womb-side 
WOmb-sidet (wom'sid), h. [ME. womb-side; < 
icomb + side'^.] The front or protuberant side, 
as of the astrolabe. 
As wel on the bak as on the wombe-side. 
Chaucer, Aati'olabe, i. § 6. 
womb-stone (wom'ston), n. 1. A concretion 
formed within the uterine cavity. — 2. A eaJci- 
lied fibroid tumor of the uterus. 
wombyt (wo'mi), a. [< womb + -^i.] Hollow; 
capacious. [Kare.] 
Caves and wombu vaiUtages of lYance. 
Shak., Hen. V., ii. 4. 124. 
women, «. Plural of ironuDi. 
women's-tree (wim'enz-tre), n. See Sophora. 
wommant, «• An old spelling of woman. 
won^t, WOnet (wun), v. i. [< ME. loonen, wonieuj 
wuuieu, < AS. wiinian, dwell, remain, gewuniau, 
dwell, be accustomed, = OS. wunon^ wonon = 
MD. wooneti, D. wonen = OHG. wonen^ MHG. 
wonen, G. icohneUj dwell, = Icel. una, dwell, also 
enjoy, find pleasure in; from tlie root of AS. 
winnan, etc., strive after: see whi'^. Cf. won'^, 
n.j wont^,'] 1. To dwell; abide. 
To gete her love no ner nas he 
That woned at home than he in Inde : 
The formest was alway behynde. 
Chaucer, Death of Bhmche, 1. 889. 
Dere modir, iconne with vs ; ther shal no-thyng you greve. 
York Plays, p. 48. 
Thenne wonede an hermite faste bi-syde. 
Joseph of Arimathie (E. E. T. S.), p. 21. 
He wonneth in the land of Fayeree. 
Spenser, V. Q., III. iii. 26. 
The wild beast, where he woiis 
In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den. 
Milton, F. L., vii. 457. 
2. To be accustomed. See woiit^. 
Tho clarisse com in to the tur 
The amiral askede blanclieflur, 
& askede whi heo ne come, 
Also heo was woned to done. 
Kinr/ Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 111. 
A yearly solemn feast she wont to make. Spenser. 
Her well-plighted frock, which she did loon 
To tucke about her short when she did ryde, 
Shee low let fall. Spenser, F. Q., III. ix. 21. 
They leave their crystal springs, where they wont frame 
Sweet bowers of myrtle twigs and laurel fair. 
L. Bryskett (Arber's Eng. (iarner, I. 27C). 
WOnH, WOnet (wuu), n. [ME., also won)t€, 
icoon, < AS. gewuua = OS. giwono = MLG, 
wone = OHG. (jeivona = Icel. vatti, custom, 
usage: see won'^j tcone, v.] 1. A dwelling; 
habitation. 
Tho gan I up the hille to goon, 
And fond upon the coppe a woon. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. H6C. 
Late my lady here 
With all her light lemys, 
Wightely go wende till her ^vone. 
Yi/rk Plays, p. 273. 
Haf 3e no wonez in castel walle, 
2S'e maner ther ge may mete tt won ? 
Alliterative P veins (fid. Morris), i. dW. 
There the wise Merlin whylome wont (they say) 
To make his iconne, low underneath the ground, 
In a deepe delve, farre from the vew of day. 
Spenser, V. Q., III. iii. 7. 
2. A place of resort. 
He so long had riden and goon 
That he fond in a prive woon 
The coutree of fairye. 
Chaucer, Sir Thopas, 1. !X). 
3. Custom; habit. 
Er it were day, as was hir wone to do, 
She was arisen, and al redy dight. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 182. 
His wonne was to wirke niekill woo, 
And make many maystries emelle vs. 
York Plays, p. 204. 
4. Manner; way. 
And when he sey ther was non other wone 
He gau hire limmes dresse. 
Chaucer, Troilus, iv. 1181. 
Ne fayre wordes brake neuer bone, 
>'e neuer schall in no wone. 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 4;>. 
Here come nomaii in there wanes, 
And that eucre witnes.se will we, 
Haue an Auiigcll ilke a day anes, 
With bodily fuude hir fedde has lie. 
York Plays, p. Ifxl. 
WOn^ (wuii). Preterit and past participle of 
ifin^. 
WOn'^t, a^ An old spelling of wan'^. 
WOndt. An obsolete preterit of irind^. 
WOndet, v. i- [ME. uonden, wondrn^ AS. ircoi- 
dian^ fear, reverence, nojt^lect, < tcindan, wind, 
turn: see ivind^, and ai, wcnd^.'] To refrain; 
desist. 
I wille noghte wonde tor no werre, to wende whare me 
likes. Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3495. 
6962 
Love wol love ; for no wight wol it wonde. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1187. 
