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`0f
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`Current English '
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`FIRST EDITED BY.
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`H. W. Fowler and F; G. Fowler
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`EIGHTH EDITION
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`EDITED BY RLE. ALLEN '
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`CLARENDON PRESS - OXFORD ,4
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`Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6DP
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`' First editionJQI If
`New edition (revised) 1.929
`Third edition (with Addenda) 1.934
`Fourtheditiun 1951
`Fifth edition 1964
`Sixth edition 1.976
`Seventh edition 1982
`Eighth edition 1.9.90
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`British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
`The concise Oxford dictionary of current Englishu~82h ed.
`
`
`1. English languageo—Dictionories
`1. Allen, R. E. (Robert Edward), 1944—423
`
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`ISBN 0—19—861243—5 thumb index
`
`ISBN 0—-15L86120{L1 plain
`
`Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
`
`
`The Concise foord dictionary of current English .—-8th ed]edited by R. E. Allen.
`p.
`cm.
`‘First edited by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler.’
`ISBN 0—19«86‘1200—1~—ISBN 0—13—861243—5 (thumb index)
`1. English lang'uageo—Dictianaries.
`I. Allen, R, E.
`II. Fowler,
`H. W. (Henry Watson), 18584933.
`III. Fowler, F. G. (Francis
`George), 187w1918.
`P161628. C68
`1.990
`423‘—clc20 89—72114 4 CIP
`681097
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`Printed in the United States of America
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`2
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`

`

`
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`Contents
`
`
`Preface
`
`~
`
`Acknowledgements
`
`English over Fifteen Centuries
`
`Eighty Years of the Concise Oxford Dictionary
`
`Guide to. the Use of the Dictionary
`
`Abbreviations used in the Dictionary
`
`Note on Proprietary Status
`
`DICTIONARY »
`
`,
`Appendices
`I. Countries of the World
`
`11. Major Divisions of Geological Time
`111. The Chemical Elements
`
`IV. Weights and Measures
`V. Counties of the United Kingdom
`VI. States of the USA
`
`VII. Books of the Bible
`
`VIII. Punctuation Marks
`
`IX. The Greek and Russian Alphabets
`
`2
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`vii
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`X
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`xii
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`xxi
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`xxiv
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`xxxvii
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`xxxix
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`1
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`1431
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`- 1436
`1437
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`1489
`1442
`1443
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`1444
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`1445
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`1453
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`3
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`1396
`
`Wherein
`Whelm lwelm/ v.21”. pool. I engulf, submerge. 2 Brush
`with weight, overwhelm. [0E hwetmon (unrecorded)
`: fzwylfan overturn}
`.
`Whelp {welp/ Tl. & v.:‘—n. 1 a young dog; a @1be 2
`archaic a cub. a an illrmaunered child or youth. 4
`(esp. in pl.) 3. projection on the barrel ofa capstan or
`Windlass. —~v.tr. (also absol.) 1 bring forth (a wh
`or whelps). 2 derog. (of a human mother) give birth
`to. 3 originate (an evil scheme etc). [Old hwelp]
`when [wenz ado, confi, prom, & n. —interrog.adu. 1
`at what time? 2 on what occasion? 3 how soon? 4
`how long ago? —rel.arln. (prec. by time etc.) at or 0n
`=Whioh (there are times when I could cry). -—conj, 1 at
`the or anytime that; as soon as (come when you like
`come when ready; when I was your age). 2 although;
`considering that (why stand up when. you could sit
`downfl. 3 after which; and then; but just then- (was
`nearly asleep whenthe bell rang). —-pron. what time?
`(till when can you stay?; since when it has been better).
`—n. time, occasion, date (fixed the where and when).
`[OE hwanne, hwennc}
`whence [wens] adv. & conj. formal —adv.
`from
`what place? (whence did they com/9?). —cmu‘. 1 to the
`place from which (return whence you. came). 2 (often
`prcc. by place etc.) from which (the source whence
`these errors arise). a and thence (whence it follows
`that).
`'i Use of from whence (as in the place fmm
`whence they came),
`though common,
`is generally
`considered incorrect.
`[ME whames, whennes f.
`whanna, whcnne f. 0E hwcnon(e) whence, formed as
`WHEN + ~33: of. THENCE]
`-
`whencesoever [Kwensseu‘evauy adv. & conj. jbrmat
`from whatever place or source.
