Unabridged Dictionary - Letter M
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M
Maccaboy, Maccoboy
Mac"ca*boy (?), Mac"co*boy (?), n. [From a district in the Island of
Martinique where it is made: cf. F. macouba.] A kind of snuff.
Macco
Mac"co (?), n. A gambling game in vogue in the eighteenth century.
Thackeray.
Mace
Mace (?), n. [Jav. & Malay. m\'bes, fr. Skr. m\'besha a bean.] 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. [F. macis, L. macis, macir, Gr. makaranda the nectar or
honey of a flower, a fragrant mango.] (Bot.) A kind of spice; the aril
which partly covers nutmegs. See Nutmeg.
NOTE: &hand; Re d ma ce 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. [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) 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.
Macedonian
Mac`e*do"ni*an (?), a. [L. Macedonius, Gr. (Geog.) Belonging, or
relating, to Macedonia. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Macedonia.
Macedonian
Mac`e*do"ni*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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. The doctrines of Macedonius.
Macer
Ma"cer (?), n. [F. massier. See Mace staff.] 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.] [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. One who, or that which, macerates; an apparatus
for converting paper or fibrous matter into pulp.
Maceration
Mac`er*a"tion (?), n. [L. maceratio: cf. F. mac\'82ration.] The act or
process of macerating.
Mach\'91rodus, Machairodus
Ma*ch\'91"ro*dus (?), Ma*chai"ro*dus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) 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. [Sp.] 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. [From Machiavel, an Italian writer, secretary
and historiographer to the republic of Florence.] 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. 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. [Cf. F.
machiav\'82lisme; It. machiavellismo.] 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. [LL. machicolatus, p. p. of machicolare,
machicollare. See Machicolation.] Having machicolations. "Machicolated
turrets." C. Kingsley.
Machicolation
Mach`i*co*la"tion (?), n. [Cf. LL. machicolamentum, machacolladura, F.
m\'83chicolis, m\'83checoulis; perh. fr. F. m\'8ache match,
combustible matter + OF. coulis, couleis, flowing, fr. OF. & F. couler
to flow. Cf. Match for making fire, and Cullis.]
1. (Mil. Arh.) 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. [F. m\'83chicoulis.] (Mil. Arch.) Same as
Machicolation.
Machinal
Ma*chin"al (?), a. [L. machinalis: cf. F. machinal.] Of or pertaining
to machines.
Machinate
Mach"i*nate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Machinated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Machinating (?).] [L. machinatus, p. p. of machinari to devise, plot.
See Machine.] 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. To contrive, as a plot; to plot; as, to
machinate evil.
Machination
Mach`i*na"tion (?), n. [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. [L.] One who machinates, or forms a scheme with
evil designs; a plotter or artful schemer. Glanvill. Sir W. Scott.
Machine
Ma*chine" (?), n. [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: &hand; Th e te rm ma chine is mo st 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.] To subject to the action of machinery; to effect by aid of
machinery; to print with a printing machine.
Machiner
Ma*chin"er (?), n. One who or operates a machine; a machinist. [R.]
Machinery
Ma*chin"er*y (?), n. [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. Of or pertaining to the machinery of a poem; acting or
used as a machine.[Obs.] Dryden.
Machinist
Ma*chin"ist, n. [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. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) The striped mullet of California
(Mugil cephalus, OR Mexicanus).
Macilency
Mac"i*len*cy (?), n. [See Macilent.] Leanness.[Obs.] Sandys.
Macilent
Mac"i*lent (?), a. [L. macilentus, fr. macies leanness, macere to be
lean.] Lean; thin. [Obs.] Bailey.
Macintosh
Mac"in*tosh (?), n. Same as Mackintosh.
Mackerel
Mack"er*el (?), n. [OF. maquerel, F. maquereau, fr. D. makelaar
mediator, agent, fr. makelen to act as agent.] A pimp; also, a bawd.
[Obs.] Halliwell.
Mackerel
Mack`er*el (?), n. [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.] (Zo\'94l.) 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: &hand; 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. (Zo\'94l.) See under Chub. -- Frigate
mackerel. See under Frigate. -- Horse mackerel . See under Horse. --
Mackerel bird (Zo\'94l.), the wryneck; -- so called because it arrives
in England at the time when mackerel are in season. -- Mackerel cock
(Zo\'94l.), the Manx shearwater; -- so called because it precedes the
appearance of the mackerel on the east coast of Ireland. -- Mackerel
guide. (Zo\'94l.) See Garfish (a). -- Mackerel gull (Zo\'94l.) any one
of several species of gull which feed upon or follow mackerel, as the
kittiwake. -- Mackerel midge (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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.[From Mackinac,the State of
Michigan, where blankets and other stores were distributed to the
Indians.] A thick blanket formerly in common use in the western part
of the United States.
Mackintosh
Mack"in*tosh (?), n. A waterproof outer garment; -- so called from the
name of the inventor.
Mackle
Mac`kle (?), n. [See Macle.] Same Macule.
Mackle
Mac"kle, v. t. & i. To blur, or be blurred, in printing, as if there
were a double impression.
Macle
Ma"cle (?), n. [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. [NL. Named from William Maclure, the geologist.]
(Paleon.) A genus of spiral gastropod shells, often of large size,
characteristic of the lower Silurian rocks.
Maclurin
Ma*clu"rin (?), n. (Chem.) See Morintannic. <-- macrame, n. the art of
tying knots in patterns. -->
Macrame lace
Mac"ra*me lace" (?). A coarse lace made of twine, used especially in
decorating furniture.
Macrencephalic, Macrencephalous
Mac`ren*ce*phal"ic (?), Mac`ren*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Macro +
encephalic, encephalous.] Having a large brain. <-- macro (computer
programming) [short for macroinstruction] (a) a single instruction in
a program which symbolizes, and is replaced by during time of program
execution, a series of instructions. (b) a keystroke (or combination
of keystrokes) which symbolizes and is replaced by a series of
keystrokes. -- a convenient feature of some advanced programs, such as
word processors or database programs, which allows a user to rapidly
execute any series of operations which may be performed multiple
times. Such macros may typically be defined by the program user,
without rewriting or recompiling the program. -->
Macro-
Mac"ro- (?). [Gr. makro`s, adj.] A combining form signifying long,
large, great; as macrodiagonal, macrospore.<-- macromolecule,
macrocosm -->
Macrobiotic
Mac`ro*bi*ot"ic (?), a. [Gr. macrobiotique.] Long-lived. Dunglison.
Macrobiotics
Mac`ro*bi*ot"ics (?), n. (Physiol.) The art of prolonging life.
Macrocephalous
Mac`ro*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Macro + Gr. kefalh` the head.]
1. Having a large head.
2. (Bot.) 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. [Macro- + chemistry.] (Chem.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Macro- + Gr. macrocosme.] 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. Of or pertaining to the macrocosm. Tylor.
Macrocystis
Mac`ro*cys"tis (?), n. [NL. See Macro-, and Cyst.] (Bot.) An immensely
long blackish seaweed of the Pacific (Macrocystis pyrifera), having
numerous almond-shaped air vessels.
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Macrodactyl
Mac`ro*dac"tyl (?), n. [Gr. macrodactyle.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Having
long toes.
Macrodiagonal
Mac`ro*di*ag"o*nal (?), n. [Macro- + diagonal.] (Crystallog.) The
longer of two diagonals, as of a rhombic prism. See Crystallization.
Macrodome
Mac"ro*dome (?), n. [Macro- + dome.] (Crystallog.) A dome parallel to
the longer lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal. See Dome, n., 4.
Macrodont
Mac"ro*dont, a. [Macro- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having large teeth. -- n. A
macrodont animal.
Macrofarad
Mac"ro*far`ad (?), n. [Macro- + farad.] (Elec.) See Megafarad. [R.]
Macroglossia
Mac`ro*glos"si*a (?), n. [NL. See Macro-, and Glossa.] (Med.)
Enlargement or hypertrophy of the tongue.
Macrognathic
Mac`rog*nath"ic (?), a. [Macro- + gnathic.] (Anthropol.) Long-jawed.
Huxley.
Macrology
Ma*crol"o*gy (?), n. [L. macrologia, Gr. macrologie.] Long and tedious
talk without much substance; superfluity of words.
Macrometer
Ma*crom"e*ter (?), n. [Macro- + -meter.] An instrument for determining
the size or distance of inaccessible objects by means of two
reflectors on a common sextant.
Macron
Ma"cron (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Pron.) A short, straight, horizontal
mark [-], placed over vowels to denote that they are to be pronounced
with a long sound; as, \'be, in d\'beme; &emac;, in s&emac;am, etc.
Macropetalous
Mac`ro*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Macro- + petal.] (Bot.) Having long or
large petals.
Macrophyllous
Ma*croph"yl*lous (?), a. [Macro- + Gr. (Bot.) Having long or large
leaves.
Macropinacoid
Mac`ro*pin"a*coid (?), n. [Macro- + pinacoid.] (Crystallog.) 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. [Macro- + -pod.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. Having long or large feet, or a long stem.
Macropodian
Mac`ro*po"di*an (?), n. A macropod.
Macropodous
Ma*crop"o*dous (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Having long legs or feet.
Macroprism
Mac"ro*prism (?), n. [Macro- + prism.] (Crystallog.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A division of
birds; the Longipennes.
Macropterous
Ma*crop"ter*ous (?), a. [See Macropteres.] (Zo\'94l.) Having long
wings.
Macropus
Mac"ro*pus (?), n. [NL. See Macropod.] (Zo\'94l.) genus of marsupials
including the common kangaroo.
Macropyramid
Mac`ro*pyr"a*mid (?), n. [Macro- + pyramid.] (Crystallog.) See
Macroprism.
Macroscopic, Macroscopical
Mac`ro*scop"ic (?), Mac`ro*scop"ic*al (?), a. [Macro- + Gr. Visible to
the unassisted eye; -- as opposed to microscopic. --
Mac`ro*scop"ic*al*ly, adv.
Macrosporangium
Mac`ro*spo*ran"gi*um (?), n. [NL. See Macro-, and Sporangium.] (Bot.)
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. [Macro- + spore.] (Bot.) One of the specially
large spores of certain flowerless plants, as Selaginella, etc.
Macrosporic
Mac`ro*spor"ic (?), a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to macrospores.
Macrotone
Mac"ro*tone (?), n. [Gr. Macro-, and Tone.] (Pron.) Same as Macron.
Macrotous
Ma*cro"tous (?), a. [Macro- + Gr. o"y^s, gen. 'wto`s, the ear.]
(Zo\'94l.) Large-eared.
Macroura, n. pl., Macroural
Ma*crou"ra (?), n. pl., Ma*crou"ral (, a., etc. (Zo\'94l.) Same as
Macrura, Macrural, etc.
Macrozo\'94spore
Mac`ro*zo"\'94*spore (?), n. [Macro- + zo\'94spore.] (Bot.) A large
motile spore having four vibratile cilia; -- found in certain green
alg\'91.
Macrura
Ma*cru"ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Macrurous.
Macruran
Ma*cru"ran (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Macrura.
Macruroid
Ma*cru"roid (?), a. [Macrura + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to
the Macrura.
Macrurous
Ma*cru"rous (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Macrura; having
a long tail.
Mactation
Mac*ta"tion (?), n. [L. mactatio, fr. macture to slay, sacrifice.] The
act of killing a victim for sacrifice. [Obs.]
Mactra
Mac"tra (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. Macul\'91 (#). [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. (Zo\'94l.) A rather large spot or blotch of color.
Maculate
Mac"u*late (?), v. t. [L. maculatus, p. p. of maculare to spot. See
Macula, and cf. Macule, v.] To spot; to stain; to blur.
Maculate the honor of their people. Sir T. Elyot.
Maculate
Mac"u*late (?), a. [L. maculatus, p. p.] Marked with spots or
macul\'91; blotched; hence, defiled; impure; as, most maculate
thoughts. Shak.
Maculated
Mac"u*la`ted (?), a. Having spots or blotches; maculate.
Maculation
Mac"u*la"tion (?), n. [L. maculatio.] The act of spotting; a spot; a
blemish. Shak.
Maculatory
Mac"u*la*to*ry (?), a. Causing a spot or stain. T. Adams.
Maculature
Mac"u*la*ture (?), n, Blotting paper. [Obs.]
Macule
Mac"ule (?), n. [F. macule. See Macula.]
1. A spot. [Obs.]
2. (Print.) A blur, or an appearance of a double impression, as when
the paper slips a little; a mackle.
Macule
Mac"ule, v. t. [Cf. F. maculer. See Maculate,v.] To blur; especially
(Print.), to blur or double an impression from type. See Mackle.
Maculose
Mac"u*lose` (?), a. [L. maculosus.] Of or pertaining to spots upon a
surface; spotted; maculate.
Mad
Mad (?), obs. p. p. of Made. Chaucer.
Mad
Mad (?), a. [Compar. Madder (?); superl. Maddest (?).] [AS. gem,
gem\'bed, mad; akin to OS. gem foolish, OHG. gameit, Icel. mei to
hurt, Goth. gam\'a0ids 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.] 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. 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. [AS. ma; akin to D. & G. made, Goth. mapa, and prob. to E.
moth.] (Zo\'94l.) An earthworm. [Written also made.]
Madam
Mad"am (?), n.; pl. Madams, or Mesdames (#). [See Madame.] 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 (#). [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) + dame
dame. See Dame, and cf. Madonna.] 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.) See Eggplant.
Madbrain
Mad"brain` (?), a. Hot-headed; rash. Shak. -- n. A rash or hot-headed
person.
Madbrained
Mad"brained` (?), a. 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 lord." Shak.
2. Wild; reckless. "Madcap follies" Beau. & Fl.
Madcap
Mad"cap`, n. 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.] 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. To become mad; to act as if mad.
They rave, recite, and madden round the land. Pope.
Madder
Mad"der (?), n. [OE. mader, AS. m\'91dere; akin to Icel. ma.] (Bot.) 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: &hand; Ma dder is so metimes us ed in fo rming 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.) A name proposed for any plant of the same
natural order (Rubiace\'91) as the madder.
Madding
Mad"ding (?), a. 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. Somewhat mad. Beau. & Fl.
Made
Made (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mad, n.
Made
Made (?), imp. & p. p. of Make.
Made
Made, a. 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. A native or inhabitant of
Madagascar, or Madecassee; the language of the natives of Madagascar.
See Malagasy.
Madecassee
Mad`e*cas"see, a. Of or pertaining to Madagascar or its inhabitants.
Madefaction, Madefication
Mad`e*fac"tion (?), Mad`e*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [L. madefacere to make
wet; madere to be wet + facere to make: cf. F. mad\'82faction.] 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 (?).] [Cf. F. mad\'82fier, L. madefacere. See Madefaction.]
To make wet or moist. [R.]
Madegassy
Mad`e*gas"sy (?), n. & a. See Madecassee.
Madeira
Ma*dei"ra (?), n. [Pg., the Island Madeira, properly, wood, fr. L.
materia stuff, wood. The island was so called because well wooded. See
Matter.] 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.
Mademoiselle
Ma`de*moi`selle" (?), n.; pl. Mesdemoiselles (#). [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. (Zo\'94l.) A marine food fish (Sci\'91na chrysura), of the Southern
United States; -- called also yellowtail, and silver perch.
Madge
Madge, n. [Cf. OF. & Prov. F. machette.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) The barn owl.
(b) The magpie.
Mad-headed
Mad"-head`ed (?), a. Wild; crack-brained.
Madhouse
Mad"house` (?), n. A house where insane persons are confined; an
insane asylum; a bedlam.
Madia
Ma"di*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Sp. madi, fr. Chilian madi, the native
name.] (Bot.) 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. [L. madidus, fr. madere to be wet.] Wet; moist; as, a
madid eye. [R.] Beaconsfield.
Madisterium
Mad`is*te"ri*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Surg.) An instrument to extract
hairs.
Madjoun
Mad"joun (?), n. [Hind., fr. Ar. ma'j.] An intoxicating confection
from the hemp plant; -- used by the Turks and Hindoos. [Written also
majoun.]
Madly
Mad"ly (?), adv. [From Mad, a.] In a mad manner; without reason or
understanding; wildly. <-- intensely: "madly in love" -->
Madman
Mad"man (?), n.; pl. Madmen (. 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.) The masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium).
Madness
Mad"ness, n. [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. [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 (n&adot;z).] 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. (Zo\'94l.) A small Abyssinian antelope (Neotragus
Saltiana), about the size of a hare.
Madrague
Ma`drague" (?), n. [R.] A large fish pound used for the capture of the
tunny in the Mediterranean; also applied to the seines used for the
same purpose.
Madreperl
Ma"dre*perl (?), n. [It. madreperla.] Mother-of-pearl.
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Madrepora
Mad`re*po"ra (?), n. [NL. See Madre.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL. See Madrepore.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [F. madrepore, perh. fr. madr\'82 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. madr\'82pore is rather from It. madrepora, and this perh. fr.
It. madre mother (see Mother) + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Resembling, or
pertaining to, the genus Madrepora. Madreporic plate (Zo\'94l.), 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. [Madrepore + -form.] (Zo\'94l.) Resembling a
madreporian coral in form or structure.
Madreporite
Mad"re*po*rite (?), n. [Cf. F. madr\'82porite]
1. (Paleon.) A fossil coral.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The madreporic plate of echinoderms.
Madrier
Ma*drier" (?), n. [F., from Sp. madero, or Pg. madeiro, fr. Sp. madera
wood for building, timber, Pg. madeira, L. materia stuff, materials,
lumber. See Matter.] 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. [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.) 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. A madrigalist.
Madrigalist
Mad"ri*gal*ist, n. A composer of madrigals.
Madrilenian
Mad`ri*le"ni*an (?), a. [Sp. Madrileno.] Of or pertaining to Madrid in
Spain, or to its inhabitants. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Madrid.
Madrina
Ma*dri"na (?), n. [Sp., prop., a godmother.] An animal (usually an old
mare), wearing a bell and acting as the leader of a troop of pack
mules. [S. America]
Madro\'a4a
Ma*dro"\'a4a (?), n. [Sp. madro\'a4o.] (Bot.) 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
madro\'a4a apples. [Written also madro\'a4o.]
Madwort
Mad"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) 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.
M\'91gbote, Magbote
M\'91g"bote`, Mag"bote` (?), n. [AS. m\'d6g kinsman + b\'d3t
compensation.] (Anglo-Saxon Law) Compensation for the injury done by
slaying a kinsman. Spelman.
Maelstrom
Mael"strom (?), n. [Norw., a whirlpool.]
1. A celebrated whirlpool on the coast of Norway.
2. Also Fig. ; as, a maelstrom of vice.
M\'91nad
M\'91"nad (?), n. [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. [It.] (Mus.) Majestic or majestically; -- a
direction to perform a passage or piece of music in a dignified
manner.
Maestricht monitor
Maes"tricht mon"i*tor (?). [So called from Maestricht, a town in
Holland.] (Paleon.) The Mosasaurus Hofmanni. See Mosasaurus.
Maestro
Ma*es"tro (?), n. [It., fr. L. magister. See Master.] A master in any
art, especially in music; a composer.
Maffle
Maf"fle (?), v. i. [Akin to OD. maffelen to stammer. Cf. Muffle to
mumble.] To stammer. [Obs.]
Maffler
Maf"fler (?), n. A stammerer. [Obs.]
Magazine
Mag`a*zine" (?), n. [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.] To store in, or as in, a magazine; to store up for use.
Magaziner
Mag`a*zin"er (?), n. One who edits or writes for a magazine. [R.]
Goldsmith.
Magazining
Mag`a*zin"ing, n. The act of editing, or writing for, a magazine.
[Colloq.] Byron.
Magazinist
Mag`a*zin"ist, n. One who edits or writes for a magazine. [R.]
Magbote
Mag"bote` (?), n. See M\'91gbote.
Magdala
Mag"da*la (?), a. Designating an orange-red dyestuff obtained from
naphthylamine, and called magdala red, naphthalene red, etc.
Magdalen
Mag"da*len (?), n. [From Mary Magdalene, traditionally reported to
have been the repentant sinner forgiven by Christ. See Luke vii. 36.]
A reformed prostitute.
Magdaleon
Mag*da"le*on (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) A medicine in the form of a
roll, a esp. a roll of plaster.
Magdeburg
Mag"de*burg (?), n. A city of Saxony. Magdeburg centuries, Magdeburg
hemispheres. See under Century, and Hemisphere.
Mage
Mage (?), n. [F. mage. See Magi.] A magician. [Archaic] Spenser.
Tennyson.
Magellanic
Mag`el*lan"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to, or named from, Magellan,
the navigator. Magellenic clouds (Astron.), three conspicuous
nebul\'91 near the south pole, resembling thin white clouds.<-- they
are smaller than the Milky Way galaxy, but separate from it, and thus
are considered the galactic formations nearest to our galaxy, but not
part of it. -->
Magenta
Ma*gen"ta (?), n. (Chem.) 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, rose\'8bne, etc.<-- now fuschin -->
<-- 2. n. the purpish-red color of magenta -->
Magged
Magged (?), a. (Naut.) Worn; fretted; as, a magged brace. Ham. Nav.
Encyc.
Maggiore
Mag`gio"re (?), a. [It., from L. major, compar. of magnus great. See
Major.] (Mus.) Greater, in respect to scales, intervals, etc., when
used in opposition to minor; major. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
Maggot
Mag"got (?), n. [W. macai, pl. maceiod, magiod, a worn or grub; cf.
magu to bread.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) The footless larva of any fly. See Larval.
2. A whim; an odd fancy. Hudibras. Tennyson.
Maggotiness
Mag"got*i*ness (?), n. State of being maggoty.
Maggotish
Mag"got*ish, a. Full of whims or fancies; maggoty.
Maggot-pie
Mag"got-pie` (?), n. A magpie. [Obs.] Shak.
Maggoty
Mag"got*y (?), a.
1. Infested with maggots.
2. Full of whims; capricious. Norris.
Maghet
Ma"ghet (?), n. [Cf. Fl. maghet maid.] (Bot.) A name for daisies and
camomiles of several kinds.
Magi
Ma"gi (?), n. pl. [L., pl. of Magus, Gr. Mage, Magic.] 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. Of or pertaining to the Magi.
Magian
Ma"gi*an, n. 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. [OE. magique, L. magice, Gr. Magic, a., and Magi.] 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. [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: &hand; Al though wi th ce rtain 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. In a magical manner; by magic, or as if by
magic.
Magician
Ma*gi"cian (?), n. [F. magicien. See Magic, n.] One skilled in magic;
one who practices the black art; an enchanter; a necromancer; a
sorcerer or sorceress; a conjurer.<-- these days, mostly an
entertainer who produces seemingly magical effects by clever
illusions; most magicians admit that the craft is mere illusion,
rather than a true supernatural art. -->
Magilp, Magilph
Ma*gilp" (?), Ma*gilph" (?), n. (Paint.) See Megilp.
Magister
Ma*gis"ter (?), n. [L. See Master.] 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. [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.) 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. Magisterialness; authoritativeness. [R.]
Fuller.
Magisterially
Mag`is*te"ri*al*ly (?), adv. In a magisterial manner.
Magisterialness
Mag`is*te"ri*al*ness, n. The quality or state of being magisterial.
Magistery
Mag"is*ter*y (?), n. [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.) 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 (#). [From Magistrate.]
1. The office or dignity of a magistrate. Blackstone.
2. The collective body of magistrates.
Magistral
Mag"is*tral (?), a. [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) 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.) A sovereign medicine or remedy. [Obs.] Burton.
2. (Fort.) A magistral line.
3. (Metal.) 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 (. Magisterialness; arbitrary
dogmatism. Bacon.
Magistrally
Mag"is*tral*ly (?), adv. In a magistral manner. Abp. Bramhall.
Magistrate
Mag"is*trate (?), n. [L. magistratus, fr. magister master: cf. F.
magistrat. See Master.] 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. Of, pertaining to, or
proceeding from, a magistrate; having the authority of a magistrate.
Jer. Taylor.
Magistrature
Mag"is*tra`ture (?), n. [Cf. F. magistrature.] Magistracy. [Obs.]
Magma
Mag"ma (?), n. [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.
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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.) 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 (?). [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. [L. magnalis mighty, fr. magnus great.] A great
act or event; a great attainment. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Magnanimity
Mag`na*nim"i*ty (?), n. [F. magnanimit\'82, L. magnanimitas.] 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.[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. In a magnanimous manner; with greatness of
mind.
Magnase black
Mag"nase black` (?). (Paint.) A black pigment which dries rapidly when
mixed with oil, and is of intense body. Fairholt.
Magnate
Mag"nate (?), [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. <-- used mostly of prominent business
executives; an industrial magnate --> 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. [L.] Magnet. [Obs.] Spenser.
Magnesia
Mag*ne"si*a (?; 277), n. [L. Magnesia, fem. of Magnesius of the
country Magnesia, Gr. Magnet.] (Chem.) 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 [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. Pertaining to, characterized by, or containing,
magnesia or magnesium. Magnesian limestone. (Min.) See Dolomite.
Magnesic
Mag*ne"sic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, magnesium;
as, magnesic oxide.
Magnesite
Mag"ne*site (?), n. [Cf. F. magn\'82site.] (Min.) Native magnesium
carbonate occurring in white compact or granular masses, and also in
rhombohedral crystals.
Magnesium
Mag*ne"si*um (?), n. [NL. & F. See Magnesia.] (Chem.) 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. [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
Arsino\'89 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) 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: &hand; An ar tificial ma gnet, pr oduced 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. [L. magneticus: cf. F.
magn\'82tique.]
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. By or as by, magnetism.
Magneticalness
Mag*net"ic*al*ness, n.Quality of being magnetic.
Magnetician
Mag`ne*ti"cian (?), n. One versed in the science of magnetism; a
magnetist.
Maneticness
Ma*net"ic*ness, n.Magneticalness. [Obs.]
Magnetics
Mag*net"ics (?), n.The science of magnetism.
Magnetiferous
Mag`net*if"er*ous (?), a. [L. magnes, -etis + -ferous.] Producing or
conducting magnetism.
Magnetism
Mag"net*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. magn\'82tisme.] 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.One versed in magnetism.
Magnetite
Mag"net*ite (?), n. (Min.) 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. Capable of magnetized.
Magnetization
Mag`net*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of magnetizing, or the state of
being magnetized.
Magnetize
Mag"net*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Magnetized (?); prep. & adv.
Magnetizing (?).] [Cf. F. magn\'82tiser.]
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. A person subjected to the influence of animal
magnetism. [R.]
Magnetizer
Mag"net*i`zer (?), n. One who, or that which, imparts magnetism.
Magneto-
Mag"net*o- (?). [See Magnet.] 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)
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) 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. [Magneto- + -graph.] (Physics) 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. [Magneto- + -meter: cf. F.
magn\'82tom\'8atre.] (Physics) 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. Pertaining to, or employed in, the
measurement of magnetic forces; obtained by means of a magnetometer;
as, magnetometric instruments; magnetometric measurements.
Magnetomotor
Mag`net*o*mo"tor (?), n.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.) The treatment of disease by the
application of magnets to the surface of the body.
Magnifiable
Mag"ni*fi`a*ble, a. [From Magnify.] Such as can be magnified, or
extolled.
Magnific, Magnifical
Mag*nif"ic (?), Mag*nif"ic*al (?), a. [L. magnificus; magnus great +
facere to make: cf. F. magnifique. See Magnitude, Fact. and cf.
Magnificent.] 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. [L., it magnifies.] 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. [L. magnificatus, p. p. of magnificare.] To
magnify or extol. [Obs.] Marston.
Magnification
Mag`ni*fi*ca"tion (?), n. The act of magnifying; enlargement;
exaggeration. [R.]
Magnificence
Mag*nif"i*cence (?), n. [F. magnificence, L. magnificentia. See
Magnific.] 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. [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. In a Magnificent manner.
Magnifico
Mag*nif"i*co (?), n.; pl. Magnificoes (#). [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. One who, or that which, magnifies.
Magnify
Mag"ni*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Magnified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Magnifying (?).] [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. [L. magniloquentia.] The quality of being
magniloquent; pompous discourse; grandiloquence.
Magniloquent
Mag*nil"o*quent (?), a. [L. magnus great + loquens, -entis, p. pr. of
loqui to speak. See Magnitude, Loquacious.] Speaking pompously; using
swelling discourse; bombastic; tumid in style; grandiloquent. --
Mag*nil"o*quent*ly, adv.
Magniloquous
Mag*nil"o*quous (?), a. [L. magniloquus.] Magniloquent. [Obs.]
Magnitude
Mag"ni*tude (?), n. [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.) 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.
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Page 883
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. <-- the
difference in actual brightness between magnitudes is now specified as
a factor of 2.512, i.e. the difference in brightness is 100 for stars
differing by five magnitudes. -->
Magnolia
Mag*no"li*a (?), n. [NL. Named after Pierre Magnol, professor of
botany at Montpellier, France, in the 17th century.] (Bot.) A genus of
American and Asiatic trees, with aromatic bark and large sweet-scented
whitish or reddish flowers.
NOTE: &hand; 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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.) Pertaining to a natural order
(Magnoliace\'91) of trees of which the magnolia, the tulip tree, and
the star anise are examples.
Magnum
Mag"num (?), n. [Neut. sing. of L. magnus great.]
1. A large wine bottle.
They passed the magnum to one another freely. Sir W. Scott
.
2. (Anat.) A bone of the carpus at the base of the third metacarpal
bone.
Magot
Mag"ot (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) The Barbary ape.
Magot-pie
Mag"ot-pie` (?), n. A magpie. [Obs.] Shak.
Magpie
Mag"pie (?), n. [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.] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of
numerous species of the genus Pica and related genera, allied to the
jays, but having a long graduated tail.
NOTE: &hand; Th e 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 (Zo\'94l.), a common Australian bird (Grallina picata),
conspicuously marked with black and white; -- called also little
magpie. -- Magpie moth (Zo\'94l.), 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. [From native name: cf. Pg. magoari.] (Zo\'94l.) A
South American stork (Euxenara maguari), having a forked tail.
Maguey
Mag"uey (?), n. [Sp. maguey, Mexican maguei and metl.] (Bot.) The
century plant, a species of Agave (A. Americana). See Agave.
Magyar
Mag"yar (?), n. [Hung.]
1. (Ethnol.) One of the dominant people of Hungary, allied to the
Finns; a Hungarian.
2. The language of the Magyars.
Maha
Ma"ha (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A kind of baboon; the wanderoo.
Mahabarata, Mahabharatam
Ma*ha*ba"ra*ta (?), Ma*ha*bha"ra*tam (?), n. [Skr. mah\'bebh\'berata.]
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.[Ar. mahled.] (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. [Skr. mah\'ber\'beja; mahat great + r\'beja
king.] A sovereign prince in India; -- a title given also to other
persons of high rank.
Maharif
Ma`ha*rif" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An African antelope (Hippotragus
Bakeri). Its face is striped with black and white.
Maharmah
Ma*har"mah (?), n. A muslin wrapper for the head and the lower part of
the face, worn by Turkish and Armenian women when they go abroad.
Mahdi
Mah"di (?), n. [Ar., guide, leader.] 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: &hand; Th e ti tle ha s be en ta ken by se veral pe rsons 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.
Mahl-stick
Mahl"-stick` (?), n. See Maul-stick.
Mahoe
Ma"hoe (?), n. (Bot.) 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. [From the South American name.]
1. (Bot.) A large tree of the genus Swietenia (S. Mahogoni), found in
tropical America.
NOTE: &hand; Se veral ot her tr ees, wi th wo od mo re 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. (Zo\'94l.) A South African lemur (Galago maholi),
having very large ears. [Written also moholi.]
Mahomedan, Mahometan
Ma*hom"ed*an (?), Ma*hom"et*an (?), n. See Mohammedan.
Mahometanism
Ma*hom"et*an*ism (?), n. See Mohammedanism.
Mahometanize
Ma*hom"et*an*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mahometanized (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Mahometanizing (?).] To convert to the religion of Mohammed; to
Mohammedanize.
Mahometism
Ma*hom"et*ism (?), n. See Mohammedanism.
Mahometist
Ma*hom"et*ist, n. A Mohammedan. [R.]
Mahometry
Ma*hom"et*ry (?), n. Mohammedanism. [Obs.]
Mahone
Ma*hone" (?), n. A large Turkish ship. Crabb.
Mahonia
Ma*ho"ni*a (?), n. [Named after Bernard McMahon.] (Bot.) The Oregon
grape, a species of barberry (Berberis Aquifolium), often cultivated
for its hollylike foliage.
Mahon stock
Ma*hon" stock` (?). (Bot.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) The African white two-horned rhinoceros
(Atelodus simus).
Mahori
Ma"ho*ri (?), n. [Native name. Cf. Maori.] (Ethnol.) One of the dark
race inhabiting principally the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Also
used adjectively.
Mahound
Ma`hound (?), n. A contemptuous name for Mohammed; hence, an evil
spirit; a devil. [Obs.]
Who's this, my mahound cousin ? Beau. & Fl.
Mahout
Ma*hout" (?), n. [Hind. mah\'bewat, Skr. mah\'bem\'betra; mahat great
+ m\'betr\'be measure.] The keeper and driver of an elephant. [East
Indies]
Mahovo
Ma*ho"vo (?), n. (Mach.) A device for saving power in stopping and
starting a railroad car, by means of a heavy fly wheel.
Mahrati
Mah*rat"i (?), n. The language of the Mahrattas; the language spoken
in the Deccan and Concan. [Written also Marathi.]
Mahratta
Mah*rat"ta (?), n. [Hind. Marhat\'be, Marh\'bett\'be, the name of a
famous Hindoo race, from the old Skr. name Mah\'be-r\'beshtra.] 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. Of or pertaining to the Mahrattas. [Written also Maratha.]
Mahumetan, Mahumetanism
Ma*hu"met*an (?), Ma*hu"met*an*ism (?), n.See Mohammedan,
Mohammedanism.
Mahwa tree
Mah"wa tree` (?). (Bot.) 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. [From L. Maia, a goddess.] (Zo\'94l.) (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. (Zo\'94l.) Any spider crab of the genus Maia, or family
Maiad\'91.
Maid
Maid (?), n. [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: &hand; Ma id is us ed ei ther adjectively or in composition,
signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant.
4. (Zo\'94l.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate
(Raia batis), and of the thornback (R. clavata). [Prov. Eng.]
Fair maid. (Zo\'94l.) 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. <-- maid of honor. principal female attendant (if
unmarried) of a bride at wedding. (If married, matron of honor.) -->
Maiden
Maid"en (?), n. [OE. maiden, meiden, AS. m\'91gden, dim. of AS.
m\'91g, fr. mago son, servant; akin to G. magd, m\'84dchen, maid, OHG.
magad, Icel. m\'94gr 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 voyage. first regular service voyage
of a ship -->
Maiden
Maid"en, v. t. 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.) 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. [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. [AS. m\'91gdenh\'bed. 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. Like a maiden; modest; coy.
Maidenliness
Maid"en*li*ness (?), n. The quality of being maidenly; the behavior
that becomes a maid; modesty; gentleness.
Maidenly
Maid"en*ly, a. 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. In a maidenlike manner. "Maidenly demure." Skelton.
Maidenship
Maid"en*ship, n. Maidenhood. [Obs.] Fuller.
Maidhood
Maid"hood (?), n. [AS. m\'91g. See Maid, and -hood.] Maidenhood. Shak.
Maidmarian
Maid`ma"ri*an (?), n. [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. Pale, like a sick girl. Shak.
Maidservant
Maid"serv`ant (?), n. A female servant.
Maid's hair
Maid's" hair` (?). (Bot.) The yellow bedstraw (Galium verum).
Maieutic, Maieutical
Ma*ieu"tic (?), Ma*ieu"tic*al (?), a. [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. The art of giving birth (i. e., clearness and
conviction) to ideas, which are conceived as struggling for birth.
Payne.
Maiger
Mai"ger (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The meagre.
Maigre
Mai"gre (?), a. [F. See Meager.] 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.
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Page 884
Maihem
Mai"hem (?), n. See Maim, and Mayhem.
Maikel
Mai*kel" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) A South American wild dog (Canis
cancrivorus); the crab-eating dog.
Mail
Mail (?), n. A spot. [Obs.]
Mail
Mail, n. [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. [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.) A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the
loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
4. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [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.] 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: &hand; In th e 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. Admissible lawfully into the mail. [U.S.]
Mailclad
Mail"clad` (?), a. Protected by a coat of mail; clad in armor. Sir W.
Scott.
Mailed
Mailed (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Protected by an external coat, or covering,
of scales or plates.
Mailed
Mailed, a. [See 1st Mail.] Spotted; speckled.
Mailing
Mail"ing (?), n. [Scot., fr. mail tribute, rent. See 2d Mail.] A farm.
[Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
Mail-shell
Mail"-shell` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A chiton.
Maim
Maim (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maimed (?);p. pr. & vb. n. Maiming.]
[OE. maimen, OF. mahaignier, mehaignier, meshaignier, cf. It.
magagnare, LL. mahemiare, mahennare; perh. of Celtic origin; cf.
Armor. mac'ha to mutilate, m\'bec'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.] [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. In a maimed manner.
Maimedness
Maim"ed*ness, n. State of being maimed. Bolton.
Main
Main (?), n. [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. [AS. m\'91gen 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. [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. [See Main, a.] Very extremely; as, main heavy. "I'm main
dry." Foote. [Obs. or Low]
Maine
Maine (?), n. 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" (m&acr;N`g&omac;sh"), n. [F., the left hand.] (Ancient
Armor) 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. [F. main hand (see Main a hand at dice) + E.
hamper.] A hamper to be carried in the hand; a hand basket used in
carrying grapes to the press.
Mainland
Main"land` (?), n. 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. [From main strong. See Main strength.] Very
strongly; mightily; to a great degree. [Obs.] Bacon. Shak.
Mainly
Main"ly, adv. [From main principal, chief.] Principally; chiefly.
Mainmast
Main"mast` (?), n. (Naut.) The principal mast in a ship or other
vessel.
Mainor
Main"or (?), n. [Anglo-Norm. meinoure, OF. manuevre. See Maneuver.]
(O. Eng. Law) A thing stolen found on the person of the thief.
NOTE: &hand; A th ief 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. [OF. main hand + pernable, for prenable, that
may be taken, pregnable. See Mainpernor.] (Law) Capable of being
admitted to give surety by mainpernors; able to be mainprised.
Mainpernor
Main"per*nor (?), n. [OF. main hand + pernor, for preneor, a taker, F.
preneur, fr. prendre to take.] (Law) A surety, under the old writ of
mainprise, for a prisoner's appearance in court at a day.
NOTE: &hand; Ma inpernors 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) A kingbolt.
Mainprise
Main"prise (?), n. [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) 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. [Scot. See Manse.] The farm attached to a mansion house.
[Scot.]
Mainsail
Main"sail` (?), n. (Naut.) The principal sail in a ship or other
vessel.
[They] hoised up the mainsail to the wind. Acts xxvii. 40.
NOTE: &hand; Th e ma insail of a sh ip is ex tended up on a yard
attached to the mainmast, and that of a sloop or schooner upon the
boom.
Mainsheet
Main"sheet` (?), n. (Naut.) One of the ropes by which the mainsail is
hauled aft and trimmed.
Mainspring
Main"spring` (?), n. 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.) 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. [AS. m\'benswerian to forswear; m\'ben sin,
crime + swerian to swear.] To swear falsely. [Obs.] Blount.
Maintain
Main*tain (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maintained (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Maintaining.] [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. That maybe maintained.
Maintainer
Main*tain"er (?), n. One who maintains.
Maintainor
Main*tain"or (?), n. [OF. mainteneor, F. mainteneur.] (Crim. Law) 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. [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) 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.) The platform about the head of the mainmast
in square-rigged vessels.
Main yard
Main" yard` (?). (Naut.) The yard on which the mainsail is extended,
supported by the mainmast.
Maioid
Mai"oid (?), a. [Maia + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the
genus Maia, or family Maiade\'91.
Maister
Mais"ter (?), n. Master. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.
Maister
Mais"ter, a. Principal; chief. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maistre, Maistrie, Maistry
Mais"tre (?), Mais"trie, Mais"try (?), n. Mastery; superiority; art.
See Mastery. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maistress
Mais"tress (?), n. Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maithes
Mai"thes (?), n. (Bot.) Same as Maghet.
Maize
Maize (?), n. [Sp. maiz. fr. mahiz or mahis, i (Bot.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. Majestic. [Obs.] E. Pocock.
Dr. J. Scott.
Majestic
Ma*jes"tic (?), a. [From Majesty.] 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.
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Page 885
Majestical
Ma*jes"tic*al (?), a. 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. The quality or state of being majestic.
Oldenburg.
Majesty
Maj"es*ty (?), n.; pl. Majesties (#). [OE. magestee, F. majest\'82, L.
majestas, fr. an old compar. of magnus great. See Major, Master.] 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. [It.] A kind of pottery, with opaque glazing and
showy, which reached its greatest perfection in Italy in the 16th
century.
NOTE: &hand; The term is said to be derived from Majorca, which was
an early seat of this manufacture.
Heyse.
Major
Ma"jor (?), [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.) 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. [F. major. See Major, a.]
1. (Mil.) An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a
lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.
2. (Law) A person of full age.
3. (Logic) 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: &hand; In hy pothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise
is called the major.
4. [LL. See Major.] A mayor. [Obs.] Bacon.
Majorat
Ma`jo`rat" (?), n. [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) Property, landed or funded, so attached to a title of
honor as to descend with it.
Majorate
Ma"jor*ate (?), n. The office or rank of a major.
Majorate
Ma"jor*ate (?), v. t. [LL. majorare to augment. See Major, a.] To
augment; to increase. [Obs.] Howell.
Majoration
Ma`jor*a"tion (?), n. Increase; enlargement. [Obs.] Bacon.
Majorcan
Ma*jor"can (?), a. Of or pertaining to Majorca. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Majorca.
Major-domo
Ma`jor-do"mo (?), n. [Sp. mayordomo, or It. maggiordomo; both fr. LL.
majordomus; L. major greater + domus house.] 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 (?). 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 (#). [F. majorit\'82. 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. [Cf. L. majores.] 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. The office of major.
Majoun
Maj"oun (?), n. See Madjoun.
Majuscul\'91
Ma*jus"cu*l\'91 (?), n. pl. [L., fem. pl. fr. majusculus somewhat
greater or great, dim. of major, majus. See Major.] (Pal\'91ography)
Capital letters, as found in manuscripts of the sixth century and
earlier.
Majuscule
Ma*jus"cule (?), n. [Cf. F. majuscule. See Majuscul\'91.] A capital
letter; especially, one used in ancient manuscripts. See Majuscul\'91.
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. Capable of being made.
Makaron
Mak"a*ron (?), n. See Macaroon, 2. [Obs.]
Make
Make (?), n. [AS. maca, gemaca. See Match.] 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.] [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: &hand; 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: &hand; In th e ac tive vo ice th e 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: &hand; Fo rmerly, au thors 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. 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.]
Makebate
Make"bate` (?), n. [Make, v. + bate a quarrel.] One who excites
contentions and quarrels. [Obs.]
Make-belief
Make"-be*lief` (?), n. A feigning to believe; make believe. J. H.
Newman.
Make-believe
Make"-be*lieve` (?), n. 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.Feigned; insincere. "Make-believe reverence."<--
imaginary --> G. Eliot.
Maked
Mak"ed (?), obs. p. p. of Make. Made. Chaucer.
Make-game
Make"-game` (?), n. An object of ridicule; a butt. Godwin.
Makeless
Make"less, a. [See 1st Make, and cf. Matchless, Mateless.]
1. Matchless. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Without a mate. Shak.
Make-peace
Make"-peace` (-p&emac;s`) n. A peacemaker. [R.] Shak.
Maker
Mak"er (m&amac;k"&etil;r) n.,
1. One who makes, forms, or molds; a manufacturer; specifically, the
Creator.
The universal Maker we may praise. Milton.
2. (Law) The person who makes a promissory note.
3. One who writes verses; a poet. [Obs.]
NOTE: &hand; "T he Gr eeks na med 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.
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Page 886
Makeshift
Make"shift` (?), n. 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. 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. 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. [F., from native name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. 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- (?). 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: &hand; Th e fo rmmale- 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. [L.] Evils; wrongs; offenses against
right and law. Mala in se [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from
their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. -- Mala
prohibita [L.] (Law), offenses prohibited by statute, as distinguished
from mala in se, which are offenses at common law.
Malabar
Mal"a*bar` (?), n. 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. See Melocoton.
Malacca
Ma*lac"ca (?), n. 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. [Fr. Gr. malachite. Cf. Mallow.] (Min.) Native
hydrous carbonate of copper, usually occurring in green mammillary
masses with concentric fibrous structure.
NOTE: &hand; 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. [See Malacissation.] Softening; relaxing.
[Obs.]
Malacissation
Mal`a*cis*sa"tion (?), n. [L. malacissare to make soft, Gr. The act of
making soft or supple. [Obs.] Bacon.
Malacobdella
Mal`a*cob*del"la (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) One of a tribe of beetles
(Malacodermata), with a soft and flexible body, as the fireflies.
Malacolite
Mal"a*co*lite (?), n. [Gr. -lite.] (Min.) A variety of pyroxene.
Malacologist
Mal`a*col"o*gist (?), n. One versed in the science of malacology.
Malacology
Mal`a*col"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy: cf. F. malacologie.] The science
which relates to the structure and habits of mollusks.
Malacopoda
Mal`a*cop"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zo\'94l.) A class of
air-breathing Arthropoda; -- called also Protracheata, and
Onychophora.
NOTE: &hand; Th ey so mewhat re semble my riapods, an d ha ve fr om
seventeen to thirty-three pairs of short, imperfectly jointed legs,
two pairs of simple jaws, and a pair of antenn\'91. The tranche\'91
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. [Cf. F. malacopt\'82rygien.] (Zo\'94l.)
One of the Malacopterygii.
Malacopterygii
Mal`a*cop`te*ryg"i*i (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Belonging to the
Malacopterygii.
Malacosteon
Mal`a*cos"te*on (?), n. [NL., Gr. fr. (Med.) 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. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having soft jaws without
teeth, as certain fishes.
Malacostraca
Mal`a*cos"tra*ca (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A subclass of
Crustacea, including Arthrostraca and Thoracostraca, or all those
higher than the Entomostraca.
Malacostracan
Mal`a*cos"tra*can (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Malacostraca.
Malacostracology
Mal`a*cos`tra*col"o*gy (?), n. [Malacostracan + -logy.] That branch of
zo\'94logical science which relates to the crustaceans; -- called also
carcinology.
Malacostracous
Mal`a*cos"tra*cous (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Belonging to the Malacostraca.
Malacotoon
Mal`a*co*toon" (?), n. (Bot.) See Melocoton.
Malacozoa
Mal`a*co*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) An extensive group
of Invertebrata, including the Mollusca, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa.
Called also Malacozoaria.
Malacozoic
Mal`a*co*zo"ic (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Malacozoa.
Maladdress
Mal`ad*dress" (?), n. [Mal- + address.] Bad address; an awkward,
tactless, or offensive way of accosting one or talking with one. W. D.
Howells.
Maladjustment
Mal`ad*just"ment (?), n. [Mal- + adjustment.] A bad adjustment.
Maladministration
Mal`ad*min`is*tra"tion (?), n. [Mal- + administration.] Bad
administration; bad management of any business, especially of public
affairs. [Written also maleadministration.]
Maladroit
Mal`a*droit" (?), a. [F. See Malice, and Adroit.] 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 (#). [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. A city and a province of Spain, on the Mediterranean.
Hence, Malaga grapes, Malaga raisins, Malaga wines.
Malagash
Mal`a*gash" (?), n. Same as Malagasy.
Malagasy
Mal`a*gas"y (?), n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Madagascar;
also (sing.), the language.
Malaise
Ma`laise" (?), n. [F., fr. mal ill + aise ease.] (Med.) An indefinite
feeling of uneasiness, or of being sick or ill at ease.
Malamate
Ma*lam"ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of malamic acid.
Malambo
Ma*lam"bo (?), n. [Pg.] 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. [Malamic + ethane.] (Chem.) A white crystalline
substance forming the ethyl salt of malamic acid.
Malamic
Ma*lam"ic (?), a. [Malic + amic.] (Chem.) Of or pertaining an acid
intermediate between malic acid and malamide, and known only by its
salts.
Malamide
Ma*lam"ide (?), n. [Malic + amide.] (Chem.) The acid amide derived
from malic acid, as a white crystalline substance metameric with
asparagine.
Malanders
Mal"an*ders (?), n. pl. [F. malandres, fr. L. malandria blisters or
pustules on the neck, especially in horses.] (Far.) 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. [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.] Bold; forward; impudent; saucy; pert.
Shak. -- n. 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. [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's
drama, " The Rivals," who makes amusing blunders in her use of words.
See Malapropos.] A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.
Malapropos
Mal*ap"ro*pos` (?), a. & adv. [F. mal \'85 propos; mal evil + \'85
propos to the purpose.] Unseasonable or unseasonably; unsuitable or
unsuitably.
Malapterurus
Mal*ap`te*ru"rus (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of African
siluroid fishes, including the electric catfishes. See Electric cat,
under Electric.
Malar
Ma"lar (?), a. [L. mala the cheek: cf. F. malaire.] (Anat.) Of or
pertaining to the region of the cheek bone, or to the malar bone;
jugal.
Malar
Ma"lar (?), n. (Anat.) The cheek bone, which forms a part of the lower
edge of the orbit.
Malaria
Ma*la"ri*a (?), n. [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: &hand; Th e mo rbific 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.) 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. 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.
Malashaganay
Ma`la*sha"ga*nay (?), n. [Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) The fresh-water
drumfish (Haploidonotus grunniens).
Malassimilation
Mal`as*sim`i*la"tion (?), n. [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. [L. malum apple: cf. F. malate. See Malic.] (Chem.) A
salt of malic acid.
Malax, Malaxate
Ma"lax (?), Ma*lax"ate (?), v. t. [L. malaxare, malaxatum, cf. Gr.
malaxer.] To soften by kneading or stirring with some thinner
substance. [R.]
Malaxation
Mal`ax*a"tion (?), n. [L. malaxatio: cf. F. malaxation.] 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. 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. 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. Of or pertaining to the Malays or their
country. -- n. The Malay language. Malay apple (Bot.), a myrtaceous
tree (Eugenia Malaccensis) common in India; also, its applelike fruit.
Malayalam
Ma"la*ya"lam (?), n. The name given to one the cultivated Dravidian
languages, closely related to the Tamil. Yule.
Malbrouck
Mal"brouck (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) A West African arboreal monkey
(Cercopithecus cynosurus).
Malconformation
Mal*con`for*ma"tion (?), n. [Mal- + conformation.] Imperfect,
disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of
parts.
Malcontent
Mal"con*tent` (?), a. [F., fr. mal ill + content. See Malice,
Content.] discontented; uneasy; dissatisfied; especially, dissatisfied
with the government. [Written also malecontent.]
The famous malcontent earl of Leicester. Milner.
Malcontent
Mal"con*tent`, n. [F. malcontent.] 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. Malcontent. -- Mal`con*tent"ed*ly, adv. --
Mal`con*tent"ed*ness, n.
Maldanian
Mal*da"ni*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of marine annelids of the
genus Maldane, or family Maldanid\'91. They have a slender, round
body, and make tubes in the sand or mud.
Male-
Male- (?). See Mal-.
Male
Male (?), a. [L. malus. See Malice.] Evil; wicked; bad. [Obs.]
Marston.
Male
Male, n. Same as Mail, a bag. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Male
Male, a. [F. m\'83le, 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.) 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.) 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.) A plant bearing only staminate flowers.
Naleadministration
Nale`ad*min`is*tra"tion (?), n. Maladministration.
Maleate
Ma*le"ate (?), n. A salt of maleic acid.
Malebranchism
Male*branch"ism (?), n. 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.
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Maleconformation
Male*con`for*ma"tion (?), n. Malconformation.
Malecontent
Male"con*tent` (?), a. Malcontent.
Maledicency
Mal`e*di"cen*cy (?), n. [L. maledicentia. See Maledicent.] Evil
speaking. [Obs.] Atterbury.
Maledicent
Mal`e*di"cent (?), a. [L. maledicens, p. pr. of maledicere to speak
ill; male ill + dicere to say, speak. See Malice, and Diction.]
Speaking reproachfully; slanderous. [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.
Maledict
Mal"e*dict (?), a. [L. maledictus, p. p. of maledicere.] Accursed;
abominable. [R.]
Malediction
Mal`e*dic"tion, n. [L. maledictio: cf. F. mal\'82diction. See
Maledicent.] 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. [See Malefactor.] A crime; an offense; an evil
deed. [R.] Shak.
Malefactor
Mal`e*fac"tor (?), n. [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. A female malefactor. Hawthorne.
Malefeasance
Male*fea"sance (?), n. See Malfeasance.
Malefic
Ma*lef"ic (?), a. [L. maleficus: cf. F. mal\'82fique. See
Malefaction.] Doing mischief; causing harm or evil; nefarious;
hurtful. [R.] Chaucer.
Malefice
Mal"e*fice (?), n. [L. maleficium: cf. F. mal\'82fice. See
Malefactor.] An evil deed; artifice; enchantment. [Obs.]
Maleficence
Ma*lef"i*cence (?), n. [L. maleficentia. Cf. Malfeasance.] Evil doing,
esp. to others.
Maleficent
Ma*lef"i*cent (?), a. [See Malefic.] Doing evil to others; harmful;
mischievous.
Maleficial
Mal`e*fi"cial (?), a. Injurious. Fuller.
Maleficiate
Mal`e*fi"ci*ate (?), v. t. [LL. maleficiatus, p. p. of maleficiare to
bewitch, fr. L. maleficium. See Malefice.] To bewitch; to harm. [Obs.]
Burton.
Maleficiation
Mal`e*fi`ci*a"tion (?), n. A bewitching. [Obs.]
Maleficience
Mal`e*fi"cience (?), n. [See Maleficence.] The doing of evil, harm, or
mischief.
Maleficient
Mal`e*fi"cient (?), a. [See Maleficent.] Doing evil, harm, or
mischief.
Maleformation
Male`for*ma"tion (?), n. See Malformation.
Maleic
Ma*le"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. mal\'82ique. See Malic.] (Chem.) 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. [OF. malengin; L. malus bad, evil + ingenium
natural capacity. See Engine.] Evil machination; guile; deceit. [Obs.]
Gower.
Maleo
Ma"le*o (?), n. [From its native name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. See Malodor.
Malepractice
Male*prac"tice (?), n. See Malpractice.
Male-spirited
Male"-spir`it*ed (?), a. Having the spirit of a male; vigorous;
courageous. [R.] B. Jonson.
Malet
Mal"et (?), n. [F. mallette, dim. of malle. See Mail a bag.] A little
bag or budget. [Obs.] Shelton.
Maletreat
Male*treat" (?), v. t. See Maltreat.
Malevolence
Ma*lev"o*lence (?), n. [L. malevolentia. See Malevolent.] 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. [L. malevolens, -entis; male ill + volens, p.
pr. of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice, and
Voluntary.] 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. In a malevolent manner.
Malevolous
Ma*lev"o*lous (?), a. [L. malevolus; fr. male ill + velle to be
disposed.] Malevolent. [Obs.] Bp. Warburton.
Malexecution
Mal*ex`e*cu"tion (?), n. [Mal- + execution.] Bad execution. D.
Webster.
Maleyl
Ma*le"yl (?), n. [Maleic + -yl.] (Chem.) A hypothetical radical
derived from maleic acid.
Malfeasance
Mal*fea"sance (?), n. [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) 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. [Mal- + forniation.] Ill formation; irregular
or anomalous formation; abnormal or wrong conformation or structure.
Malgracious
Mal*gra"cious (?), a. [F. malgracieux.] Not graceful; displeasing.
[Obs.] Gower.
Malgre
Mal"gre (?), prep. See Mauger.
Malic
Ma"lic (?), a. [L. malum an apple: cf. F. malique.] (Chem.) 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. <-- HO.CO.CH2.CH(OH).CO.OH the natural form is the
L- isomer. The synthetic is inactive presumably due simply to a
racemic mixture of isomers. -->
Malice
Mal"ice (?), n. [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) 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. To regard with extreme ill will. [Obs.]
Malicho
Mal"i*cho (?), n. [Sp. malhecho; mal bad + hecho deed, L. factum. See
Fact.] Mischief. [Obs.] Shak.
Malicious
Ma*li"cious (?), a. [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)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. [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.] [Cf. L. malignare. See Malign, a.] 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. To entertain malice. [Obs.]
Malignance, Malignancy
Ma*lig"nance (?), Ma*lig"nan*cy , n. [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.) 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. [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.) 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.) One of the adherents of Charles L. or Charles LL.; --
so called by the opposite party.
Malignantly
Ma*lig"nant*ly, adv.In a malignant manner.
Maligner
Ma*lign"er (?), n. One who maligns.
Malignify
Ma*lig"ni*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malignified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Malignifying (?).] [L. malignus malign + -fy.] To make malign or
malignant. [R.] "A strong faith malignified." Southey.
Malignity
Ma*lig"ni*ty (?), n. [F. malignit\'82, 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. In a malign manner; with malignity.
Malinger
Ma*lin"ger (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. MAlingered (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Malingering.] To act the part of a malingerer; to feign illness or
inability.
Malingerer
Ma*lin"ger*er (?), n. [F. malingre sickly, weakly, prob. from mal ill
+ OF. heingre, haingre, thin, lean, infirm, fr. L. aeger.] 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. The spirit or practices of a malingerer;
malingering.
Malison
Mal"i*son (?), n. [OF. maleicon, L. maledictio. See Malediction, and
cf. Benison.] Malediction; curse; execration. [Poetic]
God's malison on his head who this gainsays. Sir W. Scott.
Malkin
Mal"kin (?), n. [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.) A mop or sponge attached to a jointed staff for swabbing out
a cannon.
Mall
Mall (?), n. [Written also maul.] [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.]
[Cf. OF. mailler. See Mall beetle, and cf. Malleate.] To beat with a
mall; to beat with something heavy; to bruise; to maul.
Mall
Mall (?), n. [LL. mallum a public assembly; cf. OHG. mahal assembly,
transaction; akin to AS. m\'91, me, assembly, m to speak, Goth. mapl
market place.] 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.
<-- 2. See MW10] (a) A public access area containing a promenade for
pedestrians. (b) The paved or grassy strip between two roadways. (c) A
shopping area with multiple shops and a concourse for predominantly or
exclusively pedestrian use; inn cities the concourse is usually a city
street which may be temporarily or permamently closed to motor
vehicles; in suburban areas, a mall is often located on a convenient
highway, may be large, contained in one building or multiple buildings
connected by (usually covered) walkways. -->
Mallard
Mal"lard (?), n. [F. malari,fr. m\'83le male + -art =-ard. See Male,
a., and -ard.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A drake; the male of Anas boschas.
2. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [CF. F. mall\'82abilit\'82.] The quality or
state of being malleable; -- opposed to friability and brittleness.
Locke.
Malleable
Mal"le*a*ble (?), a. [F. mall\'82able, fr. LL. malleare to hammer. See
Malleate.] 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. To make malleable.
Malleableness
Mal"le*a*ble*ness, n. Quality of being malleable.
Malleal
Mal"le*al (?), a. (Anat.) Pertaining to the malleus.
Malleate
Mal"le*ate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malleated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Malleating (?).] [L. malleatus hammered, fr. malleus a hammer. See
Mall, v. t.] To hammer; to beat into a plate or leaf.
Malleation
Mal`le*a"tion (?), n. [LL. malleatio: cf. OF. mall\'82ation.] The act
or process of beating into a plate, sheet, or leaf, as a metal;
extension by beating.
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Page 888
Mallecho
Mal"le*cho (?), n. Same as Malicho.
Mallee bird
Mal*lee" bird` (?). (Zo\'94l.) [From native name.] The leipoa. See
Leipoa.
Mallemock, Mallemoke
Mal"le*mock (?), Mal"le*moke (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mollemoke.
Mallenders
Mal"len*ders (?), n. pl. (Far.) Same as Malanders.
Malleolar
Mal*le"o*lar (?), a. [See Malleolus.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
malleolus; in the region of the malleoli of the ankle joint.
Malleolus
Mal*le"*o*lus (?), n.; pl. Malleoli (#). [L., dim. of malleus hammer.]
1. (Anat.) 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. [F. maillet, dim. of mail. See Mall a beetle.] 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 (#). [L., hammer. See Mall a beetle.]
1. (Anat.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the hard lateral pieces of the mastax of
Rotifera. See Mastax.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of bivalve shells; the hammer shell.
Mallophaga
Mal*loph"a*ga (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL., fr Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [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.) A genus of plants (Malva)
having mucilaginous qualities. See Malvaceous.
NOTE: &hand; Th e fl owers 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.) Any plant of the order Malvace\'91.
Malm, Malmbrick
Malm (?), Malm"brick` (?), n. [Cf. AS. mealm sand.] A kind of brick of
a light brown or yellowish color, made of sand, clay, and chalk.
Malma
Mal"ma (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. <--
Insert: Illustr. of Malma (Salvelinus malma) -->
Malmag
Mal"mag (?), n. [F., from native name in Madagascar.] (Zo\'94l.) The
tarsius, or spectral lemur.
Malmsey
Malm"sey (?), n. [OE. malvesie, F. malvoisie, It. malvasia, malavagia,
fr. Malvasia, or Napoli di Malvasia, in the Morea.] A kind of sweet
wine from Crete, the Canary Islands, etc. Shak.
Malnutrition
Mal`nu*tri"tion (?), n. [Mal- + nutrition.] (Physiol.) Faulty or
imperfect nutrition.
Malobservation
Mal*ob`ser*va"tion (?), n. [Mal- + observation.] Erroneous
observation. J. S Mill.
Malodor
Mal*o"dor (?), n. An Offensive to the sense of smell; ill-smelling. --
Mal*o"dor*ous*ness. n. Carlyle.
Malonate
Mal"o*nate (?), a. (Chem.) At salt of malonic acid.
Malonic
Ma*lon"ic (?), a. (Chem.) 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.<--
(Org. Chem.) a dicarboxylic acid -->
Malonyl
Mal"o*nyl (?), n. [Malonic + -yl.] (Chem.) A hydrocarbon radical,
CH2.(CO)2, from malonic acid. <-- divalent, a diacyl radical -->
Malpighia
Mal*pi"ghi*a (?), n. [NL. See Malpighian.] (Bot.) 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.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a
natural order of tropical trees and shrubs (Malpighiace\'91), 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.) 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. [Mal- + position.] A wrong position.
Malpractice
Mal*prac"tice (?), n. [Mal- + practice.] 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. [AS. mealt; akin to D. mout, G. malz, Icel., Sw., & Dan.
malt, and E. melt. &root;108. See Melt.] 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. 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.] To make
into malt; as, to malt barley.
Malt
Malt, v. i. To become malt; also, to make grain into malt. Mortimer.
Maltalent
Mal"ta*lent (?), n. [F. See Malice, and Talent.] Ill will; malice.
[Obs.] Rom. of R. Spenser.
Maltese
Mal*tese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Malta or to its inhabitants. --
n. sing. & pl. A native or inhabitant of Malta; the people of Malta.
Maltese cat (Zo\'94l.), a mouse-colored variety of the domestic cat.
-- Maltese cross. See Illust. 5, of Cross. -- Maltese dog (Zo\'94l.),
a breed of small terriers, having long silky white hair. The breed
originated in Malta.
Maltha
Mal"tha (?), n. [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. Of or pertaining to the political economist, the
Rev. T. R. Malthus, or conforming to his views; as, Malthusian
theories.
NOTE: &hand; Ma lthus 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.
Mathusian
Ma*thu"sian, n. A follower of Malthus.
Malthusianism
Mal*thu"sian*ism (?), n. The system of Malthusian doctrines relating
to population.
