whoop 
ing ory, like that of the iraiie; a loud call or 
shout ; a cry designed to attract the attention 
of a person at a distance, or to express excite- 
ment, encouragement, enthusiasm, vengeance, 
or teri'or. 
Captaine Smith told me that there are some . . . will 
by hallowes and hoippg vnderstand each other. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 811. 
You have ran them all down with hoopg and hola's. 
Bp. Parker, Reproof of Rehearsal Transprosed, p. 26. 
With hark, and whoop, and wild halloo, 
No rest Benvoirlich's echoes knew. 
Scott, L. of the L., i. 3. 
2. In med., the peculiar sonorous inspiration 
following the attack of coughing in whooping- 
cough, 
whoopi (I'op), interj. [See whoojA, c] Ho! 
hallo! 
Whoop, Jug I I love thee. Shak., Lear, i. 4. 245. 
whoop'-'t (hop), n. Same as Iioop'^ for hoopoe. 
To the same place came his orison — mutterer, impale- 
tocked, or lapped np about the chin like a tufted whoop. 
Urqithartj tr. of Rabelais, i. 21. 
whooper (ho'per), H. One who or that which 
whoops; a hooper: speeifieally applied in or- 
nithology to a species of swan and of crane. 
whoop-tymn (hop'him), «. A weird melody 
chanted by the colored fishermen of the Poto- 
mac river while hauling the seine : more fully 
called fi.ilii)tg-nlwre whoop-hijmn. 
whooping (ho'ping). n. [Verbal n. of ichoojA, 
v.] A crying out; clamor; howling. 
Nought was heard hut now and then the howle 
Of some vile curre, or whooping of the owle. 
W. Broiciie, Britannia's Pastorals, ii. 4. 
whooping-cough (ho'ping-kof), «. An acute 
contagious disease of childhood, from which, 
however, adults are not always exempt, char- 
acterized by recurrent attacks of a i)eculiar 
spasmodic cough. This consists in a series of short 
expirations, followed (after a seeming effort) by a long 
strident inspiration, the whfwp, and often accompanied 
by vomiting; pertussis. Als<) spelled Ao<*^'*iy-couy/i. 
whoopmg-crane(ho'piiig-kran'). ». The large 
white crane of North America, Grits americanii, 
noted for its loud raucous cry. See craiw^ 
(with cut). 
Whooping-SWan (ho'ping-swon'), H. The 
hooper or elk. See sicaii. 
whoop-la (hdp'lii), interj. [See irhoop^, f.] 
Whooj)! hallo! Also spelled /»«»/*-/« and /i(>«/»/((. 
The glad voices, and " trhoop-la " to the hounds as the 
party galloped down the valley. 
Mrs. E. B. Cunler, Boots and Saddles, p. lOfl. 
whoott (hot), r. [Also .sometimes uhiite; var. 
spelling of lioot. Cf. whew.'] Same as hoot. 
The man who shews his heart 
Is whooted for his nudities. 
Youiuf, Night Thoughts, viiL 3:i.'». 
whop, whap (hwop). r. ; pret. and pp. whopped, 
ifh(ijipe<l, ppr. whojijiiiiii, whapjiiiiij. [Also wop; 
prob. var. of qiiujA, i/uo/A, perhaps associated 
withirAi';;. Ct.trojA.] I. /roii.t. To beat; strike; 
whip. [Colloq.] 
Bunch had put his Iwys to a famous sclujol. where they 
might vhop the Frencli boys, and learn all the modern 
languages. Thackeray, Philip, xviii. 
H. intrau.i. 1. To vanish suddenly. Htilli- 
well. [North. Eng.] — 2. To plump suddenly 
down, as on the ground; flop; turn suddenly: 
as, she whoppcil down on the floor; the fish 
whojiped over. [U. S.] 
whop, whap (hwop), H. [< ME. whapp ; < whop, 
r. Cf. (/Ho;)l, (/«rt/)l,and «v(/)l.] A heavy blow. 