`whene’er lwen‘eau‘)! poet. vat. of wneucvcn.
`Whenever fwen’eva(r)/ can}. 85 call.
`1 at Whatever
`time; on whatever occasion. 2 every time that. our
`whenever collaq. or at any similar time.
`.
`.
`whensoe'er
`/,wenseu'eo(r)] poet. var, of whim.
`SOEVER.
`whensoever ,',wensao‘eve(r)l conj. 6r, adv. formal s
`WHENEVER.
`--
`n.
`8;
`conj.,
`adu,
`where
`/wea(r)!
`prom,
`-—int2rrog,adu.
`1 in or to what place or position?
`(where is the milk?; where are you going?). 2 in what
`direction or respect? (where does the argument [coda
`where does it concern us?) 3 in what book etc.?; from
`whom? (where did you read limit“, where did you hear
`that?) 4 in what situation or condition? (where does
`that leave us?). —rel.adu. (prec. by place etc.) in. or to
`which (places where they meet)”. ~cnru'. 1 in or to the
`or any place, direction, or respect in which (go where
`you like; that is where you are wrong; delete where
`applicable). 2 and there (reached Creme, where the
`cor broke down). —pron. what place? (wheré da‘yau
`come #02717; where are you going tof’). wit. place:
`scene of something (see WHEN 11.). [0E hwéi'r. Izmir]
`whereabouts adv. 8: n. —-adv. {.weara'baotsf where
`or approximately where? (whereabouts are thew,
`Show me whereabouts to look). ~n. l'weare.baotsl'(as
`sing. or pl.) a person’s or thing’s location roughly
`defined.
`'
`‘
`whereafter fwear‘u:fta(r)] com”. formal after which.
`whereas Iwear'az/ conj. 1 in contrast or comparison
`with the fact that. 2 (esp. in legal preambles) taking
`into consideration the fact that.
`.
`Whereat lweor‘aet] con}. archaic 1 at which place or
`point. 2 for which reason.
`whereby lwee‘bat/ conj. by what or which means;
`whet-o’er iwear‘ee(r)/ poet. var. of wnsnevmg '
`wherefore /‘Weefo:(r). -'fo:(r); adv. 8; n. —adv'. archaic.
`1 for what reason? 2 for which reason. ——n. a reason
`(the whys and wherg‘ares).
`.
`wherefrom [wea'fruml cnrzf. archaic from which
`fiom where.
`p
`.
`wherein lweer’m/ conj. & adv. formal —cunj.
`in
`what or which place or respect. —adv. in what place
`or respect?
`
`wheatmeal
`flour made from wheat
`wheatmeal l‘wi1tmi2l1 n.
`with some of the bran and. germ removed.
`Wheatstone bridge f'wi:tsteunl n. an apparatus
`for measuring electrical resistances by equalizing
`the potential at two points of a circuit. {0. Wheaz'stom,
`Engl. physicist d. 1875]
`whee [Wir/
`int. expressing delight or excitement
`limit-l
`1 coax by flattery or en-
`whoedle [‘wi:d(e)1f utr.
`dearments. 2 {£011. by out) a get (a thing) out of a
`person by wheedling. b cheat (a person) out of a
`thing by wheedling. cowheedler n. whee-tiling any.
`wheedlingly adv. [pom f. G wedetn fawn, cringe f.
`Wade! tall]
`.
`Wheel jwidi n. Sc 0. —n.
`1 a circular frame or disc
`arranged to revolve on an axle and used to facilitate
`the motion of a vehicle or for various mechanical
`purposes.
`2 a wheel-like thing (Catherine wheel;
`potler’s wheel; steering wheel). 3 motion as of a wheel,
`esp. the movement of a line of people with one end
`as a pivot. 4 a machine etc. of which a wheel is an
`essential part. 5 (111le st. a car. 6 US 5!. = big wheel
`2. 7 a set of short lines concluding a stanza. —v. 1
`intr. 8.: tr. a turn on an axis or pivot. 1: swing round.
`in line with one end as a pivot. 2 a intr‘. (often foil.
`by about, round) change direction or face another
`way.
