Chapter V: Moth (17)

3. Deserving of; -- in a good or bad sense, but chiefly in a good sense. To reign is worth ambition, though in hell. Milton. This is life indeed, life worth preserving. Addison.

4. Having possessions equal to; having wealth or estate to the value of. At Geneva are merchants reckoned worth twenty hundred crowns. Addison. Worth while, or Worth the while. See under While, n.

WORTH Worth, n. Etym: [OE. worth, wurÞ, AS. weorth, wurth; weorth, wurth, adj. See Worth, a.]

1. That quality of a thing which renders it valuable or useful; sum of valuable qualities which render anything useful and sought; value; hence, often, value as expressed in a standard, as money; equivalent in exchange; price. What 's worth in anything But so much money as 't will bring Hudibras.

2. Value in respect of moral or personal qualities; excellence; virtue; eminence; desert; merit; usefulness; as, a man or magistrate of great worth. To be of worth, and worthy estimation. Shak. As none but she, who in that court did dwell, Could know such worth, or worth describe so well. Waller. To think how modest worth neglected lies. Shenstone.

Syn. -- Desert; merit; excellence; price; rate.

WORTHFUL Worth"ful, a.

Defn: Full of worth; worthy; deserving. Marston.

WORTHILY Wor"thi*ly, adv.

Defn: In a worthy manner; excellently; deservedly; according to merit; justly; suitably; becomingly. You worthily succeed not only to the honors of your ancestors, but also to their virtues. Dryden. Some may very worthily deserve to be hated. South.

WORTHINESS Wor"thi*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being worthy; desert; merit; excellence; dignity; virtue; worth. Who is sure he hath a soul, unless It see, and judge, and follow worthiness Donne. She is not worthy to be loved that hath not some feeling of her own worthiness. Sir P. Sidney. The prayers which our Savior made were for his own worthiness accepted. Hooker.

WORTHLESS Worth"less, a. Etym: [AS. weorthleás.]

Defn: Destitute of worth; having no value, virtue, excellence, dignity, or the like; undeserving; valueless; useless; vile; mean; as, a worthless garment; a worthless ship; a worthless man or woman; a worthless magistrate. 'T is a worthless world to win or lose. Byron. -- Worth"less*ly, adv. -- Worth"less*ness, n.

WORTHWHILE worthwhile, adj.

Defn: Worth the time or effort spent. See worth while. worthy. -- worthwhileness.

WORTHY Wor"thy, a. [Compar. Worthier (; superl. Worthiest.] Etym: [OE. worthi, wurÞi, from worth, wurÞ, n.; cf. Icel. verthugr, D. waardig, G. würdig, OHG. wirdig. See Worth, n.]

1. Having worth or excellence; possessing merit; valuable; deserving; estimable; excellent; virtuous. Full worthy was he in his lordes war. Chaucer. These banished men that I have kept withal Are men endued with worthy qualities. Shak. Happier thou mayst be, worthier canst not be. Milton. This worthy mind should worthy things embrace. Sir J. Davies.

2. Having suitable, adapted, or equivalent qualities or value; -- usually with of before the thing compared or the object; more rarely, with a following infinitive instead of of, or with that; as, worthy of, equal in excellence, value, or dignity to; entitled to; meriting; -- usually in a good sense, but sometimes in a bad one. No, Warwick, thou art worthy of the sway. Shak. The merciless Macdonwald, Worthy to be a rebel. Shak. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. Matt. iii. 11. And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know More happiness. Milton. The lodging is well worthy of the guest. Dryden.

3. Of high station; of high social position. [Obs.] Worthy women of the town. Chaucer. Worthiest of blood (Eng. Law of Descent), most worthy of those of the same blood to succeed or inherit; -- applied to males, and expressive of the preference given them over females. Burrill.

WORTHY Wor"thy, n.; pl. Worthies (.

Defn: A man of eminent worth or value; one distinguished for useful and estimable qualities; a person of conspicuous desert; -- much used in the plural; as, the worthies of the church; political worthies; military worthies. The blood of ancient worthies in his veins. Cowper.

WORTHY Wor"thy, v. t.

Defn: To render worthy; to exalt into a hero. [Obs.] Shak.

WOST Wost,

Defn: 2d pers. sing. pres. of Wit, to know. [Obs.] Spenser.

WOT Wot,

Defn: 1st & 3d pers. sing. pres. of Wit, to know. See the Note under Wit, v. [Obs.] Brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it. Acts iii. 17.

WOTEST; WOTTEST Wot"est, Wot"test,

Defn: 2d pers. sing. pres. of Wit, to know. [Obs.]

WOTETH; WOTTETH Wot"eth, Wot"teth,

Defn: 3d pers. sing. pres. of Wit, to know. [Obs.] "He wotteth neither what he babbleth, nor what he meaneth." Tyndale.

WOUL Woul, v. i.

Defn: To howl. [Obs.] Wyclif.

WOULD Would, imp. of Will. Etym: [OE. & AS. wolde. See Will, v. t.]

Defn: Commonly used as an auxiliary verb, either in the past tense or in the conditional or optative present. See 2d & 3d Will.

Note: Would was formerly used also as the past participle of Will. Right as our Lord hath would. Chaucer.

WOULD Would, n.

Defn: See 2d Weld.

WOULD-BE Would"-be

Defn: ' (as, a would-be poet.

WOULDING Would"ing, n.

Defn: Emotion of desire; inclination; velleity. [Obs.] Hammond.

WOULDINGNESS Would"ing*ness, n.

Defn: Willingness; desire. [Obs.]

WOULFE BOTTLE Woulfe" bot`tle, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A kind of wash bottle with two or three necks; -- so called after the inventor, Peter Woulfe, an English chemist.

WOUND Wound,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Wind to twist, and Wind to sound by blowing.

WOUND Wound, n. Etym: [OE. wounde, wunde, AS. wund; akin to OFries. wunde, OS. wunda, D. wonde, OHG. wunta, G. wunde, Icel. und, and to AS., OS., & G. wund sore, wounded, OHG. wunt, Goth. wunds, and perhaps also to Goth. winnan to suffer, E. win. *140. Cf. Zounds.]

1. A hurt or injury caused by violence; specifically, a breach of the skin and flesh of an animal, or in the substance of any creature or living thing; a cut, stab, rent, or the like. Chaucer. Showers of blood Rained from the wounds of slaughtered Englishmen. Shak.

2. Fig.: An injury, hurt, damage, detriment, or the like, to feeling, faculty, reputation, etc.

3. (Criminal Law)

Defn: An injury to the person by which the skin is divided, or its continuity broken; a lesion of the body, involving some solution of continuity.

