<B>wed, </B>verb, <B>wedded,</B> <B>wedded</B> or <B>wed,</B> <B>wedding.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1a. </B><B>=marry.</B> <DD><B> b. </B>to unite in marriage; conduct the marriage ceremony for. <DD><B> c. </B>to give (a woman) in marriage. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to unite or join closely. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to be obstinately attached to (an opinion, one'sown will, or a habit or faction). <DD><I>v.i. </I> to enter into marriage; marry. </DL>
<B>wedded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>joined in wedlock; married. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with marriage or married persons; connubial. <BR> <I>Ex. wedded bliss.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) united. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) devoted. </DL>
<A NAME="weddellseal">
<B>Weddell seal,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large, common hair seal of the antarctic regions. It lives mostly in the water and below the ice in winter. </DL>
<A NAME="wedding">
<B>wedding, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a marriage ceremony with its attendant festivities. <DD><B> 2. </B>an anniversary of this. A golden wedding is the fiftieth anniversary of a marriage. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a close union or association; joining; combination; merger. <BR> <I>Ex. A chemical wedding between the element boron and organic substances promised industry a new family of compounds (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="weddingcake">
<B>wedding cake,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large, rich cake, usually arranged in tiers, covered with icing and decorated with sugar ornaments, cut and distributed to the guests at a wedding reception. </DL>
<A NAME="weddingring">
<B>wedding ring,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a ring of platinum, gold, or other precious metal, placed on the third finger of the left hand of the bride. In a double-ring ceremony, the bride places a ring on the bridegroom's finger. </DL>
<A NAME="wedel">
<B>wedel, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to ski by performing wedeln. <BR> <I>Ex. They wedeled down the 1,200-ft. slope or slammed through the slalom course (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="wedeln">
<B>wedeln, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the act or technique of skiing downhill with fast, swiveling turns to the right and left while skis are kept parallel and close together. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to ski in this manner; wedel. <BR> <I>Ex. The tests cover ... the first snowplow turn to how to hold a pole to wedeln in deep powder (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="wedge">
<B>wedge, </B>noun, verb, <B>wedged,</B> <B>wedging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a piece of wood or metal, thick at one end and tapering to a thin edge at the other, used especially in splitting and separating. It is one of the simple machines. <DD><B> 2a. </B>something shaped like a wedge. <BR> <I>Ex. a wedge of cheese or pie. Wild geese fly in a wedge.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a cuneiform stroke or character of this shape. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) something used like a wedge. <BR> <I>Ex. to drive a wedge of suspicion between friends, to drive a wedge of tanks through the enemy line. Her grand party was an entering wedge into society.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Meteorology.) a long, narrow area of high pressure between two cyclonic systems. <DD><B> 5. </B>a golf club used for high, short shots, especially lofting the ball out of traps and heavy grass. <BR> <I>Ex. [She] clinched the match with a 100-foot wedge shot (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>a woman's short haircut that falls over the forehead and forms a triangle in the back. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to split or separate with or as if with a wedge or wedges. <DD><B> 2. </B>to fasten or tighten with a wedge or wedges. <DD><B> 3. </B>to thrust or pack in tightly; squeeze. <BR> <I>Ex. to wedge passengers into a subway train. He wedged himself through the narrow window. The man's foot was wedged between the rocks.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Ceramics.) to expel air bubbles from (clay) by cutting it into lumps or wedges and beating it. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to force a way or opening. <BR> <I>Ex. to wedge through a crowd.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to become stuck or caught. <BR> <I>Ex. Two fat men wedged in a doorway.</I> adj. <B>wedgelike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="wedgebill">
<B>wedgebill, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of South American hummingbirds with a thick bill that abruptly tapers to a point at the end. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgeissue">
<B>wedge issue,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an issue that divides or distinguishes points of view. <BR> <I>Ex. The White House is preparing "wedge" issues to sharply distinguish Republicans from Democrats (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="wedger">
<B>wedger, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a workman who cuts clay into lumps or wedges and beats it to expel air bubbles. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgeshaped">
<B>wedge-shaped, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> shaped like a wedge; cuneate. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgetailedeagle">
