witchingly 
witchingly (wieh'ing-li), adv. In a bewitch- 
ing, fascinating, or enelianting manner. Thom- 
son, Castle of Indolence, i. 6. 
witch-knot (wich'not), H. A knot or snarl, 
especially in the hair, supposed to be caused 
by witchcraft. Compare e}f, r., and elf-lock. 
0, that I were a witch but for her sake ! 
Yfaith her Queenship little rest should take ; 
I'll scratch that face, that may not feele the aire, 
And knit whole ropes of witch-kiioU in her haire. 
Draytoii, Poems (ed. 16S7X p. 253. (HalHwell.) 
O whahas loosed the nine tntch-knots 
That were amang that ladye's locks? 
Waiie's Ladye (Child's Ballads, I. 166). 
witch-meal (wieh'mel), n. The powdery pol- 
len of the club-moss, Lycopodhim clavatum; ly- 
copode. It is so rapidly inflammable as to 
have been used in theaters to represent light- 
ning. 
witch-ridden (wich'rid^''n), a. Ridden by 
witches; having a nightmare. 
witch-seeker (wich'se^ker), n. Same as witch- 
Jin der. 
witch-stitch (wich'stich), ». In embroidery, 
same as herring-bone stitch (which see, imder 
herring-bone). 
wltchuck (wich'uk), n. Same as witch-chick. 
witch- wife (^sdch'wif ), n. A woman who prac- 
tises witchcraft. 
In the tenth century we heai- of the first instance of a 
death in England for heresy, in the actual drowning of a 
icitch-tcife at London Bridge. 
J. li. Green, C'onq. of Eng., p. 11. 
witch-wolft (wieh'wulf), n. A werwolf . liev. 
T. Adams, Works, II. 119. 
witch-WOOd(wich'wud),«. 1. Sajne KB witchen. 
— 2. Ssivae as witch-elm. — 3. The spindle-tree, 
Euonymus Europsens. 
wit-crackert (wit'krak^er), n. One who makes 
jests; a joker. 
A college of unt-crackers cannot flout me out of my hu- 
mour: Dost thou think I care for a satire, or an epigram? 
Shak., Much Ado, v. 4. 102. 
wit-craftt (wit'kraft), n. 1. Mental skill; con- 
trivance; invention. Camden, Remains, p. 144, 
(Nares.) — 2. The art of reasoning; logic. 
Master Secretary Wilson, geuing an English name to his 
arte of Logicke, called it Witcra/t. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 191. 
wite^t, V. t. [ME. witen, < AS. tvitan, see: see 
wit^. Cf. wite^.'] To observe; keep; guard; 
preserve; protect. 
"Pieres," quod I, "I preye the whi stonde thiae piles 
here?" 
"For wyndes, wiltow wyte," quod he, "to uriten it fram 
fallynge." Piers Plowman (BX xvi. 25. 
wite- (wit), r. t. [< ME. witen, tvyten, < AS. wi- 
tan, witian, impute, blame, censure, punish, 
fine (ef. witnian, punish, edicltan, reproach, 
ietwitan, reproach: see twit), = Icel. vita, fine, 
= Goth, weitjan (in idweitjan, reproach (= AS. 
edwttan), and in fair-iceitjan, obsei've intently) ; 
ult. connected with tcitan, see, witan, know : see 
wite'^, wif^, and ef. twit.'] If. To impute (to 
one) as a fault; blame for; blame (that): gov- 
erning directly a noun or clause, and taking 
an indirect object in the dative. 
And thei-fore, if that I mysspeke or seye, 
Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I yow preye. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Miller's Tale, 1. 33. 
Y pray yow . . . not to i(f?/(e it me that y am the causer 
of it that my seyd maister noyeth yow with so manye 
materes. Paston Letters, I. 374. 
2. To impute wrong to ; find fault with ; blame ; 
censure. [Now Scotch.] 
He gan fowly u;yte 
His wicked fortune. Spenser, V. Q., III. iv. 52. 
O wyte na me, now, my master dear, 
I gart'd a' my young hawks sing. 
Lord John (Child's Ballads, I. 136> 
Wite^ (wit), ri. [Formerly also wight; < ME. wite, 
wyte, < AS. wite, punishment, fine, torment, tor- 
ture, = OS. witi = OHG. wiziy MHG. wize^ punish- 
ment, = Icel. r«??', fine: see ?dfc2, r.] 1. Blame; 
censure; reproach; fault. [Now Scotch.] 
For worche he wel other wrong, the n-it is his oune. 
Piers Plowman (A), x. 75. 
And but I do, sirs, lat me han the iryte. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Canon's Yeoman's* Tale, 1. 400. 
" Put na the ivitp- on nie," she said, 
"It was my may Catherine. " 
Earl Richard (Child's Ballads. III. 8). 
They hae kill'd Sir Charlie Hay, 
And they laid the wyte on Geordie. 
Geordie (Child's Ballads, VIII. 93). 
2. Punishment; i)enalty; mulct; fine; in old 
Eng. criminal l(tw, a fine paid to the kin^ oi- 
other lord in respect of an offense. J. F. Ste- 
phen. 
