water-shut 
Who all the morne 
Had from the ((uarry with his piuk-axe tome 
A lai^e well-squared stone, which he would cut 
To serve his stile, or for some xcater-shut. 
W. Browne, Britannia's Pastorals. (Nares.) 
waterside (wa'ter-sitl), ». The brink of water; 
the bank or margin of a river, stream, or lake; 
the sea-shore: sometimes used attributively. 
Come, Master Belch, I will hrin^ you to the water-side, 
perhaps to Wapping, and there I'll leave you. 
Dekkeraiid Webster, Northward Ho, ii. 1. 
Water side insects are well described, particularly the 
ephemeridse. The Academy, April 25, 1891, p. 392. 
water-silvering (wa'ter-sil''''ver-ing), n. A pro- 
cess of silvering analogous to water-gilding. 
water-sink (wa'ter-singk), u. See jwt-hole. 
water-skin (w^*'ter-skin), n. A vessel or bag 
of skin used for the storage or transportation of 
w^ater. 
We had water, it is tnie, from the Nile; but we never 
thought we could have t** much, as long as there was room 
in our water-skina to holil more. 
Bruce, .Source of the Nile, I. 177. 
water-skipper (wd'ter-skip^^r), ». One of the 
slender long-legged water-bugs of the genus 
HytfrotrechH.'i ; any water-strider. 
water-sky (wa'ter-ski), n. A peculiar reflec- 
tion in the sky, common in arctic regions, indi- 
cating the presence of open water beneath. 
Some circumstances which he reports seem to point to 
the existence of a north water all the year round ; and the 
ft'equeut icater skiett, fujis, Ac, that we have seen to the 
southwest during the winter go to confirm the fact. 
Kane, Sec. Grinnell Exp., I. 236. 
water-slater (wa't^r-sla'^ter), n. Any aquatic 
isopod or sUiter of the genus AscUus. 
water-smartweed (wa'ter-smart^wed), «. See 
ttmartweed. 
water-smoke (wa'ter-smok), n. Water evapo- 
rating in tlie visible form of fog or mist: a phe- 
nomenon that oeciu's when the temperature of 
water-surfaces is above tho dew-point of tlie 
air, and the air is already saturated with moist- 
ure. Water-smoke is frc(iuently observe<l over rivers 
or other bodies of water aftor a sudden fall of tempt-ra- 
ture, when, in ptjpular language, it is said "the river 
steams," and in damp weather (iv.-r water-covered sur- 
faces which are much warmer tlmn the air, and is also 
seen freqtiently in arctic regions. 
We had not l>een able to ^et the doj^s out when the bit,' 
moon appeared above the irater-anwke, 
Kane, Sec. Grinnell Exp., II. .12. 
water-snail (wa'ter-snal), II. 1. An aquatic 
pulraonate gastropod ; a pon4l-snail, as a lim- 
neid» or one of many similar snails. See cuts 
under Limuiea and lAmnieidw. — 2. The Archi- 
medean screw. [Rare.] 
water-snake (wa'ter-snak), ». A snake which 
frequents the water: variously applied. 
In the Friendly Islands the water-imnke was much re- 
spected. Sir J. Lubbock, Orig. of Civilisation, p. 179. 
Especially — (a) Any one of the venomons sea-snakes. See 
Hydrophuise and »ea-$erpent, 2, with cuts there or there 
cited, {b) I'he Indian Fordonia unicoUtr, or any member 
of the family ni/malupxidx. (c) A wart-snake ; any mem- 
ber of the AcTochordida, as 8j)ecie8 of Arrochnrdus and 
Chersydnu. See cut tinder wart-muike. {d) The common 
rinffed snake of Enrojie, TropUhmotus natn'x. See cuts 
uniTer gnake and Tropvionotwt. (?) In the United States, 
one of several harmless aquatic colubrines, as the species 
of Nerodia (or TropidoiwtuM) and lif'gina, as S. xipedtm 
and R. leberijf. In the West several species of garter- 
snakes (A'ufjrnia) are thoroughly aquatic, and would come 
locally untler this name. See ti-ater-adder awi water-moc- 
ra*in. 
