well-wisher 
It heartens the Young Libertine, and confirms the welt- 
vnshers to Atheism. 
Jeremy Collier, Short View (ed. 1698), p. 1»0. 
well-won (wel'wun), (7. Honestly gained ; hard- 
ly earned. 
My bargains and ray vKll-vmn thrift. 
Shak., M. of v., i. 3. 61. 
well-worn (werworn), a. 1. Much affected 
by wear or use ; hence, familiar from frequent 
repetition ; worn threadbare. 
The icelt-ivorn plea that unequal acquaintanceships 
never prosper. Mrs. Gore, Two Aristocracies, xv. 
I>own which a well-worn patliway courted us. 
Tennyson, Gardener's Daughter. 
2. Properly or becomingly worn; suitably 
borne or maintained. [Rare.] 
Tliat well-worn reserve which proved he knew 
Xo sympathy with that familiar crew. 
Byron, Lara, i. 27. 
welly (wel'i), adv. [An extension of weH^.] 
Weil-nigh; very nearly; almost. [Prov. Eng.] 
Our Joseph 's welly blind, poor lad. 
Wauffh's Lancashire Sont/s. 
welmt, ''• »• [ME. welmcn, < irehn, walm, a 
bubbling up, a spring: see walm.'] To well; 
spring. 
The watere is evere fresh and nowe 
That welmeth up with wawis brighte. 
Rom. of the Hose, 1. 1561. 
wels (welz), n. The sheatfish, Silurns (jlanis. 
Welsil (welsh), a. andji. [Formerly also Welch, 
early mod. E. also Walsh; < ME. Welsce, Walshe, 
Wie.lscc, Walsche, Walse, Walisc, Welisc, < AS. 
weUsc, wselisc, foreign, esp. Celtic, in later use 
applied also to the French (= OHG. ivalhisc, 
foreign, esp. pertaining to Rome, Roman, MHG. 
welscli, icellisch, walliisc, pertaining to Rome, 
French, Italian,G. wiihch, foreign (cf.G. Wdlsch- 
laml, Italy), = leel. vaMr, foreign), < wealh (pi. 
wealas), foreigner, esp. the Celts or Welshmen, 
= OHG. walk, MHG. walch, a foreigner, esp. a 
Roman (ef. Wallach); of. LL. Volcse, a reflex of 
a Celtic name. The AS. noun, in the pi. Wealas, 
lit. 'foreigners,' exists in the patrial names 
Wales, Cornwall, and in eomp. in wahmt; and 
the adj. appears as a surname in the forms 
WeWi, Welch, Walsh.] I. a. If. Foreign. See 
welshnut. — 2. Relating or pertaining to Wales 
(a titular principality and a part of the island 
of Great Britain, opposite the southern part of 
Ireland), or to its people or its indigenous Cym- 
ric language — Welsh clearwlng, Trochilium scolise- 
forme, a British hawk-moth whose larva feeds on the 
birch. — Welsh draket, the gaiiwall or gray duck, Chan- 
lelasmus strepenut. J. P. Giraud, ISii. Also called Ger- 
man duck. See cut under Chaulelasmus. [New Jersey.] 
— Welsh glave. See glave, 3.— Welsh groin, in arch., 
a proin formed by the intersection of two cylindrical 
vaults, of which one is of less height than the other. See 
iinderpitch groining, under (jroininy. — Welsh harp. See 
/iar/>.— Welsh hook, an old military weapon of the bill 
kind, but having, in addition to a cutting-blade, a hook 
at the back. 
Swore the devil his true liegeman upon the cross of a 
Welsh hook. Shak., 1 lien. IV., ii. 4. S72. 
Welsh lay. See lay'i. — Welsh main, a ntjitch at cock- 
lighting where all niust fight to death. .S'co«.— Welsh 
medlar. Same as ozaioZf.— Welsh mortgage. Seemort- 
gat/e. — Welsh mutton, a choice and delicate quality of 
mutton otjtained from a small breed of sheep in Wales. 
