with wind 
nrvenxii or C. scpium; occasionally, oiip of a 
few other plants. 
He bare a burdoun ybounde with a brode Hate, 
In a teitheicyndes wise ywoundeii aboute. 
Pierg Plowman (B\ v. 525. 
Sea withwind. See sea-wUhmiid. 
withwine (with'vviu), «. A corruption of with- 
witliyl (with'i), n. [< ME. withy, wythy, wlfld. 
< AS. wlthig, also withihe (> ult. E. u-ith^, withe), 
a willow, = OFries. withthc = MD. n'cede, t). 
wede, weede, hop-plant, = MLG. wide, L6. xviede, 
wied, wede, wide = OHG. wida, MHG. wide, G. 
weide, a willow, = Icel. rithja, a withy, vith, a 
withe, viihir, a willow, = Sw. vide, willow, vidja, 
willow-twig, = Dan. vidje, a willow, osier (the 
forms showing two orig. types, represented by 
withy^ and wiih^, withe, and a variation also in 
the length of the vowel) ; cf . Lith. zil-wittis, zil- 
wytin, gray willow, Kuss. vitsa, withe, OBulg. viti, 
string for a heron, riti, twist, braid; L. vitis, 
vine, Gr. hia, a willow, a wicker shield ; orig. 
' that which twines or bends,' < •/ wi, twine, 
plait, as in L. vierc, twine, > vimen, twig, etc.] 
1. A willow of any species. [Prov. Eng.] 
See where another hides himself as sly 
As did Actseon or the fearful deer, 
Behind a ivithy. 
J. Dennyg (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 170). 
The Withy is a reasonable large tree (for some have been 
found ten feet about). Evelyn, Sylva, i. 20. 
2. A withe; a twig; an osier. 
With grene wythyes y-bounden wonderlye. 
Politicai Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 68. 
A kind of oblong vessel made of bark, by the simple con- 
trivance of tying up the two ends with a withy. 
Cook, First Voyage, iii. 8. 
3. A halter made of withes. — 4. In ccram., 
same as twip^, 3.— Gray withy, the sallow or goat 
willow, Saitxca^ea.— Hoop withy. HsiUie SlS hoop-uithe. 
See Rivina, 
withy^ (with'i or wi'THi), «. [< withe, witifi, + 
-;/l.] Made of withes; like a withe; flexible 
and tough. 
I learnt to fold my net, . . . 
And withy labyrinths in straits to set. 
P. Fletcher, Piscatory Eclogues, i. 5. 
Thirsil from withy prison, as he uses. 
Lets out his flock. 
P. Fletcher, Purple Island, iii. 
wlthy-pott (with'i-pot), )(. A vessel or nest of 
osiers or twigs. 
There were withy-potts or nests for the wild fowle to lay 
their eggs in, a little above y« surface of y« water. 
Evelyn, Diary, Feb. 9, 1665. 
withywindt (with'i-wind), n. Same as with- 
wind. Minsheu. 
Whiter Galet then the white withie-winde. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 621. 
witjart (wit'jiir), 11. [< wit^ +jar3, n.] The 
head ; the brainpan ; the skull. [Old slang.] 
Dr. Hale, who was my good Astolfo (you read Ariosto, 
Jack), and has brought me back my wit-jar, had much 
ado ... to effect my recovery. 
Richardson, Clarissa Harlowe, V. cxxxiii. 
witless (wit'les), a. [Also formerly or dial. 
weetless; < ME. witles, < AS. "witleds (in deriv. 
witleast) (= Icel. vitlauss), witless; as wit^ + 
-kss.'] 1. Destitute of wit or understanding; 
thoughtless; unreflecting; stupid. 
But^ man, as thou wittleen were, 
thou lokist euere dounwarde as a beest. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. FurnivallX p. 185. 
Raymounde semede all wiHese to deuise, 
AH merueled that gan it aduertise. 
Ram. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2846. 
And weetlesse wandered 
From shore to shore emongst the Lybick sandos, 
Ere rest he fownd. Spenser, F. Q., III. 9. 41. 
A witty mother ! ivitless else her son. 
Shak., T. of the S., ii. 1. 266. 
2. Not knowing; unconscious. [Rare.] 
Smiling, all weetless of th' uplifted stroke. 
Hung o'er his harmless head. J. Baillie. 
3. Proceeding from thoughtlessness or folly; 
not under the guidance of judgment; foolish; 
indiscreet; senseless; silly. 
Fond termes, and ivitlesse words. 
Sl>enser, Shep. Cal., July. 
Youth, and cost, and witless bravery. 
Shak., M. forM., i. 3. 10. 
witlessly (wit'Ies-li), adv. In a witless man- 
ner; without the exorcise of judgment; without 
understanding. Beau, and Fl. 
witlessness (wit'les-nes), n. The state orchar- 
acter of being witless; want of judgment, un- 
derstanding, or consideration. 
