Water meter
Water meter, device to measure the quantity of water flowing through a pipe or other channel.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Watermelon to Will
Water moccasin
Water moccasin, also called cottonmouth or moccasin snake, poisonous snake in the viper family.
Water pipit
Water pipit See: Pipit.
Water plant
Water plant, also called aquatic plant or hydrophyte, any of several plants classified as those that live on the surface or below the surface of water.
Water pollution
Water pollution, contamination to water systems as a direct result of the discharge of harmful products.
Water polo
Water polo, game played in a swimming pool in which 2 teams try to pass or throw a ball into the opponent's goal.
Water power
Water power, energy obtained from flowing or falling water used to run machinery or create electrical power.
Water-skiing
Water-skiing, sport in which a person wearing a pair of ski-like runners glides over water while being pulled by a motorboat moving at speeds of 15–35 mph (24–56 kmph).
Water snake
Water snake, any of nearly 80 species of nonvenomous snakes of the genus Natrix, including the European grass snake.
Water softening
Water softening, process of removing calcium and magnesium from hard water.
Water wheel
Water wheel, wheel that is turned by flowing water, providing power to operate a device.
Watermelon
Watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) and its edible fruit, with a thick rind, juicy pulp, and many seeds.
Ethel Waters
Waters, Ethel (1900–77), African-American singer and actress.
Waterspout
Waterspout, rotating column of air, or tornado, as it passes over water.
Stand Watie
Watie, Stand (1806–71), Native American brigadier general in the Confederate Army.
James Dewey Watson
Watson, James Dewey (1928– ), U.S. biochemist.
John Broadus Watson
Watson, John Broadus (1878–1958), U.S. psychologist who founded behaviorism, which states that a person's behavior is a result of stimuli in his or her environment.
Thomas Edward Watson
Watson, Thomas Edward (1856–1922), U.S. author and political leader from Georgia.
Thomas John Watson
Watson, Thomas John (1874–1956), U.S. business executive and philanthropist.
Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt
Watson-Watt, Sir Robert Alexander (1892–1973), Scottish scientist and inventor.
James Watt
Watt, James (1736–1819), Scottish engineer and inventor.
Jean-Antoine Watteau
Watteau, Jean-Antoine (1684–1721), French draftsperson and painter, strongly influenced by Peter Paul Rubens.
Wattmeter
Wattmeter, instrument that measures electric power in watts, kilowatts, or megawatts.
Watusi
Watusi (Swahili: Watutsi), Tutsi people of Burundi and Rwanda in central Africa (formerly Ruanda-Urundi).
Waugh
Waugh, name of 3 English writers, the sons and grandson of journalist and publisher Arthur Waugh (1886–1943).
Wave
Wave, in physics, energy that travels in rhythmical motions.
Archibald Percival Wavell t earl (1s)
Wavell, Archibald Percival, 1st earl (1883–1950), British field marshal.
Wax
Wax, moldable, water-repellent solid, of which there are several entirely different kinds. Animal waxes were the first known: Wool wax when purified yields lanolin; beeswax, from the honeycomb, is used for some candles and as a sculpture medium (by carving or casting); spermaceti wax, from the sperm whale, is used in ointments and cosmetics. Vegetable waxes, like animal waxes, are mixtures of este…
Wax myrtle
Wax myrtle, tree in bayberry or wax myrtle family.
Waxwing
Waxwing, any of 3 species of starling-sized birds (genus Bombycilla) named for the red, waxlike marks on their wings.
Anthony Wayne
Wayne, Anthony (1745–96), American Revolutionary general whose daring tactics earned him the name “mad Anthony Wayne.” In 1779 he executed the brilliant victory of Stony Point over the British, and he was with Lafayette at the siege of Yorktown (1781).
John Wayne
Wayne, John (Marion Michael Morrison; 1907–79), U.S. film actor, known mostly for his tough hero roles.
Weakfish
Weakfish, or squeteague, any of a genus (Cynoscion) of saltwater fishes used for food, measuring 1–2 ft (30–61 cm) long or more.
Weapon
Weapon, any device used to attack or defend.
Weasel
Weasel, small, carnivorous mammal (Mustela nivalis) related to the skunk, wolverine, and mink.
