LIVRE Li
"vre, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. libra a pound of twelve ounces. Cf. Lira.]
Defn: A French money of account, afterward a silver coin equal to 20 sous. It is not now in use, having been superseded by the franc.
LIXIVIAL Lix*iv"i*al, a. Etym: [L. lixivius, fr. lix ashes, lye ashes, lye: cf. F. lixiviel.]
1. Impregnated with, or consisting of, alkaline salts extracted from wood ashes; impregnated with a salt or salts like a lixivium. Boyle.
2. Of the color of lye; resembling lye.
3. Having the qualities of alkaline salts extracted from wood ashes. Lixivial salts (Old Chem.), salts which are obtained by passing water through ashes, or by pouring it on them.
LIXIVIATE; LIXIVITED Lix*iv"i*ate, Lix*iv"i*`ted, a. Etym: [From Lixivium.]
1. Of or pertaining to lye or lixivium; of the quality of alkaline salts.
2. Impregnated with salts from wood ashes. Boyle.
LIXIVIATE Lix*iv"i*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lixiviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Lixiviating.]
Defn: To subject to a washing process for the purpose of separating soluble material from that which is insoluble; to leach, as ashes, for the purpose of extracting the alkaline substances.
LIXIVIATION Lix*iv`i*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lixiviation.]
Defn: Lixiviating; the process of separating a soluble substance form one that is insoluble, by washing with some solvent, as water; leaching.
LIXIVIOUS Lix*iv"i*ous, a.
Defn: See Lixivial.
LIXIVIUM Lix*iv"i*um, n. Etym: [L. lixivium, lixivia. See Lixivial.]
Defn: A solution of alkaline salts extracted from wood ashes; hence, any solution obtained by lixiviation.
LIXT Lixt, obs.
Defn: 2d pers. sing. pres. of Lige, to lie, to tell lies, -- contracted for ligest. Chaucer.
LIZA Li"za, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American white mullet (Mugil curema).
LIZARD Liz"ard, n. Etym: [OE. lesarde, OF. lesarde, F. lézard, L. lacerta, lacertus. Cf. Alligator, Lacerta.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of the numerous species of reptiles belonging to the order Lacertilia; sometimes, also applied to reptiles of other orders, as the Hatteria.
Note: Most lizards have an elongated body, with four legs, and a long tail; but there are some without legs, and some with a short, thick tail. Most have scales, but some are naked; most have eyelids, but some do not. The tongue is varied in form and structure. In some it is forked, in others, as the chameleons, club-shaped, and very extensible. See Amphisbæna, Chameleon, Gecko, Gila monster, Horned toad, Iguana, and Dragon, 6.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A piece of rope with thimble or block spliced into one or both of the ends. R. H. Dana, Ir.
3. A piece of timber with a forked end, used in dragging a heavy stone, a log, or the like, from a field. Lizard fish (Zoöl.), a marine scopeloid fish of the genus Synodus, or Saurus, esp. S. foetens of the Southern United States and West Indies; -- called also sand pike. -- Lizard snake (Zoöl.), the garter snake (Eutænia sirtalis). -- Lizard stone (Min.), a kind of serpentine from near Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, -- used for ornamental purposes.
LIZARD'S TAIL Liz"ard's tail`. (Bot.)
Defn: A perennial plant of the genus Saururus (S. cernuus), growing in marshes, and having white flowers crowded in a slender terminal spike, somewhat resembling in form a lizard's tail; whence the name. Gray.
LLAMA Lla"ma, n. Etym: [Peruv.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American ruminant (Auchenia llama), allied to the camels, but much smaller and without a hump. It is supposed to be a domesticated variety of the guanaco. It was formerly much used as a beast of burden in the Andes.
LLANDEILO GROUP Llan*dei"lo group`. (Geol.)
Defn: A series of strata in the lower Silurian formations of Great Britain; -- so named from Llandeilo in Southern Wales. See Chart of Geology.
LLANERO Lla*ne"ro, n. Etym: [Sp. Amer.]
Defn: One of the inhabitants of the llanos of South America.
LLANO Lla"no, n.; pl. Llanos. Etym: [Sp., plain even, level. See Plain.]
Defn: An extensive plain with or without vegetation. [Spanish America]
LLOYD'S Lloyd's, n.
1. An association of underwriters and others in London, for the collection and diffusion of marine intelligence, the insurance, classification, registration, and certifying of vessels, and the transaction of business of various kinds connected with shipping.
2. A part of the Royal Exchange, in London, appropriated to the use of underwriters and insurance brokers; -- called also Lloyd's Rooms.
Note: The name is derived from Lloyd's Coffee House, in Lombard Street, where there were formerly rooms for the same purpose. The name Lloyd or Lloyd's has been taken by several associations, in different parts of Europe, established for purposes similar to those of the original association. Lloyd's agents, persons employed in various parts of the world, by the association called Lloyd's, to serve its interests. -- Lloyd's list, a publication of the latest news respecting shipping matters, with lists of vessels, etc., made under the direction of Lloyd's. Brande & C. -- Lloyd's register, a register of vessels rated according to their quality, published yearly.
LO Lo, interj. Etym: [OE. lo, low; perh. akin to E. look, v.]
Defn: Look; see; behold; observe. " Lo, here is Christ." Matt. xxiv. 23. " Lo, we turn to the Gentiles." Acts xiii. 46.
LOACH Loach, n. Etym: [OE. loche, F. loche.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several small, fresh-water, cyprinoid fishes of the genera Cobitis, Nemachilus, and allied genera, having six or more barbules around the mouth. They are found in Europe and Asia. The common European species (N. barbatulus) is used as a food fish.
LOAD Load, n. Etym: [OE. lode load, way; properly the same word as lode, but confused with lade, load, v. See Lade, Lead, v., Lode.]
1. A burden; that which is laid on or put in anything for conveyance; that which is borne or sustained; a weight; as, a heavy load. He might such a load To town with his ass carry. Gower.
2. The quantity which can be carried or drawn in some specified way; the contents of a cart, barrow, or vessel; that which will constitute a cargo; lading.
3. That which burdens, oppresses, or grieves the mind or spirits; as, a load of care. " A . . . load of guilt." Ray. " Our life's a load." Dryden.
4. A particular measure for certain articles, being as much as may be carried at one time by the conveyance commonly used for the article measured; as, a load of wood; a load of hay; specifically, five quarters.
5. The charge of a firearm; as, a load of powder.
6. Weight or violence of blows. [Obs.] Milton.
7. (Mach.)
Defn: The work done by a steam engine or other prime mover when working. Load line, or Load water line (Naut.), the line on the outside of a vessel indicating the depth to which it sinks in the water when loaded.
Syn. -- Burden; lading; weight; cargo. See Burden.
LOAD Load, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Loading. Loaden is obsolete, and laden belongs to lade.]
1. To lay a load or burden on or in, as on a horse or in a cart; to charge with a load, as a gun; to furnish with a lading or cargo, as a ship; hence, to add weight to, so as to oppress or embarrass; to heap upon. I strive all in vain to load the cart. Gascoigne. I have loaden me with many spoils. Shak. Those honors deep and broad, wherewith Your majesty loads our house. Shak.
2. To adulterate or drug; as, to load wine. [Cant]
3. To magnetize.[Obs.] Prior. Loaded dice, dice with one side made heavier than the others, so that the number on the opposite side will come up oftenest.
LOADER Load"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, loads; a mechanical contrivance for loading, as a gun.
LOADING Load"ing, n.
1. The act of putting a load on or into.
2. A load; cargo; burden. Shak.
LOADMANAGE; LODEMANAGE Load"man*age, Lode"man*age, n.
Defn: Pilotage; skill of a pilot or loadsman. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOADSMAN; LODESMAN Loads"man, Lodes"man, n. Etym: [Load, lode + man. See Lode.]
Defn: A pilot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOADSTAR; LODESTAR Load"star`, Lode"star`, n. Etym: [Load, lode + star. See Lode.]
Defn: A star that leads; a guiding star; esp., the polestar; the cynosure. Chaucer. " Your eyes are lodestars." Shak. The pilot can no loadstar see. Spenser.
LOADSTONE; LODESTONE Load"stone`, Lode"stone, n. Etym: [Load, lode + stone.] (Min.)
Defn: A piece of magnetic iron ore possessing polarity like a magnetic needle. See Magnetite.
LOAF Loaf, n.; pl. Loaves. Etym: [OE. lof, laf, AS. hlaf; akin to G. laib, OHG. hleip, Icel. hleifr, Goth. hlaifs, Russ. khlieb', Lith. klëpas. Cf. Lady, Lammas, Lord.]
Defn: Any thick lump, mass, or cake; especially, a large regularly shaped or molded mass, as of bread, sugar, or cake. Bacon. Loaf sugar, refined sugar that has been formed into a conical loaf in a mold.
LOAF Loaf, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loafed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loafing.] Etym: [G. laufen to run, Prov. G. loofen. See Leap.]
Defn: To spend time in idleness; to lounge or loiter about. " Loafing vagabonds." W. Black.
LOAF Loaf, v. t.
Defn: To spend in idleness; -- with away; as, to loaf time away.
LOAFER Loaf"er, n. Etym: [G. läufer a runner, Prov. G. laufer, lofer, fr. laufen to run. See Leap.]
Defn: One who loafs; a lazy lounger. Lowell.
LOAM Loam, n. Etym: [AS. lam; akin to D. leem, G. lehm, and E. lime. See 4th Lime.]
1. A kind of soil; an earthy mixture of clay and sand, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due. We wash a wall of loam; we labor in vain. Hooker.
2. (Founding)
Defn: A mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making molds for large castings, often without a pattern. Loam mold (Founding), a mold made with loam. See Loam, n., 2. -- Loam molding, the process or business of making loam molds. Loam plate, an iron plate upon which a section of a loam mold rests, or from which it is suspended. -- Loam work, loam molding or loam molds.
LOAM Loam, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loaming.]
Defn: To cover, smear, or fill with loam.
LOAMY Loam"y, a.
Defn: Consisting of loam; partaking of the nature of loam; resembling loam. Bacon.
LOAN Loan, n. Etym: [See Lawn.]
Defn: A loanin. [Scot.]
LOAN Loan, n. Etym: [OE. lone, lane, AS. lan, læn, fr. león to lend; akin to D. leen loan, fief, G. lehen fief, Icel. lan, G. leihen to lend, OHG. lihan, Icel. lji, Goth. leihwan, L. linquere to leave, Gr. ric. Delinquent, Eclipse, Eleven, Ellipse, Lend, License, Relic.]
1. The act of lending; a lending; permission to use; as, the loan of a book, money, services.
2. That which one lends or borrows, esp. a sum of money lent at interest; as, he repaid the loan. Loan office. (a) An office at which loans are negotiated, or at which the accounts of loans are kept, and the interest paid to the lender. (b) A pawnbroker's shop.
LOAN Loan, n. t. [imp. & p. p. Loaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Loaning.]
Defn: To lend; -- sometimes with out. Kent. By way of location or loaning them out. J. Langley (1644).
LOANABLE Loan"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be lent; available for lending; as, loanable funds; -- used mostly in financial business and writings.
LOANIN; LOANING Loan"in, Loan"ing, n. Etym: [From Scotch loan, E. lawn.]
Defn: An open space between cultivated fields through which cattle are driven, and where the cows are sometimes milked; also, a lane. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
LOANMONGER Loan"mon`ger, n.
Defn: A dealer in, or negotiator of, loans. The millions of the loanmonger. Beaconsfield.
LOATH Loath, a. Etym: [OE. looth, loth, AS. la hostile, odious; akin to OS. l, G. leid, Icel. lei, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. lidan to suffer, go, cf. AS. li to go, Goth. leipan, and E. lead to guide.]
1. Hateful; odious; disliked. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Filled with disgust or aversion; averse; unwilling; reluctant; as, loath to part. Full loth were him to curse for his tithes. Chaucer . Why, then, though loath, yet must I be content. Shak.
LOATHE Loathe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loathed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loathing.] Etym: [AS. la to hate. See Loath.]
1. To feel extreme disgust at, or aversion for. Loathing the honeyed cakes, I Ionged for bread. Cowley.
2. To dislike greatly; to abhor; to hate. The secret which I loathe. Waller. She loathes the vital sir. Dryden.
Syn. -- To hate; abhor; detest; abominate. See Hate.
LOATHE Loathe, v. i.
Defn: To feel disgust or nausea. [Obs.]
LOATHER Loath"er, n.
Defn: One who loathes.
LOATHFUL Loath"ful, a.
1. Full of loathing; hating; abhorring. "Loathful eyes." Spenser.
2. Causing a feeling of loathing; disgusting. Above the reach of loathful, sinful lust. Spenser.
LOATHING Loath"ing, n.
Defn: Extreme disgust; a feeling of aversion, nausea, abhorrence, or detestation. The mutual fear and loathing of the hostile races. Macaulay.
LOATHINGLY Loath"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With loathing.
LOATHLINESS Loath"li*ness, n.
Defn: Loathsomeness. [Obs.]
LOATHLY Loath"ly, a. Etym: [AS. la.]
Defn: Loathsome. [Obs.] " Loathly mouth." Spenser.
LOATHLY Loath"ly, adv.
1. Unwillingly; reluctantly. This shows that you from nature loathly stray. Donne.
2. ( [Obs.] With dust and blood his locks were loathly dight. Fairfax.
LOATHNESS Loath"ness, n.
Defn: Unwillingness; reluctance. A general silence and loathness to speak. Bacon.
LOATHSOME Loath"some, a.
Defn: Fitted to cause loathing; exciting disgust; disgusting. The most loathsome and deadly forms of infection. Macaulay. -- Loath"some*ly. adv. -- Loath"some*ness, n.
LOATHY Loath"y, a.
Defn: Loathsome. [Obs.] Spenser.
LOAVES Loaves, n.;
Defn: pl. of Loaf.
LOB Lob, n. Etym: [W. llob an unwieldy lump, a dull fellow, a blockhead. Cf. Looby, Lubber.]
1. A dull, heavy person. " Country lobs." Gauden.
2. Something thick and heavy.
LOB Lob, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lobbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Lobbing.]
Defn: To let fall heavily or lazily. And their poor jades Lob down their heads. Shak. To lob a ball (Lawn Tennis), to strike a ball so as to send it up into the air.
LOB Lob, v. t. (Mining)
Defn: See Cob, v. t.
LOB Lob, n. Etym: [Dan. lubbe.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European pollock.
LOBAR Lo"bar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a lobe; characterized by, or like, a lobe or lobes.
LOBATE; LOBATED Lo"bate, Lo"ba*ted, a. Etym: [See Lobe.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Consisting of, or having, lobes; lobed; as, a lobate leaf.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) Having lobes; -- said of the tails of certain fishes having the integument continued to the bases of the fin rays. (b) Furnished with membranous flaps, as the toes of a coot. See Illust. (m) under Aves.
LOBATELY Lo"bate*ly, adv.
Defn: As a lobe; so as to make a lobe; in a lobate manner.
LOBBISH Lob"bish, a.
Defn: Like a lob; consisting of lobs. Sir. P. Sidney.
LOBBY Lob"by, n.; pl. Lobbies. Etym: [LL. lobium, lobia, laubia, a covered portico fit for walking, fr. OHG.louba, G. laube, arbor. See Lodge.]
1. (Arch.)
Defn: A passage or hall of communication, especially when large enough to serve also as a waiting room. It differs from an antechamber in that a lobby communicates between several rooms, an antechamber to one only; but this distinction is not carefully preserved.
2. That part of a hall of legislation not appropriated to the official use of the assembly; hence, the persons, collectively, who frequent such a place to transact business with the legislators; any persons, not members of a legislative body, who strive to influence its proceedings by personal agency. [U.S.]
3. (Naut.)
Defn: An apartment or passageway in the fore part of an old-fashioned cabin under the quarter-deck.
4. (Agric.)
Defn: A confined place for cattle, formed by hedges. trees, or other fencing, near the farmyard. Lobby member, a lobbyist. [Humorous cant, U. S.]
LOBBY Lob"by, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lobbied; p. pr. & vb. n. Lobbying.]
Defn: To address or solicit members of a legislative body in the lobby or elsewhere, with the purpose to influence their votes.[U.S.] Bartlett.
LOBBY Lob"by, v. t.
Defn: To urge the adoption or passage of by soliciting members of a legislative body; as, to lobby a bill. [U.S.]
LOBBYIST Lob"by*ist, n.
Defn: A member of the lobby; a person who solicits members of a legislature for the purpose of influencing legislation. [U.S.]
LOBCOCK Lob"cock`, n.
Defn: A dull, sluggish person; a lubber; a lob. [Low]
LOBE Lobe, n. Etym: [F. lobe, Gr.
Defn: Any projection or division, especially one of a somewhat rounded form; as: (a) (Bot.) A rounded projection or division of a leaf. Gray. (b)(Zoöl.)
Defn: A membranous flap on the sides of the toes of certain birds, as the coot. (c) (Anat.) A round projecting part of an organ, as of the liver, lungs, brain, etc. See Illust. of Brain. (b) (Mach.) The projecting part of a cam wheel or of a non-circular gear wheel. Lobe of the ear, the soft, fleshy prominence in which the human ear terminates below. See. Illust. of Ear.
LOBED Lobed, a.
Defn: Having lobes; lobate.
LOBEFOOT Lobe"foot`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird having lobate toes; esp., a phalarope.
LOBE-FOOTED Lobe"-foot`ed, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Lobiped.
LOBELET Lobe"let, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A small lobe; a lobule.
LOBELIA Lo*be"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. So called from Lobel, botanist to King James I.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants, including a great number of species. Lobelia inflata, or Indian tobacco, is an annual plant of North America, whose leaves contain a poisonous white viscid juice, of an acrid taste. It has often been used in medicine as an emetic, expectorant, etc. L. cardinalis is the cardinal flower, remarkable for the deep and vivid red color of its flowers.
LOBELIACEOUS Lo*be`li*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants of which the genus Lobelia is the type.
LOBELIN Lo*be"lin, n. (Med.)
Defn: A yellowish green resin from Lobelia, used as an emetic and diaphoretic.
LOBELINE Lo*be"line, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous narcotic alkaloid extracted from the leaves of Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata) as a yellow oil, having a tobaccolike taste and odor.
LOBIPED Lo"bi*ped, a. Etym: [Lobe + L. pes, pedis, foot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having lobate toes, as a coot.
LOBLOLLY Lob"lol`ly, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Gruel; porridge; -- so called among seamen. Loblolly bay (Bot.), an elegant white-flowered evergreen shrub or small tree, of the genus Gordonia (G. Lasianthus), growing in the maritime parts of the Southern United States. Its bark is sometimes used in tanning. Also, a similar West Indian tree (Laplacea hæmatoxylon). -- Loblolly boy, a surgeon's attendant on shipboard. Smollett. -- Loblolly pine (Bot.), a kind of pitch pine found from Delaware southward along the coast; old field pine (Pinus Tæda). Also, P. Bahamensis, of the West Indies. -- Loblolly tree (Bot.), a name of several West Indian trees, having more or less leathery foliage, but alike in no other respect; as Pisonia subcordata, Cordia alba, and Cupania glabra.
LOBOSA Lo*bo"sa, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Lobe.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of Rhizopoda, in which the pseudopodia are thick and irregular in form, as in the Amoeba.
LOBSCOUSE Lob"scouse`, n. Etym: [Written also lobscourse from which lobscouse is corrupted.] Etym: [Lob + course.] (Naut.)
Defn: A combination of meat with vegetables, bread, etc., usually stewed, sometimes baked; an olio.
LOBSIDED Lob"sid`ed, a.
Defn: See Lopsided.
LOBSPOUND Lobs"pound`, n. Etym: [Lob + pound a prison.]
Defn: A prison. [Obs.] Hudibras.
LOBSTER Lob"ster, n. Etym: [AS. loppestre, lopystre prob., corrupted fr. L. locusta a marine shellfish, a kind of lobster, a locust. Cf. Locust.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any large macrurous crustacean used as food, esp. those of the genus Homarus; as the American lobster (H. Americanus), and the European lobster (H. vulgaris). The Norwegian lobster (Nephrops Norvegicus) is similar in form. All these have a pair of large unequal claws. The spiny lobsters of more southern waters, belonging to Palinurus, Panulirus, and allied genera, have no large claws. The fresh-water crayfishes are sometimes called lobsters. Lobster caterpillar (Zoöl.), the caterpillar of a European bombycid moth (Stauropus fagi); -- so called from its form. Lobster louse (Zoöl.), a copepod crustacean (Nicothoë astaci) parasitic on the gills of the European lobster.
LOBULAR Lob"u*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lobulaire.]
Defn: Like a lobule; pertaining to a lobule or lobules.
LOBULATE; LOBULATED Lob"u*late, Lob"u*la`ted, a.
Defn: Made up of, or divided into, lobules; as, a lobulated gland.
LOBULE Lob"ule, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lobule, dim. of lobe. See Lobe.]
Defn: A small lobe; a subdivision of a lobe. Lobule of the ear. (Anat.) Same as Lobe of the ear.
LOBULETTE Lob`u*lette", n. Etym: [Dim. of lobule.] (Anat.)
Defn: A little lobule, or subdivision of a lobule.
LOBWORM Lob"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lugworm.
LOCAL Lo"cal, a. Etym: [L. localis, fr. locus place: cf. F. local. See Lieu, Locus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a particular place, or to a definite region or portion of space; restricted to one place or region; as, a local custom. Gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name. Shak. Local actions (Law), actions such as must be brought in a particular county, where the cause arises; -- distinguished from transitory
## actions.
-- Local affection (Med.), a disease or ailment confined to a
## particular part or organ, and not directly affecting the system.
-- Local attraction (Magnetism), an attraction near a compass, causing its needle to deviate from its proper direction, especially on shipboard. -- Local battery (Teleg.), the battery which actuates the recording instruments of a telegraphic station, as distinguished from the battery furnishing a current for the line. -- Local circuit (Teleg.), the circuit of the local battery. -- Local color. (a) (Paint.) The color which belongs to an object, and is not caused by accidental influences, as of reflection, shadow, etc. (b) (Literature) Peculiarities of the place and its inhabitants where the scene of an action or story is laid. -- Local option, the right or obligation of determining by popular vote within certain districts, as in each county, city, or town, whether the sale of alcoholic beverages within the district shall be allowed.
LOCAL Lo"cal, n.
1. (Railroad)
Defn: A train which receives and deposits passengers or freight along the line of the road; a train for the accommodation of a certain district. [U.S.]
2. On newspaper cant, an item of news relating to the place where the paper is published. [U.S.]
LOCALE Lo`cale", n. Etym: [F. local.]
1. A place, spot, or location.
2. A principle, practice, form of speech, or other thing of local use, or limited to a locality.
LOCALISM Lo"cal*ism, n.
1. The state or quality of being local; affection for a particular place.
2. A method of speaking or acting peculiar to a certain district; a local idiom or phrase.
LOCALITY Lo*cal"i*ty, n.; pl. Localitiees (. Etym: [L. localitas: cf. F. localité.]
1. The state, or condition, of belonging to a definite place, or of being contained within definite limits. It is thought that the soul and angels are devoid of quantity and dimension, and that they have nothing to do with grosser locality. Glanvill.
2. Position; situation; a place; a spot; esp., a geographical place or situation, as of a mineral or plant.
3. Limitation to a county, district, or place; as, locality of trial. Blackstone.
4. (Phren.)
Defn: The perceptive faculty concerned with the ability to remember the relative positions of places.
LOCALIZATION Lo`cal*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. localisation.]
Defn: Act of localizing, or state of being localized. Cerebral localization (Physiol.), the localization of the control of special functions, as of sight or of the various movements of the body, in special regions of the brain.
LOCALIZE Lo"cal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Localized; p. pr. & vb. n. Localizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. localiser. See Local.]
Defn: To make local; to fix in, or assign to, a definite place. H. Spencer. Wordsworth.
LOCALLY Lo"cal*ly, adv.
Defn: With respect to place; in place; as, to be locally separated or distant.
LOCATE Lo"cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Located; p. pr. & vb. n. Locating.] Etym: [L. locatus, p. p. of locare to place, fr. locus place. See Local.]
1. To place; to set in a particular spot or position. The captives and emigrants whom he brought with him were located in the trans-Tiberine quarter. B. F. Westcott.
2. To designate the site or place of; to define the limits of; as, to locate a public building; to locate a mining claim; to locate (the land granted by) a land warrant. That part of the body in which the sense of touch is located. H. Spencer.
LOCATE Lo"cate, v. i.
Defn: To place one's self; to take up one's residence; to settle. [Colloq.]
LOCATION Lo*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. locatio, fr. locare.]
1. The act or process of locating.
2. Situation; place; locality. Locke.
3. That which is located; a tract of land designated in place. [U.S.]
4. (Law) (a) (Civil Law) A leasing on rent. (b) (Scots Law) A contract for the use of a thing, or service of a person, for hire. Wharton. (c) (Amer. Law)
Defn: The marking out of the boundaries, or identifying the place or site of, a piece of land, according to the description given in an entry, plan, map, etc. Burrill. Bouvier.
LOCATIVE Loc"a*tive, a. (Gram.)
Defn: Indicating place, or the place where, or wherein; as, a locative adjective; locative case of a noun. -- n.
Defn: The locative case.
LOCATOR Lo"ca*tor, n.
Defn: One who locates, or is entitled to locate, land or a mining claim. [U.S.]
LOCELLATE Lo*cel"late, a. Etym: [L. locellus a compartment, dim. of locus a place.] (Bot.)
Defn: Divided into secondary compartments or cells, as where one cavity is separated into several smaller ones.
LOCH Loch, n. Etym: [Gael. & Olr. loch. See Lake of water.]
Defn: A lake; a bay or arm of the sea. [Scot.]
LOCH Loch, n. Etym: [F. looch, Ar. la', an electuary, or any medicine which may be licked or sucked, fr. la' to lick.] (Med.)
Defn: A kind of medicine to be taken by licking with the tongue; a lambative; a lincture.
LOCHABER AX; LOCHABER AXE Loch*a"ber ax", Loch*a"ber axe". Etym: [So called from Lochaber, in Scotland.]
Defn: A weapon of war, consisting of a pole armed with an axhead at its end, formerly used by the Scotch Highlanders.
LOCHAGE Loch"age, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: An officer who commanded a company; a captain. Mitford.
LOCHAN Loch"an, n. Etym: [Gael. See 1st Loch.]
Defn: A small lake; a pond. [Scot.] A pond or lochan rather than a lake. H. Miller.
LOCHE Loche, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Loach.
LOCHIA Lo*chi"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The discharge from the womb and vagina which follows childbirth.
LOCHIAL Lo"chi*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lochial.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lochia.
LOCK Lock, n. Etym: [AS. locc; akin to D. lok, G. locke, OHG. loc, Icel. lokkr, and perh. to Gr.
Defn: A tuft of hair; a flock or small quantity of wool, hay, or other like substance; a tress or ringlet of hair. These gray locks, the pursuivants of death. Shak.
LOCK Lock, n. Etym: [AS. loc inclosure, an inclosed place, the fastening of a door, fr. lucan to lock, fasten; akin to OS. lukan (in comp.), D. luiken, OHG. luhhan, Icel. l, Goth. lukan (in comp.); cf. Skr. ruj to break. Cf. Locket.]
1. Anything that fastens; specifically, a fastening, as for a door, a lid, a trunk, a drawer, and the like, in which a bolt is moved by a key so as to hold or to release the thing fastened.
2. A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable. Albemarle Street closed by a lock of carriages. De Quincey.
3. A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock. Dryden.
4. The barrier or works which confine the water of a stream or canal.
5. An inclosure in a canal with gates at each end, used in raising or lowering boats as they pass from one level to another; -- called also lift lock.
6. That part or apparatus of a firearm by which the charge is exploded; as, a matchlock, flintlock, percussion lock, etc.
7. A device for keeping a wheel from turning.
8. A grapple in wrestling. Milton. Detector lock, a lock containing a contrivance for showing whether it as has been tampered with. -- Lock bay (Canals), the body of water in a lock chamber. -- Lock chamber, the inclosed space between the gates of a canal lock. -- Lock nut. See Check nut, under Check. -- Lock plate, a plate to which the mechanism of a gunlock is attached. -- Lock rail (Arch.), in ordinary paneled doors, the rail nearest the lock. Lock rand (Masonry), a range of bond stone. Knight. -- Mortise lock, a door lock inserted in a mortise. -- Rim lock, a lock fastened to the face of a door, thus differing from a mortise lock.
LOCK Lock, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Locked; p. pr. & vb. n. Locking.]
1. To fasten with a lock, or as with a lock; to make fast; to prevent free movement of; as, to lock a door, a carriage wheel, a river, etc.
2. To prevent ingress or access to, or exit from, by fastening the lock or locks of; -- often with up; as, to lock or lock up, a house, jail, room, trunk. etc.
3. To fasten in or out, or to make secure by means of, or as with, locks; to confine, or to shut in or out -- often with up; as, to lock one's self in a room; to lock up the prisoners; to lock up one's silver; to lock intruders out of the house; to lock money into a vault; to lock a child in one's arms; to lock a secret in one's breast.
4. To link together; to clasp closely; as, to lock arms. " Lock hand in hand." Shak.
5. (Canals)
Defn: To furnish with locks; also, to raise or lower (a boat) in a lock.
6. (Fencing)
Defn: To seize, as the sword arm of an antagonist, by turning the left arm around it, to disarm him.
LOCK Lock, v. i.
Defn: To become fast, as by means of a lock or by interlacing; as, the door locks close. When it locked none might through it pass. Spenser. To lock into, to fit or slide into; as, they lock into each other. Boyle.
LOCKAGE Lock"age, n.
1. Materials for locks in a canal, or the works forming a lock or locks.
2. Toll paid for passing the locks of a canal.
3. Amount of elevation and descent made by the locks of a canal. The entire lock will be about fifty feet. De Witt Clinton.
LOCK-DOWN Lock"-down`, n.
Defn: A contrivance to fasten logs together in rafting; -- used by lumbermen. [U.S.]
LOCKED-JAW Locked"-jaw`, n.
Defn: See Lockjaw.
LOCKEN Lock"en, obs. p. p.
Defn: of Lock. Chaucer.
LOCKEN Lock"en, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The globeflower (Trollius).
LOCKER Lock"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, locks.
2. A drawer, cupboard, compartment, or chest, esp. one in a ship, that may be closed with a lock. Chain locker (Naut.), a compartment in the hold of a vessel, for holding the chain cables. -- Davy Jones's locker, or Davy's locker. See Davy Jones. -- Shot locker, a compartment where shot are deposited. Totten.
LOCKET Lock"et, n. Etym: [F. loquet latch, dim. of OF. loc latch, lock; of German origin. See Lock a fastening.]
1. A small lock; a catch or spring to fasten a necklace or other ornament.
2. A little case for holding a miniature or lock of hair, usually suspended from a necklace or watch chain.
LOCK HOSPITAL Lock" hos"pi*tal
Defn: . A hospital for the treatment of venereal diseases. [Eng.]
LOCKJAW Lock"jaw`, n. (Med.)
Defn: A contraction of the muscles of the jaw by which its motion is suspended; a variety of tetanus.
LOCKLESS Lock"less, a.
Defn: Destitute of a lock.
LOCKMAN Lock"man, n.
Defn: A public executioner. [Scot.]
LOCKOUT Lock"out`, n.
Defn: The closing of a factory or workshop by an employer, usually in order to bring the workmen to satisfactory terms by a suspension of wages.
LOCKRAM Lock"ram, n. Etym: [F. locrenan, locronan; from Locronan, in Brittany, where it is said to have been made.]
Defn: A kind of linen cloth anciently used in England, originally imported from Brittany. Shak.
LOCKSMITH Lock"smith`, n.
Defn: An artificer whose occupation is to make or mend locks.
LOCK STEP Lock" step`
Defn: . A mode of marching by a body of men going one after another as closely as possible, in which the leg of each moves at the same time with the corresponding leg of the person before him.
LOCK STITCH Lock" stitch`
Defn: . A peculiar sort of stitch formed by the locking of two threads together, as in the work done by some sewing machines. See Stitch.
LOCKUP Lock"up`, n.
Defn: A place where persons under arrest are temporarily locked up; a watchhouse.
LOCK-WEIR Lock"-weir`, n.
Defn: A waste weir for a canal, discharging into a lock chamber.
LOCKY Lock"y, a.
Defn: Having locks or tufts. [R.] Sherwood.
LOCO Lo"co, adv. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: A direction in written or printed music to return to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher.
LOCO Lo"co, n. Etym: [Sp. loco insane.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant (Astragalus Hornii) growing in the Southwestern United States, which is said to poison horses and cattle, first making them insane. The name is also given vaguely to several other species of the same genus. Called also loco weed.
LOCO DISEASE Loco disease. (Veter.)
Defn: A chronic nervous affection of cattle, horses, and sheep, caused by eating the loco weed and characterized by a slow, measured gait, high step, glassy eyes with defective vision, delirium, and gradual emaciation.
LOCOFOCO Lo`co*fo"co, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymol.; perh. for L. loco foci instead of fire; or, according to Bartlett, it was called so from a self-lighting cigar, with a match composition at the end, invented in 1834 by John Marck of New York, and called by him locofoco cigar, in imitation of the word locomotive, which by the uneducated was supposed to mean, self-moving.]
1. A friction match. [U.S.]
2. A nickname formerly given to a member of the Democratic party. [U.S.]
Note: The name was first applied, in 1834, to a portion of the Democratic party, because, at a meeting in Tammany Hall, New York, in which there was great diversity of sentiment, the chairman left his seat, and the lights were extinguished, for the purpose of dissolving the meeting; when those who were opposed to an adjournment produced locofoco matches, rekindled the lights, continued the meeting, and accomplished their object.
LOCOMOTION Lo`co*mo"tion, n. Etym: [L. locus place + motio motion: cf. F. locomotion. See Local, and Motion.]
1. The act of moving from place to place. " Animal locomotion." Milton.
2. The power of moving from place to place, characteristic of the higher animals and some of the lower forms of plant life.
LOCOMOTIVE Lo"co*mo`tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. locomotif. See Locomotion.]
1. Moving from place to place; changing place, or able to change place; as, a locomotive animal.
2. Used in producing motion; as, the locomotive organs of an animal.
LOCOMOTIVE Lo"co*mo`tive, n.
Defn: A locomotive engine; a self-propelling wheel carriage, especially one which bears a steam boiler and one or more steam engines which communicate motion to the wheels and thus propel the carriage, -- used to convey goods or passengers, or to draw wagons, railroad cars, etc. See Illustration in Appendix. Consolidation locomotive, a locomotive having four pairs of connected drivers. -- Locomotive car, a locomotive and a car combined in one vehicle; a dummy engine. [U.S.] -- Locomotive engine. Same as Locomotive, above. -- Mogul locomotive. See Mogul.
LOCOMOTIVENESS; LOCOMOTIVITY Lo"co*mo`tive*ness, Lo`co*mo*tiv"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. locomotivité.]
Defn: The power of changing place.
LOCOMOTOR Lo`co*mo"tor, a. Etym: [See Locomotion.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to movement or locomotion. Locomotor ataxia, or Progressive locomotor ataxy (Med.), a disease of the spinal cord characterized by peculiar disturbances of gait, and difficulty in coördinating voluntary movements.
LOCULAMENT Loc"u*la*ment, n. Etym: [L. loculamentum case, box, fr. loculus a compartment, dim. of locus place.] (Bot.)
Defn: The cell of a pericarp in which the seed is lodged.
LOCULAR Loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. locularis.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of or relating to the cell or compartment of an ovary, etc.; in composition, having cells; as trilocular. Gray.
LOCULATE Loc"u*late, a. Etym: [L. loculatus.] (Bot.)
Defn: Divided into compartments.
LOCULE Loc"ule, n. Etym: [Cf. F. locule. See Loculus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A little hollow; a loculus.
LOCULICIDAL Loc"u*li*ci`dal, a. Etym: [L. loculus cell + caedere to cut: cf. F. loculicide.] (Bot.)
Defn: Dehiscent through the middle of the back of each cell; -- said of capsules.
LOCULOSE; LOCULOUS Loc"u*lose`, Loc"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. loculosus. See Loculament.] (Bot.)
Defn: Divided by internal partitions into cells, as the pith of the pokeweed.
LOCULUS Loc"u*lus, n.; pl. Loculi. Etym: [L., little place, a compartment.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the spaces between the septa in the Anthozoa.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the compartments of a several-celled ovary; loculament.
LOCUM TENENS Lo"cum te"nens. Etym: [L., holding the place; locus place + tenens, p. pr. of tenere to hold. Cf. Lieutenant.]
Defn: A substitute or deputy; one filling an office for a time.
LOCUS Lo"cus, n.; pl. Loci, & Loca. Etym: [L., place. Cf. Allow, Couch, Lieu, Local.]
1. A place; a locality.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The line traced by a point which varies its position according to some determinate law; the surface described by a point or line that moves according to a given law. Plane locus, a locus that is a straight line, or a circle. -- Solid locus, a locus that is one of the conic sections.
LOCUST Lo"cust, n. Etym: [L. locusta locust, grasshopper. Cf. Lobster.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of long-winged, migratory, orthopterous insects, of the family Acrididæ, allied to the grasshoppers; esp., (Edipoda, or Pachytylus, migratoria, and Acridium perigrinum, of Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the United States the related species with similar habits are usually called grasshoppers. See Grasshopper.
Note: These insects are at times so numerous in Africa and the south of Asia as to devour every green thing; and when they migrate, they fly in an immense cloud. In the United States the harvest flies are improperly called locusts. See Cicada. Locust beetle (Zoöl.), a longicorn beetle (Cyllene robiniæ), which, in the larval state, bores holes in the wood of the locust tree. Its color is brownish black, barred with yellow. Called also locust borer. -- Locust bird (Zoöl.) the rose-colored starling or pastor of India. See Pastor. -- Locust hunter (Zoöl.), an African bird; the beefeater.
2. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.)
Defn: The locust tree. See Locust Tree (definition, note, and phrases). Locust bean (Bot.), a commercial name for the sweet pod of the carob tree.
LOCUSTA Lo*cus"ta, n. Etym: [NL.: cf. locuste.] (Bot.)
Defn: The spikelet or flower cluster of grasses. Gray.
LOCUSTELLA Lo`cus*tel"la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. locusta a locust.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European cricket warbler.
LOCUSTIC Lo*cus"tic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the locust; -- formerly used to designate a supposed acid.
LOCUSTING Lo"cust*ing, p. a.
Defn: Swarming and devastating like locusts. [R.] Tennyson.
LOCUST TREE Lo"cust tree`. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large North American tree of the genus Robinia (R. Pseudacacia), producing large slender racemes of white, fragrant, papilionaceous flowers, and often cultivated as an ornamental tree. In England it is called acacia.
Note: The name is also applied to other trees of different genera, especially to those of the genus Hymenæa, of which H. Courbaril is a lofty, spreading tree of South America; also to the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), a tree growing in the Mediterranean region. Honey locust tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Gleditschia ) G. triacanthus), having pinnate leaves and strong branching thorns; -- so called from a sweet pulp found between the seeds in the pods. Called also simply honey locust. -- Water locust tree (Bot.), a small swamp tree (Gleditschia monosperma), of the Southern United States.
LOCUTION Lo*cu"tion, n. Etym: [L. locutio, fr. loqui to speak: cf. F. locution. ]
Defn: Speech or discourse; a phrase; a form or mode of expression. " Stumbling locutions." G. Eliot. I hate these figures in locution, These about phrases forced by ceremony. Marston.
LOCUTORY Loc"u*to*ry, n.
Defn: A room for conversation; especially, a room in monasteries, where the monks were allowed to converse.
LODDE Lod"de, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The capelin.
LODE Lode, n. Etym: [AS. lad way, journey, fr. li\'eban to go. See Lead to guide, and cf. Load a burden.]
1. A water course or way; a reach of water. Down that long, dark lode . . . he and his brother skated home in triumph. C. Kingsley.
2. (Mining)
Defn: A metallic vein; any regular vein or course, whether metallic or not.
LODEMANAGE Lode"man*age, n. Etym: [OE. lodemenage. Chaucer.]
Defn: Pilotage. [Obs.]
LODE-SHIP Lode"-*ship`, n.
Defn: An old name for a pilot boat.
LODESMAN Lodes"man, n.
Defn: Same as Loadsman. [Obs.]
LODESTAR Lode"star`, n.
Defn: Same as Loadstar.
LODESTONE Lode"stone`, n. (Min.)
Defn: Same as Loadstone.
LODGE Lodge, n. Etym: [OE. loge, logge, F. loge, LL. laubia porch, gallery, fr. OHG. louba, G. laube, arbor, bower, fr. lab foliage. See Leaf, and cf. Lobby, Loggia.]
1. A shelter in which one may rest; as: (a) A shed; a rude cabin; a hut; as, an Indian's lodge. Chaucer. Their lodges and their tentis up they gan bigge [to build]. Robert of Brunne. O for a lodge in some vast wilderness! Cowper.
(b) A small dwelling house, as for a gamekeeper or gatekeeper of an estate. Shak. (c) A den or cave. (d) The meeting room of an association; hence, the regularly constituted body of members which meets there; as, a masonic lodge. (c) The chamber of an abbot, prior, or head of a college.
2. (Mining)
Defn: The space at the mouth of a level next the shaft, widened to permit wagons to pass, or ore to be deposited for hoisting; -- called also platt. Raymond.
3. A collection of objects lodged together. The Maldives, a famous lodge of islands. De Foe.
4. A family of North American Indians, or the persons who usually occupy an Indian lodge, -- as a unit of enumeration, reckoned from four to six persons; as, the tribe consists of about two hundred lodges, that is, of about a thousand individuals. Lodge gate, a park gate, or entrance gate, near the lodge. See Lodge, n., 1 (b).
LODGE Lodge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lodged; p. pr. & vb. n. Lodging.]
1. To rest or remain a lodge house, or other shelter; to rest; to stay; to abide; esp., to sleep at night; as, to lodge in York Street. Chaucer. Stay and lodge by me this night. Shak. Something holy lodges in that breast. Milton .
2. To fall or lie down, as grass or grain, when overgrown or beaten down by the wind. Mortimer.
3. To come to a rest; to stop and remain; as, the bullet lodged in the bark of a tree.
LODGE Lodge, v. t. Etym: [OE. loggen, OF. logier, F. loger. See Lodge, n. ]
1. To give shelter or rest to; especially, to furnish a sleeping place for; to harbor; to shelter; hence, to receive; to hold. Every house was proud to lodge a knight. Dryden. The memory can lodge a greater stone of images that all the senses can present at one time. Cheyne.
2. To drive to shelter; to track to covert. The deer is lodged; I have tracked her to her covert. Addison.
3. To deposit for keeping or preservation; as, the men lodged their arms in the arsenal.
4. To cause to stop or rest in; to implant. He lodged an arrow in a tender breast. Addison.
5. To lay down; to prostrate. Though bladed corn be lodged, and trees blown down. Shak. To lodge an information, to enter a formal complaint.
LODGEABLE Lodge"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. logeable.]
1. That may be or can be lodged; as, so many persons are not lodgeable in this village.
2. Capable of affording lodging; fit for lodging in. [R.] " The lodgeable area of the earth." Jeffrey.
LODGED Lodged, a. (Her.)
Defn: Lying down; -- used of beasts of the chase, as couchant is of beasts of prey.
LODGEMENT Lodge"ment, n.
Defn: See Lodgment.
LODGER Lodg"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, lodges; one who occupies a hired room in another's house.
LODGING Lodg"ing, n.
1. The act of one who, or that which, lodges.
2. A place of rest, or of temporary habitation; esp., a sleeping apartment; -- often in the plural with a singular meaning. Gower. Wits take lodgings in the sound of Bow. Pope.
3. Abiding place; harbor; cover. Fair bosom . . . the lodging of delight. Spenser. Lodging house, a house where lodgings are provided and let. -- Lodging room, a room in which a person lodges, esp. a hired room.
LODGMENT Lodg"ment, n. [Written also lodgement.] Etym: [Cf. F. logement. See Lodge, v.]
1. The act of lodging, or the state of being lodged. Any particle which is of size enough to make a lodgment afterwards in the small arteries. Paley.
2. A lodging place; a room. [Obs.]
3. An accumulation or collection of something deposited in a place or remaining at rest.
4. (Mil.)
Defn: The occupation and holding of a position, as by a besieging party; an instrument thrown up in a captured position; as, to effect a lodgment.
LODICULE Lod"i*cule, n. Etym: [L. lodicula. dim, of lodix, lodicis, a coverlet: cf. F. lodicule.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of the two or three delicate membranous scales which are next to the stamens in grasses.
LOELLINGITE Loel"ling*ite, n. Etym: [So called from Lölling, in Austria.] (Min.)
Defn: A tin-white arsenide of iron, isomorphous with arsenopyrite.
LOESS Loess, n. Etym: [G. löss.] (Geol.)
Defn: A quaternary deposit, usually consisting of a fine yellowish earth, on the banks of the Rhine and other large rivers.
LOEVEN'S LARVA Loev"en's lar"va. Etym: [Named after the Swedish zoölogist, S. F. Löven, who discovered it.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The peculiar larva of Polygordius. See Polygordius.
LOFFE Loffe, v. i.
Defn: To laugh. [Obs.] Shak.
LOFT Loft, n. Etym: [Icel. lopt air, heaven, loft, upper room; akin to AS. lyft air, G. luft, Dan. loft loft, Goth. luftus air. Cf. Lift, v. & n. ]
Defn: That which is lifted up; an elevation. Hence, especially: (a) The room or space under a roof and above the ceiling of the uppermost story. (b) A gallery or raised apartment in a church, hall, etc.; as, an organ loft. (c) A floor or room placed above another; a story. Eutychus . . . fell down from the third loft. Acts xx. 9. On loft, aloft; on high. Cf. Onloft. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOFT Loft, a.
Defn: Lofty; proud. [R. & Obs.] Surrey.
LOFTER Loft"er, n. (Golf)
Defn: An iron club used in lofting the ball; -- called also lofting iron.
LOFTILY Loft"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Lofty.]
Defn: In a lofty manner or position; haughtily.
LOFTINESS Loft"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being lofty.
LOFTING IRON Loft"ing iron. (Golf)
Defn: Same as Lofter.
LOFTY Loft"y, a. [Compar. Loftier; superl. Loftiest.] Etym: [From Loft.]
1. Lifted high up; having great height; towering; high. See lofty Lebanon his head advance. Pope.
2. Fig.: Elevated in character, rank, dignity, spirit, bearing, language, etc.; exalted; noble; stately; characterized by pride; haughty. The high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity. Is. lvii. 15. Lofty and sour to them that loved him not. Shak. Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme. Milton.
Syn. -- Tall; high; exalted; dignified; stately; majestic; sublime; proud; haughty. See Tall.
LOG Log, n. Etym: [Heb. log.]
Defn: A Hebrew measure of liquids, containing 2.37 gills. W. H. Ward.
LOG Log, n. Etym: [Icel. lag a felled tree, log; akin to E. lie. See Lie to lie prostrate.]
1. A bulky piece of wood which has not been shaped by hewing or sawing.
2. Etym: [Prob. the same word as in sense 1; cf. LG. log, lock, Dan. log, Sw. logg.] (Naut.)
Defn: An apparatus for measuring the rate of a ship's motion through the water.
Note: The common log consists of the log-chip, or logship, often exclusively called the log, and the log line, the former being commonly a thin wooden quadrant of five or six inches radius, loaded with lead on the arc to make it float with the point up. It is attached to the log line by cords from each corner. This line is divided into equal spaces, called knots, each bearing the same proportion to a mile that half a minute does to an hour. The line is wound on a reel which is so held as to let it run off freely. When the log is thrown, the log-chip is kept by the water from being drawn forward, and the speed of the ship is shown by the number of knots run out in half a minute. There are improved logs, consisting of a piece of mechanism which, being towed astern, shows the distance actually gone through by the ship, by means of the revolutions of a fly, which are registered on a dial plate.
3. Hence: The record of the rate of ship's speed or of her daily progress; also, the full nautical record of a ship's cruise or voyage; a log slate; a log book.
4. A record and tabulated statement of the work done by an engine, as of a steamship, of the coal consumed, and of other items relating to the performance of machinery during a given time.
5. (Mining)
Defn: A weight or block near the free end of a hoisting rope to prevent it from being drawn through the sheave. Log board (Naut.), a board consisting of two parts shutting together like a book, with columns in which are entered the direction of the wind, course of the ship, etc., during each hour of the day and night. These entries are transferred to the log book. A folding slate is now used instead. -- Log book, or Logbook (Naut.), a book in which is entered the daily progress of a ship at sea, as indicated by the log, with notes on the weather and incidents of the voyage; the contents of the log board. Log cabin, Log house, a cabin or house made of logs. -- Log canoe, a canoe made by shaping and hollowing out a single log. -- Log glass (Naut.), a small sandglass used to time the running out of the log line. -- Log line (Naut.), a line or cord about a hundred and fifty fathoms long, fastened to the log-chip. See Note under 2d Log, n., 2. -- Log perch (Zoöl.), an ethiostomoid fish, or darter (Percina caprodes); -- called also hogfish and rockfish. -- Log reel (Naut.), the reel on which the log line is wound. -- Log slate. (Naut.) See Log board (above). -- Rough log (Naut.), a first draught of a record of the cruise or voyage. -- Smooth log (Naut.), a clean copy of the rough log. In the case of naval vessels this copy is forwarded to the proper officer of the government. -- To heave the log (Naut.), to cast the log-chip into the water; also, the whole process of ascertaining a vessel's speed by the log.
LOG Log, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Logged; p. pr. & vb. n. Logging.] (Naut.)
Defn: , To enter in a ship's log book; as, to log the miles run. J. F. Cooper.
LOG Log, v. i.
1. To engage in the business of cutting or transporting logs for timber; to get out logs. [U.S.]
2. To move to and fro; to rock. [Obs.]
LOGAN Log"an, n.
Defn: A rocking or balanced stone. Gwill.
LOGAOEDIC Log`a*oed"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Pros.)
Defn: Composed of dactyls and trochees so arranged as to produce a movement like that of ordinary speech.
LOGARITHM Log"a*rithm, n. Etym: [Gr. logarithme.] (Math.)
Defn: One of a class of auxiliary numbers, devised by John Napier, of Merchiston, Scotland (1550-1617), to abridge arithmetical calculations, by the use of addition and subtraction in place of multiplication and division.
Note: The relation of logarithms to common numbers is that of numbers in an arithmetical series to corresponding numbers in a geometrical series, so that sums and differences of the former indicate respectively products and quotients of the latter; thus 0 1 2 3 4 Indices or logarithms 1 10 100 1000 10,000 Numbers in geometrical progression Hence, the logarithm of any given number is the exponent of a power to which another given invariable number, called the base, must be raised in order to produce that given number. Thus, let 10 be the base, then 2 is the logarithm of 100, because 102 = 100, and 3 is the logarithm of 1,000, because 103 = 1,000. Arithmetical complement of a logarithm, the difference between a logarithm and the number ten. -- Binary logarithms. See under Binary. -- Common logarithms, or Brigg's logarithms, logarithms of which the base is 10; -- so called from Henry Briggs, who invented them. -- Gauss's logarithms, tables of logarithms constructed for facilitating the operation of finding the logarithm of the sum of difference of two quantities from the logarithms of the quantities, one entry of those tables and two additions or subtractions answering the purpose of three entries of the common tables and one addition or subtraction. They were suggested by the celebrated German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss (died in 1855), and are of great service in many astronomical computations. -- Hyperbolic, or Napierian, logarithms, those logarithms (devised by John Speidell, 1619) of which the base is 2.7182818; -- so called from Napier, the inventor of logarithms. -- Logistic or Proportionallogarithms., See under Logistic.
LOGARITHMETIC; LOGARITHMETICAL Log`a*rith*met"ic, Log"a*rith*met"ic*al, a.
Defn: See Logarithmic.
LOGARITHMETICALLY Log`a*rith*met"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: Logarithmically.
LOGARITHMIC; LOGARITHMICAL Log`a*rith"mic, Log`a*rith"mic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. logarithmique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to logarithms; consisting of logarithms. Logarithmic curve (Math.), a curve which, referred to a system of rectangular coördinate axes, is such that the ordinate of any point will be the logarithm of its abscissa. -- Logarithmic spiral, a spiral curve such that radii drawn from its pole or eye at equal angles with each other are in continual proportion. See Spiral.
LOGARITHMICALLY Log`a*rith"mic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: By the use of logarithms.
LOG-CHIP Log"-chip`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A thin, flat piece of board in the form of a quadrant of a circle attached to the log line; -- called also log-ship. See 2d Log, n., 2.
LOGCOCK Log"cock`, n.
Defn: The pileated woodpecker.
LOGE Loge, n. Etym: [F. See Lodge.]
Defn: A lodge; a habitation. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOGGAN Log"gan, n.
Defn: See Logan.
LOGGAT Log"gat, n. Etym: [Also written logget.]
1. A small log or piece of wood. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
2. pl.
Defn: An old game in England, played by throwing pieces of wood at a stake set in the ground. [Obs.] Shak.
LOGGE Logge, n. & v.
Defn: See Lodge. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOGGED Logged, a.
Defn: Made slow and heavy in movement; water-logged. Beaconsfield.
LOGGER Log"ger, n.
Defn: One engaged in logging. See Log, v. i. [U.S.] Lowell.
LOGGERHEAD Log"ger*head`, n. Etym: [Log + head.]
1. A blockhead; a dunce; a numskull. Shak. Milton.
2. A spherical mass of iron, with a long handle, used to heat tar.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: An upright piece of round timber, in a whaleboat, over which a turn of the line is taken when it is running out too fast. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very large marine turtle (Thalassochelys caretta, or caouana), common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean, from Brazil to Cape Cod; -- called also logger-headed turtle.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus), similar to the butcher bird, but smaller. See Shrike. To be at loggerheads, To fall to loggerheads, or To go to loggerheads, to quarrel; to be at strife. L' Estrange.
LOGGERHEADED Log"ger*head`ed, a.
Defn: Dull; stupid. Shak. A rabble of loggerheaded physicians. Urquhart.
LOGGERHEADS Log"ger*heads`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The knapweed.
LOGGIA Log"gia, n. Etym: [It. See Lodge.] (Arch.)
Defn: A roofed open gallery. It differs from a veranda in being more architectural, and in forming more decidedly a part of the main edifice to which it is attached; from a porch, in being intended not for entrance but for an out-of-door sitting-room.
LOGGING Log"ging, n.
Defn: The business of felling trees, cutting them into logs, and transporting the logs to sawmills or to market.
LOGIC Log"ic, n. Etym: [OE. logike, F. logique, L. logica, logice, Gr. Legend.]
1. The science or art of exact reasoning, or of pure and formal thought, or of the laws according to which the processes of pure thinking should be conducted; the science of the formation and application of general notions; the science of generalization, judgment, classification, reasoning, and systematic arrangement; correct reasoning.
Logic is science of the laws of thought, as that is, of the necessary conditions to which thought, considered in itself, is subject. Sir W. Hamilton.
Note: Logic is distinguished as pure and applied. " Pure logic is a science of the form, or of the formal laws, of thinking, and not of the matter. Applied logic teaches the application of the forms of thinking to those objects about which men do think. " Abp. Thomson.
2. A treatise on logic; as, Mill's Logic.
LOGICAL Log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. logique, L. logicus, Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to logic; used in logic; as, logical subtilties. Bacon.
2. According to the rules of logic; as, a logical argument or inference; the reasoning is logical. Prior.
3. Skilled in logic; versed in the art of thinking and reasoning; as, he is a logical thinker. Addison.
LOGICALITY Log`i*cal"i*ty, n.
Defn: Logicalness.
LOGICALLY Log"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a logical manner; as, to argue logically.
LOGICALNESS Log"ic*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being logical.
LOGICIAN Lo*gi"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. logicien.]
Defn: A person skilled in logic. Bacon. Each fierce logician still expelling Locke. Pope.
LOGICS Log"ics, n.
Defn: See Logic.
LOGISTIC; LOGISTICAL Lo*gis"tic, Lo*gis"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. logistique.]
1. Logical. [Obs.] Berkeley.
2. (Math.)
Defn: Sexagesimal, or made on the scale of 60; as, logistic, or sexagesimal, arithmetic. Logistic, or Proportional, logarithms, certain logarithmic numbers used to shorten the calculation of the fourth term of a proportion of which one of the terms is a given constant quantity, commonly one hour, while the other terms are expressed in minutes and seconds; -- not now used.
LOGISTICS Lo*gis"tics, n.
1. (Mil.)
Defn: That branch of the military art which embraces the details of moving and supplying armies. The meaning of the word is by some writers extended to include strategy. H. L. Scott.
2. (Math.)
Defn: A system of arithmetic, in which numbers are expressed in a scale of 60; logistic arithmetic.
LOGMAN Log"man, n.; pl. Logmen (.
Defn: A man who carries logs. Shak.
LOGODAEDALY Log`o*dæd"a*ly, n. Etym: [Gr. Logos, and Dædal.]
Defn: Verbal legerdemain; a playing with words. [R.] Coleridge.
LOGOGRAM Log"o*gram, n. Etym: [Gr. -gram.]
Defn: A word letter; a phonogram, that, for the sake of brevity, represents a word; as, |, i. e., t, for it. Cf. Grammalogue.
LOGOGRAPHER Lo*gog"ra*pher, n.
1. A chronicler; one who writes history in a condensed manner with short simple sentences.
2. One skilled in logography.
LOGOGRAPHIC; LOGOGRAPHICAL Log`o*graph"ic, Log`o*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. logographique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to logography.
LOGOGRAPHY Lo*gog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. logographie.]
1. A method of printing in which whole words or syllables, cast as single types, are used.
2. A mode of reporting speeches without using shorthand, -- a number of reporters, each in succession, taking down three or four words. Brande & C.
LOGOGRIPH Log"o*griph, n. Etym: [Gr. logogriphe.]
Defn: A sort of riddle in which it is required to discover a chosen word from various combinations of its letters, or of some of its letters, which form other words; -- thus, to discover the chosen word chatter form cat, hat, rat, hate, rate, etc. B. Jonson.
LOGOMACHIST Lo*gom"a*chist, n. Etym: [See Logomachy.]
Defn: One who contends about words.
LOGOMACHY Lo*gom"a*chy, n. Etym: [Gr. logomachie.]
1. Contention in words merely, or a contention about words; a war of words. The discussion concerning the meaning of the word " justification" . . . has largely been a mere logomachy. L. Abbott.
2. A game of word making.
LOGOMETRIC Log`o*met"ric, a. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: Serving to measure or ascertain chemical equivalents; stoichiometric. [R.]
LOGOS Log"os, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. A word; reason; speech. H. Bushell.
2. The divine Word; Christ.
LOGOTHETE Log"o*thete, Etym: [LL. logotheta, fr. Gr.
Defn: An accountant; under Constantine, an officer of the empire; a receiver of revenue; an administrator of a department.
LOGOTYPE Log"o*type, n. Etym: [Gr. -type.] (Print.)
Defn: A single type, containing two or more letters; as, æ, Æ, fi, fl, ffl, etc. ; -- called also ligature.
LOGROLL Log"roll`, v. i. & t.
Defn: To engage in logrolling; to accomplish by logrolling. [Political cant, U. S.]
LOGROLLER Log"roll`er, n.
Defn: One who engages in logrolling. [Political cant, U. S.] The jobbers and logrollers will all be against it. The. Nation.
LOGROLLING Log"roll`ing, n.
1. (Logging)
Defn: The act or process of rolling logs from the place where they were felled to the stream which floats them to the sawmill or to market. In this labor neighboring camps of loggers combine to assist each other in turn. Longfellow. [U.S.]
2. Hence: A combining to assist another in consideration of receiving assistance in return; -- sometimes used of a disreputable mode of accomplishing political schemes or ends. [Cant, U.S.]
LOG-SHIP Log"-ship, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A part of the log. See Log-chip, and 2d Log, n., 2.
LOGWOOD Log"wood` n. Etym: [So called from being imported in logs.]
Defn: The heartwood of a tree (Hæmatoxylon Campechianum), a native of South America, It is a red, heavy wood, containing a crystalline substance called hæmatoxylin, and is used largely in dyeing. An extract from this wood is used in medicine as an astringent. Also called Campeachy wood, and bloodwood.
-LOGY -lo*gy. Etym: [Gr. Logic.]
Defn: A combining form denoting a discourse, treatise, doctrine, theory, science; as, theology, geology, biology, mineralogy.
LOGY Lo"gy, a. Etym: [From D. log.]
Defn: Heavy or dull in respect to motion or thought; as, a logy horse. [U.S.] Porcupines are . . . logy, sluggish creatures. C. H. Merriam.
LOHOCK Lo"hock, n. (Med.)
Defn: See Loch, a medicine.
LOIMIC Loi"mic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the plague or contagious disorders.
LOIN Loin, n. Etym: [OE. loine, OF. logne, F. longe, from (assumed) LL. lumbea, L. lumbus join. Cf. Lends, Lumbar, Nombles.]
Defn: That part of a human being or quadruped, which extends on either side of the spinal column between the hip bone and the false ribs. In human beings the loins are also called the reins. See Illust. of Beef.
LOIR Loir, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. glis, gliris.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large European dormouse (Myoxus glis).
LOITER Loi"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loitered; p. pr. & vb. n. Loitering.] Etym: [D. leuteren to delay, loiter; cf; Prov. G. lottern to be louse, lotter louse, slack, unsettled, vagrant, OHG. lotar.]
1. To be slow in moving; to delay; to linger; to be dilatory; to spend time idly; to saunter; to lag behind. Sir John, you loiter here too long. Shak. If we have loitered, let us quicken our pace. Rogers.
2. To wander as an idle vagrant. [Obs.] Spenser.
Syn. -- To linger; delay; lag; saunter; tarry.
LOITERER Loi"ter*er, n.
1. One who loiters; an idler.
2. An idle vagrant; a tramp. [Obs.] Bp. Sanderson.
LOITERINGLY Loi"ter*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a loitering manner.
LOK; LOKI Lok, Lo"ki, n. Etym: [Icel. Loki, perh. akin to lokka, locka to allure, entice.] (Scandinavian Myth.)
Defn: The evil deity, the author of all calamities and mischief, answering to the African of the Persians.
LOKAO Lo*ka"o, n.
Defn: A green vegetable dye imported from China.
LOKE Loke, n. Etym: [See Lock a fastening.]
Defn: A private path or road; also, the wicket or hatch of a door. [Prov. Eng.]
LOKORYS Lok"o*rys, n.
Defn: Liquorice. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOLIGO Lo*li"go, n. Etym: [L., cuttle fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of cephalopods, including numerous species of squids, common on the coasts of America and Europe. They are much used for fish bait.
LOLL Loll, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lolled; p. pr. & vb. n. Lolling.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. lolla to act lazily, loll, lolla, laziness, OD. lollen to sit over the fire, and E. lull. Cf. Lill, Lull.]
1. To act lazily or indolently; to recline; to lean; to throw one's self down; to lie at ease. Void of care, he lolls supine in state. Dryden.
2. To hand extended from the mouth, as the tongue of an ox or a log when heated with labor or exertion. The triple porter of the Stygian seat, With lolling tongue, lay fawning at thy feet. Dryden .
3. To let the tongue hang from the mouth, as an ox, dog, or other animal, when heated by labor; as, the ox stood lolling in the furrow.
LOLL Loll, v. t.
Defn: To let hang from the mouth, as the tongue. Fierce tigers couched around and lolled their fawning tongues. Dryden.
LOLLARD Lol"lard, n. Etym: [LL. Lollardi, Lullardi, from Walter Lolhardus, a German; cf. LG. & D. lollen to mumble, to hum, sing in a murmuring strain; hence, OD. lollaerd a mumbler, i. e., of prayers or psalms, which was prob. the origin of the name. See Loll, Lull.] (Eccl. Hist.) (a) One of a sect of early reformers in Germany. (b) One of the followers of Wyclif in England. [Called also Loller.] By Lollards all know the Wyclifities are meant, so called from Walter Lollardus, one of their teachers in Germany. Fuller.
LOLLARDISM; LOLLARDY Lol"lard*ism, Lol"lard*y, n.
Defn: The doctrines or principles of the Lollards.
LOLLER Loll"er, n. Etym: [See Loll.]
1. One who lolls.
2. An idle vagabond. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
3. A Lollard.
LOLLINGLY Loll"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lolling manner. Buckle.
LOLLIPOP Lol"li*pop, n. Etym: [Perhaps fr. Prov. E. loll to soothe + pope a mixed liquor.]
Defn: A kind of sugar confection which dissolves easily in the mouth. Thackeray.
LOLLOP Lol"lop, v. i. Etym: [From Loll.]
Defn: To move heavily; to lounge or idle; to loll. [Law.] Charles Reade.
LOMA Lo"ma, n.; pl. Lomata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lobe; a membranous fringe or flap.
LOMATINOUS Lo*mat"i*nous, a. Etym: [See Loma.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Furnished with lobes or flaps.
LOMBARD Lom"bard, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Lombardy, or the inhabitants of Lombardy.
LOMBARD Lom"bard, n. Etym: [F. lombard, fr. the Longobardi or Langobardi, i. e., Longbeards, a people of Northern Germany, west of the Elbe, and afterward in Northern Italy. See Long, and Beard, and cf. Lumber.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Lombardy.
2. A money lender or banker; -- so called because the business of banking was first carried on in London by Lombards.
3. Same as Lombard-house. A Lombard unto this day signifying a bank for usury or pawns. Fuller.
4. (Mil.)
Defn: A form of cannon formerly in use. Prescott. Lombard Street, the principal street in London for banks and the offices of note brokers; hence, the money market and interest of London.
LOMBARDEER Lom`bard*eer", n.
Defn: A pawnbroker. [Obs.] Howell.
LOMBARD-HOUSE; LOMBAR-HOUSE Lom"bard-house, Lom"bar-house`,Etym: [F. or D. lombard. See Lombard, n.]
1. A bank or a pawnbroker's shop.
2. A public institution for lending money to the poor at a moderate interest, upon articles deposited and pledged; -- called also mont de piété.
LOMBARDIC Lom*bar"dic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Lombardy of the Lombards. Lombardic alphabet, the ancient alphabet derived from the Roman, and employed in the manuscript of Italy. -- Lombardic architecture, the debased Roman style of architecture as found in parts of Northern Italy. F. G. Lee. Lombardy poplar. (Bot.) See Poplar.
LOMENT Lo"ment, n. Etym: [L. lomentum a mixture of bean meal and rice, used as a cosmetic wash, bean meal, fr. lavare, lotum, to wash.] (Bot.)
Defn: An elongated pod, consisting, like the legume, of two valves, but divided transversely into small cells, each containing a single seed.
LOMENTACEOUS Lo`men*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [From Loment.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of the nature of a loment; having fruits like loments.
LOMONITE Lom"o*nite, n.
Defn: Same as Laumontite.
LOMPISH Lomp"ish, a.
Defn: Lumpish. [Obs.] Spenser.
LOND Lond, n.
Defn: Land. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LONDON Lon"don, n.
Defn: The capital city of England. London paste (Med.), a paste made of caustic soda and unslacked lime; -- used as a caustic to destroy tumors and other morbid enlargements. -- London pride. (Bot.) (a) A garden name for Saxifraga umbrosa, a hardy perennial herbaceous plant, a native of high lands in Great Britain. (b) A name anciently given to the Sweet William. Dr. Prior. -- London rocket (Bot.), a cruciferous plant (Sisymbrium Irio) which sprung up in London abundantly on the ruins of the great fire of 1667.
LONDONER Lon"don*er (-er), n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of London. Shak.
LONDONISM Lon"don*ism, n.
Defn: A characteristic of Londoners; a mode of speaking peculiar to London.
LONDONIZE Lon"don*ize, v. i.
Defn: To impart to (one) a manner or character like that which distinguishes Londoners.
LONDONIZE Lon"don*ize, v. i.
Defn: To imitate the manner of the people of London.
LONDON SMOKE Lon"don smoke.
Defn: A neutral tint given to spectacles, shade glasses for optical instruments, etc., which reduces the intensity without materially changing the color of the transmitted light.
LONDON TUFT London tuft. (Bot.)
Defn: The Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus).
LONE Lone, n.
Defn: A lane. See Loanin. [Prov. Eng.]
LONE Lone, a. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. alone.]
1. Being without a companion; being by one's self; also, sad from lack of companionship; lonely; as, a lone traveler or watcher. When I have on those pathless wilds a appeared, And the lone wanderer with my presence cheered. Shenstone.
2. Single; unmarried, or in widowhood. [Archaic] Queen Elizabeth being a lone woman. Collection of Records (1642). A hundred mark is a long one for a poor lone woman to bear. Shak.
3. Being apart from other things of the kind; being by itself; also, apart from human dwellings and resort; as, a lone house. " A lone isle." Pope. By a lone well a lonelier column rears. Byron.
4. Unfrequented by human beings; solitary. Thus vanish scepters, coronets, and balls, And leave you on lone woods, or empty walls. Pope.
LONELINESS Lone"li*ness, n.
1. The condition of being lonely; solitude; seclusion.
2. The state of being unfrequented by human beings; as, the loneliness of a road.
3. Love of retirement; disposition to solitude. I see The mystery of your loneliness. Shak.
4. A feeling of depression resulting from being alone.
Syn. -- Solitude; seclusion. See Solitude.
LONELY Lone"ly, a. [Compar. Lonelier; superl. Loneliest.] Etym: [Shortened fr. alonely.]
1. Sequestered from company or neighbors; solitary; retired; as, a lonely situation; a lonely cell.
2. Alone, or in want of company; forsaken. To the misled and lonely traveler. Milton.
3. Not frequented by human beings; as, a lonely wood.
4. Having a feeling of depression or sadness resulting from the consciousness of being alone; lonesome. I am very often alone. I don't mean I am lonely. H. James.
Syn. -- Solitary; lone; lonesome; retired; unfrequented; sequestered; secluded.
LONENESS Lone"ness, n.
Defn: Solitude; seclusion. [Obs.] Donne.
LONESOME Lone"some, a. [Compar. Lonesomer; superl. Lonesomest.]
1. Secluded from society; not frequented by human beings; solitary. Like one that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread. Coleridge .
2. Conscious of, and somewhat depressed by, solitude; as, to feel lonesome. -- Lone"some*ly, adv. -- Lone"some*ness, n.
LONE-STAR STATE Lone-Star State.
Defn: Texas; -- a nickname alluding to the single star on its coat of arms, being the device used on its flag and seal when it was a republic.
LONG Long, a. [Compar. Longer; superl. Longest.] Etym: [AS. long, lang; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G. lang, Icel. langr, Sw. lång, Dan. lang, Goth. laggs, L.longus. sq. root125. Cf. Length, Ling a fish, Linger, Lunge, Purloin.]
1. Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended; as, a long line; -- opposed to short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away. The we may us reserve both fresh and strong Against the tournament, which is not long. Spenser.
5. Extended to any specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
6. Far-reaching; extensive. " Long views." Burke.
7. (Phonetics)
Defn: Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short, a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 22, 30.
Note: Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long-armed, long- beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long- tailed, long- worded, etc. In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually. -- Long clam (Zoöl.), the common clam (Mya arenaria) of the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also soft-shell clam and long- neck clam. See Mya. -- Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality. -- Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending below the feet. -- Long division. (Math.) See Division. -- Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen. -- Long home, the grave. -- Long measure, Long mater. See under Measure, Meter. -- Long Parliament (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20, 1653. -- Long price, the full retail price. -- Long purple (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the Orchis mascula. Dr. Prior. -- Long suit (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally more than three cards. R. A. Proctor. -- Long tom. (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of a vessel. (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western U.S.] (c) (Zoöl.) The long-tailed titmouse. -- Long wall (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work progresses, except where passages are needed. -- Of long, a long time. [Obs.] Fairfax. -- To be, or go, long of the market, To be on the long side of the market, etc. (Stock Exchange), to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to short in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short, etc. [Cant] See Short. -- To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.
LONG Long, n.
1. (Mus.)
Defn: A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
2. (Phonetics)
Defn: A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
3. The longest dimension; the greatest extent; -- in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it. Addison.
LONG Long, adv. Etym: [AS. lance.]
1. To a great extent in apace; as, a long drawn out line.
2. To a great extent in time; during a long time. They that tarry long at the wine. Prov. xxiii. 30. When the trumpet soundeth long. Ex. xix. 13.
3. At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as, not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the Conquest.
4. Through the whole extent or duration. The bird of dawning singeth all night long. Shak.
5. Through an extent of time, more or less; -- only in question; as, how long will you be gone
LONG Long, prep. Etym: [Abbreviated fr. along. See 3d Along.]
Defn: By means of; by the fault of; because of. [Obs.] See Along of, under 3d Along.
LONG Long, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Longed; p. pr. & vb. n. Longing.] Etym: [AS. langian to increase, to lengthen, to stretch out the mind after, to long, to crave, to belong to, fr. lang long. See Long, a.]
1. To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; -- followed by an infinitive, or by after or for. I long to see you. Rom. i. 11. I have longed after thy precepts. Ps. cxix. 40. I have longed for thy salvation. Ps. cxix. 174. Nicomedes, longing for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea. Arbuthnot.
2. To belong; -- used with to, unto, or for. [Obs.] The labor which that longeth unto me. Chaucer.
LONGAN Lon"gan, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A pulpy fruit related to the litchi, and produced by an evergreen East Indian tree (Nephelium Longan).
LONGANIMITY Lon`ga*nim"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. longanimitas; longus long + animus mind: cf. F. longanimité.]
Defn: Disposition to bear injuries patiently; forbearance; patience. Jer. Taylor.
LONG-ARMED Long"-armed`, a.
Defn: Having long arms; as, the long-armed ape or gibbon.
LONGBEAK Long"beak`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American redbellied snipe (Macrorhamphus scolopaceus); -- called also long-billed dowitcher.
LONGBOAT Long"boat`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: Formerly, the largest boat carried by a merchant vessel, corresponding to the launch of a naval vessel.
LONGBOW Long"bow`, n.
Defn: The ordinary bow, not mounted on a stock; -- so called in distinction from the crossbow when both were used as weapons of war. Also, sometimes, such a bow of about the height of a man, as distinguished from a much shorter one. To draw the longbow, to tell large stories.
LONG-BREATHED Long"-breathed`, a.
Defn: Having the power of retaining the breath for a long time; long- winded.
LONG-DRAWN Long"-drawn`, a.
Defn: Extended to a great length. The cicadæ hushed their long-drawn, ear-splitting strains. G. W. Cable.
LONGE Longe, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. allonge. See Lunge.]
1. A thrust. See Lunge. Smollett.
2. The training ground for a horse. Farrow.
LONGE Longe, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as 4th Lunge.
LONGER Long"er, n.
Defn: One who longs for anything.
LONGEVAL Lon*ge"val, a.
Defn: Long-loved; longevous.[R.] Pope.
LONGEVITY Lon*gev"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. longaevitas. See Longevous.]
Defn: Long duration of life; length of life. The instances of longevity are chiefly amongst the abstemious. Arbuthnot.
LONGEVOUS Lon*ge"vous, a. Etym: [L. longaevus; longus long + aevum lifetime, age. See Long, and Age.]
Defn: Living a long time; of great age. Sir T. Browne.
LONGHAND Long"hand`, n.
Defn: The written characters used in the common method of writing; -- opposed to shorthand.
LONGHEADED Long"head"ed, a.
Defn: Having unusual foresight or sagacity. -- Long"-head`ed*ness, n.
LONGHORN Long"horn`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A long-horned animal, as a cow, goat, or beetle. See Long- horned.
LONG-HORNED Long"-horned`, a. (Zoöl.) [Obs.]
Defn: Having a long horn or horns; as, a long-horned goat, or cow; having long antennæ, as certain beetles (Longicornia).
LONGICORN Lon"gi*corn, a. Etym: [L. longus long + cornu horn: cf. F. longicorne.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Long-horned; pertaining to the Longicornia. -- n.
Defn: One of the Longicornia.
LONGICORNIA Lon`gi*cor"ni*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. longus long + cornu horn.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of beetles, including a large number of species, in which the antennæ are very long. Most of them, while in the larval state, bore into the wood or beneath the bark of trees, and some species are very destructive to fruit and shade trees. See Apple borer, under Apple, and Locust beetle, under Locust.
LONGILATERAL Lon`gi*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [L. longus long + lateralis lateral, fr. latus side.]
Defn: Having long sides especially, having the form of a long parallelogram. Nineveh . . . was of a longilateral figure, ninety-five furlongs broad, and a hundred and fifty long. Sir T. Browne.
LONGILOQUENCE Lon*gil"o*quence, n. Etym: [L. langus long + loquentia a talking.]
Defn: Long-windedness. American longiloquence in oratory. Fitzed. Hall.
LONGIMANOUS Lon*gim"a*nous, a. Etym: [L. longus long + manus hand.]
Defn: Having long hands. Sir T. Browne.
LONGIMETRY Lon*gim"e*try, n. Etym: [L. longus long + -metry: cf. F. longimétrie.]
Defn: The art or practice of measuring distances or lengths. Cheyne.
LONGING Long"ing, n.
Defn: An eager desire; a craving; a morbid appetite; an earnest wish; an aspiration. Put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me. Shak.
LONGINGLY Long"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With longing. Dryden.
LONGINQUITY Lon*gin"qui*ty, n. Etym: [L. longinquitas, fr. longinquus extensive, remote, fr. longus long.]
Defn: Greatness of distance; remoteness. [R.] Barrow.
LONGIPALP Lon"gi*palp, n. Etym: [F. longipalpe, fr. L. longus long + F. palpe a feeler, a palp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a tribe of beetles, having long maxillary palpi.
LONGIPENNATE Lon"gi*pen"nate, a. Etym: [L. longus long + E. pennate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having long wings, or quills.
LONGIPENNES Lon`gi*pen"nes, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from L. longus long + penna wing.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of longwinged sea birds, including the gulls, petrels, etc.
LONGIPENNINE Lon`gi*pen"nine, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Longipennes; longipennate.
LONGIROSTER Lon`gi*ros"ter, n.; pl. L. Longirostres, E. Longirosters. Etym: [L. longus long + rostrum beak: cf. F. longirostre.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Longirostres.
LONGIROSTRAL Lon`gi*ros"tral, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a long bill; of or pertaining to the Longirostres.
LONGIROSTRES Lon`gi*ros"tres, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. longus long + rostrum beak.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of birds characterized by having long slender bills, as the sandpipers, curlews, and ibises. It is now regarded as an artificial division.
LONGISH Long"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat long; moderately long.
LONGITUDE Lon"gi*tude, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. longitudo, fr. longus long.]
1. Length; measure or distance along the longest line; -- distinguished from breadth or thickness; as, the longitude of a room; rare now, except in a humorous sense. Sir H. Wotton. The longitude of their cloaks. Sir. W. Scott. Mine [shadow] spindling into longitude immense. Cowper.
2. (Geog.)
Defn: The arc or portion of the equator intersected between the meridian of a given place and the meridian of some other place from which longitude is reckoned, as from Greenwich, England, or sometimes from the capital of a country, as from Washington or Paris. The longitude of a place is expressed either in degrees or in time; as, that of New York is 74º or 4 h. 56 min. west of Greenwich.
3. (Astron.)
Defn: The distance in degrees, reckoned from the vernal equinox, on the ecliptic, to a circle at right angles to the ecliptic passing through the heavenly body whose longitude is designated; as, the longitude of Capella is 79º. Geocentric longitude (Astron.), the longitude of a heavenly body as seen from the earth. -- Heliocentric longitude, the longitude of a heavenly body, as seen from the sun's center. -- Longitude stars, certain stars whose position is known, and the data in regard to which are used in observations for finding the longitude, as by lunar distances.
LONGITUDINAL Lon`gi*tu"di*nal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. longitudinal.]
1. Of or pertaining to longitude or length; as, longitudinal distance.
2. Extending in length; in the direction of the length; running lengthwise, as distinguished from transverse; as, the longitudinal diameter of a body. Cheyne.
LONGITUDINAL Lon`gi*tu"di*nal, n.
Defn: A railway sleeper lying parallel with the rail.
LONGITUDINALLY Lon`gi*tu"di*nal*ly, adv.
Defn: In the direction of length.
LONGLEGS Long"legs`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A daddy longlegs.
LONG-LIVED Long"-lived`, a.
Defn: Having a long life; having constitutional peculiarities which make long life probable; lasting long; as, a long-lived tree; they are a longlived family; long-lived prejudices.
LONGLY Long"ly, adv.
1. With longing desire. [Obs.] Shak.
2. For a long time; hence, wearisomely.
LONGMYND ROCKS Long"mynd rocks". (Geol.)
Defn: The sparingly fossiliferous conglomerates, grits, schists, and states of Great Britain, which lie at the base of the Cambrian system; -- so called, because typically developed in the Longmynd Hills, Shropshire.
LONGNESS Long"ness, n.
Defn: Length.
LONGNOSE Long"nose`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European garfish.
LONG PRIMER Long" prim"er. (Print.)
Defn: A kind of type, in size between small pica and bourgeois.
Note: long primer.
LONGSHANKS Long"shanks`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The stilt.
LONGSHORE Long"shore`, a. Etym: [Abbrev. from alongshore.]
Defn: Belonging to the seashore or a seaport; along and on the shore. "Longshore thieves." R. Browning.
LONGSHOREMAN Long"shore`man, n.; pl. Longshoremen. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. alongshoreman.]
Defn: One of a class of laborers employed about the wharves of a seaport, especially in loading and unloading vessels.
LONG-SIGHT Long"-sight, n.
Defn: Long-sightedness Good.
LONG-SIGHTED Long"-sight`ed, a.
1. Able to see objects at a great distance; hence, having great foresight; sagacious; farseeing.
2. Able to see objects distinctly at a distance, but not close at hand; hypermetropic.
LONG-SIGHTEDNESS Long"-sight`ed*ness, n.
1. The state or condition of being long-sighted; hence, sagacity; shrewdness.
2. (Med.)
Defn: See Hypermetropia.
LONGSOME Long"some a. Etym: [AS. langsum.]
Defn: Extended in length; tiresome. [Obs.] Bp. Hall. Prior. -- Long"some*ness, n. [Obs.] Fuller.
LONGSPUN Long"spun`, a.
Defn: Spun out, or extended, to great length; hence, long-winded; tedious. The longspun allegories fulsome grow, While the dull moral lies too plain below. Addison.
LONGSPUR Long"spur`, n. Etym: [So called from the length of the hind claw.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of fringilline birds of the genus Calcarius (or Plectrophanes), and allied genera. The Lapland longspur (C. Lapponicus), the chestnut-colored longspur (C. ornatus), and other species, inhabit the United States.
LONG-STOP Long"-stop`, n. (Cricket)
Defn: One who is set to stop balls which pass the wicket keeper.
LONG-SUFFERANCE Long"-suf`fer*ance, n.
Defn: Forbearance to punish or resent.
LONG-SUFFERING Long"-suf`fer*ing, n.
Defn: Bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Ex. xxxiv. 6.
LONG-SUFFERING Long"-suf`fer*ing, n.
Defn: Long patience of offense. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long- suffering Rom. ii. 4.
LONGTAIL Long"tail`, n.
Defn: An animal, particularly a log, having an uncut tail. Cf. Curtail. Dog.
Note: A longtail was a gentleman's dog, or the dog of one qualified to bunt, other dogs being required to have their tails cut. Cut and longtail, all, gentlefolks and others, as they might come. Shak.
LONG-TONGUE Long"-tongue`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The wryneck.
LONG-TONGUED Long"-tongued`, a.
1. Having a long tongue.
2. Talkative; babbling; loquacious. Shak.
LONGULITE Lon"gu*lite, n. Etym: [L. longus long + -lie.] (Min.)
Defn: A kind of crystallite having a (slender) acicular form.
LONG-WAISTED Long"-waist`ed, a.
1. Having a long waist; long from the armpits to the armpits to the bottom of the waist; -- said of persons.
2. Long from the part about the neck or shoulder, or from the armpits, to the bottom of the weist, or to the skirt; -- said of garments; as, a long-waisted coat.
LONGWAYS Long"ways`, adv.
Defn: Lengthwise. Addison.
LONG-WINDED Long"-wind"ed, a.
Defn: Long-breathed; hence, tediously long in speaking; consuming much time; as, a long-winded talker. -- Long"-wind"ed*ness, n. A tedious, long-winded harangue. South.
LONGWISE Long"wise`, adv.
Defn: Lengthwise.
LOO Loo, n. Etym: [For older lanterloo, F. lanturelu, lanturlu, name of the game; orig., the refrain of a vaudeville.] (a) An old game played with five, or three, cards dealt to each player from a full pack. When five cards are used the highest card is the knave of clubs or (if so agreed upon) the knave of trumps; -- formerly called lanterloo. (b) A modification of the game of "all fours" in which the players replenish their hands after each round by drawing each a card from the pack.
Loo table, a round table adapted for a circle of persons playing loo.
LOO Loo, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Looed; p. pr. & vb. n. Looing.]
Defn: To beat in the game of loo by winning every trick. [Written also lu.] Goldsmith.
LOOB Loob, n. Etym: [Corn., slime, sludge.] (Mining)
Defn: The clay or slimes washed from tin ore in dressing.
LOOBILY Loo"bi*ly, a. Etym: [From Looby.]
Defn: Loobylike; awkward. Fuller.
LOOBILY Loo"bi*ly, adv.
Defn: Awkwardly. L'Estrange.
LOOBY Loo"by, n.; pl. Loobies. Etym: [Cf. Lob.]
Defn: An awkward, clumsy fellow; a lubber. Swift.
LOOCH Looch, n.
Defn: See 2d Loch.
LOOF Loof, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The spongelike fibers of the fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Luffa Ægyptiaca); called also vegetable sponge.
LOOF Loof, n. Etym: [See Luff.] [Also written luff.] (Naut.) (a) Formerly, some appurtenance of a vessel which was used in changing her course; -- probably a large paddle put over the lee bow to help bring her head nearer to the wind. (b) The part of a ship's side where the planking begins to curve toward bow and stern.
LOOF Loof, v. i. (Naut.)
Defn: See Luff.
LOOK Look, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Looked; p. pr. & vb. n. Looking.] Etym: [OE. loken, AS. locian; akin to G. lugen, OHG. luogen.]
1. To direct the eyes for the purpose of seeing something; to direct the eyes toward an object; to observe with the eyes while keeping them directed; -- with various prepositions, often in a special or figurative sense. See Phrases below.
2. To direct the attention (to something); to consider; to examine; as, to look at an action.
3. To seem; to appear; to have a particular appearance; as, the patient looks better; the clouds look rainy. It would look more like vanity than gratitude. Addison. Observe how such a practice looks in another person. I. Watts.
4. To have a particular direction or situation; to face; to front. The inner gate that looketh to north. Ezek. viii. 3. The east gate . . . which looketh eastward. Ezek. xi. 1.
5. In the imperative: see; behold; take notice; take care; observe; - - used to call attention. Look, how much we thus expel of sin, so much we expel of virtue. Milton.
Note: Look, in the imperative, may be followed by a dependent sentence, but see is oftener so used. Look that ye bind them fast. Shak. Look if it be my daughter. Talfourd.
6. To show one's self in looking, as by leaning out of a window; as, look out of the window while I speak to you. Sometimes used figuratively. My toes look through the overleather. Shak.
7. To await the appearance of anything; to expect; to anticipate. Looking each hour into death's mouth to fall. Spenser. To look about, to look on all sides, or in different directions. -- To look about one, to be on the watch; to be vigilant; to be circumspect or guarded. -- To look after. (a) To attend to; to take care of; as, to look after children. (b) To expect; to be in a state of expectation. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. Luke xxi. 26. (c) To seek; to search. My subject does not oblige me to look after the water, or point forth the place where to it is now retreated. Woodward. -- To look at, to direct the eyes toward so that one sees, or as if to see; as, to look at a star; hence, to observe, examine, consider; as, to look at a matter without prejudice. -- To look black, to frown; to scowl; to have a threatening appearance. The bishops thereat repined, and looked black. Holinshed. -- To look down on or upon, to treat with indifference or contempt; to regard as an inferior; to despise. -- To look for. (a) To expect; as, to look for news by the arrival of a ship. "Look now for no enchanting voice." Milton. (b) To seek for; to search for; as, to look for lost money, or lost cattle. -- To look forth. (a) To look out of something, as from a window. (b) To threaten to come out. Jer. vi. 1. (Rev. Ver.). -- To look into, to inspect closely; to observe narrowly; to examine; as, to look into the works of nature; to look into one's conduct or affairs. -- To look on. (a) To regard; to esteem. Her friends would look on her the worse. Prior. (b) To consider; to view; to conceive of; to think of. I looked on Virgil as a succinct, majestic writer. Dryden. (c) To be a mere spectator. I'll be a candleholder, and look on. Shak. -- To look out, to be on the watch; to be careful; as, the seaman looks out for breakers. -- To look through. (a) To see through. (b) To search; to examine with the eyes. -- To look to or unto. (a) To watch; to take care of. "Look well to thy herds." Prov. xxvii. 23. (b) To resort to with expectation of receiving something; to expect to receive from; as, the creditor may look to surety for payment. "Look unto me, and be ye saved." Is. xlv. 22. -- To look up, to search for or find out by looking; as, to look up the items of an account. -- To look up to, to respect; to regard with deference.
LOOK Look, v. t.
1. To look at; to turn the eyes toward.
2. To seek; to search for. [Obs.] Looking my love, I go from place to place. Spenser.
3. To expect. [Obs.] Shak.
4. To influence, overawe, or subdue by looks or presence as, to look down opposition. A spirit fit to start into an empire, And look the world to law. Dryden.
5. To express or manifest by a look. Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again. Byron. To look daggers. See under Dagger. -- To look in the face, to face or meet with boldness or confidence; hence, sometimes, to meet for combat. -- To look out, to seek for; as, prudent persons look out associates good reputation.
LOOK Look, n.
1. The act of looking; a glance; a sight; a view; -- often in certain phrases; as, to have, get, take, throw, or cast, a look. Threw many a northward look to see his father Bring up his powers; but he did long in vain. Shak.
2. Expression of the eyes and face; manner; as, a proud or defiant look. "Gentle looks." Shak. Up ! up! my friends, and clear your looks. Wordsworth.
3. Hence; Appearance; aspect; as, the house has a gloomy look; the affair has a bad look. Pain, disgrace, and poverty have frighted looks. Locke. There was something that reminded me of Dante's Hell in the look of this. Carlyle.
LOOKDOWN Look"down`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Moonfish (b).
LOOKER Look"er, n.
Defn: One who looks. Looker-on, a spectator; one that looks on, but has no agency or part in an affair. Did not this fatal war affront thy coast, Yet sattest thou an idle looker-on Fairfax.
LOOKING Look"ing, a.
Defn: Having a certain look or appearance; -- often compounded with adjectives; as, good-looking, grand-looking, etc.
LOOKING Look"ing, n.
1. The act of one who looks; a glance.
2. The manner in which one looks; appearance; countenance; face. [Obs.] All dreary was his cheer and his looking. Chaucer. Looking for, anticipation; expectation. "A certain fearful looking for of judgment." Heb. x. 27.
LOOKING-GLASS Look"ing-glass`, n.
Defn: A mirror made of glass on which has been placed a backing of some reflecting substance, as quicksilver. There is none so homely but loves a looking-glass. South.
LOOKOUT Look"out`, n.
1. A careful looking or watching for any object or event.
2. The place from which such observation is made.
3. A person engaged in watching.
4. Object or duty of forethought and care; responsibility. [Colloq.]
LOOL Lool, n. (Metal.)
Defn: A vessel used to receive the washings of ores of metals.
LOOM Loom, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Loon, the bird.
LOOM Loom, n. Etym: [OE. lome, AS. gel utensil, implement.]
1. A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread; a machine for interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, as in knitting or lace making. Hector, when he sees Andromache overwhelmed with terror, sends her for consolation to the loom and the distaff. Rambler.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: That part of an oar which is near the grip or handle and inboard from the rowlock. Totten.
LOOM Loom, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Looming.] Etym: [OE. lumen to shine, Icel. ljoma; akin to AS. leóma light, and E. light; or cf. OF. lumer to shine, L. luminare to illumine, lumen light; akin to E. light. Light not dark.]
1. To appear above the surface either of sea or land, or to appear enlarged, or distorted and indistinct, as a distant object, a ship at sea, or a mountain, esp. from atmospheric influences; as, the ship looms large; the land looms high. Awful she looms, the terror of the main. H. J. Pye.
2. To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense. On no occasion does he [Paul] loom so high, and shine so gloriously, as in the context. J. M. Mason.
LOOM Loom, n.
Defn: The state of looming; esp., an unnatural and indistinct appearance of elevation or enlargement of anything, as of land or of a ship, seen by one at sea.
LOOM-GALE Loom"-gale`, n.
Defn: A gentle gale of wind.
LOOMING Loom"ing, n.
Defn: The indistinct and magnified appearance of objects seen in
## particular states of the atmosphere. See Mirage.
LOON Loon, n. Etym: [Scot. loun, lown, loon; akin to OD. loen a stupid man; prob. for an older lown, and akin to E. lame.]
Defn: A sorry fellow; a worthless person; a rogue.
LOON Loon, n. Etym: [For older loom, Icel. l; akin to Dan. & Sw. lom.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several aquatic, wed-footed, northern birds of the genus Urinator (formerly Colymbus), noted for their expertness in diving and swimming under water. The common loon, or great northern diver (Urinator imber, or Colymbus torquatus), and the red-throated loon or diver (U. septentrionalis), are the best known species. See Diver.
LOONY Loon"y, a.
Defn: See Luny.
LOOP Loop, n. Etym: [G. luppe an iron lump. Cf. Looping.] (Iron Works)
Defn: A mass of iron in a pasty condition gathered into a ball for the tilt hammer or rolls. [Written also loup.]
LOOP Loop, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. & Gael. lub loop, noose, fold, thong, bend, lub to bend, incline.]
1. A fold or doubling of a thread, cord, rope, etc., through which another thread, cord, etc., can be passed, or which a hook can be hooked into; an eye, as of metal; a staple; a noose; a bight. That the probation bear no hinge, nor loop To hang a doubt on. Shak.
2. A small, narrow opening; a loophole. And stop all sight-holes, every loop from whence The eye of Reason may pry in upon us. Shak.
3. A curve of any kind in the form of a loop.
4. (Telegraphy)
Defn: A wire forming part of a main circuit and returning to the point from which it starts.
5. (Acoustics)
Defn: The portion of a vibrating string, air column, etc., between two nodes; -- called also ventral segment. Loop knot, a single knot tied in a doubled cord, etc. so as to leave a loop beyond the knot. See Illust. of Knot.
LOOP Loop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Looped; p. pr. & vb. n. Looping.]
Defn: To make a loop of or in; to fasten with a loop or loops; -- often with up; as, to loop a string; to loop up a curtain.
LOOPED Looped, a.
1. Bent, folded, or tied, so as to make a loop; as, a looped wire or string.
2. Full of holes. [Obs.] Shak.
LOOPER Loop"er, n.
1. An instrument, as a bodkin, for forming a loop in yarn, a cord, etc.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The larva of any species of geometrid moths. See Geometrid.
LOOPHOLE Loop"hole`, n.
1. (Mil.)
Defn: A small opening, as in the walls of fortification, or in the bulkhead of a ship, through which small arms or other weapons may be discharged at an enemy.
2. A hole or aperture that gives a passage, or the means of escape or evasion.
LOOPHOLED Loop"holed`, a.
Defn: Provided with loopholes.
LOOPIE Loop"ie, a.
Defn: Deceitful; cunning; sly. [Scot.]
LOOPING Loop"ing, n. Etym: [Cf. D. loopen to run. Cf. Loop a mass of iron, Leap.] (Metal.)
Defn: The running together of the matter of an ore into a mass, when the ore is only heated for calcination.
LOOPING Loop"ing, p. pr. & vb. n.
Defn: of Loop. Looping snail (Zoöl.), any species of land snail of the genus Truncatella; -- so called because it creeps like the measuring worms.
LOOPLIGHT Loop"light`, n.
Defn: A small narrow opening or window in a tower or fortified wall; a loophole.
LOORD Loord, n. Etym: [F. lourd heavy, dull.]
Defn: A dull, stupid fellow; a drone. [Obs.] Spenser.
LOOS Loos, n. Etym: [OE. los, fr. OF. los, laus.]
Defn: Praise; fame; reputation. [Obs.] Spenser. Good conscience and good loos. Chaucer.
LOOSE Loose, a. [Compar. Looser; superl. Loosest.] Etym: [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. leás false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. lös, Goth. laus, and E. lose. Lose, and cf. Leasing falsehood.]
1. Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book. Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. Shak.
2. Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc. ; -- with from or of. Now I stand Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts Addison.
3. Not tight or close; as, a loose garment.
4. Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture. With horse and chariots ranked in loose array. Milton.
5. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning. The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation. Whewel.
6. Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right. The loose morality which he had learned. Sir W. Scott.
7. Unconnected; rambling. Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages. I. Watts.
8. Lax; not costive; having lax bowels. Locke.
9. Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman. Loose ladies in delight. Spenser.
10. Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle. Dryden. At loose ends, not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed. -- Fast and loose. See under Fast. -- To break loose. See under Break. -- Loose pulley. (Mach.) See Fast and loose pulleys, under Fast. -- To let loose, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty.
LOOSE Loose, n.
1. Freedom from restraint. [Obs.] Prior.
2. A letting go; discharge. B. Jonson. To give a loose, to give freedom. Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow. Addison.
LOOSE Loose, v. n. [imp. & p. p. Loosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loosing.] Etym: [From Loose, a.]
1. To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve. Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion Job. xxxviii. 31. Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me. Matt. xxi. 2.
2. To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit. Art thou loosed from a wife seek not a wife. 1 Cor. vii. 27. Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matt. xvi. 19.
3. To relax; to loosen; to make less strict. The joints of his loins were loosed. Dan. v. 6.
4. To solve; to interpret. [Obs.] Spenser.
LOOSE Loose, v. i.
Defn: To set sail. [Obs.] Acts xiii. 13.
LOOSELY Loose"ly, adv.
Defn: In a loose manner.
LOOSEN Loos"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loosened; p. pr. & vb. n. Loosening.] Etym: [See Loose, v. t.]
1. To make loose; to free from tightness, tension, firmness, or fixedness; to make less dense or compact; as, to loosen a string, or a knot; to loosen a rock in the earth. After a year's rooting, then shaking doth the tree good by loosening of the earth. Bacon.
2. To free from restraint; to set at liberty.. It loosens his hands, and assists his understanding. Dryden.
3. To remove costiveness from; to facilitate or increase the alvine discharges of. Bacon.
LOOSEN Loos"en, v. i.
Defn: To become loose; to become less tight, firm, or compact. S. Sharp.
LOOSENER Loos"en*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, loosens.
LOOSENESS Loose"ness, n.
Defn: The state, condition, or quality, of being loose; as, the looseness of a cord; looseness of style; looseness of morals or of principles.
LOOSESTRIFE Loose"strife`, n. (Bot.) (a) The name of several species of plants of the genus Lysimachia, having small star-shaped flowers, usually of a yellow color. (b) Any species of the genus Lythrum, having purple, or, in some species, crimson flowers. Gray.
False loosestrife, a plant of the genus Ludwigia, which includes several species, most of which are found in the United States. -- Tufted loosestrife, the plant Lysimachia thyrsiflora, found in the northern parts of the United States and in Europe. Gray.
LOOSISH Loos"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat loose.
LOOT Loot, n. Etym: [Hind. l, Skr. l, l, booty, lup to break, spoil; prob. akin to E. rob.]
1. The act of plundering.
2. Plunder; booty; especially, the boot taken in a conquered or sacked city.
LOOT Loot, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Looted; p. pr. & vb. n. Looting.]
Defn: To plunder; to carry off as plunder or a prize lawfully obtained by war. Looting parties . . . ransacking the houses. L.O
LOOTER Loot"er, n.
Defn: A plunderer.
LOOVER Loo"ver, n.
Defn: See Louver.
LOP Lop, n. Etym: [AS. loppe.]
Defn: A flea.[Obs.] Cleveland.
LOP Lop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lopped; p. pr. & vb. n. Lopping.] Etym: [Prov. G. luppen, lubben,to cut, geld, or OD. luppen, D. lubben.]
1. To cut off as the top or extreme part of anything; to shoas, to lop a tree or its branches. "With branches lopped, in wood or mountain felled." Milton. Expunge the whole, or lop the excrescent parts. Pope.
2. To cut partly off and bend down; as, to lop bushes in a hedge.
LOP Lop, n.
Defn: That which is lopped from anything, as branches from a tree. Shak. Mortimer.
LOP Lop, v. i.
Defn: To hang downward; to be pendent; to lean to one side.
LOP Lop, v. t.
Defn: To let hang down; as, to lop the head.
LOP Lop, a.
Defn: Hanging down; as, lop ears; -- used also in compound adjectives; as, lopeared; lopsided.
LOPE Lope, imp.
Defn: of Leap. [Obs.] And, laughing, lope into a tree. Spenser.
LOPE Lope, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loped; p. pr. & vb. n. Loping.] Etym: [See Leap.]
1. To leap; to dance. [Prov. Eng.] "He that lopes on the ropes." Middleton.
2. To move with a lope, as a horse. [U.S.]
LOPE Lope, n.
1. A leap; a long step. [Prov. Eng.]
2. An easy gait, consisting of long running strides or leaps. [U.S.] The mustang goes rollicking ahead, with the eternal lope, . . . a mixture of two or three gaits, as easy as the motions of a crade. T. B. Thorpe.
LOPEARED Lop"eared`, a.
Defn: Having ears which lop or hang down.
LOPEMAN Lope"man, n.
Defn: Leaper; ropedancer. [Obs.]
LOPER Lop"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, lopes; esp., a horse that lopes. [U.S.]
2. (Rope Making)
Defn: A swivel at one end of a ropewalk, used in laying the strands.
LOPHINE Loph"ine, n. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous organic base obtained by the oxidation of amarine, and regarded as a derivative of benzoic aldehyde. It is obtained in long white crystalline tufts, -- whence its name.
LOPHIOMYS Lo*phi"o*mys, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. lofia` a mane, bristly ridge + my^s a mouse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very singular rodent (Lophiomys Imhausi) of Northeastern Africa. It is the only known representative of a special family (Lophiomyidæ), remarkable for the structure of the skull. It has handlike feet, and the hair is peculiar in structure and arrangement.
LOPHOBRANCH Loph"o*branch, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Lophobranchii. -- n.
Defn: One of the Lophobranchii.
LOPHOBRANCHIATE Loph`o*bran"chi*ate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Lophobranchii.
LOPHOBRANCHII Loph`o*bran"chi*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of teleostean fishes, having the gills arranged in tufts on the branchial arches, as the Hippocampus and pipefishes.
LOPHOPHORE Loph"o*phore, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A disk which surrounds the mouth and bears the tentacles of the Bryozoa. See Phylactolemata.
LOPHOPODA Lo*phop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Phylactolemata.
LOPHOSTEON Lo*phos"te*on, n. ; pl. L. Lophostea, E. Lophosteons. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The central keel-bearing part of the sternum in birds.
LOPPARD Lop"pard, n. Etym: [Lop + -ard.]
Defn: A tree, the top of which has been lopped off. [Eng.]
LOPPER Lop"per, n.
Defn: One who lops or cuts off.
LOPPER Lop"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loppered; p. pr. & vb. n. Loppering.] Etym: [Cf. Prov. G. lübbern, levern, OHG. giliber, G. luppe, lab, rennet.]
Defn: To turn sour and coagulate from too long standing, as milk.
LOPPING Lop"ping, n.
Defn: A cutting off, as of branches; that which is cut off; leavings. The loppings made from that stock whilst it stood. Burke.
LOPPY Lop"py, a.
Defn: Somewhat lop; inclined to lop.
LOPSEED Lop"seed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A perennial herb (Phryma Leptostachya), having slender seedlike fruits.
LOPSIDED Lop"sid`ed, a. Etym: [Lop + side. Cf. Lobsided.]
1. Leaning to one side because of some defect of structure; as, a lopsided ship. Marryat.
2. Unbalanced; poorly proportioned; full of idiosyncrasies. J. S. Mill.
LOQUACIOUS Lo*qua"cious, a. Etym: [L. loquax, -acis, talkative, fr. loqui to speak; cf. Gr.
1. Given to continual talking; talkative; garrulous. Loquacious, brawling, ever in the wrong. Dryden.
2. Speaking; expressive. [R.] J. Philips.
3. Apt to blab and disclose secrets.
Syn. -- Garrulous; talkative. See Garrulous.
LOQUACIOUSLY Lo*qua"cious*ly, adv.
Defn: In a loquacious manner.
LOQUACIOUSNESS Lo*qua"cious*ness, n.
Defn: Loquacity.
LOQUACITY Lo*quac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. loquacitas: cf. F. loquacité.]
Defn: The habit or practice of talking continually or excessively; inclination to talk too much; talkativeness; garrulity. Too great loquacity and too great taciturnity by fits. Arbuthnot.
LOQUAT Lo"quat, n. Etym: [Chinese name.] (Bot.)
Defn: The fruit of the Japanese medlar (Photinia Japonica). It is as large as a small plum, but grows in clusters, and contains four or five large seeds. Also, the tree itself.
LORAL Lo"ral, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lores.
LORATE Lo"rate, a. Etym: [L. loratus, fr. lorum thong.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having the form of a thong or strap; ligulate.
LORCHA Lor"cha, n. Etym: [Pg.] (Naut.)
Defn: A kind of light vessel used on the coast of China, having the hull built on a European model, and the rigging like that of a Chinese junk. Admiral Foote.
LORD Lord, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr.
Defn: A hump-backed person; -- so called sportively. [Eng.] Richardson (Dict.).
LORD Lord, n. Etym: [OE. lord, laverd, loverd, AS. hlaford, for hlafweard, i. e., bread keeper; hlaf bread, loaf + weardian to look after, to take care of, to ward. See Loaf, and Ward to guard, and cf. Laird, Lady.]
1. One who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor, as of a manor. But now I was the lord Of this fair mansion. Shak. Man over men He made not lord. Milton.
2. A titled nobleman., whether a peer of the realm or not; a bishop, as a member of the House of Lords; by courtesy; the son of a duke or marquis, or the eldest son of an earl; in a restricted sense, a boron, as opposed to noblemen of higher rank. [Eng.]
3. A title bestowed on the persons above named; and also, for honor, on certain official persons; as, lord advocate, lord chamberlain, lord chancellor, lord chief justice, etc. [Eng.]
4. A husband. "My lord being old also." Gen. xviii. 12. Thou worthy lord Of that unworthy wife that greeteth thee. Shak.
5. (Feudal Law)
Defn: One of whom a fee or estate is held; the male owner of feudal land; as, the lord of the soil; the lord of the manor.
6. The Supreme Being; Jehovah.
Note: When Lord, in the Old Testament, is printed in small capitals, it is usually equivalent to Jehovah, and might, with more propriety, be so rendered.
7. The Savior; Jesus Christ. House of Lords, one of the constituent parts of the British Parliament, consisting of the lords spiritual and temporal. -- Lord high chancellor, Lord high constable, etc. See Chancellor, Constable, etc. -- Lord justice clerk, the second in rank of the two highest judges of the Supreme Court of Scotland. -- Lord justice general, or Lord president, the highest in rank of the judges of the Supreme Court of Scotland. -- Lord keeper, an ancient officer of the English crown, who had the custody of the king's great seal, with authority to affix it to public documents. The office is now merged in that of the chancellor. -- Lord lieutenant, a representative of British royalty: the lord lieutenant of Ireland being the representative of royalty there, and exercising supreme administrative authority; the lord lieutenant of a county being a deputy to manage its military concerns, and also to nominate to the chancellor the justices of the peace for that county. -- Lord of misrule, the master of the revels at Christmas in a nobleman's or other great house. Eng. Cyc. -- Lords spiritual, the archbishops and bishops who have seats in the House of Lords. -- Lords temporal, the peers of England; also, sixteen representative peers of Scotland, and twenty-eight representatives of the Irish peerage. -- Our lord, Jesus Christ; the Savior. -- The Lord's Day, Sunday; the Christian Sabbath, on which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. -- The Lord's Prayer, the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples. Matt. vi. 9-13. -- The Lord's Supper. (a) The paschal supper partaken of by Jesus the night before his crucifixion. (b) The sacrament of the eucharist; the holy communion. -- The Lord's Table. (a) The altar or table from which the sacrament is dispensed. (b) The sacrament itself.
LORD Lord, v. t.
1. To invest with the dignity, power, and privileges of a lord. [R.] Shak.
2. To rule or preside over as a lord. [R.]
LORD Lord, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lorded; p. pr. & vb. n. Lording.]
Defn: To play the lord; to domineer; to rule with arbitrary or despotic sway; -- sometimes with over; and sometimes with it in the manner of a transitive verb. The whiles she lordeth in licentious bliss. Spenser. I see them lording it in London streets. Shak. And lorded over them whom now they serve. Milton.
LORDING Lord"ing, n. Etym: [Lord + -ing, 3.]
1. The son of a lord; a person of noble lineage. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A little lord; a lordling; a lord, in contempt or ridicule. [Obs.] Swift.
Note: In the plural, a common ancient mode of address equivalent to "Sirs" or "My masters." Therefore, lordings all, I you beseech. Chaucer.
LORDKIN Lord"kin, n.
Defn: A little lord. Thackeray.
LORDLIKE Lord"like`, a. Etym: [2d lord + like. Cf. Lordly.]
1. Befitting or like a lord; lordly.
2. Haughty; proud; insolent; arrogant.
LORDLINESS Lord"li*ness, n. Etym: [From Lordly.]
Defn: The state or quality of being lordly. Shak.
LORDLING Lord"ling, n. Etym: [Lord + -ling.]
Defn: A little or insignificant lord. Goldsmith.
LORDLY Lord"ly, a. [Compar. Lordlier; superl. Lordliest.] Etym: [Lord + -ly. Cf. Lordlike.]
1. Suitable for a lord; of or pertaining to a lord; resembling a lord; hence, grand; noble; dignified; honorable. She brought forth butter in a lordly dish. Judges v. 25. Lordly sins require lordly estates to support them. South. The maidens gathered strength and grace And presence, lordlier than before. Tennyson.
2. Proud; haughty; imperious; insolent. Lords are lordliest in their wine. Milton.
Syn. -- Imperious; haughty; overbearing; tyrannical; despotic; domineering; arrogant. See Imperious.
LORDLY Lord"ly, adv.
Defn: In a lordly manner.
LORDOLATRY Lord*ol"a*try, n. Etym: [Lord + -olatry, as in idolatry.]
Defn: Worship of, or reverence for, a lord as such. [Jocose] But how should it be otherwise in a country where lordolatry is part of our creed Thackeray.
LORDOSIS Lor*do"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) A curvature of the spine forwards, usually in the lumbar region. (b) Any abnormal curvature of the bones.
LORDS AND LADIES Lords" and La"dies. (Bot.)
Defn: The European wake-robin (Arum maculatum), -- those with purplish spadix the lords, and those with pale spadix the ladies. Dr. Prior.
LORDSHIP Lord"ship, n.
1. The state or condition of being a lord; hence (with his or your), a title applied to a lord (except an archbishop or duke, who is called Grace) or a judge (in Great Britain), etc.
2. Seigniory; domain; the territory over which a lord holds jurisdiction; a manor. What lands and lordships for their owner know My quondam barber. Dryden.
3. Dominion; power; authority. They which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. Mark x. 42.
LORE Lore, n. Etym: [F. lore, L. lorum thong.] (Zoöl.) (a) The space between the eye and bill, in birds, and the corresponding region in reptiles and fishes. (b) The anterior portion of the cheeks of insects.
LORE Lore, obs. imp. & p. p. of Lose. Etym: [See Lose.]
Defn: Lost. Neither of them she found where she them lore. Spenser.
LORE Lore, n. Etym: [OE. lore, lare, AS. lar, fr. l to teach; akin to D. leer teaching, doctrine, G. lehre, Dan. lære, Sw. lära. See Learn, and cf. Lere, v. t.]
1. That which is or may be learned or known; the knowledge gained from tradition, books, or experience; often, the whole body of knowledge possessed by a people or class of people, or pertaining to a particular subject; as, the lore of the Egyptians; priestly lore; legal lore; folklore. "The lore of war." Fairfax. His fair offspring, nursed in princely lore. Milton.
2. That which is taught; hence, instruction; wisdom; advice; counsel. Chaucer. If please ye, listen to my lore. Spenser.
3. Workmanship. [Obs.] Spenser.
LOREAL; LORAL Lor"e*al, Lor"al, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lore; -- said of certain feathers of birds, scales of reptiles, etc.
LOREL Lor"el, n. [Losel.]
Defn: A good for nothing fellow; a vagabond. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOREN Lor"en, obs. strong p. p.
Defn: of Lose. Chaucer.
LORESMAN Lores"man, n. Etym: [Lorelearning + man.]
Defn: An instructor. [Obs.] Gower.
LORETO NUNS; LORETTO NUNS Lo*ret"o, or Lo*ret"to, nuns. [From Loreto, a city in Italy famous for its Holy House, said to be that in which Jesus lived, brought by angels from Nazareth.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: Members of a congregation of nuns founded by Mrs. Mary Teresa Ball, near Dublin, Ireland, in 1822, and now spread over Ireland, India, Canada, and the United States. The nuns are called also Ladies of Loreto. They are engaged in teaching girls.
LORETTE Lo`rette", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: In France, a name for a woman who is supported by her lovers, and devotes herself to idleness, show, and pleasure; -- so called from the church of Notre Dame de Lorette, in Paris, near which many of them resided.
LORETTINE Lo`ret*tine", n. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: One of a order of nuns founded in 1812 at Loretto, in Kentucky. The members of the order (called also Sisters of Loretto, or Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross) devote themselves to the cause of education and the care of destitute orphans, their labors being chiefly confined to the Western United States.
LORGNETTE Lor`gnette" n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: An opera glass; pl.
Defn: elaborate double eyeglasses.
LORI Lo"ri, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Lory.
LORICA Lo*ri"ca, n.; pl. Loricæ. Etym: [L., lit., a corselet of thongs, fr. lorum thong.]
1. (Anc. Armor)
Defn: A cuirass, originally of leather, afterward of plates of metal or horn sewed on linen or the like.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Lute for protecting vessels from the fire.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The protective case or shell of an infusorian or rotifer.
LORICATA Lor`i*ca"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Loricata.] (Zoöl.) (a) A suborder of edentates, covered with bony plates, including the armadillos. (b) The crocodilia.
LORICATE Lor"i*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loricated; p. pr. & vb. n. Loricating.] Etym: [L. loricatus, p. p. of loricare to clothe in mail, to cover with plastering, fr. lorica a leather cuirass, a plastering, fr. lorum thong.]
Defn: To cover with some protecting substance, as with lute, a crust, coating, or plates.
LORICATE Lor"i*cate, a. Etym: [See Loricate, v.]
Defn: Covered with a shell or exterior made of plates somewhat like a coat of mail, as in the armadillo.
LORICATE Lor"i*cate, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An animal covered with bony scales, as crocodiles among reptiles, and the pangolins among mammals.
LORICATION Lor`i*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. loricatio.]
Defn: The act of loricating; the protecting substance put on; a covering of scales or plates.
LORIKEET Lor"i*keet, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one numerous species of small brush-tongued parrots or lories, found mostly in Australia, New Guinea and the adjacent islands, with some forms in the East Indies. They are arboreal in their habits and feed largely upon the honey of flowers. They belong to Trichoglossus, Loriculus, and several allied genera.
LORIMER; LORINER Lor"i*mer, Lor"i*ner, n. Etym: [OF. lormier, loremier, fr. LL. loranum bridle, L. lorum thong, the rein of a bridle.]
Defn: A maker of bits, spurs, and metal mounting for bridles and saddles; hence, a saddler. [Obs.] Holinshed.
LORING Lor"ing, n. Etym: [See 3d Lore.]
Defn: Instructive discourse. [Obs.] Spenser.
LORIOT Lo"ri*ot, n. Etym: [F., fr. OF. loriou, for l'oriol, , l' being the article. The same word as oriole. See Oriole.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The golden oriole of Europe. See Oriole.
LORIS Lo"ris, n. Etym: [Loris, or lori, the indigenous East Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small lemurs of the genus Stenops. They have long, slender limbs and large eyes, and are arboreal in their habits. The slender loris (S. gracilis), of Ceylon, in one of the best known species. [Written also lori.]
LORN Lorn, a. Etym: [Strong p. p. of Lose. See Lose, Forlorn.]
1. Lost; undone; ruined. [Archaic] If thou readest, thou art lorn. Sir W. Scott.
2. Forsaken; abandoned; solitary; bereft; as, a lone, lorn woman.
LORRIE; LORRY Lor"rie, Lor"ry, n.; pl. Lorries. Etym: [Prob. from lurry to pull or lug.]
Defn: A small cart or wagon, as those used on the tramways in mines to carry coal or rubbish; also, a barrow or truck for shifting baggage, as at railway stations.
LORY Lo"ry, n.; pl. Lories. Etym: [Hind. & Malay. luri, nuri.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of many species of small parrots of the family Trichoglossidæ, generally having the tongue papillose at the tip, and the mandibles straighter and less toothed than in common parrots. They are found in the East Indies, Australia, New Guinea, and the adjacent islands. They feed mostly on soft fruits and on the honey of flowers.
Note: The lory, or louri, of South Africa is the white-crested plantain eater or turacou. See Turacou.
LOS Los, n.
Defn: Praise. See Loos. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOSABLE Los"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be lost.
LOSANGE Los"ange, n.
Defn: See Lozenge.
LOSE Lose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Losing.] Etym: [OE. losien to loose, be lost, lose, AS. losian to become loose; akin to OE. leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, AS. leósan, p. p. loren (in comp.), D. verliezen, G. verlieren, Dan. forlise, Sw. förlisa, förlora, Goth. fraliusan, also to E. loose, a & v., L. luere to loose, Gr. l to cut. sq. root127. Cf. Analysis, Palsy, Solve, Forlorn, Leasing, Loose, Loss.]
1. To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg by amputation; to lose men in battle. Fair Venus wept the sad disaster Of having lost her favorite dove. Prior.
2. To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to lose one's health. If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted Matt. v. 13.
3. Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction. The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose. Dryden.
4. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to lose one's way. He hath lost his fellows. Shak
5. To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on the ledge. The woman that deliberates is lost. Addison.
6. To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd. Like following life thro' creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect. Pope .
7. To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence, to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I lost a part of what he said. He shall in no wise lose his reward. Matt. x. 42. I fought the battle bravely which I lost, And lost it but to Macedonians. Dryden.
8. To cause to part with; to deprive of. [R.] How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion Sir W. Temple.
9. To prevent from gaining or obtaining. O false heart ! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory. Baxter. To lose ground, to fall behind; to suffer gradual loss or disadvantage. -- To lose heart, to lose courage; to become timid. "The mutineers lost heart." Macaulay. -- To lose one's head, to be thrown off one's balance; to lose the use of one's good sense or judgment. In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars lost their heads. Whitney. -- To lose one's self. (a) To forget or mistake the bearing of surrounding objects; as, to lose one's self in a great city. (b) To have the perceptive and rational power temporarily suspended; as, we lose ourselves in sleep. -- To lose sight of. (a) To cease to see; as, to lose sight of the land. (b) To overlook; to forget; to fail to perceive; as, he lost sight of the issue.
LOSE Lose, v. i.
Defn: To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest. We 'll . . . hear poor rogues Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too, Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out. Shak.
LOSEL Los"el, n. Etym: [From the root of lose, loss. Lorel.]
Defn: One who loses by sloth or neglect; a worthless person; a lorel. [Archaic] Spenser. One sad losel soils a name for aye. Byron.
LOSEL Los"el, a.
Defn: Wasteful; slothful.
LOSENGER Los"en*ger, n. Etym: [OF. losengier, losengeor, fr. losengier to deceive, flatter, losenge, flattery, Pr. lauzenga, fr. L. laus praise. Cf. Lozenge.]
Defn: A flatterer; a deceiver; a cozener. [Obs.] Chaucer. To a fair pair of gallows, there to end their lives with shame, as a number of such other losengers had done. Holinshed.
LOSENGERIE Los"en*ger*ie, n. Etym: [OF.]
Defn: Flattery; deceit; trickery. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOSER Los"er, n.
Defn: One who loses. South.
LOSING Lo"sing, a. Etym: [See Losenger.]
Defn: Given to flattery or deceit; flattering; cozening. [Obs.] Amongst the many simoniacal that swarmed in the land, Herbert, Bishop of Thetford, must not be forgotten; nick-named Losing, that is, the Fratterer. Fuller.
LOSING Los"ing, a. Etym: [See Lose, v. t.]
Defn: Causing or incurring loss; as, a losing game or business. Who strive sit out losing hands are lost. Herbert.
LOSINGLY Los"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a manner to incur loss.
LOSS Loss, n. Etym: [AS. los loss, losing, fr. leósan to lose. Lose, v. t.]
1. The act of losing; failure; destruction; privation; as, the loss of property; loss of money by gaming; loss of health or reputation. Assured loss before the match be played. Shak.
2. The state of losing or having lost; the privation, defect, misfortune, harm, etc., which ensues from losing. Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss. Shak
3. That which is lost or from which one has parted; waste; -- opposed to gain or increase; as, the loss of liquor by leakage was considerable.
4. The state of being lost or destroyed; especially, the wreck or foundering of a ship or other vessel.
5. Failure to gain or win; as, loss of a race or battle.
6. Failure to use advantageously; as, loss of time.
7. (Mil.)
Defn: Killed, wounded, and captured persons, or captured property.
8. (Insurance)
Defn: Destruction or diminution of value, if brought about in a manner provided for in the insurance contract (as destruction by fire or wreck, damage by water or smoke), or the death or injury of an insured person; also, the sum paid or payable therefor; as, the losses of the company this year amount to a million of dollars. To bear a loss, to make a loss good; also, to sustain a loss without sinking under it. -- To be at a loss, to be in a state of uncertainty.
Syn. -- Privation; detriment; injury; damage.
LOSSFUL Loss"ful, a.
Defn: Detrimental. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
LOSSLESS Loss"less, a.
Defn: Free from loss. [Obs.] Milton.
LOST Lost, a. Etym: [Prop. p. p. of OE. losien. See Lose, v. t.]
1. Parted with unwillingly or unintentionally; not to be found; missing; as, a lost book or sheep.
2. Parted with; no longer held or possessed; as, a lost limb; lost honor.
3. Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered; as, a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit.
5. Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way; bewildered; perplexed; as, a child lost in the woods; a stranger lost in London.
6. Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope; as, a ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul.
7. Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible; as, lost to shame; lost to all sense of honor.
8. Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible; as, an island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd.
9. Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as to be insensible of external things; as, to be lost in thought. Lost motion (Mach.), the difference between the motion of a driver and that of a follower, due to the yielding of parts or looseness of joints.
LOT Lot, n. Etym: [AS. hlot; akin to hleótan to cast lots, OS. hl lot, D. lot, G. loos, OHG. l, Icel. hlutr, Sw. lott, Dan. lod, Goth. hlauts. Cf. Allot, Lotto, Lottery.]
1. That which happens without human design or forethought; chance; accident; hazard; fortune; fate. But save my life, which lot before your foot doth lay. Spenser.
2. Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used in determining a question by chance, or without man's choice or will; as, to cast or draw lots. The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Prov. xvi. 33. If we draw lots, he speeds. Shak.
3. The part, or fate, which falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without his planning. O visions ill foreseen! Each day's lot's Enough to bear. Milton. He was but born to try The lot of man -- to suffer and to die. Pope.
4. A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively; as, a lot of stationery; -- colloquially, sometimes of people; as, a sorry lot; a bad lot. I, this winter, met with a very large lot of English heads, chiefly of the reign of James I. Walpole.
5. A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field; as, a building lot in a city. The defendants leased a house and lot in the city of New York. Kent.
6. A large quantity or number; a great deal; as, to spend a lot of money; lots of people think so. [Colloq.] He wrote to her . . . he might be detained in London by a lot of business. W. Black.
7. A prize in a lottery. [Obs.] Evelyn. To cast in one's lot with, to share the fortunes of. -- To cast lots, to use or throw a die, or some other instrument, by the unforeseen turn or position of which, an event is by previous agreement determined. -- To draw lots, to determine an event, or make a decision, by drawing one thing from a number whose marks are concealed from the drawer. -- To pay scot and lot, to pay taxes according to one's ability. See Scot.
LOT Lot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lotting.]
Defn: To allot; to sort; to portion. [R.] To lot on or upon, to count or reckon upon; to expect with pleasure. [Colloq. U. S.]
LOTE Lote, n. Etym: [L. lotus, Gr. Lotus.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large tree (Celtis australis), found in the south of Europe. It has a hard wood, and bears a cherrylike fruit. Called also nettle tree. Eng. Cyc.
LOTE Lote, n. Etym: [F. lotte.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European burbot.
LOTE Lote, v. i. Etym: [AS. lutian.]
Defn: To lurk; to lie hid. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOTH; LOTHLY; LOTHSOME Loth, a., Loth"ly, a. & adv., Loth"some (, a.,
Defn: See Loath, Loathly, etc.
LOTHARIO Lo*tha"ri*o, n. Etym: [Name of a character in Rowe's drama, "The Fair Penitent."]
Defn: A gay seducer of women; a libertine.
LOTION Lo"tion, n. Etym: [L. lotio, fr. lavare, lotum, to wash: cf. F. lotion. See Lave to wash.]
1. A washing, especially of the skin for the purpose of rendering it fair.
2. A liquid preparation for bathing the skin, or an injured or diseased part, either for a medicinal purpose, or for improving its appearance.
LOTO Lo"to, n.
Defn: See Lotto.
LOTONG Lo*tong", n. Etym: [Malay l.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An East Indian monkey (Semnopithecus femoralis).
LOTOPHAGI Lo*toph"a*gi, n. pl. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A people visited by Ulysses in his wanderings. They subsisted on the lotus. See Lotus (b), and Lotus-eater.
LOTOS Lo"tos, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: See Lotus.
LOTTERY Lot"ter*y, n.; pl. Lotteries. Etym: [Lot + -ery, as in brewery, bindery.]
1. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance; esp., a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of tickets are blanks. Fig. : An affair of chance.
Note: The laws of the United States and of most of the States make lotteries illegal.
2. Allotment; thing allotted. [Obs.] Shak.
LOTTO Lot"to, n. Etym: [F. loto or It. lotto, prop., a lot; of German origin. See Lot.]
Defn: A game of chance, played with cards, on which are inscribed numbers, and any contrivance (as a wheel containing numbered balls) for determining a set of numbers by chance. The player holding a card having on it the set of numbers drawn from the wheel takes the stakes after a certain percentage of them has been deducted for the dealer. A variety of lotto is called keno. [Often written loto.]
LOTURE Lo"ture, n. Etym: [L. lotura. See Lotion.]
Defn: See Lotion. [Obs.] Holland.
LOTUS Lo"tus, n. Etym: [L. lotus, Gr. Lote.]
1. (Bot.) (a) A name of several kinds of water lilies; as Nelumbium speciosum, used in religious ceremonies, anciently in Egypt, and to this day in Asia; Nelumbium luteum, the American lotus; and Nymphæa Lotus and N. cærulea, the respectively white-flowered and blue-flowered lotus of modern Egypt, which, with Nelumbium speciosum, are figured on its ancient monuments. (b) The lotus of the lotuseaters, probably a tree found in Northern Africa, Sicily, Portugal, and Spain (Zizyphus Lotus), the fruit of which is mildly sweet. It was fabled by the ancients to make strangers who ate of it forget their native country, or lose all desire to return to it. (c) The lote, or nettle tree. See Lote. (d) A genus (Lotus) of leguminous plants much resembling clover. [Written also lotos.] European lotus, a small tree (Diospyros Lotus) of Southern Europe and Asia; also, its rather large bluish black berry, which is called also the date plum.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: An ornament much used in Egyptian architecture, generally asserted to have been suggested by the Egyptian water lily.
LOTUS-EATER; LOTOS-EATER Lo"tus-eat`er, Lo"tos-eat`er, n. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: One who ate the fruit or leaf of the lotus, and, as a consequence, gave himself up to indolence and daydreams; one of the Lotophagi. The mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters. Tennyson.
LOUCHETTES Lou*chettes", n. pl. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Goggles intended to rectify strabismus by permitting vision only directly in front. Knight.
LOUD Loud, a. [Compar. Louder; superl. Loudest.] Etym: [OE. loud, lud, AS. hl; akin to OS. hl, D. luid, OHG. l, G. laut, L. -clutus, in inclutus, inclitus, celebrated, renowned, cluere to be called, Gr. . Client, Listen, Slave a serf.]
1. Having, making, or being a strong or great sound; noisy; striking the ear with great force; as, a loud cry; loud thunder. They were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. Luke xxiii. 23.
2. Clamorous; boisterous. She is loud and stubborn. Prov. vii. 11.
3. Emphatic; impressive; urgent; as, a loud call for united effort. [Colloq.]
4. Ostentatious; likely to attract attention; gaudy; as, a loud style of dress; loud colors. [Slang]
Syn. -- Noisy; boisterous; vociferous; clamorous; obstreperous; turbulent; blustering; vehement.
LOUD Loud, adv. Etym: [AS. hlude.]
Defn: With loudness; loudly. To speak loud in public assemblies. Addison.
LOUDFUL Loud"ful, a.
Defn: Noisy. [Obs.] Marsion.
LOUDLY Loud"ly, adv.
Defn: In a loud manner. Denham.
LOUD-MOUTHED Loud"-mouthed`, a.
Defn: Having a loud voice; talking or sounding noisily; noisily impudent.
LOUDNESS Loud"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being loud.
LOUD-VOICED Loud"-voiced`, a.
Defn: Having a loud voice; noisy; clamorous. Byron.
LOUGH Lough, n. Etym: [See 1st Loch.]
Defn: A loch or lake; -- so spelt in Ireland.
LOUGH Lough, obs. strong imp.
Defn: of Laugh. Chaucer.
LOUIS D'OR Lou"is d'or`. Etym: [F., gold louis.]
Defn: Formerly, a gold coin of France nominally worth twenty shillings sterling, but of varying value; -- first struck in 1640.
LOUIS QUATORZE Lon"is qua*torze". Etym: [F., Louis fourteenth.]
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the art or style of the times of Louis XIV. of France; as, Louis quatorze architecture.
LOUK Louk, n.
Defn: An accomplice; a "pal." [Obs.] There is no thief without a louk. Chaucer.
LOUNGE Lounge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lounged; p. pr. & vb. n. Lounging.] Etym: [OE. lungis a tall, slow, awkward fellow, OF. longis, longin, said to be fr. Longinus, the name of the centurion who pierced the body of Christ, but with reference also to L. longus long. Cf. Long, a.]
Defn: To spend time lazily, whether lolling or idly sauntering; to pass time indolently; to stand, sit, or recline, in an indolent manner. We lounge over the sciences, dawdle through literature, yawn over politics. J. Hannay.
LOUNGE Lounge, n.
1. An idle gait or stroll; the state of reclining indolently; a place of lounging. She went with Lady Stock to a bookseller's whose shop lounge. Miss Edgeworth.
2. A piece of furniture resembling a sofa, upon which one may lie or recline.
LOUNGER Loun"ger, n.
Defn: One who lounges; ar idler.
LOUP Loup, n. (Iron Works)
Defn: See 1st Loop.
LOUP-CERVIER Loup"-cer`vier", n. Etym: [F. Cf. Lusern.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Canada lynx. See Lynx.
LOUP-GAROU Loup`-ga`rou", n.; pl. Loups-garous (#). [F., fr. loup wolf + a Teutonic word akin to E. werewolf.]
Defn: A werewolf; a lycanthrope.
The superstition of the loup-garou, or werewolf, belongs to the folklore of most modern nations, and has its reflex in the story of "Little Red Riding-hood" and others. Brinton.
LOUPING Loup"ing. [From Loup to leap.] (Veter.)
Defn: An enzoötic, often fatal, disease of sheep and other domestic animals, of unknown cause. It is characterized by muscular tremors and spasms, followed by more or less complete paralysis. The principal lesion is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
LOUP-LOUP Loup`-loup", n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Pomeranian or Spitz dog.
LOUPS Loups, n. pl.; sing. Loup. Etym: [F., prop., a wolf.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: The Pawnees, a tribe of North American Indians whose principal totem was the wolf.
LOUR Lour, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An Asiatic sardine (Clupea Neohowii), valued for its oil.
LOURI Lou"ri, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Lory.
LOUSE Louse, n.; pl. Lice. Etym: [OE. lous, AS. l, pl. l; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG. l, Icel. l, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named because it is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.] (Zoöl.)
1. Any one of numerous species of small, wingless, suctorial, parasitic insects belonging to a tribe (Pediculina), now usually regarded as degraded Hemiptera. To this group belong of the lice of man and other mammals; as, the head louse of man (Pediculus capitis), the body louse (P. vestimenti), and the crab louse (Phthirius pubis), and many others. See Crab louse, Dog louse, Cattle louse, etc., under Crab, Dog, etc.
2. Any one of numerous small mandibulate insects, mostly parasitic on birds, and feeding on the feathers. They are known as Mallophaga, or bird lice, though some occur on the hair of mammals. They are usually regarded as degraded Pseudoneuroptera. See Mallophaga.
3. Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice. See Aphid.
4. Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira.
Note: The term is also applied to various other parasites; as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse. Louse fly (Zoöl.), a parasitic dipterous insect of the group Pupipara. Some of them are wingless, as the bee louse. -- Louse mite (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of mites which infest mammals and birds, clinging to the hair and feathers like lice. They belong to Myobia, Dermaleichus, Mycoptes, and several other genera.
LOUSE Louse, v. t.
Defn: To clean from lice. "You sat and loused him." Swift.
LOUSEWORT Louse"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Any species of Pedicularis, a genus of perennial herbs. It was said to make sheep that fed on it lousy. Yellow lousewort , a plant of the genus Rhinanthus.
LOUSILY Lous"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Lousy.]
Defn: In a lousy manner; in a mean, paltry manner; scurvily. [Vulgar]
LOUSINESS Lous"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being lousy.
LOUSY Lous"y, a.
1. Infested with lice.
2. Mean; contemptible; as, lousy knave. [Vulgar] Such lousy learning as this is. Bale.
LOUT Lout, v. i. Etym: [OE. louten, luten, AS. l; akin to Icel. l, Dan. lude, OHG. l to lie hid.]
Defn: To bend; to box; to stoop. [Archaic] Chaucer. Longfellow. He fair the knight saluted, louting low. Spenser.
LOUT Lout, n. Etym: [Formerly also written lowt.]
Defn: A clownish, awkward fellow; a bumpkin. Sir P. Sidney.
LOUT Lout, v. t.
Defn: To treat as a lout or fool; to neglect; to disappoint. [Obs.] Shak.
LOUTISH Lout"ish, a.
Defn: Clownish; rude; awkward. "Loutish clown." Sir P. Sidney. -- Lout"ish*ly, adv. -- Lout"*ish*ness, n.
LOUTOU Lou*tou", n. Etym: [Native names.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A crested black monkey (Semnopithecus maurus) of Java.
LOUVER; LOUVRE Lou"ver, Lou"vre, n. Etym: [OE. lover, OF. lover, lovier; or l'ouvert the opening, fr. overt, ouvert, p. p. of ovrir, ouvrir, to open, F. ouvrir. Cf. Overt.] (Arch.)
Defn: A small lantern. See Lantern, 2 (a) [Written also lover, loover, lovery, and luffer.] Louver boards or boarding, the sloping boards set to shed rainwater outward in openings which are to be left otherwise unfilled; as belfry windows, the openings of a louver, etc. -- Louver work, slatted work.
LOVABLE Lov"a*ble, a.
Defn: Having qualities that excite, or are fitted to excite, love; worthy of love. Elaine the fair, Elaine the lovable, Elaine, the lily maid of Astolat. Tennyson.
LOVAGE Lov"age, n. Etym: [F. livèche, fr. L. levisticum, ligusticum, a plant indigenous to Liguria, lovage, from Ligusticus Ligustine, Ligurian, Liguria a country of Cisalpine Gaul.] (Bot.)
Defn: An umbelliferous plant (Levisticum officinale), sometimes used in medicine as an aromatic stimulant.
LOVE Love, n. Etym: [OE. love, luve, AS. lufe, lufu; akin to E.lief, believe, L. lubet, libet,it pleases, Skr. lubh to be lustful. See Lief.]
1. A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preëminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters. Of all the dearest bonds we prove Thou countest sons' and mothers' love Most sacred, most Thine own. Keble.
2. Especially, devoted attachment to, or tender or passionate affection for, one of the opposite sex. He on his side Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love Hung over her enamored. Milton.
3. Courtship; -- chiefly in the phrase to make love, i. e., to court, to woo, to solicit union in marriage. Demetrius . . . Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, And won her soul. Shak.
4. Affection; kind feeling; friendship; strong liking or desire; fondness; good will; -- opposed to hate; often with of and an object. Love, and health to all. Shak. Smit with the love of sacred song. Milton. The love of science faintly warmed his breast. Fenton.
5. Due gratitude and reverence to God. Keep yourselves in the love of God. Jude 21.
6. The object of affection; -- often employed in endearing address. "Trust me, love." Dryden. Open the temple gates unto my love. Spenser.
7. Cupid, the god of love; sometimes, Venus. Such was his form as painters, when they show Their utmost art, on naked Lores bestow. Dryden. Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves draw Love. Shak.
8. A thin silk stuff. [Obs.] Boyle.
9. (Bot.)
Defn: A climbing species of Clematis (C. Vitalba).
10. Nothing; no points scored on one side; -- used in counting score at tennis, etc. He won the match by three sets to love. The Field.
Note: Love is often used in the formation of compounds, in most of which the meaning is very obvious; as, love-cracked, love-darting, love-killing, love-linked, love-taught, etc. A labor of love, a labor undertaken on account of regard for some person, or through pleasure in the work itself, without expectation of reward. -- Free love, the doctrine or practice of consorting with one of the opposite sex, at pleasure, without marriage. See Free love. -- Free lover, one who avows or practices free love. -- In love, in the act of loving; -- said esp. of the love of the sexes; as, to be in love; to fall in love. -- Love apple (Bot.), the tomato. -- Love bird (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small, short- tailed parrots, or parrakeets, of the genus Agapornis, and allied genera. They are mostly from Africa. Some species are often kept as cage birds, and are celebrated for the affection which they show for their mates. -- Love broker, a person who for pay acts as agent between lovers, or as a go-between in a sexual intrigue. Shak. -- Love charm, a charm for exciting love. Ld. Lytton. -- Love child. an illegitimate child. Jane Austen. -- Love day, a day formerly appointed for an amicable adjustment of differences. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. Chaucer. -- Love drink, a love potion; a philter. Chaucer. -- Love favor, something given to be worn in token of love. -- Love feast, a religious festival, held quarterly by some religious denominations, as the Moravians and Methodists, in imitation of the agapæ of the early Christians. -- Love feat, the gallant act of a lover. Shak. -- Love game, a game, as in tennis, in which the vanquished person or party does not score a point. -- Love grass. Etym: [G. liebesgras.] (Bot.) Any grass of the genus Eragrostis. -- Love-in-a-mist. (Bot.) (a) An herb of the Buttercup family (Nigella Damascena) having the flowers hidden in a maze of finely cut bracts. (b) The West Indian Passiflora foetida, which has similar bracts. -- Love-in-idleness (Bot.), a kind of violet; the small pansy. A little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound; And maidens call it love-in-idleness. Shak. -- Love juice, juice of a plant supposed to produce love. Shak. -- Love knot, a knot or bow, as of ribbon; -- so called from being used as a token of love, or as a pledge of mutual affection. Milman. -- Love lass, a sweetheart. -- Love letter, a letter of courtship. Shak. -- Love-lies-bleeding (Bot.), a species of amaranth (Amarantus melancholicus). -- Love match, a marriage brought about by love alone. -- Love potion, a compounded draught intended to excite love, or venereal desire. -- Love rites, sexual intercourse. Pope -- Love scene, an exhibition of love, as between lovers on the stage. -- Love suit, courtship. Shak. -- Of all loves, for the sake of all love; by all means. [Obs.] "Mrs. Arden desired him of all loves to come back again." Holinshed. -- The god of love, or Love god, Cupid. -- To make love to, to express affection for; to woo. "If you will marry, make your loves to me." Shak. -- To play for love, to play a game, as at cards, without stakes. "A game at piquet for love." Lamb.
Syn. -- Affection; friendship; kindness; tenderness; fondness; delight.
LOVE Love, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loved; p. pr. & vb. n. Loving.] Etym: [AS. lufian. Love, n.]
1. To have a feeling of love for; to regard with affection or good will; as, to love one's children and friends; to love one's country; to love one's God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matt. xxii. 37. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. Matt. xxii. 39.
2. To regard with passionate and devoted affection, as that of one sex for the other.
3. To take delight or pleasure in; to have a strong liking or desire for, or interest in; to be pleased with; to like; as, to love books; to love adventures. Wit, eloquence, and poetry. Arts which I loved. Cowley.
LOVE Love, v. i.
Defn: To have the feeling of love; to be in love.
LOVEABLE Love"a*ble, a.
Defn: See Lovable.
LOVE-DRURY Love"-*dru`ry, n. Etym: [Love + OF. druerie. Cf. Druery.]
Defn: Affection. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOVEE Lov*ee", n.
Defn: One who is loved. [Humorous] "The lover and lovee." Richardson.
LOVEFUL Love"ful, a.
Defn: Full of love. [Obs.] Sylvester.
LOVELESS Love"less, a.
1. Void of love; void of tenderness or kindness. Milton. Shelton.
2. Not attracting love; unattractive. These are ill-favored to see to; and yet, asloveless as they be, they are not without some medicinable virtues. Holland.
LOVELILY Love"li*ly, adv. Etym: [From Lovely.]
Defn: In manner to excite love; amiably. [R.] Otway.
LOVELINESS Love"li*ness, n. Etym: [From Lovely.]
Defn: The state or quality of being lovely. If there is such a native loveliness in the sex as to make them victorious when in the wrong, how resistless their power when they are on the side of truth! Spectator.
LOVELOCK Love"lock`, n.
Defn: A long lock of hair hanging prominently by itself; an earlock; -- worn by men of fashion in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. Burton. A long lovelock and long hair he wore. Sir W. Scott.
LOVELORN Love"lorn`, a.
Defn: Forsaken by one's love. The lovelorn nightingale. Milton.
LOVELY Love"ly, a. [Compar. Lovelier; superl. Loveliest.] Etym: [AS. luflic.]
1. Having such an appearance as excites, or is fitted to excite, love; beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner. "Lovely to look on." Piers Plowman. Not one so fair of face, of speech so lovely. Robert of Brunne. If I had such a tire, this face of mine Were full as lovely as is this of hers. Shak.
2. Lovable; amiable; having qualities of any kind which excite, or are fitted to excite, love or friendship. A most lovely gentlemanlike man. Shak.
3. Loving; tender. [Obs.] "A lovely kiss." Shak. Many a lovely look on them he cast. Chaucer.
4. Very pleasing; -- applied loosely to almost anything which is not grand or merely pretty; as, a lovely view; a lovely valley; a lovely melody. Indeed these fields Are lovely, lovelier not the Elysian lawns. Tennyson.
Syn. -- Beautiful; charming; delightful; delectable; enchanting; lovable; amiable.
LOVELY Love"ly, adv.
Defn: In a manner to please, or to excite love. [Obs. or R.] Tyndale.
LOVE-MAKING Love"-mak`ing, n.
Defn: Courtship. Bacon.
LOVEMONGER Love"mon`ger, n.
Defn: One who deals in affairs of love.[Obs.] Shak.
LOVER Lov"er, n.
1. One who loves; one who is in love; -- usually limited, in the singular, to a person of the male sex. Gower. Love is blind, and lovers can not see The pretty follies that themselves commit. Shak.
2. A friend; one strongly attached to another; one who greatly desires the welfare of any person or thing; as, a lover of his country. I slew my best lover for the good of Rome. Shak.
3. One who has a strong liking for anything, as books, science, or music. "A lover of knowledge." T. Burnet.
LOVER; LOVERY Lo"ver, Lo"ver*y, n.
Defn: See Louver. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
LOVERWISE Lo"ver*wise`, adv.
Defn: As lovers do. As they sat down here loverwise. W. D. Howells.
LOVE-SICK Love"-sick`, a.
1. Languishing with love or amorous desire; as, a love-sick maid. To the dear mistress of my love-sick mind. Dryden.
2. Originating in, or expressive of, languishing love. Where nightingales their love-sick ditty sing. Dryden.
LOVE-SICKNESS Love"-sick`ness, n.
Defn: The state of being love-sick.
LOVESOME Love"some, a. Etym: [AS. lufsum.]
Defn: Lovely. [Obs.]
LOVING Lov"ing, a.
1. Affectionate. The fairest and most loving wife in Greece. Tennyson.
2. Expressing love or kindness; as, loving words.
LOVING CUP Lov"ing cup`.
Defn: A large ornamental drinking vessel having two or more handles, intended to pass from hand to hand, as at a banquet.
LOVING-KINDNESS Lov"ing-kind"ness, n.
Defn: Tender regard; mercy; favor. Ps. lxxxix. 33.
LOVINGLY Lov"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With love; affectionately.
LOVINGNESS Lov"ing*ness, n.
Defn: Affection; kind regard. The only two bands of good will, loveliness and lovingness. Sir. P. Sidney.
LOVYER Lov"yer, n.
Defn: A lover. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOW Low, obs
Defn: , strong imp. of Laugh. Chaucer.
LOW Low, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Lowing.] Etym: [OE. lowen, AS. hl; akin to D. loeijen, OHG. hl, hluojan.]
Defn: To make the calling sound of cows and other bovine animals; to moo. The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea. Gray.
LOW Low, n.
Defn: The calling sound ordinarily made by cows and other bovine animals. Talking voices and the law of herds. Wordsworth.
LOW Low, n. Etym: [AS. hlaw; akin to Goth. hlaiw a grave, hlains a hill, and to E. lean to incline.]
Defn: A hill; a mound; a grave. [Obs. except in place names.] Skeat.
LOW Low, n. Etym: [Icel. log, logi; akin to E. light, n.]
Defn: Fire; a flame; a light. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
LOW Low, v. i.
Defn: To burn; to blaze. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Burns.
LOW Low, a. [Compar. Lower; superl. Lowest.] Etym: [OE. low, louh, lah, Icel. lagr; akin to Sw. låg, Dan. lav, D. laag, and E. lie. See Lie to be prostrate.]
1. Occupying an inferior position or place; not high or elevated; depressed in comparison with something else; as, low ground; a low flight.
2. Not rising to the usual height; as, a man of low stature; a low fence.
3. Near the horizon; as, the sun is low at four o'clock in winter, and six in summer.
4. Sunk to the farthest ebb of the tide; as, low tide.
5. Beneath the usual or remunerative rate or amount, or the ordinary value; moderate; cheap; as, the low price of corn; low wages.
6. Not loud; as, a low voice; a low sound.
7. (Mus.)
Defn: Depressed in the scale of sounds; grave; as, a low pitch; a low note.
8. (Phon.)
Defn: Made, as a vowel, with a low position of part of the tongue in relation to the palate; as, . See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 10, 11.
9. Near, or not very distant from, the equator; as, in the low northern latitudes.
10. Numerically small; as, a low number.
11. Wanting strength or animation; depressed; dejected; as, low spirits; low in spirits.
12. Depressed in condition; humble in rank; as, men of low condition; the lower classes. Why but to keep ye low and ignorant Milton.
13. Mean; vulgar; base; dishonorable; as, a person of low mind; a low trick or stratagem.
14. Not elevated or sublime; not exalted or diction; as, a low comparison. In comparison of these divine writers, the noblest wits of the heathen world are low and dull. Felton.
15. Submissive; humble. "Low reverence." Milton.
16. Deficient in vital energy; feeble; weak; as, a low pulse; made low by sickness.
17. Moderate; not intense; not inflammatory; as, low heat; a low temperature; a low fever.
18. Smaller than is reasonable or probable; as, a low estimate.
19. Not rich, high seasoned, or nourishing; plain; simple; as, a low diet.
Note: Low is often used in the formation of compounds which require no special explanation; as, low-arched, low- browed, low-crowned, low-heeled, low-lying, low-priced, low-roofed, low-toned, low-voiced, and the like. Low Church. See High Church, under High. -- Low Countries, the Netherlands. -- Low German, Low Latin, etc. See under German, Latin, etc. -- Low life, humble life. -- Low milling, a process of making flour from grain by a single grinding and by siftings. -- Low relief. See Bas-relief. -- Low side window (Arch.), a peculiar form of window common in mediæval churches, and of uncertain use. Windows of this sort are narrow, near the ground, and out of the line of the windows, and in many different situations in the building. -- Low spirits, despondency. -- Low steam, steam having a low pressure. -- Low steel, steel which contains only a small proportion of carbon, and can not be hardened greatly by sudden cooling. -- Low Sunday, the Sunday next after Easter; -- popularly so called. -- Low tide, the farthest ebb of the tide; the tide at its lowest point; low water. -- Low water. (a) The lowest point of the ebb tide; a low stage of the in a river, lake, etc. (b) (Steam Boiler) The condition of an insufficient quantity of water in the boiler. -- Low water alarm or indicator (Steam Boiler), a contrivance of various forms attached to a boiler for giving warning when the water is low. -- Low water mark, that part of the shore to which the waters recede when the tide is the lowest. Bouvier. -- Low wine, a liquor containing about 20 percent of alcohol, produced by the first distillation of wash; the first run of the still; -- often in the plural.
LOW Low, n. (Card Playing)
Defn: The lowest trump, usually the deuce; the lowest trump dealt or drawn.
LOW Low, adv.
1. In a low position or manner; not aloft; not on high; near the ground.
2. Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply; as, he sold his wheat low.
3. In a low mean condition; humbly; meanly.
4. In time approaching our own. In that part of the world which was first inhabited, even as low down as Abraham's time, they wandered with their flocks and herds. Locke.
5. With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently; as, to speak low. Addison. The . . . odorous wind Breathes low between the sunset and the moon. Tennyson.
6. With a low musical pitch or tone. Can sing both high and low. Shak.
7. In subjection, poverty, or disgrace; as, to be brought low by oppression, by want, or by vice. Spenser.
8. (Astron.)
Defn: In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; -- said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution; as, the moon runs low, that is, is comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian.
LOW Low, v. t.
Defn: To depress; to lower. [Obs.] Swift.
LOWBELL Low"bell`, n. Etym: [Low a flame + bell.]
1. A bell used in fowling at night, to frighten birds, and, with a sudden light, to make them fly into a net. The fowler's lowbell robs the lark of sleep. King.
2. A bell to be hung on the neck of a sheep. A lowbell hung about a sheep's . . . neck. Howell.
LOWBELL Low"bell`, v. t.
Defn: To frighten, as with a lowbell.
LOWBORN Low"born`, a.
Defn: Born in a low condition or rank; -- opposed to highborn.
LOWBOY Low"boy`, n.
Defn: A chest of drawers not more than four feet high; -- applied commonly to the lower half of a tallboy from which the upper half has been removed. [U. S.]
LOWBRED Low"bred`, a.
Defn: Bred, or like one bred, in a low condition of life; characteristic or indicative of such breeding; rude; impolite; vulgar; as, a lowbred fellow; a lowbred remark.
LOW-CHURCH Low"-church`, a.
Defn: Not placing a high estimate on ecclesiastical organizations or forms; -- applied especially to Episcopalians, and opposed to high- church. See High Church, under High.
LOW-CHURCHISM Low"-church`ism, n.
Defn: The principles of the low-church party.
LOW-CHURCHMAN Low"-church`man, n.; pl. -men (.
Defn: One who holds low-church principles.
LOW-CHURCHMANSHIP Low"-church`man*ship, n.
Defn: The state of being a low-churchman.
LOWER Low"er, a.
Defn: Compar. of Low, a.
LOWER Low"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lowered; p. pr. & vb. n. Lowering.] Etym: [From Low, a.]
1. To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down; as, to lower a bucket into a well; to lower a sail or a boat; sometimes, to pull down; as, to lower a flag. Lowered softly with a threefold cord of love Down to a silent grave. Tennyson.
2. To reduce the height of; as, to lower a fence or wall; to lower a chimney or turret.
3. To depress as to direction; as, to lower the aim of a gun; to make less elevated as to object; as, to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes.
4. To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of; as, to lower the temperature of anything; to lower one's vitality; to lower distilled liquors.
5. To bring down; to humble; as, to lower one's pride.
6. To reduce in value, amount, etc. ; as, to lower the price of goods, the rate of interest, etc.
LOWER Low"er, v. i.
Defn: To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease; as, the river lowered as rapidly as it rose.
LOWER Low"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lowered; p. pr. & vb. n. Lowering.] Etym: [OE. lowren, luren; cf. D. loeren, LG. luren. G. lauern to lurk, to be on the watch, and E. leer, lurk.]
1. To be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds; to be covered with dark and threatening clouds, as the sky; to show threatening signs of approach, as a tempest. All the clouds that lowered upon our house. Shak.
2. To frown; to look sullen. But sullen discontent sat lowering on her face. Dryden.
LOWER Low"er, n. [Obs.]
1. Cloudiness; gloominess.
2. A frowning; sullenness.
LOWER-CASE Low"er-case`, a. (Print.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or kept in, the lower case; -- used to denote the small letters, in distinction from capitals and small capitals. See the Note under 1st Case, n., 3.
LOWERING Low"er*ing, a.
Defn: Dark and threatening; gloomy; sullen; as, lowering clouds or sky.
LOWERINGLY Low"er*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lowering manner; with cloudiness or threatening gloom.
LOWERMOST Low"er*most`, a. [Irreg. superl. of Low. Cf. Uppermost, Foremost, etc.]
Defn: Lowest.
LOWERY Low"er*y, a.
Defn: Cloudy; gloomy; lowering; as, a lowery sky; lowery weather.
LOWGH; LOWH Lowgh, Lowh, obs.
Defn: strong imp. of Laugh. Etym: [Cf. 1st Low and 2d Lough.] Chaucer.
LOWING Low"ing, n.
Defn: The calling sound made by cows and other bovine animals.
LOWISH Low"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat low. [Colloq.] Richardson.
LOWK Lowk, n.
Defn: See Louk. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LOWLAND Low"land, n.
Defn: Land which is low with respect to the neighboring country; a low or level country; -- opposed to highland. The Lowlands, Belgium and Holland; the Netherlands; also, the southern part of Scotland.
LOWLANDER Low"land*er, n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of the Lowlands, especially of the Lowlands of Scotland, as distinguished from Highlander.
LOWLIHOOD; LOWLIHEAD Low"li*hood, Low"li*head, n.
Defn: A lowly state. [R.] Tennyson.
LOWLILY Low"li*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lowly place or manner; humbly. [Obs. or R.] Thinking lowlily of himself and highly of those better than himself. J. C. Shairp.
LOWLINESS Low"li*ness, n. Etym: [From Lowly.]
1. The state or quality of being lowly; humility; humbleness of mind. Walk . . . with all lowliness and meekness. Eph. iv. 1, 2.
2. Low condition, especially as to manner of life. The lowliness of my fortune has not brought me to flatter vice. Dryden.
LOW-LIVED Low"-lived`, a.
Defn: Characteristic of, or like, one bred in a low and vulgar condition of life; mean dishonorable; contemptible; as, low-lived dishonesty.
LOWLY Low"ly, a. [Compar. Lowlier; superl. Lowliest.] Etym: [Low, a. + - ly.]
1. Not high; not elevated in place; low. "Lowly lands." Dryden.
2. Low in rank or social importance. One common right the great and lowly claims. Pope.
3. Not lofty or sublime; humble. These rural poems, and their lowly strain. Dryden.
4. Having a low esteem of one's own worth; humble; meek; free from pride. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. Matt. xi. 29.
LOWLY Low"ly, adv.
1. In a low manner; humbly; meekly; modestly. "Be lowly wise." Milton.
2. In a low condition; meanly. I will show myself highly fed, and lowly taught. Shak.
LOW-MINDED Low"-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Inclined in mind to low or unworthy things; showing a base mind. Low-minded and immoral. Macaulay. All old religious jealousies were condemned as low-minded infirmities. Bancroft.
LOW-MINDEDNESS Low"-mind`ed*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being lowminded; meanness; baseness.
LOWN Lown, n. Etym: [See Loon.]
Defn: A low fellow. [Obs.]
LOW-NECKED Low"-necked`, a.
Defn: Cut low in the neck; decollete; -- said of a woman's dress.
LOWNESS Low"ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being low.
LOW-PRESSURE Low"-pres`sure, a.
Defn: Having, employing, or exerting, a low degree of pressure. Low- pressure steam engine, a steam engine in which low steam is used; often applied to a condensing engine even when steam at high pressure is used. See Steam engine.
LOWRY Low"ry, n.
Defn: An open box car used on railroads. Compare Lorry.
LOW-SPIRITED Low"-spir`it*ed, a.
Defn: Deficient in animation and courage; dejected; depressed; not sprightly. -- Low"-spir`it*ed*ness, n.
LOW STEEL Low steel.
Defn: See under Low.
LOW-STUDDED Low"-stud`ded, a.
Defn: Furnished or built with short studs; as, a low-studded house or room.
LOW-THOUGHTED Low"-thought`ed, a.
Defn: Having one's thoughts directed toward mean or insignificant subjects.
LOXODROMIC Lox`o*drom"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. loxodromique.]
Defn: Pertaining to sailing on rhumb lines; as, loxodromic tables. Loxodromic curve or line (Geom.), a line on the surface of a sphere, which always makes an equal angle with every meridian; the rhumb line. It is the line on which a ship sails when her course is always in the direction of one and the same point of the compass.
LOXODROMICS Lox`o*drom"ics, n.
Defn: The art or method of sailing on the loxodromic or rhumb line.
LOXODROMISM Lox*od"ro*mism, n.
Defn: The act or process of tracing a loxodromic curve; the act of moving as if in a loxodromic curve.
LOXODROMY Lox*od"ro*my, n. Etym: [Cf. F. loxodromic.]
Defn: The science of loxodromics. [R.]
LOY Loy, n.
Defn: A long, narrow spade for stony lands.
LOYAL Loy"al, a. Etym: [F. loyal, OF. loial, leial, L. legalis, fr. lex, legis, law. See Legal, and cf. Leal.]
1. Faithful to law; upholding the lawful authority; faithful and true to the lawful government; faithful to the prince or sovereign to whom one is subject; unswerving in allegiance. Welcome, sir John ! But why come you in arms -To help King Edward in his time of storm, As every loyal subject ought to do. Shak.
2. True to any person or persons to whom one owes fidelity, especially as a wife to her husband, lovers to each other, and friend to friend; constant; faithful to a cause or a principle. Your true and loyal wife. Shak. Unhappy both, but loyaltheir loves. Dryden.
LOYALIST Loy"al*ist, n.
Defn: A person who adheres to his sovereign or to the lawful authority; especially, one who maintains his allegiance to his prince or government, and defends his cause in times of revolt or revolution.
LOYALLY Loy"al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a loyal manner; faithfully.
LOYALNESS Loy"al*ness, n.
Defn: Loyalty. [R.] Stow.
LOYALTY Loy"al*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. loyaute. See Loyal, and cf. Legality.]
Defn: The state or quality of being loyal; fidelity to a superior, or to duty, love, etc. He had such loyalty to the king as the law required. Clarendon. Not withstanding all the subtle bait With which those Amazons his love still craved, To his one love his loyalty he saved. Spenser.
Note: "Loyalty . . . expresses, properly, that fidelity which one owes according to law, and does not necessarily include that attachment to the royal person, which, happily, we in England have been able further to throw into the word." Trench.
Syn. -- Allegiance; fealty. See Allegiance.
LOZENGE Loz"enge, n. Etym: [F. lozange, losange; perh. the same as OF. losengef flattery, praise, the heraldic sense being the oldest (cf. E. hatchment, blazon). Cf. Losenger, Laudable.]
1. (Her.) (a) A diamond-shaped figure usually with the upper and lower angles slightly acute, borne upon a shield or escutcheon. Cf. Fusil. (b) A form of the escutcheon used by women instead of the shield which is used by men.
2. A figure with four equal sides, having two acute and two obtuse angles; a rhomb.
3. Anything in the form of lozenge.
4. A small cake of sugar and starch, flavored, and often medicated. -- originally in the form of a lozenge. Lozenge coach, the coach of a dowager, having her coat of arms painted on a lozenge. [Obs.] Walpole. -- Lozenge-molding (Arch.), a kind of molding, used in Norman architecture, characterized by lozenge-shaped ornaments.
LOZENGED; LOZENGE-SHAPED Loz"enged, Loz"enge-shaped`, a.
Defn: Having the form of a lozenge or rhomb. The lozenged panes of a very small latticed window. C. Bronté.
LOZENGY Loz"en*gy, a. Etym: [F. losangé. See Lozenge.] (Her.)
Defn: Divided into lozenge-shaped compartments, as the field or a bearing, by lines drawn in the direction of the bend sinister.
LU Lu, n. & v. t.
Defn: See Loo.
LUBBARD Lub"bard, n. Etym: [See Lubber.]
Defn: A lubber. [Obs.] Swift.
LUBBARD Lub"bard, a.
Defn: Lubberly.
LUBBER Lub"ber, n. Etym: [Cf. dial. Sw. lubber. See Looby, Lob.]
Defn: A heavy, clumsy, or awkward fellow; a sturdy drone; a clown. Lingering lubbers lose many a penny. Tusser. Land lubber, a name given in contempt by sailors to a person who lives on land. -- Lubber grasshopper (Zoöl.), a large, stout, clumsy grasshopper; esp., Brachystola magna, from the Rocky Mountain plains, and Romalea microptera, which is injurious to orange trees in Florida. -- Lubber's hole (Naut.), a hole in the floor of the "top," next the mast, through which sailors may go aloft without going over the rim by the futtock shrouds. It is considered by seamen as only fit to be used by lubbers. Totten. -- Lubber's line, point, or mark, a line or point in the compass case indicating the head of the ship, and consequently the course which the ship is steering.
LUBBERLY Lub"ber*ly, a.
Defn: Like a lubber; clumsy. A great lubberly boy. Shak.
LUBBERLY Lub"ber*ly, adv.
Defn: Clumsily; awkwardly. Dryden.
LUBRIC; LUBRICAL Lu"bric, Lu"bric*al, a. Etym: [L. lubricus: cf. F. lubrique.]
1. Having a smooth surface; slippery. [R.]
2. Lascivious; wanton; lewd. [R.] This lubric and adulterate age. Dryden.
LUBRICANT Lu"bri*cant, a. Etym: [L. lubricans, p. pr. of lubricare, See Lubricate.]
Defn: Lubricating.
LUBRICANT Lu"bri*cant, n.
Defn: That which lubricates; specifically, a substance, as oil, grease, plumbago, etc., used for reducing the friction of the working parts of machinery.
LUBRICATE Lu"bri*cate, v. t. Etym: [L. lubricatus, p. p. of lubricare to lubricate. See Lubric.]
1. To make smooth or slippery; as, mucilaginous and saponaceous remedies lubricate the parts to which they are applied. S. Sharp. Supples, lubricates, and keeps in play, The various movements of this nice machine. Young.
2. To apply a lubricant to, as oil or tallow.
LUBRICATION Lu`bri*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The act of lubricating; the act of making slippery.
LUBRICATOR Lu"bri*ca`tor, n.
1. One who, or that which, lubricates. " Lubricator of the fibers." Burke.
2. A contrivance, as an oil cup, for supplying a lubricant to machinery.
LUBRICITATE Lu*bric"i*tate, v. i.
Defn: See Lubricate.
LUBRICITY Lu*bric"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. lubricitas: cf. F. lubricité.]
1. Smoothness; freedom from friction; also, property, which diminishes friction; as, the lubricity of oil. Ray.
2. Slipperiness; instability; as, the lubricity of fortune. L'Estrange.
3. Lasciviousness; propensity to lewdness; lewdness; lechery; incontinency. Sir T. Herbert. As if wantonness and lubricity were essential to that poem. Dryden.
LUBRICOUS Lu"bri*cous, a. Etym: [L. lubricus.]
Defn: Lubric.
LUBRIFICATION; LUBRIFACTION Lu`bri*fi*ca"tion, Lu`bri*fac"tion, n. Etym: [L. lubricus lubric + facere to make.]
Defn: The act of lubricating, or making smooth. Ray. Bacon.
LUCARNE Lu`carne", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. lucerna a lamp. See Luthern.] (Arch.)
Defn: A dormer window.
LUCCHESE Luc*chese", n. sing. & pl. Etym: [It. Lucchese.]
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Lucca, in Tuscany; in the plural, the people of Lucca.
LUCE Luce, n. Etym: [OF. lus, L. lucius a kind of fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pike when full grown. Halliwell.
LUCENCY Lu"cen*cy, n.
Defn: The quality of being lucent.
LUCENT Lu"cent, a. Etym: [L. lucens, p. pr. of lucere to shine, fr. lux, lucis, light.]
Defn: Shining; bright; resplendent. " The sun's lucent orb." Milton.
LUCERN Lu"cern, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain.] [Obs.]
1. A sort of hunting dog; -- perhaps from Lucerne, in Switzerland. My lucerns, too, or dogs inured to hunt Beasts of most rapine. Chapman.
2. An animal whose fur was formerly much in req [Written also lusern and luzern.] The polecat, mastern, and the richskinned lucern I know to chase. Beau. & Fl.
LUCERN Lu"cern, n. Etym: [F. luzerne.] (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous plant (Medicago sativa), having bluish purple cloverlike flowers, cultivated for fodder; -- called also alfalfa. [Written also lucerne.]
LUCERN Lu"cern, n. Etym: [L. lucerna.]
Defn: A lamp. [Obs.] Lydgate.
LUCERNAL Lu*cer"nal, a. Etym: [L. lucerna a lamp.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a lamp. Lucernal microscope, a form of the microscope in which the object is illuminated by means of a lamp, and its image is thrown upon a plate of ground glass connected with the instrument, or on a screen independent of it.
LUCERNARIA Lu`cer*na"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. lucerna a lamp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of acalephs, having a bell-shaped body with eight groups of short tentacles around the margin. It attaches itself by a sucker at the base of the pedicel.
LUCERNARIAN Lu`cer*na"ri*an, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Lucernarida. -- n.
Defn: One of the Lucernarida.
LUCERNARIDA lu`cer*nar"i*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Lucernaria.] (Zoöl.) (a) A division of acalephs, including Lucernaria and allied genera; - - called also Calycozoa. (b) A more extensive group of acalephs, including both the true lucernarida and the Discophora.
LUCERNE Lu"cerne, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Lucern, the plant.
LUCID Lu"cid, a. Etym: [L. lucidus, fr. lux, lucis, light. See Light, n.]
1. Shining; bright; resplendent; as, the lucid orbs of heaven. Lucid, like a glowworm. Sir I. Newton. A court compact of lucid marbles. Tennyson.
2. Clear; transparent. " Lucid streams." Milton.
3. Presenting a clear view; easily understood; clear. A lucid and interesting abstract of the debate. Macaulay.
4. Bright with the radiance of intellect; not darkened or confused by delirium or madness; marked by the regular operations of reason; as, a lucid interval.
Syn. -- Luminous; bright; clear; transparent; sane; reasonable. See Luminous.
LUCIDITY Lu*cid"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lucidité. See Lucid.]
Defn: The quality or state of being lucid.
LUCIDLY Lu"cid*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lucid manner.
LUCIDNESS Lu"cid*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being lucid; lucidity.
LUCIFER Lu"ci*fer, n. Etym: [L., bringing light, n., the morning star, fr. lux, lucis, light + ferre to bring.]
1. The planet Venus, when appearing as the morning star; -- applied in Isaiah by a metaphor to a king of Babylon. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning ! how art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations ! Is. xiv. 12. Tertullian and Gregory the Great understood this passage of Isaiah in reference to the fall of Satan; in consequence of which the name Lucifer has since been applied to, Satan. Kitto.
2. Hence, Satan. How wretched Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors! . . . When he falls, he falls like Lucifer, Never to hope again. Shak.
3. A match made of a sliver of wood tipped with a combustible substance, and ignited by friction; -- called also lucifer match, and locofoco. See Locofoco.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of free-swimming macruran Crustacea, having a slender body and long appendages.
LUCIFERIAN Lu`ci*fe"ri*an, a.
1. Of or pertaining to Lucifer; having the pride of Lucifer; satanic; devilish.
2. Of or pertaining to the Luciferians or their leader.
LUCIFERIAN Lu`ci*fe"ri*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of the followers of Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari, in the fourth century, who separated from the orthodox churches because they would not go as far as he did in opposing the Arians.
LUCIFEROUS Lu*cif"er*ous, a. Etym: [See Lucifer.]
Defn: Giving light; affording light or means of discovery. Boyle.
LUCIFEROUSLY Lu*cif"er*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a luciferous manner.
LUCIFIC Lu*cif"ic, a. Etym: [L. lucificus; lux, lucis, light + facere to make.]
Defn: Producing light. Grew.
LUCIFORM Lu"ci*form, a. Etym: [L. lux, lucis, light = -form.]
Defn: Having, in some respects, the nature of light; resembling light. Berkeley.
LUCIFRIAN Lu*cif"ri*an, a.
Defn: Luciferian; satanic. [Obs.] Marston.
LUCIMETER Lu*cim"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. lux, lucis, light + -meter.]
Defn: an instrument for measuring the intensity of light; a photometer.
LUCK Luck, n. Etym: [Akin to D. luk, geluk, G. glück, Icel. lukka, Sw. lycka, Dan. lykke, and perh. to G. locken to entice. Cf. 3d Gleck.]
Defn: That which happens to a person; an event, good or ill, affecting one's interests or happiness, and which is deemed casual; a course or series of such events regarded as occurring by chance; chance; hap; fate; fortune; often, one's habitual or characteristic fortune; as, good, bad, ill, or hard luck. Luck is often used for good luck; as, luck is better than skill. If thou dost play with him at any game, Thou art sure to lose; and of that natural luck, He beats thee 'gainst the odds. Shak. Luck penny, a small sum given back for luck to one who pays money. [Prov. Eng.] -- To be is luck, to receive some good, or to meet with some success, in an unexpected manner, or as the result of circumstances beyond one's control; to be fortunate.
LUCKILY Luck"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Lucky.]
Defn: In a lucky manner; by good fortune; fortunately; -- used in a good sense; as, they luckily escaped injury.
LUCKINESS Luck"i*ness, n.
1. The state or quality of being lucky; as, the luckiness of a man or of an event.
2. Good fortune; favorable issue or event. Locke.
LUCKLESS Luck"less, a.
Defn: Being without luck; unpropitious; unfortunate; unlucky; meeting with ill success or bad fortune; as, a luckless gamester; a luckless maid. Prayers made and granted in a luckless hour. Dryden. -- Luck"less*ly, adv. -- Lock"less*ness, n.
LUCKY Luck"y, a. [Compar. Luckier; superl. Luckiest.]
1. Favored by luck; fortunate; meeting with good success or good fortune; -- said of persons; as, a lucky adventurer. " Lucky wight." Spenser.
2. Producing, or resulting in, good by chance, or unexpectedly; favorable; auspicious; fortunate; as, a lucky mistake; a lucky cast; a lucky hour. We doubt not of a fair and lucky war. Shak.
Syn. -- Successful; fortunate; prosperous; auspicious.
LUCKY PROACH Luck`y proach". (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Fatherlasher.
LUCRATIVE Lu"cra*tive, a. Etym: [L. lucrativus, fr. lucrari to gain, fr. lucrum gain: cf. F. lucratif. See Lucre.]
1. Yielding lucre; gainful; profitable; making increase of money or goods; as, a lucrative business or office. The trade of merchandise being the most lucrative, may bear usury at a good rate. Bacon.
2. Greedy of gain [Obs.] Such diligence as the most part of our lucrative lawyers do use, in deferring and prolonging of matters and actions from term to term. Latimer.
LUCRATIVELY Lu"cra*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lucrative manner.
LUCRE Lu"cre, n. Etym: [F. lucre, L. lucrum.]
Defn: Gain in money or goods; profit; riches; -- often in an ill sense. The lust of lucre and the dread of death. Pope.
LUCRIFEROUS Lu*crif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. lucrum gain +-ferous.]
Defn: Gainful; profitable. [Obs.] Boyle.
LUCRIFIC Lu*crif"ic, a. Etym: [L. lucrificus; lucrum gain + facere to make.]
Defn: Producing profit; gainful. [Obs.]
LUCTATION Luc*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. luctatio, fr. luctari to wrestle, strive.]
Defn: Effort to overcome in contest; struggle; endeavor. [R.] Farindon.
LUCTUAL Luc"tu*al, a. Etym: [L. luctus mourning, sorrow, fr. lugere, fr. luctum, to mourn.]
Defn: Producing grief; saddening. [Obs.] Sir G. Buck.
LUCUBRATE Lu"cu*brate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lucubrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Lucubrated.] Etym: [L. lucubratus, p. p. of lucubrare to work by lamplight, fr. lux light. See Light, n.]
Defn: To study by candlelight or a lamp; to study by night.
LUCUBRATE Lu"cu*brate, v. t.
Defn: To elaborate, perfect, or compose, by night study or by laborious endeavor.
LUCUBRATION Lu`cu*bra"tion, n. Etym: [l. lucubratio;cf. F. lucubration.]
1. The act of lucubrating, or studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation. After long lucubration I have hit upon such an expedient. Goldsmith.
2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement; hence (loosely) any literary composition. Thy lucubrations have been perused by several of our friends. Tatler.
LUCUBRATOR Lu"cu*bra`tor, n.
Defn: One who studies by night; also, one who produces lucubrations.
LUCUBRATORY Lu"cu*bra*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. lucubratorius.]
Defn: Composed by candlelight, or by night; of or pertaining to night studies; laborious or painstaking. Pope.
LUCULE Lu"cule, n. Etym: [Dim. fr. L. lux, lucis, light.] (Astron.)
Defn: A spot or fleck on the sun brighter than the surrounding surface.
LUCULENT Lu"cu*lent, a. Etym: [L. luculentus, from lux, lucis, light.]
1. Lucid; clear; transparent. Thomson.
2. Clear; evident; luminous. " Most luculent testimonies." Hooker.
3. Bright; shining in beauty. [Obs.] Most debonair and luculent lady. B. Jonson.
LUCULENTLY Lu"cu*lent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a luculent manner; clearly.
LUCULLITE Lu*cul"lite, n. Etym: [From Lucullus, a Roman consul, famous for his great wealth and luxury: cf. F. lucullite.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of black limestone, often polished for ornamental purposes.
LUCUMA Lu*cu"ma, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An American genus of sapotaceous trees bearing sweet and edible fruits.
Note: Lucuma mammosum is called natural marmalade in the West Indies; L. Caimito, of Peru, furnishes a delicious fruit called lucuma and caimito.
LUDDITE Lud"dite, n.
Defn: One of a number of riotous persons in England, who for six years (1811-17) tried to prevent the use of labor-saving machinery by breaking it, burning factories, etc.; -- so called from Ned Lud, a half-witted man who some years previously had broken stocking frames. J. & H. Smith. H. Martineau.
LUDIBRIOUS Lu*dib"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. ludibrium mockery, derision, from ludere to play, sport.]
Defn: Sportive; ridiculous; wanton. [Obs.] Tooker.
LUDIBUND Lu"di*bund, a. Etym: [L. ludibundus.]
Defn: Sportive. [Obs.] -- Lu"di*bund*ness, n. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
LUDICROUS Lu"di*crous, a. Etym: [L. ludicrus, or ludicer, from ludus play, sport, fr. ludere to play.]
Defn: Adapted to excite laughter, without scorn or contempt; sportive. Broome. A chapter upon German rhetoric would be in the same ludicrous predicament as Van Troil's chapter on the snakes of Iceland, which delivers its business in one summary sentence, announcing, that snakes in Iceland -- there are none. De Quincey.
Syn. -- Laughable; sportive; burlesque; comic; droll; ridiculous. -- Ludicrous, Laughable, Ridiculous. We speak of a thing as ludicrous when it tends to produce laughter; as laughable when the impression is somewhat stronger; as ridiculous when more or less contempt is mingled with the merriment created. -- Lu"di*crous*ly, adv. -- Lu"di*crous*ness, n.
LUDIFICATION Lu`di*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. ludificatio, fr. ludificare to make sport of; ludus sport + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Defn: The act of deriding.
LUDIFICATORY Lu*dif"i*ca*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. ludificatorius.]
Defn: Making sport; tending to excite derision. [Obs.]
LUDLAMITE Lud"lam*ite, n. Etym: [Named after Mr. Ludlam, of London.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occurring in small, green, transparent, monoclinic crystals. It is a hydrous phosphate of iron.
LUDLOW GROUP Lud"low group`. (Geol.)
Defn: A subdivision of the British Upper Silurian lying below the Old Red Sandstone; -- so named from the Ludlow, in Western England. See the Chart of Geology.
LUDWIGITE Lud"wig*ite, n. Etym: [Named after the chemist Ludwig.] (Min.)
Defn: A borate of iron and magnesia, occurring in fibrous masses of a blackish green color.
LUES Lu"es, n. Etym: [L.] (Med.)
Defn: Disease, especially of a contagious kind. Lues venerea, syphilis; -- called also simply lues.
LUFF Luff, n. Etym: [OE. lof, prob. a sort of timber by which the course of a ship was directed, perh. a sort of paddle; cf. D. loef luff, loeven to luff. The word is perh. akin to E. glove. Cf. Aloof.] (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship toward the wind. (b) The act of sailing a ship close to the wind. (c) The roundest part of a ship's bow. (d) The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails. Luff tackle, a purchase composed of a double and single block and fall, used for various purposes. Totten. -- Luff upon luff, a luff tackle attached to the fall of another luff tackle. R. H. Dana, Jr.
LUFF Luff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Luffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Luffing.] (Naut.)
Defn: To turn the head of a vessel toward the wind; to sail nearer the wind; to turn the tiller so as to make the vessel sail nearer the wind. To luff round, or To luff alee, to make the extreme of this movement, for the purpose of throwing the ship's head into the wind.
LUFFA Luf"fa, n. [NL., fr. Ar. lufah.] (Bot.) (a) A small genus of tropical cucurbitaceous plants having white flowers, the staminate borne in racemes, and large fruits with a dry fibrous pericarp. The fruit of several species and the species themselves, esp. L. Ægyptiaca, are called dishcloth gourds. (b) Any plant of this genus, or its fruit. (c) The fibrous skeleton of the fruit, used as a sponge and in the manufacture of caps and women's hats; -- written also loofah.
LUFFER Luf"fer, n. (Arch.)
Defn: See Louver.
LUG Lug, n. Etym: [Sw. lugg the forelock.]
1. The ear, or its lobe. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
2. That which projects like an ear, esp. that by which anything is supported, carried, or grasped, or to which a support is fastened; an ear; as, the lugs of a kettle; the lugs of a founder's flask; the lug (handle) of a jug.
3. (Mach.)
Defn: A projecting piece to which anything, as a rod, is attached, or against which anything, as a wedge or key, bears, or through which a bolt passes, etc.
4. (Harness)
Defn: The leather loop or ear by which a shaft is held up.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lugworm. Lug bolt (Mach.), a bolt terminating in a long, flat extension which takes the place of a head; a strap bolt.
LUG Lug, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Lugging.] Etym: [OE. luggen, Sw. lugga to pull by the hair, fr. lugg the forelock.]
Defn: To pull with force; to haul; to drag along; to carry with difficulty, as something heavy or cumbersome. Dryden. They must divide the image among them, and so lug off every one his share. Collier.
LUG Lug, v. i.
Defn: To move slowly and heavily.
LUG Lug, n.
1. The act of lugging; as, a hard lug; that which is lugged; as, the pack is a heavy lug.[Colloq.]
2. Anything which moves slowly. [Obs.] Ascham.
LUG Lug, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
1. A rod or pole. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
2. A measure of length, being 16 [Obs.] " Eight lugs of ground." Spenser. Chimney lug, or Lug pole, a pole on which a kettle is hung over the fire, either in a chimney or in the open air. [Local, U.S.] Whittier.
LUGGAGE Lug"gage, n. Etym: [From 4th Lug.]
Defn: That which is lugged; anything cumbrous and heavy to be carried; especially, a traveler's trunks, baggage, etc., or their contents. I am gathering up my luggage, and preparing for my journey. Swift. What do you mean, To dote thus on such luggage! Shak.
Syn. -- Plunder; baggage. Luggage van, a vehicle for carrying luggage; a railway car, or compartment of a car, for carrying luggage. [Eng.]
LUGGER Lug"ger, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A small vessel having two or three masts, and a running bowsprit, and carrying lugsails. See Illustration in Appendix. Totten.
LUGGER Lug"ger, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An Indian falcon (Falco jugger), similar to the European lanner and the American prairie falcon.
LUGMARK Lug"mark`, n. Etym: [From Lug an ear.]
Defn: A mark cut into the ear of an animal to identify it; an earmark.
LUGSAIL Lug"sail`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A square sail bent upon a yard that hangs obliquely to the mast and is raised or lowered with the sail. Totten.
LUGUBRIOUS Lu*gu"bri*ous, a. Etym: [L. lugubris, fr. lugere to mourn; cf. Gr. ruj to break.]
Defn: Mournful; indicating sorrow, often ridiculously or feignedly; doleful; woful; pitiable; as, a whining tone and a lugubrious look. Crossbones, scythes, hourglasses, and other lugubrious emblems of mortality. Hawthorne. -- Lu*gu"bri*ous*ly, adv. -- Lu*gu"bri*ous*ness, n.
LUGWORM Lug"worm`, n. Etym: [1st lug + worm.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large marine annelid (Arenicola marina) having a row of tufted gills along each side of the back. It is found burrowing in sandy beaches, both in America and Europe, and is used for bait by European fishermen. Called also lobworm, and baitworm.
LUKE Luke, a. Etym: [Prob. fr. lew, perh. influenced by AS. wlæc warm, lukewarm, remiss. Cf. Lew.]
Defn: Moderately warm; not hot; tepid. -- Luke"ness, n. [Obs.] Nine penn'orth o'brandy and water luke. Dickens.
LUKEWARM Luke"warm`, a. Etym: [See Luke.]
Defn: Moderately warm; neither cold nor hot; tepid; not ardent; not zealous; cool; indifferent. " Lukewarm blood." Spenser. " Lukewarm patriots." Addison. An obedience so lukewarm and languishing that it merits not the name of passion. Dryden. -- Luce"warm`ly, adv. -- Luce"warm`ness, n.
LULL Lull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lulled; p. pr. & vb. n. Lulling.] Etym: [Akin to OD. lullen to sing to sleep, G. lullen, Dan. lulle, Sw. lulla; all of imitative origin. Cf. Loll, Lollard.]
Defn: To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm; to soothe; to quiet. " To lull him soft asleep." Spenser. Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie, To lull the daughters of necessity. Milton.
LULL Lull, v. i.
Defn: To become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate for a time; as, the storm lulls.
LULL Lull, n.
1. The power or quality of soothing; that which soothes; a lullaby. [R.] Young.
2. A temporary cessation of storm or confusion.
LULLABY lull"a*by, n. Etym: [From Lull, v. t. ]
1. A song to quiet babes or lull them to sleep; that which quiets. Shak.
2. Hence: Good night; good-by. [Obs.] Shak.
LULLER Lull"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, lulls.
LULLINGLY Lull"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lulling manner; soothingly.
LUM Lum, n. Etym: [W. llumon chimney, llum that shoots up or ends in a point.]
1. A chimney. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Burns.
2. A ventilating chimney over the shaft of a mine.
3. A woody valley; also, a deep pool. [Prov. Eng.]
LUMACHEL; LUMACHELLA Lu"ma*chel, Lu`ma*chel"la, n. Etym: [F. lumachelle, It. lumachella, fr. lamachella a little snail, dim. of lumaca a snail, fr. L. limax, -acis.] (Min.)
Defn: A grayish brown limestone, containing fossil shells, which reflect a beautiful play of colors. It is also called fire marble, from its fiery reflections.
LUMBAGINOUS Lum*bag"i*nous, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to lumbago.
LUMBAGO Lum*ba"go, n. Etym: [L., fr. lumbus loin. See Lumbar.] (Med.)
Defn: A rheumatic pain in the loins and the small of the back.
LUMBAR; LUMBAL Lum"bar, Lum"bal, a. Etym: [L. lumbus loin. See Loin.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or near, the loins; as, the lumbar arteries. Lumbar region (Anat.), the region of the loin; specifically, a region between the hypochondriac and ilias regions, and outside of the umbilical region.
LUMBER Lum"ber, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. Lombard, the Lombards being the money lenders and pawnbrokers of the Middle Ages. A lumber room was, according to Trench, originally a Lombard room, or room where the Lombard pawnbroker stored his pledges. See Lombard.]
1. A pawnbroker's shop, or room for storing articles put in pawn; hence, a pledge, or pawn. [Obs.] They put all the little plate they had in the lumber, which is pawning it, till the ships came. Lady Murray.
2. Old or refuse household stuff; things cumbrous, or bulky and useless, or of small value.
3. Timber sawed or split into the form of beams, joists, boards, planks, staves, hoops, etc.; esp., that which is smaller than heavy timber. [U.S.] Lumber kiln, a room in which timber or lumber is dried by artificial heat. [U.S.] -- Lumber room, a room in which unused furniture or other lumber is kept. [U.S.] -- Lumber wagon, a heavy rough wagon, without springs, used for general farmwork, etc.
LUMBER Lum"ber, b. t. [imp. & p. p. Lumbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Lumbering.]
1. To heap together in disorder. " Stuff lumbered together." Rymer.
2. To fill or encumber with lumber; as, to lumber up a room.
LUMBER Lum"ber, v. i.
1. To move heavily, as if burdened.
2. Etym: [Cf. dial. Sw. lomra to resound.]
Defn: To make a sound as if moving heavily or clumsily; to rumble. Cowper.
3. To cut logs in the forest, or prepare timber for market. [U.S.]
LUMBERER Lum"ber*er, n.
Defn: One employed in lumbering, cutting, and getting logs from the forest for lumber; a lumberman. [U.S.] Lumberers have a notion that he (the woodpecker) is harmful to timber. Lowell.
LUMBERING Lum"ber*ing, n.
Defn: The business of cutting or getting timber or logs from the forest for lumber. [U.S.]
LUMBERMAN Lum"ber*man, n.; pl. Lumbermen (.
Defn: One who is engaged in lumbering as a business or employment. [U.S.]
LUMBER STATE Lum"ber State.
Defn: Maine; -- a nickname.
LUMBOSACRAL Lum`bo*sa"cral, n. Etym: [L. lumbus loin + E. sacral.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the loins and sacrum; as, the lumbosacral nerve, a branch of one of the lumber nerves which passes over the sacrum.
LUMBRIC Lum"bric, n. Etym: [L. lumbricus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An earthworm, or a worm resembling an earthworm.
LUMBRICAL Lum"bric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lombrical. See Lumbric.] (Anat.)
Defn: Resembling a worm; as, the lumbrical muscles of the hands of the hands and feet. -- n.
Defn: A lumbrical muscle.
LUMBRICIFORM Lum*bric"i*form, a. Etym: [L. lumbricus worm + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling an earthworm; vermiform.
LUMBRICOID Lum"bri*coid, a. Etym: [Lumbricus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like an earthworm; belonging to the genus Lumbricus, or family Lumbricidæ.
LUMBRICUS Lum"bri*cus, n. Etym: [L. See Lumbric.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of annelids, belonging to the Oligochæta, and including the common earthworms. See Earthworm.
LUMEN Lu"men, n.; pl. L. Lumina (#), E. Lumens (#). [L., light, an opening for light.]
1. (Photom.) (a) A unit of illumination, being the amount of illumination of a unit area of spherical surface, due to a light of unit intensity placed at the center of the sphere. (b) A unit of light flux, being the flux through one square meter of surface the illumination of which is uniform and of unit brightness.
2. (Biol.) An opening, space, or cavity, esp. a tubular cavity; a vacuole.
LUMINANT Lu"mi*nant, a.
Defn: Luminous. [R.]
LUMINARY Lu"mi*na*ry, n.; pl. Luminaries, Etym: [F. luminaire, L. luminare a light or lamp, which was lighted in the churches, a luminary, fr. lumen, luminis, light, fr. lucere to be light, to shine, lux, lucis, light. See Light.]
1. Any body that gives light, especially one of the heavenly bodies. " Radiant luminary." Skelton. Where the great luminary . . . Dispenses light from far. Milton.
2. One who illustrates any subject, or enlightens mankind; as, Newton was a distinguished luminary.
LUMINATE Lu"mi*nate, v. t. Etym: [L. luminatus, p. p. of luminare to illumine, fr. lumen light. See Limn.]
Defn: To illuminate. [Obs.]
LUMINATION Lu`mi*na"tion, n.
Defn: Illumination. [Obs.]
LUMINE Lu"mine, v. i.
Defn: To illumine. [Obs.] Spenser.
LUMINESCENCE Lu`mi*nes"cence, n. [See Luminescent.]
1. (Physics) Any emission of light not ascribable directly to incandescence, and therefore occurring at low temperatures, as in phosphorescence and fluorescence or other luminous radiation resulting from vital processes, chemical action, friction, solution, or the influence of light or of ultraviolet or cathode rays, etc.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The faculty or power of voluntarily producing light, as in the firefly and glowworm. (b) The light thus produced; luminosity; phosphorescence.
LUMINESCENT Lu`mi*nes"cent, a. [L. luminare to illuminate + -escent.] (Physics)
Defn: Shining with a light due to any of the various causes which produce luminescence.
LUMINIFEROUS Lu`mi*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. lumen light + -ferous.]
Defn: Producing light; yielding light; transmitting light; as, the luminiferous ether.
LUMINOSITY Lu`mi*nos"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being luminous; luminousness.
LUMINOUS Lu"mi*nous, a. Etym: [L. luminosus, fr. lumen light: cf. F. lumineux. See Luminary, Illuminate.]
1. Shining; emitting or reflecting light; brilliant; bright; as, the is a luminous body; a luminous color. Fire burneth wood, making it . . . luminous. Bacon. The mountains lift . . . their lofty and luminous heads. Longfellow.
2. Illuminated; full of light; bright; as, many candles made the room luminous. Up the staircase moved a luminous space in the darkness. Longfellow.
3. Enlightened; intelligent; also, clear; intelligible; as, a luminous mind. " Luminous eloquence." Macaulay. " A luminous statement." Brougham. Luminous paint, a paint made up with some phosphorescent substance, as sulphide of calcium, which after exposure to a strong light is luminous in the dark for a time.
Syn. -- Lucid; clear; shining; perspicuous. -- Lu"mi*nous*ly, adv. -- Lu"mi*nous*ness, n.
LUMMOX Lum"mox, n.
Defn: A fat, ungainly, stupid person; an awkward bungler. [Law.]
LUMP Lump, n. Etym: [Cf. OD. lompe piece, mass. Cf. Lunch.]
1. A small mass of matter of irregular shape; an irregular or shapeless mass; as, a lump of coal; a lump of iron ore. " A lump of cheese." Piers Plowman. " This lump of clay." Shak.
2. A mass or aggregation of things.
3. (Firearms)
Defn: A projection beneath the breech end of a gun barrel. In the lump, In a lump, the whole together; in gross. They may buy them in the lump. Addison. -- Lump coal, coal in large lumps; -- the largest size brought from the mine. -- Lump sum, a gross sum without a specification of items; as, to award a lump sum in satisfaction of all claims and damages.
LUMP Lump, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Lumping.]
1. To throw into a mass; to unite in a body or sum without distinction of particulars. The expenses ought to be lumped together. Ayliffe.
2. To take in the gross; to speak of collectively. Not forgetting all others, . . . whom for brevity, but out of no resentment you, I lump all together. Sterne.
3. To get along with as one can, although displeased; as, if he does n't like it, he can lump it. [Law]
LUMPER Lump"er, n. Etym: [Cf. Lamper eel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European eelpout; -- called also lumpen.
LUMPER Lump"er, n.
1. One who lumps.
2. A laborer who is employed to load or unload vessels when in harbor.
LUMPFISH Lump"fish`, n. Etym: [From Lump, on account of its bulkiness: cf. G. & D. lump, F. lompe.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, thick, clumsy, marine fish (Cyclopterus lumpus) of Europe and America. The color is usually translucent sea green, sometimes purplish. It has a dorsal row of spiny tubercles, and three rows on each side, but has no scales. The ventral fins unite and form a ventral sucker for adhesion to stones and seaweeds. Called also lumpsucker, cock-paddle, sea owl.
LUMPING Lump"ing, a.
Defn: Bulky; heavy. Arbuthnot.
LUMPISH Lump"ish, a.
Defn: Like a lump; inert; gross; heavy; dull; spiritless. " Lumpish, heavy, melancholy." Shak. -- Lump"ish*ly, adv. -- Lump"ish*ness, n.
LUMPSUCKER Lump"suck`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lumprish.
LUMPY Lump"y, a. [Compar. Lumpier; superl. Lumpiest.]
Defn: Full of lumps, or small compact masses.
LUMPY-JAW Lump"y-jaw`. (Med.)
Defn: Actinomycosis. [Colloq.]
LUNA Lu"na, n. Etym: [L.; akin to lucere to shine. See Light, n., and cf. Lune.]
1. The moon.
2. (Alchemy)
Defn: Silver. Luna cornea (Old Chem.), horn silver, or fused silver chloride, a tough, brown, translucent mass; -- so called from its resemblance to horn. Luna moth (Zoöl.), a very large and beautiful American moth (Actias luna). Its wings are delicate light green, with a stripe of purple along the front edge of the anterior wings, the other margins being edged with pale yellow. Each wing has a lunate spot surrounded by rings of light yellow, blue, and black. The caterpillar commonly feeds on the hickory, sassafras, and maple.
LUNACY Lu"na*cy, n.; pl. Lunacies. Etym: [See Lunatic.]
1. Insanity or madness; properly, the kind of insanity which is broken by intervals of reason, -- formerly supposed to be influenced by the changes of the moon; any form of unsoundness of mind, except idiocy; mental derangement or alienation. Brande. Burrill. Your kindred shuns your house As beaten hence by your strange lunacy. Shak.
2. A morbid suspension of good sense or judgment, as through fanaticism. Dr. H. More.
Syn. -- Derangement; craziness; mania. See Insanity.
LUNAR Lu"nar, a. Etym: [L. lunaris, fr. luna the moon. See Luna, and cf. Lunary.]
1. Of or pertaining to the moon; as, lunar observations.
2. Resembling the moon; orbed. Dryden.
3. Measured by the revolutions of the moon; as, a lunar month.
4. Influenced by the moon, as in growth, character, or properties; as, lunar herbs. Bacon. Lunar caustic (Med. Chem.), silver nitrate prepared to be used as a cautery; -- so named because silver was called luna by the ancient alchemists. -- Lunar cycle. Same as Metonic cycle. See under Cycle. -- Lunar distance, the angular distance of the moon from the sun, a star, or a planet, employed for determining longitude by the lunar method. -- Lunar method, the method of finding a ship's longitude by comparing the local time of taking (by means of a sextant or circle) a given lunar distance, with the Greenwich time corresponding to the same distance as ascertained from a nautical almanac, the difference of these times being the longitude. -- Lunar month. See Month. -- Lunar observation, an observation of a lunar distance by means of a sextant or circle, with the altitudes of the bodies, and the time, for the purpose of computing the longitude. -- Lunar tables. (a) (Astron.) Tables of the moon's motions, arranged for computing the moon's true place at any time past or future. (b) (Navigation) Tables for correcting an observed lunar distance on account of refraction and parallax. -- Lunar year, the period of twelve lunar months, or 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 34.38 seconds.
LUNAR Lu"nar, n.
1. (Astron.)
Defn: A lunar distance.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: The middle bone of the proximal series of the carpus; -- called also semilunar, and intermedium.
LUNARIAN Lu*na"ri*an, n. Etym: [See Lunar, Luna.]
Defn: An inhabitant of the moon.
LUNARY Lu"na*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lunaire. See Lunar.]
Defn: Lunar. [Obs.] Fuller.
LUNARY Lu"na*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lunaire.] (Bot.) (a) The herb moonwort or "honesty". (b) A low fleshy fern (Botrychium Lunaria) with lunate segments of the leaf or frond.
LUNATE; LUNATED Lu"nate, Lu"na*ted, a. Etym: [L. lunatus crescent-shaped, p. p. of lunare to bend like a crescent, fr. luna the moon.]
Defn: Crescent-shaped; as, a lunate leaf; a lunate beak; a lunated cross. Gray.
LUNATIC Lu"na*tic, a. Etym: [F. lunatique, L. lunaticus, fr. luna the moon. See Lunar.]
1. Affected by lunacy; insane; mad. Lord, have mercy on my son; for he is lunatic. Wyclif (Matt. xvii. 15).
2. Of or pertaining to, or suitable for, an insane person; evincing lunacy; as, lunatic gibberish; a lunatic asylum.
LUNATIC Lu"na*tic, n.
Defn: A person affected by lunacy; an insane person, esp. one who has lucid intervals; a madman; a person of unsound mind. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, Are of imagination all compact. Shak.
LUNATION Lu*na"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. Lunated.]
Defn: The period of a synodic revolution of the moon, or the time from one new moon to the next; varying in length, at different times, from about 29
LUNCH Lunch, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymol. Cf. Prov. Eng. nunc a lump.]
Defn: A luncheon; specifically, a light repast between breakfast and dinner.
LUNCH Lunch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lunched; p. pr. & vb. n. Lunching.]
Defn: To take luncheon. Smart.
LUNCHEON Lunch"eon, n. Etym: [Prov. E. luncheon, lunchion, lunshin, a large lump of food, fr. lunch. See Lunch.]
1. A lump of food. [Prov. Eng.]
2. A portion of food taken at any time except at a regular meal; an informal or light repast, as between breakfast and dinner.
LUNCHEON Lunch"eon, v. i.
Defn: To take luncheon. Beaconsfield.
LUNE Lune, n. Etym: [L. luna moon: cf. F. lune. See Luna.]
1. Anything in the shape of a half moon. [R.]
2. (Geom.)
Defn: A figure in the form of a crescent, bounded by two intersecting arcs of circles.
3. A fit of lunacy or madness; a period of frenzy; a crazy or unreasonable freak. [Obs.] These dangerous, unsafe lunes i' the king. Shak.
LUNET Lu"net, n. Etym: [See Lunette.]
Defn: A little moon or satellite. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
LUNETTE Lu*nette", n. Etym: [F., dim. of lune moon, L.luna. See Lune a crescent.]
1. (Fort.)
Defn: A fieldwork consisting of two faces, forming a salient angle, and two parallel flanks. See Bastion.
2. (Far.)
Defn: A half horseshoe, which wants the sponge.
3. A kind of watch crystal which is more than ordinarily flattened in the center; also, a species of convexoconcave lens for spectacles.
4. A piece of felt to cover the eye of a vicious horse.
5. (Arch.)
Defn: Any surface of semicircular or segmental form; especially, the piece of wall between the curves of a vault and its springing line.
6. An iron shoe at the end of the stock of a gun carriage. Lunette window (Arch.), a window which fills or partly fills a lunette.
LUNG Lung, n. Etym: [OE. lunge, AS. lunge, pl. lungen; akin to D. long, G. lunge, Icel. & Sw. lunga, Dan. lunge, all prob. from the root of E. light. See Light not heavy.] (Anat.)
Defn: An organ for aërial respiration; -- commonly in the plural. My lungs began to crow like chanticleer. Shak.
Note: In all air-breathing vertebrates the lungs are developed from the ventral wall of the esophagus as a pouch which divides into two sacs. In amphibians and many reptiles the lungs retain very nearly this primitive saclike character, but in the higher forms the connection with the esophagus becomes elongated into the windpipe and the inner walls of the sacs become more and more divided, until, in the mammals, the air spaces become minutely divided into tubes ending in small air cells, in the walls of which the blood circulates in a fine network of capillaries. In mammals the lungs are more or less divided into lobes, and each lung occupies a separate cavity in the thorax. See Respiration. Lung fever (Med.), pneumonia. -- Lung flower (Bot.), a species of gentian (G. Pneumonanthe). -- Lung lichen (Bot.), tree lungwort. See under Lungwort. Lung sac (Zoöl.), one of the breathing organs of spiders and snails.
LUNGE Lunge, n. Etym: [Also spelt longe, fr. allonge. See Allonge, Long.]
Defn: A sudden thrust or pass, as with a sword.
LUNGE Lunge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lunged; p. pr. & vb. n. Lunging.]
Defn: To make a lunge.
LUNGE Lunge, v. t.
Defn: To cause to go round in a ring, as a horse, while holding his halter. Thackeray.
LUNGE Lunge, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Namaycush.
LUNGED Lunged, a.
Defn: Having lungs, or breathing organs similar to lungs.
LUNGFISH Lung"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any fish belonging to the Dipnoi; -- so called because they have both lungs and gills.
LUNG-GROWN Lung"-grown`, a. (Med.)
Defn: Having lungs that adhere to the pleura.
LUNGIE Lun"gie, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A guillemot. [Written also longie.] [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
LUNGIS Lun"gis, n. Etym: [OF. longis. See Lounge.]
Defn: A lingerer; a dull, drowsy fellow. [Obs.]
LUNGLESS Lung"less, a.
Defn: Being without lungs.
LUNGOOR Lun"goor, n. Etym: [Hind. langur.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A long-tailed monkey (Semnopithecus schislaceus), from the mountainous districts of India.
LUNGWORM Lung"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of parasitic nematoid worms which infest the lungs and air passages of cattle, sheep, and other animals, often proving fatal. The lungworm of cattle (Strongylus micrurus) and that of sheep (S. filaria) are the best known.
LUNGWORT Lung"wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) An herb of the genus Pulmonaria (P. officinalis), of Europe; -- so called because the spotted appearance of the leaves resembles that of a diseased lung. (b) Any plant of the genus Mertensia (esp. M. Virginica and M. Sibirica) plants nearly related to Pulmonaria. The American lungwort is Mertensia Virginica, Virginia cowslip. Gray. Cow's lungwort mullein. -- Sea lungwort, Mertensia maritima, found on the seacoast of Northern Europe and America. -- Tree lungwort, a lichen (Sticta pulmonacea) growing on trees and rocks. The thallus is lacunose, and in appearance somewhat resembles the lungs, for diseases of which it was once thought a remedy.
LUNICURRENT Lu"ni*cur"rent, a. Etym: [L. luna moon + E. current.]
Defn: Having relation to changes in currents that depend on the moon's phases. Bache.
LUNIFORM Lu"ni*form, a. Etym: [L. luna moon + -form: cf. F. luniforme.]
Defn: Resembling the moon in shape.
LUNISOLAR Lu"ni*so"lar, a. Etym: [L. luna moon + E. solar: cf. F. lunisolaire.]
Defn: Resulting from the united action, or pertaining to the mutual relations, of the sun and moon. Lunisolar precession (Astron.), that portion of the annual precession of the equinoxes which depends on the joint action of the sun and moon. -- Lunisolar year, a period of time, at the end of which, in the Julian calendar, the new and full moons and the eclipses recur on the same days of the week and month and year as in the previous period. It consists of 532 common years, being the least common multiple of the numbers of years in the cycle of the sun and the cycle of the moon.
LUNISTICE Lu"ni*stice, n. Etym: [L. luna. moon + sistere to cause to stand. Cf. Solstice.] (Astron.)
Defn: The farthest point of the moon's northing and southing, in its monthly revolution. [Obs.]
LUNITIDAL Lu"ni*tid`al, a.
Defn: Pertaining to tidal movements dependent on the moon. Bache. Lunitidal interval. See Retard, n.
LUNT Lunt, n. Etym: [D. lont; akin to Dan. & G. lunte, Sw. lunta. Cf. Link a torch.]
1. The match cord formerly used in firing cannon.
2. A puff of smoke. [Scotch.] Burns.
LUNULA Lu"nu*la, n.; pl. Lunulæ. Etym: [L., prop., a little moon. See Lunule.] (Anat. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Lunule.
LUNULAR Lu"nu*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lunulaire. See Lunula.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having a form like that of the new moon; shaped like a crescent.
LUNULATE; LUNULATED Lu"nu*late, Lu"nu*la`ted, a. Etym: [See Lunula.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling a small crescent. Gray.
LUNULE Lu"nule, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. lunula, dim. of luna moon.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: Anything crescent-shaped; a crescent-shaped part or mark; a lunula, a lune.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: A lune. See Lune.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) A small or narrow crescent. (b) A special area in front of the beak of many bivalve shells. It sometimes has the shape of a double crescent, but is oftener heart- shaped. See Illust. of Bivalve.
LUNULET Lu"nu*let, n. Etym: [Dim. of lunule.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small spot, shaped like a half-moon or crescent; as, the lunulet on the wings of many insects.
LUNULITE Lu"nu*lite, n. Etym: [Lunule + -life: cf. F. lunulithe. See Lunula.] (Paleon.)
Defn: Any bryozoan of the genus Lunulites, having a more or less circular form.
LUNY Lu"ny, a. Etym: [Shortened fr. lunatic.]
Defn: Crazy; mentally unsound. [Written also loony.] [Law, U.S.]
LUPERCAL Lu*per"cal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Lupercalia.
LUPERCAL Lu*per"cal, n.
Defn: A grotto on the Palatine Hill sacred to Lupercus, the Lycean Pan.
LUPERCALIA Lu`per*ca"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [L. luperealis, fr. Lupercus the Lycean Pan, so called fr. lupus a wolf, because he kept off the wolves.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A feast of the Romans in honor of Lupercus, or Pan.
LUPINE Lu"pine, n. Etym: [L. lupinus, lupinum, apparently fr. lupinus belonging to a wolf, fr. lupus a wolf; perh. so called because it was supposed to exhaust the soil: cf. F. lupin. Cf. Wolf.] (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous plant of the genus Lupinus, especially L. albus, the seeds of which have been used for food from ancient times. The common species of the Eastern United States is L. perennis. There are many species in California.
LUPINE Lu"pine, a. Etym: [See Lupine, n.]
Defn: Wolfish; ravenous. Gauden.
LUPININ Lu"pin*in, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A glucoside found in the seeds of several species of lupine, and extracted as a yellowish white crystalline substance.
LUPININE Lu"pin*ine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid found in several species of lupine (Lupinus luteus, L. albus, etc.), and extracted as a bitter crystalline substance.
LUPULIN Lu"pu*lin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lupulin. See Lupuline.]
1. (Chem.)
Defn: A bitter principle extracted from hops.
2. The fine yellow resinous powder found upon the strobiles or fruit of hops, and containing this bitter principle. [Written also lupuline.]
LUPULINE Lu"pu*line, n. Etym: [NL. lupulus the hop, fr. L. lupus the hop: cf. F. lupuline.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid extracted from hops as a colorless volatile liquid.
LUPULINIC Lu`pu*lin"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, hops; specifically, designating an acid obtained by the decomposition of lupulin.
LUPUS Lu"pus, n. Etym: [L., a wolf. See Wolf.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: A cutaneous disease occurring under two distinct forms.
Note: Lupus erythematosus is characterized by an eruption of red patches, which become incrusted, leaving superficial scars. L. vulgaris is marked by the development of nodules which often ulcerate deeply and produce great deformity. Formerly the latter was often confounded with cancer, and some varieties of cancer were included under Lupus.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: The Wolf, a constellation situated south of Scorpio.
LURCATION Lur*ca"tion, n. Etym: [See its Lurch.]
Defn: Gluttony; gormandizing. [Obs.]
LURCH Lurch, v. i. Etym: [L. lurcare, lurcari.]
Defn: To swallow or eat greedily; to devour; hence, to swallow up. [Obs.] Too far off from great cities, which may hinder business; too near them, which lurcheth all provisions, and maketh everything dear. Bacon.
LURCH Lurch, n. Etym: [OF. lourche name of a game; as adj., deceived, embarrassed.]
1. An old game played with dice and counters; a variety of the game of tables.
2. A double score in cribbage for the winner when his adversary has been left in the lurch. Lady --- has cried her eyes out on losing a lurch. Walpole. To leave one in the lurch. (a) In the game of cribbage, to leave one's adversary so far behind that the game is won before he has scored thirty-one. (b) To leave one behind; hence, to abandon, or fail to stand by, a person in a difficulty. Denham. But though thou'rt of a different church, I will not leave thee in the lurch. Hudibras.
LURCH Lurch, v. t.
1. To leave in the lurch; to cheat. [Obs.] Never deceive or lurch the sincere communicant. South.
2. To steal; to rob. [Obs.] And in the brunt of seventeen battles since He lurched all swords of the garland. Shak.
LURCH Lurch, n. Etym: [Cf. W. llerch, llerc, a frisk, a frisking backward or forward, a loitering, a lurking, a lurking, llercian, llerciaw, to be idle, to frisk; or perh. fr. E. lurch to lurk.]
Defn: A sudden roll of a ship to one side, as in heavy weather; hence, a swaying or staggering movement to one side, as that by a drunken man. Fig.: A sudden and capricious inclination of the mind.
LURCH Lurch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lurched; p. pr. & vb. n. Lurching.]
Defn: To roll or sway suddenly to one side, as a ship or a drunken man.
LURCH Lurch, v. i. Etym: [A variant of lurk.]
1. To withdraw to one side, or to a private place; to lurk. L'Estrange.
2. To dodge; to shift; to play tricks. I . . . am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch. Shak.
LURCHER Lurch"er, n. Etym: [See Lurch to lurk.]
1. One that lurches or lies in wait; one who watches to pilfer, or to betray or entrap; a poacher.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a mongrel breed of dogs said to have been a cross between the sheep dog, greyhound, and spaniel. It hunts game silently, by scent, and is often used by poachers.
LURCHER Lurch"er, n. Etym: [L. lurco, lurcho, a glutton. See 1st Lurch.]
Defn: A glutton; a gormandizer. [Obs.]
LURCHLINE Lurch"line`, n.
Defn: The line by which a fowling net was pulled over so as to inclose the birds.
LURDAN Lur"dan, a.
Defn: Stupid; blockish. [Obs.]
LURDAN Lur"dan, n. Etym: [OF. lourdin, fr. lourd heavy, dull, thick-headed. See Lord.]
Defn: A blockhead. [Obs.]
LURE Lure, n. Etym: [OF. loire, loirre, loerre, F. leurre lure, decoy; of German origin; cf. MHG. luoder, G. luder lure, carrion.]
1. A contrivance somewhat resembling a bird, and often baited with raw meat; -- used by falconers in recalling hawks. Shak.
2. Any enticement; that which invites by the prospect of advantage or pleasure; a decoy. Milton.
3. (Hat Making)
Defn: A velvet smoothing brush. Knight.
LURE Lure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lured; p. pr. & vb. n. Luring.] Etym: [OF. loirer, loirier, F. leurrer. See Lure, n.]
Defn: To draw to the lure; hence, to allure or invite by means of anything that promises pleasure or advantage; to entice; to attract. I am not lured with love. Piers Plowman. And various science lures the learned eye. Gay.
LURE Lure, v. i.
Defn: To recall a hawk or other animal.
LURG Lurg, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large marine annelid (Nephthys cæca), inhabiting the sandy shores of Europe and America. It is whitish, with a pearly luster, and grows to the length of eight or ten inches.
LURID Lu"rid, a. Etym: [L. luridus.]
1. Pale yellow; ghastly pale; wan; gloomy; dismal. Fierce o'er their beauty blazed the lurid flame. Thomson. Wrapped in drifts of lurid smoke On the misty river tide. Tennyson.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a brown color tonged with red, as of flame seen through smoke.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of a color tinged with purple, yellow, and gray.
LURK Lurk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lurked; p. pr. & vb. n. Lurking.] Etym: [OE. lurken, lorken, prob. a dim. from the source of E. lower to frown. See Lower, and cf. Lurch, a sudden roll, Lurch to lurk.]
1. To lie hid; to lie in wait. Like wild beasts, lurking in loathsome den. Spenser. Let us . . . lurk privily for the innocent. Prov. i. 11.
2. To keep out of sight. The defendant lurks and wanders about in Berks. Blackstone.
LURKER Lurk"er, n.
1. One who lurks.
2. A small fishing boat. [Prov. Eng.]
LURRY Lur"ry, n. Etym: [W. llwry precipitant, a provision.]
Defn: A confused heap; a throng, as of persons; a jumble, as of sounds. [Obs.] To turn prayer into a kind of lurry. Milton.
LUSCIOUS Lus"cious, a. Etym: [Prob. for lustious, fr. lusty, or perh. a corruption of luxurious. Cf. Lush, Lusty.]
1. Sweet; delicious; very grateful to the taste; toothsome; excessively sweet or rich. And raisins keep their luscious, native taste. Dryden.
2. Cloying; fulsome. He had a tedious, luscious way of talking. Jeffrey.
3. Gratifying a depraved sense; obscene. [R.] Steele. -- Lus"cious*ly, adv. -- Lus"cious*ness, n.
LUSERN Lu"sern, n. Etym: [F. loup-cervier, L. lupus cervarius.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lynx. See 1st Lucern and Loup-cervier.
LUSH Lush, a. Etym: [Prob. an abbrev. of lushious, fr. luscious.]
Defn: Full of juice or succulence. Tennyson. How lush and lusty the grass looks! how green! Shak.
LUSHBURG Lush"burg, n.
Defn: See Lussheburgh. [Obs.]
LUSITANIAN Lu`si*ta"ni*an, a.
Defn: Pertaining to Lusitania, the ancient name of the region almost coinciding with Portugal. -- n.
Defn: One of the people of Lusitania.
LUSK Lusk, a.
Defn: Lazy; slothful. [Obs.]
LUSK Lusk, n.
Defn: A lazy fellow; a lubber. [Obs.] T. Kendall.
LUSK Lusk, v. i.
Defn: To be idle or unemployed. [Obs.]
LUSKISH Lusk"ish, a.
Defn: Inclined to be lazy. Marston. -- Lusk"*ish*ly, adv. -Lusk"ish*ness, n. [Obs.] Spenser.
LUSORIOUS; LUSORY Lu*so"ri*ous, Lu"so*ry, a. Etym: [L. lusorius. See Illusory.]
Defn: Used in play; sportive; playful. [Obs.] Bp. Sanderson.
LUSSHEBURGH Lus"she*burgh, n.
Defn: A spurious coin of light weight imported into England from Luxemburg, or Lussheburgh, as it was formerly called. [Obs.] God wot, no Lussheburghes payen ye. Chaucer.
LUST Lust, n. Etym: [AS. lust, lust, pleasure, longing; akin to OS., D., G., & Sw. lust, Dan. & Icel. lyst, Goth lustus, and perh. tom Skr. lush to desire, or to E. loose. Cf. List to please, Listless.]
1. Pleasure [Obs.] " Lust and jollity." Chaucer.
2. Inclination; desire. [Obs.] For little lust had she to talk of aught. Spenser. My lust to devotion is little. Bp. Hall.
3. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; -- in a had sense; as, the lust of gain. The lust of reigning. Milton.
4. Licentious craving; sexual appetite. Milton.
5. Hence: Virility; vigor; active power. [Obs.] Bacon.
LUST Lust, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lusted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lusting.] Etym: [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
1. To list; to like. [Obs.] Chaucer. " Do so if thou lust. " Latimer.
Note: In earlier usage lust was impersonal. In the water vessel he it cast When that him luste. Chaucer.
2. To have an eager, passionate, and especially an inordinate or sinful desire, as for the gratification of the sexual appetite or of covetousness; -- often with after. Whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Deut. xii. 15. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matt. v. 28. The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. James iv. 5.
LUSTER Lust"er, n.
Defn: One who lusts.
LUSTER; LUSTRE Lus"ter Lus"tre, n. Etym: [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
Defn: A period of five years; a lustrum. Both of us have closed the tenth luster. Bolingbroke.
LUSTER; LUSTRE Lus"ter, Lus"tre, n. Etym: [F. lustre; cf. It. lustro; both fr. L. lustrare to purify, go about (like the priests at the lustral sacrifice), traverse, survey, illuminate, fr. lustrum a purificatory sacrifice; perh. akin to E. loose. But lustrare to illuminate is perh. a different word, and akin to L. lucere to be light or clear, to shine. See Lucid, and cf. Illustrious, Lustrum.]
1. Brilliancy; splendor; brightness; glitter. The right mark and very true luster of the diamond. Sir T. More. The scorching sun was mounted high, In all its luster, to the noonday sky. Addison.
Note: There is a tendency to limit the use of luster, in this sense, to the brightness of things which do not shine with their own light, or at least do not blaze or glow with heat. One speaks of the luster of a diamond, or of silk, or even of the stars, but not often now of the luster of the sun, a coal of fire, or the like.
2. Renown; splendor; distinction; glory. His ancestors continued about four hundred years, rather without obscurity than with any great luster. Sir H. Wotton.
3. A candlestick, chandelier, girandole, or the like, generally of an ornamental character. Pope.
4. (Min.)
Defn: The appearance of the surface of a mineral as affected by, or dependent upon, peculiarities of its reflecting qualities.
Note: The principal kinds of luster recognized are: metallic, adamantine, vitreous, resinous, greasy, pearly, and silky. With respect to intensity, luster is characterized as splendent, shining, glistening, glimmering, and dull.
5. A substance which imparts luster to a surface, as plumbago and some of the glazes.
6. A fabric of wool and cotton with a lustrous surface, -- used for women's dresses. Luster ware, earthenware decorated by applying to the glazing metallic oxides, which acquire brilliancy in the process of baking.
LUSTER; LUSTRE Lus"ter, Lus"tre, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lustred; p. pr. & vb. n. Lustering, or Lustring.]
Defn: To make lustrous. [R. & Poetic] Flooded and lustered with her loosened gold. Lowell.
LUSTERING Lus"ter*ing, n.
1. The act or process of imparting a luster, as to pottery.
2. The brightening of a metal in the crucible when it becomes pure, as in certain refining processes.
LUSTERLESS; LUSTRELESS Lus"ter*less, Lus"tre*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of luster; dim; dull.
LUSTFUL Lust"ful, a.
1. Full of lust; excited by lust Spenser. Tillotson.
2. Exciting lust; characterized by lust or sensuality. " Lustful orgies." Milton.
3. Strong; lusty. [Obs.] " Lustful health." Sackville.
Syn. -- sensual; fleshly; carnal; inordinate; licentious; lewd; unchaste; impure; libidinous; lecherous. -- Lust"ful*ly, adv. -- Lust"ful*ness, n.
LUSTIC Lus"tic, a.
Defn: Lusty; vigorous. [Obs.]
LUSTIHEAD Lus"ti*head, n. Etym: [Lusty + -head.]
Defn: See Lustihood. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LUSTIHOOD Lus"ti*hood, n. Etym: [Lusty + -hood.]
Defn: State of being lusty; vigor of body. " Full of lustihood." Tennyson.
LUSTILY Lus"ti*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lusty or vigorous manner.
LUSTINESS Lus"ti*ness, n.
Defn: State of being lusty; vigor; strength.
LUSTLESS Lust"less, a. Etym: [CF. Listless.]
1. Lacking vigor; weak; spiritless. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. Free from sexual lust.
LUSTRAL Lus"tral, a. Etym: [L. lustralis, fr. lustrum: cf. F. lustral. See Lustrum.]
1. Of or pertaining to, or used for, purification; as, lustral days; lustral water.
2. Of or pertaining to a lustrum.
LUSTRATE Lus"trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lustrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Lustrating.] Etym: [L. lustratus, p. p. of lustrare to lustrate, fr. lustrum. See Lustrum.]
Defn: To make clear or pure by means of a propitiatory offering; to purify. We must purge, and cleanse, and lustrate the whole city. Hammond.
LUSTRATION Lus*tra"tion, n. Etym: [L. lustratio: cf. F. lustration.]
1. The act of lustrating or purifying. And holy water for lustration bring. Dryden.
2. (Antiq.)
Defn: A sacrifice, or ceremony, by which cities, fields, armies, or people, defiled by crimes, pestilence, or other cause of uncleanness, were purified.
LUSTRE Lus"tre, n.
Defn: Same as Luster.
LUSTRICAL Lus"tri*cal, a. Etym: [L. lustricus, fr. lustrum. See Lustrum.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or used for, purification.
LUSTRING Lus"tring, n. Etym: [F. lustrine, It. lustrino, fr. lustrare to polish, L. lustrare. See 3d Luster, and cf. Lutestring.]
Defn: A kind of glossy silk fabric. See Lutestring.
LUSTROUS Lus"trous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lustreux. See 3d Luster.]
Defn: Bright; shining; luminous. " Good sparks and lustrous." Shak. -- Lus"trous*ly, adv.
LUSTRUM Lus"trum, n.; pl. E. Lustrums, L. Lustra. Etym: [L. Cf. 2d & 3d Luster.]
Defn: A lustration or purification, especially the purification of the whole Roman people, which was made by the censors once in five years. Hence: A period of five years.
LUSTWORT Lust"wort` n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Sundew.
LUSTY Lust"y, a. [Compar. Lustier; superl. Lustiest.] Etym: [From Lust. See Lust, and cf. Luscious.]
1. Exhibiting lust or vigor; stout; strong; vigorous; robust; healthful; able of body. Neither would their old men, so many as were yet vigorous and lusty, be left at home. Milton.
2. Beautiful; handsome; pleasant. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. Of large size; big. [Obs.] " Three lusty vessels." Evelyn. Hence, sometimes, pregnant. [Obs. or Prov.]
4. Lustful; lascivious. [Obs.] Milton.
LUSUS NATURAE Lu"sus na*tu"ræ. Etym: [L., fr. lusus sport + naturae, gen. of natura nature.]
Defn: Sport or freak of nature; a deformed or unnatural production.
LUTANIST Lut"a*nist, n. Etym: [LL.lutanista, fr. lutana lute. See Lute the instrument.]
Defn: A person that plays on the lute. Johnson.
LUTARIOUS Lu*ta"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. lutarius fr. lutum mud.]
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or like, mud; living in mud. [Obs.] Grew.
LUTATION Lu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. lutare, lutatum, to bedaub with mud, fr. lutum mud: cf. F. lutation.]
Defn: The act or method of luting vessels.
LUTE Lute, n. Etym: [L. lutum mud, clay: cf. OF. lut.]
1. (Chem.)
Defn: A cement of clay or other tenacious infusible substance for sealing joints in apparatus, or the mouths of vessels or tubes, or for coating the bodies of retorts, etc., when exposed to heat; -- called also luting.
2. A packing ring, as of rubber, for fruit jars, etc.
3. (Brick Making)
Defn: A straight-edged piece of wood for striking off superfluous clay from mold.
LUTE Lute, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Luted; p. pr. & vb. n. Luting.]
Defn: To close or seal with lute; as, to lute on the cover of a crucible; to lute a joint.
LUTE Lute, n. Etym: [OF. leut, F. luth; skin to Pr. laút, It. liúto, leúto, Sp. laúd, Pg. alaude; all fr. Ar. al'; al the + ' wood, timber, trunk or branch of a tree, staff, stick, wood of aloes, lute or harp.] (Mus.)
Defn: A stringed instrument formerly much in use. It consists of four parts, namely, the table or front, the body, having nine or ten ribs or "sides," arranged like the divisions of a melon, the neck, which has nine or ten frets or divisions, and the head, or cross, in which the screws for tuning are inserted. The strings are struck with the right hand, and with the left the stops are pressed.
LUTE Lute, v. i.
Defn: To sound, as a lute. Piers Plowman. Keats.
LUTE Lute, v. t.
Defn: To play on a lute, or as on a lute. Knaves are men That lute and flute fantastic tenderness. Tennyson.
LUTE-BACKED Lute"-backed`, a.
Defn: Having a curved spine.
LUTECIUM Lu*te"ci*um, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A metallic element separated from ytterbium in 1907, by Urbain in Paris and by von Welsbach in Vienna. Symbol, Lu; at. wt. 174.0.
LUTEIC Lu*te"ic, a. (Chem.) (a) Pertaining to, or derived from, weld (Reseda luteola). (b) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid resembling luteolin, but obtained from the flowers of Euphorbia cyparissias.
LUTEIN Lu"te*in, n. Etym: [From corpus luteum.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A substance of a strongly marked yellow color, extracted from the yelk of eggs, and from the tissue of the corpus luteum.
LUTENIST Lut"e*nist, n.
Defn: Same as Lutanist.
LUTEO- Lu"te*o-. Etym: [L. luteus.] (Chem.)
Defn: A combining form signifying orange yellow or brownish yellow.
LUTEOCOBALTIC Lu"te*o*co*balt"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, certain compounds of cobalt having a yellow color. Cf. Cobaltic. Luteocobaltic chloride (Chem.), a brilliant reddish yellow crystalline compound, Co2Cl6(NH3)12, obtained by the action of ammonium chloride on an ammoniacal solution of cobaltic chloride.
LUTEOLIN Lu"te*o*lin, n. Etym: [From NL. Reseda luteola, fr. L. luteolus yellowish, fr. luteus: cf. F. lutéoline. See Luteous.] (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow dyestuff obtained from the foliage of the dyer's broom (Reseda luteola).
LUTEOUS Lu"te*ous, a. Etym: [L. luteus, fr. lutum dyer's broom, weld, which is used as a yellow dye.]
Defn: Yellowish; more or less like buff.
LUTER Lut"er, n. Etym: [From 3d Lute.]
Defn: One who plays on a lute.
LUTER Lut"er, n. Etym: [From Ist Lute.]