water-soak (wa't6r-s6k), '•. t. To soak or fill the 
interstices of with water. 
water-socks (wa'ter-soks), n. /*/. The white wa- 
ter-lily, f'fisfalia speriosa. Britten and Holland. 
water-sodden (wa'tcr-sod'^n), a. [< water + 
Hoddtn, pj>. of gf'efhe.l Soaked and softened in 
water; water-soaked. Tmiufson. 
water-soldier (wa'ter-so^'jer), «. The water- 
sengreen, Stratiotrs aloi'dfs. Also called wafer- 
aloe. 
water-sorrel (wji'ter-8or''el). u. Same as irnter- 
do<k\ 
water-SOUChy Cwa't«''r-sou'''chi), H. Fish boiled 
and served in its own liquor. See soufch, v. t. 
water-space (wa'ter-spas), n. That part of a 
steam-boiler which lies below the Kteam-sjiace, 
and is designed to hold the water to be evapo- 
rated. 
water-spaniel (wH'ter-Hi)an^''yel). 11. The name 
Kiven to two varieties of the dog calhMi spaniel, 
namely, the large water-spaniel and the small 
water-spaniel. Het^ spoil iel, 1. 
water-gparrow (wa' t^T-spar'^o). ». 1. The 
reed-bunting or reed-sparrf)W. End}eriza seho'iu- 
cluti. [Prov, Kng.] — 2. A reed- or sedge-war- 
bler of the genus .icrorephfilns. as A. atrepent.'i 
OT A, phratjmitis. [Prov. Eng.] 
6847 
water-speedwell (w£t'ter-8ped''''wel), ». See 
speedwell. 
water-spider (wa'ter-spi''''der), ». l. A spider 
of the family Drassklse, Argyroneta aqualica, 
which makes a bag of silk on water-plants, and 
lives in it under water as in a diving-bell, the 
opening being below, so that the air cannot 
escape. It is filled by the spider, which brings 
down bubbles of air one at a time. See diving- 
spider, and cut under Argj/roneta. — 2. Any one 
of certain spiders of the lycosid genus Uoh- 
inedcs, as D. tenebrosns, D, urinator, or D. sex- 
punctatus, which build nests of leaves and 
twigs on overhanging rushes, just at the sur- 
face of the water in shallow streams; a raft- 
Spider. The spiders construct their cocoons and live 
in these nests. They run rapidly over and dive beneath 
the surface of the water, where they can remain for some 
time. 
3. A water-mite or water-tick. — 4. A bug of 
the genus Hydrometra ; a water-measurer. En- 
eyc. Diet. 
water-spike (wa'ter-spik), n. A plant of the 
genus Potamogeton, which consists of aquatics 
with small greenish or reddish flowers in spikes 
or heads; pondweed. 
water-spinner (wa'ter-spin er), n. A water- 
spider; especially, the diving spider. 
waterspout (wa'ter-spout), n. 1. A pipe, nozle, 
or orifice from which water is spouted. 
The manner in which lie ^'azed at the shops, stumbled 
into the gutters, ran against the portei-s, and stood under 
the tmtergj^tovts, marked him out as an ■excellent subject 
for the operations of swindlers and banteiers. 
Macaulay, Hist. Eng., iii. 
Every dozen or fifteen miles is a station — two or three 
sheds, and a water-spout and woodpile. 
S. Bou'les, Our New West, p. 50. 
2. A spout, jet, or column of water; specifi- 
cally-, a whirlwind over a body of water, pro- 
ducing the appearance of a solid column of 
water extending from the surface to the clouds. 
