Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Wall

Wall

,
Noun.
(Naut.)
A kind of knot often used at the end of a rope; a wall knot; a wale.
Wall knot
,
a knot made by unlaying the strands of a rope, and making a bight with the first strand, then passing the second over the end of the first, and the third over the end of the second and through the bight of the first; a wale knot. Wall knots may be single or double, crowned or double-crowned.

Wall

,
Noun.
[AS.
weall
, from L.
vallum
a wall,
vallus
a stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. [GREEK] a nail. Cf.
Interval
.]
1.
A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials, raised to some height, and intended for defense or security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright inclosing parts of a building or a room.
The plaster of the
wall
of the King’s palace.
Dan. v. 5.
2.
A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense.
The waters were a
wall
unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Ex. xiv. 22.
In such a night,
Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan
walls
.
Shakespeare
To rush undaunted to defend the
walls
.
Dryden.
3.
An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel;
as, the
walls
of a steam-engine cylinder
.
4.
(Mining)
(a)
The side of a level or drift.
(b)
The country rock bounding a vein laterally.
Raymond.
☞ Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the formation of compounds, usually of obvious signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc.
Blank wall
,
Blind wall, etc. See under
Blank
,
Blind
, etc.
–
To drive to the wall
,
to bring to extremities; to push to extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over.
–
To go to the wall
,
to be hard pressed or driven; to be the weaker party; to be pushed to extremes.
–
To take the wall
.
to take the inner side of a walk, that is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence.
“I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.”
Shak.
–
Wall barley
(Bot.)
,
a kind of grass (
Hordeum murinum
) much resembling barley; squirrel grass. See under
Squirrel
.
–
Wall box
.
(Mach.)
See
Wall frame
, below.
–
Wall creeper
(Zool.)
,
a small bright-colored bird (
Tichodroma muraria
) native of Asia and Southern Europe. It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red at the base and black distally, some of them with white spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also
spider catcher
.
–
Wall cress
(Bot.)
,
a name given to several low cruciferous herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress. See under
Mouse-ear
.
–
Wall frame
(Mach.)
,
a frame set in a wall to receive a pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the wall; – called also
wall box
.
–
Wall fruit
,
fruit borne by trees trained against a wall.
–
Wall gecko
(Zool.)
,
any one of several species of Old World geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means of suckers on the feet.
–
Wall lizard
(Zool.)
,
a common European lizard (
Lacerta muralis
) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks and crevices of walls; – called also
wall newt
.
–
Wall louse
,
a wood louse.
–
Wall moss
(Bot.)
,
any species of moss growing on walls.
–
Wall newt
(Zool.)
,
the wall lizard.
Shak.
–
Wall paper
,
paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper hangings.
–
Wall pellitory
(Bot.)
,
a European plant (
Parictaria officinalis
) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed medicinal.
–
Wall pennywort
(Bot.)
,
a plant (
Cotyledon Umbilicus
) having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in Western Europe.
–
Wall pepper
(Bot.)
,
a low mosslike plant (
Sedum acre
) with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in Europe, and is sometimes seen in America.
–
Wall pie
(Bot.)
,
a kind of fern; wall rue.
–
Wall piece
,
a gun planted on a wall.
H. L. Scott.
–
Wall plate
(Arch.)
,
a piece of timber placed horizontally upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like. See Illust. of
Roof
.
–
Wall rock
,
granular limestone used in building walls.
[U. S.]
Bartlett.
–
Wall rue
(Bot.)
,
a species of small fern (
Asplenium Ruta-muraria
) growing on walls, rocks, and the like.
–
Wall spring
,
a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks.
–
Wall tent
,
a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to the walls of a house.
–
Wall wasp
(Zool.)
,
a common European solitary wasp (
Odynerus parietus
) which makes its nest in the crevices of walls.

Wall

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Walled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Walling
.]
1.
To inclose with a wall, or as with a wall.
“Seven walled towns of strength.”
Shak.
The king of Thebes, Amphion,
That with his singing
walled
that city.
Chaucer.
2.
To defend by walls, or as if by walls; to fortify.
The terror of his name that
walls
us in.
Denham.
3.
To close or fill with a wall, as a doorway.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wall

WALL

,
Noun.
[L., stake, post, probably originally a fence of stakes, a palisade or stockade; the first rude fortification of uncivilized men.]
1.
A work or structure of stone, brick or other materials, raised to some highth, and intended for a defense or security. Walls of stone, with or without cement, are much used in America for fences on farms; walls are laid as the foundations of houses and the security of cellars. Walls of stone or brick form the exterior of buildings, and they are often raised round cities and forts as a defense against enemies.
2.
Walls, in the plural, is used for fortifications in general; works for defense.
I rush undaunted to defend the walls.
3.
A defense; means of security or protection. 1 Samuel 25.
To take the wall, to take the upper or most honorable place.
I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montagues.

Definition 2024

Wall

Wall

See also: wall and wall-

English

Proper noun

Wall

  1. A surname​.

Etymology 2

A translation of Mandarin Chinese 壁宿 ‎(Bìxiù)

Proper noun

Wall

  1. (astronomy) A Chinese constellation located near Pegasus and Andromeda, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.

German

Etymology

From Middle High German, from Latin vallum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /val/
  • Rhymes: -al

Noun

Wall m ‎(genitive Walls or Walles, plural Wälle)

  1. (military) rampart, parapet, earthwork
  2. (engineering) levee, embankment
  3. (geography) ridge

Synonyms

wall

wall

See also: Wall and wall-

English

Noun

wall ‎(plural walls)

  1. A rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for defensive purposes.
  2. A structure built for defense surrounding a city, castle etc.
    The town wall was surrounded by a moat.‎
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
  3. Each of the substantial structures acting either as the exterior of or divisions within a structure.
    We're adding another wall in this room during the remodeling.  The wind blew against the walls of the tent.‎
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess:
      Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime.
  4. A point of desperation.
  5. A point of defeat or extinction.
  6. An impediment to free movement.
    A wall of police officers met the protesters before they reached the capitol steps.‎
  7. A type of butterfly (Lasiommata megera).
  8. (often in combination) A barrier.
    a seawall;  a firewall‎
  9. A barrier to vision.
  10. Something with the apparent solidity and dimensions of a building wall.
    a wall of sound;  a wall of water‎
  11. (anatomy, zoology, botany) A divisive or containing structure in an organ or cavity.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 4-5
      The epidermal cells of the capsule wall of Jubulopsis, with nodose "trigones" at the angles, are very reminiscent of what one finds in Frullania spp.
  12. (auction) A fictional bidder used to increase the price at an auction. Also called a chandelier.
  13. (soccer) A line of defenders set up between an opposing free-kick taker and the goal.
    • 2011 January 23, Alistair Magowan, “Blackburn 2-0 West Brom”, in BBC:
      Blackburn were the recipients of another dose of fortune when from another Thomas pass Odemwingie was brought down by Jones inside the penalty area, but referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick which Chris Brunt slammed into the wall.
  14. (Internet) A personal notice board listing messages of interest to a particular user.
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

wall ‎(third-person singular simple present walls, present participle walling, simple past and past participle walled)

  1. To enclose with a wall
    He walled the study with books.
  2. (with "in") To enclose by surrounding with walls.
    They had walled in the garden
  3. (with "off") To separate with a wall
    The previous owners had walled off two rooms, making an apartment.
  4. (with "up") To seal with a wall
    They walled up the basement space that had been used as a coal bin.
Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English wallen, from Old English weallan ‎(“to bubble, boil”), from Proto-Germanic *wallōną, *wellōną ‎(“to fount, stream, boil”), from Proto-Indo-European *welǝn-, *welǝm- ‎(“wave”). Cognate with Middle Dutch wallen ‎(“to boil, bubble”), Dutch wellen ‎(“to weld”), German wellen ‎(“to wave, warp”), Danish vælde ‎(“to overwhelm”), Swedish välla ‎(“to gush, weld”). See also well.

Verb

wall ‎(third-person singular simple present walls, present participle walling, simple past and past participle walled)

  1. To boil.
  2. To well, as water; spring.
Related terms

Etymology 3

From Middle English walle, from Old English *wealla, *weall ‎(“spring”), from Proto-Germanic *wallô, *wallaz ‎(“well, spring”). See above. Cognate with Old Frisian walla ‎(“spring”), Old English wiell ‎(“well”).

Noun

wall ‎(plural walls)

  1. (chiefly dialectal) A spring of water.

Etymology 4

Noun

wall ‎(plural walls)

  1. (nautical) A kind of knot often used at the end of a rope; a wall knot or wale.

Etymology 5

Interjection

wall

  1. (US) Eye dialect spelling of well.
    • 1858, The New Priest in Conception Bay by Robert Lowell
      Wall, they spoke up, 'n' says to her, s'd they, "Why, look a-here, aunty, Wus't his skin, 't was rock?" so s's she, "I guess not." (Well, they spoke up and says to her, said they, "Why look a-here, aunty, was it his skin that was rock [referring to the Apostle Peter]?" So says she, "I guess not.")
    • 1988, Herbert M. Sutherland, Tall Tales of the Devil's Apron, The Overmountain Press (ISBN 9780932807274), page 97
      Wall, be that as it may, ol' Hosshead was a purty good citizen in his day, an' he shore did make Juneybell toe the mark.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: honour · individual · girls · #808: wall · cry · step · turning

Anagrams

German

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -al

Verb

wall

  1. Imperative singular of wallen.
  2. (colloquial) First-person singular present of wallen.

Scots

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wɑl/, /wal/

Noun

wall ‎(plural walls)

  1. A well. (clarification of this Scots definition is being sought)

Etymology

Of various origins, principally from Old English wælisc etc. ("non-Germanic speaker, stranger") from Proto-Germanic *walhaz ‎(“foreigner, stranger”), the source of numerous other surnames such as Walsh and Wales and from Middle English wall, from Old English weall ‎(“wall, dike, rampart”), from Proto-Germanic *wallaz or *wallą ‎(“wall, rampart”), from Latin vallum ‎(“wall, rampart, palisade”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- ‎(“to turn, wind, roll”). Also from transcribed foreign surnames such as German Wahl and Swedish Wahlberg.

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