willow bell : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

   wailful
         adj 1: vocally expressing grief or sorrow or resembling such
                  expression; "lamenting sinners"; "wailing mourners"; "the
                  wailing wind"; "wailful bagpipes"; "tangle her desires
                  with wailful sonnets"- Shakespeare [syn: {lamenting},
                  {wailing}, {wailful}]

English Dictionary: willow bell	by the DICT Development Group
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wall pellitory n herb that grows in crevices having long narrow leaves and small pink apetalous flowers Synonym(s): pellitory-of-the-wall, wall pellitory, pellitory, Parietaria difussa
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wall plate n plate (a timber along the top of a wall) to support the ends of joists, etc., and distribute the load
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wall plug n receptacle providing a place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices Synonym(s): wall socket, wall plug, electric outlet, electrical outlet, outlet, electric receptacle
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wallflower n any of numerous plants of the genus Erysimum having fragrant yellow or orange or brownish flowers perennial of southern Europe having clusters of fragrant flowers of all colors especially yellow and orange; often naturalized on old walls or cliffs; sometimes placed in genus Erysimum Synonym(s): wallflower, Cheiranthus cheiri, Erysimum cheiri remains on sidelines at social event
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Walpole n English writer and historian; son of Sir Robert Walpole (1717-1797) Synonym(s): Walpole, Horace Walpole, Horatio Walpole, Fourth Earl of Orford Englishman and Whig statesman who (under George I) was effectively the first British prime minister (1676-1745) Synonym(s): Walpole, Robert Walpole, Sir Robert Walpole, First Earl of Orford
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
well-balanced adj in an optimal state of balance or equilibrium; "a well- balanced wheel" free from psychological disorder; "a well-adjusted personality" Synonym(s): well-adjusted, well-balanced
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
whole blood n blood that has not been modified except for the addition of an anticoagulant; "whole blood is normally used in blood transfusions"
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wilful adj done by design; "the insult was intentional"; "willful disobedience" Synonym(s): willful, wilful habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition Synonym(s): froward, headstrong, self-willed, willful, wilful
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wilfully adv in a willful manner; "she had willfully deceived me" Synonym(s): willfully, wilfully
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wilfulness n the trait of being prone to disobedience and lack of discipline Synonym(s): unruliness, fractiousness, willfulness, wilfulness
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
willful adj done by design; "the insult was intentional"; "willful disobedience" Synonym(s): willful, wilful habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition Synonym(s): froward, headstrong, self-willed, willful, wilful
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
willful neglect n a tendency to be negligent and uncaring; "he inherited his delinquency from his father"; "his derelictions were not really intended as crimes"; "his adolescent protest consisted of willful neglect of all his responsibilities" Synonym(s): delinquency, dereliction, willful neglect
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
willfully adv in a willful manner; "she had willfully deceived me" Synonym(s): willfully, wilfully
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
willfulness n the trait of being prone to disobedience and lack of discipline Synonym(s): unruliness, fractiousness, willfulness, wilfulness
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
willow bell n perennial European bellflower with racemose white or blue flowers Synonym(s): peach bells, peach bell, willow bell, Campanula persicifolia
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Wolffiella n minute rootless aquatic herbs having flat fronds floating on or below the water surface and bearing 1-2 flowers per frond; America and Africa Synonym(s): Wolffiella, genus Wolffiella
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Wolffiella gladiata n having narrow flat sickle-shaped submerged fronds; North America Synonym(s): mud midget, bogmat, Wolffiella gladiata
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wolflike adj resembling or characteristic (or considered characteristic) of a wolf; "ran in wolflike packs"; "wolfish rapacity" Synonym(s): wolflike, wolfish
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
woolly apple aphid n primarily a bark feeder on aerial parts and roots of apple and other trees Synonym(s): woolly apple aphid, American blight, Eriosoma lanigerum
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
woolly plant louse n secretes a waxy substance like a mass of fine curly white cotton or woolly threads Synonym(s): woolly aphid, woolly plant louse
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wooly blue curls n an aromatic plant with wooly leaves found in southern California and Mexico Synonym(s): black sage, wooly blue curls, California romero, Trichostema lanatum
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Wulfila n a Christian believed to be of Cappadocian descent who became bishop of the Visigoths in 341 and translated the Bible from Greek into Gothic; traditionally held to have invented the Gothic alphabet (311-382) Synonym(s): Ulfilas, Bishop Ulfilas, Ulfila, Bishop Ulfila, Wulfila, Bishop Wulfila