In reality, however, the phenomenon that is seen is the 
cloud brought down to the earth's surface by tlie rapid 
gyratory motion of a vertical whirl, anil it consists simply 
of fine mist suiToundiiig a central axis of rarefaction. At 
first the cloud has the fcjrm of a tapering funnel ; then, de- 
scending to near the water's surface, it draws up the water 
for a distance into its vortex, andimpartstoit its whirling 
motion. The sjiout is then complete, and appears as an 
immense column connecting sea and cloud, light in color 
near the center, but dark along the sides. Like other 
whirlwinds, the waterspont has a progressive as well as a 
rotary motion, its axis sometimes being inclined forward 
in the direction of advance. After continuing a short 
time, generally less than twenty minutes, the column is 
disunited, the lower part descending as rain, wliile the 
upper part is drawn back into the clouds. The height of 
the spoilt depends upon the hygrometric state of the air; 
in general it is between 800 and 2,5(X) feet, it is common 
for a nnniber of waterspouts to be seen simultaneously 
or successively; and this is to be expected, for a series 
of separate and independent gyrations arc likely to arise 
when the air is in a state of instability, such as is required 
for the development of these whirlwinds. This is espe- 
cially the case in troi)ical and equatorial regions, where 
wiiterspouta are most frequent. 
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspnuts. 
Ps. xlii. 7. 
water-sprite (wa'trr-sprit), n. A sprite or spirit 
inhabiting the water. 
A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! 
And still it near'd and near'd ; 
As if it dodged a water-sprite. 
It plunged and tack'd and veer'iL 
Colerid'je, Ancient Mariner, iii. 
water-stairs (wa'ter-starz). it. pi. Stairs lead- 
ing down to water, as on the banks of the 
Thames, where boats are taken for ferriage, etc. 
He has but a tender weakc body, but was always very 
temperate ; made him danniable drnnke at Somer- 
Bet-huiise, where, at the water-stayn-s, he fell dowiie, and 
had a cruel fall. Aubrey, Lives (Edmund Waller). 
water-standing (wa'ter-stan''''ding), <i. Wet 
with water; perpetnally filled with tears. 
[Rare.] 
An orphan's icati-r-standiwj eye. 
Shak., 3 Hen. VI., v. 6. 40. 
water-star ( wa'ter-star), //. Same as .star-j'ruit. 
water-stargrass (wa'ttr-star^''gras), n. An 
acjuatic iierb, lleteranthera (Schollera) gra- 
minea, with grass-like leaves and yellow starry 
flowers. 
water-starwort(wa'ter-star'''wert), ;/. See (V//- 
litrirhe ami star-gross. 
watersteadt (wa'trr-sted), )i. The bed of a 
river. Adn/iral Stityth. 
water-stream (wii'ter-strem), ». [< ME. water- 
stroetu, < AS. n-ater-strediu ; as water + streain.~\ 
A stream of water; a river. 
Forr all all awn se xvaterrstrfeni . . . fietethth foi'tli . . . 
towarrd te sw. Onnulum (eii. VVhite), 1. IHOO'i. 
water-strider (wa'ter-Htn''M<'*r), n. Any aquat- 
ic heteropterous insect of the family Hydro- 
water-table 
hatidse ; a water-skipper: so called from their 
long, slender, straddling legs and aquatic hab- 
its. 
The water -striders prefer quiet waters, upon which they 
rest, or over which they skim rapidly. 
Comstock, Introd. Entom. (1S88X p. 193. 
water-supply (wa'ter-su-pli''''), ». The obtain- 
ing of water for and its distribution to a town or 
city, as far as possible in sufficient quantity and 
of satisfactory quality; also, the amount of wa- 
ter thus provided and distributed. Water-supply, 
as this term is generally used, differs from irrigation in 
that the latter has to do with providing and distributing 
water for agiicultural purposes — that is, it is an attempt 
to make up for a deficiency of, or for irregularity in, the 
natural rainfall. Water-supply, on the other hand, is tlie 
providing of water for domestic and manufacturing usf s 
in sufficient quantity, and under favorable conditions, not 
only as to purity, but also as to pressure, so that it may )»e 
available without the necessity of carrying it by hand to 
the upper stories of houses or manufactories, and as to 
storage, so that large quantities can be used within a short 
period of time, as when needed for extinguishing exten- 
sive conflagrations in cities. The question of water-sup- 
ply is one which has to do, and to a most important ex- 
tent, with the health, comfort, and material well-being of 
all localities, even where there is only a moderately dense 
aggregation of population ; and the larger and denser such 
aggregation the more important this question becomes. 
