Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WISH'ING, ppr.

Desiring.

WISK'ET, n.

A basket. – Ainsworth.

WISP, n. [Dan. visk, a wisp, a whisk; visker, to whisk, to rub or wipe; G. and D. wisch.]

A small bundle of straw or other like substance; as, a wisp of straw; a wisp of hay; a wisp of herbs. – Shak. Bacon.

WIST, v. [pret. of Wis. Obs.]

WIST'FUL, a. [from wist. The sense is stretching or reaching toward.]

Full of thoughts; earnest; attentive. Why … dost thou so wistful seem? – Gay.

WIST'FUL-LY, adv.

Attentively; earnestly. – Hudibras.

WIS'TIT, n.

The striated monkey; a small species of monkey from South America, with an annulated tail, the ouistiti of Buffon. – Curies. Ed. Encyc.

WIST'LY, adv.

Earnestly. [Obs.] – Shak.

WIT, n. [Sax. wit or ge-wit; G. witz; Dan. vid. See the verb and Wise.]

1. Primarily, the intellect; the understanding or mental powers. Will puts in practice what the wit deviseth. – Davies. For wit and power their last endeavors bend / T' outshine each other. – Dryden.
2. The association of ideas in a manner natural, but unusual and striking, so as to produce surprise joined with pleasure. Wit is defined What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd. – Pope. Wit consists in assembling and putting together with quickness, ideas in which can be found resemblance and congruity, by which to make up pleasant pictures and agreeable visions in the fancy. – Locke. Wit consists chiefly in joining things by distant and fanciful relations, which surprise us because they are unexpected. – Kames. Wit is a propriety of thoughts and words; or in other terms, thoughts and words elegantly adapted to the subject. – Dryden.
3. The faculty of associating ideas in a new and unexpected manner.
4. A man of genius; as, the age of Addison abounded with wits. A wit herself, Amelia weds a wit. – Young.
5. A man of fancy or wit. Intemperate wits will spare neither friend nor foe. – L'Estrange.
6. Sense; judgment. He wants not wit the danger to decline. – Dryden.
7. Faculty of the mind. – Shak.
8. Wits, in the plural, soundness of mind; intellect not disordered; sound mind. No man in his wits would venture on such an expedition. Have you lost your wits? Is he out of his wits?
9. Power of invention; contrivance; ingenuity. He was at his wits' end. – Hooker.

WIT, v.i. [Sax. witan, Goth. witan, D. weeten, G. wissen, to know; Sans. vid. See Wise.]

To know. This verb is used only in the infinitive, to wit, namely, that is to say. [L. videlicet, i. e. videre licet.]

WITCH, n. [Sax. wicca. See Wicked.]

1. A woman who, by compact with the devil, practices sorcery or enchantment.
2. A woman who is given to unlawful arts.
3. [Sax. wic.] A winding, sinuous bank. [Obs.] – Spenser.
4. A piece of conical paper which is placed in a vessel of lard, and being lighted, answers the purpose of a taper. [Qu. wick.] [Local.]

WITCH, v.t.

To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant. I'll witch sweet ladies with my words and looks. – Shak.

WITCH'CRAFT, n. [witch and craft.]

1. The practices of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with the devil. – Bacon.
2. Power more than natural. He hath witchcraft / Over the king in a tongue. – Shak.

WITCH'ED, pp.

Bewitched; fascinated.

WITCH'-ELM, n.

A kind of elm. – Scott.

WITCH'ER-Y, n.

1. Sorcery; enchantment. – Milton.
2. Fascination.

WITCH'-HA-ZEL, n.

1. A species of elm, (Ulmus montana.) – Cyc.
2. The hop-hornbeam, (Carpinus ostrya.) – Lee. The Virginian witch-hazel is the Hamemelis virginica, a shrub which flowers in autumn, when its leaves are falling. – Lee. Bigelow.

WITCH'ING, ppr.

Fascinating; enchanting.

WIT'-CRACK-ER, n. [wit and cracker.]

One who breaks jests; a joker. [Not in use.] – Shak.

WIT'-CRAFT, n. [wit and craft.]

Contrivance; invention. [Obs.] – Camden.

WITE, n.

Blame; reproach. [Obs.]

WITE, v.t. [Sax. witan; the root of twit.]

To reproach; to blame. [Obs.] – Spenser.

WITE-LESS, a.

Blameless. [Obs.] – Spenser.

WIT-FISH, n. [white-fish; D. witvisch.]

An East Indian fish of the size of a whiting; also, another East Indian fish, the Albula Indica of Ray. – Cyc.

WITH, or WITHE, n. [Sax. withig; Sw. vidja; G. weide, a willow; L. vitis, vitex.]

1. A willow twig.
2. A band consisting of a twig, or twigs twisted. – K. Charles.