Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Wāste'ful, a. p. 1495Full of waste; destructive to property; ruinous; as, wasteful practices or negligence; wasteful expenses. 2. Expending property, or that which is valuable, without necessity or use; lavish; prodigal…Wāste'ful-ly, adv. p. 1495In a wasteful manner; with prodigality; lavishly. Her lavish hand is wastefully profuse. Dryden.Wāste'ful-ness, n. p. 1495The quality of being wasteful; the act or practice of expending what is valuable, without necessity or use; lavishness; prodigality.Wāste'-gāte, n. p. 1495A gate to let the water of a pond pass off when it is not wanted.Was'tel, n. p. 1495A kind of white and fine bread or cake. [Obs.]Was'tel-cāke, n. p. 1495A kind of fine white bread or cake; wastel. [Obs.] “The simnel bread and wastel-cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility.” W. Scott.Wāste'ness, n. p. 1495The state of being waste; a desolate state; solitude. [Obs.] That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness. Zeph. i. 15.Wāste'-pīpe, n. p. 1495A pipe for conveying off waste water, and the like.Wāst'er, n. p. 1495One who wastes; one who squanders property; one who consumes extravagantly or without use. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him who is a great waster. Prov. xviii. 9. Sconces are…Wāste'thrĭft, n. p. 1495A spendthrift. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.Wāste'-wēir, n. p. 1495An overfall or weir for the superfluous water of a canal. [Written also waste-weir.]Wāst'ing, p. a. p. 1495Diminishing by dissipation, or by great destruction; as, a wasting disease.Wāst’or, n. p. 1495A waster; a thief. [Obs. or rare.] Knights are not more needed now to protect the husbandman against wastours and wicked men, than mighty hunters and hawkers are for ridding them of wild fowl.…Wāst'o-rel, n. p. 1495The same as WASTREL. [Obs.]Wāst'rel, n. p. 1495A state of waste or common; waste or common ground. [Obs.] 2. Waste substances; any thing cast away as bad or imperfect. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]Watch, n. p. 1495The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or…Watch, v. i. p. 1495To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil. I have two nights watched with you. Shak. 2. To be attentive or vigilant; to give heed; to be on the lookout; to keep guard; to…Watch, v. t. p. 1495To give heed to; to observe the actions or motions of, for any purpose; to keep in view; not to lose from sight and observation; as, to watch a rogue; to watch the progress of a bill in the…Watch'-bār'rel, n. p. 1495The brass box in a watch, containing the main-spring. Simmonds.Watch'-bell, n. p. 1495(Naut.) A bell struck when the half-hour glass is run out. Craig.Watch'-bill, n. p. 1495(Naut.) A list of the officers and crew of a ship, with their stations. Totten.Watch'-cāse, n. p. 1495The case or outside covering of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept.Watch'-dōg, n. p. 1495A dog kept to watch and guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders.Watch'er, n. p. 1495One who watches; one who sits up or continues awake; a diligent observer; especially, one who attends upon the sick during the night.Watch'et, a. p. 1495Pale or light blue. [Obs.] “Watchet mantles.” Spenser. Who stares in Germany at watchet eyes? Dryden.Watch’ful, a. p. 1495Full of watch; vigilant; attentive; careful to observe; observant; cautious; — with of before the thing to be regulated; as, to be watchful of one’s behavior; and against before the thing to be…Watch'ful-ly, adv. p. 1495In a watchful manner; with careful observation of the approach of evil, or attention to duty; vigilantly; heedfully.Watch'ful-ness, n. p. 1495The state or quality of being watchful; wakefulness; indisposition to sleep; hence, careful and diligent observation for the purpose of preventing or escaping danger, or of avoiding mistakes and…Watch'-glass, n. p. 1495A concavo-convex glass for covering the face or dial of a watch. 