6952 
wite^t, r. i. [ME. witen; < AS. witan (pret. teat), 
gewitan (pret. gewdt), go.] To go. 
Ne tmte thow noght fra me. 
Early Eng. Psalter (ed. Stevenson), xxi. 12. 
wite^t, V. and w. An obsolete form of wit^. 
witelessf (wit'les), a. l< wite^ + -less.'] Blame- 
less. 
Ne can Willye wite the ivitelesse herdgroome. 
Spenser, Shep. Cal., August. 
witenagemot (wit'e-na-ge-mof), n. [AS. %ci- 
tena gemot, 'counselors' moot': witena, gen. 
pi. of wita, weota, gewita, a man of knowledge, 
a counselor; gemot, moot or meet, assembly, 
council, parliament: see wit^ and Pioot^.] In 
Anglo-Saxon hist,, the great national council or 
parliament, consisting of the king with his de- 
pendents and friends and sometimes the mem- 
bers of his family, the ealdormen, the bishops, 
and other ecclesiastics. This council, which met 
frequently, constituted the highest court of judicature 
in the kingdom. It was summoned by the king in any 
political emergency, and its concurrence was necessary 
in many important measures, such as the deciding of 
war, the levying of extraordinary taxes, grants of land in 
certain cases, election and (in many instances) deposition 
of kings. 
The old Germanic tradition, which associated " the wise 
men " in all royal action, gave a constitutional ground to 
the powers which the Witenageinot exercised more and 
more as English society took a more and more aristocratic 
form ; and it thus came to share with the crown in the 
higher justice, in the imposition of taxes, the making of 
laws, the conclusion of treaties, the control of war, the 
disposal of public lands, the apjwintment of bishops and 
great officers of state. There were times when it claimed 
even to elect or depose a king. 
J. R. Green, Conq. of Eng., p. 216. 
witerlichet, witerlit, adv. See xcitterly. 
witfish (wit'fish), n. Same as whitefish. 
witfult (wit'ful), a. [< ME. witfnl, witfol, wit- 
vol; < wit^ + -ful.] Full of wit, knowledge, or 
wisdom; wise; knowing; sensible. 
Tis passing miraculous that your dul and blind worship 
should 80 sodainly turne both sightfull and wit/ull. 
ChapTnan, Masque of Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn. 
with^ (wiTH), jf^^P' [< ME. with, rarely wit, 
rcid, with, near, among, in company with, also 
against, along, on, to, from, by, < AS. with, 
against, opposite, = OS. widh = OFries. ivith 
= Icel. vith, against, by, at, with, = Sw. vid, 
near, at, by, = Dan. ved, by, at; otherwise in 
the compar. form wither-, AS. wither- = OHG. 
widar, MHG. G. wider, against, wieder, again, 
= Goth, withra, against, toward, in front of; 
cf. Skt. vitaram, further, vi-, asunder, L. ve-, 
apart. Cf. with-, wither'^, wither-, withers. With 
has largely taken the place of AS. and ME. 
mid, with.] 1. Against: noting competition, 
opposition, or antagonism: as, to fi^ht with the 
Romans (that is, against them); to vie icith each 
other. 
For the most part wise and graue men doe naturally 
mislike u<th all sodaine innouations, specially of lawes. 
Puttenham., Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 86. 
The Sasquesahanocks. a mightte people, and mortall 
enemies uHh the Massawomeks. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, I. 182. 
The rival Moorish kings were waging civil war tcith 
each other in the vicinity of Granada. 
Irving, Granada, p. 83. 
2. Noting association or connection. Particu- 
larly, expressing — (a) Proximity, accompaniment, com- 
panionship, or fellowship. 
They met at Ispahan (a Citie of Persia), and there Ma- 
homet, falling ivith his horse, brake his neck. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 279. 
The Earl of Northumberland, being advertised thereof, 
came with a Power, assaulted the Castle, and after two 
Days Defence recovered it. Baker, Chronicles, p. 137. 
The greatest News from Abroad is that the French King 
with his Cai'dinal are come again on this Side the Hills. 
Howell, Letters, I. v. 29. 
The globe goes round from west to east; and he must 
go round with it. 
Macaulay, Gladstone on Church and State. 
Come and spend an evening with us. 
Dickens, Cricket on the Hearth, i. 
There with her knights and dames was Guinevere. 
Tennyson, Pelleas and Ettarre. 
(6) Harmony, agreement, or alliance : as, one color may or 
may not go with another ; to fight with the national troops ; 
to side or vote with the reformers. 
He that is not with me is against me. Mat. xii. SO. 
(c) Combination or composition : as, wine mixed with wa- 
ter, (rf) Addition or conjunction: as, England (witA Wales), 
Scotland, and Ireland make the United Kingdom. 
Very wise, and with his wisdom very valiant. 
North, tr. of Plutarch, p. 664, quoted in Abbot's Sliakes- 
[perian Grammar. 
Here were seen in profusion the orange, the citron, the 
fig. and pomegranate, with great plantations of mulberrj' 
trees, from which was produced the finest silk. 