Defn: One who applies lute.
LUTESCENT Lu*tes"cent, a. Etym: [L. luteus yellow.]
Defn: Of a yellowish color.
LUTESTRING Lute"string`, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. lustring.]
Defn: A plain, stout, lustrous silk, used for ladies' dresses and for ribbon. Goldsmith.
LUTH Luth, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The leatherback.
LUTHERAN Lu"ther*an, a. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Luther; adhering to the doctrines of Luther or the Lutheran Church.
LUTHERAN Lu"ther*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One who accepts or adheres to the doctrines of Luther or the Lutheran Church.
LUTHERANISM; LUTHERISM Lu"ther*an*ism, Lu"ther*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines taught by Luther or held by the Lutheran Church.
LUTHERN Lu"thern, n. Etym: [F. lucarne a dormer, dormer window, garret window, L. lucerna lamp, fr. lucere to be light or clear, fr. lux light. See Light, n., and cf. Lucarne.] (Arch.)
Defn: A dormer window. See Dormer.
LUTIDINE Lu"ti*dine, n. Etym: [From toluidine, by transposition.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of several metameric alkaloids, C5H3N.(CH3)2, of the pyridine series, obtained from bone oil as liquids, and having peculiar pungent odors. These alkaloids are also called respectively dimethyl pyridine, ethyl pyridine, etc.
LUTING Lut"ing, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Lute, a cement.
LUTIST Lut"ist, n.
Defn: One who plays on a lute.
LUTOSE Lu*tose", a. Etym: [L. lutosus, fr. lutum mud.]
Defn: Covered with clay; miry.
LUTULENCE Lu"tu*lence, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being lutulent.
LUTULENT Lu"tu*lent, a. Etym: [L. lutulentus, fr. lutum mud.]
Defn: Muddy; turbid; thick. [Obs.]
LUWACK Lu*wack", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Paradoxure.
LUX Lux, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. luxer. See Luxate.]
Defn: To put out of joint; to luxate. [Obs.]
LUXATE Lux"ate, a. Etym: [L. luxatus, p. p. of luxare to dislocate.]
Defn: Luxated. [Obs.]
LUXATE Lux"ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Luxated; p. pr. & vb. n. Luxating.]
Defn: To displace, or remove from its proper place, as a joint; to put out of joint; to dislocate.
LUXATION Lux*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. luxatio: cf. F. luxation.]
Defn: The act of luxating, or the state of being luxated; a dislocation.
LUXE Luxe, n. Etym: [L. luxus: cf. F. luxe.]
Defn: Luxury. [Obs.] Shenstone. Édition de luxe (. Etym: [F.] (Printing) A sumptuous edition as regards paper, illustrations, binding, etc.
LUXIVE Lux"ive, a.
Defn: Given to luxury; voluptuous. [Obs.]
LUXULLIANITE Lux*ul"li*an*ite, n. Etym: [So called from Luxullian, in Cornwall.] (Min.)
Defn: A kind of granite from Luxullian, Cornwall, characterized by the presence of radiating groups of minute tourmaline crystals.
LUXURIANCE Lux*u"ri*ance, n. Etym: [Cf. F. luxuriance.]
Defn: The state or quality of being luxuriant; rank, vigorous growth; excessive abundance produced by rank growth. "Tropical luxuriance." B. Taylor.
LUXURIANCY Lux*u"ri*an*cy, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being luxuriant; luxuriance. Flowers grow up in the garden in the greatest luxuriancy and profusion. Spectator.
LUXURIANT Lux*u"ri*ant, a. Etym: [L. luxurians, p. pr. of luxuriare: cf. F. luxuriant. See Luxuriate.]
Defn: Exuberant in growth; rank; excessive; very abundant; as, a luxuriant growth of grass; luxuriant foliage. Prune the luxuriant, the uncouth refine. Pope. Luxuriant flower (Bot.), one in which the floral envelopes are overdeveloped at the expense of the essential organs.
LUXURIANTLY Lux*u"ri*ant*ly, adv.
Defn: In a luxuriant manner.
LUXURIATE Lux*u"ri*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Luxuriated; p. pr. & vb. n. Luxuriating.] Etym: [L. luxuriatus, p. p. of luxuriari, -are, to luxuriate. See Luxury.]
1. To grow exuberantly; to grow to superfluous abundance. " Corn luxuriates in a better mold." Burton.
2. To feed or live luxuriously; as, the herds luxuriate in the pastures.
3. To indulge with unrestrained delight and freedom; as, to luxuriate in description.
LUXURIATION Lux*u`ri*a"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process luxuriating.
LUXURIETY Lux`u*ri"e*ty, n.
Defn: Luxuriance. [Obs.]
LUXURIOUS Lux*u"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. luxuriosus: cf. F. luxurieux. See Luxury.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to luxury; ministering to luxury; supplied with the conditions of luxury; as, a luxurious life; a luxurious table; luxurious ease. " Luxurious cities. " Milton. -- Lux*u"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Lux*u"ri*ous*ness, n.
LUXURIST Lux"u*rist, n.
Defn: One given to luxury. [Obs.] Sir W. Temple.
LUXURY Lux"u*ry, n.; pl. Luxuries. Etym: [L. luxuria, fr. luxus: cf. F. luxure.]
1. A free indulgence in costly food, dress, furniture, or anything expensive which gratifies the appetites or tastes. Riches expose a man to pride and luxury. Spectator.
2. Anything which pleases the senses, and is also costly, or difficult to obtain; an expensive rarity; as, silks, jewels, and rare fruits are luxuries; in some countries ice is a great luxury. He cut the side of a rock for a garden, and, by laying on it earth, furnished out a kind of luxury for a hermit. Addison.
3. Lechery; lust. [Obs.] Shak. Luxury is in wine and drunkenness. Chaucer.
4. Luxuriance; exuberance. [Obs.] Bacon.
Syn. -- Voluptuousness; epicurism; effeminacy; sensuality; lasciviousness; dainty; delicacy; gratification.
LUZ Luz, n.
Defn: A bone of the human body which was supposed by certain Rabbinical writers to be indestructible. Its location was a matter of dispute. Brande & C.
-LY -ly. Etym: [OE. -lich, AS. -lic, orig. the same word as E. li, a. See Like, a.]
Defn: A suffix forming adjectives and adverbs, and denoting likeness or resemblance.
LYAM Ly"am, n. Etym: [See Leam.]
Defn: A leash. [Obs.]
LYCANTHROPE Ly"can*thrope, n. Etym: [Gr.
1. A human being fabled to have been changed into a wolf; a werewolf.
2. One affected with lycanthropy.
LYCANTHROPIA Ly`can*thro"pi*a, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: See Lycanthropy, 2.
LYCANTHROPIC Ly`can*throp"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to lycanthropy.
LYCANTHROPIST Ly*can"thro*pist, n.
Defn: One affected by the disease lycanthropy.
LYCANTHROPOUS Ly*can"thro*pous, a.
Defn: Lycanthropic.
LYCANTHROPY Ly*can"thro*py, n. Etym: [Gr. lycanthropie.]
1. The supposed act of turning one's self or another person into a wolf. Lowell.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A kind of erratic melancholy, in which the patient imagines himself a wolf, and imitates the actions of that animal.
LYCEE Ly`cée", n. [F. Cf. Lyceum.]
Defn: A French lyceum, or secondary school supported by the French government, for preparing students for the university.
LYCEUM Ly*ce"um, n.; pl. E. Lyceums, L. Lycea. Etym: [L. lyceum, Gr. Wolf.]
1. A place of exercise with covered walks, in the suburbs of Athens, where Aristotle taught philosophy.
2. A house or apartment appropriated to instruction by lectures or disquisitions.
3. A higher school, in Europe, which prepares youths for the university.
4. An association for debate and literary improvement.
LYCHE Lyche, a.
Defn: Like. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LYCHEE Ly"chee`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Litchi.
LYCH GATE Lych" gate`
Defn: . See under Lich.
LYCHNIS Lych"nis, n. Etym: [L., a kind of red flower, Gr. lychni`s; cf. ly`chnos a lamp.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of Old World plants belonging to the Pink family (Caryophyllaceæ). Most of the species have brilliantly colored flowers and cottony leaves, which may have anciently answered as wicks for lamps. The botanical name is in common use for the garden species. The corn cockle (Lychnis Githago) is a common weed in wheat fields.
LYCHNOBITE Lych"no*bite, n. Etym: [Gr. ly`chnos a lamp + bi`os life.]
Defn: One who labors at night and sleeps in the day.
LYCHNOSCOPE Lych"no*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.] (Arch.)
Defn: Same as Low side window, under Low, a.
LYCINE Lyc"ine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A weak base identical with betaine; -- so called because found in the boxthorn (Lycium barbarum). See Betaine.
LYCOPERDON Ly`co*per"don, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of fungi, remarkable for the great quantity of spores, forming a fine dust, which is thrown out like smoke when the plant is compressed or burst; puffball.
LYCOPOD Ly"co*pod, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lycopode.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Lycopodium.
LYCOPODE Ly"co*pode, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Same as Lycopodium powder. See under Lycopodium.
LYCOPODIACEOUS Ly`co*po`di*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Belonging, or relating, to the Lycopodiaceæ, an order of cryptogamous plants (called also club mosses) with branching stems, and small, crowded, one-nerved, and usually pointed leaves.
LYCOPODITE Ly*cop"o*dite, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: An old name for a fossil club moss.
LYCOPODIUM Ly`co*po"di*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of mosslike plants, the type of the order Lycopodiaceæ; club moss. Lycopodium powder, a fine powder or dust composed of the spores of Lycopodium, and other plants of the order Lycopodiaceæ. It is highly inflammable, and is sometimes used in the manufacture of fireworks, and the artificial representation of lightning.
LYCOTROPOUS Ly*cot"ro*pous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Campylotropous.
LYDDITE Lydd"ite, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A high explosive consisting principally of picric acid, used as a shell explosive in the British service; -- so named from the proving grounds at Lydd, England.
LYDEN Lyd"en, n.
Defn: See Leden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LYDIAN Lyd"i*an, a. Etym: [L. Lydius, fr. Lydia, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Lydia, a country of Asia Minor, or to its inhabitants; hence, soft; effeminate; -- said especially of one of the ancient Greek modes or keys, the music in which was of a soft, pathetic, or voluptuous character. Softly sweet in Lydian measures, Soon he soothed his soul to pleasures. Dryden. Lydian stone, a flint slate used by the ancients to try gold and silver; a touchstone. See Basanite.
LYDINE Lyd"ine, n. (Dyeing)
Defn: A violet dye derived from aniline.
LYE Lye, n. [Written also lie and ley.] Etym: [AS. leáh; akin to D. loog, OHG. louga, G. lauge; cf. Icel. laug a bath, a hot spring.]
Defn: A strong caustic alkaline solution of potassium salts, obtained by leaching wood ashes. It is much used in making soap, etc.
LYE Lye, n. (Railroad)
Defn: A short side line, connected with the main line; a turn-out; a siding. [Eng.]
LYE Lye, n.
Defn: A falsehood. [Obs.] See Lie.
LYENCEPHALA Ly`en*ceph"a*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of Mammalia, including the marsupials and monotremes; - - so called because the corpus callosum is rudimentary.
LYENCEPHALOUS Ly`en*ceph"a*lous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or characteristic of, the Lyencephala.
LYERMAN Ly"er*man, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The cicada.
LYGODIUM Ly*go"di*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of ferns with twining or climbing fronds, bearing stalked and variously-lobed divisions in pairs.
Note: Lygodium palmatum, much prized for indoor ornament, inhabits shaded and moist grassy places, from Massachusetts to Virginia and Kentucky, and sparingly southwards.
LYING Ly"ing, p. pr. & vb. n.
Defn: of Lie, to tell a falsehood.
LYING Ly"ing, p. pr. & vb. n.
Defn: of Lie, to be supported horizontally. Lying panel (Arch.), a panel in which the grain of the wood is horizontal. [R.] -- Lying to (Naut.), having the sails so disposed as to counteract each other.
LYING-IN Ly"ing-in", n.
1. The state attending, and consequent to, childbirth; confinement.
2. The act of bearing a child.
LYINGLY Ly"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lying manner; falsely.
LYKEN Ly"ken, v. t. Etym: [See Like, v. t. ]
Defn: To please; -- chiefly used impersonally. [Obs.] " Sith it lyketh you." Chaucer.
LYM; LYMHOUND Lym, or; Lym"hound`, n.
Defn: A dog held in a leam; a bloodhound; a limehound. [Obs.] Shak.
LYMAIL Ly*mail", n.
Defn: See Limaille. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LYME GRASS Lyme" grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: A coarse perennial grass of several species of Elymus, esp. E. Canadensis, and the European E. arenarius.
LYMPH Lymph, n. Etym: [L. lympha: cf. F. lymphe.]
1. A spring of water; hence, water, or a pure, transparent liquid like water. A fountain bubbled up, whose lymph serene Nothing of earthly mixture might distain. Trench.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: An alkaline colorless fluid, contained in the lymphatic vessels, coagulable like blood, but free from red blood corpuscles. It is absorbed from the various tissues and organs of the body, and is finally discharged by the thoracic and right lymphatic ducts into the great veins near the heart.
3. (Med.)
Defn: A fibrinous material exuded from the blood vessels in inflammation. In the process of healing it is either absorbed, or is converted into connective tissue binding the inflamed surfaces together. Lymph corpuscles (Anat.), finely granular nucleated cells, identical with the colorless blood corpuscles, present in the lymph and chyle. -- Lymph duct (Anat.), a lymphatic. -- Lymph heart. See Note under Heart, n., 1.
LYMPHADENITIS Lym`pha*de*ni"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Lymph, and Adenitis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the lymphatic glands; -- called also lymphitis.
LYMPHADENOMA Lym`pha*de*no"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Lymph, Aden-, and -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: See Lymphoma.
LYMPHANGEITIS Lym*phan`ge*i"tis, n. Etym: [NL., from L. lympha lymph + Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels. [Written also lymphangitis.]
LYMPHANGIAL Lym*phan"gi*al, a. Etym: [See Lymphangeitis.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lymphatics, or lymphoid tissue; lymphatic.
LYMPHATE; LYMPHATED Lymph"ate, Lymph"a*ted, a. Etym: [L. lymphatus, p. p. of lymphare to water, dilute with water, to drive out of one's senses, to make mad.]
Defn: Frightened into madness; raving. [Obs.]
LYMPHATIC Lym*phat"ic, a. Etym: [L. lymphaticus distracted, frantic: cf. F. lymphatique]
Defn: pertaining to, containing, or conveying lymph.
2. Madly enthusiastic; frantic. [Obs.] " Lymphatic rapture. " Sir T. Herbert. Etym: [See Lymphate.] Lymphatic gland (Anat.), one of the solid glandlike bodies connected with the lymphatics or the lacteals; -- called also lymphatic ganglion, and conglobate gland. -- Lymphatic temperament (Old Physiol.), a temperament in which the lymphatic system seems to predominate, that is, a system in which the complexion lacks color and the tissues seem to be of loose texture; hence, a temperament lacking energy, inactive, indisposed to exertion or excitement. See Temperament.
LYMPHATIC Lym*phat"ic, n.
1. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the lymphatic or absorbent vessels, which carry lymph and discharge it into the veins; lymph duct; lymphatic duct.
2. A mad enthusiast; a lunatic. [Obs.]
LYMPHITIS Lym*phi"tis, n. Etym: [NL.] (Med.)
Defn: See Lymphadenitis.
LYMPH NODE Lymph node. (Anat.)
Defn: A lymphatic gland.
M.
LYMPHOGENIC Lym`pho*gen"ic, a. Etym: [Lymph + root of L. gignere to produce.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Connected with, or formed in, the lymphatic glands.
LYMPHOGRAPHY Lym*phog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Lymph + -graphy.]
Defn: A description of the lymphatic vessels, their origin and uses.
LYMPHOID Lymph"oid, a. Etym: [Lymph + -oid.] (Anat.)
Defn: Resembling lymph; also, resembling a lymphatic gland; adenoid; as, lymphoid tissue.
LYMPHOMA Lym*pho"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Lymph, and -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor having a structure resembling that of a lymphatic gland; -- called also lymphadenoma. Malignant lymphoma, a fatal disease characterized by the formation in various parts of the body of new growths resembling lymphatic glands in structure.
LYMPHY Lymph"y, a.
Defn: Containing, or like, lymph.
LYN Lyn, n.
Defn: A waterfall. See Lin. [Scot.]
LYNCEAN Lyn*ce"an, a. Etym: [See Lynx.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lynx.
LYNCH Lynch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lynched; p. pr. & vb. n. Lynching.] Etym: [See Note under Lynch law.]
Defn: To inflict punishment upon, especially death, without the forms of law, as when a mob captures and hangs a suspected person. See Lynch law.
LYNCHER Lynch"er, n.
Defn: One who assists in lynching.
LYNCH LAW Lynch" law`
Defn: . The act or practice by private persons of inflicting punishment for crimes or offenses, without due process of law.
Note: The term Lynch law is said to be derived from a Virginian named Lynch, who took the law into his own hands. But the origin of the term is very doubtful.
LYNDE; LYNDEN Lynde, Lyn"den, n.
Defn: See Linden.
LYNE Lyne, n.
Defn: Linen. [Obs.] Spenser.
LYNX Lynx, n. Etym: [L. lynx, lyncis, Gr. lox, G. luchs, prob. named from its sharp sight, and akin to E. light. See Light, n., and cf. Ounce an animal.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of feline animals of the genus Felis, and subgenus Lynx. They have a short tail, and usually a pencil of hair on the tip of the ears.
Note: Among the well-known species are the European lynx (Felis borealis); the Canada lynx or loup-cervier (F. Canadensis); the bay lynx of America (F. rufa), and its western spotted variety (var. maculata); and the pardine lynx (F. pardina) of Southern Europe.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: One of the northern constellations.
LYNX-EYED Lynx"-eyed`, a.
Defn: Having acute sight.
LYONNAISE Ly`on`naise", a. Etym: [F. lyonnaise, fem. of lyonnais of Lyons.] (Cookery)
Defn: Applied to boiled potatoes cut into small pieces and heated in oil or butter. They are usually flavored with onion and parsley.
LYOPOMATA Ly`o*po"ma*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of brachiopods, in which the valves of shell are not articulated by a hinge. It includes the Lingula, Discina, and allied forms. [Written also Lyopoma.]
LYRA Ly"ra, n. Etym: [L. lyra, Gr. Lyre.]
1. (Astron.)
Defn: A northern constellation, the Harp, containing a white star of the first magnitude, called Alpha Lyræ, or Vega.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: The middle portion of the ventral surface of the fornix of the brain; -- so called from the arrangement of the lines with which it is marked in the human brain.
LYRAID Ly"ra*id, n. (Astron.)
Defn: Same as Lyrid.
LYRATE; LYRATED Ly"rate, Ly"ra*ted, a. Etym: [NL. lyratus. See Lyre.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Lyre-shaped, or spatulate and oblong, with small lobes toward the base; as, a lyrate leaf.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Shaped like a lyre, as the tail of the blackcock, or that of the lyre bird.
LYRE Lyre, n. Etym: [OE. lire, OF. lyre, L. lyra, Gr. Lyra.]
1. (Mus.)
Defn: A stringed instrument of music; a kind of harp much used by the ancients, as an accompaniment to poetry.
Note: The lyre was the peculiar instrument of Apollo, the tutelary god of music and poetry. It gave name to the species of verse called lyric, to which it originally furnished an accompaniment
2. (Astron.)
Defn: One of the constellations; Lyra. See Lyra. Lyre bat (Zoöl.), a small bat (Megaderma lyra), inhabiting India and Ceylon. It is remarkable for the enormous size and curious shape of the nose membrane and ears. -- Lyre turtle (Zoöl.), the leatherback.
LYRE BIRD Lyre" bird`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of two or three species of Australian birds of the genus Menura. The male is remarkable for having the sixteen tail feathers very long and, when spread, arranged in the form of a lyre. The common lyre bird (Menura superba), inhabiting New South Wales, is about the size of a grouse. Its general color is brown, with rufous color on the throat, wings, tail coverts and tail. Called also lyre pheasant and lyre-tail.
LYRIC; LYRICAL Lyr"ic, Lyr"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. lyricus, Gr. lyrique. See Lyre.]
1. Of or pertaining to a lyre or harp.
2. Fitted to be sung to the lyre; hence, also, appropriate for song; -- said especially of poetry which expresses the individual emotions of the poet. "Sweet lyric song." Milton.
LYRIC Lyr"ic, n.
1. A lyric poem; a lyrical composition.
2. A composer of lyric poems. [R.] Addison.
3. A verse of the kind usually employed in lyric poetry; -- used chiefly in the plural. 4. pl.
Defn: The words of a song.
LYRICALLY Lyr"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a lyrical manner.
LYRICISM Lyr"i*cism, n.
Defn: A lyric composition. Gray.
LYRID Ly"rid, n. (Astron.)
Defn: One of the group of shooting stars which come into the air in certain years on or about the 19th of April; -- so called because the apparent path among the stars the stars if produced back wards crosses the constellation Lyra.
LYRIE Ly"rie, n. Etym: [Icel. hl a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European fish (Peristethus cataphractum), having the body covered with bony plates, and having three spines projecting in front of the nose; -- called also noble, pluck, pogge, sea poacher, and armed bullhead.
LYRIFEROUS Ly*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Lyre + -ferous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a lyre-shaped shoulder girdle, as certain fishes.
LYRISM Lyr"ism, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr.
Defn: The act of playing on a lyre or harp. G. Eliot.
LYRIST Lyr"ist, n. Etym: [L. lyristes, Gr. lyriste.]
Defn: A musician who plays on the harp or lyre; a composer of lyrical poetry. Shelley.
LYSIMETER Ly*sim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring the water that percolates through a certain depth of soil. Knight.
LYSIS Ly"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The resolution or favorable termination of a disease, coming on gradually and not marked by abrupt change.
Note: It is usually contrasted with crisis, in which the improvement is sudden and marked; as, pneumonia ends by crisis, typhoid fever by lysis.
LYSSA Lys"sa, n. Etym: [NL. See Lytta.] (Med.)
Defn: Hydrophobia.
Note: The plural (Lyssæ) has been used to signify the pustules supposed to be developed under the tongue in hydrophobia.
LYTERIAN Ly*te"ri*an, a. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Termination a disease; indicating the end of a disease.
LYTHE Lythe, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European pollack; -- called also laith, and leet. [Scot.]
LYTHE Lythe, a. Etym: [See Lithe, a.]
Defn: Soft; flexible. [Obs.] Spenser.
LYTHONTHRIPTIC; LYTHONTRIPTIC Lyth`on*thrip"tic, Lyth`on*trip"*tic, a. (Med.)
Defn: See Lithontriptic.
LYTTA Lyt"ta, n.; pl. Lyttæ. Etym: [L., a worm said to grow under the tongue of dogs, and to cause canine madness, fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: A fibrous and muscular band lying within the longitudinal axis of the tongue in many mammals, as the dog.
M M (em).
1. M, the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant, and from the manner of its formation, is called the labio- nasal consonant. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 178-180, 242.
The letter M came into English from the Greek, through the Latin, the form of the Greek letter being further derived from the Phonician, and ultimately, it is believed, from the Egyptian. Etymologically M is related to n, in lime, linden; emmet, ant; also to b.
M is readily followed by b and p. the position of the lips in the formation of both letters being the same. The relation of b and m is the same as that of d and t to n. and that of g and k to ng.
2. As a numeral, M stands for one thousand, both in English and Latin.
M M, n.
1. (Print.) A quadrat, the face or top of which is a perfect square; also, the size of such a square in any given size of type, used as the unit of measurement for that type: 500 m's of pica would be a piece of matter whose length and breadth in pica m's multiplied together produce that number. [Written also em.]
2. (law) A brand or stigma, having the shape of an M, formerly impressed on one convicted of manslaughter and admitted to the benefit of clergy.
M roof (Arch.), a kind of roof formed by the junction of two common roofs with a valley between them, so that the section resembles the letter M.
MA Ma (mä), n. [Cf. Mamma.]
1. A child's word for mother.
2. [Hind.] In Oriental countries, a respectful form of address given to a woman; mother. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MA Ma, conj. [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: But; -- used in cautionary phrases; as, "Vivace, ma non troppo presto" (i. e., lively, but not too quick). Moore (Encyc. of Music).
MAA Maa, n. [See New a gull.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common European gull (Larus canus); -- called also mar. See New, a gull.
MAAD Maad, obs. p. p. of Make.
Defn: Made. Chaucer.
MAALIN Maa"lin, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The sparrow hawk. (b) The kestrel.
MA'AM Ma'am, n.
Defn: Madam; my lady; -- a colloquial contraction of madam often used in direct address, and sometimes as an appellation.
MAARA SHELL Ma"a*ra shell`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, pearly, spiral, marine shell (Turbo margaritaceus), from the Pacific Islands. It is used as an ornament.
MAASHA Ma*ash"a, n.
Defn: An East Indian coin, of about one tenth of the weight of a rupee.
MAAT Maat, a. [See Mate, a.]
Defn: Dejected; sorrowful; downcast. [Obs.] "So piteous and so maat." Chaucer.
MAB Mab (mab), n. [Cf. W. mad a male child, a boy.]
1. A slattern. [Prov. Eng.]
2. The name of a female fairy, esp. the queen of the fairies; and hence, sometimes, any fairy. Shak.
MABBLE Mab"ble, v. t.
Defn: To wrap up. [Obs.]
MABBY Mab"by, n.
Defn: A spirituous liquor or drink distilled from potatoes; -- used in the Barbadoes.
MABOLO Ma*bo"lo, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of persimmon tree (Diospyros discolor) from the Philippine Islands, now introduced into the East and West Indies. It bears an edible fruit as large as a quince.
MAC Mac. [Gael., son.]
Defn: A prefix, in names of Scotch origin, signifying son.
MACACO Ma*ca"co, n. [Cf. Pg. macaco.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of lemurs, as the ruffed lemur (Lemur macaco), and the ring-tailed lemur (L. catta).
MACACUS Ma*ca"cus, n. [NL., a word of African origin. Cf. Macaco, Macaque.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of monkeys, found in Asia and the East Indies. They have short tails and prominent eyebrows.
MACADAMIZATION Mac*ad`am*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The process or act of macadamizing.
MACADAMIZE Mac*ad"am*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Macadamized; p. pr. & vb. n. Macadamizing.] [From John Loudon McAdam, who introduced the process into Great Britain in 1816.]
Defn: To cover, as a road, or street, with small, broken stones, so as to form a smooth, hard, convex surface.
MACADAM ROAD Mac*ad"am road`. [See Macadamize.]
Defn: A macadamized road.
MACAO Ma*ca"o, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A macaw.
MACAQUE Ma`caque", n. [F. See Macacus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of short-tailed monkeys of the genus Macacus; as, M. maurus, the moor macaque of the East Indies.
MACARANGA GUM Mac`a*ran"ga gum`.
Defn: A gum of a crimson color, obtained from a tree (Macaranga Indica) that grows in the East Indies. It is used in taking impressions of coins, medallions, etc., and sometimes as a medicine. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MACARIZE Mac"a*rize, v. t. [Gr. to bless.]
Defn: To congratulate. [Oxford Univ. Cant] Whately.
MACARONI Mac`a*ro"ni, n.; pl. Macaronis (#), or Macaronies. [Prov. It. macaroni, It. maccheroni, fr. Gr. happiness, later, a funeral feast, fr. blessed, happy. Prob. so called because eaten at such feasts in honor of the dead; cf. Gr. blessed, i. e., dead. Cf. Macaroon.]
1. Long slender tubes made of a paste chiefly of wheat flour, and used as an article of food; Italian or Genoese paste.
A paste similarly prepared is largely used as food in Persia, India, and China, but is not commonly made tubular like the Italian macaroni. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
2. A medley; something droll or extravagant.
3. A sort of droll or fool. [Obs.] Addison.
4. A finical person; a fop; -- applied especially to English fops of about 1775. Goldsmith.
5. pl. (U. S. Hist.) The designation of a body of Maryland soldiers in the Revolutionary War, distinguished by a rich uniform. W. Irving.
MACARONIAN; MACARONIC Mac`a*ro"ni*an, Mac`a*ron"ic, a. [Cf. It. maccheronico, F. macaronique.]
1. Pertaining to, or like, macaroni (originally a dish of mixed food); hence, mixed; confused; jumbled.
2. Of or pertaining to the burlesque composition called macaronic; as, macaronic poetry.
MACARONIC Mac`a*ron"ic, n.
1. A heap of thing confusedly mixed together; a jumble.
2. A kind of burlesque composition, in which the vernacular words of one or more modern languages are intermixed with genuine Latin words, and with hybrid formed by adding Latin terminations to other roots.
MACAROON Mac`a*roon", n. [F. macaron, It. maccherone. See Macaroni.]
1. A small cake, composed chiefly of the white of eggs, almonds, and sugar.
2. A finical fellow, or macaroni. [Obs.]
MACARTNEY Ma*cart"ney, n. [From Lord Macartney.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fire-backed pheasant. See Fireback.
MACASSAR OIL Ma*cas`sar oil".
Defn: A kind of oil formerly used in dressing the hair; -- so called because originally obtained from Macassar, a district of the Island of Celebes. Also, an imitation of the same, of perfumed castor oil and olive oil.
MACAUCO Ma*cau"co, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small lemurs, as Lemur murinus, which resembles a rat in size.
MACAVAHU Ma`ca*va"hu, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small Brazilian monkey (Callithrix torquatus), -- called also collared teetee.
MACAW Ma*caw", n. [From the native name in the Antilles.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any parrot of the genus Sittace, or Macrocercus. About eighteen species are known, all of them American. They are large and have a very long tail, a strong hooked bill, and a naked space around the eyes. The voice is harsh, and the colors are brilliant and strongly contrasted.
Macaw bush (Bot.), a West Indian name for a prickly kind of nightshade (Solanum mammosum). --Macaw palm, Macaw tree (Bot.), a tropical American palm (Acrocomia fusiformis and other species) having a prickly stem and pinnately divided leaves. Its nut yields a yellow butter, with the perfume of violets, which is used in making violet soap. Called also grugru palm.
MACCABEAN Mac`ca*be"an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Judas Maccabeus or to the Maccabees; as, the Maccabean princes; Maccabean times.
MACCABEES Mac"ca*bees, n. pl.
1. The name given in later times to the Asmonæans, a family of Jewish patriots, who headed a religious revolt in the reign of Antiochus IV., 168-161 B. C., which led to a period of freedom for Israel. Schaff-Herzog.
2. The name of two ancient historical books, which give accounts of Jewish affairs in or about the time of the Maccabean princes, and which are received as canonical books in the Roman Catholic Church, but are included in the Apocrypha by Protestants. Also applied to three books, two of which are found in some MSS. of the Septuagint.
MACCABOY; MACCOBOY Mac"ca*boy, Mac"co*boy, n. Etym: [From a district in the Island of Martinique where it is made: cf. F. macouba.]
Defn: A kind of snuff.
MACCO Mac"co, n.
Defn: A gambling game in vogue in the eighteenth century. Thackeray.
MACE Mace, n. Etym: [Jav. & Malay. mas, fr. Skr. masha a bean.]
Defn: A money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael; also, a weight of 57.98 grains. S. W. Williams.
MACE Mace, n. Etym: [F. macis, L. macis, macir, Gr. makaranda the nectar or honey of a flower, a fragrant mango.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of spice; the aril which partly covers nutmegs. See Nutmeg.
Note: Red mace is the aril of Myristica tingens, and white mace that of M. Otoba, -- East Indian trees of the same genus with the nutmeg tree.
MACE Mace, n. Etym: [OF. mace, F. masse, from (assumed) L. matea, of which the dim. mateola a kind of mallet or beetle, is found.]
1. A heavy staff or club of metal; a spiked club; -- used as weapon in war before the general use of firearms, especially in the Middle Ages, for breaking metal armor. Chaucer. Death with his mace petrific . . . smote. Milton.
2. Hence: A staff borne by, or carried before, a magistrate as an ensign of his authority. "Swayed the royal mace." Wordsworth.
3. An officer who carries a mace as an emblem of authority. Macaulay.
4. A knobbed mallet used by curriers in dressing leather to make it supple.
5. (Billiards)
Defn: A rod for playing billiards, having one end suited to resting on the table and pushed with one hand. Mace bearer, an officer who carries a mace before person in authority.
MACEDOINE Ma`cé`doine", n. [F., apparently the same word as Macédoine Macedonia.]
Defn: A kind of mixed dish, as of cooked vegetables with white sauce, sweet jelly with whole fruit, etc. Also, fig., a medley.
MACEDONIAN Mac`e*do"ni*an, a. Etym: [L. Macedonius, Gr. (Geog.)
Defn: Belonging, or relating, to Macedonia. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Macedonia.
MACEDONIAN Mac`e*do"ni*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a certain religious sect, followers of Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople, in the fourth century, who held that the Holy Ghost was a creature, like the angels, and a servant of the Father and the Son.
MACEDONIANISM Mac`e*do"ni*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines of Macedonius.
MACER Ma"cer, n. Etym: [F. massier. See Mace staff.]
Defn: A mace bearer; an officer of a court. P. Plowman.
MACERATE Mac"er*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Macerated; p. pr. & vb. n. Macerating.] Etym: [L. maceratus, p. p. of macerare to make soft, weaken, enervate; cf. Gr.
1. To make lean; to cause to waste away. [Obs. or R.] Harvey.
2. To subdue the appetites of by poor and scanty diet; to mortify. Baker.
3. To soften by steeping in a liquid, with or without heat; to wear away or separate the parts of by steeping; as, to macerate animal or vegetable fiber.
MACERATER Mac"er*a`ter, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, macerates; an apparatus for converting paper or fibrous matter into pulp.
MACERATION Mac`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. maceratio: cf. F. macération.]
Defn: The act or process of macerating.
MACHAERODUS; MACHAIRODUS Ma*chæ"ro*dus, Ma*chai"ro*dus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of extinct mammals allied to the cats, and having in the upper jaw canine teeth of remarkable size and strength; -- hence called saber-toothed tigers.
MACHETE Ma*che"te, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A large heavy knife resembling a broadsword, often two or three feet in length, -- used by the inhabitants of Spanish America as a hatchet to cut their way through thickets, and for various other purposes. J. Stevens.
MACHIAVELIAN Mach`i*a*vel"ian, a. Etym: [From Machiavel, an Italian writer, secretary and historiographer to the republic of Florence.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Machiavel, or to his supposed principles; politically cunning; characterized by duplicity or bad faith; crafty.
MACHIAVELIAN Mach`i*a*vel"ian, n.
Defn: One who adopts the principles of Machiavel; a cunning and unprincipled politician.
MACHIAVELISM; MACHIAVELIANISM Mach"i*a*vel*ism, Mach`i*a*vel"ian*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. machiavélisme; It. machiavellismo.]
Defn: The supposed principles of Machiavel, or practice in conformity to them; political artifice, intended to favor arbitrary power.
MACHICOLATED Ma*chic"o*la`ted, a. Etym: [LL. machicolatus, p. p. of machicolare, machicollare. See Machicolation.]
Defn: Having machicolations. "Machicolated turrets." C. Kingsley.
MACHICOLATION Mach`i*co*la"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. LL. machicolamentum, machacolladura, F. mâchicolis, mâchecoulis; perh. fr. F. mèche match, combustible matter + OF. coulis, couleis, flowing, fr. OF. & F. couler to flow. Cf. Match for making fire, and Cullis.]
1. (Mil. Arh.)
Defn: An opening between the corbels which support a projecting parapet, or in the floor of a gallery or the roof of a portal, shooting or dropping missiles upen assailants attacking the base of the walls. Also, the construction of such defenses, in general, when of this character. See Illusts. of Battlement and Castle.
2. The act of discharging missiles or pouring burning or melted substances upon assailants through such apertures.
MACHICOULIS Ma`chi`cou`lis", n. Etym: [F. mâchicoulis.] (Mil. Arch.)
Defn: Same as Machicolation.
MACHINAL Ma*chin"al, a. Etym: [L. machinalis: cf. F. machinal.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to machines.
MACHINATE Mach"i*nate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Machinated; p. pr. & vb. n. Machinating.] Etym: [L. machinatus, p. p. of machinari to devise, plot. See Machine.]
Defn: To plan; to contrive; esp., to form a scheme with the purpose of doing harm; to contrive artfully; to plot. "How long will you machinate!" Sandys.
MACHINATE Mach"i*nate, v. t.
Defn: To contrive, as a plot; to plot; as, to machinate evil.
MACHINATION Mach`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. machinatio: cf. F. machination.]
1. The act of machinating. Shak.
2. That which is devised; a device; a hostile or treacherous scheme; an artful design or plot. Devilish machinations come to naught. Milton. His ingenious machinations had failed. Macaulay.
MACHINATOR Mach"i*na`tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who machinates, or forms a scheme with evil designs; a plotter or artful schemer. Glanvill. Sir W. Scott.
MACHINE Ma*chine", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. machina machine, engine, device, trick, Gr. Mechanic.]
1. In general, any combination of bodies so connected that their relative motions are constrained, and by means of which force and motion may be transmitted and modified, as a screw and its nut, or a lever arranged to turn about a fulcrum or a pulley about its pivot, etc.; especially, a construction, more or less complex, consisting of a combination of moving parts, or simple mechanical elements, as wheels, levers, cams, etc., with their supports and connecting framework, calculated to constitute a prime mover, or to receive force and motion from a prime mover or from another machine, and transmit, modify, and apply them to the production of some desired mechanical effect or work, as weaving by a loom, or the excitation of electricity by an electrical machine.
Note: The term machine is most commonly applied to such pieces of mechanism as are used in the industrial arts, for mechanically shaping, dressing, and combining materials for various purposes, as in the manufacture of cloth, etc. Where the effect is chemical, or other than mechanical, the contrivance is usually denominated an apparatus, not a machine; as, a bleaching apparatus. Many large, powerful, or specially important pieces of mechanism are called engines; as, a steam engine, fire engine, graduating engine, etc. Although there is no well-settled distinction between the terms engine and machine among practical men, there is a tendency to restrict the application of the former to contrivances in which the operating part is not distinct from the motor.
2. Any mechanical contrivance, as the wooden horse with which the Greeks entered Troy; a coach; a bicycle. Dryden. Southey. Thackeray.
3. A person who acts mechanically or at will of another.
4. A combination of persons acting together for a common purpose, with the agencies which they use; as, the social machine. The whole machine of government ought not to bear upon the people with a weight so heavy and oppressive. Landor.
5. A political organization arranged and controlled by one or more leaders for selfish, private or partisan ends. [Political Cant]
6. Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit. Addison. Elementary machine, a name sometimes given to one of the simple mechanical powers. See under Mechanical. -- Infernal machine. See under Infernal. -- Machine gun.See under Gun. -- Machine screw, a screw or bolt adapted for screwing into metal, in distinction from one which is designed especially to be screwed into wood. -- Machine shop, a workshop where machines are made, or where metal is shaped by cutting, filing, turning, etc. -- Machine tool, a machine for cutting or shaping wood, metal, etc., by means of a tool; especially, a machine, as a lathe, planer, drilling machine, etc., designed for a more or less general use in a machine shop, in distinction from a machine for producing a special article as in manufacturing. -- Machine twist, silken thread especially adapted for use in a sewing machine. -- Machine work, work done by a machine, in contradistinction to that done by hand labor.
MACHINE Ma*chine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Machined; p. pr. & vb. n. Machining.]
Defn: To subject to the action of machinery; to effect by aid of machinery; to print with a printing machine.
MACHINER Ma*chin"er, n.
Defn: One who or operates a machine; a machinist. [R.]
MACHINERY Ma*chin"er*y, n. Etym: [From Machine: cf. F. machinerie.]
1. Machines, in general, or collectively.
2. The working parts of a machine, engine, or instrument; as, the machinery of a watch.
3. The supernatural means by which the action of a poetic or fictitious work is carried on and brought to a catastrophe; in an extended sense, the contrivances by which the crises and conclusion of a fictitious narrative, in prose or verse, are effected. The machinery, madam, is a term invented by the critics, to signify that part which the deities, angels, or demons, are made to act in a poem. Pope.
4. The means and appliances by which anything is kept in action or a desired result is obtained; a complex system of parts adapted to a purpose. An indispensable part of the machinery of state. Macaulay. The delicate inflexional machinery of the Aryan languages. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
MACHINING Ma*chin"ing, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the machinery of a poem; acting or used as a machine.[Obs.] Dryden.
MACHINIST Ma*chin"ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. machiniste.]
1. A constrictor of machines and engines; one versed in the principles of machines.
2. One skilled in the use of machine tools.
3. A person employed to shift scenery in a theater.
MACHO Ma"cho, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The striped mullet of California (Mugil cephalus, or Mexicanus).
MACILENCY Mac"i*len*cy, n. Etym: [See Macilent.]
Defn: Leanness.[Obs.] Sandys.
MACILENT Mac"i*lent, a. Etym: [L. macilentus, fr. macies leanness, macere to be lean.]
Defn: Lean; thin. [Obs.] Bailey.
MACINTOSH Mac"in*tosh, n.
Defn: Same as Mackintosh.
MACKEREL Mack"er*el, n. Etym: [OF. maquerel, F. maquereau, fr. D. makelaar mediator, agent, fr. makelen to act as agent.]
Defn: A pimp; also, a bawd. [Obs.] Halliwell.
MACKEREL Mack`er*el, n. Etym: [OF. maquerel, F. maquereau (LL. macarellus), prob. for maclereau, fr. L. macula a spot, in allusion to the markings on the fish. See Mail armor.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of the genus Scomber, and of several related genera. They are finely formed and very active oceanic fishes. Most of them are highly prized for food.
Note: The common mackerel (Scomber scombrus), which inhabits both sides of the North Atlantic, is one of the most important food fishes. It is mottled with green and blue. The Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), of the American coast, is covered with bright yellow circular spots. Bull mackerel, Chub mackerel. (Zoöl.) See under Chub. -- Frigate mackerel. See under Frigate. -- Horse mackerel . See under Horse. -- Mackerel bird (Zoöl.), the wryneck; -- so called because it arrives in England at the time when mackerel are in season. -- Mackerel cock (Zoöl.), the Manx shearwater; -- so called because it precedes the appearance of the mackerel on the east coast of Ireland. -- Mackerel guide. (Zoöl.) See Garfish (a). -- Mackerel gull (Zoöl.) any one of several species of gull which feed upon or follow mackerel, as the kittiwake. -- Mackerel midge (Zoöl.), a very small oceanic gadoid fish of the North Atlantic. It is about an inch and a half long and has four barbels on the upper jaw. It is now considered the young of the genus Onos, or Motella. -- Mackerel plow, an instrument for creasing the sides of lean mackerel to improve their appearance. Knight. -- Mackerel shark (Zoöl.), the porbeagle. -- Mackerel sky, or Mackerel-back sky, a sky flecked with small white clouds; a cirro-cumulus. See Cloud. Mackerel sky and mare's-tails Make tall ships carry low sails. Old Rhyme.
MACKINAW BLANKET; MACKINAW Mack"i*naw blan"ket, Mack"i*naw.Etym: [From Mackinac,the State of Michigan, where blankets and other stores were distributed to the Indians.]
Defn: A thick blanket formerly in common use in the western part of the United States.
MACKINAW BOAT Mack"i*naw boat.
Defn: A flat-bottomed boat with a pointed prow and square stern, using oars or sails or both, used esp. on the upper Great Lakes and their tributaries.
MACKINAW COAT Mackinaw coat.
Defn: A short, heavy, double-breasted plaid coat, the design of which is large and striking. [Local, U. S.]
MACKINAW TROUT Mackinaw trout.
Defn: The namaycush.
MACKINTOSH Mack"in*tosh, n.
Defn: A waterproof outer garment; -- so called from the name of the inventor.
MACKLE Mac`kle, n. Etym: [See Macle.]
Defn: Same Macule.
MACKLE Mac"kle, v. t. & i.
Defn: To blur, or be blurred, in printing, as if there were a double impression.
MACLE Ma"cle, n. Etym: [L. macula a spot: cf. F. macle. Cf. Mackle, Mascle.] (Min.) (a) Chiastolite; -- so called from the tessellated appearance of a cross section. See Chiastolite. (b) A crystal having a similar tessellated appearance. (c) A twin crystal.
MACLED Ma"cled, a.
1. (Min.) (a) Marked like macle (chiastolite). (b) Having a twin structure. See Twin, a.
2. See Mascled.
MACLUREA Ma*clu"re*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named from William Maclure, the geologist.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of spiral gastropod shells, often of large size, characteristic of the lower Silurian rocks.
MACLURIN Ma*clu"rin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Morintannic.
MACRAME LACE Mac"ra*me lace".
Defn: A coarse lace made of twine, used especially in decorating furniture.
MACRENCEPHALIC; MACRENCEPHALOUS Mac`ren*ce*phal"ic, Mac`ren*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Macro + encephalic, encephalous.]
Defn: Having a large brain.
MACRO- Mac"ro-. Etym: [Gr. makro`s, adj.]
Defn: A combining form signifying long, large, great; as macrodiagonal, macrospore.
MACROBIOTIC Mac`ro*bi*ot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. macrobiotique.]
Defn: Long-lived. Dunglison.
MACROBIOTICS Mac`ro*bi*ot"ics, n. (Physiol.)
Defn: The art of prolonging life.
MACROCEPHALOUS Mac`ro*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Macro + Gr. kefalh` the head.]
1. Having a large head.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the cotyledons of a dicotyledonous embryo confluent, and forming a large mass compared with the rest of the body. Henslow.
MACRO-CHEMISTRY Mac`ro-chem"is*try, n. Etym: [Macro- + chemistry.] (Chem.)
Defn: The science which treats of the chemical properties, actions or relations of substances in quantity; -- distinguished from micro- chemistry.
MACROCHIRES Mac`ro*chi"res, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of birds including the swifts and humming birds. So called from the length of the distal part of the wing.
MACROCOSM Mac"ro*cosm, n. Etym: [Macro- + Gr. macrocosme.]
Defn: The great world; that part of the universe which is exterior to man; -- contrasted with microcosm, or man. See Microcosm.
MACROCOSMIC Mac`ro*cos"mic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the macrocosm. Tylor.
MACROCYSTIS Mac`ro*cys"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Macro-, and Cyst.] (Bot.)
Defn: An immensely long blackish seaweed of the Pacific (Macrocystis pyrifera), having numerous almond-shaped air vessels.
MACRODACTYL Mac`ro*dac"tyl, n. Etym: [Gr. macrodactyle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a group of wading birds (Macrodactyli) having very long toes. [Written also macrodactyle.]
MACRODACTYLIC; MACRODACTYLOUS Mac`ro*dac*tyl"ic, Mac`ro*dac"tyl*ous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having long toes.
MACRODIAGONAL Mac`ro*di*ag"o*nal, n. Etym: [Macro- + diagonal.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: The longer of two diagonals, as of a rhombic prism. See Crystallization.
MACRODOME Mac"ro*dome, n. Etym: [Macro- + dome.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: A dome parallel to the longer lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal. See Dome, n., 4.
MACRODONT Mac"ro*dont, a. Etym: [Macro- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having large teeth. -- n.
Defn: A macrodont animal.
MACROFARAD Mac"ro*far`ad, n. Etym: [Macro- + farad.] (Elec.)
Defn: See Megafarad. [R.]
MACROGLOSSIA Mac`ro*glos"si*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Macro-, and Glossa.] (Med.)
Defn: Enlargement or hypertrophy of the tongue.
MACROGNATHIC Mac`rog*nath"ic, a. Etym: [Macro- + gnathic.] (Anthropol.)
Defn: Long-jawed. Huxley.
MACROGRAPH Mac"ro*graph, n. [Macro- + -graph.]
Defn: A picture of an object as seen by the naked eye (that is, unmagnified); as, a macrograph of a metallic fracture.
MACROGRAPHY Ma*crog"ra*phy, n.
Defn: Examination or study with the naked eye, as distinguished from micrography.
MACROLOGY Ma*crol"o*gy, n. Etym: [L. macrologia, Gr. macrologie.]
Defn: Long and tedious talk without much substance; superfluity of words.
MACROMETER Ma*crom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Macro- + -meter.]
Defn: An instrument for determining the size or distance of inaccessible objects by means of two reflectors on a common sextant.
MACRON Ma"cron, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Pron.)
Defn: A short, straight, horizontal mark [-], placed over vowels to denote that they are to be pronounced with a long sound; as, a, in dame; e, in seam, etc.
MACROPETALOUS Mac`ro*pet"al*ous, a. Etym: [Macro- + petal.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having long or large petals.
MACROPHYLLOUS Ma*croph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Macro- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having long or large leaves.
MACROPINACOID Mac`ro*pin"a*coid, n. Etym: [Macro- + pinacoid.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: One of the two planes of an orthorhombic crystal which are parallel to the vertical and longer lateral (macrodiagonal) axes.
MACROPOD Mac"ro*pod, n. Etym: [Macro- + -pod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of a group of maioid crabs remarkable for the length of their legs; -- called also spider crab.
MACROPODAL Ma*crop"o*dal, a.
Defn: Having long or large feet, or a long stem.
MACROPODIAN Mac`ro*po"di*an, n.
Defn: A macropod.
MACROPODOUS Ma*crop"o*dous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having long legs or feet.
MACROPRISM Mac"ro*prism, n. Etym: [Macro- + prism.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: A prism of an orthorhombic crystal between the macropinacoid and the unit prism; the corresponding pyramids are called macropyramids.
MACROPTERES Ma*crop"te*res, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of birds; the Longipennes.
MACROPTEROUS Ma*crop"ter*ous, a. Etym: [See Macropteres.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having long wings.
MACROPUS Mac"ro*pus, n. Etym: [NL. See Macropod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: genus of marsupials including the common kangaroo.
MACROPYRAMID Mac`ro*pyr"a*mid, n. Etym: [Macro- + pyramid.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: See Macroprism.
MACROSCOPIC; MACROSCOPICAL Mac`ro*scop"ic, Mac`ro*scop"ic*al, a. Etym: [Macro- + Gr.
Defn: Visible to the unassisted eye; -- as opposed to microscopic. -- Mac`ro*scop"ic*al*ly, adv.
MACROSPORANGIUM Mac`ro*spo*ran"gi*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Macro-, and Sporangium.] (Bot.)
Defn: A sporangium or conceptacle containing only large spores; -- opposed to microsporangium. Both are found in the genera Selaginella, Isoctes, and Marsilia, plants remotely allied to ferns.
MACROSPORE Mac"ro*spore, n. Etym: [Macro- + spore.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of the specially large spores of certain flowerless plants, as Selaginella, etc.
MACROSPORIC Mac`ro*spor"ic, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to macrospores.
MACROTONE Mac"ro*tone, n. Etym: [Gr. Macro-, and Tone.] (Pron.)
Defn: Same as Macron.
MACROTOUS Ma*cro"tous, a. Etym: [Macro- + Gr. o"y^s, gen. 'wto`s, the ear.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Large-eared.
MACROURA; MACROURAL Ma*crou"ra, n. pl., Ma*crou"ral (, a., etc. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Macrura, Macrural, etc.
MACROZOOSPORE; MACROZOOESPORE Mac`ro*zo"ö*spore, n. Etym: [Macro- + zoöspore.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large motile spore having four vibratile cilia; -- found in certain green algæ.
MACRURA Ma*cru"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A subdivision of decapod Crustacea, having the abdomen largely developed. It includes the lobster, prawn, shrimp, and many similar forms. Cf. Decapoda.
MACRURAL Ma*cru"ral, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Macrurous.
MACRURAN Ma*cru"ran, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Macrura.
MACRUROID Ma*cru"roid, a. Etym: [Macrura + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the Macrura.
MACRUROUS Ma*cru"rous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Macrura; having a long tail.
MACTATION Mac*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. mactatio, fr. macture to slay, sacrifice.]
Defn: The act of killing a victim for sacrifice. [Obs.]
MACTRA Mac"tra, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any marine bivalve shell of the genus Mactra, and allied genera. Many species are known. Some of them are used as food, as Mactra stultorum, of Europe. See Surf clam, under Surf.
MACULA Mac"u*la, n.; pl. Maculæ. Etym: [L., spot, stain, blot. See Mail armor, and cf. Mackle, Macule.]
1. A spot, as on the skin, or on the surface of the sun or of some other luminous orb.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A rather large spot or blotch of color.
MACULATE Mac"u*late, v. t. Etym: [L. maculatus, p. p. of maculare to spot. See Macula, and cf. Macule, v.]
Defn: To spot; to stain; to blur. Maculate the honor of their people. Sir T. Elyot.
MACULATE Mac"u*late, a. Etym: [L. maculatus, p. p.]
Defn: Marked with spots or maculæ; blotched; hence, defiled; impure; as, most maculate thoughts. Shak.
MACULATED Mac"u*la`ted, a.
Defn: Having spots or blotches; maculate.
MACULATION Mac"u*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. maculatio.]
Defn: The act of spotting; a spot; a blemish. Shak.
MACULATORY Mac"u*la*to*ry, a.
Defn: Causing a spot or stain. T. Adams.
MACULATURE Mac"u*la*ture, n
Defn: , Blotting paper. [Obs.]
MACULE Mac"ule, n. Etym: [F. macule. See Macula.]
1. A spot. [Obs.]
2. (Print.)
Defn: A blur, or an appearance of a double impression, as when the paper slips a little; a mackle.
MACULE Mac"ule, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. maculer. See Maculate,v.]
Defn: To blur; especially (Print.), to blur or double an impression from type. See Mackle.
MACULOSE Mac"u*lose`, a. Etym: [L. maculosus.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to spots upon a surface; spotted; maculate.
MAD Mad, obs. p. p.
Defn: of Made. Chaucer.
MAD Mad, a. [Compar. Madder; superl. Maddest.] Etym: [AS. gem, gemad, mad; akin to OS. gem foolish, OHG. gameit, Icel. mei to hurt, Goth. gamáids weak, broken.
1. Disordered in intellect; crazy; insane. I have heard my grandsire say full oft, Extremity of griefs would make men mad. Shak.
2. Excited beyond self-control or the restraint of reason; inflamed by violent or uncontrollable desire, passion, or appetite; as, to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred; mad against political reform. It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Jer. 1. 88. And being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Acts xxvi. 11.
3. Proceeding from, or indicating, madness; expressing distraction; prompted by infatuation, fury, or extreme rashness. "Mad demeanor." Milton. Mad wars destroy in one year the works of many years of peace. Franklin. The mad promise of Cleon was fulfilled. Jowett (Thucyd.).
4. Extravagant; immoderate. "Be mad and merry." Shak. "Fetching mad bounds." Shak.
5. Furious with rage, terror, or disease; -- said of the lower animals; as, a mad bull; esp., having hydrophobia; rabid; as, a mad dog.
6. Angry; out of patience; vexed; as, to get mad at a person. [Colloq.]
7. Having impaired polarity; -- applied to a compass needle. [Colloq.] Like mad, like a mad person; in a furious manner; as, to run like mad. L'Estrange. -- To run mad. (a) To become wild with excitement. (b) To run wildly about under the influence of hydrophobia; to become affected with hydrophobia. -- To run mad after, to pursue under the influence of infatuation or immoderate desire. "The world is running mad after farce." Dryden.
MAD Mad, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Madded; p. pr. & vb. n. Madding.]
Defn: To make mad or furious; to madden. Had I but seen thy picture in this plight, It would have madded me. Shak.
MAD Mad, v. i.
Defn: To be mad; to go mad; to rave. See Madding. [Archaic] Chaucer. Festus said with great voice, Paul thou maddest. Wyclif (Acts).
MAD Mad, n. Etym: [AS. ma; akin to D. & G. made, Goth. mapa, and prob. to E. moth.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An earthworm. [Written also made.]
MADAM Mad"am, n.; pl. Madams, or Mesdames. Etym: [See Madame.]
Defn: A gentlewoman; -- an appellation or courteous form of address given to a lady, especially an elderly or a married lady; -- much used in the address, at the beginning of a letter, to a woman. The corresponding word in addressing a man is Sir.
MADAME Ma`dame", n.; pl. Mesdames. Etym: [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) + dame dame. See Dame, and cf. Madonna.]
Defn: My lady; -- a French title formerly given to ladies of quality; now, in France, given to all married women. Chaucer.
MAD-APPLE Mad"-ap`ple, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Eggplant.
MADBRAIN Mad"brain`, a.
Defn: Hot-headed; rash. Shak. -- n.
Defn: A rash or hot-headed person.
MADBRAINED Mad"brained`, a.
Defn: Disordered in mind; hot-headed. Shak.
MADCAP Mad"cap`, a.
1. Inclined to wild sports; delighting in rash, absurd, or dangerous amusements. "The merry madcap
Defn: lord." Shak.
2. Wild; reckless. "Madcap follies" Beau. & Fl.
MADCAP Mad"cap`, n.
Defn: A person of wild behavior; an excitable, rash, violent person. Shak.
MADDEN Mad"den, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maddened; p. pr. & vb. n. Maddening.]
Defn: To make mad; to drive to madness; to craze; to excite violently with passion; to make very angry; to enrage.
MADDEN Mad"den, v. i.
Defn: To become mad; to act as if mad. They rave, recite, and madden round the land. Pope.
MADDER Mad"der, n. Etym: [OE. mader, AS. mædere; akin to Icel. ma.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the Rubia (R. tinctorum). The root is much used in dyeing red, and formerly was used in medicine. It is cultivated in France and Holland. See Rubiaceous.
Note: Madder is sometimes used in forming pigments, as lakes, etc., which receive their names from their colors; as. madder yellow. Field madder, an annual European weed (Sherardia arvensis) resembling madder. -- Indian madder , the East Indian Rubia cordifolia, used in the East for dyeing; -- called also munjeet. -- Wild madder, Rubia peregrina of Europe; also the Galium Mollugo, a kind of bedstraw.
MADDERWORT Mad"der*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A name proposed for any plant of the same natural order (Rubiaceæ) as the madder.
MADDING Mad"ding, a.
Defn: Affected with madness; raging; furious. -- Mad"ding*ly, adv. [Archaic] Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife. Gray. The madding wheels Of brazen chariots raged. Milton.
MADDISH Mad"dish, a.
Defn: Somewhat mad. Beau. & Fl.
MADE Made, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mad, n.
MADE Made, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Make.
MADE Made, a.
Defn: Artificially produced; pieced together; formed by filling in; as, made ground; a made mast, in distinction from one consisting of a single spar. Made up. (a) Complete; perfect. "A made up villain." Shak. (b) Falsely devised; fabricated; as, a made up story. (c) Artificial; as, a made up figure or complexion.
MADECASS; MADECASSEE Mad"e*cass, Mad`e*cas"see, n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Madagascar, or Madecassee; the language of the natives of Madagascar. See Malagasy.
MADECASSEE Mad`e*cas"see, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Madagascar or its inhabitants.
MADEFACTION; MADEFICATION Mad`e*fac"tion, Mad`e*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. madefacere to make wet; madere to be wet + facere to make: cf. F. madéfaction.]
Defn: The act of madefying, or making wet; the state of that which is made wet. [R.] Bacon.
MADEFY Mad"e*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Madefied; p. pr. & vb. n. Madefying.] Etym: [Cf. F. madéfier, L. madefacere. See Madefaction.]
Defn: To make wet or moist. [R.]
MADEGASSY Mad`e*gas"sy, n. & a.
Defn: See Madecassee.
MADEIRA Ma*dei"ra, n. Etym: [Pg., the Island Madeira, properly, wood, fr. L. materia stuff, wood. The island was so called because well wooded. See Matter.]
Defn: A rich wine made on the Island of Madeira. A cup of Madeira, and a cold capon's leg. Shak. Madeira nut (Bot.), the European walnut; the nut of the Juglans regia.
MADEIRA VINE Ma*dei"ra vine. (Bot.)
Defn: A herbaceous climbing vine (Boussingaultia baselloides) very popular in cultivation, having shining entire leaves and racemes of small fragrant white flowers.
MADEIRA WOOD Madeira wood. (Bot.) (a) The mahogany tree (Swietenia Mahogoni). (b) A West Indian leguminous tree (Lysiloma Latisiliqua) the wood of which is used for boat trimming.
MADEMOISELLE Ma`de*moi`selle", n.; pl. Mesdemoiselles. Etym: [F., fr. ma my, f. of mon + demoiselle young lady. See Damsel.]
1. A French title of courtesy given to a girl or an unmarried lady, equivalent to the English Miss. Goldsmith.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A marine food fish (Sciæna chrysura), of the Southern United States; -- called also yellowtail, and silver perch.
MADGE Madge, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. & Prov. F. machette.] (Zoöl.) (a) The barn owl. (b) The magpie.
MAD-HEADED Mad"-head`ed, a.
Defn: Wild; crack-brained.
MADHOUSE Mad"house`, n.
Defn: A house where insane persons are confined; an insane asylum; a bedlam.
MADIA Ma"di*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Sp. madi, fr. Chilian madi, the native name.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of composite plants, of which one species (Madia sativa) is cultivated for the oil yielded from its seeds by pressure. This oil is sometimes used instead of olive oil for the table.
MADID Mad"id, a. Etym: [L. madidus, fr. madere to be wet.]
Defn: Wet; moist; as, a madid eye. [R.] Beaconsfield.
MADISTERIUM Mad`is*te"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument to extract hairs.
MADJOUN Mad"joun, n. Etym: [Hind., fr. Ar. ma'j.]
Defn: An intoxicating confection from the hemp plant; -- used by the Turks and Hindoos. [Written also majoun.]
MADLY Mad"ly, adv. Etym: [From Mad, a.]
Defn: In a mad manner; without reason or understanding; wildly.
MADMAN Mad"man, n.; pl. Madmen (.
Defn: A man who is mad; lunatic; a crazy person. When a man mistakes his thoughts for person and things, he is mad. A madman is properly so defined. Coleridge.
MADNEP Mad"nep, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium).
MADNESS Mad"ness, n. Etym: [From Mad, a.]
1. The condition of being mad; insanity; lunacy.
2. Frenzy; ungovernable rage; extreme folly.
Syn. -- Insanity; distraction; derangement; craziness; lunacy; mania; frenzy; franticness; rage; aberration; alienation; monomania. See Insanity.
MADONNA Ma*don"na, n. Etym: [It. madonna my lady. See Dame, Donna, and cf. Madame, Monkey.]
1. My lady; -- a term of address in Italian formerly used as the equivalent of Madame, but for which Signora is now substituted. Sometimes introduced into English. Shak.
2. [pl. Madonnas (naz).]
Defn: A picture of the Virgin Mary (usually with the babe). The Italian painters are noted for drawing the Madonnas by their own wives or mistresses. Rymer.
MADOQUA Ma"do*qua, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small Abyssinian antelope (Neotragus Saltiana), about the size of a hare.
MADRAGUE Ma`drague", n. Etym: [R.]
Defn: A large fish pound used for the capture of the tunny in the Mediterranean; also applied to the seines used for the same purpose.
MADRAS Ma*dras", n. [So named after Madras, a city and presidency of India.]
Defn: A large silk-and-cotton kerchief, usually of bright colors, such as those often used by negroes for turbans.
A black woman in blue cotton gown, red-and-yellow madras turban . . . crouched against the wall. G. W. Cable.
MADREPERL Ma"dre*perl, n. Etym: [It. madreperla.]
Defn: Mother-of-pearl.
MADREPORA Mad`re*po"ra, n. Etym: [NL. See Madre.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of reef corals abundant in tropical seas. It includes than one hundred and fifty species, most of which are elegantly branched. -- Mad`re*po"ral, a.
MADREPORARIA Mad`re*po*ra"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Madrepore.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive division of Anthozoa, including most of the species that produce stony corals. See Illust. of Anthozoa. -- Mad`re*po*ra"ri*an, a. & n.
MADREPORE Mad"re*pore, n. Etym: [F. madrepore, perh. fr. madré spotted, fr. OF. madre, mazre, a kind of knotty wood with brown spots, fr. OHG. masar a knot, grain, or vein in wood, a speck, G. maser + pore (see Pore); or perh. F. madrépore is rather from It. madrepora, and this perh. fr. It. madre mother (see Mother) + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any coral of the genus Madrepora; formerly, often applied to any stony coral.
MADREPORIAN; MADREPORIC Mad`re*po"ri*an, Mad`re*po"ric, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling, or pertaining to, the genus Madrepora. Madreporic plate (Zoöl.), a perforated plate in echinoderms, through which water is admitted to the ambulacral tubes; -- called also madreporic tubercule.
MADREPORIFORM Mad`re*po"ri*form, a. Etym: [Madrepore + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling a madreporian coral in form or structure.
MADREPORITE Mad"re*po*rite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. madréporite]
1. (Paleon.)
Defn: A fossil coral.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The madreporic plate of echinoderms.
MADRIER Ma*drier", n. Etym: [F., from Sp. madero, or Pg. madeiro, fr. Sp. madera wood for building, timber, Pg. madeira, L. materia stuff, materials, lumber. See Matter.]
Defn: A thick plank, used for several mechanical purposes; especially: (a) A plank to receive the mouth of a petard, with which it is applied to anything intended to be broken down. (b) A plank or beam used for supporting the earth in mines or fortifications.
MADRIGAL Mad"ri*gal, n. Etym: [It. madrigale, OIt. madriale, mandriale (cf. LL. matriale); of uncertain origin, possibly fr. It mandra flock, L. mandra stall, herd of cattle, Gr. madrigal, originally, a pastoral song.]
1. A little amorous poem, sometimes called a pastoral poem, containing some tender and delicate, though simple, thought. Whose artful strains have oft delayed The huddling brook to hear his madrigal. Milton.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: An unaccompanied polyphonic song, in four, five, or more parts, set to secular words, but full of counterpoint and imitation, and adhering to the old church modes. Unlike the freer glee, it is best sung with several voices on a part. See Glee.
MADRIGALER Mad"ri*gal*er, n.
Defn: A madrigalist.
MADRIGALIST Mad"ri*gal*ist, n.
Defn: A composer of madrigals.
MADRILENIAN Mad`ri*le"ni*an, a. Etym: [Sp. Madrileno.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Madrid in Spain, or to its inhabitants. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Madrid.
MADRINA Ma*dri"na, n. Etym: [Sp., prop., a godmother.]
Defn: An animal (usually an old mare), wearing a bell and acting as the leader of a troop of pack mules. [S. America]
MADRO Ma*dro"ña, n. [Sp. madroño.] (Bot.)
Defn: A small evergreen tree or shrub (Arbutus Menziesii), of California, having a smooth bark, thick shining leaves, and edible red berries, which are often called madroña apples. [Written also madroño.]
MADRONA; MADRONYA Ma*dro"ña, n. Etym: [Sp. madroño.] (Bot.)
Defn: A small evergreen tree or shrub (Arbutus Menziesii), of California, having a smooth bark, thick shining leaves, and edible red berries, which are often called madroña apples. [Written also madroño.]
MADWORT Mad"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of cruciferous plants (Alyssum) with white or yellow flowers and rounded pods. A. maritimum is the commonly cultivated sweet alyssum, a fragrant white-flowered annual.
MAEGBOTE; MAGBOTE Mæg"bote`, Mag"bote`, n. Etym: [AS. mæg kinsman + bot compensation.] (Anglo-Saxon Law)
Defn: Compensation for the injury done by slaying a kinsman. Spelman.
MAELSTROM Mael"strom, n. Etym: [Norw., a whirlpool.]
1. A celebrated whirlpool on the coast of Norway.
2. Also Fig. ; as, a maelstrom of vice.
MAENAD Mæ"nad, n. Etym: [L. Maenas, -adis, Gr.
1. A Bacchante; a priestess or votary of Bacchus.
2. A frantic or frenzied woman.
MAESTOSO Ma`es*to"so, a. & adv. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Majestic or majestically; -- a direction to perform a passage or piece of music in a dignified manner.
MAESTRICHT MONITOR Maes"tricht mon"i*tor. Etym: [So called from Maestricht, a town in Holland.] (Paleon.)
Defn: The Mosasaurus Hofmanni. See Mosasaurus.
MAESTRO Ma*es"tro, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. magister. See Master.]
Defn: A master in any art, especially in music; a composer.
MAFFIA; MAFIA Maf"fi*a, Ma"fi*a, n. [It. maffia.]
Defn: A secret society which organized in Sicily as a political organization, but is now widespread among Italians, and is used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by illegal methods.
MAFFIOSO; MAFIOSO Maf`fi*o"so, Ma`fi*o"so, n.; pl. -si (#). [It. maffioso.]
Defn: A member of the maffia.
MAFFLE Maf"fle, v. i. Etym: [Akin to OD. maffelen to stammer. Cf. Muffle to mumble.]
Defn: To stammer. [Obs.]
MAFFLER Maf"fler, n.
Defn: A stammerer. [Obs.]
MAGAZINE Mag`a*zine", n. Etym: [F. magasin, It. magazzino, or Sp. magacen, almagacen; all fr. Ar. makhzan, almakhzan, a storehouse, granary, or cellar.]
1. A receptacle in which anything is stored, especially military stores, as ammunition, arms, provisions, etc. "Armories and magazines." Milton.
2. The building or room in which the supply of powder is kept in a fortification or a ship.
3. A chamber in a gun for holding a number of cartridges to be fed automatically to the piece.
4. A pamphlet published periodically containing miscellaneous papers or compositions. Magazine dress, clothing made chiefly of woolen, without anything metallic about it, to be worn in a powder magazine. -- Magazine gun, a portable firearm, as a rifle, with a chamber carrying cartridges which are brought automatically into position for firing. -- Magazine stove, a stove having a chamber for holding fuel which is supplied to the fire by some self-feeding process, as in the common base-burner.
MAGAZINE Mag`a*zine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Magazined; p. pr. & vb. n. Magazining.]
Defn: To store in, or as in, a magazine; to store up for use.
MAGAZINE CAMERA Magazine camera. (Photog.)
Defn: A camera in which a number of plates can be exposed without reloading.
MAGAZINER Mag`a*zin"er, n.
Defn: One who edits or writes for a magazine. [R.] Goldsmith.
MAGAZINING Mag`a*zin"ing, n.
Defn: The act of editing, or writing for, a magazine. [Colloq.] Byron.
MAGAZINIST Mag`a*zin"ist, n.
Defn: One who edits or writes for a magazine. [R.]
MAGBOTE Mag"bote`, n.
Defn: See Mægbote.
MAGDALA Mag"da*la, a.
Defn: Designating an orange-red dyestuff obtained from naphthylamine, and called magdala red, naphthalene red, etc.
MAGDALEN Mag"da*len, n. Etym: [From Mary Magdalene, traditionally reported to have been the repentant sinner forgiven by Christ. See Luke vii. 36.]
Defn: A reformed prostitute.
MAGDALEON Mag*da"le*on, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A medicine in the form of a roll, a esp. a roll of plaster.
MAGDEBURG Mag"de*burg, n.
Defn: A city of Saxony. Magdeburg centuries, Magdeburg hemispheres. See under Century, and Hemisphere.
MAGE Mage, n. Etym: [F. mage. See Magi.]
Defn: A magician. [Archaic] Spenser. Tennyson.
MAGELLANIC Mag`el*lan"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or named from, Magellan, the navigator. Magellenic clouds (Astron.), three conspicuous nebulæ near the south pole, resembling thin white clouds.
MAGENTA Ma*gen"ta, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An aniline dye obtained as an amorphous substance having a green bronze surface color, which dissolves to a shade of red; also, the color; -- so called from Magenta, in Italy, in allusion to the battle fought there about the time the dye was discovered. Called also fuchsine, roseïne, etc.
MAGGED Magged, a. (Naut.)
Defn: Worn; fretted; as, a magged brace. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
MAGGIORE Mag`gio"re, a. Etym: [It., from L. major, compar. of magnus great. See Major.] (Mus.)
Defn: Greater, in respect to scales, intervals, etc., when used in opposition to minor; major. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
MAGGOT Mag"got, n. Etym: [W. macai, pl. maceiod, magiod, a worn or grub; cf. magu to bread.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The footless larva of any fly. See Larval.
2. A whim; an odd fancy. Hudibras. Tennyson.
MAGGOTINESS Mag"got*i*ness, n.
Defn: State of being maggoty.
MAGGOTISH Mag"got*ish, a.
Defn: Full of whims or fancies; maggoty.
MAGGOT-PIE Mag"got-pie`, n.
Defn: A magpie. [Obs.] Shak.
MAGGOTY Mag"got*y, a.
1. Infested with maggots.
2. Full of whims; capricious. Norris.
MAGHET Ma"ghet, n. Etym: [Cf. Fl. maghet maid.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name for daisies and camomiles of several kinds.
MAGI Ma"gi, n. pl. Etym: [L., pl. of Magus, Gr. Mage, Magic.]
Defn: A caste of priests, philosophers, and magicians, among the ancient Persians; hence, any holy men or sages of the East. The inspired Magi from the Orient came. Sandys.
MAGIAN Ma"gi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Magi.
MAGIAN Ma"gi*an, n.
Defn: One of the Magi, or priests of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia; an adherent of the Zoroastrian religion. -- Ma"gi*an*ism, n.
MAGIC Mag"ic, n. Etym: [OE. magique, L. magice, Gr. Magic, a., and Magi.]
Defn: A comprehensive name for all of the pretended arts which claim to produce effects by the assistance of supernatural beings, or departed spirits, or by a mastery of secret forces in nature attained by a study of occult science, including enchantment, conjuration, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, incantation, etc. An appearance made by some magic. Chaucer. Celestial magic, a supposed supernatural power which gave to spirits a kind of dominion over the planets, and to the planets an influence over men. -- Natural magic, the art of employing the powers of nature to produce effects apparently supernatural. -- Superstitious, or Geotic, magic, the invocation of devils or demons, involving the supposition of some tacit or express agreement between them and human beings.
Syn. -- Sorcery; witchcraft; necromancy; conjuration; enchantment.
MAGIC; MAGICAL Mag"ic, Mag"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. magicus, Gr. magique. See Magi.]
1. Pertaining to the hidden wisdom supposed to be possessed by the Magi; relating to the occult powers of nature, and the producing of effects by their agency.
2. Performed by, or proceeding from, occult and superhuman agencies; done by, or seemingly done by, enchantment or sorcery. Hence: Seemingly requiring more than human power; imposing or startling in performance; producing effects which seem supernatural or very extraordinary; having extraordinary properties; as, a magic lantern; a magic square or circle. The painter's magic skill. Cowper.
Note: Although with certain words magic is used more than magical, -- as, magic circle, magic square, magic wand, -- we may in general say magic or magical; as, a magic or magical effect; a magic or magical influence, etc. But when the adjective is predicative, magical, and not magic, is used; as, the effect was magical. Magic circle, a series of concentric circles containing the numbers 12 to 75 in eight radii, and having somewhat similar properties to the magic square. -- Magic humming bird (Zoöl.), a Mexican humming bird (Iache magica) , having white downy thing tufts. -- Magic lantern. See Lantern. -- Magic square, numbers so disposed in parallel and equal rows in the form of a square, that each row, taken vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, shall give the same sum, the same product, or an harmonical series, according as the numbers taken are in arithmetical, geometrical, or harmonical progression. -- Magic wand, a wand used by a magician in performing feats of magic.
MAGICALLY Mag"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a magical manner; by magic, or as if by magic.
MAGICIAN Ma*gi"cian, n. Etym: [F. magicien. See Magic, n.]
Defn: One skilled in magic; one who practices the black art; an enchanter; a necromancer; a sorcerer or sorceress; a conjurer.
MAGILP; MAGILPH Ma*gilp", Ma*gilph", n. (Paint.)
Defn: See Megilp.
MAGISTER Ma*gis"ter, n. Etym: [L. See Master.]
Defn: Master; sir; -- a title of the Middle Ages, given to a person in authority, or to one having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts.
MAGISTERIAL Mag`is*te"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. magisterius magisterial. See Master.]
1. Of or pertaining to a master or magistrate, or one in authority; having the manner of a magister; official; commanding; authoritative. Hence: Overbearing; dictatorial; dogmatic. When magisterial duties from his home Her father called. Glover. We are not magisterial in opinions, nor, dictator-like, obtrude our notions on any man. Sir T. Browne. Pretenses go a great way with men that take fair words and magisterial looks for current payment. L'Estrange.
2. (Alchem. & Old Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, produced by, or of the nature of, magistery. See Magistery, 2.
Syn. -- Authoritative; stately; august; pompous; dignified; lofty; commanding; imperious; lordly; proud; haughty; domineering; despotic; dogmatical; arrogant. -- Magisterial, Dogmatical, Arrogant. One who is magisterial assumes the air of a master toward his pupils; one who is dogmatical lays down his positions in a tone of authority or dictation; one who is arrogant in sults others by an undue assumption of superiority. Those who have long been teachers sometimes acquire, unconsciously, a manner which borders too much on the magisterial, and may be unjustly construed as dogmatical, or even arrogant.
MAGISTERIALITY Mag`is*te`ri*al"i*ty, n.
Defn: Magisterialness; authoritativeness. [R.] Fuller.
MAGISTERIALLY Mag`is*te"ri*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a magisterial manner.
MAGISTERIALNESS Mag`is*te"ri*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being magisterial.
MAGISTERY Mag"is*ter*y, n. Etym: [L. magisterium the office of a chief, president, director, tutor. See Magistrate.]
1. Mastery; powerful medical influence; renowned efficacy; a sovereign remedy. [Obs.] Holland.
2. A magisterial injunction. [R.] Brougham.
3. (Chem.)
Defn: A precipitate; a fine substance deposited by precipitation; -- applied in old chemistry to certain white precipitates from metallic solutions; as, magistery of bismuth. Ure.
MAGISTRACY Mag"is*tra*cy, n.; pl. Magistracies. Etym: [From Magistrate.]
1. The office or dignity of a magistrate. Blackstone.
2. The collective body of magistrates.
MAGISTRAL Mag"is*tral, a. Etym: [L. magistralis: cf. F. magistral. See Magistrate.]
1. Pertaining to a master; magisterial; authoritative; dogmatic.
2. Commanded or prescribed by a magister, esp. by a doctor; hence, effectual; sovereign; as, a magistral sirup. "Some magistral opiate." Bacon.
3. (Pharmacy)
Defn: Formulated extemporaneously, or for a special case; -- opposed to officinal, and said of prescriptions and medicines. Dunglison. Magistral line (Fort.), the guiding line, or outline, or outline, by which the form of the work is determined. It is usually the crest line of the parapet in fieldworks, or the top line of the escarp in permanent fortifications.
MAGISTRAL Mag"is*tral, n.
1. (Med.)
Defn: A sovereign medicine or remedy. [Obs.] Burton.
2. (Fort.)
Defn: A magistral line.
3. (Metal.)
Defn: Powdered copper pyrites used in the amalgamation of ores of silver, as at the Spanish mines of Mexico and South America.
MAGISTRALITY Mag`is*tral"i*ty, n.; pl. -ties (.
Defn: Magisterialness; arbitrary dogmatism. Bacon.
MAGISTRALLY Mag"is*tral*ly, adv.
Defn: In a magistral manner. Abp. Bramhall.
MAGISTRATE Mag"is*trate, n. Etym: [L. magistratus, fr. magister master: cf. F. magistrat. See Master.]
Defn: A person clothed with power as a public civil officer; a public civil officer invested with the executive government, or some branch of it. "All Christian rulers and magistrates." Book of Com. Prayer. Of magistrates some also are supreme, in whom the sovereign power of the state resides; others are subordinate. Blackstone.
MAGISTRATIC; MAGISTRATICAL Mag`is*trat"ic, Mag`is*trat"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or proceeding from, a magistrate; having the authority of a magistrate. Jer. Taylor.
MAGISTRATURE Mag"is*tra`ture, n. Etym: [Cf. F. magistrature.]
Defn: Magistracy. [Obs.]
MAGMA Mag"ma, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. Any crude mixture of mineral or organic matters in the state of a thin paste. Ure.
2. (Med.) (a) A thick residuum obtained from certain substances after the fluid parts are expressed from them; the grounds which remain after treating a substance with any menstruum, as water or alcohol. (b) A salve or confection of thick consistency. Dunglison.
3. (Geol.) (a) The molten matter within the earth, the source of the material of lava flows, dikes of eruptive rocks, etc. (b) The glassy base of an eruptive rock.
4. (Chem.)
Defn: The amorphous or homogenous matrix or ground mass, as distinguished from well-defined crystals; as, the magma of porphyry.
MAGNA CHARTA Mag"na Char"ta. Etym: [L., great charter.]
1. The great Charter, so called, obtained by the English barons from King John, A. D. 1215. This name is also given to the charter granted to the people of England in the ninth year of Henry III., and confirmed by Edward I.
2. Hence, a fundamental constitution which guaranties rights and privileges.
MAGNALITY Mag*nal"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. magnalis mighty, fr. magnus great.]
Defn: A great act or event; a great attainment. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MAGNANIMITY Mag`na*nim"i*ty, n. Etym: [F. magnanimité, L. magnanimitas.]
Defn: The quality of being magnanimous; greatness of mind; elevation or dignity of soul; that quality or combination of qualities, in character, which enables one to encounter danger and trouble with tranquility and firmness, to disdain injustice, meanness and revenge, and to act and sacrifice for noble objects.
MAGNANIMOUS Mag*nan"i*mous, a.Etym: [L. magnanimus; magnus great + animus mind. See Magnate, and Animus.]
1. Great of mind; elevated in soul or in sentiment; raised above what is low, mean, or ungenerous; of lofty and courageous spirit; as, a magnanimous character; a magnanimous conqueror. Be magnanimous in the enterprise. Shak. To give a kingdom hath been thought Greater and nobler done, and to law down Far more magnanimousan to assume. Milton.
2. Dictated by or exhibiting nobleness of soul; honorable; noble; not selfish. Both strived for death; magnanimous debate. Stirling. There is an indissoluble union between a magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity. Washington.
MAGNANIMOUSLY Mag*nan"i*mous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a magnanimous manner; with greatness of mind.
MAGNASE BLACK Mag"nase black`. (Paint.)
Defn: A black pigment which dries rapidly when mixed with oil, and is of intense body. Fairholt.
MAGNATE Mag"nate, Etym: [F. magnat, L. (pl.) magnates, magnati, fr. magnus great. See Master.]
1. A person of rank; a noble or grandee; a person of influence or distinction in any sphere. Macaulay.
2. One of the nobility, or certain high officers of state belonging to the noble estate in the national representation of Hungary, and formerly of Poland.
MAGNES Mag"nes, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Magnet. [Obs.] Spenser.
MAGNESIA Mag*ne"si*a, n. Etym: [L. Magnesia, fem. of Magnesius of the country Magnesia, Gr. Magnet.] (Chem.)
Defn: A light earthy white substance, consisting of magnesium oxide, and obtained by heating magnesium hydrate or carbonate, or by burning magnesium. It has a slightly alkaline reaction, and is used in medicine as a mild antacid laxative. See Magnesium. Magnesia alba Etym: [L.] (Med. Chem.), a bulky white amorphous substance, consisting of a hydrous basic carbonate of magnesium, and used as a mild cathartic.
MAGNESIAN Mag*ne"sian, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, characterized by, or containing, magnesia or magnesium. Magnesian limestone. (Min.) See Dolomite.
MAGNESIC Mag*ne"sic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, magnesium; as, magnesic oxide.
MAGNESITE Mag"ne*site, n. Etym: [Cf. F. magnésite.] (Min.)
Defn: Native magnesium carbonate occurring in white compact or granular masses, and also in rhombohedral crystals.
MAGNESIUM Mag*ne"si*um, n. Etym: [NL. & F. See Magnesia.] (Chem.)
Defn: A light silver-white metallic element, malleable and ductile, quite permanent in dry air but tarnishing in moist air. It burns, forming (the oxide) magnesia, with the production of a blinding light (the so-called magnesium light) which is used in signaling, in pyrotechny, or in photography where a strong actinic illuminant is required. Its compounds occur abundantly, as in dolomite, talc, meerschaum, etc. Symbol Mg. Atomic weight, 24.4. Specific gravity, 1.75. Magnesium sulphate. (Chem.) Same as Epsom salts.
MAGNET Mag"net, n. Etym: [OE. magnete, OF. magnete, L. magnes, -etis, Gr. Magnesia, Manganese.]
1. The loadstone; a species of iron ore (the ferrosoferric or magnetic ore, Fe3O4) which has the property of attracting iron and some of its ores, and, when freely suspended, of pointing to the poles; -- called also natural magnet. Dinocrates began to make the arched roof of the temple of Arsinoë all of magnet, or this loadstone. Holland. Two magnets, heaven and earth, allure to bliss, The larger loadstone that, the nearer this. Dryden.
2. (Physics)
Defn: A bar or mass of steel or iron to which the peculiar properties of the loadstone have been imparted; -- called, in distinction from the loadstone, an artificial magnet.
Note: An artificial magnet, produced by the action of a voltaic or electrical battery, is called an electro-magnet. Field magnet (Physics & Elec.), a magnet used for producing and maintaining a magnetic field; -- used especially of the stationary or exciting magnet of a dynamo or electromotor in distinction from that of the moving portion or armature.
MAGNETIC; MAGNETICAL Mag*net"ic, Mag*net"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. magneticus: cf. F. magnétique.]
1. Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic bar of iron; a magnetic needle.
2. Of or pertaining to, or characterized by,, the earth's magnetism; as, the magnetic north; the magnetic meridian.
3. Capable of becoming a magnet; susceptible to magnetism; as, the magnetic metals.
4. Endowed with extraordinary personal power to excite the feelings and to win the affections; attractive; inducing attachment. She that had all magnetic force alone. Donne.
5. Having, susceptible to, or induced by, animal magnetism, so called; as, a magnetic sleep. See Magnetism. Magnetic amplitude, attraction, dip, induction, etc. See under Amplitude, Attraction, etc. -- Magnetic battery, a combination of bar or horseshoe magnets with the like poles adjacent, so as to act together with great power. -- Magnetic compensator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle. -- Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet. -- Magnetic elements. (a) (Chem. Physics) Those elements, as iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, etc., which are capable or becoming magnetic. (b) (Physics) In respect to terrestrial magnetism, the declination, inclination, and intensity. (c) See under Element. -- Magnetic equator, the line around the equatorial parts of the earth at which there is no dip, the dipping needle being horizontal. -- Magnetic field, or Field of magnetic force, any space through which magnet exerts its influence. -- Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism. -- Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite. -- Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a delicate fiber, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a compass, such as the mariner's and the surveyor's. -- Magnetic poles, the two points in the opposite polar regions of the earth at which the direction of the dipping needle is vertical. -- Magnetic pyrites. See Pyrrhotite. -- Magnetic storm (Terrestrial Physics), a disturbance of the earth's magnetic force characterized by great and sudden changes. -- Magnetic telegraph, a telegraph acting by means of a magnet. See Telegraph.
MAGNETIC Mag*net"ic, n.
1. A magnet. [Obs.] As the magnetic hardest iron draws. Milton.
2. Any metal, as iron, nickel, cobalt, etc., which may receive, by any means, the properties of the loadstone, and which then, when suspended, fixes itself in the direction of a magnetic meridian.
MAGNETICALLY Mag*net"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: By or as by, magnetism.
MAGNETICALNESS Mag*net"ic*al*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being magnetic.
MAGNETICIAN Mag`ne*ti"cian, n.
Defn: One versed in the science of magnetism; a magnetist.
MAGNETICNESS Mag*net"ic*ness, n.
Defn: Magneticalness. [Obs.]
MAGNETICS Mag*net"ics, n.
Defn: The science of magnetism.
MAGNETIFEROUS Mag`net*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. magnes, -etis + -ferous.]
Defn: Producing or conducting magnetism.
MAGNETISM Mag"net*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. magnétisme.]
Defn: The property, quality, or state, of being magnetic; the manifestation of the force in nature which is seen in a magnet.
2. The science which treats of magnetic phenomena.
3. Power of attraction; power to excite the feelings and to gain the affections. "By the magnetism of interest our affections are irresistibly attracted." Glanvill. Animal magnetism, a force, more or less analogous to magnetism, which, it has been alleged, is produced in animal tissues, and passes from one body to another with or without actual contact. The existence of such a force, and its potentiality for the cure of disease, were asserted by Mesmer in 1775. His theories and methods were afterwards called mesmerism, a name which has been popularly applied to theories and claims not put forward by Mesmer himself. See Mesmerism, Biology, Od, Hypnotism. -- Terrestrial magnetism, the magnetic force exerted by the earth, and recognized by its effect upon magnetized needles and bars.
MAGNETIST Mag"net*ist, n.
Defn: One versed in magnetism.
MAGNETITE Mag"net*ite, n. (Min.)
Defn: An oxide of iron (Fe3O4) occurring in isometric crystals, also massive, of a black color and metallic luster. It is readily attracted by a magnet and sometimes possesses polarity, being then called loadstone. It is an important iron ore. Called also magnetic iron.
MAGNETIZABLE Mag"net*i`za*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of magnetized.
MAGNETIZATION Mag`net*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of magnetizing, or the state of being magnetized.
MAGNETIZE Mag"net*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Magnetized; prep. & adv. Magnetizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. magnétiser.]
1. To communicate magnetic properties to; as, to magnetize a needle.
2. To attract as a magnet attracts, or like a magnet; to move; to influence. Fascinated, magnetized, as it were, by his character. Motley.
3. To bring under the influence of animal magnetism.
MAGNETIZEE Mag`net*i*zee", n.
Defn: A person subjected to the influence of animal magnetism. [R.]
MAGNETIZER Mag"net*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, imparts magnetism.
MAGNETO- Mag"net*o-. Etym: [See Magnet.]
Defn: A prefix meaning pertaining to, produced by, or in some way connected with, magnetism.
MAGNETO-ELECTRIC; MAGNETO-ELECTRICAL Mag`net*o-e*lec"tric, Mag`net*o-e*lec"tric*al, a. (Physics)
Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, electricity by the action of magnets; as, magneto-electric induction. Magneto-electric machine, a form of dynamo-electric machine in which the field is maintained by permanent steel magnets instead of electro-magnets.
MAGNETO-ELECTRICITY Mag`net*o-e`lec*tric"i*ty, n.
1. Electricity evolved by the action of magnets.
2. (Physics)
Defn: That branch of science which treats of the development of electricity by the action of magnets; -- the counterpart of electro- magnetism.
MAGNETOGRAPH Mag*net"o*graph, n. Etym: [Magneto- + -graph.] (Physics)
Defn: An automatic instrument for registering, by photography or otherwise, the states and variations of any of the terrestrial magnetic elements.
MAGNETOMETER Mag`net*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [Magneto- + -meter: cf. F. magnétomètre.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the intensity of magnetic forces; also, less frequently, an instrument for determining any of the terrestrial magnetic elements, as the dip and declination.
MAGNETOMETRIC Mag`net*o*met"ric, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or employed in, the measurement of magnetic forces; obtained by means of a magnetometer; as, magnetometric instruments; magnetometric measurements.
MAGNETOMOTIVE Mag`net*o*mo"tive, a. [Magneto-+ motive, a.] (Elec.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a force producing magnetic flux, analogous to electromotive force, and equal to the magnetic flux multiplied by the magnetic reluctance.
MAGNETOMOTOR Mag`net*o*mo"tor, n.
Defn: A voltaic series of two or more large plates, producing a great quantity of electricity of low tension, and hence adapted to the exhibition of electro-magnetic phenomena. [R.]
MAGNETOTHERAPY Mag`net*o*ther"a*py, n. (Med.)
Defn: The treatment of disease by the application of magnets to the surface of the body.
MAGNIFIABLE Mag"ni*fi`a*ble, a. Etym: [From Magnify.]
Defn: Such as can be magnified, or extolled.
MAGNIFIC; MAGNIFICAL Mag*nif"ic, Mag*nif"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. magnificus; magnus great + facere to make: cf. F. magnifique. See Magnitude, Fact. and cf. Magnificent.]
Defn: Grand; splendid; illustrious; magnificent. [Obs.] 1 Chron. xxii. 5. "Thy magnific deeds." Milton. -- Mag*nif"ic*al*ly, adv. [Obs.]
MAGNIFICAT Mag*nif"i*cat, n. Etym: [L., it magnifies.]
Defn: The song of the Virgin Mary, Luke i. 46; -- so called because it commences with this word in the Vulgate.
MAGNIFICATE Mag*nif"i*cate, v. t. Etym: [L. magnificatus, p. p. of magnificare.]
Defn: To magnify or extol. [Obs.] Marston.
MAGNIFICATION Mag`ni*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The act of magnifying; enlargement; exaggeration. [R.]
MAGNIFICENCE Mag*nif"i*cence, n. Etym: [F. magnificence, L. magnificentia. See Magnific.]
Defn: The act of doing what magnificent; the state or quality of being magnificent. Acts xix. 27. "Then cometh magnificence." Chaucer. And, for the heaven's wide circuit, let it speak The Maker's high magnificence, who built so spacious. Milton. The noblest monuments of Roman magnificence. Eustace.
MAGNIFICENT Mag*nif"i*cent, a. Etym: [See Magnificence.]
1. Doing grand things; admirable in action; displaying great power or opulence, especially in building, way of living, and munificence. A prince is never so magnificent As when he's sparing to enrich a few With the injuries of many. Massinger.
2. Grand in appearance; exhibiting grandeur or splendor; splendid' pompous. When Rome's exalted beauties I descry Magnificent in piles of ruin lie. Addison.
Syn. -- Glorious; majestic; sublime. See Grand.
MAGNIFICENTLY Mag*nif"i*cent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a Magnificent manner.
MAGNIFICO Mag*nif"i*co, n.; pl. Magnificoes. Etym: [It. See Magnific.]
1. A grandee or nobleman of Venice; -- so called in courtesy. Shak.
2. A rector of a German university.
MAGNIFIER Mag"ni*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, magnifies.
MAGNIFY Mag"ni*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Magnified; p. pr. & vb. n. Magnifying.] Etym: [OE. magnifien, F. magnifier, L. magnificare. See Magnific.]
1. To make great, or greater; to increase the dimensions of; to amplify; to enlarge, either in fact or in appearance; as, the microscope magnifies the object by a thousand diameters. The least error in a small quantity . . . will in a great one . . . be proportionately magnified. Grew.
2. To increase the importance of; to augment the esteem or respect in which one is held. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel. Joshua iv. 14.
3. To praise highly; to land; to extol. [Archaic] O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Ps. xxxiv. 3.
4. To exaggerate; as, to magnify a loss or a difficulty. To magnify one's self (Script.), to exhibit pride and haughtiness; to boast. -- To magnify one's self against (Script.), to oppose with pride.
MAGNIFY Mag"ni*fy, v. i.
1. To have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they really are; to increase the apparent dimensions of objects; as, some lenses magnify but little.
2. To have effect; to be of importance or significance. [Cant & Obs.] Spectator. Magnifying glass, a lens which magnifies the apparent dimensions of objects seen through it.
MAGNILOQUENCE Mag*nil"o*quence, n. Etym: [L. magniloquentia.]
Defn: The quality of being magniloquent; pompous discourse; grandiloquence.
MAGNILOQUENT Mag*nil"o*quent, a. Etym: [L. magnus great + loquens, -entis, p. pr. of loqui to speak. See Magnitude, Loquacious.]
Defn: Speaking pompously; using swelling discourse; bombastic; tumid in style; grandiloquent. -- Mag*nil"o*quent*ly, adv.
MAGNILOQUOUS Mag*nil"o*quous, a. Etym: [L. magniloquus.]
Defn: Magniloquent. [Obs.]
MAGNITUDE Mag"ni*tude, n. Etym: [L. magnitudo, from magnus great. See Master, and cf. Maxim.]
1. Extent of dimensions; size; -- applied to things that have length, breath, and thickness. Conceive those particles of bodies to be so disposed amongst themselves, that the intervals of empty spaces between them may be equal in magnitude to them all. Sir I. Newton.
2. (Geom.)
Defn: That which has one or more of the three dimensions, length, breadth, and thickness.
3. Anything of which greater or less can be predicated, as time, weight, force, and the like.
4. Greatness; grandeur. "With plain, heroic magnitude of mind." Milton.
5. Greatness, in reference to influence or effect; importance; as, an affair of magnitude. The magnitude of his designs. Bp. Horsley. Apparent magnitude (Opt.), the angular breadth of an object viewed as measured by the angle which it subtends at the eye of the observer; - - called also apparent diameter. -- Magnitude of a star (Astron.), the rank of a star with respect to brightness. About twenty very bright stars are said to be of first magnitude, the stars of the sixth magnitude being just visible to the naked eye. Telescopic stars are classified down to the twelfth magnitude or lower. The scale of the magnitudes is quite arbitrary, but by means of photometers, the classification has been made to tenths of a magnitude.
MAGNOLIA Mag*no"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named after Pierre Magnol, professor of botany at Montpellier, France, in the 17th century.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of American and Asiatic trees, with aromatic bark and large sweet-scented whitish or reddish flowers.
Note: Magnolia grandiflora has coriaceous shining leaves and very fragrant blossoms. It is common from North Carolina to Florida and Texas, and is one of the most magnificent trees of the American forest. The sweet bay (M. glauca)is a small tree found sparingly as far north as Cape Ann. Other American species are M. Umbrella, M. macrophylla, M. Fraseri, M. acuminata, and M. cordata. M. conspicua and M. purpurea are cultivated shrubs or trees from Eastern Asia. M. Campbellii, of India, has rose-colored or crimson flowers. Magnolia warbler (Zoöl.), a beautiful North American wood warbler (Dendroica maculosa). The rump and under parts are bright yellow; the breast and belly are spotted with black; the under tail coverts are white; the crown is ash.
MAGNOLIACEOUS Mag*no`li*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to a natural order (Magnoliaceæ) of trees of which the magnolia, the tulip tree, and the star anise are examples.
MAGNUM Mag"num, n. Etym: [Neut. sing. of L. magnus great.]
1. A large wine bottle. They passed the magnum to one another freely. Sir W. Scott .
2. (Anat.)
Defn: A bone of the carpus at the base of the third metacarpal bone.
MAGOT Mag"ot, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Barbary ape.
MAGOT-PIE Mag"ot-pie`, n.
Defn: A magpie. [Obs.] Shak.
MAGPIE Mag"pie, n. Etym: [OE. & Prov. E. magot pie, maggoty pie, fr. Mag, Maggot, equiv. to Margaret, and fr. F. Marquerite, and common name of the magpie. Marguerite is fr. L. margarita pearl, Gr. Pie magpie, and cf. the analogous names Tomtit, and Jackdaw.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of the genus Pica and related genera, allied to the jays, but having a long graduated tail.
Note: The common European magpie (Pica pica, or P. caudata) is a black and white noisy and mischievous bird. It can be taught to speak. The American magpie (P. Hudsonica) is very similar. The yellow-belled magpie (P. Nuttalli) inhabits California. The blue magpie (Cyanopolius Cooki) inhabits Spain. Other allied species are found in Asia. The Tasmanian and Australian magpies are crow shrikes, as the white magpie (Gymnorhina organicum), the black magpie (Strepera fuliginosa), and the Australian magpie (Cracticus picatus). Magpie lark (Zoöl.), a common Australian bird (Grallina picata), conspicuously marked with black and white; -- called also little magpie. -- Magpie moth (Zoöl.), a black and white European geometrid moth (Abraxas grossulariata); the harlequin moth. Its larva feeds on currant and gooseberry bushes.
MAGUARI Ma`gua*ri", n. Etym: [From native name: cf. Pg. magoari.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American stork (Euxenara maguari), having a forked tail.
MAGUEY Mag"uey, n. Etym: [Sp. maguey, Mexican maguei and metl.] (Bot.)
Defn: The century plant, a species of Agave (A. Americana). See Agave.
MAGYAR Mag"yar, n. Etym: [Hung.]
1. (Ethnol.)
Defn: One of the dominant people of Hungary, allied to the Finns; a Hungarian.
2. The language of the Magyars.
MAHA Ma"ha, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of baboon; the wanderoo.
MAHABARATA; MAHABHARATAM Ma*ha*ba"ra*ta, Ma*ha*bha"ra*tam, n. Etym: [Skr. mahabharata.]
Defn: A celebrated epic poem of the Hindoos. It is of great length, and is chiefly devoted to the history of a civil war between two dynasties of ancient India.
MAHALED Ma*ha"led, n.Etym: [Ar. mahled.]
Defn: (Bot.) A cherry tree (Prunus Mahaleb) of Southern Europe. The wood is prized by cabinetmakers, the twigs are used for pipe stems, the flowers and leaves yield a perfume, and from the fruit a violet dye and a fermented liquor (like kirschwasser) are prepared.
MAHARAJAH Ma*ha*ra"jah, n. Etym: [Skr. maharaja; mahat great + raja king.]
Defn: A sovereign prince in India; -- a title given also to other persons of high rank.
MAHARIF Ma`ha*rif", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An African antelope (Hippotragus Bakeri). Its face is striped with black and white.
MAHARMAH Ma*har"mah, n.
Defn: A muslin wrapper for the head and the lower part of the face, worn by Turkish and Armenian women when they go abroad.
MAHATMA Ma*hat"ma, n. [Skr. mahatman, lit., great-souled, wise.] (Theosophy)
Defn: One of a class of sages, or "adepts," reputed to have knowledge and powers of a higher order than those of ordinary men. -- Ma*hat"ma*ism (#), n.
MAHDI Mah"di, n. Etym: [Ar., guide, leader.]
Defn: Among Mohammedans, the last imam or leader of the faithful. The Sunni, the largest sect of the Mohammedans, believe that he is yet to appear.
Note: The title has been taken by several persons in countries where Mohammedanism prevails, -- notably by Mohammad Ahmed, who overran the Egyptian Sudan, and in 1885 captured Khartum, his soldiers killing General Gordon, an Englishman, who was then the Egyptian governor of the region.
MAHDIISM Mah"di*ism, n.
Defn: See Mahdism.
MAHDISM Mah"dism, n.
Defn: Belief in the coming of the Mahdi; fanatical devotion to the cause of the Mahdi or a pretender to that title. -- Mah"dist (#), n.
Mahdism has proved the most shameful and terrible instrument of bloodshed and oppression which the modern world has ever witnessed. E. N. Bennett.
MAHL-STICK Mahl"-stick`, n.
Defn: See Maul-stick.
MAHOE Ma"hoe, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several malvaceous trees (species of Hibiscus, Ochroma, etc.), and to their strong fibrous inner bark, which is used for strings and cordage.
MAHOGANY Ma*hog"a*ny, n. Etym: [From the South American name.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A large tree of the genus Swietenia (S. Mahogoni), found in tropical America.
Note: Several other trees, with wood more or less like mahogany, are called by this name; as, African mahogany (Khaya Senegalensis), Australian mahogany (Eucalyptus marginatus), Bastard mahogany (Batonia apetala of the West Indies), Indian mahogany (Cedrela Toona of Bengal, and trees of the genera Soymida and Chukrassia), Madeira mahogany (Persea Indica), Mountain mahogany, the black or cherry birch (Betula lenta), also the several species of Cercocarpus of California and the Rocky Mountains.
2. The wood of the Swietenia Mahogoni. It is of a reddish brown color, beautifully veined, very hard, and susceptible of a fine polish. It is used in the manufacture of furniture.
3. A table made of mahogany wood. [Colloq.] To be under the mahogany, to be so drunk as to have fallen under the table. [Eng.] -- To put one's legs under some one's mahogany, to dine with him. [Slang]
MAHOLI Ma*ho"li, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South African lemur (Galago maholi), having very large ears. [Written also moholi.]
MAHOMEDAN; MAHOMETAN Ma*hom"ed*an, Ma*hom"et*an, n.
Defn: See Mohammedan.
MAHOMETANISM Ma*hom"et*an*ism, n.
Defn: See Mohammedanism.
MAHOMETANIZE Ma*hom"et*an*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mahometanized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mahometanizing.]
Defn: To convert to the religion of Mohammed; to Mohammedanize.
MAHOMETISM Ma*hom"et*ism, n.
Defn: See Mohammedanism.
MAHOMETIST Ma*hom"et*ist, n.
Defn: A Mohammedan. [R.]
MAHOMETRY Ma*hom"et*ry, n.
Defn: Mohammedanism. [Obs.]
MAHONE Ma*hone", n.
Defn: A large Turkish ship. Crabb.
MAHONIA Ma*ho"ni*a, n. Etym: [Named after Bernard McMahon.] (Bot.)
Defn: The Oregon grape, a species of barberry (Berberis Aquifolium), often cultivated for its hollylike foliage.
MAHON STOCK Ma*hon" stock`. (Bot.)
Defn: An annual cruciferous plant with reddish purple or white flowers (Malcolmia maritima). It is called in England Virginia stock, but the plant comes from the Mediterranean.
MAHOOHOO Ma*hoo"hoo, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The African white two-horned rhinoceros (Atelodus simus).
MAHORI Ma"ho*ri, n. Etym: [Native name. Cf. Maori.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: One of the dark race inhabiting principally the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Also used adjectively.
MAHOUND Ma`hound, n.
Defn: A contemptuous name for Mohammed; hence, an evil spirit; a devil. [Obs.] Who's this, my mahound cousin Beau. & Fl.
MAHOUT Ma*hout", n. Etym: [Hind. mahawat, Skr. mahamatra; mahat great + matra measure.]
Defn: The keeper and driver of an elephant. [East Indies]
MAHOVO Ma*ho"vo, n. (Mach.)
Defn: A device for saving power in stopping and starting a railroad car, by means of a heavy fly wheel.
MAHRATI Mah*rat"i, n.
Defn: The language of the Mahrattas; the language spoken in the Deccan and Concan. [Written also Marathi.]
MAHRATTA Mah*rat"ta, n. Etym: [Hind. Marhata, Marhatta, the name of a famous Hindoo race, from the old Skr. name Maha-rashtra.]
Defn: One of a numerous people inhabiting the southwestern part of India. Also, the language of the Mahrattas; Mahrati. It is closely allied to Sanskrit. -- a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mahrattas. [Written also Maratha.]
MAHUMETAN; MAHUMETANISM Ma*hu"met*an, Ma*hu"met*an*ism, n.
Defn: See Mohammedan, Mohammedanism.
MAHWA TREE Mah"wa tree`. (Bot.)
Defn: An East Indian sapotaceous tree (Bassia latifolia, and also B. butyracea), whose timber is used for wagon wheels, and the flowers for food and in preparing an intoxicating drink. It is one of the butter trees. The oil, known as mahwa and yallah, is obtained from the kernels of the fruit.
MAIA Ma"i*a, n. Etym: [From L. Maia, a goddess.] (Zoöl.) (a) A genus of spider crabs, including the common European species (Maia squinado). (b) A beautiful American bombycid moth (Eucronia maia).
MAIAN Ma"ian, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any spider crab of the genus Maia, or family Maiadæ.
MAID Maid, n. Etym: [Shortened from maiden. . See Maiden.]
1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden. Would I had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son. Shak. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire Yet my people have forgotten me. Jer. ii. 32.
2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. [Obs.] Christ was a maid and shapen as a man. Chaucer.
3. A female servant. Spinning amongst her maids. Shak.
Note: Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate (Raia batis), and of the thornback (R. clavata). [Prov. Eng.] Fair maid. (Zoöl.) See under Fair, a. -- Maid of honor, a female attendant of a queen or royal princess; - - usually of noble family, and having to perform only nominal or honorary duties. -- Old maid. See under Old.
MAIDAN Mai*dan", n. [Written also midan, meidan, mydan, etc.] [Hind. & Per. maidan, fr. Ar. maidan.]
Defn: In various parts of Asia, an open space, as for military exercises, or for a market place; an open grassy tract; an esplanade.
A gallop on the green maidan. M. Crawford.
MAIDEN Maid"en, n. Etym: [OE. maiden, meiden, AS. mægden, dim. of AS. mæg, fr. mago son, servant; akin to G. magd, mädchen, maid, OHG. magad, Icel. mögr son, Goth. magus boy, child, magaps virgin, and perh. to Zend. magu youth. Cf. Maid a virgin.]
1. An unmarried woman; a girl or woman who has not experienced sexual intercourse; a virgin; a maid. She employed the residue of her life to repairing of highways, building of bridges, and endowing of maidens. Carew. A maiden of our century, yet most meek. Tennyson.
2. A female servant. [Obs.]
3. An instrument resembling the guillotine, formerly used in Scotland for beheading criminals. Wharton.
4. A machine for washing linen.
MAIDEN Maid"en, a.
1. Of or pertaining to a maiden, or to maidens; suitable to, or characteristic of, a virgin; as, maiden innocence. "Amid the maiden throng." Addison. Have you no modesty, no maiden shame Shak.
2. Never having been married; not having had sexual intercourse; virgin; -- said usually of the woman, but sometimes of the man; as, a maiden aunt. "A surprising old maiden lady." Thackeray.
3. Fresh; innocent; unpolluted; pure; hitherto unused. "Maiden flowers.' Shak. Full bravely hast thou fleshed Thy maiden sword. Shak.
4. Used of a fortress, signifying that it has never been captured, or violated. T. Warton. Macaulay. Maiden assize (Eng. Law), an assize which there is no criminal prosecution; an assize which is unpolluted with blood. It was usual, at such an assize, for the sheriff to present the judge with a pair of white gloves. Smart. -- Maiden name, the surname of a woman before her marriage. -- Maiden pink. (Bot.) See under Pink. -- Maiden plum (Bot.), a West Indian tree (Comocladia integrifolia) with purplish drupes. The sap of the tree is glutinous, and gives a persistent black stain. -- Maiden speech, the first speech made by a person, esp. by a new member in a public body. -- Maiden tower, the tower most capable of resisting an enemy.
MAIDEN Maid"en, v. t.
Defn: To act coyly like a maiden; -- with it as an indefinite object. For had I maiden'd it, as many use. Loath for to grant, but loather to refuse. Bp. Hall.
MAIDENHAIR Maid"en*hair`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A fern of the genus Adiantum (A. pedatum), having very slender graceful stalks. It is common in the United States, and is sometimes used in medicine. The name is also applied to other species of the same genus, as to the Venus-hair. Maiden grass, the smaller quaking grass. -- Maiden tree. See Ginkgo.
MAIDENHEAD Maid"en*head, n. Etym: [See Maidenhood.]
1. The state of being a maiden; maidenhood; virginity. Shak.
2. The state of being unused or uncontaminated; freshness; purity. [Obs.] The maidenhead of their credit. Sir H. Wotton.
3. The hymen, or virginal membrane.
MAIDENHOOD Maid"en*hood, n. Etym: [AS. mægdenhad. See Maid, and -hood.]
1. The state of being a maid or a virgin; virginity. Shak.
2. Newness; freshness; uncontaminated state. The maidenhood Of thy fight. Shak.
MAIDENLIKE Maid"en*like`, a.
Defn: Like a maiden; modest; coy.
MAIDENLINESS Maid"en*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being maidenly; the behavior that becomes a maid; modesty; gentleness.
MAIDENLY Maid"en*ly, a.
Defn: Like a maid; suiting a maid; maiden-like; gentle, modest, reserved. Must you be blushing . . . What a maidenly man-at-arms are you become ! Shak.
MAIDENLY Maid"en*ly, adv.
Defn: In a maidenlike manner. "Maidenly demure." Skelton.
MAIDENSHIP Maid"en*ship, n.
Defn: Maidenhood. [Obs.] Fuller.
MAIDHOOD Maid"hood, n. Etym: [AS. mæg. See Maid, and -hood.]
Defn: Maidenhood. Shak.
MAIDMARIAN Maid`ma"ri*an, n. Etym: [Maid + Marian, relating to Mary, or the Virgin Mary.]
1. The lady of the May games; one of the characters in a morris dance; a May queen. Afterward, a grotesque character personated in sports and buffoonery by a man in woman's clothes.
2. A kind of dance. Sir W. Temple.
MAIDPALE Maid"pale`, a.
Defn: Pale, like a sick girl. Shak.
MAIDSERVANT Maid"serv`ant, n.
Defn: A female servant.
MAID'S HAIR Maid's" hair`. (Bot.)
Defn: The yellow bedstraw (Galium verum).
MAIEUTIC; MAIEUTICAL Ma*ieu"tic, Ma*ieu"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Serving to assist childbirth. Cudworth.
2. Fig. : Aiding, or tending to, the definition and interpretation of thoughts or language. Payne.
MAIEUTICS Ma*ieu"tics, n.
Defn: The art of giving birth (i. e., clearness and conviction) to ideas, which are conceived as struggling for birth. Payne.
MAIGER Mai"ger, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The meagre.
MAIGRE Mai"gre, a. Etym: [F. See Meager.]
Defn: Belonging to a fast day or fast; as, a maigre day. Walpole. Maigre food (R. C. Ch.), food allowed to be eaten on fast days.
MAIHEM Mai"hem, n.
Defn: See Maim, and Mayhem.
MAIKEL Mai*kel", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American carnivore of the genus Conepatus, allied to the skunk, but larger, and having a longer snout. The tail is not bushy.
MAIKONG Mai*kong", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American wild dog (Canis cancrivorus); the crab-eating dog.
MAIL Mail, n.
Defn: A spot. [Obs.]
MAIL Mail, n. Etym: [F. maille, OF. also maaille, LL. medalia. See Medal.]
1. A small piece of money; especially, an English silver half-penny of the time of Henry V. [Obs.] [Written also maile, and maille.]
2. Rent; tribute. [Obs., except in certain compounds and phrases, as blackmail, mails and duties, etc.] Mail and duties (Scots Law), the rents of an estate, in whatever form paid.
MAIL Mail, n. Etym: [OE. maile, maille, F. maille a ring of mail, mesh, network, a coat of mail, fr. L. macula spot, a mesh of a net. Cf. Macle, Macula, Mascle.]
1. A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor. Chaucer. Chain mail, Coat of mail. See under Chain, and Coat.
2. Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc. We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail. Gay.
MAIL Mail, v. t.
1. To arm with mail.
2. To pinion. [Obs.]
MAIL Mail, n. Etym: [OE. male bag, OF. male, F. malle bag, trunk, mail, OHG. malaha, malha, wallet; akin to D. maal, male; cf. Gael. & Ir. mala, Gr.
1. A bag; a wallet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. The bag or bags with the letters, papers, papers, or other matter contained therein, conveyed under public authority from one post office to another; the whole system of appliances used by government in the conveyance and delivery of mail matter. There is a mail come in to-day, with letters dated Hague. Tatler.
3. That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office.
4. A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried. [Obs.] Sir W. Scott. Mail bag, a bag in which mailed matter is conveyed under public authority. -- Mail boat, a boat that carries the mail. -- Mail catcher, an iron rod, or other contrivance, attached to a railroad car for catching a mail bag while the train is in motion. -- Mail guard, an officer whose duty it is to guard the public mails. [Eng.] -- Mail train, a railroad train carrying the mail.
MAIL Mail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mailing.]
Defn: To deliver into the custody of the postoffice officials, or place in a government letter box, for transmission by mail; to post; as, to mail a letter. [U. S.]
Note: In the United States to mail and to post are both in common use; as, to mail or post a letter. In England post is the commoner usage.
MAILABLE Mail"a*ble, a.
Defn: Admissible lawfully into the mail. [U.S.]
MAILCLAD Mail"clad`, a.
Defn: Protected by a coat of mail; clad in armor. Sir W. Scott.
MAILED Mailed, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Protected by an external coat, or covering, of scales or plates.
MAILED Mailed, a. Etym: [See 1st Mail.]
Defn: Spotted; speckled.
MAILING Mail"ing, n. Etym: [Scot., fr. mail tribute, rent. See 2d Mail.]
Defn: A farm. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
MAIL-SHELL Mail"-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A chiton.
MAIM Maim, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maimed;p. pr. & vb. n. Maiming.] Etym: [OE. maimen, OF. mahaignier, mehaignier, meshaignier, cf. It. magagnare, LL. mahemiare, mahennare; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. mac'ha to mutilate, mac'ha to crowd, press; or cf. OHG. mang to lack, perh. akin to E. mangle to lacerate. Cf. Mayhem.]
1. To deprive of the use of a limb, so as to render a person on fighting less able either to defend himself or to annoy his adversary. By the ancient law of England he that maimed any man whereby he lost any part of his body, was sentenced to lose the like part. Blackstone.
2. To mutilate; to cripple; to injure; to disable; to impair. My late maimed limbs lack wonted might. Spenser. You maimed the jurisdiction of all bishops. Shak.
Syn. -- To mutilate; mangle; cripple.
MAIM Maim, n. [Written in law language maihem, and mayhem.] Etym: [OF. mehaing. See Maim, v.]
1. The privation of the use of a limb or member of the body, by which one is rendered less able to defend himself or to annoy his adversary.
2. The privation of any necessary part; a crippling; mutilation; injury; deprivation of something essential. See Mayhem. Surely there is more cause to fear lest the want there of be a maim than the use of it a blemish. Hooker. A noble author esteems it to be a maim in history that the acts of Parliament should not be recited. Hayward.
MAIMEDLY Maim"ed*ly, adv.
Defn: In a maimed manner.
MAIMEDNESS Maim"ed*ness, n.
Defn: State of being maimed. Bolton.
MAIN Main, n. Etym: [F. main hand, L. manus. See Manual.]
1. A hand or match at dice. Prior. Thackeray.
2. A stake played for at dice. [Obs.] Shak.
3. The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
4. A match at cockfighting. "My lord would ride twenty miles . . . to see a main fought." Thackeray.
5. A main-hamper. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
MAIN Main, n. Etym: [AS. mægen strength, power, force; akin to OHG. magan, Icel. megin, and to E. may, v. May, v.]
1. Strength; force; might; violent effort. [Obs., except in certain phrases.] There were in this battle of most might and main. R. of Gl. He 'gan advance, With huge force, and with importable main. Spenser.
2. The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing. [Obs., except in special uses.] Resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the main, and to use the other two . . . but as supporters. Bacon.
3. Specifically: (a) The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay, etc. ; the high sea; the ocean. "Struggling in the main." Dryden. (b) The continent, as distinguished from an island; the mainland. "Invaded the main of Spain." Bacon. (c) principal duct or pipe, as distinguished from lesser ones; esp. (Engin.), a principal pipe leading to or from a reservoir; as, a fire main. Forcing main, the delivery pipe of a pump. -- For the main, or In the main, for the most part; in the greatest part. -- With might and main, or With all one's might and main, with all one's strength; with violent effort. With might and main they chased the murderous fox. Dryden.
MAIN Main, a. Etym: [From Main strength, possibly influenced by OF. maine, magne, great, L. magnus. Cf. Magnate.]
1. Very or extremely strong. [Obs.] That current with main fury ran. Daniel.
2. Vast; huge. [Obs.] "The main abyss." Milton.
3. Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer. [Obs.] "It's a man untruth." Sir W. Scott.
4. Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc. Our main interest is to be happy as we can. Tillotson.
5. Important; necessary. [Obs.] That which thou aright Believest so main to our success, I bring. Milton. By main force, by mere force or sheer force; by violent effort; as, to subdue insurrection by main force. That Maine which by main force Warwick did win. Shak. -- By main strength, by sheer strength; as, to lift a heavy weight by main strength. -- Main beam (Steam Engine), working beam. -- Main boom (Naut.), the boom which extends the foot of the mainsail in a fore and aft vessel. -- Main brace. (a) (Mech.) The brace which resists the chief strain. Cf. Counter brace. (b) (Naut.) The brace attached to the main yard. -- Main center (Steam Engine), a shaft upon which a working beam or side lever swings. -- Main chance. See under Chance. -- Main couple (Arch.), the principal truss in a roof. -- Main deck (Naut.), the deck next below the spar deck; the principal deck. -- Main keel (Naut.), the principal or true keel of a vessel, as distinguished from the false keel.
Syn. -- Principal; chief; leading; cardinal; capital.
MAIN Main, adv. Etym: [See Main, a.]
Defn: Very extremely; as, main heavy. "I'm main dry." Foote. [Obs. or Low]
MAINE Maine, n.
Defn: One of the New England States. Maine law, any law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages, esp. one resembling that enacted in the State of Maine.
MAIN-GAUCHE Main`-gauche" (mâN`gosh"), n. Etym: [F., the left hand.] (Ancient Armor)
Defn: The dagger held in the left hand, while the rapier is held in the right; -- used to parry thrusts of the adversary's rapier.
MAIN-HAMPER Main"-ham`per, n. Etym: [F. main hand (see Main a hand at dice) + E. hamper.]
Defn: A hamper to be carried in the hand; a hand basket used in carrying grapes to the press.
MAINLAND Main"land`, n.
Defn: The continent; the principal land; -- opposed to island, or peninsula. Dryden. After the two wayfarers had crossed from the peninsula to the mainland. Hawthorne.
MAINLY Main"ly, adv. Etym: [From main strong. See Main strength.]
Defn: Very strongly; mightily; to a great degree. [Obs.] Bacon. Shak.
MAINLY Main"ly, adv. Etym: [From main principal, chief.]
Defn: Principally; chiefly.
MAINMAST Main"mast`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The principal mast in a ship or other vessel.
MAINOR Main"or, n. Etym: [Anglo-Norm. meinoure, OF. manuevre. See Maneuver.] (O. Eng. Law)
Defn: A thing stolen found on the person of the thief.
Note: A thief was said to be "taken with the mainor," when he was taken with the thing stolen upon him, that is, in his hands. Wharton. Bouvier.
MAINPERNABLE Main"per*na*ble, a. Etym: [OF. main hand + pernable, for prenable, that may be taken, pregnable. See Mainpernor.] (Law)
Defn: Capable of being admitted to give surety by mainpernors; able to be mainprised.
MAINPERNOR Main"per*nor, n. Etym: [OF. main hand + pernor, for preneor, a taker, F. preneur, fr. prendre to take.] (Law)
Defn: A surety, under the old writ of mainprise, for a prisoner's appearance in court at a day.
Note: Mainpernors differ from bail in that a man's bail may imprison or surrender him before the stipulated day of appearance; mainpernors can do neither; they are bound to produce him to answer all charges whatsoever. Blackstone.
MAINPIN Main"pin, n. (Vehicles)
Defn: A kingbolt.
MAINPRISE Main"prise, n. Etym: [F. main hand + prise a taking, fr. prendre, p. p. pris to take, fr. L. prehendere, prehensum.] (Law) (a) A writ directed to the sheriff, commanding him to take sureties, called mainpernors, for the prisoner's appearance, and to let him go at large. This writ is now obsolete. Wharton. (b) Deliverance of a prisoner on security for his appearance at a day.
MAINPRISE Main"prise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mainprised; p. pr. & vb. n. Mainprising.] (Law)
Defn: To suffer to go at large, on his finding sureties, or mainpernors, for his appearance at a day; -- said of a prisoner.
MAINS Mains, n. Etym: [Scot. See Manse.]
Defn: The farm attached to a mansion house. [Scot.]
MAINSAIL Main"sail`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The principal sail in a ship or other vessel. [They] hoised up the mainsail to the wind. Acts xxvii. 40.
Note: The mainsail of a ship is extended upon a yard attached to the mainmast, and that of a sloop or schooner upon the boom.
MAINSHEET Main"sheet`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: One of the ropes by which the mainsail is hauled aft and trimmed.
MAINSPRING Main"spring`, n.
Defn: The principal or most important spring in a piece of mechanism, especially the moving spring of a watch or clock or the spring in a gunlock which impels the hammer. Hence: The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient cause of action.
MAINSTAY Main"stay`, n.
1. (Naut.)
Defn: The stay extending from the foot of the foremast to the maintop.
2. Main support; principal dependence. The great mainstay of the Church. Buckle.
MAINSWEAR Main"swear`, v. i. Etym: [AS. manswerian to forswear; man sin, crime + swerian to swear.]
Defn: To swear falsely. [Obs.] Blount.
MAINTAIN Main*tain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maintained; p. pr. & vb. n. Maintaining.] Etym: [OE. maintenen, F. maintenir, properly, to hold by the hand; main hand (L. manus) + F. tenir to hold (L.tenere). See Manual, and Tenable.]
1. To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation.
2. To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish. God values . . . every one as he maintains his post. Grew.
3. To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail. Maintain talk with the duke. Shak.
4. To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed. Glad, by his labor, to maintain his life. Stirling. What maintains one vice would bring up two children. Franklin.
5. To affirm; to support or defend by argument. It is hard to maintain the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it. South.
Syn. -- To assert; vindicate; allege. See Assert.
MAINTAINABLE Main*tain"a*ble, a.
Defn: That maybe maintained.
MAINTAINER Main*tain"er, n.
Defn: One who maintains.
MAINTAINOR Main*tain"or, n. Etym: [OF. mainteneor, F. mainteneur.] (Crim. Law)
Defn: One who, not being interested, maintains a cause depending between others, by furnishing money, etc., to either party. Bouvier. Wharton.
MAINTENANCE Main"te*nance, n. Etym: [OF. maintenance. See Maintain.]
1. The act of maintaining; sustenance; support; defense; vindication. Whatsoever is granted to the church for God's honor and the maintenance of his service, is granted to God. South.
2. That which maintains or supports; means of sustenance; supply of necessaries and conveniences. Those of better fortune not making learning their maintenance. Swift.
3. (Crim. Law)
Defn: An officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others, by assisting either party with money or means to carry it on. See Champerty. Wharton. Cap of maintenance. See under Cap.
MAINTOP Main"top`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The platform about the head of the mainmast in square-rigged vessels.
MAIN YARD Main" yard`. (Naut.)
Defn: The yard on which the mainsail is extended, supported by the mainmast.
MAIOID Mai"oid, a. Etym: [Maia + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Maia, or family Maiadeæ.
MAISTER Mais"ter, n.
Defn: Master. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.
MAISTER Mais"ter, a.
Defn: Principal; chief. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAISTRE; MAISTRIE; MAISTRY Mais"tre, Mais"trie, Mais"try, n.
Defn: Mastery; superiority; art. See Mastery. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAISTRESS Mais"tress, n.
Defn: Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAITHES Mai"thes, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Maghet.
MAIZE Maize, n. Etym: [Sp. maiz. fr. mahiz or mahis, i (Bot.)
Defn: A large species of American grass of the genus Zea (Z. Mays), widely cultivated as a forage and food plant; Indian corn. Also, its seed, growing on cobs, and used as food for men animals. Maize eater (Zoöl.), a South American bird of the genus Pseudoleistes, allied to the troupials. -- Maize yellow, a delicate pale yellow.
MAJESTATIC; MAJESTATAL Maj`es*tat"ic, Maj`es*tat"*al, a.
Defn: Majestic. [Obs.] E. Pocock. Dr. J. Scott.
MAJESTIC Ma*jes"tic, a. Etym: [From Majesty.]
Defn: Possessing or exhibiting majesty; of august dignity, stateliness, or imposing grandeur; lofty; noble; grand. "The majestic world." Shak. "Tethys'grave majestic pace." Milton. The least portions must be of the epic kind; all must be grave, majestic, and sublime. Dryden .
Syn. -- August; splendid; grand; sublime; magnificent; imperial; regal; pompous; stately; lofty; dignified; elevated.
MAJESTICAL Ma*jes"tic*al, a.
Defn: Majestic. Cowley. An older architecture, greater, cunninger, more majestical. M. Arnold. -- Ma*jes"tic*al*ly, adv. -- Ma*jes"tic*al*ness, n.
MAJESTICNESS Ma*jes"tic*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being majestic. Oldenburg.
MAJESTY Maj"es*ty, n.; pl. Majesties. Etym: [OE. magestee, F. majesté, L. majestas, fr. an old compar. of magnus great. See Major, Master.]
Defn: The dignity and authority of sovereign power; quality or state which inspires awe or reverence; grandeur; exalted dignity, whether proceeding from rank, character, or bearing; imposing loftiness; stateliness; -- usually applied to the rank and dignity of sovereigns. The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty. Ps. xciii. 1. No sovereign has ever represented the majesty of great state with more dignity and grace. Macaulay.
2. Hence, used with the possessive pronoun, the title of an emperor, king or queen; -- in this sense taking a plural; as, their majesties attended the concert. In all the public writs which he [Emperor Charles V.] now issued as King of Spain, he assumed the title of Majesty, and required it from his subjects as a mark of respect. Before that time all the monarchs of Europe were satisfied with the appellation of Highness or Grace. Robertson.
3. Dignity; elevation of manner or style. Dryden.
MAJOLICA Ma*jol"i*ca, n. Etym: [It.]
Defn: A kind of pottery, with opaque glazing and showy, which reached its greatest perfection in Italy in the 16th century.
Note: The term is said to be derived from Majorca, which was an early seat of this manufacture. Heyse.
MAJOR Ma"jor, Etym: [L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a.]
1. Greater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory.
2. Of greater dignity; more important. Shak.
3. Of full legal age. [Obs.]
4. (Mus.)
Defn: Greater by a semitone, either in interval or in difference of pitch from another tone. Major axis (Geom.), the greater axis. See Focus, n., 2. -- Major key (Mus.), a key in which one and two, two and three, four and five, five and six and seven, make major seconds, and three and four, and seven and eight, make minor seconds. -- Major offense (Law), an offense of a greater degree which contains a lesser offense, as murder and robbery include assault. -- Major premise (Logic), that premise of a syllogism which contains the major term. -- Major scale (Mus.), the natural diatonic scale, which has semitones between the third and fourth, and seventh and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees; the scale of the major mode, of which the third is major. See Scale, and Diatonic. -- Major second (Mus.), a second between whose tones is a difference in pitch of a step. -- Major sixth (Mus.), a sixth of four steps and a half step. In major keys the third and sixth from the key tone are major. Major keys and intervals, as distinguished from minors, are more cheerful. -- Major term (Logic), that term of a syllogism which forms the predicate of the conclusion. -- Major third (Mus.), a third of two steps.
MAJOR Ma"jor, n. Etym: [F. major. See Major, a.]
1. (Mil.)
Defn: An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.
2. (Law)
Defn: A person of full age.
3. (Logic)
Defn: That premise which contains the major term. It its the first proposition of a regular syllogism; as: No unholy person is qualified for happiness in heaven [the major]. Every man in his natural state is unholy [minor]. Therefore, no man in his natural state is qualified for happiness in heaven [conclusion or inference].
Note: In hypothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise is called the major.
4. Etym: [LL. See Major.]
Defn: A mayor. [Obs.] Bacon.
MAJORAT Ma`jo`rat", n. Etym: [F. majorat, LL. majoratus. See Major, a., and cf. Majorate.]
1. The right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe.
2. (French Law)
Defn: Property, landed or funded, so attached to a title of honor as to descend with it.
MAJORATE Ma"jor*ate, n.
Defn: The office or rank of a major.
MAJORATE Ma"jor*ate, v. t. Etym: [LL. majorare to augment. See Major, a.]
Defn: To augment; to increase. [Obs.] Howell.
MAJORATION Ma`jor*a"tion, n.
Defn: Increase; enlargement. [Obs.] Bacon.
MAJORCAN Ma*jor"can, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Majorca. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Majorca.
MAJOR-DOMO Ma`jor-do"mo, n. Etym: [Sp. mayordomo, or It. maggiordomo; both fr. LL. majordomus; L. major greater + domus house.]
Defn: A man who has authority to act, within certain limits, as master of the house; a steward; also, a chief minister or officer.
MAJOR GENERAL Ma"jor gen"er*al
Defn: . An officer of the army holding a rank next above that of brigadier general and next below that of lieutenant general, and who usually commands a division or a corps.
MAJORITY Ma*jor"i*ty, n.; pl. Majorities. Etym: [F. majorité. See Major.]
1. The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically: (a) The military rank of a major. (b) The condition of being of full age, or authorized by law to manage one's own affairs.
2. The greater number; more than half; as, a majority of mankind; a majority of the votes cast.
3. Etym: [Cf. L. majores.]
Defn: Ancestors; ancestry. [Obs.]
4. The amount or number by which one aggregate exceeds all other aggregates with which it is contrasted; especially, the number by which the votes for a successful candidate exceed those for all other candidates; as, he is elected by a majority of five hundred votes. See Plurality. To go over to, or To join, the majority, to die.
MAJORSHIP Ma"jor*ship, n.
Defn: The office of major.
MAJOUN Maj"oun, n.
Defn: See Madjoun.
MAJUSCULAE Ma*jus"cu*læ, n. pl. Etym: [L., fem. pl. fr. majusculus somewhat greater or great, dim. of major, majus. See Major.] (Palæography)
Defn: Capital letters, as found in manuscripts of the sixth century and earlier.
MAJUSCULE Ma*jus"cule, n. Etym: [Cf. F. majuscule. See Majusculæ.]
Defn: A capital letter; especially, one used in ancient manuscripts. See Majusculæ. Majuscule writing, writing composed wholly of capital letters, especially the style which prevailed in Europe from the third to the sixth century.
MAKABLE Mak"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being made.
MAKARON Mak"a*ron, n.
Defn: See Macaroon, 2. [Obs.]
MAKE Make, n. Etym: [AS. maca, gemaca. See Match.]
Defn: A companion; a mate; often, a husband or a wife. [Obs.] For in this world no woman is Worthy to be my make. Chaucer.
MAKE Make, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Made; p. pr. & vb. n. Making.] Etym: [OE. maken, makien, AS. macian; akin to OS. mak, OFries. makia, D. maken, G. machen, OHG. mahh to join, fit, prepare, make, Dan. mage. Cf. Match an equal.]
1. To cause to exist; to bring into being; to form; to produce; to frame; to fashion; to create. Hence, in various specific uses or applications: (a) To form of materials; to cause to exist in a certain form; to construct; to fabricate. He . . . fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. Ex. xxxii. 4.
(b) To produce, as something artificial, unnatural, or false; -- often with up; as, to make up a story. And Art, with her contending, doth aspire To excel the natural with made delights. Spenser.
(c) To bring about; to bring forward; to be the cause or agent of; to effect, do, perform, or execute; -- often used with a noun to form a phrase equivalent to the simple verb that corresponds to such noun; as, to make complaint, for to complain; to make record of, for to record; to make abode, for to abide, etc. Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. Judg. xvi. 25. Wealth maketh many friends. Prov. xix. 4. I will neither plead my age nor sickness in excuse of the faults which I have made. Dryden.
(d) To execute with the requisite formalities; as, to make a bill, note, will, deed, etc. (e) To gain, as the result of one's efforts; to get, as profit; to make acquisition of; to have accrue or happen to one; as, to make a large profit; to make an error; to make a loss; to make money. He accuseth Neptune unjustly who makes shipwreck a second time. Bacon.
(f) To find, as the result of calculation or computation; to ascertain by enumeration; to find the number or amount of, by reckoning, weighing, measurement, and the like; as, he made the distance of; to travel over; as, the ship makes ten knots an hour; he made the distance in one day. (h) To put a desired or desirable condition; to cause to thrive. Who makes or ruins with a smile or frown. Dryden.
2. To cause to be or become; to put into a given state verb, or adjective; to constitute; as, to make known; to make public; to make fast. Who made thee a prince and a judge over us Ex. ii. 14. See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh. Ex. vii. 1.
Note: When used reflexively with an adjective, the reflexive pronoun is often omitted; as, to make merry; to make bold; to make free, etc.
3. To cause to appear to be; to constitute subjectively; to esteem, suppose, or represent. He is not that goose and ass that Valla would make him. Baker.
4. To require; to constrain; to compel; to force; to cause; to occasion; -- followed by a noun or pronoun and infinitive.
Note: In the active voice the to of the infinitive is usually omitted. I will make them hear my words. Deut. iv. 10. They should be made to rise at their early hour. Locke.
5. To become; to be, or to be capable of being, changed or fashioned into; to do the part or office of; to furnish the material for; as, he will make a good musician; sweet cider makes sour vinegar; wool makes warm clothing. And old cloak makes a new jerkin. Shak.
6. To compose, as parts, ingredients, or materials; to constitute; to form; to amount to. The heaven, the air, the earth, and boundless sea, Make but one temple for the Deity. Waller.
7. To be engaged or concerned in. [Obs.] Gomez, what makest thou here, with a whole brotherhood of city bailiffs Dryden.
8. To reach; to attain; to arrive at or in sight of. "And make the Libyan shores." Dryden. They that sail in the middle can make no land of either side. Sir T. Browne. To make a bed, to prepare a bed for being slept on, or to put it in order. -- To make a card (Card Playing), to take a trick with it. -- To make account. See under Account, n. -- To make account of, to esteem; to regard. -- To make away. (a) To put out of the way; to kill; to destroy. [Obs.] If a child were crooked or deformed in body or mind, they made him away. Burton. (b) To alienate; to transfer; to make over. [Obs.] Waller. -- To make believe, to pretend; to feign; to simulate. -- To make bold, to take the liberty; to venture. -- To make the cards (Card Playing), to shuffle the pack. -- To make choice of, to take by way of preference; to choose. -- To make danger, to make experiment. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl. -- To make default (Law), to fail to appear or answer. -- To make the doors, to shut the door. [Obs.] Make the doors upon a woman's wit, and it will out at the casement. Shak. - To make free with. See under Free, a. -- To make good. See under Good. -- To make head, to make headway. -- To make light of. See under Light, a. -- To make little of. (a) To belittle. (b) To accomplish easily. -- To make love to. See under Love, n. -- To make meat, to cure meat in the open air. [Colloq. Western U. S.] -- To make merry, to feast; to be joyful or jovial. -- To make much of, to treat with much consideration,, attention, or fondness; to value highly. -- To make no bones. See under Bone, n. -- To make no difference, to have no weight or influence; to be a matter of indifference. -- To make no doubt, to have no doubt. -- To make no matter, to have no weight or importance; to make no difference. -- To make oath (Law), to swear, as to the truth of something, in a prescribed form of law. -- To make of. (a) To understand or think concerning; as, not to know what to make of the news. (b) To pay attention to; to cherish; to esteem; to account. "Makes she no more of me than of a slave." Dryden. -- To make one's law (Old Law), to adduce proof to clear one's self of a charge. -- To make out. (a) To find out; to discover; to decipher; as, to make out the meaning of a letter. (b) To prove; to establish; as, the plaintiff was unable to make out his case. (c) To make complete or exact; as, he was not able to make out the money. -- To make over, to transfer the title of; to convey; to alienate; as, he made over his estate in trust or in fee. -- To make sail. (Naut.) (a) To increase the quantity of sail already extended. (b) To set sail. -- To make shift, to manage by expedients; as, they made shift to do without it. [Colloq.]. -- To make sternway, to move with the stern foremost; to go or drift backward. -- To make strange, to act in an unfriendly manner or as if surprised; to treat as strange; as, to make strange of a request or suggestion. -- To make suit to, to endeavor to gain the favor of; to court. -- To make sure. See under Sure. -- To make up. (a) To collect into a sum or mass; as, to make up the amount of rent; to make up a bundle or package. (b) To reconcile; to compose; as, to make up a difference or quarrel. (c) To supply what is wanting in; to complete; as, a dollar is wanted to make up the stipulated sum. (d) To compose, as from ingredients or parts; to shape, prepare, or fabricate; as, to make up a mass into pills; to make up a story. He was all made up of love and charms! Addison. (e) To compensate; to make good; as, to make up a loss. (f) To adjust, or to arrange for settlement; as, to make up accounts. (g) To dress and paint for a part, as an actor; as, he was well made up. -- To make up a face, to distort the face as an expression of pain or derision. -- To make up one's mind, to reach a mental determination; to resolve. -- To make water. (a) (Naut.) To leak. (b) To urinate. -- To make way, or To make one's way. (a) To make progress; to advance. (b) To open a passage; to clear the way. -- To make words, to multiply words.
MAKE Make, v. i.
1. To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; -- often in the phrase to meddle or make. [Obs.] A scurvy, jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make. Shak.
2. To proceed; to tend; to move; to go; as, he made toward home; the tiger made at the sportsmen.
Note: Formerly, authors used to make on, to make forth, to make about; but these phrases are obsolete. We now say, to make at, to make away, to make for, to make off, to make toward, etc.
3. To tend; to contribute; to have effect; -- with for or against; as, it makes for his advantage. M. Arnold. Follow after the things which make for peace. Rom. xiv. 19. Considerations infinite Do make against it. Shak.
4. To increase; to augment; to accrue.
5. To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify. [Archaic] Chaucer. Tennyson. To solace him some time, as I do when I make. P. Plowman. To make as if, or To make as though, to pretend that; to make show that; to make believe (see under Make, v. t.). Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled. Josh. viii. 15. My lord of London maketh as though he were greatly displeased with me. Latimer. -- To make at, to go toward hastily, or in a hostile manner; to attack. -- To make away with. (a) To carry off. (b) To transfer or alienate; hence, to spend; to dissipate. (c) To kill; to destroy. -- To make off, to go away suddenly. -- To make out, to succeed; to be able at last; to make shift; as, he made out to reconcile the contending parties. -- To make up, to become reconciled or friendly. -- To make up for, to compensate for; to supply an equivalent for. -- To make up to. (a) To approach; as, a suspicious boat made up to us. (b) To pay addresses to; to make love to. -- To make up with, to become reconciled to. [Colloq.] -- To make with, to concur or agree with. Hooker.
MAKE Make, n.
Defn: Structure, texture, constitution of parts; construction; shape; form. It our perfection of so frail a make As every plot can undermine and shake Dryden. On the make,bent upon making great profits; greedy of gain. [Low, U. S.]
MAKE AND BREAK Make and break. (Elec.)
Defn: Any apparatus for making and breaking an electric circuit; a circuit breaker.
MAKEBATE Make"bate`, n. Etym: [Make, v. + bate a quarrel.]
Defn: One who excites contentions and quarrels. [Obs.]
MAKE-BELIEF Make"-be*lief`, n.
Defn: A feigning to believe; make believe. J. H. Newman.
MAKE-BELIEVE Make"-be*lieve`, n.
Defn: A feigning to believe, as in the play of children; a mere pretense; a fiction; an invention. "Childlike make-believe." Tylor. To forswear self-delusion and make-believe. M. Arnold.
MAKE-BELIEVE Make"-be*lieve`, a.
Defn: Feigned; insincere. "Make-believe reverence." G. Eliot.
MAKED Mak"ed, obs. p. p. of Make.
Defn: Made. Chaucer.
MAKE-GAME Make"-game`, n.
Defn: An object of ridicule; a butt. Godwin.
MAKELESS Make"less, a. Etym: [See 1st Make, and cf. Matchless, Mateless.]
1. Matchless. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Without a mate. Shak.
MAKE-PEACE Make"-peace` (-pes`) n.
Defn: A peacemaker. [R.] Shak.
MAKER Mak"er (mak"er) n.,
1. One who makes, forms, or molds; a manufacturer; specifically, the Creator. The universal Maker we may praise. Milton.
2. (Law)
Defn: The person who makes a promissory note.
3. One who writes verses; a poet. [Obs.]
Note: "The Greeks named the poet poihth`s, which name, as the most excellent, hath gone through other languages. It cometh of this word poiei^n, make; wherein, I know not whether by luck or wisdom, we Englishmen have met well the Greeks in calling him a maker." Sir P. Sidney.
MAKESHIFT Make"shift`, n.
Defn: That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient. James Mill. I am not a model clergyman, only a decent makeshift. G. Eliot.
MAKE-UP Make"-up`, n.
Defn: The way in which the parts of anything are put together; often, the way in which an actor is dressed, painted, etc., in personating a character. The unthinking masses are necessarily teleological in their mental make-up. L. F. Ward.
MAKEWEIGHT Make"weight` (, n.
Defn: That which is thrown into a scale to make weight; something of little account added to supply a deficiency or fill a gap.
MAKI Ma"ki, n. Etym: [F., from native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lemur. See Lemur.
MAKING Mak"ing, n.
1. The act of one who makes; workmanship; fabrication; construction; as, this is cloth of your own making; the making of peace or war was in his power.
2. Composition, or structure.
3. a poem.[Obs.] Sir J. Davies.
4. That which establishes or places in a desirable state or condition; the material of which something may be made; as, early misfortune was the making of him.
5. External appearance; from. [Obs.] Shak.
MAKING-IRON Mak"ing-i`ron, n.
Defn: A tool somewhat like a chisel with a groove in it, used by calkers of ships to finish the seams after the oakum has been driven in.
MAKING-UP Mak"ing-up`, n.
1. The act of bringing spirits to a certain degree of strength, called proof.
2. The act of becoming reconciled or friendly.
MAL- Mal-
Defn: . A prefix in composition denoting ill,or evil, F. male, adv., fr. malus, bad, ill. In some words it has the form male-, as in malediction, malevolent. See Malice.
Note: The formmale- is chiefly used in cases where the c, either alone or with other letters, is pronounced as a separate syllable, as in malediction, malefactor, maleficent, etc. Where this is not the case, as in malfeasance or male-feasance, malformation or male- formation, etc., as also where the word to which it is prefixed commences with a vowel, as in maladministration, etc., the form malis to be preferred, and is the one commonly employed.
MALA Ma"la, n.; pl. of Malum. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law. Mala in se Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. -- Mala prohibita Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses prohibited by statute, as distinguished from mala in se, which are offenses at common law.
MALABAR Mal"a*bar`, n.
Defn: A region in the western part of the Peninsula of India, between the mountains and the sea. Malabar nut (Bot.), the seed of an East Indian acanthaceous shrub, the Adhatoda Vasica, sometimes used medicinally.
MALACATUNE Mal`a*ca*tune", n.
Defn: See Melocoton.
MALACCA Ma*lac"ca, n.
Defn: A town and district upon the seacoast of the Malay Peninsula. Malacca cane (Bot.), a cane obtained from a species of palm of the genus Calamus (C. Scipionum), and of a brown color, often mottled. The plant is a native of Cochin China, Sumatra, and Malays.
MALACHITE Mal"a*chite, n. Etym: [Fr. Gr. malachite. Cf. Mallow.] (Min.)
Defn: Native hydrous carbonate of copper, usually occurring in green mammillary masses with concentric fibrous structure.
Note: Green malachite, or malachite proper, admits of a high polish, and is sometimes used for ornamental work. Blue malachite, or azurite, is a related species of a deep blue color. Malachite green. See Emerald green, under Green, n.
MALACISSANT Mal`a*cis"sant, a. Etym: [See Malacissation.]
Defn: Softening; relaxing. [Obs.]
MALACISSATION Mal`a*cis*sa"tion, n. Etym: [L. malacissare to make soft, Gr.
Defn: The act of making soft or supple. [Obs.] Bacon.
MALACOBDELLA Mal`a*cob*del"la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of nemertean worms, parasitic in the gill cavity of clams and other bivalves. They have a large posterior sucker, like that of a leech. See Illust. of Bdellomorpha.
MALACODERM Mal"a*co*derm, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a tribe of beetles (Malacodermata), with a soft and flexible body, as the fireflies.
MALACOLITE Mal"a*co*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of pyroxene.
MALACOLOGIST Mal`a*col"o*gist, n.
Defn: One versed in the science of malacology.
MALACOLOGY Mal`a*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. malacologie.]
Defn: The science which relates to the structure and habits of mollusks.
MALACOPODA Mal`a*cop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of air-breathing Arthropoda; -- called also Protracheata, and Onychophora.
Note: They somewhat resemble myriapods, and have from seventeen to thirty-three pairs of short, imperfectly jointed legs, two pairs of simple jaws, and a pair of antennæ. The trancheæ are connected with numerous spiracles scattered over the surface of the body. Peripatus is the only known genus. See Peripatus.
MALACOPTERYGIAN Mal`a*cop`ter*yg"i*an, n. Etym: [Cf. F. malacoptérygien.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Malacopterygii.
MALACOPTERYGII Mal`a*cop`te*ryg"i*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of fishes in which the fin rays, except the anterior ray of the pectoral and dorsal fins, are closely jointed, and not spiny. It includes the carp, pike, salmon, shad, etc. Called also Malacopteri.
MALACOPTERYGIOUS Mal`a*cop`ter*yg"i*ous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Belonging to the Malacopterygii.
MALACOSTEON Mal`a*cos"te*on, n. Etym: [NL., Gr. fr. (Med.)
Defn: A peculiar disease of the bones, in consequence of which they become softened and capable of being bent without breaking.
MALACOSTOMOUS Mal`a*cos"to*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having soft jaws without teeth, as certain fishes.
MALACOSTRACA Mal`a*cos"tra*ca, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A subclass of Crustacea, including Arthrostraca and Thoracostraca, or all those higher than the Entomostraca.
MALACOSTRACAN Mal`a*cos"tra*can, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Malacostraca.
MALACOSTRACOLOGY Mal`a*cos`tra*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Malacostracan + -logy.]
Defn: That branch of zoölogical science which relates to the crustaceans; -- called also carcinology.
MALACOSTRACOUS Mal`a*cos"tra*cous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Belonging to the Malacostraca.
MALACOTOON Mal`a*co*toon", n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Melocoton.
MALACOZOA Mal`a*co*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive group of Invertebrata, including the Mollusca, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa. Called also Malacozoaria.
MALACOZOIC Mal`a*co*zo"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Malacozoa.
MALADDRESS Mal`ad*dress", n. Etym: [Mal- + address.]
Defn: Bad address; an awkward, tactless, or offensive way of accosting one or talking with one. W. D. Howells.
MALADJUSTMENT Mal`ad*just"ment, n. Etym: [Mal- + adjustment.]
Defn: A bad adjustment.
MALADMINISTRATION Mal`ad*min`is*tra"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + administration.]
Defn: Bad administration; bad management of any business, especially of public affairs. [Written also maleadministration.]
MALADROIT Mal`a*droit", a. Etym: [F. See Malice, and Adroit.]
Defn: Of a quality opposed to adroitness; clumsy; awkward; unskillful. -- Mal"a*droit`ly, adv. -- Mal`a*droit"ness, n.
MALADY Mal"a*dy, n.; pl. Maladies. Etym: [F. maladie, fr. malade ill, sick, OF. also, malabde, fr. L. male habitus, i. e., ill-kept, not in good condition. See Malice, and Habit.]
1. Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder. The maladies of the body may prove medicines to the mind. Buckminster.
2. A moral or mental defect or disorder. Love's a malady without a cure. Dryden.
Syn. -- Disorder; distemper; sickness; ailment; disease; illness. See Disease.
MALAGA Mal"a*ga, n.
Defn: A city and a province of Spain, on the Mediterranean. Hence, Malaga grapes, Malaga raisins, Malaga wines.
MALAGASH Mal`a*gash", n.
Defn: Same as Malagasy.
MALAGASY Mal`a*gas"y, n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or natives of Madagascar; also (sing.), the language.
MALAISE Ma`laise", n. Etym: [F., fr. mal ill + aise ease.] (Med.)
Defn: An indefinite feeling of uneasiness, or of being sick or ill at ease.
MALAMATE Ma*lam"ate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of malamic acid.
MALAMBO Ma*lam"bo, n. Etym: [Pg.]
Defn: A yellowish aromatic bark, used in medicine and perfumery, said to be from the South American shrub Croton Malambo.
MALAMETHANE Mal`am*eth"ane, n. Etym: [Malamic + ethane.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline substance forming the ethyl salt of malamic acid.
MALAMIC Ma*lam"ic, a. Etym: [Malic + amic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of or pertaining an acid intermediate between malic acid and malamide, and known only by its salts.
MALAMIDE Ma*lam"ide, n. Etym: [Malic + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: The acid amide derived from malic acid, as a white crystalline substance metameric with asparagine.
MALANDERS Mal"an*ders, n. pl. Etym: [F. malandres, fr. L. malandria blisters or pustules on the neck, especially in horses.] (Far.)
Defn: A scurfy eruption in the bend of the knee of the fore leg of a horse. See Sallenders. [Written also mallenders.]
MALAPERT Mal"a*pert, a. Etym: [OF. malapert unskillful, ill-taught, ill-bred; mal ill + apert open, adroit, intelligent, L. apertus, p. p. of aperire to open. See Malice, and Aperient.]
Defn: Bold; forward; impudent; saucy; pert. Shak. -- n.
Defn: A malapert person. Are you growing malapert! Will you force me to make use of my authority Dryden. -- Mal"a*pert`ly, adv. -- Mal"a*pert`ness, n.
MALAPROPISM Mal"a*prop*ism, n. Etym: [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's drama, " The Rivals," who makes amusing blunders in her use of words. See Malapropos.]
Defn: A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.
MALAPROPOS Mal*ap"ro*pos`, a. & adv. Etym: [F. mal à propos; mal evil + à propos to the purpose.]
Defn: Unseasonable or unseasonably; unsuitable or unsuitably.
MALAPTERURUS Mal*ap`te*ru"rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of African siluroid fishes, including the electric catfishes. See Electric cat, under Electric.
MALAR Ma"lar, a. Etym: [L. mala the cheek: cf. F. malaire.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the region of the cheek bone, or to the malar bone; jugal.
MALAR Ma"lar, n. (Anat.)
Defn: The cheek bone, which forms a part of the lower edge of the orbit.
MALARIA Ma*la"ri*a, n. Etym: [It., contr. fr. malaaria bad air. See Malice, and Air.]
1. Air infected with some noxious substance capable of engendering disease; esp., an unhealthy exhalation from certain soils, as marshy or wet lands, producing fevers; miasma.
Note: The morbific agent in malaria is supposed by some to be a vegetable microbe or its spores, and by others to be a very minute animal blood parasite (an infusorian).
2. (Med.)
Defn: A morbid condition produced by exhalations from decaying vegetable matter in contact with moisture, giving rise to fever and ague and many other symptoms characterized by their tendency to recur at definite and usually uniform intervals.
MALARIAL; MALARIAN; MALARIOUS Ma*la"ri*al, Ma*la"ri*an, Ma*la"ri*ous, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining, to or infected by, malaria. Malarial fever (Med.), a fever produced by malaria, and characterized by the occurrence of chills, fever, and sweating in distinct paroxysms, At intervals of definite and often uniform duration, in which these symptoms are wholly absent (intermittent fever), or only partially so (remittent fever); fever and ague; chills and fever.
MALARIA PARASITE Malaria parasite.
Defn: Any of several minute protozoans of the genus Plasmodium (syn. Hæmatozoön) which in their adult condition live in the tissues of mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles (which see) and when transferred to the blood of man, by the bite of the mosquito, produce malaria. The young parasites, or sporozoites, enter the red blood corpuscles, growing at their expense, undergoing sporulation, and finally destroying the corpuscles, thus liberating in the blood plasma an immense number of small spores called merozoites. An indefinite but not ultimated number of such generations may follow, but if meanwhile the host is bitten by a mosquito, the parasites develop into gametes in the stomach of the insect. These conjugate, the zygote thus produced divides, forming spores, and eventually sporozoites, which, penetrating to the salivary glands of the mosquito, may be introduced into a new host. The attacks of the disease coincide with the dissolution of the corpuscles and liberation of the spores and products of growth of the parasites into the blood plasma. Several species of the parasite are distinguished, as P. vivax, producing tertian malaria; P. malariæ, quartan malaria; and P. (subgenus Laverania) falciferum, the malarial fever of summer and autumn common in the tropics.
MALASHAGANAY Ma`la*sha"ga*nay, n. Etym: [Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The fresh-water drumfish (Haploidonotus grunniens).
MALASSIMILATION Mal`as*sim`i*la"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + assimilation.] (Physiol.) (a) Imperfect digestion of the several leading constituents of the food. (b) An imperfect elaboration by the tissues of the materials brought to them by the blood.
MALATE Ma"late, n. Etym: [L. malum apple: cf. F. malate. See Malic.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of malic acid.
MALAX; MALAXATE Ma"lax, Ma*lax"ate, v. t. Etym: [L. malaxare, malaxatum, cf. Gr. malaxer.]
Defn: To soften by kneading or stirring with some thinner substance. [R.]
MALAXATION Mal`ax*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. malaxatio: cf. F. malaxation.]
Defn: The act of softening by mixing with a thinner substance; the formation of ingredients into a mass for pills or plasters. [R.]
MALAXATOR Mal"ax*a`tor, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, malaxates; esp., a machine for grinding, kneading, or stirring into a pasty or doughy mass. [R.]
MALAY Ma*lay", n.
Defn: One of a race of a brown or copper complexion in the Malay Peninsula and the western islands of the Indian Archipelago.
MALAY; MALAYAN Ma*lay", Ma*lay"an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Malays or their country. -- n.
Defn: The Malay language. Malay apple (Bot.), a myrtaceous tree (Eugenia Malaccensis) common in India; also, its applelike fruit.
MALAYALAM Ma"la*ya"lam, n.
Defn: The name given to one the cultivated Dravidian languages, closely related to the Tamil. Yule.
MALBROUCK Mal"brouck, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A West African arboreal monkey (Cercopithecus cynosurus).
MALCONFORMATION Mal*con`for*ma"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + conformation.]
Defn: Imperfect, disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of parts.
MALCONTENT Mal"con*tent`, a. Etym: [F., fr. mal ill + content. See Malice, Content.]
Defn: discontented; uneasy; dissatisfied; especially, dissatisfied with the government. [Written also malecontent.] The famous malcontent earl of Leicester. Milner.
MALCONTENT Mal"con*tent`, n. Etym: [F. malcontent.]
Defn: One who discontented; especially, a discontented subject of a government; one who express his discontent by words or overt acts. Spenser. Berkeley.
MALCONTENTED Mal`con*tent"ed, a.
Defn: Malcontent. -- Mal`con*tent"ed*ly, adv. -- Mal`con*tent"ed*ness, n.
MALDANIAN Mal*da"ni*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of marine annelids of the genus Maldane, or family Maldanidæ. They have a slender, round body, and make tubes in the sand or mud.
MALE- Male-
Defn: . See Mal-.
MALE Male, a. Etym: [L. malus. See Malice.]
Defn: Evil; wicked; bad. [Obs.] Marston.
MALE Male, n.
Defn: Same as Mail, a bag. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MALE Male, a. Etym: [F. mâle, OF. masle, mascle, fr. L. masculus male, masculine, dim. of mas a male; possibly akin to E. man. Cf. Masculine, Marry, v. t.]
1. Of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized; not female; as, male organs.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; - - said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.
3. Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.
4. Consisting of males; as, a male choir.
5. (Mech.)
Defn: Adapted for entering another corresponding piece (the female piece) which is hollow and which it fits; as, a male gauge, for gauging the size or shape of a hole; a male screw, etc. Male berry (Bot.), a kind of coffee. See Pea berry. -- Male fern (Bot.), a fern of the genus Aspidium (A. Filixmas), used in medicine as an anthelmintic, esp. against the tapeworm. Aspidium marginale in America, and A. athamanticum in South Africa, are used as good substitutes for the male fern in medical practice. See Female fern, under Female. -- Male rhyme, a rhyme in which only the last syllables agree, as laid, afraid, dismayed. See Female rhyme, under Female. -- Male screw (Mech.), a screw having threads upon its exterior which enter the grooves upon the inside of a corresponding nut or female screw. -- Male thread, the thread of a male screw.
MALE Male, n.
1. An animal of the male sex.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant bearing only staminate flowers.
MALEADMINISTRATION Male`ad*min`is*tra"tion, n.
Defn: Maladministration.
MALEATE Ma*le"ate, n.
Defn: A salt of maleic acid.
MALEBRANCHISM Male*branch"ism, n.
Defn: The philosophical system of Malebranche, an eminent French metaphysician. The fundamental doctrine of his system is that the mind can not have knowledge of anything external to itself except in its relation to God.
MALECONFORMATION Male*con`for*ma"tion, n.
Defn: Malconformation.
MALECONTENT Male"con*tent`, a.
Defn: Malcontent.
MALEDICENCY Mal`e*di"cen*cy, n. Etym: [L. maledicentia. See Maledicent.]
Defn: Evil speaking. [Obs.] Atterbury.
MALEDICENT Mal`e*di"cent, a. Etym: [L. maledicens, p. pr. of maledicere to speak ill; male ill + dicere to say, speak. See Malice, and Diction.]
Defn: Speaking reproachfully; slanderous. [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.
MALEDICT Mal"e*dict, a. Etym: [L. maledictus, p. p. of maledicere.]
Defn: Accursed; abominable. [R.]
MALEDICTION Mal`e*dic"tion, n. Etym: [L. maledictio: cf. F. malédiction. See Maledicent.]
Defn: A proclaiming of evil against some one; a cursing; imprecation; a curse or execration; -- opposed to benediction. No malediction falls from his tongue. Longfellow.
Syn. -- Cursing; curse; execration; imprecation; denunciation; anathema. -- Malediction, Curse, Imprecation, Execration. Malediction is the most general term, denoting bitter reproach, or wishes and predictions of evil. Curse implies the desire or threat of evil, declared upon oath or in the most solemn manner. Imprecation is literally the praying down of evil upon a person. Execration is literally a putting under the ban of excommunication, a curse which excludes from the kingdom of God. In ordinary usage, the last three words describe profane swearing, execration being the strongest.
MALEFACTION Mal`e*fac"tion, n. Etym: [See Malefactor.]
Defn: A crime; an offense; an evil deed. [R.] Shak.
MALEFACTOR Mal`e*fac"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. malefacere to do evil; male ill, evil + facere to do. See Malice, and Fact.]
1. An evil doer; one who commits a crime; one subject to public prosecution and punishment; a criminal.
2. One who does wrong by injuring another, although not a criminal. [Obs.] H. Brooke. Fuller.
Syn. -- Evil doer; criminal; culprit; felon; convict.
MALEFACTRESS Mal`e*fac"tress, n.
Defn: A female malefactor. Hawthorne.
MALEFEASANCE Male*fea"sance, n.
Defn: See Malfeasance.
MALEFIC Ma*lef"ic, a. Etym: [L. maleficus: cf. F. maléfique. See Malefaction.]
Defn: Doing mischief; causing harm or evil; nefarious; hurtful. [R.] Chaucer.
MALEFICE Mal"e*fice, n. Etym: [L. maleficium: cf. F. maléfice. See Malefactor.]
Defn: An evil deed; artifice; enchantment. [Obs.]
MALEFICENCE Ma*lef"i*cence, n. Etym: [L. maleficentia. Cf. Malfeasance.]
Defn: Evil doing, esp. to others.
MALEFICENT Ma*lef"i*cent, a. Etym: [See Malefic.]
Defn: Doing evil to others; harmful; mischievous.
MALEFICIAL Mal`e*fi"cial, a.
Defn: Injurious. Fuller.
MALEFICIATE Mal`e*fi"ci*ate, v. t. Etym: [LL. maleficiatus, p. p. of maleficiare to bewitch, fr. L. maleficium. See Malefice.]
Defn: To bewitch; to harm. [Obs.] Burton.
MALEFICIATION Mal`e*fi`ci*a"tion, n.
Defn: A bewitching. [Obs.]
MALEFICIENCE Mal`e*fi"cience, n. Etym: [See Maleficence.]
Defn: The doing of evil, harm, or mischief.
MALEFICIENT Mal`e*fi"cient, a. Etym: [See Maleficent.]
Defn: Doing evil, harm, or mischief.
MALEFORMATION Male`for*ma"tion, n.
Defn: See Malformation.
MALEIC Ma*le"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. maléique. See Malic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the ethylene series, metameric with fumaric acid and obtained by heating malic acid.
MALENGINE Ma*len"gine, n. Etym: [OF. malengin; L. malus bad, evil + ingenium natural capacity. See Engine.]
Defn: Evil machination; guile; deceit. [Obs.] Gower.
MALEO Ma"le*o, n. Etym: [From its native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird of Celebes (megacephalon maleo), allied to the brush turkey. It makes mounds in which to lay its eggs.
MALE-ODOR Male-o"dor, n.
Defn: See Malodor.
MALEPRACTICE Male*prac"tice, n.
Defn: See Malpractice.
MALE-SPIRITED Male"-spir`it*ed, a.
Defn: Having the spirit of a male; vigorous; courageous. [R.] B. Jonson.
MALET Mal"et, n. Etym: [F. mallette, dim. of malle. See Mail a bag.]
Defn: A little bag or budget. [Obs.] Shelton.
MALETREAT Male*treat", v. t.
Defn: See Maltreat.
MALEVOLENCE Ma*lev"o*lence, n. Etym: [L. malevolentia. See Malevolent.]
Defn: The quality or state of being malevolent; evil disposition toward another; inclination to injure others; ill will. See Synonym of Malice.
MALEVOLENT Ma*lev"o*lent, a. Etym: [L. malevolens, -entis; male ill + volens, p. pr. of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice, and Voluntary.]
Defn: Wishing evil; disposed to injure others; rejoicing in another's misfortune.
Syn. -- Ill-disposed; envious; mischievous; evil-minded; spiteful; malicious; malignant; rancorous.
MALEVOLENTLY Ma*lev"o*lent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a malevolent manner.
MALEVOLOUS Ma*lev"o*lous, a. Etym: [L. malevolus; fr. male ill + velle to be disposed.]
Defn: Malevolent. [Obs.] Bp. Warburton.
MALEXECUTION Mal*ex`e*cu"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + execution.]
Defn: Bad execution. D. Webster.
MALEYL Ma*le"yl, n. Etym: [Maleic + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical derived from maleic acid.
MALFEASANCE Mal*fea"sance, n. Etym: [F. malfaisance, fr. malfaisant injurious, doing ill; mal ill, evil + faisant doing, p. pr. of faire to do. See Malice, Feasible, and cf. Maleficence.] (Law)
Defn: The doing of an act which a person ought not to do; evil conduct; an illegal deed. [Written also malefeasance.]
MALFORMATION Mal`for*ma"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + forniation.]
Defn: Ill formation; irregular or anomalous formation; abnormal or wrong conformation or structure.
MALGRACIOUS Mal*gra"cious, a. Etym: [F. malgracieux.]
Defn: Not graceful; displeasing. [Obs.] Gower.
MALGRE Mal"gre, prep.
Defn: See Mauger.
MALIC Ma"lic, a. Etym: [L. malum an apple: cf. F. malique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, apples; as, malic acid. Malic acid, a hydroxy acid obtained as a substance which is sirupy or crystallized with difficulty, and has a strong but pleasant sour taste. It occurs in many fruits, as in green apples, currants, etc. It is levorotatory or dextrorotatory according to the temperature and concentration. An artificial variety is a derivative of succinic acid, but has no action on polarized light, and thus malic acid is a remarkable case of physical isomerism.
MALICE Mal"ice, n. Etym: [F. malice, fr. L. malitia, from malus bad, ill, evil, prob. orig., dirty, black; cf. Gr. mala dirt. Cf. Mauger.]
1. Enmity of heart; malevolence; ill will; a spirit delighting in harm or misfortune to another; a disposition to injure another; a malignant design of evil. "Nor set down aught in malice." Shak. Envy, hatred, and malice are three distinct passions of the mind. Ld. Holt.
2. (Law)
Defn: Any wicked or mischievous intention of the mind; a depraved inclination to mischief; an intention to vex, annoy, or injure another person, or to do a wrongful act without just cause or cause or excuse; a wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others; willfulness. Malice aforethought or prepense, malice previously and deliberately entertained.
Syn. -- Spite; ill will; malevolence; grudge; pique; bitterness; animosity; malignity; maliciousness; rancor; virulence. See Spite. -- Malevolence, Malignity, Malignancy. Malice is a stronger word than malevolence, which may imply only a desire that evil may befall another, while malice desires, and perhaps intends, to bring it about. Malignity is intense and deepseated malice. It implies a natural delight in hating and wronging others. One who is malignant must be both malevolent and malicious; but a man may be malicious without being malignant. Proud tyrants who maliciously destroy And ride o'er ruins with malignant joy. Somerville. in some connections, malignity seems rather more pertinently applied to a radical depravity of nature, and malignancy to indications of this depravity, in temper and conduct in particular instances. Cogan.
MALICE Mal"ice, v. t.
Defn: To regard with extreme ill will. [Obs.]
MALICHO Mal"i*cho, n. Etym: [Sp. malhecho; mal bad + hecho deed, L. factum. See Fact.]
Defn: Mischief. [Obs.] Shak.
MALICIOUS Ma*li"cious, a. Etym: [Of. malicius, F. malicieux, fr. L. malitiosus. See Malice.]
1. Indulging or exercising malice; harboring ill will or enmity. I grant him bloody, . . . Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name. Shak.
2. Proceeding from hatred or ill will; dictated by malice; as, a malicious report; malicious mischief.
3. (Law)
Defn: With wicked or mischievous intentions or motives; wrongful and done intentionally without just cause or excuse; as, a malicious act. Malicious abandonment, the desertion of a wife or husband without just cause. Burrill. -- Malicious mischief (Law), malicious injury to the property of another; -- an offense at common law. Wharton. -- Malicious prosecution or arrest (Law), a wanton prosecution or arrest, by regular process in a civil or criminal proceeding, without probable cause. Bouvier.
Syn. -- Ill-disposed; evil-minded; mischievous; envious; malevolent; invidious; spiteful; bitter; malignant; rancorous; malign. -- Ma*li"cious*ly, adv. -- Ma*li"cious*ness, n.
MALIGN Ma*lign", a. Etym: [L. malignus, for maligenus, i. e., of a bad kind or nature; malus bad + the root of genus birth, race, kind: cf. F. malin, masc., maligne, fem. See Malice, Gender, and cf. Benign, Malignant.]
1. Having an evil disposition toward others; harboring violent enmity; malevolent; malicious; spiteful; -- opposed to benign. Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits. Bacon.
2. Unfavorable; unpropitious; pernicious; tending to injure; as, a malign aspect of planets.
3. Malignant; as, a malign ulcer. [R.] Bacon.
MALIGN Ma*lign", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maligned; p. pr. & vb. n. Maligning.] Etym: [Cf. L. malignare. See Malign, a.]
Defn: To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong; to injure. [Obs.] The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them. Spenser.
2. To speak great evil of; to traduce; to defame; to slander; to vilify; to asperse. To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling. South.
MALIGN Ma*lign", v. i.
Defn: To entertain malice. [Obs.]
MALIGNANCE; MALIGNANCY Ma*lig"nance, Ma*lig"nan*cy , n. Etym: [See Malignant.]
1. The state or quality of being malignant; extreme malevolence; bitter enmity; malice; as, malignancy of heart.
2. Unfavorableness; evil nature. The malignancy of my fate might perhaps distemner yours. Shak.
3. (Med.)
Defn: Virulence; tendency to a fatal issue; as, the malignancy of an ulcer or of a fever.
4. The state of being a malignant.
Syn. -- Malice; malevolence; malignity. See Malice.
MALIGNANT Ma*lig"nant, a. Etym: [L. malignans, -antis, p. pr. of malignare, malignari, to do or make maliciously. See Malign, and cf. Benignant.]
1. Disposed to do harm, inflict suffering, or cause distress; actuated by extreme malevolence or enmity; virulently inimical; bent on evil; malicious. A malignant and a turbaned Turk. Shak.
2. Characterized or caused by evil intentions; pernicious. "Malignant care." Macaulay. Some malignant power upon my life. Shak. Something deleterious and malignant as his touch. Hawthorne.
3. (Med.)
Defn: Tending to produce death; threatening a fatal issue; virulent; as, malignant diphtheria. Malignant pustule (Med.), a very contagious disease, transmitted to man from animals, characterized by the formation, at the point of reception of the virus, of a vesicle or pustule which first enlarges and then breaks down into an unhealthy ulcer. It is marked by profound exhaustion and usually fatal. Called also charbon, and sometimes, improperly, anthrax.
MALIGNANT Ma*lig"nant, n.
1. A man of extrems enmity or evil intentions. Hooker.
2. (Eng. Hist.)
Defn: One of the adherents of Charles L. or Charles LL.; -- so called by the opposite party.
MALIGNANTLY Ma*lig"nant*ly, adv.
Defn: In a malignant manner.
MALIGNER Ma*lign"er, n.
Defn: One who maligns.
MALIGNIFY Ma*lig"ni*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malignified; p. pr. & vb. n. Malignifying.] Etym: [L. malignus malign + -fy.]
Defn: To make malign or malignant. [R.] "A strong faith malignified." Southey.
MALIGNITY Ma*lig"ni*ty, n. Etym: [F. malignité, L. malignitas.]
1. The state or quality of being malignant; disposition to do evil; virulent enmity; malignancy; malice; spite.
2. Virulence; deadly quality. His physicians discerned an invincible malignity in his disease. Hayward.
3. Extreme evilness of nature or influence; perniciousness; heinousness; as, the malignity of fraud. [R.]
Syn. -- See Malice.
MALIGNLY Ma*lign"ly, adv.
Defn: In a malign manner; with malignity.
MALINGER Ma*lin"ger, v. i. [imp. & p. p. MAlingered; p. pr. & vb. n. Malingering.]
Defn: To act the part of a malingerer; to feign illness or inability.
MALINGERER Ma*lin"ger*er, n. Etym: [F. malingre sickly, weakly, prob. from mal ill + OF. heingre, haingre, thin, lean, infirm, fr. L. aeger.]
Defn: In the army, a soldier who feigns himself sick, or who induces or protracts an illness, in order to avoid doing his duty; hence, in general, one who shirks his duty by pretending illness or inability.
MALINGERY Ma*lin"ger*y, n.
Defn: The spirit or practices of a malingerer; malingering.
MALISON Mal"i*son, n. Etym: [OF. maleicon, L. maledictio. See Malediction, and cf. Benison.]
Defn: Malediction; curse; execration. [Poetic] God's malison on his head who this gainsays. Sir W. Scott.
MALKIN Mal"kin, n. Etym: [Dim. of Maud, the proper name. Cf. Grimalkin.] [Written also maukin.]
1. Originally, a kitchenmaid; a slattern. Chaucer.
2. A mop made of clouts, used by the kitchen servant.
3. A scarecrow.[Prov. Eng.]
4. (Mil.)
Defn: A mop or sponge attached to a jointed staff for swabbing out a cannon.
MALL Mall, n. [Written also maul.] Etym: [OE. malle, F. mail, L. malleus. Cf. Malleus.]
1. A large heavy wooden beetle; a mallet for driving anything with force; a maul. Addison.
2. A heavy blow. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. An old game played with malls or mallets and balls. See Pall-mall. Cotton.
4. A place where the game of mall was played. Hence: A public walk; a level shaded walk. Part of the area was laid out in gravel walks, and planted with elms; and these convenient and frequented walks obtained the name of the City Mall. Southey.
MALL Mall, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malled; p. pr. & vb. n. Malling.] Etym: [Cf. OF. mailler. See Mall beetle, and cf. Malleate.]
Defn: To beat with a mall; to beat with something heavy; to bruise; to maul.
MALL Mall, n. Etym: [LL. mallum a public assembly; cf. OHG. mahal assembly, transaction; akin to AS. mæ, me, assembly, m to speak, Goth. mapl market place.]
Defn: Formerly, among Teutonic nations, a meeting of the notables of a state for the transaction of public business, such meeting being a modification of the ancient popular assembly. Hence: (a) A court of justice. (b) A place where justice is administered. (c) A place where public meetings are held. Councils, which had been as frequent as diets or malls, ceased. Milman.
MALLARD Mal"lard, n. Etym: [F. malari,fr. mâle male + -art =-ard. See Male, a., and -ard.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A drake; the male of Anas boschas.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large wild duck (Anas boschas) inhabiting both America and Europe. The domestic duck has descended from this species. Called also greenhead.
MALLEABILITY Mal"le*a*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [CF. F. malléabilité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being malleable; -- opposed to friability and brittleness. Locke.
MALLEABLE Mal"le*a*ble, a. Etym: [F. malléable, fr. LL. malleare to hammer. See Malleate.]
Defn: Capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer, or by the pressure of rollers; -- applied to metals. Malleable iron, iron that is capable of extension or of being shaped under the hammer; decarbonized cast iron. See under Iron. -- Malleable iron castings, articles cast from pig iron and made malleable by heating then for several days in the presence of some substance, as hematite, which deprives the cast iron of some of its carbon.
MALLEABLEIZE Mal"le*a*ble*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make malleable.
MALLEABLENESS Mal"le*a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being malleable.
MALLEAL Mal"le*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the malleus.
MALLEATE Mal"le*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malleated; p. pr. & vb. n. Malleating.] Etym: [L. malleatus hammered, fr. malleus a hammer. See Mall, v. t.]
Defn: To hammer; to beat into a plate or leaf.
MALLEATION Mal`le*a"tion, n. Etym: [LL. malleatio: cf. OF. malléation.]
Defn: The act or process of beating into a plate, sheet, or leaf, as a metal; extension by beating.
MALLECHO Mal"le*cho, n.
Defn: Same as Malicho.
MALLEE BIRD Mal*lee" bird`. (Zoöl.) Etym: [From native name.]
Defn: The leipoa. See Leipoa.
MALLEMOCK; MALLEMOKE Mal"le*mock, Mal"le*moke, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mollemoke.
MALLENDERS Mal"len*ders, n. pl. (Far.)
Defn: Same as Malanders.
MALLEOLAR Mal*le"o*lar, a. Etym: [See Malleolus.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the malleolus; in the region of the malleoli of the ankle joint.
MALLEOLUS Mal*le"*o*lus, n.; pl. Malleoli. Etym: [L., dim. of malleus hammer.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: A projection at the distal end of each bone of the leg at the ankle joint. The malleolus of the tibia is the internal projection, that of the fibula the external.
2. " A layer, " a shoot partly buried in the ground, and there cut halfway through.
MALLET Mal"let, n. Etym: [F. maillet, dim. of mail. See Mall a beetle.]
Defn: A small maul with a short handle, -- used esp. for driving a tool, as a chisel or the like; also, a light beetle with a long handle, -- used in playing croquet.
MALLEUS Mal"le*us, n.; pl. Mallei. Etym: [L., hammer. See Mall a beetle.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The outermost of the three small auditory bones, ossicles; the hammer. It is attached to the tympanic membrane by a long process, the handle or manubrium. See Illust. of Far.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the hard lateral pieces of the mastax of Rotifera. See Mastax.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of bivalve shells; the hammer shell.
MALLOPHAGA Mal*loph"a*ga, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive group of insects which are parasitic on birds and mammals, and feed on the feathers and hair; -- called also bird lice. See Bird louse, under Bird.
MALLOTUS Mal*lo"tus, n. Etym: [NL., fr Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small Arctic fishes. One American species, the capelin (Mallotus villosus), is extensively used as bait for cod.
MALLOW; MALLOWS Mal"low, Mal"lows, n. Etym: [OE. malwe, AS. mealwe, fr. L. malva, akin to Gr. mala`chh; cf. mala`ssein to soften, malako`s soft. Named either from its softening or relaxing properties, or from its soft downy leaves. Cf. Mauve, Malachite.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants (Malva) having mucilaginous qualities. See Malvaceous.
Note: The flowers of the common mallow (M. sylvestris) are used in medicine. The dwarf mallow (M. rotundifolia) is a common weed, and its flattened, dick-shaped fruits are called cheeses by children. Tree mallow (M. Mauritiana and Lavatera arborea), musk mallow (M. moschata), rose mallow or hollyhock, and curled mallow (M. crispa), are less commonly seen. Indian mallow. See Abutilon. -- Jew's mallow, a plant (Corchorus olitorius) used as a pot herb by the Jews of Egypt and Syria. -- Marsh mallow. See under Marsh.
MALLOWWORT Mal"low*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the order Malvaceæ.
MALM; MALMBRICK Malm, Malm"brick`, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. mealm sand.]
Defn: A kind of brick of a light brown or yellowish color, made of sand, clay, and chalk.
MALMA Mal"ma, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A spotted trout (Salvelinus malma), inhabiting Northern America, west of the Rocky Mountains; -- called also Dolly Varden trout, bull trout, red-spotted trout, and golet.
MALMAG Mal"mag, n. Etym: [F., from native name in Madagascar.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The tarsius, or spectral lemur.
MALMSEY Malm"sey, n. Etym: [OE. malvesie, F. malvoisie, It. malvasia, malavagia, fr. Malvasia, or Napoli di Malvasia, in the Morea.]
Defn: A kind of sweet wine from Crete, the Canary Islands, etc. Shak.
MALNUTRITION Mal`nu*tri"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + nutrition.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Faulty or imperfect nutrition.
MALOBSERVATION Mal*ob`ser*va"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + observation.]
Defn: Erroneous observation. J. S Mill.
MALODOR Mal*o"dor, n.
Defn: An Offensive to the sense of smell; ill-smelling. -- Mal*o"dor*ous*ness. n. Carlyle.
MALODOROUS Mal*o"dor*ous, a.
Defn: Offensive to the sense of smell; ill-smelling. -- Mal*o"dor*ous*ness. n. Carlyle. [1913 Webster]
MALONATE Mal"o*nate, a. (Chem.)
Defn: At salt of malonic acid.
MALONIC Ma*lon"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid produced artifically as a white crystalline substance, CH2.(CO2H)2, and so called because obtained by the oxidation of malic acid.
MALONYL Mal"o*nyl, n. Etym: [Malonic + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon radical, CH2.(CO)2, from malonic acid.
MALPAIS Mal"pais`, n. [Cf. Sp. mal, malo, bad, and país country.] (Geol.)
Defn: The rough surface of a congealed lava stream. [Southwestern U. S.]
MALPIGHIA Mal*pi"ghi*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Malpighian.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of tropical American shrubs with opposite leaves and small white or reddish flowers. The drupes of Malpighia urens are eaten under the name of Barbadoes cherries.
MALPIGHIACEOUS Mal*pi`ghi*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of tropical trees and shrubs (Malpighiaceæ), some of them climbing plants, and their stems forming many of the curious lianes of South American forests.
MALPIGHIAN Mal*pi"ghi*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. Malhighian capsules or corpuscles, the globular dilatations, containing the glomeruli or Malpighian tufts, at the extremities of the urinary tubules of the kidney. Malpighian corpuscles of the spleen, masses of adenoid tissue connected with branches of the splenic artery.
MALPOSITION Mal`po*si"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + position.]
Defn: A wrong position.
MALPRACTICE Mal*prac"tice, n. Etym: [Mal- + practice.]
Defn: Evil practice; illegal or immoral conduct; practice contrary to established rules; specifically, the treatment of a case by a surgeon or physician in a manner which is contrary to accepted rules and productive of unfavorable results. [Written also malepractice.]
MALT Malt, n. Etym: [AS. mealt; akin to D. mout, G. malz, Icel., Sw., & Dan. malt, and E. melt. sq. root108. See Melt.]
Defn: Barley or other grain, steeped in water and dried in a kiln, thus forcing germination until the saccharine principle has been evolved. It is used in brewing and in the distillation of whisky.
MALT Malt, a.
Defn: Relating to, containing, or made with, malt. Malt liquor, an alcoholic liquor, as beer, ale, porter, etc., prepared by fermenting an infusion of malt. -- Malt dust, fine particles of malt, or of the grain used in making malt; -used as a fertilizer. " Malt dust consists chiefly of the infant radicle separated from the grain." Sir H. Davy. -- Malt floor, a floor for drying malt. -- Malt house, or Malthouse, a house in which malt is made. -- Malt kiln, a heated chamber for drying malt.
MALT Malt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malted: p. pr. & vb. n. Malting.]
Defn: To make into malt; as, to malt barley.
MALT Malt, v. i.
Defn: To become malt; also, to make grain into malt. Mortimer.
MALTALENT Mal"ta*lent, n. Etym: [F. See Malice, and Talent.]
Defn: Ill will; malice. [Obs.] Rom. of R. Spenser.
MALTESE Mal*tese", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Malta or to its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Malta; the people of Malta. Maltese cat (Zoöl.), a mouse-colored variety of the domestic cat. -- Maltese cross. See Illust. 5, of Cross. -- Maltese dog (Zoöl.), a breed of small terriers, having long silky white hair. The breed originated in Malta.
MALTHA Mal"tha, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. A variety of bitumen, viscid and tenacious, like pitch, unctuous to the touch, and exhaling a bituminous odor.
2. Mortar. [Obs.] Holland.
MALTHUSIAN Mal*thu"sian, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the political economist, the Rev. T. R. Malthus, or conforming to his views; as, Malthusian theories.
Note: Malthus held that population tends to increase faster than its means of subsistence can be made to do, and hence that the lower classes must necessarily suffer more or less from lack of food, unless an increase of population be checked by prudential restraint or otherwise.
MALTHUSIAN Mal*thu"sian, n.
Defn: A follower of Malthus.
MALTHUSIANISM Mal*thu"sian*ism, n.
Defn: The system of Malthusian doctrines relating to population.
MALTIN; MALTINE Malt"in, Malt"ine, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: The fermentative principle of malt; malt diastase; also, a name given to various medicinal preparations made from or containing malt.
MALTING Malt"ing, n.
Defn: The process of making, or of becoming malt.
MALTMAN Malt"man, n.; pl. Maltmen (.
Defn: A man whose occupation is to make malt.
MALTONIC Mal*ton"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, maltose; specif., designating an acid called also gluconic or dextronic acid. See Gluconic.
MALTOSE Malt"ose`, n. Etym: [From Malt.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A crystalline sugar formed from starch by the action of distance of malt, and the amylolytic ferment of saliva and pancreatic juice. It resembles dextrose, but rotates the plane of polarized light further to the right and possesses a lower cupric oxide reducing power.
MALTREAT Mal*treat", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maltreated; p. pr. & vb. n. Maltreating.] Etym: [Mal- + treat: cf. F. maltraiter.]
Defn: To treat ill; to abuse; to treat roughly.
MALTREATMENT Mal*treat"ment, n.; Etym: [Cf. F. maltraitement.]
Defn: Ill treatment; ill usage; abuse.
MALTSTER Malt"ster, n.
Defn: A maltman. Swift.
MALTWORM Malt"worm`, n.
Defn: A tippler. [R.] Shak.
MALTY Malt"y, a.
Defn: Consisting, or like, malt. Dickens.
MALUM Ma"lum, n.; pl. Mala. Etym: [L.]
Defn: An evil. See Mala.
MALVACEOUS Mal*va"ceous, a. Etym: [L. malvaceus, from malva mallows. See Mallow.] (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of plants (Malvaceæ), of which the mallow is the type. The cotton plant, hollyhock, and abutilon are of this order, and the baobab and the silk-cotton trees are now referred to it.
MALVERSATION Mal`ver*sa"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. malverser to be corrupt in office, fr. L. male ill + versari to move about, to occupy one's self, vertere to turn. See Malice, and Verse.]
Defn: Evil conduct; fraudulent practices; misbehavior, corruption, or extortion in office.
MALVESIE Mal"ve*sie, n.
Defn: Malmsey wine. See Malmsey. " A jub of malvesye." Chaucer.
MAM Mam, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. mamma.]
Defn: Mamma.
MAM Mam (mam), n. [Abbrev. fr. mamma.]
Defn: Mamma.
MAMA Ma*ma", n.
Defn: See Mamma.
MAMALUKE Mam"a*luke, n.
Defn: Same as Mameluke.
MAMELON Mam"e*lon, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A rounded hillock; a rounded elevation or protuberance. Westmin. Rev.
MAMELUCO Mam`e*lu"co, n. Etym: [Pg.]
Defn: A child born of a white father and Indian mother. [S. Amer.]
MAMELUKE Mam"e*luke, n. Etym: [F. mamelouk, cf. Sp. mameluco, It. mammalucco; all fr. Ar. maml a purchased slave or captive; lit., possessed or in one's power, p. p. of malaka to possesses.]
Defn: One of a body of mounted soldiers recruited from slaves converted to Mohammedanism, who, during several centuries, had more or less control of the government of Egypt, until exterminated or dispersed by Mehemet Ali in 1811.
MAMILLATED Mam"il*la`ted, a.
Defn: See Mammillated.
MAMMA Mam*ma", n. Etym: [Reduplicated from the infantine word ma, influenced in spelling by L. mamma.]
Defn: Mother; -- word of tenderness and familiarity. [Written also mama.] Tell tales papa and mamma. Swift.
MAMMA Mam"ma, n.; pl. Mammæ. Etym: [L. mamma breast.] (Anat.)
Defn: A glandular organ for secreting milk, characteristic of all mammals, but usually rudimentary in the male; a mammary gland; a breast; under; bag.
MAMMAL Mam"mal, n.; pl. Mammals. Etym: [L. mammalis belonging to the breast, fr. mamma the breast or pap: cf. F. mammal.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Mammalia. Age of mammals. See under Age, n., 8.
MAMMALIA Mam*ma"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from L. mammalis. See Mammal.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The highest class of Vertebrata. The young are nourished for a time by milk, or an analogous fluid, secreted by the mammary glands of the mother.
Note: Mammalia are divided into threes subclasses; --I. Placentalia. This subclass embraces all the higher orders, including man. In these the fetus is attached to the uterus by a placenta. II. Marsupialia. In these no placenta is formed, and the young, which are born at an early state of development, are carried for a time attached to the teats, and usually protected by a marsupial pouch. The opossum, kangaroo, wombat, and koala are examples. III. Monotremata. In this group, which includes the genera Echidna and Ornithorhynchus, the female lays large eggs resembling those of a bird or lizard, and the young, which are hatched like those of birds, are nourished by a watery secretion from the imperfectly developed mammæ.
MAMMALIAN Mam*ma"li*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mammalia or mammals.
MAMMALIFEROUS Mam`ma*lif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Mammal + -ferous.] (Geol.)
Defn: Containing mammalian remains; -- said of certain strata.
MAMMALOGICAL Mam`ma*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to mammalogy.
MAMMALOGIST Mam*mal"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mammalogiste.]
Defn: One versed in mammalogy.
MAMMALOGY Mam*mal"o*gy, n. Etym: [Mamma breast + -logy: cf. f. mammalogie.]
Defn: The science which relates to mammals or the Mammalia. See Mammalia.
MAMMARY Mam"ma*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mammaire.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mammæ or breasts; as, the mammary arteries and veins.
MAMMEE Mam*mee", n. Etym: [Haytian mamey.] (Bot.)
Defn: A fruit tree of tropical America, belonging to the genus Mammea (M. Americana); also, its fruit. The latter is large, covered with a thick, tough ring, and contains a bright yellow pulp of a pleasant taste and fragrant scent. It is often called mammee apple.
MAMMER Mam"mer, v. i. Etym: [Cf. G. memme coward, poltroon.]
Defn: To hesitate; to mutter doubtfully. [Obs.]
MAMMET Mam"met, n. Etym: [See Mawmet.]
Defn: An idol; a puppet; a doll. [Obs.] Selden. Shak.
MAMMETRY Mam"met*ry, n.
Defn: See Mawmetry. [Obs.]
MAMMIFER Mam"mi*fer, n. Etym: [NL. See Mammiferous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A mammal. See Mammalia.
MAMMIFEROUS Mam*mif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Mamma breast + -ferous: cf. F. mammifère.]
Defn: Having breasts; of, pertaining to, or derived from, the Mammalia.
MAMMIFORM Mam"mi*form, a. Etym: [Mamma breast + -form: cf. F. mammiforme.]
Defn: Having the form of a mamma (breast) or mammæ.
MAMMILLA Mam*mil"la, n.; pl. Mammilæ. Etym: [L., dim. of mamma a breast.] (Anat.)
Defn: The nipple.
MAMMILLARY Mam"mil*la*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mammilaire. See Mammilla.]
1. Of or pertaining to the mammilla, or nipple, or to the breast; resembling a mammilla; mammilloid.
2. (Min.)
Defn: Composed of convex convex concretions, somewhat resembling the breasts in form; studded with small mammiform protuberances.
MAMMILLATE; MAMMILLATED Mam"mil*late, Mam"mil*la`ted, a. Etym: [See Mammilla.]
1. Having small nipples, or small protuberances like nipples or mammæ.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Bounded like a nipple; -- said of the apex of some shells.
MAMMILLIFORM Mam*mil"li*form, a. Etym: [Mammil + -form.]
Defn: Having the form of a mammilla.
MAMMILLOID Mam"mil*loid, a. Etym: [Mammilla + -oid.]
Defn: Like a mammilla or nipple; mammilliform.
MAMMOCK Mam"mock, n. Etym: [Ir. & Gael. mam a round hill + -ock.]
Defn: A shapeless piece; a fragment. [Obs.]
MAMMOCK Mam"mock, v. t.
Defn: To tear to pieces. [Obs.] Milton.
MAMMODIS Mam"mo*dis, n. Etym: [F. mamoudis, fr. Hind. mahmudi a muslin.]
Defn: Coarse plain India muslins.
MAMMOLOGY Mam*mol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Mamma + -logy.]
Defn: Mastology. See Mammalogy.
MAMMON Mam"mon, n. Etym: [L. mammona, Gr. mam; cf. Heb. matm a hiding place, subterranean storehouse, treasury, fr. taman to hide.]
Defn: Riches; wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified. Ye can not serve God and Mammon. Matt. vi. 24.
MAMMONISH Mam"mon*ish, a.
Defn: Actuated or prompted by a devotion to money getting or the service of Mammon. Carlyle.
MAMMONISM Mam"mon*ism, n.
Defn: Devotion to the pursuit of wealth; worldliness. Carlyle.
MAMMONIST Mam"mon*ist, n.
Defn: A mammonite.
MAMMONITE Mam"mon*ite, n.
Defn: One devoted to the acquisition of wealth or the service of Mammon. C. Kingsley.
MAMMONIZATION Mam`mon*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The process of making mammonish; the state of being under the influence of mammonism.
MAMMONIZE Mam"mon*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make mammonish.
MAMMOSE Mam*mose", a. Etym: [L. mammosus having large breasts, mamma breast.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having the form of the breast; breast-shaped.
MAMMOTH Mam"moth, n. Etym: [Russ. mâmont, mámant, fr. Tartar mamma the earth. Certain Tartar races, the Tungooses and Yakoots, believed that the mammoth worked its way in the earth like a mole.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extinct, hairy, maned elephant (Elephas primigenius), of enormous size, remains of which are found in the northern parts of both continents. The last of the race, in Europe, were coeval with prehistoric man.
Note: Several specimens have been found in Siberia preserved entire, with the flesh and hair remaining. They were imbedded in the ice cliffs at a remote period, and became exposed by the melting of the ice.
MAMMOTH Mam"moth, a.
Defn: Resembling the mammoth in size; very large; gigantic; as, a mammoth ox.
MAMMOTHREPT Mam"mo*thrept, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A child brought up by its grandmother; a spoiled child. [R.] O, you are a more mammothrept in judgment. B. Jonson.
MAMMY Mam"my, n.; pl. Mammies (.
Defn: A child's name for mamma, mother.
MAMZER Mam"zer, n. Etym: [Heb. mámz.]
Defn: A person born of relations between whom marriage was forbidden by the Mosaic law; a bastard. Deut. xxiii. 2 (Douay version).
MAN Man, n.; pl. Men. Etym: [AS. mann, man, monn, mon; akin to OS., D., & OHG. man, G. mann, Icel. maedhr, for mannr, Dan. Mand, Sw. man, Goth. manna, Skr. manu, manus, and perh. to Skr. man to think, and E. mind. sq. root104. Cf. Minx a pert girl.]
1. A human being; -- opposed tobeast. These men went about wide, and man found they none, But fair country, and wild beast many [a] one. R. of Glouc. The king is but a man, as I am; the violet smells to him as it doth to me. Shak.
2. Especially: An adult male person; a grown-up male person, as distinguished from a woman or a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things. I Cor. xiii. 11. Ceneus, a woman once, and once a man. Dryden.
3. The human race; mankind. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion. Gen. i. 26. The proper study of mankind is man. Pope.
4. The male portion of the human race. Woman has, in general, much stronger propensity than man to the discharge of parental duties. Cowper.
5. One possessing in a high degree the distinctive qualities of manhood; one having manly excellence of any kind. Shak. This was the noblest Roman of them all . . . the elements So mixed in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world "This was a man! Shak.
6. An adult male servant; also, a vassal; a subject. Like master, like man. Old Proverb. The vassal, or tenant, kneeling, ungirt, uncovered, and holding up his hands between those of his lord, professed that he did become his man from that day forth, of life, limb, and earthly honor. Blackstone.
7. A term of familiar address often implying on the part of the speaker some degree of authority, impatience, or haste; as, Come, man, we 've no time to lose !
8. A married man; a husband; -- correlative to wife. I pronounce that they are man and wife. Book of Com. Prayer. every wife ought to answer for her man. Addison.
9. One, or any one, indefinitely; -- a modified survival of the Saxon use of man, or mon, as an indefinite pronoun. A man can not make him laugh. Shak. A man would expect to find some antiquities; but all they have to show of this nature is an old rostrum of a Roman ship. Addison.
10. One of the piece with which certain games, as chess or draughts, are played.
Note: Man is often used as a prefix in composition, or as a separate adjective, its sense being usually self-explaining; as, man child, man eater or maneater, man-eating, man hater or manhater, man-hating, manhunter, man-hunting, mankiller, man-killing, man midwife, man pleaser, man servant, man-shaped, manslayer, manstealer, man- stealing, manthief, man worship, etc. Man is also used as a suffix to denote a person of the male sex having a business which pertains to the thing spoken of in the qualifying part of the compound; ashman, butterman, laundryman, lumberman, milkman, fireman, showman, waterman, woodman. Where the combination is not familiar, or where some specific meaning of the compound is to be avoided, man is used as a separate substantive in the foregoing sense; as, apple man, cloth man, coal man, hardware man, wood man (as distinguished from woodman). Man ape (Zoöl.), a anthropoid ape, as the gorilla. -- Man at arms, a designation of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries for a soldier fully armed. -- Man engine, a mechanical lift for raising or lowering people through considerable distances; specifically (Mining), a contrivance by which miners ascend or descend in a shaft. It consists of a series of landings in the shaft and an equal number of shelves on a vertical rod which has an up and down motion equal to the distance between the successive landings. A man steps from a landing to a shelf and is lifted or lowered to the next landing, upon which he them steps, and so on, traveling by successive stages. -- Man Friday, a person wholly subservient to the will of another, like Robinson Crusoe's servant Friday. -- Man of straw, a puppet; one who is controlled by others; also, one who is not responsible pecuniarily. -- Man-of-the earth (Bot.), a twining plant (Ipomoea pandurata) with leaves and flowers much like those of the morning-glory, but having an immense tuberous farinaceous root. -- Man of war. (a) A warrior; a soldier. Shak. (b) (Naut.) See in the Vocabulary. -- To be one's own man, to have command of one's self; not to be subject to another.
MAN Man, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manned; p. pr. & vb. n. Manning.]
1. To supply with men; to furnish with a sufficient force or complement of men, as for management, service, defense, or the like; to guard; as, to man a ship, boat, or fort. See how the surly Warwick mans the wall ! Shak. They man their boats, and all their young men arm. Waller.
2. To furnish with strength for action; to prepare for efficiency; to fortify. "Theodosius having manned his soul with proper reflections." Addison.
3. To tame, as a hawk. [R.] Shak.
4. To furnish with a servants. [Obs.] Shak.
5. To wait on as a manservant. [Obs.] Shak.
Note: In "Othello," V. ii. 270, the meaning is uncertain, being, perhaps: To point, to aim, or to manage. To man a yard (Naut.), to send men upon a yard, as for furling or reefing a sail. -- To man the yards (Naut.), to station men on the yards as a salute or mark of respect.
MANABLE Man"a*ble, a.
Defn: Marriageable.[Obs.]
MANACE Man"ace, n. & v.
Defn: Same as Menace. [Obs.]
MANACLE Man"a*cle, n. Etym: [OE. manicle, OF. manicle, F. manicle sort glove, manacle, L. manicula a little hand, dim. of manus hand; cf. L. manica sleeve, manacle, fr.manus. See Manual.]
Defn: A handcuff; a shackle for the hand or wrist; -- usually in the plural. Doctrine unto fools is as fetters on the feet, and like manacles on the right hand. Ecclus. xxi. 19.
MANACLE Man"a*cle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manacled; p. pr. & vb. n. Manacling.]
Defn: To put handcuffs or other fastening upon, for confining the hands; to shackle; to confine; to restrain from the use of the limbs or natural powers. Is it thus you use this monarch, to manacle and shackle him hand and foot Arbuthnot.
MANAGE Man"age, n. Etym: [F. manège, It. maneggio, fr. maneggiare to manage, fr. L.manushand. Perhaps somewhat influenced by F. ménage housekeeping, OF. mesnage, akin to E. mansion. See Manual, and cf. Manege.]
Defn: The handling or government of anything, but esp. of a horse; management; administration. See Manege. [Obs.] Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold. Bacon. Down, down I come; like glistering Phaëthon Wanting the manage of unruly jades. Shak. The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl. Shak.
Note: This word, in its limited sense of management of a horse, has been displaced by manege; in its more general meaning, by management.
MANAGE Man"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Managed; p. pr. & vb. n. Managing.] Etym: [From Manage, n.]
1. To have under control and direction; to conduct; to guide; to administer; to treat; to handle. Long tubes are cumbersome, and scarce to be easily managed. Sir I. Newton. What wars Imanage, and what wreaths I gain. Prior.
2. Hence: Esp., to guide by careful or delicate treatment; to wield with address; to make subservient by artful conduct; to bring around cunningly to one's plans. It was so much his interest to manage his Protestant subjects. Addison . It was not her humor to manage those over whom she had gained an ascendant. Bp. Hurd.
3. To train in the manege, as a horse; to exercise in graceful or artful action.
4. To treat with care; to husband. Dryden.
5. To bring about; to contrive. Shak.
Syn. -- To direct; govern; control; wield; order; contrive; concert; conduct; transact.
MANAGE Man"age, v. i.
Defn: To direct affairs; to carry on business or affairs; to administer. Leave them to manage for thee. Dryden .
MANAGEABILITY Man`age*a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being manageable; manageableness.
MANAGEABLE Man"age*a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be managed or used; suffering control; governable; tractable; subservient; as, a manageable horse.
Syn. -- Governable; tractable; controllable; docile. -- Man"age*a*ble*ness, n. -- Man"age*a*bly, adv.
MANAGELESS Man"age*less, a.
Defn: Unmanageable.[R.]
MANAGEMENT Man"age*ment, n. Etym: [From Manage, v.]
1. The act or art of managing; the manner of treating, directing, carrying on, or using, for a purpose; conduct; administration; guidance; control; as, the management of a family or of a farm; the management of state affairs. "The management of the voice." E. Porter.
2. Business dealing; negotiation; arrangement. He had great managements with ecclesiastics. Addison .
3. Judicious use of means to accomplish an end; conduct directed by art or address; skillful treatment; cunning practice; -- often in a bad sense. Mark with what management their tribes divide Some stick to you, and some to t'other side. Dryden.
4. The collective body of those who manage or direct any enterprise or interest; the board of managers.
Syn. -- Conduct; administration; government; direction; guidance; care; charge; contrivance; intrigue.
MANAGER Man"a*ger, n.
1. One who manages; a conductor or director; as, the manager of a theater. A skillful manager of the rabble. South.
2. A person who conducts business or household affairs with economy and frugality; a good economist. A prince of great aspiring thoughts; in the main, a manager of his treasure. Sir W. Temple.
3. A contriver; an intriguer. Shak.
MANAGERIAL Man`a*ge"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to management or a manager; as, managerial qualities. "Managerial responsibility." C. Bronté.
MANAGERSHIP Man"a*ger*ship, n.
Defn: The office or position of a manager.
MANAGERY Man"age*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. menagerie, mesnagerie. See Manage, n., and cf. Menagerie.]
1. Management; manner of using; conduct; direction.
2. Husbandry; economy; frugality. Bp. Burnet.
MANAKIN Man"a*kin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. & G. manakin; prob. the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous small birds belonging to Pipra, Manacus, and other genera of the family Pipridæ. They are mostly natives of Central and South America. some are bright-colored, and others have the wings and tail curiously ornamented. The name is sometimes applied to related birds of other families.
MANAKIN Man"a*kin, n.
Defn: A dwarf. See Manikin. Shak.
MANATEE Man`a*tee", n. Etym: [Sp. manatí, from the native name in Hayti. Cf. Lamantin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of Trichechus, a genus of sirenians; -- called alsosea cow. [Written also manaty, manati.]
Note: One species (Trichechus Senegalensis) inhabits the west coast of Africa; another (T. Americanus) inhabits the east coast of South America, and the West-Indies. The Florida manatee (T. latirostris) is by some considered a distinct species, by others it is thought to be a variety of T. Americanus. It sometimes becomes fifteen feet or more in length, and lives both in fresh and salt water. It is hunted for its oil and flesh.
MANATION Ma*na"tion, n.Etym: [L.manatio, fr. manare to flow.]
Defn: The act of issuing or flowing out. [Obs.]
MANBIRD Man"bird`, n.
Defn: An aviator. [Colloq.]
MANBOTE Man"bote`, n. Etym: [AS. man man, vassal + bot recompense.] (Anglo- Saxon Law)
Defn: A sum paid to a lord as a pecuniary compensation for killing his man (that is, his vassal, servant, or tenant). Spelman.
MANCA Man"ca, n. Etym: [LL.]
Defn: See Mancus.
MANCHE Manche, n. [Also maunch.] Etym: [F. manche, fr. L. manica. See Manacle.]
Defn: A sleeve. [Obs.]
MANCHET Man"chet, n.
Defn: Fine white bread; a loaf of fine bread. [Archaic] Bacon. Tennyson.
MANCHINEEL Man`chi*neel", n. Etym: [Sp. manzanillo, fr. manzana an apple, fr. L. malum Matianum a kind of apple. So called from its apple-like fruit.] (Bot.)
Defn: A euphorbiaceous tree (Hippomane Mancinella) of tropical America, having a poisonous and blistering milky juice, and poisonous acrid fruit somewhat resembling an apple. Bastard manchineel, a tree (Cameraria latifolia) of the East Indies, having similar poisonous properties. Lindley.
MANCHU Man*chu", a. Etym: [Written also Manchoo, Mantchoo, etc.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Manchuria or its inhabitants. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Manchuria; also, the language spoken by the Manchus.
MANCIPATE Man"ci*pate, v. t. Etym: [L. mancipatus, p. p. of mancipare to sell. Cf. Emancipate.]
Defn: To enslave; to bind; to restrict. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
MANCIPATION Man`ci*pa"tion, n. Etym: [L. mancipatio a transfer.]
Defn: Slavery; involuntary servitude. [Obs.] Johnson.
MANCIPLE Man"ci*ple, n. Etym: [From OF. mancipe slave, servant (with l inserted, as in participle), fr. L. mancipium. See Mancipate.]
Defn: A steward; a purveyor, particularly of a college or Inn of Court. Chaucer.
MANCONA BARK Man*co"na bark`
Defn: . See Sassy bark.
MANCUS Man"cus, n. Etym: [AS.]
Defn: An old Anglo Saxon coin both of gold and silver, and of variously estimated values. The silver mancus was equal to about one shilling of modern English money.
-MANCY -man`cy. Etym: [Gr. -mancie.]
Defn: A combining form denoting divination; as, aleuromancy, chiromancy, necromancy, etc.
MAND Mand, n.
Defn: A demand. [Obs.] See Demand.
MANDAMUS Man*da"mus, n. Etym: [L., we command, fr. mandare to command.] (Law)
Defn: A writ issued by a superior court and directed to some inferior tribunal, or to some corporation or person exercising authority, commanding the performance of some specified duty.
MANDARIN Man`da*rin", n. Etym: [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantri minister of state, prop. a Hind. word, fr. Skr. mantrin a counselor, manira a counsel, man to think.]
1. A Chinese public officer or nobleman; a civil or military official in China and Annam.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A small orange, with easily separable rind. It is thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species (Citrus nobilis)mandarin orange; tangerine. Mandarin duck (Zoöl.), a beautiful Asiatic duck (Dendronessa galericulata), often domesticated, and regarded by the Chinese as an emblem of conjugal affection. -- Mandarin language, the spoken or colloquial language of educated people in China. -- Mandarin yellow (Chem.), an artificial aniline dyestuff used for coloring silk and wool, and regarded as a complex derivative of quinoline.
MANDARINATE Man`da*rin"ate, n.
Defn: The collective body of officials or persons of rank in China. S. W. Williams.
MANDARINIC Man`da*rin"ic, a.
Defn: Appropriate or peculiar to a mandarin.
MANDARINING Man`da*rin"ing, n. (Dyeing)
Defn: The process of giving an orange color to goods formed of animal tissue, as silk or wool, not by coloring matter, but by producing a certain change in the fiber by the action of dilute nitric acid. Tomlinson.
MANDARINISM Man`da*rin"ism, n.
Defn: A government mandarins; character or spirit of the mandarins. F. Lieder.
MANDATARY Man"da*ta*ry, n. Etym: [L. mandatarius, fr. mandatum a charge, commission, order: cf. F. mandataire. See Mandate.]
1. One to whom a command or charge is given; hence, specifically, a person to whom the pope has, by his prerogative, given a mandate or order for his benefice. Ayliffe.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who undertakes to discharge a specific business commission; a mandatory. Wharton.
MANDATE Man"date, n. Etym: [L. mandatum, fr. mandare to commit to one's charge, order, orig., to put into one's hand; manus hand + dare to give: cf. F. mandat. See Manual, Date a time, and cf. Commend, Maundy Thursday.]
1. An official or authoritative command; an order or injunction; a commission; a judicial precept. This dream all-powerful Juno; I bear Her mighty mandates, and her words you hear. Dryden.
2. (Canon Law)
Defn: A rescript of the pope, commanding an ordinary collator to put the person therein named in possession of the first vacant benefice in his collation.
3. (Scots Law)
Defn: A contract by which one employs another to manage any business for him. By the Roman law, it must have been gratuitous. Erskine.
MANDATOR Man*da"tor, n. Etym: [L.]
1. A director; one who gives a mandate or order. Ayliffe.
2. (Rom. Law)
Defn: The person who employs another to perform a mandate. Bouvier.
MANDATORY Man"da*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. mandatorius.]
Defn: Containing a command; preceptive; directory.
MANDATORY Man"da*to*ry, n.
Defn: Same as Mandatary.
MANDELATE Man"del*ate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mandelic acid.
MANDELIC Man*del"ic, a. Etym: [G. mandel almond.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to an acid first obtained from benzoic aldehyde (oil of better almonds), as a white crystalline substance; -- called also phenyl glycolic acid.
MANDER Man"der, v. t. & i.
Defn: See Maunder.
MANDERIL Man"der*il, n.
Defn: A mandrel.
MANDIBLE Man"di*ble, n. Etym: [L. mandibula, mandibulum, fr. mandere to chew. Cf. Manger.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The bone, or principal bone, of the lower jaw; the inferior maxilla; -- also applied to either the upper or the lower jaw in the beak of birds.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The anterior pair of mouth organs of insects, crustaceaus, and related animals, whether adapted for biting or not. See Illust. of Diptera.
MANDIBULAR Man*dib"u*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mandibulaire.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mandible; like a mandible. -- n.
Defn: The principal mandibular bone; the mandible. Mandibular arch (Anat.), the most anterior visceral arch, -- that in which the mandible is developed.
MANDIBULATE; MANDIBULATED Man*dib"u*late, Man*dib"u*la`ted, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Provided with mandibles adapted for biting, as many insects.
MANDIBULATE Man*dib"u*late, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An insect having mandibles.
MANDIBULIFORM Man`di*bu"li*form, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the form of a mandible; -- said especially of the maxillæ of an insect when hard and adapted for biting.
MANDIBULOHYOID Man*dib`u*lo*hy"oid, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining both to the mandibular and the hyoid arch, or situated between them.
MANDIL Man"dil, n. Etym: [OF. mandil; cf. Sp. & Pg. mandil a coarse apron, a haircloth; all from Ar. mandil tablecloth, handkerchief, mantle, fr. LGr. mantile, mantele. See Mantle.]
Defn: A loose outer garment worn the 16th and 17th centuries.
MANDILION Man*dil"ion, n.
Defn: See Mandil. Chapman.
MANDINGOS Man*din"gos, n. pl.
Defn: ; sing. Mandingo. (Ethnol.) An extensive and powerful tribe of West African negroes.
MANDIOC; MANDIOCA Man"di*oc, Man`di*o"ca, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Manioc.
MANDLESTONE Man"dle*stone`, n. Etym: [G. mandelstein almond stone.] (Min.)
Defn: Amygdaloid.
MANDMENT Mand"ment, n.
Defn: Commandment. [Obs.]
MANDOLA Man*do"la, n. [It. See Mandolin.] (Mus.)
Defn: An instrument closely resembling the mandolin, but of larger size and tuned lower.
MANDOLIN; MANDOLINE Man"do*lin, Man"do*line, n. Etym: [F. mandoline, It. mandolino, dim. of mandola, fr. L. pandura. See Bandore.] (Mus.)
Defn: A small and beautifully shaped instrument resembling the lute.
MANDORE Man"dore, n. Etym: [See Mandolin, and Bandore.] (Mus.)
Defn: A kind of four-stringed lute.
MANDRAGORA Man*drag"o*ra, n. Etym: [L., mandragoras the mandrake.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants; the mandrake. See Mandrake, 1.
MANDRAGORITE Man*drag"o*rite, n.
Defn: One who habitually intoxicates himself with a narcotic obtained from mandrake.
MANDRAKE Man"drake, n. Etym: [AS. mandragora, L. mandragoras, fr. Gr. mandragore.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A low plant (Mandragora officinarum) of the Nightshade family, having a fleshy root, often forked, and supposed to resemble a man. It was therefore supposed to have animal life, and to cry out when pulled up. All parts of the plant are strongly narcotic. It is found in the Mediterranean region. And shrieks like mandrakes, torn out of the earth, That living mortals, hearing them, run mad. Shak.
Note: The mandrake of Scripture was perhaps the same plant, but proof is wanting.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). See May apple under May, and Podophyllum. [U.S.]
MANDREL Man"drel, n. Etym: [F. mandrin, prob. through (assumed) LL. mamphurinum, fr. L. mamphur a bow drill.] (Mach.) (a) A bar of metal inserted in the work to shape it, or to hold it, as in a lathe, during the process of manufacture; an arbor. (b) The live spindle of a turning lathe; the revolving arbor of a circular saw. It is usually driven by a pulley. [Written also manderil.] Mandrel lathe, a lathe with a stout spindle, adapted esp. for chucking, as for forming hollow articles by turning or spinning.
MANDRILL Man"drill, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mandrille, Sp. mandril, It. mandrillo; prob. the native name in Africa. Cf. Drill an ape.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: a large West African baboon (Cynocephalus, or Papio, mormon). The adult male has, on the sides of the nose, large, naked, grooved swellings, conspicuously striped with blue and red.
MANDUCABLE Man"du*ca*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. manducable. See Manducate.]
Defn: Such as can be chewed; fit to be eaten. [R.] Any manducable creature. Sir T. Herbert.
MANDUCATE Man"du*cate v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manducated; p. pr. & vb. n. Manducating.] Etym: [L. manducatus, p. p. of manducare to chew. See Manger.]
Defn: To masticate; to chew; to eat. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
MANDUCATION Man`du*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. manducatio: cf. F. manducation.]
Defn: The act of chewing. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
MANDUCATORY Man"du*ca*to*ry, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or employed in, chewing.
MANDUCUS Man*du"cus, n. Etym: [L., fr. manducare to chew.] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A grotesque mask, representing a person chewing or grimacing, worn in processions and by comic actors on the stage.
MANE Mane, n. Etym: [AS. manu; akin to OD. mane, D. maan, G. mähne, OHG. mana, Icel. mön, Dan. & Sw. man, AS. mene necklace, Icel. men, L. monile, Gr. manya neck muscles. sq. root275.]
Defn: The long and heavy hair growing on the upper side of, or about, the neck of some quadrupedal animals, as the horse, the lion, etc. See Illust. of Horse.
MAN-EATER Man"-eat`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One who, or that which, has an appetite for human flesh; specifically, one of certain large sharks (esp. Carcharodon Rondeleti); also, a lion or a tiger which has acquired the habit of feeding upon human flesh.
MANED Maned, a.
Defn: Having a mane. Maned seal (Zoöl.), the sea lion. -- Maned sheep (Zoöl.), the aoudad.
MANEGE Ma*nege", n. Etym: [F. manège. See Manage, n.]
1. Art of horsemanship, or of training horses
2. A school for teaching horsemanship, and for training horses. Chesterfield.
MANEH Ma"neh, n. Etym: [Heb. maneh.]
Defn: A Hebrew weight for gold or silver, being one hundred shekels of gold and sixty shekels of silver. Ezek. xlv. 12.
MANELESS Mane"less, a.
Defn: Having no mane. Maneless lion (Zoöl.), a variety of the lion having a short, inconspicuous mane. It inhabits Arabia and adjacent countries.
MANEQUIN Man"e*quin, n. Etym: [See Manikin.]
Defn: An artist's model of wood or other material.
MANERIAL Ma*ne"ri*al, a.
Defn: See Manorial.
MANES Ma"nes, n. pl. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: The benevolent spirits of the dead, especially of dead ancestors, regarded as family deities and protectors. Hail, O ye holy manes! Dryden.
MANESHEET Mane"sheet`, n.
Defn: A covering placed over the upper part of a horse's head.
MANEUVER; MANOEUVRE Ma*neu"ver, Ma*noeu"vre, n. Etym: [F. manoeuvre, OF. manuevre, LL. manopera, lit., hand work, manual labor; L.manus hand + opera, fr. opus work. See Manual, Operate, and cf. Mainor, Manure.]
1. Management; dexterous movement; specif., a military or naval evolution, movement, or change of position.
2. Management with address or artful design; adroit proceeding; stratagem.
MANEUVER; MANOEUVRE Ma*neu"ver, Ma*noeu"vre, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Maneuvered or Manoeuvred; p. pr. & vb. n. Maneuvering (, or Manoeuvring (.] Etym: [Cf. F. manoeuvrer. See Maneuver, n.]
1. To perform a movement or movements in military or naval tactics; to make changes in position with reference to getting advantage in attack or defense.
2. To manage with address or art; to scheme.
MANEUVER; MANOEUVRE Ma*neu"ver, Ma*noeu"vre, v. t.
Defn: To change the positions of, as of troops of ships.
MANEUVERER; MANOEUVRER Ma*neu"ver*er, Ma*noeu"vrer, n.
Defn: One who maneuvers. This charming widow Beaumont is a nanoeuvrer. We can't well make an English word of it. Miss Edgeworth.
MANFUL Man"ful, a.
Defn: Showing manliness, or manly spirit; hence, brave, courageous, resolute, noble. " Manful hardiness." Chaucer. -- Man"ful*ly, adv. -- Man"ful*ness, n.
MANGABEY Man"ga*bey, n. Etym: [So called by Buffon from Mangaby, in Madagascar, where he erroneously supposed them be native.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several African monkeys of the genus Cercocebus, as the sooty mangabey (C. fuliginosus), which is sooty black. [Also written mangaby.]
MANGAN Man"gan, n.
Defn: See Mangonel.
MANGANATE Man"ga*nate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. manganate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of manganic acid.
Note: The manganates are usually green, and are wellknown compounds, though derived from a hypothetical acid.
MANGANESATE Man`ga*ne"sate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A manganate. [Obs.]
MANGANESE Man`ga*nese", n. Etym: [F. manganèse, It. mamaganese, sasso magnesio; prob. corrupted from L. magnes, because of its resemblance to the magnet. See Magnet, and cf. Magnesia.] (Chem.)
Defn: An element obtained by reduction of its oxide, as a hard, grayish white metal, fusible with difficulty, but easily oxidized. Its ores occur abundantly in nature as the minerals pyrolusite, manganite, etc. Symbol Mn. Atomic weight 54.8.
Note: An alloy of manganese with iron (called ferromanganese) is used to increase the density and hardness of steel. Black oxide of manganese, Manganese dioxide or peroxide, or Black manganese (Chem.), a heavy black powder MnO2, occurring native as the mineral pyrolusite, and valuable as a strong oxidizer; -- called also familiarly manganese. It colors glass violet, and is used as a decolorizer to remove the green tint of impure glass. Manganese bronze, an alloy made by adding from one to two per cent of manganese to the copper and zinc used in brass.
MANGANESE STEEL Man`ga*nese" steel.
Defn: Cast steel containing a considerable percentage of manganese, which makes it very hard and tough. See Alloy steel, above.
MANGANESIAN Man`ga*ne"sian, a. Etym: [Cf. F. manganésien.] (Chem.)
Defn: Manganic. [R.]
MANGANESIC Man`ga*ne"sic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. manganésique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Manganic. [Obs.]
MANGANESIOUS Man`ga*ne"sious, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Manganous.
MANGANESIUM Man`ga*ne"si*um, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Manganese.
MANGANESOUS Man`ga*ne"sous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Manganous.
MANGANIC Man`gan"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. manganique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to resembling, or containing, manganese; specif., designating compounds in which manganese has a higher valence as contrasted with manganous compounds. Cf. Manganous. Manganic acid, an acid, H2MnO4, formed from manganese, analogous to sulphuric acid.
MANGANIFEROUS Man`ga*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Manganese + -ferous.]
Defn: Containing manganese.
MANGANITE Man"ga*nite, n.
1. (Min.)
Defn: One of the oxides of manganese; -- called also gray manganese ore. It occurs in brilliant steel-gray or iron-black crystals, also massive.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: A compound of manganese dioxide with a metallic oxide; so called as though derived from the hypothetical manganous acid.
MANGANIUM Man*ga"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Manganese.
MANGANOUS Man"ga*nous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, designating, those compounds of manganese in which the element has a lower valence as contrasted with manganic compounds; as, manganous oxide. Manganous acid, a hypothetical compound analogous to sulphurous acid, and forming the so-called manganites.
MANGCORN Mang"corn`, n. Etym: [OE. mengen to mix. See Mingle, and Corn.]
Defn: A mixture of wheat and rye, or other species of grain. [Prov Eng.]
MANGE Mange, n. Etym: [See Mangy.] (Vet.)
Defn: The scab or itch in cattle, dogs, and other beasts. Mange insect (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small parasitic mites, which burrow in the skin of cattle. horses, dogs, and other animals, causing the mange. The mange insect of the horse (Psoroptes, or Dermatodectes, equi), and that of cattle (Symbiotes, or Dermatophagys, bovis) are the most important species. See Acarina.
MANGEL-WURZEL Man"gel-wur`zel, n. Etym: [G., corrupted fr. mangoldwurzel; mangold beet + wurzel root.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of large field beet (B. macrorhiza), used as food for cattle, -- by some considered a mere variety of the ordinary beet. See Beet. [Written also mangold-wurzel.]
MANGER Man"ger, n. Etym: [F. mangeoire, fr. manger to eat, fr. L. manducare, fr. mandere to chew. Cf. Mandible, Manducate.]
1. A trough or open box in which fodder is placed for horses or cattle to eat.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: The fore part of the deck, having a bulkhead athwart ships high enough to prevent water which enters the hawse holes from running over it.
MANGILY Man"gi*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mangy manner; scabbily.
MANGINESS Man"gi*ness, n. Etym: [From Mangy.]
Defn: The condition or quality of being mangy.
MANGLE Man"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mangled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mangling.] Etym: [A frequentative fr. OE. manken to main, AS. mancian, in bemancian to mutilate, fr. L. mancus maimed; perh. akin to G. mangeln to be wanting.]
1. To cut or bruise with repeated blows or strokes, making a ragged or torn wound, or covering with wounds; to tear in cutting; to cut in a bungling manner; to lacerate; to mutilate. Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail. Milton.
2. To mutilate or injure, in making, doing, or pertaining; as, to mangle a piece of music or a recitation. To mangle a play or a novel. Swift.
MANGLE Man"gle, n. Etym: [D. mangel, fr. OE. mangonel a machine for throwing stones, LL. manganum, Gr. Mangonel.]
Defn: A machine for smoothing linen or cotton cloth, as sheets, tablecloths, napkins, and clothing, by roller pressure. Mangle rack (Mach.), a contrivance for converting continuous circular motion into reciprocating rectilinear motion, by means of a rack and pinion, as in the mangle. The pinion is held to the rack by a groove in such a manner that it passes alternately from one side of the rack to the other, and thus gives motion to it in opposite directions, according to the side in which its teeth are engaged. -- Mangle wheel, a wheel in which the teeth, or pins, on its face, are interrupted on one side, and the pinion, working in them, passes from inside to outside of the teeth alternately, thus converting the continuous circular motion of the pinion into a reciprocating circular motion of the wheel.
MANGLE Man"gle, v. t. Etym: [Cf. D. mangelen. See Mangle, n.]
Defn: To smooth with a mangle, as damp linen or cloth.
MANGLER Man"gler, n. Etym: [See 1st Mangle.]
Defn: One who mangles or tears in cutting; one who mutilates any work in doing it.
MANGLER Man"gler, n. Etym: [See 3d Mangle.]
Defn: One who smooths with a mangle.
MANGO Man"go, n.; pl. Mangoes. Etym: [Pg. manga, fr. Tamil mankay.]
1. The fruit of the mango tree. It is rather larger than an apple, and of an ovoid shape. Some varieties are fleshy and luscious, and others tough and tasting of turpentine. The green fruit is pickled for market.
2. A green muskmelon stuffed and pickled. Mango bird (Zoöl.), an oriole (Oriolus kundoo), native of India. -- Mango fish (Zoöl.), a fish of the Ganges (Polynemus risua), highly esteemed for food. It has several long, slender filaments below the pectoral fins. It appears about the same time with the mango fruit, in April and May, whence the name. -- Mango tree (Bot.), an East Indian tree of the genus Mangifera (M. Indica), related to the cashew and the sumac. It grows to a large size, and produces the mango of commerce. It is now cultivated in tropical America.
MANGOLDWURZEL Man"gold*wur`zel, n. Etym: [G.] (Bot.)
Defn: See Mangel-wurzel.
MANGONEL Man"go*nel, n. Etym: [OF. mangonel, LL. manganellus, manganum, fr. Gr. Mangle, n.]
Defn: A military engine formerly used for throwing stones and javelins.
MANGONISM Man"go*nism, n.
Defn: The art of mangonizing, or setting off to advantage. [Obs.]
MANGONIST Man"go*nist, n.
1. One who mangonizes. (Zoöl.)
2. A slave dealer; also, a strumpet. [Obs.]
MANGONIZE Man"go*nize, v. t. Etym: [L. mangonizare, fr. mango a dealer in slaves or wares, to which he tries to give an appearance of greater value by decking them out or furbishing them up.]
