wryly 
Most of them have tried their fortune at some little lot- 
tery-office of literature, and, receiving a blank, have chewed 
upon it hai-shly and wryly. 
Laniior, Imag. Conv., Southey and Person, i. 
wryniouth {li'mouth), «. In iehth.: (a) Any 
(ish of the family Oiiptaciiiitlioflidfe (which see). 
The common wryniouth is Cryptacaiithod''S macitlatus, a 
spotless variety of which is the gliost-flsh, specilled as C. 
itwrnatioi. It is a blennioid of slender eel-like form, nor- 
mally profusely spotted, found not very commonly on the 
Atlantic coast of North America. 
The cod-flsh, the cunner, the sea-raven, the rock-eel, 
and the wry-nwuth, which inhabit these brilliant groves, 
are all colored to match their surroundings. 
Science, XV. 212. 
(6) The electric ray, torpedo, or nninb-fish. 
See cuts under Torpedinidie and t()r2>eclo. 
wry-moutlied (ri'moutht), a. 1. Having a 
crooked mouth ; hence, unflattering. 
A shaggy tapestry : . . . 
Instructive work I whose ivry-motdh'd portraiture 
Diaplay'd the fates her confessors endure. 
Pope., Dunciad, ii. 145. 
2. In couch., having an irregular or distorted 
aperture of the shell. P. P. Carpenter. 
wryneck (ri'nek), «. 1. A twisted or distorted 
neck ; a deformity in which the neck is drawn 
to one side and rotated. See tiirticollis. — 2. 
A spasmodic disease of sheep, in which the 
heat! is drawn to one side. — 3. A scansorial 
j>icarian bird of the genus Ijiiix {Jimx, or Yunx) , 
allied to the woodpeckers, and belonging to the 
same family or a closely related one : so called 
from the singular manner in which it can twist 
the neck, and so turn it awry. The common wi-y- 
neck of Europe is /. {J. or Y.) torquUla ; there are sev- 
eral other similar species. These birds have the toes in 
pairs, the bill straight and hard, the tongue extremely 
Cotiitnon Wrynerk {/yftx torqititla'i. 
long, slender, and extensile, and most other characters of 
the true Picidw, or woodpeckers ; but the tail-feathers are 
soft, broad, and rounded at the ends, and not used in 
climbing. The wr>'neck is migratory and insectivorous, 
and its general habits are similar to those of woodpeckei-s. 
It has a variety of names pointing to its arrival in the Brit- 
ish Islands at the same time as the cuckoo, as cuckoo' s-foU, 
-.footman, -kiuivc, -leader, -maid, -mate, -messenyer, -mar- 
row, -whit, etc. It is also called writheneck and gnake- 
bird, from the twisting of its neck ; lony-tonyue and tongue- 
bird, from its long tongue; emmet-hunter, from feeding 
on ants ; pea-bird, iceet-bird, from its cry ; turkey-bird, nile- 
bird, and stab, for some unexplained reasons. 
Even while I write I heai" the quaint queak, queak, 
queak of the wryneck. 
Mortimer Collins. Thoughts in my r;arden, I. 02. 
The wryneck will tap the tree, to stimulate the insect 
to run out to be eaten entire. 
/*. Robinson, Under the .Sun, p. 3f>. 
wry-necked (ri'nekt;, a. Having a wry or dis- 
torted neck. 
When you hear the drum. 
And the vile squealing of the wri/-neck'd life. 
Shak'., M. of V., ii. 5. 30. 
[By some this is understood as an allusion to the bend of the 
flfer'a neck while playing upon his instrument; by others 
(less probably) to an (jld form of the flute, called the^«(<!- 
d-t>ec, having a curved mouthpiece like the beak of a bird 
at one side.] 
A fife is a vyry-iieckt nmsician, for he always looks away 
from his instrument. 
Barnaby Rich, Irish Hubbub (1016). (Furness.) 
wryness (ri'ncs), ». The state of being wry or 
distorted. 
wrytt, wrylet, wrythet. (Obsolete spellings of 
ifcifl, ii-ritc, irrUlic. 
W. S. An abVjreviation <jf writer In tlir .■<ii/nct. 
See xiyiiet. 
6996 
W. S. W. An abbreviation of west-southwest. 
Wt. A contraction of ireii/ht. 
wucht. An obsolete form of which^. 
