whitewing 
lantie coast of the United States. Various plu- 
mages of the bird are distinguislied by gunners as Uack 
gray. Hay, great May, and eastern lehiteinny ; and it lias 
many other local names. See cut under velvet. 
2. The chaffinch, Friiiyilla calebs: so called from 
the white bands on the wing.-wutewlng doves 
the pigeons of the genus Melopelia. .See uldle-winged. ' 
wnite-winged (hwit'wingd), «. Having the 
wings white, wholly or in part : specifying vari- 
ous birds. -Whlte-wlnged blackbird, the lark-bunt- 
mg, Calamotptza bicolor, the male of which is black with 
a conspicuous white wing-patch. See cut under Cala- 
tnonjnza.— Whlte-wlnged coot. See cmt, 3.— White- 
Winded crossbill, Lijxia leucoptera, a North .American 
species, the male of which is carmine-red with two white 
wing-bars on each wing.— White- Winged dove, Melopelia 
lemoptera, a pigeon found in soulliwtstern parts of the 
United States, with a broad oblitiue white wing-bar. See 
cut under JMo^Mtta.— wblte-wlnged gull, lark, sand- 
piper. See the nouns— Whlte-wlnged scoter. Same 
as whitewing, 1,— White- Winged snowbird, a variety of 
0913 
whither-OUtt (hwiTH'er-out), interrog. adv. and 
rel. coiij. In what direction outward; whence 
and whither. 
'Lorde,' 
eth : ' 
quod I, "if any wiste wyte whider.oute it grow- 
Piers Plomnan (B), xvi. 12. 
whithersoever (hwiTH'6r-so-ev'er), adv. [< 
whither + soever.^ To whatever place. 
Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
Mat. viii. 19. 
whitherward (hwiTH'er-ward), interrog. adv. 
and re!, conj. [< ME. uhiderward, Imuderward, 
whoderward ; < ich itiier -\- -loard.'] Toward what 
or which direction or place. [Obsolete or ar- 
chaic] 
And asked of hire whiderward she wente. 
(Jhaucer, Franklin's Tale, 1. 782. 
Whitherward wentest thou '! William Morris, Sigurd, iii. 
the common black mowhud,JuTic7'hi^'m7!uaaeni7'^'ith whitingl (hwi'ting\ >i. f< ME. tchutinine : ver 
white wingbars, found in the mountains of Colorado. Com 
pare cut under »no«*i>d. _ White- Winged surf-duck 
the_ velvet scoter. See tchHetcing, 1, and cut under velvet. 
whitewood (hwit'wud), H. A name of a large 
number of trees or of their white or whitish 
timber. The whitewoods of North America are the 
tulip-tree, Liriodendron Tulipifera, and the basswood, Ti- 
tia Americana: also, in Florida, the Guiana plum, I>ry- 
petet erocea, and the wild cinnamon, Caiulla alba (see 
CaneOa', and whitewood bark, below). In the West Indies 
Tabebuia Lemoxylon, the white»oo<l cedar, and T. penta- 
phylla, both formerly classed under Teeoiiui, are so named, 
together with Ocotea Leumxylon and the white sweet- 
wood, Xectandra AntiUiana (A', leucantha of Grisebach). 
The cheesewood, Pittoaporum bicolor, of Victoria and Tas- 
mania, and Lagunaria Patermni, a small soft-wooded mal- 
Taceous tree, found in Queensland and Norfolk Island, 
are so named ; and a large handsome tree, Paiuu elegaiu, 
of eastern Australia, is the muwbulan whitewood. Locally, 
in England, the limlen, Tiiia Eurupiea, and tlie wayfaring- 
tree. Viburnum Lantana, and in Cheshire all timber but 
oak, are called whitewood. (Britteaand Holland. )— White- 
wood bark, the white cinnamon, the bark of Cunella 
alba. 
Whiteworm (hwit'werm), «. Same as white- 
gruh. 