Note: Walker condemns the pronunciation woond as a "capricious novelty." It is certainly opposed to an important principle of our language, namely, that the Old English long sound written ou, and pronounced like French ou or modern English oo, has regularly changed, when accented, into the diphthongal sound usually written with the same letters ou in modern English, as in ground, hound, round, sound. The use of ou in Old English to represent the sound of modern English oo was borrowed from the French, and replaced the older and Anglo-Saxon spelling with u. It makes no difference whether the word was taken from the French or not, provided it is old enough in English to have suffered this change to what is now the common sound of ou; but words taken from the French at a later time, or influenced by French, may have the French sound. Wound gall (Zoöl.), an elongated swollen or tuberous gall on the branches of the grapevine, caused by a small reddish brown weevil (Ampeloglypter sesostris) whose larvæ inhabit the galls.

WOUND Wound, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Wounding.] Etym: [AS. wundian. *140. See Wound, n.]

1. To hurt by violence; to produce a breach, or separation of parts, in, as by a cut, stab, blow, or the like. The archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 1 Sam. xxxi. 3.

2. To hurt the feelings of; to pain by disrespect, ingratitude, or the like; to cause injury to. When ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. 1 Cor. viii. 12.

WOUNDABLE Wound"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being wounded; vulnerable. [R.] Fuller.

WOUNDER Wound"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, wounds.

WOUNDILY Wound"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a woundy manner; excessively; woundy. [Obs.]

WOUNDLESS Wound"less, a.

Defn: Free from wound or hurt; exempt from being wounded; invulnerable. "Knights whose woundless armor rusts." Spenser. [Slander] may miss our name, And hit the woundless air. Shak.

WOUNDWORT Wound"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Any one of certain plants whose soft, downy leaves have been used for dressing wounds, as the kidney vetch, and several species of the labiate genus Stachys.

WOUNDY Wound"y, a.

Defn: Excessive. [Obs.] Such a world of holidays, that 't a woundy hindrance to a poor man that lives by his labor. L'Estrange.

WOUNDY Wound"y, adv.

Defn: Excessively; extremely. [Obs.] A am woundy cold. Ford.

WOURALI Wou"ra*li, n.

Defn: Same as Curare.

WOU-WOU Wou"-wou`, n. Etym: [So called from its cry.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The agile, or silvery, gibbon; -- called also camper. See Gibbon. [Written also wow-wow.]

WOVE Wove,

Defn: p. pr. & rare vb. n. of Weave.

WOVEN Wov"en,

Defn: p. p. of Weave. Woven paper, or Wove paper, writing paper having an even, uniform surface, without watermarks.

WOWE Wowe, v. t. & i.

Defn: To woo. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WOWF Wowf, a.

Defn: Disordered or unsettled in intellect; deranged. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

WOWKE Wowke, n.

Defn: Week. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WOW-WOW Wow"-wow", n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Wou-wou.

WOX Wox, obs.

Defn: imp. of Wax. Gower.

WOXEN Wox"en, obs.

Defn: p. p. of Wax. Chaucer.

WRACK Wrack, n.

Defn: A thin, flying cloud; a rack.

WRACK Wrack, v. t.

Defn: To rack; to torment. [R.]

WRACK Wrack, n. Etym: [OE. wrak wreck. See Wreck.]

1. Wreck; ruin; destruction. [Obs.] Chaucer. "A world devote to universal wrack." Milton. wrack and ruin

2. Any marine vegetation cast up on the shore, especially plants of the genera Fucus, Laminaria, and Zostera, which are most abundant on northern shores.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Coarse seaweed of any kind. Wrack grass, or Grass wrack (Bot.), eelgrass.

WRACK Wrack, v. t.

Defn: To wreck. [Obs.] Dryden.

WRACKFUL Wrack"ful, a.

Defn: Ruinous; destructive. [Obs.]

WRAIN-BOLT Wrain"-bolt`, n.

Defn: Same as Wringbolt.

WRAITH Wraith, n. Etym: [Scot. wraith, warth; probably originally, a guardian angel, from Icel. vörthr a warden, guardian, akin to E. ward. See Ward a guard.]

1. An apparition of a person in his exact likeness, seen before death, or a little after; hence, an apparition; a specter; a vision; an unreal image. [Scot.] She was uncertain if it were the gypsy or her wraith. Sir W. Scott. O, hollow wraith of dying fame. Tennyson.

2. Sometimes, improperly, a spirit thought to preside over the waters; -- called also water wraith. M. G. Lewis.

WRANGLE Wran"gle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wrangled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrangling.] Etym: [OE. wranglen to wrestle. See Wrong, Wring.]

1. To argue; to debate; to dispute. [Obs.]

2. To dispute angrily; to quarrel peevishly and noisily; to brawl; to altercate. "In spite of occasional wranglings." Macaulay. For a score of kingdoms you should wrangle. Shak. He did not know what it was to wrangle on indifferent points. Addison.

WRANGLE Wran"gle, v. t.

Defn: To involve in a quarrel or dispute; to embroil. [R.] Bp. Sanderson.

WRANGLE Wran"gle, n.

Defn: An angry dispute; a noisy quarrel; a squabble; an altercation.

Syn. -- Altercation; bickering; brawl; jar; jangle; contest; controversy. See Altercation.

WRANGLER Wran"gler, n.

1. An angry disputant; one who disputes with heat or peevishness. "Noisy and contentious wranglers." I. Watts.

2. One of those who stand in the first rank of honors in the University of Cambridge, England. They are called, according to their rank, senior wrangler, second wrangler, third wrangler, etc. Cf. Optime.

WRANGLERSHIP Wran"gler*ship, n.

Defn: The honor or position of being a wrangler at the University of Cambridge, England.

WRANGLESOME Wran"gle*some, a.

Defn: Contentious; quarrelsome. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

WRANNOCK; WRANNY Wran"nock, Wran"ny, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The common wren. [Prov. Eng.]

WRAP Wrap, v. t. Etym: [A corrupt spelling of rap.]

Defn: To snatch up; transport; -- chiefly used in the p. p. wrapt. Lo! where the stripling, wrapt in wonder, roves. Beattie.

WRAP Wrap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrapped or Wrapt; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrapping.] Etym: [OE. wrappen, probably akin to E. warp. *144. Cf. Warp.]

1. To wind or fold together; to arrange in folds. Then cometh Simon Peter, . . . and seeth . . . the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. John xx. 6, 7. Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. Bryant.

