whatsomever 
whatsomever (liwot'''sum-ev'er), a. and ^)roM. 
[< ME. ichatsumever, ichatsomevtr (confused 
with whatfioever); < what^ + som {< Dan. tiom, 
:i5i so) + ever. Cf. howsomever.'] Whatsoever. 
[Now viUgar.] 
Whatsomever woo they fele, 
They wol not pleyne, but ooncele. 
Botn. of the Rose, 1. 5041. 
Doughtir. loke that thou be waare, whatmimeuere thee 
bitide, 
Make not thin husbonde poore with spendinge ne with 
pride. Bahees Book (E, E. T. S.), p. 45. 
whatten, <(. See n-hateu. 
whattie (hwot'i), «. Same as whifiky. 
whault, n. See waJl'^. 
whaup (hwap), /*. [Se. also whaapj quhaup^ 
quhdip, aicp ; said to be so called from its 
cry.j A curlew. [Scotch.]— Great whaup, the 
curlew, Numenms arquata. Also called stock-whaup.— 
Little whaup, May whaup, the whimbrel, Nuineniiis 
phieopus: so called from its relative size and the time of 
its apptarance. Also called laivj-ichaup. 
whave (hwav), v. t.-, pret. and pp. whared, ppr. 
wharih</. [Prob. a dial. var. of qiuwe.Ji 1. To 
turn (pottery) when drying. [Prov. Eng,] — 2. 
To cover, or hang over. [Prov. Eng,] 
whawl, v. i. [A var. of wawl, tcatil.^ To cry as 
a oat: same as wauJ. 
The cats tvhauled. Annals of Phila. and Penn.,1. 209. 
whaylet, a. A coiTux>t Middle English spelling 
of hail'-^, halc^. 
whay-worm (hwa'werm), /(. [Also whey-worm ; 
periiaps a dial. I'eduetion of wheal wor in. ~\ 1. A 
pimple. Varr^ Craven Gloss., ii. Ii52. {HaUi- 
wcU.) — 2. A whim. Compare m^/f///oL 
And so marched toward London, where the Essex men, 
havinge wylde whay-ivormes in their heddes, joined them 
with him. HcUL Edward IV., f. 33. {Ualliwell.) 
whe^ (hwe). pron. A form of who. MaUiwell. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
whe'-'t, n. See wie. 
wheadlet, '■. An obsolete spelling of wheedle. 
wheal^ (hwel), u. [< ME. wheel, whele, whelle, 
a pimple, wheal (ef. dim. whelk, a little wheal), 
< AS. *hicele, wheal (Somner) ; origin and status 
uncertain; cf. AS. hwelan { hwelun ?), wither, 
pine away; cf. W. chwiler, a maggot, wheal, 
pimple.] 1. A pimple ; a pustule. 
He must drie his face very well, for feare of wheales and 
wrinkles. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 194. 
All wheales and itching pimples which are readie to 
breake forth. Holland, tr. of Tliny, xxii. 25. 
Specifically — 2. An elevation of the skin, of 
varying size, usually elongated in form, caused 
by a stroke, as of a rod or wliip, or constituting 
an eruption, as that of urticaria. See urticaria. 
wheali (liwel), V. [< ME. wheleii : see wheal^, n.l 
I. trana. To produce a wheal upon. 
His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks whealed and puffed. 
S. Judd, Margaret, i. 2. 
II. Inlrans. To supinirate; form a sore or 
pustule. 
Isow gins the leprous cores of ulcered sins 
Wheale to a heade. Marston, Ant. and Mel., II., v. 1. 
■wheal- (hwel), n. [Also huel^ wheel, ichel, wheyl; 
< Com. hwel, a work, a mine; cf. W. chwyl, a 
turn, course, while, chwyloj turn, revolve, run a 
course, bustle, chwel, a course, turn.] A mine. 
[Cornwall, Eng.] 
wheal-worm (liwerwerm), 71. [< wheaX^ + 
wor}ii.'\ 1. The itch-mite, Acarus seabiei. — 2. 