2. (Naut.) A half-hour glass, used to measure the time of a watch on deck.Watch'-guārd, n. p. 1495A chain or cord by which a watch is attached to the person.Watch'-gŭn, n. p. 1495(Naut.) The gun fired on ship-board when the watch is set at night and relieved in the morning.Watch'-house, n. p. 1495A house in which a watch or guard is placed. 2. A place where persons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a lock-up.Watch'-light, n. p. 1495A light used for watching or sitting up in the night; especially, a candle formerly used for this purpose, having a rush wick.Watch'-mak'er, n. p. 1495One whose occupation it is to make and repair watches.Watch'man, n. p. 1495One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a sentinel. 2. One who guards the streets of a city or building by night. Watchman's rattle, an instrument having at the end of a handle a revolving arm…Watch'-pā'per, n. p. 1495An old-fashioned fancy ornament or thin tissue lining for the inside of a watch-case. Simmonds.Watch'-tow'er, n. p. 1495A tower on which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies or the approach of danger.Watch'-word, n. p. 1495The word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a friend is known from an enemy, or a person who has a right to pass the watch from one who…Wā'ter, n. p. 1495The fluid which descends from the clouds in rain, and which forms rivers, lakes, seas, &c. “We will drink water.” Shak. “Powers of fire, air, water, and earth.” Milton. ☞ When pure, water is…Wa'ter, v. t. p. 1495To wet or overflow with water; as, to water land. “With tears watering the ground.” Milton. 2. To supply with water for drink; to cause or allow to drink; as, to water cattle and horses. 3. To wet…Wă'ter, v. i. p. 1496To shed water or liquid matter; as, his eyes began to water. 2. To get or take in water; as, the ship put into port to water. The mouth waters, a phrase denoting that a person has a longing desire…Wa'ter-a-ge, n. p. 1496Money paid for transportation of goods, &c., by water. [Eng.] Simmonds.Wa'ter-ā'lōe, n. p. 1496(Bot.) See WATER-SOLDIER.Wā'ter-bāil'iff, n. p. 1496An officer of the customs, in England, for searching ships.Wā'ter-ba-rōm'e-ter, n. p. 1496A barometer in which the changes of atmospheric pressure are indicated by the motion of a column of water instead of mercury. It requires a column of water about thirty-three feet in height.Wă'ter-băt'ter-y, n. p. 1496(Elec.) A voltaic battery in which the exciting fluid is water.Wă’ter-beâr, n. p. 1496(Zoöl.) One of a family of minute arachnidans found in stagnant fresh water, in wet moss, and similar situations, and remarkable for the power of recovering vitality after having been kept dry for…Wă'ter-beâr'er, n. p. 1496(Astron.) A sign of the zodiac, and the constellation from which it is named; Aquarius. [See Illust. of Aquarius.]Wă'ter-bee'tle, n. p. 1496(Entom.) An aquatic insect of the genus Dytiscus, which swims with great agility, its hind legs acting together like those of a frog. Baird.Wa'ter-bĕl'lows, n. sing. & pl. p. 1496The same as TROMP, q. v.Wạ'ter-bīrd, n. p. 1496(Ornith.) An aquatic bird; a water-fowl.Wā'ter-bōard, n. p. 1496A board set up in a boat to keep out water.Wă'ter-bōat'man, n. p. 1496(Entom.) An aquatic insect of the genus Notonecta; boat-fly.Wā'ter-brāsh, n. p. 1496(Med.) A hot sensation in the stomach, with the eructation of an acrid, burning liquid, that causes a distressing sensation in the parts over which it passes; pyrosis;—called also water-qualm.…Wă'ter-brĭdge, n. p. 1496(Steam-boilers.) See WATER-TABLE.Wā'ter-bŭg, n. p. 1496(Entom.) An aquatic, hemipterous insect, of the genus Naucoris. Baird.Wā'ter-bŭtt, n. p. 1496A large, open-headed cask, set up on end, to contain water. Dickens.Wạ'ter-căl'a-mint, n. p. 1496(Bot.) A plant of the genus Mentha; a species of mint.Wă'ter-căl'trop, n. p. 1496(Bot.) An aquatic plant of the genus Trapa, the fruit of which is remarkable for the spines with which it is furnished. Baird.Wa'ter-cār'rīage, n. p. 1496Transportation or conveyance by water, or the means of transporting by water. 2. A vessel or boat. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.