Maltin, Maltine
Malt"in (?), Malt"ine (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) The fermentative
principle of malt; malt diastase; also, a name given to various
medicinal preparations made from or containing malt.
Malting
Malt"ing (?), n. The process of making, or of becoming malt.
Maltman
Malt"man (?), n.; pl. Maltmen (. A man whose occupation is to make
malt.
Maltonic
Mal*ton"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from,
maltose; specif., designating an acid called also gluconic or
dextronic acid. See Gluconic.
Maltose
Malt"ose` (?), n. [From Malt.] (Physiol. Chem.) 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.] [Mal- + treat: cf. F. maltraiter.] To treat ill; to
abuse; to treat roughly.
Maltreament
Mal*trea"ment (?), n.; [Cf. F. maltraitement.] Ill treatment; ill
usage; abuse.
Maltster
Malt"ster (?), n. A maltman. Swift.
Maltworm
Malt"worm` (?), n. A tippler. [R.] Shak.
Malty
Malt"y (?), a. Consisting, or like, malt. Dickens.
Malum
Ma"lum (?), n.; pl. Mala (#). [L.] An evil. See Mala.
Malvaceous
Mal*va"ceous (?), a. [L. malvaceus, from malva mallows. See Mallow.]
(Bot.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of plants
(Malvace\'91), 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. [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.] Evil conduct; fraudulent practices;
misbehavior, corruption, or extortion in office.
Malvesie
Mal"ve*sie (?), n. Malmsey wine. See Malmsey. " A jub of malvesye."
Chaucer.
Man
Man (?), n. [Abbrev. fr. mamma.] Mamma.
Mama
Ma*ma" (?), n. See Mamma.
Mamaluke
Mam"a*luke (?), n. Same as Mameluke.
Mamelon
Mam"e*lon (?), n. [F.] A rounded hillock; a rounded elevation or
protuberance. Westmin. Rev.
Mameluco
Mam`e*lu"co (?), n. [Pg.] A child born of a white father and Indian
mother. [S. Amer.]
Mameluke
Mam"e*luke (?), n. [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.] 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. See Mammillated.
Mamma
Mam*ma" (?), n. [Reduplicated from the infantine word ma, influenced
in spelling by L. mamma.] Mother; -- word of tenderness and
familiarity. [Written also mama.]
Tell tales papa and mamma. Swift.
Mamma
Mam"ma (?), n.; pl. Mamm\'91 (#). [L. mamma breast.] (Anat.) 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 (#). [L. mammalis belonging to the
breast, fr. mamma the breast or pap: cf. F. mammal.] (Zo\'94l.) One of
the Mammalia. Age of mammals. See under Age, n., 8.
Mammalia
Mam*ma"li*a (?), n. pl. [NL., from L. mammalis. See Mammal.]
(Zo\'94l.) 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: &hand; Ma mmalia ar e di vided in to 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 mamm\'91.
Mammalian
Mam*ma"li*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Mammalia or mammals.
Mammaliferous
Mam`ma*lif"er*ous (?), a. [Mammal + -ferous.] (Geol.) Containing
mammalian remains; -- said of certain strata.
Mammalogical
Mam`ma*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to mammalogy.
Mammalogist
Mam*mal"o*gist (?), n. [Cf. F. mammalogiste.] One versed in mammalogy.
Mammalogy
Mam*mal"o*gy (?), n. [Mamma breast + -logy: cf. f. mammalogie.] The
science which relates to mammals or the Mammalia. See Mammalia.
Mammary
Mam"ma*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. mammaire.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
mamm\'91 or breasts; as, the mammary arteries and veins.
Mammee
Mam*mee" (?), n. [Haytian mamey.] (Bot.) 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. [Cf. G. memme coward, poltroon.] To hesitate; to
mutter doubtfully. [Obs.]
Mammet
Mam"met (?), n. [See Mawmet.] An idol; a puppet; a doll. [Obs.]
Selden. Shak.
Mammetry
Mam"met*ry (?), n. See Mawmetry. [Obs.]
Mammifer
Mam"mi*fer (?), n. [NL. See Mammiferous.] (Zo\'94l.) A mammal. See
Mammalia.
Mammiferous
Mam*mif"er*ous (?), a. [Mamma breast + -ferous: cf. F. mammif\'8are.]
Having breasts; of, pertaining to, or derived from, the Mammalia.
Mammiform
Mam"mi*form (?), a. [Mamma breast + -form: cf. F. mammiforme.] Having
the form of a mamma (breast) or mamm\'91.
Mammilla
Mam*mil"la (?), n.; pl. Mammil\'91 (#). [L., dim. of mamma a breast.]
(Anat.) The nipple.
Mammillary
Mam"mil*la*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. mammilaire. See Mammilla.]
1. Of or pertaining to the mammilla, or nipple, or to the breast;
resembling a mammilla; mammilloid.
2. (Min.) 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. [See Mammilla.]
1. Having small nipples, or small protuberances like nipples or
mamm\'91.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Bounded like a nipple; -- said of the apex of some
shells.
Mammilliform
Mam*mil"li*form (?), a. [Mammil + -form.] Having the form of a
mammilla.
Mammilloid
Mam"mil*loid (?), a. [Mammilla + -oid.] Like a mammilla or nipple;
mammilliform.
Mammock
Mam"mock (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. mam a round hill + -ock.] A shapeless
piece; a fragment. [Obs.]
Mammock
Mam"mock, v. t. To tear to pieces. [Obs.] Milton.
Mammodis
Mam"mo*dis (?), n. [F. mamoudis, fr. Hind. mahm&umac;d\'c6 a muslin.]
Coarse plain India muslins.
Mammology
Mam*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Mamma + -logy.] Mastology. See Mammalogy.
Mammon
Mam"mon (?), n. [L. mammona, Gr. mam; cf. Heb. matm a hiding place,
subterranean storehouse, treasury, fr. t\'beman to hide.] Riches;
wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified.
Ye can not serve God and Mammon. Matt. vi. 24.
Mammonish
Mam"mon*ish, a. Actuated or prompted by a devotion to money getting or
the service of Mammon. Carlyle.
Mammonism
Mam"mon*ism (?), n. Devotion to the pursuit of wealth; worldliness.
Carlyle.
Mammonist
Mam"mon*ist, n. A mammonite.
Mammonite
Mam"mon*ite (?), n. One devoted to the acquisition of wealth or the
service of Mammon. C. Kingsley.
Mammonization
Mam`mon*i*za"tion (?), n. The process of making mammonish; the state
of being under the influence of mammonism.
Mammonize
Mam"mon*ize (?), v. t. To make mammonish.
Mammose
Mam*mose" (?), a. [L. mammosus having large breasts, mamma breast.]
(Bot.) Having the form of the breast; breast-shaped.
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Page 889
Mammoth
Mam"moth (?), n. [Russ. m\'83mont, m\'a0mant, 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.] (Zo\'94l.) 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: &hand; 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. Resembling the mammoth in size; very large; gigantic;
as, a mammoth ox.
Mammothrept
Mam"mo*thrept (?), n. [Gr. 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 (. A child's name for mamma, mother.
Mamzer
Mam"zer (?), n. [Heb. m\'a0mz.] 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 (#). [AS. mann, man, monn, mon; akin to OS., D.,
& OHG. man, G. mann, Icel. ma&edh;r, for mannr, Dan. Mand, Sw. man,
Goth. manna, Skr. manu, manus, and perh. to Skr. man to think, and E.
mind. &root;104. 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.
<--" 'Tain't a fit night out for man nor beast! " [W.C. Fields] -->
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: &hand; Ma n 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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
(Ipom\'d2a 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: &hand; In "O thello," 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. Marriageable.[Obs.]
Manace
Man"ace (?), n. & v. Same as Menace. [Obs.]
Manacle
Man"a*cle (?), n. [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.] 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
(?).] 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. [F. man\'8age, It. maneggio, fr. maneggiare to manage,
fr. L.manushand. Perhaps somewhat influenced by F. m\'82nage
housekeeping, OF. mesnage, akin to E. mansion. See Manual, and cf.
Manege.] 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 Pha\'89thon
Wanting the manage of unruly jades. Shak.
The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Th is wo rd, in it s 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 (?).] [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. 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. The state or quality of being
manageable; manageableness.
Manageable
Man"age*a*ble (?), a. 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. Unmanageable.[R.]
Management
Man"age*ment (?), n. [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. Of or pertaining to management or a manager;
as, managerial qualities. "Managerial responsibility." C.
Bront\'82.
Managership
Man"a*ger*ship (?), n. The office or position of a manager.
Managery
Man"age*ry (?), n. [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. [Cf. F. & G. manakin; prob. the native name.]
(Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous small birds belonging to Pipra,
Manacus, and other genera of the family Piprid\'91. 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. A dwarf. See Manikin. Shak.
Manatee
Man`a*tee" (?), n. [Sp. manat\'a1, from the native name in Hayti.
Cf. Lamantin.] (Zo\'94l.) Any species of Trichechus, a genus of
sirenians; -- called alsosea cow. [Written also manaty, manati.]
NOTE: &hand; On e sp ecies (T richechus Se negalensis) 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.[L.manatio, fr. manare to flow.] The act of
issuing or flowing out. [Obs.]
Manbote
Man"bote` (?), n. [AS. man man, vassal + b&omac;t recompense.]
(Anglo-Saxon Law) 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. [LL.] See Mancus.
Manche
Manche (?), n. [Also maunch.] [F. manche, fr. L. manica. See
Manacle.] A sleeve. [Obs.]
Manchet
Man"chet (?), n. Fine white bread; a loaf of fine bread. [Archaic]
Bacon. Tennyson.
Manchineel
Man`chi*neel" (?), n. [Sp. manzanillo, fr. manzana an apple, fr. L.
malum Matianum a kind of apple. So called from its apple-like
fruit.] (Bot.) 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. [Written also Manchoo, Mantchoo, etc.] Of or
pertaining to Manchuria or its inhabitants. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Manchuria; also, the language spoken by the Manchus.
Mancipate
Man"ci*pate (?), v. t. [L. mancipatus, p. p. of mancipare to sell. Cf.
Emancipate.] To enslave; to bind; to restrict. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.
Mancipation
Man`ci*pa"tion (?), n. [L. mancipatio a transfer.] Slavery;
involuntary servitude. [Obs.] Johnson.
Manciple
Man"ci*ple (?), n. [From OF. mancipe slave, servant (with l inserted,
as in participle), fr. L. mancipium. See Mancipate.] A steward; a
purveyor, particularly of a college or Inn of Court. Chaucer.
Mancona bark
Man*co"na bark` (?). See Sassy bark.
Mancus
Man"cus (?), n. [AS.] 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 (?). [Gr. -mancie.] A combining form denoting divination; as,
aleuromancy, chiromancy, necromancy, etc.
Mand
Mand (?), n. A demand. [Obs.] See Demand.
Mandamus
Man*da"mus (?), n. [L., we command, fr. mandare to command.] (Law) 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. [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantr\'c6 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.) A small orange, with easily separable rind. It is thought to
be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species (Citrus
nobilis)<-- also mandarin orange; tangerine -->.
Mandarin duck (Zo\'94l.), 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. The collective body of officials or persons of
rank in China. S. W. Williams.
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Mandarinic
Man`da*rin"ic (?), a. Appropriate or peculiar to a mandarin.
Mandarining
Man`da*rin"ing, n. (Dyeing) 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. A government mandarins; character or spirit of
the mandarins. F. Lieder.
Mandatary
Man"da*ta*ry (?), n. [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) One who undertakes to discharge a specific business
commission; a mandatory. Wharton.
Mandate
Man"date (?), n. [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) 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) 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. [L.]
1. A director; one who gives a mandate or order. Ayliffe.
2. (Rom. Law) The person who employs another to perform a mandate.
Bouvier.
Mandatory
Man"da*to*ry (?), a. [L. mandatorius.] Containing a command;
preceptive; directory.
Mandatory
Man"da*to*ry, n. Same as Mandatary.
Mandelate
Man"del*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mandelic acid.
Mandelic
Man*del"ic (?), a. [G. mandel almond.] (Chem.) 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. See Maunder.
Manderil
Man"der*il (?), n. A mandrel.
Mandible
Man"di*ble (?), n. [L. mandibula, mandibulum, fr. mandere to chew. Cf.
Manger.]
1. (Anat.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Cf. F. mandibulaire.] Of or pertaining to a
mandible; like a mandible. -- n. 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. (Zo\'94l.) Provided with
mandibles adapted for biting, as many insects.
Mandibulate
Man*dib"u*late (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An insect having mandibles.
Mandibuliform
Man`di*bu"li*form (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Having the form of a mandible; --
said especially of the maxill\'91 of an insect when hard and adapted
for biting.
Mandibulohyoid
Man*dib`u*lo*hy"oid (?), a. (Anat.) Pertaining both to the mandibular
and the hyoid arch, or situated between them.
Mandil
Man"dil (?), n. [OF. mandil; cf. Sp. & Pg. mandil a coarse apron, a
haircloth; all from Ar. mandil tablecloth, handkerchief, mantle, fr.
LGr. mantile, mantele. See Mantle.] A loose outer garment worn the
16th and 17th centuries.
Mandilion
Man*dil"ion (?), n. See Mandil. Chapman.
Mandingos
Man*din"gos (?), n. pl.; sing. Mandingo. (Ethnol.) An extensive and
powerful tribe of West African negroes.
Mandioc, Mandioca
Man"di*oc (?), Man`di*o"ca (?), n. (Bot.) See Manioc.
Mandlestone
Man"dle*stone` (?), n. [G. mandelstein almond stone.] (Min.)
Amygdaloid.
Mandment
Mand"ment (?), n. Commandment. [Obs.]
Mandolin, Mandoline
Man"do*lin, Man"do*line (?), n. [F. mandoline, It. mandolino, dim. of
mandola, fr. L. pandura. See Bandore.] (Mus.) A small and beautifully
shaped instrument resembling the lute.
Mandore
Man"dore (?), n. [See Mandolin, and Bandore.] (Mus.) A kind of
four-stringed lute.
Mandragora
Man*drag"o*ra (?), n. [L., mandragoras the mandrake.] (Bot.) A genus
of plants; the mandrake. See Mandrake, 1.
Mandragorite
Man*drag"o*rite (?), n. One who habitually intoxicates himself with a
narcotic obtained from mandrake.
Mandrake
Man"drake (?), n. [AS. mandragora, L. mandragoras, fr. Gr.
mandragore.]
1. (Bot.) 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: &hand; Th e mandrake of Scripture was perhaps the same plant,
but proof is wanting.
2. (Bot.) The May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). See May apple under
May, and Podophyllum. [U.S.]
Mandrel
Man"drel (?), n. [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. [Cf. F. mandrille, Sp. mandril, It. mandrillo; prob.
the native name in Africa. Cf. Drill an ape.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Cf. F. manducable. See Manducate.] 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 (?).] [L. manducatus, p. p. of manducare to chew. See
Manger.] To masticate; to chew; to eat. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
Manducation
Man`du*ca"tion (?), n. [L. manducatio: cf. F. manducation.] The act of
chewing. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
Manducatory
Man"du*ca*to*ry (?), a. Pertaining to, or employed in, chewing.
Manducus
Man*du"cus (?), n. [L., fr. manducare to chew.] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) A
grotesque mask, representing a person chewing or grimacing, worn in
processions and by comic actors on the stage.
Mane
Mane (?), n. [AS. manu; akin to OD. mane, D. maan, G. m\'84hne, OHG.
mana, Icel. m\'94n, Dan. & Sw. man, AS. mene necklace, Icel. men, L.
monile, Gr. many\'be neck muscles. &root;275.] 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. Having a mane. Maned seal (Zo\'94l.), the sea lion. --
Maned sheep (Zo\'94l.), the aoudad.
Manege
Ma*nege" (?; 277), n. [F. man\'8age. 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. [Heb. m\'beneh.] 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. Having no mane. Maneless lion (Zo\'94l.), a variety
of the lion having a short, inconspicuous mane. It inhabits Arabia and
adjacent countries.
Manequin
Man"e*quin (?), n. [See Manikin.] An artist's model of wood or other
material.
Manerial
Ma*ne"ri*al (?), a. See Manorial.
Manes
Ma"nes (?), n. pl. [L.] (Rom. Antiq.) 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. A covering placed over the upper part of a horse's
head.
Maneuver, Man\'d2uvre
Ma*neu"ver, Ma*n\'d2u"vre (?), n. [F. man\'d2uvre, 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, Man\'d2uvre
Ma*neu"ver, Ma*n\'d2u"vre, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Maneuvered (#) or
Man\'d2uvred; p. pr. & vb. n. Maneuvering (, or Man\'d2uvring (.] [Cf.
F. man\'d2uvrer. 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, Man\'d2uvre
Ma*neu"ver, Ma*n\'d2u"vre, v. t. To change the positions of, as of
troops of ships.
Maneuverer, Man\'d2uvrer
Ma*neu"ver*er (?), Ma*n\'d2u"vrer (?), n. One who maneuvers.
This charming widow Beaumont is a nan\'d2uvrer. We can't well make
an English word of it. Miss Edgeworth.
Manful
Man"ful (?), a. Showing manliness, or manly spirit; hence, brave,
courageous, resolute, noble. " Manful hardiness." Chaucer. --
Man"ful*ly, adv. -- Man"ful*ness, n.
Mamgabey
Mam"ga*bey (?), n. [So called by Buffon from Mangaby, in Madagascar,
where he erroneously supposed them be native.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. See Mangonel.
Manganate
Man"ga*nate (?), n. [Cf. F. manganate.] (Chem.) A salt of manganic
acid.
NOTE: &hand; Th e ma nganates ar e usually green, and are wellknown
compounds, though derived from a hypothetical acid.
Manganesate
Man`ga*ne"sate (?), n. (Chem.) A manganate. [Obs.]
Manganese
Man`ga*nese" (?), n. [F. mangan\'8ase, It. mamaganese, sasso magnesio;
prob. corrupted from L. magnes, because of its resemblance to the
magnet. See Magnet, and cf. Magnesia.] (Chem.) 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: &hand; An al loy of ma nganese wi th ir on (c alled
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.
Manganesian
Man`ga*ne"sian (?), a. [Cf. F. mangan\'82sien.] (Chem.) Manganic. [R.]
Manganesic
Man`ga*ne"sic (?), a. [Cf. F. mangan\'82sique.] (Chem.) Manganic.
[Obs.]
Manganesious
Man`ga*ne"sious (?), a. (Chem.) Manganous.
Manganesium
Man`ga*ne"si*um (?), n. [NL.] Manganese.
Manganesous
Man`ga*ne"sous (?), a. (Chem.) Manganous.
Manganic
Man`gan"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. manganique.] (Chem.) 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. [Manganese + -ferous.] Containing manganese.
Manganite
Man"ga*nite (?), n.
1. (Min.) 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.) 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. [NL.] Manganese.
Manganous
Man"ga*nous (?), a. (Chem.) 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. [OE. mengen to mix. See Mingle, and Corn.] A
mixture of wheat and rye, or other species of grain. [Prov Eng.]
Mange
Mange (?), n. [See Mangy.] (Vet.) The scab or itch in cattle, dogs,
and other beasts. Mange insect (Zo\'94l.), 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. [G., corrupted fr. mangoldwurzel; mangold beet
+ wurzel root.] (Bot.) 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.] <-- Insert:
Illustr. of Mangel-Wurzel -->
Manger
Man"ger (?), n. [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.) 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. In a mangy manner; scabbily.
Manginess
Man"gi*ness, n. [From Mangy.] The condition or quality of being mangy.
Mangle
Man"gle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mangled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mangling
(?).] [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. [D. mangel, fr. OE. mangonel a machine for throwing
stones, LL. manganum, Gr. Mangonel.] 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.
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Mangle
Man"gle (?), v. t. [Cf. D. mangelen. See Mangle, n.] To smooth with a
mangle, as damp linen or cloth.
Mangler
Man"gler (?), n. [See 1st Mangle.] One who mangles or tears in
cutting; one who mutilates any work in doing it.
Mangler
Man"gler, n. [See 3d Mangle.] One who smooths with a mangle.
Mango
Man"go (?), n.; pl. Mangoes (#). [Pg. manga, fr. Tamil m\'benk\'bey.]
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 (Zo\'94l.), an oriole (Oriolus kundoo), native of India. --
Mango fish (Zo\'94l.), 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. [G.] (Bot.) See Mangel-wurzel.
Mangonel
Man"go*nel (?), n. [OF. mangonel, LL. manganellus, manganum, fr. Gr.
Mangle, n.] A military engine formerly used for throwing stones and
javelins.
Mangonism
Man"go*nism (?), n. The art of mangonizing, or setting off to
advantage. [Obs.]
Mangonist
Man"go*nist (?), n.
1. One who mangonizes. (Zo\'94l.)
2. A slave dealer; also, a strumpet. [Obs.]
Mangonize
Man"go*nize (?), v. t. [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.] To furbish up for sale; to
set off to advantage. [Obs. or R.] B. Jonson.
Mangosteen, Mangostan
Man"go*steen (?), Man"go*stan (?), n. [Malay mangusta, mangis.] (Bot.)
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. [Malay manggi-manggi.]
1. (Bot.) 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
a\'89rial 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: &hand; Th e fr uit ha s a ru ddy 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. (Zo\'94l.) The mango fish.
Mangue
Mangue (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) The kusimanse.
Mangy
Man"gy (?), a. [Compar. Mangier (?); superl. Mangiest.] [F. mang\'82,
p. p. of manger to eat. See Manger.] Infected with the mange; scabby.
Manhaden
Man*ha"den (?), n. See Menhaden.
Manhead
Man"head (?), n. Manhood. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Manhole
Man"hole` (?), n. 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. [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. [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 [L.], madness from drinking; delirium tremens. Syn. --
Insanity; derangement; madness; lunacy; alienation; aberration;
delirium; frenzy. See Insanity.
Maniable
Man"i*a*ble (?), a. [F., fr. manier to manage, fr. L. manus hand.]
Manageable. [Obs.] Bacon.
Maniac
Ma"ni*ac (?), a. [F. maniaque. See Mania.] Raving with madness; raging
with disordered intellect; affected with mania; mad.
Maniac
Ma"ni*ac (?), n. A raving lunatic; a madman.
Maniacal
Ma*ni"a*cal (?), a. Affected with, or characterized by, madness;
maniac. -- Ma*ni"a*cal*ly, adv.
Manicate
Man"i*cate (?), a. [L. manicatus sleeved, fr. manica a sleeve.] (Bot.)
Covered with hairs or pubescence so platted together and interwoven as
to form a mass easily removed.
Manich\'91an, Manichean, Manichee
Man`i*ch\'91"an (?), Man`i*che"an, Man"i*chee (?), n. [LL. Manichaeus:
cf. F. manich\'82en.] 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 Manich\'91ans stand as representatives of dualism pushed to its
utmost development. Tylor.
Manich\'91an, Manichean
Man`i*ch\'91"an, Man`i*che"an (?), a. Of or pertaining to the
Manich\'91ans.
Manich\'91ism, Manicheism
Man"i*ch\'91*ism, Man"i*che*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. manich\'82isme.] The
doctrines taught, or system of principles maintained, by the
Manich\'91ans.
Manicheist
Man"i*che*ist, n. [Cf. F. manich\'82iste.] Manich\'91an.
Manichord, Manichordon
Man"i*chord (?), Man`i*chor"don (?), [L. monochordon, Gr. Monochord.]
(Mus.) The clavichord or clarichord; -- called also dumb spinet.
Manicure
Man"i*cure (?), n. [F., fr. L. manus hand + curare to cure.] A person
who makes a business of taking care of people's hands, especially
their nails.<-- now called manicurist --> <-- 2. A thorough cosmetic
treatment of the hands, especially the trimming and polishing of the
fingernails, and removing of cuticles, performed by a manicurist. v.
t. (Metaph.) to trim carefully and meticulously, as to manicure a
lawn. -->
[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. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of the genus Manis, or family
Manid\'91.
Manie
Ma`nie" (?), n. [F. See Mania.] Mania; insanity. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Manifest
Man"i*fest (?), a. [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 (#). [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.<-- = ship's manifest --> 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. Such as can be manifested.
Manifestation
Man`i*fes*ta"tion (?), n. [L. manifestatio: cf. F. manifestation.] 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. Manifestable.
Manifestly
Man"i*fest*ly (?), adv. In a manifest manner.
Manifestness
Man"i*fest*ness, n. The quality or state of being manifest;
obviousness.
Manifesto
Man`i*fes"to (?), n.; pl. Manifestoes (#). [It. manifesto. See
Manifest, n. & a.] 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. [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.) A cylindrical pipe fitting, having a number of lateral
outlets, for connecting one pipe with several others.
3. pl. 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.] To take copies of by the process of manifold writing;
as, to manifold a letter.
Manifolded
Man"i*fold`ed, a. Having many folds, layers, or plates; as, a
manifolded shield. [Obs.]
Manifoldly
Man"i*fold`ly, adv. In a manifold manner.
Manifoldness
Man"i*fold`ness, n.
1. Multiplicity. Sherwood.
2. (Math.) A generalized concept of magnitude.
Maniform
Man"i*form (?), a. [L. manus hand + -form.] Shaped like the hand.
Maniglion
Ma*ni"glion (?), n. [It. maniglio, maniglia, bracelet, handle. Cf.
Manilio.] (Gun.) Either one of two handles on the back of a piece of
ordnance.
Manihoc, Manihot
Man"i*hoc (?), Man"i*hot (?), n. See Manioc.
Manikin
Man"i*kin (?), n. [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. 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. See Manilla, 1. Sir T. Herbert.
Manilla
Ma*nil"la (?), n. [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. Same as Manila.
Manille
Ma*nille" (?), n. [F.] See 1st Manilla, 1.
Manioc
Ma"ni*oc (?), n. [Pg. mandioca, fr. Braz.] (Bot.) 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. [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. [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 (?).] [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. 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. [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. Of or pertaining to manipulation;
performed by manipulation.
Manipulator
Ma*nip"u*la`tor (?), n. One who manipulates
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Page 892
Manipulatory
Ma*nip"u*la*to*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to manipulation.
Manis
Ma"nis (?), n. [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.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. 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. [L. manus hand + E. trunk.] (Zo\'94l.) The
anterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Insect.
Mankind
Man`kind" (?), n. [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. 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. Of or pertaining to the language or people of the of
Man. -- n. 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. Inhumanly. [Obs.]
Manlike
Man"like` (?), a. [Man + like. Cf. Manly.] 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. The quality or state of being manly.
Manling
Man"ling (?), n. A little man. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Manly
Man"ly, a. [Compar. Manlier (?); superl. Manliest.] [Man + -ly. Cf.
Manlike.] 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. In a manly manner; with the courage and fortitude of a
manly man; as, to act manly.
Manna
Man"na (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. m\'ben; cf. Ar. mann, properly, gift
(of heaven).]
1. (Script.) The food supplied to the Israelites in their journey
through the wilderness of Arabia; hence, divinely supplied food.
Ex. xvi. 15.
2. (Bot.) 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.) 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: &hand; Pe rsian ma nna 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; Brian\'87on 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 (Zo\'94l), a scale insect (Gossyparia
mannipara), which causes the exudation of manna from the Tamarisk tree
in Arabia.
Manna croup
Man"na croup` (?). [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. [OE. manere, F. mani\'8are, 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. 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: &hand; 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. [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.
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. [Cf. F. mani\'82risme.] 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. [Cf. F. mani\'82riste.] 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. The quality or state of being mannerly;
civility; complaisance. Sir M. Hale.
Mannerly
Man"ner*ly, a. Showing good manners; civil; respectful; complaisant.
What thou thinkest meet, and is most mannerly. Shak.
Mannerly
Man"ner*ly, adv. With good manners. Shak.
Mannheim gold
Mann"heim gold" (?). [From Mannheim in Germany, where much of it was
made.] 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. [Mannite + anhydride.] (Chem.) A white amorphous or
crystalline substance, obtained by dehydration of mannite, and
distinct from, but convertible into, mannitan.
Mannish
Man"nish (?), a. [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. [Mannite + anhydrite.] (Chem.) A white amorphous or
crystalline substance obtained by the partial dehydration of mannite.
Mannitate
Man"ni*tate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mannitic acid.
Mannite
Man"nite (?), n. [Cf. F. mannite.]
1. (Chem.) 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. <--
(MI11) 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.) 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.) 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. [Mannite + -ol.] (Chem.) The technical name of
mannite. See Mannite.
Mannitose
Man"ni*tose` (?), n. (Chem.) A variety of sugar obtained by the
partial oxidation of mannite, and closely resembling levulose.
Man\'d2uvre
Ma*n\'d2u"vre (?), n. & v. See Maneuver.
Manofwar
Man`*of*war" (?), n; pl. Men-of-war. A government vessel employed for
the purposes of war, esp. one of large size; a ship of war. Man-of-war
bird (Zo\'94l.), The frigate bird; also applied to the skua gulls, and
to the wandering albatross. -- Man-of-war hawk (Zo\'94l.), the frigate
bird. -- Man-of-war's man, a sailor serving in a ship of war. --
Portuguese man-of-war (Zo\'94l.), any species of the genus Physalia.
See Physalia.
Manometer
Ma*nom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. -meter: cf. F. manom\'8atre.] 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. [Cf. F. manom\'82trique.]
Of or pertaining to the manometer; made by the manometer.
Manor
Man"or (?), n. [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) 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: &hand; In th ese da ys, a ma nor ra ther si gnifies th e
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) 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. Of or pertaining to a manor. " Manorial claims."
Paley.
Manoscope
Man"o*scope (?), n. [Gr. -scope.] Same as Manometer.
Manoscopy
Ma*nos"co*py (?), n. The science of the determination of the density
of vapors and gases.
Manovery
Ma*no"ver*y (?), n. [See Maneuver.] (Eng. Law) A contrivance or
maneuvering to catch game illegally.
Manqueller
Man"quell`er (?), n. A killer of men; a manslayer. [Obs.] Carew.
Manred, Manrent
Man"red (?), Man"rent` (?), n. Homage or service rendered to a
superior, as to a lord; vassalage. [Obs. or Scots Law] Jamieson.
Manrope
Man"rope` (?), n. (Naut.) One of the side ropes to the gangway of a
ship. Totten.
Mansard roof
Man"sard roof" (?). [So called from its inventor, Fran&cced;ois
Mansard, or Mansart, a distinguished French architect, who died in
1666.] (Arch.) 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. [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. A male servant.
Mansion
Man"sion (?), n. [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.) 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. To dwell; to reside. [Obs.] Mede.
Mansionary
Man"sion*a*ry (?), a. Resident; residentiary; as, mansionary canons.
Mansionry
Man"sion*ry (?), n. 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) The unlawful killing of a man, either in negligenc
Manslayer
Man"slay`er (?), n. One who kills a human being; one who commits
manslaughter.
Manstealer
Man"steal`er (?), n. A person who steals or kidnaps a human being or
beings.
Manstealing
Man"steal`ing, n. The act or business of stealing or kidnaping human
beings, especially with a view to e
Mansuete
Man"suete (?), a. [L. mansuetus, p. p. of mansuescere to tame; manus
hand + suescere to accustom: cf. F. mansuet.] Tame; gentle; kind.
[Obs.] Ray.
Mansuetude
Man"sue*tude (?), n. [L. mansuetudo: cf. F.mansu\'82tude.] Tameness;
gentleness; mildness. [Archaic]
Manswear
Man"swear` (?), v. i. To swear falsely. Same as Mainswear.
Manta
Man"ta (?), n. [From the native name.] (Zo\'94l.) See Coleoptera and
Sea devil.
Mantchoo
Mant*choo" (?), a. & n. Same as Manchu.
Manteau
Man`teau" (?), n.; pl. F. Manteaux (#), E. Manteaus (#). [F. See
Mantle, n.]
1. A woman's cloak or mantle.
2. A gown worn by women. [Obs.]
Mantel
Man"tel (?), n. [The same word as mantle a garment; cf. F. manteau de
chemin\'82e. See Mantle.] (Arch.) 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. [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.) 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.
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Mantelpiece
Man"tel*piece` (?), n. Same as Mantel.
Mantelshelf
Man"tel*shelf` (?), n. The shelf of a mantel.
Manteltree
Man"tel*tree` (?), n. (Arch.) The lintel of a fireplace when of wood,
as frequently in early houses.
Mantic
Man"tic (?), a. [Gr. 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. [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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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.
(Zo\'94l.) See Sguilla.
Mantispid
Man*tis"pid (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Any neuropterous insect of the genus
Mantispa, and allied genera. The larv\'91 feed on plant lice. Also
used adjectively. See Illust. under Neuroptera.
Mantissa
Man*tis*sa (?), n. [L., an addition, makeweight; of Tuscan origin.]
(Math.) The decimal part of a logarithm, as distinguished from the
integral part, or characteristic.
Mantle
Man"tle (?), n. [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.) Same as Mantling.
3. (Zo\'94l.) (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.) A mantel. See Mantel.
5. The outer wall and casing of a blast furnace, above the hearth.
Raymond.
6. (Hydraulic Engin.) A penstock for a water wheel.
Mantle
Man"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mantled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mantling
(?).] 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. See Mantelet.
Mantling
Man"tling (?), n. (Her.) The representation of a mantle, or the
drapery behind and around a coat of arms: -- called also lambrequin.
Manto
Man"to (?), n. [It. or Sp. manto, abbrev., from L. mantelum. See
Mantle.] See Manteau. [Obs.] Bailey.
Mantologist
Man*tol"o*gist (?), n. One who is skilled in mantology; a diviner.
[R.]
Mantology
Man*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] The act or art of divination. [R.]
Mantra
Man"tra (?), n. [Skr.] A prayer; an invocation; a religious formula; a
charm. [India]
NOTE: &hand; Am ong th e Hi ndoos 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. One who makes dresses, cloaks, etc., for
women; a dressmaker.
Mantuan
Man"tu*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Mantua. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Mantua.
Manu
Ma"nu (?), n. [Skr.] (Hind. Myth.) One of a series of progenitors of
human beings, and authors of human wisdom.
Manual
Man"u*al (?), a. [OE. manuel, F. manuel, L. manualis, fr. manus hand;
prob. akin to AS. mund hand, protection, OHG. munt, G. m\'81ndel a
ward, vormund guardian, Icel. mund hand. Cf. Emancipate, Legerdemain,
Maintain, Manage, Manner, Manur, Mound a hill.] 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. [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.) 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.) 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. One who works wi
Manually
Man"u*al*ly, adv. By hand.
Manuary
Man"u*a*ry (?), a. [L. manuarius, fr. manus hand.] Manual. -- n. An
artificer. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Manubial
Ma*nu"bi*al (?), a. [L. manubialis, fr. manubiae money obtained from
the sale of booty, booty.] Belonging to spoils; taken in war. [Obs.]
Bailey.
Manubrial
Ma*nu"bri*al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a manubrium; shaped
like a manubrium; handlelike.
Manubrium
Ma*nu"bri*um (?), n.; pl. L. Manubria (#), E. Manubriums (#). [L.,
handle, fr. manus hand.]
1. (Anat.) A handlelike process or part; esp., the anterior segment of
the sternum, or presternum, and the handlelike process of the malleus.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The proboscis of a jellyfish; -- called also hypostoma.
See Illust. of Hydromedusa.
Manucode
Man"u*code (?), n. [Javanese manukdewata the bird of the gods: cf. F.
manucode.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. One who leads by the hand; a manuductor. [Obs.]
Manuduction
Man`u*duc"tion (?), n. [L. manus hand + ductio a leading, ducere to
lead: cf. F. manuduction.] Guidance by the hand. [Obs.] Glanvill.
South.
Manductor
Man`duc"tor (?), n. [L. manus the hand + ductor a leader, ducere to
lead: cf. F. manuducteur.] (Mus.) 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 (#). [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. Pertaining to manufacturing.
Manufactural
Man`u*fac"tur*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to manufactures. [R.]
Manufacture
Man`u*fac"ture (?), n. [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.] [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. To be employed in manufacturing something.
Manufacturer
Man`u*fac"tur*er (?), n. 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [See Manumit.] To manumit. [Obs.] Dryden.
Manumission
Man`u*mis"sion (?), n. [L. manumissio: cf. F. manumission. See
Manumit.] 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.] [L. manumittere, manumissum; manus the hand + mittere to
send, to send off. See Manual, and Missile.] 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. [L. manus the hand + E. motive.] Movable by
hand. [R.]
Manumotor
Man"u*mo`tor (?), n. [L. manus the hand + E. motor.] 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. Cultivation. [Obs.] Warner.
Manurance
Ma*nur"ance (?), n. Cultivation. [Obs.] Spenser.
Manure
Ma*nure" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manured (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Manuring.] [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. 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. [Cf. OF. manouvrement.] Cultivation. [Obs.] W.
Wotton.
Manurer
Ma*nur"er (?), n. One who manures land.
Manurial
Ma*nu"ri*al (?), a. Relating to manures.
Manuring
Ma*nur"ing (?), n. The act of process of applying manure; also, the
manure applied.
Manus
Ma"nus (?), n.; pl. Manus. [L., the hand.] (Anat.) The distal segment
of the fore limb, including the carpus and fore foot or hand.
Manuscript
Man"u*script (?), a. [L. manu scriptus. See Manual, and Scribe.]
Written with or by the hand; not printed; as, a manuscript volume.
Manuscript
Man"u*script, n. [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: &hand; The word is often abbreviated to MS., plural MSS.
Manuscriptal
Man"u*script`al (?), a. Manuscript. [Obs.]
Manutenency
Man`u*ten"en*cy (?), n. [L. manus hand + tenere to hold.] Maintenance.
[Obs.] Abp. Sancroft.
Manway
Man"way` (?), n. A small passageway, as in a mine, that a man may pass
through. Raymond.
Manx
Manx (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Isle of Man, or its inhabitants;
as, the Manx language. Manx cat (Zo\'94l.), a breed of domestic cats
having a rudimentary tail, containing only about three vertebrae. --
Manx shearwater (Zo\'94l.), 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. The language of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, a dialect
of the Celtic.
Many
Ma"ny (?), n. [See Meine, Mansion.] A retinue of servants; a
household. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Many
Ma"ny, a. OR pron.
NOTE: [It ha s no variation to express degrees of comparison; more
and most, which are used for the comparative and superlative
degrees, are from a different root.]
[OE. mani, moni, AS. manig, m\'91nig, monig; akin to D. menig, OS. &
OHG. manag, G. manch, Dan. mange, Sw. m\'86nge, Goth. manags, OSlav.
mnog', Russ. mnogii; cf. Icel. margr, Prov. E. mort. &root;103.]
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: &hand; Ma ny is fr eely pr efixed to pa rticiples, fo rming
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.<-- in such usage equivalent to multi -->
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. [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to G. menge,
OHG. manag\'c6, menig\'c6, 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: &hand; In th is se nse, ma ny 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. Having many faculties; versatile; many-sided.
Manyplies
Ma"ny*plies (?), n. [Many, adj. + plies, pl. of ply a fold.] (Anat.)
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.
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Manyways, Manywise
Ma"ny*ways` (?), Ma"ny*wise` (?), adv. In many different ways;
variously.
Manzanita
Man`za*ni"ta (?), n. [Sp., dim. of munzana an apple.] (Bot.) 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.) One of the aboriginal
inhabitants of New Zealand; also, the original language of New
Zealand. -- a. Of or pertaining to the Maoris or to their language.
Map
Map (?), n. [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: &hand; Th ere ar e 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 (?).] 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. [Mexican.] The raccoon.
Maple
Ma"ple (?), n. [AS. mapolder, mapulder, mapol; akin to Icel.
m\'94purr; cf. OHG. mazzaltra, mazzoltra, G. massholder.] (Bot.) 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: &hand; Ma ple 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. Having or consisting of lines resembling a map; as,
the maplike figures in which certain lichens grow.
Mappery
Map"per*y (?), n. [From Map.] The making, or study, of maps. [Obs.]
Shak.
Maqui
Ma"qui (?), n. (Bot.) A Chilian shrub (Aristotelia Maqui). Its bark
furnishes strings for musical instruments, and a medicinal wine is
made from its berries.
Mar
Mar (?), n. A small lake. See Mere. [Prov. Eng.]
Mar
Mar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Marred (m\'84rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Marring.]
[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. A mark or blemish made by bruising, scratching, or the like; a
disfigurement.
Mara
Ma"ra (?), n. [Skr. m\'bera.] (Hind. Myth.) The principal or ruling
evil spirit. E. Arnold.
Mara
Ma"ra, n. [Icel. mara nightmare, an ogress. See Nightmare.] (Norse
Myth.) A female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on
their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.
Mara
Ma"ra, n. (Zo\'94l.) The Patagonian cavy (Dolichotis Patagonicus.)
Marabou
Mar`a*bou" (?), n. [F.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [F., from Pg. marabuto, Ar. mor\'bebit. Cf.
Maravedi.] A Mohammedan saint; especially, one who claims to work
cures supernaturally.
Maracan
Mar"a*can (?), n. [Braz. maracan\'a0.] (Zo\'94l.) A macaw.
Marai
Ma*rai" (?), n. A sacred inclosure or temple; -- so called by the
islanders of the Pacific Ocean.
Maranatha
Mar`a*nath"a (?), n. [Aramaic m\'beran ath\'be.] "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. [NL.] (Bot.) 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. [It., fr. marasca, amarasca, a sour cherry, L.
amarus bitter.] A liqueur distilled from fermented cherry juice, and
flavored with the pit of a variety of cherry which grows in Dalmatia.
<-- Maraschino cherry -- a cherry which is colored a deep red and
sweetened by cooking in colored syrup, and flavored with maraschino.
Used as a garnish in deserts and cocktails. -->
Marasmus
Ma*ras"mus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) 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 [L.], progressive atrophy of the aged.
Maraud
Ma*raud" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Marauded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Marauding.] [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.] To rove in quest of plunder; to make an excursion for booty;
to plunder. "Marauding hosts." Milman.
Maraud
Ma*raud", n. An excursion for plundering.
Marauder
Ma*raud`er (?), n. [From Maraud, v.: cf. F. maraudeur.] A rover in
quest of booty or plunder; a plunderer; one who pillages. De Quincey.
Maravedi
Mar`a*ve"di (?), n. [Sp. maraved\'a1; -- so called from the
Mor\'bebit\'c6n (lit., the steadfast), an Arabian dynasty which
reigned in Africa and Spain. Cf. Marabout.] (Numis.) 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. [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: &hand;
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: &hand; 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
(?).] [Cf. F. marbrer. See Marble, n.] 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. (zo\'94l.) Varied with irregular markings, or witch a confused
blending of irregular spots and streaks.
Marble-edged
Mar"ble-edged` (?), a. 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 (?).] 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. (Zo\'94l.) Distinct markings resembling the variegations of
marble, as on birds and insects.
Marbly
Mar"bly, a. Containing, or resembling, marble.
Marbrinus
Mar*bri"nus (?), n. [LL., fr. OF. & F. marble marble. See Marble.] 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. [F.] The refuse matter which remains after the pressure
of fruit, particularly of grapes.
Marc
Marc, n. [AS. marc; akin to G. mark, Icel. m\'94rk, perh. akin to E.
mark a sign. &rot;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. [It. mercatante. See Merchant.] A merchant.
[Obs.] Shak.
Marcasite
Mar"ca*site (?), n. [F. marcassite; cf. It. marcassita, Sp.
marquesita, Pg. marquezita; all fr. Ar. marqash\'c6tha.] (Min.) 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. Containing, or having the
nature of, marcasite.
Marcassin
Mar*cas"sin (?), n. [F.] (Her.) A young wild boar.
Marcato
Mar*ca"to (?), a. [It.] (Mus.) In a marked emphatic manner; -- used
adverbially as a direction.
Marceline
Mar"cel*ine (?), n. [F., fr. L. marcidus withered, fr. marcere to
wither, shrivel.] A thin silk fabric used for linings, etc., in
ladies' dresses.
Marcescent
Mar*ces"cent (?), a. [L. marcescens, p. pr. of marcescere to wither,
decay, fr. marcere to wither, droop: cf. F. marcescent.] (Bot.)
Withering without
Marcescible
Mar*ces"ci*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. marcescible.] Li
March
March (?), n. [L. Martius mensis Mars'month fr. Martius belonging to
Mars, the god of war: cf. F. mars. Cf. Martial.] 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. [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.] 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. [Cf. OF. marchir. See 2d March.] 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.] [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. 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. [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.
Macher
Mach"er (?), n. One who marches.
Marcher
March"er, n. [See 2d March.] The lord or officer who defended the
marches or borders of a territory.
Marchet, Merchet
Mar"chet (?), Mer"chet (?), n. [LL. marcheta; of uncertain origin.] 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.,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.
Marchion-ess
Mar"chion-ess (?), n. [LL. marchionissa, fr. marchio a marquis. See
Marquis.] 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. Extremely rash; foolhardy. See under March, the
month. Sir W. Scott.
Marchman
March"man (?), n. A person living in the marches between England and
Scotland or Wales.
Marchpane
March"pane` (?), n. [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.] A kind of sweet
bread or biscuit; a cake of pounded almonds and sugar. [Obs.]<-- =
marzipan --> Shak.
March-ward
March"-ward` (?), n. A warden of the marches; a marcher.
Marcian
Mar"cian (?), a. Under the influence of Mars; courageous; bold. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Marcid
Mar"cid (?), a. [L. marcidus, fr. marcere to wither, pine.]
1. Pining; lean; withered. Dryden.
2. Characterized by emaciation, as a fever. Harvey.
Mar-cidi-ty
Mar-cid"i-ty (?), n. [LL. marciditas.] The state or quality of being
withered or lean. [R.]
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Marcionite
Mar"cion*ite (?), n. (Eccl. Hist) 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. [G. Marcobrunner.] A celebrated Rhine wine.
Marcor
Mar"cor (?), n. [L., fr. marcere to wither.] A wasting away of flesh;
decay. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Marcosian
Mar*co"sian (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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. [F., literally, fat Tuesday.] The last day of
Carnival; Shrove Tuesday; -- in some cities a great day of carnival
and merrymaking.
Mare
Mare (?), n. [OE. mere, AS. mere, myre, fem of AS. mearh horse, akin
to D. merrie mare, G. m\'84hre, OHG. marah horse, meriha mare, Icel.
marr horse, OCelt. marka (Pausan. 19, 19,4), Ir. marc, W. march. Cf.
Marshal.] The female of the horse and other equine quadrupeds.
Mare
Mare, n. [AS. mara incubus; akin to OHG. & Icel. mara; cf. Pol. mora,
Bohem. m.] (Med.) 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" (?). [F.] A kind of large yellow rose. [Written also
Marshal Niel.]
Mareis
Mar"eis (?), n. A Marsh. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Marena
Ma*re"na (?), n. [NL. Salmo maraena, G. mar\'84ne, mor\'84ne; -- so
called from Lake Morin, in the March of Brandenburg, in Prussia.]
(Zo\'94l.) A European whitefish of the genus Coregonus.
Mareschal
Mare"schal (?), n. [OF. mareschal, F. mar\'82chal. See Marshal.] A
military officer of high rank; a marshal. [Obs.]
Mare's-nest
Mare's"-nest` (?), n. A supposed discovery which turns out to be a
hoax; something grosaly 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.) An aquatic plant of the genus Hippuris (H.vulgaris), having
narrow leaves in whorls.
Margarate
Mar"ga*rate (?), n. [Cf. F. margarate.] (Physiol. Chem.) A compound of
the so-called margaric acid with a base.
Margaric
Mar*gar"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. margarique. See Margarite.] 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. [Cf. F. margarine. See Margarite.] (Physiol. Chem.)
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.
Marasritaceous
Mar`as*ri*ta"ceous (?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl;
pearly.
Margarite
Mar"ga*rite (?), n. [L. margarita, Gr. marguerite.]
1. A pearl. [Obs.] Peacham.
2. (Min.) A mineral related to the micas, but low in silica and
yielding brittle folia with pearly luster.
Margaritic
Mar`ga*rit"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. margaritique.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Margaric.
Margaritiferous
Mar`ga*ri*tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. margaritifer; margarita pearl + ferre
to bear: cf. F. margaritif\'8are.] Producing pearls.
Margarodite
Mar*gar"o*dite (?), n. [Gr. (Min.) A hidrous potash mica related to
muscovite.
Margarone
Mar"ga*rone (?), n. [Margaric + -one.] (Chem.) The ketone of margaric
acid.
Margarous
Mar"ga*rous (?), a. (Chem.) Margaric; -- formerly designating a
supposed acid. [Obs.]
Margate fish
Mar"gate fish" (?). (Zo\'94l.) A sparoid fish (Diabasis aurolineatus)
of the Gulf of Mexico, esteemed as a food fish; -- called also
red-mouth grunt.
Margay
Mar"gay (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An American wild cat (Felis tigrina),
ranging from Mexico to Brazil. It is spotted with black. Called also
long-tailed cat.
Marge
Marge (?), n. [F. marge. See Margin.] Border; margin; edge; verge.
[Poetic] Tennyson.
Along the river's stony marge. Wordsworth.
Margent
Mar"gent (?), n. [OE. See Margin.] A margin; border; brink; edge.
[Obs.]
The beached margent of the sea. Shak.
Margent
Mar"gent, v. t. To enter or note down upon the margin of a page; to
margin. [Obs.] Mir. for Mag.
Margin
Mar"gin (?), n. [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.) 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) 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. [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. [NL.] Marginal notes.
Marginally
Mar"gin*al*ly, adv. In the margin of a book.
Marginate
Mar"gin*ate (?), a. [L. marginatus, p. p. of marginare to margin. See
Margin, n.] Having a margin distinct in appearance or structure.
Marginate
Mar"gin*ate (?), v. t. To furnish with a distinct margin; to margin.
[R.] Cockeram.
Marginated
Mar"gin*a`ted (?), a. Same as Marginate, a.
Margined
Mar"gined (?), a.
1. Having a margin. Hawthorne.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Bordered with a distinct line of color.
Marginella
Mar`gi*nel"la (?), n. [NL., dim. of L. margo, marginis, a margin.]
(Zo\'94l.) A genus of small, polished, marine univalve shells, native
of all warm seas.
Marginicidal
Mar"gin*i*ci`dal (?), a. [L. margo, -ginis, margin + caedere to cut.]
(Bot.) Dehiscent by the separation of united carpels; -- said of
fruits.
Margosa
Mar*go"sa (?), n. [Pg. amargoso bitter.] (Bot.) 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. [Cf. F. margraviat.] The
territory or jurisdiction of a margrave.
Margrave
Mar"grave (?), n. [G. markgraf, prop., lord chief justice of the
march; mark bound, border, march + graf earl, count, lord chief
justice; cf. Goth. gagr\'89fts 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. [G. markgr\'84fin: cf. F. margrafine.] The wife
of a margrave.
Marguerite
Mar"gue*rite (?), n. [F., a pearl, a daisy. See Margarite.] (Bot.) 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. 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. <-- 2. a prominent
character in the legend of Robin Hood -->
Marie
Mar"ie (?), interj. Marry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mariet
Mar"i*et (?), n. [F. mariette, prop. dim. of Marie Mary.] (Bot.) A
kind of bellflower, Companula Trachelium, once called Viola Mariana;
but it is not a violet.
Marigenous
Ma*rig"e*nous (?), a. [L. mare the sea + -genous.] Produced in or by
the sea.
Marigold
Mar"i*gold (?), n. [Mary + gold.] (Bot.) A name for several plants
with golden yellow blossoms, especially the Calendula officinalis (see
Calendula), and the cultivated species of Tagetes.
NOTE: &hand; Th ere 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. [From the native name: cf. Pg. mariquinha.]
(Zo\'94l) A small marmoset (Midas rosalia); the silky tamarin.
Marimba
Ma*rim"ba (?), n. [Pg.] A musical istrument of percussion, consisting
of bars yielding musical tones when struck. Knight.
Marimonda
Mar`i*mon"da (?), n. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) A spider monkey (Ateles
belzebuth) of Central and South America.
Marinade
Mar`i*nade" (?), n. [F.: cf. It. marinato marinade, F. mariner to
preserve food for use at sea. See Marinate.] (Cookery) A brine or
pickle containing wine and spices, for enriching the flavor of meat
and fish.
Marinate
Mar"i*nate (?), v. t. [See Marine, and cf. Marinade.] To salt or
pickle, as fish, and then preserve in oil or vinegar; to prepare by
the use of marinade.
Marine
Ma*rine" (?), a. [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.) 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.<--
officially part of the navy, but now considered one of the four
branches of the armed forces in the US --> -- 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. [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. <-- a member of the marine
corps -->
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. [Cf. F. marin\'82.] (Her.) Having the lower part of
the body like a fish. Crabb.
Mariner
Mar"i*ner (?), n. [F. marinier, LL. marinarius. See Marine.] 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. Seamanship. [Obs.] Udalt.
Marinorama
Mar`i*no*ra"ma (?), n. [NL., from L. marinus marine + Gr. A
representation of a sea view.
Mariolater
Ma`ri*ol"a*ter (?), n. [See Mariolatry.] One who worships the Virgin
Mary.
Mariolatry
Ma`ri*ol"a*try (?), n. [Gr. The worship of the Virgin Mary.
Marionette
Mar`i*o*nette" (?), n. [F. marionette, prop. a dim. of Marie Mary.]
1. A puppet moved by strings, as in a puppet show.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The buffel duck.
Mariotte's law
Ma`ri*otte's law` (?). (Physics.) See Boyle's law, under Law.
Mariposa lily
Ma`ri*po"sa lil`y (?). [Sp. mariposa a butterfly + E. lily. So called
from the gay apperance of the blossoms.] (Bot.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) A species of civet; the zoril.
Marish
Mar"ish (?), n. [Cf. F. marais, LL. marascus. See Marsh.] 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. [F., fr. L. maritalis, fr. maritus belonging to
marriage, n., a husband. See Marry, v.] Of or pertaining to a husband;
as, marital rights, duties, authority. "Marital affection." Ayliffe.
Maritated
Mar"i*ta`ted (?), a. [L. maritatus married.] Having a husband;
married. [Obs.]
Maritimal, Maritimale
Ma*rit"i*mal, Ma*rit"i*male (?), a. See Maritime. [Obs.]
Maritime
Mar"i*time (?), a. [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. [OE. majoran, F. marjolaine, LL. marjoraca, fr. L.
amaracus, amaracum, Gr. (Bot.) 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. A license of reprisals. See Marque.
Mark
Mark, n. [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. <-- in 1995, approx. 65 cents
American -->
Mark
Mark, n. [OE. marke, merke, AS. mearc; akin to D. merk, MHG. marc, G.
marke, Icel. mark, Dan. m\'91rke; cf. Lith. margas party-colored.
&root;106, 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.
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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. Pre\'89minence; high position; as, particians of mark; a fellow of
no mark.
11. (Logic) 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.) 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.]
[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. 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. Remarkable. [Obs.] Sandys.
Marked
Marked (?), a. 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. See Marquee.
Marker
Mark"er (?), n. 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. [Akin to D. markt, OHG. mark\'bet, merk\'bet, 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. march\'82. 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) The privelege granted to a town of having a public
market.
NOTE: &hand; Ma rket is of ten us ed ad jectively, 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.]
To deal in a market; to buy or sell; to make bargains for provisions
or goods.
Market
Mar"ket, v. t. 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. Quality of being marketable.
Marketer
Mar"ket*er (?), n. 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. [Market + stead a place.] A market place. [Obs.]
Drayton.
Markhoor
Mark"hoor` (?), n. [Per. m\'ber-kh snake eater.] (Zo\'94l.) A large
wild goat (Capra megaceros), having huge flattened spiral horns. It
inhabits the mountains of Northern India and Cashmere.
Marking
Mark"ing (?), n. 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. A marquis. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Markisesse
Mar"kis*esse (?), n. A marchioness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Markman
Mark"man (?), n. A marksman. [Obs.] Shak.
Marksman
Marks"man (?), n.; pl. Marksmen (#). [Earlier markman; mark + man.]
1. One skillful to hit a mark with a missile; one who shoots well.<--
esp. with a rifle. A designation in the army. -->
2. (Law) One who makes his mark, instead of writing his name, in
signing documents. Burrill.
Marksmanship
Marks"man*ship, n. Skill of a marksman.
Marl
Marl (?), v. t. [See Marline.] (Naut.) 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. [OF. marle, F. marne, LL. margila, dim. of L. marga marl.
Originally a Celtic word, according to Pliny, xvii. 7: "Quod genus
terr\'91 Galli et Britanni margam vocant." &root;274.] 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.] [Cf.
F. marner. See Marl, n.] To overspread or manure with marl; as, to
marl a field.
Marlaceous
Mar*la"ceous (?), a. Resembling marl; partaking of the qualities of
marl.
Marlin
Mar"lin (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The American great marbled godwit (Limosa
fedoa). Applied also to the red-breasted godwit (Limosa h\'91matica).
Hook-billed marlin, a curlew. <-- 2. [from marlinspike, the shape of
its bill] any of several marine billfishes of the genera Makaira and
Tetrapturus, popular as game in sport fishing -->
Marline
Mar"line (?), n. [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.) 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. [The name alludes to the long
middle tail feathers.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) A tropic bird. (b) A jager, or
skua gull.
Marline
Mar"line (?), v. t. [F. merliner.] (Naut.) To wind marline around; as,
to marline a rope.
Marlite
Marl"ite (?), n. [Cf. F. marlite. See Marl, n.] (Min.) A variety of
marl.
Marlitic
Mar*lit"ic (?), a. Partaking of the qualites of marlite.
Marlpit
Marl"pit` (?), n. Apit where marl is dug.
Marlstone
Marl"stone` (?), n. (Geol.) 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.] Consisting or
partaking of marl; resembling marl; abounding with marl.
Marmalade
Mar"ma*lade (?), n. [F. marmelade, Pg. marmelada, fr. marm\'82lo a
quince, fr. L. melimelum honey apple, Gr. Mellifluous, Melon.] 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. <-- produces -->
Marmalet
Mar"ma*let` (?), n. See Marmalade. [Obs.]
Marmatite
Mar"ma*tite (?), n. [Cf. F. marmatite.] (Min.) A ferruginous variety
of shalerite or zinc blende, nearly black in color.
Marmolite
Mar"mo*lite (?), n. [Gr. -lite.] (Min.) A thin, laminated variety of
serpentine, usually of a pale green color.
Marmoraceous
Mar`mo*ra"ceous (?), a. [L. marmor marble. See Marble.] Pertaining to,
or like, marble.
Marmorate, Marmorated
Mar"mo*rate (?), Mar"mo*ra`ted (?), a. [L. marmoratus, p. p. of
marmorate to overlay with marble, fr. marmor marble.] Variegated like
marble; covered or overlaid with marble. [R.]
Marmoration
Mar`mo*ra"tion (?), n. [L. marmoratio.] 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 (?). [L. See Marmorate, and Opus.] (Arch.) 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. [L. marmoreus, fr. marmor
marble: cf. F. marmor\'82en. See Marble.] Pertaining to, or
resembling, marble; made of marble.
Marmorosis
Mar`mo*ro"sis (?), n. [NL.] (Geol.) The metamorphism of limestone,
that is, its conversion into marble. Geikie.
Marmose
Mar"mose` (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) A species of small opossum
(Didelphus murina) ranging from Mexico to Brazil.
Marmoset
Mar"mo*set` (?), n. [F. marmouset a grotesque figure, an ugly little
boy, prob. fr. LL. marmoretum, fr. L. marmor marble. Perhaps confused
with marmot. See Marble.] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of
small South American monkeys of the genera Hapale and Midas, family
Hapalid\'91. They have long soft fur, and a hairy, nonprehensile tail.
They are often kept as pets. Called also squirrel monkey.
Marmot
Mar"mot (?), n. [It. marmotta, marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or
mus montis, lit., mountain mouse or rat. See Mountain, and Mouse.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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.<--
related to the woodchuck, (groundhog) but usually used only for the
western variety -->
2. Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the
genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog.
Marmot squirrel (Zo\'94l.), a ground squirrel or spermophile. --
Prairie marmot. See Prairie dog.
Marmottes oil
Mar"mottes oil` (?). 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. See Marmoset.
Marone
Ma*rone" (?), n. See Maroon, the color.
Maronite
Mar"o*nite (?), n.; pl. Maronites (. (Eccl. Hist.) 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.] [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.] 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.] [See Maroon a fugitive slave.] 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 897
Maroon
Ma*roon" (?), a. [F. marron chestnut-colored, fr. marron a large
French chestnut, It. marrone; cf. LGr. Marron.] 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. One who, by his officious
Marque
Marque (?), n. [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) 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. <-- privateer -->
Marquee
Mar*quee" (?), n. [F. marquise, misunderstood as a plural; prob.
orig., tent of the marchioness. See Marquis.] A large field tent;
esp., one adapted to the use of an officer of high rank. [Written also
markee.]
Marquess
Mar"quess (?), n. [Cf. Sp. marques. See Marquis.] A marquis. Lady
marquess, a marchioness. [Obs.] Shak.
Marquetry
Mar"quet*ry (?), n. [F. marqueterie, from marqueter to checker, inlay,
fr. marque mark, sign; of German origin. See Mark a sign.] Inlaid
work; work inlaid with pieces of wood, shells, ivory, and the like, of
several colors.
Marquis
Mar"quis (?), n. [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.] 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. [Cf. F. marquisat.] The seigniory, dignity, or
lordship of a marquis; the territory governed by a marquis.
Marquisdom
Mar"quis*dom (?), n. A marquisate. [Obs.] "Nobles of the marquisdom of
Saluce." Holinshed.
Marquise
Mar`quise" (?), n. [F. See Marquis, and cf. Marquee.] The wife of a
marquis; a marchioness.
Marquisship
Mar"quis*ship (?), n. A marquisate.
Marram
Mar"ram (?), n. (Bot.) A coarse grass found on sandy beaches
(Ammophila arundinacea). See Beach grass, under Beach.
Marrer
Mar"rer (?), n. One who mars or injures.
Marriable
Mar"ri*a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. mariable.] Marriageable. [R.] Coleridge.
Marriage
Mar"riage (?), n. [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. The quality or state of being
marriageable.
Marriageable
Mar"riage*a*ble (?), a. Fit for, or capable of, marriage; of an age at
which marriage is allowable. -- Mar"riage*a*ble*ness, n.
Marrried
Marr"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. One who marries.
Marron
Mar*ron" (?), n. [See Maroon, a.]
1. A large chestnut. [Obs.] Holland.
2. A chestnut color; maroon.
3. (Pyrotechny & Mil.) 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. Same as 1st Maroon.
Marrot
Mar"rot (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (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. [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. &root;274 Cf.
Merge.]
1. (Anat.) 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. [OE. maru, maro; -- perh. a different word; cf. Gael. maraon
together.] 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.] To fill with, or as with, marrow of fat; to glut.
Marrowbone
Mar"row*bone` (?), n. 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. A rich but late variety of pea.
Marrowish
Mar"row*ish, a. Of the nature of, or like, marrow.
Marrowless
Mar"row*less, a. Destitute of marrow.
Marrowy
Mar"row*y (?), a. Full of marrow; pithy.
Marrubium
Mar*ru"bi*um (?), n. [L.] (Bot.) 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.] [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.
M\'91cenas 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: &hand; 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. 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. 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. [L. Mars, gen. Martis, archaic Mavors, gen. Mavortis.]
1. (Rom. Myth.) The god of war and husbandry.
2. (Astron.) 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) The metallic element iron, the symbol of which m. was the
same as that of the planet Mars. [Archaic] Chaucer.
Mars brown, a bright, somewhat yellowish, brown.
Marsala
Mar*sa"la (?), n. [It., fr. Marsala, in Sicyly.] A kind of wine
exported from Marsala in Sicily.
Marsdenia
Mars*de"ni*a (?), n. [NL. From W. Marsden, an English author.] (Bot.)
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, a. m. Marseillaise
Mar`sei`llais" (?), a. m. Mar`sei`llaise" (?), a. f.[F.] 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, n. m. Marseillaise
Mar`sei`llais", n. m. Mar`sei`llaise", n. f.[F.] A native or
inhabitant of Marseilles.
