Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WAN'DER-ING, ppr.

Roving; rambling; deviating from duty.

WAN'DER-ING-LY, adv.

In a wandering or unsteady manner. – Taylor.

WAN-DER-OO', n.

A baboon of Ceylon and Malabar.

WAND'Y, a.

Long and flexible, like a wand. – Bracket.

WANE, n.

1. Decrease of the illuminated part of the moon, to the eye of a spectator.
2. Decline; failure; diminution; decrease; declension. You are cast upon an age in which the church is in its wane. – South.

WANE, v.i. [Sax. wanian, to fail, fall off or decrease.]

1. To be diminished; to decrease; particularly applied to the illuminated part of the moon. We say, the moon wanes, that is, the visible or illuminated part decreases. Waning moons their settled periods keep. – Addison.
2. To decline; to fail; to sink; as, the waning age of life. You saw but sorrow in its waning form. – Dryden. Land and trade ever will wax and wane together. – Child.

WANE, v.t.

To cause to decrease. [Obs.] – B. Jonson.

WAN-ED, pp.

Caused to decrease; diminished.

WANG, n. [Sax. wang, weng, wong.]

1. The jaw, jawbone or cheek-bone. [Little used or vulgar.]
2. The latchet of a shoe. [Sax. sceo-thwang, shoe-thong. Not in use.]

WANG-TOOTH, n.

A jaw-tooth. – Cyc.

WAN'HOPE, n.

Want of hope. [Not used.]

WAN'HORN, n.

A plant of the genus Kaempferia. – Lee.

WAN'ING, ppr.

Decreasing; failing; declining.

WAN'KLE, a.

Weak; unstable; not to be depended on. – Grose.

WAN'LY, adv.

In a pale manner; palely.

WAN'NED, a.

Made wan or pale. – Shak.

WAN'NESS, n.

Paleness; a sallow, dead, pale color; as, the wanness of the cheeks after a fever.

WAN'NISH, a.

Somewhat wan; of a pale hue. – Fairfax.

WANT, n. [waunt; Sax. wan, supra; wanian, to fail; Goth. wan, deficiency, want. This seems to be primarily a participle of wane.]

1. Deficiency; defect; the absence of that which is necessary or useful; as, a want of power or knowledge for any purpose; want of food and clothing. The want of money is a common want. – 2 Cor. viii. ix. From having wishes in consequence of our wants, we often feel wants in consequence of our wishes. – Rambler.
2. Need; necessity; the effect of deficiency. Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and more saucy. – Franklin.
3. Poverty; penury; indigence. Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches as to conceive how others can be in want. – Swift.
4. The state of not having. I can not write a letter at present for want of time.
5. That which is not possessed, but is desired or necessary, for use or pleasure. Habitual superfluities become actual wants. – Paley.
6. A mole. – Heylin.

WANT, v.i. [waunt.]

1. To be deficient; not to be sufficient. As in bodies, thus in souls, we find What wants in blood and spirits, swell'd with wind. – Pope.
2. To fail; to be deficient; to be lacking. No time shall find me wanting to my truth. – Dryden.
3. To be missed; not to be present. The jury was full, wanting one.
4. To fall short; to be lacking. Twelve, wanting one, he slew. – Dryden.

WANT, v.t. [waunt.]

1. To be destitute; to be deficient in; not to have; a word of general application; as, to want knowledge; to want judgment; to want learning; to want food and clothing; to want money.
2. To be defective or deficient in. Timber may want strength or solidity to answer its purpose.
3. To fall short; not to contain or have. The sum wants a dollar of the amount of debt. Nor think, though men were none, / That heaven would want spectators, God want praise. – Milton.
4. To be without. The unhappy never want enemies. – Richardson.
5. To need; to have occasion for, as useful, proper or requisite. Our manners want correction. In winter we want a fire; in summer we want cooling breezes. We all want more public spirit and more virtue.
6. To wish for; to desire. Every man wants a little preeminence over his neighbor. Many want that which they can not obtain, and which if they could obtain, would certainly ruin them. What wants my son. – Addison.

WANT'ACE, n.

Deficiency; that which is wanting.

WANT'ED, pp.

Needed; desired.

WANT'ING, ppr.

1. Needing; lacking; desiring.
2. adj. Absent; deficient. One of the twelve is wanting. We have the means, but the application is wanting.
3. Slack; deficient. I shall not be wanting in exertion.

WANT'LESS, a.

Having no want; abundant; fruitful. – Warner.