Category: W

  • Will

    A legal document that describes how a person wishes his or her estate to be disposed of following death.  

  • Whore-madonna complex

    A conflict in which a person perceives women as either pure or sluttish but cannot believe that a decent woman would have sexual urges.  

  • Whole life policy

    A life insurance policy that has a fixed premium that accumulates a cash value over a period of time and is in force for the life of the insured as long as premiums are paid.  

  • Whole-grain flour

    Flour made from grain that has undergone only minimal processing.  

  • White noise

    Noise composed of sounds of all frequencies.  

  • White matter

    The neural tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting of nerve fibers. Nerve tissue in the central nervous system which contains more myelin than grey matter. Nerve tissue of the spinal cord, surrounding the gray matter and made up mostly of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers in a network of neuroglia cells. It is…

  • White corpuscles

    Disease-fighting bodies in the blood.  

  • Wheezing

    Breathing with difficulty and noisily. Whistling noises in the bronchi when breathing. Wheezing is often found in people with asthma and is also associated with bronchitis and heart disease. A high-pitched, whistling sound made when air passes over a partial obstruction in the airways. Asthma is the most common cause of recurring wheezing. But it…

  • Wet suit

    A close fitting body covering made of rubber, used by underwater divers or people exposed for extended periods to cold water.  

  • Wet dream

    Slang for nocturnal emission. An ejaculation that occurs during sleep, often among adolescent males. The release of semen from the penis that happens during sleep.