Weather
Weather, variations in atmospheric conditions (temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, air pressure, and cloudiness) experienced at a given place over a short period of time.
National Weather Service
Weather Service, National, part of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), in the U.S.
Weather vane
Weather vane, instrument used to perceive the direction in which the wind is moving.
Robert Clifton Weaver
Weaver, Robert Clifton (1907– ), U.S. economist, and secretary of housing and urban development (HUD; 1966–68).
Weaverbird
Weaverbird, small, seed-eating bird (family Ploceidae) of Africa and Asia.
Weaving
Weaving, process of making a fabric by interlacing 2 or more sets of threads. In plain, or tabby, weave, 1 set of threads (the warp) extends along the length of the fabric; the other set (the woof, or weft) is at right angles to the warp and passes alternately over and under it. Other common weaves include twill, satin, and pile. In basic twill, woof threads pass over 2–4 warp threads, prod…
Webb
Webb, name of 2 English social reformers and economists.
Carl Maria von Weber
Weber, Carl Maria von (1786–1826), German composer, pianist, and conductor who established the romantic opera and paved the way in Germany for Richard Wagner.
Max Weber
Weber, Max (1881–1961), U.S. painter.
Max Weber
Weber, Max (1864–1920), German economist and sociologist.
Anton Webern
Webern, Anton (1883–1945), Austrian composer.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Webster-Ashburton Treaty, 1842 agreement between the United States and Great Britain.
Daniel Webster
Webster, Daniel (1782–1852), U.S. politician, lawyer, and orator whose advocacy of strong central government earned him the name “defender of the Constitution.” Early in his career he eloquently defended states' rights and championed New England's interests, first as a New Hampshire member of the House of Representatives (1813–17), and Massachusetts representative (1823–27) and senator (1827–41; 1845–50).
Noah Webster
Webster, Noah (1758–1843), U.S. lexicographer whose works—such as The Elementary Spelling Book, called the “Blue-Backed Speller” (1829; earlier versions, 1783–87)—helped standardize American spelling.
William Hedgecock Webster
Webster, William Hedgecock (1924– ), U.S. jurist and director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea, arm of the Atlantic Ocean in Antarctica between Palmer Land and Coats Land.
Wedding anniversary
Wedding anniversary, celebration that takes place at the yearly return of an original wedding date.
Frank Wedekind
Wedekind, Frank (1864–1918), German playwright and actor.
Wedge
Wedge, device with 2 or more surfaces that slope and taper to a thin edge.
Josiah Wedgwood
Wedgwood, Josiah (1730–95), English potter, inventor of Wedgwood ware.
Wedgwood ware
Wedgwood ware, fine English pottery first created by Josiah Wedgwood (1730–95).
Weed
Weed, any plant that is useless or destructive, or that grows where it is not desired.
Thurlow Weed
Weed, Thurlow (1797–1882), U.S. journalist and Whig political leader.
Mason Locke Weems
Weems, Mason Locke (1759–1825), U.S.
Weevil
Weevil, any of 35,000 species of oval- or pear-shaped beetles (from the largest animal family, Curculionidae), having a greatly drawn-out head that ends in a pronounced snout.
Weight
Weight, gravitational force experienced by an object in relation to another massive body (planet).
Atomic Weight
Weight, Atomic See: Atom.
Weight control
Weight control, method by which a person maintains a healthy weight.
Weight lifting
Weight lifting, bodybuilding exercise and competitive sport.
Weightlessness
Weightlessness, condition that arises in the apparent absence of gravitational pull.
Weights and measures
Weights and measures, units of weight, length, area, and volume commonly used in the home, in commerce, and in industry. Although, like other early peoples, the Hebrews used measures such as the foot, the cubit (the length of the human forearm), and the span, which could easily be realized in practice by using parts of the body, in commerce they also used standard containers and weights. Later, we…
Simone Weil
Weil, Simone (1909–43), French philosopher, religious mystic, and left-wing intellectual.
Kurt Weill
Weill, Kurt (1900–50), German-born U.S. composer.
Weimar
Weimar (pop. 63,400), city in east-central Germany, on the Ilm River.
Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic, German government (1919–33) based on the democratic republican constitution adopted at Weimar in 1919.
