word 
Word of command, word of honor, words of tnlier- 
Itance, words of limitation. See command, etc. 
Words of Institution, .see instauUon, 8 (a). =Syn. 1. 
Phrme, etc. See term. 
WOrd^ (werd), r. [< ME. worden, wordien ; < 
iporrfl, n.] I. trails. 1. To express in words; 
phrase. 
Word it 
In the most generous terms. 
B. JoiUioil, Magnetiek Lady, iii. 3. 
The apology for the king is the same, but worded with 
greater deference to that great prince. Addimn. 
2. To ply with or overpower by words ; talk. 
If one were to be worded to Death, Italian is the fittest 
Language, in regard of the Fluency and Softness of it. 
Howell, Letters, I. i. 42. 
3t. To flatter; eajole. 
He words me, girls, he words me, that I should. not 
Be noble to myself. Shak., A. and ('., v. 2. 191. 
4. To make or unmake bv a word or eommaiid. 
[Rare.] 
Against him . . . who could word heaven and earth 
out of nothing, and can when he pleases word them into 
nothing again. South, Sennons, X. v. 
II. intrans. To speak; talk; converse; dis- 
course. 
And tho that wisely wordeden and wryten many bokes 
Of witte and of wiadome with dampned soules wonye. 
Piers Plowman (B), x. 428. 
Thus wording timidly among the fierce: 
"O Father ! I am here the simplest voice." 
Keats, Hyperion, ii. 
To word it, to wrangle ; dispute ; contend in words. 
He that descends not to tvord it with a shrew does worse 
than beat her. Sir R. L'Estrangc. 
WOrd^t, «• An eiToneous form of ord. 
word-blind (werd'blind), (t. Deprived of the 
visual memory of the signs of language. Un- 
able, as a result of disease, to read, though possibly retain- 
ing the ability to speak, write, and understand spoken 
words. 
M. de Capdeville noted the curious fact that word-blind 
persona are sometimes able to read manuscript but not 
print. Proc. Soc. Psych. Research, III. 4y. 
word-blindness (werd' blind "nes), n. Loss, 
through disease, of the ability to read, although 
the faculties of speaking, writing, and under- 
standing spoken words may remain unimpaired . 
word-book (werd'buk), n. [< ioord^ + hook- ; 
after D. woordetiboeh = G. icdrterbtwh = leel. 
ortha-boh = 8w. ordhok = Dan. ordbog.'] A book 
containing words with their explanations, ar- 
ranged in alphabetical or other regular order; 
avocabidary; a dictionary; a lexicon. 
If no other bookes can be so well perfected, but still 
some thing may be added, how much less a Word-hooke ? 
Florio, It. Diet. (1698), To the Reader, p. [13]. 
word-bound (werd'bound), a. Restrained or 
restricted in speech; unable or unwilling to ex- 
press one's self ; also, bound by one's word or 
promise. 
Word-bound he is not ; 
He'll tell it willingly. J. Baillie. 
word-building (werd'bil"ding), «. The forma- 
tion, construction, or composition of words. 
word-catcher (werd'kaeh"er), «. One who cav- 
ils at words. 
Each word-catcher, that lives on syllables. . 
Pope, Prol. U) Satires, 1. 160. 
word-deafness (werd'def "nes), ?i. Loss, through 
disease, of the ability to understand spoken 
language, although the sounds are heard and 
the faculties of reading and speaking may be 
unimpaire<l. 
worder (wer'der), n. f< toord^, ».'., + -crl.] A 
speaker. Whitlocl: [Rare.] 
wordily ( wer'di-li), (iilr. In a verbose or wordy 
manner. 
wordiness (wer'di-nes), n. The quality of be- 
ing wordy or of abounding with words. 
wording (wer'ding), ti. [Verbal n. of worrfl, i'.] 
1. The style or manner in which something is 
expressed; the form of words used in express- 
ing some thought, idea, or the like; diction; 
phraseology. 
It is believed the wirrdinri was above his known style 
and orthography. Milton. 
2. Expression, or power of expression ; lan- 
guage ; words. 
Things for which no vxirdimj can be found. 
Keats, Endymion, iv. 
wordisht (wcr'dish), «. [< irord'' + -ifshi.'] Ver- 
bal ; wordy. 
An image of that wherenf the Philosopher bestoweth 
but a woordish description. 
Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for Poetric (ed. Arber), p. 33. 
WOrdishnesst (wer'dish-nes), n. 1. The state 
or quality of being wordish. — 2. Verbosity; 
prolixity. 
6© 74 
The truth they hide by their dark wordishruss. 
