which. 
(&) Used with reference to things, and to crea- 
tures not persons: the antecedent may also be 
a phrase or a clause : as, tlie rain washed away 
the track, which delayed the train. 
This rede pensell ye shall bere hym also, 
Whiche I myself enbrowdreil. 
Generydes (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3253. 
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached untu you, 
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. 
1 Cor. XV. 1. 
Xext to the Guilt with which you wou'd asperse me. I 
scorn you most. Cotigreve, Way of the World, ii. 3. 
There is one likeness without which my gallery t»f Cus- 
tom-House portraits would be strangely incomplete. 
Hawthorne, Scarlet Letter, Int., p. 21. 
Unto her face 
She lifts her hand, which rests there, still, a space, 
Then slowly falls. R. W. Gilder, After the Italian, 
2. As a compound relative pronoun, having 
the value of both antecedent and relative: as, 
you can determine which is better (that is, you 
can determine that^ or the one. which is better). 
My nevew shal my bane be, 
But which I noot [know not], wherefore I wol be siker. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 2660. 
Are not you 
Which is above all joys, my constant friend? 
Beau, and FL, Maid's Tragedy, lit 2. 
Even a casual reading of the statistics given above will 
show, it is believed, which is the more probable. 
Amer. Jour. Philol., X. 339. 
Which is used adjectively: (ot) With the sense of 'what 
sort of.' 
Had thei wist witterli whiche help god hem sente, 
Al hire gref in-to game gaynii schotd haue turned. 
Waiiam of Palerne (E. E. T. S.). I. 2705. 
Bat herkeneth me, and stinteth now a lyte, 
Which a miracle ther bifel anon. 
Chaucer, Knight's 'iale, 1. 1817. 
(6) As indicating one of a number of known or specified 
things: as, be careful which way you turn. 
Never to unfold to any one 
Which casket 'twas I chose. 
Shak., M. of \*., ii. 9. 11. 
[Which was formerly used as a clause-connective, along 
with a personal prtmoun which took its place as subject 
or object, and rendered it redundant save as in its rela- 
tive value : as, which . . . Ae = icho ; which . . . his - 
who»e. 
Lo ! this is he, 
Which that myn uncle swerth he moot be dede, 
But I on hym have mercy and pite. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 654. 
The Kynges dere sone, 
The goode, wyse, worthy, fresshe, and free, 
Which alwey for to don wel is hi* wone. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 318. 
He that will mould a modern Bishop into a primitive 
mast yeeld him to be elected by the popular voyce, un- 
diocest, unrevenu'd, unlorded, and leave nini nothing but 
brotherly eijuality, matchless temperance, frc<iuent fast- 
ing, incessant prayer, and preaching, coutiiuial watch- 
ings, and labours in his Ministery — m'AjcA what a rich 
bootie it would be, what a plump endowment t*) the many- 
beneflce-gaping mouth of a Prelate I 
MUton, Reformation in Eng., i. 
A relic of this construction survives in the vulgar use of 
which as a general Introtluctory word. 
"That noble young fellow." says my general; "that 
noble, noble Philip Firmin. * Which nuble his conduct I 
own it has been. Thackeray, Philip, xvi. 
Which I wish to remark . . . 
That for ways that are dark . . . 
Tlie heathen Chinee is peculiar, 
Which the same I would rise to explain. 
Bret Uarte, Plain Language from Truthful James. 
Which was formerly often followed by that or as, having 
the effect of giving emphasis or detlnitcness. 
This abbot which that was an holy man. Chaucer,] 
The WlliCh. (rtt) Who or whom. 
Quod she ayeyn to Mirabell here mayde. 
"The same is he, tfw whu^he I love so wfll." 
Genen/dex (K. E. T. S.), 1. 2719. 
(b) Redundant for which. 
Lo. herte myne ! as wolde the excellence 
Of love agenis the whiche that no man may 
Ne oght ek goodly maken resistence. 
Chaucer, Troilus, iil. 989. 
What is the cause of this great arising of the sands and 
shelves here about this haven, tfie which stop it up that 
no ships can arrive here? 
Latim/'r, Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1550, 
wMcll^f (hwieh), h. [< ME. whicchr, whifchc, 
whucchc, var. of hncrhr, etc.: see hutch^.'] 1. 
A chest. HaUiw'iL 
"Rede me not," (piod Reson, "reutbe tn hauc, 
Til lordes and ladien louen alle treuthe, 
And Perncles porfyl I»e put in heore whucche." 
Piern Pltnvinan {X), iv. 102. 
