▪ I. † waw, n.1 Obs.
Forms: 3–4 waȝe, 4–6 wawe, 3 wau, (4 quawe), 4–5 waghe, (5 whaghe, wawghe), 6 wawhe, Sc. wa, 4–6, 9 arch. waw.
[ME. waȝe, related to OE. waᵹian waw v.1
There may have been an OE. *waᵹu str. fem. or *waᵹe wk. fem., corresponding to MHG., MLG. wage, MDu. waege movement, agitation. In ME. the word took the place of the OE. wǽᵹ masc. = OS., OHG. wâg (MHG. wâc, wâg- masc., mod.G. woge fem.), ON. vág-r, Goth, wêg-s:—OTeut. *wǣᵹo-z flood, wave, and in the 16th c. was superseded by wave n. In northern ME. dialects the present word would coincide in form with a possible adoption of ON. vág-r.]
A wave.
| c 1275 Lay. 11977 Waȝes [c 1205 vðen] þar arne. c 1290 St. Brendan 530 in S. Eng. Leg. 234 Þe wawes of þe se beoten also bi-fore and bi-hynde. a 1300 Cursor M. 1844 On þe streme þat arche can ride, Þe wauus [13.. Gott. wawis, c 1375 Fairf. waghes] beft on ilk side. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 135 This schippe..That Crist rad in and his felawes, Imang dintes of gret quawes. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2973 Þe se gan fighte, þe wawes ros. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 1561 The water is ever fresh and newe That welmeth up with wawes brighte [Fr. a grans ondes]. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1992 So wode were the waghes & þe wilde ythes. Ibid. 12310 Tho shippes to shilde o þe shyre whaghes. c 1400 Emaré 322 She was so dryuen fro wawe to wawe, She hyd her hede and lay fulle lawe. c 1440 Generydes 91 Full wekydly he and his vj felawes In to the see were cast among the wawis. c 1460 Towneley Myst. iii. 426 Thise wawghes ar so wode. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 373 The water of y⊇ ryuer..was so troublous of wawe, that the brydge therwith was all to shaken. 1518 Ortus Vocab. (ed. 3), Flustrum,..sterynge of the see or a wawhe. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xlvi. 156 The wawes..semyd so greate and hye as mounteyns. 1535 Coverdale Jas. i. 6 He that douteth, is lyke the wawes [1526 Tindale waues] of the see. 1549 Thomas Hist. Italie 172 The little vessel..whiche the wawes of the sea by little and little draue towardes the lande. 1571 Sir. J. Maitland Admon. to Regent 31 Bewar thairfoir w{supt} wadder, waw, and wind. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 4 They on this rock are rent, and sunck in helplesse wawes. 1600 J. Melvill Diary (Wodrow Soc.) 169 A tempestous schoure and drow..with sic a how wa and spenedrift, that..he lukit for grait danger. [1821 Scott Pirate xxix, As I would pilot a boat betwixt Swona and Stroma, through all the waws, wells, and swelchies of the Pentland Firth.] |
▪ II. † waw, n.2 Sc. and north. dial. Obs.
Forms: 4 wagh, waugh, wawe, 5–6 waw, wall, 5 wal.
[a. MLG. and MDu. wage (Du. waag), corresp. to OE. wǽᵹ: see wey n.]
A measure of weight, usually equal to twelve stone.
| 1316 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 11 In 3 Wawes plumbi emp., 11s. 3d. 1399 Acc. Exch. K.R. 473/11 m. 3, Pro batel⁓lagio ix. Waugh[es] plumbi. 14.. Assisa de Toll. vii. in Sc. Acts (1844) I. 669 And of wax at þe entre nathyng bot of ilk waw at þe oute passyng aucht peniis gif it be weyit be wawys. 1484 Acta Auditorum i. (1839) 138*/2, xiij wall and five stane of hollande cheisis. 1499 Halyburton Ledger (1867) 225 Ane [sack of wool] weyand vj wall xxv naill, and tother vj wal xv naill. 1501 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. II. 82, viij waw v stane of irne,..ilk waw xxv s. 1541–2 Ibid. VIII. 122, xv wall thre stane xiiij pund Spanze irne. |
▪ III. waw, n.3 Sc. and north. dial.
