welt-trimmer 
welt-trimmer (welt'trim"cr), >i. A eutting-tool 
for trimming welts for shoes; also, a welt- 
machine. 
wel-willyt, «• See well-will!/. 
WelwitSChia (wel-wioh'i-a), II. [NL. (J. D. 
Hooker, 186H), named aner Friedrieh ft'cl- 
witsch (1806-72), an Austrian botanist and 
traveler.] A genus of gJ^nnospermous plants, 
of the order Gnctaceee, among the most remark- 
able in the vegetable kingdom, distinguished 
by dioecious many-flowered imbricated cone- 
like spikes panicled at the margin of a short 
woody trunk. The only species, W. mirahilis, is a native 
of sandy regions of southwestern tropical Africa, in Ben- 
guela and Daniara-land, l)etween 14' an<t 23' south latitude. 
Weilfifsi-hia mirabilis. 
I. Entire plaint, a. Hranchofthe p.iniclc. «, stamen — tulie l.iid oi>ei>. 
tjiowin^ the incloscil ovule ; h, pollen-);rains : r, scale of cone with 
flower-mid: ,/, seed, longitudinal section, showing; the cal^ptrifonn 
intettumcnt at its apex ; e, ripe see<l an<l Kise of pericarp ; /, pericarp 
with styhforni apex of the inteEumeut of the seed : f^, cnihryo. 
It< thick trunk liears hut two leaves. The original coty- 
ledonn, which are opi>08ite, green, spreailiug, and persis- 
tent, are uonip<«eil of a hard fllirous substance, and licconie 
often tt feet huig and 2 or 3 wiile. They fliially split into 
long shreils, hut are still retained, it is said, throiiiih over 
a hunilred years <if growth. Ille mature trunk fonns a 
tabular mass only alxnit a foot high, but ."J or fi feet across ; 
the top iB truncate, hard, pitteii, ami broken by cracks, 
and resembles a fungus of the genus Volyporu^ ; the base 
is deeply sunk in the soil, and produces middle-sized roots. 
The panicled inflorescence is coinpi'Seii of rigid erect di- 
ehotoniously jointed stems from fi to 12 inches high, with 
two opposite scales sheathing each joint, and is tievelopcii 
annually from the upper sitle of the tnink at the base of 
the cotyledons. The flower-spikes are conipiiseil of bril- 
liant scarlet scales overlapping, usually in four rows — the 
male with spikes \\ inches long or under, the female larger, 
fewer, and thicker. Each scale contains a flower, the male 
a small loose niembranous perianth, the fliaments connate 
into a Itjosely exserted tnl>e, and six anthers, cacli opening 
by three apical antl finally confluent pores. The fruit is 
dry, two-winged, compressed, inclosed in a flbrous ntrii-le. 
The new growth is chiefly horizontal, enliirging the stem 
both al)ove and lielow the l)ii.se of the leaf, which tlnally 
projecta fnun a tlcep marginal cavity. 
welyt, ". [MK., < AS. iieUij, icdfy (= OIKi. 
irela</i), rich, wealtliy, < irclii, weal: see «•(«/'.] 
lu a state of weal or good health; healthy. 
Tile clawes drie ami scabbetl oMe biisely 
Kytte all away, ami kepe up that is trel^. 
PaUmiiiiJ', Husbondrie (E. F.. T. S.), p. 70. 
Wem't (wem), M. [Early mod. K. also icraiii ; 
< ME. iceiii, iccmiiif, aitereil, after the verb, from 
'wain, "iroiii, < AS. iriiiii, irinn (iniiinn-, ii'iiiiim-), 
spot, blot, sin, = OS. uaiii = OFries. irmii (in 
Klitiwitm) = OHG. wmiim = Icel. raiiiiii = (Joth. 
wamm, a spot, lilemish. Cf. icein'^, v.] A spot; 
scar; fault; lilemish; taint. 
Beren your Ijody into every place . . . 
Withoute irem of yow thurgh foul or fair. 
Cham-er, .Siiuire's Talc, 1. 113. 
The shaft must lie nnule round, nothing flat, without 
gall or teem, tor this purpose. 
AKhaw, ToX(ilihiluB(ed. ISOI), p. 121. 
6879 
Rubbe out the wrinckles of the niinde, and l.ic not curi- 
ous about the iceams in the face. 
Lyltf, Euphues and his England (Arber's reprint, IV. 463). 
wem^t (wem), V. t. [< ME. weiiimen, < AS. ircm- 
man (= OHG. ffi-wemman = Goth, aiui-wamm- 
jan), spot, blemish, etc.,< warn (waiiiiii-), a spot: 
see icewl, H.] To corrupt; vitiate. Driint. 
wem^t (wem), «. [A shortened form of weatii, 
wame, a dial, form of wmiib.~\ The belly; the 
wame. 
He bad his gang therefore command ns . . . 
