wool-work 
wool-work (wul'wferk), «. Needlework imitat- 
ing tapestry, usually done on canvas with Ber- 
lin wools. The name is sometimes given to 
other forms of embroidery with wools Mosaic 
wool-work. See mosaic^. 
WOom (wom), n. [Origin obscure.] A trade- 
name for the fur of the beaver. There are four 
sorts — silvery, pale, white, and brown. 
WOOn^ (won), n. [< Burmese wuji^ a burden.] 
An administrative officer; a governor: as, 
myo-tcoottj chief governor; ye-irooH, water-gov- 
ernor; wooM-gyre, high minister, or member of 
the council of state. 
The most arbitrary confiscation of their goods by every 
petty Woon who flourished one gold umbrella. 
J. W. PcUmer, L'p and Down the Irrawaddi, p. 36. 
WOOn^t. A variant of wonc^, uon^, woti^. 
W00ntf( V. An obsolete form of tco7it^. iSpenser, 
wooralx, woorara,woorari(w6'ra-ii, -ra, -ri), «. 
South American arrow-poison : same as curari. 
Also wouraliy vrourari. 
Upon the application ol a stimulus . . . contractions 
win still take place after the animal has been poisoned 
by tcoorara, which is known to paralyze the motor set of 
nerves. J. M. Camochan, Operative Surgery, p. 116. 
WOOrstt, «. An obsolete form of worst. 
WOOSet, ». An earlier form of ooze. 
The aguish woose of Kent and Essex. 
HoweUy Vindication, 1677 (Harl. Misc., VI. 129). 
WOOatt. A variant of wost^ second person sin- 
gular indicative present of wit^. 
WOOSyt, «• An earlier form of oozy. 
What is she else, bat a foul xcoosy Marsh? 
Drayton, Polyolblon, nv. 205. 
WOOtt, A Middle English form of tcot. See «v7i, r. 
WOOtZ (wots), n, [Supposed to be an orig. error 
or misprint, perhaps for *wook; repr. Canarese 
ukkn (pron. wukku), steel.] Tlie name given to 
steel made in India by fusing iron with carbona- 
ceous matter. This is done in small crucibles holding 
a pound or two of the iron, and the wooti selected to fur- 
nish the carbon to the metal is always that of Canaia au- 
riculata, which is cut into small pieces, the same being 
done with the iron, and the whole covered by one or more 
green leaves, usually of a species of Conv'dpuluM, the cru- 
cible being then covered with a lid of clay. A number 
of these crucibles are placed t^jgether in a hole dug in the 
gn>und, and heate<i in a charcoal fire urged by a pair of 
bellows made of ox-hide, the blast being kept up for three 
or four hours. The steel thus obtained is hard in temper, 
and re^juires much care in working. This is the oldest 
method of making steel of which anything definite is 
known, having been in use. without thange, for an in- 
detlnite length of time, and being, as generally believed, 
original with the Hindus. 
wop (wop), V. t. ; pret. and pp. xcoppcdj ppr, wop- 
ping. Same as whop. 
Old Osborne was highly delighted when Oeorgy icoppeti 
her third boy ... In Russell Square. 
Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Ivi. 
wopent. An obsolete strong past participle of 
tceep^. 
wops (wops), n, [A variant of waps for wa.^ip.l 
A wasp or hornet. Also w<tpps. [Prov. Kng.] 
worble (w6r'bl), n. Same as wabble^ or war- 
bh^, 3. 
worct. worcht. Middle English forms of work. 
Worcester porcelain. See porcelain^. 
Worcherf, ». A Mithlle Englisli form of worker. 
WOrd^ (werd), w. [Early mod. E. also woitrd: < 
NIK. wordj wurdj weord (pi. wonl, wttntes), < AS. 
word {p\. word) = OH. word = i)Vr\eH. word, werd, 
tcird = D. LG. woord = OlUi. MHO. G. worf=z 
Icel. orth (for *rord) = Sw. Dan, orti = (roth. 
wanrdy a word, =: Lith. wardfis, a name, = L. ver- 
&WW, a word, verb; orig. ^athingnpoken'; cf. Gr. 
eif>eiv, speak, lpfli\ qufstion. l^jrup, speaker, eto. 