Weimaraner
Weimaraner, hunting dog developed in the early 19th century in Weimar, Germany.
Steven Weinberg
Weinberg, Steven (1933– ), U.S. physicist who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in physics for work demonstrating that 2 of the basic forces of nature, electromagnetism and weak interaction (the cause of radioactive decay in certain atomic nuclei), are aspects of a single interaction.
Caspar Weinberger
Weinberger, Caspar (1917– ), U.S. government official.
Leonard Weisgard
Weisgard, Leonard (1916– ), U.S. artist and children's book writer and illustrator.
August Weismann
Weismann, August (1834–1914), German biologist.
Peter Weiss
Weiss, Peter (1916–82), German-Swedish playwright, artist, and filmmaker.
Chaim Weizmann
Weizmann, Chaim (1874–1952), Polish-born scientist and Zionist leader, first president of Israel (1948–52).
Welding
Welding, process of bringing pieces of metal together under conditions of heat or pressure, or both, until they coalesce at the joint. The oldest method is forge welding, in which the surfaces to be joined are heated to welding temperature and then hammered together on an anvil. The most widely used method today is metal-arc welding: An electric arc is struck between an electrode and the pieces to…
Welfare
Welfare, direct government aid to the needy.
Well
Well, manmade hole in the ground used to tap water, gas, or minerals from the earth.
Welland Ship Canal
Welland Ship Canal, Canadian waterway running 27.6 mi (44.4 km) from Port Colborne on Lake Erie to Port Weller on Lake Ontario to form a major link of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway.
Thomas Huckle Weller
Weller, Thomas Huckle (1915– ), U.S. bacteriologist and virologist who shared with John F.
Gideon Welles
Welles, Gideon (1802–78), U.S. secretary of the navy in Pres.
Orson Welles
Welles, Orson (1915–85), U.S. actor, director, and producer.
Wellington
Wellington (pop. 326,900), capital city of New Zealand since 1865, at the southern end of North Island.
Arthur Wellesley Wellington t duke of (1s)
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of (1769–1852), British general and politician, “the Iron Duke,” who defeated Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterloo.
Ida Bell Wells-Barnett
Wells-Barnett, Ida Bell (1862–1931), African-American reformer and journalist known for her anti-lynching efforts in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Fargo Company Wells
Wells, Fargo & Company, U.S. banking company.
H. G. Wells
Wells, H.
Henry Wells
Wells, Henry (1805–78), U.S. pioneer businessperson.
Baron von Welsbach
Welsbach, Baron von (1858–1929), Viennese chemist and inventor who worked on artificial lighting.
Welsh
Welsh See: Wales.
Welsh corgi
Welsh corgi See: Cardigan Welsh corgi.
Welsh springer spaniel
Welsh springer spaniel, breed of dog.
Welsh terrier
Welsh terrier, small dog native to Wales, used to hunt foxes.
Eudora Welty
Welty, Eudora (1909– ), U.S. novelist and short-story writer, known for sensitive tales of Mississippi life.
Welwitschia
Welwitschia, also known as tumboa, family of desert plants (Welwitschia mirabilis) that grow in Africa.
Wen
Wen, or sebaceous cyst, blocked sebaceous gland, often over the scalp or forehead, that forms a cyst containing old sebum under the skin.
Werewolf
Werewolf, in folklore, a man who can supernaturally turn into a wolf and devour humans.
Franz Werfel
Werfel, Franz (1890–1945), Austrian novelist, poet, and playwright.
Henrik Arnold Wergeland
Wergeland, Henrik Arnold (1808–45), Norwegian writer and nationalist.
Max Wertheimer
Wertheimer, Max (1880–1943), German psychologist who founded (with Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Köhler) the school of Gestalt psychology.
Weser River
Weser River, major German river whose source is the junction of the Fulda and Werra rivers at Munden.
Arnold Wesker
Wesker, Arnold (1932– ), English playwright, one of the so-called angry young men to emerge in England in 1956.
Wesley
Wesley, name of 2 English evangelistic preachers who, with George Whitefield, founded Methodism.
Wesleyan Church
Wesleyan Church, U.S.
The West
West, The, western portion of the United States, formerly the region west of the Appalachian Mountains; presently, the territory west of the Mississippi River, in particular the northern part of this area.