Marseilles
Mar*seilles" (?), n. 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. [OE. mersch, AS. mersc, fr. mere lake. See Mere pool,
and cf. Marish, Morass.] 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 (Zo\'94l.),
a European hawk or harrier (Circus \'91ruginosus); -- called also
marsh hawk, moor hawk, moor buzzard, puttock. -- Marsh hawk.
(Zo\'94l.) (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 (Zo\'94l.), a rail; esp., Rallus elegans of fresh-water
marshes, and R. longirostris of salt-water marshes. -- Marsh mallow
(Bot.), a plant of the genus Alth\'91a ( 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), any species of small American wrens of the
genus Cistothorus, and allied genera. They chiefly inhabit salt
marshes.
Marshal
Mar"shal (?), n. [OE. mareschal, OF. mareschal, F. mar\'82chal, LL.
mariscalcus, from OHG. marah-scalc (G. marschall); marah horse + scalc
servant (akin to AS. scealc, Goth. skalks). F. mar\'82chal 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.) 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. [Written also marshaller.] One who marshals.
Marshaling
Mar"shal*ing, n. [Written also marshalling.]
1. The act of arranging in due order.
2. (Her.) 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. [Marshal + OE. se a seat. See See a seat.] 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. The office of a marshal.
Marshbanker, Marsebanker
Marsh"bank`er (?), Marse"bank`er (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The menhaden.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 898
Marshiness
Marsh"i*ness (?), n. The state or condition of being marshy.
Marsh marigold
Marsh mar"i*gold (?). (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. [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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Marsipobranchia.
Marsipobranchia
Mar"si*po*bran"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Cf. F. marsupial.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or
pertaining to the Marsupialia.
2. (Anat. & Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to a marsupium; as, the
marsupial bones.
Marsupial frog. (Zo\'94l.) See Nototrema.
Marsupial
Mar*su"pi*al, n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Marsupialia.
Marsupialia
Mar*su`pi*a"li*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. marsupium a pouch, bag,
purse, Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the
Marsupialia.
Marsupiate
Mar*su"pi*ate (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL.] Same as Marsupium.
Marsupite
Mar"su*pite (?), n. [See Marsupial.] (Paleon.) A fossil crinoid of the
genus Marsupites, resembling a purse in form.
Marsupium
Mar*su"pi*um (?), n.; pl. Marsupia (#). [L., a pouch], (Anat. &
Zo\'94l.) (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. [Contr. fr. market.]
1. A market.
Where has commerce such a mart . . . as London ? Cowper.
2. A bargain. [Obs.] Shak.
Mart
Mart, v. t. 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. To traffic. [Obs.] Shak.
Mart
Mart, n. [See Mars.]
1. The god Mars. [Obs.]
2. Battle; contest. [Obs.] Fairfax.
Martagon
Mar"ta*gon (?), n. [Cf. F. & Sp. martagon, It. martagone.] (Bot.) A
lily (Lilium Martagon) with purplish red flowers, found in Europe and
Asia.
Martel
Mar"tel (?), v. i. [F. marteler, fr. martel, marteau, hammer, a dim.
fr. L. martulus, marculus, dim. of marcus hammer. Cf. March to step.]
To make a blow with, or as with, a hammer. [Obs.] Spenser.
Martel de fer
Mar`tel` de fer" (?). [OF., hammer of iron.] 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. [F.] A small hammer used by marble workers and
sculptors.
Martello tower
Mar*tel"lo tow`er (?). [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.) 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: &hand; Th e En glish bo rrowed th e na me of th e tower from
Corsica in 1794.
Marten
Mar"ten (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A bird. See Martin.
Marten
Mar"ten, n. [From older martern, marter, martre, F. martre, marte, LL.
martures (pl.), fr. L. martes; akin to AS. mear, meard, G. marder,
OHG. mardar, Icel. m\'94r. Cf. Foumart.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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 zo\'94logists consider only a variety of the Russian sable.
2. The fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc.
Martern
Mar"tern (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Marten. [Obs.]
Mar-text
Mar"-text` (?), n. A blundering preacher.
Martial
Mar"tial (?), a. [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.) 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. The quality of being warlike; exercises suitable
for war. [Obs.]
Martialist
Mar"tial*ist, n. A warrior. [Obs.] Fuller.
Martialize
Mar"tial*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Martialized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Martializing (?).] To render warlike; as, to martialize a people.
Martially
Mar"tial*ly, adv. In a martial manner.
Martialness
Mar"tial*ness, n. The quality of being martial. <-- Martian. 1. of or
referring to Mars. 2. an inhabitant of Mars ;- fictional or
hypothetical. -->
Martin
Mar"tin (?), n. (Stone Working) [Etymol. uncertain.] A perforated
stone-faced runner for grinding.
Martin
Mar"tin, n. [F. martin, from the proper name Martin. Cf. Martlet.]
(Zo\'94l.) One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail
less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. [Written also
marten.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e Am erican pu rple ma rtin, 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. [So called from an officer of that name in the
French army under Louis XIV. Cf. Martin the bird, Martlet.] 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. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) The martin.
Martineta
Mar`ti*ne"ta (?), n. [Cf. Sp. martinete.] (Zo\'94l.) A species of
tinamou (Calopezus elegans), having a long slender crest.
Martinetism
Mar"ti*net`ism (?), n. The principles or practices of a martinet;
rigid adherence to discipline, etc.
Martingale, Martingal
Mar"tin*gale (?), Mar"tin*gal (?), n. [F. martingale; cf. It.
martingala a sort of hose, martingale, Sp. martingala a greave, cuish,
martingale, Sp. alm\'a0rtaga 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.) 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) 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. [St. Martin + mass religious service.] (Eccl.) 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. [L. Mars, Martis, the god Mars, the alchemical name
of iron.] (Min.) Iron sesquioxide in isometric form, probably a
pseudomorph after magnetite.
Martlemas
Mar"tle*mas (?), n. See Martinmas. [Obs.]
Martlet
Mart"let (?), n. [F. martinet. See Martin the bird, and cf. Martinet a
disciplinarian.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) The European house martin.
2. [Cf. F. merlette.] (Her.) 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. [AS., from L. martyr, Gr. ma`rtyr, ma`rtys, prop., a
witness; cf. Skr. sm&rsdot; 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. [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. Act of martyrizing, or state of being
martyrized; torture. B. Jonson.
Martyrize
Mar"tyr*ize (?), v. t. [Cf. F. martyriser, LL. martyrizare.] To make a
martyr of. Spenser.
Martyrly
Mar"tyr*ly, adv. In the manner of a martyr.
Martyrologe
Mar"tyr*o*loge (?), n. [LL. martyrologium: cf. F. martyrologe.] A
martyrology. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Martyrologic, Martyrological
Mar`tyr*o*log"ic (?), Mar`tyr*o*log"ic*al (?), a. Pertaining to
martyrology or martyrs; registering, or registered in, a catalogue of
martyrs.
Martyrologist
Mar`tyr*ol"o*gist (?), n. [Cf. F. martyrologiste.] A writer of
martyrology; an historian of martyrs. T. Warton.
Martyrology
Mar`tyr*ol"o*gy (?), n.; pl. -gies (#). [Martyr + -logy.] A history or
account of martyrs; a register of martyrs. Bp. Stillingfleet.
Martyrship
Mar"tyr*ship, n. Martyrdom. [R.] Fuller.
Marvel
Mar"vel (?), n. [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.] [OE. merveilen, OF. merveillier.] 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. [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. In a marvelous manner; wonderfully; strangely.
Marvelousness
Mar"vel*ous*ness, n. The quality or state of being marvelous;
wonderfulness; strangeness.
Marver
Mar"ver (?), n. [Prob. corrupt. fr. OE. or F. marbre marble.] (Glass
Marking) A stone, or cast-iron plate, or former, on which hot glass is
rolled to give it shape. <-- Marxism. n. A system of economic and
political thought, originated by Karl Marx, and elaborated by others.
It holds that the state has been the a device for suppression of the
masses, allowing exploitation by a dominant (capitalistic) class; that
historical change occurs through class struggle; and that the
capitalist system will inevitably wither away to be superseded by a
classless society. Marxism-Leninism. Marxism, as interpreted by V.I.
Lenin Marxist. n. 1. One who believes in the theories of Karl Marx. 2.
adj. of or pertaining to Marx or Marxism. -->
Mary
Mar"y (?), n. Marrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mary
Ma"ry (?), interj. See Marry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mary-bud
Ma"ry-bud` (?), n. (Bot.) The marigold; a blossom of the marigold.
Shak.
Maryolatry
Ma`ry*ol"a*try (?), n. Mariolatry.
Marysole
Ma"ry*sole (?), n. [Mary, the proper name + sole the fish.] (Zo\'94l.)
A large British fluke, or flounder (Rhombus megastoma); -- called also
carter, and whiff. <-- Marzipan. the word more commonly used
(1950-1990) for marchpane. -->
Mascagnin, Mascagnite
Mas*ca"gnin (?), Mas*ca"gnite (?), n. [Cf. F. mascagnin.] (Min.)
Native sulphate of ammonia, found in volcanic districts; -- so named
from Mascagni, who discovered it.
Mascle
Mas"cle (?), n. [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.) A lozenge voided.
Mascled
Mas"cled (?), a. 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. [Through French fr. Pr. mascot a little
sorcerer or magician, mascotto witchcraft, sorcery.] 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. [L. masculus male, masculine.] To make strong.
[Obs.] Cockeram.
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Page 899
Masculine
Mas"cu*line (?), a. [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.) 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. The state or quality of being masculine;
masculineness.
Mase
Mase (?), n. & v. See Maze. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maselyn
Mas"e*lyn (?), n. A drinking cup. See 1st Maslin, 2. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maser
Ma"ser (?), n. Same as Mazer.
Mash
Mash (?), n. A mesh. [Obs.]
Mash
Mash, n. [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.] [Akin
to G. meischen, maischen, to mash, mix, and prob. to mischen, E. mix.
See 2d Mash.] 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. <-- mashed potato. n. the name of
a dance, briefly popular in the 1960's. mashed potatoes n. pl.
Potatoes which have been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency,
usu. with sparing addition of milk, salt, butter, or other flavoring.
It is a popular accompaniment to a meat course [U.S., 1900's],
providing bulk and calories to a meal. -->
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.
Mashlin
Mash"lin (?), n. See Maslin.
Mashy
Mash"y (?), a. Produced by crushing or bruising; resembling, or
consisting of, a mash.
Mask
Mask (?), n. [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg.
m\'a0scara, 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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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.) Same as Personate.
3. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), a European crab
(Corystes cassivelaunus) with markings on the carapace somewhat
resembling a human face. -- Masked pig (Zo\'94l.), a Japanese domestic
hog (Sus pliciceps). Its face is deeply furrowed.
Masker
Mask"er (?), n. One who wears a mask; one who appears in disguise at a
masquerade.
Masker
Mask"er, v. t. To confuse; to stupefy. [Obs.] Holland.
Maskery
Mask"er*y (?), n. The dress or disguise of a maske [Obs.] Marston.
Maskinonge
Mas"ki*nonge (?), n. The muskellunge.
Mask shell
Mask" shell` (?). (Zo\'94l.) Any spiral marine shell of the genus
Persona, having a curiously twisted aperture.
Maslach
Mas"lach (?), n. [Ar. maslaq: cf. F. masloc.] (Med.) An excitant
containing opium, much used by the Turks. Dunglison.
Maslin
Mas"lin (?), n. [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. 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. [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 (Zo\'94l.), any one of numerous species of solitary bees of
the genus Osmia. They construct curious nests of hardened mud and
sand. -- Mason moth (Zo\'94l.), any moth whose larva constructs an
earthen cocoon under the soil. -- Mason shell (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 larv\'91
Mason
Ma"son, v. t. 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. Of or pertaining to Freemasons or to their craft or
mysteries.
Masonry
Ma"son*ry (?), n. [F. ma\'87onnerie.]
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` (?). 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. [NHeb. m\'bes tradition.] 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. A Masorite. [Written also Masorete, and Massorete.]
Masoretic, Masoretical
Mas`o*ret"ic (?), Mas`o*ret"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. massor\'82tique.] 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. One of the writers of the Masora.
Masque
Masque (?), n. A mask; a masquerade.
Masquerade
Mas`quer*ade" (?), n. [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. To conceal with masks; to disguise. "To
masquerade vice." Killingbeck.
Masquerader
Mas`quer*ad"er (?), n. One who masquerades; a person wearing a mask;
one disguised.
Mass
Mass (?), n. [OE. masse, messe, AS. m\'91sse. 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.) The sacrifice in the sacrament of the Eucharist, or the
consecration and oblation of the host.
2. (Mus.) 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.] To
celebrate Mass. [Obs.] Hooker.
Mass
Mass, n. [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.) 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) The quantity of matter which a body contains,
irrespective of its bulk or volume.
NOTE: &hand; Ma ss an d 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. 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. [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. m\'a0itan.]
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.<-- St.
Valentine's Day massacre; Amritsar massacre; the Wounded Knee
massacre. -->
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 (?).] [Cf. F. massacrer. See Massacre, n.] 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. One who massacres. [R.]
Massage
Mas"sage (?), n. [F.] A rubbing or kneading of the body, especially
when performed as a hygienic or remedial measure.
Massasauga
Mas`sa*sau"ga (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The black rattlesnake (Crotalus, OR
Caudisona, tergemina), found in the Mississippi Valley.
Mass\'82, OR Mass\'82 shot
Mass\'82, OR Mass\'82 shot (?), n. (Billiards) A stroke made with the
cue held vertically.
Masser
Mass"er, n. A priest who celebrates Mass. [R.] Bale.
Masseter
Mas"se*ter (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. mass\'82ter.] (Anat.) The large
muscle which raises the under jaw, and assists in mastication.
Masseteric
Mas`se*ter"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the masseter.
Masseterine
Mas"se*ter`ine (?), a. (Anat.) Masseteric.
Masseur, n. m., Masseuse
Mas`seur" (?), n. m., Mas`seuse" (?), n. f.,} [F., or formed in
imitation of French. See Massage.] (Med.) One who performs massage.
Massicot
Mas"si*cot (?), n. [F. massicot; E. masticot is a corruption.] (Chem.)
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.<-- now pref. Lead monoxide; also, lead oxide
yellow, as opposed to red lead, which is lead tetroxide Pb3O4 -->
NOTE: &hand; Ma ssicot is sometimes used by painters, and also as a
drier in the composition of ointments and plasters.
Massiness
Mass"i*ness (?), n. [From Massy.] The state or quality of being massy;
ponderousness.
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Massive
Mass"ive (?), a. [F. massif.]
1. Forming, or consisting of, a large mass; compacted; weighty; heavy;
massy. "Massive armor." Dr. H. More.
2. (Min.) 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. In a heavy mass.
Massiveness
Mass"ive*ness, n. The state or quality of being massive; massiness.
Massoola boat
Mas*soo"la boat`. See Masoola boat.
Massora
Mas*so"ra (?), n. Same as Masora.
Massoret
Mas"so*ret (?), n. Same as Masorite.
Massy
Mass"y (?), a. [Compar. Massier (?); superl. Massiest.] 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. [AS. m\'91st, fem. ; akin to G. mast, and E. meat. See
Meat.] 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. [AS. m\'91st, masc.; akin to D., G., Dan., & Sw. mast, Icel.
mastr, and perh. to L. malus.]
1. (Naut.) 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.<--sic--> Milton.
NOTE: &hand; Th e mo st common general names of masts are foremast,
mainmast, and mizzenmast, each of which may be made of separate
spars.
2. (Mach.) 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.] To furnish
with a mast or masts; to put the masts of in position; as, to mast a
ship.
Mastax
Mas"tax (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) (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. Furnished with a mast or masts; -- chiefly in
composition; as, a three-masted schooner.
Master
Mast"er (?), n. (Naut.) A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only
in compounds; as, a two-master.
Master
Mas"ter (?), n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F.
ma\'8ctre, 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 m\'ccster,
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.) 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: &hand; Ma ster, si gnifying ch ief, pr incipal, ma sterly,
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. To be skillful; to excel. [Obs.]
Masterdom
Mas"ter*dom (?), n. [Master + -dom.] 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. 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. The state of being a master; hence, disposition
to command or hector. C. Bront\'82.
Masterless
Mas"ter*less, a. Destitute of a master or owner; ungoverned or
ungovernable. -- Mas"ter*less*ness, n.
Masterliness
Mas"ter*li*ness (?), n. 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. With the skill of a master.
Thou dost speak masterly. Shak.
Masterous
Mas"ter*ous (?), a. Masterly. [Obs.] Milton.
Masterpiece
Mas"ter*piece` (?), n. Anything done or made with extraordinary skill;
a capital performance; a chef-d'\'d2uvre; 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. [A translation of G. meisters\'84nger.] 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.
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 (#). [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;
pre\'89minence.
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. [See lst Mast.] Abounding in mast; producing mast in
abundance; as, the mastful forest; a mastful chestnut. Dryden.
Masthead
Mast"head` (?), n. (Naut.) The top or head of a mast; the part of a
mast above the hounds.
Masthead
Mast"head", v. t. (Naut.) To cause to go to the masthead as a
punishment. Marryat.
Masthouse
Mast"house` (?), n. A building in which vessels' masts are shaped,
fitted, etc.
Mastic
Mas"tic (?), n. [F., fr. L. mastiche, mastichum, Gr. [Written also
mastich.]
1. (Bot.) 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. Capable of being masticated.
Masticador
Mas`ti*ca"dor (?), n. [Cf. Sp. mastigador. See Masticate.] (Man.) 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 (?).] [L. masticatus, p. p. of masticare to chew, prob.
fr. mastiche mastic. See Mastic.] 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. One who masticates.
Mastication
Mas`ti*ca"tion (?), n. [L. masticatio: cf. F. mastication.] 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. [Cf. F. masticatoire.] Chewing; adapted to
perform the office o
Masticatory
Mas"ti*ca*to*ry, n.; pl. -ries (. (Med.) A substance to be chewed to
increase the saliva. Bacon.
Mastich
Mas"tich (?), n. See Mastic.
Masticin
Mas"ti*cin (?), n. (Chem.) A white, amorphous, tenacious substance
resembling caoutchouc, and obtained as an insoluble residue of mastic.
Masticot
Mas"ti*cot (?), n. (Chem.) Massicot. [Obs.]
Mastiff
Mas"tiff (?), n.; pl. Mastiffs (. [Mastives is irregular and unusual.]
[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. m\'83tin mastiff, OF.
mastin.] (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.) , any
bat of the genus Molossus; so called because the face somewhat
resembles that of a mastiff.
Mastigopod
Mas"ti*go*pod (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Mastigopoda.
Mastigopoda
Mas`ti*gop"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The Infusoria.
Mastigure
Mas"ti*gure (?), n. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several large
spiny-tailed lizards of the genus Uromastix. They inhabit Southern
Asia and North Africa.
Masting
Mast"ing (?), n. (Naut.) 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. [Gr. -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the breast.
Mastless
Mast"less (?), a. [See lst Mast.] Bearing no mast; as, a mastless oak
or beech. Dryden.
Mastless
Mast"less, a. [See 2d Mast.] Having no mast; as, a mastless vessel.
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Mastlin
Mast"lin (?), n. See Maslin.
Mastodon
Mas"to*don (?), n. [Gr. (Paleon.) 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. [NL., fr. E. Mastodon + Gr. (Paleon.) A
large extinct genus of labyrinthodonts, found in the European Triassic
rocks.
Mastodontic
Mas`to*don"tic (?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a mastodon; as,
mastodontic dimensions. Everett.
Mastodynia, Mastodyny
Mas`to*dyn"i*a (?), Mas*tod"y*ny (, n. [NL. mastodynia, fr. Gr. (Med.)
Pain occuring in the mamma or female breast, -- a form of neuralgia.
Mastoid
Mas"toid (?), a. [Gr. masto\'8bde.] (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. Same as Mastoid.
Mastology
Mas*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy: cf. F. mastologie.] The natural
history of Mammalia.
Mastress
Mas"tress (?), n. Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Masturbation
Mas`tur*ba"tion (?), n. [L. masturbatus, p. p. of masturbari to
practice onanism: cf. F. masturbation.] Onanism; self-pollution.
Masty
Mast"y (?), a. [See lst Mast.] Full of mast; abounding in acorns, etc.
Masula boat
Ma*su"la boat` (?). Same as Masoola boat.
Mat
Mat (?), n. [Cf. Matte.] A name given by coppersmiths to an alloy of
copper, tin, iron, etc., usually called white metal. [Written also
matt.]
Mat
Mat, a. [OF. See 4th Mate.] Cast down; dejected; overthrown; slain.
[Obs.]
When he saw them so piteous and so maat. Chaucer.
Mat
Mat, n. [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. To grow thick together; to become interwoven or felted
together like a mat.
Matachin
Ma`ta*chin" (?), n. [Sp.] An old dance with swords and bucklers; a
sword dance.
Mataco
Mat"a*co (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutis
tricinctus). See Illust. under Loricata.
Matadore, Matador
Mat"a*dore, Mat"a*dor (?), n. [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) 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. (Zo\'94l.) A shrike or butcher bird; -- called
also mattages. [Prov. Eng.]
Matamata
Ma`ta*ma"ta (?), n. [Pg.] (Zo\'94l.) The bearded tortoise (Chelys
fimbriata) of South American rivers.
Matanza
Ma*tan"za (?), n. [Sp., slaughter, fr. matar to kill.] A place where
animals are slaughtered for their hides and tallow. [Western U. S.]
Match
Match (?), n. [OE. macche, F. m\'8ache, F. m\'8ache, fr. L. myxa a
lamp nozzle, Gr. Mucus.] 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. [OE. macche, AS. gem\'91cca; 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) 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. 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. A coarse cloth.
Match-coat
Match"-coat` (?), n. A coat made of match-cloth.
Matcher
Match"er (?), n. One who, or that which, matches; a matching machine.
See under 3d Match.
Matchless
Match"less, a. [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. 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. Busy in making or contriving marriages; as, a
matchmaking woman.
Mate
Ma"te (?), n. [Sp.] 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. [F. mat, abbrev. fr. \'82chec et mat. See Checkmate.]
(Chess) Same as Checkmate.
Mate
Mate, a. See 2d Mat. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mate
Mate, v. t. [F. mater to fatigue, enfeeble, humiliate, checkmate. See
Mate checkmate.]
1. To confuse; to confound. [Obs.] Shak.
2. To checkmate.
Mate
Mate, n. [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.) 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. 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.
Mateless
Mate"less, a. [Cf. Matchless.] Having no mate.
Matelote
Mat"e*lote (?), n. [F., fr. matelot a sailor; properly, a dish such as
sailors prepare.] A dish of food composed of many kings of fish.
Mateology
Ma`te*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. mat\'82ologie.] A vain, unprofitable
discourse or inquiry. [R.]
Mateotechny
Ma`te*o*tech"ny (?), n. [Gr. Any unprofitable science. [Obs.]
Mater
Ma"ter (?), n. [L., mother. See Mother.] See Alma mater, Dura mater,
and Pia mater.
Material
Ma*te"ri*al (?), a. [L. materialis, fr. materia stuff, matter: cf. F.
mat\'82riel. See Matter, and cf. Mat\'90riel.]
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.) 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. 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. To form from matter; to materialize. [Obs.] Sir T.
Browne.
Materialism
Ma*te"ri*al*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. mat\'82rialisme.]
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.
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Page 902
Materialist
Ma*te"ri*al*ist (?), n. [Cf. F. mat\'82rialiste.]
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. 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. [Cf. F. mat\'82rialit\'82.]
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. 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 (?).] [Cf. F. mat\'82rialiser.]
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) 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. 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 pre\'89xistent 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. The state of being material.
Materia medica
Ma*te"ri*a med"i*ca (?). [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. [L. materiarius.] See Materialist. [Obs.]
Materiate, Materiated
Ma*te"ri*ate (?), Ma*te"ri*a`ted (?), a. [L. materiatus, p. p. of
materiare to build of wood.] Consisting of matter. [Obs.] Bacon.
Materiation
Ma*te`ri*a"tion (?), n. [L. materiatio woodwork.] Act of forming
matter. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Mat\'82riel
Ma`t\'82`ri`el" (?), n. [F. See Material.] 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. See Material. [Obs.]
Maternal
Ma*ter"nal (?), a. [F. maternel, L. maternus, fr. mater mother. See
Mother.] 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. In a motherly manner.
Maternity
Ma*ter"ni*ty (?), n. [F. maternit\'82, LL. maternitas.] The state of
being a mother; the character or relation of a mother.
Matfelon
Mat"fel*on (?), n. [W. madfelen.] (Bot.) The knapweed (Centaurea
nigra).
Math
Math (?), n. [AS. mm\'bewan to mow, G. mahd math. See Mow to cut
(grass).] 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. [F. math\'82matique, L. mathematicus, Gr. mind.
See Mind.] See Mathematical.
Mathematical
Math`e*mat"ic*al (?), a. [See Mathematic.] 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. [Cf. F. math\'82maticien.] One versed in
mathematics.
Mathematics
Math`e*mat"ics (?), n. [F. math\'82matiques, pl., L. mathematica,
sing., Gr. Mathematic, and -ics.] 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: &hand; Ma thematics em braces th ree de partments, 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. See Madder.
Mathes
Math"es (?), n. [Perh. corrupted fr. L. anthemis camomile, Gr. (Bot.)
The mayweed. Cf. Maghet.
Mathesis
Ma*the"sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. Learning; especially, mathematics.
[R.] Pope.
Mathurin
Math"u*rin (?), n. (R. C. Ch.) See Trinitarian.
Matico
Ma*ti"co (?), n. (Bot.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) A fat herring with undeveloped roe. [Written
also matty.] [Eng. & Scot.]
M&acir;tin
M&acir;`tin" (?), n. [F. m&acir;tin.] (Zo\'94l.) A French mastiff.
Matin
Mat"in (?), n. [F. fr. L. matutinum the morning, matutinus of the
morning, Matuta the goddess of the morning. See Matutinal.]
1. Morning. [Obs.] Shak.
2. pl. [F. matines. See Etymol. above.] 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. Of or pertaining to the morning, or to matins; used in the
morning; matutinal.
Matinal
Mat"in*al (?), a. Relating to the morning, or to matins; matutinal.
Matin\'82e
Mat`i*n\'82e" (?), n. [F., from matin. See Matin.] A reception, or a
musical or dramatic entertainment, held in the daytime. See Soir\'90e.
Matrass
Ma*trass" (?), n. [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.) A round-bottomed
glass flask having a long neck; a bolthead.
Matress
Mat"ress (?), n. See Matress.
Matriarch
Ma"tri*arch (?), n. [L. mater mother + -arch.] The mother and ruler of
a family or of her descendants; a ruler by maternal right.
Matriarchal
Ma`tri*ar"chal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a matriarch; governed by a
matriarch.
Matriarchate
Ma"tri*ar"chate (?), n. The office or jurisdiction of a matriarch; a
matriarchal form of government.
Matrice
Ma"trice (?), n. [Cf. F. matrice. See Matrix.] See Matrix.
Matricidal
Mat"ri*ci`dal (?), a. Of or pertaining to matricide.
Matricide
Mat"ri*cide (?), n. [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. [L. matricida: cf. F. matricide.] One who murders one's own mother.
Matriculate
Ma*tric"u*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Matriculated (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Matriculating.] [L. matricula a public roll or register, dim. of
matrix a mother, in respect to propagation, also, a public register.
See Matrix.] 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. 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. Matriculated. Skelton. -- n. One who is
matriculated. Arbuthnot.
Matriculation
Ma*tric`u*la"tion (?), n. The act or process of matriculating; the
state of being matriculated.
Matrimoine
Mat"ri*moine (?), n. Matrimony. [Obs.]
Matrimonial
Mat`ri*mo"ni*al (?), a. [L. matrimonialis: cf. F. matrimonial. See
Matrimony.] 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. In a matrimonial manner.
Matrimonious
Mat`ri*mo"ni*ous (?), a. Matrimonial. [R.] Milton.
Matrimony
Mat"ri*mo*ny (?), n. [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 (#). [L., fr. mater mother. See Mother,
and cf. Matrice.]
1. (Anat.) 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) The five simple colors, black, white,
blue, red, and yellow, of which all the rest are composed.
3. (Biol.) The lifeless portion of tissue, either animal or vegetable,
situated between the cells; the intercellular substance.
4. (Math.) A rectangular arrangement of symbols in rows and columns.
The symbols may express quantities or operations.
Matron
Ma"tron (?), n. [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. [L. matronalis.] Of or pertaining to a matron;
suitable to an elderly lady or to a married woman; grave; motherly.
Matronhood
Ma"tron*hood (?), n. 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. 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. [L. mater mother + -nymic, as in patronimic.]
See Metronymic.
Matross
Ma*tross" (?), n. [D. matroos, fr. F. matelot.] (Mil.) 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. See Matte. Knight.
Mattages
Mat`ta*ges" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A shrike or butcher bird; -- written
also matagasse. [Prov. Eng.]
Mattamore
Mat"ta*more` (?), n. [F. matamore, from Ar. matm.] A subterranean
repository for wheat.
Matte
Matte (?), n. [F. matte; cf. F. mat, masc., matte, fem., faint, dull,
dim; -- said of metals. See Mate checkmate.]
1. (Metallurgy) 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. [See Matte.] 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. [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. [OE. matere, F. mati\'8are, 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: &hand; Ma tter is us ually di vided by philosophical writers
into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and a\'89riform. 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.
A\'89riform 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.
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Page 903
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.) 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.) 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. 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. 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. [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. [See Matte.] A dull, lusterless surface in certain of the
arts, as gilding, metal work, glassmaking, etc.
Mattock
Mat"tock (?), n. [AS. mattuc; cf. W. matog.] 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.
Mattowacca
Mat`to*wac"ca (?), n. [Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [OF. materas, F. matelas, LL. matratium; cf. Sp. &
Pg. almadraque, Pr. almatrac; all from Ar. ma&tsdot;rah a place where
anything is thrown, what is thrown under something, fr. &tsdot;araha
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.) A mass of interwoven brush, poles, etc., to
protect a bank from being worn away by currents or waves.
Maturant
Mat"u*rant (?), n. [L. maturans, p. pr. See Maturate.] (Med.) A
medicine, or application, which promotes suppuration.
Maturate
Mat"u*rate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maturated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Maturating (?).] [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. To ripen; to become mature; specif
Maturation
Mat`u*ra"tion (?), n. [L. maturatio a hastening: cf. F. maturation.]
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. [Cf. F. maturatif.] Conducing to ripeness or
maturity; hence, conducing to suppuration.
Maturative
Mat"u*ra*tive, n. (Med.) A remedy promoting maturation; a maturant.
Mature
Ma*ture" (?), a. [Compar. Maturer (?); superl. Maturest.] [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.] [See Maturate, Mature.] 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. The state or quality of being mature; maturity.
Maturer
Ma*tur"er (?), n. One who brings to maturity.
Maturescent
Mat`u*res"cent (?), a. [L. maturescens, p. pr. of maturescere to
become ripe, v. incho. from maturus. See Mature, a.] Approaching
maturity.
Maturing
Ma*tur"ing (?), a. Approaching maturity; as, maturing fruits; maturing
notes of hand.
Maturity
Ma*tu"ri*ty (?), n. [L. maturitas: cf. F. maturit\'82.]
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. [L. matutinalis, matutinus: cf. F. matutinal. See
Matin.] Of or pertaining to the morning; early.
Matutinary
Ma*tu"ti*na*ry (?), a. Matutinal. [R.]
Matutine
Mat"u*tine (?), a. Matutinal. [R.]
Matweed
Mat"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) 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. [Etymology uncertain.] A native house servant in India.
Balfour (Cyc. of India).
Matzoth
Matz"oth (?), n. [Heb. matsts&omac;th, pl. of matsts\'beh unleavened.]
A cake of unleavened bread eaten by the Jews at the feast of the
Passover.<-- this is pl. form. sing. is matzo or matzoh. Other plurals
matzos and matzohs -->
Maucaco
Mau*ca"co (?), n. [From the native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A lemur; --
applied to several species, as the White-fronted, the ruffed, and the
ring-tailed lemurs.
Maud
Maud (?), n. A gray plaid; -- used by shepherds in Scotland.
Maudle
Mau"dle (?), v. t. To throw onto confusion or disorder; to render
maudlin. [Obs.]
Maudlin
Maud"lin (?), a. [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.) An aromatic composite herb, the
costmary; also, the South European Achillea Ageratum, a kind of
yarrow.
Muadlinism
Muad"lin*ism (?), n. A maudlin state. Dickens.
Maudlinwort
Maud"lin*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The oxeye daisy.
Mauger, Maugre
Mau"ger, Mau"gre (?), prep. [OF. maugr\'82, malgr\'82, F. malgr\'82.
See Mal-, Malice, and Agree.] 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. To defy. [Obs.] J. Webster.
Maukin
Mau"kin (?), n.
1. See Malkin.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A hare. [Scot.]
Maul
Maul (?), n. [See Mall a hammer.] 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.) The common mallow.
Mauling
Maul"ing (?), n. A severe beating with a stick, cudgel, or the fist.
Maul-stick
Maul"-stick` (?), n. [G. malerstock; maler a painter + stock stick.] A
stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working. [Written
also mahl-stick.]
Maumet
Mau"met (?), n. See Mawmet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Maunch
Maunch (?), v. t. To munch. [Obs.]
Maunch
Maunch (?), n. See Manche.
Maund
Maund (?), n. [AS. mand, mond.] A hand basket. [Obs.] Herrick.
Maund
Maund, n. [Hind, & Per. man.] An East Indian weight, varying in
different localities from 25 to about 82 pounds avoirdupois.
Maund, Maunder
Maund (?), Maund"er (?), v. i. [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. To utter in a grumbling manner; to mutter.
Maunder
Maund"er, n. A beggar. [Obs.]
Maunderer
Maund"er*er (?), n. One who maunders.
Maundril
Maun"dril (?), n. [Cf. Mandrel.] (Coa A pick with two prongs, to pry
with.
Maundy Thursday
Maun"dy Thurs"day (?). [OE. maunde a command, OF. mand\'82, 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.) The
Thursday in Passion week, or next before Good Friday.
Maungy
Maun"gy (?), a. Mangy. [Obs.] Skelton.
Mauresque
Mau*resque" (?), a. & n. See Moresque.
Maurist
Maur"ist (?), n. [From Maurus, the favorite disciple of St. Benedict.]
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. [L. Mausoleus. See Mausoleum.] Pertaining to a
mausoleum; monumental.
Mausoleum
Mau`so*le"um (?), n.; pl. E. Mausoleums (#), L. -lea (#). [L.
mausoleum, Gr. A magnificent tomb, or stately sepulchral monument.
Mauther
Mau"ther (?), n. [Cf. AS. m\'91g a maid.] [Also spelled mawther,
mother.] A girl; esp., a great, awkward girl; a wench. [Prov. Eng.]
Mauvaniline
Mauv`an"i*line (?), n. (Chem.) See Mauve aniline, under Mauve.
Mauve
Mauve (?), n. [F., mallow, L. malva. So named from the similarity of
the color to that of the petals of common mallow, Malva sylvestris.
See Mallow.] 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
mauve\'8bne, and is a dark brown or bronze amorphous powder, which
dissolves to a beatiful purple color. Called also aniline purple,
violine, etc.
Mauve\'8bne
Mauve"\'8bne (?), n. (Chem.) 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. Mauve-colored.
Maverick
Mav"er*ick (?), n. 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.
Mavis
Ma"vis (m&amac;"v&icr;s), n. [F. mauvis, Arm. milvid, milfid,
milc'hhouid, Corn. melhuez.] (Zo\'94l.) The European throstle or song
thrush (Turdus musicus).
Maw
Maw (?), n. [See Mew a gull.] (Zo\'94l.) A gull.
Maw
Maw, n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) See under Fish.
Maw
Maw, n. An old game at cards. Sir A. Weldon.
Mawk
Mawk (?), n. [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. See Malkin, and Maukin.
Mawkingly
Mawk"ing*ly (?), adv. Slatternly. [Obs.]
Mawkish
Mawk"ish, a. [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. In a mawkish way.
Mawkishness
Mawk"ish*ness, n. The quality or state of being mawkish. J. H. Newman.
Mawks
Mawks (?), n. A slattern; a mawk. [Prov. Eng.]
Mawky
Mawk"y (?), a. Maggoty. [Prov. Eng.]
Mawmet
Maw"met (?), n. [Contr. fr. Mahomet.] 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. The religion of Mohammed; also, idolatry. See
Mawmet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mawmish
Maw"mish (?), a. [Prov. E. maum soft, mellow, rotten; cf. OD. molm
rotten wood, G. mulm.] Nauseous. [Obs.] L' Estrange.
Mawseed
Maw"seed` (?), n. [Cf. G. magsamen.] (Bot.) The seed of the opium
poppy.
Mawworm
Maw"worm` (?), n. [Maw the belly + worm.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) Any
intestinal worm found in the stomach, esp. the common round worm
(Ascaris lumbricoides), and allied species. (b) One of the larv\'91 of
botflies of horses; a bot.
Maxilla
Max*il"la (?), n.; pl. Maxill\'91 (#). [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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the lower or outer jaws of arthropods.
NOTE: &hand; Th ere 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 904
Maxillar, Maxillary
Max"il*lar (?), Max"il*la*ry (?), a. [L. maxillaris, fr. maxilla
jawbone, jaw: cf. F. maxillaire.]
1. (Anat.) Pertaining to either the upper or the lower jaw, but now
usually applied to the upper jaw only. -- n. The principal maxillary
bone; the maxilla.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to a maxilla.
Maxilliform
Max*il"li*form (?), a. [Maxilla + -form: cf. F. maxilliforme.] Having
the form, or structure, of a maxilla.
Maxilliped
Max*il"li*ped (?), n. [Maxilla + L. pes, pedis, foot.] (Zo\'94l.) One
of the mouth appendages of Crustacea, situated next behind the
maxill\'91. 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. [Maxilla + mandibular.] (Anat.)
Pertaining to the maxilla and mandible; as, the maxillo-mandibular
nerve.
Maxillo-palatine
Max*il`lo-pal"a*tine (?), a. [Maxilla + palatine.] (Anat.) 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. [Maxilla + turbinal.] (Anat.) Pertaining
to the maxillary and turbinal regions of the skull. -- n. The
maxillo-turbinal, or inferior turbinate, bone.
Maxim
Max"im (?), n. [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.) The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs, or four
breves; a large. Syn. -- Axiom; aphorism; apothegm; adage; proverb;
saying. See Axiom.
Maximilian
Max`i*mil"ian (?), n. [From the proper name.] 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. The act or process of increasing to the
highest degree. Bentham.
Maximize
Max"i*mize (?), v. t. [L. maximus greatest.] To increase to the
highest degree. Bentham.
Maximum
Max"i*mum (?), n.; pl. Maxima (#). [L., neut. from maximus the
greatest. See Maxim.] 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 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. 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 (?)] [AS. pres. m\'91g I am able, pret.
meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. m\'94gen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel.
mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. Dismay, Main strength, Might. The old
imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.] 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. [Cf. Icel. m\'91r, Goth. mawi; akin to E. maiden. A maiden.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
May
May, n. [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.) 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 Spir\'91a (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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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.) The name for the doctrine of the
unreality of matter, called, in English, idealism; hence, nothingness;
vanity; illusion.
Maybe
May"be (?), adv. [For it may be.] Perhaps; possibly; peradventure.
Maybe the amorous count solicits her. Shak.
In a liberal and, maybe, somewhat reckless way. Tylor.
Maybe
May"be, a. Possible; probable, but not sure. [R.]
Then add those maybe years thou hast to live. Driden.
Maybe
May"be, n. Possibility; uncertainty. [R.]
What they offer is mere maybe and shift. Creech.
Maybird
May"bird` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (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.) The hawthorn.
Maybush
May"bush` (?), n. (Bot.) The hawthorn.
Mayduke
May"duke` (?), n. [Corrupt. of M\'82doc, a province in France, where
it is supposed to have originated.] A large dark-red cherry of
excellent quality.
Mayfish
May"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A common American minnow (Fundulus
majalis). See Minnow.
Mayflower
May"flow`er (?), n. (Bot.) In England, the hawthorn; in New England,
the trailing arbutus (see Arbutus); also, the blossom of these plants.
Mayhap
May"hap (?), adv. Perhaps; peradventure. [Prov. or Dialectic]
Mayhem
May"hem (?), n. [The same as maim. See Maim.] (Law) 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. The celebrating of May Day. "He met her once
a-Maying." Milton.
Mayonnaise
Ma`yon`naise" (?), n. [F.] 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. [OE. maire, F. maire, fr. L. major greater, higher,
nobler, compar. of magnus great; cf. Sp. mayor. See Major, and cf.
Merino.] 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. [Sp., fr. mayor greater, L. major.] The conductir of
a mule team; also, a head shepherd.
Mayoralty
May"or*al*ty (?), n. The office, or the term of office, of a mayor.
Mayoress
May"or*ess (?), n. The wife of a mayor.
Mayorship
May"or*ship, n. The office of a mayor.
Maypole
May"pole` (?), n. 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. [Perh. corrupt. fr. maracock.] (Bot.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) A goatlike antelope
(Haplocerus montanus) which inhabits the Rocky Mountains, frequenting
the highest parts; -- called also mountain goat.
Mazard
Maz"ard (?), n. [Cf. F. merise a wild cherry.] (Bot.) A kind of small
black cherry.
Mazard
Maz"ard, n. [Prob. fr. mazer, the head being compared to a large
goblet.] The jaw; the head or skull. [Obs.] Shak.
Mazard
Maz"ard, v. t., To knock on the head. [Obs.]
Mazarine
Maz`a*rine" (?), a. 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. Mazarine blue.
Mazdean
Maz"de*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Ahura-Mazda, or Ormuzd, the
beneficent deity in the Zoroastrian dualistic system; hence,
Zoroastrian.
Mazdeism
Maz"de*ism (?), n. The Zoroastrian religion.
Maze
Maze (?), n. [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.] To
perplex greatly; to bewilder; to astonish and confuse; to amaze.
South.
Maze
Maze, v. i. To be bewildered. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mazedness
Maz"ed*ness (?), n. The condition of being mazed; confusion;
astonishment. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mazeful
Maze"ful (?), a. Mazy. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
Mazer
Maz"er (?), n. [OE. maser, akin to OD. maser an excrescence on a maple
tree, OHG. masar, G. maser spot, Icel. m\'94surr maple.] A large
drinking bowl; -- originally made of maple. [Obs.]
Their brimful mazers to the feasting bring. Drayton.
Mazily
Ma"zi*ly (?), adv. In a mazy manner.
Maziness
Ma"zi*ness, n. The state or quality of being mazy.
Mazological
Maz`o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to mazology.
Mazologist
Ma*zol"o*gist (?), n. One versed in mazology or mastology.
Mazology
Ma*zol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] Same as Mastology.
Mazourka, Mazurka
Ma*zour"ka (?), Ma*zur"ka (?), n. 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. [From Maze.] 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. One. See Men, pron. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Me
Me (?), pers. pron. [AS. m, dat. & acc., mec, acc. only ; akin to D.
mij, G. mich, Icel. & Goth. mik, L. me, Gr. m\'be, m\'bem. Mine.] 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: &hand; In me thinks, 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. To skulk; to cower. See Mich.
Meacock
Mea"cock (?), n. [Prob. fr. meek + cock.] An uxorious, effeminate, or
spiritless man. [Obs.] Johnson.
Mead
Mead (?), n. [OE. mede, AS. meodo; akin to D. mede, G. met, meth, OHG.
metu, mitu, Icel. mj\'94, Dan. mi\'94d, Sw. mj\'94d, 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. [AS. m. See Meadow.] 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. [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. Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow;
produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. "Fat meadow ground."
Milton.
NOTE: &hand; Fo r ma ny 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. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The American bittern. See Stake-driver. (b)
The American coot (Fulica). (c) The clapper rail. -- Meadow lark
(Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), any mouse of the
genus Arvicola, as the common American species A. riparia; -- called
also field mouse, and field vole. -- Meadow mussel (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.),
the common or jack snipe.
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Meadowsweet, Meadowwort
Mead"ow*sweet` (?), Mead"ow*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The name of several
plants of the genus Spir\'91a, 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. Of or pertaining to meadows; resembling, or
consisting of, meadow.
Meager, Meagre
Mea"ger, Mea"gre (?), a. [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.) 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. To make lean. [Obs.]
Meagerly, Meagrely
Mea"ger*ly, Mea"gre*ly, adv. Poorly; thinly.
Meagerness, Meagreness
Mea"ger*ness, Mea"gre*ness, n. The state or quality of being meager;
leanness; scantiness; barrenness.
Meagre
Mea"gre (?), n. [F. maigre.] (Zo\'94l.) A large European sci\'91noid
fish (Sci\'91na umbra or S. aquila), having white bloodless flesh. It
is valued as a food fish. [Written also maigre.]
Meak
Meak (?), n. [Cf. AS. m sword, OS. m\'beki, Icel. m\'91kir.] A hook
with a long handle. [Obs.] Tusser.
Meaking
Meak"ing, n. [See Meak.] (Naut.) 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. [OE. mele, AS. m part, portion, portion of time; akin to
E. meal a repast. Cf. Piecemeal.] A part; a fragment; a portion.
[Obs.]
Meal
Meal, n. [OE. mel; akin to E. meal a part, and to D. maal time, meal,
G. mal time, mahl meal, Icel. m\'bel measure, time, meal, Goth. m
time, and to E. measure. See Measure.] 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. [OE. mele, AS. melu, melo; akin to D. meel, G. mehl, OHG.
melo, Icel. mj\'94l, SW. mj\'94l, 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 (Zo\'94l.), the adult of the meal worm. See Meal worm,
below. -- Meal moth (Zo\'94l.), a lepidopterous insect (Asopia
farinalis), the larv\'91 of which feed upon meal, flour, etc. -- Meal
worm (Zo\'94l.), 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. [From Mealy.] (Bot.) Maize or Indian corn; -- the
common name in South Africa.
Mealiness
Meal"i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being mealy.
Meal-mouthed
Meal"-mouthed` (?), a. See Mealy-mouthed.
Mealtime
Meal"time` (?), n. 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. 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.]
[OE. menen, AS. m&aemac;nan to recite, tell, intend, wish; akin to OS.
m&emac;nian 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. To have a purpose or intention. [Rare, except in the
phrase to mean well, or ill.] Shak.
Mean
Mean (?), a. [Compar. Meaner (?); superl. Meanest.] [OE. mene, AS. m
wicked; akin to m\'ben, 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. gam\'a0ins, 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 C\'91sar 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: &hand; Me an 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. [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.) 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.) 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: &hand; In th is se nse th e wo rd 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. 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.) 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. [L. Maeander, orig., a river in Phrygia, proverbial
for its many windings, Gr. m\'82andre.]
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.) Fretwork. See Fret.
Meander
Me*an"der, v. t. To wind, turn, or twist; to make flexuous. Dryton.
Meander
Me*an"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Meandered (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Meandering.] 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. [L. Maeandrius: cf. F. m\'82andrien.] Winding;
having many turns.
Meandrina
Me`an*dri"na (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. m\'82andrine.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of
corals with meandering grooves and ridges, including the brain corals.
Meandrous, Meandry
Me*an"drous (?), Me*an"dry (?), a. 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. [Mean middle.] Moderately. [Obs.]
A man meanly learned himself, but not meanly affectioned to set
forward learning in others. Ascham.
Meanly
Mean"ly, adv. [From Mean low.] 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. Of a mean spirit; base; groveling. --
Mean"-spir`it*ed*ness, n.
Meant
Meant (?), imp. & p. p. of Mean.
Meantime, Meanwhile
Mean"time` (?), Mean"while` (?), n. The intervening time; as, in the
meantime (or mean time).
Meantime, Meanwhile
Mean"time`, Mean"while`, adv. In the intervening time; during the
interval.
Mear
Mear (?), n. A boundary. See Mere. [Obs.]
Mease
Mease (?), n. [Cf. G. mass measure.] Five hundred; as, a mease of
herrings. [Prov. Eng.]
Measelry
Mea"sel*ry (?), n. [OE. meselrie, OF. mesellerie. See lst Measle.]
Leprosy. [Obs.] R. of Brunne.
Measle
Mea"sle (?), n. [OE. mesel, OF. mesel, LL. misellus, L. misellus
unfortunate, dim. of miser. See Miser.] A leper. [Obs.] [Written also
meazel, and mesel.] Wyclif (Matt. x. 8. ).
Measle
Mea"sle, n. (Zo\'94l.) A tapeworm larva. See 2d Measles, 4.
Measled
Mea"sled (?), a. [See 2d Measles.] Infected or spotted with measles,
as pork. -- Mea"sled*ness, n.
Measles
Mea"sles (?), n. [From lst Measle.] Leprosy; also, a leper. [Obs.]
Measles
Mea"sles, n.; pl. in form, but used as singular in senses 1, 2, & 3.
[D. mazelen; akin to G. masern, pl., and E. mazer, and orig. meaning,
little spots. See Mazer.]
1. (Med.) 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.
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2. (Veter. Med.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) The larv\'91 of any tapeworm (T\'91nia) in the
cysticerus stage, when contained in meat. Called also bladder worms.
Measly
Mea"sly (?), a.
1. Infected with measles.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Containing larval tapeworms; -- said of pork and beef.
Measurable
Meas"ur*a*ble (?), a. [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. [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) 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.) 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.) 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.] [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. 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. 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. One who measures; one whose occupation or duty
is to measure commondities in market.
Measuring
Meas"ur*ing, a. 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 (Zo\'94l.), the
larva of any geometrid moth. See Geometrid.
Meat
Meat (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. To supply with food. [Obs.] Tusser.
His shield well lined, his horses meated well. Chapman.
Meatal
Me*a"tal (?), a. 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. [See Mead.] A sweet liquor; mead. [Obs.]
Chaucer. Milton.
Meatiness
Meat"i*ness (?), n. Quality of being meaty.
Meatless
Meat"less, a. Having no meat; without food.
"Leave these beggars meatless." Sir T. More.
Meatoscope
Me*at"o*scope (?), n. [Meatus + -scope.] (Med.) A speculum for
examining a natural passage, as the urethra.
Meatotome
Me*at"o*tome (?), n. [Meatus + Gr. (Surg.) An instrument for cutting
into the urethra so as to enlarge its orifice.
Meatus
Me*a"tus (?), n. sing. & pl.; E. pl. Meatuses (. [L., a going,
passage, fr. meare to go.] (Anat.) A natural passage or canal; as, the
external auditory meatus. See Illust. of Ear.
Meaty
Meat"y (?), a. Abounding in meat.
Meaw
Meaw (?), n. The sea mew. [Obs.] Spenser.
Meaw
Meaw, v. i. See Mew, to cry as a cat.
Meawl
Meawl (?), v. i. See Mewl, and Miaul.
Meazel
Mea"zel (?), n. See 1st Measle. [Obs.]
Meazling
Meaz"ling (?), a. Falling in small drops; mistling; mizzing. [Obs.]
Arbuthnot.
Mebles
Me"bles (?), n. pl. See Moebles. [Obs.]
Mecate
Me*ca"te (?), n. [Sp.] A rope of hair or of maguey fiber, for tying
horses, etc. [Southwestern U. S.]
Meccawee
Mec`ca*wee" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Mecca, in Arabia. -- n. A
native or inhabitant of Mecca.
Mechanic
Me*chan"ic (?), n. [F. m\'82canique 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. [F. m\'82canique, 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. [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. A mechanic. [Obs.] Shak.
Mechanicalize
Me*chan"ic*al*ize (?), v. t. To cause to become mechanical.
Mechanically
Me*chan"ic*al*ly, adv. In a mechanical manner.
Mechanicalness
Me*chan"ic*al*ness, n. The state or quality of being mechanical.
Mechanician
Mech`a*ni"cian (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82canicien. See Mechanic.] One
skilled in the theory or construction of machines; a machinist. Boyle.
Mechanico-chemical
Me*chan`i*co-chem"ic*al (?), a. 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. [Cf. F. m\'82canique.] That science, or branch of
applied mathematics, which treats of the action of forces on bodies.
NOTE: &hand; Th at pa rt 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. [Cf. F. m\'82canisme, 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) 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 (?).] [Cf. F. m\'82chaniser.] To cause to be mechanical.
Shelley.
Mechanograph
Mech"an*o*graph (?), n. [Gr. -graph.] One of a number of copies of
anything multiplied mechanically.
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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. An artist who, by mechanical means,
multiplies copies of works of art.
Mechanography
Mech`an*og"ra*phy (?), n. The art of mechanically multiplying copies
of a writing, or any work of art.
Mechanurgy
Mech"an*ur`gy (?), n. [Gr. That branch of science which treats of
moving machines.
Mechitarist
Mech"i*tar*ist (?), n. [From Mechitar, an Armenian., who founded the
congregation in the early part of the eighteenth century.] (Eccl.
Hist.) One of a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church
devoted to the improvement of Armenians.
Mechlin
Mech"lin (?), n. A kind of lace made at, or originating in, Mechlin,
in Belgium.
Mechoacan
Me*cho"a*can (?), n. 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.) 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. [Cf. F. m\'82conate.] (Chem.) A salt of meconic
acid.
Meconic
Me*con"ic (?), a. [Gr. m\'82conique.] 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) An alkaloid found in opium, and extracted
as a yellow amorphous substance which is easily decomposed.
Meconidium
Mec`o*nid"i*um (?), n. [NL., dim. of Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A kind of
gonophore produced by hydroids of the genus Gonothyr\'91a. It has
tentacles, and otherwise resembles a free medusa, but remains attached
by a pedicel.
Meconin
Mec"o*nin (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82conine.] (Chem.) 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.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid
which occurs in opium, and which may be obtained by oxidizing
narcotine.
Meconium
Me*co"ni*um (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) Opium. [Obs.] (b) The
contents of the fetal intestine; hence, first excrement.
Medal
Med"al (?), n. [F. m\'82daille, It. medaglia, fr. L. metallum metal,
through (assumed) LL. metalleus made of metal. See Metal, and cf. Mail
a piece of money.] 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.] To honor or reward with a medal. "Medaled by
the king." Thackeray.
Medalet
Med"al*et (?), n. A small medal.
Medalist
Med"al*ist, n. [Cf. F. m\'82dailliste, 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. Of or pertaining to a medal, or to medals. "Our
medallic history." Walpole.
Medallion
Me*dal"lion (?), n. [F. m\'82daillion, 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.
Medalurgy
Med"al*ur`gy (?), n. [Medal + the root of Gr. 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 (?).] [OE. medlen to mix, OF. medler, mesler, F. m\'88ler,
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. To mix; to mingle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
"Wine meddled with gall." Wyclif (Matt. xxvii. 34).
Meddler
Med"dler (?), n. 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. Given to meddling; apt to interpose in the
affairs of others; officiously intrusive. -- Med"dle*some*ness, n.
Meddling
Med"dling (?), a. Meddlesome. Macaulay.
Meddlingly
Med"dling*ly, adv. In a meddling manner.
Mede
Mede (?), n. A native or inhabitant of Media in Asia.
Mede
Mede, n. See lst & 2d Mead, and Meed. [Obs.]
Media
Me"di*a (?), n., pl. of Medium.
Media
Me"di*a, n.; pl. Medi\'91 (-&emac;). [NL., fr. L. medius middle.]
(Phonetics) 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 aspirat\'91 (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. The state or quality of being mediate. Sir W.
Hamilton.
Medi\'91val
Me`di*\'91"val (?), a. [L. medius middle + aevum age. See Middle, and
Age.] Of or relating to the Middle Ages; as, medi\'91val architecture.
[Written also medieval.]
Medi\'91valism
Me`di*\'91"val*ism (?), n. 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.]
Medi\'91valist
Me`di*\'91"val*ist, n. 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.]
Medi\'91vally
Me`di*\'91"val*ly, adv. In the manner of the Middle Ages; in
accordance with medi\'91valism.
Medi\'91vals
Me`di*\'91"vals (?), n. pl. The people who lived in the Middle Ages.
Ruskin.
Medial
Me"di*al (?), a. [L. medialis, fr. medius middle: cf. F. m\'82dial.
See Middle.] Of or pertaining to a mean or average; mean; as, medial
alligation.
Medial
Me"di*al, n. (Phonetics) See 2d Media.
Medialuna
Me"di*a*lu"na (?), n. [Sp. media luna half-moon.] (Zo\'94l.) See
Half-moon.
Median
Me"di*an (?), a. [L. medianus, fr. medius middle. See Medial.]
1. Being in the middle; running through the middle; as, a median
groove.
2. (Zo\'94l.) 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.) A median line or point.
Mediant
Me"di*ant (?), n. [L. medians, p. p. of mediare to halve: cf. It.
mediante, F. m\'82diante.] (Mus.) 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.) Of or pertaining to a mediastinum.
Mediastine, Mediastinum
Me`di*as"tine (?), Me`di*as*ti"num (?), n. [NL. mediastinum, fr. L.
medius middle; cf. mediastinus helper, a menial servant, LL.
mediastinus equiv. to medius: cf F. m\'82diastin.] (Anat.) 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. [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.] [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. 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. The state of being mediate.
Mediation
Me`di*a"tion (?), n. [OE. mediacioun, F. m\'82diation. 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. Pertaining to mediation; used in mediation; as,
mediative efforts. Beaconsfield.
Mediatization
Me`di*at`i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82diatisation.] The act of
mediatizing.
Mediatize
Me"di*a*tize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mediatized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mediatizing.] [Cf. F. m\'82diatiser.] 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. [L. mediator: cf. E. m\'82diateur.] 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. 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. The office or character of a mediator.
Mediatory
Me"di*a*to*ry (?), a. Mediatorial.
Mediatress, Mediatrix
Me`di*a"tress (?), Me`di*a*"trix (?), n. [L. mediatrix, f. of
mediator: cf. F. m\'82diatrice.] A female mediator.
Medic
Med"ic (?), n. [L. medica, Gr. Media, from (Bot.) 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. [L. medicus.] Medical. [R.]
Medicable
Med"i*ca*ble (?), a. [L. medicabilis, from medicare, medicari, to
heal, fr. medicus physician. See Medical.] Capable of being medicated;
admitting of being cured or healed.
Medical
Med"ic*al (?), a. [LL. medicalis, L. medicus belonging to healing, fr.
mederi to heal; cf. Zend madha medical science, wisdom, gr. mind: cf.
F. m\'82dical.]
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. In a medical manner; with reference to healing, or
to the principles of the healing art.
Medicament
Med"i*ca*ment (?), n. [L. medicamentum, fr. medicare, medicari, to
heal: cf. F. m\'82dicament. See Medicable.] Anything used for healing
diseases or wounds; a medicine; a healing application.
Medicamental
Med`ica*men"tal (?), a. Of or pertaining to medicaments or healing
applications; having the qualities of medicaments. --
Med`ica*men"tal*ly, adv. <-- pref. = medicinal -->
Medicaster
Med"i*cas`ter (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82dicastre. See Medical.] A quack.
[R.] Whitlock.
Medicate
Med"i*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Medicated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Medicating (?).] [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 (?), [L. medicatio: cf. F. m\'82dication.] The act or
process of medicating.
Medicative
Med"i*ca*tive (?), a. Medicinal; acting like a medicine.
Medicean
Med`i*ce"an (?), a. 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. Medicinal; having the power of healing. [Obs.]
Shak.
Medicinal
Me*dic"i*nal (?), a. [L. medicinalis: cf. F. m\'82dicinal. 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. In a medicinal manner.
Medicine
Med"i*cine (?), n. [L. medicina (sc. ars), fr. medicinus medical, fr.
medicus: cf. F. m\'82decine. 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. [F. m\'82decin.] 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. 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. Of or pertaining to law as affected by medical
facts.
Medicommissure
Med`i*com"mis*sure (?), n. [L. medius middle + E. commissure.] (Anat.)
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 (#). [NL., fr. L. medius middle +
cornu horn.] (Anat.) The middle or inferior horn of each lateral
ventricle of the brain. B. G. Wilder.
Medics
Med"ics (?), n. Science of medicine. [Obs.]
Mediety
Me*di"e*ty (?), n. [L. medietas.] 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. Same as Medi, Medi,
etc.
Medina epoch
Me*di"na ep"och (?). [From Medina in New York.] (Geol.) 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 908
Medino
Me*di"no (?), n. Same as Para.
Mediocral
Me"di*o`cral (?), a. Mediocre. [R.]
Mediocre
Me"di*o`cre (?), a. [F. m\'82diocre, L. mediocris, fr. medius middle.
See Mid.] 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. A mediocre person. [R.]
Mediocrity
Me`di*oc"ri*ty (?), n. [F. m\'82diocrit\'82, 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. [L. medius middle + E. stapedial.]
(Anat.) 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. The mediostapedial part of the columella.
Medioxumous
Me`di*ox"u*mous (?), a. [L. medioxumus middlemost.] Intermediate.
[Obs.] Dr. H. More.
Meditance
Med"i*tance (?), n. Meditation. [Obs.]
Meditate
Med"i*tate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Meditated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Meditating.] [L. meditatus, p. p. of meditari to meditate; cf. Gr.
mind.] 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. [OE. meditacioun, F. m\'82ditation, 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. One who is given to meditation.
Meditative
Med"i*ta*tive (?), a. [L. meditativus: cf. F. m\'82ditatif.] 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. [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.
Mediterraneous
Med`i*ter*ra"ne*ous (?), a. Inland. Sir T. Browne.
Medium
Me"di*um (?), n.; pl. L. Media (#), E. Mediums (#). [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.) 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.) 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. 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. Having a medium size; as, a medium-sized man.
Medius
Me"di*us (?), n.; pl. Medii (#). [NL., fr. L. medius middle. See
Medium.] (Anat.) The third or middle finger; the third digit, or that
which corresponds to it.
Medlar
Med"lar (?), n. [OE. medler medlar tree, OF. meslier, F. n\'82flier,
L. mespilum, mespilus, Gr. Naseberry.] 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 (Crat\'91gus Azarolus); also, its
fruit.
Medle
Med"le (?), v. t. [See Meddle.] To mix; to mingle; to meddle. [Written
also medly.] [Obs.] Chaucer.
Medley
Med"ley (?), n.; pl. Medleys (#). [OE. medlee, OF. mesl\'82e,
medl\'82e, mell\'82e, F. m\'88l\'82e. See Meddle, and cf. Mel\'90e,
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 m\'88l\'82e. [Obs.] Holland.
3. (Mus.) A composition of passages detached from several different
compositions; a potpourri.
NOTE: &hand; Me dley is us ually ap plied to vo cal, potpourri to
instrumental, compositions.
4. A cloth of mixed colors. Fuller.
Medley
Med"ley, a.
1. Mixed; of mixed material or color. [Obs.] "A medl\'8a coat."
Chaucer.
2. Mingled; confused. Dryden.
Medly
Med"ly (?), v. t. See Medle. Johnson.
M\'82doc
M\'82`doc" (?), n. [Cf. Mayduke.] A class of claret wines, including
several varieties, from the district of M\'82doc in the department of
Gironde.
Medregal
Med"re*gal (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bonito, 3.
Medrick
Med"rick (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo\'94l.) A species of gull or
tern. [Prov.] Lowell.
Medulla
Me*dul"la (?), n. [L.]
1. Marrow; pith; hence, essence. [Obs.] Milton.
2. (Anat.) 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.) A soft tissue, occupying the center of the stem or branch of
a plant; pith.
Medulla oblongata. [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. See Medullary.
Medullary
Med"ul*la*ry (?), a. [L. medullaris, fr. medulla marrow: cf. F.
m\'82dullaire.]
1. (Anat.) (a) Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, marrow or
medulla. (b) Pertaining to the medula oblongata.
2. (Bot.) 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.) Furnished with a medulla or marrow, or
with a medullary sheath; as, a medullated nerve fiber.
