Welladay, wel′a-dā, Wellaway, wel′a-wā, interjs. alas! [Corr. from M. E. weylaway—A.S. wá, lá, wá, 'woe, lo! woe.']
Wellingtonia, wel-ing-tō′ni-a, n. the largest of existing trees, a native of California—the same as Sequoia (q.v.).
Wellingtons, wel′ing-tonz, n. a kind of riding-boots covering the knee in front, but cut away behind: a shorter closely-fitting boot, worn under the trousers. [Named after the great Duke of Wellington.]
Welsh, welsh, adj. pertaining to Wales or its inhabitants.—n.pl. the inhabitants of Wales:—sing. their language.—ns. Welsh′-harp, a large instrument, furnished with three rows of strings, two tuned in unison and in the diatonic scale, the third in the sharps and flats of the chromatic; Welsh′-hook, an old weapon, like the bill; Welsh′man, a native of Wales; Welsh′-on′ion, the cibol, a perennial plant with a garlic taste; Welsh′-rabb′it (see Rabbit). [A.S. welisc, foreign—wealh (pl. wealas), a foreigner, esp. the Celts or Welshmen.]
Welsh, welsh, v.t. and v.i. to run off from a race-course without settling or paying one's bets—also Welch.—ns. Welsh′er, Welch′er. [Perh. in allusion to the alleged bad faith of Welshmen.]
Welt, welt, n. a kind of hem or edging round a shoe: (coll.) a weal.—v.t. to furnish with a welt: to flog severely.—adj. Welt′ed.—n. Welt′ing. [W. gwald, a hem.]
Welt, welt, v.i. (prov.) to decay: to become stringy. [Wilt.]
Welter, wel′tėr, v.i. to roll or tumble about, to wallow about, esp. in dirt: to lie in some floating substance.—v.t. to make way in a weltering manner.—n. a tossing about, a state of turmoil.—adj. Wel′tering. [M. E. walten, to roll over—A.S. wealtan, to roll.]
Welter-weight, wel′tėr-wāt, n. an unusually heavy weight, carried mostly in steeple-chases and hurdle-races.—n. Wel′ter-race, a race in which such weights are carried.—n.pl. Wel′ter-stakes, the stakes in a welter-race. [Perh. from welter, in allusion to the less free motion; others trace to swelter, from the heating of the heavily weighted horses.]
Welwitschia, wel-wich′i-a, n. a genus of African Gymnosperms belonging to the Gnetaceæ, and containing only one species, its flower consisting of a panicle of brilliant overlapping scarlet scales. [Friedrich Welwitsch (1806-72), an Austrian traveller.]