w

the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. Abbreviation: W, w.

Origin:
1882; named after J. Watt

–noun

a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the left when facing north, corresponding to the point where the sun is seen to set. Abbreviation: W

the direction in which this point lies.

(usually initial capital letter

) a region or territory situated in this direction, esp. the western part of the U.S., as distinguished from the East: a vacation trip through the West.

(initial capital letter

) the western part of the world, as distinguished from the East or Orient; the Occident.

(initial capital letter

) the non-Communist countries of Western Europe and the Americas.

–adjective

directed or proceeding toward the west.

coming from the west: a west wind.

lying toward or situated in the west.

Ecclesiastical. designating, lying toward, or in that part of a church opposite to and farthest from the altar.

–adverb

10.

to, toward, or in the west: The car headed west.

11.

from the west: The wind blew west.

—Idiom

12.

go west, Informal. to die.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE; c. D, G west, ON vestr; cf. F ouest, OF < OE

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary

w or W (ˈdʌb^əlˌjuː)

—n , pl w's, W's, Ws
1.	the 23rd letter and 18th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2.	a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a bilabial semivowel, as in web

W or W

—n

w or W (ˈdʌb^əlˌjuː)

—n , pl w's, W's, Ws
1.	the 23rd letter and 18th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2.	a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a bilabial semivowel, as in web

W or W

—n

W

—*symbol for*
1.	watt
2.	West
3.	physics work
4.	chem tungsten
5.	women's (size)

[(sense 4) from New Latin wolframium, from German Wolfram]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

not in the Roman alphabet, but the Mod.Eng. sound it represents is close to the devocalized consonant expressed by Roman -U- or -V-. In O.E., this originally was written -uu-, but by 8c. began to be expressed by the runic character wyn (Kentish wen), which looked something like a cross between lower-case -p- and -y-. In 11c., Norman scribes introduced -w-, a ligatured doubling of Roman -u- which had been used on the continent for the Gmc. "w" sound, and wyn disappeared c.1300.

watt

unit of electrical power, 1882, in allusion to James Watt (1736-1819), Scottish engineer and inventor. Wattage is recorded from 1903.

west

O.E. west "in or toward the west," from P.Gmc. *wes-t- (cf. O.N. vestr, O.Fris., M.Du., Du. west, O.H.G. -west, only in compounds, Ger. west), from PIE *wes- (source of Gk. hesperos, L. vesper "evening, west"), perhaps an enlarged form of base *we- "to go down" (cf. Skt. avah "downward"), and thus lit. "direction in which the sun sets." Cf. also High Ger. dial. abend "west," lit. "evening." Fr. ouest, Sp. oeste are from Eng. West used in geopolitical sense from World War I (Britain, France, Italy, as opposed to Germany and Austria-Hungary); as contrast to Communist Russia (later to the Soviet bloc) it is first recorded in 1918. West Indies is recorded from 1550s. The verb wester "to go west" is recorded from late 14c.; westerly first recorded 1570s in both its (somewhat contradictory) senses of "coming from the west" and "facing toward the west."

Medical Dictionary

W definition

Function: symbol
[German wolfram ]tungsten

watt definition

Pronunciation: /ˈwät/
Function: n
: the absolute mks unit of power equal to the work done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt : {frac1/746} horsepower

Watt James (1736-1819) British engineer and inventor. Watt's steam engine played a major role in the coming of the Industrial Revolution and came to be used in paper mills, flour mills, cotton mills, iron mills, distilleries, canals, and waterworks. At the end of the 19th century the International Electrical Congress named the watt, the unit of electrical power, in his honor.

W ¹

The symbol for the element tungsten.

W ²

Abbr. watt

watt (wŏt)
n.
Abbr. W
A unit of power in the International System of Units equal to one joule per second.

Science Dictionary

tungsten (tŭng'stən) Pronunciation Key
Symbol W
A hard, gray to white metallic element that is very resistant to corrosion. It has the highest melting point of all elements, and it retains its strength at high temperatures. It is used to make light-bulb filaments and to increase the hardness and strength of steel. Atomic number 74; atomic weight 183.84; melting point 3,410°C; boiling point 5,900°C; specific gravity 19.3 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Also called wolfram. See Periodic Table.

w
Abbreviation of width

The symbol for tungsten.
Abbreviation of watt

Watt, James 1736-1819.
British engineer and inventor who patented a much improved version of the steam engine (1769) and devised the unit of horsepower. The watt unit of power is named for him.

Cultural Dictionary