Medullin
Me*dul"lin (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82dulline.] (Bot. Chem.) A variety of
lignin or cellulose found in the medulla, or pith, of certain plants.
Cf. Lignin, and Cellulose.
Medusa
Me*du"sa (?), n. [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.) 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 (.] (Zo\'94l.) Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish.
NOTE: &hand; The larger medus\'91 belong to the Discophora, and are
sometimes called covered-eyed medus\'91; others, known as
naked-eyed medus\'91, belong to the Hydroidea, and are usually
developed by budding from hidroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and
Hydromedusa.
Medusa bud (Zo\'94l.), one of the buds of a hydroid, destined to
develop into a gonophore or medusa. See Athecata, and Gonotheca. --
Medusa's head. (a) (Zo\'94l.) An astrophyton. (b) (Astron.) A cluster
of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star
Algol.
Medusian
Me*du"si*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A medusa.
Medusiform
Me*du"si*form (?), a. [Medusa + -form.] (Zo\'94l.) Resembling a medusa
in shape or structure.
Medusoid
Me*du"soid (?), a. [Medusa + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like a medusa; having
the fundamental structure of a medusa, but without a locomotive disk;
-- said of the sessile gonophores of hydroids. -- n. A sessile
gonophore. See Illust. under Gonosome.
Meech
Meech (?), v. i. See Mich. [Obs. or Colloq.]
Meed
Meed (?), n. [OE. mede, AS. m&emac;d, meord; akin to OS. m, OHG.
miata, mieta, G. miethe hire, Goth. mizd&omac; reward, Bohem. & Russ.
mzda, Gr. mistho`s, Skr. m&imac;dha. &root;276.]
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. Worthy of meed, reward, or recompense; meritorious.
"Meedful works." Wiclif.
Meedfully
Meed"ful*ly, adv. According to merit; suitably.
Meek
Meek (?), a. [Compar. Meeker (?); superl. Meekest.] [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. To make meek; to nurture in gentleness and
humility. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Meekly
Meek"ly, adv. In a meek manner. Spenser.
Meekness
Meek"ness, n. The quality or state of being meek.
Meer
Meer (?), a. Simple; unmixed. See Mere, a. [Obs.]
Meer
Meer, n. See Mere, a lake.
Meer
Meer, n. A boundary. See Mere.
Meerkat
Meer"kat (?), n. [D.] (Zo\'94l.) A South African carnivore (Cynictis
penicillata), allied to the ichneumons.
Meerschaum
Meer"schaum (?), n. [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.) 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.] [OE.
meten, AS. m, fr. m, gem, a meeting; akin to OS. m to meet, Icel.
m\'91ta, 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. 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. [OE. mete fitting, moderate, scanty, AS. m moderate; akin to
gemet fit, meet, metan to mete, and G. m\'84ssig moderate, gem\'84ss
fitting. See Mete.] 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.]
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Page 909
Meet
Meet (?), adv. Meetly. [Obs.] Shak.
Meeten
Meet"en (?), v. t. To render fit. [R.]
Meeter
Meet"er (?), n. One who meets.
Meeth
Meeth (?), 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. 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. Fitly; suitably; properly.
Meetness
Meet"ness, n. Fitness; suitableness; propriety.
Meg-, Mega, Megalo-
Meg- (?), Meg"a (?), Meg"a*lo- (?). [Gr. me`gas, gen. mega`loy,
great.] Combining forms signifying: (a) Great, extended, powerful; as,
megascope, megacosm. (b) (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.) 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. [Mega- Gr. (Biol.)
Large headed; -- applied to animals, and to plants when they have
large flower heads.
Megaceros
Me*gac"e*ros (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas great + horn.] (Paleon.) The
Irish elk.
Megachile
Meg"a*chile (?), n. [Mega- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A leaf-cutting bee of the
genus Megachilus. See Leaf cutter, under Leaf.
Megacosm
Meg"a*cosm (?), n. [Mega- + Gr. See Macrocosm. Croft.
Megacoulomb
Meg`a*cou`lomb" (?), n. [Mega- + coulomb.] (Elec.) A million coulombs.
Megaderm
Meg"a*derm (?), n. [Mega- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species
of Old World blood-sucking bats of the genus Megaderma.
Megadyne
Meg"a*dyne (?), n. [Mega- + dyne.] (Physics) One of the larger
measures of force, amounting to one million dynes.
Megafarad
Meg"a*far`ad (?), n. [Mega- + farad.] (Elec.) One of the larger
measures of electrical capacity, amounting to one million farads; a
macrofarad.
Megalerg
Meg"a*lerg (?), n. [Megalo- + erg.] (Physics) A million ergs; a
megerg.
Megalesian
Meg`a*le"sian (?), a. [L. Megalesius, fr. Gr. Mega`lh the Great, a
surname of Cybele, the Magna Mater.] Pertaining to, or in honor of,
Cybele; as, the Megalesian games at Rome.
Megalethoscope
Meg`a*leth"o*scope (?), n. [Mega- + alethoscope.] 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. [Mega- + -lith; cf. F. m\'82galithe.] A large
stone; especially, a large stone used in ancient building. --
Meg`a*lith"ic (#), a.
Megalo-
Meg"a*lo- (?). See Meg-.
Megalocyte
Meg"a*lo*cyte (?), n. [Megalo- + Gr. (Physiol.) A large, flattened
corpuscle, twice the diameter of the ordinary red corpuscle, found in
considerable numbers in the blood in profound an\'91mia.
Megalomania
Meg`a*lo*ma"ni*a (?), n. [NL., fr. megalo- + mania.] (Pathol.) A form
of mental alienation in which the patient has grandiose delusions.
Megalonyx
Meg`a*lon"yx (?), n. [NL., from Gr. me`gas, mega`lh, great + 'o`nyx
claw.] (Paleon.) An extinct quaternary mammal, of great size, allied
to the sloth.
Megalophonous
Meg`a*loph"o*nous (?), a. [Megalo- + Gr. fwnh` voice.] Having a loud
voice.
Megalopolis
Meg`a*lop"o*lis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. megalo`polis; me`gas, mega`lh,
great + po`lis city.] A chief city; a metropolis. [R.]
Megalops
Meg"a*lops (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas, -a`loy, large + 'w`ps eye.]
(Zo\'94l.)
1. A larva, in a stage following the zo\'89a, 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. [Megalo- + Gr. Greatness of soul. [Obs. & R.]
Megalosaur, Megalosaurus
Meg"a*lo*saur` (?), Meg`a*lo*sau"rus (?), n. [NL. megalosaurus, fr.
Gr. m\'82galosaure.] (Paleon.) A gigantic carnivorous dinosaur, whose
fossil remains have been found in England and elsewhere.
Megameter
Me*gam"e*ter (?), n. [Mega- + -meter: cf. F. m\'82gam\'8atre.]
(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. [Mega- + meter, metre, n., 2.] In
the metric system, one million meters, or one thousand kilometers.
Megamp\'8are
Meg`am`p\'8are" (?), n. [Mega- + amp\'8are.] (Elec.) A million
amp\'8ares.
Megaphone
Meg"a*phone (?), n. [Mega- + Gr. 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. [NL., from Gr. me`gas great + fyto`n plant.]
(Paleon.) An extinct genus of tree ferns with large, two-ranked
leaves, or fronds.
Megapode
Meg"a*pode (?), n. [Mega- + Gr. poy`s, podo`s, foot.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. me`gas great + po`lis city.] A
metropolis. [Obs.] Sir T. Herbert.
Megarian, Megaric
Me*ga"ri*an (?), Me*gar"ic (?), a. 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. [Mega- + -scope: cf. F. m\'82gascope.] 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.
Megaseme
Meg"a*seme (?), a. [Mega- + Gr. m\'82gas\'8ame.] (Anat.) Having the
orbital index relatively large; having the orbits narrow transversely;
-- opposed to microseme.
Megass, Megasse
Me"gass" (?), Me*gasse", n. See Bagasse.
Megasthene
Meg"as*thene (?), n. [Gr. me`gas great + sthe`nos strength.]
(Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Having a typically large size;
belonging to the megasthenes.
Megastome
Meg"a*stome (?), n. [Gr. me`gas great + sto`ma mouth.] (Zo\'94l.) One
of a group of univalve shells, having a large aperture or mouth.
Megathere, Megatherium
Meg"a*there (?), Meg`a*the"ri*um (?), n. [NL. megatherium, fr. Gr.
me`gas great + thyri`on beast.] (Paleon.) 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. [Megatherium + -oid.] (Paleon.) One of a family
of extinct edentates found in America. The family includes the
megatherium, the megalonyx, etc.
Megavolt
Meg`a*volt" (?), n. [Mega- + volt.] (Elec.) One of the larger measures
of electro-motive force, amounting to one million volts.
Megaweber
Meg`a*we"ber (?), n. [Mega- + weber.] (Elec.) A million webers.
Megerg
Meg"erg` (?), n. [Mega- + erg.] (Physics) One of the larger measures
of work, amounting to one million ergs; -- called also megalerg.
Megilp, Megilph
Me*gilp" (?), Me*gilph" (?), n. (Paint.) 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. [Mega- + ohm.] (Elec.) One of the larger measures of
electrical resistance, amounting to one million ohms.
Megrim
Me"grim (?), n. [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.) 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. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo\'94l.) The British smooth sole,
or scaldfish (Psetta arnoglossa).
Meibomian
Mei*bo"mi*an (?), a. (Anat.) 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. See Menge.
Meine, Meiny
Mein"e, Mein"y, (, n. [OF. maisni\'82e, 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.) See Miocene.
Meionite
Mei"o*nite (?), n. [Gr. (Min.) A member of the scapolite, group,
occuring in glassy crystals on Monte Somma, near Naples.
Meiosis
Mei*o"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. Meionite.] (Rhet.) Diminution; a
species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it
really is.
Melostemonous
Mel`o*stem"o*nous (?), a. [Gr. (Bot.) Having fever stamens than the
parts of the corolla.
Meistersinger
Meis"ter*sing`er (?), n. [G.] See Mastersinger.
Mekhitarist
Mekh"i*tar*ist (?), n. (Ecc. Hist.) See Mechitarist.
Melaconite
Me*lac"o*nite (?), n. [Gr. (Min.) An earthy black oxide of copper,
arising from the decomposition of other ores.
Melada, Melado
Me*la"da (?), Me*la"do (?), n. [Sp., prop. p. p. of melar to sugar,
candy, fr. L. mel honey. See Molasses.] A mixture of sugar and
molasses; crude sugar as it comes from the pans without being drained.
Mel\'91na
Me*l\'91"na (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) A discharge from the bowels
of black matter, consisting of altered blood.
Melain
Mel"ain (?), n. [See Melna.] The dark coloring matter of the liquid of
the cuttlefish.
Melainotype
Me*lai"no*type (?), n. See Melanotype.
Melam
Me"lam (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82lam.] (Chem.) A white or buff-colored
granular powder,
Melamine
Me*lam"ine (?), n. (Chem.) 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. [Gr. The black hellebore. [Obs.] Spenser.
Melampyrin, Melampyrite
Mel`am*py"rin (?), Mel`am*py"rite (?), n. [NL. Melampyrum cowwheat;
Gr. (Chem.) The saccharine substance dulcite; -- so called because
found in the leaves of cowwheat (Melampyrum). See Dulcite.
Melan\'91mia
Mel`a*n\'91"mi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) 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. [Gr. (Med.) A medicine supposed to expel black
bile or choler. [Obs.]
Melancholia
Mel`an*cho"li*a (?), n. [L. See Melancholy.] (Med.) 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. A person affected with melancholy; a
melancholic. [Obs.] Dr. J. Scott.
Melancholic
Mel"an*chol`ic (?), a. [L. melancholicus, Gr. m\'82lancholique.] 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. In a melancholy manner.
Melancholiness
Mel"an*chol`i*ness, n. The state or quality of being melancholy.
Hallywell.
Melancholious
Mel`an*cho"li*ous (?), a. [Cf. OF. melancholieux.] Melancholy. [R.]
Milton.
Melancholist
Mel"an*chol*ist (?), n. One affected with melancholy or dejection.
[Obs.] Glanvill.
Melancholize
Mel"an*cho*lize (?), v. i. To become gloomy or dejected in mind.
Barrow.
Melancholize
Mel"an*cho*lize, v. t. To make melancholy.
Melancholy
Mel"an*chol*y (?), n. [OE. melancolie, F. m\'82lancolie, 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.
Melanesian
Mel`a*ne"sian (?), a. [Gr. Melanesia was so called from the dark
complexion of the natives.] Of or pertaining to Melanesia.
M\'82lange
M\'82`lange" (?), n. [F. See Mell, Meddle.] A mixture; a medley.
Melanian
Me*la"ni*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of a family of fresh-water
pectinibranchiate mollusks, having a turret-shaped shell.
Melanic
Me*lan"ic (?), a. [Gr.
1. Melanotic.
2. (Ethnol.) Of or pertaining to the black-haired races. Prichard.
Melaniline
Me*lan"i*line (?), n. (Chem.) 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. [Gr. (Physiol.) 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 910
Melanism
Mel"a*nism (?), n. [Gr. , , black.]
1. An indue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its
appendages; -- the opposite of albinism.
2. (Med.) A disease; black jaundice. See Mel.
Melanistic
Mel`a*nis"tic (?), a. Affected with melanism; of the nature of
melanism.
Melanite
Mel"a*nite (?), n. [Gr. m\'82lanite.] (Min.) A black variety of
garnet.
Melanochroi
Mel`a*noch"ro*i (?), n. pl. [NL. See Melanochroic.] (Ethnol.) A group
of the human race, including the dark whites.
Melanochroic
Mel`a*no*chro"ic (?), a. [Gr. Having a dark complexion; of or
pertaining to the Melanochroi.
Melanochroite
Mel`a*no*chro"ite (?), n. [See Melanochroic.] (Min.) A mineral of a
red, or brownish or yellowish red color. It is a chromate of lead; --
called also ph\'d2nicocroite.
Melanocomous
Mel`a*noc"o*mous (?), a. [Gr. Having very dark or black hair;
black-haired. Prichard.
Melanorrh\'d2a
Mel`a*nor*rh\'d2"a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) An East Indian genus
of large trees. Melanorrh&oe;a usitatissima is the lignum-vit\'91 of
Peru, and yelds a valuable black varnish. <-- #"Peru" in original was
"Pegu" -- must be an error, so changed here. -->
Melanoscope
Me*lan"o*scope (?), n. [Gr. -scope.] (Opt.) 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 (?), [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) The morbid deposition of black
matter, often of a malignant character, causing pigmented tumors.
Melanosperm
Me*lan"o*sperm (?), n. [Gr. (Bot.) 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 (?), Melanistic.
Melanotype
Me*lan"o*type (?), n. [Gr. -type.] (Photog.) 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.) A hydrous sulphate of iron of a green
color and vitreous luster; iron vitriol.
Melanure
Mel"a*nure (?), n. [NL. melanurus, fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A small fish of
the Mediterranean; a gilthead. See Gilthead (a).
Melanuric
Mel`a*nu"ric (?), a. [Melam + urea.] (Chem.) 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. [F., fr. Gr. phyre porphyry.] (Min.) Any one of
several dark-colored augitic, eruptive rocks allied to basalt.
Melasma
Me*las"ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) 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. See Molasses.
Melassic
Me*las"sic (?), a. [See Molasses.] (Chem.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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.) Belonging to the order of which
Melastoma is the type.
Melchite
Mel"chite (?), n. [Heb. melek king.] (Eccl. Hist.) 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.
Meleagrine
Mel`e*a"grine (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the genus
Meleagris.
Meleagris
Mel`e*a"gris (?), n. [L., the Guinea fowl.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of
American gallinaceous birds, including the common and the wild
turkeys.
M\'88l\'82e
M\'88`l\'82e" (?), n. [F., fr. m\'88ler to mix. See Meddle, Mell, and
cf. Mellay.] A fight in which the combatants are mingled
Melena
Me*le"na (?), n. (Med.) See Mel.
Melene
Mel"ene (?), n. [Melissic + ethylene.] (Chem.) 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. [Gr. me`li honey.] An explosive of great
destructive power; -- so called from its color, which resembles honey.
Meletin
Mel"e*tin (?), n. (Chem.) See Quercitin.
Melezitose
Me*lez"i*tose` (?), n. [F. m\'82l\'8aze the larch + melitose.] (Chem.)
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.) Pertaining to a natural order
(Meliac\'91) of plants of which the genus Melia is the type. It
includes the mahogany and the Spanish cedar.
Melibean, Melib Mel`i*be"an (?), Mel`i*b, a. [From L. Meliboeus, one of the
interlocutors in Virgil's first Eclogue.] (Rhet.) Alternately responsive, as
verses.
Melic
Mel"ic (?), [Gr. Of or pertaining to song; lyric; tuneful.
Melicerous
Me*lic"er*ous (?), a. [L. meliceris a kind of tumor, fr. Gr. me`li
honey + (Med.) Consisting of or containing matter like honey; -- said
of certain encysted tumors.
Melic grass
Mel"ic grass` (?). (Bot.) A genus of grasses (Melica) of little
agricultural importance.
Melicotoon
Mel`i*co*toon" (?), n. (Bot.) See Melocoton.
Melicratory
Me*lic"ra*to*ry (?), n. [Gr. meli`kraton.] A meadlike drink. [Obs.]
Melilite
Mel"i*lite (?), n. [Gr. me`li honey + -lite; cf. F. m\'82lilithe.]
(Min.) 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. [F. m\'82lilot, L. melilotus, fr. Gr. me`li honey +
(Bot.) Any species of Melilotus, a genus of leguminous herbs having a
vanillalike odor; sweet clover; hart's clover. The blue melilot
(Melilotus c\'91rulea) is used in Switzerland to give color and flavor
to sapsago cheese.
Melilotic
Mel`i*lot"ic (?), a. (Chem.) 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.
Meliorate
Mel"io*rate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meliorated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Meliorating.] [L. melioratus, p. p. of meliorare to meliorate, fr.
melior better; akin to Gr. Ameliorate.] 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. To grow better.
Meliorater
Mel"io*ra`ter (?), n. Same as Meliorator.
Melioration
Mel`io*ra"tion (?), n. [L. melioratio.] The act or operation of
meliorating, or the state of being meliorated; improvement. Bacon.
Meliorator
Mel"io*ra`tor (?), n. One who meliorates.
Meliorism
Mel"io*rism (?), n. [From L. melior better.] The doctrine that there
is a tendency throughout nature toward improvement. J. Sully.
Meliority
Mel*ior"i*ty (?), n. [LL. melioritas, fr. L. melior. See Meliorate.]
The state or quality of being better; melioration. [Obs.] Bacon.
Meliphagan
Me*liph"a*gan (?), a. [Gr. me`li honey + (Zo\'94l.) Belonging to the
genus Meliphaga.
Meliphagan
Me*liph"a*gan, n. (Zo\'94l.) Any bird of the genus Meliphaga and
allied genera; a honey eater; -- called also meliphagidan.
Meliphagous
Me*liph"a*gous (?), a. [See Meliphagan.] (Zool.) Eating, or feeding
upon, honey.
Melisma
Me*lis"ma (?), n.; pl. Melismata (#). [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. [NL., fr. Gr. me`lissa a bee, honey.] (Bot.) A genus
of labiate herbs, including the balm, or bee balm (Melissa
officinalis).
Melissic
Me*lis"sic (?), a. [Gr. me`lissa a bee, honey.] (Chem.) Pertaining to,
or derived from, beeswax; specif., denoting an acid obtained by
oxidation of myricin.
Melissyl
Me*lis"syl (?), n. [Melissic +yl.] (Chem.) See Myricyl.
Melissylene
Me*lis"sy*lene (?), n. [Melissic + -yl + -ene.] (Chem.) See Melene.
Melitose
Mel"i*tose` (?), n. [Gr. me`li honey.] (Chem.) 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. [F. m\'88ler, OF. meller, mester. See Meddle.] To
mix; to meddle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mell
Mell, n. [See Mellifluous.] Honey. [Obs.] Warner.
Mell
Mell, n. A mill. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mellate
Mel"late (?), n. [L. mel, mellis, honey. Cf. Mellitate.] (Chem.) A
mellitate. [R.]
Mellay
Mel"lay (?), n. A m\'88l\'82e; a conflict. Tennyson.
Mellic
Mel"lic (?), a. (Chem.) See Mellitic. [R.]
Melliferous
Mel*lif"er*ous (?), a. [L. mellifer; mel, mellis, honey + ferre to
bear.] Producing honey.
Mellific
Mel*lif"ic (?), a. [L. mel, mellis, honey + -ficare (in comp.) to
make. See -fy.] Producing honey.
Mellification
Mel`li*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [L. mellificare to make honey: cf. F.
mellification. See Mellific.] The making or production of honey.
Mellifluence
Mel*lif"lu*ence (?), n. A flow of sweetness, or a sweet, smooth flow.
Mellifluent
Mel*lif"lu*ent (?), a. [L. mellifluens. See Mellifluous.] Flowing as
with honey; smooth; mellifluous.
Mellifluently
Mel*lif"lu*ent*ly, adv. In a mellifluent manner.
Mellifluous
Mel*lif"lu*ous (?), a. [L. mellifluus; mel, mellis, honey (akin to Gr.
milip) + fluere to flow. See Mildew, Fluent, and cf. Marmalade.]
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. [L. mel, mellis + -genous.] Having the
qualities of honey. [R.]
Melligo
Mel*li"go (?), n. [L.] Honeydew.
Melliloquent
Mel*lil"o*quent (?), a. [L. mel, mellis honey + loquens speaking, p.
pr. of loqui to speak.] Speaking sweetly or harmoniously.
Melliphagan
Mel*liph"a*gan (?), n. See Meliphagan.
Melliphagous
Mel*liph"a*gous (?), a. See Meliphagous.
Mellitate
Mel"li*tate (?), n. [Cf. F. mellitate. See Mellitic.] (Chem.) A salt
of mellitic acid.
Mellite
Mel"lite (?), n. [L. mel, mellis, honey: cf. F. mellite.] (Min.) 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. [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.) A yellow powder, C6H3N9, obtained from
certain sulphocyanates. It has acid properties and forms compounds
called mellonides.
Mellonide
Mel"lon*ide (?), n. See Mellone.
Mellow
Mel"low (?), a. [Compar. Mellower (?); superl. Mellowest.] [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.]
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. To become mellow; as, ripe fruit soon mellows.
"Prosperity begins to mellow." Shak.
Mellowly
Mel"low*ly, adv. In a mellow manner.
Mellowness
Mel"low*ness, n. Quality or state of being mellow.
Mellowy
Mel"low*y (?), a. Soft; unctuous. Drayton.
Melluco
Mel*lu"co (?), n. (Bot.) A climbing plant (Ullucus officinalis) of the
Andes, having tuberous roots which are used as a substitute for
potatoes.
Melne
Mel"ne (?), n. A mill. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Melocoton, Melocotoon
Mel`o*co*ton", Mel`o*co*toon" (?), n. [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. [NL., fr. Gr. Melody, and cf. Odeon.]
1. (Mus.) A kind of small reed organ; -- a portable form of the
seraphine.
2. A music hall.
Melodic
Me*lod"ic (?), a. [L. melodicus, Gr. m\'82lodique.] Of the nature of
melody; relating to, containing, or made up of, melody; melodious.
Melodics
Me*lod"ics (?), n. 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. [Melody + -graph.] 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. [Cf. F. m\'82lodieux. See Melody.] 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. [Cf. F. m\'82lodiste.] A composer or singer of
melodies.
Melodize
Mel"o*dize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Melodized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Melodizing (?).] To make melodious; to form into, or set to, melody.
Melodize
Mel"o*dize, v. i. To make melody; to compose melodies; to harmonize.
Melodrama
Mel`o*dra"ma (?), n. [F. m\'82lodrame, fr. Gr. 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. [Cf. F. m\'82lodramatique.] 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. One who acts in, or writes, melodramas.
Melodrame
Mel"o*drame (?), n. [F.] Melodrama.
Melody
Mel"o*dy (?), n.; pl. Melodies (#). [OE. melodie, F. m\'82lodie, L.
melodia, fr. Gr. Ode.]
1. A sweet or agreeable succession of sounds.
Lulled with sound of sweetest melody. Shak.
2. (Mus.) 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: &hand; Me lody co nsists in a su ccession 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 (?), [ NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 911
Melograph
Mel"o*graph (?), n. [Gr. -graph : cf. F. m\'82lographe.] Same as
Melodiograph.
Melolonthidian
Mel`o*lon*thid"i*an (?), n. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A beetle of the genus
Melolontha, and allied genera. See May beetle, under May.
Melon
Mel"on (?), n. [F., fr. L. melo, for melopepo an apple-shaped melon,
Gr. malum apple. Cf. Marmalade.]
1. (Bot.) The juicy fruit of certain cucurbitaceous plants, as the
muskmelon, watermelon, and citron melon; also, the plant that produces
the fruit.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A large, ornamental, marine, univalve shell of the genus
Melo.
Melon beetle (Zo\'94l.), 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. [Gr. piano.] A piano having a mechanical
attachment which enables the player to prolong the notes at will.
Meloplastic
Mel`o*plas"tic (?), a. Of or pertaining to meloplasty, or the
artificial formation of a new cheek.
Meloplasty
Mel"o*plas`ty (?), n. [Gr. -plasty: cf. F. m\'82loplastie.] (Surg.)
The process of restoring a cheek which has been destroyed wholly or in
part.
Melop Mel`o*p (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Mus.) The art of forming melody; melody;
-- now often used for a melodic passage, rather than a complete melody.
Melotype
Mel"o*type (?), n. (Photog.) 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. [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Class. Myth.) The Muse of tragedy.
2. (Astron.) The eighteenth asteroid.
Melrose
Mel"rose (?), n. Honey of roses.
Melt
Melt (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See 2d Milt.
Melt
Melt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Melted (obs.) p. p. Molten (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Melting.] [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. Capable of being melted.
Melter
Melt"er (?), One who, or that which, melts.
Melting
Melt"ing, n. 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 0° Centigrade or 32° Fahr., that of urea is 132°
Centigrade. -- Melting pot, a vessel in which anything is melted; a
crucible.
Melting
Melt"ing a. 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 (?), [Etymol. uncertain.] A kind of stout woolen cloth with
unfinished face and without raised nap. A commoner variety has a
cotton warp.
Member
Mem"ber (?), v. t. [See Remember.] To remember; to cause to remember;
to mention. [Obs.]
Member
Mem"ber, n. [OE. membre, F. membre, fr. L. membrum; cf. Goth. mimz
flesh, Skr. mamsa.]
1. (Anat.) 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.) 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.) 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.) Relating to a member.
Membranaceous
Mem`bra*na"ceous (?), a. [L. membranaceus.]
1. Same as Membranous. Arbuthnot.
2. (Bot.) Thin and rather soft or pliable, as the leaves of the rose,
peach tree, and aspen poplar.
Membrane
Mem"brane (?), n. [F., fr. L. membrana the skin that covers the
separate members of the body, fr. L. membrum. See Member.] (Anat.) 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: &hand; Th e te rm 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. [L. membraneus of parchment.] See Membranous.
Membraniferous
Mem`bra*nif"er*ous (?), a. [Membrane + -ferous.] Having or producing
membranes.
Membraniform
Mem*bra"ni*form (?), a. [Membrane + -form: cf. F. membraniforme.]
Having the form of a membrane or of parchment.
Membranology
Mem`bra*nol"o*gy (?), n. [Membrane + -logy.] The science which treats
of membranes.
Membranous
Mem"bra*nous (?), a. [Cf. F. membraneux.]
1. Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, membrane; as, a
membranous covering or lining.
2. (Bot.) Membranaceous.
Membranous croup (Med.), true croup. See Croup.
Memento
Me*men"to (?), n.; pl. Mementos (#). [L., remember, be mindful, imper.
of meminisse to remember. See Mention.] A hint, suggestion, token, or
memorial, to awaken memory; that which reminds or recalls to memory; a
souvenir.
Seasonable mementos may be useful. Bacon.
Meminna
Me*min"na (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small deerlet, or chevrotain, of India.
Memnon
Mem"non (?), n. [L., from Gr. (Antiq.) A celebrated Egyptian statue
near Thebes, said to have the property of emitting a harplike sound at
sunrise.
Memoir, or pl. Memoirs
Mem"oir (?), or pl. Mem"oirs (?), n. [F. m\'82moire, m., memorandum,
fr. m\'82moire, 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. A writer of memoirs.
Memorabilia
Mem`o*ra*bil"i*a (?), n. pl. [L., fr. memorabilis memorable. See
Memorable.] Things remarkable and worthy of remembrance or record;
also, the record of them.
Memorability
Mem`o*ra*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being memorable.
Memorable
Mem"o*ra*ble (?), a. [L. memorabilis, fr. memorare to bring to
remembrance, fr. memor mindful, remembering. See Memory, and cf.
Memorabilia.] 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 (#). [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) 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. [L. memoratus, p. p. of memorare. See
Memorable.] To commemorate. [Obs.]
Memorative
Mem"o*ra*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. m\'82moratif.] Commemorative. [Obs.]
Hammond.
Memoria
Me*mo"ri*a (?), n. [L.] Memory. Memoria technica, technical memory; a
contrivance for aiding the memory.
Memorial
Me*mo"ri*al (?), a. [F. m\'82morial, 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. [Cf. F. m\'82morial.]
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) A species of informal state paper, much used in
negotiation.
Memorialist
Me*mo"ri*al*ist, n. [Cf. F. m\'82morialiste.] One who writes or signs
a memorial.
Memorialize
Me*mo"ri*al*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Memorialized (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Memorializing (?).] 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. One who petitions by a memorial. T. Hook.
Memorist
Mem"o*rist (?), n. [See Memorize.] One who, or that which, causes to
be remembered. [Obs.]
Memoriter
Me*mor"i*ter (?), adv. [L., fr. memor mindful. See Memorable.] By, or
from, memory.
Memorize
Mem"o*rize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Memorized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Memorizing (?).] [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 (#). [OE. memorie, OF. memoire,
memorie, F. m\'82moire, 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. Of or pertaining to the ancient city of Memphis in
Egypt; hence, Egyptian; as, Memphian darkness.
Men
Men (?), n., pl. of Man.
Men
Men, pron. [OE. me, men. "Not the plural of man, but a weakened form
of the word man itself." Skeat.] 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. [From Menaccan, in Cornwall, where it was first
found.] (Min.) 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. [F., fr. L. minaciae threats, menaces, fr. minax,
-acis, projecting, threatening, minae projecting points or pinnacles,
threats. Cf. Amenable, Demean, Imminent, Minatory.] 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.
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Menace
Men"ace (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Menaced (\'best); p. pr. & vb. n.
Menacing (?).] [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. To act in threatening manner; to wear a threatening
aspect.
Who ever knew the heavens menace so? Shak.
Menacer
Men"a*cer (?), n. One who menaces.
Menacingly
Men"a*cing*ly, adv. In a threatening manner.
M\'82nage
M\'82`nage" (?), n. See Manage.
M\'82nage
M\'82`nage" (?), n. [See Menagerie.] A collection of animals; a
menagerie. [Obs.] Addison.
Menagerie
Men*ag"er*ie (?), n. [F. m\'82nagerie, fr. m\'82nager to keep house,
m\'82nage 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. [F. m\'82nagogue, fr. Gr. (Med.) Emmenagogue.
Menaion
Me*na"ion (?), n.; pl. Menaia (-y\'86). [NL., from Gr. (Eccl.) 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. Covered with spots; speckled; variegated.
[Obs.]
Mend
Mend (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mended; p. pr. & vb. n. Mending.]
[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. To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become
improved. Shak.
Mendable
Mend"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being mended.
Mendacious
Men*da"cious (?), a. [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 (#). [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.
Mender
Mend"er (?), n. One who mends or repairs.
Mendiant
Men"di*ant (?), n. See Mendinant. [Obs.]
Mendicancy
Men"di*can*cy (?), n. The condition of being mendicant; beggary;
begging. Burke.
Mendicant
Men"di*cant (?), a. [L. mendicans, -antis, p. pr. of mendicare to beg,
fr. mendicus beggar, indigent.] 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. A beggar; esp., one who makes a business of begging;
specifically, a begging friar.
Mendicate
Men"di*cate (?), v. t.& i. [L. mendicatus, p. p. of mendicare to beg.]
To beg. [R.] Johnson.
Mendication
Men`di*ca"tion (?), n. The act or practice of begging; beggary;
mendicancy. Sir T. Browne.
Mendicity
Men*dic"i*ty (?), n. [L. mendicitas: cf. F. mendicit\'82. See
Mendicant.] The practice of begging; the life of a beggar; mendicancy.
Rom. of R.
Mendinant
Men"di*nant (?), n. A mendicant or begging friar. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mendment
Mend"ment (?), n. Amendment. [Obs.]
Mendole
Men"dole (?), n. [Cf. F. mendol, mendole.] (Zo\'94l.) The cackerel.
Mendregal
Men"dre*gal (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Medregal.
Mends
Mends (?), n. See Amends. [Obs.] Shak.
Menge
Menge (?), v. i. [imp. Mente, Meinte; p. p. Ment, Meint.] [See
Mingle.] To mix. [Obs.] Spenser.
Menhaden
Men*ha"den (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [F. Armor. men stone + hir high.] 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. [OE. meneal, fr. meine, maine, household, OF.
maisni\'82e, 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.
M\'82ni\'8are's disease
M\'82`ni\'8are's" dis*ease" (?). (Med.) A disease characterized by
deafness and vertigo, resulting in inco\'94rdination of movement. It
is supposed to depend upon a morbid condition of the semicircular
canals of the internal ear. Named after M\'82ni\'8are, a French
physician.
Menilite
Men"i*lite (?), n. [F. m\'82nilite; -- so called because it is found
at M\'82nilmontant, near Paris.] (Min.) See Opal.
Meningeal
Me*nin"ge*al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the meninges.
Meninges
Me*nin"ges (?), n. pl.; sing. Meninx (. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The
three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord; the pia mater,
dura mater, and arachnoid membrane.
Meningitis
Men`in*gi"tis (?), n. [NL. See Meninges, and -itis.] (Med.)
Inflammation of the membranes of the brain or spinal cord.
Cerebro-spinal meningitis. See under Cerebro-spinal.
Meniscal
Me*nis"cal (?), a. Pertaining to, or having the form of, a meniscus.
Meniscoid
Me*nis"coid (?), a. [Meniscus + -oid.] Concavo-convex, like a
meniscus.
Meniscus
Me*nis"cus (?), n.; pl. L. Menisci (-s\'c6), E. Meniscuses (#). [NL.,
from Gr. mh`nh the moon.]
1. A crescent.
2. (Opt.) A lens convex on one side and concave on the other.
3. (Anat.) 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. [Gr. mh`nh the moon + spe`rma seed.]
(Bot.) Pertaining to a natural order (Menispermace&ae;) of climbing
plants of which moonseed (Menispermum) is the type.
Menispermic
Men`i*sper"mic (, a. Pertaining to, or obtained from, moonseed
(Menispermum), or other plants of the same family, as the Anamirta
Cocculus.
Menispermine
Men`i*sper"mine (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82nispermine.] (Chem.) 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. [OF. menuver, menuveir, menuvair, a grayish fur;
menu small + vair a kind of fur. See Minute, a., and Vair.] Same as
Miniver.
Mennonist, Mennonite
Men"non*ist (?), Men"non*ite (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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. [NL. menobranchus, fr. Gr.
(Zo\'94l.) 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 (#). [NL. menologium, fr. Gr. m\'82nologe.]
1. A register of months. Bp. Stillingfleet.
2. (Gr. Church) 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. [Gr. Menses.] (Med.) The period of natural
cessation of menstruation. See Change of life, under Change.
Menopoma, Menopome
Men`o*po"ma (?), Men"o*pome (?), n. [NL. menopoma, fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.)
The hellbender.
Menorrhagia
Men`or*rha"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) (a) Profuse menstruation.
(b) Any profuse bleeding from the uterus; Metrorrhagia.
Menostasis
Me*nos"ta*sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. mh`n month + 'istan`nai to stop.]
(Med.) Stoppage of the mences.
Menostation
Men`os*ta"tion (?), n. (Med.) Same as Menostasis.
Menow
Men"ow (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A minnow.
Men-pleaser
Men"-pleas`er (?), n. One whose motive is to please men or the world,
rather than God. Eph. vi. 6.
Mensal
Men"sal (?), a. [L. mensalis, fr. mensa table.] Belonging to the
table; transacted at table; as, mensa conversation.
Mensal
Men"sal (?), a. [L. mensis month.] Occurring once in a month; monthly.
Mense
Mense (?), n. [OE. menske, AS. mennisc human, man. See Man.]
Manliness; dignity; comeliness; civility. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] --
Mense"ful (#), a. -- Mense"less, a.
Mense
Mense, v. t. To grace. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Menses
Men"ses (?), n. pl. [L. mensis month, pl. menses months, and the
monthly courses of women. Cf. Month.] (Med.) 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. [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. [L. menstruans, p. pr. of menstruare to have a
monthly term, fr. menstruus. See Menstruous.] Subject to monthly
flowing or menses.
Menstruate
Men"stru*ate (?), a. Menstruous. [Obs.]
Menstruate
Men"stru*ate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Menstruated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Menstruating (?).] To discharge the menses; to have the catamenial
flow.
Menstruation
Men`stru*a"tion (?), n. The discharge of the menses; also, the state
or the period of menstruating.
Menstrue
Men"strue (?), n. [Cf. F. menstrues. See Menstruous.] The menstrual
flux; menses. [Obs.]
Menstruous
Men"stru*ous (?), a. [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 (#). [L.
menstruus. See Menstruous.] 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: &hand; Th e 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. [Cf. F. mensurabilit\'82.] The quality of
being mensurable.
Mensurable
Men"su*ra*ble (?), a. [L. mensurabilis, fr. mensurare to measure, fr.
mensura measure: cf. F. mensurable. See Measurable, Measure.] Capable
of being measured; measurable.
Mensurableness
Men"su*ra*ble*ness, n. The quality or state of being mensurable;
measurableness.
Mensural
Men"su*ral (?), a. [L. mensuralis.] Of or pertaining to measure.
Mensurate
Men"su*rate (?), v. t. [L. mensuratus, p. p. of mensurare. See
Measure, v.] To measure. [Obs.]
Mensuration
Men`su*ra"tion (?), n. [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 (?), [F. -ment, L. -mentum.] 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. of Menge.
Mentagra
Men"ta*gra (?), n. [NL., fr. L. mentum chin + Gr. (Med.) Sycosis.
Mental
Men"tal (?), a. [L. mentum the chin.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
chin; genian; as, the mental nerve; the mental region.
Mental
Men"tal, n. (Zo\'94l.) A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of
a fish or reptile.
Mental
Men"tal, a. [F., fr. L. mentalis, fr. mens, mentis, the mind; akin to
E. mind. See Mind.] 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. Quality or state of mind. "The same hard
mentality." Emerson.
Mentally
Men"tal*ly (?), adv. In the mind; in thought or meditation;
intellectually; in idea.
Mentha
Men"tha (?), n. [L. See Mint the plant.] (Bot.) 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. [Menthol + terpene.] (Chem.) 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. [Mentha + -ol.] (Chem.) A white, crystalline,
aromatic substance resembling camphor, extracted from oil of
peppermint (Mentha); -- called also mint camphor or peppermint
camphor.
Menthyl
Men"thyl (?), n. [Mentha + -yl.] (Chem.) A compound radical forming
the base of menthol.
Menticultural
Men`ti*cul"tur*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to mental culture; serving
to improve or strengthen the mind. [R.]
Mention
Men"tion (?), n. [OE. mencioun, F. mention, L. mentio, from the root
of meminisse to remember. See Mind.] 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.
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Mention
Men"tion (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mentioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mentioning.] [Cf. F. mentionner.] 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. Fit to be mentioned.
Mentomeckelian
Men`to*meck*e"li*an (?), a. [1st mental + Meckelian.] (Anat.) Of or
pertaining to the chin and lower jaw. -- n. 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. [From Mentor, the counselor of Telemachus, Gr.
Monitor.] A wise and faithful counselor or monitor.
Mentorial
Men*to"ri*al (?), a. [From Mentor.] Containing advice or admonition.
Mentum
Men"tum (?), n. [L., chin.] (Zo\'94l.) The front median plate of the
labium in insects. See Labium.
Menu
Me*nu" (?), n. [F., slender, thin, minute. See 4th Minute.] The
details of a banquet; a bill of fare.
Menuse
Me"nuse (?), v. i. See Amenuse. [Obs.]
Meow
Me*ow" (?), v. i. & n. See 6th and 7th Mew.
Mephistophelian
Meph`is*to*phe"li*an (? OR ?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, the
devil Mephistopheles, "a crafty, scoffing, relentless fiend;"
devilish; crafty.
Mephitic, Mephitical
Me*phit"ic (?), Me*phit"ic*al (?), a. [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis
mephitis: cf. F. m\'82phitique.]
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. [L. mephitis : cf. F. m\'82phitis.]
1. Noxious, pestilential, or foul exhalations from decomposing
substances, filth, or other source.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of mammals, including the skunks.
Mephitism
Meph"i*tism (?), n. Same as Mephitis, 1.
Meracious
Me*ra"cious (?), a. [L. meracus, fr. merus pure, inmixed.] Being
without mixture or adulteration; hence, strong; racy. [Obs.]
Mercable
Mer"ca*ble (?), a. [L. mercabilis, fr. mercari to trade, traffic, buy.
See Merchant.] Capable of being bought or sold. [Obs.]
Mercantile
Mer"can*tile (?; 277), a. [F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L.
mercans, -antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See Merchant.] 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. [Mercaptan + aldehyde.] (Chem.) Any one of a
series of compounds of mercaptans with aldehydes.
Mercaptan
Mer*cap"tan (?), n. [F., fr. NL. mercurius mercury + L. captans, p.
pr. of captare to seize, v. intens. fr. capere.] (Chem.) 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.) A compound of mercaptan formed by
replacing its sulphur hydrogen by a metal; as, potassium mercaptide,
C2H5SK.
Mercat
Mer"cat (?), n. [L. mercatus : cf. It. mercato. See Market.] Market;
trade. [Obs.] Bp. Sprat.
Mercatante
Mer`ca*tan"te (?; It. ?), n. [It. See Merchant.] A foreign trader.
[Obs.] Shak.
Mercator's chart
Mer*ca"tor's chart" (?). See under Chart, and see Mercator's
projection, under Projection.
Mercature
Mer"ca*ture (?; 135), n. [L. mercatura commerce.] Commerce; traffic;
trade. [Obs.]
Merce
Merce (?), v. t. [See Amerce.] To subject to fine or amercement; to
mulct; to amerce. [Obs.]
Mercenaria
Mer`ce*na"ri*a (?), n. [NL. See Mercenary.] (Zo\'94l.) The quahog.
Mercenarian
Mer`ce*na"ri*an (-an), n. A mercenary. [Obs.]
Mercenarily
Mer"ce*na`ri*ly (?), adv. In a mercenary manner.
Mercenariness
Mer"ce*na*ri*ness, n. The quality or state of being mercenary;
venality. Boyle.
Mercenary
Mer"ce*na*ry (?), a. [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 (. One who is hired; a hireling;
especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman.
Mercer
Mer"cer (?), n. [F. mercier, fr. L. merx, mercis, wares, merchandise.
See Merchant.] Originally, a dealer in any kind of goods or wares; now
restricted to a dealer in textile fabrics, as silks or woolens. [Eng.]
Mercership
Mer"cer*ship, n. The business of a mercer.
Mercery
Mer"cer*y (?), n. [F. mercerie.] The trade of mercers; the goods in
which a mercer deals.
Merchand
Mer"chand (?), v. i. [F. marchander. See Merchant.] To traffic. [Obs.]
Bacon.
Merchandisable
Mer"chan*di`sa*ble (?), a. Such as can be used or transferred as
merchandise.
Merchandise
Mer"chan*dise (?), n. [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 (?).] To trade; to carry on commerce. Bacon.
Merchandise
Mer"chan*dise, v. t. To make merchandise of; to buy and sell. "Love is
merchandised." Shak.
Merchandiser
Mer"chan*di`ser (?), n. A trader. Bunyan.
Merchandry
Mer"chand*ry (?), n. [See Merchant.] Trade; commerce. [Obs.] Bp.
Sanderson.
Merchant
Mer"chant (?), n. [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. 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. To be a merchant; to trade. [Obs.]
Merchantable
Mer"chant*a*ble (?), a. 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. 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. [OF.] Merciful. [Obs.]
Merciful
Mer"ci*ful (?), a. [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. To pity. [Obs.] Spenser.
Merciless
Mer"ci*less, a. 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. [Mercuric + ammonium.] (Chem.) A radical
regarded as derived from ammonium by the substitution of mercury for a
portion of the hydrogen.
Mercurial
Mer*cu"ri*al (?), a. [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.) 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.) A preparation containing mercury.
Mercurialist
Mer*cu"ri*al*ist, n.
1. One under the influence of Mercury; one resembling Mercury in
character.
2. (Med.) 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.) To affect with mercury.
2. (Photography) To treat with mercury; to expose to the vapor of
mercury.
Mercurialize
Mer*cu"ri*al*ize, v. i. To be sprightly, fantastic, or capricious.
[Obs.]
Mercurially
Mer*cu"ri*al*ly, adv. In a mercurial manner.
Mercuric
Mer*cu"ric (?), a. (Chem.) 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. [Cf. F. mercurification. See Mercurify.]
1. (Metal.) The process or operation of obtaining the mercury, in its
fluid form, from mercuric minerals.
2. (Chem.) 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 (?).] [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. A communication of news; an announcement. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
Mercurous
Mer*cu"rous (?), a. (Chem.) 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. [L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.]
1. (Rom. Myth.) 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.) 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: &hand; Me rcury fo rms al loys, ca lled am algams, wi th 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 -39° Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile
metal.
3. (Astron.) 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.) A plant (Mercurialis annua), of the Spurge family, the
leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is al so 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. To wash with a preparation of mercury. [Obs.] B.
Jonson.
Mercy
Mer"cy (?), n.; pl. Mercies (#). [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. [F. merde, L. merda.] Ordure; dung. [Obs.] Burton.
-mere
-mere (?). [Gr. A combining form meaning part, portion; as,
blastomere, epimere.
Mere
Mere (?), n. [Written also mar.] [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.] A pool or lake.
Drayton. Tennyson.
Mere
Mere, n. [Written also meer and mear.] [AS. gem&aemac;re. &root;269.]
A boundary. Bacon.
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Mere
Mere (?), v. t. To divide, limit, or bound. [Obs.]
Which meared her rule with Africa. Spenser.
Mere
Mere, n. A mare. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mere
Mere (?), a. [Superl. Merest. The comparative is rarely or never
used.] [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. [NL., fr. Gr. -enchyma, as in parenchyma.]
(Bot.) Tissue composed of spheroidal cells.
Meresman
Meres"man (?), n. An officer who ascertains meres or boundaries.
[Eng.]
Merestead
Mere"stead (?), n. [Mere boundary + stead place.] The land within the
boundaries of a farm; a farmstead or farm. [Archaic.] Longfellow.
Merestone
Mere"stone` (?), n. A stone designating a limit or boundary; a
landmark. Bacon.
Meretricious
Mer`e*tri"cious (?), a. [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. [Sp. merg\'a0nsar, fr. mergo a diver (L. mergus,
fr. mergere to dip, dive) + \'a0nsar goose, L. anser.] (Zo\'94l.) Any
bird of the genus Merganser, and allied genera. They are allied to the
ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill.
NOTE: &hand; Th e re d-breasted me rganser (M erganser se rrator)
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
(?).] [L. mergere, mersum. Cf. Emerge, Immerse, Marrow.] 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. 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) An absorption of one estate, or one contract, in another, or
of a minor offense in a greater.
Mericarp
Mer"i*carp (?), n. [Gr. (Bot.) One carpel of an umbelliferous fruit.
See Cremocarp.
Meride
Mer"ide (? OR ?), n. [Gr. (Biol.) 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. [F. m\'82ridien, 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. [F. m\'82ridien. 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.) 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.) 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: &hand; Th e pl anes of th e ge ographical an d as tronomical
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. [F. m\'82ridional, 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. In the direction of the meridian.
Merils
Mer"ils (?), n. [F. m\'82relle, marelle, marelles, LL. marella,
marrella. Cf. Morris the game.] A boy's play, called also fivepenny
morris. See Morris.
Meringue
Me`ringue" (F. ?; E. ?), n. [F.] A delicate pastry made of powdered
sugar and the whites of eggs whipped up, -- with jam or cream added.
Merino
Me*ri"no (?), a. [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 (#). [Sp.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Gr. (Biol.) 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. [Gr. (Bot.) A tissue of growing cells, or cells
capable of further division.
Merit
Mer"it (?), n. [F. m\'82rite, 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.] [F.
m\'82riter, 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. To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to
profit. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Meritable
Mer"it*a*ble (?), a. Deserving of reward. [R.]
Meritedly
Mer"it*ed*ly, adv. By merit; deservedly.
Merithal, Merithallus
Mer"i*thal (?), Mer`i*thal"lus (?), n. [NL. merithallus, fr. Gr. or
(Bot.) Same as Internode.
Meritmonger
Mer"it*mon`ger (?), n. One who depends on merit for salvation. [Obs.]
Milner.
Meritorious
Mer`i*to"ri*ous (?), a. [L. meritorius that brings in money.]
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. Meritorious. [Obs.]
Meritot
Mer"i*tot (?), n. A play of children, in swinging on ropes, or the
like, till they are dizzy.
Merk
Merk (?), n. [See Marc.] An old Scotch silver coin; a mark or marc.
[Scot.]
Merk
Merk, n. A mark; a sign. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Merke
Merke (?), a. Murky. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
Merkin
Mer"kin (?), n. Originally, a wig; afterwards, a mop for cleaning
cannon.
Merl, Merle
Merl (?), Merle, n. [F. merle, L. merula, merulus. Cf. Ousel.]
(Zo\'94l.) The European blackbird. See Blackbird. Drayton.
Merlin
Mer"lin (?), n. [OE. merlion, F. \'82merillon ; cf. OHG. smirl, G.
schmerl ; prob. fr. L. merula blackbird. Cf. Merle.] (Zo\'94l.) A
small European falcon (Falco lithofalco, or F. \'91salon).
Merling
Mer"ling (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European whiting.
Merlon
Mer"lon (?), n. [F., perh. fr. L. moerus, for murus a wall, through
(assumed) dim. moerulus.] (Fort.) One of the solid parts of a
battlemented parapet; a battlement. See Illust. of Battlement.
Merluce
Mer"luce (?), n. [F. merluche, merlus.] (Zo\'94l.) The European hake;
-- called also herring hake and sea pike.
Mermaid
Mer"maid (?), n. [AS. mere lake, sea. See Mere lake, and maid.] 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: &hand; Ch aucer us es this word as equivalent to the siren of
the ancients.
Mermaid fish (Zo\'94l.) the angel fish (Squatina). -- Mermaid's glove
(Zo\'94l.), a British branched sponge somewhat resembling a glove. --
Mermaid's head (Zo\'94l.), 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 (. The male corresponding to mermaid; a
sea man, or man fish.
Meroblast
Mer"o*blast (?), n. [Gr. -blast.] (Biol.) 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.) 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. [Gr. (Med.) Hernia in the thigh; femoral hernia .
Meroistic
Mer`o*is"tic (?), a. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Applied to the ovaries of insects
when they secrete vitelligenous cells, as well as ova.
Meropidan
Me*rop"i*dan (?), n. [L. merops a bee-eating bird, Gr. me`rops.]
(Zo\'94l.) One of a family of birds (Meropid\'91), including the
bee-eaters.
Meropodite
Me*rop"o*dite (?), n. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The fourth joint of a typical
appendage of Crustacea.
Merorganization
Mer*or`gan*i*za"tion (?), n. [Gr. organization.] Organization in part.
[R.]
Meros
Me"ros (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Arch.) The plain surface between the
channels of a triglyph. [Written also merus.] Weale.
Meros
Me"ros, n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The proximal segment of the hind
limb; the thigh.
Merosome
Mer"o*some (?), n. [Gr. -some body.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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.
M\'82rou
M\'82`rou" (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) See Jack, 8 (c).
Merovingian
Mer`o*vin"gi*an (?), a. [From Merovaeus, the Latin name of a king of
the Franks.] Of or pertaining to the first Frankish dynasty in Gaul or
France. -- n. One of the kings of this dynasty.
Merrily
Mer"ri*ly (?), adv. [From Merry.] 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. See Merrymake, n.
Merrimake
Mer"ri*make`, v. i. See Merrymake, v. Gay.
Merriment
Mer"ri*ment (?), n. 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. The quality or state of being merry; merriment; mirth;
gayety, with laughter.
Merry
Mer"ry (?), a. [Compar. Merrier (?); superl. Merriest.] [OE. merie,
mirie, murie, merry, pleasant, AS. merge, myrige, pleasant; cf. murge,
adv.; prob. akin to OHG. murg, short, Goth. gama\'a3rgjan 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 915
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.) A kind of wild red cherry.
Merry-andrew
Mer"ry-an"drew (?), n. One whose business is to make sport for others;
a buffoon; a zany; especially, one who attends a mountebank or quack
doctor.
NOTE: &hand; Th is te rm 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. Any revolving contrivance for affording
amusement; esp., a ring of flying hobbyhorses.
Merrymake
Mer"ry*make` (?), n. Mirth; frolic; a meeting for mirth; a festival.
[Written also merrimake.]
Merrymake
Mer"ry*make`, v. i. To make merry; to be jolly; to feast. [Written
also merrimake.]
Merrymaker
Mer"ry*mak`er (?), n. One who makes merriment or indulges in
conviviality; a jovial comrade.
Merrymaking
Mer"ry*mak`ing (?), a. Making or producing mirth; convivial; jolly.
Merrymaking
Mer"ry*mak`ing, n. The act of making merry; conviviality; merriment;
jollity. Wordsworth.
Merrymeeting
Mer"ry*meet`ing (?), n. A meeting for mirth.
Merrythought
Mer"ry*thought` (?), n. The forked bone of a fowl's breast; -- called
also wishbone. See Furculum.
NOTE: &hand; 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. [L. mersio. See Merge.] Immersion [R.] Barrow.
Merulidan
Me*ru"li*dan (?), n. [L. merula, merulus, blackbird. See Merle.]
(Zo\'94l.) A bird of the Thrush family.
Merus
Me"rus (?), n. [NL.] (Arch.) See Meros.
Mervaille
Mer"vaille` (?), n. Marvel. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mes-
Mes- (?). See Meso-.
Mesa
Me"sa (?), [Sp.] A high tableland; a plateau on a hill. [Southwestern
U.S.] Bartlett.
Mesaconate
Mes*ac"o*nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mesaconic acid.
Mesaconic
Mes`a*con"ic (?), a. [Mes- + -aconic, as in citraconic.] (Chem.)
Pertaining to, or designating, one of several isomeric acids obtained
from citric acid.
Mesad
Mes"ad (?), adv. Same as Mesiad.
Mesal
Mes"al (?), a. Same as Mesial.
M\'82salliance
M\'82`sal`li`ance" (?), n. [F.] A marriage with a person of inferior
social position; a misalliance.
Mesally
Mes"al*ly (?), adv. Same as Mesially.
Mesam Mes`a*m (?), n. [Mes- + am.] (Biol.) 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. [Gr. (Anat.) Mesenteric.
Mesaticephalic
Mes`a*ti*ce*phal"ic (?), a. [Gr. midmost + E. cephalic.] (Anat.)
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.) Mesaticephalic.
Mescal
Mes*cal" (?), n. [Sp.] A distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a
species of agave. See Agave.
Mesdames
Mes`dames" (F. ?, E. ?), n., pl. of Madame and Madam.
Meseems
Me*seems" (?), v. impers. [imp. Meseemed (?).] It seems to me.
[Poetic]
Mesel
Me"sel (?), n. [See Measle.] A leper. [Obs.]
Meselry
Me"sel*ry (?), n. Leprosy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mesembryanthemum
Me*sem`bry*an"the*mum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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.) Of or pertaining to the
mesencephalon or midbrain.
Mesencephalon
Mes`en*ceph"a*lon (?), n. [NL. See Meso- and Encephalon.] (Anat.) The
middle segment of the brain; the midbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to
mesen. See Brain.
Mesenchyma
Mes*en"chy*ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. -enchyma, as in E. parenchyma.]
(Biol.) The part of the mesoblast which gives rise to the connective
tissues and blood.
Mesenteric
Mes`en*ter"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. m\'82sent\'82rique.] (Anat.) Pertaining
to a mesentery; mesaraic.
Mesenteron
Mes*en"te*ron (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Enteron.] (Anat.) 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 (?; 277), n. [Gr. m\'82sent\'8are.]
1. (Anat.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the vertical muscular radiating partitions which
divide the body cavity of Anthozoa into chambers.
Meseraic
Mes`e*ra"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Mesaraic.
Mesethmoid
Mes*eth"moid (?), a. [Mes- + ethmoid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
middle of the ethmoid region or ethmoid bone. -- n. (Anat.) The median
vertical plate, or median element, of the ethmoid bone.
Mesh
Mesh (?), n. [AS. masc, max, m; akin to D. maas, masche, OHG. masca,
Icel. m\'94skvi; 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) 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.] To
catch in a mesh. Surrey.
Mesh
Mesh, v. i. (Gearing) To engage with each other, as the teeth of
wheels.
Meshed
Meshed (?), a. Mashed; brewed. [Obs.] Shak.
Meshy
Mesh"y (?), a. Formed with meshes; netted.
Mesiad
Mes"i*ad (?), adv. [Gr. ad to.] (Anat.) Toward, or on the side toward,
the mesial plane; mesially; -- opposed to laterad.
Mesial
Me"sial (?; 277), a. [Gr. (Anat.) 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.) In, near, or toward, the mesial plane;
mesiad.
Mesityl
Mes"i*tyl (?), n. (Chem.) 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.) A salt of mesitylenic acid.
Mesitylene
Me*sit"y*lene (?), n. (Chem.) 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. [Mesitylene + -ol.] (Chem.) A crystalline
substance obtained from mesitylene.
Meslin
Mes"lin (? OR ?), n. See Maslin.
Mesmeree
Mes`mer*ee" (?), n. A person subjected to mesmeric influence; one who
is mesmerized. [R.]
Mesmeric, Mesmerical
Mes*mer"ic (?), Mes*mer"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. mesm\'82rique.] Of,
pertaining to, or induced by, mesmerism; as, mesmeric sleep.
Mesmerism
Mes"mer*ism (?), n. [From Mesmer, who first brought it into notice at
Vienna, about 1775: cf. F. mesm\'82risme.] 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. One who practices, or believes in, mesmerism.
Mesmerization
Mes`mer*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of mesmerizing; the state of being
mesmerized.
Mesmerize
Mes"mer*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mesmerized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mesmerizing (?).] To bring into a state of mesmeric sleep.
Mesmerizer
Mes"mer*i`zer (?), n. One who mesmerizes.
Mesne
Mesne (?), a. [Cf. Mean intermediate.] (Law) 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- (?). [Gr. A combining form denoting in the middle,
intermediate; specif. (Chem.), denoting a type of hydrocarbons which
are regarded as methenyl derivatives. Also used adjectively. <-- in
Chem., now used differently, for optical isomers -->
Mesoarium
Mes`o*a"ri*um (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Anat.) The fold of peritoneum
which suspends the ovary from the dorsal wall of the body cavity.<-- =
now mesovarium. Entry under mesovarium is not cross-referenced to this
entry. ??? -->
Mesoblast
Mes"o*blast (?), n. [Meso- + -blast.] (Biol.) (a) The mesoderm. (b)
The cell nucleus; mesoplast.
Mesoblastic
Mes`o*blas"tic (?), a. (Biol.) Relating to the mesoblast; as, the
mesoblastic layer.
Mesobranchial
Mes`o*bran"chi*al (?), a. [Meso- + branchial.] (Zo\'94l.) 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 (#). [NL. See Meso-, and
Bronchia.] (Anat.) The main bronchus of each lung.
Mesoc\'91cum
Mes`o*c\'91"cum (?), n. (Anat.) [NL. See Meso-, and C\'91cum.] The
fold of peritoneum attached to the c\'91cum. -- Mes`o*c\'91"cal (#),
a.
Mesocarp
Mes"o*carp (?), n. [Meso- + Gr. (Bot.) The middle layer of a pericarp
which consists of three distinct or dissimilar layers. Gray.
Mesocephalic
Mes`o*ce*phal"ic (?), a. [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. [NL. See Meso-, and Cephalon.] (Anat.) The
pons Varolii.
Mesocephalous
Mes`o*ceph"a*lous (?), a. (Anat.) Mesocephalic.
Mesoc\'d2le, Mesoc\'d2lia
Mes`o*c\'d2"le (?), Mes`o*c\'d2"li*a (?), n. [NL. mesocoelia. See
Meso-, and C\'d2lia.] (Anat.) The cavity of the mesencephalon; the
iter.
Mesocolon
Mes`o*co"lon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. m\'82soc\'93lon.] (Anat.) The fold
of peritoneum, or mesentery, attached to the colon. -- Mes`o*col"ic
(#), a.
Mesocoracoid
Mes`o*cor"a*coid (?), n. [Meso- + coracoid.] (Anat.) 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. [Meso- + cuneiform,
cuniform.] (Anat.) One of the bones of the tarsus. See 2d Cuneiform.
Mesoderm
Mes"o*derm (?), n. [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.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the
mesoderm; as, mesodermal tissues.
Mesodermic
Mes`o*der"mic (?), a. Same as Mesodermal.
Mesodont
Mes"o*dont (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.) Having teeth of moderate size.
Mesogaster
Mes`o*gas"ter (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The fold of peritoneum
connecting the stomach with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity;
the mesogastrium.
Mesogastric
Mes`o*gas"tric (?), a. [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. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the middle gastric lobe of the
carapace of a crab.
Mesogastrium
Mes`o*gas"tri*um (?), n. [NL. See Mesogaster.] (Anat.) (a) The
umbilical region. (b) The mesogaster.
Mesogl Mes`o*gl (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A thin gelatinous tissue
separating the ectoderm and endoderm in certain c\'d2lenterates. -- Mes`o*gl
(#), a.
Mesognathous
Me*sog"na*thous (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.) Having the jaws slightly
projecting; between prognathous and orthognathous. See Gnathic index,
under Gnathic.
Mesohepar
Mes`o*he"par (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Hepar.] (Anat.) A fold of the
peritoneum connecting the liver with the dorsal wall of the abdominal
cavity.
Mesohippus
Mes`o*hip"pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) 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. [L. mesolabium, Gr. 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. [Gr. (Min.) Same as Thomsonite.
Mesolite
Mes"o*lite (?; 277), n. [Meso- + -lite.] (Min.) 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. [Meso- + logarithm : cf. F.
m\'82sologarithme.] (Math.) A logarithm of the cosine or cotangent.
[Obs.] Kepler. Hutton.
Mesometrium
Mes`o*me"tri*um (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Metrium.] (Anat.) The fold
of the peritoneum supporting the oviduct.
Mesomyodian
Mes`o*my*o"di*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A bird having a mesomyodous
larynx.
Mesomyodous
Mes`o*my"o*dous (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having the intrinsic
muscles of the larynx attached to the middle of the semirings.
Meson
Mes"on (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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. [Meso- + nasal.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
middle portion of the nasal region.
Mesonephric
Mes`o*neph"ric (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the mesonephros;
as, the mesonephric, or Wolffian, duct.
Mesonephros
Mes`o*neph"ros (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The middle one of the
three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in most vertebrates;
the Wolffian body.
Mesonotum
Mes`o*no"tum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The dorsal portion of
the mesothorax of insects.
Mesophl Mes`o*phl (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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. [NL., from Gr. (Anat.) See Glabella.
