Wan"gan (?), n. [American Indian.] A boat for conveying provisions,
tools, etc.; — so called by Maine lumbermen. [Written also wangun.]
Bartlett.
Wang"er (?), n. [AS. wangere. See 1st Wang.] A pillow for the cheek; a
pillow. [Obs. & R.]
His bright helm was his wanger.
Chaucer.
Wang*hee" (?), n. [Chin. wang yellow + he&?; a root.] (Bot.) The
Chinese name of one or two species of bamboo, or jointed cane, of the
genus Phyllostachys. The slender stems are much used for walking
sticks. [Written also whanghee.]
Wang"o (?), n. A boomerang.
Wan"hope` (?), n. [AS. wan, won, deficient, wanting + hopa hope: cf. D.
wanhoop. &?;&?;&?;&?;. See Wane, and Hope.] Want of hope; despair;
also, faint or delusive hope; delusion. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. "Wanhope
and distress." Chaucer.
Wan"horn` (?), n. [Corruption fr. Siamese wanhom.] (Bot.) An East
Indian plant (Kæmpferia Galanga) of the Ginger family. See Galanga.
Wan"i*and (?), n. [See Wanion.] The wane of the moon. [Obs.] Halliwell.
Wan"ing (?), n. The act or process of waning, or decreasing.
This earthly moon, the Church, hath fulls and wanings, and sometimes
her eclipses.
Bp. Hall.
Wan"ion (?), n. [Probably for OE. waniand waning, p. pr. of wanien;
hence, used of the waning of the moon, supposed to be an unlucky time.
See Wane.] A word of uncertain signification, used only in the phrase
with a wanion, apparently equivalent to with a vengeance, with a
plague, or with misfortune. [Obs.] B. Jonson. Latimer.
Wan"kle (?), a. [AS. wancol.] Not to be depended on; weak; unstable.
[Prov. Eng.] Grose.
Wan"ly (?), adv. In a wan, or pale, manner.
Wanned (?), a. Made wan, or pale.
Wan"ness (?), n. The quality or state of being wan; a sallow, dead,
pale color; paleness; pallor; as, the wanness of the cheeks after a
fever.
Wan"nish, a. Somewhat wan; of a pale hue.
No sun, but a wannish glare, In fold upon fold of hueless cloud.
Tennyson.
Want (277), n. [Originally an adj., from Icel. vant, neuter of vanr
lacking, deficient. √139. See Wane, v. i.]
1. The state of not having; the condition of being without anything;
absence or scarcity of what is needed or desired; deficiency; lack; as,
a want of power or knowledge for any purpose; want of food and
clothing.
And me, his parent, would full soon devour For want of other prey.
Milton.
From having wishes in consequence of our wants, we often feel wants in
consequence of our wishes.
Rambler.
Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and more saucy.
Franklin.
2. Specifically, absence or lack of necessaries; destitution; poverty;
penury; indigence; need.
Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches, as to conceive how
others can be in want.
Swift.
3. That which is needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt;
what is not possessed, and is necessary for use or pleasure.
Habitual superfluities become actual wants.
Paley.
4. (Mining) A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the
subsequent deposition took place. [Eng.]
Syn. — Indigence; deficiency; defect; destitution; lack; failure;
dearth; scarceness.