<B>wood sorrel,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of a group of plants with acid juice, usually having leaves composed of three heart-shaped leaflets and white, yellow, red, or pink flowers sometimes streaked with purple; oxalis. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=sheep sorrel.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="woodspirit">
<B>wood spirit,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a spirit or imaginary being, fabled to dwell in or haunt woods. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=methyl alcohol.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="woodstork">
<B>wood stork,</B> =wood ibis.</DL>
<A NAME="woodsugar">
<B>wood sugar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the dextrorotatory form of xylose. </DL>
<A NAME="woodsy">
<B>woodsy, </B>adjective, <B>woodsier,</B> <B>woodsiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or characteristic or suggestive of the woods; sylvan. </DL>
<A NAME="woodtar">
<B>wood tar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a dark-brown, poisonous, sticky substance produced by the destructive distillation of wood, and containing resins and turpentine. It yields pyroligneous acid, creosote and oils, and a dark residue (wood pitch) on further distillation. Wood tar is used as a preservative on wood and rope, as a disinfectant, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="woodthrush">
<B>wood thrush,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a thrush with a white, spotted breast, common in the thickets and woods of eastern North America; bellbird; song thrush. It is noted for its sweet song. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=missel thrush </B>(locally in England and Scotland). </DL>
<A NAME="woodtick">
<B>wood tick,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of a family of ticks (acarids) found frequently in woods. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=deathwatch </B>(def. 3). </DL>
<A NAME="woodturner">
<B>wood turner,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in wood turning. </DL>
<A NAME="woodturning">
<B>wood turning,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the making of pieces of wood into various shapes by using a lathe. </DL>
<A NAME="woodturning">
<B>wood-turning, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with wood turning. </DL>
<B>woodwall, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British Dialect.) the green woodpecker. Also, <B>witwall.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="woodwarbler">
<B>wood warbler,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a family of small American birds; warbler. </DL>
<A NAME="woodward">
<B>woodward, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (formerly, in England) a forestkeeper or forester. <BR> <I>Ex. The woodward ... could claim every tree that the windblew down (John R. Green).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woodware">
<B>woodware, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> articles made of wood. </DL>
<A NAME="woodwasp">
<B>wood wasp,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of various wasps that burrow in wood, as species of a family, the female of which excavates a cell in decayed wood as a place to deposit her eggs. <DD><B> 2. </B>any insect of a family, the larvae of which burrow in the wood of trees. </DL>
<B>woodwind, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> any one of the wind instruments of an orchestra which were originally made of wood, but are now often made of metal. Clarinets, flutes, oboes, and bassoons are woodwinds. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with woodwinds. <BR>expr. <B>woodwinds,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>the wind instruments of an orchestra, such as the clarinet, flute, bassoon, and oboe. <DD><B> b. </B>the players on woodwinds. </DL>
<A NAME="woodwool">
<B>wood wool,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> fine shavings made from pine wood, used as a surgical dressing, in plaster, and as an insulating material. <BR> <I>Ex. The roof construction has been changed to slabs of wood wool in place of boarding (Science).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woodwork">
<B>woodwork, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> things made of wood, especially the wooden parts inside of a house, such as doors, stairs, and moldings. <BR><I>expr. <B>come out of the woodwork,</B> </I>(U.S. Informal.) to come out of hiding or from unknown places; come out of the blue. <BR> <I>Ex. We found speculators and gold hoarders coming out of the woodwork trying to buy gold in any shape, manner, or form (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woodworker">
<B>woodworker, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who makes things of wood; worker in wood. (SYN) carpenter. </DL>
<A NAME="woodworking">
<B>woodworking, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the act or work of making or shaping things of wood. <BR> <I>Ex. A carpenter is skilled in woodworking.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> having to do with or used for woodworking. <BR> <I>Ex. a woodworking machine. The carpenter used woodworking tools.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woodworm">
<B>woodworm, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any worm or larva that is bred in wood or bores in wood. </DL>
<A NAME="woody">
<B>woody</B> (1), adjective, <B>woodier,</B> <B>woodiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having many trees; covered with trees. <BR> <I>Ex. a woody hillside.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>of the nature of or consisting of wood; ligneous. <DD><B> b. </B>of which wood is a constituent part; forming wood. <BR> <I>Ex. the woody parts of a plant.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>like wood; tough and stringy. <BR> <I>Ex. Turnips become woody when they are old.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>of, having to do with, or situated in a wood. <DD><B> b. </B>(Obsolete.) belonging to, inhabiting, or growing in woods or woodland; sylvan. </DL>