Defn: To furbish up for sale; to set off to advantage. [Obs. or R.] B. Jonson.
MANGOSTEEN; MANGOSTAN Man"go*steen, Man"go*stan, n. Etym: [Malay mangusta, mangis.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tree of the East Indies of the genus Garcinia (G. Mangostana). The tree grows to the height of eighteen feet, and bears fruit also called mangosteen, of the size of a small apple, the pulp of which is very delicious food.
MANGROVE Man"grove, n. Etym: [Malay manggi-manggi.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of one or two trees of the genus Rhizophora (R. Mangle, and R. mucronata, the last doubtfully distinct) inhabiting muddy shores of tropical regions, where they spread by emitting aërial roots, which fasten in the saline mire and eventually become new stems. The seeds also send down a strong root while yet attached to the parent plant.
Note: The fruit has a ruddy brown shell, and a delicate white pulp which is sweet and eatable. The bark is astringent, and is used for tanning leather. The black and the white mangrove (Avicennia nitida and A. tomentosa) have much the same habit.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The mango fish.
MANGUE Mangue, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The kusimanse.
MANGY Man"gy, a. [Compar. Mangier; superl. Mangiest.] Etym: [F. mangé, p. p. of manger to eat. See Manger.]
Defn: Infected with the mange; scabby.
MANHADEN Man*ha"den, n.
Defn: See Menhaden.
MANHANDLE Man*han"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -handled; p. pr. & vb. n. - handling.]
1. To move, or manage, by human force without mechanical aid; as, to manhandle a cannon.
2. To handle roughly; as, the captive was manhandled.
MANHEAD Man"head, n.
Defn: Manhood. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MANHES PROCESS Man`hès" proc"ess. (Copper Metal.)
Defn: A process by which copper matte is treated by passing through it a blast of air, to oxidize and remove sulphur. It is analogous in apparatus to the Bessemer process for decarbonizing cast iron. So called from Pierre Manhès, a French metallurgist, who invented it.
MANHOLE Man"hole`, n.
Defn: A hole through which a man may descend or creep into a drain, sewer, steam boiler, parts of machinery, etc., for cleaning or repairing.
MANHOOD Man"hood, n. Etym: [Man- + -hood.]
1. The state of being man as a human being, or man as distinguished from a child or a woman.
2. Manly quality; courage; bravery; resolution. I am ashamed That thou hast power to shake my manhood thus. Shak.
MANIA Ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [L. mania, Gr. manie, F. manie. Cf. Mind, n., Necromancy.]
1. Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. Cf. Delirium.
2. Excessive or unreasonable desire; insane passion affecting one or many people; as, the tulip mania. Mania a potu Etym: [L.], madness from drinking; delirium tremens.
Syn. -- Insanity; derangement; madness; lunacy; alienation; aberration; delirium; frenzy. See Insanity.
MANIABLE Man"i*a*ble, a. Etym: [F., fr. manier to manage, fr. L. manus hand.]
Defn: Manageable. [Obs.] Bacon.
MANIAC Ma"ni*ac, a. Etym: [F. maniaque. See Mania.]
Defn: Raving with madness; raging with disordered intellect; affected with mania; mad.
MANIAC Ma"ni*ac, n.
Defn: A raving lunatic; a madman.
MANIACAL Ma*ni"a*cal, a.
Defn: Affected with, or characterized by, madness; maniac. -- Ma*ni"a*cal*ly, adv.
MANIC Man"ic, a. [Gr. mad, frenzied.] (Med.)
Defn: Of or pert. to, or characterized by, mania, or excitement.
MANICATE Man"i*cate, a. Etym: [L. manicatus sleeved, fr. manica a sleeve.] (Bot.)
Defn: Covered with hairs or pubescence so platted together and interwoven as to form a mass easily removed.
MANICHAEAN; MANICHEAN; MANICHEE Man`i*chæ"an, Man`i*che"an, Man"i*chee, n. Etym: [LL. Manichaeus: cf. F. manichéen.]
Defn: A believer in the doctrines of Manes, a Persian of the third century A. D., who taught a dualism in which Light is regarded as the source of Good, and Darkness as the source of Evil. The Manichæans stand as representatives of dualism pushed to its utmost development. Tylor.
MANICHAEAN; MANICHEAN Man`i*chæ"an, Man`i*che"an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Manichæans.
MANICHAEISM; MANICHEISM Man"i*chæ*ism, Man"i*che*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. manichéisme.]
Defn: The doctrines taught, or system of principles maintained, by the Manichæans.
MANICHEIST Man"i*che*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. manichéiste.]
Defn: Manichæan.
MANICHORD; MANICHORDON Man"i*chord, Man`i*chor"don, Etym: [L. monochordon, Gr. Monochord.] (Mus.)
Defn: The clavichord or clarichord; -- called also dumb spinet.
MANICURE Man"i*cure, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. manus hand + curare to cure.]
Defn: A person who makes a business of taking care of people's hands, especially their nails. [Men] who had taken good care of their hands by wearing gloves and availing themselves of the services of a manicure. Pop. Sci. Monthly.
MANID Ma"nid, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of the genus Manis, or family Manidæ.
MANIE Ma`nie", n. Etym: [F. See Mania.]
Defn: Mania; insanity. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MANIFEST Man"i*fest, a. Etym: [F. manifeste, L. manifestus, lit., struck by the hand, hence, palpable; manus hand + fendere (in comp.) to strike. See Manual, and Defend.]
1. Evident to the senses, esp. to the sight; apparent; distinctly perceived; hence, obvious to the understanding; apparent to the mind; easily apprehensible; plain; not obscure or hidden. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. Heb. iv. 13. That which may be known of God is manifest in them. Rom. i. 19. Thus manifest to sight the god appeared. Dryden.
2. Detected; convicted; -- with of. [R.] Calistho there stood manifest of shame. Dryden.
Syn. -- Open; clear; apparent; evident; visible; conspicuous; plain; obvious. -- Manifest, Clear, Plain, Obvious, Evident. What is clear can be seen readily; what is obvious lies directly in our way, and necessarily arrests our attention; what isevident is seen so clearly as to remove doubt; what is manifest is very distinctly evident. So clear, so shining, and so evident, That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye. Shak. Entertained with solitude, Where obvious duty erMilton. I saw, I saw him manifest in view, His voice, his figure, and his gesture knew. Dryden.
MANIFEST Man"i*fest, n.; pl. Manifests. Etym: [Cf. F. manifeste. See Manifest, a., and cf. Manifesto.]
1. A public declaration; an open statement; a manifesto. See Manifesto. [Obs.]
2. A list or invoice of a ship's cargo, containing a description by marks, numbers, etc., of each package of goods, to be exhibited at the customhouse. Bouvier.
MANIFEST Man"i*fest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manifested; p. pr. & vb. n. Manifesting.]
1. To show plainly; to make to appear distinctly, -- usually to the mind; to put beyond question or doubt; to display; to exhibit. There is nothing hid which shall not be manifested. Mark iv. 22. Thy life did manifest thou lovedst me not. Shak.
2. To exhibit the manifests or prepared invoices of; to declare at the customhouse.
Syn. -- To reveal; declare; evince; make known; disclose; discover; display.
MANIFESTABLE Man"i*fest`a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be manifested.
MANIFESTATION Man`i*fes*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. manifestatio: cf. F. manifestation.]
Defn: The act of manifesting or disclosing, or the state of being manifested; discovery to the eye or to the understanding; also, that which manifests; exhibition; display; revelation; as, the manifestation of God's power in creation. The secret manner in which acts of mercy ought to be performed, requires this public manifestation of them at the great day. Atterbury.
MANIFESTIBLE Man"i*fest`i*ble, a.
Defn: Manifestable.
MANIFESTLY Man"i*fest*ly, adv.
Defn: In a manifest manner.
MANIFESTNESS Man"i*fest*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being manifest; obviousness.
MANIFESTO Man`i*fes"to, n.; pl. Manifestoes. Etym: [It. manifesto. See Manifest, n. & a.]
Defn: A public declaration, usually of a prince, sovereign, or other person claiming large powers, showing his intentions, or proclaiming his opinions and motives in reference to some act done or contemplated by him; as, a manifesto declaring the purpose of a prince to begin war, and explaining his motives. Bouvier. it was proposed to draw up a manifesto, setting forth the grounds and motives of our taking arms. Addison . Frederick, in a public manifesto, appealed to the Empire against the insolent pretensions of the pope. Milman.
MANIFOLD Man"i*fold, a. Etym: [AS. manigfeald. See Many, and Fold.]
1. Various in kind or quality; many in number; numerous; multiplied; complicated. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! Ps. civ. 24. I know your manifold transgressions. Amos v. 12.
2. Exhibited at divers times or in various ways; -- used to qualify nouns in the singular number. "The manifold wisdom of God." Eph. iii. 10. "The manifold grace of God." 1 Pet. iv. 10. Manifold writing, a process or method by which several copies, as of a letter, are simultaneously made, sheets of coloring paper being infolded with thin sheets of plain paper upon which the marks made by a stylus or a type-writer are transferred.
MANIFOLD Man"i*fold, n.
1. A copy of a writing made by the manifold process.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: A cylindrical pipe fitting, having a number of lateral outlets, for connecting one pipe with several others.
3. pl.
Defn: The third stomach of a ruminant animal. [Local, U.S.]
MANIFOLD Man"i*fold, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manifolded; p. pr. & vb. n. Manifolding.]
Defn: To take copies of by the process of manifold writing; as, to manifold a letter.
MANIFOLDED Man"i*fold`ed, a.
Defn: Having many folds, layers, or plates; as, a manifolded shield. [Obs.]
MANIFOLDLY Man"i*fold`ly, adv.
Defn: In a manifold manner.
MANIFOLDNESS Man"i*fold`ness, n.
1. Multiplicity. Sherwood.
2. (Math.)
Defn: A generalized concept of magnitude.
MANIFORM Man"i*form, a. Etym: [L. manus hand + -form.]
Defn: Shaped like the hand.
MANIGLION Ma*ni"glion, n. Etym: [It. maniglio, maniglia, bracelet, handle. Cf. Manilio.] (Gun.)
Defn: Either one of two handles on the back of a piece of ordnance.
MANIHOC; MANIHOT Man"i*hoc, Man"i*hot, n.
Defn: See Manioc.
MANIKIN Man"i*kin, n. Etym: [OD. manneken, dim. of man man. See Man, and - kin.]
1. A little man; a dwarf; a pygmy; a manakin.
2. A model of the human body, made of papier-mache or other material, commonly in detachable pieces, for exhibiting the different parts and organs, their relative position, etc.
MANILA; MANILLA Ma*nil"a, Ma*nil"la, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Manila or Manilla, the capital of the Philippine Islands; made in, or exported from, that city. Manila cheroot or cigar, a cheroot or cigar made of tobacco grown in the Philippine Islands. -- Manila hemp, a fibrous material obtained from the Musa textilis, a plant allied to the banana, growing in the Philippine and other East India islands; -- called also by the native name abaca. From it matting, canvas, ropes, and cables are made. -- Manila paper, a durable brown or buff paper made of Manila hemp, used as a wrapping paper, and as a cheap printing and writing paper. The name is also given to inferior papers, made of other fiber.
MANILIO Ma*nil"io, n.
Defn: See Manilla, 1. Sir T. Herbert.
MANILLA Ma*nil"la, n. Etym: [Sp. manilla; cf. It. maniglio, maniglia; F. manille; Pg. manilha; all fr. L. manus hand, and formed after the analogy of L. monile, pl. monilia, necklace: cf. F. manille.]
1. A ring worn upon the arm or leg as an ornament, especially among the tribes of Africa.
2. A piece of copper of the shape of a horseshoe, used as money by certain tribes of the west coast of Africa. Simmonds.
MANILLA Ma*nil"la, a.
Defn: Same as Manila.
MANILLE Ma*nille", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See 1st Manilla, 1.
MANIOC Ma"ni*oc, n. Etym: [Pg. mandioca, fr. Braz.] (Bot.)
Defn: The tropical plants (Manihot utilissima, and M. Aipi), from which cassava and tapioca are prepared; also, cassava.[Written also mandioc, manihoc, manihot.]
MANIPLE Man"i*ple, n. Etym: [L. manipulus, maniplus, a handful, a certain number of soldiers; manus hand + root of plere to fill, plenus full: cf. F.maniple. See Manual, and Full, a.]
1. A handful. [R.] B. Jonson.
2. A division of the Roman army numbering sixty men exclusive of officers, any small body of soldiers; a company. Milton.
3. Originally, a napkin; later, an ornamental band or scarf worn upon the left arm as a part of the vestments of a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. It is sometimes worn in the English Church service.
MANIPULAR Ma*nip"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. manipularis: cf. F. manipulaire.]
1. Of or pertaining to the maniple, or company.
2. Manipulatory; as, manipular operations.
MANIPULATE Ma*nip"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manipulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Manipulating.] Etym: [LL. manipulatus, p. p. of manipulare to lead by the hand, fr. L. manipulus. See Maniple.]
1. To treat, work, or operate with the hands, especially when knowledge and dexterity are required; to manage in hand work; to handle; as, to manipulate scientific apparatus.
2. To control the action of, by management; as, to manipulate a convention of delegates; to manipulate the stock market; also, to manage artfully or fraudulently; as, to manipulate accounts, or election returns.
MANIPULATE Ma*nip"u*late, v. i.
Defn: To use the hands in dexterous operations; to do hand work; specifically, to manage the apparatus or instruments used in scientific work, or in artistic or mechanical processes; also, specifically, to use the hand in mesmeric operations.
MANIPULATION Ma*nip`u*la"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. manipulation.]
1. The act or process of manipulating, or the state of being manipulated; the act of handling work by hand; use of the hands, in an artistic or skillful manner, in science or art. Manipulation is to the chemist like the external senses to the mind. Whewell.
2. The use of the hands in mesmeric operations.
3. Artful management; as, the manipulation of political bodies; sometimes, a management or treatment for purposes of deception or fraud.
MANIPULATIVE Ma*nip"u*la*tive, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to manipulation; performed by manipulation.
MANIPULATOR Ma*nip"u*la`tor, n.
Defn: One who manipulates
MANIPULATORY Ma*nip"u*la*to*ry, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to manipulation.
MANIS Ma"nis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. manes the ghosts or shades of the dead. So called from its dismal appearance, and because it seeks for its food by night.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of edentates, covered with large, hard, triangular scales, with sharp edges that overlap each other like tiles on a roof. They inhabit the warmest parts of Asia and Africa, and feed on ants. Called also Scaly anteater. See Pangolin.
MANITO; MANITOU; MANITU Man"i*to, Man"i*tou, Man"i*tu, n.
Defn: A name given by tribes of American Indians to a great spirit, whether good or evil, or to any object of worship. Tylor. Gitche Manito the mighty, The Great Spirit, the creator, Smiled upon his helpless children! Longfellow. Mitche Manito the mighty, He the dreadful Spirit of Evil, As a serpent was depicted. Longfellow.
MANITRUNK Man"i*trunk, n. Etym: [L. manus hand + E. trunk.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The anterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Insect.
MANKIND Man`kind", n. Etym: [AS. mancynn. See Kin kindred, Kind, n.]
1. The human race; man, taken collectively. The proper study of mankind is man. Pore.
2. Men, as distinguished from women; the male portion of human race. Lev. xviii. 22.
3. Human feelings; humanity. [Obs] B. Jonson.
MANKIND Man"kind`, a.
Defn: Manlike; not womanly; masculine; bold; cruel. [Obs] Are women grown so mankind Must they be wooing Beau. & Fl. Be not too mankind against your wife. Chapman.
MANKS Manks, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the language or people of the of Man. -- n.
Defn: The language spoken in the Isle of Man. See Manx.
MANLESS Man"less, a.
1. Destitute of men. Bakon.
2. Unmanly; inhuman. [Obs.] Chapman.
MANLESSLY Man"less*ly, adv.
Defn: Inhumanly. [Obs.]
MANLIKE Man"like`, a. Etym: [Man + like. Cf. Manly.]
Defn: Like man, or like a man, in form or nature; having the qualities of a man, esp. the nobler qualities; manly. " Gentle, manlike speech." Testament of Love. " A right manlike man." Sir P. Sidney. In glaring Chloe's manlike taste and mien. Shenstone.
MANLINESS Man"li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being manly.
MANLING Man"ling, n.
Defn: A little man. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MANLY Man"ly, a. [Compar. Manlier; superl. Manliest.] Etym: [Man + -ly. Cf. Manlike.]
Defn: Having qualities becoming to a man; not childish or womanish; manlike, esp. brave, courageous, resolute, noble. Let's briefly put on manly readiness. Shak. Serene and manly, hardened to sustain The load of life. Dryden.
Syn. -- Bold; daring; brave; courageous; firm; undaunted; hardy; dignified; stately.
MANLY Man"ly, adv.
Defn: In a manly manner; with the courage and fortitude of a manly man; as, to act manly.
MANNA Man"na, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. man; cf. Ar. mann, properly, gift (of heaven).]
1. (Script.)
Defn: The food supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness of Arabia; hence, divinely supplied food. Ex. xvi. 15.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to lichens of the genus Lecanora, sometimes blown into heaps in the deserts of Arabia and Africa, and gathered and used as food.
3. (Bot. & Med.)
Defn: A sweetish exudation in the form of pale yellow friable flakes, coming from several trees and shrubs and used in medicine as a gentle laxative, as the secretion of Fraxinus Ornus, and F. rotundifolia, the manna ashes of Southern Europe.
Note: Persian manna is the secretion of the camel's thorn (see Camel's thorn, under Camel); Tamarisk manna, that of the Tamarisk mannifera, a shrub of Western Asia; Australian, manna, that of certain species of eucalyptus; Briançon manna, that of the European larch. Manna grass (Bot.), a name of several tall slender grasses of the genus Glyceria. they have long loose panicles, and grow in moist places. Nerved manna grass is Glyceria nervata, and Floating manna grass is G. flu. -- Manna insect (Zoöl), a scale insect (Gossyparia mannipara), which causes the exudation of manna from the Tamarisk tree in Arabia.
MANNA CROUP Man"na croup`. Etym: [Manna + Russ. & Pol. krupa groats, grits.]
1. The portions of hard wheat kernels not ground into flour by the millstones: a kind of semolina prepared in Russia and used for puddings, soups, etc. -- called also manna groats.
2. The husked grains of manna grass.
MANNER Man"ner, n. Etym: [OE. manere, F. manière, from OF. manier, adj., manual, skillful, handy, fr. (assumed) LL. manarius, for L. manuarius belonging to the hand, fr. manus the hand. See Manual.]
1. Mode of action; way of performing or effecting anything; method; style; form; fashion. The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land. 2 Kings xvii. 26. The temptations of prosperity insinuate themselves after a gentle, but very powerful,manner. Atterbury.
2. Characteristic mode of acting, conducting, carrying one's self, or the like; bearing; habitual style. Specifically: (a) Customary method of acting; habit. Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them. Acts xvii. 2. Air and manner are more expressive than words. Richardson. (b) pl.
Defn: Carriage; behavior; deportment; also, becoming behavior; well- bred carriage and address. Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. Emerson.
(c) The style of writing or thought of an author; characteristic peculiarity of an artist.
3. Certain degree or measure; as, it is in a manner done already. The bread is in a manner common. 1 Sam. xxi.5.
4. Sort; kind; style; -- in this application sometimes having the sense of a plural, sorts or kinds. Ye tithe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs. Luke xi. 42. I bid thee say, What manner of man art thou Coleridge.
Note: In old usage, of was often omitted after manner, when employed in this sense. "A manner Latin corrupt was her speech." Chaucer. By any manner of means, in any way possible; by any sort of means. -- To be taken in, or with the manner. Etym: [A corruption of to be taken in the mainor. See Mainor.] To be taken in the very act. [Obs.] See Mainor. -- To make one's manners, to make a bow or courtesy; to offer salutation. -- Manners bit, a portion left in a dish for the sake of good manners. Hallwell.
Syn. -- Method; mode; custom; habit; fashion; air; look; mien; aspect; appearance. See Method.
MANNERCHOR Män"ner*chor`, n.; G. pl. -chöre (#). [G.; männer, pl. of mann man + chor chorus.]
Defn: A German men's chorus or singing club.
MANNERED Man"nered, a.
1. Having a certain way, esp a. polite way, of carrying and conducting one's self. Give her princely training, that she may be Mannered as she is born. Shak.
2. Affected with mannerism; marked by excess of some characteristic peculiarity. His style is in some degree mannered and confined. Hazlitt.
MANNERISM Man"ner*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. maniérisme.]
Defn: Adherence to a peculiar style or manner; a characteristic mode of action, bearing, or treatment, carried to excess, especially in literature or art. Mannerism is pardonable,and is sometimes even agreeable, when the manner, though vicious, is natural . . . . But a mannerism which does not sit easy on the mannerist, which has been adopted on principle, and which can be sustained only by constant effort, is always offensive. Macaulay.
MANNERIST Man"ner*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. maniériste.]
Defn: One addicted to mannerism; a person who, in action, bearing, or treatment, carries characteristic peculiarities to excess. See citation under Mannerism.
MANNERLINESS Man"ner*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mannerly; civility; complaisance. Sir M. Hale.
MANNERLY Man"ner*ly, a.
Defn: Showing good manners; civil; respectful; complaisant. What thou thinkest meet, and is most mannerly. Shak.
MANNERLY Man"ner*ly, adv.
Defn: With good manners. Shak.
MANNHEIM GOLD Mann"heim gold". Etym: [From Mannheim in Germany, where much of it was made.]
Defn: A kind of brass made in imitation of gold. It contains eighty per cent of copper and twenty of zinc. Ure.
MANNIDE Man"nide, n. Etym: [Mannite + anhydride.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white amorphous or crystalline substance, obtained by dehydration of mannite, and distinct from, but convertible into, mannitan.
MANNISH Man"nish, a. Etym: [Man + -ish: cf. AS. mennisc, menisc.]
1. Resembling a human being in form or nature; human. Chaucer. But yet it was a figure Most like to mannish creature. Gower.
2. Resembling, suitable to, or characteristic of, a man, manlike, masculine. Chaucer. A woman impudent and mannish grown. Shak.
3. Fond of men; -- said of a woman. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Man"nish*ly,adv. -- Man"nish*ness, n.
MANNITAN Man"ni*tan, n. Etym: [Mannite + anhydrite.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white amorphous or crystalline substance obtained by the
## partial dehydration of mannite.
MANNITATE Man"ni*tate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mannitic acid.
MANNITE Man"nite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mannite.]
1. (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline substance of a sweet taste obtained from a so-called manna, the dried sap of the flowering ash (Fraxinus ornus); -- called also mannitol, and hydroxy hexane. Cf. Dulcite. HO.CH2.(CHOH)4.CH2.OH = D-mannitol; manna sugar; cordycepic acid; Diosmol; Mannicol; Mannidex; Osmiktrol; Osmosal. -- used in pharmacy as excipient and diluent for solids and liquids. Used as a food additive for anti-caking properties, or as a sweetener. Also used to "cut" (dilute) illegal drugs such as cocaine or heroin. ("excipient" use)
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A sweet white efflorescence from dried fronds of kelp, especially from those of the Laminaria saccharina, or devil's apron.
MANNITIC Man*nit"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, resembling, or derived from, mannite. Mannitic acid (Chem.), a white amorphous substance, intermediate between saccharic acid and mannite, and obtained by the partial oxidation of the latter.
MANNITOL Man"ni*tol, n. Etym: [Mannite + -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: The technical name of mannite. See Mannite.
MANNITOSE Man"ni*tose`, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A variety of sugar obtained by the partial oxidation of mannite, and closely resembling levulose.
MANO Ma"no, n. [Sp., lit., hand.]
Defn: The muller, or crushing and grinding stone, used in grinding corn on a metate. [Mexico & Local U. S.]
MANOEUVRE Ma*noeu"vre, n. & v.
Defn: See Maneuver.
MAN-OF-WAR Man`-*of`-*war", n; pl. Men-of-war.
Defn: A government vessel employed for the purposes of war, esp. one of large size; a ship of war. Man-of-war bird (Zoöl.), The frigate bird; also applied to the skua gulls, and to the wandering albatross. -- Man-of-war hawk (Zoöl.), the frigate bird. -- Man-of-war's man, a sailor serving in a ship of war. -- Portuguese man-of-war (Zoöl.), any species of the genus Physalia. See Physalia.
MANOGRAPH Man"o*graph, n. [Gr. thin, rare + -graph: cf. F. manographe.] (Engin.)
Defn: An optical device for making an indicator diagram for high- speed engines. It consists of a light-tight box or camera having at one end a small convex mirror which reflects a beam of light on to the ground glass or photographic plate at the other end. The mirror is pivoted so that it can be moved in one direction by a small plunger operated by an elastic metal diaphragm which closes a tube connected with the engine cylinder. It is also moved at right angles to this direction by a reducing motion, called a reproducer, so as to copy accurately on a smaller scale the motion of the engine piston. The resultant of these two movements imparts to the reflected beam of light a motion similar to that of the pencil of the ordinary indicator, and this can be traced on the sheet of ground glass, or photographed.
MANOMETER Ma*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter: cf. F. manomètre.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring the tension or elastic force of gases, steam, etc., constructed usually on the principle of allowing the gas to exert its elastic force in raising a column of mercury in an open tube, or in compressing a portion of air or other gas in a closed tube with mercury or other liquid intervening, or in bending a metallic or other spring so as to set in motion an index; a pressure gauge. See Pressure, and Illust. of Air pump.
MANOMETRIC; MANOMETRICAL Man`o*met"ric, Man`o*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. manométrique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the manometer; made by the manometer.
MANOR Man"or, n. Etym: [OE. maner, OF. maneir habitation, village, F. manoir manor, prop. the OF. inf. maneir to stay, remain, dwell, L. manere, and so called because it was the permanent residence of the lord and of his tenants. See Mansion, and cf. Remain.]
1. (Eng. Law)
Defn: The land belonging to a lord or nobleman, or so much land as a lord or great personage kept in his own hands, for the use and subsistence of his family. My manors, rents, revenues, l forego. Shak.
Note: In these days, a manor rather signifies the jurisdiction and royalty incorporeal, than the land or site, for a man may have a manor in gross, as the law terms it, that is, the right and interest of a court-baron, with the perquisites thereto belonging.
2. (American Law)
Defn: A tract of land occupied by tenants who pay a free-farm rent to the proprietor, sometimes in kind, and sometimes by performing certain stipulated services. Burrill. Manor house, or Manor seat, the house belonging to a manor.
MANORIAL Ma*no"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a manor. " Manorial claims." Paley.
MANOSCOPE Man"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.]
Defn: Same as Manometer.
MANOSCOPY Ma*nos"co*py, n.
Defn: The science of the determination of the density of vapors and gases.
MANOVERY Ma*no"ver*y, n. Etym: [See Maneuver.] (Eng. Law)
Defn: A contrivance or maneuvering to catch game illegally.
MANQUELLER Man"quell`er, n.
Defn: A killer of men; a manslayer. [Obs.] Carew.
MANRED; MANRENT Man"red, Man"rent`, n.
Defn: Homage or service rendered to a superior, as to a lord; vassalage. [Obs. or Scots Law] Jamieson.
MANROPE Man"rope`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: One of the side ropes to the gangway of a ship. Totten.
MANSARD ROOF Man"sard roof". Etym: [So called from its inventor, François Mansard, or Mansart, a distinguished French architect, who died in 1666.] (Arch.)
Defn: A hipped curb roof; that is, a roof having on all sides two slopes, the lower one being steeper than the upper one.
MANSE Manse, n. Etym: [LL. mansa, mansus, mansum, a farm, fr. L. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell. See Mansion, Manor.]
1. A dwelling house, generally with land attached.
2. The parsonage; a clergyman's house. [Scot.] Capital manse, the manor house, or lord's court.
MANSERVANT Man"serv`ant, n.
Defn: A male servant.
MANSION Man"sion, n. Etym: [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Menial, Permanent.]
1. A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [Obs.] In my Father's house are many mansions. John xiv. 2. These poets near our princes sleep, And in one grave their mansions keep. Den
2. The house of the lord of a manor; a manor house; hence: Any house of considerable size or pretension.
3. (Astrol.)
Defn: A twelfth part of the heavens; a house. See 1st House, 8. Chaucer.
4. The place in the heavens occupied each day by the moon in its monthly revolution. [Obs.] The eight and twenty mansions That longen to the moon. Chaucer. Mansion house, the house in which one resides; specifically, in London and some other cities, the official residence of the Lord Mayor. Blackstone.
MANSION Man"sion, v. i.
Defn: To dwell; to reside. [Obs.] Mede.
MANSIONARY Man"sion*a*ry, a.
Defn: Resident; residentiary; as, mansionary canons.
MANSIONRY Man"sion*ry, n.
Defn: The state of dwelling or residing; occupancy as a dwelling place. [Obs.] Shak.
MANSLAUGHTER Man"slaugh`ter, n.
1. The slaying of a human being; destruction of men. Milton.
2. (Law)
Defn: The unlawful killing of a man, either in negligenc
MANSLAYER Man"slay`er, n.
Defn: One who kills a human being; one who commits manslaughter.
MANSTEALER Man"steal`er, n.
Defn: A person who steals or kidnaps a human being or beings.
MANSTEALING Man"steal`ing, n.
Defn: The act or business of stealing or kidnaping human beings, especially with a view to e
MANSUETE Man"suete, a. Etym: [L. mansuetus, p. p. of mansuescere to tame; manus hand + suescere to accustom: cf. F. mansuet.]
Defn: Tame; gentle; kind. [Obs.] Ray.
MANSUETUDE Man"sue*tude, n. Etym: [L. mansuetudo: cf. F.mansuétude.]
Defn: Tameness; gentleness; mildness. [Archaic]
MANSWEAR Man"swear`, v. i.
Defn: To swear falsely. Same as Mainswear.
MANTA Man"ta, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Coleoptera and Sea devil.
MANTCHOO Mant*choo", a. & n.
Defn: Same as Manchu.
MANTEAU Man`teau", n.; pl. F. Manteaux, E. Manteaus. Etym: [F. See Mantle, n.]
1. A woman's cloak or mantle.
2. A gown worn by women. [Obs.]
MANTEL Man"tel, n. Etym: [The same word as mantle a garment; cf. F. manteau de cheminée. See Mantle.] (Arch.)
Defn: The finish around a fireplace, covering the chimney-breast in front and sometimes on both sides; especially, a shelf above the fireplace, and its supports. [Written also mantle.]
MANTELET Man"tel*et, n. Etym: [F., dim. of manteau, OF. mantel. See Mantle.]
1. (a) A short cloak formerly worn by knights. (b) A short cloak or mantle worn by women. A mantelet upon his shoulders hanging. Chaucer.
2. (Fort.)
Defn: A musket-proof shield of rope, wood, or metal, which is sometimes used for the protection of sappers or riflemen while attacking a fortress, or of gunners at embrasures; -- now commonly written mantlet.
MANTELLETTA Man`tel*let"ta, n. [It. mantelletta. See Mantelet.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A silk or woolen vestment without sleeves worn by cardinals, bishops, abbots, and the prelates of the Roman court. It has a low collar, is fastened in front, and reaches almost to the knees.
MANTELPIECE Man"tel*piece`, n.
Defn: Same as Mantel.
MANTELSHELF Man"tel*shelf`, n.
Defn: The shelf of a mantel.
MANTELTREE Man"tel*tree`, n. (Arch.)
Defn: The lintel of a fireplace when of wood, as frequently in early houses.
MANTIC Man"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to divination, or to the condition of one inspired, or supposed to be inspired, by a deity; prophetic. [R.] "Mantic fury." Trench.
MANTILLA Man*til"la, n. Etym: [Sp. See Mantle.]
1. A lady's light cloak of cape of silk, velvet, lace, or the like.
2. A kind of veil, covering the head and falling down upon the shoulders; -- worn in Spain, Mexico, etc.
MANTIS Man"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of voracious orthopterous insects of the genus Mantis, and allied genera. They are remarkable for their slender grotesque forms, and for holding their stout anterior legs in a manner suggesting hands folded in prayer. The common American species is M. Carolina. Mantis shrimp. (Zoöl.) See Sguilla.
MANTISPID Man*tis"pid, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any neuropterous insect of the genus Mantispa, and allied genera. The larvæ feed on plant lice. Also used adjectively. See Illust. under Neuroptera.
MANTISSA Man*tis*sa, n. Etym: [L., an addition, makeweight; of Tuscan origin.] (Math.)
Defn: The decimal part of a logarithm, as distinguished from the integral part, or characteristic.
MANTLE Man"tle, n. Etym: [OE. mantel, OF. mantel, F. manteau, fr. L. mantellum, mantelum, a cloth, napkin, cloak, mantle (cf. mantele, mantile, towel, napkin); prob. from manus hand + the root of tela cloth. See Manual, Textile, and cf. Mandil, Mantel, Mantilla.]
1. A loose garment to be worn over other garments; an enveloping robe; a cloak. Hence, figuratively, a covering or concealing envelope. [The] children are clothed with mantles of satin. Bacon. The green mantle of the standing pool. Shak. Now Nature hangs her mantle green On every blooming tree. Burns.
2. (Her.)
Defn: Same as Mantling.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) The external fold, or folds, of the soft, exterior membrane of the body of a mollusk. It usually forms a cavity inclosing the gills. See Illusts. of Buccinum, and Byssus. (b) Any free, outer membrane. (c) The back of a bird together with the folded wings.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: A mantel. See Mantel.
5. The outer wall and casing of a blast furnace, above the hearth. Raymond.
6. (Hydraulic Engin.)
Defn: A penstock for a water wheel.
MANTLE Man"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mantled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mantling.]
Defn: To cover or envelop, as with a mantle; to cloak; to hide; to disguise. Shak.
MANTLE Man"tle, v. i.
1. To unfold and spread out the wings, like a mantle; -- said of hawks. Also used figuratively. Ne is there hawk which mantleth on her perch. Spenser. Or tend his sparhawk mantling in her mew. Bp. Hall. My frail fancy fed with full delight. Doth bathe in bliss, and mantleth most at ease. Spenser.
2. To spread out; -- said of wings. The swan, with arched neck Between her white wings mantling proudly, rows. Milton.
3. To spread over the surface as a covering; to overspread; as, the scum mantled on the pool. Though mantled in her cheek the blood. Sir W. Scott.
4. To gather, assume, or take on, a covering, as froth, scum, etc. There is a sort of men whose visages Do cream and mantle like a standing pond. Shak. Nor bowl of wassail mantle warm. Tennyson.
MANTLET Man"tlet, n.
Defn: See Mantelet.
MANTLING Man"tling, n. (Her.)
Defn: The representation of a mantle, or the drapery behind and around a coat of arms: -- called also lambrequin.
MANTO Man"to, n. Etym: [It. or Sp. manto, abbrev., from L. mantelum. See Mantle.]
Defn: See Manteau. [Obs.] Bailey.
MANTOLOGIST Man*tol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is skilled in mantology; a diviner. [R.]
MANTOLOGY Man*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: The act or art of divination. [R.]
MANTRA Man"tra, n. Etym: [Skr.]
Defn: A prayer; an invocation; a religious formula; a charm. [India]
Note: Among the Hindoos each caste and tribe has a mantra peculiar to itself; as, the mantra of the Brahmans. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MANTRAP Man"trap`, n.
1. A trap for catching trespassers. [Eng.]
2. A dangerous place, as an open hatch, into which one may fall.
MANTUA Man"tu*a, n.
1. A superior kind of rich silk formerly exported from Mantua in Italy. [Obs.] Beck (Draper's Dict.).
2. A woman's cloak or mantle; also, a woman's gown. [Obs.]
MANTUAMAKER Man"tu*a*mak`er, n.
Defn: One who makes dresses, cloaks, etc., for women; a dressmaker.
MANTUAN Man"tu*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mantua. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Mantua.
MANU Ma"nu, n. Etym: [Skr.] (Hind. Myth.)
Defn: One of a series of progenitors of human beings, and authors of human wisdom.
MANUAL Man"u*al, a. Etym: [OE. manuel, F. manuel, L. manualis, fr. manus hand; prob. akin to AS. mund hand, protection, OHG. munt, G. mündel a ward, vormund guardian, Icel. mund hand. Cf. Emancipate, Legerdemain, Maintain, Manage, Manner, Manur, Mound a hill.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the hand; done or made by the hand; as, manual labor; the king's sign manual. "Manual and ocular examination." Tatham. Manual alphabet. See Dactylology. -- Manual exercise (Mil.) the exercise by which soldiers are taught the use of their muskets and other arms. -- Seal manual, the impression of a seal worn on the hand as a ring. -- Sign manual. See under Sign.
MANUAL Man"u*al, n. Etym: [Cf. F. manuel, LL. manuale. See Manual, a.]
1. A small book, such as may be carried in the hand, or conveniently handled; a handbook; specifically, the service book of the Roman Catholic Church. This manual of laws, styled the Confessor's Laws. Sir M. Hale.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A keyboard of an organ or harmonium for the fingers, as distinguished from the pedals; a clavier, or set of keys. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
3. (Mil.)
Defn: A prescribed exercise in the systematic handing of a weapon; as, the manual of arms; the manual of the sword; the manual of the piece (cannon, mortar, etc.).
MANUALIST Man"u*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who works wi
MANUALLY Man"u*al*ly, adv.
Defn: By hand.
MANUARY Man"u*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. manuarius, fr. manus hand.]
Defn: Manual. -- n.
Defn: An artificer. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MANUBIAL Ma*nu"bi*al, a. Etym: [L. manubialis, fr. manubiae money obtained from the sale of booty, booty.]
Defn: Belonging to spoils; taken in war. [Obs.] Bailey.
MANUBRIAL Ma*nu"bri*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a manubrium; shaped like a manubrium; handlelike.
MANUBRIUM Ma*nu"bri*um, n.; pl. L. Manubria, E. Manubriums. Etym: [L., handle, fr. manus hand.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: A handlelike process or part; esp., the anterior segment of the sternum, or presternum, and the handlelike process of the malleus.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The proboscis of a jellyfish; -- called also hypostoma. See Illust. of Hydromedusa.
MANUCODE Man"u*code, n. Etym: [Javanese manukdewata the bird of the gods: cf. F. manucode.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any bird of the genus Manucodia, of Australia and New Guinea. They are related to the bird of paradise.
MANUDUCENT Man`u*du"cent, n.
Defn: One who leads by the hand; a manuductor. [Obs.]
MANUDUCTION Man`u*duc"tion, n. Etym: [L. manus hand + ductio a leading, ducere to lead: cf. F. manuduction.]
Defn: Guidance by the hand. [Obs.] Glanvill. South.
MANUDUCTOR Man`u*duc"tor, n. Etym: [L. manus the hand + ductor a leader, ducere to lead: cf. F. manuducteur.] (Mus.)
Defn: A conductor; an officer in the ancient church who gave the signal for the choir to sing, and who beat time with the hand, and regulated the music. Moore (Encyc. of Music.)
MANUFACTORY Man`u*fac"to*ry, n.; pl. -ries. Etym: [Cf. L. factorium an oil press, prop., place where something is made. See Manufacture.]
1. Manufacture. [Obs.]
2. A building or place where anything is manufactured; a factory.
MANUFACTORY Man`u*fac"to*ry, a.
Defn: Pertaining to manufacturing.
MANUFACTURAL Man`u*fac"tur*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to manufactures. [R.]
MANUFACTURE Man`u*fac"ture, n. Etym: [L. manus the hand + factura a making, fr. facere to make: cf. F. manufacture. See Manual, and Fact.]
1. The operation of making wares or any products by hand, by machinery, or by other agency.
2. Anything made from raw materials by the hand, by machinery, or by art, as cloths, iron utensils, shoes, machinery, saddlery, etc.
MANUFACTURE Man`u*fac"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manufactured; p. pr. & vb. n. Manufacturing.] Etym: [Cf. F. manufacturer.]
1. To make (wares or other products) by hand, by machinery, or by other agency; as, to manufacture cloth, nails, glass, etc.
2. To work, as raw or partly wrought materials, into suitable forms for use; as, to manufacture wool, cotton, silk, or iron.
MANUFACTURE Man`u*fac"ture, v. i.
Defn: To be employed in manufacturing something.
MANUFACTURER Man`u*fac"tur*er, n.
Defn: One who manufactures.
MANUFACTURING Man`u*fac"tur*ing, a.
1. Employed, or chiefly employed, in manufacture; as, a manufacturing community; a manufacturing town.
2. Pertaining to manufacture; as, manufacturing projects.
MANUL Ma"nul, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wild cat (Felis manul), having long, soft, light-colored fur. It is found in the mountains of Central Asia, and dwells among rocks.
MANUMISE Man"u*mise`, v. t. Etym: [See Manumit.]
Defn: To manumit. [Obs.] Dryden.
MANUMISSION Man`u*mis"sion, n. Etym: [L. manumissio: cf. F. manumission. See Manumit.]
Defn: The act of manumitting, or of liberating a slave from bondage. "Given to slaves at their manumission." Arbuthnot.
MANUMIT Man`u*mit", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manumitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Manumitting.] Etym: [L. manumittere, manumissum; manus the hand + mittere to send, to send off. See Manual, and Missile.]
Defn: To release from slavery; to liberate from personal bondage or servitude; to free, as a slave. "Manumitted slaves." Hume.
MANUMOTIVE Man"u*mo`tive, a. Etym: [L. manus the hand + E. motive.]
Defn: Movable by hand. [R.]
MANUMOTOR Man"u*mo`tor, n. Etym: [L. manus the hand + E. motor.]
Defn: A small wheel carriage, so constructed that a person sitting in it may move it.
MANURABLE Ma*nur"a*ble (, a.
1. Capable of cultivation. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
2. Capable of receiving a fertilizing substance.
MANURAGE Ma*nur"age, n.
Defn: Cultivation. [Obs.] Warner.
MANURANCE Ma*nur"ance, n.
Defn: Cultivation. [Obs.] Spenser.
MANURE Ma*nure", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manured; p. pr. & vb. n. Manuring.] Etym: [Contr, from OF. manuvrer, manovrer, to work with the hand, to cultivate by manual labor, F. man. See Manual, Ure, Opera, and cf. Inure.]
1. To cultivate by manual labor; to till; hence, to develop by culture. [Obs.] To whom we gave the strand for to manure. Surrey. Manure thyself then; to thyself be improved; And with vain, outward things be no more moved. Donne.
2. To apply manure to; to enrich, as land, by the application of a fertilizing substance. The blood of English shall manure the ground. Shak.
MANURE Ma*nure", n.
Defn: Any matter which makes land productive; a fertilizing substance, as the contents of stables and barnyards, dung, decaying animal or vegetable substances, etc. Dryden.
MANUREMENT Ma*nure"ment, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. manouvrement.]
Defn: Cultivation. [Obs.] W. Wotton.
MANURER Ma*nur"er, n.
Defn: One who manures land.
MANURIAL Ma*nu"ri*al, a.
Defn: Relating to manures.
MANURING Ma*nur"ing, n.
Defn: The act of process of applying manure; also, the manure applied.
MANUS Ma"nus, n.; pl. Manus. Etym: [L., the hand.] (Anat.)
Defn: The distal segment of the fore limb, including the carpus and fore foot or hand.
MANUSCRIPT Man"u*script, a. Etym: [L. manu scriptus. See Manual, and Scribe.]
Defn: Written with or by the hand; not printed; as, a manuscript volume.
MANUSCRIPT Man"u*script, n. Etym: [LL. manuscriptum, lit., something written with the hand. See Manuscript, a.]
1. A literary or musical composition written with the hand, as distinguished from a printed copy.
2. Writing, as opposed to print; as, the book exists only in manuscript. Craik.
Note: The word is often abbreviated to MS., plural MSS.
MANUSCRIPTAL Man"u*script`al, a.
Defn: Manuscript. [Obs.]
MANUTENENCY Man`u*ten"en*cy, n. Etym: [L. manus hand + tenere to hold.]
Defn: Maintenance. [Obs.] Abp. Sancroft.
MANWAY Man"way`, n.
Defn: A small passageway, as in a mine, that a man may pass through. Raymond.
MANX Manx, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Isle of Man, or its inhabitants; as, the Manx language. Manx cat (Zoöl.), a breed of domestic cats having a rudimentary tail, containing only about three vertebrae. -- Manx shearwater (Zoöl.), an oceanic bird (Puffinus anglorum, or P. puffinus), called also Manx petrel, Manx puffin. It was formerly abundant in the Isle of Man.
MANX Manx, n.
Defn: The language of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, a dialect of the Celtic.
MANY Ma"ny, n. Etym: [See Meine, Mansion.]
Defn: A retinue of servants; a household. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MANY Ma"ny, a. or pron.
Note: [It has no variation to express degrees of comparison; more and most, which are used for the comparative and superlative degrees, are from a different root.] Etym: [OE. mani, moni, AS. manig, mænig, monig; akin to D. menig, OS. & OHG. manag, G. manch, Dan. mange, Sw. månge, Goth. manags, OSlav. mnog', Russ. mnogii; cf. Icel. margr, Prov. E. mort. sq. root103.]
Defn: Consisting of a great number; numerous; not few. Thou shalt be a father of many nations. Gen. xvii. 4. Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 1 Cor. i. 26.
Note: Many is freely prefixed to participles, forming compounds which need no special explanation; as, many-angled, many-celled, many-eyed, many-footed, many-handed, many-leaved, many-lettered, many-named, many-peopled, many-petaled, many-seeded, many-syllabled (polysyllabic), many-tongued, many-voiced, many-wived, and the like. Comparison is often expressed by many with as or so. "As many as were willing hearted . . . brought bracelets." Exod. xxxv. 22. "So many laws argue so many sins." Milton. Many stands with a singular substantive with a or an. Many a, a large number taken distributively; each one of many. "For thy sake have I shed many a tear." Shak. "Full many a gem of purest ray serene." Gray. -- Many one, many a one; many persons. BK. of Com. Prayer. -- The many, the majority; -- opposed to the few. See Many, n. -- Too many, too numerous; hence, too powerful; as, they are too many for us. L'Estrange.
Syn. -- Numerous; multiplied; frequent; manifold; various; divers; sundry.
MANY Ma"ny, n. Etym: [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to G. menge, OHG. managi, menigi, Goth. managei. See Many, a.]
1. The populace; the common people; the majority of people, or of a community. After him the rascal many ran. Spenser.
2. A large or considerable number. A many of our bodies shall no doubt Find native graves. Shak. Seeing a great many in rich gowns. Addison. It will be concluded by manythat he lived like an honest man. Fielding.
Note: In this sense, many is connected immediately with another substantive (without of) to show of what the many consists; as, a good many [of] people think so. He is liable to a great many inconveniences. Tillotson.
MANY-MINDED Ma"ny-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Having many faculties; versatile; many-sided.
MANYPLIES Ma"ny*plies, n. Etym: [Many, adj. + plies, pl. of ply a fold.] (Anat.)
Defn: The third division, or that between the reticulum, or honeycomb stomach, and the abomasum, or rennet stomach, in the stomach of ruminants; the omasum; the psalterium. So called from the numerous folds in its mucous membrane. See Illust of Ruminant.
MANY-SIDED Ma"ny-sid`ed, a.
1. Having many sides; -- said of figures. Hence, presenting many questions or subjects for consideration; as, a many-sided topic.
2. Interested in, and having an aptitude for, many unlike pursuits or objects of attention; versatile. -- Ma"ny-sid`ed*ness, n.
MANYWAYS; MANYWISE Ma"ny*ways`, Ma"ny*wise`, adv.
Defn: In many different ways; variously.
MANZANILLA Man`za*nil"la, n. (Olive Trade)
Defn: A kind of small roundish olive with a small freestone pit, a fine skin, and a peculiar bitterish flavor. Manzanillas are commonly pitted and stuffed with Spanish pimientos.
MANZANITA Man`za*ni"ta, n. Etym: [Sp., dim. of munzana an apple.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several species of Arctostaphylos, but mostly to A. glauca and A. pungens, shrubs of California, Oregon, etc., with reddish smooth bark, ovate or oval coriaceous evergreen leaves, and bearing clusters of red berries, which are said to be a favorite food of the grizzly bear.
MAORI Ma"o*ri, n.; pl. Maoris (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: One of the aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand; also, the original language of New Zealand. -- a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Maoris or to their language.
MAP Map, n. Etym: [From F. mappe, in mappemonde map of the world, fr. L. mappa napkin, signal cloth; -- a Punic word. Cf. Apron, Napkin, Nappe.]
1. A representation of the surface of the earth, or of some portion of it, showing the relative position of the parts represented; -- usually on a flat surface. Also, such a representation of the celestial sphere, or of some part of it.
Note: There are five principal kinds of projection used in making maps: the orthographic, the stereographic, the globuar, the conical, and the cylindrical, or Mercator's projection. See Projection.
2. Anything which represents graphically a succession of events, states, or acts; as, an historical map. Thus is his cheek the map of days outworn. Shak. Map lichen (Bot.), a lichen (Lecidea geographica.) growing on stones in curious maplike figures. Dr. Prior.
MAP Map, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Mapping.]
Defn: To represent by a map; -- often with out; as, to survey and map, or map out, a county. Hence, figuratively: To represent or indicate systematically and clearly; to sketch; to plan; as, to map, or map out, a journey; to map out business. I am near to the place where they should meet, if Pisanio have mapped it truly. Shak.
MAPACH Ma*pach", n. Etym: [Mexican.]
Defn: The raccoon.
MAPLE Ma"ple, n. Etym: [AS. mapolder, mapulder, mapol; akin to Icel. möpurr; cf. OHG. mazzaltra, mazzoltra, G. massholder.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tree of the genus Acer, including about fifty species. A. saccharinum is the rock maple, or sugar maple, from the sap of which sugar is made, in the United States, in great quantities, by evaporation; the red or swamp maple is A. rubrum; the silver maple, A. dasycarpum, having fruit wooly when young; the striped maple, A. Pennsylvanium, called also moosewood. The common maple of Europe is A. campestre, the sycamore maple is A. Pseudo-platanus, and the Norway maple is A. platanoides.
Note: Maple is much used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound; as, maple tree, maple leaf, etc. Bird's-eye maple, Curled maple, varieties of the wood of the rock maple, in which a beautiful lustrous grain is produced by the sinuous course of the fibers. -- Maple honey, Maple molasses, or Maple sirup, maple sap boiled to the consistency of molasses. -- Maple sugar, sugar obtained from the sap of the sugar maple by evaporation.
MAPLIKE Map"like`, a.
Defn: Having or consisting of lines resembling a map; as, the maplike figures in which certain lichens grow.
MAPPERY Map"per*y, n. Etym: [From Map.]
Defn: The making, or study, of maps. [Obs.] Shak.
MAQUI Ma"qui, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A Chilian shrub (Aristotelia Maqui). Its bark furnishes strings for musical instruments, and a medicinal wine is made from its berries.
MAR Mar, n.
Defn: A small lake. See Mere. [Prov. Eng.]
MAR Mar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marred (märd); p. pr. & vb. n. Marring.] Etym: [OE. marren, merren, AS. merran, myrran (in comp.), to obstruct, impede, dissipate; akin to OS. merrian, OHG. marrjan, merran; cf. D. marren, meeren, to moor a ship, Icel. merja to bruise, crush, and Goth. marzjan to offend. Cf. Moor, v.]
1. To make defective; to do injury to, esp. by cutting off or defacing a part; to impair; to disfigure; to deface. I pray you mar no more trees with wiring love songs in their barks. Shak. But mirth is marred, and the good cheer is lost. Dryden. Ire, envy, and despair Which marred all his borrowed visage. Milton.
2. To spoil; to ruin. "It makes us, or it mars us." "Striving to mend, to mar the subject." Shak.
MAR Mar, n.
Defn: A mark or blemish made by bruising, scratching, or the like; a disfigurement.
MARA Ma"ra, n. Etym: [Skr. mara.] (Hind. Myth.)
Defn: The principal or ruling evil spirit. E. Arnold.
MARA Ma"ra, n. Etym: [Icel. mara nightmare, an ogress. See Nightmare.] (Norse Myth.)
Defn: A female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.
MARA Ma"ra, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Patagonian cavy (Dolichotis Patagonicus.)
MARABOU Mar`a*bou", n. Etym: [F.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large stork of the genus Leptoptilos (formerly Ciconia), esp. the African species (L. crumenifer), which furnishes plumes worn as ornaments. The Asiatic species (L. dubius, or L. argala) is the adjutant. See Adjutant. [Written also marabu.]
2. One having five eighths negro blood; the offspring of a mulatto and a griffe. [Louisiana] Bartlett.
MARABOUT Marabout", n. Etym: [F., from Pg. marabuto, Ar. morabit. Cf. Maravedi.]
Defn: A Mohammedan saint; especially, one who claims to work cures supernaturally.
MARACAN Mar"a*can, n. Etym: [Braz. maracaná.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A macaw.
MARAI Ma*rai", n.
Defn: A sacred inclosure or temple; -- so called by the islanders of the Pacific Ocean.
MARANATHA Mar`a*nath"a, n. Etym: [Aramaic maran atha.]
Defn: "Our Lord cometh;" -- an expression used by St. Paul at the conclusion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians (xvi. 22). This word has been used in anathematizing persons for great crimes; as much as to say, "May the Lord come quickly to take vengeance of thy crimes." See Anathema maranatha, under Anathema.
MARANTA Ma*ran"ta, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of endogenous plants found in tropical America, and some species also in India. They have tuberous roots containing a large amount of starch, and from one species (Maranta arundinacea) arrowroot is obtained. Many kinds are cultivated for ornament.
MARASCHINO Ma`ra*schi"no, n. Etym: [It., fr. marasca, amarasca, a sour cherry, L. amarus bitter.]
Defn: A liqueur distilled from fermented cherry juice, and flavored with the pit of a variety of cherry which grows in Dalmatia.
MARASMUS Ma*ras"mus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A wasting of flesh without fever or apparent disease; a kind of consumption; atrophy; phthisis. Pining atrophy, Marasmus, and wide-wasting pestilence. Milton. Marasmus senilis Etym: [L.], progressive atrophy of the aged.
MARATHI; MAHRATTA Ma*ra"thi, Mah*rat"ta, n.
Defn: A Sanskritic language of western India, prob. descended from the Maharastri Prakrit, spoken by the Marathas and neighboring peoples. It has an abundant literature dating from the 13th century. It has a book alphabet nearly the same as Devanagari and a cursive script translation between the Devanagari and the Gujarati.
MARAUD Ma*raud", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Marauded; p. pr. & vb. n. Marauding.] Etym: [F. marauder, fr. maraud vagabond, OF. marault; of uncertain origin, perh. for malault, fr. (assumed) LL. malaldus; fr. L. malus bad, ill + a suffix of German origin (cf. Herald). Cf. Malice.]
Defn: To rove in quest of plunder; to make an excursion for booty; to plunder. "Marauding hosts." Milman.
MARAUD Ma*raud", n.
Defn: An excursion for plundering.
MARAUDER Ma*raud`er, n. Etym: [From Maraud, v.: cf. F. maraudeur.]
Defn: A rover in quest of booty or plunder; a plunderer; one who pillages. De Quincey.
MARAVEDI Mar`a*ve"di, n. Etym: [Sp. maravedí; -- so called from the Morabitin (lit., the steadfast), an Arabian dynasty which reigned in Africa and Spain. Cf. Marabout.] (Numis.)
Defn: A small copper coin of Spain, equal to three mils American money, less than a farthing sterling. Also, an ancient Spanish gold coin.
MARBLE Mar"ble, n. Etym: [OE. marbel, marbre, F. marbre, L. marmor, fr. Gr. Marmoreal.]
1. A massive, compact limestone; a variety of calcite, capable of being polished and used for architectural and ornamental purposes. The color varies from white to black, being sometimes yellow, red, and green, and frequently beautifully veined or clouded. The name is also given to other rocks of like use and appearance, as serpentine or verd antique marble, and less properly to polished porphyry, granite, etc.
Note: Breccia marble consists of limestone fragments cemented together. -- Ruin marble, when polished, shows forms resembling ruins, due to disseminated iron oxide. -- Shell marble contains fossil shells. -- Statuary marble is a pure, white, fine-grained kind, including Parian (from Paros) and Carrara marble. If coarsely granular it is called saccharoidal.
2. A thing made of, or resembling, marble, as a work of art, or record, in marble; or, in the plural, a collection of such works; as, the Arundel or Arundelian marbles; the Elgin marbles.
3. A little ball of marble, or of some other hard substance, used as a plaything by children; or, in the plural, a child's game played with marbles.
Note: Marble is also much used in self-explaining compounds; when used figuratively in compounds it commonly means, hard, cold, destitute of compassion or feeling; as, marble-breasted, marble- faced, marble-hearted.
MARBLE Mar"ble, a.
1. Made of, or resembling, marble; as, a marble mantel; marble paper.
2. Cold; hard; unfeeling; as, a marble breast or heart.
MARBLE Mar"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Marbling.] Etym: [Cf. F. marbrer. See Marble, n.]
Defn: To stain or vein like marble; to variegate in color; as, to marble the edges of a book, or the surface of paper.
MARBLED Mar"bled, a.
1. Made of, or faced with, marble. [Obs.] "The marbled mansion." Shak.
2. Made to resemble marble; veined or spotted like marble. "Marbled paper." Boyle.
3. (zoöl.)
Defn: Varied with irregular markings, or witch a confused blending of irregular spots and streaks.
MARBLE-EDGED Mar"ble-edged`, a.
Defn: Having the edge veined or spotted with different colors like marble, as a book.
MARBLEIZE Mar"ble*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marbleized; p. pr. & vb. n. Marbleizing.]
Defn: To stain or grain in imitation of marble; to cover with a surface resembling marble; as, to marbleize slate, wood, or iron.
MARBLER Mar"bler (, n.
1. One who works upon marble or other stone. [R.] Fuller.
2. One who colors or stains in imitation of marble.
MARBLING Mar"bling, n.
1. The art or practice of variegating in color, in imitation of marble.
2. An intermixture of fat and lean in meat, giving it a marbled appearance.
3. pl. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Distinct markings resembling the variegations of marble, as on birds and insects.
MARBLY Mar"bly, a.
Defn: Containing, or resembling, marble.
MARBRINUS Mar*bri"nus, n. Etym: [LL., fr. OF. & F. marble marble. See Marble.]
Defn: A cloth woven so as to imitate the appearance of marble; -- much used in the 15th and 16th centuries. Beck (Draper's Dict.).
MARC Marc, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: The refuse matter which remains after the pressure of fruit,
## particularly of grapes.
MARC Marc, n. Etym: [AS. marc; akin to G. mark, Icel. mörk, perh. akin to E. mark a sign. 106, 273.] [Written also mark.]
1. A weight of various commodities, esp. of gold and silver, used in different European countries. In France and Holland it was equal to eight ounces.
2. A coin formerly current in England and Scotland, equal to thirteen shillings and four pence.
3. A German coin and money of account. See Mark.
MARCANTANT Mar"can*tant, n. Etym: [It. mercatante. See Merchant.]
Defn: A merchant. [Obs.] Shak.
MARCASITE Mar"ca*site, n. Etym: [F. marcassite; cf. It. marcassita, Sp. marquesita, Pg. marquezita; all fr. Ar. marqashitha.] (Min.)
Defn: A sulphide of iron resembling pyrite or common iron pyrites in composition, but differing in form; white iron pyrites. Golden marcasite, tin. [Obs.]
MARCASITIC; MARCASITICAL Mar`ca*sit"ic, Mar`ca*sit"ic*al, a.
Defn: Containing, or having the nature of, marcasite.
MARCASSIN Mar*cas"sin, n. Etym: [F.] (Her.)
Defn: A young wild boar.
MARCATO Mar*ca"to, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: In a marked emphatic manner; -- used adverbially as a direction.
MARCELINE Mar"cel*ine, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. marcidus withered, fr. marcere to wither, shrivel.]
Defn: A thin silk fabric used for linings, etc., in ladies' dresses.
MARCESCENT Mar*ces"cent, a. Etym: [L. marcescens, p. pr. of marcescere to wither, decay, fr. marcere to wither, droop: cf. F. marcescent.] (Bot.)
Defn: Withering without
MARCESCIBLE Mar*ces"ci*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. marcescible.]
Defn: Li
MARCH March, n. Etym: [L. Martius mensis Mars'month fr. Martius belonging to Mars, the god of war: cf. F. mars. Cf. Martial.]
Defn: The third month of the year, containing thirty-one days. The stormy March is come at last, With wind, and cloud, and changing skies. Bryant. As mad as a March Hare, an old English Saying derived from the fact that March is the rutting time of hares, when they are excitable and violent. Wright.
MARCH March, n. Etym: [OE. marche, F. marche; of German origin; cf. OHG. marcha, G. mark, akin to OS. marka, AS. mearc, Goth. marka, L. margo edge, border, margin, and possibly to E. mark a sign. Margin, Margrave, Marque, Marquis.]
Defn: A territorial border or frontier; a region adjacent to a boundary line; a confine; -- used chiefly in the plural, and in English history applied especially to the border land on the frontiers between England and Scotland, and England and Wales. Geneva is situated in the marches of several dominions -- France, Savoy, and Switzerland. Fuller. Lords of waste marches, kings of desolate isles. Tennyson.
MARCH March, v. i. Etym: [Cf. OF. marchir. See 2d March.]
Defn: To border; to be contiguous; to lie side by side. [Obs.] That was in a strange land Which marcheth upon Chimerie. Gower. To march with, to have the same boundary for a greater or less distance; -- said of an estate.
MARCH March, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Marched; p. pr. & vb. n. Marching.] Etym: [F. marcher, in OF. also, to tread, prob. fr. L. marcus hammer. Cf. Mortar.]
1. To move with regular steps, as a soldier; to walk in a grave, deliberate, or stately manner; to advance steadily. Shak.
2. To proceed by walking in a body or in military order; as, the German army marched into France.
MARCH March, v. t.
Defn: TO cause to move with regular steps in the manner of a soldier; to cause to move in military array, or in a body, as troops; to cause to advance in a steady, regular, or stately manner; to cause to go by peremptory command, or by force. March them again in fair array. Prior.
MARCH March, n. Etym: [F. marche.]
1. The act of marching; a movement of soldiers from one stopping place to another; military progress; advance of troops. These troops came to the army harassed with a long and wearisome march. Bacon.
2. Hence: Measured and regular advance or movement, like that of soldiers moving in order; stately or deliberate walk; steady onward movement. With solemn march Goes slow and stately by them. Shak. This happens merely because men will not bide their time, but will insist on precipitating the march of affairs. Buckle.
3. The distance passed over in marching; as, an hour's march; a march of twenty miles.
4. A piece of music designed or fitted to accompany and guide the movement of troops; a piece of music in the march form. The drums presently striking up a march. Knolles. To make a march, (Card Playing), to take all the tricks of a hand, in the game of euchre.
MARCHER March"er, n.
Defn: One who marches.
MARCHER March"er, n. Etym: [See 2d March.]
Defn: The lord or officer who defended the marches or borders of a territory.
MARCHET; MERCHET Mar"chet, Mer"chet, n. Etym: [LL. marcheta; of uncertain origin.]
Defn: In old English and in Scots law, a fine paid to the lord of the soil by a tenant upon the marriage of one the tenant's daughters.
MARCHING March"ing, a. & n.
Defn: ,fr. March, v. Marching money (Mil.), the additional pay of officer or soldier when his regiment is marching. -- In marching order (Mil.), equipped for a march. -- Marching regiment. (Mil.) (a) A regiment in active service. (b) In England, a regiment liable to be ordered into other quarters, at home or abroad; a regiment of the line.
MARCHIONESS Mar"chio*ness, n. Etym: [LL. marchionissa, fr. marchio a marquis. See Marquis.]
Defn: The wife or the widow of a marquis; a woman who has the rank and dignity of a marquis. Spelman.
MARCH-MAD March"-mad`, a.
Defn: Extremely rash; foolhardy. See under March, the month. Sir W. Scott.
MARCHMAN March"man, n.
Defn: A person living in the marches between England and Scotland or Wales.
MARCHPANE March"pane`, n. Etym: [Cf. It. marzapane,Sp. pan,. massepain, prob. fr. L. maza frumenty (Gr. ma^za) + L. panis bread; but perh. the first part of the word is from the name of the inventor.]
Defn: A kind of sweet bread or biscuit; a cake of pounded almonds and sugar. [Obs.]marzipan Shak.
MARCH-WARD March"-ward`, n.
Defn: A warden of the marches; a marcher.
MARCIAN Mar"cian, a.
Defn: Under the influence of Mars; courageous; bold. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARCID Mar"cid, a. Etym: [L. marcidus, fr. marcere to wither, pine.]
1. Pining; lean; withered. Dryden.
2. Characterized by emaciation, as a fever. Harvey.
MARCIDITY Mar"cid"ity, n. Etym: [LL. marciditas.]
Defn: The state or quality of being withered or lean. [R.]
MARCIONITE Mar"cion*ite, n. (Eccl. Hist)
Defn: A follower of Marcion, a Gnostic of the second century, who adopted the Oriental notion of the two conflicting principles, and imagined that between them there existed a third power, neither wholly good nor evil, the Creator of the world and of man, and the God of the Jewish dispensation. Brande & C.
MARCOBRUNNER Mar`co*brun"ner, n. Etym: [G. Marcobrunner.]
Defn: A celebrated Rhine wine.
MARCONI Mar*co"ni, a. [After Guglielmo Marconi (b. 1874), Italian inventor.]
Defn: Designating, or pert. to, Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy; as, Marconi aërial, coherer, station, system, etc.
MARCONIGRAM Mar*co"ni*gram, n. [Marconi + -gram.]
Defn: A Marconi wireless message.
MARCONIGRAPH Mar*co"ni*graph, n. [Marconi + -graph.]
Defn: The apparatus used in Marconi wireless telegraphy.
MARCONI'S LAW Mar*co"ni's law. (Wireless Teleg.)
Defn: The law that the maximum good signaling distance varies directly as the square of the height of the transmitting antenna.
MARCONISM Mar*co"nism, n.
Defn: The theory or practice of Marconi's wireless telegraph system.
MARCONI SYSTEM Mar*co"ni system. (Elec.)
Defn: A system or wireless telegraphy developed by G. Marconi, an Italian physicist, in which Hertzian waves are used in transmission and a coherer is used as the receiving instrument.
MARCOR Mar"cor, n. Etym: [L., fr. marcere to wither.]
Defn: A wasting away of flesh; decay. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MARCOSIAN Mar*co"sian, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a Gnostic sect of the second century, so called from Marcus, an Egyptian, who was reputed to be a margician.
MARDI GRAS Mar"di` gras", n. Etym: [F., literally, fat Tuesday.]
Defn: The last day of Carnival; Shrove Tuesday; -- in some cities a great day of carnival and merrymaking.
MARE Mare, n. Etym: [OE. mere, AS. mere, myre, fem of AS. mearh horse, akin to D. merrie mare, G. mähre, OHG. marah horse, meriha mare, Icel. marr horse, OCelt. marka (Pausan. 19, 19,4), Ir. marc, W. march. Cf. Marshal.]
Defn: The female of the horse and other equine quadrupeds.
MARE Mare, n. Etym: [AS. mara incubus; akin to OHG. & Icel. mara; cf. Pol. mora, Bohem. m.] (Med.)
Defn: Sighing, suffocative panting, intercepted utterance, with a sense of pressure across the chest, occurring during sleep; the incubus; -- obsolete, except in the compound nightmare. I will ride thee o' nights like the mare. Shak.
MARECHAL NIEL Mare"chal Niel". Etym: [F.]
Defn: A kind of large yellow rose. [Written also Marshal Niel.]
MARE CLAUSUM Ma"re clau"sum. [L.] (Internat. Law)
Defn: Lit., closed sea; hence, a body of water within the separate jurisdiction of the nation; -- opposed to open sea, the water open to all nations and over which no single nation has special control.
MAREIS Mar"eis, n.
Defn: A Marsh. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARENA Ma*re"na, n. Etym: [NL. Salmo maraena, G. maräne, moräne; -- so called from Lake Morin, in the March of Brandenburg, in Prussia.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European whitefish of the genus Coregonus.
MARESCHAL Mare"schal, n. Etym: [OF. mareschal, F. maréchal. See Marshal.]
Defn: A military officer of high rank; a marshal. [Obs.]
MARE'S-NEST Mare's"-nest`, n.
Defn: A supposed discovery which turns out to be a hoax; something grossly absurd.
MARE'S-TAIL Mare's"-tail`, n.
1. A long streaky cloud, spreading out like a horse's tail, and believed to indicate rain; a cirrus cloud. See Cloud. Mackerel sky and mare's-tails Make tall ships carry low sails. Old Rhyme.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: An aquatic plant of the genus Hippuris (H.vulgaris), having narrow leaves in whorls.
MARGARATE Mar"ga*rate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. margarate.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A compound of the so-called margaric acid with a base.
MARGARIC Mar*gar"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. margarique. See Margarite.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly. Margaric acid. (a) (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps) with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids. (b) (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, C17H34O2 of the fatty acid series, intermediate between palmitic and stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources.
MARGARIN Mar"ga*rin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. margarine. See Margarite.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A fatty substance, extracted from animal fats and certain vegetable oils, formerly supposed to be a definite compound of glycerin and margaric acid, but now known to be simply a mixture or combination of tristearin and teipalmitin.
MARGARINE Mar"ga*rine, n. [F.]
1. Artificial butter; oleomargarine.
The word margarine shall mean all substances, whether compounds or otherwise, prepared in imitation of butter, and whether mixed with butter or not. Margarine Act, 1887 (50 & 51 Vict. c. 29).
2. Margarin.
MARGARITACEOUS Mar`ga*ri*ta"ceous, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly.
MARGARITE Mar"ga*rite, n. Etym: [L. margarita, Gr. marguerite.]
1. A pearl. [Obs.] Peacham.
2. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral related to the micas, but low in silica and yielding brittle folia with pearly luster.
MARGARITIC Mar`ga*rit"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. margaritique.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Margaric.
MARGARITIFEROUS Mar`ga*ri*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. margaritifer; margarita pearl + ferre to bear: cf. F. margaritifère.]
Defn: Producing pearls.
MARGARODITE Mar*gar"o*dite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A hidrous potash mica related to muscovite.
MARGARONE Mar"ga*rone, n. Etym: [Margaric + -one.] (Chem.)
Defn: The ketone of margaric acid.
MARGAROUS Mar"ga*rous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Margaric; -- formerly designating a supposed acid. [Obs.]
MARGARYIZE; MARGARY'S FLUID Mar"ga*ry*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -ized; p. pr. & vb. n. -izing.] [(J. J. Lloyd) Margary, inventor of the process + -ize.]
Defn: To impregnate (wood) with a preservative solution of copper sulphate (often called Mar"ga*ry's flu"id [-riz]).
MARGATE FISH Mar"gate fish". (Zoöl.)
Defn: A sparoid fish (Diabasis aurolineatus) of the Gulf of Mexico, esteemed as a food fish; -- called also red-mouth grunt.
MARGAY Mar"gay, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American wild cat (Felis tigrina), ranging from Mexico to Brazil. It is spotted with black. Called also long-tailed cat.
MARGE Marge, n. Etym: [F. marge. See Margin.]
Defn: Border; margin; edge; verge. [Poetic] Tennyson. Along the river's stony marge. Wordsworth.
MARGENT Mar"gent, n. Etym: [OE. See Margin.]
Defn: A margin; border; brink; edge. [Obs.] The beached margent of the sea. Shak.
MARGENT Mar"gent, v. t.
Defn: To enter or note down upon the margin of a page; to margin. [Obs.] Mir. for Mag.
MARGIN Mar"gin, n. Etym: [OE. margine, margent, L. margo, ginis. Cf. March a border, Marge.]
1. A border; edge; brink; verge; as, the margin of a river or lake.
2. Specifically: The part of a page at the edge left uncovered in writing or printing.
3. (Com.)
Defn: The difference between the cost and the selling price of an article.
4. Something allowed, or reserved, for that which can not be foreseen or known with certainty.
5. (Brokerage)
Defn: Collateral security deposited with a broker to secure him from loss on contracts entered into by him on behalf of his principial, as in the speculative buying and selling of stocks, wheat, etc. N. Biddle. Margin draft (Masonry), a smooth cut margin on the face of hammer-dressed ashlar, adjacent to the joints. -- Margin of a course (Arch.), that part of a course, as of slates or shingles, which is not covered by the course immediately above it. See 2d Gauge.
Syn. -- Border; brink; verge; brim; rim.
MARGIN Mar"gin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Margined; p. pr. & vb. n. Marginging.]
1. To furnish with a margin.
2. To enter in the margin of a page.
MARGINAL Mar"gin*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. marginal.]
1. Of or pertaining to a margin.
2. Written or printed in the margin; as, a marginal note or gloss.
MARGINALIA Mar`gi*na"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Marginal notes.
MARGINALLY Mar"gin*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In the margin of a book.
MARGINATE Mar"gin*ate, a. Etym: [L. marginatus, p. p. of marginare to margin. See Margin, n.]
Defn: Having a margin distinct in appearance or structure.
MARGINATE Mar"gin*ate, v. t.
Defn: To furnish with a distinct margin; to margin. [R.] Cockeram.
MARGINATED Mar"gin*a`ted, a.
Defn: Same as Marginate, a.
MARGINED Mar"gined, a.
1. Having a margin. Hawthorne.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Bordered with a distinct line of color.
MARGINELLA Mar`gi*nel"la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. margo, marginis, a margin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small, polished, marine univalve shells, native of all warm seas.
MARGINICIDAL Mar"gin*i*ci`dal, a. Etym: [L. margo, -ginis, margin + caedere to cut.] (Bot.)
Defn: Dehiscent by the separation of united carpels; -- said of fruits.
MARGOSA Mar*go"sa, n. Etym: [Pg. amargoso bitter.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large tree of genus Melia (M. Azadirachta) found in India. Its bark is bitter, and used as a tonic. A valuable oil is expressed from its seeds, and a tenacious gum exudes from its trunk. The M. Azedarach is a much more showy tree, and is cultivated in the Southern United States, where it is known as Pride of India, Pride of China, or bead tree. Various parts of the tree are considered anthelmintic. The margosa oil . . . is a most valuable balsam for wounds, having a peculiar smell which prevents the attacks of flies. Sir S. Baker.
MARGRAVATE; MARGRAVIATE Mar"gra*vate, Mar*gra"vi*ate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. margraviat.]
Defn: The territory or jurisdiction of a margrave.
MARGRAVE Mar"grave, n. Etym: [G. markgraf, prop., lord chief justice of the march; mark bound, border, march + graf earl, count, lord chief justice; cf. Goth. gagrëfts decree: cf. D. markgraaf, F. margrave. See March border, and cf. Landgrave, Graff.]
1. Originally, a lord or keeper of the borders or marches in Germany.
2. The English equivalent of the German title of nobility, markgraf; a marquis.
MARGRAVINE Mar"gra*vine, n. Etym: [G. markgräfin: cf. F. margrafine.]
Defn: The wife of a margrave.
MARGUERITE Mar"gue*rite, n. Etym: [F., a pearl, a daisy. See Margarite.] (Bot.)
Defn: The daisy (Bellis perennis). The name is often applied also to the ox-eye daisy and to the China aster. Longfellow.
MARIAN Ma"ri*an, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the Virgin Mary, or sometimes to Mary, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII. Of all the Marian martyrs, Mr. Philpot was the best-born gentleman. Fuller. Maid Marian. See Maidmarian in the Vocabulary.
MARIE Mar"ie, interj.
Defn: Marry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARIET Mar"i*et, n. Etym: [F. mariette, prop. dim. of Marie Mary.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of bellflower, Companula Trachelium, once called Viola Mariana; but it is not a violet.
MARIGENOUS Ma*rig"e*nous, a. Etym: [L. mare the sea + -genous.]
Defn: Produced in or by the sea.
MARIGOLD Mar"i*gold, n. Etym: [Mary + gold.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name for several plants with golden yellow blossoms, especially the Calendula officinalis (see Calendula), and the cultivated species of Tagetes.
Note: There are several yellow-flowered plants of different genera bearing this name; as, the African or French marigold of the genus Tagetes, of which several species and many varieties are found in gardens. They are mostly strong-smelling herbs from South America and Mexico: bur marigold, of the genus Bidens; corn marigold, of the genus Chrysanthemum (C. segetum, a pest in the cornfields of Italy); fig marigold, of the genus Mesembryanthemum; marsh marigold, of the genus Caltha (C. palustris), commonly known in America as the cowslip. See Marsh Marigold. Marigold window. (Arch.) See Rose window, under Rose.
MARIKINA Mar`i*ki"na, n. Etym: [From the native name: cf. Pg. mariquinha.] (Zoöl)
Defn: A small marmoset (Midas rosalia); the silky tamarin.
MARIMBA Ma*rim"ba, n. Etym: [Pg.]
Defn: A musical istrument of percussion, consisting of bars yielding musical tones when struck. Knight.
MARIMONDA Mar`i*mon"da, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth) of Central and South America.
MARINADE Mar`i*nade", n. Etym: [F.: cf. It. marinato marinade, F. mariner to preserve food for use at sea. See Marinate.] (Cookery)
Defn: A brine or pickle containing wine and spices, for enriching the flavor of meat and fish.
MARINATE Mar"i*nate, v. t. Etym: [See Marine, and cf. Marinade.]
Defn: To salt or pickle, as fish, and then preserve in oil or vinegar; to prepare by the use of marinade.
MARINE Ma*rine", a. Etym: [L. marinus, fr. mare the sea: cf. F. marin. See Mere a pool.]
1. Of or pertaining to the sea; having to do with the ocean, or with navigation or naval affairs; nautical; as, marine productions or bodies; marine shells; a marine engine.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Formed by the action of the currents or waves of the sea; as, marine deposits. Marine acid (Chem.), hydrochloric acid. [Obs.] -- Marine barometer. See under Barometer. -- Marine corps, a corps formed of the officers, noncommissioned officers, privates, and musicants of marines. -- Marine engine (Mech.), a steam engine for propelling a vessel. -- Marine glue. See under Glue. -- Marine insurance, insurance against the perils of the sea, including also risks of fire, piracy, and barratry. -- Marine interest, interest at any rate agreed on for money lent upon respondentia and bottomry bonds. -- Marine law. See under Law. -- Marine league, three geographical miles. -- Marine metal, an alloy of lead, antimony, and mercury, made for sheathing ships. Mc Elrath. -- Marine soap, cocoanut oil soap; -- so called because, being quite soluble in salt water, it is much used on shipboard. -- Marine store, a store where old canvas, ropes, etc., are bought and sold; a junk shop. [Eng.]
MARINE Ma*rine", n. Etym: [F. marin a sea solider, marine naval economy, a marine picture, fr. L. marinus. See Marine, a.]
1. A solider serving on shipboard; a sea soldier; one of a body of troops trained to do duty in the navy.
2. The sum of naval affairs; naval economy; the department of navigation and sea forces; the collective shipping of a country; as, the mercantile marine.
3. A picture representing some marine subject. Tell that to the marines, an expression of disbelief, the marines being regarded by sailors as credulous. [Colloq.]
MARINED Ma*rined", a. Etym: [Cf. F. mariné.] (Her.)
Defn: Having the lower part of the body like a fish. Crabb.
MARINER Mar"i*ner, n. Etym: [F. marinier, LL. marinarius. See Marine.]
Defn: One whose occupation is to assist in navigating ships; a seaman or sailor. Chaucer. Mariner's compass. See under Compass.
MARINERSHIP Mar"i*ner*ship, n.
Defn: Seamanship. [Obs.] Udalt.
MARINISM Ma*ri"nism, n.
Defn: A bombastic literary style marked by the use of metaphors and antitheses characteristic of the Italian poet Giambattista Marini (1569-1625). -- Ma*ri"nist (#), n.
MARINORAMA Mar`i*no*ra"ma, n. Etym: [NL., from L. marinus marine + Gr.
Defn: A representation of a sea view.
MARIOLATER Ma`ri*ol"a*ter, n. Etym: [See Mariolatry.]
Defn: One who worships the Virgin Mary.
MARIOLATRY Ma`ri*ol"a*try, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The worship of the Virgin Mary.
MARIONETTE Mar`i*o*nette", n. Etym: [F. marionette, prop. a dim. of Marie Mary.]
1. A puppet moved by strings, as in a puppet show.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The buffel duck.
MARIOTTE'S LAW Ma`ri*otte's law`. (Physics.)
Defn: See Boyle's law, under Law.
MARIPOSA LILY Ma`ri*po"sa lil`y. Etym: [Sp. mariposa a butterfly + E. lily. So called from the gay apperance of the blossoms.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of a genus (Calochortus) of tuliplike bulbous herbs with large, and often gaycolored, blossoms. Called also butterfly lily. Most of them are natives of California.
MARIPUT Mar"i*put, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of civet; the zoril.
MARISH Mar"ish, n. Etym: [Cf. F. marais, LL. marascus. See Marsh.]
Defn: Low, wet ground; a marsh; a fen; a bog; a moor. [Archaic] Milton. Tennyson.
MARISH Mar"ish, a.
1. Moory; fenny; boggy. [Archaic]
2. Growing in marshes. "Marish flowers." Tennyson.
MARITAL Mar"i*tal, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. maritalis, fr. maritus belonging to marriage, n., a husband. See Marry, v.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a husband; as, marital rights, duties, authority. "Marital affection." Ayliffe.
MARITATED Mar"i*ta`ted, a. Etym: [L. maritatus married.]
Defn: Having a husband; married. [Obs.]
MARITIMAL; MARITIMALE Ma*rit"i*mal, Ma*rit"i*male, a.
Defn: See Maritime. [Obs.]
MARITIME Mar"i*time, a. Etym: [L. maritimus, fr. mare the sea: cf. F. maritime. See Mere a pool.]
1. Bordering on, or situated near, the ocean; connected with the sea by site, interest, or power; having shipping and commerce or a navy; as, maritime states. "A maritime town." Addison.
2. Of or pertaining to the ocean; marine; pertaining to navigation and naval affairs, or to shipping and commerce by sea. "Maritime service." Sir H. Wotton. Maritime law. See Law. -- Maritime loan, a loan secured by bottomry or respodentia bonds. -- Martime nations, nations having seaports, and using the sea more or less for war or commerce.
MARJORAM Mar"jo*ram, n. Etym: [OE. majoran, F. marjolaine, LL. marjoraca, fr. L. amaracus, amaracum, Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of mintlike plants (Origanum) comprising about twenty- five species. The sweet marjoram (O. Majorana) is pecularly aromatic and fragrant, and much used in cookery. The wild marjoram of Europe and America is O. vulgare, far less fragrant than the other.
MARK Mark, n.
Defn: A license of reprisals. See Marque.
MARK Mark, n. Etym: [See 2d Marc.]
1. An old weight and coin. See Marc. "Lend me a mark." Chaucer.
2. The unit of monetary account of the German Empire, equal to 23.8 cents of United States money; the equivalent of one hundred pfennigs. Also, a silver coin of this value.
MARK Mark, n. Etym: [OE. marke, merke, AS. mearc; akin to D. merk, MHG. marc, G. marke, Icel. mark, Dan. mærke; cf. Lith. margas party- colored. sq. root106, 273. Cf. Remark.]
1. A visible sign or impression made or left upon anything; esp., a line, point, stamp, figure, or the like, drawn or impressed, so as to attract the attention and convey some information or intimation; a token; a trace. The Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Gen. iv. 15.
2. Specifically: (a) A character or device put on an article of merchandise by the maker to show by whom it was made; a trade-mark. (b) A character (usually a cross) made as a substitute for a signature by one who can not write. The mark of the artisan is found upon the most ancient fabrics that have come to light. Knight.
3. A fixed object serving for guidance, as of a ship, a traveler, a surveyor, etc.; as, a seamark, a landmark.
4. A trace, dot, line, imprint, or discoloration, although not regarded as a token or sign; a scratch, scar, stain, etc.; as, this pencil makes a fine mark. I have some marks of yours upon my pate. Shak.
5. An evidence of presence, agency, or influence; a significative token; a symptom; a trace; specifically, a permanent impression of one's activity or character. The confusion of tongues was a mark of separation. Bacon.
6. That toward which a missile is directed; a thing aimed at; what one seeks to hit or reach. France was a fairer mark to shoot at than Ireland. Davies. Whate'er the motive, pleasure is the mark. Young.
7. Attention, regard, or respect. As much in mock as mark. Shak.
8. Limit or standard of action or fact; as, to be within the mark; to come up to the mark.
9. Badge or sign of honor, rank, or official station. In the official marks invested, you Anon do meet the Senate. Shak.
10. Preëminence; high position; as, particians of mark; a fellow of no mark.
11. (Logic)
Defn: A characteristic or essential attribute; a differential.
12. A number or other character used in registring; as, examination marks; a mark for tardiness.
13. Image; likeness; hence, those formed in one's image; children; descendants. [Obs.] "All the mark of Adam." Chaucer.
14. (Naut.)
Defn: One of the bits of leather or colored bunting which are placed upon a sounding line at intervals of from two to five fathoms. The unmarked fathoms are called "deeps." A man of mark, a conspicuous or eminent man. -- To make one's mark. (a) To sign, as a letter or other writing, by making a cross or other mark. (b) To make a distinct or lasting impression on the public mind, or on affairs; to gain distinction.
Syn. -- Impress; impression; stamp; print; trace; vestige; track; characteristic; evidence; proof; token; badge; indication; symptom.
MARK Mark, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marked; p. pr. & vb. n. Marking.] Etym: [OE. marken, merken, AS. mearcian, from mearc. See Mark the sign.]
1. To put a mark upon; to affix a significant mark to; to make recognizable by a mark; as, to mark a box or bale of merchandise; to mark clothing.
2. To be a mark upon; to designate; to indicate; -- used literally and figuratively; as, this monument marks the spot where Wolfe died; his courage and energy marked him for a leader.
3. To leave a trace, scratch, scar, or other mark, upon, or any evidence of action; as, a pencil marks paper; his hobnails marked the floor.
4. To keep account of; to enumerate and register; as, to mark the points in a game of billiards or cards.
5. To notice or observe; to give attention to; to take note of; to remark; to heed; to regard. "Mark the perfect man." Ps. xxxvii. 37. To mark out. (a) To designate, as by a mark; to select; as, the ringleaders were marked out for punishment. (b) To obliterate or cancel with a mark; as, to mark out an item in an account. -- To mark time (Mil.), to keep the time of a marching step by moving the legs alternately without advancing.
Syn. -- To note; remark; notice; observe; regard; heed; show; evince; indicate; point out; betoken; denote; characterize; stamp; imprint; impress; brand.
MARK Mark, v. i.
Defn: To take particular notice; to observe critically; to note; to remark. Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh maschief. 1 Kings xx. 7.
MARKABLE Mark"a*ble, a.
Defn: Remarkable. [Obs.] Sandys.
MARKED Marked, a.
Defn: Designated or distinguished by, or as by, a mark; hence; noticeable; conspicuous; as, a marked card; a marked coin; a marked instance. -- Mark"ed*ly, adv. J. S. Mill. A marked man, a man who is noted by a community, or by a part of it, as, for excellence or depravity; -- usually with an unfavorable suggestion.
MARKEE Mar*kee", n.
Defn: See Marquee.
MARKER Mark"er, n.
Defn: One who or that which marks. Specifically: (a) One who keeps account of a game played, as of billiards. (b) A counter used in card playing and other games. (c) (Mil.) The soldier who forms the pilot of a wheeling column, or marks the direction of an alignment. (d) An attachment to a sewing machine for marking a line on the fabric by creasing it.
MARKET Mar"ket, n. Etym: [Akin to D. markt, OHG. markat, merkat, G. markt; all fr.L. mercatus trade, market place, fr. mercari, p. p. mercatus, to trade, traffic, merx, mercis, ware, merchandise, prob. akin to merere to deserve, gain, acquire: cf. F. marché. See Merit, and cf. Merchant, Mart.]
1. A meeting together of people, at a stated time and place, for the purpose of traffic (as in cattle, provisions, wares, etc.) by private purchase and sale, and not by auction; as, a market is held in the town every week. He is wit's peddler; and retails his wares At wakes, and wassails, meetings, markets, fairs. Shak. Three women and a goose make a market. Old Saying.
2. A public place (as an open space in a town) or a large building, where a market is held; a market place or market house; esp., a place where provisions are sold. There is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool. John v. 2.
3. An opportunity for selling anything; demand, as shown by price offered or obtainable; a town, region, or country, where the demand exists; as, to find a market for one's wares; there is no market for woolen cloths in that region; India is a market for English goods. There is a third thing to be considered: how a market can be created for produce, or how production can be limited to the capacities of the market. J. S. Mill.
4. Exchange, or purchase and sale; traffic; as, a dull market; a slow market.
5. The price for which a thing is sold in a market; market price. Hence: Value; worth. What is a man If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed Shak.
6. (Eng. Law)
Defn: The privelege granted to a town of having a public market.
Note: Market is often used adjectively, or in forming compounds of obvious meaning; as, market basket, market day, market folk, market house, marketman, market place, market price, market rate, market wagon, market woman, and the like. Market beater, a swaggering bully; a noisy braggart. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Market bell, a bell rung to give notice that buying and selling in a market may begin. [Eng.] Shak. -- Market cross, a cross set up where a market is held. Shak. -- Market garden, a garden in which vegetables are raised for market. -- Market gardening, the raising of vegetables for market. -- Market place, an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held. -- Market town, a town that has the privilege of a stated public market.
MARKET Mar"ket, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Marketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Marketing.]
Defn: To deal in a market; to buy or sell; to make bargains for provisions or goods.
MARKET Mar"ket, v. t.
Defn: To expose for sale in a market; to traffic in; to sell in a market, and in an extended sense, to sell in any manner; as, most of the farmes have marketed their crops. Industrious merchants meet, and market there The world's collected wealth. Southey.
MARKETABLE Mar"ket*a*ble, a.
1. Fit to be offered for sale in a market; such as may be justly and lawfully sold; as, dacayemarketable.
2. Current in market; as, marketable value.
3. Wanted by purchasers; salable; as, furs are not marketable in that country.
MARKETABLENESS Mar"ket*a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being marketable.
MARKETER Mar"ket*er, n.
Defn: One who attends a market to buy or sell; one who carries goods to market.
MARKETING Mar"ket*ing, n.
1. The act of selling or of purchasing in, or as in, a market.
2. Articles in, or from, a market; supplies.
MARKETSTEAD Mar"ket*stead, n. Etym: [Market + stead a place.]
Defn: A market place. [Obs.] Drayton.
MARKHOOR Mark"hoor`, n. Etym: [Per. mar-kh snake eater.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large wild goat (Capra megaceros), having huge flattened spiral horns. It inhabits the mountains of Northern India and Cashmere.
MARKING Mark"ing, n.
Defn: The act of one who, or that which, marks; the mark or marks made; arrangement or disposition of marks or coloring; as, the marking of a bird's plumage. Marking ink, indelible ink, because used in marking linen. -- Marking nut (Bot.), the nut of the Semecarpus Anacardium, an East Indian tree. The shell of the nut yields a blackish resinous juice used for marking cotton cloth, and an oil prepared from it is used for rheumatism.
MARKIS Mar"kis, n.
Defn: A marquis. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARKISESSE Mar"kis*esse, n.
Defn: A marchioness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARKMAN Mark"man, n.
Defn: A marksman. [Obs.] Shak.
MARKSMAN Marks"man, n.; pl. Marksmen. Etym: [Earlier markman; mark + man.]
1. One skillful to hit a mark with a missile; one who shoots well.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who makes his mark, instead of writing his name, in signing documents. Burrill.
MARKSMANSHIP Marks"man*ship, n.
Defn: Skill of a marksman.
MARL Marl, v. t. Etym: [See Marline.] (Naut.)
Defn: To cover, as part of a rope, with marline, marking a pecular hitch at each turn to prevent unwinding. Marling spike. (Naut.) See under Marline.
MARL Marl, n. Etym: [OF. marle, F. marne, LL. margila, dim. of L. marga marl. Originally a Celtic word, according to Pliny, xvii. 7: "Quod genus terræ Galli et Britanni margam vocant." sq. root274.]
Defn: A mixed earthy substance, consisting of carbonate of lime, clay, and sand, in very varivble proportions, and accordingly designated as calcareous, clayey, or sandy. See Greensand.
MARL Marl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marled; p. pr. & vb. n. Marling.] Etym: [Cf. F. marner. See Marl, n.]
Defn: To overspread or manure with marl; as, to marl a field.
MARLACEOUS Mar*la"ceous, a.
Defn: Resembling marl; partaking of the qualities of marl.
MARLIN Mar"lin, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American great marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa). Applied also to the red-breasted godwit (Limosa hæmatica). Hook-billed marlin, a curlew.
MARLINE Mar"line, n. Etym: [LG. marlien, marling, or D. marling, marlijn, fr. D. marren to tie, prob. akin to E. moor, v., and lijn line: cf.F. merlin. See Moor, v., Line.] (Naut.)
Defn: A small line composed of two strands a little twisted, used for winding around ropes and cables, to prevent their being weakened by fretting. Marline spike, Marling spike (Naut.), an iron tool tapering to a point, used to separate the strands of a rope in splicing and in marling. It has an eye in the thick end to which a lanyard is attached. See Fid. [Written also marlin spike] -- Marline-spike bird. Etym: [The name alludes to the long middle tail feathers.] (Zoöl.) (a) A tropic bird. (b) A jager, or skua gull.
MARLINE Mar"line, v. t. Etym: [F. merliner.] (Naut.)
Defn: To wind marline around; as, to marline a rope.
MARLITE Marl"ite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. marlite. See Marl, n.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of marl.
MARLITIC Mar*lit"ic, a.
Defn: Partaking of the qualites of marlite.
MARLPIT Marl"pit`, n.
Defn: Apit where marl is dug.
MARLSTONE Marl"stone`, n. (Geol.)
Defn: A sandy calcareous straum, containing, or impregnated with, iron, and lying between the upper and lower Lias of England.
MARLY Marl"y, a. [Compar. Marlier; superl. Marliest.]
Defn: Consisting or partaking of marl; resembling marl; abounding with marl.
MARMALADE Mar"ma*lade, n. Etym: [F. marmelade, Pg. marmelada, fr. marmélo a quince, fr. L. melimelum honey apple, Gr. Mellifluous, Melon.]
Defn: A preserve or confection made of the pulp of fruit, as the quince, pear, apple, orange, etc., boiled with sugar, and brought to a jamlike consistence. Marmalade tree (Bot.), a sapotaceous tree (Lucuma mammosa) of the West Indies and Tropical America. It has large obovate leaves and an egg-shaped fruit from three to five inches long, containing a pleasant-flavored pulp and a single large seed. The fruit is called marmalade, or natural marmalade, from its consistency and flavor.
MARMALET Mar"ma*let`, n.
Defn: See Marmalade. [Obs.]
MARMATITE Mar"ma*tite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. marmatite.] (Min.)
Defn: A ferruginous variety of shalerite or zinc blende, nearly black in color.
MARMOLITE Mar"mo*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite.] (Min.)
Defn: A thin, laminated variety of serpentine, usually of a pale green color.
MARMORACEOUS Mar`mo*ra"ceous, a. Etym: [L. marmor marble. See Marble.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or like, marble.
MARMORATE; MARMORATED Mar"mo*rate, Mar"mo*ra`ted, a. Etym: [L. marmoratus, p. p. of marmorate to overlay with marble, fr. marmor marble.]
Defn: Variegated like marble; covered or overlaid with marble. [R.]
MARMORATION Mar`mo*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. marmoratio.]
Defn: A covering or incrusting with marble; a casing of marble; a variegating so as to resemble marble. [R.]
MARMORATUM OPUS Mar`mo*ra`tum o"pus. Etym: [L. See Marmorate, and Opus.] (Arch.)
Defn: A kind of hard finish for plasterwork, made of plaster of Paris and marble dust, and capable of taking a high polish.
MARMOREAL; MARMOREAN Mar*mo"re*al, Mar*mo"re*an, a. Etym: [L. marmoreus, fr. marmor marble: cf. F. marmoréen. See Marble.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, marble; made of marble.
MARMOROSIS Mar`mo*ro"sis, n. Etym: [NL.] (Geol.)
Defn: The metamorphism of limestone, that is, its conversion into marble. Geikie.
MARMOSE Mar"mose`, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of small opossum (Didelphus murina) ranging from Mexico to Brazil.
MARMOSET Mar"mo*set`, n. Etym: [F. marmouset a grotesque figure, an ugly little boy, prob. fr. LL. marmoretum, fr. L. marmor marble. Perhaps confused with marmot. See Marble.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of small South American monkeys of the genera Hapale and Midas, family Hapalidæ. They have long soft fur, and a hairy, nonprehensile tail. They are often kept as pets. Called also squirrel monkey.
MARMOT Mar"mot, n. Etym: [It. marmotta, marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or mus montis, lit., mountain mouse or rat. See Mountain, and Mouse.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any rodent of the genus Arctomys. The common European marmot (A. marmotta) is about the size of a rabbit, and inhabits the higher regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. The bobac is another European species. The common American species (A. monax) is the woodchuck.
2. Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog. Marmot squirrel (Zoöl.), a ground squirrel or spermophile. -- Prairie marmot. See Prairie dog.
MARMOTTES OIL Mar"mottes oil`
Defn: . A fine oil obtained from the kernel of Prunus brigantiaca. It is used instead of olive or almond oil. De Colange.
MARMOZET Mar"mo*zet`, n.
Defn: See Marmoset.
MARONE Ma*rone", n.
Defn: See Maroon, the color.
MARONITE Mar"o*nite, n.; pl. Maronites (. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a body of nominal Christians, who speak the Arabic language, and reside on Mount Lebanon and in different parts of Syria. They take their name from one Maron of the 6th century.
MAROON Ma*roon", n. [Written also marroon.] Etym: [F. marron, abbrev. fr. Sp. cimarron wild, unruly, from cima the summit of a mountain; hence, negro cimarron a runaway negro that lives in the mountains.]
Defn: In the West Indies and Guiana, a fugitive slave, or a free negro, living in the mountains.
MAROON Ma*roon", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marooned; p. pr. & vb. n. Marooning.] Etym: [See Maroon a fugitive slave.]
Defn: To put (a person) ashore on a desolate island or coast and leave him to his fate. Marooning party, a social excursion party that sojourns several days on the shore or in some retired place; a prolonged picnic. [Southern U. S.] Bartlett.
MAROON Ma*roon", a. Etym: [F. marron chestnut-colored, fr. marron a large French chestnut, It. marrone; cf. LGr. Marron.]
Defn: Having the color called maroon. See 4th Maroon. Maroon lake, lake prepared from madder, and distinguished for its transparency and the depth and durability of its color.
MAROON Ma*roon", n.
1. A brownish or dull red of any description, esp. of a scarlet cast rather than approaching crimson or purple.
2. An explosive shell. See Marron, 3.
MARPLOT Mar"plot`, n.
Defn: One who, by his officious
MARQUE Marque, n. Etym: [F. marque, in lettre de marque letter of marque, a commission with which the commandant of every armed vessel was obliged to be provided, under penalty of being considered a pirate or corsair; marque here prob. meaning, border, boundary (the letter of marque being a permission to go beyond the border), and of German origin. See March border.] (Law)
Defn: A license to pass the limits of a jurisdiction, or boundary of a country, for the purpose of making reprisals. Letters of marque, Letters of marque and reprisal, a license or extraordinary commission granted by a government to a private person to fit out a privateer or armed ship to cruise at sea and make prize of the enemy's ships and merchandise. The ship so commissioned is sometimes called a letter of marque.
MARQUEE Mar*quee", n. Etym: [F. marquise, misunderstood as a plural; prob. orig., tent of the marchioness. See Marquis.]
Defn: A large field tent; esp., one adapted to the use of an officer of high rank. [Written also markee.]
MARQUESS Mar"quess, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. marques. See Marquis.]
Defn: A marquis. Lady marquess, a marchioness. [Obs.] Shak.
MARQUETRY Mar"quet*ry, n. Etym: [F. marqueterie, from marqueter to checker, inlay, fr. marque mark, sign; of German origin. See Mark a sign.]
Defn: Inlaid work; work inlaid with pieces of wood, shells, ivory, and the like, of several colors.
MARQUIS Mar"quis, n. Etym: [F. marquis, OF. markis, marchis, LL. marchensis; of German origin; cf. G. mark bound, border, march, OHG. marcha. See March border, and cf. Marchioness, Marquee, Marquess.]
Defn: A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the kingdom. The office has ceased, and the name is now a mere title conferred by patent.
MARQUISATE Mar"quis*ate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. marquisat.]
Defn: The seigniory, dignity, or lordship of a marquis; the territory governed by a marquis.
MARQUISDOM Mar"quis*dom, n.
Defn: A marquisate. [Obs.] "Nobles of the marquisdom of Saluce." Holinshed.
MARQUISE Mar`quise", n. Etym: [F. See Marquis, and cf. Marquee.]
Defn: The wife of a marquis; a marchioness.
MARQUISSHIP Mar"quis*ship, n.
Defn: A marquisate.
MARRAM Mar"ram, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A coarse grass found on sandy beaches (Ammophila arundinacea). See Beach grass, under Beach.
MARRER Mar"rer, n.
Defn: One who mars or injures.
MARRIABLE Mar"ri*a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mariable.]
Defn: Marriageable. [R.] Coleridge.
MARRIAGE Mar"riage, n. Etym: [OE. mariage, F. mariage. See Marry, v. t.]
1. The act of marrying, or the state of being married; legal union of a man and a woman for life, as husband and wife; wedlock; matrimony. Marriage is honorable in all. Heb. xiii. 4.
2. The marriage vow or contract. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. A feast made on the occasion of a marriage. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son. Matt. xxii. 2.
4. Any intimate or close union. Marriage brokage. (a) The business of bringing about marriages. (b) The payment made or demanded for the procurement of a marriage. -- Marriage favors, knots of white ribbons, or bunches of white flowers, worn at weddings. -- Marriage settlement (Law), a settlement of property in view, and in consideration, of marriage.
Syn. -- Matrimony; wedlock; wedding; nuptials. -- Marriage, Matrimony, Wedlock. Marriage is properly the act which unites the two parties, and matrimony the state into which they enter. Marriage is, however, often used for the state as well as the act. Wedlock is the old Anglo-Saxon term for matrimony.
MARRIAGEABILITY Mar`riage*a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being marriageable.
MARRIAGEABLE Mar"riage*a*ble, a.
Defn: Fit for, or capable of, marriage; of an age at which marriage is allowable. -- Mar"riage*a*ble*ness, n.
MARRIED Mar"ried, a.
1. Being in the state of matrimony; wedded; as, a married man or woman.
2. Of or pertaining to marriage; connubial; as, the married state.
MARRIER Mar"ri*er, n.
Defn: One who marries.
MARRON Mar*ron", n. Etym: [See Maroon, a.]
1. A large chestnut. [Obs.] Holland.
2. A chestnut color; maroon.
3. (Pyrotechny & Mil.)
Defn: A paper or pasteboard box or shell, wound about with strong twine, filled with an explosive, and ignited with a fuse, -- used to make a noise like a cannon. [Written also maroon.]
MARROON Mar*roon", n. & a.
Defn: Same as 1st Maroon.
MARROT Mar"rot, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The razor-billed auk. See Auk. (b) The common guillemot. (c) The puffin. [Prov. Eng.] [Written also marrott, and morrot.]
MARROW Mar"row, n. Etym: [OE. marou, mary, maruh, AS. mearg, mearh; akin to OS. marg, D. merg, G. Mark, OHG. marg, marag, Icel. mergr, Sw. merg, Dan. marv, Skr. majjan; cf. Skr. majj to sink, L. mergere. sq. root274 Cf. Merge.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The tissue which fills the cavities of most bones; the medulla. In the larger cavities it is commonly very fatty, but in the smaller cavities it is much less fatty, and red or reddish in color.
2. The essence; the best part. It takes from our achievements . . . The pith and marrow of our attribute. Shak.
3. Etym: [OE. maru, maro; -- perh. a different word; cf. Gael. maraon together.]
Defn: One of a pair; a match; a companion; an intimate associate. [Scot.] Chopping and changing I can not commend, With thief or his marrow, for fear of ill end. Tusser. Marrow squash (Bot.), a name given to several varieties of squash, esp. to the Boston marrow, an ovoid fruit, pointed at both ends, and with reddish yellow flesh, and to the vegetable marrow, a variety of an ovoid form, and having a soft texture and fine grain resembling marrow. -- Spinal marrow. (Anat.) See Spinal cord, under Spinal.
MARROW Mar"row, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marrowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Marrowing.]
Defn: To fill with, or as with, marrow of fat; to glut.
MARROWBONE Mar"row*bone`, n.
Defn: A bone containing marrow; pl. ludicrously, knee bones or knees; as, to get down on one's marrowbones, i. e., to kneel.
MARROWFAT Mar"row*fat, n.
Defn: A rich but late variety of pea.
MARROWISH Mar"row*ish, a.
Defn: Of the nature of, or like, marrow.
MARROWLESS Mar"row*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of marrow.
MARROWY Mar"row*y, a.
Defn: Full of marrow; pithy.
MARRUBIUM Mar*ru"bi*um, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of bitter aromatic plants, sometimes used in medicine; hoarhound.
MARRY Mar"ry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Married; p. pr. & vb. n. Marrying.] Etym: [OE. marien, F. marier, L. maritare, fr. maritus husband, fr. mas, maris, a male. See Male, and cf. Maritral.]
1. To unite in wedlock or matrimony; to perform the ceremony of joining, as a man and a woman, for life; to constitute (a man and a woman) husband and wife according to the laws or customs of the place. Tell him that he shall marry the couple himself. Gay.
2. To join according to law, (a man) to a woman as his wife, or (a woman) to a man as her husband. See the Note to def. 4. A woman who had been married to her twenty-fifth husband, and being now a widow, was prohibited to marry. Evelyn.
3. To dispose of in wedlock; to give away as wife. Mæcenas took the liberty to tell him [Augustus] that he must either marry his daughter [Julia] to Agrippa, or take away his life. Bacon.
4. To take for husband or wife. See the Note below.
Note: We say, a man is married to or marries a woman; or, a woman is married to or marries a man. Both of these uses are equally well authorized; but given in marriage is said only of the woman. They got him [the Duke of Monmouth] . . . to declare in writing, that the last king [Charles II.] told him he was never married to his mother. Bp. Lloyd.
5. Figuratively, to unite in the closest and most endearing relation. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you. Jer. iii. 14. To marry ropes. (Naut.) (a) To place two ropes along side of each other so that they may be grasped and hauled on at the same time. (b) To join two ropes end to end so that both will pass through a block. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
MARRY Mar"ry, v. i.
Defn: To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife. I will, therefore, that the younger women marry. 1 Tim. v. 14. Marrrying man, a man disposed to marry. [Colloq.]
MARRY Mar"ry, interj.
Defn: Indeed ! in truth ! -- a term of asseveration said to have been derived from the practice of swearing by the Virgin Mary. [Obs.] Shak.
MARS Mars, n. Etym: [L. Mars, gen. Martis, archaic Mavors, gen. Mavortis.]
1. (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: The god of war and husbandry.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: One of the planets of the solar system, the fourth in order from the sun, or the next beyond the earth, having a diameter of about 4,200 miles, a period of 687 days, and a mean distance of 141,000,000 miles. It is conspicuous for the redness of its light.
3. (Alchemy)
Defn: The metallic element iron, the symbol of which was the same as that of the planet Mars. [Archaic] Chaucer. Mars brown, a bright, somewhat yellowish, brown.
MARSALA Mar*sa"la, n. Etym: [It., fr. Marsala, in Sicyly.]
Defn: A kind of wine exported from Marsala in Sicily.
MARSDENIA Mars*de"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL. From W. Marsden, an English author.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants of the Milkweed family, mostly woody climbers with fragrant flowers, several species of which furnish valuable fiber, and one species (Marsdenia tinctoria) affords indigo.
MARSEILLAIS; MARSEILLAISE Mar`sei`llais", a. m. Mar`sei`llaise", a. f.Etym: [F.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Marseilles, in France, or to its inhabitants. Marseillaise hymn, or The Marseillaise, the national anthem of France, popularly so called. It was composed in 1792, by Rouget de l'Isle, an officer then stationed at Strasburg. In Paris it was sung for the first time by the band of men who came from Marseilles to aid in the revolution of August 10, 1792; whence the name.
MARSEILLAIS; MARSEILLAISE Mar`sei`llais", n. m. Mar`sei`llaise", n. f.Etym: [F.]
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Marseilles.
MARSEILLES Mar*seilles", n.
Defn: A general term for certain kinds of fabrics, which are formed of two series of threads interlacing each other, thus forming double cloth, quilted in the loom; -- so named because first made in Marseilles, France.
MARSH Marsh, n. Etym: [OE. mersch, AS. mersc, fr. mere lake. See Mere pool, and cf. Marish, Morass.]
Defn: A tract of soft wet land, commonly covered partially or wholly with water; a fen; a swamp; a morass. [Written also marish.] Marsh asphodel (Bot.), a plant (Nartheeium ossifragum) with linear equitant leaves, and a raceme of small white flowers; -- called also bog asphodel. -- Marsh cinquefoil (Bot.), a plant (Potentilla palustris) having purple flowers, and found growing in marshy places; marsh five- finger. -- Marsh elder. (Bot.) (a) The guelder-rose or cranberry tree (Viburnum Opulus). (b) In the United States, a composite shrub growing in salt marshes (Iva frutescens). -- Marsh five-finger. (Bot.) See Marsh cinquefoil (above). -- Marsh gas. (Chem.) See under Gas. -- Marsh grass (Bot.), a genus (Spartina) of coarse grasses growing in marshes; -- called also cord grass. The tall S. cynosuroides is not good for hay unless cut very young. The low S. juncea is a common component of salt hay. -- Marsh harrier (Zoöl.), a European hawk or harrier (Circus æruginosus); -- called also marsh hawk, moor hawk, moor buzzard, puttock. -- Marsh hawk. (Zoöl.) (a) A hawk or harrier (Circus cyaneus), native of both America and Europe. The adults are bluish slate above, with a white rump. Called also hen harrier, and mouse hawk. (b) The marsh harrier. -- Marsh hen (Zoöl.), a rail; esp., Rallus elegans of fresh-water marshes, and R. longirostris of salt-water marshes. -- Marsh mallow (Bot.), a plant of the genus Althæa ( A. officinalis) common in marshes near the seashore, and whose root is much used in medicine as a demulcent. -- Marsh marigold. (Bot.) See in the Vocabulary. -- Marsh pennywort (Bot.), any plant of the umbelliferous genus Hydrocotyle; low herbs with roundish leaves, growing in wet places; - - called also water pennywort. -- Marsh quail (Zoöl.), the meadow lark. -- Marsh rosemary (Bot.), a plant of the genus Statice (S. Limonium), common in salt marshes. Its root is powerfully astringent, and is sometimes used in medicine. Called also sea lavender. -- Marsh samphire (Bot.), a plant (Salicornia herbacea) found along seacoasts. See Glasswort. -- Marsh St. John's-wort (Bot.), an American herb (Elodes Virginica) with small opposite leaves and flesh-colored flowers. -- Marsh tea. (Bot.). Same as Labrador tea. -- Marsh trefoil. (Bot.) Same as Buckbean. -- Marsh wren (Zoöl.), any species of small American wrens of the genus Cistothorus, and allied genera. They chiefly inhabit salt marshes.
MARSHAL Mar"shal, n. Etym: [OE. mareschal, OF. mareschal, F. maréchal, LL. mariscalcus, from OHG. marah-scalc (G. marschall); marah horse + scalc servant (akin to AS. scealc, Goth. skalks). F. maréchal signifies, a marshal, and a farrier. See Mare horse, and cf. Seneschal.]
1. Originally, an officer who had the care of horses; a groom. [Obs.]
2. An officer of high rank, charged with the arrangement of ceremonies, the conduct of operations, or the like; as, specifically: (a) One who goes before a prince to declare his coming and provide entertainment; a harbinger; a pursuivant. (b) One who regulates rank and order at a feast or any other assembly, directs the order of procession, and the like. (c) The chief officer of arms, whose duty it was, in ancient times, to regulate combats in the lists. Johnson. (d) (France) The highest military officer. In other countries of Europe a marshal is a military officer of high rank, and called field marshal. (e) (Am. Law) A ministerial officer, appointed for each judicial district of the United States, to execute the process of the courts of the United States, and perform various duties, similar to those of a sheriff. The name is also sometimes applied to certain police officers of a city. Earl marshal of England, the eighth officer of state; an honorary title, and personal, until made hereditary in the family of the Duke of Norfolk. During a vacancy in the office of high constable, the earl marshal has jurisdiction in the court of chivalry. Brande & C. -- Earl marshal of Scotland, an officer who had command of the cavalry under the constable. This office was held by the family of Keith, but forfeited by rebellion in 1715. -- Knight marshal, or Marshal of the King's house, formerly, in England, the marshal of the king's house, who was authorized to hear and determine all pleas of the Crown, to punish faults committed within the verge, etc. His court was called the Court of Marshalsea. -- Marshal of the Queen's Bench, formerly the title of the officer who had the custody of the Queen's bench prison in Southwark. Mozley & W.
MARSHAL Mar"shal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marshaled or Marshalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Marshaling or Marshalling.]
1. To dispose in order; to arrange in a suitable manner; as, to marshal troops or an army. And marshaling the heroes of his name As, in their order, next to light they came. Dryden.
2. To direct, guide, or lead. Thou marshalest me the way that I was going. Shak.
3. (Her.)
Defn: To dispose in due order, as the different quarterings on an escutcheon, or the different crests when several belong to an achievement.
MARSHALER Mar"shal*er, n. Etym: [Written also marshaller.]
Defn: One who marshals.
MARSHALING Mar"shal*ing, n. Etym: [Written also marshalling.]
1. The act of arranging in due order.
2. (Her.)
Defn: The arrangement of an escutcheon to exhibit the alliances of the owner. Marshaling of assets (Law), the arranging or ranking of assets in due order of administration.
MARSHALSEA Mar"shal*sea, n. Etym: [Marshal + OE. se a seat. See See a seat.]
Defn: The court or seat of a marshal; hence, the prison in Southwark, belonging to the marshal of the king's household. [Eng.] Court of Marshalsea, a court formerly held before the steward and marshal of the king's house to administer justice between the king's domestic servants. Blackstone.
MARSHALSHIP Mar"shal*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a marshal.
MARSHBANKER; MARSEBANKER Marsh"bank`er, Marse"bank`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The menhaden.
MARSHINESS Marsh"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state or condition of being marshy.
MARSH MARIGOLD Marsh mar"i*gold
Defn: . (Bot.) A perennial plant of the genus Caltha (C. palustris), growing in wet places and bearing bright yellow flowers. In the United States it is used as a pot herb under the name of cowslip. See Cowslip.
MARSHY Marsh"y, a. Etym: [E. Marsh.]
1. Resembling a marsh; wet; boggy; fenny.
2. Pertaining to, or produced in, marshes; as, a marshy weed. Dryden.
MARSIPOBRANCH Mar"si*po*branch`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Marsipobranchia.
MARSIPOBRANCHIA Mar"si*po*bran"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of Vertebrata, lower than fishes, characterized by their purselike gill cavities, cartilaginous skeletons, absence of limbs, and a suckerlike mouth destitute of jaws. It includes the lampreys and hagfishes. See Cyclostoma, and Lamprey. Called also Marsipobranchiata, and Marsipobranchii.
MARSUPIAL Mar*su"pi*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. marsupial.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or pertaining to the Marsupialia.
2. (Anat. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a marsupium; as, the marsupial bones. Marsupial frog. (Zoöl.) See Nototrema.
MARSUPIAL Mar*su"pi*al, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Marsupialia.
MARSUPIALIA Mar*su`pi*a"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. marsupium a pouch, bag, purse, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A subclass of Mammalia, including nearly all the mammals of Australia and the adjacent islands, together with the opossums of America. They differ from ordinary mammals in having the corpus callosum very small, in being implacental, and in having their young born while very immature. The female generally carries the young for some time after birth in an external pouch, or marsupium. Called also Marsupiata.
MARSUPIALIAN; MARSUPIAN Mar*su`pi*a"li*an, Mar*su"pi*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Marsupialia.
MARSUPIATE Mar*su"pi*ate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Related to or resembling the marsupials; furnished with a pouch for the young, as the marsupials, and also some fishes and Crustacea.
MARSUPION Mar*su"pi*on, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Same as Marsupium.
MARSUPITE Mar"su*pite, n. Etym: [See Marsupial.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A fossil crinoid of the genus Marsupites, resembling a purse in form.
MARSUPIUM Mar*su"pi*um, n.; pl. Marsupia. Etym: [L., a pouch], (Anat. & Zoöl.) (a) The pouch, formed by a fold of the skin of the abdomen, in which marsupials carry their young; also, a pouch for similar use in other animals, as certain Crustacea. (b) The pecten in the eye of birds and reptiles. See Pecten.
MART Mart, n. Etym: [Contr. fr. market.]
1. A market. Where has commerce such a mart . . . as London Cowper.
2. A bargain. [Obs.] Shak.
MART Mart, v. t.
Defn: To buy or sell in, or as in, a mart. [Obs.] To sell and mart your officer for gold To undeservers. Shak.
MART Mart, v. t.
Defn: To traffic. [Obs.] Shak.
MART Mart, n. Etym: [See Mars.]
1. The god Mars. [Obs.]
2. Battle; contest. [Obs.] Fairfax.
MARTAGON Mar"ta*gon, n. Etym: [Cf. F. & Sp. martagon, It. martagone.] (Bot.)
Defn: A lily (Lilium Martagon) with purplish red flowers, found in Europe and Asia.
MARTEL Mar"tel, v. i. Etym: [F. marteler, fr. martel, marteau, hammer, a dim. fr. L. martulus, marculus, dim. of marcus hammer. Cf. March to step.]
Defn: To make a blow with, or as with, a hammer. [Obs.] Spenser.
MARTEL DE FER Mar`tel` de fer". Etym: [OF., hammer of iron.]
Defn: A weapon resembling a hammer, often having one side of the head pointed; -- used by horsemen in the Middle Ages to break armor. Fairholt.
MARTELINE Mar"te*line, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A small hammer used by marble workers and sculptors.
MARTELLO TOWER Mar*tel"lo tow`er. Etym: [It. martello hammer. The name was orig. given to towers erected on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia for protection against the pirates in the time of Charles the Fifth, which prob. orig. contained an alarm bell to be struck with a hammer. See Martel.] (Fort.)
Defn: A building of masonry, generally circular, usually erected on the seacoast, with a gun on the summit mounted on a traversing platform, so as to be fired in any direction.
Note: The English borrowed the name of the tower from Corsica in 1794.
MARTEN Mar"ten, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird. See Martin.
MARTEN Mar"ten, n. Etym: [From older martern, marter, martre, F. martre, marte, LL. martures (pl.), fr. L. martes; akin to AS. mear, meard, G. marder, OHG. mardar, Icel. mör. Cf. Foumart.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus Mustela, closely allied to the sable. Among the more important species are the European beech, or stone, marten (Mustela foina); the pine marten (M. martes); and the American marten, or sable (M. Americana), which some zoölogists consider only a variety of the Russian sable.
2. The fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc.
MARTERN Mar"tern, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Marten. [Obs.]
MAR-TEXT Mar"-text`, n.
Defn: A blundering preacher.
MARTIAL Mar"tial, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. martialis of or belonging to Mars, the god of war. Cf. March the month.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or suited for, war; military; as, martial music; a martial appearance. "Martial equipage." Milton.
2. Practiced in, or inclined to, war; warlike; brave. But peaceful kings, o'er martial people set, Each other's poise and counterbalance are. Dryden.
3. Belonging to war, or to an army and navy; -- opposed to civil; as, martial law; a court-martial.
4. Pertaining to, or resembling, the god, or the planet, Mars. Sir T. Browne.
5. (Old Chem. & Old Med.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, iron; chalybeate; as, martial preparations. [Archaic] Martial flowers (Med.), a reddish crystalline salt of iron; the ammonio-chloride of iron. [Obs.] -- Martial law, the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or when the civil authorities are unable to enforce the laws. It is distinguished from military law, the latter being the code of rules for the regulation of the army and navy alone, either in peace or in war.
Syn. -- Martial, Warlike. Martial refers more to war in action, its array, its attendants, etc.; as, martial music, a martial appearance, a martial array, courts-martial, etc. Warlike describes the feeling or temper which leads to war, and the adjuncts of war; as, a warlike nation, warlike indication, etc. The two words are often used without discrimination.
MARTIALISM Mar"tial*ism, n.
Defn: The quality of being warlike; exercises suitable for war. [Obs.]
MARTIALIST Mar"tial*ist, n.
Defn: A warrior. [Obs.] Fuller.
MARTIALIZE Mar"tial*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Martialized; p. pr. & vb. n. Martializing.]
Defn: To render warlike; as, to martialize a people.
MARTIALLY Mar"tial*ly, adv.
Defn: In a martial manner.
MARTIALNESS Mar"tial*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being martial.
MARTIAN Mar"tian, a. [L. Martius.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mars, the Roman god of war, or to the planet bearing his name; martial.
MARTIAN Mar"tian, n.
Defn: An inhabitant of the planet Mars. Du Maurier.
MARTIN Mar"tin, n. (Stone Working) Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A perforated stone-faced runner for grinding.
MARTIN Mar"tin, n. Etym: [F. martin, from the proper name Martin. Cf. Martlet.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. [Written also marten.]
Note: The American purple martin, or bee martin (Progne subis, or purpurea), and the European house, or window, martin (Hirundo, or Chelidon, urbica), are the best known species. Bank martin. (a) The bank swallow. See under Bank. (b) The fairy martin. See under Fairy. -- Bee martin. (a) The purple martin. (b) The kingbird. -- Sand martin, the bank swallow.
MARTINET Mar"ti*net`, n. Etym: [So called from an officer of that name in the French army under Louis XIV. Cf. Martin the bird, Martlet.]
Defn: In military language, a strict disciplinarian; in general, one who lays stress on a rigid adherence to the details of discipline, or to forms and fixed methods. [Hence, the word is commonly employed in a depreciatory sense.]
MARTINET Mar"ti*net`, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The martin.
MARTINETA Mar`ti*ne"ta, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. martinete.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of tinamou (Calopezus elegans), having a long slender crest.
MARTINETISM Mar"ti*net`ism, n.
Defn: The principles or practices of a martinet; rigid adherence to discipline, etc.
MARTINGALE; MARTINGAL Mar"tin*gale, Mar"tin*gal, n. Etym: [F. martingale; cf. It. martingala a sort of hose, martingale, Sp. martingala a greave, cuish, martingale, Sp. almártaga a kind of bridle.]
1. A strap fastened to a horse's girth, passing between his fore legs, and fastened to the bit, or now more commonly ending in two rings, through which the reins pass. It is intended to hold down the head of the horse, and prevent him from rearing.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A lower stay of rope or chain for the jib boom or flying jib boom, fastened to, or reeved through, the dolphin striker. Also, the dolphin striker itself.
3. (Gambling)
Defn: The act of doubling, at each stake, that which has been lost on the preceding stake; also, the sum so risked; -- metaphorically derived from the bifurcation of the martingale of a harness. [Cant] Thackeray.
MARTINMAS Mar"tin*mas, n. Etym: [St. Martin + mass religious service.] (Eccl.)
Defn: The feast of St. Martin, the eleventh of November; -- often called martlemans. Martinmas summer, a period of calm, warm weather often experienced about the time of Martinmas; Indian summer. Percy Smith.
MARTITE Mar"tite, n. Etym: [L. Mars, Martis, the god Mars, the alchemical name of iron.] (Min.)
Defn: Iron sesquioxide in isometric form, probably a pseudomorph after magnetite.
MARTLEMAS Mar"tle*mas, n.
Defn: See Martinmas. [Obs.]
MARTLET Mart"let, n. Etym: [F. martinet. See Martin the bird, and cf. Martinet a disciplinarian.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European house martin.
2. Etym: [Cf. F. merlette.] (Her.)
Defn: A bird without beak or feet; -- generally assumed to represent a martin. As a mark of cadency it denotes the fourth son.
MARTYR Mar"tyr, n. Etym: [AS., from L. martyr, Gr. ma`rtyr, ma`rtys, prop., a witness; cf. Skr. smrs to remember, E. memory.]
1. One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, Stephen was the first Christian martyr. Chaucer. To be a martyr, signifies only to witness the truth of Christ; but the witnessing of the truth was then so generally attended with persecution, that martyrdom now signifies not only to witness, but to witness by death South.
2. Hence, one who sacrifices his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause. Then if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, Thou fall'st a blessed martyr ! Shak.
MARTYR Mar"tyr, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Martyred; p. pr. & vb. n. Martyring.]
1. To put to death for adhering to some belief, esp. Christianity; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession. Bp. Pearson.
2. To persecute; to torment; to torture. Chaucer. The lovely Amoret, whose gentle heart Thou martyrest with sorrow and with smart. Spenser. Racked with sciatics, martyred with the stone. Pope.
MARTYRDOM Mar"tyr*dom, n. Etym: [Martyr + -dom.]
1. The condition of a martyr; the death of a martyr; the suffering of death on account of adherence to the Christian faith, or to any cause. Bacon. I came from martyrdom unto this peace. Longfellow.
2. Affliction; torment; torture. Chaucer.
MARTYRIZATION Mar`tyr*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: Act of martyrizing, or state of being martyrized; torture. B. Jonson.
MARTYRIZE Mar"tyr*ize, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. martyriser, LL. martyrizare.]
Defn: To make a martyr of. Spenser.
MARTYRLY Mar"tyr*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of a martyr.
MARTYROLOGE Mar"tyr*o*loge, n. Etym: [LL. martyrologium: cf. F. martyrologe.]
Defn: A martyrology. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MARTYROLOGIC; MARTYROLOGICAL Mar`tyr*o*log"ic, Mar`tyr*o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Pertaining to martyrology or martyrs; registering, or registered in, a catalogue of martyrs.
MARTYROLOGIST Mar`tyr*ol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. martyrologiste.]
Defn: A writer of martyrology; an historian of martyrs. T. Warton.
MARTYROLOGY Mar`tyr*ol"o*gy, n.; pl. -gies. Etym: [Martyr + -logy.]
Defn: A history or account of martyrs; a register of martyrs. Bp. Stillingfleet.
MARTYRSHIP Mar"tyr*ship, n.
Defn: Martyrdom. [R.] Fuller.
MARVEL Mar"vel, n. Etym: [OE. mervaile, F. merveille, fr. L. mirabilia wonderful things, pl., fr. mirabilis wonderful, fr. mirari to wonder or marvel at. See Admire, Smile, and cf. Miracle.]
1. That which causes wonder; a prodigy; a miracle. I will do marvels such as have not been done. Ex. xxxiv. 10. Nature's sweet marvel undefiled. Emerson.
2. Wonder. [R.] "Use lessens marvel." Sir W. Scott. Marvel of Peru. (Bot.) See Four-o'clock.
MARVEL Mar"vel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Marveled or Marvelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Marveling or Marvelling.] Etym: [OE. merveilen, OF. merveillier.]
Defn: To be struck with surprise, astonishment, or wonder; to wonder. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 1 john iii. 13.
MARVEL Mar"vel, v. t.
1. To marvel at. [Obs.] Wyclif.
2. To cause to marvel, or be surprised; -- used impersonally. [Obs.] But much now me marveleth. Rich. the Redeless.
MARVELOUS Mar"vel*ous, a. Etym: [OE. merveillous, OF. merveillos, F. Merveilleux. See Marvel, n.] [Written also marvellous.]
1. Exciting wonder or surprise; astonishing; wonderful. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Ps. cxiii. 23.
2. Partaking of the character of miracle, or superna The marvelous fable includes whatever is supernatural, and especially the machines of the gods. Pope. The marvelous, that which exceeds natural power, or is preternatural; that which is wonderful; -- opposed to the probable.
Syn. -- Wonderful; astonishing; surprising; strange; improbable; incredible. -- Marvelous, Wonderful. We speak of a thing as wonderful when it awakens our surprise and admiration; as marvelous when it is so much out of the ordinary course of things as to seem nearly or quite incredible.
MARVELOUSLY Mar"vel*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a marvelous manner; wonderfully; strangely.
MARVELOUSNESS Mar"vel*ous*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being marvelous; wonderfulness; strangeness.
MARVER Mar"ver, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupt. fr. OE. or F. marbre marble.] (Glass Marking)
Defn: A stone, or cast-iron plate, or former, on which hot glass is rolled to give it shape.
MARY Mar"y, n.
Defn: Marrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARY Ma"ry, interj.
Defn: See Marry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MARY-BUD Ma"ry-bud`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The marigold; a blossom of the marigold. Shak.
MARYOLATRY Ma`ry*ol"a*try, n.
Defn: Mariolatry.
MARYSOLE Ma"ry*sole, n. Etym: [Mary, the proper name + sole the fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large British fluke, or flounder (Rhombus megastoma); -- called also carter, and whiff. marchpane.
MASCAGNIN; MASCAGNITE Mas*ca"gnin, Mas*ca"gnite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mascagnin.] (Min.)
Defn: Native sulphate of ammonia, found in volcanic districts; -- so named from Mascagni, who discovered it.
MASCLE Mas"cle, n. Etym: [OF. mascle, F. macle, L. macula spot, mesh of a net, LL. macula, macla, mascla a scale of a coat of mail. See Mail armor.] (Her.)
Defn: A lozenge voided.
MASCLED Mas"cled, a.
Defn: Composed of, or covered with, lozenge-shaped scales; having lozenge-shaped divisions. Mascled armor, armor composed of small lozenge-shaped scales of metal fastened on a foundation of leather or quilted cloth.
MASCOT; MASCOTTE Mas"cot, Mas"cotte, n. Etym: [Through French fr. Pr. mascot a little sorcerer or magician, mascotto witchcraft, sorcery.]
Defn: A person who is supposed to bring good luck to the household to which he or she belongs; anything that brings good luck.
MASCULATE Mas"cu*late, v. t. Etym: [L. masculus male, masculine.]
Defn: To make strong. [Obs.] Cockeram.
MASCULINE Mas"cu*line, a. Etym: [L. masculinus, fr. masculus male, manly, dim. of mas a male: cf. F. masculin. See Male masculine.]
1. Of the male sex; not female. Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy sons. Chaucer.
2. Having the qualities of a man; suitable to, or characteristic of, a man; virile; not feminine or effeminate; strong; robust. That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins with a masculine energy. Hallam.
3. Belonging to males; appropriated to, or used by, males. [R.] "A masculine church." Fuller.
4. (Gram.)
Defn: Having the inflections of, or construed with, words pertaining especially to male beings, as distinguished from feminine and neuter. See Gender. -- Mas"cu*line*ly, adv. -- Mas"cu*line*ness, n.
MASCULINITY Mas`cu*lin"i*ty, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being masculine; masculineness.
MASE Mase, n. & v.
Defn: See Maze. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MASELYN Mas"e*lyn, n.
Defn: A drinking cup. See 1st Maslin, 2. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MASER Ma"ser, n.
Defn: Same as Mazer.
MASH Mash, n.
Defn: A mesh. [Obs.]
MASH Mash, n. Etym: [Akin to G. meisch, maisch, meische, maische, mash, wash, and prob. to AS. miscian to mix. See Mix.]
1. A mass of mixed ingredients reduced to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure; a mass of anything in a soft pulpy state. Specifically (Brewing), ground or bruised malt, or meal of rye, wheat, corn, or other grain (or a mixture of malt and meal) steeped and stirred in hot water for making the wort.
2. A mixture of meal or bran and water fed to animals.
3. A mess; trouble. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl. Mash tun, a large tub used in making mash and wort.
MASH Mash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mashing.] Etym: [Akin to G. meischen, maischen, to mash, mix, and prob. to mischen, E. mix. See 2d Mash.]
Defn: To convert into a mash; to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure; to bruise; to crush; as, to mash apples in a mill, or potatoes with a pestle. Specifically (Brewing), to convert, as malt, or malt and meal, into the mash which makes wort. Mashing tub, a tub for making the mash in breweries and distilleries; -- called also mash tun, and mash vat.
MASHER Mash"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, mashes; also (Brewing), a machine for making mash.
2. A charmer of women. [Slang] London Punch.
MASHIE; MASHY Mash"ie, Mash"y, n.; pl. Mashies (#). [Etym. uncert.]
Defn: A golf club like the iron, but with a shorter head, slightly more lofted, used chiefly for short approaches.
MASHLIN Mash"lin, n.
Defn: See Maslin.
MASHY Mash"y, a.
Defn: Produced by crushing or bruising; resembling, or consisting of, a mash.
MASK Mask, n. Etym: [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. máscara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful, fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. Masque, Masquerade.]
1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection; as, a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask.
2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. Bacon. This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Milton.
4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
5. (Arch.)
Defn: A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like; -- called also mascaron.
6. (Fort.) (a) In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere. (b) A screen for a battery.
7. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ. Mask house, a house for masquerades. [Obs.]
MASK Mask, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masked; p. pr. & vb. n. Masking.]
1. To cover, as the face, by way of concealment or defense against injury; to conceal with a mask or visor. They must all be masked and vizarded. Shak.
2. To disguise; to cover; to hide. Masking the business from the common eye. Shak.
3. (Mil.) (a) To conceal; also, to intervene in the line of. (b) To cover or keep in check; as, to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.
MASK Mask, v. i.
1. To take part as a masker in a masquerade. Cavendish.
2. To wear a mask; to be disguised in any way. Shak.
MASKED Masked, a.
1. Wearing a mask or masks; characterized by masks; cincealed; hidden.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Personate.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the anterior part of the head differing decidedly in color from the rest of the plumage; -- said of birds. Masked ball, a ball in which the dancers wear masks. -- Masked battery (Mil.), a battery so placed as not to be seen by an enemy until it opens fire. H. L. Scott. -- Masked crab (Zoöl.), a European crab (Corystes cassivelaunus) with markings on the carapace somewhat resembling a human face. -- Masked pig (Zoöl.), a Japanese domestic hog (Sus pliciceps). Its face is deeply furrowed.
MASKER Mask"er, n.
Defn: One who wears a mask; one who appears in disguise at a masquerade.
MASKER Mask"er, v. t.
Defn: To confuse; to stupefy. [Obs.] Holland.
MASKERY Mask"er*y, n.
Defn: The dress or disguise of a maske [Obs.] Marston.
MASKINONGE Mas"ki*nonge, n.
Defn: The muskellunge.
MASK SHELL Mask" shell`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any spiral marine shell of the genus Persona, having a curiously twisted aperture.
MASLACH Mas"lach, n. Etym: [Ar. maslaq: cf. F. masloc.] (Med.)
Defn: An excitant containing opium, much used by the Turks. Dunglison.
MASLIN Mas"lin, n. Etym: [OE. missellane, misceline, miscelin, meslin, fr. miscellane. See Miscellane.]
1. A mixture composed of different materials; especially: (a) A mixture of metals resembling brass. (b) A mixture of different sorts of grain, as wheat and rye. [Written also meslin, mislin, maselyn, mastlin.]
2. A vessel made of maslin, 1 (a). [Obs.] Mead eke in a maselyn. Chaucer.
MASLIN Mas"lin, a.
Defn: Composed of different sorts; as, maslin bread, which is made of rye mixed with a little wheat. [Written also meslin, mislin, etc.]
MASON Ma"son, n. Etym: [F. ma, LL. macio, machio, mattio, mactio, marcio, macerio; of uncertain origin.]
1. One whose occupation is to build with stone or brick; also, one who prepares stone for building purposes.
2. A member of the fraternity of Freemasons. See Freemason. Mason bee (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of solitary bees of the genus Osmia. They construct curious nests of hardened mud and sand. -- Mason moth (Zoöl.), any moth whose larva constructs an earthen cocoon under the soil. -- Mason shell (Zoöl.), a marine univalve shell of the genus Phorus; -- so called because it cements other shells and pebbles upon its own shell; a carrier shell. -- Mason wasp (Zoöl.), any wasp that constructs its nest, or brood cells, of hardened mud. The female fills the cells with insects or spiders, paralyzed by a sting, and thus provides food for its larvæ
MASON Ma"son, v. t.
Defn: To build stonework or brickwork about, under, in, over, etc.; to construct by masons; -- with a prepositional suffix; as, to mason up a well or terrace; to mason in a kettle or boiler.
MASONIC Ma*son"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Freemasons or to their craft or mysteries.
MASONRY Ma"son*ry, n. Etym: [F. maçonnerie.]
1. The art or occupation of a mason.
2. The work or performance of a mason; as, good or bad masonry; skillful masonry.
3. That which is built by a mason; anything constructed of the materials used by masons, such as stone, brick, tiles, or the like. Dry masonry is applied to structures made without mortar.
4. The craft, institution, or mysteries of Freemasons; freemasonry.
MASOOLA BOAT Ma*soo"la boat`
Defn: . A kind of boat used on the coast of Madras, India. The planks are sewed together with strands of coir which cross over a wadding of the same material, so that the shock on taking the beach through surf is much reduced. [Written also masula, masulah, etc.]
MASORA Ma*so"ra, n. Etym: [NHeb. mas tradition.]
Defn: A Jewish critical work on the text of the Hebrew Scriptures, composed by several learned rabbis of the school of Tiberias, in the eighth and ninth centuries. [Written also Masorah, Massora, and Massorah.]
MASORET Mas"o*ret, n.
Defn: A Masorite. [Written also Masorete, and Massorete.]
MASORETIC; MASORETICAL Mas`o*ret"ic, Mas`o*ret"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. massorétique.]
Defn: Of or relating to the Masora, or to its authors. Masoretic points and accents, the vowel points and accents of the Hebrew text of the Bible, of which the first mention is in the Masora.
MASORITE Mas"o*rite, n.
Defn: One of the writers of the Masora.
MASQUE Masque, n.
Defn: A mask; a masquerade.
MASQUERADE Mas`quer*ade", n. Etym: [F. mascarade, fr. Sp. mascarada, or It. mascherata. See Mask.]
1. An assembly of persons wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions. In courtly balls and midnight masquerades. Pope.
2. A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask. See 1st Mask, 4. [Obs.]
3. Acting or living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show; pretentious show; disguise. That masquerade of misrepresentation which invariably accompanied the political eloquence of Rome. De Quincey.
4. A Spanish diversion on horseback.
MASQUERADE Mas`quer*ade", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Masqueraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Masquerading.]
1. To assemble in masks; to take part in a masquerade.
2. To frolic or disport in disquise; to make a pretentious show of being what one is not. A freak took an ass in the head, and he goes into the woods, masquerading up and down in a lion's skin. L'Estrange.
MASQUERADE Mas`quer*ade", v. t.
Defn: To conceal with masks; to disguise. "To masquerade vice." Killingbeck.
MASQUERADER Mas`quer*ad"er, n.
Defn: One who masquerades; a person wearing a mask; one disguised.
MASS Mass, n. Etym: [OE. masse, messe, AS. mæsse. LL. missa, from L. mittere, missum, to send, dismiss: cf. F. messe. In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with these words : "Ite, missa est" [sc. ecclesia], the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church. See Missile, and cf. Christmas, Lammas, Mess a dish, Missal.]
1. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: The sacrifice in the sacrament of the Eucharist, or the consecration and oblation of the host.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: The portions of the Mass usually set to music, considered as a musical composition; -- namely, the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei, besides sometimes an Offertory and the Benedictus. Canon of the Mass. See Canon. -- High Mass, Mass with incense, music, the assistance of a deacon, subdeacon, etc. -- Low Mass, Mass which is said by the priest through-out, without music. -- Mass bell, the sanctus bell. See Sanctus. -- Mass book, the missal or Roman Catholic service book.
MASS Mass, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Massed; p. pr. & vb. n. Massing.]
Defn: To celebrate Mass. [Obs.] Hooker.
MASS Mass, n. Etym: [OE. masse, F. masse, L. massa; akin to Gr. Macerate.]
1. A quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size; as, a mass of ore, metal, sand, or water. If it were not for these principles, the bodies of the earth, planets, comets, sun, and all things in them, would grow cold and freeze, and become inactive masses. Sir I. Newton. A deep mass of continual sea is slower stirred To rage. Savile.
2. (Phar.)
Defn: A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills; as, blue mass.
3. A large quantity; a sum. All the mass of gold that comes into Spain. Sir W. Raleigh. He had spent a huge mass of treasure. Sir J. Davies.
4. Bulk; magnitude; body; size. This army of such mass and charge. Shak.
5. The principal part; the main body. Night closed upon the pursuit, and aided the mass of the fugitives in their escape. Jowett (Thucyd.).
6. (Physics)
Defn: The quantity of matter which a body contains, irrespective of its bulk or volume.
Note: Mass and weight are often used, in a general way, as interchangeable terms, since the weight of a body is proportional to its mass (under the same or equal gravitative forces), and the mass is usually ascertained from the weight. Yet the two ideas, mass and weight, are quite distinct. Mass is the quantity of matter in a body; weight is the comparative force with which it tends towards the center of the earth. A mass of sugar and a mass of lead are assumed to be equal when they show an equal weight by balancing each other in the scales. Blue mass. See under Blue. -- Mass center (Geom.), the center of gravity of a triangle. -- Mass copper, native copper in a large mass. -- Mass meeting, a large or general assembly of people, usually a meeting having some relation to politics. -- The masses, the great body of the people, as contrasted with the higher classes; the populace.
MASS Mass, v. t.
Defn: To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to bring together into masses; to assemble. But mass them together and they are terrible indeed. Coleridge.
MASSACRE Mas"sa*cre, n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. mazacrium; cf. Prov. G. metzgern, metzgen, to kill cattle, G. metzger a butcher, and LG. matsken to cut, hew, OHG. meizan to cut, Goth. máitan.]
1. The killing of a considerable number of human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty, or contrary to the usages of civilized people; as, the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day.
2. Murder. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. -- Massacre, Butchery, Carnage. Massacre denotes the promiscuous slaughter of many who can not make resistance, or much resistance. Butchery refers to cold-blooded cruelty in the killing of men as if they were brute beasts. Carnage points to slaughter as producing the heaped-up bodies of the slain. I'll find a day to massacre them all, And raze their faction and their family. Shak. If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds, Brhold this pattern of thy butcheries. Shak. Such a scent I draw Of carnage, prey innumerable ! Milton.
MASSACRE Mas"sa*cre, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Massacred; p. pr. & vb. n. Massacring.] Etym: [Cf. F. massacrer. See Massacre, n.]
Defn: To kill in considerable numbers where much resistance can not be made; to kill with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to the usages of nations; to butcher; to slaughter; -- limited to the killing of human beings. If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximian had massacred the Theban legion. Macaulay.
MASSACRER Mas"sa*crer, n.
Defn: One who massacres. [R.]
MASSAGE Mas"sage, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A rubbing or kneading of the body, especially when performed as a hygienic or remedial measure.
MASSAGIST Mas"sag*ist, n.
Defn: One who practices massage; a masseur or masseuse.
MASSASAUGA Mas`sa*sau"ga, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The black rattlesnake (Crotalus, or Caudisona, tergemina), found in the Mississippi Valley.
MASSE; MASSE SHOT Massé, or Masse shot, n. (Billiards)
Defn: A stroke made with the cue held vertically.
MASSER Mass"er, n.
Defn: A priest who celebrates Mass. [R.] Bale.
MASSETER Mas"se*ter, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. masséter.] (Anat.)
Defn: The large muscle which raises the under jaw, and assists in mastication.
MASSETERIC Mas`se*ter"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the masseter.
MASSETERINE Mas"se*ter`ine, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Masseteric.
MASSEUR; MASSEUSE Mas`seur", n. m., Mas`seuse", n. f.,} Etym: [F., or formed in imitation of French. See Massage.] (Med.)
Defn: One who performs massage.
MASSICOT Mas"si*cot, n. Etym: [F. massicot; E. masticot is a corruption.] (Chem.)
Defn: Lead protoxide, PbO, obtained as a yellow amorphous powder, the fused and crystalline form of which is called litharge; lead ocher. It is used as a pigment.
Note: Massicot is sometimes used by painters, and also as a drier in the composition of ointments and plasters.
MASSINESS Mass"i*ness, n. Etym: [From Massy.]
Defn: The state or quality of being massy; ponderousness.
MASSIVE Mass"ive, a. Etym: [F. massif.]
1. Forming, or consisting of, a large mass; compacted; weighty; heavy; massy. "Massive armor." Dr. H. More.
2. (Min.)
Defn: In mass; not necessarily without a crystalline structure, but having no regular form; as, a mineral occurs massive. Massive rock (Geol.), a compact crystalline rock not distinctly schistone, as granite; also, with some authors, an eruptive rock.
MASSIVELY Mass"ive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a heavy mass.
MASSIVENESS Mass"ive*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being massive; massiness.
MASSOOLA BOAT Mas*soo"la boat`.
Defn: See Masoola boat.
MASSORA Mas*so"ra, n.
Defn: Same as Masora.
MASSORET Mas"so*ret, n.
Defn: Same as Masorite.
MASSY Mass"y, a. [Compar. Massier; superl. Massiest.]
Defn: Compacted into, or consisting of, a mass; having bulk and weight ot substance; ponderous; bulky and heavy; weight; heavy; as, a massy shield; a massy rock. Your swords are now too massy for your strengths, And will not be uplifted. Shak. Yawning rocks in massy fragments fly. Pope.
MAST Mast, n. Etym: [AS. mæst, fem. ; akin to G. mast, and E. meat. See Meat.]
Defn: The fruit of the oak and beech, or other forest trees; nuts; acorns. Oak mast, and beech, . . . they eat. Chapman. Swine under an oak filling themselves with the mast. South.
MAST Mast, n. Etym: [AS. mæst, masc.; akin to D., G., Dan., & Sw. mast, Icel. mastr, and perh. to L. malus.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: A pole, or long, strong, round piece of timber, or spar, set upright in a boat or vessel, to sustain the sails, yards, rigging, etc. A mast may also consist of several pieces of timber united by iron bands, or of a hollow pillar of iron or steel. The tallest pine Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast Of some great ammiral. Milton.
Note: The most common general names of masts are foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast, each of which may be made of separate spars.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: The vertical post of a derrick or crane. Afore the mast, Before the mast. See under Afore, and Before. -- Mast coat. See under Coat. -- Mast hoop, one of a number of hoops attached to the fore edge of a boom sail, which slip on the mast as the sail is raised or lowered; also, one of the iron hoops used in making a made mast. See Made.
MAST Mast, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masted; p. pr. & vb. n. Masting.]
Defn: To furnish with a mast or masts; to put the masts of in position; as, to mast a ship.
MASTABA; MASTABAH Mas"ta*ba, n. Also Mas"ta*bah . [Ar. maçtabah a large stone bench.]
1. In Mohammedan countries, a fixed seat, common in dwellings and in public places.
2. (Egyptology) A type of tomb, of the time of the Memphite dynasties, comprising an oblong structure with sloping sides (sometimes containing a decorated chamber, sometimes of solid masonry), and connected with a mummy chamber in the rock beneath.
MASTAX Mas"tax, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) The pharynx of a rotifer. It usually contains four horny pieces. The two central ones form the incus, against which the mallei, or lateral ones, work so as to crush the food. (b) The lore of a bird.
MASTED Mast"ed, a.
Defn: Furnished with a mast or masts; -- chiefly in composition; as, a three-masted schooner.
MASTER Mast"er, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only in compounds; as, a two-master.
MASTER Mas"ter, n. Etym: [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. maître, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate, Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle.]
1. A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; -- formerly used with much more extensive application than now. (a) The employer of a servant. (b) The owner of a slave. (c) The person to whom an apprentice is articled. (d) A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority. (e) The head of a household. (f) The male head of a school or college. (g) A male teacher. (h) The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast. (i) The owner of a docile brute, -- especially a dog or horse. (j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.
2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. Shak. Master of a hundred thousand drachms. Addison. We are masters of the sea. Jowett (Thucyd. ).
3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art. Great masters of ridicule. Maccaulay. No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it. Locke.
4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mìster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.
5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy. Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants. Swift.
6. (Naut.)
Defn: The commander of a merchant vessel; -- usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.
7. A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies. Little masters, certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness of their prints. -- Master in chancery, an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court. -- Master of arts, one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by the abbreviation M. A., or A. M. -- Master of the horse, the third great officer in the British court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign. -- Master of the rolls, in England, an officer who has charge of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge of the court. Bouvier. Wharton. -- Past master, one who has held the office of master in a lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized. -- The old masters, distinguished painters who preceded modern painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. -- To be master of one's self, to have entire self-control; not to be governed by passion. -- To be one's own master, to be at liberty to act as one chooses without dictation from anybody.
Note: Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly, superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used adjiectively or in compounds; as, master builder or master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master mason or master-mason, master workman or master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master spirit, master passion, etc. Throughout the city by the master gate. Chaucer. Master joint (Geol.), a quarryman's term for the more prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass. -- Master key, a key adapted to open several locks differing somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or principle of general application in solving difficulties. -- Master lode (Mining), the principal vein of ore. -- Master mariner, an experienced and skilled seaman who is certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel. -- Master sinew (Far.), a large sinew that surrounds the hough of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow place, where the windgalls are usually seated. -- Master singer. See Mastersinger. -- Master stroke, a capital performance; a masterly achievement; a consummate action; as, a master stroke of policy. -- Master tap (Mech.), a tap for forming the thread in a screw cutting die. -- Master touch. (a) The touch or skill of a master. Pope. (b) Some part of a performance which exhibits very skillful work or treatment. "Some master touches of this admirable piece." Tatler. -- Master work, the most important work accomplished by a skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.; also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a masterpiece. -- Master workman, a man specially skilled in any art, handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or employer.
MASTER Mas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mastered; p. pr. vb. n. Mastering.]
1. To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue. Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it cost blows. Locke.
2. To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in; as, to master a science.
3. To own; to posses. [Obs.] The wealth That the world masters. Shak.
MASTER Mas"ter, v. i.
Defn: To be skillful; to excel. [Obs.]
MASTERDOM Mas"ter*dom, n. Etym: [Master + -dom.]
Defn: Dominion; rule; command. [R.] Shak.
MASTERFUL Mas"ter*ful, a.
1. Inclined to play the master; domineering; imperious; arbitrary. Dryden.
2. Having the skill or power of a master; indicating or expressing power or mastery. His masterful, pale face. Mrs. Browning.
MASTERFULLY Mas"ter*ful*ly, adv.
Defn: In a masterful manner; imperiously. A lawless and rebellious man who held lands masterfully and in high contempt of the royal authority. Macaulay.
MASTERHOOD Mas"ter*hood, n.
Defn: The state of being a master; hence, disposition to command or hector. C. Bronté.
MASTERLESS Mas"ter*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of a master or owner; ungoverned or ungovernable. -- Mas"ter*less*ness, n.
MASTERLINESS Mas"ter*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being masterly; ability to control wisely or skillfully.
MASTERLY Mas"ter*ly, a.
1. Suitable to, or characteristic of, a master; indicating thorough knowledge or superior skill and power; showing a master's hand; as, a masterly design; a masterly performance; a masterly policy. "A wise and masterly inactivity." Sir J. Mackintosh.
2. Imperious; domineering; arbitrary.
MASTERLY Mas"ter*ly, adv.
Defn: With the skill of a master. Thou dost speak masterly. Shak.
MASTEROUS Mas"ter*ous, a.
Defn: Masterly. [Obs.] Milton.
MASTERPIECE Mas"ter*piece`, n.
Defn: Anything done or made with extraordinary skill; a capital performance; a chef-d'oeuvre; a supreme achievement. The top and masterpiece of art. South. Dissimulation was his masterpiece. Claredon.
MASTERSHIP Mas"ter*ship, n.
1. The state or office of a master.
2. Mastery; dominion; superior skill; superiority. Where noble youths for mastership should strive. Driden.
3. Chief work; masterpiece. [Obs.] Dryden.
4. An ironical title of respect. How now, seignior Launce ! what news with your mastership Shak.
MASTERSINGER Mas"ter*sing`er, n. Etym: [A translation of G. meistersänger.]
Defn: One of a class of poets which flourished in Nuremberg and some other cities of Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. They bound themselves to observe certain arbitrary laws of rhythm.
MASTER VIBRATOR Mas"ter vi"bra*tor.
Defn: In an internal-combustion engine with two or more cylinders, an induction coil and vibrator placed in the circuit between the battery or magneto and the coils for the different cylinders, which are used without vibrators of their own.
MASTERWORT Mas"ter*wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) A tall and coarse European umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum Ostruthium, formerly Imperatoria). (b) The Astrantia major, a European umbelliferous plant with a showy colored involucre. (c) Improperly, the cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum).
MASTERY Mas"ter*y, n.; pl. Masteries. Etym: [OF. maistrie.]
1. The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority. If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops. Sir W. Raleigh.
2. Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preëminence. The voice of them that shout for mastery. Ex. xxxii. 18. Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. 1 Cor. ix. 25. O, but to have gulled him Had been a mastery. B. Jonson.
3. Contest for superiority. [Obs.] Holland.
4. A masterly operation; a feat. [Obs.] I will do a maistrie ere I go. Chaucer.
5. Specifically, the philosopher's stone. [Obs.]
6. The act process of mastering; the state of having mastered. He could attain to a mastery in all languages. Tillotson. The learning and mastery of a tongue, being unpleasant in itself, should not be cumbered with other difficulties. Locke.
MASTFUL Mast"ful, a. Etym: [See lst Mast.]
Defn: Abounding in mast; producing mast in abundance; as, the mastful forest; a mastful chestnut. Dryden.
MASTHEAD Mast"head`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The top or head of a mast; the part of a mast above the hounds.
MASTHEAD Mast"head", v. t. (Naut.)
Defn: To cause to go to the masthead as a punishment. Marryat.
MASTHOUSE Mast"house`, n.
Defn: A building in which vessels' masts are shaped, fitted, etc.
MASTIC Mas"tic, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mastiche, mastichum, Gr. [Written also mastich.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A low shrubby tree of the genus Pistacia (P. Lentiscus), growing upon the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, and producing a valuable resin; -- called also, mastic tree.
2. A resin exuding from the mastic tree, and obtained by incision. The best is in yellowish white, semitransparent tears, of a faint smell, and is used as an astringent and an aromatic, also as an ingredient in varnishes.
3. A kind of cement composed of burnt clay, litharge, and linseed oil, used for plastering walls, etc. Barbary mastic (Bot.), the Pistachia Atlantica. -- Peruvian mastic tree (Bot.), a small tree (Schinus Molle) with peppery red berries; -- called also pepper tree. -- West Indian mastic (Bot.), a lofty tree (Bursera gummifera) full of gum resin in every part.
MASTICABLE Mas"ti*ca*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being masticated.
MASTICADOR Mas`ti*ca"dor, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. mastigador. See Masticate.] (Man.)
Defn: A part of a bridle, the slavering bit. [Written also mastigador.]
MASTICATE Mas"ti*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masticated; p. pr. & vb. n. Masticating.] Etym: [L. masticatus, p. p. of masticare to chew, prob. fr. mastiche mastic. See Mastic.]
Defn: To grind or crush with, or as with, the teeth and prepare for swallowing and digestion; to chew; as, to masticate food.
MASTICATER Mas"ti*ca`ter, n.
Defn: One who masticates.
MASTICATION Mas`ti*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. masticatio: cf. F. mastication.]
Defn: The act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food. Mastication is a necessary preparation of solid aliment, without which there can be no good digestion. Arbuthnot.
MASTICATOR Mas"ti*ca`tor, n.
1. One who masticates.
2. A machine for cutting meat into fine pieces for toothless people; also, a machine for cutting leather, India rubber, or similar tough substances, into fine pieces, in some processes of manufacture.
MASTICATORY Mas"ti*ca*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. masticatoire.]
Defn: Chewing; adapted to perform the office o
MASTICATORY Mas"ti*ca*to*ry, n.; pl. -ries (. (Med.)
Defn: A substance to be chewed to increase the saliva. Bacon.
MASTICH Mas"tich, n.
Defn: See Mastic.
MASTICIN Mas"ti*cin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A white, amorphous, tenacious substance resembling caoutchouc, and obtained as an insoluble residue of mastic.
MASTICOT Mas"ti*cot, n. (Chem.)
Defn: Massicot. [Obs.]
MASTIFF Mas"tiff, n.; pl. Mastiffs (. [Mastives is irregular and unusual.] Etym: [Prob. fr. Prov. E. masty, adj., large, n., a great dog, prob. fr. mast fruit, and hence, lit., fattened with mast. There is perh. confusion with OF. mestif mongrel; cf. also F. mâtin mastiff, OF. mastin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A breed of large dogs noted for strength and courage. There are various strains, differing in form and color, and characteristic of different countries. Mastiff bat (Zoöl.) , any bat of the genus Molossus; so called because the face somewhat resembles that of a mastiff.
MASTIGOPOD Mas"ti*go*pod, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Mastigopoda.
MASTIGOPODA Mas`ti*gop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Infusoria.
MASTIGURE Mas"ti*gure, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several large spiny-tailed lizards of the genus Uromastix. They inhabit Southern Asia and North Africa.
MASTING Mast"ing, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The act or process of putting a mast or masts into a vessel; also, the scientific principles which determine the position of masts, and the mechanical methods of placing them. Masting house (Naut.), a large building, with suitable mechanism overhanging the water, used for stepping and unstepping the masts of vessels.
MASTITIS Mas*ti"tis, n. Etym: [Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the breast.
MASTLESS Mast"less, a. Etym: [See lst Mast.]
Defn: Bearing no mast; as, a mastless oak or beech. Dryden.
MASTLESS Mast"less, a. Etym: [See 2d Mast.]
Defn: Having no mast; as, a mastless vessel.
MASTLIN Mast"lin, n.
Defn: See Maslin.
MASTODON Mas"to*don, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their romains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.
MASTODONSAURUS Mas`to*don*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. E. Mastodon + Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A large extinct genus of labyrinthodonts, found in the European Triassic rocks.
MASTODONTIC Mas`to*don"tic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a mastodon; as, mastodontic dimensions. Everett.
MASTODYNIA; MASTODYNY Mas`to*dyn"i*a, Mas*tod"y*ny (, n. Etym: [NL. mastodynia, fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Pain occuring in the mamma or female breast, -- a form of neuralgia.
MASTOID Mas"toid, a. Etym: [Gr. mastoïde.] (Anat.) (a) Resembling the nipple or the breast; -- applied specifically to a process of the temporal bone behind the ear. (b) Pertaining to, or in the region of, the mastoid process; mastoidal.
MASTOIDAL Mas*toid"al, a.
Defn: Same as Mastoid.
MASTOIDITIS Mas`toid*i*tis, n. [NL. See Mastoid, and -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation in the mastoid process of the temporal bone.
MASTOLOGY Mas*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. mastologie.]
Defn: The natural history of Mammalia.
MASTRESS Mas"tress, n.
Defn: Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MASTURBATION Mas`tur*ba"tion, n. Etym: [L. masturbatus, p. p. of masturbari to practice onanism: cf. F. masturbation.]
Defn: Onanism; self-pollution.
MASTY Mast"y, a. Etym: [See lst Mast.]
Defn: Full of mast; abounding in acorns, etc.
MASULA BOAT Ma*su"la boat`.
Defn: Same as Masoola boat.
MAT Mat, n. Etym: [Cf. Matte.]
Defn: A name given by coppersmiths to an alloy of copper, tin, iron, etc., usually called white metal. [Written also matt.]
MAT Mat, a. Etym: [OF. See 4th Mate.]
Defn: Cast down; dejected; overthrown; slain. [Obs.] When he saw them so piteous and so maat. Chaucer.
MAT Mat, n. Etym: [AS. matt, meatt, fr. L. matta a mat made of rushes.]
1. A fabric of sedge, rushes, flags, husks, straw, hemp, or similar material, used for wiping and cleaning shoes at the door, for covering the floor of a hall or room, and for other purposes.
2. Any similar fabric for various uses, as for covering plant houses, putting beneath dishes or lamps on a table, securing rigging from friction, and the like.
3. Anything growing thickly, or closely interwoven, so as to resemble a mat in form or texture; as, a mat of weeds; a mat of hair.
4. An ornamental border made of paper, pasterboard, metal, etc., put under the glass which covers a framed picture; as, the mat of a daguerreotype. Mat grass. (Bot.) (a) A low, tufted, European grass (Nardus stricta). (b) Same as Matweed. -- Mat rush (Bot.), a kind of rush (Scirpus lacustris) used in England for making mats.
MAT Mat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matted; p. pr. & vb. n. Matting.]
1. To cover or lay with mats. Evelyn.
2. To twist, twine, or felt together; to interweave into, or like, a mat; to entangle. And o'er his eyebrows hung his matted hair. Dryden.
MAT Mat, v. i.
Defn: To grow thick together; to become interwoven or felted together like a mat.
MATABELE; MATABELES Mat`a*be"le, or Mat`a*be"les, n. pl., sing. Matabele. [Written also Matabili.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: A warlike South African Kaffir tribe.
MATACHIN Ma`ta*chin", n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: An old dance with swords and bucklers; a sword dance.
MATACO Mat"a*co, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutis tricinctus). See Illust. under Loricata.
MATADORE; MATADOR Mat"a*dore, Mat"a*dor, n. Etym: [Sp. matador, prop., a killer, fr. matar to kill, L. mactare to sacrifice, kill.]
1. The killer; the man appointed to kill the bull in bullfights.
2. (Card Playing)
Defn: In the game of quadrille or omber, the three principal trumps, the ace of spades being the first, the ace of clubs the third, and the second being the deuce of a black trump or the seven of a red one. When Lady Tricksey played a four, You took it with a matadore. Swift.
MATAGASSE Mat`a*gasse", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A shrike or butcher bird; -- called also mattages. [Prov. Eng.]
MATAJUELO Ma`ta*jue"lo (mä`ta*hwa"lo; 239), n. [Cf. Sp. matajudío a kind of fish.]
Defn: A large squirrel fish (Holocentrus ascensionis) of Florida and the West Indies.
MATAJUELO BLANCO Ma`ta*jue"lo blan"co. [Sp. blanco white.]
Defn: A West Indian food fish (Malacanthus plumieri) related to the tilefish.
MATAMATA Ma`ta*ma"ta, n. Etym: [Pg.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The bearded tortoise (Chelys fimbriata) of South American rivers.
MATANZA Ma*tan"za, n. Etym: [Sp., slaughter, fr. matar to kill.]
Defn: A place where animals are slaughtered for their hides and tallow. [Western U. S.]
MATCH Match, n. Etym: [OE. macche, F. mèche, F. mèche, fr. L. myxa a lamp nozzle, Gr. Mucus.]
Defn: Anything used for catching and retaining or communicating fire, made of some substance which takes fire readily, or remains burning some time; esp., a small strip or splint of wood dipped at one end in a substance which can be easily ignited by friction, as a preparation of phosphorus or chlorate of potassium. Match box, a box for holding matches. -- Match tub, a tub with a perforated cover for holding slow matches for firing cannon, esp. on board ship. The tub contains a little water in the bottom, for extinguishing sparks from the lighted matches. -- Quick match, threads of cotton or cotton wick soaked in a solution of gunpowder mixed with gum arabic and boiling water and afterwards strewed over with mealed powder. It burns at the rate of one yard in thirteen seconds, and is used as priming for heavy mortars, fireworks, etc. -- Slow match, slightly twisted hempen rope soaked in a solution of limewater and saltpeter or washed in a lye of water and wood ashes. It burns at the rate of four or five inches an hour, and is used for firing cannon, fireworks, etc.
MATCH Match, n. Etym: [OE. macche, AS. gemæcca; akin to gemaca, and to OS. gimako, OHG. gimah fitting, suitable, convenient, Icel. mark suitable, maki mate, Sw. make, Dan. mage; all from the root of E. make, v. See Make mate, and Make, v., and cf. Mate an associate.]
1. A person or thing equal or similar to another; one able to mate or cope with another; an equal; a mate. Government . . . makes an innocent man, though of the lowest rank, a match for the mightiest of his fellow subjects. Addison.
2. A bringing together of two parties suited to one another, as for a union, a trial of skill or force, a contest, or the like; as, specifically: (a) A contest to try strength or skill, or to determine superiority; an emulous struggle. "Many a warlike match." Drayton. A solemn match was made; he lost the prize. Dryden.
(b) A matrimonial union; a marriage.
3. An agreement, compact, etc. "Thy hand upon that match." Shak. Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than those of its own making. Boyle.
4. A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage. "She . . . was looked upon as the richest match of the West." Clarendon.
5. Equality of conditions in contest or competition. It were no match, your nail against his horn. Shak.
6. Suitable combination or bringing together; that which corresponds or harmonizes with something else; as, the carpet and curtains are a match.
7. (Founding)
Defn: A perforated board, block of plaster, hardened sand, etc., in which a pattern is partly imbedded when a mold is made, for giving shape to the surfaces of separation between the parts of the mold. Match boarding (Carp.), boards fitted together with tongue and groove, or prepared to be so fitted. -- Match game, a game arranged as a test of superiority. -- Match plane (Carp.), either of the two planes used to shape the edges of boards which are joined by grooving and tonguing. -- Match plate (Founding), a board or plate on the opposite sides of which the halves of a pattern are fastened, to facilitate molding. Knight. -- Match wheel (Mach.), a cogwheel of suitable pitch to work with another wheel; specifically, one of a pair of cogwheels of equal size.
MATCH Match, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matched; p. pr. & vb. n. Matching.]
1. To be a mate or match for; to be able to complete with; to rival successfully; to equal. No settled senses of the world can match The pleasure of that madness. Shak.
2. To furnish with its match; to bring a match, or equal, against; to show an equal competitor to; to set something in competition with, or in opposition to, as equal. No history or antiquity can matchis policies and his conduct. South.
3. To oppose as equal; to contend successfully against. Eternal might To match with their inventions they presumed So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn. Milton.
4. To make or procure the equal of, or that which is exactly similar to, or corresponds with; as, to match a vase or a horse; to match cloth. "Matching of patterns and colors." Swift.
5. To make equal, proportionate, or suitable; to adapt, fit, or suit (one thing to another). Let poets match their subject to their strength. Roscommon.
6. To marry; to give in marriage. A senator of Rome survived, Would not have matched his daughter with a king. Addison.
7. To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together; specifically, to furnish with a tongue and a groove, at the edges; as, to match boards. Matching machine, a planing machine for forming a tongue or a groove on the edge of a board.
MATCH Match, v. i.
1. To be united in marriage; to mate. I hold it a sin to match in my kindred. Shak. Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep. Dryden.
2. To be of equal, or similar, size, figure, color, or quality; to tally; to suit; to correspond; as, these vases match.
MATCHABLE Match"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being matched; comparable on equal conditions; adapted to being joined together; correspondent. -- Match"a*ble*ness, n. Sir Walter Raleigh . . . is matchable with the best of the ancients. Hakewill.
MATCH-CLOTH Match"-cloth`, n.
Defn: A coarse cloth.
MATCH-COAT Match"-coat`, n.
Defn: A coat made of match-cloth.
MATCHER Match"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, matches; a matching machine. See under 3d Match.
MATCH GAME Match game.
Defn: A game arranged as a test of superiority; also, one of a series of such games.
MATCHLESS Match"less, a. Etym: [Cf. Mateless.]
1. Having no equal; unequaled. "A matchless queen." Waller.
2. Unlike each other; unequal; unsuited. [Obs.] "Matchless ears." Spenser. -- Match"less*ly, adv. -- Match"less*ness, n.
MATCHLOCK Match"lock`, n.
Defn: An old form of gunlock containing a match for firing the priming; hence, a musket fired by means of a match.
MATCHMAKER Match"mak`er, n.
1. One who makes matches for burning or kinding.
2. One who tries to bring about marriages.
MATCHMAKING Match"mak`ing, n.
1. The act or process of making matches for kindling or burning.
2. The act or process of trying to bring about a marriage for others.
MATCHMAKING Match"mak`ing, a.
Defn: Busy in making or contriving marriages; as, a matchmaking woman.
MATCH PLAY Match play. (Golf)
Defn: Play in which the score is reckoned by counting the holes won or lost by each side; -- disting. from medal play.
MATE Ma"te, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: The Paraguay tea, being the dried leaf of the Brazilian holly (Ilex Paraguensis). The infusion has a pleasant odor, with an agreeable bitter taste, and is much used for tea in South America.
MATE Mate, n. Etym: [F. mat, abbrev. fr. échec et mat. See Checkmate.] (Chess)
Defn: Same as Checkmate.
MATE Mate, a.
Defn: See 2d Mat. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MATE Mate, v. t. Etym: [F. mater to fatigue, enfeeble, humiliate, checkmate. See Mate checkmate.]
1. To confuse; to confound. [Obs.] Shak.
2. To checkmate.
MATE Mate, n. Etym: [Perhaps for older make a companion; cf. also OD. maet companion, mate, D. maat. Cf. Make a companion, Match a mate.]
1. One who customarily associates with another; a companion; an associate; any object which is associated or combined with a similar object.
2. Hence, specifically, a husband or wife; and among the lower animals, one of a pair associated for propagation and the care of their young.
3. A suitable companion; a match; an equal. Ye knew me once no mate For you; there sitting where you durst not soar. Milton.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: An officer in a merchant vessel ranking next below the captain. If there are more than one bearing the title, they are called, respectively, first mate, second mate, third mate, etc. In the navy, a subordinate officer or assistant; as, master's mate; surgeon's mate.
MATE Mate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mated; p. pr. & vb. n. Mating.]
1. To match; to marry. If she be mated with an equal husband. Shak.
2. To match one's self against; to oppose as equal; to compete with. There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and masters the fear of death. Bacon. I, . . . in the way of loyalty and truth, . . . Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be. Shak.
MATE Mate, v. i.
Defn: To be or become a mate or mates, especially in sexual companionship; as, some birds mate for life; this bird will not mate with that one.
MATELASSE Mate`las`sé", a. [F., p.p. of matelasser to cushion, to cover as with a mattress, fr. matelas mattress. See Mattress.]
Defn: Ornamented by means of an imitation or suggestion of quilting, the surface being marked by depressed lines which form squares or lozenges in relief; as, matelassé silks.
MATELASSE Mate`las`sé", n.
Defn: A quilted ornamented dress fabric of silk or silk and wool.
MATELESS Mate"less, a. Etym: [Cf. Matchless.]
Defn: Having no mate.
MATELOTE Mat"e*lote, n. Etym: [F., fr. matelot a sailor; properly, a dish such as sailors prepare.]
Defn: A dish of food composed of many kings of fish.
MATELOTE; MATELOTTE Mat"e*lote, Mat"e*lotte, n. [F. matelote, fr. matelot a sailor; properly, a dish such as a sailors prepare.]
1. A stew, commonly of fish, flavored with wine, and served with a wine sauce containing onions, mushrooms, etc.
2. An old dance of sailors, in double time, and somewhat like a hornpipe.
MATEOLOGY Ma`te*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. matéologie.]
Defn: A vain, unprofitable discourse or inquiry. [R.]
MATEOTECHNY Ma`te*o*tech"ny, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Any unprofitable science. [Obs.]
MATER Ma"ter, n. Etym: [L., mother. See Mother.]
Defn: See Alma mater, Dura mater, and Pia mater.
MATERIAL Ma*te"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. materialis, fr. materia stuff, matter: cf. F. matériel. See Matter, and cf. MatÉriel.]
1. Consisting of matter; not spiritual; corporeal; physical; as, material substance or bodies. The material elements of the universe. Whewell.
2. Hence: Pertaining to, or affecting, the physical nature of man, as distinguished from the mental or moral nature; relating to the bodily wants, interests, and comforts.
3. Of solid or weighty character; not insubstantial; of cinsequence; not be dispensed with; important. Discourse, which was always material, never trifling. Evelyn. I shall, in the account of simple ideas, set down only such as are most material to our present purpose. Locke.
4. (Logic.)
Defn: Pertaining to the matter, as opposed to the form, of a thing. See Matter. Material cause. See under Cause. -- Material evidence (Law), evidence which conduces to the proof or disproof of a relevant hypothesis. Wharton.
Syn. -- Corporeal; bodily; important; weighty; momentous; essential.
MATERIAL Ma*te"ri*al, n.
Defn: The substance or matter of which anything is made or may be made. Raw material, any crude, unfinished, or elementary materials that are adapted to use only by processes of skilled labor. Cotton, wool, ore, logs, etc., are raw material.
MATERIAL Ma*te"ri*al, v. t.
Defn: To form from matter; to materialize. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MATERIALISM Ma*te"ri*al*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. matérialisme.]
1. The doctrine of materialists; materialistic views and tenets. The irregular fears of a future state had been supplanted by the materialism of Epicurus. Buckminster.
2. The tendency to give undue importance to material interests; devotion to the material nature and its wants.
3. Material substances in the aggregate; matter. [R. & Obs.] A. Chalmers.
MATERIALIST Ma*te"ri*al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. matérialiste.]
1. One who denies the existence of spiritual substances or agents, and maintains that spiritual phenomena, so called, are the result of some peculiar organization of matter.
2. One who holds to the existence of matter, as distinguished from the idealist, who denies it. Berkeley.
MATERIALISTIC; MATERIALISTICAL Ma*te`ri*al*is"tic, Ma*te`ri*al*is"tic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to materialism or materialists; of the nature of materialism. But to me his very spiritualism seemed more materialistic than his physics. C. Kingsley.
MATERIALITY Ma*te`ri*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. matérialité.]
1. The quality or state of being material; material existence; corporeity.
2. Importance; as, the materiality of facts.
MATERIALIZATION Ma*te`ri*al*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of materializing, or the state of being materialized.
MATERIALIZE Ma*te"ri*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Materialized; p. pr. & vb. n. Materializing.] Etym: [Cf. F. matérialiser.]
1. To invest wich material characteristics; to make perceptible to the senses; hence, to present to the mind through the medium of material objects. Having wich wonderful art and beauty materialized, if I may so call it, a scheme of abstracted notions, and clothed the most nice, refined conceptions of philosophy in sensible images. Tatler.
2. To regard as matter; to consider or explain by the laws or principles which are appropriate to matter.
3. To cause to assume a character appropriate to material things; to occupy with material interests; as, to materialize thought.
4. (Spiritualism)
Defn: To make visable in, or as in, a material form; -- said of spirits. A female spirit form temporarily materialized, and not distinguishable from a human being. Epes Sargent.
MATERIALIZE Ma*te"ri*al*ize, v. i.
Defn: To appear as a material form; to take substantial shape. [Colloq.]
MATERIALLY Ma*te"ri*al*ly, adv.
1. In the state of matter. I do not mean that anything is separable from a body by fire that was not materially preëxistent in it. Boyle.
2. In its essence; substantially. An ill intention is certainly sufficient to spoil . . . an act in itself materially good. South.
3. In an important manner or degree; essentaily; as, it materially concern us to know the real motives of our actions.
MATERIALNESS Ma*te"ri*al*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being material.
MATERIA MEDICA Ma*te"ri*a med"i*ca. Etym: [L. See Matter, and Medical.]
1. Material or substance used in the composition of remedies; -- a general term for all substances used as curative agents in medicine.
2. That branch of medical science which treats of the nature and properties of all the substances that are employed for the cure of diseases.
MATERIARIAN Ma*te`ri*a"ri*an, n. Etym: [L. materiarius.]
Defn: See Materialist. [Obs.]
MATERIATE; MATERIATED Ma*te"ri*ate, Ma*te"ri*a`ted, a. Etym: [L. materiatus, p. p. of materiare to build of wood.]
Defn: Consisting of matter. [Obs.] Bacon.
MATERIATION Ma*te`ri*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. materiatio woodwork.]
Defn: Act of forming matter. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MATERIEL Ma`té`ri`el", n. Etym: [F. See Material.]
Defn: That in a complex system which constitutes the materials, or instruments employed, in distinction from the personnel, or men; as, the baggage, munitions, provisions, etc., of an army; or the buildings, libraries, and apparatus of a college, in distinction from its officers.
MATERIOUS Ma*te"ri*ous, a.
Defn: See Material. [Obs.]
MATERNAL Ma*ter"nal, a. Etym: [F. maternel, L. maternus, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mother; becoming to a mother; motherly; as, maternal love; maternal tenderness.
Syn. -- See Motherly.
MATERNALLY Ma*ter"nal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a motherly manner.
MATERNITY Ma*ter"ni*ty, n. Etym: [F. maternité, LL. maternitas.]
Defn: The state of being a mother; the character or relation of a mother.
MATFELON Mat"fel*on, n. Etym: [W. madfelen.] (Bot.)
Defn: The knapweed (Centaurea nigra).
MATH Math, n. Etym: [AS. mmawan to mow, G. mahd math. See Mow to cut (grass).]
Defn: A mowing, or that which is gathered by mowing; -- chiefly used in composition; as, an aftermath. [Obs.] The first mowing thereof, for the king's use, is wont to be sooner than the common math. Bp. Hall.
MATHEMATIC Math`e*mat"ic, a. Etym: [F. mathématique, L. mathematicus, Gr. mind. See Mind.]
Defn: See Mathematical.
MATHEMATICAL Math`e*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [See Mathematic.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mathematics; according to mathematics; hence, theoretically precise; accurate; as, mathematical geography; mathematical instruments; mathematical exactness. -- Math`e*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.
MATHEMATICIAN Math`e*ma*ti"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mathématicien.]
Defn: One versed in mathematics.
MATHEMATICS Math`e*mat"ics, n. Etym: [F. mathématiques, pl., L. mathematica, sing., Gr. Mathematic, and -ics.]
Defn: That science, or class of sciences, which treats of the exact relations existing between quantities or magnitudes, and of the methods by which, in accordance with these relations, quantities sought are deducible from other quantities known or supposed; the science of spatial and quantitative relations.
Note: Mathematics embraces three departments, namely: 1. Arithmetic. 2. Geometry, including Trigonometry and Conic Sections. 3. Analysis, in which letters are used, including Algebra, Analytical Geometry, and Calculus. Each of these divisions is divided into pure or abstract, which considers magnitude or quantity abstractly, without relation to matter; and mixed or applied, which treats of magnitude as subsisting in material bodies, and is consequently interwoven with physical considerations.
MATHER Math"er, n.
Defn: See Madder.
MATHES Math"es, n. Etym: [Perh. corrupted fr. L. anthemis camomile, Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The mayweed. Cf. Maghet.
MATHESIS Ma*the"sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
Defn: Learning; especially, mathematics. [R.] Pope.
MATHURIN Math"u*rin, n. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: See Trinitarian.
MATICO Ma*ti"co, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A Peruvian plant (Piper, or Artanthe, elongatum), allied to the pepper, the leaves of which are used as a styptic and astringent.
MATIE Mat"ie, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fat herring with undeveloped roe. [Written also matty.] [Eng. & Scot.]
MATIN Ma`tin", n. Etym: [F. matin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A French mastiff.
MATIN Mat"in, n. Etym: [F. fr. L. matutinum the morning, matutinus of the morning, Matuta the goddess of the morning. See Matutinal.]
1. Morning. [Obs.] Shak.
2. pl. Etym: [F. matines. See Etymol. above.]
Defn: Morning worship or service; morning prayers or songs. The winged choristers began To chirp their matins. Cleveland.
3. Time of morning service; the first canonical hour in the Roman Catholic Church.
MATIN Mat"in, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the morning, or to matins; used in the morning; matutinal.
MATINAL Mat"in*al, a.
Defn: Relating to the morning, or to matins; matutinal.
MATINEE Mat`i*née", n. Etym: [F., from matin. See Matin.]
Defn: A reception, or a musical or dramatic entertainment, held in the daytime. See SoirÉe.
MATRASS Ma*trass", n. Etym: [F. matras; perh. so called from its long narrow neck; cf. OF. matras large arrow, L. materis, mataris, matara, a Celtic javelin, pike; of Celtic origin.] (Chem.)
Defn: A round-bottomed glass flask having a long neck; a bolthead.
MATRESS Mat"ress, n.
Defn: See Matress.
MATRIARCH Ma"tri*arch, n. Etym: [L. mater mother + -arch.]
Defn: The mother and ruler of a family or of her descendants; a ruler by maternal right.
MATRIARCHAL Ma`tri*ar"chal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a matriarch; governed by a matriarch.
MATRIARCHATE Ma"tri*ar"chate, n.
Defn: The office or jurisdiction of a matriarch; a matriarchal form of government.
MATRICE Ma"trice, n. Etym: [Cf. F. matrice. See Matrix.]
Defn: See Matrix.
MATRICIDAL Mat"ri*ci`dal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to matricide.
MATRICIDE Mat"ri*cide, n. Etym: [L. matricidium; mater mother + coedere to kill, slay: cf. F. matricide. See Mother, and cf. Homicide.]
1. The murder of a mother by her son or daughter.
2. Etym: [L. matricida: cf. F. matricide.]
Defn: One who murders one's own mother.
MATRICULATE Ma*tric"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matriculated; p. pr. & vb. n. Matriculating.] Etym: [L. matricula a public roll or register, dim. of matrix a mother, in respect to propagation, also, a public register. See Matrix.]
Defn: To enroll; to enter in a register; specifically, to enter or admit to membership in a body or society, particularly in a college or university, by enrolling the name in a register. In discovering and matriculating the arms of commissaries from North America. Sir W. Scott.
MATRICULATE Ma*tric"u*late, v. i.
Defn: To go though the process of admission to membership, as by examination and enrollment, in a society or college.
MATRICULATE Ma*tric"u*late, a.
Defn: Matriculated. Skelton. -- n.
Defn: One who is matriculated. Arbuthnot.
MATRICULATION Ma*tric`u*la"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of matriculating; the state of being matriculated.
MATRIMOINE Mat"ri*moine, n.
Defn: Matrimony. [Obs.]
MATRIMONIAL Mat`ri*mo"ni*al, a. Etym: [L. matrimonialis: cf. F. matrimonial. See Matrimony.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to marriage; derived from marriage; connubial; nuptial; hymeneal; as, matrimonial rights or duties. If he relied upon that title, he could be but a king at courtesy, and have rather a matrimonial than a regal power. Bacon.
Syn. -- Connubial; conjugal; sponsal; spousal; nuptial; hymeneal.
MATRIMONIALLY Mat`ri*mo"ni*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a matrimonial manner.
MATRIMONIOUS Mat`ri*mo"ni*ous, a.
Defn: Matrimonial. [R.] Milton.
MATRIMONY Mat"ri*mo*ny, n. Etym: [OE. matrimoine, through Old French, fr. L. matrimonium, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]
1. The union of man and woman as husband and wife; the nuptial state; marriage; wedlock. If either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, ye do now confessit. Book of Com. Prayer (Eng. Ed. )
2. A kind of game at cards played by several persons. Matrimony vine (Bot.), a climbing thorny vine (Lycium barbarum) of the Potato family. Gray.
Syn. -- Marriage; wedlock. See Marriage.
MATRIX Ma"trix, n.; pl. Matrices. Etym: [L., fr. mater mother. See Mother, and cf. Matrice.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The womb. All that openeth the matrix is mine. Ex. xxxiv. 19.
2. Hence, that which gives form or origin to anything; as: (a) (Mech.) The cavity in which anything is formed, and which gives it shape; a die; a mold, as for the face of a type. (b) (Min.) The earthy or stony substance in which metallic ores or crystallized minerals are found; the gangue. (c) pl. (Dyeing)
Defn: The five simple colors, black, white, blue, red, and yellow, of which all the rest are composed.
3. (Biol.)
Defn: The lifeless portion of tissue, either animal or vegetable, situated between the cells; the intercellular substance.
4. (Math.)
Defn: A rectangular arrangement of symbols in rows and columns. The symbols may express quantities or operations.
MATRON Ma"tron, n. Etym: [F. matrone, L. matrona, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]
1. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children; a woman of staid or motherly manners. Your wives, your daughters, Your matrons, and your maids. Shak. Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother. Fuller.
2. A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital; as, the matron of a school or hospital. Jury of matrons (Law), a jury of experienced women called to determine the question of pregnancy when set up in bar of execution, and for other cognate purposes.
MATRONAGE Mat"ron*age, n.
1. The state of a matron.
2. The collective body of matrons. Burke. Can a politician slight the feelings and convictions of the whole matronage of his country Hare.
MATRONAL Mat"ron*al, a. Etym: [L. matronalis.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a matron; suitable to an elderly lady or to a married woman; grave; motherly.
MATRONHOOD Ma"tron*hood, n.
Defn: The state of being a matron.
MATRONIZE Mat"ron*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matronized; p. pr. & vb. n. Matronizing.]
1. To make a matron of; to make matronlike. Childbed matronizes the giddiest spirits. Richardson.
2. To act the part of a marton toward; to superintend; to chaperone; as, to matronize an assembly.
MATRONLIKE Ma"tron*like`, a.
Defn: Like a matron; sedate; grave; matronly.
MATRONLY Ma"tron*ly, a.
1. Advanced in years; elderly.
2. Like, or befitting, a matron; grave; sedate.
MATRONYMIC Mat`ro*nym"ic, n. Etym: [L. mater mother + -nymic, as in patronimic.]
Defn: See Metronymic.
MATROSS Ma*tross", n. Etym: [D. matroos, fr. F. matelot.] (Mil.)
Defn: Formerly, in the British service, a gunner or a gunner's mate; one of the soldiers in a train of artillery, who assisted the gunners in loading, firing, and sponging the guns. [Obs.]
MATT Matt, n.
Defn: See Matte. Knight.
MATTAGES Mat`ta*ges", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A shrike or butcher bird; -- written also matagasse. [Prov. Eng.]
MATTAMORE Mat"ta*more`, n. Etym: [F. matamore, from Ar. matm.]
Defn: A subterranean repository for wheat.
MATTE Matte, n. Etym: [F. matte; cf. F. mat, masc., matte, fem., faint, dull, dim; -- said of metals. See Mate checkmate.]
1. (Metallurgy)
Defn: A partly reduced copper sulphide, obtained by alternately roasting and melting copper ore in separating the metal from associated iron ores, and called coarse metal, fine metal, etc., according to the grade of fineness. On the exterior it is dark brown or black, but on a fresh surface is yellow or bronzy in color.
2. A dead or dull finish, as in gilding where the gold leaf is not burnished, or in painting where the surface is purposely deprived of gloss.
MATTED Mat"ted, a. Etym: [See Matte.]
Defn: Having a dull surface; unburnished; as, matted gold leaf or gilding. Matted glass, glass ornamented with figures on a dull ground.
MATTED Mat"ted, a. Etym: [See 3d Mat.]
1. Covered with a mat or mats; as, a matted floor.
2. Tangled closely together; having its parts adhering closely together; as, matted hair.
MATTER Mat"ter, n. Etym: [OE. matere, F. matière, fr. L. materia; perh. akin to L. mater mother. Cf. Mother, Madeira, Material.]
1. That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment. He is the matter of virtue. B. Jonson.
2. That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.
Note: Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and aëriform. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone. Liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. Aëriform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases, as air and oxygen gas.
3. That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme. "If the matter should be tried by duel." Bacon. Son of God, Savior of men ! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song. Milton. Every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge. Ex. xviii. 22.
4. That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business. To help the matter, the alchemists call in many vanities out of astrology. Bacon. Some young female seems to have carried matters so far, that she is ripe for asking advice. Spectator.
5. Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; -- chiefly in the phrases what matter no matter, and the like. A prophet some, and some a poet, cry; No matter which, so neither of them lie. Dryden.
6. Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble. And this is the matter why interpreters upon that passage in Hosea will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a harlot to wife. Milton.
7. Amount; quantity; portion; space; -- often indefinite. Away he goes, . . . a matter of seven miles. L' Estrange. I have thoughts to tarry a small matter. Congreve. No small matter of British forces were commanded over sea the year before. Mi lton.
8. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.
9. (Metaph.)
Defn: That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; -- opposed to form. Mansel.
10. (Print.)
Defn: Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing. Dead matter (Print.), type which has been used, or which is not to be used, in printing, and is ready for distribution. -- Live matter (Print.), type set up, but not yet printed from. -- Matter in bar, Matter of fact. See under Bar, and Fact. -- Matter of record, anything recorded. -- Upon the matter, or Upon the whole matter, considering the whole; taking all things into view. Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon the whole matter, equal in foot. Clarendon.
MATTER Mat"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mattered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mattering.]
1. To be of importance; to import; to signify. It matters not how they were called. Locke.
2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate. [R.] "Each slight sore mattereth." Sir P. Sidney.
MATTER Mat"ter, v. t.
Defn: To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. [Obs.] He did not matter cold nor hunger. H. Brooke.
MATTERLESS Mat"ter*less, a.
1. Not being, or having, matter; as, matterless spirits. Davies (Wit's Pilgr. ).
2. Unimportant; immaterial. [Obs.]
MATTER-OF-FACT Mat"ter-of-fact", a.
Defn: Adhering to facts; not turning aside from absolute realities; not fanciful or imaginative; commonplace; dry.
MATTERY Mat"ter*y, a.
1. Generating or containing pus; purulent.
2. Full of substance or matter; important. B. Jonson.
MATTING Mat"ting, n. Etym: [From Mat, v. t. & i.]
1. The act of interweaving or tangling together so as to make a mat; the process of becoming matted.
2. Mats, in general, or collectively; mat work; a matlike fabric, for use in covering floors, packing articles, and the like; a kind of carpeting made of straw, etc.
3. Materials for mats.
4. An ornamental border. See 3d Mat, 4.
MATTING Mat"ting, n. Etym: [See Matte.]
Defn: A dull, lusterless surface in certain of the arts, as gilding, metal work, glassmaking, etc.
MATTOCK Mat"tock, n. Etym: [AS. mattuc; cf. W. matog.]
Defn: An implement for digging and grubbing. The head has two long steel blades, one like an adz and the other like a narrow ax or the point of a pickax. 'T is you must dig with mattock and with spade. Shak.
MATTOID Mat"toid, n. [It. matto mad (cf. L. mattus, matus, drunk) + -oid.]
Defn: A person of congenitally abnormal mind bordering on insanity or degeneracy.
MATTOIR Mat*toir", n. [F. matoir.] (Engraving)
Defn: A kind of coarse punch with a rasplike face, used for making a rough surface on etching ground, or on the naked copper, the effect after biting being very similar to stippled lines.
MATTOWACCA Mat`to*wac"ca, n. Etym: [Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American clupeoid fish (Clupea mediocris), similar to the shad in habits and appearance, but smaller and less esteemed for food; -- called also hickory shad, tailor shad, fall herring, and shad herring.
MATTRESS Mat"tress, n. Etym: [OF. materas, F. matelas, LL. matratium; cf. Sp. & Pg. almadraque, Pr. almatrac; all from Ar. matsrah a place where anything is thrown, what is thrown under something, fr. tsaraha to throw.]
1. A quilted bed; a bed stuffed with hair, moss, or other suitable material, and quilted or otherwise fastened. [Written also matress.]
2. (Hydraulic Engin.)
Defn: A mass of interwoven brush, poles, etc., to protect a bank from being worn away by currents or waves.
MATURANT Mat"u*rant, n. Etym: [L. maturans, p. pr. See Maturate.] (Med.)
Defn: A medicine, or application, which promotes suppuration.
MATURATE Mat"u*rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maturated; p. pr. & vb. n. Maturating.] Etym: [L. maturatus, p. p. of maturare to make ripe, fr. maturus ripe, mature. See Mature, v. & a.]
1. To bring to ripeness or maturity; to ripen. A tree may be maturated artificially. Fuller.
2. To promote the perfect suppuration of (an abscess).
MATURATE Mat"u*rate, v. i.
Defn: To ripen; to become mature; specif
MATURATION Mat`u*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. maturatio a hastening: cf. F. maturation.]
Defn: The process of bringing, or of coming, to maturity; hence, specifically, the process of suppurating perfectly; the formation of pus or matter.
MATURATIVE Mat"u*ra*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. maturatif.]
Defn: Conducing to ripeness or maturity; hence, conducing to suppuration.
MATURATIVE Mat"u*ra*tive, n. (Med.)
Defn: A remedy promoting maturation; a maturant.
MATURE Ma*ture", a. [Compar. Maturer; superl. Maturest.] Etym: [L. maturus; prob. akin to E. matin.]
1. Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function,
## action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe.
Now is love mature in ear. Tennison. How shall I meet, or how accost, the sage, Unskilled in speech, nor yet mature of age Pope.
2. Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for
## action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected; as, a
mature plan. This lies glowing, . . . and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Shak.
3. Of or pertaining to a condition of full development; as, a man of mature years.
4. Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.
Syn. -- Ripe; perfect; completed; prepared; digested; ready. -- Mature, Ripe. Both words describe fullness of growth. Mature brings to view the progressiveness of the process; ripe indicates the result. We speak of a thing as mature when thinking of the successive stayes through which it has passed; as ripe, when our attention is directed merely to its state. A mature judgment; mature consideration; ripe fruit; a ripe scholar.
MATURE Ma*ture", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matured; p. pr. & vb. n. Maturing.] Etym: [See Maturate, Mature.]
Defn: To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete; as, to mature one's plans. Bacon.
MATURE Ma*ture", v. i.
1. To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, wine matures by age; the judgment matures by age and experience.
2. Hence, to become due, as a note.
MATURELY Ma*ture"ly, adv.
1. In a mature manner; with ripeness; completely.
2. With caution; deliberately. Dryden.
3. Early; soon. [A Latinism, little used] Bentley.
MATURENESS Ma*ture"ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mature; maturity.
MATURER Ma*tur"er, n.
Defn: One who brings to maturity.
MATURESCENT Mat`u*res"cent, a. Etym: [L. maturescens, p. pr. of maturescere to become ripe, v. incho. from maturus. See Mature, a.]
Defn: Approaching maturity.
MATURING Ma*tur"ing, a.
Defn: Approaching maturity; as, maturing fruits; maturing notes of hand.
MATURITY Ma*tu"ri*ty, n. Etym: [L. maturitas: cf. F. maturité.]
1. The state or quality of being mature; ripeness; full development; as, the maturity of corn or of grass; maturity of judgment; the maturity of a plan.
2. Arrival of the time fixed for payment; a becoming due; termination of the period a note, etc., has to run.
MATUTINAL Mat`u*ti"nal, a. Etym: [L. matutinalis, matutinus: cf. F. matutinal. See Matin.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the morning; early.
MATUTINARY Ma*tu"ti*na*ry, a.
Defn: Matutinal. [R.]
MATUTINE Mat"u*tine, a.
Defn: Matutinal. [R.]
MATWEED Mat"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A name of several maritime grasses, as the sea sand-reed (Ammophila arundinacea) which is used in Holland to bind the sand of the seacoast dikes (see Beach grass, under Beach); also, the Lygeum Spartum, a Mediterranean grass of similar habit.
MATY Mat"y, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain.]
Defn: A native house servant in India. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MATZOTH Matz"oth, n. Etym: [Heb. matstsoth, pl. of matstsah unleavened.]
Defn: A cake of unleavened bread eaten by the Jews at the feast of the Passover.
MAUCACO Mau*ca"co, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lemur; -- applied to several species, as the White-fronted, the ruffed, and the ring-tailed lemurs.
MAUD Maud, n.
Defn: A gray plaid; -- used by shepherds in Scotland.
MAUDLE Mau"dle, v. t.
Defn: To throw onto confusion or disorder; to render maudlin. [Obs.]
MAUDLIN Maud"lin, a. Etym: [From Maudlin, a contr. of Magdalen, OE. Maudeleyne, who is drawn by painters with eyes swelled and red with weeping.]
1. Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly. "Maudlin eyes." Dryden. "Maudlin eloquence." Roscommon. "A maudlin poetess." Pope. "Maudlin crowd." Southey.
2. Drunk, or somewhat drunk; fuddled; given to drunkenness. Maudlin Clarence in his malmsey butt. Byron.
MAUDLIN; MAUDELINE Maud"lin, Maude"line, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An aromatic composite herb, the costmary; also, the South European Achillea Ageratum, a kind of yarrow.
MAUDLINISM Maud"lin*ism, n.
Defn: A maudlin state. Dickens.
MAUDLINWORT Maud"lin*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The oxeye daisy.
MAUGER; MAUGRE Mau"ger, Mau"gre, prep. Etym: [OF. maugré, malgré, F. malgré. See Mal-, Malice, and Agree.]
Defn: In spite of; in opposition to; notwithstanding. A man must needs love maugre his heed. Chaucer. This mauger all the world will I keep safe. Shak.
MAUGRE Mau"gre, v. t.
Defn: To defy. [Obs.] J. Webster.
MAUKIN Mau"kin, n.
1. See Malkin.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A hare. [Scot.]
MAUL Maul, n. Etym: [See Mall a hammer.]
Defn: A heavy wooden hammer or beetle. [Written also mall.]
MAUL Maul, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mauled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mauling.]
1. To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner. Meek modern faith to murder, hack, and maul. Pope.
2. To injure greatly; to do much harm to. It mauls not only the person misrepreseted, but him also to whom he is misrepresented. South.
MAULE Maule, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The common mallow.
MAULING Maul"ing, n.
Defn: A severe beating with a stick, cudgel, or the fist.
MAUL-STICK Maul"-stick`, n. Etym: [G. malerstock; maler a painter + stock stick.]
Defn: A stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working. [Written also mahl-stick.]
MAUMET Mau"met, n.
Defn: See Mawmet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAUNCH Maunch, v. t.
Defn: To munch. [Obs.]
MAUNCH Maunch, n.
Defn: See Manche.
MAUND Maund, n. Etym: [AS. mand, mond.]
Defn: A hand basket. [Obs.] Herrick.
MAUND Maund, n. Etym: [Hind, & Per. man.]
Defn: An East Indian weight, varying in different localities from 25 to about 82 pounds avoirdupois.
MAUND; MAUNDER Maund, Maund"er, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. mendier to beg, E. mendicant.]
1. To beg. [Obs.] B. Jonson. Beau. & Fl.
2. To mutter; to mumble; to grumble; to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly; to talk incoherently. He was ever maundering by the how that he met a party of scarlet devils. Sir W. Scott.
MAUNDER Maund"er, v. t.
Defn: To utter in a grumbling manner; to mutter.
MAUNDER Maund"er, n.
Defn: A beggar. [Obs.]
MAUNDERER Maund"er*er, n.
Defn: One who maunders.
MAUNDRIL Maun"dril, n. Etym: [Cf. Mandrel.] (Coa
Defn: A pick with two prongs, to pry with.
MAUNDY COINS; MAUNDY MONEY Maundy coins or money.
Defn: Silver coins or money of the nominal value of 1d., 2d., 3d., and 4d., struck annually for the Maundy alms.
MAUNDY THURSDAY Maun"dy Thurs"day. Etym: [OE. maunde a command, OF. mandé, L. mandatum, from mandare to command. See called from the ancient custom of washing the feet of the poor on this day, which was taken to be the fulfillment of the "new commandment," John xiii. 5, 34.] (Eccl.)
Defn: The Thursday in Passion week, or next before Good Friday.
MAUNGY Maun"gy, a.
Defn: Mangy. [Obs.] Skelton.
MAURESQUE Mau*resque", a. & n.
Defn: See Moresque.
MAURIST Maur"ist, n. Etym: [From Maurus, the favorite disciple of St. Benedict.]
Defn: A member of the Congregation of Saint Maur, an offshoot of the Benedictines, originating in France in the early part of the seventeenth century. The Maurists have been distinguished for their interest in literature.
MAUSOLEAN Mau`so*le"an, a. Etym: [L. Mausoleus. See Mausoleum.]
Defn: Pertaining to a mausoleum; monumental.
MAUSOLEUM Mau`so*le"um, n.; pl. E. Mausoleums, L. -lea. Etym: [L. mausoleum, Gr.
Defn: A magnificent tomb, or stately sepulchral monument.
MAUTHER Mau"ther, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. mæg a maid.] [Also spelled mawther, mother.]
Defn: A girl; esp., a great, awkward girl; a wench. [Prov. Eng.]
MAUVANILINE Mauv`an"i*line, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Mauve aniline, under Mauve.
MAUVE Mauve, n. Etym: [F., mallow, L. malva. So named from the similarity of the color to that of the petals of common mallow, Malva sylvestris. See Mallow.]
Defn: A color of a delicate purple, violet, or lilac. Mauve aniline (Chem.), a dyestuff produced artificially by the oxidation of commercial aniline, and the first discovered of the so-called coal- tar, or aniline, dyes. It consists of the sulphate of mauveïne, and is a dark brown or bronze amorphous powder, which dissolves to a beatiful purple color. Called also aniline purple, violine, etc.
MAUVEINE Mauve"ïne, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An artificial organic base, obtained by oxidizing a mixture of aniline and toluidine, and valuable for the dyestuffs it forms. [Written also mauvine.]
MAUVINE Mauv"ine, a.
Defn: Mauve-colored.
MAVERICK Mav"er*ick, n.
Defn: In the southwestern part of the united States, a bullock or heifer that has not been branded, and is unclaimed or wild; -- said to be from Maverick, the name of a cattle owner in Texas who naglected to brand his cattle.
MAVERICK BRAND Maverick brand.
Defn: A brand originated by a dishonest cattleman, who, without owning any stock, gradually accumulates a herd by finding mavericks. [Western U. S.]
MAVIS Ma"vis (ma"vîs), n. Etym: [F. mauvis, Arm. milvid, milfid, milc'hhouid, Corn. melhuez.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European throstle or song thrush (Turdus musicus).
MAVOURNIN; MAVOURNEEN Ma*vour"nin, Ma*vour"neen (ma*voor"nen), n. [Ir. mo mhuirnin my darling; mo my + mhuirnin darling.]
Defn: My darling; -- an Irish term of endearment for a girl or woman. "Erin mavournin." Campbell.
MAW Maw, n. Etym: [See Mew a gull.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A gull.
MAW Maw, n. Etym: [OE. mawe, AS. maga stomach; akin to D. maag, OHG. mago, G. magen, Icel. magi, Sw. mage, Dan. mave.
1. A stomach; the receptacle into which food is taken by swallowing; in birds, the craw; -- now used only of the lower animals, exept humorously or in contempt. Chaucer. Bellies and maws of living creatures. Bacon.
2. Appetite; inclination. [Obs.] Unless you had more maw to do me good. Beau. & Fl. Fish maw. (Zoöl.) See under Fish.
MAW Maw, n.
Defn: An old game at cards. Sir A. Weldon.
MAWK Mawk, n. Etym: [OE. mauk, ma, Icel. ma; akin to Dan. maddik, and E. mad an earthworm. See Mad, n.]
1. A maggot. [Scot.]
2. A slattern; a mawks. [Prov. Eng.]
MAWKIN Maw"kin, n.
Defn: See Malkin, and Maukin.
MAWKINGLY Mawk"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Slatternly. [Obs.]
MAWKISH Mawk"ish, a. Etym: [Orig., maggoty. See Mawk.]
1. Apt to cause satiety or loathing; nauseous; disgusting. So sweetly mawkish', and so smoothly dull. Pope.
2. Easily disgusted; squeamish; sentimentally fastidious. J. H. Newman.
MAWKISHLY Mawk"ish*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mawkish way.
MAWKISHNESS Mawk"ish*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mawkish. J. H. Newman.
MAWKS Mawks, n.
Defn: A slattern; a mawk. [Prov. Eng.]
MAWKY Mawk"y, a.
Defn: Maggoty. [Prov. Eng.]
MAWMET Maw"met, n. Etym: [Contr. fr. Mahomet.]
Defn: A puppet; a doll; originally, an idol, because in the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Mohammedans worshiped images representing Mohammed. [Obs.] Wyclif. Beau. & Fl.
MAWMETRY Maw"met*ry, n.
Defn: The religion of Mohammed; also, idolatry. See Mawmet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAWMISH Maw"mish, a. Etym: [Prov. E. maum soft, mellow, rotten; cf. OD. molm rotten wood, G. mulm.]
Defn: Nauseous. [Obs.] L' Estrange.
MAWSEED Maw"seed`, n. Etym: [Cf. G. magsamen.] (Bot.)
Defn: The seed of the opium poppy.
MAWWORM Maw"worm`, n. Etym: [Maw the belly + worm.] (Zoöl.) (a) Any intestinal worm found in the stomach, esp. the common round worm (Ascaris lumbricoides), and allied species. (b) One of the larvæ of botflies of horses; a bot.
MAXILLA Max*il"la, n.; pl. Maxillæ. Etym: [L., dim. of mala jaw, jawbone.]
1. (Anat.) (a) The bone of either the upper or the under jaw. (b) The bone, or principal bone, of the upper jaw, the bone of the lower jaw being the mandible. [Now commonly used in this restricted sense.]
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the lower or outer jaws of arthropods.
Note: There are usually two pairs in Crustacea and one pair in insects. In certain insects they are not used as jaws, but may form suctorial organs. See Illust. under Lepidoptera, and Diptera.
MAXILLAR; MAXILLARY Max"il*lar, Max"il*la*ry, a. Etym: [L. maxillaris, fr. maxilla jawbone, jaw: cf. F. maxillaire.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to either the upper or the lower jaw, but now usually applied to the upper jaw only. -- n.
Defn: The principal maxillary bone; the maxilla.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a maxilla.
MAXILLIFORM Max*il"li*form, a. Etym: [Maxilla + -form: cf. F. maxilliforme.]
Defn: Having the form, or structure, of a maxilla.
MAXILLIPED Max*il"li*ped, n. Etym: [Maxilla + L. pes, pedis, foot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the mouth appendages of Crustacea, situated next behind the maxillæ. Crabs have three pairs, but many of the lower Crustacea have but one pair of them. Called also jawfoot, and foot jaw.
MAXILLO-MANDIBULAR Max*il`lo-man*dib"u*lar, a. Etym: [Maxilla + mandibular.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the maxilla and mandible; as, the maxillo- mandibular nerve.
MAXILLO-PALATINE Max*il`lo-pal"a*tine, a. Etym: [Maxilla + palatine.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the maxillary and palatine regions of the skull; as, the maxillo-palatine process of the maxilla. Also used as n.
MAXILLOTURBINAL Max*il`lo*tur`bi*nal, a. Etym: [Maxilla + turbinal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the maxillary and turbinal regions of the skull. -- n.
Defn: The maxillo-turbinal, or inferior turbinate, bone.
MAXIM Max"im, n. Etym: [F. maxime, L. maxima (sc. sententia), the greatest sentence, proposition, or axiom, i. e., of the greatest weight or authority, fem. fr. maximus greatest, superl. of magnus great. See Magnitude, and cf. Maximum.]
1. An established principle or proposition; a condensed proposition of important practical truth; an axiom of practical wisdom; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism. 'T is their maxim, Love is love's reward. Dryden.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs, or four breves; a large.
Syn. -- Axiom; aphorism; apothegm; adage; proverb; saying. See Axiom.
MAXIM GUN Max"im gun`.
Defn: A kind of machine gun; -- named after its inventor, Hiram S. Maxim.
MAXIMILIAN Max`i*mil"ian, n. Etym: [From the proper name.]
Defn: A gold coin of Bavaria, of the value of about 13s. 6d. sterling, or about three dollars and a quarter.
MAXIMIZATION Max`i*mi*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of increasing to the highest degree. Bentham.
MAXIMIZE Max"i*mize, v. t. Etym: [L. maximus greatest.]
Defn: To increase to the highest degree. Bentham.
MAXIMUM Max"i*mum, n.; pl. Maxima. Etym: [L., neut. from maximus the greatest. See Maxim.]
Defn: The greatest quantity or value attainable in a given case; or, the greatest value attained by a quantity which first increases and then begins to decrease; the highest point or degree; -- opposed to Ant: minimum. Good legislation is the art of conducting a nation to the maximum of happiness, and the minimum of misery. P. Colquhoun. Maximum thermometer, a thermometer that registers the highest degree of temperature attained in a given time, or since its last adjustment.
MAXIMUM Max"i*mum, a.
Defn: Greatest in quantity or highest in degree attainable or attained; as, a maximum consumption of fuel; maximum pressure; maximum heat.
MAY May, v. [imp. Might] Etym: [AS. pres. mæg I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. mögen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. Dismay, Main strength, Might. The old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.]
Defn: An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can. How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health ! Spenser. For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what he may do as possible. Bacon. For of all sad words of tongue or pen The saddest are these: "It might have been." Whittier. (b) Liberty; permission; allowance. Thou mayst be no longer steward. Luke xvi. 2. (c) Contingency or liability; possibility or probability. Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance Some general maxims, or be right by chance. Pope. (d) Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark. How old may Phillis be, you ask. Prior. (e) Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction, and the like. "May you live happily." Dryden. May be, and It may be, are used as equivalent to possibly, perhaps, by chance, peradventure. See 1st Maybe.
MAY May, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. mær, Goth. mawi; akin to E. maiden.
Defn: A maiden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAY May, n. Etym: [F. Mai, L. Maius; so named in honor of the goddess Maia (Gr.
1. The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days. Chaucer.
2. The early part or springtime of life. His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood. Shak.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: The flowers of the hawthorn; -- so called from their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn. The palm and may make country houses gay. Nash. Plumes that micked the may. Tennyson.
4. The merrymaking of May Day. Tennyson. Italian may (Bot.), a shrubby species of Spiræa (S. hypericifolia) with many clusters of small white flowers along the slender branches. -- May apple (Bot.), the fruit of an American plant (Podophyllum peltatum). Also, the plant itself (popularly called mandrake), which has two lobed leaves, and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic. -- May beetle, May bug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged state in May. They belong to Melolontha, and allied genera. Called also June beetle. -- May Day, the first day of May; -- celebrated in the rustic parts of England by the crowning of a May queen with a garland, and by dancing about a May pole. -- May dew, the morning dew of the first day of May, to which magical properties were attributed. -- May flower (Bot.), a plant that flowers in May; also, its blossom. See Mayflower, in the vocabulary. -- May fly (Zoöl.), any species of Ephemera, and allied genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many species appear in May. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral. -- May game, any May-day sport. -- May lady, the queen or lady of May, in old May games. -- May lily (Bot.), the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). -- May pole. See Maypole in the Vocabulary. -- May queen, a girl or young woman crowned queen in the sports of May Day. -- May thorn, the hawthorn.
MAYA Ma"ya, n. (Hindoo Philos.)
Defn: The name for the doctrine of the unreality of matter, called, in English, idealism; hence, nothingness; vanity; illusion.
MAYAN Ma"yan, a.
1. Designating, or pertaining to, an American Indian linguistic stock occupying the Mexican States of Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatan, together with a part of Guatemala and a part of Salvador. The Mayan peoples are dark, short, and brachycephallic, and at the time of the discovery had attained a higher grade of culture than any other American people. They cultivated a variety of crops, were expert in the manufacture and dyeing of cotton fabrics, used cacao as a medium of exchange, and were workers of gold, silver, and copper. Their architecture comprised elaborately carved temples and places, and they possessed a superior calendar, and a developed system of hieroglyphic writing, with records said to go back to about 700 a. d.
2. Of or pertaining to the Mayas.
MAYAN ARCH; MAYA ARCH Mayan arch, or Maya arch .
Defn: A form of corbel arch employing regular small corbels.
MAYBE May"be, adv. Etym: [For it may be.]
Defn: Perhaps; possibly; peradventure. Maybe the amorous count solicits her. Shak. In a liberal and, maybe, somewhat reckless way. Tylor.
MAYBE May"be, a.
Defn: Possible; probable, but not sure. [R.] Then add those maybe years thou hast to live. Driden.
MAYBE May"be, n.
Defn: Possibility; uncertainty. [R.] What they offer is mere maybe and shift. Creech.
MAYBIRD May"bird`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The whimbrel; -- called also May fowl, May curlew, and May whaap. (b) The knot. [Southern U. S.] (c) The bobolink.
MAYBLOOM May"bloom`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The hawthorn.
MAYBUSH May"bush`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The hawthorn.
MAYDUKE May"duke`, n. Etym: [Corrupt. of Médoc, a province in France, where it is supposed to have originated.]
Defn: A large dark-red cherry of excellent quality.
MAYFISH May"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A common American minnow (Fundulus majalis). See Minnow.
MAYFLOWER May"flow`er, n. (Bot.)
Defn: In England, the hawthorn; in New England, the trailing arbutus (see Arbutus); also, the blossom of these plants.
MAYHAP May"hap, adv.
Defn: Perhaps; peradventure. [Prov. or Dialectic]
MAYHEM May"hem, n. Etym: [The same as maim. See Maim.] (Law)
Defn: The maiming of a person by depriving him of the use of any of his members which are necessary for defense or protection. See Maim.
MAYING May"ing, n.
Defn: The celebrating of May Day. "He met her once a-Maying." Milton.
MAY LAWS May laws.
1. See Kulturkampf, above.
2. In Russia, severe oppressive laws against Jews, which have given occasion for great persecution; -- so called because they received the assent of the czar in May, 1882, and because likened to the Prussian May laws (see Kulturkampf).
MAYONNAISE Ma`yon`naise", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A sauce compounded of raw yolks of eggs beaten up with olive oil to the consistency of a sirup, and seasoned with vinegar, pepper, salt, etc.; -- used in dressing salads, fish, etc. Also, a dish dressed with this sauce.
MAYOR May"or, n. Etym: [OE. maire, F. maire, fr. L. major greater, higher, nobler, compar. of magnus great; cf. Sp. mayor. See Major, and cf. Merino.]
Defn: The chief magistrate of a city or borough; the chief officer of a municipal corporation. In some American cities there is a city court of which the major is chief judge.
MAYORAL May"or*al, n. Etym: [Sp., fr. mayor greater, L. major.]
Defn: The conductir of a mule team; also, a head shepherd.
MAYORALTY May"or*al*ty, n.
Defn: The office, or the term of office, of a mayor.
MAYORESS May"or*ess, n.
Defn: The wife of a mayor.
MAYORSHIP May"or*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a mayor.
MAYPOLE May"pole`, n.
Defn: A tall pole erected in an open place and wreathed with flowers, about which the rustic May-day sports were had.
MAYPOP May"pop, n. Etym: [Perh. corrupt. fr. maracock.] (Bot.)
Defn: The edible fruit of a passion flower, especially that of the North American Passiflora incarnata, an oval yellowish berry as large as a small apple.
MAYWEED May"weed`, n. (Bot.) (a) A composite plant (Anthemis Cotula), having a strong odor; dog's fennel. It is a native of Europe, now common by the roadsides in the United States. (b) The feverfew.
MAZAMA; MAZAME Ma*za"ma, Ma*za"me, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A goatlike antelope (Haplocerus montanus) which inhabits the Rocky Mountains, frequenting the highest parts; -- called also mountain goat.
MAZARD Maz"ard, n. Etym: [Cf. F. merise a wild cherry.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of small black cherry.
MAZARD Maz"ard, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. mazer, the head being compared to a large goblet.]
Defn: The jaw; the head or skull. [Obs.] Shak.
MAZARD Maz"ard, v. t.,
Defn: To knock on the head. [Obs.]
MAZARINE Maz`a*rine", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Cardinal Mazarin, prime minister of France, 1643-1661. Mazarine Bible, the first Bible, and perhaps the first complete book, printed with movable metal types; -- printed by Gutenberg at Mentz, 1450-55; -- so called because a copy was found in the Mazarine Library, at Paris, about 1760. -- Mazarine blue, a deep blue color, named in honor of Cardinal Mazarin.
MAZARINE Maz`a*rine", n.
Defn: Mazarine blue.
MAZDEAN Maz"de*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Ahura-Mazda, or Ormuzd, the beneficent deity in the Zoroastrian dualistic system; hence, Zoroastrian.
MAZDEISM Maz"de*ism, n.
Defn: The Zoroastrian religion.
MAZE Maze, n. Etym: [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw. masa to bask, be slow, work slowly and lazily, mas slow, lazy.]
1. A wild fancy; a confused notion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Confusion of thought; perplexity; uncertainty; state of bewilderment.
3. A confusing and baffling network, as of paths or passages; an intricacy; a labyrinth. "Quaint mazes on the wanton green." Shak. Or down the tempting maze of Shawford brook. Wordaworth. The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled with mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.
Syn. -- Labyrinth; intricacy. See Labyrinth.
MAZE Maze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mazed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mazing.]
Defn: To perplex greatly; to bewilder; to astonish and confuse; to amaze. South.
MAZE Maze, v. i.
Defn: To be bewildered. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAZEDNESS Maz"ed*ness, n.
Defn: The condition of being mazed; confusion; astonishment. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MAZEFUL Maze"ful, a.
Defn: Mazy. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
MAZER Maz"er, n. Etym: [OE. maser, akin to OD. maser an excrescence on a maple tree, OHG. masar, G. maser spot, Icel. mösurr maple.]
Defn: A large drinking bowl; -- originally made of maple. [Obs.] Their brimful mazers to the feasting bring. Drayton.
MAZILY Ma"zi*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mazy manner.
MAZINESS Ma"zi*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mazy.
MAZOLOGICAL Maz`o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to mazology.
MAZOLOGIST Ma*zol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One versed in mazology or mastology.
MAZOLOGY Ma*zol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: Same as Mastology.
MAZOURKA; MAZURKA Ma*zour"ka, Ma*zur"ka, n.
Defn: A Polish dance, or the music which accompanies it, usually in 3-4 or 3-8 measure, with a strong accent on the second beat.
MAZY Ma"zy, a. Etym: [From Maze.]
Defn: Perplexed with turns and windings; winding; intricate; confusing; perplexing; embarrassing; as, mazy error. Milton. To range amid the mazy thicket. Spenser. To run the ring, and trace the mazy round. Dryden.
ME Me, pron.
Defn: One. See Men, pron. [Obs.] Chaucer.
ME Me, pers. pron. Etym: [AS. m, dat. & acc., mec, acc. only ; akin to D. mij, G. mich, Icel. & Goth. mik, L. me, Gr. ma, mam. Mine.]
Defn: The person speaking, regarded as an object; myself; a pronoun of the first person used as the objective and dative case of the pronoum I; as, he struck me; he gave me the money, or he gave the money to me; he got me a hat, or he got a hat for me.
Note: In methinks, me is properly in the dative case, and the verb is impersonal, the construction being, it appears to me. In early use me was often placed before forms of the verb to be with an adjective; as, me were lief. Me rather had my heart might frrl your love Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy. Shak.
MEACH Meach, v. i.
Defn: To skulk; to cower. See Mich.
MEACOCK Mea"cock, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. meek + cock.]
Defn: An uxorious, effeminate, or spiritless man. [Obs.] Johnson.
MEAD Mead, n. Etym: [OE. mede, AS. meodo; akin to D. mede, G. met, meth, OHG. metu, mitu, Icel. mjö, Dan. miöd, Sw. mjöd, Russ. med', Lith. midus, W. medd, Gr. madhu honey, a sweet drink, as adj., sweet. Metheglin.]
1. A fermented drink made of water and honey with malt, yeast, etc.; metheglin; hydromel. Chaucer.
2. A drink composed of sirup of sarsaparilla or other flavoring extract, and water. It is sometimes charged with carbonic acid gas. [U. S.]
MEAD Mead, n. Etym: [AS. m. See Meadow.]
Defn: A meadow. A mede All full of freshe flowers, white and reede. Chaucer. To fertile vales and dewy meads My weary, wandering steps he leads. Addison.
MEADOW Mead"ow, n. Etym: [AS. meady; akin to m, and to G. matte; prob. also to E. mow. See Mow to cut (grass), and cf. 2d Mead.]
1. A tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay; any field on which grass is grown for hay.
2. Low land covered with coarse grass or rank herbage near rives and in marshy places by the sea; as, the salt meadows near Newark Bay.
MEADOW Mead"ow, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow; produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. "Fat meadow ground." Milton.
Note: For many names of plants compounded with meadow, see the
## particular word in the Vocabulary. Meadow beauty. (Bot.) Same as
Deergrass. -- Meadow foxtail (Bot.), a valuable pasture grass (Alopecurus pratensis) resembling timothy, but with softer spikes. -- Meadow grass (Bot.), a name given to several grasses of the genus Poa, common in meadows, and of great value for nay and for pasture. See Grass. -- Meadow hay, a coarse grass, or true sedge, growing in uncultivated swamp or river meadow; -- used as fodder or bedding for cattle, packing for ice, etc. [Local, U. S.] -- Meadow hen. (Zoöl.) (a) The American bittern. See Stake-driver. (b) The American coot (Fulica). (c) The clapper rail. -- Meadow lark (Zoöl.), any species of Sturnella, a genus of American birds allied to the starlings. The common species (S. magna) has a yellow breast with a black crescent. -- Meadow mouse (Zoöl.), any mouse of the genus Arvicola, as the common American species A. riparia; -- called also field mouse, and field vole. -- Meadow mussel (Zoöl.), an American ribbed mussel (Modiola plicatula), very abundant in salt marshes. -- Meadow ore (Min.), bog-iron ore , a kind of limonite. -- Meadow parsnip. (Bot.) See under Parsnip. -- Meadow pink. (Bot.) See under Pink. -- Meadow pipit (Zoöl.), a small singing bird of the genus Anthus, as A. pratensis, of Europe. -- Meadow rue (Bot.), a delicate early plant, of the genus Thalictrum, having compound leaves and numerous white flowers. There are many species. -- Meadow saffron. (Bot.) See under Saffron. -- Meadow sage. (Bot.) See under Sage. -- Meadow saxifrage (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant of Europe (Silaus pratensis), somewhat resembling fennel. -- Meadow snipe (Zoöl.), the common or jack snipe.
MEADOWSWEET; MEADOWWORT Mead"ow*sweet`, Mead"ow*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of several plants of the genus Spiræa, especially the white- or pink-flowered S. salicifolia, a low European and American shrub, and the herbaceous S. Ulmaria, which has fragrant white flowers in compound cymes.
MEADOWY Mead"ow*y, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to meadows; resembling, or consisting of, meadow.
MEAGER; MEAGRE Mea"ger, Mea"gre, a. Etym: [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. Emaciate, Maigre.]
1. Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean. Meager were his looks; Sharp misery had worn him to the bones. Shak.
2. Destitute of richness, fertility, strength, or the like; defective in quantity, or poor in quality; poor; barren; scanty in ideas; wanting strength of diction or affluence of imagery. "Meager soil." Dryden. Of secular habits and meager religious belief. I. Taylor. His education had been but meager. Motley.
3. (Min.)
Defn: Dry and harsh to the touch, as chalk.
Syn. -- Thin; lean; lank; gaunt; starved; hungry; poor; emaciated; scanty; barren.
MEAGER; MEAGRE Mea"ger, Mea"gre, v. t.
Defn: To make lean. [Obs.]
MEAGERLY; MEAGRELY Mea"ger*ly, Mea"gre*ly, adv.
Defn: Poorly; thinly.
MEAGERNESS; MEAGRENESS Mea"ger*ness, Mea"gre*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being meager; leanness; scantiness; barrenness.
MEAGRE Mea"gre, n. Etym: [F. maigre.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large European sciænoid fish (Sciæna umbra or S. aquila), having white bloodless flesh. It is valued as a food fish. [Written also maigre.]
MEAK Meak, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. m sword, OS. maki, Icel. mækir.]
Defn: A hook with a long handle. [Obs.] Tusser.
MEAKING Meak"ing, n. Etym: [See Meak.] (Naut.)
Defn: The process of picking out the oakum from the seams of a vessel which is to be recalked. Meaking iron (Naut.), the tool with which old oakum is picked out of a vessel's seams.
MEAL Meal, n. Etym: [OE. mele, AS. m part, portion, portion of time; akin to E. meal a repast. Cf. Piecemeal.]
Defn: A part; a fragment; a portion. [Obs.]
MEAL Meal, n. Etym: [OE. mel; akin to E. meal a part, and to D. maal time, meal, G. mal time, mahl meal, Icel. mal measure, time, meal, Goth. m time, and to E. measure. See Measure.]
Defn: The portion of food taken at a particular time for the satisfaction of appetite; the quantity usually taken at one time with the purpose of satisfying hunger; a repast; the acas, the traveler has not eaten a good meal for a week; there was silence during the meal. What strange fish Hath made his meal on thee Shak.
MEAL Meal, n. Etym: [OE. mele, AS. melu, melo; akin to D. meel, G. mehl, OHG. melo, Icel. mjöl, SW. mjöl, Dan. meel, also to D. malen to grind, G. mahlen, OHG., OS., & Goth. malan, Icel. mala, W. malu, L. molere, Gr. mill. Mill, Mold soil, Mole an animal, Immolate, Molar.]
1. Grain (esp. maize, rye, or oats) that is coarsely ground and unbolted; also, a kind of flour made from beans, pease, etc.; sometimes, any flour, esp. if coarse.
2. Any substance that is coarsely pulverized like meal, but not granulated. Meal beetle (Zoöl.), the adult of the meal worm. See Meal worm, below. -- Meal moth (Zoöl.), a lepidopterous insect (Asopia farinalis), the larvæ of which feed upon meal, flour, etc. -- Meal worm (Zoöl.), the larva of a beetle (Tenebrio molitor) which infests granaries, bakehouses, etc., and is very injurious to flour and meal.
MEAL Meal, v. t.
1. To sprinkle with, or as with, meal. Shak.
2. To pulverize; as, mealed powder.
MEALIES Meal"ies, n. pl. Etym: [From Mealy.] (Bot.)
Defn: Maize or Indian corn; -- the common name in South Africa.
MEALINESS Meal"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mealy.
MEAL-MOUTHED Meal"-mouthed`, a.
Defn: See Mealy-mouthed.
MEALTIME Meal"time`, n.
Defn: The usual time of eating a meal.
MEALY Meal"y, a. [Compar. Mealier; superl. Mealiest.]
1. Having the qualities of meal; resembling meal; soft, dry, and friable; easily reduced to a condition resembling meal; as, a mealy potato.
