Whitney

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Whit·ney

(wĭt′nē, hwĭt′-), Eli 1765-1825.

American manufacturer whose invention of the cotton gin (1793) revolutionized the cotton industry. He also established a factory to assemble muskets with interchangeable parts, marking the advent of modern mass production.

Whitney

, Mount

A peak, 4,417 m (14,491 ft) high, in the Sierra Nevada of east-central California. It is the highest elevation in the contiguous 48 states.

Whitney

, William Dwight 1827-1894.

American linguist, philologist, and lexicographer who was the editor of The Century Dictionary (1889-1891) and author of many books on language.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Whitney

(ˈwɪtnɪ)

(Placename) Mount Whitney a mountain in E California: the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in continental US (excluding Alaska). Height: 4418 m (14 495 ft)

Whitney

(ˈwɪtnɪ)

1. (Biography) Eli. 1765–1825, US inventor of a mechanical cotton gin (1793) and pioneer manufacturer of interchangeable parts

2. (Biography) William Dwight. 1827–94, US philologist, noted esp for his Sanskrit Grammar (1879)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Whit•ney

(ˈʰwɪt ni, ˈwɪt-)

n.

1. Eli, 1765–1825, U.S. manufacturer and inventor.

2. Mount, a mountain in E California, in the Sierra Nevada: highest peak in the U.S. outside Alaska. 14,495 ft. (4418 m).

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	Whitney - United States inventor of the mechanical cotton gin (1765-1825) Eli Whitney
	2.	Whitney - the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada range in California (14,494 feet high) Mount Whitney High Sierra, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Sierra Nevada - a mountain range in eastern California; contains Mount Whitney

References in classic literature ?

Genevieve Whitney was the only daughter of a distinguished man.

View in context

He had invented a machine for the cleaning of the hemp, which, considering the education and circumstances of the inventor, displayed quite as much mechanical genius as Whitney's cotton-gin.[1]

View in context

Isa Whitney, brother of the late Elias Whitney, D.D., Principal of the Theological College of St.

"Why," said my wife, pulling up her veil, "it is Kate Whitney. How you startled me, Kate!

I was Isa Whitney's medical adviser, and as such I had influence over him.

There was a movement and an exclamation from my right, and peering through the gloom, I saw Whitney, pale, haggard, and unkempt, staring out at me.

I felt, however, that when Whitney was once confined in the cab my mission was practically accomplished; and for the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be associated with my friend in one of those singular adventures which were the normal condition of his existence.

View in context

My grandfather, Jason Whitney, came around the Horn and took part in the raising of the Bear Flag at Sonoma.

View in context

With the spirit of prophecy upon me, I could look into the future and see her erect statues and monuments to her unspeakable Georges and other royal and noble clothes-horses, and leave unhonored the creators of this world -- after God -- Gutenburg, Watt, Arkwright, Whitney, Morse, Stephenson, Bell.

View in context

I grieved day and night for him, and the more for that they told me he was the captain of the gang, and that he had committed so many robberies, that Hind, or Whitney, or the Golden Farmer were fools to him; that he would surely be hanged if there were no more men left in the country he was born in; and that there would abundance of people come in against him.

View in context

A fossil patriot of the early agricultural period, found in the old red soapstone underlying Kansas; characterized by an uncommon spread of ear, which some naturalists contend gave him the power of flight, though Professors Morse and Whitney, pursuing independent lines of thought, have ingeniously pointed out that had he possessed it he would have gone elsewhere.

View in context

During the interview, the Grammy-winning gospel singer described the time Whitney stood up for herself during a row in a cinema.