(see rhetor), DonVjletof r/r/;.] 1, A sound, or 
combination of sounds, used in any language as 
the sign of a conception, or of a concept ion toge- 
ther with its grammatical relations; the small- 
est bit of human language forming a grammati- 
cal part of speech; a vocable; a ter;n. A word 
may be any part of speech, as verb, noun, particle, etc. ; 
it may be radical, as tore, or derivative, as lover, lovely. 
Urvflinegf, or an inflected form, as lovpn, loved; it may be 
simple, or compound, as love-girk. Anything is a word 
that can be used as an individual member of a sentence, 
and that is not separable into parts usable iiulepemlently 
and cocirdinately in making a sentence. A word is a 
spoken sign that has arrived at its value as used in any 
language by a series of historical changes, and that holds 
lt« value by virtue of usage, being exposed to such fur- 
ther chanves, of form and of meaning, ?s usage may pre- 
scribe. The cotiception involved in a word may be of any 
grade, from the ainiplcst, as one, Ui the most derived and 
complicated, as pfditicai. and the grammatical relations 
involved may also be of any degree, from trtie to untruth- 
/tdnen, or from (Latin) ama to amalntur. 
Oeffray the letters after breke and rayd, 
Fro trurde unto intrd. 
limn, o/ Part^nay (E. E. T. S.), I. .'J187. 
Sixe wfrrde* out of which all the whole dittie is made, 
euery of those sixe cfimmencing and eii'ling his verse )>y 
course. PuUenham, Arte of Eiig. I'oesie, p. 72. 
438 
6973 
Words are but the current tokens or marks of popular 
notions of things. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, iL215. 
Words are sensible signs necessary for communication. 
Locke, Human Understanding, HI. ii. 1. 
The deeper and more complex parts of human nature 
can be exhibited by means of words alone. 
Macaxday, Moore's Byron. 
Words, which are a set of clickings, hissings, lispings, 
and so on, mean very little, compared to tones and ex- 
pression of the features. 0. W. Holmes, Professor, viii. 
2. The letter or letters or other characters, 
written or printed, which represent such a vo- 
cable : as, a word misprinted, — 3. Speech; 
talk; discourse; conversation: commonly in 
the plural. 
Whan Melior that mekemayde herd Alisaundrinesw(wde«, 
sche was gretly gladed of hire gode bi-hest, 
William of Paleme (E. E. T. S.), 1. 600. 
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, 
Have you so slander any moment's leisure 
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. 
Shak., Hamlet, i. 3. 134. 
The Men began to murmur against Captain Swan for 
perswading them to come this Voyage ; but he gave them 
fair words. Dampier, Voyages, L 282. 
Can there be no sympathy without the gabble of words? 
Lamb, Quakers' Meeting. 
4. Saying; remark; expression: as, a worrf of 
comfort or sympathy; a word of reproach. 
Him wil I cheare with chaunting al this night; 
And with that word she gan to cleare hir throate. 
Gascoigne, Philomene (ed. Arber), p. 88. 
5. A symbol of thought, as distinguished from 
thought itself; sound as opposed to sense. 
The majority attend to words rather than to things. 
Descartes, Prin. of Philos. (tr. by Veitch), i. § 74. 
Life is short, and conversation apt to mn to mere 
words, O. W. Holmes, Professor, ii. 
To mo<lern society Antinomians and Socinians are but 
words, are but ancient history. A*. A. Rev., CXLIII. 2;i. 
6. Intelligence; information; tidings; report: 
without an artit*le, and used only as a singular: 
as, to send word of one's arrival. 
Ye noblist of nome that neuer man adcmted. 
The worde of your wekes it your wight <iedi8, 
And the prise of your prowes passes o fer ! 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S), 1. 1098. 
I'll send him certain word of my success. 
Shak., M. forM., i. 4. 89. 