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wailful \Wail"ful\, a. Sorrowful; mournful. [bd] Like wailful widows.[b8] --Spenser. [bd]Wailful sonnets.[b8] --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wall \Wall\, n. [AS. weall, from L. vallum a wall, vallus a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. [?] a nail. Cf. {Interval}.] 1. A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room. The plaster of the wall of the King's palace. --Dan. v. 5. 2. A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense. The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. --Ex. xiv. 22. In such a night, Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls. --Shak. To rush undaunted to defend the walls. --Dryden. 3. An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a steam-engine cylinder. 4. (Mining) (a) The side of a level or drift. (b) The country rock bounding a vein laterally. --Raymond. Note: Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc. {Blank wall}, Blind wall, etc. See under {Blank}, {Blind}, etc. {To drive to the wall}, to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over. {To go to the wall}, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes. {To take the wall}. to take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence. [bd]I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.[b8] --Shak. {Wall barley} (Bot.), a kind of grass ({Hordeum murinum}) much resembling barley; squirrel grass. See under {Squirrel}. {Wall box}. (Mach.) See {Wall frame}, below. {Wall creeper} (Zo[94]l.), a small bright-colored bird ({Tichodroma muraria}) native of Asia and Southern Europe. It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red at the base and black distally, some of them with white spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also {spider catcher}. {Wall cress} (Bot.), a name given to several low cruciferous herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress. See under {Mouse-ear}. {Wall frame} (Mach.), a frame set in a wall to receive a pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the wall; -- called also {wall box}. {Wall fruit}, fruit borne by trees trained against a wall. {Wall gecko} (Zo[94]l.), any one of several species of Old World geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means of suckers on the feet. {Wall lizard} (Zo[94]l.), a common European lizard ({Lacerta muralis}) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks and crevices of walls; -- called also {wall newt}. {Wall louse}, a wood louse. {Wall moss} (Bot.), any species of moss growing on walls. {Wall newt} (Zo[94]l.), the wall lizard. --Shak. {Wall paper}, paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper hangings. {Wall pellitory} (Bot.), a European plant ({Parictaria officinalis}) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed medicinal. {Wall pennywort} (Bot.), a plant ({Cotyledon Umbilicus}) having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in Western Europe. {Wall pepper} (Bot.), a low mosslike plant ({Sedum acre}) with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in Europe, and is sometimes seen in America. {Wall pie} (Bot.), a kind of fern; wall rue. {Wall piece}, a gun planted on a wall. --H. L. Scott. {Wall plate} (Arch.), a piece of timber placed horizontally upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like. See Illust. of {Roof}. {Wall rock}, granular limestone used in building walls. [U. S.] --Bartlett. {Wall rue} (Bot.), a species of small fern ({Asplenium Ruta-muraria}) growing on walls, rocks, and the like. {Wall spring}, a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks. {Wall tent}, a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to the walls of a house. {Wall wasp} (Zo[94]l.), a common European solitary wasp ({Odynerus parietus}) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Pellitory \Pel"litory\, n. [OE. paritorie, OF. paritoire, F. pari[82]taire; (cf. It. & Sp. parietaria), L. parietaria the parietary, or pellitory, the wall plant, fr. parietarus belonging to the walls, fr. paries, parietis a wall. Cf. {Parietary}.] (Bot.) The common name of the several species of the genus {Parietaria}, low, harmless weeds of the Nettle family; -- also called {wall pellitory}, and {lichwort}. Note: {Parietaria officinalis} is common on old walls in Europe; {P. pennsylvanica} is found in the United States; and six or seven more species are found near the Mediterranean, or in the Orient.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wall \Wall\, n. [AS. weall, from L. vallum a wall, vallus a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. [?] a nail. Cf. {Interval}.] 1. A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room. The plaster of the wall of the King's palace. --Dan. v. 5. 2. A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense. The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. --Ex. xiv. 22. In such a night, Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls. --Shak. To rush undaunted to defend the walls. --Dryden. 3. An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a steam-engine cylinder. 4. (Mining) (a) The side of a level or drift. (b) The country rock bounding a vein laterally. --Raymond. Note: Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc. {Blank wall}, Blind wall, etc. See under {Blank}, {Blind}, etc. {To drive to the wall}, to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over. {To go to the wall}, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes. {To take the wall}. to take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence. [bd]I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.