Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Whig"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Whig \Whig\, n. [See {Whey}.]
Acidulated whey, sometimes mixed with buttermilk and sweet
herbs, used as a cooling beverage. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Whig \Whig\, n. [Said to be from whiggam, a term used in
Scotland in driving horses, whiggamore one who drives horses
(a term applied to some western Scotchmen), contracted to
whig. In 1648, a party of these people marched to Edinburgh
to oppose the king and the duke of Hamilton (the Whiggamore
raid), and hence the name of Whig was given to the party
opposed to the court. Cf. Scot. whig to go quickly.]
1. (Eng. Politics) One of a political party which grew up in
England in the seventeenth century, in the reigns of
Charles I. and II., when great contests existed respecting
the royal prerogatives and the rights of the people. Those
who supported the king in his high claims were called
Tories, and the advocates of popular rights, of
parliamentary power over the crown, and of toleration to
Dissenters, were, after 1679, called Whigs. The terms
Liberal and Radical have now generally superseded Whig in
English politics. See the note under {Tory}.
2. (Amer. Hist.)
(a) A friend and supporter of the American Revolution; --
opposed to {Tory}, and {Royalist}.
(b) One of the political party in the United States from
about 1829 to 1856, opposed in politics to the
Democratic party.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Whig \Whig\, a.
Of or pertaining to the Whigs.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Whig
n 1: urged social reform in 19th century England [syn: {Whig}]
2: a supporter of the American Revolution [syn: {Whig}]
3: a member of the Whig Party in the United States in
pre-Civil-War times [syn: {Whig}]
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