2. To cover by winding or folding; to envelop completely; to involve; to infold; -- often with up. I . . . wrapt in mist Of midnight vapor, glide obscure. Milton.

3. To conceal by enveloping or infolding; to hide; hence, to involve, as an effect or consequence; to be followed by. Wise poets that wrap truth in tales. Carew. To be wrapped up in, to be wholly engrossed in; to be entirely dependent on; to be covered with. Leontine's young wife, in whom all his happiness was wrapped up, died in a few days after the death of her daughter. Addison. Things reflected on in gross and transiently . . . are thought to be wrapped up in impenetrable obscurity. Locke.

WRAP Wrap, n.

Defn: A wrapper; -- often used in the plural for blankets, furs, shawls, etc., used in riding or traveling.

WRAPPAGE Wrap"page (; 48), n.

1. The act of wrapping.

2. That which wraps; envelope; covering.

WRAPPER Wrap"per, n.

1. One who, or that which, wraps.

2. That in which anything is wrapped, or inclosed; envelope; covering.

3. Specifically, a loose outer garment; an article of dress intended to be wrapped round the person; as, a morning wrapper; a gentleman's wrapper.

WRAPRASCAL Wrap"ras`cal, n.

Defn: A kind of coarse upper coat, or overcoat, formerly worn.

WRASSE Wrasse, n. Etym: [W. gwrachen.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous edible, marine, spiny-finned fishes of the genus Labrus, of which several species are found in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coast of Europe. Many of the species are bright- colored.

Note: Among the European species are the ballan wrasse (Labrus maculatus), the streaked wrasse (L. lineatus), the red wrasse (L. mixtus), the comber wrasse (L. comber), the blue-striped, or cook, wrasse (see Peacock fish, under Peacock), the rainbow wrasse (L. vulgaris), and the seawife.

WRASTLE Wras"tle, v. i. Etym: [OE. wrastlen. See Wrestle.]

Defn: To wrestle. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.] Who wrastleth best naked, with oil enoint. Chaucer.

WRATH Wrath, n. Etym: [OE. wrathe, wraÞ\'ede, wrethe, wræ\'ebthe, AS. wræ\'ebtho, fr. wra\'eb wroth; akin to Icel. reithi wrath. See Wroth, a.]

1. Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; rage; fury; ire. Wrath is a fire, and jealousy a weed. Spenser. When the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased. Esther ii. 1. Now smoking and frothing Its tumult and wrath in. Southey.

2. The effects of anger or indignation; the just punishment of an offense or a crime. "A revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Rom. xiii. 4.

Syn. -- Anger; fury; rage; ire; vengeance; indignation; resentment; passion. See Anger.

WRATH Wrath, a.

Defn: See Wroth. [Obs.]

WRATH Wrath, v. t.

Defn: To anger; to enrage; -- also used impersonally. [Obs.] "I will not wrathen him." Chaucer. If him wratheth, be ywar and his way shun. Piers Plowman.

WRATHFUL Wrath"ful, a.

1. Full of wrath; very angry; greatly incensed; ireful; passionate; as, a wrathful man.

2. Springing from, or expressing, wrath; as, a wrathful countenance. "Wrathful passions." Sprat.

Syn. -- Furious; raging; indignant; resentful. -- Wrath"ful*ly, adv. -- Wrath"ful*ness, n.

WRATHILY Wrath"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a wrathy manner; very angrily; wrathfully. [Colloq.]

WRATHLESS Wrath"less, a.

Defn: Free from anger or wrath. Waller.

WRATHY Wrath"y, a.

Defn: Very angry. [Colloq.]

WRAW Wraw, a. Etym: [Cf. dial. Sw. vrå willful, disobedient.]

Defn: Angry; vexed; wrathful. [Obs.] With this speech the cock wex wroth and wraw. Chaucer.

WRAWFUL Wraw"ful, a.

Defn: Ill-tempered. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRAWL Wrawl, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Dan. vraale, Sw. vråla to brawl, to roar, Dan. vraal a bawling, roaring, vræle to cry, weep, whine.]

Defn: To cry, as a cat; to waul. [Obs.] Spenser.

WRAWNESS Wraw"ness, n.

Defn: Peevishness; ill temper; anger. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRAY Wray, v. t. Etym: [AS. wr to accuse. See Bewray.]

Defn: To reveal; to disclose. [Obs.] To no wight thou shalt this counsel wray. Chaucer.

WREAK Wreak, v. i.

Defn: To reck; to care. [Obs.] Shak.

WREAK Wreak, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wreaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Wreaking.] Etym: [OE. wrek to revenge, punish, drive out, AS. wrecan; akin to OFries. wreka, OS. wrekan to punish, D. wreken to avenge, G. rächen, OHG. rehhan, Icel. reka to drive, to take vengeance, Goth. wrikan to persecute, Lith. vargas distress, vargti to suffer distress, L. urgere to drive, urge, Gr. Urge, Wreck, Wretch.]

1. To revenge; to avenge. [Archaic] He should wreake him on his foes. Chaucer. Another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. Spenser. Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain. Fairfax.

2. To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. On me let Death wreak all his rage. Milton. Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years. Macaulay. But gather all thy powers, And wreak them on the verse that thou dost weave. Bryant.

WREAK Wreak, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. wræc exile, persecution, misery. See Wreak, v. t.]

Defn: Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment. [Obs.] Shak. Spenser.

WREAKEN Wreak"en, obs.

Defn: p. p. of Wreak. Chaucer.

WREAKER Wreak"er, n. Etym: [See Wreak.]

Defn: Avenger. [Obs.] The stork, the wrekere of avouterye [adultery]. Chaucer.

WREAKFUL Wreak"ful, a.

Defn: Revengeful; angry; furious. [Obs.] -- Wreak"ful*ly, adv. [Obs.]

WREAKLESS Wreak"less, a.

Defn: Unrevengeful; weak. [Obs.]

WREATH Wreath, n.; pl. Wreaths. Etym: [OE. wrethe, AS. wræedh a twisted band, fr. wriedhan to twist. See Writhe.]

1. Something twisted, intertwined, or curled; as, a wreath of smoke; a wreath of flowers. "A wrethe of gold." Chaucer. [He] of his tortuous train Curled many a wanton wreath. Milton.

2. A garland; a chaplet, esp. one given to a victor. Conquest doth grant He dear wreath to the Grecian combatant. Chapman. Far back in the ages, The plow with wreaths was crowned. Bryant.

3. (Her.)

Defn: An appendage to the shield, placed above it, and supporting the crest (see Illust. of Crest). It generally represents a twist of two cords of silk, one tinctured like the principal metal, the other like the principal color in the arms.

