worship 
Thoa Shalt worship no other god. Ex. xxxiv. 14. 
The Kotas worship two silver plates, which they regard 
as husband and wife ; they have no other deity. 
Sir J, Lubbock, Orig. of Civilisation, p. 217. 
4. To love or admire inordinately; devote one's 
self to ; act toward or treat as if divine ; idolize : 
as, to worship wealth or power. 
With bended knees I daily worship her. 
Carew, A Cruel Mistress. 
Rose of the Garden ! such is woman's lot: 
Worshipp'd when blooming ; when she fades, forgot. 
Moore, Rose of the Desert. 
Crown thyself, worm, and worship thine own lusts ! 
Tennyson, Aylmer's Field. 
= Syil, 3. Adore, Worship, Reverence, etc. See adorei. 
II. inirans. 1. To perform acts of adoration; 
perform religious service. 
Our fathers Mwr«Aipperf in this mountain. John iv, 20. 
And Ethiopia spreads abroad the hand. 
And worships. Cowper, Task, vi. 813. 
2. To love or admire a person inordinately. 
Was it for this I have loved, and waited, and worshipped 
in silence? Longfellow, Miles Standish, iii. 
WOrshipability (wfer'ship-a-birj-ti), n. [< 
wwshipable + -ity (see -biiity).'\ Worthiness 
of worship, or of being worshiped. Coleridge. 
[Rare.] (Imp. Diet.) 
WOrshipable (w6r'ship-a-bl), «. [< icorship + 
-able.] (Capable of or worthy of being wor- 
shiped. Coleridije. (Imp. DM.) 
worsbiper, worshipper (w6r'ship-er), «. [< 
ME. irorschipere ; < icorship + -frl.] One who 
worships; especially, one who pays divine hon- 
ors to any being; an adorer. 
Outlast thy Deity? 
Deity ? nay, thy worshippers. 
Tennyson, Lucretius. 
worshipful (w^r'ship-ful), a. [< ME. worship- 
ful, vcurshipful, tcorthssiprol ; < worship + -/«/.] 
1. Claiming respect; worthy of honor on ac- 
count of character, dignity, etc. ; honorable. 
But worship/tfl chanouns religious, 
Ne demeth nat that I sclaundre your hous. 
Although my tale of a chanoun be. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 43fl. 
He was oon of the wurship/ullest men of all the contre. 
Merlin(.T..E.r.S.),i. .'.. 
I was boni of worshipful parents myself, in an ancient 
family. Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 350. 
2. Specifically, a respectful epithet of address, 
especially to magistrates and corporate bodies ; 
also, in freemasonry, specifying a certain offi- 
cial rank or dignity. 
WOrshipfully (w^r'ship-ful-i), adr. [< ME. 
worshipfully ; < worship -I- -ful + -ly'~.'\ 1. Hon- 
orably; creditably. 
Uee is a gentleman wel and worshipfuUy Iforne and 
bredde. 
Quoted in Bookeof Precedence {E, E.'!'. S., extra ser.),Fore- 
(words. p. ix. 
This woman [Shore's wifej was born in London, worship- 
fuUy friended, honestly brought up, and very well mar- 
ried, .lir T. More, Rich. lU. (Int. to Utopia, p. Ixixiii.). 
Then Sir Lavaine did well anil worshipfuUy ; 
He bore a knight of old repute to the earth. 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
2. Reverentially; respectfully; deferentially. 
The lewes had parfyte knowlege that this loseph had 
■o worshypfuUy brought llle iMMly of cryst in erthe. 
Joseph of Ariniathie (E. E. T. S.), p. 27. 
After all their communications there at that tyme, he 
[the mayor] shall be worshipfully accompanyed, with a 
certein of the seid hous. home to bis place. 
KnglUh Gilds (K E. T. S.), p. 4U. 
See that she l>e Imried utrrshipfully. 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
WOrshipfulneSS (wer'ship-ful-nes), «. The 
state or cliaracter of being worshipful. 
WorshipleSS (w^r'ship-les), a. [< iror.ship + 
-less.l Destitute of worship or of worshipers. 
[Rare.] 
How long by tyrants shall thy land be trod? 
How long thy temple worshipless. O God? 
Byron, <Jn Jordan's Banks. 
WOrshiplyt (wer'ship-li), adv. [< ME. "wor- 
shiply, icurchyply; < worship + -ly-.'\ Honora- 
bly ; respectfully ; becomingly ; with becom- 
ing respect or dignity. 
My Ixird Chanceler wold that my master schuld be 
beryed umrehyply, and C. mark almes done for hyni. 
Paston Letters, I. 494. 
worshipper, n. See xcorshiner. 
worship-worthyt (wer'snip-w<T''THi), a. 
Worthy or deserving of honor or respect; wor- 
shipful. 
Then were the wisest of the people wnrship-u-orthy. 
Uakluyt's Voyages, I. 120. 
worst (w6r8t), a. and n. [See wi/r-se.] I. a. 
superl. The superlative of had, evil, or ill; bad 
in the highest degree, whether morally, physi- 
6983 
eally, financially, or othei'wise: as, the inorst 
sinner; the icorst disease; the worst evil that 
can befall a state or an individual. 
