Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WHIT'ISH, a. [from white.]

Somewhat white; white in a moderate degree. – Boyle.

WHIT'ISH-NESS, n. [supra.]

The quality of being somewhat white. – Boyle.

WHIT'LEATH-ER, n. [white and leather.]

Leather dressed with alum, remarkable for its toughness. – Chapman. In common use, the ligaments of animals, when in food.

WHIT'LOW, n. [Sax. hwit, white, and low, a flame. Qu.]

1. In surgery, paronychia, a swelling or inflammation about the nails or ends of the fingers, or affecting one or more of the phalanges of the fingers, generally terminating in an abscess. There are four or five varieties of this swelling. (1.) The culaneous oparonychia, which raises the cuticle, forming a kind of vesicle tilled with a limpid serum, or bloody fluid. (2.) The subcutaneous paronychia, a tumor attended with acute pain. It is seated in the cellular membrane under the skin. (3.) The subungual paronychia, which occurs under the nail. It commences with inflammatory symptoms, but it is less painful than the former. (4.) There is also the paronychia of the periosteum, and the paronychia of the tendons or theca. – Cyc.
2. In sheep, the whitlow is a disease of the feet, of an inflammatory kind. It occurs round the hoof, where an acrid matter is collected, which ought to be discharged. – Cyc.

WHIT'LOW-GRASS, n.

1. Mountain knot-grass, a species of Illecebrum, [I. paronychia.] – Cyc.
2. A name given to certain species of Draba. – Cyc. The rue-leaved whitlow-grass is a species of Saxifraga. – Lee.

WHIT'SOUR, n.

A sort of apple.

WHIT'STER, n.

A whitener; a bleacher. [Obs.] – Shak.

WHIT'SUL, n.

A provincial name of milk, sour milk, cheese curds and butter. – Carew.

WHIT'SUN-TIDE, n. [white, Sunday, and tide.]

The feast or season of 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. – Johnson. Cyc.

WHIT'TEN-TREE, n.

A sort of tree. – Ainsworth.

WHIT'TLE, n. [Sax. hwitel, hwitle.]

1. A small pocket knife. [In this sense, I believe the word is not used in America.]
2. A white dress for a woman; a double blanket worn by west countrywomen in England, over the shoulders, like a cloke. Dict. [Not used in the United States.]

WHIT'TLE, v.t.

1. To pare or cut off the surface of a thing with a small knife. Some persons have a habit of whittling, and are rarely seen without a penknife in their hands for that purpose. [This is, I believe, the only use of this word in New England.]
2. To edge; to sharpen. [Not in use.] – Hakewill.

WHIT'TLED, pp.

Cut with a small knife.

WHIT'TLING, ppr.

Cutting with a small knife.

WHI'TY-BROWN, a.

Of a color between white and brown. [Local in England.] – Pegge.

WHIZ, n.

A hissing sound.

WHIZ, v.i. [It seems to be allied to hiss.]

To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air. It flew, and whizzing cut the liquid way. – Dryden.

WHIZ'ZING, ppr.

Making a humming or hissing sound.

WHIZ'ZING-LY, adv.

With a whizzing sound.

WHO, pron. [relative. pron. hoo; Sax. hwa; D. wie; L. qui; Fr. que; It. chi; Sp. quien; Ir. cia; Russ. koi; Pers. ki. Who is undoubtedly a contracted word in English as in Latin. See What and Wight.]

1. Who, is a pronoun relative, always referring to persons. It forms whose in the genitive or possessive case, answering to the L. cujus, and whom in the objective or accusative case. Who, whose and whom, are in both numbers. Thus we say, the man or woman who was with us; the men or women who were with us; the men or women whom we saw.
2. Which of many. Are you satisfied who did the mischief?
3. It is much used in asking questions; as, Who am I? Who art thou? Who is this? Who are these? In this case, the purpose is to obtain the name or designation of the person or character.
4. It has sometimes a disjunctive sense. There thou tell'st of kings, and who aspire; / Who fall, who rise, who triumph, who do moan. – Dryden.
5. Whose is of all genders. Whose book is this? The question whose solution I require. – Dryden. As who should say, elliptically for as one who should say. – Collier.

WHO-EV'ER, pron. [who and ever.]

Any one without exception; any person whatever. The person who trespasses shall be punished, whoever he may be.

WHOLE, a. [hole; In Sax. walg, onwalg, is whole, sound, entire. In D. heel, geheel, has a like sense, from the root of heal; G. heil; Sw. hel; Dan. heel; W. oll or holl; Gr. ὁλος, ουλος; Ir. uile. This seems to be connected with heal, hale. Of this, the derivative wholesome is evidence. See Class Gl, No. 19, 31, 35.]

1. All; total; containing the total amount or number, or the entire thing; as, the whole earth; the whole world; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation.
2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; as, a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole.
3. Unimpaired; unbroken; uninjured. My life is yet whole in me. 2 Sam. i.
4. Sound; not hurt or sick. They that are whole need not a physician. – Matth. ix.
5. Restored to health and soundness; sound; well. Thy faith hath made thee whole. – Mark v. His hand was restored whole. Mark iii.

WHOLE, n.

1. The entire thing; the entire or total assemblage of parts. The whole of religion is contained in the short precept, “Love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.” Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. – Eccles. xii.
2. A system; a regular combination of parts. – Pope.

WHOLE'-HOOF-ED, a.

Having an undivided hoof.

WHOLE'NESS, a.

Entireness; totality.