walking mort, a grown-up unmarried whore; often a pretended widow (Cant). Described in Harman’s Caveat, p. 67 (Aydelotte, p. 27); cp. Brome, Jovial Crew, ii. 1 (Patrico).
wallope, to gallop. Morte Arthur, leaf 90. 33; bk. v, c. 11. In prov. use in the north country and E. Anglia (EDD.). ME. walloppyn, as an hors (Prompt. EETS. 538), Anglo-F. waloper, to gallop (see Bartsch, 544. 26); galoper (Rough List).
walm, a surge, bubbling up of water. Phaer, tr. of Aeneid, viii. 87. A north-country word for ‘a bubbling’ (EDD.). OE. wælm, surging water (Beowulf).
walter, to ‘welter’, roll. Peele, Sir Clyomon, l. 1. Hence waltering, a lolling (as snakes’ tongues), Surrey, tr. of Aeneid, ii, l. 267 (211 of Latin text); rolling, Phaer, tr. of Aeneid, ii. 498 (Latin text). In prov. use in Scotland, Ireland, and the north of England and E. Anglia. ME. walteryn (Prompt. EETS. 514).
†waltsome, disgusting, heinous; ‘O waltsome murder’, Mirror for Mag., Hastings, st. 30. Probably an intended improvement of ME. wlatsom, in an imitation of Chaucer: ‘Mordre is so wlatsom and abhominable’ (C. T. B. 4243). OE. wlætta, disgust, nausea (Sweet).
wamble, to rumble, to roll, to stir uneasily; used of food in the stomach. Fletcher, Mad Lover, i. 1 (Fool); Lyly, Endimion, iv. 2; ‘Allecter, to wamble as a queasie stomach doth’, Cotgrave. In prov. use in Scotland and in various parts of England north and south, see EDD. (s.v. 1). ME. wamelyn in the stomak, ‘nausio’ (Prompt. EETS. 538). Cp. Dan. vamle, to become squeamish, vammel, nauseous (Larsen).
wamentation, lamentation. Fair Em. i. 2. 73. See [wayment].
wan, a winnowing-fan. Chapman, tr. of Odyssey, xi. 163, 164; explained as ‘a corn-cleanse fan’, id., xxiii. 416. L. vannus, a winnowing-fan. See Dict. (s.v. Fan).
wanhope, loss of hope, dejection, despair; ‘Wanhope, poor soule on broken anchor sits Wringing his armes, as robbed of his wits’, Glaucus (Nares). Still heard in Lancashire (EDD.). ME. wanhope, despair (Chaucer, C. T. A. 1249). Cp. Du. ‘wanhope, dispaire’ (Hexham).
waniand: phr. in the waniand, in the waning (moon), i.e. at an unlucky time; ‘He would . . . make them wed in the waniand’, Sir T. More, Wks., p. 306 h. ME. in the waniand (Minot, ed. T. Wright, i. 87); ‘In woo to wonne in the wanyand’ (York Plays, p. 124). OE. on wanigendum mōnan (Leechdoms, i. 320); wanian, to lessen, to wane. See Dict.