Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
- Pages
- 1,538
- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Whĭp, v. t. p. 1509To strike with a lash, a cord, a rod, or any thing lithe, which pains without bruising; to lash; to beat; as, to whip a horse. 2. To drive with lashes; to cause to rotate by lashing with a cord; as…Whip, v. i. p. 1509To move nimbly; to start suddenly and do any thing; as, the boy whipped away in an instant; he whipped round the corner; he whipped into the house, and was out of sight in a moment. Two friends…Whip, n. p. 1509An instrument for driving horses or other animals, or for correction, consisting of a lash tied to a handle or rod. In his right hand he holds a whip, with which he is supposed to drive the horses of…Whĭp'-côrd, n. p. 1509A kind of hard-twisted or braided cord, sometimes used for making lashes.Whip'graft, v. t. p. 1509To graft by cutting the cion and stock in a sloping direction, so as to fit each other, and by inserting a tongue on the cion into a slit in the stock. [See Illust. of Graft.]Whip'-hănd, n. p. 1509Advantage over; as, he has the whip-hand of her. [Rare.] Dryden.Whip'-lash, n. p. 1509The lash of a whip; — usually made of thongs of leather, braided, or of twisted cord, hide, or bark.Whip'per, n. p. 1509One who whips; especially, an officer who inflicts the penalty of legal whipping. 2. One who raises coal with a tackle from a ship's hold. Simmonds. 3. (Spinning.) A kind of simple willow, or willy.Whip'per-in, n. p. 1509A huntsman who keeps the hounds from wandering, and whips them in, if necessary, to the line of chase. 2. Hence, one who enforces the discipline of a party, and urges the attendance of the members on…Whip′per-snäp′per, n. p. 1509A diminutive, insignificant person. [Colloq.] Brockett.Whīp'ping-pōst, n. p. 1509A post to which offenders are tied to be whipped.Whĭp'ple-tree, n. p. 1509The bar to which the traces or tugs of a harness are fastened, and by which a carriage, a plow, a harrow, or other implement, is drawn; a swing-bar; a whiffletree. Forby.Whip'po-wïll, n. p. 1509See WHIP-POOR-WILL.Whip'-poor-will, n. p. 1509(Ornith.) An American bird, allied to the nighthawk and nightjar, so called from its note, or the sounds of its voice; a species of Caprimulgus (C. vociferus).Whip'saw, n. p. 1509A Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus). A saw usually set in a frame, for dividing timber lengthwise, and commonly worked by two persons.Whĭp'-shāped, a. p. 1509(Bot.) Shaped like the lash of a whip; long, slender, and tapering; — said especially of roots and stems.Whĭp'-snāke, n. p. 1509(Zoöl.) A kind of venomous snake found in the East, having a long, slender body, resembling the lash of a whip.Whip'-stăff, n. p. 1509(Naut.) A bar by which the rudder is turned; a tiller.Whip'-stalk, n. p. 1509The rod or stalk to which the lash of a whip is fastened; a whip-stock.Whip'ster, n. p. 1509A nimble little fellow. Every puny whipster gets my sword. Shak.Whip'-stick, n. p. 1509The stick or handle of a whip; whip-stock.Whip'-stitch, n. p. 1509A tailor; — so called in contempt. 2. Any thing hastily put or stitched together; hence, a hasty composition. [Rare.] Dryden. 3. (Agric.) The act of whip-stitching, or raftering land.Whip'-stitch, v. t. p. 1509(Agric.) To half-plow, or to rafter, as land; to plow in ridges. [Eng.]Whĭp'-stŏck, n. p. 1509The rod or staff to which the lash of a whip is fastened; sometimes, the whole whip.Whipt, imp. & p. p. p. 1509of whip, for whipped.Whir, v. i. p. 1509To whirl round with noise; to fly with a buzzing or whizzing sound. “The partridge bursts away on whirring wings.” Beattie.Whĭr, v. t. p. 1510To hurry. [Rare.] This world is to me like a lasting storm, Whirring me from my friends. Shak.Whĭr, n. p. 1510A buzzing or whizzing sound produced by the rapid or whirling motion of any thing; as, the whir of a partridge; the whir of a spinning-wheel.Whirl, v. t. p. 1510To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve. He whirls his sword around without delay. Dryden. 2. To remove quickly with a revolving motion; to snatch. See, see the…Whirl, v. i. p. 1510To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great motion; to gyrate. The wooden engine flies and whirls about. Dryden. 