Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WHORT, n.

The fruit of the whortleberry; or the shrub.

WHOR-TLE-BER-RY, n. [Sax. heort-berg, hart-berry. The Germans call it heidel-beere, heath-berry.]

A plant or shrub and its fruit, of the genus Vaccinium.

WHOSE, pron. [hooz.]

The possessive or genitive case of who or which; applied to persons or things. We say, the person whose merits are known; the garment whose color is admired.

WHOSE-SO-EV'ER, pron. [whose and soever.]

Of any person whatever. John xx.

WHO'SO, pron. [hooso.]

Any person whatever. [Obs.]

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

Any one; any person whatever. Whatsoever win, let him take of the water of life freely. Rev. xxii.

WHUR, n.

The sound of a body moving through the air with velocity. [See Whir.]

WHUR, v.i.

To pronounce the letter r with too much force.

WHURT, n.

A whortleberry or bilberry. [See Whort.]

WHY, adv. [Sax. hwi, and for hwi, or for hwig, for why. Hwi, whig, coincides in elements with which. So pourquoi in French, is the same; pour and L. quid, quod; for what. The original phrase is for what, for why.]

1. For what cause or reason, interrogatively. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die? – Jer. xxvii.
2. For which reason or cause, relatively. No ground of enmity, Why he should mean me ill. – Milton.
3. For what reason or cause; for which; relatively. Turn the discourse; I have a reason why I would not have you speak so tenderly. – Dryden.
4. It is used sometimes emphatically, or rather as an expletive. If her chill heart I can not move, / Why, I'll enjoy the very love. – Cowley.

WI, a. [from the Gothic weiha; Dan. vier, to consecrate; Sw. viga. It is found in some names, as in Wibert, holy-bright, or bright-holy, eminent for sanctity.]

Holy.

WIC, or WICK, n. [L. vicus; Sax. wic or wyc; hence it occurs in Berwick, Harwich, Norwich, &c.]

A termination, denotes jurisdiction, as in bailiwick. Its primary sense is a village or mansion. It signifies also a bay or a castle. – Gibson.

WICK, n. [Sax. weoc; Sw. veke, a wick or match; Ir. buaie, Qu. from twisting.]

A number of threads of cotton or some similar substance, loosely twisted into a string, round which wax or tallow is applied by means of melting and running in a mold, and thus forming a candle or torch.

WICK'ED, a. [Sw. vika, to decline, to err, to deviate, also to fold; Sax. wican, to recede, to slide, to fall away; wicelian, to vacillate, to stumble. It seems to be connected in origin with wag, and Sax. wicca, witch. The primary sense is to wind and turn, or to depart, to fall away.]

1. Evil in principle or practice; deviating from the divine law; addicted to vice; sinful; immoral. This is a word of comprehensive signification, extending to every thing that is contrary to the moral law, and both to persons and nations. We say, a wicked man, a wicked deed, wicked ways, wicked lives, a wicked heart, wicked designs, wicked works. No man was ever wicked without secret discontent. – Rambler.
2. A word of slight blame; as, the wicked urchin.
3. Cursed; baneful; pernicious; as, wicked words, worth pernicious in their effects. [Obs.] [This last signification may throw some light on the ward witch.] The wicked, in Scripture, persons who live in sin; transgressors of the divine law; all who are unreconciled to God, unsanctified or impenitent.

WICK'ED-LY, adv.

In a manner or with motives and designs contrary to the divine law; viciously; corruptly immorally. All that do wickedly shall be stubble. – Mal. iv. I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. – 2 Sam. xxiv.

WICK'ED-NESS, n.

Departure from the rules of the divine law; evil disposition or practices; immorality; crime; sin sinfulness; corrupt manners. Wickedness generally signifies evil practices. What wickedness is this that is done among you. – Judge xx. But wickedness expresses also the corrupt dispositions of the heart. Their inward part is very, wickedness. – Ps. v. In heart, ye work wickedness. Ps. lviii.

WICK'EN, or WICK'EN-TREE, n.

The Sorbus aucuparia, mountain ash, or roan-tree. – Lee.

WICK'ER, a. [Dan. vien, probably contracted from vigen. The Eng. twig, G. zweig, D. twyg, are probably formed on the simple word wig, from the root of L. vigeo, to grow. The word signifies a shoot.]

Made of twigs or osiers; as, a wicker basket; a wicker chair. – Spenser. Peacham.

WICK'ET, n. [Fr. guichet; W. gwiced, a little door, from gwig, a narrow place, a corner.]

1. A small gate. The wicket, often open'd, knew the key. – Dryden.
2. A small gate by which the chamber of canal locks emptied.
3. A bar or rod used in playing cricket.

WIC'LIF-ITE, n.

A follower of Wiclif, the English reformer.

WIDE, a. [Sax. wid, wide; D. wyd; G. weit; Sw. and Dan. vid; Sans. vidi, breadth; Ar. بَدَّ badda, to separate; allied to void, divide, widow, Ir. feadh, &c. See Class Bd, No. 1.]

1. Broad; having a great or considerable distance or extent between the sides; opposed to narrow; as, wide cloth; wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall of entry. In this use, wide is distinguished from long, which refers to the extent or distance between the ends.
2. Broad; having a great extent each way; as, a wide plain the wide ocean.
3. Remote; distant. This position is very wide from the truth. – Hammond.
4. Broad to a certain degree; as, three feet wide.

WIDE, adv.

1. At a distance; far. His fame was spread wide.
2. With great extent; used chiefly in composition; as, wide-skirted meads; wide-waving swords; wide-wasting pestilence; wide-spreading evil.

WIDE'-BRANCH-ED, a.

Having spreading branches.

WIDE'LY, adv.

1. With great extent each way. The Gospel was widely disseminated by the apostles.
2. Very much; to a great distance; far. We differ widely in opinion.

WID'EN, v.i.

To grow wide or wider; to enlarge; to extend itself. And arches widen, and long aisles extend. – Pope.