[Colloq.] 
For a whapp so he wbyned and whesid, 
And jitt no lasshe to the lurdaii was lente. 
York Plays, p. 326. 
whopper, whapper (hwop'er), n. [< whop. 
whiip, + -<r^. ((. wiipper.l 1. One who whops. 
— 2. Anything uncommonly large : applied ]>ar- 
ticularly to a monstrous lie. [(jolloq.] 
This is a whopper that 8 after us. 
Marryat, Frank Mildmay, x%. (Davies.) 
But he hardly deserves mercy, having told whoppers. 
liariiers Mag., L.XXII. 21;!. 
whopping, Whapping (Invop'ing), a. [Ppr. of 
whop,v. Vf.woppini/.] Very large; thumping: 
as, a whopjiinfi big trout. [Colloq.] 
whore (hor), n. [With unorig. w, as in whole, 
etc.; < ME. horr. a harlot (not in AS.), < Icel. 
hOra. ailulteress, = Sw. hora = Dan. hore = 
D. hoer = OHG. hnoni, huorrn, MHG. hiiore, 
(t. hiire (Goth. hor. f.. not found, another word, 
kalki, being used); also in masc. form, Icel. horr 
= Goth, hors, adulterer; cf. AS. 'hor, adultery 
(in comp. horewfn, adulteress), < Icel. hor = Sw. 
Dan. hf^r = OHG. Inior, adultery; cf. MHG. 
6917 
herge, f., a prostitute; OBuIg. kuriira = Pol. 
ktirwa = Lith. kurra, adidteress (perhaps < 
Tent.). Some compare Ir. ctiruim, love, cara, 
friend, L. cams, dear, orig. loving (see ca- 
ress), Skt. charu, agreeable, beautiful, etc. 
The word was confused or homiletieally asso- 
ciated in early ME. with ME. hore, < AS. horu 
(horw-) — OS. horu, horo = OFries. hore = 
OHG. horo, filth, dirt. By some modern writers 
it has been erroneously derived from /i/rc-i, as 
if 'one hired,' the notion really present in the 
equiv. L. iiieretrix, a prostitute (see meretrix). 
The vowel in this word was orig. long, and 
the reg. mod. form would be "hoor (hor), the 
pron. hor instead of hor (as given by Walker 
beside hor) is prob. due to the confusion with 
the ME. hore, filth, and to the later confusion of 
the initial ho- with who-, as also in whole. The 
word, with its derivatives, is now avoided in 
polite speech ; its survival in literature, so far 
as it survives, is due to the fact that it is a 
favorite word with Shakspere (who uses it, with 
its derivatives, 99 times) and is common in 
the authorized English version of the Bible. 
The word in all its forms (whoredom, etc.) is 
generally retained in the revised version of 
the Old Testament, though the American re- 
visers recommended the substitution of harlot, 
as less gross; in the revised version of the 
New Testament harlot (with fornieator for 
whoremoitf/er, etc.) is substituted.] A woman 
who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; 
a harlot ; a courtezan ; a strumpet ; hence, in 
abuse, any unchaste woman ; an adulteress or 
fornicatress. [Now only in low use.] 
Do not marry me to a whore. Shak., II. for M. , v. 1. 521. 
Hee wooed her and sued her his mistress to bee, 
And offered rich presents to Mary Ambree. . . . 
".\ mayden of England, sir. never will bee 
The whore of a monarcke," ((Uotli Mary Ambree. 
Mary Ambree (( hild's Ballads, VII. 113). 
Thou know'st my Wrongs, and with what pain I wear 
The Name of Whore his Preachment on me pinn'd. 
J. Beautnont, Psyche, iii. 184. 
whore (hor), r. ; pret. and pp. whored, ppr. 
lehorliuj. [= G. hitren = Sw. hora = Dan. hore ; 
cf. D. hoerereii ; from the noun.] I. iittraiis. 
To prostitute one's body for hire ; in general, 
to practise lewdness. Shak., Othello, v. 1. 110. 