[b8] --Shak. {Wall barley} (Bot.), a kind of grass ({Hordeum murinum}) much resembling barley; squirrel grass. See under {Squirrel}. {Wall box}. (Mach.) See {Wall frame}, below. {Wall creeper} (Zo[94]l.), a small bright-colored bird ({Tichodroma muraria}) native of Asia and Southern Europe. It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red at the base and black distally, some of them with white spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also {spider catcher}. {Wall cress} (Bot.), a name given to several low cruciferous herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress. See under {Mouse-ear}. {Wall frame} (Mach.), a frame set in a wall to receive a pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the wall; -- called also {wall box}. {Wall fruit}, fruit borne by trees trained against a wall. {Wall gecko} (Zo[94]l.), any one of several species of Old World geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means of suckers on the feet. {Wall lizard} (Zo[94]l.), a common European lizard ({Lacerta muralis}) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks and crevices of walls; -- called also {wall newt}. {Wall louse}, a wood louse. {Wall moss} (Bot.), any species of moss growing on walls. {Wall newt} (Zo[94]l.), the wall lizard. --Shak. {Wall paper}, paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper hangings. {Wall pellitory} (Bot.), a European plant ({Parictaria officinalis}) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed medicinal. {Wall pennywort} (Bot.), a plant ({Cotyledon Umbilicus}) having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in Western Europe. {Wall pepper} (Bot.), a low mosslike plant ({Sedum acre}) with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in Europe, and is sometimes seen in America. {Wall pie} (Bot.), a kind of fern; wall rue. {Wall piece}, a gun planted on a wall. --H. L. Scott. {Wall plate} (Arch.), a piece of timber placed horizontally upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like. See Illust. of {Roof}. {Wall rock}, granular limestone used in building walls. [U. S.] --Bartlett. {Wall rue} (Bot.), a species of small fern ({Asplenium Ruta-muraria}) growing on walls, rocks, and the like. {Wall spring}, a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks. {Wall tent}, a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to the walls of a house. {Wall wasp} (Zo[94]l.), a common European solitary wasp ({Odynerus parietus}) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Pellitory \Pel"litory\, n. [OE. paritorie, OF. paritoire, F. pari[82]taire; (cf. It. & Sp. parietaria), L. parietaria the parietary, or pellitory, the wall plant, fr. parietarus belonging to the walls, fr. paries, parietis a wall. Cf. {Parietary}.] (Bot.) The common name of the several species of the genus {Parietaria}, low, harmless weeds of the Nettle family; -- also called {wall pellitory}, and {lichwort}. Note: {Parietaria officinalis} is common on old walls in Europe; {P. pennsylvanica} is found in the United States; and six or seven more species are found near the Mediterranean, or in the Orient.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wall \Wall\, n. [AS. weall, from L. vallum a wall, vallus a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. [?] a nail. Cf. {Interval}.] 1. A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room. The plaster of the wall of the King's palace. --Dan. v. 5. 2. A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense. The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. --Ex. xiv. 22. In such a night, Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls. --Shak. To rush undaunted to defend the walls. --Dryden. 3. An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a steam-engine cylinder. 4. (Mining) (a) The side of a level or drift. (b) The country rock bounding a vein laterally. --Raymond. Note: Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc. {Blank wall}, Blind wall, etc. See under {Blank}, {Blind}, etc. {To drive to the wall}, to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over. {To go to the wall}, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes. {To take the wall}. to take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence. [bd]I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.[b8] --Shak. {Wall barley} (Bot.), a kind of grass ({Hordeum murinum}) much resembling barley; squirrel grass. See under {Squirrel}. {Wall box}. (Mach.) See {Wall frame}, below. {Wall creeper} (Zo[94]l.), a small bright-colored bird ({Tichodroma muraria}) native of Asia and Southern Europe. It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red at the base and black distally, some of them with white spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also {spider catcher}. {Wall cress} (Bot.), a name given to several low cruciferous herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress. See under {Mouse-ear}. {Wall frame} (Mach.), a frame set in a wall to receive a pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the wall; -- called also {wall box}. {Wall fruit}, fruit borne by trees trained against a wall. {Wall gecko} (Zo[94]l.), any one of several species of Old World geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means of suckers on the feet. {Wall lizard} (Zo[94]l.), a common European lizard ({Lacerta muralis}) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks and crevices of walls; -- called also {wall newt}. {Wall louse}, a wood louse. {Wall moss} (Bot.), any species of moss growing on walls. {Wall newt} (Zo[94]l.), the wall lizard. --Shak. {Wall paper}, paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper hangings. {Wall pellitory} (Bot.), a European plant ({Parictaria officinalis}) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed medicinal. {Wall pennywort} (Bot.), a plant ({Cotyledon Umbilicus}) having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in Western Europe. {Wall pepper} (Bot.), a low mosslike plant ({Sedum acre}) with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in Europe, and is sometimes seen in America. {Wall pie} (Bot.), a kind of fern; wall rue. {Wall piece}, a gun planted on a wall. --H. L. Scott. {Wall plate} (Arch.), a piece of timber placed horizontally upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like. See Illust. of {Roof}. {Wall rock}, granular limestone used in building walls. [U. S.] --Bartlett. {Wall rue} (Bot.), a species of small fern ({Asplenium Ruta-muraria}) growing on walls, rocks, and the like. {Wall spring}, a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks. {Wall tent}, a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to the walls of a house. {Wall wasp} (Zo[94]l.), a common European solitary wasp ({Odynerus parietus}) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wallflower \Wall"flow`er\, n. 1. (Bot.) A perennial, cruciferous plant ({Cheiranthus Cheiri}), with sweet-scented flowers varying in color from yellow to orange and deep red. In Europe it very common on old walls. Note: The name is sometimes extended to other species of {Cheiranthus} and of the related genus {Erysimum}, especially the American {Western wallflower} ({Erysimum asperum}), a biennial herb with orange-yellow flowers. 