the twenty-third letter of our alphabet, like æ, a ligature rather than a letter, with a double value, as consonant and as vowel—when the sound is voiced we have w, as in 'we' or 'wen,' the corresponding unvoiced sound being wh, as in 'when,' 'what.' A final w is vocalic, as in 'few.' The A.S. hw has become wh; cw has become qu as in queen, from A.S. cwén; while w is occasionally intrusive, as in whole, from A.S. hál.
Wabble, Wobble, wob′l, v.i. to incline alternately to one side and the other: to rock, to vacillate.—n. a hobbling, unequal motion.—ns. Wabb′ler, Wobb′ler, one who or that which wabbles: a boiled leg of mutton.—adjs. Wabb′ly, Wobb′ly, shaky, given to wabbling.—adj. and n. Wobb′ling, vacillating. [Low Ger. wabbeln, to wabble; cog. with Eng. waver.]
Wabster, wab′stėr, n. (Scot.) a webster, weaver.
Wacke, wak′e, n. German miners' term for a soft, grayish kind of trap-rock.
Wad, wod, n. a mass of loose matter thrust close together for packing, &c., as hay, tow, &c.: a little mass of paper, tow, or the like to keep the charge in a gun.—v.t. to form into a mass: to pad, stuff out: to stuff a wad into:—pr.p. wad′ding; pa.t. and pa.p. wad′ded.—n. Wad′ding, a wad, or the materials for wads: a soft stuff, also sheets of carded cotton for stuffing garments, &c. [Skeat refers to Scand., Sw. vadd, wadding; cf. Ger. watte, wadding, wat, cloth (whence Fr. ouate); ult. allied to weed.]
Wad, wad, a Scotch form of wed, also of would.
Wad, Wadd, wod, n. an earthy ore of manganese.
Waddle, wod′l, v.i. to take short steps and move from side to side in walking.—n. a clumsy, rocking gait.—n. Wadd′ler.—adv. Wadd′lingly, with a waddling gait. [Perh. wade.]
Waddy, wad′i, n. a native Australian wooden war-club, a walking-stick—also Wadd′ie.—v.t. to strike with a waddy.
Wade, wād, v.i. to walk through any substance that yields to the feet, as water: to pass with difficulty or labour.—n. (coll.) a ford.—n. Wā′der, one who wades: a bird that wades, e.g, the heron: (pl.) high waterproof boots used by fishermen for wading. [A.S. wadan, to move; Ger. waten.]