Wire \Wire\ (w[imac]r), n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel.
v[imac]rr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine
gold; perhaps akin to E. withy. [root]141.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance
formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved
rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square,
triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in
the drawplate, or between the rollers.
[1913 Webster]
2. A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph;
as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
3. Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the
puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang),
the network of hidden influences controlling the action of
a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for
office; -- in this sense, synonymous with strings.
[Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]
4. One who picks women's pockets. [Thieves' Slang]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
5. A knitting needle. [Scot.]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
6. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges'
stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing
Cant]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Wire bed, Wire mattress, an elastic bed bottom or
mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in
various ways.
Wire bridge, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made
of wire.
Wire cartridge, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed
in a wire cage.
Wire cloth, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, --
used for strainers, and for various other purposes.
Wire edge, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes
formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening
it.
Wire fence, a fence consisting of posts with strained
horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework,
between.
Wire gauge or Wire gage.
(a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness
of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal
plate with a series of notches of various widths in
its edge.
(b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as
by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the
thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is
used in describing the size or thickness. There are
many different standards for wire gauges, as in
different countries, or for different kinds of metal,
the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge
being often used and designated by the abbreviations
B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively.
Wire gauze, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling
gauze.
Wire grass (Bot.), either of the two common grasses
Eleusine Indica, valuable for hay and pasture, and Poa
compressa, or blue grass. See Blue grass.
Wire grub (Zool.), a wireworm.
Wire iron, wire rods of iron.
Wire lathing, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the
place of wooden lathing for holding plastering.
Wire mattress. See Wire bed, above.
Wire micrometer, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine
wires, across the field of the instrument.
Wire nail, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed
and pointed.
Wire netting, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary
wire gauze.
Wire rod, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing.
Wire rope, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of
wires.
down to the wire, up to the last moment, as in a race or
competition; as, the two front runners were neck-and-neck
down to the wire. From wire[6].
under the wire, just in time; shortly before the deadline;
as, to file an application just under the wire.
[1913 Webster]
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Wire \Wire\, v. i.
1. To pass like a wire; to flow in a wirelike form, or in a
tenuous stream. [R.] --P. Fletcher.
[1913 Webster]
2. To send a telegraphic message. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Wire \Wire\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wired; p. pr. & vb. n.
Wiring.]
1. To bind with wire; to attach with wires; to apply wire to;
as, to wire corks in bottling liquors.
[1913 Webster]
2. To put upon a wire; as, to wire beads.
[1913 Webster]
3. To snare by means of a wire or wires.
[1913 Webster]
4. To send (a message) by telegraph. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
5. (Croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket
prevents a successful shot.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
6. to equip with a system of wiring, especially for supply of
electrical power or communication; as, to wire an office
for networking the computers; to wire a building with
220-Volt current.
[PJC]
7. to equip with an electronic system for eavesdropping; to
bug; as, to wire the office of a mob boss; to wire an
informant so as to record his conversations.
[PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
wire
n 1: ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make
cages or fences etc
2: a metal conductor that carries electricity over a distance
[syn: conducting wire]
3: the finishing line on a racetrack
4: a message transmitted by telegraph [syn: telegram]
v 1: provide with electrical circuits; "wire the addition to the
house"
2: send cables, wires, or telegrams [syn: cable, telegraph]
3: fasten with wire; "The columns were wired to the beams for
support" [ant: unwire]
4: string on a wire; "wire beads"
5: equip for use with electricity; "electrify an appliance"
[syn: electrify]
WordNet (r) 2.0
79 Moby Thesaurus words for "wire":
BX cable, Teletype, armored cable, band, bandage, battery cable,
bell wire, belt, bend, bind, bind up, brace, braid, brail, bundle,
cable, cablegram, cannon, chain, cinch, coaxial cable, cord,
cutpurse, day letter, dip, diver, do up, electric cable,
electric cord, fast telegram, flash, gird, girdle, girt, girth,
highline, hookup wire, lace, lash, lead, leash, ligament, ligation,
ligature, line, night letter, power line, radio, radiogram, rope,
send a wire, sign off, sign on, splice, spun yarn, strap, string,
swaddle, swathe, telegram, telegraph, telegraph line,
telephone line, telex, tendon, thong, three-wire cable, tie,
tie up, transmission line, triaxial cable, truss, twine, twist,
underground cable, wire line, wrap, wrap up, yarn
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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