WREATHE Wreathe, v. t. [imp. Wreathed; p. p. Wreathed; Archaic Wreathen; p. pr. & vb. n. Wreathing.] Etym: [See Wreath, n.] [Written also wreath.]

1. To cause to revolve or writhe; to twist about; to turn. [Obs.] And from so heavy sight his head did wreathe. Spenser.

2. To twist; to convolve; to wind one about another; to entwine. The nods and smiles of recognition into which this singular physiognomy was wreathed. Sir W. Scott. From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve Down dropped. Milton.

3. To surround with anything twisted or convolved; to encircle; to infold. Each wreathed in the other's arms. Shak. Dusk faces with withe silken turbants wreathed. Milton. And with thy winding ivy wreathes her lance. Dryden.

4. To twine or twist about; to surround; to encircle. In the flowers that wreathe the sparkling bowl, Fell adders hiss. Prior.

WREATHE Wreathe, v. i.

Defn: To be intewoven or entwined; to twine together; as, a bower of wreathing trees. Dryden.

WREATHEN Wreath"en, a.

Defn: Twisted; made into a wreath. "Wreathen work of pure gold." Ex. xxviii. 22.

WREATHLESS Wreath"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of a wreath.

WREATH-SHELL Wreath"-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A marine shell of the genus Turbo. See Turbo.

WREATHY Wreath"y, a.

Defn: Wreathed; twisted; curled; spiral; also, full of wreaths. "Wreathy spires, and cochleary turnings about." Sir T. Browne.

WRECCHE Wrec"che, n.

Defn: A wretch. [Obs.]

WRECCHE Wrec"che, a.

Defn: Wretched. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRECHE Wreche, n.

Defn: Wreak. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRECK Wreck, v. t. & n.

Defn: See 2d & 3d Wreak.

WRECK Wreck, n. Etym: [OE. wrak, AS. wræc exile, persecution, misery, from wrecan to drive out, punish; akin to D. wrak, adj., damaged, brittle, n., a wreck, wraken to reject, throw off, Icel. rek a thing drifted ashore, Sw. vrak refuse, a wreck, Dan. vrag. See Wreak, v. t., and cf. Wrack a marine plant.] [Written also wrack.]

1. The destruction or injury of a vessel by being cast on shore, or on rocks, or by being disabled or sunk by the force of winds or waves; shipwreck. Hard and obstinate As is a rock amidst the raging floods, 'Gainst which a ship, of succor desolate, Doth suffer wreck, both of herself and goods. Spenser.

2. Destruction or injury of anything, especially by violence; ruin; as, the wreck of a railroad train. The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds. Addison. Its intellectual life was thus able to go on amidst the wreck of its political life. J. R. Green.

3. The ruins of a ship stranded; a ship dashed against rocks or land, and broken, or otherwise rendered useless, by violence and fracture; as, they burned the wreck.

4. The remain of anything ruined or fatally injured. To the fair haven of my native home, The wreck of what I was, fatigued I come. Cowper.

5. (Law)

Defn: Goods, etc., which, after a shipwreck, are cast upon the land by the sea. Bouvier.

WRECK Wreck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrecked; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrecking.]

1. To destroy, disable, or seriously damage, as a vessel, by driving it against the shore or on rocks, by causing it to become unseaworthy, to founder, or the like; to shipwreck. Supposing that they saw the king's ship wrecked. Shak.

2. To bring wreck or ruin upon by any kind of violence; to destroy, as a railroad train.

3. To involve in a wreck; hence, to cause to suffer ruin; to balk of success, and bring disaster on. Weak and envied, if they should conspire, They wreck themselves. Daniel.

WRECK Wreck, v. i.

1. To suffer wreck or ruin. Milton.

2. To work upon a wreck, as in saving property or lives, or in plundering.

WRECKAGE Wreck"age (; 48), n.

1. The act of wrecking, or state of being wrecked.

2. That which has been wrecked; remains of a wreck.

WRECKER Wreck"er, n.

1. One who causes a wreck, as by false lights, and the like.

2. One who searches fro, or works upon, the wrecks of vessels, etc. Specifically: (a) One who visits a wreck for the purpose of plunder. (b) One who is employed in saving property or lives from a wrecked vessel, or in saving the vessel; as, the wreckers of Key West.

3. A vessel employed by wreckers.

WRECKFISH Wreck"fish`, n. Etym: [So called because it often comes in with wreckage.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A stone bass.

WRECKFUL Wreck"ful, a.

Defn: Causing wreck; involving ruin; destructive. "By wreckful wind." Spenser.

WRECKING Wreck"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Wreck, v. Wrecking car (Railway), a car fitted up with apparatus and implements for removing the wreck occasioned by an accident, as by a collision. -- Wrecking pump, a pump especially adapted for pumping water from the hull of a wrecked vessel.

WRECK-MASTER Wreck"-mas`ter, n.

Defn: A person appointed by law to take charge of goods, etc., thrown on shore after a shipwreck.

WREKE; WREEKE Wreke, Wreeke, v. t.

Defn: See 2d Wreak. [Obs.]

WREN Wren, n. Etym: [OE. wrenne, AS. wrenna, wrænna, perhaps akin to wr lascivious.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small singing birds belonging to Troglodytes and numerous allied of the family Troglodytidæ.

Note: Among the species best known are the house wren (Troglodytes aëdon) common in both Europe and America, and the American winter wren (T. hiemalis). See also Cactus wren, Marsh wren, and Rock wren, under Cactus, Marsh, and Rock.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small singing birds more or less resembling the true wrens in size and habits.

Note: Among these are several species of European warblers; as, the reed wren (see Reed warbler (a), under Reed), the sedge wren (see Sedge warbler, under Sedge), the willow wren (see Willow warbler, under Willow), the golden-crested wren, and the ruby-crowned wren (see Kinglet). Ant wren, any one of numerous South American birds of the family Formicaridæ, allied to the ant thrushes. -- Blue wren, a small Australian singing bird (Malurus cyaneus), the male of which in the breeding season is bright blue. Called also superb warbler. -- Emu wren. See in the Vocabulary. -- Wren babbler, any one of numerous species of small timaline birds belonging to Alcippe, Stachyris, Timalia, and several allied genera. These birds are common in Southern Asia and the East Indies. -- Wren tit. See Ground wren, under Ground. -- Wren warbler, any one of several species of small Asiatic and African singing birds belonging to Prinia and allied genera. These birds are closely allied to the tailor birds, and build their nests in a similar manner. See also Pincpinc.

