War, wawr, n. a state of opposition or contest: a contest between states carried on by arms: open hostility: the profession of arms: (rare) army, warlike preparations, warlike outfit.—v.i. to make war: to contend: to fight:—pr.p. war′ring; pa.t. and pa.p. warred.—ns. War′-cry, a cry or signal used in war; War′-dance, a dance engaged in by some savage tribes before going to war; War′fāre, armed contest, military life; War′fārer; War′fāring; War′-horse, a charger, a horse used in battle.—adj. War′like, fond of war, pertaining to or threatening war: martial, military.—ns. War′likeness; War′man (rare), a warrior.—adj. War′-marked (Shak.), experienced in war.—ns. War′-mong′er (Spens.), a mercenary soldier; War′-off′ice, the English military bureau or department; War′-paint, paint applied to the face and person by savages, indicating that they are going to war: (slang) full-dress, equipment; War′-path, among the Red Indians, the path followed on a military expedition, the expedition itself; War′-proof (rare), fitness to be a soldier; War′rior, a soldier, a veteran:—fem. War′rioress (rare); War′-ship, a vessel for war; War′-song, a song sung by men about to fight: a song celebrating brave deeds in war; War′-tax, a tax levied for purposes of war; War′-thought (Shak.), martial deliberation.—adjs. War′-wast′ed, laid waste or ravaged by war; War′-wea′ried, -worn, wearied, worn, with military service—of a veteran.—ns. War′-whoop, a cry uttered by savages on going into battle; War′-wolf, a medieval military engine used in defending fortresses; Man′-of-war (see Man).—War Department, in Great Britain, a department of the state under a Cabinet Minister, the Secretary of State for War, assisted by a permanent and a parliamentary under-secretary, having control of everything connected with the army; War of Liberation, the war of independence carried on by Prussia, with the help of Russia and Great Britain, against Napoleon in 1813.—Declaration of war, that public announcement of war by a duly organised state or kingdom which is necessary to constitute an enemy; Declare war, to announce war publicly; Holy war (see Holy); Make war, to carry on hostilities; Napoleonic Wars, a general name for the wars of France dating from the campaigns of Napoleon in Italy (1796) to his overthrow in 1815; Private war, warfare waged between persons in their individual capacity, as by duelling, family feuds, &c.; Sacred Wars, in ancient Greek history, wars against states judged guilty of sacrilege by the Amphictyonic Council; Seven weeks' war, or Seven days' war, the Austro-Prussian war of 1866. [A.S. werre, influenced by O. Fr. werre (Fr. guerre), which is from Old High Ger. werra, quarrel.]
War, wawr, adj. (Spens.) worse.—v.t. (Scot.) to defeat.
Warble, wawr′bl, v.i. to sing in a quavering way, or with variations: to chirp as birds do.—v.t. to sing in a vibratory manner: to utter musically: to carol.—n. a quavering modulation of the voice: a song.—n. War′bler, one that warbles: a songster: a singing-bird: any bird of the family Sylviidæ, the Fauvettes—nightingale, redbreast, stonechat, wheatear, whitethroat, &c., also the reed-warbler, &c.: in bagpipe music an ornamental group of grace-notes, introduced to glide from one passage to the other; War′bling.—adv. War′blingly. [O. Fr. werbler, to warble, make turns with the voice—Old High Ger. werban; cf. A.S. hweorfan, to turn (Ger. wirbeln), to make a turn.]
Warble, wawr′bl, n. a small hard swelling on a horse's back, caused by the galling of the saddle: a tumour caused by the gadfly, &c.—n. War′ble-fly, a fly causing warbles. [Other forms are wormil, wornal; ety. dub.]
Ward, wawrd, v.t. to guard or take care of: to keep in safety: to keep away, fend off (with off).—v.i. to act on the defensive.—n. act of warding, watch: those whose business is to ward or defend: state of being guarded: means of guarding: one who is under a guardian: a division of a city, hospital, county, (B.) army, &c.: that which guards a lock or hinders any but the right key from opening it: (B.) guard, prison: a defensive movement in fencing.—ns. Ward′en, one who wards or guards: a keeper, especially a public officer appointed for the naval or military protection of some particular district of country: the head of a school, college, &c.; Ward′enry (rare), the district in charge of a warden; Ward′enship, the office of a warden; Ward′er, one who wards or keeps: a staff of authority; Ward′-mote, a meeting of a ward, or of a court of a ward, which has power to inquire into and present defaults in matters relating to watch, police, &c.; Ward′robe, a room or portable closet for robes or clothes: wearing apparel; Ward′-room, a room used as a messroom by the officers of a war-ship; Ward′ship, the office of a ward or guardian: state of being under a guardian: in English feudal law, the guardianship which the feudal lord had of the land of his vassal while the latter was an infant or minor.—Ward in Chancery, a minor under the protection of the Court of Chancery.—Warden of the Cinque Ports, the governor of the Cinque Ports, having the authority of an admiral and the power to hold a court of admiralty; Warden of the Marches, officers formerly appointed to keep the districts of England adjoining Scotland and Wales in a state of defence; Warden of the Mint, formerly the official of the English Mint next in rank to the Master.—Port warden, the chief officer in a port. [A.S. weardian; Ger. warten, to watch in order to protect.]
Warden, wawr′dn, n. a kind of pear.—Warden pie, a pie made of warden pears. [Prob. 'a pear which may be kept long,' from the preceding word.]
Wardian, wawr′di-an, adj. denoting a kind of close-fitting glass case for transporting delicate ferns and other such plants, or for keeping them indoors—so named from Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868), the inventor.
Ware, wār, n. (used generally in pl.) merchandise: commodities: goods.—v.t. (obs.) to expend, lay out.—n. Ware′house, a house or store for wares or goods.—v.t. to deposit in a warehouse.—ns. Ware′houseman, a man who keeps, or is employed in, a warehouse or wholesale store; Ware′housing, the act of depositing goods in a warehouse; Ware′room, a room where goods are exposed for sale.—Warehousing system, the plan of allowing importers of dutiable goods to store them in a government warehouse without payment of duties until ready to bring the goods into market.—Benares ware, a fine ornamental metal-work made at Benares and other places in India; Delft ware (see Delf); Small ware, wares, textile articles of a small kind—e.g. tape, bindings and braids of cotton, silk, &c.; buttons, hooks, &c.: trifles; Tunbridge ware, inlaid or mosaic wood-work manufactured at Tunbridge; Wedgwood ware, a superior kind of pottery invented by Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), ornamented by white cameo reliefs on a blue ground and the like; Welsh ware, a yellowish-brown earthenware with a transparent glaze. [A.S. waru, wares; Ger. waare.]
Ware, wār, adj. aware.—v.t. to take care of. [Wary.]
Ware, wār, in B. pa.t. of wear.