Wa"ter wil`low (?). (Bot.) An American aquatic plant (Dianthera
Americana) with long willowlike leaves, and spikes of small purplish
flowers.
Wa"ter wing` (?). (Arch.) One of two walls built on either side of the
junction of a bridge with the bank of a river, to protect the abutment
of the bridge and the bank from the action of the current.
Wa"ter witch` (?). (Zoöl.) (a) The dabchick. (b) The stormy petrel.
[Prov. Eng.]
Wa"ter-withe` (?), n. (Bot.) A vinelike plant (Vitis Caribæa) growing
in parched districts in the West Indies, and containing a great amount
of sap which is sometimes used for quenching thirst.
Wa"ter*work` (?), n. 1. (Paint.) Painting executed in size or
distemper, on canvas or walls, — formerly, frequently taking the place
of tapestry. Shak. Fairholt.
2. An hydraulic apparatus, or a system of works or fixtures, by which a
supply of water is furnished for useful or ornamental purposes,
including dams, sluices, pumps, aqueducts, distributing pipes,
fountains, etc.; — used chiefly in the plural.
Wa"ter*worn` (?), a. Worn, smoothed, or polished by the action of
water; as, waterworn stones.
Wa"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the natural order Elatineæ,
consisting of two genera (Elatine, and Bergia), mostly small annual
herbs growing in the edges of ponds. Some have a peppery or acrid
taste.