Mesophyllum
Mes`o*phyl"lum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) The parenchyma of a leaf
between the skin of the two surfaces. Gray.
Mesoplast
Mes"o*plast (?), n. [Meso- + -plast.] (Biol.) The nucleus of a cell;
mesoblast. Agassix.
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Mesopodial
Mes`o*po"di*al (?), a. (Anat.) 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 (#). [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
One of the bones of either the carpus or tarsus.
Mesopodium
Mes`o*po"di*um (?), n. [NL. See Mesopodiale.] (Zo\'94l.) The middle
portion of the foot in the Gastropoda and Pteropoda.
Mesopterygium
Me*sop`te*ryg"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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. [Meso- + rectum.] (Anat.) The fold of
peritoneum, or mesentery, attached to the rectum. -- Mes`o*rec"tal
(#), a.
Mesorhine
Mes"o*rhine (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Anat.) Having the nose of medium
width; between leptorhine and platyrhine.
Mesosauria
Mes`o*sau"ri*a (?), n. Same as Mosasauria.
Mesoscapula
Mes`o*scap"u*la (?), n. [Meso- + scapula.] (Anat.) A process from the
middle of the scapula in some animals; the spine of the scapula.
Mesoscapular
Mes`o*scap"u*lar (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the mesoscapula.
Mesoscutum
Mes`o*scu"tum (?), n. [Meso- + scutum.] (Zo\'94l.) The scutum or
dorsal plate of the middle thoracic segment of an insect. See Illust.
of Butterfly.
Mesoseme
Mes"o*seme (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. m\'82sos\'8ame.] (Anat.) Having a
medium orbital index; having orbits neither broad nor narrow; between
megaseme and microseme.
Mesosiderite
Mes`o*sid"er*ite (?), n. [Meso- + siderite.] (Min.) See the Note under
Meteorite.
Mesosperm
Mes"o*sperm (?), n. [Meso- + Gr. m\'82sosperme.] (Bot.) A membrane of
a seed. See Secundine.
Mesostate
Mes"o*state (?), n. [Meso- + Gr. (Physiol.) A product of metabolic
action.
NOTE: &hand; Ev ery me sostate 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.) Of or pertaining to the mesosternum.
Mesosternum
Mes`o*ster"num (?), n. [Meso- + sternum.]
1. (Anat.) The middle portion, or body, of the sternum.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The ventral piece of the middle segment of the thorax in
insects.
Mesotartaric
Mes`o*tar*tar"ic (?), a. [Meso- + tartaric.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or
designating, an acid called also inactive tartaric acid.
Mesotheca
Mes`o*the"ca (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The middle layer of the
gonophore in the Hydrozoa.
Mesothelium
Mes`o*the"li*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. thelium.] (Biol.) 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 c&oe;lum.
Mesothoracic
Mes`o*tho*rac"ic (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the
mesothorax.
Mesothorax
Mes`o*tho"rax (?), n. [Meso- + thorax: cf. F. m\'82sothorax.]
(Zo\'94l.) The middle segment of the thorax in insects. See Illust. of
Coleoptera.
Mesotrochal
Mes"o*tro`chal (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having the middle of
the body surrounded by bands of cilia; -- said of the larv\'91 of
certain marine annelids.
Mesotype
Mes"o*type (?), n. [Meso- + -type: cf. F. m\'82sotype.] (Min.) 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. [NL. See Meso-, and Ovary.] (Anat.) The fold of
peritoneum connecting the ovary with the wall of the abdominal cavity.
Mesoxalate
Mes*ox"a*late (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mesoxalic acid.
Mesoxalic
Mes`ox*al"ic (?), a. [Mes- + oxalic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or
designating, an acid, CH2O2(CO2H)2, obtained from amido malonic acid.
Mesozoa
Mes`o*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mesozoic.] (Zo\'94l.) A group of very
lowly organized, wormlike parasites, including the Dicyemata. They are
found in cephalopods. See Dicyemata.
Mesozoic
Mes`o*zo"ic (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. (Geol.) 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. The Mesozoic age or formation.
Mesprise
Mes*prise" (?), n. [OF. mespris, F. m\'82pris. See Misprize.]
1. Contempt; scorn. [Obs.]
2. [Perh. for F. m\'82prise mistake. Cf. Misprision.] Misadventure;
ill-success. [Obs.] Spenser.
Mesquite, Mesquit
Mes*qui"te (?), Mes*quit" (?), n. [Sp. mezquite; said to be a Mexican
Indian word.] (Bot.) 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.
Mess
Mess (?), n. Mass; church service. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mess
Mess (?), n. [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. [Perh. corrupt. fr. OE. mesh for mash: cf. muss.] 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.] 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. To supply with a mess.
Message
Mes"sage (?; 48), n. [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. To bear as a message. [Obs.]
Message
Mes"sage, n. [OE., fr. OF. message, fr. LL. missaticus. See 1st
Message.] A messenger. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Messager
Mes"sa*ger (?), n. [OE.] A messenger. [Obs.]
Messenger
Mes"sen*ger (?), n. [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.) 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) 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. A dog. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Messiad
Mes*si"ad (?), n. A German epic poem on the Messiah, by Klopstock.
Messiah
Mes*si"ah (?), n. [Heb. m\'besh\'c6akh anointed, fr. m\'beshakh to
anoint. Cf. Messias.] 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. The state or office of the Messiah.
Messianic
Mes`si*an"ic (?), a. Of or relating to the Messiah; as, the Messianic
office or character.
Messias
Mes*si"as (?), n. [LL., fr. Gr. Messiah.] The Messiah.
I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ. John iv. 25.
Messidor
Mes`si`dor" (F. ?; E. ?), n. [F., fr. L. messis harvest.] The tenth
month of the French republican calendar dating from September 22,
1792. It began June 19, and ended July 18. See Vend\'90miaire.
Messieurs
Mes"sieurs (?; F. ?; 277), n. pl. [F.; pl. of monsieur.] Sirs;
gentlemen; -- abbreviated to Messrs., which is used as the plural of
Mr.
Messinese
Mes`si*nese" (? OR ?), a. Of or pertaining to Messina, or its
inhabitans.
Messmate
Mess"mate` (?), n. An associate in a mess.
Messuage
Mes"suage (?; 48), n. [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) 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. Most. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mestee
Mes*tee" (?), n. [See Mestizo.] The offspring of a white person and a
quadroon; -- so called in the West Indies. [Written also mustee.]
Mester
Mes"ter (?), n. [Obs.] See Mister, a trade.
Mestino
Mes*ti"no (?), n.; pl. Mestinos (. See Mestizo.
Mestizo
Mes*ti"zo (?), n.; pl. Mestizos (#). [Sp. mestizo; akin to OF. mestis,
F. m\'82tis; all fr. (assumed) LL. mixtitius, fr. L. mixtus mixed, p.
p. of miscere to mix. See Mix, and cf. Mestee, M\'90tif, M\'90tis,
Mustee.] 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. A kind of brass. See Maslin. [Obs.]
Mesymnicum
Me*sym"ni*cum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. Hymn.] (Anc. Poetry) A repetition
at the end of a stanza.
Met
Met (?), imp. & p. p. of Meet.
Met
Met, obs. imp. & p. p. of Mete, to measure. Chapman.
Met
Met, obs. p. p. of Mete, to dream. Chaucer.
Meta-, Met-
Met"a- (?), Met- (?). [Gr. mid with, G. mit, Goth. mi\'ed, 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. <-- 3. A prefix meaning at a level above, as metaphysics,
metalanguage. -->
Metabasis
Me*tab"a*sis (?), n.; pl. Metabases (#). [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Rhet.) A transition from one subject to another.
2. (Med.) Same as Metabola.
Metabola, Metabole
Me*tab"o*la (?), Me*tab"o*le (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Med.) A change or
mutation; a change of disease, symptoms, or treatment.
Metabola, Metabolia
Me*tab"o*la (?), Met`a*bo"li*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See 1st Metabola.]
(Zo\'94l.) A comprehensive group of insects, including those that
undegro a metamorphosis.
Metabolian
Met`a*bo"li*an (?), n. [See Metabola.] (Zo\'94l.) An insect which
undergoes a metamorphosis.
Metabolic
Met`a*bol"ic (?), a. [Gr. Metabola.]
1. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to metamorphosis; pertaining to, or
involving, change.
2. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to metabolism; as, metabolic activity;
metabolic force.
Metabolisis
Met`a*bol"i*sis (?), n. [NL.] Metabolism. [R.]
Metabolism
Me*tab"o*lism (?), n. (Physiol.) 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).<-- now sp.
catabolism -->
Metabolite
Me*tab"o*lite (?), n. (Physiol Chem.) A product of metabolism; a
substance produced by metabolic action, as urea.
Metabolize
Me*tab"o*lize (?), v. t. & i. (Physiol.) To change by a metabolic
process. See Metabolism.
Metabranchial
Met`a*bran"chi*al (?), a. [Meta- + branchial.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or
pertaining to the lobe of the carapace of crabs covering the posterior
branchi\'91.
Metacarpal
Met`a*car"pal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the metacarpus. --
n. A metacarpal bone.
Metacarpus
Met`a*car"pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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 OR -tre
Met`a*cen"ter (?) OR -tre, n. [Pref. meta- + center.] (Hydrostatics)
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: &hand; Wh en th e me tacenter is above the center of gravity,
the position of the body is stable; when below it, unstable.
Metacetone
Me*tac"e*tone (?), n. [Pref. met- + acetone.] (Chem.) 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. [Pref. meta- + chloral.] (Chem.) A white,
amorphous, insoluble substance regarded as a polymeric variety of
chloral.
Metachronism
Me*tach"ro*nism (?), n. [Gr. m\'82tachronisme.] An error committed in
chronology by placing an event after its real time.
Metachrosis
Met`a*chro"sis (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Biol.) 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. [Pref. meta- + cinnabar.] (Min.) Sulphide
of mercury in isometric form and black in color.
Metacism
Met"a*cism (?), n. [L. metacismus, Gr. A defect in pronouncing the
letter m, or a too frequent use of it.
Metacrolein
Met`a*cro"le*in (?), n. [Pref. met- + acrolein.] (Chem.) 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. [NL.] (Anat.) A process projecting backward
and downward from the acromion of the scapula of some mammals.
Metadiscoidal
Met`a*dis*coid"al (?), a. [Meta- + discoidal.] (Anat.) 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. [Pref. meta- + gastric.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or
pertaining to the two posterior gastric lobes of the carapace of
crabs.
Metage
Met"age (?; 48), n. [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. [Pref. meta- + genesis.]
1. (Biol.) 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.) Alternation of sexual and asexual or gemmiparous
generations; -- in distinction from heterogamy.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 917
Metagenetic
Met`a*ge*net"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to metagenesis.
Metagenic
Met`a*gen"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Metagenetic.
Metagnathous
Me*tag"na*thous (?), a. [Pref. meta- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Cross-billed; --
said of certain birds, as the crossbill.
Metagrammatism
Met`a*gram"ma*tism (?), n. Anagrammatism.
Metagraphic
Met`a*graph"ic (?), a. By or pertaining to metagraphy.
Metagraphy
Me*tag"ra*phy (?), n. [Pref. meta- + -graphy.] 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. [F. m\'82tal, L. metallum metal, mine, Gr.
Mettle, Medal.]
1. (Chem.) 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: &hand; Po pularly, th e na me is ap plied to ce rtain 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: &hand; Th e 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. 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.] To cover with metal; as, to metal a ship's
bottom; to metal a road.
Metalammonium
Met`al*am*mo"ni*um (?), n. [Metal + ammonium.] (Chem.) A hypothetical
radical derived from ammonium by the substitution of metallic atoms in
place of hydrogen.
Metalbumin
Met`al*bu"min (?), n. [Pref. met- + albumin.] (Physiol. Chem.) 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. [Pref. met- + aldehyde.] (Chem.) 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 (#). [L., fr. Gr. (Rhet.) 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.) Exchange; replacement; substitution;
metathesis. [R.]
Metaleptic
Met`a*lep"tic (?), a. [Gr.
1. Of or pertaining to a metalepsis.
2. Transverse; as, the metaleptic motion of a muscle.
3. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, concerned in, or occurring by,
metalepsy.
Metaleptical
Met`a*lep"tic*al (?), a. Metaleptic. -- Met`a*lep"tic*al*ly, adv.
Metallic
Me*tal"lic (?), a. [L. metallicus, fr. metallum: cf. F. m\'82tallique.
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.) Of, pertaining to, or characterized by, the essential and
implied properties of a metal, as contrasted with a nonmetal or
metalloid; basic; antacid; positive.<-- conductive of electricity is
now one of the most characteristic properties, and form cations by
loss of electrons -->
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. See Metallic. [Obs.]
Metallicly
Me*tal"lic*ly (?), adv. In a metallic manner; by metallic means.
Metallifacture
Me*tal`li*fac"ture (?; 135), n. [L. metallum metal + facere, factum,
to make.] The production and working or manufacture of metals. [R.] R.
Park.
Metalliferous
Met`al*lif"er*ous (?), a. [L. metallifer; metallum metal + ferre to
bear: cf. F. m\'82tallif\'8are.] Producing metals; yielding metals.
Metalliform
Me*tal"li*form (?), a. [L. metallum metal + -form: cf. F.
m\'82talliforme.] Having the form or structure of a metal.
Metalline
Met"al*line (?), a. [Cf. F. m\'82tallin.] (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.) 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. A worker in metals, or one skilled in metals.
Metallization
Met`al*li*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82tallisation.] The act or
process of metallizing. [R.]
Metallize
Met"al*lize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metallized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Metallizing (?).] [Cf. F. m\'82talliser.] To impart metallic
properties to; to impregnate with a metal. [R.]
Metallochrome
Me*tal"lo*chrome (?), n. [See Metallochromy.] 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. [L. metallum metal + Gr. The art or process
of coloring metals.
Metallograph
Me*tal"lo*graph (?), n. [L. metallum metal + -graph.] A print made by
metallography.
Metallographic
Me*tal`lo*graph"ic (?), a. Pertaining to, or by means of,
metallography.
Metallographist
Met`al*log"ra*phist (?), n. One who writes on the subject of metals.
Metallography
Met`al*log"ra*phy (?), n. [L. metallum metal + -graphy: cf. F.
m\'82tallographie.]
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. [L. metallum metal + -oid: cf. F.
m\'82tallo\'8bde.] (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.) Having the properties of a nonmetal; nonmetallic; acid;
negative.
Metalloidal
Met`al*loid"al (?), a. Metalloid.
Metallorganic
Met`al*lor*gan"ic (?), a. Metalorganic.
Metallotherapy
Me*tal`lo*ther"a*py (?), n. [L. metallum metal + E. therapy.] (Med.)
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. [Cf. F.
m\'82tallurgique.] Of or pertaining to metallurgy.
Metallurgist
Met"al*lur`gist (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82tallurgiste.] One who works in
metals, or prepares them for use; one who is skilled in metallurgy.
Metallurgy
Met"al*lur`gy (?), n. [F. m\'82tallurgie, fr. L. metallum metal, Gr.
Metal, and Work.] 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 (. A worker in metals.
Metalogical
Met`a*log"ic*al (?), a. Beyond the scope or province of logic.
Metalorganic
Met`al*or*gan"ic (?), a. [Metal, L. metallum + E. organic.] (Chem.)
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. [See Metamere.] (Chem.) 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.<-- = isomer -->
Metamere
Met"a*mere (?), n. [Pref. meta- + -mere.] (Biol.) 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. [Pref. meta- + Gr.
1. (Chem.) 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: &hand; Th e ex istence of me tameric compounds is due to the
different arrangement of the same constituents in the molecule.
2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to a metamere or its formation; as,
metameric segmentation.
Metamerically
Met`a*mer"ic*al*ly, adv. In a metameric manner.
Metamerism
Me*tam"er*ism (?), n.
1. (Biol.) The symmetry of a metameric structure; serial symmetry; the
state of being made up of metameres.
2. (Chem.) The state or quality of being metameric; also, the relation
or condition of metameric compounds.
Metamorphic
Met`a*mor"phic (?), a. [See Metamorphosis.]
1. Subject to change; changeable; variable.
2. Causing a change of structure.
3. (Geol.) 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.) 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.) One who believes that the body of
Christ was merged into the Deity when he ascended.
Metamorphize
Met`a*mor"phize (?), v. t. To metamorphose.
Metamorphose
Met`a*mor"phose (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Metamorphosed (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Metamorphosing.] [Cf. F. m\'82tamorphoser.] To change into a
different form; to transform; to transmute.
And earth was metamorphosed into man. Dryden.
Metamorphose
Met`a*mor"phose (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82tamorphose. See Metamorphosis.]
Same as Metamorphosis.
Metamorphoser
Met`a*mor"pho*ser (?), n. One who metamorphoses. [R.] Gascoigne.
Metamorphosic
Met`a*mor"pho*sic (?), a. Changing the form; transforming. [R.]
Pownall.
Metamorphosis
Met`a*mor"pho*sis (?), n.; pl. Metamorphoses (#). [L., fr. Gr.
1. Change of form, or structure; transformation.
2. (Biol.) 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.) 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. [NL. See Meta-, and Nauplius.] (Zo\'94l.) A
larval crustacean in a stage following the nauplius, and having about
seven pairs of appendages.
Metanephritic
Met`a*ne*phrit"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the metanephros.
Metanephros
Met`a*neph"ros (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The most posterior of the
three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in many vertebrates.
Metanotum
Met`a*no"tum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The dorsal portion of
the metaphorax of insects.
Metantimonate
Met`an*ti*mo"nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of metantimonic acid.
Metantimonic
Met`an*ti*mon"ic (?), a. [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. [Pref. meta- + pectic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to,
or designating, a supposed acid obtained from pectin.
Metapectin
Met`a*pec"tin (?), n. (Chem.) A substance obtained from, and
resembling, pectin, and occurring in overripe fruits.
Metapeptone
Met`a*pep"tone (?), n. [Pref. meta- + peptone.] (Physiol. Chem.) An
intermediate product formed in the gastric digestion of albuminous
matter.
Metaphor
Met"a*phor (?), n. [F. m\'82taphore, L. metaphora, fr. Gr. meta`
beyond, over + fe`rein to bring, bear.] (Rhet.) 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: &hand; 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. [Gr. m\'82taphorique.] 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. One who makes metaphors.
Metaphosphate
Met`a*phos"phate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of metaphosphoric acid.
Metaphosphoric
Met`a*phos*phor"ic (?), a. [Pref. meta- + phosphoric.] (Chem.)
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. [Gr. meta`frasis, from metafrazein to paraphrase;
meta` beyond, over + fra`zein to speak: cf. F. m\'82taphrase.]
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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 918
Metaphrased
Met"a*phrased (?), a. Translated literally.
Metaphrasis
Me*taph"ra*sis (?), n. [NL. See Metaphrase.] Metaphrase.
Metaphrast
Met"a*phrast (?), n. [Gr. m\'82taphraste.] A literal translator.
Metaphrastic, Metaphrastical
Met`a*phras"tic (?), Met`a*phras"tic*al (?), a. [Gr. Close, or
literal.
Metaphysic
Met`a*phys"ic (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82taphysique.] See Metaphysics.
Metaphysic
Met`a*phys"ic, a. Metaphysical.
Metaphysical
Met`a*phys"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. m\'82taphysique. 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. In the manner of metaphysical science, or of
a metaphysician. South.
Metaphysician
Met`a*phy*si"cian (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82taphysicien.] One who is versed
in metaphysics.
Metaphysics
Met`a*phys"ics (?), n. [Gr. m\'82taphysique. 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: &hand; Me taphysics 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. [NL., fr. Gr. Change of form; transformation.
Metaplasm
Met"a*plasm (?), n. [L. metaplasmus, Gr. m\'82taplasme.] (Gram.) A
change in the letters or syllables of a word.
Metaplast
Met"a*plast (?), n. [See Metaplasm.] (Gram.) A word having more than
one form of the root.
Metapode
Met"a*pode (?), n. [NL. metapodium, from Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The posterior
division of the foot in the Gastropoda and Pteropoda.
Metapodial
Met`a*po"di*al (?), a. (Anat.) 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 (#). [NL. See Metapode.]
(Anat.) One of the bones of either the metacarpus or metatarsus.
Metapodium
Met`a*po"di*um (?), n.; pl. Metapodia (#). [NL.] (Zo\'94l.) Same as
Metapode.
Metapophysis
Met`a*poph"y*sis (?), n.; pl. Metapophyses (#). [NL. See Meta-, and
Apophysis.] (Anat.) A tubercle projecting from the anterior articular
processes of some vertebr&ae;; a mammillary process.
Metapterygium
Me*tap`te*ryg"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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.) A salt of metasilicic acid.
Metasilicic
Met`a*si*lic"ic (?), a. [Pref. meta- + silicic.] (Chem.) Designating
an acid derived from silicic acid by the removal of water; of or
pertaining to such an acid.
NOTE: &hand; Th e sa lts of me tasilicic ac id ar e of ten ca lled
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. [Pref. meta- + Gr. (Geol.) 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. [Pref. meta- + -some body.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the
component segments of the body of an animal.
Metastannate
Met`a*stan"nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of metastannic acid.
Metastannic
Met`a*stan"nic (?), a. (Chem.) 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 (#). [L., transition, fr. Gr.
1. (Theol.) A spiritual change, as during baptism.
2. (Med.) A change in the location of a disease, as from one part to
another. Dunglison.
3. (Physiol.) 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. Of, pertaining to, or caused by, metastasis; as,
a metastatic abscess; the metastatic processes of growth.
Metasternal
Met`a*ster"nal (?), a. Of or pertaining to the metasternum.
Metasternum
Met`a*ster"num (?), n. [Pref. meta- + sternum.]
1. (Anat.) The most posterior element of the sternum; the ensiform
process; xiphisternum.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The ventral plate of the third or last segment of the
thorax of insects.
Metastoma, Metastome
Me*tas"to*ma (?), Met"a*stome (?), n. [NL. metastoma, from Gr. meta`
behind + sto`ma mouth.] (Zo\'94l.) A median elevation behind the mouth
in the arthropods.
Metatarsal
Met`a*tar"sal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the metatarsus. --
n. A metatarsal bone.
Metatarse
Met"a*tarse (?), n. (Anat.) Metatarsus.
Metatarsus
Met`a*tar"sus (?), n.; pl. Metatarsi (#). [NL. See Meta-, and Tarsus.]
(Anat.) 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.
Metathesis
Me*tath"e*sis (?), n.; pl. Metatheses (. [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.) Transposition, as of the letters or syllables of a word;
as, pistris for pristis; meagre for meager.
2. (Med.) A mere change in place of a morbid substance, without
removal from the body.
3. (Chem.) 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. Of or pertaining to
metathesis.
Metathoracic
Met`a*tho*rac"ic (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the
metathorax.
Metathorax
Met`a*tho"rax (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. m\'82tathorax. See Meta-, and
Thorax.] (Zo\'94l.) The last or posterior segment of the thorax in
insects. See Illust. of Coleoptera.
Metatitanic
Met`a*ti*tan"ic (?), a. [Pref. meta- + titanic.] (Chem.) Of,
pertaining to, or designating, an acid of titanium analogous to
metasilicic acid.
Metatungstate
Met`a*tung"state (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of metatungstic acid.
Metatungstic
Met`a*tung"stic (?), a. [Pref. meta- + tungstic.] (Chem.) 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.) A salt of metavanadic acid.
Metavanadic
Met`a*va*nad"ic (?), a. [Pref. meta- + vanadic.] (Chem.) Of,
pertaining to, or designating, a vanadic acid analogous to
metaphosphoric acid.
Metaxylene
Met`a*xy"lene (?), n. [Pref. meta- + xylene.] (Chem.) 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
M\'82tayage
M\'82`ta`yage" (?), n. [F. See M\'82tayer.] A system of farming on
halves. [France & Italy]
M\'82tayer
M\'82`ta`yer" (F. ?; E. ?), n. [F., fr. LL. medietarius, fr. L. medius
middle, half. See Mid, a.] 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Metazoa.
Metazoic
Met`a*zo"ic (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Metazoa.
Metazo\'94n
Met`a*zo"\'94n (?), n. [NL.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the Metazoa.
Mete
Mete (?), n. Meat. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mete
Mete, v. t. & i. To meet. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mete
Mete, v. i. & t. [imp. Mette (?); p. p. Met.] [AS. m.] 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.] [AS.
metan; akin to D. meten, G. messen, OHG. mezzan, Icel. meta, Sw.
m\'84ta, Goth. mitan, L. modus measure, moderation, modius a corn
measure, Gr. measure, L. metiri to measure; cf. Skr. m\'be to measure.
&root;99. Cf. Measure, Meet, a., Mode.] To find the quantity,
dimensions, or capacity of, by any rule or standard; to measure.
Mete
Mete (?), v. i. To measure. [Obs.] Mark iv. 24.
Mete
Mete, n. [AS. met. See Mete to measure.] Measure; limit; boundary; --
used chiefly in the plural, and in the phrase metes and bounds.
Metecorn
Mete"corn` (?), n. 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. According to measure or proportion; proportionable;
proportionate. [Obs.]
Metempiric, Metempirical
Met`em*pir"ic (?), Met`em*pir"ic*al (?), a. [Pref. met- + empiric,
-ical.] (Metaph.) 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. The science that is concerned with
metempirics.
Metempirics
Met`em*pir"ics (?), n. 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 (?).] [See Metempsychosis.] To translate or
transfer, as the soul, from one body to another. [R.] Peacham.
Metempsychosis
Me*temp`sy*cho"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. Psychology.] 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. [NL., from Gr. (Chron.) 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. [Met- + encephalon.] (Anat.) The posterior
part of the brain, including the medulla; the afterbrain. Sometimes
abbreviated to meten.
Metensomatosis
Met`en*so`ma*to"sis (?), n. [L., a change of body (by the soul), fr.
Gr. (Biol.) The assimilation by one body or organism of the elements
of another.
Meteor
Me"te*or (?), n. [F. m\'82t\'82ore, 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: &hand; Th e te rm 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. [Cf. F. m\'82t\'82orique.]
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. Meteoric.
Meteorism
Me"te*or*ism (?), n. (Med.) Flatulent distention of the abdomen;
tympanites.
Meteorite
Me"te*or*ite (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82t\'82orite.] (Min.) A mass of stone
or iron which has fallen to the earth from space; an a\'89rolite.
NOTE: &hand; Me teorites 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 Widmanst\'84tten 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).
<-- Comm: carbonaceous? Add mark for composition? -->
Meteorize
Me"te*or*ize (?), v. i. [Gr. To ascend in vapors; to take the form of
a meteor. Evelyn.
Meteorograph
Me`te*or"o*graph (?), n. [Meteor + -graph.] An instrument which
registers meteorologic phases or conditions.
Meteorographic
Me`te*or`o*graph"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to meteorography.
Meteorography
Me`te*or*og"ra*phy (?), n. [Meteor + -graphy.] The registration of
meteorological phenomena.
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Meteoroid
Me"te*or*oid (?), n. [Meteor + -oid.] (Astron.) 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. Of or pertaining to a meteoroid or to
meteoroids.
Meteorolite
Me`te*or"o*lite (?; 277), n. [Meteor + -lite : cf. F.
m\'82t\'82orolithe.] A meteoric stone; an a\'89rolite; a meteorite.
Meteoroligic, Meteorological
Me`te*or`o*lig"ic (?), Me`te*or`o*log"ic*al (?), a. [Gr.
m\'82t\'82orologique.] 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. [Cf. F. m\'82t\'82orologiste.] A person
skilled in meteorology.
Meteorology
Me`te*or*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. m\'82t\'82orologie. See Meteor.] 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. [Meteor + -mancy : cf. F.
m\'82t\'82oromancie.] 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. [Meteor + -meter.] 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 (?; 277), n. [Gr. m\'82t\'82oroscope. 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. [See Meteor.] Of the nature or appearance of
a meteor.
-meter
-me"ter (?). [L. metrum measure, or the allied Gr. Meter rhythm.] A
suffix denoting that by which anything is measured; as, barometer,
chronometer, dynamometer.
Meter
Me"ter (?), n. [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. 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. [OE. metre, F. m\'8atre, L. metrum, fr. Gr.
m\'be 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. [See 1st Meter.] The act of measuring, or the cost
of measuring.
Metergram
Me"ter*gram` (?), n. (Mech.) 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. [Mete to measure + wand.] A measuring rod. Ascham.
Meteyard
Mete"yard` (?), n. [AS. metgeard. See Mete to measure, and Yard
stick.] A yard, staff, or rod, used as a measure. [Obs.] Shak.
Meth
Meth (?), n. See Meathe. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Meth\'91moglobin
Met`h\'91m*o*glo"bin (? OR ?), n. [Pref. met- + h.] (Physiol. Chem.) A
stable crystalline compound obtained by the decomposition of
hemoglobin. It is found in old blood stains.
Methal
Meth"al (?), n. [Myristic + ether + alcohol.] (Chem.) 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. [See Methal.] (Chem.) 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.
Metheglin
Me*theg"lin (?), n. [W. meddyglyn; medd mead + llyn liquor, juice. See
Mead a drink.] A fermented beverage made of honey and water; mead.
Gay.
Methene
Meth"ene (?), n. [Methyl + ethylene.] (Chem.) See Methylene.
Methenyl
Meth"e*nyl (?), n. [Methene + -yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical
hydrocarbon radical CH, regarded as an essential residue of certain
organic compounds.
Methide
Meth"ide (? OR ?), n. [See Methyl.] (Chem.) A binary compound of
methyl with some element; as, aluminium methide, Al2(CH3)6.
Methinks
Me*thinks" (?), v. impers. [imp. Methought (?).] [AS. þyncan to seem,
m&emac; þynce&edh;, m&emac; þ&umac;hte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte;
akin to G. d\'81nken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me,
and Think.] 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.) A salt of methionic acid.
Methionic
Meth`i*on"ic (?), a. [Methyl + thionic.] (Chem.) 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. [F. m\'82thode, 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.) Classification; a mode or system of classifying
natural objects according to certain common characteristics; as, the
method of Theophrastus; the method of Ray; the Linn\'91an 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. [L. methodicus, Gr.
m\'82thodique.]
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. The art and principles of method.
Methodism
Meth"o*dism (?), n. (Eccl.) The system of doctrines, polity, and
worship, of the sect called Methodists. Bp. Warburton.
Methodist
Meth"o*dist (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82thodiste. 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.) 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. 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. Of or pertaining to
methodists, or to the Methodists. -- Meth`o*dis"tic*al*ly, adv.
Methodization
Meth`od*i*za"tion (?), n. 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 (?).] 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. One who methodizes.
Methodological
Meth`od*o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to methodology.
Methodology
Meth`od*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] The science of method or
arrangement; a treatise on method. Coleridge.
Methol
Meth"ol (?), n. [Gr. -ol.] (Chem.) 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. of Methinks.
Methoxyl
Meth*ox"yl (?), n. [Methyl + hydroxyl.] (Chem.) A hypothetical
radical, CH3O, analogous to hydroxyl.
Methyl
Meth"yl (?), n. [See Methylene.] (Chem.) 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<-- wood alcohol -->; -- 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. [Methylene + alcohol.] (Chem.) 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.) See Methyl amine, under Methyl.
Methylate
Meth"yl*ate (?), n. [Methyl + alcoholate.] (Chem.) 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. To impregnate or mix with methyl or methyl
alcohol.
Methylated
Meth"yl*a`ted (?), a. (Chem.) Impregnated with, or containing, methyl
alcohol or wood spirit; as, methylated spirits.
Methylene
Meth"yl*ene (?), n. [F. m\'82thyl\'8ane, from Gr. wood spirit.]
(Chem.) 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.) Pertaining to, derived from, or containing,
methyl; specifically, designating methyl alcohol. See under Methyl.
Methysticin
Me*thys"ti*cin (?), n. (Chem.) 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. [Gr. metoecus, F. m\'82t\'8aque.] (Gr.
Antiq.) 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. [L. meticulosus, fr. metus fear: cf. F.
m\'82ticuleux.] Timid; fearful. -- Me*tic"u*lous*ly, adv.
M\'82tif, n. m. M\'82tive
M\'82`tif" (?), n. m. M\'82`tive" (?), n. f.[F.] See M\'82tis.
M\'82tis, n. m. M\'82tisse
M\'82`tis" (?), n. m. M\'82`tisse" (?), n. f.[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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Arch.) (a) The space between two
dentils. (b) The space between two triglyphs.
Metonic
Me*ton"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. m\'82tonique.] 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. [See Metonymy.] Used by way
of metonymy. -- Met`o*nym"ic*al*ly, adv.
Metonymy
Me*ton"y*my (?; 277), n. [L. metonymia, Gr. m\'82tonymie. See Name.]
(Rhet.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Arch.) The space between two triglyphs of the Doric frieze, which,
among the ancients, was often adorned with carved work. See Illust. of
Entablature.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The face of a crab.
NOTE: &hand; In th e Pa rthenon, gr oups of centaurs and heroes in
high relief occupy the metopes.
Metopic
Me*top"ic (?), a. [Gr. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the forehead or
frontal bones; frontal; as, the metopic suture.
Metopomancy
Met"o*po*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. -mancy.] Fortune telling by physiognomy.
[R.] Urquhart.
Metoposcopic, Metoposcopical
Met`o*po*scop"ic (?), Met`o*po*scop"ic*al (?), a. Of or relating to
metoposcopy.
Metoposcopist
Met`o*pos"co*pist (?), n. One versed in metoposcopy.
Metoposcopy
Met`o*pos"co*py (?), n. [Gr. m\'82toposcopie.] 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The postero-lateral
ossification in the sternum of birds; also, the part resulting from
such ossification.
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Page 920
Metre
Me"tre (?), n. See Meter.
Metric
Met"ric (?), a. [L. metricus, Gr. m\'82trique. 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. <-- nano-, pico-,
femto-, atto-; giga-, tera, etc. -->
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. In a metrical manner.
Metrician
Me*tri"cian (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82tricien. See Meter rhythm.] A
composer of verses. [Obs.]
Metric system
Met"ric sys"tem (?). See Metric, a.
Metrification
Met`ri*fi*ca"tion (?), n. Composition in metrical form; versification.
[R.] Tennyson.
Metrify
Met"ri*fy (?), v. i. [L. metrum meter + -fy: cf. F. m\'82trifier.] To
make verse. [R.] Skelton.
Metrist
Me"trist (?), n. A maker of verses. Bale.
Spenser was no mere metrist, but a great composer. Lowell.
Metritis
Me*tri"tis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. -tis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the
womb.
Metrochrome
Met"ro*chrome (?), n. [Gr. An instrument for measuring colors.
Metrograph
Met"ro*graph (?), n. [Gr. -graph.] 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. [Cf. F. m\'82trologique.] Of or pertaining to
metrology.
Metrology
Me*trol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -m\'82trologie.] The science of, or a system
of, weights and measures; also, a treatise on the subject.
Metromania
Met`ro*ma"ni*a (?), n. [Gr. mania.] A mania for writing verses.
Metromaniac
Met`ro*ma"ni*ac (?), n. One who has metromania.
Metrometer
Me*trom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. -meter.] (Med.) An instrument for measuring
the size of the womb. Knight.
Metronome
Met"ro*nome (?), n. [Gr. m\'82tronome, It. metronomo.] 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. [See Metronome.] Measurement of time by an
instrument.
Metronymic
Met`ro*nym"ic (?), a. [Gr. 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. [Cf. F. m\'82tropole. See Metropolis.] A
metropolis. [Obs.] Holinshed.
Metropolis
Me*trop"o*lis (?), n. [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.) 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 (?; 277), a. [L. metropolitanus: cf. F.
m\'82tropolitain.]
1. Of or pertaining to the capital or principal city of a country; as,
metropolitan luxury.
2. (Eccl.) 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. [LL. metropolitanus.]
1. The superior or presiding bishop of a country or province.
2. (Lat. Church.) An archbishop.
3. (Gr. Church) 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. The see of a metropolitan bishop. Milman.
Metropolite
Me*trop"o*lite (?), n. [L. metropolita, Gr. A metropolitan. Barrow.
Metropolitical
Met`ro*po*lit"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a metropolis; being a
metropolis; metropolitan; as, the metropolitical chair. Bp. Hall.
Metrorrhagia
Met`ror*rha"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Profuse bleeding from
the womb, esp. such as does not occur at the menstrual period.
Metroscope
Met"ro*scope (?), n. [Gr. -scope.] A modification of the stethoscope,
for directly auscultating the uterus from the vagina.
Metrosideros
Met`ro*si*de"ros (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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. [See Metrotomy.] (Surg.) An instrument for cutting
or scarifying the uterus or the neck of the uterus.
Metrotomy
Me*trot"o*my (?), n. [Gr. m\'82trotomie.] (Surg.) The operation of
cutting into the uterus; hysterotomy; the C\'91sarean section.
-metry
-me*try (?). [See -meter.] A suffix denoting the art, process, or
science, of measuring; as, acidmetry, chlorometry, chronometry.
Mette
Mette (?), obs. imp. of Mete, to dream. Chaucer.
Mettle
Met"tle (?), n. [E. metal, used in a tropical sense in allusion to the
temper of the metal of a sword blade. See Metal.] 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. Having mettle; high-spirited; ardent; full of fire.
Addison.
Mettlesome
Met"tle*some (?), a. Full of spirit; possessing constitutional ardor;
fiery; as, a mettlesome horse. -- Met"tle*some*ly, adv. --
Met"tle*some*ness, n.
Meute
Meute (?), n. A cage for hawks; a mew. See 4th Mew, 1. Milman.
Meve
Meve (?), v. t. & i. To move. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mew
Mew (?), n. [AS. m, akin to D. meeuw, G. m\'94we, OHG. m, Icel.
m\'ber.] (Zo\'94l.) 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.] [OE. muen, F.
muer, fr. L. mutare to change, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf.
Mew a cage, Molt.] 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. 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. [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. [From Mew a cage.] 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. [Of imitative origin; cf. G. miauen.] To cry as a cat.
[Written also meaw, meow.] Shak.
Mew
Mew, n. The common cry of a cat. Shak.
Mewl
Mewl (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mewled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mewling.]
[Cf. F. miauler to mew, E. mew to cry as a cat. Cf. Miaul.] To cry, as
a young child; to squall. [Written also meawl.] Shak.
Mewler
Mewl"er (?), n. One that mewls.
Mews
Mews (?), n. sing. & pl. [Prop. pl. of mew. See Mew a cage.] 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. [Sp. mexcal.] See Mescal.
Mexican
Mex"i*can (?), a. Of or pertaining to Mexico or its people. -- n. 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. 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. To become like the Mexicans, or their country or
government.
Neyne
Neyn"e (?), n. [Obs.] Same as Meine.
Mezcal
Mez*cal" (?), n. Same as Mescal.
Mezereon
Me*ze"re*on (?), n. [F. m\'82z\'82r\'82on, Per. m\'bezriy&umac;n.]
(Bot.) A small European shrub (Daphne Mezereum), whose acrid bark is
used in medicine.
Mezquita
Mez*qui"ta (?), n. [Sp.] A mosque.
Mezuzoth
Mez"u*zoth (?), n. [Heb. m&ecr;z&umac;z&omac;th, pl. of
m&ecr;z&umac;z\'beh doorpost.] A piece of parchment bearing the
Decalogue and attached to the doorpost; -- in use among orthodox
Hebrews.<-- now mezuzah or mezuzah, used for the scroll together with
the case in which it is contained -->
Mezzanine
Mez"za*nine (?), n. [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 (?). [It., fr. mezzo, fem. mezza middle, half + voce
voice, L. vox.] (Mus.) With a medium fullness of sound.
Mezzo
Mez"zo (?), a. [It., from L. medius middle, half. See Mid, a.] (Mus.)
Mean; not extreme.
Mezzo-relievo
Mez"zo-re*lie"vo (?), n. Mezzo-rilievo.
Mezzo-rilievo
Mez"zo-ri*lie"vo (?), n. [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.) 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. [Cf. F. mezzo-tinto.] 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. To engrave in mezzotint.
Mezzotinter
Mez"zo*tint`er (?), n. One who engraves in mezzotint.
Mezzotinto
Mez`zo*tin"to (?), n. [It. mezzo half + tinto tinted, p. p. of tingere
to dye, color, tinge, L. tingere. See Mezzo.] Mezzotint.
Mezzotinto
Mez`zo*tin"to, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mezzotintoed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mezzotintoing (?).] To engrave in mezzotint; to represent by
mezzotint.
Mhorr
Mhorr (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mohr.
Mi
Mi (?), n. [It.] (Mus.) 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.) A tribe of Indians that
formerly occupied the country between the Wabash and Maumee rivers.
Miargyrite
Mi*ar"gy*rite (?), n. [Gr. (Min.) A mineral of an iron-black color,
and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and
silver.
Mias
Mi"as (?), n. [Malayan.] The orang-outang.
Miascite
Mi*asc"ite (?), n. [Named from Miask, in the Ural Mountains.] (Min.) A
granitoid rock containing feldspar, biotite, el\'91olite, and
sodalite.
Miasm
Mi"asm (?), n. [Cf. F. miasme.] Miasma.
Miasma
Mi*as"ma (?), n.; pl. Miasmata (#). [NL., fr. Gr. 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. Containing miasma; miasmatic.
Miasmatic, Miasmatical
Mi`as*mat"ic (?), Mi`as*mat"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. miasmatique.]
Containing, or relating to, miasma; caused by miasma; as, miasmatic
diseases.
Miasmatist
Mi*as"ma*tist (?), n. One who has made a special study of miasma.
Miasmology
Mi`as*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Miasma + -logy.] That department of medical
science which treats of miasma.
Miaul
Mi*aul" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Miauled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Miauling.] [Cf. F. miauler, of imitative origin, and E. mew. Cf.
Mewl.] To cry as a cat; to mew; to caterwaul. Sir W. Scott.
Miaul
Mi*aul", n. The crying of a cat.
Mica
Mi"ca (?), n. [L. mica crumb, grain, particle; cf. F. mica.] (Min.)
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: &hand; Th e im portant sp ecies of th e mi ca gr oup ar e:
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.) 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. [Cf. F. micac\'82.] Pertaining to, or containing,
mica; splitting into lamin\'91 or leaves like mica.
Mice
Mice (?), n., pl of Mouse.
Micella
Mi*cel"la (?), n.; pl. Micell\'91 (#). [NL., dim. of L. mica a morsel,
grain.] (Biol.) 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. [OE. michen; cf. OE. muchier, mucier, to
conceal, F. musser, and OHG. m&umac;hhen to waylay. Cf. Micher,
Curmudgeon, Muset.] 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. [Michael + mass religious service; OE.
Mighelmesse.] 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. [OE. michare, muchare. See Mich.] One who skulks, or
keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc. [Obs.]
Shak.
Michery
Mich"er*y (?), n. Theft; cheating. [Obs.] Gower.
Miching
Mich"ing, a. Hiding; skulking; cowardly. [Colloq.] [Written also
meaching and meeching.]
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Page 921
Mickle
Mic"kle (?), a. [OE. mikel, muchel, mochel, mukel, AS. micel, mycel;
akin to OS. mikil, OHG. mihil, mihhil, Icel. mikill, mykill, Goth.
mikils, L. magnus, Gr. mahat. &root;103. Cf. Much, Muckle, Magnitude.]
Much; great. [Written also muckle and mockle.] [Old Eng. & Scot.] "A
man of mickle might." Spenser.
Micmacs
Mic"macs (?), n. pl.; sing. Micmac (. (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians
inhabiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. [Written also Mikmaks.]
Mico
Mi"co (?), n. [Sp. or Pg. mico.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. Same as Microustic.
Micraster
Mi*cras"ter (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) 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 (?), [Micr- + Gr. Having a small brain.
Micro-, Micr-
Mi"cro- (?), Mi"cr-. [Gr. 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.
Microamp\'8are
Mi`cro*am`p\'8are" (?), n. [Micr- + amp\'8are.] (Elec.) One of the
smaller measures of electrical currents; the millionth part of one
amp\'8are.
Microbacteria
Mi`cro*bac*te"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Micro-, and Bacterium.]
(Biol.) In the classification of Cohn, one of the four tribes of
Bacteria.
NOTE: &hand; 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.
Microbe, Microbion
Mi"crobe (?), Mi*cro"bi*on (?), n. [NL. microbion, fr. Gr. (Biol.) 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.) Of, pertaining to, or caused by,
microbes; as, the microbian theory; a microbian disease.
Microbic
Mi*crob"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to a microbe.
Microbicide
Mi*crob"i*cide (?), n. [Microbe + L. caedere to kill.] (Biol.) Any
agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or
bacterial organisms.
Microcephalic, Microcephalous
Mi`cro*ce*phal"ic (?), Mi`cro*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Micro- + cephalic,
cephalous.] (Anat.) Having a small head; having the cranial cavity
small; -- opposed to megacephalic.
Micro-chemical
Mi`cro-chem"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to micro-chemistry; as, a
micro-chemical test.
Micro-chemistry
Mi`cro-chem"is*try (?), n. [Micro- + chemistry.] 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. A chronoscope.
Microcline
Mi"cro*cline (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. (Min.) A mineral of the feldspar
group, like orthoclase or common feldspar in composition, but
triclinic in form.
Micrococcal
Mi`cro*coc"cal (?), a. Of or pertaining to micrococci; caused by
micrococci. Nature.
Micrococcus
Mi`cro*coc"cus (?), n.; pl. Micrococci (#). [NL. See Micro-, and
Coccus.] (Biol.) 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: &hand; Ph ysiologically, mi crococci ar e di vided 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. [F. microcosme, L. microcosmus, fr. Gr. 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. [Cf. F. microcosmique.]
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. [Microcosm + -graphy.] Description of
man as a microcosm.
Microcoulomb
Mi`cro*cou`lomb" (?), n. [Micro- + coulomb.] (Elec.) A measure of
electrical quantity; the millionth part of one coulomb.
Microcoustic
Mi`cro*cous"tic (?), a. [Micro- + acoustic: cf. F. microcoustique,
micracoustique.] Pertaining, or suited, to the audition of small
sounds; fitted to assist hearing.
Microcoustic
Mi`cro*cous"tic, n. An instrument for making faint sounds audible, as
to a partially deaf person.
Microcrith
Mi`cro*crith" (?), n. [Micro- + crith.] (Chem.) 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. [Micro- + crystalline.] (Crystallog.)
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. [Micro- + Gr. (Physiol.) One of the elementary
granules found in blood. They are much smaller than an ordinary
corpuscle, and are particularly noticeable in disease, as in
an\'91mia.
Microdont
Mic"ro*dont (?), a. [Micr- + Gr. (Anat.) Having small teeth.
Microfarad
Mi`cro*far"ad (?), n. [Micro- + farad.] (Elec.) The millionth part of
a farad.
Microform
Mi"cro*form (?), n. [Micro- + form, n.] (Biol.) A microscopic form of
life; an animal or vegetable organism microscopic size.
Micro-geological
Mi`cro-ge`o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to micro-geology.
Micro-geology
Mi`cro-ge*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Micro- + geology.] The part of geology
relating to structure and organisms which require to be studied with a
microscope.
Micrograph
Mi"cro*graph (?), n. [See Micrography.] An instrument for executing
minute writing or engraving.
Micrographic
Mi`cro*graph"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to micrography.
Micrography
Mi*crog"ra*phy (?), n. [Micro- + -graphy: cf. F. micrographie.] The
description of microscopic objects.
Microhm
Mi*crohm" (?), n. [Micr- + ohm.] (Elec.) The millionth part of an ohm.
Microlepidoptera
Mi`cro*lep`i*dop"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL. See Micro-, and Lepidoptera.]
(Zo\'94l.) A tribe of Lepidoptera, including a vast number of minute
species, as the plume moth, clothes moth, etc.
Microlestes
Mi`cro*les"tes (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.) An extinct genus of
small Triassic mammals, the oldest yet found in European strata.
Microlite
Mi"cro*lite (?), n. [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.) A minute inclosed crystal, often observed when minerals or
rocks are examined in thin sections under the microscope.
Microlith
Mi"cro*lith (?), n. [Micro- + lith.] (Min.) Same as Microlite, 2.
Microlithic
Mi`cro*lith"ic (?), a. Formed of small stones.
Micrologic, Micrological
Mi`cro*log"ic (?), Mi`cro*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to
micrology; very minute; as, micrologic examination. --
Mi`cro*log"ic*al*ly, adv.<-- pref. = microscopic -->
Micrology
Mi*crol"o*gy (?), n. [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. [Micro- + -mere.] (Biol.) One of the smaller
cells, or blastomeres, resulting from the complete segmentation of a
telolecithal ovum.
Micrometer
Mi*crom"e*ter (?), n. [Micro- + -meter: cf. F. microm\'8atre.] 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. [Cf. F.
microm\'82trique.] Belonging to micrometry; made by the micrometer. --
Mi`cro*met"ric*al*ly, adv.
Micrometry
Mi*crom"e*try (?), n. The art of measuring with a micrometer.
Micromillimeter
Mi`cro*mil"li*me`ter (?), n. [Micro- + millimeter.] The millionth part
of a meter.
Micron
Mic"ron (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Physics) A measure of length; the
thousandth part of one millimeter; the millionth part of a meter.
Micronesian
Mi"cro*ne"sian (?), a. [From Micronesia, fr. Gr. 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.) 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. [Micro- + chronometer.] An instrument for
noting minute portions of time.
Micro\'94rganism
Mi`cro*\'94r"gan*ism (?), n. [Micro- + organism.] (Biol.) 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. [Micro- + pantograph.] A kind of
pantograph which produces copies microscopically minute.
Micropegmatite
Mi`cro*peg"ma*tite (?), n. [Micro- + pegmatite.] (Min.) 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. [Micro- + Gr. microphone.] (Physics) 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.
Microphonics
Mi`cro*phon"ics (?), n. [See Microphone.] 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. Serving to augment the intensity of weak
sounds; microcoustic.
Microphotograph
Mi`cro*pho"to*graph (?), n. [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: &hand; A pi cture of th is ki nd is pr eferably ca lled a
photomicrograph.
Microphotography
Mi`cro*pho*tog"ra*phy (?), n. The art of making microphotographs.
Microphthalmia, Microphthalmy
Mi`croph*thal"mi*a (?), Mi`croph*thal"my (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. An
unnatural smallness of the eyes, occurring as the result of disease or
of imperfect development.
Microphyllous
Mi*croph"yl*lous (?), a. [Micro- + Gr. (Bot.) Small-leaved.
Microphytal
Mi*croph"y*tal (?), a. (Bot.) Pertaining to, or of the nature of,
microphytes.
Microphyte
Mi"cro*phyte (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. microphyte.] (Bot.) A very minute
plant, one of certain unicellular alg\'91, such as the germs of
various infectious diseases are believed to be.
Micropyle
Mi"cro*pyle (?), n. [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. Pertaining to microscopy, or to the use of the
microscope. Huxley.
Microscope
Mi"cro*scope (?), n. [Micro- + -scope.] 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. Microscopic. [R.] Berkeley.
Microscopic, Microscopical
Mi`cro*scop"ic (?), Mi`cro*scop"ic*al (?), a. [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. By the microscope; with minute inspection;
in a microscopic manner.
Microscopist
Mi*cros"co*pist (?; 277), n. One skilled in, or given to, microscopy.
Microscopy
Mi*cros"co*py (?), n. The use of the microscope; investigation with
the microscope.
Microseme
Mi"cro*seme (?), a. [Micro- + Gr. micros\'8ame.] (Anat.) Having the
orbital index relatively small; having the orbits broad transversely;
-- opposed to megaseme.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 922
Microspectroscope
Mi`cro*spec"tro*scope (?), n. [Micro- + spectroscope.] (Physics) 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. [NL. See Micro-, and Sporangium.] (Bot.)
A sporangium or conceptacle containing only very minute spores. Cf.
Macrosporangium.
Microspore
Mi"cro*spore (?), n. [Micro- + spore.] (Bot.) 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.) Of or pertaining to microspores.
Microsthene
Mi"cro*sthene (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Having a typically small size; of
or pertaining to the microsthenes.
Microtasimeter
Mi`cro*ta*sim"e*ter (?), n. [Micro- + ta.] (Physics) A tasimeter,
especially when arranged for measuring very small extensions. See
Tasimeter.
Microtome
Mi"cro*tome (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. An instrument for making very thin
sections for microscopical examination.
Microomist
Mi*cro"o*mist (?), n. One who is skilled in or practices microtomy.
Microomy
Mi*cro"o*my (?), n. The art of using the microtome; investigation
carried on with the microtome.
Microvolt
Mi`cro*volt" (?), n. [Micro- + volt.] (Elec.) A measure of
electro-motive force; the millionth part of one volt.
Microweber
Mi`cro*we"ber (?), n. [Micro- + weber.] (Elec.) The millionth part of
one weber.
Microzoa
Mi`cro*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The Infusoria.
Microzo\'94spore
Mi`cro*zo"\'94*spore (?), n. [Micro- + zo\'94spore.] (Bot.) A small
motile spore furnished with two vibratile cilia, found in certain
green alg\'91.
Microzyme
Mi"cro*zyme (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. (Biol.) A micro\'94rganism 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. [L. micturire to desire to make water, v.
desid. fr. mingere, mictum, to make water.] The act of voiding urine;
also, a morbidly frequent passing of the urine, in consequence of
disease.
Mid
Mid (?), a. [Compar. wanting; superl. Midmost.] [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.) 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, \'be (\'bele), &ecr;
(&ecr;ll), &omac; (&omac;ld). See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 10, 11.
NOTE: &hand; Mi d is mu ch us ed 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. Middle. [Obs.]
About the mid of night come to my tent. Shak.
Mid
Mid, prep. See Amid.
Mida
Mi"da (?), n. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The larva of the bean fly.
Midas
Mi"das (?), n. [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had
ass's ears.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of longeared South American monkeys,
including numerous species of marmosets. See Marmoset.
Midas's ear
Mi"das's ear" (?). [See Midas.] (Zo\'94l.) A pulmonate mollusk
(Auricula, OR Ellobium, aurismid\'91); -- so called from resemblance
to a human ear.
Midbrain
Mid"brain` (?), n. [Mid, a. + brain.] (Anat.) The middle segment of
the brain; the mesencephalon. See Brain.
Midday
Mid"day` (?), n. [AS. midd\'91g. See Mid, a., and Day.] The middle
part of the day; noon.
Midday
Mid"day`, a. Of or pertaining to noon; meridional; as, the midday sun.
Midden
Mid"den (?), n. [Also midding.] [Cf. Dan. m\'94gdynge, 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" (?). (Zo\'94l.) The common European crow. [Prov. Eng.]
Middest
Mid"dest (?), a.; superl. of Mid. [See Midst.] Situated most nearly in
the middle; middlemost; midmost. [Obs.] " 'Mongst the middest crowd."
Spenser.
Middest
Mid"dest, n. Midst; middle. [Obs.] Fuller.
Midding
Mid"ding (?), n. Same as Midden.
Middle
Mid"dle (?), a. [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: &hand; Mi ddle is so metimes us ed in th e fo rmation 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 170° and 230° 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. [AS. middel. See Middle, a.] 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` (?), [Middle + age. Cf. Medi\'91val.] Of or pertaining to
the Middle Ages; medi\'91val.
Middle-aged
Mid"dle-aged` (?), a. Being about the middle of the ordinary age of
man; between 30 and 50 years old.<-- now considered as 40 to 60
[MW10]!! -->
Middle-earth
Mid"dle-earth` (?), n. The world, considered as lying between heaven
and hell. [Obs.]<-- a land in Tolkien's "Hobbit" and "Ring" books -->
Shak.
Middle-ground
Mid"dle-ground` (?), n. (Paint.) 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.) The man who occupies a central position in a file of
soldiers.
Middlemost
Mid"dle*most` (?), a. [Cf. Midmost.] Being in the middle, or nearest
the middle; midmost.
Middler
Mid"dler (?), n. One of a middle or intermediate class in some schools
and seminaries.
Middling
Mid"dling (?), a. 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 (. A colloquial abbreviation of
midshipman.
Midfeather
Mid"feath`er (?), n.
1. (Steam Boilers) A vertical water space in a fire box or combustion
chamber.
2. (Mining) A support for the center of a tunnel.
Midgard
Mid"gard` (?), n. [Icel. mi&edh;gar&edh;r.] (Scand. Myth.) The middle
space or region between heaven and hell; the abode of human beings;
the earth.
Midge
Midge (?), n. [OE. migge, AS. mycge; akin to OS. muggia, D. mug, G.
m\'81cke, OHG. mucca, Icel. m, Sw. mygga, mygg, Dan. myg; perh. named
from its buzzing; cf. Gr. (Zo\'94l.)
1. Any one of many small, delicate, long-legged flies of the
Chironomus, and allied genera, which do not bite. Their larv\'91 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: &hand; The name is also applied to various other small flies.
See Wheat midge, under Wheat.
Midget
Midg"et (?), n. [Dim. of midge.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A minute bloodsucking fly. [Local, U. S.]
2. A very diminutive person.
Midgut
Mid"gut` (?), n. [Mid, a. + gut.] (Anat.) 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.) 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. The interior or central region of a country; --
usually in the plural. Drayton.
Midmain
Mid"main` (?), n. The middle part of the main or sea. [Poetic]
Chapman.
Midmost
Mid"most` (?), a. [OE. middemiste. Cf. Foremost.] Middle; middlemost.
Ere night's midmost, stillest hour was past. Byron.
Midnight
Mid"night` (?), n. [AS. midniht.] The middle of the night; twelve
o'clock at night.
The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Shak.
Midnight
Mid"night`, a. Being in, or characteristic of, the middle of the
night; as, midnight studies; midnight gloom. "Midnight shout and
revelry." Milton.
Midrash
Mid*rash" (?), n.; pl. Midrashim (#), Midrashoth (#). [Heb.,
explanation.] A talmudic exposition of the Hebrew law, or of some part
of it.
Midrib
Mid"rib` (?), n. (Bot.) A continuation of the petiole, extending from
the base to the apex of the lamina of a leaf.
Midriff
Mid"riff (?), n. [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.) See Diaphragm, n., 2.
Smote him into the midriff with a stone. Milton.
<-- no pos in original. Should be n. -->
Mid sea, OR Mid-sea
Mid" sea", OR Mid"-sea" (?). The middle part of the sea or ocean.
Milton. The Mid-sea, the Mediterranean Sea. [Obs.]
Midship
Mid"ship`, a. 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [For amidships.] (Naut.) In the middle of a ship; --
properly amidships.
Midships
Mid"ships`, n. pl. (Naut.) The timbers at the broadest part of the
vessel. R. H. Dana, Jr.
Midst
Midst (?), n. [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: &hand; Th e ex pressions 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. In the midst of; amidst. Shak.
Midst
Midst, adv. In the middle. [R.] Milton.
Midsummer
Mid"sum`mer (?), n. [AS. midsumor.] The middle of summer. Shak.
Midsummer daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy.
Midward
Mid"ward (?), a. Situated in the middle.
Midward
Mid"ward, adv. In or toward the midst.
Midway
Mid"way` (?), n. 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. Being in the middle of the way or distance; as, the
midway air. Shak.
Midway
Mid"way`, adv. In the middle of the way or distance; half way. "She
met his glance midway." Dryden.
Midweek
Mid"week` (?), n. The middle of the week. Also used adjectively.
Midwife
Mid"wife` (?), n.; pl. Midwives (#). [OE. midwif, fr. AS. mid with
(akin to Gr. Meta-, and Wife.] A woman who assists other women in
childbirth; a female practitioner of the obstetric art.
Midwife
Mid"wife`, v. t. To assist in childbirth.
Midwife
Mid"wife`, v. i. To perform the office of midwife.
Midwifery
Mid"wife`ry (?; 277), n.
1. The art or practice of assisting women in childbirth; obstetrics.
2. Assistance at childbirth; help or co\'94peration in production.
Midwinter
Mid"win`ter (?), n. [AS. midwinter.] The middle of winter. Dryden.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 923
Midwive
Mid"wive` (?), v. t. To midwife. [Obs.]
Mien
Mien (?), n. [F. mine; perh. from sane source as mener to lead; cf. E.
demean, menace, mine, n.] 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. [Cf. Prov. G. muff sullenness, sulkiness, muffen to be
silky, muff\'8bg sullen, pouting.] A petty falling out; a tiff; a
quarrel; offense. Fielding.
Miff
Miff, v. t. To offend slightly. [Colloq.]
Might
Might (?), imp. of May. [AS. meahte, mihte.]
Might
Might, n. [AS. meaht, miht, from the root of magan to be able, E. may;
akin to D. magt, OS. maht, G. macht, Icel. m\'bettr, Goth. mahts. May,
v.] 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. Mighty. [Obs.] Shak.
Mightily
Might"i*ly (?), adv. [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. Without; weak. [Obs.]
Mighty
Might"y (?), a. [Compar. Mightier (?); superl. Mightiest.] [AS.
meahtig, mihtig; akin to G. m\'84chtig, 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 (#). A warrior of great force and courage.
[R. & Obs.] 1 Chron. xi. 12.
Mighty
Might"y, adv. In a great degree; very. [Colloq.] "He was mighty
methodical." Jeffrey.
We have a mighty pleasant garden. Doddridge.
Migniard
Mign"iard (?), a. [F. mignard, akin to mignon. See Minion.] Soft;
dainty. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Migniardise
Mign"iard*ise (?), n. [F. mignardise.] Delicate fondling. [Obs.] B.
Jonson.
Mignon
Mi"gnon (?), a. [F.] See 3d Minion.
Mignon
Mi"gnon, v. t. To flatter. [R. & Obs.] Danie
Mignonette
Mi`gnon*ette" (?), n. [F. mignonnette, dim. of mignon darling. See 2d
Minion.] (Bot.) 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. [F.] Same as Megrim. -- Mi*grain"ous, a. <-- now
the preferred term -->
Migrant
Mi"grant (?), a. [L. migrans, p. pr. of migrare. See Migrate.]
Migratory. Sir T. Browne. -- n. A migratory bird or other animal.
Migrate
Mi"grate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Migrated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Migrating (?).] [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. [L. migratio: cf. F. migration.] The act of
migrating.
Migratory
Mi"gra*to*ry (?), a. [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 (Zo\'94l.) See Locust. -- Migratory thrush
(Zo\'94l.), the American robin. See Robin.
Mikado
Mi*ka"do (?), n. [Jap.] The popular designation of the hereditary
sovereign of Japan.
Mikmaks
Mik"maks (?), n. Same as Micmacs.
Milage
Mil"age (?; 48), n. Same as Mileage.
Milanese
Mil`an*ese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Milan in Italy, or to its
inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or inhabitant of Milan; people
of Milan.
Milch
Milch (?), a. [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.] [AS. milde; akin
to OS. mildi, D. & G. mild, OHG. milti, Icel. mildr, Sw. & Dan. mild,
Goth. milds; cf. Lith. melas dear, Gr. 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. To make mild, or milder. Lowell.
Mildew
Mil"dew (?), n. [AS. melede\'a0w; akin to OHG. militou, G. mehlthau,
mehltau; prob. orig. meaning, honeydew; cf. Goth. milip honey. See
Mellifluous, and Dew.] (Bot.) 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.]
To taint with mildew.
He... mildews the white wheat. Shak.
Mildew
Mil"dew, v. i. To become tainted with mildew.
Mildly
Mild"ly (?), adv. In a mild manner.
Mildness
Mild"ness, n. The quality or state of being mild; as, mildness of
temper; the mildness of the winter.
Mile
Mile (?), n. [AS. m\'c6l, fr. L. millia, milia; pl. of mille a
thousand, i. e., milia passuum a thousand paces. Cf. Mill the tenth of
a cent, Million.] A certain measure of distance, being equivalent in
England and the United States to 320 poles or rods, or 5,280 feet.
NOTE: &hand; 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. 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. [L. Milesius, Gr.
1. (Anc. Geog.) Of or pertaining to Miletus, a city of Asia Minor, or
to its inhabitants.
2. (Irish Legendary Hist.) 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. A stone serving the same purpose as a milepost.