The natural source of water-supply is the rain, and this is 
one of great importance in regions of considerable rain- 
fall and of thinly aggregated population, the water being 
caught on the roofs of the houses or barns and conveyed 
to cisterns where it is stored for use as wanted, and from 
which it has to be pumped. Almost everywhere in re- 
gions of considerable precipitation water can be had by 
digging shallow wells in the surface detritus, and this 
is an extremely common mode of supply in agricultural 
districts, the advantage being that the expense of digging 
a well is much less than that of providing storage in cis- 
terns, Avhile the disadvantage is that well-water is ordi- 
narily not so pure as rain-water (and this is emphatically 
the case in limestone districts). Besides, it is almost im- 
possible to provide cisterns large enough to liold the 
amount of rain-water required during periods of abnor- 
mally long drought, such as occasionally occur even in 
regions of considerable average rainfall. These sources 
of supply — namely, rain caught as it falls and water from 
shallow wells— are entirely unsuited U) the conditions in 
towns of even moderate size. The rainfall in cities is con- 
taminated with soot and gases thrown out from the many 
chimneys of houses and manufacturing estal»lishnients ; 
neither is it large enough in quantity, nor can it be stored 
satisfactorily without incurring an expense far greater 
than would Ite that of providing a supply in some other 
way. Rivers would seem to be the natural source of sup- 
ply for cities situated upon them, and tliere are few very 
large cities through which a river does not run ; but rivers 
are the natural and almost necessary sewers of the cities 
drained i)y them, and the water, thus polluted, is not only 
often disagreeable to the taste, but is always a possible 
source of danger to health. It is true that some cities of 
moilerate size situated on very large rivei-s do use their 
water, as, for instance, St. Louis on the Mississippi ; but, 
in general, if a river is used, the water must be taken from 
a point high enough up-stream to avoid the risk of con- 
tamination from the sewage of the towns situated on or 
near its banks, as is done in London, which is largely siij)- 
plied by water from the Thames drawn from a point far 
above the city. The most satisfactory source of water- 
supply for a city is a mountain-lake, not too far distant, 
where the geological and other conditions are suth as 
to insure a high degree of purity in the water. This is 
emphatically the case with regard to Glasgow, wliich is 
supplied from rx)ch Katrine. Much oftener water satis- 
factory in quality and abundant in (luantity can be ob- 
tained by creating one or more artificial lakes at the 
head of a suitably situated river Ity the construction of 
dams; these are sometimes of great height, holding back 
bodies of water miles in length. Of this character is the 
water-supply of Liverpool, of New York, of Boston, and 
of many otlier important cities. Regions underlain by 
thick masses of permeable rocks— as, for instance, the 
New Red Sandstone and Chalk districts of England — are 
not infrequently supplied with water by means of wells 
bored to considerable depths and of large dimensions, 
from which the water sometimes rises to the surface, l>ut 
more often has to be pumped. Many large towns in the 
manufacturing districts of England were formerly almost 
exclusively, and are still to some extent, supplied in this 
way; but wherever it has been found possible to olitain 
water in s<mie better way this system has been abandoned, 
neither quality nor quantity being satisfactory. Consid- 
erable water is procured in England from deep wells in 
the Chalk, and this method of supi)ly is of some impor- 
tance in L(mdon. Where the conditions are such that 
pure water cannot be had, artificial purification is some- 
times resorted to, but this is always expensive and often 
unsatisfactory. An abundant supply of soft water, taken 
from some source known to be free from the possibility 
of contamination by sewage or otherwise, is one of the 
greatest of blessings, and this result has been attained in 
various cities, but not without large expenditure and no 
small amount of engineering skill. The distribution of 
water was once a matter of considerable difficulty, the 
wooden pipes first employed being subject to rot and leak- 
age. In modern times the use of cast-iron for the mains is 
most common, while the.'^ervice-pipes are usually of lead, 
but sometimes of bronze or brass. 
water-SWallow+(wa'ti-r-swol*o),w. The water- 
wagtail. Hidliwell. 
water-system (wa'ter-sis''''tem), n. In =ooL, the 
watei'-vjiscular system. 
water-tabby (wa'ter-tab'-'i), n. Tabby having 
a WMtercil surface. 
water-table (\va'ter-ta^''b]). /^ 1. In areh., a 
string-course, molding, or otlier projecting 