2. Overspread with something that resembles meal; as, the mealy wings of an insect. Shak. Mealy bug (Zoöl.), a scale insect (Coccus adonidum, and related species), covered with a white powderlike substance. It is a common pest in hothouses.
MEALY-MOUTHED Meal"y-mouthed`, a.
Defn: Using soft words; plausible; affectedly or timidly delicate of speech; unwilling to tell the truth in plain language. "Mealy-mouthed philanthropies." Tennyson. She was a fool to be mealy-mouthed where nature speaks so plain. L'Estrange. -- Meal"y-mouth`ness, n.
MEAN Mean, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meant; p. pr. & vb. n. Meaning.] Etym: [OE. menen, AS. mænan to recite, tell, intend, wish; akin to OS. menian to have in mind, mean, D. meenen, G. meinen, OHG. meinan, Icel. meina, Sw. mena, Dan. mene, and to E. mind. Mind, and cf. Moan.]
1. To have in the mind, as a purpose, intention, etc.; to intend; to purpose; to design; as, what do you mean to do What mean ye by this service Ex. xii. 26. Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good. Gen. 1. 20. I am not a Spaniard To say that it is yours and not to mean it. Longfellow.
2. To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote. What mean these seven ewe lambs Gen. xxi. 29. Go ye, and learn what that me. Matt. ix. 13.
MEAN Mean, v. i.
Defn: To have a purpose or intention. [Rare, except in the phrase to mean well, or ill.] Shak.
MEAN Mean, a. [Compar. Meaner; superl. Meanest.] Etym: [OE. mene, AS. m wicked; akin to man, a., wicked, n., wickedness, OS. m wickedness, OHG. mein, G. meineid perjury, Icel. mein harm, hurt, and perh. to AS. gem common, general, D. gemeen, G. gemein, Goth. gamáins, and L. communis. The AS. gem prob. influenced the meaning.]
1. Destitute of distinction or eminence; common; low; vulgar; humble. "Of mean parentage." Sir P. Sidney. The mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself. Is. ii. 9.
2. Wanting dignity of mind; low-minded; base; destitute of honor; spiritless; as, a mean motive. Can you imagine I so mean could prove, To save my life by changing of my love Dryden.
3. Of little value or account; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable. The Roman legions and great Cæsar found Our fathers no mean foes. J. Philips.
4. Of poor quality; as, mean fare.
5. Penurious; stingy; close-fisted; illiberal; as, mean hospitality.
Note: Mean is sometimes used in the formation of compounds, the sense of which is obvious without explanation; as, meanborn, mean-looking, etc.
Syn. -- Base; ignoble; abject; beggarly; wretched; degraded; degenerate; vulgar; vile; servile; menial; spiritless; groveling; slavish; dishonorable; disgraceful; shameful; despicable; contemptible; paltry; sordid. See Base.
MEAN Mean, a. Etym: [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See Mid.]
1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. Being of middle age and a mean stature. Sir. P. Sidney.
2. Intermediate in excellence of any kind. According to the fittest style of lofty, mean, or lowly. Milton.
3. (Math.)
Defn: Average; having an intermediate value between two extremes, or between the several successive values of a variable quantity during one cycle of variation; as, mean distance; mean motion; mean solar day. Mean distance (of a planet from the sun) (Astron.), the average of the distances throughout one revolution of the planet, equivalent to the semi-major axis of the orbit. -- Mean error (Math. Phys.), the average error of a number of observations found by taking the mean value of the positive and negative errors without regard to sign. -- Mean-square error, or Error of the mean square (Math. Phys.), the error the square of which is the mean of the squares of all the errors; -- called also, especially by European writers, mean error. -- Mean line. (Crystallog.) Same as Bisectrix. -- Mean noon, noon as determined by mean time. -- Mean proportional (between two numbers) (Math.), the square root of their product. -- Mean sun, a fictitious sun supposed to move uniformly in the equator so as to be on the meridian each day at mean noon. -- Mean time, time as measured by an equable motion, as of a perfect clock, or as reckoned on the supposition that all the days of the year are of a mean or uniform length, in contradistinction from apparent time, or that actually indicated by the sun, and from sidereal time, or that measured by the stars.
MEAN Mean, n.
1. That which is mean, or intermediate, between two extremes of place, time, or number; the middle point or place; middle rate or degree; mediocrity; medium; absence of extremes or excess; moderation; measure. But to speak in a mean, the virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude. Bacon. There is a mean in all things. Dryden. The extremes we have mentioned, between which the wellinstracted Christian holds the mean, are correlatives. I. Taylor.
2. (Math.)
Defn: A quantity having an intermediate value between several others, from which it is derived, and of which it expresses the resultant value; usually, unless otherwise specified, it is the simple average, formed by adding the quantities together and dividing by their number, which is called an arithmetical mean. A geometrical mean is the square root of the product of the quantities.
3. That through which, or by the help of which, an end is attained; something tending to an object desired; intermediate agency or measure; necessary condition or coagent; instrument. Their virtuous conversation was a mean to work the conversion of the heathen to Christ. Hooker. You may be able, by this mean, to review your own scientific acquirements. Coleridge. Philosophical doubt is not an end, but a mean. Sir W. Hamilton.
Note: In this sense the word is usually employed in the plural form means, and often with a singular attribute or predicate, as if a singular noun. By this means he had them more at vantage. Bacon. What other means is left unto us. Shak.
4. pl.
Defn: Hence: Resources; property, revenue, or the like, considered as the condition of easy livelihood, or an instrumentality at command for effecting any purpose; disposable force or substance. Your means are very slender, and your waste is great. Shak.
5. (Mus.)
Defn: A part, whether alto or tenor, intermediate between the soprano and base; a middle part. [Obs.] The mean is drowned with your unruly base. Shak.
6. Meantime; meanwhile. [Obs.] Spenser.
7. A mediator; a go-between. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. He wooeth her by means and by brokage. Chaucer. By all means, certainly; without fail; as, go, by all means. -- By any means, in any way; possibly; at all. If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. Phil. iii. ll. -- By no means, or By no manner of means, not at all; certainly not; not in any degree. The wine on this side of the lake is by no means so good as that on the other. Addison.
MEANDER Me*an"der, n. Etym: [L. Maeander, orig., a river in Phrygia, proverbial for its many windings, Gr. méandre.]
1. A winding, crooked, or involved course; as, the meanders of the veins and arteries. Sir M. Hale. While lingering rivers in meanders glide. Sir R. Blackmore.
2. A tortuous or intricate movement.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: Fretwork. See Fret.
MEANDER Me*an"der, v. t.
Defn: To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous. Dryton.
MEANDER Me*an"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Meandered; p. pr. & vb. n. Meandering.]
Defn: To wind or turn in a course or passage; to be intricate. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran. Coleridge.
MEANDRIAN Me*an"dri*an, a. Etym: [L. Maeandrius: cf. F. méandrien.]
Defn: Winding; having many turns.
MEANDRINA Me`an*dri"na, n. Etym: [NL.: cf. F. méandrine.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of corals with meandering grooves and ridges, including the brain corals.
MEANDROUS; MEANDRY Me*an"drous, Me*an"dry, a.
Defn: Winding; flexuous.
MEANING Mean"ing, n.
1. That which is meant or intended; intent; purpose; aim; object; as, a mischievous meaning was apparent. If there be any good meaning towards you. Shak.
2. That which is signified, whether by act lanquage; signification; sence; import; as, the meaning of a hint.
3. Sense; power of thinking. [R.] -- Mean"ing*less, a. -- Mean"ing*ly, adv.
MEANLY Mean"ly, adv. Etym: [Mean middle.]
Defn: Moderately. [Obs.] A man meanly learned himself, but not meanly affectioned to set forward learning in others. Ascham.
MEANLY Mean"ly, adv. Etym: [From Mean low.]
Defn: In a mean manner; unworthily; basely; poorly; ungenerously. While the heaven-born child All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies. Milton. Would you meanly thus rely On power you know I must obey Prior. We can not bear to have others think meanly of them [our kindred]. I. Watts.
MEANNESS Mean"ness, n.
1. The condition, or quality, of being mean; want of excellence; poorness; lowness; baseness; sordidness; stinginess. This figure is of a later date, by the meanness of the workmanship. Addison.
2. A mean act; as, to be guilty of meanness. Goldsmith.
MEAN-SPIRITED Mean"-spir`it*ed, a.
Defn: Of a mean spirit; base; groveling. -- Mean"-spir`it*ed*ness, n.
MEANT Meant, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Mean.
MEANTIME; MEANWHILE Mean"time`, Mean"while`, n.
Defn: The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
MEANTIME; MEANWHILE Mean"time`, Mean"while`, adv.
Defn: In the intervening time; during the interval.
MEAR Mear, n.
Defn: A boundary. See Mere. [Obs.]
MEASE Mease, n. Etym: [Cf. G. mass measure.]
Defn: Five hundred; as, a mease of herrings. [Prov. Eng.]
MEASELRY Mea"sel*ry, n. Etym: [OE. meselrie, OF. mesellerie. See lst Measle.]
Defn: Leprosy. [Obs.] R. of Brunne.
MEASLE Mea"sle, n. Etym: [OE. mesel, OF. mesel, LL. misellus, L. misellus unfortunate, dim. of miser. See Miser.]
Defn: A leper. [Obs.] [Written also meazel, and mesel.] Wyclif (Matt. x. 8. ).
MEASLE Mea"sle, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A tapeworm larva. See 2d Measles, 4.
MEASLED Mea"sled, a. Etym: [See 2d Measles.]
Defn: Infected or spotted with measles, as pork. -- Mea"sled*ness, n.
MEASLES Mea"sles, n. Etym: [From lst Measle.]
Defn: Leprosy; also, a leper. [Obs.]
MEASLES Mea"sles, n.; pl. in form, but used as singular in senses 1, 2, & 3. Etym: [D. mazelen; akin to G. masern, pl., and E. mazer, and orig. meaning, little spots. See Mazer.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: A contagious febrile disorder commencing with catarrhal symptoms, and marked by the appearance on the third day of an eruption of distinct red circular spots, which coalesce in a crescentic form, are slightly raised above the surface, and after the fourth day of the eruption gradually decline; rubeola. Measles commences with the ordinary symptoms of fever. Am. Cyc.
2. (Veter. Med.)
Defn: A disease of cattle and swine in which the flesh is filled with the embryos of different varieties of the tapeworm.
3. A disease of trees. [Obs.]
4. pl. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The larvæ of any tapeworm (Tænia) in the cysticerus stage, when contained in meat. Called also bladder worms.
MEASLY Mea"sly, a.
1. Infected with measles.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Containing larval tapeworms; -- said of pork and beef.
MEASURABLE Meas"ur*a*ble, a. Etym: [F. mesurable, L. mensurabilis. See Measure, and cf. Mensurable.]
1. Capable of being measured; susceptible of mensuration or computation.
2. Moderate; temperate; not excessive. Of his diet measurable was he. Chaucer. -- Meas"ur*a*ble*ness, n. -- Meas"ur*a*bly, adv. Yet do it measurably, as it becometh Christians. Latimer.
MEASURE Meas"ure, n. Etym: [OE. mesure, F. mesure, L. mensura, fr. metiri, mensus, to measure; akin to metrum poetical measure, Gr. meter. Cf. Immense, Mensuration, Mete to measure.]
1. A standard of dimension; a fixed unit of quantity or extent; an extent or quantity in the fractions or multiples of which anything is estimated and stated; hence, a rule by which anything is adjusted or judged.
2. An instrument by means of which size or quantity is measured, as a graduated line, rod, vessel, or the like. False ells and measures be brought all clean adown. R. of Gloucester.
3. The dimensions or capacity of anything, reckoned according to some standard; size or extent, determined and stated; estimated extent; as, to take one's measure for a coat. The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. Job xi. 9.
4. The contents of a vessel by which quantity is measured; a quantity determined by a standard; a stated or limited quantity or amount. It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal. Luke xiii. 21.
5. Extent or degree not excessive or beyong bounds; moderation; due restraint; esp. in the phrases, in measure; with measure; without or beyond measure. Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure. Is. v. 14.
6. Determined extent, not to be exceeded; limit; allotted share, as of action, influence, ability, or the like; due proportion. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days. Ps. xxxix. 4.
7. The quantity determined by measuring, especially in buying and selling; as, to give good or full measure.
8. Undefined quantity; extent; degree. There is a great measure of discretion to be used in the performance of confession. Jer. Taylor.
9. Regulated division of movement: (a) (Dancing) A regulated movement corresponding to the time in which the accompanying music is performed; but, especially, a slow and stately dane, like the minuet. (b) (Mus.) (1) The group or grouping of beats, caused by the regular recurrence of accented beats. (2)
Defn: The space between two bars. See Beat, Triple, Quadruple, Sextuple, Compound time, under Compound, a., and Figure. (c) (Poetry) The manner of ordering and combining the quantities, or long and short syllables; meter; rhythm; hence, a foot; as, a poem in iambic measure.
10. (Arith.)
Defn: A number which is contained in a given number a number of times without a remainder; as in the phrases, the common measure, the greatest common measure, etc., of two or more numbers.
11. A step or definite part of a progressive course or policy; a means to an end; an act designed for the accomplishment of an object; as, political measures; prudent measures; an inefficient measure. His majesty found what wrong measures he had taken in the conferring that trust, and lamented his error. Clarendon.
12. The act of measuring; measurement. Shak.
13. pl. (Geol.)
Defn: Beds or strata; as, coal measures; lead measures. Lineal, or Long, measure, measure of length; the measure of lines or distances. -- Liquid measure, the measure of liquids. -- Square measure, the measure of superficial area of surfaces in square units, as inches, feet, miles, etc. -- To have hard measure, to have harsh treatment meted out to one; to be harshly or oppressively dealt with. -- To take measures, to make preparations; to provide means. -- To take one's measure, to measure one, as for a garment; hence, to form an opinion of one's disposition, character, ability, etc. -- To tread a measure, to dance in the style so called. See 9 (a). Say to her, we have measured many miles To tread a measure with her on this grass. Shak.
MEASURE Meas"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Measured; p. pr. & vb. n. Measuring.] Etym: [F. mesurer, L. mensurare. See Measure, n.]
1. To ascertain by use of a measuring instrument; to compute or ascertain the extent, quantity, dimensions, or capacity of, by a certain rule or standard; to take the dimensions of; hence, to estimate; to judge of; to value; to appraise. Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite Thy power! what thought can measure thee Milton.
2. To serve as the measure of; as, the thermometer measures changes of temperature.
3. To pass throught or over in journeying, as if laying off and determining the distance. A true devoted pilgrim is not weary To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps. Shak.
4. To adjust by a rule or standard. To secure a contented spirit, measure your desires by your fortunes, not your fortunes by your desires. Jer. Taylor.
5. To allot or distribute by measure; to set off or apart by measure; -- often with out or off. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matt. vii. 2. That portion of eternity which is called time, measured out by the sun. Addison. To measure swords with one, to try another's skill in the use of the sword; hence, figuratively, to match one's abilities against an antagonist's.
MEASURE Meas"ure, v. i.
1. To make a measurement or measurements.
2. To result, or turn out, on measuring; as, the grain measures well; the pieces measure unequally.
3. To be of a certain size or quantity, or to have a certain length, breadth, or thickness, or a certain capacity according to a standard measure; as, cloth measures three fourths of a yard; a tree measures three feet in diameter.
MEASURED Meas"ured, a.
Defn: Regulated or determined by a standard; hence, equal; uniform; graduated; limited; moderated; as, he walked with measured steps; he expressed himself in no measured terms. -- Meas"ured*ly, adv.
MEASURELESS Meas"ure*less, a.
Defn: Without measure; unlimited; immeasurable. -- Meas"ure*less*ness, n.
Syn. -- Boundless; limitless; endless; unbounded; unlimited; vast; immense; infinite; immeasurable. Where Alf, the sacred river ran, Through canyons measureless to man, Down to a hidden sea. Coleridge
MEASUREMENT Meas"ure*ment, n.
1. The act or result of measuring; mensuration; as, measurement is required.
2. The extent, size, capacity, amount. or quantity ascertained by measuring; as, its measurement is five acres.
MEASURER Meas"ur*er, n.
Defn: One who measures; one whose occupation or duty is to measure commondities in market.
MEASURING Meas"ur*ing, a.
Defn: Used in, or adapted for, ascertaining measurements, or dividing by measure. Measuring faucet, a faucet which permits only a given quantity of liquid to pass each time it is opened, or one by means of which the liquid which passes can be measured. -- Measuring worm (Zoöl.), the larva of any geometrid moth. See Geometrid.
MEAT Meat, n. Etym: [OE. mete, AS. mete; akin to OS. mat, meti, D. met hashed meat, G. mettwurst sausage, OHG. maz food, Icel. matr, Sw. mat, Dan. mad, Goth. mats. Cf. Mast fruit, Mush.]
1. Food, in general; anything eaten for nourishment, either by man or beast. Hence, the edible part of anything; as, the meat of a lobster, a nut, or an egg. Chaucer. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, . . . to you it shall be for meat. Gen. i. 29. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. Gen. ix. 3.
2. The flesh of animals used as food; esp., animal muscle; as, a breakfast of bread and fruit without meat.
3. Specifically, dinner; the chief meal. [Obs.] Chaucer. Meat biscuit. See under Biscuit. -- Meat earth (Mining), vegetable mold. Raymond. -- Meat fly. (Zoöl.) See Flesh fly, under Flesh. -- Meat offering (Script.), an offering of food, esp. of a cake made of flour with salt and oil. -- To go to meat, to go to a meal. [Obs.] -- To sit at meat, to sit at the table in taking food.
MEAT Meat, v. t.
Defn: To supply with food. [Obs.] Tusser. His shield well lined, his horses meated well. Chapman.
MEATAL Me*a"tal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a meatus; resembling a meatus. Owen.
MEATED Meat"ed, a.
1. Fed; fattened. [Obs.] Tusser.
2. Having (such) meat; -- used chiefly in composition; as, thick- meated.
MEATH; MEATHE Meath, Meathe, n. Etym: [See Mead.]
Defn: A sweet liquor; mead. [Obs.] Chaucer. Milton.
MEATINESS Meat"i*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being meaty.
MEATLESS Meat"less, a.
Defn: Having no meat; without food. "Leave these beggars meatless." Sir T. More.
MEATOSCOPE Me*at"o*scope, n. Etym: [Meatus + -scope.] (Med.)
Defn: A speculum for examining a natural passage, as the urethra.
MEATOTOME Me*at"o*tome, n. Etym: [Meatus + Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument for cutting into the urethra so as to enlarge its orifice.
MEATUS Me*a"tus, n. sing. & pl.; E. pl. Meatuses (. Etym: [L., a going, passage, fr. meare to go.] (Anat.)
Defn: A natural passage or canal; as, the external auditory meatus. See Illust. of Ear.
MEATY Meat"y, a.
Defn: Abounding in meat.
MEAW Meaw, n.
Defn: The sea mew. [Obs.] Spenser.
MEAW Meaw, v. i.
Defn: See Mew, to cry as a cat.
MEAWL Meawl, v. i.
Defn: See Mewl, and Miaul.
MEAZEL Mea"zel, n.
Defn: See 1st Measle. [Obs.]
MEAZLING Meaz"ling, a.
Defn: Falling in small drops; mistling; mizzing. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.
MEBLES Me"bles, n. pl.
Defn: See Moebles. [Obs.]
MECATE Me*ca"te, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A rope of hair or of maguey fiber, for tying horses, etc. [Southwestern U. S.]
MECCAWEE Mec`ca*wee", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mecca, in Arabia. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Mecca.
MECHANIC Me*chan"ic, n. Etym: [F. mécanique mechanics. See Mechanic, a.]
1. The art of the application of the laws of motion or force to construction. [Obs.]
2. A mechanician; an artisan; an artificer; one who practices any mechanic art; one skilled or employed in shaping and uniting materials, as wood, metal, etc., into any kind of structure, machine, or other object, requiring the use of tools, or instruments. An art quite lost with our mechanics. Sir T. Browne.
MECHANIC Me*chan"ic, a. Etym: [F. mécanique, L. mechanicus, Gr. Machine.]
1. Having to do woth the application of the laws of motion in the art of constructing or making things; of or pertaining to mechanics; mechanical; as, the mechanic arts. "These mechanic philosophers." Ray. Mechanic slaves, With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers. Shak.
2. Of or pertaining to a mechanic or artificer, or to the class of artisans; hence, rude; common; vulgar. To make a god, a hero, or a king Descend to a mechanic dialect. Roscommon. Sometimes he ply'd the strong, mechanic tool. Thomson.
3. Base. [Obs.] Whitlock.
MECHANICAL Me*chan"ic*al, a. Etym: [From Mechanic, a.]
1. Pertaining to, governed by, or in accordance with, mechanics, or the laws of motion; pertaining to the quantitative relations of force and matter, as distinguished from mental, vital, chemical, etc.; as, mechanical principles; a mechanical theory; mechanical deposits.
2. Of or pertaining to a machine or to machinery or tools; made or formed by a machine or with tools; as, mechanical precision; mechanical products. We have also divers mechanical arts. Bacon.
3. Done as if by a machine; uninfluenced by will or emotion; proceeding automatically, or by habit, without special intention or reflection; as, mechanical singing; mechanical verses; mechanical service.
4. Made and operated by interaction of forces without a directing intelligence; as, a mechanical universe.
5. Obtained by trial, by measurements, etc.; approximate; empirical. See the 2d Note under Geometric. Mechanical effect, effective power; useful work exerted, as by a machine, in a definite time. -- Mechanical engineering. See the Note under Engineering. -- Mechanical maneuvers (Mil.), the application of mechanical appliances to the mounting, dismounting, and moving of artillery. Farrow. -- Mechanical philosophy, the principles of mechanics applied to the inverstigation of physical phenomena. -- Mechanical powers, certain simple instruments, such as the lever and its modifications (the wheel and axle and the pulley), the inclined plane with its modifications (the screw and the wedge), which convert a small force acting throught a great space into a great force acting through a small space, or vice versa, and are used separately or in combination. -- Mechanical solution (Math.), a solution of a problem by any art or contrivance not strictly geometrical, as by means of the ruler and compasses, or other instruments.
MECHANICAL Me*chan"ic*al, n.
Defn: A mechanic. [Obs.] Shak.
MECHANICALIZE Me*chan"ic*al*ize, v. t.
Defn: To cause to become mechanical.
MECHANICALLY Me*chan"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mechanical manner.
MECHANICALNESS Me*chan"ic*al*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mechanical.
MECHANICIAN Mech`a*ni"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mécanicien. See Mechanic.]
Defn: One skilled in the theory or construction of machines; a machinist. Boyle.
MECHANICO-CHEMICAL Me*chan`i*co-chem"ic*al, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, connected with, or dependent upon, both mechanics and chemistry; -- said especially of those sciences which treat of such phenomena as seem to depend on the laws both of mechanics and chemistry, as electricity and magnetism.
MECHANICS Me*chan"ics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mécanique.]
Defn: That science, or branch of applied mathematics, which treats of the action of forces on bodies.
Note: That part of mechanics which considers the action of forces in producing rest or equilibrium is called statics; that which relates to such action in producing motion is called dynamics. The term mechanics includes the action of forces on all bodies, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous. It is sometimes, however, and formerly was often, used distinctively of solid bodies only: The mechanics of liquid bodies is called also hydrostatics, or hydrodynamics, according as the laws of rest or of motion are considered. The mechanics of gaseous bodies is called also pneumatics. The mechanics of fluids in motion, with special reference to the methods of obtaining from them useful results, constitutes hydraulics. Animal mechanics (Physiol.), that portion of physiology which has for its object the investigation of the laws of equilibrium and motion in the animal body. The most important mechanical principle is that of the lever, the bones forming the arms of the levers, the contractile muscles the power, the joints the fulcra or points of support, while the weight of the body or of the individual limbs constitutes the weight or resistance. -- Applied mechanics, the principles of abstract mechanics applied to human art; also, the practical application of the laws of matter and motion to the construction of machines and structures of all kinds.
MECHANISM Mech"an*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mécanisme, L. mechanisma. See Mechanic.]
1. The arrangement or relation of the parts of a machine; the parts of a machine, taken collectively; the arrangement or relation of the parts of anything as adapted to produce an effect; as, the mechanism of a watch; the mechanism of a sewing machine; the mechanism of a seed pod.
2. Mechanical operation or action. He acknowledges nothing besides matter and motion; so that all must be performed either by mechanism or accident. Bentley.
3. (Kinematics)
Defn: An ideal machine; a combination of movable bodies constituting a machine, but considered only with regard to relative movements.
MECHANIST Mech"an*ist, n.
1. A maker of machines; one skilled in mechanics.
2. One who regards the phenomena of nature as the effects of forces merely mechanical.
MECHANIZE Mech"an*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mechanized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mechanizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. méchaniser.]
Defn: To cause to be mechanical. Shelley.
MECHANOGRAPH Mech"an*o*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph.]
Defn: One of a number of copies of anything multiplied mechanically.
MECHANOGRAPHIC Mech`an*o*graph`ic, a.
1. Treating of mechanics. [R.]
2. Written, copied, or recorded by machinery; produced by mechanography; as, a mechanographic record of changes of temperature; mechanographic prints.
MECHANOGRAPHIST Mech`an*og"ra*phist, n.
Defn: An artist who, by mechanical means, multiplies copies of works of art.
MECHANOGRAPHY Mech`an*og"ra*phy, n.
Defn: The art of mechanically multiplying copies of a writing, or any work of art.
MECHANURGY Mech"an*ur`gy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: That branch of science which treats of moving machines.
MECHITARIST Mech"i*tar*ist, n. Etym: [From Mechitar, an Armenian., who founded the congregation in the early part of the eighteenth century.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church devoted to the improvement of Armenians.
MECHLIN Mech"lin, n.
Defn: A kind of lace made at, or originating in, Mechlin, in Belgium.
MECHOACAN Me*cho"a*can, n.
Defn: A species of jalap, of very feeble properties, said to be obtained from the root of a species of Convolvulus (C. Mechoacan); -- so called from Michoacan, in Mexico, whence it is obtained.
MECKELIAN Meck*e"li*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or discovered by, J. F. Meckel, a German anatomist. Meckelian cartilage, the cartilaginous rod which forms the axis of the mandible; -- called also Meckel's cartilage.
MECONATE Mec"o*nate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. méconate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of meconic acid.
MECONIC Me*con"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. méconique.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, the poppy or opium; specif. (Chem.), designating an acid related to aconitic acid, found in opium and extracted as a white crystalline substance.
MECONIDINE Me*con"i*dine, n. (Chem)
Defn: An alkaloid found in opium, and extracted as a yellow amorphous substance which is easily decomposed.
MECONIDIUM Mec`o*nid"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of gonophore produced by hydroids of the genus Gonothyræa. It has tentacles, and otherwise resembles a free medusa, but remains attached by a pedicel.
MECONIN Mec"o*nin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. méconine.] (Chem.)
Defn: A substance regarded as an anhydride of meconinic acid, existing in opium and extracted as a white crystalline substance. Also erroneously called meconina, meconia, etc., as though it were an alkaloid.
MECONINIC Mec`o*nin"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid which occurs in opium, and which may be obtained by oxidizing narcotine.
MECONIUM Me*co"ni*um, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) Opium. [Obs.] (b) The contents of the fetal intestine; hence, first excrement.
MEDAL Med"al, n. Etym: [F. médaille, It. medaglia, fr. L. metallum metal, through (assumed) LL. metalleus made of metal. See Metal, and cf. Mail a piece of money.]
Defn: A piece of metal in the form of a coin, struck with a device, and intended to preserve the remembrance of a notable event or an illustrious person, or to serve as a reward.
MEDAL Med"al, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Medaled, or Medalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Medaling or Medalling.]
Defn: To honor or reward with a medal. "Medaled by the king." Thackeray.
MEDALET Med"al*et, n.
Defn: A small medal.
MEDALIST Med"al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. médailliste, It. medaglista.] [Written also medallist.]
1. A person that is skilled or curious in medals; a collector of medals. Addison.
2. A designer of medals. Macaulay.
3. One who has gained a medal as the reward of merit.
MEDALLIC Me*dal"lic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a medal, or to medals. "Our medallic history." Walpole.
MEDALLION Me*dal"lion, n. Etym: [F. médaillion, It. medaglione, augm. of medaglia. See Medal.]
1. A large medal or memorial coin.
2. A circular or oval (or, sometimes, square) tablet bearing a figure or figures represented in relief.
MEDAL PLAY Med"al play`. (Golf)
Defn: Play in which the score is reckoned by counting the number of strokes.
MEDALURGY Med"al*ur`gy, n. Etym: [Medal + the root of Gr.
Defn: The art of making and striking medals and coins. [Written also medallurgy.]
MEDDLE Med"dle`, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Meddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Meddling.] Etym: [OE. medlen to mix, OF. medler, mesler, F. mêler, LL. misculare, a dim. fr. L. miscere to mix. Mix, and cf. Medley, Mellay.]
1. To mix; to mingle. [Obs.] More to know Did never meddle with my thoughts. Shak.
2. To interest or engage one's self; to have to do; -- [Obs.] Barrow. Study to be quiet, and to meddle with your own business. Tyndale.
3. To interest or engage one's self unnecessarily or impertinently, to interfere or busy one's self improperly with another's affairs; specifically, to handle or distrub another's property without permission; -- often followed by with or in. Why shouldst thou meddle to thy hurt 2 Kings xiv. 10. The civil lawyers . . . have meddled in a matter that belongs not to them. Locke. To meddle and make, to intrude one's self into another person's concerns. [Archaic] Shak.
Syn. -- To interpose; interfere; intermeddle.
MEDDLE Med"dle, v. t.
Defn: To mix; to mingle. [Obs.] Chaucer. "Wine meddled with gall." Wyclif (Matt. xxvii. 34).
MEDDLER Med"dler, n.
Defn: One who meddles; one who interferes or busies himself with things in which he has no concern; an officious person; a busybody.
MEDDLESOME Med"dle*some, a.
Defn: Given to meddling; apt to interpose in the affairs of others; officiously intrusive. -- Med"dle*some*ness, n.
MEDDLING Med"dling, a.
Defn: Meddlesome. Macaulay.
MEDDLINGLY Med"dling*ly, adv.
Defn: In a meddling manner.
MEDE Mede, n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Media in Asia.
MEDE Mede, n.
Defn: See lst & 2d Mead, and Meed. [Obs.]
MEDIA Me"di*a, n.,
Defn: pl. of Medium.
MEDIA Me"di*a, n.; pl. Mediæ (-e). Etym: [NL., fr. L. medius middle.] (Phonetics)
Defn: One of the sonant mutes b, d, g (b, d, g), in Greek, or of their equivalents in other languages, so named as intermediate between the tenues, p, t, k (p, t, k), and the aspiratæ (aspirates) f, th, x (ph or f, th, ch). Also called middle mute, or medial, and sometimes soft mute.
MEDIACY Me"di*a*cy, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mediate. Sir W. Hamilton.
MEDIAEVAL Me`di*æ"val, a. Etym: [L. medius middle + aevum age. See Middle, and Age.]
Defn: Of or relating to the Middle Ages; as, mediæval architecture. [Written also medieval.]
MEDIAEVALISM Me`di*æ"val*ism, n.
Defn: The method or spirit of the Middle Ages; devotion to the institutions and practices of the Middle Ages; a survival from the Middle Ages. [Written also medievalism.]
MEDIAEVALIST Me`di*æ"val*ist, n.
Defn: One who has a taste for, or is versed in, the history of the Middle Ages; one in sympathy with the spirit or forms of the Middle Ages. [Written also medievalist.]
MEDIAEVALLY Me`di*æ"val*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of the Middle Ages; in accordance with mediævalism.
MEDIAEVALS Me`di*æ"vals, n. pl.
Defn: The people who lived in the Middle Ages. Ruskin.
MEDIAL Me"di*al, a. Etym: [L. medialis, fr. medius middle: cf. F. médial. See Middle.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mean or average; mean; as, medial alligation.
MEDIAL Me"di*al, n. (Phonetics)
Defn: See 2d Media.
MEDIALUNA Me"di*a*lu"na, n. Etym: [Sp. media luna half-moon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Half-moon.
MEDIAN Me"di*an, a. Etym: [L. medianus, fr. medius middle. See Medial.]
1. Being in the middle; running through the middle; as, a median groove.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Situated in the middle; lying in a plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves; -- said of unpaired organs and parts; as, median coverts. Median line. (a) (Anat.) Any line in the mesial plane; specif., either of the lines in which the mesial plane meets the surface of the body. (b) (Geom.) The line drawn from an angle of a triangle to the middle of the opposite side; any line having the nature of a diameter. -- Median plane (Anat.), the mesial plane. -- Median point (Geom.), the point where the three median lines of a triangle mutually intersect.
MEDIAN Me"di*an, n. (Geom.)
Defn: A median line or point.
MEDIANT Me"di*ant, n. Etym: [L. medians, p. p. of mediare to halve: cf. It. mediante, F. médiante.] (Mus.)
Defn: The third above the keynote; -- so called because it divides the interval between the tonic and dominant into two thirds.
MEDIASTINAL Me`di*as*ti"nal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mediastinum.
MEDIASTINE; MEDIASTINUM Me`di*as"tine, Me`di*as*ti"num, n. Etym: [NL. mediastinum, fr. L. medius middle; cf. mediastinus helper, a menial servant, LL. mediastinus equiv. to medius: cf F. médiastin.] (Anat.)
Defn: A partition; a septum; specifically, the folds of the pleura (and the space included between them) which divide the thorax into a right and left cavity. The space included between these folds of the pleura, called the mediastinal space, contains the heart and gives passage to the esophagus and great blood vessels.
MEDIATE Me"di*ate, a. Etym: [L. mediatus, p. p. of mediare, v. t., to halve, v. i., to be in the middle. See Mid, and cf. Moiety.]
1. Being between the two extremes; middle; interposed; intervening; intermediate. Prior.
2. Acting by means, or by an intervening cause or instrument; not direct or immediate; acting or suffering through an intervening agent or condition.
3. Gained or effected by a medium or condition. Bacon. An act of mediate knowledge is complex. Sir W. Hamilton.
MEDIATE Me"di*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mediated; p. pr. & vb. n. Mediating.] Etym: [LL. mediatus, p. p. of mediare to mediate. See Mediate, a.]
1. To be in the middle, or between two; to intervene. [R.]
2. To interpose between parties, as the equal friend of each, esp. for the purpose of effecting a reconciliation or agreement; as, to mediate between nations.
MEDIATE Me"di*ate, v. t.
1. To effect by mediation or interposition; to bring about as a mediator, instrument, or means; as, to mediate a peace.
2. To divide into two equal parts. [R.] Holder.
MEDIATELY Me"di*ate*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mediate manner; by a secondary cause or agent; not directly or primarily; by means; -- opposed to immediately. God worketh all things amongst us mediately. Sir W. Raleigh. The king grants a manor to A, and A grants a portion of it to B. In this case. B holds his lands immediately of A, but mediately of the king. Blakstone.
MEDIATENESS Me"di*ate*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being mediate.
MEDIATION Me`di*a"tion, n. Etym: [OE. mediacioun, F. médiation. See Mediate, a.]
1. The act of mediating; action or relation of anything interposed;
## action as a necessary condition, means, or instrument; interposition;
intervention. The soul [acts] by the mediation of these passions. South.
2. Hence, specifically, agency between parties at variance, with a view to reconcile them; entreaty for another; intercession. Bacon.
MEDIATIVE Me"di*a*tive, a.
Defn: Pertaining to mediation; used in mediation; as, mediative efforts. Beaconsfield.
MEDIATIZATION Me`di*at`i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. médiatisation.]
Defn: The act of mediatizing.
MEDIATIZE Me"di*a*tize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mediatized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mediatizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. médiatiser.]
Defn: To cause to act through an agent or to hold a subordinate position; to annex; -- specifically applied to the annexation during the former German empire of a smaller German state to a larger, while allowing it a nominal sovereignty, and its prince his rank. The misfortune of being a mediatized prince. Beaconsfield.
MEDIATOR Me"di*a`tor, n. Etym: [L. mediator: cf. E. médiateur.]
Defn: One who mediates; especially, one who interposes between
## parties at variance for the purpose of reconciling them; hence, an
intercessor. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Tim. ii. 5.
MEDIATORIAL Me`di*a*to"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mediator, or to mediation; mediatory; as, a mediatorial office. -- Me`di*a*to"ri*al*ly, adv. My measures were . . . healing and mediatorial. Burke.
MEDIATORSHIP Me"di*a`tor*ship, n.
Defn: The office or character of a mediator.
MEDIATORY Me"di*a*to*ry, a.
Defn: Mediatorial.
MEDIATRESS; MEDIATRIX Me`di*a"tress, Me`di*a*"trix, n. Etym: [L. mediatrix, f. of mediator: cf. F. médiatrice.]
Defn: A female mediator.
MEDIC Med"ic, n. Etym: [L. medica, Gr. Media, from (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous plant of the genus Medicago. The black medic is the Medicago lupulina; the purple medic, or lucern, is M. sativa.
MEDIC Med"ic, a. Etym: [L. medicus.]
Defn: Medical. [R.]
MEDICABLE Med"i*ca*ble, a. Etym: [L. medicabilis, from medicare, medicari, to heal, fr. medicus physician. See Medical.]
Defn: Capable of being medicated; admitting of being cured or healed.
MEDICAL Med"ic*al, a. Etym: [LL. medicalis, L. medicus belonging to healing, fr. mederi to heal; cf. Zend madha medical science, wisdom, gr. mind: cf. F. médical.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or having to do with, the art of healing disease, or the science of medicine; as, the medical profession; medical services; a medical dictionary; medical jurisprudence.
2. Containing medicine; used in medicine; medicinal; as, the medical properties of a plant.
MEDICALLY Med"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a medical manner; with reference to healing, or to the principles of the healing art.
MEDICAMENT Med"i*ca*ment, n. Etym: [L. medicamentum, fr. medicare, medicari, to heal: cf. F. médicament. See Medicable.]
Defn: Anything used for healing diseases or wounds; a medicine; a healing application.
MEDICAMENTAL Med`ica*men"tal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to medicaments or healing applications; having the qualities of medicaments. -- Med`ica*men"tal*ly, adv.
MEDICASTER Med"i*cas`ter, n. Etym: [Cf. F. médicastre. See Medical.]
Defn: A quack. [R.] Whitlock.
MEDICATE Med"i*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Medicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Medicating.] Etym: [L. medicatus, p. p. of medicare, medicari. See Medicable.]
1. To tincture or impregnate with anything medicinal; to drug. "Medicated waters." Arbuthnot.
2. To treat with medicine.
MEDICATION Med`i*ca"tion, Etym: [L. medicatio: cf. F. médication.]
Defn: The act or process of medicating.
MEDICATIVE Med"i*ca*tive, a.
Defn: Medicinal; acting like a medicine.
MEDICEAN Med`i*ce"an, a.
Defn: Of or relating to the Medici, a noted Italian family; as, the Medicean Venus. Medicean planets (Astron.), a name given by Galileo to the satellites of Jupiter.
MEDICINABLE Me*dic"i*na*ble, a.
Defn: Medicinal; having the power of healing. [Obs.] Shak.
MEDICINAL Me*dic"i*nal, a. Etym: [L. medicinalis: cf. F. médicinal. See Medicine.]
1. Having curative or palliative properties; used for the cure or alleviation of bodily disorders; as, medicinal tinctures, plants, or springs. Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees Their medicinal gum. Shak.
2. Of or pertaining to medicine; medical.
MEDICINALLY Me*dic"i*nal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a medicinal manner.
MEDICINE Med"i*cine, n. Etym: [L. medicina (sc. ars), fr. medicinus medical, fr. medicus: cf. F. médecine. See Medical.]
1. The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.
2. Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a remedial agent; a remedy; physic. By medicine, life may be prolonged. Shak.
3. A philter or love potion. [Obs.] Shak.
4. Etym: [F. médecin.]
Defn: A physician. [Obs.] Shak. Medicine bag, a charm; -- so called among the North American Indians, or in works relating to them. -- Medicine man (among the North American Indians), a person who professes to cure sickness, drive away evil spirits, and regulate the weather by the arts of magic. -- Medicine seal, a small gem or paste engraved with reversed characters, to serve as a seal. Such seals were used by Roman physicians to stamp the names of their medicines.
MEDICINE Med"i*cine, v. t.
Defn: To give medicine to; to affect as a medicine does; to remedy; to cure. "Medicine thee to that sweet sleep." Shak.
MEDICO-LEGAL Med`i*co-le"gal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to law as affected by medical facts.
MEDICOMMISSURE Med`i*com"mis*sure, n. Etym: [L. medius middle + E. commissure.] (Anat.)
Defn: A large transverse commissure in the third ventricle of the brain; the middle or soft commissure. B. G. Wildex.
MEDICORNU Med`i*cor"nu, n.; pl. Medicornua. Etym: [NL., fr. L. medius middle + cornu horn.] (Anat.)
Defn: The middle or inferior horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain. B. G. Wilder.
MEDICS Med"ics, n.
Defn: Science of medicine. [Obs.]
MEDIETY Me*di"e*ty, n. Etym: [L. medietas.]
Defn: The middle part; half; moiety. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MEDIEVAL; MEDIEVALISM; MEDIEVALIST Me`di*e"val, Me`di*e"val*ism, Me`di*e"val*ist.
Defn: Same as Medi, Medi, etc.
MEDINA EPOCH Me*di"na ep"och. Etym: [From Medina in New York.] (Geol.)
Defn: A subdivision of the Niagara period in the American upper Silurian, characterized by the formations known as the Oneida conglomerate, and the Medina sandstone. See the Chart of Geology.
MEDINO Me*di"no, n.
Defn: Same as Para.
MEDIOCRAL Me"di*o`cral, a.
Defn: Mediocre. [R.]
MEDIOCRE Me"di*o`cre, a. Etym: [F. médiocre, L. mediocris, fr. medius middle. See Mid.]
Defn: Of a middle quality; of but a moderate or low degree of excellence; indifferent; ordinary. " A very mediocre poet." Pope.
MEDIOCRE Me"di*o`cre, n.
1. A mediocre person. [R.]
2. A young monk who was excused from performing a portion of a monk's duties. Shipley.
MEDIOCRIST Me"di*o`crist, n.
Defn: A mediocre person. [R.]
MEDIOCRITY Me`di*oc"ri*ty, n. Etym: [F. médiocrité, L. mediocritas.]
1. The quality of being mediocre; a middle state or degree; a moderate degree or rate. "A mediocrity of success." Bacon.
2. Moderation; temperance. [Obs.] Hooker.
MEDIOSTAPEDIAL Me`di*o*sta*pe"di*al, a. Etym: [L. medius middle + E. stapedial.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to that part of the columella of the ear which, in some animals, connects the stapes with the other parts of the columella. -- n.
Defn: The mediostapedial part of the columella.
MEDIOXUMOUS Me`di*ox"u*mous, a. Etym: [L. medioxumus middlemost.]
Defn: Intermediate. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
MEDITANCE Med"i*tance, n.
Defn: Meditation. [Obs.]
MEDITATE Med"i*tate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Meditated; p. pr. & vb. n. Meditating.] Etym: [L. meditatus, p. p. of meditari to meditate; cf. Gr. mind.]
Defn: To keep the mind in a state of contemplation; to dwell on anything in thought; to think seriously; to muse; to cogitate; to reflect. Jer. Taylor. In his law doth he meditate day and night. Ps. i. 2.
MEDITATE Med"i*tate, v. t.
1. To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study. "Blessed is the man that doth meditate good things." Ecclus. xiv. 20.
2. To purpose; to intend; to design; to plan by revolving in the mind; as, to meditate a war. I meditate to pass the remainder of life in a state of undisturbed repose. Washington.
Syn. -- To consider; ponder; weigh; revolve; study. -- To Meditate, Contemplate, Intend. We meditate a design when we are looking out or waiting for the means of its accomplishment; we contemplate it when the means are at hand, and our decision is nearly or quite made. To intend is stronger, implying that we have decided to act when an opportunity may offer. A general meditates an attack upon the enemy; he contemplates or intends undertaking it at the earliest convenient season.
MEDITATION Med`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [OE. meditacioun, F. méditation, fr. L. meditatio.]
1. The act of meditating; close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation; reflection; musing. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Ps. xix. 14.
2. Thought; -- without regard to kind. [Obs.] With wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love. Shak.
MEDITATIST Med"i*ta`tist, n.
Defn: One who is given to meditation.
MEDITATIVE Med"i*ta*tive, a. Etym: [L. meditativus: cf. F. méditatif.]
Defn: Disposed to meditate, or to meditation; as, a meditative man; a meditative mood. -- Med"i*ta*tive*ly, adv. -- Med"i*ta*tive*ness, n.
MEDITERRANEAN Med`i*ter*ra"ne*an, a. Etym: [L. mediterraneus; medius middle + terra land. See Mid, and Terrace.]
1. Inclosed, or nearly inclosed, with land; as, the Mediterranean Sea, between Europe and Africa.
2. Inland; remote from the ocean. [Obs.] Cities, as well mediterranean as maritime. Holland.
3. Of or pertaining to the Mediterranean Sea; as, Mediterranean trade; a Mediterranean voyage.
MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY Mediterranean fruit fly.
Defn: A two-winged fly (Ceratitis capitata) with black and white markings, native of the Mediterranean countries, but now widely distributed. Its larva lives in ripening oranges, peaches, and other fruits, causing them to decay and fall.
MEDITERRANEOUS Med`i*ter*ra"ne*ous, a.
Defn: Inland. Sir T. Browne.
MEDIUM Me"di*um, n.; pl. L. Media, E. Mediums. Etym: [L. medium the middle, fr. medius middle. See Mid, and cf. Medius.]
1. That which lies in the middle, or between other things; intervening body or quantity. Hence, specifically: (a) Middle place or degree; mean. The just medium . . . lies between pride and abjection. L'Estrange. (b) (Math.)
Defn: See Mean. (c) (Logic) The mean or middle term of a syllogism; that by which the extremes are brought into connection.
2. A substance through which an effect is transmitted from one thing to another; as, air is the common medium of sound. Hence: The condition upon which any event or action occurs; necessary means of motion or action; that through or by which anything is accomplished, conveyed, or carried on; specifically, in animal magnetism, spiritualism, etc., a person through whom the action of another being is said to be manifested and transmitted. Whether any other liquors, being made mediums, cause a diversity of sound from water, it may be tried. Bacon. I must bring together All these extremes; and must remove all mediums. Denham.
3. An average. [R.] A medium of six years of war, and six years of peace. Burke.
4. A trade name for printing and writing paper of certain sizes. See Paper.
5. (Paint.)
Defn: The liquid vehicle with which dry colors are ground and prepared for application. Circulating medium, a current medium of exchange, whether coin, bank notes, or government notes. -- Ethereal medium (Physics), the ether. -- Medium of exchange, that which is used for effecting an exchange of commodities -- money or current representatives of money.
MEDIUM Me"di*um, a.
Defn: Having a middle position or degree; mean; intermediate; medial; as, a horse of medium size; a decoction of medium strength.
MEDIUM-SIZED Me"di*um-sized`, a.
Defn: Having a medium size; as, a medium-sized man.
MEDIUS Me"di*us, n.; pl. Medii. Etym: [NL., fr. L. medius middle. See Medium.] (Anat.)
Defn: The third or middle finger; the third digit, or that which corresponds to it.
MEDJIDIE; MEDJIDIEH Me*dji"di*e, Me*dji"di*eh, n. [Turk. majidieh (prop. fem. a., fr. Ar. mejid glorious); -- so called after the sultan Abdul Mejid, lit., "servant of the Glorious One," i.e., of God.]
1. (a) A silver coin of Turkey formerly rated at twenty, but since 1880 at nineteen, piasters (about 83 cents). (b) A gold coin of Turkey equal to one hundred piastres ($4.396 or 18s. ¾d.); a lira, or Turkish pound.
2. A Turkish honorary order established in 1851 by Abdul-Mejid, having as its badge a medallion surrounded by seven silver rays and crescents. It is often conferred on foreigners.
MEDLAR Med"lar, n. Etym: [OE. medler medlar tree, OF. meslier, F. néflier, L. mespilum, mespilus, Gr. Naseberry.]
Defn: A tree of the genus Mespilus (M. Germanica); also, the fruit of the tree. The fruit is something like a small apple, but has a bony endocarp. When first gathered the flesh is hard and austere, and it is not eaten until it has begun to decay. Japan medlar (Bot.), the loquat. See Loquat. -- Neapolitan medlar (Bot.), a kind of thorn tree (Cratægus Azarolus); also, its fruit.
MEDLE Med"le, v. t. Etym: [See Meddle.]
Defn: To mix; to mingle; to meddle. [Written also medly.] [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEDLEY Med"ley, n.; pl. Medleys. Etym: [OE. medlee, OF. meslée, medlée, mellée, F. mêlée. See Meddle, and cf. MelÉe, Mellay.]
1. A mixture; a mingled and confused mass of ingredients, usually inharmonious; a jumble; a hodgepodge; -- often used contemptuously. This medley of philosophy and war. Addison. Love is a medley of endearments, jars, Suspicions, reconcilements, wars. W. Walsh.
2. The confusion of a hand to hand battle; a brisk, hand to hand engagement; a mêlée. [Obs.] Holland.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: A composition of passages detached from several different compositions; a potpourri.
Note: Medley is usually applied to vocal, potpourri to instrumental, compositions.
4. A cloth of mixed colors. Fuller.
MEDLEY Med"ley, a.
1. Mixed; of mixed material or color. [Obs.] "A medlè coat." Chaucer.
2. Mingled; confused. Dryden.
MEDLY Med"ly, v. t.
Defn: See Medle. Johnson.
MEDOC Mé`doc", n. Etym: [Cf. Mayduke.]
Defn: A class of claret wines, including several varieties, from the district of Médoc in the department of Gironde.
MEDREGAL Med"re*gal, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Bonito, 3.
MEDRICK Med"rick, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of gull or tern. [Prov.] Lowell.
MEDULLA Me*dul"la, n. Etym: [L.]
1. Marrow; pith; hence, essence. [Obs.] Milton.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: The marrow of bones; the deep or inner portion of an organ or part; as, the medulla, or medullary substance, of the kidney; specifically, the medula oblongata.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: A soft tissue, occupying the center of the stem or branch of a plant; pith. Medulla oblongata. Etym: [L., oblong medulla] (Anat.), the posterior part of the brain connected with the spinal cord. It includes all the hindbrain except the cerebellum and pons, and from it a large part of the cranial nerves arise. It controls very largely respiration, circulation, swallowing, and other functions, and is the most vital part of the brain; -- called also bulb of the spinal cord. See Brain.
MEDULLAR Me*dul"lar, a.
Defn: See Medullary.
MEDULLARY Med"ul*la*ry, a. Etym: [L. medullaris, fr. medulla marrow: cf. F. médullaire.]
1. (Anat.) (a) Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, marrow or medulla. (b) Pertaining to the medula oblongata.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Filled with spongy pith; pithy. Medullary groove (Anat.), a groove, in the epiblast of the vertebrate blastoderm, the edges of which unite, making a tube (the medullary canal) from which the brain and spinal cord are developed. -- Medullary rays (Bot.), the rays of cellular tissue seen in a transverse section of exogenous wood, which pass from the pith to the bark. -- Medullary sheath (Anat.), the layer of white semifluid substance (myelin), between the primitive sheath and axis cylinder of a medullated nerve fiber.
MEDULLATED Me*dul"la*ted, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Furnished with a medulla or marrow, or with a medullary sheath; as, a medullated nerve fiber.
MEDULLIN Me*dul"lin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. médulline.] (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: A variety of lignin or cellulose found in the medulla, or pith, of certain plants. Cf. Lignin, and Cellulose.
MEDUSA Me*du"sa, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked upon her were turned into stone.
2. [pl. Medusae (.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish.
Note: The larger medusæ belong to the Discophora, and are sometimes called covered-eyed medusæ; others, known as naked-eyed medusæ, belong to the Hydroidea, and are usually developed by budding from hidroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and Hydromedusa. Medusa bud (Zoöl.), one of the buds of a hydroid, destined to develop into a gonophore or medusa. See Athecata, and Gonotheca. -- Medusa's head. (a) (Zoöl.) An astrophyton. (b) (Astron.) A cluster of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol.
MEDUSIAN Me*du"si*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A medusa.
MEDUSIFORM Me*du"si*form, a. Etym: [Medusa + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling a medusa in shape or structure.
MEDUSOID Me*du"soid, a. Etym: [Medusa + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like a medusa; having the fundamental structure of a medusa, but without a locomotive disk; -- said of the sessile gonophores of hydroids. -- n.
Defn: A sessile gonophore. See Illust. under Gonosome.
MEECH Meech, v. i.
Defn: See Mich. [Obs. or Colloq.]
MEED Meed, n. Etym: [OE. mede, AS. med, meord; akin to OS. m, OHG. miata, mieta, G. miethe hire, Goth. mizdo reward, Bohem. & Russ. mzda, Gr. mistho`s, Skr. midha. sq. root276.]
1. That which is bestowed or rendered in consideration of merit; reward; recompense. A rosy garland was the victor's meed. Spenser.
2. Merit or desert; worth. My meed hath got me fame. Shak.
3. A gift; also, a bride. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEED Meed, v. t.
1. To reward; to repay. [Obs.] Waytt.
2. To deserve; to merit. [Obs.] Heywood.
MEEDFUL Meed"ful, a.
Defn: Worthy of meed, reward, or recompense; meritorious. "Meedful works." Wiclif.
MEEDFULLY Meed"ful*ly, adv.
Defn: According to merit; suitably.
MEEK Meek, a. [Compar. Meeker; superl. Meekest.] Etym: [OE. mek, meoc; akin to Icel. mj mild, soft, Sw. mjuk, Dan. myg, D. muik, Goth. mukam
1. Mild of temper; not easily provoked or orritated; patient under injuries; not vain, or haughty, or resentful; forbearing; submissive. Not the man Moses was very meek. Num. xii. 3.
2. Evincing mildness of temper, or patience; characterized by mildness or patience; as, a meek answer; a meek face. "Her meek prayer." Chaucer.
Syn. -- Gentle; mild; soft; yielding; pacific; unassuming; humble. See Gentle.
MEEK; MEEKEN Meek, Meek"en (-'n), v. t.
Defn: To make meek; to nurture in gentleness and humility. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEEKLY Meek"ly, adv.
Defn: In a meek manner. Spenser.
MEEKNESS Meek"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being meek.
MEER Meer, a.
Defn: Simple; unmixed. See Mere, a. [Obs.]
MEER Meer, n.
Defn: See Mere, a lake.
MEER Meer, n.
Defn: A boundary. See Mere.
MEERKAT Meer"kat, n. Etym: [D.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South African carnivore (Cynictis penicillata), allied to the ichneumons.
MEERSCHAUM Meer"schaum, n. Etym: [G., lit., sea foam; meer sea + schaum foam; but it perh. is a corruption of the Tartaric name myrsen. Cf. Mere a lake, and Scum.]
1. (Min.)
Defn: A fine white claylike mineral, soft, and light enough when in dry masses to float in water. It is a hydrous silicate of magnesia, and is obtained chiefly in Asia Minor. It is manufacturd into tobacco pipes, cigar holders, etc. Also called sepiolite.
2. A tobacco pipe made of this mineral.
MEET Meet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Met; p. pr. & vb. n. Meeting.] Etym: [OE. meten, AS. m, fr. m, gem, a meeting; akin to OS. m to meet, Icel. mæta, Goth. gam. See Moot, v. t.]
1. To join, or come in contact with; esp., to come in contact with by approach from an opposite direction; to come upon or against, front to front, as distinguished from contact by following and overtaking.
2. To come in collision with; to confront in conflict; to encounter hostilely; as, they met the enemy and defeated them; the ship met opposing winds and currents.
3. To come into the presence of without contact; to come close to; to intercept; to come within the perception, influence, or recognition of; as, to meet a train at a junction; to meet carriages or persons in the street; to meet friends at a party; sweet sounds met the ear. His daughter came out to meet him. Judg. xi. 34.
4. To perceive; to come to a knowledge of; to have personal acquaintance with; to experience; to suffer; as, the eye met a horrid sight; he met his fate. Of vice or virtue, whether blest or curst, Which meets contempt, or which compassion first. Pope.
5. To come up to; to be even with; to equal; to match; to satisfy; to ansver; as, to meet one's expectations; the supply meets the demand. To meet half way, literally, to go half the distance between in order to meet (one); hence, figuratively, to yield or concede half of the difference in order to effect a compromise or reconciliation with.
MEET Meet, v. t.
1. To come together by mutual approach; esp., to come in contact, or into proximity, by approach from opposite directions; to join; to come face to face; to come in close relationship; as, we met in the street; two lines meet so as to form an angle. O, when meet now Such pairs in love and mutual honor joined ! Milton.
2. To come together with hostile purpose; to have an encounter or conflict. Weapons more violent, when next we meet, May serve to better us and worse our foes. Milton.
3. To assemble together; to congregate; as, Congress meets on the first Monday of December. They . . . appointed a day to meet together. 2. Macc. xiv. 21.
4. To come together by mutual concessions; hence, to agree; to harmonize; to unite. To meet with. (a) To light upon; to find; to come to; -- often with the sense of unexpectedness. We met with many things worthy of observation. Bacon. (b) To join; to unite in company. Shak. (c) To suffer unexpectedly; as, to meet with a fall; to meet with a loss. (d) To encounter; to be subjected to. Prepare to meet with more than brutal fury From the fierce prince. Rowe. (e) To obviate. [Obs.] Bacon.
MEET Meet, n.
Defn: An assembling together; esp., the assembling of huntsmen for the hunt; also, the persons who so assemble, and the place of meeting.
MEET Meet, a. Etym: [OE. mete fitting, moderate, scanty, AS. m moderate; akin to gemet fit, meet, metan to mete, and G. mässig moderate, gemäss fitting. See Mete.]
Defn: Suitable; fit; proper; appropriate; qualified; convenient. It was meet that we should make merry. Luke xv. 32. To be meet with, to be even with; to be equal to. [Obs.]
MEET Meet, adv.
Defn: Meetly. [Obs.] Shak.
MEETEN Meet"en, v. t.
Defn: To render fit. [R.]
MEETER Meet"er, n.
Defn: One who meets.
MEETH Meeth
Defn: , Mead. See Meathe. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEETING Meet"ing, n.
1. A coming together; an assembling; as, the meeting of Congress.
2. A junction, crossing, or union; as, the meeting of the roads or of two rivers.
3. A congregation; a collection of people; a convention; as, a large meeting; an harmonius meeting.
4. An assembly for worship; as, to attend meeting on Sunday; -- in England, applied distinctively and disparagingly to the worshiping assemblies of Dissenters.
Syn. -- Conference; assembly; company; convention; congregation; junction; confluence; union.
MEETINGHOUSE Meet"ing*house`, n.
Defn: A house used as a place of worship; a church; -- in England, applied only to a house so used by Dissenters.
MEETLY Meet"ly, adv.
Defn: Fitly; suitably; properly.
MEETNESS Meet"ness, n.
Defn: Fitness; suitableness; propriety.
MEG-; MEGA; MEGALO- Meg-, Meg"a, Meg"a*lo-. Etym: [Gr. me`gas, gen. mega`loy, great.]
Defn: Combining forms signifying: (a) Great, extended, powerful; as, megascope, megacosm. (b) (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.)
Defn: A million times, a million of; as, megameter, a million meters; megafarad, a million farads; megohm, a million ohms.
MEGACEPHALIC; MEGACEPHALOUS Meg`a*ce*phal"ic, Meg`a*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Mega- Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Large headed; -- applied to animals, and to plants when they have large flower heads.
MEGACEROS Me*gac"e*ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas great + horn.] (Paleon.)
Defn: The Irish elk.
MEGACHILE Meg"a*chile, n. Etym: [Mega- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A leaf-cutting bee of the genus Megachilus. See Leaf cutter, under Leaf.
MEGACOSM Meg"a*cosm, n. Etym: [Mega- + Gr.
Defn: See Macrocosm. Croft.
MEGACOULOMB Meg`a*cou`lomb", n. Etym: [Mega- + coulomb.] (Elec.)
Defn: A million coulombs.
MEGADERM Meg"a*derm, n. Etym: [Mega- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of Old World blood-sucking bats of the genus Megaderma.
MEGADYNE Meg"a*dyne, n. Etym: [Mega- + dyne.] (Physics)
Defn: One of the larger measures of force, amounting to one million dynes.
MEGAFARAD Meg"a*far`ad, n. Etym: [Mega- + farad.] (Elec.)
Defn: One of the larger measures of electrical capacity, amounting to one million farads; a macrofarad.
MEGALERG Meg"a*lerg, n. Etym: [Megalo- + erg.] (Physics)
Defn: A million ergs; a megerg.
MEGALESIAN Meg`a*le"sian, a. Etym: [L. Megalesius, fr. Gr. Mega`lh the Great, a surname of Cybele, the Magna Mater.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or in honor of, Cybele; as, the Megalesian games at Rome.
MEGALETHOSCOPE Meg`a*leth"o*scope, n. Etym: [Mega- + alethoscope.]
Defn: An optical apparatus in which pictures are viewed through a large lens with stereoptical effects. It is often combined with the stereoscope.
MEGALITH Meg"a*lith, n. Etym: [Mega- + -lith; cf. F. mégalithe.]
Defn: A large stone; especially, a large stone used in ancient building. -- Meg`a*lith"ic, a.
MEGALO- Meg"a*lo-.
Defn: See Meg-.
MEGALOCEPHALIA; MEGALOCEPHALY Meg`a*lo*ce*pha"li*a, Meg`a*lo*ceph"a*ly, n. [NL. megalocephalia, fr. Gr. having a large head.] (Med.)
Defn: The condition of having an abnormally large head. -- Meg`a*lo*ce*phal"ic (#), a.
MEGALOCYTE Meg"a*lo*cyte, n. Etym: [Megalo- + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: A large, flattened corpuscle, twice the diameter of the ordinary red corpuscle, found in considerable numbers in the blood in profound anæmia.
MEGALOMANIA Meg`a*lo*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. megalo- + mania.] (Pathol.)
Defn: A form of mental alienation in which the patient has grandiose delusions.
MEGALONYX Meg`a*lon"yx, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. me`gas, mega`lh, great + 'o`nyx claw.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct quaternary mammal, of great size, allied to the sloth.
MEGALOPHONOUS Meg`a*loph"o*nous, a. Etym: [Megalo- + Gr. fwnh` voice.]
Defn: Having a loud voice.
MEGALOPOLIS Meg`a*lop"o*lis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. megalo`polis; me`gas, mega`lh, great + po`lis city.]
Defn: A chief city; a metropolis. [R.]
MEGALOPS Meg"a*lops, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas, -a`loy, large + 'w`ps eye.] (Zoöl.)
1. A larva, in a stage following the zoëa, in the development of most crabs. In this stage the legs and abdominal appendages have appeared, the abdomen is relatively long, and the eyes are large. Also used adjectively.
2. A large fish; the tarpum.
MEGALOPSYCHY Meg`a*lop"sy*chy, n. Etym: [Megalo- + Gr.
Defn: Greatness of soul. [Obs. & R.]
MEGALOSAUR; MEGALOSAURUS Meg"a*lo*saur`, Meg`a*lo*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL. megalosaurus, fr. Gr. mégalosaure.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A gigantic carnivorous dinosaur, whose fossil remains have been found in England and elsewhere.
MEGAMETER Me*gam"e*ter, n. Etym: [Mega- + -meter: cf. F. mégamètre.] (Physics)
1. An instrument for determining longitude by observation of the stars.
2. A micrometer. [R.] Knight.
MEGAMETER; MEGAMETRE Meg"a*me`ter, Meg"a*me`tre, n. Etym: [Mega- + meter, metre, n., 2.]
Defn: In the metric system, one million meters, or one thousand kilometers.
MEGAMPERE Meg`am`père", n. Etym: [Mega- + ampère.] (Elec.)
Defn: A million ampères.
MEGAPHONE Meg"a*phone, n. Etym: [Mega- + Gr.
Defn: A device to magnify sound, or direct it in a given direction in a greater volume, as a very large funnel used as an ear trumpet or as a speaking trumpet.
MEGAPHYTON Me*gaph"y*ton, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. me`gas great + fyto`n plant.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of tree ferns with large, two-ranked leaves, or fronds.
MEGAPODE Meg"a*pode, n. Etym: [Mega- + Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of large-footed, gallinaceous birds of the genera Megapodius and Leipoa, inhabiting Australia and other Pacific islands. See Jungle fowl (b) under Jungle, and Leipoa.
MEGAPOLIS Me*gap"o*lis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas great + po`lis city.]
Defn: A metropolis. [Obs.] Sir T. Herbert.
MEGARIAN; MEGARIC Me*ga"ri*an, Me*gar"ic, a.
Defn: Belonging, or pertaining, to Megara, a city of ancient Greece. Megarian, or Megaric, school, a school of philosophy established at Megara, after the death of Socrates, by his disciples, and remarkable for its logical subtlety.
MEGASCOPE Meg"a*scope, n. Etym: [Mega- + -scope: cf. F. mégascope.]
Defn: A modification of the magic lantern, used esp. for throwing a magnified image of an opaque object on a screen, solar or artificial light being used.
MEGASCOPIC; MEGASCOPICAL Meg`a*scop"ic, Meg`a*scop"ic*al, a.
1. (Physics) Of or pertaining to the megascope or the projection upon a screen of images of opaque objects. (b) Enlarged or magnified; -- said of images or of photographic pictures, etc.
2. (Geol.) Large enough to be seen; --said of the larger structural features and components of rocks which do not require the use of the microscope to be perceived. Opposed to microscopic.
MEGASEME Meg"a*seme, a. Etym: [Mega- + Gr. mégasème.] (Anat.)
Defn: Having the orbital index relatively large; having the orbits narrow transversely; -- opposed to microseme.
MEGASS; MEGASSE Me"gass", Me*gasse", n.
Defn: See Bagasse.
MEGASTHENE Meg"as*thene, n. Etym: [Gr. me`gas great + sthe`nos strength.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a group which includes the higher orders of mammals, having a large size as a typical characteristic.
MEGASTHENIC Meg`as*then"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a typically large size; belonging to the megasthenes.
MEGASTOME Meg"a*stome, n. Etym: [Gr. me`gas great + sto`ma mouth.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a group of univalve shells, having a large aperture or mouth.
MEGATHERE; MEGATHERIUM Meg"a*there, Meg`a*the"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL. megatherium, fr. Gr. me`gas great + thyri`on beast.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct gigantic quaternary mammal, allied to the ant-eaters and sloths. Its remains are found in South America.
MEGATHEROID Meg`a*the"roid, n. Etym: [Megatherium + -oid.] (Paleon.)
Defn: One of a family of extinct edentates found in America. The family includes the megatherium, the megalonyx, etc.
MEGAVOLT Meg`a*volt", n. Etym: [Mega- + volt.] (Elec.)
Defn: One of the larger measures of electro-motive force, amounting to one million volts.
MEGAWEBER Meg`a*we"ber, n. Etym: [Mega- + weber.] (Elec.)
Defn: A million webers.
MEGERG Meg"erg`, n. Etym: [Mega- + erg.] (Physics)
Defn: One of the larger measures of work, amounting to one million ergs; -- called also megalerg.
MEGILP; MEGILPH Me*gilp", Me*gilph", n. (Paint.)
Defn: A gelatinous compound of linseed oil and mastic varnish, used by artists as a vehicle for colors. [Written also magilp, and magilph.]
MEGOHM Meg"ohm", n. Etym: [Mega- + ohm.] (Elec.)
Defn: One of the larger measures of electrical resistance, amounting to one million ohms.
MEGRIM Me"grim, n. Etym: [OE. migrim, migrene, F. migraine, LL. hemigrania, L. hemicrania, hemicranium, Gr. Hemi- and Cranium, and cf. Hemicrania, Migraine.]
1. A kind of sick or nevrous headache, usually periodical and confined to one side of the head.
2. A fancy; a whim; a freak; a humor; esp., in the plural, lowness of spirits. These are his megrims, firks, and melancholies. Ford.
3. pl. (Far.)
Defn: A sudden vertigo in a horse, succeeded sometimes by unconsciousness, produced by an excess of blood in the brain; a mild form of apoplexy. Youatt.
MEGRIM Me"grim, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The British smooth sole, or scaldfish (Psetta arnoglossa).
MEIBOMIAN Mei*bo"mi*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Meibomius. Meibomian glands, the slender sebaceous glands of the eyelids, which discharge, through minute orifices in the edges of the lids, a fatty secretion serving to lubricate the adjacent parts.
MEINE Meine, v. t.
Defn: See Menge.
MEINE; MEINY Mein"e, Mein"y, (, n. Etym: [OF. maisniée, maisnie. See Menial.]
1. A family, including servants, etc.; household; retinue; train. [Obs.] Chaucer. Shak.
2. Company; band; army. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEIOCENE Mei"o*cene, a. (Geol.)
Defn: See Miocene.
MEIONITE Mei"o*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A member of the scapolite, group, occuring in glassy crystals on Monte Somma, near Naples.
MEIOSIS Mei*o"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Meionite.] (Rhet.)
Defn: Diminution; a species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it really is.
MEIOSTEMONOUS Mei`o*stem"o*nous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having fever stamens than the parts of the corolla.
MEISTERSINGER Meis"ter*sing`er, n. Etym: [G.]
Defn: See Mastersinger.
MEKHITARIST Mekh"i*tar*ist, n. (Ecc. Hist.)
Defn: See Mechitarist.
MELACONITE Me*lac"o*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: An earthy black oxide of copper, arising from the decomposition of other ores.
MELADA; MELADO Me*la"da, Me*la"do, n. Etym: [Sp., prop. p. p. of melar to sugar, candy, fr. L. mel honey. See Molasses.]
Defn: A mixture of sugar and molasses; crude sugar as it comes from the pans without being drained.
MELAENA Me*læ"na, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A discharge from the bowels of black matter, consisting of altered blood.
MELAIN Mel"ain, n. Etym: [See Melna.]
Defn: The dark coloring matter of the liquid of the cuttlefish.
MELAINOTYPE Me*lai"no*type, n.
Defn: See Melanotype.
MELAM Me"lam, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mélam.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white or buff-colored granular powder,
MELAMINE Me*lam"ine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A strong nitrogenous base, C3H6N6, produced from several cyanogen compounds, and obtained as a white crystalline substance, -- formerly supposed to be produced by the decomposition of melam. Called also cyanuramide.
MELAMPODE Mel"am*pode, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The black hellebore. [Obs.] Spenser.
MELAMPYRIN; MELAMPYRITE Mel`am*py"rin, Mel`am*py"rite, n. Etym: [NL. Melampyrum cowwheat; Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: The saccharine substance dulcite; -- so called because found in the leaves of cowwheat (Melampyrum). See Dulcite.
MELANAEMIA Mel`a*næ"mi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A morbid condition in which the blood contains black pigment either floating freely or imbedded in the white blood corpuscles.
MELANAGOGUE Me*lan"a*gogue, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A medicine supposed to expel black bile or choler. [Obs.]
MELANCHOLIA Mel`an*cho"li*a, n. Etym: [L. See Melancholy.] (Med.)
Defn: A kind of mental unsoundness characterized by extreme depression of spirits, ill-grounded fears, delusions, and brooding over one particular subject or train of ideas.
MELANCHOLIAN Mel`an*cho"li*an, n.
Defn: A person affected with melancholy; a melancholic. [Obs.] Dr. J. Scott.
MELANCHOLIC Mel"an*chol`ic, a. Etym: [L. melancholicus, Gr. mélancholique.]
Defn: Given to melancholy; depressed; melancholy; dejected; unhappy. Just as the melancholic eye Sees fleets and armies in the sky. Prior.
MELANCHOLIC Mel"an*chol`ic, n. [Obs.]
1. One affected with a gloomy state of mind. J. Spenser.
2. A gloomy state of mind; melancholy. Clarendon.
MELANCHOLILY Mel"an*chol`i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a melancholy manner.
MELANCHOLINESS Mel"an*chol`i*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being melancholy. Hallywell.
MELANCHOLIOUS Mel`an*cho"li*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. melancholieux.]
Defn: Melancholy. [R.] Milton.
MELANCHOLIST Mel"an*chol*ist, n.
Defn: One affected with melancholy or dejection. [Obs.] Glanvill.
MELANCHOLIZE Mel"an*cho*lize, v. i.
Defn: To become gloomy or dejected in mind. Barrow.
MELANCHOLIZE Mel"an*cho*lize, v. t.
Defn: To make melancholy.
MELANCHOLY Mel"an*chol*y, n. Etym: [OE. melancolie, F. mélancolie, L. melancholia, fr. Gr. Malice, and 1st Gall.]
1. Depression of spirits; a gloomy state continuing a considerable time; deep dejection; gloominess. Shak.
2. Great and continued depression of spirits, amounting to mental unsoundness; melancholia.
3. Pensive maditation; serious thoughtfulness. [Obs.] "Hail, divinest Melancholy !" Milton.
4. Ill nature. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MELANCHOLY Mel"an*chol*y, a.
1. Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal. Shak.
2. Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event.
3. Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired. [Obs.] Bp. Reynolds.
4. Favorable to meditation; somber. A pretty, melancholy seat, well wooded and watered. Evelin.
Syn. -- Gloomy; sad; dispirited; low-spirited; downhearted; unhappy; hypochondriac; disconsolate; heavy, doleful; dismal; calamitous; afflictive.
MELANCONIACEAE Mel`an*co`ni*a"ce*æ, n. pl. [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: A family of fungi constituting the order Melanconiales. -- Mel`an*co`ni*a"ceous (#), a.
MELANCONIALES Mel`an*co`ni*a"les, n. pl. [NL., fr. Melanconium, name of the typical genus, fr. Gr. black + dust, in allusion to the dark spores.] (Bot.)
Defn: The smallest of the three orders of Fungi Imperfecti, including those with no asci nor pycnidia, but as a rule having the spores in cavities without special walls. They cause many of the plant diseases known as anthracnose.
MELANESIAN Mel`a*ne"sian, a. Etym: [Gr. Melanesia was so called from the dark complexion of the natives.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Melanesia.
MELANGE Mé`lange", n. Etym: [F. See Mell, Meddle.]
Defn: A mixture; a medley.
MELANIAN Me*la"ni*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a family of fresh-water pectinibranchiate mollusks, having a turret-shaped shell.
MELANIC Me*lan"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Melanotic.
2. (Ethnol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the black-haired races. Prichard.
MELANILINE Me*lan"i*line, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous hydrocarbon obtained artificially (as by the action of cyanogen chloride on aniline) as a white, crystalline substance; -- called also diphenyl guanidin.
MELANIN Mel"a*nin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: A black pigment found in the pigment-bearing cells of the skin (particularly in the skin of the negro), in the epithelial cells of the external layer of the retina (then called fuscin), in the outer layer of the choroid, and elsewhere. It is supposed to be derived from the decomposition of hemoglobin.
MELANISM Mel"a*nism, n. Etym: [Gr. , , black.]
1. An indue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its appendages; -- the opposite of albinism.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A disease; black jaundice. See Mel.
MELANISTIC Mel`a*nis"tic, a.
Defn: Affected with melanism; of the nature of melanism.
MELANITE Mel"a*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. mélanite.] (Min.)
Defn: A black variety of garnet.
MELANOCHROI Mel`a*noch"ro*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Melanochroic.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: A group of the human race, including the dark whites.
MELANOCHROIC Mel`a*no*chro"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Having a dark complexion; of or pertaining to the Melanochroi.
MELANOCHROITE Mel`a*no*chro"ite, n. Etym: [See Melanochroic.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of a red, or brownish or yellowish red color. It is a chromate of lead; -- called also phoenicocroite.
MELANOCOMOUS Mel`a*noc"o*mous, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Having very dark or black hair; black-haired. Prichard.
MELANOMA Mel`a*no"ma, n.; L. pl. -nomata (#). [NL.; Gr. , , black + -oma.] (Med.) (a) A tumor containing dark pigment. (b) Development of dark-pigmented tumors.
MELANORRHOEA Mel`a*nor*rhoe"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: An East Indian genus of large trees. Melanorrhoea usitatissima is the lignum-vitæ of Peru, and yelds a valuable black varnish.
MELANOSCOPE Me*lan"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.] (Opt.)
Defn: An instrument containing a combination of colored glasses such that they transmit only red light, so that objects of other colors, as green leaves, appear black when seen through it. It is used for viewing colored flames, to detect the presence of potassium, lithium, etc., by the red light which they emit.
MELANOSIS Mel`a*no"sis, Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The morbid deposition of black matter, often of a malignant character, causing pigmented tumors.
MELANOSPERM Me*lan"o*sperm, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: An alga of any kind that produces blackish spores, or seed dust. The melanosperms include the rockweeds and all kinds of kelp. -- Mel`a*no*sper"mous, a.
MELANOTIC Mel`a*not"ic
Defn: , Melanistic.
MELANOTYPE Me*lan"o*type, n. Etym: [Gr. -type.] (Photog.)
Defn: A positive picture produced with sensitized collodion on a smooth surface of black varnish, coating a thin plate of iron; also, the process of making such a picture. [Written also melainotype.]
MELANTERITE Me*lan"ter*ite, n. (Min.)
Defn: A hydrous sulphate of iron of a green color and vitreous luster; iron vitriol.
MELANURE Mel"a*nure, n. Etym: [NL. melanurus, fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small fish of the Mediterranean; a gilthead. See Gilthead (a).
MELANURIC Mel`a*nu"ric, a. Etym: [Melam + urea.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a complex nitrogenous acid obtained by decomposition of melam, or of urea, as a white crystalline powder; -- called also melanurenic acid.
MELAPHYRE Mel"a*phyre, n. Etym: [F., fr. Gr. phyre porphyry.] (Min.)
Defn: Any one of several dark-colored augitic, eruptive rocks allied to basalt.
MELASMA Me*las"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A dark discoloration of the skin, usually local; as, Addison's melasma, or Addison's disease. -- Me*las"mic, a.
MELASSES Me*las"ses, n.
Defn: See Molasses.
MELASSIC Me*las"sic, a. Etym: [See Molasses.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from molasses or glucose, and probably identical with saccharic acid. See Saccharic.
MELASTOMA Me*las"to*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of evergreen tropical shrubs; -- so called from the black berries of some species, which stain the mouth.
MELASTOMACEOUS Mel`a*sto*ma"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Belonging to the order of which Melastoma is the type.
MELCHITE Mel"chite, n. Etym: [Heb. melek king.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect, chiefly in Syria and Egypt, which acknowledges the authority of the pope, but adheres to the liturgy and ceremonies of the Eastern Church.
MELD Meld, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Melded; p. pr. & vb. n. Melding.] [G. melden to announce.] (Card Playing)
Defn: In the game of pinochle, to declare or announce for a score; as, to meld a sequence.
MELD Meld, n. (Card Playing)
Defn: Any combination or score which may be declared, or melded, in pinochle.
MELEAGRINE Mel`e*a"grine, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Meleagris.
MELEAGRIS Mel`e*a"gris, n. Etym: [L., the Guinea fowl.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of American gallinaceous birds, including the common and the wild turkeys.
MELEE Mê`lée", n. Etym: [F., fr. mêler to mix. See Meddle, Mell, and cf. Mellay.]
Defn: A fight in which the combatants are mingled
MELENA Me*le"na, n. (Med.)
Defn: See Mel.
MELENE Mel"ene, n. Etym: [Melissic + ethylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: An unsaturated hydrocarbon, C30H60, of the ethylene series, obtained from beeswax as a white, scaly, crystalline wax; -- called also melissene, and melissylene.
MELENITE Mel"e*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. me`li honey.]
Defn: An explosive of great destructive power; -- so called from its color, which resembles honey.
MELETIN Mel"e*tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Quercitin.
MELEZITOSE Me*lez"i*tose`, n. Etym: [F. mélèze the larch + melitose.] (Chem.)
Defn: A variety of sugar, isomeric with sucrose, extracted from the manna of the larch (Larix). [Written also melicitose.]
MELIACEOUS Me`li*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to a natural order (Meliacæ) of plants of which the genus Melia is the type. It includes the mahogany and the Spanish cedar.
MELIBEAN; MELIBOEAN Mel`i*be"an, Mel`i*boe"an, a. Etym: [From L. Meliboeus, one of the interlocutors in Virgil's first Eclogue.] (Rhet.)
Defn: Alternately responsive, as verses.
MELIC Mel"ic, Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to song; lyric; tuneful.
MELICEROUS Me*lic"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. meliceris a kind of tumor, fr. Gr. me`li honey + (Med.)
Defn: Consisting of or containing matter like honey; -- said of certain encysted tumors.
MELIC GRASS Mel"ic grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of grasses (Melica) of little agricultural importance.
MELICOTOON Mel`i*co*toon", n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Melocoton.
MELICRATORY Me*lic"ra*to*ry, n. Etym: [Gr. meli`kraton.]
Defn: A meadlike drink. [Obs.]
MELILITE Mel"i*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. me`li honey + -lite; cf. F. mélilithe.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occurring in small yellow crystals, found in the lavas (melilite basalt) of Vesuvius, and elsewhere. [Written also mellilite.]
MELILOT Mel"i*lot, n. Etym: [F. mélilot, L. melilotus, fr. Gr. me`li honey + (Bot.)
Defn: Any species of Melilotus, a genus of leguminous herbs having a vanillalike odor; sweet clover; hart's clover. The blue melilot (Melilotus cærulea) is used in Switzerland to give color and flavor to sapsago cheese.
MELILOTIC Mel`i*lot"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sweet clover or meliot; specifically, designating an acid of the aromatic series, obtained from melilot as a white crystalline substance.
MELINITE Mé"lin*ite, n. [F.] (Chem.)
Defn: A high explosive similar to lyddite, consisting principally of picric acid, used in the French military service.
MELIORATE Mel"io*rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meliorated; p. pr. & vb. n. Meliorating.] Etym: [L. melioratus, p. p. of meliorare to meliorate, fr. melior better; akin to Gr. Ameliorate.]
Defn: To make better; to improve; to ameliorate; to soften; to make more tolerable. Nature by art we nobly meliorate. Denham. The pure and bening light of revelation has had a meliorating influence on mankind. Washington.
MELIORATE Mel"io*rate, v. i.
Defn: To grow better.
MELIORATER Mel"io*ra`ter, n.
Defn: Same as Meliorator.
MELIORATION Mel`io*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. melioratio.]
Defn: The act or operation of meliorating, or the state of being meliorated; improvement. Bacon.
MELIORATOR Mel"io*ra`tor, n.
Defn: One who meliorates.
MELIORISM Mel"io*rism, n. Etym: [From L. melior better.]
Defn: The doctrine that there is a tendency throughout nature toward improvement. J. Sully.
MELIORITY Mel*ior"i*ty, n. Etym: [LL. melioritas, fr. L. melior. See Meliorate.]
Defn: The state or quality of being better; melioration. [Obs.] Bacon.
MELIPHAGAN Me*liph"a*gan, a. Etym: [Gr. me`li honey + (Zoöl.)
Defn: Belonging to the genus Meliphaga.
MELIPHAGAN Me*liph"a*gan, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any bird of the genus Meliphaga and allied genera; a honey eater; -- called also meliphagidan.
MELIPHAGOUS Me*liph"a*gous, a. Etym: [See Meliphagan.] (Zool.)
Defn: Eating, or feeding upon, honey.
MELISMA Me*lis"ma, n.; pl. Melismata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Mus.) (a) A piece of melody; a song or tune, -- as opposed to recitative or musical declamation. (b) A grace or embellishment.
MELISSA Me*lis"sa, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. me`lissa a bee, honey.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of labiate herbs, including the balm, or bee balm (Melissa officinalis).
MELISSIC Me*lis"sic, a. Etym: [Gr. me`lissa a bee, honey.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, beeswax; specif., denoting an acid obtained by oxidation of myricin.
MELISSYL Me*lis"syl, n. Etym: [Melissic +yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: See Myricyl.
MELISSYLENE Me*lis"sy*lene, n. Etym: [Melissic + -yl + -ene.] (Chem.)
Defn: See Melene.
MELITOSE Mel"i*tose`, n. Etym: [Gr. me`li honey.] (Chem.)
Defn: A variety of sugar isomeric with sucrose, extracted from cotton seeds and from the so-called Australian manna (a secretion of certain species of Eucalyptus).
MELL Mell, v. i. & t. Etym: [F. mêler, OF. meller, mester. See Meddle.]
Defn: To mix; to meddle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MELL Mell, n. Etym: [See Mellifluous.]
Defn: Honey. [Obs.] Warner.
MELL Mell, n.
Defn: A mill. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MELLATE Mel"late, n. Etym: [L. mel, mellis, honey. Cf. Mellitate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A mellitate. [R.]
MELLAY Mel"lay, n.
Defn: A mêlée; a conflict. Tennyson.
MELLIC Mel"lic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: See Mellitic. [R.]
MELLIFEROUS Mel*lif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. mellifer; mel, mellis, honey + ferre to bear.]
Defn: Producing honey.
MELLIFIC Mel*lif"ic, a. Etym: [L. mel, mellis, honey + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Defn: Producing honey.
MELLIFICATION Mel`li*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. mellificare to make honey: cf. F. mellification. See Mellific.]
Defn: The making or production of honey.
MELLIFLUENCE Mel*lif"lu*ence, n.
Defn: A flow of sweetness, or a sweet, smooth flow.
MELLIFLUENT Mel*lif"lu*ent, a. Etym: [L. mellifluens. See Mellifluous.]
Defn: Flowing as with honey; smooth; mellifluous.
MELLIFLUENTLY Mel*lif"lu*ent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mellifluent manner.
MELLIFLUOUS Mel*lif"lu*ous, a. Etym: [L. mellifluus; mel, mellis, honey (akin to Gr. milip) + fluere to flow. See Mildew, Fluent, and cf. Marmalade.]
Defn: Flowing as with honey; smooth; flowing sweetly or smoothly; as, a mellifluous voice. -- Mel*lif"lu*ous*ly, adv.
MELLIGENOUS Mel*lig"e*nous, a. Etym: [L. mel, mellis + -genous.]
Defn: Having the qualities of honey. [R.]
MELLIGO Mel*li"go, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Honeydew.
MELLILOQUENT Mel*lil"o*quent, a. Etym: [L. mel, mellis honey + loquens speaking, p. pr. of loqui to speak.]
Defn: Speaking sweetly or harmoniously.
MELLIPHAGAN Mel*liph"a*gan, n.
Defn: See Meliphagan.
MELLIPHAGOUS Mel*liph"a*gous, a.
Defn: See Meliphagous.
MELLITATE Mel"li*tate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mellitate. See Mellitic.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mellitic acid.
MELLITE Mel"lite, n. Etym: [L. mel, mellis, honey: cf. F. mellite.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of a honey color, found in brown coal, and partly the result of vegetable decomposition; honeystone. It is a mellitate of alumina.
MELLITIC Mel*lit"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mellitique. See Mellite.] (Chem.) (a) Containing saccharine matter; marked by saccharine secretions; as, mellitic diabetes. (b) Pertaining to, or derived from, the mineral mellite. Mellitic acid (Chem.), a white, crystalline, organic substance, C6(CO2H)6, occurring naturally in combination with aluminium in the mineral mellite, and produced artificially by the oxidation of coal, graphite, etc., and hence called also graphitic acid.
MELLONE Mel"lone, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow powder, C6H3N9, obtained from certain sulphocyanates. It has acid properties and forms compounds called mellonides.
MELLONIDE Mel"lon*ide, n.
Defn: See Mellone.
MELLOW Mel"low, a. [Compar. Mellower; superl. Mellowest.] Etym: [OE. melwe; cf. AS. mearu soft, D. murw, Prov. G. mollig soft, D. malsch, and E. meal flour.]
1. Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp; as, a mellow apple.
2. Hence: (a) Easily worked or penetrated; not hard or rigid; as, a mellow soil. "Mellow glebe." Drayton (b) Not coarse, rough, or harsh; subdued; soft; rich; delicate; -- said of sound, color, flavor, style, etc. "The mellow horn." Wordsworth. "The mellow-tasted Burgundy." Thomson. The tender flush whose mellow stain imbues Heaven with all freaks of light. Percival.
3. Well matured; softened by years; genial; jovial. May health return to mellow age. Wordsworth. As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound. W. Irving.
4. Warmed by liquor; slightly intoxicated. Addison.
MELLOW Mel"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mellowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mellowing.]
Defn: To make mellow. Shak. If the Weather prove frosty to mellow it [the ground], they do not plow it again till April. Mortimer. The fervor of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age. J. C. Shairp.
MELLOW Mel"low, v. i.
Defn: To become mellow; as, ripe fruit soon mellows. "Prosperity begins to mellow." Shak.
MELLOWLY Mel"low*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mellow manner.
MELLOWNESS Mel"low*ness, n.
Defn: Quality or state of being mellow.
MELLOWY Mel"low*y, a.
Defn: Soft; unctuous. Drayton.
MELLUCO Mel*lu"co, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A climbing plant (Ullucus officinalis) of the Andes, having tuberous roots which are used as a substitute for potatoes.
MELNE Mel"ne, n.
Defn: A mill. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MELOCOTON; MELOCOTOON Mel`o*co*ton", Mel`o*co*toon", n. Etym: [Sp. melocoton a kind of peach tree and its fruit, L. malum cotonium, or cotonea, or Cydonia, a quince, or quince tree, lit., apple of Cydonia, Gr. Quince.] (Bot.) (a) A quince. (b) A kind of peach having one side deep red, and the flesh yellow. [Written also malacatoon, malacotune.]
MELODEON Me*lo"de*on, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Melody, and cf. Odeon.]
1. (Mus.)
Defn: A kind of small reed organ; -- a portable form of the seraphine.
2. A music hall.
MELODIC Me*lod"ic, a. Etym: [L. melodicus, Gr. mélodique.]
Defn: Of the nature of melody; relating to, containing, or made up of, melody; melodious.
MELODICS Me*lod"ics, n.
Defn: The department of musical science which treats of the pitch of tones, and of the laws of melody.
MELODIOGRAPH Me*lo"di*o*graph, n. Etym: [Melody + -graph.]
Defn: A contrivance for preserving a record of music, by recording the action of the keys of a musical instrument when played upon.
MELODIOUS Me*lo"di*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mélodieux. See Melody.]
Defn: Containing, or producing, melody; musical; agreeable to the ear by a sweet succession of sounds; as, a melodious voice. "A melodious voice." "A melodious undertone." Longfellow. -- Me*lo"di*ous*ly, adv. -- Me*lo"di*ous*ness, n.
MELODIST Mel"o*dist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mélodiste.]
Defn: A composer or singer of melodies.
MELODIZE Mel"o*dize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Melodized; p. pr. & vb. n. Melodizing.]
Defn: To make melodious; to form into, or set to, melody.
MELODIZE Mel"o*dize, v. i.
Defn: To make melody; to compose melodies; to harmonize.
MELODRAMA Mel`o*dra"ma, n. Etym: [F. mélodrame, fr. Gr.
Defn: Formerly, a kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes. Now, a drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in parts which are especially thrilling or pathetic. In opera, a passage in which the orchestra plays a somewhat descriptive accompaniment, while the actor speaks; as, the melodrama in the gravedigging scene of Beethoven's "Fidelio".
MELODRAMATIC Mel`o*dra*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mélodramatique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to melodrama; like or suitable to a melodrama; unnatural in situation or action. -- Mel`o*dra*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.
MELODRAMATIST Mel`o*dram"a*tist, n.
Defn: One who acts in, or writes, melodramas.
MELODRAME Mel"o*drame, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Melodrama.
MELODY Mel"o*dy, n.; pl. Melodies. Etym: [OE. melodie, F. mélodie, L. melodia, fr. Gr. Ode.]
1. A sweet or agreeable succession of sounds. Lulled with sound of sweetest melody. Shak.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A rhythmical succession of single tones, ranging for the most part within a given key, and so related together as to form a musical whole, having the unity of what is technically called a musical thought, at once pleasing to the ear and characteristic in expression.
Note: Melody consists in a succession of single tones; harmony is a consonance or agreement of tones, also a succession of consonant musical combinations or chords.
3. The air or tune of a musical piece.
Syn. -- See Harmony.
MELOE Mel"o*e, Etym: [ NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of beetles without wings, but having short oval elytra; the oil beetles. These beetles are sometimes used instead of cantharides for raising blisters. See Oil beetle, under Oil.
MELOGRAPH Mel"o*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph : cf. F. mélographe.]
Defn: Same as Melodiograph.
MELOLONTHIDIAN Mel`o*lon*thid"i*an, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A beetle of the genus Melolontha, and allied genera. See May beetle, under May.
MELON Mel"on, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. melo, for melopepo an apple-shaped melon, Gr. malum apple. Cf. Marmalade.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The juicy fruit of certain cucurbitaceous plants, as the muskmelon, watermelon, and citron melon; also, the plant that produces the fruit.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, ornamental, marine, univalve shell of the genus Melo. Melon beetle (Zoöl.), a small leaf beetle (Diabrotiea vittata), which damages the leaves of melon vines. -- Melon cactus, Melon thistle. (a) (Bot.) A genus of cactaceous plants (Melocactus) having a fleshy and usually globose stem with the surface divided into spiny longitudinal ridges, and bearing at the top a prickly and woolly crown in which the small pink flowers are half concealed. M. communis, from the West Indies, is often cultivated, and sometimes called Turk's cap. (b) The related genus Mamillaria, in which the stem is tubercled rather than ribbed, and the flowers sometimes large. See Illust. under Cactus.
MELOPIANO Mel`o*pi*a"no, n. Etym: [Gr. piano.]
Defn: A piano having a mechanical attachment which enables the player to prolong the notes at will.
MELOPLASTIC Mel`o*plas"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to meloplasty, or the artificial formation of a new cheek.
MELOPLASTY Mel"o*plas`ty, n. Etym: [Gr. -plasty: cf. F. méloplastie.] (Surg.)
Defn: The process of restoring a cheek which has been destroyed wholly or in part.
MELOPOEIA Mel`o*poe"ia, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Mus.)
Defn: The art of forming melody; melody; -- now often used for a melodic passage, rather than a complete melody.
MELOTYPE Mel"o*type, n. (Photog.)
Defn: A picture produced by a process in which development after exposure may be deferred indefinitely, so as to permit transportation of exposed plates; also, the process itself.
MELPOMENE Mel*pom"e*ne, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: The Muse of tragedy.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: The eighteenth asteroid.
MELROSE Mel"rose, n.
Defn: Honey of roses.
MELT Melt, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See 2d Milt.
MELT Melt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Melted (obs.) p. p. Molten; p. pr. & vb. n. Melting.] Etym: [AS. meltan; akin to Gr. malt, and prob. to E. smelt, v. Smelt, v., Malt, Milt the spleen.]
1. To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to liquefy; as, to mell wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or snow.
2. Hence: To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken. Thou would'st have . . . melted down thy youth. Shak. For pity melts the mind to love. Dryden.
Syn. -- To liquefy; fuse; thaw; mollify; soften.
MELT Melt, v. i.
1. To be changed from a solid to a liquid state under the influence of heat; as, butter and wax melt at moderate temperatures.
2. To dissolve; as, sugar melts in the mouth.
3. Hence: To be softened; to become tender, mild, or gentle; also, to be weakened or subdued, as by fear. My soul melteth for heaviness. Ps. cxix. 28. Melting with tenderness and kind compassion. Shak.
4. To lose distinct form or outline; to blend. The soft, green, rounded hills, with their flowing outlines, overlapping and melting into each other. J. C. Shairp.
5. To disappear by being dispersed or dissipated; as, the fog melts away. Shak.
MELTABLE Melt"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being melted.
MELTER Melt"er
Defn: , One who, or that which, melts.
MELTING Melt"ing, n.
Defn: Liquefaction; the act of causing (something) to melt, or the process of becoming melted. Melting point (Chem.), the degree of temperature at which a solid substance melts or fuses; as, the melting point of ice is 0º Centigrade or 32º Fahr., that of urea is 132º Centigrade. -- Melting pot, a vessel in which anything is melted; a crucible.
MELTING Melt"ing a.
Defn: Causing to melt; becoming melted; -- used literally or figuratively; as, a melting heat; a melting appeal; a melting mood. -- Melt"ing*ly, adv.
MELTON Mel"ton, Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: A kind of stout woolen cloth with unfinished face and without raised nap. A commoner variety has a cotton warp.
MELUNGEON Me*lun"geon, n. [Cf. F. mélanger to mix, mélange a mixture.]
Defn: One of a mixed white and Indian people living in parts of Tennessee and the Carolinas. They are descendants of early intermixtures of white settlers with natives. In North Carolina the Croatan Indians, regarded as descended from Raleigh's lost colony of Croatan, formerly classed with negroes, are now legally recognized as distinct.
MEMBER Mem"ber, v. t. Etym: [See Remember.]
Defn: To remember; to cause to remember; to mention. [Obs.]
MEMBER Mem"ber, n. Etym: [OE. membre, F. membre, fr. L. membrum; cf. Goth. mimz flesh, Skr. mamsa.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: A part of an animal capable of performing a distinct office; an organ; a limb. We have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office. Rom. xii. 4.
2. Hence, a part of a whole; an independent constituent of a body; as: (a) A part of a discourse or of a period or sentence; a clause; a part of a verse. (b) (Math.) Either of the two parts of an algebraic equation, connected by the sign of equality. (c) (Engin.)
Defn: Any essential part, as a post, tie rod, strut, etc., of a framed structure, as a bridge truss. (d) (Arch.) Any part of a building, whether constructional, as a pier, column, lintel, or the like, or decorative, as a molding, or group of moldings. (e) One of the persons composing a society, community, or the like; an individual forming part of an association; as, a member of the society of Friends. Compression member, Tension member (Engin.), a member, as a rod, brace, etc., which is subjected to compression or tension, respectively.
MEMBERED Mem"bered, a.
1. Having limbs; -- chiefly used in composition.
2. (Her.)
Defn: Having legs of a different tincture from that of the body; -- said of a bird in heraldic representations.
MEMBERSHIP Mem"ber*ship, n.
1. The state of being a member.
2. The collective body of members, as of a society.
MEMBRAL Mem"bral, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Relating to a member.
MEMBRANACEOUS Mem`bra*na"ceous, a. Etym: [L. membranaceus.]
1. Same as Membranous. Arbuthnot.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Thin and rather soft or pliable, as the leaves of the rose, peach tree, and aspen poplar.
MEMBRANE Mem"brane, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. membrana the skin that covers the separate members of the body, fr. L. membrum. See Member.] (Anat.)
Defn: A thin layer or fold of tissue, usually supported by a fibrous network, serving to cover or line some part or organ, and often secreting or absorbing certain fluids.
Note: The term is also often applied to the thin, expanded parts, of various texture, both in animals and vegetables. Adventitious membrane, a membrane connecting parts not usually connected, or of a different texture from the ordinary connection; as, the membrane of a cicatrix. -- Jacob's membrane. See under Retina. -- Mucous membranes (Anat.), the membranes lining passages and cavities which communicate with the exterior, as well as ducts and receptacles of secretion, and habitually secreting mucus. -- Schneiderian membrane. (Anat.) See Schneiderian. -- Serous membranes (Anat.) , the membranes, like the peritoneum and pleura, which line, or lie in, cavities having no obvious outlet, and secrete a serous fluid.
MEMBRANEOUS Mem*bra"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. membraneus of parchment.]
Defn: See Membranous.
MEMBRANIFEROUS Mem`bra*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Membrane + -ferous.]
Defn: Having or producing membranes.
MEMBRANIFORM Mem*bra"ni*form, a. Etym: [Membrane + -form: cf. F. membraniforme.]
Defn: Having the form of a membrane or of parchment.
MEMBRANOLOGY Mem`bra*nol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Membrane + -logy.]
Defn: The science which treats of membranes.
MEMBRANOUS Mem"bra*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. membraneux.]
1. Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, membrane; as, a membranous covering or lining.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Membranaceous. Membranous croup (Med.), true croup. See Croup.
MEMENTO Me*men"to, n.; pl. Mementos. Etym: [L., remember, be mindful, imper. of meminisse to remember. See Mention.]
Defn: A hint, suggestion, token, or memorial, to awaken memory; that which reminds or recalls to memory; a souvenir. Seasonable mementos may be useful. Bacon.
MEMENTO MORI Me*men"to mo"ri. [L.]
Defn: Lit., remember to die, i.e., that you must die; a warning to be prepared for death; an object, as a death's-head or a personal ornament, usually emblematic, used as a reminder of death.
MEMINNA Me*min"na, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small deerlet, or chevrotain, of India.
MEMNON Mem"non, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. (Antiq.)
Defn: A celebrated Egyptian statue near Thebes, said to have the property of emitting a harplike sound at sunrise.
MEMOIR; MEMOIRS Mem"oir, or pl. Mem"oirs, n. Etym: [F. mémoire, m., memorandum, fr. mémoire, f., memory, L. memoria. See Memory.]
1. A memorial account; a history composed from personal experience and memory; an account of transactions or events (usually written in familiar style) as they are remembered by the writer. See History, 2.
2. A memorial of any individual; a biography; often, a biography written without special regard to method and completeness.
3. An account of something deemed noteworthy; an essay; a record of investigations of any subject; the journals and proceedings of a society.
MEMOIRIST Mem"oir*ist, n.
Defn: A writer of memoirs.
MEMORABILIA Mem`o*ra*bil"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [L., fr. memorabilis memorable. See Memorable.]
Defn: Things remarkable and worthy of remembrance or record; also, the record of them.
MEMORABILITY Mem`o*ra*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being memorable.
MEMORABLE Mem"o*ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. memorabilis, fr. memorare to bring to remembrance, fr. memor mindful, remembering. See Memory, and cf. Memorabilia.]
Defn: Worthy to be remembered; very important or remarkable. -- Mem"o*ra*ble*ness, n. -- Mem"o*ra*bly, adv. Surviving fame to gain, Buy tombs, by books, by memorable deeds. Sir J. Davies.
MEMORANDUM Mem`o*ran"dum, n.; pl. E. Memorandums, L. Memoranda. Etym: [L., something to be remembered, neut. of memorandus, fut. pass. p. of memorare. See Memorable.]
1. A record of something which it is desired to remember; a note to help the memory. I . . . entered a memorandum in my pocketbook. Guardian. I wish you would, as opportunity offers, make memorandums of the regulations of the academies. Sir J. Reynolds.
2. (Law)
Defn: A brief or informal note in writing of some transaction, or an outline of an intended instrument; an instrument drawn up in a brief and compendious form. Memorandum check, a check given as an acknowledgment of indebtedness, but with the understanding that it will not be presented at bank unless the maker fails to take it up on the day the debt becomes due. It usually has Mem. written on its face.
MEMORATE Mem"o*rate, v. t. Etym: [L. memoratus, p. p. of memorare. See Memorable.]
Defn: To commemorate. [Obs.]
MEMORATIVE Mem"o*ra*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mémoratif.]
Defn: Commemorative. [Obs.] Hammond.
MEMORIA Me*mo"ri*a, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Memory. Memoria technica, technical memory; a contrivance for aiding the memory.
MEMORIAL Me*mo"ri*al, a. Etym: [F. mémorial, L. memorialis, fr. memoria. See Memory.]
1. Serving to preserve remembrance; commemorative; as, a memorial building. There high in air, memorial of my name, Fix the smooth oar, and bid me live to fame. Pope.
2. Contained in memory; as, a memorial possession.
3. Mnemonic; assisting the memory. This succession of Aspirate, Soft, and Hard, may be expressed by the memorial word ASH. Skeat. Memorial Day. Same as Decoration Day. [U.S.]
MEMORIAL Me*mo"ri*al, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mémorial.]
1. Anything intended to preserve the memory of a person or event; something which serves to keep something else in remembrance; a monument. Macaulay. Churches have names; some as memorials of peace, some of wisdom, some in memory of the Trinity itself. Hooker.
2. A memorandum; a record. [Obs. or R.] Hayward.
3. A written representation of facts, addressed to the government, or to some branch of it, or to a society, etc., -- often accompanied with a petition.
4. Memory; remembrance. [Obs.] Precious is the memorial of the just. Evelyn.
5. (Diplomacy)
Defn: A species of informal state paper, much used in negotiation.
MEMORIAL DAY Me*mo"ri*al Day.
Defn: A day, May 30, appointed for commemorating, by decorating their graves with flowers, by patriotic exercises, etc., the dead soldiers and sailors who served the Civil War (1861-65) in the United States; Decoration Day. It is a legal holiday in most of the States. In the Southern States, the Confederate Memorial Day is: May 30 in Virginia; April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in North Carolina and South Carolina; the second Friday in May in Tennessee; June 3 in Louisiana. [U. S.]
MEMORIALIST Me*mo"ri*al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mémorialiste.]
Defn: One who writes or signs a memorial.
MEMORIALIZE Me*mo"ri*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Memorialized; p. pr. & vb. n. Memorializing.]
Defn: To address or petition by a memorial; to present a memorial to; as, to memorialize the legislature. T. Hook.
MEMORIALIZER Me*mo"ri*al*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who petitions by a memorial. T. Hook.
MEMORIAL ROSE Memorial rose.
Defn: A Japanese evergreen rose (Rosa wichuraiana) with creeping branches, shining leaves, and single white flowers. It is often planted in cemeteries.
MEMORIST Mem"o*rist, n. Etym: [See Memorize.]
Defn: One who, or that which, causes to be remembered. [Obs.]
MEMORITER Me*mor"i*ter, adv. Etym: [L., fr. memor mindful. See Memorable.]
Defn: By, or from, memory.
MEMORIZE Mem"o*rize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Memorized; p. pr. & vb. n. Memorizing.] Etym: [See Memory.]
1. To cause to be remembered ; hence, to record. [Obs.] They neglect to memorize their conquest. Spenser. They meant to . . . memorize another Golgotha. Shak.
2. To commit to memory; to learn by heart.
MEMORY Mem"o*ry, n.; pl. Memories. Etym: [OE. memorie, OF. memoire, memorie, F. mémoire, L. memoria, fr. memor mindful; cf. mora delay. Cf. Demur, Martyr, Memoir, Remember.]
1. The faculty of the mind by which it retains the knowledge of previous thoughts, impressions, or events. Memory is the purveyor of reason. Rambler.
2. The reach and positiveness with which a person can remember; the strength and trustworthiness of one's power to reach and represent or to recall the past; as, his memory was never wrong.
3. The actual and distinct retention and recognition of past ideas in the mind; remembrance; as, in memory of youth; memories of foreign lands.
4. The time within which past events can be or are remembered; as, within the memory of man. And what, before thy memory, was done From the begining. Milton.
5. Something, or an aggregate of things, remembered; hence, character, conduct, etc., as preserved in remembrance, history, or tradition; posthumous fame; as, the war became only a memory. The memory of the just is blessed. Prov. x. 7. That ever-living man of memory, Henry the Fifth. Shak. The Nonconformists . . . have, as a body, always venerated her [Elizabeth's] memory. Macaulay.
6. A memorial. [Obs.] These weeds are memories of those worser hours. Shak.
Syn. -- Memory, Remembrance, Recollection, Reminiscence. Memory is the generic term, denoting the power by which we reproduce past impressions. Remembrance is an exercise of that power when things occur spontaneously to our thoughts. In recollection we make a distinct effort to collect again, or call back, what we know has been formerly in the mind. Reminiscence is intermediate between remembrance and recollection, being a conscious process of recalling past occurrences, but without that full and varied reference to
## particular things which characterizes recollection. "When an idea
again recurs without the operation of the like object on the external sensory, it is remembrance; if it be sought after by the mind, and with pain and endeavor found, and brought again into view, it is recollection." Locke. To draw to memory, to put on record; to record. [Obs.] Chaucer. Gower.
MEMPHIAN Mem"phi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the ancient city of Memphis in Egypt; hence, Egyptian; as, Memphian darkness.
MEM-SAHIB Mem"-sa`hib, n. [Hind. mem-sahib; mem (fr. E. ma'am) + Ar. çahib master. See Sahib.]
Defn: Lady; mistress; -- used by Hindustani-speaking natives in India in addressing European women.
MEN Men, n.,
Defn: pl. of Man.
MEN Men, pron. Etym: [OE. me, men. "Not the plural of man, but a weakened form of the word man itself." Skeat.]
Defn: A man; one; -- used with a verb in the singular, and corresponding to the present indefinite one or they. [Obs.] Piers Plowman. Men moot give silver to the poure triars. Chaucer. A privy thief, men clepeth death. Chaucer.
MENACCANITE Me*nac"can*ite, n. Etym: [From Menaccan, in Cornwall, where it was first found.] (Min.)
Defn: An iron-black or steel-gray mineral, consisting chiefly of the oxides of iron and titanium. It is commonly massive, but occurs also in rhombohedral crystals. Called also titanic iron ore, and ilmenite.
MENACE Men"ace, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. minaciae threats, menaces, fr. minax, - acis, projecting, threatening, minae projecting points or pinnacles, threats. Cf. Amenable, Demean, Imminent, Minatory.]
Defn: The show of an intention to inflict evil; a threat or threatening; indication of a probable evil or catastrophe to come. His (the pope's) commands, his rebukes, his menaces. Milman. The dark menace of the distant war. Dryden.
MENACE Men"ace, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Menaced (ast); p. pr. & vb. n. Menacing.] Etym: [OF. menacier, F. menacer. See Menace, n.]
1. To express or show an intention to inflict, or to hold out a prospect of inflicting, evil or injury upon; to threaten; -- usually followed by with before the harm threatened; as, to menace a country with war. My master . . . did menace me with death. Shak.
2. To threaten, as an evil to be inflicted. By oath he menaced Revenge upon the cardinal. Shak.
MENACE Men"ace, v. i.
Defn: To act in threatening manner; to wear a threatening aspect. Who ever knew the heavens menace so Shak.
MENACER Men"a*cer, n.
Defn: One who menaces.
MENACINGLY Men"a*cing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a threatening manner.
MENAGE Mé`nage", n.
Defn: See Manage.
MENAGE Mé`nage", n. Etym: [See Menagerie.]
Defn: A collection of animals; a menagerie. [Obs.] Addison.
MENAGERIE Men*ag"er*ie, n. Etym: [F. ménagerie, fr. ménager to keep house, ménage household. See Menial, Mansion.]
1. A piace where animals are kept and trained.
2. A collection of wild or exotic animals, kept for exhibition.
MENAGOGUE Men"a*gogue, n. Etym: [F. ménagogue, fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Emmenagogue.
MENAION Me*na"ion, n.; pl. Menaia (-yå). Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Eccl.)
Defn: A work of twelve volumes, each containing the offices in the Greek Church for a month; also, each volume of the same. Shipley.
MENALD; MENILD Men"ald, Men"ild, a.
Defn: Covered with spots; speckled; variegated. [Obs.]
MEND Mend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mended; p. pr. & vb. n. Mending.] Etym: [Abbrev. fr. amend. See Amend.]
1. To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement; to patch up; to put in shape or order again; to re-create; as, to mend a garment or a machine.
2. To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace. The best service they could do the state was to mend the lives of the persons who composed it. Sir W. Temple.
3. To help, to advance, to further; to add to. Though in some lands the grass is but short, yet it mends garden herbs and fruit. Mortimer. You mend the jewel by the wearing it. Shak.
Syn. -- To improve; help; better; emend; amend; correct; rectify; reform.
MEND Mend, v. i.
Defn: To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved. Shak.
MENDABLE Mend"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being mended.
MENDACIOUS Men*da"cious, a. Etym: [L. mendax, -acis, lying, cf. mentiri to lie.]
1. Given to deception or falsehood; lying; as, a mendacious person.
2. False; counterfeit; containing falsehood; as, a mendacious statement. -- Men*da"cious*ly, adv. -- Men*da"cious*ness, n.
MENDACITY Men*dac"i*ty, n.; pl. Mendacities. Etym: [L. mendacitas.]
1. The quality or state of being mendacious; a habit of lying. Macaulay.
2. A falsehood; a lie. Sir T. Browne.
Syn. -- Lying; deceit; untruth; falsehood.
MENDELIAN Men*de"li*an, a. [See Mendel's law.] (Biol.)
Defn: Pert. to Mendel, or to Mendel's law. -- Men*de"li*an*ism (#), Men*del"ism (#), n.
MENDELIAN CHARACTER Mendelian character. (Biol.)
Defn: A character which obeys Mendel's law in regard to its hereditary transmission.
MENDEL'S LAW Men"del's law.
Defn: A principle governing the inheritance of many characters in animals and plants, discovered by Gregor J. Mendel (Austrian Augustinian abbot, 1822-84) in breeding experiments with peas. He showed that the height, color, and other characters depend on the presence of determinating factors behaving as units. In any given germ cell each of these is either present or absent. The following example (using letters as symbols of the determining factors and hence also of the individuals possessing them) shows the operation of the law: Tallness being due to a factor T, a tall plant, arising by the union in fertilization of two germ cells both bearing this factor, is TT; a dwarf, being without T, is tt. Crossing these, crossbreeds, Tt, result (called generation F1). In the formation of the germ cells of these crossbreeds a process of segregation occurs such that germ cells, whether male or female, are produced of two kinds, T and t, in equal numbers. The T cells bear the factor "tallness," the t cells are devoid of it. The offspring, generation F2, which arise from the chance union of these germ cells in pairs, according to the law of probability, are therefore on an average in the following proportions:
1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt;
and thus plants pure in tallness (TT) and dwarfness (tt), as well as crossbreeds (Tt), are formed by the interbreeding of crossbreeds. Frequently, as in this example, owning to what is called the dominance of a factor, the operation of Mendel's law may be complicated by the fact that when a dominant factor (as T) occurs with its allelomorph (as t), called recessive, in the crossbreed Tt, the individual Tt is itself indistinguishable from the pure form TT. Generation F1, containing only the Tt form, consists entirely of dominants (tall plants) and generation F2 consists of three dominants (2 Tt, 1 TT) to one dwarf (tt), which, displaying the feature suppressed in F1, is called recessive. Such qualitative and numerical regularity has been proved to exist in regard to very diverse qualities or characters which compose living things, both wild and domesticated, such as colors of flowers, of hair or eyes, patterns, structure, chemical composition, and power of resisting certain diseases. The diversity of forms produced in crossbreeding by horticulturists and fanciers generally results from a process of analytical variation or recombination of the factors composing the parental types. Purity of type consequently acquires a specific meaning. An individual is pure in respect of a given character when it results from the union of two sexual cells both bearing that character, or both without it.
MENDER Mend"er, n.
Defn: One who mends or repairs.
MENDIANT Men"di*ant, n.
Defn: See Mendinant. [Obs.]
MENDICANCY Men"di*can*cy, n.
Defn: The condition of being mendicant; beggary; begging. Burke.
MENDICANT Men"di*cant, a. Etym: [L. mendicans, -antis, p. pr. of mendicare to beg, fr. mendicus beggar, indigent.]
Defn: Practicing beggary; begging; living on alms; as, mendicant friars. Mendicant orders (R. C. Ch.), certain monastic orders which are forbidden to acquire landed property and are required to be supported by alms, esp. the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Carmelites, and the Augustinians.
MENDICANT Men"di*cant, n.
Defn: A beggar; esp., one who makes a business of begging; specifically, a begging friar.
MENDICATE Men"di*cate, v. t.& i. Etym: [L. mendicatus, p. p. of mendicare to beg.]
Defn: To beg. [R.] Johnson.
MENDICATION Men`di*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The act or practice of begging; beggary; mendicancy. Sir T. Browne.
MENDICITY Men*dic"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mendicitas: cf. F. mendicité. See Mendicant.]
Defn: The practice of begging; the life of a beggar; mendicancy. Rom. of R.
MENDINANT Men"di*nant, n.
Defn: A mendicant or begging friar. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MENDMENT Mend"ment, n.
Defn: Amendment. [Obs.]
MENDOLE Men"dole, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mendol, mendole.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The cackerel.
MENDREGAL Men"dre*gal, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Medregal.
MENDS Mends, n.
Defn: See Amends. [Obs.] Shak.
MENGE Menge, v. i. [imp. Mente, Meinte; p. p. Ment, Meint.] Etym: [See Mingle.]
Defn: To mix. [Obs.] Spenser.
MENHADEN Men*ha"den, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American marine fish of the Herring familt (Brevoortia tyrannus), chiefly valuable for its oil and as a component of fertilizers; -- called also mossbunker, bony fish, chebog, pogy, hardhead, whitefish, etc.
MENHIR Men"hir, n. Etym: [F. Armor. men stone + hir high.]
Defn: A large stone set upright in olden times as a memorial or monument. Many, of unknown date, are found in Brittany and throughout Northern Europe.
MENIAL Men"ial, a. Etym: [OE. meneal, fr. meine, maine, household, OF. maisniée, maisnie, LL. mansionaticum. See Mansion, and cf. Meine, n., Meiny.]
1. Belonging to a retinue or train of servants; performing servile office; serving. Two menial dogs before their master pressed. Dryden.
2. Pertaining to servants, esp. domestic servants; servile; low; mean. " Menial offices." Swift.
MENIAL Men"ial, n.
1. A domestic servant or retainer, esp. one of humble rank; one employed in low or servile offices.
2. A person of a servile character or disposition.
MENIERE'S DISEASE Mé`nière's" dis*ease". (Med.)
Defn: A disease characterized by deafness and vertigo, resulting in incoördination of movement. It is supposed to depend upon a morbid condition of the semicircular canals of the internal ear. Named after Ménière, a French physician.
MENILITE Men"i*lite, n. Etym: [F. ménilite; -- so called because it is found at Ménilmontant, near Paris.] (Min.)
Defn: See Opal.
MENINGEAL Me*nin"ge*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the meninges.
MENINGES Me*nin"ges, n. pl.; sing. Meninx (. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord; the pia mater, dura mater, and arachnoid membrane.
MENINGITIS Men`in*gi"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Meninges, and -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the membranes of the brain or spinal cord. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. See under Cerebro-spinal.
MENISCAL Me*nis"cal, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or having the form of, a meniscus.
MENISCOID Me*nis"coid, a. Etym: [Meniscus + -oid.]
Defn: Concavo-convex, like a meniscus.
MENISCUS Me*nis"cus, n.; pl. L. Menisci (-si), E. Meniscuses. Etym: [NL., from Gr. mh`nh the moon.]
1. A crescent.
2. (Opt.)
Defn: A lens convex on one side and concave on the other.
3. (Anat.)
Defn: An interarticular synovial cartilage or membrane; esp., one of the intervertebral synovial disks in some parts of the vertebral column of birds. Converging meniscus, Diverging meniscus. See Lens.
MENISPERMACEOUS Men`i*sper*ma"ceous, a. Etym: [Gr. mh`nh the moon + spe`rma seed.] (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to a natural order (Menispermaceæ) of climbing plants of which moonseed (Menispermum) is the type.
MENISPERMIC Men`i*sper"mic (, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, moonseed (Menispermum), or other plants of the same family, as the Anamirta Cocculus.
MENISPERMINE Men`i*sper"mine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. ménispermine.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid distinct from picrotoxin and obtained from the cocculus indicus (the fruit of Anamirta Cocculus, formerly Menispermum Cocculus) as a white, crystalline, tasteless powder; -- called also menispermina.
MENIVER Men"i*ver, n. Etym: [OF. menuver, menuveir, menuvair, a grayish fur; menu small + vair a kind of fur. See Minute, a., and Vair.]
Defn: Same as Miniver.
MENNONIST; MENNONITE Men"non*ist, Men"non*ite, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a small denomination of Christians, so called from Menno Simons of Friesland, their founder. They believe that the New Testament is the only rule of faith, that there is no original sin, that infants should not be baptized, and that Christians ought not to take oath, hold office, or render military service.
MENOBRANCH; MENOBRANCHUS Men"o*branch, Men`o*bran"chus, n. Etym: [NL. menobranchus, fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large aquatic American salamander of the genus Necturus, having permanent external gills.
MENOLOGIUM; MENOLOGY Men`o*lo"gi*um, Me*nol"o*gy, n.; pl. L. Menologia, E. Menologies. Etym: [NL. menologium, fr. Gr. ménologe.]
1. A register of months. Bp. Stillingfleet.
2. (Gr. Church)
Defn: A brief calendar of the lives of the saints for each day in the year, or a simple remembrance of those whose lives are not written.
MENOPAUSE Men"o*pause, n. Etym: [Gr. Menses.] (Med.)
Defn: The period of natural cessation of menstruation. See Change of life, under Change.
MENOPOMA; MENOPOME Men`o*po"ma, Men"o*pome, n. Etym: [NL. menopoma, fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hellbender.
MENORRHAGIA Men`or*rha"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) Profuse menstruation. (b) Any profuse bleeding from the uterus; Metrorrhagia.
MENOSTASIS Me*nos"ta*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. mh`n month + 'istan`nai to stop.] (Med.)
Defn: Stoppage of the mences.
MENOSTATION Men`os*ta"tion, n. (Med.)
Defn: Same as Menostasis.
MENOW Men"ow, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minnow.
MEN-PLEASER Men"-pleas`er, n.
Defn: One whose motive is to please men or the world, rather than God. Eph. vi. 6.
MENSAL Men"sal, a. Etym: [L. mensalis, fr. mensa table.]
Defn: Belonging to the table; transacted at table; as, mensa conversation.
MENSAL Men"sal, a. Etym: [L. mensis month.]
Defn: Occurring once in a month; monthly.
MENSE Mense, n. Etym: [OE. menske, AS. mennisc human, man. See Man.]
Defn: Manliness; dignity; comeliness; civility. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] -- Mense"ful, a. -- Mense"less, a.
MENSE Mense, v. t.
Defn: To grace. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
MENSES Men"ses, n. pl. Etym: [L. mensis month, pl. menses months, and the monthly courses of women. Cf. Month.] (Med.)
Defn: The catamenial or menstrual discharge, a periodic flow of blood or bloody fluid from the uterus or female generative organs.
MENSTRUAL Men"stru*al, a. Etym: [L. menstrualis: cf. F. menstruel. See Menstruous.]
1. Recurring once a month; monthly; gone through in a month; as, the menstrual revolution of the moon; pertaining to monthly changes; as, the menstrual equation of the sun's place.
2. Of or pertaining to the menses; as, menstrual discharges; the menstrual period.
3. Of or pertaining to a menstruum. Bacon.
MENSTRUANT Men"stru*ant, a. Etym: [L. menstruans, p. pr. of menstruare to have a monthly term, fr. menstruus. See Menstruous.]
Defn: Subject to monthly flowing or menses.
MENSTRUATE Men"stru*ate, a.
Defn: Menstruous. [Obs.]
MENSTRUATE Men"stru*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Menstruated; p. pr. & vb. n. Menstruating.]
Defn: To discharge the menses; to have the catamenial flow.
MENSTRUATION Men`stru*a"tion, n.
Defn: The discharge of the menses; also, the state or the period of menstruating.
MENSTRUE Men"strue, n. Etym: [Cf. F. menstrues. See Menstruous.]
Defn: The menstrual flux; menses. [Obs.]
MENSTRUOUS Men"stru*ous, a. Etym: [L. menstruus, fr. mensis month. Cf. Menstruum.]
1. Having the monthly flow or discharge; menstruating.
2. Of or pertaining tj the monthly flow; catamenial.
MENSTRUUM Men"stru*um, n.; pl. E. Menstruums, L. Menstrua. Etym: [L. menstruus. See Menstruous.]
Defn: Any substance which dissolves a solid body; a solvent. The proper menstruum to dissolve metal. Bacon. All liquors are called menstruums which are used as dissolvents, or to extract the virtues of ingredients by infusion or decoction. Quincy.
Note: The use is supposed to have originated in some notion of the old chemists about the influence of the moon in the preparation of dissolvents. Johnson.
MENSURABILITY Men`su*ra*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mensurabilité.]
Defn: The quality of being mensurable.
MENSURABLE Men"su*ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. mensurabilis, fr. mensurare to measure, fr. mensura measure: cf. F. mensurable. See Measurable, Measure.]
Defn: Capable of being measured; measurable.
MENSURABLENESS Men"su*ra*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mensurable; measurableness.
MENSURAL Men"su*ral, a. Etym: [L. mensuralis.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to measure.
MENSURATE Men"su*rate, v. t. Etym: [L. mensuratus, p. p. of mensurare. See Measure, v.]
Defn: To measure. [Obs.]
MENSURATION Men`su*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. mensuratio : cf. F. mensuration.]
1. The act, process, or art, of measuring.
2. That branch of applied geometry which gives rules for finding the length of lines, the areas of surfaces, or the volumes of solids, from certain simple data of lines and angles.
-MENT -ment, Etym: [F. -ment, L. -mentum.]
Defn: A suffix denoting that which does a thing; an act or process; the result of an act or process; state or condition; as, aliment, that which nourishes, ornament, increment; fragment, piece broken, segment; abridgment, act of abridging, imprisonment, movement, adjournment; amazement, state of being amazed, astonishment.
MENT Ment, p. p.
Defn: of Menge.
MENTAGRA Men"ta*gra, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. mentum chin + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Sycosis.
MENTAL Men"tal, a. Etym: [L. mentum the chin.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the chin; genian; as, the mental nerve; the mental region.
MENTAL Men"tal, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile.
MENTAL Men"tal, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. mentalis, fr. mens, mentis, the mind; akin to E. mind. See Mind.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mind; intellectual; as, mental faculties; mental operations, conditions, or exercise. What a mental power This eye shoots forth! Shak. Mental alienation, insanity. -- Mental arithmetic, the art or practice of solving arithmetical problems by mental processes, unassisted by written figures.
MENTALITY Men*tal"i*ty, n.
Defn: Quality or state of mind. "The same hard mentality." Emerson.
MENTALLY Men"tal*ly, adv.
Defn: In the mind; in thought or meditation; intellectually; in idea.
MENTHA Men"tha, n. Etym: [L. See Mint the plant.] (Bot.)
Defn: A widely distributed genus of fragrant herbs, including the peppermint, spearmint, etc. The plants have small flowers, usually arranged in dense axillary clusters.
MENTHENE Men"thene, n. Etym: [Menthol + terpene.] (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless liquid hydrocarbon resembling oil of turpentine, obtained by dehydrating menthol. It has an agreeable odor and a cooling taste.
MENTHOL Men"thol, n. Etym: [Mentha + -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white, crystalline, aromatic substance resembling camphor, extracted from oil of peppermint (Mentha); -- called also mint camphor or peppermint camphor.
MENTHYL Men"thyl, n. Etym: [Mentha + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A compound radical forming the base of menthol.
MENTICULTURAL Men`ti*cul"tur*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to mental culture; serving to improve or strengthen the mind. [R.]
MENTION Men"tion, n. Etym: [OE. mencioun, F. mention, L. mentio, from the root of meminisse to remember. See Mind.]
Defn: A speaking or notice of anything, -- usually in a brief or cursory manner. Used especially in the phrase to make mention of. I will make mention of thy righteousness. Ps. lxxi. 16. And sleep in dull, cold marble, where no mention Of me more must be heard of. Shak.
MENTION Men"tion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mentioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Mentioning.] Etym: [Cf. F. mentionner.]
Defn: To make mention of; to speak briefly of; to name. I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord. Is. lxiii. 7.
MENTIONABLE Men"tion*a*ble, a.
Defn: Fit to be mentioned.
MENTOMECKELIAN Men`to*meck*e"li*an, a. Etym: [1st mental + Meckelian.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the chin and lower jaw. -- n.
Defn: The bone or cartilage forming the anterior extremity of the lower jaw in some adult animals and the young of others.
MENTOR Men"tor, n. Etym: [From Mentor, the counselor of Telemachus, Gr. Monitor.]
Defn: A wise and faithful counselor or monitor.
MENTORIAL Men*to"ri*al, a. Etym: [From Mentor.]
Defn: Containing advice or admonition.
MENTUM Men"tum, n. Etym: [L., chin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The front median plate of the labium in insects. See Labium.
MENU Me*nu", n. Etym: [F., slender, thin, minute. See 4th Minute.]
Defn: The details of a banquet; a bill of fare.
MENUSE Me"nuse, v. i.
Defn: See Amenuse. [Obs.]
MEOW Me*ow", v. i. & n.
Defn: See 6th and 7th Mew.
MEPHISTOPHELIAN Meph`is*to*phe"li*an ( or ), a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, the devil Mephistopheles, "a crafty, scoffing, relentless fiend;" devilish; crafty.
MEPHITIC; MEPHITICAL Me*phit"ic, Me*phit"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis mephitis: cf. F. méphitique.]
1. Tending to destroy life; poisonous; noxious; as, mephitic exhalations; mephitic regions.
2. Offensive to the smell; as, mephitic odors. Mephitic air (Chem.), carbon dioxide; -- so called because of its deadly suffocating power. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic.
MEPHITIS Me*phi"tis, n. Etym: [L. mephitis : cf. F. méphitis.]
1. Noxious, pestilential, or foul exhalations from decomposing substances, filth, or other source.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of mammals, including the skunks.
MEPHITISM Meph"i*tism, n.
Defn: Same as Mephitis, 1.
MERACIOUS Me*ra"cious, a. Etym: [L. meracus, fr. merus pure, inmixed.]
Defn: Being without mixture or adulteration; hence, strong; racy. [Obs.]
MERCABLE Mer"ca*ble, a. Etym: [L. mercabilis, fr. mercari to trade, traffic, buy. See Merchant.]
Defn: Capable of being bought or sold. [Obs.]
MERCANTILE Mer"can*tile, a. Etym: [F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L. mercans, -antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See Merchant.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to merchants, or the business of merchants; having to do with trade, or the buying and selling of commodities; commercial. The expedition of the Argonauts was partly mercantile, partly military. Arbuthnot. Mercantile agency, an agency for procuring information of the standing and credit of merchants in different parts of the country, for the use of dealers who sell to them. -- Mercantile marine, the persons and vessels employed in commerce, taken collectively. -- Mercantile paper, the notes or acceptances given by merchants for goods bought, or received on consignment; drafts on merchants for goods sold or consigned. McElrath.
Syn. -- Mercantile, Commercial. Commercial is the wider term, being sometimes used to embrace mercantile. In their stricter use, commercial relates to the shipping, freighting, forwarding, and other business connected with the commerce of a country (whether external or internal), that is, the exchange of commodities; while mercantile applies to the sale of merchandise and goods when brought to market. As the two employments are to some extent intermingled, the two words are often interchanged.
MERCAPTAL Mer*cap"tal, n. Etym: [Mercaptan + aldehyde.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of a series of compounds of mercaptans with aldehydes.
MERCAPTAN Mer*cap"tan, n. Etym: [F., fr. NL. mercurius mercury + L. captans, p. pr. of captare to seize, v. intens. fr. capere.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of series of compounds, hydrosulphides of alcohol radicals, in composition resembling the alcohols, but containing sulphur in place of oxygen, and hence called also the sulphur alcohols. In general, they are colorless liquids having a strong, repulsive, garlic odor. The name is specifically applied to ethyl mercaptan, C2H5SH. So called from its avidity for mercury, and other metals.
MERCAPTIDE Mer*cap"tide ( or ), n. (Chem.)
Defn: A compound of mercaptan formed by replacing its sulphur hydrogen by a metal; as, potassium mercaptide, C2H5SK.
MERCAT Mer"cat, n. Etym: [L. mercatus : cf. It. mercato. See Market.]
Defn: Market; trade. [Obs.] Bp. Sprat.
MERCATANTE Mer`ca*tan"te (; It. ), n. Etym: [It. See Merchant.]
Defn: A foreign trader. [Obs.] Shak.
MERCATOR'S CHART Mer*ca"tor's chart".
Defn: See under Chart, and see Mercator's projection, under Projection.
MERCATURE Mer"ca*ture, n. Etym: [L. mercatura commerce.]
Defn: Commerce; traffic; trade. [Obs.]
MERCE Merce, v. t. Etym: [See Amerce.]
Defn: To subject to fine or amercement; to mulct; to amerce. [Obs.]
MERCENARIA Mer`ce*na"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Mercenary.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The quahog.
MERCENARIAN Mer`ce*na"ri*an (-an), n.
Defn: A mercenary. [Obs.]
MERCENARILY Mer"ce*na`ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mercenary manner.
MERCENARINESS Mer"ce*na*ri*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mercenary; venality. Boyle.
MERCENARY Mer"ce*na*ry, a. Etym: [OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See Mercy.]
1. Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers.
2. Hence: Moved by considerations of pay or profit; greedy of gain; sordid; selfish. Shak. For God forbid I should my papers blot With mercenary lines, with servile pen. Daniel.
Syn. -- See Venal.
MERCENARY Mer"ce*na*ry, n.; pl. Mercenaries (.
Defn: One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman.
MERCER Mer"cer, n. Etym: [F. mercier, fr. L. merx, mercis, wares, merchandise. See Merchant.]
Defn: Originally, a dealer in any kind of goods or wares; now restricted to a dealer in textile fabrics, as silks or woolens. [Eng.]
MERCERIZE Mer"cer*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -ized; p. pr. & vb. n. -izing.] [From (John) Mercer (1791-1866), an English calico printer who introduced the process + -ize.]
Defn: To treat (cotton fiber or fabrics) with a solution of caustic alkali. Such treatment causes the fiber to shrink in length and become stronger and more receptive of dyes. If the yarn or cloth is kept under tension during the process, it assumes a silky luster. -- Mer`cer*i*za"tion (#), n.
MERCERSHIP Mer"cer*ship, n.
Defn: The business of a mercer.
MERCERY Mer"cer*y, n. Etym: [F. mercerie.]
Defn: The trade of mercers; the goods in which a mercer deals.
MERCHAND Mer"chand, v. i. Etym: [F. marchander. See Merchant.]
Defn: To traffic. [Obs.] Bacon.
MERCHANDISABLE Mer"chan*di`sa*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be used or transferred as merchandise.
MERCHANDISE Mer"chan*dise, n. Etym: [F. marchandise, OF. marcheandise.]
1. The objects of commerce; whatever is usually bought or sold in trade, or market, or by merchants; wares; goods; commodities. Spenser.
2. The act or business of trading; trade; traffic.
MERCHANDISE Mer"chan*dise, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Merchandised; p. pr. & vb. n. Merchandising.]
Defn: To trade; to carry on commerce. Bacon.
MERCHANDISE Mer"chan*dise, v. t.
Defn: To make merchandise of; to buy and sell. "Love is merchandised." Shak.
MERCHANDISER Mer"chan*di`ser, n.
Defn: A trader. Bunyan.
MERCHANDRY Mer"chand*ry, n. Etym: [See Merchant.]
Defn: Trade; commerce. [Obs.] Bp. Sanderson.
MERCHANT Mer"chant, n. Etym: [OE. marchant, OF. marcheant, F. marchand, fr. LL. mercatans, -antis, p. pr. of mercatare to negotiate, L. mercari to traffic, fr. merx, mercis, wares. See Market, Merit, and cf. Commerce.]
1. One who traffics on a large scale, especially with foreign countries; a trafficker; a trader. Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad. Shak.
2. A trading vessel; a merchantman. [Obs.] Shak.
3. One who keeps a store or shop for the sale of goods; a shopkeeper. [U. S. & Scot.]
MERCHANT Mer"chant, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or employed in, trade or merchandise; as, the merchant service. Merchant bar, Merchant iron or steel, certain common sizes of wrought iron and steel bars. -- Merchant service, the mercantile marine of a country. Am. Cyc. -- Merchant ship, a ship employed in commerce. -- Merchant tailor, a tailor who keeps and sells materials for the garments which he makes.
MERCHANT Mer"chant, v. i.
Defn: To be a merchant; to trade. [Obs.]
MERCHANTABLE Mer"chant*a*ble, a.
Defn: Fit for market; such as is usually sold in market, or such as will bring the ordinary price; as, merchantable wheat; sometimes, a technical designation for a particular kind or class.
MERCHANTLY Mer"chant*ly, a.
Defn: Merchantlike; suitable to the character or business of a merchant. [Obs.] Gauden.
MERCHANTMAN Mer"chant*man, n.; pl. Merchantmen (.
1. A merchant. [Obs.] Matt. xiii. 45.
2. A trading vessel; a ship employed in the transportation of goods, as, distinguished from a man-of-war.
MERCHANTRY Mer"chant*ry, n.
1. The body of merchants taken collectively; as, the merchantry of a country.
2. The business of a merchant; merchandise. Walpole.
MERCIABLE Mer"ci*a*ble, a. Etym: [OF.]
Defn: Merciful. [Obs.]
MERCIFUL Mer"ci*ful, a. Etym: [Mercy + -ful.]
1. Full of mercy; having or exercising mercy; disposed to pity and spare offenders; unwilling to punish. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious. Ex. xxxiv. 6. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mold. Shak.
2. Unwilling to give pain; compassionate. A merciful man will be merciful to his beast. Old Proverb.
Syn. -- Compassionate; tender; humane; gracious; kind; mild; clement; benignant. -- Mer"ci*ful*ly, adv. -- Mer"ci*ful*ness, n.
MERCIFY Mer"ci*fy, v. t.
Defn: To pity. [Obs.] Spenser.
MERCILESS Mer"ci*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of mercy; cruel; unsparing; -- said of animate beings, and also, figuratively, of things; as, a merciless tyrant; merciless waves. The foe is merciless, and will not pity. Shak.
Syn. -- Cruel; unmerciful; remorseless; ruthless; pitiless; barbarous; savage. -- Mer"ci*less*ly, adv. -- Mer"ci*less*ness, n.
MERCURAMMONIUM Mer`cur*am*mo"ni*um, n. Etym: [Mercuric + ammonium.] (Chem.)
Defn: A radical regarded as derived from ammonium by the substitution of mercury for a portion of the hydrogen.
MERCURIAL Mer*cu"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. mercurialis, fr. Mercurius Mercury: cf. F. mercuriel.]
1. Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift;
## active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable; as, a mercurial
youth; a mercurial temperament. A mercurial man Who fluttered over all things like a fan. Byron.
2. Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts. [Obs.] Chillingworth.
3. Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money- making; crafty. The mercurial wand of commerce. J. Q. Adams.
4. Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury, 2.
5. (Med.)
Defn: Caused by the use of mercury; as, mercurial sore mouth.
MERCURIAL Mer*cu"ri*al, n.
1. A person having mercurial qualities. Bacon.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A preparation containing mercury.
MERCURIALISM Mer*cu"ri*al*ism, n. [Mercurial + -ism.] (Med.)
Defn: The morbid condition produced by the excessive use of mercury, or by exposure to its fumes, as in mining or smelting.
MERCURIALIST Mer*cu"ri*al*ist, n.
1. One under the influence of Mercury; one resembling Mercury in character.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A physician who uses much mercury, in any of its forms, in his practice.
MERCURIALIZE Mer*cu"ri*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mercurialized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mercurializing.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: To affect with mercury.
2. (Photography)
Defn: To treat with mercury; to expose to the vapor of mercury.
MERCURIALIZE Mer*cu"ri*al*ize, v. i.
Defn: To be sprightly, fantastic, or capricious. [Obs.]
MERCURIALLY Mer*cu"ri*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mercurial manner.
MERCURIC Mer*cu"ric, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury into which this element enters in its lowest proportion. Mercuric chloride, corrosive sublimate. See Corrosive.
MERCURIFICATION Mer*cu`ri*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mercurification. See Mercurify.]
1. (Metal.)
Defn: The process or operation of obtaining the mercury, in its fluid form, from mercuric minerals.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: The act or process of compounding, or the state of being compounded, with mercury. [R.]
MERCURIFY Mer*cu"ri*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mercurified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mercurifying.] Etym: [Mercury + -fy.]
1. To obtain mercury from, as mercuric minerals, which may be done by any application of intense heat that expels the mercury in fumes, which are afterward condensed. [R.]
2. To combine or mingle mercury with; to impregnate with mercury; to mercurialize. [R.]
MERCURISM Mer"cu*rism, n.
Defn: A communication of news; an announcement. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MERCUROUS Mer*cu"rous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury in which it is present in its highest proportion. Mercurous chloride. (Chem.) See Calomel.
MERCURY Mer"cu*ry, n. Etym: [L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.]
1. (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: A Latin god of commerce and gain; -- treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver), and is used in barometers, thermometers, ect. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol, mercury.
Note: Mercury forms alloys, called amalgams, with many metals, and is thus used in applying tin foil to the backs of mirrors, and in extracting gold and silver from their ores. It is poisonous, and is used in medicine in the free state as in blue pill, and in its compounds as calomel, corrosive sublimate, etc. It is the only metal which is liquid at ordinary temperatures, and it solidifies at about -39º Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile metal.
3. (Astron.)
Defn: One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles.
4. A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper. Sir J. Stephen. "The monthly Mercuries." Macaulay.
5. Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness. [Obs.] He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design. Bp. Burnet.
6. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant (Mercurialis annua), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe.
Note: The name is also applied, in the United States, to certain climbing plants, some of which are poisonous to the skin, esp. to the Rhus Toxicodendron, or poison ivy. Dog's mercury (Bot.), Mercurialis perennis, a perennial plant differing from M. annua by having the leaves sessile. -- English mercury (Bot.), a kind of goosefoot formerly used as a pot herb; -- called Good King Henry. -- Horn mercury (Min.), a mineral chloride of mercury, having a semitranslucent, hornlike appearance.
MERCURY Mer"cu*ry, v. t.
Defn: To wash with a preparation of mercury. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MERCY Mer"cy, n.; pl. Mercies. Etym: [OE. merci, F. merci, L. merces, mercedis, hire, pay, reward, LL., equiv. to misericordia pity, mercy. L. merces is probmerere to deserve, acquire. See Merit, and cf. Amerce.]
1. Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency. Examples of justice must be made for terror to some; examples of mercy for comfort to others. Bacon.
2. Compassionate treatment of the unfortunate and helpless; sometimes, favor, beneficence. Luke x. 37.
3. Disposition to exercise compassion or favor; pity; compassion; willingness to spare or to help. In whom mercy lacketh and is not founden. Sir T. Elyot.
4. A blessing regarded as a manifestation of compassion or favor. The Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 2 Cor. i. 3. Mercy seat (Bib.), the golden cover or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. See Ark, 2. -- Sisters of Mercy (R. C. Ch.),a religious order founded in Dublin in the year 1827. Communities of the same name have since been established in various American cities. The duties of those belonging to the order are, to attend lying-in hospitals, to superintend the education of girls, and protect decent women out of employment, to visit prisoners and the sick, and to attend persons condemned to death. -- To be at the mercy of, to be wholly in the power of.
Syn. -- See Grace.
MERD Merd, n. Etym: [F. merde, L. merda.]
Defn: Ordure; dung. [Obs.] Burton.
-MERE -mere. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form meaning part, portion; as, blastomere, epimere.
MERE Mere, n. Etym: [Written also mar.] Etym: [OE. mere, AS. mere mere, sea; akin to D. meer lake, OS. meri sea, OHG. meri, mari, G. meer, Icel. marr, Goth. marei, Russ. more, W. mor, Ir. & Gael. muir, L. mare, and perh. to L. mori to die, and meaning originally, that which is dead, a waste. Cf. Mortal, Marine, Marsh, Mermaid, Moor.]
Defn: A pool or lake. Drayton. Tennyson.
MERE Mere, n. Etym: [Written also meer and mear.] Etym: [AS. gemære. sq. root269.]
Defn: A boundary. Bacon.
MERE Mere, v. t.
Defn: To divide, limit, or bound. [Obs.] Which meared her rule with Africa. Spenser.
MERE Mere, n.
Defn: A mare. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MERE Mere, a. [Superl. Merest. The comparative is rarely or never used.] Etym: [L. merus.]
1. Unmixed; pure; entire; absolute; unqualified. Then entered they the mere, main sea. Chapman. The sorrows of this world would be mere and unmixed. Jer. Taylor.
2. Only this, and nothing else; such, and no more; simple; bare; as, a mere boy; a mere form. From mere success nothing can be concluded in favor of any nation. Atterbury.
MERELY Mere"ly, adv.
1. Purely; unmixedly; absolutely. Ulysses was to force forth his access, Though merely naked. Chapman.
2. Not otherwise than; simply; barely; only. Prize not your life for other ends Than merely to obige your friends. Swift.
Syn. -- Solely; simply; purely; barely; scarcely.
MERENCHYMA Me*ren"chy*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.)
Defn: Tissue composed of spheroidal cells.
MERESMAN Meres"man, n.
Defn: An officer who ascertains meres or boundaries. [Eng.]
MERESTEAD Mere"stead, n. Etym: [Mere boundary + stead place.]
Defn: The land within the boundaries of a farm; a farmstead or farm. [Archaic.] Longfellow.
MERESTONE Mere"stone`, n.
Defn: A stone designating a limit or boundary; a landmark. Bacon.
MERETRICIOUS Mer`e*tri"cious, a. Etym: [L. meretricius, from meretrix, -icis, a prostitute, lit., one who earns money, i. e., by prostitution, fr. merere to earn, gain. See Merit.]
1. Of or pertaining to prostitutes; having to do with harlots; lustful; as, meretricious traffic.
2. Resembling the arts of a harlot; alluring by false show; gaudily and deceitfully ornamental; tawdry; as, meretricious dress or ornaments. -- Mer`e*tri"cious*ly, adv. -- Mer`e*tri"cious*ness, n.
MERGANSER Mer*gan"ser, n. Etym: [Sp. mergánsar, fr. mergo a diver (L. mergus, fr. mergere to dip, dive) + ánsar goose, L. anser.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any bird of the genus Merganser, and allied genera. They are allied to the ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill.
Note: The red-breasted merganser (Merganser serrator) inhabits both hemispheres. It is called also sawbill, harle, and sheldrake. The American merganser (M. Americanus.) and the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) are well-known species. -- White merganser, the smew or white nun.
MERGE Merge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Merged; p. pr. & vb. n. Merging.] Etym: [L. mergere, mersum. Cf. Emerge, Immerse, Marrow.]
Defn: To cause to be swallowed up; to immerse; to sink; to absorb. To merge all natural ... sentiment in inordinate vanity. Burke. Whig and Tory were merged and swallowed up in the transcendent duties of patriots. De Quincey.
MERGE Merge, v. i.
Defn: To be sunk, swallowed up, or lost. Native irresolution had merged in stronger motives. I. Taylor.
MERGER Mer"ger, n.
1. One who, or that which, merges.
2. (Law)
Defn: An absorption of one estate, or one contract, in another, or of a minor offense in a greater.
MERICARP Mer"i*carp, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: One carpel of an umbelliferous fruit. See Cremocarp.
MERIDE Mer"ide ( or ), n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A permanent colony of cells or plastids which may remain isolated, like Rotifer, or may multiply by gemmation to form higher aggregates, termed zoides. Perrier.
MERIDIAN Me*rid"i*an, a. Etym: [F. méridien, L. meridianus pertaining to noon, fr. meridies noon, midday, for older medidies; medius mid, middle + dies day. See Mid, and Diurnal.]
1. Being at, or pertaining to, midday; belonging to, or passing through, the highest point attained by the sun in his diurnal course. "Meridian hour." Milton. Tables ... to find the altitude meridian. Chaucer.
2. Pertaining to the highest point or culmination; as, meridian splendor.
MERIDIAN Me*rid"i*an, n. Etym: [F. méridien. See Meridian, a.]
1. Midday; noon.
2. Hence: The highest point, as of success, prosperity, or the like; culmination. I have touched the highest point of all my greatness, And from that full meridian of my glory I haste now to my setting. Shak.
3. (Astron.)
Defn: A great circle of the sphere passing through the poles of the heavens and the zenith of a given place. It is crossed by the sun at midday.
4. (Geog.)
Defn: A great circle on the surface of the earth, passing through the poles and any given place; also, the half of such a circle included between the poles.
Note: The planes of the geographical and astronomical meridians coincide. Meridians, on a map or globe, are lines drawn at certain intervals due north and south, or in the direction of the poles. Calculated for, or fitted to, or adapted to, the meridian of, suited to the local circumstances, capabilities, or special requirements of. All other knowledge merely serves the concerns of this life, and is fitted to the meridian thereof. Sir M. Hale. -- First meridian, the meridian from which longitudes are reckoned. The meridian of Greenwich is the one commonly employed in calculations of longitude by geographers, and in actual practice, although in various countries other and different meridians, chiefly those which pass through the capitals of the countries, are occasionally used; as, in France, the meridian of Paris; in the United States, the meridian of Washington, etc. -- Guide meridian (Public Land Survey), a line, marked by monuments, running North and South through a section of country between other more carefully established meridians called principal meridians, used for reference in surveying. [U.S.] -- Magnetic meridian, a great circle, passing through the zenith and coinciding in direction with the magnetic needle, or a line on the earth's surface having the same direction. -- Meridian circle (Astron.), an instrument consisting of a telescope attached to a large graduated circle and so mounted that the telescope revolves like the transit instrument in a meridian plane. By it the right ascension and the declination of a star may be measured in a single observation. -- Meridian instrument (Astron.), any astronomical instrument having a telescope that rotates in a meridian plane. -- Meridian of a globe, or Brass meridian, a graduated circular ring of brass, in which the artificial globe is suspended and revolves.
MERIDIONAL Me*rid"i*o*nal, a. Etym: [F. méridional, L. meridionalis, fr. meridies midday. See Meridian.]
1. Of or pertaining to the meridian.
2. Having a southern aspect; southern; southerly. Offices that require heat ... should be meridional. Sir H. Wotton. Meridional distance, the distance or departure from the meridian; the easting or westing. -- Meridional parts, parts of the meridian in Mercator's projection, corresponding to each minute of latitude from the equator up to 70 or 80 degrees; tabulated numbers representing these parts used in projecting charts, and in solving cases in Mercator's sailing.
MERIDIONALITY Me*rid`i*o*nal"i*ty, n.
1. The state of being in the meridian.
2. Position in the south; aspect toward the south.
MERIDIONALLY Me*rid"i*o*nal*ly, adv.
Defn: In the direction of the meridian.
MERILS Mer"ils, n. Etym: [F. mérelle, marelle, marelles, LL. marella, marrella. Cf. Morris the game.]
Defn: A boy's play, called also fivepenny morris. See Morris.
MERINGUE Me`ringue" (F. ; E. ), n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A delicate pastry made of powdered sugar and the whites of eggs whipped up, -- with jam or cream added.
MERINO Me*ri"no, a. Etym: [Sp. merino moving from pasture to pasture, fr. merino a royal judge and superintendent or inspector of sheep walks, LL. merinus, fr. majorinus, i. e., major villmajor greater. See Major. Merino sheep are driven at certain seasons from one part of Spain to another, in large flocks, for pasturage.]
1. Of or pertaining to a variety of sheep with very fine wool, originally bred in Spain.
2. Made of the wool of the merino sheep.
MERINO Me*ri"no, n.; pl. Merinos. Etym: [Sp.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A breed of sheep originally from Spain, noted for the fineness of its wool.
2. A fine fabric of merino wool.
MERISMATIC Mer`is*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Dividing into cells or segments; characterized by separation into two or more parts or sections by the formation of internal
## partitions; as, merismatic growth, where one cell divides into many.
MERISTEM Mer"i*stem, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A tissue of growing cells, or cells capable of further division.
MERIT Mer"it, n. Etym: [F. mérite, L. meritum, fr. merere, mereri, to deserve, merit; prob. originally, to get a share; akin to Gr. Market, Merchant, Mercer, Mercy.]
1. The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert. Here may men see how sin hath his merit. Chaucer. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought For things that others do; and when we fall, We answer other's merits in our name. Shak.
2. Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence. Reputation is ... oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. Shak. To him the wit of Greece and Rome was known, And every author's merit, but his own. Pope.
3. Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits. Those laurel groves, the merits of thy youth. Prior.
MERIT Mer"it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Merited; p. pr. & vb. n. Meriting.] Etym: [F. mériter, L. meritare, v. intens. fr. merere. See Merit, n.]
1. To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment. "This kindness merits thanks." Shak.
2. To reward. [R. & Obs.] Chapman.
MERIT Mer"it, v. i.
Defn: To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
MERITABLE Mer"it*a*ble, a.
Defn: Deserving of reward. [R.]
MERITEDLY Mer"it*ed*ly, adv.
Defn: By merit; deservedly.
MERITHAL; MERITHALLUS Mer"i*thal, Mer`i*thal"lus, n. Etym: [NL. merithallus, fr. Gr. or (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Internode.
MERITMONGER Mer"it*mon`ger, n.
Defn: One who depends on merit for salvation. [Obs.] Milner.
MERITORIOUS Mer`i*to"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. meritorius that brings in money.]
Defn: Possessing merit; deserving of reward or honor; worthy of recompense; valuable. And meritorious shall that hand be called, Canonized, and worshiped as a saint. Shak. -- Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ness, n.
MERITORY Mer"i*to*ry, a.
Defn: Meritorious. [Obs.]
MERITOT Mer"i*tot, n.
Defn: A play of children, in swinging on ropes, or the like, till they are dizzy.
MERK Merk, n. Etym: [See Marc.]
Defn: An old Scotch silver coin; a mark or marc. [Scot.]
MERK Merk, n.
Defn: A mark; a sign. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MERKE Merke, a.
Defn: Murky. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
MERKIN Mer"kin, n.
Defn: Originally, a wig; afterwards, a mop for cleaning cannon.
MERL; MERLE Merl, Merle, n. Etym: [F. merle, L. merula, merulus. Cf. Ousel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European blackbird. See Blackbird. Drayton.
MERLIN Mer"lin, n. Etym: [OE. merlion, F. émerillon ; cf. OHG. smirl, G. schmerl ; prob. fr. L. merula blackbird. Cf. Merle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small European falcon (Falco lithofalco, or F. æsalon).
MERLING Mer"ling, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European whiting.
MERLON Mer"lon, n. Etym: [F., perh. fr. L. moerus, for murus a wall, through (assumed) dim. moerulus.] (Fort.)
Defn: One of the solid parts of a battlemented parapet; a battlement. See Illust. of Battlement.
MERLUCE Mer"luce, n. Etym: [F. merluche, merlus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European hake; -- called also herring hake and sea pike.
MERMAID Mer"maid, n. Etym: [AS. mere lake, sea. See Mere lake, and maid.]
Defn: A fabled marine creature, typically represented as having the upper part like that of a woman, and the lower like a fish; a sea nymph, sea woman, or woman fish.
Note: Chaucer uses this word as equivalent to the siren of the ancients. Mermaid fish (Zoöl.) the angel fish (Squatina). -- Mermaid's glove (Zoöl.), a British branched sponge somewhat resembling a glove. -- Mermaid's head (Zoöl.), a European spatangoid sea urchin (Echinocardium cordatum) having some resemblance to a skull. -- Mermaid weed (Bot.), an aquatic herb with dentate or pectinate leaves (Proserpinaca palustris and P. pectinacea).
MERMAN Mer"man, n.; pl. Mermen (.
Defn: The male corresponding to mermaid; a sea man, or man fish.
MERO; MERO DE LOALTO; MERO CABROLLA Me"ro, n. [Sp.; cf. Pg. mero.]
Defn: Any of several large groupers of warm seas, esp. the guasa (Epinephelus guaza), the red grouper (E. morio), the black grouper (E. nigritas), distinguished as Me"ro de lo al"to, and a species called also rock hind, distinguished as Me"ro ca*brol"la.
MEROBLAST Mer"o*blast, n. Etym: [Gr. -blast.] (Biol.)
Defn: An ovum, as that of a mammal, only partially composed of germinal matter, that is, consisting of both a germinal portion and an albuminous or nutritive one; -- opposed to holoblast.
MEROBLASTIC Mer`o*blas"tic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Consisting only in part of germinal matter; characterized by
## partial segmentation only; as, meroblastic ova, in which a portion of
the yolk only undergoes fission; meroblastic segmentation; -- opposed to holoblastic.
MEROCELE Me"ro*cele, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Hernia in the thigh; femoral hernia .
MEROISTIC Mer`o*is"tic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Applied to the ovaries of insects when they secrete vitelligenous cells, as well as ova.
MEROPIDAN Me*rop"i*dan, n. Etym: [L. merops a bee-eating bird, Gr. me`rops.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a family of birds (Meropidæ), including the bee-eaters.
MEROPODITE Me*rop"o*dite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The fourth joint of a typical appendage of Crustacea.
MERORGANIZATION Mer*or`gan*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Gr. organization.]
Defn: Organization in part. [R.]
MEROS Me"ros, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Arch.)
Defn: The plain surface between the channels of a triglyph. [Written also merus.] Weale.
MEROS Me"ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The proximal segment of the hind limb; the thigh.
MEROSOME Mer"o*some, n. Etym: [Gr. -some body.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the serial segments, or metameres, of which the bodies of vertebrate and articulate animals are composed.
MEROSTOMATA Mer`o*stom"a*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class of Arthropoda, allied to the Crustacea. It includes the trilobites, Eurypteroidea, and Limuloidea. All are extinct except the horseshoe crabs of the last group. See Limulus.
MEROU Mé`rou", n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Jack, 8 (c).
MEROVINGIAN Mer`o*vin"gi*an, a. Etym: [From Merovaeus, the Latin name of a king of the Franks.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the first Frankish dynasty in Gaul or France. -- n.
Defn: One of the kings of this dynasty.
MEROZOITE Mer`o*zo"ite, n. [Gr. part + Sporozoa.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A form of spore, usually elongate or falciform, and somewhat amoboid, produced by segmentation of the schizonts of certain Sporozoa, as the malaria parasite.
MERRILY Mer"ri*ly, adv. Etym: [From Merry.]
Defn: In a merry manner; with mirth; with gayety and laughter; jovially. See Mirth, and Merry. Merrily sing, and sport, and play. Granville.
MERRIMAKE Mer"ri*make`, n.
Defn: See Merrymake, n.
MERRIMAKE Mer"ri*make`, v. i.
Defn: See Merrymake, v. Gay.
MERRIMENT Mer"ri*ment, n.
Defn: Gayety, with laughter; mirth; frolic. "Follies and light merriment." Spenser. Methought it was the sound Of riot and ill-managed merriment. Milton.
MERRINESS Mer"ri*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being merry; merriment; mirth; gayety, with laughter.
MERRY Mer"ry, a. [Compar. Merrier; superl. Merriest.] Etym: [OE. merie, mirie, murie, merry, pleasant, AS. merge, myrige, pleasant; cf. murge, adv.; prob. akin to OHG. murg, short, Goth. gamaúrgjan to shorten; cf. L. murcus a coward, who cuts off his thumb to escape military service; the Anglo-Saxon and English meanings coming from the idea of making the time seem short. Cf. Mirth.]
1. Laughingly gay; overflowing with good humor and good spirits; jovial; inclined to laughter or play ; sportive. They drank, and were merry with him. Gen. xliii. 34. I am never merry when I hear sweet music. Shak.
2. Cheerful; joyous; not sad; happy. Is any merry Jas. v. 13.
3. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight; as, merry jest. "Merry wind and weather." Spenser. Merry dancers. See under Dancer. -- Merry men, followers; retainers. [Obs.] His merie men commanded he To make him bothe game and glee. Chaucer. -- To make merry, to be jovial; to indulge in hilarity; to feast with mirth. Judg. ix. 27.
Syn. -- Cheerful; blithe; lively; sprightly; vivacious; gleeful; joyous; mirthful; jocund; sportive; hilarious.
MERRY Mer"ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of wild red cherry.
MERRY-ANDREW Mer"ry-an"drew, n.
Defn: One whose business is to make sport for others; a buffoon; a zany; especially, one who attends a mountebank or quack doctor.
Note: This term is said to have originated from one Andrew Borde, an English physician of the 16th century, who gained patients by facetious speeches to the multitude.
MERRY-GO-ROUND Mer"ry-go`-round", n.
Defn: Any revolving contrivance for affording amusement; esp., a ring of flying hobbyhorses.
MERRYMAKE Mer"ry*make`, n.
Defn: Mirth; frolic; a meeting for mirth; a festival. [Written also merrimake.]
MERRYMAKE Mer"ry*make`, v. i.
Defn: To make merry; to be jolly; to feast. [Written also merrimake.]
MERRYMAKER Mer"ry*mak`er, n.
Defn: One who makes merriment or indulges in conviviality; a jovial comrade.
MERRYMAKING Mer"ry*mak`ing, a.
Defn: Making or producing mirth; convivial; jolly.
MERRYMAKING Mer"ry*mak`ing, n.
Defn: The act of making merry; conviviality; merriment; jollity. Wordsworth.
MERRYMEETING Mer"ry*meet`ing, n.
Defn: A meeting for mirth.
MERRYTHOUGHT Mer"ry*thought`, n.
Defn: The forked bone of a fowl's breast; -- called also wishbone. See Furculum.
Note: It is a sportive custom for two persons to break this bone by pulling the ends apart to see who will get the longer piece, the securing of which is regarded as a lucky omen, signifying that the person holding it will obtain the gratification of some secret wish.
MERSION Mer"sion, n. Etym: [L. mersio. See Merge.]
Defn: Immersion [R.] Barrow.
MERULIDAN Me*ru"li*dan, n. Etym: [L. merula, merulus, blackbird. See Merle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird of the Thrush family.
MERUS Me"rus, n. Etym: [NL.] (Arch.)
Defn: See Meros.
MERVAILLE Mer"vaille`, n.
Defn: Marvel. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MES- Mes-.
Defn: See Meso-.
MESA Me"sa, Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A high tableland; a plateau on a hill. [Southwestern U.S.] Bartlett.
MESACONATE Mes*ac"o*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mesaconic acid.
MESACONIC Mes`a*con"ic, a. Etym: [Mes- + -aconic, as in citraconic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, one of several isomeric acids obtained from citric acid.
MESAD Mes"ad, adv.
Defn: Same as Mesiad.
MESAL Mes"al, a.
Defn: Same as Mesial.
MESALLIANCE Mé`sal`li`ance", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A marriage with a person of inferior social position; a misalliance.
MESALLY Mes"al*ly, adv.
Defn: Same as Mesially.
MESAMEBOID; MESAMOEBOID Mes`a*me"boid, Mes`a*moe"boid, n. Etym: [Mes- + amoeboid.] (Biol.)
Defn: One of a class of independent, isolated cells found in the mesoderm, while the germ layers are undergoing differentiation.
MESARAIC Mes`a*ra"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Mesenteric.
MESATICEPHALIC Mes`a*ti*ce*phal"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. midmost + E. cephalic.] (Anat.)
Defn: Having the ratio of the length to the breadth of the cranium a medium one; neither brachycephalic nor dolichocephalic.
MESATICEPHALOUS Mes`a*ti*ceph"a*lous, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Mesaticephalic.
MESCAL Mes*cal", n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a species of agave. See Agave.
MESDAMES Mes`dames" (F. , E. ), n.,
Defn: pl. of Madame and Madam.
MESEEMS Me*seems", v. impers. [imp. Meseemed.]
Defn: It seems to me. [Poetic]
MESEL Me"sel, n. Etym: [See Measle.]
Defn: A leper. [Obs.]
MESELRY Me"sel*ry, n.
Defn: Leprosy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM Me*sem`bry*an"the*mum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of herbaceous or suffruticose plants, chiefly natives of South Africa. The leaves are opposite, thick, and f
MESENCEPHALIC Mes`en*ce*phal"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesencephalon or midbrain.
MESENCEPHALON Mes`en*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso- and Encephalon.] (Anat.)
Defn: The middle segment of the brain; the midbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to mesen. See Brain.
MESENCHYMA Mes*en"chy*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -enchyma, as in E. parenchyma.] (Biol.)
Defn: The part of the mesoblast which gives rise to the connective tissues and blood.
MESENTERIC Mes`en*ter"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mésentérique.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to a mesentery; mesaraic.
MESENTERON Mes*en"te*ron, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Enteron.] (Anat.)
Defn: All that part of the alimentary canal which is developed from the primitive enteron and is lined with hypoblast. It is distinguished from the stomod, a part at the anterior end of the canal, including the cavity of the mouth, and the proctod, a part at the posterior end, which are formed by invagination and are lined with epiblast.
MESENTERY Mes"en*ter*y, n. Etym: [Gr. mésentère.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The membranes, or one of the membranes (consisting of a fold of the peritoneum and inclosed tissues), which connect the intestines and their appendages with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity. The mesentery proper is connected with the jejunum and ilium, the other mesenteries being called mesoc, mesocolon, mesorectum, etc.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the vertical muscular radiating partitions which divide the body cavity of Anthozoa into chambers.
MESERAIC Mes`e*ra"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Mesaraic.
MESETHMOID Mes*eth"moid, a. Etym: [Mes- + ethmoid.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the middle of the ethmoid region or ethmoid bone. -- n. (Anat.)
Defn: The median vertical plate, or median element, of the ethmoid bone.
MESH Mesh, n. Etym: [AS. masc, max, m; akin to D. maas, masche, OHG. masca, Icel. möskvi; cf. Lith. mazgas a knot, megsti to weave nets, to knot.]
1. The opening or space inclosed by the threads of a net between knot and knot, or the threads inclosing such a space; network; a net. A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men. Shak.
2. (Gearing)
Defn: The engagement of the teeth of wheels, or of a wheel and rack. Mesh stick, a stick on which the mesh is formed in netting.
MESH Mesh, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meshed; p. pr. & vb. n. Meshing.]
Defn: To catch in a mesh. Surrey.
MESH Mesh, v. i. (Gearing)
Defn: To engage with each other, as the teeth of wheels.
MESHED Meshed, a.
Defn: Mashed; brewed. [Obs.] Shak.
MESHY Mesh"y, a.
Defn: Formed with meshes; netted.
MESIAD Mes"i*ad, adv. Etym: [Gr. ad to.] (Anat.)
Defn: Toward, or on the side toward, the mesial plane; mesially; -- opposed to laterad.
MESIAL Me"sial, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Middle; median; in, or in the region of, the mesial plane; internal; -- opposed to lateral. Mesial plane. (Anat.) See Meson.
MESIALLY Me"sial*ly, adv. (Anat.)
Defn: In, near, or toward, the mesial plane; mesiad.
MESITYL Mes"i*tyl, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical formerly supposed to exist in mesityl oxide. Mesityl oxide (Chem.), a volatile liquid having the odor of peppermint, obtained by certain dehydrating agents from acetone; -- formerly called also dumasin.
MESITYLENATE Me*sit"y*le*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mesitylenic acid.
MESITYLENE Me*sit"y*lene, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless, fragrant liquid, C6H3(CH3)3, of the benzene series of hydrocarbons, obtained by distilling acetone with sulphuric acid. -- Me*sit`y*len"ic, a.
MESITYLOL Me*sit"y*lol, n. Etym: [Mesitylene + -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: A crystalline substance obtained from mesitylene.
MESLIN Mes"lin ( or ), n.
Defn: See Maslin.
MESMEREE Mes`mer*ee", n.
Defn: A person subjected to mesmeric influence; one who is mesmerized. [R.]
MESMERIC; MESMERICAL Mes*mer"ic, Mes*mer"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mesmérique.]
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or induced by, mesmerism; as, mesmeric sleep.
MESMERISM Mes"mer*ism, n. Etym: [From Mesmer, who first brought it into notice at Vienna, about 1775: cf. F. mesmérisme.]
Defn: The art of inducing an extraordinary or abnormal state of the nervous system, in which the actor claims to control the actions, and communicate directly with the mind, of the recipient. See Animal magnetism, under Magnetism.
MESMERIST Mes"mer*ist, n.
Defn: One who practices, or believes in, mesmerism.
MESMERIZATION Mes`mer*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of mesmerizing; the state of being mesmerized.
MESMERIZE Mes"mer*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mesmerized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mesmerizing.]
Defn: To bring into a state of mesmeric sleep.
MESMERIZER Mes"mer*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who mesmerizes.
MESNE Mesne, a. Etym: [Cf. Mean intermediate.] (Law)
Defn: Middle; intervening; as, a mesne lord, that is, a lord who holds land of a superior, but grants a part of it to another person, in which case he is a tenant to the superior, but lord or superior to the second grantee, and hence is called the mesne lord. Mesne process, intermediate process; process intervening between the beginning and end of a suit, sometimes understood to be the whole process preceding the execution. Blackstone. Burrill. -- Mesne profits, profits of premises during the time the owner has been wrongfully kept out of the possession of his estate. Burrill.
MESO-; MES- Mes"o-, Mes-. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form denoting in the middle, intermediate; specif. (Chem.), denoting a type of hydrocarbons which are regarded as methenyl derivatives. Also used adjectively.
MESOARIUM Mes`o*a"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum which suspends the ovary from the dorsal wall of the body cavity.
MESOBLAST Mes"o*blast, n. Etym: [Meso- + -blast.] (Biol.) (a) The mesoderm. (b) The cell nucleus; mesoplast.
MESOBLASTIC Mes`o*blas"tic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Relating to the mesoblast; as, the mesoblastic layer.
MESOBRANCHIAL Mes`o*bran"chi*al, a. Etym: [Meso- + branchial.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a region of the carapace of a crab covering the middle branchial region.
MESOBRONCHIUM Mes`o*bron"chi*um, n.; pl. Mesobronchia. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Bronchia.] (Anat.)
Defn: The main bronchus of each lung.
MESOCAECUM Mes`o*cæ"cum, n. (Anat.) Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Cæcum.]
Defn: The fold of peritoneum attached to the cæcum. -- Mes`o*cæ"cal, a.
MESOCARP Mes"o*carp, n. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The middle layer of a pericarp which consists of three distinct or dissimilar layers. Gray.
MESOCEPHALIC Mes`o*ce*phal"ic, a. Etym: [Meso- + cephalic.] (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to, or in the region of, the middle of the head; as, the mesocephalic flexure. (b) Having the cranial cavity of medium capacity; neither megacephalic nor microcephalic. (c) Having the ratio of the length to the breadth of the cranium a medium one; mesaticephalic.
MESOCEPHALON Mes`o*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Cephalon.] (Anat.)
Defn: The pons Varolii.
MESOCEPHALOUS Mes`o*ceph"a*lous, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Mesocephalic.
MESOCOELE; MESOCOELIA Mes`o*coe"le, Mes`o*coe"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. mesocoelia. See Meso-, and Coelia.] (Anat.)
Defn: The cavity of the mesencephalon; the iter.
MESOCOLON Mes`o*co"lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. mésocôlon.] (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum, or mesentery, attached to the colon. -- Mes`o*col"ic, a.
MESOCORACOID Mes`o*cor"a*coid, n. Etym: [Meso- + coracoid.] (Anat.)
Defn: A process from the middle of the coracoid in some animals.
MESOCUNEIFORM; MESOCUNIFORM Mes`o*cu*ne"i*form, Mes`o*cu"ni*form, n. Etym: [Meso- + cuneiform, cuniform.] (Anat.)
Defn: One of the bones of the tarsus. See 2d Cuneiform.
MESODERM Mes"o*derm, n. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Biol.) (a) The layer of the blastoderm, between the ectoderm and endoderm; mesoblast. See Illust. of Blastoderm and Ectoderm. (b) The middle body layer in some invertebrates. (c) The middle layer of tissue in some vegetable structures.
MESODERMAL Mes`o*der"mal, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the mesoderm; as, mesodermal tissues.
MESODERMIC Mes`o*der"mic, a.
Defn: Same as Mesodermal.
MESODONT Mes"o*dont, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having teeth of moderate size.
MESOGASTER Mes`o*gas"ter, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum connecting the stomach with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity; the mesogastrium.
MESOGASTRIC Mes`o*gas"tric, a. Etym: [Meso- + gastric.]
1. (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to the middle region of the abdomen, or of the stomach. (b) Of or pertaining to the mesogaster.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the middle gastric lobe of the carapace of a crab.
MESOGASTRIUM Mes`o*gas"tri*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Mesogaster.] (Anat.) (a) The umbilical region. (b) The mesogaster.
MESOGLEA; MESOGLOEA Mes`o*gloe"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A thin gelatinous tissue separating the ectoderm and endoderm in certain coelenterates. -- Mes`o*gloeal, a.
MESOGNATHOUS Me*sog"na*thous, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having the jaws slightly projecting; between prognathous and orthognathous. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.
MESOHEPAR Mes`o*he"par, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Hepar.] (Anat.)
Defn: A fold of the peritoneum connecting the liver with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity.
MESOHIPPUS Mes`o*hip"pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct mammal of the Horse family, but not larger than a sheep, and having three toes on each foot.
MESOLABE Mes"o*labe, n. Etym: [L. mesolabium, Gr.
Defn: An instrument of the ancients for finding two mean proportionals between two given lines, required in solving the problem of the duplication of the cube. Brande & C.
MESOLE Mes"ole, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Same as Thomsonite.
MESOLITE Mes"o*lite, n. Etym: [Meso- + -lite.] (Min.)
Defn: A zeolitic mineral, grayish white or yellowish, occuring in delicate groups of crystals, also fibrous massive. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina, lime, and soda.
MESOLOGARITHM Mes`o*log"a*rithm, n. Etym: [Meso- + logarithm : cf. F. mésologarithme.] (Math.)
Defn: A logarithm of the cosine or cotangent. [Obs.] Kepler. Hutton.
MESOMETRIUM Mes`o*me"tri*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Metrium.] (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of the peritoneum supporting the oviduct.
MESOMYCETES Mes`o*my*ce"tes, n. pl. [NL.; meso- + mycetes.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of the three classes into which the fungi are divided in Brefeld's classification. -- Mes`o*my*ce"tous (#), a.
MESOMYODIAN Mes`o*my*o"di*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird having a mesomyodous larynx.
MESOMYODOUS Mes`o*my"o*dous, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the intrinsic muscles of the larynx attached to the middle of the semirings.
MESON Mes"on, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The mesial plane dividing the body of an animal into similar right and left halves. The line in which it meets the dorsal surface has been called the dorsimeson, and the corresponding ventral edge the ventrimeson. B. G. Wilder.
MESONASAL Mes`o*na"sal, a. Etym: [Meso- + nasal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the middle portion of the nasal region.
MESONEPHRIC Mes`o*neph"ric, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesonephros; as, the mesonephric, or Wolffian, duct.
MESONEPHROS Mes`o*neph"ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The middle one of the three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in most vertebrates; the Wolffian body.
MESONOTUM Mes`o*no"tum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The dorsal portion of the mesothorax of insects.
MESOPHLOEUM Mes`o*phloe"um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The middle bark of a tree; the green layer of bark, usually soon covered by the outer or corky layer, and obliterated.
MESOPHRYON Me*soph"ry*on, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: See Glabella.
MESOPHYLLUM Mes`o*phyl"lum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The parenchyma of a leaf between the skin of the two surfaces. Gray.
MESOPLAST Mes"o*plast, n. Etym: [Meso- + -plast.] (Biol.)
Defn: The nucleus of a cell; mesoblast. Agassix.
MESOPODIAL Mes`o*po"di*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesopodialia or to the parts of the limbs to which they belong.
MESOPODIALE Mes`o*po`di*a"le, n.; pl. Mesopodialia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the bones of either the carpus or tarsus.
MESOPODIUM Mes`o*po"di*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Mesopodiale.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The middle portion of the foot in the Gastropoda and Pteropoda.
MESOPTERYGIUM Me*sop`te*ryg"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The middle one of the three principal basal cartilages in the fins of fishes. -- Me*sop`ter*yg"i*al, a.
MESORCHIUM Me*sor"chi*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum which attaches the testis to the dorsal wall of the body cavity or scrotal sac.
MESORECTUM Mes`o*rec"tum, n. Etym: [Meso- + rectum.] (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum, or mesentery, attached to the rectum. -- Mes`o*rec"tal, a.
MESORHINE Mes"o*rhine, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having the nose of medium width; between leptorhine and platyrhine.
MESOSAURIA Mes`o*sau"ri*a, n.
Defn: Same as Mosasauria.
MESOSCAPULA Mes`o*scap"u*la, n. Etym: [Meso- + scapula.] (Anat.)
Defn: A process from the middle of the scapula in some animals; the spine of the scapula.
MESOSCAPULAR Mes`o*scap"u*lar, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesoscapula.
MESOSCUTUM Mes`o*scu"tum, n. Etym: [Meso- + scutum.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The scutum or dorsal plate of the middle thoracic segment of an insect. See Illust. of Butterfly.
MESOSEME Mes"o*seme, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. mésosème.] (Anat.)
Defn: Having a medium orbital index; having orbits neither broad nor narrow; between megaseme and microseme.
MESOSIDERITE Mes`o*sid"er*ite, n. Etym: [Meso- + siderite.] (Min.)
Defn: See the Note under Meteorite.
MESOSPERM Mes"o*sperm, n. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. mésosperme.] (Bot.)
Defn: A membrane of a seed. See Secundine.
MESOSTATE Mes"o*state, n. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: A product of metabolic action.
Note: Every mesostate is either an anastate or katastate, according as it is formed by an anabolic or katabolic process. See Metabolism.
MESOSTERNAL Mes`o*ster"nal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesosternum.
MESOSTERNUM Mes`o*ster"num, n. Etym: [Meso- + sternum.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The middle portion, or body, of the sternum.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ventral piece of the middle segment of the thorax in insects.
MESOTARTARIC Mes`o*tar*tar"ic, a. Etym: [Meso- + tartaric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid called also inactive tartaric acid.
MESOTHECA Mes`o*the"ca, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The middle layer of the gonophore in the Hydrozoa.
MESOTHELIUM Mes`o*the"li*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. thelium.] (Biol.)
Defn: Epithelial mesoderm; a layer of cuboidal epithelium cells, formed from a portion of the mesoderm during the differetiation of the germ layers. It constitutes the boundary of the coelum.
MESOTHORACIC Mes`o*tho*rac"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the mesothorax.
MESOTHORAX Mes`o*tho"rax, n. Etym: [Meso- + thorax: cf. F. mésothorax.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The middle segment of the thorax in insects. See Illust. of Coleoptera.
MESOTHORIUM Mes`o*tho"ri*um, n. [NL.; meso-+ thorium.] (Chem.)
Defn: A radioactive product intermediate between thorium and radiothorium, with a period of 5.5 years.
MESOTROCHAL Mes"o*tro`chal, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the middle of the body surrounded by bands of cilia; -- said of the larvæ of certain marine annelids.
MESOTYPE Mes"o*type, n. Etym: [Meso- + -type: cf. F. mésotype.] (Min.)
Defn: An old term covering natrolite or soda mesolite, scolecite or lime mesotype, and mesolite or lime-soda mesotype.
MESOVARIUM Mes`o*va"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Meso-, and Ovary.] (Anat.)
Defn: The fold of peritoneum connecting the ovary with the wall of the abdominal cavity.
MESOXALATE Mes*ox"a*late, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mesoxalic acid.
MESOXALIC Mes`ox*al"ic, a. Etym: [Mes- + oxalic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid, CH2O2(CO2H)2, obtained from amido malonic acid.
MESOZOA Mes`o*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mesozoic.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of very lowly organized, wormlike parasites, including the Dicyemata. They are found in cephalopods. See Dicyemata.
MESOZOIC Mes`o*zo"ic, a. Etym: [Meso- + Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: Belonging, or relating, to the secondary or reptilian age, or the era between the Paleozoic and Cenozoic. See Chart of Geology.
MESOZOIC Mes`o*zo"ic, n.
Defn: The Mesozoic age or formation.
MESPRISE Mes*prise", n. Etym: [OF. mespris, F. mépris. See Misprize.]
1. Contempt; scorn. [Obs.]
2. Etym: [Perh. for F. méprise mistake. Cf. Misprision.]
Defn: Misadventure; ill-success. [Obs.] Spenser.
MESQUITE; MESQUIT Mes*qui"te, Mes*quit", n. Etym: [Sp. mezquite; said to be a Mexican Indian word.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name for two trees of the southwestern part of North America, the honey mesquite, and screw-pod mesquite. Honey mesquite. See Algaroba (b). -- Screw-pod mesquite, a smaller tree (Prosopis pubescens), having spiral pods used as fodder and sometimes as food by the Indians. -- Mesquite grass, a rich native grass in Western Texas (Bouteloua oligostachya, and other species); -- so called from its growing in company with the mesquite tree; -- called also muskit grass, grama grass.
MESQUITE BEAN Mes*qui"te bean.
Defn: The pod or seed of the mesquite.
MESS Mess, n.
Defn: Mass; church service. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MESS Mess, n. Etym: [OE. mes, OF. mets, LL. missum, p. p. of mittere to put, place (e. g., on the table), L. mittere to send. See Mission, and cf. Mass religious service.]
1. A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal; as, a mess of pottage; also, the food given to a beast at one time. At their savory dinner set Of herbs and other country messes. Milton.
2. A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common; especially, persons in the military or naval service who eat at the same table; as, the wardroom mess. Shak.
3. A set of four; -- from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner. [Obs.] Latimer.
4. The milk given by a cow at one milking. [U.S.]
5. Etym: [Perh. corrupt. fr. OE. mesh for mash: cf. muss.]
Defn: A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; as, he made a mess of it. [Colloq.]
MESS Mess, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Messed; p. pr. & vb. n. Messing.]
Defn: To take meals with a mess; to belong to a mess; to eat (with others); as, I mess with the wardroom officers. Marryat.
MESS Mess, v. t.
Defn: To supply with a mess.
MESSAGE Mes"sage (; 48), n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. missaticum, fr. L. mittere, missum, to send. See Mission, and cf. Messenger.]
1. Any notice, word, or communication, written or verbal, sent from one person to another. Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. Judg. iii. 20.
2. Hence, specifically, an official communication, not made in person, but delivered by a messenger; as, the President's message. Message shell. See Shell.
MESSAGE Mes"sage, v. t.
Defn: To bear as a message. [Obs.]
MESSAGE Mes"sage, n. Etym: [OE., fr. OF. message, fr. LL. missaticus. See 1st Message.]
Defn: A messenger. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MESSAGER Mes"sa*ger, n. Etym: [OE.]
Defn: A messenger. [Obs.]
MESSAGE STICK Mes"sage stick.
Defn: A stick, carved with lines and dots, used, esp. by Australian aborigines, to convey information.
MESS BEEF Mess beef.
Defn: Barreled salt beef, packed with about 80 pounds chuck and rump, two flanks, and the rest plates.
MESSENGER Mes"sen*ger, n. Etym: [OE. messager, OF. messagier, F. messager. See Message.]
1. One who bears a message; the bearer of a verbal or written communication, notice, or invitation, from one person to another, or to a public body; specifically, an office servant who bears messages.
2. One who, or that which, foreshows, or foretells. Yon gray lines That fret the clouds are messengers of day. Shak.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: A hawser passed round the capstan, and having its two ends lashed together to form an endless rope or chain; -- formerly used for heaving in the cable.
4. (Law)
Defn: A person appointed to perform certain ministerial duties under bankrupt and insolvent laws, such as to take charge og the estate of the bankrupt or insolvent. Bouvier. Tomlins.
Syn. -- Carrier; intelligencer; courier; harbinger; forerunner; precursor; herald. Messenger bird, the secretary bird, from its swiftness.
MESSET Mes"set, n.
Defn: A dog. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
MESSIAD Mes*si"ad, n.
Defn: A German epic poem on the Messiah, by Klopstock.
MESSIAH Mes*si"ah, n. Etym: [Heb. mashiakh anointed, fr. mashakh to anoint. Cf. Messias.]
Defn: The expected king and deliverer of the Hebrews; the Savior; Christ. And told them the Messiah now was born. Milton.
MESSIAHSHIP Mes*si"ah*ship, n.
Defn: The state or office of the Messiah.
MESSIANIC Mes`si*an"ic, a.
Defn: Of or relating to the Messiah; as, the Messianic office or character.
MESSIAS Mes*si"as, n. Etym: [LL., fr. Gr. Messiah.]
Defn: The Messiah. I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ. John iv. 25.
MESSIDOR Mes`si`dor" (F. ; E. ), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. messis harvest.]
Defn: The tenth month of the French republican calendar dating from September 22, 1792. It began June 19, and ended July 18. See VendÉmiaire.
MESSIEURS Mes"sieurs (; F. ; 277), n. pl. Etym: [F.; pl. of monsieur.]
Defn: Sirs; gentlemen; -- abbreviated to Messrs., which is used as the plural of Mr.
MESSINESE Mes`si*nese" ( or ), a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Messina, or its inhabitans.
MESSMATE Mess"mate`, n.
Defn: An associate in a mess.
MESSUAGE Mes"suage (; 48), n. Etym: [Cf. OF. mesuage, masnage, LL. messuagium, mansionaticum, fr. L. mansio, -onis, a staying, remaining, dwelling, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, remain, E. mansion, manse.] (Law)
Defn: A dwelling house, with the adjacent buildings and curtilage, and the adjoining lands appropriated to the use of the household. Cowell. Bouvier. They wedded her to sixty thousand pounds, To lands in Kent, and messuages in York. Tennyson.
MEST Mest, a.
Defn: Most. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MESTEE Mes*tee", n. Etym: [See Mestizo.]
Defn: The offspring of a white person and a quadroon; -- so called in the West Indies. [Written also mustee.]
MESTER Mes"ter, n. [Obs.]
Defn: See Mister, a trade.
MESTINO Mes*ti"no, n.; pl. Mestinos (.
Defn: See Mestizo.
MESTIZO Mes*ti"zo, n.; pl. Mestizos. Etym: [Sp. mestizo; akin to OF. mestis, F. métis; all fr. (assumed) LL. mixtitius, fr. L. mixtus mixed, p. p. of miscere to mix. See Mix, and cf. Mestee, MÉtif, MÉtis, Mustee.]
Defn: The offspring of an Indian or a negro and a European or person of European stock. [Spanish America] Mestizo wool, wool imported from South America, and produced by mixed breeds of sheep.
MESTLING Mest"ling, n.
Defn: A kind of brass. See Maslin. [Obs.]
MESYMNICUM Me*sym"ni*cum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Hymn.] (Anc. Poetry)
Defn: A repetition at the end of a stanza.
MET Met, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Meet.
MET Met, obs. imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Mete, to measure. Chapman.
MET Met, obs. p. p.
Defn: of Mete, to dream. Chaucer.
META-; MET- Met"a-, Met-. Etym: [Gr. mid with, G. mit, Goth. miÞ, E. mid, in midwife.]
1. A prefix meaning between, with, after, behind, over, about, reversely; as, metachronism, the error of placing after the correct time; metaphor, lit., a carrying over; metathesis, a placing reversely.
2. (Chem.) A prefix denoting: (a) Other; duplicate, corresponding to; resembling; hence, metameric; as, meta-arabinic, metaldehyde. (b) (Organic Chem.) That two replacing radicals, in the benzene nucleus, occupy the relative positions of 1 and 3, 2 and 4, 3 and 5, 4 and 6, 5 and 1, or 6 and 2; as, metacresol, etc. See Ortho-, and Para-. (c) (Inorganic Chem.) Having less than the highest number of hydroxyl groups; -- said of acids; as, metaphosphoric acid. Also used adjectively. at a level above, as metaphysics, metalanguage.
METABASIS Me*tab"a*sis, n.; pl. Metabases. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Rhet.)
Defn: A transition from one subject to another.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Same as Metabola.
METABOLA; METABOLE Me*tab"o*la, Me*tab"o*le, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A change or mutation; a change of disease, symptoms, or treatment.
METABOLA; METABOLIA Me*tab"o*la, Met`a*bo"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See 1st Metabola.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A comprehensive group of insects, including those that undegro a metamorphosis.
METABOLIAN Met`a*bo"li*an, n. Etym: [See Metabola.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An insect which undergoes a metamorphosis.
METABOLIC Met`a*bol"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. Metabola.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to metamorphosis; pertaining to, or involving, change.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to metabolism; as, metabolic activity; metabolic force.
METABOLISIS Met`a*bol"i*sis, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: Metabolism. [R.]
METABOLISM Me*tab"o*lism, n. (Physiol.)
Defn: The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take up and convert into their own proper substance the nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the digestive ferments. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive (anabolism), or destructive (katabolism).
METABOLITE Me*tab"o*lite, n. (Physiol Chem.)
Defn: A product of metabolism; a substance produced by metabolic
## action, as urea.
METABOLIZE Me*tab"o*lize, v. t. & i. (Physiol.)
Defn: To change by a metabolic process. See Metabolism.
METABRANCHIAL Met`a*bran"chi*al, a. Etym: [Meta- + branchial.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lobe of the carapace of crabs covering the posterior branchiæ.
METACARPAL Met`a*car"pal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metacarpus. -- n.
Defn: A metacarpal bone.
METACARPUS Met`a*car"pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: That part of the skeleton of the hand or forefoot between the carpus and phalanges. In man it consists of five bones. See Illust. of Artiodactyla.
METACENTER; METACENTRE Met`a*cen"ter or; Metacentre, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + center.] (Hydrostatics)
Defn: The point of intersection of a vertical line through the center of gravity of the fluid displaced by a floating body which is tipped through a small angle from its position of equilibrium, and the inclined line which was vertical through the center of gravity of the body when in equilibrium.
Note: When the metacenter is above the center of gravity, the position of the body is stable; when below it, unstable.
METACETONE Me*tac"e*tone, n. Etym: [Pref. met- + acetone.] (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless liquid of an agreeable odor, C6H10O, obtained by distilling a mixture of sugar and lime; -- so called because formerly regarded as a polymeric modification of acetone.
METACHLORAL Met`a*chlo"ral, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + chloral.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white, amorphous, insoluble substance regarded as a polymeric variety of chloral.
METACHRONISM Me*tach"ro*nism, n. Etym: [Gr. métachronisme.]
Defn: An error committed in chronology by placing an event after its real time.
METACHROSIS Met`a*chro"sis, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The power og changing color at will by the expansion of special pigment cells, under nerve influence, as seen in many reptiles, fishes, etc. Cope.
METACINNABARITE Met`a*cin"na*bar*ite, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + cinnabar.] (Min.)
Defn: Sulphide of mercury in isometric form and black in color.
METACISM Met"a*cism, n. Etym: [L. metacismus, Gr.
Defn: A defect in pronouncing the letter m, or a too frequent use of it.
METACROLEIN Met`a*cro"le*in, n. Etym: [Pref. met- + acrolein.] (Chem.)
Defn: A polymeric modification of acrolein obtained by heating it with caustic potash. It is a crystalline substance having an aromatic odor.
METACROMION Met`a*cro"mi*on, n. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)
Defn: A process projecting backward and downward from the acromion of the scapula of some mammals.
METADISCOIDAL Met`a*dis*coid"al, a. Etym: [Meta- + discoidal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Discoidal by derivation; -- applied especially to the placenta of man and apes, because it is supposed to have been derived from a diffused placenta.
METAGASTRIC Met`a*gas"tric, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + gastric.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the two posterior gastric lobes of the carapace of crabs.
METAGE Met"age (; 48), n. Etym: [From Mete, v.]
1. Measurement, especially of coal. De Foe.
2. Charge for, or price of, measuring. Simmonds.
METAGENESIS Met`a*gen"e*sis, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + genesis.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: The change of form which one animal species undergoes in a series of successively produced individuals, extending from the one developed from the ovum to the final perfected individual. Hence, metagenesis involves the production of sexual individuals by nonsexual means, either directly or through intervening sexless generations. Opposed to monogenesis. See Alternate generation, under Generation.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Alternation of sexual and asexual or gemmiparous generations; - - in distinction from heterogamy.
METAGENETIC Met`a*ge*net"ic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to metagenesis.
METAGENIC Met`a*gen"ic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Metagenetic.
METAGNATHOUS Me*tag"na*thous, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Cross-billed; -- said of certain birds, as the crossbill.
METAGRAMMATISM Met`a*gram"ma*tism, n.
Defn: Anagrammatism.
METAGRAPHIC Met`a*graph"ic, a.
Defn: By or pertaining to metagraphy.
METAGRAPHY Me*tag"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + -graphy.]
Defn: The art or act of rendering the letters of the alphabet of one language into the possible equivalents of another; transliteration. Stormonth.
METAL Met"al ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [F. métal, L. metallum metal, mine, Gr. Mettle, Medal.]
1. (Chem.)
Defn: An elementary substance, as sodium, calcium, or copper, whose oxide or hydroxide has basic rather than acid properties, as contrasted with the nonmetals, or metalloids. No sharp line can be drawn between the metals and nonmetals, and certain elements partake of both acid and basic qualities, as chromium, manganese, bismuth, etc.
Note: Popularly, the name is applied to certain hard, fusible metals, as gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc, nickel, etc., and also to the mixed metals, or metallic alloys, as brass, bronze, steel, bell metal, etc.
2. Ore from which a metal is derived; -- so called by miners. Raymond.
3. A mine from which ores are taken. [Obs.] Slaves . . . and persons condemned to metals. Jer. Taylor.
4. The substance of which anything is made; material; hence, constitutional disposition; character; temper. Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Shak.
5. Courage; spirit; mettle. See Mettle. Shak.
Note: The allusion is to the temper of the metal of a sword blade. Skeat.
6. The broken stone used in macadamizing roads and ballasting railroads.
7. The effective power or caliber of guns carried by a vessel of war.
8. Glass in a state of fusion. Knight.
9. pl.
Defn: The rails of a railroad. [Eng.] Base metal (Chem.), any one of the metals, as iron, lead, etc., which are readily tarnished or oxidized, in contrast with the noble metals. In general, a metal of small value, as compared with gold or silver. -- Fusible metal (Metal.), a very fusible alloy, usually consisting of bismuth with lead, tin, or cadmium. -- Heavy metals (Chem.), the metallic elements not included in the groups of the alkalies, alkaline earths, or the earths; specifically, the heavy metals, as gold, mercury, platinum, lead, silver, etc. -- Light metals (Chem.), the metallic elements of the alkali and alkaline earth groups, as sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, etc.; also, sometimes, the metals of the earths, as aluminium. -- Muntz metal, an alloy for sheathing and other purposes, consisting of about sixty per cent of copper, and forty of zinc. Sometimes a little lead is added. It is named from the inventor. -- Prince's metal (Old Chem.), an alloy resembling brass, consisting of three parts of copper to one of zinc; -- also called Prince Rupert's metal.
METAL Met"al, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metaled ( or ) or Metalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Metaling or Metalling.]
Defn: To cover with metal; as, to metal a ship's bottom; to metal a road.
METALAMMONIUM Met`al*am*mo"ni*um, n. Etym: [Metal + ammonium.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical derived from ammonium by the substitution of metallic atoms in place of hydrogen.
METALBUMIN Met`al*bu"min, n. Etym: [Pref. met- + albumin.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A form of albumin found in ascitic and certain serous fluids. It is sometimes regarded as a mixture of albumin and mucin.
METALDEHYDE Me*tal"de*hyde, n. Etym: [Pref. met- + aldehyde.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline substance isomeric with, and obtained from, acetic aldehyde by polymerization, and reconvertible into the same.
METALEPSIS Met`a*lep"sis, n.; pl. Metalepses. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Rhet.)
Defn: The continuation of a trope in one word through a succession of significations, or the union of two or more tropes of a different kind in one word.
METALEPSY Met"a*lep`sy, n. (Chem.)
Defn: Exchange; replacement; substitution; metathesis. [R.]
METALEPTIC Met`a*lep"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to a metalepsis.
2. Transverse; as, the metaleptic motion of a muscle.
3. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, concerned in, or occurring by, metalepsy.
METALEPTICAL Met`a*lep"tic*al, a.
Defn: Metaleptic. -- Met`a*lep"tic*al*ly, adv.
METALLIC Me*tal"lic, a. Etym: [L. metallicus, fr. metallum: cf. F. métallique. See Metal.]
1. Of or pertaining to a metal; of the nature of metal; resembling metal; as, a metallic appearance; a metallic alloy.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or characterized by, the essential and implied properties of a metal, as contrasted with a nonmetal or metalloid; basic; antacid; positive. Metallic iron, iron in the state of the metal, as distinquished from its ores, as magnetic iron. -- Metallic paper, paper covered with a thin solution of lime, whiting, and size. When written upon with a pewter or brass pencil, the lines can hardly be effaced. -- Metallic tinking (Med.), a sound heard in the chest, when a cavity communicating with the air passages contains both air and liquid.
METALLICAL Me*tal"lic*al, a.
Defn: See Metallic. [Obs.]
METALLICLY Me*tal"lic*ly, adv.
Defn: In a metallic manner; by metallic means.
METALLIFACTURE Me*tal`li*fac"ture, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + facere, factum, to make.]
Defn: The production and working or manufacture of metals. [R.] R. Park.
METALLIFEROUS Met`al*lif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. metallifer; metallum metal + ferre to bear: cf. F. métallifère.]
Defn: Producing metals; yielding metals.
METALLIFORM Me*tal"li*form, a. Etym: [L. metallum metal + -form: cf. F. métalliforme.]
Defn: Having the form or structure of a metal.
METALLINE Met"al*line, a. Etym: [Cf. F. métallin.] (Chem.) (a) Pertaining to, or resembling, a metal; metallic; as, metalline properties. (b) Impregnated with metallic salts; chalybeate; as, metalline water. [R.]
METALLINE Met"al*line ( or ), n. (Chem.)
Defn: A substance of variable composition, but resembling a soft, dark-colored metal, used in the bearings of machines for obviating friction, and as a substitute for lubricants.
METALLIST Met"al*list, n.
Defn: A worker in metals, or one skilled in metals.
METALLIZATION Met`al*li*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métallisation.]
Defn: The act or process of metallizing. [R.]
METALLIZE Met"al*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metallized; p. pr. & vb. n. Metallizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. métalliser.]
Defn: To impart metallic properties to; to impregnate with a metal. [R.]
METALLOCHROME Me*tal"lo*chrome, n. Etym: [See Metallochromy.]
Defn: A coloring produced by the deposition of some metallic compound; specifically, the prismatic tints produced by depositing a film of peroxide of lead on polished steel by electricity.
METALLOCHROMY Me*tal"lo*chro`my, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + Gr.
Defn: The art or process of coloring metals.
METALLOGRAPH Me*tal"lo*graph, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + -graph.]
Defn: A print made by metallography.
METALLOGRAPHIC Me*tal`lo*graph"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or by means of, metallography.
METALLOGRAPHIST Met`al*log"ra*phist, n.
Defn: One who writes on the subject of metals.
METALLOGRAPHY Met`al*log"ra*phy, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + -graphy: cf. F. métallographie.]
1. The science or art of metals and metal working; also, a treatise on metals.
2. A method of transferring impressions of the grain of wood to metallic surfaces by chemical action. Knight.
3. A substitute for lithography, in which metallic plates are used instead of stone. Knight.
METALLOID Met"al*loid, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + -oid: cf. F. métalloïde.] (a) Formerly, the metallic base of a fixed alkali, or alkaline earth; -- applied by Sir H. Davy to sodium, potassium, and some other metallic substances whose metallic character was supposed to be not well defined. (b) Now, one of several elementary substances which in the free state are unlike metals, and whose compounds possess or produce acid, rather than basic, properties; a nonmetal; as, boron, carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur, chlorine, bromine, etc., are metalloids.
METALLOID Met"al*loid, a.
1. Having the appearance of a metal.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Having the properties of a nonmetal; nonmetallic; acid; negative.
METALLOIDAL Met`al*loid"al, a.
Defn: Metalloid.
METALLOPHONE Me*tal"lo*phone, n. [L. metallum metal + Gr. sound.] (Music) (a) An instrument like a pianoforte, but having metal bars instead of strings. (b) An instrument like the xylophone, but having metallic instead of wooden bars.
METALLORGANIC Met`al*lor*gan"ic, a.
Defn: Metalorganic.
METALLOTHERAPY Me*tal`lo*ther"a*py, n. Etym: [L. metallum metal + E. therapy.] (Med.)
Defn: Treatment of disease by applying metallic plates to the surface of the body.
METALLURGIC; METALLURGICAL Met`al*lur"gic, Met`al*lur"gic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. métallurgique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to metallurgy.
METALLURGIST Met"al*lur`gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métallurgiste.]
Defn: One who works in metals, or prepares them for use; one who is skilled in metallurgy.
METALLURGY Met"al*lur`gy, n. Etym: [F. métallurgie, fr. L. metallum metal, Gr. Metal, and Work.]
Defn: The art of working metals, comprehending the whole process of separating them from other matters in the ore, smelting, refining, and parting them; sometimes, in a narrower sense, only the process of extracting metals from their ores.
METALMAN Met"al*man, n.; pl. Metalmen (.
Defn: A worker in metals.
METALOGICAL Met`a*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Beyond the scope or province of logic.
METALORGANIC Met`al*or*gan"ic, a. Etym: [Metal, L. metallum + E. organic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or denoting, any one of a series of compounds of certain metallic elements with organic radicals; as, zinc methyl, sodium ethyl, etc. [Written also metallorganic.]
METAMER Met"a*mer, n. Etym: [See Metamere.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of several metameric forms of the same substance, or of different substances having the same composition; as, xylene has three metamers, viz., orthoxylene, metaxylene, and paraxylene.
METAMERE Met"a*mere, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + -mere.] (Biol.)
Defn: One of successive or homodynamous parts in animals and plants; one of a series of similar parts that follow one another in a vertebrate or articulate animal, as in an earthworm; a segment; a somite. See Illust. of Loeven's larva.
METAMERIC Met`a*mer"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + Gr.
1. (Chem.)
Defn: Having the same elements united in the same proportion by weight, and with the same molecular weight, but possessing a different structure and different properties; as, methyl ether and ethyl alcohol are metameric compounds. See Isomeric.
Note: The existence of metameric compounds is due to the different arrangement of the same constituents in the molecule.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a metamere or its formation; as, metameric segmentation.
METAMERICALLY Met`a*mer"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a metameric manner.
METAMERISM Me*tam"er*ism, n.
1. (Biol.)
Defn: The symmetry of a metameric structure; serial symmetry; the state of being made up of metameres.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: The state or quality of being metameric; also, the relation or condition of metameric compounds.
METAMORPHIC Met`a*mor"phic, a. Etym: [See Metamorphosis.]
1. Subject to change; changeable; variable.
2. Causing a change of structure.
3. (Geol.)
Defn: Pertaining to, produced by, or exhibiting, certain changes which minerals or rocks may have undergone since their original deposition; -- especially applied to the recrystallization which sedimentary rocks have undergone through the influence of heat and pressure, after which they are called metamorphic rocks.
METAMORPHISM Met`a*mor"phism, n. (Geol.)
Defn: The state or quality of being metamorphic; the process by which the material of rock masses has been more or less recrystallized by heat, pressure, etc., as in the change of sedimentary limestone to marble. Murchison.
METAMORPHIST Met`a*mor"phist, n. (Eccl.)
Defn: One who believes that the body of Christ was merged into the Deity when he ascended.
METAMORPHIZE Met`a*mor"phize, v. t.
Defn: To metamorphose.
METAMORPHOSE Met`a*mor"phose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metamorphosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Metamorphosing.] Etym: [Cf. F. métamorphoser.]
Defn: To change into a different form; to transform; to transmute. And earth was metamorphosed into man. Dryden.
METAMORPHOSE Met`a*mor"phose, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métamorphose. See Metamorphosis.]
Defn: Same as Metamorphosis.
METAMORPHOSER Met`a*mor"pho*ser, n.
Defn: One who metamorphoses. [R.] Gascoigne.
METAMORPHOSIC Met`a*mor"pho*sic, a.
Defn: Changing the form; transforming. [R.] Pownall.
METAMORPHOSIS Met`a*mor"pho*sis, n.; pl. Metamorphoses. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. Change of form, or structure; transformation.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: A change in the form or function of a living organism, by a natural process of growth or development; as, the metamorphosis of the yolk into the embryo, of a tadpole into a frog, or of a bud into a blossom. Especially, that form of sexual reproduction in which an embryo undergoes a series of marked changes of external form, as the chrysalis stage, pupa stage, etc., in insects. In these intermediate stages sexual reproduction is usually impossible, but they ultimately pass into final and sexually developed forms, from the union of which organisms are produced which pass through the same cycle of changes. See Transformation.
3. (Physiol.)
Defn: The change of material of one kind into another through the agency of the living organism; metabolism. Vegetable metamorphosis (Bot.), the doctrine that flowers are homologous with leaf buds, and that the floral organs are transformed leaves.
METANAUPLIUS Met`a*nau"pli*us, n. Etym: [NL. See Meta-, and Nauplius.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A larval crustacean in a stage following the nauplius, and having about seven pairs of appendages.
METANEPHRITIC Met`a*ne*phrit"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metanephros.
METANEPHROS Met`a*neph"ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The most posterior of the three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in many vertebrates.
METANOTUM Met`a*no"tum, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The dorsal portion of the metaphorax of insects.
METANTIMONATE Met`an*ti*mo"nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metantimonic acid.
METANTIMONIC Met`an*ti*mon"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. met- + antimonic.] (Chem.) (a) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid (formerly called antimonic acid) analogous to metaphosphoric acid, and obtained as a white amorphous insoluble substance, (HSbO3). (b) Formerly, designating an acid, which is now properly called pyroantimonic acid, and analogous to pyrophosphoric acid.
METAPECTIC Met`a*pec"tic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + pectic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a supposed acid obtained from pectin.
METAPECTIN Met`a*pec"tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A substance obtained from, and resembling, pectin, and occurring in overripe fruits.
METAPEPTONE Met`a*pep"tone, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + peptone.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An intermediate product formed in the gastric digestion of albuminous matter.
METAPHOR Met"a*phor, n. Etym: [F. métaphore, L. metaphora, fr. Gr. meta` beyond, over + fe`rein to bring, bear.] (Rhet.)
Defn: The transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea. Abbott & Seeley. "All the world's a stage." Shak.
Note: The statement, "that man is a fox," is a metaphor; but "that man is like a fox," is a simile, similitude, or comparison.
METAPHORIC; METAPHORICAL Met`a*phor"ic, Met`a*phor"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. métaphorique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to metaphor; comprising a metaphor; not literal; figurative; tropical; as, a metaphorical expression; a metaphorical sense. -- Met`a*phor"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Met`a*phor"ic*al*ness, n.
METAPHORIST Met"a*phor*ist, n.
Defn: One who makes metaphors.
METAPHOSPHATE Met`a*phos"phate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metaphosphoric acid.
METAPHOSPHORIC Met`a*phos*phor"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + phosphoric.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a monobasic acid, HPO3, analogous to nitric acid, and, by heating phosphoric acid, obtained as a crystalline substance, commonly called glacial phosphoric acid.
METAPHRASE Met"a*phrase, n. Etym: [Gr. meta`frasis, from metafrazein to paraphrase; meta` beyond, over + fra`zein to speak: cf. F. métaphrase.]
1. A verbal translation; a version or translation from one language into another, word for word; -- opposed to paraphrase. Dryden.
2. An answering phrase; repartee. Mrs. Browning.
METAPHRASED Met"a*phrased, a.
Defn: Translated literally.
METAPHRASIS Me*taph"ra*sis, n. Etym: [NL. See Metaphrase.]
Defn: Metaphrase.
METAPHRAST Met"a*phrast, n. Etym: [Gr. métaphraste.]
Defn: A literal translator.
METAPHRASTIC; METAPHRASTICAL Met`a*phras"tic, Met`a*phras"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Close, or literal.
METAPHYSIC Met`a*phys"ic, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métaphysique.]
Defn: See Metaphysics.
METAPHYSIC Met`a*phys"ic, a.
Defn: Metaphysical.
METAPHYSICAL Met`a*phys"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. métaphysique. See Metaphysics.]
1. Of or pertaining to metaphysics.
2. According to rules or principles of metaphysics; as, metaphysical reasoning.
3. Preternatural or supernatural. [Obs.] The golden round *Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal. Shak.
METAPHYSICALLY Met`a*phys"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of metaphysical science, or of a metaphysician. South.
METAPHYSICIAN Met`a*phy*si"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métaphysicien.]
Defn: One who is versed in metaphysics.
METAPHYSICS Met`a*phys"ics, n. Etym: [Gr. métaphysique. See Physics. The term was first used by the followers of Aristotle as a name for that part of his writings which came after, or followed, the part which treated of physics.]
1. The science of real as distinguished from phenomenal being; ontology; also, the science of being, with reference to its abstract and universal conditions, as distinguished from the science of determined or concrete being; the science of the conceptions and relations which are necessarily implied as true of every kind of being; phylosophy in general; first principles, or the science of first principles.
Note: Metaphysics is distinguished as general and special. General metaphysics is the science of all being as being. Special metaphysics is the science of one kind of being; as, the metaphysics of chemistry, of morals, or of politics. According to Kant, a systematic exposition of those notions and truths, the knowledge of which is altogether independent of experience, would constitute the science of metaphysics. Commonly, in the schools, called metaphysics, as being part of the philosophy of Aristotle, which hath that for title; but it is in another sense: for there it signifieth as much as "books written or placed after his natural philosophy." But the schools take them for "books of supernatural philosophy;" for the word metaphysic will bear both these senses. Hobbes. Now the science conversant about all such inferences of unknown being from its known manifestations, is called ontology, or metaphysics proper. Sir W. Hamilton. Metaphysics are [is] the science which determines what can and what can not be known of being, and the laws of being, a priori. Coleridge.
2. Hence: The scientific knowledge of mental phenomena; mental philosophy; psychology. Metaphysics, in whatever latitude the term be taken, is a science or complement of sciences exclusively occupied with mind. Sir W. Hamilton. Whether, after all, A larger metaphysics might not help Our physics. Mrs. Browning.
METAPHYSIS Me*taph"y*sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: Change of form; transformation.
METAPLASM Met"a*plasm, n. Etym: [L. metaplasmus, Gr. métaplasme.] (Gram.)
Defn: A change in the letters or syllables of a word.
METAPLAST Met"a*plast, n. Etym: [See Metaplasm.] (Gram.)
Defn: A word having more than one form of the root.
METAPODE Met"a*pode, n. Etym: [NL. metapodium, from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The posterior division of the foot in the Gastropoda and Pteropoda.
METAPODIAL Met`a*po"di*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metapodialia, or to the parts of the limbs to which they belong.
METAPODIALE Met`a*po`di*a"le, n.; pl. Metapodialia. Etym: [NL. See Metapode.] (Anat.)
Defn: One of the bones of either the metacarpus or metatarsus.
METAPODIUM Met`a*po"di*um, n.; pl. Metapodia. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Metapode.
METAPOPHYSIS Met`a*poph"y*sis, n.; pl. Metapophyses. Etym: [NL. See Meta-, and Apophysis.] (Anat.)
Defn: A tubercle projecting from the anterior articular processes of some vertebræ; a mammillary process.
METAPTERYGIUM Me*tap`te*ryg"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The posterior of the three principal basal cartilages in the fins of fishes. -- Me*tap`ter*yg"i*al, a.
METASILICATE Met`a*sil"i*cate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metasilicic acid.
METASILICIC Met`a*si*lic"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + silicic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Designating an acid derived from silicic acid by the removal of water; of or pertaining to such an acid.
Note: The salts of metasilicic acid are often called bisilicates, in mineralogy, as Wollastonite (CaSiO3). Metasilicic acid (Chem.), a gelatinous substance, or white amorphous powder, analogous to carbonic acid, and forming many stable salts.
METASOMATISM Met`a*so"ma*tism, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: An alteration in a mineral or rock mass when involving a chemical change of the substance, as of chrysolite to serpentine; -- opposed to ordinary metamorphism, as implying simply a recrystallization. -- Met`a*so*mat"ic, a.
METASOME Met"a*some, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + -some body.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the component segments of the body of an animal.
METASTANNATE Met`a*stan"nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metastannic acid.
METASTANNIC Met`a*stan"nic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a compound of tin (metastannic acid), obtained, as an isomeric modification of stannic acid, in the form of a white amorphous substance.
METASTASIS Me*tas"ta*sis, n.; pl. Metastases. Etym: [L., transition, fr. Gr.
1. (Theol.)
Defn: A spiritual change, as during baptism.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A change in the location of a disease, as from one part to another. Dunglison.
3. (Physiol.)
Defn: The act or process by which matter is taken up by cells or tissues and is transformed into other matter; in plants, the act or process by which are produced all of those chemical changes in the constituents of the plant which are not accompanied by a production of organic matter; metabolism.
METASTATIC Met`a*stat"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or caused by, metastasis; as, a metastatic abscess; the metastatic processes of growth.
METASTERNAL Met`a*ster"nal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metasternum.
METASTERNUM Met`a*ster"num, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + sternum.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The most posterior element of the sternum; the ensiform process; xiphisternum.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ventral plate of the third or last segment of the thorax of insects.
METASTOMA; METASTOME Me*tas"to*ma, Met"a*stome, n. Etym: [NL. metastoma, from Gr. meta` behind + sto`ma mouth.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A median elevation behind the mouth in the arthropods.
METATARSAL Met`a*tar"sal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metatarsus. -- n.
Defn: A metatarsal bone.
METATARSE Met"a*tarse, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Metatarsus.
METATARSUS Met`a*tar"sus, n.; pl. Metatarsi. Etym: [NL. See Meta-, and Tarsus.] (Anat.)
Defn: That part of the skeleton of the hind or lower limb between the tarsus and phalanges; metatarse. It consists, in the human foot, of five bones. See Illustration in Appendix.
METATE Me*ta"te, n. [Sp., fr. Mex. metlatl.]
Defn: A flat or somewhat hollowed stone upon which grain or other food is ground, by means of a smaller stone or pestle. [Southwestern U. S. & Sp. Amer.]
METATHESIS Me*tath"e*sis, n.; pl. Metatheses (. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. meta`thesis, fr. metatithe`nai to place differently, to transpose; meta` beyond, over + tithe`nai to place, set. See Thesis.]
1. (Gram.)
Defn: Transposition, as of the letters or syllables of a word; as, pistris for pristis; meagre for meager.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A mere change in place of a morbid substance, without removal from the body.
3. (Chem.)
Defn: The act, process, or result of exchange, substitution, or replacement of atoms and radicals; thus, by metathesis an acid gives up all or part of its hydrogen, takes on an equivalent amount of a metal or base, and forms a salt.
METATHETIC; METATHETICAL Met`a*thet"ic, Met`a*thet"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to metathesis.
METATHORACIC Met`a*tho*rac"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the metathorax.
METATHORAX Met`a*tho"rax, n. Etym: [NL.: cf. F. métathorax. See Meta-, and Thorax.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The last or posterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Illust. of Coleoptera.
METATITANIC Met`a*ti*tan"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + titanic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid of titanium analogous to metasilicic acid.
METATUNGSTATE Met`a*tung"state, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metatungstic acid.
METATUNGSTIC Met`a*tung"stic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + tungstic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid known only in its salts (the metatungstates) and properly called polytungstic, or pyrotungstic, acid.
METAVANADATE Met`a*van"a*date, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of metavanadic acid.
METAVANADIC Met`a*va*nad"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. meta- + vanadic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, a vanadic acid analogous to metaphosphoric acid.
METAXYLENE Met`a*xy"lene, n. Etym: [Pref. meta- + xylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: That variety of xylene, or dimethyl benzene, in which the two methyl groups occupy the meta position with reference to each other. It is a colorless inf
METAYAGE Mé`ta`yage", n. Etym: [F. See Métayer.]
Defn: A system of farming on halves. [France & Italy]
METAYER Mé`ta`yer" (F. ; E. ), n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. medietarius, fr. L. medius middle, half. See Mid, a.]
Defn: One who cultivates land for a share (usually one half) of its yield, receiving stock, tools, and seed from the landlord. [France & Italy] Milman.
METAZOA Met`a*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Those animals in which the protoplasmic mass, constituting the egg, is converted into a multitude of cells, which are metamorphosed into the tissues of the body. A central cavity is commonly developed, and the cells around it are at first arranged in two layers, -- the ectoderm and endoderm. The group comprises nearly all animals except the Protozoa.
METAZOAN Met`a*zo"an, n.; pl. Metazoans (. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Metazoa.
METAZOIC Met`a*zo"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Metazoa.
METAZOON; METAZOOEN Met`a*zo"ön, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Metazoa.
METE Mete, n.
Defn: Meat. [Obs.] Chaucer.
METE Mete, v. t. & i.
Defn: To meet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
METE Mete, v. i. & t. [imp. Mette; p. p. Met.] Etym: [AS. m.]
Defn: To dream; also impersonally; as, me mette, I dreamed. [Obs.] "I mette of him all night." Chaucer.
METE Mete, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meted; p. pr. & vb. n. Meting.] Etym: [AS. metan; akin to D. meten, G. messen, OHG. mezzan, Icel. meta, Sw. mäta, Goth. mitan, L. modus measure, moderation, modius a corn measure, Gr. measure, L. metiri to measure; cf. Skr. ma to measure. sq. root99. Cf. Measure, Meet, a., Mode.]
Defn: To find the quantity, dimensions, or capacity of, by any rule or standard; to measure.
METE Mete, v. i.
Defn: To measure. [Obs.] Mark iv. 24.
METE Mete, n. Etym: [AS. met. See Mete to measure.]
Defn: Measure; limit; boundary; -- used chiefly in the plural, and in the phrase metes and bounds.
METECORN Mete"corn`, n.
Defn: A quantity of corn formerly given by the lord to his customary tenants, as an encouragement to, or reward for, labor and faithful service.
METELY Mete"ly, a.
Defn: According to measure or proportion; proportionable; proportionate. [Obs.]
METEMPIRIC; METEMPIRICAL Met`em*pir"ic, Met`em*pir"ic*al, a. Etym: [Pref. met- + empiric, - ical.] (Metaph.)
Defn: Related, or belonging, to the objects of knowledge within the province of metempirics. If then the empirical designates the province we include within the range of science, the province we exclude may be fitly styled the metempirical. G. H. Lewes.
METEMPIRICISM Met*em*pir"i*cism, n.
Defn: The science that is concerned with metempirics.
METEMPIRICS Met`em*pir"ics, n.
Defn: The concepts and relations which are conceived as beyond, and yet as related to, the knowledge gained by experience.
METEMPSYCHOSE Me*temp"sy*chose, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metempsychosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Metempsychosing.] Etym: [See Metempsychosis.]
Defn: To translate or transfer, as the soul, from one body to another. [R.] Peacham.
METEMPSYCHOSIS Me*temp`sy*cho"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Psychology.]
Defn: The passage of the soul, as an immortal essence, at the death of the animal body it had inhabited, into another living body, whether of a brute or a human being; transmigration of souls. Sir T. Browne.
METEMPTOSIS Met`emp*to"sis, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Chron.)
Defn: The suppression of a day in the calendar to prevent the date of the new moon being set a day too late, or the suppression of the bissextile day once in 134 years. The opposite to this is the proemptosis, or the addition of a day every 330 years, and another every 2,400 years.
METENCEPHALON Met`en*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [Met- + encephalon.] (Anat.)
Defn: The posterior part of the brain, including the medulla; the afterbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to meten.
METENSOMATOSIS Met`en*so`ma*to"sis, n. Etym: [L., a change of body (by the soul), fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The assimilation by one body or organism of the elements of another.
METEOR Me"te*or, n. Etym: [F. météore, Gr.
1. Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc. Hail, an ordinary meteor. Bp. Hall.
2. Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region. The vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o'er with burning meteors. Shak.
Note: The term is especially applied to fireballs, and the masses of stone or other substances which sometimes fall to the earth; also to shooting stars and to ignes fatui. Meteors are often classed as: aerial meteors, winds, tornadoes, etc.; aqueous meteors, rain, hail, snow, dew, etc.; luminous meteors, rainbows, halos, etc.; and igneous meteors, lightning, shooting stars, and the like.
METEORIC Me`te*or"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. météorique.]
1. Of or pertaining to a meteor, or to meteors; atmospheric, as, meteoric phenomena; meteoric stones.
2. Influenced by the weather; as, meteoric conditions.
3. Flashing; brilliant; transient; like a meteor; as, meteoric fame. "Meteoric politician." Craik. Meteoric iron, Meteoric stone. (Min.) See Meteorite. -- Meteoric paper, a substance of confervoid origin found floating in the air, and resembling bits of coarse paper; -- so called because formerly supposed to fall from meteors. -- Meteoric showers, periodical exhibitions of shooting stars, occuring about the 9th or 10th of August and 13th of November, more rarely in April and December, and also at some other periods.
METEORICAL Me`te*or"ic*al, a.
Defn: Meteoric.
METEORISM Me"te*or*ism, n. (Med.)
Defn: Flatulent distention of the abdomen; tympanites.
METEORITE Me"te*or*ite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. météorite.] (Min.)
Defn: A mass of stone or iron which has fallen to the earth from space; an aërolite.
Note: Meteorites usually show a pitted surface with a fused crust, caused by the heat developed in their rapid passage through the earth's atmosphere. A meteorite may consist: 1. Of metallic iron, alloyed with a small percentage of nickel (meteoric iron, holosiderite). When etched this usually exhibits peculiar crystalline figures, called Widmanstätten figures. 2. Of a cellular mass of iron with imbedded silicates (mesosiderite or siderolite). 3. Of a stony mass of silicates with little iron (meteoric stone, sporadosiderite). 4. Of a mass without iron (asiderite).
METEORIZE Me"te*or*ize, v. i. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: To ascend in vapors; to take the form of a meteor. Evelyn.
METEOROGRAPH Me`te*or"o*graph, n. Etym: [Meteor + -graph.]
Defn: An instrument which registers meteorologic phases or conditions.
METEOROGRAPHIC Me`te*or`o*graph"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to meteorography.
METEOROGRAPHY Me`te*or*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Meteor + -graphy.]
Defn: The registration of meteorological phenomena.
METEOROID Me"te*or*oid, n. Etym: [Meteor + -oid.] (Astron.)
Defn: A small body moving through space, or revolving about the sun, which on entering the earth's atmosphere would be deflagrated and appear as a meteor. These bodies [small, solid bodies] before they come into the air, I call meteoroids. H. A. Newton.
METEOROIDAL Me`te*or*oid"al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a meteoroid or to meteoroids.
METEOROLITE Me`te*or"o*lite, n. Etym: [Meteor + -lite : cf. F. météorolithe.]
Defn: A meteoric stone; an aërolite; a meteorite.
METEOROLOGIC; METEOROLOGICAL Me`te*or`o*log"ic, Me`te*or`o*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. météorologique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the atmosphere and its phenomena, or to meteorology. Meteorological table, Meteorological register, a table or register exhibiting the state of the air and its temperature, weight, dryness, moisture, motion, etc.
METEOROLOGIST Me`te*or*ol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. météorologiste.]
Defn: A person skilled in meteorology.
METEOROLOGY Me`te*or*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. météorologie. See Meteor.]
Defn: The science which treats of the atmosphere and its phenomena,
## particularly of its variations of heat and moisture, of its winds,
storms, etc.
METEOROMANCY Me`te*or"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Meteor + -mancy : cf. F. météoromancie.]
Defn: A species of divination by meteors, chiefly by thunder and lightning, which was held in high estimation by the Romans.
METEOROMETER Me`te*or*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [Meteor + -meter.]
Defn: An apparatus which transmits automatically to a central station atmospheric changes as marked by the anemometer, barometer, thermometer, etc.
METEOROSCOPE Me`te*or"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. météoroscope. See Meteor.] (Astron.) (a) An astrolabe; a planisphere. [Obs.] (b) An instrument for measuring the position, length, and direction, of the apparent path of a shooting star.
METEOROUS Me*te"o*rous ( or ), a. Etym: [See Meteor.]
Defn: Of the nature or appearance of a meteor.
-METER -me"ter. Etym: [L. metrum measure, or the allied Gr. Meter rhythm.]
Defn: A suffix denoting that by which anything is measured; as, barometer, chronometer, dynamometer.
METER Me"ter, n. Etym: [From Mete to measure.]
1. One who, or that which, metes or measures. See Coal-meter.
2. An instrument for measuring, and usually for recording automatically, the quantity measured. Dry meter, a gas meter having measuring chambers, with flexible walls, which expand and contract like bellows and measure the gas by filling and emptying. -- W, a gas meter in which the revolution of a chambered drum in water measures the gas passing through it.
METER Me"ter, n.
Defn: A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it.
METER; METRE Me"ter, Me"tre, n. Etym: [OE. metre, F. mètre, L. metrum, fr. Gr. ma to measure. See Mete to measure.]
1. Rhythmical arrangement of syllables or words into verses, stanzas, strophes, etc.; poetical measure, depending on number, quantity, and accent of syllables; rhythm; measure; verse; also, any specific rhythmical arrangements; as, the Horatian meters; a dactylic meter. The only strict antithesis to prose is meter. Wordsworth.
2. A poem. [Obs.] Robynson (More's Utopia).
3. A measure of length, equal to 39.37 English inches, the standard of linear measure in the metric system of weights and measures. It was intended to be, and is very nearly, the ten millionth part of the distance from the equator to the north pole, as ascertained by actual measurement of an arc of a meridian. See Metric system, under Metric. Common meter (Hymnol.), four iambic verses, or lines, making a stanza, the first and third having each four feet, and the second and fourth each three feet; -- usually indicated by the initials C.M. -- Long meter (Hymnol.), iambic verses or lines of four feet each, four verses usually making a stanza; -- commonly indicated by the initials L.M. -- Short meter (Hymnol.), iambic verses or lines, the first, second, and fourth having each three feet, and the third four feet. The stanza usually consists of four lines, but is sometimes doubled. Short meter is indicated by the initials S.M.
METERAGE Me"ter*age, n. Etym: [See 1st Meter.]
Defn: The act of measuring, or the cost of measuring.
METERGRAM Me"ter*gram`, n. (Mech.)
Defn: A measure of energy or work done; the power exerted in raising one gram through the distance of one meter against gravitation.
METEWAND Mete"wand`, n. Etym: [Mete to measure + wand.]
Defn: A measuring rod. Ascham.
METEYARD Mete"yard`, n. Etym: [AS. metgeard. See Mete to measure, and Yard stick.]
Defn: A yard, staff, or rod, used as a measure. [Obs.] Shak.
METH Meth, n.
Defn: See Meathe. [Obs.] Chaucer.
METHAEMOGLOBIN Met`hæm*o*glo"bin ( or ), n. Etym: [Pref. met- + h.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A stable crystalline compound obtained by the decomposition of hemoglobin. It is found in old blood stains.