2. A lady at a ball, who, either from choice, or because not asked to dance, remains a spectator. [Colloq.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wallflower \Wall"flow`er\, n. (Bot.) In Australia, the desert poison bush ({Gastrolobium grandiflorum}); -- called also {native wallflower}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wall-plat \Wall"-plat`\, n. (Zo[94]l.) The spotted flycatcher. It builds its nest on walls. [Prov. Eng.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Weal-balanced \Weal"-bal`anced\, a. Balanced or considered with reference to public weal. [Obs.] --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wealful \Weal"ful\, a. Weleful. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Weleful \Wele"ful\, a. Producing prosperity or happiness; blessed. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Well-plighted \Well"-plight`ed\, a. Being well folded. [Obs.] [bd]Her well-plighted frock.[b8] --Spenser.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
3. A bicycle or a tricycle; a velocipede. 4. A rolling or revolving body; anything of a circular form; a disk; an orb. --Milton. 5. A turn revolution; rotation; compass. According to the common vicissitude and wheel of things, the proud and the insolent, after long trampling upon others, come at length to be trampled upon themselves. --South. [He] throws his steep flight in many an a[89]ry wheel. --Milton. {A wheel within a wheel}, [or] {Wheels within wheels}, a complication of circumstances, motives, etc. {Balance wheel}. See in the Vocab. {Bevel wheel}, {Brake wheel}, {Cam wheel}, {Fifth wheel}, {Overshot wheel}, {Spinning wheel}, etc. See under {Bevel}, {Brake}, etc. {Core wheel}. (Mach.) (a) A mortise gear. (b) A wheel having a rim perforated to receive wooden cogs; the skeleton of a mortise gear. {Measuring wheel}, an odometer, or perambulator. {Wheel and axle} (Mech.), one of the elementary machines or mechanical powers, consisting of a wheel fixed to an axle, and used for raising great weights, by applying the power to the circumference of the wheel, and attaching the weight, by a rope or chain, to that of the axle. Called also {axis in peritrochio}, and {perpetual lever}, -- the principle of equilibrium involved being the same as in the lever, while its action is continuous. See {Mechanical powers}, under {Mechanical}. {Wheel animal}, or {Wheel animalcule} (Zo[94]l.), any one of numerous species of rotifers having a ciliated disk at the anterior end. {Wheel barometer}. (Physics) See under {Barometer}. {Wheel boat}, a boat with wheels, to be used either on water or upon inclined planes or railways. {Wheel bug} (Zo[94]l.), a large North American hemipterous insect ({Prionidus cristatus}) which sucks the blood of other insects. So named from the curious shape of the prothorax. {Wheel carriage}, a carriage moving on wheels. {Wheel chains}, or {Wheel ropes} (Naut.), the chains or ropes connecting the wheel and rudder. {Wheel cutter}, a machine for shaping the cogs of gear wheels; a gear cutter. {Wheel horse}, one of the horses nearest to the wheels, as opposed to a leader, or forward horse; -- called also {wheeler}. {Wheel lathe}, a lathe for turning railway-car wheels. {Wheel lock}. (a) A letter lock. See under {Letter}. (b) A kind of gunlock in which sparks were struck from a flint, or piece of iron pyrites, by a revolving wheel. (c) A kind of brake a carriage. {Wheel ore} (Min.), a variety of bournonite so named from the shape of its twin crystals. See {Bournonite}. {Wheel pit} (Steam Engine), a pit in the ground, in which the lower part of the fly wheel runs. {Wheel plow}, or {Wheel plough}, a plow having one or two wheels attached, to render it more steady, and to regulate the depth of the furrow. {Wheel press}, a press by which railway-car wheels are forced on, or off, their axles. {Wheel race}, the place in which a water wheel is set. {Wheel rope} (Naut.), a tiller rope. See under {Tiller}. {Wheel stitch} (Needlework), a stitch resembling a spider's web, worked into the material, and not over an open space. --Caulfeild & S. (Dict. of Needlework). {Wheel tree} (Bot.), a tree ({Aspidosperma excelsum}) of Guiana, which has a trunk so curiously fluted that a transverse section resembles the hub and spokes of a coarsely made wheel. See {Paddlewood}. {Wheel urchin} (Zo[94]l.), any sea urchin of the genus {Rotula} having a round, flat shell. {Wheel window} (Arch.), a circular window having radiating mullions arranged like the spokes of a wheel. Cf. {Rose window}, under {Rose}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
