From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
wall
n 1: an architectural partition with a height and length greater
than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or
to support another structure; "the south wall had a
small window"; "the walls were covered with pictures"
2: an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes;
"they stormed the ramparts of the city"; "they blew the
trumpet and the walls came tumbling down" [syn: rampart,
bulwark]
3: anything that suggests a wall in structure or function or
effect; "a wall of water"; "a wall of smoke"; "a wall of
prejudice"; "negotiations ran into a brick wall"
4: a masonry fence (as around an estate or garden); "the wall
followed the road"; "he ducked behind the garden wall and
waited"
5: (anatomy) a layer (a lining or membrane) that encloses a
structure; "stomach walls" [syn: paries]
6: a vertical (or almost vertical) smooth rock face (as of a
cave or mountain)
7: a layer of material that encloses space; "the walls of the
cylinder were perforated"; "the container's walls were
blue"
8: a difficult or awkward situation; "his back was to the
wall"; "competition was pushing them to the wall"
v : surround with a wall in order to fortify [syn: palisade,
fence, fence in, surround]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wall \Wall\, n. (Naut.)
A kind of knot often used at the end of a rope; a wall knot;
a wale.
[1913 Webster]
Wall knot, a knot made by unlaying the strands of a rope,
and making a bight with the first strand, then passing the
second over the end of the first, and the third over the
end of the second and through the bight of the first; a
wale knot. Wall knots may be single or double, crowned or
double-crowned.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wall \Wall\, n. [AS. weall, from L. vallum a wall, vallus a
stake, pale, palisade; akin to Gr. ? a nail. Cf. Interval.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A work or structure of stone, brick, or other materials,
raised to some height, and intended for defense or
security, solid and permanent inclosing fence, as around a
field, a park, a town, etc., also, one of the upright
inclosing parts of a building or a room.
[1913 Webster]
The plaster of the wall of the King's palace. --Dan.
v. 5.
[1913 Webster]
2. A defense; a rampart; a means of protection; in the
plural, fortifications, in general; works for defense.
[1913 Webster]
The waters were a wall unto them on their right
hand, and on their left. --Ex. xiv. 22.
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In such a night,
Troilus, methinks, mounted the Troyan walls. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
To rush undaunted to defend the walls. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
3. An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls
of a steam-engine cylinder.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Mining)
(a) The side of a level or drift.
(b) The country rock bounding a vein laterally. --Raymond.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Wall is often used adjectively, and also in the
formation of compounds, usually of obvious
signification; as in wall paper, or wall-paper; wall
fruit, or wall-fruit; wallflower, etc.
[1913 Webster]
Blank wall, Blind wall, etc. See under Blank, Blind,
etc.
To drive to the wall, to bring to extremities; to push to
extremes; to get the advantage of, or mastery over.
To go to the wall, to be hard pressed or driven; to be the
weaker party; to be pushed to extremes.
To take the wall. to take the inner side of a walk, that
is, the side next the wall; hence, to take the precedence.
"I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's."
--Shak.
Wall barley (Bot.), a kind of grass (Hordeum murinum)
much resembling barley; squirrel grass. See under
Squirrel.
Wall box. (Mach.) See Wall frame, below.
Wall creeper (Zool.), a small bright-colored bird
(Tichodroma muraria) native of Asia and Southern Europe.
It climbs about over old walls and cliffs in search of
insects and spiders. Its body is ash-gray above, the wing
coverts are carmine-red, the primary quills are mostly red
at the base and black distally, some of them with white
spots, and the tail is blackish. Called also {spider
catcher}.
Wall cress (Bot.), a name given to several low cruciferous
herbs, especially to the mouse-ear cress. See under
Mouse-ear.
Wall frame (Mach.), a frame set in a wall to receive a
pillow block or bearing for a shaft passing through the
wall; -- called also wall box.
Wall fruit, fruit borne by trees trained against a wall.
Wall gecko (Zool.), any one of several species of Old World
geckos which live in or about buildings and run over the
vertical surfaces of walls, to which they cling by means
of suckers on the feet.
Wall lizard (Zool.), a common European lizard ({Lacerta
muralis}) which frequents houses, and lives in the chinks
and crevices of walls; -- called also wall newt.
Wall louse, a wood louse.
Wall moss (Bot.), any species of moss growing on walls.
Wall newt (Zool.), the wall lizard. --Shak.
Wall paper, paper for covering the walls of rooms; paper
hangings.
Wall pellitory (Bot.), a European plant ({Parictaria
officinalis}) growing on old walls, and formerly esteemed
medicinal.
Wall pennywort (Bot.), a plant (Cotyledon Umbilicus)
having rounded fleshy leaves. It is found on walls in
Western Europe.
Wall pepper (Bot.), a low mosslike plant (Sedum acre)
with small fleshy leaves having a pungent taste and
bearing yellow flowers. It is common on walls and rocks in
Europe, and is sometimes seen in America.
Wall pie (Bot.), a kind of fern; wall rue.
Wall piece, a gun planted on a wall. --H. L. Scott.
Wall plate (Arch.), a piece of timber placed horizontally
upon a wall, and supporting posts, joists, and the like.
See Illust. of Roof.
Wall rock, granular limestone used in building walls. [U.
S.] --Bartlett.
Wall rue (Bot.), a species of small fern ({Asplenium
Ruta-muraria}) growing on walls, rocks, and the like.
Wall spring, a spring of water issuing from stratified
rocks.
Wall tent, a tent with upright cloth sides corresponding to
the walls of a house.
Wall wasp (Zool.), a common European solitary wasp
(Odynerus parietus) which makes its nest in the crevices
of walls.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wall \Wall\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Walled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Walling.]
1. To inclose with a wall, or as with a wall. "Seven walled
towns of strength." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The king of Thebes, Amphion,
That with his singing walled that city. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. To defend by walls, or as if by walls; to fortify.
[1913 Webster]
The terror of his name that walls us in. --Denham.
[1913 Webster]
3. To close or fill with a wall, as a doorway.
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
wall
Unix's "write all" command which sends a message to everyone
currently logged in.
[Jargon File]
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
wall
interj.
[WPI]
1. An indication of confusion, usually spoken with a quizzical tone:
"Wall??"
2. A request for further explication. Compare octal forty.
3. [Unix, from `write all'] v. To send a message to everyone
currently logged in, esp. with the wall(8) utility.
It is said that sense 1 came from the idiom `like talking to a blank
wall'. It was originally used in situations where, after you had
carefully answered a question, the questioner stared at you blankly,
clearly having understood nothing that was explained. You would then
throw out a "Hello, wall?" to elicit some sort of response from the
questioner. Later, confused questioners began voicing "Wall?"
themselves.