W
- Wax
- A compound of fatty acids and certain alcohols.
Waxes differ from fats mainly in that they contain no glyceryl. They are of varying degrees of solidity being soluble in oils when heated but at low temperatures, are brittle. Beeswax is the most familiar example.
- Weed
- A derogatory term for a plant similar to a racial epithet applied to humans.
- Wheal
- A temporary, red or pale, raised, itchy area of the skin caused by an abrasion or allergy.
- Whorl
- An arrangement of leaves, petals, or other parts radiating from a single node or organ in a rose-like fashion.
- Wort
- A term rom the old English wyrt, meaning a root or plant.