2. To move hastily. “But whirled away to…Whirl, n. p. 1510A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; as, the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel. The rapid motion and whirl of things here below interrupts not the…Whirl'-a-bout, n. p. 1510Something that turns about in a rapid manner; a whirligig.Whirl'-băt, n. p. 1510Any thing moved with a whirl as preparatory for a blow, or to augment the force of it; — applied by poets to the ancient cestus. The whirl-bat and the rapid race shall be Reserved for Cesar. Dryden.Whirl'-blāst, n. p. 1510A whirling blast of wind. “A whirl-blast from behind the hill.” Wordsworth.Whirl'-bōne, n. p. 1510The patella; the cap of the knee; the knee-pan. Ainsworth.Whirl'er, n. p. 1510One who, or that which, whirls.Whirl'i-cōte, n. p. 1510An open car or chariot. [Obs.] Of old time coaches were not known in this island, but chariots, or whirlicotes. Stowe.Whirl'i-gīg, n. p. 1510A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an axis, or like a top. Johnson. 2. An instrument for punishing petty offenders, used especially in the army, being a kind of wooden cage…Whirl'i-gig, a. p. 1510Fickle; giddy.Whirl'ing-tā'ble, n. p. 1510An apparatus consisting of one or more revolving disks, with weights, pulleys, and other attachments, for illustrating the phenomena and laws of centrifugal force, and the like.Whirl'pit, n. p. 1510A whirlpool. [Obs.]Whirl'pōol, n. p. 1510An eddy of water; a vortex or gulf in which the water moves round in a circle. 2. A sea-monster of the whale kind. [Obs.] The Indian Sea breedeth the most and biggest fishes that are; among which the…Whirl'-wa`ter, n. p. 1510A water-spout. [Obs.] Nares. “The whirl-water, or, as some call it, the water-pillar.” Letter dated 1626.Whirl'wind, n. p. 1510A violent wind moving in a circle round its axis, and having a progressive motion.Whir'ry, v. i. p. 1510To whir. [Obs.]Whisk, n. p. 1510The act of whisking; a rapid, sweeping motion, as of something light. This first sad whisk Takes off thy dukedom; thou art but an earl. Beau. & Fl. 2. A small bunch of grass, straw, hair, or the…Whisk, v. t. p. 1510To sweep, brush, or agitate with a light, rapid motion, as the dust from a table, or the white of eggs into a froth. 2. To move with a quick, sweeping motion. “He that walks in gray, whisking his…Whisk, v. i. p. 1510To move nimbly and with velocity.Whisk'er, n. p. 1510He who, or that which whisks, or moves with a quick, sweeping motion. 2. That part of the beard which grows upon the sides of the face, or the cheeks; also, formerly, the hair of the upper lip, or…Whisk'ered, a. p. 1510Formed into whiskers; furnished with whiskers; having whiskers. “The whiskered vermin race.” Grainger.Whisk'et, n. p. 1510A basket; especially, a straw basket in which provender is given to cattle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. 2. A scuttle. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.Whĭsk'in, n. p. 1510An impertinent fellow; a whisk. [Obs. and rare.] Ford. 2. A shallow drinking-bowl. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.Whisk'ing, a. p. 1510Large; great. [Prov. Eng.]Whis'ky or Whis'key, n. p. 1510A spirit distilled from grain. In the north of England, the name is given to the spirit drawn from barley. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from wheat, rye, or maize. 2. A light…Whis'per, v. i. p. 1510To speak softly, or under the breath; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk with the breath expelled in such a manner as to produce a rustling which makes audible the different articulations…Whis'per, v. t. p. 1510To utter in a low, and not vocal, tone; to say under the breath. They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley. 2. To address in a whisper, or low voice. When they talk of him, they shake…Whis'per, n. p. 1510A low, soft, sibilant voice; or words uttered with such a voice. The whisper can not give a tone. Bacon. Soft whispers through the assembly went. Dryden. 2. A cautious or timorous speech. South.Whis'per-er, n. p. 1510One who whispers. 2. A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly; hence, a backbiter; one who slanders secretly. Prov. xvi. 28.Whis'per-ing-ly, adv. p. 1510In a whisper, or low voice.Whis'per-ōus-ly, adv. p. 1510In a whisper; with whispers; whisperingly. [Obs.]