work

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Origin: OE. work, werk, weorc, AS. weorc, worc; akin to OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah, Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. værk, Goth. gawaúrki, Gr. ἔργον, ϝέργον, work, ῥέζειν to do, ὄργανον an instrument, ὄργια secret rites, Zend verez to work. √145. Cf. Bulwark, Energy, Erg, Georgic, Liturgy, Metallurgy, Organ, Orgy, Surgeon, Wright.

1. Exertion of strength or faculties; physical or intellectual effort directed to an end; industrial activity; toil; employment; sometimes, specifically, physical labor.

Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed.— John Milton

2. The matter on which one is at work; that upon which one spends labor; material for working upon; subject of exertion; the thing occupying one; business; duty; as, to take up one's work; to drop one's work.

Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand That you yet know not of.— William Shakespeare

In every work that he began... he did it with all his heart, and prospered.— 2 Chron. xxxi. 21.

3. That which is produced as the result of labor; anything accomplished by exertion or toil; product; performance; fabric; manufacture; in a more general sense, act, deed, service, effect, result, achievement, feat.

To leave no rubs or blotches in the work.— William Shakespeare

The work some praise, And some the architect.— John Milton

Fancy... Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams.— John Milton

The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies... is the chief work of elements.— Sir Kenelm Digby

4. Specifically: (a) That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as, a work, or the works, of Addison. (b) Flowers, figures, or the like, wrought with the needle; embroidery.

I am glad I have found this napkin;... I'll have the work ta'en out, And give 't Iago.— William Shakespeare

(c) pl. Structures in civil, military, or naval engineering, as docks, bridges, embankments, trenches, fortifications, and the like; also, the structures and grounds of a manufacturing establishment; as, iron works; locomotive works; gas works. (d) pl. The moving parts of a mechanism; as, the works of a watch.

5. Manner of working; management; treatment; as, unskillful work spoiled the effect. Bp. Edward Stillingfleet

6. Mechanics The causing of motion against a resisting force. The amount of work is proportioned to, and is measured by, the product of the force into the amount of motion along the direction of the force. See Conservation of energy, under Conservation, Unit of work, under Unit, also Foot pound, Horse power, Poundal, and Erg.

Energy is the capacity of doing work... Work is the transference of energy from one system to another.— James Clerk Maxwell

7. Mining Ore before it is dressed. Raymond, Rossiter Worthington

8. pl. Scripture Performance of moral duties; righteous conduct.

He shall reward every man according to his works.— Matt. xvi. 27.

Faith, if it hath not works, is dead.— James ii. 17.

9. Cricket Break; twist. cant

10. Mechanics The causing of motion against a resisting force, measured by the product of the force into the component of the motion resolved along the direction of the force.

Energy is the capacity of doing work.... Work is the transference of energy from one system to another.— James Clerk Maxwell

11. Mining Ore before it is dressed.

Muscular work Physiology, the work done by a muscle through the power of contraction. — To go to work, to begin laboring; to commence operations; to contrive; to manage. “I 'll go another way to work with him.” William Shakespeare — To set on work, to cause to begin laboring; to set to work. obsolete Richard Hooker — To set to work, to employ; to cause to engage in any business or labor.

Origin: AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p. geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian, D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka, yrkja, orka, Goth. waúrkjan. √145. See Work, noun

1. To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in the performance of a task, a duty, or the like.

O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work, To match thy goodness?— William Shakespeare

Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you.— Ex. v. 18.

Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life doth pass.— Sir John Davies

2. Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform; as, a machine works well.

We bend to that the working of the heart.— William Shakespeare

3. Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or influence; to conduce.

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.— Rom. viii. 28.

This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught.— John Locke

She marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to marry him.— Nathaniel Hawthorne

4. To carry on business; to be engaged or employed customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor; to toil.

They that work in fine flax... shall be confounded.— Isa. xix. 9.

5. To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea.

Confused with working sands and rolling waves.— Joseph Addison

6. To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; — with a following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through, and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work into the earth.

Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportioned to each kind.— John Milton

7. To ferment, as a liquid.

The working of beer when the barm is put in.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon

8. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a cathartic.

Purges... work best, that is, cause the blood so to do,... in warm weather or in a warm room.— Nehemiah Grew

To work at, to be engaged in or upon; to be employed in. — To work to windward Nautical, to sail or ply against the wind; to tack to windward. Marine Dictionary

1. To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to; to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor.

He could have told them of two or three gold mines, and a silver mine, and given the reason why they forbare to work them at that time.— Sir Walter Raleigh

2. To produce or form by labor; to bring forth by exertion or toil; to accomplish; to originate; to effect; as, to work wood or iron into a form desired, or into a utensil; to work cotton or wool into cloth.

Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill.— Walter Harte

3. To produce by slow degrees, or as if laboriously; to bring gradually into any state by action or motion. “Sidelong he works his way.” John Milton

So the pure, limpid stream, when foul with stains Of rushing torrents and descending rains, Works itself clear, and as it runs, refines, Till by degrees the floating mirror shines.— Joseph Addison

4. To influence by acting upon; to prevail upon; to manage; to lead. “Work your royal father to his ruin.” Ambrose Philips

5. To form with a needle and thread or yarn; especially, to embroider; as, to work muslin.

6. To set in motion or action; to direct the action of; to keep at work; to govern; to manage; as, to work a machine.

Knowledge in building and working ships.— John Arbuthnot

Now, Marcus, thy virtue's the proof; Put forth thy utmost strength, work every nerve.— Joseph Addison

The mariners all 'gan work the ropes, Where they were wont to do.— Samuel T. Coleridge

7. To cause to ferment, as liquor.

To work a passage Nautical, to pay for a passage by doing work. — To work double tides Nautical, to perform the labor of three days in two; — a phrase which alludes to a practice of working by the night tide as well as by the day. — To work in, to insert, introduce, mingle, or interweave by labor or skill. — To work into, to force, urge, or insinuate into; as, to work one's self into favor or confidence. — To work off, to remove gradually, as by labor, or a gradual process; as, beer works off impurities in fermenting. — To work out. (a) To effect by labor and exertion. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Phil. ii. 12. (b) To erase; to efface. rare

Tears of joy for your returning spilt, Work out and expiate our former guilt.— John Dryden

(c) To solve, as a problem. (d) To exhaust, as a mine, by working. — To work up. (a) To raise; to excite; to stir up; as, to work up the passions to rage.

The sun, that rolls his chariot o'er their heads, Works up more fire and color in their cheeks.— Joseph Addison

(b) To expend in any work, as materials; as, they have worked up all the stock. (c) Nautical To make over or into something else, as yarns drawn from old rigging, made into spun yarn, foxes, sennit, and the like; also, to keep constantly at work upon needless matters, as a crew in order to punish them. Richard Henry, Jr. Dana

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: 1913 supplement