| wedlock | 1. The ceremony, or the state, of marriage; matrimony. "That blissful yoke . . . That men clepeth [call] spousal, or wedlock." "For what is wedlock forced but a hell, An age of discord or continual strife?" (Shak) 2. A wife; a married woman. Synonym: See Marriage. Origin: AS. Wedlac a pledge, be trothal; wedd a pledge + lac a gift, an offering. See Wed, and cf. Lake, Knowledge. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| wednesday | The fourth day of the week; the next day after Tuesday. Ash Wednesday. Origin: OE. Wednesdai, wodnesdei, AS. Wodnes daeg, i. E, Woden's day (a translation of L. Dies Mercurii); fr. Woden the highest god of the Teutonic peoples, but identified with the Roman god Mercury; akin to OS. Wodan, OHG. Wuotan, Icel. Othinn, D. Woensdag Wednesday, Icel. Othinsdagr, Dan. & Sw. Onsdag. See Day, and cf. Woden, Wood. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| WEE | <abbreviation> Western equine encephalomyelitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| WEE virus | A group A arbovirus of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae, occurring in the western United States and parts of South America; it occurs naturally, usually as a symptomless infection in birds, but causes western equine encephalomyelitis in horses and humans following transfer by the bites of mosquitoes, chiefly Culex tarsalis. Synonym: WEE virus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| weech-elm | <botany> The wych-elm. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| weed | <botany> Any plant that is growing in a place where a human wants a different kindof plant or no plants at all. (09 Oct 1997) |
| weed control | <botany> Mechanical or chemical control of unwanted plants. Measures which have to be undertaken in a plant community to guarantee the growth of the desired vegetation. See: herbicide. (09 Oct 1997) |
| weeding | From Weed, Weeding chisel, a tool with a divided chisel-like end, for cutting the roots of large weeds under ground. Weeding forceps, an instrument for taking up some sorts of plants in weeding. Weeding fork, a strong, three-pronged fork, used in clearing ground of weeds; called also weeding iron. Weeding hook. Same as Weed hook. Weeding iron. See Weeding fork, above. Weeding tongs. Same as Weeding forceps, above. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| weekend hospital | A special facility, or an arrangement within a hospital setting, which enables a patient to work in the community during the work week and receive treatment in the hospital during the weekend. (05 Mar 2000) |
| weekly | 1. Of or pertaining to a week, or week days; as, weekly labour. 2. Coming, happening, or done once a week; hebdomadary; as, a weekly payment; a weekly gazette. Once a week; by hebdomadal periods; as, each performs service weekly. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Weeks' bacillus | <bacteria> Bacterium sometimes associated with influenza virus infections, causes pneumonia and meningitis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Weeks, John | <person> U.S. Ophthalmologist, 1853-1949. See: Weeks' bacillus, Koch-Weeks bacillus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| weely | A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs. Origin: Prov. E. Weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. Akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| weep | 1. Formerly, to express sorrow, grief, or anguish, by outcry, or by other manifest signs; in modern use, to show grief or other passions by shedding tears; to shed tears; to cry. To lament; to bewail; to bemoan. "I weep bitterly the dead." "We wandering go Through dreary wastes, and weep each other's woe." (Pope) 2. To shed, or pour forth, as tears; to shed drop by drop, as if tears; as, to weep tears of joy. "Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth." (Milton) "Groves whose rich trees wept odourous gums and balm." (Milton) 3. <zoology> The lapwing; the wipe; so called from its cry. Origin: OE. Wepen, AS. Wpan, from wp lamentation; akin to OFries. Wpa to lament, OS. Wp lamentation, OHG. Wuof, Icel. P a shouting, crying, OS. Wpian to lament, OHG. Wuoffan, wuoffen, Icel. Pa, Goth. Wpjan. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| weeper | 1. One who weeps; especially, one who sheds tears. 2. A white band or border worn on the sleeve as a badge of mourning. 3. <zoology> The capuchin. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |