📖 W — The English dictionary · page 14

wellbeing — Everyday, meaning 1: The state of being healthy, happy and comfortable in body and mind.↗ Example: Our school has a wellbeing week with yoga and nature walks.↗ · Sleep is important for your wellbeing.↗ · Talking about worries helps your mental wellbeing.↗ · The teacher cares about the wellbeing of every pupil.↗ · Playing outside gives me a sense of wellbeing.↗ · Pets can be good for people's wellbeing.↗

wellington — Everyday, meaning 1: A wellington is a tall rubber or plastic boot that keeps your feet dry in rain and mud; they usually come in pairs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wellington (with a capital W) is the capital city of New Zealand.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The Duke of Wellington was a famous British general after whom the boots were named.↗ Example: Put on your wellingtons, it is muddy outside.↗ · I jumped in every puddle in my wellies.↗ · My new wellingtons are green with frogs on them.↗ · Farmers wear wellingtons in the fields.↗ · Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.↗ · Leave your wellies by the back door.↗ · Wellington is known as a windy city.↗ · Rain boots and wellingtons are the same thing.↗

welsh — Everyday, meaning 1: Welsh means from or to do with Wales, a country in the United Kingdom.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Welsh is the old Celtic language spoken in Wales, alongside English.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The Welsh are the people of Wales.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb, informal, old-fashioned) To welsh on a deal means to break a promise to pay; many people find this use rude.↗ Example: She is Welsh and was born in Swansea.↗ · The Welsh flag has a red dragon on it.↗ · Many children in Wales speak Welsh and English.↗ · «Croeso» means «welcome» in Welsh.↗ · We ate Welsh cakes warm from the griddle.↗ · The road sign was in Welsh first, then English.↗ · The Welsh love singing and rugby.↗ · Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales.↗ · Jack knocked at the door, when there came forth a Welsh giant.↗

welshman — Everyday, meaning 1: A man or boy from Wales, a country in the west of Great Britain, part of the United Kingdom.↗ Example: My grandad is a proud Welshman from Cardiff.↗ · The Welshman scored the winning try for his rugby team.↗ · The famous poet Dylan Thomas was a Welshman.↗ · A Welshman, a Scotsman and an Englishman walked into a shop.↗ · My teacher is a Welshman who speaks Welsh at home.↗ · Two Welshmen sang in the choir.↗

welter — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Disorder or a confused mess.↗ Example: Most literally, it means ‘waste(land)’, the lifeless open desert, a translation of [Genesis 1:2] so far captured in English only by Robert Alter’s The Hebrew Bible (2019), who poetically renders תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ tohu vavohu as “waste and welter”; cf.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

welwitschia — Everyday, meaning 1: A very strange desert plant from Namibia and Angola in south-west Africa that has only two long, leathery leaves.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The leaves keep growing from the base for its whole life, getting torn and curled into a messy heap.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Some welwitschias are thought to be well over a thousand years old.↗ Example: The welwitschia has only two leaves, but they never stop growing.↗ · Our teacher showed us a picture of a welwitschia in the Namib Desert.↗ · The welwitschia drinks water from the morning fog.↗ · Some welwitschias may be over a thousand years old.↗ · The leaves of the welwitschia look like a tangled pile of ribbons.↗ · Kew Gardens in London grows a welwitschia in a glasshouse.↗

wen — Everyday, meaning 1: (old use) A wen is a soft lump that grows under the skin, often on the face or neck.↗ Example: The old man had a wen on his right cheek.↗ · Some people think a wen brings good luck.↗ · The doctor said the wen was harmless.↗ · Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scabbed, or scurvy, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.↗ (Torah LEV.22.22, JPS 1917)↗

wench — Everyday, meaning 1: (old) A wench was a girl or young woman, especially a servant girl or a country girl.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (now insulting) Today the word is old-fashioned and often rude when said to a woman.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: A girl or young woman, often a servant or a country girl.↗ Example: The serving wench brought ale to the travellers.↗ · In the old ballad, a country wench milked the cows.↗ · The pirate shouted for the kitchen wench.↗ · The play is set in a tavern with a busy wench.↗ · «Wench» is an old word you meet in historical stories.↗ · Calling a woman a wench today is rude.↗ · ‘The cinder wench is not here,’ said the Prince at last; ‘go and fetch her, and let her try on the things.’↗ · "Who knows whence the wench comes?" said she.↗ (Grimm's Fairy Stories) · Thereupon the King’s son recognised the cinder wench; so he took both the girls with him, and set out.↗ (The Red Fairy Book) · ‘The cinder wench is not here,’ said the Prince at last; ‘go and fetch her, and let her try on the things.’↗ (The Red Fairy Book)

wend — Everyday, meaning 1: To wend your way is to travel slowly, often following a winding path.↗ Example: The travellers wended their way through the forest.↗ · We wended our way home after the fair.↗ · The river wends its way to the sea.↗ · The children wended their way up the hill.↗ · Slowly the parade wended its way down the street.↗ · The old man wended his way to the village shop.↗ · Overjoyed at his mother's reassuring words, and following the directions she gave him, Phaethon quickly wended his way to his father's palace.↗

wentest — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «wentest» means «you went», a form of «go»: To go is to move from one place to another: go to school.↗ Example: Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it — he went up to my couch.↗ (Torah GEN.49.4, JPS 1917)

wert — Early Modern English, meaning 1: You were; a form of "be" used with "thou".↗ Example: Rest there in peace, till thou art a wiser man than thou wert.’↗ (Grimms' Fairy Tales) · Go on, go on--thou wert on the balcony, and went through the doorway, and then--”↗ (Andersen's Fairy Tales) · "Mine! mine!" sounded around him, and within him; "I kissed thee when thou wert a little child.↗ (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen)

west — Everyday, meaning 1: West is the direction where the sun goes down in the evening.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The West is a part of a country or the world in the west, like the American West.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A west wind blows from the west.↗ Example: He walked 3 km west.↗ · The town is 20 miles west of the city.↗ · She drove east 10 miles and then west 4 miles.↗ · How far is she from home?↗ · The sun sets in the west.↗ · On a map, west is on the left.↗ · Perth is on the west coast of Australia.↗ · A strong west wind blew the leaves away.↗ · And for the western border, ye shall have the Great Sea for a border; this shall be your west border.↗ (Torah NUM.34.6, JPS 1917)↗ · And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.↗ (Torah EXO.27.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.↗ (Torah EXO.38.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And as for the west border, the Great Sea was the border thereof.↗ (Prophets JOS.15.12, JPS 1917)↗ · On the four sides were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.↗ (Writings 1CH.9.24, JPS 1917)↗ · He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.↗ (Prophets EZK.42.19, JPS 1917)↗

westerly — Everyday, meaning 1: A westerly wind blows from the west.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Westerly also means towards the west or in the west, as in a westerly direction.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The westerlies are strong winds that blow from the west in the middle parts of the Earth.↗ Example: A westerly wind brought rain from the Atlantic.↗ · The westerlies blow across the southern oceans.↗ · We sailed in a westerly direction.↗ · The most westerly point of Ireland is on the Dingle Peninsula.↗ · Strong westerlies are forecast for tomorrow.↗ · The kite flew well in the westerly breeze.↗

western — Everyday, meaning 1: Western means in, from or towards the west: western Canada, a western wind.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Western (often «Western») describes the countries of Europe and North America and their way of life.↗ e.g. Western culture.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A western is a film or story about cowboys in the American West in the 1800s.↗ Example: The sun sets in the western sky.↗ · Perth is the capital of Western Australia.↗ · It rains more on the western side of the mountains.↗ · Grandpa loves watching old westerns with cowboys.↗ · Western Ireland faces the Atlantic Ocean.↗ · A western wind blew from the sea.↗ · The sun was but a handsbreadth from the western edge of land.↗ · And for the western border, ye shall have the Great Sea for a border; this shall be your west border.↗ (Torah NUM.34.6, JPS 1917)↗ · Their measure is the Twelve Diagonal Borders: Northeastern border, Southeastern border, Upper-Eastern border, Lower-Western border, Upper-Northern border, Lower-Northern border, Southwestern border, Northwestern border, Upper-Western border, Lower-Western border, Upper-Southern border, Lower-Southern border.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem: half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.↗ (Prophets ZEC.14.8, JPS 1917)↗