[Low.] 
II. traiLs. To c(jrrupt by lewd intercour*'. 
[Low.] 
He tliat hatli kill'd my king and whirred my mother. 
Shak., Hamlet, v. 2. 64. 
A Vestal ravish'd, or a Matron ichor'd, 
Are laudable Diversions in a Lord. 
Contfrece, tr. of Eleventh Satire of Juvenal. 
whoredom (hor'dum), «. [< ME. horedoiN, hor- 
doiii, < Icel. hdrdoiiir= Sw. hordoiii = OD. hocr- 
dom, whoredom; as whore + -dom.'] Prostitu- 
tion of the body for hire; in general, the jiractice 
of unlawful sexual commerce. In Scripture the 
term is sometimes applied metaphorically to idolatry — 
the desertion of the worship of the true Go<l for the wor- 
ship of idols. 
Taniar . . . is with child by wAoredOTrt. Gen. xxxviii. 24. 
The whole Countrie overflowetli with the synne of that 
kiiule, and nde mervell, as havinge no lawe to restrayne 
whoredmnejt, adulteries, and like vncleanes of lief. 
The Company of Merchants trading to Miutcovy ( F.Uis's Lit. 
[Letters, p. 79). 
whore-house (hor'hous), ». [< ME. horehous 
— OH(J. MHG. hiiorhiis, G. hurriihaiis = Sw. 
horhiis = Dan. horehii.i ; as whore + house'^.] A 
brothel; a house of ill fame. [Low.] 
whoremant (hor'man), n. [< ME. horemaii, 
adulterer (cf. Sw. Dan. h<ir-korl, adulterer); < 
hore, adultery, + man.'] An adulterer. 
The me[i]stre8 of thise hore-men, . . . 
The i>idde ic hangen that he ben. 
Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4072. 
whoremaster (hor'nias"ter), u. [Early mod. 
K. hori-iiiai.'itcr : < whore + master^.] One who 
keeps or procures whores for others ; a pimp ; 
a procurer; hence, one who practises lewdness. 
.Shak., 1 Hen. TV., ii. 4. nlf,. [Low.] 
whoremasterly (hor'nias'ter-li), a. [< whore- 
master + -///'.] Having the character of a 
whoremaster; libidinous. [Low.] 
That flreekish tvhnrcmasterly villain. 
Shak., T. and C, v. 4. 7. 
whoremonger (hor'mung'ger), «. One who has 
to do with whores; a fornicator. Heb. xiii. 4 
[fi>rnie<itor, K. V.]. 
whoremongingt (hor'mung'ging), H. Fornica- 
tion ; whoring. 
Nether haue they niynde of anything elles than vpon 
whoremonging and other kyndes of wikednes. 
J. Udall, On 2 Pet. 
whortleberry 
whore's-birdt (h6rz'l){Td), n. A low term of 
abuse. 
They'd set some sturdy whorc's-fnrd to meet me, and 
beat out ha'f a dozen of my teeth. 
Plautus made English (1694), p. 9. (Davies.) 
Damn you altogether for a pack of whores'-birds as yon 
are. Graves, Spiritual Quixote, iv. 9. {Davies.) 
whore's-egg (horz'eg), ». A sea-urchin. 
whoresont (tor'sim). "• and a. [Early mod. E. 
s,\so horeson,hor.<ion; <. whore + sou .] I. u. A 
bastard: used generally in contempt, or in 
coarse familiarity, and without exactness of 
meaning. [Low.] 
Well said ; a merry whoreson, ha ! 
Shak., R. and J., iv. 4. 19. 
Frog was a sly whoreson, the reverse of John. 
Arbuthtiot, Hist. John Bull. 
II. a. Bastard-like ; mean ; scurvy : used in 
contempt, or in coarse familiarity, and applied 
to persons or things. 
A whweson cold, sir, a cough, sir. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., iiL 2. 193. 
The whoreson rich innkeeper of Doncastjer, her father, 
shewed himself a rank ostler to send her up at this time 
a year, and by the carrier too. 
