannon and small arms invented by Sir Joseph Whitworth, of Manchester, England.

Note: In Mr. Whitworth's system, the bore of the gun has a polygonal section, and the twist is rapid. The ball, which is pointed in front, is made to fit the bore accurately, and is very much elongated, its length being about three and one half times as great as its diameter. H. L. Scott.

WHITY-BROWN Whit"y-brown`, a.

Defn: Of a color between white and brown. Pegge.

WHIZ Whiz, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whizzed; p. pr. & vb. n. Whizzing.] Etym: [Of imitative origin. Whistle, and Hiss.]

Defn: To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air; to fly or move swiftly with a sharp hissing or whistling sound. [Written also whizz.] It flew, and whizzing, cut the liquid way. Dryden.

WHIZ Whiz, n.

Defn: A hissing and humming sound. Like the whiz of my crossbow. Coleridge.

WHIZZINGLY Whiz"zing*ly, adv.

Defn: With a whizzing sound.

WHO Who, pron. [Possess. whose; object. Whom.] Etym: [OE. who, wha, AS. hwa, interrogative pron., neut. hwæt; akin to OFries. hwa, neut. hwet, OS. hwe, neut. hwat, D. wie, neut. wat, G. wer, neut.was, OHG. wer, hwer, neut. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, neut., Dan. hvo, neut. hvad, Sw. ho, hvem, neut. hvad, Goth. hwas, fem. hwo, neut. hwa, Lith. kas, Ir. & Gael. co, W. pwy, L. quod, neuter of qui, Gr. po`teros whether, Skr. kas. sq. root182. Cf. How, Quantity, Quorum, Quote, Ubiquity, What, When, Where, Whether, Which, Whither, Whom, Why.]

1. Originally, an interrogative pronoun, later, a relative pronoun also; -- used always substantively, and either as singular or plural. See the Note under What, pron., 1. As interrogative pronouns, who and whom ask the question: What or which person or persons Who and whom, as relative pronouns (in the sense of that), are properly used of persons (corresponding to which, as applied to things), but are sometimes, less properly and now rarely, used of animals, plants, etc. Who and whom, as compound relatives, are also used especially of persons, meaning the person that; the persons that; the one that; whosoever. "Let who will be President." Macaulay. [He] should not tell whose children they were. Chaucer. There thou tell'st of kings, and who aspire; Who fall, who rise, who triumph, who do moan. Daniel. Adders who with cloven tongues Do hiss into madness. Shak. Whom I could pity thus forlorn. Milton. How hard is our fate, who serve in the state. Addison. Who cheapens life, abates the fear of death. Young. The brace of large greyhounds, who were the companions of his sports. Sir W. Scott.

2. One; any; one. [Obs., except in the archaic phrase, as who should say.] As who should say, it were a very dangerous matter if a man in any point should be found wiser than his forefathers were. Robynson (More's Utopia).

WHOA Whoa, interj.

Defn: Stop; stand; hold. See Ho, 2.

WHOBUB Who"bub, n.

Defn: Hubbub. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

WHOEVER Who*ev"er, pron.

Defn: Whatever person; any person who; be or she who; any one who; as, he shall be punished, whoever he may be. "Whoever envies or repines." Milton. "Whoever the king favors." Shak.

WHOLE Whole, a. Etym: [OE. hole, hol, hal, hool, AS. hal well, sound, healthy; akin to OFries. & OS. h, D. heel, G. heil, Icel. heill, Sw. hel whole, Dan. heel, Goth. hails well, sound, OIr. c augury. Cf. Hale, Hail to greet, Heal to cure, Health, Holy.]

1. Containing the total amount, number, etc.; comprising all the parts; free from deficiency; all; total; entire; as, the whole earth; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation. "On their whole host I flew unarmed." Milton. The whole race of mankind. Shak.

2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; not broken or fractured; unimpaired; uninjured; integral; as, a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole. My life is yet whole in me. 2 Sam. i. 9.

3. Possessing, or being in a state of, heath and soundness; healthy; sound; well. [She] findeth there her friends hole and sound. Chaucer. They that be whole need not a physician. Matt. ix. 12. When Sir Lancelot's deadly hurt was whole. Tennyson. Whole blood. (Law of Descent) See under Blood, n., 2. -- Whole note (Mus.), the note which represents a note of longest duration in common use; a semibreve. -- Whole number (Math.), a number which is not a fraction or mixed number; an integer. Whole snipe (Zoöl.), the common snipe, as distinguished from the smaller jacksnipe. [Prov. Eng.]

Syn. -- All; total; complete; entire; integral; undivided; uninjured; unimpaired; unbroken; healthy. -- Whole, Total, Entire, Complete. When we use the word whole, we refer to a thing as made up of parts, none of which are wanting; as, a whole week; a whole year; the whole creation. When we use the word total, we have reference to all as taken together, and forming a single totality; as, the total amount; the total income. When we speak of a thing as entire, we have no reference to parts at all, but regard the thing as an integer, i. e., continuous or unbroken; as, an entire year; entire prosperity. When we speak of a thing as complete, there is reference to some progress which results in a filling out to some end or object, or a perfected state with no deficiency; as, complete success; a complete victory. All the whole army stood agazed on him. Shak. One entire and perfect chrysolite. Shak. Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life. Milton. So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. Milton.

WHOLE Whole, n.

1. The entire thing; the entire assemblage of parts; totality; all of a thing, without defect or exception; a thing complete in itself. "This not the whole of life to live, Nor all of death to die. J. Montgomery.

2. A regular combination of parts; a system. Parts answering parts shall slide into a whole. Pope. Committee of the whole. See under Committee. -- Upon the whole, considering all things; taking everything into account; in view of all the circumstances or conditions.

Syn. -- Totality; total; amount; aggregate; gross.

WHOLE-HOOFED Whole"-hoofed`, a.

Defn: Having an undivided hoof, as the horse.

WHOLE-LENGTH Whole"-length`, a.

Defn: Representing the whole figure; -- said of a picture or statue. -- n.

Defn: A portrait or statue representing the whole figure.

WHOLENESS Whole"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being whole, entire, or sound; entireness; totality; completeness.

WHOLESALE Whole"sale`, n.

Defn: Sale of goods by the piece or large quantity, as distinguished from retail. By wholesale, in the mass; in large quantities; without distinction or discrimination. Some, from vanity or envy, despise a valuable book, and throw contempt upon it by wholesale. I. Watts.

WHOLESALE Whole"sale`, a.

1. Pertaining to, or engaged in, trade by the piece or large quantity; selling to retailers or jobbers rather than to consumers; as, a wholesale merchant; the wholesale price.

2. Extensive and indiscriminate; as, wholesale slaughter. "A time for wholesale trust." Mrs. Humphry Ward.

WHOLESOME Whole"some, a. [Compar. Wholesomer; superl. Wholesomest.] Etym: [Whole + some; cf. Icel. heilsamr, G. heilsam, D. heilzaam.]

1. Tending to promote health; favoring health; salubrious; salutary. Wholesome thirst and appetite. Milton. From which the industrious poor derive an agreeable and wholesome variety of food. A Smith.

2. Contributing to the health of the mind; favorable to morals, religion, or prosperity; conducive to good; salutary; sound; as, wholesome advice; wholesome doctrines; wholesome truths; wholesome laws. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. Prov. xv. 4. I can not . . . make you a wholesome answer; my wit's diseased. Shak. A wholesome suspicion began to be entertained. Sir W. Scott.

3. Sound; healthy. [Obs.] Shak. -- Whole"some*ly, adv. -- Whole"some*ness, n.

WHOLE-SOULED Whole"-souled`, a.

Defn: Thoroughly imbued with a right spirit; noble-minded; devoted.

WHOLLY Whol"ly, adv.

1. In a whole or complete manner; entirely; completely; perfectly. Nor wholly overcome, nor wholly yield. Dryden.

2. To the exclusion of other things; totally; fully. They employed themselves wholly in domestic life. Addison.

WHOM Whom, pron. Etym: [OE. wham, AS. dative hwam, hw. See Who.]

Defn: The objective case of who. See Who.

Note: In Old English, whom was also commonly used as a dative. Cf. Him. And every grass that groweth upon root She shall eke know, and whom it will do boot. Chaucer.

WHOMSOEVER Whom`so*ev"er, pron.