West Bank
West Bank, land to the west of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River, between Israel and Jordan. A part of Palestine, the area was annexed by Jordan following the partition of Palestine and the formation of the state of Israel (1948). It has been occupied by Israel since 1967, despite a call for withdrawal from the United Nations. Historically known as Judaea and Samaria, the West Bank contains such f…
Benjamin West
West, Benjamin (1738–1820), U.S.-born painter.
West Berlin
West Berlin See: Berlin.
Dame Rebecca West
West, Dame Rebecca (Cicily Isabel Fairfield; 1892–1983), British novelist, critic, and journalist.
West Germany
West Germany See: Germany.
West Highland white terrier
West Highland white terrier, small, white Scottish dog.
West Indies
West Indies, chain of islands extending about 2,500 mi (4,020 km) from Florida to Venezuela, separating the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean. An alternative name (excluding the Bahamas) is the Antilles. The West Indies comprises 4 main groups: the Bahamas to the northeast of Cuba and Hispaniola; the Greater Antilles (Cuba, the largest island in the West Indies, Hispanio…
Jerry West
West, Jerry (1938– ), U.S. basketball player and coach.
Jessamyn West
West, Jessamyn (1907–84), U.S. author.
Mae West
West, Mae (1892–1980), U.S. stage and screen actress.
Nathanael West
West, Nathanael (Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein; 1903–40), U.S. author.
West Point
West Point, site of, and common name for, the U.S.
West Virginia
West Virginia, state in east-central United States; bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the east and south, Kentucky to the southwest, and the Ohio River (with Ohio on the opposite side) to the west and northwest. West Virginia has three main land areas. A tiny strip at the state's northeastern corner is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a region of fertile s…
Western Australia
Western Australia, largest Australian state (975,290 sq mi/2,527,633 sq km), first settled 1826–29, covering the western third of the country.
Western European Union
Western European Union (WEU), defensive economic, social, and cultural alliance among Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany, formed in 1955.
Western frontier life
Western frontier life, folklore and reality of the lives of the men and women who participated in the last phase of the settlement of the U.S. frontier. The western territories of the United States were settled in several stages. After pioneers had settled lands from the Appalachians to the Mississippi and the Old Northwest territory around the Great Lakes, they headed for the Far West, chiefly Ca…
Western Isles
Western Isles See: Hebrides.
Western Reserve
Western Reserve, northeastern region of Ohio on the south shore of Lake Erie.
Western Sahara
Western Sahara, formerly Spanish Sahara, area in northwest Africa, comprising 100,848 sq mi (252,120 sq km) of mainly desert; bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Morocco in the north, Algeria in the northeast, and Mauritania in the east and south.
Western Samoa
Western Samoa, officially the Independent State of Western Samoa, independent state in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, comprising 2 large islands, Savai'i and Upolu, and 7 smaller islands, only 2 of which are inhabited. Its area is 1,133 sq mi (2,934 sq km). Most of the islands are mountainous, volcanic, forested, and fertile. The climate is rainy and tropical. The people are Polynesian, an…
Western Union
Western Union, shortened name for Western Union Telegraph Company, U.S. communications company.
George Westinghouse
Westinghouse, George (1846–1914), U.S. engineer, inventor, and manufacturer.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, officially the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, English Gothic church in London, a national shrine.
Westminster Choir
Westminster Choir, U.S. chorus founded at Dayton Westminster Church, Ohio, in 1921, and since 1932 a part of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J.
Westminster Hall
Westminster Hall, building that serves as an entranceway to Britain's House of Parliament (Westminster Palace) in London.
Statute of Westminster
Westminster, Statute of (1931), British parliamentary act abolishing Great Britain's power to legislate for its dominions.
William Childs Westmoreland
Westmoreland, William Childs (1914– ), U.S. general, army chief of staff (1968–72).
Edward Weston
Weston, Edward (1886–1958), U.S. photographer, winner of the Guggenheim Fellowship (1937).
Westphalia
Westphalia (German, “western plain”), region in Germany, located just east of the Netherlands.
Westward movement
Westward movement, in the United States, events and conditions comprising the several major migrations by which the country was settled. The exploration and settlement of the U.S. frontier was an ongoing process that began with the first communities founded on the Atlantic seaboard in the 17th century and ended in the 1890s with the settlement of the Great Plains between the Mississippi River and …
Wetland
Wetland, area of land where the earth is continuously saturated with water.