Milfoil
Mil"foil (?), n. [F. mille-feuille, L. millefolium; mille thousand +
folium leaf. See Foil a leaf.] (Bot.) 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. [NL. See Miliary.] (Med.) 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 (?; 277), a. [L. miliarius, fr. milium millet: cf. F.
miliaire.]
1. Like millet seeds; as, a miliary eruption.
2. (Med.) Accompanied with an eruption like millet seeds; as, a
miliary fever.
3. (Zo\'94l.) Small and numerous; as, the miliary tubercles of Echini.
Miliary
Mil"ia*ry, n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the small tubercles of Echini.
Milice
Mi`lice" (?), n. [F.] Militia. [Obs.]
Miliola
Mil"i*o`la (?), n. [NL., dim. of L. milium millet. So named from its
resemblance to millet seed.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of Foraminifera,
having a porcelanous shell with several longitudinal chambers.
Miliolite
Mil"i*o*lite (?), n. (Paleon.) A fossil shell of, or similar to, the
genus Miliola.
Miliolite
Mil"i*o*lite, a. 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. Of or pertaining to the genus Miliola;
containing miliolites.
Militancy
Mil"i*tan*cy (?), n. [See Militant.]
1. The state of being militant; warfare.
2. A military spirit or system; militarism. H. Spencer.
Militant
Mil"i*tant (?), a. [L. militans, -antis, p. pr. of militare to be
soldier: cf. F. militant. See Militate.] 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. Military. [Obs.] Bacon.
Militarily
Mil"i*ta*ri*ly (?), adv. In a military manner.
Militarism
Mil"i*ta*rism (?), n. [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. A military man. [Obs.] Shak.
Military
Mil"i*ta*ry (?), a. [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. [Cf. F. militaire.] 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 (?).] [L. militare, militatum, to be a soldier, fr. miles,
militis, soldier.] 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. [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 (. One who belongs to the
militia.
Militiate
Mi*li"ti*ate (?), v. i. To carry on, or prepare for, war. [Obs.]
Walpole.
Milk
Milk (?), n. [AS. meoluc, meoloc, meolc, milc; akin to OFries. meloc,
D. melk, G. milch, OHG. miluh, Icel. mj, Sw. mj\'94lk, Dan. melk,
Goth. miluks, G. melken to milk, OHG. melchan, Lith. milszti, L.
mulgere, Gr. Milch, Emulsion, Milt soft roe of fishes.]
1. (Physiol.) 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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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
(Zo\'94l.), 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.
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Page 924
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. To draw or to yield milk.
Milken
Milk"en (?), a. 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. Full of milk; abounding with food. [R.] "Milkful
vales." Sylvester.
Milkily
Milk"i*ly (?), adv. In a milky manner.
Milkiness
Milk"i*ness, n. State or quality of being milky.
Milk-livered
Milk"-liv`ered (?), a. White-livered; cowardly; timorous.
Milkmaid
Milk"maid` (?), n. A woman who milks cows or is employed in the dairy.
Milkman
Milk"man (?), n.; pl. Milkmen (. A man who sells milk or delivers is
to customers.
Milksop
Milk"sop` (?), n. 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.) A leguminous herb (Astragalus glycyphyllos)
of Europe and Asia, supposed to increase the secretion of milk in
goats.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is so metimes ta ken fo r th e whole genus
Astragalus, of which there are about two hundred species in North
America, and even more elsewhere.
Milkweed
Milk"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) 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.) 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: &hand; 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. [L. mille a thousand. Cf. Mile.] 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. [OE. mille, melle, mulle, milne, AS. myln, mylen; akin to D.
molen, G. m\'81hle, OHG. mul\'c6, mul\'c6n, 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) 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.]
[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. (Zo\'94l.) To swim under water; -- said of air-breathing
creatures.
Millboard
Mill"board` (?), n. A kind of stout pasteboard.
Mill-cake
Mill"-cake` (?), n. 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. 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. 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` (?). [It. mille thousand + flore flower.]
Slender rods or tubes of colored glass fused together and embedded in
clear glass; -- used for paperweights and other small articles.
Milenarian
Mi`le*na"ri*an (?), a. [See Millenary.] Consisting of a thousand
years; of or pertaining to the millennium, or to the Millenarians.
Milenarian
Mi`le*na"ri*an, n. One who believes that Christ will personally reign
on earth a thousand years; a Chiliast.
Milenarianism, Milenarism
Mi`le*na"ri*an*ism (?), Mi"le*na*rism (?), n. The doctrine of
Millenarians.
Millenary
Mil"le*na*ry (?), a. [L. millenarius, fr. milleni a thousand each, fr.
mille a thousand: cf. F. mill\'82naire. See Mile.] Consisting of a
thousand; millennial.
Millenary
Mil"le*na*ry, n. The space of a thousand years; a millennium; also, a
Millenarian."During that millenary." Hare.
Millennial
Mil*len"ni*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to the millennium, or to a
thousand years; as, a millennial period; millennial happiness.
Millennialist
Mil*len"ni*al*ist, n. 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.
Millennialism, Millenniarism
Mil*len"ni*al*ism (?), Mil*len"ni*a*rism (?), n. Belief in, or
expectation of, the millennium; millenarianism.
Millennist
Mil"len*nist (?), n. One who believes in the millennium. [Obs.]
Johnson.
Millennium
Mil*len"ni*um (?), n. [LL., fr. L. mille a thousand + annus a year.
See Mile, and Annual.] 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. [L. millepeda; mille a thousand + pes, pedis, foot:
cf. F. mille-pieds.] (Zo\'94l.) A myriapod with many legs, esp. a
chilognath, as the galleyworm. [Written also millipede and milliped.]
Millepora
Mil*le*po"ra (?), n. [NL.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of Hydrocorallia, which
includes the millipores.
Millepore
Mil"le*pore (?), n. [L. mille thousand + porus pore: cf. F.
mill\'82pore.] (Zo\'94l.) 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.) A fossil millepore.
Miller
Mill"er (?), n.
1. One who keeps or attends a flour mill or gristmill.
2. A milling machine.
3. (Zo\'94l.) (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. (Zo\'94l.) (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. 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. [From W. H. Miller, of Cambridge, Eng.] (Min.) 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. [L. millesimus, fr. mille a thousand.]
Thousandth; consisting of thousandth parts; as, millesimal fractions.
Millet
Mil"let (?), n. [F., dim. of mil, L. milium; akin to Gr. mil.] (Bot.)
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. <-- all species in
this note are subtypes -->
NOTE: &hand;
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- (?). [From L. mille a thousand.] (Metric System, Elec., Mech.,
etc.) A prefix denoting a thousandth part of; as, millimeter,
milligram, milliamp\'8are.
Milliamp\'8are
Mil`li*am`p\'8are" (?), n. [Milli- + amp\'8are.] (Elec.) The
thousandth part of one amp\'8are.
Milliard
Mil`liard" (?), n. [F., from mille, mil, thousand, L. mille.] A
thousand millions; -- called also billion. See Billion.
Milliary
Mil"li*a*ry (?), a. [L. milliarius containing a thousand, fr. mille
thousand: cf. F. milliaire milliary. See Mile.] 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 (#). [L. milliarium. See Milliary, a.]
A milestone.
Millier
Mil`lier" (?), n. [F., fr. mille thousand.] A weight of the metric
system, being one million grams; a metric ton.
Millifold
Mil"li*fold` (?), a. [L. mille thousand + E. fold times.]
Thousandfold. [R.] Davies (Holy Roode).
Milligram, Milligramme
Mil"li*gram, Mil"li*gramme (?), n. [F. milligramme; milli- milli- +
gramme. See 3d Gram.] 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. [F. millilitre; milli- milli- +
litre. See Liter.] 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. [F. millim\'8atre; milli- milli-
+ m\'8atre. See 3d Meter.] A lineal measure in the metric system,
containing the thousandth part of a meter; equal to .03937 of an inch.
See 3d Meter.
Milliner
Mil"li*ner (?), n. [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. A stiff cotton fabric used by milliners for lining
bonnets.
Milling
Mill"ing (?), n. 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. [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" (?; 277), n. [F. millionnaire.] 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. A woman who is a millionaire, or the wife of a
millionaire. [Humorous] Holmes.
Millionary
Mil"lion*a*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to millions; consisting of
millions; as, the millionary chronology of the pundits. Pinker
Millioned
Mil"lioned (?), a. Multiplied by millions; innumerable. [Obs.] Shak.
Millionnaire
Mil`lion`naire" (?), n. [F.] Millionaire.
Millionth
Mil"lionth (?), a. 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. The quotient of a unit divided by one million; one of a
million equal parts.
Milliped
Mil"li*ped (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The same Milleped.
Millistere
Mil"li*stere (?), n. [F. millist\'8are, from milli- milli- +
st\'8are.] A liter, or cubic decimeter.
Milliweber
Mil`li*we"ber (?), n. [Milli- + weber.] (Physics) The thousandth part
of one weber.
_________________________________________________________________
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Millrea, Millree, Millreis
Mill"rea` (?), Mill"ree`, Mill"reis` (?), n. See Milreis.
Millrind, Millrynd
Mill"rind` (?), Mill"rynd` (?), n. [Mill + rynd.] (Her.) A figure
supposed to represent the iron which holds a millstone by being set
into its center.
Mill-sixpence
Mill"-sixpence (?), n. A milled sixpence; -- the sixpence being one of
the first English coins milled (1561).
Millstone
Mill"stone` (?), n. 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: &hand; Th e ce llular si liceous ro ck ca lled bu hrstone 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. A mechanic whose occupation is to build mills, or
to set up their machinery.
Milreis
Mil"reis` (?), n. [Pg. mil reis, i. e., one thousand reis; mil a
thousand + reis, pl. of real a rei.] 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. [AS. milte; akin to D. milt, G. milz, OHG. milzi, Icel.
milti, Dan. milt, Sw. mj\'84lte, and prob. to E. malt, melt.
&root;108. See Malt the grain.] (Anat.) The spleen.
Milt
Milt, n. [Akin to Dan. melk, Sw. mj\'94lke, G. milch, and E. milk. See
Milk.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) The spermatic fluid of fishes. (b) The testes,
or spermaries, of fishes when filled with spermatozoa.
Milt
Milt, v. t. To impregnate (the roe of a fish) with milt.
Milter
Milt"er (?), n. [Cf. D. milter, G. milcher, milchner. See 2d Milt.]
(Zo\'94l.) A male fish.
Miltonian
Mil*to"ni*an (?), a. Miltonic. Lowell.
Miltonic
Mil*ton"ic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, Milton, or his
writings; as, Miltonic prose.
Miltwaste
Milt"waste` (?), [1st milt + waste.] (Bot.) A small European fern
(Asplenium Ceterach) formerly used in medicine.
Milvine
Mil"vine (?), a. [L. milvus kite.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or resembling birds
of the kite kind.
Milvine
Mil"vine, n. (Zo\'94l.) A bird related to the kite.
Milvus
Mil"vus (?), n. [L., a kite.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of raptorial birds,
including the European kite.
Mime
Mime (?), n. [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. To mimic. [Obs.] -- Mim"er (#), n. <-- #-er endings not
usually in the "wordform" format -->
Mimeograph
Mim"e*o*graph (?), n. [Gr. -graph.] An autographic stencil copying
device invented by Edison.
Mimesis
Mi*me"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Rhet. & Biol.) Imitation; mimicry.
Mimetene
Mim"e*tene (?), n. (Min.) See Mimetite.
Mimetic; 277, Mimetical
Mi*met"ic (?; 277), Mi*met"ic*al (?),[Gr.
1. Apt to imitate; given to mimicry; imitative.
2. (Biol.) Characterized by mimicry; -- applied to animals and plants;
as, mimetic species; mimetic organisms. See Mimicry.
Mimetism
Mim"e*tism (?), n. [From Gr. (Biol.) Same as Mimicry.
Mimetite
Mim"e*tite (?), n. [Gr. (Min.) A mineral occurring in pale yellow or
brownish hexagonal crystals. It is an arseniate of lead.
Mimic, Mimical
Mim"ic (?), Mim"ic*al (?), a. [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.) Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; --
applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a
higher grade of symmetry.
NOTE: &hand; Mi mic often implies something droll or ludicrous, and
is less dignified than imitative.
Mimic beetle (Zo\'94l.), a beetle that feigns death when disturbed,
esp. the species of Hister and allied genera.
Mimic
Mim"ic, n. 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.) 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. In an imitative manner.
Mimicker
Mim"ick*er (?), n.
1. One who mimics; a mimic.
2. (Zo\'94l.) 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.) 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. [L. mimographus, Gr. mimographe.] A writer of
mimes. Sir T. Herbert.
Mimosa
Mi*mo"sa (?; 277), n. [NL., fr. Gr. Mime.] (Bot.) A genus of
leguminous plants, containing many species, and including the
sensitive plants (Mimosa sensitiva, and M. pudica).
NOTE: &hand; 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. [Mimosa + tannic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or
designating, a variety of tannin or tannic acid found in Acacia,
Mimosa, etc.
Mina
Mi"na (?), n.; pl. L. Min\'91 (#), E. Minas (#). [L., fr. Gr. An
ancient weight or denomination of money, of varying value. The Attic
mina was valued at a hundred drachmas.
Mina
Mi"na (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Myna.
Minable
Min"a*ble (?), a. Such as can be mined; as, minable earth. Sir T.
North.
Minacious
Mi*na"cious (?), a. [L. minax, -acis. See Menace.] Threatening;
menacing. [R.]
Minacity
Mi*nac"i*ty (?), n. Disposition to threaten. [R.]
Minaret
Min"a*ret (?), n. [Sp. minarete, Ar. man\'berat lamp, lantern,
lighthouse, turret, fr. n\'ber to shine.] (Arch.) 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. [Prob. contr. from aluminium + L. argentum
silver.] 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. In a minatory manner;
with threats.
Minatory
Min"a*to*ry (?), a. [L. minatorius, fr. minari to threaten. See
Menace.] Threatening; menacing. Bacon.
Minaul
Mi*naul" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Manul.
Mince
Mince (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Minging
(?).] [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. A short, precise step; an affected manner.
Mince-meat
Mince"-meat` (?), n. 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` (?). A pie made of mince-meat.
Mincer
Min"cer (?), n. One who minces.
Mincing
Min"cing (?), a. That minces; characterized by primness or affected
nicety.
Mincingly
Min"cing*ly, adv. In a mincing manner; not fully; with affected
nicety.
Mind
Mind (?), n. [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.] [AS.
myndian, gemynd\'c6an 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. To give attention or heed; to obey; as, the dog minds
well.
Minded
Mind"ed, a. 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: &hand; Mi nded 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. 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. 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. [F.] See Mien. [Obs.]
Mine
Mine (?), pron. & a. [OE. min, fr. AS. m\'c6n; akin to D. mijn, OS.,
OFries., & OHG. m\'c6n, G. mein, Sw. & Dan. min, Icel. minn, Goth.
meins my, mine, meina of me, and E. me. Me, and cf. My.] 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: &hand; Mi ne is of ten us ed 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. [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. [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.
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2. Any place where ore, metals, or precious stones are got by digging
or washing the soil; as, a placer mine.<-- esp. in 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.<-- gold mine: (a) a
mine where gold is obtained. (b) (Fig.) a rich source of wealth or
other good (Mine 3.). --> Raymond.
Miner
Min"er (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) (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. [F. min\'82ral, 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.<-- = glass wool? Also used in sound
insulation. -->
Mineralist
Min"er*al*ist, n. [Cf. F. min\'82raliste.] One versed in minerals;
mineralogist. [R.]
Mineralization
Min`er*al*i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. min\'82ralisation.]
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.) 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 (?).] [Cf. F. min\'82raliser.]
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. To go on an excursion for observing and
collecting minerals; to mineralogize.
Mineralizer
Min"er*al*i`zer (?), n. 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. [Cf. F. min\'82ralogique. See Mineralogy.]
Of or pertaining to mineralogy; as, a mineralogical table.
Mineralogically
Min`er*al*og"ic*al*ly, adv. According to the principles of, or with
reference to, mineralogy.
Mineralogist
Min`er*al"o*gist (?), n. [Cf. F. min\'82ralogiste.]
1. One versed in mineralogy; one devoted to the study of minerals.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A carrier shell (Phorus).
Mineralogize
Min`er*al"o*gize (?), v. i. To study mineralogy by collecting and
examining minerals. Miss Edgeworth.
Mineralogy
Min`er*al"o*gy (?), n.; pl. Mineralogies (#). [Mineral + -logy: cf. F.
min\'82ralogie.]
1. The science which treats of minerals, and teaches how to describe,
distinguish, and classify them.
2. A treatise or book on this science. <-- minerology, minerological =
misspelling for mineralogy, mineralogical -->
Minerva
Mi*ner"va (?), n. [L.] (Rom. Myth.) 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. The smallest of regular sizes of portrait
photographs.
Minever
Min"e*ver (?), n. Same as Miniver.
Minge
Minge (?), v. t. [AS. myngian; akin to E. mind.] To mingle; to mix.
[Obs.]
Minge
Minge, n. [Prob. corrupt. fr. midge.] (Zo\'94l.) A small biting fly; a
midge. [Local, U. S.]
Mingle
Min"gle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mingled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mingling
(?).] [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. To become mixed or blended.
Mingle
Min"gle, n. A mixture. [Obs.] Dryden.
Mingleable
Min"gle*a*ble (?), a. That can be mingled. Boyle.
Mingledly
Min"gled*ly (?), adv. Confusedly.
Mingle-mangle
Min"gle-man`gle (?), v. t. [Reduplicated fr. mingle.] To mix in a
disorderly way; to make a mess of. [Obs.] Udall.
Mingle-mangle
Min"gle-man`gle, n. A hotchpotch. [Obs.] Latimer.
Minglement
Min"gle*ment (?), n. The act of mingling, or the state of being mixed.
Mingler
Min"gler (?), n. One who mingles.
Minglingly
Min"gling*ly (?), adv. In a mingling manner.
Minaceous
Min`*a"ceous (?), a. Of the color of minium or red lead; miniate.
Miniard
Min"iard (?), a. Migniard. [Obs.]
Miniardize
Min"iard*ize (?), v. t. To render delicate or dainty. [Obs.] Howell.
Miniate
Min"i*ate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Miniated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Miniating (?).] [L. miniatus, p. p. of miniare. See Minium.] 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. Of or pertaining to the color of red lead or
vermilion; painted with vermilion.
Miniature
Min"i*a*ture (?; 277), n. [It. miniatura, fr. L. miniare. See Miniate,
v.,Minium.]
1. Originally, a painting in colors such as those in medi\'91val
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. Being on a small; much reduced from the reality; as,
a miniature copy.
Miniature
Min"i*a*ture, v. t. To represent or depict in a small compass, or on a
small scale.
Miniaturist
Min"i*a*tur`ist (?), n. A painter of miniatures.
Minibus
Min"i*bus (?), n. [L. minor less + -bus, as in omnibus.] A kind of
light passenger vehicle, carrying four persons.
Minie ball
Min"ie ball` (?). [From the inventor, Captain Mini\'82, of France.] 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 (?). A rifle adapted to minie balls.
Minify
Min"i*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Minifying (?).] [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. [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. Small; diminutive. Shak.
Minim
Min"im (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) A small fish; a minnow. [Prov. Eng.]
4. A little man or being; a dwarf. [Obs.] Milton.
5. (Eccl. Hist.) One of an austere order of mendicant hermits of
friars founded in the 15th century by St. Francis of Paola.
6. (Mus.) 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. Minute. "Minim forms." J. R. Drake.
Miniment
Min"i*ment (?), n. [Prob. corrupt. of moniment.] A trifle; a trinket;
a token. [Obs.] Spenser.
Minimization
Min`i*mi*za"tion (?), n. The act or process of minimizing. Bentham.
Minimize
Min"i*mize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minimized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Minimizimg (?).] To reduce to the smallest part or proportion
possible; to reduce to a minimum. Bentham.
Minimum
Min"i*mum (?), n.; pl. Minima (#). [L., fr. minimus. See Minim.] The
least quantity assignable, admissible, or possible, in a given case;
hence, a thing of small consequence; -- opposed to maximum.
Minimum thermometer
Minimum thermometer, a thermometer for recording the lowest
temperature since its last adjustment.
Minimus
Min"i*mus (?), n.; pl. Minimi (#). [L. See Minim.]
1. A being of the smallest size. [Obs.] Shak.
2. (Anat.) The little finger; the fifth digit, or that corresponding
to it, in either the manus or pes.
Mining
Min"ing (?), n. [See Mine, v. i.] The act or business of making mines
or of working them.
Mining
Min"ing, a. Of or pertaining to mines; as, mining engineer; mining
machinery; a mining region. Mining engineering. See the Note under
Engineering.
Minion
Min"ion (?), n. Minimum. [Obs.] Burton.
Minion
Min"ion, n. [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.) A small kind of type, in size between brevier and
nonpareil. &hand; 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. [See 2d Minion.] Fine; trim; dainty. [Obs.] "Their...
minion dancing." Fryth.
Minionette
Min`ion*ette" (?), a. Small; delicate. [Obs.] "His minionette face."
Walpole.
Minionette
Min"ion*ette, n. (Print.) A size of type between nonpareil and minion;
-- used in ornamental borders, etc.
Minioning
Min"ion*ing (?), n. Kind treatment. [Obs.]
Minionize
Min"ion*ize (?), v. t. To flavor. [Obs.]
Minionlike, Minionly
Min"ion*like` (?), Min"ion*ly, a. & adv. Like a minion; daintily.
Camden.
Minionship
Min"ion*ship, n. State of being a minion. [R.]
Minious
Min"ious (?), a. [L. minium red lead.] Of the color of red or
vermilion. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Minish
Min"ish (?), v. t. [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.] To diminish; to lessen.
The living of poor men thereby minished. Latimer.
Minishment
Min"ish*ment (?), n. The act of diminishing, or the state of being
diminished; diminution. [Obs.]
Minister
Min"is*ter (?), n. [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 cit\'82. 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: &hand; Am bassadors ar e 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.] [OE. ministren, OF. ministrer, fr. L. ministrare. See
Minister, n.] 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. [L. ministerialis: cf. F. minist\'82riel. 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. A supporter of the ministers, or the party in
power.
Ministerially
Min`is*te"ri*al*ly, adv. In a ministerial manner; in the character or
capacity of a minister.
Ministery
Min"is*ter*y (?), n. See Ministry. Milton.
Ministracy
Min"is*tra*cy (?), n. Ministration. [Obs.]
Ministral
Min"is*tral (?), a. Ministerial. [Obs.] Johnson.
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Ministrant
Min"is*trant (?), a. [L. ministrans, -antis, of ministrare to
minister.] Performing service as a minister; attendant on service;
acting under command; subordinate. "Princedoms and dominations
ministrant." Milton. -- n. One who ministers.
Ministration
Min`is*tra"tion (?), n. [L. ministratio, fr. ministrare.] The act of
ministering; service; ministry. "The days of his ministration." Luke
i. 23.
Ministrative
Min"is*tra*tive (?), a. Serving to aid; ministering.
Ministress
Min"is*tress (?), n. [Cf. L. ministrix.] A woman who ministers.
Akenside.
Ministry
Min"is*try (?), n.; pl. Ministries (#). [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. The office of a minister. Swift.
Minium
Min"i*um (?; 277), n. [L. minium, an Iberian word, the Romans getting
all their cinnabar from Spain; cf. Basque armine\'a0.] (Chem.) 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.<-- also called lead tetroxide,
lead orthoplumbate, mineral oange, mineral red, Paris red, Saturn red,
and less definitively, lead oxide -->
Miniver
Min"i*ver (?), n. [See Meniver.] 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. (Zo\'94l.) A singing bird of India of the family
Campephagid\'91.
Mink
Mink (?), n. [Cf. 2d Minx.] (Zo\'94l.) 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.<-- together with sable, one of the most expensive furs not
taken from endangerd species. From animals grown on a farm, called
ranch mink -->
Minnesinger
Min"ne*sing`er (?), n. [G., fr. minne love + singen to sing.] 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. [OE. menow, cf. AS. myne; also OE. menuse, OF. menuise
small fish; akin to E. minish, minute.] [Written also minow.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A small European fresh-water cyprinoid fish (Phoxinus
l\'91vis, 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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.<-- see
mummichog -->
Minny
Min"ny (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A minnow.
Mino bird
Mi"no bird" (?). [Hind. main\'be.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [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.) 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: -- <-- Comm: an illustration of a bar with
ascending and descending notes on a minor scale --> 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: &hand; 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) 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.
Minorate
Mi"nor*ate (?), v. t. [L. minoratus; p. p. of minorare to diminish,
fr. minor, a. See 1st Minor.] To diminish. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
Minoration
Mi`nor*a"tion (?), n. [L. minoratio: cf. F. minoration.] A diminution.
[R.] Sir T. Browne.
Minoress
Mi"nor*ess (?), n. See Franciscan Nuns, under Franciscan, a.
Minorite
Mi"nor*ite (?), n. [L. minor less. Cf. 2d Minor, 3.] A Franciscan
friar.
Minority
Mi*nor"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Minorities (#). [Cf. F. minorit\'82. 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 majority; as, the minority must
be ruled by the majority.
Minos
Mi"nos (?), n. [Gr. (Class. Myth.) 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. [L. Minotaurus, Gr. Mi`nos, the husband of
Pasipha\'89 + tay^ros a bull, the Minotaur being the offspring of
Pasipha\'89 and a bull: cf. F. minotaure.] (Class. Myth.) A fabled
monster, half man and half bull, confined in the labyrinth constructed
by D\'91dalus in Crete.
Minow
Min"ow (?), n. See Minnow.
Minster
Min"ster (?), n. [AS. mynster, fr. L. monasterium. See Monastery.]
(Arch.) 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. [OE. minstrel, menestral, OF. menestrel, fr. LL.
ministerialis servant, workman (cf. ministrellus harpist), fr. L.
ministerium service. See Ministry, and cf. Ministerial.] 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. [AS. minte, fr. L. mentha, Gr. (Bot.) The name of several
aromatic labiate plants, mostly of the genus Mentha, yielding
odoriferous essential oils by distillation. See Mentha. <-- each of
the following types can also be labeled as subtypes -->
NOTE: &hand;
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. [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.] [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. One who mints.
Mintman
Mint"man (?), n.; pl. Mintmen (. One skilled in coining, or in coins;
a coiner.
Mint-master
Mint"-mas`ter (?), n. The master or superintendent of a mint. Also
used figuratively.
Minuend
Min"u*end (?), n. [L. minuendus to be diminished, fr. minuere to
lessen, diminish. See Minish.] (Arith.) The number from which another
number is to be subtracted.
Minuet
Min"u*et (?), n. [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.) 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. [See 2d Minion, Minum, 6.] [Obs.]
1. A small kind of printing type; minion.
2. (Mus.) A minim.
Minus
Mi"nus (?), a. [L. See Minor, and cf. Mis- pref. from the French.]
(Math.) 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. [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. 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. Pertaining to, or consisting of, minutes. [Obs.]
Fuller.
Minute
Min"ute (?; 277), n. [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 (\'bf);
as, 10° 20\'bf.)
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.) A fixed part of a module. See Module.
NOTE: &hand; Di fferent writers take as the minute one twelfth, one
eighteenth, one thirtieth, or one sixtieth part of the module.
Minute
Min"ute, a. 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. [imp. & p. p. Minuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Minuting.] 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. [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. [From 4th Minute.] In a minute manner; with
minuteness; exactly; nicely.
Minutely
Min"ute*ly (?), a. [From 1st Minute.] Happening every minute;
continuing; unceasing. [Obs.]
Throwing themselves absolutely upon God's minutely providence.
Hammond.
Minutely
Min"ute*ly, adv. 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 (. 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. The quality of being minute.
Minutia
Mi*nu"ti*a, n.; pl. Minuti\'91 (-&emac;). [L., fr. minutus small,
minute. See 4th Minute.] A minute particular; a small or minor detail;
-- used chiefly in the plural.
Minx
Minx (?), n. [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. [See Mink.] (Zo\'94l.) The mink; -- called also minx otter.
[Obs.]
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Miny
Min"y (?), a. Abounding with mines; like a mine. "Miny caverns."
Thomson.
Miocene
Mi"o*cene (?), a. [Gr. (Geol.) Of or pertaining to the middle division
of the Tertiary. -- n. The Miocene period. See Chart of Geology.
Miohippus
Mi`o*hip"pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) 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. [Sp. miquelete.] (Mil.) An irregular or partisan
soldier; a bandit.
Mir
Mir (?), n. A Russian village community. D. M. Wallace.
Mir
Mir, n. [Per. m\'c6r.] Same as Emir.
Mira
Mi"ra (?), n. [NL., from L. mirus wonderful.] (Astron.) A remarkable
variable star in the constellation Cetus (o Ceti).
Mirabilary
Mi*rab"i*la*ry (?), n.; pl. Mirabilaries (. One who, or a work which,
narrates wonderful things; one who writes of wonders. [Obs.] Bacon.
Mirabilis
Mi*rab"i*lis (?), n. [L., wonderful.] (Bot.) A genus of plants. See
Four-o'clock.
Mirabilite
Mi*rab"i*lite (?), n. (Min.) Native sodium sulphate; Glauber's salt.
Mirable
Mi"ra*ble (?), a. [L. mirabilis, fr. mirari to wonder: cf. OF.
mirable. See Marvel.] Wonderful; admirable. [Obs.] Shak.
Miracle
Mir"a*cle (?), n. [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. To make wonderful. [Obs.] Shak.
Miraculize
Mi*rac"u*lize (?), v. t. To cause to seem to be a miracle. [R.]
Shaftesbury.
Miraculous
Mi*rac"u*lous (?), a. [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. [Sp., fr. mirar to behold, view. See Mirror.]
(Arch.) Same as Belvedere.
Mirage
Mi`rage" (?), n. [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.] 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. See Nitrobenzene.
Mire
Mire (?), n. [AS. m\'c6re, m; akin to D. mier, Icel. maurr, Dan. myre,
Sw. myra; cf. also Ir. moirbh, Gr. An ant. [Obs.] See Pismire.
Mire
Mire, n. [OE. mire, myre; akin to Icel. m swamp, Sw. myra marshy
ground, and perh. to E. moss.] 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. To stick in mire. Shak.
Mirific, Mirifical
Mi*rif"ic (?), Mi*rif"ic*al (?), a. [L. mirificus; mirus wonderful +
-ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.] Working wonders; wonderful.
Mirificent
Mi*rif"i*cent (?), a. Wonderful. [Obs.]
Miriness
Mir"i*ness (?), n. The quality of being miry.
Mirk
Mirk (?), a. [See Murky.] Dark; gloomy; murky. Spenser. Mrs. Browning.
Mirk
Mirk, n. Darkness; gloom; murk. "In mirk and mire." Longfellow.
Mirksome
Mirk"some (?), a. Dark; gloomy; murky. [Archaic] Spenser. --
Mirk"some*ness, n. [Archaic]
Mirky
Mirk"y (?), a. Dark; gloomy. See Murky.
Mirror
Mir"ror (?), n. [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 view\'8ad 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. (Zo\'94l.) See Speculum.
Mirror carp (Zo\'94l.), 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.] To reflect, as in a mirror.
Mirth
Mirth (?), n. [OE. mirthe, murthe, merthe, AS. myr&edh;, myrg&edh;,
merh&edh;, mirh&edh;. 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. Without mirth. -- Mirth"less*ness, n.
Miry
Mir"y (?), a. [From 2d Mire.] Abounding with deep mud; full of mire;
muddy; as, a miry road.
Mirza
Mir"za (?), n. [Per. m\'c6rz\'be, abbrev. fr. m\'c6rz\'bedeh son of
the prince; m\'c6r prince (Ar. am\'c6r, em\'c6r) + z\'bedeh son.] The
common title of honor in Persia, prefixed to the surname of an
individual. When appended to the surname, it signifies Prince.
Mis-
Mis- (?). [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.
m\'c6dan, AS. m\'c6 (Miss to fail of). In words from the French, fr.
OF. mes-, F. m\'82-, mes-, fr. L. minus less (see Minus). In present
usage these two prefixes are commonly confounded.] A prefix used
adjectively and adverbially in the sense of amiss, wrong, ill,
wrongly, unsuitably; as, misdeed, mislead, mischief, miscreant.
Mis
Mis (?), a. & adv. [See Amiss.] Wrong; amiss. [Obs.] "To correcten
that [which] is mis." Chaucer.
Misacceptation
Mis*ac`cep*ta"tion (?), n. Wrong acceptation; understanding in a wrong
sense.
Misaccompt
Mis`ac*compt" (?), v. t. To account or reckon wrongly. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Misadjust
Mis`ad*just" (?), v. t. To adjust wrongly of unsuitably; to throw of
adjustment. I. Taylor.
Misadjustment
Mis`ad*just"ment (?), n. Wrong adjustment; unsuitable arrangement.
Misadventure
Mis`ad*ven"ture (?; 135), n. [OE. mesaventure, F. m\'82saventure.]
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. Unfortunate. [Obs.]
Misadventurous
Mis`ad*ven"tur*ous (?), a. Unfortunate.
Misadvertence
Mis`ad*vert"ence (?), n. Inadvertence.
Misadvice
Mis`ad*vice" (?), n. Bad advice.
Misadvise
Mis`ad*vise" (?), v. t. To give bad counsel to.
Misadvised
Mis`ad*vised" (?), a. Ill advised. -- Mis`ad*vis"ed*ly (#), adv.
Misaffect
Mis`af*fect" (?), v. t. To dislike. [Obs.]
Misaffected
Mis`af*fect"ed, a. Ill disposed. [Obs.]
Misaffection
Mis`af*fec"tion (?), n. An evil or wrong affection; the state of being
ill affected. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Misaffirm
Mis`af*firm" (?), v. t. To affirm incorrectly.
Misaimed
Mis*aimed" (?), a. Not rightly aimed. Spenser.
Misallegation
Mis*al`le*ga"tion (?), n. A erroneous statement or allegation. Bp.
Hall.
Misallege
Mis`al*lege" (?), v. t. To state erroneously.
Misalliance
Mis`al*li"ance (?), n. [F. m\'82salliance.] 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. Wrongly allied or associated.
Misallotment
Mis`al*lot"ment (?), n. A wrong allotment.
Misalter
Mis*al"ter (?), v. t. To alter wrongly; esp., to alter for the worse.
Bp. Hall.
Misanthrope
Mis"an*thrope (?), n. [Gr. misanthrope. Cf. Miser.] A hater of
mankind; a misanthropist.
Misanthropic, Misanthropical
Mis`an*throp"ic (?), Mis`an*throp"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F.
misanthropique.] Hating or disliking mankind.
Misanthropist
Mis*an"thro*pist (?), n. A misanthrope.
Misanthropos
Mis*an"thro*pos (?), n. [NL. See Misanthrope.] A misanthrope. [Obs.]
Shak.
Misanthropy
Mis*an"thro*py (?), n. [Gr. misanthropie.] Hatred of, or dislike to,
mankind; -- opposed to philanthropy. Orrery.
Misapplication
Mis*ap`pli*ca"tion (?), n. A wrong application. Sir T. Browne.
Misapply
Mis`ap*ply" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misapplied (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misapplying.] 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. Improperly appreciated.
Misapprehend
Mis*ap`pre*hend" (?), v. t. To take in a wrong sense; to
misunderstand. Locke.
Misapprehension
Mis*ap`pre*hen"sion (?), n. A mistaking or mistake; wrong apprehension
of one's meaning of a fact; misconception; misunderstanding.
Misapprehensively
Mis*ap`pre*hen"sive*ly (?), adv. By, or with, misapprehension.
Misappropriate
Mis`ap*pro"pri*ate (?), v. t. To appropriate wrongly; to use for a
wrong purpose.
Misappropriation
Mis`ap*pro`pri*a"tion (?), n. Wrong appropriation; wrongful use.
Misarrange
Mis`ar*range" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misarranged (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Misarranging (?).] To place in a wrong order, or improper manner.
Misarrangement
Mis`ar*range"ment (?), n. Wrong arrangement.
Misarcribe
Mis`ar*cribe" (?), v. t. To ascribe wrongly.
Misassay
Mis`as*say" (?), v. t. To assay, or attempt, improperly or
unsuccessfully. [Obs.] W. Browne.
Misassign
Mis`as*sign" (?), v. t. To assign wrongly.
Misattend
Mis`at*tend" (?), v. t. To misunderstand; to disregard. [Obs.] Milton.
Misaventure
Mis`a*ven"ture (?), n. Misadventure. [Obs.]
Misavize
Mis`a*vize" (?), v. t. To misadvise. [Obs.]
Misbear
Mis*bear" (?), v. t. To carry improperly; to carry (one's self)
wrongly; to misbehave. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Misbecome
Mis`be*come" (?), v. t. 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. 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 (?).] [AS.
mis-be\'93dan.] To wrong; to do injury to. [Obs.]
Who hath you misboden or offended? Chaucer.
Misbefitting
Mis`be*fit"ting (?), a. No befitting.
Misbegot, Misbegotten
Mis`be*got" (?), Mis`be*got"ten (, p. a. 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.] To behave ill; to conduct one's self improperly;
-- often used with a reciprocal pronoun.
Misbehaved
Mis`be*haved" (?), a. Guilty of ill behavior; illbred; rude. "A
misbehaved and sullen wench." Shak.
Misbehavior
Mis`be*hav"ior (?), n. Improper, rude, or uncivil behavior; ill
conduct. Addison.
Misbelief
Mis`be*lief" (?), n. Erroneous or false belief.
Misbelieve
Mis`be*lieve" (?) (, v. i. To believe erroneously, or in a false
religion. "That misbelieving Moor." Shak.
Misbeliever
Mis`be*liev"er (?), n. One who believes wrongly; one who holds a false
religion. Shak.
Misbeseem
Mis`be*seem" (?), v. t. To suit ill.
Misbestow
Mis`be*stow" (?), v. t. To bestow improperly.
Misbestowal
Mis`be*stow"al (?), n. The act of misbestowing.
Misbileve
Mis`bi*leve" (?), n. Misbelief; unbelief; suspicion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Misbode
Mis*bode" (?), imp. of Misbede.
Misboden
Mis*bo"den (?), p. p. of Misbede.
Misborn
Mis"born` (?), a. Born to misfortune. Spenser.
Miscalculate
Mis*cal"cu*late (?), v. t. & i. 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. 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. To cast or reckon wrongly.
Miscast
Mis*cast", n. An erroneous cast or reckoning.
Miscegenation
Mis`ce*ge*na"tion (?), n. [L. miscere to mix + the root of genus
race.] A mixing of races; amalgamation, as by intermarriage of black
and white.
Miscellanarian
Mis`cel*la*na"ri*an (?), a. [See Miscellany.] Of or pertaining to
miscellanies. Shaftesbury. -- n. A writer of miscellanies.
Miscellane
Mis"cel*lane (?), n. [See Miscellaneous, and cf. Maslin.] A mixture of
two or more sorts of grain; -- now called maslin and meslin. Bacon.
Miscellanea
Mis"cel*la"ne*a (?), n. pl. [L. See Miscellany.] A collection of
miscellaneous matters; matters of various kinds.
Miscellaneous
Mis`cel*la"ne*ous (?), a. [L. miscellaneus mixed, miscellaneous, fr.
miscellus mixed, fr. miscere to mix. See Mix, and cf. Miscellany.]
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. A writer of miscellanies; miscellanarian.
Miscellany
Mis"cel*la*ny (?), n.; pl. Miscellanies (#). [L. miscellanea, neut.
pl. of. miscellaneus: cf. F. miscellan\'82e, pl. miscellan\'82es. See
Miscellaneous.] 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.
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Miscellany
Mis"cel*la*ny (?), a. Miscellaneous; heterogeneous. [Obs.] Bacon.
Miscensure
Mis*cen"sure (?), v. t. To misjudge. [Obs.] Daniel. -- n. Erroneous
judgment. [Obs.] Sylvester.
Mischance
Mis*chance" (?), n. [OE. meschance, OF. mescheance.] 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. To happen by mischance. Spenser.
Mischanceful
Mis*chance"ful (?), a. Unlucky. R. Browning.
Mischaracterize
Mis*char"ac*ter*ize (?), v. t. To characterize falsely or erroneously;
to give a wrong character to.
They totally mischaracterize the action. Eton.
Mischarge
Mis*charge" (?), v. t. To charge erroneously, as in account. -- n. A
mistake in charging.
Mischief
Mis"chief (?), n. [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. To do harm to. [Obs.] Milton.
Mischiefable
Mis"chief*a*ble (?), a. Mischievous. [R.] Lydgate.
Mischiefful
Mis"chief*ful (?), a. Mischievous. [Obs.] Foote.
Mischief-maker
Mis"chief-mak`er (?), n. One who makes mischief; one who excites or
instigates quarrels or enmity.
Mischief-making
Mis"chief-mak`ing, a. Causing harm; exciting enmity or quarrels. Rowe.
-- n. The act or practice of making mischief, inciting quarrels, etc.
Mischievous
Mis"chie*vous (?), a. 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. See Mishna.
Mischnic
Misch"nic (?), a. See Mishnic.
Mischoose
Mis*choose" (?), v. t. [imp. Mischose (?); p. p. Mischosen (?); p. pr.
& vb. n. Mischoosing.] To choose wrongly. Milton.
Mischoose
Mis*choose", v. i. To make a wrong choice.
Mischristen
Mis*chris"ten (?), v. t. To christen wrongly.
Miscibility
Mis`ci*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. miscibilit\'82.] Capability of being
mixed.
Miscible
Mis"ci*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. miscible, fr. L. miscere to mix.] Capable
of being mixed; mixable; as, water and alcohol are miscible in all
proportions. Burke.
Miscitation
Mis`ci*ta"tion (?), n. Erroneous citation.
Miscite
Mis*cite", v. t. To cite erroneously.
Misclaim
Mis*claim" (?), n. A mistaken claim.
Miscognizant
Mis*cog"ni*zant (?), a. (Law) Not cognizant; ignorant; not knowing.
Miscognize
Mis*cog"nize (?), v. t. To fail to apprehend; to misunderstand. [Obs.]
Holland.
Miscollocation
Mis*col`lo*ca"tion (?), n. Wrong collocation. De Quincey.
Miscolor
Mis*col"or (?), v. t. To give a wrong color to; figuratively, to set
forth erroneously or unfairly; as, to miscolor facts. C. Kingsley.
Miscomfort
Mis*com"fort (?), n. Discomfort. [Obs.]
Miscomprehend
Mis*com`pre*hend" (?), v. t. To get a wrong idea of or about; to
misunderstand.
Miscomputation
Mis*com`pu*ta"tion (?), n. Erroneous computation; false reckoning.
Miscompute
Mis`com*pute" (?), v. t. [Cf. Miscount.] To compute erroneously. Sir
T. Browne.
Misconceit
Mis`con*ceit" (?), n. Misconception. [Obs.]
Misconceive
Mis`con*ceive" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misconceived (?); p. pr.
& vb. n. Misconceiving.] 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. One who misconceives.
Misconception
Mis`con*cep"tion (?), n. Erroneous conception; false opinion; wrong
understanding. Harvey.
Misconclusion
Mis`con*clu"sion (?), n. An erroneous inference or conclusion. Bp.
Hall.
Misconduct
Mis*con"duct (?), n. Wrong conduct; bad behavior; mismanagement.
Addison. Syn. -- Misbehavior; misdemeanor; mismanagement; misdeed;
delinquency; offense.
Misconduct
Mis`con*duct" (?), v. t. To conduct amiss; to mismanage. Johnson. To
misconduct one's self, to behave improperly.
Misconduct
Mis`con*duct", v. i. To behave amiss.
Misconfident
Mis*con"fi*dent (?), a. Having a mistaken confidence; wrongly
trusting. [R.] Bp. Hall.
Misconjecture
Mis`con*jec"ture (?; 135), n. A wrong conjecture or guess. Sir T.
Browne.
Misconjecture
Mis`con*jec"ture (?), v. t. & i. To conjecture wrongly.
Misconsecrate
Mis*con"se*crate (?), v. t. To consecrate amiss. "Misconsecrated
flags." Bp. Hall.
Misconsecration
Mis*con`se*cra"tion, n. Wrong consecration.
Misconsequence
Mis*con"se*quence (?), n. A wrong consequence; a false deduction.
Misconstruable
Mis*con"stru*a*ble (?), a. Such as can be misconstrued, as language or
conduct. R. North.
Misconstruct
Mis`con*struct" (?), v. t. To construct wrongly; to construe or
interpret erroneously.
Misconstruction
Mis`con*struc"tion (?), n. Erroneous construction; wrong
interpretation. Bp. Stillingfleet.
Misconstrue
Mis*con"strue (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misconstrued (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Misconstruing.] 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. One who misconstrues.
Miscontent
Mis`con*tent" (?), a. Discontent. [Obs.]
Miscontinuance
Mis`con*tin"u*ance (?), n. (Law) Discontinuance; also, continuance by
undue process.
Miscopy
Mis*copy" (?), v. t. To copy amiss.
Miscopy
Mis*copy", n. A mistake in copying. North Am. Rev.
Miscorrect
Mis`cor*rect" (?), v. t. To fail or err in attempting to correct.
"Scaliger miscorrects his author." Dryden.
Miscounsel
Mis*coun"sel (?), v. t. To counsel or advise wrongly.
Miscount
Mis*count" (?), v. t. & i. [Cf. OF. mesconter, F. m\'82compter. Cf.
Miscompute.] To count erroneously.
Miscount
Mis*count", n. [Cf. F. m\'82compte error, OF. mesconte.] An erroneous
counting.
Miscovet
Mis*cov"et (?), v. t. To covet wrongfully. [Obs.]
Miscreance, Miscreancy
Mis"cre*ance (?), Mis"cre*an*cy (?), n. [OF. mescreance, F.
m\'82cr\'82ance incredulity.] The quality of being miscreant;
adherence to a false religion; false faith. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
Miscreant
Mis"cre*ant (?), n. [OF. mescreant, F. m\'82cr\'82ant; 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. Miscreated; illegitimate; forged; as, miscreate
titles. [Obs. or Poet.] Shak.
Miscreate
Mis`cre*ate" (?), v. t. To create badly or amiss.
Miscreated
Mis`cre*at"ed (?), a. Formed unnaturally or illegitimately; deformed.
Spenser. Milton.
Miscreative
Mis`cre*a"tive, a. Creating amiss. [R.]
Miscredent
Mis*cre"dent (?), n. [Pref. mis- + credent. Cf. Miscreant.] A
miscreant, or believer in a false religious doctrine. [Obs.]
Holinshed.
Miscredulity
Mis`cre*du"li*ty (?), n. Wrong credulity or belief; misbelief. Bp.
Hall.
Miscue
Mis*cue" (?), n. (Billiards) 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.]
To date erroneously. Young.
Misdeal
Mis*deal" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Misdealt (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misdealing.] To deal or distribute wrongly, as cards; to make a wrong
distribution.
Misdeal
Mis*deal", n. The act of misdealing; a wrong distribution of cards to
the players.
Misdeed
Mis*deed" (?), n. [AS. misd. See Deed, n.] 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. To misjudge. [Obs.] Milton.
Misdemean
Mis`de*mean" (?), v. t. To behave ill; -- with a reflexive pronoun;
as, to misdemean one's self.
Misdemeanant
Mis`de*mean"ant (?), n. One guilty of a misdemeanor. Sydney Smith.
Misdemeanor
Mis`de*mean"or (?), n.
1. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault. Shak.
2. (Law) A crime less than a felony. Wharton.
NOTE: &hand; 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. of Misdeem. Spenser.
Misdepart
Mis`de*part" (?), v. t. 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. To describe wrongly.
Misdesert
Mis`de*sert", n. Ill desert. [Obs.] Spenser.
Misdevotion
Mis`de*vo"tion (?), n. Mistaken devotion.
Misdiet
Mis*di"et (?), n. Improper. [Obs.] Spenser.
Misdiet
Mis*di"et, v. t. To diet improperly.
Misdight
Mis*dight" (?), a. Arrayed, prepared, or furnished, unsuitably.
[Archaic] Bp. Hall.
Misdirect
Mis`di*rect" (?), v. t. 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) An error of a judge in charging the jury on a matter of law.
Mozley & W.
Misdisposition
Mis*dis`po*si"tion (?), n. Erroneous disposal or application. Bp.
Hall.
Misdistinguish
Mis`dis*tin"guish (?), v. t. To make wrong distinctions in or
concerning. Hooker.
Misdivide
Mis`di*vide" (?), v. t. To divide wrongly.
Misdivision
Mis`di*vi"sion (?), n. Wrong division.
Misdo
Mis*do" (?), v. t. [imp. Misdid (?); p. p. Misdone (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Misdoing.] [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. To do wrong; to commit a fault.
I have misdone, and I endure the smart. Dryden.
Misdoer
Mis*do"er, n. A wrongdoer. Spenser.
Misdoing
Mis*do"ing, n. A wrong done; a fault or crime; an offense; as, it was
my misdoing.
Misdoubt
Mis*doubt" (?), v. t. & i. 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 Misgiving; hesitating. [Obs.] "Her misdoubtful
mind." Spenser.
Misdread
Mis*dread" (?), n. Dread of evil. [Obs.]
Mise
Mise (?), n. [F. mise a putting, setting, expense, fr. mis, mise, p.
p. of mettre to put, lay, fr. LL. mittere to send.]
1. (Law) 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. [OE. mesaise, OF. mesaise.] Want of ease;
discomfort; misery. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Miseased
Mis*eased" (?), a. Having discomfort or misery; troubled. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Miseasy
Mis*eas"y (?), a. Not easy; painful. [Obs.]
Misedition
Mis`e*di"tion (?), n. An incorrect or spurious edition. [Obs.] Bp.
Hall.
Miseducate
Mis*ed"u*cate (?; 135), v. t. To educate in a wrong manner.
Misemploy
Mis`em*ploy" (?), v. t. To employ amiss; as, to misemploy time,
advantages, talents, etc.
Their frugal father's gains they misemploy. Dryden.
Misemployment
Mis`em*ploy"ment (?), n. Wrong or mistaken employment. Johnson.
Misenter
Mis*en"ter (?), v. t. To enter or insert wrongly, as a charge in an
account.
Misentreat
Mis`en*treat" (?), v. t. To treat wrongfully. [Obs.] Grafton.
Misentry
Mis*en"try (?), n. An erroneous entry or charge, as of an account.
Miser
Mi"ser (?), n. [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. [F. mis\'82rable, 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. A miserable person. [Obs.] Sterne.
Miserableness
Mis"er*a*ble*ness, n. The state or quality of being miserable.
Miserably
Mis"er*a*bly, adv. 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. Commiseration. [Obs.]
Miserere
Mis`e*re"re (?), n. [L., have mercy, fr. misereri to have mercy, fr.
miser. See Miser.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) 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.) 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.) Same as Ileus.
Misericorde
Mis"er*i*corde" (?), n. [F. mis\'82ricorde. See Misericordia.]
1. Compassion; pity; mercy. [Obs.]
2. (Anc. Armor.) Same as Misericordia, 2.
Misericordia
Mis`e*ri*cor"di*a (?), n. [L., mercy, compassion; miser wretched +
cor, cordis, heart.]
1. (O. Law) An amercement. Burrill.
2. (Anc. Armor.) 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.) An indulgence as to food or dress granted to a member of a
religious order. Shipley.
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Miserly
Mi"ser*ly (?), a. [From Miser.] 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 (#). [OE. miserie, L. miseria, fr.
miser wretched: cf. F. mis\'8are, 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. [Cf. F. m\'82sestime.] Want of esteem;
disrespect. Johnson.
Misestimate
Mis*es"ti*mate (?), v. t. To estimate erroneously. J. S. Mill.
Misexplanation
Mis*ex`pla*na"tion (?), n. An erroneous explanation.
Misexplication
Mis*ex`pli*ca"tion (?), n. Wrong explication.
Misexposition
Mis*ex`po*si"tion (?), n. Wrong exposition.
Misexpound
Mis`ex*pound" (?), v. t. To expound erroneously.
Misexpression
Mis`ex*pres"sion (?), n. Wrong expression.
Misfaith
Mis*faith" (?), n. 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.] To befall, as ill luck; to happen to unluckily. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Misfare
Mis*fare" (?), v. i. [AS. misfaran.] To fare ill. [Obs.] -- n.
Misfortune. [Obs.] Spenser.
Misfashion
Mis*fash"ion (?), v. t. To form wrongly.
Misfeasance
Mis*fea"sance (?), n. [OF. pref. mes- wrong (L. minus less) + faisance
doing, fr. faire to do, L. facere. Cf. Malfeasance.] (Law) A trespass;
a wrong done; the improper doing of an act which a person might
lawfully do. Bouvier. Wharton.
Misfeature
Mis*fea"ture (?), n. Ill feature. [R.] Keats.
Misfeeling
Mis*feel"ing (?), a. Insensate. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Misfeign
Mis*feign" (?), v. i. 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.] To make in an ill form. Spenser.
Misformation
Mis`for*ma"tion (?), n. Malformation.
Misfortunate
Mis*for"tu*nate (?; 135), a. Producing misfortune. [Obs.]
Misfortune
Mis*for"tune (?), n. 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. To happen unluckily or unfortunately; to miscarry;
to fail. [Obs.] Stow.
Misfortuned
Mis*for"tuned (?), a. Unfortunate. [Obs.]
Misframe
Mis*frame" (?), v. t. To frame wrongly.
Misget
Mis*get" (?), v. t. To get wrongfully. [Obs.]
Misgie
Mis*gie" (?), v. t. 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. To give out doubt and apprehension; to be fearful or
irresolute. "My mind misgives." Shak.
Misgiving
Mis*giv"ing, n. Evil premonition; doubt; distrust. "Suspicious and
misgivings." South.
Migo
Mi*go" (?), v. i. To go astray. Spenser.
Misgotten
Mis*got"ten (?), a. Unjustly gotten. Spenser.
Misgovern
Mis*gov"ern (?), v. t. To govern ill; as, to misgovern a country.
Knolles.
Misgovernance
Mis*gov"ern*ance (?), n. Misgovernment; misconduct; misbehavior.
[Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.
Misgoverned
Mis*gov"erned (?), a. Ill governed, as a people; ill directed. "Rude,
misgoverned hands." Shak.
Misgovernment
Mis*gov"ern*ment (?), n. Bad government; want of government. Shak.
Misgracious
Mis*gra"cious (?), a. Not gracious. [Obs.]
Misgraff
Mis*graff" (?), v. t. To misgraft. [Obs.] Shak.
Misgraft
Mis*graft" (?), v. t. To graft wrongly.
Misground
Mis*ground" (?), v. t. To found erroneously. "Misgrounded conceit."
Bp. Hall.
Misgrowth
Mis*growth" (?), n. Bad growth; an unnatural or abnormal growth.
Misguess
Mis*guess" (?), v. t. & i. To guess wrongly.
Misguidance
Mis*guid"ance (?), n. Wrong guidance.
Misguide
Mis*guide" (?), v. t. To guide wrongly; to lead astray; as, to
misguide the understanding.
Misguide
Mis*guide", n. Misguidance; error. [Obs.] Spenser.
Misguiding
Mis*guid"ing, a. Misleading. -- Mis*guid"ing*ly, adv.
Misgye
Mis*gye" (?), v. t. To misguide. [Obs.]
Mishandle
Mis*han"dle (?), v. t. To handle ill or wrongly; to maltreat.
Mishap
Mis*hap" (?), n. Evil accident; ill luck; misfortune; mischance.
Chaucer.
Secure from worldly chances and mishaps. Shak.
Mishap
Mis*hap" (?), v. i. To happen unluckily; -- used impersonally. [Obs.]
"If that me mishap." Chaucer.
Mishappen
Mis*hap"pen (?), v. i. To happen ill or unluckily. Spenser.
Mishappy
Mis*hap"py (?), a. Unhappy. [Obs.]
Mishcup
Mish*cup" (?), n. [See Scup.] (Zo\'94l.) The scup. [Local, U. S.]
Mishear
Mis*hear" (?), v. t. & i. To hear incorrectly.
Mishmash
Mish"mash` (?), n. [Cf. G. mish-mash, fr. mischen to mix.] A
hotchpotch. Sir T. Herbert.
Mishna
Mish"na (?), n. [NHeb. mishn\'beh, i. e., repetition, doubling,
explanation (of the divine law), fr. Heb. sh\'ben\'beh to change, to
repeat.] A collection or digest of Jewish traditions and explanations
of Scripture, forming the text of the Talmud. [Written also Mischna.]
Mishnic
Mish"nic (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Mishna.
Misimagination
Mis`im*ag`i*na"tion (?), n. Wrong imagination; delusion. Bp. Hall.
Misimprove
Mis`im*prove" (?), v. t. To use for a bad purpose; to abuse; to
misuse; as, to misimprove time, talents, advantages, etc. South.
Misimprovement
Mis`im*prove"ment (?), n. Ill use or employment; use for a bad
purpose.
Misincline
Mis"in*cline" (?), v. t. To cause to have a wrong inclination or
tendency; to affect wrongly.
Misinfer
Mis`in*fer" (?), v. t. To infer incorrectly.
Misinform
Mis`in*form" (?), v. t. To give untrue information to; to inform
wrongly.
Misinform
Mis`in*form", v. i. To give untrue information; (with against) to
calumniate. [R.] Bp. Montagu.
Misinformant
Mis`in*form"ant (?), n. A misinformer.
Misinformation
Mis*in`for*ma"tion (?), n. Untrue or incorrect information. Bacon.
Misinformer
Mis`in*form"er (?), n. One who gives or incorrect information.
Misinstruct
Mis`in*struct" (?), v. t. To instruct amiss.
Misinstruction
Mis`in*struc"tion (?), n. 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. To aim amiss. [Obs.]
Misinterpret
Mis`in*ter"pret (?), v. t. To interpret erroneously; to understand or
to explain in a wrong sense.
Misinterpretable
Mis`in*ter"pret*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being misinterpreted; liable
to be misunderstood.
Misinterpretation
Mis`in*ter"pre*ta"tion (?), n. The act of interpreting erroneously; a
mistaken interpretation.
Misinterpreter
Mis`in*ter"pret*er (?), n. One who interprets erroneously.
Misjoin
Mis*join" (?), v. t. To join unfitly or improperly.
Misjoinder
Mis*join"der (?), n. (Law) An incorrect union of parties or of causes
of action in a procedure, criminal or civil. Wharton.
Misjudge
Mis*judge" (?), v. t. & i. To judge erroneously or unjustly; to err in
judgment; to misconstrue.
Misjudgment
Mis*judg"ment (?), n. [Written also misjudgement.] A wrong or unjust
judgment.
Miskeep
Mis*keep" (?), v. t. To keep wrongly. Chaucer.
Misken
Mis*ken" (?), v. t. Not to know. [Obs.]
Miskin
Mis"kin (?), n. [Prob. for music + -kin.] (Mus.) A little bagpipe.
[Obs.] Drayton.
Miskindle
Mis*kin"dle (?), v. t. To kindle amiss; to inflame to a bad purpose;
to excite wrongly.
Misknow
Mis*know" (?), v. t. To have a mistaken notion of or about. [Obs.] Bp.
Hall.
Mislactation
Mis`lac*ta"tion (?), n. (Med.) 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. One who mislays.
Misle
Mi"sle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Misled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Misling
(?).] [Prop. mistle, fr. mist. Cf. Mistle, Mizzle.] To rain in very
fine drops, like a thick mist; to mizzle.
Misle
Mi"sle, n. A fine rain; a thick mist; mizzle.
Mislead
Mis*lead" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misleading.] [AS. misl. See Mis-, and Lead to conduct.] 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. One who leads into error.
Misleading
Mis*lead"ing, a. Leading astray; delusive.
Mislearn
Mis*learn" (?), v. t. To learn wrongly.
Misled
Mis*led" (?), imp. & p. p. of Mislead.
Milen
Mi"len (?), n. See Maslin.
Misletoe
Mis"le*toe (?), n. See Mistletoe.
Mislight
Mis*light" (?), v. t. 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.] [AS. misl\'c6cian to displease. See Like, v.] 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. Dislike; disapprobation; aversion.
Misliker
Mis*lik"er (?), n. One who dislikes.
Misliking
Mis*lik"ing, n. Dislike; aversion.
Mislin
Mis"lin (?), n. & a. See Maslin.
Mislive
Mis*live" (?), v. i. To live amiss.
Mislodge
Mis*lodge" (?), v. t. To lodge amiss. [Obs.]
Misluck
Mis*luck" (?), n. Ill luck; misfortune.
Misly
Mis"ly (?), a. Raining in very small drops.
Mistake
Mis*take" (?), v. t. To make or form amiss; to spoil in making.
"Limping possibilities of mismade human nature." Mrs. Browning.
Mismanage
Mis*man"age (?), v. t. & i. To manage ill or improperly; as, to
mismanage public affairs.
Mismanagement
Mis*man"age*ment (?), n. Wrong or bad management; as, he failed
through mismagement.
Mismanager
Mis*man"a*ger (?), n. One who manages ill.
Mismark
Mis*mark" (?), v. t. To mark wrongly.
Mismatch
Mis*match" (?), v. t. To match unsuitably.
Mismate
Mis*mate" (?), v. t. To mate wrongly or unsuitably; as, to mismate
gloves or shoes; a mismated couple.<-- = mismatch. -->
Mismeasure
Mis*meas"ure (?; 135), v. t. To measure or estimate incorrectly.
Mismeasurement
Mis*meas"ure*ment, n. Wrong measurement.
Mismeter
Mis*me"ter (?), v. t. To give the wrong meter to, as to a line of
verse. [R.] Chaucer.
Misname
Mis*name" (?), v. t. To call by the wrong name; to give a wrong or
inappropriate name to.
Misnomer
Mis*no"mer (?), n. [OF. pref. mes- amiss, wrong (L. minus less) + F.
nommer to name, L. nominare, fr. nomen name. See Name.] 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. To misname. [R.]
Misnumber
Mis*num"ber (?), v. t. To number wrongly.
Misnurture
Mis*nur"ture (?; 135), v. t. To nurture or train wrongly; as, to
misnurture children. Bp. Hall.
Misobedience
Mis`o*be"di*ence (?), n. Mistaken obedience; disobedience. [Obs.]
Milton.
Misobserve
Mis`ob*serve" (?), v. t. To observe inaccurately; to mistake in
observing. Locke.
Misobserver
Mis`ob*serv"er (?), n. One who misobserves; one who fails to observe
properly.
Misogamist
Mi*sog"a*mist (?), n. [Gr. A hater of marriage.
Misogamy
Mi*sog"a*my (?), n. [Cf. F. misogamie.] Hatre
Misogynist
Mi*sog"y*nist (?), n. [Gr. misogyne.] A woman hater. Fuller.
Misogynous
Mi*sog"y*nous (?), a. Hating women.
Misogyny
Mi*sog"y*ny (?; 277), n. [Gr. misogynie.] Hatred of women. Johnson.
Misology
Mi*sol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. Hatred of argument or discussion; hatred of
enlightenment. G. H. Lewes.
Misopinion
Mis`o*pin"ion, n. Wrong opinion. [Obs.]
Misorder
Mis*or"der (?), v. t. To order ill; to manage erroneously; to conduct
badly. [Obs.] Shak.
Misorder
Mis*or"der, n. Irregularity; disorder. [Obs.] Camden.
Misorderly
Mis*or"der*ly, a. Irregular; disorderly. [Obs.]
Misordination
Mis*or`di*na"tion (?), n. Wrong ordination.
Misotheism
Mis"o*the`ism (?), n. [Gr. Hatred of God. De Quincey.
Mispaint
Mis*paint" (?), v. t. To paint ill, or wrongly.
Mispassion
Mis*pas"sion (?), n. Wrong passion or feeling. [Obs.]
Mispay
Mis*pay" (?), v. t. [Cf. Appay.] To dissatisfy. [Obs.]