Of alle wymmanne 
Wurst was Godhild thanne ; 
For Murri heo weop sore, 
And for horn 3Ute more. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 3. 
Speak to me as to thy thinkings. 
As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts 
The worst of words. Shak., Othello, iii. 3. 132. 
The worst fellow was he. 
Billie Archie (Child's Ballads, VI. 94). 
Corrupted freemen are the worst of slaves. 
Garrick, Prol. to the Gamesters. 
II. n. That which is most evil or bad ; the 
most bad, severe, aggravated, or calamitous 
thing, part, time, or state: usually with the : 
as, in the worst of the storm; to get the icorst 
of a contest ; to see a thing at its icorst; to do 
one's worst. 
Take good heart, the worst is past, sir. 
You ai-e dispossest. B. Jonson, Volpone, v. 8. 
I did the worst to him I loved the most. 
William Morris, EiU-thly Paradise, II. 381. 
At (the) worst, in the most evil, severe, or undesirable 
state ; at the greatest disadvantage. 
Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward 
To what they were before. Shak., Macbeth, iv. 2. 24. 
A man leaveth things at worst, and depriveth himself 
of means to make them better. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ii. 313. 
If the worst comes to the worst, if things are in their 
worst possible condition ; if things become so bad that 
nothing else can be done. 
He live my owne woman, and if the worst come to the 
worst, I had rather proove a wagge then a foole. 
Marston, Dutch Courtezan, iii. 1. 
To put to the worst, to inflict defeat on ; overthrow en- 
tirely. 
Who ever knew Truth put to the worst in a free and open 
encounter? Milton, Areopagitica. 
worst (wer8t),«rfi'. [See icorse, arfi'.] In a man- 
ner or to a degree the extreme of bad or evil ; 
most or least (according to the sense of the 
verb). 
When thou didst hate him worst. Shak., J. C, iv. 3. 100. 
worst (werst), r. [Appar. < worst, a., like 
worse, v., < worse, a. ; but prob. rather a var. of 
worse, with excrescent t after s, due to associa- 
tion with worst, a., or with tlie pret. worscd of 
worse, )'.] I. trails. To get the advantage over 
in a contest; defeat; overthrow. 
He challenged Cupid at wrestling, and was worsted. 
Bacon, Fable of Pan. 
m assure you. (ieorge, your rhetoric would fail you 
here ; she should worst you at your own weapons. 
Farquhar, Love and a llottle, ii. 1. 
= Syn. To beat, discomfit, foil, overcome. 
n. intrutis. To grow worse; deteriorate; 
worsen. [Rare.] 
Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbour- 
hood worsting, . . . had long been a distress to him. 
Jane Attsten, Persuasion, i. 
worsted (wVis'ted), «. and a. [< ME. worsted, 
worstede, worstet; so called from Worsted, now 
Worstead, in Norfolk, where it was first manu- 
factured; < AS. Wurthestfde, < wiirth, weortli, 
estate, manor, + .stcde, stead, place : see stead.'] 
1, II. 1. A variety of woolen yarn or thread, 
spun from long-staple wool which has been 
combed, and in the spinning is twisted hard- 
er than is usual. It is knitted or woven into 
stockings, carpets, etc. 
of double worstede was his semi-cope. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 262. 
Item, j. hallyng of blewe worstet, contayning in lenthe 
xiij. yerds, and in bredtbe iiij. yerds. 
Paston Letters, I. 480. 
If a tenant carried but a piece of bread and cheese to 
eat by the way, or an inch of worsted U> mend his stock- 
ings, lie should forfeit his whole parcel. 
Swift, Story of the Injured 1-ady. 
2. Woolen yarn for ornamental needlework 
and knitting. The principal varieties are Berlin wool; 
zephyr-wool, which is very soft, and of which there are sev- 
eral grades, as single zephyr, double zephyr, split zephyr ; 
Andalusian wool, which is tightly twisted ; Shctlaml and 
Pyrenean, which are of finer ((Ualitics; and leviathan, 
which is very full and soft, and designed for embroidery 
on coarse canvas. - Hamburg worsted, an inferior (|nal- 
ity of Hamburg wwil, or an imitation of it. 
II, «. Consistingof worsted; made of worsted 
varn : as, worsted stockings Worsted braid, 
Ijraid for dress-trinnning and similar purposes, including 
that made of ordinary wool, and of alpaca, mohair, and the 
like.— Worsted damask. See damask, 1 (c).— Worsted 
yam. see yam^. 
worsted-work (wiis'ted-w^rk), «. Work done 
with worsted ; especially, needlework done with 
threads of soft loose wool upon open canvas, 
the threads of the canvas guiding the worker, 
who counts them or the oiienings. 
worth 
WOrt^ (w^rt), n. [< ME. wort, wurt, wert. wirte, 
wrt, < AS. icijrt, a plant, = OS. wurt, root, flower, 
= OHG. MHG. G. wiir::, root, plant, = Icel. urt 
(for vurt), also spelled jhj'J (perhaps borrowed) 
= Sw. ort= Dan. urt = Goth, waurts, plant, root ; 
also in dim. form, D. icortel = OHG. wiirzala, 
MHG. G. icHJ';e/, root. Ct. root^ and radix.] A 
plant; herb; vegetable. Wort is veir frequent in 
old botanical names of plants, as in bone-, bishop-, blood-, 
cole-, liver-, lung-, mead-, mug-, rib-, spear-, stitch-ivort, etc. 