St»jmo»w/«.— Welsh onion, the ciliol, Allium fistulosum, : 
so called from the Gentian Wdlsch, which merely indicates 
a foreign origin. See cif/ol, 2, and iecfr.— Welsh parsleyt, 
a burlesque name for hemp or a hangman's halter made 
of it. 
This is a rascal deserves ... to dance in hemp Der- 
rick's coranto: let's choke him with Welsh jiarsley. 
Jiandolph, Hey for Honesty, iv. 1. 
Welsh poppy. See Mecotiopsis and poppy.— Welsh 
rabbit, ware, wig, etc. See the nouns. 
II. H. 1. Collectively, as a plural word with 
the definite article, the people of Wales, or the 
members of tlie Cymric race indigenous to 
Wales. They were ruled by petty princes, and 
maintained their independence of the English 
till 1282-;!.— 2. Tlie language of Wales or of 
the Welsh. The 'Welsh is a memlier of the Celtic fam- 
ily of languages, forming, with the iJreton language and 
the now extinct ('ornish branch, the Cymric group. 
welsh'- (welsh), r. t. and i. [Also wcleh ; < 
Wehh^, cither from tlie surname, or in allusion 
to the alleged bad faith of Welshmen.] To 
cheat or ijractise cheating by betting or taking 
money as a stake on a horse-race, and running 
off without settling. 
A late decision (jf the Coin-ts has rather taken the lower 
class of liookmaker by surjirise — velshiwj was decided to 
be an indictable offence, yineteenth Century, XXVI. 850. 
He stakes his money with one of the book-makers whom 
he has seen at his stand for many years, with the cer- 
tainty that he will receive his wiimiugs, and run no ri.sk 
of being welshed. 
Daily Tcleyraph, March 12, 1887. (Eneyc. Vict.) 
6878 
welsher (wel'sh^r), n. [< welsh^ + -erl.] A 
swindling better or book-maker on a race-track; 
one who absconds without paying his losses, or 
what is due to others on account of money de- 
posited with him for betting. Also written 
icelcher. 
The icelcher properly so called takes the money offered 
him to back a horse, but, when he has taken money 
enough from his dupes, departs from the scene of his la- 
bours, and trusts to his luck, a dyed wig, or a pair of false 
whiskers not to be recognised. Alt the Year Round. 
Welshman (welsh 'man), «.; pi. Welshmen 
(-men). [Formerly also Wclchman; < Welsh + 
man.] 1 . A native of the principality of Wales, 
or a member of the Welsh race. — 2. A local 
name of the black-bass and of the squirrel-fish. 
welshnutt (welsh'nut), n. [Also walshnut; < 
ME. welshnotc, walshnoie, lit. 'foreign nut': see 
Welsh'^ and nut, and cf. walnut.] The nut of Ju- 
(jlans reyia, tlie European walnut ; also, the tree. 
I saugh him carien a wind-melle 
Under a walsh-note [var. welsh-note] shale. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 1281. 
[Early printed editions have walnote.] 
welsomet (wel'sum), a. [< ME. welsum ; < wf/P 
+ -some.] Well off ; in good condition ; prosper- 
ous. WvcUf, Gen. xxiv. 21. 
welsomelyt (wel'sum-li), adv. [< ME. welsum- 
li ; < tvelsome + -lij'^.] Prosperously ; with fa- 
vor or well-being. 
I . . . shall be turned agen welsumty to the hows of 
my fader. Wycltf, Gen. xxviii. 21. 
welt^t (welt), i\ i. [< ME. welten, roll, upset, 
overturn, < AS. tcyltan, roll, etc., = OHG. wol- 
zan, MHG. welzcn, G. walzen, walzen = Icel. 
velta,To\\: see wait.] To roll; revolve. 