3. A bicycle or a tricycle; a velocipede. 4. A rolling or revolving body; anything of a circular form; a disk; an orb. --Milton. 5. A turn revolution; rotation; compass. According to the common vicissitude and wheel of things, the proud and the insolent, after long trampling upon others, come at length to be trampled upon themselves. --South. [He] throws his steep flight in many an a[89]ry wheel. --Milton. {A wheel within a wheel}, [or] {Wheels within wheels}, a complication of circumstances, motives, etc. {Balance wheel}. See in the Vocab. {Bevel wheel}, {Brake wheel}, {Cam wheel}, {Fifth wheel}, {Overshot wheel}, {Spinning wheel}, etc. See under {Bevel}, {Brake}, etc. {Core wheel}. (Mach.) (a) A mortise gear. (b) A wheel having a rim perforated to receive wooden cogs; the skeleton of a mortise gear. {Measuring wheel}, an odometer, or perambulator. {Wheel and axle} (Mech.), one of the elementary machines or mechanical powers, consisting of a wheel fixed to an axle, and used for raising great weights, by applying the power to the circumference of the wheel, and attaching the weight, by a rope or chain, to that of the axle. Called also {axis in peritrochio}, and {perpetual lever}, -- the principle of equilibrium involved being the same as in the lever, while its action is continuous. See {Mechanical powers}, under {Mechanical}. {Wheel animal}, or {Wheel animalcule} (Zo[94]l.), any one of numerous species of rotifers having a ciliated disk at the anterior end. {Wheel barometer}. (Physics) See under {Barometer}. {Wheel boat}, a boat with wheels, to be used either on water or upon inclined planes or railways. {Wheel bug} (Zo[94]l.), a large North American hemipterous insect ({Prionidus cristatus}) which sucks the blood of other insects. So named from the curious shape of the prothorax. {Wheel carriage}, a carriage moving on wheels. {Wheel chains}, or {Wheel ropes} (Naut.), the chains or ropes connecting the wheel and rudder. {Wheel cutter}, a machine for shaping the cogs of gear wheels; a gear cutter. {Wheel horse}, one of the horses nearest to the wheels, as opposed to a leader, or forward horse; -- called also {wheeler}. {Wheel lathe}, a lathe for turning railway-car wheels. {Wheel lock}. (a) A letter lock. See under {Letter}. (b) A kind of gunlock in which sparks were struck from a flint, or piece of iron pyrites, by a revolving wheel. (c) A kind of brake a carriage. {Wheel ore} (Min.), a variety of bournonite so named from the shape of its twin crystals. See {Bournonite}. {Wheel pit} (Steam Engine), a pit in the ground, in which the lower part of the fly wheel runs. {Wheel plow}, or {Wheel plough}, a plow having one or two wheels attached, to render it more steady, and to regulate the depth of the furrow. {Wheel press}, a press by which railway-car wheels are forced on, or off, their axles. {Wheel race}, the place in which a water wheel is set. {Wheel rope} (Naut.), a tiller rope. See under {Tiller}. {Wheel stitch} (Needlework), a stitch resembling a spider's web, worked into the material, and not over an open space. --Caulfeild & S. (Dict. of Needlework). {Wheel tree} (Bot.), a tree ({Aspidosperma excelsum}) of Guiana, which has a trunk so curiously fluted that a transverse section resembles the hub and spokes of a coarsely made wheel. See {Paddlewood}. {Wheel urchin} (Zo[94]l.), any sea urchin of the genus {Rotula} having a round, flat shell. {Wheel window} (Arch.), a circular window having radiating mullions arranged like the spokes of a wheel. Cf. {Rose window}, under {Rose}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Whole \Whole\, a. [OE. hole, hol, hal, hool, AS. h[be]l well, sound, healthy; akin to OFries. & OS. h[?]l, D. heel, G. heil, Icel. heill, Sw. hel whole, Dan. heel, Goth. hails well, sound, OIr. c[?]l augury. Cf. {Hale}, {Hail} to greet, {Heal} to cure, {Health}, {Holy}.] 1. Containing the total amount, number, etc.; comprising all the parts; free from deficiency; all; total; entire; as, the whole earth; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation. [bd]On their whole host I flew unarmed.[b8] --Milton. The whole race of mankind. --Shak. 2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; not broken or fractured; unimpaired; uninjured; integral; as, a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole. My life is yet whole in me. --2 Sam. i. 9. 3. Possessing, or being in a state of, heath and soundness; healthy; sound; well. [She] findeth there her friends hole and sound. --Chaucer. They that be whole need not a physician. --Matt. ix. 12. When Sir Lancelot's deadly hurt was whole. --Tennyson. {Whole blood}. (Law of Descent) See under {Blood}, n., 2. {Whole note} (Mus.), the note which represents a note of longest duration in common use; a semibreve. {Whole number} (Math.), a number which is not a fraction or mixed number; an integer. {Whole snipe} (Zo[94]l.), the common snipe, as distinguished from the smaller jacksnipe. [Prov. Eng.] Syn: All; total; complete; entire; integral; undivided; uninjured; unimpaired; unbroken; healthy. Usage: {Whole}, {Total}, {Entire}, {Complete}. When we use the word whole, we refer to a thing as made up of parts, none of which are wanting; as, a whole week; a whole year; the whole creation. When we use the word total, we have reference to all as taken together, and forming a single totality; as, the total amount; the total income. When we speak of a thing as entire, we have no reference to parts at all, but regard the thing as an integer, i. e., continuous or unbroken; as, an entire year; entire prosperity. When we speak of a thing as complete, there is reference to some progress which results in a filling out to some end or object, or a perfected state with no deficiency; as, complete success; a complete victory. All the whole army stood agazed on him. --Shak. One entire and perfect chrysolite. --Shak. Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life. --Milton. So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. --Milton.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Blood \Blood\, n. [OE. blod, blood, AS. bl[?]d; akin to D. bloed, OHG. bluot, G. blut, Goth, bl[?][?], Sw. & Dan. blod; prob. fr. the same root as E. blow to bloom. See {Blow} to bloom.] 1. The fluid which circulates in the principal vascular system of animals, carrying nourishment to all parts of the body, and bringing away waste products to be excreted. See under {Arterial}. Note: The blood consists of a liquid, the plasma, containing minute particles, the blood corpuscles. In the invertebrate animals it is usually nearly colorless, and contains only one kind of corpuscles; but in all vertebrates, except Amphioxus, it contains some colorless corpuscles, with many more which are red and give the blood its uniformly red color. See {Corpuscle}, {Plasma}. 