Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well. --Milton.
2. A pit or hole sunk into the earth to such a depth as to
reach a supply of water, generally of a cylindrical form,
and often walled with stone or bricks to prevent the earth
from caving in.
The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to
draw with, and the well is deep. --John iv. 11.
3. A shaft made in the earth to obtain oil or brine.
4. Fig.: A source of supply; fountain; wellspring. ``This
well of mercy.'' --Chaucer.
Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled. --Spenser.
A well of serious thought and pure. --Keble.
5. (Naut.)
(a) An inclosure in the middle of a vessel's hold, around
the pumps, from the bottom to the lower deck, to
preserve the pumps from damage and facilitate their
inspection.
(b) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing
vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes
perforated in the bottom to let in water for the
preservation of fish alive while they are transported
to market.
(c) A vertical passage in the stern into which an
auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of
water.
(d) A depressed space in the after part of the deck; --
often called the cockpit.
6. (Mil.) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from
which run branches or galleries.
7. (Arch.) An opening through the floors of a building, as
for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
8. (Metal.) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal
falls.
{Artesian well}, {Driven well}. See under {Artesian}, and
{Driven}.
{Pump well}. (Naut.) See {Well}, 5
(a), above.
{Well boring}, the art or process of boring an artesian well.
{Well drain}.
(a) A drain or vent for water, somewhat like a well or
pit, serving to discharge the water of wet land.
(b) A drain conducting to a well or pit.
{Well room}.
(a) A room where a well or spring is situated; especially,
one built over a mineral spring.
(b) (Naut.) A depression in the bottom of a boat, into
which water may run, and whence it is thrown out with
a scoop.
{Well sinker}, one who sinks or digs wells.
{Well sinking}, the art or process of sinking or digging
wells.
{Well staircase} (Arch.), a staircase having a wellhole (see
{Wellhole}
(b) ), as distinguished from one which occupies the whole
of the space left for it in the floor.
{Well sweep}. Same as {Sweep}, n., 12.
{Well water}, the water that flows into a well from
subterraneous springs; the water drawn from a well.
If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
--Gen. iv. 7.
2. Suitably to one's condition, to the occasion, or to a
proposed end or use; suitably; abundantly; fully;
adequately; thoroughly.
Lot . . . beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it
was well watered everywhere. --Gen. xiii.
10.
WE are wellable to overcome it. --Num. xiii.
30.
She looketh well to the ways of her household.
--Prov. xxxi.
27.
Servant of God, well done! well hast thou fought The
better fight. --Milton.
3. Fully or about; -- used with numbers. [Obs.] ``Well a ten
or twelve.'' --Chaucer.
Well nine and twenty in a company. --Chaucer.
4. In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish;
satisfactorily; favorably; advantageously; conveniently.
``It boded well to you.'' --Dryden.
Know In measure what the mind may well contain.
--Milton.
All the world speaks well of you. --Pope.
5. Considerably; not a little; far.
Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age.
--Gen. xviii.
11.
Note: Well is sometimes used elliptically for it is well, as
an expression of satisfaction with what has been said
or done, and sometimes it expresses concession, or is
merely expletive; as, well, the work is done; well, let
us go; well, well, be it so.
Note: Well, like above, ill, and so, is used before many
participial adjectives in its usual adverbial senses,
and subject to the same custom with regard to the use
of the hyphen (see the Note under {Ill}, adv.); as, a
well-affected supporter; he was well affected toward
the project; a well-trained speaker; he was well
trained in speaking; well-educated, or well educated;
well-dressed, or well dressed; well-appearing;
well-behaved; well-controlled; well-designed;
well-directed; well-formed; well-meant; well-minded;
well-ordered; well-performed; well-pleased;
well-pleasing; well-seasoned; well-steered;
well-tasted; well-told, etc. Such compound epithets
usually have an obvious meaning, and since they may be
formed at will, only a few of this class are given in
the Vocabulary.
{As well as}, and also; together with; not less than; one as
much as the other; as, a sickness long, as well as severe;
London is the largest city in England, as well as the
capital.
{Well enough}, well or good in a moderate degree; so as to
give satisfaction, or so as to require no alteration.
{Well off}, in good condition; especially, in good condition
as to property or any advantages; thriving; prosperous.
{Well to do}, well off; prosperous; -- used also adjectively.
