Work (wûrk), v. t. 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 W. 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.
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." 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.
Addison.
4. To influence by acting upon; to prevail upon; to
manage; to lead. "Work your royal father to his ruin."
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.
Arbuthnot.
Now, Marcus, thy virtue's the proof;
Put forth thy utmost strength, work every nerve.
Addison.
The mariners all 'gan work the ropes,
Where they were wont to do.
Coleridge.
7. To cause to ferment, as liquor.
To work a passage (Naut.), to pay for a
passage by doing work. -- To work double tides
(Naut.), 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. [R.]
Tears of joy for your returning spilt,
Work out and expiate our former guilt.
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.
Addison.
(b) To expend in any work, as materials; as, they
have worked up all the stock. (c)
(Naut.) 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. R. H. Dana, Jr.
Work (wûrk), n. [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. 'e`rgon, ϝe`rgon,
work, "re`zein to do, 'o`rganon an instrument,
'o`rgia 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.
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.
Shak.
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.
Shak.
The work some praise,
And some the architect.
Milton.
Fancy . . .
Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams.
Milton.
The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies . . . is the
chief work of elements.
Sir K. 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.
Shak.
(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.
Stillingfleet.
6. (Mech.) 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.
Clerk Maxwell.
7. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed.
Raymond.
8. pl. (Script.) 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.
Muscular work (Physiol.), 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."
Shak. -- To set on work, to cause to begin
laboring; to set to work. [Obs.] Hooker. -- To set to
work, to employ; to cause to engage in any business or
labor.
Work, n. 1.
(Cricket) Break; twist. [Cant]
2. (Mech.) 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.
Clerk Maxwell.
3. (Mining) Ore before it is
dressed.
Work (wûrk), v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Worked (wûrkt), or Wrought (rôt);
p. pr. & vb. n. Working.] [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,
n.]
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?
Shak.
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 J. 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.
Shak.
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.
Locke.
She marveled how she could ever have been wrought
upon to marry him.
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.
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.
Milton.
7. To ferment, as a liquid.
The working of beer when the barm is put
in.
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.
Grew.
To work at, to be engaged in or upon; to be
employed in. -- To work to windward (Naut.),
to sail or ply against the wind; to tack to windward. Mar.
Dict.