Whitewort (whit'wiTt), ». An old name of the 
feverfew, Chrysauthimum I'lirtlietiiiim, and of 
the Solomon's-seal, Folijf/onatiim midtijioriim. 
whitflawt (hwit'fla), II. iiarae as irliiteflaiv. icliit- 
loic, irhickjlaic. 
whither (hwiTH'fer), ade. and roiij. [Formerly 
also iclietlier; with change of orig. (/ to tli, as iii 
hither, thither, father, etc.; < ME. ivhidcr, irhidir. 
whidur, whedir, huider, whoder, ivoilir, qrider, 
qvediir, htceder, whither, < AS. hiriihr, hici/der. 
to what place, whither, = Ooth.Ai(vi(//c.wliitlier; 
< Teut. 'hiva, who, + compar. sufti.x -iler. -Iher: 
see leho, and cf. irhrlher^ and the correhiti ve ad- 
verbs AiV/ier and thither.^ I. iiiterriH/. adv. 1. 
To what place! 
llentiU knyghtes. wtiettwr ar ye a-wey? 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 24.'i. 
Whither is fled the visionary gleam? 
Where is it now, the glory and the dream ? 
Wordgicorth, Intimations of Mortality, st. 4. 
2t. To what point or degree ? how far ? [Karc] 
Whither at length wilt thou abuse our patience? 
B. Joiuton, I'atiline, iv. 2. 
n. rel. conj. 1. To which place. 
Sothly, soth it is a seloouthe, me thinkes, 
Whider that lady is went and wold no lenger dwelle. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.). 1. 701. 
Then they Hed 
Into this abbey, whither we pursued them. 
.S/i(j*., C. of E , v. I. 155. 
From this countrey towards the .South there is a cer- 
tetne port called Scirings hall, whither he sayth that a 
man was not able to Salle in a moneths space, if he lay 
still by night, although he had euery day a f ull winde. 
Ilaklttyt's Voytigi^s, p. 0. 
What will all the gain of this world signitie in that 
State whitlier we are all hastening apace? 
StUlingfieet, Sermons, I. xii. 
2. Wliithersoever. 
Nor let your Chyhlren go u-fiether they will, but know 
whether they goe, in what company, and what they haue 
done, go<jd or euill. Babeet Bmk (E. E. T. S.), p. 1)4. 
Thou shalt let her go whither she will. Dent. xxi. 14. 
A fo<il go with thy soul, whither it goes I 
.Sliak., 1 Hen, IV., v. 3. 22. 
Where haa now to a considerable extent taken the place, in 
conversational use, of whitlier: thus, it would seem rather 
stilted to say " whither are you going ? " instead of " where 
are you going?" Whither in still used, hc)wever, in the 
more elevated or serious style, or when precision is re- 
quired. 
Any Wblthert. See anywhither. 
Vee haue heard that two Flemings togidei' 
Will vndertake or they goe any irhithir, 
Or they rise once to drinke a Ferkin full 
Of good Beerekin. llakluyt's Voyaget, I. 192. 
Woo<! and water he would fetch vs, guide vsany whether. 
Quoted in Capl. .John Smith's Works, I. 184. 
No Whither, see imwhithir. 
Elisha said unt^i him. Whence coniest thou, Gehazi ? 
And he said. Thy servant went no whither. 2. Ki, v, 25, 
bal n. of ichitel, v.) Chalk which has been'dried 
either in the air or in a kiln, and afterward 
ground, levigated, and again dried, in trade it 
has various names, according to the amount of labor ex- 
pended on it to make it line and free from grit, there be- 
ing ordinary or commercial whiting, then Spanish white, 
then gilders' whiting, and finally Paris white, which is the 
best grade. Whiting is used in fine whitewashing, in dis- 
temper painting, cleaning plate, making putty, as an adul- 
terant in various processes, as a base for picture-moldings, 
etc. Also whitening. 
When the father hath gotten thousands by the sacrile- 
gious impropriation, the son perhaps may give him [the 
vicar] a cow's grass, or a matter of forty shilli:igs per 
annum ; or bestow a little whiting on the church, and a 
wainscot seat for his own worship. 
Itev. T. Adar.'S, Works, I. 144. 
When you clean your plate, leave the whiting plainly to 
be seen in all the chinks, for fear- your lady should not 
believe you had cleaned it. 