Sir K. Digby, Bodies, Prefatory Verses. 
wordle (wer'dl), w. [Origin obscure.] One of 
the pivoted adjustable cams which form the 
throat of a drawhead-die through which wire or 
lead pipe is drawn. E. H. Knight. 
wordless (werd'les), a. [< ME. wordles (= Icel. 
orthlauss,orthalau,s.'i);<icord^ + -less.] 1. Si- 
lent; speechless. 
Wordlesse he was, and seniede sicke. 
Ide of Ladies, 1. 516. 
Her joy with heaved-up hand she doth express. 
And, wordless, so greets heaven for his success. 
Shak., Lucrece, I. 112. 
2. Unexpressed in words. 
Wordlesse answere in no toun 
Was tane for obligatioun, 
Ne called surety in no wise. 
Isle of Ladies, 1. 889. 
.Silent people often get insane. It is not safe to have 
too many dealings with wordless thoughts. 
Noctes Ambrosian/e, April, 1832. 
word-memory {werd'mem"o-ri), «. The mem- 
ory of words ; the power of recalling words to 
the mind. 
word-painter (werd'pan"ter), n. A writer who 
has the power of graphic or vivid description in 
depicting scenes or events; one who displays 
picturesqueness of style. 
word-painting (werd'pan"ting), «. The act of 
describing or depicting in words graphically 
or vividly. 
word-picture (werd'pik"tur), H. A graphic or 
vivid description of any scene or event, so that 
it is presented to the mind as in a picture. 
wordsmant (werdz'man), n. [< words, pi. of 
worrfl, + man.'] One who attaches undue im- 
portance to words, or who deals in mere words ; 
one skilled in the use of words; a verbalist. 
[Rare.] 
Some speculative wordstnan. Bushnell. 
wordsmanshipt (werdz'man-ship), n. [< words- 
man + -slit}).] Knowledge or command of 
words; fluency in speech or writing. 
WOrd-spitet (werd'spit), a. Expressing spite; 
abusive. 
A silly, yet ferocious, wordspite quanel between Otho 
and Hugh-le-Grand. 
,5tr F. Palgrave, Norm, and Eng., II. 561. 
word-square (werd'skwar), H. See square'^, 1.5. 
wordstrife (wird'strif), n. Disputing about 
words; logomachy. Bj). Jlncket, Ahp.Vfilliams, 
ii. 107. {Dai-ies.) 
Wordsworthian (werdz'wer-thi-an), a. and «. 
[< Wnrdm-orth (see def.) + -ja«'.'] I. a. Per- 
taining to the English poet William Words- 
worth (1770-1850), or to his style. 
II. n. An admirer or a follower of the poet 
Wordsworth. 
'J'he Wfyrdsworthians were a sect who, if they had the 
enthusiasm, had also not a little of the exclusiveness and 
partiality to which sects are liable. 
Louell, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 201. 
Wordsworth's flower. See Eammcvtus. 
wordyl (wer'di), a. [< ME. woordy (= Icel. or- 
tliigr); < ico/'fU -I- -(/!.] 1. Given to the use of 
many words ; verbose. 
A wordy orator . . . making a magnificent speech to the 
people, full of vain promises. Steele, Spectator, No. 448. 
2. Full of words; wordish. 
We need not lavish hours in wordy periods. 
Philips, The Briton. 
The wordy variance of domestic life ; 
The tyrant husband, the retorting wife. 
Crabbe, Works, I. Vt9. 
3. Consisting of words; verbal. 
A silent, but amused spectator of this wordy combat. 
Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, iv. 
wordy-t, «■ An obsolete Scotch form of irorthij. 
WOrei (wor). Preterit of trenrL 
WOre'-'t, '■• An obsolete variant of were. See 
»'«.v. 
wore-^t, ''. t- [ME. iroren, < AS. worian, weary, 
fatigue, wander.] To weary; fatigue. See 
itrrov/i, a. Ancren Biwle, p. 386. 
woreidt, n. An obsolete form of irorld. 
Work(werk), v.; pret.and pp. worked or irrought, 
ppr. working. [< ME. workcn, werken, wirkei:, 
also assibilated worchcn, wurchen, werchen, witr- 
chcn, wirclicn (prct. wronhte, wrow^te, wronte, 
wrolite, worlite, pp. wrought, trrongt, wroglil, 
wrogt, wroht), < AS. wyrrrin, wircan, werran (pret . 
worlitc, pp. geirorht) = OS. wirkean = OFries. 
wcrkd, wirt.iii = D. werken = MLG. werken, work- 
en, LG. werken =OHG. wirehen, witrelicn, MH(i. 
icirkcn, wiirken, G. wirken = Icel. >/rkja (for ri/rk- 
ja) = Dan. iv'W,v' = Goth. wiiurkjan, work; a sec- 
ondary verb, associated with the noun work. 
work 
from a Teut. y/ werk, y/ work, = Gr. *ipyuv, perf . 
fopya, work, 'pi(,tiv (for *Fptyjuv), do (cf. ipyov, 
a work, opyavov, instrument, organ), = Zend 
■\/ vrz, verez, work; cf. Pers. warz, gain, profit, 
habit, etc. From the Gr. words of this root are 
ult. E. erg, energy, organ, etc., and the second 
element in metallurgy, theurgy, etc., chirurgeon, 
surgeon, etc.] I. intrans. 1. To put forth ef- 
fort for the accomplishment of something; ex- 
ert one's self in the performance of some ser- 
vice ; labor ; toil ; strive : as, to work ten hours 
a day. 