Wilful witlessness. Sir E. Sandys, State of Religion. 
witling (wit'ling), 11. [< h;(<2 -f -Ung'^.'] A pre- 
tender to wit ; a would-be wit. 
6956 
A beau and witling perish'd in the throng. 
Pope, R. of the L., v. 69. 
Newspaper witlings. Goldsmith, Retaliation, Postscript, 
The witlings of Bath, constantly buzzing about him [Mr. 
Quin] to catch each accent falling from his tongue in order 
to pass it current for their own, were not content with 
robbing him of his wit, but more than once attacked his 
reputation. Life of Quin (reprint 1887), p. 52. 
witloof (wit'lof), ?i. [D., lit. 'white-leaf.'] A 
variety of chicory with large roots, and forming 
a close head of leaves like that of a Cos lettuce. 
In Brussels these heads are cooked as a dinner-vegetable. 
Witloof is less bitter than the common chicory, and forms 
an equally good winter salad ; its thick 8tu]>by root also is 
as good as the ordinary for mixing with coffee. Also called 
large-rooted Brussels chicory. 
witmonger (wit'mung"ger), n. One who deals 
or indulges in wit of a poor or low kind ; a wit- 
ling. Wood, Athense Oxon. 
witness (wit'nes), n. [< ME. witnesse, witnisse, 
< AS. witiies, also ge-witnes (= MD. wetenisse = 
OHG. gewiznessi), testimony, < "witen, orig. pp. 
of witan, know, or rather of witan, see, + -nes, 
E. -ness : see wit^ and -ness. Cf . forgiveness for 
*forgivenness.'] 1. Testimony; attestation of a 
fact or event; evidence: often with fteor; as, to 
bear witness. 
If he aske as for more witnesse. 
Who sent to hym and how that I hym knewe, 
Telle hym it is his sone Generydes. 
Oenerydes (E. E. T. S), 1. 2382. 
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 
John v. 31. 
Heaven and thy thoughts are witness. 
SAoi.,M. of v., ii. 6. 32. 
The witness of the Wapentake is distinctly against the 
claimant. E. A. Freeman, Norman Conquest^ V. 518. 
2. One who or that which bears testimony or 
furnishes evidence or proof. 
Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee 
this day. Gen. xxxi. 48. 
Your mother lives a ivitness to that vow. 
Shak., Rich. III., iii. 7. 180. 
These, opening the prisons and dungeons, cal'd out of 
darknesse and bonds the elect Martyrs and witnesses of 
their Redeemer. Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus. 
3. One who is personally present and sees some 
act or occurrence, or hears something spoken, 
and can therefore bear witness to it; a specta- 
tor. 
Neither can I rest 
A silent witness of the headlong rage. 
Or heedless folly, by which thousands die. 
Cttwper, Task, 111. 218. 
4t. A sponsor, as at a baptism or christening. 
He was witness for Win here — they will not be called 
godfathers — and named her Win-the-flght. 
B. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, i. 1. 
5. In Uiw : (a) One who gives testimony on the 
trial of a cause ; one who appears before a court, 
judge, or other ofBcer. and is examined under 
oath or affirmation, (b) One whose testimony 
is offered, or desired and expected, (c) One in 
whose presence or under whose observation a 
fact occuiTcd. (d) One who upon request by 
or on behalf of a party subscribes his name to 
an instrument to attest the genuineness of its 
execution : more exactly, an attesting witness or 
a subscribing tcitness. 
He bad hym goo and in no wise to fayle 
To the Sowdon, and telle hym the processe. 
And lie wold be on of his chefl tritnesse. 
Generydes (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1509. 
Is it not 
A perfect act, and absolute in law, 
Sealed and delivered before witnesses, 
The day and date emergent? 
B. Jonson, Staple of News, v. 1. 
6. In hool'binding, an occasional rough edge on 
the leaf of a bound book, which is a testimony 
that the leaves have not been unduly trimmed. 
[Eng. ] — Aurlculax, credible, Intermediate witness. 
See the adjectives,— Hostile Witness, a witness who man- 
ifests a disposition to injure the case of the party by whom 
he is called. The party is allowed in such a case to put 
leading and searching questions such as he could not 
otherwise put to his own witness, and to contradict his 
testimony more freely.— Second-hand witness. See sec- 
ond-hand'i .— 1o impeach a witness. See impeach.— 
Ultroneous witness. See idtronemis.—yfWSi a wlt- 
nesst, with great force, so as to leave some mark as a tes- 
timony behind ; to a great degree ; with a vengeance. 
This, I confess, is haste, with a witness. Latimer. 
Here 's packing, with a witness ! 
Shak., T. of the S., v. 1. 121. 
witness (wit'nes), V. [< ME. witnessen, witnii'- 
sen, wytnessen ; (.witness, n.'] I, intrans. 1. To 
bear witness or testimony: give evidence; tes- 
tify. 