Weymouth
Weymouth (pop. 55,601), city on Massachusetts Bay, southeast of Boston.
Whale
Whale, one of the order Cetacea of large, wholly aquatic mammals. All are highly adapted for life in water, with a torpedo-shaped body, front limbs reduced and modified as steering paddles, and hind limbs absent. They have a tail of 2 transverse flukes and swim by up-and-down movements of this tail. Most species have a fleshy dorsal fin that acts as a stabilizer. The neck is short, the head flowin…
Whaling
Whaling, hunting of whales, originally for oil, meat, and baleen (whalebone), practiced since the 10th century. The Basques and Dutch hunted from land and pioneered methods of flensing (stripping of blubber) and boiling whale meat. U.S. whaling started in the 1600s, and whaling ports such as Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass., grew to great size in the 1700s. Whaling became safer for the hunters aft…
Edith Wharton
Wharton, Edith (1862–1937), U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.
Wheat
Wheat, cereal plant (genus Triticum) of the grass family, the world's main cereal crop; about 300 million tons are produced every year, mostly used to make flour for bread and pasta.
Phillis Wheatley
Wheatley, Phillis (1753?–84), U.S. poet.
Wheatstone bridge
Wheatstone bridge, electric circuit used for comparing or measuring resistance.
Sir Charles Wheatstone
Wheatstone, Sir Charles (1802–75), British physicist and inventor.
Wheel and axle
Wheel and axle, disklike mechanical device consisting of a wheel mounted on an axle of smaller diameter; the wheel and axle turn on the same axis.
Wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow, boxlike device used to move small loads.
Burton Kendall Wheeler
Wheeler, Burton Kendall (1882–1975), U.S. senator from Montana (1923–47).
Earle Gilmore Wheeler
Wheeler, Earle Gilmore (1908–75), U.S.
William Almon Wheeler
Wheeler, William Almon (1819–87), vice president of the United States from 1877 to 1881.
Wheeling
Wheeling (pop. 159,301), city in northern West Virginia, located on the Ohio River.
William Wheelwright
Wheelwright, William (1798–1873), U.S. businessperson and promoter who opened the first steamship line between South America and Europe.
Whelk
Whelk, spiral-shelled sea snail found worldwide.
Whetstone
Whetstone, natural or artificial abrasive stone used for sharpening and grinding tools.
Whig Party
Whig Party, English and U.S. political party. In England the term was applied in 1679 to Protestant opponents of the English Crown. The Whigs enjoyed a period of dominance c.1714–60, notably under Robert Walpole. Largely out of office when led by Charles James Fox, they were increasingly associated with Nonconformism, mercantile, industrial, and reforming interests. After the Whig ministrie…
Whip
Whip, in U.S. and British politics, party member of a legislative body chosen to enforce party discipline in attendance and voting.
Whiplash
Whiplash, cervical sprain, or neck injury.
Whippet
Whippet, greyhoundlike dog possessing great speed.
Abraham Whipple
Whipple, Abraham (1733–1819), naval officer noted for his successes in the American Revolutionary War.
William Whipple
Whipple, William (1730–85), colonial politician from New Hampshire.
Whippoorwill
Whippoorwill, nocturnal North American bird (Caprimulgus vociferus) known for its odd, deliberate call.
Whirlaway
Whirlaway (1938–53), U.S.
Whirligig
Whirligig See: Water beetle.
Whirlpool
Whirlpool, rotary current in water.
Whiskey
Whiskey, strong, distilled spirituous liquor made from grain.
Whiskey Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion (1794), uprising of mainly Scotch-Irish farmers of western Pennsylvania against the federal excise tax imposed on whiskey by U.S.
Whiskey Ring
Whiskey Ring, U.S. scandal exposed in 1875.
Whistle
Whistle, device used for signaling, consisting of a tube with a sharp edge or lip that makes a sound when air or steam is blown through it.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Whistler, James Abbott McNeill (1834–1903), U.S. artist.
White
White, U.S. family including father and son journalists: William Allen (1868–1944) and William Lindsay (1900–73).