WRENCH Wrench, n. Etym: [OE. wrench deceit, AS. wrenc deceit, a twisting; akin to G. rank intrigue, crookedness, renken to bend, twist, and E. wring. Wring, and cf. Ranch, v. t.]

1. Trick; deceit; fraud; stratagem. [Obs.] His wily wrenches thou ne mayst not flee. Chaucer.

2. A violent twist, or a pull with twisting. He wringeth them such a wrench. Skelton. The injurious effect upon biographic literature of all such wrenches to the truth, is diffused everywhere. De Quincey.

3. A sprain; an injury by twisting, as in a joint.

4. Means; contrivance. [Obs.] Bacon.

5. An instrument, often a simple bar or lever with jaws or an angular orifice either at the end or between the ends, for exerting a twisting strain, as in turning bolts, nuts, screw taps, etc.; a screw key. Many wrenches have adjustable jaws for grasping nuts, etc., of different sizes.

6. (Mech.)

Defn: The system made up of a force and a couple of forces in a plane perpendicular to that force. Any number of forces acting at any points upon a rigid body may be compounded so as to be equivalent to a wrench. Carriage wrench, a wrench adapted for removing or tightening the nuts that confine the wheels on the axles, or for turning the other nuts or bolts of a carriage or wagon. -- Monkey wrench. See under Monkey. -- Wrench hammer, a wrench with the end shaped so as to admit of being used as a hammer.

WRENCH Wrench, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrenched; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrenching.] Etym: [OE. wrenchen, AS. wrencan to deceive, properly, to twist, from wrenc guile, deceit, a twisting. Wrench, n.]

1. To pull with a twist; to wrest, twist, or force by violence. Wrench his sword from him. Shak. Forthwith this frame of mine was wrenched With a woeful agony. Coleridge.

2. To strain; to sprain; hence, to distort; to pervert. You wrenched your foot against a stone. Swift.

WREST Wrest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrested; p. pr. & vb. n. Wresting.] Etym: [OE. wresten, AS. wr; akin to wr a twisted band, and wri to twist. See Writhe.]

1. To turn; to twist; esp., to twist or extort by violence; to pull of force away by, or as if by, violent wringing or twisting. "The secret wrested from me." Milton. Our country's cause, That drew our swords, now secret wrests them from our hand. Addison. They instantly wrested the government out of the hands of Hastings. Macaulay.

2. To turn from truth; to twist from its natural or proper use or meaning by violence; to pervert; to distort. Wrest once the law to your authority. Shak. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor. Ex. xxiii. 6. Their arts of wresting, corrupting, and false interpreting the holy text. South.

3. To tune with a wrest, or key. [Obs.]

WREST Wrest, n.

1. The act of wresting; a wrench; a violent twist; hence, distortion; perversion. Hooker.

2. Active or moving power. [Obs.] Spenser.

3. A key to tune a stringed instrument of music. The minstrel . . . wore round his neck a silver chain, by which hung the wrest, or key, with which he tuned his harp. Sir W. Scott.

4. A partition in a water wheel, by which the form of the buckets is determined. Wrest pin (Piano Manuf.), one of the pins around which the ends of the wires are wound in a piano. Knight. -- Wrest plank (Piano Manuf.), the part in which the wrest pins are inserted.

WRESTER Wrest"er, n.

Defn: One who wrests.

WRESTLE Wres"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wrestled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrestling.] Etym: [OE. wrestlen, wrastlen, AS. wr, freq. of wr to wrest; akin to OD. wrastelen to wrestle. See Wrest, v. t.]

1. To contend, by grappling with, and striving to trip or throw down, an opponent; as, they wrestled skillfully. To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit, and he that escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him well. Shak. Another, by a fall in wrestling, started the end of the clavicle from the sternum. Wiseman.

2. Hence, to struggle; to strive earnestly; to contend. Come, wrestle with thy affections. Shak. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Eph. vi. 12. Difficulties with which he had himself wrestled. M. Arnold.

WRESTLE Wres"tle, v. t.

Defn: To wrestle with; to seek to throw down as in wrestling.

WRESTLE Wres"tle, n.

Defn: A struggle between two persons to see which will throw the other down; a bout at wrestling; a wrestling match; a struggle. Whom in a wrestle the giant catching aloft, with a terrible hug broke three of his ribs. Milton.

WRESTLER Wres"tler, n. Etym: [AS. wræstlere.]

Defn: One who wrestles; one who is skillful in wrestling.

WRESTLING Wres"tling, n.

Defn: Act of one who wrestles; specif., the sport consisting of the hand-to-hand combat between two unarmed contestants who seek to throw each other. The various styles of wrestling differ in their definition of a fall and in the governing rules. In Greco-Roman wrestling, tripping and taking hold of the legs are forbidden, and a fall is gained (that is, the bout is won), by the contestant who pins both his opponent's shoulders to the ground. In catch-as-catch-can wrestling, all holds are permitted except such as may be barred by mutual consent, and a fall is defined as in Greco-Roman style. Lancashire style wrestling is essentially the same as catch-as-catch- can. In Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling the contestants stand chest to chest, grasping each other around the body. The one first losing his hold, or touching the ground with any part of his body except his feet, loses the bout. If both fall to the ground at the same time, it is a dogfall, and must be wrestled over. In the Cornwall and Devon wrestling, the wrestlers complete in strong loose linen jackets, catching hold of the jacket, or anywhere above the waist. Two shoulders and one hip, or two hips and one shoulder, must touch the ground to constitute a fall, and if a man is thrown otherwise than on his back the contestants get upon their feet and the bout recommences.

WRETCH Wretch, n. Etym: [OE. wrecche, AS. wrecca, wræcca, an exile, a wretch, fr. wrecan to drive out, punish; properly, an exile, one driven out, akin to AS. wræc an exile, OS. wrekkio a stranger, OHG. reccheo an exile. See Wreak, v. t.]

1. A miserable person; one profoundly unhappy. "The wretch that lies in woe." Shak. Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son, Wretch even then, life's journey just begun Cowper.

2. One sunk in vice or degradation; a base, despicable person; a vile knave; as, a profligate wretch.

Note: Wretch is sometimes used by way of slight or ironical pity or contempt, and sometimes to express tenderness; as we say, poor thing. "Poor wretch was never frighted so." Drayton.

WRETCHED Wretch"ed, a.

1. Very miserable; sunk in, or accompanied by, deep affliction or distress, as from want, anxiety, or grief; calamitous; woeful; very afflicting. "To what wretched state reserved!" Milton. O cruel! Death! to those you are more kind Than to the wretched mortals left behind. Waller. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore . . .

2. Worthless; paltry; very poor or mean; miserable; as, a wretched poem; a wretched cabin.

3. Hatefully contemptible; despicable; wicked. [Obs.] "Wretched ungratefulness." Sir P. Sidney. Nero reigned after this Claudius, of all men wretchedest, ready to all manner [of] vices. Capgrave.

WRETCHEDLY Wretch"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a wretched manner; miserably; despicable.

WRETCHEDNESS Wretch"ed*ness, n.

1. The quality or state of being wretched; utter misery. Sir W. Raleigh.

2. A wretched object; anything despicably. [Obs.] Eat worms and such wretchedness. Chaucer.

WRETCHFUL Wretch"ful, a.

Defn: Wretched. [Obs.] Wyclif.

WRETCHLESS Wretch"less, a. Etym: [See Reckless.]

Defn: Reckless; hence, disregarded. [Obs.] -- Wretch"less*ly, adv. [Obs.] -- Wretch"less*ness, n. [Obs.] Bk. of Com. Prayer. Your deaf ears should listen Unto the wretchless clamors of the poor. J. Webster.

WREY Wrey, v. t.

Defn: See Wray. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRIE Wrie, a. & v.

Defn: See Wry. [Obs.] Chaucer.

WRIG Wrig, v. i.

Defn: To wriggle. [Obs.] Skelton.

WRIGGLE Wrig"gle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wriggled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wriggling.] Etym: [Freq. of wrig, probably from OE. wrikken to move to and fro; cf. LG. wriggeln, D. wrikken, Sw. vricka, Dan. vrikke.]

Defn: To move the body to and fro with short, writhing motions, like a worm; to squirm; to twist uneasily or quickly about. Both he and successors would often wriggle in their seats, as long as the cushion lasted. Swift.

WRIGGLE Wrig"gle, v. t.

Defn: To move with short, quick contortions; to move by twisting and squirming; like a worm. Covetousness will wriggle itself out at a small hole. Fuller. Wriggling his body to recover His seat, and cast his right leg over. Hudibras.

WRIGGLE Wrig"gle, a.

Defn: Wriggling; frisky; pliant; flexible. [Obs.] "Their wriggle tails." Spenser.

WRIGGLER Wrig"gler, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, wriggles. Cowper.

WRIGHT Wright, n. Etym: [OE. wrighte, writhe, AS. wyrtha, fr. wyrcean to work. sq. root145. See Work.]

Defn: One who is engaged in a mechanical or manufacturing business; an artificer; a workman; a manufacturer; a mechanic; esp., a worker in wood; -- now chiefly used in compounds, as in millwright, wheelwright, etc. He was a well good wright, a carpenter. Chaucer.

WRIGHTINE Wright"ine, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A rare alkaloid found in the bark of an East Indian apocynaceous tree (Wrightia antidysenterica), and extracted as a bitter white crystalline substance. It was formerly used as a remedy for diarrhoea. Called also conessine, and neriine.

WRING Wring, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrung, Obs. Wringed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Wringing.] Etym: [OE. wringen, AS. wringan; akin to LG. & D. wringen, OHG. ringan to struggle, G. ringen, Sw. vränga to distort, Dan. vringle to twist. Cf. Wrangle, Wrench, Wrong.]

1. To twist and compress; to turn and strain with violence; to writhe; to squeeze hard; to pinch; as, to wring clothes in washing. "Earnestly wringing Waverley's hand." Sir W. Scott. "Wring him by the nose." Shak. [His steed] so sweat that men might him wring. Chaucer. The king began to find where his shoe did wring him. Bacon. The priest shall bring it [a dove] unto the altar, and wring off his head. Lev. i. 15.

2. Hence, to pain; to distress; to torment; to torture. Too much grieved and wrung by an uneasy and strait fortune. Clarendon. Didst thou taste but half the griefs That wring my soul, thou couldst not talk thus coldly. Addison.

3. To distort; to pervert; to wrest. How dare men thus wring the Scriptures Whitgift.

4. To extract or obtain by twisting and compressing; to squeeze or press (out); hence, to extort; to draw forth by violence, or against resistance or repugnance; -- usually with out or form. Your overkindness doth wring tears from me. Shak. He rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece. Judg. vi. 38.

5. To subject to extortion; to afflict, or oppress, in order to enforce compliance. To wring the widow from her 'customed right. Shak. The merchant adventures have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. Hayward.

6. (Naut.)

Defn: To bend or strain out of its position; as, to wring a mast.

WRING Wring, v. i.

Defn: To writhe; to twist, as with anguish. 'T is all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow. Shak. Look where the sister of the king of France Sits wringing of her hands, and beats her breast. Marlowe.

WRING Wring, n.

Defn: A writhing, as in anguish; a twisting; a griping. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

WRINGBOLT Wring"bolt`, n. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: A bolt used by shipwrights, to bend and secure the planks against the timbers till they are fastened by bolts, spikes, or treenails; -- not to be confounded with ringbolt.

WRINGER Wring"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, wrings; hence, an extortioner.

2. A machine for pressing water out of anything, particularly from clothes after they have been washed.

WRINGING Wring"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Wring, v. Wringing machine, a wringer. See Wringer, 2.

WRINGSTAFF Wring"staff`, n.; pl. Wringstaves (. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: A strong piece of plank used in applying wringbolts.

WRINKLE Wrin"kle, n.

Defn: A winkle. [Local, U.S.]

WRINKLE Wrin"kle, n. Etym: [OE. wrinkil, AS. wrincle; akin to OD. wrinckel, and prob. to Dan. rynke, Sw. rynka, Icel. hrukka, OHG. runza, G. runzel, L. ruga.

1. A small ridge, prominence, or furrow formed by the shrinking or contraction of any smooth substance; a corrugation; a crease; a slight fold; as, wrinkle in the skin; a wrinkle in cloth. "The wrinkles in my brows." Shak. Within I do not find wrinkles and used heart, but unspent youth. Emerson.

2. hence, any roughness; unevenness. Not the least wrinkle to deform the sky. Dryden.

3. Etym: [Perhaps a different word, and a dim. AS. wrenc a twisting, deceit. Cf. Wrench, n.]

Defn: A notion or fancy; a whim; as, to have a new wrinkle. [Colloq.]

WRINKLE Wrin"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrinkled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrinkling.]

1. To contract into furrows and prominences; to make a wrinkle or wrinkles in; to corrugate; as, wrinkle the skin or the brow. "Sport that wrinkled Care derides." Milton. Her wrinkled form in black and white arrayed. Pope.