The acarine Leptus afftumiialis, or some similar 
harvest-bug: so named from the wheals or pim- 
}>les produced by its bite. See cut under har- 
refit-itiite. 
wheaser (hwe'zer), n. [Said to be connected 
with we((!iel.^ The red-breasted merganser, 
Mertfns srirator. [Local, New Eng.] 
wheat (hwet), n. [< ME. whete, wete, whsete, 
Itwefe, luiefe, quete, < AS. hw^te = OS. hiceti = 
MD. weite, \). weit = MLG. wetcn, wciten, LG. 
weten ~ OIIG. wei-i, MUG. wcitze, G. weizcn, 
ulso OHG. wei::i, MPIG. Kei::e, G. dial, tveisseit = 
Icel. hreifi = Sw. hvete = Dan. hvcdc = Goth. 
hwaiteis, wheat ; cf. Lith. kwehfs, Lett, kweenvld, 
wheat (prob.< Tent.); lit. 'that which is white' 
(witliref. to the color of the grain or the meal), 
< AS. hirit, etc., white: see whitc^.} A cereal 
grain, the proiiuet of species of y>v7/c«;//, chiefly 
(•f T. satiVKin ( T. vuUfare). The oriKiii of the plant 
i^ not clearly known, but it is tlioujfht by many to be 
derived from a grass, jEyiiops ovata, of tbe Mediterranean 
I egion. now classed as a species of Triticum. The wheat- 
idant is a ^-ass closely related to barb-y and rye, hav- 
i-.JK a dense four-sided spike, and grains lt)ngitudinally 
f irrowed on one side, turgid on tbe other. In some 
varieties the palets bear awns, in others not, the varie- 
ties being resi>ectively calle<l bearded and beardless ur 
(jild. Some are planted in the spi-iiig — spring or summer 
uht-at — otbers in the fall, maturing the next seasuu — 
6888 
winter wheat. The product of the latter was formerly 
preferred, but with recent methods of manufacture spring 
Wheat {Triticum. satiuum). 
I, the conipltte plant of the variety asti-vunt; a, the spike of the 
same ; 3, the spike of the variety Hiber*titui ; 4, a grain gerniinatiny. 
a, part of the rachis; *, the floret of the variety iCj/'/t'Kw/ r, the fluw- 
er, showing two lodicules, the stamens, and the stigmas. 
wheat is equally valued. The varieties are further classi- 
fied as while and red or amber, referring to the color of 
the grain ; among winter wheats, at least, the white are 
more esteemed. The grain is highly nutritious, contain- 
ing some 67 per cent, of carbohydrates, 13 per cent, of 
Brash 
Wheat Bulb-wL-rro 
(Merornyza ameru 
CJHO). 
a, wheatstallc, 
showing larva at 
work ; i, larva ; c, 
pupa. (Lines ^ow 
natural sizcs.J 
Loiigitutiinal Section of Grain of Wheat, enlarged. 
albuminoids, together with small quantities of the mineral 
substances, potash, soda, etc., required by the animal sys- 
tem, with only 14 per cent, of water. For use it is chiefly 
convei-ted into Hour ; the finest but not the most nutri- 
tious flour is nearest pure starch. The richer elements 
lie nearest the skin, and these are secured in " Graham ' 
flour, which properly includes the whole grain, and by 
recent milling processes which appropriate all but the 
cuticle. Wheat was formerly matte in England into a 
dish called frumenty or furmenty. by boiling it entire in 
milk, and seasoning. It is now largely used in America 
in the form of cracked, crushed, or rolled wheat, or wheat- 
grits. Wheat has been known from antiquity, being 
mentioned in Scripture; it is traceable to ancient Egypt, 
and is recorded as introduced into China about 2700 B. C. 