2. Relationship by descent from a common ancestor; consanguinity; kinship. To share the blood of Saxon royalty. --Sir W. Scott. A friend of our own blood. --Waller. {Half blood} (Law), relationship through only one parent. {Whole blood}, relationship through both father and mother. In American Law, blood includes both half blood, and whole blood. --Bouvier. --Peters. 3. Descent; lineage; especially, honorable birth; the highest royal lineage. Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam. --Shak. I am a gentleman of blood and breeding. --Shak. 4. (Stock Breeding) Descent from parents of recognized breed; excellence or purity of breed. Note: In stock breeding half blood is descent showing one half only of pure breed. Blue blood, full blood, or warm blood, is the same as blood. 5. The fleshy nature of man. Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood. --Shak. 6. The shedding of blood; the taking of life, murder; manslaughter; destruction. So wills the fierce, avenging sprite, Till blood for blood atones. --Hood. 7. A bloodthirsty or murderous disposition. [R.] He was a thing of blood, whose every motion Was timed with dying cries. --Shak. 8. Temper of mind; disposition; state of the passions; -- as if the blood were the seat of emotions. When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth. --Shak. Note: Often, in this sense, accompanied with bad, cold, warm, or other qualifying word. Thus, to commit an act in cold blood, is to do it deliberately, and without sudden passion; to do it in bad blood, is to do it in anger. Warm blood denotes a temper inflamed or irritated. To warm or heat the blood is to excite the passions. Qualified by up, excited feeling or passion is signified; as, my blood was up. 9. A man of fire or spirit; a fiery spark; a gay, showy man; a rake. Seest thou not . . . how giddily 'a turns about all the hot bloods between fourteen and five and thirty? --Shak. It was the morning costume of a dandy or blood. --Thackeray. 10. The juice of anything, especially if red. He washed . . . his clothes in the blood of grapes. --Gen. xiix. 11. Note: Blood is often used as an adjective, and as the first part of self-explaining compound words; as, blood-bespotted, blood-bought, blood-curdling, blood-dyed, blood-red, blood-spilling, blood-stained, blood-warm, blood-won. {Blood baptism} (Eccl. Hist.), the martyrdom of those who had not been baptized. They were considered as baptized in blood, and this was regarded as a full substitute for literal baptism. {Blood blister}, a blister or bleb containing blood or bloody serum, usually caused by an injury. {Blood brother}, brother by blood or birth. {Blood clam} (Zo[94]l.), a bivalve mollusk of the genus Arca and allied genera, esp. {Argina pexata} of the American coast. So named from the color of its flesh. {Blood corpuscle}. See {Corpuscle}. {Blood crystal} (Physiol.), one of the crystals formed by the separation in a crystalline form of the h[91]moglobin of the red blood corpuscles; h[91]matocrystallin. All blood does not yield blood crystals. {Blood heat}, heat equal to the temperature of human blood, or about 98[ab] [deg] Fahr. {Blood horse}, a horse whose blood or lineage is derived from the purest and most highly prized origin or stock. {Blood money}. See in the Vocabulary. {Blood orange}, an orange with dark red pulp. {Blood poisoning} (Med.), a morbid state of the blood caused by the introduction of poisonous or infective matters from without, or the absorption or retention of such as are produced in the body itself; tox[91]mia. {Blood pudding}, a pudding made of blood and other materials. {Blood relation}, one connected by blood or descent. {Blood spavin}. See under {Spavin}. {Blood vessel}. See in the Vocabulary. {Blue blood}, the blood of noble or aristocratic families, which, according to a Spanish prover, has in it a tinge of blue; -- hence, a member of an old and aristocratic family. {Flesh and blood}. (a) A blood relation, esp. a child. (b) Human nature. {In blood} (Hunting), in a state of perfect health and vigor. --Shak. {To let blood}. See under {Let}. {Prince of the blood}, the son of a sovereign, or the issue of a royal family. The sons, brothers, and uncles of the sovereign are styled princes of the blood royal; and the daughters, sisters, and aunts are princesses of the blood royal.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wileful \Wile"ful\, a. Full of wiles; trickish; deceitful.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wilfley table \Wil"fley ta`ble\ (Ore Dressing) An inclined percussion table, usually with longitudinal grooves in its surface, agitated by side blows at right angles to the flow of the pulp; -- so called after the inventor.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wilful \Wil"ful\, a., Wilfully \Wil"fully\, adv., Wilfulness \Wil"fulness\, n. See {Willful}, {Willfully}, and {Willfulness}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wilful \Wil"ful\, a., Wilfully \Wil"fully\, adv., Wilfulness \Wil"fulness\, n. See {Willful}, {Willfully}, and {Willfulness}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wilful \Wil"ful\, a., Wilfully \Wil"fully\, adv., Wilfulness \Wil"fulness\, n. See {Willful}, {Willfully}, and {Willfulness}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Willful \Will"ful\, a. [Will + full.] [Written also wilful.] 1. Of set purpose; self-determined; voluntary; as, willful murder. --Foxe. In willful poverty chose to lead his life. --Chaucer. Thou to me Art all things under heaven, all places thou, Who, for my willful crime, art banished hence. --Milton. 2. Governed by the will without yielding to reason; obstinate; perverse; inflexible; stubborn; refractory; as, a willful man or horse. -- {Will"fully}, adv. -- {Will"fulness}, n.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Willful \Will"ful\, a. [Will + full.] [Written also wilful.] 