to the number of laborers. This theory has been greatly modified by the discovery of other conditions
affecting wages, which it does not take into account. Encyc. Brit.
Syn. — See under Wage, n.
Waggel
(Wag"gel) n. (Zoöl.) The young of the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), formerly considered
a distinct species. [Prov. Eng.]
Waggery
(Wag"ger*y) n.; pl. Waggeries [From Wag.] The manner or action of a wag; mischievous
merriment; sportive trick or gayety; good-humored sarcasm; pleasantry; jocularity; as, the waggery of a
schoolboy. Locke.
A drollery and lurking waggery of expression.
W. Irving. Waggie
(Wag"gie) n. The pied wagtail. [Prov. Eng.]
Waggish
(Wag"gish) a.
1. Like a wag; mischievous in sport; roguish in merriment or good humor; frolicsome. "A company of waggish
boys." L'Estrange.
2. Done, made, or laid in waggery or for sport; sportive; humorous; as, a waggish trick.
— Wag"gish*ly, adv. — Wag"gish*ness, n.
Waggle
(Wag"gle) v. i. [Freq. of wag; cf. D. waggelen, G. wackeln.] To reel, sway, or move from
side to side; to move with a wagging motion; to waddle.
Why do you go nodding and waggling so?
L'Estrange. Waggle
(Wag"gle), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waggled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Waggling ] To move frequently one
way and the other; to wag; as, a bird waggles his tail.
Wag-halter
(Wag"-hal`ter) n. [Wag + halter.] One who moves or wears a halter; one likely to be hanged.
[Colloq. & Obs.]
I can tell you, I am a mad wag-halter.
Marston. Wagnerite
(Wag"ner*ite) n. (Min.) A fluophosphate of magnesia, occurring in yellowish crystals, and
also in massive forms.
Wagon
(Wag"on) n. [D. wagen. &radic136. See Wain.]
1. A wheeled carriage; a vehicle on four wheels, and usually drawn by horses; especially, one used for
carrying freight or merchandise.
In the United States, light wagons are used for the conveyance of persons and light commodities.
2. A freight car on a railway. [Eng.]
3. A chariot [Obs.] Spenser.
4. (Astron.) The Dipper, or Charles's Wain.
This word and its compounds are often written with two g's chiefly in England. The forms wagon, wagonage,
etc., are, however, etymologically preferable, and in the United States are almost universally used.