<B>wedge-tailed eagle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large, black eagle of Australia with tail feathers that taper to the shape of a wedge. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgie">
<B>wedgie, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman's shoe resembling a clog, with a thick, wedgelike piece forming a sole, all of which touches the ground, without the customary arched instep. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgwood">
<B>Wedgwood, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) <DD><I>noun </I> a kind of English pottery, especially with a blue or black glaze and a design of white-colored Greek and Roman models in relief. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with this kind of pottery. <BR> <I>Ex. Wedgwood ware.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="wedgwoodblue">
<B>Wedgwood blue,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a shade of medium blue characteristic of Wedgwood ware. </DL>
<A NAME="wedgy">
<B>wedgy, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>formed or adapted to use as a wedge. <DD><B> 2. </B>fitted for prying into or among. </DL>
<A NAME="wedlock">
<B>wedlock, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>married state; marriage. <BR> <I>Ex. to be united in wedlock. The king's illegitimate son was born out of wedlock.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) the marriage ceremony; wedding. </DL>
<A NAME="wednesday">
<B>Wednesday, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the fourth day of the calendar week, between Tuesday and Thursday. (Abbr: Wed., W.) </DL>
<A NAME="wee">
<B>wee, </B>adjective, <B>weer,</B> <B>weest,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> very small; tiny. <DD><I>noun </I> a little; bit; mite. </DL>
<A NAME="weed">
<B>weed</B> (1),noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a useless or troublesome plant. <BR> <I>Ex. Weeds choked out the vegetables and flowers in the garden.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>(Figurative.) a useless or troublesome person or thing. <DD><B> b. </B>a useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding. <DD><B> c. </B>(Figurative.) any very weak or malformed thing. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Informal.) <DD><B> a. </B>a cigarette or cigar. <DD><B> b. </B>Also, <B>the weed.</B> tobacco. <DD><B> c. </B>marijuana. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Archaic.) profusely growing wild plants; luxuriant underbrush. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to take weeds out of. <BR> <I>Ex. Please weed the garden now.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to take out weeds or anything like weeds. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to clear anything of something harmful or useless. <BR><I>expr. <B>weed out,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to free from what is useless or worthless. </I> <I>Ex. Mother weeded out the old letters she wanted to save and threw the rest away.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to remove as useless or worthless. <BR> <I>Ex. The general weeded out poor commanders.</I> adj. <B>weedlike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="weed">
<B>weed</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a black cloth band, worn on the arm or (sometimes) the hat of a man, as a token of mourning. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) costume. <BR> <I>Ex. monastic weeds.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Archaic.) any garment. <BR><I>expr. <B>weeds,</B> </I>mourning garments. <BR> <I>Ex. a widow's weeds.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="weeded">
<B>weeded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>from which the weeds have been removed. <BR> <I>Ex. a freshly weeded garden.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>overgrown with weeds. </DL>
<A NAME="weeder">
<B>weeder, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who weeds. <DD><B> 2. </B>a tool or machine for digging up weeds. </DL>
<A NAME="weedgrown">
<B>weed-grown, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> overgrown with weeds; covered with weeds. <BR> <I>Ex. They stood in the weed-grown parade ground ... (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="weedicide">
<B>weedicide, </B>noun. =weedkiller.</DL>
<A NAME="weedkiller">
<B>weedkiller, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a chemical for killing weeds; herbicide. <BR> <I>Ex. Poison ivy plants can now be eradicated successfully by spraying with a weedkiller (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="weedkilling">
<B>weedkilling, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the act or process of killing weeds. <BR> <I>Ex. Weeds ... could easily get life insurance were it not for the modern technique of chemical weedkilling (R. N. Higinbotham).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> of or for killing weeds. <BR> <I>Ex. weedkilling operations.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="weedless">
<B>weedless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> free from weeds. </DL>
<A NAME="weeds">
<B>weeds, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>weed</B> (2). </DL>
<A NAME="weedy">
<B>weedy, </B>adjective, <B>weedier,</B> <B>weediest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>full of weeds. <BR> <I>Ex. a weedy garden.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>of or like a weed or weeds. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>thin and lanky; gangling. <DD><B> b. </B>weak and underdeveloped; scrawny. adv. <B>weedily.</B> noun <B>weediness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="weehours">
<B>wee hours,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the early morning hours; small hours. </DL>