``The class well to do in the world.'' --J. H. Newman.
{Well to live}, in easy circumstances; well off; well to do.
--Shak.
From his two springs in Gojam's sunny realm, Pure
welling out, he through the lucid lake Of fair Dambea
rolls his infant streams. --Thomson.
It was well with us in Egypt. --Num. xi. 18.
2. Being in health; sound in body; not ailing, diseased, or
sick; healthy; as, a well man; the patient is perfectly
well. ``Your friends are well.'' --Shak.
Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake?
--Gen. xliii.
27.
3. Being in favor; favored; fortunate.
He followed the fortunes of that family, and was
well with Henry the Fourth. --Dryden.
4. (Marine Insurance) Safe; as, a chip warranted well at a
certain day and place. --Burrill.
7. To proceed by a mental operation; to pass in mind or by an
act of the memory or imagination; -- generally with over
or through.
By going over all these particulars, you may receive
some tolerable satisfaction about this great
subject. --South.
8. To be with young; to be pregnant; to gestate.
The fruit she goes with, I pray for heartily, that
it may find Good time, and live. --Shak.
9. To move from the person speaking, or from the point whence
the action is contemplated; to pass away; to leave; to
depart; -- in opposition to stay and come.
I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord
your God; . . . only ye shall not go very far away.
--Ex. viii.
28.
10. To pass away; to depart forever; to be lost or ruined; to
perish; to decline; to decease; to die.
By Saint George, he's gone! That spear wound hath
our master sped. --Sir W.
Scott.
11. To reach; to extend; to lead; as, a line goes across the
street; his land goes to the river; this road goes to New
York.
His amorous expressions go no further than virtue
may allow. --Dryden.
12. To have recourse; to resort; as, to go to law.
Note: Go is used, in combination with many prepositions and
adverbs, to denote motion of the kind indicated by the
preposition or adverb, in which, and not in the verb,
lies the principal force of the expression; as, to go
against to go into, to go out, to go aside, to go
astray, etc.
{Go to}, come; move; go away; -- a phrase of exclamation,
serious or ironical.
{To go a-begging}, not to be in demand; to be undesired.
{To go about}.
(a) To set about; to enter upon a scheme of action; to
undertake. ``They went about to slay him.'' --Acts
ix. 29.
They never go about . . . to hide or palliate
their vices. --Swift.
(b) (Naut.) To tack; to turn the head of a ship; to wear.
{To go abraod}.
(a) To go to a foreign country.
(b) To go out of doors.
(c) To become public; to be published or disclosed; to be
current.
Then went this saying abroad among the
brethren. --John xxi.
23.
{To go against}.
(a) To march against; to attack.
(b) To be in opposition to; to be disagreeable to.
{To go ahead}.
(a) To go in advance.
(b) To go on; to make progress; to proceed.
{To go and come}. See {To come and go}, under {Come}.
{To go aside}.
(a) To withdraw; to retire.
He . . . went aside privately into a desert
place. --Luke. ix.
10.
(b) To go from what is right; to err. --Num. v. 29.
{To go back on}.
(a) To retrace (one's path or footsteps).
(b) To abandon; to turn against; to betray. [Slang, U.
S.]
{To go below}
(Naut), to go below deck.
{To go between}, to interpose or mediate between; to be a
secret agent between parties; in a bad sense, to pander.
{To go beyond}. See under {Beyond}.
{To go by}, to pass away unnoticed; to omit.
{To go by the board} (Naut.), to fall or be carried
overboard; as, the mast went by the board.
{To go down}.
(a) To descend.
(b) To go below the horizon; as, the sun has gone down.
(c) To sink; to founder; -- said of ships, etc.
(d) To be swallowed; -- used literally or figuratively.
[Colloq.]
Nothing so ridiculous, . . . but it goes down
whole with him for truth. --L' Estrange.
{To go far}.
(a) To go to a distance.
(b) To have much weight or influence.
{To go for}.
(a) To go in quest of.
(b) To represent; to pass for.
(c) To favor; to advocate.
(d) To attack; to assault. [Low]
(e) To sell for; to be parted with for (a price).
{To go for nothing}, to be parted with for no compensation or
result; to have no value, efficacy, or influence; to count
for nothing.
{To go forth}.
(a) To depart from a place.