Hit walz a wenyng vnwar [foolish] that welt in his mynde. 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), ill. 115. 
welt^ (welt), ?i. [< ME. weltf, a narrow strip 
of leather round a shoe, a hem, a fringe ; per- 
haps < W. f/wald, a hem, welt, gicaltes, the welt 
of a shoe (ef . ijwaldu, welt, hem, gwalteisio, form 
a welt).] 1. An applied hem, selvage, border- 
ing, or fringe; especially, a strengthening or 
ornamenting strip of material fastened along 
an edge, or over or between two joined edges, 
often forming a rounded ridge by the insertion 
of a cord or the doubling outward of the ma- 
terial. [Now rare, except in specific or tech- 
nical uses.] 
Little low hedges, round like welts, with some pretty 
pyramids, 1 like well. Bacon, Gardens (ed. 1887). 
{'lap but a civil gown with a welt [a civilian's gown with 
a furred border] on the one, and a canonical cloke with 
sleeves on the other. B. Jonson, Epiccene, iv. 2. 
A committee-man's clerk, or some such excellent ras- 
cal, clothing himself from top to toe in knavery, without 
a welt or gard of goodness about him. 
Rntidolph, Hey for Honesty, i. 1. 
His coat was greeiie, 
"With welts of white seamde betweene. 
Greene, Mourning Garment, 
Specifically — («) In a heraldic achievement, a narrow 
border to an or(linary or charge, (b) A strip uf material 
sewed round or along an open edge, as of a glove. 
He [a glove-maker] cuts pieces for the tlniml»s . . . and 
for the binding round the top and the opening just above 
the palm of the hand, which are called welts, 
Chamtters's Journal, 5th ser., III. 226. 
((•) A strip of leather in a boot or shoe sewed round the 
edge of the conjoined upper leather and inner sole, pre- 
paratory to the attachment of the bottom or outer sole. 
See cut under t>oot. (d) In carp., a strip forming an addi- 
tional thickness laid over a flush seam or joint, or placeil 
in an angle, to strengthen it, as in a carvel-built vessel, 
(c) In sheet-iron work, a strip riveted to two contiguous 
plates forming a butt-joint, if) In knitting: (1) One of the 
ribs at an end of the work, intended to prevent it from 
rolling up, as around the opening or top of a sock. (2) A 
separate flap, as a heel-piece, on any piece of work made 
in a knitting-machine. It is made independently of the 
work, and afterward knitted on. 
Hence — 2. A low superficial ridge or linear 
S'ivelling, as on the skin ; a weal or wale : as, 
to raise welts on a person or an animal by 
blows with a whip. See trelt'^. r. 1., 2. [Colloq.] 
welt'-* (welt), ». <. l<welf^,v.] 1. To fix a welt 
or welts to or in ; furnish or ornament with any- 
thing called a welt: as, to welt shoes. 
If any be sicke, a speare is set vp in his Tent with 
blacke Felt tvelted about it, and from thenceforth no 
stranger entereth therein. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 412. 
Wit 's as suitable to guarded coats as wisdom is to wetted 
gowns. Chapman, Monsieur D'Olive, iv. 1. 
2. To beat severely with a whip or stick, where- 
by welts may be raised. See welt^, «., 2. [Col- 
loq.] — welted thistle. See thistle. 
welt^ (welt), r. i. [A dial. var. of wilt.] To 
wilt; wither; become soft or flabby, as from 
decay; liecorae rojiy or stringy, as some liquors. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
Her coodn't lave 'ouze by raison of the Christmas bakkon 
comin' on, and zonie o' the cider welted. 
R. D. Blackmore, L(U-na Doone, ii. 
welt-shoulders 
welt*t. Preterit of wait. 
wel't-cut'ter (welt'kuf'^r), n. In shoe-manuf., a 
machine to cut notches in the edges of a welt, 
in order to admit of laying it in smoothly at 
the toe. The cutting-blade is triangular, and 
is depressed by a treadle and raised by a 
spring. E. H. Knight. 
weltet. Preterit of weM", welde, older forms of 
wield. 
wel'ter (wel'ter), V. [< ME. welteren, a var. of 
walteren, waltren,To\\oveT: see waiter.] I. in- 
trans. 1. To roll or toss; tumble about; flow 
or act waveringly, confusedly, or tumultuously : 
used chiefly of waves, or of things comparable 
to them. 