Wild (wild), a. A Scotch form of wood'^. 
wndder (wud'er), r. (. See tcuther. 
wudet, "• A iliddle English form of tcoorfi. 
wulfenite (wiil'fen-it), n. [Named after Baron 
von inUfeii or Wiilfen (1728-180;')). an Austrian 
scientist.] Native lead molybdate, a mineral 
of a bright-yellow to orange, red, green, or 
brown color and resinous to adamantine luster. 
It occurs in tetragonal crj'Stals, often in very thin tabular 
form, also granular massive. Also called yellow lead ore. 
wull. An obsolete or dialectal form of iviW^, 
tcim. 
Wiunmel, Wiunmle, ». Scotch forms of tcimble^. 
wunt, "■ '• See «.Y>»1. 
wungee (wun'je), «. [E. Ind.] A variety in 
India of the muskmelon, Cucmnis Melo, some- 
times regarded as a species, C. cicatrisatiis. It 
is of an ovate form, about 6 inches long. 
Wlirali, wurari, ». Same as curari. 
Wurdt, ". An old spelling of icorcU. 
wurmalt (wer'mal), n. Same as wormiil. 
wurrus (wur'us), n. [< Ar. wars, a dyestuff 
similar to karaila.] A brick-red dye-powder, 
somewhat like dragon's-blood, collected from 
the seeds of Rnitlera tinctoria. 
wurset, wurstt. Old spellings of worse, worst. 
Wiirtemberger(wer'tem-berg-er; G.pron.viir'- 
tem-ber-ger), n. [< Wiiriemhery (G. Wiiritem- 
bert/) (see def. ) + -«/'l.] An inhabitant of Wiir- 
temberg, a kingdom of southern German}'. 
Wlirtemberg siphon. See siphon. 
wurtht. An old spelling of worth'^, loorUfi. 
wurtzilite (wert'sil-it)), n. [Named after Dr. 
Henry Wurt:, of New York (b. 1828).] A kind 
of solid bitumen found in the Uintah Moun- 
tains, Utah, It has a deep-black color and brilliant lus- 
ter, and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. It is elastic 
when slightly warmed, and in boiling water becomes soft 
and plastic. 
wurtzite (wert'sit), n. [After C. A. Wurtz (1817- 
1884), a French chemist.] Sulphid of zinc oc- 
curring in hexagonal crystals, isomorphous with 
greenoekite. Sulphid of zinc is accordingly dimor- 
phous, the common form, sphalerite or zinc-blende, being 
isometric. Also called »piauterite. 
Wiirzblirger (werts'bcrg-er; G.pron. viirts'biir- 
ger), n. Wine made in the neighborhood of the 
city of Wiirzburg, in Bavaria. This name is often 
given to the wines more properly called LeiMen-wein anil 
Stein-wein, and to the famous "wine of the Holy Ghost." 
WTlsH, V. i. See wis'"^. 
WTls'-'t, "• A Middle English form of icoose, ooze. 
Hee wringes oute the wet mus and went on his gate. 
Alisaunder of Macedmne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 712. 
wuther (wuTH'er), v. i. [Also wndder; perhaps 
ult. < AS. Wfith, a noise, cry, sound.] To make 
a sullen roar, as the wind. [North. Eng.] 
The air was now dark with snow ; an Iceland blast was 
driving it wildly. This pair neither heard the long wuth- 
eriny rush, nor saw the white burden it drifted. 
Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, xxxiii. 
From time to time the wind wxdhered in the chimney 
at his back. 
R. L. Stevenson and L. Onbourne, The Wrong Box, vi. 
There wjis also a wutheriny wind sobbing through the 
narrow wet streets. A. E. Barr, Friend Olivia, iv. 
wuther (wuTH'er), n. [Also wndder; < wnthcr, 
f.] A low roaring or rustling, as of the wind. 
[North. Eng.] 
I felt sure ... by the wuther of wind amongst trees, 
denoting a garden outside. Charlotte BronW, Villette, xvi. 
Wlizzent (wuz'eut), (I. A dialectal (Scotch) 
form of wizened. 
An I had ye amaiig the Frigate-Whins, wadna I set my 
ten talents in your wuzzent face for that very word ! 
Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xviii. 
wuzzle (wuz'l), )'. t. ; pret. and pp. wuzzled, 
ppr. wnzzlinij. [Origin obscure.] To mingle : 
mix; jumble; muddle. [New Eng.] 
He 2tm2zled things up in the most singular way. 
//. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 63. 