Word is to the kitchen gane, 
And word is Ui the lia', 
And word is to the nolde room, 
Amang the lailyes a*. 
The Queen's Marie (Child's Ballads, III. 116). 
I did give them an account dismayed them all, and ivord 
was carried in to the King. Pepys, Diary, II. 440, 
7. An expression of will or decision ; an in- 
junction; command; order. 
Sharp 's the icord ; egad, I'll own the thing. 
Vanburgh, The Mistake, iii. 1. 
In my time a father's word was law. Tennyson, Dora. 
8. A password; a watchword; a war-cry; a 
signal, or term of recognition, even when con- 
sisting of several wordis. 
Advance our standards, set upon our foes; 
Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George, 
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons I 
Shak., Rich. III., v. Ii. :i49. 
I have the icord; sentonel, do thou stand; 
Thou shalt nttt need to call, I'll be at haiul. 
Fletcher and Rowley, Maid in the Mill, iv. 3. 
Let the word l)e ; Not without nmstard ; your crt st is 
very rare, sir. 
B. Joiuon, Every Man out of his Humour, ili. I. 
9+. A brief or pithy remark or saying; a prov- 
erb; a motto. 
The old ipord is "What the eye views not, the heart 
rues not." Bp. Hall, Balm of Gilead, xi. § 5. 
10. Ailirmation ; promise ; obligation ; good 
faith; a tenn or phrase implying or contain- 
ing an assertion, declaration, assurance, or the 
lik*', which involves the faith or honor of the 
utterer of it: with a possessive: as, I pledge 
you my word ; on my n'ord, sir. 
They are not men o' their words. Shak., I^ar, iv. 6. 10*i. 
Madam, I dare pass my word for her truth. 
Beau, and FL, King antl No King, ii. 1. 
Doll. Alas, Master Allum, 't is but poor fifty pound ! 
AU. If that be all, you shall upon ymir word take up 
so much with me; another time I'll run as far in your 
books. Dekker and Webster, Northward Ho, ii. 1. 
Old a.s I am, I take thee at thy word. 
Drijden, Conquest of Crana<la, II., ii. i. 
I hope you'l think it no way improper, and must Ijeg 
of you it may be dont', liecause my word's at stake. 
E. <Jibson, in EUiss Lit. Letters, p. 230, 
Our royal word upon it. 
He comes back safe. Tmnyxon, Princess, v. 
11. Utterances or terms interchanged expres- 
sive of anger, contention, or reproach: in the 
plural, and often qualiiied by hitjh, hotj hard, 
sharp, or the like. 
word 
Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me. 
Shak., IHen. VI., ii. 5. 4a 
She and I had some words last Sunday at church, but I 
think I gave her her own. Swift, Polite Conversation, i. 
Having had some words with Bemoy. lie stabbed him 
with his dagger to the heart, so that he fell dead without 
uttering a word. Bruce, Source of the Nile, II, 102. 
He and I 
Had once hard words, and parted. Tennyson, Dora. 
12. In theoL: (a) leap.'] The Son of God; God 
as manifested to man : same as Logos. 
Thou, my Word, begotten Son, by thee 
This I perform. Milton, P. L., vii. 163. 
(b) leap, or l. e.] The Holy Scripture, or a part 
of Scripture: as, the Word of God, or God's 
Word. 
The excellency of this Word is so gieat, and of so high 
dignity, that there is no earthly thing to be compared 
unto it. Latimer, 1st Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1549. 
For, when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of 
the Word, by and by he is otfended. Mat. xiii. 21. 
Deliuered in Six Sermons at Steeple- Ashton in Wilt- 
shire by George Webbe, Preacher of the Word and Pastor 
there. The Practice of Quietness (1615). 
The sword and the ivord ! do you study them both, mas- 
ter parson? Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 1. 44. 
You say there must be no Human Invention in the 
Church, nothing but the pure word. 
Seidell, Table-Talk, p. 58. 
A play upon words. See ])luy^.— At short wordst. 