To probe its [the Trojan horse's] went with wedge and 
beetle. Cotton, Scarronides, p. 7. (Davies.) 
wemlesst (wem'les), (I. [< ME. weiiiles, iccmiiic- 
Ics, Kciiilecs, < AS. wamlcdfi, woiiilcds, without 
spot or blemish, < warn, spot, -I- -?e«'A' = E. -Icss.J 
Spotless; stainless; immaculate. 
Thou Virgin tvemmeles. 
Bar of thy body, and dweltest mayden pure. 
Chaucer, Second Nun's Tale, 1. 47. 
wemmyt (wem'i), «. [< «c«(l -I- -ji.] Faulty; 
unsound; blemished; tainted. 
The mustiewheate, thcsowre wine, the ratt-eaten bread, 
the wemmie cheese. 
Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1677), p. 2.^7. 
wen (wen), 11. [< ME. wen, iceiiiw,< AS. wen, wseii 
{weiiii-, weenii-) = OFries. wen = D. wen = L6. 
ii'CH, ween = G. dial, wenne, wehne, tvahnc, a wen, 
wart.] A circumscribed benign tumor of mod- 
erate size, occurring on any part of the body, 
but especially on the scalp, consisting of a well- 
defined sac inclosing sebaceous matter. 
wenchl (wench), H. [< ME. weiiehe. shortened 
form of wenchel, orig. a child, prob. < AS. *if en- 
eel, a child, represented by the once occun-ing 
winelo, pi., children, prob. for "!ceHCf7H, neut.pl. 
of the adj. wcncel, icenecle, weak (found once, in 
dat. pi. wenecluni, applied to widows), var. of 
waneiil, woncol, unstable, > E. wnnkle: see wan- 
kie. The AS. wencle, a wench, a daughter, 
given by Somner, is an error based upon the 
above forms.] It. A child (of either sex). 
Were & wif tt. wenchel [man and wife and child]. 
Aneren liiuie, p. 334. 
2. A female child ; a girl ; a maid or damsel ; 
a young woman in general. \Wciieh had originally 
no depreciatory implication, and continued tei be used in 
a resiiectful sense, esjiecially as a familiar term, long 
after it hail acquired such an implication in specific em- 
ployment ; and it is still comnmnly so used in provincial 
English, and sometimes arcliaically in literature.] 
William tt his worthi iceiiche [a iirincess] than were blithe 
Of the help that thei hade <if this wiltl best. 
William of Paler lie (E. E. T. S.), I. lOOl. 
Go 3e awey, for the weiiche is nat dead, but slepith. 
Wijclif, Mat. ix. 24. 
Xow, how diist thou look now? O ill-starr'd wench [Dcs- 
ilemona) ! Shak., Othello, v. 2. 272. 
3. Specifically — («) A girl or young woman 
of a humble order or class; especially, a maid- 
servant; a working-girl. 
A wench [maid-servaiit, R. V.] went and toKl them. 
2 Sam. xvii. 17. 
The wench in the kitchen sings ami sciitirs from mtiiii- 
iiig to night. .'ileele, Tatlcr, No. 24s. 
(ft) A lewd or immodest woman ; amistress; a 
concubine; a stnmipet. [This use was early 
developed, and is always indicated by the con- 
text. It is oljsolescen'i.] 
I am a gentil wumman, ami no wenrhe. 
Chaucer, Merchants Tale, I. il.^K*^. 
A lodging of your providing! tt> be called a lieutenant's 
or a captain's wench ! 
Dekker and Wetixter, Northward Ho, i. 2. 
(<•) A colored woman of any age; a negress or 
inulattress, especially one in service. [( 'ollo([., 
V. S.] 
wench^ (wench), r. i. [< ireiieh^, ».] To con- 
sort with strumpets. 
Wliat 's become of the wenehing rogues ? 
Shak., T. iiml V., v. 4. S.'j. 
wench-t, ". An obsolete form of wiiieli'^ for 
winee'^. 
wencher (wen'cher), ". [<Mr«W(l + -cr'.] XJne 
who wenches; a lewd man. 
.My cozen Roger told ns . . . that the Archliislnjp of 
f'auterbnry ... is as very a trencher as can lie. 
/'«;<■'/«, Uiary, III. 2(17. 
wend' (wend), r.; pret. and jip. wenileil (for- 
merly also went), p\n: weniHnii. Il'ent, which 
is rc'illy the jireterit of this verb (like ftent from 
send), is now detached from it and used as prc(- 
erit of ijii. [< ME. irenden, < AS. wcniltin, tr. 
turn, intr. turn oneself, proceed, go, = OS. wcn- 
dian, wenileiin = OFries. wendo = 1). wenden, 
turn, tack, = OH(i. wentiiii, MIIG. (!. wenden, 
cause to turn, = Irv\.rentlii, wend, turn, change, 
= Sw. vdnda = Dan. vendt: = Goth, waiidjiin, 
cause to turn; caus. of AS. windaii, etc., turn. 
wentletrap 
wind: see wind^, r.] I. trtin.f. It. To turn; 
change. 