Again the reckless and the brave 
Ride lords of weltering seas. 
Motherwell, Battle-Hag of Sigurd. 
Incapable of change. 
Nor touched by welterings of passion. 
Wordsworth, Frel., vi. 
The waves 
"Whelmed the degraded race, and weltered o'er their graves. 
Bryant, The Ages, sL 18. 
2. To roll about, as in some fluid or unstable 
medium ; be tossed or tumbled ; hence, to wal- 
low or grovel (in something). 
He must not float upon his watery bier 
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind 
Without the meed of some melodious tear. 
Milton, Lycidas, t 13. 
Happier are they that welter in their sin. 
Swine in the mud, that cannot see for slime. 
Tennyson, Holy GraiL 
3. To be exposed to or affected by some wel- 
tering or floating substance or medium : said of 
objects at rest. 
When all is past, it is humbling to tread 
O'er the weltering field of the tombless dead. 
Byron, Siege of Corinth, xvIL 
We climbed over the crest of high sand, where the 
rushes lay weltering after the wind. 
R. D. Blackmore, Maid of Sker, xi. 
She fell from her horse, slain, and weltering in her 
blood. E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, II. 153. 
II. trans. If. To roll ; cause to turn or re- 
volve. 
He that weltereth a stone. BiWe of 1549 (Prov. xxvi. 27X 
2. To subject to or affect by weltering; ac- 
complish by or as if by wallowing. [Rare.] 
Weltering your way thi-ough chaos and the murk of Hell. 
Carlyle. 
wel'ter (wel'ter), V. [< welter, v.] Rolling or 
wallowing motion ; a tossing or tumbling 
about ; hence, turmoil ; ferment ; hurly-burly. 
The foul welter of our so-called religious or other con- 
troversies, Carlyle, 
Nothing but a confused welter and quiver of mingled air, 
and rain, and spray, as if the very atmosphere is writhing 
in the clutches of the gale. Kin^sley, Two Years Ago, iii, 
Tlie welter of the waters rose up to his chin. 
Willictm Morris, Sigurd, L 
welter-race (wel'ter-ras), n. A race in which 
the horses carry welter-weight. See tceltcr- 
wciijh t. 
welter-stakes (wd'ter-staks), n. pi. The stakes 
in a welter-race. 
welter-weight (wel'ter-wat), II. [Appar. < wel- 
ter, r., + wvighi; in allusion to the heavier mo- 
tion. But in early racing-lists the first element 
is said to be swelter, for which tlien «t/?<t would 
be a substitute. Swelter would allude to the 
overheating of the heavily weighted horses.] 
In horse-racing, an unusually heavy weight, es- 
pecially as carried by horses in many steeple- 
chases and hurdle-races. These weights some- 
times amount to as much as 40 pounds over 
weight for age. 
wel't-gnide (welt'gid), ». An attachment to a 
shoe-sewing machine for presenting the welt 
in the machine in position for sewing in. 
welting (wel'ting), H. [Verbal n. of welt^, »•.] 
1. A sewed border or edging; a thickened 
edging. — 2. A severe beating with a whip, 
stick, strap, or the like. [Colloq.] 
He bewhimpered his tceltittg, and 1 scarce thought it 
enough for him. G. Meredith. 
wel't-leather (welt'leTH'er), n. Leather from 
the slioulders of tanned hides, used for mak- 
ing the welts of boots and shoes. 
The demand for welt leather is greater than the supply. 
U. S. Com. Rep., Na lii. (188!i), p. 442. 
welt-machine (welt'ma-shen'), n. In ghoe- 
mnniif.. a macliine for cutting leather into strips 
suitable for welts. The welts are afterward passeil 
through the welt-cutter. Welts may also be cut and 
trimmed with hand-tools called ^celt-trimv\ers. 
welt-shoulders (welt'shol'derz), n. pi. Same 
as welt-leather. 