It now furnishes the principal breadstuff among all civ- 
ilized nations. It is adaptable to various conditions and 
widely grown in temperate regions; it is not excluded 
by cold winters, but requires a mean summer temperature 
of not less than 57^. Among the principal countries 
which produce a surplus are the I'nited States, Canada, 
Kussia, Hungary, India, Australia, Egypt, Rumania, and 
'J'urkey. The varieties are very numerous, and there are 
several more or less strongly marked races, one of which 
is spelt. 
The asse of the melle, thet ase bletheliche berth here 
[as blithely beareth baj-!eyl ase hncte. 
Ayenbiie of Inwyt (E. E. T. S.), p. 141. 
We maun gar wftc«(-flour serve us for a blink ; . . . it's 
no that il I food, though far frae being sae hearty or kindly 
to a Scotchman's stamach as the curney aitmeal is. 
Scott, Old Mortality, xx. 
Amher wheat. See def.— Arras wheat. See Emmer 
wheat, below.— China Wheat, a spring wheat grown in 
the Vnited States, said to have been derived from a grain 
found in a tea-chest.— Clock wheat, a variety of the 
race known as Triticum turyidum. — Cow-wheat, a plant 
of the genus Melampyrum, particularly M. arvense, with 
beautifully variegated flowers in a long spike. The Ameri- 
can cow- wheat is J/. Americayiiim , nn inconspicuous plant. 
" Dinkel wheat, spelt— Emmer wheat, the race called 
Triticum dicoccum,, including the An'as wheat of Abys- 
sinia. Its varieties flourish in poor soil, are remarka- 
bly exempt from diseases, and make excellent starch.— 
Guinea wheatt. See Turkey ivfteat, below. -Indian 
wheat. («t) A former name in England for Indian corn, 
Zea Mays, See cut under Zea. (b) Fayopyrmn Tatari- 
euDi, which is cultivated to some extent in the T'nited 
States. ]iarticularly in the northwest. — Oil Of wheat. See 
oiX— One-grained or single-grained wheat, a wheat 
with one seed to each spikelet — Triticum moiiocuccmn — 
which appears to be a true species. Also called ,S'(. Peter's 
corn. — Red wheat. See def.— Revet or rivet wheat. 
wheatear 
a variety of the race Triticum (wr^rtrfw?/!.— Saracen's 
wheat, buckwheat. Compare «arrazin.— Single-grained 
wheat. See one-grained wheat, above.— Spring wheat, 
summer wheat, see def.— Tatary wheat, the India 
or Indian wheat, Fayopyrum Tatancum.— Tea wheat. 
Same as China wheat.— Toxliey wheatt, Turldsh 
wheatt, Indian corn, vaguely supposed to come from 
Turkey (compare turkey). Also called Guinea wheat and 
Indian wheal. 
There grows in several parts of Africa, Asia, and Amer- 
ica a kind of corn called Mays, and such as we commonly 
name Turkey wfieat. They make bread of it which is hard 
of digestion, heavy in the stomach, and does not agree 
with any but such aa are of a robust and hail constitution. 
L. Lemery, Treatise on Foods (1704), p. 71. (Davies.) 
We saw a great many fields of Indian corn, which grows 
to the height of six or seven feet. It is made into flour 
for the use of the common people, and goes by the name 
of Turkey wheat. Smollett, Travels, viit 
Wheat-aphid or -aphis, a wheat plant-louse (see below). 
— Wheat hulb-fly, IJylemyia arctica, a European fly of 
the family AnfhuinyiidsE, whose larva infests the sterna 
of wheat.— Wheat hulb-worm, the larva of an OBcinid 
fly, Meromyza americana, which affects the stems of 
wheat in the United States and Can- 
ada, stunting the ears, and prema- 
turely ripening the kernels. —Wheat- 
CUtworm, the lai-va of an American 
noctuid moth, Laphygma fruyiperda. 
Also called grass- wor^n and fall army- 
worm. See Laphygma. C. V. Riley. 