2. Hence, to make rough or uneven in any way. A keen north wind that, blowing dry, Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decayed. Milton. Then danced we on the wrinkled sand. Bryant. To wrinkle at, to sneer at. [Obs.] Marston.

WRINKLE Wrin"kle, v. i.

Defn: To shrink into furrows and ridges.

WRINKLY Wrin"kly, a.

Defn: Full of wrinkles; having a tendency to be wrinkled; corrugated; puckered. G. Eliot. His old wrinkly face grew quite blown out at last. Carlyle.

WRIST Wrist, n. Etym: [OE. wriste, wrist, AS. wrist; akin to OFries. wriust, LG. wrist, G. rist wrist, instep, Icel. rist instep, Dan. & Sw. vrist, and perhaps to E. writhe.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: The joint, or the region of the joint, between the hand and the arm; the carpus. See Carpus. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard. Shak.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: A stud or pin which forms a journal; -- also called wrist pin. Bridle wrist, the wrist of the left hand, in which a horseman holds the bridle. -- Wrist clonus. Etym: [NL. clonus, fr. Gr. Clonic.] (Med.) A series of quickly alternating movements of flexion and extension of the wrist, produced in some cases of nervous disease by suddenly bending the hand back upon the forearm. -- Wrist drop (Med.), paralysis of the extensor muscles of the hand, affecting the hand so that when an attempt is made to hold it out in line with the forearm with the palm down, the hand drops. It is chiefly due to plumbism. Called also hand drop. -- Wrist plate (Steam Engine), a swinging plate bearing two or more wrists, for operating the valves.

WRISTBAND Wrist"band, n.

Defn: The band of the sleeve of a shirt, or other garment, which covers the wrist.

WRISTER Wrist"er, n.

Defn: A covering for the wrist.

WRISTLET Wrist"let, n.

Defn: An elastic band worn around the wrist, as for the purpose of securing the upper part of a glove.

WRIT Writ, obs.

Defn: 3d pers. sing. pres. of Write, for writeth. Chaucer.

WRIT Writ, archaic

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Write. Dryden.

WRIT Writ, n. Etym: [AS. writ, gewrit. See Write.]

1. That which is written; writing; scripture; -- applied especially to the Scriptures, or the books of the Old and New testaments; as, sacred writ. "Though in Holy Writ not named." Milton. Then to his hands that writ he did betake, Which he disclosing read, thus as the paper spake. Spenser. Babylon, so much spoken of in Holy Writ. Knolles.

2. (Law)

Defn: An instrument in writing, under seal, in an epistolary form, issued from the proper authority, commanding the performance or nonperformance of some act by the person to whom it is directed; as, a writ of entry, of error, of execution, of injunction, of mandamus, of return, of summons, and the like.

Note: Writs are usually witnessed, or tested, in the name of the chief justice or principal judge of the court out of which they are issued; and those directed to a sheriff, or other ministerial officer, require him to return them on a day specified. In former English law and practice, writs in civil cases were either original or judicial; the former were issued out of the Court of Chancery, under the great seal, for the summoning of a defendant to appear, and were granted before the suit began and in order to begin the same; the latter were issued out of the court where the original was returned, after the suit was begun and during the pendency of it. Tomlins. Brande. Encyc. Brit. The term writ is supposed by Mr. Reeves to have been derived from the fact of these formulæ having always been expressed in writing, being, in this respect, distinguished from the other proceedings in the ancient action, which were conducted orally. Writ of account, Writ of capias, etc. See under Account, Capias, etc. -- Service of a writ. See under Service.

WRITABILITY Writ`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Ability or capacity to write. [R.] Walpole.

WRITABLE Writ"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of, or suitable for, being written down.

WRITATIVE Writ"a*tive, a.

Defn: Inclined to much writing; -- correlative to talkative. [R.] Pope.

WRITE Write, v. t. [imp. Wrote; p. p. Written; Archaic imp. & p. p. Writ; p. pr. & vb. n. Writing.] Etym: [OE. writen, AS. writan; originally, to scratch, to score; akin to OS. writan to write, to tear, to wound, D. rijten to tear, to rend, G. reissen, OHG. rizan, Icel. rita to write, Goth. writs a stroke, dash, letter. Cf. Race tribe, lineage.]

1. To set down, as legible characters; to form the conveyance of meaning; to inscribe on any material by a suitable instrument; as, to write the characters called letters; to write figures.

2. To set down for reading; to express in legible or intelligible characters; to inscribe; as, to write a deed; to write a bill of divorcement; hence, specifically, to set down in an epistle; to communicate by letter. Last night she enjoined me to write some lines to one she loves. Shak. I chose to write the thing I durst not speak To her I loved. Prior.

3. Hence, to compose or produce, as an author. I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time within the memory of men still living. Macaulay.

4. To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave; as, truth written on the heart.

5. To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; -- often used reflexively. He who writes himself by his own inscription is like an ill painter, who, by writing on a shapeless picture which he hath drawn, is fain to tell passengers what shape it is, which else no man could imagine. Milton. To write to, to communicate by a written document to. -- Written laws, laws deriving their force from express legislative enactment, as contradistinguished from unwritten, or common, law. See the Note under Law, and Common law, under Common, a.

WRITE Write, v. i.

1. To form characters, letters, or figures, as representative of sounds or ideas; to express words and sentences by written signs. Chaucer. So it stead you, I will write, Please you command. Shak.

2. To be regularly employed or occupied in writing, copying, or accounting; to act as clerk or amanuensis; as, he writes in one of the public offices.

3. To frame or combine ideas, and express them in written words; to play the author; to recite or relate in books; to compose. They can write up to the dignity and character of the authors. Felton.

4. To compose or send letters. He wrote for all the Jews that went out of his realm up into Jewry concerning their freedom. 1 Esdras iv. 49.

WRITER Writ"er, n. Etym: [AS. writere.]

1. One who writes, or has written; a scribe; a clerk. They [came] that handle the pen of the writer. Judg. v. 14. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Ps. xlv. 1.

2. One who is engaged in literary composition as a profession; an author; as, a writer of novels. This pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth defile. Shak.

3. A clerk of a certain rank in the service of the late East India Company, who, after serving a certain number of years, became a factor. Writer of the tallies (Eng. Law), an officer of the exchequer of England, who acted as clerk to the auditor of the receipt, and wrote the accounts upon the tallies from the tellers' bills. The use of tallies in the exchequer has been abolished. Wharton (Law. Dict.) -- Writer's cramp, palsy, or spasm (Med.), a painful spasmodic affection of the muscles of the fingers, brought on by excessive use, as in writing, violin playing, telegraphing, etc. Called also scrivener's palsy. -- Writer to the signet. See under Signet.