`11 tr. cause to do this. 3 tr. push or pull (a
`wheeled thing esp. a barrow. bicycle, or pram, or its
`lead or occupant).
`.4 intr. go in circles or curves
`(seagull: wheeling overhead).
`eat
`the wheel
`1
`driving a vehicle. 2 directing a ship. 3 in control of
`straits. on wheels (or oiled wheels) smoothly.
`wheel and deal engage in political or commercial
`scheming. wheel—back adj. (of a chair) with a back
`shaped like or containing the design of a wheel.
`Wheel clamp a clamp for locking to the wheel of an
`illegally parked motor vehicle,
`in order to tem-
`porarily immobilize it. wheel-house a steersman’s
`shelter. wheel-lock 1 an old kind of gunlock having
`a steel wheel to rub against flint etc. 2 a gun with
`this. wheel of Fortune-luck. wheel-spin rotation of
`a vehicle’s wheels Without traction. Wheels within
`wheels 1 intricate machinery. 2 colloq. indirect or
`secret agencies. cc‘wheeled adj.
`(also in comb).
`wheeliess adj. [OE hweol, hwéogol f. Gme]
`wheelbarrow Militant); n. a small cart with one
`wheel and two shafts for carrying garden loads etc.
`wheelbase I'wifibeisr n. the distance between the
`front and rear axles of a vehicle.
`wheelchair [’wtltlea(r)/. n. a chair on wheels for an
`invalid or disabled person.
`Wheeler [Widow] n.
`1 (in comb.) a vehicle having a
`specified number of wheels. 2 a wheelwright, a a
`horse harnessed next
`to the wheels and behind
`another. uwheeler-dealer a person who Wheels and
`deals.
`Wheelie {‘Wfilf 71. st. the stunt of riding a bicycle or
`motor cycle for a short distance with the front wheel
`off the ground.
`Wheelman n. esp. US 1 a driver ofa Wheeled vehicle.
`. 2 a helmsman.
`wheelsman
`(pl.
`US a
`steersman.
`Wheelwright l'w‘lzlraltf n. a person who makes or
`repairs esp. wooden wheels.
`intr. breathe with an
`1
`wheeze [wizz/ v. & n. my.
`audible chesty whistling sound. 2 tr. (often fall. by
`out) utter in this way. —n. 1 a sound of wheezing. 2
`calling. a Brit. a clever scheme. b an actor’s inter—
`polated joke etc.
`c a catch-phrase. ocwhcczer
`n. Wheezingly adv. Wheezy adj. wheezily adv.
`wheeziuess n. {pron 1‘. ON hvazsa to hiss}
`whelkl lwelkf 7:. any predatory marine gastropod
`mollusc of the family Buocinidae, esp.
`the edible
`kind of the genusBaccinum, having a spiral. shell.
`[0E wioloc. wcoloc. ofunkn. orig; perh. infl. by WHELKE]
`Wllelk2 (walk! 11. a pimple. [0E hwylca f. hwelmn
`suppurate]
`
`itop v voice
`
`j‘wizlzman/
`
`11..
`
`—men)
`
`in but d dug ffew 9 get
`
`11 he jyes k cat
`
`1 leg m man it no ppen r red s sit
`
`4
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`W we
`
`1397
`whereof
`whereof ,‘weer‘ov/ conj. 8: ado. format
`-—oonj. of
`what or which (the means whereof). —-adv. of what?
`wherelm lweer‘nnl conj. a: adv. archaic —conj. on
`What or which. —adv. on what?
`wheresoe'er l.weasau’ee(r)/ poet. var. of WHERE?
`souv‘on.
`Wherwoever {.weosars'eveu'fl conj. & adv. formal or
`literary = WHEREVER.
`wherein l’wea‘tuz,’ canj. & adv. formal —-an. to what
`or which. —odv. to what?
`immediately
`‘weere/ oonj.
`whereupon l,waara’pon,
`after which.
`wherever [wear’eva(r),’ adv. 8a canj. —-adu. in or to
`whatever place. —-conj. in every place that. our
`wherever colloq. or in any similar place.
`wherewithal
`l’weamfiszl/ n. colloq. money etc.
`> needed for a purpose (has not the wherewithal to do
`" it).
`'
`Wherry l‘werlf n. (pl. -ies) 1 a light rowing-boat 1131].