(wɔː)
Also 8 weaw, 9 wauw.
[f. waw v.2]
The cry of a cat.
| c 1746 J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lancs. Dial. Gloss., Wks. (1862) 108 Weaw. 1825 Newcastle Mag. Sept. 393/2 O, ye of little faith!..to be frightened by the cry of an owl or the wauw of a cat. 1835 Carrick etc. Laird of Logan (1841) 163 Its a wee weak i' the wauw, like Barr's cat, that ale o' yours. 1859 A. Whitehead Leg. Westmld. 35 (E.D.D.) They ofttimes saw a cat,..Unearthly was its waw. |
▪ IV. ‖ waw, n.4, wau
the name of the 6th letter in Hebrew (see vau, vav) and the corresponding letter in the Arabic and other Semitic alphabets. waw consecutive Heb. Gram. = vau conversive s.v. conversive a.1 2 b.
| 1832 S. Lee Grammar Heb. Lang. (ed. 2) 3 Vaw, or Waw. 1880 E. C. Mitchell tr. Gesenius' Heb. Gram. ii. ii. 125 (heading) The perfect and the imperfect with Wāw consecutive. 1880 Encycl. Brit. XI. 596/2 Among the points in which Hebrew differs both from Arabic and Aramaic may be mentioned..the use of Waw consecutive. 1889 J. Kennedy Introd. Biblical Heb. 117 Ewald and other modern Grammarians prefer to call it Waw Consecutive. 1906 Expositor May 428 John xii. 15 follows the Hebrew of Zechariah ix. 9, the waw being epexegetic. 1914 J. E. McFadyen Davidson's Introd. Heb. Gram. (ed. 19) xxiii. 84 Waw consecutive with the imperf. is pointed exactly like the Article. 1916 M. Roberts in Folk-Lore XXVII. 222 As there is no Arabic character to represent the v sound the Turks use the wau for this purpose. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XI. 362/1 Further relief was provided by ‘wāw-consecutive’, a construction almost confined to Biblical Hebrew. |
▪ V. † waw, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 waᵹian (weaᵹian), 3 waȝien, wawi(e, 3–5 waw(e.
[OE. waᵹian = MLG. wagen, MDu. waghen (mod.WFlem. wagen), OHG. wagôn (MHG., mod.G. wagen), ON. vaga:—OTeut. *waᵹōjan, f. *waᵹō agitation: see waw n.1 Cf. wag v.]
1. intr. To shake, totter, move loosely; to be ready to fall. Only OE.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) L 81 Labat, weaᵹat. a 1000 Riddles iv. 8 (Gr.) Hornsalu waᵹiað, wera wicstede. c 1000 ælfric Deut. xxxiv. 7 His eaᵹan ne mistodon ne his teð ne waᵹodon [Vulg. nec dentes illius moti sunt]. |
2. To sway to and fro on a base; to wave in the wind. Cf. wag v. 3. Also fig.
| c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §7 Ða ongon mon secgan be ðam hearpere þæt he meahte hearpian þæt se wudu waᵹode & þa stanas hi styredon. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 72 Sawe ȝe a reede wawinge wiþ þe wynde? 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 425 It was i-made sotilliche by gravynge craft þat it semed verrailiche þat corn growynge þerynne wawed hider and þider, as longe corn dooþ in feeldes. 14.. Lydg. Test. 653 Min. Poems (1911) 353 [I] Wawed with eche wynd, as doth a reedspere. |
b. Of the beard, tongue: = wag v. 4.