1. Of set purpose; self-determined; voluntary; as, willful murder. --Foxe. In willful poverty chose to lead his life. --Chaucer. Thou to me Art all things under heaven, all places thou, Who, for my willful crime, art banished hence. --Milton. 2. Governed by the will without yielding to reason; obstinate; perverse; inflexible; stubborn; refractory; as, a willful man or horse. -- {Will"fully}, adv. -- {Will"fulness}, n.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Willful \Will"ful\, a. [Will + full.] [Written also wilful.] 1. Of set purpose; self-determined; voluntary; as, willful murder. --Foxe. In willful poverty chose to lead his life. --Chaucer. Thou to me Art all things under heaven, all places thou, Who, for my willful crime, art banished hence. --Milton. 2. Governed by the will without yielding to reason; obstinate; perverse; inflexible; stubborn; refractory; as, a willful man or horse. -- {Will"fully}, adv. -- {Will"fulness}, n.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Willow \Wil"low\, n. [OE. wilowe, wilwe, AS. wilig, welig; akin to OD. wilge, D. wilg, LG. wilge. Cf. {Willy}.] 1. (Bot.) Any tree or shrub of the genus {Salix}, including many species, most of which are characterized often used as an emblem of sorrow, desolation, or desertion. [bd]A wreath of willow to show my forsaken plight.[b8] --Sir W. Scott. Hence, a lover forsaken by, or having lost, the person beloved, is said to wear the willow. And I must wear the willow garland For him that's dead or false to me. --Campbell. 2. (Textile Manuf.) A machine in which cotton or wool is opened and cleansed by the action of long spikes projecting from a drum which revolves within a box studded with similar spikes; -- probably so called from having been originally a cylindrical cage made of willow rods, though some derive the term from winnow, as denoting the winnowing, or cleansing, action of the machine. Called also {willy}, {twilly}, {twilly devil}, and {devil}. {Almond willow}, {Pussy willow}, {Weeping willow}. (Bot.) See under {Almond}, {Pussy}, and {Weeping}. {Willow biter} (Zo[94]l.) the blue tit. [Prov. Eng.] {Willow fly} (Zo[94]l.), a greenish European stone fly ({Chloroperla viridis}); -- called also {yellow Sally}. {Willow gall} (Zo[94]l.), a conical, scaly gall produced on willows by the larva of a small dipterous fly ({Cecidomyia strobiloides}). {Willow grouse} (Zo[94]l.), the white ptarmigan. See {ptarmigan}. {Willow lark} (Zo[94]l.), the sedge warbler. [Prov. Eng.] {Willow ptarmigan} (Zo[94]l.) (a) The European reed bunting, or black-headed bunting. See under {Reed}. (b) A sparrow ({Passer salicicolus}) native of Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe. {Willow tea}, the prepared leaves of a species of willow largely grown in the neighborhood of Shanghai, extensively used by the poorer classes of Chinese as a substitute for tea. --McElrath. {Willow thrush} (Zo[94]l.), a variety of the veery, or Wilson's thrush. See {Veery}. {Willow warbler} (Zo[94]l.), a very small European warbler ({Phylloscopus trochilus}); -- called also {bee bird}, {haybird}, {golden wren}, {pettychaps}, {sweet William}, {Tom Thumb}, and {willow wren}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wolf \Wolf\, n.; pl. {Wolves}. [OE. wolf, wulf, AS. wulf; akin to OS. wulf, D. & G. wolf, Icel. [umac]lfr, Sw. ulf, Dan. ulv, Goth. wulfs, Lith. vilkas, Russ. volk', L. lupus, Gr. ly`kos, Skr. v[rsdot]ka; also to Gr. "e`lkein to draw, drag, tear in pieces. [root]286. Cf. {Lupine}, a., {Lyceum}.] 1. (Zo[94]l.) Any one of several species of wild and savage carnivores belonging to the genus {Canis} and closely allied to the common dog. The best-known and most destructive species are the European wolf ({Canis lupus}), the American gray, or timber, wolf ({C. occidentalis}), and the prairie wolf, or coyote. Wolves often hunt in packs, and may thus attack large animals and even man. 2. (Zo[94]l.) One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larv[91] of several species of beetles and grain moths; as, the bee wolf. 3. Fig.: Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation; as, they toiled hard to keep the wolf from the door. 4. A white worm, or maggot, which infests granaries. 5. An eating ulcer or sore. Cf. {Lupus}. [Obs.] If God should send a cancer upon thy face, or a wolf into thy side. --Jer. Taylor. 6. (Mus.) (a) The harsh, howling sound of some of the chords on an organ or piano tuned by unequal temperament. (b) In bowed instruments, a harshness due to defective vibration in certain notes of the scale. 7. (Textile Manuf.) A willying machine. --Knight. {Black wolf}. (Zo[94]l.) (a) A black variety of the European wolf which is common in the Pyrenees. (b) A black variety of the American gray wolf. {Golden wolf} (Zo[94]l.), the Thibetan wolf ({Canis laniger}); -- called also {chanco}. {Indian wolf} (Zo[94]l.), an Asiatic wolf ({Canis pallipes}) which somewhat resembles a jackal. Called also {landgak}. {Prairie wolf} (Zo[94]l.), the coyote. {Sea wolf}. (Zo[94]l.) See in the Vocabulary. {Strand wolf} (Zo[94]l.) the striped hyena. {Tasmanian wolf} (Zo[94]l.), the zebra wolf. {Tiger wolf} (Zo[94]l.), the spotted hyena. {To keep the wolf from the door}, to keep away poverty; to prevent starvation. See {Wolf}, 3, above. --Tennyson. {Wolf dog}. (Zo[94]l.) (a) The mastiff, or shepherd dog, of the Pyrenees, supposed by some authors to be one of the ancestors of the St. Bernard dog. (b) The Irish greyhound, supposed to have been used formerly by the Danes for chasing wolves. (c) A dog bred between a dog and a wolf, as the Eskimo dog. {Wolf eel} (Zo[94]l.), a wolf fish. {Wolf fish} (Zo[94]l.), any one of several species of large, voracious marine fishes of the genus {Anarrhichas}, especially the common species ({A. lupus}) of Europe and North America. These fishes have large teeth and powerful jaws. Called also {catfish}, {sea cat}, {sea wolf}, {stone biter}, and {swinefish}. {Wolf net}, a kind of net used in fishing, which takes great numbers of fish. {Wolf's peach} (Bot.), the tomato, or love apple ({Lycopersicum esculentum}). {Wolf spider} (Zo[94]l.), any one of numerous species of running ground spiders belonging to the genus {Lycosa}, or family {Lycosid[91]}. These spiders run about rapidly in search of their prey. Most of them are plain brown or blackish in color. See Illust. in App. {Zebra wolf} (Zo[94]l.), a savage carnivorous marsupial ({Thylacinus cynocephalus}) native of Tasmania; -- called also {Tasmanian wolf}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wolfling \Wolf"ling\, n. A young wolf. --Carlyle.