METHAL Meth"al, n. Etym: [Myristic + ether + alcohol.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white waxy substance, found in small quantities in spermaceti as an ethereal salt of several fatty acids, and regarded as an alcohol of the methane series.
METHANE Meth"ane, n. Etym: [See Methal.] (Chem.)
Defn: A light, colorless, gaseous, inflammable hydrocarbon, CH4; marsh gas. See Marsh gas, under Gas. Methane series (Chem.), a series of saturated hydrocarbons, of which methane is the first member and type, and (because of their general chemical inertness and indifference) called also the paraffin (little affinity) series. The lightest members are gases, as methane, ethane; intermediate members are liquids, as hexane, heptane, etc. (found in benzine, kerosene, etc.); while the highest members are white, waxy, or fatty solids, as paraffin proper.
METHANOMETER Meth`a*nom"e*ter, n. [Methane + -meter.]
Defn: An instrument, resembling a eudiometer, to detect the presence and amount of methane, as in coal mines.
METHEGLIN Me*theg"lin, n. Etym: [W. meddyglyn; medd mead + llyn liquor, juice. See Mead a drink.]
Defn: A fermented beverage made of honey and water; mead. Gay.
METHENE Meth"ene, n. Etym: [Methyl + ethylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: See Methylene.
METHENYL Meth"e*nyl, n. Etym: [Methene + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: The hypothetical hydrocarbon radical CH, regarded as an essential residue of certain organic compounds.
METHIDE Meth"ide ( or ), n. Etym: [See Methyl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A binary compound of methyl with some element; as, aluminium methide, Al2(CH3)6.
METHINKS Me*thinks", v. impers. [imp. Methought.] Etym: [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
Defn: It seems to me; I think. See Me. [R., except in poetry.] In all ages poets have been had in special reputation, and, methinks, not without great cause. Spenser.
METHIONATE Me*thi"on*ate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of methionic acid.
METHIONIC Meth`i*on"ic, a. Etym: [Methyl + thionic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, a sulphonic (thionic) acid derivative of methane, obtained as a stable white crystalline substance, CH2.(SO3H)2, which forms well defined salts.
METHOD Meth"od, n. Etym: [F. méthode, L. methodus, fr. Gr. meqodos method, investigation following after; meta` after + "odo`s way.]
1. An orderly procedure or process; regular manner of doing anything; hence, manner; way; mode; as, a method of teaching languages; a method of improving the mind. Addison.
2. Orderly arrangement, elucidation, development, or classification; clear and lucid exhibition; systematic arrangement peculiar to an individual. Though this be madness, yet there's method in it. Shak. All method is a rational progress, a progress toward an end. Sir W. Hamilton.
3. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: Classification; a mode or system of classifying natural objects according to certain common characteristics; as, the method of Theophrastus; the method of Ray; the Linnæan method.
Syn. -- Order; system; rule; regularity; way; manner; mode; course; process; means. -- Method, Mode, Manner. Method implies arrangement; mode, mere
## action or existence. Method is a way of reaching a given end by a
series of acts which tend to secmode relates to a single action, or to the form which a series of acts, viewed as a whole, exhibits. Manner is literally the handling of a thing, and has a wider sense, embracing both method and mode. An instructor may adopt a good method of teaching to write; the scholar may acquire a bad mode of holding his pen; the manner in which he is corrected will greatly affect his success or failure.
METHODIC; METHODICAL Me*thod"ic, Me*thod"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. methodicus, Gr. méthodique.]
1. Arranged with regard to method; disposed in a suitable manner, or in a manner to illustrate a subject, or to facilitate practical observation; as, the methodical arrangement of arguments; a methodical treatise. "Methodical regularity." Addison.
2. Proceeding with regard to method; systematic. "Aristotle, strict, methodic, and orderly." Harris.
3. Of or pertaining to the ancient school of physicians called methodists. Johnson. -- Me*thod"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Me*thod"ic*al*ness, n.
METHODIOS Me*thod"ios, n.
Defn: The art and principles of method.
METHODISM Meth"o*dism, n. (Eccl.)
Defn: The system of doctrines, polity, and worship, of the sect called Methodists. Bp. Warburton.
METHODIST Meth"o*dist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. méthodiste. See Method.]
1. One who observes method. [Obs.]
2. One of an ancient school of physicians who rejected observation and founded their practice on reasoning and theory. Sir W. Hamilton.
3. (Theol.)
Defn: One of a sect of Christians, the outgrowth of a small association called the "Holy Club," formed at Oxford University, A.D. 1729, of which the most conspicuous members were John Wesley and his brother Charles; -- originally so called from the methodical strictness of members of the club in all religious duties.
4. A person of strict piety; one who lives in the exact observance of religious duties; -- sometimes so called in contempt or ridicule.
METHODIST Meth"o*dist, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the sect of Methodists; as, Methodist hymns; a Methodist elder.
METHODISTIC; METHODISTICAL Meth`o*dis"tic, Meth`o*dis"tic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to methodists, or to the Methodists. -- Meth`o*dis"tic*al*ly, adv.
METHODIZATION Meth`od*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of methodizing, or the state of being methodized.
METHODIZE Meth"od*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Methodized; p. pr. & vb. n. Methodizing.]
Defn: To reduce to method; to dispose in due order; to arrange in a convenient manner; as, to methodize one's work or thoughts. Spectator.
METHODIZER Meth"od*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who methodizes.
METHODOLOGICAL Meth`od*o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to methodology.
METHODOLOGY Meth`od*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: The science of method or arrangement; a treatise on method. Coleridge.
METHOL Meth"ol, n. Etym: [Gr. -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: The technical name of methyl alcohol or wood spirit; also, by extension, the class name of any of the series of alcohols of the methane series of which methol proper is the type. See Methyl alcohol, under Methyl.
METHOUGHT Me*thought", imp.
Defn: of Methinks.
METHOXYL Meth*ox"yl, n. Etym: [Methyl + hydroxyl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical, CH3O, analogous to hydroxyl.
METHYL Meth"yl, n. Etym: [See Methylene.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon radical, CH3, not existing alone but regarded as an essential residue of methane, and appearing as a component part of many derivatives; as, methyl alcohol, methyl ether, methyl amine, etc. [Formerly written also methule, methyle, etc.] Methyl alcohol (Chem.), a light, volatile, inflammable liquid, CH3.OH, obtained by the distillation of wood, and hence called wood spirit; -- called also methol, carbinol, etc. -- Methyl amine (Chem.), a colorless, inflammable, alkaline gas, CH3.NH2, having an ammoniacal, fishy odor. It is produced artificially, and also occurs naturally in herring brine and other fishy products. It is regarded as ammonia in which a third of its hydrogen is replaced by methyl, and is a type of the class of substituted ammonias. -- Methyl ether (Chem.), a light, volatile ether CH3.O.CH3, obtained by the etherification of methyl alcohol; -- called also methyl oxide. -- Methyl green. (Chem.) See under Green, n. -- Methyl orange. (Chem.) See Helianthin. -- Methyl violet (Chem.), an artificial dye, consisting of certain methyl halogen derivatives of rosaniline.
METHYLAL Meth"yl*al, n. Etym: [Methylene + alcohol.] (Chem.)
Defn: A light, volatile liquid, H2C(OCH3)2, regarded as a complex ether, and having a pleasant ethereal odor. It is obtained by the
## partial oxidation of methyl alcohol. Called also formal.
METHYLAMINE Meth`yl*am"ine ( or ), n. (Chem.)
Defn: See Methyl amine, under Methyl.
METHYLATE Meth"yl*ate, n. Etym: [Methyl + alcoholate.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alcoholate of methyl alcohol in which the hydroxyl hydrogen is replaced by a metal, after the analogy of a hydrate; as, sodium methylate, CH3ONa.
METHYLATE Meth"yl*ate, v. t.
Defn: To impregnate or mix with methyl or methyl alcohol.
METHYLATED Meth"yl*a`ted, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Impregnated with, or containing, methyl alcohol or wood spirit; as, methylated spirits.
METHYLENE Meth"yl*ene, n. Etym: [F. méthylène, from Gr. wood spirit.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon radical, CH2, not known in the free state, but regarded as an essential residue and component of certain derivatives of methane; as, methylene bromide, CH2Br2; -- formerly called also methene. Methylene blue (Chem.), an artificial dyestuff consisting of a complex sulphur derivative of diphenyl amine; -- called also pure blue.
METHYLIC Me*thyl"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or containing, methyl; specifically, designating methyl alcohol. See under Methyl.
METHYSTICIN Me*thys"ti*cin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A white, silky, crystalline substance extracted from the thick rootstock of a species of pepper (Piper methysticum) of the South Sea Islands; -- called also kanakin.
METIC Met"ic ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [Gr. metoecus, F. métèque.] (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: A sojourner; an immigrant; an alien resident in a Grecian city, but not a citizen. Mitford. The whole force of Athens, metics as well as citizens, and all the strangers who were then in the city. Jowett (Thucyd. ).
METICULOUS Me*tic"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. meticulosus, fr. metus fear: cf. F. méticuleux.]
Defn: Timid; fearful. -- Me*tic"u*lous*ly, adv.
METIER Mé`tier", n. [F.]
Defn: Calling; vocation; business; trade.
Not only is it the business of no one to preach the truth but it is the métier of many to conceal it. A. R. Colquhoun.
METIF; METIVE Mé`tif", n. m. Mé`tive", n. f.Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Métis.
METIS; METISSE Mé`tis", n. m. Mé`tisse", n. f.Etym: [F.; akin to Sp. mestizo. See Mestizo.]
1. The offspring of a white person and an American Indian.
2. The offspring of a white person and a quadroon; an octoroon. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.
METOCHE Met"o*che, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Arch.) (a) The space between two dentils. (b) The space between two triglyphs.
METOL Me"tol, n. [G.; trade name, fr. meta- + kresol cresol.]
Defn: A whitish soluble powder used as a developer in photography. Chemically, it is the sulphate of methyl-p-amino-m-cresol.
METONIC Me*ton"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. métonique.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or discovered by, Meton, the Athenian. Metonic cycle or year. (Astron.) See under Cycle.
METONYMIC; METONYMICAL Met`o*nym"ic, Met`o*nym"ic*al, a. Etym: [See Metonymy.]
Defn: Used by way of metonymy. -- Met`o*nym"ic*al*ly, adv.
METONYMY Me*ton"y*my, n. Etym: [L. metonymia, Gr. métonymie. See Name.] (Rhet.)
Defn: A trope in which one word is put for another that suggests it; as, we say, a man keeps a good table instead of good provisions; we read Virgil, that is, his poems; a man has a warm heart, that is, warm affections.
METOPE Met"o*pe, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: The space between two triglyphs of the Doric frieze, which, among the ancients, was often adorned with carved work. See Illust. of Entablature.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The face of a crab.
Note: In the Parthenon, groups of centaurs and heroes in high relief occupy the metopes.
METOPIC Me*top"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the forehead or frontal bones; frontal; as, the metopic suture.
METOPOMANCY Met"o*po*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -mancy.]
Defn: Fortune telling by physiognomy. [R.] Urquhart.
METOPOSCOPIC; METOPOSCOPICAL Met`o*po*scop"ic, Met`o*po*scop"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or relating to metoposcopy.
METOPOSCOPIST Met`o*pos"co*pist, n.
Defn: One versed in metoposcopy.
METOPOSCOPY Met`o*pos"co*py, n. Etym: [Gr. métoposcopie.]
Defn: The study of physiognomy; the art of discovering the character of persons by their features, or the lines of the face.
METOSTEON Me*tos"te*on, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The postero-lateral ossification in the sternum of birds; also, the part resulting from such ossification.
METRE Me"tre, n.
Defn: See Meter.
METRIC Met"ric, a. Etym: [L. metricus, Gr. métrique. See Meter rhythm.]
1. Relating to measurement; involving, or proceeding by, measurement.
2. Of or pertaining to the meter as a standard of measurement; of or pertaining to the decimal system of measurement of which a meter is the unit; as, the metric system; a metric measurement. Metric analysis (Chem.), analysis by volume; volumetric analysis. -- Metric system, a system of weights and measures originating in France, the use of which is required by law in many countries, and permitted in many others, including the United States and England. The principal unit is the meter (see Meter). From this are formed the are, the liter, the stere, the gram, etc. These units, and others derived from them, are divided decimally, and larger units are formed from multiples by 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000. The successive multiplies are designated by the prefixes, deca-, hecto-, kilo-, and myria-; successive parts by deci-, centi-, and milli-. The prefixes mega- and micro- are sometimes used to denote a multiple by one million, and the millionth part, respectively. See the words formed with these prefixes in the Vocabulary. For metric tables, see p. 1682.
METRICAL Met"ric*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the meter; arranged in meter; consisting of verses; as, metrical compositions.
2. Of or pertaining to measurement; as, the inch, foot, yard, etc., are metrical terms; esp., of or pertaining to the metric system.
METRICALLY Met"ric*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a metrical manner.
METRICIAN Me*tri"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métricien. See Meter rhythm.]
Defn: A composer of verses. [Obs.]
METRIC SYSTEM Met"ric sys"tem.
Defn: See Metric, a.
METRIC TON Met"ric ton.
Defn: A weight of 1,000 kilograms, or 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois.
METRIFICATION Met`ri*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: Composition in metrical form; versification. [R.] Tennyson.
METRIFY Met"ri*fy, v. i. Etym: [L. metrum meter + -fy: cf. F. métrifier.]
Defn: To make verse. [R.] Skelton.
METRIST Me"trist, n.
Defn: A maker of verses. Bale. Spenser was no mere metrist, but a great composer. Lowell.
METRITIS Me*tri"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -tis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the womb.
METROCHROME Met"ro*chrome, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: An instrument for measuring colors.
METROGRAPH Met"ro*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph.]
Defn: An instrument attached to a locomotive for recording its speed and the number and duration of its stops.
METROLOGICAL Met`ro*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. métrologique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to metrology.
METROLOGY Me*trol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -métrologie.]
Defn: The science of, or a system of, weights and measures; also, a treatise on the subject.
METROMANIA Met`ro*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Gr. mania.]
Defn: A mania for writing verses.
METROMANIAC Met`ro*ma"ni*ac, n.
Defn: One who has metromania.
METROMETER Me*trom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Med.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the size of the womb. Knight.
METRONOME Met"ro*nome, n. Etym: [Gr. métronome, It. metronomo.]
Defn: An instrument consisting of a short pendulum with a sliding weight. It is set in motion by clockwork, and serves to measure time in music.
METRONOMY Me*tron"o*my, n. Etym: [See Metronome.]
Defn: Measurement of time by an instrument.
METRONYMIC Met`ro*nym"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Derived from the name of one's mother, or other female ancestor; as, a metronymic name or appellation. -- A metronymic appellation.
METROPOLE Met"ro*pole, n. Etym: [Cf. F. métropole. See Metropolis.]
Defn: A metropolis. [Obs.] Holinshed.
METROPOLIS Me*trop"o*lis, n. Etym: [L. metropolis, Gr. Mother, and Police.]
1. The mother city; the chief city of a kingdom, state, or country. [Edinburgh] gray metropolis of the North. Tennyson.
2. (Eccl.)
Defn: The seat, or see, of the metropolitan, or highest church dignitary. The great metropolis and see of Rome. Shak.
METROPOLITAN Met`ro*pol"i*tan, a. Etym: [L. metropolitanus: cf. F. métropolitain.]
1. Of or pertaining to the capital or principal city of a country; as, metropolitan luxury.
2. (Eccl.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, a metropolitan or the presiding bishop of a country or province, his office, or his dignity; as, metropolitan authority. "Bishops metropolitan." Sir T. More.
METROPOLITAN Met`ro*pol"i*tan, n. Etym: [LL. metropolitanus.]
1. The superior or presiding bishop of a country or province.
2. (Lat. Church.)
Defn: An archbishop.
3. (Gr. Church)
Defn: A bishop whose see is civil metropolis. His rank is intermediate between that of an archbishop and a patriarch. Hook.
METROPOLITANATE Met`ro*pol"i*tan*ate, n.
Defn: The see of a metropolitan bishop. Milman.
METROPOLITE Me*trop"o*lite, n. Etym: [L. metropolita, Gr.
Defn: A metropolitan. Barrow.
METROPOLITICAL Met`ro*po*lit"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a metropolis; being a metropolis; metropolitan; as, the metropolitical chair. Bp. Hall.
METRORRHAGIA Met`ror*rha"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Profuse bleeding from the womb, esp. such as does not occur at the menstrual period.
METROSCOPE Met"ro*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.]
Defn: A modification of the stethoscope, for directly auscultating the uterus from the vagina.
METROSIDEROS Met`ro*si*de"ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A myrtaceous genus of trees or shrubs, found in Australia and the South Sea Islands, and having very hard wood. Metrosideros vera is the true ironwood.
METROTOME Met"ro*tome, n. Etym: [See Metrotomy.] (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument for cutting or scarifying the uterus or the neck of the uterus.
METROTOMY Me*trot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. métrotomie.] (Surg.)
Defn: The operation of cutting into the uterus; hysterotomy; the Cæsarean section.
-METRY -me*try. Etym: [See -meter.]
Defn: A suffix denoting the art, process, or science, of measuring; as, acidmetry, chlorometry, chronometry.
METTE Mette, obs. imp.
Defn: of Mete, to dream. Chaucer.
METTLE Met"tle, n. Etym: [E. metal, used in a tropical sense in allusion to the temper of the metal of a sword blade. See Metal.]
Defn: Substance or quality of temperament; spirit, esp. as regards honor, courage, fortitude, ardor, etc.; disposition; -- usually in a good sense. A certain critical hour which shall... try what mettle his heart is made of. South. Gentlemen of brave mettle. Shak. The winged courser, like a generous horse, Shows most true mettle when you check his course. Pope. To put one one's mettle, to cause or incite one to use one's best efforts.
METTLED Met"tled, a.
Defn: Having mettle; high-spirited; ardent; full of fire. Addison.
METTLESOME Met"tle*some, a.
Defn: Full of spirit; possessing constitutional ardor; fiery; as, a mettlesome horse. -- Met"tle*some*ly, adv. -- Met"tle*some*ness, n.
MEUM Me"um, n. [L., neut. of meus mine.]
Defn: Lit., mine; that which is mine; -- used in the phrase meum et tuum, or meum and tuum; as, to confound meum and tuum, to fail to distinguish one's own property from that of others; to be dishonest.
Ancestors . . . generally esteemed more renowned for ancient family and high courage than for accurately regarding the trifling distinction of meum and tuum. Sir W. Scott.
MEUTE Meute, n.
Defn: A cage for hawks; a mew. See 4th Mew, 1. Milman.
MEVE Meve, v. t. & i.
Defn: To move. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MEW Mew, n. Etym: [AS. m, akin to D. meeuw, G. möwe, OHG. m, Icel. mar.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A gull, esp. the common British species (Larus canus); called also sea mew, maa, mar, mow, and cobb.
MEW Mew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mewed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mewing.] Etym: [OE. muen, F. muer, fr. L. mutare to change, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf. Mew a cage, Molt.]
Defn: To shed or cast; to change; to molt; as, the hawk mewed his feathers. Nine times the moon had mewed her horns. Dryden.
MEW Mew, v. i.
Defn: To cast the feathers; to molt; hence, to change; to put on a new appearance. Now everything doth mew, And shifts his rustic winter robe. Turbervile.
MEW Mew, n. Etym: [OE. mue, F. mue change of feathers, scales, skin, the time or place when the change occurs, fr. muer to molt, mew, L. mutare to change. See 2d Mew.]
1. A cage for hawks while mewing; a coop for fattening fowls; hence, any inclosure; a place of confinement or shelter; -- in the latter sense usually in the plural. Full many a fat partrich had he in mewe. Chaucer. Forthcoming from her darksome mew. Spenser. Violets in their secret mews. Wordsworth.
2. A stable or range of stables for horses; -- compound used in the plural, and so called from the royal stables in London, built on the site of the king's mews for hawks.
MEW Mew, v. t. Etym: [From Mew a cage.]
Defn: To shut up; to inclose; to confine, as in a cage or other inclosure. More pity that the eagle should be mewed. Shak. Close mewed in their sedans, for fear of air. Dryden.
MEW Mew, v. i. Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. G. miauen.]
Defn: To cry as a cat. [Written also meaw, meow.] Shak.
MEW Mew, n.
Defn: The common cry of a cat. Shak.
MEWL Mewl, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mewled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mewling.] Etym: [Cf. F. miauler to mew, E. mew to cry as a cat. Cf. Miaul.]
Defn: To cry, as a young child; to squall. [Written also meawl.] Shak.
MEWLER Mewl"er, n.
Defn: One that mewls.
MEWS Mews, n. sing. & pl. Etym: [Prop. pl. of mew. See Mew a cage.]
Defn: An alley where there are stables; a narrow passage; a confined place. [Eng.] Mr. Turveydrop's great room... was built out into a mews at the back. Dickens.
MEXAL; MEXICAL Mex*al", Mex"i*cal, n. Etym: [Sp. mexcal.]
Defn: See Mescal.
MEXICAN Mex"i*can, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mexico or its people. -- n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Mexico. Mexican poppy (Bot.), a tropical American herb of the Poppy family (Argemone Mexicana) with much the look of a thistle, but having large yellow or white blossoms. -- Mexican tea (Bot.), an aromatic kind of pigweed from tropical America (Chenopodium ambrosioides).
MEXICANIZE Mex"i*can*ize, v. t.
Defn: To cause to be like the Mexicans, or their country, esp. in respect of frequent revolutions of government.
MEXICANIZE Mex"i*can*ize, v. i.
Defn: To become like the Mexicans, or their country or government.
MEYNE Meyn"e, n. [Obs.]
Defn: Same as Meine.
MEZCAL Mez*cal", n.
Defn: Same as Mescal.
MEZEREON Me*ze"re*on, n. Etym: [F. mézéréon, Per. mazriyun.] (Bot.)
Defn: A small European shrub (Daphne Mezereum), whose acrid bark is used in medicine.
MEZQUITA Mez*qui"ta, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A mosque.
MEZUZOTH Mez"u*zoth, n. Etym: [Heb. mêzuzoth, pl. of mêzuzah doorpost.]
Defn: A piece of parchment bearing the Decalogue and attached to the doorpost; -- in use among orthodox Hebrews.
MEZZA MAJOLICA Mez"za ma*jol"i*ca. [It. See Mezzo; Majolica.] (Ceramics)
Defn: Italian pottery of the epoch and general character of majolica, but less brilliantly decorated, esp. such pottery without tin enamel, but painted and glazed.
MEZZANINE Mez"za*nine, n. Etym: [F. mezzanine, It. mezzanino, fr. mezzano middle, fr. mezzo middle, half. See Mezzo.] (Arch.) (a) Same as Entresol. (b) A partial story which is not on the same level with the story of the main part of the edifice, as of a back building, where the floors are on a level with landings of the staircase of the main house.
MEZZA VOCE Mez"za vo"ce. Etym: [It., fr. mezzo, fem. mezza middle, half + voce voice, L. vox.] (Mus.)
Defn: With a medium fullness of sound.
MEZZO Mez"zo, a. Etym: [It., from L. medius middle, half. See Mid, a.] (Mus.)
Defn: Mean; not extreme.
MEZZO-RELIEVO Mez"zo-re*lie"vo, n.
Defn: Mezzo-rilievo.
MEZZO-RILIEVO Mez"zo-ri*lie"vo, n. Etym: [It.] (a) A middle degree of relief in figures, between high and low relief. (b) Sculpture in this kind of relief. See under Alto-rilievo.
MEZZO-SOPRANO Mez"zo-so*pra"no, a. (Mus.)
Defn: Having a medium compass between the soprano and contralto; -- said of the voice of a female singer. -- n. (a) A mezzo-soprano voice. (b) A person having such a voice.
MEZZOTINT Mez"zo*tint, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mezzo-tinto.]
Defn: A manner of engraving on copper or steel by drawing upon a surface previously roughened, and then removing the roughness in places by scraping, burnishing, etc., so as to produce the requisite light and shade. Also, an engraving so produced.
MEZZOTINT Mez"zo*tint, v. t.
Defn: To engrave in mezzotint.
MEZZOTINTER Mez"zo*tint`er, n.
Defn: One who engraves in mezzotint.
MEZZOTINTO Mez`zo*tin"to, n. Etym: [It. mezzo half + tinto tinted, p. p. of tingere to dye, color, tinge, L. tingere. See Mezzo.]
Defn: Mezzotint.
MEZZOTINTO Mez`zo*tin"to, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mezzotintoed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mezzotintoing.]
Defn: To engrave in mezzotint; to represent by mezzotint.
MHO Mho, n. [Anagram of ohm.] (Elec.)
Defn: A unit of conductivity, being the reciprocal of the ohm.
MHOMETER Mhom"e*ter, n. [Mho + -meter.] (Elec.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring conductivity.
MHORR Mhorr, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mohr.
MI Mi, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: A syllable applied to the third tone of the scale of C, i. e., to E, in European solmization, but to the third tone of any scale in the American system.
MIAMIS Mi*a"mis, n. pl.; sing. Miami (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians that formerly occupied the country between the Wabash and Maumee rivers.
MIARGYRITE Mi*ar"gy*rite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of an iron-black color, and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and silver.
MIAS Mi"as, n. Etym: [Malayan.]
Defn: The orang-outang.
MIASCITE Mi*asc"ite, n. Etym: [Named from Miask, in the Ural Mountains.] (Min.)
Defn: A granitoid rock containing feldspar, biotite, elæolite, and sodalite.
MIASM Mi"asm, n. Etym: [Cf. F. miasme.]
Defn: Miasma.
MIASMA Mi*as"ma, n.; pl. Miasmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: Infectious particles or germs floating in the air; air made noxious by the presence of such particles or germs; noxious effluvia; malaria.
MIASMAL Mi*as"mal, a.
Defn: Containing miasma; miasmatic.
MIASMATIC; MIASMATICAL Mi`as*mat"ic, Mi`as*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. miasmatique.]
Defn: Containing, or relating to, miasma; caused by miasma; as, miasmatic diseases.
MIASMATIST Mi*as"ma*tist, n.
Defn: One who has made a special study of miasma.
MIASMOLOGY Mi`as*mol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Miasma + -logy.]
Defn: That department of medical science which treats of miasma.
MIAUL Mi*aul", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Miauled; p. pr. & vb. n. Miauling.] Etym: [Cf. F. miauler, of imitative origin, and E. mew. Cf. Mewl.]
Defn: To cry as a cat; to mew; to caterwaul. Sir W. Scott.
MIAUL Mi*aul", n.
Defn: The crying of a cat.
MICA Mi"ca, n. Etym: [L. mica crumb, grain, particle; cf. F. mica.] (Min.)
Defn: The name of a group of minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. They differ widely in composition, and vary in color from pale brown or yellow to green or black. The transparent forms are used in lanterns, the doors of stoves, etc., being popularly called isinglass. Formerly called also cat-silver, and glimmer.
Note: The important species of the mica group are: muscovite, common or potash mica, pale brown or green, often silvery, including damourite (also called hydromica); biotite, iron-magnesia mica, dark brown, green, or black; lepidomelane, iron, mica, black; phlogopite, magnesia mica, colorless, yellow, brown; lepidolite, lithia mica, rose-red, lilac. Mica (usually muscovite, also biotite) is an essential constituent of granite, gneiss, and mica slate; biotite is common in many eruptive rocks; phlogopite in crystalline limestone and serpentine. Mica diorite (Min.), an eruptive rock allied to diorite but containing mica (biotite) instead of hornblende. -- Mica powder, a kind of dynamite containing fine scales of mica. -- Mica schist, Mica slate (Geol.), a schistose rock, consisting of mica and quartz with, usually, some feldspar.
MICACEO-CALCAREOUS Mi*ca`ce*o-cal*ca"re*ous, a. (Geol.)
Defn: Partaking of the nature of, or consisting of, mica and lime; -- applied to a mica schist containing carbonate of lime.
MICACEOUS Mi*ca"ceous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. micacé.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, mica; splitting into laminæ or leaves like mica.
MICE Mice, n.,
Defn: pl of Mouse.
MICELLA Mi*cel"la, n.; pl. Micellæ. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. mica a morsel, grain.] (Biol.)
Defn: A theoretical aggregation of molecules constituting a structural particle of protoplasm, capable of increase or diminution without change in chemical nature.
MICH; MICHE Mich, Miche, v. i. Etym: [OE. michen; cf. OE. muchier, mucier, to conceal, F. musser, and OHG. muhhen to waylay. Cf. Micher, Curmudgeon, Muset.]
Defn: To lie hid; to skulk; to act, or carry one's self, sneakingly. [Obs. or Colloq.] [Written also meach and meech.] Spenser.
MICHAELMAS Mich"ael*mas, n. Etym: [Michael + mass religious service; OE. Mighelmesse.]
Defn: The feat of the archangel Michael, a church festival, celebrated on the 29th of September. Hence, colloquially, autumn. Michaelmas daisy. (Bot.) See under Daisy.
MICHER Mich"er, n. Etym: [OE. michare, muchare. See Mich.]
Defn: One who skulks, or keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc. [Obs.] Shak.
MICHERY Mich"er*y, n.
Defn: Theft; cheating. [Obs.] Gower.
MICHING Mich"ing, a.
Defn: Hiding; skulking; cowardly. [Colloq.] [Written also meaching and meeching.]
MICKLE Mic"kle, a. Etym: [OE. mikel, muchel, mochel, mukel, AS. micel, mycel; akin to OS. mikil, OHG. mihil, mihhil, Icel. mikill, mykill, Goth. mikils, L. magnus, Gr. mahat. sq. root103. Cf. Much, Muckle, Magnitude.]
Defn: Much; great. [Written also muckle and mockle.] [Old Eng. & Scot.] "A man of mickle might." Spenser.
MICMACS Mic"macs, n. pl.; sing. Micmac (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians inhabiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. [Written also Mikmaks.]
MICO Mi"co, n. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. mico.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small South American monkey (Mico melanurus), allied to the marmoset. The name was originally applied to an albino variety.
MICRACOUSTIC Mi`cra*cous"tic, a.
Defn: Same as Microustic.
MICRASTER Mi*cras"ter, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of sea urchins, similar to Spatangus, abounding in the chalk formation; -- from the starlike disposal of the ambulacral furrows.
MICRENCEPHALOUS Mi`cren*ceph"a*lous, Etym: [Micr- + Gr.
Defn: Having a small brain.
MICRO-; MICR- Mi"cro-, Mi"cr-. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form signifying: (a) Small, little, trivial, slight; as, microcosm, microscope. (b) (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.) A millionth part of; as, microfarad, microohm, micrometer.
MICROAMPERE Mi`cro*am`père", n. Etym: [Micr- + ampère.] (Elec.)
Defn: One of the smaller measures of electrical currents; the millionth part of one ampère.
MICROANALYSIS Mi`cro*a*nal"y*sis, n. [Micro-+ analysis.]
Defn: Analysis of the structure of materials from careful observation of photomicrographs.
MICROBACTERIA Mi`cro*bac*te"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Bacterium.] (Biol.)
Defn: In the classification of Cohn, one of the four tribes of Bacteria.
Note: In this classification bacteria are divided into four tribes: 1. Spherobacteria, or spherical bacteria, as the genus Micrococcus. 2. Microbacteria, or bacteria in the form of short rods, including the genus Bacterium. 3. Desmobacteria, or bacteria in straight filaments, of which the genus Bacillus is a type. 4. Spirobacteria, or bacteria in spiral filaments, as the genus Vibrio.
MICROBAROGRAPH Mi`cro*bar"o*graph, n. [Micro-+ barograph.]
Defn: An instrument for recording minor fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, as opposed to general barometric surges.
MICROBE; MICROBION Mi"crobe, Mi*cro"bi*on, n. Etym: [NL. microbion, fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A microscopic organism; -- particularly applied to bacteria and especially to pathogenic forms; as, the microbe of fowl cholera.
MICROBIAN Mi*cro"bi*an, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or caused by, microbes; as, the microbian theory; a microbian disease.
MICROBIC Mi*crob"ic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a microbe.
MICROBICIDE Mi*crob"i*cide, n. Etym: [Microbe + L. caedere to kill.] (Biol.)
Defn: Any agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or bacterial organisms.
MICROBIOLOGY Mi`cro*bi*ol"o*gy, n. [See Microbe; -logy.]
Defn: The study of minute organisms, or microbes, as the bacteria. -- Mi`cro*bi`o*log"ic*al (#), a. -- Mi`cro*bi*ol"o*gist (#), n.
MICROCEPHALIC; MICROCEPHALOUS Mi`cro*ce*phal"ic, Mi`cro*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Micro- + cephalic, cephalous.] (Anat.)
Defn: Having a small head; having the cranial cavity small; -- opposed to Ant: megacephalic.
MICRO-CHEMICAL Mi`cro-chem"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to micro-chemistry; as, a micro-chemical test.
MICRO-CHEMISTRY Mi`cro-chem"is*try, n. Etym: [Micro- + chemistry.]
Defn: The application of chemical tests to minute objects or portions of matter, magnified by the use of the microscopy; -- distinguished from macro-chemistry.
MICROCHRONOMETER Mi`cro*chro*nom"e*ter, n.
Defn: A chronoscope.
MICROCLINE Mi"cro*cline, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of the feldspar group, like orthoclase or common feldspar in composition, but triclinic in form.
MICROCOCCAL Mi`cro*coc"cal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to micrococci; caused by micrococci. Nature.
MICROCOCCUS Mi`cro*coc"cus, n.; pl. Micrococci. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Coccus.] (Biol.)
Defn: A genus of Spherobacteria, in the form of very small globular or oval cells, forming, by transverse division, filaments, or chains of cells, or in some cases single organisms shaped like dumb-bells (Diplococcus), all without the power of motion. See Illust. of Ascoccus.
Note: Physiologically, micrococci are divided into three groups; chromogenic, characterized by their power of forming pigment; zymogenic, including those associated with definite chemical processes; and pathogenic, those connected with disease.
MICROCOSM Mi"cro*cosm, n. Etym: [F. microcosme, L. microcosmus, fr. Gr.
Defn: A little world; a miniature universe. Hence (so called by Paracelsus), a man, as a supposed epitome of the exterior universe or great world. Opposed to macrocosm. Shak.
MICROCOSMIC; MICROCOSMICAL Mi`cro*cos"mic, Mi`cro*cos"mic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. microcosmique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the microcosm. Microcosmic salt (Chem.), a white crystalline substance obtained by mixing solutions of sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate, and also called hydric-sodic- ammonic-phosphate. It is a powerful flux, and is used as a substitute for borax as a blowpipe reagent in testing for the metallic oxides. Originally obtained by the alchemists from human urine, and called sal microcosmicum.
MICROCOSMOGRAPHY Mi`cro*cos*mog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Microcosm + -graphy.]
Defn: Description of man as a microcosm.
MICROCOULOMB Mi`cro*cou`lomb", n. Etym: [Micro- + coulomb.] (Elec.)
Defn: A measure of electrical quantity; the millionth part of one coulomb.
MICROCOUSTIC Mi`cro*cous"tic, a. Etym: [Micro- + acoustic: cf. F. microcoustique, micracoustique.]
Defn: Pertaining, or suited, to the audition of small sounds; fitted to assist hearing.
MICROCOUSTIC Mi`cro*cous"tic, n.
Defn: An instrument for making faint sounds audible, as to a
## partially deaf person.
MICROCRITH Mi`cro*crith", n. Etym: [Micro- + crith.] (Chem.)
Defn: The weight of the half hydrogen molecule, or of the hydrogen atom, taken as the standard in comparing the atomic weights of the elements; thus, an atom of oxygen weighs sixteen microcriths. See Crith. J. P. Cooke.
MICROCRYSTALLINE Mi`cro*crys"tal*line, a. Etym: [Micro- + crystalline.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Crystalline on a fine, or microscopic, scale; consisting of fine crystals; as, the ground mass of certain porphyrics is microcrystalline.
MICROCYTE Mi"cro*cyte, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: One of the elementary granules found in blood. They are much smaller than an ordinary corpuscle, and are particularly noticeable in disease, as in anæmia.
MICRODONT Mic"ro*dont, a. Etym: [Micr- + Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having small teeth.
MICROFARAD Mi`cro*far"ad, n. Etym: [Micro- + farad.] (Elec.)
Defn: The millionth part of a farad.
MICROFORM Mi"cro*form, n. Etym: [Micro- + form, n.] (Biol.)
Defn: A microscopic form of life; an animal or vegetable organism microscopic size.
MICRO-GEOLOGICAL Mi`cro-ge`o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to micro-geology.
MICRO-GEOLOGY Mi`cro-ge*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Micro- + geology.]
Defn: The part of geology relating to structure and organisms which require to be studied with a microscope.
MICROGRAPH Mi"cro*graph, n. Etym: [See Micrography.]
Defn: An instrument for executing minute writing or engraving.
MICROGRAPHIC Mi`cro*graph"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to micrography.
MICROGRAPHY Mi*crog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Micro- + -graphy: cf. F. micrographie.]
Defn: The description of microscopic objects.
MICROHM Mi*crohm", n. Etym: [Micr- + ohm.] (Elec.)
Defn: The millionth part of an ohm.
MICROLEPIDOPTERA Mi`cro*lep`i*dop"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Lepidoptera.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A tribe of Lepidoptera, including a vast number of minute species, as the plume moth, clothes moth, etc.
MICROLESTES Mi`cro*les"tes, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of small Triassic mammals, the oldest yet found in European strata.
MICROLITE Mi"cro*lite, n. Etym: [Micro- + -lite.] (Min.)
1. A rare mineral of resinous luster and high specific gravity. It is a tantalate of calcium, and occurs in octahedral crystals usually very minute.
2. (Min.)
Defn: A minute inclosed crystal, often observed when minerals or rocks are examined in thin sections under the microscope.
MICROLITH Mi"cro*lith, n. Etym: [Micro- + lith.] (Min.)
Defn: Same as Microlite, 2.
MICROLITHIC Mi`cro*lith"ic, a.
Defn: Formed of small stones.
MICROLOGIC; MICROLOGICAL Mi`cro*log"ic, Mi`cro*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to micrology; very minute; as, micrologic examination. -- Mi`cro*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
MICROLOGY Mi*crol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Micro- + -logy.]
1. That part of science which treats of microscopic objects, or depends on microscopic observation.
2. Attention to petty items or differences. W. Taylor.
MICROMERE Mi"cro*mere, n. Etym: [Micro- + -mere.] (Biol.)
Defn: One of the smaller cells, or blastomeres, resulting from the complete segmentation of a telolecithal ovum.
MICROMETER Mi*crom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + -meter: cf. F. micromètre.]
Defn: An instrument, used with a telescope or microscope, for measuring minute distances, or the apparent diameters of objects which subtend minute angles. The measurement given directly is that of the image of the object formed at the focus of the object glass. Circular, or Ring, micrometer, a metallic ring fixed in the focus of the object glass of a telescope, and used to determine differences of right ascension and declination between stars by observations of the times at which the stars cross the inner or outer periphery of the ring. -- Double image micrometer, a micrometer in which two images of an object are formed in the field, usually by the two halves of a bisected lens which are movable along their line of section by a screw, and distances are determined by the number of screw revolutions necessary to bring the points to be measured into optical coincidence. When the two images are formed by a bisected objects glass, it is called a divided-object-glass micrometer, and when the instrument is large and equatorially mounted, it is known as a heliometer. -- Double refraction micrometer, a species of double image micrometer, in which the two images are formed by the double refraction of rock crystal. -- Filar, or Bifilar, micrometer. See under Bifilar. -- Micrometer caliper or gauge (Mech.), a caliper or gauge with a micrometer screw, for measuring dimensions with great accuracy. -- Micrometer head, the head of a micrometer screw. -- Micrometer microscope, a compound microscope combined with a filar micrometer, used chiefly for reading and subdividing the divisions of large astronomical and geodetical instruments. -- Micrometer screw, a screw with a graduated head used in some forms of micrometers. -- Position micrometer. See under Position. -- Scale, or Linear, micrometer, a minute and very delicately graduated scale of equal parts used in the field of a telescope or microscope, for measuring distances by direct comparison.
MICROMETRIC; MICROMETRICAL Mi`cro*met"ric, Mi`cro*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. micrométrique.]
Defn: Belonging to micrometry; made by the micrometer. -- Mi`cro*met"ric*al*ly, adv.
MICROMETRY Mi*crom"e*try, n.
Defn: The art of measuring with a micrometer.
MICROMILLIMETER Mi`cro*mil"li*me`ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + millimeter.]
Defn: The millionth part of a meter.
MICRON Mic"ron, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Physics)
Defn: A measure of length; the thousandth part of one millimeter; the millionth part of a meter.
MICRONESIAN Mi"cro*ne"sian, a. Etym: [From Micronesia, fr. Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Micronesia, a collective designation of the islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, embracing the Marshall and Gilbert groups, the Ladrones, the Carolines, etc.
MICRONESIANS Mi`cro*ne"sians, n. pl.; sing. Micronesian. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A dark race inhabiting the Micronesian Islands. They are supposed to be a mixed race, derived from Polynesians and Papuans.
MICRONOMETER Mi`cro*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + chronometer.]
Defn: An instrument for noting minute portions of time.
MICROORGANISM; MICRO-ORGANISM Mi`cro*ör"gan*ism, n. Etym: [Micro- + organism.] (Biol.)
Defn: Any microscopic form of life; -- particularly applied to bacteria and similar organisms, esp. such are supposed to cause infectious diseases.
MICROPANTOGRAPH Mi`cro*pan"to*graph, n. Etym: [Micro- + pantograph.]
Defn: A kind of pantograph which produces copies microscopically minute.
MICROPARASITE Mi`cro*par"a*site, n.
Defn: A parasitic microörganism. -- Mi`cro*par`a*sit"ic (#), a.
MICROPEGMATITE Mi`cro*peg"ma*tite, n. Etym: [Micro- + pegmatite.] (Min.)
Defn: A rock showing under the microscope the structure of a graphic granite (pegmatite). -- Mi`cro*peg`ma*tit"ic, a.
MICROPHONE Mi"cro*phone, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microphone.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for intensifying and making audible very feeble sounds. It produces its effects by the changes of intensity in an electric current, occasioned by the variations in the contact resistance of conducting bodies, especially of imperfect conductors, under the action of acoustic vibrations.
MICROPHONIC Mi`cro*phon"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pert. to a microphone; serving to intensify weak sounds.
MICROPHONICS Mi`cro*phon"ics, n. Etym: [See Microphone.]
Defn: The science which treats of the means of increasing the intensity of low or weak sounds, or of the microphone.
MICROPHONOUS Mi*croph"o*nous, a.
Defn: Serving to augment the intensity of weak sounds; microcoustic.
MICROPHOTOGRAPH Mi`cro*pho"to*graph, n. Etym: [Micro- + photograph.]
1. A microscopically small photograph of a picture, writing, printed page, etc.
2. An enlarged representation of a microscopic object, produced by throwing upon a sensitive plate the magnified image of an object formed by a microscope or other suitable combination of lenses.
Note: A picture of this kind is preferably called a photomicrograph.
MICROPHOTOGRAPHY Mi`cro*pho*tog"ra*phy, n.
Defn: The art of making microphotographs.
MICROPHTHALMIA; MICROPHTHALMY Mi`croph*thal"mi*a, Mi`croph*thal"my, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr.
Defn: An unnatural smallness of the eyes, occurring as the result of disease or of imperfect development.
MICROPHYLLOUS Mi*croph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Small-leaved.
MICROPHYTAL Mi*croph"y*tal, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or of the nature of, microphytes.
MICROPHYTE Mi"cro*phyte, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microphyte.] (Bot.)
Defn: A very minute plant, one of certain unicellular algæ, such as the germs of various infectious diseases are believed to be.
MICROPYLE Mi"cro*pyle, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. micropyle.] (Biol.) (a) An opening in the membranes surrounding the ovum, by which nutrition is assisted and the entrance of the spermatozoa permitted. (b) An opening in the outer coat of a seed, through which the fecundating pollen enters the ovule. -- Mi*crop"y*lar, a.
MICROSCOPAL Mi*cros"co*pal, a.
Defn: Pertaining to microscopy, or to the use of the microscope. Huxley.
MICROSCOPE Mi"cro*scope, n. Etym: [Micro- + -scope.]
Defn: An optical instrument, consisting of a lens, or combination of lenses, for making an enlarged image of an object which is too minute to be viewed by the naked eye. Compound microscope, an instrument consisting of a combination of lenses such that the image formed by the lens or set of lenses nearest the object (called the objective) is magnified by another lens called the ocular or eyepiece. -- Oxyhydrogen microscope, and Solar microscope. See under Oxyhydrogen, and Solar. -- Simple, or Single, microscope, a single convex lens used to magnify objects placed in its focus.
MICROSCOPIAL Mi`cro*sco"pi*al, a.
Defn: Microscopic. [R.] Berkeley.
MICROSCOPIC; MICROSCOPICAL Mi`cro*scop"ic, Mi`cro*scop"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. microscopique.]
1. Of or pertaining to the microscope or to microscopy; made with a microscope; as, microscopic observation.
2. Able to see extremely minute objects. Why has not man a microscopic eye Pope.
3. Very small; visible only by the aid of a microscope; as, a microscopic insect.
MICROSCOPICALLY Mi`cro*scop"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: By the microscope; with minute inspection; in a microscopic manner.
MICROSCOPIST Mi*cros"co*pist, n.
Defn: One skilled in, or given to, microscopy.
MICROSCOPY Mi*cros"co*py, n.
Defn: The use of the microscope; investigation with the microscope.
MICROSEISM Mi"cro*seism, n. [Micro- + Gr. an earthquake, fr. to shake.]
Defn: A feeble earth tremor not directly perceptible, but detected only by means of specially constructed apparatus. -- Mi`cro*seis"mic (#), *seis"mic*al (#), a.
MICROSEISMOGRAPH Mi`cro*seis"mo*graph, n. [Microseiem + -graph.]
Defn: A microseismometer; specif., a microseismometer producing a graphic record.
MICROSEISMOLOGY Mi`cro*seis*mol"o*gy, n. [Microseiem + -logy.]
Defn: Science or study of microseisms.
MICROSEISMOMETER Mi`cro*seis*mom"e*ter, n. [Microseism + -meter.]
Defn: A seismometer for measuring amplitudes or periods, or both, of microseisms. --Mi`cro*seis*mom"e*try (#), n.
MICROSEME Mi"cro*seme, a. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microsème.] (Anat.)
Defn: Having the orbital index relatively small; having the orbits broad transversely; -- opposed to Ant: megaseme.
MICROSPECTROSCOPE Mi`cro*spec"tro*scope, n. Etym: [Micro- + spectroscope.] (Physics)
Defn: A spectroscope arranged for attachment to a microscope, for observation of the spectrum of light from minute portions of any substance.
MICROSPORANGIUM Mi`cro*spo*ran"gi*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Sporangium.] (Bot.)
Defn: A sporangium or conceptacle containing only very minute spores. Cf. Macrosporangium.
MICROSPORE Mi"cro*spore, n. Etym: [Micro- + spore.] (Bot.)
Defn: One of the exceedingly minute spores found in certain flowerless plants, as Selaginella and Isoetes, which bear two kinds of spores, one very much smaller than the other. Cf. Macrospore.
MICROSPORIC Mi`cro*spor"ic, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to microspores.
MICROSTHENE Mi"cro*sthene, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a group of mammals having a small size as a typical characteristic. It includes the lower orders, as the Insectivora, Cheiroptera, Rodentia, and Edentata.
MICROSTHENIC Mi`cro*sthen"ic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a typically small size; of or pertaining to the microsthenes.
MICROTASIMETER Mi`cro*ta*sim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + ta.] (Physics)
Defn: A tasimeter, especially when arranged for measuring very small extensions. See Tasimeter.
MICROTOME Mi"cro*tome, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr.
Defn: An instrument for making very thin sections for microscopical examination.
MICROTOMIC; MICROTOMICAL Mi`cro*tom"ic, Mi`cro*tom"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pert. to the microtome or microtomy; cutting thin slices.
MICROTOMIST Mi*crot"o*mist, n.
Defn: One who is skilled in or practices microtomy.
MICROTOMY Mi*crot"o*my, n.
Defn: The art of using the microtome; investigation carried on with the microtome.
MICROVOLT Mi`cro*volt", n. Etym: [Micro- + volt.] (Elec.)
Defn: A measure of electro-motive force; the millionth part of one volt.
MICROWEBER Mi`cro*we"ber, n. Etym: [Micro- + weber.] (Elec.)
Defn: The millionth part of one weber.
MICROZOA Mi`cro*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Infusoria.
MICROZOOSPORE; MICROZOOESPORE Mi`cro*zo"ö*spore, n. Etym: [Micro- + zoöspore.] (Bot.)
Defn: A small motile spore furnished with two vibratile cilia, found in certain green algæ.
MICROZYME Mi"cro*zyme, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A microörganism which is supposed to act like a ferment in causing or propagating certain infectious or contagious diseases; a pathogenic bacterial organism.
MICTURITION Mic`tu*ri"tion, n. Etym: [L. micturire to desire to make water, v. desid. fr. mingere, mictum, to make water.]
Defn: The act of voiding urine; also, a morbidly frequent passing of the urine, in consequence of disease.
MID Mid, a. [Compar. wanting; superl. Midmost.] Etym: [AS. midd; akin to OS. middi, D. mid (in comp.), OHG. mitti, Icel. mi, Goth. midjis, L. medius, Gr. madhya. Amid, Middle, Midst, Mean, Mediate, Meridian, Mizzen, Moiety.]
1. Denoting the middle part; as, in mid ocean. No more the mounting larks, while Daphne sings, Shall list'ning in mid air suspend their wings. Pope.
2. Occupying a middle position; middle; as, the mid finger; the mid hour of night.
3. (Phon.)
Defn: Made with a somewhat elevated position of some certain part of the tongue, in relation to the palate; midway between the high and the low; -- said of certain vowel sounds; as, a (ale), ê (êll), o (old). See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 10, 11.
Note: Mid is much used as a prefix, or combining form, denoting the middle or middle part of a thing; as, mid-air, mid-channel, mid-age, midday, midland, etc. Also, specifically, in geometry, to denote a circle inscribed in a triangle (a midcircle), or relation to such a circle; as, mid-center, midradius.
MID Mid, n.
Defn: Middle. [Obs.] About the mid of night come to my tent. Shak.
MID Mid, prep.
Defn: See Amid.
MIDA Mi"da, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The larva of the bean fly.
MIDAS Mi"das, n. Etym: [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had ass's ears.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of longeared South American monkeys, including numerous species of marmosets. See Marmoset.
MIDAS'S EAR Mi"das's ear". Etym: [See Midas.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pulmonate mollusk (Auricula, or Ellobium, aurismidæ); -- so called from resemblance to a human ear.
MIDBRAIN Mid"brain`, n. Etym: [Mid, a. + brain.] (Anat.)
Defn: The middle segment of the brain; the mesencephalon. See Brain.
MIDDAY Mid"day`, n. Etym: [AS. middæg. See Mid, a., and Day.]
Defn: The middle part of the day; noon.
MIDDAY Mid"day`, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to noon; meridional; as, the midday sun.
MIDDEN Mid"den, n. [Also midding.] Etym: [Cf. Dan. mögdynge, E. muck, and dung.]
1. A dunghill. [Prov. Eng.]
2. An accumulation of refuse about a dwelling place; especially, an accumulation of shells or of cinders, bones, and other refuse on the supposed site of the dwelling places of prehistoric tribes, -- as on the shores of the Baltic Sea and in many other places. See Kitchen middens.
MIDDEN CROW Mid"den crow". (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common European crow. [Prov. Eng.]
MIDDEST Mid"dest, a.; superl. of Mid. Etym: [See Midst.]
Defn: Situated most nearly in the middle; middlemost; midmost. [Obs.] " 'Mongst the middest crowd." Spenser.
MIDDEST Mid"dest, n.
Defn: Midst; middle. [Obs.] Fuller.
MIDDING Mid"ding, n.
Defn: Same as Midden.
MIDDLE Mid"dle, a. Etym: [OE. middel, AS. middel; akin to D. middel, OHG. muttil, G. mittel. Mid, a.]
1. Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle house in a row; a middle rank or station in life; flowers of middle summer; men of middle age.
2. Intermediate; intervening. Will, seeking good, finds many middle ends. Sir J. Davies.
Note: Middle is sometimes used in the formation of selfexplaining compounds; as, middle-sized, middle-witted. Middle Ages, the period of time intervening between the decline of the Roman Empire and the revival of letters. Hallam regards it as beginning with the sixth and ending with the fifteenth century. -- Middle class, in England, people who have an intermediate position between the aristocracy and the artisan class. It includes professional men, bankers, merchants, and small landed proprietors The middle-class electorate of Great Britain. M. Arnold. -- Middle distance. (Paint.) See Middle-ground. -- Middle English. See English, n., 2. -- Middle Kingdom, China. -- Middle oil (Chem.), that part of the distillate obtained from coal tar which passes over between 170º and 230º Centigrade; -- distinguished from the light, and the heavy or dead, oil. -- Middle passage, in the slave trade, that part of the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and the West Indies. -- Middle post. (Arch.) Same as King-post. -- Middle States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; which, at the time of the formation of the Union, occupied a middle position between the Eastern States (or New England) and the Southern States. [U.S.] -- Middle term (Logic), that term of a syllogism with which the two extremes are separately compared, and by means of which they are brought together in the conclusion. Brande. -- Middle tint (Paint.), a subdued or neutral tint. Fairholt. -- Middle voice. (Gram.) See under Voice. -- Middle watch, the period from midnight to four A. M.; also, the men on watch during that time. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Middle weight, a pugilist, boxer, or wrestler classed as of medium weight, i. e., over 140 and not over 160 lbs., in distinction from those classed as light weights, heavy weights, etc.
MIDDLE Mid"dle, n. Etym: [AS. middel. See Middle, a.]
Defn: The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion; specif., the waist. Chaucer. "The middle of the land." Judg. ix. 37. In this, as in most questions of state, there is a middle. Burke.
Syn. -- See Midst.
MIDDLE-AGE Mid"dle-age`, Etym: [Middle + age. Cf. Mediæval.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Middle Ages; mediæval.
MIDDLE-AGED Mid"dle-aged`, a.
Defn: Being about the middle of the ordinary age of man; between 30 and 50 years old.
MIDDLE-EARTH Mid"dle-earth`, n.
Defn: The world, considered as lying between heaven and hell. [Obs.] Shak.
MIDDLE-GROUND Mid"dle-ground`, n. (Paint.)
Defn: That part of a picture between the foreground and the background.
MIDDLEMAN Mid"dle*man, n.; pl. Middlemen (.
1. An agent between two parties; a broker; a go-between; any dealer between the producer and the consumer; in Ireland, one who takes land of the proprietors in large tracts, and then rents it out in small portions to the peasantry.
2. A person of intermediate rank; a commoner.
3. (Mil.)
Defn: The man who occupies a central position in a file of soldiers.
MIDDLEMOST Mid"dle*most`, a. Etym: [Cf. Midmost.]
Defn: Being in the middle, or nearest the middle; midmost.
MIDDLER Mid"dler, n.
Defn: One of a middle or intermediate class in some schools and seminaries.
MIDDLING Mid"dling, a.
Defn: Of middle rank, state, size, or quality; about equally distant from the extremes; medium; moderate; mediocre; ordinary. "A town of but middling size." Hallam. Plainly furnished, as beseemed the middling circumstances of its inhabitants. Hawthorne. -- Mid"dling*ly, adv. -- Mid"dling*ness, n.
MIDDLINGS Mid"dlings, n. pl.
1. A combination of the coarser parts of ground wheat the finest bran, separated from the fine flour and coarse bran in bolting; -- formerly regarded as valuable only for feed; but now, after separation of the bran, used for making the best quality of flour. Middlings contain a large proportion of gluten.
2. In the southern and western parts of the United States, the portion of the hog between the ham and the shoulder; bacon; -- called also middles. Bartlett.
MIDDY Mid"dy, n.; pl. Middies (.
Defn: A colloquial abbreviation of midshipman.
MIDFEATHER Mid"feath`er, n.
1. (Steam Boilers)
Defn: A vertical water space in a fire box or combustion chamber.
2. (Mining)
Defn: A support for the center of a tunnel.
MIDGARD Mid"gard`, n. Etym: [Icel. miedhgaredhr.] (Scand. Myth.)
Defn: The middle space or region between heaven and hell; the abode of human beings; the earth.
MIDGARD; MIDGARTH; MITHGARTHR Mid"gard (mid"gärd), n. Also Mid"garth (-gärth), Mith"garthr (Icel. meth"gärthr'). [Icel. miðgarðr.] (Teut. Myth.)
Defn: The middle space or region between heaven and hell, the abode of human beings; the earth.
MIDGE Midge, n. Etym: [OE. migge, AS. mycge; akin to OS. muggia, D. mug, G. mücke, OHG. mucca, Icel. m, Sw. mygga, mygg, Dan. myg; perh. named from its buzzing; cf. Gr. (Zoöl.)
1. Any one of many small, delicate, long-legged flies of the Chironomus, and allied genera, which do not bite. Their larvæ are usually aquatic.
2. A very small fly, abundant in many parts of the United States and Canada, noted for the irritating quality of its bite.
Note: The name is also applied to various other small flies. See Wheat midge, under Wheat.
MIDGET Midg"et, n. Etym: [Dim. of midge.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute bloodsucking fly. [Local, U. S.]
2. A very diminutive person.
MIDGUT Mid"gut`, n. Etym: [Mid, a. + gut.] (Anat.)
Defn: The middle part of the alimentary canal from the stomach, or entrance of the bile duct, to, or including, the large intestine.
MIDHEAVEN Mid"heav`en, n.
1. The midst or middle of heaven or the sky.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: The meridian, or middle line of the heavens; the point of the ecliptic on the meridian.
MIDLAND Mid"land, a.
1. Being in the interior country; distant from the coast or seashore; as, midland towns or inhabitants. Howell.
2. Surrounded by the land; mediterranean. And on the midland sea the French had awed. Dryden.
MIDLAND Mid"land, n.
Defn: The interior or central region of a country; -- usually in the plural. Drayton.
MIDMAIN Mid"main`, n.
Defn: The middle part of the main or sea. [Poetic] Chapman.
MIDMOST Mid"most`, a. Etym: [OE. middemiste. Cf. Foremost.]
Defn: Middle; middlemost. Ere night's midmost, stillest hour was past. Byron.
MIDNIGHT Mid"night`, n. Etym: [AS. midniht.]
Defn: The middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night. The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Shak.
MIDNIGHT Mid"night`, a.
Defn: Being in, or characteristic of, the middle of the night; as, midnight studies; midnight gloom. "Midnight shout and revelry." Milton.
MIDNIGHT SUN Mid"night` sun.
Defn: The sun shining at midnight in the arctic or antarctic summer.
MIDRASH Mid*rash", n.; pl. Midrashim, Midrashoth. Etym: [Heb., explanation.]
Defn: A talmudic exposition of the Hebrew law, or of some part of it.
MIDRIB Mid"rib`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A continuation of the petiole, extending from the base to the apex of the lamina of a leaf.
MIDRIFF Mid"riff, n. Etym: [AS. midhrif; midd mid, middle + hrif bowels, womb; akin to OFries. midref midriff, rif, ref, belly, OHG. href body, and to L. corpus body. See Corpse.] (Anat.)
Defn: See Diaphragm, n., 2. Smote him into the midriff with a stone. Milton.
MID SEA; MID-SEA Mid" sea", or; Mid"-sea".
Defn: The middle part of the sea or ocean. Milton. The Mid-sea, the Mediterranean Sea. [Obs.]
MIDSHIP Mid"ship`, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or being in, the middle of a ship. Midship beam (Naut.), the beam or timber upon which the broadest part of a vessel is formed. -- Midship bend, the broadest frame in a vessel. Weale.
MIDSHIPMAN Mid"ship`man, n.; pl. Midshipmen (.
1. (a) Formerly, a kind of naval cadet, in a ship of war, whose business was to carry orders, messages, reports, etc., between the officers of the quarter-deck and those of the forecastle, and render other services as required. (b) In the English naval service, the second rank attained by a combatant officer after a term of service as naval cadet. Having served three and a half years in this rank, and passed an examination, he is eligible to promotion to the rank of lieutenant. (c) In the United States navy, the lowest grade of officers in line of promotion, being graduates of the Naval Academy awaiting promotion to the rank of ensign.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American marine fish of the genus Porichthys, allied to the toadfish. Cadet midshipman, formerly a title distinguishing a cadet line officer from a cadet engineer at the U. S. Naval Academy. See under Cadet. -- Cadet midshipman, formerly, a naval cadet who had served his time, passed his examinations, and was awaiting promotion; -- now called, in the United States, midshipman; in England, sublieutenant.
MIDSHIPS Mid"ships`, adv. Etym: [For amidships.] (Naut.)
Defn: In the middle of a ship; -- properly amidships.
MIDSHIPS Mid"ships`, n. pl. (Naut.)
Defn: The timbers at the broadest part of the vessel. R. H. Dana, Jr.
MIDST Midst, n. Etym: [From middest, in the middest, for older in middes, where -s is adverbial (orig. forming a genitive), or still older a midde, a midden, on midden. See Mid, and cf. Amidst.]
1. The interior or central part or place; the middle; -- used chiefly in the objective case after in; as, in the midst of the forest. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him. Luke iv. 35. There is nothing... in the midst [of the play] which might not have been placed in the beginning. Dryden.
2. Hence, figuratively, the condition of being surrounded or beset; the press; the burden; as, in the midst of official duties; in the midst of secular affairs.
Note: The expressions in our midst, in their midst, etc., are avoided by some good writers, the forms in the midst of us, in the midst of them, etc., being preferred.
Syn. -- Midst, Middle. Midst in present usage commonly denotes a part or place surrounded on enveloped by or among other parts or objects (see Amidst); while middle is used of the center of length, or surface, or of a solid, etc. We say in the midst of a thicket; in the middle of a line, or the middle of a room; in the midst of darkness; in the middle of the night.
MIDST Midst, prep.
Defn: In the midst of; amidst. Shak.
MIDST Midst, adv.
Defn: In the middle. [R.] Milton.
MIDSUMMER Mid"sum`mer, n. Etym: [AS. midsumor.]
Defn: The middle of summer. Shak. Midsummer daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy.
MIDWARD Mid"ward, a.
Defn: Situated in the middle.
MIDWARD Mid"ward, adv.
Defn: In or toward the midst.
MIDWAY Mid"way`, n.
Defn: The middle of the way or distance; a middle way or course. Shak. Paths indirect, or in the midway faint. Milton.
MIDWAY Mid"way`, a.
Defn: Being in the middle of the way or distance; as, the midway air. Shak.
MIDWAY Mid"way`, adv.
Defn: In the middle of the way or distance; half way. "She met his glance midway." Dryden.
MIDWEEK Mid"week`, n.
Defn: The middle of the week. Also used adjectively.
MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, n.; pl. Midwives. Etym: [OE. midwif, fr. AS. mid with (akin to Gr. Meta-, and Wife.]
Defn: A woman who assists other women in childbirth; a female practitioner of the obstetric art.
MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, v. t.
Defn: To assist in childbirth.
MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, v. i.
Defn: To perform the office of midwife.
MIDWIFERY Mid"wife`ry, n.
1. The art or practice of assisting women in childbirth; obstetrics.
2. Assistance at childbirth; help or coöperation in production.
MIDWINTER Mid"win`ter, n. Etym: [AS. midwinter.]
Defn: The middle of winter. Dryden.
MIDWIVE Mid"wive`, v. t.
Defn: To midwife. [Obs.]
MIEN Mien, n. Etym: [F. mine; perh. from sane source as mener to lead; cf. E. demean, menace, mine, n.]
Defn: Aspect; air; manner; demeanor; carriage; bearing. Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen. Pope.
MIFF Miff, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. G. muff sullenness, sulkiness, muffen to be silky, muffïg sullen, pouting.]
Defn: A petty falling out; a tiff; a quarrel; offense. Fielding.
MIFF Miff, v. t.
Defn: To offend slightly. [Colloq.]
MIGHT Might,
Defn: imp. of May. Etym: [AS. meahte, mihte.]
MIGHT Might, n. Etym: [AS. meaht, miht, from the root of magan to be able, E. may; akin to D. magt, OS. maht, G. macht, Icel. mattr, Goth. mahts. May, v.]
Defn: Force or power of any kind, whether of body or mind; energy or intensity of purpose, feeling, or action; means or resources to effect an object; strength; force; power; ability; capacity. What so strong, But wanting rest, will also want of might Spenser. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. vi. 5. With might and main. See under 2d Main.
MIGHTFUL Might"ful, a.
Defn: Mighty. [Obs.] Shak.
MIGHTILY Might"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Mighty.]
1. In a mighty manner; with might; with great earnestness; vigorously; powerfully. Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Col. i. 29.
2. To a great degree; very much. Practical jokes amused us mightily. Hawthorne.
MIGHTINESS Might"i*ness, n.
1. The quality of being mighty; possession of might; power; greatness; high dignity. How soon this mightiness meets misery. Shak.
2. Highness; excellency; -- with a possessive pronoun, a title of dignity; as, their high mightinesses.
MIGHTLESS Might"less, a.
Defn: Without; weak. [Obs.]
MIGHTY Might"y, a. [Compar. Mightier; superl. Mightiest.] Etym: [AS. meahtig, mihtig; akin to G. mächtig, Goth. mahteigs. See Might, n.]
1. Possessing might; having great power or authority. Wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Job ix. 4.
2. Accomplished by might; hence, extraordinary; wonderful. "His mighty works." Matt. xi. 20.
3. Denoting and extraordinary degree or quality in respect of size, character, importance, consequences, etc. "A mighty famine." Luke xv. 14. "Giants of mighty bone." Milton. Mighty was their fuss about little matters. Hawthorne.
MIGHTY Might"y, n.; pl. Mighties.
Defn: A warrior of great force and courage. [R. & Obs.] 1 Chron. xi. 12.
MIGHTY Might"y, adv.
Defn: In a great degree; very. [Colloq.] "He was mighty methodical." Jeffrey. We have a mighty pleasant garden. Doddridge.
MIGNIARD Mign"iard, a. Etym: [F. mignard, akin to mignon. See Minion.]
Defn: Soft; dainty. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MIGNIARDISE Mign"iard*ise, n. Etym: [F. mignardise.]
Defn: Delicate fondling. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MIGNON Mi"gnon, a. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See 3d Minion.
MIGNON Mi"gnon, v. t.
Defn: To flatter. [R. & Obs.] Danie
MIGNONETTE Mi`gnon*ette", n. Etym: [F. mignonnette, dim. of mignon darling. See 2d Minion.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant (Reseda odorata) having greenish flowers with orange- colored stamens, and exhaling a delicious fragrance. In Africa it is a low shrub, but further north it is usually an annual herb. Mignonette pepper, coarse pepper.
MIGRAINE Mi*graine", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Same as Megrim. -- Mi*grain"ous, a.
MIGRANT Mi"grant, a. Etym: [L. migrans, p. pr. of migrare. See Migrate.]
Defn: Migratory. Sir T. Browne. -- n.
Defn: A migratory bird or other animal.
MIGRATE Mi"grate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Migrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Migrating.] Etym: [L. migratus, p. p. of migrare to migrate, transfer.]
1. To remove from one country or region to another, with a view to residence; to change one's place of residence; to remove; as, the Moors who migrated from Africa into Spain; to migrate to the West.
2. To pass periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding; -- said of certain birds, fishes, and quadrupeds.
MIGRATION Mi*gra"tion, n. Etym: [L. migratio: cf. F. migration.]
Defn: The act of migrating.
MIGRATORY Mi"gra*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. migratoire.]
1. Removing regularly or occasionally from one region or climate to another; as, migratory birds.
2. Hence, roving; wandering; nomad; as, migratory habits; a migratory life. Migratory locust (Zoöl.) See Locust. -- Migratory thrush (Zoöl.), the American robin. See Robin.
MIKADO Mi*ka"do, n. Etym: [Jap.]
Defn: The popular designation of the hereditary sovereign of Japan.
MIKMAKS Mik"maks, n.
Defn: Same as Micmacs.
MILADY Mi*la"dy, n. [F., fr. English.]
Defn: Lit., my lady; hence (as used on the Continent), an English noblewoman or gentlewoman.
MILAGE Mil"age (; 48), n.
Defn: Same as Mileage.
MILANESE Mil`an*ese", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Milan in Italy, or to its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Milan; people of Milan.
MILCH Milch, a. Etym: [OE. milche; akin to G. melk, Icel. milkr, mj, and to E. milk. See Milk.]
1. Giving milk; -- now applied only to beasts. "Milch camels." Gen. xxxii. "Milch kine." Shak.
2. Tender; pitiful; weeping. [Obs.] Shak.
MILD Mild, a. [Compar. Milder; superl. Mildest.] Etym: [AS. milde; akin to OS. mildi, D. & G. mild, OHG. milti, Icel. mildr, Sw. & Dan. mild, Goth. milds; cf. Lith. melas dear, Gr.
Defn: Gentle; pleasant; kind; soft; bland; clement; hence, moderate in degree or quality; -- the opposite of harsh, severe, irritating, violent, disagreeable, etc.; -- applied to persons and things; as, a mild disposition; a mild eye; a mild air; a mild medicine; a mild insanity. The rosy morn resigns her light And milder glory to the noon. Waller. Adore him as a mild and merciful Being. Rogers. Mild, or Low, steel, steel that has but little carbon in it and is not readily hardened.
Syn. -- Soft; gentle; bland; calm; tranquil; soothing; pleasant; placid; meek; kind; tender; indulgent; clement; mollifying; lenitive; assuasive. See Gentle.
MILDEN Mild"en, v. t.
Defn: To make mild, or milder. Lowell.
MILDEW Mil"dew, n. Etym: [AS. meledeáw; akin to OHG. militou, G. mehlthau, mehltau; prob. orig. meaning, honeydew; cf. Goth. milip honey. See Mellifluous, and Dew.] (Bot.)
Defn: A growth of minute powdery or webby fungi, whitish or of different colors, found on various diseased or decaying substances.
MILDEW Mil"dew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mildewed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mildewing.]
Defn: To taint with mildew. He... mildews the white wheat. Shak.
MILDEW Mil"dew, v. i.
Defn: To become tainted with mildew.
MILDLY Mild"ly, adv.
Defn: In a mild manner.
MILDNESS Mild"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mild; as, mildness of temper; the mildness of the winter.
MILE Mile, n. Etym: [AS. mil, fr. L. millia, milia; pl. of mille a thousand, i. e., milia passuum a thousand paces. Cf. Mill the tenth of a cent, Million.]
Defn: A certain measure of distance, being equivalent in England and the United States to 320 poles or rods, or 5,280 feet.
Note: The distance called a mile varies greatly in different countries. Its length in yards is, in Norway, 12,182; in Brunswick, 11,816; in Sweden, 11,660; in Hungary, 9,139; in Switzerland, 8,548; in Austria, 8,297; in Prussia, 8,238; in Poland, 8,100; in Italy, 2,025; in England and the United States, 1,760; in Spain, 1,552; in the Netherlands, 1,094. Geographical, or Nautical mile, one sixtieth of a degree of a great circle of the earth, or 6080.27 feet. -- Mile run. Same as Train mile. See under Train. -- Roman mile, a thousand paces, equal to 1,614 yards English measure. -- Statute mile, a mile conforming to statute, that is, in England and the United States, a mile of 5,280 feet, as distinguished from any other mile.
MILEAGE Mile"age (; 48), n.
1. An allowance for traveling expenses at a certain rate per mile.
2. Aggregate length or distance in miles; esp., the sum of lengths of tracks or wires of a railroad company, telegraph company, etc. [Written also milage.] Constructive mileage, a mileage allowed for journeys supposed to be made, but not actually made. Bartlett.
MILEPOST Mile"post`, n.
Defn: A post, or one of a series of posts, set up to indicate spaces of a mile each or the distance in miles from a given place.
MILESIAN Mi*le"sian, a. Etym: [L. Milesius, Gr.
1. (Anc. Geog.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Miletus, a city of Asia Minor, or to its inhabitants.
2. (Irish Legendary Hist.)
Defn: Descended from King Milesius of Spain, whose two sons are said to have conquered Ireland about 1300 b. c.; or pertaining to the descendants of King Milesius; hence, Irish.
MILESIAN Mi*le"sian, n.
1. A native or inhabitant of Miletus.
2. A native or inhabitant of Ireland.
MILESTONE Mile"stone`, n.
Defn: A stone serving the same purpose as a milepost.
MILFOIL Mil"foil, n. Etym: [F. mille-feuille, L. millefolium; mille thousand + folium leaf. See Foil a leaf.] (Bot.)
Defn: A common composite herb (Achillea Millefolium) with white flowers and finely dissected leaves; yarrow. Water milfoil (Bot.), an aquatic herb with dissected leaves (Myriophyllum).
MILIARIA Mil`i*a"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Miliary.] (Med.)
Defn: A fever accompanied by an eruption of small, isolated, red pimples, resembling a millet seed in form or size; miliary fever.
MILIARY Mil"ia*ry, a. Etym: [L. miliarius, fr. milium millet: cf. F. miliaire.]
1. Like millet seeds; as, a miliary eruption.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Accompanied with an eruption like millet seeds; as, a miliary fever.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Small and numerous; as, the miliary tubercles of Echini.
MILIARY Mil"ia*ry, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the small tubercles of Echini.
MILICE Mi`lice", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Militia. [Obs.]
MILIEU Mi`lieu", n. [F., fr. mi middle (L. medius) + lieu place. See Demi-, Lieu.]
Defn: Environment.
The intellectual and moral milieu created by multitudes of self- centered, cultivated personalities. J. A. Symonds.
It is one of the great outstanding facts of his progressive relation to the elements of his social milieu. J. M. Baldwin.
MILIOLA Mil"i*o`la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. milium millet. So named from its resemblance to millet seed.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of Foraminifera, having a porcelanous shell with several longitudinal chambers.
MILIOLITE Mil"i*o*lite, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: A fossil shell of, or similar to, the genus Miliola.
MILIOLITE Mil"i*o*lite, a.
Defn: The same Milliolitic. Miliolite limestone (Geol.), a building stone, one of the group of the Paris basin, almost entirely made up of many-chambered microscopic shells.
MILIOLITIC Mil`i*o*lit"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Miliola; containing miliolites.
MILITANCY Mil"i*tan*cy, n. Etym: [See Militant.]
1. The state of being militant; warfare.
2. A military spirit or system; militarism. H. Spencer.
MILITANT Mil"i*tant, a. Etym: [L. militans, -antis, p. pr. of militare to be soldier: cf. F. militant. See Militate.]
Defn: Engaged in warfare; fighting; combating; serving as a soldier. -- Mil"i*tant*ly, adv. At which command the powers militant... Moved on in silence. Milton. Church militant, the Christian church on earth, which is supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies, and is thus distinguished from the church triumphant, in heaven.
MILITAR Mil"i*tar, a.
Defn: Military. [Obs.] Bacon.
MILITARILY Mil"i*ta*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a military manner.
MILITARISM Mil"i*ta*rism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. militarisme.]
1. A military state or condition; reliance on military force in administering government; a military system.
2. The spirit and traditions of military life. H. Spencer.
MILITARIST Mil"i*ta*rist, n.
Defn: A military man. [Obs.] Shak.
MILITARY Mil"i*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L. militaris, militarius, from miles, militis, soldier: cf. F. militaire.]
1. Of or pertaining to soldiers, to arms, or to war; belonging to, engaged in, or appropriate to, the affairs of war; as, a military parade; military discipline; military bravery; military conduct; military renown. Nor do I, as an enemy to peace, Troop in the throngs of military men. Shak.
2. Performed or made by soldiers; as, a military election; a military expedition. Bacon. Military law. See Martial law, under Martial. -- Military order. (a) A command proceeding from a military superior. (b) An association of military persons under a bond of certain peculiar rules; especially, such an association of knights in the Middle Ages, or a body in modern times taking a similar form, membership of which confers some distinction. -- Military tenure, tenure of land, on condition of performing military service.
MILITARY Mil"i*ta*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. militaire.]
Defn: The whole body of soldiers; soldiery; militia; troops; the army.
MILITATE Mil"i*tate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Militated; p. pr. & vb. n. Militating.] Etym: [L. militare, militatum, to be a soldier, fr. miles, militis, soldier.]
Defn: To make war; to fight; to contend; -- usually followed by against and with. These are great questions, where great names militate against each other. Burke. The invisible powers of heaven seemed to militate on the side of the pious emperor. Gibbon.
MILITIA Mi*li"tia, n. Etym: [L., military service, soldiery, fr. miles, militis, soldier: cf. F. milice.]
1. In the widest sense, the whole military force of a nation, including both those engaged in military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies. The king's captains and soldiers fight his battles, and yet... the power of the militia is he. Jer. Taylor.
2. Military service; warfare. [Obs.] Baxter.
MILITIAMAN Mi*li"tia*man, n.; pl. Militiamen (.
Defn: One who belongs to the militia.
MILITIATE Mi*li"ti*ate, v. i.
Defn: To carry on, or prepare for, war. [Obs.] Walpole.
MILK Milk, n. Etym: [AS. meoluc, meoloc, meolc, milc; akin to OFries. meloc, D. melk, G. milch, OHG. miluh, Icel. mj, Sw. mjölk, Dan. melk, Goth. miluks, G. melken to milk, OHG. melchan, Lith. milszti, L. mulgere, Gr. Milch, Emulsion, Milt soft roe of fishes.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: A white fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young, consisting of minute globules of fat suspended in a solution of casein, albumin, milk sugar, and inorganic salts. "White as morne milk." Chaucer.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of juice or sap, usually white in color, found in certain plants; latex. See Latex.
3. An emulsion made by bruising seeds; as, the milk of almonds, produced by pounding almonds with sugar and water.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster. Condensed milk. See under Condense, v. t. -- Milk crust (Med.), vesicular eczema occurring on the face and scalp of nursing infants. See Eczema. -- Milk fever. (a) (Med.) A fever which accompanies or precedes the first lactation. It is usually transitory. (b) (Vet. Surg.) A form puerperal peritonitis in cattle; also, a variety of meningitis occurring in cows after calving. -- Milk glass, glass having a milky appearance. -- Milk knot (Med.), a hard lump forming in the breast of a nursing woman, due to obstruction to the flow of milk and congestion of the mammary glands. -- Milk leg (Med.), a swollen condition of the leg, usually in puerperal women, caused by an inflammation of veins, and characterized by a white appearance occasioned by an accumulation of serum and sometimes of pus in the cellular tissue. -- Milk meats, food made from milk, as butter and cheese. [Obs.] Bailey. -- Milk mirror. Same as Escutcheon, 2. -- Milk molar (Anat.), one of the deciduous molar teeth which are shed and replaced by the premolars. -- Milk of lime (Chem.), a watery emulsion of calcium hydrate, produced by macerating quicklime in water. -- Milk parsley (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum palustre) of Europe and Asia, having a milky juice. -- Milk pea (Bot.), a genus (Galactia) of leguminous and, usually, twining plants. -- Milk sickness (Med.), a peculiar malignant disease, occurring in some parts of the Western United States, and affecting certain kinds of farm stock (esp. cows), and persons who make use of the meat or dairy products of infected cattle. Its chief symptoms in man are uncontrollable vomiting, obstinate constipation, pain, and muscular tremors. Its origin in cattle has been variously ascribed to the presence of certain plants in their food, and to polluted drinking water. -- Milk snake (Zoöl.), a harmless American snake (Ophibolus triangulus, or O. eximius). It is variously marked with white, gray, and red. Called also milk adder, chicken snake, house snake, etc. -- Milk sugar. (Physiol. Chem.) See Lactose, and Sugar of milk (below). -- Milk thistle (Bot.), an esculent European thistle (Silybum marianum), having the veins of its leaves of a milky whiteness. -- Milk thrush. (Med.) See Thrush. -- Milk tooth (Anat.), one of the temporary first set of teeth in young mammals; in man there are twenty. -- Milk tree (Bot.), a tree yielding a milky juice, as the cow tree of South America (Brosimum Galactodendron), and the Euphorbia balsamifera of the Canaries, the milk of both of which is wholesome food. -- Milk vessel (Bot.), a special cell in the inner bark of a plant, or a series of cells, in which the milky juice is contained. See Latex. -- Rock milk. See Agaric mineral, under Agaric. -- Sugar of milk. The sugar characteristic of milk; a hard white crystalline slightly sweet substance obtained by evaporation of the whey of milk. It is used in pellets and powder as a vehicle for homeopathic medicines, and as an article of diet. See Lactose.
MILK Milk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Milked; p. pr. & vb. n. Milking.]
1. To draw or press milk from the breasts or udder of, by the hand or mouth; to withdraw the milk of. "Milking the kine." Gay. I have given suck, and know How tender 't is to love the babe that milks me. Shak.
2. To draw from the breasts or udder; to extract, as milk; as, to milk wholesome milk from healthy cows.
3. To draw anything from, as if by milking; to compel to yield profit or advantage; to plunder. Tyndale. They [the lawyers] milk an unfortunate estate as regularly as a dairyman does his stock. London Spectator. To milk the street, to squeeze the smaller operators in stocks and extract a profit from them, by alternately raising and depressing prices within a short range; -- said of the large dealers. [Cant] -- To milk a telegram, to use for one's own advantage the contents of a telegram belonging to another person. [Cant]
MILK Milk, v. i.
Defn: To draw or to yield milk.
MILKEN Milk"en, a.
Defn: Consisting of milk. [Obs.]
MILKER Milk"er, n.
1. One who milks; also, a mechanical apparatus for milking cows.
2. A cow or other animal that gives milk.
MILKFUL Milk"ful, a.
Defn: Full of milk; abounding with food. [R.] "Milkful vales." Sylvester.
MILKILY Milk"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a milky manner.
MILKINESS Milk"i*ness, n.
Defn: State or quality of being milky.
MILK-LIVERED Milk"-liv`ered, a.
Defn: White-livered; cowardly; timorous.
MILKMAID Milk"maid`, n.
Defn: A woman who milks cows or is employed in the dairy.
MILKMAN Milk"man, n.; pl. Milkmen (.
Defn: A man who sells milk or delivers is to customers.
MILK SICKNESS Milk sickness. (Veter.)
Defn: A peculiar malignant disease, occurring in parts of the western United States, and affecting certain kinds of farm stock (esp. cows), and persons using the meat or dairy products of infected cattle. Its chief symptoms in man are uncontrollable vomiting, obstinate constipation, pain, and muscular tremors. Its origin in cattle has been variously ascribed to the presence of certain plants in their food, and to polluted water.
MILKSOP Milk"sop`, n.
Defn: A piece of bread sopped in milk; figuratively, an effeminate or weak-minded person. Shak. To wed a milksop or a coward ape. Chaucer.
MILK VETCH Milk" vetch`. (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous herb (Astragalus glycyphyllos) of Europe and Asia, supposed to increase the secretion of milk in goats.
Note: The name is sometimes taken for the whole genus Astragalus, of which there are about two hundred species in North America, and even more elsewhere.
MILKWEED Milk"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genera Asclepias and Acerates, abounding in a milky juice, and having its seed attached to a long silky down; silkweed. The name is also applied to several other plants with a milky juice, as to several kinds of spurge.
MILKWORT Milk"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants (Polygala) of many species. The common European P. vulgaris was supposed to have the power of producing a flow of milk in nurses.
Note: The species of Campanula, or bellflower, are sometimes called milkwort, from their juice.
MILKY Milk"y, a.
1. Consisting of, or containing, milk. Pails high foaming with a milky flood. Pope.
2. Like, or somewhat like, milk; whitish and turbid; as, the water is milky. "Milky juice." Arbuthnot.
3. Yielding milk. "Milky mothers." Roscommon.
4. Mild; tame; spiritless. Has friendship such a faint and milky heart Shak. Milky Way. (Astron.) See Galaxy, 1.
MILL Mill, n. Etym: [L. mille a thousand. Cf. Mile.]
Defn: A money of account of the United States, having the value of the tenth of a cent, or the thousandth of a dollar.
MILL Mill, n. Etym: [OE. mille, melle, mulle, milne, AS. myln, mylen; akin to D. molen, G. mühle, OHG. muli, mulin, Icel. mylna; all prob. from L. molina, fr. mola millstone; prop., that which grinds, akin to molere to grind, Goth. malan, G. mahlen, and to E. meal. Meal flour, and cf. Moline.]
1. A machine for grinding or commuting any substance, as grain, by rubbing and crushing it between two hard, rough, or intented surfaces; as, a gristmill, a coffee mill; a bone mill.
2. A machine used for expelling the juice, sap, etc., from vegetable tissues by pressure, or by pressure in combination with a grinding, or cutting process; as, a cider mill; a cane mill.
3. A machine for grinding and polishing; as, a lapidary mill.
4. A common name for various machines which produce a manufactured product, or change the form of a raw material by the continuous repetition of some simple action; as, a sawmill; a stamping mill, etc.
5. A building or collection of buildings with machinery by which the processes of manufacturing are carried on; as, a cotton mill; a powder mill; a rolling mill.
6. (Die Sinking)
Defn: A hardened steel roller having a design in relief, used for imprinting a reversed copy of the design in a softer metal, as copper.
7. (Mining) (a) An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained. (b) A passage underground through which ore is shot.
8. A milling cutter. See Illust. under Milling.
9. A pugilistic. [Cant] R. D. Blackmore. Edge mill, Flint mill, etc. See under Edge, Flint, etc. -- Mill bar (Iron Works), a rough bar rolled or drawn directly from a bloom or puddle bar for conversion into merchant iron in the mill. -- Mill cinder, slag from a puddling furnace. -- Mill head, the head of water employed to turn the wheel of a mill. -- Mill pick, a pick for dressing millstones. -- Mill pond, a pond that supplies the water for a mill. -- Mill race, the canal in which water is conveyed to a mill wheel, or the current of water which drives the wheel. -- Mill tail, the water which flows from a mill wheel after turning it, or the channel in which the water flows. -- Mill tooth, a grinder or molar tooth. -- Mill wheel, the water wheel that drives the machinery of a mill. -- Roller mill, a mill in which flour or meal is made by crushing grain between rollers. -- Stamp mill (Mining), a mill in which ore is crushed by stamps. -- To go through the mill, to experience the suffering or discipline necessary to bring one to a certain degree of knowledge or skill, or to a certain mental state.
MILL Mill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Milled; p. pr. & vb. n. Milling.] Etym: [See Mill, n., and cf. Muller.]
1. To reduce to fine particles, or to small pieces, in a mill; to grind; to comminute.
2. To shape, finish, or transform by passing through a machine; specifically, to shape or dress, as metal, by means of a rotary cutter.
3. To make a raised border around the edges of, or to cut fine grooves or indentations across the edges of, as of a coin, or a screw head; also, to stamp in a coining press; to coin.
4. To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.
5. To beat with the fists. [Cant] Thackeray.
6. To roll into bars, as steel. To mill chocolate, to make it frothy, as by churning.
MILL Mill, v. i. (Zoöl.)
Defn: To swim under water; -- said of air-breathing creatures.
MILLBOARD Mill"board`, n.
Defn: A kind of stout pasteboard.
MILL-CAKE Mill"-cake`, n.
Defn: The incorporated materials for gunpowder, in the form of a dense mass or cake, ready to be subjected to the process of granulation.
MILLDAM Mill"dam`, n.
Defn: A dam or mound to obstruct a water course, and raise the water to a height sufficient to turn a mill wheel.
MILLED Milled, a.
Defn: Having been subjected to some process of milling. Milled cloth, cloth that has been beaten in a fulling mill. -- Milled lead, lead rolled into sheets.
MILLEFIORE GLASS Mil`le*fi*o"re glass`. Etym: [It. mille thousand + flore flower.]
Defn: Slender rods or tubes of colored glass fused together and embedded in clear glass; -- used for paperweights and other small articles.
MILLENARIAN Mil`le*na"ri*an, a. Etym: [See Millenary.]
Defn: Consisting of a thousand years; of or pertaining to the millennium, or to the Millenarians.
MILLENARIAN Mil`le*na"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who believes that Christ will personally reign on earth a thousand years; a Chiliast.
MILLENARIANISM; MILLENARISM Mil`le*na"ri*an*ism, Mil"le*na*rism, n.
Defn: The doctrine of Millenarians.
MILLENARY Mil"le*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. millenarius, fr. milleni a thousand each, fr. mille a thousand: cf. F. millénaire. See Mile.]
Defn: Consisting of a thousand; millennial.
MILLENARY Mil"le*na*ry, n.
Defn: The space of a thousand years; a millennium; also, a Millenarian."During that millenary." Hare.
MILLENNIAL Mil*len"ni*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the millennium, or to a thousand years; as, a millennial period; millennial happiness.
MILLENNIALISM; MILLENNIARISM Mil*len"ni*al*ism, Mil*len"ni*a*rism, n.
Defn: Belief in, or expectation of, the millennium; millenarianism.
MILLENNIALIST Mil*len"ni*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who believes that Christ will reign personally on earth a thousand years; a Chiliast; also, a believer in the universal prevalence of Christianity for a long period.
MILLENNIST Mil"len*nist, n.
Defn: One who believes in the millennium. [Obs.] Johnson.
MILLENNIUM Mil*len"ni*um, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. mille a thousand + annus a year. See Mile, and Annual.]
Defn: A thousand years; especially, thousand years mentioned in the twentieth chapter in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, during which holiness is to be triumphant throughout the world. Some believe that, during this period, Christ will reign on earth in person with his saints.
MILLEPED Mil"le*ped, n. Etym: [L. millepeda; mille a thousand + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. mille-pieds.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A myriapod with many legs, esp. a chilognath, as the galleyworm. [Written also millipede and milliped.]
MILLEPORA Mil*le*po"ra, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of Hydrocorallia, which includes the millipores.
MILLEPORE Mil"le*pore, n. Etym: [L. mille thousand + porus pore: cf. F. millépore.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any coral of the genus Millepora, having the surface nearly smooth, and perforated with very minute unequal pores, or cells. The animals are hydroids, not Anthozoa. See Hydrocorallia.
MILLEPORITE Mil"le*po*rite, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: A fossil millepore.
MILLER Mill"er, n.
1. One who keeps or attends a flour mill or gristmill.
2. A milling machine.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) A moth or lepidopterous insect; -- so called because the wings appear as if covered with white dust or powder, like a miller's clothes. Called also moth miller. (b) The eagle ray. (c) The hen harrier. [Prov. Eng.] Miller's thumb. (Zoöl.) (a) A small fresh-water fish of the genus Uranidea (formerly Cottus), as the European species (U. gobio), and the American (U. gracilis); -- called also bullhead. (b) A small bird, as the gold-crest, chiff- chaff, and long-tailed tit. [Prov. Eng.]
MILLERITE Mil"ler*ite, n.
Defn: A believer in the doctrine of William Miller (d. 1849), who taught that the end of the world and the second coming of Christ were at hand.
MILLERITE Mil"ler*ite, n. Etym: [From W. H. Miller, of Cambridge, Eng.] (Min.)
Defn: A sulphide of nickel, commonly occurring in delicate capillary crystals, also in incrustations of a bronze yellow; -- sometimes called hair pyrites.
MILLESIMAL Mil*les"i*mal, a. Etym: [L. millesimus, fr. mille a thousand.]
Defn: Thousandth; consisting of thousandth parts; as, millesimal fractions.
MILLET Mil"let, n. Etym: [F., dim. of mil, L. milium; akin to Gr. mil.] (Bot.)
Defn: The name of several cereal and forage grasses which bear an abundance of small roundish grains. The common millets of Germany and Southern Europe are Panicum miliaceum, and Setaria Italica.
Note: Arabian millet is Sorghum Halepense. -- Egyptian or East Indian, millet is Penicillaria spicata. -- Indian millet is Sorghum vulgare. (See under Indian.) -- Italian millet is Setaria Italica, a coarse, rank-growing annual grass, valuable for fodder when cut young, and bearing nutritive seeds; -- called also Hungarian grass. -- Texas millet is Panicum Texanum. -- Wild millet, or Millet grass, is Milium effusum, a tail grass growing in woods.
MILLI- Mil"li-. Etym: [From L. mille a thousand.] (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.)
Defn: A prefix denoting a thousandth part of; as, millimeter, milligram, milliampère.
MILLIAMPERE Mil`li*am`père", n. Etym: [Milli- + ampère.] (Elec.)
Defn: The thousandth part of one ampère.
MILLIARD Mil`liard", n. Etym: [F., from mille, mil, thousand, L. mille.]
Defn: A thousand millions; -- called also billion. See Billion.
MILLIARY Mil"li*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. milliarius containing a thousand, fr. mille thousand: cf. F. milliaire milliary. See Mile.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mile, or to distance by miles; denoting a mile or miles. A milliary column, from which they used to compute the distance of all the cities and places of note. Evelyn.
MILLIARY Mil"li*a*ry, n.; pl. Milliaries. Etym: [L. milliarium. See Milliary, a.]
Defn: A milestone.
MILLIER Mil`lier", n. Etym: [F., fr. mille thousand.]
Defn: A weight of the metric system, being one million grams; a metric ton.
MILLIFOLD Mil"li*fold`, a. Etym: [L. mille thousand + E. fold times.]
Defn: Thousandfold. [R.] Davies (Holy Roode).
MILLIGRAM; MILLIGRAMME Mil"li*gram, Mil"li*gramme, n. Etym: [F. milligramme; milli- milli- + gramme. See 3d Gram.]
Defn: A measure of weight, in the metric system, being the thousandth part of a gram, equal to the weight of a cubic millimeter of water, or .01543 of a grain avoirdupois.
MILLILITER; MILLILITRE Mil"li*li`ter, Mil"li*li`tre, n. Etym: [F. millilitre; milli- milli- + litre. See Liter.]
Defn: A measure of capacity in the metric system, containing the thousandth part of a liter. It is a cubic centimeter, and is equal to .061 of an English cubic inch, or to .0338 of an American fluid ounce.
MILLIMETER; MILLIMETRE Mil"li*me`ter, Mil"li*me`tre, n. Etym: [F. millimètre; milli- milli- + mètre. See 3d Meter.]
Defn: A lineal measure in the metric system, containing the thousandth part of a meter; equal to .03937 of an inch. See 3d Meter.
MILLIMICRON Mil"li*mi`cron, n. [Milli- + micron.]
Defn: The thousandish part of a micron or the millionth part of a millimeter; -- a unit of length used in measuring light waves, etc.
MILLINER Mil"li*ner, n. Etym: [From Milaner an inhabitant of Milan, in Italy; hence, a man from Milan who imported women's finery.]
1. Formerly, a man who imported and dealt in small articles of a miscellaneous kind, especially such as please the fancy of women. [Obs.] No milliner can so fit his customers with gloves. Shak.
2. A person, usually a woman, who makes, trims, or deals in hats, bonnets, headdresses, etc., for women. Man milliner, a man who makes or deals in millinery; hence, contemptuously, a man who is busied with trifling occupations or embellishments.
MILLINERY Mil"li*ner*y, n.
1. The articles made or sold by milliners, as headdresses, hats or bonnets, laces, ribbons, and the like.
2. The business of work of a milliner.
MILLINET Mil`li*net", n.
Defn: A stiff cotton fabric used by milliners for lining bonnets.
MILLING Mill"ing, n.
Defn: The act or employment of grinding or passing through a mill; the process of fulling; the process of making a raised or intented edge upon coin, etc.; the process of dressing surfaces of various shapes with rotary cutters. See Mill. High milling, milling in which grain is reduced to flour by a succession of crackings, or of slight and partial crushings, alternately with sifting and sorting the product. -- Low milling, milling in which the reduction is effected in a single crushing or grinding. -- Milling cutter, a fluted, sharp-edged rotary cutter for dressing surfaces, as of metal, of various shapes. -- Milling machine, a machine tool for dressing surfaces by rotary cutters. -- Milling tool, a roller with indented edge or surface, for producing like indentations in metal by rolling pressure, as in turning; a knurling tool; a milling cutter.
MILLION Mil"lion, n. Etym: [F., from LL. millio, fr. L. mille a thousand. See Mile.]
1. The number of ten hundred thousand, or a thousand thousand, -- written 1,000, 000. See the Note under Hundred
2. A very great number; an indefinitely large number. Millions of truths that a man is not concerned to know. Locke.
3. The mass of common people; -- with the article the. For the play, I remember, pleased not the million. Shak.
MILLIONAIRE Mil`lion*aire", n. Etym: [F. millionnaire.]
Defn: One whose wealth is counted by millions of francs, dollars, or pounds; a very rich person; a person worth a million or more. [Written also millionnaire.]
MILLIONAIRESS Mil`lion*air"ess, n.
Defn: A woman who is a millionaire, or the wife of a millionaire. [Humorous] Holmes.
MILLIONARY Mil"lion*a*ry, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to millions; consisting of millions; as, the millionary chronology of the pundits. Pinker
MILLIONED Mil"lioned, a.
Defn: Multiplied by millions; innumerable. [Obs.] Shak.
MILLIONNAIRE Mil`lion`naire", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Millionaire.
MILLIONTH Mil"lionth, a.
Defn: Being the last one of a million of units or objects counted in regular order from the first of a series or succession; being one of a million.
MILLIONTH Mil"lionth, n.
Defn: The quotient of a unit divided by one million; one of a million equal parts.
MILLIPED Mil"li*ped, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The same Milleped.
MILLISTERE Mil"li*stere, n. Etym: [F. millistère, from milli- milli- + stère.]
Defn: A liter, or cubic decimeter.
MILLIWEBER Mil`li*we"ber, n. Etym: [Milli- + weber.] (Physics)
Defn: The thousandth part of one weber.
MILLREA; MILLREE; MILLREIS Mill"rea`, Mill"ree`, Mill"reis`, n.
Defn: See Milreis.
MILLRIND; MILLRYND Mill"rind`, Mill"rynd`, n. Etym: [Mill + rynd.] (Her.)
Defn: A figure supposed to represent the iron which holds a millstone by being set into its center.
MILL-SIXPENCE Mill"-sixpence, n.
Defn: A milled sixpence; -- the sixpence being one of the first English coins milled (1561).
MILLSTONE Mill"stone`, n.
Defn: One of two circular stones used for grinding grain or other substance. No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge. Deut. xxiv. 6.
Note: The cellular siliceous rock called buhrstone is usually employed for millstones; also, some kinds of lava, as that Niedermendig, or other firm rock with rough texture. The surface of a millstone has usually a series of radial grooves in which the powdered material collects. Millstone girt (Geol.), a hard and coarse, gritty sandstone, dividing the Carboniferous from the Subcarboniferous strata. See Farewell rock, under Farewell, a., and Chart of Geology. -- To see into, or through, a millstone, to see into or through a difficult matter. (Colloq.)
MILLWORK Mill"work`, n.
1. The shafting, gearing, and other driving machinery of mils.
2. The business of setting up or of operating mill machinery.
MILLWRIGHT Mill"wright`, n.
Defn: A mechanic whose occupation is to build mills, or to set up their machinery.
MILORD Mi*lord", n. [F. (also It., Sp., Russ.), fr. E. my lord.]
Defn: Lit., my lord; hence (as used on the Continent), an English nobleman or gentleman.
MILREIS Mil"reis`, n. Etym: [Pg. mil reis, i. e., one thousand reis; mil a thousand + reis, pl. of real a rei.]
Defn: A Portuguese money of account rated in the treasury department of the United States at one dollar and eight cents; also, a Brazilian money of account rated at fifty-four cents and six mills.
MILT Milt, n. Etym: [AS. milte; akin to D. milt, G. milz, OHG. milzi, Icel. milti, Dan. milt, Sw. mjälte, and prob. to E. malt, melt. sq. root108. See Malt the grain.] (Anat.)
Defn: The spleen.
MILT Milt, n. Etym: [Akin to Dan. melk, Sw. mjölke, G. milch, and E. milk. See Milk.] (Zoöl.) (a) The spermatic fluid of fishes. (b) The testes, or spermaries, of fishes when filled with spermatozoa.
MILT Milt, v. t.
Defn: To impregnate (the roe of a fish) with milt.
MILTER Milt"er, n. Etym: [Cf. D. milter, G. milcher, milchner. See 2d Milt.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A male fish.
MILTONIAN Mil*to"ni*an, a.
Defn: Miltonic. Lowell.
MILTONIC Mil*ton"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, Milton, or his writings; as, Miltonic prose.
MILTWASTE Milt"waste`, Etym: [1st milt + waste.] (Bot.)
Defn: A small European fern (Asplenium Ceterach) formerly used in medicine.
MILVINE Mil"vine, a. Etym: [L. milvus kite.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or resembling birds of the kite kind.
MILVINE Mil"vine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird related to the kite.
MILVUS Mil"vus, n. Etym: [L., a kite.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of raptorial birds, including the European kite.
MIME Mime, n. Etym: [L. mimus, Gr. mime. Cf. Mimosa.]
1. A kind of drama in which real persons and events were generally represented in a ridiculous manner.
2. An actor in such representations.
MIME Mime, v. i.
Defn: To mimic. [Obs.] -- Mim"er, n.
MIMEOGRAPH Mim"e*o*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph.]
Defn: An autographic stencil copying device invented by Edison.
MIMESIS Mi*me"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Rhet. & Biol.)
Defn: Imitation; mimicry.
MIMETENE Mim"e*tene, n. (Min.)
Defn: See Mimetite.
MIMETIC; MIMETICAL Mi*met"ic, Mi*met"ic*al,Etym: [Gr.
1. Apt to imitate; given to mimicry; imitative.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Characterized by mimicry; -- applied to animals and plants; as, mimetic species; mimetic organisms. See Mimicry.
MIMETISM Mim"e*tism, n. Etym: [From Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Same as Mimicry.
MIMETITE Mim"e*tite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occurring in pale yellow or brownish hexagonal crystals. It is an arseniate of lead.
MIMIC; MIMICAL Mim"ic, Mim"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mimicus, Gr. mimique. See Mime.]
1. Imitative; mimetic. Oft, in her absence, mimic fancy wakes To imitate her. Milton. Man is, of all creatures, the most mimical. W. Wotton.
2. Consisting of, or formed by, imitation; imitated; as, mimic gestures. "Mimic hootings." Wordsworth.
3. (Min.)
Defn: Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; -- applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.
Note: Mimic often implies something droll or ludicrous, and is less dignified than imitative. Mimic beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle that feigns death when disturbed, esp. the species of Hister and allied genera.
MIMIC Mim"ic, n.
Defn: One who imitates or mimics, especially one who does so for sport; a copyist; a buffoon. Burke.
MIMIC Mim"ic, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mimicked; p. pr. & vb. n. Mimicking.]
1. To imitate or ape for sport; to ridicule by imitation. The walk, the words, the gesture, could supply, The habit mimic, and the mien belie. Dryden.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: To assume a resemblance to (some other organism of a totally different nature, or some surrounding object), as a means of protection or advantage.
Syn. -- To ape; imitate; counterfeit; mock.
MIMICALLY Mim"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In an imitative manner.
MIMICKER Mim"ick*er, n.
1. One who mimics; a mimic.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An animal which imitates something else, in form or habits.
MIMICRY Mim"ic*ry, n.
1. The act or practice of one who mimics; ludicrous imitation for sport or ridicule.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Protective resemblance; the resemblance which certain animals and plants exhibit to other animals and plants or to the natural objects among which they live, -- a characteristic which serves as their chief means of protection against enemies; imitation; mimesis; mimetism.
MIMOGRAPHER Mi*mog"ra*pher, n. Etym: [L. mimographus, Gr. mimographe.]
Defn: A writer of mimes. Sir T. Herbert.
MIMOSA Mi*mo"sa, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Mime.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of leguminous plants, containing many species, and including the sensitive plants (Mimosa sensitiva, and M. pudica).
Note: The term mimosa is also applied in commerce to several kinds bark imported from Australia, and used in tanning; -- called also wattle bark. Tomlinson.
MIMOTANNIC Mi`mo*tan"nic, a. Etym: [Mimosa + tannic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a variety of tannin or tannic acid found in Acacia, Mimosa, etc.
MINA Mi"na, n.; pl. L. Minæ, E. Minas. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
Defn: An ancient weight or denomination of money, of varying value. The Attic mina was valued at a hundred drachmas.
MINA Mi"na, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Myna.
MINABLE Min"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be mined; as, minable earth. Sir T. North.
MINACIOUS Mi*na"cious, a. Etym: [L. minax, -acis. See Menace.]
Defn: Threatening; menacing. [R.]
MINACITY Mi*nac"i*ty, n.
Defn: Disposition to threaten. [R.]
MINARET Min"a*ret, n. Etym: [Sp. minarete, Ar. manarat lamp, lantern, lighthouse, turret, fr. nar to shine.] (Arch.)
Defn: A slender, lofty tower attached to a mosque and surrounded by one or more projecting balconies, from which the summon to prayer is cried by the muezzin.
MINARGENT Min*ar"gent, n. Etym: [Prob. contr. from aluminium + L. argentum silver.]
Defn: An alloy consisting of copper, nickel, tungsten, and aluminium; -- used by jewelers.
MINATORIALLY; MINATORILY Min`a*to"ri*al*ly, Min"a*to*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a minatory manner; with threats.
MINATORY Min"a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. minatorius, fr. minari to threaten. See Menace.]
Defn: Threatening; menacing. Bacon.
MINAUL Mi*naul", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Manul.
MINCE Mince, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minced; p. pr. & vb. n. Minging.] Etym: [AS. minsian to grow less, dwindle, fr. min small; akin to G. minder less, Goth. minniza less, mins less, adv., L. minor, adj. (cf. Minor); or more likely fr. F. mincer to mince, prob. from (assumed) LL. minutiare. Minish.]
1. To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash; as, to mince meat. Bacon.
2. To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of. I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say -- "I love you." Shak. Siren, now mince the sin, And mollify damnation with a phrase. Dryden. If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him. Dryden.
3. To affect; to make a parade of. [R.] Shak.
MINCE Mince, v. i.
1. To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner. The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes,... mincing as they go. Is. iii. 16. I 'll... turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride. Shak.
2. To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.
MINCE Mince, n.
Defn: A short, precise step; an affected manner.
MINCE-MEAT Mince"-meat`, n.
Defn: Minced meat; meat chopped very fine; a mixture of boiled meat, suet, apples, etc., chopped very fine, to which spices and raisins are added; -- used in making mince pie.
MINCE PIE Mince" pie`.
Defn: A pie made of mince-meat.
MINCER Min"cer, n.
Defn: One who minces.
MINCING Min"cing, a.
Defn: That minces; characterized by primness or affected nicety.
MINCINGLY Min"cing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mincing manner; not fully; with affected nicety.
MIND Mind, n. Etym: [AS. mynd, gemynd; akin to OHG. minna memory, love, G. minne love, Dan. minde mind, memory, remembrance, consent, vote, Sw. minne memory, Icel. minni, Goth. gamunds, L. mens, mentis, mind, Gr. manas mind, man to think. Comment, Man, Mean, v., 3d Mental, Mignonette, Minion, Mnemonic, Money.]
1. The intellectual or rational faculty in man; the understanding; the intellect; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons; also, the entire spiritual nature; the soul; -- often in distinction from the body. By the mind of man we understand that in him which thinks, remembers, reasons, wills. Reid. What we mean by mind is simply that which perceives, thinks, feels, wills, and desires. Sir W. Hamilton. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Rom. xiv. 5. The mind shall banquet, though the body pine. Shak.
2. The state, at any given time, of the faculties of thinking, willing, choosing, and the like; psychical activity or state; as: (a) Opinion; judgment; belief. A fool uttereth all his mind. Prov. xxix. 11. Being so hard to me that brought your mind, I fear she'll prove as hard to you in telling her mind. Shak.
(b) Choice; inclination; liking; intent; will. If it be your minds, then let none go forth. 2 Kings ix. 15.
(c) Courage; spirit. Chapman.
3. Memory; remembrance; recollection; as, to have or keep in mind, to call to mind, to put in mind, etc. To have a mind or great mind, to be inclined or strongly inclined in purpose; -- used with an infinitive. "Sir Roger de Coverly... told me that he had a great mind to see the new tragedy with me." Addison. -- To lose one's mind, to become insane, or imbecile. -- To make up one's mind, to come to an opinion or decision; to determine. -- To put in mind, to remind. "Regard us simply as putting you in mind of what you already know to be good policy." Jowett (Thucyd. ).
MIND Mind, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minded; p. pr. & vb. n. Minding.] Etym: [AS. myndian, gemyndian to remember. See Mind, n.]
1. To fix the mind or thoughts on; to regard with attention; to treat as of consequence; to consider; to heed; to mark; to note. "Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate." Rom. xii. 16. My lord, you nod: you do not mind the play. Shak.
2. To occupy one's self with; to employ one's self about; to attend to; as, to mind one's business. Bidding him be a good child, and mind his book. Addison.
3. To obey; as, to mind parents; the dog minds his master.
4. To have in mind; to purpose. Beaconsfield. I mind to tell him plainly what I think. Shak.
5. To put in mind; to remind. [Archaic] M. Arnold. He minded them of the mutability of all earthly things. Fuller. I do thee wrong to mind thee of it. Shak. Never mind, do not regard it; it is of no consequence; no matter.
Syn. -- To notice; mark; regard; obey. See Attend.
MIND Mind, v. i.
Defn: To give attention or heed; to obey; as, the dog minds well.
MINDED Mind"ed, a.
Defn: Disposed; inclined; having a mind. Joseph... was minded to put her away privily. Matt. i. 19. If men were minded to live virtuously. Tillotson.
Note: Minded is much used in composition; as, high-minded, feeble- minded, sober-minded, double-minded.
MINDER Mind"er, n.
1. One who minds, tends, or watches something, as a child, a machine, or cattle; as, a minder of a loom.
2. One to be attended; specif., a pauper child intrusted to the care of a private person. [Eng.] Dickens.
MINDFUL Mind"ful, a.
Defn: Bearing in mind; regardful; attentive; heedful; observant. What is man, that thou art mindful of him Ps. viii. 4. I promise you to be mindful of your admonitions. Hammond. -- Mind"ful*ly, adv. -- Mind"ful*ness, n.
MINDING Mind"ing, n.
Defn: Regard; mindfulness.
MINDLESS Mind"less, a.
1. Not indued with mind or intellectual powers; stupid; unthinking.
2. Unmindful; inattentive; heedless; careless. Cursed Athens, mindless of thy worth. Shak.
MINE Mine, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Mien. [Obs.]
MINE Mine, pron. & a. Etym: [OE. min, fr. AS. min; akin to D. mijn, OS., OFries., & OHG. min, G. mein, Sw. & Dan. min, Icel. minn, Goth. meins my, mine, meina of me, and E. me. Me, and cf. My.]
Defn: Belonging to me; my. Used as a pronominal to me; my. Used as a pronominal adjective in the predicate; as, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." Rom. xii. 19. Also, in the old style, used attributively, instead of my, before a noun beginning with a vowel. I kept myself from mine iniquity. Ps. xviii. 23.
Note: Mine is often used absolutely, the thing possessed being understood; as, his son is in the army, mine in the navy. When a man deceives me once, says the Italian proverb, it is his fault; when twice, it is mine. Bp. Horne. This title honors me and mine. Shak. She shall have me and mine. Shak.
MINE Mine, v. i. Etym: [F. miner, L. minare to drive animals, in LL. also, to lead, conduct, dig a mine (cf. E. lode, and lead to conduct), akin to L. minari to threaten; cf. Sp. mina mine, conduit, subterraneous canal, a spring or source of water, It. mina. See Menace, and cf. Mien.]
1. To dig a mine or pit in the earth; to get ore, metals, coal, or precious stones, out of the earth; to dig in the earth for minerals; to dig a passage or cavity under anything in order to overthrow it by explosives or otherwise.
2. To form subterraneous tunnel or hole; to form a burrow or lodge in the earth; as, the mining cony.
MINE Mine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mined; p. pr. & vb. n. Mining.]
1. To dig away, or otherwise remove, the substratum or foundation of; to lay a mine under; to sap; to undermine; hence, to ruin or destroy by slow degrees or secret means. They mined the walls. Hayward. Too lazy to cut down these immense trees, the spoilers... had mined them, and placed a quantity of gunpowder in the cavity. Sir W. Scott.
2. To dig into, for ore or metal. Lead veins have been traced... but they have not been mined. Ure.
3. To get, as metals, out of the earth by digging. The principal ore mined there is the bituminous cinnabar. Ure.
MINE Mine, n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. mina. See Mine, v. i.]
1. A subterranean cavity or passage; especially: (a) A pit or excavation in the earth, from which metallic ores, precious stones, coal, or other mineral substances are taken by digging; -- distinguished from the pits from which stones for architectural purposes are taken, and which are called quarries. (b) (Mil.) A cavity or tunnel made under a fortification or other work, for the purpose of blowing up the superstructure with some explosive agent.
2. Any place where ore, metals, or precious stones are got by digging or washing the soil; as, a placer mine.gold mine
3. Fig.: A rich source of wealth or other good. Shak. Mine dial, a form of magnetic compass used by miners. -- Mine pig, pig iron made wholly from ore; in distinction from cinder pig, which is made from ore mixed with forge or mill cinder. Raymond.
MINER Min"er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mineur.]
1. One who mines; a digger for metals, etc.; one engaged in the business of getting ore, coal, or precious stones, out of the earth; one who digs military mines; as, armies have sappers and miners.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) Any of numerous insects which, in the larval state, excavate galleries in the parenchyma of leaves. They are mostly minute moths and dipterous flies. (b) The chattering, or garrulous, honey eater of Australia (Myzantha garrula). Miner's elbow (Med.), a swelling on the black of the elbow due to inflammation of the bursa over the olecranon; -- so called because of frequent occurrence in miners. -- Miner's inch, in hydraulic mining, the amount of water flowing under a given pressure in a given time through a hole one inch in diameter. It is a unit for measuring the quantity of water supplied.
MINERAL Min"er*al, n. Etym: [F. minéral, LL. minerale, fr. minera mine. See Mine, v. i.]
1. An inorganic species or substance occurring in nature, having a definite chemical composition and usually a distinct crystalline form. Rocks, except certain glassy igneous forms, are either simple minerals or aggregates of minerals.
2. A mine. [Obs.] Shak.
3. Anything which is neither animal nor vegetable, as in the most general classification of things into three kingdoms (animal, vegetable, and mineral).
MINERAL Min"er*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to minerals; consisting of a mineral or of minerals; as, a mineral substance.
2. Impregnated with minerals; as, mineral waters. Mineral acids (Chem.), inorganic acids, as sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, acids, etc., as distinguished from the organic acids. -- Mineral blue, the name usually given to azurite, when reduced to an impalpable powder for coloring purposes. -- Mineral candle, a candle made of paraffine. -- Mineral caoutchouc, an elastic mineral pitch, a variety of bitumen, resembling caoutchouc in elasticity and softness. See Caoutchouc, and Elaterite. -- Mineral chameleon (Chem.) See Chameleon mineral, under Chameleon. -- Mineral charcoal. See under Charcoal. -- Mineral cotton. See Mineral wool (below). -- Mineral green, a green carbonate of copper; malachite. -- Mineral kingdom (Nat. Sci.), that one of the three grand divisions of nature which embraces all inorganic objects, as distinguished from plants or animals. -- Mineral oil. See Naphtha, and Petroleum. -- Mineral paint, a pigment made chiefly of some natural mineral substance, as red or yellow iron ocher. -- Mineral patch. See Bitumen, and Asphalt. -- Mineral right, the right of taking minerals from land. -- Mineral salt (Chem.), a salt of a mineral acid. -- Mineral tallow, a familiar name for hatchettite, from its fatty or spermaceti-like appearance. -- Mineral water. See under Water. -- Mineral wax. See Ozocerite. -- Mineral wool, a fibrous wool-like material, made by blowing a powerful jet of air or steam through melted slag. It is a poor conductor of heat.
MINERALIST Min"er*al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. minéraliste.]
Defn: One versed in minerals; mineralogist. [R.]
MINERALIZATION Min`er*al*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. minéralisation.]
1. The process of mineralizing, or forming a mineral by combination of a metal with another element; also, the process of converting into a mineral, as a bone or a plant.
2. The act of impregnating with a mineral, as water.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: The conversion of a cell wall into a material of a stony nature.
MINERALIZE Min"er*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mineralized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mineralizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. minéraliser.]
1. To transform into a mineral. In these caverns the bones are not mineralized. Buckland.
2. To impregnate with a mineral; as, mineralized water.
MINERALIZE Min"er*al*ize, v. i.
Defn: To go on an excursion for observing and collecting minerals; to mineralogize.
MINERALIZER Min"er*al*i`zer, n.
Defn: An element which is combined with a metal, thus forming an ore. Thus, in galena, or lead ore, sulphur is a mineralizer; in hematite, oxygen is a mineralizer.
MINERALOGICAL Min`er*al*og"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. minéralogique. See Mineralogy.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mineralogy; as, a mineralogical table.
MINERALOGICALLY Min`er*al*og"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: According to the principles of, or with reference to, mineralogy.
MINERALOGIST Min`er*al"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. minéralogiste.]
1. One versed in mineralogy; one devoted to the study of minerals.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A carrier shell (Phorus).
MINERALOGIZE Min`er*al"o*gize, v. i.
Defn: To study mineralogy by collecting and examining minerals. Miss Edgeworth.
MINERALOGY Min`er*al"o*gy, n.; pl. Mineralogies. Etym: [Mineral + -logy: cf. F. minéralogie.]
1. The science which treats of minerals, and teaches how to describe, distinguish, and classify them.
2. A treatise or book on this science.
MINERVA Mi*ner"va, n. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: The goddess of wisdom, of war, of the arts and sciences, of poetry, and of spinning and weaving; -- identified with the Grecian Pallas Athene.
MINETTE Mi*nette", n.
Defn: The smallest of regular sizes of portrait photographs.
MINEVER Min"e*ver, n.
Defn: Same as Miniver.
MINGE Minge, v. t. Etym: [AS. myngian; akin to E. mind.]
Defn: To mingle; to mix. [Obs.]
MINGE Minge, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupt. fr. midge.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small biting fly; a midge. [Local, U. S.]
MINGLE Min"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mingled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mingling.] Etym: [From OE. mengen, AS. mengan; akin to D. & G. mengen, Icel. menga, also to E. among, and possibly to mix. Cf. Among, Mongrel.]
1. To mix; intermix; to combine or join, as an individual or part, with other parts, but commonly so as to be distinguishable in the product; to confuse; to confound. There was... fire mingled with the hail. Ex. ix. 24.
2. To associate or unite in society or by ties of relationship; to cause or allow to intermarry; to intermarry. The holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands. Ezra ix. 2.
3. To deprive of purity by mixture; to contaminate. A mingled, imperfect virtue. Rogers.
4. To put together; to join. [Obs.] Shak.
5. To make or prepare by mixing the ingredients of. [He] proceeded to mingle another draught. Hawthorne.
MINGLE Min"gle, v. i.
Defn: To become mixed or blended.
MINGLE Min"gle, n.
Defn: A mixture. [Obs.] Dryden.
MINGLEABLE Min"gle*a*ble, a.
Defn: That can be mingled. Boyle.
MINGLEDLY Min"gled*ly, adv.
Defn: Confusedly.
MINGLE-MANGLE Min"gle-man`gle, v. t. Etym: [Reduplicated fr. mingle.]
Defn: To mix in a disorderly way; to make a mess of. [Obs.] Udall.
MINGLE-MANGLE Min"gle-man`gle, n.
Defn: A hotchpotch. [Obs.] Latimer.
MINGLEMENT Min"gle*ment, n.
Defn: The act of mingling, or the state of being mixed.
MINGLER Min"gler, n.
Defn: One who mingles.
MINGLINGLY Min"gling*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mingling manner.
MINIACEOUS; MINACEOUS Min`i*a"ceous, a.
Defn: Of the color of minium or red lead; miniate.
MINIARD Min"iard, a.
Defn: Migniard. [Obs.]
MINIARDIZE Min"iard*ize, v. t.
Defn: To render delicate or dainty. [Obs.] Howell.
MINIATE Min"i*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Miniated; p. pr. & vb. n. Miniating.] Etym: [L. miniatus, p. p. of miniare. See Minium.]
Defn: To paint or tinge with red lead or vermilion; also, to decorate with letters, or the like, painted red, as the page of a manuscript. T. Wharton.
MINIATE Min"i*ate, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the color of red lead or vermilion; painted with vermilion.
MINIATURE Min"i*a*ture, n. Etym: [It. miniatura, fr. L. miniare. See Miniate, v.,Minium.]
1. Originally, a painting in colors such as those in mediæval manuscripts; in modern times, any very small painting, especially a portrait.
2. Greatly diminished size or form; reduced scale.
3. Lettering in red; rubric distinction. [Obs.]
4. A particular feature or trait. [Obs.] Massinger.
MINIATURE Min"i*a*ture, a.
Defn: Being on a small; much reduced from the reality; as, a miniature copy.
MINIATURE Min"i*a*ture, v. t.
Defn: To represent or depict in a small compass, or on a small scale.
MINIATURIST Min"i*a*tur`ist, n.
Defn: A painter of miniatures.
MINIBUS Min"i*bus, n. Etym: [L. minor less + -bus, as in omnibus.]
Defn: A kind of light passenger vehicle, carrying four persons.
MINIE BALL Min"ie ball`. Etym: [From the inventor, Captain Minié, of France.]
Defn: A conical rifle bullet, with a cavity in its base plugged with a piece of iron, which, by the explosion of the charge, is driven farther in, expanding the sides to fit closely the grooves of the barrel.
MINIE RIFLE Min"ie ri"fle.
Defn: A rifle adapted to minie balls.
MINIFY Min"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minified; p. pr. & vb. n. Minifying.] Etym: [L. minor less + -fly.]
1. To make small, or smaller; to diminish the apparent dimensions of; to lessen.
2. To degrade by speech or action.
MINIKIN Min"i*kin, n. Etym: [OD. minneken a darling, dim. of minne love; akin to G. minne, and to E. mind.]
1. A little darling; a favorite; a minion. [Obs.] Florio.
2. A little pin. [Obs.]
MINIKIN Min"i*kin, a.
Defn: Small; diminutive. Shak.
MINIM Min"im, n. Etym: [F. minime, L. minimus the least, smallest, a superl. of minor: cf. It. minima a note in music. See Minor, and cf. Minimum.]
1. Anything very minute; as, the minims of existence; -- applied to animalcula; and the like.
2. The smallest liquid measure, equal to about one drop; the sixtieth part of a fluid drachm.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small fish; a minnow. [Prov. Eng.]
4. A little man or being; a dwarf. [Obs.] Milton.
5. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of an austere order of mendicant hermits of friars founded in the 15th century by St. Francis of Paola.
6. (Mus.)
Defn: A time note, formerly the shortest in use; a half note, equal to half a semibreve, or two quarter notes or crotchets.
7. A short poetical encomium. [Obs.] Spenser.
MINIM Min"im, a.
Defn: Minute. "Minim forms." J. R. Drake.
MINIMAL Min"i*mal, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or having a character of, a minim or minimum; least; smallest; as, a minimal amount or value.
MINIMENT Min"i*ment, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupt. of moniment.]
Defn: A trifle; a trinket; a token. [Obs.] Spenser.
MINIMIZATION Min`i*mi*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of minimizing. Bentham.
MINIMIZE Min"i*mize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minimized; p. pr. & vb. n. Minimizimg.]
Defn: To reduce to the smallest part or proportion possible; to reduce to a minimum. Bentham.
MINIMUM Min"i*mum, n.; pl. Minima. Etym: [L., fr. minimus. See Minim.]
Defn: The least quantity assignable, admissible, or possible, in a given case; hence, a thing of small consequence; -- opposed to Ant: maximum.
MINIMUM THERMOMETER Minimum thermometer
Defn: , a thermometer for recording the lowest temperature since its last adjustment.
MINIMUS Min"i*mus, n.; pl. Minimi. Etym: [L. See Minim.]
1. A being of the smallest size. [Obs.] Shak.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: The little finger; the fifth digit, or that corresponding to it, in either the manus or pes.
MINING Min"ing, n. Etym: [See Mine, v. i.]
Defn: The act or business of making mines or of working them.
MINING Min"ing, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to mines; as, mining engineer; mining machinery; a mining region. Mining engineering. See the Note under Engineering.
MINION Min"ion, n.
Defn: Minimum. [Obs.] Burton.
MINION Min"ion, n. Etym: [F. mignon, fr. OHG. minni love, G. minne; akin to E. mind. See Mind, and cf. Mignonette.]
1. A loved one; one highly esteemed and favored; -- in a good sense. [Obs.] God's disciple and his dearest minion. Sylvester. Is this the Athenian minion whom the world Voiced so regardfully Shak.
2. An obsequious or servile dependent or agent of another; a fawning favorite. Sir J. Davies. Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy! Shak.
3. (Print.)
Defn: A small kind of type, in size between brevier and nonpareil. This line is printed in minion type.
4. An ancient form of ordnance, the caliber of which was about three inches. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
MINION Min"ion, a. Etym: [See 2d Minion.]
Defn: Fine; trim; dainty. [Obs.] "Their... minion dancing." Fryth.
MINIONETTE Min`ion*ette", a.
Defn: Small; delicate. [Obs.] "His minionette face." Walpole.
MINIONETTE Min"ion*ette, n. (Print.)
Defn: A size of type between nonpareil and minion; -- used in ornamental borders, etc.
MINIONING Min"ion*ing, n.
Defn: Kind treatment. [Obs.]
MINIONIZE Min"ion*ize, v. t.
Defn: To flavor. [Obs.]
MINIONLIKE; MINIONLY Min"ion*like`, Min"ion*ly, a. & adv.
Defn: Like a minion; daintily. Camden.
MINIONSHIP Min"ion*ship, n.
Defn: State of being a minion. [R.]
MINIOUS Min"ious, a. Etym: [L. minium red lead.]
Defn: Of the color of red or vermilion. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MINISH Min"ish, v. t. Etym: [OE. menusen, F. menuiser to make small, cut small, fr. (assumed) LL. minutiare, for minutare, fr. L. minutus small. See Minute, a., and cf. Diminish, Minge.]
Defn: To diminish; to lessen. The living of poor men thereby minished. Latimer.
MINISHMENT Min"ish*ment, n.
Defn: The act of diminishing, or the state of being diminished; diminution. [Obs.]
MINISTER Min"is*ter, n. Etym: [OE. ministre, F. ministre, fr. L. minister, orig. a double comparative from the root of minor less, and hence meaning, an inferior, a servant. See 1st Minor, and cf. Master, Minstrel.]
1. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument. Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua. Ex. xxiv. 13. I chose Camillo for the minister, to poison My friend Polixenes. Shak.
2. An officer of justice. [Obs.] I cry out the on the ministres, quod he, That shoulde keep and rule this cité. Chaucer.
3. One to whom the sovereign or executive head of a government intrusts the management of affairs of state, or some department of such affairs. Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man. Bacon.
4. A representative of a government, sent to the court, or seat of government, of a foreign nation to transact diplomatic business.
Note: Ambassadors are classed (in the diplomatic sense) in the first rank of public ministers, ministers plenipotentiary in the second. "The United States diplomatic service employs two classes of ministers, -- ministers plenipotentiary and ministers resident." Abbott.
5. One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal duties; the pastor of a church duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments. Addison.
Syn. -- Delegate; official; ambassador; clergyman; parson; priest.
MINISTER Min"is*ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ministered; p. pr. & vb. n. Ministering.] Etym: [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See Minister, n.]
Defn: To furnish or apply; to afford; to supply; to administer. He that ministereth seed to the sower. 2 Cor. ix. 10. We minister to God reason to suspect us. Jer. Taylor.
MINISTER Min"is*ter, v. i.
1. To act as a servant, attendant, or agent; to attend and serve; to perform service in any office, sacred or secular. The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Matt. xx. 28.
2. To supply or to things needful; esp., to supply consolation or remedies. Matt. xxv. 44. Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased Shak.
MINISTERIAL Min`is*te"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. ministerialis: cf. F. ministériel. See Minister, and cf. Minstrel.]
1. Of or pertaining to ministry or service; serving; attendant. Enlightening spirits and ministerial flames. Prior.
2. Of or pertaining to the office of a minister or to the ministry as a body, whether civil or sacerdotal. "Ministerial offices." Bacon. "A ministerial measure." Junius. "Ministerial garments." Hooker.
3. Tending to advance or promote; contributive. "Ministerial to intellectual culture." De Quincey. The ministerial benches, the benches in the House of Commons occupied by members of the cabinet and their supporters; -- also, the persons occupying them. "Very solid and very brilliant talents distinguish the ministerial benches." Burke.
Syn. -- Official; priestly; sacerdotal; ecclesiastical.
MINISTERIALIST Min`is*te"ri*al*ist, n.
Defn: A supporter of the ministers, or the party in power.
MINISTERIALLY Min`is*te"ri*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a ministerial manner; in the character or capacity of a minister.
MINISTERY Min"is*ter*y, n.
Defn: See Ministry. Milton.
MINISTRACY Min"is*tra*cy, n.
Defn: Ministration. [Obs.]
MINISTRAL Min"is*tral, a.
Defn: Ministerial. [Obs.] Johnson.
MINISTRANT Min"is*trant, a. Etym: [L. ministrans, -antis, of ministrare to minister.]
Defn: Performing service as a minister; attendant on service; acting under command; subordinate. "Princedoms and dominations ministrant." Milton. -- n.
Defn: One who ministers.
MINISTRATION Min`is*tra"tion, n. Etym: [L. ministratio, fr. ministrare.]
Defn: The act of ministering; service; ministry. "The days of his ministration." Luke i. 23.
MINISTRATIVE Min"is*tra*tive, a.
Defn: Serving to aid; ministering.
MINISTRESS Min"is*tress, n. Etym: [Cf. L. ministrix.]
Defn: A woman who ministers. Akenside.
MINISTRY Min"is*try, n.; pl. Ministries. Etym: [L. ministerium. See Minister, n., and cf. Mystery a trade.]
1. The act of ministering; ministration; service. "With tender ministry." Thomson.
2. Hence: Agency; instrumentality. The ordinary ministry of second causes. Atterbury. The wicked ministry of arms. Dryden.
3. The office, duties, or functions of a minister, servant, or agent; ecclesiastical, executive, or ambassadorial function or profession.
4. The body of ministers of state; also, the clergy, as a body.
5. Administration; rule; term in power; as, the ministry of Pitt.
MINISTRYSHIP Min"is*try*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a minister. Swift.
MINIUM Min"i*um, n. Etym: [L. minium, an Iberian word, the Romans getting all their cinnabar from Spain; cf. Basque armineá.] (Chem.)
Defn: A heavy, brilliant red pigment, consisting of an oxide of lead, Pb3O4, obtained by exposing lead or massicot to a gentle and continued heat in the air. It is used as a cement, as a paint, and in the manufacture of flint glass. Called also red lead.
MINIVER Min"i*ver, n. Etym: [See Meniver.]
Defn: A fur esteemed in the Middle Ages as a part of costume. It is uncertain whether it was the fur of one animal only or of different animals.
MINIVET Min"i*vet, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A singing bird of India of the family Campephagidæ.
MINK Mink, n. Etym: [Cf. 2d Minx.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A carnivorous mammal of the genus Putorius, allied to the weasel. The European mink is Putorius lutreola. The common American mink (P. vison) varies from yellowish brown to black. Its fur is highly valued. Called also minx, nurik, and vison.
MINNESINGER Min"ne*sing`er, n. Etym: [G., fr. minne love + singen to sing.]
Defn: A love-singer; specifically, one of a class of German poets and musicians who flourished from about the middle of the twelfth to the middle of the fourteenth century. They were chiefly of noble birth, and made love and beauty the subjects of their verses.
MINNOW Min"now, n. Etym: [OE. menow, cf. AS. myne; also OE. menuse, OF. menuise small fish; akin to E. minish, minute.] [Written also minow.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small European fresh-water cyprinoid fish (Phoxinus lævis, formerly Leuciscus phoxinus); sometimes applied also to the young of larger kinds; -- called also minim and minny. The name is also applied to several allied American species, of the genera Phoxinus, Notropis, or Minnilus, and Rhinichthys.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any of numerous small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus, and related genera. They live both in fresh and in salt water. Called also killifish, minny, and mummichog.mummichog
MINNY Min"ny, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minnow.
MINO BIRD Mi"no bird". Etym: [Hind. maina.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An Asiatic bird (Gracula musica), allied to the starlings. It is black, with a white spot on the wings, and a pair of flat yellow wattles on the head. It is often tamed and taught to pronounce words.
MINOR Mi"nor, a. Etym: [L., a comparative with no positive; akin to AS. min small, G. minder less, OHG. minniro, a., min, adv., Icel. minni, a., minnr, adv., Goth. minniza, a., mins, adv., Ir. & Gael. min small, tender, L. minuere to lessen, Gr. mi to damage. Cf. Minish, Minister, Minus, Minute.]
1. Inferior in bulk, degree, importance, etc.; less; smaller; of little account; as, minor divisions of a body.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: Less by a semitone in interval or difference of pitch; as, a minor third. Asia Minor (Geog.), the Lesser Asia; that part of Asia which lies between the Euxine, or Black Sea, on the north, and the Mediterranean on the south. -- Minor mode (Mus.), that mode, or scale, in which the third and sixth are minor, -- much used for mournful and solemn subjects. -- Minor orders (Eccl.), the rank of persons employed in ecclesiastical offices who are not in holy orders, as doorkeepers, acolytes, etc. -- Minor scale (Mus.) The form of the minor scale is various. The strictly correct form has the third and sixth minor, with a semitone between the seventh and eighth, which involves an augmented second interval, or three semitones, between the sixth and seventh, as, 6/F, 7/G#, 8/A. But, for melodic purposes, both the sixth and the seventh are sometimes made major in the ascending, and minor in the descending, scale, thus: --See Major. -- Minor term of syllogism (Logic), the subject of the conclusion.
MINOR Mi"nor, n.
1. A person of either sex who has not attained the age at which full civil rights are accorded; an infant; in England and the United States, one under twenty-one years of age.
Note: In hereditary monarchies, the minority of a sovereign ends at an earlier age than of a subject. The minority of a sovereign of Great Britain ends upon the completion of the eighteenth year of his age.
2. (Logic)
Defn: The minor term, that is, the subject of the conclusion; also, the minor premise, that is, that premise which contains the minor term; in hypothetical syllogisms, the categorical premise. It is the second proposition of a regular syllogism, as in the following: Every act of injustice partakes of meanness; to take money from another by gaming is an act of injustice; therefore, the taking of money from another by gaming partakes of meanness.
3. A Minorite; a Franciscan friar.
MINORAT Mi`no*rat", n. [G. Cf. Minor, a.] (Law)
Defn: A custom or right, analogous to borough-English in England, formerly existing in various parts of Europe, and surviving in parts of Germany and Austria, by which certain entailed estates, as a homestead and adjacent land, descend to the youngest male heir.
MINORATE Mi"nor*ate, v. t. Etym: [L. minoratus; p. p. of minorare to diminish, fr. minor, a. See 1st Minor.]
Defn: To diminish. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
MINORATION Mi`nor*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. minoratio: cf. F. minoration.]
Defn: A diminution. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
MINORESS Mi"nor*ess, n.
Defn: See Franciscan Nuns, under Franciscan, a.
MINORITE Mi"nor*ite, n. Etym: [L. minor less. Cf. 2d Minor, 3.]
Defn: A Franciscan friar.
MINORITY Mi*nor"i*ty, n.; pl. Minorities. Etym: [Cf. F. minorité. See Minor, a. & n.]
1. The state of being a minor, or under age.
2. State of being less or small. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
3. The smaller number; -- opposed to Ant: majority; as, the minority must be ruled by the majority.
MINOS Mi"nos, n. Etym: [Gr. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A king and lawgiver of Crete, fabled to be the son of Jupiter and Europa. After death he was made a judge in the Lower Regions.
MINOTAUR Min"o*taur, n. Etym: [L. Minotaurus, Gr. Mi`nos, the husband of Pasiphaë + tay^ros a bull, the Minotaur being the offspring of Pasiphaë and a bull: cf. F. minotaure.] (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A fabled monster, half man and half bull, confined in the labyrinth constructed by Dædalus in Crete.
MINOW Min"ow, n.
Defn: See Minnow.
MINSTER Min"ster, n. Etym: [AS. mynster, fr. L. monasterium. See Monastery.] (Arch.)
Defn: A church of a monastery. The name is often retained and applied to the church after the monastery has ceased to exist (as Beverly Minster, Southwell Minster, etc.), and is also improperly used for any large church. Minster house, the official house in which the canons of a cathedral live in common or in rotation. Shipley.
MINSTREL Min"strel, n. Etym: [OE. minstrel, menestral, OF. menestrel, fr. LL. ministerialis servant, workman (cf. ministrellus harpist), fr. L. ministerium service. See Ministry, and cf. Ministerial.]
Defn: In the Middle Ages, one of an order of men who subsisted by the arts of poetry and music, and sang verses to the accompaniment of a harp or other instrument; in modern times, a poet; a bard; a singer and harper; a musician. Chaucer.
MINSTRELSY Min"strel*sy, n.
1. The arts and occupation of minstrels; the singing and playing of a minstrel.
2. Musical instruments. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. A collective body of minstrels, or musicians; also, a collective body of minstrels' songs. Chaucer. "The minstrelsy of heaven." Milton.
MINT Mint, n. Etym: [AS. minte, fr. L. mentha, Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of several aromatic labiate plants, mostly of the genus Mentha, yielding odoriferous essential oils by distillation. See Mentha.
Note: Corn mint is Mentha arvensis. -- Horsemint is M. sylvestris, and in the United States Monarda punctata, which differs from the true mints in several respects. -- Mountain mint is any species of the related genus Pycnanthemum, common in North America. -- Peppermint is M. piperita. -- Spearmint is M. viridis. -- Water mint is M. aquatica. Mint camphor. (Chem.) See Menthol. -- Mint julep. See Julep. -- Mint sauce, a sauce flavored with spearmint, for meats.
MINT Mint, n. Etym: [AS. mynet money, coin, fr. L. moneta the mint, coined money, fr. Moneta, a surname of Juno, in whose at Rome money was coined; akin to monere to warn, admonish, AS. manian, and to E. mind. See Mind, and cf. Money, Monition.]
1. A place where money is coined by public authority.
2. Hence: Any place regarded as a source of unlimited supply; the supply itself. A mint of phrases in his brain. Shak.
MINT Mint, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minted; p. pr. & vb. n. Minting.] Etym: [AS. mynetian.]
1. To make by stamping, as money; to coin; to make and stamp into money.
2. To invent; to forge; to fabricate; to fashion. Titles... of such natures as may be easily minted. Bacon. Minting mill, a coining press.
MINTAGE Mint"age, n.
1. The coin, or other production, made in a mint. Stamped in clay, a heavenly mintage. Sterling.
2. The duty paid to the mint for coining.
MINTER Mint"er, n.
Defn: One who mints.
MINTMAN Mint"man, n.; pl. Mintmen (.
Defn: One skilled in coining, or in coins; a coiner.
MINT-MASTER Mint"-mas`ter, n.
Defn: The master or superintendent of a mint. Also used figuratively.
MINT SAUCE Mint sauce.
1. A sauce of vinegar and sugar flavored with spearmint leaves.
2. Money. [Slang, Eng.]
MINUEND Min"u*end, n. Etym: [L. minuendus to be diminished, fr. minuere to lessen, diminish. See Minish.] (Arith.)
Defn: The number from which another number is to be subtracted.
MINUET Min"u*et, n. Etym: [F., fr. menu small, L. minutus small. So called on account of the short steps of the dance. See 4th Minute.]
1. A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupee, a high step, and a balance.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A tune or air to regulate the movements of the dance so called; a movement in suites, sonatas, symphonies, etc., having the dance form, and commonly in 3-4, sometimes 3-8, measure.
MINUM Min"um, n. Etym: [See 2d Minion, Minum, 6.] [Obs.]
1. A small kind of printing type; minion.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A minim.
MINUS Mi"nus, a. Etym: [L. See Minor, and cf. Mis- pref. from the French.] (Math.)
Defn: Less; requiring to be subtracted; negative; as, a minus quantity. Minus sign (Math.), the sign [-] denoting minus, or less, prefixed to negative quantities, or quantities to be subtracted. See Negative sign, under Negative.
MINUSCULE Mi*nus"cule, n. Etym: [L. minusculus rather small, fr. minus less: cf. F. minuscule.]
1. Any very small, minute object.
2. A small Roman letter which is neither capital nor uncial; a manuscript written in such letters. -- a.
Defn: Of the size and style of minuscules; written in minuscules. These minuscule letters are cursive forms of the earlier uncials. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
MINUTARY Min"u*ta*ry, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or consisting of, minutes. [Obs.] Fuller.
MINUTE Min"ute, n. Etym: [LL. minuta a small portion, small coin, fr. L. minutus small: cf. F. minute. See 4th Minute.]
1. The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. m.; as, 4 h. 30 m.) Four minutes, that is to say, minutes of an hour. Chaucer.
2. The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds (Marked thus (`); as, 10º 20`.)
3. A nautical or a geographic mile.
4. A coin; a half farthing. [Obs.] Wyclif (Mark xii. 42)
5. A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a tittle. [Obs.] Minutes and circumstances of his passion. Jer. Taylor.
6. A point of time; a moment. I go this minute to attend the king. Dryden.
7. The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take minutes of a conversation or debate.
8. (Arch.)
Defn: A fixed part of a module. See Module.
Note: Different writers take as the minute one twelfth, one eighteenth, one thirtieth, or one sixtieth part of the module.
MINUTE Min"ute, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or marking successive minutes. Minute bell, a bell tolled at intervals of a minute, as to give notice of a death or a funeral. -- Minute book, a book in which written minutes are entered. -- Minute glass, a glass measuring a minute or minutes by the running of sand. -- Minute gun, a discharge of a cannon repeated every minute as a sign of distress or mourning. -- Minute hand, the long hand of a watch or clock, which makes the circuit of the dial in an hour, and marks the minutes.
MINUTE Min"ute, v. t. Etym: [imp. & p. p. Minuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Minuting.]
Defn: To set down a short sketch or note of; to jot down; to make a minute or a brief summary of. The Empress of Russia, with her own hand, minuted an edict for universal tolerance. Bancroft.
MINUTE Mi*nute", a. Etym: [L. minutus, p. p. of minuere to lessen. See Minish, Minor, and cf. Menu, Minuet.]
1. Very small; little; tiny; fine; slight; slender; inconsiderable. "Minute drops." Milton.
2. Attentive to small things; paying attention to details; critical;
## particular; precise; as, a minute observer; minute observation.
Syn. -- Little; diminutive; fine; critical; exact; circumstantial;
## particular; detailed.
-- Minute, Circumstantial, Particular. A circumstantial account embraces all the leading events; a particular account includes each event and movement, though of but little importance; a minute account goes further still, and omits nothing as to person, time, place, adjuncts, etc.
MINUTE-JACK Mi*nute"-jack`, n.
1. A figure which strikes the hour on the bell of some fanciful clocks; -- called also jack of the clock house.
2. A timeserver; an inconstant person. Shak.
MINUTELY Mi*nute"ly, adv. Etym: [From 4th Minute.]
Defn: In a minute manner; with minuteness; exactly; nicely.
MINUTELY Min"ute*ly, a. Etym: [From 1st Minute.]
Defn: Happening every minute; continuing; unceasing. [Obs.] Throwing themselves absolutely upon God's minutely providence. Hammond.
MINUTELY Min"ute*ly, adv.
Defn: At intervals of a minute; very often and regularly. J. Philips. Minutely proclaimed in thunder from heaven. Hammond.
MINUTEMAN Min"ute*man, n.; pl. Minutemen (.
Defn: A militiaman who was to be ready to march at a moment's notice; -- a term used in the American Revolution.
MINUTENESS Mi*nute"ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being minute.
MINUTIA Mi*nu"ti*a, n.; pl. Minutiæ (-e). Etym: [L., fr. minutus small, minute. See 4th Minute.]
Defn: A minute particular; a small or minor detail; -- used chiefly in the plural.
MINX Minx, n. Etym: [Prob. of Low German origin; cf. LG. minsk wench, jade, hussy, D. mensch; prop. the same word as D. & G. mensch man, human being, OHG. mennisco, AS. mennisc, fr. man. See Man.]
1. A pert or a wanton girl. Shak.
2. A she puppy; a pet dog. [Obs.] Udall.
MINX Minx, n. Etym: [See Mink.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The mink; -- called also minx otter. [Obs.]
MINY Min"y, a.
Defn: Abounding with mines; like a mine. "Miny caverns." Thomson.
MINYAN Min*yan", n. (Jewish Relig.)
Defn: A quorum, or number necessary, for conducting public worship.
MIOCENE Mi"o*cene, a. Etym: [Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the middle division of the Tertiary. -- n.
Defn: The Miocene period. See Chart of Geology.
MIOHIPPUS Mi`o*hip"pus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct Miocene mammal of the Horse family, closely related to the genus Anhithecrium, and having three usable hoofs on each foot.
MIQUELET Miq"ue*let, n. Etym: [Sp. miquelete.] (Mil.)
Defn: An irregular or partisan soldier; a bandit.
MIR Mir, n.
Defn: A Russian village community. D. M. Wallace.
MIR Mir, n. Etym: [Per. mir.]
Defn: Same as Emir.
MIRA Mi"ra, n. Etym: [NL., from L. mirus wonderful.] (Astron.)
Defn: A remarkable variable star in the constellation Cetus (o Ceti).
MIRABILARY Mi*rab"i*la*ry, n.; pl. Mirabilaries (.
Defn: One who, or a work which, narrates wonderful things; one who writes of wonders. [Obs.] Bacon.
MIRABILIS Mi*rab"i*lis, n. Etym: [L., wonderful.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants. See Four-o'clock.
MIRABILITE Mi*rab"i*lite, n. (Min.)
Defn: Native sodium sulphate; Glauber's salt.
MIRABLE Mi"ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. mirabilis, fr. mirari to wonder: cf. OF. mirable. See Marvel.]
Defn: Wonderful; admirable. [Obs.] Shak.
MIRACLE Mir"a*cle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. miraculum, fr. mirari to wonder. See Marvel, and cf. Mirror.]
1. A wonder or wonderful thing. That miracle and queen of genus. Shak.
2. Specifically: An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed. They considered not the miracle of the loaves. Mark vi. 52.
3. A miracle play.
4. A story or legend abounding in miracles. [Obs.] When said was all this miracle. Chaucer. Miracle monger, an impostor who pretends to work miracles. -- Miracle play, one of the old dramatic entertainments founded on legends of saints and martyrs or (see 2d Mystery, 2) on events related in the Bible.
MIRACLE Mir"a*cle, v. t.
Defn: To make wonderful. [Obs.] Shak.
MIRACULIZE Mi*rac"u*lize, v. t.
Defn: To cause to seem to be a miracle. [R.] Shaftesbury.
MIRACULOUS Mi*rac"u*lous, a. Etym: [F. miraculeux. See Miracle.]
1. Of the nature of a miracle; performed by supernatural power; effected by the direct agency of almighty power, and not by natural causes.
2. Supernatural; wonderful.
3. Wonder-working. "The miraculous harp." Shak. -- Mi*rac"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Mi*rac"u*lous*ness, n.
MIRADOR Mir`a*dor", n. Etym: [Sp., fr. mirar to behold, view. See Mirror.] (Arch.)
Defn: Same as Belvedere.
MIRAGE Mi`rage", n. Etym: [F., fr. mirer to look at carefully, to aim, se mirer to look at one's self in a glass, to reflect, to be reflected, LL. mirare to look at. See Mirror.]
Defn: An optical effect, sometimes seen on the ocean, but more frequently in deserts, due to total reflection of light at the surface common to two strata of air differently heated. The reflected image is seen, commonly in an inverted position, while the real object may or may not be in sight. When the surface is horizontal, and below the eye, the appearance is that of a sheet of water in which the object is seen reflected; when the reflecting surface is above the eye, the image is seen projected against the sky. The fata Morgana and looming are species of mirage. By the mirage uplifted the land floats vague in the ether, Ships and the shadows of ships hang in the motionless air. Longfellow.
MIRBANE Mir"bane, n.
Defn: See Nitrobenzene.
MIRE Mire, n. Etym: [AS. mire, m; akin to D. mier, Icel. maurr, Dan. myre, Sw. myra; cf. also Ir. moirbh, Gr.
Defn: An ant. [Obs.] See Pismire.
MIRE Mire, n. Etym: [OE. mire, myre; akin to Icel. m swamp, Sw. myra marshy ground, and perh. to E. moss.]
Defn: Deep mud; wet, spongy earth. Chaucer. He his rider from the lofty steed Would have cast down and trod in dirty mire. Spenser. Mire crow (Zoöl.), the pewit, or laughing gull. [Prov. Eng.] -- Mire drum, the European bittern. [Prov. Eng.]
MIRE Mire, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mired; p. pr. & vb. n. Miring.]
1. To cause or permit to stick fast in mire; to plunge or fix in mud; as, to mire a horse or wagon.
2. To soil with mud or foul matter. Smirched thus and mired with infamy. Shak.
MIRE Mire, v. i.
Defn: To stick in mire. Shak.
MIRIFIC; MIRIFICAL Mi*rif"ic, Mi*rif"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mirificus; mirus wonderful + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Defn: Working wonders; wonderful.
MIRIFICENT Mi*rif"i*cent, a.
Defn: Wonderful. [Obs.]
MIRINESS Mir"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being miry.
MIRK Mirk, a. Etym: [See Murky.]
Defn: Dark; gloomy; murky. Spenser. Mrs. Browning.
MIRK Mirk, n.
Defn: Darkness; gloom; murk. "In mirk and mire." Longfellow.
MIRKSOME Mirk"some, a.
Defn: Dark; gloomy; murky. [Archaic] Spenser. -- Mirk"some*ness, n. [Archaic]
MIRKY Mirk"y, a.
Defn: Dark; gloomy. See Murky.
MIRLITON Mir"li*ton, n. [F.]
Defn: A kind of musical toy into which one sings, hums, or speaks, producing a coarse, reedy sound.
Trilby singing "Ben Bolt" into a mirliton was a thing to be remembered, whether one would or no! Du Maurier.
MIRROR Mir"ror, n. Etym: [OE. mirour, F. miroir, OF. also mireor, fr. (assumed) LL. miratorium, fr. mirare to look at, L. mirari to wonder. See Marvel, and cf. Miracle, Mirador.]
1. A looking-glass or a speculum; any glass or polished substance that forms images by the reflection of rays of light. And in her hand she held a mirror bright, Wherein her face she often viewèd fair. Spenser.
2. That which gives a true representation, or in which a true image may be seen; hence, a pattern; an exemplar. She is mirour of all courtesy. Chaucer. O goddess, heavenly bright, Mirror of grace and majesty divine. Spenser.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Speculum. Mirror carp (Zoöl.), a domesticated variety of the carp, having only three or fur rows of very large scales side. -- Mirror plate. (a) A flat glass mirror without a frame. (b) Flat glass used for making mirrors. -- Mirror writing, a manner or form of backward writing, making manuscript resembling in slant and order of letters the reflection of ordinary writing in a mirror. The substitution of this manner of writing for the common manner is a symptom of some kinds of nervous disease.
MIRROR Mir"ror, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mirrored; p. pr. & vb. n. Mirroring.]
Defn: To reflect, as in a mirror.
MIRRORSCOPE Mir"ror*scope, n. [Mirror + -scope.]
Defn: See Projector, below.
MIRTH Mirth, n. Etym: [OE. mirthe, murthe, merthe, AS. myredh, myrgedh, merhedh, mirhedh. See Merry.]
1. Merriment; gayety accompanied with laughter; jollity. Then will I cause to cease ... from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth. Jer. vii. 34.
2. That which causes merriment. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. -- Merriment; joyousness; gladness; fun; frolic; glee; hilarity; festivity; jollity. See Gladness.
MIRTHFUL Mirth"ful, a.
1. Full of mirth or merriment; merry; as, mirthful children.
2. Indicating or inspiring mirth; as, a mirthful face. Mirthful, comic shows. Shak. -- Mirth"ful*ly, adv. -- Mirth"ful*ness, n.
MIRTHLESS Mirth"less, a.
Defn: Without mirth. -- Mirth"less*ness, n.
MIRY Mir"y, a. Etym: [From 2d Mire.]
Defn: Abounding with deep mud; full of mire; muddy; as, a miry road.
MIRYACHIT Mir"ya*chit`, n. [Written also myriachit.] [Yakoot merjäk epileptic, fr. imerek jerk, rage.] (Med.)
Defn: A nervous disease in which the patient involuntarily imitates the words or action of another.
MIRZA Mir"za, n. Etym: [Per. mirza, abbrev. fr. mirzadeh son of the prince; mir prince (Ar. amir, emir) + zadeh son.]
Defn: The common title of honor in Persia, prefixed to the surname of an individual. When appended to the surname, it signifies Prince.
MIS- Mis-. Etym: [In words of Teutonic origin, fr. AS. mis-; akin to D. mis-, G. miss-, OHG. missa-, missi-, Icel. & Dan. mis-, Sw. miss-, Goth. missa-; orig., a p. p. from the root of G. meiden to shun, OHG. midan, AS. mi (Miss to fail of). In words from the French, fr. OF. mes-, F. mé-, mes-, fr. L. minus less (see Minus). In present usage these two prefixes are commonly confounded.]
Defn: A prefix used adjectively and adverbially in the sense of amiss, wrong, ill, wrongly, unsuitably; as, misdeed, mislead, mischief, miscreant.
MIS Mis, a. & adv. Etym: [See Amiss.]
Defn: Wrong; amiss. [Obs.] "To correcten that [which] is mis." Chaucer.
MISACCEPTATION Mis*ac`cep*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong acceptation; understanding in a wrong sense.
MISACCOMPT Mis`ac*compt", v. t.
Defn: To account or reckon wrongly. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISADJUST Mis`ad*just", v. t.
Defn: To adjust wrongly of unsuitably; to throw of adjustment. I. Taylor.
MISADJUSTMENT Mis`ad*just"ment, n.
Defn: Wrong adjustment; unsuitable arrangement.
MISADVENTURE Mis`ad*ven"ture, n. Etym: [OE. mesaventure, F. mésaventure.]
Defn: Mischance; misfortune; ill lick; unlucky accident; ill adventure. Chaucer. Homicide by misadventure (Law), homicide which occurs when a man, doing a lawful act, without any intention of injury, unfortunately kills another; -- called also excusable homicide. See Homicide. Blackstone.
Syn. -- Mischance; mishap; misfortune; disaster; calamity.
MISADVENTURED Mis`ad*ven"tured, a.
Defn: Unfortunate. [Obs.]
MISADVENTUROUS Mis`ad*ven"tur*ous, a.
Defn: Unfortunate.
MISADVERTENCE Mis`ad*vert"ence, n.
Defn: Inadvertence.
MISADVICE Mis`ad*vice", n.
Defn: Bad advice.
MISADVISE Mis`ad*vise", v. t.
Defn: To give bad counsel to.
MISADVISED Mis`ad*vised", a.
Defn: Ill advised. -- Mis`ad*vis"ed*ly, adv.
MISAFFECT Mis`af*fect", v. t.
Defn: To dislike. [Obs.]
MISAFFECTED Mis`af*fect"ed, a.
Defn: Ill disposed. [Obs.]
MISAFFECTION Mis`af*fec"tion, n.
Defn: An evil or wrong affection; the state of being ill affected. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISAFFIRM Mis`af*firm", v. t.
Defn: To affirm incorrectly.
MISAIMED Mis*aimed", a.
Defn: Not rightly aimed. Spenser.
MISALLEGATION Mis*al`le*ga"tion, n.
Defn: A erroneous statement or allegation. Bp. Hall.
MISALLEGE Mis`al*lege", v. t.
Defn: To state erroneously.
MISALLIANCE Mis`al*li"ance, n. Etym: [F. mésalliance.]
Defn: A marriage with a person of inferior rank or social station; an improper alliance; a mesalliance. A Leigh had made a misalliance, and blushed A Howard should know it. Mrs. Browning.
MISALLIED Mis`al*lied", a.
Defn: Wrongly allied or associated.
MISALLOTMENT Mis`al*lot"ment, n.
Defn: A wrong allotment.
MISALTER Mis*al"ter, v. t.
Defn: To alter wrongly; esp., to alter for the worse. Bp. Hall.
MISANTHROPE Mis"an*thrope, n. Etym: [Gr. misanthrope. Cf. Miser.]
Defn: A hater of mankind; a misanthropist.
MISANTHROPIC; MISANTHROPICAL Mis`an*throp"ic, Mis`an*throp"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. misanthropique.]
Defn: Hating or disliking mankind.
MISANTHROPIST Mis*an"thro*pist, n.
Defn: A misanthrope.
MISANTHROPOS Mis*an"thro*pos, n. Etym: [NL. See Misanthrope.]
Defn: A misanthrope. [Obs.] Shak.
MISANTHROPY Mis*an"thro*py, n. Etym: [Gr. misanthropie.]
Defn: Hatred of, or dislike to, mankind; -- opposed to philanthropy. Orrery.
MISAPPLICATION Mis*ap`pli*ca"tion, n.
Defn: A wrong application. Sir T. Browne.
MISAPPLY Mis`ap*ply", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misapplied; p. pr. & vb. n. Misapplying.]
Defn: To apply wrongly; to use for a wrong purpose; as, to misapply a name or title; to misapply public money.
MISAPPRECIATED Mis`ap*pre"ci*a`ted, a.
Defn: Improperly appreciated.
MISAPPREHEND Mis*ap`pre*hend", v. t.
Defn: To take in a wrong sense; to misunderstand. Locke.
MISAPPREHENSION Mis*ap`pre*hen"sion, n.
Defn: A mistaking or mistake; wrong apprehension of one's meaning of a fact; misconception; misunderstanding.
MISAPPREHENSIVELY Mis*ap`pre*hen"sive*ly, adv.
Defn: By, or with, misapprehension.
MISAPPROPRIATE Mis`ap*pro"pri*ate, v. t.
Defn: To appropriate wrongly; to use for a wrong purpose.
MISAPPROPRIATION Mis`ap*pro`pri*a"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong appropriation; wrongful use.
MISARRANGE Mis`ar*range", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misarranged; p. pr. & vb. n. Misarranging.]
Defn: To place in a wrong order, or improper manner.
MISARRANGEMENT Mis`ar*range"ment, n.
Defn: Wrong arrangement.
MISASCRIBE Mis`as*cribe", v. t.
Defn: To ascribe wrongly.
MISASSAY Mis`as*say", v. t.
Defn: To assay, or attempt, improperly or unsuccessfully. [Obs.] W. Browne.
MISASSIGN Mis`as*sign", v. t.
Defn: To assign wrongly.
MISATTEND Mis`at*tend", v. t.
Defn: To misunderstand; to disregard. [Obs.] Milton.
MISAVENTURE Mis`a*ven"ture, n.
Defn: Misadventure. [Obs.]
MISAVIZE Mis`a*vize", v. t.
Defn: To misadvise. [Obs.]
MISBEAR Mis*bear", v. t.
Defn: To carry improperly; to carry (one's self) wrongly; to misbehave. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISBECOME Mis`be*come", v. t.
Defn: Not to become; to suit ill; not to befit or be adapted to. Macaulay. Thy father will not act what misbecomes him. Addison.
MISBECOMING Mis`be*com"ing, a.
Defn: Unbecoming. Milton. -- Mis`be*com"ing*ly, adv. -- Mis`be*com"ing*ness, n. Boyle.
MISBEDE Mis*bede", v. t. [imp. Misbode; p. p. Misboden.] Etym: [AS. mis- beôdan.]
Defn: To wrong; to do injury to. [Obs.] Who hath you misboden or offended Chaucer.
MISBEFITTING Mis`be*fit"ting, a.
Defn: No befitting.
MISBEGOT; MISBEGOTTEN Mis`be*got", Mis`be*got"ten (, p. a.
Defn: Unlawfully or irregularly begotten; of bad origin; pernicious. "Valor misbegot." Shak.
MISBEHAVE Mis`be*have", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misbehaved; p. pr. & vb. n. Misbehaving.]
Defn: To behave ill; to conduct one's self improperly; -- often used with a reciprocal pronoun.
MISBEHAVED Mis`be*haved", a.
Defn: Guilty of ill behavior; illbred; rude. "A misbehaved and sullen wench." Shak.
MISBEHAVIOR Mis`be*hav"ior, n.
Defn: Improper, rude, or uncivil behavior; ill conduct. Addison.
MISBELIEF Mis`be*lief", n.
Defn: Erroneous or false belief.
MISBELIEVE Mis`be*lieve" (, v. i.
Defn: To believe erroneously, or in a false religion. "That misbelieving Moor." Shak.
MISBELIEVER Mis`be*liev"er, n.
Defn: One who believes wrongly; one who holds a false religion. Shak.
MISBESEEM Mis`be*seem", v. t.
Defn: To suit ill.
MISBESTOW Mis`be*stow", v. t.
Defn: To bestow improperly.
MISBESTOWAL Mis`be*stow"al, n.
Defn: The act of misbestowing.
MISBILEVE Mis`bi*leve", n.
Defn: Misbelief; unbelief; suspicion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISBODE Mis*bode", imp.
Defn: of Misbede.
MISBODEN Mis*bo"den, p. p.
Defn: of Misbede.
MISBORN Mis"born`, a.
Defn: Born to misfortune. Spenser.
MISCALCULATE Mis*cal"cu*late, v. t. & i.
Defn: To calculate erroneously; to judge wrongly. -- Mis*cal`cu*la"tion, n.
MISCALL Mis*call", v. t.
1. To call by a wrong name; to name improperly.
2. To call by a bad name; to abuse. [Obs.] Fuller.
MISCARRIAGE Mis*car"riage, n.
1. Unfortunate event or issue of an undertaking; failure to attain a desired result or reach a destination. When a counselor, to save himself, Would lay miscarriages upon his prince. Dryden.
2. Ill conduct; evil or improper behavior; as, the failings and miscarriages of the righteous. Rogers.
3. The act of bringing forth before the time; premature birth.
MISCARRIAGEABLE Mis*car"riage*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of miscarrying; liable to fail. [R.] Bp. Hall.
MISCARRY Mis*car"ry, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Miscarried; p. pr. & vb. n. Miscarrying.]
1. To carry, or go, wrong; to fail of reaching a destination, or fail of the intended effect; to be unsuccessful; to suffer defeat. My ships have all miscarried. Shak. The cardinal's letters to the pope miscarried. Shak.
2. To bring forth young before the proper time.
MISCAST Mis*cast", v. t.
Defn: To cast or reckon wrongly.
MISCAST Mis*cast", n.
Defn: An erroneous cast or reckoning.
MISCEGENATION Mis`ce*ge*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. miscere to mix + the root of genus race.]
Defn: A mixing of races; amalgamation, as by intermarriage of black and white.
MISCELLANARIAN Mis`cel*la*na"ri*an, a. Etym: [See Miscellany.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to miscellanies. Shaftesbury. -- n.
Defn: A writer of miscellanies.
MISCELLANE Mis"cel*lane, n. Etym: [See Miscellaneous, and cf. Maslin.]
Defn: A mixture of two or more sorts of grain; -- now called maslin and meslin. Bacon.
MISCELLANEA Mis"cel*la"ne*a, n. pl. Etym: [L. See Miscellany.]
Defn: A collection of miscellaneous matters; matters of various kinds.
MISCELLANEOUS Mis`cel*la"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. miscellaneus mixed, miscellaneous, fr. miscellus mixed, fr. miscere to mix. See Mix, and cf. Miscellany.]
Defn: Mixed; mingled; consisting of several things; of diverse sorts; promiscuous; heterogeneous; as, a miscellaneous collection. "A miscellaneous rabble." Milton. -- Mis`cel*la"ne*ous*ly, adv. -- Mis`cel*la"ne*ous*ness, n.
MISCELLANIST Mis"cel*la*nist, n.
Defn: A writer of miscellanies; miscellanarian.
MISCELLANY Mis"cel*la*ny, n.; pl. Miscellanies. Etym: [L. miscellanea, neut. pl. of. miscellaneus: cf. F. miscellanée, pl. miscellanées. See Miscellaneous.]
Defn: A mass or mixture of various things; a medley; esp., a collection of compositions on various subjects. 'T is but a bundle or miscellany of sin; sins original, and sins actual. Hewyt. Miscellany madam, a woman who dealt in various fineries; a milliner. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MISCELLANY Mis"cel*la*ny, a.
Defn: Miscellaneous; heterogeneous. [Obs.] Bacon.
MISCENSURE Mis*cen"sure, v. t.
Defn: To misjudge. [Obs.] Daniel. -- n.
Defn: Erroneous judgment. [Obs.] Sylvester.
MISCHANCE Mis*chance", n. Etym: [OE. meschance, OF. mescheance.]
Defn: Ill luck; ill fortune; mishap. Chaucer. Never come mischance between us twain. Shak.
Syn. -- Calamity; misfortune; misadventure; mishap; infelicity; disaster. See Calamity.
MISCHANCE Mis*chance", v. i.
Defn: To happen by mischance. Spenser.
MISCHANCEFUL Mis*chance"ful, a.
Defn: Unlucky. R. Browning.
MISCHARACTERIZE Mis*char"ac*ter*ize, v. t.
Defn: To characterize falsely or erroneously; to give a wrong character to. They totally mischaracterize the action. Eton.
MISCHARGE Mis*charge", v. t.
Defn: To charge erroneously, as in account. -- n.
Defn: A mistake in charging.
MISCHIEF Mis"chief, n. Etym: [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief.]
1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. Chaucer. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. Ps. lii. 2. The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. Fuller.
2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. Milton. The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. Swift. To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance. -- To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels. -- To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.]
Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill. -- Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.
MISCHIEF Mis"chief, v. t.
Defn: To do harm to. [Obs.] Milton.
MISCHIEFABLE Mis"chief*a*ble, a.
Defn: Mischievous. [R.] Lydgate.
MISCHIEFFUL Mis"chief*ful, a.
Defn: Mischievous. [Obs.] Foote.
MISCHIEF-MAKER Mis"chief-mak`er, n.
Defn: One who makes mischief; one who excites or instigates quarrels or enmity.
MISCHIEF-MAKING Mis"chief-mak`ing, a.
Defn: Causing harm; exciting enmity or quarrels. Rowe. -- n.
Defn: The act or practice of making mischief, inciting quarrels, etc.
MISCHIEVOUS Mis"chie*vous, a.
Defn: Causing mischief; harmful; hurtful; -- now often applied where the evil is done carelessly or in sport; as, a mischievous child. "Most mischievous foul sin." Shak. This false, wily, doubling disposition is intolerably mischievous to society. South.
Syn. -- Harmful; hurtful; detrimental; noxious; pernicious; destructive. -- Mis"chie*vous*ly, adv. -- Mis"chie*vous*ness, n.
MISCHNA Misch"na, n.
Defn: See Mishna.
MISCHNIC Misch"nic, a.
Defn: See Mishnic.
MISCHOOSE Mis*choose", v. t. [imp. Mischose; p. p. Mischosen; p. pr. & vb. n. Mischoosing.]
Defn: To choose wrongly. Milton.
MISCHOOSE Mis*choose", v. i.
Defn: To make a wrong choice.
MISCHRISTEN Mis*chris"ten, v. t.
Defn: To christen wrongly.
MISCIBILITY Mis`ci*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. miscibilité.]
Defn: Capability of being mixed.
MISCIBLE Mis"ci*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. miscible, fr. L. miscere to mix.]
Defn: Capable of being mixed; mixable; as, water and alcohol are miscible in all proportions. Burke.
MISCITATION Mis`ci*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous citation.
MISCITE Mis*cite", v. t.
Defn: To cite erroneously.
MISCLAIM Mis*claim", n.
Defn: A mistaken claim.
MISCOGNIZANT Mis*cog"ni*zant, a. (Law)
Defn: Not cognizant; ignorant; not knowing.
MISCOGNIZE Mis*cog"nize, v. t.
Defn: To fail to apprehend; to misunderstand. [Obs.] Holland.
MISCOLLOCATION Mis*col`lo*ca"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong collocation. De Quincey.
MISCOLOR Mis*col"or, v. t.
Defn: To give a wrong color to; figuratively, to set forth erroneously or unfairly; as, to miscolor facts. C. Kingsley.
MISCOMFORT Mis*com"fort, n.
Defn: Discomfort. [Obs.]
MISCOMPREHEND Mis*com`pre*hend", v. t.
Defn: To get a wrong idea of or about; to misunderstand.
MISCOMPUTATION Mis*com`pu*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous computation; false reckoning.
MISCOMPUTE Mis`com*pute", v. t. Etym: [Cf. Miscount.]
Defn: To compute erroneously. Sir T. Browne.
MISCONCEIT Mis`con*ceit", n.
Defn: Misconception. [Obs.]
MISCONCEIVE Mis`con*ceive", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misconceived; p. pr. & vb. n. Misconceiving.]
Defn: To conceive wrongly; to interpret incorrectly; to receive a false notion of; to misjudge; to misapprehend. Those things which, for want of due consideration heretofore, they have misconceived. Hooker.
Syn. -- To misapprehend; misunderstand; mistake.
MISCONCEIVER Mis`con*ceiv"er, n.
Defn: One who misconceives.
MISCONCEPTION Mis`con*cep"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous conception; false opinion; wrong understanding. Harvey.
MISCONCLUSION Mis`con*clu"sion, n.
Defn: An erroneous inference or conclusion. Bp. Hall.
MISCONDUCT Mis*con"duct, n.
Defn: Wrong conduct; bad behavior; mismanagement. Addison.
Syn. -- Misbehavior; misdemeanor; mismanagement; misdeed; delinquency; offense.
MISCONDUCT Mis`con*duct", v. t.
Defn: To conduct amiss; to mismanage. Johnson. To misconduct one's self, to behave improperly.
MISCONDUCT Mis`con*duct", v. i.
Defn: To behave amiss.
MISCONFIDENT Mis*con"fi*dent, a.
Defn: Having a mistaken confidence; wrongly trusting. [R.] Bp. Hall.
MISCONJECTURE Mis`con*jec"ture, n.
Defn: A wrong conjecture or guess. Sir T. Browne.
MISCONJECTURE Mis`con*jec"ture, v. t. & i.
Defn: To conjecture wrongly.
MISCONSECRATE Mis*con"se*crate, v. t.
Defn: To consecrate amiss. "Misconsecrated flags." Bp. Hall.
MISCONSECRATION Mis*con`se*cra"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong consecration.
MISCONSEQUENCE Mis*con"se*quence, n.
Defn: A wrong consequence; a false deduction.
MISCONSTRUABLE Mis*con"stru*a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be misconstrued, as language or conduct. R. North.
MISCONSTRUCT Mis`con*struct", v. t.
Defn: To construct wrongly; to construe or interpret erroneously.
MISCONSTRUCTION Mis`con*struc"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous construction; wrong interpretation. Bp. Stillingfleet.
MISCONSTRUE Mis*con"strue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misconstrued; p. pr. & vb. n. Misconstruing.]
Defn: To construe wrongly; to interpret erroneously. Do not, great sir, misconstrue his intent. Dryden. Much afflicted to find his actions misconstrued. Addison.
MISCONSTRUER Mis*con"stru*er, n.
Defn: One who misconstrues.
MISCONTENT Mis`con*tent", a.
Defn: Discontent. [Obs.]
MISCONTINUANCE Mis`con*tin"u*ance, n. (Law)
Defn: Discontinuance; also, continuance by undue process.
MISCOPY Mis*copy", v. t.
Defn: To copy amiss.
MISCOPY Mis*copy", n.
Defn: A mistake in copying. North Am. Rev.
MISCORRECT Mis`cor*rect", v. t.
Defn: To fail or err in attempting to correct. "Scaliger miscorrects his author." Dryden.
MISCOUNSEL Mis*coun"sel, v. t.
Defn: To counsel or advise wrongly.
MISCOUNT Mis*count", v. t. & i. Etym: [Cf. OF. mesconter, F. mécompter. Cf. Miscompute.]
Defn: To count erroneously.
MISCOUNT Mis*count", n. Etym: [Cf. F. mécompte error, OF. mesconte.]
Defn: An erroneous counting.
MISCOVET Mis*cov"et, v. t.
Defn: To covet wrongfully. [Obs.]
MISCREANCE; MISCREANCY Mis"cre*ance, Mis"cre*an*cy, n. Etym: [OF. mescreance, F. mécréance incredulity.]
Defn: The quality of being miscreant; adherence to a false religion; false faith. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
MISCREANT Mis"cre*ant, n. Etym: [OF. mescreant, F. mécréant; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + p. pr. fr. L. credere to believe. See Creed.]
1. One who holds a false religious faith; a misbeliever. [Obs.] Spenser. De Quincey. Thou oughtest not to be slothful to the destruction of the miscreants, but to constrain them to obey our Lord God. Rivers.
2. One not restrained by Christian principles; an unscrupulous villain; a while wretch. Addison.
MISCREANT Mis"cre*ant, a.
1. Holding a false religious faith.
2. Destitute of conscience; unscrupulous. Pope.
MISCREATE Mis`cre*ate", a.
Defn: Miscreated; illegitimate; forged; as, miscreate titles. [Obs. or Poet.] Shak.
MISCREATE Mis`cre*ate", v. t.
Defn: To create badly or amiss.
MISCREATED Mis`cre*at"ed, a.
Defn: Formed unnaturally or illegitimately; deformed. Spenser. Milton.
MISCREATIVE Mis`cre*a"tive, a.
Defn: Creating amiss. [R.]
MISCREDENT Mis*cre"dent, n. Etym: [Pref. mis- + credent. Cf. Miscreant.]
Defn: A miscreant, or believer in a false religious doctrine. [Obs.] Holinshed.
MISCREDULITY Mis`cre*du"li*ty, n.
Defn: Wrong credulity or belief; misbelief. Bp. Hall.
MISCUE Mis*cue", n. (Billiards)
Defn: A false stroke with a billiard cue, the cue slipping from the ball struck without impelling it as desired.
MISDATE Mis*date", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misdated; p. pr. & vb. n. Misdating.]
Defn: To date erroneously. Young.
MISDEAL Mis*deal", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misdealt; p. pr. & vb. n. Misdealing.]
Defn: To deal or distribute wrongly, as cards; to make a wrong distribution.
MISDEAL Mis*deal", n.
Defn: The act of misdealing; a wrong distribution of cards to the players.
MISDEED Mis*deed", n. Etym: [AS. misd. See Deed, n.]
Defn: An evil deed; a wicked action. Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought. Milton.
Syn. -- Misconduct; misdemeanor; fault; offense; trespass; transgression; crime.
MISDEEM Mis*deem", v. t.
Defn: To misjudge. [Obs.] Milton.
MISDEMEAN Mis`de*mean", v. t.
Defn: To behave ill; -- with a reflexive pronoun; as, to misdemean one's self.
MISDEMEANANT Mis`de*mean"ant, n.
Defn: One guilty of a misdemeanor. Sydney Smith.
MISDEMEANOR Mis`de*mean"or, n.
1. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault. Shak.
2. (Law)
Defn: A crime less than a felony. Wharton.
Note: As a rule, in the old English law, offenses capitally punishable were felonies; all other indictable offenses were misdemeanors. In common usage, the word crime is employed to denote the offenses of a deeper and more atrocious dye, while small faults and omissions of less consequence are comprised under the gentler name of misdemeanors. Blackstone. The distinction, however, between felonies and misdemeanors is purely arbitrary, and is in most jurisdictions either abrogated or so far reduced as to be without practical value. Cf. Felony. Wharton.
Syn. -- Misdeed; misconduct; misbehavior; fault; trespass; transgression.
MISDEMPT Mis*dempt", obs. p. p.
Defn: of Misdeem. Spenser.
MISDEPART Mis`de*part", v. t.
Defn: To distribute wrongly. [Obs.] He misdeparteth riches temporal. Chaucer.
MISDERIVE Mis`de*rive", v. t.
1. To turn or divert improperly; to misdirect. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
2. To derive erroneously.
MISDESCRIBE Mis`de*scribe", v. t.
Defn: To describe wrongly.
MISDESERT Mis`de*sert", n.
Defn: Ill desert. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISDEVOTION Mis`de*vo"tion, n.
Defn: Mistaken devotion.
MISDIET Mis*di"et, n.
Defn: Improper. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISDIET Mis*di"et, v. t.
Defn: To diet improperly.
MISDIGHT Mis*dight", a.
Defn: Arrayed, prepared, or furnished, unsuitably. [Archaic] Bp. Hall.
MISDIRECT Mis`di*rect", v. t.
Defn: To give a wrong direction to; as, to misdirect a passenger, or a letter; to misdirect one's energies. Shenstone.
MISDIRECTION Mis`di*rec"tion, n.
1. The act of directing wrongly, or the state of being so directed.
2. (Law)
Defn: An error of a judge in charging the jury on a matter of law. Mozley & W.
MISDISPOSITION Mis*dis`po*si"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous disposal or application. Bp. Hall.
MISDISTINGUISH Mis`dis*tin"guish, v. t.
Defn: To make wrong distinctions in or concerning. Hooker.
MISDIVIDE Mis`di*vide", v. t.
Defn: To divide wrongly.
MISDIVISION Mis`di*vi"sion, n.
Defn: Wrong division.
MISDO Mis*do", v. t. [imp. Misdid; p. p. Misdone; p. pr. & vb. n. Misdoing.] Etym: [AS. misd. See Do, v.]
1. To do wrongly. Afford me place to show what recompense To wards thee I intend for what I have misdone. Milton.
2. To do wrong to; to illtreat. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISDO Mis*do", v. i.
Defn: To do wrong; to commit a fault. I have misdone, and I endure the smart. Dryden.
MISDOER Mis*do"er, n.
Defn: A wrongdoer. Spenser.
MISDOING Mis*do"ing, n.
Defn: A wrong done; a fault or crime; an offense; as, it was my misdoing.
MISDOUBT Mis*doubt", v. t. & i.
Defn: To be suspicious of; to have suspicion. [Obs.] I do not misdoubt my wife. Shak.
MISDOUBT Mis*doubt", n.
1. Suspicion. [Obs.]
2. Irresolution; hesitation. [Obs.] Shak.
MISDOUBTFUL Mis*doubt"ful, a
Defn: Misgiving; hesitating. [Obs.] "Her misdoubtful mind." Spenser.
MISDREAD Mis*dread", n.
Defn: Dread of evil. [Obs.]
MISE Mise, n. Etym: [F. mise a putting, setting, expense, fr. mis, mise, p. p. of mettre to put, lay, fr. LL. mittere to send.]
1. (Law)
Defn: The issue in a writ of right.
2. Expense; cost; disbursement. [Obs.]
3. A tax or tallage; in Wales, an honorary gift of the people to a new king or prince of Wales; also, a tribute paid, in the country palatine of Chester, England, at the change of the owner of the earldom. [Obs.]
MISEASE Mis*ease", n. Etym: [OE. mesaise, OF. mesaise.]
Defn: Want of ease; discomfort; misery. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISEASED Mis*eased", a.
Defn: Having discomfort or misery; troubled. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISEASY Mis*eas"y, a.
Defn: Not easy; painful. [Obs.]
MISEDITION Mis`e*di"tion, n.
Defn: An incorrect or spurious edition. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISEDUCATE Mis*ed"u*cate, v. t.
Defn: To educate in a wrong manner.
MISEMPLOY Mis`em*ploy", v. t.
Defn: To employ amiss; as, to misemploy time, advantages, talents, etc. Their frugal father's gains they misemploy. Dryden.
MISEMPLOYMENT Mis`em*ploy"ment, n.
Defn: Wrong or mistaken employment. Johnson.
MISENTER Mis*en"ter, v. t.
Defn: To enter or insert wrongly, as a charge in an account.
MISENTREAT Mis`en*treat", v. t.
Defn: To treat wrongfully. [Obs.] Grafton.
MISENTRY Mis*en"try, n.
Defn: An erroneous entry or charge, as of an account.
MISER Mi"ser, n. Etym: [L. miser wretched, miserable; cf. Gr. misero wretched, avaricious.]
1. A wretched person; a person afflicted by any great misfortune. [Obs.] Spenser. The woeful words of a miser now despairing. Sir P. Sidney.
2. A despicable person; a wretch. [Obs.] Shak.
3. A covetous, grasping, mean person; esp., one having wealth, who lives miserably for the sake of saving and increasing his hoard. As some lone miser, visiting his store, Bends at his treasure, counts, recounts it o'er. Goldsmith.
4. A kind of large earth auger. Knight.
MISERABLE Mis"er*a*ble, a. Etym: [F. misérable, L. miserabilis, fr. miserari to lament, pity, fr. miser wretched. See Miser.]
1. Very unhappy; wretched. What hopes delude thee, miserable man Dryden.
2. Causing unhappiness or misery. What 's more miserable than discontent Shak.
3. Worthless; mean; despicable; as, a miserable fellow; a miserable dinner. Miserable comforters are ye all. Job xvi. 2.
4. Avaricious; niggardly; miserly. [Obs.] Hooker.
Syn. -- Abject; forlorn; pitiable; wretched.
MISERABLE Mis"er*a*ble, n.
Defn: A miserable person. [Obs.] Sterne.
MISERABLENESS Mis"er*a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being miserable.
MISERABLY Mis"er*a*bly, adv.
Defn: In a miserable; unhappily; calamitously; wretchedly; meanly. They were miserably entertained. Sir P. Sidney. The fifth was miserably stabbed to death. South.
MISERATION Mis`er*a"tion, n.
Defn: Commiseration. [Obs.]
MISERERE Mis`e*re"re, n. Etym: [L., have mercy, fr. misereri to have mercy, fr. miser. See Miser.]
1. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: The psalm usually appointed for penitential acts, being the 50th psalm in the Latin version. It commences with the word miserere.
2. A musical composition adapted to the 50th psalm. Where only the wind signs miserere. Lowell.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: A small projecting boss or bracket, on the under side of the hinged seat of a church stall (see Stall). It was intended, the seat being turned up, to give some support to a worshiper when standing. Called also misericordia.
4. (Med.)
Defn: Same as Ileus.
MISERICORDE Mis"er*i*corde", n. Etym: [F. miséricorde. See Misericordia.]
1. Compassion; pity; mercy. [Obs.]
2. (Anc. Armor.)
Defn: Same as Misericordia, 2.
MISERICORDIA Mis`e*ri*cor"di*a, n. Etym: [L., mercy, compassion; miser wretched + cor, cordis, heart.]
1. (O. Law)
Defn: An amercement. Burrill.
2. (Anc. Armor.)
Defn: A thin-bladed dagger; so called, in the Middle Ages, because used to give the death wound or "mercy" stroke to a fallen adversary.
3. (Eccl.)
Defn: An indulgence as to food or dress granted to a member of a religious order. Shipley.
MISERLY Mi"ser*ly, a. Etym: [From Miser.]
Defn: Like a miser; very covetous; sordid; niggardly.
Syn. -- Avaricious; niggardly; sordid; parsimonious; penurious; covetous; stingy; mean. See Avaricious.
MISERY Mi"ser*y, n.; pl. Miseries. Etym: [OE. miserie, L. miseria, fr. miser wretched: cf. F. misère, OF. also, miserie.]
1. Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe. Chaucer. Destruction and misery are in their ways. Rom. iii. 16.
2. Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune. When we our betters see bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes. Shak.
3. Covetousness; niggardliness; avarice. [Obs.]
Syn. -- Wretchedness; torture; agony; torment; anguish; distress; calamity; misfortune.
MISESTEEM Mis`es*teem", n. Etym: [Cf. F. mésestime.]
Defn: Want of esteem; disrespect. Johnson.
MISESTIMATE Mis*es"ti*mate, v. t.
Defn: To estimate erroneously. J. S. Mill.
MISEXPLANATION Mis*ex`pla*na"tion, n.
Defn: An erroneous explanation.
MISEXPLICATION Mis*ex`pli*ca"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong explication.
MISEXPOSITION Mis*ex`po*si"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong exposition.
MISEXPOUND Mis`ex*pound", v. t.
Defn: To expound erroneously.
MISEXPRESSION Mis`ex*pres"sion, n.
Defn: Wrong expression.
MISFAITH Mis*faith", n.
Defn: Want of faith; distrust. "[Anger] born of your misfaith." Tennyson.
MISFALL Mis*fall", v. t. [imp. Misfell; p. p. Misfallen (; p. pr. & vb. n. Misfalling.]
Defn: To befall, as ill luck; to happen to unluckily. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISFARE Mis*fare", v. i. Etym: [AS. misfaran.]
Defn: To fare ill. [Obs.] -- n.
Defn: Misfortune. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISFASHION Mis*fash"ion, v. t.
Defn: To form wrongly.
MISFEASANCE Mis*fea"sance, n. Etym: [OF. pref. mes- wrong (L. minus less) + faisance doing, fr. faire to do, L. facere. Cf. Malfeasance.] (Law)
Defn: A trespass; a wrong done; the improper doing of an act which a person might lawfully do. Bouvier. Wharton.
MISFEATURE Mis*fea"ture, n.
Defn: Ill feature. [R.] Keats.
MISFEELING Mis*feel"ing, a.
Defn: Insensate. [Obs.] Wyclif.
MISFEIGN Mis*feign", v. i.
Defn: To feign with an evil design. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISFIT Mis*fit", n.
1. The act or the state of fitting badly; as, a misfit in making a coat; a ludicrous misfit.
2. Something that fits badly, as a garment. I saw an uneasy change in Mr. Micawber, which sat tightly on him, as if his new duties were a misfit. Dickens.
MISFORM Mis*form", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misformed; p. pr. & vb. n. Misforming.]
Defn: To make in an ill form. Spenser.
MISFORMATION Mis`for*ma"tion, n.
Defn: Malformation.
MISFORTUNATE Mis*for"tu*nate, a.
Defn: Producing misfortune. [Obs.]
MISFORTUNE Mis*for"tune, n.
Defn: Bad fortune or luck; calamity; an evil accident; disaster; mishap; mischance. Consider why the change was wrought, You 'll find his misfortune, not his fault. Addison.
Syn. -- Calamity; mishap; mischance; misadventure; ill; harm; disaster. See Calamity.
MISFORTUNE Mis*for"tune, v. i.
Defn: To happen unluckily or unfortunately; to miscarry; to fail. [Obs.] Stow.
MISFORTUNED Mis*for"tuned, a.
Defn: Unfortunate. [Obs.]
MISFRAME Mis*frame", v. t.
Defn: To frame wrongly.
MISGET Mis*get", v. t.
Defn: To get wrongfully. [Obs.]
MISGIE Mis*gie", v. t.
Defn: See Misgye. [Obs.]
MISGIVE Mis*give", v. t. [imp. Misgave; p. p. Misgiven; p. pr. & vb. n. Misgiving.]
1. To give or grant amiss. [Obs.] Laud.
2. Specifically: To give doubt and apprehension to, instead of confidence and courage; to impart fear to; to make irresolute; -- usually said of the mind or heart, and followed by the objective personal pronoun. So doth my heart misgive me in these conflicts What may befall him, to his harm and ours. Shak. Such whose consciences misgave them, how ill they had deserved. Milton.
3. To suspect; to dread. [Obs.] Shak.
MISGIVE Mis*give", v. i.
Defn: To give out doubt and apprehension; to be fearful or irresolute. "My mind misgives." Shak.
MISGIVING Mis*giv"ing, n.
Defn: Evil premonition; doubt; distrust. "Suspicious and misgivings." South.
MISGO Mis*go", v. i.
Defn: To go astray. Spenser.
MISGOTTEN Mis*got"ten, a.
Defn: Unjustly gotten. Spenser.
MISGOVERN Mis*gov"ern, v. t.
Defn: To govern ill; as, to misgovern a country. Knolles.
MISGOVERNANCE Mis*gov"ern*ance, n.
Defn: Misgovernment; misconduct; misbehavior. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.
MISGOVERNED Mis*gov"erned, a.
Defn: Ill governed, as a people; ill directed. "Rude, misgoverned hands." Shak.
MISGOVERNMENT Mis*gov"ern*ment, n.
Defn: Bad government; want of government. Shak.
MISGRACIOUS Mis*gra"cious, a.
Defn: Not gracious. [Obs.]
MISGRAFF Mis*graff", v. t.
Defn: To misgraft. [Obs.] Shak.
MISGRAFT Mis*graft", v. t.
Defn: To graft wrongly.
MISGROUND Mis*ground", v. t.
Defn: To found erroneously. "Misgrounded conceit." Bp. Hall.
MISGROWTH Mis*growth", n.
Defn: Bad growth; an unnatural or abnormal growth.
MISGUESS Mis*guess", v. t. & i.
Defn: To guess wrongly.
MISGUIDANCE Mis*guid"ance, n.
Defn: Wrong guidance.
MISGUIDE Mis*guide", v. t.
Defn: To guide wrongly; to lead astray; as, to misguide the understanding.
MISGUIDE Mis*guide", n.
Defn: Misguidance; error. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISGUIDING Mis*guid"ing, a.
Defn: Misleading. -- Mis*guid"ing*ly, adv.
MISGYE Mis*gye", v. t.
Defn: To misguide. [Obs.]
MISHANDLE Mis*han"dle, v. t.
Defn: To handle ill or wrongly; to maltreat.
MISHAP Mis*hap", n.
Defn: Evil accident; ill luck; misfortune; mischance. Chaucer. Secure from worldly chances and mishaps. Shak.
MISHAP Mis*hap", v. i.
Defn: To happen unluckily; -- used impersonally. [Obs.] "If that me mishap." Chaucer.
MISHAPPEN Mis*hap"pen, v. i.
Defn: To happen ill or unluckily. Spenser.
MISHAPPY Mis*hap"py, a.
Defn: Unhappy. [Obs.]
MISHCUP Mish*cup", n. Etym: [See Scup.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The scup. [Local, U. S.]
MISHEAR Mis*hear", v. t. & i.
Defn: To hear incorrectly.
MISHMASH Mish"mash`, n. Etym: [Cf. G. mish-mash, fr. mischen to mix.]
Defn: A hotchpotch. Sir T. Herbert.
MISHNA Mish"na, n. Etym: [NHeb. mishnah, i. e., repetition, doubling, explanation (of the divine law), fr. Heb. shanah to change, to repeat.]
Defn: A collection or digest of Jewish traditions and explanations of Scripture, forming the text of the Talmud. [Written also Mischna.]
MISHNIC Mish"nic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mishna.
MISIMAGINATION Mis`im*ag`i*na"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong imagination; delusion. Bp. Hall.
MISIMPROVE Mis`im*prove", v. t.
Defn: To use for a bad purpose; to abuse; to misuse; as, to misimprove time, talents, advantages, etc. South.
MISIMPROVEMENT Mis`im*prove"ment, n.
Defn: Ill use or employment; use for a bad purpose.
MISINCLINE Mis"in*cline", v. t.
Defn: To cause to have a wrong inclination or tendency; to affect wrongly.
MISINFER Mis`in*fer", v. t.
Defn: To infer incorrectly.
MISINFORM Mis`in*form", v. t.
Defn: To give untrue information to; to inform wrongly.
MISINFORM Mis`in*form", v. i.
Defn: To give untrue information; (with against) to calumniate. [R.] Bp. Montagu.
MISINFORMANT Mis`in*form"ant, n.
Defn: A misinformer.
MISINFORMATION Mis*in`for*ma"tion, n.
Defn: Untrue or incorrect information. Bacon.
MISINFORMER Mis`in*form"er, n.
Defn: One who gives or incorrect information.
MISINSTRUCT Mis`in*struct", v. t.
Defn: To instruct amiss.
MISINSTRUCTION Mis`in*struc"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong or improper instruction.
MISINTELLIGENCE Mis`in*tel"li*gence, n.
1. Wrong information; misinformation.
2. Disagreement; misunderstanding. [Obs.]
MISINTEND Mis`in*tend", v. t.
Defn: To aim amiss. [Obs.]
MISINTERPRET Mis`in*ter"pret, v. t.
Defn: To interpret erroneously; to understand or to explain in a wrong sense.
MISINTERPRETABLE Mis`in*ter"pret*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being misinterpreted; liable to be misunderstood.
MISINTERPRETATION Mis`in*ter"pre*ta"tion, n.
Defn: The act of interpreting erroneously; a mistaken interpretation.
MISINTERPRETER Mis`in*ter"pret*er, n.
Defn: One who interprets erroneously.
MISJOIN Mis*join", v. t.
Defn: To join unfitly or improperly.
MISJOINDER Mis*join"der, n. (Law)
Defn: An incorrect union of parties or of causes of action in a procedure, criminal or civil. Wharton.
MISJUDGE Mis*judge", v. t. & i.
Defn: To judge erroneously or unjustly; to err in judgment; to misconstrue.
MISJUDGMENT Mis*judg"ment, n. Etym: [Written also misjudgement.]
Defn: A wrong or unjust judgment.
MISKEEP Mis*keep", v. t.
Defn: To keep wrongly. Chaucer.
MISKEN Mis*ken", v. t.
Defn: Not to know. [Obs.]
MISKIN Mis"kin, n. Etym: [Prob. for music + -kin.] (Mus.)
Defn: A little bagpipe. [Obs.] Drayton.
MISKINDLE Mis*kin"dle, v. t.
Defn: To kindle amiss; to inflame to a bad purpose; to excite wrongly.
MISKNOW Mis*know", v. t.
Defn: To have a mistaken notion of or about. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISLACTATION Mis`lac*ta"tion, n. (Med.)
Defn: Defective flow or vitiated condition of the milk.
MISLAY Mis*lay", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mislaid; p. pr. & vb. n. Mislaying.]
1. To lay in a wrong place; to ascribe to a wrong source. The fault is generally mislaid upon nature. Locke.
2. To lay in a place not recollected; to lose. The... charter, indeed, was unfortunately mislaid: and the prayer of their petition was to obtain one of like import in its stead. Hallam.
MISLAYER Mis*lay"er, n.
Defn: One who mislays.
MISLE Mi"sle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Misled; p. pr. & vb. n. Misling.] Etym: [Prop. mistle, fr. mist. Cf. Mistle, Mizzle.]
Defn: To rain in very fine drops, like a thick mist; to mizzle.
MISLE Mi"sle, n.
Defn: A fine rain; a thick mist; mizzle.
MISLEAD Mis*lead", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misled; p. pr. & vb. n. Misleading.] Etym: [AS. misl. See Mis-, and Lead to conduct.]
Defn: To lead into a wrong way or path; to lead astray; to guide into error; to cause to mistake; to deceive. Trust not servants who mislead or misinform you. Bacon. To give due light To the mislead and lonely traveler. Milton.
Syn. -- To delude; deceive. See Deceive.
MISLEADER Mis*lead"er, n.
Defn: One who leads into error.
MISLEADING Mis*lead"ing, a.
Defn: Leading astray; delusive.
MISLEARN Mis*learn", v. t.
Defn: To learn wrongly.
MISLED Mis*led", imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Mislead.
MISLEN Mis"len, n.
Defn: See Maslin.
MISLETOE Mis"le*toe, n.
Defn: See Mistletoe.
MISLIGHT Mis*light", v. t.
Defn: To deceive or lead astray with a false light. Herrick.
MISLIKE Mis*like", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misliked; p. pr. & vb. n. Misliking.] Etym: [AS. mislician to displease. See Like, v.]
Defn: To dislike; to disapprove of; to have aversion to; as, to mislike a man. Who may like or mislike what he says. I. Taylor.
MISLIKE Mis*like", n.
Defn: Dislike; disapprobation; aversion.
MISLIKER Mis*lik"er, n.
Defn: One who dislikes.
MISLIKING Mis*lik"ing, n.
Defn: Dislike; aversion.
MISLIN Mis"lin, n. & a.
Defn: See Maslin.
MISLIVE Mis*live", v. i.
Defn: To live amiss.
MISLODGE Mis*lodge", v. t.
Defn: To lodge amiss. [Obs.]
MISLUCK Mis*luck", n.
Defn: Ill luck; misfortune.
MISLY Mis"ly, a.
Defn: Raining in very small drops.
MISMAKE Mis*make", v. t.
Defn: To make or form amiss; to spoil in making. "Limping possibilities of mismade human nature." Mrs. Browning.
MISMAKE Mis*make" (mis*mak"), v. t.
Defn: To make or form amiss; to spoil in making. "Limping possibilities of mismade human nature." Mrs. Browning.
MISMANAGE Mis*man"age, v. t. & i.
Defn: To manage ill or improperly; as, to mismanage public affairs.
MISMANAGEMENT Mis*man"age*ment, n.
Defn: Wrong or bad management; as, he failed through mismagement.
MISMANAGER Mis*man"a*ger, n.
Defn: One who manages ill.
MISMARK Mis*mark", v. t.
Defn: To mark wrongly.
MISMATCH Mis*match", v. t.
Defn: To match unsuitably.
MISMATE Mis*mate", v. t.
Defn: To mate wrongly or unsuitably; as, to mismate gloves or shoes; a mismated couple.
MISMEASURE Mis*meas"ure, v. t.
Defn: To measure or estimate incorrectly.
MISMEASUREMENT Mis*meas"ure*ment, n.
Defn: Wrong measurement.
MISMETER Mis*me"ter, v. t.
Defn: To give the wrong meter to, as to a line of verse. [R.] Chaucer.
MISNAME Mis*name", v. t.
Defn: To call by the wrong name; to give a wrong or inappropriate name to.
MISNOMER Mis*no"mer, n. Etym: [OF. pref. mes- amiss, wrong (L. minus less) + F. nommer to name, L. nominare, fr. nomen name. See Name.]
Defn: The misnaming of a person in a legal instrument, as in a complaint or indictment; any misnaming of a person or thing; a wrong or inapplicable name or title. Many of the changes, by a great misnomer, called parliamentary "reforms". Burke. The word "synonym" is fact a misnomer. Whatel
MISNOMER Mis*no"mer, v. t.
Defn: To misname. [R.]
MISNUMBER Mis*num"ber, v. t.
Defn: To number wrongly.
MISNURTURE Mis*nur"ture, v. t.
Defn: To nurture or train wrongly; as, to misnurture children. Bp. Hall.
MISOBEDIENCE Mis`o*be"di*ence, n.
Defn: Mistaken obedience; disobedience. [Obs.] Milton.
MISOBSERVE Mis`ob*serve", v. t.
Defn: To observe inaccurately; to mistake in observing. Locke.
MISOBSERVER Mis`ob*serv"er, n.
Defn: One who misobserves; one who fails to observe properly.
MISOGAMIST Mi*sog"a*mist, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A hater of marriage.
MISOGAMY Mi*sog"a*my, n. Etym: [Cf. F. misogamie.]
Defn: Hatre
MISOGYNIST Mi*sog"y*nist, n. Etym: [Gr. misogyne.]
Defn: A woman hater. Fuller.
MISOGYNOUS Mi*sog"y*nous, a.
Defn: Hating women.
MISOGYNY Mi*sog"y*ny, n. Etym: [Gr. misogynie.]
Defn: Hatred of women. Johnson.
MISOLOGY Mi*sol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Hatred of argument or discussion; hatred of enlightenment. G. H. Lewes.
MISOPINION Mis`o*pin"ion, n.
Defn: Wrong opinion. [Obs.]
MISORDER Mis*or"der, v. t.
Defn: To order ill; to manage erroneously; to conduct badly. [Obs.] Shak.
MISORDER Mis*or"der, n.
Defn: Irregularity; disorder. [Obs.] Camden.
MISORDERLY Mis*or"der*ly, a.
Defn: Irregular; disorderly. [Obs.]
MISORDINATION Mis*or`di*na"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong ordination.
MISOTHEISM Mis"o*the`ism, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Hatred of God. De Quincey.
MISPAINT Mis*paint", v. t.
Defn: To paint ill, or wrongly.
MISPASSION Mis*pas"sion, n.
Defn: Wrong passion or feeling. [Obs.]
MISPAY Mis*pay", v. t. Etym: [Cf. Appay.]
Defn: To dissatisfy. [Obs.]
MISPELL; MISPEND Mis*pell", v. t., Mis*pend" (, v. t., etc.
Defn: See Misspell, Misspend, etc.
MISPENSE Mis*pense", n.
Defn: See Misspense. Bp. Hall.
MISPERCEPTION Mis`per*cep"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous perception.
MISPERSUADE Mis`per*suade", v. t.
Defn: To persuade amiss.
MISPERSUASION Mis`per*sua"sion, n.
Defn: A false persuasion; wrong notion or opinion. Dr. H. More.
MISPICKEL Mis*pick"el, n. Etym: [G.] (Min.)
Defn: Arsenical iron pyrites; arsenopyrite.
MISPLACE Mis*place", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misplaced; p. pr. & vb. n. Misplacing.]
Defn: To put in a wrong place; to set or place on an improper or unworthy object; as, he misplaced his confidence.
MISPLACEMENT Mis*place"ment, n.
Defn: The act of misplacing, or the state of being misplaced.
MISPLEAD Mis*plead", v. i.
Defn: To err in pleading.
MISPLEADING Mis*plead"ing, n. (Law)
Defn: An error in pleading.
MISPOINT Mis*point", v. t.
Defn: To point improperly; to punctuate wrongly.
MISPOLICY Mis*pol"i*cy, n.
Defn: Wrong policy; impolicy.
MISPRACTICE Mis*prac"tice, n.
Defn: Wrong practice.
MISPRAISE Mis*praise", v. t.
Defn: To praise amiss.
MISPRINT Mis*print", v. t.
Defn: To print wrong.
MISPRINT Mis*print", n.
Defn: A mistake in printing; a deviation from the copy; as, a book full of misprints.
MISPRISE Mis*prise", v. t.
Defn: See Misprize. [Obs.] Shak.
MISPRISE Mis*prise", v. t. Etym: [OF. mesprise mistake, F. méprise, fr. mespris, masc., mesprise, fem., p. p. of mesprendre to mistake; F. méprendre; pref. mes- amiss + prendre to take, L. prehendere.]
Defn: To mistake. [Obs.] Shak.
MISPRISION Mis*pri"sion, n. Etym: [LL. misprisio, or OF. mesprison, prop., a mistaking, but confused with OF. mespris contempt, F. mépris. See 2d Misprise, Misprize, Prison.]
1. The act of misprising; misapprehension; misconception; mistake. [Archaic] Fuller. The misprision of this passage has aided in fostering the delusive notion. Hare.
2. Neglect; undervaluing; contempt. [Obs.] Shak.
3. (Law)
Defn: A neglect, negligence, or contempt.
Note: In its larger and older sense it was used to signify "every considerable misdemeanor which has not a certain name given to it in the law." Russell. In a more modern sense it is applied exclusively to two offenses: --1. Misprision of treason, which is omission to notify the authorities of an act of treason by a person cognizant thereof. Stephen. 2. Misprision of felony, which is a concealment of a felony by a person cognizant thereof. Stephen.
MISPRIZE Mis*prize", v. t. Etym: [OF. mesprisier to deprise, F. mépriser; pref. amiss, wrong (L. minus less + LL. pretium price. See price, Prize, v.]
Defn: To slight or undervalue. O, for those vanished hours, so much misprized! Hillhouse. I do not blame them, madam, nor misprize. Mrs. Browning.
MISPROCEEDING Mis`pro*ceed"ing, n.
Defn: Wrong or irregular proceding.
MISPROFESS Mis`pro*fess", v. i.
Defn: To make a false profession; to make pretensions to skill which is not possessed.
MISPROFESS Mis`pro*fess", v. t.
Defn: To make a false profession of.
MISPRONOUNCE Mis`pro*nounce", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Mispronounced; p. pr. & vb. n. Mispronouncing.]
Defn: To pronounce incorrectly.
MISPRONUNCIATION Mis`pro*nun`ci*a"tion ( or ), n.
Defn: Wrong or improper pronunciation.
MISPROPORTION Mis`pro*por"tion, v. t.
Defn: To give wrong proportions to; to join without due proportion.
MISPROUD Mis*proud", a.
Defn: Viciously proud. [Obs.] Shak.
MISPUNCTUATE Mis*punc"tu*ate, v. t.
Defn: To punctuate wrongly or incorrectly.
MISQUOTATION Mis`quo*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous or inaccurate quotation.
MISQUOTE Mis*quote", v. t. & i.
Defn: To quote erroneously or incorrectly. Shak.
MISRAISE Mis*raise", v. t.
Defn: To raise or exite unreasonable. "Misraised fury." Bp. Hall.
MISRATE Mis*rate", v. t.
Defn: To rate erroneously.
MISREAD Mis*read", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misread; p. pr. & vb. n. Misreading.]
Defn: To read amiss; to misunderstand in reading.
MISRECEIVE Mis`re*ceive", v. t.
Defn: To receive wrongly.
MISRECITAL Mis`re*cit"al, n.
Defn: An inaccurate recital.
MISRECITE Mis`re*cite", v. t. & i.
Defn: To recite erroneously.
MISRECKON Mis*reck"on, v. t. & i.
Defn: To reckon wrongly; to miscalculate. Swift.
MISRECKONING Mis*reck"on*ing, n.
Defn: An erroneous computation.
MISRECOLLECT Mis*rec`ol*lect", v. t. & i.
Defn: To have an erroneous remembrance of; to suppose erroneously that one recollects. Hitchcock.
MISRECOLLECTION Mis*rec`ol*lec"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous or inaccurate recollection.
MISREFORM Mis`re*form", v. t.
Defn: To reform wrongly or imperfectly.
MISREGARD Mis`re*gard", n.
Defn: Wrong understanding; misconstruction. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISREGULATE Mis*reg"u*late, v. t.
Defn: To regulate wrongly or imperfectly; to fail to regulate.
MISREHEARSE Mis`re*hearse", v. t.
Defn: To rehearse or quote incorrectly. Sir T. More.
MISRELATE Mis`re*late", v. t.
Defn: To relate inaccurately.
MISRELATION Mis`re*la"tion, n.
Defn: Erroneous relation or narration. Abp. Bramhall.
MISRELIGION Mis`re*li"gion, n.
Defn: False religion. [R.]
MISREMEMBER Mis`re*mem"ber, v. t. & i.
Defn: To mistake in remembering; not to remember correctly. Sir T. More.
MISRENDER Mis*ren"der, v. t.
Defn: To render wrongly; to translate or recite wrongly. Boyle.
MISREPEAT Mis`re*peat", v. t.
Defn: To repeat wrongly; to give a wrong version of. Gov. Winthrop.
MISREPORT Mis`re*port", v. t. & i.
Defn: To report erroneously; to give an incorrect account of. Locke.
MISREPORT Mis`re*port", n.
Defn: An erroneous report; a false or incorrect account given. Denham. South.
MISREPRESENT Mis*rep`re*sent", v. t.
Defn: To represent incorrectly (almost always, unfacorably); to give a false erroneous representation of, either maliciously, ignirantly, or carelessly. Swift.
MISREPRESENT Mis*rep`re*sent", v. i.
Defn: To make an incorrect or untrue representation. Milton.
MISREPRESENTATION Mis*rep`re*sen*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Untrue representation; false or incorrect statement or account; -- usually unfavorable to the thing represented; as, a misrepresentation of a person's motives. Sydney Smith.
Note: In popular use, this word often conveys the idea of intentional untruth.
MISREPRESENTATIVE Mis*rep`re*sent"a*tive, a.
Defn: Tending to convey a wrong impression; misrepresenting.
MISREPRESENTER Mis*rep`re*sent"er, n.
Defn: One who misrepresents.
MISREPUTE Mis`re*pute", v. t.
Defn: To have in wrong estimation; to repute or estimate erroneously.
MISRULE Mis*rule", v. t. & i.
Defn: To rule badly; to misgovern.
MISRULE Mis*rule", n.
1. The act, or the result, of misruling.
2. Disorder; confusion; tumult from insubordination. Enormous riot and misrule surveyed. Pope. Abbot, or Lord, of Misrule. See under Abbot, and Lord.
MISRULY Mis*rul"y, a.
Defn: Unruly. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISS Miss, n.; pl. Misses. Etym: [Contr. fr. mistress.]
1. A title of courtesy prefixed to the name of a girl or a woman who has not been married. See Mistress, 5.
Note: There is diversity of usage in the application of this title to two or more persons of the same name. We may write either the Miss Browns or the Misses Brown.
2. A young unmarried woman or a girl; as, she is a miss of sixteen. Gay vanity, with smiles and kisses, Was busy 'mongst the maids and misses. Cawthorn.
3. A kept mistress. See Mistress, 4. [Obs.] Evelyn.
4. (Card Playing)
Defn: In the game of three-card loo, an extra hand, dealt on the table, which may be substituted for the hand dealt to a player.
MISS Miss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Missed; p.pr. & vb.n. Missing.] Etym: [AS. missan; akin to D. & G. missen, OHG. missan, Icel. missa, Sw. mista, Dan. miste. *100. See Mis-, pref.]
1. To fail of hitting, reaching, getting, finding, seeing, hearing, etc.; as, to miss the mark one shoots at; to miss the train by being late; to miss opportunites of getting knowledge; to miss the point or meaning of something said. When a man misses his great end, happiness, he will acknowledge he judged not right. Locke.
2. To omit; to fail to have or to do; to get without; to dispense with; -- now seldom applied to persons. She would never miss, one day, A walk so fine, a sight so gay. Prior. We cannot miss him; he does make our fire, Fetch in our wood. Shak.
3. To discover the absence or omission of; to feel the want of; to mourn the loss of; to want. Shak. Neither missed we anything ... Nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him. 1 Sam. xxv. 15, 21. What by me thou hast lost, thou least shalt miss. Milton. To miss stays. (Naut.) See under Stay.
MISS Miss, v. i.
1. To fail to hit; to fly wide; to deviate from the true direction. Men observe when things hit, and not when they miss. Bacon. Flying bullets now, To execute his rage, appear too slow; They miss, or sweep but common souls away. Waller.
2. To fail to obtain, learn, or find; -- with of. Upon the least reflection, we can not miss of them. Atterbury.
3. To go wrong; to err. [Obs.] Amongst the angels, a whole legion Of wicked sprites did fall from happy bliss; What wonder then if one, of women all, did miss Spenser.
4. To be absent, deficient, or wanting. [Obs.] See Missing, a. What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. Shak.
MISS Miss, n.
1. The act of missing; failure to hit, reach, find, obtain, etc.
2. Loss; want; felt absence. [Obs.] There will be no great miss of those which are lost. Locke.
3. Mistake; error; fault. Shak. He did without any great miss in the hardest points of grammar. Ascham.
4. Harm from mistake. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISSA Mis"sa, n.; pl. Missæ. Etym: [LL. See 1st Mass.] (R.C.Ch.)
Defn: The service or sacrifice of the Mass.
MISSAL Mis"sal, n. Etym: [LL. missale, liber missalis, from missa mass: cf. F. missel. See 1st Mass.]
Defn: The book containing the service of the Mass for the entire year; a Mass book.
MISSAL Mis"sal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mass, or to a missal or Mass book. Bp. Hall.
MISSAY Mis*say", v. t.
1. To say wrongly.
2. To speak evil of; to slander. [Obs.]
MISSAY Mis*say", v. i.
Defn: To speak ill. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISSEEK Mis*seek", v. t.
Defn: To seek for wrongly. [Obs.]
MISSEEM Mis*seem", v. i.
1. To make a false appearance. [Obs.]
2. To misbecome; to be misbecoming. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISSEL Mis"sel, n.
Defn: Mistletoe. [Obs.] Missel bird, Missel thrush (Zoöl.), a large European thrush (Turdus viscivorus) which feeds on the berries of the mistletoe; -- called also mistletoe thrush and missel.
MISSELDINE Mis"sel*dine, n. Etym: [See Mistletoe.] [Written also misselden.]
Defn: The mistletoe. [Obs.] Baret.
MISSELTOE Mis"sel*toe, n.
Defn: See Mistletoe.
MISSEMBLANCE Mis*sem"blance, n.
Defn: False resemblance or semblance. [Obs.]
MISSEND Mis*send", v. t.
Defn: To send amiss or incorrectly.
MISSERVE Mis*serve", v. t. & i.
Defn: To serve unfaithfully.
MISSET Mis*set", v. t.
Defn: To set pr place wrongly.
MISSHAPE Mis*shape", v. t.
Defn: To shape ill; to give an ill or unnatural from to; to deform. "Figures monstrous and misshaped." Pope.
MISSHAPEN Mis*shap"en, a.
Defn: Having a bad or ugly form. "The mountains are misshapen." Bentley. -- Mis*shap"en*ly, adv. -- Mis*shap"en*ness, n.
MISSHEATHED Mis*sheathed", a.
Defn: Sheathed by mistake; wrongly sheathed; sheathed in a wrong place. Shak.
MISSIFICATE Mis*sif"i*cate, v. i. Etym: [LL. missa Mass + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See fy-.]
Defn: To perform Mass. [Obs.] Milton.
MISSILE Mis"sile, a. Etym: [L. missils, fr. mittere, missum, to cause to go, to send, to throw; cf. Lith. mesti to throw: cf. F. missile. Cf. Admit, Dismiss, Mass the religious service, Message, Mission.]
Defn: Capable of being thrown; adapted for hurling or to be projected from the hand, or from any instrument or rngine, so as to strike an object at a distance. We bend the bow, or wing the missile dart. Pope.
MISSILE Mis"sile, n. Etym: [L. missile.]
Defn: A weapon thrown or projected or intended to be projcted, as a lance, an arrow, or a bullet.
MISSING Miss"ing, a. Etym: [From Miss, v. i.]
Defn: Absent from the place where it was expected to be found; lost; wanting; not present when called or looked for. Neither was there aught missing unto them. 1 Sam. xxv. 7. For a time caught up to God, as once Moses was in the mount, and missing long. Milton.
MISSINGLY Miss"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With a sense of loss. [Obs.] Shak.
MISSION Mis"sion, n. Etym: [L. missio, fr. mittere, missum, to send: cf. F. mission. See Missile.]
1. The act of sending, or the state of being sent; a being sent or delegated by authority, with certain powers for transacting business; comission. Whose glorious deeds, but in these fields of late, Made emulous missions' mongst the gods themselves. Shak.
2. That with which a messenger or agent is charged; an errand; business or duty on which one is sent; a commission. How to begin, how to accomplish best His end of being on earth, and mission high. Milton.
3. Persons sent; any number of persons appointed to perform any service; a delegation; an embassy. In these ships there should be a mission of three of the fellows or brethren of Solomon's house. Bacon.
4. An assotiation or organization of missionaries; a station or residence of missionaries.
5. An organization for worship and work, dependent on one or more churches.
6. A course of extraordinary sermons and services at a particular place and time for the special purpose of quickening the faith and zeal participants, and of converting unbelievers. Addis & Arnold.
7. Dismission; discharge from service. [Obs.] Mission school. (a) A school connected with a mission and conducted by missionaries. (b) A school for the religious instruction of children not having regular church privileges.
Syn. -- Message; errand; commission; deputation.
MISSION Mis"sion, v. t.
Defn: To send on a mission. [Mostly used in the form of the past
## participle.] Keats.
MISSIONARY Mis"sion*ary, n.; pl. Missionaries. Etym: [Cf. F. missionnaire. See Mission, n.]
Defn: One who is sent on a mission; especially, one sent to propagate religion. Swift. Missionary apostolic, a Roman Catholic missionary sent by commission from the pope.
MISSIONARY Mis"sion*a*ry, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to missions; as, a missionary meeting; a missionary fund.
MISSIONER Mis"sion*er, n.
Defn: A missionary; an envoy; one who conducts a mission. See Mission, n., 6. "Like mighty missioner you come." Dryden.
MISSIS Mis"sis, n.
Defn: A mistress; a wife; -- so used by the illiterate. G. Eliot.
MISSISH Miss"ish, a.
Defn: Like a miss; prim; affected; sentimental. -- Miss"ish*ness, n.
MISSIT Mis*sit", v. t.
Defn: To sit badly or imperfectly upon; to misbecome. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISSIVE Mis"sive, a. Etym: [See Missive, n.]
1. Specially sent; intended or prepared to be sent; as, a letter missive. Ayliffe.
2. Missile. "The missive weapons fly." Dryden. Letters missive, letters conveying the permission, comand, or advice of a superior authority, as a sovereign. They are addressed and sent to some certain person or persons, and are distinguished from letters patent, which are addressed to the public.
MISSIVE Mis"sive, n. Etym: [F. lettre missive. See Mission, n.]
1. That which is sent; a writing containing a message.
2. One who is sent; a messenger. [Obs.] Shak.
MISSOUND Mis*sound", v. t.
Defn: To sound wrongly; to utter or pronounce incorrectly. E,Hall.
MISSPEAK Mis*speak", v. i.
Defn: To err in speaking.
MISSPEAK Mis*speak", v. t.
Defn: To utter wrongly.
MISSPEECH Mis*speech", n.
Defn: Wrong speech. [Obs.]
MISSPELL Mis*spell", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misspelled, or Misspelt (; p. pr. & vb. n. Misspelling.]
Defn: To spell incorrectly.
MISSPELLING Mis*spell"ing, n.
Defn: A wrong spelling.
MISSPEND Mis*spend", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misspent; p. pr. & vb. n. Misspending.]
Defn: To spend amiss or for wrong purposes; to aquander; to waste; as, to misspend time or money. J. Philips.
MISSPENDER Mis*spend"er, n.
Defn: One who misspends.
MISSPENSE mis*spense", n.
Defn: A spending improperly; a wasting. [Obs.] Barrow.
MISSPENT Mis*spent", imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Misspend.
MISSTATE Mis*state", v. t.
Defn: To state wrongly; as, to misstate a question in debate. Bp. Sanderson.
MISSTATEMENT Mis*state"ment, n.
Defn: An incorrect statement.
MISSTAYED Mis*stayed", a. (Naut.)
Defn: Having missed stays; -- said of a ship.
MISSTEP Mis*step", n.
Defn: A wrong step; an error of conduct.
MISSTEP Mis*step", v. i.
Defn: To take a wrong step; to go astray.
MISSUCCESS Mis`suc*cess", n.
Defn: Failure. [Obs.]
MISSUGGESTION Mis`sug*ges"tion ( or ), n.
Defn: Wrong or evil suggestion. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISSUMMATION Mis`sum*ma"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong summation.
MISSWEAR Mis*swear", v. i.
Defn: To swear falsely.
MISSY Mis"sy, n. (Min.)
Defn: See Misy.
MISSY Mis"sy, n.
Defn: An affectionate, or contemptuous, form of miss; a young girl; a miss. -- a.
Defn: Like a miss, or girl.
MIST Mist, n. Etym: [AS. mist; akin to D. & Sw. mist, Icel. mistr, G. mist dung, Goth. maíhstus, AS. migan to make water, Icel. miga, Lith. migla mist, Russ. mgla, L. mingere, meiere, to make water, gr. mih to make water, n., a mist m*gha cloud. *102. Cf. Misle, Mizzle, Mixen.]
1. Visible watery vapor suspended in the atmosphere, at or near the surface of the earth; fog.
2. Coarse, watery vapor, floating or falling in visible particles, approaching the form of rain; as, Scotch mist.
3. Hence, anything which dims or darkens, and obscures or intercepts vision. His passion cast a mist before his sense. Dryden. Mist flower (Bot.), a composite plant (Eupatorium coelestinum), having heart-shaped leaves, and corymbs of lavender-blue flowers. It is found in the Western and Southern United States.
MIST Mist, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misted; p. pr. & vb. n. Misting.]
Defn: To cloud; to cover with mist; to dim. Shak.
MIST Mist, v. i.
Defn: To rain in very fine drops; as, it mists.
MISTAKABLE Mis*tak"a*ble, a.
Defn: Liable to be mistaken; capable of being misconceived. Sir T. Browne.
MISTAKE Mis*take", v. t. [imp. & obs. p. p. Mistook; p. p. Mistaken; p. pr. & vb. n. Mistaking.] Etym: [Pref. mis- + take: cf. Icel. mistaka.]
1. To take or choose wrongly. [Obs. or R.] Shak.
2. To take in a wrong sense; to misunderstand misapprehend, or misconceive; as, to mistake a remark; to mistake one's meaning. Locke. My father's purposes have been mistook. Shak.
3. To substitute in thought or perception; as, to mistake one person for another. A man may mistake the love of virtue for the practice of it. Johnson.
4. To have a wrong idea of in respect of character, qualities, etc.; to misjudge. Mistake me not so much, To think my poverty is treacherous. Shak.
MISTAKE Mis*take", v. i.
Defn: To err in knowledge, perception, opinion, or judgment; to commit an unintentional error. Servants mistake, and sometimes occasion misunderstanding among friends. Swift.
MISTAKE Mis*take", n.
1. An apprehending wrongly; a misconception; a misunderstanding; a fault in opinion or judgment; an unintentional error of conduct. Infallibility is an absolute security of the understanding from all possibility of mistake. Tillotson.
2. (Law)
Defn: Misconception, error, which when non-negligent may be ground for rescinding a contract, or for refusing to perform it. No mistake, surely; without fail; as, it will happen at the appointed time, and no mistake. [Low]
Syn. -- Blunder; error; bull. See Blunder.
MISTAKEN Mis*tak"en, p.a.
1. Being in error; judging wrongly; having a wrong opinion or a misconception; as, a mistaken man; he is mistaken.
2. Erroneous; wrong; as, a mistaken notion.
MISTAKENLY Mis*tak"en*ly, adv.
Defn: By mistake. Goldsmith.
MISTAKENNESS Mis*tak"en*ness, n.
Defn: Erroneousness.
MISTAKER Mis*tak"er, n.
Defn: One who mistakes. Well meaning ignorance of some mistakers. Bp. Hall.
MISTAKING Mis*tak"ing, n.
Defn: An error; a mistake. Shak.
MISTAKINGLY Mis*tak"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Erroneously.
MISTAUGHT Mis*taught", a. Etym: [See Misteach.]
Defn: Wrongly taught; as, a mistaught youth. L'Estrange.
MISTEACH Mis*teach", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mistaught; p. pr. & vb. n. Misteaching.] Etym: [AS. mist.]
Defn: To teach wrongly; to instruct erroneously.
MISTELL Mis*tell", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mistold; p. pr. & vb. n. Mistelling.]
Defn: To tell erroneously.
MISTEMPER Mis*tem"per, v. t.
Defn: To temper ill; to disorder; as, to mistemper one's head. Warner. This inundation of mistempered humor. Shak.
MISTER Mis"ter, n. Etym: [See Master, and cf. Mistress.]
Defn: A title of courtesy prefixed to the name of a man or youth. It is usually written in the abbreviated form Mr. To call your name, inquire your where, Or whet you think of Mister Some-one's book, Or Mister Other's marriage or decease. Mrs. Browning.
MISTER Mis"ter, v. t.
Defn: To address or mention by the title Mr.; as, he mistered me in a formal way. [Colloq.]
MISTER Mis"ter, n. Etym: [OF. mistier trade, office, ministry, need, F. métier trade, fr. L. ministerium service, office, ministry. See Ministry, Mystery trade.] [Written also mester.]
1. A trade, art, or occupation. [Obs.] In youth he learned had a good mester. Chaucer.
2. Manner; kind; sort. [Obs.] Spenser. But telleth me what mester men ye be. Chaucer.
3. Need; necessity. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
MISTER Mis"ter, v. i.
Defn: To be needful or of use. [Obs.] As for my name, it mistereth not to tell. Spenser.
MISTERM Mis*term", v. t.
Defn: To call by a wrong name; to miscall.
MISTERY Mis"ter*y, n.
Defn: See Mystery, a trade.
MISTFUL Mist"ful, a.
Defn: Clouded with, or as with, mist.
MISTHINK Mis*think", v. i. Etym: [See Think.]
Defn: To think wrongly. [Obs.] "Adam misthought of her." Milton.
MISTHINK Mis*think", v. t.
Defn: To have erroneous thoughts or judgment of; to think ill of. [Obs.] Shak.
MISTHOUGHT Mis*thought", n.
Defn: Erroneous thought; mistaken opinion; error. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISTHRIVE Mis*thrive", v. i.
Defn: To thrive poorly; to be not thrifty or prosperous. [Obs.]
MISTHROW Mis*throw", v. t.
Defn: To throw wrongly.
MISTIC; MISTICO Mis"tic, Mis"ti*co, n. Etym: [Sp. místico.]
Defn: A kind of small sailing vessel used in the Mediterranean. It is rigged partly like a xebec, and partly like a felucca.
MISTIDE Mis*tide", v. i. Etym: [AS. mistidan. See Tide.]
Defn: To happen or come to pass unfortunately; also, to suffer evil fortune. [Obs.]
MISTIGRIS; MISTIGRI Mis`ti`gris", Mis`ti`gri", n. Etym: [F. mistigri.]
Defn: A variety of the game of poker in which the joker is used, and called mistigris or mistigri.
MISTIHEAD Mist"i*head, n.
Defn: Mistiness. [Obs.]
MISTILY Mist"i*ly, adv.
Defn: With mist; darkly; obscurely.
MISTIME Mis*time", v. t. Etym: [AS. mistimain to turn out ill.]
Defn: To time wrongly; not to adapt to the time.
MISTINESS Mist"i*ness, n.
Defn: State of being misty.
MISTION Mis"tion, n. Etym: [L. mistio, mixtio. See Mix, and cf. Mixtion.]
Defn: Mixture. [Obs.]
MISTITLE Mis*ti"tle, v. t.
Defn: To call by a wrong title.
MISTLE Mis"tle, v. i. Etym: [Eng. mist. See Misle, and Mizzle.]
Defn: To fall in very fine drops, as rain.