WRITERSHIP Writ"er*ship, n.

Defn: The office of a writer.

WRITHE Writhe, v. t. [imp. Writhed; p. p. Writhed, Obs. or Poetic Writhen (; p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing.] Etym: [OE. writhen, AS. wri to twist; akin to OHG. ridan, Icel. ri, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. Wreathe, Wrest, Wroth.]

1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring. "With writhing [turning] of a pin." Chaucer. Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro. Milton. Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown. Dryden. His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands. Tennyson.

2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert. The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed. Hooker.

3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [R.] The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. Sir W. Scott.

WRITHE Writhe, v. i.

Defn: To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively. After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation. Macaulay.

WRITHEN Writh"en, a.

Defn: Having a twisted distorted from. A writhen staff his step unstable guides. Fairfax.

WRITHLE Wri"thle, v. t. Etym: [Freq. of writhe.]

Defn: To wrinkle. [Obs.] Shak.

WRITING Writ"ing, n.

1. The act or art of forming letters and characters on paper, wood, stone, or other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas which characters and words express, or of communicating them to others by visible signs.

2. Anything written or printed; anything expressed in characters or letters; as: (a) Any legal instrument, as a deed, a receipt, a bond, an agreement, or the like. (b) Any written composition; a pamphlet; a work; a literary production; a book; as, the writings of Addison. (c) An inscription. And Pilate wrote a title . . . And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. John xix. 19.

3. Handwriting; chirography. Writing book, a book for practice in penmanship. -- Writing desk, a desk with a sloping top for writing upon; also, a case containing writing materials, and used in a similar manner. -- Writing lark (Zoöl.), the European yellow-hammer; -- so called from the curious irregular lines on its eggs. [Prov. Eng.] -- Writing machine. Same as Typewriter. -- Writing master, one who teaches the art of penmanship. -- Writing obligatory (Law), a bond. -- Writing paper, paper intended for writing upon with ink, usually finished with a smooth surface, and sized. -- Writing school, a school for instruction in penmanship. -- Writing table, a table fitted or used for writing upon.

WRITTEN Writ"ten,

Defn: p. p. of Write, v.

WRIZZLE Wriz"zle, v. t.

Defn: To wrinkle. [Obs.] Spenser.

WROKEN Wro"ken, obs.

Defn: p. p. of Wreak. Chaucer.

WRONG Wrong, obs.

Defn: imp. of Wring. Wrung. Chaucer.

WRONG Wrong, a. Etym: [OE. wrong, wrang, a. & n., AS. wrang, n.; originally, awry, wrung, fr. wringan to wring; akin to D. wrang bitter, Dan. vrang wrong, Sw. vrång, Icel. rangr awry, wrong. See Wring.]

1. Twisted; wry; as, a wrong nose. [Obs.] Wyclif (Lev. xxi. 19).

2. Not according to the laws of good morals, whether divine or human; not suitable to the highest and best end; not morally right; deviating from rectitude or duty; not just or equitable; not true; not legal; as, a wrong practice; wrong ideas; wrong inclinations and desires.

3. Not fit or suitable to an end or object; not appropriate for an intended use; not according to rule; unsuitable; improper; incorrect; as, to hold a book with the wrong end uppermost; to take the wrong way. I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places. Shak.

4. Not according to truth; not conforming to fact or intent; not right; mistaken; erroneous; as, a wrong statement.

5. Designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth.

Syn. -- Injurious; unjust; faulty; detrimental; incorrect; erroneous; unfit; unsuitable.

WRONG Wrong, adv.

Defn: In a wrong manner; not rightly; amiss; morally ill; erroneously; wrongly. Ten censure wrong for one that writes amiss. Pope.

WRONG Wrong, n. Etym: [AS. wrang. See Wrong, a.]

Defn: That which is not right. Specifically: (a) Nonconformity or disobedience to lawful authority, divine or human; deviation from duty; -- the opposite of moral Ant: right. When I had wrong and she the right. Chaucer. One spake much of right and wrong. Milton.

(b) Deviation or departure from truth or fact; state of falsity; error; as, to be in the wrong. (c) Whatever deviates from moral rectitude; usually, an act that involves evil consequences, as one which inflicts injury on a person; any injury done to, or received from; another; a trespass; a violation of right. Friend, I do thee no wrong. Matt. xx. 18. As the king of England can do no wrong, so neither can he do right but in his courts and by his courts. Milton. The obligation to redress a wrong is at least as binding as that of paying a debt. E. Evereth.

Note: Wrongs, legally, are private or public. Private wrongs are civil injuries, immediately affecting individuals; public wrongs are crimes and misdemeanors which affect the community. Blackstone.

WRONG Wrong, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wronged; p. pr. & vb. n. Wronging.]

1. To treat with injustice; to deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice from; to do undeserved harm to; to deal unjustly with; to injure. He that sinneth . . . wrongeth his own soul. Prov. viii. 36.

2. To impute evil to unjustly; as, if you suppose me capable of a base act, you wrong me. I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men. Shak.

WRONGDOER Wrong"do`er, n.

1. One who injures another, or who does wrong.

2. (Law)

Defn: One who commits a tort or trespass; a trespasser; a tort feasor. Ayliffe.

WRONGDOING Wrong"do`ing, n.

Defn: Evil or wicked behavior or action.

WRONGER Wrong"er, n.

Defn: One who wrongs or injures another. Shak. "Wrongers of the world." Tennyson.

WRONGFUL Wrong"ful, a.

Defn: Full of wrong; injurious; unjust; unfair; as, a wrongful taking of property; wrongful dealing. -- Wrong"ful*ly, adv. -- Wrong"ful*ness, n.

WRONGHEAD Wrong"head`, n.

Defn: A person of a perverse understanding or obstinate character. [R.]

WRONGHEAD Wrong"head`, a.

Defn: Wrongheaded. [R.] Pope.

WRONGHEADED Wrong"head`ed, a.

Defn: Wrong in opinion or principle; having a perverse understanding; perverse. -- Wrong"head`ed*ly, adv. -- Wrong"head`ed*ness, n. Macaulay.

WRONGLESS Wrong"less, a.

Defn: Not wrong; void or free from wrong. [Obs.] -- Wrong"less*ly, adv. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

WRONGLY Wrong"ly, adv.

Defn: In a wrong manner; unjustly; erroneously; wrong; amiss; as, he judges wrongly of my motives. "And yet wouldst wrongly win." Shak.

WRONGNESS Wrong"ness, n.