Dekker and Webster, Northward Ho, ii. 2. 
whorish (hor'ish), «. [<, trhore + -ish^ .] Of or 
pertaining to whores; having the character of 
a whore; lewd; unchaste. Shak., T. and C, 
iv. 1. 63. [Low.] 
Your whorish love, your drunken healths, your houts and 
shouts. Marston, Antonio and Mellida, I., iv. 1. 
whorishly (hor'ish-li). adr. In a whorish or 
lewd manner. [Low.] 
whorishness (hor'ish-nes), u. The character 
of being whorish. [Low.] 
whorl (hwerl or hworl), u. [< late ME. whorle, 
contr. of *whorrel, whorwhil, whorwil ; cf. OD. 
worrel, a spindle, whirl, etc. : see ichirl, and cf. 
teharl^.] 1. In hot., a ring of organs all from 
the same node; a verticil. Every complete flower 
is externally formed of two whorls of leaves, constituting 
the floral envelop, or perianth ; and internally of two or 
more other whorls of organs, constituting the organs of 
fructiflcation. The term whorl by itself is generally ap- 
plied to a circle of radiating leaves — an arrangement of 
more than two leaves around a conunon centei', upon the 
same plane with one another. AUo whirl, Hee cuts under 
Lavandula, Paris, and Veronica. 
2. In couch., one of the turns of a spiral shell; 
a volution ; a gyre. The last whorl, opposite the 
apex or nucleus, alid including the 
aperture of the shell, is commonly 
distinguished asthebody-whorl. See 
spire-, n., 2 (with cut), and cuts un- 
der unicalve, Pleurotomaria , and 
Scalaria. Also whirl. 
See what a lovely shell, . . . 
.Made so fairily well, 
With delicate spire and whorl. 
Tennyson, Maud, xxiv. 1. 
3. In anat. : (a) A volution 
or turn of the spiral cochlea 
of man or any mammal. See 
cut under car. (h) A scroll 
or turn of a turbinate hone, as the ethmotur- 
binal or maxilloturbinal. See ciit under nasal. 
— 4. The fly of a spindle, generally made of 
wood, sometimes of hard stone, etc. Also 
tliworl and pixiz-icheet. 
Elaborately ornamented leaden whorls which were fas- 
tened at the lower end of their spindles to give them a 
due weight and steadiness. 
S. K. Handbook Textile Fabrics, p. 2. 
Whorl Of the beaxt. iymwii &» vortex o/ the heart. See 
vortex. 
whorled (hw^rld or hworld), o. Furnished with 
whorls; verticillate. in hot., zoSl., and anat: (o) 
Having a whorl or whorls; verticillate; volute; turliinate: 
as, a whorled stem of a plant, or shell of a inollusk. (6) 
Disposed ill the form of a whorl ; as, whorled leaves ; 
whirled turns of a shell. 
whorler (hwer'ler or hwor'ler), u. A local spell- 
ing of whirler, retaiiie<l in some cases in the 
trades. 
whom (hworn). u. A Scotch form of horu. 
Tliey hae a cure for the mnir-ill, . . . whilk is ane pint 
... of yill . . . iwil'd wi' sope and hartshorn draps, 
and loomed doun the creature's throat wi' ane whom. 
Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xxviii. 
whort (hwert), n. [Also whurt ; a dial. var. of 
wort\.] The fruit of the whortleberry, or the 
shrub itself. 
whortle (hwfr'tl), n. [Appar. an abbr. of 
whortleberry.] Same as tchortleherri/. 
Carefully spying across the moor, from behind the tuft 
of u'hortles, at first he could discover nothing. 
Ii. D. Btackmore. I.orna Doone, xxxi. 
whortleberry (hwcr'tl-ber'i), «.; pi. whortle- 
herrirs (-iz). [Early mod. E. also whurtleherrii, 
appar. intended for "wortleherry (not found in 
whorls of ylfninotiites 
rothomttgtHsis. 