Swift, Advice to Servants (Butler). 
whiting'-i (hwi'ting), H. [< ME. whytijnge (= 
MD. wijtiiujh, wittinijh = MLG. witink; also witik; 
witeke) ; < w/iifei -I- -tw/a.] 1. A gadoid fish of 
Europe, Merlangus vulgaris, or another of this 
genus. It abounds on the British coast, and is highly 
esteemed for food. It is commonly from 12 to 18 inches 
Whiting ( MtrlangHs 
, and 
Igaris), one sixth niitiiral sire. 
Whitsunday , 
der of the same salt, which will comparatively exhibit a 
very considerable degree of whitishness. 
Boyle, Exper. Hist, of Colours, II. i. 12. 
Whitleather (h\vit'leTH"er), n. [Earlv mod. 
E. whittlether, whitlether; < tvhite^ + leather.'] 
1. Leather dressed with alum; white leather. 
See leather. 
Hast thou ao much moisture 
In thy whit4eather hide yet that thou canst cry? 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, v. 1. 
2. The nuchal ligament of grazing animals, as 
the ox, supporting the head: same as inixicax. 
See cut under ligamentum. 
whitling (hwit'ling), «. [=z Sw. hvitliiig, a 
whiting; as white^ + -'"'ff^-] The young of the 
bull-trout. Imp. Vict. 
whitlow (hwit'16), H. [A corruption of irhit- 
flaw, ivhiteflaiv, for whickflaw, a dial. var. of 
quick-flaiv, perhaps simulating tvhite^ + low*, 
a fire, as if in ref. to the occasionally white 
appearance of such swellings, and to the in- 
flammation.] 1. A suppurative inflammation 
of the deeper tissues of a finger, usually of the 
terminal phalanx ; felon, panaritium, or paro- 
nychia. — 2. An inflammatory disease of the 
feet in sheep. It occurs around the hoof, where 
an acrid matter collects, which ought to be dis- 
charged. 
whitlow-grass (hwit'16 -gras), II. Originally, 
either of two early-blooming little plants, Saxi- 
fraga trydactytites and Draba verna (Erophila 
vulgaris), regarded as curing whitlow, in later 
times the name has been confined to Draba verna (vernal 
whiUow-gras8\ and thence extended to the whole genus. 
The section Erophila, however, of this genus, to which D. 
verna belongs, is now separated as an independent genus. 
See Draba, and cut under silide. 
whitlowwort (hwit'16-wert), n. See Parony- 
chia^, 2 (with cut). 
Whit-Monday (hwit'muii"da), «. [< whit^ (for 
whitcl) + Monday.'] The Monday following 
Wliitsunday. In England the day is generally 
observed as a holiday. Also called IVhitsiii'i- 
Monday. 
wMtneyite (hwit'ni-it), n. [Named after J. D. 
Whitney, an American geologist (born 1819).] 
A native arsenide of copper, occurring massive, 
of a reddish-white color and metallic to sub- 
metallic luster, and found in the copper region 
of Lake Superior. 
whitret (hwit'ret), n. [Sc. also qiihitred, quhit- 
Iret, whitrack; origin uncertain. Cf. E. dial. 
(Cornwall) whitneck, n white-throated weasel.] 
A weasel. [Scotch.] 
dock and some other related fishes by the absence of a whitSOVir (hwit'sour), 
barbule. The flesh is of a pearly whiteness. ~ ' 
mg, and of one or two pounds weight, though it grows mv-x LOcOtcn.J 
inch larger. It is readily distinguished from the had- WhltSOnt, ». An old form of IVhitsiin. 
[Appar. < whitei + 
■mnr.] A variety of summer apple. 
whitstert, /*. See whitester. 
Whitsult (hwit'sul), n. [< while^ + soiiP, ,vhZ.] 
A dish composed of milk, cheese, curds, and 
butter. 
namely, niilke, soure 
And here 's a chain of whitings' eyes for pearls ; 
A muscle-monger woultl have made a better. 
Fletcher, Rule a Wife, iv. 1. 
2. In the United States, one of several sciffiuoid 
fishes of the genus Menticirrus, as M. america- 
nns. The silver whiting, or surf-whiting, is M. 
littoralis.—Z. The silver liake, Mcrliicins biline- 
nm-.— 4. The menhaden. —Bermuda, bull-head 
or Carolina whiting. See«-i«jr/»A(a),— 'Wlilting's-eye, 
a wistful glance ; a leer, or amorous look. 