White
White See: Color.
Andrew Dickson White
White, Andrew Dickson (1832–1918), U.S. educator and diplomat.
White ant
White ant See: Termite.
Byron Raymond White
White, Byron Raymond (1917- ), U.S.
E(lwyn) B(rooks) White
White, E(lwyn) B(rooks) (1899–1985), U.S. writer noted for his witty, well-crafted essays in The New Yorker magazine.
Edward Douglass White
White, Edward Douglass (1845–1921), ninth chief justice of the U.S.
Edward Higgins White II
White, Edward Higgins, II (1930–67), U.S. astronaut.
White-eye
White-eye, common name for about 85 species of small birds (family Zosteropidae) of the Old World tropics that have a white ring around each eye.
White House
White House, official home of the president of the United States, in Washington, D.C.
White House conference
White House conference, extended meeting called by the U.S. president in which professional experts, community leaders, and other individuals discuss a specified topic.
White House hostesses
White House hostesses, women who act as hostesses for guests of the U.S. president in place of his wife.
White Mountains
White Mountains, section of the Appalachian Mountains covering about 1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km) in northern New Hampshire and western Maine.
White paper
White paper, British government report or policy statement on an important issue.
Patrick White
White, Patrick (1912–90), Australian novelist, winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in literature.
Paul Dudley White
White, Paul Dudley (1886–1973), U.S. physician, prominent cardiologist.
Peregrine White
White, Peregrine (1620–1703), first U.S. colonist born in New England.
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range, main U.S.
White Sea
White Sea, arm of the Arctic Ocean, called Beloye More in the Soviet Union.
Stanford White
White, Stanford (1853–1906), U.S. architect and painter in the firm of McKim, Mead & White, a renowned architectural firm.
White Sulphur Springs
White Sulphur Springs (pop. 3,371), health resort in West Virginia known for its mineral springs, located 120 mi (193 km) east of the state capital, Charleston.
T(erence) H(anbury) White
White, T(erence) H(anbury) (1906–64), English novelist, noted for The Once and Future King (4 vol., 1939–58), a retelling of the legends of King Arthur, and The Goshawk (1951).
White-tailed deer
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), North American deer named for its long white tail, raised as a danger signal when the deer is alarmed.
White walnut
White walnut See: Butternut.
Walter Francis White
White, Walter Francis (1893–1955), U.S. author and a secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1931–55).
Whitefish
Whitefish, important freshwater food fish found in the northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
Whitefly
Whitefly, any of a family (Aleyrodidae) of small insects related to the scale insects.
Alfred North Whitehead
Whitehead, Alfred North (1861–1947), English mathematician and philosopher.
Whitehorse
Whitehorse (pop. 15,200), capital of the Yukon Territory, located on the west bank of the Yukon River, 111 mi (179 km) north of Skagway, Alaska.
Paul Whiteman
Whiteman, Paul (1891–1967), U.S. orchestra leader known as the “King of Jazz.” He introduced a personal style called “symphonic jazz.” Whiteman encouraged George Gershwin to compose Rhapsody in Blue (1924).
Marcus Whitman
Whitman, Marcus (1802–47), U.S. physician and Presbyterian missionary who established settlements in the Pacific Northwest and encouraged emigration to Oregon.
Whitman Mission National Historic Site
Whitman Mission National Historic Site , landmark in southeastern Washington state, near Walla Walla, site of the first mission school in the Pacific Northwest.
Walt Whitman
Whitman, Walt (1819–92), major U.S. poet.
Eli Whitney
Whitney, Eli (1765–1825), U.S. inventor of the cotton gin (1793) and pioneer of mass production.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt (1875–1942), U.S. sculptor.
John Hay Whitney
Whitney, John Hay (1904–82), U.S. diplomat and publisher.
John Greenleaf Whittier
Whittier, John Greenleaf (1807–92), U.S. poet born in Haverhill, Mass., to a Quaker family.
WHO
WHO See: World Health Organization.
Whooping cough
Whooping cough, or pertussis, contagious bacterial disease of children causing upper respiratory symptoms, with a characteristic whoop or inspiratory noise due to inflammation of the larynx.
Whooping crane
Whooping crane (Grus americana), white wading bird with a red cap on its head.