Wyandotte (wi'an-dot), n. [From the Ameri- 
can Indian tribal name Wyandotte.'] An Ameri- 
can variety of the domestic hen, of mediuni 
size and compact form, liardy, and valuable for 
eggs and for the table. The silver wyandotte, the 
wyvem 
typical variety, has every feather white in the middle and 
heavily margined with black, except the black tail-feathers 
and primaries, the hackle (and in males the saddle), which 
is white striped with black, and the white wing-bows of 
the males. The golden wyandotte replaces the white of 
the silver variety by orange or deep-butf ; and the white 
wyandotte is pure-whit*. The combs are rose, legs yel- 
low, and ear-lobes red. 
wych (wieh), 11. See wick'^. 
wych-elm, wych-hazel, ". See witch-elm, witch- 
hazel. 
Wycliflte,'Wycliffite(wik'lif-it),n.andn. [Also 
mdiffitc. )ricl-liffite;< (rj/ch/, etc. (see def.), -I- 
-ite-.] I. a. Of or pertaining to John Wyclif 
or de Wyclif (a name also written Wiclif, Wick- 
liffe, Wijcl'liffe, and in various other ways re- 
flecting the varying orthography of his time, 
properly in modern spelling Wic'kliff), an Eng- 
lish theologian, reformer, and translator of the 
Bible from the Vulgate (died 1384). 
II. n. One of the followers of Wyclif, com- 
monly called LoUurds. Wycllf's doctrines, propa- 
gated in his lifetime and later by open-air preachers 
called "poor priests," largely coincided with the later 
teachings of Luther. 
wydet, <■'• -An old spelling of wide. 
wydewhert, cidv. See wideichere. 
wye^t, H. See wie. 
wye^ (wi), )(. The letter Y, or something re- 
sembling it. 
wyert, «• In her., same as viure. 
wyft, ". An old spelling of wife. 
Wykehamist (wik'am-ist), n. [< Wykeham 
(see def.) -1- -ist.] A student, or one who has 
been a student, of Winchester College in Eng- 
land, founded by William of Wykeham (1324- 
1404), Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of 
England, as a preparatory school for New Col- 
lege at Oxford, also founded by him. Also 
used attributively. 
It may reasonably be hoped that this is not Wykehamut 
Creek. Athenseum, No, 33ai, p. 212. 
We notice a complaint that Wykehamigtg obtained an 
undue proportion of the university prizes. 
The Academy, No. 873, p. 66. 
wylet, n. An old spelling of wHe^. 
wylie-coat (wi'li-kot), n. [Sc; also spelled 
wyle-cot. wilie-coat; first element uncertain.] A 
flannel garment worn under the outer clothes; 
an under-vest or under-petticoat. 
wylot, n. An old spelling of willow'^. 
ynyu\, n. An old spelling of xoine. 
wyndl (wind), n. [Another spelling and use of 
wind^. ».] An alley; a lane; especially, a nar- 
row alley used as a street in a town. [Scotch.] 
The uT/ndg of Glasgow, where there was little more than 
a chink of daylight to show the hatred in women's faces. 
George Eliot, Felix Holt, xivii. 
wynd^t, n. A Middle English spelling of wind^. 
wyndast, «• -An obsolete spelling of tcindas. 
Xdewet, 'wj^dowet, wyndwet, wynewet, f • 
die English forms of tcinnow. 
wyndret, ''• An une.xplained verb, probably 
meaning 'to attire' or 'to adorn,' found in the 
following passage: 
It nedede nought 
To iryndre hir or to peynte hir ought. 
Rom. of the Rose, 1. 1020. 
wynkt, ". A Middle English spelling of iriMA-i. 
wynn (win), «. [Origin obscure.] A kind of 
timber truck or carriage. Simmonds. 
wyntt. A contraction of windeth. third person 
singular indicative present of wind^. 
wypet, »■ [^ ME. wipe, Wjipe, a bird, < Sw. 
Norw. rijM = Dan. vibe, lapwing: perhaps so 
called from its habit of fluttering its wings (cf. 
Vanellns), from the verb represented by Sw. 
rippa. rock, see-saw, tilt: see nhip'^. Otherwise 
imitative; nf. weep^.] A lapwing. 
M'ype, bryde or lapwynge. I'pupa. Prompt. Parv.,p. 530. 
wypert, "• Same as wiper. 
wyppyl-tret, »■ A Middle English form of 
whippel-tree. 
wyst, wyset, a. Old spellings of iri'.sel. Chaucer. 
Wytet, I', and «. Another spelling of wite^. 
Wythe, ". See withe. 
wyvet, r. An old spelling of wire. 
wyvert, «. See icircr. 
wyvernt, "• See icirern. 