See colewort, liverwort, etc. 
Laboreres that haue no lande to lyue on but her handes 
Deyned nougt to dyne a-day nygt-olde icortes. 
Piers Plowman (B), vi. 310. 
In a bed of wortes stille he lay. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, I. 401. 
He drinks water, and lives on wort leaves. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 215. 
It is an excellent pleasure to be able to take pleasure 
in worts and water, in bread and onions. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836), I. 698. 
WOrt^ (wert), H. [< ME. wort, worte, < AS. wijrte 
(in eomp. max-wijrte, lit. 'mash-wort'), wort, 
new beer, = MD. icort, wort, new beer, = LG. 
wort = G. wiir:e, wort, spice, seasoning, = Icel. 
virtr = Sw. viirt = Norw. vyrt, vort, wort, < AS. 
wyrt, etc.. root: see icort^.] 1. The infusion of 
malt which after fermentation becomes beer. 
Cley raaad with hors or mannes heer, and oile 
Of tartre, alum, glas, berm, wort, and argoile. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 260. 
2. An infusion of malt, formerly tised in scurvy 
and as a dressing to foul ulcers Setting the 
wort. Same as pitching, 4. 
WOrt^ (wert), H. Same as w/(o>'i. 
wort-condenser ( wert 'kon- den ■'ser), n. In 
brewiiifi, a surface-condenser used to condense 
the vapor rising from wort in the process of 
boiling. F. H. Knight. 
wort-cooler (wert'ko"ler), ii. In brewing, an 
apparatus for cooling wort; specifically, a series 
of pipes through which cold water or other re- 
frigerant is passed ■n'hile the wort is allowed to 
trickle over the exterior to cool it. 
wort-filter (wert'fil'''ter), «. In brewing, a fil- 
tering apparatus for separating the clear liquor 
from the boiled mash. 
worthl (werth), r. i. [< ME. vorthen, wurthen, 
weorthen (pret. worth, icearth, werth, pi. wurth- 
en, icorthcn, pp. icordeii, also wurthen, worthen), 
< AS. weorthan, wurthan, wyrthan (pret. wearth, 
pi. wurdon, pp. ge-worden), become, be, = D. 
warden = OHG. werdnn, MHG. icerden, G. wer- 
deii = Icel. vertha = Sw. varda = Dan. rorde 
= Goth, wairthan, become, = Ij. vertt're, turn, 
verti, turn into (see rerse'^). Hence ult. weird, 
and the suffix -ward.] If. To be or become. 
"Daris," he sede, "ihc wurthe ded 
Bute if thu do me sumne red." 
King Horn(E. E. T. S.), p. 80. 
Sane gow fro myschaunce, 
And giue gow grace on this grounde gooil men to worthe. 
Piers Plowman (B), viii. 61. 
When thow wost that I am with hire tliere. 
Worth thow upon a courser right anon. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 1011. 
2. To happen; betide: now used only in the ar- 
chaic imprecative phrases woe worth the day, the 
man, etc., in which worth is equivalent to be to, 
and the noun is in the dative. 
gif i wrong seie any word wo worth me euer. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4118. 
Wo worth the faire gemnie vertules ! 
Wo wirrth that herb also that doth no Iwote ! 
Wo worth that beaute that is routheles! 
Wo worth that wyght that tret ech under foote t 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 344. 
What will worth, what will be the end of this man ! 
Latimer, 4th .SermO!i bef. Edw. VI., 1549. 
Son of man, prophesy and say. Thus saith the Lord God, 
Howl ye, If'oe worth the day! Ezek. xxx. 2. 
W(^ worth the chase, H-f^ worth the day. 
That costs thy life, my gallant gray I 
Scott, L. of the L., i 9. 
To worth oft, to heed ; pay attention to. 
Wel worthe o/dremes ay this olde wyves. 
And treweliche, ek augurye of thise foweles. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 379. 
worth- (w6rth), 0. [< ME. worth, wurth, wirth, 
< AS. wcorth, wurth, worth, worthy, honorable, 
= OS. werth = MD. wecrd, waerd, D. waard = 
MLG. wert = OHG. icerd, MHG. wert, G. wert, 
commonly misspelled wirth = Icel. vertlir = Sw. 
rdrd = Dan. rierd, worth, = Gotli. wairths, ad,j., 
worthy; prob. not, as some suppose, < worth'^, 
v., there being no connection of sense. It may 
be an orig. pp. with formative (-Wi'-' = -(P); but 
the root is uncertain. Hence worth-, n., worthy, 
worthful, worthship > worsliiji, et<'.] If. Worthy; 
hunoralile; esteemed; estimable. 