`for carrying passengers. 2 a large light barge. [MEz
`orig. unknJ
`wherryman ,"wenmanf n. (pl. -men) a man em-
`ployed on a Wherry.
`.
`whet [wet] I). 8; n. —v.tr. (Wheaten, whetting) 1
`sharpen (a scythe or other tool) by grinding.
`2
`stimulate (the appetite or a desire, interest, etc).
`—n.
`1 the act or an instance of whetting. Z-a
`‘small quantity stimulating one’s appeu'te for more.
`no wheiter 7:. (also in comb) {OE hwman f. Cmc]
`whether l'weda(r),' conj. introducing the first or both
`of alternative possibilities (I doubt whether it mtters;
`-I do not know whether they have arrived or not).
`
`owhethcr or no see no”. [01$ hwaefher, hwether f.
`. Gmcl
`f Whetstone I'wetsteonf n.
`1 a tapered stone used
`
`with water to shaman curved.
`tools, e.g. sickles,
`hooks (cf. OILSTONI). 2 a thing that sharpens the
`senses etc.
`‘
`'
`
`, whew (hwjuj
`int. expressing surprise, constern-
`ation, or relief. Emit: cf. PHEW}
`whey [Wei] o. the watery liquid left when milk forms
`
`curds. owhey-facecl pale esp. with fear. [OE hwazg,
`kwegf. LG]
`: which fthj‘,1 adj. & pron. —z'merrog.adj. asking for
`choice from a definite set of alternatives (which John
`do you mean?; say which book you prefer; which way
`shall we 30?). —rel.ad}‘. being the one just referred
`to; and this or these [ten years, during which time
`they admitted nothing; a word ofadm'ce, which aciz'on
`is within your power, will set
`things
`straight).
`—mterrog.prom 1 which person or persons (which
`ofyoo is resgonsibleP). 2 which thing or things (say
`which you prefer). —rel.pron. (pass. of which, whose
`fowzi) 1 which thing or things, usu. introducing a
`clause not essential for idenfification (cf. THAT pron.
`7) (the house, which is empty, has been damaged). 2
`used in place of that after in or. that (there is the
`house in which _1 was born; that which you have just
`seen). owhiéh is which a phrase used when two or
`more persons or things are difiicult
`to distinguish
`from each other. [OE hwilc f. Gmc]
`'
`Whichever lmtf'eva(r)j adj. & pron.
`1 any which
`(take whichever you like; whichever one you like). 2
`prize .
`no‘mftter which (whichever one wins, they both get a
`whichsoever ,i,wn_rsao'evo(r)] adj. & pron. archaic
`. =. wmcnovon.
`whidah var. of WHYDAH.
`1 a puff of breath of air,
`whlfi' {Wifl r2. & u. no.
`smoke, etc. (went outside for a whifl’ offresh air). 2 a
`smell (caught the whifi’ of a cigar). a (fall. by 'oj) a
`trace or suggestion of Scandal etc. 4 a small cigar. 5
`a minor discharge (of rgrapeshot etc.].
`6 a light
`narrow outfigged scullinghoat. —v. 1 tr. & intr. blow
`or puff lightly. 2 intr. Brut. smell (esp. unpleasant). 3
`trzget a slight smell of. limit] ~
`.
`intr. 8:. tr. (of the
`1
`5Wh1flie ['Wifianl v. & n. ——o.
`M1111) blow lightly, shift about. 2 z'ntr. be variable or
`
`whine
`leaves, etc.) flicker,
`3 intr. (of a flame,
`evasive.
`flutter. 4 intr. make the sound of a light wind in
`breathing etc. —n. a slight movement of air. on
`whiffler n. [WHIEF + ~LE‘I
`whifiletree l'mlla)l,trl:/ n. US = SWINGLETREE. [van
`of mrnmnm]
`.
`Whifi‘y I'WIfi/ my. collaq.‘ (whimer, whlfiiest) hav-
`ing an unpleasant smell.
`-
`Whig {ngf n. hist. 1 Polit. a member of the British
`reforming and constitutional party that after 1688
`sought the supremacy of Parliament and was even-
`tually succeeded in the 19th c. by the Liberal Party
`(opp. TORY 2). 2 a Nth—c. Scottish Presbyterian. 3 US
`a a supporter of the Americ‘an Revolution.
