Welcome back to Write Right’s Alphabet Adventure! I apologize for the delay; raising support for a residency, being a resident at The Austin Stone, and starting a new job commandeered my life. But we — I — return with a more-or-less regular installment of the series in hopes of concluding it before the end of 2020.
Let not the news of hindrances and false starts cause weeping and wailing. Rather, let it cause us to wonder at the letter “w.” The letter starts a number of practical words like “who, “when,” “where,” and “which”:
- “Which sandwich would you prefer?”
- “When does class start? Where is it being held?”
- “Who was on the phone?”
The letter also initiates a number of, well, odd words. Words like “wahoo,” “wa-wa pedal,” and “wirra” serve as good examples.
“Wit” falls into neither the practical or strange category. It isn’t an odd word; we know it, if only because of Shakespeare’s witticisms. The word, though, can serve a practical function, allowing a “witty” person to make statements no one else could or would dare. The king’s wit, for instance, often insults courtiers and regularly risks, if not his head, his position. At least, that’s how Brandon Sanderson interprets the word in his epic fantasy The Stormlight Archive. The character, named “Wit,” surfaces throughout the books, insulting almost everyone and inevitably disclosing some arcane, ancient knowledge before vanishing.
As for other “w” words, let us consider the following ones. May they enrich your vocabulary or offer a break from the day’s responsibilities.
Wafflestomper
Noun. [Waffle + stomp + -er; from the pattern left by the soles.] (1972) A hiking boot with a lug sole.
(If my younger brother were to wear wafflestompers, he’d leave tracks akin to Big Foot’s.)
Wallow
Verb Intransitive. [From the Middle English walwen. From the Old English wealwian, to roll—more at VOLUBLE.] (Before 1100) To roll oneself about in an indolent or ungainly manner. To billow forth: SURGE. To devote oneself entirely; especially: to take unrestrained pleasure: DELIGHT. To become abundantly supplied: LUXURIATE <a family that ~s in money>. To indulge oneself immoderately <~ing in self-pity>. To become or remain helpless <allowed them to ~ in their ignorance>.
Noun. (1400s) An act or instance of wallowing. A muddy area or one filled with dust used by animals for wallowing. A depression formed by or as if by the wallowing of animals. A state of degradation or degeneracy.
(In the story of the prodigal, or lost, son, he exemplifies wallowing in both its verb and noun forms.)
Wallydraigle
Noun. [Origin unknown.] Chiefly Scottish. (1500) A feeble, imperfectly developed, or slovenly creature.
(Caught in the rainstorm, the young kitten looked a right wallydraigle.)
Water Bloom
Noun. (1906) An accumulation of algae and especially of blue-green algae at or near the surface of a body of water.
(A water bloom sounds pretty but in reality is rather scummy.)
Wayworn
Adjective. (1788) Wearied by traveling.
(By the end of The Lord of the Rings, the fellowship is wayworn.)
Weasel Word
Noun. [From the weasel’s reputed habit of sucking the contents out of an egg while leaving the shell superficially intact.] (1900) A word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position.
(Everyone waited for the senator’s reply, fully expecting him to find a weasel word that left him uncommitted on the issue.)
Wham
Noun. [Imitation.] (1739) A solid blow. The loud sound of a hard impact.
Verb. (1925) To propel, strike, or beat so as to produce a loud impact. Verb transitive: to hit or explode with a loud impact.
(When the sorcerer cast a spell to sink the ships, he was unprepared for the wham of impact—the ships boomed and splintered as though hit with cannon shot.)
Whiffle
Verb. [Probably frequentative of whiff.] (1568) Of the wind: to blow unsteadily or in gusts. VACILLATE. To emit or produce a light whistling or puffing sound. Verb transitive: to blow, disperse, emit, or expel with or as if with a whiff.
(Finally fed up with her friend’s whiffling about dinner plans, Meg decided to forego the restaurant and eat at home.)
Whole Cloth
Noun. (1840) Pure fabrication—usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth.
(When Jared realized he couldn’t escape the city guards, he turned himself in and explained his night activities out of whole cloth.)
Williwaw
Noun. [Origin unknown.] (1842) A sudden violent gust of cold land air common along mountainous coasts of high latitudes. A sudden violent wind. A violent commotion.
(The williwaw almost knocked Jill off her feet.)
Wirra
Interjection. [Oh wirra, from the Irish Gaelic a Muire, literally, O Mary.] Irish. (1829) Usually used to express lament, grief, or concern.
(“Oh wirra,” she murmured when her sister-in-law called with news about her brother’s emergency open-heart surgery.)
Woebegone
Adjective. [From the Middle English wo begon; from wo, woe + begon, past participle of begon, to go about, beset. From the Old English begān; from be + gān, to go—more at GO.] (1300s) Strongly affected with woe: WOEFUL. Exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery <a ~ expression>. Being in a sorry state <~ tattered clothes>.
(The Pony Express rider’s woebegone clothing bespoke long, hard days on the road.)
Woolly-Headed
Adjective. (1650) Having hair suggesting wool. Marked by vague or confused perception or thinking.
(The senator was a consummate actor; his woolly-headed expression belied an incisive intellect.)
Wraith
Noun. [Origin unknown.] (1513) An apparition of a living person in his exact likeness seen usually just before his death. GHOST, SPECTER. An insubstantial appearance: SHADOW. A barely visible gaseous or vaporous column.
(The boy refused to climb to the crow’s nest after the midshipmen warned him that wraiths appeared on the deck every new moon.)
Wry
Verb. [From the Middle English wrien. From the Old English wrigian, to turn. Akin to the Middle High German rigel, kerchief wound around the head. From the Greek rhoikos, crooked.] (1300s) TWIST, WRITHE. Verb transitive: to pull out of or as if out of proper shape: make awry.
Adjective. (1523) Having a bent or twisted shape or condition <a ~ smile>; especially: turned abnormally to one side <a ~ neck>. Marked by perversity: WRONGHEADED. Cleverly and often ironically or grimly humorous.
(Everyone knew his wry humor would put him in the stocks one day.)
Wunderkind
Noun. [From the German. From wunder, wonder (from the Old High German wuntar) + kind, child—more at WONDER.] (1891) A child prodigy. Also: one who succeeds in a competitive or highly difficult field or profession at an early age.
(Mozart was a musical wunderkind.)
Wyvern
Noun. [Alteration of the Middle English wyvere, viper. From the Old North French wivre, modification of the Latin vipera.] (1610) A mythical animal usually represented as a two-legged, winged creature resembling a dragon.
(The wyvern crouched low, attempting to protect its eggs from the men’s bayonets.)
What are your favorite “w” words? Share them in a comment.
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