MISTLETOE Mis"tle*toe, n. Etym: [AS. misteltan; mistel mistletoe + tan twig. AS. mistel is akin of D., G., Dan. & Sw. mistel, OHG. mistil, Icel. mistilteinn; and AS. tan to D. teen, OHG. zein, Icel. teinn, Goth. tains. Cf. Missel.] (Bot.)
Defn: A parasitic evergreen plant of Europe (Viscum album), bearing a glutinous fruit. When found upon the oak, where it is rare, it was an object of superstitious regard among the Druids. A bird lime is prepared from its fruit. [Written also misletoe, misseltoe, and mistleto.] Lindley. Loudon.
Note: The mistletoe of the United States is Phoradendron flavescens, having broader leaves than the European kind. In different regions various similar plants are called by this name.
MISTONUSK Mis"to*nusk, n. Etym: [From the Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American badger.
MISTOOK Mis*took", imp. & obs. p. p.
Defn: of Mistake.
MISTRADITION Mis`tra*di"tion, n.
Defn: A wrong tradition. "Monsters of mistradition." Tennyson.
MISTRAIN Mis*train", v. t.
Defn: To train amiss.
MISTRAL Mis"tral, n. Etym: [F., fr. Provençal.]
Defn: A violent and cold northwest wind experienced in the Mediterranean provinces of France, etc.
MISTRANSLATE Mis`trans*late", v. t.
Defn: To translate erroneously.
MISTRANSLATION Mis`trans*la"tion, n.
Defn: Wrong translation.
MISTRANSPORT Mis`trans*port", v. t.
Defn: To carry away or mislead wrongfully, as by passion. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MISTREADING Mis*tread"ing, n.
Defn: Misstep; misbehavior. "To punish my mistreadings." Shak.
MISTREAT Mis*treat", v. t.
Defn: To treat amiss; to abuse.
MISTREATMENT Mis*treat"ment, n.
Defn: Wrong treatment.
MISTRESS Mis"tress, n. Etym: [OE. maistress, OF. maistresse, F. maîtresse, LL. magistrissa, for L. magistra, fem. of magister. See Master, Mister, and cf. Miss a young woman.]
1. A woman having power, authority, or ownership; a woman who exercises authority, is chief, etc.; the female head of a family, a school, etc. The late queen's gentlewoman! a knight's daughter! To be her mistress' mistress! Shak.
2. A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it. A letter desires all young wives to make themselves mistresses of Wingate's Arithmetic. Addison.
3. A woman regarded with love and devotion; she who has command over one's heart; a beloved object; a sweetheart. [Poetic] Clarendon.
4. A woman filling the place, but without the rights, of a wife; a concubine; a loose woman with whom one consorts habitually. Spectator.
5. A title of courtesy formerly prefixed to the name of a woman, married or unmarried, but now superseded by the contracted forms, Mrs., for a married, and Miss, for an unmarried, woman. Now Mistress Gilpin (careful soul). Cowper.
6. A married woman; a wife. [Scot.] Several of the neighboring mistresses had assembled to witness the event of this memorable evening. Sir W. Scott.
7. The old name of the jack at bowls. Beau. & Fl. To be one's own mistress, to be exempt from control by another person.
MISTRESS Mis"tress, v. i.
Defn: To wait upon a mistress; to be courting. [Obs.] Donne.
MISTRESSSHIP Mis"tress*ship, n.
1. Female rule or dominion.
2. Ladyship, a style of address; -- with the personal pronoun. [Obs.] Massinger.
MISTRIAL Mis*tri"al, n. (Law)
Defn: A false or erroneous trial; a trial which has no result.
MISTRIST Mis*trist", v. t.
Defn: To mistrust. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISTROW Mis*trow", v. i.
Defn: To think wrongly. [Obs.]
MISTRUST Mis*trust", n.
Defn: Want of confidence or trust; suspicion; distrust. Milton.
MISTRUST Mis*trust", v. t.
1. To regard with jealousy or suspicion; to suspect; to doubt the integrity of; to distrust. I will never mistrust my wife again. Shak.
2. To forebode as near, or likely to occur; to surmise. By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing dangers. Shak.
MISTRUSTER Mis*trust"er, n.
Defn: One who mistrusts.
MISTRUSTFUL Mis*trust"ful, a.
Defn: Having or causing mistrust, suspicions, or forebodings. Their light blown out in some mistrustful wood. Shak. -- Mis*trust"ful*ly, adv. -- Mis*trust"ful*ness, n.
MISTRUSTINGLY Mis*trust"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With distrust or suspicion.
MISTRUSTLESS Mis*trust"less, a.
Defn: Having no mistrust or suspicion. The swain mistrustless of his smutted face. Goldsmith.
MISTUNE Mis*tune", v. t.
Defn: To tune wrongly.
MISTURA Mis*tu"ra, n. Etym: [L. See Mixture.] (Med.) (a) A mingled compound in which different ingredients are contained in a liquid state; a mixture. See Mixture, n., 4. (b) Sometimes, a liquid medicine containing very active substances, and which can only be administered by drops. Dunglison.
MISTURN Mis*turn", v. t.
Defn: To turn amiss; to pervert.
MISTUTOR Mis*tu"tor, v. t.
Defn: To instruct amiss.
MISTY Mist"y, a. [Compar. Mistier; superl. Mistiest.] Etym: [AS. mistig. See Mist. In some senses misty has been confused with mystic.]
1. Accompained with mist; characterized by the presence of mist; obscured by, or overspread with, mist; as, misty weather; misty mountains; a misty atmosphere.
2. Obscured as if by mist; dim; obscure; clouded; as, misty sight. The more I muse therein [theology], The mistier it seemeth. Piers Plowman.
MISUNDERSTAND Mis*un`der*stand", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misunderstood; p. pr. & vb. n. Misunderstanding.]
Defn: To misconceive; to mistake; to miscomprehend; to take in a wrong sense.
MISUNDERSTANDER Mis*un`der*stand"er, n.
Defn: One who misunderstands. Sir T. More.
MISUNDERSTANDING Mis*un`der*stand"ing, n.
1. Mistake of the meaning; error; misconception. Bacon.
2. Disagreement; difference of opinion; dissension; quarrel. "Misunderstandings among friends." Swift.
MISURATO Mi`su*ra"to, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Measured; -- a direction to perform a passage in strict or measured time.
MISUSAGE Mis*us"age, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mésusage.]
Defn: Bad treatment; abuse. Spenser.
MISUSE Mis*use", v. t. Etym: [F. mésuser. See Mis-, prefix from French, and Use.]
1. To treat or use improperly; to use to a bad purpose; to misapply; as, to misuse one's talents. South. The sweet poison of misused wine. Milton.
2. To abuse; to treat ill. O, she misused me past the endurance of a block. Shak.
Syn. -- To maltreat; abuse; misemploy; misapply.
MISUSE Mis*use", n.
1. Wrong use; misapplication; erroneous or improper use. Words little suspected for any such misuse. Locke.
2. Violence, or its effects. [Obs.] Shak.
MISUSEMENT Mis*use"ment, n.
Defn: Misuse. [Obs.]
MISUSER Mis*us"er, n.
1. One who misuses. "Wretched misusers of language." Coleridge.
2. (Law)
Defn: Unlawful use of a right; use in excess of, or varying from, one's right. Bouvier.
MISVALUE Mis*val"ue, v. t.
Defn: To value wrongly or too little; to undervalue. But for I am so young, I dread my work Wot be misvalued both of old and young. W. Browne.
MISVOUCH Mis*vouch", v. t.
Defn: To vouch falsely.
MISWANDER Mis*wan"der, v. i.
Defn: To wander in a wrong path; to stray; to go astray. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISWAY Mis*way", n.
Defn: A wrong way. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MISWEAR Mis*wear", v. t.
Defn: To wear ill. [Obs.] Bacon.
MISWED Mis*wed", v. t.
Defn: To wed improperly.
MISWEEN Mis*ween", v. i.
Defn: To ween amiss; to misjudge; to distrust; to be mistaken. [Obs.] Spenser.
MISWEND Mis*wend", v. i.
Defn: To go wrong; to go astray. [Obs.] "The world is miswent." Gower.
MISWORD Mis*word", v. t.
Defn: To word wrongly; as, to misword a message, or a sentence.
MISWORD Mis*word", n.
Defn: A word wrongly spoken; a cross word. [Obs.] Sylvester. Breton.
MISWORSHIP Mis*wor"ship, n.
Defn: Wrong or false worship; mistaken practices in religion. Bp. Hall. Such hideous jungle of misworships. Carlyle.
MISWORSHIP Mis*wor"ship, v. t.
Defn: To worship wrongly. Bp. Hall.
MISWORSHIPER Mis*wor"ship*er, n.
Defn: One who worships wrongly.
MISWRITE Mis*write", v. t.
Defn: To write incorrectly.
MISWROUGHT Mis*wrought", a.
Defn: Badly wrought. Bacon.
MISY Mi"sy, n. Etym: [Cf. L. misy a mineral, perh. copperas, Gr. (Min.)
Defn: An impure yellow sulphate of iron; yellow copperas or copiapite.
MISYOKE Mis*yoke", v. t.
Defn: To yoke improperly.
MISZEALOUS Mis*zeal"ous, a.
Defn: Mistakenly zealous. [Obs.]
MITE Mite, n. Etym: [AS. mite mite (in sense 1); akin to LG. mite, D. mijt, G. miete, OHG. miza; cf. Goth. maitan to cut.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute arachnid, of the order Acarina, of which there are many species; as, the cheese mite, sugar mite, harvest mite, etc. See Acarina.
2. Etym: [D. mijt; prob. the same word.]
Defn: A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing. The name is also applied to a small coin used in Palestine in the time of Christ. Two mites, which make a farthing. Mark xii. 49.
3. A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
4. Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or
## particle.
For in effect they be not worth a myte. Chaucer.
MITER; MITRE Mi"ter, Mi"tre, n. Etym: [F. mitre, fr. L. mitra headband, turban, Gr.
1. A covering for the head, worn on solemn occasions by church dignitaries. It has been made in many forms, the present form being a lofty cap with two points or peaks. Fairholt.
2. The surface forming the beveled end or edge of a piece where a miter joint is made; also, a joint formed or a junction effected by two beveled ends or edges; a miter joint.
3. (Numis.)
Defn: A sort of base money or coin. Miter box (Carp. & Print.), an apparatus for guiding a handsaw at the proper angle in making a miter joint; esp., a wooden or metal trough with vertical kerfs in its upright sides, for guides. -- Miter dovetail (Carp.), a kind of dovetail for a miter joint in which there is only one joint line visible, and that at the angle. -- Miter gauge (Carp.), a gauge for determining the angle of a miter. -- Miter joint, a joint formed by pieces matched and united upon a line bisecting the angle of junction, as by the beveled ends of two pieces of molding or brass rule, etc. The term is used especially when the pieces form a right angle. See Miter, 2. -- Miter shell (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of marine univalve shells of the genus Mitra. -- Miter square (Carp.), a bevel with an immovable arm at an angle of 45º, for striking lines on stuff to be mitered; also, a square with an arm adjustable to any angle. -- Miter wheels, a pair of bevel gears, of equal diameter, adapted for working together, usually with their axes at right angles.
MITER; MITRE Mi"ter, Mi"tre, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mitered or Mitred; p. pr. & vb. n. Mitering or Mitring.]
1. To place a miter upon; to adorn with a miter. "Mitered locks." Milton.
2. To match together, as two pieces of molding or brass rule on a line bisecting the angle of junction; to bevel the ends or edges of, for the purpose of matching together at an angle.
MITER; MITRE Mi"ter, Mi"tre, v. i.
Defn: To meet and match together, as two pieces of molding, on a line bisecting the angle of junction.
MITERWORT Mi"ter*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genus Mitella, -- slender, perennial herbs with a pod slightly resembling a bishop's miter; bishop's cap. False miterwort, a white-flowered perennial herb of the United States (Tiarella cardifolia).
MITHIC Mith"ic, a.
Defn: See Mythic.
MITHRAS Mi"thras, n. Etym: [L., from Gr.
Defn: The sun god of the Persians.
MITHRIDATE Mith"ri*date, n. (Med.)
Defn: An antidote against poison, or a composition in form of an electuary, supposed to serve either as a remedy or a preservative against poison; an alexipharmic; -- so called from King Mithridates, its reputed inventor. [Love is] a drop of the true elixir; no mithridate so effectual against the infection of vice. Southey.
MITHRIDATIC Mith`ri*dat"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to King Mithridates, or to a mithridate.
MITIGABLE Mit"i*ga*ble, a.
Defn: Admitting of mitigation; that may be mitigated.
MITIGANT Mit"i*gant, a. Etym: [L. mitigans, p.pr. of mitigare. See Mitigate.]
Defn: Tending to mitigate; mitigating; lentitive. Johnson.
MITIGATE Mit"i*gate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mitigated; p. pr. & vb. n. Mitigating.] Etym: [L. mitigatus, p.p. of mitigare to soften, mitigate; mitis mild, soft + the root of agere to do, drive.]
1. To make less severe, intense, harsh, rigorous, painful, etc.; to soften; to meliorate; to alleviate; to diminish; to lessen; as, to mitigate heat or cold; to mitigate grief.
2. To make mild and accessible; to mollify; -- applied to persons. [Obs.] This opinion ... mitigated kings into companions. Burke.
Syn. -- To alleviate; assuage; allay. See Alleviate.
MITIGATION Mit`i*ga"tion, n. Etym: [OE. mitigacioun, F. mitigation, fr. L. mitigatio.]
Defn: The act of mitigating, or the state of being mitigated; abatement or diminution of anything painful, harsh, severe, afflictive, or calamitous; as, the mitigation of pain, grief, rigor, severity, punishment, or penalty.
Syn. -- Alleviation; abatement; relief.
MITIGATIVE Mit"i*ga*tive, a. Etym: [L. mitigativus: cf. F. mitigatif.]
Defn: Tending to mitigate; alleviating.
MITIGATOR Mit"i*ga`tor, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mitigates.
MITIGATORY Mit"i*ga*to*ry, a.
Defn: Tending to mitigate or alleviate; mitigative.
MITING Mit"ing, n. Etym: [From Mite.]
Defn: A little one; -- used as a term of endearment. [Obs.] Skelton.
MITIS CASTING Mi"tis cast`ing. [Perh. fr. L. mitis mild.]
Defn: A process, invented by P. Ostberg, for producing malleable iron castings by melting wrought iron, to which from 0.05 to 0.1 per cent of aluminium is added to lower the melting point, usually in a petroleum furnace, keeping the molten metal at the bubbling point until it becomes quiet, and then pouring the molten metal into a mold lined with a special mixture consisting essentially of molasses and ground burnt fire clay; also, a casting made by this process; -- called also wrought-iron casting.
MITIS METAL Mitis metal.
Defn: The malleable iron produced by mitis casting; -- called also simply mitis.
MITOME Mi"tome, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The denser part of the protoplasm of a cell.
MITOSIS Mi*to"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: See Karyokinesis.
MITOTIC Mi*tot"ic, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to mitosis; karyokinetic; as, mitotic cell division; -- opposed to amitotic. --Mi*tot"ic*al*ly (#), adv.
MITRAILLE Mi`traille", n. Etym: [F. See Mitrailleur.]
Defn: Shot or bits of iron used sometimes in loading cannon.
MITRAILLEUR Mi`tra`illeur", n. Etym: [F.] (Mil.)
Defn: One who serves a mitrailleuse.
MITRAILLEUSE Mi`tra`illeuse", n. Etym: [F., fr. mitrailler to fire grapeshot, fr. mitraille old iron, grapeshot, dim. of OF. mite a mite.] (Mil.)
Defn: A breech-loading machine gun consisting of a number of barrels fitted together, so arranged that the barrels can be fired simultaneously, or successively, and rapidly.
MITRAL Mi"tral, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mitral. See Miter.]
Defn: Pertaining to a miter; resembling a miter; as, the mitral valve between the left auricle and left ventricle of the heart.
MITRE Mi"tre, n. & v.
Defn: See Miter.
MITRIFORM Mit"ri*form, a. Etym: [Miter + -form: cf. F. mitriforme.]
Defn: Having the form of a miter, or a peaked cap; as, a mitriform calyptra. Gray.
MITT Mitt, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. mitten.]
Defn: A mitten; also, a covering for the wrist and hand and not for the fingers.
MITTEN Mit"ten, n. Etym: [OE. mitaine, meteyn, F. mitaine, perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. miotog, Gael. miotag, Ir. & Gael. mutan a muff, a thick glove. Cf. Mitt.]
1. A covering for the hand, worn to defend it from cold or injury. It differs from a glove in not having a separate sheath for each finger. Chaucer.
2. A cover for the wrist and forearm. To give the mitten to, to dismiss as a lover; to reject the suit of. [Colloq.] -- To handle without mittens, to treat roughly; to handle without gloves. [Colloq.]
MITTENED Mit"tened, a.
Defn: Covered with a mitten or mittens. "Mittened hands." Whittier.
MITTENT Mit"tent, a. Etym: [L. mittens, p.pr. of mittere to send.]
Defn: Sending forth; emitting. [Obs.] Wiseman.
MITTIMUS Mit"ti*mus, n. Etym: [L., we send, fr. mittere to send.] (Law) (a) A precept or warrant granted by a justice for committing to prison a party charged with crime; a warrant of commitment to prison. Burrill. (b) A writ for removing records from one court to another. Brande & C.
MITTLER'S GREEN Mitt"ler's green`. (Chem.)
Defn: A pigment of a green color, the chief constituent of which is oxide of chromium.
MITTY Mit"ty, n.
Defn: The stormy petrel. [Prov. Eng.]
MITU Mi"tu, n. Etym: [Braz. mitu poranga.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American curassow of the genus Mitua.
MITY Mit"y, a. Etym: [From Mite.]
Defn: Having, or abounding with, mites.
MIX Mix, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mixed (less properly Mixt); p. pr. & vb. n. Mixing.] Etym: [AS. miscan; akin to OHG. misken, G. mischen, Russ. mieshate, W. mysgu, Gael. measg, L. miscere, mixtum, Gr. miçra mixed. The English word has been influenced by L. miscere, mixtum (cf. Mixture), and even the AS. miscan may have been borrowed fr. L. miscere. Cf. Admix, Mash to bruise, Meddle.]
1. To cause a promiscuous interpenetration of the parts of, as of two or more substances with each other, or of one substance with others; to unite or blend into one mass or compound, as by stirring together; to mingle; to blend; as, to mix flour and salt; to mix wines. Fair persuasions mixed with sugared words. Shak.
2. To unite with in company; to join; to associate. Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people. Hos. vii. 8.
3. To form by mingling; to produce by the stirring together of ingredients; to compound of different parts. Hast thou no poison mixed Shak. I have chosen an argument mixed of religious and civil considerations. Bacon.
MIX Mix, v. i.
1. To become united into a compound; to be blended promiscuously together.
2. To associate; to mingle. He had mixed Again in fancied safety with his kind. Byron.
MIXABLE Mix"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being mixed.
MIXED Mixed, a.
Defn: Formed by mixing; united; mingled; blended. See Mix, v. t. & i. Mixed action (Law), a suit combining the properties of a real and a personal action. -- Mixed angle, a mixtilineal angle. -- Mixed fabric, a textile fabric composed of two or more kinds of fiber, as a poplin. -- Mixed marriage, a marriage between persons of different races or religions; specifically, one between a Roman Catholic and a Protestant. -- Mixed number, a whole number and a fraction taken together. -- Mixed train, a railway train containing both passenger and freight cars. -- Mixed voices (Mus.), voices of both males and females united in the same performance.
MIXEDLY Mix"ed*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mixed or mingled manner.
MIXEN Mix"en, n. Etym: [AS. mixen, myxen, fr. meohx, meox, dung, filth; akin to E. mist. See Mist.]
Defn: A compost heap; a dunghill. Chaucer. Tennyson.
MIXER Mix"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mixes.
MIXOGAMOUS Mix*og"a*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pairing with several males; -- said of certain fishes of which several males accompany each female during spawning.
MIXOLYDIAN MODE Mix`o*lyd"i*an mode`. Etym: [Gr. Lydian.] (Mus.)
Defn: The seventh ecclesiastical mode, whose scale commences on G.
MIXTILINEAL; MIXTILINEAR Mix`ti*lin"e*al, Mix`ti*lin"e*ar, a. Etym: [L. mixtus mixed (p.p. of miscere to mix) + E. lineal, linear.]
Defn: Containing, or consisting of, lines of different kinds, as straight, curved, and the like; as, a mixtilinear angle, that is, an angle contained by a straight line and a curve. [R.]
MIXTION Mix"tion, n. Etym: [L. mixtio, mistio: cf. F. mixtion. See Mistion, Mix.]
1. Mixture. [Obs.]
2. A kind of cement made of mastic, amber, etc., used as a mordant for gold leaf.
MIXTLY Mixt"ly, adv.
Defn: With mixture; in a mixed manner; mixedly. Bacon.
MIXTURE Mix"ture, n. Etym: [L. mixtura, fr. miscere, mixtum, to mix: cf. F. mixture. See Mix.]
1. The act of mixing, or the state of being mixed; as, made by a mixture of ingredients. Hooker.
2. That which results from mixing different ingredients together; a compound; as, to drink a mixture of molasses and water; -- also, a medley. There is also a mixture of good and evil wisely distributed by God, to serve the ends of his providence. Atterbury.
3. An ingredient entering into a mixed mass; an additional ingredient. Cicero doubts whether it were possible for a community to exist that had not a prevailing mixture of piety in its constitution. Addison.
4. (Med.)
Defn: A kind of liquid medicine made up of many ingredients; esp., as opposed to solution, a liquid preparation in which the solid ingredients are not completely dissolved.
5. (Physics & Chem.)
Defn: A mass of two or more ingredients, the particles of which are separable, independent, and uncompounded with each other, no matter how thoroughly and finely commingled; -- contrasted with a compound; thus, gunpowder is a mechanical mixture of carbon, sulphur, and niter.
6. (Mus.)
Defn: An organ stop, comprising from two to five ranges of pipes, used only in combination with the foundation and compound stops; -- called also furniture stop. It consists of high harmonics, or overtones, of the ground tone.
Syn. -- Union; admixture; intermixture; medley.
MIZMAZE Miz"maze`, n.
Defn: A maze or labyrinth. [Obs.]
MIZZEN Miz"zen, a. Etym: [It. mezzana, fr. mezzano middle, fr. mezzo middle, half: cf. F. misaine foresail. See Mezzo.] (Naut.)
Defn: Hindmost; nearest the stern; as, the mizzen shrouds, sails, etc.
MIZZEN Miz"zen, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The hindmost of the fore and aft sails of a three-masted vessel; also, the spanker.
MIZZENMAST Miz"zen*mast, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The hindmost mast of a three-masted vessel, or of a yawl-rigged vessel.
MIZZLE Miz"zle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mizzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mizzling.] Etym: [See Misle, and cf. Mistle.]
1. To rain in very fine drops. Spenser.
2. To take one's self off; to go. [Slang] As long as George the Fourth could reign, he reigned, And then he mizzled. Epigram, quoted by Wright.
MIZZLE Miz"zle, n.
Defn: Mist; fine rain.
MIZZY Miz"zy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. moisi moldy, musty, p.p. of moisir to mold, fr. L. mucere to be moldy.]
Defn: A bog or quagmire. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
M'-NAUGHT M'-Naught" (mak*nalt"), v. t. (Steam Engines)
Defn: To increase the power of (a single-cylinder beam engine) by adding a small high-pressure cylinder with a piston acting on the beam between the center and the flywheel end, using high-pressure steam and working as a compound engine, -- a plan introduced by M'Naught, a Scottish engineer, in 1845.
MNEMONIC; MNEMONICAL Mne*mon"ic, Mne*mon"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. mind.]
Defn: Assisting in memory.
MNEMONICIAN Mne`mo*ni"cian, n.
Defn: One who instructs in the art of improving or using the memory.
MNEMONICS Mne*mon"ics, n. Etym: [Gr. mnémonique.]
Defn: The art of memory; a system of precepts and rules intended to assist the memory; artificial memory.
MNEMOSYNE Mne*mos"y*ne, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Mnemonic.] (Class Myth.)
Defn: The goddess of memory and the mother of the Muses.
MNEMOTECHNY Mne"mo*tech`ny, n. Etym: [Gr. mnémotechnie.]
Defn: Mnemonics.
MO Mo, a., adv., & n. [Written also moe.] Etym: [AS. ma. See More.]
Defn: More; -- usually, more in number. [Obs.] An hundred thousand mo. Chaucer. Likely to find mo to commend than to imitate it. Fuller.
-MO -mo.
Defn: A suffix added to the names of certain numerals or to the numerals themselves, to indicate the number of leaves made by folding a sheet of paper; as, sixteenmo or 16mo; eighteenmo or 18mo. It is taken from the Latin forms similarly used; as, duodecimo, sextodecimo, etc. A small circle, placed after the number and near its top, is often used for -mo; as, 16°, 18°, etc.
MOA Mo"a, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several very large extinct species of wingless birds belonging to Dinornis, and other related genera, of the suborder Dinornithes, found in New Zealand. They are allied to the apteryx and the ostrich. They were probably exterminated by the natives before New Zealand was discovered by Europeans. Some species were much larger than the ostrich.
MOABITE Mo"ab*ite, n.
Defn: One of the posterity of Moab, the son of Lot. (Gen. xix. 37.) Also used adjectively.
MOABITESS Mo"ab*i`tess, n.
Defn: A female Moabite. Ruth i. 22.
MOABITE STONE Mo"ab*ite stone. (Archæol.)
Defn: A block of black basalt, found at Dibon in Moab by Rev. F. A. Klein, Aug. 19, 1868, which bears an inscription of thirty-four lines, dating from the 9th century b. c., and written in the Moabite alphabet, the oldest Phonician type of the Semitic alphabet. It records the victories of Mesha, king of Moab, esp. those over Israel (2 Kings iii. 4, 5, 27).
MOABITISH Mo"ab*i`tish, a.
Defn: Moabite. Ruth ii. 6.
MOAN Moan, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Moaning.] Etym: [AS. m to moan, also, to mean; but in the latter sense perh. a different word. Cf. Mean to intend.]
1. To make a low prolonged sound of grief or pain, whether articulate or not; to groan softly and continuously. Unpitied and unheard, where misery moans. Thomson. Let there bechance him pitiful mischances, To make him moan. Shak.
2. To emit a sound like moan; -- said of things inanimate; as, the wind moans.
MOAN Moan, v. t.
1. To bewail audibly; to lament. Ye floods, ye woods, ye echoes, moan My dear Columbo, dead and gone. Prior.
2. To afflict; to distress. [Obs.] Which infinitely moans me. Beau. & Fl.
MOAN Moan, n. Etym: [OE. mone. See Moan, v. i.]
1. A low prolonged sound, articulate or not, indicative of pain or of grief; a low groan. Sullen moans, hollow groans. Pope.
2. A low mournful or murmuring sound; -- of things. Rippling waters made a pleasant moan. Byron.
MOANFUL Moan"ful, a.
Defn: Full of moaning; expressing sorrow. -- Moan"ful*ly, adv.
MOAT Moat, n. Etym: [OF. mote hill, dike, bank, F. motte clod, turf: cf. Sp. & Pg. mota bank or mound of earth, It. motta clod, LL. mota, motta, a hill on which a fort is built, an eminence, a dike, Prov. G. mott bog earth heaped up; or perh. F. motte, and OF. mote, are from a LL. p.p. of L. movere to move (see Move). The name of moat, properly meaning, bank or mound, was transferred to the ditch adjoining: cf. F. dike and ditch.] (Fort.)
Defn: A deep trench around the rampart of a castle or other fortified place, sometimes filled with water; a ditch.
MOAT Moat, v. t.
Defn: To surround with a moat. Dryden.
MOATE Moate, v. i. Etym: [See Mute to molt.]
Defn: To void the excrement, as a bird; to mute. [Obs.]
MOB Mob, n. Etym: [See Mobcap.]
Defn: A mobcap. Goldsmith.
MOB Mob, v. t.
Defn: To wrap up in, or cover with, a cowl. [R.]
MOB Mob, n. Etym: [L. mobile vulgus, the movable common people. See Mobile, n.]
1. The lower classes of a community; the populace, or the lowest part of it. A cluster of mob were making themselves merry with their betters. Addison.
2. Hence: A throgn; a rabble; esp., an unlawful or riotous assembly; a disorderly crowd. The mob of gentlemen who wrote with ease. Pope. Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob. Madison. Confused by brainless mobs. Tennyson. Mob law, law administered by the mob; lynch law. -- Swell mob, well dressed thieves and swindlers, regarded collectively. [Slang] Dickens.
MOB Mob, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mobbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mobbing.]
Defn: To crowd about, as a mob, and attack or annoy; as, to mob a house or a person.
MOBBISH Mob"bish, a.
Defn: Like a mob; tumultuous; lawless; as, a mobbish act. Bp. Kent.
MOBCAP Mob"cap`, n. Etym: [D. mop-muts; OD. mop a woman's coif + D. muts cap.]
Defn: A plain cap or headdress for women or girls; especially, one tying under the chin by a very broad band, generally of the same material as the cap itself. Thackeray.
MOBILE Mo"bile, a. Etym: [L. mobilis, for movibilis, fr. movere to move: cf. F. mobile. See Move.]
1. Capable of being moved; not fixed in place or condition; movable. "Fixed or else mobile." Skelton.
2. Characterized by an extreme degree of fluidity; moving or flowing with great freedom; as, benzine and mercury are mobile liquids; -- opposed to viscous, viscoidal, or oily.
3. Easily moved in feeling, purpose, or direction; excitable; changeable; fickle. Testament of Love. The quick and mobile curiosity of her disposition. Hawthorne.
4. Changing in appearance and expression under the influence of the mind; as, mobile features.
5. (Physiol.)
Defn: Capable of being moved, aroused, or excited; capable of spontaneous movement.
MOBILE Mo"bile, n. Etym: [L. mobile vulgus. See Mobile, a., and cf. 3d Mob.]
Defn: The mob; the populace. [Obs.] "The unthinking mobile." South.
MOBILITY Mo*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mobilitas: cf. F. mobilité.]
1. The quality or state of being mobile; as, the mobility of a liquid, of an army, of the populace, of features, of a muscle. Sir T. Browne.
2. The mob; the lower classes. [Humorous] Dryden.
MOBILIZATION Mob`i*li*za"tion, n. Etym: [F. mobilization.]
Defn: The act of mobilizing.
MOBILIZE Mob"i*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mobilized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mobilizing.] Etym: [F. mobiliser.]
Defn: To put in a state of readiness for active service in war, as an army corps.
MOBLE Mo"ble, v. t. Etym: [From Mob to wrap up.]
Defn: To wrap the head of in a hood. [Obs.] Shak.
MOBLES Mo"bles, n. pl.
Defn: See Moebles. [Obs.]
MOBOCRACY Mob*oc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Mob rabble + -cracy, as in democracy.]
Defn: A condition in which the lower classes of a nation control public affairs without respect to law, precedents, or vested rights. It is good name that Dr. Stevens has given to our present situation (for one can not call it a government), a mobocracy. Walpole.
MOBOCRAT Mob"o*crat, n.
Defn: One who favors a form of government in which the unintelligent populace rules without restraint. Bayne.
MOBOCRATIC Mob`o*crat"ic, a.
Defn: Of, or relating to, a mobocracy.
MOCCASIN Moc"ca*sin, n. Etym: [An Indian word. Algonquin makisin.] [Sometimes written moccason.]
1. A shoe made of deerskin, or other soft leather, the sole and upper part being one piece. It is the customary shoe worn by the American Indians.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A poisonous snake of the Southern United States. The water moccasin (Ancistrodon piscivorus) is usually found in or near water. Above, it is olive brown, barred with black; beneath, it is brownish yellow, mottled with darker. The upland moccasin is Ancistrodon atrofuscus. They resemble rattlesnakes, but are without rattles. Moccasin flower (Bot.), a species of lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) found in North America. The lower petal is two inches long, and forms a rose-colored moccasin-shaped pouch. It grows in rich woods under coniferous trees.
MOCCASINED Moc"ca*sined, a.
Defn: Covered with, or wearing, a moccasin or moccasins. "Moccasined feet." Harper's Mag.
MOCHA Mo"cha, n.
1. A seaport town of Arabia, on the Red Sea.
2. A variety of coffee brought from Mocha.
3. An Abyssinian weight, equivalent to a Troy grain. Mocha stone (Min.), moss agate.
MOCHE Moche, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A bale of raw silk.
MOCHE Moche, a.
Defn: Much. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOCHEL Moch"el, a. & adv.
Defn: Much. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOCHILA Mo*chi"la, n. Etym: [Sp.]
Defn: A large leather flap which covers the saddletree. [Western U.S.]
MOCK Mock, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mocked; p. pr. & vb. n. Mocking.] Etym: [F. moquer, of uncertain origin; cf. OD. mocken to mumble, G. mucken, OSw. mucka.]
1. To imitate; to mimic; esp., to mimic in sport, contempt, or derision; to deride by mimicry. To see the life as lively mocked as ever Still sleep mocked death. Shak. Mocking marriage with a dame of France. Shak.
2. To treat with scorn or contempt; to deride. Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud. 1 Kings xviii. 27. Let not ambition mock their useful toil. Gray.
3. To disappoint the hopes of; to deceive; to tantalize; as, to mock expectation. Thou hast mocked me, and told me lies. Judg. xvi. 13. He will not ... Mock us with his blest sight, then snatch him hence. Milton.
Syn. -- To deride; ridicule; taunt; jeer; tantalize; disappoint. See Deride.
MOCK Mock, v. i.
Defn: To make sport contempt or in jest; to speak in a scornful or jeering manner. When thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed Job xi. 3. She had mocked at his proposal. Froude.
MOCK Mock, n.
1. An act of ridicule or derision; a scornful or contemptuous act or speech; a sneer; a jibe; a jeer. Fools make a mock at sin. Prov. xiv. 9.
2. Imitation; mimicry. [R.] Crashaw.
MOCK Mock, a.
Defn: Imitating reality, but not real; false; counterfeit; assumed; sham. That superior greatness and mock majesty. Spectator. Mock bishop's weed (Bot.), a genus of slender umbelliferous herbs (Discopleura) growing in wet places. -- Mock heroic, burlesquing the heroic; as, a mock heroic poem. -- Mock lead. See Blende (a). -- Mock nightingale (Zoöl.), the European blackcap. -- Mock orange (Bot.), a genus of American and Asiatic shrubs (Philadelphus), with showy white flowers in panicled cymes. P. coronarius, from Asia, has fragrant flowers; the American kinds are nearly scentless. -- Mock sun. See Parhelion. -- Mock turtle soup, a soup made of calf's head, veal, or other meat, and condiments, in imitation of green turtle soup. -- Mock velvet, a fabric made in imitation of velvet. See Mockado.
MOCKABLE Mock"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be mocked. Shak.
MOCKADO Mock"a*do, n.
Defn: A stuff made in imitation of velvet; -- probably the same as mock velvet. [Obs.] Our rich mockado doublet. Ford.
MOCKADOUR Mock"a*dour, n.
Defn: See Mokadour. [Obs.]
MOCKAGE Mock"age, n.
Defn: Mockery. [Obs.] Fuller.
MOCKBIRD Mock"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European sedge warbler (Acrocephalus phragmitis).
MOCKER Mock"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, mocks; a scorner; a scoffer; a derider.
2. A deceiver; an impostor.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A mocking bird. Mocker nut (Bot.), a kind of hickory (Carya tomentosa) and its fruit, which is far inferior to the true shagbark hickory nut.
MOCKERY Mock"er*y, n.; pl. Mockeries. Etym: [F. moquerie.]
1. The act of mocking, deriding, and exposing to contempt, by mimicry, by insincere imitation, or by a false show of earnestness; a counterfeit appearance. It is, as the air, invulnerable, And our vain blows malicious mockery. Shak. Grace at meals is now generally so performed as to look more like a mockery upon devotion than any solemn application of the mind to God. Law. And bear about the mockery of woe. Pope.
2. Insulting or contemptuous action or speech; contemptuous merriment; derision; ridicule. The laughingstock of fortune's mockeries. Spenser.
3. Subject of laughter, derision, or sport. The cruel handling of the city whereof they made a mockery. 2 Macc. viii. 17.
MOCKING Mock"ing, a.
Defn: Imitating, esp. in derision, or so as to cause derision; mimicking; derisive. Mocking bird (Zoöl.), a North American singing bird (Mimus polyglottos), remarkable for its exact imitations of the notes of other birds. Its back is gray; the tail and wings are blackish, with a white patch on each wing; the outer tail feathers are partly white. The name is also applied to other species of the same genus, found in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. -- Mocking thrush (Zoöl.), any species of the genus Harporhynchus, as the brown thrush (H. rufus). -- Mocking wren (Zoöl.), any American wren of the genus Thryothorus, esp. T. Ludovicianus.
MOCKINGLY Mock"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: By way of derision; in a contemptuous or mocking manner.
MOCKINGSTOCK Mock"ing*stock`, n.
Defn: A butt of sport; an object of derision. [R.]
MOCKISH Mock"ish, a.
Defn: Mock; counterfeit; sham. [Obs.]
MOCKLE Moc"kle, a.
Defn: See Mickle.
MOCO Mo"co, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American rodent (Cavia rupestris), allied to the Guinea pig, but larger; -- called also rock cavy.
MODAL Mo"dal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. modal. See Mode.]
1. Of or pertaining to a mode or mood; consisting in mode or form only; relating to form; having the form without the essence or reality. Glanvill.
2. (Logic & Metaph.)
Defn: Indicating, or pertaining to, some mode of conceiving existence, or of expressing thought.
MODALIST Mo"dal*ist, n. (Theol.)
Defn: One who regards Father, Son, and Spirit as modes of being, and not as persons, thus denying personal distinction in the Trinity. Eadie.
MODALITY Mo*dal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. modalité.]
1. The quality or state of being modal.
2. (Logic & Metaph.)
Defn: A modal relation or quality; a mode or point of view under which an object presents itself to the mind. According to Kant, the quality of propositions, as assertory, problematical, or apodeictic.
MODALLY Mo"dal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a modal manner. A compound proposition, the parts of which are united modally ... by the particles "as" and "so." Gibbs.
MODE Mode, n. Etym: [L. modus a measure, due or proper measure, bound, manner, form; akin to E. mete: cf. F. mode. See Mete, and cf. Commodious, Mood in grammar, Modus.]
1. Manner of doing or being; method; form; fashion; custom; way; style; as, the mode of speaking; the mode of dressing. The duty of itself being resolved on, the mode of doing it may easily be found. Jer. Taylor. A table richly spread in regal mode. Milton.
2. Prevailing popular custom; fashion, especially in the phrase the mode. The easy, apathetic graces of a man of the mode. Macaulay.
3. Variety; gradation; degree. Pope.
4. (Metaph.)
Defn: Any combination of qualities or relations, considered apart from the substance to which they belong, and treated as entities; more generally, condition, or state of being; manner or form of arrangement or manifestation; form, as opposed to matter. Modes I call such complex ideas, which, however compounded, contain not in them the supposition of subsisting by themselves, but are considered as dependencies on, or affections of, substances. Locke.
5. (Logic)
Defn: The form in which the proposition connects the predicate and subject, whether by simple, contingent, or necessary assertion; the form of the syllogism, as determined by the quantity and quality of the constituent proposition; mood.
6. (Gram.)
Defn: Same as Mood.
7. (Mus.)
Defn: The scale as affected by the various positions in it of the minor intervals; as, the Dorian mode, the Ionic mode, etc., of ancient Greek music.
Note: In modern music, only the major and the minor mode, of whatever key, are recognized.
8. A kind of silk. See Alamode, n.
Syn. -- Method; manner. See Method.
MODEL Mod"el, n. Etym: [F. modèle, It. modello, fr. (assumed) L. modellus, fr. modulus a small measure, dim. of modus. See Mode, and cf. Module.]
1. A miniature representation of a thing, with the several parts in due proportion; sometimes, a facsimile of the same size. In charts, in maps, and eke in models made. Gascoigne. I had my father's signet in my purse, Which was the model of that Danish seal. Shak. You have the models of several ancient temples, though the temples and the gods are perished. Addison.
2. Something intended to serve, or that may serve, as a pattern of something to be made; a material representation or embodiment of an ideal; sometimes, a drawing; a plan; as, the clay model of a sculpture; the inventor's model of a machine. [The application for a patent] must be accompanied by a full description of the invention, with drawings and a model where the case admits of it. Am. Cyc. When we mean to build We first survey the plot, then draw the model. Shak.
3. Anything which serves, or may serve, as an example for imitation; as, a government formed on the model of the American constitution; a model of eloquence, virtue, or behavior.
4. That by which a thing is to be measured; standard. He that despairs measures Providence by his own little, contracted model. South.
5. Any copy, or resemblance, more or less exact. Thou seest thy wretched brother die, Who was the model of thy father's life. Shak.
6. A person who poses as a pattern to an artist. A professional model. H. James. Working model, a model of a machine which can do on a small scale the work which the machine itself does, or expected to do.
MODEL Mod"el, a.
Defn: Suitable to be taken as a model or pattern; as, a model house; a model husband.
MODEL Mod"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Modeled or Modelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Modeling or Modelling.] Etym: [Cf. F. modeler, It. modellare.]
Defn: To plan or form after a pattern; to form in model; to form a model or pattern for; to shape; to mold; to fashion; as, to model a house or a government; to model an edifice according to the plan delineated.
MODEL Mod"el, v. i. (Fine Arts)
Defn: To make a copy or a pattern; to design or imitate forms; as, to model in wax.
MODELER Mod"el*er, n.
Defn: One who models; hence, a worker in plastic art. [Written also modeller.]
MODELING Mod"el*ing, n. (Fine Arts)
Defn: The act or art of making a model from which a work of art is to be executed; the formation of a work of art from some plastic material. Also, in painting, drawing, etc., the expression or indication of solid form. [Written also modelling.] Modeling plane, a small plane for planing rounded objects. -- Modeling wax, beeswax melted with a little Venice turpentine, or other resinous material, and tinted with coloring matter, usually red, -- used in modeling.
MODELIZE Mod"el*ize, v. t.
Defn: To model. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MODENA Mod"e*na, n. Etym: [From Modena, in Italy.]
Defn: A certain crimsonlike color. Good.
MODENESE Mod`e*nese", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Modena or its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Modena; the people of Modena.
MODER Mo"der, n. Etym: [OE. See Mother female parent.]
1. A mother. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. The principal piece of an astrolabe, into which the others are fixed. [Obs.]
MODER Mod"er, v. t.
Defn: To moderate. [Obs.]
MODERABLE Mod"er*a*ble, a. Etym: [L. moderabilis.]
Defn: Modeate; temperate. [Obs.]
MODERANCE Mod"er*ance, n.
Defn: Moderation. [Obs.] Caxton.
MODERATE Mod"er*ate, a. Etym: [L. moderatus, p.p. of moderate, moderati, to moderate, regulate, control, fr. modus measure. See Mode.]
Defn: Kept within due bounds; observing reasonable limits; not excessive, extreme, violent, or rigorous; limited; restrained; as: (a) Limited in quantity; sparing; temperate; frugal; as, moderate in eating or drinking; a moderate table. (b) Limited in degree of activity, energy, or excitement; reasonable; calm; slow; as, moderate language; moderate endeavors. (c) Not extreme in opinion, in partisanship, and the like; as, a moderate Calvinist. A number of moderate members managed ... to obtain a majority in a thin house. Swift.
(d) Not violent or rigorous; temperate; mild; gentle; as, a moderate winter. "Moderate showers." Walter. (e) Limited as to degree of progress; as, to travel at moderate speed. (f) Limited as to the degree in which a quality, principle, or faculty appears; as, an infusion of moderate strength; a man of moderate abilities. (g) Limited in scope or effects; as, a reformation of a moderate kind. Hooker.
MODERATE Mod"er*ate, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a party in the Church of Scotland in the 18th century, and part of the 19th, professing moderation in matters of church government, in discipline, and in doctrine.
MODERATE Mod"er*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moderated; p. pr. & vb. n. Moderating.]
1. To restrain from excess of any kind; to reduce from a state of violence, intensity, or excess; to keep within bounds; to make temperate; to lessen; to allay; to repress; to temper; to qualify; as, to moderate rage, action, desires, etc.; to moderate heat or wind. By its astringent quality, it moderates the relaxing quality of warm water. Arbuthnot. To moderate stiff minds disposed to strive. Spenser.
2. To preside over, direct, or regulate, as a public meeting; as, to moderate a synod.
MODERATE Mod"er*ate, v. i.
1. To become less violent, severe, rigorous, or intense; as, the wind has moderated.
2. To preside as a moderator. Dr. Barlow [was] engaged ... to moderate for him in the divinity disputation. Bp. Barlow's Remains (1693).
MODERATELY Mod"er*ate*ly, adv.
Defn: In a moderate manner or degree; to a moderate extent. Each nymph but moderately fair. Waller.
MODERATENESS Mod"er*ate*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being moderate; temperateness; moderation.
MODERATION Mod`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. moderatio: cf. F. modération.]
1. The act of moderating, or of imposing due restraint.
2. The state or quality of being mmoderate. In moderation placing all my glory, While Tories call me Whig, and Whigs a Tory. Pope.
3. Calmness of mind; equanimity; as, to bear adversity with moderation. The calm and judicious moderation of Orange. Motley.
4. pl.
Defn: The first public examinations for degrees at the University of Oxford; -- usually contracted to mods.
MODERATISM Mod"er*a*tism, n.
Defn: Moderation in doctrines or opinion, especially in politics or religion.
MODERATO Mod`e*ra"to, a. & adv. Etym: [It. See Moderate.] (Mus.)
Defn: With a moderate degree of quickness; moderately. Allegro moderato, a little slower than allegro. -- Andante moderato, a little faster than andante.
MODERATOR Mod"er*a`tor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. modérateur.]
1. One who, or that which, moderates, restrains, or pacifies. Sir W. Raleigh. Angling was ... a moderator of passions. Walton.
2. The officer who presides over an assembly to preserve order, propose questions, regulate the proceedings, and declare the votes.
3. In the University of Oxford, an examiner for moderations; at Cambridge, the superintendant of examinations for degrees; at Dublin, either the first (senior) or second (junior) in rank in an examination for the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
4. A mechamical arrangement for regulating motion in a machine, or producing equality of effect.
MODERATORSHIP Mod"er*a`tor*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a moderator.
MODERATRESS Mod"er*a`tress, n.
Defn: A female moderator. Fuller.
MODERATRIX Mod"er*a`trix, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A female moderator.
MODERN Mod"ern, a. Etym: [F. moderne, L. modernus; akin to modo just now, orig. abl. of modus measure; hence, by measure, just now. See Mode.]
1. Of or pertaining to the present time, or time not long past; late; not ancient or remote in past time; of recent period; as, modern days, ages, or time; modern authors; modern fashions; modern taste; modern practice. Bacon.
2. New and common; trite; commonplace. [Obs.] We have our philosophical persons, to make modern and familiar, things supernatural and causeless. Shak. Modern English. See the Note under English.
MODERN Mod"ern, n.
Defn: A person of modern times; -- opposed to ancient. Pope.
MODERNISM Mod"ern*ism, n.
Defn: Modern practice; a thing of recent date; esp., a modern usage or mode of expression.
MODERNIST Mod"ern*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. moderniste.]
Defn: One who admires the moderns, or their ways and fashions.
MODERNITY Mo*der"ni*ty, n.
Defn: Modernness; something modern. Walpole.
MODERNIZATION Mod`ern*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of rendering modern in style; the act or process of causing to conform to modern of thinking or acting.
MODERNIZE Mod"ern*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Modernized; p. pr. & vb. n. Modernizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. moderniser.]
Defn: To render modern; to adapt to modern person or things; to cause to conform to recent or present usage or taste. Percy.
MODERNIZER Mod"ern*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who modernizes.
MODERNLY Mod"ern*ly, adv.
Defn: In modern times. Milton.
MODERNNESS Mod"ern*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being modern; recentness; novelty. M. Arnold.
MODEST Mod"est, a. Etym: [F. modeste, L. modestus, fr. modus measure. See Mode.]
1. Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest youth; a modest man.
2. Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a woman. Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife. Shak. The blushing beauties of a modest maid. Dryden.
3. Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy.
Syn. -- Reserved; unobtrusive; diffident; bashful; coy; shy; decent; becoming; chaste; virtuous.
MODESTLY Mod"est*ly, adv.
Defn: In a modest manner.
MODESTY Mod"es*ty, n. Etym: [L. modestia: cf. F. modestie. See Modest.]
1. The quality or state of being modest; that lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance; absence of self-assertion, arrogance, and presumption; humility respecting one's own merit.
2. Natural delicacy or shame regarding personal charms and the sexual relation; purity of thought and manners; due regard for propriety in speech or action. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty. Shak. Modesty piece, a narrow piece of lace worn by women over the bosom. [Obs.] Addison.
Syn. -- Bashfulness; humility; diffidence; shyness. See Bashfulness, and Humility.
MODICITY Mo*dic"i*ty, n. Etym: [LL. modicitas; cf. F. modicité.]
Defn: Moderateness; smallness; meanness. [Obs.]
MODICUM Mod"i*cum, n. Etym: [L., fr. modicus moderate, fr. modus. See Mode.]
Defn: A little; a small quantity; a measured simply. "Modicums of wit." Shak. Her usual modicum of beer and punch. Thackeray.
MODIFIABILITY Mod`i*fi`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: Capability of being modified; state or quality of being modifiable.
MODIFIABLE Mod"i*fi`a*ble, a. Etym: [From Modify.]
Defn: Capable of being modified; liable to modification.
MODIFICABLE Mo*dif"i*ca*ble, a.
Defn: Modifiable. [Obs.]
MODIFICATE Mod"i*fi*cate, v. t. Etym: [See Modify.]
Defn: To qualify. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.
MODIFICATION Mod`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. modificatio a measuring: cf. F. modification. See Modify.]
Defn: The act of modifying, or the state of being modified; a modified form or condition; state as modified; a change; as, the modification of an opinion, or of a machine; the various modifications of light. Bentley.
MODIFICATIVE Mod"i*fi*ca*tive, n.
Defn: That which modifies or qualifies, as a word or clause.
MODIFICATORY Mod"i*fi*ca`to*ry, a.
Defn: Tending or serving to modify; modifying. Max Müller.
MODIFIER Mod"i*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, modifies. Hume.
MODIFY Mod"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Modified; p. pr. & vb. n. Modifying.] Etym: [F. modifier, L. modificare, modificari; modus limit + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Mode, and -fy.]
1. To change somewhat the form or qualities of; to alter somewhat; as, to modify a contrivance adapted to some mechanical purpose; to modify the terms of a contract.
2. To limit or reduce in extent or degree; to moderate; to qualify; to lower. Of his grace He modifies his first severe decree. Dryden.
MODILLION Mo*dil"lion, n. Etym: [F. modillon, It. modiglione. Cf. Module, n.] (Arch.)
Defn: The enriched block or horizontal bracket generally found under the cornice of the Corinthian and Composite entablature, and sometimes, less ornamented, in the Ionic and other orders; -- so called because of its arrangement at regulated distances.
MODIOLAR Mo*di"o*lar, a. Etym: [L. modiolus, dim. of modius the Roman corn measure.]
Defn: Shaped like a bushel measure.
MODIOLUS Mo*di"o*lus, n.; pl. Modioli. Etym: [L., a small measure.] (Anat.)
Defn: The central column in the osseous cochlea of the ear.
MODISH Mod"ish, a.
Defn: According to the mode, or customary manner; conformed to the fashion; fashionable; hence, conventional; as, a modish dress; a modish feast. Dryden. "Modish forms of address." Barrow. -- Mod"ish*ly, adv. -- Mod"ish*ness, n.
MODIST Mod"ist, n.
Defn: One who follows the fashion.
MODISTE Mo`diste", n. Etym: [F. See Mode, and cf. Modist.]
Defn: A female maker of, or dealer in, articles of fashion, especially of the fashionable dress of ladies; a woman who gives direction to the style or mode of dress.
MODIUS Mo"di*us, n.; pl. Modii. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A dry measure, containing about a peck.
MODOCS Mo"docs, n. pl.; sing. Modoc (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of warlike Indians formerly inhabiting Northern California. They are nearly extinct.
MODULAR Mod"u*lar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to mode, modulation, module, or modius; as, modular arrangement; modular accent; modular measure.
MODULATE Mod"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Modulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Modulating.] Etym: [L. modulatus, p.p. of modulari to measure, to modulate, fr. modulus a small measure, meter, melody, dim. of modus. See Mode.]
1. To form, as sound, to a certain key, or to a certain portion.
2. To vary or inflect in a natural, customary, or musical manner; as, the organs of speech modulate the voice in reading or speaking. Could any person so modulate her voice as to deceive so many Broome.
MODULATE Mod"u*late, v. i. (Mus.)
Defn: To pass from one key into another.
MODULATION Mod`u*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. modulatio: cf. F. modulation.]
1. The act of modulating, or the state of being modulated; as, the modulation of the voice.
2. Sound modulated; melody. [R.] Thomson.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: A change of key, whether transient, or until the music becomes established in the new key; a shifting of the tonality of a piece, so that the harmonies all center upon a new keynote or tonic; the art of transition out of the original key into one nearly related, and so on, it may be, by successive changes, into a key quite remote. There are also sudden and unprepared modulations.
MODULATOR Mod"u*la`tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who, or that which, modulates. Denham.
MODULE Mod"ule, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. modulus a small measure, dim. of modus. See Mode, and cf. Model, Modulus, Mold a matrix.]
1. A model or measure.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: The size of some one part, as the diameter of semi-diameter of the base of a shaft, taken as a unit of measure by which the proportions of the other parts of the composition are regulated. Generally, for columns, the semi-diameter is taken, and divided into a certain number of parts, called minutes (see Minute), though often the diameter is taken, and any dimension is said to be so many modules and minutes in height, breadth, or projection.
MODULE Mod"ule, v. t. Etym: [See module, n., Modulate.]
Defn: To model; also, to modulate. [Obs.] Sandys. Drayton.
MODULUS Mod"u*lus, n.; pl. Moduli. Etym: [L., a small measure. See Module, n.] (Math., Mech., & Physics)
Defn: A quantity or coefficient, or constant, which expresses the measure of some specified force, property, or quality, as of elasticity, strength, efficiency, etc.; a parameter. Modulus of a machine, a formula expressing the work which a given machine can perform under the conditions involved in its construction; the relation between the work done upon a machine by the moving power, and that yielded at the working points, either constantly, if its motion be uniform, or in the interval of time which it occupies in passing from any given velocity to the same velocity again, if its motion be variable; -- called also the efficiency of the machine. Mosley. Rankine. -- Modulus of a system of logarithms (Math.), a number by which all the Napierian logarithms must be multiplied to obtain the logarithms in another system. -- Modulus of elasticity. (a) The measure of the elastic force of any substance, expressed by the ratio of a stress on a given unit of the substance to the accompanying distortion, or strain. (b) An expression of the force (usually in terms of the height in feet or weight in pounds of a column of the same body) which would be necessary to elongate a prismatic body of a transverse section equal to a given unit, as a square inch or foot, to double, or to compress it to half, its original length, were that degree of elongation or compression possible, or within the limits of elasticity; -- called also Young's modulus. -- Modulus of rupture, the measure of the force necessary to break a given substance across, as a beam, expressed by eighteen times the load which is required to break a bar of one inch square, supported flatwise at two points one foot apart, and loaded in the middle between the points of support. Rankine.
MODUS Mo"dus, n.; pl. Modi. Etym: [L. See Mode.] (Old Law)
1. The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance.
2. (Law)
Defn: A qualification involving the idea of variation or departure from some general rule or form, in the way of either restriction or enlargement, according to the circumstances of the case, as in the will of a donor, an agreement between parties, and the like. Bracton.
3. (Law)
Defn: A fixed compensation or equivalent given instead of payment of tithes in kind, expressed in full by the phrase modus decimandi. Blackstone. They, from time immemorial, had paid a modus, or composition. Landor. Modus operandi ( Etym: [L.], manner of operating.
MODUS VIVENDI Mo"dus vi*ven"di. [L.]
Defn: Mode, or manner, of living; hence, a temporary arrangement of affairs until disputed matters can be settled.
MODY Mod"y, a. Etym: [From Mode.]
Defn: Fashionable. [R.]
MOE Moe, n.
Defn: A wry face or mouth; a mow. [Obs.]
MOE Moe, v. i.
Defn: To make faces; to mow. [Obs.]
MOE Moe, a., adv., & n. Etym: [AS. ma See More.]
Defn: More. See Mo. [Obs.] "Sing no more ditties, sing no moe." Shak.
MOEBLES Moe"bles, n. pl. Etym: [OE., fr. OF. moeble, mueble, movable, from L. mobilis.]
Defn: Movables; furniture; -- also used in the singular (moeble). [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOELLINE Mo"el*line, n. Etym: [F. moelle, fr. L. medulla marrow.]
Defn: An unguent for the hair.
MOELLON Mo"el*lon, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Rubble masonry.
MOESOGOTHIC Moe`so*goth"ic, a.
Defn: Belonging to the Moesogoths, a branch of the Goths who settled in Moesia.
MOESOGOTHIC Moe`so*goth"ic, n.
Defn: The language of the Moesogoths; -- also called Gothic.
MOEVE Moeve, v. t. & i.
Defn: To move. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOFF Moff, n.
Defn: A thin silk stuff made in Caucasia.
MOG Mog, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Mogging.] [Etym. unknown.]
Defn: To move away; to go off. [Prov. Eng. or Local, U. S.]
MOGGAN Mog"gan, n.
Defn: A closely fitting knit sleeve; also, a legging of knitted material. [Scot.]
MOGUL Mo*gul", n. Etym: [From the Mongolian.]
1. A person of the Mongolian race.
2. (Railroad)
Defn: A heavy locomotive for freight traffic, having three pairs of connected driving wheels and a two-wheeled truck. Great, or Grand, Mogul, the sovereign of the empire founded in Hindostan by the Mongols under Baber in the sixteenth century. Hence, a very important personage; a lord; -- sometimes only mogul. Dryden.
MOHA Mo"ha, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of millet (Setaria Italica); German millet.
MOHAIR Mo"hair`, n. Etym: [F. moire, perh. from Ar. mukhayyar a kind of coarse camelot or haircloth; but prob. fr. L. marmoreus of marble, resembling marble. Cf. Moire, Marble.]
Defn: The long silky hair or wool of the Angora goat of Asia Minor; also, a fabric made from this material, or an imitation of such fabric.
MOHAMMEDAN Mo*ham"med*an, a. Etym: [From Mohammed, fr. Ar. muhámmad praiseworthy, highly praised.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mohammed, or the religion and institutions founded by Mohammed. [Written also Mahometan, Mahomedan, Muhammadan, etc.]
MOHAMMEDAN Mo*ham"med*an, n.
Defn: A follower of Mohammed, the founder of Islamism; one who professes Mohammedanism or Islamism.
MOHAMMEDAN CALENDAR Mo*ham"med*an cal"en*dar.
Defn: A lunar calendar reckoning from the year of the hegira, 622 a. d. Thirty of its years constitute a cycle, of which the 2d, 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th, and 29th are leap years, having 355 days; the others are common, having 354 days. By the following tables any Mohammedan date may be changed into the Christian date, or vice versa, for the years 1900-1935 a. d.
Months of the Mohammedan year.
1 Muharram . . . .. 30 2 Safar . . . . . . .. 29 3 Rabia I . . . . . . 30 4 Rabia II . . . .. 29 5 Jumada I . . . .. 30 6 Jumada II . . . . 29 7 Rajab . . . . . . .. 30 8 Shaban . . . . . . . 29 9 Ramadan . . . . . . 30 10 Shawwal . . . . . . 29 11 Zu'lkadah . . . . 30 12 Zu'lhijjah . . . 29* * in leap year, 30 days
a. h. a. d. a. h. a. d.
1317 begins May 12, 1899 1336* begins Oct.17, 1917 1318 May 1, 1900 1337 Oct. 7, 1918 1319* Apr.20, 1901 1338* Sept.26,1919 1320 Apr.10, 1902 1339 Sept.15,1920 1321+ Mar.30, 1903 1340 Sept.4, 1921 1322* Mar.18, 1904 1341* Aug.24, 1922 1323 Mar. 8, 1905 1342 Aug.14, 1923 1324 Feb.25, 1906 1343 Aug. 2, 1924 1325* Feb.14, 1907 1344* July 22,1925 1326 Feb. 4, 1908 1345 July 12,1926 1327* Jan.23, 1909 1346* July 1, 1927 1328 Jan.13, 1910 1347 June 20,1928 1329 Jan. 2, 1911 1348 June 9, 1929 1330* Dec.22, 1911 1349* May 29, 1930 1331 Dec.11, 1912 1350 May 19, 1931 1332 Nov.30, 1913 1351++ May 7, 1932 1333* Nov.19, 1914 1352* Apr.26, 1933 1334 Nov. 9, 1915 1353 Apr.16, 1934 1335 Oct.28, 1916 1354 Apr. 5, 1935 * Leap year + First year of the 45th cycle ++ First year of the 46th cycle
The following general rule for finding the date of commencement of any Mohammedan year has a maximum error of a day: Multiply 970,224 by the Mohammedan year, point off six decimal places, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the year a. d., and the decimal multiplied by 365 will give the day of the year.
MOHAMMEDAN ERA Mohammedan Era.
Defn: The era in use in Mohammedan countries. See Mohammedan year, below.
MOHAMMEDANISM; MOHAMMEDISM Mo*ham"med*an*ism, Mo*ham"med*ism, n.
Defn: The religion, or doctrines and precepts, of Mohammed, contained in the Koran; Islamism.
MOHAMMEDANIZE; MOHAMMEDIZE Mo*ham"med*an*ize, Mo*ham"med*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make conformable to the principles, or customs and rites, of Mohammedanism. [Written also Mahometanize.]
MOHAMMEDAN YEAR Mohammedan year.
Defn: The year used by Mohammedans, consisting of twelve lunar months without intercalation, so that they retrograde through all the seasons in about 32½ years. The Mohammedan era begins with the year 622 a.d., the first day of the Mohammedan year 1332 begin Nov. 30, 1913, acording to the Gregorian calendar.
MOHAWK Mo"hawk, n.
1. (Ethnol.)
Defn: One of a tribe of Indians who formed part of the Five Nations. They formerly inhabited the valley of the Mohawk River.
2. One of certain ruffians who infested the streets of London in the time of Addison, and took the name from the Mohawk Indians. [Slang] Spectator. Macaulay.
MOHICANS Mo*hi"cans, n. pl.; sing. Mohican (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Lenni-Lenape Indians who formerly inhabited Western Connecticut and Eastern New York. [Written also Mohegans.]
MOHO Mo"ho, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A gallinule (Notornis Mantelli) formerly inhabiting New Zealand, but now supposed to be extinct. It was incapable of flight. See Notornis.
MOHOCK Mo"hock, n.
Defn: See Mohawk.
MOHOLI Mo*ho"li, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Maholi.
MOHR Mohr, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A West African gazelle (Gazella mohr), having horns on which are eleven or twelve very prominent rings. It is one of the species which produce bezoar. [Written also mhorr.]
MOHUR Mo"hur, n. Etym: [Hind., fr. Per. muhur, muhr, a gold coin, a seal, seal ring.]
Defn: A British Indian gold coin, of the value of fifteen silver rupees, or $7.21. Malcom.
MOHURRUM; MUHARRAM Mo*hur"rum, Mu*har"ram, n. Etym: [Ar. muharram, prop., sacred, forbidden, n., the first month of the Mohammedan lunar year.]
1. The first month of the Mohammedan year. Whitworth.
2. A festival of the Shiah sect of the Mohammedans held during the first ten days of the month Mohurrum.
MOIDER Moi"der, v. i.
Defn: To toil. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
MOIDORE Moi"dore, n. Etym: [Pg. moeda d'ouro, lit., coin of gold. Cf. Money, and Aureate.]
Defn: A gold coin of Portugal, valued at about 27s. sterling.
MOIETY Moi"e*ty, n.; pl. Moieties. Etym: [F. moitié, L. medietas, fr. medius middle, half. See Mid, a., and cf. Mediate, Mediety.]
1. One of two equal parts; a half; as, a moiety of an estate, of goods, or of profits; the moiety of a jury, or of a nation. Shak. The more beautiful moiety of his majesty's subject. Addison.
2. An indefinite part; a small part. Shak.
MOIL Moil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Moiling.] Etym: [OE. moillen to wet, OF. moillier, muillier, F. mouller, fr. (assumed) LL. molliare, fr. L. mollis soft. See Mollify.]
Defn: To daub; to make dirty; to soil; to defile. Thou ... doest thy mind in dirty pleasures moil. Spenser.
MOIL Moil, v. i. Etym: [From Moil to daub; prob. from the idea of struggling through the wet.]
Defn: To soil one's self with severe labor; to work with painful effort; to labor; to toil; to drudge. Moil not too much under ground. Bacon. Now he must moil and drudge for one he loathes. Dryden.
MOIL Moil, n.
Defn: A spot; a defilement. The moil of death upon them. Mrs. Browning.
MOILE Moile, n. Etym: [F. mule a slipper.]
Defn: A kind of high shoe anciently worn. [Written also moyle.]
MOINEAU Moi"neau, n. Etym: [F.] (Fort.)
Defn: A small flat bastion, raised in the middle of an overlong curtain.
MOIRA Moi"ra, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Greek Myth.)
Defn: The deity who assigns to every man his lot.
MOIRE Moire, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Mohair.]
1. Originally, a fine textile fabric made of the hair of an Asiatic goat; afterwards, any textile fabric to which a watered appearance is given in the process of calendering.
2. A watered, clouded, or frosted appearance produced upon either textile fabrics or metallic surfaces. Moire antique, a superior kind of thick moire.
MOIRE METALLIQUE Moi`ré" mé`tal`lique". Etym: [F.]
Defn: A crystalline or frosted appearance produced by some acids on tin plate; also, the tin plate thus treated.
MOIST Moist, a. Etym: [OE. moiste, OF. moiste, F. moite, fr. L. muccidus, for mucidus, moldy, musty. Cf. Mucus, Mucid.]
1. Moderately wet; damp; humid; not dry; as, a moist atmosphere or air. "Moist eyes." Shak.
2. Fresh, or new. [Obs.] "Shoes full moist and new." "A draught of moist and corny ale." Chaucer.
MOIST Moist, v. t.
Defn: To moisten. [Obs.] Shak.
MOISTEN Mois"ten, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moistened; p. pr. & vb. n. Moistening.]
1. To make damp; to wet in a small degree. A pipe a little moistened on the inside. Bacon.
2. To soften by making moist; to make tender. It moistened not his executioner's heart with any pity. Fuller.
MOISTENER Mois"ten*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, moistens. Johnson.
MOISTFUL Moist"ful, a.
Defn: Full of moisture. [R.]
MOISTLESS Moist"less, a.
Defn: Without moisture; dry. [R.]
MOISTNESS Moist"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being moist.
MOISTURE Mois"ture, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. moistour, F. moiteur.]
1. A moderate degree of wetness. Bacon.
2. That which moistens or makes damp or wet; exuding fluid; liquid in small quantity. All my body's moisture Scarce serves to quench my furnace-burning heat. Shak.
MOISTURELESS Mois"ture*less, a.
Defn: Without moisture.
MOISTY Moist"y, a.
Defn: Moist. [Obs.]
MOITHER Moi"ther, v. t. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: To perplex; to confuse. [Prov. Eng.] Lamb.
MOITHER Moi"ther, v. i.
Defn: To toil; to labor. [Prov. Eng.]
MOJARRA Mo*jar"ra, n. [Sp.]
Defn: Any of certain basslike marine fishes (mostly of tropical seas, and having a deep, compressed body, protracile mouth, and large silvery scales) constituting the family Gerridæ, as Gerres plumieri, found from Florida to Brazil and used as food. Also, any of numerous other fishes of similar appearance but belonging to other families.
MOKADOUR Mok"a*dour, n. Etym: [Sp. mocador handkerchief.]
Defn: A handkerchief. [Obs.]
MOKE Moke, n.
Defn: A donkey. [Cant] Thackeray.
MOKE Moke, n.
Defn: A mesh of a net, or of anything resembling a net. Halliwell.
MOKY Mo"ky, a. Etym: [Cf. Icel. mökkvi cloud, mist, mökkr a dense cloud, W. mwg smoke, and E. muggy, muck.]
Defn: Misty; dark; murky; muggy. [Obs.]
MOLA Mo"la, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Sunfish, 1.
MOLAR Mo"lar, a. Etym: [L. moles mass.] (Mech.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mass of matter; -- said of the properties or motions of masses, as distinguished from those of molecules or atoms. Carpenter.
MOLAR Mo"lar, a. Etym: [L. molaris, fr. mola mill, fr. molere to grind in a mill. See Mill the machine.]
Defn: Having power to grind; grinding; as, the molar teeth; also, of or pertaining to the molar teeth. Bacon.
MOLAR Mo"lar, n. (Anat.)
Defn: Any one of the teeth back of the incisors and canines. The molar which replace the deciduous or milk teeth are designated as premolars, and those which are not preceded by deciduous teeth are sometimes called true molars. See Tooth.
MOLARY Mo"la*ry, a.
Defn: Same as 2d Molar.
MOLASSE Mo*lasse", n. Etym: [F. molasse, prob. fr. mollasse flabby, flimsy, fr. L. mollis soft.] (Geol.)
Defn: A soft Tertiary sandstone; -- applied to a rock occurring in Switzerland. See Chart of Geology.
MOLASSES Mo*las"ses, n. Etym: [F. mélasse, cf. Sp. melaza, Pg. melaço, fr. L. mellaceus honeylike, honey-sweet, mel, mellis, honey. See Mellifluous, and cf. Melasses.]
Defn: The thick, brown or dark colored, viscid, uncrystallizable sirup which drains from sugar, in the process of manufacture; any thick, viscid, sweet sirup made from vegetable juice or sap, as of the sorghum or maple. See Treacle.
MOLD Mold, n. Etym: [See Mo a spot.]
Defn: A spot; a blemish; a mole. [Obs.] Spenser.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, n. Etym: [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole an animal, Mull, v.] [The prevalent spelling is, perhaps, mould; but as the u has not been inserted in the other words of this class, as bold, gold, old, cold, etc., it seems desirable to complete the analogy by dropping it from this word, thus spelling it as Spenser, South, and many others did. The omission of the u is now very common in America.]
1. Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil.
2. Earthy material; the matter of which anything is formed; composing substance; material. The etherial mold, Incapable of stain. Milton. Nature formed me of her softest mold. Addison.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Molded or Moulded; p. pr. & vb. n. Molding or Moulding.]
Defn: To cover with mold or soil. [R.]
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, n. Etym: [From the p.p. of OE. moulen to become moldy, to rot, prob. fr. Icel. mygla to grow musty, mugga mugginess; cf. Sw. mögla to grow moldy. See Muggy, and cf. Moldy.] (Bot.)
Defn: A growth of minute fungi of various kinds, esp. those of the great groups Hyphomycetes, and Physomycetes, forming on damp or decaying organic matter.
Note: The common blue mold of cheese, the brick-red cheese mold, and the scarlet or orange strata which grow on tubers or roots stored up for use, when commencing to decay, are familiar examples. M. J. Berkley.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, v. t.
Defn: To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, v. i.
Defn: To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, n. Etym: [OE. molde, OF. mole, F. moule, fr. L. modulus. See Model.] [For spelling, see 2d Mold, above.]
1. The matrix, or cavity, in which anything is shaped, and from which it takes its form; also, the body or mass containing the cavity; as, a sand mold; a jelly mold. Milton.
2. That on which, or in accordance with which, anything is modeled or formed; anything which serves to regulate the size, form, etc., as the pattern or templet used by a shipbuilder, carpenter, or mason. The glass of fashion and the mold of form. Shak.
3. Cast; form; shape; character. Crowned with an architrave of antique mold. Pope.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: A group of moldings; as, the arch mold of a porch or doorway; the pier mold of a Gothic pier, meaning the whole profile, section, or combination of parts.
5. (Anat.)
Defn: A fontanel.
6. (Paper Making)
Defn: A frame with a wire cloth bottom, on which the pump is drained to form a sheet, in making paper by hand.
MOLD; MOULD Mold, Mould, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. mouler, OF. moler, moller. See Mold the matrix.]
1. To form into a particular shape; to shape; to model; to fashion. He forgeth and moldeth metals. Sir M. Hale. Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mold me man Milton.
2. To ornament by molding or carving the material of; as, a molded window jamb.
3. To knead; as, to mold dough or bread.
4. (Founding)
Defn: To form a mold of, as in sand, in which a casting may be made.
MOLDABLE; MOULDABLE Mold"a*ble, Mould"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being molded or formed.
MOLDBOARD; MOULDBOARD Mold"board`, Mould"board`, n.
1. A curved plate of iron (originally of wood) back of the share of a plow, which turns over the earth in plowing.
2. (Founding)
Defn: A follow board.
MOLDER; MOULDER Mold"er, Mould"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, molds or forms into shape; specifically (Founding), one skilled in the art of making molds for castings.
MOLDER; MOULDER Mold"er, Mould"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moldered or Mouldered; p. pr. & vb. n. Moldering or Mouldering.] Etym: [From Mold fine soft earth: cf. Prov. G. multern.]
Defn: To crumble into small particles; to turn to dust by natural decay; to lose form, or waste away, by a gradual separation of the component particles, without the presence of water; to crumble away. The moldering of earth in frosts and sun. Bacon. When statues molder, and when arches fall. Prior. If he had sat still, the enemy's army would have moldered to nothing. Clarendon.
MOLDER; MOULDER Mold"er, Mould"er, v. t.
Defn: To turn to dust; to cause to crumble; to cause to waste away. [Time's] gradual touch Has moldered into beauty many a tower. Mason.
MOLDERY; MOULDERY Mold"er*y, Mould"er*y, a.
Defn: Covered or filled with mold; consisting of, or resembling, mold.
MOLDINESS; MOULDINESS Mold"i*ness, Mould"i*ness, n. Etym: [From Moldy.]
Defn: The state of being moldy.
MOLDING; MOULDING Mold"ing, Mould"ing, n.
1. The act or process of shaping in or on a mold, or of making molds; the art or occupation of a molder.
2. Anything cast in a mold, or which appears to be so, as grooved or ornamental bars of wood or metal.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: A plane, or curved, narrow surface, either sunk or projecting, used for decoration by means of the lights and shades upon its surface. Moldings vary greatly in pattern, and are generally used in groups, the different members of each group projecting or retreating, one beyond another. See Cable, n., 3, and Crenelated molding, under Crenelate, v. t.
MOLDING; MOULDING Mold"ing, Mould"ing, p.a.
Defn: Used in making a mold or moldings; used in shaping anything according to a pattern. Molding, or Moulding, board. (a) See Follow board, under Follow, v. t. (b) A board on which bread or pastry is kneaded and shaped. -- Molding, or Moulding, machine. (a) (Woodworking) A planing machine for making moldings. (b) (Founding) A machine to assist in making molds for castings. -- Molding, or Moulding, mill, a mill for shaping timber. -- Molding, or Moulding, sand (Founding), a kind of sand containing clay, used in making molds.
MOLDWARP; MOULDWARP Mold"warp, Mould"warp, n. Etym: [OE. moldwerp: AS. molde soil + weorpan to throw up; cf. OD. molworp, G. maulwurf, Icel. moldvarpa, Dan. muldvarp. See Mold soil, Warp, and cf. Mole the animal.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mole the animal. Spenser.
MOLDY; MOULDY Mold"y, Mould"y, a. [Compar. Moldier or Mouldier; superl. Moldiest or Mouldiest.] Etym: [From Mold the growth of fungi.]
Defn: Overgrown with, or containing, mold; as, moldy cheese or bread.
MOLE Mole, n. Etym: [AS. mal; akin to OHG. meil, Goth. mail Cf. Mail a spot.]
1. A spot; a stain; a mark which discolors or disfigures. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
2. A spot, mark, or small permanent protuberance on the human body; esp., a spot which is dark-colored, from which commonly issue one or more hairs.
MOLE Mole, n. Etym: [L. mola.]
Defn: A mass of fleshy or other more or less solid matter generated in the uterus.
MOLE Mole, n. Etym: [F. môle, L. moles. Cf. Demolish, Emolument, Molest.]
Defn: A mound or massive work formed of masonry or large stones, etc., laid in the sea, often extended either in a right line or an arc of a circle before a port which it serves to defend from the violence of the waves, thus protecting ships in a harbor; also, sometimes, the harbor itself. Brande & C.
MOLE Mole, n. Etym: [OE. molle, either shortened fr. moldwerp, or from the root of E. mold soil: cf. D. mol, OD. molworp. See Moldwarp.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any insectivore of the family Talpidæ. They have minute eyes and ears, soft fur, and very large and strong fore feet.
Note: The common European mole, or moldwarp (Talpa Europæa), is noted for its extensive burrows. The common American mole, or shrew mole (Scalops aquaticus), and star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) have similar habits.
Note: In the Scriptures, the name is applied to two unindentified animals, perhaps the chameleon and mole rat.
2. A plow of peculiar construction, for forming underground drains. [U.S.] Duck mole. See under Duck. -- Golden mole. See Chrysochlore. -- Mole cricket (Zoöl.), an orthopterous insect of the genus Gryllotalpa, which excavates subterranean galleries, and throws up mounds of earth resembling those of the mole. It is said to do damage by injuring the roots of plants. The common European species (Gryllotalpa vulgaris), and the American (G. borealis), are the best known. -- Mole rat (Zoöl.), any one of several species of Old World rodents of the genera Spalax, Georychus, and several allied genera. They are molelike in appearance and habits, and their eyes are small or rudimentary. -- Mole shrew (Zoöl.), any one of several species of short-tailed American shrews of the genus Blarina, esp. B. brevicauda. -- Water mole, the duck mole.
MOLE Mole, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moled; p. pr. & vb. n. Moling.]
1. To form holes in, as a mole; to burrow; to excavate; as, to mole the earth.
2. To clear of molehills. [Prov. Eng.] Pegge.
MOLEBUT Mole"but, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The sunfish (Orthagoriscus, or Mola). [Written also molebat.]
MOLECAST Mole"cast`, n.
Defn: A little elevation of earth made by a mole; a molehill. Mortimer.
MOLECH Mo"lech, n. Etym: [Heb. molek king.] (Script.)
Defn: The fire god of the Ammonites, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Moloch. Lev. xviii. 21.
MOLECULAR Mo*lec"u*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. moléculare. See Molecule.] (Phys. & Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, connected with, produced by, or consisting of, molecules; as, molecular forces; molecular groups of atoms, etc. Molecular attraction (Phys.), attraction acting between the molecules of bodies, and at insensible distances. -- Molecular weight (Chem.), the weight of a molecule of any gas or vapor as compared with the hydrogen atom as a standard; the sum of the atomic weights of the constituents of a molecule; thus, the molecular weight of water (H2O) is 18.
MOLECULARITY Mo*lec`u*lar"i*ty, n. (Phys. & Chem.)
Defn: The state of consisting of molecules; the state or quality of being molecular.
MOLECULARLY Mo*lec"u*lar*ly, adv. (Phys. & Chem.)
Defn: With molecules; in the manner of molecules. W. R. Grove.
MOLECULE Mol"e*cule, n. Etym: [Dim. fr. L. moles a mass: cf. F. molécule. See 3d Mole.]
1. One of the very small invisible particles of which all matter is supposed to consist.
2. (Physics)
Defn: The smallest part of any substance which possesses the characteristic properties and qualities of that substance, and which can exist alone in a free state.
3. (Chem.)
Defn: A group of atoms so united and combined by chemical affinity that they form a complete, integrated whole, being the smallest portion of any particular compound that can exist in a free state; as, a molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Cf. Atom.
MOLE-EYED Mole"-eyed`, a.
Defn: Having eyes like those of the mole; having imperfect sight.
MOLEHILL Mole"hill`, n.
Defn: A little hillock of earth thrown up by moles working under ground; hence, a very small hill, or an insignificant obstacle or difficulty. Having leapt over such mountains, lie down before a molehill. South.
MOLENDINACEOUS; MOLENDINARIOUS Mo*len`di*na"ceous, Mo*len`di*na"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. molendinarius, fr. molendinum a mill, fr. molere to grind.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling the sails of a windmill.
MOLESKIN Mole"skin`, n.
Defn: Any fabric having a thick soft shag, like the fur of a mole; esp., a kind of strong twilled fustian.
MOLEST Mo*lest", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Molested; p. pr. & vb. n. Molesting.] Etym: [F. molester, L. molestare, fr. molestus troublesome, fr. moles a heavy mass, load, burden. See 3d Mole.]
Defn: To trouble; to disturb; to render uneasy; to interfere with; to vex. They have molested the church with needless opposition. Hooker.
Syn. -- To trouble; disturb; incommode; inconvenience; annoy; vex; tease.
MOLEST Mo*lest", n.
Defn: Molestation. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOLESTATION Mol`es*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. molestation.]
Defn: The act of molesting, or the state of being molested; disturbance; annoyance.
MOLESTER Mo*lest"er, n.
Defn: One who molests.
MOLESTFUL Mo*lest"ful, a.
Defn: Troublesome; vexatious. [R.]
MOLESTIE; MOLESTY Mo*les"tie, Mo*les"ty, n. Etym: [L. molestia.]
Defn: Molestation. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOLEWARP Mole"warp`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Moldwarp.
MOLIMINOUS Mo*lim"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. molimen a great exertion; moles a heavy mass.]
Defn: Of great bulk or consequence; very important. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
MOLINE Mo"line, n. Etym: [L. molina mill, fr. molere to grind. See Mill.]
Defn: The crossed iron that supports the upper millstone by resting on the spindle; a millrind. Cross moline (Her.), a cross each arm of which is divided at the end into two rounded branches or divisions.
MOLINISM Mo"lin*ism, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: The doctrines of the Molinists, somewhat resembling the tenets of the Arminians.
MOLINIST Mo"lin*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of the opinions of Molina, a Spanish Jesuit (in respect to grace); an opposer of the Jansenists.
MOLL Moll, a. Etym: [G., fr. L. mollis soft, tender, elegiac. Cf. Molle.] (Mus.)
Defn: Minor; in the minor mode; as, A moll, that is, A minor.
MOLLAH Mol"lah, n. Etym: [Ar. maula, commonly mollain Turkey.]
Defn: One of the higher order of Turkish judges; also, a Turkish title of respect for a religious and learned man. [Written also moolah.]
MOLLE Mol"le, a. Etym: [See Moll.] (Mus.)
Defn: Lower by a semitone; flat; as, E molle, that is, E flat.
MOLLEBART Mol"le*bart, n.
Defn: An agricultural implement used in Flanders, consisting of a kind of large shovel drawn by a horse and guided by a man. [Written also mollebært and mouldebært.] Simmonds.
MOLLEMOKE Mol"le*moke`, n. Etym: [Sw. mallemucke the stormy petrel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of large pelagic petrels and fulmars, as Fulmarus glacialis, of the North Atlantic, and several species of Æstrelata, of the Southern Ocean. See Fulmar. [Written also mollymawk, malmock, mollemock, mallemocke, etc.]
MOLLIENT Mol"lient, a. Etym: [L. molliens, p.p. of mollire to soften, fr. mollis soft.]
Defn: Serving to soften; assuaging; emollient.
MOLLIENTLY Mol"lient*ly, adv.
Defn: Assuagingly.
MOLLIFIABLE Mol"li*fi`a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being mollified.
MOLLIFICATION Mol`li*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [LL. mollificatio; cf. F. mollification.]
Defn: The act of mollifying, or the state of being mollified; a softening. Chaucer.
MOLLIFIER Mol"li*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mollifies. Bacon.
MOLLIFY Mol"li*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mollified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mollifying.] Etym: [F. mollifier, L. mollificare; mollis soft + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See Enmollient, Moil, v. t., and -fy.]
1. To soften; to make tender; to reduce the hardness, harshness, or asperity of; to qualify; as, to mollify the ground. With sweet science mollified their stubborn hearts. Spenser.
2. To assuage, as pain or irritation, to appease, as excited feeling or passion; to pacify; to calm.
MOLLINET Mol"li*net, n. Etym: [Cf. Moline.]
Defn: A little mill.
MOLLIPILOSE Mol`li*pi*lose", a. Etym: [L. mollis soft + pilosus hairy.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having soft hairs; downy.
MOLLITIES Mol*li"ti*es, n. Etym: [L., softness.] (Med.)
Defn: Unnatural softness of any organ or part. Dunglison.
MOLLITUDE Mol"li*tude, n. Etym: [L. mollitudo, fr. mollis soft.]
Defn: Softness; effeminacy; weakness. [R.]
MOLLUSC Mol"lusc, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Mollusk.
MOLLUSCA Mol*lus"ca, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mollusk.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom, including the classes Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, PteropodaScaphopoda, and Lamellibranchiata, or Conchifera. These animals have an unsegmented bilateral body, with most of the organs and parts paired, but not repeated longitudinally. Most of them develop a mantle, which incloses either a branchial or a pulmonary cavity. They are generally more or less covered and protected by a calcareous shell, which may be univalve, bivalve, or multivalve.
Note: Formerly the Brachiopoda, Bryzoa, and Tunicata were united with the Lamellibranchiata in an artificial group called Acephala, which was also included under Mollusca. See Molluscoudea.
MOLLUSCAN Mol*lus"can, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to mollusks. -- n.
Defn: A mollusk; one of the Mollusca.
MOLLUSCOID Mol*lus"coid, a. Etym: [Mollusca + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Resembling the true mollusks; belonging to the Molluscoidea. -- n.
Defn: One of the Molluscoidea.
MOLLUSCOIDAL Mol`lus*coid"al, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Molluscoid.
MOLLUSCOIDEA Mol`lus*coi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mollusk, and -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Invertebrata which includes the classes Brachiopoda and Bryozoa; -- called also Anthoid Mollusca.
Note: Originally the Tunicata were included under Molluscoidea, from which they are known to differ widely in structure and embryology. Molluscoidea were formerly considered a subdivision of Mollusca, but they are now known to have more relationship with Annelida than with Mollusca.
MOLLUSCOUS Mol*lus"cous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Molluscan.
MOLLUSCUM Mol*lus"cum, n. Etym: [NL. See Mollusk.] (Med.)
Defn: A cutaneous disease characterized by numerous tumors, of various forms, filled with a thick matter; -- so called from the resemblance of the tumors to some molluscous animals. Dunglison.
MOLLUSK Mol"lusk, n. Etym: [F. mollusque, L. mollusca a kind of soft nut with a thin shell, fr. molluscus soft, mollis soft. See Mollify.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Mollusca. [Written also mollusc.]
MOLLY Mol"ly, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Mollemoke.
MOLLY Mol"ly, n.
Defn: A pet or colloquial name for Mary. Molly cottontail. (Zoöl.) See Cottontail. -- Molly Maguire (ma*gwir"); pl. Molly Maguires (-gwirz). (a) A member of a secret association formed among the tenantry in Ireland about 1843, principally for the purpose of intimidating law officers and preventing the service of legal writs. Its members disguised themselves in the dress of women. (b) A member of a similar association of Irishmen organized in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania, about 1854, for the purpose of intimidating employers and officers of the law, and for avenging themselves by murder on persons obnoxious to them. The society was broken up by criminal prosecutions in 1876.
MOLLY-MAWK Mol"ly-mawk`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mollemoke.
MOLOCH Mo"loch, n. Etym: [Heb. molek king.]
1. (Script.)
Defn: The fire god of the Ammonites in Canaan, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Molech. Also applied figuratively.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A spiny Australian lizard (Moloch horridus). The horns on the head and numerous spines on the body give it a most formidable appearance.
MOLOKANE; MOLOKANY Mol`o*ka"ne, Mol`o*ka"ny, n. pl. [Russ. molokane.]
Defn: See Raskolnik.
MOLOSSE Mo*losse", n.
Defn: See Molossus.
MOLOSSES Mo*los"ses, n.
Defn: Molasses. [Obs.]
MOLOSSINE Mo*los"sine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bat of the genus Molossus, as the monk bat.
MOLOSSUS Mo*los"sus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Gr. & Lat. Pros.)
Defn: A foot of three long syllables. [Written also molosse.]
MOLT Molt, obs.imp.
Defn: of Melt. Chaucer. Spenser.
MOLT; MOULT Molt, Moult, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Molted or Moulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Molting or Moulting.] Etym: [OE. mouten, L. mutare. See Mew to molt, and cf. Mute, v. t.] [The prevalent spelling is, perhaps, moult; but as the u has not been inserted in the otherwords of this class, as, bolt, colt, dolt, etc., it is desirable to complete the analogy by the spelling molt.]
Defn: To shed or cast the hair, feathers, skin, horns, or the like, as an animal or a bird. Bacon.
MOLT; MOULT Molt, Moult, v. t.
Defn: To cast, as the hair, skin, feathers, or the like; to shed.
MOLT; MOULT Molt, Moult, n.
Defn: The act or process of changing the feathers, hair, skin, etc.; molting.
MOLTABLE Molt"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of assuming a molten state; meltable; fusible. [Obs.]
MOLTEN Mol"ten, a. Etym: [See Melt.]
1. Melted; being in a state of fusion, esp. when the liquid state is produced by a high degree of heat; as, molten iron.
2. Made by melting and casting the substance or metal of which the thing is formed; as, a molten image.
MOLTO Mol"to, adv. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Much; very; as, molto adagio, very slow.
MOLY Mo"ly, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. A fabulous herb of occult power, having a black root and white blossoms, said by Homer to have been given by Hermes to Ulysses to counteract the spells of Circe. Milton.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of garlic (Allium Moly) with large yellow flowers; -- called also golden garlic.
MOLYBDATE Mo*lyb"date, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of molybdic acid.
MOLYBDENA Mol`yb*de"na, n. Etym: [L. molybdaena galena, Gr. (Min.)
Defn: See Molybdenite.
MOLYBDENITE Mo*lyb"de*nite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. molybdénite. See Molybdena.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occurring in soft, lead-gray, foliated masses or scales, resembling graphite; sulphide of molybdenum.
MOLYBDENOUS Mo*lyb"de*nous, a. (Chem.)
Defn: See Molybdous.
MOLYBDENUM Mol`yb*de"num, n. Etym: [NL.: cf. F. molybdène. See Molybdena.] (Chem.)
Defn: A rare element of the chromium group, occurring in nature in the minerals molybdenite and wulfenite, and when reduced obtained as a hard, silver-white, difficulty fusible metal. Symbol Mo. Atomic weight 95.9.
MOLYBDIC Mo*lyb"dic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. molybdique. See molybdena.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, molybdenum; specif., designating those compounds in which the element has a higher valence, as contrasted with molybdous compounds; as, molybdic oxide.
MOLYBDITE Mo*lyb"dite, n. (Min.)
Defn: Molybdic ocher.
MOLYBDOUS Mo*lyb"dous, a. Etym: [See Molybdena.]
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, molybdenum; specif., designating those compounds in which molybdenum has a lower valence as contrasted with molybdic compounds.
MOME Mome, n. Etym: [Cf. Mumm, Momus.]
Defn: A dull, silent person; a blockhead. [Obs.] Spenser.
MOMENT Mo"ment, n. Etym: [F. moment, L. momentum, for movimentum movement, motion, moment, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf. Momentum, Movement.]
1. A minute portion of time; a point of time; an instant; as, at thet very moment. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Cor. xv. 52.
2. Impulsive power; force; momentum. The moments or quantities of motion in bodies. Berkley. Touch, with lightest moment of impulse, His free will. Milton.
3. Importance, as in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value; consideration. Matters of great moment. Shak. It is an abstruse speculation, but also of far less moment and consequence of us than the others. Bentley.
4. An essential element; a deciding point, fact, or consideration; an essential or influential circumstance.
5. (Math.)
Defn: An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment or decrement. [Obs.]
6. (Mech.)
Defn: Tendency, or measure of tendency, to produce motion, esp. motion about a fixed point or axis. Moment of a couple (Mech.), the product of either of its forces into the perpendicular distance between them. -- Moment of a force. (Mech.) (a) With respect to a point, the product of the intensity of the force into the perpendicular distance from the point to the line of direction of the force. (b) With respect to a line, the product of that component of the force which is perpendicular to the plane passing through the line and the point of application of the force, into the shortest distance between the line and this point. (c) With respect to a plane that is parallel to the force, the product of the force into the perpendicular distance of its point of application from the plane. -- Moment of inertia, of a rotating body, the sum of the mass of each particle of matter of the body into the square of its distance from the axis of rotation; -- called also moment of rotation and moment of the mass. -- Statical moment, the product of a force into its leverage; the same as moment of a force with respect to a point, line, etc. -- Virtual moment. See under Virtual.
Syn. -- Instant; twinkling; consequence; weight; force; value; consideration; signification; avail.
MOMENTAL Mo*men"tal, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. momental.] [Obs.]
1. Lasting but a moment; brief. Not one momental minute doth she swerve. Breton.
2. Important; momentous.
3. (Mech.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to moment or momentum.
MOMENTALLY Mo*men"tal*ly, adv.
Defn: For a moment. [Obs.]
MOMENTANEOUS; MOMENTANY Mo`men*ta"ne*ous, Mo"men*ta*ny, a. Etym: [L. momentaneus: cf. F. momentané.]
Defn: Momentary. [Obs.] Hooker. "Momentany as a sound." Shak.
MOMENTARILY Mo"men*ta*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: Every moment; from moment to moment. Shenstone.
MOMENTARINESS Mo"men*ta*ri*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being momentary; shortness of duration.
MOMENTARY Mo"men*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L. momentarius. See Moment.]
Defn: Done in a moment; continuing only a moment; lasting a very short time; as, a momentary pang. This momentary joy breeds months of pain. Shak.
MOMENTLY Mo"ment*ly, adv.
1. For a moment.
2. In a moment; every moment; momentarily.
MOMENTOUS Mo*men"tous, a. Etym: [Cf. L. momentosus rapid, momentary.]
Defn: Of moment or consequence; very important; weighty; as, a momentous decision; momentous affairs. -- Mo*men"tous*ly, adv. -- Mo*men"tous*ness, n.
MOMENTUM Mo*men"tum, n.; pl. L. Momenta, F. Momentums. Etym: [L. See Moment.]
1. (Mech.)
Defn: The quantity of motion in a moving body, being always proportioned to the quantity of matter multiplied into the velocity; impetus.
2. Essential element, or constituent element. I shall state the several momenta of the distinction in separate propositions. Sir W. Hamilton.
MOMIER Mom"i*er, n. Etym: [F. mômier, fr. OF. momer, mommer, to mumm, to mask one's self.]
Defn: A name given in contempt to strict Calvinists in Switzerland, France, and some parts of Germany, in the early part of the 19th century.
MOMMERY Mom"mer*y, n.
Defn: See Mummery. Rowe.
MOMOT Mo"mot, n. Etym: [Momot and motmot, the native American name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Motmot.
MOMUS Mo"mus, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Myth.)
Defn: The god of mockery and censure.
MON- Mon-.
Defn: Same as Mono-.
MONA Mo"na, n. Etym: [CF. Sp. & Pg. mona, fem. of mono a monkey, ape.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small, handsome, long-tailed West American monkey (Cercopithecus mona). The body is dark olive, with a spot of white on the haunches.
MONACHAL Mon"a*chal, a. Etym: [L. monachus a monk: cf. F. monacal. See Monk.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to monks or a monastic life; monastic.
MONACHISM Mon"a*chism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monachisme.]
Defn: The system and influences of a monastic life; monasticism.
MONACID Mon*ac"id, a. Etym: [Mon- + acid.] (Chem.)
Defn: Having one hydrogen atom replaceable by a negative or acid atom or radical; capable of neutralizing a monobasic acid; -- said of bases, and of certain metals.
MONAD Mon"ad, n. Etym: [L. monas, -adis, a unit, Gr.
1. An ultimate atom, or simple, unextended point; something ultimate and indivisible.
2. (Philos. of Leibnitz)
Defn: The elementary and indestructible units which were conceived of as endowed with the power to produce all the changes they undergo, and thus determine all physical and spiritual phenomena.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the smallest flangellate Infusoria; esp., the species of the genus Monas, and allied genera.
4. (Biol.)
Defn: A simple, minute organism; a primary cell, germ, or plastid.
5. (Chem.)
Defn: An atom or radical whose valence is one, or which can combine with, be replaced by, or exchanged for, one atom of hydrogen. Monad deme (Biol.), in tectology, a unit of the first order of individuality.
MONADARIA Mon`a*da"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Monad.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Infusoria.
MONADELPHIA Mon`a*del"phi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan class of plants having the stamens united into a tube, or ring, by the filaments, as in the Mallow family.
MONADELPHIAN; MONADELPHOUS Mon`a*del"phi*an, Mon`a*del"phous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monadelphie.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monadelphia; having the stamens united in one body by the filaments.
MONADIC; MONADICAL Mo*nad"ic, Mo*nad"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or like, a monad, in any of its senses. See Monad, n. Dr. H. More.
MONADIFORM Mo*nad"i*form, a. Etym: [Monad + -form.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having the form of a monad; resembling a monad in having one or more filaments of vibratile protoplasm; as, monadiform young.
MONADOLOGY Mon`ad*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Monad + -logy.] (Philos.)
Defn: The doctrine or theory of monads.
MONAL Mo*nal", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any Asiatic pheasant of the genus Lophophorus, as the Impeyan pheasant.
MONAMIDE Mon*am"ide, n. Etym: [Mon- + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: An amido compound with only one amido group.
MONAMINE Mon*am"ine, n. Etym: [Mon- + amine.] (Chem.)
Defn: A basic compound containing one amido group; as, methyl amine is a monamine.
MONANDER Mo*nan"der, n. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the Monandria.
MONANDRIA Mo*nan"dri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan class of plants embracing those having but a single stamen.
MONANDRIAN Mo*nan"dri*an, a.; (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Monandrous.
MONANDRIC Mo*nan"dric, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to monandry; practicing monandry as a system of marriage.
MONANDROUS Mo*nan"drous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the monandria; having but one stamen.
MONANDRY Mo*nan"dry, n. Etym: [See Monandria.]
Defn: The possession by a woman of only one husband at the same time; -- contrasted with polyandry.
MONANTHOUS Mo*nan"thous, a. Etym: [Mon- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having but one flower; one-flowered. Gray.
MONARCH Mon"arch, n. Etym: [F. monarque, L. monarcha, fr. Gr. Archi-.]
1. A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler; an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief. He who reigns Monarch in heaven, ... upheld by old repute. Milton.
2. One superior to all others of the same kind; as, an oak is called the monarch of the forest.
3. A patron deity or presiding genius. Come, thou, monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus. Shak.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus); -- called also milkweed butterfly.
MONARCH Mon"arch, a.
Defn: Superior to others; preëminent; supreme; ruling. "Monarch savage." Pope.
MONARCHAL Mo*nar"chal, a.
Defn: Pertaining to a monarch; suiting a monarch; sovoreign; regal; imperial. Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised Above his fellows, with monarchal pride. Milton.
MONARCHESS Mon"arch*ess, n.
Defn: A female monarch. [Obs.]
MONARCHIAL Mo*nar"chi*al, a.
Defn: Monarchic. Burke.
MONARCHIAN Mo*nar"chi*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect in the early Christian church which rejected the doctrine of the Trinity; -- called also patripassian.
MONARCHIC; MONARCHICAL Mo*nar"chic, Mo*nar"chic*al, a. Etym: [F. monarchique, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a monarch, or to monarchy. Burke. -- Mo*nar"chic*al*ly, adv.
MONARCHISM Mon"arch*ism, n.
Defn: The principles of, or preference for, monarchy.
MONARCHIST Mon"arch*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monarchiste.]
Defn: An advocate of, or believer in, monarchy.
MONARCHIZE Mon"arch*ize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Monarchized; p. pr. & vb. n. Monarchizing.]
Defn: To play the sovereign; to act the monarch. [R.] Shak.
MONARCHIZE Mon"arch*ize, v. t.
Defn: To rule; to govern. [R.]
MONARCHIZER Mon"arch*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who monarchizes; also, a monarchist.
MONARCHO Mo*nar"cho, n.
Defn: The nickname of a crackbrained Italian who fancied himself an emperor. [Obs.] Shak.
MONARCHY Mon"arch*y, n.; pl. Monarchies. Etym: [F. monarchie, L. monarchia, Gr. Monarch.]
1. A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch.
2. A system of government in which the chief ruler is a monarch. In those days he had affected zeal for monarchy. Macaulay.
3. The territory ruled over by a monarch; a kingdom. What scourage for perjury Can this dark monarchy afford false Clarence. Shak. Fifth monarchy, a universal monarchy, supposed to be the subject of prophecy in Daniel ii.; the four preceding monarchies being Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman. See Fifth Monarchy men, under Fifth.
MONAS Mo"nas, n. Etym: [NL. See Monad.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of minute flagellate Infusoria of which there are many species, both free and attached. See Illust. under Monad.
MONASTERIAL Mon`as*te"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. monasterials, fr. monasterium.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to monastery, or to monastic life. -- Mon`as*te"ri*al*ly, adv.
MONASTERY Mon"as*te*ry, n.; pl. Monasteries. Etym: [L. monasterium, Gr. Minister.]
Defn: A house of religious retirement, or of secusion from ordinary temporal concerns, especially for monks; -- more rarely applied to such a house for females.
Syn. -- Convent; abbey; priory. See Cloister.
MONASTIC Mo*nas"tic, n.
Defn: A monk.
MONASTIC; MONASTICAL Mo*nas"tic, Mo*nas"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. monastique. See Monastery.]
1. Of or pertaining to monasteries, or to their occupants, rules, etc., as, monastic institutions or rules.
2. Secluded from temporal concerns and devoted to religion; recluse. "A life monastic." Denham.
MONASTICALLY Mo*nas"tic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a monastic manner.
MONASTICISM Mo*nas"ti*cism, n.
Defn: The monastic life, system, or condition. Milman.
MONASTICON Mo*nas"ti*con, n. Etym: [NL. See Monastic.]
Defn: A book giving an account of monasteries.
MONATOMIC Mon`a*tom"ic, adv. Etym: [Mon- + atomic.] (Chem.) (a) Consisting of, or containing, one atom; as, the molecule of mercury is monatomic. (b) Having the equivalence or replacing power of an atom of hydrogen; univalent; as, the methyl radical is monatomic.
MONAXIAL Mo*nax"i*al, a. Etym: [Mon- + axial.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having only one axis; developing along a single line or plane; as, monaxial development.
MONAZITE Mon"a*zite, n. Etym: [From Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occurring usually in small isolated crystals, -- phosphate of the cerium metals.
MONDAY Mon"day, n. Etym: [OE. moneday, monenday, AS. monandæg, i.e., day of the moon, day sacred to the moon; akin to D. maandag, G. montag, OHG. manatag, Icel. manadagr, Dan. mandag, Sw. måndag. See Moon, and Day.]
Defn: The second day of the week; the day following Sunday.
MONDE Monde, n. Etym: [F. See Mundane.]
Defn: The world; a globe as an ensign of royalty. [R.] A. Drummond. Le beau monde Etym: [F.], fashionable society. See Beau monde. -- Demi monde. See Demimonde.
MONE Mone, n.
Defn: The moon. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MONE Mone, n.
Defn: A moan. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MONECIAN; MONECIOUS Mo*ne"cian, Mo*ne"cious, a. (Bot.)
Defn: See Monoecian, and Monoecious.
MONEMBRYONY Mon*em"bry*o*ny, n. Etym: [See Mono-, and Embryo.] (Bot.)
Defn: The condition of an ovule having but a single embryo. -- Mon*em`bry*on"ic, a.
MONER Mo"ner, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Monera.
MONERA Mo*ne"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lowest division of rhizopods, including those which resemble the amoebas, but are destitute of a nucleus.
MONERAL Mo*ne"ral, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monera.
MONERAN Mo*ne"ran, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monera. -- n.
Defn: One of the Monera.
MONERON Mo*ne"ron, n.; pl. L. Monera; E. Monerons. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Monera.
MONERULA Mo*ner"u*la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of moner. See Monera.] (Biol.)
Defn: A germ in that stage of development in which its form is simply that of a non-nucleated mass of protoplasm. It precedes the one- celled germ. So called from its likeness to a moner. Haeckel.
MONESIA Mo*ne"sia, n. (Pharm.)
Defn: The bark, or a vegetable extract brought in solid cakes from South America and believed to be derived from the bark, of the tree Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum. It is used as an alterative and astringent.
MONESIN Mo*ne"sin, n.
Defn: The acrid principle of Monesia, sometimes used as a medicine.
MONEST Mo*nest", v. t. Etym: [See Admonish.]
Defn: To warn; to admonish; to advise. [Obs.] Wyclif (2 Cor. v. 20).
MONETARY Mon"e*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L. monetarius belonging to a mint. See Money.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to money, or consisting of money; pecuniary. "The monetary relations of Europe." E. Everett. Monetary unit, the standard of a national currency, as the dollar in the United States, the pound in England, the franc in France, the mark in Germany.
MONETH Mon"eth, n.
Defn: A month. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MONETIZATION Mon`e*ti*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of converting into money, or of adopting as money; as, the monetization of silver.
MONETIZE Mon"e*tize, v. t.
Defn: To convert into money; to adopt as current money; as, to monetize silver.
MONEY Mon"ey, n.; pl. Moneys. Etym: [OE. moneie, OF. moneie, F. monnaie, fr. L. moneta. See Mint place where coin is made, Mind, and cf. Moidore, Monetary.]
1. A piece of metal, as gold, silver, copper, etc., coined, or stamped, and issued by the sovereign authority as a medium of exchange in financial transactions between citizens and with government; also, any number of such pieces; coin. To prevent such abuses, ... it has been found necessary ... to affix a public stamp upon certain quantities of such particular metals, as were in those countries commonly made use of to purchase goods. Hence the origin of coined money, and of those public offices called mints. A. Smith.
2. Any written or stamped promise, certificate, or order, as a government note, a bank note, a certificate of deposit, etc., which is payable in standard coined money and is lawfully current in lieu of it; in a comprehensive sense, any currency usually and lawfully employed in buying and selling.
Note: Whatever, among barbarous nations, is used as a medium of effecting exchanges of property, and in the terms of which values are reckoned, as sheep, wampum, copper rings, quills of salt or of gold dust, shovel blades, etc., is, in common language, called their money.
3. In general, wealth; property; as, he has much money in land, or in stocks; to make, or lose, money. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Tim vi. 10 (Rev. Ver. ). Money bill (Legislation), a bill for raising revenue. -- Money broker, a broker who deals in different kinds of money; one who buys and sells bills of exchange; -- called also money changer. -- Money cowrie (Zoöl.), any one of several species of Cypræa (esp. C. moneta) formerly much used as money by savage tribes. See Cowrie. -- Money of account, a denomination of value used in keeping accounts, for which there may, or may not, be an equivalent coin; e.g., the mill is a money of account in the United States, but not a coin. -- Money order, an order for the payment of money; specifically, a government order for the payment of money, issued at one post office as payable at another; -- called also postal money order. -- Money scrivener, a person who produces the loan of money to others. [Eng.] -- Money spider, Money spinner (Zoöl.), a small spider; -- so called as being popularly supposed to indicate that the person upon whom it crawls will be fortunate in money matters. -- Money's worth, a fair or full equivalent for the money which is paid. -- A piece of money, a single coin. -- Ready money, money held ready for payment, or actually paid, at the time of a transaction; cash. -- To make money, to gain or acquire money or property; to make a profit in dealings.
MONEY Mon"ey, v. t.
Defn: To supply with money. [Obs.]
MONEYAGE Mon"ey*age, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monnayage coinage.]
1. A tax paid to the first two Norman kings of England to prevent them from debashing the coin. Hume.
2. Mintage; coinage. [Obs.]
MONEYED Mon"eyed, adv.
1. Supplied with money; having money; wealthy; as, moneyey men. Bacon.
2. Converted into money; coined. If exportation will not balance importation, away must your silver go again, whether moneyed or not moneyed. Locke.
3. Consisting in, or composed of, money. A. Hamilton.
MONEYER Mon"ey*er, n. Etym: [From Money; cf. OF. monoier, F. monnoayeur, L. monetarius a master of the mint. Cf. Monetary.]
1. A person who deals in money; banker or broker. [Obs. or R.]
2. An authorized coiner of money. Sir M. Hale. The Company of Moneyers, the officials who formerly coined the money of Great Britain, and who claimed certain prescriptive rights and privileges.
MONEYLESS Mon"ey*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of money; penniless; impecunious. Swift.
MONEY-MAKER Mon"ey-mak`er, n.
1. One who coins or prints money; also, a counterfeiter of money. [R.]
2. One who accumulates money or wealth; specifically, one who makes money-getting his governing motive.
MONEY-MAKING Mon"ey-mak`ing, n.
Defn: The act or process of making money; the acquisition and accumulation of wealth. Obstinacy in money-making. Milman.
MONEY-MAKING Mon"ey-mak`ing, a.
1. Affording profitable returns; lucrative; as, a money-making business.
2. Sussessful in gaining money, and devoted to that aim; as, a money- making man.
MONEYWORT Mon"ey*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A trailing plant (Lysimachia Nummularia), with rounded opposite leaves and solitary yellow flowers in their axils.
MONGCORN Mong"corn`, n.
Defn: See Mangcorn.
MONGER Mon"ger, n. Etym: [AS. mangere, fr. mangian to trade; akin to Icel. manga to trade, mangari a trader, OHG. mangari, mengari; cf. L. mango a dealer in slaves.]
1. A trader; a dealer; -- now used chiefly in composition; as, fishmonger, ironmonger, newsmonger.
2. A small merchant vessel. [Obs.] Blount.
MONGER Mon"ger, v. t.
Defn: To deal in; to make merchandise of; to traffic in; -- used chiefly of discreditable traffic.
MONGOL Mon"gol, n.
Defn: One of the Mongols. -- a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mongolia or the Mongols.
MONGOLIAN Mon*go"li*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Mongolia or the Mongols. -- n.
Defn: One of the Mongols.
MONGOLIC Mon*gol"ic, a.
Defn: See Mongolian.
MONGOLOID Mon"go*loid, a. Etym: [Mongol + -oid.]
Defn: Resembling a Mongol or the Mongols; having race characteristics, such as color, hair, and features, like those of the Mongols. Huxley.
MONGOLS; MONGOLIANS Mon"gols, Mon*go"li*ans, n. pl. (Ethnol.)
Defn: One of the great races of man, including the greater part of the inhabitants of China, Japan, and the interior of Asia, with branches in Northern Europe and other parts of the world. By some American Indians are considered a branch of the Mongols. In a more restricted sense, the inhabitants of Mongolia and adjacent countries, including the Burats and the Kalmuks.
MONGOOSE; MONGOOS Mon"goose, Mon"goos, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of ichneumon (Herpestes griseus), native of India. Applied also to other allied species, as the African banded mongoose (Crossarchus fasciatus). [Written also mungoose, mungoos, mungous.]
MONGREL Mon"grel, n. Etym: [Prob. shortened fr. mongrel, and akin to AS. mengan to mix, and E. mingle. See Mingle.]
Defn: The progeny resulting from a cross between two breeds, as of domestic animals; anything of mixed breed. Drayton.
MONGREL Mon"grel, a.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Not of a pure breed.
2. Of mixed kinds; as, mongrel language.
MONGRELIZE Mon"grel*ize, v. t. & i.
Defn: To cause to be mongrel; to cross breeds, so as to produce mongrels.
'MONGST 'Mongst, prep.
Defn: See Amongst.
MONIED Mon"ied, a.
Defn: See Moneyed.
MONIFIER Mo*nif"i*er, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. monile necklace + ferre to bear.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A fossil fish.
MONILIALES Mo*nil`i*a"les, n. pl. [NL., fr. L. monile necklace, -- because the conidia are produced in chains.] (Bot.)
Defn: The largest of the three orders into which the Fungi Imperfecti are divided, including various forms.
MONILIFORM Mo*nil"i*form, a. Etym: [L. monile necklace + -form: cf. F. moniliforme.] (Biol.)
Defn: Joined or constricted, at regular intervals, so as to resemble a string of beads; as, a moniliform root; a moniliform antenna. See Illust. of Antenna.
MONIMENT Mon"i*ment, n. Etym: [L. monimentum, monumentum. See Monument.]
Defn: Something to preserve memory; a reminder; a monument; hence, a mark; an image; a superscription; a record. [Obs.] Spenser.
MONISH Mon"ish, v. t. Etym: [OE. monesten. See Admonish, Monition.]
Defn: To admonish; to warn. See Admonish. [Archaic] Ascham.
MONISHER Mon"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who monishes; an admonisher. [Archaic]
MONISHMENT Mon"ish*ment, n.
Defn: Admonition. [Archaic]
MONISM Mon"ism, n. Etym: [From Gr.
1. (Metaph.)
Defn: That doctrine which refers all phenomena to a single ultimate constituent or agent; -- the opposite of dualism.
Note: The doctrine has been held in three generic forms: matter and its phenomena have been explained as a modification of mind, involving an idealistic monism; or mind has been explained by and resolved into matter, giving a materialistic monism; or, thirdly, matter, mind, and their phenomena have been held to be manifestations or modifications of some one substance, like the substance of Spinoza, or a supposed unknown something of some evolutionists, which is capable of an objective and subjective aspect.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: See Monogenesis, 1.
MONIST Mon"ist, n.
Defn: A believer in monism.
MONISTIC Mo*nis"tic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or involving, monism.
MONITION Mo*ni"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. monitio, from monere to warn, bring to mind; akin to E. mind. See Mind, and cf. Admonish, Money, Monster.]
1. Instruction or advice given by way of caution; an admonition; a warning; a caution. Sage monitions from his friends. Swift.
2. Information; indication; notice; advice. We have no visible monition of ... other periods, such as we have of the day by successive light and darkness. Holder.
3. (Admiralty Practice)
Defn: A process in the nature of a summons to appear and answer.
4. (Eccl. Law)
Defn: An order monishing a party complained against to obey under pain of the law. Shipley.
MONITIVE Mon"i*tive, a.
Defn: Conveying admonition; admonitory. Barrow.
MONITOR Mon"i*tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. monere. See Monition, and cf. Mentor.]
1. One who admonishes; one who warns of faults, informs of duty, or gives advice and instruction by way of reproof or caution. You need not be a monitor to the king. Bacon.
2. Hence, specifically, a pupil selected to look to the school in the absence of the instructor, to notice the absence or faults of the scholars, or to instruct a division or class.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any large Old World lizard of the genus Varanus; esp., the Egyptian species (V. Niloticus), which is useful because it devours the eggs and young of the crocodile. It is sometimes five or six feet long.
4. Etym: [So called from the name given by Captain Ericson, its designer, to the first ship of the kind.]
Defn: An ironclad war vessel, very low in the water, and having one or more heavily-armored revolving turrets, carrying heavy guns.
5. (Mach.)
Defn: A tool holder, as for a lathe, shaped like a low turret, and capable of being revolved on a vertical pivot so as to bring successively the several tools in holds into proper position for cutting. Monitor top, the raised central portion, or clearstory, of a car roof, having low windows along its sides.
MONITORIAL Mon`i*to"ri*al, a.
1. Of or pertaining to a monitor or monitors.
2. Done or performed by a monitor; as, monitorial work; conducted or taught by monitors; as, a monitorial school; monitorial instruction.
MONITORIALLY Mon`i*to"ri*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a monitorial manner.
MONITOR NOZZLE Monitor nozzle.
Defn: A nozzle capable of turning completely round in a horizontal plane and having a limited play in a vertical plane, used in hydraulic mining, fire-extinguishing apparatus, etc.
MONITORSHIP Mon"i*tor*ship, n.
Defn: The post or office of a monitor.
MONITORY Mon"i*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. monitorius.]
Defn: Giving admonition; instructing by way of caution; warning. Losses, miscarriages, and disappointments, are monitory and instructive. L'Estrange.
MONITORY Mon"i*to*ry, n.
Defn: Admonition; warning; especially, a monition proceeding from an ecclesiastical court, but not addressed to any one person.
MONITRESS; MONITRIX Mon"i*tress, Mon"i*trix, n.
Defn: A female monitor.
MONK Monk, n. Etym: [AS. munuc, munec, munc, L. monachus, Gr. Monachism.]
1. A man who retires from the ordinary temporal concerns of the world, and devotes himself to religion; one of a religious community of men inhabiting a monastery, and bound by vows to a life of chastity, obedience, and poverty. "A monk out of his cloister." Chaucer. Monks in some respects agree with regulars, as in the substantial vows of religion; but in other respects monks and regulars differ; for that regulars, vows excepted, are not tied up to so strict a rule of life as monks are. Ayliffe.
2. (Print.)
Defn: A blotch or spot of ink on a printed page, caused by the ink not being properly distributed. It is distinguished from a friar, or white spot caused by a deficiency of ink.
3. A piece of tinder made of agaric, used in firing the powder hose or train of a mine.
4. (Zoöl.) (a) A South American monkey (Pithecia monachus); also applied to other species, as Cebus xanthocephalus. (b) The European bullfinch. Monk bat (Zoöl.), a South American and West Indian bat (Molossus nasutus); -- so called because the males live in communities by themselves. -- Monk bird(Zoöl.), the friar bird. -- Monk seal (Zoöl.), a species of seal (Monachus albiventer) inhabiting the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the adjacent parts of the Atlantic. -- Monk's rhubarb (Bot.), a kind of dock; -- also called patience (Rumex Patientia).
MONKERY Monk"er*y, n.; pl. Monkeries (.
1. The life of monks; monastic life; monastic usage or customs; -- now usually applied by way of reproach. Miters, and wretched dead mediæval monkeries. Carlyle.
2. A collective body of monks. [Obs.] Though he have a whole monkery to sing for him. Latimer.
MONKEY Mon"key, n.; pl. Monkeys. Etym: [Cf. OIt. monicchio, It. monnino, dim. of monna an ape, also dame, mistress, contr. fr. madonna. See Madonna.]
1. (Zoöl.) (a) In the most general sense, any one of the Quadrumana, including apes, baboons, and lemurs. (b) Any species of Quadrumana, except the lemurs. (c) Any one of numerous species of Quadrumana (esp. such as have a long tail and prehensile feet) exclusive of apes and baboons.
Note: The monkeys are often divided into three groups: (a) Catarrhines, or Simidæ. These have an oblong head, with the oblique flat nostrils near together. Some have no tail, as the apes. All these are natives of the Old World. (b) Platyrhines, or Cebidæ. These have a round head, with a broad nasal septum, so that the nostrils are wide apart and directed downward. The tail is often prehensile, and the thumb is short and not opposable. These are natives of the New World. (c) Strepsorhines, or Lemuroidea. These have a pointed head with curved nostrils. They are natives of Southern Asia, Africa, and Madagascar.
2. A term of disapproval, ridicule, or contempt, as for mischievous child. This is the monkey's own giving out; she is persuaded I will marry her. Shak.
3. The weight or hammer of a pile driver, that is, a very heavy mass of iron, which, being raised on high, falls on the head of the pile, and drives it into the earth; the falling weight of a drop hammer used in forging.
4. A small trading vessel of the sixteenth century. Monkey boat. (Naut.) (a) A small boat used in docks. (b) A half-decked boat used on the River Thames. -- Monkey block (Naut.), a small single block strapped with a swivel. R. H. Dana, Jr. -- Monkey flower (Bot.), a plant of the genus Mimulus; -- so called from the appearance of its gaping corolla. Gray. -- Monkey gaff (Naut.), a light gaff attached to the topmast for the better display of signals at sea. -- Monkey jacket, a short closely fitting jacket, worn by sailors. -- Monkey rail (Naut.), a second and lighter rail raised about six inches above the quarter rail of a ship. -- Monkey shine, monkey trick. [Slang, U.S.] -- Monkey trick, a mischievous prank. Saintsbury. -- Monkey wheel. See Gin block, under 5th Gin. -- Monkey wrench, a wrench or spanner having a movable jaw.
MONKEY Mon"key, v. t. & i.
Defn: To act or treat as a monkey does; to ape; to act in a grotesque or meddlesome manner. To monkey with, to handle in a meddlesome manner. [Colloq.]
MONKEY-BREAD Mon"key-bread`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The fruit of the Adansonia digitata; also, the tree. See Adansonia.
MONKEY-CUP Mon"key-cup`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Nepenthes.
MONKEY-POT Mon"key-pot`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The fruit of two South American trees (Lecythis Ollaria, and L. Zabucajo), which have for their fruit large, pot-shaped, woody capsules containing delicious nuts, and opening almost explosively by a circular lid at the top. Vases and pots are made of this capsule.
MONKEY'S PUZZLE Mon"key's puz"zle. (Bot.)
Defn: A lofty coniferous Chilian tree (Araucaria imbricata), the branches of which are so crowded and intertwisted "as to puzzle a monkey to climb." The edible nuts are over an inch long, and are called piñon by the Chilians.
MONKEYTAIL Mon"key*tail`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A short, round iron bar or lever used in naval gunnery. Totten.
MONKFISH Monk"fish, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The angel fish (Squatina). (b) The angler (Lophius).
MONKFLOWER Monk"flow`er, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A name of certain curious orchids which bear three kinds of flowers formerly referred to three genera, but now ascertained to be sexually different forms of the same genus (Catasetum tridentatum, etc.).
MONKHOOD Monk"hood, n. Etym: [Monk + -hood.]
1. The character or condition of a monk. Atterbury.
2. Monks, regarded collectively. Longfellow.
MONKING Monk"ing, a.
Defn: Monkish. [R.] Coleridge.
MONKISH Monk"ish, a.
Defn: Like a monk, or pertaining to monks; monastic; as, monkish manners; monkish dress; monkish solitude. -- Monk"ish*ness, n.
MONKLY Monk"ly, a.
Defn: Like, or suitable to, a monk. [R.]
MONKSHOOD Monks"hood`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Aconitum; aconite. See Aconite.
MONK'S SEAM Monk's" seam`. (Naut.)
Defn: An extra middle seam made at the junction of two breadths of canvas, ordinarily joined by only two rows of stitches.
MONO-; MON- Mon"o-, Mon-. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A prefix signifying one, single, alone; as, monocarp, monopoly; (Chem.) indicating that a compound contains one atom, radical, or group of that to the name of which it is united; as, monoxide, monosulphide, monatomic, etc.
MONO Mo"no, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The black howler of Central America (Mycetes villosus).
MONOBASIC Mon`o*ba"sic, a. Etym: [Mono- + basic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Capable of being neutralized by a univalent base or basic radical; having but one acid hydrogen atom to be replaced; -- said of acids; as, acetic, nitric, and hydrochloric acids are monobasic.
MONOCARBONIC Mon`o*car*bon"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + carbonic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Containing one carboxyl group; as, acetic acid is a monocarbonic acid.
MONOCARDIAN Mon`o*car"di*an, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a single heart, as fishes and amphibians. -- n.
Defn: An animal having a single heart.
MONOCARP Mon"o*carp, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A monocarpic plant.
MONOCARPELLARY Mon`o*car"pel*la*ry, a. Etym: [Mono- + carpellary.] (Bot.)
Defn: Consisting of a single carpel, as the fruit of the pea, cherry, and almond.
MONOCARPIC; MONOCARPOUS Mon`o*car"pic, Mon`o*car"pous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monocarpe.] (Bot.)
Defn: Bearing fruit but once, and dying after fructification, as beans, maize, mustard, etc.
Note: Annual and biennual herbs are monocarpic, so also some plants of longer duration, as the century plant.
MONOCEPHALOUS Mon`o*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a solitary head; -- said of unbranched composite plants.
MONOCEROS Mo*noc"e*ros, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. A one-horned creature; a unicorn; a sea monster with one horn. Mighty monoceroses with immeasured tails. Spenser.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: The Unicorn, a constellation situated to the east Orion.
MONOCHLAMYDEOUS Mon`o*chla*myd"e*ous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monochlamydé.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having a single floral envelope, that is, a calyx without a corolla, or, possibly, in rare cases, a corolla without a calyx.
MONOCHORD Mon"o*chord, n. Etym: [L. monochordon, Gr. monocorde. See Chord, and cf. Mainchord.] (Mus.)
Defn: An instrument for experimenting upon the mathematical relations of musical sounds. It consists of a single string stretched between two bridges, one or both of which are movable, and which stand upon a graduated rule for the purpose of readily changing and measuring the length of the part of the string between them.
MONOCHROMATIC Mon`o*chro*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monochromatique. See Monochrome.]
Defn: Consisting of one color, or presenting rays of light of one color only. Monochromatic lamp (Opt.),a lamp whose flame yields rays of some one homogenous light. It is of great importance in optical experiments.
MONOCHROME Mon"o*chrome, n. Etym: [Gr. monochrome.]
Defn: A painting or drawing in a single color; a picture made with a single color.
MONOCHROMIC Mon`o*chro"mic, a.
Defn: Made, or done, with a single color; as, a monochromic picture.
MONOCHROMY Mon"o*chro`my, n.
Defn: The art of painting or drawing in monochrome.
MONOCHRONIC Mon`o*chron"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: Existing at the same time; contemporaneous.
MONOCILIATED Mon`o*cil"i*a`ted, a. Etym: [Mono- + ciliated.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having but one cilium.
MONOCLE Mon"o*cle, n. Etym: [F. See Monocular.]
Defn: An eyeglass for one eye. Simmonds.
MONOCLINAL Mon`o*cli"nal, a. Etym: [See Monoclinic.] (Geol.)
Defn: Having one oblique inclination; -- applied to strata that dip in only one direction from the axis of elevation.
MONOCLINE Mon"o*cline, n. (Geol.)
Defn: A monoclinal fold.
MONOCLINIC Mon`o*clin"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Crystallog.)
Defn: Having one oblique intersection; -- said of that system of crystallization in which the vertical axis is inclined to one, but at right angles to the other, lateral axis. See Crystallization.
MONOCLINOUS Mo*noc"li*nous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monocline.] (Bot.)
Defn: Hermaphrodite, or having both stamens and pistils in every flower.
MONOCONDYLA Mon`o*con"dy*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mono-, and Condyle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A group of vertebrates, including the birds and reptiles, or those that have only one occipital condyle; the Sauropsida.
MONOCOTYL Mon"o*co*tyl, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Any monocotyledonous plant.
MONOCOTYLE Mon"o*co*tyle, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monocotyle.] (Bot.)
Defn: Monocotyledonous.
MONOCOTYLEDON Mon`o*cot`y*le"don, n. Etym: [Mono- + cotyledon: cf. F. monocotylédone.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant with only one cotyledon, or seed lobe.
Note: The plural, monocotyledons, is used as the name of a large class of plants, and is generally understood to be equivalent to the term endogens.
MONOCOTYLEDONOUS Mon`o*cot`y*le"don*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monocotylédoné.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having only one cotyledon, seed lobe, or seminal leaf. Lindley.
MONOCRACY Mo*noc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Mono- + -cracy, as in democracy.]
Defn: Government by a single person; undivided rule. Sydney Smith.
MONOCRAT Mon"o*crat, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr.
Defn: One who governs alone.
MONOCROTIC Mon`o*crot"ic, a. (Physiol.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or showing, monocrotism; as, a monocrotic pulse; a pulse of the monocrotic type.
MONOCROTISM Mo*noc"ro*tism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: That condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve or sphygmogram shows but a single crest, the dicrotic elevation entirely disappearing.
MONOCULAR Mo*noc"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. monoculus; Gr. oculus eye: cf. F. monoculaire.]
1. Having only one eye; with one eye only; as, monocular vision.
2. Adapted to be used with only one eye at a time; as, a monocular microscope.
MONOCULE Mon"o*cule, n. Etym: [See Monocular.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small crustacean with one median eye.
MONOCULOUS Mo*noc"u*lous, a.
Defn: Monocular. Glanvill.
MONOCYSTIC Mon`o*cys"tic, a. Etym: [See Mono-, and Cyst.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a division (Monocystidea) of Gregarinida, in which the body consists of one sac.
MONODACTYLOUS Mon`o*dac"tyl*ous, a. Etym: [Gr. monodactyle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having but one finger or claw.
MONODELPH; MONODELPHIAN Mon"o*delph, Mon`o*del"phi*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Monodelphia.
MONODELPHIA Mon`o*del"phi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The group that includes all ordinary or placental mammals; the Placentalia. See Mammalia.
MONODELPHIC; MONODELPHOUS Mon`o*del"phic, Mon`o*del"phous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monodelphia.
MONODIC; MONODICAL Mo*nod"ic, Mo*nod"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Belonging to a monody.
2. (Mus.) (a) For one voice; monophonic. (b) Homophonic; -- applied to music in which the melody is confined to one part, instead of being shared by all the parts as in the style called polyphonic.
MONODIMETRIC Mon`o*di*met"ric, a. Etym: [Mono- + dimetric.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Dimetric.
MONODIST Mon"o*dist, n.
Defn: A writer of a monody.
MONODRAMA; MONODRAME Mon"o*dra`ma, Mon"o*drame, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: A drama acted, or intended to be acted, by a single person.
MONODRAMATIC Mon`o*dra*mat"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to a monodrama.
MONODY Mon"o*dy, n.; pl. Monodies. Etym: [L. monodia, Gr. monodie. See Ode.]
Defn: A species of poem of a mournful character, in which a single mourner expresses lamentation; a song for one voice.
MONODYNAMIC Mon`o*dy*nam"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + dynamic.]
Defn: Possessing but one capacity or power. "Monodynamic men." De Quincey.
MONODYNAMISM Mon`o*dy"na*mism, n.
Defn: The theory that the various forms of activity in nature are manifestations of the same force. G. H. Lewes.
MONOECIA Mo*noe"ci*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan class of plants, whose stamens and pistils are in distinct flowers in the same plant.
MONOECIAN Mo*noe"cian, a.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monoecia; monoecious. -- n.
Defn: One of the Monoecia.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A monoecious animal, as certain mollusks.
MONOECIOUS Mo*noe"cious, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Having the sexes united in one individual, as when male and female flowers grow upon the same individual plant; hermaphrodite; -- opposed to Ant: dioecious.
MONOECISM Mo*noe"cism, n. (Biol.)
Defn: The state or condition of being monoecious.
MONOGAM Mon"o*gam, n. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the Monogamia.
MONOGAMIA Mon`o*ga"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Monogamous.] (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan order of plants, having solitary flowers with united anthers, as in the genus Lobelia.
MONOGAMIAN; MONOGAMIC Mon`o*ga"mi*an, Mon`o*gam"ic, a. Etym: [See Monogamous.]
1. Pertaining to, or involving, monogamy.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monogamia; having a simple flower with united anthers.
MONOGAMIST Mo*nog"a*mist, n.
Defn: One who practices or upholds monogamy. Goldsmith.
MONOGAMOUS Mo*nog"a*mous, a. Etym: [L. monogamus having but one wife, Gr.
1. Upholding, or practicing, monogamy.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Monogamian.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Mating with but one of the opposite sex; -- said of birds and mammals.
MONOGAMY Mo*nog"a*my, n. Etym: [L. monogamia, Gr. monogamie.]
1. Single marriage; marriage with but one person, husband or wife, at the same time; -- opposed to polygamy. Also, one marriage only during life; -- opposed to deuterogamy.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: State of being paired with a single mate.
MONOGASTRIC Mon`o*gas"tric, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: Having but a single stomach.
MONOGENESIS Mon`o*gen"e*sis, n. Etym: [Mono- + genesis.]
1. Oneness of origin; esp. (Biol.), development of all beings in the universe from a single cell; -- opposed to polygenesis. Called also monism. Dana. Haeckel.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: That form of reproduction which requires but one parent, as in reproduction by fission or in the formation of buds, etc., which drop off and form new individuals; asexual reproduction. Haeckel.
3. (Biol.)
Defn: The direct development of an embryo, without metamorphosis, into an organism similar to the parent organism; -- opposed to metagenesis. E. van Beneden.
MONOGENETIC Mon`o*ge*net"ic, a. Etym: [See Monogenesis.]
1. (Geol.)
Defn: One in genesis; resulting from one process of formation; -- used of a mountain range. Dana.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Relating to, or involving, monogenesis; as, the monogenetic school of physiologists, who admit but one cell as the source of all beings.
MONOGENIC Mon`o*gen"ic, a.
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to monogenesis.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Producing only one kind of germs, or young; developing only in one way.
MONOGENISM Mo*nog"e*nism, n. (Anthropol.)
Defn: The theory or doctrine that the human races have a common origin, or constitute a single species.
MONOGENIST Mo*nog"e*nist, n. (Anthropol.)
Defn: One who maintains that the human races are all of one species; -- opposed to polygenist.
MONOGENISTIC Mon`o*ge*nis"tic, a.
Defn: Monogenic.
MONOGENOUS Mo*nog"e*nous, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to monogenesis; as, monogenous, or asexual, reproduction.
MONOGENY Mo*nog"e*ny, n.
1. Monogenesis.
2. (Anthropol.)
Defn: The doctrine that the members of the human race have all a common origin.
MONOGONEUTIC Mon`o*go*neu"tic, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having but one brood in a season.
MONOGRAM Mon"o*gram, n. Etym: [L. monogramma; Gr. monogramme. See Graphic.]
1. A character or cipher composed of two or more letters interwoven or combined so as to represent a name, or a part of it (usually the initials). Monograms are often used on seals, ornamental pins, rings, buttons, and by painters, engravers, etc., to distinguish their works. Monogram.
Note: The monogram above, combining the letters of the name Karolvs, was used by Charlemagne.
2. A picture in lines; a sketch. [R.]
3. An arbitrary sign for a word. [R.]
MONOGRAMMAL Mon"o*gram`mal, a.
Defn: See Monogrammic.
MONOGRAMMATIC Mon`o*gram*mat"ic, a.
Defn: Monogrammic.
MONOGRAMMIC Mon`o*gram"mic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a monogram.
MONOGRAMMOUS Mon"o*gram`mous, a.
Defn: Monogrammic.
MONOGRAPH Mon"o*graph, n. Etym: [Mono- + -graph.]
Defn: A written account or description of a single thing, or class of things; a special treatise on a particular subject of limited range.
MONOGRAPHER Mo*nog"ra*pher, n.
Defn: A writer of a monograph.
MONOGRAPHIC; MONOGRAPHICAL Mon`o*graph"ic, Mon`o*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monographique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a monograph, or to a monography; as, a monographic writing; a monographic picture. -- Mon`o*graph"ic*al*ly, adv.
MONOGRAPHIST Mo*nog"ra*phist, n.
Defn: One who writes a monograph.
MONOGRAPHOUS Mo*nog"ra*phous, a.
Defn: Monographic. [Obs.]
MONOGRAPHY Mo*nog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Mono- + -graphy: cf. F. monographie.]
1. Representation by lines without color; an outline drawing.
2. A monograph. [Obs.]
MONOGYN Mon"o*gyn, n. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the Monogynia.
MONOGYNIA Mon`o*gyn"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan order of plants, including those which have only one style or stigma.
MONOGYNIAN Mon`o*gyn"i*an, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Pertaining to the Monogynia; monogynous. -- n.
Defn: One of the Monogynia.
MONOGYNOUS Mo*nog"y*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monogyne.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Monogynia; having only one style or stigma.
MONOGYNY Mo*nog"y*ny, n. Etym: [See Monogynia.]
1. Marriage with the one woman only.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The state or condition of being monogynous.
MONOHEMEROUS Mon`o*hem"er*ous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Lasting but one day.
MONOICOUS Mo*noi"cous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Monoecious.
MONOLATRY Mo*nol"a*try, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: Worship of a single deity.
MONOLITH Mon"o*lith, n. Etym: [F. monolithe, L. monolithus consisting of a single stone, Gr.
Defn: A single stone, especially one of large size, shaped into a pillar, statue, or monument.
MONOLITHAL Mon"o*lith`al, a.
Defn: Monolithic.
MONOLITHIC Mon`o*lith"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a monolith; consisting of a single stone.
MONOLOGIST Mo*nol"o*gist, n. Etym: [See Monologue.]
Defn: One who soliloquizes; esp., one who monopolizes conversation in company. De Quincey.
MONOLOGUE Mon"o*logue, n. Etym: [F. monologue, Gr. Legend.]
1. A speech uttered by a person alone; soliloquy; also, talk or discourse in company, in the strain of a soliloquy; as, an account in monologue. Dryden.
2. A dramatic composition for a single performer.
MONOLOGY Mo*nol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The habit of soliloquizing, or of monopolizing conversation. It was not by an insolent usurpation that Coleridge persisted in monology through his whole life. De Quincey.
MONOMACHIA; MONOMACHY Mon`o*ma"chi*a, Mo*nom"a*chy, n. Etym: [L. monomachia, Gr.
Defn: A duel; single combat. "The duello or monomachia." Sir W. Scott.
MONOMACHIST Mo*nom"a*chist, n.
Defn: One who fights in single combat; a duelist.
MONOMANE Mon"o*mane, n.
Defn: A monomaniac. [R.]
MONOMANIA Mon`o*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Mono- + mania.]
Defn: Derangement of the mind in regard of a single subject only; also, such a concentration of interest upon one particular subject or train of ideas to show mental derangement.
Syn. -- Insanity; madness; alienation; aberration; derangement; mania. See Insanity.
MONOMANIAC Mon`oma"ni*ac, n.
Defn: A person affected by monomania.
MONOMANIAC; MONOMANIACAL Mon`oma"ni*ac, Mon`oma"ni*a*cal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monomaniaque.]
Defn: Affected with monomania, or partial derangement of intellect; caused by, or resulting from, monomania; as, a monomaniacal delusion.
MONOME Mon"ome, n. Etym: [F., fr. Gr. -nome as in binome. See Binomial.] (Math.)
Defn: A monomial.
MONOMEROUS Mo*nom"er*ous, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Composed of solitary parts, as a flower with one sepal, one petal, one stamen, and one pistil.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having but one joint; -- said of the foot of certain insects.
MONOMETALLIC Mon`o*me*tal"lic, a.
Defn: Consisting of one metal; of or pertaining to monometallism.
MONOMETALLISM Mon`o*met"al*lism, n. Etym: [Mono- + metal.]
Defn: The legalized use of one metal only, as gold, or silver, in the standard currency of a country, or as a standard of money values. See Bimetallism.
MONOMETALLIST Mon`o*met"al*list, n.
Defn: One who believes in monometallism as opposed to bimetallism, etc.
MONOMETER Mo*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A rhythmic series, consisting of a single meter.
MONOMETRIC Mon`o*met"ric, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monométrique.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Same as Isometric.
MONOMIAL Mo*no"mi*al, n. Etym: [See Monome, Binomial.] (Alg.)
Defn: A single algebraic expression; that is, an expression unconnected with any other by the sign of addition, substraction, equality, or inequality.
MONOMIAL Mo*no"mi*al, a. (Alg.)
Defn: Consisting of but a single term or expression.
MONOMORPHIC; MONOMORPHOUS Mon`o*mor"phic, Mon`o*mor"phous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Having but a single form; retaining the same form throughout the various stages of development; of the same or of an essentially similar type of structure; -- opposed to dimorphic, trimorphic, and polymorphic.
MONOMPHALUS Mo*nom"pha*lus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A form of double monster, in which two individuals are united by a common umbilicus.
MONOMYA; MONOMYARIA Mo*no"my*a, Mon`o*my*a"ri*a, n.pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of lamellibranchs having but one muscle for closing the shell, as the oyster.
MONOMYARIAN; MONOMYARY Mon`o*my"a*ri*an, Mon`o*my"a*ry, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monomya. -- n.
Defn: One of the Monomya.
MONONOMIAL Mon`o*no"mi*al, n. & a.
Defn: Monomyal.
MONOOUSIAN; MONOOUSIOUS Mon`o*ou"si*an, Mon`o*ou"si*ous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Theil.)
Defn: Having but one and the same nature or essence.
MONOPATHY Mo*nop"a*thy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Suffering or sensibility in a single organ or function. -- Mon`o*path"ic, a.
MONOPERSONAL Mon`o*per"son*al, a. Etym: [Mono- + personal.]
Defn: Having but one person, or form of existence.
MONOPETALOUS Mon`o*pet"al*ous, a. Etym: [Mono- + petal: cf. F. monopétale.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having only one petal, or the corolla in one piece, or composed of petals cohering so as to form a tube or bowl; gamopetalous.
Note: The most recent authors restrict this form to flowers having a solitary petal, as in species of Amorpha, and use gamopetalous for a corolla of several petals combined into one piece. See Illust. of Gamopetalous.
MONOPHANOUS Mo*noph"a*nous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: Having one the same appearance; having a mutual resemblance.
MONOPHONIC Mon`o*phon"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Mus.)
Defn: Single-voiced; having but one part; as, a monophonic composition; -- opposed to Ant: polyphonic.
MONOPHTHONG Mon"oph*thong, n. Etym: [Gr.
1. A single uncompounded vowel sound.
2. A combination of two written vowels pronounced as one; a digraph.
MONOPHTHONGAL Mon`oph*thon"gal, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or pertaining to, a monophthong.
MONOPHYLETIC Mon`o*phy*let"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a single family or stock, or to development from a single common parent form; -- opposed to polyphyletic; as, monophyletic origin.
MONOPHYLLOUS Mo*noph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. monophylle.] (Bot.)
Defn: One-leaved; composed of a single leaf; as, a monophyllous involucre or calyx.
MONOPHYODONT Mon`o*phy"o*dont, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Having but one set of teeth; -- opposed to diphyodont.
MONOPHYSITE Mo*noph"y*site, n. Etym: [Gr. monophysite.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect, in the ancient church, who maintained that the human and divine in Jesus Christ constituted but one composite nature. Also used adjectively.
MONOPHYSITICAL Mon`o*phy*sit"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Monophysites, or their doctrines.
MONOPLAST Mon"o*plast, n. Etym: [Mono- + -plast.] (Biol.)
Defn: A monoplastic element.
MONOPLASTIC Mon`o*plas"tic, a. Etym: [Mono- + -plastic.] (Biol.)
Defn: That has one form, or retains its primary form, as, a monoplastic element.
MONOPLEGIA Mon`ople"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Paralysis affecting a single limb.
MONOPNEUMONA Mon`op*neu"mo*na, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mono-, and Pneumonia.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A suborder of Dipnoi, including the Ceratodus. [Written also monopneumonia.]
MONOPODE Mon"o*pode, n.
1. One of a fabulous tribe or race of Ethiopians having but one leg and foot. Sir J. Mandeville. Lowell.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A monopodium.
MONOPODIAL Mon`o*po"di*al, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a monopodium or a single and continuous axis, as a birchen twig or a cornstalk.
MONOPODIUM Mon`o*po"di*um, n.; pl. L. Monopodia, E. -ums. Etym: [L. See Monopody.] (Bot.)
Defn: A single and continuous vegetable axis; -- opposed to sympodium.
MONOPODY Mo*nop"o*dy, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Pros.)
Defn: A measure of but a single foot.
MONOPOLER Mo*nop"o*ler, n.
Defn: A monopolist. [Obs.]
MONOPOLIST Mo*nop"o*list, n.
Defn: One who monopolizes; one who has a monopoly; one who favors monopoly.
MONOPOLISTIC Mo*nop`o*lis"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a monopolist. North Am. Rev.
MONOPOLITE Mo*nop"o*lite, n.
Defn: A monopolist. Sylvester.
MONOPOLIZE Mo*nop"o*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Monopolized; p. pr. & vb. n. Monopolizing.] Etym: [From Monopoly.]
Defn: To acquire a monopoly of; to have or get the exclusive privilege or means of dealing in, or the exclusive possession of; to engross the whole of; as, to monopolize the coffee trade; to monopolize land.
MONOPOLIZER Mo*nop"o*li`zer, n.
Defn: One who monopolizes.
MONOPOLY Mo*nop"o*ly, n.; pl. Monopolies. Etym: [L. monopolium, Gr.
1. The exclusive power, or privilege of selling a commodity; the exclusive power, right, or privilege of dealing in some article, or of trading in some market; sole command of the traffic in anything, however obtained; as, the proprietor of a patented article is given a monopoly of its sale for a limited time; chartered trading companies have sometimes had a monopoly of trade with remote regions; a combination of traders may get a monopoly of a particular product. Raleigh held a monopoly of cards, Essex a monopoly of sweet wines. Macaulay.
2. Exclusive possession; as, a monopoly of land. If I had a monopoly out, they would have part on 't. Shak.
3. The commodity or other material thing to which the monopoly relates; as, tobacco is a monopoly in France. [Colloq.]
MONOPOLYLOGUE Mon`o*pol"y*logue, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. poly`s many + lo`gos speech.]
Defn: An exhibition in which an actor sustains many characters.
MONOPSYCHISM Mon`o*psy"chism, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
Defn: The doctrine that there is but one immortal soul or intellect with which all men are endowed.
MONOPTERAL Mo*nop"ter*al, a. Etym: [Gr. monoptère.] (Arch.)
Defn: Round and without a cella; consisting of a single ring of columns supporting a roof; -- said esp. of a temple.
MONOPTERON Mo*nop"ter*on, n.; pl. Monoptera. Etym: [NL. See Monopteral.] (Arch.)
Defn: A circular temple consisting of a roof supported on columns, without a cella.
MONOPTOTE Mon"op*tote, n. Etym: [L. monoptotum, Gr. mo`nos single + (Gram.)
1. A noun having only one case. Andrews.
2. A noun having only one ending for the oblique cases.
MONOPYRENOUS Mon`o*py*re"nous, a. Etym: [Mono- + pyrene.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having but a single stone or kernel.
MONORGANIC Mon`or*gan"ic, a. Etym: [Mon- + organic.] (Biol. & Med.)
Defn: Belonging to, or affecting, a single organ, or set of organs.
MONORHINA Mon`o*rhi"na, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Marsipobranchiata.
MONORHYME Mon"o*rhyme, n. Etym: [Mono- + rhyme: cf. F. monorime.]
Defn: A composition in verse, in which all the lines end with the same rhyme.
MONOSACCHARIDE; MONOSACCHARID Mon`o*sac"cha*ride, n. Also -rid . [Mono- + saccharide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A simple sugar; any of a number of sugars (including the trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses, etc.), not decomposable into simpler sugars by hydrolysis. Specif., as used by some, a hexose. The monosaccharides are all open-chain compounds containing hydroxyl groups and either an aldehyde group or a ketone group.
MONOSEPALOUS Mon`o*sep"al*ous, a. Etym: [Mono- + sepal: cf. F. monosépale.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having only one sepal, or the calyx in one piece or composed of the sepals united into one piece; gamosepalous.
Note: The most recent writers restrict this term to flowers having a solarity sepal, and use gamosepalous for a calyx formed by several sepals combined into one piece. Cf. Monopetalous.
MONOSPERM Mon"o*sperm, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A monospermous plant.
MONOSPERMAL; MONOSPERMOUS Mon`o*sper"mal, Mon`o*sper"mous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monosperme.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having only one seed.
MONOSPHERICAL Mon`o*spher"ic*al, a. Etym: [Mono- + spherical.]
Defn: Consisting of one sphere only.
MONOSTICH Mon"o*stich, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A composition consisting of one verse only.
MONOSTICHOUS Mo*nos"ti*chous, a. Etym: [See Monostich.] (Bot.)
Defn: Arranged in a single row on one side of an axis, as the flowers in grasses of the tribe Chloridæ.
MONOSTROPHE Mo*nos"tro*phe, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A metrical composition consisting of a single strophe.
MONOSTROPHIC Mon`o*stroph"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Pros.)
Defn: Having one strophe only; not varied in measure; written in unvaried measure. Milton.
MONOSULPHIDE Mon`o*sul"phide, n. Etym: [Mono- + sulphide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A sulphide containing one atom of sulphur, and analogous to a monoxide; -- contrasted with a Ant: polysulphide; as, galena is a monosulphide.
MONOSULPHURET Mon`o*sul"phu*ret, n. Etym: [Mono- + sulphuret.] (Chem.)
Defn: See Monosulphide.
MONOSYLLABIC Mon`o*syl*lab"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. monosyllabique.]
Defn: Being a monosyllable, or composed of monosyllables; as, a monosyllabic word; a monosyllabic language. -- Mon`o*syl*lab"ic*al*ly, adv.
MONOSYLLABISM Mon`o*syl"la*bism, n.
Defn: The state of consisting of monosyllables, or having a monosyllabic form; frequent occurrence of monosyllables.
MONOSYLLABLE Mon"o*syl`la*ble, n. Etym: [L. monosyllabus of one syllable, Gr. monosyllabe. See Mono-, Syllable.]
Defn: A word of one syllable.
MONOSYLLABLED Mon"o*syl`la*bled, a.
Defn: Formed into, or consisting of, monosyllables. Cleveland.
MONOSYMMETRIC; MONOSYMMETRICAL Mon`o*sym*met"ric, Mon`o*sym*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Mono- + symmetric, -ical.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: Same as Monoclinic.
MONOTESSARON Mon`o*tes"sa*ron, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A single narrative framed from the statements of the four evangelists; a gospel harmony. [R.]
MONOTHALAMA Mon`o*thal"a*ma, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Foraminifera including those that have only one chamber.
MONOTHALAMAN Mon`o*thal"a*man, n. Etym: [See Monothalamous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A foraminifer having but one chamber.
MONOTHALAMOUS Mon`o*thal"a*mous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monothalame.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One-chambered.
MONOTHALMIC Mon`o*thal"mic, a. Etym: [See Monothalamous.] (Bot.)
Defn: Formed from one pistil; -- said of fruits. R. Brown.
MONOTHECAL Mon`o*the"cal, a. Etym: [Mono- + Br. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a single loculament.
MONOTHEISM Mon"o*the*ism, n. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. monothéisme.]
Defn: The doctrine or belief that there is but one God.
MONOTHEIST Mon"o*the*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monothéiste.]
Defn: One who believes that there is but one God.
MONOTHEISTIC Mon`o*the*is"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to monotheism.
MONOTHELISM; MONOTHELITISM Mo*noth"e*lism, Mo*noth"e*li*tism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monothélisme, monothélitisme.]
Defn: The doctrine of the Monothelites.
MONOTHELITE Mo*noth"e*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. monothélite.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of an ancient sect who held that Christ had but one will as he had but one nature. Cf. Monophysite. Gibbon.
MONOTHELITIC Mon`o*the*lit"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monothelites, or their doctrine.
MONOTOCOUS Mo*not"o*cous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Bearing fruit but once; monocarpic.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Uniparous; laying a single egg.
MONOTOMOUS Mo*not"o*mous, a. Etym: [Mono- + Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Having a distinct cleavage in a single direction only.
MONOTONE Mon"o*tone, n. Etym: [See Monotonous, Monotony.]
1. (Mus.)
Defn: A single unvaried tone or sound.
2. (Rhet.)
Defn: The utterance of successive syllables, words, or sentences, on one unvaried key or line of pitch.
MONOTONIC; MONOTONICAL Mon`o*ton"ic, Mon`o*ton"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or uttered in, a monotone; monotonous. "Monotonical declamation." Chesterfield.
MONOTONIST Mo*not"o*nist, n.
Defn: One who talks in the same strain or on the same subject until weariness is produced. Richardson.
MONOTONOUS Mo*not"o*nous, a. Etym: [Gr. Tone.]
Defn: Uttered in one unvarying tone; continued with dull uniformity; characterized by monotony; without change or variety; wearisome. -- Mo*not"o*nous*ly, adv. -- Mo*not"o*nous*ness, n.
MONOTONY Mo*not"o*ny, n. Etym: [Gr. monotonie. See Monotonius.]
1. A frequent recurrence of the same tone or sound, producing a dull uniformity; absence of variety, as in speaking or singing.
2. Any irksome sameness, or want of variety. At sea, everything that breaks the monotony of the surrounding expanse attracts attention. W. Irving.
MONOTREMATA Mon`o*trem"a*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A subclass of Mammalia, having a cloaca in which the ducts of the urinary, genital, and alimentary systems terminate, as in birds. The female lays eggs like a bird. See Duck mole, under Duck, and Echidna.
MONOTREMATOUS Mon`o*trem"a*tous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Monotremata.
MONOTREME Mon"o*treme, n. Etym: [Cf. F. monotrème.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Monotremata.
MONOTRIGLYPH Mon`o*tri"glyph, n. Etym: [Mono- + triglyph: cf. F. monotriglyphe.] (Arch.)
Defn: A kind of intercolumniation in an entablature, in which only one triglyph and two metopes are introduced.
MONOTROPA Mo*not"ro*pa, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of parasitic or saprophytic plants including the Indian pipe and pine sap. The name alludes to the dropping end of the stem.
MONOTYPE; MONOTYPIC Mon"o*type, Mon`o*typ"ic, a. Etym: [Mono- + -type: cf. F. monotype.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having but one type; containing but one representative; as, a monotypic genus, which contains but one species.
MONOVALENT Mo*nov"a*lent, a. Etym: [Mono- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.)
Defn: Having a valence of one; univalent. See Univalent.
MONOXIDE Mo*nox"ide, n. Etym: [Mon- + oxide.] (Chem.)
Defn: An oxide containing one atom of oxygen in each molecule; as, barium monoxide.
MONOXYLON Mo*nox"y*lon, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr.
Defn: A canoe or boat made from one piece of timber.
MONOXYLOUS Mo*nox"y*lous, a. Etym: [See Monoxylon.]
Defn: Made of one piece of wood.
MONOZOA Mon`o*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Radiolaria; -- called also Monocyttaria. -- Mon`o*zo"ic, a.
MONROE DOCTRINE Mon*roe" doc"trine.
Defn: See under Doctrine.
MONSEIGNEUR Mon`sei`gneur", n.; pl. Messeigneurs. Etym: [F., fr. mon my + seigneur lord, L. senior older. See Senior, and cf. Monsieur.]
Defn: My lord; -- a title in France of a person of high birth or rank; as, Monseigneur the Prince, or Monseigneur the Archibishop. It was given, specifically, to the dauphin, before the Revolution of 1789. (Abbrev. Mgr.)
MONSEL'S SALT Mon"sel's salt`. (Med.)
Defn: A basic sulphate of iron; -- so named from Monsel, a Frenchman.
MONSEL'S SOLUTION Mon"sel's so*lu"tion. Etym: [See Monsel's salt.] (Med.)
Defn: An aqueous solution of Monsel's salt, having valuable styptic properties.
MONSIEUR Mon*sieur", n.; pl. Messieurs. Etym: [F., fr. mon my + Sieur, abbrev. of seigneur lord. See Monseigneur.]
1. The common title of civility in France in speaking to, or of, a man; Mr. or Sir. [Represented by the abbreviation M. or Mons. in the singular, and by MM. or Messrs. in the plural.]
2. The oldest brother of the king of France.
3. A Frenchman. [Contemptuous] Shak.
MONSIGNORE Mon`si*gno"re, n.; pl. Monsignors. Etym: [It., my lord. Cf. Monseigneur.]
Defn: My lord; -- an ecclesiastical dignity bestowed by the pope, entitling the bearer to social and domestic rank at the papal court. (Abbrev. Mgr.)
MONSOON Mon*soon", n. Etym: [Malay musim, fr. Ar. mausim a time, season: cf. F. monson, mousson, Sr. monzon, Pg. monç\'eeo, It. monsone.]
Defn: A wind blowing part of the year from one direction, alternating with a wind from the opposite direction; -- a term applied
## particularly to periodical winds of the Indian Ocean, which blow from
the southwest from the latter part of May to the middle of September, and from the northeast from about the middle of October to the middle of December.
MONSTER Mon"ster, n. Etym: [OE. monstre, F. monstre, fr. L. monstrum, orig., a divine omen, indicating misfortune; akin of monstrare to show, point out, indicate, and monere to warn. See Monition, and cf. Demonstrate, Muster.]
1. Something of unnatural size, shape, or quality; a prodigy; an enormity; a marvel. A monster or marvel. Chaucer.
2. Specifically , an animal or plant departing greatly from the usual type, as by having too many limbs.
3. Any thing or person of unnatural or excessive ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty.
MONSTER Mon"ster, a.
Defn: Monstrous in size. Pope.
MONSTER Mon"ster, v. t.
Defn: To make monstrous. [Obs.] Shak.
MONSTRANCE Mon"strance, n. Etym: [LL. monstrantia, fr. L. monstrare to show: cf. OF. monstrance. See Monster.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A transparent pyx, in which the consecrated host is exposed to view.
MONSTRATION Mon*stra"tion, n. Etym: [L. monstratio.]
Defn: The act of demonstrating; proof. [Obs.] A certain monstration. Grafton.
MONSTROSITY Mon*stros"i*ty, n.; pl. Monstrosities. Etym: [Cf. F. monstruosité. See Monstrous.]
Defn: The state of being monstrous, or out of the common order of nature; that which is monstrous; a monster. South. A monstrosity never changes the name or affects the immutability of a species. Adanson (Trans. ).
MONSTROUS Mon"strous, a. Etym: [OE. monstruous, F. monstrueux, fr. L. monstruosus, fr. monstrum. See Monster.]
1. Marvelous; strange. [Obs.]
2. Having the qualities of a monster; deviating greatly from the natural form or character; abnormal; as, a monstrous birth. Locke. He, therefore, that refuses to do good to them whom he is bound to love ... is unnatural and monstrous in his affections. Jer. Taylor.
3. Extraordinary in a way to excite wonder, dislike, apprehension, etc.; -- said of size, appearance, color, sound, etc.; as, a monstrous height; a monstrous ox; a monstrous story.
4. Extraordinary on account of ugliness, viciousness, or wickedness; hateful; horrible; dreadful. So bad a death argues a monstrous life. Shak.
5. Abounding in monsters. [R.] Where thou, perhaps, under the whelming tide Visitest the bottom of the monstrous world. Milton.
MONSTROUS Mon"strous, adv.
Defn: Exceedingly; very; very much. "A monstrous thick oil on the top." Bacon. And will be monstrous witty on the poor. Dryden.
MONSTROUSLY Mon"strous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a monstrous manner; unnaturally; extraordinarily; as, monstrously wicked. "Who with his wife is monstrously in love." Dryden.
MONSTROUSNESS Mon"strous*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being monstrous, unusual, extraordinary. Shak.
MONSTRUOSITY Mon`stru*os"i*ty, n.
Defn: Monstrosity. [Obs.] Shak.
MONSTRUOUS Mon"stru*ous, a.
Defn: Monstrous. [Obs.]
MONT Mont, n. Etym: [F. See Mount, n.]
Defn: Mountain.
MONTAIGNE Mon"taigne, n.
Defn: A mountain. [Obs.]
MONTANIC Mon*tan"ic, a. Etym: [L. montanus, fr. mons, montis, mountain. See Mount, n.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mountains; consisting of mountains.
MONTANIST Mon"ta*nist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of Mintanus, a Phrygian enthusiast of the second century, who claimed that the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, dwelt in him, and employed him as an instrument for purifying and guiding men in the Christian life. -- Mon`ta*nis"tic, Mon`ta*nis"tic*al, a.
MONTANT Mon"tant, n. Etym: [F.,prop., mounting, fr. monter to mount, fr. L. mons, montis, mountain. See Mount.]
1. (Fencing)
Defn: An upward thrust or blow. Shak.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: An upright piece in any framework; a mullion or muntin; a stile. [R.] See Stile.
MONT DE PIETE Mont" de pi`é`té". Etym: [F., fr. It. monte di pietà mount of piety.]
Defn: One of certain public pawnbroking establishments which originated in Italy in the 15th century, the object of which was to lend money at a low rate of interest to poor people in need; -- called also mount of piety. The institution has been adopted in other countries, as in Spain and France. See Lombard-house.
MONTE Mon"te, n. Etym: [Sp., lit., mountain, hence, the stock of cards remaining after laying out a certain number, fr. L. mons, montis, mountain.]
Defn: A favorite gambling game among Spaniards, played with dice or cards.
MONTE-ACID Monte`-ac"id, n. Etym: [F. monter to raise + acide acid.] (Chem.)
Defn: An acid elevator, as a tube through which acid is forced to some height in a sulphuric acid manufactory.
MONTEITH Mon*teith", n.
Defn: See Monteth.
MONTE-JUS Monte"-jus", n. [F., fr. monter to bring up + jus juice.]
Defn: An apparatus for raising a liquid by pressure of air or steam in a reservoir containing the liquid.
MONTEM Mon"tem, n. Etym: [L. ad montem to the hillock. See Mount, n.]
Defn: A custom, formerly practiced by the scholars at Eton school, England, of giing every third year, on Whittuesday, to a hillock near the Bath road, and exacting money from all passers-by, to support at the university the senior scholar of the school.
MONTERO Mon*te"ro, n. Etym: [Sp. montera a hunting cap, fr. montero a huntsman, monte a mountain, forest, L. mons, montis, mountain. See Mount, n.]
Defn: An ancient kind of cap worn by horsemen or huntsmen. Bacon.
MONTESSORI METHOD Mon`tes*so"ri Meth"od. (Pedagogy)
Defn: A system of training and instruction, primarily for use with normal children aged from three to six years, devised by Dr. Maria Montessori while teaching in the "Houses of Childhood" (schools in the poorest tenement districts of Rome, Italy), and first fully described by her in 1909. Leading features are freedom for physical
## activity (no stationary desks and chairs), informal and individual
instruction, the very early development of writing, and an extended sensory and motor training (with special emphasis on vision, touch, perception of movement, and their interconnections), mediated by a patented, standardized system of "didactic apparatus," which is declared to be "auto-regulative." Most of the chief features of the method are borrowed from current methods used in many institutions for training feeble-minded children, and dating back especially to the work of the French-American physician Edouard O. Seguin (1812- 80).
MONTETH; MONTEITH Mon*teth", Mon*teith", n.
Defn: A vessel in which glasses are washed; -- so called from the name of the inventor. New things produce new words, and thus Monteth Has by one vessel saved his name from death. King.
MONTGOLFIER Mont`gol"fier, n.
Defn: A balloon which ascends by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire; a fire balloon; -- so called from two brothers, Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier, of France, who first constructed and sent up a fire balloon.
MONTH Month, n. Etym: [OE. month, moneth, AS. mon, mona; akin to mona moon, and to D. maand month, G. monat, OHG. manod, Icel. manu, mana, Goth. meno. *272. See Moon.]
Defn: One of the twelve portions into which the year is divided; the twelfth part of a year, corresponding nearly to the length of a synodic revolution of the moon, -- whence the name. In popular use, a period of four weeks is often called a month.
Note: In the common law, a month is a lunar month, or twenty-eight days, unless otherwise expressed. Blackstone. In the United States the rule of the common law is generally cahanged, and a month is declared to mean a calendar month. Cooley's Blackstone. A month mind. (a) A strong or abnormal desire. [Obs.] Shak. (b) A celebration made in remembrance of a deceased person a month after death. Strype. -- Calendar months, the months as adjusted in the common or Gregorian calendar; April, June, September, and November, containing 30 days, and the rest 31, except February, which, in common years, has 28, and in leap years 29. -- Lunar month, the period of one revolution of the moon,
## particularly a synodical revolution; but several kinds are
distinguished, as the synodical month, or period from one new moon to the next, in mean length 29 d. 12 h. 44 m. 2.87 s.; the nodical month, or time of revolution from one node to the same again, in length 27 d. 5 h. 5 m. 36 s.; the sidereal, or time of revolution from a star to the same again, equal to 27 d. 7 h. 43 m. 11.5 s.; the anomalistic, or time of revolution from perigee to perigee again, in length 27 d. 13 h. 18 m. 37.4 s.; and the tropical, or time of passing from any point of the ecliptic to the same again, equal to 27 d. 7 h. 43 m. 4.7 s. -- Solar month, the time in which the sun passes through one sign of the zodiac, in mean length 30 d. 10 h. 29 m. 4.1 s.
MONTHLING Month"ling, n.
Defn: That which is a month old, or which lives for a month. [R.] Wordsworth.
MONTHLY Month"ly, a.
1. Continued a month, or a performed in a month; as, the monthly revolution of the moon.
2. Done, happening, payable, published, etc., once a month, or every month; as, a monthly visit; monthly charges; a monthly installment; a monthly magazine. Monthly nurse, a nurse who serves for a month or some short time, esp. one which attends women after childbirth.
MONTHLY Month"ly, n.; pl. Monthlies (.
Defn: A publication which appears regularly once a month.
MONTHLY Month"ly, adv.
1. Once a month; in every month; as, the moon changes monthly. Shak.
2. As if under the influence of the moon; in the manner of a lunatic. [Obs.] Middleton.
MONTICLE Mon"ti*cle, n. Etym: [L. monticulus, dim. of mons, montis, mountain: cf. F. monticule. See Mount, n.]
Defn: A little mount; a hillock; a small elevation or prominence. [Written also monticule.]
MONTICULATE Mon*tic"u*late, a.
Defn: Furnished with monticles or little elevations.
MONTICULE Mon"ti*cule, n.
Defn: See Monticle.
MONTICULOUS Mon*tic"u*lous, a.
Defn: Monticulate.
MONTIFORM Mon"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. mons, montis, mountain + -form.]
Defn: Resembling a mountain in form.
MONTIGENOUS Mon*tig"e*nous, a. Etym: [L. montigena; mons, montis, mountain + the root of gignere to beget.]
Defn: Produced on a mountain.
MONTOIR Mon`toir", n. Etym: [F., fr. monter to mount. See Montant.]
Defn: A stone used in mounting a horse; a horse block.
MONTON Mon"ton, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Mining)
Defn: A heap of ore; a mass undergoing the process of amalgamation.
MONTRE Mon"tre, n. [F., show, show case, organ case.]
1. (Organ Building) A stop, usually the open diapason, having its pipes "shown" as part of the organ case, or otherwise specially mounted.
2. A hole in the wall of a pottery kiln, by which the state of the pieces within can be judged.
MONTROSS Mon*tross", n.
Defn: See Matross. [Obs.]
MONTRUE Mon"true, n. Etym: [F., fr. monter to mount. See Montoir.]
Defn: That on which anything is mounted; a setting; hence, a saddle horse. [Obs.] Spenser.
MONUMENT Mon"u*ment, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. monumentum, fr. monere to remind, admonish. See Monition, and cf. Moniment.]
1. Something which stands, or remains, to keep in remembrance what is past; a memorial. Of ancient British art A pleasing monument. Philips. Our bruised arms hung up for monuments. Shak.
2. A building, pillar, stone, or the like, erected to preserve the remembrance of a person, event, action, etc.; as, the Washington monument; the Bunker Hill monument. Also, a tomb, with memorial inscriptions. On your family's old monument Hang mournful epitaphs, and do all rites That appertain unto a burial. Shak.
3. A stone or other permanent object, serving to indicate a limit or to mark a boundary.
4. A saying, deed, or example, worthy of record. Acts and Monuments of these latter and perilous days. Foxe.
Syn. -- Memorial; remembrance; tomb; cenotaph.
MONUMENTAL Mon`u*men"tal, a. Etym: [L. monumentalis: cf. F. monumental.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or suitable for, a monument; as, a monumental inscription.
2. Serving as a monument; memorial; preserving memory. "Of pine, or monumental oak." Milton. A work outlasting monumental brass. Pope.
MONUMENTALLY Mon`u*men"tal*ly, adv.
1. By way of memorial.
2. By means of monuments.
MONUREID Mon*u"re*id, n. Etym: [Mon- + ureid.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of a series of complex nitrogenous substances regarded as derived from one molecule of urea; as, alloxan is a monureid. [Written also monureide.]
MOO Moo, a., adv., & n.
Defn: See Mo. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOO Moo, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mooed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mooing.] Etym: [Of imitative origin.]
Defn: To make the noise of a cow; to low; -- child's word.
MOO Moo, n.
Defn: The lowing of a cow.
MOOD Mood, n. Etym: [The same word as mode, perh. influenced by mood temper. See Mode.]
1. Manner; style; mode; logical form; musical style; manner of action or being. See Mode which is the preferable form).
2. (Gram.)
Defn: Manner of conceiving and expressing action or being, as positive, possible, hypothetical, etc., without regard to other accidents, such as time, person, number, etc.; as, the indicative mood; the infinitive mood; the subjunctive mood. Same as Mode.
MOOD Mood, n. Etym: [OE. mood, mod, AS. modmind, feeling, heart, courage; akin to OS. & OFries. mod, D. moed, OHG. muot, G. muth, mut, courage, Dan. & Sw. mod, Icel. mo wrath, Goth. mods.]
Defn: Temper of mind; temporary state of the mind in regard to passion or feeling; humor; as, a melancholy mood; a suppliant mood. Till at the last aslaked was mood. Chaucer. Fortune is merry, And in this mood will give us anything. Shak. The desperate recklessness of her mood. Hawthorne.
MOODER Moo"der, n.
Defn: Mother. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOODILY Mood"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a moody manner.
MOODINESS Mood"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being moody; specifically, liability to strange or violent moods.
MOODIR Moo"dir, n. Etym: [Ar. mudir.]
Defn: The governor of a province in Egypt, etc. [Written also mudir.]
MOODISH Mood"ish, a.
Defn: Moody. [Obs.]
MOODISHLY Mood"ish*ly, adv.
Defn: Moodily. [Obs.]
MOODY Mood"y, a. [Compar. Moodier; superl. Moodiest.] Etym: [AS. modig courageous.]
1. Subject to varying moods, especially to states of mind which are unamiable or depressed.
2. Hence: Out of humor; peevish; angry; fretful; also, abstracted and pensive; sad; gloomy; melancholy. "Every peevish, moody malcontent." Rowe. Arouse thee from thy moody dream! Sir W. Scott.
Syn. -- Gloomy; pensive; sad; fretful; capricious.
MOOLAH; MOOLLAH Moo"lah, Mool"lah, n.
Defn: See Mollah.
MOOLLEY Mool"ley, n.
Defn: Same as Mulley.
MOON Moon, n. Etym: [OE. mone, AS. mona; akin to D. maan, OS. & OHG. mano, G. mond, Icel. mani, Dan. maane, Sw. måne, Goth. mena, Lith. men, L. mensis month, Gr. mas moon, month; prob. from a root meaning to measure (cf. Skr. ma to measure), from its serving to measure the time. *271. Cf. Mete to measure, Menses, Monday, Month.]
1. The celestial orb which revolves round the earth; the satellite of the earth; a secondary planet, whose light, borrowed from the sun, is reflected to the earth, and serves to dispel the darkness of night. The diameter of the moon is 2,160 miles, its mean distance from the earth is 240,000 miles, and its mass is one eightieth that of the earth. See Lunar month, under Month. The crescent moon, the diadem of night. Cowper.
2. A secondary planet, or satellite, revolving about any member of the solar system; as, the moons of Jupiter or Saturn.
3. The time occupied by the moon in making one revolution in her orbit; a month. Shak.
4. (Fort.)
Defn: A crescentlike outwork. See Half-moon. Moon blindness. (a) (Far.) A kind of ophthalmia liable to recur at intervals of three or four weeks. (b) (Med.) Hemeralopia. -- Moon dial, a dial used to indicate time by moonlight. -- Moon face, a round face like a full moon. -- Moon madness, lunacy. [Poetic] -- Moon month, a lunar month. -- Moon trefoil (Bot.), a shrubby species of medic (Medicago arborea). See Medic. -- Moon year, a lunar year, consisting of lunar months, being sometimes twelve and sometimes thirteen.
MOON Moon, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mooned; p. pr. & vb. n. Mooning.]
Defn: To expose to the rays of the moon. If they have it to be exceeding white indeed, they seethe it yet once more, after it hath been thus sunned and mooned. Holland.
MOON Moon, v. i.
Defn: To act if moonstruck; to wander or gaze about in an abstracted manner. Elsley was mooning down the river by himself. C. Kingsley.
MOONBEAM Moon"beam`, n.
Defn: A ray of light from the moon.
MOONBLIND Moon"blind`, a.
Defn: Dim-sighted; purblind.
MOONBLINK Moon"blink`, n.
Defn: A temporary blindness, or impairment of sight, said to be caused by sleeping in the moonlight; -- sometimes called nyctalopia.
MOONCALF Moon"calf`, n.
1. A monster; a false conception; a mass of fleshy matter, generated in the uterus.
2. A dolt; a stupid fellow. Dryden.
MOON-CULMINATING Moon"-cul"mi*na`ting, a.
Defn: Culminating, or coming to the meredian, at or about the same time with the moon; -- said of a star or stars, esp. of certain stars selected beforehand, and named in an ephemeris (as the Nautical Almanac), as suitable to be observed in connection with the moon at culmination, for determining terrestrial longitude.
MOONED Mooned, a.
Defn: Of or resembling the moon; symbolized by the moon. "Sharpening in mooned horns." "Mooned Ashtaroth." Milton.
MOONER Moon"er, n.
Defn: One who abstractedly wanders or gazes about, as if moonstruck. [R.] Dickens.
MOONERY Moon"er*y, n.
Defn: Conduct of one who moons. [R.]
MOONET Moon"et, n.
Defn: A little moon. [R.] Bp. Hall.
MOON-EYE Moon"-eye`, n.
1. A eye affected by the moon; also, a disease in the eye of a horse.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) Any species of American fresh-water fishes of the genus Hyodon, esp. H. tergisus of the Great Lakes and adjacent waters. (b) The cisco.
MOON-EYED Moon"-eyed`, a.
Defn: Having eyes affected by the moon; moonblind; dim-eyed; purblind.
MOON-FACED Moon"-faced`, a.
Defn: Having a round, full face.
MOONFISH Moon"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) An American marine fish (Vomer setipennis); -- called also bluntnosed shiner, horsefish, and sunfish. (b) A broad, thin, silvery marine fish (Selene vomer); -- called also lookdown, and silver moonfish. (c) The mola. See Sunfish, 1.
MOONFLOWER Moon"flow`er, n. (Bot.) (a) The oxeye daisy; -- called also moon daisy. (b) A kind of morning glory (Ipomoea Bona-nox) with large white flowers opening at night.
MOONG Moong, n. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Mung.
MOONGLADE Moon"glade`, n.
Defn: The bright reflection of the moon's light on an expanse of water. [Poetic]
MOONIE Moo"nie, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European goldcrest.
MOONISH Moon"ish, a.
Defn: Like the moon; variable. Being but a moonish youth. Shak.
MOONLESS Moon"less, a.
Defn: Being without a moon or moonlight.
MOONLIGHT Moon`light`, n.
Defn: The light of the moon. -- a.
Defn: Occurring during or by moonlight; characterized by moonlight.
MOONLIGHTER Moon"light`er, n. One who follows an occupation or pastime by moonlight; as: (a) A moonshiner. (b) In Ireland, one of a band that engaged in agrarian outrages by night. (c) A serenader by moonlight. [Local, U. S.]
MOONLING Moon"ling, n.
Defn: A simpleton; a lunatic. [Obs.]
MOONLIT Moon"lit`, a.
Defn: Illumined by the moon. "The moonlit sea." Moore. "Moonlit dells." Lowell.
MOONRAKER Moon"rak`er, n. (Naut.)
Defn: Same as Moonsail.
MOONRISE Moon"rise`, n.
Defn: The rising of the moon above the horizon; also, the time of its rising.
MOONSAIL Moon"sail`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A sail sometimes carried in light winds, above a skysail. R. H. Dana, Jr.
MOONSEED Moon"seed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A climbing plant of the genus Menispermum; -- so called from the crescentlike form of the seeds.
MOONSET Moon"set`, n.
Defn: The descent of the moon below the horizon; also, the time when the moon sets.
MOONSHEE Moon"shee, n. Etym: [Hind. munishi, fr. Ar. munishi a writer, author, secretary, tutor.]
Defn: A Mohammedan professor or teacher of language. [India]
MOONSHINE Moon"shine`, n.
1. The light of the moon.
2. Hence, show without substance or reality.
3. A month. [R.] Shak.
4. A preparation of eggs for food. [Obs.]
MOONSHINE Moon"shine`, a.
Defn: Moonlight. [R.] Clarendon.
MOONSHINER Moon"shin`er, n.
Defn: A person engaged in illicit distilling; -- so called because the work is largely done at night. [Cant, U.S.]
MOONSHINING Moon"shin`ing, n.
Defn: Illicit distilling. [Slang or Colloq., U. S.]
MOONSHINY Moon"shin`y, a.
Defn: Moonlight. [Colloq.] I went to see them in a moonshiny night. Addison.
MOONSTONE Moon"stone`, n. (Min.)
Defn: A nearly pellucid variety of feldspar, showing pearly or opaline reflections from within. It is used as a gem. The best specimens come from Ceylon.
MOONSTRICKEN Moon"strick`en, a.
Defn: See Moonstruck.
MOONSTRUCK Moon"struck`, a.
1. Mentally affected or deranged by the supposed influence of the moon; lunatic.
2. Produced by the supposed influence of the moon. "Moonstruck madness." Milton.
3. Made sick by the supposed influence of the moon, as a human being; made unsuitable for food, as fishes, by such supposed influence.
MOONWORT Moon"wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) The herb lunary or honesty. See Honesty. (b) Any fern of the genus Botrychium, esp. B. Lunaria; -- so named from the crescent-shaped segments of its frond.
MOONY Moon"y, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the moon. Soft and pale as the moony beam. J. R. Drake.
2. Furnished with a moon; bearing a crescent. But soon the miscreant moony host Before the victor cross shall fly. Fenton.
3. Silly; weakly sentimental. [Colloq.] G. Eliot.
MOOR Moor, n. Etym: [F. More, Maure, L. Maurus a Moor, a Mauritanian, an inhabitant of Mauritania, Gr. Morris a dance, Morocco.]
1. One of a mixed race inhabiting Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli, chiefly along the coast and in towns.
2. (Hist.)
Defn: Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion. "In Spanish history the terms Moors, Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous." Internat. Cyc.
MOOR Moor, n. Etym: [OE. mor, AS. mor moor, morass; akin to D. moer moor, G. moor, and prob. to Goth. marei sea, E. mere. See Mere a lake.]
1. An extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and having a poor, light soil, but sometimes marshy, and abounding in peat; a heath. In her girlish age she kept sheep on the moor. Carew.
2. A game preserve consisting of moorland. Moor buzzard (Zoöl.), the marsh harrier. [Prov. Eng.] -- Moor coal (Geol.), a friable variety of lignite. -- Moor cock (Zoöl.), the male of the moor fowl or red grouse of Europe. -- Moor coot. (Zoöl.) See Gallinule. -- Moor fowl. (Zoöl.) (a) The European ptarmigan, or red grouse (Lagopus Scoticus). (b) The European heath grouse. See under Heath. -- Moor game. (Zoöl.) Same as Moor fowl (above). -- Moor grass (Bot.), a tufted perennial grass (Sesleria cærulea), found in mountain pastures of Europe. -- Moor hawk (Zoöl.), the marsh harrier. -- Moor hen. (Zoöl.) (a) The female of the moor fowl. (b) A gallinule, esp. the European species. See Gallinule. (c) An Australian rail (Tribonyx ventralis). -- Moor monkey (Zoöl.), the black macaque of Borneo (Macacus maurus). -- Moor titling (Zoöl.), the European stonechat (Pratinocola rubicola).
MOOR Moor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moored; p. pr. & vb. n. Mooring.] Etym: [Prob. fr. D. marren to tie, fasten, or moor a ship. See Mar.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: To fix or secure, as a vessel, in a particular place by casting anchor, or by fastening with cables or chains; as, the vessel was moored in the stream; they moored the boat to the wharf.
2. Fig.: To secure, or fix firmly. Brougham.
MOOR Moor, v. i.
Defn: To cast anchor; to become fast. On oozy ground his galleys moor. Dryden.
MOORAGE Moor"age, n.
Defn: A place for mooring.
MOORBALL Moor"ball`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A fresh-water alga (Cladophora Ægagropila) which forms a globular mass.
MOORBAND Moor"band`, n.
Defn: See Moorpan.
MOORESS Moor"ess, n.
Defn: A female Moor; a Moorish woman.
MOORING Moor"ing, n.
1. The act of confining a ship to a particular place, by means of anchors or fastenings.
2. That which serves to confine a ship to a place, as anchors, cables, bridles, etc.
3. pl.
Defn: The place or condition of a ship thus confined. And the tossed bark in moorings swings. Moore. Mooring block (Naut.), a heavy block of cast iron sometimes used as an anchor for mooring vessels.
MOORISH Moor"ish, a. Etym: [From 2d Moor.]
Defn: Having the characteristics of a moor or heath. "Moorish fens." Thomson.
MOORISH Moor"ish, a. Etym: [See 1st Moor, and cf. Morris, Moresque.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Morocco or the Moors; in the style of the Moors. Moorish architecture, the style developed by the Moors in the later Middle Ages, esp. in Spain, in which the arch had the form of a horseshoe, and the ornamentation admitted no representation of animal life. It has many points of resemblance to the Arabian and Persian styles, but should be distinguished from them. See Illust. under Moresque.
MOORLAND Moor"land, n. Etym: [AS. morland.]
Defn: Land consisting of a moor or moors.
MOORPAN Moor"pan`, n. Etym: [Cf. Hard pan, under Hard.]
Defn: A clayey layer or pan underlying some moors, etc.
MOORSTONE Moor"stone`, n.
Defn: A species of English granite, used as a building stone.
MOORUK Moo"ruk, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of cassowary (Casuarius Bennetti) found in New Britain, and noted for its agility in running and leaping. It is smaller and has stouter legs than the common cassowary. Its crest is biloted; the neck and breast are black; the back, rufous mixed with black; and the naked skin of the neck, blue.
MOORY Moor"y, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to moors; marshy; fenny; boggy; moorish. Mortimer. As when thick mists arise from moory vales. Fairfax.
MOORY Moor"y, n.
Defn: A kind of blue cloth made in India. Balfour (Cyc of India).
MOOSE Moose, n. Etym: [A native name; Knisteneaux mouswah; Algonquin monse. Mackenzie.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large cervine mammal (Alces machlis, or A. Americanus), native of the Northern United States and Canada. The adult male is about as large as a horse, and has very large, palmate antlers. It closely resembles the European elk, and by many zoölogists is considered the same species. See Elk. Moose bird (Zoöl.), the Canada jayor whisky jack. See Whisky jack. -- Moose deer. Same as Moose. -- Moose yard (Zoöl.), a locality where moose, in winter, herd together in a forest to feed and for mutual protection.
MOOSEWOOD Moose"wood`, n. (Bot.) (a) The striped maple (Acer Pennsylvanicum). (b) Leatherwood.
MOOT Moot, v.
Defn: See 1st Mot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOOT Moot, n. (Shipbuilding)
Defn: A ring for gauging wooden pins.
MOOT Moot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mooted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mooting.] Etym: [OE. moten, motien, AS. motan to meet or assemble for conversation, to discuss, dispute, fr. mot, gemot, a meeting, an assembly; akin to Icel. mot, MHG. muoz. Cf. Meet to come together.]
1. To argue for and against; to debate; to discuss; to propose for discussion. A problem which hardly has been mentioned, much less mooted, in this country. Sir W. Hamilton.
2. Specifically: To discuss by way of exercise; to argue for practice; to propound and discuss in a mock court. First a case is appointed to be mooted by certain young men, containing some doubtful controversy. Sir T. Elyot.
MOOT Moot, v. i.
Defn: To argue or plead in a supposed case. There is a difference between mooting and pleading; between fencing and fighting. B. Jonson.
MOOT Moot, n. Etym: [AS. mot, gemot, a meeting; -- usually in comp.] [Written also mote.]
1. A meeting for discussion and deliberation; esp., a meeting of the people of a village or district, in Anglo-Saxon times, for the discussion and settlement of matters of common interest; -- usually in composition; as, folk-moot. J. R. Green.
2. Etym: [From Moot, v.]
Defn: A discussion or debate; especially, a discussion of fictitious causes by way of practice. The pleading used in courts and chancery called moots. Sir T. Elyot. Moot case, a case or question to be mooted; a disputable case; an unsettled question. Dryden. -- Moot court, a mock court, such as is held by students of law for practicing the conduct of law cases. -- Moot point, a point or question to be debated; a doubtful question.
MOOT Moot, a.
Defn: Subject, or open, to argument or discussion; undecided; debatable; mooted.
MOOTABLE Moot"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being mooted.
MOOTER Moot"er, n.
Defn: A disputer of a mooted case.
MOOT-HALL; MOOT-HOUSE Moot"-hall`, Moot"-house`, n. Etym: [AS. moth.]
Defn: A hall for public meetings; a hall of judgment. [Obs.] "The moot-hall of Herod." Wyclif.
MOOT-HILL Moot"-hill`, n. (O. Eng. Law)
Defn: A hill of meeting or council; an elevated place in the open air where public assemblies or courts were held by the Saxons; -- called, in Scotland, mute-hill. J. R. Green.
MOOTMAN Moot"man, n.; pl. Mootmen (. (O. Eng. Law)
Defn: One who argued moot cases in the inns of court.
MOP Mop, n. Etym: [See Mope.]
Defn: A made-up face; a grimace. "What mops and mowes it makes!" Beau. & Fl.
MOP Mop, v. i.
Defn: To make a wry mouth. [Obs.] Shak.
MOP Mop, n. Etym: [CF. W. mop, mopa, Ir. moipal, Gael. moibeal, moibean; or OF. mappe a napkin (see Map, Napkin).]
1. An implement for washing floors, or the like, made of a piece of cloth, or a collection of thrums, or coarse yarn, fastened to a handle.
2. A fair where servants are hired. [Prov. Eng.]
3. The young of any animal; also, a young girl; a moppet. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Mop head. (a) The end of a mop, to which the thrums or rags are fastened. (b) A clamp for holding the thrums or rags of a mop. [U.S.]
MOP Mop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mopped; p. pr. & vb. n. Mopping.]
Defn: To rub or wipe with a mop, or as with a mop; as, to mop a floor; to mop one's face with a handkerchief.
MOPBOARD Mop"board`, n. (Carp.)
Defn: A narrow board nailed against the wall of a room next to the floor; skirting board; baseboard. See Baseboard.
MOPE Mope, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moped; p. pr. & vb. n. Moping.] Etym: [Cf. D. moppen to pout, Prov. G. muffen to sulk.]
Defn: To be dull and spiritless. "Moping melancholy." Milton. A sickly part of one true sense Could not so mope. Shak.
MOPE Mope, v. t.
Defn: To make spiritless and stupid. [Obs.]
MOPE Mope, n.
Defn: A dull, spiritless person. Burton.
MOPE-EYED Mope"-eyed`, a.
Defn: Shortsighted; purblind.
MOPEFUL Mope"ful, a.
Defn: Mopish. [R.]
MOPISH Mop"ish, a.
Defn: Dull; spiritless; dejected. -- Mop"ish*ly, adv. -- Mop"ish*ness, n.
MOPLAH Mop"lah, n. Etym: [Malayalam mapplia.]
Defn: One of a class of Mohammedans in Malabar.
MOPPET Mop"pet, n. Etym: [From 3d Mop.]
1. A rag baby; a puppet made of cloth; hence, also, in fondness, a little girl, or a woman.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A long-haired pet dog.
MOPSEY; MOPSY Mop"sey, Mop"sy, n.
1. A moppet.
2. A slatternly, untidy woman. Halliwell.
MOPSICAL Mop"si*cal, a.
Defn: Shortsighted; mope-eyed.
MOPSTICK Mop"stick`, n.
Defn: The long handle of a mop.
MOPUS Mo"pus, n.
Defn: A mope; a drone. [Obs.] Swift.
MOQUETTE Mo*quette", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A kind of carpet having a short velvety pile.
MORA Mor"a, n. Etym: [It.]
Defn: A game of guessing the number of fingers extended in a quick movement of the hand, -- much played by Italians of the lower classes.
MORA Mo"ra, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous tree of Guiana and Trinidad (Dimorphandra excelsa); also, its timber, used in shipbuilding and making furniture.
MORA Mo"ra, n. Etym: [L.] (Rom. & Civil Law)
Defn: Delay; esp., culpable delay; postponement.
MORAINE Mo*raine", n. Etym: [F. Cf. Prov. G. mur stones broken off, It. mora a heap of stones, hillock, G. mürbe soft, broken up, OHG. muruwi, AS. mearu tender, Gr. mla to relax.] (Geol.)
Defn: An accumulation of earth and stones carried forward and deposited by a glacier. Lyell.
Note: If the moranie is at the extremity of the glacier it is a terminal moranie; if at the side, a lateral moranie; if parallel to the side on the central portion of the glacier, a medial moranie. See Illust. of Glacier. In the last case it is formed by the union of the lateral moranies of the branches of the glacier. A ground moranie is one beneath the mass of ice.
MORAINIC Mo*rain"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a moranie.
MORAL Mor"al, a. Etym: [F., fr. It. moralis, fr. mos, moris, manner, custom, habit, way of life, conduct.]
1. Relating to duty or obligation; pertaining to those intentions and
## actions of which right and wrong, virtue and vice, are predicated, or
to the rules by which such intentions and actions ought to be directed; relating to the practice, manners, or conduct of men as social beings in relation to each other, as respects right and wrong, so far as they are properly subject to rules. Keep at the least within the compass of moral actions, which have in them vice or virtue. Hooker. Mankind is broken loose from moral bands. Dryden. She had wandered without rule or guidance in a moral wilderness. Hawthorne.
2. Conformed to accepted rules of right; acting in conformity with such rules; virtuous; just; as, a moral man. Used sometimes in distinction from religious; as, a moral rather than a religious life. The wiser and more moral part of mankind. Sir M. Hale.
3. Capable of right and wrong action or of being governed by a sense of right; subject to the law of duty. A moral agent is a being capable of those actions that have a moral quality, and which can properly be denominated good or evil in a moral sense. J. Edwards.
4. Acting upon or through one's moral nature or sense of right, or suited to act in such a manner; as, a moral arguments; moral considerations. Sometimes opposed to material and physical; as, moral pressure or support.
5. Supported by reason or probability; practically sufficient; -- opposed to legal or demonstrable; as, a moral evidence; a moral certainty.
6. Serving to teach or convey a moral; as, a moral lesson; moral tales. Moral agent, a being who is capable of acting with reference to right and wrong. -- Moral certainty, a very high degree or probability, although not demonstrable as a certainty; a probability of so high a degree that it can be confidently acted upon in the affairs of life; as, there is a moral certainty of his guilt. -- Moral insanity, insanity, so called, of the moral system; badness alleged to be irresponsible. -- Moral philosophy, the science of duty; the science which treats of the nature and condition of man as a moral being, of the duties which result from his moral relations, and the reasons on which they are founded. -- Moral play, an allegorical play; a morality. [Obs.] -- Moral sense, the power of moral judgment and feeling; the capacity to perceive what is right or wrong in moral conduct, and to approve or disapprove, independently of education or the knowledge of any positive rule or law. -- Moral theology, theology applied to morals; practical theology; casuistry.
MORAL Mor"al, n.
1. The doctrine or practice of the duties of life; manner of living as regards right and wrong; conduct; behavior; -- usually in the plural. Corrupt in their morals as vice could make them. South.
2. The inner meaning or significance of a fable, a narrative, an occurrence, an experience, etc.; the practical lesson which anything is designed or fitted to teach; the doctrine meant to be inculcated by a fiction; a maxim. Thus may we gather honey from the weed, And make a moral of the devil himself. Shak. To point a moral, or adorn a tale. Johnson. We protest against the principle that the world of pure comedy is one into which no moral enters. Macaulay.
3. A morality play. See Morality, 5.
MORAL Mor"al, v. i.
Defn: To moralize. [Obs.] Shak.
MORALE Mo`rale", n. Etym: [F. See Moral, a.]
Defn: The moral condition, or the condition in other respects, so far as it is affected by, or dependent upon, moral considerations, such as zeal, spirit, hope, and confidence; mental state, as of a body of men, an army, and the like.
MORALER Mor"al*er, n.
Defn: A moralizer. [Obs.] Shak.
MORALISM Mor"al*ism, n.
Defn: A maxim or saying embodying a moral truth. Farrar.
MORALIST Mor"al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. moraliste.]
1. One who moralizes; one who teaches or animadverts upon the duties of life; a writer of essays intended to correct vice and inculcate moral duties. Addison.
2. One who practices moral duties; a person who lives in conformity with moral rules; one of correct deportment and dealings with his fellow-creatures; -- sometimes used in contradistinction to one whose life is controlled by religious motives. The love (in the moralist of virtue, but in the Christian) of God himself. Hammond.
MORALITY Mo*ral"i*ty, n.; pl. Moralities. Etym: [L. moralitas: cf. F. moralité.]
1. The relation of conformity or nonconformity to the moral standard or rule; quality of an intention, a character, an action, a principle, or a sentiment, when tried by the standard of right. The morality of an action is founded in the freedom of that principle, by virtue of which it is in the agent's power, having all things ready and requisite to the performance of an action, either to perform or not perform it. South.
2. The quality of an action which renders it good; the conformity of an act to the accepted standard of right. Of moralitee he was the flower. Chaucer. I am bold to think that morality is capable of demonstration. Locke.
3. The doctrines or rules of moral duties, or the duties of men in their social character; ethics. The end of morality is to procure the affections to obey reason, and not to invade it. Bacon. The system of morality to be gathered out of ... ancient sages falls very short of that delivered in the gospel. Swift.
4. The practice of the moral duties; rectitude of life; conformity to the standard of right; virtue; as, we often admire the politeness of men whose morality we question.
5. A kind of allegorical play, so termed because it consisted of discourses in praise of morality between actors representing such characters as Charity, Faith, Death, Vice, etc. Such plays were occasionally exhibited as late as the reign of Henry VIII. Strutt.
6. Intent; meaning; moral. [Obs.] Taketh the morality thereof, good men. Chaucer.
MORALIZATION Mor`al*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. moralisation.]
1. The act of moralizing; moral reflections or discourse.
2. Explanation in a moral sense. T. Warton.
MORALIZE Mor"al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moralized; p. pr. & vb. n. Moralizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. moraliser.]
1. To apply to a moral purpose; to explain in a moral sense; to draw a moral from. This fable is moralized in a common proverb. L'Estrange. Did he not moralize this spectacle Shak.
2. To furnish with moral lessons, teachings, or examples; to lend a moral to. While chastening thoughts of sweetest use, bestowed By Wisdom, moralize his pensive road. Wordsworth.
3. To render moral; to correct the morals of. It had a large share in moralizing the poor white people of the country. D. Ramsay.
4. To give a moral quality to; to affect the moral quality of, either for better or worse. Good and bad stars moralize not our actions. Sir T. Browne.
MORALIZE Mor"al*ize, v. i.
Defn: To make moral reflections; to regard acts and events as involving a moral.
MORALIZER Mor"al*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who moralizes.
MORALLY Mor"al*ly, adv.
1. In a moral or ethical sense; according to the rules of morality. By good, good morally so called, "bonum honestum" ought chiefly to be understood. South.
2. According to moral rules; virtuously. "To live morally." Dryden.
3. In moral qualities; in disposition and character; as, one who physically and morally endures hardships.
4. In a manner calculated to serve as the basis of action; according to the usual course of things and human judgment; according to reason and probability. It is morally impossible for an hypocrite to keep himself long upon his guard. L'Estrange.
MORASS Mo*rass", n. Etym: [OE. marras, mareis (perh. through D. moeras), fr. F. marais, prob. from L. mare sea, in LL., any body of water; but perh. influenced by some German word. See Mere a lake, and cf. Marsh.]
Defn: A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen. Morass ore. (Min.) See Bog ore, under Bog.
MORASSY mo*rass"y, a.
Defn: Marshy; fenny. [R.] Pennant.
MORATE Mo"rate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of moric acid.
MORATION Mo*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. moratio.]
Defn: A delaying tarrying; delay. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
MORATORIUM Mor`a*to"ri*um, n. [NL. See Moratory.] (Law)
Defn: A period during which an obligor has a legal right to delay meeting an obligation, esp. such a period granted, as to a bank, by a moratory law.
MORATORY Mor"a*to*ry, a. [L. moratorius delaying, fr. morari to delay.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to delay; esp., designating a law passed, as in a time of financial panic, to postpone or delay for a period the time at which notes, bills of exchange, and other obligations, shall mature or become due.
MORAVIAN Mo*ra"vi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Moravia, or to the United Brethren. See Moravian, n.
MORAVIAN Mo*ra"vi*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a religious sect called the United Brethern (an offshoot of the Hussites in Bohemia), which formed a separate church of Moravia, a northern district of Austria, about the middle of the 15th century. After being nearly extirpated by persecution, the society, under the name of The Renewed Church of the United Brethren, was reëstablished in 1722-35 on the estates of Count Zinzendorf in Saxony. Called also Herrnhuter.
MORAVIANISM Mo*ra"vi*an*ism, n.
Defn: The religious system of the Moravians.
MORAY Mor"ay, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A muræna.
MORBID Mor"bid, a. Etym: [L. morbidus, fr. morbus disease; prob. akin to mori to die: cf. F. morbide, It. morbido. See Mortal.]
1. Not sound and healthful; induced by a diseased or abnormal condition; diseased; sickly; as, morbid humors; a morbid constitution; a morbid state of the juices of a plant. "Her sick and morbid heart." Hawthorne.
2. Of or pertaining to disease or diseased parts; as, morbid anatomy.
Syn. -- Diseased; sickly; sick. -- Morbid, Diseased. Morbid is sometimes used interchangeably with diseased, but is commonly applied, in a somewhat technical sense, to cases of a prolonged nature; as, a morbid condition of the nervous system; a morbid sensibility, etc.
MORBIDEZZA Mor`bi*dez"za, n. Etym: [It., softness, delicacy. See Morbid.]
1. (Fine Arts)
Defn: Delicacy or softness in the representation of flesh.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A term used as a direction in execution, signifying, with extreme delicacy. Ludden.
MORBIDITY Mor*bid"i*ty, n.
1. The quality or state of being morbid.
2. Morbid quality; disease; sickness. C. Kingsley.
3. Amount of disease; sick rate.
MORBIDLY Mor"bid*ly, adv.
Defn: In a morbid manner.
MORBIDNESS Mor"bid*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being morbid; morbidity.
MORBIFIC; MORBIFICAL Mor*bif"ic, Mor*bif"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. morbus disease + -ficare (in comp.) to make: cf. F. morbifique. See -fy.]
Defn: Causing disease; generating a sickly state; as, a morbific matter.
MORBILLOUS Mor*bil"lous, a. Etym: [LL. morbilli measles, dim. of L. morbus disease: cf. F. morbilleux.]
Defn: Pertaining to the measles; partaking of the nature of measels, or resembling the eruptions of that disease; measly.
MORBOSE Mor*bose", a. Etym: [L. morbosus, fr. morbus disease.]
Defn: Proceeding from disease; morbid; unhealthy. Morbose tumors and excrescences of plants. Ray.
MORBOSITY Mor*bos"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. morbositas.]
Defn: A diseased state; unhealthiness. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
MORCEAU Mor`ceau", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A bit; a morsel.
MORDACIOUS Mor*da"cious, a. Etym: [L. mordax, -acis, fr. mordere, morsum, to bite. See Morsel.]
Defn: Biting; given to biting; hence, figuratively, sarcastic; severe; scathing. -- Mor*da"cious*ly, adv.
MORDACITY Mor*dac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mordacitas: cf. F. mordacité. See Mordacious.]
Defn: The quality of being mordacious; biting severity, or sarcastic quality. Bacon.
MORDANT Mor"dant, a. Etym: [F., p.pr. of mordere to bite; L. mordere. See Morsel.]
1. Biting; caustic; sarcastic; keen; severe.
2. (Dyeing & Calico Printing)
Defn: Serving to fix colors.
MORDANT Mor"dant, n. Etym: [F., originally, biting.]
1. Any corroding substance used in etching.
2. (Dyeing & Calico Printing)
Defn: Any substance, as alum or copperas, which, having a twofold attraction for organic fibers and coloring matter, serves as a bond of union, and thus gives fixity to, or bites in, the dyes.
3. (Gilding)
Defn: Any sticky matter by which the gold leaf is made to adhere.
MORDANT Mor"dant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mordanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mordanting.]
Defn: To subject to the action of, or imbue with, a mordant; as, to mordant goods for dyeing.
MORDANTLY Mor"dant*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of a mordant.
MORDENTE Mor*den"te, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: An embellishment resembling a trill.
MORDICANCY Mor"di*can*cy, n.
Defn: A biting quality; corrosiveness. [R.] Evelyn.
MORDICANT Mor"di*cant, a. Etym: [L. mordicans, p.pr. of mordicare to bite, fr. mordere: cf. F. mordicant.]
Defn: Biting; acrid; as, the mordicant quality of a body. [R.] Boyle.
MORDICATION Mor`di*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. mordicatio.]
Defn: The act of biting or corroding; corrosion. [R.] Bacon.
MORDICATIVE Mor"di*ca*tive, a. Etym: [L. mordicativus.]
Defn: Biting; corrosive. [R.] Holland.
MORE More, n. Etym: [AS. mor. See Moor a waste.]
Defn: A hill. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
MORE More, n. Etym: [AS. more, moru; akin to G. möhre carrot, OHG. moraha, morha.]
Defn: A root. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MORE More, a., compar. [Positive wanting; superl. Most (.] Etym: [OE. more, mare, and (orig. neut. and adv.) mo, ma, AS. mara, and (as neut. and adv.) ma; akin to D. meer, OS. mer, G. mehr, OHG. mero, mer, Icel. meiri, meirr, Dan. meere, meer, Sw. mera, mer, Goth. maiza, a., mais, adv., and perh. to L. major greater, compar. of magnus great, and magis, adv., more. sq. root103. Cf. Most, uch, Major.]
1. Greater; superior; increased; as: (a) Greater in quality, amount, degree, quality, and the like; with the singular. He gat more money. Chaucer. If we procure not to ourselves more woe. Milton.
Note: More, in this sense, was formerly used in connection with some other qualifying word, -- a, the, this, their, etc., -- which now requires the substitution of greater, further, or the like, for more. Whilst sisters nine, which dwell on Parnasse height, Do make them music for their more delight. Spenser. The more part knew not wherefore they were come together. Acts xix. 32. Wrong not that wrong with a more contempt. Shak.
(b) Greater in number; exceeding in numbers; -- with the plural. The people of the children of Israel are more and mighter than we. Ex. i. 9.
2. Additional; other; as, he wept because there were no more words to conquer. With open arms received one poet more. Pope.
MORE More, n.
1. A greater quantity, amount, or number; that which exceeds or surpasses in any way what it is compared with. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. Ex. xvi. 17.
2. That which is in addition; something other and further; an additional or greater amount. They that would have more and more can never have enough. L'Estrange. O! That pang where more than madness lies. Byron. Any more. (a) Anything or something additional or further; as, I do not need any more. (b) Adverbially: Further; beyond a certain time; as, do not think any more about it. -- No more, not anything more; nothing in addition. -- The more and less, the high and low. [Obs.] Shak. "All cried, both less and more." Chaucer.
MORE More, adv.
1. In a greater quantity; in or to a greater extent or degree. (a) With a verb or participle. Admiring more The riches of Heaven's pavement. Milton.
(b) With an adjective or adverb (instead of the suffix -er) to form the comparative degree; as, more durable; more active; more sweetly. Happy here, and more happy hereafter. Bacon.
Note: Double comparatives were common among writers of the Elizabeth period, and for some time later; as, more brighter; more dearer. The duke of Milan And his more braver daughter. Shak.
2. In addition; further; besides; again. Yet once more, Oye laurels, and once more, Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never sere, I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude. Milton. More and more, with continual increase. "Amon trespassed more and more." 2 Chron. xxxiii. 23. -- The more, to a greater degree; by an added quantity; for a reason already specified. -- The more -- the more, by how much more -- by so much more. "The more he praised in himself, the more he seems to suspect that in very deed it was not in him." Milton. -- To be no more, to have ceased to be; as, Cassius is no more; Troy is no more. Those oracles which set the world in flames, Nor ceased to burn till kingdoms were no more. Byron.
MORE More, v. t.
Defn: To make more; to increase. [Obs.] Gower.
MOREEN Mo*reen", n. Etym: [Cf. Mohair.]
Defn: A thick woolen fabric, watered or with embossed figures; -- used in upholstery, for curtains, etc.
MOREL Mor"el, n. Etym: [See Moril.] (Bot.)
Defn: An edible fungus (Morchella esculenta), the upper part of which is covered with a reticulated and pitted hymenium. It is used as food, and for flavoring sauces. [Written also moril.]
MOREL Mor"el, n. Etym: [See Morelle.] (Bot.)
1. Nightshade; -- so called from its blackish purple berries. [Written also morelle.]
2. A kind of cherry. See Morello. Great morel, the deadly nightshade. -- Petty morel, the black nightshade. See Nightshade.
MORELAND More"land, n.
Defn: Moorland.
MORELLE Mo*relle", n. Etym: [F., orig. fem. of moreau black, OF. morel, fr. LL. morellus. Cf. Morello, Murrey.] (Bot.)
Defn: Nightshade. See 2d Morel.
MORELLO Mo*rel"lo, n. Etym: [Cf. It. morello blackish, OF. morel. Cf. Morelle.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of nearly black cherry with dark red flesh and juice, -- used chiefly for preserving.
MORENDO Mo*ren"do, a. & n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Dying; a gradual decrescendo at the end of a strain or cadence.
MORENESS More"ness, n.
Defn: Greatness. [Obs.] Wyclif.
MOREOVER More*o"ver, adv. Etym: [More + over.]
Defn: Beyond what has been said; further; besides; in addition; furthermore; also; likewise. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks. Shak.
Syn. -- Besides, Moreover. Of the two words, moreover is the stronger and is properly used in solemn discourse, or when what is added is important to be considered. See Besides.
MOREPORK More"pork`, n. Etym: [So named from its cry.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Australian crested goatsucker (Ægotheles Novæ-Hollandiæ). Also applied to other allied birds, as Podargus Cuveiri.
MORES Mo"res (mo"rez), n. pl.; sing. Mos (mos). [L.]
Defn: Customs; habits; esp., customs conformity to which is more or less obligatory; customary law.
MORESK Mo*resk", a. & n.
Defn: Moresque. [Obs.]
MORESQUE Mo*resque", a. Etym: [F., fr. It. moresco, or Sp. morisco. See Morris.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or in the manner or style of, the Moors; Moorish. -- n.
Defn: The Moresque style of architecture or decoration. See Moorish architecture, under Moorish. [Written also mauresque.]
MORGAN Mor"gan, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a celebrated breed of American trotting horses; -- so called from the name of the stud from which the breed originated in Vermont.
MORGANATIC Mor`ga*nat"ic, a. Etym: [LL. matrimonium ad morganaticam, fr. morganatica a morning gift, a kind of dowry paid on the morning before or after the marriage, fr. OHG. morgan morning, in morgangeba morning gift, G. morgengabe. See Morn.]
Defn: Pertaining to, in the manner of, or designating, a kind of marriage, called also left-handed marriage, between a man of superior rank and a woman of inferior, in which it is stipulated that neither the latter nor her children shall enjoy the rank or inherit the possessions of her husband. Brande & C. -- Mor`ga*nat"ic*al*ly, adv.
MORGAY Mor"gay, n. Etym: [W. morgi dogfish, shark; mor sea + ci dog.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European small-spotted dogfish, or houndfish. See the Note under Houndfish.
MORGLAY Mor"glay, n. Etym: [Cf. Claymore.]
Defn: A sword. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
MORGUE Morgue, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A place where the bodies of persons found dead are exposed, that they may be identified, or claimed by their friends; a deadhouse.
MORIA Mo"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: Idiocy; imbecility; fatuity; foolishness.
MORIAN Mo"ri*an, n. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A Moor. [Obs.] In vain the Turks and Morians armed be. Fairfax.
MORIBUND Mor"i*bund, a. Etym: [L. moribundus, from moriri to die. See Mortal.]
Defn: In a dying state; dying; at the point of death. The patient was comatose and moribund. Copland.
MORIBUND Mor"i*bund, n.
Defn: A dying person. [R.]
MORIC Mo"ric, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, fustic (see Morin); as, moric acid.
MORICE Mor"ice, n.
Defn: See Morisco.
MORIGERATE Mo*rig"er*ate, a. Etym: [L. morigeratus, p.p. of morigerari to comply with. See Morigerous.]
Defn: Obedient. [Obs.]
MORIGERATION Mo*rig`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. morigeratio.]
Defn: Obsequiousness; obedience. [Obs.] Evelyn.
MORIGEROUS Mo*rig"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. morigerus; oss, moris, custom, manner + gerere to bear, conduct.]
Defn: Obedient; obsequious. [Obs.] Brathwait.
MORIL Mor"il, n. Etym: [F. morille; cf. OHG. morhila, G. morchel, OHG. morha carrot. See More a root.] (Bot.)
Defn: An edible fungus. Same as 1st Morel.
MORIN Mo"rin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow crystalline substance of acid properties extracted from fustic (Maclura tinctoria, formerly called Morus tinctoria); -- called also moric acid.
MORINDA Mo*rin"da, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of rubiaceous trees and shrubs, mostly East Indian, many species of which yield valuable red and yellow dyes. The wood is hard and beautiful, and used for gunstocks.
MORINDIN Mo*rin"din, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow dyestuff extracted from the root bark of an East Indian plant (Morinda citrifolia).
MORINEL Mor"i*nel`, n. Etym: [Cf. F. morinelle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The dotterel.
MORINGA Mo*rin"ga, n. Etym: [Malayam murunggi.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of trees of Southern India and Northern Africa. One species (Moringa pterygosperma) is the horse-radish tree, and its seeds, as well as those of M. aptera, are known in commerce as ben or ben nuts, and yield the oil called oil of ben.
MORINGIC Mo*rin"gic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Designating an organic acid obtained from oil of ben. See Moringa.
MORINTANNIC Mo`rin*tan"nic, a. Etym: [NL. Morus fustic + E. tannic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a variety of tannic acid extracted from fustic (Maclura, formerly Morus, tinctoria) as a yellow crystalline substance; -- called also maclurin.
MORION Mo"ri*on, n. Etym: [F. morion, Sp. morrion; cf. Sp. morra the upper part of the head, morro anything that is round.]
Defn: A kind of open helmet, without visor or beaver, and somewhat resembling a hat. A battered morion on his brow. Sir W. Scott.
MORION Mo"ri*on, n. Etym: [G.] (Min.)
Defn: A dark variety of smoky quartz.
MORIOPLASTY Mo"ri*o*plas`ty, n. Etym: [Gr. -plasty.] (Surg.)
Defn: The restoration of lost parts of the body.
MORISCO Mo*ris"co, a. Etym: [Sp. See Morris the dance.]
Defn: Moresque.
MORISCO Mo*ris"co, n. Etym: [Sp. morisco Moorish.]
Defn: A thing of Moorish origin; as: (a) The Moorish language. (b) A Moorish dance, now called morris dance. Marston. (c) One who dances the Moorish dance. Shak. (d) Moresque decoration or architecture.
MORISK Mo"risk, n.
Defn: Same as Morisco.
MORKIN Mor"kin, n. Etym: [Akin to Sw. murken putrefied, Icel. morkinn putrid.]
Defn: A beast that has died of disease or by mischance. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MORLAND Mor"land, n.
Defn: Moorland. [Obs.]
MORLING Mor"ling, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mort dead, L. mortuus, fr. moriri to die.]
Defn: Mortling. [Eng.] Ainsworth.
MORMAL Mor"mal, n. Etym: [F. mort-mai a deadly evil. Nares.]
Defn: A bad sore; a gangrene; a cancer. [Obs.] [Written also morrimal and mortmal.] Chaucer.
MORMO Mor"mo, n. Etym: [Gr. mormw` a hideous she-monster, a bugbear.]
Defn: A bugbear; false terror. [Obs.] Jonhson.
MORMON Mor"mon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) A genus of sea birds, having a large, thick bill; the puffin. (b) The mandrill.
MORMON Mor"mon, n. (Eccl.)
Defn: One of a sect in the United States, followers of Joseph Smith, who professed to have found an addition to the Bible, engraved on golden plates, called the Book of Mormon, first published in 1830. The Mormons believe in polygamy, and their hierarchy of apostles, etc., has control of civil and religious matters.
Note: The Mormons call their religious organization The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its head claims to receive revelations of God's will, and to have certain supernatural powers.
MORMON Mor"mon, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mormons; as, the Mormon religion; Mormon practices.
MORMONDOM Mor"mon*dom, n.
Defn: The country inhabited by the Mormons; the Mormon people.
MORMONISM Mor"mon*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrine, system, and practices of the Mormons.
MORMONITE Mor"mon*ite, n.
Defn: A Mormon. -- a.
Defn: Mormon. "Mormonite religion." F. W. Newman.
MORN Morn, n. Etym: [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
Defn: The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. From morn To noun he fell, from noon to dewy eve. Milton.
MORNE Mor"ne, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the morn; morning. [Obs.] "White as morne milk." Chaucer.
MORNE Morne, n. Etym: [F., fr. morne sad, sorrowful. See Mourn.]
Defn: A ring fitted upon the head of a lance to prevent wounding an adversary in titling.
MORNE Mor`né", a. Etym: [F., fr. morne a morne.] (Her.)
Defn: Without teeth, tongue, or claws; -- said of a lion represented heraldically.
MORNE Morne, n. Etym: [OE. morning, morwening. See Morn.]
1. The first or early part of the day, variously understood as the earliest hours of light, the time near sunrise; the time from midnight to noon, from rising to noon, etc.
2. The first or early part; as, the morning of life.
3. The goddess Aurora. [Poetic] Shak.
MORNING Morn"ing, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the first part or early part of the day; being in the early part of the day; as, morning dew; morning light; morning service. She looks as clear As morning roses newly washed with dew. Shak. Morning gown, a gown worn in the morning before one is dressed for the day. -- Morning gun, a gun fired at the first stroke of reveille at military posts. -- Morning sickness (Med.), nausea and vomiting, usually occurring in the morning; -- a common sign of pregnancy. -- Morning star. (a) Any one of the planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mars, or Saturn) when it precedes the sun in rising, esp. Venus. Cf. Evening star, Evening. (b) Satan. See Lucifer. Since he miscalled the morning star, Nor man nor fiend hath fallen so far. Byron. (c) A weapon consisting of a heavy ball set with spikes, either attached to a staff or suspended from one by a chain. -- Morning watch (Naut.), the watch between four A. M. and eight A. M..
MORNING-GLORY Morn"ing-glo`ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A climbing plant (Ipomoea purpurea) having handsome, funnel- shaped flowers, usually red, pink, purple, white, or variegated, sometimes pale blue. See Dextrorsal.
MORNINGTIDE Morn"ing*tide`, n.
Defn: Morning time. [Poetic]
MORNWARD Morn"ward, adv.
Defn: Towards the morn. [Poetic] And mornward now the starry hands move on. Lowell.
MORO Mo"ro, n. Etym: [Cf. It. mora mulberry, L. morum.] (Med.)
Defn: A small abscess or tumor having a resemblance to a mulberry. Dunglison.
MOROCCAN Mo*roc"can, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Morocco, or its inhabitants.
MOROCCO Mo*roc"co, n. Etym: [Named from Morocco, the country. Cf. Morris the dance.]
Defn: A fine kind of leather, prepared commonly from goatskin (though an inferior kind is made of sheepskin), and tanned with sumac and dyed of various colors; -- said to have been first made by the Moors.
MOROLOGY Mo*rol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Foolish talk; nonsense; folly. [Obs.]
MORON Mo"ron, n. (Pedagogy)
Defn: A person whose intellectual development proceeds normally up to about the eighth year of age and is then arrested so that there is little or no further development.
MORON Mo*ron", n.; Sp. pl. Morones (#). [Sp.]
Defn: An inferior olive size having a woody pulp and a large clingstone pit, growing in the mountainous and high-valley districts around the city of Moron, in Spain.
MORONE Mo*rone", n.
Defn: Maroon; the color of an unripe black mulberry.
MOROS Mo"ros, n. pl.; sing. Moro. [Sp., pl. of Moro Moor.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: The Mohammedan tribes of the southern Philippine Islands, said to have formerly migrated from Borneo. Some of them are warlike and addicted to piracy.
MOROSAURUS Mo`ro*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of large herbivorous dinosaurs, found in Jurassic strata in America.
MOROSE Mo*rose", a. Etym: [L. morosus, prop., excessively addicted to any
## particular way or habit, fr. mos, moris, manner, habit, way of life:
cf. F. morose.]
1. Of a sour temper; sullen and austere; ill-humored; severe. "A morose and affected taciturnity." I. Watts.
2. Lascivious; brooding over evil thoughts. [Obs.]
Syn. -- Sullen; gruff; severe; austere; gloomy; crabbed; crusty; churlish; surly; ill-humored.
MOROSELY Mo*rose"ly, adv.
Defn: Sourly; with sullen austerity.
MOROSENESS Mo*rose"ness, n.
Defn: Sourness of temper; sulenness. Learn good humor, never to oppose without just reason; abate some degrees of pride and moroseness. I. Watts.
Note: Moroseness is not precisely peevishness or fretfulness, though often accompained with it. It denotes more of silence and severity, or ill-humor, than the irritability or irritation which characterizes peevishness.
MOROSIS Mo*ro"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Idiocy; fatuity; stupidity.
MOROSITY Mo*ros"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. morositas: cf. F. morosité.]
Defn: Moroseness. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
MOROSOPH Mo"ro*soph, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A philosophical or learned fool. [Obs.]
MOROSOUS Mo*ro"sous, a.
Defn: Morose. [Obs.] Sheldon.
MOROXITE Mo*rox"ite, n. Etym: [Cf. Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of apatite of a greenish blue color.
MOROXYLATE Mo*rox"y*late, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A morate.
MOROXYLIC Mor`ox*yl"ic, a. Etym: [L. morus a mulberry tree + Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, the mulberry; moric.
MORPHEAN Mor"phe*an, a.
Defn: Of or relating to Morpheus, to dreams, or to sleep. Keats.
MORPHEUS Mor"pheus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: The god of dreams.
MORPHEW Mor"phew, n. Etym: [F. morpheé, LL. morphea; cf. It. morfea.]
Defn: A scurfy eruption. [Obs.] Drayton.
MORPHEW Mor"phew, v. t.
Defn: To cover with a morphew. [Obs.]
MORPHIA Mor"phi*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Chem.)
Defn: Morphine.
MORPHINE Mor"phine, n. Etym: [From Morpheus: cf. F. morphine.] (Chem.)
Defn: A bitter white crystalline alkaloid found in opium, possessing strong narcotic properties, and much used as an anodyne; -- called also morphia, and morphina.
MORPHINISM Mor"phin*ism, n. (Med.)
Defn: A morbid condition produced by the excessive or prolonged use of morphine.
MORPHO Mor"pho, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of large, handsome, tropical American butterflies, of the genus Morpho. They are noted for the very brilliant metallic luster and bright colors (often blue) of the upper surface of the wings. The lower surface is usually brown or gray, with eyelike spots.
MORPHOGENY Mor*phog"e*ny, n. Etym: [form + root of (Biol.)
Defn: History of the evolution of forms; that part of ontogeny that deals with the germ history of forms; -- distinguished from physiogeny. Haeckel.
MORPHOLOGIC; MORPHOLOGICAL Mor`pho*log"ic, Mor`pho*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. morphologique.] (Biol.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or according to, the principles of morphology. -- Mor`pho*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
MORPHOLOGIST Mor*phol"o*gist, n. (Biol.)
Defn: One who is versed in the science of morphology.
MORPHOLOGY Mor*phol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. morphologie.] (Biol.)
Defn: That branch of biology which deals with the structure of animals and plants, treating of the forms of organs and describing their varieties, homologies, and metamorphoses. See Tectology, and Promorphology.
MORPHON Mor"phon, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A morphological individual, characterized by definiteness of form bion, a physiological individual. See Tectology. Haeckel.
Note: Of morphons there are six orders or categories: 1. Plastids or elementary organisms. 2. Organs, homoplastic or heteroplastic. 3. Antimeres (opposite or symmetrical or homotypic parts). 4. Metameres (successive or homodynamous parts). 5. Personæ (shoots or buds of plants, individuals in the narrowest sense among the higher animals). 6. Corms (stocks or colonies). For orders 2, 3, and 4 the term idorgan has been recently substituted. See Idorgan.
MORPHONOMY Mor*phon"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The laws of organic formation.
MORPHOPHYLY Mor"pho*phy`ly, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The tribal history of forms; that part of phylogeny which treats of the tribal history of forms, in distinction from the tribal history of functions. Haeckel.
MORPHOSIS Mor*pho"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: The order or mode of development of an organ or part.
MORPHOTIC Mor*phot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: Connected with, or becoming an integral part of, a living unit or of the morphological framework; as, morphotic, or tissue, proteids. Foster.
-MORPHOUS -mor"phous. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A combining form denoting form, shape; as, isomorphous.
MORPION Mor"pi*on, n. Etym: [F., fr. mordre to bite + L. pedis louse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A louse. Hudibras.
MORRICE Mor"rice, n.
Defn: Same as 1st Morris.
MORRICE Mor"rice, a.
Defn: Dancing the morrice; dancing. In shoals and bands, a morrice train. Wordsworth.
MORRICER Mor"ri*cer, n.
Defn: A morris dancer. [Obs.]
MORRIMAL Mor"ri*mal, n. & a.
Defn: See Mormal.
MORRIS Mor"ris, n. Etym: [Sp. morisco Moorish, fr. Moro a Moor: cf. F. moresque, It. moresca.]
1. A Moorish dance, usually performed by a single dancer, who accompanies the dance with castanets.
2. A dance formerly common in England, often performed in pagenats, processions, and May games. The dancers, grotesquely dressed and ornamented, took the parts of Robin Hood, Maidmarian, and other fictious characters.
3. An old game played with counters, or men, which are placed angles of a figure drawn on a board or on the ground; also, the board or ground on which the game is played. The nine-men's morris is filled up with mud. Shak.
Note: The figure consists of three concentric squares, with lines from the angles of the outer one to those of the inner, and from the middle of each side of the outer square to that of the inner. The game is played by two persons with nine or twelve pieces each (hence called nine-men's morris or twelve-men's morris). The pieces are placed alternately, and each player endeavors to prevent his opponent from making a straight row of three. Should either succeed in making a row, he may take up one of his opponent's pieces, and he who takes off all of his opponent's pieces wins the game.
MORRIS Mor"ris, n. Etym: [So called from its discoverer.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A marine fish having a very slender, flat, transparent body. It is now generally believed to be the young of the conger eel or some allied fish.
MORRIS-CHAIR Mor"ris-chair`, n. [Prob. fr. the proper name Morris.]
Defn: A kind of easy-chair with a back which may be lowered or raised.
MORRIS-PIKE Mor"ris-pike`, n.
Defn: A Moorish pike. [Obs.]
MORRO Mor"ro, n. [Sp., any spherical object.]
Defn: A round hill or point of land; hence, Morro castle, a castle on a hill.
MORROT Mor"rot, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Marrot.
MORROW Mor"row, n. Etym: [OE. morwe, morwen, AS. morgen. See Morn.]
1. Morning. [Obs.] "White as morrow's milk." Bp. Hall. We loved he by the morwe a sop in wine. Chaucer.
2. The next following day; the day subsequent to any day specified or understood. Lev. vii. 16. Till this stormy night is gone, And the eternal morrow dawn. Crashaw.
3. The day following the present; to-morrow. Good morrow, good morning; -- a form of salutation. -- To morrow. See To-morrow in the Vocabulary.
MORSE Morse, n. Etym: [F. morse, Russ. morj'; perh. akin to E. mere lake; cf. Russ. more sea.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The walrus. See Walrus.
MORSE Morse, n. Etym: [L. morsus a biting, a clasp, fr. mordere to bite.]
Defn: A clasp for fastening garments in front. Fairholt.
MORSE ALPHABET Morse" al"pha*bet.
Defn: A telegraphic alphabet in very general use, inventing by Samuel F.B.Morse, the inventor of Morse's telegraph. The letters are represented by dots and dashes impressed or printed on paper, as, .- (A), -... (B), -.. (D), . (E), .. (O), ... (R), -- (T), etc., or by sounds, flashes of light, etc., with greater or less intervals between them.
MORSE CODE Morse" code". (Teleg.)
Defn: The telegraphic code, consisting of dots, dashes, and spaces, invented by Samuel B. Morse. The Alphabetic code which is in use in North America is given below. In length, or duration, one dash is theoretically equal to three dots; the space between the elements of a letter is equal to one dot; the interval in spaced letters, as O . ., is equal to three dots. There are no spaces in any letter composed wholly or in part of dashes.
Alphabet
A .- H .... O . . V ...-
B - . . . I .. P ..... W .--
C .. . J -.-. Q ..-. X .-..
D -.. K -.- R . .. Y .. ..
E . L --- S ... Z ... .
F .-. M -- T -- & . ...
G --. N -. U ..-
Numerals
1 .--. 4 . . . .- 7 --..
2 ..-.. 5 --- 8 - . . . .
3 . . . -. 6 . . . . . . 9 -..-
0 ---- Period ..--.. Comma .-.-
The International (Morse) code used elsewhere is the same as the above with the following exceptions.
C -.-. L .-.. Q --.- Y -.--
F ..-. O --- R .-. Z --..
J .--- P .--. X -..- The Morse code is used chiefly with the electric telegraph, but is also employed in signalling with flags, lights, etc.
MORSEL Mor"sel, n. Etym: [OF. morsel, F. morceau, LL. morsellus, a dim. fr. L. morsus a biting, bite, fr. mordere to bite; prob. akin to E. smart. See Smart, and cf. Morceau, Mordant, Muse, v., Muzzle, n.]
1. A little bite or bit of food. Chaucer. Every morsel to a satisfied hunger is only a new labor to a tired digestion. South.
2. A small quantity; a little piece; a fragment.
MORSING HORN Mor"sing horn`.
Defn: A horn or flask for holding powder, as for priming. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
MORSITATION Mor`si*ta"tion, n.
Defn: The act of biting or gnawing. [Obs.]
MORSURE Mor"sure, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mordere, morsum, to bite.]
