Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WHALE'-MAN, n.

A man employed in the whale-fishery.

WHAL-ER, n.

A ship employed in the whale-fishery.

WHAL-ING, n.

The business of taking whales.

WHALL, or WHAUL, n.

A disease of the eyes, called glaucoma. [Local.]

WHAL-Y, a.

Marked with streaks; properly Wealy.

WHAMS, n.

A species of fly, tabanus, the barrel fly, that annoys horses.

WHANG, n. [Sax. thwang.]

A leather thong. [Not in use.]

WHANG, v.t.

To beat. [Not in use or local.] Grose.

WHAP, n.

A blow. [ Vulgar.] [See Awhap.]

WHAP'PER, n.

Something uncommonly large of the kind. So thumper is connected with thump, to strike with a heavy blow. [Vulgar.]

WHARF, n. [hworf; Sax. hwarf, hweorf; D. werf; Dan. verf; Russ. vorph. In D. werven signifies to raise or levy. In the plural, Wharfs and Wharves are both used.]

A perpendicular bank or mound of timber or stone and earth, raised on the shore of a harbor, or extending some distance into the water, for the convenience of lading and unlading ships and other vessels. This name is also given to the wider part of a canal, where boats lie while loading and unloading. The two longest wharfs in New England, are at Boston and at New Haven. The latter is much the longest, extending into the harbor about three quarters of a mile.

WHARF, v.t.

To guard or secure by a wharf or firm wall of timber or stone; as, the western bank of the Connecticut is wharfed at Hartford, to prevent the river from wearing away the land.

WHARF'AGE, n.

The fee or duty paid for the privilege of using a wharf for loading or unloading goods, timber, wood, &c.

WHARF'ING, n.

Wharfs in general:

WHARF'IN-GER, n.

A man who has the care of a wharf, or the proprietor of a wharf.

WHAT, n.

Fare; things; matter. [Not in use.] – Spenser.

WHAT, pron. [relative or substitute. Sax. hwæt; Goth. waiht; D. wat; G. was; Dan. and Sw. hvad; Scot. quhat; L. quod, quid. The Sax. hwæt, hwat, signifies brisk, lively vigorous; which shows that this pronoun is the same word as wight, a living being, from the root of the L. vivo, for vigo. See Wight. The Gothic h, represents the Latin c, in victus.]

1. That which. Say what you will, is the same as say that which you will.
2. Which part. Consider what is due to nature, and what to art or labor.
3. What is the substitute for a sentence or clause of a sentence. “I tell thee what, corporal, I could tear her.” Here what relates to the last clause, “I could tear her;” this is what I tell you.
4. What is used as an adjective, of both genders, often in specifying sorts or particulars. See what colors this silk exhibits. I know what qualities you desire in a friend; that is, I know the qualities which you desire.
5. What is much used in asking questions. What sort of character is this? What poem is this? What man is this we see coming?
6. What time, at the time or on the day when. What time the morn mysterious visions brings. – Pope.
7. To how great a degree. What partial judges are our love and hate! – Dryden.
8. Whatever. Whether it was the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will … or what it was. – Bacon.
9. Some part, or some. "The year before, he had so used the matter, that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty castles;" that is, he had taken above thirty castles, a part or some by force, a part or some by policy; or what may be interpreted partly. – Knolles. Sometimes what has no verb to govern it, and it must be considered as adverbially used. "What with carrying apples and fuel, he finds himself in a hurry;" that is, partly, in part.
10. What is sometimes used elliptically for what is this, or how is this? What! could ye not watch with me one hour? – Matth. xxvi.
11. What is used interrogatively and elliptically, as equivalent to what will be the consequence? What will follow as in the phrase, what if I undertake this business myself? What though, that is, grant this or that; allow it to be so. What ho, an exclamation of calling.

WHAT-E'VER, pron. [what and ever.]

1. Being this or that; being of one nature or another; being one thing or another; any thing that may be. Whatever is read, let it be read with attention. Whatever measure may be adopted, let it be with due caution. Whatever you do, let it be done with prudence.
2. All that; the whole that; all particulars that. At once came forth whatever creeps. – Milton.

WHAT-SO-EV'ER, a.

compound of what, so, and ever, has the sense of whatever, and is less used than the latter. Indeed it is nearly obsolete. Whatso, in a like sense, is entirely obsolete.

WHEAL, n.

A pustule. [See Weal.]

WHEAT, n. [Sax. hwæte; Goth. hwit; Ice. hveitenu; G. weitzen; Sw. hvete; Dan. hvede; D. weit. Qu. Heb. חטה; Syr. id.]

A plant of the genus Triticum, and the seed of the plant, which furnishes a white flour for bread, and next to rice, is the grain most generally used by the human race. Of this grain the varieties are numerous, as red wheat, white wheat, bald wheat, bearded wheat, winter wheat, summer wheat, &c.

WHEAT-BIRD, n.

A bird that feeds on wheat. – Virginia.

WHEAT-EAR, n.

The English name of the Motacilla aenanthe; called also white-tail and fallow-finch. – Cyc.

WHEAT-EN, a. [hwee'tn.]

Made of wheat; as, wheaten bread. – Arbuthnot. Pope.

WHEAT-FLY, n.

An insect whose lanes attack wheat in the growing state; two or more species of the genus Cecidomyia.