2. Speeifically, a nutvable wai^on-box. 
In this case the which is the movable box belonging to 
the tumbcrel, which was separated from it. and, wlien re 
quired. waH placed uikmi the tumbril. Ui ciury dung or 
such other materials as could not be loaded upon a mere 
skeleton of wheels and shafts. -V. ««</ V., 7th aer., X. 473. 
whichever (hwifh-cv'er), ftrtni. [< irhich^ + 
ever.] Whether one or the other; no matter 
which. 
t>897 
Which-ever of the Notions be true, the Unity of Milton's 
Action is preserved according to either of them. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 327. 
Whichever of his children might become the popular 
choice was to inherit the whole kingdom, under the same 
superiority of the liead of the family. Hallam. 
whichsoever (hwich-so-ev'er), proii. [< which^ 
+ so^ + ever.'\ Same as whichever. 
New torments I behold, and new tormented 
Around me, whichsoever way I move, 
And whichsoever way I turn, and gaze. 
Longfellow, tr. of Dante's Inferno, vi. 5. 
whick (hwik), (I. A dialectal variant of quick. 
whickfiaw (hwik'fla), n. [A dial var. of *quick- 
flaw, < quick, the living, sensitive flesh, as under 
the nails (Icel. kvika, kvikva, the flesh under the 
nails, and in animals under the hoofs), + Jlaw, 
a crack, breach: see qwick a,ndjiaw^. Heuee, 
by corruption, whifjlaw, ivhitlow: see whitlow.'] 
A swelling or inflammation about the nails or 
ends of the fingers; paronychia; whitlow. See 
whitlow. [Prov. Eng.] 
whid^ (hwid), «. [Sc. also quhidj quhi/d; ef. 
W, chwid, a quick turn, chwido, jerk. Of. also 
AS. hwithdj a breeze, = Icel. hwidhd, a puff.] 
A quick motion; a rapid, noiseless movement. 
[Scotch.] 
And jinkin' hares, in amorous whids. 
Their loves enjoy. Bums, To W. Simpson. 
whid^ (hwid), r. /. ; pret. and pp. ivhidded, ppr. 
whidditif/. [Ct. ivhid^jii.'] 1. To whisk; scud; 
move nimbly, as a hare or other small animal. 
Ye maukins whiddin thro' the glade. 
Bjtrns, Elegy on Capt. Matthew Henderson. 
That creature whids about frae place to place, like a hen 
on a het girdle. Saxon and Gael, III. 104. (Jamieson.) 
2. To fib; lie, [Scotch in both uses.] 
whid'*^ (hwid), )t. [Perhaps a dial, form, ult. < 
AS. cwidcy a saying, < cwethan, say : see quethe.'] 
1. A word. Harman, Caveat for Cursetors, 
p. 116. [Thieves' and Gipsies' cant.] — 2, A 
lie; a fib. [Scotch.] 
A rousing whid at times to vend, 
An nail't wi' Scripture. 
Bums, Death and Dr. Hornbook. 
3. A dispute; a quarrel. HalUwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
—To cut bene (or boon) whids, to speak good words. 
"Peace, I pray thee, good Waylandl" said the boy, 
"credit me, the swaggering vein will not pass here; you 
must cut boon whids! ' Scott, Kenilworth, x. 
whid'-^ (hwid), r. /.: pret. and pp. whidded, ppr. 
ivhidding. [<.whid'^,n.\ To lie; fib. [Scotch.] 
whidah (hwid'a), n. [Also whydah, whidow, 
whijdaw; short tor whidah-bird ; < IVhidah, ^^ hif- 
dah^ the chief seaport of Dahomey, West Afri- 
ca.] Same as whidah-bird Whidah thrush. See 
thrush^. 
whidah-bird (hwid'ji-berd), h. [Also whydah- 
bird, widow-bird ; < U'liidoh, a locality in Daho- 
mey, where the birds abound. See whidah, and 
whiff 
scarlet (sometimes orange) necklace or collar on the fore- 
neck. The female is quite different, and only 4| inches 
long. This bird has been known for more than a century, 
Necklaceii Whi<iah-birii iColjittpnsser 
or Penthetria ardetts), mule. 
cf. Vidua.'] An oscine passerine 
bird of Africa, belonging to the 
hivdWy Plocr idle, or weaver-birds, 
and sTibfainily fididuse in a strict 
sense, and especiallj' to the genus 
Vidua, or one of two or three close- 
ly related genera. They are small- 
bodied birds, about as large as a canary; 
but the males have several feathers of the 
tail enormously lengthened and variou.sly 
shaped, forming a beautiful arched train. Any 
one of them is also called whidah-jinch, Hda- 
Jitich. u-idow'bird. and simply whidah or widov, 
as well as by the French name veuve. The ori- 
ginal whidah-bird, or widow of paradise, is Vidtia 
(or Stefianiira) paradisea, described and figured 
under Vidvinfe (which see). The king whidali- 
bird is Videstrelda re!fia(nee Videi<f.relda, with exit). 