See short. —A word and a blow, a threat and its immedi- 
ate execution; hastiness in action: also used adjectively. 
I find there is nothing but a word and a blow with you. 
Swift, Polite Conversation, i. (Davies.) 
A Napoleon-like promptitude of action, which the un- 
learned operatives described by calling him "a word-and- 
a-blow man." 
Mrs. Trollope, Michael Armstrong, iv, (Davies.) 
By word of mouth. See nwuth. 
Howbeit. this matter may be easily remedied, if you 
will take the pains to ask the question of Raphael him- 
self, by word ofm^uth, if he be now with you. 
Sir T. More, Utopia, Ded. to Peter Giles, p. 8. 
"This," he said, "is not a court in which written 
charges are exhibited. Our proceedings are summary, 
and by word of mouth." Macaulay, Hist, Eng., vi. 
Fallacy in words. See semilogical fallacy, under fallacy. 
—God's Word. Same as the Word of God, below,— Good 
word, favorable accoiuit or mention ; expression of good 
opinion ; cnnmiendation ; praise; as, to speak a good word 
for one. 
Where your pood word cannot advantage him. 
Your slander never can ejidamage him, 
Shak., T, G. of V., iii. 2. 42. 
Hard words, (a) Words not easy to spell, pronounce, 
or dctine cdrrectly. (6) Hot, angry, or reproachful words. 
See def. 11, and the quotation therefrom Tennyson.— Ho- 
mophonous words. See homophunous.—'HoMaehold 
word. See househiM. — In a word, In. one word, in one 
brief, pithy phrase ; bricHy ; to sum up ; in short. 
In a word, for far behind his worth 
Comes all the praises that I now bestow, 
He is complete in feature and in mind. 
Shak.,!::. G. of V.,ii. 4. 71. 
In a word, to be a fine gentleman is to l)e a generous 
and a brave man. Steele, Spectator, Ko. T.'i. 
Here, in a ?t'or(^ — and it is a rare instance in my life — 
I had met with a person thoroughly adapted to the situa- 
tion whicli he held. Hawthorne, Scarlet Letter, Int., p. 27. 
In word, hi speech only; hence, in mere profession or 
scemiiit;. 
Let us not love in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed 
and in trutfi. 1 John iii. 18. 
Mind the word, see 7/n»rfi ,— Precatory words. See 
;/r(V(/^*r//. — The Comfortable Words, i^ee comfortable. 
- The Word of God, lIieBildc; the Scriptures. This use 
is rejected by the Society of Friends, who limit the phrase 
to the meaning given in def. 12 (rt). 
An acc<»unt of a iiersonal pressure brought to bear upon 
Fisher by the King, who pointed out to him that his obe- 
dience was limited by the condition ".so far as the Word of 
God allowed." Mneteenth Century. XXVI, i;85. 
To be as good as one's word, sci' yond.^To break 
one's word, to break wordt. see fcivaA-. To eat one's 
words. Set^ eat. - To bave a word with a person, to 
have some conversation with him. 
The fiiar and you 
Must hare a word anon. 
Shak., M. for M,, v, 1. 364. 
To have the words fort, to act as spokesman for. 
Our hoste hadde the wordesfor us alle. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Parson's Tale, 1. 67. 
To make words. See makr\. -To pass one's word. 
See /w-w.— Word and endt, from bcgiiniingttiend; every- 
thing. 
Of at this werk he tolde hym worde and ende. 
Chaucer, Trtiilus, iii. 702. 
Word for word, in the exact words or terms ; verbatim ; 
literally. 
And he wrote in hys booke worde for worde like as he 
hym tolde. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 259. 
Court. Do you read on then. 
Free. [Reads. ] . . . 
Court. W«yrd for word. 
Ethereye, She WouM if She Could, iv. 2. 
I shall set it [a letter) down word for word as it came to 
me. Steele. Spectator, No. 17. 
Who with the News to Procris (juick repaired. 
Repeating Word for Word wlmt she had heard. 
Cinigreve, tr. of Ovid's Art of Love. 