| 13.. K. Alis. 1164 Swithe mury hit is in halle, When the burdes wawen [Laud MS. waweþ] alle! c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 6765 Afftir that strok his tonge neuere wawed. |
c. Of a person: To swing.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 518/2 Wawyn, or waueryn, yn a myry totyr, oscillo. |
3. Of water, the wind: To move restlessly or uncertainly (about). Also transf. and fig.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 175 Ðe se is eure waȝiende and þere fore unstedefast. 1496 Dives & Pauper (W. de W.) ix. iv. 352/1 His worde & his loue & his fayth wawen about as the wynde. 1538 Elyot Dict., Vndans, wawyng or mouing like to wawes. |
4. Of a person, animal: To move, stir; to go; also with away. Also refl.
| c 1205 Lay. 26941 Hit agon diaȝen and deor gunnen waȝeȝen [c 1275 pleoye]. c 1290 Beket 2148 in S. Eng. Leg. 168 He nas nouȝt þe man þat he wolde is heued enes with⁓drawe Ne fondi for-to fleo heore strokes, ne enes a-weiward wawe. c 1425 Cast. Persev. 210 in Macro Plays 83 Wretthe, þis wrecche, with me schal wawe. |
5. trans. To cause to move or stir.
| c 1290 St. Lucy 114 in S. Eng. Leg. 104 A þousend men with al heore main on hire gonne drawe: Ac euere heo lai stille a-ȝein, huy ne miȝhten hire enes wawe. 1297 R. Glouc. Chron. (Rolls) 4220 Þis geant..bigan is mace adrawe Þat tueye stalwarde men ne ssolde noȝt enes wawe. 13.. K. Alis. 2634 A spere..Yn the ground y-stikit fast,..Ac non of his myghte up-drawe, No forth in eorthe hit wawe. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xi. 7 A reede wawid with wynd [Vulg. arundinem vento agitatam]. |
b. To move (a limb).
| c 1290 Marie Egiptiace 192 in S. Eng. Leg. 266 Heo ne wawede leome non bote hire lippene vnneþe. 13.. Sir Beues 2177 Hit [the horse] ne wawede no fot, Til Beues hadde þe stirop. a 1400 Festiv. Ch. 330 in Leg. Rood App. 221 Þe Egle is frikest fowle in flye, Ouer all fowles to wawe hys wenge. |
c. Of wind: To agitate (water).
| c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 70 And wyndis of pryde wawen þes floodis, so þat it is perilous to shippis for to wandre. |
Hence † ˈwawing vbl. n.
| c 1305 Pop. Treat. Sci. 386 This soule deieth in a man..whan he leveth his breth and his wawinge also. 1500 Ortus Vocab., Cellinium, the wawynge of the water. |
▪ VI. waw, v.2 Sc. and north. dial.
(wɔː)
Also 6 wawe, 8 weawgh.
[Echoic: cf. waul v.]
intr. To cry as a cat or utter a similar sound. Hence ˈwawing vbl. n.
| 1570 Levins Manip. 45/40 To Wawe as a cat, lallare. 1576 [see mooner]. 1664 G. Etherege Com. Revenge iv. iii, Well said Widow, i' faith; I will get upon thy body A generation of wild Cats, children that shall Waw, waw, scratch their Nurses, and be drunk With their sucking-bottles. c 1746 J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lancs. Dial. Wks. (1862) 47 Three little tyney Bandyhewits..coom Weawghing os if th' little Rott'ns wou'd ha worrit meh. c 1817 Hogg Tales, Mary Montgomery (1865) 590/2 He was a' covered wi' blood, an' had a bit bloody bairn wawin' on afore him. 1876 J. Richardson Cummerland Talk Ser. ii. 147 Oor Betty's allus wawin', wawin'..Nowt in this warld, o' that I's sarten, Wad keep her fra her wawin' lang! 1887 [G. G. Green] Gordonhaven v. 54 Ah thocht Ah heard a kin' o' a wawin' or something o' that sort oot o' the sea. |
▪ VII. waw
variant of wough, wall.