Irving, Granada, p. 4. 
(e) Communication, intercourse, or interaction. 
with 
With thee she talks, icith thee she moans. 
With thee she sighs, unth thee she groans, 
With thee she says, " Farewell, mine own." 
Surrey, State of a Lover. 
I will buy vnth you, sell ivith you, talk with you, walk 
witk you, and so following, but I will not eat unth you, 
drink unth you, nor pray vnth you. Shak.,'Sl. of V. , i. 3. 36. 
You have to do unth other- guess-people now. 
Smollett, Roderick Kandom, xlvii. 
(/) Simultaneousneas. 
With every minut« you do change a mind. 
Shak., Cor., L 1. 186. 
3. As a property, attribute, or belonging of; 
in the possession, care, keeping, service, or em- 
ployment of: as, to leave a package with one; 
to be with the A. B. Manufacturing Co. 
We may find Truth unth one man as soon as in a Coun- 
sell. Milton, Reformation in Eng., i. 
4. Having, possessing, bearing, or character- 
ized by: as, the boy has come with the letter; 
Thebes, with its grand old walls; Rome, with 
her seven hills. 
A stately ship, . . . 
With all her bravery on. 
Maton, S. A., 1. 717. 
His ministry was unth much conviction and demonstra- 
tion. N. Mortxm, New England's Memorial, p. 302. 
There came into the shop a very learned man with an 
erect solemn air. Steele, Spectator, No. 438. 
5. In the region, sphere, or experience of; fol- 
lowed by a plural, among; also, in the sight, 
estimation, or opinion of: as, a holy prophet 
with God, 
The first of tho fre faitbly was cald 
Emynent the mighty, unth men that bym knew. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), L 12442. 
With men it is impossible, but not with God; tor with 
God all things are possible. Mat. x. 27. 
I had thought my life had borne more value with you. 
Beau, and FL, Thierry and Theodoret, iiL 2. 
Those Antichthones, which are on the other side of the 
globe of the earth, are now out of the comfortable reach 
of the sunbeams, while it is day with us. 
Bp. Hall, Sermons, xixv. 
Such arguments had Invincible force unth those Pagan 
philosophers. Addison. 
His integrity was perfect; it was a law of nature tcith 
him, rather than a choice or a principle. 
Haunthome, Scarlet Letter, Int., p. 27. 
6. In respect of; in relation to; as regards; 
as to : as, have patience with me ; what is your 
will ivith me ? 
How far am I grown 
Behind-hand with fortune ! 
Fletcher (and another). Fair Maid of the Inn, iv. 2. 
If we tiuely consider our Proceedings with the Span- 
yards and the rest, we haue no reason to despayre. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, I. 242, 
Thus will it ever be with him who trusts too much to 
woman. Steele, Tatler, No. 217. 
7. Like; analogously to; hence, specifically, 
at the same time or rate as ; according to ; in 
proportion to. 
As if with Circe she would change my shape. 
Shak., 1 Hen. VI., v. 3. 33. 
Their insolence and power increased with their number, 
and the seditions were also doubled icith it. 
Swijf, Nobles and Commons, iii. 
8. By. Indicating — (at) An agent: as, slain with rob- 
bers. 
Al thus irith iewya I [Christ] am dyth. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. FurnivallX p. 247. 
Ysiphile, betraysed tcith Jasoun. 
Chaucer, Good Women, L 266. 
And so it was comaunded to be kept icitJi x noble men ; 
and thei were charged to take goode hede who com to as- 
saien, and yef euy ther were that myght drawen out of 
the ston. Merlin (E. R T. S.), i. 100. 
He was torn to pieces with a bear. Shak.,yy. T., v. 2. 68. 
At I<1ower8 we were againe chased u-ith foure French 
men of warre. Capt. John Smith, Works, II. 200. 
He was sick and lame of the scurvy, so as he could but 
lie in the cabin-door, and give direction, and, it should 
seem, was badly assisted either u-ith mate or mariners. 
N. Morton, New England's Memorial, p. 131. 
(6) An instrument or means: as, to write with a pen; to 
cut icith a knife ; to heal with herbs. 
Thirle my soule irith thi spere anoon. 
Hymns to Virgin, etc. (R E. T. S.), p. 26. 
You have paid me, equal heavens. 
And sent my own rod to correct me trith. 
Bean, and Fl., King and No King, iv. 2. 
They had cut of his head upon ye cudy of his boat, had 
not y*' man reskued him icith a sword. 
Bradford, Plymouth Plantation, p. 98. 
And icith faint Praises one another damn. 
Wycherley, Plain Dealer, Prol. 
(c) An accessory, as of material, contents, etc.: as. a ring 
set tnVA diamonds; a ship laden iriiA cotton ; a bottle filled 
icith water. 
Threescore carts laden with baggage. 
Coryat, Crudities, I. 23. 
The chiefe Citie, called St. Savadore, seated ui>on an 
exceeding high mountaine. 150. miles from the Sea, verie 
fertile, and inhabited icith more than 100000. persons. 
CapU John Smith, Works, I. 49. 