<A NAME="woody">
<B>woody</B> (2), noun, pl. <B>woodies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Scottish.) widdy (rope). </DL>
<A NAME="woodyard">
<B>woodyard, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a yard or enclosure in which wood is chopped, sawed, or stored, especially for use as fuel. </DL>
<A NAME="woodynightshade">
<B>woody nightshade,</B> =bittersweet.</DL>
<A NAME="wooer">
<B>wooer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or animal that woos; suitor. </DL>
<A NAME="woof">
<B>woof</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the threads or yarn running from side to side across a loom, or those in a woven fabric which cross the warp; filling; weft. <DD><B> 2. </B>fabric; cloth; texture. </DL>
<A NAME="woof">
<B>woof</B> (2), noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the sound of a dog barking. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make such a sound. </DL>
<A NAME="woofer">
<B>woofer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a high-fidelity loudspeaker for reproducing sounds below the treble register. </DL>
<A NAME="wooingly">
<B>wooingly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in the manner of wooing; invitingly. </DL>
<A NAME="wool">
<B>wool, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the fine, soft, curly hair of sheep and some other animals such as the goat and alpaca. It is characterized by its property of felting due to the overlapping of minute surface scales. Sheep's wool is next to cotton in importance as a material for clothing. <DD><B> 2. </B>short, thick, curly hair. <DD><B> 3. </B>any one of various fine, fibrous substances, naturally or artificially produced, resembling wool. <DD><B> 4a. </B>clothing or material made of wool. <BR> <I>Ex. We wear wool in cold weather.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>yarn made of wool, used for knitting, embroidery, and weaving; worsted. <DD><B> 5. </B>a downy substance found on certain plants, or the furry hair of some insect larvae, such as the caterpillar. <DD><B> 6. </B><B>=wool sponge.</B> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>made of wool; woolen. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with the manufacture, storage, transportation, or sale of wool or woolen goods. <BR><I>expr. <B>pull the wool over one's eyes,</B> </I>(Informal.) to deceive or trick one. <BR> <I>Ex. I don't propose he shall pull the wool over my eyes (William Dean Howells).</I> adj. <B>woollike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="woolclip">
<B>wool clip,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the quantity of raw wool produced annually; total amount of wool sheared in a year. </DL>
<A NAME="woolcomber">
<B>woolcomber, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that combs or cards wool. </DL>
<A NAME="wooled">
<B>wooled, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> covered with wool; with the wool still on; unshorn. <BR> <I>Ex. a wooled lamb, wooled sheepskins.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="wooled">
<B>-wooled,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) having ______ wool. <BR> <I>Ex. Fine-wooled = having fine wool.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woolen">
<B>woolen, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>made of wool. <BR> <I>Ex. a woolen suit.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with wool or cloth made of wool; that makes things from wool. <BR> <I>Ex. a woolen mill.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> yarn or cloth made of wool. The fibers in woolen lie in all directions, resulting in a soft, fuzzy surface. <BR><I>expr. <B>woolens,</B> </I>cloth or clothing made of wool. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother puts our woolens in plastic bags every summer to protect them against moths. The exportation of Irish woolens to the colonies and to foreign countries was prohibited (George Bancroft).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woolfat">
<B>wool fat,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the fatty coating on sheep's wool; lanolin. </DL>
<A NAME="woolfell">
<B>woolfell, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sheepskin with the fleece on it. </DL>
<A NAME="woolgather">
<B>woolgather, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to indulge in idle imagining or daydreaming. <BR> <I>Ex. My brain sometimes woolgathered or wandered, sometimes concentrated on ... problems (Robert Kotlowitz).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="woolgatherer">
<B>woolgatherer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a daydreaming or absent-minded person. </DL>
<A NAME="woolgathering">
<B>woolgathering, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an absorption in thinking or daydreaming; absent-mindedness. <DD><B> 2. </B>the gathering up of fragments of wool torn from sheep, as by bushes. <DD><I>adj. </I> inattentive; absent-minded; dreamy. </DL>
<A NAME="woolgrease">
<B>wool grease,</B> =wool fat.</DL>
<A NAME="woolgrower">
<B>woolgrower, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who raises sheep for their wool. </DL>
<A NAME="woolgrowing">
<B>woolgrowing, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> producing sheep and wool. <DD><I>noun </I> the raising of sheep for their wool. </DL>
<A NAME="woolhat">
<B>woolhat, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) <DD><I>noun </I> a Southern farmer or back-country rustic. <BR> <I>Ex. The businessmen like him; so do the Republicans and the downstate woolhats (Harper's).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> of the Southern back-country region. <BR> <I>Ex. a woolhat politician.</I> </DL>