Wichita
Wichita (pop. 311,700), city in Kansas, located on the Chisholm Trail.
Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls (pop. 122,378), city in Texas, located on the Wichita River.
Wicker
Wicker, material woven from flexible plant fiber or willow twigs.
John Wiclif
Wiclif, John See: Wycliffe, John.
Widgeon
Widgeon See: Wigeon.
Wien
Wien See: Vienna.
Norbert Wiener
Wiener, Norbert (1894–1964), U.S. mathematician noted for his contributions to computer science.
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden (pop. 261,800), city in southwestern Germany, capital of the German state of Hesse.
Elie Wiesel
Wiesel, Elie (1928– ), Romanian-born U.S. novelist.
Torsten Nils Wiesel
Wiesel, Torsten Nils (1924– ), Swedish neurobiologist who shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his research on the brain's processing of visual information.
Simon Wiesenthal
Wiesenthal, Simon (1908– ), Austrian hunter of Nazi war criminals.
Wig
Wig, covering for the head of real or artificial hair, worn as a cosmetic device, as a mark of rank or office, as a disguise, or for theatrical portrayals.
Wigeon
Wigeon, duck in the family Anatidae.
Kate Douglas Wiggin
Wiggin, Kate Douglas (1856–1923), U.S. author and educator.
Isle of Wight
Wight, Isle of, diamond-shaped island, 147 sq mi (381 sq km), off the southern coast of England.
Eugene Paul Wigner
Wigner, Eugene Paul (1902–95), Hungarian-born U.S. physicist who worked with Enrico Fermi to produce the first nuclear chain reaction in 1942.
Wigwam
Wigwam, kind of dwelling used by Algonquian-speaking Native Americans in the eastern part of North America.
Samuel Wilberforce
Wilberforce, Samuel (1805–73), English priest of the Anglican church.
Richard Wilbur
Wilbur, Richard (1921– ), U.S. poet and essayist.
Wild barley
Wild barley, plant in the grass family.
Wild canary
Wild canary See: Goldfinch.
Wild carrot
Wild carrot, also called Queen Anne's lace, plant (Daucus carota) in the parsley family.
Wild rice
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica), aquatic plant of the grass family, native to the lakes and streams of North America; also, the cereal grain harvested from the plant.
Wildcat
Wildcat, name given generally to any small or medium-sized wild cat, such as the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and bobcat (L. rufus), which are found in North America.
Wildcat bank
Wildcat bank, any of numerous unsound state-chartered U.S. banks that issued paper money (wildcat currency) without having adequate assets (1830–63).
Oscar Wilde
Wilde, Oscar (1854–1900), Irish author.
Wildebeest
Wildebeest See: Gnu.
Billy Wilder
Wilder, Billy (1906– ), Austrian-born U.S. screenwriter and film director.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wilder, Laura Ingalls (1867–1957), U.S. children's author best known for her series of 9 popular autobiographical novels, including Little House on the Prairie (1935), depicting pioneer life in the Midwest.
Thornton Niven Wilder
Wilder, Thornton Niven (1897–1975), U.S. novelist and playwright.
Battle of the Wilderness
Wilderness, Battle of the, opening engagement—fought May 5–6, 1864, in central Virginia, 10 mi (16 km) west of Fredericksburg—of the Wilderness Campaign in the U.S.
Wilderness Road
Wilderness Road, early U.S. pioneer route.
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation, organized supervision of the environment that protects the native plant and animal life.
Wilhelm
Wilhelm, name of 2 German emperors: Wilhelm I (1797–1888) and Wilhelm II (1859–1941).
Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina (1880–1962), Queen of the Netherlands (1890–1948), having acceded to the throne after the death of her father, King William III.
Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre (pop. 51,551), city in northeastern Pennsylvania in the Wyoming valley along the Susquehanna River.
Charles Wilkes
Wilkes, Charles (1798–1877), U.S. naval officer.
Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins
Wilkins, Maurice Hugh Frederick (1916– ), British biophysicist.
Roy Wilkins
Wilkins, Roy (1901–81), U.S. civil rights leader and executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1955 to 1970.
Will
Will, legal document by which a person (the testator) gives instructions concerning the disposal of his or her property (bequest, or legacy) after death.