But whi the werwolf so irroujt wondred thei alle, 
& whi more with the king than with any other, 
William of Palerne (B. E. T. H.), 1. 4035. 
We commanded you that, if any would not work, neither 
should he eat. 2 Thes. ili. 10. 
My sweet mistress 
Weeps when she sees me work, and says such baseness 
Had never like executor. Shak., Tempest, iii. 1. 12. 
His lalx)r more than requited his entertainment ; for he 
wrought among us with vigor, and either in the meadow 
or at the hay-rick put himself foremost. 
Goldsmith, Vicar, vilL 
2. To act; operate; carry on or perform a func- 
tion; operate effectively; prove practicable: 
as, the pump will not teork ; a plan or system 
that works well; the charm works. 
Louse thi lippes a-twynne & let the gost worche. 
Joseph of Arimathie (E. E. T. 8.X p. 2. 
Nature hath now no dominacioun : 
And certeynly ther nature wol nat wirche. 
Farewel, phisyk ! go ber the man to chirche. 
Chancer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1901. 
But once the circle got within. 
The charms to work do straight begin. 
And he was caught as in a gin. 
Drayton, Nymphidia. 
Soon as the potion works, their human countenance. 
The express resemblance of the gods, is changed. 
Milton, Comus, 1. 68. 
Love never fails to master what he finds. 
But works a different way in different minds. 
Dryden, Cym. and Iph., 1. 465. 
You may make everything else out of the passions of 
men except a political system that will w<trk. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 158. 
3. To ferment, as liquors. 
This experiment would be transferred unto other wine 
and strong beer by putting in some like substances while 
they work. Bacon, Nat Hist., § 782. 
4. To be agitated or in a state of restless move- 
ment or commotion; seethe; toss; rage. 
Calm is the sea ; the waues worke lesse and lesse. 
Surrey, Complaint by Night of Louer Not Beloued. 
The dog-star foams, and the stream boils. 
And curls, and works, and swells ready to sparkle. 
B. Jonmn, Sad Shepherd, i. 2. 
The inward wretchedness of his wicked heart, he says, 
began to be discovered to him. and to work as it had never 
done before ; he was now conscious of sinful thoughts and 
desires which he had not till then regarded. 
Southey, Bunyan, p. 22. 
5. To make way laboriously and slowly; make 
progress, become, or get with exertion and dif- 
ficulty: generally followed by an adjective, or 
by an adverb of direction, as along, down, into, 
out, through, up, etc. : as, to work loose; to work 
out; to work up. 
Who would trust chance, since all men have the seeds 
Of good and ill, which should work upward first? 
Dryden. 
After midnight . . . the wind worked gradually round 
. . . and blew directly in our teeth. 
Lady Brassey, Voyage of Sunbeam, I. i. 
6. To carry on systematic operations in some 
department of human activity, especially as a 
Tueans of earning a livelihood; be regularly en- 
gaged or employed in some operation, trade, 
profession, or business : as, to work in brass or 
iron. 
They that tcork in fine flax . . . shall he confounded. 
Isa. xix. 9. 
Sea-faring men, who long have wrought 
In the great deep for gain. M. Arnold, Balder Dead. 
7. To do something; specifically, to be em- 
ployed in handiwork, as in knitting, sewing, 
or embroidery. 
"I always think it is such a waste of time to sit out of 
doors or listen to reading without working." "But I can't 
work," said Archie, "except mending, and that I detest" 
Mrs. Annie Edwards, Archie Lovell, xxx. 
8. To blossom, as water; become full of some 
vegetable substance. See the quotation. 
Nearly all the ponds, rivers, and lakes work, or what is 
generally called "blossom, ' some waters once and some 
twice during the summer months. A vegetable substance 
that grows on the bottom, and during the summer the 
seed or bloom, breaks loose from the bottom and floats 
in the water. The leaves of the blossoms are of the same 
weight as the water, so that some kinds do not come to 
the top and float, but float about in the water, giving the 
water a thick oily appearance. Very few fish are caught 
when the water is in blossom. Seth Green, 
