Wade

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Wade, n. 

 Woad.  Mortimer.  [1913 Webster]

Wade, v. i. [OE. waden to wade, to go, AS. wadan; akin to OFries. wada, D. waden, OHG. watan, Icel. vaa, Sw. vada, Dan. vade, L. vadere to go, walk, vadum a ford. Cf. Evade, Invade, Pervade, Waddle.].

•  To go; to move forward.  [1913 Webster]

  "When might is joined unto cruelty,
  Alas, too deep will the venom wade."  [1913 Webster]

  "Forbear, and wade no further in this speech."  [1913 Webster]
•  To walk in a substance that yields to the feet; to move, sinking at each step, as in water, mud, sand, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  "So eagerly the fiend . . .
  With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
  And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, to move with difficulty or labor; to proceed as, to wade through a dull book.  [1913 Webster]

  "And wades through fumes, and gropes his way."  [1913 Webster]

  "The king's admirable conduct has waded through all these difficulties."  [1913 Webster]

Wade, v. t. 

 To pass or cross by wading; as, he waded .  [1913 Webster]

Wade, n. 

 The act of wading.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Wade, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. walk through water or some impeding medium e.g. snow, mud, or sand.
2 intr. make one's way with difficulty or by force.
3 intr. (foll. by through) read (a book etc.) in spite of its dullness etc.
4 intr. (foll. by into) colloq. attack (a person or task) vigorously.
5 tr. ford (a stream etc.) on foot.
--n. a spell of wading.

Idiom

wade in colloq. make a vigorous attack or intervention. wading bird any long-legged water-bird that wades.

Derivative

wadable adj. (also wadeable).

Etymology

OE wadan f. Gmc, = go (through)

ROGET THESAURUS

Wade

Navigation

VB sail, put to sea, take ship, get under way, set sail, spread sail, spread canvas, gather way, have way on, make sail, carry sail, plow the waves, plow the deep, plow the main, plow the ocean, walk the waters, navigate, warp, luff, scud, boom, kedge, drift, course, cruise, coast, hug the shore, hug the land, circumnavigate, ply the oar, row, paddle, pull, scull, punt, steam, swim, float, buffet the waves, ride the storm, skim, effleurer, dive, wade, fly, be wafted, hover, soar, flutter, jet, orbit, rocket, take wing, take a flight, take off, ascend, blast off, land, alight, wing one's flight, wing one's way, aviate, parachute, jump, glide.