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Wool \Wool\ (w[oocr]l), n. [OE. wolle, wulle, AS. wull; akin to D. wol, OHG. wolla, G. wolle, Icel. & Sw. ull, Dan. uld, Goth, wulla, Lith. vilna, Russ. volna, L. vellus, Skr. [umac]r[nsdot][amac] wool, v[rsdot] to cover. [root]146, 287. Cf. {Flannel}, {Velvet}.] 1. The soft and curled, or crisped, species of hair which grows on sheep and some other animals, and which in fineness sometimes approaches to fur; -- chiefly applied to the fleecy coat of the sheep, which constitutes a most essential material of clothing in all cold and temperate climates. Note: Wool consists essentially of keratin. 2. Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled. Wool of bat and tongue of dog. --Shak. 3. (Bot.) A sort of pubescence, or a clothing of dense, curling hairs on the surface of certain plants. {Dead pulled wool}, wool pulled from a carcass. {Mineral wool}. See under {Mineral}. {Philosopher's wool}. (Chem.) See {Zinc oxide}, under {Zinc}. {Pulled wool}, wool pulled from a pelt, or undressed hide. {Slag wool}. Same as {Mineral wool}, under {Mineral}. {Wool ball}, a ball or mass of wool. {Wool burler}, one who removes little burs, knots, or extraneous matter, from wool, or the surface of woolen cloth. {Wool comber}. (a) One whose occupation is to comb wool. (b) A machine for combing wool. {Wool grass} (Bot.), a kind of bulrush ({Scirpus Eriophorum}) with numerous clustered woolly spikes. {Wool scribbler}. See {Woolen scribbler}, under {Woolen}, a. {Wool sorter's disease} (Med.), a disease, resembling malignant pustule, occurring among those who handle the wool of goats and sheep. {Wool staple}, a city or town where wool used to be brought to the king's staple for sale. [Eng.] {Wool stapler}. (a) One who deals in wool. (b) One who sorts wool according to its staple, or its adaptation to different manufacturing purposes. {Wool winder}, a person employed to wind, or make up, wool into bundles to be packed for sale.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Woolfell \Wool"fell`\, n. [Wool + fell a skin.] A skin with the wool; a skin from which the wool has not been sheared or pulled. [Written also {woolfel}.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Woolfell \Wool"fell`\, n. [Wool + fell a skin.] A skin with the wool; a skin from which the wool has not been sheared or pulled. [Written also {woolfel}.]
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Walpole, MA (CDP, FIPS 72460) Location: 42.13776 N, 71.24475 W Population (1990): 5495 (2264 housing units) Area: 7.4 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 02081 Walpole, ME Zip code(s): 04573 Walpole, NH Zip code(s): 03608
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Weallup Lake, WA (CDP, FIPS 76800) Location: 48.11039 N, 122.30488 W Population (1990): 681 (1513 housing units) Area: 13.5 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Wellfleet, MA Zip code(s): 02667 Wellfleet, NE (village, FIPS 52085) Location: 40.75271 N, 100.73041 W Population (1990): 63 (33 housing units) Area: 0.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 69170
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Wileyville, WV Zip code(s): 26186
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Willow Valley, AZ (CDP, FIPS 83570) Location: 34.91204 N, 114.60580 W Population (1990): 355 (398 housing units) Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Wolf Lake, IL Zip code(s): 62998 Wolf Lake, MI (CDP, FIPS 88220) Location: 43.24547 N, 86.10588 W Population (1990): 4110 (1533 housing units) Area: 9.0 sq km (land), 0.9 sq km (water) Wolf Lake, MN (city, FIPS 71338) Location: 46.80288 N, 95.35512 W Population (1990): 35 (29 housing units) Area: 0.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 56593
From Jargon File (4.2.0, 31 JAN 2000) [jargon]:
wall follower n. A person or algorithm that compensates for lack of sophistication or native stupidity by efficiently following some simple procedure shown to have been effective in the past. Used of an algorithm, this is not necessarily pejorative; it recalls `Harvey Wallbanger', the winning robot in an early AI contest (named, of course, after the cocktail). Harvey successfully solved mazes by keeping a `finger' on one wall and running till it came out the other end. This was inelegant, but it was mathematically guaranteed to work on simply-connected mazes -- and, in fact, Harvey outperformed more sophisticated robots that tried to `learn' each maze by building an internal representation of it. Used of humans, the term _is_ pejorative and implies an uncreative, bureaucratic, by-the-book mentality. See also {code grinder}; compare {droid}.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
wall follower A person or {algorithm} that compensates for lack of sophistication or native stupidity by efficiently following some simple procedure shown to have been effective in the past. Used of an algorithm, this is not necessarily pejorative; it recalls "Harvey Wallbanger", the winning robot in an early AI contest (named, of course, after the cocktail). Harvey successfully solved mazes by keeping a "finger" on one wall and running till it came out the other end. This was inelegant, but it was mathematically guaranteed to work on simply-connected mazes - and, in fact, Harvey outperformed more sophisticated robots that tried to "learn" each maze by building an internal representation of it. Used of humans, the term is pejorative and implies an uncreative, bureaucratic, by-the-book mentality. See also {code grinder}. [{Jargon File}] (2003-02-03)