Part 271

4. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing Cant]

Wire, v. t. (Croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot.

Wire gun. = Wire-wound gun.

Wire"less, a. Having no wire; specif. (Elec.), designating, or pertaining to, a method of telegraphy, telephony, etc., in which the messages, etc., are transmitted through space by electric waves; as, a wireless message. -- Wireless telegraphy or telegraph (Elec.), any system of telegraphy employing no connecting wire or wires between the transmitting and receiving stations. Although more or less successful researchers were made on the subject by Joseph Henry, Hertz, Oliver Lodge, and others, the first commercially successful system was that of Guglielmo Marconi, patented in March, 1897. Marconi employed electric waves of high frequency set up by an induction coil in an oscillator, these waves being launched into space through a lofty antenna. The receiving apparatus consisted of another antenna in circuit with a coherer and small battery for operating through a relay the ordinary telegraphic receiver. This apparatus contains the essential features of all the systems now in use. -- Wireless telephone, an apparatus or contrivance for wireless telephony. -- Wireless telephony, telephony without wires, usually employing electric waves of high frequency emitted from an oscillator or generator, as in wireless telegraphy. A telephone transmitter causes fluctuations in these waves, it being the fluctuations only which affect the receiver.

Wire"less, n. Short for Wireless telegraphy, Wireless telephony, etc.; as, to send a message by wireless.

Wire tapper. One that taps, or cuts in on, telegraph wires and intercepts messages; hence (Slang), a swindler who pretends to tap wires or otherwise intercept advance telegraphic news for betting. -- Wire tapping.

Wire"-wound` gun. (Ordnance) A gun in the construction of which an inner tube (either entire or in segments) is wound with wire under tension to insure greater soundness and uniformity of resistance. In modern construction hoops and jackets are shrunk on over the wire.

Wir"ing (?), n. 1. The act of one that wires anything.

2. The wires or conductors employed in a system of electric distribution.

Wis"dom lit"er*a*ture. The class of ancient Hebrew writings which deal reflectively with general ethical and religious topics, as distinguished from the prophetic and liturgical literature, and from the law. It is comprised chiefly in the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastes, and Wisdom of Solomon. The "wisdom" (Hokhmah) of these writings consists in detached sage utterances on concrete issues of life, without the effort at philosophical system that appeared in the later Hellenistic reflective writing beginning with Philo Judæus.

Wit"an (?), n. pl. [AS., pl. of wita sage, councilor.] Lit., wise men; specif. (A.-S. Hist.), the members of the national, or king's, council which sat to assist the king in administrative and judicial matters; also, the council.

Wolf"hound` (?), n. (Zoöl.) Originally, a large hound used in hunting wolves; now, any one of certain breeds of large dogs, some of which are nearly identical with the great Danes.

Wol"fram steel. Same as Tungsten steel.

Wol"las*ton's dou"blet (?). [After W. H. Wollaston, English physicist.] (Optics) A magnifying glass consisting of two plano-convex lenses. It is designed to correct spherical aberration and chromatic dispersion.

Wol`ver*ene" State. Michigan; -- a nickname.

Woman's Christian Temperance Union. An association of women formed in the United States in 1874, for the advancement of temperance by organizing preventive, educational, evangelistic, social, and legal work.

Wood gum. (Chem.) Xylan.

Wood hyacinth. A European squill (Scilla nonscripta) having a scape bearing a raceme of drooping blue, purple, white, or sometimes pink, bell-shaped flowers.

Wood partridge. (a) Any of several small partridges of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and neighboring regions belonging to the genera Caloperdix, Rollulus, and Melanoperdix. (b) The Canada grouse. [Local, U. S.]

Word method. (Education) A method of teaching reading in which words are first taken as single ideograms and later analyzed into their phonetic and alphabetic elements; -- contrasted with the alphabet and sentence methods.

Word"play` (?), n. A more or less subtle playing upon the meaning of words.

Work, n. 1. (Cricket) Break; twist.

2. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force, measured by the product of the force into the component of the motion resolved along the direction of the force.

Energy is the capacity of doing work. . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another.

Clerk Maxwell.

3. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed.

Workmen's compensation act. (Law) A statute fixing the compensation that a workman may recover from an employer in case of accident, esp. the British act of 6 Edw. VII. c. 58 (1906) giving to a workman, except in certain cases of "serious and willful misconduct," a right against his employer to a certain compensation on the mere occurrence of an accident where the common law gives the right only for negligence of the employer.

{ Work"ways` (?), Work"wise` (?) }, adv. In a working position or manner; as, a T rail placed workwise, i.e., resting on its base.