Defn: The act of biting. Swift.
MORT Mort, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. margt, neut. of margr many.]
Defn: A great quantity or number. [Prov. Eng.] There was a mort of merrymaking. Dickens.
MORT Mort, n. Etym: [Etym. uncert.]
Defn: A woman; a female. [Cant] Male gypsies all, not a mort among them. B. Jonson.
MORT Mort, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A salmon in its third year. [Prov. Eng.]
MORT Mort, n. Etym: [F., death, fr. L. mors, mortis.]
1. Death; esp., the death of game in the chase.
2. A note or series of notes sounded on a horn at the death of game. The sportsman then sounded a treble mort. Sir W. Scott.
3. The skin of a sheep or lamb that has died of disease. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Mort cloth, the pall spread over a coffin; black cloth indicative or mourning; funeral hangings. Carlyle. -- Mort stone, a large stone by the wayside on which the bearers rest a coffin. [Eng.] H. Taylor.
MORTAL Mor"tal, a. Etym: [F. mortel, L. mortalis, from mors, mortis, death, fr. moriri 8die; akin to E. murder. See Murder, and cf. Filemot, Mere a lake, Mortgage.]
1. Subject to death; destined to die; as, man is mortal.
2. Destructive to life; causing or occasioning death; terminating life; exposing to or deserving death; deadly; as, a mortal wound; a mortal sin.
3. Fatally vulnerable; vital. Last of all, against himself he turns his sword, but missing the mortal place, with his poniard finishes the work. Milton.
4. Of or pertaining to the time of death. Safe in the hand of one disposing Power, Or in the natal or the mortal hour. Pope.
5. Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly. The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright. Dryden.
6. Human; belonging to man, who is mortal; as, mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power. The voice of God To mortal ear is dreadful. Milton.
7. Very painful or tedious; wearisome; as, a sermon lasting two mortal hours. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott. Mortal foe, Mortal enemy, an inveterate, desperate, or implacable enemy; a foe bent on one's destruction.
MORTAL Mor"tal, n.
Defn: A being subject to death; a human being; man. "Warn poor mortals left behind." Tickell.
MORTALITY Mor*tal"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mortalitas: cf. F. mortalité.]
1. The condition or quality of being mortal; subjection to death or to the necessity of dying. When I saw her die, I then did think on your mortality. Carew.
2. Human life; the life of a mortal being. From this instant There 's nothing serious in mortality. Shak.
3. Those who are, or that which is, mortal; the human cace; humanity; human nature. Take these tears, mortality's relief. Pope.
4. Death; destruction. Shak.
5. The whole sum or number of deaths in a given time or a given community; also, the proportion of deaths to population, or to a specific number of the population; death rate; as, a time of great, or low, mortality; the mortality among the settlers was alarming. Bill of mortality. See under Bill. -- Law of mortality, a mathematical relation between the numbers living at different ages, so that from a given large number of persons alive at one age, it can be computed what number are likely to survive a given number of years. -- Table of mortality, a table exhibiting the average relative number of persons who survive, or who have died, at the end of each year of life, out of a given number supposed to have been born at the same time.
MORTALIZE Mor"tal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mortalizing.]
Defn: To make mortal. [R.]
MORTALLY Mor"tal*ly, adv.
1. In a mortal manner; so as to cause death; as, mortally wounded.
2. In the manner of a mortal or of mortal beings. I was mortally brought forth. Shak.
3. In an extreme degree; to the point of dying or causing death; desperately; as, mortally jealous. Adrian mortally envied poets, painters, and artificers, in works wherein he had a vein to excel. Bacon.
MORTALNESS Mor"tal*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being mortal; mortality.
MORTAR Mor"tar, n. Etym: [OE. morter, AS. mortere, L. mortarium: cf. F. mortier mortar. Cf. sense 2 (below), also 2d Mortar, Martel, Morter.]
1. A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle.
2. Etym: [F. mortier, fr. L. mortarium mortar (for trituarating).] (Mil.)
Defn: A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45º, and even higher; - - so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described. Mortar bed (Mil.), a framework of wood and iron, suitably hollowed out to receive the breech and trunnions of a mortar. -- Mortar boat or vessel (Naut.), a boat strongly built and adapted to carrying a mortar or mortars for bombarding; a bomb ketch. -- Mortar piece, a mortar. [Obs.] Shak.
MORTAR Mor"tar, n. Etym: [OE. mortier, F. mortier, L. mortarium mortar, a large basin or trough in which mortar is made, a mortar (in sense 1, above). See 1st Mortar.] (Arch.)
Defn: A building material made by mixing lime, cement, or plaster of Paris, with sand, water, and sometimes other materials; -- used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, etc., also for plastering, and in other ways. Mortar bed, a shallow box or receptacle in which mortar is mixed. -- Mortar board. (a) A small square board with a handle beneath, for holding mortar; a hawk. (b) A cap with a broad, projecting, square top; -- worn by students in some colleges. [Slang]
MORTAR Mor"tar, v. t.
Defn: To plaster or make fast with mortar.
MORTAR Mor"tar, n. Etym: [F. mortier. See Mortar a vessel.]
Defn: A chamber lamp or light. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MORTGAGE Mort"gage, n. Etym: [F. mort-gage; mort dead (L. mortuus) + gage pledge. See Mortal, and Gage.]
1. (Law)
Defn: A conveyance of property, upon condition, as security for the payment of a debt or the preformance of a duty, and to become void upon payment or performance according to the stipulated terms; also, the written instrument by which the conveyance is made.
Note: It was called a mortgage (or dead pledge) because, whatever profit it might yield, it did not thereby redeem itself, but became lost or dead to the mortgager upon breach of the condition. But in equity a right of redemption is an inseparable incident of a mortgage until the mortgager is debarred by his own laches, or by judicial decree. Cowell. Kent.
2. State of being pledged; as, lands given in mortgage. Chattel mortgage. See under Chattel. -- To foreclose a mortgage. See under Foreclose. -- Mortgage deed (Law), a deed given by way of mortgage.
MORTGAGE Mort"gage, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortgaged; p. pr. & vb. n. Mortgaging.]
1. (Law)
Defn: To grant or convey, as property, for the security of a debt, or other engagement, upon a condition that if the debt or engagement shall be discharged according to the contract, the conveyance shall be void, otherwise to become absolute, subject, however, to the right of redemption.
2. Hence: To pledge, either literally or figuratively; to make subject to a claim or obligation. Mortgaging their lives to covetise. Spenser. I myself an mortgaged to thy will. Shak.
MORTGAGEE Mort`ga*gee", n. (Law)
Defn: The person to whom property is mortgaged, or to whom a mortgage is made or given.
MORTGAGEOR; MORTGAGOR Mort"gage*or, Mort"ga*gor, n. (Law)
Defn: One who gives a mortgage.
Note: The letter e is required analogically after the second g in order to soften it; but the spelling mortgagor is in fact the prevailing form. When the word is contradistinguished from mortgagee it is accented on the last syllable (
MORTGAGER Mort"ga*ger, n. (Law)
Defn: gives a mortgage.
MORTIFEROUS Mor"tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. mortifier; mors, mortis, death + ferre to bring: cf. F. mortifère.]
Defn: Bringing or producing death; deadly; destructive; as, a mortiferous herb. Gov. of Tongue.
MORTIFICATION Mor`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mortificatio a killing. See Mortify.]
1. The act of mortifying, or the condition of being mortified; especially: (a) (Med.) The death of one part of an animal body, while the rest continues to live; loss of vitality in some part of a living animal; gangrene. Dunglison. (b) (Alchem. & Old Chem.) Destruction of active qualities; neutralization. [Obs.] Bacon. (c) Subjection of the passions and appetites, by penance, absistence, or painful severities inflicted on the body. The mortification of our lusts has something in it that is troublesome, yet nothing that is unreasonable. Tillotson.
(d) Hence: Deprivation or depression of self-approval; abatement or pride; humiliation; chagrin; vexation. We had the mortification to lose sight of Munich, Augsburg, and Ratisbon. Addison.
2. That which mortifies; the cause of humiliation, chagrin, or vexation. It is one of the vexatious mortifications of a studious man to have his thoughts discovered by a tedious visit. L'Estrange.
3. (Scots Law)
Defn: A gift to some charitable or religious institution; -- nearly synonymous with mortmain.
Syn. -- Chagrin; vexation; shame. See Chagrin.
MORTIFIED Mor"ti*fied, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Mortify.
MORTIFIEDNESS Mor"ti*fied*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being mortified; humiliation; subjection of the passions. [R.]
MORTIFIER Mor"ti*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mortifies.
MORTIFY Mor"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mortifying.] Etym: [OE. mortifien, F. mortifier, fr. L. mortificare; L. mors, mortis, death + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Mortal, and -fy.]
1. To destroy the organic texture and vital functions of; to produce gangrene in.
2. To destroy the active powers or essential qualities of; to change by chemical action. [Obs.] Chaucer. Quicksilver is mortified with turpentine. Bacon. He mortified pearls in vinegar. Hakewill.
3. To deaden by religious or other discipline, as the carnal affections, bodily appetites, or worldly desires; to bring into subjection; to abase; to humble. With fasting mortified, worn out with tears. Harte. Mortify thy learned lust. Prior. Mortify, rherefore, your members which are upon the earth. Col. iii. 5.
4. To affect with vexation, chagrin, or humiliation; to humble; to depress. The news of the fatal battle of Worcester, which exceedingly mortified our expectations. Evelyn. How often is the ambitious man mortified with the very praises he receives, if they do not rise so high as he thinks they ought! Addison.
MORTIFY Mor"ti*fy, v. i.
1. To lose vitality and organic structure, as flesh of a living body; to gangrene.
2. To practice penance from religious motives; to deaden desires by religious discipline. This makes him ... give alms of all that he hath, watch, fast, and mortify. Law.
3. To be subdued; to decay, as appetites, desires, etc.
MORTIFYING Mor"ti*fy`ing, a.
1. Tending to mortify; affected by, or having symptoms of, mortification; as, a mortifying wound; mortifying flesh.
2. Subduing the appetites, desires, etc.; as, mortifying penances.
3. Tending to humble or abase; humiliating; as, a mortifying repulse.
MORTIFYINGLY Mor"ti*fy`ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mortifying manner.
MORTISE Mor"tise, n. Etym: [F. mortaise; cf. Sp. mortaja, Ar. murtazz fixed, or W. mortais, Ir. mortis, moirtis, Gael. moirteis.]
Defn: A cavity cut into a piece of timber, or other material, to receive something (as the end of another piece) made to fit it, and called a tenon. Mortise and tenon (Carp.), made with a mortise and tenon; joined or united by means of a mortise and tenon; -- used adjectively. -- Mortise joint, a joint made by a mortise and tenon. -- Mortise lock. See under Lock. -- Mortise wheel, a cast-iron wheel, with wooden clogs inserted in mortises on its face or edge; -- also called mortise gear, and core gear.
MORTISE Mor"tise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortised; p. pr. & vb. n. Mortising.]
1. To cut or make a mortisein.
2. To join or fasten by a tenon and mortise; as, to mortise a beam into a post, or a joist into a girder.
MORTLING Mort"ling, n. Etym: [See Morling.]
1. An animal, as a sheep, dead of disease or privation; a mortling. [Eng.]
2. Wool plucked from a dead sheep; morling.
MORTMAIN Mort"main`, n. Etym: [F. mort, morte, dead + main hand; F. main- morte. See Mortal, and Manual.] (Law)
Defn: Possession of lands or tenements in, or conveyance to, dead hands, or hands that cannot alienate.
Note: The term was originally applied to conveyance of land made to ecclesiastical bodies; afterward to conveyance made to any corporate body. Burrill.
MORTMAL Mort"mal, n.
Defn: See Mormal. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MORTPAY Mort"pay`, n. Etym: [F. mort dead + E. pay.]
Defn: Dead pay; the crime of taking pay for the service of dead soldiers, or for services not actually rendered by soldiers. [Obs.] Bacon.
MORTRESS; MORTREW Mor"tress, Mor"trew, n. Etym: [See Mortar.]
Defn: A dish of meats and other ingredients, cooked together; an ollapodrida. Chaucer. Bacon.
MORTUARY Mor"tu*a*ry, n.; pl. Mortuaries. Etym: [LL. mortuarium. See Mortuary, a.]
1. A sort of ecclesiastical heriot, a customary gift claimed by, and due to, the minister of a parish on the death of a parishioner. It seems to have been originally a voluntary bequest or donation, intended to make amends for any failure in the payment of tithes of which the deceased had been guilty.
2. A burial place; a place for the dead.
3. A place for the reception of the dead before burial; a deadhouse; a morgue.
MORTUARY Mor"tu*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. mortuarius, fr. mortuus dead: cf. F. mortuaire. See Mortal.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the dead; as, mortuary monuments. Mortuary urn, an urn for holding the ashes of the dead.
MORULA Mor"u*la, n.; pl. Morulæ. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. morum a mulberry.] (Biol.)
Defn: The sphere or globular mass of cells (blastomeres), formed by the clevage of the ovum or egg in the first stages of its development; -- called also mulberry mass, segmentation sphere, and blastosphere. See Segmentation.
MORULATION Mor`u*la"tion, n. (Biol.)
Defn: The process of cleavage, or segmentation, of the ovum, by which a morula is formed.
MORUS Mo"rus, n. Etym: [L., mulberry tree. See Mulberry.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of trees, some species of which produce edible fruit; the mulberry. See Mulberry.
Note: Morus alba is the white mulberry, a native of India or China, the leaves of which are extensively used for feeding silkworms, for which it furnishes the chief food. -- Morus multicaulis, the many-stemmed or Chinese mulberry, is only a form of white mulberry, preferred on account of its more abundant leaves. -- Morus nigra, the black mulberry, produces a dark-colored fruit, of an agreeable flavor.
MORWE Mor"we, n.
Defn: See Morrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MORWENING Mor"wen*ing, n.
Defn: Morning. [Obs.]
MOS Mos, n.,
Defn: sing. of Mores.
MOSAIC Mo*sa"ic, n. Etym: [F. mosaïque; cf. Pr. mozaic, musec, Sp. & Pg. mosaico, It. mosaico, musaico, LGr. musivum; all fr. Gr. Muse the goddess.]
1. (Fine Arts)
Defn: A surface decoration made by inlaying in patterns small pieces of variously colored glass, stone, or other material; -- called also mosaic work.
2. A picture or design made in mosaic; an article decorated in mosaic.
MOSAIC Mo*sa"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the style of work called mosaic; formed by uniting pieces of different colors; variegated; tessellated; also, composed of various materials or ingredients. A very beautiful mosaic pavement. Addison. Florentine mosaic. See under Florentine. -- Mosaic gold. (a) See Ormolu. -- (b) Stannic sulphide, SnS2, obtained as a yellow scaly crystalline powder, and used as a pigment in bronzing and gilding wood and metal work. It was called by the alchemists aurum musivum, or aurum mosaicum. Called also bronze powder. -- Mosaic work. See Mosaic, n.
MOSAIC Mo*sa"ic, a. Etym: [From Moses.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Moses, the leader of the Israelites, or established through his agency; as, the Mosaic law, rites, or institutions.
MOSAICAL Mo*sa"ic*al, a.
Defn: Mosaic (in either sense). "A mosaical floor." Sir P. Sidney.
MOSAICALLY Mo*sa"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of a mosaic.
MOSAISM Mo"sa*ism, n.
Defn: Attachment to the system or doctrines of Moses; that which is peculiar to the Mosaic system or doctrines.
MOSASAUR; MOSASAURIAN Mos"a*saur, Mos`a*sau"ri*an, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: One of an extinct order of reptiles, including Mosasaurus and allied genera. See Mosasauria.
MOSASAURIA Mos`a*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mosasaurus.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An order of large, extinct, marine reptiles, found in the Cretaceous rocks, especially in America. They were serpentlike in form and in having loosely articulated and dilatable jaws, with large recurved tteth, but they had paddlelike feet. Some of them were over fifty feet long. They are, essentially, fossil sea serpents with paddles. Called also Pythonomarpha, and Mosasauria.
MOSASAURUS Mos`a*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Mosa the River Meuse (on which Meastricht is situated) + Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of extinct marine reptiles allied to the lizards, but having the body much elongated, and the limbs in the form of paddles. The first known species, nearly fifty feet in length, was discovered in Cretaceous beds near Maestricht, in the Netherlands. [Written also Mososaurus.]
MOSCHATEL Mos"cha*tel`, n. Etym: [Gr. moscatelline. See Muscadel, Musk.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Adoxa (A. moschatellina), the flowers of which are pale green, and have a faint musky smell. It is found in woods in all parts of Europe, and is called also hollow root and musk crowfoot. Loudon.
MOSCHINE Mos"chine, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Moschus, a genus including the musk deer.
MOSEL Mos"el, n. & v.
Defn: See Muzzle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOSELLE Mo*selle", n.
Defn: A light wine, usually white, produced in the vicinity of the river Moselle.
MOSES Mo"ses, n.
Defn: A large flatboat, used in the West Indies for taking freight from shore to ship.
MOSEY Mo"sey, v. i. [Perh. fr. Vamose.]
Defn: To go, or move (in a certain manner); -- usually with out, off, along, etc. [Colloq.] E. N. Wescott.
MOSK Mosk, n.
Defn: See Mosque.
MOSLEM Mos"lem, n.; pl. Moslems, or collectively Moslem. Etym: [Ar. muslim a true believer in the Mohammedan faith, fr. salama to submit to God, to resign one's self to the divine will. Cf. Islam, Mussulman.]
Defn: A Mussulman; an orthodox Mohammedan. [Written also muslim.] "Heaps of slaughtered Moslem." Macaulay. They piled the ground with Moslem slain. Halleck.
MOSLEM Mos"lem, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mohammedans; Mohammedan; as, Moslem lands; the Moslem faith.
MOSLINGS Mos"lings, n. pl.
Defn: Thin shreds of leather shaved off in dressing skins. Simmonds.
MOSOSAURUS Mos`o*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)
Defn: Same as Mosasaurus.
MOSQUE Mosque, n. Etym: [F. mosquée, Sp. mezquita, Ar. masjid, from sajada to bend, adore.]
Defn: A Mohammedan church or place of religious worship. [Written also mosk.]
MOSQUITO Mos*qui"to, n.; pl. Mosquitoes. Etym: [Sp. mosquito, fr. moscafly, L. musca. Cf. Musket.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of various species of gnats of the genus Culex and allied genera. The females have a proboscis containing, within the sheathlike labium, six fine, sharp, needlelike organs with which they puncture the skin of man and animals to suck the blood. These bites, when numerous, cause, in many persons, considerable irritation and swelling, with some pain. The larvæ and pupæ, called wigglers, are aquatic. [Written also musquito.] Mosquito bar, Mosquito net, a net or curtain for excluding mosquitoes, -- used for beds and windows. -- Mosquito fleet, a fleet of small vessels. -- Mosquito hawk (Zoöl.), a dragon fly; -- so called because it captures and feeds upon mosquitoes. -- Mosquito netting, a loosely-woven gauzelike fabric for making mosquito bars.
MOSS Moss, n. Etym: [OE. mos; akin to AS. meós, D. mos, G. moos, OHG. mos, mios, Icel. mosi, Dan. mos, Sw. mossa, Russ. mokh', L. muscus. Cf. Muscoid.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A cryptogamous plant of a cellular structure, with distinct stem and simple leaves. The fruit is a small capsule usually opening by an apical lid, and so discharging the spores. There are many species, collectively termed Musci, growing on the earth, on rocks, and trunks of trees, etc., and a few in running water.
Note: The term moss is also popularly applied to many other small cryptogamic plants, particularly lichens, species of which are called tree moss, rock moss, coral moss, etc. Fir moss and club moss are of the genus Lycopodium. See Club moss, under Club, and Lycopodium.
2. A bog; a morass; a place containing peat; as, the mosses of the Scottish border.
Note: Moss is used with participles in the composition of words which need no special explanation; as, moss-capped, moss-clad, moss- covered, moss-grown, etc. Black moss. See under Black, and Tillandsia. -- Bog moss. See Sphagnum. -- Feather moss, any moss branched in a feathery manner, esp. several species of the genus Hypnum. -- Florida moss, Long moss, or Spanish moss. See Tillandsia. -- Iceland moss, a lichen. See Iceland Moss. -- Irish moss, a seaweed. See Carrageen. -- Moss agate (Min.), a variety of agate, containing brown, black, or green mosslike or dendritic markings, due in part to oxide of manganese. Called also Mocha stone. -- Moss animal (Zoöl.), a bryozoan. -- Moss berry (Bot.), the small cranberry (Vaccinium Oxycoccus). -- Moss campion (Bot.), a kind of mosslike catchfly (Silene acaulis), with mostly purplish flowers, found on the highest mountains of Europe and America, and within the Arctic circle. -- Moss land, land produced accumulation of aquatic plants, forming peat bogs of more or less consistency, as the water is grained off or retained in its pores. -- Moss pink (Bot.), a plant of the genus Phlox (P. subulata), growing in patches on dry rocky hills in the Middle United States, and often cultivated for its handsome flowers. Gray. -- Moss rose (Bot.), a variety of rose having a mosslike growth on the stalk and calyx. It is said to be derived from the Provence rose. -- Moss rush (Bot.), a rush of the genus Juncus (J. squarrosus). -- Scale moss. See Hepatica.
MOSS Moss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mossed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mossing.]
Defn: To cover or overgrow with moss. An oak whose boughs were mossed with age. Shak.
MOSSBACK Moss"back`, n.
Defn: A veteran partisan; one who is so conservative in opinion that he may be likened to a stone or old tree covered with moss. [Political Slang, U.S.]
MOSSBANKER; MOSSBUNKER Moss"bank`er, Moss"bunk`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The menhaded.
MOSS-GROWN Moss"-grown`, a.
Defn: Overgrown with moss.
MOSSINESS Moss"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being mossy.
MOSSTROOPER Moss"troop`er, n. Etym: [Moss + trooper.]
Defn: One of a class of marauders or bandits that formerly infested the border country between England and Scotland; -- so called in allusion to the mossy or boggy character of much of the border country.
MOSSY Moss"y, a. [Compar. Mossier; superl. Mossiest.]
1. Overgrown with moss; abounding with or edged with moss; as, mossy trees; mossy streams. Old trees are more mossy far than young. Bacon.
2. Resembling moss; as, mossy green.
MOST Most, a., superl. of More. Etym: [OE. most, mast, mest, AS. m; akin to D. meest, OS. mest, G. meist, Icel. mestr, Goth. maists; a superl. corresponding to E. more. *103. See More, a.]
1. Consisting of the greatest number or quantity; greater in number or quantity than all the rest; nearly all. "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness." Prov. xx. 6. The cities wherein most of his mighty works were done. Matt. xi. 20.
2. Greatest in degree; as, he has the most need of it. "In the moste pride." Chaucer.
3. Highest in rank; greatest. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Note: Most is used as a noun, the words part, portion, quantity, etc., being omitted, and has the following meanings: 1. The greatest value, number, or part; preponderating portion; highest or chief part. 2. The utmost; greatest possible amount, degree, or result; especially in the phrases to make the most of, at the most, at most. A quarter of a year or some months at the most. Bacon. A covetous man makes the most of what he has. L'Estrange. For the most part, in reference to the larger part of a thing, or to the majority of the persons, instances, or things referred to; as, human beings, for the most part, are superstitious; the view, for the most part, was pleasing. -- Most an end, generally. See An end, under End, n. [Obs.] "She sleeps most an end." Massinger.
MOST Most, adv. Etym: [AS. mæst. See Most, a.]
Defn: In the greatest or highest degree. Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites, were courtiers and prelates. Milton.
Note: Placed before an adjective or adverb, most is used to form the superlative degree, being equivalent to the termination -est; as, most vile, most wicked; most illustrious; most rapidly. Formerly, and until after the Elizabethan period of our literature, the use of the double superlative was common. See More, adv. The most unkindest cut of all. Shak. The most straitest sect of our religion. Acts xxvi. 5.
MOSTAHIBA Mos`ta*hi"ba, n.
Defn: See Mustaiba.
MOSTE Mos"te, obs.imp.
Defn: of Mote. Chaucer.
MOSTIC; MOSTICK Mos"tic, Mos"tick, n. Etym: [See Maul-stick.]
Defn: A painter's maul-stick.
MOSTLY Most"ly, adv.
Defn: For the greatest part; for the most part; chiefly; in the main.
MOSTRA Mos"tra, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: See Direct, n.
MOSTWHAT Most"what`, adv.
Defn: For the most part. [Obs.] "All the rest do mostwhat far amiss." Spenser.
MOT Mot, v. [Sing. pres. ind. Mot, Mote, Moot (, pl. Mot, Mote, Moote, pres. subj. Mote; imp. Moste.] Etym: [See Must, v.] [Obs.]
Defn: May; must; might. He moot as well say one word as another Chaucer. The wordes mote be cousin to the deed. Chaucer. Men moot [i.e., one only] give silver to the poore freres. Chaucer. So mote it be, so be it; amen; -- a phrase in some rituals, as that of the Freemasons.
MOT Mot, n. Etym: [F. See Motto.]
1. A word; hence, a motto; a device. [Obs.] Bp. Hall. Tarquin's eye may read the mot afar. Shak.
2. A pithy or witty saying; a witticism. [A Gallicism] Here and there turns up a ... savage mot. N. Brit. Rev.
3. A note or brief strain on a bugle. Sir W. Scott.
MOTACIL Mot"a*cil, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motacille.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any singing bird of the genus Motacilla; a wagtail.
MOTATION Mo*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. motare, motatum, to keep moving.]
Defn: The act of moving; motion. [Obs.]
MOTE Mote, v.
Defn: See 1st Mot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOTE Mote, n. Etym: [See Moot, a meeting.] [Obs., except in a few combinations or phrases.]
1. A meeting of persons for discussion; as, a wardmote in the city of London.
2. A body of persons who meet for discussion, esp. about the management of affairs; as, a folkmote.
3. A place of meeting for discussion. Mote bell, the bell rung to summon to a mote. [Obs.]
MOTE Mote, n.
Defn: The flourish sounded on a horn by a huntsman. See Mot, n., 3, and Mort. Chaucer.
MOTE Mote, n. Etym: [OE. mot, AS. mot.]
Defn: A small particle, as of floating dust; anything proverbially small; a speck. The little motes in the sun do ever stir, though there be no wind. Bacon. We are motes in the midst of generations. Landor.
MOTED Mot"ed, a.
Defn: Filled with motes, or fine floating dust; as, the air. "Moted sunbeams." Tennyson.
MOTET Mo*tet", n. Etym: [F., a dim. of mot word; cf. It. mottetto, dim. of motto word, device. See Mot, Motto.] (Mus.)
Defn: A composition adapted to sacred words in the elaborate polyphonic church style; an anthem.
MOTH Moth (môth), n.
Defn: A mote. [Obs.] Shak.
MOTH Moth, n.; pl. Moths (môthz). Etym: [OE. mothe, AS. moedhedhe; akin to D. mot, G. motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to E. mad an earthworm. Cf. Mad, n., Mawk.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included among the butterflies; as, the luna moth; Io moth; hawk moth.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any lepidopterous insect that feeds upon garments, grain, etc.; as, the clothes moth; grain moth; bee moth. See these terms under Clothes, Grain, etc.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and fur goods, etc., esp. the larvæ of several species of beetles of the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the larvæ of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes, Anthrenus.
4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing. Moth blight (Zoöl.), any plant louse of the genus Aleurodes, and related genera. They are injurious to various plants. -- Moth gnat (Zoöl.), a dipterous insect of the genus Bychoda, having fringed wings. -- Moth hunter (Zoöl.), the goatsucker. -- Moth miller (Zoöl.), a clothes moth. See Miller, 3, (a). -- Moth mullein (Bot.), a common herb of the genus Verbascum (V. Blattaria), having large wheel-shaped yellow or whitish flowers.
MOTH-EAT Moth"-eat`, v. t.
Defn: To eat or prey upon, as a moth eats a garment. [Rarely used except in the form moth-eaten, p.p. or a.] Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her. Sir T. Herbert.
MOTHEN Moth"en, a.
Defn: Full of moths. [Obs.] Fulke.
MOTHER Moth"er, n. Etym: [OE. moder, AS. modor; akin to D. moeder, OS. modar, G. mutter, OHG. muotar, Icel. moedhir, Dan. & Sw. moder, OSlav. mati, Russ. mate, Ir. & Gael. mathair, L. mater, Gr. mh`thr, Skr. matrs; cf. Skr. ma to measure. *268. Cf. Material, Matrix, Metropolis, Father.]
1. A female parent; especially, one of the human race; a woman who has borne a child.
2. That which has produced or nurtured anything; source of birth or origin; generatrix. Alas! poor country! ... it can not Be called our mother, but our grave. Shak. I behold ... the solitary majesty of Crete, mother of a religion, it is said, that lived two thousand years. Landor.
3. An old woman or matron. [Familiar]
4. The female superior or head of a religious house, as an abbess, etc.
5. Hysterical passion; hysteria. [Obs.] Shak. Mother Carey's chicken (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small petrels, as the stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica), and Leach's petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), both of the Atlantic, and O. furcata of the North Pacific. -- Mother Carey's goose (Zoöl.), the giant fulmar of the Pacific. See Fulmar. -- Mother's mark (Med.), a congenital mark upon the body; a nævus.
MOTHER Moth"er, a.
Defn: Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived. T. Arnold. Mother cell (Biol.), a cell which, by endogenous divisions, gives rise to other cells (daughter cells); a parent cell. -- Mother church, the original church; a church from which other churches have sprung; as, the mother church of a diocese. -- Mother country, the country of one's parents or ancestors; the country from which the people of a colony derive their origin. -- Mother liquor (Chem.), the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed. -- Mother queen, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother. -- Mother tongue. (a) A language from which another language has had its origin. (b) The language of one's native land; native tongue. -- Mother water. See Mother liquor (above). -- Mother wit, natural or native wit or intelligence.
MOTHER Moth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mothered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mothering.]
Defn: To adopt as a son or daughter; to perform the duties of a mother to. The queen, to have put lady Elizabeth besides the crown, would have mothered another body's child. Howell.
MOTHER Moth"er, n. Etym: [Akin to D. modder mud, G. moder mold, mud, Dan. mudder mud, and to E. mud. See Mud.]
Defn: A film or membrane which is developed on the surface of fermented alcoholic liquids, such as vinegar, wine, etc., and acts as a means of conveying the oxygen of the air to the alcohol and other combustible principles of the liquid, thus leading to their oxidation.
Note: The film is composed of a mass of rapidly developing microörganisms of the genus Mycoderma, and in the mother of vinegar the microörganisms (Mycoderma aceti) composing the film are the
## active agents in the Conversion of the alcohol into vinegar. When
thickened by growth, the film may settle to the bottom of the fluid. See Acetous fermentation, under Fermentation.
MOTHER Moth"er, v. i.
Defn: To become like, or full of, mother, or thick matter, as vinegar.
MOTHERED Moth"ered, a.
Defn: Thick, like mother; viscid. They oint their naked limbs with mothered oil. Dryden.
MOTHERHOOD Moth"er*hood, n.
Defn: The state of being a mother; the character or office of a mother.
MOTHERING Moth"er*ing, n.
Defn: A rural custom in England, of visiting one's parents on Midlent Sunday, -- supposed to have been originally visiting the mother church to make offerings at the high altar.
MOTHER-IN-LAW Moth"er-in-law`, n.
Defn: The mother of one's husband or wife.
MOTHERLAND Moth"er*land`, n.
Defn: The country of one's ancestors; -- same as fatherland.
MOTHERLESS Moth"er*less, a. Etym: [AS. modorleás.]
Defn: Destitute of a mother; having lost a mother; as, motherless children.
MOTHERLINESS Moth"er*li*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being motherly.
MOTHERLY Moth"er*ly, a. Etym: [AS. modorlic.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mother; like, or suitable for, a mother; tender; maternal; as, motherly authority, love, or care. Hooker.
Syn. -- Maternal; paternal. -- Motherly, Maternal. Motherly, being Anglo-Saxon, is the most familiar word of the two when both have the same meaning. Besides this, maternal is confined to the feelings of a mother toward her own children, whereas motherly has a secondary sense, denoting a care like that of a mother for her offspring. There is, perhaps, a growing tendency thus to separate the two, confining motherly to the latter signification. "They termed her the great mother, for her motherly care in cherishing her brethren whilst young." Sir W. Raleigh.
MOTHERLY Moth"er*ly, adv.
Defn: In a manner of a mother.
MOTHER-NAKED Moth"er-na`ked, a.
Defn: Naked as when born.
MOTHER-OF-PEARL Moth"er-of-pearl`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hard pearly internal layer of several kinds of shells, esp. of pearl oysters, river mussels, and the abalone shells; nacre. See Pearl.
MOTHER-OF-THYME Moth"er-of-thyme`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An aromatic plant (Thymus Serphyllum); -- called also wild thyme.
MOTHER'S DAY Moth"er's Day.
Defn: A day appointed for the honor and uplift of motherhood by the loving remembrance of each person of his mother through the performance of some act of kindness, visit, tribute, or letter. The founder of the day is Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, who designated the second Sunday in May, or for schools the second Friday, as the time, and a white carnation as the badge.
MOTHERWORT Moth"er*wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) A labiate herb (Leonurus Cardiaca), of a bitter taste, used popularly in medicine; lion's tail. (b) The mugwort. See Mugwort.
MOTHERY Moth"er*y, a.
Defn: Consisting of, containing, or resembling, mother (in vinegar).
MOTHY Moth"y, a.
Defn: Infested with moths; moth-eaten. "An old mothy saddle." Shak.
MOTIF Mo"tif, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Motive.
MOTIFIC Mo*tif"ic, a. Etym: [L. motus motion (fr. movere to move) + facere to make.]
Defn: Producing motion. [R.]
MOTILE Mo"tile, a. Etym: [See Motive.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Having powers of self-motion, though unconscious; as, the motile spores of certain seaweeds.
2. Producing motion; as, motile powers.
MOTILITY Mo*til"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motilité.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Capability of motion; contractility.
MOTION Mo"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. motio, fr. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]
1. The act, process, or state of changing place or position; movement; the passing of a body from one place or position to another, whether voluntary or involuntary; -- opposed to rest. Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace attends thee, and each word, each motion, forms. Milton.
2. Power of, or capacity for, motion. Devoid of sense and motion. Milton.
3. Direction of movement; course; tendency; as, the motion of the planets is from west to east. In our proper motion we ascend. Milton.
4. Change in the relative position of the parts of anything; action of a machine with respect to the relative movement of its parts. This is the great wheel to which the clock owes its motion. Dr. H. More.
5. Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or impulse to any action; internal activity. Let a good man obey every good motion rising in his heart, knowing that every such motion proceeds from God. South.
6. A proposal or suggestion looking to action or progress; esp., a formal proposal made in a deliberative assembly; as, a motion to adjourn. Yes, I agree, and thank you for your motion. Shak.
7. (Law)
Defn: An application made to a court or judge orally in open court. Its object is to obtain an order or rule directing some act to be done in favor of the applicant. Mozley & W.
8. (Mus.)
Defn: Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in the same part or in groups of parts. The independent motions of different parts sounding together constitute counterpoint. Grove.
Note: Conjunct motion is that by single degrees of the scale. Contrary motion is that when parts move in opposite directions. Disjunct motion is motion by skips. Oblique motion is that when one
## part is stationary while another moves. Similar or direct motion is
that when parts move in the same direction.
9. A puppet show or puppet. [Obs.] What motion's this the model of Nineveh Beau. & Fl.
Note: Motion, in mechanics, may be simple or compound. Simple motions are: (a) straight translation, which, if of indefinite duration, must be reciprocating. (b) Simple rotation, which may be either continuous or reciprocating, and when reciprocating is called oscillating. (c) Helical, which, if of indefinite duration, must be reciprocating. Compound motion consists of combinations of any of the simple motions. Center of motion, Harmonic motion, etc. See under Center, Harmonic, etc. -- Motion block (Steam Engine), a crosshead. -- Perpetual motion (Mech.), an incessant motion conceived to be attainable by a machine supplying its own motive forces independently of any action from without.
Syn. -- See Movement.
MOTION Mo"tion, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Motioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Motioning.]
1. To make a significant movement or gesture, as with the hand; as, to motion to one to take a seat.
2. To make proposal; to offer plans. [Obs.] Shak.
MOTION Mo"tion, v. t.
1. To direct or invite by a motion, as of the hand or head; as, to motion one to a seat.
2. To propose; to move. [Obs.] I want friends to motion such a matter. Burton.
MOTIONER Mo"tion*er, n.
Defn: One who makes a motion; a mover. Udall.
MOTIONIST Mo"tion*ist, n.
Defn: A mover. [Obs.]
MOTIONLESS Mo"tion*less, a.
Defn: Without motion; being at rest.
MOTION PICTURE Mo"tion pic"ture.
Defn: A moving picture.
MOTIVATE Mo"ti*vate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -vated; p. pr. & vb. n. -vating.] [From Motive, n.]
Defn: To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite. -- Mo`ti*va"tion (#), n. William James.
MOTIVE Mo"tive, n. Etym: [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]
1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] Shak.
2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object. By motive, I mean the whole of that which moves, excites, or invites the mind to volition, whether that be one thing singly, or many things conjunctively. J. Edwards.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading. [Written also motivo.]
4. (Fine Arts)
Defn: That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one.
Syn. -- Incentive; incitement; inducement; reason; spur; stimulus; cause. -- Motive, Inducement, Reason. Motive is the word originally used in speaking of that which determines the choice. We call it an inducement when it is attractive in its nature. We call it a reason when it is more immediately addressed to the intellect in the form of argument.
MOTIVE Mo"tive, a.
Defn: Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. "Motive faculty." Bp. Wilkins. Motive power (Mach.), a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover.
MOTIVE Mo"tive, v. t.
Defn: To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
MOTIVELESS Mo"tive*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of a motive; not incited by a motive. -- Mo"tive*less*ness, n. G. Eliot.
MOTIVITY Mo*tiv"i*ty, n. Etym: [See Motive, n.]
1. The power of moving or producing motion.
2. The quality of being influenced by motives. [R.]
MOTIVO Mo*ti"vo, n. Etym: [It. See Motive, n.]
Defn: See Motive, n., 3, 4.
MOTLEY Mot"ley, a. Etym: [OE. mottelee, motle; cf. OF. mattelé clotted, curdled, OF, ciel mattonné a mottled sky, mate, maton, curdled milk, Prov. G. matte curd. Cf. Mottle.]
1. Variegated in color; consisting of different colors; dappled; party-colored; as, a motley coat.
2. Wearing motley or party-colored clothing. See Motley, n., 1. "A motley fool." Shak.
3. Composed of different or various parts; heterogeneously made or mixed up; discordantly composite; as, motley style. Byron.
MOTLEY Mot"ley, n.
1. A combination of distinct colors; esp., the party-colored cloth, or clothing, worn by the professional fool. Chaucer. "Motley 's the only wear." Shak.
2. Hence, a jester, a fool. [Obs.] Shak. Man of motley, a fool. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
MOTLEY-MINDED Mot"ley-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Having a mind of a jester; foolish. Shak.
MOTMOT Mot"mot, n. Etym: [Cf. Momot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of long-tailed, passerine birds of the genus Momotus, having a strong serrated beak. In most of the species the two long middle tail feathers are racket-shaped at the tip, when mature. The bird itself is said by some writers to trim them into this shape. They feed on insects, reptiles, and fruit, and are found from Mexico to Brazil. The name is derived from its note. [Written also momot.]
MOTO Mo"to, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Movement; manner of movement; particularly, movement with increased rapidity; -- used especially in the phrase con moto, directing to a somewhat quicker movement; as, andante con moto, a little more rapidly than andante, etc.
MOTOGRAPH Mo"to*graph, n. [L. movere, motum, to move + -graph.] (Elec.)
Defn: A device utilized in the making of a loud-speaking telephone, depending on the fact that the friction between a metallic point and a moving cylinder of moistened chalk, or a moving slip of paper, on which it rests is diminished by the passage of a current between the point and the moving surface. -- Mo`to*graph"ic (#), a.
MOTON Mo"ton, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Anc. Armor)
Defn: A small plate covering the armpit in armor of the 14th century and later.
MOTOR Mo"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. movere, motum, to move.]
1. One who, or that which, imparts motion; a source of mechanical power.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: A prime mover; a machine by means of which a source of power, as steam, moving water, electricity, etc., is made available for doing mechanical work.
MOTOR; MOTORY; MOTORIAL Mo"tor, Mo"to*ry, Mo*to"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. motorius that has motion. See Motor, n.]
Defn: Causing or setting up motion; pertaining to organs of motion; - - applied especially in physiology to those nerves or nerve fibers which only convey impressions from a nerve center to muscles, thereby causing motion.
MOTOR CAR; MOTORCAR Motor car, or Mo"tor*car`, n.
1. An automobile, locomobile, or locomotive designed to run and be steered on a street or roadway; esp., an automobile specially designed for passengers.
2. (Elec. Railroads) Any car containing motors for propulsion. [U. S.]
MOTOR CYCLE; MOTORCYCLE Motor cycle, or Mo"tor*cy`cle, n.
Defn: A bicycle having a motor attached so as to be self-propelled. In Great Britain the term motor cycle is treated by statute (3 Ed VII. c. 36) as limited to motor cars (self-propelled vehicles) designed to travel on not more than three wheels, and weighing unladen (that is, without water, fuel, or accumulators necessary for propulsion) not more than three hundred weight (336 lbs.).
MOTOR-DRIVEN Mo`tor-driv`en, a. (Mach.)
Defn: Driven or actuated by a motor, esp. by an individual electric motor. An electric motor forms an integral part of many machine tools in numerous modern machine shops.
MOTOR GENERATOR Motor generator.
Defn: The combination consisting of a generator and a driving motor mechanically connected, usually on a common bedplate and with the two shafts directly coupled or combined into a single shaft.
MOTORING Mo"tor*ing, n.
Defn: Act or recreation of riding in or driving a motor car or automobile.
MOTORING Mo"tor*ing, a.
Defn: Pertaining to motor cars or automobiles, or to the technology of such; addicted to riding in or driving automobiles; as, motoring parlance; my motoring friend.
MOTORIZE Mo"tor*ize (mo"ter*iz), v. t. [Motor + -ize.]
Defn: To substitute motor-driven vehicles, or automobiles, for the horses and horse-drawn vehicles of (a fire department, city, etc.). - -Mo`tor*i*za"tion (#), n.
MOTORMAN Mo"tor*man, n.
Defn: A man who controls a motor.
MOTORPATHIC Mo`tor*path"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to motorpathy.
MOTORPATHY Mo*tor"pa*thy, n. Etym: [L. motor a mover + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Kinesiatrics.
MOTTE Motte, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motte a clod, clump, or hillock.]
Defn: A clump of trees in a prairie. [Local, U.S.]
MOTTLE Mot"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mottled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mottling.] Etym: [From Mottled.]
Defn: To mark with spots of different color, or shades of color, as if stained; to spot; to maculate.
MOTTLE Mot"tle, n.
Defn: A mottled appearance.
MOTTLED Mot"tled, a. Etym: [From Motley.]
Defn: Marked with spots of different colors; variegated; spotted; as, mottled wood. "The mottled meadows." Drayton.
MOTTO Mot"to, n.; pl. Mottoes. Etym: [It. motto a word, a saying, L. muttum a mutter, a grunt, cf. muttire, mutire, to mutter, mumble; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. Mot a word.]
1. (Her.)
Defn: A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievment.
2. A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim. It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, ... "Serve God, and be cheerful." Addison.
MOTTOED Mot"toed, a.
Defn: Bearing or having a motto; as, a mottoed coat or device.
MOTTY Mot"ty, a.
Defn: Full of, or consisting of, motes. [Written also mottie.] [Scot.] The motty dust reek raised by the workmen. H. Miller.
MOUCHOIR Mou`choir", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A handkerchief.
MOUEZZIN Mou*ez"zin, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Muezzin.
MOUFLON Mouf"lon, n. Etym: [F. mouflon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wild sheep (Ovis musimon), inhabiting the mountains of Sardinia, Corsica, etc. Its horns are very large, with a triangular base and rounded angles. It is supposed by some to be the original of the domestic sheep. Called also musimon or musmon. [Written also moufflon.]
MOUGHT Mought, obs.imp.
Defn: of May. Might.
MOUILLATION Mouil*la"tion, n. Etym: [See Mouillé.] (Phon.)
Defn: The act of uttering the sound of a mouillé letter.
MOUILLE Mouil`lé", a. Etym: [F., lit., wet.] (Phon.)
Defn: Applied to certain consonants having a "liquid" or softened sound; e.g., in French, l or ll and gn (like the lli in million and ni in minion); in Italian, gl and gn; in Spanish, ll and ñ; in Portuguese, lh and nh.
MOULD; MOULDER; MOULDY Mould, Mould"er, Mould"y, etc.
Defn: See Mold, Molder, Moldy, etc.
MOULE Moule, v. i. Etym: [OE. moulen. See Mold.]
Defn: To contract mold; to grow moldy; to mold. [Obs.] Let us not moulen thus in idleness. Chaucer.
MOULINE; MOULINET Mou*line", Mou"li*net, n. Etym: [F. moulinet, orig., a little mill, dim. of moulin mill. See Mill.]
1. The drum upon which the rope is wound in a capstan, crane, or the like.
2. A machine formerly used for bending a crossbow by winding it up.
3. In sword and saber exercises, a circular swing of the weawon.
MOULT Moult, v. & n.
Defn: See Molt.
MOULTEN Moult"en, a.
Defn: Having molted. [Obs.] "A moulten raven." Shak.
MOUN Moun, v.,
Defn: pl. of Mow, may. [Obs.] Wyclif.
MOUNCH Mounch, v. t.
Defn: To munch. [Obs.]
MOUND Mound, n. Etym: [F. monde the world, L. mundus. See Mundane.]
Defn: A ball or globe forming part of the regalia of an emperor or other sovereign. It is encircled with bands, enriched with precious stones, and surmounted with a cross; -- called also globe.
MOUND Mound, n. Etym: [OE. mound, mund, protection, AS. mund protection, hand; akin to OHG. munt, Icel. mund hand, and prob. to L. manus. See Manual.]
Defn: An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embarkment thrown up for defense; a bulwark; a rampart; also, a natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll. To thrid the thickets or to leap the mounds. Dryden. Mound bird. (Zoöl.) Same as Mound maker (below). -- Mound builders (Ethnol.), the tribe, or tribes, of North American aborigines who built, in former times, extensive mounds of earth, esp. in the valleys of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Formerly they were supposed to have preceded the Indians, but later investigations go to show that they were, in general, identical with the tribes that occupied the country when discovered by Europeans. -- Mound maker (Zoöl.), any one of the megapodes. -- Shell mound, a mound of refuse shells, collected by aborigines who subsisted largely on shellfish. See Midden, and Kitchen middens.
MOUND Mound, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Mounding.]
Defn: To fortify or inclose with a mound.
MOUNT Mount, n. Etym: [OE. munt, mont, mount, AS. munt, fr. L. mons, montis; cf. L. minae protections, E. eminent, menace: cf. F. mont. Cf. Mount, v., Mountain, Mont, Monte, Montem.]
1. A mass of earth, or earth and rock, rising considerably above the common surface of the surrounding land; a mountain; a high hill; -- used always instead of mountain, when put before a proper name; as, Mount Washington; otherwise, chiefly in poetry.
2. A bulwark for offense or defense; a mound. [Obs.] Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem. Jer. vi. 6.
3. Etym: [See Mont de piété.]
Defn: A bank; a fund. Mount of piety. See Mont de piété.
MOUNT Mount, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mounted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mounting.] Etym: [OE. mounten, monten, F. monter, fr. L. mons, montis, mountain. See Mount, n. (above).]
1. To rise on high; to go up; to be upraised or uplifted; to tower aloft; to ascend; -- often with up. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven. Jer. li. 53. The fire of trees and houses mounts on high. Cowley.
2. To get up on anything, as a platform or scaffold; especially, to seat one's self on a horse for riding.
3. To attain in value; to amount. Bring then these blessings to a strict account, Make fair deductions, see to what they mount. Pope.
MOUNT Mount, v. t.
1. To get upon; to ascend; to climb. Shall we mount again the rural throne Dryden.
2. To place one's self on, as a horse or other animal, or anything that one sits upon; to bestride.
3. To cause to mount; to put on horseback; to furnish with animals for riding; to furnish with horses. "To mount the Trojan troop." Dryden.
4. Hence: To put upon anything that sustains and fits for use, as a gun on a carriage, a map or picture on cloth or paper; to prepare for being worn or otherwise used, as a diamond by setting, or a sword blade by adding the hilt, scabbard, etc.
5. To raise aloft; to lift on high. What power is it which mounts my love so high Shak.
Note: A fort or ship is said to mount cannon, when it has them arranged for use in or about it. To mount guard (Mil.), to go on guard; to march on guard; to do duty as a guard. -- To mount a play, to prepare and arrange the scenery, furniture, etc., used in the play.
MOUNT Mount, n. Etym: [From Mount, v.]
Defn: That upon which a person or thing is mounted, as: (a) A horse. She had so good a seat and hand, she might be trusted with any mount. G. Eliot.
(b) The cardboard or cloth on which a drawing, photograph, or the like is mounted; a mounting.
MOUNTABLE Mount"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be mounted.
MOUNTAIN Moun"tain, n. Etym: [OE. mountaine, montaine, F. montagne, LL. montanea, montania, fr. L. mons, montis, a mountain; cf. montanus belonging to a mountain. See 1st Mount.]
1. A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land; earth and rock forming an isolated peak or a ridge; an eminence higher than a hill; a mount.
2. pl.
Defn: A range, chain, or group of such elevations; as, the White Mountains.
3. A mountainlike mass; something of great bulk. I should have been a mountain of mummy. Shak. The Mountain (La montagne) (French Hist.), a popular name given in 1793 to a party of extreme Jacobins in the National Convention, who occupied the highest rows of seats.
MOUNTAIN Moun"tain, a.
1. Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains; among mountains; as, a mountain torrent; mountain pines; mountain goats; mountain air; mountain howitzer.
2. Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great. The high, the mountain majesty of worth. Byron. Mountain anthelope (Zoöl.), the goral. -- Mountain ash (Bot.), an ornamental tree, the Pyrus (Sorbus) Americana, producing beautiful bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European species is the P. aucuparia, or rowan tree. -- Mountain barometer, a portable barometer, adapted for safe transportation, used in measuring the heights of mountains. -- Mountain beaver (Zoöl.), the sewellel. -- Mountain blue (Min.), blue carbonate of copper; azurite. -- Mountain cat (Zoöl.), the catamount. See Catamount. -- Mountain chain, a series of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves. -- Mountain cock (Zoöl.), capercailzie. See Capercailzie. -- Mountain cork (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling cork in its texture. -- Mountain crystal. See under Crystal. -- Mountain damson (Bot.), a large tree of the genus Simaruba (S. amarga) growing in the West Indies, which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes used in medicine. -- Mountain dew, Scotch whisky, so called because often illicitly distilled among the mountains. [Humorous] -- Mountain ebony (Bot.), a small leguminous tree (Bauhinia variegata) of the East and West Indies; -- so called because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and in tanning. -- Mountain flax (Min.), a variety of asbestus, having very fine fibers; amianthus. See Amianthus. -- Mountain fringe (Bot.), climbing fumitory. See under Fumitory. -- Mountain goat. (Zoöl.) See Mazama. -- Mountain green. (Min.) (a) Green malachite, or carbonate of copper. (b) See Green earth, under Green, a. -- Mountain holly (Bot.), a branching shrub (Nemopanthes Canadensis), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries. It is found in the Northern United States. -- Mountain laurel (Bot.), an American shrub (Kalmia latifolia) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy clusters of rose-colored or white flowers. The foliage is poisonous. Called also American laurel, ivy bush, and calico bush. See Kalmia. -- Mountain leather (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling leather in its texture. -- Mountain licorice (Bot.), a plant of the genus Trifolium (T. Alpinum). -- Mountain limestone (Geol.), a series of marine limestone strata below the coal measures, and above the old red standstone of Great Britain. See Chart of Geology. -- Mountain linnet (Zoöl.), the twite. -- Mountain magpie. (Zoöl.) (a) The yaffle, or green woodpecker. (b) The European gray shrike. -- Mountain mahogany (Bot.) See under Mahogany. -- Mountain meal (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite, occurring as an efflorescence. -- Mountain milk (Min.), a soft spongy variety of carbonate of lime. -- Mountain mint. (Bot.) See Mint. -- Mountain ousel (Zoöl.), the ring ousel; -- called also mountain thrush and mountain colley. See Ousel. -- Mountain pride, or Mountain green (Bot.), a tree of Jamaica (Spathelia simplex), which has an unbranched palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate leaves. -- Mountain quail (Zoöl.), the plumed partridge (Oreortyx pictus) of California. It has two long, slender, plumelike feathers on the head. The throat and sides are chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black and white; the neck and breast are dark gray. -- Mountain range, a series of mountains closely related in position and direction. -- Mountain rice. (Bot.) (a) An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation, in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States. (b) An American genus of grasses (Oryzopsis). -- Mountain rose (Bot.), a species of rose with solitary flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe (Rosa alpina). -- Mountain soap (Min.), a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish color, used in crayon painting; saxonite. -- Mountain sorrel (Bot.), a low perennial plant (Oxyria digyna with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. Gray. -- Mountain sparrow (Zoöl.), the European tree sparrow. -- Mountain spinach. (Bot.) See Orach. -- Mountain tobacco (Bot.), a composite plant (Arnica montana) of Europe; called also leopard's bane. -- Mountain witch (Zoöl.), a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the genus Geotrygon.
MOUNTAINEER Moun`tain*eer", n. Etym: [OF. montanier, LL. montanarius. See Mountain.]
1. An inhabitant of a mountain; one who lives among mountains.
2. A rude, fierce person. [Obs.] No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer. Milton.
MOUNTAINEER Moun`tain*eer", v. i.
Defn: To lie or act as a mountaineer; to climb mountains. You can't go mountaineering in a flat country. H. James.
MOUNTAINER Moun"tain*er, n.
Defn: A mountaineer. [Obs.]
MOUNTAINET Moun"tain*et, n.
Defn: A small mountain. [R.]
MOUNTAINOUS Moun"tain*ous, a. Etym: [F. montagneux, L. montaniosus.]
1. Full of, or containing, mountains; as, the mountainous country of the Swiss.
2. Inhabiting mountains. [Obs.] Bacon.
3. Large as, or resembling, a mountain; huge; of great bulk; as, a mountainous heap. Prior.
MOUNTAINOUSNESS Moun"tain*ous*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mountainous.
MOUNTAIN SPECTER Moun"tain spec"ter.
Defn: An optical phenomenon sometimes seen on the summit of mountains (as on the Brocken) when the observer is between the sun and a mass of cloud. The figures of the observer and surrounding objects are seen projected on the cloud, greatly enlarged and often encircled by rainbow colors.
MOUNTAIN STATE Moun"tain State.
Defn: Montana; -- a nickname.
MOUNTANCE Mount"ance, n. Etym: [OF. montance.]
Defn: Amount; sum; quantity; extent. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOUNTANT Mount"ant, a. Etym: [F. montant, p.pr. of monter. See Mount, and cf. Montant.]
Defn: Raised; high. [Obs.]
MOUNTEBANK Mount"e*bank, n. Etym: [It. montimbanco, montambanco; montare to mount + in in, upon + banco bench. See Mount, and 4th Bank.]
1. One who mounts a bench or stage in the market or other public place, boasts of his skill in curing diseases, and vends medicines which he pretends are infalliable remedies; a quack doctor. Such is the weakness and easy credulity of men, that a mountebank ... is preferred before an able physician. Whitlock.
2. Any boastful or false pretender; a charlatan; a quack. Nothing so impossible in nature but mountebanks will undertake. Arbuthnot.
MOUNTEBANK Mount"e*bank, v. t.
Defn: To cheat by boasting and false pretenses; to gull. [R.] Shak.
MOUNTEBANK Mount"e*bank, v. i.
Defn: To play the mountebank.
MOUNTEBANKERY Mount"e*bank`er*y, n.
Defn: The practices of a mountebank; quackery; boastful and vain pretenses.
MOUNTEBANKISH Mount"e*bank`ish, a.
Defn: Like a mountebank or his quackery. Howell.
MOUNTEBANKISM Mount"e*bank*ism, n.
Defn: The practices of a mountebank; mountebankery.
MOUNTED Mount"ed, a.
1. Seated or serving on horseback or similarly; as, mounted police; mounted infantry.
2. Placed on a suitable support, or fixed in a setting; as, a mounted gun; a mounted map; a mounted gem.
MOUNTENAUNCE Mount"e*naunce, n.
Defn: Mountance. [Obs.]
MOUNTER Mount"er, n.
1. One who mounts.
2. An animal mounted; a monture. [Obs.]
MOUNTING Mount"ing, n.
1. The act of one that mounts.
2. That by which anything is prepared for use, or set off to advantage; equipment; embellishment; setting; as, the mounting of a sword or diamond.
MOUNTINGLY Mount"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In an ascending manner.
MOUNTLET Mount"let, n.
Defn: A small or low mountain. [R.]
MOUNTY Mount"y, n. Etym: [F. montée, fr. monter. See Mount, v.]
Defn: The rise of a hawk after prey. Sir P. Sidney.
MOURN Mourn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mourned; p. pr. & vb. n. Mourning.] Etym: [AS. murnan; akin to OS. mornian, OHG. mornen, Goth. maúrnan.]
1. To express or to feel grief or sorrow; to grieve; to be sorrowful; to lament; to be in a state of grief or sadness. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. Gen. xxiii. 2.
2. To wear the customary garb of a mourner. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood Shak. Grieve for an hour, perhaps, then mourn a year. Pope.
MOURN Mourn, v. t.
1. To grieve for; to lament; to deplore; to bemoan; to bewail. As if he mourned his rival's ill success. Addison. And looking over the hills, I mourn The darling who shall not return. Emerson.
2. To utter in a mournful manner or voice. The lovelorn nightingale Nightly to thee her sad song mourneth well. Milton.
Syn. -- See Deplore.
MOURNE Mourne, n. Etym: [See 2d Morne.]
Defn: The armed or feruled end of a staff; in a sheephook, the end of the staff to which the hook is attached. Sir P. Sidney.
MOURNER Mourn"er, n.
1. One who mourns or is grieved at any misfortune, as the death of a friend. His mourners were two hosts, his friends and foes. Byron.
2. One who attends a funeral as a hired mourner. Mourners were provided to attend the funeral. L'Estrange.
MOURNFUL Mourn"ful, a.
Defn: Full of sorrow; expressing, or intended to express, sorrow; mourning; grieving; sad; also, causing sorrow; saddening; grievous; as, a mournful person; mournful looks, tones, loss. -- Mourn"ful*ly, adv. -- Mourn"ful*ness, n.
Syn. -- Sorrowful; lugubrious; sad; doleful; heavy; afflictive; grievous; calamitous.
MOURNING Mourn"ing, n. Etym: [AS. murnung.]
1. The act of sorrowing or expressing grief; lamentation; sorrow.
2. Garb, drapery, or emblems indicative of grief, esp. clothing or a badge of somber black. The houses to their tops with black were spread, And ev'n the pavements were with mourning hid. Dryden. Deep mourning. See under Deep.
MOURNING Mourn"ing, a.
1. Grieving; sorrowing; lamenting.
2. Employed to express sorrow or grief; worn or used as appropriate to the condition of one bereaved or sorrowing; as, mourning garments; a mourning ring; a mourning pin, and the like. Mourning bride (Bot.), a garden flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea) with dark purple or crimson flowers in flattened heads. -- Mourning dove (Zoöl.), a wild dove (Zenaidura macroura) found throughout the United States; -- so named from its plaintive note. Called also Carolina dove. See Illust. under Dove. -- Mourning warbler (Zoöl.), an American ground warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia). The male has the head, neck, and chest, deep ash-gray, mixed with black on the throat and chest; other lower parts are pure yellow.
MOURNINGLY Mourn"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mourning manner.
MOURNIVAL Mour"ni*val, n.
Defn: See Murnival.
MOUSE Mouse (mous), n.; pl. Mice (mis). Etym: [OE. mous, mus, AS. mus, pl. mys; akin to D. muis, G. maus, OHG. & Icel. mus, Dan. muus, Sw. mus, Russ. muishe, L. mus, Gr. my^s, Skr. mush mouse, mush to steal. *277. Cf. Muscle, Musk.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridæ. The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is found in nearly all countries. The American white-footed, or deer, mouse (Hesperomys leucopus) sometimes lives in houses. See Dormouse, Meadow mouse, under Meadow, and Harvest mouse, under Harvest.
2. (Naut.) (a) A knob made on a rope with spun yarn or parceling to prevent a running eye from slipping. (b) Same as 2d Mousing, 2.
3. A familiar term of endearment. Shak.
4. A dark-colored swelling caused by a blow. [Slang]
5. A match used in firing guns or blasting. Field mouse, Flying mouse, etc. See under Field, Flying, etc. -- Mouse bird (Zoöl.), a coly. -- Mouse deer (Zoöl.), a chevrotain, as the kanchil. -- Mouse galago (Zoöl.), a very small West American galago (Galago murinus). In color and size it resembles a mouse. It has a bushy tail like that of a squirrel. -- Mouse hawk. (Zoöl.) (a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; -- called also mouse owl. -- Mouse lemur (Zoöl.), any one of several species of very small lemurs of the genus Chirogaleus, found in Madagascar. -- Mouse piece (Cookery), the piece of beef cut from the part next below the round or from the lower part of the latter; -- called also mouse buttock.
MOUSE Mouse, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moused; p. pr. & vb. n. Mousing.]
1. To watch for and catch mice.
2. To watch for or pursue anything in a sly manner; to pry about, on the lookout for something.
MOUSE Mouse, v. t.
1. To tear, as a cat devours a mouse. [Obs.] "[Death] mousing the flesh of men." Shak.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To furnish with a mouse; to secure by means of a mousing. See Mouse, n., 2.
MOUSE-EAR Mouse"-ear`, n. (Bot.) (a) The forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) and other species of the same genus. (b) A European species of hawkweed (Hieracium Pilosella). Mouse-ear chickweed, a name of two common species of chickweed (Cerastium vulgarium, and C. viscosum). -- Mouse-ear cress, a low cruciferous herb (Sisymbrium Thaliana). All these are low herbs with soft, oval, or obovate leaves, whence the name.
MOUSEFISH Mouse"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Frogfish.
MOUSEHOLE Mouse"hole`, n.
Defn: A hole made by a mouse, for passage or abode, as in a wall; hence, a very small hole like that gnawed by a mouse.
MOUSEKIN Mouse"kin, n.
Defn: A little mouse. Thackeray.
MOUSER Mous"er, n.
1. A cat that catches mice.
2. One who pries about on the lookout for something.
MOUSETAIL Mouse"tail`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of ranunculaceous plants (Myosurus), in which the prolonged receptacle is covered with imbricating achenes, and so resembles the tail of a mouse.
MOUSIE Mous"ie, n.
Defn: Diminutive for Mouse. Burns.
MOUSING Mous"ing, a.
Defn: Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome. "Mousing saints." L'Estrange.
MOUSING Mous"ing, n.
1. The act of hunting mice.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straighening out.
3. A ratchet movement in a loom. Mousing hook, a hook with an attachment which prevents its unhooking.
MOUSLE Mou"sle, v. t.
Defn: To sport with roughly; to rumple. [Written also mouzle.] [Obs.] Wycherley.
MOUSQUETAIRE Mous`que*taire", n. [F.]
1. A musketeer, esp. one of the French royal musketeers of the 17th and 18th centuries, conspicuous both for their daring and their fine dress.
2. A mosquetaire cuff or glove, or other article of dress fancied to resemble those worn by the French mosquetaires.
MOUSQUETAIRE CUFF Mousquetaire cuff.
Defn: A deep flaring cuff.
MOUSQUETAIRE GLOVE Mousquetaire glove.
Defn: A woman's glove with a long, loosely fitting wrist.
MOUSSE Mousse (moos), n. [F.] (Cookery)
Defn: A frozen dessert of a frothy texture, made of sweetened and flavored whipped cream, sometimes with the addition of egg yolks and gelatin. Mousse differs from ice cream in being beaten before -- not during -- the freezing process.
MOUSSELINE Mousse`line", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Muslin. Mousseline de laine (. Etym: [F., muslin of wool.] Muslin delaine. See under Muslin. -- Mousseline glass, a kind of thin blown glassware, such as wineglasses, etc.
MOUSSELINE DE SOIE Mousse`line de soie". [F.]
Defn: A soft thin silk fabric with a weave like that of muslin.
MOUSTACHE Mous`tache", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Mustache.
MOUSY Mous"y, a.
Defn: Infested with mice; smelling of mice.
MOUTAN Mou"tan, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The Chinese tree peony (Pæonia Mountan), a shrub with large flowers of various colors.
MOUTH Mouth, n.; pl. Mouths. Etym: [OE. mouth, mu, AS. m; akin to D. mond, OS. m, G. mund, Icel. mu, munnr, Sw. mun, Dan. mund, Goth. mun, and possibly L. mentum chin; or cf. D. muil mouth, muzzle, G. maul, OHG. m, Icel. m, and Skr. mukha mouth.]
1. The opening through which an animal receives food; the aperture between the jaws or between the lips; also, the cavity, containing the tongue and teeth, between the lips and the pharynx; the buccal cavity.
2. Hence:
Defn: An opening affording entrance or exit; orifice; aperture; as: (a) The opening of a vessel by which it is filled or emptied, charged or discharged; as, the mouth of a jar or pitcher; the mouth of the lacteal vessels, etc. (b) The opening or entrance of any cavity, as a cave, pit, well, or den. (c) The opening of a piece of ordnance, through which it is discharged. (d) The opening through which the waters of a river or any stream are discharged. (e) The entrance into a harbor.
3. (Saddlery)
Defn: The crosspiece of a bridle bit, which enters the mouth of an animal.
4. A principal speaker; one who utters the common opinion; a mouthpiece. Every coffeehouse has some particular statesman belonging to it, who is the mouth of the street where he lives. Addison.
5. Cry; voice. [Obs.] Dryden.
6. Speech; language; testimony. That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. Matt. xviii. 16.
7. A wry face; a grimace; a mow. Counterfeit sad looks, Make mouths upon me when I turn my back. Shak. Down in the mouth, chapfallen; of dejected countenance; depressed; discouraged. [Obs. or Colloq.] -- Mouth friend, one who professes friendship insincerely. Shak. -- Mouth glass, a small mirror for inspecting the mouth or teeth. -- Mouth honor, honor given in words, but not felt. Shak. -- Mouth organ. (Mus.) (a) Pan's pipes. See Pandean. (b) An harmonicon. -- Mouth pipe, an organ pipe with a lip or plate to cut the escaping air and make a sound. -- To stop the mouth, to silence or be silent; to put to shame; to confound. The mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Ps. lxiii. 11. Whose mouths must be stopped. Titus i. 11.
MOUTH Mouth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mouthed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mouthing.]
1. To take into the mouth; to seize or grind with the mouth or teeth; to chew; to devour. Dryden.
2. To utter with a voice affectedly big or swelling; to speak in a strained or unnaturally sonorous manner. "Mouthing big phrases." Hare. Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes. Tennyson.
3. To form or cleanse with the mouth; to lick, as a bear her cub. Sir T. Browne.
4. To make mouths at. [R.] R. Blair.
MOUTH Mouth, v. i.
1. To speak with a full, round, or loud, affected voice; to vociferate; to rant. I'll bellow out for Rome, and for my country, And mouth at Cæsar, till I shake the senate. Addison.
2. To put mouth to mouth; to kiss. [R.] Shak.
3. To make grimaces, esp. in ridicule or contempt. Well I know, when I am gone, How she mouths behind my back. Tennyson.
MOUTHED Mouthed, a.
1. Furnished with a mouth.
2. Having a mouth of a particular kind; using the mouth, speech, or voice in a particular way; -- used only in composition; as, wide- mouthed; hard-mouthed; foul-mouthed; mealy-mouthed.
MOUTHER Mouth"er, n.
Defn: One who mouths; an affected speaker.
MOUTH-FOOTED Mouth"-foot`ed, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the basal joints of the legs converted into jaws.
MOUTHFUL Mouth"ful, n.; pl. Mouthfuls (.
1. As much as is usually put into the mouth at one time.
2. Hence, a small quantity.
MOUTHLESS Mouth"less, a. Etym: [AS. muedhleás.]
Defn: Destitute of a mouth.
MOUTH-MADE Mouth"-made`, a.
Defn: Spoken without sincerity; not heartfelt. "Mouth-made vows." Shak.
MOUTHPIECE Mouth"piece`, n.
1. The part of a musical or other instrument to which the mouth is applied in using it; as, the mouthpiece of a bugle, or of a tobacco pipe.
2. An appendage to an inlet or outlet opening of a pipe or vessel, to direct or facilitate the inflow or outflow of a fluid.
3. One who delivers the opinion of others or of another; a spokesman; as, the mouthpiece of his party. Egmont was imprudent enough to make himself the mouthpiece of their remonstrance. Motley.
MOVABILITY Mov`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: Movableness.
MOVABLE Mov"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. movable. See Move.]
1. Capable of being moved, lifted, carried, drawn, turned, or conveyed, or in any way made to change place or posture; susceptible of motion; not fixed or stationary; as, a movable steam engine.
2. Changing from one time to another; as, movable feasts, i. e., church festivals, the date of which varies from year to year. Movable letter (Heb. Gram.), a letter that is pronounced, as opposed to one that is quiescent.
MOVABLE Mov"a*ble, n.; pl. Movables (.
1. An article of wares or goods; a commodity; a piece of property not fixed, or not a part of real estate; generally, in the plural, goods; wares; furniture. Furnished with the most rich and princely movables. Evelyn.
2. (Rom. Law)
Defn: Property not attached to the soil.
Note: The word is not convertible with personal property, since rents and similar incidents of the soil which are personal property by our law are immovables by the Roman law. Wharton.
MOVABLENESS Mov"a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being movable; mobility; susceptibility of motion.
MOVABLY Mov"a*bly, adv.
Defn: In a movable manner or condition.
MOVE Move, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moved; p. pr. & vb. n. Moving.] Etym: [OE. moven, OF. moveir, F. mouvoir, L. movere; cf. Gr. miv, p.p. muta, to move, push. Cf. Emotion, Mew to molt, Mob, Mutable, Mutiny.]
1. To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry, convey, draw, or push from one place to another; to impel; to stir; as, the wind moves a vessel; the horse moves a carriage.
2. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: To transfer (a piece or man) from one space or position to another, according to the rules of the game; as, to move a king.
3. To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion, or appeal; to influence. Minds desirous of revenge were not moved with gold. Knolles. No female arts his mind could move. Dryden.
4. To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion; to touch pathetically; to excite, as an emotion. Shak. When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. Matt. ix. 36. [The use of images] in orations and poetry is to move pity or terror. Felton.
5. To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration and determination, in a deliberative assembly; to submit, as a resolution to be adopted; as, to move to adjourn. Let me but move one question to your daughter. Shak. They are to be blamed alike who move and who decline war upon
## particular respects. Hayward.
6. To apply to, as for aid. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. -- To stir; agitate; trouble; affect; persuade; influence; actuate; impel; rouse; prompt; instigate; incite; induce; incline; propose; offer.
MOVE Move, v. i.
1. To change place or posture; to stir; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to another; as, a ship moves rapidly. The foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. Ps. xviii. 7. On the green bank I sat and listened long, ... Nor till her lay was ended could I move. Dryden.
2. To act; to take action; to stir; to begin to act; as, to move in a matter.
3. To change residence; to remove, as from one house, town, or state, to another.
4. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: To change the place of a piece in accordance with the rules of the game.
MOVE Move, n.
1. The act of moving; a movement.
2. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: The act of moving one of the pieces, from one position to another, in the progress of the game.
3. An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose. To make a move. (a) To take some action. (b) To move a piece, as in a game. -- To be on the move, to bustle or stir about. [Colloq.]
MOVELESS Move`less, a.
Defn: Motionless; fixed. "Moveless as a tower." Pope.
MOVEMENT Move"ment, n. Etym: [F. mouvement. See Move, and cf. Moment.]
1. The act of moving; change of place or posture; transference, by any means, from one situation to another; natural or appropriate motion; progress; advancement; as, the movement of an army in marching or maneuvering; the movement of a wheel or a machine; the party of movement.
2. Motion of the mind or feelings; emotion.
3. Manner or style of moving; as, a slow, or quick, or sudden, movement.
4. (Mus.) (a) The rhythmical progression, pace, and tempo of a piece. "Any change of time is a change of movement." Busby. (b) One of the several strains or pieces, each complete in itself, with its own time and rhythm, which make up a larger work; as, the several movements of a suite or a symphony.
5. (Mech.)
Defn: A system of mechanism for transmitting motion of a definite character, or for transforming motion; as, the wheelwork of a watch. Febrille movement (Med.), an elevation of the body temperature; a fever. -- Movement cure. (Med.) See Kinesiatrics. -- Movement of the bowels, an evacuation or stool; a passage or discharge.
Syn. -- Motion. -- Movement, Motion. Motion expresses a general idea of not being at rest; movement is oftener used to express a definite, regulated motion, esp. a progress.
MOVENT Mo"vent, a. Etym: [L. movens, p.pr. of movere. See Move.]
Defn: Moving. [R.] Grew.
MOVENT Mo"vent, n.
Defn: That which moves anything. [R.]
MOVER Mov"er, n.
1. A person or thing that moves, stirs, or changes place.
2. A person or thing that imparts motion, or causes change of place; a motor.
3. One who, or that which, excites, instigates, or causes movement, change, etc.; as, movers of sedition. These most poisonous compounds, Which are the movers of a languishing death. Shak.
4. A proposer; one who offers a proposition, or recommends anything for consideration or adoption; as, the mover of a resolution in a legislative body.
MOVIE Mov"ie, n.
Defn: A moving picture or a moving picture show; -- commonly used in pl. [Slang or Colloq.]
MOVING Mov"ing, a.
1. Changing place or posture; causing motion or action; as, a moving car, or power.
2. Exciting movement of the mind; adapted to move the sympathies, passions, or affections; touching; pathetic; as, a moving appeal. I sang an old moving story. Coleridge. Moving force (Mech.), a force that accelerates, retards, or deflects the motion of a body. -- Moving plant (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Desmodium gyrans); -- so called because its leaflets have a distinct automatic motion.
MOVING Mov"ing, n.
Defn: The act of changing place or posture; esp., the act of changing one's dwelling place or place of business. Moving day, a day when one moves; esp., a day when a large number of tenants change their dwelling place.
MOVINGLY Mov"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a moving manner. Addison.
MOVINGNESS Mov"ing*ness, n.
Defn: The power of moving.
MOVING PICTURE Moving picture.
Defn: A series of pictures, usually photographs taken with a special machine, presented to the eye in very rapid succession, with some or all of the objects in the picture represented in slightly changed positions, producing, by persistence of vision, the optical effect of a continuous picture in which the objects move in some manner, as that of some original scene. The usual form of moving pictures is that produced by the cinematograph.
MOW Mow, n. [Written also moe and mowe.] Etym: [F. moue pouting, a wry face; cf. OD. mouwe the protruded lip.]
Defn: A wry face. "Make mows at him." Shak.
MOW Mow, v. i.
Defn: To make mouths. Nodding, becking, and mowing. Tyndale.
MOW Mow, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Mew, a gull.
MOW Mow, v. [pres. sing. Mow, pl. Mowe, Mowen, Moun.] Etym: [AS. magan. See May, v.]
Defn: May; can. "Thou mow now escapen." [Obs.] Chaucer. Our walles mowe not make hem resistence. Chaucer.
MOW Mow, v. t. [imp. Mowed; p. p. Mowed or Mown (; p. pr. & vb. n. Mowing.] Etym: [OE. mowen, mawen, AS. mawan; akin to D. maaijen, G. mähen, OHG. majan, Dan. meie, L. metere to reap, mow, Gr. Math, Mead a meadow, Meadow.]
1. To cut down, as grass, with a scythe or machine.
2. To cut the grass from; as, to mow a meadow.
3. To cut down; to cause to fall in rows or masses, as in mowing grass; -- with down; as, a discharge of grapeshot mows down whole ranks of men.
MOW Mow, v. i.
Defn: To cut grass, etc., with a scythe, or with a machine; to cut grass for hay.
MOW Mow, n. Etym: [OE. mowe, AS. m.]
1. A heap or mass of hay or of sheaves of grain stowed in a barn.
2. The place in a barn where hay or grain in the sheaf is stowed.
MOW Mow, v. t.
Defn: To lay, as hay or sheaves of grain, in a heap or mass in a barn; to pile and stow away.
MOWBURN Mow"burn`, v. i.
Defn: To heat and ferment in the mow, as hay when housed too green.
MOWE Mowe, v.
Defn: See 4th Mow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOWE Mowe, n. & v.
Defn: See 1st & 2d Mow. [Obs.]
MOWER Mow"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mows; a mowing machine; as, a lawn mower.
MOWING Mow"ing, n.
1. The act of one who, or the operation of that which, mows.
2. Land from which grass is cut; meadow land. Mowing machine, an agricultural machine armed with knives or blades for cutting standing grass, etc. It is drawn by a horse or horses, or propelled by steam.
MOWN Mown, p. p. & a.
Defn: Cut down by mowing, as grass; deprived of grass by mowing; as, a mown field.
MOWYER Mow"yer, n.
Defn: A mower. [Obs.]
MOXA Mox"a, n. Etym: [A corruption of Japan. mogusa (pronounced mongsa), an escharotic made from the plant yomigi: cf. F. moxa.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: A soft woolly mass prepared from the young leaves of Artemisia Chinensis, and used as a cautery by burning it on the skin; hence, any substance used in a like manner, as cotton impregnated with niter, amadou.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant from which this substance is obtained, esp. Artemisia Chinensis, and A. moxa.
MOXIE Mox"ie, n. Etym: [fr. Moxie, a trade name for a beverage.]
1. energy; pep.
2. courage, determination.
3. Know-how, expertise. MW10.
MOYA Moy"a, n.
Defn: Mud poured out from volcanoes during eruptions; -- so called in South America.
MOYLE Moyle, n. & v.
Defn: See Moil, and Moile.
MOZARAB; MOZARABIC Moz"a*rab, Moz`a*rab"ic.
Defn: Same as Muzarab, Muzarabic.
MOZETTA; MOZZETTA Mo*zet"ta, Moz*zet"ta, n. Etym: [It. mozzetta: cf. F. mosette. Cf. Amice a hood or cape.] (Eccl.)
Defn: A cape, with a small hood; -- worn by the pope and other dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church.
MR. Mr.. (.
Defn: The customary abbreviation of Mister in writing and printing. See Master, 4.
MRS. Mrs. (.
Defn: The customary abbreviation of Mistress when used as a title of courtesy, in writing and printing.
MUCAMIDE Mu*cam"ide, n. Etym: [Mucic + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: The acid amide of mucic acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
MUCATE Mu"cate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mucic acid.
MUCE Muce, n.
Defn: See Muse, and Muset.
MUCEDIN Mu*ce"din, n. Etym: [From Mucus.] (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: A yellowish white, amorphous, nitrogenous substance found in wheat, rye, etc., and resembling gluten; -- formerly called also mucin.
MUCH Much, a. [Compar. & superl. wanting, but supplied by More, and Most (, from another root.] Etym: [OE. moche, muche, miche, prob. the same as mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr. AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr. mjök, adv., much. *103. See Mickle.]
1. Great in quantity; long in duration; as, much rain has fallen; much time. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in. Deut. xxviii. 38.
2. Many in number. [Archaic] Edom came out against him with much people. Num. xx. 20.
3. High in rank or position. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MUCH Much, n.
1. A great quantity; a great deal; also, an indefinite quantity; as, you have as much as I. He that gathered much had nothing over. Ex. xvi. 18.
Note: Muchin this sense can be regarded as an adjective qualifying a word unexpressed, and may, therefore, be modified by as, so, too, very.
2. A thing uncommon, wonderful, or noticeable; something considerable. And [he] thought not much to clothe his enemies. Milton. To make much of, to treat as something of especial value or worth.
MUCH Much, adv. Etym: [Cf. Icel. mjök. See Much, a.]
Defn: To a great degree or extent; greatly; abundantly; far; nearly. "Much suffering heroes." Pope. Thou art much mightier than we. Gen. xxvi. 16. Excellent speech becometh not a fool, much less do lying lips a prince. Prov. xvii. 7. Henceforth I fly not death, nor would prolong Life much. Milton. All left the world much as they found it. Sir W. Temple.
MUCHEL Much"el, a. Etym: [*103. See Mickle.]
Defn: Much. [Obs.]
MUCHNESS Much"ness, n.
Defn: Greatness; extent. [Obs. or Colloq.] The quantity and muchness of time which it filcheth. W. Whately. Much of a muchness, much the same. [Colloq.] "Men's men; gentle or simple, they 're much of muchness." G. Eliot.
MUCHWHAT Much"what`, adv.
Defn: Nearly; almost; much. [Obs.] "Muchwhat after the same manner." Glanvill.
MUCIC Mu"cic, a. Etym: [L. mucus mucus: cf. F. mucique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, gums and micilaginous substances; specif., denoting an acid obtained by the oxidation of gums, dulcite, etc., as a white crystalline substance isomeric with saccharic acid.
MUCID Mu"cid, a. Etym: [L. mucidus, fr. L. mucus mucus. See Mucus, and cf. Moist.]
Defn: Musty; moldy; slimy; mucous. -- Mu"cid*ness, n.
MUCIFIC Mu*cif"ic, a. Etym: [Mucus + L. -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: Inducing or stimulating the secretion of mucus; blennogenous.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Secreting mucus.
MUCIFORM Mu"ci*form, a. Etym: [Mucus + -form.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Resembling mucus; having the character or appearance of mucus.
MUCIGEN Mu"ci*gen, n. Etym: [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A substance which is formed in mucous epithelial cells, and gives rise to mucin.
MUCIGENOUS Mu*cig"e*nous, a. (Physiol.)
Defn: Connected with the formation of mucin; resembling mucin. The mucigenous basis is manufactured at the expense of the ordinary protoplasm of the cell. Foster.
MUCILAGE Mu"ci*lage, n. Etym: [F., from L. mucilago a musty juice, fr. mucus mucus, slime. See Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: A gummy or gelatinous substance produced in certain plants by the action of water on the cell wall, as in the seeds of quinces, of flax, etc.
2. An aqueous solution of gum, or of substances allied to it; as, medicinal mucilage; mucilage for fastening envelopes.
MUCILAGINOUS Mu`ci*lag"i*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mucilagineux. See Mucilage.]
1. Partaking of the nature of, or resembling, mucilage; moist, soft, and viscid; slimy; ropy; as, a mucilaginous liquid.
2. Of, pertaining to, or secreting, mucilage; as, the mucilaginous glands.
3. Soluble in water, but not in alcohol; yielding mucilage; as, mucilaginous gums or plants. -- Mu`ci*lag"i*nous*ness, n.
MUCIN Mu"cin, n. Etym: [From Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: See Mucedin. [Obs.]
2. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An albuminoid substance which is contained in mucus, and gives to the latter secretion its peculiar ropy character. It is found in all the secretions from mucous glands, and also between the fibers of connective tissue, as in tendons. See Illust. of Demilune.
MUCINOGEN Mu*cin"o*gen, n. Etym: [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Same as Mucigen.
MUCIPAROUS Mu*cip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Mucus + L. parere to produce.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Secreting, or producing, mucus or mucin.
MUCIVORE Mu"ci*vore, n. Etym: [L. mucus slime, mucus + vorare to devour.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An unsect which feeds on mucus, or the sap of plants, as certain Diptera, of the tribe Mucivora.
MUCK Muck
Defn: , abbreviation of Amuck. To run a muck. See Amuck.
MUCK Muck, n. Etym: [Icel. myki; akin to D. mög. Cf. Midden.]
1. Dung in a moist state; manure. Bacon.
2. Vegetable mold mixed with earth, as found in low, damp places and swamps.
3. Anything filthy or vile. Spenser.
4. Money; -- in contempt. The fatal muck we quarreled for. Beau. & Fl. Muck bar, bar iron which has been through the rolls only once. -- Muck iron, crude puddled iron ready for the squeezer or rollers. Knight.
MUCK Muck, a.
Defn: Like muck; mucky; also, used in collecting or distributing muck; as, a muck fork.
MUCK Muck, v. t.
Defn: To manure with muck.
MUCKENDER Muck"en*der, n. Etym: [Sp. mocador. Cf. Mokadour.]
Defn: A handkerchief. [Obs.] [Written also muckinder, muckiter, mockadour.]
MUCKER Muck"er, n.
Defn: A term of reproach for a low or vulgar labor person. [Slang]
MUCKER Muck"er, v. t.
Defn: To scrape together, as money, by mean labor or shifts. [Obs.] Udall.
MUCKERER Muck"er*er, n.
Defn: A miser; a niggard. [Obs.]
MUCKINESS Muck"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being mucky.
MUCKLE Muc"kle, a. Etym: [See Mickle.]
Defn: Much. [Obs.]
MUCKMIDDEN Muck"mid`den, n.
Defn: A dunghill. [Scot.]
MUCK RAKE Muck rake.
Defn: A rake for scraping up muck or dung. See Muckrake, v. i., below.
MUCK-RAKE; MUCKRAKE; MUCKRAKER Muck"rake`, v. i. [imp. & p. p. -raked; p. pr. & vb. n. -raking.]
Defn: To seek for, expose, or charge, esp. habitually, corruption, real or alleged, on the part of public men and corporations. On April 14, 1906, President Roosevelt delivered a speech on "The Man with the Muck Rake," in which he deprecated sweeping and unjust charges of corruption against public men and corporations. The phrase was taken up by the press, and the verb to muck"rake`, in the above sense, and the noun muck"rak`er, to designate one so engaged, were speedily coined and obtained wide currency. The original allusion was to a character in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" so intent on raking up muck that he could not see a celestial crown held above him.
MUCKSY Muck"sy, a.
Defn: Somewhat mucky; soft, sticky, and dirty; muxy. [Prov. Eng.] R. D. Blackmore.
MUCKWORM Muck"worm`, n.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A larva or grub that lives in muck or manure; -- applied to the larvæ of the tumbledung and allied beetles.
2. One who scrapes together money by mean labor and devices; a miser. "Misers are muckworms." Pope.
MUCKY Muck"y, a.
1. Filthy with muck; miry; as, a mucky road. "Mucky filth." Spenser.
2. Vile, in a moral sense; sordid. [Obs.] Spenser. Mucky money and false felicity. Latimer.
MUCOCELE Mu"co*cele, n. Etym: [Mucus + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: An enlargement or protrusion of the mucous membrane of the lachrymal passages, or dropsy of the lachrymal sac, dependent upon catarrhal inflammation of the latter. Dunglison.
MUCOID Mu"coid, a. Etym: [Mucus + -oid.]
Defn: Resembling mucus. Dunglison. Mucoid degeneration, a form of degeneration in which the tissues are transformed into a semisolid substance resembling mucus. Quain.
MUCONATE Mu"co*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of muconic acid.
MUCONIC Mu*con"ic, a. Etym: [Mucic + itaconic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid, obtained indirectly from mucic acid, and somewhat resembling itaconic acid.
MUCOPURULENT Mu`co*pu"ru*lent, a. Etym: [Mucus + purulent.] (Med.)
Defn: Having the character or appearance of both mucus and pus. Dunglison.
MUCOR Mu"cor, n. Etym: [L., fr. mucere to be moldy or musty.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of minute fungi. The plants consist of slender threads with terminal globular sporangia; mold.
MUCOSITY Mu*cos"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mucous or slimy; mucousness.
MUCOUS Mu"cous, a. Etym: [L. mucosus, fr. mucus mucus.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, mucus; slimy, ropy, or stringy, and lubricous; as, a mucous substance.
2. Secreting a slimy or mucigenous substance; as, the mucous membrane. Mucous membrane. (Anat.) See under Membrane. -- Mucous patches (Med.), elevated patches found in the mucous membranes of the mouth and anus, usually due to syphilis. -- Mucous tissue (Anat.), a form of connective tissue in an early stage of development, found in the umbilical cord and in the embryo, and also in certain tumors called myxomata.
MUCOUSNESS Mu"cous*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mucous; sliminess.
MUCRO Mu"cro, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute abrupt point, as of a leaf; any small, sharp point or process, terminating a larger part or organ.
MUCRONATE; MUCRONATED Mu"cro*nate, Mu"cro*na`ted, a. Etym: [L. mucronatus, fr. mucro a sharp point: cf. F. mucroné.]
Defn: Ending abruptly in a sharp point; abruptly tipped with a short and sharp point; as, a mucronate leaf. -- Mu"cro*nate*ly, adv.
MUCRONULATE Mu*cron"u*late, a.
Defn: Having, or tipped with, a small point or points.
MUCULENT Mu"cu*lent, a. Etym: [L. muculentus, fr. mucus.]
Defn: Slimy; moist, and moderately viscous.
MUCUS Mu"cus, n. Etym: [L. mucus, muccus; cf. mucere 8be moldy or musty, Gr. muc to release. Cf. Match for striking fire, Moist, Mucilage.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: A viscid fluid secreted by mucous membranes, which it serves to moisten and protect. It covers the lining membranes of all the cavities which open externally, such as those of the mouth, nose, lungs, intestinal canal, urinary passages, etc.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Any other animal fluid of a viscid quality, as the synovial fluid, which lubricates the cavities of the joints; -- improperly so used.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: A gelatinous or slimy substance found in certain algæ and other plants.
MUCUSIN Mu"cus*in, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Mucin. [R.]
MUD Mud, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. mudde, D. modder, G. moder mold, OSw. modd mud, Sw. modder mother, Dan. mudder mud. Cf. Mother a scum on liquors.]
Defn: Earth and water mixed so as to be soft and adhesive. Mud bass (Zoöl.), a fresh-water fish (Acantharchum pomotis) of the Eastern United States. It produces a deep grunting note. -- Mud bath, an immersion of the body, or some part of it, in mud charged with medicinal agents, as a remedy for disease. -- Mud boat, a large flatboat used in deredging. -- Mud cat. See Catfish. -- Mud crab (Zoöl.), any one of several American marine crabs of the genus Panopeus. -- Mud dab (Zoöl.), the winter flounder. See Flounder, and Dab. -- Mud dauber (Zoöl.), a mud wasp. -- Mud devil (Zoöl.), the fellbender. -- Mud drum (Steam Boilers), a drum beneath a boiler, into which sediment and mud in the water can settle for removal. -- Mud eel (Zoöl.), a long, slender, aquatic amphibian (Siren lacertina), found in the Southern United States. It has persistent external gills and only the anterior pair of legs. See Siren. -- Mud frog (Zoöl.), a European frog (Pelobates fuscus). -- Mud hen. (Zoöl.) (a) The American coot (Fulica Americana). (b) The clapper rail. -- Mud lark, a person who cleans sewers, or delves in mud. [Slang] - - Mud minnow (Zoöl.), any small American fresh-water fish of the genus Umbra, as U. limi. The genus is allied to the pickerels. -- Mud plug, a plug for stopping the mudhole of a boiler. -- Mud puppy (Zoöl.), the menobranchus. -- Mud scow, a heavy scow, used in dredging; a mud boat. [U.S.] -- Mud turtle, Mud tortoise (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of fresh-water tortoises of the United States. -- Mud wasp (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of hymenopterous insects belonging to Pepæus, and allied genera, which construct groups of mud cells, attached, side by side, to stones or to the woodwork of buildings, etc. The female places an egg in each cell, together with spiders or other insects, paralyzed by a sting, to serve as food for the larva. Called also mud dauber.
MUD Mud, v. t.
1. To bury in mud. [R.] Shak.
2. To make muddy or turbid. Shak.
MUDAR Mu"dar, n. Etym: [Hind. madar.] (Bot.)
Defn: Either one of two asclepiadaceous shrubs (Calotropis gigantea, and C. procera), which furnish a strong and valuable fiber. The acrid milky juice is used medicinally.
MUDARIN Mu"da*rin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A brown, amorphous, bitter substance having a strong emetic
## action, extracted from the root of the mudar.
MUDDILY Mud"di*ly
Defn: , In a muddy manner; turbidly; without mixture; cloudily; obscurely; confusedly.
MUDDINESS Mud"di*ness, n.
1. The condition or quality of being muddy; turbidness; foulness casued by mud, dirt, or sediment; as, the muddiness of a stream.
2. Obscurity or confusion, as in treatment of a subject; intellectual dullness.
MUDDLE Mud"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muddling.] Etym: [From Mud.]
1. To make turbid, or muddy, as water. [Obs.] He did ill to muddle the water. L'Estrange.
2. To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate
## partially.
Epicurus seems to have had brains so muddled and confounded, that he scarce ever kept in the right way. Bentley. Often drunk, always muddled. Arbuthnot.
3. To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated. [R.] They muddle it [money] away without method or object, and without having anything to show for it. Hazlitt.
4. To mix confusedly; to confuse; to make a mess of; as, to muddle matters; also, to perplex; to mystify. F. W. Newman.
MUDDLE Mud"dle, v. i.
1. To dabble in mud. [Obs.] Swift.
2. To think and act in a confused, aimless way.
MUDDLE Mud"dle, n.
Defn: A state of being turbid or confused; hence, intellectual cloudiness or dullness. We both grub on in a muddle. Dickens.
MUDDLEHEAD Mud"dle*head`, n.
Defn: A stupid person. [Colloq.] C. Reade. -- Mud"dle-head`ed, a. [Colloq.] Dickens.
MUDDLER Mud"dler, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, muddles.
MUDDY Mud"dy, a. [Compar. Muddier; superl. Muddiest.]
1. Abounding in mud; besmeared or dashed with mud; as, a muddy road or path; muddy boots.
2. Turbid with mud; as, muddy water.
3. Consisting of mud or earth; gross; impure. This muddy vesture of decay. Shak.
4. Confused, as if turbid with mud; cloudy in mind; dull; stupid; also, immethodical; incoherent; vague. Cold hearts and muddy understandings. Burke. Dost think I am so muddy, so unsettled. Shak.
5. Not clear or bright. Swift.
MUDDY Mud"dy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muddied; p. pr. & vb. n. Muddying.]
1. To soil with mud; to dirty; to render turbid.
2. Fig.: To cloud; to make dull or heavy. Grew.
MUDDY-HEADED Mud"dy-head`ed, a.
Defn: Dull; stupid.
MUDDY-METTLED Mud"dy-met`tled, a.
Defn: Dull-spirited. Shak.
MUDFISH Mud"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The European loach. (b) The bowfin. (c) The South American lipedosiren, and the allied African species (Protopterus annectens). See Lipedosiren. (d) The mud minnow.
MUDHOLE Mud"hole`, n.
1. A hole, or hollow place, containing mud, as in a road.
2. (Steam Boilers)
Defn: A hole near the bottom, through which the sediment is withdrawn.
MUDIR Mu"dir, n.
Defn: Same as Moodir.
MUDSILL Mud"sill`, n.
Defn: The lowest sill of a structure, usually embedded in the soil; the lowest timber of a house; also, that sill or timber of a bridge which is laid at the bottom of the water. See Sill.
MUDSUCKER Mud"suck`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A woodcock.
MUDWALL Mud"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European bee-eater. See Bee-eater. [Written also modwall.]
MUDWORT Mud"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A small herbaceous plant growing on muddy shores (Limosella aquatica).
MUE Mue, v. i.
Defn: To mew; to molt. [Obs.] Quarles.
MUEZZIN Mu*ez"zin, n. Etym: [Ar.]
Defn: A Mohammedan crier of the hour of prayer. [Written also mouezzin, mueddin, and muwazzin.]
MUFF Muff, n. Etym: [Cf. LG. muff, D. mof, G., Dan., & Sw. muff, F. moufle mitten, LL. muffula, MHG. mouwe sleeve, D. mouw, and E. muffle, v.]
1. A soft cover of cylindrical form, usually of fur, worn by women to shield the hands from cold.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object, as a pipe.
3. (Glass Manuf.)
Defn: A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward flattened out to make a sheet.
4. Etym: [Perhaps a different word; cf. Prov. E. maffle to slammer.]
Defn: A stupid fellow; a poor-spirited person. [Colloq.] "A muff of a curate." Thackeray.
5. Etym: [See 4.] (Baseball)
Defn: A failure to hold a ball when once in the hands.
6. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The whitethroat. [Prov. Eng.]
MUFF Muff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Muffing.]
Defn: To handle awkwardly; to fumble; to fail to hold, as a ball, in catching it.
MUFFETEE Muf`fe*tee", n.
Defn: A small muff worn over the wrist. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
MUFFIN Muf"fin, n. Etym: [From Muff.]
Defn: A light, spongy, cylindrical cake, used for breakfast and tea.
MUFFINEER Muf`fin*eer", n.
Defn: A dish for keeping muffins hot.
MUFFISH Muff"ish, a. Etym: [See Muff, 4 & 5.]
Defn: Stupid; awkward. [Colloq.]
MUFFLE Muf"fle, n.
Defn: The bare end of the nose between the nostrils; -- used esp. of ruminants.
MUFFLE Muf"fle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muffled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muffling.] Etym: [Cf. F. moufle a mitten, LL. muffula, OD. moffel a muff. See Muff.]
1. To wrap up in something that conceals or protects; to wrap, as the face and neck, in thick and disguishing folds; hence, to conceal or cover the face of; to envelop; to inclose; -- often with up. South. The face lies muffled up within the garment. Addison. He muffled with a cloud his mournful eyes. Dryden. Muffled up in darkness and superstition. Arbuthnot.
2. To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen.
3. To wrap with something that dulls or deadens the sound of; as, to muffle the strings of a drum, or that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock.
MUFFLE Muf"fle, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. maffle, mumble, D. moffelen.]
Defn: To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation.
MUFFLE Muf"fle, n. Etym: [F. moufle, prop., a mitten, from the resemblance in shape. See Muffle, v. t., Muff.]
1. Anything with which another thing, as an oar or drum, is muffled; also, a boxing glove; a muff.
2. (Metal.)
Defn: An earthenware compartment or oven, often shaped like a half cylinder, used in furnaces to protect objects heated from the direct
## action of the fire, as in scorification of ores, cupellation of ore
buttons, etc.
3. (Ceramics)
Defn: A small oven for baking and fixing the colors of painted or printed pottery, without exposing the pottery to the flames of the furnace or kiln.
4. A pulley block containing several sheaves. Knight.
MUFFLER Muf"fler, n.
1. Anything used in muffling; esp., a scarf for protecting the head and neck in cold weather; a tippet. Fortune is painted blind, with a muffler above her eyes. Shak.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A cushion for terminating or softening a note made by a stringed instrument with a keyboard.
3. A kind of mitten or boxing glove, esp. when stuffed.
4. One who muffles.
MUFLON Muf"lon, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUFTI Muf"ti, n.; pl. Muftis. Etym: [Ar. mufti.]
Defn: An official expounder of Mohammedan law.
MUFTI Muf"ti, n.
Defn: Citizen's dress when worn by a naval or military officer; -- a term derived from the British service in India. [Colloq. Eng.]
MUG Mug, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. mugam a mug, mucog a cup.]
1. A kind of earthen or metal drinking cup, with a handle, -- usually cylindrical and without a lip.
2. The face or mouth. [Slang] Thackeray.
MUGGARD Mug"gard, a. Etym: [Cf. G. mucker a sulky person, muckish sullen, peevish, mucken to mutter, grumble.]
Defn: Sullen; displeased. [Obs.]
MUGGER; MUGGAR; MUGGUR Mug"ger, n. Also Mug"gar, Mug"gur. [Hind. magar, fr. Skr. makara sea monster.]
Defn: The common crocodile (Crocodilus palustris) of India, the East Indies, etc. It becomes twelve feet or more long.
MUGGET Mug"get, n.
Defn: The small entrails of a calf or a hog.
MUGGINESS Mug"gi*ness, n.
Defn: The condition or quality of being muggy.
MUGGINS Mug"gins, n. [Etym. unknown.]
1. A game of dominoes in which the object is to make the sum of the two ends of the line some multiple of five.
2. A game at cards which depends upon building in suits or matching exposed cards, the object being to get rid of one's cards.
MUGGINS Mug"gins, v. t.
Defn: In certain games, to score against, or take an advantage over (an opponent), as for an error, announcing the act by saying "muggins."
MUGGISH Mug"gish, a.
Defn: See Muggy.
MUGGLETONIAN Mug`gle*to"ni*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of an extinct sect, named after Ludovic Muggleton, an English journeyman tailor, who (about 1657) claimed to be inspired. Eadie.
MUGGY Mug"gy, a. [Compar. Muggier; superl. Muggiest.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. mugga mist, mugginess. Cf. 4th Mold.]
1. Moist; damp; moldy; as, muggy straw.
2. Warm, damp, and close; as, muggy air, weather.
MUGHOUSE Mug"house`, n.
Defn: An alehouse; a pothouse. Tickel.
MUGIENCY Mu"gi*en*cy, n.
Defn: A bellowing. [Obs.]
MUGIENT Mu"gi*ent, a. Etym: [L. mugiens, p.pr. of mugire to bellow.]
Defn: Lowing; bellowing. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MUGIL Mu"gil, n. Etym: [L., a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of fishes including the gray mullets. See Mullet.
MUGILOID Mu"gi*loid, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Mugil, or family Mugilidæ.
MUGWEED Mug"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A slender European weed (Galium Cruciata); -- called also crossweed.
MUGWORT Mug"wort`, n. Etym: [AS. mucgwyrt. Cf. Midge.] (Bot.)
Defn: A somewhat aromatic composite weed (Artemisia vulgaris), at one time used medicinally; -- called also motherwort.
MUGWUMP Mug"wump`, n. Etym: [Cf. Algonquin mugquomp a chief.]
Defn: A bolter from the Republican party in the national election of 1884; an Independent. [Political Cant, U.S.]
MUGWUMPERY; MUGWUMPISM Mug"wump`er*y, Mug"wump*ism, n.
Defn: The acts and views of the mugwumps. [Political Cant, U.S.]
MUHAMMADAN; MUHAMMEDAN Mu*ham"mad*an, Mu*ham"med*an, a. & n.
Defn: Mohammedan.
MUHAMMADANISM Mu*ham"mad*an*ism, n.
Defn: Mohammedanism.
MULADA Mu*la"da, n.
Defn: A moor. [Scot.] Lockhart.
MULADA Mu*la"da, n. Etym: [Sp. Amer., fr. Sp. mulo, mula, a mule.]
Defn: A drove of mules. [Southwest. U.S.]
MULATTO Mu*lat"to, n.; pl. Mulattoes. Etym: [Sp. & Pg. mulato, masc., mulata, fem., of a mixed breed, fr. mulo mule, L. mulus. See Mule.]
Defn: The offspring of a negress by a white man, or of a white woman by a negro, -- usually of a brownish yellow complexion.
MULATTRESS Mu*lat"tress, n.
Defn: A female mulatto. G. W. Gable.
MULBERRY Mul"ber*ry, n.; pl. Mulberries. Etym: [OE. moolbery, murberie, AS. murberie, where the first part is fr. L. morum mulberry; cf. Gr. Murrey, Sycamore.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The berry or fruit of any tree of the genus Morus; also, the tree itself. See Morus.
2. A dark pure color, like the hue of a black mulberry. Mulberry mass. (Biol.) See Morula. -- Paper mulberry, a tree (Broussonetia papyrifera), related to the true mulberry, used in Polynesia for making tapa cloth by macerating and pounding the inner bark, and in China and Japan for the manufacture of paper. It is seen as a shade tree in America.
MULBERRY-FACED Mul"ber*ry-faced` (-fast`), a.
Defn: Having a face of a mulberry color, or blotched as if with mulberry stains.
MULCH Mulch, n. Etym: [Cf. mull dirt, also Prov. G. mulsch, molsch, rotten, soft, mellow, as fruit.]
Defn: Half-rotten straw, or any like substance strewn on the ground, as over the roots of plants, to protect from heat, drought, etc., and to preserve moisture.
MULCH Mulch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulched; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulching.]
Defn: To cover or dress with mulch.
MULCT Mulct, n. Etym: [L. mulcta, multa.]
1. A fine or penalty, esp. a pecuniary punishment or penalty.
2. A blemish or defect. [Obs.]
Syn. -- Amercement; forfeit; forfeiture; penalty.
MULCT Mulct, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulcted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulcting.] Etym: [L. mulctare, multare.]
1. To punish for an offense or misdemeanor by imposing a fine or forfeiture, esp. a pecuniary fine; to fine.
2. Hence, to deprive of; to withhold by way of punishment or discipline. [Obs.]
MULCTARY; MULCTUARY Mulc"ta*ry, Mulc"tu*a*ry, a.
Defn: Imposing a pecuniary penalty; consisting of, or paid as, a fine. Fines, or some known mulctuary punishments. Sir W. Temple.
MULE Mule, n. Etym: [F., a she-mule, L. mula, fem. of mulus; cf. Gr. m, fr. L. mulus. Cf. Mulatto.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A hybrid animal; specifically, one generated between an ass and a mare, sometimes a horse and a she-ass. See Hinny.
Note: Mules are much used as draught animals. They are hardy, and proverbial for stubbornness.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant or vegetable produced by impregnating the pistil of one species with the pollen or fecundating dust of another; -- called also hybrid.
3. A very stubborn person.
4. A machine, used in factories, for spinning cotton, wool, etc., into yarn or thread and winding it into cops; -- called also jenny and mule-jenny. Mule armadillo (Zoöl.), a long-eared armadillo (Tatusia hybrida), native of Buenos Ayres; -- called also mulita. See Illust. under Armadillo. -- Mule deer (Zoöl.), a large deer (Cervus, or Cariacus, macrotis) of the Western United States. The name refers to its long ears. -- Mule pulley (Mach.), an idle pulley for guiding a belt which transmits motion between shafts that are not parallel. -- Mule twist, cotton yarn in cops, as spun on a mule; -- in distinction from yarn spun on a throstle frame.
MULE-JENNY Mule"-jen`ny, n.
Defn: See Mule, 4.
MULE KILLER Mule killer.
Defn: Any of several arthropods erroneously supposed to kill live stock, in the southern United States, by stinging or by being swallowed; as: (a) A whip scorpion. [Florida] (b) A walking-stick insect. [Texas] (c) A mantis. (d) A wheel bug.
MULETEER Mu`le*teer", n. Etym: [F. muletier, fr. mulet a mule, dim. fr. L. mulus.]
Defn: One who drives mules.
MULEWORT Mule"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A fern of the genus Hemionitis.
MULEY Mu"ley, n. (Sawmills)
Defn: A stiff, long saw, guided at the ends but not stretched in a gate. Muley axle (Railroad), a car axle without collars at the outer ends of the journals. Forney.
MULEY Mul"ey, n.
Defn: See Mulley.
MULIEBRITY Mu`li*eb"ri*ty, n. Etym: [L. muliebritas, fr. muliebris belonging to a woman, fr. mulier a woman.]
1. The state of being a woman or of possessing full womanly powers; womanhood; -- correlate of virility.
2. Hence: Effeminancy; softness.
MULIER Mu"li*er, n. Etym: [L., a woman.]
1. A woman.
2. (Law) (a) Lawful issue born in wedlock, in distinction from an elder brother born of the same parents before their marriage; a lawful son. (b) (Civ. Law) A woman; a wife; a mother. Blount. Cowell.
MULIERLY Mu"li*er*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner or condition of a mulier; in wedlock; legitimately. [Obs.]
MULIEROSE Mu"li*er*ose`, a. Etym: [L. mulierosus.]
Defn: Fond of woman. [R.] Charles Reade.
MULIEROSITY Mu`li*er*os"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mulierositas.]
Defn: A fondness for women. [R.] Dr. H. More.
MULIERTY Mu"li*er*ty, n. (Law)
Defn: Condition of being a mulier; position of one born in lawful wedlock.
MULISH Mul"ish, a.
Defn: Like a mule; sullen; stubborn. -- Mul"ish*ly, adv. -- Mul"ish*ness, n.
MULL Mull, n. Etym: [Perh. contr. fr. mossul. See Muslin.]
Defn: A thin, soft kind of muslin.
MULL Mull, n. Etym: [Icel. m a snout, muzzle, projecting crag; or cf. Ir. & Gael. meall a heap of earth, a mound, a hill or eminence, W. moel. Cf. Mouth.]
1. A promontory; as, the Mull of Cantyre. [Scot.]
2. A snuffbox made of the small end of a horn.
MULL Mull, n. Etym: [Prob. akin to mold. *108. See Mold.]
Defn: Dirt; rubbish. [Obs.] Gower.
MULL Mull, v. t. Etym: [OE. mullen. See 2d Muller.]
Defn: To powder; to pulverize. [Prov. Eng.]
MULL Mull, v. i.
Defn: To work (over) mentally; to cogitate; to ruminate; -- usually with over; as, to mull over a thought or a problem. [Colloq. U.S.]
MULL Mull, n.
Defn: An inferior kind of madder prepared from the smaller roots or the peelings and refuse of the larger.
MULL Mull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulling.] Etym: [From mulled, for mold, taken as a p.p.; OE. mold-ale funeral ale or banquet. See Mold soil.]
1. To heat, sweeten, and enrich with spices; as, to mull wine. New cider, mulled with ginger warm. Gay.
2. To dispirit or deaden; to dull or blunt. Shak.
MULLA Mul"la, n.
Defn: Same as Mollah.
MULLAGATAWNY Mul`la*ga*taw"ny, n. Etym: [Tamil milagu-tannir pepper water.]
Defn: An East Indian curry soup.
MULLAH Mul"lah, n.
Defn: See Mollah.
MULLAR Mul"lar, n.
Defn: A die, cut in intaglio, for stamping an ornament in relief, as upon metal.
MULLEIN Mul"lein, n. Etym: [OE. moleyn, AS. molegn.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genus Verbascum. They are tall herbs having coarse leaves, and large flowers in dense spikes. The common species, with densely woolly leaves, is Verbascum Thapsus. Moth mullein. See under Moth. -- Mullein foxglove, an American herb (Seymeria macrophylla) with coarse leaves and yellow tubular flowers with a spreading border. -- Petty mullein, the cowslip. Dr. Prior.
MULLEN Mul"len, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Mullein.
MULLER Mull"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, mulls.
2. A vessel in which wine, etc., is mulled over a fire.
MULLER Mull"er, n. Etym: [OE. mullen to pulverize, bruise; cf. Icel. mylja; prob. akin to E. mold soil. See Mold soil, and cf. Mull dirt.]
Defn: A stone or thick lump of glass, or kind of pestle, flat at the bottom, used for grinding pigments or drugs, etc., upon a slab of similar material.
MULLERIAN; MUELLERIAN Mül*le"ri*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Johannes Müller. Müllerian ducts (Anat.), a pair of embryonic ducts which give rise to the genital passages in the female, but disappear in the male. -- Müllerian fibers (Anat.), the sustentacular or connective-tissue fibers which form the framework of the retina.
MULLET Mul"let, n. Etym: [OE. molet, mulet, F. mulet, fr. L. mullus.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous fishes of the genus Mugil; -- called also gray mullets. They are found on the coasts of both continents, and are highly esteemed as food. Among the most valuable species are Mugil capito of Europe, and M. cephalus which occurs both on the European and American coasts.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of the genus Mullus, or family Mullidæ; called also red mullet, and surmullet, esp. the plain surmullet (Mullus barbatus), and the striped surmullet (M. surmulletus) of Southern Europe. The former is the mullet of the Romans. It is noted for the brilliancy of its colors. See Surmullet. French mullet. See Ladyfish (a).
MULLET Mul"let, n. Etym: [F. molette.] (Her.)
Defn: A star, usually five pointed and pierced; -- when used as a difference it indicates the third son.
MULLET Mul"let, n. Etym: [Cf. F. molet a sort of pinchers.]
Defn: Small pinchers for curling the hair. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MULLEY; MOOLLEY Mul"ley, Mool"ley, n. Etym: [CF. Gael. maolag a hornless cow, maol bald, hornless, blunt.]
1. A mulley or polled animal. [U. S.]
2. A cow. [Prov. Eng.; U.S., a child's word.] Leave milking and dry up old mulley, thy cow. Tusser.
MULLEY; MOOLLEY Mul"ley, Mool"ley, a.
Defn: Destitute of horns, although belonging to a species of animals most of which have horns; hornless; polled; as, mulley cattle; a mulley (or moolley) cow. [U. S.] [Written also muley.]
MULLIGATAWNY Mul`li*ga*taw"ny, n.
Defn: See Mullagatawny.
MULLIGRUBS Mul"li*grubs, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. mull to squeeze, pull about, mulling numb or dull.]
1. A griping of the intestines; colic. [Slang] Whose dog lies sick of the mulligrubs Beau. & Fl.
2. Hence, sullenness; the sulks. [Slang]
MULLINGONG Mul"lin*gong, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Duck mole, under Duck. [Written also mollingong.]
MULLION Mul"lion, n. Etym: [A corruption of munnion, F. moignon stump of an amputated limb, stump, OF. moing mutilated; cf. Armor. moñ, mouñ, mank, monk, and also L. mancus maimed.] (Arch.) (a) A slender bar or pier which forms the division between the lights of windows, screens, etc. (b) An upright member of a framing. See Stile.
MULLION Mul"lion, v. t.
Defn: To furnish with mullions; to divide by mullions.
MULLOCK Mul"lock, n. Etym: [From Mull dirt: cf. Scot. mulloch, mulock, crumb. *108.]
Defn: Rubbish; refuse; dirt. [Obs.] All this mullok [was] in a sieve ythrowe. Chaucer.
MULLOID Mul"loid, a. Etym: [NL. Mullus, generic name (fr. L. mullus surmullet) + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Mullus, which includes the surmullet, or red mullet.
MULMUL Mul"mul, n.
Defn: A fine, soft muslin; mull.
MULSE Mulse, n. Etym: [L. mulsum (sc. vinum), fr. mulsus mixed with honey, honey-sweet, p.p. of mulcere to sweeten, soften.]
Defn: Wine boiled and mingled with honey.
MULT- Mult-.
Defn: See Multi-.
MULTANGULAR Mul*tan"gu*lar, a. Etym: [L. multangulus; multus much, many + angulus angle: cf. F. multangulaire.]
Defn: Having many angles. -- Mul*tan"gu*lar*ly, adv. -- Mul*tan"gu*lar*ness, n.
MULTANIMOUS Mul*tan"i*mous, a. Etym: [Mult- + L. animus mind.]
Defn: Many-minded; many-sided. The multanimous nature of the poet. J. R. Lowell.
MULTARTICULATE Mul`tar*tic"u*late, a. Etym: [Mult- + articulate.]
Defn: Having many articulations or joints.
MULTEITY Mul*te"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. multus much, many.]
Defn: Multiplicity. [R.] Coleridge.
MULTI-; MULT- Mul"ti-, Mult-. Etym: [L. multus much.]
Defn: A prefix signifying much or many; several; more than one; as, multiaxial, multocular.
MULTIAXIAL Mul`ti*ax"i*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + axial.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having more than one axis; developing in more than a single line or plain; -- opposed to Ant: monoaxial.
MULTICAPSULAR Mul`ti*cap"su*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + capsular: cf. F. multicapsulaire.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many, or several, capsules.
MULTICARINATE Mul`ti*car"i*nate, a. Etym: [Multi- + carinate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Many-keeled.
MULTICAVOUS Mul`ti*ca"vous, a. Etym: [L. multicavus; multus much, many + cavum, cavus, a cavity, hole, fr. cavus hollow.]
Defn: Having many cavities.
MULTICELLULAR Mul`ti*cel"lu*lar, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or having, many cells or more than one cell.
MULTICENTRAL Mul`ti*cen"tral, a. Etym: [Multi- + central.]
Defn: Having many, or several, centers; as, a multicentral cell. Multicental development (Biol.), growth, or development, from several centers. According as the insubordination to a single center is more or less pronounced, the resultant organism will be more or less irregular in form and may even discontinuous.
MULTICIPITAL Mul`ti*cip"i*tal, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. caput head.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many heads or many stems from one crown or root. Gray.
MULTICOLOR Mul"ti*col`or, a. Etym: [See Multi-, and Color.]
Defn: Having many, or several, colors.
MULTICOSTATE Mul`ti*cos"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + costate.]
Defn: Having numerous ribs, or costæ, as the leaf of a plant, or as certain shells and corals.
MULTICUSPID Mul`ti*cus"pid, a. Etym: [See Multi-, and Cuspid.]
Defn: Multicuspidate; -- said of teeth.
MULTICUSPIDATE Mul`ti*cus"pi*date, a. Etym: [Multi- + cuspidate.]
Defn: Having many cusps or points.
MULTIDENTATE Mul`ti*den"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + dentate.]
Defn: Having many teeth, or toothlike processes.
MULTIDIGITATE Mul`ti*dig"i*tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + digitate.]
Defn: Having many fingers, or fingerlike processes.
MULTIFACED Mul"ti*faced`, a. Etym: [Multi- + face.]
Defn: Having many faces.
MULTIFARIOUS Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. multifarius; multus much, many. Cf. Bifarious.]
1. Having multiplicity; having great diversity or variety; of various kinds; diversified; made up of many differing parts; manifold. There is a multifarious artifice in the structure of the meanest animal. Dr. H. More.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having parts, as leaves, arranged in many vertical rows.
MULTIFARIOUSLY Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: With great multiplicity and diversity; with variety of modes and relations.
MULTIFARIOUSNESS Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ness, n.
1. Multiplied diversity.
2. (Law)
Defn: The fault of improperly uniting in one bill distinct and independent matters, and thereby confounding them. Burrill.
MULTIFEROUS Mul*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. multifer; multus much, many + ferre to bear.]
Defn: Bearing or producing much or many. [R.]
MULTIFID Mul"ti*fid, a. Etym: [L. multifidus; multus much, many + findere to split: cf. F. multifide.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many segments; cleft into several parts by linear sinuses; as, a multifid leaf or corolla.
MULTIFLOROUS Mul`ti*flo"rous, a. Etym: [L. multiflorus; multus much, many + flos, floris, flower: cf. F. multiflore.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many flowers.
MULTIFLUE Mul"ti*flue, a. Etym: [Multi- + flue.]
Defn: Having many flues; as, a multiflue boiler. See Boiler.
MULTIFOIL Mul"ti*foil, n. Etym: [Multi- + foil.] (Arch.)
Defn: An ornamental foliation consisting of more than five divisions or foils. [R.] See Foil.
MULTIFOIL Mul"ti*foil, a.
Defn: Having more than five divisions or foils.
MULTIFOLD Mul"ti*fold, a. Etym: [Multi- + fold.]
Defn: Many times doubled; manifold; numerous.
MULTIFORM Mul"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. multiformis; multus much, many + forma shape: cf. F. multiforme.]
Defn: Having many forms, shapes, or appearances. A plastic and multiform unit. Hare.
MULTIFORMITY Mul`ti*form"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. multiformitas.]
Defn: The quality of being multiform; diversity of forms; variety of appearances in the same thing. Purchas.
MULTIFORMOUS Mul`ti*form"ous, a.
Defn: Multiform. [Obs.]
MULTIGENEROUS Mul`ti*gen"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. multigenerus; multus + genus, generis, kind.]
Defn: Having many kinds.
MULTIGRANULATE Mul`ti*gran"u*late, a. Etym: [Multi- + granulate.]
Defn: Having, or consisting of, many grains.
MULTIGRAPH Mul"ti*graph, n. [Multi- + -graph.]
Defn: A combined rotary type-setting and printing machine for office use. The type is transferred semi-automatically by means of keys from a type-supply drum to a printing drum. The printing may be done by means of an inked ribbon to print "typewritten" letters, or directly from inked type or a stereotype plate, as in a printing press.
MULTIJUGATE Mul*tij"u*gate, a.
Defn: Having many pairs of leaflets.
MULTIJUGOUS Mul*tij"u*gous, a. Etym: [L. multijugus; multus + jugum yoke.]
1. Consisting of many parts.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Multijugate.
MULTILATERAL Mul`ti*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + lateral.]
Defn: Having many sides; many-sided.
MULTILINEAL Mul`ti*lin"e*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + lineal.]
Defn: Having many lines. Steevens.
MULTILOBAR Mul`ti*lo"bar, a. Etym: [Multi- + lobar.]
Defn: Consisting of, or having, many lobes.
MULTILOCULAR Mul`ti*loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + locular: cf. F. multiloculaire.]
Defn: Having many or several cells or compartments; as, a multilocular shell or capsule.
MULTILOQUENCE Mul*til"o*quence, n.
Defn: Quality of being multiloquent; use of many words; talkativeness.
MULTILOQUENT; MULTILOQUOUS Mul*til"o*quent, Mul*til"o*quous, a. Etym: [L. multiloquus; multus much, many + loqui to speak.]
Defn: Speaking much; very talkative; loquacious.
MULTILOQUY Mul*til"o*quy, n. Etym: [L. multiloquium.]
Defn: Excess of words or talk. [R.]
MULTINODATE Mul`ti*no"date, a. Etym: [Multi- + nodate.]
Defn: Having many knots or nodes.
MULTINODOUS Mul`ti*no"dous, a. Etym: [L. multinodus.]
Defn: Same as Multinodate.
MULTINOMIAL Mul`ti*no"mi*al, n. & a. Etym: [Multi- + -nomial, as in binomial. See Binomial.] (Alg.)
Defn: Same as Polynomial.
MULTINOMINAL; MULTINOMINOUS Mul`ti*nom"i*nal, Mul`ti*nom"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. multinominis; multus many + nomen nominis name.]
Defn: Having many names or terms.
MULTINUCLEAR Mul`ti*nu"cle*ar, a. Etym: [Multi- + nuclear.] (Biol.)
Defn: Containing many nuclei; as, multinuclear cells.
MULTINUCLEATE; MULTINUCLEATED Mul`ti*nu"cle*ate, Mul`ti*nu"cle*a`ted, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Multinuclear.
MULTIPAROUS Mul*tip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. parere to produce: cf. F. multipare.]
Defn: Producing many, or more than one, at a birth.
MULTIPARTITE Mul*tip"ar*tite, a. Etym: [L. multipartitus multus much, many
## partitus divided, p.p.: cf. F. multipartite. See Partite.]
Defn: Divided into many parts; having several parts.
MULTIPED Mul"ti*ped, n. Etym: [L. multipes, multipeda; multus much, many + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. multipède.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An insect having many feet, as a myriapod.
MULTIPED Mul"ti*ped, a.
Defn: Having many feet.
MULTIPHASE Mul"ti*phase, a. [Multi- + phase.]
Defn: Having many phases; specif. (Elec.),
Defn: pertaining to, or designating, a generator producing, or any system conveying or utilizing, two or more waves of pressure, or electromotive force, not in phase with each other; polyphase.
MULTIPLANE Mul"ti*plane, a.
Defn: Having several or many planes or plane surfaces; as, a multiplane kite.
MULTIPLANE Mul"ti*plane, n. [Multi- + plane.] (Aëronautics)
Defn: An aëroplane with three or more superposed main planes.
MULTIPLE Mul"ti*ple, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multiple, and E. quadruple, and multiply.]
Defn: Containing more than once, or more than one; consisting of more than one; manifold; repeated many times; having several, or many, parts. Law of multiple proportion (Chem.), the generalization that when the same elements unite in more than one proportion, forming two or more different compounds, the higher proportions of the elements in such compounds are simple multiplies of the lowest proportion, or the proportions are connected by some simple common factor; thus, iron and oxygen unite in the proportions FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, in which compounds, considering the oxygen, 3 and 4 are simple multiplies of 1. Called also the Law of Dalton, from its discoverer. -- Multiple algebra, a branch of advanced mathematics that treats of operations upon units compounded of two or more unlike units. -- Multiple conjugation (Biol.), a coalescence of many cells (as where an indefinite number of amoeboid cells flow together into a single mass) from which conjugation proper and even fertilization may have been evolved. -- Multiple fruits. (Bot.) See Collective fruit, under Collective. -- Multiple star (Astron.), several stars in close proximity, which appear to form a single system.
MULTIPLE Mul"ti*ple, n. (Math.)
Defn: A quantity containing another quantity a number of times without a remainder.
Note: A common multiple of two or more numbers contains each of them a number of times exactly; thus, 24 is a common multiple of 3 and 4. The least common multiple is the least number that will do this; thus, 12 is the least common multiple of 3 and 4.
MULTIPLEX Mul"ti*plex, a. Etym: [L. multiplex, -plicis. See Multiply.]
Defn: Manifold; multiple.
MULTIPLIABLE Mul"ti*pli`a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multipliable.]
Defn: Capable of being multiplied. -- Mul"ti*pli`a*ble*ness, n.
MULTIPLICABLE Mul"ti*pli*ca*ble, a. Etym: [L. multiplicabilis.]
Defn: Capable of being multiplied; multipliable.
MULTIPLICAND Mul"ti*pli*cand`, n. Etym: [L. multiplicandus to be multiplied: cf. F. multiplicande.] (Math.)
Defn: The number which is to be multiplied by another number called the multiplier. See Note under Multiplication.
MULTIPLICATE Mul"ti*pli*cate, a. Etym: [L. multiplicatus, p.p. of multiplicare. See Multiply.]
Defn: Consisting of many, or of more than one; multiple; multifold. Multiplicate flower (Bot.), a flower that is double, or has an unusual number of petals in consequence of the abnormal multiplication of the parts of the floral whorls.
MULTIPLICATION Mul`ti*pli*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. multiplicatio: cf. F. multiplication. See Multiply.]
1. The act or process of multiplying, or of increasing in number; the state of being multiplied; as, the multiplication of the human species by natural generation. The increase and multiplication of the world. Thackeray.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The process of repeating, or adding to itself, any given number or quantity a certain number of times; commonly, the process of ascertaining by a briefer computation the result of such repeated additions; also, the rule by which the operation is performed; -- the reverse of division.
Note: The word multiplication is sometimes used in mathematics,
## particularly in multiple algebra, to denote any distributive
operation expressed by one symbol upon any quantity or any thing expressed by another symbol. Corresponding extensions of meaning are given to the words multiply, multiplier, multiplicand, and product. Thus, since f(x + y) = fx + fy (see under Distributive), where f(x + y), fx, and fy indicate the results of any distributive operation represented by the symbol f upon x + y, x, and y, severally, then because of many very useful analogies f(x + y) is called the product of f and x + y, and the operation indicated by f is called multiplication. Cf. Facient, n., 2.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: An increase above the normal number of parts, especially of petals; augmentation.
4. The art of increasing gold or silver by magic, -- attributed formerly to the alchemists. [Obs.] Chaucer. Multiplication table, a table giving the product of a set of numbers multiplied in some regular way; commonly, a table giving the products of the first ten or twelve numbers multiplied successively by 1, 2, 3, etc., up to 10 or 12.
MULTIPLICATIVE Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplicatif.]
Defn: Tending to multiply; having the power to multiply, or incease numbers.
MULTIPLICATIVELY Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: So as to multiply.
MULTIPLICATOR Mul"ti*pli*ca`tor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. multiplicateur. Cf. Multiplier.]
Defn: The number by which another number is multiplied; a multiplier.
MULTIPLICIOUS Mul`ti*pli"cious, a. Etym: [See Multiplex.]
Defn: Manifold. [Obs.]
MULTIPLICITY Mul`ti*plic"ity, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplicité.]
Defn: The quality of being multiple, manifold, or various; a state of being many; a multitude; as, a multiplicity of thoughts or objects. "A multiplicity of goods." South.
MULTIPLIER Mul"ti*pli`er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplier. Cf. Multiplicator.]
1. One who, or that which, multiplies or increases number.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The number by which another number is multiplied. See the Note under Multiplication.
3. (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for multiplying or increasing by repetition or accumulation the intensity of a force or action, as heat or electricity. It is particularly used to render such a force or action appreciable or measurable when feeble. See Thermomultiplier.
MULTIPLY Mul"ti*ply, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Multiplied; p. pr. & vb. n. Multiplying.] Etym: [F. multiplier, L. multiplicare, fr. multiplex manifold. See Multitude, Complex.]
1. To increase in number; to make more numerous; to add quantity to. Impunity will multiply motives to disobedience. Ames.
2. (Math.)
Defn: To add (any given number or quantity) to itself a certain number of times; to find the product of by multiplication; thus 7 multiplied by 8 produces the number 56; to multiply two numbers. See the Note under Multiplication.
3. To increase (the amount of gold or silver) by the arts of alchemy. [Obs.] Multiplying gear (Mach.), gear for increasing speed. -- Multiplying lens. (Opt.) See under Lens.
MULTIPLY Mul"ti*ply, v. i.
1. To become greater in number; to become numerous. When men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them. Gen. vi. 1.
2. To increase in extent and influence; to spread. The word of God grew and multiplied. Acts xii. 24.
3. To increase amount of gold or silver by the arts of alchemy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MULTIPOLAR Mul`ti*po"lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + polar.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having many poles; -- applied especially to those ganglionic nerve cells which have several radiating processes.
MULTIPOTENT Mul*tip"o*tent, a. Etym: [L. multipotens; multus much + potens powerful. See Potent.]
Defn: Having manifold power, or power to do many things. "Jove multipotent." Shak.
MULTIPRESENCE Mul`ti*pres"ence, n.
Defn: The state or power of being multipresent. The multipresence of Christ's body. Bp. Hall.
MULTIPRESENT Mul`ti*pres"ent, a. Etym: [Multi- + present, a.]
Defn: Being, or having the power to be, present in two or more places at once.
MULTIRADIATE Mul`ti*ra"di*ate, a. Etym: [Multi- + radiate.]
Defn: Having many rays.
MULTIRAMIFIED Mul`ti*ram"i*fied, a. Etym: [Multi- + p.p. of ramify.]
Defn: Divided into many branches.
MULTIRAMOSE Mul`ti*ra*mose", a. Etym: [Multi- + ramose.]
Defn: Having many branches.
MULTISCIOUS Mul*tis"cious, a. Etym: [L. multiscius; multus much + scius knowing, fr. scire to know.]
Defn: Having much or varied knowledge. [Obs.]
MULTISECT Mul"ti*sect, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. sectus, p.p. of secare to cut.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Divided into many similar segments; -- said of an insect or myriapod.
MULTISEPTATE Mul`ti*sep"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + septate.] (Bot.)
Defn: Divided into many chambers by partitions, as the pith of the pokeweed.
MULTISERIAL Mul`ti*se"ri*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + serial.] (Bot.)
Defn: Arranged in many rows, or series, as the scales of a pine cone, or the leaves of the houseleek.
MULTISILIQUOUS Mul`ti*sil"i*quous, a. Etym: [Multi- + siliquious.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many pods or seed vessels.
MULTISONOUS Mul*tis"o*nous, a. Etym: [L. multisonus; multus much, many + sonus sound.]
Defn: Having many sounds, or sounding much.
MULTISPIRAL Mul`ti*spi"ral, a. Etym: [Multi- + spiral.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having numerous spiral coils round a center or nucleus; -- said of the opercula of certain shells.
MULTISTRIATE Mul`ti*stri"ate, a. Etym: [Multi- + striate.]
Defn: Having many streaks.
MULTISULCATE Mul`ti*sul"cate, a. Etym: [Multi- + sulcate.]
Defn: Having many furrows.
MULTISYLLABLE Mul"ti*syl`la*ble, n. Etym: [Multi- + syllable.]
Defn: A word of many syllables; a polysyllable. [R.] -- Mul`ti*syl*lab"ic, a.
MULTITITULAR Mul`ti*tit"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + titular.]
Defn: Having many titles.
MULTITUBULAR Mul`ti*tu"bu*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + tubular.]
Defn: Having many tubes; as, a multitubular boiler.
MULTITUDE Mul"ti*tude, n. Etym: [F. multitude, L. multitudo, multitudinis, fr. multus much, many; of unknown origin.]
1. A great number of persons collected together; a numerous collection of persons; a crowd; an assembly. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. Matt. ix. 36.
2. A great number of persons or things, regarded collectively; as, the book will be read by a multitude of people; the multitude of stars; a multitude of cares. It is a fault in a multitude of preachers, that they uttery neglect method in their harangues. I. Watts. A multitude of flowers As countless as the stars on high. Longfellow.
3. The state of being many; numerousness. They came as grasshoppers for multitude. Judg. vi. 5. The multitude, the populace; the mass of men.
Syn. -- Throng; crowd; assembly; assemblage; commonalty; swarm; populace; vulgar. See Throng.
MULTITUDINARY Mul`ti*tu"di*na*ry, a.
Defn: Multitudinous.
MULTITUDINOUS Mul`ti*tu"di*nous, a.
1. Consisting of a multitude; manifold in number or condition; as, multitudinous waves. "The multitudinous seas." Shak. A renewed jingling of multitudinous chains. G. Kennan.
2. Of or pertaining to a multitude. "The multitudinous tongue." Shak. -- Mul`ti*tu"di*nous*ly, adv. -- Mul`ti*tu"di*nous*ness, n.
MULTIVAGANT; MULTIVAGOUS Mul*tiv"a*gant, Mul*tiv"a*gous, a. Etym: [L. multivagus; multus much + vagus wandering; cf. vagans, p.pr. of vagari. See Vagary.]
Defn: Wandering much. [Obs.]
MULTIVALENCE Mul*tiv"a*lence, n. (Chem.)
Defn: Quality, state, or degree, of a multivalent element, atom, or radical.
MULTIVALENT Mul*tiv"a*lent, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.) (a) Having a valence greater than one, as silicon. (b) Having more than one degree of valence, as sulphur.
MULTIVALVE Mul"ti*valve, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multivalve.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any mollusk which has a shell composed of more than two pieces.
MULTIVALVE; MULTIVALVULAR Mul"ti*valve, Mul`ti*val"vu*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + valve, valvular: cf. F. multivalve.]
1. Having many valves.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Many-valved; having more than two valves; -- said of certain shells, as the chitons.
MULTIVERSANT Mul*tiv"er*sant, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. versans, p. pr. See Versant.]
Defn: Turning into many shapes; assuming many forms; protean.
MULTIVIOUS Mul*tiv"i*ous, a. & adv. Etym: [L. multivius; multus many + via way.]
Defn: Having many ways or roads; by many ways. [Obs.]
MULTIVOCAL Mul*tiv"o*cal, a. Etym: [Multi- + vocal.]
Defn: Signifying many different things; of manifold meaning; equivocal. "An ambiguous multivocal word." Coleridge. -- n.
Defn: A multivocal word. [R.] Fitzed. Hall.
MULTOCULAR Mul*toc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. oculus eye.]
Defn: Having many eyes, or more than two.
MULTUM Mul"tum, n.
Defn: An extract of quassia licorice, fraudulently used by brewers in order to economize malt and hops. Craig. Hard multum, a preparation made from Cocculus Indicus, etc., used to impart an intoxicating quality to beer.
MULTUNGULATE Mul*tun"gu*late, a. Etym: [Multi- + ungulate.]
Defn: Having many hoofs.
MULTURE Mul"ture, n. Etym: [OF. multure, moulture, F. mouture, fr. L. molitura a grinding, molere to grind. See Mill the machine.]
1. (Scots Law)
Defn: The toll for grinding grain. Erskine.
2. A grist or grinding; the grain ground.
MUM Mum, a. Etym: [Of imitative origin. Cf. Mumble.]
Defn: Silent; not speaking. Thackeray. The citizens are mum, and speak not a word. Shak.
MUM Mum, interj.
Defn: Be silent! Hush! Mum, then, and no more. Shak.
MUM Mum, n.
Defn: Silence. [R.] Hudibras.
MUM Mum, n. Etym: [G. mummere, fr. Christian Mumme, who first brewed it in 1492.]
Defn: A sort of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany. Addison. The clamorous crowd is hushed with mugs of mum. Pope.
MUMBLE Mum"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mumbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumbling.] Etym: [OE. momelen; cf. D. mompelen, mommelen, G. mummelen, Sw. mumla, Dan. mumle. Cf. Mum, a., Mumm, Mump, v.]
1. To speak with the lips partly closed, so as to render the sounds inarticulate and imperfect; to utter words in a grumbling indistinct manner, indicating discontent or displeasure; to mutter. Peace, you mumbling fool. Shak. A wrinkled hag, with age grown double, Picking dry sticks, and mumbling to herself. Otway.
2. To chew something gently with closed lips.
MUMBLE Mum"ble, v. t.
1. To utter with a low, inarticulate voice. Bp. Hall.
2. To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth. Gums unarmed, to mumble meat in vain. Dryden.
3. To suppress, or utter imperfectly.
MUMBLENEWS Mum"ble*news`, n.
Defn: A talebearer. [Obs.]
MUMBLER Mum"bler, n.
Defn: One who mumbles.
MUMBLING Mum"bling, a.
Defn: Low; indistinct; inarticulate. -- Mum"bling*ly, adv.
MUMBO JUMBO Mum"bo Jum`bo.
Defn: An object of superstitious homage and fear. Carlyle. The miserable Mumbo Jumbo they paraded. Dickens.
MUM-CHANCE Mum"-chance`, n.
1. A game of hazard played with cards in silence. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Decker.
2. A silent, stupid person. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
MUM-CHANCE Mum"-chance`, a.
Defn: Silent and idle. [Colloq.] Boys can't sit mum-chance always. J. H. Ewing.
MUMM Mumm, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mummed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumming.] Etym: [D. mimmen to mask, mom a mask; akin to G. mumme disguise; prob. of imitative origin, and akin to E. mum, mumble, in allusion to the indistinctness of speech occasioned by talking from behind a mask. Cf. Mumble, Mummery.]
Defn: To sport or make diversion in a mask or disguise; to mask. With mumming and with masking all around. Spenser.
MUMMER Mumm"er, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. mommeur. See Mumm, and cf. Momier.]
Defn: One who mumms, or makes diversion in disguise; a masker; a buffon. Jugglers and dancers, antics, mummers. Milton.
MUMMERY Mum"mer*y, n.; pl. Mummeries. Etym: [F. momerie, of Dutch or German origin. See Mumm.]
1. Masking; frolic in disguise; buffoonery. The mummery of foreign strollers. Fenton.
2. Farcical show; hypocritical disguise and parade or ceremonies. Bacon.
MUMMICHOG Mum"mi*chog, n. Etym: [Amer. Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus, and of allied genera; the killifishes; -- called also minnow. [Written also mummychog, mummachog.]
MUMMIFICATION Mum`mi*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [See Mummify.]
Defn: The act of making a mummy.
MUMMIFIED Mum"mi*fied, a.
Defn: Converted into a mummy or a mummylike substance; having the appearance of a mummy; withered.
MUMMIFORM Mum"mi*form, a. Etym: [Mummy + -form.]
Defn: Having some resemblance to a mummy; -- in zoölogy, said of the pupæ of certain insects.
MUMMIFY Mum"mi*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mummified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mummifying.] Etym: [Mummy + -fy: cf. F. momifier.]
Defn: To embalm and dry as a mummy; to make into, or like, a mummy. Hall (1646).
MUMMY Mum"my, n.; pl. Mummies. Etym: [F. momie; cf. Sp. & Pg. momia, It. mummia; all fr. Per. m, fr. m wax.]
1. A dead body embalmed and dried after the manner of the ancient Egyptians; also, a body preserved, by any means, in a dry state, from the process of putrefaction. Bacon.
2. Dried flesh of a mummy. [Obs.] Sir. J. Hill.
3. A gummy liquor that exudes from embalmed flesh when heated; -- formerly supposed to have magical and medicinal properties. [Obs.] Shak. Sir T. Herbert.
4. A brown color obtained from bitumen. See Mummy brown (below).
5. (Gardening)
Defn: A sort of wax used in grafting, etc.
6. One whose affections and energies are withered. Mummy brown, a brown color, nearly intermediate in tint between burnt umber and raw umber. A pigment of this color is prepared from bitumen, etc., obtained from Egyptian tombs. -- Mummy wheat (Bot.), wheat found in the ancient mummy cases of Egypt. No botanist now believes that genuine mummy wheat has been made to germinate in modern times. -- To beat to a mummy, to beat to a senseless mass; to beat soundly.
MUMMY Mum"my, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mummied; p. pr. & vb. n. Mummying.]
Defn: To embalm; to mummify.
MUMMYCHOG Mum"my*chog, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mummichog.
MUMP Mump, v. i. Etym: [Akin to mumble; cf. D. mompen to cheat; perh. orig., to whine like a beggar, D. mompelen to mumble. See Mumble, Mum, and cf. Mumps.]
1. To move the lips with the mouth closed; to mumble, as in sulkiness. He mumps, and lovers, and hangs the lip. Taylor, 1630.
2. To talk imperfectly, brokenly, or feebly; to chatter unintelligibly.
3. To cheat; to deceive; to play the beggar. And then when mumping with a sore leg, ... canting and whining. Burke.
4. To be sullen or sulky. [Prov. Eng.]
MUMP Mump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumping.]
1. To utter imperfectly, brokenly, or feebly. Old men who mump their passion. Goldsmith.
2. To work over with the mouth; to mumble; as, to mump food.
3. To deprive of (something) by cheating; to impose upon.
MUMPER Mump"er, n.
Defn: A beggar; a begging impostor. Deceived by the tales of a Lincoln's Inn mumper. Macaulay.
MUMPISH Mump"ish, a.
Defn: Sullen, sulky. -- Mump"ish*ly, adv. -- Mump"ish*ness, n.
MUMPS Mumps, n. Etym: [Prov. E. mump to be sulky. Cf. Mump, Mumble, and Mum.]
1. pl.
Defn: Sullenness; silent displeasure; the sulks. Skinner.
2. Etym: [Prob. so called from the patient's appearance.] (Med.)
Defn: A specific infectious febrile disorder characterized by a nonsuppurative inflammation of the parotid glands; epidemic or infectious parotitis.
MUN Mun, n. Etym: [See Mouth.]
Defn: The mouth. [Obs.] One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns, Butter them and sugar them and put them in your muns. Old Rhyme. Halliwell.
MUNCH Munch, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Munched; p. pr. & vb. n. Munching.] Etym: [Prob. akin to mumble: cf. also F. manger to eat (cf. Mange), and mâcher to cher (cf. Masticate). See Mumble.]
Defn: To chew with a grinding, crunching sound, as a beast chews provender; to chew deliberately or in large mouthfuls. [Formerly written also maunch and mounch.] I could munch your good dry oats. Shak.
MUNCHAUSENISM Mun*chau"sen*ism, n. Etym: [So called in allusion to Baron Munchausen's extravagant tales of travel.]
Defn: An extravagant fiction embodying an account of some marvelous exploit or adventure.
MUNCHER Munch"er, n.
Defn: One who munches.
MUND Mund, n.
Defn: See Mun.
MUNDANE Mun"dane, a. Etym: [L. mundanus, fr. mundus the world, an implement, toilet adornments, or dress; cf. mundus, a., clean, neat, Skr. mansds to adorn, dress, mansdsa adornment. Cf. Monde, Mound in heraldry.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the world; worldly; earthly; terrestrial; as, the mundane sphere. -- Mun"dane*ly, adv. The defilement of mundane passions. I. Taylor.
MUNDANITY Mun*dan"i*ty, n.
Defn: Worldliness. [Obs.]
MUNDATION Mun*da"tion, n. Etym: [L. mundatio, fr. mundare to make clean.]
Defn: The act of cleansing. [Obs.]
MUNDATORY Mun"da*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. mundatorius.]
Defn: Cleansing; having power to cleanse. [Obs.]
MUNDIC Mun"dic, n.
Defn: Iron pyrites, or arsenical pyrites; -- so called by the Cornish miners.
MUNDIFICANT Mun*dif"i*cant, a. Etym: [L. mundificans, p.pr. of mundificare to make clean, fr. mundus clean + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Defn: Serving to cleanse and heal. -- n.
Defn: A mundificant ointment or plaster.
MUNDIFICATION Mun`di*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The act or operation of cleansing.
MUNDIFICATIVE Mun*dif"i*ca*tive, a.
Defn: Cleansing. -- n.
Defn: A detergent medicine or preparation.
MUNDIFY Mun"di*fy, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. mondifier, L. mundificare. See Mundificant.]
Defn: To cleanse. [Obs.]
MUNDIL Mun"dil, n.
Defn: A turban ornamented with an imitation of gold or silver embroidery.
MUNDIVAGANT Mun*div"a*gant, a. Etym: [L. mundus the world + vagans wandering, p.pr. of vagari. See Vagary.]
Defn: Wandering over the world. [R.]
MUNDUNGUS Mun*dun"gus, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. mondongo paunch, tripe, black pudding.]
Defn: A stinking tobacco.
MUNERARY Mu"ner*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. munerarius, from munus a gift.]
Defn: Having the nature of a gift. [Obs.]
MUNERATE Mu"ner*ate, v. t. Etym: [L. muneratus, p.p. of munerare to give, bestow, fr. munus a gift.]
Defn: To remunerate.
MUNERATION Mu`ner*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. muneratio.]
Defn: Remuneration. [Obs.]
MUNG Mung, n. Etym: [Hind. m.] (Bot.)
Defn: Green gram, a kind of pulse (Phaseolus Mungo), grown for food in British India. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MUNGA Mun"ga, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Bonnet monkey, under Bonnet.
MUNGCORN Mung"corn`, n.
Defn: Same as Mangcorn.
MUNGO Mun"go, n.
Defn: A fibrous material obtained by deviling rags or the remnants of woolen goods.
Note: Mungo properly signifies the disintegrated rags of woolen cloth, as distinguished from those of worsted, which form shoddy. The distinction is very commonly disregarded. Beck (Draper's Dict. ).
MUNGOOSE; MUNGOOS Mun"goose, Mun"goos, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mongoose.
MUNGREL Mun"grel, n. & a.
Defn: See Mongrel.
MUNICIPAL Mu*nic"i*pal, a. Etym: [L. municipalis, fr. municipium a town,
## particularly in Italy, which possessed the right of Roman
citizenship, but was governed by its own laws, a free town, fr. municeps an inhabitant of a free town, a free citizen; munia official duties, functions + capere to take: cf. F. municipal. Cf. Immunity, and Capacoius.]
1. Of or pertaining to a city or a corporation having the right of administering local government; as, municipal rights; municipal officers.
2. Of or pertaining to a state, kingdom, or nation. Municipal law is properly defined to be a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state. Blackstone.
MUNICIPALISM Mu*nic"i*pal*ism, n.
Defn: Municipal condition.
MUNICIPALITY Mu*nic`i*pal"i*ty, n.; pl. Municipalities. Etym: [Cf. F. municipalité.]
Defn: A municipal district; a borough, city, or incorporated town or village.
MUNICIPALIZE Mu*nic"i*pal*ize, v. t. [Municipal + -ize.]
Defn: To bring under municipal oversight or control; as, a municipalized industry.
London people are now determined to centralize and to municipalize such services. The Century.
MUNICIPALLY Mu*nic"i*pal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a municipal relation or condition.
MUNIFIC Mu*nif"ic, a. Etym: [See Munificent.]
Defn: Munificent; liberal. [Obs. or R.]
MUNIFICATE Mu*nif"i*cate, v. t. Etym: [L. munificatus, p.p. of munificare to present with a thing, fr. munificus. See Munificent.]
Defn: To enrich. [Obs.]
MUNIFICENCE Mu*nif"i*cence, n. Etym: [Cf. L. munire to fortify.]
Defn: Means of defense; fortification. [Obs.] Spenser.
MUNIFICENCE Mu*nif"i*cence, n. Etym: [L. munificentia: cf. F. munificence.]
Defn: The quality or state of being munificent; a giving or bestowing with extraordinary liberality; generous bounty; lavish generosity. The virtues of liberality and munificence. Addison.
Syn. -- Benevolence; beneficence; liberality; generosity; bounty; bounteousness. See Benevolence.
MUNIFICENT Mu*nif"i*cent, a. Etym: [L. munificus; munus service, gift + -ficare (in comp.) to make. Cf. Immunity, -fy.]
Defn: Very liberal in giving or bestowing; lavish; as, a munificent benefactor. -- Mu*nif"i*cent*ly, adv.
Syn. -- Bounteous; bountiful; liberal; generous.
MUNIFY Mu"ni*fy, v. t. & i. Etym: [See Munificate.]
Defn: To prepare for defense; to fortify. [Obs.]
MUNIMENT Mu"ni*ment, n. Etym: [L. munimentum, fr. munire to fortify. See Munition.]
1. The act of supporting or defending. [Obs.]
2. That which supports or defends; stronghold; place or means of defense; munition; assistance. "Other muniments and petty helps." Shak.
3. (Law)
Defn: A record; the evidences or writings whereby a man is enabled to defend the title to his estate; title deeds and papers. Blount. Muniment house or room, that room in a cathedral, castle, or other public building, which is used for keeping the records, charters, seals, deeds, and the like. Gwilt.
MUNITE Mu*nite", v. t. Etym: [L. munitus, p.p. of munire to wall, fortify.]
Defn: To fortify; to strengthen. [Obs.]
MUNITION Mu*ni"tion, n. Etym: [F., munition of war, L. munitio a fortifying, fortification, fr. munire to fortify, defend with a wall; cf. moenia walls, murus (for moirus) a wall, and Skr. mi to fix, make firm. Cf. Ammunition.]
1. Fortification; stronghold. [Obs.] His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. Is. xxxiii. 16.
2. Whatever materials are used in war for drfense or for annoying an enemy; ammunition; also, stores and provisions; military stores of all kinds. The bodies of men, munition, and money, may justly be called the sinews of war. Sir W. Raleigh.
MUNITY Mu"ni*ty, n. Etym: [See Immunity.]
Defn: Freedom; security; immunity. [Obs.] W. Montagu.
MUNJEET Mun*jeet", n. Etym: [Hind. majitsh a drug used for dyeing red.]
Defn: See Indian madder, under Madder.
MUNJISTIN Mun"jis*tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An orangered coloring substance resembling alizarin, found in the root of an East Indian species of madder (Rubia munjista).
MUNNION Mun"nion, n.
Defn: See Mullion.
MUNTIN; MUNTING Mun"tin, Mun"ting, n. Etym: [CF. Montant.] (Arch.)
Defn: Same as Mullion; -- especially used in joiner's work.
MUNTJAC Munt"jac, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small Asiatic deer of the genus Cervulus, esp. C. muntjac, which occurs both in India and on the East Indian Islands. [Written also muntjak.]
MUNTZ METAL Muntz" met`al.
Defn: See under Metal.
MURAENA Mu*ræ"na, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large eels of the family Mirænidæ. They differ from the common eel in lacking pectoral fins and in having the dorsal and anal fins continuous. The murry (Muræna Helenæ) of Southern Europe was the muræna of the Romans. It is highly valued as a food fish.
MURAENOID; MURENOID Mu*ræ"noid, Mu*re"noid, a. Etym: [NL. Muræna, the generic name + - oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Muræna, or family Murænidæ.
MURAGE Mu"rage, n. Etym: [F., fr. murer to wall, fr. mur wall, L. murus. See Mure a wall.]
Defn: A tax or toll paid for building or repairing the walls of a fortified town.
MURAL Mu"ral, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. muralis, fr. murus wall. See Mure a wall.]
1. Of or pertaining to a wall; being on, or in, a wall; growing on, or against, a wall; as, a mural quadrant. "Mural breach." Milton. "Mural fruit." Evelyn.
2. Resembling a wall; perpendicular or steep; as, a mural precipice. Mural circle (Astron.), a graduated circle, in the plane of the meridian, attached permanently to a perpendicular wall; -- used for measuring arcs of the meridian. See Circle, n., 3. -- Mural crown (Rom. Antiq.), a golden crown, or circle of gold indented so as to resemble a battlement, bestowed on him who first mounted the wall of a besieged place, and there lodged a standard.
MURDER Mur"der, n. Etym: [OE. morder, morther, AS. moredhor, fr. moredh murder; akin to D. moord, OS. moredh, G., Dan., & Sw. mord, Icel. moredh, Goth. maúrþr, OSlav. mreti to die, Lith. mirti, W. marw dead, L. mors, mortis, death, mori, moriri, to die, Gr. broto`s (for mroto`s) mortal, 'a`mbrotos immortal, Skr. mrs to die, mrsta death. *105. Cf. Amaranth, Ambrosia, Mortal.]
Defn: The offense of killing a human being with malice prepense or aforethought, express or implied; intentional and unlawful homicide. "Mordre will out." Chaucer. The killing of their children had, in the account of God, the guilt of murder, as the offering them to idols had the guilt of idolatry. Locke. Slaughter grows murder when it goes too far. Dryden.
Note: Murder in the second degree, in most jurisdictions, is a malicious homicide committed without a specific intention to take life. Wharton.
MURDER Mur"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Murdered; p. pr. & vb. n. Murdering.] Etym: [OE. mortheren, murtheren, AS. myr; akin to OHG. murdiren, Goth. maúr. See Murder, n.]
1. To kill with premediated malice; to kill (a human being) willfully, deliberately, and unlawfully. See Murder, n.
2. To destroy; to put an end to. [Canst thou] murder thy breath in middle of a word Shak.
3. To mutilate, spoil, or deform, as if with malice or cruelty; to mangle; as, to murder the king's English.
Syn. -- To kill; assassinate; slay. See Kill.
MURDERER Mur"der*er, n.
1. One guilty of murder; a person who, in possession of his reason, unlawfully kills a human being with premeditated malice.
2. A small cannon, formerly used for clearing a ship's decks of boarders; -- called also murdering piece. [Obs.]
MURDERESS Mur"der*ess, n.
Defn: A woman who commits murder.
MURDERMENT Mur"der*ment, n.
Defn: Murder. [Obs.] Farfax.
MURDEROUS Mur"der*ous, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to murder; characterized by, or causing, murder or bloodshed; having the purpose or quality of murder; bloody; sanguinary; as, the murderous king; murderous rapine; murderous intent; a murderous assault. "Murderous coward." Shak. -- Mur"der*ous*ly, adv.
Syn. -- Bloody; sanguinary; bloodguilty; bloodthirsty; fell; savage; cruel.
MURDRESS Mur"dress, n.
Defn: A battlement in ancient fortifications with interstices for firing through.
MURE Mure, n. Etym: [L. murus; or F. mur, fr. L. murus. Cf. Munition.]
Defn: A wall. [Obs.] Shak.
MURE Mure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mured.] Etym: [F. murer, L. murare. See Mure, n.]
Defn: To inclose in walls; to wall; to immure; to shut up. Spenser. The five kings are mured in a cave. John. x. (Heading).
MURENGER Mu"ren*ger, n.
Defn: One who had charge of the wall of a town, or its repairs.
MUREX Mu"rex, n.; pl. Murices. Etym: [L., the purple fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine gastropods, having rough, and frequently spinose, shells, which are often highly colored inside; the rock shells. They abound in tropical seas.
MUREXAN Mu*rex"an, n. Etym: [From Murexide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous substance obtained from murexide, alloxantin, and other ureids, as a white, or yellowish, crystalline which turns red on exposure to the air; -- called also uramil, dialuramide, and formerly purpuric acid.
MUREXIDE Mu*rex"ide, n. Etym: [L. murex the purple fish, purple.] (Chem.)
Defn: A crystalline nitrogenous substance having a splendid dichroism, being green by reflected light and garnet-red by transmitted light. It was formerly used in dyeing calico, and was obtained in a large quantities from guano. Formerly called also ammonium purpurate.
MUREXOIN Mu*rex"o*ïn, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous compound obtained as a scarlet crystalline substance, and regarded as related to murexide.
MURIATE Mu"ri*ate, n. Etym: [See Muriatic.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of muriatic hydrochloric acid; a chloride; as, muriate of ammonia.
Note: This term, as also the word muriatic, was formerly applied to the chlorides before their true composition was understood, and while they were erroneously supposed to be compounds of an acid with an oxide. Muriate and muriatic are still occasionally used as commercial terms, but are obsolete in scientific language.
MURIATED Mu"ri*a`ted, a.
1. Put in brine. Evelyn.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Combined or impregnated with muriatic or hydrochloric acid.
3. (Photog.)
Defn: Prepared with chloride of silver through the agency of common salt.
MURIATIC Mu`ri*at"ic, a. Etym: [L. muriaticus pickled, from muria brine: cf. F. muriatique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sea salt, or from chlorine, one of the constituents of sea salt; hydrochloric. Muriatic acid, hydrochloric acid, HCl; -- formerly called also marine acid, and spirit of salt. See hydrochloric, and the Note under Muriate.
MURIATIFEROUS Mu`ri*a*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Muriatic + -ferous.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Producing muriatic substances or salt. [Obs.]
MURICATE; MURICATED Mu"ri*cate, Mu"ri*ca`ted, a. Etym: [L. muricatus, fr. murex a pointed rock or stone.]
Defn: Formed with sharp points; full of sharp points or of pickles; covered, or roughened, as a surface, with sharp points or excrescences.
MURICOID Mu"ri*coid, a. Etym: [Murex + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Murex, or family Muricidæ.
MURICULATE Mu*ric"u*late, a.
Defn: Minutely muricate.
MURIDE Mu"ride, n. Etym: [L. muria brine.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Bromine; -- formerly so called from its being obtained from sea water.
MURIFORM Mu"ri*form, a. Etym: [L. murus a wall + -form.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling courses of bricks or stones in squareness and regular arrangement; as, a muriform variety of cellular tissue.
MURINE Mu"rine, a. Etym: [L. murinus, from mus, muris, mouse: cf. F. murin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to a family of rodents (Muridæ), of which the mouse is the type.
MURINE Mu"rine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a tribe of rodents, of which the mouse is the type.
MURINGER Mu"rin*ger, n.
Defn: See Murenger. Jacob.
MURK Murk, a. Etym: [See Murky.]
Defn: Dark; murky. He can not see through the mantle murk. J. R. Drake.
MURK Murk, n.
Defn: Darkness; mirk. [Archaic] Shak.
MURK Murk, n.
Defn: The refuse of fruit, after the juice has been expressed; marc.
MURKILY Murk"i*ly, adv.
Defn: Darkly; gloomily.
MURKINESS Murk"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being murky.
MURKY Murk"y, a. [Compar. Murkier; superl. Murkiest.] Etym: [OE. mirke, merke, AS. myrce, mirce; akin to Icel. myrkr, Dan. & Sw. mörk.]
Defn: Dark; obscure; gloomy. "The murkiest den." Shak. A murky deep lowering o'er our heads. Addison.
MURLINS Mur"lins, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A seaweed. See Baddrelocks.
MURMUR Mur"mur, n. Etym: [F. murmure: cf. L. murmur. CF. Murmur, v. i.]
1. A low, confused, and indistinct sound, like that of running water.
2. A complaint half suppressed, or uttered in a low, muttering voice. Chaucer. Some discontents there are, some idle murmurs. Dryden.
MURMUR Mur"mur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Murmured; p. pr. & vb. n. Murmuring.] Etym: [F. murmurer, L. murmurare, murmurari, fr. murmur murmur; cf. Gr.marmara a rustling sound; prob. of imitative origin.]
1. To make a low continued noise, like the hum of bees, a stream of water, distant waves, or the wind in a forest. They murmured as doth a swarm of bees. Chaucer.
2. To utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; -- often with at or against. "His disciples murmured at it." John vi. 61. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. Num. xiv. 2. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured. 1 Cor. x. 10.
MURMUR Mur"mur, v. t.
Defn: To utter or give forth in low or indistinct words or sounds; as, to murmur tales. Shak. The people murmured such things concerning him. John vii. 32.
MURMURATION Mur`mur*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. murmuratio.]
Defn: The act of murmuring; a murmur. [Obs.] Skelton.
MURMURER Mur"mur*er, n.
Defn: One who murmurs.
MURMURING Mur"mur*ing, a. & n.
Defn: Uttering murmurs; making low sounds; complaining. -- Mur"mur*ing*ly, adv.
MURMUROUS Mur"mur*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. L. murmuriosus, OF. murmuros.]
Defn: Attended with murmurs; exciting murmurs or complaint; murmuring. [Archaic or Poetic] The lime, a summer home of murmurous wings. Tennyson.
MURNIVAL Mur"ni*val, n. Etym: [Perh. fr. F. mornifle a game at cards.]
Defn: In the game of gleek, four cards of the same value, as four aces or four kings; hence, four of anything. [Obs.] [Written also mournival.]
MURPHY Mur"phy, n.
Defn: A potato. [Humorous] Thackeray.
MURR Murr, n. Etym: [Prob. abbrev. from murrain.]
Defn: A catarrh. [Obs.] Gascoigne.
MURRAIN Mur"rain, n. Etym: [OE. moreine, OF. morine, fr. OF. morir, murir, 8die, L. mori, moriri.] (Far.)
Defn: An infectious and fatal disease among cattle. Bacon. A murrain on you, may you be afflicted with a pestilent disease. Shak.
MURRAIN Mur"rain, a.
Defn: Having, or afflicted with, murrain.
MURRAYIN Mur"ray*in, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A glucoside found in the flowers of a plant (Murraya exotica) of South Asia, and extracted as a white amorphous slightly bitter substance.
MURRE Murre, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of sea birds of the genus Uria, or Catarractes; a guillemot.
Note: The murres are allied to the auks, and are abundant on the northern coasts of Europe and America. They often breed in large communities on the projecting ledges of precipituous cliffs, laying one or two large eggs on the bare rocks.
MURRELET Murre"let, n. Etym: [Murre + -let.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of several species of sea birds of the genera Synthliboramphus and Brachyramphus, inhabiting the North Pacific. They are closely related to the murres.
MURREY Mur"rey, n. Etym: [OF. morée a dark red color, mor blackish brown, fr. L. morum mulberry, blackberry, or fr. Maurus a Moor. Cf. Mulberry, Moor, Morelle.]
Defn: A dark red color. -- a.
Defn: Of a dark red color. Bacon.
MURRHINE Mur"rhine, a. Etym: [L. murrhinus, fr. murrha: cf. F. murrhin.]
Defn: Made of the stone or material called by the Romans murrha; -- applied to certain costly vases of great beauty and delicacy used by the luxurious in Rome as wine cups; as, murrhine vases, cups, vessels. Murrhine glass, glassware made in imitation of murrhine vases and cups.
MURRION Mur"ri*on, a. Etym: [See Murrain.]
Defn: Infected with or killed by murrain. [Obs.] Shak.
MURRION Mur"ri*on, n.
Defn: A morion. See Morion.
MURRY Mur"ry, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muræna.
MURTH Murth, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Plenty; abundance. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
MURTHER Mur"ther, n. & v.
Defn: Murder, n. & v. [Obs. or Prov.] "The treason of the murthering." Chaucer.
MURTHERER Mur"ther*er, n.
Defn: A murderer. [Obs. or Prov.]
MURZA Mur"za, n.
Defn: One of the hereditary nobility among the Tatars, esp. one of the second class.
Note: This word must not be confounded with the Persian Mirza, though perhaps of the same origin.
MUS Mus, n.; pl. Mures. Etym: [L., a mouse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small rodents, including the common mouse and rat.
MUSA Mu"sa, n.; pl. Musæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Ar. mauz, mauza, banana.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain (M. paradisiaca of Linnæus, but probably not a distinct species), the Abyssinian (M. Ensete), the Philippine Island (M. textilis, which yields Manila hemp), and about eighteen other species. See Illust. of Banana and Plantain.
MUSACEOUS Mu*sa"ceous, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of the genus Musa.
MUSAL Mus"al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Muses, or to Poetry. [R.]
MUSANG Mu*sang", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small animal of Java (Paradoxirus fasciatus), allied to the civets. It swallows, but does not digest, large quantities of ripe coffee berries, thus serving to disseminate the coffee plant; hence it is called also coffee rat.
MUSAR Mu"sar, n.
Defn: An itinerant player on the musette, an instrument formerly common in Europe.
MUSARD Mu"sard, n. Etym: [F., fr. muser to loiter, trifle. See Muse, v. i.]
Defn: A dreamer; an absent-minded person. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
MUSCA Mus"ca, n.; pl. Muscæ. Etym: [L., a fly.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of dipterous insects, including the common house fly, and numerous allied species.
Note: Formerly, a large part of the Diptera were included under the genus Musca.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: A small constellation situated between the Southern Cross and the Pole. Muscæ volitantes (. Etym: [L., flying flies.] (Med.) Specks or filaments apparently seen moving or glinding about in the field of vision. Their appearance is often a symptom of disease of the eye, or of disorder of the nervous system.
MUSCADEL Mus"ca*del`, n. Etym: [It. moscadello, moscatello, LL. muscatellum or muscadellum (sc. vinum), fr. muscatellus nutmeglike, dim. of muscatus smelling like musk, muscatum and muscata (sc. nux) nutmeg: cf. F. muscadelle, fr. Italian. See Musk and cf. Moschatel, Muscardin, Muscat, Nutmeg.]
Defn: See Muscatel, n. Quaffed off the muscadel. Shak.
MUSCADINE Mus"ca*dine, n. Etym: [See Muscadel.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several very different kinds of grapes, but in America used chiefly for the scuppernong, or southern fox grape, which is said to be the parent stock of the Catawba. See Grapevine.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A fragrant and delicious pear.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muscardin. Northern muscadine (Bot.), a derivative of the northern fox grape, and scarcely an improvement upon it. -- Royal muscadine (Bot.), a European grape of great value. Its berries are large, round, and of a pale amber color. Called also golden chasselas.
MUSCALES Mus*ca"les, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. muscus moss.] (Bot.)
Defn: An old name for mosses in the widest sense, including the true mosses and also hepaticæ and sphagna.
MUSCALLONGE Mus"cal*longe, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muskellunge.
MUSCARDIN Mus"car*din, n. Etym: [F., fr. muscadin a musk-scented lozenge, fr. muscade nutmeg, fr. L. muscus musk. See Muscadel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common European dormouse; -- so named from its odor. [Written also muscadine.]
MUSCARDINE Mus`car*dine", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A disease which is very destructive to silkworms, and which sometimes extends to other insects. It is attended by the development of a fungus (provisionally called Botrytis bassiana). Also, the fungus itself.
MUSCARIFORM Mus*car"i*form, a. Etym: [L. muscarium fly brush + -form.]
Defn: Having the form of a brush.
MUSCARIN Mus*ca"rin, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A solid crystalline substance, C5H13NO2, found in the toadstool (Agaricus muscarius), and in putrid fish. It is a typical ptomaine, and a violent poison.
MUSCAT Mus"cat, n. Etym: [F. See Muscadel.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several varieties of Old World grapes, differing in color, size, etc., but all having a somewhat musky flavor. The muscat of Alexandria is a large oval grape of a pale amber color. [Written also muskat.]
MUSCATEL Mus"ca*tel`, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, or derived from, a muscat grapes or similar grapes; a muscatel grapes; muscatel wine, etc.
MUSCATEL Mus"ca*tel`, n.
1. A common name for several varieties of rich sweet wine, made in Italy, Spain, and France.
2. pl.
Defn: Finest raisins, dried on the vine; "sun raisins." [Variously written moscatel, muscadel, etc.]
MUSCHELKALK Musch"el*kalk`, n. Etym: [G., from muschel shell + kalk limestone.] (Geol.)
Defn: A kind of shell limestone, whose strata form the middle one of the three divisions of the Triassic formation in Germany. See Chart, under Geology.
MUSCI Mus"ci, n. pl. Etym: [L. muscus moss.] (Bot.)
Defn: An order or subclass of cryptogamous plants; the mosses. See Moss, and Cryptogamia.
MUSCICAPINE Mus*cic"a*pine, a. Etym: [L. musca a fly + capere to catch.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Muscicapidæ, a family of birds that includes the true flycatchers.
MUSCID Mus"cid, n.
Defn: Any fly of the genus Musca, or family Muscidæ.
MUSCIFORM Mus"ci*form, a. Etym: [Musca + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the form or structure of flies of the genus Musca, or family Muscidæ.
MUSCIFORM Mus"ci*form, a. Etym: [Muscus + -form.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having the appearance or form of a moss.
MUSCLE Mus"cle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. musculus a muscle, a little mouse, dim. of mus a mouse. See Mouse, and cf. sense 3 (below).]
1. (Anat.) (a) An organ which, by its contraction, produces motion. See Illust. of Muscles of the Human Body, in Appendix. (b) The contractile tissue of which muscles are largely made up.
Note: Muscles are of two kinds, striated and nonstriated. The striated muscles, which, in most of the higher animals, constitute the principal part of the flesh, exclusive of the fat, are mostly under the control of the will, or voluntary, and are made up of great numbers of elongated fibres bound together into bundles and inclosed in a sheath of connective tissue, the perimysium. Each fiber is inclosed in a delicate membrane (the sarcolemma), is made up of alternate segments of lighter and darker material which give it a transversely striated appearance, and contains, scattered through its substance, protoplasmic nuclei, the so-called muscle corpuscles. The nonstriated muscles are involuntary. They constitute a large part of the walls of the alimentary canal, blood vessels, uterus, and bladder, and are found also in the iris, skin, etc. They are made up of greatly elongated cells, usually grouped in bundles or sheets.
2. Muscular strength or development; as, to show one's muscle by lifting a heavy weight. [Colloq.]
3. Etym: [AS. muscle, L. musculus a muscle, mussel. See above.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mussel. Muscle curve (Physiol.), contraction curve of a muscle; a myogram; the curve inscribed, upon a prepared surface, by means of a myograph when acted upon by a contracting muscle. The character of the curve represents the extent of the contraction.
MUSCLED Mus"cled, a.
Defn: Furnished with muscles; having muscles; as, things well muscled.
MUSCLE READING Mus"cle read`ing.
Defn: The art of making discriminations between objects of choice, of discovering the whereabouts of hidden objects, etc., by inference from the involuntary movements of one whose hand the reader holds or with whom he is otherwise in muscular contact.
MUSCLING Mus"cling, n. (Fine Arts)
Defn: Exhibition or representation of the muscles. [R.] A good piece, the painters say, must have good muscling, as well as coloring and drapery. Shaftesbury.
MUSCOGEES Mus*co"gees, n. pl.
Defn: See Muskogees.
MUSCOID Mus"coid, a. Etym: [Muscus + -oid: cf. F. muscoide.] (Bot.)
Defn: Mosslike; resembling moss.
MUSCOID Mus"coid, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A term formerly applied to any mosslike flowerless plant, with a distinct stem, and often with leaves, but without any vascular system.
MUSCOLOGY Mus*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Muscus + -logy.]
Defn: Bryology.
MUSCOSITY Mus*cos"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. muscosus mossy, fr. muscus moss.]
Defn: Mossiness. Jonhson.
MUSCOVADO Mus`co*va"do, a. Etym: [Corrupted fr. Sp. mascabado; cf. Pg. mascavado, F. moscouade, n., formerly also mascovade, It. mascavato.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or of the nature of, unrefined or raw sugar, obtained from the juice of the sugar cane by evaporating and draining off the molasses. Muscovado sugar contains impurities which render it dark colored and moist.
MUSCOVADO Mus`co*va"do, n.
Defn: Unrefined or raw sugar.
MUSCOVITE Mus"co*vite, n. Etym: [See Muscovy glass.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Muscovy or ancient Russia; hence, a Russian.
2. (Min.)
Defn: Common potash mica. See Mica.
MUSCOVY DUCK Mus"co*vy duck`. Etym: [A corruption of musk duck.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A duck (Cairina moschata), larger than the common duck, often raised in poultry yards. Called also musk duck. It is native of tropical America, from Mexico to Southern Brazil.
MUSCOVY GLASS Mus"co*vy glass`. Etym: [From Muscovy, the old name of Russia: cf. F. verre de Moscovie.]
Defn: Mica; muscovite. See Mica.
MUSCULAR Mus"cu*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. musculaire. See Muscle.]
1. Of or pertaining to a muscle, or to a system of muscles; consisting of, or constituting, a muscle or muscles; as, muscular fiber. Great muscular strength, accompanied by much awkwardness. Macaulay.
2. Performed by, or dependent on, a muscle or the muscles. "The muscular motion." Arbuthnot.
3. Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous; as, a muscular body or arm. Muscular Christian, one who believes in a part of religious duty to maintain a healthful and vigorous physical state. T. Hughes. -- Muscular CHristianity. (a) The practice and opinion of those Christians who believe that it is a part of religious duty to maintain a vigorous condition of the body, and who therefore approve of athletic sports and exercises as conductive to good health, good morals, and right feelings in religious matters. T. Hughes. (b) An
## active, robust, and cheerful Christian life, as opposed to a
meditative and gloomy one. C. Kingsley. -- Muscular excitability (Physiol.), that property in virtue of which a muscle shortens, when it is stimulated; irritability. -- Muscular sense (Physiol.), muscular sensibility; the sense by which we obtain knowledge of the condition of our muscles and to what extent they are contracted, also of the position of the various parts of our bodies and the resistance offering by external objects.
MUSCULARITY Mus`cu*lar"i*ty, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being muscular. Grew.
MUSCULARIZE Mus"cu*lar*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make muscular. Lowell.
MUSCULARLY Mus"cu*lar*ly, adv.
Defn: In a muscular manner.
MUSCULATION Mus`cu*la"tion, n. (Anat.)
Defn: The muscular system of an animal, or of any of its parts.
MUSCULATURE Mus"cu*la*ture, n. Etym: [Cf. F. musculature.] (Anat.)
Defn: Musculation.
MUSCULE Mus"cule, n. Etym: [L. musculus: cf. F. muscule.] (Mil.)
Defn: A long movable shed used by besiegers in ancient times in attacking the walls of a fortified town.
MUSCULIN Mus"cu*lin, n. Etym: [L. musculus a muscle.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: See Syntonin.
MUSCULOCUTANEOUS Mus`cu*lo*cu*ta"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. musculus + E. cutaneous.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining both to muscles and skin; as, the musculocutaneous nerve.
MUSCULOPHRENIC Mus`cu*lo*phren"ic, a. Etym: [L. musculus muscle + E. phrenic.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the muscles and the diaphragm; as, the musculophrenic artery.
MUSCULOSITY Mus`cu*los"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musculous; muscularity. [Obs.]
MUSCULOSPIRAL Mus`cu*lo*spi"ral, a. Etym: [L. musculus muscle + E. spiral.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the muscles, and taking a spiral course; -- applied esp. to a large nerve of the arm.
MUSCULOUS Mus"cu*lous, a. Etym: [L. musculosus: cf. F. musculeux.]
Defn: Muscular. [Obs.] Jonhson.
MUSE Muse, n. Etym: [From F. musse. See Muset.]
Defn: A gap or hole in a hedge, hence, wall, or the like, through which a wild animal is accustomed to pass; a muset. Find a hare without a muse. Old Prov.
MUSE Muse, n. Etym: [F. Muse, L. Musa, Gr. Mosaic, n., Music.]
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: One of the nine goddesses who presided over song and the different kinds of poetry, and also the arts and sciences; -- often used in the plural. Granville commands; your aid, O Muses, bring: What Muse for Granville can refuse to sing Pope.
Note: The names of the Muses were Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polymnia or Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania.
2. A particular power and practice of poetry. Shak.
3. A poet; a bard. [R.] Milton.
MUSE Muse, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mused; p. pr. & vb. n. Musing.] Etym: [F. muser to loiter or trifle, orig., to stand with open mouth, fr. LL. musus, morsus, muzzle, snout, fr. L. morsus a biting, bite, fr. mordere to bite. See Morsel, and cf. Amuse, Muzzle, n.]
1. To think closely; to study in silence; to meditate. "Thereon mused he." Chaucer. He mused upon some dangerous plot. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To be absent in mind; to be so occupied in study or contemplation as not to observe passing scenes or things present; to be in a brown study. Daniel.
3. To wonder. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson.
Syn. -- To consider; meditate; ruminate. See Ponder.
MUSE Muse, v. t.
1. To think on; to meditate on. Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise. Thomson.
2. To wonder at. [Obs.] Shak.
MUSE Muse, n.
1. Contemplation which abstracts the mind from passing scenes; absorbing thought; hence, absence of mind; a brown study. Milton.
2. Wonder, or admiration. [Obs.] Spenser.
MUSEFUL Muse"ful, a.
Defn: Meditative; thoughtfully silent. "Museful mopings." Dryden. -- Muse"ful*ly, adv.
MUSELESS Muse"less, a.
Defn: Unregardful of the Muses; disregarding the power of poetry; unpoetical. Milton.
MUSER Mus"er, n.
Defn: One who muses.
MUSET Mu"set, n. Etym: [OF. mussette, dim. of musse, muce, a hiding place, fr. F. musser, OF. mucier, muchier, to conceal, hide. Cf. Micher.]
Defn: A small hole or gap through which a wild animal passes; a muse. Shak.
MUSETTE Mu*sette", n. Etym: [F., dim. of OF. muse.]
1. A small bagpipe formerly in use, having a soft and sweet tone.
2. An air adapted to this instrument; also, a kind of rustic dance.
MUSEUM Mu*se"um, n. Etym: [L., a temple of the Muses, hence, a place of study, fr. Gr.
Defn: A repository or a collection of natural, scientific, or literary curiosities, or of works of art. Museum beetle, Museum pest. (Zoöl.) See Anthrenus.
MUSH Mush, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. mus, muss, pap, porridge, any thick preparation of fruit, OHG. muos; akin to AS. & OS. mos food, and prob, to E. meat. See Meat.]
Defn: Meal (esp. Indian meal) boiled in water; hasty pudding; supawn. [U.S.]
MUSH Mush, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. moucheter to cut with small cuts.]
Defn: To notch, cut, or indent, as cloth, with a stamp.
MUSHROOM Mush"room, n. Etym: [OE. muscheron, OF. mouscheron, F. mousseron; perhaps fr. mousse moss, of German origin. See Moss.]
1. (Bot.) (a) An edible fungus (Agaricus campestris), having a white stalk which bears a convex or oven flattish expanded portion called the pileus. This is whitish and silky or somewhat scaly above, and bears on the under side radiating gills which are at first flesh-colored, but gradually become brown. The plant grows in rich pastures and is proverbial for rapidity of growth and shortness of duration. It has a pleasant smell, and is largely used as food. It is also cultivated from spawn. (b) Any large fungus, especially one of the genus Agaricus; a toadstool. Several species are edible; but many are very poisonous.
2. One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart. Bacon.
MUSHROOM Mush"room, a.
1. Of or pertaining to mushrooms; as, mushroom catchup.
2. Resembling mushrooms in rapidity of growth and shortness of duration; short-lived; ephemerial; as, mushroom cities. Mushroom anchor, an anchor shaped like a mushroom, capable of grasping the ground in whatever way it falls. -- Mushroom coral (Zoöl.), any coral of the genus Fungia. See Fungia. -- Mushroom spawn (Bot.), the mycelium, or primary filamentous growth, of the mushroom; also, cakes of earth and manure containing this growth, which are used for propagation of the mushroom.
MUSHROOM-HEADED Mush"room-head`ed, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a cylindrical body with a convex head of larger diameter; having a head like that of a mushroom.
MUSHY Mush"y, a.
Defn: Soft like mush; figuratively, good-naturedly weak and effusive; weakly sentimental. She 's not mushy, but her heart is tender. G. Eliot.
MUSIC Mu"sic, n. Etym: [F. musique, fr. L. musica, Gr.
1. The science and the art of tones, or musical sounds, i.e., sounds of higher or lower pitch, begotten of uniform and synchronous vibrations, as of a string at various degrees of tension; the science of harmonical tones which treats of the principles of harmony, or the properties, dependences, and relations of tones to each other; the art of combining tones in a manner to please the ear.
Note: Not all sounds are tones. Sounds may be unmusical and yet please the ear. Music deals with tones, and with no other sounds. See Tone.
2. (a) Melody; a rhythmical and otherwise agreeable succession of tones. (b) Harmony; an accordant combination of simultaneous tones.
3. The written and printed notation of a musical composition; the score.
4. Love of music; capacity of enjoying music. The man that hath ni music in himself Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. Shak.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A more or less musical sound made by many of the lower animals. See Stridulation. Magic music, a game in which a person is guided in finding a hidden article, or in doing a specific art required, by music which is made more loud or rapid as he approaches success, and slower as he recedes. Tennyson. -- Music box. See Musical box, under Musical. -- Music hall, a place for public musical entertainments. -- Music loft, a gallery for musicians, as in a dancing room or a church. -- Music of the spheres, the harmony supposed to be produced by the accordant movement of the celestial spheres. -- Music paper, paper ruled with the musical staff, for the use of composers and copyists. -- Music pen, a pen for ruling at one time the five lines of the musical staff. -- Music shell (Zoöl.), a handsomely colored marine gastropod shell (Voluta musica) found in the East Indies; -- so called because the color markings often resemble printed music. Sometimes applied to other shells similarly marked. -- To face the music, to meet any disagreeable necessity without flinching. [Colloq. or Slang]
MUSICAL Mu"sic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. musical.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to music; having the qualities of music; or the power of producing music; devoted to music; melodious; harmonious; as, musical proportion; a musical voice; musical instruments; a musical sentence; musical persons. Musical, or Music, box, a box or case containing apparatus moved by clockwork so as to play certain tunes automatically. -- Musical fish (Zoöl.), any fish which utters sounds under water, as the drumfish, grunt, gizzard shad, etc. -- Musical glasses, glass goblets or bowls so tuned and arranged that when struck, or rubbed, they produce musical notes. CF. Harmonica, 1.
MUSICAL Mu"sic*al, n.
1. Music. [Obs.] To fetch home May with their musical. Spenser.
2. A social entertainment of which music is the leading feature; a musical party. [Colloq.]
MUSICALE Mu`si`cale", n. Etym: [F. Cf. Soirée musicale.]
Defn: A social musical party. [Colloq.]
MUSICALLY Mu"sic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a musical manner.
MUSICALNESS Mu"sic*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being musical.
MUSIC DRAMA Mu"sic dra`ma.
Defn: An opera in which the text and action are not interrupted by set arias, duets, etc., the music being determined throughout by dramatic appropriateness; musical drama of this character, in general. It involves the use of a kind of melodious declamation, the development of leitmotif, great orchestral elaboration, and a fusion of poetry, music, action, and scene into an organic whole. The term is applied esp. to the later works of Wagner: "Tristan und Isolde," "Die Meistersinger," "Rheingold," "Walküre," "Siegfried," "Götterdämmerung," and "Parsifal."
MUSIC HALL Music hall.
Defn: A place for public musical entertainments; specif. (Eng.), esp. a public hall for vaudeville performances, in which smoking and drinking are usually allowed in the auditorium.
MUSICIAN Mu*si"cian, n. Etym: [F. musicien.]
Defn: One skilled in the art or science of music; esp., a skilled singer, or performer on a musical instrument.
MUSICOMANIA Mu`si*co*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Music + mania: cf. F. musicomanie.] (Med.)
Defn: A kind of monomania in which the passion for music becomes so strong as to derange the intellectual faculties. Dunglison.
MUSIMON Mus"i*mon, n. Etym: [See Musmon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUSINGLY Mus"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a musing manner.
MUSIT Mu"sit, n.
Defn: See Muset.
MUSK Musk, n. Etym: [F. musc, L. muscus, Per. musk, fr. Skr. mushka testicle, orig., a little mouse. See Mouse, and cd. Abelmosk, Muscadel, Muscovy duck, Nutmeg.]
1. A substance of a reddish brown color, and when fresh of the consistence of honey, obtained from a bag being behind the navel of the male musk deer. It has a slightly bitter taste, but is specially remarkable for its powerful and enduring odor. It is used in medicine as a stimulant antispasmodic. The term is also applied to secretions of various other animals, having a similar odor.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The musk deer. See Musk deer (below).
3. The perfume emitted by musk, or any perfume somewhat similar.
4. (Bot.) (a) The musk plant (Mimulus moschatus). (b) A plant of the genus Erodium (E. moschatum); -- called also musky heron's-bill. (c) A plant of the genus Muscari; grape hyacinth. Musk beaver (Zoöl.), muskrat (1). -- Musk beetle (Zoöl.), a European longicorn beetle (Aromia moschata), having an agreeable odor resembling that of attar of roses. -- Musk cat. See Bondar. -- Musk cattle (Zoöl.), musk oxen. See Musk ox (below). -- Musk deer (Zoöl.), a small hornless deer (Moschus moschiferus), which inhabits the elevated parts of Central Asia. The upper canine teeth of the male are developed into sharp tusks, curved downward. The male has scent bags on the belly, from which the musk of commerce is derived. The deer is yellow or red-brown above, whitish below. The pygmy musk deer are chevrotains, as the kanchil and napu. -- Musk duck. (Zoöl.) (a) The Muscovy duck. (b) An Australian duck (Biziura lobata). -- Musk lorikeet (Zoöl.), the Pacific lorikeet (Glossopsitta australis) of Australia. -- Musk mallow (Bot.), a name of two malvaceous plants: (a) A species of mallow (Malva moschata), the foliage of which has a faint musky smell. (b) An Asiatic shrub. See Abelmosk. -- Musk orchis (Bot.), a European plant of the Orchis family (Herminium Minorchis); -- so called from its peculiar scent. -- Musk ox (Zoöl.), an Arctic hollow-horned ruminant (Ovibos moschatus), now existing only in America, but found fossil in Europe and Asia. It is covered with a thick coat of fine yellowish wool, and with long dark hair, which is abundant and shaggy on the neck and shoulders. The full-grown male weighs over four hundred pounds. -- Musk parakeet. (Zoöl.) Same as Musk lorikeet (above). -- Musk pear (Bot.), a fragrant kind of pear much resembling the Seckel pear. -- Musk plant (Bot.), the Mimulus moschatus, a plant found in Western North America, often cultivated, and having a strong musky odor. -- Musk root (Bot.), the name of several roots with a strong odor, as that of the nard (Nardostachys Jatamansi) and of a species of Angelica. -- Musk rose (Bot.), a species of rose (Rosa moschata), having peculiarly fragrant white blossoms. -- Musk seed (Bot.), the seed of a plant of the Mallow family (Hibiscus moschatus), used in perfumery and in flavoring. See Abelmosk. -- Musk sheep (Zoöl.), the musk ox. -- Musk shrew (Zoöl.), a shrew (Sorex murinus), found in India. It has a powerful odor of musk. Called also sondeli, and mondjourou. -- Musk thistle (Bot.), a species of thistle (Carduus nutans), having fine large flowers, and leaves smelling strongly of musk. -- Musk tortoise, Musk turtle (Zoöl.), a small American fresh-water tortoise (Armochelys, or Ozotheca, odorata), which has a distinct odor of musk; -- called also stinkpot.
MUSK Musk, v. t.
Defn: To perfume with musk.
MUSKADEL Mus"ka*del`, n.
Defn: See Muscadel.
MUSKAT Mus"kat, n.
Defn: See Muscat.
MUSKELLUNGE Mus"kel*lunge, n. Etym: [From the Amer. Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large American pike (Esox nobilitor) found in the Great Lakes, and other Northern lakes, and in the St. Lawrence River. It is valued as a food fish. [Written also maskallonge, maskinonge, muskallonge, muskellonge, and muskelunjeh.]
MUSKET Mus"ket, n. Etym: [F. mousquet, It. moschetto, formerly, a kind of hawk; cf. OF. mousket, moschet, a kind of hawk falcon, F. mouchet, prop., a little fly (the hawk prob. being named from its size), fr. L. musca a fly. Cf. Mosquito.] [Sometimes written also musquet.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The male of the sparrow hawk.
2. A species of firearm formerly carried by the infantry of an army. It was originally fired by means of a match, or matchlock, for which several mechanical appliances (including the flintlock, and finally the percussion lock) were successively substituted. This arm has been generally superseded by the rifle.
MUSKETEER Mus`ket*eer", n. Etym: [F. mousquetaire; cf. It. moschettiere.]
Defn: A soldier armed with a musket.
MUSKETO Mus*ke"to, n.
Defn: See Mosquito.
MUSKETOON Mus`ket*oon", n. Etym: [F. mousqueton; cf. It. moschettone.]
1. A short musket.
2. One who is armed with such a musket.
MUSKETRY Mus"ket*ry, n. Etym: [F. mousqueterie; cf. It. moschetteria.]
1. Muskets, collectively.
2. The fire of muskets. Motley.
MUSKINESS Musk"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musky; the scent of musk.
MUSKMELON Musk"mel`on, n. Etym: [Musk + melon.] (Bot.)
Defn: The fruit of a cucubritaceous plant (Cicumis Melo), having a peculiar aromatic flavor, and cultivated in many varieties, the principal sorts being the cantaloupe, of oval form and yellowish flesh, and the smaller nutmeg melon with greenish flesh. See Illust. of Melon.
MUSKOGEES Mus*ko"gees, n. pl.; sing. Muskogee (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A powerful tribe of North American Indians that formerly occupied the region of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. They constituted a large part of the Creek confederacy. [Written also Muscogees.]
MUSKRAT Musk"rat`, n.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A North American aquatic fur-bearing rodent (Fiber zibethicus). It resembles a rat in color and having a long scaly tail, but the tail is compressed, the bind feet are webbed, and the ears are concealed in the fur. It has scent glands which secrete a substance having a strong odor of musk. Called also musquash, musk beaver, and ondatra.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The musk shrew.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The desman.
MUSKWOOD Musk"wood`, n. Etym: [So called from its fragrance.] (Bot.) (a) The wood of a West Indian tree of the Mahogany family (Moschoxylum Swartzii). (b) The wood of an Australian tree (Eurybia argophylla).
MUSKY Musk"y, a.
Defn: Having an odor of musk, or somewhat the like. Milton.
MUSLIM Mus"lim, n.
Defn: See Moslem.
MUSLIN Mus"lin, n. Etym: [F. mousseline; cf. It. mussolino, mussolo, Sp. muselina; all from Mussoul a city of Mesopotamia, Ar. Mausil, Syr. Mauzol, Muzol, Mosul, where it was first manufactured. Cf. Mull a kind of cloth.]
Defn: A thin cotton, white, dyed, or printed. The name is also applied to coarser and heavier cotton goods; as, shirting and sheeting muslins. Muslin cambric. See Cambric. -- Muslin delaine, a light woolen fabric for women's dresses. See Delaine. [Written also mousseline de laine.]
MUSLINET Mus`lin*et", n. Etym: [F. mousselinette.]
Defn: A sort of coarse or light cotton cloth.
MUSMON Mus"mon, n. Etym: [L. musmo, musimo, a Sardinian animal; cf. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUSOMANIA Mu`so*ma"ni*a, n.
Defn: See Musicomania.
MUSQUASH Mus"quash, n. Etym: [American Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muskrat. Musquash root (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant (Cicuta maculata), having a poisonous root. See Water hemlock.
MUSQUAW Mus"quaw, n. Etym: [American Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American black bear. See Bear.
MUSQUET Mus"quet, n.
Defn: See Musket.
MUSQUITO Mus*qui"to, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mosquito.
MUSROLE; MUSROL Mus"role, Mus"rol, n. Etym: [F. muserolle, fr. muserau a muzzle, OF. musel. See Muzzle.]
Defn: The nose band of a horse's bridle.
MUSS Muss, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. mousche a fly, also, the play called muss, fr. L. musca a fly.]
Defn: A scramble, as when small objects are thrown down, to be taken by those who can seize them; a confused struggle. Shak.
MUSS Muss, n.
Defn: A state of confusion or disorder; -- prob. variant of mess, but influenced by muss, a scramble. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUSS Muss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mussed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mussing.]
Defn: To disarrange, as clothing; to rumple. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUSS Muss, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. mus a mouse. See Mouse.]
Defn: A term of endearment. [Obs.] See Mouse. B. Jonson.
MUSSEL Mus"sel, n. Etym: [See Muscle, 3.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of many species of marine bivalve shells of the genus Mytilus, and related genera, of the family Mytidæ. The common mussel (Mytilus edulis; see Illust. under Byssus), and the larger, or horse, mussel (Modiola modiolus), inhabiting the shores both of Europe and America, are edible. The former is extensively used as food in Europe.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of Unio, and related fresh-water genera; -- called also river mussel. See Naiad, and Unio. Mussel digger (Zoöl.), the grayback whale. See Gray whale, under Gray.
MUSSITATION Mus`si*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. mussitatio suppression of the voice, fr. mussitare to be silent, to murmur.]
Defn: A speaking in a low tone; mumbling. [Obs.]
MUSSITE Mus"site, n. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of pyroxene, from the Mussa Alp in Piedmont; diopside.
MUSSULMAN Mus"sul*man, n.; pl. Mussulmans. Etym: [Ar. muslimin, pl. of muslim: cf. F. & Sp. musulman. See Moslem.]
Defn: A Mohammedan; a Moslem.
MUSSULMANIC Mus`sul*man"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or like, the Mussulmans, or their customs: Mohammedan.
MUSSULMANISH Mus"sul*man*ish, a.
Defn: Mohammedan.
MUSSULMANISM Mus"sul*man*ism, n.
Defn: Mohammedanism.
MUSSULMANLY Mus"sul*man*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of Moslems.
MUSSY Muss"y, a. Etym: [From 2d Muss.]
Defn: Disarranged; rumpled. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUST Must, v. i. or auxiliary. Etym: [OE. moste, a pret. generally meaning, could, was free to, pres. mot, moot, AS. moste, pret. mot, pres.; akin to D. moetan to be obliged, OS. motan to be free, to be obliged, OHG. muozan, G. müssen to be obliged, Sw. måste must, Goth. gamotan to have place, have room, to able; of unknown origin.]
1. To be obliged; to be necessitated; -- expressing either physical or moral necessity; as, a man must eat for nourishment; we must submit to the laws.
2. To be morally required; to be necessary or essential to a certain quality, character, end, or result; as, he must reconsider the matter; he must have been insane. Likewise must the deacons be grave. 1 Tim. iii. 8. Morover, he [a bishop] must have a good report of them which are without. 1 Tim. iii. 7.
Note: The principal verb, if easy supplied by the mind, was formerly often omitted when must was used; as, I must away. "I must to Coventry." Shak.
MUST Must, n. Etym: [AS. must, fr. L. mustum (sc. vinum), from mustus young, new, fresh. Cf. Mustard.]
1. The expressed juice of the grape, or other fruit, before fermentation. "These men ben full of must." Wyclif (Acts ii. 13. ). No fermenting must fills ... the deep vats. Longfellow.
2. Etym: [Cf. Musty.]
Defn: Mustiness.
MUST Must, v. t. & i.
Defn: To make musty; to become musty.
MUSTAC Mus"tac, n. Etym: [F. moustac.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small tufted monkey.
MUSTACHE Mus*tache", n.; pl. Mustaches (. [Written also moustache.] Etym: [F. moustache, It. mostaccio visage, mostacchio mustache, fr. Gr. mostacho.]
1. That part of the beard which grows on the upper lip; hair left growing above the mouth.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A West African monkey (Cercopithecus cephus). It has yellow whiskers, and a triangular blue mark on the nose.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any conspicuous stripe of color on the side of the head, beneath the eye of a bird.
MUSTACHO Mus*ta"cho, n.; pl. Mustachios (.
Defn: A mustache. Longfellow.
MUSTACHOED Mus*ta"choed, a.
Defn: Having mustachios.
MUSTAHFIZ Mus`tah"fiz`, n. [Turk. & Ar. mustahsfizs who trusts to another's keeping, a soldier of a garrison.]
Defn: See Army organization, above.
MUSTAIBA Mus`ta*i"ba, n.
Defn: A close-grained, neavy wood of a brownish color, brought from Brazil, and used in turning, for making the handles of tools, and the like. [Written also mostahiba.] MaElrath.
MUSTANG Mus"tang, n. Etym: [Sp. musteño belonging to the graziers, strayed, wild.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The half-wild horse of the plains in Mexico, California, etc. It is small, hardy, and easily sustained. Mustard grape (Bot.), a species of grape (Vitis candicans), native in Arkansas and Texas. The berries are small, light-colored, with an acid skin and a sweet pulp.
MUSTARD Mus"tard, n. Etym: [OF. moustarde, F. moutarde, fr. L. mustum must, - - mustard was prepared for use by being mixed with must. See Must, n.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica (formerly Sinapis), as white mustard (B. alba), black mustard (B. Nigra), wild mustard or charlock (B. Sinapistrum).
Note: There are also many herbs of the same family which are called mustard, and have more or less of the flavor of the true mustard; as, bowyer's mustard (Lepidium ruderale); hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale); Mithridate mustard (Thlaspi arvense); tower mustard (Arabis perfoliata); treacle mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides).
2. A powder or a paste made from the seeds of black or white mustard, used as a condiment and a rubefacient. Taken internally it is stimulant and diuretic, and in large doses is emetic. Mustard oil (Chem.), a substance obtained from mustard, as a transparent, volatile and intensely pungent oil. The name is also extended to a number of analogous compounds produced either naturally or artificially.
MUSTEE Mus*tee", n.
Defn: See Mestee.
MUSTELINE Mus"te*line, a. Etym: [L. mustelinus, fr. mustela weasel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the family Mustelidæ, or the weasels and martens.
MUSTER Mus"ter, n. Etym: [OE. moustre, OF. mostre, moustre, F. montre, LL. monstra. See Muster, v. t.]
1. Something shown for imitation; a pattern. [Obs.]
2. A show; a display. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
3. An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service. The hurried muster of the soldiers of liberty. Hawthorne. See how in warlike muster they appear, In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings. Milton.
4. The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army. And the muster was thirty thousands of men. Wyclif. Ye publish the musters of your own bands, and proclaim them to amount of thousands. Hooker.
5. Any assemblage or display; a gathering. Of the temporal grandees of the realm, mentof their wives and daughters, the muster was great and splendid. Macaulay. Muster book, a book in which military forces are registred. -- Muster file, a muster roll. -- Muster master (Mil.), one who takes an account of troops, and of their equipment; a mustering officer; an inspector. [Eng.] -- Muster roll (Mil.), a list or register of all the men in a company, troop, or regiment, present or accounted for on the day of muster. -- To pass muster, to pass through a muster or inspection without censure. Such excuses will not pass muster with God. South.
MUSTER Mus"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mustered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mustering.] Etym: [OE. mustren, prop., to show, OF. mostrer, mustrer, moustrer, monstrer, F. montrer, fr. L. monstrare to show. See Monster.]
1. To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like. Spenser.
2. Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together. "Mustering all its force." Cowper. All the gay feathers he could muster. L'Estrange. To muster troops into service (Mil.), to inspect and enter troops on the muster roll of the army. -- To muster troops out of service (Mil.), to register them for final payment and discharge. -- To muster up, to gather up; to succeed in obtaining; to obtain with some effort or difficulty. One of those who can muster up sufficient sprightliness to engage in a game of forfeits. Hazlitt.
MUSTER Mus"ter, v. i.
Defn: To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force. "The mustering squadron." Byron.
MUSTILY Mus"ti*ly, a.
Defn: In a musty state.
MUSTINESS Mus"ti*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musty.
MUSTY Mus"ty, a. [Compar. Mustier; superl. Mustiest.] Etym: [From L. mustum must; or perh. fr. E. moist. Cf. Must, n., Moist.]
1. Having the rank, pungent, offencive odor and taste which substances of organic origin acquire during warm, moist weather; foul or sour and fetid; moldy; as, musty corn; musty books. Harvey.
2. Spoiled by age; rank; stale. The proverb is somewhat musty. Shak.
3. Dull; heavy; spiritless. "That he may not grow musty and unfit for conversation." Addison.
MUTABILITY Mu`ta*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mutabilitas: cf. F. mutabilité.]
Defn: The quality of being mutable, or subject to change or alteration, either in form, state, or essential character; susceptibility of change; changeableness; inconstancy; variation. Plato confessed that the heavens and the frame of the world are corporeal, and therefore subject to mutability. Stillingfleet.
MUTABLE Mu"ta*ble, a. Etym: [L. mutabilis, fr. mutare to change. See Move.]
1. Capable of alteration; subject to change; changeable in form, qualities, or nature. Things of the most accidental and mutable nature. South.
2. Changeable; inconstant; unsettled; unstable; fickle. "Most mutable wishes." Byron.
Syn. -- Changeable; alterable; unstable; unsteady; unsettled; wavering; inconstant; variable; fickle.
MUTABLENESS Mu"ta*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being mutable.
MUTABLY Mu"ta*bly, adv.
Defn: Changeably.
MUTACISM Mu"ta*cism, n.
Defn: See Mytacism.
MUTAGE Mu"tage, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A process for checking the fermentation of the must of grapes.
MUTANDUM Mu*tan"dum, n.; pl. Mutanda. Etym: [L., fr. mutare to change.]
Defn: A thing which is to be changed; something which must be altered; -- used chiefly in the plural.
MUTATION Mu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutatio, fr. mutare to change: cf. F. mutation. See Mutable.]
Defn: Change; alteration, either in form or qualities. The vicissitude or mutations in the superior globe are no fit matter for this present argument. Bacon.
MUTCH Mutch, n. Etym: [Cf. D. mutse a cap, G. mütze. Cf. Amice a cape.]
Defn: The close linen or muslin cap of an old woman. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
MUTCHKIN Mutch"kin, n.
Defn: A liquid measure equal to four gills, or an imperial pint. [Scot.]
MUTE Mute, v. t. Etym: [L. mutare to change. See Molt.]
Defn: To cast off; to molt. Have I muted all my feathers Beau. & Fl.
MUTE Mute, v. t. & i. Etym: [F. mutir, émeutir, OF. esmeltir, fr. OD. smelten, prop., to melt. See Smelt.]
Defn: To eject the contents of the bowels; -- said of birds. B. Jonson.
MUTE Mute, n.
Defn: The dung of birds. Hudibras.
MUTE Mute, a. Etym: [L. mutus; cf. Gr. m bound, m dumb: cf. OE. muet, fr. F. muet, a dim. of OF. mu, L. mutus.]
1. Not speaking; uttering no sound; silent. All the heavenly choir stood mute, And silence was in heaven. Milton.
Note: In law a prisoner is said to stand mute, when, upon being arranged, he makes no answer, or does not plead directly, or will not put himself on trial.
2. Incapable of speaking; dumb. Dryden.
3. Not uttered; unpronounced; silent; also, produced by complete closure of the mouth organs which interrupt the passage of breath; -- said of certain letters. See 5th Mute, 2.
4. Not giving a ringing sound when struck; -- said of a metal. Mute swan (Zoöl.), a European wild white swan (Cygnus gibbus), which produces no loud notes.
Syn. -- Silent; dumb; speechless. -- Mute, Silent, Dumb. One is silent who does not speak; one is dumb who can not, for want of the proper organs; as, a dumb beast, etc.; and hence, figuratively, we speak of a person as struck dumb with astonishment, etc. One is mute who is held back from speaking by some special cause; as, he was mute through fear; mute astonishment, etc. Such is the case with most of those who never speak from childhood; they are not ordinarily dumb, but mute because they are deaf, and therefore never learn to talk; and hence their more appropriate name is deaf-mutes. They spake not a word; But, like dumb statues, or breathing stones, Gazed each on other. Shak. All sat mute, Pondering the danger with deep thoughts. Milton.
MUTE Mute, n.
1. One who does not speak, whether from physical inability, unwillingness, or other cause. Specifically: (a) One who, from deafness, either congenital or from early life, is unable to use articulate language; a deaf-mute. (b) A person employed by undertakers at a funeral. (c) A person whose part in a play does not require him to speak. (d) Among the Turks, an officer or attendant who is selected for his place because he can not speak.
2. (Phon.)
Defn: A letter which represents no sound; a silent letter; also, a close articulation; an element of speech formed by a position of the mouth organs which stops the passage of the breath; as, p, b, d, k, t.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: A little utensil made of brass, ivory, or other material, so formed that it can be fixed in an erect position on the bridge of a violin, or similar instrument, in order to deaden or soften the tone.
MUTE-HILL Mute"-hill`, n.
Defn: See Moot-hill. [Scot.]
MUTELY Mute"ly, adv.
Defn: Without uttering words or sounds; in a mute manner; silently.
MUTENESS Mute"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mute; speechlessness.
MUTESSARIF Mu*tes`sa*rif", n. [Turk. & Ar. muteçarif freely disposing of anything, master.]
Defn: In Turkey, an administrative authority of any of certain sanjaks. They are appointed directly by the Sultan.
MUTESSARIFAT Mu*tes`sa*ri*fat", n. [Turk. & Ar. muteçarifah office of a mutessarif.]
Defn: In Turkey, a sanjak whose head is a mutessarif.
MUTIC; MUTICOUS Mu"tic, Mu"ti*cous, a. Etym: [L. muticus, for mutilus. See Mutilate.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Without a point or pointed process; blunt.
MUTILATE Mu"ti*late, a. Etym: [L. mutilatus, p.p. of mutilare to mutilate, fr. mutilus maimed; cf. Gr. Mutton.]
1. Deprived of, or having lost, an important part; mutilated. Sir T. Browne.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having finlike appendages or flukes instead of legs, as a cetacean.
MUTILATE Mu"ti*late, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A cetacean, or a sirenian.
MUTILATE Mu"ti*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mutilated; p. pr. & vb. n. Mutilating.]
1. To cut off or remove a limb or essential part of; to maim; to cripple; to hack; as, to mutilate the body, a statue, etc.
2. To destroy or remove a material part of, so as to render imperfect; as, to mutilate the orations of Cicero. Among the mutilated poets of antiquity, there is none whose fragments are so beautiful as those of Sappho. Addison. Mutilated gear, Mutilated wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel from a portion of whose periphery the cogs are omitted. It is used for giving intermittent movements.
MUTILATION Mu`ti*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutilatio: cf. F. mutilation.]
Defn: The act of mutilating, or the state of being mutilated; deprivation of a limb or of an essential part.
MUTILATOR Mu"ti*la"tor, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mutilateur.]
Defn: One who mutilates.
MUTILOUS Mu"ti*lous, a. Etym: [L. mutilus. See Mutilate.]
Defn: Mutilated; defective; imperfect. [Obs.]
MUTINE Mu"tine, n. Etym: [F. mutin.]
Defn: A mutineer. [Obs.]
MUTINE Mu"tine, v. i. Etym: [F. mutiner.]
Defn: To mutiny. [Obs.]
MUTINEER Mu"ti*neer`, n. Etym: [See Mutiny.]
Defn: One guilty of mutiny.
MUTING Mut"ing, n.
Defn: Dung of birds.
MUTINOUS Mu"ti*nous, a. Etym: [See Mutiny.]
Defn: Disposed to mutiny; in a state of mutiny; characterized by mutiny; seditious; insubordinate. The city was becoming mutinous. Macaulay. -- Mu"ti*nous*ly, adv. -- Mu"ti*nous*ness, n.
MUTINY Mu"ti*ny, n.; pl. Mutinies. Etym: [From mutine to mutiny, fr. F. se mutiner, fr. F. mutin stubborn, mutinous, fr. OF. meute riot, LL. movita, fr. movitus, for L. motus, p.p. of movere to move. See Move.]
1. Insurrection against constituted authority, particularly military or naval authority; concerted revolt against the rules of discipline or the lawful commands of a superior officer; hence, generally, forcible resistance to rightful authority; insubordination. In every mutiny against the discipline of the college, he was the ringleader. Macaulay.
2. Violent commotion; tumult; strife. [Obs.] o raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves. Shak. Mutiny act (Law), an English statute reënacted annually to punish mutiny and desertion. Wharton.
Syn. -- See Insurrection.
MUTINY Mu"ti*ny, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mutinied; p. pr. & vb. n. Mutinying.]
1. To rise against, or refuse to obey, lawful authority in military or naval service; to excite, or to be guilty of, mutiny or mutinous conduct; to revolt against one's superior officer, or any rightful authority.
2. To fall into strifle; to quarrel. [Obs.] Shak.
MUTISM Mut"ism, n.
Defn: The condition, state, or habit of being mute, or without speech. Max Müller.
MUTOSCOPE Mu"to*scope, n. [L. mutare to change + -scope.]
Defn: A simple form of moving-picture machine in which the series of views, exhibiting the successive phases of a scene, are printed on paper and mounted around the periphery of a wheel. The rotation of the wheel brings them rapidly into sight, one after another, and the blended effect gives a semblance of motion.
MUTTER Mut"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Muttered; p. pr. & vb. n. Muttering.] Etym: [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. muttire, mutire.]
1. To utter words indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; esp., to utter indistinct complains or angry expressions; to grumble; to growl. Wizards that peep, and that mutter. Is. viii. 19. Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, And mutter to himself. Dryden.
2. To sound with a low, rumbling noise. Thick lightings flash, the muttering thunder rolls. Pope.
MUTTER Mut"ter, v. t.
Defn: To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low voice; as, to mutter threats. Shak.
MUTTER Mut"ter, n.
Defn: Repressing or obscure utterance.
MUTTERER Mut"ter*er, n.
Defn: One who mutters.
MUTTERINGLY Mut"ter*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With a low voice and indistinct articulation; in a muttering manner.
MUTTON Mut"ton, n. Etym: [OE. motoun, OF. moton, molton, a sheep, wether, F. mouton, LL. multo, by transposition of l fr. L. mutilus mutilated. See Mutilate.]
1. A sheep. [Obs.] Chapman. Not so much ground as will feed a mutton. Sir H. Sidney. Muttons, beeves, and porkers are good old words for the living quadrupeds. Hallam.
2. The flesh of a sheep. The fat of roasted mutton or beef. Swift.
3. A loose woman; a prostitute. [Obs.] Mutton bird (Zoöl.), the Australian short-tailed petrel (Nectris brevicaudus). -- Mutton chop, a rib of mutton for broiling, with the end of the bone at the smaller part chopped off. -- Mutton fish (Zoöl.), the American eelpout. See Eelpout. -- Mutton fist, a big brawny fist or hand. [Colloq.] Dryden. -- Mutton monger, a pimp [Low & Obs.] Chapman. -- To return to one's muttons. Etym: [A translation of a phrase from a farce by De Brueys, revenons à nos moutons let us return to our sheep.] To return to one's topic, subject of discussion, etc. [Humorous] I willingly return to my muttons. H. R. Haweis.
MUTTONY Mut"ton*y, a.
Defn: Like mutton; having a flavor of mutton.
MUTUAL Mu"tu*al, a. Etym: [F. mutuel, L. mutuus, orig., exchanged, borrowed, lent; akin to mutare to change. See Mutable.]
1. Reciprocally acting or related; reciprocally receiving and giving; reciprocally given and received; reciprocal; interchanged; as, a mutual love, advantage, assistance, aversion, etc. Conspiracy and mutual promise. Sir T. More. Happy in our mutual help, And mutual love. Milton. A certain shyness on such subjects, which was mutual between the sisters. G. Eliot.
2. Possessed, experienced, or done by two or more persons or things at the same time; common; joint; as, mutual happiness; a mutual effort. Burke. A vast accession of misery and woe from the mutual weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Bentley.
Note: This use of mutual as synonymous with common is inconsistent with the idea of interchange, or reciprocal relation, which properly belongs to it; but the word has been so used by many writers of high authority. The present tendency is toward a careful discrimination. Mutual, as Johnson will tell us, means something reciprocal, a giving and taking. How could people have mutual ancestors P. Harrison. Mutual insurance, agreement among a number of persons to insure each other against loss, as by fire, death, or accident. -- Mutual insurance company, one which does a business of insurance on the mutual principle, the policy holders sharing losses and profits pro rata.
Syn. -- Reciprocal; interchanged; common.
MUTUALISM Mu"tu*al*ism, n. (Ethics)
Defn: The doctrine of mutual dependence as the condition of individual and social welfare. F. Harrison. H. Spencer. Mallock.
MUTUALITY Mu`tu*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mutualité.]
1. The quality of correlation; reciprocation; interchange; interaction; interdependence.
2. (Law)
Defn: Reciprocity of consideration. Wharton.
MUTUALLY Mu"tu*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mutual manner.
MUTUARY Mu"tu*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. mutuarius mutual.See Mutuation.] (Law)
Defn: One who borrows personal chattels which are to be consumed by him, and which he is to return or repay in kind. Bouvier.
MUTUATION Mu`tu*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutuatio, fr. mutuare, mutuari, to borrow, fr. mutuus. See Mutual.]
Defn: The act of borrowing or exchanging. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MUTULE Mu"tule, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mutulus.] (Arch.)
Defn: A projecting block worked under the corona of the Doric corice, in the same situation as the modillion of the Corinthian and Composite orders. See Illust. of Gutta. Oxf. Gloss.
MUX Mux, n. Etym: [Cf. Mixen.]
Defn: Dirt; filth; muck. [Prov. Eng.] ose.
MUX Mux, v. t.
Defn: To mix in an unitidy and offensive way; to make a mess of. [Prov. Eng.; Colloq. U.S.]
MUXY Mux"y, a.
Defn: Soft; sticky, and dirty. [Prov. Eng.] See Mucky.
MUZARAB Muz"a*rab, n. Etym: [Sp. mozarabe, fr. Ar. mosta'rib, a name applied to strange tribes living among the Arabs.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a denomination of Christians formerly living under the government of the Moors in Spain, and having a liturgy and ritual of their own. [Written also Mozarab, Mostarab.] Brande & C.
MUZARABIC Muz`a*rab"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Muzarabs; as, the Muzarabic liturgy. [Written also Mozarabic.]
MUZZINESS Muz"zi*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being muzzy.
MUZZLE Muz"zle, n. Etym: [OE. mosel, OF. musel, F. museau muzzle or snout, LL. musellus, fr. musus, morsus. See Muse, v. i., and cf. Morsel.]
1. The projecting mouth and nose of a quadruped, as of a horse; a snout.
2. The mouth of a thing; the end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun.
3. A fastening or covering (as a band or cage) for the mouth of an animal, to prevent eating or vicious biting. With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound Dryden. Muzzle sight. (Gun.) See Dispart, n., 2.
MUZZLE Muz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muzzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muzzling.] Etym: [F. museler.]
1. To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating; hence, figuratively, to bind; to sheathe; to restrain from speech or action. "My dagger muzzled." Shak. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Deut. xxv. 4.
2. To fondle with the closed mouth. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
MUZZLE Muz"zle, v. i.
Defn: To bring the mouth or muzzle near. The bear muzzles and smels to him. L'Estrange.
MUZZLE-LOADER Muz"zle-load`er, n.
Defn: A firearm which receives its charge through the muzzle, as distinguished from one which is loaded at the breech.
MUZZLE-LOADING Muz"zle-load`ing, a.
Defn: Receiving its charge through the muzzle; as, a muzzle-loading rifle.
MUZZY Muz"zy, a. Etym: [Cf. F. muse.]
Defn: Absent-minded; dazed; muddled; stupid. The whole company stared at me with a whimsical, muzzy look, like men whose senses were a little obfuscated by beer rather then wine. W. Irving.
MY My, a. & poss. pron. Etym: [OE. mi, fr. min. See Mine, and cf., for loss of n, A, a., An, a.]
Defn: Of or belonging to me; -- used always attributively; as, my body; my book; -- mine is used in the predicate; as, the book is mine. See Mine.
MYA My"a, n. Etym: [L. mya a kind of mussel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of bivalve mollusks, including the common long, or soft-shelled, clam.
MYALGIA My*al"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Pain in the muscles; muscular rheumatism or neuralgia.
MYALL WOOD My*all" wood`. (Bot.)
Defn: A durable, fragrant, and dark-colored Australian wood, used by the natives for spears. It is obtained from the small tree Acacia homolophylla.
MYARIA My*a"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of bivalve mollusks of which the common clam (Mya) is the type.
MYCELIUM My*ce"li*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. my`khs a mushroom.] (Bot.)
Defn: The white threads or filamentous growth from which a mushroom or fungus is developed; the so-called mushroom spawn. -- My*ce"li*al, a.
MYCELOID Myc"e*loid, a. Etym: [Mycelium + -oid.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling mycelium.
MYCETES My*ce"tes, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. mykhth`s a bellower, fr. myka^sqai to bellow.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of South American monkeys, including the howlers. See Howler, 2, and Illust.
MYCETOID Myc"e*toid, Etym: [Gr. my`khs, -htos, a fungus + -oid.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling a fungus.
MYCETOZOA My*ce`to*zo"a, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. , , fungus + pl. of an animal.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Myxomycetes; -- so called by those who regard them as a class of animals. -- My*ce`to*zo"an (#), a.
MYCODERMA My`co*der"ma, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. my`khs a fungus + de`rma skin.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: One of the forms in which bacteria group themselves; a more or less thick layer of motionless but living bacteria, formed by the bacteria uniting on the surface of the fluid in which they are developed. This production differs from the zoöloea stage of bacteria by not having the intermediary mucous substance.
2. A genus of microörganisms of which the acetic ferment (Mycoderma aceti), which converts alcoholic fluids into vinegar, is a representative. Cf. Mother.
MYCOLOGIC; MYCOLOGICAL My`co*log"ic, My`co*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or relating to mycology, or the fungi.
MYCOLOGIST My*col"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is versed in, or who studies, mycology.
MYCOLOGY My*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. my`khs fungus + -logy.]
Defn: That branch of botanical science which relates to the musgrooms and other fungi.
MYCOMELIC My`co*mel"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a complex nitrogenous acid of the alloxan group, obtained as a honey-yellow powder. Its solutions have a gelatinous consistency.
MYCOPROTEIN My`co*pro"te*in, n. Etym: [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + E. protein.] (Biol.)
Defn: The protoplasmic matter of which bacteria are composed.
MYCOSE My"cose, n. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A variety of sugar, isomeric with sucrose and obtained from certain lichens and fungi. Called also trehalose. [Written also mykose.]
MYCOTHRIX Myc"o*thrix, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (spurious) mucus) + (Biol.)
Defn: The chain of micrococci formed by the division of the micrococci in multiplication.
MYDALEINE My*da"le*ine, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A toxic alkaloid (ptomaine) obtained from putrid flesh and from herring brines. As a poison it is said to execute profuse diarrhoea, vomiting, and intestinal inflammation. Brieger.
MYDATOXIN Myd`a*tox"in, n. Etym: [Gr. toxic + in.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous amido acid, C6H13NO2, separated by Brieger from decaying horseflesh. In physiological action, it is similar to curare.
MYDAUS Myd"a*us, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The teledu.
MYDRIASIS My*dri"a*sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: A long-continued or excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye.
MYDRIATIC Myd`ri*at"ic, a.
Defn: Causing dilatation of the pupil. -- n.
Defn: A mydriatic medicine or agent, as belladonna.
MYELENCEPHALA My`e*len*ceph"a*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Myelencephalon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Vertebrata.
MYELENCEPHALIC My`e*len`ce*phal"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the myelencephalon; cerebro-spinal.
MYELENCEPHALON My`e*len*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. encephalon.] (Anat.) (a) The brain and spinal cord; the cerebro-spinal axis; the neuron. Sometimes abbreviated to myelencephal. (b) The metencephalon. Huxley.
MYELENCEPHALOUS My`e*len*ceph"a*lous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Myelencephala.
MYELIN My"e*lin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.) (a) A soft white substance constituting the medullary sheats of nerve fibers, and composed mainly of cholesterin, lecithin, cerebrin, albumin, and some fat. (b) One of a group of phosphorized principles occurring in nerve tissue, both in the brain and nerve fibers.
MYELITIS My`e*li"tis, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the spinal marrow or its membranes.
MYELOCOELE My"e*lo*coele`, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The central canal of the spinal cord.
MYELOGENIC My`e*lo*gen"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: Derived from, or pertaining to, the bone marrow.
MYELOID My"e*loid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.]
Defn: Resembling marrow in appearance or consistency; as, a myeloid tumor.
MYELOIDIN My`e*loid"in, n. Etym: [Myelin + -oid + -in.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A substance, present in the protoplasm of the retinal epithelium cells, and resembling, if not identical with, the substance (myelin) forming the medullary sheaths of nerve fibers.
MYELON My"e*lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The spinal cord. (Sometimes abbrev. to myel.)
MYELONAL My"e*lo`nal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the myelon; as, the myelonal, or spinal, nerves.
MYELONEURA My`e*lo*neu"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Vertebrata.
MYELOPLAX My*el"o*plax, n.; pl. E. Myeloplaxes, L. Myeloplaces. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the huge multinucleated cells found in the marrow of bone and occasionally in other parts; a giant cell. See Osteoclast.
MYGALE Myg"a*le, n. Etym: [L., a field mouse, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of very large hairy spiders having four lungs and only four spinnerets. They do not spin webs, but usually construct tubes in the earth, which are often furnished with a trapdoor. The South American bird spider (Mygale avicularia), and the crab spider, or matoutou (M. cancerides) are among the largest species. Some of the species are erroneously called tarantulas, as the Texas tarantula (M. Hentzii).
MYKISS My"kiss, n. [Russ. muikize, prob. fr. a native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A salmon (Salmo mykiss, syn. S. purpuratus) marked with black spots and a red throat, found in most of the rivers from Alaska to the Colorado River, and in Siberia; -- called also black-spotted trout, cutthroat trout, and redthroat trout.
MYLODON Myl"o*don, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of large slothlike American edentates, allied to Megatherium.
MYLOHYOID My`lo*hy"oid, a. Etym: [Gr. hyoid.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or in the region of, the lower jaw and the hyoid apparatus; as, the mylohyoid nerve.
MYNA My"na, n. Etym: [See Mino bird.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of Asiatic starlings of the genera Acridotheres, Sturnopastor, Sturnia, Gracula, and allied genera. In habits they resemble the European starlings, and like them are often caged and taught to talk. See Hill myna, under Hill, and Mino bird. [Spelt also mynah.]
MYNCHEN Myn"chen, n. Etym: [AS. mynecen, fr. munec monk. See Monk.]
Defn: A nun. [Obs.]
MYNCHERY Myn"cher*y, n.
Defn: A nunnery; -- a term still applied to the ruins of certain nunneries in England.
MYNHEER Myn*heer", n. Etym: [D. mijnheer.]
Defn: The Dutch equivalent of Mr. or Sir; hence, a Dutchman.
MYO- My"o-.
Defn: A combining form of Gr. muscle; as, myograph, myochrome.
MYOCARDITIS My`o*car*di"tis, n. Etym: [NL. see Myocardium.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the myocardium.
MYOCARDIUM My`o*car"di*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The main substance of the muscular wall of the heart inclosed between the epicardium and endocardium.
MYOCHROME My"o*chrome, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: A colored albuminous substance in the serum from red-colored muscles. It is identical with hemoglobin.
MYOCOMMA My`o*com"ma, n.; pl. L. Myocommata, E. Myocommas. Etym: [NL. See Myo- , and Comma.] (Anat.)
Defn: A myotome.
MYODYNAMICS My`o*dy*nam"ics, n. Etym: [Myo- + dynamics.] (Physiol.)
Defn: The department of physiology which deals with the principles of muscular contraction; the exercise of muscular force or contraction.
MYODYNAMIOMETER My`o*dy*na`mi*om"e*ter, n.
Defn: A myodynamometer.
MYODYNAMOMETER My`o*dy`na*mom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Myo- + E. dynamometer.] (Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the muscular strength of man or of other animals; a dynamometer. Dunglison.
MYOEPITHELIAL My`o*ep`i*the"li*al, a. Etym: [Myo- + epithelial.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Derived from epithelial cells and destined to become a part of the muscular system; -- applied to structural elements in certain embryonic forms.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the characteristics of both muscle and epithelium; as, the myoepithelial cells of the hydra.
MYOGALID My*og"a*lid, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Myogalodæ, a family of Insectivora, including the desman, and allied species.
MYOGRAM My"o*gram, n. Etym: [Myo- + -gram.] (Physiol.)
Defn: See Muscle curve, under Muscle.
MYOGRAPH My"o*graph, n. Etym: [Myo- + -graph.] (Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for determining and recording the different phases, as the intensity, velocity, etc., of a muscular contraction.
MYOGRAPHIC; MYOGRAPHICAL My`o*graph"ic, My`o*graph"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to myography.
MYOGRAPHY My*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myographie.]
Defn: The description of muscles, including the study of muscular contraction by the aid of registering apparatus, as by some form of myograph; myology.
MYOHAEMATIN My`o*hæm"a*tin, n. Etym: [Myo- + hæmatin.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A red-colored respiratory pigment found associated with hemoglobin in the muscle tissue of a large number of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate.
MYOID My"oid, a. Etym: [Myo- + -oid.]
Defn: Composed of, or resembling, muscular fiber.
MYOLEMMA My`o*lem"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Sarcolemma.
MYOLIN My"o*lin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: The essential material of muscle fibers.
MYOLOGIC; MYOLOGICAL My`o*log"ic, My`o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to myology.
MYOLOGIST My*ol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One skilled in myology.
MYOLOGY My*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Myo- + -logy: cf. F. myologie.]
Defn: That part of anatomy which treats of muscles.
MYOMA My*o"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Myo-, and -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor consisting of muscular tissue.
MYOMANCY My"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -mancy.]
Defn: Divination by the movements of mice.
MYOMORPH My"o*morph, n.
Defn: One of the Myomorpha.
MYOMORPHA My`o*mor"pha, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive group of rodents which includes the rats, mice, jerboas, and many allied forms.
MYOPATHIA My`o*pa*thi"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Any affection of the muscles or muscular system.
MYOPATHIC My`o*path"ic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to myopathia.
MYOPATHY My*op"a*thy, n.
Defn: Same as Myopathia.
MYOPE My"ope, n. Etym: [F., fr. Gr.
Defn: A person having myopy; a myops.
MYOPHAN My"o*phan, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A contractile striated layer found in the bodies and stems of certain Infusoria.
MYOPIA My*o"pi*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Myope.] (Med.)
Defn: Nearsightedness; shortsightedness; a condition of the eye in which the rays from distant object are brought to a focus before they reach the retina, and hence form an indistinct image; while the rays from very near objects are normally converged so as to produce a distinct image. It is corrected by the use of a concave lens.
MYOPIC My*op"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or affected with, or characterized by, myopia; nearsighted. Myopic astigmatism, a condition in which the eye is affected with myopia in one meridian only.