—Wheat-dampening machine, a 
machine for washing grain to free it 
from smut and dirt, and afterward dry- 
ing it. E. II. Kiiy/ht.—WheaX eel- 
worm, a nematode worm of the fam- 
ily Anyuillitlidse, Tylenchus tritici, 
which causes the disease known as 
ear-cockle, purples, or false ergot in 
wheat in Europe. It produces round 
dark -colored distoi-ttd growths in the 
ear of wheat. Also called wheat-worm. 
— Wheat gall-fly, the adult of the 
wheat joint- worm. See Isosoma, 1, 
joint-uovm, 2, and cut under wAeat- 
/7y.— Wheat-head army-worm, the 
larva of an American noctuid moth, 
Lencanut albilinea. See Leucania. 
— Wheat plant-louse, one of sev- 
eral aphids, or Aphidids, which in- 
fest wheat, as Siphonophora avense 
and Tozoptera graminium. — Wheat 
straw-worm, the wheat joint-worm. 
%&e joint-worm, "2.- Wheat whisky. 
See whisky-. — Wheat-wlreworm. 
See wire worm. — White Wheat. See 
def.— Winter wheat. See def. (See 
also inummy-wheat, not-wheat.) 
wheat-bird (hwet'berd), n. The chaflSneh or 
wheatsel-bird. [Local, British.] 
wheat-brush (hwet'brush), w. In milling^ a 
^rain-sc'ouiiii^ machine, it consists essentially of 
two brushes in the form of disks placed close together in 
a hopper, one brush remaining stationary, and the other 
revolving rapidly as the grain is delivered between them. 
The grain is carried to the periphei-y of the brushes by cen- 
trifugal force, and falls into a chamber beneath, whence 
the dust is removed by a suction-blast. E. U. Knight. 
wheat-bug (hwet'bug), «. Either one of two 
bugs, Miria tritici and J/. dolabratus, found com- 
monly on wheat in England. Curtis, Farm In- 
sects. 
wheat-caterpillar (hwefkat-^er-pil-ar), «. A 
small caterpillar which eats the kernels of 
wheat in the field : supposed to be Asopia cos- 
taJis. T. }}'. Harris. 
wheat-chafer (hwet'cha'fer), w. A beetle, Ani- 
soplia austriaea, which does great damage to 
European wheat-fields, particularly those of 
Russia. 
wheat-cracker (hwet'krak^er), ?^ A mill for 
cracking; wlieat to make grits. 
wheat-drill (hwet'dril), «. See drill^, »., 3. 
wheat-duck (hwet'duk), ?(. The American 
widgeon, Mareca a7)iericana, found in large 
flocks in wheat-fields. G. Trumbull, 1888. 
[Oregon.] 
wheat-ear (hwet'er), ??. [< wheat + ear'^.'] An 
ear of wlieat. 
Gold flashed out from the wheat-ear brown, 
And tlame from the poppy's leaf. Eliza Cook. 
Wheat-ear stitch, in embroidery, a fancy stitch; a va- 
riety of chain-stitch by which is produced a pattern some- 
what resembling an ear of grain with stitf beard, 
wheatear (hwet'er), n. [A corruption, simu- 
lating wheat + ear- (also used in the form trhite- 
ear, with the first element unaltered), of white- 
arse, or rather of its earlier form *wAi7e/>'<' (taken 
as a plural, whence the supposed singular wheat- 
ear) : so called from its Avhite rump, < white^ + 
arse. The name is equiv. to ichitetail, foi-merly 
ivhittailj and the F. name cul hhuie.'] A chat of 
the genus Saxieola, Saxicola cevanthe, the stone- 
chat, fallow-finch, or whitetail. an oscine pas- 
serine bird alnmdaut in Europe, Asia, and Af- 
rica, and found sparingly in North America. 
The wheatear is GJ inches long^ and l'2i in extent ; it va- 
ries much in plumage with sex, age, and season. The 
adult male in summer has the upper parts tYench gray, 
with conspicuous w lute rump and white base of the black 
tail ; the under parts are some shade of buff, often whitish ; 