westward — Everyday, meaning 1: Westward means going towards the west.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Westward describes something that faces or lies towards the west.↗ Example: The ship sailed westward across the Atlantic.↗ · The sun moves westward across the sky during the day.↗ · Pioneers travelled westward in covered wagons.↗ · The storm is moving westward towards the coast.↗ · Our garden has a westward view, so we see the sunset.↗ · Westward expansion forced many Native Americans off their land.↗ · Turn westward at the old oak tree.↗ · The families of the Gershonites were to pitch behind the tabernacle westward; (Torah NUM.3.23, JPS 1917)↗ · And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.↗ (Torah EXO.36.27, JPS 1917)↗ · And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.↗ (Torah EXO.26.22, JPS 1917)↗ · For the Precinct westward, four at the causeway, and two at the Precinct.↗ (Writings 1CH.26.18, JPS 1917)↗ · and Allam-melech, and Amad, and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath.↗ (Prophets JOS.19.26, JPS 1917)↗ · To Shuppim and Hosah westward, by the gate of Shallecheth, at the causeway that goeth up, ward against ward.↗ (Writings 1CH.26.16, JPS 1917)↗

westwards — Everyday, meaning 1: Westwards means towards the west, the direction where the sun sets.↗ Example: The ship sailed westwards across the Atlantic.↗ · The storm is moving westwards.↗ · Settlers travelled westwards in wagons.↗ · The sun moves westwards across the sky during the day.↗ · Walk westwards along the beach to find the cave.↗ · The river flows westwards to the sea.↗ · Then one of the feathers flew eastwards, another westwards, but the third went straight up towards the sky, though it only sped a short distance before falling to earth.↗

wet — Everyday, meaning 1: Covered with or full of water or another liquid.↗ e.g. "wet hair".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Rainy.↗ e.g. "a wet day".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Not yet dry.↗ e.g. "wet paint".↗ Everyday, meaning 4: As a verb, to make something wet.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Wet can also be a noun meaning a drink, especially water or another non-alcoholic drink.↗ Example: My shoes are wet from the rain.↗ · Careful, the floor is wet.↗ · Never touch a plug with wet hands.↗ · Wet paint — don't touch!↗ · It was a wet and windy day.↗ · Wet the cloth and wipe the table.↗ · Hang the wet towels in the sun to dry.↗ · We got soaking wet.↗ · “Water or wet, or whatever you please, sir.”↗ · They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.↗ (Writings JOB.24.8, JPS 1917)↗

wether — Everyday, meaning 1: A wether is a male sheep (or goat) that has been castrated, so it cannot become a father; farmers keep wethers for wool or meat.↗ Example: The farmer kept the wethers for their wool.↗ · A ewe is a female sheep, a ram is a male, and a wether is a castrated male.↗ · The old shepherd hung a bell on the leading wether.↗ · Wethers are usually calmer than rams.↗ · The wethers grazed on the hillside.↗ · This town is a bellwether: whoever wins here often wins the election.↗

wetland — Everyday, meaning 1: A wetland is an area of land that is covered with shallow water or is wet and soggy for much of the year, such as a marsh, swamp or bog.↗ Example: Herons and frogs live in the wetland.↗ · Wetlands soak up water and help stop floods.↗ · We walked on a boardwalk through the wetland.↗ · The wetland was drained to build houses.↗ · Wetlands clean the water that flows through them.↗ · Many migrating birds rest in wetlands.↗ · Stay on the path — wetland mud can be deep.↗