Ses now of sorowe, sobur thi chere, 
Wond of thi weping, whipe vp thi teris ; 
Mene the to myrthe, ct niournyng for-sake. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3380. 
wonder (wun'der), ». [< ME. wonder, wondir, 
ivonnder, wnnder, wundur, < AS. wundor = OS. 
wundar = D. wonde)' = MLG. wunder = OHG. 
tcuntar^ MHG. G, xvunder = Icel. undr (for 
*vundr) = Sw. Dan. vuder, wonder; perhaps 
akin to Gr. adpeiv {*Fa6pEiv^}, gaze at.] 1. A 
strange tiling; a cause of surprise, astonish- 
ment, or admiration; in a restricted sense, a 
miracle; a marvel, prodigy, or portent. 
Whi thow wratthest the now wonder me thynketh. 
Piers Plowman (B), iii. 182. 
The prophetis seiden with mylde steuene 
" A song of wondris now synge we." 
Hymns to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 52. 
The love of boys unto their lords is strange ; 
I have read wonders of it. 
Beau, and Ft., Philaster, ii. 1. 
It is no wonder that art gets not the vicb^ry over nature. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, iv., Expl. 
Bless me! Charles, you consume more tea than all my 
family, though we are seven in the parlour, and as much 
sugar and butter ~ well, it 's no wonder you are bilious ! 
Thackeray, Lovci the Widower, ii. 
2. That emotion which is excited by novelty, 
or the presentation to the sight or mind of 
something new, unusual, strange, gi'eat, extra- 
ordinary, not well understood, or that arrests 
tlie attention by its novelty, grandeur, or inex- 
plicableness. Wonder expressesless than astonishment, 
and much less than amazement. It differs from admira- 
tion in not being necessarily accompanied with love, es- 
teem, or approbation, liut ivonder sometimes is nearly 
allied to astonishment, and the exact extent of the mean- 
ing of such words can hardly be graduated. 
They were filled with wonder and amazement. 
Acts iii. 10. 
O, how her eyes dart wonder on my heart ! 
Mount bloode, soule to my lips, taste Hebe's cup ; 
Stande flrme on decke, when beauties close-fight's up. 
Marston, Antonio and Mellida, I., i. 1. 
Wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance. 
Johnson. 
The faculty of wonder is not defunct, but is only getting 
more and more emancipated from the unnatural service 
of terror, and restored to its proper function as a minister 
of delight. Lowell, Among my Books, 1st ser., p. 149. 
3. A cruller. [New Eng.] 
A plate of crullers or wonders, as a sort of sweet fried 
cake was commonly called. 
//. B. Stowe, The Minister's Wooing, iv. 
Bird of wonder, the phenix.— Nine days* wonder, a 
subject of astonishment and gossip for a short time, gen- 
erally a petty scandal. 
For when men han wel cryed, than wol they roune, 
Ek ivondcr last but nine nyyht (var. days) nevere in tonne. 
Chaucer, Troilus, iv. 588. 
So ran the tale like fire about the court, 
Fire in dry stubble a nine days' wonder flared. 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
Seven wonders of the world, the seven most remarka- 
ble structures of ancient times. These were the Egyptian 
pyramids, the mausoleum erected by Artemisia at Halicar- 
nassus, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the walls and 
hanging gardens of Babylon, the colossus at Rhodes, the 
statue of Zeus by Phidias in the great temple at Olympia, 
and the Pharos or lighthouse at Alexandria— Wondei- 
making Parliament. Same as Merciless Parliament 
(which see, under parliament). =Byii. 1. Sign, marvel, 
plienomenon, spectacle, rarity.— 2. Sm-prise, bewilder- 
ment. See def. 2. 
wonder (wun'der). r. [< ME. wondrenj won- 
drien, wundren, < AS. irtindrian = D. wondcren 
= MLG. intndcren = OHG. wuntarOn, MHG. G. 
wundern — Icel. Sw, undra = Ban, undrc, won- 
der; from the noun.] I. inirans. 1. To be af- 
fected with wonder or surprise ; marvel ; be 
amazed: formerly with a reflexive dative. 
Ac me wondreth in my witt whi that thei ne preche 
As Paul the apostel prechede to the peuple ofte. 
Piers Plowman (€), xvi. 74. 
I wonder to see the contrarieties among the Papists. 
Coryat, Crudities, I. 41. 
Who can but wonder at the fautors of these wonders? 
Sandys, Travailes, p. 160. 
Here more then two hundred of those gi-im Courtiers 
stooil wonderiny at him, as he had beene a monster ; till 
Powhatan and his trayne had put themselues in their 
greatest braveries. 
(Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works. I. 10'2. 
We cease to wonder at what we understand. Johnson. 
2. To look with or feel admiration. 
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white. 
Shak., Sonnets, xcviii. 
3. To entertain some doubt or curiosity in ref- 
erence to some matter; speculate expectantly; 
be in a state of expectation mingled with doubt 
ami sliglit anxiety or wistfulness : as, I wonder 
whether we shall reach the place in time: 
wonderfully 
hence, I wonder is often equivalent to * I should 
like to know.' 
