I. ˈwȯ(ə)rp, ˈwȯ(ə)p noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wearp; akin to Old High German warf warp, Old Norse varp throw, cast. verpa to throw, cast — more at warp II
1.
a.
(1) : a series or sheet of parallel yarns or threads set up for textile processing ; specifically : a series of yarns extended lengthwise in a loom thereby forming the lengthwise threads of a woven fabric and usually twisted tighter than the filling yarns and sized for protection during the weaving in of the filling threads
(2) : one of the threads of a warp
(3) : a fabric classified according to its warp rather than its filling
warp -faced
(4) : the cords that form the carcass of a pneumatic tire
b. : the basic foundation or material of a structure or entity
the homemade myth that was the warp of his work — Babette Deutsch
the warp of the economic structure is agriculture — American Guide Series: North Carolina
2. : a rope attached at one end to an anchor, post, or other fixed object and used to haul a ship or boat toward the object
3. dialect Britain : a unit of count for fish or oysters equal to 4 or sometimes 3 or 2
six warp of herring
4.
a.
(1) : sediment deposited by water (as when alluvial soil is formed)
(2) : sediment developed or disturbed in situ by congeliturbation
(3) : a bed or layer of deposited sediment
b. : a slight flexure of strata
5.
[ warp (II) ]
a.
(1) : the state or fact of being out of true in plane or line ; also : an instance of warping (as a twist, bend, or crook) — used especially of improperly seasoned wood
a warp in a door panel
(2) : a variation from a true or plane surface ; especially : one caused by warping of lumber
(3) : the amount a surface warps or an allowance made for warping
the warp of a board
b. : a mental twist or aberration : a perverse or abnormal way of thinking, judging, or acting
the warp of battle might remain in him a long time — Dixon Wecter
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English warpen, from Old English weorpan to throw, cast; akin to Old High German werfan to throw, cast, Old Norse verpa, Gothic wairpan, Greek rhembein to whirl
transitive verb
1.
a. : to turn or twist out of shape
trees warped by the wind
the occasional warping of logic and possibility — D.R.Weimer
especially : to twist or bend out of a flat plane by or as if by contraction, curving, drying, dampness, or heat
the hot sun warped the cabin's walls
b. : to give a mental twist to : make perverse or biased : cause to judge, choose, or act wrongly
their minds are warped with suspicion — T.B.Costain
characters warped in infancy and intelligence stunted at school — Bertrand Russell
a few men at the top, whose thinking is warped by dogma — Elmer Davis
: cause to turn aside from a chosen or correct ethical, religious, or intellectual choice or path : lead astray : pervert
aroused judgment easily becomes warped — Dorothy Sayers
the social lies that warp us from the living truth — Alfred Tennyson
c. : to falsify, misinterpret, or give a false coloring to by wresting or twisting : distort
histories … are too often warped by an unfortunate bias — W.R.Inge
other forms of political activity, which … badly warp the meaning of elections — Elmo Roper & Louis Harris
d. : to deflect from a course : cause to veer
long-term profit trends of the publicly regulated industries are warped from time to time by legislation — Julius Grodinsky
e. : to change the form of (a wing) by twisting especially to provide lateral control
f. : to flex slightly (as by differential vertical movements in the earth's crust)
2.
[Middle English warpen, from warp (I) ]
a. : to wind (yarns) on a warp beam : arrange (yarns) so as to form a warp
b. obsolete : fabricate , devise
c. : weave , interlace
3.
[ warp (I) ]
: to move (as a ship) by hauling on a warp attached to a fixed object (as a buoy or anchor
as each ship was loaded … another vessel would be warped into the vacancy at the dock — L.C.Douglas
with practiced maneuvers the boats were warped alongside — Luis Marden
4. Britain : to cast (young) prematurely — used of a domestic animal
5.
[ warp (I) ]
a. : to let the tide or other water in upon (low-lying land) for fertilizing by a deposit of warp
b. : to fill up (as a channel) with warp : choke
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to become twisted out of shape by or as if by contraction or shrinkage : become twisted or bent out of a flat plane
the lock walls of some early canals … were of wood, and … began to bulge and warp almost as soon as completed — A.F.Harlow
b.
(1) : to become biased : alter a choice, opinion, or liking under influence
he never warped from the path of common sense — Timothy Dwight
(2) : to have a bias or perverse inclination or attraction
2.
a.
(1) of a ship : to become moved by warping
help carriers warp into dock — National Geographic
(2) : to warp a ship : move a ship by a warp
b. : to progress slowly or circuitously or with effort as if being warped
c. archaic : to whirl or glide in the air
a pitchy cloud of locusts, warping on the eastern wind — John Milton
3. : to wind yarn off bobbins for forming the warp : wind a warp on a warp beam
Synonyms: see deform