Mispell, v. t., Mispend
Mis*pell" (?), v. t., Mis*pend" (, v. t., etc. See Misspell, Misspend,
etc.
Mispense
Mis*pense" (?), n. See Misspense. Bp. Hall.
Misperception
Mis`per*cep"tion (?), n. Erroneous perception.
Mispersuade
Mis`per*suade" (?), v. t. To persuade amiss.
Mispersuasion
Mis`per*sua"sion (?), n. A false persuasion; wrong notion or opinion.
Dr. H. More.
Mispickel
Mis*pick"el (?), n. [G.] (Min.) Arsenical iron pyrites; arsenopyrite.
Misplace
Mis*place" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misplaced (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misplacing (?).] 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. The act of misplacing, or the state of being
misplaced.
Misplead
Mis*plead" (?), v. i. To err in pleading.
Mispleading
Mis*plead"ing, n. (Law) An error in pleading.
Mispoint
Mis*point" (?), v. t. To point improperly; to punctuate wrongly.
Mispolicy
Mis*pol"i*cy (?), n. Wrong policy; impolicy.
Mispractice
Mis*prac"tice (?), n. Wrong practice.
Mispraise
Mis*praise" (?), v. t. To praise amiss.
Misprint
Mis*print" (?), v. t. To print wrong.
Misprint
Mis*print", n. A mistake in printing; a deviation from the copy; as, a
book full of misprints.
Misprise
Mis*prise" (?), v. t. See Misprize. [Obs.] Shak.
Misprise
Mis*prise", v. t. [OF. mesprise mistake, F. m\'82prise, fr. mespris,
masc., mesprise, fem., p. p. of mesprendre to mistake; F.
m\'82prendre; pref. mes- amiss + prendre to take, L. prehendere.] To
mistake. [Obs.] Shak.
Misprision
Mis*pri"sion (?), n. [LL. misprisio, or OF. mesprison, prop., a
mistaking, but confused with OF. mespris contempt, F. m\'82pris. 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) A neglect, negligence, or contempt.
NOTE: &hand; In it s 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.
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Misprize
Mis*prize" (?), v. t. [OF. mesprisier to deprise, F. m\'82priser;
pref. amiss, wrong (L. minus less + LL. pretium price. See price,
Prize, v.] 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. Wrong or irregular proceding.
Misprofess
Mis`pro*fess" (?), v. i.To make a false profession; to make
pretensions to skill which is not possessed.
Misprofess
Mis`pro*fess", v. t. To make a false profession of.
Mispronounce
Mis`pro*nounce" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Mispronounced (?); p.
pr. & vb. n. Mispronouncing (?).] To pronounce incorrectly.
Mispronunciation
Mis`pro*nun`ci*a"tion (? OR ?), n. Wrong or improper pronunciation.
Misproportion
Mis`pro*por"tion (?), v. t. To give wrong proportions to; to join
without due proportion.
Misproud
Mis*proud", a. Viciously proud. [Obs.] Shak.
Mispunctuate
Mis*punc"tu*ate (?; 135), v. t. To punctuate wrongly or incorrectly.
Misquotation
Mis`quo*ta"tion (?), n. Erroneous or inaccurate quotation.
Misquote
Mis*quote" (?), v. t. & i. To quote erroneously or incorrectly. Shak.
Misraise
Mis*raise" (?), v. t. To raise or exite unreasonable. "Misraised
fury." Bp. Hall.
Misrate
Mis*rate" (?), v. t. To rate erroneously.
Misread
Mis*read" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misread (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misreading (?).] To read amiss; to misunderstand in reading.
Misreceive
Mis`re*ceive" (?), v. t. To receive wrongly.
Misrecital
Mis`re*cit"al (?), n. An inaccurate recital.
Misrecite
Mis`re*cite" (?), v. t. & i. To recite erroneously.
Misreckon
Mis*reck"on (?), v. t. & i. To reckon wrongly; to miscalculate. Swift.
Misreckoning
Mis*reck"on*ing, n. An erroneous computation.
Misrecollect
Mis*rec`ol*lect" (?), v. t. & i. To have an erroneous remembrance of;
to suppose erroneously that one recollects. Hitchcock.
Misrecollection
Mis*rec`ol*lec"tion (?), n. Erroneous or inaccurate recollection.
Misreform
Mis`re*form" (?), v. t. To reform wrongly or imperfectly.
Misregard
Mis`re*gard" (?), n. Wrong understanding; misconstruction. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Misregulate
Mis*reg"u*late (?), v. t. To regulate wrongly or imperfectly; to fail
to regulate.
Misrehearse
Mis`re*hearse" (?), v. t. To rehearse or quote incorrectly. Sir T.
More.
Misrelate
Mis`re*late" (?), v. t. To relate inaccurately.
Misrelation
Mis`re*la"tion (?), n. Erroneous relation or narration. Abp. Bramhall.
Misreligion
Mis`re*li"gion (?), n. False religion. [R.]
Misremember
Mis`re*mem"ber (?), v. t. & i. To mistake in remembering; not to
remember correctly. Sir T. More.
Misrender
Mis*ren"der (?), v. t. To render wrongly; to translate or recite
wrongly. Boyle.
Misrepeat
Mis`re*peat" (?), v. t. To repeat wrongly; to give a wrong version of.
Gov. Winthrop.
Misreport
Mis`re*port" (?), v. t. & i. To report erroneously; to give an
incorrect account of. Locke.
Misreport
Mis`re*port", n. An erroneous report; a false or incorrect account
given. Denham. South.
Misrepresent
Mis*rep`re*sent" (?), v. t. 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. To make an incorrect or untrue representation.
Milton.
Misrepresentation
Mis*rep`re*sen*ta"tion (?), n. 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: &hand; In po pular us e, this word often conveys the idea of
intentional untruth.
Misrepresentative
Mis*rep`re*sent"a*tive (?), a. Tending to convey a wrong impression;
misrepresenting.
Misrepresenter
Mis*rep`re*sent"er (?), n. One who misrepresents.
Misrepute
Mis`re*pute" (?), v. t. To have in wrong estimation; to repute or
estimate erroneously.
Misrule
Mis*rule" (?), v. t. & i. 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. Unruly. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Miss
Miss (?), n.; pl. Misses (#). [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: &hand; 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) 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.] [AS.
missan; akin to D. & G. missen, OHG. missan, Icel. missa, Sw. mista,
Dan. miste. \'fb100. 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. Miss\'91 (#). [LL. See 1st Mass.] (R.C.Ch.) The
service or sacrifice of the Mass.
Missal
Mis"sal (?), n. [LL. missale, liber missalis, from missa mass: cf. F.
missel. See 1st Mass.] The book containing the service of the Mass for
the entire year; a Mass book.
Missal
Mis"sal, a. 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. To speak ill. [Obs.] Spenser.
Misseek
Mis*seek" (?), v. t. 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. Mistletoe. [Obs.] Missel bird, Missel thrush
(Zo\'94l.), 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. [See Mistletoe.] [Written also misselden.] The
mistletoe. [Obs.] Baret.
Misseltoe
Mis"sel*toe (?), n. See Mistletoe.
Missemblance
Mis*sem"blance (?), n. False resemblance or semblance. [Obs.]
Missend
Mis*send" (?), v. t. To send amiss or incorrectly.
Misserve
Mis*serve" (?), v. t. & i. To serve unfaithfully.
Misset
Mis*set" (?), v. t. To set pr place wrongly.
Misshape
Mis*shape" (?), v. t. To shape ill; to give an ill or unnatural from
to; to deform. "Figures monstrous and misshaped." Pope.
Misshapen
Mis*shap"en (?), a. 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. Sheathed by mistake; wrongly sheathed; sheathed
in a wrong place. Shak.
Missificate
Mis*sif"i*cate (?), v. i. [LL. missa Mass + -ficare (in comp.) to
make. See fy-.] To perform Mass. [Obs.] Milton.
Missile
Mis"sile (?), a. [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.] 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. [L. missile.] A weapon thrown or projected or intended to
be projcted, as a lance, an arrow, or a bullet.
Missing
Miss"ing (?), a. [From Miss, v. i.] 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. With a sense of loss. [Obs.] Shak.
Mission
Mis"sion (?), n. [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. To send on a mission. [Mostly used in the form of
the past participle.] Keats.
Missionary
Mis"sion*ary (?), n.; pl. Missionaries (#). [Cf. F. missionnaire. See
Mission, n.] 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. Of or pertaining to missions; as, a missionary
meeting; a missionary fund.
Missioner
Mis"sion*er (?), n. A missionary; an envoy; one who conducts a
mission. See Mission, n., 6. "Like mighty missioner you come." Dryden.
Missis
Mis"sis (?), n. A mistress; a wife; -- so used by the illiterate. G.
Eliot.
Missish
Miss"ish, a. Like a miss; prim; affected; sentimental. --
Miss"ish*ness, n.
Missit
Mis*sit" (?), v. t. To sit badly or imperfectly upon; to misbecome.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Missive
Mis"sive (?), a. [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. [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. To sound wrongly; to utter or pronounce
incorrectly. E,Hall.
Misspeak
Mis*speak" (?), v. i. To err in speaking.
Misspeak
Mis*speak", v. t. To utter wrongly.
Misspeech
Mis*speech" (?), n. Wrong speech. [Obs.]
Misspell
Mis*spell" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misspelled (?), or Misspelt (; p.
pr. & vb. n. Misspelling.] To spell incorrectly.
Misspelling
Mis*spell"ing, n. A wrong spelling.
Misspend
Mis*spend" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Misspent (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misspending.] To spend amiss or for wrong purposes; to aquander; to
waste; as, to misspend time or money. J. Philips.
Misspender
Mis*spend"er (?), n. One who misspends.
misspense
mis*spense" (?), n. A spending improperly; a wasting. [Obs.] Barrow.
Misspent
Mis*spent" (?), imp. & p. p. of Misspend.
Misstate
Mis*state" (?), v. t. To state wrongly; as, to misstate a question in
debate. Bp. Sanderson.
Misstatement
Mis*state"ment (?), n. An incorrect statement.
Misstayed
Mis*stayed" (?), a. (Naut.) Having missed stays; -- said of a ship.
Misstep
Mis*step", n. A wrong step; an error of conduct.
Misstep
Mis*step", v. i. To take a wrong step; to go astray.
Missuccess
Mis`suc*cess" (?), n. Failure. [Obs.]
Missuggestion
Mis`sug*ges"tion (? OR ?), n. Wrong or evil suggestion. [Obs.] Bp.
Hall.
Missummation
Mis`sum*ma"tion, n. Wrong summation.
Misswear
Mis*swear" (?), v. i. To swear falsely.
Missy
Mis"sy (?), n. (Min.) See Misy.
Missy
Mis"sy, n. An affectionate, or contemptuous, form of miss; a young
girl; a miss. -- a. Like a miss, or girl.
Mist
Mist (?), n. [AS. mist; akin to D. & Sw. mist, Icel. mistr, G. mist
dung, Goth. ma\'a1hstus, AS. m\'c6gan to make water, Icel. m\'c6ga,
Lith. migla mist, Russ. mgla, L. mingere, meiere, to make water, gr.
mih to make water, n., a mist m\'b5gha cloud. \'fb102. 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 c\'d2lestinum),
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.] To cloud;
to cover with mist; to dim. Shak.
Mist
Mist, v. i.To rain in very fine drops; as, it mists.
Mistakable
Mis*tak"a*ble (?), a. 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.] [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. To err in knowledge, perception, opinion, or
judgment; to commit an unintentional error.
Servants mistake, and sometimes occasion misunderstanding among
friends. Swift.
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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) 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. By mistake. Goldsmith.
Mistakenness
Mis*tak"en*ness, n. Erroneousness.
Mistaker
Mis*tak"er (?), n. One who mistakes.
Well meaning ignorance of some mistakers. Bp. Hall.
Mistaking
Mis*tak"ing, n. An error; a mistake. Shak.
Mistakingly
Mis*tak"ing*ly, adv. Erroneously.
Mistaught
Mis*taught" (?), a. [See Misteach.] Wrongly taught; as, a mistaught
youth. L'Estrange.
Misteach
Mis*teach" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mistaught (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Misteaching.] [AS. mist.] To teach wrongly; to instruct erroneously.
Mistell
Mis*tell" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mistold (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mistelling.] To tell erroneously.
Mistemper
Mis*tem"per (?), v. t. To temper ill; to disorder; as, to mistemper
one's head. Warner.
This inundation of mistempered humor. Shak.
Mister
Mis"ter (?), n. [See Master, and cf. Mistress.] 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. To address or mention by the title Mr.; as, he mistered
me in a formal way. [Colloq.]
Mister
Mis"ter, n. [OF. mistier trade, office, ministry, need, F. m\'82tier
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. To be needful or of use. [Obs.]
As for my name, it mistereth not to tell. Spenser.
Misterm
Mis*term" (?), v. t. To call by a wrong name; to miscall.
Mistery
Mis"ter*y (?), n. See Mystery, a trade.
Mistful
Mist"ful (?), a. Clouded with, or as with, mist.
Misthink
Mis*think" (?), v. i. [See Think.] To think wrongly. [Obs.] "Adam
misthought of her." Milton.
Misthink
Mis*think", v. t. To have erroneous thoughts or judgment of; to think
ill of. [Obs.] Shak.
Misthought
Mis*thought" (?), n. Erroneous thought; mistaken opinion; error.
[Obs.] Spenser.
Misthrive
Mis*thrive" (?), v. i. To thrive poorly; to be not thrifty or
prosperous. [Obs.]
Misthrow
Mis*throw" (?), v. t. To throw wrongly.
Mistic, Mistico
Mis"tic (?), Mis"ti*co (?), n. [Sp. m\'a1stico.] 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. [AS. mist\'c6dan. See Tide.] To happen or come to
pass unfortunately; also, to suffer evil fortune. [Obs.]
Mistigris, Mistigri
Mis`ti`gris" (?), Mis`ti`gri", n. [F. mistigri.] A variety of the game
of poker in which the joker is used, and called mistigris or mistigri.
Mistihead
Mist"i*head (?), n. Mistiness. [Obs.]
Mistily
Mist"i*ly, adv. With mist; darkly; obscurely.
Mistime
Mis*time" (?), v. t. [AS. mist\'c6main to turn out ill.] To time
wrongly; not to adapt to the time.
Mistiness
Mist"i*ness (?), n. State of being misty.
Mistion
Mis"tion (?), n. [L. mistio, mixtio. See Mix, and cf. Mixtion.]
Mixture. [Obs.]
Mistitle
Mis*ti"tle (?), v. t. To call by a wrong title.
Mistle
Mis"tle (?), v. i. [Eng. mist. See Misle, and Mizzle.] To fall in very
fine drops, as rain.
Mistletoe
Mis"tle*toe (?), n. [AS. mistelt\'ben; mistel mistletoe + t\'ben twig.
AS. mistel is akin of D., G., Dan. & Sw. mistel, OHG. mistil, Icel.
mistilteinn; and AS. t\'ben to D. teen, OHG. zein, Icel. teinn, Goth.
tains. Cf. Missel.] (Bot.) 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: &hand; Th e mi stletoe of th e 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. [From the Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) The American
badger.
Mistook
Mis*took" (?), imp. & obs. p. p. of Mistake.
Mistradition
Mis`tra*di"tion (?), n. A wrong tradition. "Monsters of mistradition."
Tennyson.
Mistrain
Mis*train" (?), v. t. To train amiss.
Mistral
Mis"tral (?), n. [F., fr. Proven\'87al.] A violent and cold northwest
wind experienced in the Mediterranean provinces of France, etc.
Mistranslate
Mis`trans*late" (?), v. t. To translate erroneously.
Mistranslation
Mis`trans*la"tion (?), n. Wrong translation.
Mistransport
Mis`trans*port" (?), v. t. To carry away or mislead wrongfully, as by
passion. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Mistreading
Mis*tread"ing (?), n. Misstep; misbehavior. "To punish my
mistreadings." Shak.
Mistreat
Mis*treat" (?), v. t. To treat amiss; to abuse.
Mistreatment
Mis*treat"ment (?), n. Wrong treatment.
Mistress
Mis"tress (?), n. [OE. maistress, OF. maistresse, F. ma\'8ctresse, 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. 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) A false or erroneous trial; a trial which has
no result.
Mistrist
Mis*trist" (?), v. t. To mistrust. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mistrow
Mis*trow" (?), v. i. To think wrongly. [Obs.]
Mistrust
Mis*trust" (?), n. 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. One who mistrusts.
Mistrustful
Mis*trust"ful (?), a. 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. With distrust or suspicion.
Mistrustless
Mis*trust"less, a. Having no mistrust or suspicion.
The swain mistrustless of his smutted face. Goldsmith.
Mistune
Mis*tune" (?), v. t. To tune wrongly.
Mistura
Mis*tu"ra (?), n. [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. To turn amiss; to pervert.
Mistutor
Mis*tu"tor (?), v. t. To instruct amiss.
Misty
Mist"y (?), a. [Compar. Mistier (?); superl. Mistiest.] [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.] To misconceive; to mistake; to
miscomprehend; to take in a wrong sense.
Misunderstander
Mis*un`der*stand"er (?), n. 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. [It.] (Mus.) Measured; -- a direction to perform a
passage in strict or measured time.
Misusage
Mis*us"age (?), n. [Cf. F. m\'82susage.] Bad treatment; abuse.
Spenser.
Misuse
Mis*use" (?), v. t. [F. m\'82suser. 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. Misuse. [Obs.]
Misuser
Mis*us"er (?), n.
1. One who misuses. "Wretched misusers of language." Coleridge.
2. (Law) Unlawful use of a right; use in excess of, or varying from,
one's right. Bouvier.
Misvalue
Mis*val"ue (?), v. t. 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. To vouch falsely.
Miswander
Mis*wan"der (?), v. i. To wander in a wrong path; to stray; to go
astray. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Misway
Mis*way" (?), n. A wrong way. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Miswear
Mis*wear" (?), v. t. To wear ill. [Obs.] Bacon.
Miswed
Mis*wed" (?), v. t. To wed improperly.
Misween
Mis*ween" (?), v. i. To ween amiss; to misjudge; to distrust; to be
mistaken. [Obs.] Spenser.
Miswend
Mis*wend" (?), v. i. To go wrong; to go astray. [Obs.] "The world is
miswent." Gower.
Misword
Mis*word" (?), v. t. To word wrongly; as, to misword a message, or a
sentence.
Misword
Mis*word", n. A word wrongly spoken; a cross word. [Obs.] Sylvester.
Breton.
Misworship
Mis*wor"ship (?), n. Wrong or false worship; mistaken practices in
religion. Bp. Hall.
Such hideous jungle of misworships. Carlyle.
Misworship
Mis*wor"ship, v. t. To worship wrongly. Bp. Hall.
Misworshiper
Mis*wor"ship*er (?), n. One who worships wrongly.
Miswrite
Mis*write" (?), v. t. To write incorrectly.
Miswrought
Mis*wrought" (?), a. Badly wrought. Bacon.
Misy
Mi"sy (?), n. [Cf. L. misy a mineral, perh. copperas, Gr. (Min.) An
impure yellow sulphate of iron; yellow copperas or copiapite.
Misyoke
Mis*yoke" (?), v. t. To yoke improperly.
Miszealous
Mis*zeal"ous (?), a. Mistakenly zealous. [Obs.]
Mite
Mite (?), n. [AS. m\'c6te mite (in sense 1); akin to LG. mite, D.
mijt, G. miete, OHG. m\'c6za; cf. Goth. maitan to cut.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [D. mijt; prob. the same word.] 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. [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.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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
45°, 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. To meet and match together, as two pieces of
molding, on a line bisecting the angle of junction.
Miterwort
Mi"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) 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. See Mythic.
Mithras
Mi"thras (?), n. [L., from Gr. The sun god of the Persians.
Mithridate
Mith"ri*date (?), n. (Med.) 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.
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Mithridatic
Mith`ri*dat"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to King Mithridates, or to a
mithridate.
Mitigable
Mit"i*ga*ble (?), a. Admitting of mitigation; that may be mitigated.
Mitigant
Mit"i*gant (?), a. [L. mitigans, p.pr. of mitigare. See Mitigate.]
Tending to mitigate; mitigating; lentitive. Johnson.
Mitigate
Mit"i*gate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mitigated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mitigating.] [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. [OE. mitigacioun, F. mitigation, fr. L.
mitigatio.] 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. [L. mitigativus: cf. F. mitigatif.] Tending to
mitigate; alleviating.
Mitigator
Mit"i*ga`tor (?), n. One who, or that which, mitigates.
Mitigatory
Mit"i*ga*to*ry (?), a. Tending to mitigate or alleviate; mitigative.
Miting
Mit"ing (?), n. [From Mite.] A little one; -- used as a term of
endearment. [Obs.] Skelton.
Mitome
Mi"tome (?), n. [Gr. (Biol.) The denser part of the protoplasm of a
cell.
Mitosis
Mi*to"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.) See Karyokinesis.
Mitraille
Mi`traille" (?), n. [F. See Mitrailleur.] Shot or bits of iron used
sometimes in loading cannon.
Mitrailleur
Mi`tra`illeur" (?), n. [F.] (Mil.) One who serves a mitrailleuse.
Mitrailleuse
Mi`tra`illeuse" (?), n. [F., fr. mitrailler to fire grapeshot, fr.
mitraille old iron, grapeshot, dim. of OF. mite a mite.] (Mil.) 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. [Cf. F. mitral. See Miter.] 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. See Miter.
Mitriform
Mit"ri*form (?), a. [Miter + -form: cf. F. mitriforme.] Having the
form of a miter, or a peaked cap; as, a mitriform calyptra. Gray.
Mitt
Mitt (?), n. [Abbrev. fr. mitten.] A mitten; also, a covering for the
wrist and hand and not for the fingers.
Mitten
Mit"ten (?), n. [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. Covered with a mitten or mittens. "Mittened hands."
Whittier.
Mittent
Mit"tent (?), a. [L. mittens, p.pr. of mittere to send.] Sending
forth; emitting. [Obs.] Wiseman.
Mittimus
Mit"ti*mus (?), n. [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.
Mitter's green
Mit"ter's green` (?). (Chem.) A pigment of a green color, the chief
constituent of which is oxide of chromium.
Mitty
Mit"ty (?), n. The stormy petrel. [Prov. Eng.]
Mitu
Mi"tu (?), n. [Braz. mitu poranga.] (Zo\'94l.) A South American
curassow of the genus Mitua.
Mity
Mit"y (?), a. [From Mite.] Having, or abounding with, mites.
Mix
Mix (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mixed (?) (less properly Mixt); p. pr. &
vb. n. Mixing.] [AS. miscan; akin to OHG. misken, G. mischen, Russ.
mieshate, W. mysgu, Gael. measg, L. miscere, mixtum, Gr. mi\'87ra
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. Capable of being mixed.
Mixed
Mixed (?), a. 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. In a mixed or mingled manner.
Mixen
Mix"en (?), n. [AS. mixen, myxen, fr. meohx, meox, dung, filth; akin
to E. mist. See Mist.] A compost heap; a dunghill. Chaucer. Tennyson.
Mixer
Mix"er (?), n. One who, or that which, mixes.
Mixogamous
Mix*og"a*mous (?), a. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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` (?). [Gr. Lydian.] (Mus.) The seventh
ecclesiastical mode, whose scale commences on G.
Mixtilineal, Mixtilinear
Mix`ti*lin"e*al (?), Mix`ti*lin"e*ar (?), a. [L. mixtus mixed (p.p. of
miscere to mix) + E. lineal, linear.] 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. [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. With mixture; in a mixed manner; mixedly. Bacon.
Mixture
Mix"ture (?), n. [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.) 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.) 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.) 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. A maze or labyrinth. [Obs.]
Mizzen
Miz"zen (?), a. [It. mezzana, fr. mezzano middle, fr. mezzo middle,
half: cf. F. misaine foresail. See Mezzo.] (Naut.) Hindmost; nearest
the stern; as, the mizzen shrouds, sails, etc.
Mizzen
Miz"zen, n. (Naut.) The hindmost of the fore and aft sails of a
three-masted vessel; also, the spanker.
Mizzenmast
Miz"zen*mast (?), n. (Naut.) 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
(?).] [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. Mist; fine rain.
Mizzy
Miz"zy (?), n. [Cf. F. moisi moldy, musty, p.p. of moisir to mold, fr.
L. mucere to be moldy.] A bog or quagmire. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
Mnemonic, Mnemonical
Mne*mon"ic (?), Mne*mon"ic*al (?), a. [Gr. mind.] Assisting in memory.
Mnemonician
Mne`mo*ni"cian (?), n. One who instructs in the art of improving or
using the memory.
Mnemonics
Mne*mon"ics (?), n. [Gr. mn\'82monique.] The art of memory; a system
of precepts and rules intended to assist the memory; artificial
memory.
Mnemosyne
Mne*mos"y*ne (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. Mnemonic.] (Class Myth.) The goddess
of memory and the mother of the Muses.
Mnemotechny
Mne"mo*tech`ny (?), n. [Gr. mn\'82motechnie.] Mnemonics.
Mo
Mo (?), a., adv., & n. [Written also moe.] [AS. m\'be. See More.]
More; -- usually, more in number. [Obs.]
An hundred thousand mo. Chaucer.
Likely to find mo to commend than to imitate it. Fuller.
-mo
-mo (?). 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\'f8, 18\'f8, etc.
Moa
Mo"a (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. One of the posterity of Moab, the son of Lot. (Gen.
xix. 37.) Also used adjectively.
Moabitess
Mo"ab*i`tess (?), n. A female Moabite. Ruth i. 22.
Moabitish
Mo"ab*i`tish (?), a. Moabite. Ruth ii. 6.
Moan
Moan (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moaned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Moaning.]
[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. [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. Full of moaning; expressing sorrow. -- Moan"ful*ly,
adv.
Moat
Moat (?), n. [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.) A deep trench around the rampart of a castle or other
fortified place, sometimes filled with water; a ditch.
Moat
Moat, v. t. To surround with a moat. Dryden.
Moate
Moate (?), v. i. [See Mute to molt.] To void the excrement, as a bird;
to mute. [Obs.]
Mob
Mob (?), n. [See Mobcap.] A mobcap. Goldsmith.
Mob
Mob, v. t. To wrap up in, or cover with, a cowl. [R.]
Mob
Mob, n. [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.] To
crowd about, as a mob, and attack or annoy; as, to mob a house or a
person.
Mobbish
Mob"bish (?), a. Like a mob; tumultuous; lawless; as, a mobbish act.
Bp. Kent.
Mobcap
Mob"cap` (?), n. [D. mop-muts; OD. mop a woman's coif + D. muts cap.]
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. [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.) Capable of being moved, aroused, or excited; capable of
spontaneous movement.
Mobile
Mo"bile (?), n. [L. mobile vulgus. See Mobile, a., and cf. 3d Mob.]
The mob; the populace. [Obs.] "The unthinking mobile." South.
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Page 934
Mobility
Mo*bil"i*ty (?), n. [L. mobilitas: cf. F. mobilit\'82.]
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. [F. mobilization.] The act of mobilizing.
Mobilize
Mob"i*lize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mobilized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mobilizing (?).] [F. mobiliser.] To put in a state of readiness for
active service in war, as an army corps.
Moble
Mo"ble (?), v. t. [From Mob to wrap up.] To wrap the head of in a
hood. [Obs.] Shak.
Mobles
Mo"bles (?), n. pl. See Moebles. [Obs.]
Mobocracy
Mob*oc"ra*cy (?), n. [Mob rabble + -cracy, as in democracy.] 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. One who favors a form of government in which the
unintelligent populace rules without restraint. Bayne.
Mobocratic
Mob`o*crat"ic (?), a. Of, or relating to, a mobocracy.
Moccasin
Moc"ca*sin (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. 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. [F.] A bale of raw silk.
Moche
Moche (?), a. Much. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mochel
Moch"el (?), a. & adv. Much. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mochila
Mo*chi"la (?), n. [Sp.] A large leather flap which covers the
saddletree. [Western U.S.]
Mock
Mock (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mocked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mocking.]
[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. 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. 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. Such as can be mocked. Shak.
Mockado
Mock"a*do (?), n. A stuff made in imitation of velvet; -- probably the
same as mock velvet. [Obs.]
Our rich mockado doublet. Ford.
Mockadour
Mock"a*dour (?), n. See Mokadour. [Obs.]
Mockage
Mock"age (?), n. Mockery. [Obs.] Fuller.
Mockbird
Mock"bird` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (#). [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. Imitating, esp. in derision, or so as to cause derision;
mimicking; derisive. Mocking bird (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), any species of the genus Harporhynchus, as
the brown thrush (H. rufus). -- Mocking wren (Zo\'94l.), any American
wren of the genus Thryothorus, esp. T. Ludovicianus.
Mockingly
Mock"ing*ly, adv. By way of derision; in a contemptuous or mocking
manner.
Mockingstock
Mock"ing*stock` (?), n. A butt of sport; an object of derision. [R.]
Mockish
Mock"ish, a. Mock; counterfeit; sham. [Obs.]
Mockle
Moc"kle (?), a. See Mickle.
Moco
Mo"co (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A South American rodent (Cavia rupestris),
allied to the Guinea pig, but larger; -- called also rock cavy.
Modal
Mo"dal (?), a. [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.) Indicating, or pertaining to, some mode of
conceiving existence, or of expressing thought.
Modalist
Mo"dal*ist, n. (Theol.) 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. [Cf. F. modalit\'82.]
1. The quality or state of being modal.
2. (Logic & Metaph.) 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. In a modal manner.
A compound proposition, the parts of which are united modally ...
by the particles "as" and "so." Gibbs.
Mode
Mode (?), n. [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.) 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) 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.) Same as Mood.
7. (Mus.) 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: &hand; 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. [F. mod\'8ale, 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. 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.] [Cf. F. modeler, It. modellare.] 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) To make a copy or a pattern; to design or
imitate forms; as, to model in wax.
Modeler
Mod"el*er (?), n. One who models; hence, a worker in plastic art.
[Written also modeller.]
Modeling
Mod"el*ing, n. (Fine Arts) 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. To model. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Modena
Mod"e*na (?), n. [From Modena, in Italy.] A certain crimsonlike color.
Good.
Modenese
Mod`e*nese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Modena or its inhabitants. --
n. sing. & pl. A native or inhabitant of Modena; the people of Modena.
Moder
Mo"der (?), n. [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. To moderate. [Obs.]
Moderable
Mod"er*a*ble (?), a. [L. moderabilis.] Modeate; temperate. [Obs.]
Moderance
Mod"er*ance (?), n. Moderation. [Obs.] Caxton.
Moderate
Mod"er*ate (?), a. [L. moderatus, p.p. of moderate, moderati, to
moderate, regulate, control, fr. modus measure. See Mode.] 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.) 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. In a moderate manner or degree; to a moderate
extent.
Each nymph but moderately fair. Waller.
Moderateness
Mod"er*ate*ness, n. The quality or state of being moderate;
temperateness; moderation.
Moderation
Mod`er*a"tion (?), n. [L. moderatio: cf. F. mod\'82ration.]
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. The first public examinations for degrees at the University of
Oxford; -- usually contracted to mods.
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Moderatism
Mod"er*a*tism (?), n. Moderation in doctrines or opinion, especially
in politics or religion.
Moderato
Mod`e*ra"to (?), a. & adv. [It. See Moderate.] (Mus.) 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. [L.: cf. F. mod\'82rateur.]
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. The office of a moderator.
Moderatress
Mod"er*a`tress (?), n. A female moderator. Fuller.
Moderatrix
Mod"er*a`trix (?), n. [L.] A female moderator.
Modern
Mod"ern (?), a. [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. A person of modern times; -- opposed to ancient. Pope.
Modernism
Mod"ern*ism (?), n. Modern practice; a thing of recent date; esp., a
modern usage or mode of expression.
Modernist
Mod"ern*ist, n. [Cf. F. moderniste.] One who admires the moderns, or
their ways and fashions.
Modernity
Mo*der"ni*ty (?), n. Modernness; something modern. Walpole.
Modernization
Mod`ern*i*za"tion (?), n. 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 (?).] [Cf. F. moderniser.] 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. One who modernizes.
Modernly
Mod"ern*ly, adv. In modern times. Milton.
Modernness
Mod"ern*ness, n. The quality or state of being modern; recentness;
novelty. M. Arnold.
Modest
Mod"est (?), a. [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. In a modest manner.
Modesty
Mod"es*ty (?), n. [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. [LL. modicitas; cf. F. modicit\'82.] Moderateness;
smallness; meanness. [Obs.]
Modicum
Mod"i*cum (?), n. [L., fr. modicus moderate, fr. modus. See Mode.] 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. Capability of being modified; state or
quality of being modifiable.
Modifiable
Mod"i*fi`a*ble (?), a. [From Modify.] Capable of being modified;
liable to modification.
Modificable
Mo*dif"i*ca*ble (?), a. Modifiable. [Obs.]
Modificate
Mod"i*fi*cate (?), v. t. [See Modify.] To qualify. [Obs.] Bp. Pearson.
Modification
Mod`i*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [L. modificatio a measuring: cf. F.
modification. See Modify.] 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. That which modifies or qualifies, as a word
or clause.
Modificatory
Mod"i*fi*ca`to*ry (?), a. Tending or serving to modify; modifying. Max
M\'81ller.
Modifier
Mod"i*fi`er (?), n. One who, or that which, modifies. Hume.
Modify
Mod"i*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Modified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Modifying (?).] [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. [F. modillon, It. modiglione. Cf. Module, n.]
(Arch.) 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. [L. modiolus, dim. of modius the Roman corn
measure.] Shaped like a bushel measure.
Modiolus
Mo*di"o*lus (?), n.; pl. Modioli (#). [L., a small measure.] (Anat.)
The central column in the osseous cochlea of the ear.
Modish
Mod"ish (?), a. 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. One who follows the fashion.
Modiste
Mo`diste" (?), n. [F. See Mode, and cf. Modist.] 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 (#). [L.] (Rom. Antiq.) A dry measure,
containing about a peck.
Modocs
Mo"docs (?), n. pl.; sing. Modoc (. (Ethnol.) A tribe of warlike
Indians formerly inhabiting Northern California. They are nearly
extinct.
Modular
Mod"u*lar (?), a. 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 (?).] [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.) To pass from one key into another.
Modulation
Mod`u*la"tion (?), n. [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.) 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. [L.] One who, or that which, modulates. Denham.
Module
Mod"ule (?), n. [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.) 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. [See module, n., Modulate.] To model; also, to
modulate. [Obs.] Sandys. Drayton.
Modulus
Mod"u*lus (?), n.; pl. Moduli (#). [L., a small measure. See Module,
n.] (Math., Mech., & Physics) 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 (#). [L. See Mode.] (Old Law)
1. The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract
or conveyance.
2. (Law) 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) 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 ( [L.], manner of operating.
Mody
Mod"y (?), a. [From Mode.] Fashionable. [R.]
Moe
Moe (?), n. A wry face or mouth; a mow. [Obs.]
Moe
Moe, v. i. To make faces; to mow. [Obs.]
Moe
Moe, a., adv., & n. [AS. m\'be See More.] More. See Mo. [Obs.] "Sing
no more ditties, sing no moe." Shak.
Moebles
Moe"bles (?), n. pl. [OE., fr. OF. moeble, mueble, movable, from L.
mobilis.] Movables; furniture; -- also used in the singular (moeble).
[Obs.] <-- here we mark both the singular word and the written font
--> Chaucer.
Moelline
Mo"el*line (?), n. [F. moelle, fr. L. medulla marrow.] An unguent for
the hair.
Moellon
Mo"el*lon (?), n. [F.] Rubble masonry.
M\'d2sogothic
M\'d2`so*goth"ic (?), a. Belonging to the M\'d2sogoths, a branch of
the Goths who settled in M\'d2sia.
M\'d2sogothic
M\'d2`so*goth"ic, n. The language of the M\'d2sogoths; -- also called
Gothic.
Moeve
Moeve (?), v. t. & i. To move. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Moff
Moff (?), n. A thin silk stuff made in Caucasia.
Moggan
Mog"gan (?), n. A closely fitting knit sleeve; also, a legging of
knitted material. [Scot.]
Mogul
Mo*gul" (?), n. [From the Mongolian.]
1. A person of the Mongolian race.
2. (Railroad) 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.<-- or
Moghul. --> Dryden.
Moha
Mo"ha (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of millet (Setaria Italica); German
millet.
Mohair
Mo"hair` (?), n. [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.] 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. [From Mohammed, fr. Ar. muh\'a0mmad
praiseworthy, highly praised.] 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. A follower of Mohammed, the founder of Islamism; one
who professes Mohammedanism or Islamism.
Mohammedanism, Mohammedism
Mo*ham"med*an*ism, Mo*ham"med*ism (?), n. 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. To make conformable to
the principles, or customs and rites, of Mohammedanism. [Written also
Mahometanize.]
Mohawk
Mo"hawk (?), n.
1. (Ethnol.) 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.) A tribe of
Lenni-Lenape Indians who formerly inhabited Western Connecticut and
Eastern New York. [Written also Mohegans.]
Moho
Mo"ho (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. See Mohawk.
Moholi
Mo*ho"li (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Maholi.
Mohr
Mohr (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Hind., fr. Per. muhur, muhr, a gold coin, a seal, seal
ring.] 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. [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. To toil. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Moidore
Moi"dore (?), n. [Pg. moeda d'ouro, lit., coin of gold. Cf. Money, and
Aureate.] A gold coin of Portugal, valued at about 27s. sterling.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 936
Moiety
Moi"e*ty (?), n.; pl. Moieties (#). [F. moiti\'82, 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.]
[OE. moillen to wet, OF. moillier, muillier, F. mouller, fr. (assumed)
LL. molliare, fr. L. mollis soft. See Mollify.] To daub; to make
dirty; to soil; to defile.
Thou ... doest thy mind in dirty pleasures moil. Spenser.
Moil
Moil, v. i. [From Moil to daub; prob. from the idea of struggling
through the wet.] 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. A spot; a defilement.
The moil of death upon them. Mrs. Browning.
Moile
Moile (?), n. [F. mule a slipper.] A kind of high shoe anciently worn.
[Written also moyle.]
Moineau
Moi"neau (?), n. [F.] (Fort.) A small flat bastion, raised in the
middle of an overlong curtain.
Moira
Moi"ra (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Greek Myth.) The deity who assigns to
every man his lot.
Moire
Moire (?), n. [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.
Moir\'82 m\'82tallique
Moi`r\'82" m\'82`tal`lique" (?). [F.] A crystalline or frosted
appearance produced by some acids on tin plate; also, the tin plate
thus treated.
Moist
Moist (?), a. [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. 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. One who, or that which, moistens. Johnson.
Moistful
Moist"ful (?), a. Full of moisture. [R.]
Moistless
Moist"less, a. Without moisture; dry. [R.]
Moistness
Moist"ness, n. The quality or state of being moist.
Moisture
Mois"ture (?), n. [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. Without moisture.
Moisty
Moist"y (?), a. Moist. [Obs.]
Moither
Moi"ther (?), v. t. [Etymol. uncertain.] To perplex; to confuse.
[Prov. Eng.] Lamb.
Moither
Moi"ther, v. i. To toil; to labor. [Prov. Eng.]
Mokadour
Mok"a*dour (?), n. [Sp. mocador handkerchief.] A handkerchief. [Obs.]
Moke
Moke (?), n. A donkey. [Cant] Thackeray.
Moke
Moke (?), n. A mesh of a net, or of anything resembling a net.
Halliwell.
Moky
Mo"ky (?), a. [Cf. Icel. m\'94kkvi cloud, mist, m\'94kkr a dense
cloud, W. mwg smoke, and E. muggy, muck.] Misty; dark; murky; muggy.
[Obs.]
Mola
Mo"la (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Sunfish, 1.
Molar
Mo"lar (?), a. [L. moles mass.] (Mech.) 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. [L. molaris, fr. mola mill, fr. molere to grind in a mill.
See Mill the machine.] Having power to grind; grinding; as, the molar
teeth; also, of or pertaining to the molar teeth. Bacon.
Molar
Mo"lar, n. (Anat.) 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. Same as 2d Molar.
Molasse
Mo*lasse" (?), n. [F. molasse, prob. fr. mollasse flabby, flimsy, fr.
L. mollis soft.] (Geol.) A soft Tertiary sandstone; -- applied to a
rock occurring in Switzerland. See Chart of Geology.
Molasses
Mo*las"ses (?), n. [F. m\'82lasse, cf. Sp. melaza, Pg. mela\'87o, fr.
L. mellaceus honeylike, honey-sweet, mel, mellis, honey. See
Mellifluous, and cf. Melasses.] 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. [See Mo a spot.] A spot; a blemish; a mole. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Mold, Mould
Mold, Mould (?), n. [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.
<-- 3. a fungus -->
Mold, Mould
Mold, Mould (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Molded or Moulded; p. pr. & vb.
n. Molding or Moulding.] To cover with mold or soil. [R.]
Mold, Mould
Mold, Mould, n. [From the p.p. of OE. moulen to become moldy, to rot,
prob. fr. Icel. mygla to grow musty, mugga mugginess; cf. Sw. m\'94gla
to grow moldy. See Muggy, and cf. Moldy.] (Bot.) 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: &hand; Th e co mmon 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. To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow
upon.
Mold, Mould
Mold, Mould, v. i. To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole
or in part, with a mold.
Mold, Mould
Mold, Mould, n. [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.) 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.) A fontanel.
6. (Paper Making) 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. [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) To form a mold of, as in sand, in which a casting may be
made.
Moldable, Mouldable
Mold"a*ble, Mould"a*ble (?), a. 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) A follow board.
Molder, Moulder
Mold"er, Mould"er (?), n. 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.] [From Mold fine soft earth: cf.
Prov. G. multern.] 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. 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. Covered or filled with mold; consisting
of, or resembling, mold.
Moldiness, Mouldiness
Mold"i*ness, Mould"i*ness (?), n. [From Moldy.] 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.) 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. 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. [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.] (Zo\'94l.)
See Mole the animal. Spenser.
Moldy, Mouldy
Mold"y, Mould"y (?), a. [Compar. Moldier (?) or Mouldier; superl.
Moldiest or Mouldiest.] [From Mold the growth of fungi.] Overgrown
with, or containing, mold; as, moldy cheese or bread.
Mole
Mole (?), n. [AS. m\'bel; 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. [L. mola.] A mass of fleshy or other more or less solid
matter generated in the uterus.
Mole
Mole, n. [F. m\'93le, L. moles. Cf. Demolish, Emolument, Molest.] 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. [OE. molle, either shortened fr. moldwerp, or from the root
of E. mold soil: cf. D. mol, OD. molworp. See Moldwarp.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any insectivore of the family Talpid\'91. They have
minute eyes and ears, soft fur, and very large and strong fore feet.
NOTE: &hand; Th e co mmon Eu ropean mo le, or mo ldwarp (T alpa
Europ\'91a), 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: &hand; In th e Sc riptures, th e na me is ap plied to tw o
unindentified animals, perhaps the chameleon and mole rat.
2. A plow of peculiar construction, for forming underground drains.
[U.S.] <-- 3. (fig.) a spy who lives for years an apparently normal
life (to establish a cover) before beginning his spying activities.
-->
Duck mole. See under Duck. -- Golden mole. See Chrysochlore. -- Mole
cricket (Zo\'94l.), 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
(Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. (Zo\'94l.) The sunfish (Orthagoriscus, or Mola).
[Written also molebat.]
Molecast
Mole"cast` (?), n. A little elevation of earth made by a mole; a
molehill. Mortimer.
Molech
Mo"lech (?), n. [Heb. molek king.] (Script.) The fire god of the
Ammonites, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Moloch. Lev. xviii.
21.
Molecular
Mo*lec"u*lar (?), a. [Cf. F. mol\'82culare. See Molecule.] (Phys. &
Chem.) 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. <-- now, compared with carbon-12 as standard -->
Molecularity
Mo*lec`u*lar"i*ty (?), n. (Phys. & Chem.) The state of consisting of
molecules; the state or quality of being molecular.
Molecularly
Mo*lec"u*lar*ly (?), adv. (Phys. & Chem.) With molecules; in the
manner of molecules. W. R. Grove.
Molecule
Mol"e*cule (?), n. [Dim. fr. L. moles a mass: cf. F. mol\'82cule. See
3d Mole.]
1. One of the very small invisible particles of which all matter is
supposed to consist.
2. (Physics) 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.) 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. Having eyes like those of the mole; having
imperfect sight.
Molehill
Mole"hill` (?), n. 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.
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Page 937
Molendinaceous, Molendinarious
Mo*len`di*na"ceous (?), Mo*len`di*na"ri*ous (?), a. [L. molendinarius,
fr. molendinum a mill, fr. molere to grind.] (Bot.) Resembling the
sails of a windmill.
Moleskin
Mole"skin` (?), n. 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.] [F. molester, L. molestare, fr. molestus troublesome, fr.
moles a heavy mass, load, burden. See 3d Mole.] 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. Molestation. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Molestation
Mol`es*ta"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. molestation.] The act of molesting, or
the state of being molested; disturbance; annoyance.
Molester
Mo*lest"er (?), n. One who molests.
Molestful
Mo*lest"ful (?), a. Troublesome; vexatious. [R.]
Molestie, Molesty
Mo*les"tie, Mo*les"ty (?), n. [L. molestia.] Molestation. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Molewarp
Mole"warp` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Moldwarp.
Moliminous
Mo*lim"i*nous (?), a. [L. molimen a great exertion; moles a heavy
mass.] Of great bulk or consequence; very important. [Obs.] Dr. H.
More.
Moline
Mo"line (?), n. [L. molina mill, fr. molere to grind. See Mill.] 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.) The doctrines of the Molinists,
somewhat resembling the tenets of the Arminians.
Molinist
Mo"lin*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of the opinions of Molina, a
Spanish Jesuit (in respect to grace); an opposer of the Jansenists.
Moll
Moll (?), a. [G., fr. L. mollis soft, tender, elegiac. Cf. Molle.]
(Mus.) Minor; in the minor mode; as, A moll, that is, A minor.
Mollah
Mol"lah (?), n. [Ar. maul\'be, commonly moll\'bein Turkey.] 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. [See Moll.] (Mus.) Lower by a semitone; flat; as, E
molle, that is, E flat.
Mollebart
Mol"le*bart (?), n. An agricultural implement used in Flanders,
consisting of a kind of large shovel drawn by a horse and guided by a
man. [Written also molleb\'91rt and mouldeb\'91rt.] Simmonds.
Mollemoke
Mol"le*moke` (?), n. [Sw. mallemucke the stormy petrel.] (Zo\'94l.)
Any one of several species of large pelagic petrels and fulmars, as
Fulmarus glacialis, of the North Atlantic, and several species of
\'92strelata, of the Southern Ocean. See Fulmar. [Written also
mollymawk, malmock, mollemock, mallemocke, etc.]
Mollient
Mol"lient (?), a. [L. molliens, p.p. of mollire to soften, fr. mollis
soft.] Serving to soften; assuaging; emollient.
Molliently
Mol"lient*ly, adv. Assuagingly.
Mollifiable
Mol"li*fi`a*ble (?), a. Capable of being mollified.
Mollification
Mol`li*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [LL. mollificatio; cf. F. mollification.]
The act of mollifying, or the state of being mollified; a softening.
Chaucer.
Mollifier
Mol"li*fi`er (?), n. One who, or that which, mollifies. Bacon.
Mollify
Mol"li*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mollified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mollifying (?).] [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. [Cf. Moline.] A little mill.
Mollipilose
Mol`li*pi*lose" (?), a. [L. mollis soft + pilosus hairy.] (Zo\'94l.)
Having soft hairs; downy.
Mollities
Mol*li"ti*es (?), n. [L., softness.] (Med.) Unnatural softness of any
organ or part. Dunglison.
Mollitude
Mol"li*tude (?), n. [L. mollitudo, fr. mollis soft.] Softness;
effeminacy; weakness. [R.]
Mollusc
Mol"lusc (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Mollusk.
Mollusca
Mol*lus"ca (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mollusk.] (Zo\'94l.) 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: &hand; Fo rmerly th e Br achiopoda, 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. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to mollusks. -- n. A
mollusk; one of the Mollusca.
Molluscoid
Mol*lus"coid (?), a. [Mollusca + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Resembling the true
mollusks; belonging to the Molluscoidea. -- n. One of the
Molluscoidea.
Molluscoidal
Mol`lus*coid"al (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Molluscoid.
Molluscoidea
Mol`lus*coi"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mollusk, and -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) A
division of Invertebrata which includes the classes Brachiopoda and
Bryozoa; -- called also Anthoid Mollusca.
NOTE: &hand; Or iginally th e Tu nicata we re in cluded un der
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. (Zo\'94l.) Molluscan.
Molluscum
Mol*lus"cum (?), n. [NL. See Mollusk.] (Med.) 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. [F. mollusque, L. mollusca a kind of soft nut with a
thin shell, fr. molluscus soft, mollis soft. See Mollify.] (Zo\'94l.)
One of the Mollusca. [Written also mollusc.]
Molly
Mol"ly (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Mollemoke.
Molly
Mol"ly, n. A pet or colloquial name for Mary. Molly cottontail.
(Zo\'94l.) See Cottontail. -- Molly Maguire (m&adot;*gw&imac;r"); pl.
Molly Maguires (-gw&imac;rz). (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. (Zo\'94l.) See Mollemoke.
Moloch
Mo"loch (?), n. [Heb. molek king.]
1. (Script.) The fire god of the Ammonites in Canaan, to whom human
sacrifices were offered; Molech. Also applied figuratively.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A spiny Australian lizard (Moloch horridus). The horns
on the head and numerous spines on the body give it a most formidable
appearance. <-- illustr. of Moloch. -->
Molosse
Mo*losse" (?), n. See Molossus.
Molosses
Mo*los"ses (?), n. Molasses. [Obs.]
Molossine
Mo*los"sine (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A bat of the genus Molossus, as the
monk bat.
Molossus
Mo*los"sus (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Gr. & Lat. Pros.) A foot of three
long syllables. [Written also molosse.]
Molt
Molt (?), obs.imp. of Melt. Chaucer. Spenser.
Molt, Moult
Molt, Moult (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Molted or Moulted; p. pr. & vb.
n. Molting or Moulting.] [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.] 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. To cast, as the hair, skin, feathers, or the like;
to shed.
Molt, Moult
Molt, Moult, n. The act or process of changing the feathers, hair,
skin, etc.; molting.
Moltable
Molt"a*ble (?), a. Capable of assuming a molten state; meltable;
fusible. [Obs.]
Molten
Mol"ten (?), a. [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. [It.] (Mus.) Much; very; as, molto adagio, very slow.
Moly
Mo"ly (?), n. [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.) A kind of garlic (Allium Moly) with large yellow flowers; --
called also golden garlic.
Molybdate
Mo*lyb"date (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of molybdic acid.
Molybdena
Mol`yb*de"na (?), n. [L. molybdaena galena, Gr. (Min.) See
Molybdenite.
Molybdenite
Mo*lyb"de*nite (?), n. [Cf. F. molybd\'82nite. See Molybdena.] (Min.)
A mineral occurring in soft, lead-gray, foliated masses or scales,
resembling graphite; sulphide of molybdenum.
Molybdenous
Mo*lyb"de*nous (?), a. (Chem.) See Molybdous.
Molybdenum
Mol`yb*de"num (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. molybd\'8ane. See Molybdena.]
(Chem.) 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. [Cf. F. molybdique. See molybdena.] (Chem.) 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.) Molybdic ocher.
Molybdous
Mo*lyb"dous (?), a. [See Molybdena.] 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. [Cf. Mumm, Momus.] A dull, silent person; a blockhead.
[Obs.] Spenser.
Moment
Mo"ment (?), n. [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.) An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment
or decrement. [Obs.]
6. (Mech.) 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. [Cf. OF. momental.] [Obs.]
1. Lasting but a moment; brief.
Not one momental minute doth she swerve. Breton.
2. Important; momentous.
3. (Mech.) Of or pertaining to moment or momentum.
Momentally
Mo*men"tal*ly, adv. For a moment. [Obs.]
Momentaneous, Momentany
Mo`men*ta"ne*ous (?), Mo"men*ta*ny (?), a. [L. momentaneus: cf. F.
momentan\'82.] Momentary. [Obs.] Hooker. "Momentany as a sound." Shak.
Momentarily
Mo"men*ta*ri*ly (?), adv. Every moment; from moment to moment.<-- in a
moment (=very soon) --> Shenstone.
Momentariness
Mo"men*ta*ri*ness, n. The state or quality of being momentary;
shortness of duration.
Momentary
Mo"men*ta*ry (?), a. [L. momentarius. See Moment.] 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. [Cf. L. momentosus rapid, momentary.] 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 (#). [L. See
Moment.]
1. (Mech.) 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.
<-- Fig. a property of an activity, analogous to forward motion or to
physical momentum (def. 1), which is believed to be able to continue
moving forward without further application of force or effort; as, the
petition drive gained momentum when it was mentioned in the newspapers
-->
Momier
Mom"i*er (?), n. [F. m\'93mier, fr. OF. momer, mommer, to mumm, to
mask one's self.] 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. See Mummery. Rowe.
Momot
Mo"mot (?), n. [Momot and motmot, the native American name.]
(Zo\'94l.) See Motmot.
Momus
Mo"mus (?), n. [Gr. (Gr. Myth.) The god of mockery and censure.
Mon-
Mon- (?). Same as Mono-.
Mona
Mo"na (?), n. [CF. Sp. & Pg. mona, fem. of mono a monkey, ape.]
(Zo\'94l.) 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. [L. monachus a monk: cf. F. monacal. See Monk.] Of
or pertaining to monks or a monastic life; monastic.
Monachism
Mon"a*chism (?), n. [Cf. F. monachisme.] The system and influences of
a monastic life; monasticism.
Monacid
Mon*ac"id (?), a. [Mon- + acid.] (Chem.) 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. [L. monas, -adis, a unit, Gr.
1. An ultimate atom, or simple, unextended point; something ultimate
and indivisible.
2. (Philos. of Leibnitz) 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. (Zo\'94l.) One of the smallest flangellate Infusoria; esp., the
species of the genus Monas, and allied genera.
4. (Biol.) A simple, minute organism; a primary cell, germ, or
plastid.
5. (Chem.) 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 938
Monadaria
Mon`a*da"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Monad.] (Zo\'94l.) The Infusoria.
Monadelphia
Mon`a*del"phi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. (Bot.) A Linn\'91an 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. [Cf. F. monadelphie.]
(Bot.) 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. Of, pertaining to, or like, a
monad, in any of its senses. See Monad, n. Dr. H. More.
Monadiform
Mo*nad"i*form (?), a. [Monad + -form.] (Biol.) 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. [Monad + -logy.] (Philos.) The doctrine or
theory of monads.
Monal
Mo*nal" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Any Asiatic pheasant of the genus
Lophophorus, as the Impeyan pheasant.
Monamide
Mon*am"ide (?), n. [Mon- + amide.] (Chem.) An amido compound with only
one amido group.
Monamine
Mon*am"ine (?), n. [Mon- + amine.] (Chem.) A basic compound containing
one amido group; as, methyl amine is a monamine.<-- now, monoamine -->
Monander
Mo*nan"der (?), n. (Bot.) One of the Monandria.
Monandria
Mo*nan"dri*a (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. (Bot.) A Linn\'91an class of
plants embracing those having but a single stamen.
Monandrian
Mo*nan"dri*an (?), a.; (Bot.) Same as Monandrous.
Monandric
Mo*nan"dric (?), a. Of or pertaining to monandry; practicing monandry
as a system of marriage.
Monandrous
Mo*nan"drous (?), a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to the monandria; having
but one stamen.
Monandry
Mo*nan"dry (?), n. [See Monandria.] The possession by a woman of only
one husband at the same time; -- contrasted with polyandry.
Monanthous
Mo*nan"thous (?), a. [Mon- + Gr. (Bot.) Having but one flower;
one-flowered. Gray.
Monarch
Mon"arch (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus);
-- called also milkweed butterfly.
Monarch
Mon"arch, a. Superior to others; pre\'89minent; supreme; ruling.
"Monarch savage." Pope.
Monarchal
Mo*nar"chal (?), a. 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. A female monarch. [Obs.]
Monarchial
Mo*nar"chi*al (?), a. Monarchic. Burke.
Monarchian
Mo*nar"chi*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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. [F. monarchique, Gr. Of or
pertaining to a monarch, or to monarchy. Burke. -- Mo*nar"chic*al*ly,
adv.
Monarchism
Mon"arch*ism (?), n. The principles of, or preference for, monarchy.
Monarchist
Mon"arch*ist, n. [Cf. F. monarchiste.] An advocate of, or believer in,
monarchy.
Monarchize
Mon"arch*ize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Monarchized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Monarchizing (?).] To play the sovereign; to act the monarch. [R.]
Shak.
Monarchize
Mon"arch*ize, v. t. To rule; to govern. [R.]
Monarchizer
Mon"arch*i`zer (?), n. One who monarchizes; also, a monarchist.
Monarcho
Mo*nar"cho (?), n. The nickname of a crackbrained Italian who fancied
himself an emperor. [Obs.] Shak.
Monarchy
Mon"arch*y (?), n.; pl. Monarchies (#). [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. [NL. See Monad.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [L. monasterials, fr. monasterium.] Of or
pertaining to monastery, or to monastic life. -- Mon`as*te"ri*al*ly,
adv.
Monastery
Mon"as*te*ry (?), n.; pl. Monasteries (#). [L. monasterium, Gr.
Minister.] 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. A monk.
Monastic, Monastical
Mo*nas"tic (?), Mo*nas"tic*al (?), a. [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. In a monastic manner.
Monasticism
Mo*nas"ti*cism (?), n. The monastic life, system, or condition.
Milman.
Monasticon
Mo*nas"ti*con (?), n. [NL. See Monastic.] A book giving an account of
monasteries.
Monatomic
Mon`a*tom"ic (?), adv. [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. [Mon- + axial.] (Biol.) Having only one axis;
developing along a single line or plane; as, monaxial development.
Monatize
Mon"a*tize (?), n. [From Gr. (Min.) A mineral occurring usually in
small isolated crystals, -- phosphate of the cerium metals.
Monday
Mon"day (?), n. [OE. moneday, monenday, AS. m\'d3nand\'91g, i.e., day
of the moon, day sacred to the moon; akin to D. maandag, G. montag,
OHG. m\'benatag, Icel. m\'benadagr, Dan. mandag, Sw. m\'86ndag. See
Moon, and Day.] The second day of the week; the day following Sunday.
Monde
Monde (?), n. [F. See Mundane.] The world; a globe as an ensign of
royalty. [R.] A. Drummond. Le beau monde [F.], fashionable society.
See Beau monde. -- Demi monde. See Demimonde.
Mone
Mone (?), n. The moon. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mone
Mone, n. A moan. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Monecian, Monecious
Mo*ne"cian (?), Mo*ne"cious (?), a. (Bot.) See Mon\'d2cian, and
Mon\'d2cious.
Monembryony
Mon*em"bry*o*ny (?), n. [See Mono-, and Embryo.] (Bot.) The condition
of an ovule having but a single embryo. -- Mon*em`bry*on"ic (#), a.
Moner
Mo"ner (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Monera.
Monera
Mo*ne"ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The lowest division of
rhizopods, including those which resemble the am\'d2bas, but are
destitute of a nucleus.
Moneral
Mo*ne"ral (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Monera.
Moneran
Mo*ne"ran (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Monera. -- n. One
of the Monera.
Moneron
Mo*ne"ron (?), n.; pl. L. Monera (#); E. Monerons (#). [NL.]
(Zo\'94l.) One of the Monera.
Monerula
Mo*ner"u*la (?), n. [NL., dim. of moner. See Monera.] (Biol.) 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.) 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 glycyphl\'d2um. It is used as an
alterative and astringent.
Monesin
Mo*ne"sin (?), n. The acrid principle of Monesia, sometimes used as a
medicine.
Monest
Mo*nest" (?), v. t. [See Admonish.] To warn; to admonish; to advise.
[Obs.] Wyclif (2 Cor. v. 20).
Monetary
Mon"e*ta*ry (?), a. [L. monetarius belonging to a mint. See Money.] 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. A month. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Monetization
Mon`e*ti*za"tion (?), n. The act or process of converting into money,
or of adopting as money; as, the monetization of silver.
Monetize
Mon"e*tize (?), v. t. To convert into money; to adopt as current
money; as, to monetize silver.
Money
Mon"ey (?), n.; pl. Moneys (#). [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: &hand; 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. ).
<-- 4. anything which serves as money, such as a checking account, a
credit account, or a letter of credit. --> 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 (Zo\'94l.), any one of
several species of Cypr\'91a (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<-- (b) a similar order issued by a bank
-->. -- Money scrivener, a person who produces the loan of money to
others. [Eng.] -- Money spider, Money spinner (Zo\'94l.), 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 supply; plastic money -->
Money
Mon"ey (?), v. t. To supply with money. [Obs.]
Moneyage
Mon"ey*age (?), n. [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. [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. 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. 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.) A trailing plant (Lysimachia Nummularia),
with rounded opposite leaves and solitary yellow flowers in their
axils.
Mongcorn
Mong"corn` (?), n. See Mangcorn.
Monger
Mon"ger (?), n. [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. To deal in; to make merchandise of; to traffic in; --
used chiefly of discreditable traffic.
Mongol
Mon"gol (?), n. One of the Mongols. -- a. Of or pertaining to Mongolia
or the Mongols.
Mongolian
Mon*go"li*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Mongolia or the Mongols. --
n. One of the Mongols.
Mongolic
Mon*gol"ic (?), a. See Mongolian.
Mongoloid
Mon"go*loid (?), a. [Mongol + -oid.] Resembling a Mongol or the
Mongols; having race characteristics, such as color, hair, and
features, like those of the Mongols. Huxley. <--2. of, related to, or
affected with, Down's syndrome[MW10]. also n. -->
Mongols, Mongolians
Mon"gols (?), Mon*go"li*ans (?), n. pl. (Ethnol.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Prob. shortened fr. mongrel, and akin to AS. mengan
to mix, and E. mingle. See Mingle.] The progeny resulting from a cross
between two breeds, as of domestic animals; anything of mixed breed.
Drayton.
Mongrel
Mon"grel, a.
1. (Zo\'94l.) Not of a pure breed.
2. Of mixed kinds; as, mongrel language.
Mongrelize
Mon"grel*ize (?), v. t. & i. To cause to be mongrel; to cross breeds,
so as to produce mongrels.
'Mongst
'Mongst (?), prep. See Amongst.
Monied
Mon"ied (?), a. See Moneyed.
Monifier
Mo*nif"i*er (?), n. [NL., fr. L. monile necklace + ferre to bear.]
(Paleon.) A fossil fish.
Moniliform
Mo*nil"i*form (?), a. [L. monile necklace + -form: cf. F.
moniliforme.] (Biol.) 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. [L. monimentum, monumentum. See Monument.]
Something to preserve memory; a reminder; a monument; hence, a mark;
an image; a superscription; a record. [Obs.] Spenser.
Monish
Mon"ish (?), v. t. [OE. monesten. See Admonish, Monition.] To
admonish; to warn. See Admonish. [Archaic] Ascham.
Monisher
Mon"ish*er (?), n. One who monishes; an admonisher. [Archaic]
Monishment
Mon"ish*ment (?), n. Admonition. [Archaic]
_________________________________________________________________
Page 939
Monism
Mon"ism (?), n. [From Gr.
1. (Metaph.) That doctrine which refers all phenomena to a single
ultimate constituent or agent; -- the opposite of dualism.
NOTE: &hand; Th e do ctrine ha s be en 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.) See Monogenesis, 1.
Monist
Mon"ist, n. A believer in monism.
Monistic
Mo*nis"tic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or involving, monism.
Monition
Mo*ni"tion (?), n. [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) A process in the nature of a summons to appear
and answer.
4. (Eccl. Law) An order monishing a party complained against to obey
under pain of the law. Shipley.