The principal whidah-bird is l^idifa principa /is (acG 
Vidtta. with cut). The SiMith African necklaced 
whidah-bird is Coliuspasser or Penthetria ardens, the m;de 
uf which is 12 inches long, with a tail (if s^, and has the 
plumage nearly uniform black, normally varied with a 
Epaylet Whidah bird {L/iera 
Procnt), male 
and has acquired an extensive 
and intricate synonymy, chiefly of 
worthless New Latin names. The 
other whidah here figured is also 
South African, and has in the 
male a train of several long tail- 
feathers resembling in develop- 
ment and in general effect the 
upper tail-coverts of the paradise- 
trogon ; it is also very large, the 
male being about 19 inches long. 
This is Chera procne, the epaulet 
whidah, so called fi-om the scar- 
let shouldei'S, in translation of a 
IiYench name. Its original tech- 
nical name was Emheriza procne 
(of Boddaert, 17S3, whence Chera 
procne of most modem writers), 
and it used to be called Emberiza 
or Fringilla or Vidxia longicauda, 
and Loria or Frinyilla or Chera 
caffra; but it is a monotype whose 
synonymy presents no serious dilticulty. It inhabits from 
Cape Colony to Natal and the Transvaal, and also to Ben- 
guela. Other whidah-birds are noted under Viduime 
(whicii see). 
whidah-finch (hwid'a-finch), H. A whidah-l)ird. 
Also widow-finch. 
whidder (hwid'er), V. i. [Cf. whid'^.] 1. To 
shake; tremble. Haiti well. [Prov. Eng.] — 2. 
To whid; whizz. [Scotch.] 
He heard the bows that bauldly ring. 
And arrows whidderan hym near bi. 
Sang of the Outlarv Murray (Child's Ballads, VI. 25). 
whiew, V. i. See whcw'^, 1. 
whiffi (hwif), u. [Cf. W. chwif, a whiff, puff, 
chwiffio. puff, chivaf, a gust; Dan. vift, a puff, 
gust. Cf. also icff#l, 7^(#, fuf, G. pif, paff, 
similar imitative words. Hence whiffle.] 1. A 
slight blast or gust of air; especially, a puff of 
air conveying some smell. 
Pyrrhus at Priam drives ; in rage strikes wide ; 
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword 
The unnerved father falls. Shak., Hamlet, ii. 2. 495. 
For when it [my nose] does get hold of a pleasant ivhiff 
or so, . . . it's generally from somebody else's dinner, 
a-coming home from the baker's. Dickens, Chimes, i. 
2t. A quick inhalation of air, and especially of 
smoke; a drawing or drinking in of smoke; 
alsOj a draught or drink, as of wine or liquid. 
To entertain the most gentlemanlike use of tobacco ; 
. . . the rare corollary and practice of the Cuban eboli- 
tion, euripus, and ivhiff. 
Ii. Jonson, Every Man out of his Humour, iii. 1. 
Whiff, indeed, occurs in a dull, prosing account of to- 
bacco in the Queen's Arcadia, from which, as well as 
from what our author says elsewhere, it would seem to be 
either a swallowing of the smoke, or a retaining it in the 
throat for a given space of time. 
Gifford, Note to the above passage. 
Then let him shew his several tricks in taking it [tobac- 
co], as the \vhiff, the ring, ttc, for these are complements 
that gain gentlemen no mean respect. 
Dekker, Gull's Hornbook, p. 120. 
I will yet go drink one 7rA?"^more. 
ifrquhart, tr. of Rabelais, i. 6. 
3. A sudden expulsion of air, smoke, or the 
like from tlie mouth; a puff. 
Four Pipes after Dinner he constantly smokes; 
And seasons his Whiffs with impertiTient Jokes. 
Prior, Epigram. 
The skipper, he blew a wfiiff front his pipe. 
Longfellow, Wreck of the Hesperus. 
4. A hasty view; a glimpse; a gliff. [Prov, 
^ng-] — 5. At Oxfor(l and othei- })lafeH on the 
Thames, a light kind of outrigger boat, it is 
timber-built throughout, thus differing from a skiff, which 
is a racing-boat, usually of cedar, and covered with canvas 
for some distance at the bow and stern. Encyc. Diet. 
The whiff is a vessel which recommends itself to few 
save the ambitious freshman. . . . It combines the disad- 
vantages of a dingey and a skilf, with the excellences of 
neither. Dickens's Did. Oxford, p. 19. 
Oral whiff, or Drummond's whiff. See oral. 