Defn: The objective of whosoever. See Whosoever. The Most High ruleth in the kingdow of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Dan. iv. 17.

WHOOBUB Whoo"bub, n.

Defn: Hubbub. [Obs.] Shak.

WHOOP Whoop (, n. Etym: [See Hoopoe.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The hoopoe.

WHOOP Whoop, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whooped; p. pr. & vb. n. Whooping.] Etym: [OE. houpen. See Hoop, v. i.]

1. To utter a whoop, or loud cry, as eagerness, enthusiasm, or enjoyment; to cry out; to shout; to halloo; to utter a war whoop; to hoot, as an owl. Each whooping with a merry shout. Wordsworth. When naught was heard but now and then the howl Of some vile cur, or whooping of the owl. W. Browne.

2. To cough or breathe with a sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.

WHOOP Whoop, v. t.

Defn: To insult with shouts; to chase with derision. And suffered me by the voice of slaves to be Whooped out of Rome. Shak.

WHOOP Whoop, n.

1. A shout of pursuit or of war; a very of eagerness, enthusiasm, enjoyment, vengeance, terror, or the like; an halloo; a hoot, or cry, as of an owl. A fox, crossing the road, drew off a considerable detachment, who clapped spurs to their horses, and pursued him with whoops and halloos. Addison. The whoop of the crane. Longfellow.

2. A loud, shrill, prolonged sound or sonorous inspiration, as in whooping cough.

WHOOPER Whoop"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, whooops. Woopher swan. (Zoöl.) See the Note under Swan.

WHOOPING Whoop"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Whoop, v. t. Whooping cough (Med.), a violent, convulsive cough, returning at longer or shorter intervals, and consisting of several expirations, followed by a sonorous inspiration, or whoop; chin cough; hooping cough. Dunglison. -- Whooping crane (Zoöl.), a North American crane (Crus Americana) noted for the loud, whooplike note which it utters. -- Whooping swan (Zoöl.), the whooper swan. See the Note under Swan.

WHOOT Whoot, v. i. Etym: [See Hoot.]

Defn: To hoot. [Obs.]

WHOP Whop, v. t.

Defn: Same as Whap. Forby.

WHOP Whop, n.

Defn: Same as Whap.

WHOPPER Whop"per, n. Etym: [Cf. Whapper.]

1. One who, or that which, whops.

2. Same as Whapper.

WHORE Whore, n. Etym: [OE. hore, AS. h; akin to D. hoer, hoere, G. hure, OHG. huora, huorra, Icel. h, Dan. hore, Sw. hora, Goth. h an adulterer, AS. h adultery, OHG. huor, and probably to L. carus dear. Cf. Charity.]

Defn: A woman who practices unlawful sexual commerce with men, especially one who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a harlot. Wyclif.

Syn. -- Harlot; courtesan; prostitute; strumpet.

WHORE Whore, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whored; p. pr. & vb. n. Whoring.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. h. See Whore, n.]

1. To have unlawful sexual intercourse; to practice lewdness.

2. (Script.)

Defn: To worship false and impure gods.

WHORE Whore, v. t.

Defn: To corrupt by lewd intercourse; to make a whore of; to debauch. [R.] Congreve.

WHOREDOM Whore"dom, n. Etym: [OE. hordom; cf. Icel. h.]

1. The practice of unlawful intercourse with the other sex; fornication; lewdness.

2. (Script.)

Defn: The sin of worshiping idols; idolatry. O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled; they will not . . . turn unto their God. Hos. v. 3, 4.

WHOREMASTER Whore"mas`ter, n.

1. A man who practices lewdness; a lecher; a whoremonger.

2. One keeps or procures whores for others; a pimp; a procurer.

WHOREMASTERLY Whore"mas`ter*ly, a.

Defn: Having the character of a whoremaster; lecherous; libidinous.

WHOREMONGER Whore"mon`ger, n.

Defn: A whoremaster; a lecher; a man who frequents the society of whores.

WHORESON Whore"son, n.

Defn: A bastard; colloquially, a low, scurvy fellow; -- used generally in contempt, or in coarse humor. Also used adjectively. [Archaic] Shak.

WHORISH Whor"ish, a.