`In a
`member of an American political party in the 15th
`0., succeeded by the Republicans. ooWhiggei'y n.
`Whiggish adj. Whiggism n. [proh a shortening of
`Se. whiggomer, more, nickname of Nth-o Sc. rebels,
`f, whig to drive + MARE‘]
`while {wall/ TL, can}, 0., 5y adv. won. 1 a space of
`time, time spent in some action (a long while ago;
`waited a while; all this while). 2 (prec. by the) a
`during some other process.
`I) poet. during file time
`that. 3 (prec. by a) for some time (have noiseen you
`a while). —conj.
`1 during the time that; for as long
`as; at the same time as (while I was away, the house
`was bungled; fell asleep while reading). 2 in spite of
`the fact. that; although, whereas (while I want to
`believe it, I cannot).
`3 MEngl.. until (wait while
`Monday). -v.zr. (fell. by away) pass (lime etc.) in a
`leisurely or interesting manner. —re.l.adv. (prec. by
`time. etc.) during which (the summer while I was
`abroad). call the while during the whole time
`(that). for a long while for a long time past. for a
`while for some 51:13.1) good (or great) While a
`considerable time. in a while (or little while) soon,
`shortly. worth while (or ona’s while) worth the
`lime or effort spent. [0E hmft f. Gmc: (conj.) abbr. of
`GE thd invite the, ME the while that]
`.
`wh11es lwaflzf conj. archaic = WHILE. [orig in the
`adverbs somewhiles, otherwhiles]
`whjlom l‘waxleml adv. & adj. archaic —ao‘v.
`for~
`merly, once. —czo{j. former, erstwhile (my whilom
`fliend). [OE hwz‘lum dative pl. of [wit wmu]
`-
`Whilst [wailstl adv. & conj. esp. Brit. while. [ME i.
`WHILES! cf. AGAINST]
`.
`whim fwmif n.
`1 a a sudden fancy; a caprice. h
`capriciousness.
`2 archaic a kind of Windlass for
`raising are or water from a mine.
`[17th c.: orig.
`unkn]
`w -
`whimbrel I'wrmbril/ n. a small curlew. esp. Nu-
`menius phoeopus. {WHIMPER (imiL): cf. dotterel]
`whimper [‘wxmpom; v. 8: n. —v.
`1
`intr. make
`feeble, querquus, or frightened sounds; cry and
`whine softly.
`.2 tr. utter whimperingly. —n.
`1 a
`whinipering sound.
`2 a feeble note or tone (the
`conference ended on a whimper). ucwhimperer n.
`whimperingly only. [in-nit, f. dial. whimp]
`3
`whilnsical l‘wun21k(a)l[ adj.
`1 capricious. 2 {ant
`astlc.
`3_ odd or quaint;
`fanciful, humorous. no
`whimsicality
`/-‘kaelit1/
`n. whimsioafly
`adv.
`whimsicalness n.
`.
`‘
`,
`Whimsy J‘WImm/ :7. (also whimsey) (pl. —ies or ~ey.s)
`1 a whim; a capricious notion or fancy. 2 capricious
`or quaint humour. [rel to WHlM-WHAM: of. flimsy]
`whimwwham l'wxmwaem.’ n. archaic '1 a toy or
`plaything. 2 = mom 1. [redup1.: orig. uncert] _
`Whi'nl lwml n. (in sing. or pl.) furze, gorse. [prob
`Scand: cf. Norw. home, Sw. Ewen}
`whini‘ lwm] n.
`1 hard dark esp. basaltic rock or
`stone. 2 a piece of this. [MEz orig. unknJ
`whinchat ,i‘wmtiatj n. a small brownish songbird,
`Saximla rubetm. [1mm1 + came]
`whine lwalni n. & v. —n.
`1
`a. complaining long-
`drawn wail as of a dog. 2 a similar shrill prolonged
`sound. 3 a a querulous tone. b an inslanoe of feeble
`or undignified complaining. —v. 1 intr; emit or utter
`a whine. 2 inlr. complain in a quemlous tone or in a
`
`2 zoo 1' she 5 decision 8 thin 6 this
`
`n ring 5; loch
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`t1 chip d3 jar
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`(see ooerforuoweis)
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