A boy or a child, I wonder? Shak., W. T., ilL 3. 71. 
To be to be wonderedt, to be a cause for astonish- 
ment. 
It M not to be wondered if Ben Jonson has many such 
lines as these. j/ryden. 
It is not to be wondered that we are shocked. Defoe. 
II. trans. 1. To be curious about; wish to 
know; speculate in regard to: as, I wonder 
where John has gone. 
Like old acquaintance in a tranc^ 
Met far from home, wonderiny each other s chance. 
Shak., Lucrece, L 1596. 
I have wondred these thirty yeares what Kings aile. 
iV. Ward, Simple Cobler, p. 50. 
Wondering why that grief and rage and sin 
Was ever wrought. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 294. 
2. To surprise; amaze. [Rare.] 
She has a sedateness that wonders me still more. 
Mme. D'Arblay, Diary, Oct. 26, 1788. 
wondert (wun'dfer), «. [ME., an elliptical use 
of wonder^ n., as in comp. ; cf. ivonders.~\ Won- 
derful. 
Then sayde the pope, "Alas'. Alas! 
Modur, this ys to me a wondur case." 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 86. 
Alias! what is this wonder maladye? 
For hete of cold, for cold of hete, I dye. 
Chaucer, Troilus, L 419. 
wondert (wun'der), adv. [ME., < wonder, g.] 
Wonderfully; exceedingly; very. 
Ye knowe eke that in form of speche is chaunge 
Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho 
That hadden prys, now wonder nyce and strannge 
Us thynketh hem. Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 24. 
Wonder pale he waxe, wanting his colour, 
For ende hade he none of this grett doloure. 
Jt(nn. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), L 287a 
wonderedt (wun'derd), a. [< wonder + -erf^.] 
Having performed wonders; able to produce 
wonders; w^onderworking. [Rare.] 
Let me live here ever ; 
So rare a wonder d father, and a wife, 
Makes this place Paradise. 
Shak., Tempest, iv. 1. 123. 
WOnderer (wun'der-er), n. [< wonder + -er^.] 
One who wonders. 
wonderful (wun'der-fiil), a. [< ME. wonderful, 
wonderfol, wundervol {= G. wundervoU); < xconder 
+ -/h/.] Of a nature or kind to excite wonder 
or admiration; strange; astonishing; surpris- 
ing; marvelous. 
Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? 
therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things 
too wonderftd for me, which I knew not. Job xliL 3. 
Keep a gamester from the dice, and a good student 
from his book, and it is wonderful. 
Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 1. Sft. 
They also shewed him some of the engines with which 
some of his servants had done wonderful things. 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, i. 
Wonderful Parliament. Same as Merciless Parliament 
(wliich see, nt^der jxirliament). = Syn. Wonderful, Strange, 
Surpri.^ny. Curiuus, Uniqite, exn-aordinary, mart'elous, 
amazing, startling, wondrous (poetic). Wonderjul ^ewer- 
ally refers to something above the common, and so mar- 
velous, perhaps almost incredible. SfraHyerefersratherto 
something beside the common — that is, simply very un- 
usual or odd, and so exciting surprise or wonder. Any- 
thing that excites awe or high admiration, or strikes one 
as sublime, is wonderftd; an unpleasant object maybe 
strange, but would not be called wonderftd. That which is 
unexpected is surprising, but it is not necessarily rfran^: 
as, a snriirising fact ; a surprising dipcovery in science. 
Curimis is wonderful on a small scale; by its derivation 
it often refers to an object extremely nice and intricate or 
elaborate in its details, but also it often conveys the notion 
of pleasing strangeness and even of rarity: as, a curious 
bit of mosaic ; a curious piece of mechanism ; a curiously 
colored stone. Unique expresses that which is sole of ite 
kind or (juality : as, a unique book ; a ujiiqtie sort of per- 
son. See eccentric and surprise. 
wonderful (wun'der-ful), adv. [< ME. wonder- 
fuU; < wonderful, w.] Wonderfully; exceed- 
ingly ; very. [Obsolete or vulgar.] 
Alas! she comyth wonderfull lyghtly; 
Man seith not the hour ne hou he shall dy. 
Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6159. 
Ohymistry, I know by a little Experience, is wonderful 
pleasing. Howell, Letters, I. vi. 41. 
wonderfully (wim'der-ful-i), adv. [< ME. iroM- 
dirfullg: < wonderful + -ly'^.'] 1. In a won- 
derful manner: in a manner to excite wonder 
or surprise; surprisingly; strangely: remark- 
ably: in colloquial language often nearly or 
quite etiuivalent to 'very': as, wonderfuUij lit- 
tle difference. 
ge schal se him rise vp and speke, and wondirfuUy be 
conifortid and strenkthid therby. 
Book of Quinte Essence (ed. Furnivall). p. 15. 
I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonderfully 
made. Ps. cxixix. 14. 