MYOPS My"ops, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: See Myope.
MYOPSIS My*op"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The appearance of muscæ volitantes. See Muscæ volitantes, under Musca.
MYOPY My"o*py, n. Etym: [F. myopie.] (Med.)
Defn: Myopia.
MYOSIN My"o*sin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An albuminous body present in dead muscle, being formed in the process of coagulation which takes place in rigor mortis; the clot formed in the coagulation of muscle plasma. See Muscle plasma, under Plasma.
Note: Myosin belongs to the group of globulins. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute solution of salt, and is especially characterized by being completely precipitated by saturation of its solutions with salt.
MYOSIS My*o"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Long-continued contraction of the pupil of the eye.
MYOSITIC My`o*sit"ic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Myotic.
MYOSITIS My`o*si"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the muscles.
MYOSOTIS My`o*so"tis, n. Etym: [NL.; Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants. See Mouse-ear.
MYOTIC My*ot"ic, a. Etym: [See Myosis.] (Med.)
Defn: Producing myosis, or contraction of the pupil of the eye, as opium, calabar bean, etc. -- n.
Defn: A myotic agent.
MYOTOME My"o*tome, n. Etym: [See Myotomy.] (Anat.) (a) A muscular segment; one of the zones into which the muscles of the trunk, especially in fishes, are divided; a myocomma. (b) One of the embryonic muscular segments arising from the protovertebræ; also, one of the protovertebræ themselves. (c) The muscular system of one metamere of an articulate.
MYOTOMIC My`o*tom"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a myotome or myotomes.
MYOTOMY My*ot"o*my, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. myotomie.]
Defn: The dissection, or that part of anatomy which treats of the dissection, of muscles.
MYRCIA Myr"ci*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large genus of tropical American trees and shrubs, nearly related to the true myrtles (Myrtus), from which they differ in having very few seeds in each berry.
MYRIA- Myr"i*a-. Etym: [Gr. Myriad.]
Defn: A prefix, esp. in the metric system, indicating ten thousand, ten thousand times; as, myriameter.
MYRIACANTHOUS Myr`i*a*can"thous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having numerous spines, as certain fishes.
MYRIAD Myr"i*ad, n. Etym: [Gr. myriade.]
1. The number of ten thousand; ten thousand persons or things.
2. An immense number; a very great many; an indefinitely large number.
MYRIAD Myr"i*ad, a.
Defn: Consisting of a very great, but indefinite, number; as, myriad stars.
MYRIAGRAM; MYRIAGRAMME Myr"i*a*gram, Myr"i*a*gramme, n. Etym: [F. myriagramme. See Myria-, and 3d Gram.]
Defn: A metric weight, consisting of ten thousand grams or ten kilograms. It is equal to 22.046 lbs. avoirdupois.
MYRIALITER; MYRIALITRE Myr"i*a*li`ter, Myr"i*a*li`tre, n. Etym: [F. myrialitre. See Myria-, and Liter.]
Defn: A metric measure of capacity, containing ten thousand liters. It is equal to 2641.7 wine gallons.
MYRIAMETER; MYRIAMETRE Myr"i*a*me`ter, Myr"i*a*me`tre, n. Etym: [F. myriamètre. See Myria-, and Meter.]
Defn: A metric measure of length, containing ten thousand meters. It is equal to 6.2137 miles.
MYRIAPOD Myr"i*a*pod, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myriapode.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Myriapoda.
MYRIAPODA Myr`i*ap"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class, or subclass, of arthropods, related to the hexapod insects, from which they differ in having the body made up of numerous similar segments, nearly all of which bear true jointed legs. They have one pair of antennæ, three pairs of mouth organs, and numerous trachaæ, similar to those of true insects. The larvæ, when first hatched, often have but three pairs of legs. See Centiped, Galleyworm, Milliped.
Note: The existing Myriapoda are divided into three orders: Chilopoda, Chilognatha or Diplopoda, and Pauropoda (see these words in the Vocabulary). Large fossil species (very different from any living forms) are found in the Carboniferous formation.
MYRIARCH Myr"i*arch, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A captain or commander of ten thousand men.
MYRIARE Myr"i*are, n. Etym: [F. See Myria-, and 2d Are.]
Defn: A measure of surface in the metric system containing ten thousand ares, or one million square meters. It is equal to about 247.1 acres.
MYRICA My*ri"ca, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A widely dispersed genus of shrubs and trees, usually with aromatic foliage. It includes the bayberry or wax myrtle, the sweet gale, and the North American sweet fern, so called.
MYRICIN Myr"i*cin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myricine. Prob. so called from a fancied resemblance to the wax of the bayberry (Myrica).] (Chem.)
Defn: A silky, crystalline, waxy substance, forming the less soluble part of beeswax, and regarded as a palmitate of a higher alcohol of the paraffin series; -- called also myricyl alcohol.
MYRICYL Myr"i*cyl, n. Etym: [Myricin + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical regarded as the essential residue of myricin; -- called also melissyl.
MYRIOLOGICAL Myr`i*o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or relating to a myriologue.
MYRIOLOGIST Myr`i*ol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who composes or sings a myriologue.
MYRIOLOGUE Myr"i*o*logue, n. Etym: [F. myriologue, myriologie, NGr.
Defn: An extemporaneous funeral song, composed and sung by a woman on the death of a friend. [Modern Greece]
MYRIOPHYLLOUS Myr`i*oph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having an indefinitely great or countless number of leaves.
MYRIOPODA Myr`i*op"o*da, n. pl.
Defn: See Myriapoda.
MYRIORAMA Myr`i*o*ra"ma, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A picture made up of several smaller pictures, drawn upon separate pieces in such a manner as to admit of combination in many different ways, thus producing a great variety of scenes or landscapes.
MYRIOSCOPE Myr"i*o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.]
Defn: A form of kaleidoscope.
MYRISTATE My*ris"tate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of myristic acid.
MYRISTIC My*ris"tic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the nutmeg (Myristica). Specifically, designating an acid found in nutmeg oil and otoba fat, and extracted as a white crystalline waxy substance.
MYRISTIN My*ris"tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: The myristate of glycerin, -- found as a vegetable fat in nutmeg butter, etc.
MYRISTONE My*ris"tone, n. Etym: [Myristc + -one.] (Chem.)
Defn: The ketone of myristic acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
MYRMECOPHYTE Myr"me*co*phyte`, n. [Gr. my`rmhx, my`rmhkos, ant + fyto`n plant.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant that affords shelter and food to certain species of ants which live in symbiotic relations with it. Special adaptations for this purpose exist; thus, Acacia spadicigera has large hollows thorns, and species of Cecropia have stem cavities. -- Myr`me*co*phyt"ic (#), a.
MYRMICINE Myr"mi*cine, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Myrmica, a genus of ants including the small house ant (M. molesta), and many others.
MYRMIDON Myr"mi*don, n. Etym: [L. Myrmidones, Gr.
1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompained Achilles, their king, to the Trojan war.
2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; -- sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc. Thackeray. With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and his myrmidons pressed forward. W. H. Ainsworth.
MYRMIDONIAN Myr`mi*do"ni*an, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or like, myrmidons. Pope.
MYRMOTHERINE Myr`mo*the"rine, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Feeding upon ants; -- said of certain birds.
MYROBALAN; MYROBOLAN My*rob"a*lan, My*rob"o*lan, n. Etym: [L. myrobalanum the fruit of a palm tree from which a balsam was made, Gr. myrobolan.]
Defn: A dried astringent fruit much resembling a prune. It contains tannin, and was formerly used in medicine, but is now chiefly used in tanning and dyeing. Myrobolans are produced by various species of Terminalia of the East Indies, and of Spondias of South America.
MYRONIC My*ron"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, mustard; -- used specifically to designate a glucoside called myronic acid, found in mustard seed.
MYROPOLIST My*rop"o*list, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who sells unguents or perfumery. [Obs.] Jonhson.
MYROSIN Myr"o*sin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A ferment, resembling diastase, found in mustard seeds.
MYROXYLON My*rox"y*lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of leguminous trees of tropical America, the different species of which yield balsamic products, among which are balsam of Peru, and balsam of Tolu. The species were formerly referred to Myrospermum.
MYRRH Myrrh, n. Etym: [OE. mirre, OF. mirre, F. myrrhe, L. myrrha, murra, Gr. murr bitter, also myrrh, Heb. mar bitter.]
Defn: A gum resin, usually of a yellowish brown or amber color, of an aromatic odor, and a bitter, slightly pungent taste. It is valued for its odor and for its medicinal properties. It exuds from the bark of a shrub of Abyssinia and Arabia, the Balsamodendron Myrrha. The myrrh of the Bible is supposed to have been partly the gum above named, and
## partly the exudation of species of Cistus, or rockrose. False myrrh.
See the Note under Bdellium.
MYRRHIC Myr"rhic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, myrrh.
MYRRHINE Myr"rhine, a.
Defn: Murrhine.
MYRTACEOUS Myr*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [L. myrtaceus.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a large and important natural order of trees and shrubs (Myrtaceæ), of which the myrtle is the type. It includes the genera Eucalyptus, Pimenta, Lechythis, and about seventy more.
MYRTIFORM Myr"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. myrtus myrtle + -form: cf. F. myrtiforme.]
Defn: Resembling myrtle or myrtle berries; having the form of a myrtle leaf.
MYRTLE Myr"tle, n. Etym: [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. m.] (Bot.)
Defn: A species of the genus Myrtus, especially Myrtus communis. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head, thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the beautifully mottled wood is used in turning.
Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered periwinkle and the yellow- flowered moneywort. In the West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called myrtle. Bog myrtle, the sweet gale. -- Crape myrtle. See under Crape. -- Myrtle warbler (Zoöl.), a North American wood warbler (Dendroica coronata); -- called also myrtle bird, yellow-rumped warbler, and yellow-crowned warbler. -- Myrtle wax. (Bot.) See Bayberry tallow, under Bayberry. -- Sand myrtle, a low, branching evergreen shrub (Leiophyllum buxifolium), growing in New Jersey and southward. -- Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera). See Bayberry.
MYSELF My*self", pron.; pl. Ourselves (.
Defn: I or me in person; -- used for emphasis, my own self or person; as I myself will do it; I have done it myself; -- used also instead of me, as the object of the first person of a reflexive verb, without emphasis; as, I will defend myself.
MYSELVEN My*selv"en, pron.
Defn: Myself. [Obs.]
MYSIS My"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small schizopod shrimps found both in fresh and salt water; the opossum shrimps. One species inhabits the Great Lakes of North America, and is largely eaten by the whitefish. The marine species form part of the food of right whales.
MYSTACAL Mys"ta*cal, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the upper lip, or mustache.
MYSTAGOGIC; MYSTAGOGICAL Mys`ta*gog"ic, Mys`ta*gog"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to interpretation of mysteries or to mystagogue; of the nature of mystagogy.
MYSTAGOGUE Mys"ta*gogue, n. Etym: [L. mystagogus, Gr. mystagogue. See 1st Mystery.]
1. interprets mysteries, especially of a religious kind.
2. One who keeps and shows church relics.
MYSTAGOGY Mys"ta*go`gy, n.
Defn: The doctrines, principles, or practice of a mystagogue; interpretation of mysteries.
MYSTERIAL Mys*te"ri*al, a.
Defn: Mysterious. [Obs.]
MYSTERIARCH Mys*te"ri*arch, n. Etym: [L. mysteriarches, Gr.
Defn: One presiding over mysteries. [Obs.]
MYSTERIOUS Mys*te"ri*ous, a. Etym: [F. mystèrieux. See 1st Mystery.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mystery; containing a mystery; difficult or impossible to understand; obscure not revealed or explained; enigmatical; incomprehensible. God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied, Thought in mysterious terms. Milton.
Syn. -- Obscure; secret; occult; dark; mystic; cabalistic; enigmatical; unintelligible; incomprehensible.
MYSTERIOUSLY Mys*te"ri*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mysterious manner.
MYSTERIOUSNESS Mys*te"ri*ous*ness, n.
1. The state or quality of being mysterious.
2. Something mysterious; a mystery. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
MYSTERIZE Mys"ter*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mysterized; p. pr. & vb. n. Mysterizing.]
Defn: To make mysterious; to make a mystery of.
MYSTERY Mys"ter*y, n.; pl. Mysteries. Etym: [L. mysterium, Gr. Mute, a.]
1. A profound secret; something wholly unknown, or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder; something which has not been or can not be explained; hence, specifically, that which is beyond human comprehension. We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. 1 Cor. ii. 7. If God should please to reveal unto us this great mystery of the Trinity, or some other mysteries in our holy religion, we should not be able to understand them, unless he would bestow on us some new faculties of the mind. Swift.
2. A kind of secret religious celebration, to which none were admitted except those who had been initiated by certain preparatory ceremonies; -- usually plural; as, the Eleusinian mysteries.
3. pl.
Defn: The consecrated elements in the eucharist.
4. Anything artfully made difficult; an enigma.
MYSTERY Mys"ter*y, n.; pl. Mysteries. Etym: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. métier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]
1. A trade; a handicraft; hence, any business with which one is usually occupied. Fie upon him, he will discredit our mystery. Shak. And that which is the noblest mystery Brings to reproach and common infamy. Spenser.
2. A dramatic representation of a Scriptural subject, often some event in the life of Christ; a dramatic composition of this character; as, the Chester Mysteries, consisting of dramas acted by various craft associations in that city in the early part of the 14th century. "Mystery plays," so called because acted by craftsmen. Skeat.
MYSTIC; MYSTICAL Mys"tic, Mys"tic*al, a. Etym: [L. mysticus, Gr. mystique. See 1st Mystery, Misty.]
1. Remote from or beyond human comprehension; baffling human understanding; unknowable; obscure; mysterious. Heaven's numerous hierarchy span The mystic gulf from God to man. Emerson. God hath revealed a way mystical and supernatural. Hooker.
2. Importing or implying mysticism; involving some secret meaning; allegorical; emblematical; as, a mystic dance; mystic Babylon. Thus, then, did the spirit of unity and meekness inspire every joint and sinew of the mystical body. Milton. -- Mys"tic*al*ly, adv. -- Mys"tic*al*ness, n.
MYSTIC Mys"tic, n.
Defn: One given to mysticism; one who holds mystical views, interpretations, etc.; especially, in ecclesiastical history, one who professed mysticism. See Mysticism.
MYSTICETE Mys"ti*cete, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any right whale, or whalebone whale. See Cetacea.
MYSTICISM Mys"ti*cism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mysticisme.]
1. Obscurity of doctrine.
2. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: The doctrine of the Mystics, who professed a pure, sublime, and wholly disinterested devotion, and maintained that they had direct intercourse with the divine Spirit, and aquired a knowledge of God and of spiritual things unattainable by the natural intellect, and such as can not be analyzed or explained.
3. (Philos.)
Defn: The doctrine that the ultimate elements or principles of knowledge or belief are gained by an act or process akin to feeling or faith.
MYSTIFICATION Mys`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mystification.]
Defn: The act of mystifying, or the state of being mystied; also, something designed to, or that does, mystify. The reply of Pope seems very much as though he had been playing off a mystification on his Grace. De Quincey.
MYSTIFICATOR Mys"ti*fi*ca`tor, n.
Defn: One who mystifies.
MYSTIFY Mys"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mystified; p. pr. & vb. n. Mystifying.] Etym: [F. mystifier, fr. Gr. -ficare (in comp.) to make. See 1st Mystery, and -fy.]
1. To involve in mystery; to make obscure or difficult to understand; as, to mystify a passage of Scripture.
2. To perplex the mind of; to puzzle; to impose upon the credulity of ; as, to mystify an opponent. He took undue advantage of his credulity and mystified him exceedingly. Ld. Campbell.
MYTACISM My"ta*cism, n. Etym: [Gr. Metacism.]
Defn: Too frequent use of the letter m, or of the sound represented by it.
MYTH Myth, n. [Written also mythe.] Etym: [Gr. mythe.]
1. A story of great but unknown age which originally embodied a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; an ancient legend of a god, a hero, the origin of a race, etc.; a wonder story of prehistoric origin; a popular fable which is, or has been, received as historical.
2. A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable. As for Mrs. Primmins's bones, they had been myths these twenty years. Ld. Lytton. Myth history, history made of, or mixed with, myths.
MYTHE Mythe, n.
Defn: See Myth. Grote.
MYTHIC; MYTHICAL Myth"ic, Myth"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mythicus, Gr. Myth.]
Defn: Of or relating to myths; described in a myth; of the nature of a myth; fabulous; imaginary; fanciful. -- Myth"ic*al*ly, adv. The mythic turf where danced the nymphs. Mrs. Browning. Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena, Arthur and Mordred, are mythical persons, whose very existence may be questioned. Macaulay.
MYTHOGRAPHER My*thog"ra*pher, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A composer of fables.
MYTHOLOGER My*thol"o*ger, n.
Defn: A mythologist.
MYTHOLOGIAN Myth`o*lo"gi*an, n.
Defn: A mythologist.
MYTHOLOGIC; MYTHOLOGICAL Myth`o*log"ic, Myth`o*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mythologicus: cf. F. mytholigique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mythology or to myths; mythical; fabulous. -- Myth`o*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
MYTHOLOGIST My*thol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mythologiste.]
Defn: One versed in, or who writes on, mythology or myths.
MYTHOLOGIZE My*thol"o*gize, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. mythologiser.]
1. To relate, classify, and explain, or attempt to explain, myths; to write upon myths.
2. To construct and propagate myths.
MYTHOLOGIZER My*thol"o*gi`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mythologizes. Imagination has always been, and still is, in a narrower sense, the great mythologizer. Lowell.
MYTHOLOGUE Myth"o*logue, n. Etym: [See Mythology.]
Defn: A fabulous narrative; a myth. [R.] May we not ... consider his history of the fall as an excellent mythologue, to account for the origin of human evil Geddes.
MYTHOLOGY My*thol"o*gy, n.; pl. Mythologies. Etym: [F. mythologie, L. mythologia, Gr.
1. The science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths.
2. A body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks.
MYTHOPLASM Myth"o*plasm, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A narration of mere fable.
MYTHOPOEIC Myth`o*poe"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Making or producing myths; giving rise to mythical narratives. The mythopoeic fertility of the Greeks. Grote.
MYTHOPOETIC Myth`o*po*et"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Making or producing myths or mythical tales.
MYTILOID Myt"i*loid, a. Etym: [Mytilus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Mytilus, or family Mytilidæ.
MYTILOTOXINE Myt`i*lo*tox"ine, n. Etym: [Mytilus + toxic.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous base (leucomaine) found in the common mussel. It either causes paralysis of the muscles, or gives rise to convulsions, including death by an accumulation of carbonic acid in the blood.
MYTILUS Myt"i*lus, n. Etym: [L., a sea mussel, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine bivalve shells, including the common mussel. See Illust. under Byssus.
MYXA Myx"a, n. Etym: [L., a lamp nozzle, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The distal end of the mandibles of a bird.
MYXINE Myx"ine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marsipobranchs, including the hagfish. See Hag, 4.
MYXINOID Myx"i*noid, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Myxine. -- n.
Defn: A hagfish.
MYXOCYSTODEA Myx`o*cys*to"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Infusoria including the Noctiluca. See Noctiluca.
MYXOEDEMA Myx`o*de"ma, n. [NL. fr. Gr. mucus + odema.] (Med.)
Defn: A disease producing a peculiar cretinoid appearance of the face, slow speech, and dullness of intellect, and due to failure of the functions of the thyroid gland. -- Myx`o*dem"a*tous (#), a., Myx`o*dem"ic (#), a.
MYXOMA Myx*o"ma, n.; pl. Myxomata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor made up of a gelatinous tissue resembling that found in the umbilical cord.
MYXOMYCETES Myx`o*my*ce"tes, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. mucus, slime + myceles.] (Bot.)
Defn: A class of peculiar organisms, the slime molds, formerly regarded as animals (Mycetozoa), but now generally thought to be plants and often separated as a distinct phylum (Myxophyta). They are found on damp earth and decaying vegetable matter, and consist of naked masses of protoplasm, often of considerable size, which creep very slowly over the surface and ingest solid food. -- Myx`o*my*ce"tous (#), a.
MYXOPHYTA Myx*oph"y*ta, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. mucus, slime + plant.] (Bot.)
Defn: A phylum of the vegetable kingdom consisting of the class Myxomycetes. By some botanists it is not separated from the Thallophyta.
MYXOPOD Myx"o*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. -pod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A rhizopod or moneran. Also used adjectively; as, a myxopod state.
MYZONTES My*zon"tes, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Marsipobranchiata.
MYZOSTOMATA My`zo*stom"a*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. my`zein to suck + sto`ma, -atos, mouth.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of curious parasitic worms found on crinoids. The body is short and disklike, with four pairs of suckers and five pairs of hook-bearing parapodia on the under side.
N
Defn: N, the fourteenth letter of English alphabet, is a vocal consonent, and, in allusion to its mode of formation, is called the dentinasal or linguanasal consonent. Its commoner sound is that heard in ran, done; but when immediately followed in the same word by the sound of g hard or k (as in single, sink, conquer), it usually represents the same sound as the digraph ng in sing, bring, etc. This is a simple but related sound, and is called the gutturo-nasal consonent. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 243-246. The letter N came into English through the Latin and Greek from the Phoenician, which probably derived it from the Egyptian as the ultimate origin. It is etymologically most closely related to M. See M.
N N, n. (Print.)
Defn: A measure of space equal to half an M (or em); an en.
NA Na, a. & adv.
Defn: No, not. See No. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NAB Nab, n. Etym: [Cf. Knap, Knop, Knob.]
1. The summit of an eminence. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
2. (Firearms)
Defn: The cock of a gunlock. Knight.
3. (Locksmithing)
Defn: The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot. Knight.
NAB Nab, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Nabbing.] Etym: [Dan nappe, or Sw. nappa.]
Defn: To catch or seize suddenly or unexpectedly. [Colloq.] Smollett.
NABIT Na"bit, n.
Defn: Pulverized sugar candy. Crabb.
NABK Nabk, n. Etym: [Ar. nabiqa,nibqa.] (Bot.)
Defn: The edible berries of the Zizyphys Lotus, a tree of Northern Africa, and Southwestern Europe. [Written also nubk.] See Lotus (b), and Sadr.
NABOB Na"bob, n. Etym: [Hind. nawab, from Ar. nawab, pl. of na\'8bb a vicegerent, governor. Cf Nawab.]
1. A deputy or viceroy in India; a governor of a province of the ancient Mogul empire.
2. One who returns to Europe from the East with immense riches: hence, any man of great wealth. " A bilious old nabob." Macaulay.
NACARAT Nac"a*rat, n. Etym: [F. nacarat, fr. Sp. or Pg. nacarado, fr. nácar mother-of-pearl. See Nacre.]
1. A pale red color, with a cast of orange. Ure.
2. Fine linen or crape dyed of this color. Ure.
NACELLE Na*celle", n. [F.]
1. A small boat. [Obs.]
2. The basket suspended from a balloon; hence, the framework forming the body of a dirigible balloon, and containing the machinery, passengers, etc.
3. A boatlike, inclosed body of an aëroplane.
NACKER Nack"er, n.
Defn: See Nacre. Johnson.
NACRE Na"cre, n. Etym: [F., cf. Sp. nácara, nácar, It. nacchera, naccaro, LL. nacara, nacrum; of Oriental origin, cf. Ar. nakir hollowed.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pearly substance which lines the interior of many shells, and is most perfect in the mother-of-pearl. [Written also nacker and naker.] See Pearl, and Mother-of-pearl.
NACREOUS Na"cre*ous, a. Etym: [See Nacre.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Consisting of, or resembling, nacre; pearly.
NAD; NADDE Nad, Nad"de. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne hadde.]
Defn: Had not. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NADDER Nad"der, n. Etym: [AS.nædre. See Adder.]
Defn: An adder. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NADIR Na"dir, n. Etym: [F., Sp., & It. nadir; all fr. Ar. nasiru's samt nadir, prop., the point opposite the zenith (as samt), in which nasir means alike, corresponding to. Cf. Azimuth, Zenith.]
1. That point of the heavens, or lower hemisphere, directly opposite the zenith; the inferior pole of the horizon; the point of the celestial sphere directly under the place where we stand.
2. The lowest point; the time of greatest depression. The seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe. Hallam. Nadir of the sun (Astron.), the axis of the conical shadow projected by the earth. Crabb.
NAENIA Næ"ni*a, n.
Defn: See Nenia.
NAEVE Næve, n. Etym: [L. naevus.]
Defn: A nævus. [Obs.] Dryden.
NAEVOID Næ"void, a. Etym: [Nævus + -oid.]
Defn: Resembling a nævus or nævi; as, nævoid elephantiasis. Dunglison.
NAEVOSE Næ"vose`, a.
Defn: Spotted; frecled.
NAEVUS Næ"vus, n.; pl.Nævi (-vi). Etym: [L.] (Med.)
Defn: A spot or mark on the skin of children when born; a birthmark; -- usually applied to vascular tumors, i. e., those consisting mainly of blood vessels, as dilated arteries, veins, or capillaries.
NAG Nag, n. Etym: [OE. nagge, D. negge; akin to E. neigh.]
1. A small horse; a pony; hence, any horse.
2. A paramour; -- in contempt. [Obs.] Shak.
NAG Nag, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Nagged; p. pr. & vb. n. Nagging.] Etym: [Cf. Sw. nagga to nibble, peck, Dan. nage to gnaw, Icel. naga, gnaga, G. nagen, & E. gnaw.]
Defn: To tease in a petty way; to scold habitually; to annoy; to fret pertinaciously. [Colloq.] "She never nagged." J. Ingelow.
NAGANA Na*ga"na, n. [Prob. native name.] (Med.)
Defn: The disease caused by the tsetse fly. [South Africa]
NAGGING Nag"ging, a.
Defn: Fault-finding; teasing; persistently annoying; as, a nagging toothache. [Colloq.]
NAGGY Nag"gy a.
Defn: Irritable; touchy. [Colloq.]
NAGOR Na"gor, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A West African gazelle (Gazella redunca).
NAGYAGITE Nag"yag*ite, n. Etym: [So called from Nagyag, in Transylvania.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of blackish lead-gray color and metallic luster, generally of a foliated massive structure; foliated tellurium. It is a telluride of lead and gold.
NAIAD Na"iad, n. Etym: [L. naias, -adis, naïs, -idis, a water nymph, Gr naïade. Cf. Naid.]
1. (Myth.)
Defn: A water nymph; one of the lower female divinities, fabled to preside over some body of fresh water, as a lake, river, brook, or fountain.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of a tribe (Naiades) of freshwater bivalves, including Unio, Anodonta, and numerous allied genera; a river mussel.
3. (Zoöl)
Defn: One of a group of butterflies. See Nymph.
4. (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the order Naiadaceæ, such as eelgrass, pondweed, etc.
NAIANT Na"iant, a.
Defn: (Her.) See Natant. Crabb.
NAID Na"id, n. Etym: [See Naiad.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of small, fresh-water, chætopod annelids of the tribe Naidina. They belong to the Oligochæta.
NAIF Na"ïf` (formerly , a. Etym: [F. naïf. See Naïve.]
1. Having a true natural luster without being cut; -- applied by jewelers to a precious stone.
2. Naïve; as, a naïf remark. London Spectator.
NAIK Na"ik, n. Etym: [Hind. nayak.]
Defn: A chief; a leader; a Sepoy corporal. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
NAIL Nail, n. Etym: [AS. nægel, akin to D. nagel, OS nagal, G. nagel, Icel. nagl, nail (in sense 1), nagli nail (in sense 3), Sw. nagel nail (in senses 1 and 3), Dan. nagle, Goth. ganagljan to nail, Lith. nagas nail (in sense 1), Russ. nogote, L. unguis, Gr. nakha.
1. (Anat.)
Defn: the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes. His nayles like a briddes claws were. Chaucer.
Note: The nails are strictly homologous with hoofs and claws. When compressed, curved, and pointed, they are called talons or claws, and the animal bearing them is said to be unguiculate; when they incase the extremities of the digits they are called hoofs, and the animal is ungulate.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera. (b) The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
3. A slender, pointed piece of metal, usually with a head, used for fastening pieces of wood or other material together, by being driven into or through them.
Note: The different sorts of nails are named either from the use to which they are applied, from their shape, from their size, or from some other characteristic, as shingle, floor, ship-carpenters', and horseshoe nails, roseheads, diamonds, fourpenny, tenpenny (see Penny), chiselpointed, cut, wrought, or wire nails, etc.
4. A measure of length, being two inches and a quarter, or the sixteenth of a yard. Nail ball (Ordnance), a round projectile with an iron bolt protruding to prevent it from turning in the gun. -- Nail plate, iron in plates from which cut nails are made. -- On the nail, in hand; on the spot; immediately; without delay or time of credit; as, to pay money on the nail. "You shall have ten thousand pounds on the nail." Beaconsfield. -- To hit the nail on the head, to hit most effectively; to do or say a thing in the right way.
NAIL Nail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Nailing.] Etym: [AS. næglian. See Nail, n.]
1. To fasten with a nail or nails; to close up or secure by means of nails; as, to nail boards to the beams. He is now dead, and nailed in his chest. Chaucer.
2. To stud or boss with nails, or as with nails. The rivets of your arms were nailed with gold. Dryden.
3. To fasten, as with a nail; to bind or hold, as to a bargain or to acquiescence in an argument or assertion; hence, to catch; to trap. When they came to talk of places in town, you saw at once how I nailed them. Goldsmith.
4. To spike, as a cannon. [Obs.] Crabb. To nail a lie or an assertion, etc., to detect and expose it, so as to put a stop to its currency; -- an expression probably derived from the former practice of shopkeepers, who were accustomed to nail bad or counterfeit pieces of money to the counter.
NAILBRUSH Nail"brush`, n.
Defn: A brush for cleaning the nails.
NAILER Nail"er, n.
1. One whose occupation is to make nails; a nail maker.
2. One who fastens with, or drives, nails.
NAILERESS Nail"er*ess, n.
Defn: A women who makes nailes.
NAILERY Nail"er*y, n.; pl. Naileries (.
Defn: A manufactory where nails are made.
NAIL-HEADED Nail"-head`ed, a.
Defn: Having a head like that of a nail; formed so as to resemble the head of a nail. Nail-headed characters, arrowheaded or cuneiform characters. See under Arrowheaded. -- Nail-headed molding (Arch.), an ornament consisting of a series of low four-sided pyramids resembling the heads of large nails; -- called also nail-head molding, or nail-head. It is the same as the simplest form of dogtooth. See Dogtooth.
NAILLESS Nail"less, a.
Defn: Without nails; having no nails.
NAINSOOK Nain`sook", n. Etym: [Nainsukh, a valley in Kaghan.]
Defn: A thick sort of jaconet muslin, plain or striped, formerly made in India.
NAIS Na"is, n. Etym: [L., a naiad.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Naiad.
NAISSANT Nais`sant", a. Etym: [F., p. pr. of naître to be born, L. nasci.] (Her.)
Defn: Same as Jessant.
NAIVE Na"ïve`, a. Etym: [F. naïf, fem. naïve, fr. L. nativus innate, natural, native. See Native, and cf. Naïf.]
Defn: Having native or unaffected simplicity; ingenuous; artless; frank; as, naïve manners; a naïve person; naïve and unsophisticated remarks.
NAIVELY Na"ïve`ly, adv.
Defn: In a naïve manner.
NAIVETE Na`ïve`té", n. Etym: [F. See Naïve, and cf. Nativity.]
Defn: Native simplicity; unaffected plainness or ingenuousness; artlessness. A story which pleases me by its naïveté -- that is, by its unconscious ingenuousness. De Quincey.
NAIVETY Na"ïve`ty
Defn: , n. Naïveté. Carlyle.
NAKE Nake
Defn: ,v.t. To make naked. [Obs.] Chaucer. Come, be ready, nake your swords. Old Play.
NAKED Na"ked, a. Etym: [AS. nacod; akin to D. naakt, G. nackt, OHG. nacchot, nahhot, Icel. nökvi, nakinn, Sw. naken, Dan. nögen, Goth. naqa, Lith. n, Russ. nagii, L. nudus, Skr. nagna. sq. root266. Cf. Nude.]
1. Having no clothes on; uncovered; nude; bare; as, a naked body; a naked limb; a naked sword.
2. Having no means of defense or protection; open; unarmed; defenseless. Thy power is full naked. Chaucer. Behold my bosom naked to your swords. Addison.
3. Unprovided with needful or desirable accessories, means of sustenance, etc.; destitute; unaided; bare. Patriots who had exposed themselves for the public, and whom they say now left naked. Milton.
4. Without addition, exaggeration, or excuses; not concealed or disguised; open to view; manifest; plain. The truth appears so naked on my side, That any purblind eye may find it out. Shak. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we to do. Heb. iv. 13.
5. Mere; simple; plain. The very naked name of love. Shak.
6. (Bot.)
Defn: Without pubescence; as, a naked leaf or stem; bare, or not covered by the customary parts, as a flower without a perianth, a stem without leaves, seeds without a pericarp, buds without bud scales.
7. (Mus.)
Defn: Not having the full complement of tones; -- said of a chord of only two tones, which requires a third tone to be sounded with them to make the combination pleasing to the ear; as, a naked fourth or fifth. Naked bed, a bed the occupant of which is naked, no night linen being worn in ancient times. Shak. -- Naked eye, the eye alone, unaided by glasses, or by telescope, microscope, or the like. -- Naked-eyed medusa. (Zoöl.) See Hydromedusa. -- Naked flooring (Carp.), the timberwork which supports a floor. Gwilt. -- Naked mollusk (Zoöl.), a nudibranch. -- Naked wood (Bot.), a large rhamnaceous tree (Colibrina reclinata) of Southern Florida and the West Indies, having a hard and heavy heartwood, which takes a fine polish. C. S. Sargent.
Syn. -- Nude; bare; denuded; uncovered; unclothed; exposed; unarmed; plain; defenseless.
NAKEDLY Na"ked*ly, adv.
Defn: In a naked manner; without covering or disguise; manifestly; simply; barely.
NAKEDNESS Na"ked*ness, n.
1. The condition of being naked.
2. (Script.)
Defn: The privy parts; the genitals. Ham ... saw the nakedness of his father. Gen. ix. 22.
NAKER Na"ker, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Nacre.
NAKER Na"ker, n. Etym: [OE. nakere, F. nakaire, LL. nacara, Per. naqaret.]
Defn: A kind of kettledrum. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NAKOO Na"koo, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The gavial. [Written also nako.]
NALE Nale, n. Etym: [A corrupt form arising from the older "at þen ale" at the nale.]
Defn: Ale; also, an alehouse. [Obs.] Great feasts at the nale. Chaucer.
NALL Nall, n. Etym: [Either fr. Icel. nal (see Needle); or fr. awl, like newt fr. ewt.]
Defn: An awl. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Tusser.
NAM Nam. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne am.]
Defn: Am not. [Obs.]
NAM Nam, obs. imp.
Defn: of Nim. Chaucer.
NAMABLE Nam"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being named.
NAMATION Na*ma"tion, n. Etym: [LL. namare to take; cf. AS. niman to take.] (O. Eng. & Scots Law)
Defn: A distraining or levying of a distress; an impounding. Burrill.
NAMAYCUSH Nam"ay*cush, n. Etym: [Indian name.] (Zool.)
Defn: A large North American lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). It is usually spotted with red, and sometimes weighs over forty pounds. Called also Mackinaw trout, lake trout, lake salmon, salmon trout, togue, and tuladi.
NAMBY-PAMBY Nam"by-pam`by, n. Etym: [From Ambrose Phillips, in ridicule of the extreme simplicity of some of his verses.]
Defn: Talk or writing which is weakly sentimental or affectedly pretty. Macaulay.
NAMBY-PAMBY Nam"by-pam`by, a.
Defn: Affectedly pretty; weakly sentimental; finical; insipid. Thackeray. Namby-pamby madrigals of love. W. Gifford.
NAME Name, n. Etym: [AS. nama; akin to D. naam, OS. & OHG. namo, G. name, Icel. nafn, for namn, Dan. navn, Sw. namn, Goth. namo, L. nomen (perh. influenced by noscere, gnoscere, to learn to know), Gr. 'o`mona, Scr. naman. sq. root267. Cf. Anonymous, Ignominy, Misnomer, Nominal, Noun.]
1. The title by which any person or thing is known or designated; a distinctive specific appellation, whether of an individual or a class. Whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Gen. ii. 19. What's in a name That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. Shak.
2. A descriptive or qualifying appellation given to a person or thing, on account of a character or acts. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Is. ix. 6.
3. Reputed character; reputation, good or bad; estimation; fame; especially, illustrious character or fame; honorable estimation; distinction. What men of name resort to him Shak. Far above ... every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Eph. i. 21. I will get me a name and honor in the kingdom. 1 Macc. iii. 14. He hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin. Deut. xxii. 19. The king's army ...had left no good name behind. Clarendon.
4. Those of a certain name; a race; a family. The ministers of the republic, mortal enemies of his name, came every day to pay their feigned civilities. Motley.
5. A person, an individual. [Poetic] They list with women each degenerate name. Dryden. Christian name. (a) The name a person receives at baptism, as distinguished from surname; baptismal name. (b) A given name, whether received at baptism or not. -- Given name. See under Given. -- In name, in profession, or by title only; not in reality; as, a friend in name. -- In the name of. (a) In behalf of; by the authority of. " I charge you in the duke's name to obey me." Shak. (b) In the represented or assumed character of. " I'll to him again in name of Brook." Shak. -- Name plate, a plate as of metal, glass, etc., having a name upon it, as a sign; a doorplate. -- Pen name, a name assumed by an author; a pseudonym or nom de plume. Bayard Taylor. -- Proper name (Gram.), a name applied to a particular person, place, or thing. -- To call names, to apply opprobrious epithets to; to call by reproachful appellations. -- To take a name in vain, to use a name lightly or profanely; to use a name in making flippant or dishonest oaths. Ex. xx. 7.
Syn. -- Appellation; title; designation; cognomen; denomination; epithet. -- Name, Appellation, Title, Denomination. Name is generic, denoting that combination of sounds or letters by which a person or thing is known and distinguished. Appellation, although sometimes put for name simply, denotes, more properly, a descriptive term, used by way of marking some individual peculiarity or characteristic; as, Charles the Bold, Philip the Stammerer. A title is a term employed to point out one's rank, office, etc.; as, the Duke of Bedford, Paul the Apostle, etc. Denomination is to particular bodies what appellation is to individuals; thus, the church of Christ is divided into different denominations, as Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc.
NAME Name, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Named; p. pr. & vb. n. Naming.] Etym: [AS. namian. See Name, n.]
1. To give a distinctive name or appellation to; to entitle; to denominate; to style; to call. She named the child Ichabod. 1 Sam. iv. 21. Thus was the building left Ridiculous, and the work Confusion named. Milton.
2. To mention by name; to utter or publish the name of; to refer to by distinctive title; to mention. None named thee but to praise. Halleck. Old Yew, which graspest at the stones That name the underlying dead. Tennyson.
3. To designate by name or specifically for any purpose; to nominate; to specify; to appoint; as, to name a day for the wedding. Whom late you have named for consul. Shak.
4. (House of Commons)
Defn: To designate (a member) by name, as the Speaker does by way of reprimand.
Syn. -- To denominate; style; term; call; mention; specify; designate; nominate.
NAMELESS Name"less, a.
1. Without a name; not having been given a name; as, a nameless star. Waller.
2. Undistinguished; not noted or famous. A nameless dwelling and an unknown name. Harte.
3. Not known or mentioned by name; anonymous; as, a nameless writer."Nameless pens." Atterbury.
4. Unnamable; indescribable; inexpressible. But what it is, that is not yet known; what I can not name; nameless woe,I wot. Shak. I have a nameless horror of the man. Hawthorne.
NAMELESSLY Name"less*ly, adv.
Defn: In a nameless manner.
NAMELY Name"ly, adv.
1. By name; by particular mention; specifically; especially; expressly. [Obs.] Chaucer. The solitariness of man ...God hath namely and principally ordered to prevent by marriage. Milton.
2. That is to say; to wit; videlicet; -- introducing a particular or specific designation. For the excellency of the soul, namely, its power of divining dreams; that several such divinations have been made, none Addison.
NAMER Nam"er, n.
Defn: One who names, or calls by name.
NAMESAKE Name"sake`, n. Etym: [For name's sake; i. e., one named for the sake of another's name.]
Defn: One that has the same name as another; especially, one called after, or named out of regard to, another.
NAMO Na*mo", adv.
Defn: No more. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NAN Nan, inerj. Etym: [For anan.]
Defn: Anan. [Prov. Eng.]
NANDINE Nan"dine, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An African carnivore (Nandinia binotata), allied to the civets. It is spotted with black.
NANDOU; NANDU Nan"dou, Nan"du, n. Etym: [Braz. nhandu or yandu.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of three species of South American ostriches of the genera Rhea and Pterocnemia. See Rhea. [Written also nandow.]
NANISM Na"nism, n. [Gr. + -ism: cf. F. nanisme.]
Defn: The condition of being abnormally small in stature; dwarfishness; -- opposed to gigantism.
NANKEEN Nan*keen", n. Etym: [So called from its being originally manufactured at Nankin, in China.] [Written also nankin.]
1. A species of cloth, of a firm texture, originally brought from China, made of a species of cotton (Gossypium religiosum) that is naturally of a brownish yellow color quite indestructible and permanent.
2. An imitation of this cloth by artificial coloring.
3. pl.
Defn: Trousers made of nankeen. Ld. Lytton. Nankeen bird (Zoöl.), the Australian night heron (Nycticorax Caledonicus); -- called also quaker.
NANNY Nan"ny, n.
Defn: A diminutive of Ann or Anne, the proper name. Nanny goat, a female goat. [Colloq.]
NANNYBERRY Nan"ny*ber`ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Sheepberry.
NANPIE Nan"pie, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The magpie.
NAOS Na"os, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Arch.)
Defn: A term used by modern archæologists instead of cella. See Cella.
NAP Nap, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Napped; p. pr. & vb. n. Napping.] Etym: [OE. nappen, AS. hn&ppian to take a nap, to slumber; cf. AS. hnipian to bend one's self, Icel. hnipna, hnipa, to droop.]
1. To have a short sleep; to be drowsy; to doze. Chaucer.
2. To be in a careless, secure state. Wyclif. I took thee napping, unprepared. Hudibras.
NAP Nap, n.
Defn: A short sleep; a doze; a siesta. Cowper.
NAP Nap, n. Etym: [OE. noppe, AS. hnoppa; akin to D. nop, Dan. noppe, LG. nobbe.]
1. Woolly or villous surface of felt, cloth, plants, etc.; an external covering of down, of short fine hairs or fibers forming part of the substance of anything, and lying smoothly in one direction; the pile; -- as, the nap of cotton flannel or of broadcloth.
2. pl.
Defn: The loops which are cut to make the pile, in velvet. Knight.
NAP Nap, v. t.
Defn: To raise, or put, a nap on.
NAPE Nape, n. Etym: [Perh. akin to knap a knop.]
Defn: The back part of the neck. Spenser.
NAPE-CREST Nape"-crest`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An African bird of the genus Schizorhis, related to the plantain eaters.
NAPERY Na"per*y, n.; pl. Naperies. Etym: [OF. naperie, fr. nape a tablecloth, F. nappe, LL. napa, fr. L. mappa. See Map, and cf. Apron, Napkin.]
Defn: Table linen; also, linen clothing, or linen in general. [Obs.] Gayton.
NAPHA WATER Na"pha wa`ter. Etym: [Sp. nafa, from Ar. napha odor.]
Defn: A perfume distilled from orange flowers.
NAPHEW Na"phew, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Navew.
NAPHTHA Naph"tha, n. Etym: [L. naphtha, Gr. nafth, nifth.]
1. (Chem.)
Defn: The complex mixture of volatile, liquid, inflammable hydrocarbons, occurring naturally, and usually called crude petroleum, mineral oil, or rock oil. Specifically: That portion of the distillate obtained in the refinement of petroleum which is intermediate between the lighter gasoline and the heavier benzine, and has a specific gravity of about 0.7, -- used as a solvent for varnishes, as a carburetant, illuminant, etc.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: One of several volatile inflammable liquids obtained by the distillation of certain carbonaceous materials and resembling the naphtha from petroleum; as, Boghead naphtha, from Boghead coal (obtained at Boghead, Scotland); crude naphtha, or light oil, from coal tar; wood naphtha, from wood, etc.
Note: This term was applied by the earlier chemical writers to a number of volatile, strong smelling, inflammable liquids, chiefly belonging to the ethers, as the sulphate, nitrate, or acetate of ethyl. Watts. Naphtha vitrioli Etym: [NL., naphtha of vitriol] (Old Chem.), common ethyl ether; -- formerly called sulphuric ether. See Ether.
NAPHTHALATE Naph"tha*late, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of naphthalic acid; a phthalate. [Obs.]
NAPHTHALENE Naph"tha*lene, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon, C10H8, analogous to benzene, and obtained by the distillation of certain bituminous materials, such as the heavy oil of coal tar. It is the type and basis of a large number of derivatives among organic compounds. Formerly called also naphthaline. Naphthalene red (Chem.), a dyestuff obtained from certain diazo derivatives of naphthylamine, and called also magdala red. -- Naphthalene yellow (Chem.), a yellow dyestuff obtained from certain nitro derivatives of naphthol.
NAPHTHALENIC Naph`tha*len"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to , or derived from, naphthalene; -- used specifically to designate a yellow crystalline substance, called naphthalenic acid and also hydroxy quinone, and obtained from certain derivatives of naphthol.
NAPHTHALIC Naph*tha"lic, a. (Chem.) (a) Pertaining to, derived from, or related to, naphthalene; -- used specifically to denote any one of a series of acids derived from naphthalene, and called naphthalene acids. (b) Formerly, designating an acid probably identical with phthalic acid.
NAPHTHALIDINE Naph*thal"i*dine, n. Etym: [Naphthalene + toluidine.] (Chem.)
Defn: Same as Naphthylamine.
NAPHTHALIN; NAPHTHALINE Naph"tha*lin, Naph"tha*line, n. Etym: [F. naphthaline.] (Chem.)
Defn: See Naphthalene.
NAPHTHALIZE Naph"tha*lize, v. t. (Chem.)
Defn: To mingle, saturate, or impregnate, with naphtha.
NAPHTHAZARIN Naph*thaz"a*rin, n. Etym: [Naphthalene + alizarin.] (Chem.)
Defn: A dyestuff, resembling alizarin, obtained from naphthoquinone as a red crystalline substance with a bright green, metallic luster; -- called also naphthalizarin.
NAPHTHENE Naph"thene, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A peculiar hydrocarbon occuring as an ingredient of Caucasian petroleum.
NAPHTHIDE Naph"thide, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A compound of naphthalene or its radical with a metallic element; as, mercuric naphthide.
NAPHTHOIC Naph*tho"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or related to, naphthalene; -- used specifically to designate any one of a series of carboxyl derivatives, called naphthoic acids.
NAPHTHOL Naph"thol, n. Etym: [Naphthalene + -ol.] (Chem.)
Defn: Any one of a series of hydroxyl derivatives of naphthalene, analogous to phenol. In general they are crystalline substances with a phenol (carbolic) odor. Naphthol blue, Naphthol orange, Naphthol yellow (Chem.), brilliant dyestuffs produced from certain complex nitrogenous derivatives of naphthol or naphthoquinone.
NAPHTHOQUINONE Naph`tho*qui"none, n. Etym: [Naphthalene + quinone.] (Chem.)
Defn: A yellow crystalline substance, C10H6O2, analogous to quinone, obtained by oxidizing naphthalene with chromic acid.
NAPHTHYL Naph"thyl, n. Etym: [Naphthalene + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hydrocarbon radical regarded as the essential residue of naphthalene.
NAPHTHYLAMINE Naph`thyl*am"ine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: One of two basic amido derivatives of naphthalene, C10H7.NH2, forming crystalline solids.
NAPIERIAN; NAPERIAN Na*pie"ri*an, Na*pe"ri*an ,, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Napier, or Naper. Naperian logarithms. See under Logarithms.
NAPIER'S BONES; NAPIER'S RODS Na"pi*er's bones`, Na"pi*er's rods`.
Defn: A set of rods, made of bone or other material, each divided into nine spaces, and containing the numbers of a column of the multiplication table; -- a contrivance of Baron Napier, the inventor of logarithms, for facilitating the operations of multiplication and division.
NAPIFORM Na"pi*form, a. Etym: [L. napus turnip + -form: cf. F. napiforme. Cf. Navew.] (Bot.)
Defn: Turnip-shaped; large and round in the upper part, and very slender below.
NAPKIN Nap"kin, n. Etym: [Dim. of OF. nape a tablecloth, cloth, F. nappe, L. mappa. See Napery.]
1. A little towel, or small cloth, esp. one for wiping the fingers and mouth at table.
2. A handkerchief. [Obs.] Shak. Napkin pattern. See Linen scroll, under Linen. -- Napkin ring, a ring of metal, ivory, or other material, used to inclose a table napkin.
NAPLESS Nap"less, a.
Defn: Without nap; threadbare. Shak.
NAPLES YELLOW Na"ples yel"low.
Defn: See under Yellow.
NAPOLEON Na*po"le*on, n. Etym: [From the Emperor Napoleon 1.]
Defn: A French gold coin of twenty francs, or about $3.86.
NAPOLEONIC Na*po`le*on"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Napoleon I., or his family; resembling, or having the qualities of, Napoleon I. Lowell.
NAPOLEONIST Na*po"le*on*ist, n.
Defn: A supporter of the dynasty of the Napoleons.
NAPPE Nappe, n. Etym: [F. nappe cloth, sheet. See Napery.] (Geom.)
Defn: Sheet; surface; all that portion of a surface that is continuous in such a way that it is possible to pass from any one point of the portion to any other point of the portion without leaving the surface. Thus, some hyperboloids have one nappe, and some have two.
NAPPINESS Nap"pi*ness, n. Etym: [From 2d Nappy.]
Defn: The quality of having a nap; abundance of nap, as on cloth.
NAPPING Nap"ping, n.
1. The act or process of raising a nap, as on cloth.
2. (Hat Making)
Defn: A sheet of partially felted fur before it is united to the hat body. Knight.
NAPPY Nap"py, a. Etym: [From 1st Nap.]
1. Inclined to sleep; sleepy; as, to feel nappy.
2. Tending to cause sleepiness; serving to make sleepy; strong; heady; as, nappy ale. [Obs.] Wyatt.
NAPPY Nap"py, a. Etym: [From 3d Nap.]
Defn: Having a nap or pile; downy; shaggy. Holland.
NAPPY Nap"py, n.; pl. Nappies. Etym: [OE. nap, AS. hnæp cup, bowl. See Hanaper.]
Defn: A round earthen dish, with a flat bottom and sloping sides. [Written also nappie.]
NAP-TAKING Nap"-tak`ing, n.
Defn: A taking by surprise; an unexpected onset or attack. Carew.
NAPU Na*pu", n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very small chevrotain (Tragulus Javanicus), native of Java. It is about the size of a hare, and is noted for its agility in leaping. Called also Java musk deer, pygmy musk deer, and deerlet.
NAPUS Na"pus, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of turnip. See Navew.
NARCEINE Nar"ce*ine, n. Etym: [L. narce numbness, torpor, Gr. narcé\'8bne.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid found in small quantities in opium, and extracted as a white crystalline substance of a bitter astringent taste. It is a narcotic. Called also narceia.
NARCISSINE Nar*cis"sine, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Narcissus.
NARCISSUS Nar*cis"sus, n.; pl. Narcissuses. Etym: [L. narcissus, and (personified) Narcissus, Gr. na`rkissos, Na`rkissos, fr. na`rkh torpor, in allusion to the narcotic properties of the flower. Cf. Narcotic.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of endogenous bulbous plants with handsome flowers, having a cup-shaped crown within the six-lobed perianth, and comprising the daffodils and jonquils of several kinds.
2. (Classical Myth.)
Defn: A beautiful youth fabled to have been enamored of his own image as seen in a fountain, and to have been changed into the flower called Narcissus.
NARCOSIS Nar*co"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. na`rkwsis. See Narcotic.] (Med.)
Defn: Privation of sense or consciousness, due to a narcotic.
NARCOTIC Nar*cot"ic, a. Etym: [F. narcotique, Gr. na`rkh numbness, torpor.] (Med.)
Defn: Having the properties of a narcotic; operating as a narcotic. -- Nar*cot"ic*ness, n.
NARCOTIC Nar*cot"ic, n. (Med.)
Defn: A drug which, in medicinal doses, generally allays morbid susceptibility, relieves pain, and produces sleep; but which, in poisonous doses, produces stupor, coma, or convulsions, and, when given in sufficient quantity, causes death. The best examples are opium (with morphine), belladonna (with atropine), and conium. Nercotykes and opye (opium) of Thebes. Chaucer.
NARCOTICAL Nar*cot"ic*al, a.
Defn: Narcotic. -- Nar*cot"ic*al*ly, adv.
NARCOTINE Nar"co*tine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. narcotine. Cf. Cotarnine.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid found in opium, and extracted as a white crystalline substance, tasteless and less poisonous than morphine; -- called also narcotia.
NARCOTINIC Nar`co*tin"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to narcotine.
NARCOTISM Nar"co*tism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. narcotisme.]
Defn: Narcosis; the state of being narcotized. G. Eliot.
NARCOTIZE Nar"co*tize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Narcotized; p. pr. & vb. n. Narcotizing.]
Defn: To imbue with, or subject to the influence of, a narcotic; to put into a state of narcosis.
NARD Nard, n. Etym: [AS., fr. L. nardus, Gr. nêrd, Per. nard, Scr. nalada.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: An East Indian plant (Nardostachys Jatamansi) of the Valerian family, used from remote ages in Oriental perfumery.
2. An ointment prepared partly from this plant. See Spikenard.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of grass (Nardus stricta) of little value, found in Europe and Asia.
NARDINE Nard"ine, a. Etym: [L. nardinus, Gr.
Defn: Of or pertaining to nard; having the qualities of nard.
NARDOO Nar*doo", n. (Bot.)
Defn: An Australian name for Marsilea Drummondii, a four-leaved cryptogamous plant, sometimes used for food.
NARE Nare, n. Etym: [L. naris.]
Defn: A nostril. [R.] B. Jonson.
NARES Na"res, n. pl. Etym: [L., pl. of naris nostril.] (Anat.)
Defn: The nostrils or nasal openings, -- the anterior nares being the external or proper nostrils, and the posterior nares, the openings of the nasal cavities into the mouth or pharynx.
NARGILE; NARGILEH Nar"gile, Nar"gi*leh, n. Etym: [Per. narghil, prop., a cocoanut; prob. so called because first made of a cocoanut.]
Defn: An apparatus for smoking tobacco. It has a long flexible tube, and the smoke is drawn through water.
NARICA Nar"i*ca, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The brown coati. See Coati.
NARIFORM Nar"i*form, a. Etym: [L. naris nostril + -form. See Nose.]
Defn: Formed like the nose.
NARINE Nar"ine, a.
Defn: Of or belonging to the nostrils.
NARRABLE Nar"ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. narrabilis, fr. narrare to narrate.]
Defn: Capable of being narrated or told. [Obs.]
NARRAGANSETTS Nar`ra*gan"setts, n. pl.; sing. Narragansett (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited the shores of Narragansett Bay.
NARRATE Nar*rate", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Narrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Narrating.] Etym: [L. narratus, p. p. of narrare to narrate, prob. for gnarigare, fr. gnarus knowing. See Ignore, Know.]
Defn: To tell, rehearse, or recite, as a story; to relate the
## particulars of; to go through with in detail, as an incident or
transaction; to give an account of.
Syn. -- To relate; recount; detail; describe.
NARRATION Nar*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. narratio: cf. F. narration.]
1. The act of telling or relating the particulars of an event; rehearsal; recital.
2. That which is related; the relation in words or writing of the
## particulars of any transaction or event, or of any series of
transactions or events; story; history.
3. (Rhet.)
Defn: That part of a discourse which recites the time, manner, or consequences of an action, or simply states the facts connected with the subject.
Syn. -- Account; recital; rehearsal; relation; description; explanation; detail; narrative; story; tale; history. See Account.
NARRATIVE Nar"ra*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. narratif.]
1. Of or pertaining to narration; relating to the particulars of an event or transaction.
2. Apt or inclined to relate stories, or to tell particulars of events; story-telling; garrulous. But wise through time, and narrative with age. Pope.
NARRATIVE Nar"ra*tive, n.
Defn: That which is narrated; the recital of a story; a continuous account of the particulars of an event or transaction; a story. Cyntio was much taken with my narrative. Tatler.
Syn. -- Account; recital; rehearsal; relation; narration; story; tale. See Account.
NARRATIVELY Nar"ra*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In the style of narration.
NARRATOR Nar*ra"tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who narrates; one who relates a series of events or transactions.
NARRATORY Nar"ra*to*ry, a.
Defn: Giving an account of events; narrative; as, narratory letters. Howell.
NARRE Narre, a.
Defn: Nearer. [Obs.] Spenser.
NARROW Nar"row, a. [Compar. Narrower; superl. Narrowest.] Etym: [OE. narwe, naru, AS. nearu; akin to OS. naru, naro.]
1. Of little breadth; not wide or broad; having little distance from side to side; as, a narrow board; a narrow street; a narrow hem. Hath passed in safety through the narrow seas. Shak.
2. Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed. The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world. Bp. Wilkins.
3. Having but a little margin; having barely sufficient space, time, or number, etc.; close; near; -- with special reference to some peril or misfortune; as, a narrow shot; a narrow escape; a narrow majority. Dryden.
4. Limited as to means; straitened; pinching; as, narrow circumstances.
5. Contracted; of limited scope; illiberal; bigoted; as, a narrow mind; narrow views. "A narrow understanding." Macaulay.
6. Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish. A very narrow and stinted charity. Smalridge.
7. Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact. But first with narrow search I must walk round This garden, and no corner leave unspied. Milton.
8. (Phon.)
Defn: Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; -- distinguished from wide; as e (eve) and oo (food), etc., from ì (ìll) and oo (foot), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 13.
Note: Narrow is not unfrequently prefixed to words, especially to
## participles and adjectives, forming compounds of obvious
signification; as, narrow-bordered, narrow-brimmed, narrow-breasted, narrow-edged, narrow-faced, narrow-headed, narrow-leaved, narrow- pointed, narrow-souled, narrow-sphered, etc. Narrow gauge. (Railroad) See Note under Gauge, n., 6.
NARROW Nar"row, n.; pl. Narrows (.
Defn: A narrow passage; esp., a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water; -- usually in the plural; as, The Narrows of New York harbor. Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow. Gladstone.
NARROW Nar"row, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Narrowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Narrowing.] Etym: [AS. nearwian.]
1. To lessen the breadth of; to contract; to draw into a smaller compass; to reduce the width or extent of. Sir W. Temple.
2. To contract the reach or sphere of; to make less liberal or more selfish; to limit; to confine; to restrict; as, to narrow one's views or knowledge; to narrow a question in discussion. Our knowledge is much more narrowed if we confine ourselves to our own solitary reasonings. I. Watts.
3. (Knitting)
Defn: To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
NARROW Nar"row, v. i.
1. To become less broad; to contract; to become narrower; as, the sea narrows into a strait.
2. (Man.)
Defn: Not to step out enough to the one hand or the other; as, a horse narrows. Farrier's Dict.
3. (Knitting)
Defn: To contract the size of a stocking or other knit article, by taking two stitches into one.
NARROWER Nar"row*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, narrows or contracts. Hannah More.
NARROWING Nar"row*ing, n.
1. The act of contracting, or of making or becoming less in breadth or extent.
2. The part of a stocking which is narrowed.
NARROWLY Nar"row*ly, adv. Etym: [AS. nearulice.]
1. With little breadth; in a narrow manner.
2. Without much extent; contractedly.
3. With minute scrutiny; closely; as, to look or watch narrowly; to search narrowly.
4. With a little margin or space; by a small distance; hence, closely; hardly; barely; only just; -- often with reference to an avoided danger or misfortune; as, he narrowly escaped.
5. Sparingly; parsimoniously.
NARROW-MINDED Nar"row-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Of narrow mental scope; illiberal; mean. -- Nar"row-mind`ed*ness, n.
NARROWNESS Nar"row*ness, n. Etym: [AS. nearunes.]
Defn: The condition or quality of being narrow.
NART Nart. Etym: [For ne art.]
Defn: Art not. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NARTHEX Nar"thex, n. Etym: [L., giant fennel, Gr.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A tall umbelliferous plant (Ferula communis). See Giant fennel, under Fennel.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: The portico in front of ancient churches; sometimes, the atrium or outer court surrounded by ambulatories; -- used, generally, for any vestibule, lobby, or outer porch, leading to the nave of a church.
NARWAL Nar"wal, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Narwhal.
NARWE Nar"we, a.
Defn: Narrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NARWHAL Nar"whal, n. Etym: [Sw. or Dan. narvhal; akin to Icel. nahvalr, and E. whale. the first syllable is perh. from Icel. nar corpse, dead body, in allusion to the whitish color its skin. See Whale.] [Written also narwhale.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An arctic cetacean (Monodon monocerous), about twenty feet long. The male usually has one long, twisted, pointed canine tooth, or tusk projecting forward from the upper jaw like a horn, whence it is called also sea unicorn, unicorn fish, and unicorn whale. Sometimes two horns are developed, side by side.
NAS Nas. Etym: [For ne was.]
Defn: Was not. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NAS Nas. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne has.]
Defn: Has not. [Obs.] Spenser.
NASAL Na"sal, a. Etym: [F., from L. nasus the nose. See Nose.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the nose.
2. (Phon.)
Defn: Having a quality imparted by means of the nose; and specifically, made by lowering the soft palate, in some cases with closure of the oral passage, the voice thus issuing (wholly or
## partially) through the nose, as in the consonants m, n, ng (see Guide
to Pronunciation, §§ 20, 208); characterized by resonance in the nasal passage; as, a nasal vowel; a nasal utterance. Nasal bones (Anat.), two bones of the skull, in front of the frontals. -- Nasal index (Anat.), in the skull, the ratio of the transverse the base of the aperture to the nasion, which latter distance is taken as the standard, equal to 100.
NASAL Na"sal, n.
1. An elementary sound which is uttered through the nose, or through both the nose and the mouth simultaneously.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A medicine that operates through the nose; an errhine. [Archaic]
3. (Anc. Armor)
Defn: Part of a helmet projecting to protect the nose; a nose guard.
4. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the nasal bones.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A plate, or scale, on the nose of a fish, etc.
NASALITY Na*sal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nasalité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being nasal.
NASALIZATION Na`sal*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of nasalizing, or the state of being nasalized.
NASALIZE Na"sal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nasalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Nasalizing.]
Defn: To render nasal, as sound; to insert a nasal or sound in.
NASALIZE Na"sal*ize, v. t.
Defn: To utter words or letters with a nasal sound; to speak through the nose.
NASALLY Na"sal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a nasal manner; by the nose.
NASCAL Nas"cal, n. Etym: [F. nascale.] (Med.)
Defn: A kind of pessary of medicated wool or cotton, formerly used.
NASCENCY Nas"cen*cy, n. Etym: [L. nascentia. See Nascent.]
Defn: State of being nascent; birth; beginning; origin.
NASCENT Nas"cent, a. Etym: [L. nascens, -entis, p.pr. nasci to be born. See Nation, and cf. Naissant.]
1. Commencing, or in process of development; beginning to exist or to grow; coming into being; as, a nascent germ. Nascent passions and anxieties. Berkley.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Evolving; being evolved or produced. Nascent state (Chem.), the supposed instantaneous or momentary state of an uncombined atom or radical just separated from one compound acid, and not yet united with another, -- a hypothetical condition implying peculiarly active chemical properties; as, hydrogen in the nascent state is a strong reducer.
NASEBERRY Nase"ber`ry, n. Etym: [Sp. nispero medlar and naseberry tree, fr. L. mespilus. See Medlar.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tropical fruit. See Sapodilla. [Written also nisberry.]
NASH Nash, a. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Firm; stiff; hard; also, chilly. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
NASICORNOUS Nas`i*cor"nous, a. Etym: [L. nasus nose + cornu horn: cf. F. nasicorne.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Bearing a horn, or horns, on the nose, as the rhinoceros.
NASIFORM Nas"i*form, a. Etym: [L. nasus nose + -form. See Nose, and cf. Nariform.]
Defn: Having the shape of a nose.
NASION Na*si*on, n. Etym: [Nl., fr. L. nasus nose.] (Anat.)
Defn: The middle point of the nasofrontal suture.
NASO- Na"so- (. Etym: [L. nasus nose.] (Anat.)
Defn: A combining form denoting pertaining to, or connected with, the nose; as, nasofrontal.
NASOBUCCAL Na"so*buc"cal, a. Etym: [Naso + buccal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Connected with both the nose and the mouth; as, the nasobuccal groove in the skate.
NASOFRONTAL Na`so*fron"tal, a. Etym: [Naso- + frontal.] (Anat.)
Defn: of or pertaining to the nose and the front of the head; as, the embryonic nasofrontal process which forms the anterior boundary of the mouth.
NASOLACHRYMAL Na`so*lach"ry*mal, a. Etym: [Naso- + lachrymal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Connected with the lachrymal apparatus and the nose; as, the nasolachrymal, or lachrymal duct.
NASOPALATAL; NASOPALATINE Na`so*pal"a*tal, Na`so*pal"a*tine, a. Etym: [Naso- + palatal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Connected with both the nose and the palate; as, the nasopalatine or incisor, canal connecting the mouth and the nasal chamber in some animals; the nasopalatine nerve.
NASOPHARYNGEAL Na`so*phar`yn*ge"al ( or , a. Etym: [Naso- + pharyngeal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both throat and nose; as, a nasopharyngeal polypus.
NASOSEPTAL Na`so*sep"tal, a. Etym: [Naso- + septal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the internasal septum.
NASOTURBINAL Na`so*tur"bi*nal, a. Etym: [Naso- + turbinal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Connected with, or near, both the turbinal and the nasal bones; as, the nasalturbinal bone, made up of the uppermost lammelæ of the ethmoturbinal, and sometimes united with the nasal. -- n.
Defn: The nasoturbinal bone.
NASSA Nas"sa, n.; pl. E. Nassas, L. NassÆ. Etym: [From L. nassa a kind of basket, in allusion to the reticulation of some species.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of marine gastropods, of the genera Nassa, Tritia, and other allied genera of the family Nassidæ; a dog whelk. See Illust. under Gastropoda. -- nas"soid, a.
NASTILY Nas"ti*ly, adv.
Defn: In a nasty manner.
NASTINESS Nas"ti*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being nasty; extreme filthness; dirtiness; also, indecency; obscenity. The nastiness of Plautus and Aristophanes. Dryden.
NASTURTION Nas*tur"tion, n. Etym: [See Nasturtium.] (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Nasturtium.
NASTURTIUM Nas*tur"tium, n. Etym: [L. nasturtium, for nasitortium, fr. nasus nose + torquere, tortum, to twist, torture, in allusion to the causing one to make a wry face by its pungent taste. See Nose of the face, and Torture.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of cruciferous plants, having white or yellowish flowers, including several species of cress. They are found chiefly in wet or damp grounds, and have a pungent biting taste.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genus Tropæolum, geraniaceous herbs, having mostly climbing stems, peltate leaves, and spurred flowers, and including the common Indian cress (Tropæolum majus), the canary-bird flower (T. peregrinum), and about thirty more species, all natives of South America. The whole plant has a warm pungent flavor, and the fleshy fruits are used as a substitute for capers, while the leaves and flowers are sometimes used in salads.
NASTY Nas"ty, a. [Compar. Nastier (; superl. Nastiest.] Etym: [For older nasky; cf. dial. Sw. naskug, nasket.]
1. Offensively filthy; very dirty, foul, or defiled; disgusting; nauseous.
2. Hence, loosely: Offensive; disagreeable; unpropitious; wet; drizzling; as, a nasty rain, day, sky.
3. Characterized by obcenity; indecent; indelicate; gross; filthy.
Syn. -- Nasty, Filthy, Foul, Dirty. Anything nasty is usually wet or damp as well as filthy or dirty, and disgusts by its stickness or odor; but filthy and foul imply that a thing is filled or covered with offensive matter, while dirty describes it as defiled or sullied with dirt of any kind; as, filthy clothing, foul vapors, etc.
NASUTE Na"sute, a. Etym: [L. nasutus, fr. nasus the nose.]
1. Having a nice sense of smell. [Obs.] Evelyn.
2. Critically nice; captious. [Obs.] auden.
NASUTNESS Na"sut*ness, n.
Defn: Quickness of scent; hence, nice discernment; acuteness. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
NAT Nat, adv.
Defn: Not. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NAT Nat Etym: [For ne at.]
Defn: Not at; nor at. [Obs.] haucer.
NATAL Na"tal, a. Etym: [L. natalis, fr. natus, p.p. of nasci to be born: cf. F. natal. See Nation, and cf. Noel.]
1. Of or pertaining to one's birth; accompying or dating from one's birth; native. Princes' children took names from their natal places. Camden. Propitious star, whose sacred power Presided o'er the monarch's natal hour. Prior.
2. (Actrol.)
Defn: Presiding over nativity; as, natal Jove.
Syn. -- Native, natural. See Native.
NATAL BOIL Na*tal" boil. (Med.)
Defn: = Aleppo boil.
NATALITIAL; NATALITIOUS Na`ta*li"tial, Na`ta*li"tious, a. Etym: [L. natalitius, from natalis. See Natal.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to one's birth or birthday, or one's nativity. [Obs.] "Natalitial poplar." Evelyn. "Natalitious fire." W. Cartwright.
NATALOIN Na*tal"o*in, n. Etym: [From Natal aloes.] (Chem.)
Defn: A bitter crystalline substance constituting the essential principle of Natal aloes. Cf. Aloon.
NATAL PLUM Na*tal" plum`. (Bot.)
Defn: The drupaceous fruit of two South African shrubs of the genus Arduina (A. bispinosa and A. grandiflora).
NATALS Na"tals, n. pl.
Defn: One's birth, or the circumstances attending it. [Obs.] Fitz- Geffry.
NATANT Na"tant, a. Etym: [L. natans, -antis, from swim, v. intens. fr. nare to swim: cf. F. natant.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: Floating in water, as the leaves of water lilies, or submersed, as those of many aquatic plants.
2. (Her.)
Defn: Placed horizontally across the field, as if swimmimg toward the dexter side; said of all sorts of fishes except the flying fish.
NATANTLY Na"tant*ly, adv.
Defn: In a floating manner; swimmingly.
NATATION Na*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. natatio, fr. natare to swim: cf. F. natation. See Natant.]
Defn: The act of floating on the water; swimming. Sir T. Browne.
NATATORES Na`ta*to"res, n. pl. Etym: [L. natator a swimmer.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The swimming birds.
Note: They were formerly united into one order, which is now considered an artifical group.
NATATORIAL Na`ta*to"rial, a.
Defn: Inclined or adapted to swim; swimming; as, natatorial birds.
NATATORIOUS Na`ta*to"ri*ous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Adapted for swimming; -- said of the legs of certain insects.
NATATORIUM Na`ta*to"rium, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A swimming bath.
NATATORY Na"ta*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. natatorius.]
Defn: Adapted for swimming or floating; as, natatory organs.
NATCH Natch, n. Etym: [OF. nache fesse, LL. natica, from L. natis the rump, buttocks. Cf. Aitchbone.]
Defn: The rump of beef; esp., the lower and back part of the rump. Natch bone, the edgebone, or aitchbone, in beef.
NATCHEZ Natch"ez, n. pl. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians who formerly lived near the site of the city of Natchez, Mississippi. In 1729 they were subdued by the French; the survivors joined the Creek Confederacy.
NATCHNEE Natch"nee, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An annual grass (Eleusine coracona), cultivated in India as a food plant.
NATES Na"tes, n. pl. Etym: [L., the buttocks.]
1. (Anat.) (a) The buttocks. (b) The two anterior of the four lobes on the dorsal side of the midbrain of most mammals; the anterior optic lobes.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The umbones of a bivalve shell.
NATH Nath. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne hath,]
Defn: hath not. [Obs.]
NATHLESS Nath"less, adv. Etym: [OE. natheles, na the les, not the less, AS. na never. See Na, The, conj., and cf. Nevertheless.]
Defn: Nevertheless. [Archaic] Chaucer. Milton. E. Arnold.
NATHMORE Nath"more`, adv. Etym: [OE. na the more.]
Defn: Not the more; never the more. [Obs.] penser.
NATICA Nat"i*ca, n.; pl. Naticas (, L. NaticÆ (. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of marine gastropods belonging to Natica, Lunatia, Neverita, and other allied genera (family Naticidæ.) They burrow beneath the sand, or mud, and drill other shells.
NATICOID Nat"i*coid, a. Etym: [Natica + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or belonging to Natica, or the family Naticæ.
NATION Na"tion, n. Etym: [F. nation, L. natio nation, race, orig., a being born, fr. natus, p.p. of nasci, to be born, for gnatus, gnaci, from the same root as E. kin. *44. See Kin kindred, and cf. Cognate, Natal, Native.]
1. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A part, or division, of the people of the earth, distinguished from the rest by common descent, language, or institutions; a race; a stock. All nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Rev. vii. 9.
2. The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an independent government of their own. A nation is the unity of a people. Coleridge. Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation. F. S. Key.
3. Family; lineage. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. (a) One of the divisions of university students in a classification according to nativity, formerly common in Europe. (b) (Scotch Universities) One of the four divisions (named from the parts of Scotland) in which students were classified according to their nativity.
5. A great number; a great deal; -- by way of emphasis; as, a nation of herbs. Sterne. Five nations. See under Five. -- Law of nations. See International law, under International, and Law.
Syn. -- people; race. See People.
NATIONAL Na"tion*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. national.]
1. Of or pertaining to a nation; common to a whole people or race; public; general; as, a national government, language, dress, custom, calamity, etc.
2. Attached to one's own country or nation. National anthem, a popular song or hymn which has become by general acceptance the recognized musical expression of the patriotic sentiment of a nation; as, "God save the King" is called the national anthem of England. -- National bank, the official common name of a class of banking corporations established under the laws of the United States. -- National flag. See under Flag. -- National guard, a body of militia, or a local military organization, as in Paris during the French Revolution, or as certain bodies of militia in other European countries and in the United States. -- National salute, a salute consisting of as many guns as there are States in the Union. [U.S.]
NATIONALISM Na"tion*al*ism, n.
1. The state of being national; national attachment; nationality.
2. An idiom, trait, or character peculiar to any nation.
3. National independence; the principles of the Nationalists.
NATIONALIST Na"tion*al*ist, n.
Defn: One who advocates national unity and independence; one of a party favoring Irish independence.
NATIONALITY Na`tion*al"i*ty, n.; pl. Nationalities. Etym: [Cf. F. nationalité.]
1. The quality of being national, or strongly attached to one's own nation; patriotism.
2. The sum of the qualities which distinguish a nation; national character.
3. A race or people, as determined by common language and character, and not by political bias or divisions; a nation. the fulfillment of his mission is to be looked for in the condition of nationalities and the character of peoples. H. W. Beecher.
4. Existence as a distinct or individual nation; national unity and integrity.
5. The state or quality of belonging to or being connected with a nation or government by nativity, character, ownership, allegiance, etc.
NATIONALIZATION Na`tion*al*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of nationalizing, or the state of being nationalized.
NATIONALIZE Na"tion*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nationalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Nationalizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. nationaliser.]
Defn: To make national; to make a nation of; to endow with the character and habits of a nation, or the peculiar sentiments and attachment of citizens of a nation.
NATIONALLY Na"tion*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a national manner or way; as a nation. "The jews ... being nationally espoused to God by covenant." South.
NATIONALNESS Na"tion*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being national; nationality. Johnson.
NATIONALRATH Na`ti*o*nal"rath`, n. [G.] (Switzerland)
Defn: See Legislature.
NATIVE Na"tive, a. Etym: [F. natif, L. nativus, fr. nasci, p.p. natus. See Nation, and cf. Naïve, Nelf a serf.]
1. Arising by birth; having an origin; born. [Obs.] Anaximander's opinion is, that the gods are native, rising and vanishing again in long periods of times. Cudworth.
2. Of or pertaining to one's birth; natal; belonging to the place or the circumstances in which one is born; -- opposed to foreign; as, native land, language, color, etc.
3. Born in the region in which one lives; as, a native inhabitant, race; grown or originating in the region where used or sold; not foreign or imported; as, native oysters, or strawberries.
4. Original; constituting the original substance of anything; as, native dust. Milton.
5. Conferred by birth; derived from origin; born with one; inherent; inborn; not acquired; as, native genius, cheerfulness, simplicity, rights, etc. Courage is native to you. Jowett (Thucyd. ).
6. Naturally related; cognate; connected (with). [R.] the head is not more native to the heart, ... Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father. Shak.
7. (Min.) (a) Found in nature uncombined with other elements; as, native silver. (b) Found in nature; not artificial; as native sodium chloride. Native American party. See under American, a. -- Native bear (Zoöl.), the koala. -- Native bread (Bot.), a large underground fungus, of Australia (Mylitta australis), somewhat resembling a truffle, but much larger. -- Native devil. (Zoöl.) Same as Tasmanian devil, under Devil. -- Native hen (Zoöl.), an Australian rail (Tribonyx Mortierii). -- Native pheasant. (Zoöl.) See Leipoa. -- Native rabbit (Zoöl.), an Australian marsupial (Perameles lagotis) resembling a rabbit in size and form. -- Native sloth (Zoöl.), the koala. -- Native thrush (Zoöl.), an Australian singing bird (Pachycephala olivacea); -- called also thickhead. -- Native turkey (Zoöl.), the Australian bustard (Choriotis australis); -- called also bebilya.
Syn. -- Natural; natal; original; congential. -- Native, Natural, Natal. natural refers to the nature of a thing, or that which springs therefrom; native, to one's birth or origin; as, a native country, language, etc.; natal, to the circumstances of one's birth; as, a natal day, or star. Native talent is that which is inborn; natural talent is that which springs from the structure of the mind. Native eloquence is the result of strong innate emotion; natural eloquence is opposed to that which is studied or artifical.
NATIVE Na"tive, n.
1. One who, or that which, is born in a place or country referred to; a denizen by birth; an animal, a fruit, or vegetable, produced in a certain region; as, a native of France.
2. (Stock Breeding)
Defn: Any of the live stock found in a region, as distinguished from such as belong to pure and distinct imported breeds. [U.S.]
NATIVELY Na"tive*ly, adv.
Defn: By natural or original condition; naturally; originally.
NATIVENESS Na"tive*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being native.
NATIVE STEEL Na"tive steel.
Defn: A sort of steel which has been found where a burning coal seam had reduced and carbonized adjacent iron ore.
NATIVISM Na"tiv*ism, n.
1. The disposition to favor the native inhabitants of a country, in preference to immigrants from foreign countries.
2. (Philos.)
Defn: The doctrine of innate ideas, or that the mind possesses forms of thought independent of sensation.
NATIVIST Na"tiv*ist, n.
Defn: An advocate of nativism.
NATIVISTIC Na`tiv*is"tic, a.
Defn: Relating to nativism.
NATIVITY Na*tiv"i*ty, n.; pl. Nativies. Etym: [F. nativité, L. nativitas. See Native, and cf. NaïvetÉ.]
1. The coming into life or into the world; birth; also, the circumstances attending birth, as time, place, manner, etc. Chaucer. I have served him from the hour of my nativity. Shak. Thou hast left ... the land of thy nativity. Ruth ii. 11. These in their dark nativity the deep Shall yield us, pregnant with infernal flame. Milton.
2. (Fine Arts)
Defn: A picture representing or symbolizing the early infancy of Christ. The simplest form is the babe in a rude cradle, and the heads of an ox and an ass to express the stable in which he was born.
3. (Astrol.)
Defn: A representation of the positions of the heavenly bodies as the moment of one's birth, supposed to indicate his future destinies; a horoscope. The Nativity, the birth or birthday of Christ; Christmas day. -- To cast, or calculate, one's nativity (Astrol.), to find out and represent the position of the heavenly bodies at the time of one's birth.
NATKA Nat"ka, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A species of shrike.
NATRIUM Na"tri*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Natron.] (Chem.)
Defn: The technical name for sodium.
NATROLITE Na"tro*lite, n. Etym: [Natron + -lite: cf. F. natrolithe.] (Min.)
Defn: A zeolite occuring in groups of glassy acicular crystals, and in masses which often have a radiated structure. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and soda.
NATRON Na"tron, n. Etym: [F., fr. Sp. natron, Ar. natrun, nitrun. Cf. Niter, Anatron.] (Min.)
Defn: Native sodium carbonate. [Written also anatron.]
NATTER Nat"ter, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Icel. knetta to grumble.]
Defn: To find fault; to be peevish. [Prov. Eng. or Scot.]
NATTERJACK Nat"ter*jack`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European toad (Bufo calamita), having a yellow line along its back.
NATTY Nat"ty, a. Etym: [Cf. Neat clean.]
Defn: Neat; tidy; spruce. [Colloq.] -- Nat"ti*ly, adv. -- Nat"ti*ness, n.
NATURAL Nat"u*ral, a. Etym: [OE. naturel, F. naturel, fr. L. naturalis, fr. natura. See Nature.]
1. Fixed or determined by nature; pertaining to the constitution of a thing; belonging to native character; according to nature; essential; characteristic; not artifical, foreign, assumed, put on, or acquired; as, the natural growth of animals or plants; the natural motion of a gravitating body; natural strength or disposition; the natural heat of the body; natural color. With strong natural sense, and rare force of will. Macaulay.
2. Conformed to the order, laws, or actual facts, of nature; consonant to the methods of nature; according to the stated course of things, or in accordance with the laws which govern events, feelings, etc.; not exceptional or violent; legitimate; normal; regular; as, the natural consequence of crime; a natural death. What can be more natural than the circumstances in the behavior of those women who had lost their husbands on this fatal day Addison.
3. Having to do with existing system to things; dealing with, or derived from, the creation, or the world of matter and mind, as known by man; within the scope of human reason or experience; not supernatural; as, a natural law; natural science; history, theology. I call that natural religion which men might know ... by the mere principles of reason, improved by consideration and experience, without the help of revelation. Bp. Wilkins.
4. Conformed to truth or reality; as: (a) Springing from true sentiment; not artifical or exaggerated; -- said of action, delivery, etc.; as, a natural gesture, tone, etc. (b) Resembling the object imitated; true to nature; according to the life; -- said of anything copied or imitated; as, a portrait is natural.
5. Having the character or sentiments properly belonging to one's position; not unnatural in feelings. To leave his wife, to leave his babes, ... He wants the natural touch. Shak.
6. Connected by the ties of consanguinity. "Natural friends." J. H. Newman.
7. Begotten without the sanction of law; born out of wedlock; illegitimate; bastard; as, a natural child.
8. Of or pertaining to the lower or animal nature, as contrasted with the higher or moral powers, or that which is spiritual; being in a state of nature; unregenerate. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. 1 Cor. ii. 14.
9. (Math.)
Defn: Belonging to, to be taken in, or referred to, some system, in which the base is 1; -- said or certain functions or numbers; as, natural numbers, those commencing at 1; natural sines, cosines, etc., those taken in arcs whose radii are 1.
10. (Mus.) (a) Produced by natural organs, as those of the human throat, in distinction from instrumental music. (b) of or pertaining to a key which has neither a flat nor a sharp for its signature, as the key of C major. (c) Applied to an air or modulation of harmony which moves by easy and smooth transitions, digressing but little from the original key. Moore (Encyc. of Music). Natural day, the space of twenty-four hours. Chaucer. -- Natural fats, Natural gas, etc. See under Fat, Gas. etc. -- Natural Harmony (Mus.), the harmony of the triad or common chord. -- Natural history, in its broadest sense, a history or description of nature as a whole, incuding the sciences of botany, zoölogy, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, chemistry, and physics. In recent usage the term is often restricted to the sciences of botany and zoölogy collectively, and sometimes to the science of zoology alone. -- Natural law, that instinctive sense of justice and of right and wrong, which is native in mankind, as distinguished from specifically revealed divine law, and formulated human law. -- Natural modulation (Mus.), transition from one key to its relative keys. -- Natural order. (Nat. Hist.) See under order. -- Natural person. (Law) See under person, n. -- Natural philosophy, originally, the study of nature in general; in modern usage, that branch of physical science, commonly called physics, which treats of the phenomena and laws of matter and considers those effects only which are unaccompanied by any change of a chemical nature; -- contrasted with mental and moral philosophy. -- Natural scale (Mus.), a scale which is written without flats or sharps. Model would be a preferable term, as less likely to mislead, the so-called artificial scales (scales represented by the use of flats and sharps) being equally natural with the so-called natural scale -- Natural science, natural history, in its broadest sense; -- used especially in contradistinction to mental or moral science. -- Natural selection (Biol.), a supposed operation of natural laws analogous, in its operation and results, to designed selection in breeding plants and animals, and resulting in the survival of the fittest. The theory of natural selection supposes that this has been brought about mainly by gradual changes of environment which have led to corresponding changes of structure, and that those forms which have become so modified as to be best adapted to the changed environment have tended to survive and leave similarly adapted descendants, while those less perfectly adapted have tended to die out though lack of fitness for the environment, thus resulting in the survival of the fittest. See Darwinism. -- Natural system (Bot. & Zoöl.), a classification based upon real affinities, as shown in the structure of all parts of the organisms, and by their embryology. It should be borne in mind that the natural system of botany is natural only in the constitution of its genera, tribes, orders, etc., and in its grand divisions. Gray. -- Natural theology, or Natural religion, that part of theological science which treats of those evidences of the existence and attributes of the Supreme Being which are exhibited in nature; -- distinguished from revealed religion. See Quotation under Natural, a., 3. -- Natural vowel, the vowel sound heard in urn, furl, sir, her, etc.; -- so called as being uttered in the easiest open position of the mouth organs. See Neutral vowel, under Neutral and Guide to Pronunciation, § 17.
Syn. -- See Native.
NATURAL Nat"u*ral, n.
1. A native; an aboriginal. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.
2. pl.
Defn: Natural gifts, impulses, etc. [Obs.] Fuller.
3. One born without the usual powers of reason or understanding; an idiot. "The minds of naturals." Locke.
4. (Mus.)
Defn: A character [] used to contradict, or to remove the effect of, a sharp or flat which has preceded it, and to restore the unaltered note.
NATURALISM Nat"u*ral*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. naturalisme.]
1. A state of nature; conformity to nature.
2. (Metaph.)
Defn: The doctrine of those who deny a supernatural agency in the miracles and revelations recorded in the Bible, and in spiritual influences; also, any system of philosophy which refers the phenomena of nature to a blind force or forces acting necessarily or according to fixed laws, excluding origination or direction by one intelligent will.
NATURALIST Nat"u*ral*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. naturaliste.]
1. One versed in natural science; a student of natural history, esp. of the natural history of animals.
2. One who holds or maintains the doctrine of naturalism in religion. H. Bushnell.
NATURALISTIC Nat`u*ral*is"tic, a.
1. Belonging to the doctrines of naturalism.
2. Closely resembling nature; realistic. "Naturalistic bit of pantomime." W. D. Howells.
NATURALITY Nat`u*ral"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. naturalitas: cf. F. naturalité.]
Defn: Nature; naturalness. [R.]
NATURALIZATION Nat`u*ral*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. naturalisation.]
Defn: The act or process of naturalizing, esp. of investing an alien with the rights and privileges of a native or citizen; also, the state of being naturalized.
NATURALIZE Nat"u*ral*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Naturalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Naturalizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. naturaliser. See Natural.]
1. To make natural; as, custom naturalizes labor or study.
2. To confer the rights and privileges of a native subject or citizen on; to make as if native; to adopt, as a foreigner into a nation or state, and place in the condition of a native subject.
3. To receive or adopt as native, natural, or vernacular; to make one's own; as, to naturalize foreign words.
4. To adapt; to accustom; to habituate; to acclimate; to cause to grow as under natural conditions. Its wearer suggested that pears and peaches might yet be naturalized in the New England climate. Hawthorne.
NATURALIZE Nat"u*ral*ize, v. i.
1. To become as if native.
2. To explain phenomena by natural agencies or laws, to the exclusion of the supernatural. Infected by this naturalizing tendency. H. Bushnell.
NATURALLY Nat"u*ral*ly, adv.
Defn: In a natural manner or way; according to the usual course of things; spontaneously.
NATURALNESS Nat"u*ral*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being natural; conformity to nature.
NATURAL STEEL Nat"u*ral steel.
Defn: Steel made by the direct refining of cast iron in a finery, or, as wootz, by a direct process from the ore.
NATURE Na"ture, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. natura, fr. natus born, produced, p.p. of nasci to be born. See Nation.]
1. The existing system of things; the world of matter, or of matter and mind; the creation; the universe. But looks through nature up to nature's God. Pope. Nature has caprices which art can not imitate. Macaulay.
2. The personified sum and order of causes and effects; the powers which produce existing phenomena, whether in the total or in detail; the agencies which carry on the processes of creation or of being; -- often conceived of as a single and separate entity, embodying the total of all finite agencies and forces as disconnected from a creating or ordering intelligence. I oft admire How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit Such disproportions. Milton.
3. The established or regular course of things; usual order of events; connection of cause and effect.
4. Conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artifical, or forced, or remote from actual experience. One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. Shak.
5. The sum of qualities and attributes which make a person or thing what it is, as distinct from others; native character; inherent or essential qualities or attributes; peculiar constitution or quality of being. Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem, Their nature also to thy nature join, And be thyself man among men on earth. Milton.
6. Hence: Kind, sort; character; quality. A dispute of this nature caused mischief. Dryden.
7. Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life. "My days of nature." Shak. Oppressed nature sleeps. Shak.
8. Natural affection or reverence. Have we not seen The murdering son ascend his parent's bed, Through violated nature foce his way Pope.
9. Constitution or quality of mind or character. A born devil, on whose nature Nurture can never stick. Shak. That reverence which is due to a superior nature. Addison. Good nature, Ill nature. see under Good and Ill. -- In a state of nature. (a) Naked as when born; nude. (b) In a condition of sin; unregenerate. (c) Untamed; uncvilized. -- Nature printng, a process of printing from metallic or other plates which have received an impression, as by heavy pressure, of an object such as a leaf, lace, or the like. -- Nature worship, the worship of the personified powers of nature. -- To pay the debt of nature, to die.
NATURE Na"ture, v. t.
Defn: To endow with natural qualities. [Obs.] He [God] which natureth every kind. Gower.
NATURED Na"tured, a.
Defn: Having (such) a nature, temper, or disposition; disposed; -- used in composition; as, good-natured, ill-natured, etc.
NATURELESS Na"ture*less, a.
Defn: Not in accordance with nature; unnatural. [Obs.] Milton.
NATURISM Na"tur*ism, n. (Med.)
Defn: The belief or doctrine that attributes everything to nature as a sanative agent.
NATURIST Na"tur*ist, n.
Defn: One who believes in, or conforms to, the theory of naturism. Boyle.
NATURITY Na*tu"ri*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being produced by nature. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
NATURIZE Na"tur*ize, v. t.
Defn: To endow with a nature or qualities; to refer to nature. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
NAUFRAGE Nau"frage (; 48), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. naufragium; navis + frangere.]
Defn: Shipwreck; ruin. [Obs.] acon.
NAUFRAGOUS Nau"fra*gous, a. Etym: [L. naufragus. See Naufrage.]
Defn: causing shipwreck. [Obs.] r. Taylor.
NAUGHT Naught, n. Etym: [OE. naught, nought, naht, nawiht, AS. n, n, n; ne not + wiht thing, whit; hence, not ever a whit. See No, adv. Whit, and cf. Aught, Not.]
1. Nothing. [Written also nought.] Doth Job fear God for naught Job i. 9.
2. The arithmetical character 0; a cipher. See Cipher. To set at naught, to treat as of no account; to disregard; to despise; to defy; to treat with ignominy. "Ye have set at naught all my counsel." Prov. i. 25.
NAUGHT Naught, adv.
Defn: In no degree; not at all. Chaucer. To wealth or sovereign power he naught applied. Fairfax.
NAUGHT Naught, a.
1. Of no value or account; worthless; bad; useless. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer. Prov. xx. 14. Go, get you to your house; begone, away! All will be naught else. Shak. Things naught and things indifferent. Hooker.
2. Hence, vile; base; naughty. [Obs.] No man can be stark naught at once. Fuller.
NAUGHTILY Naugh"ti*ly, adv.
Defn: In a naughty manner; wickedly; perversely. Shak.
NAUGHTINESS Naugh"ti*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being naughty; perverseness; badness; wickedness. I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart. 1 Sam. xvii. 28.
NAUGHTLY Naught"ly, adv.
Defn: Naughtily; wrongly. [Obs.] because my parents naughtly brought me up. Mir. for Mag.
NAUGHTY Naugh"ty, a. [Compar. Naughtier; superl. Naughtiest.]
1. Having little or nothing. [Obs.] [Men] that needy be and naughty, help them with thy goods. Piers Plowman.
2. Worthless; bad; good for nothing. [Obs.] The other basket had very naughty figs. Jer. xxiv. 2.
3. hence, corrupt; wicked. [Archaic] So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Shak.
4. Mischievous; perverse; froward; guilty of disobedient or improper conduct; as, a naughty child.
Note: This word is now seldom used except in the latter sense, as applied to children, or in sportive censure.
NAUHEIM TREATMENT; NAUHEIM BATH Nau"heim treat`ment. (Med.)
Defn: Orig., a method of therapeutic treatment administered, esp. for chronic diseases of the curculatory system, at Bad Nauheim, Germany, by G. Schott, consisting in baths in the natural mineral waters of that place, which are charged with carbonic acid, and the use of a graduated course of rest, physical exercises, massage, etc.; hence, any similar treatment using waters artificially charged with the essential ingredients of the natural mineral waters of Bad Nauheim. Hence, Nauheim bath, etc.
NAUMACHY Nau"ma*chy, n. Etym: [L. naumachia, Gr.
1. A naval battle; esp., a mock sea fight.
2. (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A show or spectacle representing a sea fight; also, a place for such exhibitions.
NAUPLIUS Nau"pli*us, n.; pl. Nauplii. Etym: [L., a kind of shellfish, fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A crustacean larva having three pairs of locomotive organs (corresponding to the antennules, antennæ, and mandibles), a median eye, and little or no segmentation of the body.
NAUROPOMETER Nau`ro*pom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Naut.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the amount which a ship heels at sea.
NAUSCOPY Naus"co*py, n. Etym: [Gr. -scopy: cf. F. nauscopie.] (Naut.)
Defn: The power or act of discovering ships or land at considerable distances.
NAUSEA Nau"se*a ( or , n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Nave of a church, and cf. Noise.]
Defn: Seasickness; hence, any similar sickness of the stomach accompanied with a propensity to vomit; qualm; squeamishness of the stomach; loathing.
NAUSEANT Nau"se*ant, n. Etym: [L. nauseans, p.pr. Of nauseare.] (Med.)
Defn: A substance which produces nausea.
NAUSEATE Nau"se*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Nauseated; p. pr. & vb. n. Nauseating.] Etym: [L. nauseare, nauseatum, fr. nausea. See Nausea.]
Defn: To become squeamish; to feel nausea; to turn away with disgust.
NAUSEATE Nau"se*ate, v. t.
1. To affect with nausea; to sicken; to cause to feel loathing or disgust.
2. To sicken at; to reject with disgust; to loathe. The patient nauseates and loathes wholesome foods. Blackmore.
NAUSEATION Nau`se*a"tion, n.
Defn: The act of nauseating, or the state of being nauseated.
NAUSEATIVE Nau"se*a*tive ( or , a.
Defn: Causing nausea; nauseous.
NAUSEOUS Nau"seous, a. Etym: [L. nauseosus.]
Defn: Causing, or fitted to cause, nausea; sickening; loathsome; disgusting; exciting abhorrence; as, a nauseous drug or medicine. -- Nau"seous*ly, adv. -- Nau"seous*ness, n. The nauseousness of such company disgusts a reasonable man. Dryden.
NAUTCH Nautch, n. Etym: [Hind. nach, fr. Skr. n dance.]
Defn: An entertainment consisting chiefly of dancing by professional dancing (or Nautch) girls. [India]
NAUTIC Nau"tic, a. Etym: [See Nautical.]
Defn: Nautical.
NAUTICAL Nau"tic*al, a. Etym: [L. nauticus, Gr. nautique. See Nave of a church.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to seamen, to the art of navigation, or to ships; as, nautical skill.
Syn. -- Naval; marine; maritime. See Naval. Nautical almanac. See under Almanac. -- Nautical distance, the length in nautical miles of the rhumb line joining any two places on the earth's surface. -- nautical mile. see under Mile.
NAUTICALLY Nau"tic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a nautical manner; with reference to nautical affais.
NAUTIFORM Nau"ti*form, a. Etym: [Gr. -form.]
Defn: Shaped like the hull of a ship.
NAUTILITE Nau"ti*lite, n. (paleon.)
Defn: A fossil nautilus.
NAUTILOID Nau"ti*loid, a. Etym: [Nautilus + -oid: cf. F. nautiloïde.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the nautilus; shaped like a nautilus shell. -- n.
Defn: A mollusk, or shell, of the genus Nautilus or family Nautilidæ.
NAUTILUS Nau"ti*lus, n.; pl. E. Nautiluses, L. Nautili. Etym: [L., fr. gr. Nave of a church.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The only existing genus of tetrabranchiate cephalopods. About four species are found living in the tropical Pacific, but many other species are found fossil. The shell is spiral, symmetrical, and chambered, or divided into several cavities by simple curved
## partitions, which are traversed and connected together by a
continuous and nearly central tube or siphuncle. See Tetrabranchiata.
Note: The head of the animal bears numerous simple tapered arms, or tentacles, arranged in groups, but not furnished with suckers. The siphon, unlike, that of ordinary cephalopods, is not a closed tube, and is not used as a locomotive organ, but merely serves to conduct water to and from the gill cavity, which contains two pairs of gills. The animal occupies only the outer chamber of the shell; the others are filled with gas. It creeps over the bottom of the sea, not coming to the surface to swim or sail, as was formerly imagined.
2. The argonaut; -- also called paper nautilus. See Argonauta, and Paper nautilus, under Paper.
3. A variety of diving bell, the lateral as well as vertical motions of which are controlled, by the occupants.
NAVAJOES Na"va*joes, n. pl.; sing. Navajo (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A tribe of Indians inhabiting New Mexico and Arizona, allied to the Apaches. They are now largely engaged in agriculture.
NAVAL Na"val, a. Etym: [L. navalis, fr. navis ship: cf. F. naval. See Nave of a church.]
Defn: Having to do with shipping; of or pertaining to ships or a navy; consisting of ships; as, naval forces, successes, stores, etc.
Naval brigade, a body of seamen or marines organized for military service on land. -- Naval officer. (a) An officer in the navy. (b) A high officer in some United States customhouses. -- Naval tactics, the science of managing or maneuvering vessels sailing in squadrons or fleets.
Syn. -- Nautical; marine; maritime. -- Naval, Nautical. Naval is applied to vessels, or a navy, or the things which pertain to them or in which they participate; nautical, to seamen and the art of navigation. Hence we speak of a naval, as opposed to a military, engagement; naval equipments or stores, a naval triumph, a naval officer, etc., and of nautical pursuits or instruction, nautical calculations, a nautical almanac, etc.
NAVALS Na"vals, n.pl.
Defn: Naval affairs. [Obs.]
NAVARCH Na"varch, n. Etym: [L. navarchus, gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: The commander of a fleet. Mitford.
NAVARCHY Na"varch*y, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Nautical skill or experience. [Obs.] ir W. Petty.
NAVARRESE Na`var*rese" ( or , a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Navarre. -- n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Navarre; the people of Navarre.
NAVE Nave, n. Etym: [AS. nafu; akin to D. naaf, G. nabe, OHG. naba, Icel. nöf, Dan. nav, Sw. naf, Skr. nabhi nave and navel: cf. L. umbo boss of a shield. *260. Cf. Navel.]
1. The block in the center of a wheel, from which the spokes radiate, and through which the axle passes; -- called also hub or hob.
2. The navel. [Obs.] hak.
NAVE Nave, n. Etym: [F. nef, fr. L. navis ship, to which the church was often likened; akin to Gr. naca boat, G. nachen, Icel. nökkvi; cf. L. nare to swim, float. Cf. Nausea, Nautical, Naval.] (Arch.)
Defn: The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances, or, if there are no transepts, from the choir to the principal entrance, but not including the aisles.
NAVEL Na"vel, n. Etym: [AS. nafela, fr. nafu nave; akin to D. navel, G. nabel, OHG. nabolo, Icel. nafli, Dan. navle, Sw. nafle, L. umbilicus, Gr. n. *260. See Nave hub, and cf. Omphalic, Nombril, Umbilical.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: A mark or depression in the middle of the abdomen; the umbilicus. See Umbilicus, belly button in humans
2. The central part or point of anything; the middle. Within the navel of this hideous wood, Immured in cypress shades, a sorcerer dwells. Milton.
3. (Gun.)
Defn: An eye on the under side of a carronade for securing it to a carriage. Navel gall, a bruise on the top of the chine of the back of a horse, behind the saddle. Johnson. -- Navel point. (Her.) Same as Nombril.
NAVEL ORANGE Na"vel or"ange.
Defn: A type of orange in which the fruit incloses a small secondary fruit, the rind showing on the exterior a navel-like pit or depression at the apex. There are several varieties; they are usually seedless, or nearly so, and are much grown in California.
NAVEL-STRING Na"vel-string`, n.
Defn: The umbilical cord.
NAVELWORT Na"vel*wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A European perennial succulent herb (Cotyledon umbilicus), having round, peltate leaves with a central depression; -- also called pennywort, and kidneywort.
NAVEW Na"vew, n. Etym: [OE. navel, naveau, a dim. fr. L. napus navew. Cf. Napiform.] (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of small turnip, a variety of Brassica campestris. See Brassica. [Writen also naphew.]
NAVICULAR Na*vic"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. navicularius, fr. navicula, dim. of navis ship: cf. F. naviculaire.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a boat or ship.
2. Shaped like a boat; cymbiform; scaphoid; as, the navicular glumes of most grasses; the navicular bone. Navicular bone. (Anat.) (a) One of the middle bones of the tarsus, corresponding to the centrale; -- called also scaphoid. (b) A proximal bone on the radial side of the carpus; the scaphoid. -- Navicular disease (Far.), a disease affecting the navicular bone, or the adjacent parts, in a horse's foot.
NAVICULAR Na*vic"u*lar, n. (Anat.)
Defn: The navicular bone.
NAVIGABILITY Nav`i*ga*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. navigabilité.]
Defn: The quality or condition of being navigable; navigableness.
NAVIGABLE Nav"i*ga*ble, a. Etym: [L. navigabilis: cf. F. navigable. See Navigate.]
Defn: Capable of being navigated; deep enough and wide enough to afford passage to vessels; as, a navigable river.
Note: By the comon law, a river is considered as navigable only so far as the tide ebbs and flows in it. This is also the doctrine in several of the United tates. In other States, the doctrine of thje civil law prevails, which is, that a navigable river is a river capable of being navigated, in the common sense of the term. Kent. Burrill. -- Nav"i*ga*ble*ness, n. -- Nav"i*ga*bly, adv.
NAVIGATE Nav"i*gate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Navigated; p. pr. & vb. n. Navigating.] Etym: [L. navigatus, p.p. of navigare, v.t. & i.; navis ship + agere to move, direct. See Nave, and Agent.]
Defn: To joirney by water; to go in a vessel or ship; to perform the duties of a navigator; to use the waters as a highway or channel for commerce or communication; to sail. The Phenicians navigated to the extremities of the Western Ocean. Arbuthnot.
NAVIGATE Nav"i*gate, v. t.
1. To pass over in ships; to sail over or on; as, to navigate the Atlantic.
2. To steer, direct, or manage in sailing; to conduct (ships) upon the water by the art or skill of seamen; as, to navigate a ship.
NAVIGATION Nav`i*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. navigatio: cf. F. navigation.]
1. The act of navigating; the act of passing on water in ships or other vessels; the state of being navigable.
2. (a) the science or art of conducting ships or vessels from one place to another, including, more especially, the method of determining a ship's position, course, distance passed over, etc., on the surface of the globe, by the principles of geometry and astronomy. (b) The management of sails, rudder, etc.; the mechanics of traveling by water; seamanship.
3. Ships in general. [Poetic] Shak. Aërial navigation, the act or art of sailing or floating in the air, as by means of ballons; aëronautic. -- Inland navigation, Internal navigation, navigation on rivers, inland lakes, etc.
NAVIGATOR Nav"i*ga`tor, n.
Defn: One who navigates or sails; esp., one who direct the course of a ship, or one who is skillful in the art of navigation; also, a book which teaches the art of navigation; as, Bowditch's Navigator.
NAVIGEROUS Na*vig"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. naviger; navis ship + gerere to bear.]
Defn: Bearing ships; capable of floating vessels. [R.] Blount.
NAVVY Nav"vy, n.; pl. Navies. Etym: [Abbreviated fr. navigator.]
Defn: Originally, a laborer on canals for internal navigation; hence, a laborer on other public works, as in building railroads, embankments, etc. [Eng.]
NAVY Na"vy; n.; pl. Navies. Etym: [ OF. navie, fr. L. navis ship. See Nave of a church.]
1. A fleet of ships; an assemblage of merchantmen, or so many as sail in company. "The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir." 1 kings x. 11.
2. The whole of the war vessels belonging to a nation or ruler, considered collectively; as, the navy of Italy.
3. The officers and men attached to the war vessels of a nation; as, he belongs to the navy. Navy bean. see Bean. -- Navy yard, a place set apart as a shore station for the use of the navy. It often contains all the mechanical and other appliences for building and equipping war vessels and training their crews.
NAVY BLUE Na"vy blue`.
Defn: Prussian blue.
NAWAB Na*wab", n. Etym: [See Nabob.]
Defn: A deputy ruler or viceroy in India; also, a title given by courtesy to other persons of high rank in the East.
NAWL Nawl, n. Etym: [See Nall.]
Defn: An awl. [Obs.] usser.
NAY Nay, adv. Etym: [Icel. nei; akin to E. no. See No, adv.]
1. No; -- a negative answer to a question asked, or a request made, now superseded by no. See Yes. And eke when I say "ye," ne say not "nay." Chaucer. I tell you nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewisr perish. Luke xiii. 3. And now do they thrust us out privily nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. Acts xvi. 37. He that will not when he may, When he would he shall have nay. Old Prov.
Note: Before the time of Henry VIII. nay was used to answer simple questions, and no was used when the form of the question involved a negative expression; nay was the simple form, no the emphatic. Skeat.
2. Not this merely, but also; not only so, but; -- used to mark the addition or substitution of a more explicit or more emphatic phrase.
Note: Nay in this sense may be interchanged with yea. "Were he my brother, nay, my kingdom's heir." Shak.
NAY Nay, n.; pl. Nays (.
1. Denial; refusal.
2. a negative vote; one who votes in the negative. It is no nay, there is no denying it. [Obs.] haucer.
NAY Nay, v. t. & i.
Defn: To refuse. [Obs.] Holinshed.
NAYAUR Na*yaur", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A specied of wild sheep (Ovis Hodgsonii), native of Nepaul and Thibet. It has a dorsal mane and a white ruff beneath the neck.
NAYT Nayt, v. t. Etym: [Icel. neita.]
Defn: To refuse; to deny. [Obs.] "He shall not nayt ne deny his sin." Chaucer.
NAYWARD Nay"ward, n.
Defn: The negative side. [R.] Howe'er you lean to the nayward. Shak.
NAYWORD Nay"word`, n.
Defn: A byword; a proverb; also, a watchword. [Obs.] hak.
NAZARENE Naz`a*rene", n. Etym: [L. Nazarenus, Gr.
1. A native or inhabitant of Nazareth; -- a term of contempt applied to Christ and the early Christians.
2. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect of Judaizing Christians in the first and second centuries, who observed the laws of Moses, and held to certain heresies.
NAZARITE Naz"a*rite, n.
Defn: A Jew bound by a vow to lave the hair uncut, to abstain from wine and strong drink, and to practice extraordinary purity of life and devotion, the obligation being for life, or for a certain time. The word is also used adjectively.
NAZARITESHIP Naz"a*rite*ship, n.
Defn: The state of a Nazarite.
NAZARITIC Naz`a*rit"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a Nazarite, or to Nazarites.
NAZARITISM Naz"a*ri*tism, n.
Defn: The vow and practice of a Nazarite.
NAZE Naze, n. Etym: [See Ness.]
Defn: A promotory or headland.
NAZIRITE Naz"i*rite, n.
Defn: A Nazarite.
NE Ne, adv. Etym: [AS. ne. See No.]
Defn: Not; never. [Obs.] He never yet no villany ne said. Chaucer.
Note: Ne was formerly used as the universal adverb of negation, and survives in certain compounds, as never (= ne ever) and none (= ne one). Other combinations, now obsolete, will be found in the Vocabulary, as nad, nam, nil. See Negative, 2.
NE Ne, conj. Etym: [See Ne, adv.]
Defn: Nor. [Obs.] Shak. No niggard ne no fool. Chaucer. Ne . . . ne, neither . . . nor. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NEAF Neaf, n.
Defn: See 2d Neif. Shak.
NEAL Neal, v. t.
Defn: To anneal. [R.] Chaucer.
NEAL Neal, v. i.
Defn: To be tempered by heat. [R.] Bacon.
NEANDERTHAL; NEANDERTHAL RACE; NEANDERTHAL MAN Ne*an"der*thal`, a. (Anthropol.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or named from, the Neanderthal, a valley in the Rhine Province, in which were found parts of a skeleton of an early type of man. The skull is characterized by extreme dolichocephaly, flat, retreating forehead, with closed frontal sutures, and enormous superciliary ridges. The cranial capacity is estimated at about 1,220 cubic centimeters, being about midway between that of the Pithecanthropus and modern man. Hence, designating the Neanderthal race, or man, a species supposed to have been widespread in paleolithic Europe.
NEANDERTHALOID Ne*an`der*thal"oid, a. [Neanderthal + -oid.] (Anthropol.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the Neanderthal skull, or the type of man it represents.
NEAP Neap, n. Etym: [Cf. Neb, Nape.]
Defn: The tongue or pole of a cart or other vehicle drawn by two animals. [U.S.]
NEAP Neap, a. Etym: [As. nepflod neap flood; cf. hnipian to bend, incline.]
Defn: Low. Neap tides, the lowest tides of the lunar month, which occur in the second and fourth quarters of the moon; -- opposed to spring tides.
NEAP Neap, n.
Defn: A neap tide. High springs and dead neaps. Harkwill.
NEAPED Neaped, a. (Naut.)
Defn: Left aground on the height of a spring tide, so that it will not float till the next spring tide; -- called also beneaped.
NEAPOLITAN Ne`a*pol"i*tan, a. Etym: [L. Neapolitanus, fr. Neapolis Naples, Gr.
Defn: Of of pertaining to Maples in Italy. -- n.
Defn: A native or citizen of Naples.
NEAPOLITAN ICE; NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM Ne`a*pol"i*tan ice, Neapolitan ice cream. (a) An ice or ice cream containing eggs as well as cream. (b) An ice or ice cream prepared in layers, as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream, and orange or lemon water ice.
NEAR Near, adv. Etym: [AS. neár, compar. of neáh nigh. See Nigh.]
1. At a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree; not remote; nigh. My wife! my traitress! let her not come near me. Milton.
2. Nearly; almost; well-nigh. "Near twenty years ago." Shak. "Near a fortnight ago." Addison. Near about the yearly value of the land. Locke.
3. Closely; intimately. Shak. Far and near, at a distance and close by; throughout a whole region. -- To come near to, to want but little of; to approximate to. "Such a sum he found would go near to ruin him." Addison. -- Near the wind (Naut.), close to the wind; closehauled.
NEAR Near, a. [Compar. Nearer; superl. Nearest.] Etym: [See Near, adv.]
1. Not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote; close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh. "As one near death." Shak. He served great Hector, and was ever near, Not with his trumpet only, but his spear. Dryden.
2. Closely connected or related. She is thy father's near kinswoman. Lev. xviii. 12.
3. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; touching, or affecting intimately; intimate; dear; as, a near friend.
4. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling; as, a version near to the original.
5. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow; as, a near escape.
6. Next to the driver, when he is on foot; in the Unted States, on the left of an animal or a team; as, the near ox; the near leg. See Off side, under Off, a.
7. Immediate; direct; close; short. "The nearest way." Milton.
8. Close-fisted; parsimonious. [Obs. or Low, Eng.]
Note: Near may properly be followed by to before the thing approached'; but more frequently to is omitted, and the adjective or the adverb is regarded as a preposition. The same is also true of the word nigh.
Syn. -- Nigh; close; adjacent; proximate; contiguous; present; ready; intimate; dear.
NEAR Near, prep.
Defn: Adjacent to; close by; not far from; nigh; as, the ship sailed near the land. See the Note under near, a.
NEAR Near, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Neared; p. pr. & vb. n Nearing.] Etym: [See Near, adv.]
Defn: To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land.
NEAR Near, v. i.
Defn: To draw near; to approach. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it neared, and neared. Coleridge.
NEAR BEER Near beer.
Defn: Any of various malt liquors (see Citation).
Near beer is a term of common currency used to designate all that class of malt liquors which contain so little alcohol that they will not produce intoxication, though drunk to excess, and includes in its meaning all malt liquors which are not within the purview of the general prohibition law. Cambell v. City of Thomasville, Georgia Appeal Records, 6 212.
NEARCTIC Ne*arc"tic, a. Etym: [Neo + arctic.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a region of the earth's surface including all of temperate and arctic North America and Greenland. In the geographical distribution of animals, this region is marked off as the habitat certain species.
NEARHAND Near"hand`, a. & adv.
Defn: Near; near at hand; closely. [Obs. or Scot.] Bacon.
NEAR-LEGGED Near"-legged`, a.
Defn: Having the feet so near together that they interfere in traveling. Shak.
NEARLY Near"ly, adv.
Defn: In a near manner; not remotely; closely; intimately; almost.
NEARNESS Near"ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being near; -- used in the various senses of the adjective.
NEARSIGHTED; NEARSIGHTEDNESS Near"sight`ed, a.
Defn: Seeing distinctly at short distances only; shortsighted. -- Near"sight`ed*ness, n.
Defn: See Myopic, and Myopia.
NEAT Neat, n. sing. & pl. Etym: [AS. neát; akin to OHG. n, Icel. naut, Sw. nöt, Dan. nöd, and to AS. neótan to make use of, G. geniessen, Goth. niutan to have a share in, have joy of, Lith. nauda use, profit.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Cattle of the genus Bos, as distinguished from horses, sheep, and goats; an animal of the genus Bos; as, a neat's tongue; a neat's foot. Chaucer. Wherein the herds[men] were keeping of their neat. Spenser. The steer, the heifer, and the calf Are all called neat. Shak. A neat and a sheep of his own. Tusser. Neat's-foot, an oil obtained by boiling the feet of neat cattle. It is used to render leather soft and pliable.
NEAT Neat, a. Etym: [See neat, n.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Bos, or to cattle of that genus; as, neat cattle.
NEAT Neat, a. [Compar. Neater; superl. Neatest.] Etym: [OE. nett, F. nett, fr. L. nitidus, fr. nitere to shine. Cf. Nitid, Net, a., Natty.]
1. Free from that which soils, defiles, or disorders; clean; cleanly; tidy. If you were to see her, you would wonder what poor body it was that was so surprisingly neat and clean. Law.
2. Free from what is unbecoming, inappropriate, or tawdry; simple and becoming; pleasing with simplicity; tasteful; chaste; as, a neat style; a neat dress.
3. Free from admixture or adulteration; good of its kind; as, neat brandy. "Our old wine neat." Chapman.
4. Excellent in character, skill, or performance, etc.; nice; finished; adroit; as, a neat design; a neat thief.
5. With all deductions or allowances made; net.
Note: [In this sense usually written net. See Net, a., 3.] neat line (Civil Engin.), a line to which work is to be built or formed. -- Neat work, work built or formed to neat lines.
Syn. -- Nice; pure; cleanly; tidy; trim; spruce.
'NEATH 'Neath ( or , prep. & adv.
Defn: An abbreviation of Beneath. [Poetic]
NEATHERD Neat"herd`, n.
Defn: A person who has the care of neat cattle; a cowherd. Dryden.
NEATHOUSE Neat"house`, n.
Defn: A building for the shelter of neat cattle. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Massinger.
NEATIFY Neat"i*fy, v. t. Etym: [Neat, a. + -fy.]
Defn: To make neat. [Obs.] olland.
NEATLY Neat"ly, adv.
Defn: In a neat manner; tidily; tastefully.
NEATNESS neat"ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being neat.
NEATRESS Neat"ress, n. Etym: [From neat cattle.]
Defn: A woman who takes care of cattle. [R.] Warner.
NEB Neb, n. Etym: [AS. nebb head, face; akin to D. neb, Icel. nef, beak of a bird, nose, Dan. næb beak, bill, Sw. näbb, näf, and prob. also to D. sneb, snavel, bill, beak, G. schnabel, Dan. & Sw. snabel, and E. snap. Cf. Nib, Snap, Snaffle.]
Defn: The nose; the snout; the mouth; the beak of a bird; a nib, as of a pen. [Also written nib.] Shak.
NEBALIA Ne*ba"li*a, n. Etym: [NL., of uncertain origin.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small marine Crustacea, considered the type of a distinct order (Nebaloidea, or Phyllocarida.)
NEB-NEB Neb"-neb`, n.
Defn: Same as Bablh.
NEBULA Neb"u*la, n.; pl. Nebulæ. Etym: [L., mist, cloud; akin to Gr. nebel mist, OHG. nebul, D. nevel, Skr. nabhas cloud, mist. Cf. Nebule.]
1. (Astron.)
Defn: A faint, cloudlike, self-luminous mass of matter situated beyond the solar system among the stars. True nebulæ are gaseous; but very distant star clusters often appear like them in the telescope.
2. (Med.) (a) A white spot or a slight opacity of the cornea. (b) A cloudy appearance in the urine. [Obs.]
NEBULAR Neb"u*lar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to nebulæ; of the nature of, or resembling, a nebula. Nebular hypothesis, an hypothesis to explain the process of formation of the stars and planets, presented in various forms by Kant, Herschel, Laplace, and others. As formed by Laplace, it supposed the matter of the solar system to have existed originally in the form of a vast, diffused, revolving nebula, which, gradually cooling and contracting, threw off, in obedience to mechanical and physical laws, succesive rings of matter, from which subsequently, by the same laws, were produced the several planets, satellites, and other bodies of the system. The phrase may indicate any hypothesis according to which the stars or the bodies of the solar system have been evolved from a widely diffused nebulous form of matter.
NEBULATED Neb"u*la`ted, a.
Defn: Clouded with indistinct color markings, as an animal.
NEBULATION neb`u*la"tion, n.
Defn: The condition of being nebulated; also, a clouded, or ill- defined, color mark.
NEBULE Neb"ule, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nébule. See nebula.]
Defn: A little cloud; a cloud. [Obs.] O light without nebule. Old Ballad.
NEBULE; NEBULY Né`bu`lé", Neb"u*ly, a. Etym: [F. nébulé.] (Her.)
Defn: Composed of successive short curves supposed to resemble a cloud; -- said of a heraldic line by which an ordinary or subordinary may be bounded.
NEBULIZATION Neb`u*li*za"tion, n. (Med.)
Defn: The act or process of nebulizing; atomization.
NEBULIZE Neb"u*lize, v. t. Etym: [See Nebula.]
Defn: To reduce (as a liquid) to a fine spray or vapor; to atomize.
NEBULIZER Neb"u*li`zer, n.
Defn: An atomizer.
NEBULOSE Neb"u*lose`, a.
Defn: Nebulous; cloudy. Derham.
NEBULOSITY Neb`u*los"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. nebulositas: cf. F. nébulosité]
1. The state or quality of being nebulous; cloudiness; hazeness; mistiness; nebulousness. The nebulosity ... of the mother idiom. I. Disraeli.
2. (Astron.) (a) The stuff of which a nebula is formed. (b) A nebula.
NEBULOUS Neb"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. nebulosus: cf. F. nébuleux. See Nebula.]
1. Cloudy; hazy; misty.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or having the appearance of, a nebula; nebular; cloudlike. -- Neb"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Neb"u*lous*ness, n.
NEBULY Neb"u*ly, n. (Her. & Arch.)
Defn: A line or a direction composed of successive short curves or waves supposed to resembe a cloud. See NÉbulÉ
NECESSARIAN Nec`es*sa"ri*an, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nécessarien. See Mecessary.]
Defn: An advocate of the doctrine of philosophical necessity; a nacessitarian.
NECESSARIAN Nec`es*sa"ri*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to necessarianism.
NECESSARIANISM Nec`es*sa"ri*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrine of philosophical necessity; necessitarianism. Hixley.
NECESSARILY Nec"es*sa*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a necessary manner; by necessity; unavoidably; indispensably.
NECESSARINESS Nec"es*sa*ri*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being necessary.
NECESSARY Nec"es*sa*ry, a. Etym: [L. necessarius, from necesse unavoidable, necessary; of uncertain origin: cf. F. nécessaire.]
1. Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable. Death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come. Shak.
2. Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requiste; essential. "'T is necessary he should die." Shak. A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds. Tillotson.
3. Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; -- opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.
NECESSARY Nec"es*sa*ry, n.; pl. Necessaries (.
1. A thing that is necessary or indispensable to some purpose; something that one can not do without; a requisite; an essential; -- used chiefly in the plural; as, the necessaries of life.
2. A privy; a water-closet.
3. pl. (Law)
Defn: Such things, in respect to infants, lunatics, and married women, as are requisite for support suitable to station.
NECESSITARIAN Ne*ces`si*ta"ri*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the doctrine of philosophical necessity in regard to the origin and existence of things, especially as applied to the actings or choices of the will; -- opposed to libertarian.
NECESSITARIAN Ne*ces`si*ta"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who holds to the doctrine of necessitarianism.
NECESSITARIANISM Ne*ces`si*ta"ri*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrine of philosophical necessity; the doctrine that results follow by invariable sequence from causes, and esp. that the will is not free, but that human actions and choices result inevitably from motives; deteminism. M. Arnold.
NECESSITATE Ne*ces"si*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Necessitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Necessitating.] Etym: [Cf. L. necessitatus, p.p. of necessitare, and F. nécessiter. See Necessity.]
1. To make necessary or indispensable; to render unaviolable. Sickness [might] necessitate his removal from the court. South. This fact necessitates a second line. J. Peile.
2. To reduce to the necessity of; to force; to compel. The Marquis of Newcastle, being pressed on both sides, was necessitated to draw all his army into York. Clarendon.
NECESSITATTION Ne*ces`si*tat"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nécessitation.]
Defn: The act of making necessary, or the state of being made necessary; compulsion. [R.] bp. Bramhall.
NECESSITIED Ne*ces"si*tied, a.
Defn: In a state of want; necessitous. [Obs.] Shak.
NECESSITOUS Ne*ces"si*tous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. nécessiteux.]
1. Very needy or indigent; pressed with poverty. Necessitous heirs and penurious parents. Arbuthnot.
2. Narrow; destitute; pinching; pinched; as, necessitous circumstances. -- Ne*ces"si*tous*ly, adv. -- Ne*ces"si*tous*ness, n.
NECESSITUDE Ne*ces"si*tude, n. Etym: [L. necessitudo, fr. necesse. See Necessray.]
1. Necessitousness; want. Sir M. Hale.
2. Necessary connection or relation. Between kings and their people, parents and their children, there is so great a necessitude, propriety, and intercourse of nature. Jer. Taylor.
NECESSITY Ne*ces"si*ty, n.; pl. Necessities. Etym: [OE. necessite, F. nécessité, L. necessitas, fr. necesse. See Necessary.]
1. The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite; inevitableness; indispensableness.
2. The condition of being needy or necessitous; pressing need; indigence; want. Urge the necessity and state of times. Shak. The extreme poverty and necessity his majesty was in. Clarendon.
3. That which is necessary; a necessary; a requisite; something indispensable; -- often in the plural. These should be hours for necessities, Not for delights. Shak. What was once to me Mere matter of the fancy, now has grown The vast necessity of heart and life. Tennyson.
4. That which makes an act or an event unavoidable; irresistible force; overruling power; compulsion, physical or moral; fate; fatality. So spake the fiend, and with necessity, The tyrant's plea, excused his devilish deeds. Milton.
5. (Metaph.)
Defn: The negation of freedom in voluntary action; the subjection of all phenomena, whether material or spiritual, to inevitable causation; necessitarianism. Of necessity, by necessary consequence; by compulsion, or irresistible power; perforce.
Syn. -- See Need.
NECK Neck, n. Etym: [OE. necke, AS. hnecca; akin to D. nek the nape of the neck, G. nacken, OHG. nacch, hnacch, Icel. hnakki, Sw. nacke, Dan. nakke.]
1. The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many other animals, is more slender than the trunk.
2. Any part of an inanimate object corresponding to or resembling the neck of an animal; as: (a) The long slender part of a vessel, as a retort, or of a fruit, as a gourd. (b) A long narrow tract of land projecting from the main body, or a narrow tract connecting two larger tracts. (c) (Mus.) That part of a violin, guitar, or similar instrument, which extends from the head to the body, and on which is the finger board or fret board.
3. (Mech.)
Defn: A reduction in size near the end of an object, formed by a groove around it; as, a neck forming the journal of a shaft.
4. (Bot.)
Defn: the point where the base of the stem of a plant arises from the root. Neck and crop, completely; wholly; altogether; roughly and at once. [Colloq.] -- Neck and neck (Racing), so nearly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other; very close; even; side by side. -- Neck of a capital. (Arch.) See Gorgerin. -- Neck of a cascabel (Gun.), the part joining the knob to the base of the breech. -- Neck of a gun, the small part of the piece between the chase and the swell of the muzzle. -- Neck of a tooth (Anat.), the constriction between the root and the crown. -- Neck or nothing (Fig.), at all risks. -- Neck verse. (a) The verse formerly read to entitle a party to the benefit of clergy, said to be the first verse of the fifty-first Psalm, "Miserere mei," etc. Sir W. Scott. (b) Hence, a verse or saying, the utterance of which decides one's fate; a shibboleth. These words, "bread and cheese," were their neck verse or shibboleth to distinguish them; all pronouncing "broad and cause," being presently put to death. Fuller. -- Neck yoke. (a) A bar by which the end of the tongue of a wagon or carriage is suspended from the collars of the harnesses. (b) A device with projecting arms for carrying things (as buckets of water or sap) suspended from one's shoulders. -- On the neck of, immediately after; following closely. "Commiting one sin on the neck of another." W. Perkins. -- Stiff neck, obstinacy in evil or wrong; inflexible obstinacy; contumacy. "I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck." Deut. xxxi. 27. -- To break the neck of, to destroy the main force of. "What they presume to borrow from her sage and virtuous rules... breaks the neck of their own cause." Milton. -- To harden the neck, to grow obstinate; to be more and more perverse and rebellious. Neh. ix. 17. -- To tread on the neck of, to oppress; to tyrannize over.
NECK Neck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Necked; p. pr. & vb. n. Necking.] (Mech.)
Defn: To reduce the diameter of (an object) near its end, by making a groove around it; -- used with down; as, to neck down a shaft. v. t. & i. To kiss and caress amorously. n. necking
NECKAR NUT Neck"ar nut`. (Bot.)
Defn: See Nicker nut.
NECKBAND Neck"band`, n.
Defn: A band which goes around the neck; often, the part at the top of a garment.
NECKCLOTH Neck"cloth`, n.
Defn: A piece of any fabric worn around the neck.
NECKED Necked, a.
1. Having (such) a neck; -- chiefly used in composition; as, stiff- necked.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: Cracked; -- said of a treenail.
NECKERCHIEF Neck"er*chief, n. Etym: [For neck kerchief.]
Defn: A kerchief for the neck; -- called also neck handkerchief.
NECKING Neck"ing, n.
Defn: Same as Neckmold.
NECKLACE Neck"lace (; 48), n.
1. A string of beads, etc., or any continuous band or chain, worn around the neck as an ornament.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A rope or chain fitted around the masthead to hold hanging blocks for jibs and stays.
NECKLACED neck"laced, a.
Defn: Wearing a necklace; marked as with a necklace. The hooded and the necklaced snake. Sir W. Jones.
NECKLAND neck"land, n.
Defn: A neck of land. [Obs.]
NECKLET neck"let, n.
Defn: A necklace. E. Anold.
NECKMOLD; NECKMOULD Neck"mold`, Neck"mould`, n. (Arch.)
Defn: A small convex molding surrounding a column at the jinction of the shaft and capital. Weale.
NECKPLATE Neck"plate`, n.
Defn: See Gorget, 1 and 2.
NECKTIE Neck"tie`, n.
Defn: A scarf, band, or kerchief of silk, etc., passing around the neck or collar and tied in front; a bow of silk, etc., fastened in front of the neck.
NECKWEAR Neck"wear`, n.
Defn: A collective term for cravats, collars, etc. [Colloq. or trade name]
NECKWEED Neck"weed`, n. (Bot.) (a) An American annual weed (veronica peregrina), with small white flowers and a roundish pod. (b) The hemp; -- so called as furnishing ropes for hanging criminals. Dr. prior.
NECROBIOSIS Nec`ro*bi*o"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol. & Med.)
Defn: The death of a part by molecular disintegration and without loss of continuity, as in the processes of degeneration and atrophy. Virchow.
NECROBIOTIC Nec`ro*bi*ot"ic, a. (Biol. & Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to necrobiosis; as, a necrobiotic metamorphosis.
NECROLATRY Ne*crol"a*try, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The worship of the dead; manes worship. H. Spenser.
NECROLITE Nec"ro*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite.] (Min.)
Defn: Same as Necronite.
NECROLOGIC; NECROLOGICAL Nec`ro*log"ic, Nec`ro*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. nécrologique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to necrology; of the nature of necrology; relating to, or giving, an account of the dead, or of deaths.
NECROLOGIST Ne*crol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who gives an account of deaths.
NECROLOGY Ne*crol"o*gy, n.; pl. Necrologies. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. nécrologie. See Necromancy.]
Defn: An account of deaths, or of the dead; a register of deaths; a collection of obituary notices.
NECROMANCER Nec"ro*man`cer, n.
Defn: One who practices necromancy; a sorcerer; a wizard.
NECROMANCY Nec"ro*man`cy, n. Etym: [OE. nigromaunce, nigromancie, OF. nigromance, F. nécromance, nécromancie, from L. necromantia, Gr. necare to kill, Skr. na() to perish, vanish) + mania. See Mania, and cf. Internecine, Noxious. The old spelling is due to confusion with L. niger black. Hence the name black art.]
Defn: The art of revealing future events by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; hence, magic in general; conjuration; enchantment. See Black art. This palace standeth in the air, By necromancy placèd there. Drayton.
NECROMANTIC Nec`ro*man"tic, n.
Defn: Conjuration. [R.] With all the necromantics of their art. Young.
NECROMANTIC; NECROMANTICAL Nec`ro*man"tic, Nec`ro*man"tic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to necromancy; performed by necromancy. -- Nec`ro*man"tic*al*ly, adv.
NECRONITE Nec"ro*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Fetid feldspar, a mineral which, when struck, exhales a fetid odor.
NECROPHAGAN Ne*croph"a*gan, a. Etym: [See Necrophagous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Eating carrion. -- n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of a tribe (Necrophaga) of beetles which, in the larval state, feed on carrion; a burying beetle.
NECROPHAGOUS Ne*croph"a*gous, a. Etym: [Gr. nécrophage.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Necrophaga; eating carrion. See Necrophagan.
NECROPHOBIA Nec`ro*pho"bi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: An exaggerated fear of death or horror of dead bodies.
NECROPHORE Nec"ro*phore, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of beetles of the genus Necrophorus and allied genera; -- called also burying beetle, carrion beetle, sexton beetle.
NECROPOLIS Ne*crop"o*lis, n.; pl. Necropolises. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A city of the dead; a name given by the ancients to their cemeteries, and sometimes applied to modern burial places; a graveyard.
NECROPSY Nec"rop*sy, n. Etym: [Gr. nécropsie.] (Med.)
Defn: A post-mortem examination or inspection; an autopsy. See Autopsy.
NECROSCOPIC; NECROSCOPICAL Nec`ro*scop"ic, Nec`ro*scop"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. -scope.]
Defn: Or or relating to post-mortem examinations.
NECROSE Ne*crose", v. t. & i. (Med.)
Defn: To affect with necrosis; to unergo necrosis. Quain.
NECROSED Ne*crosed", a. (Med.)
Defn: Affected by necrosis; dead; as, a necrosed bone. Dunglison.
NECROSIS Ne*cro"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. gr.
1. (med.)
Defn: Mortification or gangrene of bone, or the death of a bone or portion of a bone in mass, as opposed to its death by molecular disintegration. See Caries.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A disease of trees, in which the branches gradually dry up from the bark to the center.
NECROTIC Ne*crot"ic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Affected with necrosis; as, necrotic tissue; characterized by, or producing, necrosis; as, a necrotic process.
NECROTOMY Nec*rot"o*my, n. [Gr. dead person + to cut.] (Med.)
Defn: The dissection of dead bodies; also, excision of necrosed bone. --Nec`ro*tom"ic (#), a. --Nec*rot"o*mist (#), n.
NECTAR Nec"tar, n. Etym: [L., fr. gr.
1. (Myth. & Poetic)
Defn: The drink of the gods (as ambrosia was their food); hence, any delicious or inspiring beverage.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A sweetish secretion of blossoms from which bees make honey.
NECTAREAL Nec*ta"re*al, a.
1. Nectareous.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a nectary.
NECTAREAN Nec*ta"re*an, a. Etym: [L. nectareus: cf. F. nectaréen.]
Defn: Resembling nectar; very sweet and pleasant. "nectarean juice." Talfourd.
NECTARED Nec"tared, a.
Defn: Imbued with nectar; mingled with nectar; abounding with nectar. Milton.
NECTAREOUS Nec*ta"re"ous, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, containing, or resembling nectar; delicious; nectarean. Pope. -- Nec*ta"re*ous*ly, adv. -- Nec*ta"re*ous*ness, n.
NECTARIAL Nec*ta"ri*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the nectary of a plant.
NECTARIED Nec"ta*ried, a.
Defn: Having a nectary.
NECTARIFEROUS Nec`tar*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. nectar nectar + -ferous: cf. F. nectarifère.] (Bot.)
Defn: Secreting nectar; -- said of blossoms or their parts.
NECTARINE Nec"tar*ine, a.
Defn: Nectareous. [R.] Milton.
NECTARINE Nec"tar*ine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nectarine. See Nectar.] (Bot.)
Defn: A smooth-skinned variety of peach. Spanish nectarine, the plumlike fruit of the West Indian tree Chrysobalanus Icaco; -- also called cocoa plum. it is made into a sweet conserve which a largely exported from Cuba.
NECTARIZE Nec"tar*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nectarized; p. pr. & vb. n. Nectarizing.]
Defn: To mingle or infuse with nectar; to sweeten. [Obs.] Cockeram.
NECTAROUS Nec"tar*ous, a.
Defn: Nectareous. Milton.
NECTARY Nec"ta*ry, n.; pl. Nectaries. Etym: [From Nectar: cf. F. nectaire.] (Bot.)
Defn: That part of a blossom which secretes nectar, usually the base of the corolla or petals; also, the spur of such flowers as the larkspur and columbine, whether nectariferous or not. See the Illustration of Nasturtium.
NECTOCALYX Nec`to*ca"lyx, n.; pl. Nectocalyces. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Zoöl.) (a) The swimming bell or umbrella of a jellyfish of medusa. (b) One of the zooids of certain Siphonophora, having somewhat the form, and the essential structure, of the bell of a jellyfish, and
## acting as a swimming organ.
NECTOSAC; NECTOSACK Nec"to*sac, Nec"to*sack, n. Etym: [Gr. sac, sack.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The cavity of a nectocalyx.
NECTOSTEM Nec"to*stem, n. Etym: [Gr. stem.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: That portion of the axis which bears the nectocalyces in the Siphonophora.
NEDDER Ned"der, n. Etym: [See Adder.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An adder. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer.
NEDDY Ned"dy, n.; pl. Neddies (. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pet name for a donkey.
NEE Nee, p. p., fem. Etym: [F., fr. L. nata, fem. of natus, p.p. of nasci to be born. See Nation.]
Defn: Born; -- a term sometimes used in introducing the name of the family to which a married woman belongs by birth; as, Madame de Staël, née Necker.
NEED Need, n. Etym: [OE. need, neod, nede, AS. neád, nyd; akin to D. nood, G. not, noth, Icel. nauedhr, Sw. & Dan. nöd, Goth. naups.]
1. A state that requires supply or relief; pressing occasion for something; necessity; urgent want. And the city had no need of the sun. Rev. xxi. 23. I have no need to beg. Shak. Be governed by your needs, not by your fancy. Jer. Taylor.
2. Want of the means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution. Chaucer. Famine is in thy cheeks; Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes. Shak.
3. That which is needful; anything necessary to be done; (pl.) necessary things; business. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. Situation of need; peril; danger. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Syn. -- Exigency; emergency; strait; extremity; necessity; distress; destitution; poverty; indigence; want; penury. -- Need, Necessity. Necessity is stronger than need; it places us under positive compulsion. We are frequently under the necessity of going without that of which we stand very greatly in need. It is also with the corresponding adjectives; necessitous circumstances imply the direct pressure of suffering; needy circumstances, the want of aid or relief.
NEED Need, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Needed; p. pr. & vb. n. Needing.] Etym: [See Need, n. Cf. AS. n to force, Goth. nau.]
Defn: To be in want of; to have cause or occasion for; to lack; to require, as supply or relief. Other creatures all day long Rove idle, unemployed, and less need rest. Milton.
Note: With another verb, need is used like an auxiliary, generally in a negative sentence expressing requirement or obligation, and in this use it undergoes no change of termination in the third person singular of the present tense. "And the lender need not fear he shall be injured." Anacharsis (Trans. ).
NEED Need, v. i.
Defn: To be wanted; to be necessary. Chaucer. When we have done it, we have done all that is in our power, and all that needs. Locke.
NEED Need, adv.
Defn: Of necessity. See Needs. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NEEDER Need"er, n.
Defn: One who needs anything. Shak.
NEEDFUL Need"ful, a.
1. Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing. [Archaic] Chaucer. The needful time of trouble. Bk. of Com. Prayer.
2. Necessary for supply or relief; requisite. All things needful for defense abound. Dryden. -- Need"ful*ly, adv. -- Need"ful*ness, n.
NEEDILY Need"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Needy.]
Defn: In a needy condition or manner; necessarily. Chaucer.
NEEDINESS Need"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being needy; want; poverty; indigence.
NEEDLE Nee"dle, n. Etym: [OE. nedle, AS. n; akin to D. neald, OS. nadla, G. nadel, OHG. nadal, nadala, Icel. nal, Sw. nål, Dan. naal, and also to G. nähen to sew, OHG. najan, L. nere to spin, Gr. snare: cf. Gael. & Ir. snathad needle, Gael. snath thread, G. schnur string, cord.]
1. A small instrument of steel, sharply pointed at one end, with an eye to receive a thread, -- used in sewing. Chaucer.
Note: In some needles(as for sewing machines) the eye is at the pointed end, but in ordinary needles it is at the blunt end.
2. See Magnetic needle, under Magnetic.
3. A slender rod or wire used in knitting; a knitting needle; also, a hooked instrument which carries the thread or twine, and by means of which knots or loops are formed in the process of netting, knitting, or crocheting.
4. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the needle-shaped secondary leaves of pine trees. See Pinus.
5. Any slender, pointed object, like a needle, as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc. Dipping needle. See under Dipping. -- Needle bar, the reciprocating bar to which the needle of a sewing machine is attached. -- Needle beam (Arch.), to shoring, the horizontal cross timber which goes through the wall or a pier, and upon which the weight of the wall rests, when a building is shored up to allow of alterations in the lower part. -- Needle furze (Bot.), a prickly leguminous plant of Western Europe; the petty whin (Genista Anglica). -- Needle gun, a firearm loaded at the breech with a cartridge carrying its own fulminate, which is exploded by driving a slender needle, or pin, into it. -- Needle loom (Weaving), a loom in which the weft thread is carried through the shed by a long eye-pointed needle instead of by a shuttle. -- Needle ore (Min.), acicular bismuth; a sulphide of bismuth, lead, and copper occuring in acicular crystals; -- called also aikinite. -- Needle shell (Zoöl.), a sea urchin. -- Needle spar (Min.), aragonite. -- Needle telegraph, a telegraph in which the signals are given by the deflections of a magnetic needle to the right or to the left of a certain position. -- Sea needle (Zoöl.), the garfish.
NEEDLE Nee"dle, v. t.
Defn: To form in the shape of a needle; as, to needle crystals.
NEEDLE Nee"dle, v. i.
Defn: To form needles; to crystallize in the form of needles.
NEEDLEBOOK Nee"dle*book`, n.
Defn: A book-shaped needlecase, having leaves of cloth into which the needles are stuck.
NEEDLECASE Nee"dle*case`, n.
Defn: A case to keep needles.
NEEDLEFISH Nee"dle*fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The European great pipefich (Siphostoma, or Syngnathus, acus); -- called also earl, and tanglefish. (b) The garfish.
NEEDLEFUL nee"dle*ful, n.; pl. needlefuls (.
Defn: As much thread as is used in a needle at one time.
NEEDLE-POINTED Nee"dle-pointed`, a.
Defn: Pointed as needles.
NEEDLER Nee"dler, n.
Defn: One who makes or uses needles; also, a dealer in needles. Piers Plowman.
NEEDLESS Nee"dless, a.
1. Having no need. [Obs.] Weeping into the needless stream. Shak.
2. Not wanted; unnecessary; not requiste; as, needless labor; needless expenses.
3. Without sufficient cause; groundless; cuseless. "Needless jealousy." Shak. -- Need"less*ly, adv. -- Need"less*ness, n.
NEEDLESTONE Nee"dle*stone`, n. (Min.)
Defn: Natrolite; -- called also needle zeolite.
NEEDLEWOMAN Nee"dle*wom`an, n.; pl. Needlewomen (.
Defn: A woman who does needlework; a seamstress.
NEEDLEWORK Nee"dle*work`, n.
1. Work executed with a needle; sewed work; sewing; embroidery; also, the business of a seamstress.
2. The combination of timber and plaster making the outside framework of some houses.
NEEDLY Nee"dly, a.
Defn: Like a needle or needles; as, a needly horn; a needly beard. R. D. Blackmore.
NEEDLY Need"ly, adv. Etym: [AS. n. See Need.]
Defn: Necessarily; of necessity. [Obs.] hak.
NEEDMENT Need"ment, n.
Defn: Something needed or wanted. pl.
Defn: Outfit; necessary luggage. [Archaic] Spenser. Carrying each his needments. Wordsworth.
NEEDS Needs, adv. Etym: [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
Defn: Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. A man must needs love mauger his head. Chaucer. And he must needs go through Samaria. John iv. 4. He would needs know the cause of his reulse. Sir J. Davies.
NEEDSCOST Needs"cost`, adv.
Defn: Of necessity. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NEEDSLY Needs"ly, adv.
Defn: Of necessity. [Obs.] Drayton.
NEEDY Need"y, a. [Compar. Needer; superl. Neediest.]
1. Distressed by want of the means of living; very por; indigent; necessitous. Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy in thy land. Deut. xv. 11. Spare the bluches of needly merit. Dr. T. Dwight.
2. Necessary; requiste. [Obs.] Corn to make your needy bread. Shak.
NEELD; NEELE Neeld, Neele, n. Etym: [See Needle.]
Defn: A needle. [Obs.] Shak.
NEELGHAU Neel"ghau, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Nylghau.
NEEM TREE Neem" tree`. Etym: [Hind. nim.] (Bot.)
Defn: An Asiatic name for Melia Azadirachta, and M. Azedarach. See Margosa.
NEER Neer, adv. & a.
Defn: Nearer. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NE'ER Ne'er ( or ), adv.
Defn: a contraction of Never.
NE'ER-DO-WELL Ne'er"-do-well`, n.
Defn: A person who never does, or fares, well; a good for nothing.
The idle and dissolute ne'er-do-wells of their communities. Harper's Mag.
NEESE Neese, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Neesed; p. pr. & vb. n. Neesing.] Etym: [OE. nesen; akin to D. niezen, G. niesen, Icel. hnjosa.]
Defn: To sneeze. [Obs.] [Written also neeze.]
NEESING Nees"ing, n.
Defn: Sneezing. [Obs.] "By his neesings a light doth shine." Job xli. 18.
NE EXEAT Ne` ex"e*at. Etym: [L. ne exeat regno let him not go out of the kingdom.] (Law)
Defn: A writ to restrain a person from leaving the country, or the jurisdiction of the court. The writ was originally applicable to purposes of state, but is now an ordinary process of courts of equity, resorted to for the purpose of obtaining bail, or security to abide a decree. Kent.
NEF Nef (; F. , n. Etym: [F. See Nave.]
Defn: The nave of a church. Addison.
NEFAND; NEFANDOUS Ne"fand, Ne*fan"dous, a. Etym: [L. nefandus not to be spoken; ne not + fari to speak.]
Defn: Unfit to speak of; unmentionable; impious; execrable. [Obs.] "Nefand adominations." Sheldon. "Nefandous high treason." Cotton Mather.
NEFARIOUS Ne*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. nefarius, fr. nefas crime, wrong; ne not + fas divine law; akin to fari to speak. See No, adv., and Fate.]
Defn: Wicked in the extreme; abominable; iniquitous; atrociously villainous; execrable; detestably vile.
Syn. -- Iniquitous; detestable; horrible; heinious; atrocious; infamous; impious. See Iniquitous. -- Ne*fa"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Ne*fa"ri*ous*ness, n.
NEFASCH Ne"fasch, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any fish of the genus Distichodus. Several large species inhabit the Nile.
NEFAST Ne"fast, a. Etym: [L. nefastus.]
Defn: Wicked. [R.]
NEGATION Ne*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. negatio, fr. negare to say no, to deny; ne not + the root of aio I say; cf. Gr. ah to say; cf. F. négation. See No, adv., and cf. Adage, Deny, Renegade.]
1. The act of denying; assertion of the nonreality or untruthfulness of anything; declaration that something is not, or has not been, or will not be; denial; -- the opposite of Ant: affirmation. Our assertions and negations should be yea and nay. Rogers.
2. (Logic)
Defn: Description or definition by denial, exclusion, or exception; statement of what a thing is not, or has not, from which may be inferred what it is or has.
NEGATIVE Neg"a*tive, a. Etym: [F. négatif, L. negativus, fr. negare to deny. See Negation.]
1. Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; -- opposed to Ant: affirmative. If thou wilt confess, Or else be impudently negative. Shak. Denying me any power of a negative voice. Eikon Basilike. Something between an affirmative bow and a negative shake. Dickens.
2. Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; a negative morality; negative criticism. There in another way of denying Christ, ... which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him. South.
3. (Logic)
Defn: Asserting absence of connection between a subject and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.
4. (Photog.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or other material, in which the lights and shades of the original, and the relations of right and left, are reversed.
5. (Chem.)
Defn: Metalloidal; nonmetallic; -- contracted with positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative.
Note: This word, derived from electro-negative, is now commonly used in a more general sense, when acidiferous is the intended signification. Negative crystal. (a) A cavity in a mineral mass, having the form of a crystal. (b) A crystal which has the power of negative double refraction. See refraction. -- negative electricity (Elec.), the kind of electricity which is developed upon resin or ebonite when rubbed, or which appears at that pole of a voltaic battery which is connected with the plate most attacked by the exciting liquid; -- formerly called resinous electricity. Opposed to Ant: positive electricity. Formerly, according to Franklin's theory of a single electric fluid, negative electricity was supposed to be electricity in a degree below saturation, or the natural amount for a given body. see Electricity. -- Negative eyepiece. (Opt.) see under Eyepiece. -- Negative quantity (Alg.), a quantity preceded by the negative sign, or which stands in the relation indicated by this sign to some other quantity. See Negative sign (below). -- Negative rotation, right-handed rotation. See Right-handed, 3. -- Negative sign, the sign -, or minus (opposed in signification to +, or Ant: plus), indicating that the quantity to which it is prefixed is to be subtracted from the preceding quantity, or is to be reckoned from zero or cipher in the opposite direction to that of quanties having the sign plus either expressed or understood; thus, in a - b, b is to be substracted from a, or regarded as opposite to it in value; and -10° on a thermometer means 10° below the zero of the scale.
NEGATIVE Neg"a*tive, n. Etym: [Cf. F. négative.]
1. A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a conception or term formed by prefixing the negative particle to one which is positive; an opposite or contradictory term or conception. This is a known rule in divinity, that there is no command that runs in negatives but couches under it a positive duty. South.
2. A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
Note: In Old England two or more negatives were often joined together for the sake of emphasis, whereas now such expressions are considered ungrammatical, being chiefly heard in iliterate speech. A double negative is now sometimes used as nearly or quite equivalent to an affirmative. No wine ne drank she, neither white nor red. Chaucer. These eyes that never did nor never shall So much as frown on you. Shak.
3. The refusal or withholding of assents; veto. If a kind without his kingdom be, in a civil sense, nothing, then ... his negative is as good as nothing. Milton.
4. That side of a question which denies or refuses, or which is taken by an opposing or denying party; the relation or position of denial or opposition; as, the question was decided in the negative.
5. (Photog.)
Defn: A picture upon glass or other material, in which the light portions of the original are represented in some opaque material (usually reduced silver), and the dark portions by the uncovered and transparent or semitransparent ground of the picture.
Note: A negative is chiefly used for producing photographs by means of the sun's light passing through it and acting upon sensitized paper, thus producing on the paper a positive picture.
6. (Elect.)
Defn: The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell. Negative pregnant (Law), a negation which implies an affirmation.
NEGATIVE Neg"a*tive, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Negatived; p. pr. & vb. n. Negativing.]
1. To prove unreal or intrue; to disprove. The omission or infrequency of such recitals does not negative the existence of miracles. Paley.
2. To reject by vote; to refuse to enact or sanction; as, the Senate negatived the bill.
3. To neutralize the force of; to counteract.
NEGATIVELY Neg"a*tive*ly, adv.
1. In a negative manner; with or by denial. "He answered negatively." Boyle.
2. In the form of speech implying the absence of something; -- opposed to positively. negatively, by showing wherein it does not consist, and positively, by showing wherein it does consist. South. Negatively charged or electrified (Elec.), having a charge of the kind of electricity called negative.
NEGATIVENESS; NEGATIVITY Neg"a*tive*ness, Neg`a*tiv"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being negative.
NEGATORY Neg"a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. negatorius: cf. F. négatorie.]
Defn: Expressing denial; belonging to negation; negative. Carlyle.
NEGINOTH Neg"i*noth, n. pl. Etym: [Heb. nêginoth.] (Script.)
Defn: Stringed instruments. Dr. W. Smith. To the chief musician on Neginoth. Ps. iv. 9heading).
NEGLECT Neg*lect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Neglected; p. pr. & vb. n. Neglecting.] Etym: [L. neglectus, p.p. of neglegere (negligere) to disregard, neglect, the literal sense prob. neing, not to pick up; nec not, nor (fr. ne not + -que, a particle akin to Goth. -h, -uh, and prob. to E. who; cf. Goth. nih nor) + L. legere to pick up, gather. See No, adv., Legend, Who.]
1. Not to attend to with due care or attention; to forbear one's duty in regard to; to suffer to pass unimproved, unheeded, undone, etc.; to omit; to disregard; to slight; as, to neglect duty or business; to neglect to pay debts. I hope My absence doth neglect no great designs. Shak. This, my long suffering and my day of grace, Those who neglect and scorn shall never taste. Milton.
2. To omit to notice; to forbear to treat with attention or respect; to slight; as, to neglect strangers.
Syn. -- To slight; overlook; disregard; disesteem; contemn. See Slight.
NEGLECT Neg*lect", n. Etym: [L. neglectus. See Neglect, v.]
1. Omission of proper attention; avoidance or disregard of duty, from heedlessness, indifference, or willfulness; failure to do, use, or heed anything; culpable disregard; as, neglect of business, of health, of economy. To tell thee sadly, shepherd, without blame, Or our neglect, we lost her as we came. Milton.
2. Omission if attention or civilities; slight; as, neglect of strangers.
3. Habitual carelessness; negligence. Age breeds neglect in all. Denham.
4. The state of being disregarded, slighted, or neglected. Rescue my poor remains from vile neglect. Prior.
Syn. -- Negligence; inattention; disregard; disesteem; remissness; indifference. See Negligence.
NEGLECTEDNESS Neg*lect"ed*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being neglected.
NEGLECTER Neg*lect"er, n.
Defn: One who neglects. South.
NEGLECTFUL Neg*lect"ful, a.
Defn: Full of neglect; heedless; careless; negligent; inattentive; indifferent. Pope. A cold and neglectful countenance. Locke. Though the Romans had no great genius for trade, yet they were not entirely neglectful of it. Arbuthnot. -- Neg*lect"ful*ly, adv. -- Neg*lect"ful*ness, n.
NEGLECTINGLY Neg*lect"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Carelessly; heedlessly. Shak.
NEGLECTION Neg*lec"tion, n. Etym: [L. neglectio.]
Defn: The state of being negligent; negligence. [Obs.] Shak.
NEGLECTIVE Neg*lect"ive, a.
Defn: Neglectful. [R.] "Neglective of their own children." Fuller.
NEGLIGEE Neg`li*gee", n. Etym: [F. négligé, fr. négliger to neglect, L. negligere. See Neglect.]
Defn: An easy, unceremonious attire; undress; also, a kind of easy robe or dressing gown worn by women.
NEGLIGENCE Neg"li*gence, n. Etym: [F. négligence, L. negligentia.]
Defn: The quality or state of being negligent; lack of due diligence or care; omission of duty; habitual neglect; heedlessness.
2. An act or instance of negligence or carelessness. remarking his beauties, ... I must also point out his negligences and defects. Blair.
3. (Law)
Defn: The omission of the care usual under the circumstances, being convertible with the Roman culpa. A specialist is bound to higher skill and diligence in his specialty than one who is not a specialist, and liability for negligence varies acordingly. Contributory negligence. See under Contributory.
Syn. -- Neglect; inattention; heedlessness; disregard; slight. -- Negligence, Neglect. These two words are freely interchanged in our older writers; but a distinction has gradually sprung up between them. As now generally used, negligence is the habit, and neglect the act, of leaving things undone or unattended to. We are negligent as a general trait of character; we are guilty of neglect in particular cases, or in reference to individuals who had a right to our attentions.
NEGLIGENT Neg"li*gent, a. Etym: [F. négligent, L. negligens,p.pr. of negligere. See Neglect.]
Defn: Apt to neglect; customarily neglectful; characterized by negligence; careless; heedless; culpably careless; showing lack of attention; as, disposed in negligent order. "Be thou negligent of fame." Swift. He that thinks he can afford to be negligent is not far from being poor. Rambler.
Syn. -- Careles; heedless; neglectful; regardless; thoughtless; indifferent; inattentive; remiss.
NEGLIGENTLY Neg"li*gent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a negligent manner.
NEGLIGIBLE Neg"li*gi*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. négligible, négligeable.]
Defn: That may neglicted, disregarded, or left out of consideration. Within very negligible limits of error. Sir J. Herschel.
NEGOCE Ne*goce", n. Etym: [F. négoce. See Negotiate.]
Defn: Business; occupation. [Obs.] Bentley.
NEGOTIABILITY Ne*go`ti*a*bil"i*ty ( or ), n. Etym: [Cf. F. négociabilité.]
Defn: The quality of being negotiable or transferable by indorsement.
NEGOTIABLE Ne*go"ti*a*ble ( or ), a. Etym: [Cf. F. négotiable. See Negotiate.]
Defn: Capable of being negotiated; transferable by assigment or indorsement to another person; as, a negotiable note or bill of exchange. Negotiable paper, any commercial paper transferable by sale or delivery and indorsement, as bills of exchange, drafts, checks, and promissory notes.
NEGOTIANT Ne*go"ti*ant, n. Etym: [L. negotians, prop. p.pr. of negotiari: cf. F. négociant.]
Defn: A negotiator. [R.] Sir W. Raleigh.
NEGOTIATE Ne*go"ti*ate, v. i. Etym: [L. negotiatus, p.p. of negotiari, fr. negotium business; nec not + otium leisure. Cf. Neglect.]
1. To transact business; to carry on trade. [Obs.] Hammond.
2. To treat with another respecting purchase and sale or some business affair; to bargain or trade; as, to negotiate with a man for the purchase of goods or a farm.
3. To hold intercourse respecting a treaty, league, or convention; to treat with, respecting peace or commerce; to conduct communications or conferences. He that negotiates between God and man Is God's ambassador. Cowper.
4. To intrigue; to scheme. [Obs.] Bacon.
NEGOTIATE Ne*go"ti*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Negotiated; p. pr. & vb. n. Negotiating.]
1. To carry on negotiations concerning; to procure or arrange for by negotiation; as, to negotiate peace, or an exchange. Constantinople had negotiated in the isles of the Archipelago ... the most indispensable supplies. Gibbon.
2. To transfer for a valuable consideration under rules of commercial law; to sell; to pass. The notes were not negotiated to them in the usual course of business or trade. Kent.
NEGOTIATION Ne*go`ti*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. negotiatio: cf. F. négociation.]
1. The act or process of negotiating; a treating with another respecting sale or purchase. etc.
2. Hence, mercantile business; trading. [Obs.] Who had lost, with these prizes, forty thousand pounds, after twenty years' negotiation in the East Indies. Evelyn.
3. The transaction of business between nations; the mutual intercourse of governments by diplomatic agents, in making treaties, composing difference, etc.; as, the negotiations at Ghent. An important negotiation with foreign powers. Macaulay.
NEGOTIATOR Ne*go"ti*a`tor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. négociateur.]
Defn: One who negotiates; a person who treats with others, either as principal or agent, in respect to purchase and sale, or public compacts.
NEGOTIATORY Ne*go"ti*a*to*ry ( or ), a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to negotiation.
NEGOTIATRIX Ne*go`ti*a"trix, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A woman who negotiates. Miss Edgeworth.
NEGOTIOSITY Ne*go`ti*os"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. negotiositas.]
Defn: The state of being busy; multitude of business. [Obs.]
NEGOTIOUS Ne*go"tious, a. Etym: [L. negotiosus.]
Defn: Very busy; attentive to business; active. [R.] D. Rogers.
NEGOTIOUSNESS Ne*go"tious*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being busily occupied; activity. [R.] D. Rogers.
NEGRESS Ne"gress, n.; pl. Negresses (. Etym: [Cf. F. négrese, fem. of négre a negro. See Negro.]
Defn: A black woman; a female negro.
NEGRITA Ne*gri"ta, n. Etym: [Sp., blackish, fem. of negrito, dim. of negro black.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A blackish fish (Hypoplectrus nigricans), of the Sea-bass family. It is a native of the West Indies and Florida.
NEGRITIC Ne*grit"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to negroes; composed of negroes. Keary.
NEGRITOS Ne*gri"tos, n. pl.; sing Negrito (. Etym: [Sp., dim. of negro black.] (Ethnol.)
Defn: A degraded Papuan race, inhabiting Luzon and some of the other east Indian Islands. They resemble negroes, but are smaller in size. They are mostly nomads.
NEGRO Ne"gro, n.; pl. Negroes (. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. negro, fr. negro black, L. niger; perh. akin to E. night.]
Defn: A black man; especially, one of a race of black or very dark persons who inhabit the greater part of tropical Africa, and are distinguished by crisped or curly hair, flat noses, and thick protruding lips; also, any black person of unmixed African blood, wherever found.
NEGRO Ne"gro, a.
Defn: of or pertaining to negroes; black. Negro bug (Zoöl.), a minute black bug common on the raspberry and blackberry. It produced a very disagreeable flavor. -- negro corn, the Indian millet or durra; -- so called in the West Indies. see Durra. McElrath. -- Negro fly (Zoöl.), a black dipterous fly (Psila rosæ) which, in the larval state, is injurious to carrots; -- called also carrot fly. -- Negro head (Com.), Cavendish tobacco. [Cant] McElrath. -- Negro monkey (Zoöl.), the moor monkey.
NEGROHEAD Ne"gro*head`, n.
Defn: An inferior commercial variety of India rubber made up into round masses.
NEGROID Ne"groid, a. Etym: [Negro + -oid.]
1. Characteristic of the negro.
2. Resembling the negro or negroes; of or pertaining to those who resemble the negro.
NEGROLOID Ne"gro*loid, a.
Defn: See Negroid.
NEGUS Ne"gus, n.
Defn: A beverage made of wine, water, sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice; -- so called, it is said, from its first maker, Colonel Negus.
NEHILOTH Ne"hi*loth, n. pl. Etym: [Heb.] (Script.)
Defn: A term supposed to mean, perforated wind instruments of music, as pipes or flutes. Ps. v. (heading).
NEHUSHTAN Ne*hush"tan, n. Etym: [Heb.]
Defn: A thing of brass; -- the name under which the Israelites worshiped the brazen serpent made by Moses. 2 Kings xviii. 4.
NEIF; NEIFE Neif, Neife, n. Etym: [OF. neïf, naïf, a born serf, fr. L. nativus born, imparted by birth. See Native.]
Defn: A woman born in the state of villeinage; a female serf. Blackstone.
NEIF; NEAF Neif, Neaf, n. Etym: [Icel. hnefi; akin to Dan. næve, Sw. näfve.]
Defn: The first. [Obs.] "I kiss thy neif." "Give me your neaf." Shak.
NEIGH Neigh, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Neighed; p. pr. & vb. n. Neighing.] Etym: [OE. neien, AS. hn, prob. of imitative origin; cf. MHG. n, Icel. hneggja, gneggja, Sw. gnägga. Cf. Nag a horse.]
1. To utter the cry of the horse; to whinny.
2. To scoff or sneer; to jeer. [Obs.] Neighed at his nakedness. Beau. & Fl.
NEIGH Neigh, n.
Defn: The cry of a horse; a whinny.
NEIGHBOR Neigh"bor, n. Etym: [OE. neighebour, AS. neáhgeb; neáh nigh + gebr a dweller, farmer; akin to D. nabuur, G. nachbar, OHG. nahgib. See Nigh, and Boor.] [Spelt also neighbour.]
1. A person who lives near another; one whose abode is not far off. Chaucer. Masters, my good friends, mine honest neighbors. Shak.
2. One who is near in sympathy or confidence. Buckingham No more shall be the neighbor to my counsel. Shak.
3. One entitled to, or exhibiting, neighborly kindness; hence, one of the human race; a fellow being. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves Luke x. 36. The gospel allows no such term as "stranger;" makes every man my neighbor. South.
NEIGHBOR Neigh"bor, a.
Defn: Near to another; adjoining; adjacent; next; neighboring. "The neighbor cities." Jer. l. 40. "The neighbor room." Shak.
NEIGHBOR neigh"bor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Neighbored; p. pr. & vb. n Neighboring.]
1. To adjoin; to border on; tobe near to. Leisurely ascending hills that neighbor the shore. Sandys.
2. To associate intimately with. [Obs.] Shak.
NEIGHBOR Neigh"bor, v. i.
Defn: To dwell in the vicinity; to be a neighbor, or in the neighborhood; to be near. [Obs.] A copse that neighbors by. Shak.
NEIGHBORHOOD Neigh"bor*hood, n. Etym: [Written also neighbourhood.]
1. The quality or condition of being a neighbor; the state of being or dwelling near; proximity. Then the prison and the palace were in awful neighborhood. Ld. Lytton.
2. A place near; vicinity; adjoining district; a region the inhabitants of which may be counted as neighbors; as, he lives in my neighborhood.
3. The inhabitants who live in the vicinity of each other; as, the fire alarmed all the neiborhood.
4. The disposition becoming a neighbor; neighborly kindness or good will. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
Syn. -- Vicinity; vicinaty; proximity. -- Neighborhood, Vicinity. Neigborhood is Anglo-Saxon, and vicinity is Latin. Vicinity does not commonly denote so close a connection as neighborhood. A neigborhood is a more immediately vicinity. The houses immediately adjoining a square are in the neighborhood of that square; those which are somewhat further removed are also in the vicinity of the square.
NEIGHBORING Neigh"bor*ing, a.
Defn: Living or being near; adjacent; as, the neighboring nations or countries.
NEIGHBORLINESS Neigh"bor*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being neighborly.
NEIGHBORLY Neigh"bor*ly, a. Etym: [Also written neighbourly.]
Defn: Apropriate to the relation of neighbors; having frequent or familiar intercourse; kind; civil; social; friendly. -- adv.
Defn: In a neigborly manner. Judge if this be neighborly dealing. Arbuthnot.
NEIGHBORSHIP Neigh"bor*ship, n.
Defn: The state of being neighbors. [R.] J. Bailie.
NEISHOUT Neis"hout, n. Etym: [From D. niezen to sneeze + hout wood.] (Bot.)
Defn: The mahogany-like wood of the South African tree Pteroxylon utile, the sawdust of which causes violent sneezing (whence the name). Also called sneezewood.
NEITHER Nei"ther ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [OE. neiter, nother, nouther, AS. naw, nahwæ; na never, not + hwæ whether. The word has followed the form of either. See No, and Whether, and cf. Neuter, Nor.]
Defn: Not either; not the one or the other. Which of them shall I take Both one or neither Neither can be enjoyed, If both remain alive. Shak. He neither loves, Nor either cares for him. Shak.
NEITHER Nei"ther, conj.
Defn: not either; generally used to introduce the first of two or more coördinate clauses of which those that follow begin with nor. Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king. 1 Kings xxii. 31. Hadst thou been firm and fixed in thy dissent, Neither had I transgressed, nor thou with me. Milton. When she put it on, she made me vow That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it. Shak.
Note: Neither was formerly often used where we now use nor. "For neither circumcision, neither uncircumcision is anything at all." Tyndale. "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it." Gen. iii. 3. Neither is sometimes used colloquially at the end of a clause to enforce a foregoing negative (nor, not, no). "He is very tall, but not too tall neither." Addison. " `I care not for his thrust' `No, nor I neither.'" Shak. Not so neither, by no means. [Obs.] Shak.
NELUMBO Ne*lum"bo, n. Etym: [Ceylonese word.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of great water lilies. The North American species is Nelumbo lutea, the Asiatic is the sacred lotus, N. speciosa. [Written also Nelumbium.]
NEMALINE Nem"a*line, a. Etym: [L. nema thread, gr. (Min.)
Defn: Having the form of threads; fibrous.
NEMALITE Nem"a*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite: cf. F. némalite.] (Min.)
Defn: A fibrous variety of brucite.
NEMATELMIA Nem`a*tel"mi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Nemathelminthes.
NEMATHECIUM Nem`a*the"ci*um ( or , n.; pl. Nemathecia. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A peculiar kind of fructification on certain red algæ, consisting of an external mass of filaments at length separating into tetraspores.
NEMATHELMINTHES; NEMATELMINTHES Nem`a*thel*min"thes, Nem`a*tel*min"thes, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Nemato-, and Helminthes.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of helminths, including the Nematoidea and Gordiacea; the roundworms. [Written also Nematelminthea.]
NEMATO- Nem"a*to-
Defn: . A combining from Gr. nhema, nhematos, a thread.
NEMATOBLAST Nem"a*to*blast, n. Etym: [Nemato- + -blast.] (Biol.)
Defn: A spermatocyte or spermoblast.
NEMATOCALYX Nem`a*to*ca"lyx, n.; pl. Nematocalyces, E. -calyxes. Etym: [NL. See Nemato-, and Calyx.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a peculiar kind of cups, or calicles, found upon hydroids of the family Plumularidæ. They contain nematocysts. See Plumularia.
NEMATOCERA Nem`a*toc"e*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A suborder of dipterous insects, having long antennæ, as the mosquito, gnat, and crane fly; -- called also Nemocera.
NEMATOCYST Nem"a*to*cyst, n. Etym: [Nemato- + cyst.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lasso cell, or thread cell. See Lasso cell, under Lasso.
NEMATODE Nem"a*tode, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Nematoid.
NEMATOGENE Nem"a*to*gene, n. Etym: [Nemato- + root of Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the dimorphic forms of the species of Dicyemata, which produced vermiform embryos; -- opposed to Ant: rhombogene.
NEMATOGNATH Nem`a*tog"nath, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: one of the Nematognathi.
NEMATOGNATHI Nem`a*tog"na*thi, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See nemato-, and Gnathic.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of fishes having barbels on the jaws. It includes the catfishes, or siluroids. See Siluroid.
NEMATOID Nem"a*toid, a. Etym: [Nemato- + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: of or pertaining to the Nematoidea. -- n.
Defn: One of the Nematoidea. see Illustration in Appendix.
NEMATOIDEA Nem`a*toi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of worms, having a long, round, and generally smooth body; the roundworms. they are mostly parasites. Called also Nematodea, and Nematoda.
Note: The trichina, stomach worm, and pinworm of man belong to this group. See also Vinegar eel, under Vinegar, and Gapeworm.
NEMATOIDEAN Nem`a*toid"e*an, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Nematoid.
NEMATOPHORA Nem`a*toph"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Cælenterata.
NEMEAN Ne"me*an, a. Etym: [L. Nemeus, fr. Nemea, Ge.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Nemea, in Argolis, where the ancient Greeks celebrated games, and Hercules killed a lion.
NEMERTEAN Ne*mer"te*an, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Nemertina. -- n.
Defn: One of the Nemertina.
NEMERTES Ne*mer"tes, n. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of nemertina.
NEMERTIAN Ne*mer"ti*an, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Nemertean.
NEMERTID Ne*mer"tid, a. & n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Nemertean.
NEMERTIDA Ne*mer"ti*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Nemertina.
NEMERTINA Nem`er*ti"na, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Nemrtes.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of helminths usually having a long, slender, smooth, often bright-colored body, covered with minute vibrating cilia; -- called also Nemertea, Nemertida, and Rhynchocæla.
Note: The mouth is beneath the head, and the straight intestine at the posterior and. They have a very singular long tubular proboscis, which can be everted from a pore in the front of the head. Their nervous system and blood vessels are well developed. Some of the species become over one hundred feet long. They are mostly marine and seldom parasitic; a few inhabit fresh water. the two principal divisions are Anopla and Enopla.
NEMESIS Nem"e*sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. gr. Nomad.] (Class. Myth.)
Defn: The goddess of retribution or vengeance; hence, retributive justice personified; divine vengeance. This is that ancient doctrine of nemesis who keeps watch in the universe, and lets no offense go unchastised. Emerson.
NEMOPHILIST Ne*moph"i*list, n. Etym: [See Nemophily.]
Defn: One who is fond of forest or forest scenery; a haunter of the woods. [R.]
NEMOPHILY Ne*moph"i*ly, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Fondness for forest scenery; love of the woods. [R.]
NEMORAL Nem"o*ral, a. Etym: [L. nemoralis, fr. nemus, nemoris, a wood or grove: cf. F. némoral.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a wood or grove. [R.]
NEMOROUS Nem"o*rous, a. Etym: [L. nemorosus.]
Defn: Woody. [R.] Paradise itself was but a kind of nemorous temple. Evelyn.
NEMPNE Nemp"ne, v. t. Etym: [AS. nemnan to name or call. See Name, v.]
Defn: To name or call. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NEMPT Nempt, p. p.
Defn: of Nempne. Called; named. [Obs.]
NEMS Nems, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ichneumon.
NENIA Ne"ni*a, n. Etym: [L. nenia, naenia.]
Defn: A funeral song; an elegy.
NENUPHAR Nen"u*phar, n. Etym: [F. nénufar: cf. Sp. nenúfar, It. nenufár; all fr. Per. nil.] (Bot.)
Defn: The great white water lily of Europe; the Nymphæa alba.
NEO- Ne"o- (. Etym: [Gr. New.]
Defn: A prefix meaning new, recent, late; and in chemistry designating specifically that variety of metameric hydrocarbons which, when the name was applied, had been recently classified, and in which at least one carbon atom in connected directly with four other carbon atoms; -- contrasted with normal and iso-; as, neopentane; the neoparaffins. Also used adjectively.
NEOCARIDA Ne`o*car"i*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The modern, or true, Crustacea, as distinguished from the Merostomata.
NEOCENE Ne"o*cene, a. Etym: [Neo- + Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: More recent than the Eocene, that is, including both the Miocene and Pliocene divisions of the Tertiary.
NEO-CHRISTIANITY Ne`o-Chris*tian"i*ty ( or ), n. Etym: [Neo- + Christianity.]
Defn: Rationalism.
NEOCLASSIC Ne`o*clas"sic, a. [Neo- + classic.]
Defn: Belonging to, or designating, the modern revival of classical, esp. Greco-Roman, taste and manner of work in architecture, etc.
NEOCLASSIC ARCHITECTURE Neoclassic architecture.
Defn: All that architecture which, since the beginning of the Italian Renaissance, about 1420, has been designed with deliberate imitation of Greco-Roman buildings.
NEOCOMIAN Ne`o*co"mi*an, n. Etym: [From Neocomium, the Latin name of Neuchatel, in Switzerland, where these rocks occur.] (Geol.)
Defn: A term applied to the lowest deposits of the Cretaceous or chalk formation of Europe, being the lower greensand.
NEOCOMIAN Ne`o*co"mi*an, a. (Geol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the lower greensand.
NEOCOSMIC Ne`o*cos"mic, a. Etym: [Neo- + cosmic.]
Defn: of or pertaining to the universe in its present state; specifically, pertaining to the races of men known to history.
NEOCRACY Ne*oc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Neo-+ -cracy, as in aristocracy.]
Defn: Government by new or inexperienced hands; upstart rule; raw or untried officials.
NEOCRITICISM Ne`o*crit"i*cism, n. [Neo- + classicism.]
Defn: The form of Neo-Kantianism developed by French idealists, following C. Renouvier. It rejects the noumena of Kant, restricting knowledge to phenomena as constituted by a priori categories.
NEODAMODE Ne*od"a*mode, n. Etym: [Gr. dh`mos, the people +
Defn: In ancient Sparta, one of those Helots who were freed by the state in reward for military service. Milford.
NEO-DARWINISM Ne`o-Dar"win*ism, n.
Defn: The theory which holds natural selection, as explained by Darwin, to be the chief factor in the evolution of plants and animals, and denies the inheritance of acquired characters; -- esp. opposed to Neo-Lamarckism. Weismannism is an example of extreme Neo- Darwinism. -- Ne`o-Dar*win"i*an, a. & n.
NEODYMIUM Ne`o*dym"i*um, n. Etym: [NL. Dee Neo-, and Didymium.] (Chem.)
Defn: An elementary substance which forms one of the constituents of didymium. Symbol Nd. Atomic weight 140.8.
NEOGAEAN Ne`o*gæ"an, a. Etym: [Neo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the New World, or Western Hemisphere.
NEOGAMIST Ne*og"a*mist, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A person recently married.
NEOGEN Ne"o*gen, n. Etym: [Neo- + -gen.] (Chem.)
Defn: An alloy resembling silver, and consisting chiefly of copper, zinc, and nickel, with small proportions of tin, aluminium, and bismuth. Ure.
NEOGRAMMARIAN Ne`o*gram*ma"ri*an, n. [Neo-+ grammarian; a translation of G. junggrammatiker.]
Defn: One of a group of philologists who apply phonetic laws more widely and strictly than was formerly done, and who maintain that these laws admit of no real exceptions. --Ne`o*gram*mat"ic*al (#), a.
NEOGRAPHY Ne*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Neo- + -graphy.]
Defn: A new method or system of writing.
NEO-GREEK Ne`o-Greek", n.
Defn: A member of a body of French painters (F. les néo-Grecs) of the middle 19th century. The term is rather one applied by outsiders to certain artists of grave and refined style, such as Hamon and Aubert, than a name adopted by the artists themselves.
NEO-HEBRAIC Neo-Hebraic, n.
Defn: The modern Hebrew language.
NEO-HEBRAIC Ne`o-He*bra"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pert. to, or designating, modern Hebrew, or Hebrew of later date than the Biblical.
NEO-HEGELIAN Neo-Hegelian, n.
Defn: An adherent of Neo-Hegelianism.
NEO-HEGELIAN Ne`o-He*ge"li*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Neo-Hegelianism.
NEO-HEGELIANISM Ne`o-He*ge"li*an*ism, n.
Defn: The philosophy of a school of British and American idealists who follow Hegel in dialectical or logical method and in the general outcome of their doctrine. The founders and leaders of Neo- Hegelianism include: in England, T. H. Green (1836-1882); in Scotland, J. (1820-98) and E. (1835-1908) Caird; in the United States, W. T. Harris (1835-1909) and Josiah Royce (1855- -).
NEO-HELLENIC Ne`o-Hel*len"ic, n.
Defn: Same as Romaic.
NEO-HELLENISM Ne`o-Hel"len*ism, n.
Defn: Hellenism as surviving or revival in modern times; the practice or pursuit of ancient Greek ideals in modern life, art, or literature, as in the Renaissance.
NEOIMPRESSIONISM; POINTILLISM Ne`o*im*pres"sion*ism, n. (Painting)
Defn: A theory or practice which is a further development, on more rigorously scientific lines, of the theory and practice of Impressionism, originated by George Seurat (1859-91), and carried on by Paul Signac (1863- -) and others. Its method is marked by the laying of pure primary colors in minute dots upon a white ground, any given line being produced by a variation in the proportionate quantity of the primary colors employed. This method is also known as Pointillism (stippling).
NEO-KANTIAN Neo-Kantian, n.
Defn: An adherent of Neo-Kantianism.
NEO-KANTIAN Ne`o-Kant"i*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Neo-Kantianism.
NEO-KANTIANISM Ne`o-Kant"i*an*ism, n.
Defn: The philosophy of modern thinkers who follow Kant in his general theory of knowledge, esp. of a group of German philosophers including F. A. Lange, H. Cohen, Paul Natorp, and others.
NEO-LAMARCKISM Ne`o-La*marck"ism, n. (Biol.)
Defn: Lamarckism as revived, modified, and expounded by recent biologists, esp. as maintaining that the offspring inherits characters acquired by the parent from change of environment, use or disuse of parts, etc.; -- opposed of Neo-Darwinism (which see, above). -- Ne`o-La*marck"i*an, a. & n.
NEO-LATIN Ne`o-Lat"in, a. Etym: [Neo- + Latin.]
Defn: Applied to the Romance languages, as being mostly of Latin origin.
NEOLITHIC Ne`o*lith"ic, a. Etym: [Neo- + -lith + -ic.] (Archæol. & Geol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or designating, an era characterized by late remains in stone. The Neolithic era includes the latter half of the "Stone age;" the human relics which belong to it are associated with the remains of animals not yet extinct. The kitchen middens of Denmark, the lake dwellings of Switzerland, and the stockaded islands, or "crannogs," of the British Isles, belong to this era. Lubbock.
NEOLOGIAN Ne`o*lo*gi*an, a.
Defn: Neologic; neological.
NEOLOGIAN Ne`o*lo"gi*an, n.
Defn: A neologist.
NEOLOGIANISM Ne`o*lo"gi*an*ism, n.
Defn: Neologism.
NEOLOGIC; NEOLOGICAL Ne`o*log"ic, Ne`o*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. néologique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to neology; employing new words; of the nature of, or containing, new words or new doctrines. A genteel neological dictionary. Chesterfield.
NEOLOGICALLY Ne`o*log"ic*al*ly
Defn: , adv. In a neological manner.
NEOLOGISM Ne*ol"o*gism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. néologisme.]
1. The introduction of new words, or the use of old words in a new sense. Mrs. Browning.
2. A new word, phrase, or expression.
3. A new doctrine; specifically, rationalism.
NEOLOGIST Ne*ol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. néologiste.]
1. One who introduces new word or new senses of old words into a language.
2. An innovator in any doctrine or system of belif, especially in theology; one who introduces or holds doctrines subversie of supernatural or revealed religion; a rationalist, so-called.
NEOLOGISTIC; NEOLOGISTICAL Ne*ol`o*gis"tic, Ne*ol`o*gis"tic*al, a.
Defn: of or pertaining to neology; neological.
NEOLOGIZATION Ne*ol`o*gi*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act or process of neologizing.
NEOLOGIZE Ne*ol"o*gize, v. i.
1. To introduce or use new words or terms or new uses of old words.
2. To introduce innovations in doctrine, esp. in theological doctrine.
NEOLOGY Ne*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Neo- + -logy: cf. F. néologie.]
1. The introduction of a new word, or of words or significations, into a language; as, the present nomenclature of chemistry is a remarkable instance of neology.
2. A new doctrine; esp. (Theol.), a doctrine at variance with the received interpretation of revealed truth; a new method of theological interpretation; rationalism.
NEO-MALTHUSIAN Ne`o-Mal*thu"sian, a.
Defn: Designating, or pertaining to, a group of modern economists who hold to the Malthusianism doctrine that permanent betterment of the general standard of living is impossible without decrease of competition by limitation of the number of births. -- Ne`o- Mal*thu"sian, Ne`o-Mal*thu"sian*ism, n.
NEOMENIA Ne`o*me"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: The time of the new moon; the beginning of the month in the lunar calendar.
NEOMENOIDEA Ne`o*me*noi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Neomenia, a representative genus (See Neomenia) + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of vermiform gastropod mollusks, without a shell, belonging to the Isopleura.
NEOMORPH Ne"o*morph, n. Etym: [Neo- + Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: A structure, part, or organ developed independently, that is, not derived from a similar structure, part, or organ, in a pre existing form.
NEONISM Ne"o*nism, n.
Defn: Neologism.
NEONOMIAN Ne`o*no"mi*an, n. Etym: [Neo- + gr.
Defn: One who advocates adheres to new laws; esp. one who holds or believes that the gospel is a new law.
NEONOMIAN Ne`o*no"mi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Neonomians, or in accordance with their doctrines.
NEONOMIANISM Ne`o*no"mi*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines or belief of the neonomians.
NEOPAGANISM Ne`o*pa"gan*ism, n. [Neo- + paganism.]
Defn: Revived or new paganism.
NEOPHYTE Ne"o*phyte, n. Etym: [L. neophytis, Gr. néophyte. See New, and Be.]
1. A new convert or proselyte; -- a name given by the early Christians, and still given by the Roman Catholics, to such as have recently embraced the Christian faith, and been admitted to baptism, esp. to converts from heathenism or Judaism.
2. A novice; a tyro; a beginner in anything.
NEOPLASIA Ne`o*pla"si*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: Growth or development of new material; neoplasty.
NEOPLASM Ne"o*plasm, n. Etym: [See Neoplasia.] (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: A new formation or tissue, the product of morbid action.
NEOPLASTIC Ne`o*plas"tic, a. (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: of or pertaining to neoplasty, or neoplasia.
NEOPLASTY Ne"o*plas`ty, n. Etym: [See Neoplasia.] (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: Restoration of a part by granulation, adhesive inflammation, or autoplasty.
NEOPLATONIC Ne`o*pla"ton"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, Neoplatonism or the Neoplatonists.
NEOPLATONICIAN Ne`o*pla`to*ni"cian, n.
Defn: A neoplatonist.
NEOPLATONISM Ne`o*pla"to*nism, n. Etym: [Neo- + Platonism.]
Defn: A pantheistic eclectic school of philosophy, of which Plotinus was the chief (A. D. 205-270), and which sought to reconcile the Platonic and Aristotelian systems with Oriental theosophy. It tended to mysticism and theurgy, and was the last product of Greek philosophy.
NEOPLATONIST Ne`o*pla"to*nist, n.
Defn: One who held to Neoplatonism; a member of the Neoplatonic school.
NEORAMA Ne`o*ra"ma ( or ), n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A panorama of the interior of a building, seen from within.
NEO-SCHOLASTIC Ne`o-Scho*las"tic, a.
Defn: Of or pert. to Neo-Scholasticism.
NEO-SCHOLASTICISM Ne`o-Scho*las"ti*cism, n.
Defn: The modern revival of the Scholastic philosophy, esp. of that of Thomas Aquinas, with critical revision to suit the exigencies of the general advance in learning. The Neo-Scholastic movement received a great impetus from Leo XIII.'s interest in it.
NEOSSINE Ne*os"sine, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: The substance constituting the edible bird's nest.
NEOSSOLOGY Ne`os*sol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The study of young birds.
NEOTERIC; NEOTERICAL Ne`o*ter"ic, Ne`o*ter"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. neotericus, gr.
Defn: Recent in origin; modern; new. "Our neoteric verbs." Fitzed. Hall. Some being ancient, others neoterical. Bacon.
NEOTERIC Ne`o*ter"ic, n.
Defn: One of modern times; a modern.
NEOTERICALLY Neo`ter"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: Recently; newly.
NEOTERISM Ne*ot"er*ism, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: An innovation or novelty; a neoteric word or phrase.
NEOTERIST Ne*ot"er*ist, n.
Defn: One ho introduces new word Fitzed Hall.
NEOTERIZE Ne*ot"er*ize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Neoterized; p. pr. & vb. n. Neoterized.] Etym: [Gr.
Defn: To innovate; to coin or introduce new words. Freely as we of the nineteenth century neoterize. fized. Hall.
NEOTROPICAL Ne`o*trop"ic*al, a. Etym: [Neo- + tropical.] (Geog. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Belonging to, or designating, a region of the earth's surface which comprises most of South America, the Antilles, and tropical North America.
NEOZOIC Ne`o*zo"ic, a. Etym: [Neo- + Gr. (Geol.)
Defn: More recent than the Paleozoic, -- that is, including the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.
NEP Nep, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. Nepeta.] (Bot.)
Defn: Catnip.
NEPA Ne"pa, n. Etym: [L. nepa scorpion.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of aquatic hemipterus insects. The species feed upon other insects and are noted for their voracity; -- called also scorpion bug and water scorpion.
NEPAULESE Nep`au*lese" ( or ), a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Nepaul, a kingdom in Northern Hindostan. -- n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or natives of Nepaul.
NEPENTHE Ne*pen"the, n. Etym: [Fr. Gr.
Defn: A drug used by the ancients to give relief from pain and sorrow; -- by some supposed to have been opium or hasheesh. Hence, anything soothing and comforting. Lulled with the sweet nepenthe of a court. Pope. Quaff, O quaff this kind nepenthe. Poe.
NEPENTHES Ne*pen"thes, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Nepenthe.]
1. Same as Nepenthe. Milton.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of climbing plants found in India, Malaya, etc., which have the leaves prolonged into a kind of stout tendril terminating in a pitcherlike appendage, whence the plants are often called pitcher plants and monkey-cups. There are about thirty species, of which the best known is Nepenthes distillatoria. See Pitcher plant.
NEPETA Nep"e*ta, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of labiate plants, including the catnip and ground ivy.
NEPHALISM Neph"a*lism, n. Etym: [Gr. néphalisme.]
Defn: Total abstinence from spirituous liquor.
NEPHALIST Neph"a*list, n. Etym: [Cf. F. néphaliste.]
Defn: One who advocates or practices nephalism.
NEPHELINE; NEPHELITE Neph"e*line, Neph"e*lite, n. Etym: [gr. néphéline. Cf. Nebula.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occuring at Vesuvius, in glassy agonal crystals; also elsewhere, in grayish or greenish masses having a greasy luster, as the variety elæolite. It is a silicate of aluminia, soda, and potash.
NEPHELODOMETER Neph`e*lo*dom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Meteorol.)
Defn: An instrument for reckoning the distances or velocities of clouds.
NEPHELOMETER Neph`e*lom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]
Defn: An instrument for measuring or registering the amount of cloudiness.
NEPHEW Neph"ew (; in England , n. Etym: [OE. neveu, nevou, nevu, fr. F. neveu, OF. also, nevou, L. nepos; akin to AS. nefa, D. neef, G. neffe, OHG. nevo, Icel. nefi a kinsman, gr. nepat grandson, descendant. sq. root262. Cf. Niece, Nepotism.]
1. A grandson or grandchild, or remoter lineal descendant. [Obs.] But if any widow have children or nephews [Rev. Ver. grandchildren,]. 1 Tim. v. 4. If naturalists say true that nephews are often liker to their grandfathers than to their fathers. Jer. Taylor.
2. A cousin. [Obs.] Shak.
3. The son of a brother or a sister, or of a brother-in-law or sister-in-law. Chaucer.
NEPHILIM Neph"i*lim, n. pl. Etym: [Heb. n.]
Defn: Giants. Gen. vi. 4. Num. xiii. 33.
NEPHOSCOPE Neph"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.] (Meteorol.)
Defn: An instrument for observing the clouds and their velocity.
NEPHRALGIA; NEPHRALGY Ne*phral"gi*a, Ne*phral"gy, n. Etym: [NL. nephralgia, fr. Gr. néphralgie.] (Med.)
Defn: Neuralgia of the kidneys; a disease characterized by pain in the region of the kidneys without any structural lesion of the latter. Quain.
NEPHRIDIAL Ne*phrid"i*al, a. (Zoöl. & Anat.)
Defn: of or pertaining to a nephridium.
NEPHRIDIUM Ne*phrid"i*um, n.; pl. Nephridia. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. kidneys.] (Zoöl. & Anat.)
Defn: A segmental tubule; one of the tubules of the primitive urinogenital organs; a segmental organ. See Illust. under Loeven's larva.
NEPHRITE Neph"rite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. néphrite. See Nephritis.] (Min.)
Defn: A hard compact mineral, of a dark green color, formerly worn as a remedy for diseases of the kidneys, whence its name; kidney stone; a kind of jade. See Jade.
NEPHRITIC; NEPHRITICAL Ne*phrit"ic, Ne*phrit"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. nephriticus, gr. néphrétique. See Nephritis.]
1. Of or pertaining to the kidneys or urinary organs; renal; as, a nephritic disease.
2. (Med.) (a) Affected with a disease of the kidneys; as, a nephritic patient. (b) Relieving disorders of the kidneys; affecting the kidneys; as, a nephritic medicine. Nephritic stone (Min.), nephrite; jade. See Nephrite.
NEPHRITIC Ne*phrit"ic, n. (Med.)
Defn: A medicine adapted to relieve or cure disease of the kidneys.
NEPHRITIS Ne*phri"tis, n. Etym: [L., fr. gr. (Med.)
Defn: An inflammation of the kidneys.
NEPHROLITHIC neph`ro*lith"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. -lith + ic.] (Med.)
Defn: of or pertaining to gravel, or renal calculi. Dunglison.
NEPHROLOGY Ne*phrol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]
Defn: A treatise on, or the science which treats of, the kidneys, and their structure and functions.
NEPHROSTOME Neph"ro*stome, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl. & Anat.)
Defn: The funnelshaped opening of a nephridium into the body cavity.
NEPHROTOMY Ne*phrot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. néphrotomie.] (Surg.)
Defn: Extraction of stone from the kidney by cutting.
NE PLUS ULTRA Ne plus ul"tra. [L., no further; ne no, not + plus more + ultra beyond.]
1. The uttermost point to which one can go or attain; hence, the summit of achievement; the highest point or degree; the acme.
2. A prohibition against proceeding further; an insuperable obstacle or limiting condition. [Obs. or R.]
NEPOTAL Nep"o*tal, a.
Defn: Of or relating to a nephew.
NEPOTIC Ne*pot"ic, a. Etym: [See nepotism.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to npotism. The nepotic ambition of the ruling pontiff. Milman.
NEPOTISM Nep"o*tism, n. Etym: [L. nepus, nepotus, nephew: cf. F. népotisme. See Nephew.]
Defn: Undue attachment to relations; favoritism shown to members of one's family; bestowal of patronage in consideration of relationship, rather than of merit or of legal claim. From nepotism Alexander V. was safe; for he was without kindred or relatives. But there was another perhaps more fatal nepotism, which turned the tide of popularity against him -- the nepotism of his order. Milman.
NEPOTIST Nep"o*tist, n.
Defn: One who practices nepotism.
NEPTUNE Nep"tune, n. Etym: [L. Neptunus.]
1. (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: The son of Saturn and Ops, the god of the waters, especially of the sea. He is represented as bearing a trident for a scepter.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: The remotest known planet of our system, discovered -- as a result of the computations of Leverrier, of Paris -- by Galle, of Berlin, September 23, 1846. Its mean distance from the sun is about 2,775,000,000 miles, and its period of revolution is about 164,78 years. Neptune powder, an explosive containing nitroglycerin, -- used in blasting. -- Neptune's cup (Zoöl.), a very large, cup-shaped, marine sponge (Thalassema Neptuni).
NEPTUNIAN Nep*tu"ni*an, a. Etym: [L. Neptunius belonging to Neptune: cf. F. neptunien.]
1. Of or pertaining to the ocean or sea.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: Formed by water or aqueous solution; as, Neptunian rocks. Neptunian races (Ethnol.), the Malay and Polynesian races. -- Neptunian theory (Geol.), the theory of Werner, which referred the formation of all rocks and strata to the agency of water; -- opposed to the Plutonic theory.
NEPTUNIAN; NEPTUNIST Nep*tu"ni*an, Nep"tu*nist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. neptinien, neptuniste.] (Geol.)
Defn: One who adopts the neptunian theory.
NEPTUNICENTRIC Nep*tu`ni*cen"tric, a. Etym: [Neptune + centric.] (Astron.)
Defn: As seen from Neptune, or having Neptune as a center; as, Neptunicentric longitude or force.
NEPTUNIUM Nep*tu"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: A new metallic element, of doubtful genuineness and uncertain indentification, said to exist in certain minerals, as columbite. Hermann.
NER Ner, adv. & a.
Defn: nearer. [Obs.] See Nerre.
NERE Nere. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne were.]
Defn: Were not. [Obs.] Chaucer.
NEREID Ne"re*id, n.; pl. E. Nereids, L. Nereides. Etym: [L. Nereis, -idis, gr. nara water, cf. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A sea nymph, one of the daughters of Nereus, who were attendants upon Neptune, and were represented as riding on sea horses, sometimes with the human form entire, and sometimes with the tail of a fish.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of Nereis. The word is sometimes used for similar annelids of other families.
NEREIDIAN Ne`re*id"i*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any annelid resembling Nereis, or of the family Lycoridæ or allied families.
NEREIS Ne"re*is ( or ), n.; pl. Nereides. Etym: [L.]
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: A Nereid. See Nereid.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus, including numerous species, of marine chætopod annelids, having a well-formed head, with two pairs of eyes, antennæ, four pairs of tentacles, and a protrusile pharynx, armed with a pair of hooked jaws.
NEREITES Ne"re*ites, n. pl. (Paleon.)
Defn: Fossil tracks of annelids.
NEREOCYSTIS Ne`re*o*cys"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Nereid, and Cyst.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of gigantic seaweeds.
Note: Nereocystis Lutkeana, of the North Pacific, has a stem many fathoms long, terminating in a great vesicle, which is crowned with a tuft of long leaves. The stem is used by the Alaskans for fishing lines.
NERFLING Nerf"ling, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The id.
NERITA Ne*ri"ta, n. Etym: [L., a sort of sea mussel, gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine gastropods, mostly natives of warm climates.
NERITE Ner"ite ( or ; 277), n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any mollusk of the genus Nerita.
NERITINA Ner`i*ti"na, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus including numerous species of shells resembling Nerita in form. They mostly inhabit brackish water, and are often delicately tinted.
NERKA Ner"ka, n. [Russ. niarka, prob. fr. native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The most important salmon of Alaska (Oncorhinchus nerka), ascending in spring most rivers and lakes from Alaska to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; --called also red salmon, redfish, blueback, and sawqui.
NERO Ne"ro, n.
Defn: A Roman emperor notorius for debauchery and barbarous cruelty; hence, any profligate and cruel ruler or merciless tyrant. -- Ne*ro"ni*an, a.
NERO-ANTICO Ne`ro-an*ti"co, n. [It.; nero black + antico ancient.] (Art)
Defn: A beautiful black marble found in fragments among Roman ruins, and usually thought to have come from ancient Laconia.
NEROLI Ner"o*li, n. Etym: [F. néroli, said to be from the name of an Italian princess.] (Chem.)
Defn: An essential oil obtained by distillation from the flowers of the orange. It has a strong odor, and is used in perfumery, etc. Neroli camphor (Chem.), a white crystalline waxy substance, tasteless and odorless, obtained from beroli oil; -- called also auradin.
NERRE Ner"re, adv. & a. Etym: [See Near.]
Defn: Nearer. [Obs.] [Written also neer, ner.] Chaucer. Never the neer, never the nearer; no nearer. [Obs.]
NERVATE Nerv"ate, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Nerved.
NERVATION Ner*va"tion, n.
Defn: The arrangement of nerves and veins, especially those of leaves; neuration. The outlines of the fronds of ferns, and their nervation, are frail characters if employed alone for the determination of existing genera. J. D. Hooker.
NERVE Nerve, n. Etym: [OE. nerfe, F. nerf, L. nervus, akin to Gr. needle. Cf. Neuralgia.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the whitish and elastic bundles of fibers, with the accompanying tissues, which transmit nervous impulses between nerve centers and various parts of the animal body.
Note: An ordinary nerve is made up of several bundles of nerve fibers, each bundle inclosed in a special sheath (the perineurium) and all bound together in a connective tissue sheath and framework (the epineurium) containing blood vessels and lymphatics.
2. A sinew or a tendon. Pope.
3. Physical force or steadiness; muscular power and control; constitutional vigor. he led me on to mightiest deeds, Above the nerve of mortal arm. Milton.
4. Steadiness and firmness of mind; self-command in personal danger, or under suffering; unshaken courage and endurance; coolness; pluck; resolution.
5. Audacity; assurance. [Slang]
6. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the principal fibrovascular bundles or ribs of a leaf, especially when these extend straight from the base or the midrib of the leaf.
7. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the nervures, or veins, in the wings of insects. Nerve cell (Anat.), one of the nucleated cells with which nerve fibers are connected; a ganglion cell. -- Nerve fiber (Anat.), one of the fibers of which nerves are made up. These fibers are either medullated or nonmedullated. in both kinds the essential part is the translucent threadlike axis cylinder which is continuous the whole length of the fiber. -- Nerve stretching (Med.), the operation of stretching a nerve in order to remedy diseases such as tetanus, which are supposed to be influenced by the condition of the nerve or its connections.
NERVE Nerve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nerved; p. pr. & vb. n. Nerving.]
Defn: To give strength or vigor to; to supply with force; as, fear nerved his arm.
NERVED Nerved, a.
1. Having nerves of a special character; as, weak-nerved.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having nerves, or simple and parallel ribs or veins. Gray.
NERVELESS Nerve"less, a.
1. Destitute of nerves.
2. Destitute of strength or of courage; wanting vigor; weak; powerless. A kingless people for a nerveless state. Byron. Awaking, all nerveless, from an ugly dream. Hawthorne.
NERVELESSNESS Nerve"less*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being nerveless.
NERVE-SHAKEN Nerve"-shak`en, a.
Defn: Affected by a tremor, or by a nervous disease; weakened; overcome by some violent influence or sensation; shoked.
NERVIMOTION Ner`vi*mo"tion, n. Etym: [Nerve + motion.] (Physiol.)
Defn: The movement caused in the sensory organs by external agents and transmitted to the muscles by the nerves. Dunglison.
NERVIMOTOR Ner`vi*mo"tor, n. Etym: [Nerve + motor.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Any agent capable of causing nervimotion. Dunglison.
NERVINE Nerv"ine a. Etym: [L. nervinus made of sinews: cf.F. nervin. See Nerve.] (Med.)
Defn: Having the quality of acting upon or affecting the nerves; quieting nervous excitement. -- n.
Defn: A nervine agent.
NERVOMUSCULAR Ner`vo*mus"cu*lar, a. Etym: [Nerve + muscular.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both nerves and muscles; of the nature of nerves and muscles; as, nervomuscular energy.
NERVOSE Ner*vose", a. Etym: [See Nervous.] (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Nerved.
NERVOSITY Ner*vos"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. nervositas strength.]
Defn: Nervousness. [R.]
NERVOUS Nerv"ous, a. Etym: [L. nervosus sinewy, vigorous: cf. F. nerveux. See Nerve.]
1. possessing nerve; sinewy; strong; vigorous. "Nervous arms." Pope.
2. Possessing or manifesting vigor of mind; characterized by strength in sentiment or style; forcible; spirited; as, a nervous writer.
3. Of or pertaining to the nerves; seated in the nerves; as, nervous excitement; a nervous fever.
4. Having the nerves weak, diseased, or easily excited; subject to, or suffering from, undue excitement of the nerves; easily agitated or annoyed. Poor, weak, nervous creatures. Cheyne.
5. Sensitive; excitable; timid. Our aristocratic class does not firmly protest against the unfair treatment of Irish Catholics, because it is nervous about the land. M. Arnold. Nervous fever (Med.), a low form of fever characterized by great disturbance of the nervous system, as evinced by delirium, or stupor, disordered sensibility, etc. -- Nervous system (Anat.), the specialized coördinating apparatus which endows animals with sensation and volition. In vertebrates it is often divided into three systems: the central, brain and spinal cord; the peripheral, cranial and spinal nerves; and the sympathetic. See Brain, Nerve, Spinal cord, under Spinal, and Sympathetic system, under Sympathetic, and Illust. in Appendix. -- Nervous temperament, a condition of body characterized by a general predominance of mental manifestations. Mayne.
NERVOUSLY Nerv"ous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a nervous manner.
NERVOUSNESS Nerv"ous*ness, n.
Defn: State or quality of being nervous.
NERVURE Nerv"ure, n. Etym: [F. See Nerve.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: One of the nerves of leaves.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the chitinous supports, or veins, in the wings of incests.
NERVY Nerv"y, a. [Compar. Nervier; superl. - iest.]
Defn: Strong; sinewy. "His nervy knees." Keats.
NESCIENCE Nes"cience, n. Etym: [L. nescientia, fr. nesciens, p.pr. of nescire not to know; ne not + scire to know.]
Defn: Want of knowledge; ignorance; agnosticism. God fetched it about for me, in that absence and nescience of mine. Bp. Hall.
NESE Nese, n.
Defn: Nose. [Obs.] Piers plowman.
NESH Nesh, a. Etym: [AS. hnesc, hnæsc, akin to Goth. hnasqus.]
Defn: Soft; tender; delicate. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
NESS Ness, n. Etym: [AS. næs, ns; akin to Icel. nes, Sw. näs, Dan. næs, and E. nose. sq. root 261. See Nose.]
Defn: A promontory; a cape; a headland. Hakluyt.
Note: Ness is frequently used as a suffix in the names of places and promontories; as, Sheerness.
-NESS -ness (. Etym: [AS. -ness, -nyss, -nys; akin to OS. -nissi, nussi, D. -nis, OHG. -nissa, -nassi, -nussi, G. -nis, -niss, Goth. -inasus.]
Defn: A suffix used to form abstract nouns expressive of quality or state; as, goodness, greatness.
NESSLERIZE Ness"ler*ize, v. t. Etym: [From Nessler, the chemist.] (Chem.)
Defn: To treat or test, as a liquid, with a solution of mercuric iodide in potassium iodide and potassium hydroxide, which is called Nessler's solution or Nessler's test, and is used to detect the presence of ammonia.
NEST Nest, n. Etym: [AS. nest; akin to D. & G. nest, Sw. näste, L. nidus, for nisdus, Skr. ni resting place, nest; cf. Lith. lizdas, Arm. neiz, Gael. & Ir. nead. Prob. from the particle ni down, Skr. ni + the root of E. sit, and thus orig., a place to sit down in. sq. root 264. See Nether, and Sit, and cf. Eyas, Nidification, Nye.]
1. The bed or receptacle prepared by a fowl for holding her eggs and for hatching and rearing her young. The birds of the air have nests. Matt. viii. 20.
2. Hence: the place in which the eggs of other animals, as insects, turtles, etc., are laid and hatched; a snug place in which young animals are reared. Bentley.
3. A snug, comfortable, or cozy residence or situation; a retreat, or place of habitual resort; hence, those who occupy a nest, frequent a haunt, or are associated in the same pursuit; as, a nest of traitors; a nest of bugs. A little cottage, like some poor man's nest. Spenser.
4. (Geol.)
Defn: An aggregated mass of any ore or mineral, in an isolated state, within a rock.
5. A collection of boxes, cases, or the like, of graduated size, each put within the one next larger.
6. (Mech.)
Defn: A compact group of pulleys, gears, springs, etc., working together or collectively. Nest egg, an egg left in the nest to prevent the hen from forsaking it, and to induce her to lay more in the same place; hence, figuratively, something laid up as the beginning of a fund or collection. Hudibras.
NEST Nest, v. i.
Defn: To build and occupy a nest. The king of birds nested within his leaves. Howell.
NEST Nest, v. t.
Defn: To put into a nest; to form a nest for. From him who nested himself into the chief power. South.
NESTFUL Nest"ful, n.; pl. Nestfuls (.
Defn: As much or many as will fill a nest.
NESTLE Nes"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Nestled; p. pr. & vb. n. Nestling.] Etym: [AS. nestlian.]
1. To make and occupy a nest; to nest. [Obs.] The kingfisher ... nestles in hollow banks. L'Estrange.
2. To lie close and snug, as a bird in her nest; to cuddle up; to settle, as in a nest; to harbor; to take shelter. Their purpose was to fortify in some strong place of the wild country, and there nestle till succors came. Bacon.
3. To move about in one's place, like a bird when shaping the interior of her nest or a young bird getting close to the parent; as, a child nestles.
NESTLE Nes"tle, v. t.
Defn: To house, as in a nest.
2. To cherish, as a bird her young.
NESTLING Nes"tling. n.
1. A young bird which has not abandoned the nest. Piers Plowman.
2. A nest; a receptacle. [Obs.] Bacon.
NESTLING Nes"tling, a.
Defn: Newly hatched; being yet in the nest.
NESTOR Nes"tor, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of parrots with gray heads. of New Zeland and papua, allied to the cockatoos. See Kaka.
NESTORIAN Nes*to"ri*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: An adherent of Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople to the fifth century, who has condemned as a heretic for maintaining that the divine and the human natures were not merged into one nature in Christ (who was God in man), and, hence, that it was improper to call Mary the mother of Christ; also, one of the sect established by the followers of Nestorius in Persia, india, and other Oriental countries, and still in existence. opposed to Ant: Eutychian.
NESTORIAN Nes*to"ri*an, a.
1. Of or relating to the Nestorians.
2. relating to, or resembling, Nestor, the aged warior and counselor mentioned by Homer; hence, wise; experienced; aged; as, Nestorian caution.
NESTORIANISM Nes*to"ri*an*ism, n.
Defn: The doctrines of the nestorian Christians, or of Nestorius.
NET Net, n. Etym: [AS. net; akin to D. net, OS. net, netti, OHG. nezzi, G. netz, Icel. & Dan. net, Sw. nät, Goth. nati; of uncertain origin.]
1. A fabric of twine, thread, or the like, wrought or woven into meshes, and used for catching fish, birds, butterflies, etc.
2. Anything designed or fitted to entrap or catch; a snare; any device for catching and holding. A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet. Prov. xxix. 5. In the church's net there are fishes good or bad. Jer. Taylor.
3. Anything wrought or woven in meshes; as, a net for the hair; a mosquito net; a tennis net.
4. (Geom.)
Defn: A figure made up of a large number of straight lines or curves, which are connected at certain points and related to each other by some specified law.
NET Net, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Netted; p. pr. & vb. n. Netting.]
1. To make into a net; to make n the style of network; as, to net silk.
2. To take in a net; to capture by stratagem or wile. And now I am here, netted and in the toils. Sir W. Scott.
3. To inclose or cover with a net; as, to net a tree.
NET Net, v. i.
Defn: To form network or netting; to knit.
NET Net, a. Etym: [F. See Neat clean.]
1. Without spot; pure; shining. [Obs.] Her breast all naked as net ivory. Spenser.
2. Free from extraneous substances; pure; unadulterated; neat; as, net wine, etc. [R.]
3. Not including superfluous, incidental, or foreign matter, as boxes, coverings, wraps, etc.; free from charges, deductions, etc; as, net profit; net income; net weight, etc. [Less properly written nett.] Net tonnage (Naut.), the tonnage of a vessel after a deduction from the gross tonnage has been made, to allow space for crew, machinery, etc.
NET Net, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Netted; p. pr. & vb. n. Netting.]
Defn: To produce or gain as clear profit; as, he netted a thousand dollars by the operation.
NE TEMERE Ne Te"me*re. [So named from L. ne not + temere rashly, the first two words in the decree.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A decree of the Congregation of the Council declaring invalid [so far as the laws of the Roman Catholic Church are concerned] any marriage of a Roman Catholic, or of a person who has ever been a Roman Catholic, if not contracted before a duty qualified priest (or the bishop of the diocese) and at least two witnesses. The decree was issued Aug. 2, 1907, and took effect on Easter Apr. 19, 1908. The decree by its terms does not affect mixed marriages (those between Roman Catholics and persons of another faith) in Germany.
NETFISH Net"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An astrophyton.
NETHER Neth"er, a. Etym: [OE. nethere, neithere, AS. ni, fr. the adv. ni downward; akin to neo below, beneath, D. neder down, G. nieder, Sw. nedre below, nether, a. & adv., and also to Skr. ni down. sq. root201. Cf. Beneath.]
Defn: Situated down or below; lying beneath, or in the lower part; having a lower position; belonging to the region below; lower; under; -- opposed to upper. 'Twixt upper, nether, and surrounding fires. Milton. This darksome nether world her light Doth dim with horror and deformity. Spenser. All my nether shape thus grew transformed. Milton.
NETHERMORE Neth"er*more`, a.
Defn: Lower, nether. [Obs.] Holland.
NETHERMOST Neth"er*most`, a. Etym: [AS. ni(Nether, and cf. Aftermost.]
Defn: Lowest; as, the nethermost abyss. Milton.
NETHINIM Neth"i*nim, n. pl. Etym: [Heb., pl. of nathin given, granted, a slave of the temple, fr. nathan to give.] (jewish Antiq.)
Defn: Servants of the priests and Levites in the menial services about the tabernacle and temple.
NETIFY Net"i*fy, v. t. Etym: [Net, a. + -fy.]
Defn: To render neat; to clean; to put in order. [R.] Chapman.
NETSUKE Net"su*ke, n. [Jap.]
Defn: In Japanese costume and decorative art, a small object carved in wood, ivory, bone, or horn, or wrought in metal, and pierced with holes for cords by which it is connected, for convenience, with the inro, the smoking pouch (tabako-ire), and similar objects carried in the girdle. It is now much used on purses sold in Europe and America.
NETTING Net"ting, n. Etym: [From Net, n.]
1. The act or process of making nets or network, or of forming meshes, as for fancywork, fishing nets, etc.
2. A piece of network; any fabric, made of cords, threads, wires, or the like, crossing one another with open spaces between.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: A network of ropes used for various purposes, as for holding the hammocks when not in use, also for stowing sails, and for hoisting from the gunwale to the rigging to hinder an enemy from boarding. Totten. Netting needle, a kind of slender shuttle used in netting. See Needle, n., 3.
NETTING Net"ting, n.
Defn: Urine. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
NETTLE Net"tle, n. Etym: [AS. netele; akin to D. netel, G. nessel, OHG. nezzïla, nazza, Dan. nelde, nälde, Sw. nässla; cf, Lith. notere.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Urtica, covered with minute sharp hairs containing a poison that produces a stinging sensation. Urtica gracitis is common in the Northern, and U. chamædryoides in the Southern, United States. the common European species, U. urens and U. dioica, are also found in the Eastern united States. U. pilulifera is the Roman nettle of England.
Note: The term nettle has been given to many plants related to, or to some way resembling, the true nettle; as: Australian nettle, a stinging tree or shrub of the genus Laportea (as L. gigas and L. moroides); -- also called nettle tree. -- Bee nettle, Hemp nettle, a species of Galeopsis. See under Hemp. -- Blind nettle, Dead nettle, a harmless species of Lamium. -- False nettle (Bæhmeria cylindrica), a plant common in the United States, and related to the true nettles. -- Hedge nettle, a species of Stachys. See under Hedge. -- Horse nettle (Solanum Carolinense). See under Horse. -- nettle tree. (a) Same as Hackberry. (b) See Australian nettle (above). -- Spurge nettle, a stinging American herb of the Spurge family (Jatropha urens). -- Wood nettle, a plant (Laportea Canadensis) which stings severely, and is related to the true nettles. Nettle cloth, a kind of thick cotton stuff, japanned, and used as a substitute for leather for various purposes. -- Nettle rash (Med.), an eruptive disease resembling the effects of whipping with nettles. -- Sea nettle (Zoöl.), a medusa.
NETTLE Net"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nettled; p. pr. & vb. n. Nettling.]
Defn: To fret or sting; to irritate or vex; to cause to experience sensations of displeasure or uneasiness not amounting to violent anger. The princes were so nettled at the scandal of this affront, that every man took it to himself. L'Estrange.
NETTLEBIRD Net"tle*bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: the European whitethroat. [Prov. Eng.]
NETTLER Net"tler, n.
Defn: One who nettles. [R.] Milton.
NETTLES Net"tles, n. pl. Etym: [See Knittle.] (Naut.) (a) The halves of yarns in the unlaid end of a rope twisted for pointing or grafting. (b) Small lines used to sling hammocks under the deck beams. (c) Reef points.
NETTLING Net"tling, n. (Rope Making) (a) A process (resembling splicing) by which two ropes are jointed end so as to form one rope. (b) The process of tying together the ends of yarns in pairs, to prevent tangling.
NETTLING Net"tling, p. pr. & a.
Defn: Stinging; irritating. Nettling cell (Zoöl.), a lasso cell. See under Lasso.
NETTY Net"ty, a.
Defn: Like a net, or network; netted. [R.]
NET-VEINED Net"-veined`, a.
Defn: Having veins, or nerves, reticulated or netted; as, a net- veined wing or leaf.
NETWORK Net"work`, n.
1. A fabric of threads, cords, or wires crossing each other at certain intervals, and knotted or secured at the crossings, thus leaving spaces or meshes between them.
2. Any system of lines or channels interlacing or crossing like the fabric of a net; as, a network of veins; a network of railroads.
NEUFCHATEL Neuf`châ`tel", n.
Defn: A kind of soft sweet-milk cheese; -- so called from Neufchâtel- en-Bray in France.
NEURAD Neu"rad, adv. Etym: [Gr. ad to.] (Anat.)
Defn: Toward the neural side; -- opposed to hæmad.
NEURAL Neu"ral, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat. & Zoöl.)
Defn: relating to the nerves or nervous system; taining to, situated in the region of, or on the side with, the neural, or cerebro-spinal, axis; -- opposed to hemal. As applied to vertebrates, neural is the same as dorsal; as applied to invertebrates it is usually the same as ventral. Cf. Hemal. Neural arch (Anat.), the cartilaginous or bony arch on the dorsal side of the centrum of the vertebra in a segment of the spinal skeleton, usually inclosing a segment of the spinal cord.
NEURALGIA Neu*ral"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., from gr. nerve.] (Med.)
Defn: A disease, the chief symptom of which is a very acute pain, exacerbating or intermitting, which follows the course of a nervous branch, extends to its ramifications, and seems therefore to be seated in the nerve. It seems to be independent of any structural lesion. Dunglison.
NEURALGIC Neu*ral"gic, a.
Defn: of or pertaining to, or having the character of, neuralgia; as, a neuralgic headache.
NEURALGY Neu*ral"gy, n.
Defn: Neuralgia.
NEURAPOPHYSIAL Neu*rap`o*phys"i*al, a. (Anat.)
Defn: of or pertaining to a neurapophysis.
NEURAPOPHYSIS Neu`ra*poph"y*sis, n.; pl. Neurapophyses. Etym: [NL. See Neuro-, and Apophysis.] (Anat.) (a) One of the two lateral processes or elements which form the neural arch. (b) The dorsal process of the neural arch; neural spine; spinous process.
NEURASTHENIA Neu*ras`the*ni"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: A condition of nervous debility supposed to be dependent upon impairment in the functions of the spinal cord.
NEURATION Neu*ra"tion, n. (Biol.)
Defn: The arrangement or distribution of nerves, as in the leaves of a plant or the wings of an insect; nervation.
NEURAXIS Neu*rax"is, n. Etym: [Neuro- + axis.] (Anat.)
Defn: See Axis cylinder, under Axis.
NEURENTERIC Neu`ren*ter"ic, a. Etym: [Neuro- + enteric.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both the neuron and the enteron; as, the neurenteric canal, which, in embroys of many vertebrates, connects the medullary tube and the primitive intestine. See Illust. of Ectoderm.
NEURIDIN Neu"ri*din, n. Etym: [From Neurine.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: a nontoxic base, C5H14N2, found in the putrescent matters of flesh, fish, decaying cheese, etc.
NEURILEMMA Neu`ri*lem"ma, n. Etym: [NL., from gr. (Anat.) (a) The delicate outer sheath of a nerve fiber; the primitive sheath. (b) The perineurium.
NEURILITY Neu*ril"i*ty, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: The special properties and functions of the nerves; that capacity for transmitting a stimulus which belongs to nerves. G. H. Lewes.
NEURINE Neu"rine ( or ), n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous organic base (a ptomaine) formed in the decomposition of protagon with boiling baryta water, and in the putrefraction of proteid matter. It was for a long time considered identical with choline, a crystalline body originally obtained from bile. Chemically, however, choline is oxyethyl-trimethyl-ammonium hydroxide, while neurine is vinyl-trimethyl-ammonium hydroxide. [Written also neurin.]
NEURISM Neu"rism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)
Defn: Nerve force. See Vital force, under Vital.
NEURITIS Neu*ri"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of a nerve.
NEURO- Neu"ro- (. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: A combining denoting a nerve, of or pertaining to a nerve or the nervous system.
NEURO-CENTRAL Neu`ro-cen"tral, a. Etym: [Neuro- + central.] (Anat.)
Defn: Between the neural arch and the centrum of a vertebra; as, the neurocentral suture. Huxley.
NEUROCHORD; NEUROCHORDAL Neu"ro*chord, n., Neu`ro*chor"dal (, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Neurocord.
NEUROCITY Neu*roc"i*ty, n. (Physiol.)
Defn: Nerve force.
NEUROCOELE; NEUROCELE Neu"ro*coele, Neu"ro*cele, n. Etym: [Neuro- + Ge. (Anat.)
Defn: The central canal and ventricles of the spinal cord and brain; the myelencephalic cavity.
NEUROCORD Neu"ro*cord, n. Etym: [Neuro- + cord.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A cordlike organ composed of elastic fibers situated above the ventral nervous cord of annelids, like the earthworm. -- Neu`ro*cor"dal, a.
NEURO-EPIDERMAL Neu`ro-ep`i*der"mal, a. Etym: [Neuro- + epidermal.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or giving rise to, the central nervous system and epiderms; as, the neuroepidermal, or epiblastic, layer of the blastoderm.
NEUROGLIA Neu*rog"li*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The delicate connective tissue framework which supports the nervous matter and blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord.
NEUROGRAPHY Neu*rog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Neuro- + -graphy.] (Anat.)
Defn: A description of the nerves. Dunglison.
NEUROKERATIN Neu`ro*ker"a*tin, n. Etym: [Neuro- + keratin.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A substance, resembling keratin, present in nerve tissue, as in the sheath of the axis cylinder of medullated nerve fibers. Like keratin it resists the action of most chemical agents, and by decomposition with sulphuric acid yields leucin and tyrosin.
NEUROLOGICAL Neu`ro*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to neurolgy.
NEUROLOGIST Neu*rol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is versed in neurology; also, one skilled in the treatment of nervous diseases.
NEUROLOGY Neu*rol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Neuro- + -logy.]
Defn: The branch of science which treats of the nervous system.
NEUROMA Neu*ro"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Neuro-, and -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor developed on, or connected with, a nerve, esp. one consisting of new-formed nerve fibers.
NEUROMERE Neu"ro*mere, n. Etym: [Neuro- + -mere.] (Anat.)
Defn: A metameric segment of the cerebro-spinal nervous system.
NEUROMUSCULAR Neu`ro*mus"cu*lar, a. Etym: [Neuro- + muscular.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Nervomuscular.
NEURON Neu"ron, n.; pl. Neura. Etym: [NL., from Gr. ney^ron nerve.] (Anat.)
Defn: The brain and spinal cord; the cerebro-spinal axis; myelencephalon. B. G. Wilder.
NEUROPATHIC Neu`ro*path"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to neuropathy; of the nature of, or suffering from, nervous disease.
NEUROPATHY Neu*rop"a*thy, n. Etym: [Neuro- + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: An affection of the nervous system or of a nerve.
NEUROPOD Neu"ro*pod, n. Etym: [Neuro- + -pod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A neuropodous animal. G. Rolleston.
NEUROPODIUM Neu`ro*po"di*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The ventral lobe or branch of a parapodium.
NEUROPODOUS Neu*rop"o*dous, a. Etym: [Neuro- + -pod + -ous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the limbs on, or directed toward, the neural side, as in most invertebrates; -- opposed to Ant: hæmapodous. G. Rolleston.
NEUROPORE Neu"ro*pore, n. Etym: [Neuro- + pore.] (Anat.)
Defn: An opening at either end of the embryonic neural canal.
NEUROPTER Neu*rop"ter, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Neuroptera.
NEUROPTERA Neu*rop"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [Nl., fr. gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of hexapod insects having two pairs of large, membranous, net-veined wings. The mouth organs are adapted for chewing. They feed upon other insects, and undergo a complete metamorphosis. The ant-lion, hellgamite, and lacewing fly are examples. Formerly, the name was given to a much more extensive group, including the true Neuroptera and the Pseudoneuroptera.
NEUROPTERAL Neurop"ter*al, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Neuroptera.
NEUROPTERAN Neu*rop"ter*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A neuropter.
NEUROPTERIS Neu*rop"te*ris, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extensive genus of fossil ferns, of which species have been found from the Devonian to the Triassic formation.
NEUROPTEROUS Neu*rop"ter*ous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Neuropteral.
NEUROSENSIFEROUS Neu`ro*sen*sif"er*ous, a. Etym: [neuro- + sensiferous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or forming, both nerves and sense organs.
NEUROSIS Neu*ro"sis, n.; pl. Neuroses. Etym: [NL., fr. gr. (Med.)
Defn: A functional nervous affection or disease, that is, a disease of the nerves without any appreciable change of nerve structure.
NEUROSKELETAL Neu`ro*skel"e*tal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the neuroskeleton. [R.] Owen.
NEUROSKELETON Neu`ro*skel"e*ton, n. Etym: [Neuro- + skeleton.] (Anat.)
Defn: The deep-seated parts of the vertebrate skeleton which are relation with the nervous axis and locomation. Owen.
NEUROSPAST Neu"ro*spast, n. Etym: [L. neurospaston, Gr.
Defn: A puppet. [R.] Dr. H. More.
NEUROTIC Neu*rot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to the nerves; seated in the nerves; nervous; as, a neurotic disease.
2. Uself in disorders of, or affecting, the nerves.
NEUROTIC Neu*rot"ic, n.
1. A disease seated in the nerves.
2. (Med.)
Defn: Any toxic agent whose action is mainly directed to the great nerve centers.
Note: Neurotic as a class include all those poisons whose mains
## action is upon the brain and spinal cord. They may be divided three
orders: (a) Cerebral neurotics, or those which affect the brain only. (b) Spinal neurotics, or tetanics, those which affect the spinal cord. (c) Cerebro-spinal neurotics, or those which affect both brain and spinal cord.
NEUROTOME Neu"ro*tome, n. Etym: [See Neurotomy.]
1. An instrument for cutting or dissecting nerves.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: A neuromere.
NEUROTOMICAL Neu`ro*tom"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to neurotomy.
NEUROTOMIST Neu*rot"o*mist, n.
Defn: One who skilled in or practices neurotomy.
NEUROTOMY Neu*rot"o*my, n. Etym: [Neuro- + Gr.
1. The dissection, or anatomy, of the nervous system.
2. (Med.)
Defn: The division of a nerve, for the relief of neuralgia, or for other purposes. Dunglison.
NEURULA Neu"ru*la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An embryo or certain invertebrates in the stage when the primitive band is first developed.
NEUTER Neu"ter, a. Etym: [L., fr. ne not + uter whether; akin to E. whether. See No, and Whether, and cf. Neither.]
1. Neither the one thing nor the other; on neither side; impartial; neutral. [Archaic] In all our undertakings God will be either our friend or our enemy; for Providence never stands neuter. South.
2. (Gram.) (a) Having a form belonging more especially to words which are not appellations of males or females; expressing or designating that which is of neither sex; as, a neuter noun; a neuter termination; the neuter gender. (b) Intransitive; as, a neuter verb.
3. (Biol.)
Defn: Having no generative organs, or imperfectly developed ones; sexless. See Neuter, n., 3.
NEUTER Neu"ter, n.
1. A person who takes no part in a contest; one who is either indifferent to a cause or forbears to interfere; a neutral. The world's no neuter; it will wound or save. Young.
2. (Gram.) (a) A noun of the neuter gender; any one of those words which have the terminations usually found in neuter words. (b) An intransitive verb.
3. (Biol.)
Defn: An organism, either vegetable or animal, which at its maturity has no generative organs, or but imperfectly developed ones, as a plant without stamens or pistils, as the garden Hydrangea; esp., one of the imperfectly developed females of certain social insects, as of the ant and the common honeybee, which perform the labors of the community, and are called workers.
NEUTRAL Neu"tral, a. Etym: [L. neutralis, fr. neuter. See Neuter.]
1. Not engaged on either side; not taking part with or assisting either of two or more contending parties; neuter; indifferent. The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes