WALE, _vb._ to select, choose. Douglas, III, 3, 21; Dunbar, G.T., 186. Probably from the noun _wale_, choice. The vowel does not correspond with that of the O.N. vb. _velja_, which should have become _well_. But the forms _dwall_ from O.N. _dvelja_, and _hale_, O.N. _hella_, appear in Sco. _Wale_ may be a formation analogous to _hale_. WAITH, _sb._ the spoil of the chase or of fishing. Wallace, I, 386. O.N. _væiðr_, a catch in hunting or fishing. Norse _veidd_, the chase, _veida_, to hunt. On Sco. _faid_, a company of hunters. See I, §22. WANDRETH, _sb._ sorrow, trouble. Douglas, I, 88, 14. O.N. _vandræði_, difficulty, trouble. Norse, _vanraad_, misery, poverty. WANT, VANT, _vb._ lack, stand in need of, suffer. Montg., S., 48, 3; Lyndsay, 152, 40704; Bruce, V, 422; Burns, 113, 2, 3. O.N. _vanta_, to lack. Norse _vanta_, lack, never means desire. This is the regular use of the word in Sco. WANTHREIVIN, _adj._ unthriven, miserable. Montg., F., 327. O.N. _van_ + _þrifenn_, Norse _vantreven_, O.N. vb. _þrifa_, Norse _triva_, _vantriva_ (refl.). See Skeat under Eng. _thrive_ and _thrift_. WAP (wæ̆p), _vb._ to turn, overturn, throw, hurl. Douglas, I, 2, 20; III, 167, 28; Gol. and Gaw., 127. O.N. _vappa_, to waddle. Norse _vappa_, turn, wrap around. Sw. dial. _vappla_, wrap up. Cu. _wap_, to wrap. WARE, _vb._ to lay out money, spend. Rolland, III, 450; Dunbar, 92, 13; R.R., 3553. O.N. _verja_, to invest money. See Wall. WAUR, _vb._ to overcome. Burns, 7, 1, 7; Psalms, CXL, 2. See _werr_. Cp. Eng. _worst_ as a vb. and superlative of bad, worse. WEIK, _vb._ to weaken. Scott, 68, 14. Cp. Norse _veikja_, to weaken, make weak. O.N. _væikja_, to grow weak, both from adj. _væikr_, weak, same as O.E. _wāc_. The Sco. vb. may be formed directly from the adj., in which case its origin becomes uncertain. Skeat says Eng. _weak_, M.E. _weyke_ (which replaced _wook_ < O.E. _wāc_), is from O.N. _væikr_. But the M. Sco. form of O.E. or O. Nhb. _wāc_ was _wāke_ (wēk); our word could come from this. The diphthong, however, rather indicates that it comes from the Norse vb. WEILL-VARANDLY, _adv._ in a proper manner. R.R., 911. See _farrand_. Cp. O.N. _fara vel_, Norse _fara vel_, to go well, _velfaren_, gone well. WELTER, _vb._ to roll, turn, overturn. Bruce, XI, 25; III, 700; Douglas, II, 125, 25; T.M.W., 439; Lyndsay, 342, 770. O.N. _valtra_, to be unsteady, not firm, easily shaken. O. Sw. _valltra_, Sw. dial. _välltra_, to roll. WERR, WERE, WAR, VAR, WAUR, _adj._ worse. C.S., 57; Lyndsay, 428, 1392; R.R., 589, etc. O.N. _verr_, worse, Norse _verr_, _verre_, Dan. _værre_, Sw. _värr_, Cu. _waar_. This is the modern Sco. pronunciation of it. The O. Fr. _wirra_ does not correspond to the Sco. forms of the word. It is most common in Scotland and N.W. England.