I saw her just now give him the languishing Eye, as 
they call it; that is, the Whiting's- Eye, of old called the 
.Sheep's- Eye. 
Wycherley, Gentleman Dancing-Master, iv. 1. 
whiting-mopt (hwi'tiiig-mop), n. [< whitinifi + 
'««;*'.] 1. A young whiting. 
They will swim you their measures, like whiting-mops, 
as if their feet were tins, and the hinges of their knees 
oiled. Fletcher (and another). Love's Cure, ii. 2. 
2. Figuratively, a fair lass; a pretty girl. 
I have a stomach, and would content myself 
With this pretty whiting-mop. 
Massinger, Guardian, iv. 2. 
whiting-pollack (hwi'ting-pol'ak), n. Seepol- 
lurk. 
whiting-pout (hwi'ting-pout). /(. A gadoid 
fish, the bib, Gailiis lii.icus. 
whiting-timet (hwi'ting-tim), «. Bleaching- 
tinie. Shak., M. W. of W.. iii. 3. 140. 
whitish (hwi'tish ), a. [< ME. whitisshc ; < whitel 
+ -/.s7(l.] Somewhat white; white in a mod- 
erate degree ; albescent. 
His taste is goode, and wfiitisshe his coloure. 
Palladins, Huslwudrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 91. 
In stooping he saw, about a yard off, something whitish 
and square lying on the dark griiss. This was an orna- 
mental note-book of p:de leather stamped with gold, 
George Eliot, Felix Holt, xiii. 
whitishness (hwi'tish-nes), H. The quality of 
being somewhat white; albescence. 
You may more easily make the experiment, by taking 
good venereal vitriol of a deep blue, and comparing with 
some of the entire crystals . . , some of the subtile pow- 
'Tlieir meat whitmdl, as they call it : 
milke, cheese, curds, butter. 
K. Careii; Survey of Cornwall, folio e«. 
Whitsun(hwit'sun),«. [Formerly also llhitson, 
also Whisson, tVheeson; < ME. irhittoii-, wyttson- 
whyssoii- (= leel. Hritn snnna), Whitsun ; abbr. 
of Whitsunday or the common first element of 
Whitsunday, Wliitsun-iveek. etc.] Of, ])crtain- 
ing to, or observed at Wliitsuntide; following 
Whitsunday, or falling in Wliitsun-week: gen- 
erally used in composition: as. If'hilsuii-u\e; 
Whitfun -'Monday, etc.— -Whltsun day. See Whit- 
sunday. 
Whitsun-ale(hwit'sun-ril), «. [Also Whilson- 
ale; < Whitnun + ale.] A festival formerly held 
in England at Whitsuntide by the inhabitants 
of the various parishes, who met generally in or 
near a large barn in the vicinity of the chiircli, 
ate and drank, and engaged in various games 
and sports. 
May-games, Wakes, ami W hitsnn-ales, &c,, if they lie not 
at unseasonable hours, may justly be permitted. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel,, p 276. 
Whitsunday (hwit'sun-da), n. [< ME. whit- 
suiidny, ivliith sounduy, witsondui, ivixson-daii, 
ha-itc sune-dei, hivite sune-dai, etc., < AS. liuita 
sunnan-diei/, only in dat. case hivitan .■<unniin 
dseg (= Icel. hvitasiinnu-daijr (cf. also hirita- 
dagitr, 'white days,' a name for Whitsnn- 
week, livita-dagn-rika, 'white days-week,' Ar(7ff- 
Kinniiidiiiis-rika. Whitsunday's week) = Xorw. 
Kvilsiiinidiiij, Whitsunday), < hivit, white, -I- 
sunnanilspg, Sunday: see whitei and Sunday. 
The name refers to the white garments (Icel. 
hrita-rddhir, white weeds) worn by caiuiidates 
for baptism. The notion which has been cur- 
rent that Whitsunday is derived from the G. 
/ijiugstcn, Pentecost (see Pinkster and Pente- 