And the storye of Xoe icytnesfiethe, whan that the Cul- 
ver broiighte the Braunche of Olyve that betokend Pes 
made betwene God and Man. MandevUle, Travels, p. 11. 
The men of Belial witnessed against him, even against 
Naboth, . . . saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the 
king. 1 Ki. xxi. 13. 
wittcd 
The prisoner brought several persons of good credit to 
witness to her reputation. Addison, Tatler, No. 259. 
2t. To take witness or notice. 
Witnesse on him, that any perflt clerk is. 
That in scole is gret altercacioun 
In this matere and greet disputisoun. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 416. 
Witnessing clause. Same as testatum. 
II. trans. 1. To give testimony to; testify; 
bear witness of, or serve as evidence of; attest; 
prove ; show. 
We purchace, thnrgb oure Sateryng, 
Of riche men of gret pouste, 
Lettres to mtnesse oure bounte. 
Rom. of the Rose, 1. 8968. 
For I witnesse you, and say in thys place 
That he was a trew catholike person. 
Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 1529. 
Behold how many things they mtness against thee. 
Mark xt. 4. 
Methought you said 
You saw one here in court could witness it. 
Shak., All's Well, v. 3. 200. 
For what they did they had custom for; and could pro- 
duce, if need were, testimony that would witn^s it for 
more than a thousand years. 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, i. 
[ Witness in this sense is often used in the subjunctive im- 
peratively or optatively, in many cases with inversion. 
Heaven witness, 
1 have been to you a true and humble wife. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., ii. 4. 22. 
Pilgrims should wateh, . . . but, for want of doing so, 
ofttimes their rejoicing ends in tears, and their sunshine 
in a cloud ; witness the story of Christian at this place. 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, IL] 
2. To show by one's behavior; betray as a 
sentiment. 
Capt. Dekings, an anabaptist and one that had vntnessed 
a great deal of discontent with the present proceedings. 
Pepys, Diary, Apr. 15, 1660. 
Long mute he stood, and, leaning on his staff. 
His wonder witness'd with an idiot laugh. 
Dryden, Cym. and Iph., 1. 112. 
3. To see or know by personal presence; be a 
witness of; observe. 
This is but a faint sketch of the incalculable calamities 
and horrors we must expect, should we ever vyitness the 
triumphs of modern infidelity. ii. Ball. 
What various scenes, and ! what scenes of woe. 
Are witnessed by that red and struggling beam ! 
Scott, L. of the L., vi. 1. 
My share of the gayety consisted in witnessing the daily 
appareling of Eliza and Georgianna, and seeing them de- 
scend to the drawing-room dressed out in thin muslin 
frocks and scarlet sashes, with hair elaborately ringleted. 
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, iv. 
4. To see the execution of and affix one's name 
to (a contract, wiU, or other document) for the 
purpose of establishing its identity: as, to wit- 
ness a bond or a deed. — 5. To foretell; pre- 
sage; foretoken. [Rare.] 
Ah, Richard, . . . 
I see thy glory like a shooting star 
Fall to the base earth from the firmament I 
Thy sun sets weeping in the lowly west^ 
Witnessing storms to come, woe, and unrest. 
Shak., Rich. II., ii. 4. 22. 
= Syn. 3. Perceive, Observe, etc. See see^. 
witness-box (wit'nes-boks), n. The inclosure 
in which a witness stands while giving evidence 
in a court of law. 
witnesser (wit'nes-er), V. [< witness + -erl.] 
One who gives or bears testimony. 
A constant witnesser of the passion of Christ. 
T. Martin, Marriage of Priests. 
witnessfullyt (wifnes-fiU-i), adv. [ME. wyt- 
ncssefuUy; < witness + -ful + -ly'^.'\ By wit- 
nesses; with proof; manifestly; publicly. 
In this wyse more clerly and more uytnessefuUy is the 
office of wise men i-treted. Chaucer, Boethius, iv. prose 5. 
witness-stand (wit'nes-stand), n. The place 
where a witness, while giving evidence in court, 
is stationed. 
witsafet, ''. *• See withsafe. 
wit-snappert (wit'snap'^r), w. One who affects 
repartee. 
Goodly Lord, what a wit-snapper are you I 
S/i<i*.,M. of V.,iii. 5. 55. 
witstandt (wit'stand), n. [< icit^ + stand, m.] 
The state of being at one's wits' end ; hence, a 
standstill. [Rare.] 
They were at a ipitstand, and could reach no further. 
Bp. Haeket, Abp. Williams, i. 188. (Ztaries.) 
wit-starved (wit'stilrvd), a. Barren of wit; 
destitute of genius. [Rare.] {Im}). Diet.) 
wittalif, «. An obsolete form of witicall. 
wittal'^t, n. See wittol^. 
wittet. «. An obsolete spelling of irifl. 
witted (wit'ed), a. [< iriVl -1- -ed".'] Having 
wit or understanding : commonly used in com- 
pounds, as quie'k-witted, slow-witted, etc. 