To wenden thus here thoght. 
Genesis and .fc'xo*«(E. E. T. S.), I. 4061. 
2. To direct (one's way or course) ; proceed 
upon. 
Wende foi-the thi course, I coniaunde the. 
York Plays, p. 52. 
And still, her thought that she was left alone 
Uncoinpanicd, great voyages to wend 
In desert land, her Tyrian folk to seek. 
Surrey. .'Encid, iv. 616. 
Then slower tveiided back his way 
Where the poor maiden bleeding lay. 
Scott, L. of the L., iv. 26. 
II. intra ns. If. To turn; make a turn; go 
round ; veer. 
For so is this worlde went with hem that ban powere. 
Piers Plotvvian (B), iii. 280. 
At the tvendynr/ [turning of the furrow] slake 
The yoke, thyne oxen neckes forto cole. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 44. 
The lesser [ship] will turn her broadsides twice before 
the greater can wend once. Raleigh. 
2. To take one's way or course ; proceed ; go. 
For every wyght which that to Rome tcent [wendeth] 
Halt nat o path or alwey o manere. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 36. 
As fer 38 any wight hath ever ivent. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 444. 
Hopeless and helpless doth .-l^^geon trend. 
But to procrastinate his lifeless end. 
Shak., C. of E., 1. 1. 158. 
Bereft of thee he trends astray. 
Prior, Wandering I'ilgrini, st. 12. 
3t. To pass away; disappear; depart; vanish. 
The grcte tonnes see we wane and tcende. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 2167. 
He putte thee doun, thou nisbtist not rise ; 
Thi sti-engthe, thi witt, awei is went! 
Political Poeins, etc. (ed. Furuivall), p. 163. 
Wend^ (wend), H. [G. Wende, pi. Wenden (called 
in Slavic Serb, Sorab, etc.: see Serb, Snrb'^); 
a name prob. ult. connected (like Vandal) with 
ii'CH(/i, wander.'^ 1. A name applied in early 
times by the Germans to their Slavic neigh- 
bors. — 2. A member of a branch of the Slavic 
race dwelling in Eusatia: same as Sorb^. 
wend-^t, wendet. Obsolete preterits of ween. 
Wendic (wen'dik), a. and h. [< Wend'^ + -jc] 
1. a. Of or jiertainiiig to the Wends; Wend- 
ish : as, the Wendic tongue. 
II. n. Same as Sorbian, 2. 
Wendish (wen'dish), a. [< G. H'cndisch; as 
ll'cnip + -(.',7(1.] Of orpcrtainiiig tothe Wends; 
Wendic. 
The original Wendish towns which thecomiuerors found 
already established . . . ttecame (lerman. 
W. Wilson, State, § 441. 
wenet, "• and r. All old spelling of ween. 
wengt, "• An obsolete form of winij. 
Wennam prism. Heoprixin. 
weniont, ". Same as wanion. 
Wenlock group. See lyroi/;)!. 
wennish (wcn'ish), a. [< wen + -(>/(.] Hav- 
ing the character or appearance of a wen ; also, 
affected with wens or wen-like excrescences. 
Sir II. Wdllon. 
wenny (wcn'i), <i. [< wen + -//'.] Same as 
weiinit^li. Wiseman, Surgery. 
wenona (we-no'nii), n. [N. Amer. Ind.] A 
small American serpent, Cliarina jilnniliea, na- 
tive of California and Mexico. It is a sort of sand- 
snake related to and formerly iilaced in the family Jiry- 
eidir, but represents a dilferent family, Charinidie. 
went't (went), H. [< ME. wente; < wenif^ (cf. 
I'enO, n., < ftciirf').] 1. A turn or change of 
course; a turning or veering; hence, a rolling 
or tossing about. 
In wo to beddo he wente. 
And made or it was day ful many a wente. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. (i3. 
He knew the diverse went of mortall wayes. 
Spenser, V. Q., VI. vi. 3. 
2. A course; aiiassage; a path. 
Hit fortli wente 
Doun by a fioiiiy grene u'ente 
Ful thikke of gras, ful stifle ami sweet. 
Chaucer, Death of lilanche, I. SOS. 
Hut here my wearie teeme, nigh over spent. 
Shall breath it selfe awhile after so long a unit. 
Spenser, V. (J., IV. v. 40. 
3. A furlong of land. Hallincll. 
went'-' (went). See weiid^ and i/ii. 
went^t, wentet. An olisolete iireterit and jiast 
participle of ween. 
wentle (wen'tl). r. [Frcq. of H7»</1 (cf. »T»M).] 
To turn; rollover. llalliireU. 
wentletrap (wen'tl-trap), «. [< G. wendel- 
Irejipc, a winding staircase, cockle-stair, a 
shell so called, a wentletrap, < wendcl, in comp.. 