(b) To be divulged or made generally known; to emanate.
The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem. --Micah iv. 2.
{To go hard with}, to trouble, pain, or endanger.
{To go in}, to engage in; to take part. [Colloq.]
{To go in and out}, to do the business of life; to live; to
have free access. --John x. 9.
{To go in for}. [Colloq.]
(a) To go for; to favor or advocate (a candidate, a
measure, etc.).
(b) To seek to acquire or attain to (wealth, honor,
preferment, etc.)
(c) To complete for (a reward, election, etc.).
(d) To make the object of one's labors, studies, etc.
He was as ready to go in for statistics as for
anything else. --Dickens.
{To go in to} or {unto}.
(a) To enter the presence of. --Esther iv. 16.
(b) To have sexual intercourse with. [Script.]
{To go into}.
(a) To speak of, investigate, or discuss (a question,
subject, etc.).
(b) To participate in (a war, a business, etc.).
{To go large}.
(Naut) See under {Large}.
{To go off}.
(a) To go away; to depart.
The leaders . . . will not go off until they
hear you. --Shak.
(b) To cease; to intermit; as, this sickness went off.
(c) To die. --Shak.
(d) To explode or be discharged; -- said of gunpowder, of
a gun, a mine, etc.
(e) To find a purchaser; to be sold or disposed of.
(f) To pass off; to take place; to be accomplished.
The wedding went off much as such affairs do.
--Mrs.
Caskell.
{To go on}.
(a) To proceed; to advance further; to continue; as, to
go on reading.
(b) To be put or drawn on; to fit over; as, the coat will
not go on.
{To go all fours}, to correspond exactly, point for point.
It is not easy to make a simile go on all fours.
--Macaulay.
{To go out}.
(a) To issue forth from a place.
(b) To go abroad; to make an excursion or expedition.
There are other men fitter to go out than I.
--Shak.
What went ye out for to see ? --Matt. xi. 7,
8, 9.
(c) To become diffused, divulged, or spread abroad, as
news, fame etc.
(d) To expire; to die; to cease; to come to an end; as,
the light has gone out.
Life itself goes out at thy displeasure.
--Addison.
{To go over}.
(a) To traverse; to cross, as a river, boundary, etc.; to
change sides.
I must not go over Jordan. --Deut. iv.
22.
Let me go over, and see the good land that is
beyond Jordan. --Deut. iii.
25.
Ishmael . . . departed to go over to the
Ammonites. --Jer. xli.
10.
(b) To read, or study; to examine; to review; as, to go
over one's accounts.
If we go over the laws of Christianity, we
shall find that . . . they enjoin the same
thing. --Tillotson.
(c) To transcend; to surpass.
(d) To be postponed; as, the bill went over for the
session.
(e) (Chem.) To be converted (into a specified substance
or material); as, monoclinic sulphur goes over into
orthorhombic, by standing; sucrose goes over into
dextrose and levulose.
{To go through}.
(a) To accomplish; as, to go through a work.
(b) To suffer; to endure to the end; as, to go through a
surgical operation or a tedious illness.
(c) To spend completely; to exhaust, as a fortune.
(d) To strip or despoil (one) of his property. [Slang]
(e) To botch or bungle a business. [Scot.]
{To go through with}, to perform, as a calculation, to the
end; to complete.
{To go to ground}.
(a) To escape into a hole; -- said of a hunted fox.
(b) To fall in battle.
{To go to naught} (Colloq.), to prove abortive, or
unavailling.
{To go under}.
(a) To set; -- said of the sun.
(b) To be known or recognized by (a name, title, etc.).
(c) To be overwhelmed, submerged, or defeated; to perish;
to succumb.
{To go up}, to come to nothing; to prove abortive; to fail.
[Slang]
{To go upon}, to act upon, as a foundation or hypothesis.
{To go with}.
(a) To accompany.
(b) To coincide or agree with.
(c) To suit; to harmonize with.
{To go} (
{well},
{ill}, or
{hard})
{with}, to affect (one) in such manner.
{To go without}, to be, or to remain, destitute of.
{To go wrong}.
(a) To take a wrong road or direction; to wander or
stray.
(b) To depart from virtue.
(c) To happen unfortunately.
(d) To miss success.
{To let go}, to allow to depart; to quit one's hold; to
release.