| walnut |
any of various trees related to the hickory, bearing edible nuts, and used as shade trees and as a source of high-quality wood. [4 definitions] |
| Walpurgis Night |
the eve of May Day, during which, according to German folklore, witches gathered for a sabbath before the feast of St. Walpurgis on May 1. |
| walrus |
either of two large marine mammals related to the seals, inhabiting arctic seas and having two large tusks, flippers, considerable blubber, and tough thick hide. |
| Walt Disney |
U.S. cartoonist and motion-picture animator, director, and producer (b.1901--d.1966). |
| Walter Mitty |
the main character of James Thurber's modern story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, who is mild and ineffectual, but who imagines himself a hero in various situations. [2 definitions] |
| Walter Sisulu |
South African former Deputy President of the African National Congress and anti-apartheid activist; born Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (b.1912--d.2003). |
| Walter Ulbricht |
founding member of the German Communist Party and First Secretary of the Socialist Union Party (1950-71), who was a leader in the development and establishment of East Germany (b.1893--d.1973). |
| Walt Whitman |
a U.S. poet (b.1819--d.1892). |
| waltz |
a round dance for couples in three-four time with the accent on the first beat. [7 definitions] |
| Wampanoag |
a tribe of North American Indians living in the northeastern United States in what is now eastern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. [4 definitions] |
| wampum |
white and dark cylindrical beads made from polished shells, formerly used by North American Indians as money and ornaments. |
| wan |
unnaturally pale, as from illness or exhaustion. [3 definitions] |
| wand |
a thin stick or rod used by magicians or the like. [3 definitions] |
| wander |
to move about with no purpose, aim, or plan, or at no definite pace; roam. [5 definitions] |
| Wandering Jew |
in medieval folklore, a Jew condemned to roam the earth until the Second Coming, as a punishment for mocking or striking Jesus Christ before the crucifixion. [2 definitions] |
| wanderlust |
a strong, constant desire to travel. |
| wane |
of the moon, to gradually decrease in the size of the portion that is illuminated, as seen from the earth. (Cf. wax2). [6 definitions] |
| wangle |
(informal) to get or bring about (something) by resorting to tricks and schemes. [2 definitions] |
| Wankel engine |
an internal combustion engine that features a triangular rotor revolving in a chamber, and that requires fewer moving parts and is lighter and less efficient than a piston-driven engine. |
| wanna |
contraction of "want to" used in some types of writing to reflect how the two words are often pronounced in rapid, informal speech. |
| want |
to desire (something); wish for. [14 definitions] |