Monitive
Mon"i*tive (?), a. Conveying admonition; admonitory. Barrow.
Monitor
Mon"i*tor (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [So called from the name given by Captain Ericson, its designer, to
the first ship of the kind.] An ironclad war vessel, very low in the
water, and having one or more heavily-armored revolving turrets,
carrying heavy guns.
5. (Mach.) 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. In a monitorial manner.
Monitorship
Mon"i*tor*ship (?), n. The post or office of a monitor.
Monitory
Mon"i*to*ry (?), a. [L. monitorius.] Giving admonition; instructing by
way of caution; warning.
Losses, miscarriages, and disappointments, are monitory and
instructive. L'Estrange.
Monitory
Mon"i*to*ry, n. 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. A female monitor.
Monk
Monk (?), n. [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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A South American monkey (Pithecia monachus); also
applied to other species, as Cebus xanthocephalus. (b) The European
bullfinch.
Monk bat (Zo\'94l.), a South American and West Indian bat (Molossus
nasutus); -- so called because the males live in communities by
themselves. -- Monk bird(Zo\'94l.), the friar bird. -- Monk seal
(Zo\'94l.), 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 medi\'91val 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 (#). [Cf. OIt. monicchio, It. monnino,
dim. of monna an ape, also dame, mistress, contr. fr. madonna. See
Madonna.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) (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: &hand; Th e mo nkeys are often divided into three groups: (a)
Catarrhines, or Simid\'91. 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
Cebid\'91. 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. 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 around with -->
Monkey-bread
Mon"key-bread` (?), n. (Bot.) The fruit of the Adansonia digitata;
also, the tree. See Adansonia.
Monkey-cup
Mon"key-cup` (?), n. (Bot.) See Nepenthes.
Monkey-pot
Mon"key-pot` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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.) 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 pi\'a4on by the Chilians. <-- also,
monkey puzzle -->
Monkeytail
Mon"key*tail` (?), n. (Naut.) A short, round iron bar or lever used in
naval gunnery. Totten.
Monkfish
Monk"fish (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The angel fish (Squatina). (b) The
angler (Lophius).
Monkflower
Monk"flow`er (?), n. (Bot.) 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. [Monk + -hood.]
1. The character or condition of a monk. Atterbury.
2. Monks, regarded collectively. Longfellow.
Monking
Monk"ing, a. Monkish. [R.] Coleridge.
Monkish
Monk"ish, a. Like a monk, or pertaining to monks; monastic; as,
monkish manners; monkish dress; monkish solitude. -- Monk"ish*ness, n.
Monkly
Monk"ly, a. Like, or suitable to, a monk. [R.]
Monkshood
Monks"hood` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Aconitum; aconite. See
Aconite.
Monk's seam
Monk's" seam` (?). (Naut.) 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- (?). [Gr. 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. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) The black howler of Central America
(Mycetes villosus).
Monobasic
Mon`o*ba"sic (?), a. [Mono- + basic.] (Chem.) 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. [Mono- + carbonic.] (Chem.) Containing one
carboxyl group; as, acetic acid is a monocarbonic acid.
Monocardian
Mon`o*car"di*an (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having a single heart,
as fishes and amphibians. -- n. An animal having a single heart.
Monocarp
Mon"o*carp (?), n. (Bot.) A monocarpic plant.
Monocarpellary
Mon`o*car"pel*la*ry (?), a. [Mono- + carpellary.] (Bot.) 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. [Mono- + Gr. monocarpe.]
(Bot.) Bearing fruit but once, and dying after fructification, as
beans, maize, mustard, etc.
NOTE: &hand; Annual and biennual herbs are monocarpic, so also some
plants of longer duration, as the century plant.
Monocephalous
Mon`o*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Bot.) Having a solitary head;
-- said of unbranched composite plants.
Monoceros
Mo*noc"e*ros (?), n. [L., fr. Gr.
1. A one-horned creature; a unicorn; a sea monster with one horn.
Mighty monoceroses with immeasured tails. Spenser.
2. (Astron.) The Unicorn, a constellation situated to the east Orion.
Monochlamydeous
Mon`o*chla*myd"e*ous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. monochlamyd\'82.] (Bot.)
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. [L. monochordon, Gr. monocorde. See Chord, and cf.
Mainchord.] (Mus.) 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. [Cf. F. monochromatique. See Monochrome.]
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. [Gr. monochrome.] A painting or drawing in a
single color; a picture made with a single color.
Monochromic
Mon`o*chro"mic (?), a. Made, or done, with a single color; as, a
monochromic picture.<-- = also, monochromatic, monochrome -->
Monochromy
Mon"o*chro`my (?), n. The art of painting or drawing in monochrome.
Monochronic
Mon`o*chron"ic (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. Existing at the same time;
contemporaneous.
Monociliated
Mon`o*cil"i*a`ted (?), a. [Mono- + ciliated.] (Biol.) Having but one
cilium.
Monocle
Mon"o*cle (?), n. [F. See Monocular.] An eyeglass for one eye.
Simmonds.
Monoclinal
Mon`o*cli"nal (?), a. [See Monoclinic.] (Geol.) Having one oblique
inclination; -- applied to strata that dip in only one direction from
the axis of elevation.
Monocline
Mon"o*cline (?), n. (Geol.) A monoclinal fold.
Monoclinic
Mon`o*clin"ic (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Crystallog.) 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. [Mono- + Gr. monocline.] (Bot.) Hermaphrodite,
or having both stamens and pistils in every flower.
Monocondyla
Mon`o*con"dy*la (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mono-, and Condyle.] (Zo\'94l.) 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.) Any monocotyledonous plant.
Monocotyle
Mon"o*co*tyle (?), a. [Cf. F. monocotyle.] (Bot.) Monocotyledonous.
Monocotyledon
Mon`o*cot`y*le"don (?), n. [Mono- + cotyledon: cf. F.
monocotyl\'82done.] (Bot.) A plant with only one cotyledon, or seed
lobe.
NOTE: &hand; Th e pl ural, 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. [Cf. F. monocotyl\'82don\'82.] (Bot.)
Having only one cotyledon, seed lobe, or seminal leaf. Lindley.
Monocracy
Mo*noc"ra*cy (?), n. [Mono- + -cracy, as in democracy.] Government by
a single person; undivided rule. Sydney Smith.
Monocrat
Mon"o*crat (?), n. [Cf. Gr. One who governs alone.
Monocrotic
Mon`o*crot"ic (?), a. (Physiol.) Of, pertaining to, or showing,
monocrotism; as, a monocrotic pulse; a pulse of the monocrotic type.
Monocrotism
Mo*noc"ro*tism (?), n. [Gr. (Physiol.) 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. [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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 940
Monocule
Mon"o*cule (?), n. [See Monocular.] (Zo\'94l.) A small crustacean with
one median eye.
Monoculous
Mo*noc"u*lous (?), a. Monocular. Glanvill.
Monocystic
Mon`o*cys"tic (?), a. [See Mono-, and Cyst.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or
pertaining to a division (Monocystidea) of Gregarinida, in which the
body consists of one sac.
Monodactylous
Mon`o*dac"tyl*ous (?), a. [Gr. monodactyle.] (Zo\'94l.) Having but one
finger or claw.
Monodelph, Monodelphian
Mon"o*delph (?), Mon`o*del"phi*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the
Monodelphia.
Monodelphia
Mon`o*del"phi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The group that
includes all ordinary or placental mammals; the Placentalia. See
Mammalia.
Monodelphic, Monodelphous
Mon`o*del"phic (?), Mon`o*del"phous (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or
pertaining to the Monodelphia.
Monodic, Monodical
Mo*nod"ic (?), Mo*nod"ic*al (?), a. [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. [Mono- + dimetric.] (Crystallog.) Dimetric.
Monodist
Mon"o*dist (?), n. A writer of a monody.
Monodrama, Monodrame
Mon"o*dra`ma (?), Mon"o*drame (?), n. [Mono- + Gr. A drama acted, or
intended to be acted, by a single person.
Monodramatic
Mon`o*dra*mat"ic (?), a. Pertaining to a monodrama.
Monody
Mon"o*dy (?), n.; pl. Monodies (#). [L. monodia, Gr. monodie. See
Ode.] 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. [Mono- + dynamic.] Possessing but one capacity
or power. "Monodynamic men." De Quincey.
Monodynamism
Mon`o*dy"na*mism (?), n. The theory that the various forms of activity
in nature are manifestations of the same force. G. H. Lewes.
Mon\'d2cia
Mo*n\'d2"ci*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) A Linn\'91an class of
plants, whose stamens and pistils are in distinct flowers in the same
plant.
Mon\'d2cian
Mo*n\'d2"cian (?), a.
1. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to the Mon\'d2cia; mon\'d2cious. -- n. One
of the Mon\'d2cia.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A mon\'d2cious animal, as certain mollusks.
Mon\'d2cious
Mo*n\'d2"cious (?), a. (Biol.) Having the sexes united in one
individual, as when male and female flowers grow upon the same
individual plant; hermaphrodite; -- opposed to di\'d2cious.
Mon\'d2cism
Mo*n\'d2"cism (?), n. (Biol.) The state or condition of being
mon\'d2cious.
Monogam
Mon"o*gam (?), n. (Bot.) One of the Monogamia.
Monogamia
Mon`o*ga"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Monogamous.] (Bot.) A Linn\'91an
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. [See Monogamous.]
1. Pertaining to, or involving, monogamy.
2. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to the Monogamia; having a simple flower
with united anthers.
Monogamist
Mo*nog"a*mist (?), n. One who practices or upholds monogamy.
Goldsmith.
Monogamous
Mo*nog"a*mous (?), a. [L. monogamus having but one wife, Gr.
1. Upholding, or practicing, monogamy.
2. (Bot.) Same as Monogamian.
3. (Zo\'94l.) Mating with but one of the opposite sex; -- said of
birds and mammals.
Monogamy
Mo*nog"a*my (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) State of being paired with a single mate.
Monogastric
Mon`o*gas"tric (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. Having but a single stomach.
Monogenesis
Mon`o*gen"e*sis (?), n. [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.) 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.) 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. [See Monogenesis.]
1. (Geol.) One in genesis; resulting from one process of formation; --
used of a mountain range. Dana.
2. (Biol.) 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.) Of or pertaining to monogenesis.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Producing only one kind of germs, or young; developing
only in one way.
Monogenism
Mo*nog"e*nism (?), n. (Anthropol.) The theory or doctrine that the
human races have a common origin, or constitute a single species.
Monogenist
Mo*nog"e*nist (?), n. (Anthropol.) One who maintains that the human
races are all of one species; -- opposed to polygenist.
Monogenistic
Mon`o*ge*nis"tic (?), a. Monogenic.
Monogenous
Mo*nog"e*nous (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to monogenesis; as,
monogenous, or asexual, reproduction.
Monogeny
Mo*nog"e*ny (?), n.
1. Monogenesis.
2. (Anthropol.) The doctrine that the members of the human race have
all a common origin.
Monogoneutic
Mon`o*go*neu"tic (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having but one brood
in a season.
Monogram
Mon"o*gram (?), n. [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: &hand; Th e 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.] <-- monogram v. to inscribe or
ornament with a monogram -->
Monogrammal
Mon"o*gram`mal (?), a. See Monogrammic.
Monogrammatic
Mon`o*gram*mat"ic (?), a. Monogrammic.
Monogrammic
Mon`o*gram"mic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a monogram.
Monogrammous
Mon"o*gram`mous (?), a. Monogrammic.
Monograph
Mon"o*graph (?), n. [Mono- + -graph.] 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. A writer of a monograph.
Monographic, Monographical
Mon`o*graph"ic (?), Mon`o*graph"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. monographique.]
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. One who writes a monograph.
Monographous
Mo*nog"ra*phous (?), a. Monographic. [Obs.]
Monography
Mo*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Mono- + -graphy: cf. F. monographie.]
1. Representation by lines without color; an outline drawing.
2. A monograph. [Obs.]
Monogyn
Mon"o*gyn (?), n. (Bot.) One of the Monogynia.
Monogynia
Mon`o*gyn"i*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) A Linn\'91an order of
plants, including those which have only one style or stigma.
Monogynian
Mon`o*gyn"i*an (?), a. (Bot.) Pertaining to the Monogynia; monogynous.
-- n. One of the Monogynia.
Monogynous
Mo*nog"y*nous (?), a. [Cf. F. monogyne.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to
Monogynia; having only one style or stigma.
Monogyny
Mo*nog"y*ny (?), n. [See Monogynia.]
1. Marriage with the one woman only.
2. (Bot.) The state or condition of being monogynous.
Monohemerous
Mon`o*hem"er*ous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Med.) Lasting but one day.
Monoicous
Mo*noi"cous (?), a. (Bot.) Mon\'d2cious.
Monolatry
Mo*nol"a*try (?), n. [Mono- + Gr. Worship of a single deity.
Monolith
Mon"o*lith (?), n. [F. monolithe, L. monolithus consisting of a single
stone, Gr. A single stone, especially one of large size, shaped into a
pillar, statue, or monument.
Monolithal
Mon"o*lith`al (?), a. Monolithic.
Monolithic
Mon`o*lith"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a monolith; consisting of a
single stone.
Monologist
Mo*nol"o*gist (?), n. [See Monologue.] One who soliloquizes; esp., one
who monopolizes conversation in company. De Quincey.
Monologue
Mon"o*logue (?), n. [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. [Gr. 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. [L. monomachia, Gr. A duel;
single combat. "The duello or monomachia." Sir W. Scott.
Monomachist
Mo*nom"a*chist (?), n. One who fights in single combat; a duelist.
Monomane
Mon"o*mane (?), n. A monomaniac. [R.]
Monomania
Mon`o*ma"ni*a (?), n. [Mono- + mania.] 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. A person affected by monomania.
Monomaniac, Monomaniacal
Mon`oma"ni*ac (?), Mon`oma"ni*a*cal (?), a. [Cf. F. monomaniaque.]
Affected with monomania, or partial derangement of intellect; caused
by, or resulting from, monomania; as, a monomaniacal delusion.
Monome
Mon"ome (?), n. [F., fr. Gr. -nome as in binome. See Binomial.]
(Math.) A monomial. <-- Monomer. (Chem.) The basic conceptual building
unit of a polymer. --> <-- Monomeric. (Chem.) Not linked with other
units of the same kind, opposed to polymeric -->
Monomerous
Mo*nom"er*ous (?), a. [Gr.
1. (Bot.) Composed of solitary parts, as a flower with one sepal, one
petal, one stamen, and one pistil.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Having but one joint; -- said of the foot of certain
insects.
Monometallic
Mon`o*me*tal"lic (?), a. Consisting of one metal; of or pertaining to
monometallism.
Monometallism
Mon`o*met"al*lism (?), n. [Mono- + metal.] 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. One who believes in monometallism as opposed
to bimetallism, etc.
Monometer
Mo*nom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. A rhythmic series, consisting of a single
meter.
Monometric
Mon`o*met"ric (?), a. [Cf. F. monom\'82trique.] (Crystallog.) Same as
Isometric.
Monomial
Mo*no"mi*al (?), n. [See Monome, Binomial.] (Alg.) 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.) Consisting of but a single term or expression.
Monomorphic, Monomorphous
Mon`o*mor"phic (?), Mon`o*mor"phous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Biol.)
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. [NL., fr. Gr. 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Of or
pertaining to the Monomya. -- n. One of the Monomya.
Mononomial
Mon`o*no"mi*al (?), n. & a. Monomyal.
Monoousian, Monoousious
Mon`o*ou"si*an (?), Mon`o*ou"si*ous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Theil.)
Having but one and the same nature or essence.
Monopathy
Mo*nop"a*thy (?), n. [Gr. Suffering or sensibility in a single organ
or function. -- Mon`o*path"ic, a.
Monopersonal
Mon`o*per"son*al (?), a. [Mono- + personal.] Having but one person, or
form of existence.
Monopetalous
Mon`o*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Mono- + petal: cf. F. monop\'82tale.] (Bot.)
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: &hand; Th e 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. [Mono- + Gr. Having one the same appearance;
having a mutual resemblance.
Monophonic
Mon`o*phon"ic (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Mus.) Single-voiced; having but
one part; as, a monophonic composition; -- opposed to polyphonic.
Monophthong
Mon"oph*thong (?), n. [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. Consisting of, or pertaining to, a
monophthong.
Monophyletic
Mon`o*phy*let"ic (?), a. [Gr. (Biol.) 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. [Gr. monophylle.] (Bot.) One-leaved; composed
of a single leaf; as, a monophyllous involucre or calyx.
Monophyodont
Mon`o*phy"o*dont (?), a. [Gr. (Anat.) Having but one set of teeth; --
opposed to diphyodont.
Monophysite
Mo*noph"y*site (?), n. [Gr. monophysite.] (Eccl. Hist.) 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. Of or pertaining to Monophysites, or their
doctrines.
Monoplast
Mon"o*plast (?), n. [Mono- + -plast.] (Biol.) A monoplastic element.
Monoplastic
Mon`o*plas"tic (?), a. [Mono- + -plastic.] (Biol.) That has one form,
or retains its primary form, as, a monoplastic element.
Monoplegia
Mon`ople"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Paralysis affecting a
single limb.
Monopneumona
Mon`op*neu"mo*na (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mono-, and Pneumonia.]
(Zo\'94l.) 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.) A monopodium.
Monopodial
Mon`o*po"di*al (?), a. (Bot.) 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 (#). [L. See
Monopody.] (Bot.) A single and continuous vegetable axis; -- opposed
to sympodium.
Monopody
Mo*nop"o*dy (?), n. [Mono- + Gr. (Pros.) A measure of but a single
foot.
Monopoler
Mo*nop"o*ler (?), n. A monopolist. [Obs.]
_________________________________________________________________
Page 941
Monopolist
Mo*nop"o*list (?), n. One who monopolizes; one who has a monopoly; one
who favors monopoly.
Monopolistic
Mo*nop`o*lis"tic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a monopolist. North Am.
Rev.
Monopolite
Mo*nop"o*lite (?), n. A monopolist. Sylvester.
Monopolize
Mo*nop"o*lize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Monopolized (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Monopolizing (?).] [From Monopoly.] 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. One who monopolizes.
Monopoly
Mo*nop"o*ly (?), n.; pl. Monopolies (#). [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. [Mono- + Gr. poly`s many + lo`gos speech.]
An exhibition in which an actor sustains many characters.
Monopsychism
Mon`o*psy"chism (?), n. [Mono- + Gr. The doctrine that there is but
one immortal soul or intellect with which all men are endowed.
Monopteral
Mo*nop"ter*al (?), a. [Gr. monopt\'8are.] (Arch.) 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 (#). [NL. See Monopteral.]
(Arch.) A circular temple consisting of a roof supported on columns,
without a cella.
Monoptote
Mon"op*tote (?), n. [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. [Mono- + pyrene.] (Bot.) Having but a single
stone or kernel.
Monorganic
Mon`or*gan"ic (?), a. [Mon- + organic.] (Biol. & Med.) Belonging to,
or affecting, a single organ, or set of organs.
Monorhina
Mon`o*rhi"na (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The
Marsipobranchiata.
Monorhyme
Mon"o*rhyme (?), n. [Mono- + rhyme: cf. F. monorime.] A composition in
verse, in which all the lines end with the same rhyme.
Monosepalous
Mon`o*sep"al*ous (?), a. [Mono- + sepal: cf. F. monos\'82pale.] (Bot.)
Having only one sepal, or the calyx in one piece or composed of the
sepals united into one piece; gamosepalous.
NOTE: &hand; Th e 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.) A monospermous plant.
Monospermal, Monospermous
Mon`o*sper"mal (?), Mon`o*sper"mous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. monosperme.]
(Bot.) Having only one seed.
Monospherical
Mon`o*spher"ic*al (?), a. [Mono- + spherical.] Consisting of one
sphere only.
Monostich
Mon"o*stich (?), n. [Gr. A composition consisting of one verse only.
Monostichous
Mo*nos"ti*chous (?), a. [See Monostich.] (Bot.) Arranged in a single
row on one side of an axis, as the flowers in grasses of the tribe
Chlorid\'91.
Monostrophe
Mo*nos"tro*phe (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. A metrical composition consisting
of a single strophe.
Monostrophic
Mon`o*stroph"ic (?), a. [Gr. (Pros.) Having one strophe only; not
varied in measure; written in unvaried measure. Milton.
Monosulphide
Mon`o*sul"phide (?), n. [Mono- + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide
containing one atom of sulphur, and analogous to a monoxide; --
contrasted with a polysulphide; as, galena is a monosulphide.
Monosulphuret
Mon`o*sul"phu*ret (?), n. [Mono- + sulphuret.] (Chem.) See
Monosulphide.
Monosyllabic
Mon`o*syl*lab"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. monosyllabique.] 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. The state of consisting of monosyllables, or
having a monosyllabic form; frequent occurrence of monosyllables.
Monosyllable
Mon"o*syl`la*ble (?), n. [L. monosyllabus of one syllable, Gr.
monosyllabe. See Mono-, Syllable.] A word of one syllable.
Monosyllabled
Mon"o*syl`la*bled (?), a. Formed into, or consisting of,
monosyllables. Cleveland.
Monosymmetric, Monosymmetrical
Mon`o*sym*met"ric (?), Mon`o*sym*met"ric*al (?), a. [Mono- +
symmetric, -ical.] (Crystallog.) Same as Monoclinic.
Monotessaron
Mon`o*tes"sa*ron (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. A single narrative framed from
the statements of the four evangelists; a gospel harmony. [R.]
Monothalama
Mon`o*thal"a*ma (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A division of
Foraminifera including those that have only one chamber.
Monothalaman
Mon`o*thal"a*man (?), n. [See Monothalamous.] (Zo\'94l.) A foraminifer
having but one chamber.
Monothalamous
Mon`o*thal"a*mous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. monothalame.] (Zo\'94l.)
One-chambered.
Monothalmic
Mon`o*thal"mic (?), a. [See Monothalamous.] (Bot.) Formed from one
pistil; -- said of fruits. R. Brown.
Monothecal
Mon`o*the"cal (?), a. [Mono- + Br. (Bot.) Having a single loculament.
Monotheism
Mon"o*the*ism (?), n. [Mono- + Gr. monoth\'82isme.] The doctrine or
belief that there is but one God.
Monotheist
Mon"o*the*ist, n. [Cf. F. monoth\'82iste.] One who believes that there
is but one God.
Monotheistic
Mon`o*the*is"tic (?), a. Of or pertaining to monotheism.
Monothelism, Monothelitism
Mo*noth"e*lism (?), Mo*noth"e*li*tism (?), n. [Cf. F. monoth\'82lisme,
monoth\'82litisme.] The doctrine of the Monothelites.
Monothelite
Mo*noth"e*lite (?), n. [Gr. monoth\'82lite.] (Eccl. Hist.) 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. Of or pertaining to the Monothelites, or
their doctrine.
Monotocous
Mo*not"o*cous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr.
1. (Bot.) Bearing fruit but once; monocarpic.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Uniparous; laying a single egg.
Monotomous
Mo*not"o*mous (?), a. [Mono- + Gr. (Min.) Having a distinct cleavage
in a single direction only.
Monotone
Mon"o*tone (?), n. [See Monotonous, Monotony.]
1. (Mus.) A single unvaried tone or sound.
2. (Rhet.) 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. Of, pertaining to, or
uttered in, a monotone; monotonous. "Monotonical declamation."
Chesterfield.
Monotonist
Mo*not"o*nist (?), n. One who talks in the same strain or on the same
subject until weariness is produced. Richardson.
Monotonous
Mo*not"o*nous (?), a. [Gr. Tone.] 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. [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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the
Monotremata.
Monotreme
Mon"o*treme (?), n. [Cf. F. monotr\'8ame.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the
Monotremata.
Monotriglyph
Mon`o*tri"glyph (?), n. [Mono- + triglyph: cf. F. monotriglyphe.]
(Arch.) A kind of intercolumniation in an entablature, in which only
one triglyph and two metopes are introduced.
Monotropa
Mo*not"ro*pa (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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. [Mono- + -type: cf. F. monotype.]
(Biol.) Having but one type; containing but one representative; as, a
monotypic genus, which contains but one species.
Monovalent
Mo*nov"a*lent (?), a. [Mono- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.)
Having a valence of one; univalent. See Univalent.
Monoxide
Mo*nox"ide (?), n. [Mon- + oxide.] (Chem.) An oxide containing one
atom of oxygen in each molecule; as, barium monoxide.
Monoxylon
Mo*nox"y*lon (?), n. [NL., from Gr. A canoe or boat made from one
piece of timber.
Monoxylous
Mo*nox"y*lous (?), a. [See Monoxylon.] Made of one piece of wood.
Monozoa
Mon`o*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A division of
Radiolaria; -- called also Monocyttaria. -- Mon`o*zo"ic (#), a.
Monroe doctrine
Mon*roe" doc"trine. See under Doctrine.
Monseigneur
Mon`sei`gneur" (?), n.; pl. Messeigneurs (#). [F., fr. mon my +
seigneur lord, L. senior older. See Senior, and cf. Monsieur.] 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.) A basic sulphate of iron; -- so named from
Monsel, a Frenchman.
Monsel's solution
Mon"sel's so*lu"tion (?). [See Monsel's salt.] (Med.) An aqueous
solution of Monsel's salt, having valuable styptic properties.
Monsieur
Mon*sieur" (?), n.; pl. Messieurs (#). [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 (#). [It., my lord. Cf.
Monseigneur.] 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. [Malay m&umac;sim, fr. Ar. mausim a time, season:
cf. F. monson, mousson, Sr. monzon, Pg. mon\'87\'eeo, It. monsone.] 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.
<-- 2. a heavy rainfall in India associated with the southwest
monsoon. 3. the season in which the monsoon[2] occurs -->
Monster
Mon"ster (?), n. [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. Monstrous in size. Pope.
Monster
Mon"ster, v. t. To make monstrous. [Obs.] Shak.
Monstrance
Mon"strance (?), n. [LL. monstrantia, fr. L. monstrare to show: cf.
OF. monstrance. See Monster.] (R. C. Ch.) A transparent pyx, in which
the consecrated host is exposed to view.
Monstration
Mon*stra"tion (?), n. [L. monstratio.] The act of demonstrating;
proof. [Obs.]
A certain monstration. Grafton.
Monstrosity
Mon*stros"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Monstrosities (#). [Cf. F.
monstruosit\'82. See Monstrous.] 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. [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. 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. In a monstrous manner; unnaturally;
extraordinarily; as, monstrously wicked. "Who with his wife is
monstrously in love." Dryden.
Monstrousness
Mon"strous*ness, n. The state or quality of being monstrous, unusual,
extraordinary. Shak.
Monstruosity
Mon`stru*os"i*ty (?), n. Monstrosity. [Obs.] Shak.
Monstruous
Mon"stru*ous (?), a. Monstrous. [Obs.]
Mont
Mont (?), n. [F. See Mount, n.] Mountain.
Montaigne
Mon"taigne (?), n. A mountain. [Obs.]
Montanic
Mon*tan"ic (?), a. [L. montanus, fr. mons, montis, mountain. See
Mount, n.] Of or pertaining to mountains; consisting of mountains.
Montanist
Mon"ta*nist (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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. [F.,prop., mounting, fr. monter to mount, fr. L.
mons, montis, mountain. See Mount.]
1. (Fencing) An upward thrust or blow. Shak.
2. (Arch.) An upright piece in any framework; a mullion or muntin; a
stile. [R.] See Stile.
Mont de pi\'82t\'82
Mont" de pi`\'82`t\'82" (?). [F., fr. It. monte di piet\'85 mount of
piety.] 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.
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Monte
Mon"te (?), n. [Sp., lit., mountain, hence, the stock of cards
remaining after laying out a certain number, fr. L. mons, montis,
mountain.] A favorite gambling game among Spaniards, played with dice
or cards.
Monte-acid
Monte`-ac"id (?), n. [F. monter to raise + acide acid.] (Chem.) An
acid elevator, as a tube through which acid is forced to some height
in a sulphuric acid manufactory.
Monteith
Mon*teith" (?), n. See Monteth.
Montem
Mon"tem (?), n. [L. ad montem to the hillock. See Mount, n.] 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. [Sp. montera a hunting cap, fr. montero a huntsman,
monte a mountain, forest, L. mons, montis, mountain. See Mount, n.] An
ancient kind of cap worn by horsemen or huntsmen. Bacon.
Monteth, Monteith
Mon*teth" (?), Mon*teith" (?), n. 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. 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. [OE. month, moneth, AS. m\'d3n, m\'d3na; akin to m\'d3na
moon, and to D. maand month, G. monat, OHG. m\'ben\'d3d, Icel.
m\'benu, m\'bena, Goth. m\'c7n\'d3. \'fb272. See Moon.] 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: &hand; In th e co mmon la w, a mo nth 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. 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 (. 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. [L. monticulus, dim. of mons, montis, mountain: cf.
F. monticule. See Mount, n.] A little mount; a hillock; a small
elevation or prominence. [Written also monticule.]
Monticulate
Mon*tic"u*late (?), a. Furnished with monticles or little elevations.
Monticule
Mon"ti*cule (?), n. See Monticle.
Monticulous
Mon*tic"u*lous (?), a. Monticulate.
Montiform
Mon"ti*form (?), a. [L. mons, montis, mountain + -form.] Resembling a
mountain in form.
Montigenous
Mon*tig"e*nous (?), a. [L. montigena; mons, montis, mountain + the
root of gignere to beget.] Produced on a mountain.
Montoir
Mon`toir" (?), n. [F., fr. monter to mount. See Montant.] A stone used
in mounting a horse; a horse block.
Monton
Mon"ton (?), n. [Sp.] (Mining) A heap of ore; a mass undergoing the
process of amalgamation.
Montross
Mon*tross" (?), n. See Matross. [Obs.]
Montrue
Mon"true (?), n. [F., fr. monter to mount. See Montoir.] That on which
anything is mounted; a setting; hence, a saddle horse. [Obs.] Spenser.
Monument
Mon"u*ment (?), n. [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. [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. [Mon- + ureid.] (Chem.) 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. See Mo. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Moo
Moo (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mooed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mooing.] [Of
imitative origin.] To make the noise of a cow; to low; -- child's
word.
Moo
Moo, n. The lowing of a cow.
Mood
Mood (?), n. [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.) 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. [OE. mood, mod, AS. m\'d3dmind, feeling, heart, courage; akin
to OS. & OFries. m\'d3d, D. moed, OHG. muot, G. muth, mut, courage,
Dan. & Sw. mod, Icel. m\'d3 wrath, Goth. m\'d3ds.] 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. Mother. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Moodily
Mood"i*ly (?), adv. In a moody manner.
Moodiness
Mood"i*ness, n. The quality or state of being moody; specifically,
liability to strange or violent moods.
Moodir
Moo"dir (?), n. [Ar. mud\'c6r.] The governor of a province in Egypt,
etc. [Written also mudir.]
Moodish
Mood"ish (?), a. Moody. [Obs.]
Moodishly
Mood"ish*ly, adv. Moodily. [Obs.]
Moody
Mood"y (?), a. [Compar. Moodier (?); superl. Moodiest.] [AS. m\'d3dig
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. See Mollah.
Moolley
Mool"ley (?), n. Same as Mulley.
Moon
Moon (?), n. [OE. mone, AS. m\'d3na; akin to D. maan, OS. & OHG.
m\'beno, G. mond, Icel. m\'beni, Dan. maane, Sw. m\'86ne, Goth.
m\'c7na, Lith. men, L. mensis month, Gr. m\'bes moon, month; prob.
from a root meaning to measure (cf. Skr. m\'be to measure), from its
serving to measure the time. \'fb271. 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.) 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.] 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. 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. A ray of light from the moon.
Moonblind
Moon"blind` (?), a. Dim-sighted; purblind.
Moonblink
Moon"blink` (?), n. 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. 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. Of or resembling the moon; symbolized by the moon.
"Sharpening in mooned horns." "Mooned Ashtaroth." Milton.
Mooner
Moon"er (?), n. One who abstractedly wanders or gazes about, as if
moonstruck. [R.] Dickens.
Moonery
Moon"er*y (?), n. Conduct of one who moons. [R.]
Moonet
Moon"et (?), n. 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. (Zo\'94l.) (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. Having eyes affected by the moon; moonblind;
dim-eyed; purblind.
Moon-faced
Moon"-faced` (?), a. Having a round, full face.
Moonfish
Moon"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (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 (Ipom\'d2a Bona-nox) with large
white flowers opening at night.
Moong
Moong (?), n. (Bot.) Same as Mung.
Moonglade
Moon"glade` (?), n. The bright reflection of the moon's light on an
expanse of water. [Poetic]
Moonie
Moo"nie (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European goldcrest. <-- (inf. & derog)
a follower of the Korean religious cult leader Sun Myung Moon -->
Moonish
Moon"ish (?), a. Like the moon; variable.
Being but a moonish youth. Shak.
Moonless
Moon"less, a. Being without a moon or moonlight.
Moonlight
Moon`light` (?), n. The light of the moon. -- a. Occurring during or
by moonlight; characterized by moonlight.
Moonling
Moon"ling (?), n. A simpleton; a lunatic. [Obs.]
Moonlit
Moon"lit` (?), a. Illumined by the moon. "The moonlit sea." Moore.
"Moonlit dells." Lowell.
Moonraker
Moon"rak`er (?), n. (Naut.) Same as Moonsail.
Moonrise
Moon"rise` (?), n. The rising of the moon above the horizon; also, the
time of its rising.
Moonsail
Moon"sail` (?), n. (Naut.) A sail sometimes carried in light winds,
above a skysail. R. H. Dana, Jr.
Moonseed
Moon"seed` (?), n. (Bot.) A climbing plant of the genus Menispermum;
-- so called from the crescentlike form of the seeds.
Moonset
Moon"set` (?), n. The descent of the moon below the horizon; also, the
time when the moon sets.
Moonshee
Moon"shee (?), n. [Hind. munish\'c6, fr. Ar. munish\'c6 a writer,
author, secretary, tutor.] 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. Moonlight. [R.] Clarendon.
Moonshiner
Moon"shin`er (?), n. A person engaged in illicit distilling; -- so
called because the work is largely done at night. [Cant, U.S.]
Moonshiny
Moon"shin`y (?), a. Moonlight. [Colloq.]
I went to see them in a moonshiny night. Addison.
Moonstone
Moon"stone` (?), n. (Min.) 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.
Moonsticken
Moon"stick`en (?), a. 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. [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.) 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. [OE. mor, AS. m\'d3r 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 (Zo\'94l.), the marsh harrier. [Prov. Eng.] -- Moor coal
(Geol.), a friable variety of lignite. -- Moor cock (Zo\'94l.), the
male of the moor fowl or red grouse of Europe. -- Moor coot.
(Zo\'94l.) See Gallinule. -- Moor fowl. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The European
ptarmigan, or red grouse (Lagopus Scoticus). (b) The European heath
grouse. See under Heath. -- Moor game. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Moor fowl
(above). -- Moor grass (Bot.), a tufted perennial grass (Sesleria
c\'91rulea), found in mountain pastures of Europe. -- Moor hawk
(Zo\'94l.), the marsh harrier. -- Moor hen. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The female
of the moor fowl. (b) A gallinule, esp. the European species. See
Gallinule. (c) An Australian rail (Tribonyx ventralis). -- Moor monkey
(Zo\'94l.), the black macaque of Borneo (Macacus maurus). -- Moor
titling (Zo\'94l.), the European stonechat (Pratinocola rubicola).
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Moor
Moor (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mooring.]
[Prob. fr. D. marren to tie, fasten, or moor a ship. See Mar.]
1. (Naut.) 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. To cast anchor; to become fast.
On oozy ground his galleys moor. Dryden.
Moorage
Moor"age (?), n. A place for mooring.
Moorball
Moor"ball` (?), n. (Bot.) A fresh-water alga (Cladophora
\'92gagropila) which forms a globular mass.
Moorband
Moor"band` (?), n. See Moorpan.
Mooress
Moor"ess (?), n. 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. 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. [From 2d Moor.] Having the characteristics of a moor or
heath. "Moorish fens." Thomson.
Moorish
Moor"ish, a. [See 1st Moor, and cf. Morris, Moresque.] 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. [AS. m\'d3rland.] Land consisting of a moor or
moors.
Moorpan
Moor"pan` (?), n. [Cf. Hard pan, under Hard.] A clayey layer or pan
underlying some moors, etc.
Moorstone
Moor"stone` (?), n. A species of English granite, used as a building
stone.
Mooruk
Moo"ruk (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. Of or pertaining to moors; marshy; fenny; boggy;
moorish. Mortimer.
As when thick mists arise from moory vales. Fairfax.
Moory
Moor"y, n. A kind of blue cloth made in India. Balfour (Cyc of India).
Moose
Moose (?), n. [A native name; Knisteneaux mouswah; Algonquin monse.
Mackenzie.] (Zo\'94l.) 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
zo\'94logists is considered the same species. See Elk. Moose bird
(Zo\'94l.), the Canada jayor whisky jack. See Whisky jack. -- Moose
deer. Same as Moose. -- Moose yard (Zo\'94l.), 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. See 1st Mot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Moot
Moot (?), n. (Shipbuilding) A ring for gauging wooden pins.
Moot
Moot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mooted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mooting.] [OE.
moten, motien, AS. m\'d3tan to meet or assemble for conversation, to
discuss, dispute, fr. m\'d3t, gem\'d3t, a meeting, an assembly; akin
to Icel. m\'d3t, 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. 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. [AS. m\'d3t, gem\'d3t, 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. [From Moot, v.] 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. Subject, or open, to argument or discussion; undecided;
debatable; mooted.
Mootable
Moot"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being mooted.
Mooter
Moot"er (?), n. A disputer of a mooted case.
Moot-hall, Moot-house
Moot"-hall` (?), Moot"-house` (?), n. [AS. m\'d3th.] A hall for public
meetings; a hall of judgment. [Obs.] "The moot-hall of Herod." Wyclif.
Moot-hill
Moot"-hill` (?), n. (O. Eng. Law) 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) One who argued moot
cases in the inns of court.
Mop
Mop (?), n. [See Mope.] A made-up face; a grimace. "What mops and
mowes it makes!" Beau. & Fl.
Mop
Mop, v. i. To make a wry mouth. [Obs.] Shak.
Mop
Mop, n. [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.] 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.) 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.] [Cf.
D. moppen to pout, Prov. G. muffen to sulk.] To be dull and
spiritless. "Moping melancholy." Milton.
A sickly part of one true sense Could not so mope. Shak.
Mope
Mope, v. t. To make spiritless and stupid. [Obs.]
Mope
Mope, n. A dull, spiritless person. Burton.
Mope-eyed
Mope"-eyed` (?), a. Shortsighted; purblind.
Mopeful
Mope"ful (?), a. Mopish. [R.]
Mopish
Mop"ish (?), a. Dull; spiritless; dejected. -- Mop"ish*ly, adv. --
Mop"ish*ness, n.
Moplah
Mop"lah (?), n. [Malayalam m\'bepplia.] One of a class of Mohammedans
in Malabar.
Moppet
Mop"pet (?), n. [From 3d Mop.]
1. A rag baby; a puppet made of cloth; hence, also, in fondness, a
little girl, or a woman.
2. (Zo\'94l.) 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. Shortsighted; mope-eyed.
Mopstick
Mop"stick` (?), n. The long handle of a mop.
Mopus
Mo"pus (?), n. A mope; a drone. [Obs.] Swift.
Moquette
Mo*quette" (?), n. [F.] A kind of carpet having a short velvety pile.
Mora
Mor"a (?), n. [It.] 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.) A leguminous tree of Guiana and Trinidad
(Dimorphandra excelsa); also, its timber, used in shipbuilding and
making furniture.
Mora
Mo"ra, n. [L.] (Rom. & Civil Law) Delay; esp., culpable delay;
postponement.
Moraine
Mo*raine" (?), n. [F. Cf. Prov. G. mur stones broken off, It. mora a
heap of stones, hillock, G. m\'81rbe soft, broken up, OHG. muruwi, AS.
mearu tender, Gr. ml\'be to relax.] (Geol.) An accumulation of earth
and stones carried forward and deposited by a glacier. Lyell.
NOTE: &hand; If th e 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. Of or pertaining to a moranie.
Moral
Mor"al (?), a. [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. To moralize. [Obs.] Shak.
Morale
Mo`rale" (?), n. [F. See Moral, a.] 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. A moralizer. [Obs.] Shak.
Moralism
Mor"al*ism (?), n. A maxim or saying embodying a moral truth. Farrar.
Moralist
Mor"al*ist, n. [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 (#). [L. moralitas: cf. F.
moralit\'82.]
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. [Cf. F. moralisation.]
1. The act of moralizing; moral reflections or discourse.
2. Explanation in a moral sense. T. Warton.
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Page 944
Moralize
Mor"al*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moralized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Moralizing (?).] [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. To make moral reflections; to regard acts and
events as involving a moral.
Moralizer
Mor"al*i`zer (?), n. 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. [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.] A
tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen. Morass ore. (Min.) See Bog
ore, under Bog.
morassy
mo*rass"y (?), a. Marshy; fenny. [R.] Pennant.
Morate
Mo"rate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of moric acid.
Moration
Mo*ra"tion (?), n. [L. moratio.] A delaying tarrying; delay. [R.] Sir
T. Browne.
Moravian
Mo*ra"vi*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Moravia, or to the United
Brethren. See Moravian, n.
Moravian
Mo*ra"vi*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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 re\'89stablished in 1722-35 on the estates of
Count Zinzendorf in Saxony. Called also Herrnhuter.
Moravianism
Mo*ra"vi*an*ism (?), n. The religious system of the Moravians.
Moray
Mor"ay (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A mur\'91na.
Morbid
Mor"bid (?), a. [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. [It., softness, delicacy. See Morbid.]
1. (Fine Arts) Delicacy or softness in the representation of flesh.
2. (Mus.) 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. In a morbid manner.
Morbidness
Mor"bid*ness, n. The quality or state of being morbid; morbidity.
Morbific, Morbifical
Mor*bif"ic (?), Mor*bif"ic*al (?), a. [L. morbus disease + -ficare (in
comp.) to make: cf. F. morbifique. See -fy.] Causing disease;
generating a sickly state; as, a morbific matter.
Morbillous
Mor*bil"lous (?), a. [LL. morbilli measles, dim. of L. morbus disease:
cf. F. morbilleux.] Pertaining to the measles; partaking of the nature
of measels, or resembling the eruptions of that disease; measly.
Morbose
Mor*bose" (?), a. [L. morbosus, fr. morbus disease.] Proceeding from
disease; morbid; unhealthy.
Morbose tumors and excrescences of plants. Ray.
Morbosity
Mor*bos"i*ty (?), n. [L. morbositas.] A diseased state; unhealthiness.
[R.] Sir T. Browne.
Morceau
Mor`ceau" (?), n. [F.] A bit; a morsel.
Mordacious
Mor*da"cious (?), a. [L. mordax, -acis, fr. mordere, morsum, to bite.
See Morsel.] Biting; given to biting; hence, figuratively, sarcastic;
severe; scathing. -- Mor*da"cious*ly, adv.
Mordacity
Mor*dac"i*ty (?), n. [L. mordacitas: cf. F. mordacit\'82. See
Mordacious.] The quality of being mordacious; biting severity, or
sarcastic quality. Bacon.
Mordant
Mor"dant (?), a. [F., p.pr. of mordere to bite; L. mordere. See
Morsel.]
1. Biting; caustic; sarcastic; keen; severe.
2. (Dyeing & Calico Printing) Serving to fix colors.
Mordant
Mor"dant, n. [F., originally, biting.]
1. Any corroding substance used in etching.
2. (Dyeing & Calico Printing) 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) 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.] To subject to the action of, or imbue with, a mordant;
as, to mordant goods for dyeing.
Mordantly
Mor"dant*ly, adv. In the manner of a mordant.
Mordente
Mor*den"te (?), n. [It.] (Mus.) An embellishment resembling a trill.
Mordicancy
Mor"di*can*cy (?), n. A biting quality; corrosiveness. [R.] Evelyn.
Mordicant
Mor"di*cant (?), a. [L. mordicans, p.pr. of mordicare to bite, fr.
mordere: cf. F. mordicant.] Biting; acrid; as, the mordicant quality
of a body. [R.] Boyle.
Mordication
Mor`di*ca"tion (?), n. [L. mordicatio.] The act of biting or
corroding; corrosion. [R.] Bacon.
Mordicative
Mor"di*ca*tive (?), a. [L. mordicativus.] Biting; corrosive. [R.]
Holland.
More
More (?), n. [AS. m\'d3r. See Moor a waste.] A hill. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
More
More, n. [AS. more, moru; akin to G. m\'94hre carrot, OHG. moraha,
morha.] A root. [Obs.] Chaucer.
More
More, a., compar. [Positive wanting; superl. Most (.] [OE. more, mare,
and (orig. neut. and adv.) mo, ma, AS. m\'bera, and (as neut. and
adv.) m\'be; akin to D. meer, OS. m\'c7r, G. mehr, OHG. m\'c7ro,
m\'c7r, 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. &root;103. 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: &hand; Mo re, 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: &hand; Do uble co mparatives 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. To make more; to increase. [Obs.] Gower.
Moreen
Mo*reen" (?), n. [Cf. Mohair.] A thick woolen fabric, watered or with
embossed figures; -- used in upholstery, for curtains, etc.
Morel
Mor"el (?), n. [See Moril.] (Bot.) 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. [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. Moorland.
Morelle
Mo*relle" (?), n. [F., orig. fem. of moreau black, OF. morel, fr. LL.
morellus. Cf. Morello, Murrey.] (Bot.) Nightshade. See 2d Morel.
Morello
Mo*rel"lo (?), n. [Cf. It. morello blackish, OF. morel. Cf. Morelle.]
(Bot.) A kind of nearly black cherry with dark red flesh and juice, --
used chiefly for preserving.
Morendo
Mo*ren"do (?), a. & n. [It.] (Mus.) Dying; a gradual decrescendo at
the end of a strain or cadence.
Moreness
More"ness (?), n. Greatness. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Moreover
More*o"ver (?), adv. [More + over.] 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. [So named from its cry.] (Zo\'94l.) The Australian
crested goatsucker (\'92gotheles Nov\'91-Hollandi\'91). Also applied
to other allied birds, as Podargus Cuveiri.
Moresk
Mo*resk" (?), a. & n. Moresque. [Obs.]
Moresque
Mo*resque" (?), a. [F., fr. It. moresco, or Sp. morisco. See Morris.]
Of or pertaining to, or in the manner or style of, the Moors; Moorish.
-- n. The Moresque style of architecture or decoration. See Moorish
architecture, under Moorish. [Written also mauresque.]
Morganatic
Mor`ga*nat"ic (?), a. [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.] 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. [W. morgi dogfish, shark; mor sea + ci dog.]
(Zo\'94l.) The European small-spotted dogfish, or houndfish. See the
Note under Houndfish.
Morglay
Mor"glay (?), n. [Cf. Claymore.] A sword. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Morgue
Morgue (?), n. [F.] 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. [NL., fr. Gr. Idiocy; imbecility; fatuity;
foolishness.
Morian
Mo"ri*an (?), n. (Ethnol.) A Moor. [Obs.]
In vain the Turks and Morians armed be. Fairfax.
Moribund
Mor"i*bund (?), a. [L. moribundus, from moriri to die. See Mortal.] In
a dying state; dying; at the point of death.
The patient was comatose and moribund. Copland.
Moribund
Mor"i*bund (?), n. A dying person. [R.]
Moric
Mo"ric (?), a. Pertaining to, or derived from, fustic (see Morin); as,
moric acid.
Morice
Mor"ice (?), n. See Morisco.
Morigerate
Mo*rig"er*ate (?), a. [L. morigeratus, p.p. of morigerari to comply
with. See Morigerous.] Obedient. [Obs.]
Morigeration
Mo*rig`er*a"tion (?), n. [L. morigeratio.] Obsequiousness; obedience.
[Obs.] Evelyn.
Morigerous
Mo*rig"er*ous (?), a. [L. morigerus; oss, moris, custom, manner +
gerere to bear, conduct.] Obedient; obsequious. [Obs.] Brathwait.
Moril
Mor"il (?), n. [F. morille; cf. OHG. morhila, G. morchel, OHG. morha
carrot. See More a root.] (Bot.) An edible fungus. Same as 1st Morel.
Morin
Mo"rin (?), n. (Chem.) 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.) 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.) A yellow dyestuff extracted from the root
bark of an East Indian plant (Morinda citrifolia).
Morinel
Mor"i*nel` (?), n. [Cf. F. morinelle.] (Zo\'94l.) The dotterel.
Moringa
Mo*rin"ga (?), n. [Malayam murunggi.] (Bot.) 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.) Designating an organic acid obtained from
oil of ben. See Moringa.
Morintannic
Mo`rin*tan"nic (?), a. [NL. Morus fustic + E. tannic.] (Chem.)
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. [F. morion, Sp. morrion; cf. Sp. morra the upper part
of the head, morro anything that is round.] 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. [G.] (Min.) A dark variety of smoky quartz.
Morioplasty
Mo"ri*o*plas`ty (?), n. [Gr. -plasty.] (Surg.) The restoration of lost
parts of the body.
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Page 945
Morisco
Mo*ris"co (?), a. [Sp. See Morris the dance.] Moresque.
Morisco
Mo*ris"co, n. [Sp. morisco Moorish.] 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. Same as Morisco.
Morkin
Mor"kin (?), n. [Akin to Sw. murken putrefied, Icel. morkinn putrid.]
A beast that has died of disease or by mischance. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Morland
Mor"land (?), n. Moorland. [Obs.]
Morling
Mor"ling (?), n. [Cf. F. mort dead, L. mortuus, fr. moriri to die.]
Mortling. [Eng.] Ainsworth.
Mormal
Mor"mal (?), n. [F. mort-mai a deadly evil. Nares.] A bad sore; a
gangrene; a cancer. [Obs.] [Written also morrimal and mortmal.]
Chaucer.
Mormo
Mor"mo (?), n. [Gr. mormw` a hideous she-monster, a bugbear.] A
bugbear; false terror. [Obs.] Jonhson.
Mormon
Mor"mon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A genus of sea birds,
having a large, thick bill; the puffin. (b) The mandrill.
Mormon
Mor"mon (?), n. (Eccl.) 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: &hand; Th e Mo rmons ca ll th eir re ligious 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. Of or pertaining to the Mormons; as, the Mormon religion;
Mormon practices.
Mormondom
Mor"mon*dom (?), n. The country inhabited by the Mormons; the Mormon
people.
Mormonism
Mor"mon*ism (?), n. The doctrine, system, and practices of the
Mormons.
Mormonite
Mor"mon*ite (?), n. A Mormon. -- a. Mormon. "Mormonite religion." F.
W. Newman.
Morn
Morn (?), n. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS.
morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen,
Goth. ma\'a3rgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.] 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. Of or pertaining to the morn; morning. [Obs.] "White as
morne milk." Chaucer.
Morne
Morne (?), n. [F., fr. morne sad, sorrowful. See Mourn.] A ring fitted
upon the head of a lance to prevent wounding an adversary in titling.
Morn\'82
Mor`n\'82" (?), a. [F., fr. morne a morne.] (Her.) Without teeth,
tongue, or claws; -- said of a lion represented heraldically.
Morne
Morne (?), n. [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. 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.) A climbing plant (Ipom\'d2a purpurea)
having handsome, funnel-shaped flowers, usually red, pink, purple,
white, or variegated, sometimes pale blue. See Dextrorsal.
Morningtide
Morn"ing*tide` (?), n. Morning time. [Poetic]
Mornward
Morn"ward (?), adv. Towards the morn. [Poetic]
And mornward now the starry hands move on. Lowell.
Moro
Mo"ro (?), n. [Cf. It. mora mulberry, L. morum.] (Med.) A small
abscess or tumor having a resemblance to a mulberry. Dunglison.
Moroccan
Mo*roc"can (?), a. Of or pertaining to Morocco, or its inhabitants.
Morocco
Mo*roc"co (?), n. [Named from Morocco, the country. Cf. Morris the
dance.] 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. [Gr. Foolish talk; nonsense; folly. [Obs.]
Morone
Mo*rone" (?), n. Maroon; the color of an unripe black mulberry.
Morosaurus
Mo`ro*sau"rus (?), n. [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.) An extinct genus of
large herbivorous dinosaurs, found in Jurassic strata in America.
Morose
Mo*rose" (?), a. [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. Sourly; with sullen austerity.
Moroseness
Mo*rose"ness, n. Sourness of temper; sulenness.
Learn good humor, never to oppose without just reason; abate some
degrees of pride and moroseness. I. Watts.
NOTE: &hand; Mo roseness is no t pr ecisely pe evishness 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Idiocy; fatuity; stupidity.
Morosity
Mo*ros"i*ty (?), n. [L. morositas: cf. F. morosit\'82.] Moroseness.
[R.] Jer. Taylor.
Moroshop
Mo"ro*shop (?), n. [Gr. A philosophical or learned fool. [Obs.]
Morosous
Mo*ro"sous (?), a. Morose. [Obs.] Sheldon.
Moroxite
Mo*rox"ite (?), n. [Cf. Gr. (Min.) A variety of apatite of a greenish
blue color.
Moroxylate
Mo*rox"y*late (?), n. (Chem.) A morate.
Moroxylic
Mor`ox*yl"ic (?), a. [L. morus a mulberry tree + Gr. (Chem.) Of,
pertaining to, or derived from, the mulberry; moric.
Morphean
Mor"phe*an (?), a. Of or relating to Morpheus, to dreams, or to sleep.
Keats.
Morpheus
Mor"pheus (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.) The god of dreams.
Morphew
Mor"phew (?), n. [F. morphe\'82, LL. morphea; cf. It. morfea.] A
scurfy eruption. [Obs.] Drayton.
Morphew
Mor"phew, v. t. To cover with a morphew. [Obs.]
Morphia
Mor"phi*a (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) Morphine.
Morphine
Mor"phine (?), n. [From Morpheus: cf. F. morphine.] (Chem.) 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.) A morbid condition produced by the
excessive or prolonged use of morphine.
Morpho
Mor"pho (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [form + root of (Biol.) 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. [Cf. F. morphologique.]
(Biol.) Of, pertaining to, or according to, the principles of
morphology. -- Mor`pho*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
Morphologist
Mor*phol"o*gist (?), n. (Biol.) One who is versed in the science of
morphology.
Morphology
Mor*phol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy: cf. F. morphologie.] (Biol.) 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. [Gr. (Biol.) A morphological individual,
characterized by definiteness of form bion, a physiological
individual. See Tectology. Haeckel.
NOTE: &hand; Of mo rphons th ere ar e 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.
Person\'91 (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. [Gr. (Biol.) The laws of organic formation.
Morphophyly
Mor"pho*phy`ly (?), n. [Gr. (Biol.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.) The order or mode of
development of an organ or part.
Morphotic
Mor*phot"ic (?), a. [Gr. (Physiol.) 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 (?). [Gr. A combining form denoting form, shape; as,
isomorphous.
Morpion
Mor"pi*on (?), n. [F., fr. mordre to bite + L. pedis louse.]
(Zo\'94l.) A louse. Hudibras.
Morrice
Mor"rice (?), n. Same as 1st Morris.
Morrice
Mor"rice, a. Dancing the morrice; dancing.
In shoals and bands, a morrice train. Wordsworth.
Morricer
Mor"ri*cer (?), n. A morris dancer. [Obs.]
Morrimal
Mor"ri*mal (?), n. & a. See Mormal.
Morris
Mor"ris (?), n. [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: &hand; Th e 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. [So called from its discoverer.] (Zo\'94l.) 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-pike
Mor"ris-pike` (?), n. A Moorish pike. [Obs.]
Morrot
Mor"rot (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Marrot.
Morrow
Mor"row (?), n. [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. [F. morse, Russ. morj'; perh. akin to E. mere lake; cf.
Russ. more sea.] (Zo\'94l.) The walrus. See Walrus.
Morse
Morse, n. [L. morsus a biting, a clasp, fr. mordere to bite.] A clasp
for fastening garments in front. Fairholt.
Morse alphabet
Morse" al"pha*bet (?). 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.
Morsel
Mor"sel (?), n. [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` (?). A horn or flask for holding powder, as for
priming. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
Morsitation
Mor`si*ta"tion (?), n. The act of biting or gnawing. [Obs.]
Morsure
Mor"sure (?), n. [F., fr. L. mordere, morsum, to bite.] The act of
biting. Swift.
Mort
Mort (?), n. [Cf. Icel. margt, neut. of margr many.] A great quantity
or number. [Prov. Eng.]
There was a mort of merrymaking. Dickens.
Mort
Mort, n. [Etym. uncert.] A woman; a female. [Cant]
Male gypsies all, not a mort among them. B. Jonson.
Mort
Mort, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo\'94l.) A salmon in its third year.
[Prov. Eng.]
Mort
Mort, n. [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. [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. A being subject to death; a human being; man. "Warn poor
mortals left behind." Tickell.
Mortality
Mor*tal"i*ty (?), n. [L. mortalitas: cf. F. mortalit\'82.]
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.
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Mortalize
Mor"tal*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortalized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mortalizing (?).] 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. Quality of being mortal; mortality.
Mortar
Mor"tar (?), n. [OE. morter, AS. mort\'c7re, 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. [F. mortier, fr. L. mortarium mortar (for trituarating).] (Mil.) A
short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells,
etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45°, 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. [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.) 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]<-- now worn usually only at graduation time -->
Mortar
Mor"tar, v. t. To plaster or make fast with mortar.
Mortar
Mor"tar (?), n. [F. mortier. See Mortar a vessel.] A chamber lamp or
light. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mortgage
Mort"gage (?), n. [F. mort-gage; mort dead (L. mortuus) + gage pledge.
See Mortal, and Gage.]
1. (Law) 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: &hand; It wa s ca lled 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) 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) 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) One who gives a mortgage.
NOTE: &hand; 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) gives a mortgage.
Mortiferous
Mor"tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. mortifier; mors, mortis, death + ferre
to bring: cf. F. mortif\'8are.] Bringing or producing death;
deadly; destructive; as, a mortiferous herb. Gov. of Tongue.
Mortification
Mor`ti*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [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) 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. of Mortify.
Mortifiedness
Mor"ti*fied*ness (?), n. The state of being mortified; humiliation;
subjection of the passions. [R.]
Mortifier
Mor"ti*fi`er (?), n. One who, or that which, mortifies.
Mortify
Mor"ti*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mortifying (?).] [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. In a mortifying manner.
Mortise
Mor"tise (?), n. [F. mortaise; cf. Sp. mortaja, Ar. murtazz fixed,
or W. mortais, Ir. mortis, moirtis, Gael. moirteis.] 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. [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. [F. mort, morte, dead + main hand; F. main-morte.
See Mortal, and Manual.] (Law) Possession of lands or tenements in, or
conveyance to, dead hands, or hands that cannot alienate.
NOTE: &hand; Th e 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. See Mormal. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Mortpay
Mort"pay` (?), n. [F. mort dead + E. pay.] 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. [See Mortar.] A dish of meats and
other ingredients, cooked together; an ollapodrida. Chaucer. Bacon.
Mortuary
Mor"tu*a*ry (?), n.; pl. Mortuaries (#). [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.<-- a funeral home -->
Mortuary
Mor"tu*a*ry (?), a. [L. mortuarius, fr. mortuus dead: cf. F.
mortuaire. See Mortal.] 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. Morul\'91 (#). [NL., dim. of L. morum a
mulberry.] (Biol.) 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.) The process of cleavage, or
segmentation, of the ovum, by which a morula is formed.
Morus
Mo"rus (?), n. [L., mulberry tree. See Mulberry.] (Bot.) A genus of
trees, some species of which produce edible fruit; the mulberry. See
Mulberry.
NOTE: &hand;
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. See Morrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Morwening
Mor"wen*ing (?), n. Morning. [Obs.]
Mosaic
Mo*sa"ic (?), n. [F. mosa\'8bque; cf. Pr. mozaic, musec, Sp. & Pg.
mosaico, It. mosaico, musaico, LGr. musivum; all fr. Gr. Muse the
goddess.]
1. (Fine Arts) 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. 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. [From Moses.] 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. Mosaic (in either sense). "A mosaical floor." Sir
P. Sidney.
Mosaically
Mo*sa"ic*al*ly, adv. In the manner of a mosaic.
Mosaism
Mo"sa*ism (?), n. 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.) One of an extinct
order of reptiles, including Mosasaurus and allied genera. See
Mosasauria.
Mosasauria
Mos`a*sau"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Mosasaurus.] (Paleon.) 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. [NL., fr. L. Mosa the River Meuse (on which
Meastricht is situated) + Gr. (Paleon.) 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. [Gr. moscatelline. See Muscadel, Musk.] (Bot.) 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. Of or pertaining to Moschus, a genus including the
musk deer.
Mosel
Mos"el (?), n. & v. See Muzzle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Moselle
Mo*selle" (?), n. A light wine, usually white, produced in the
vicinity of the river Moselle.
Moses
Mo"ses (?), n. A large flatboat, used in the West Indies for taking
freight from shore to ship.
Mosk
Mosk (?), n. See Mosque.
Moslem
Mos"lem (?), n.; pl. Moslems (#), or collectively Moslem. [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.] A
Mussulman; an orthodox Mohammedan. [Written also muslim.] "Heaps of
slaughtered Moslem." Macaulay.
They piled the ground with Moslem slain. Halleck.
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Moslem
Mos"lem (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Mohammedans; Mohammedan; as,
Moslem lands; the Moslem faith.
Moslings
Mos"lings (?), n. pl. Thin shreds of leather shaved off in dressing
skins. Simmonds.
Mososaurus
Mos`o*sau"rus (?), n. [NL.] (Paleon.) Same as Mosasaurus.
Mosque
Mosque (?), n. [F. mosqu\'82e, Sp. mezquita, Ar. masjid, from sajada
to bend, adore.] A Mohammedan church or place of religious worship.
[Written also mosk.]
Mosquito
Mos*qui"to (?), n.; pl. Mosquitoes (#). [Sp. mosquito, fr. moscafly,
L. musca. Cf. Musket.] (Zo\'94l.) 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 larv\'91 and
pup\'91, 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. [OE. mos; akin to AS. me\'a2s, D. mos, G. moos, OHG. mos,
mios, Icel. mosi, Dan. mos, Sw. mossa, Russ. mokh', L. muscus. Cf.
Muscoid.]
1. (Bot.) 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: &hand; Th e 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: &hand; Mo ss is us ed 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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.] To
cover or overgrow with moss.
An oak whose boughs were mossed with age. Shak.
Mossback
Moss"back` (?), n. 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. (Zo\'94l.) The menhaded.
Moss-grown
Moss"-grown` (?), a. Overgrown with moss.
Mossiness
Moss"i*ness (?), n. The state of being mossy.
Mosstrooper
Moss"troop`er (?), n. [Moss + trooper.] 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. [OE. most, mast, mest, AS. m; akin to
D. meest, OS. m\'c7st, G. meist, Icel. mestr, Goth. maists; a superl.
corresponding to E. more. \'fb103. 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: &hand; Mo st is us ed as a no un, 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. [AS. m&aemac;st. See Most, a.] In the greatest or highest
degree.
Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites, were courtiers
and prelates. Milton.
NOTE: &hand; Plac ed 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. See Mustaiba.
Moste
Mos"te (?), obs.imp. of Mote. Chaucer.
Mostic, Mostick
Mos"tic, Mos"tick (?), n. [See Maul-stick.] A painter's maul-stick.
Mostly
Most"ly (?), adv. For the greatest part; for the most part; chiefly;
in the main.
Mostra
Mos"tra (?), n. [It.] (Mus.) See Direct, n.
Mostwhat
Most"what` (?), adv. 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.] [See Must, v.] [Obs.] 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. [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.
Motccil
Mot"c*cil (?), n. [Cf. F. motacille.] (Zo\'94l.) Any singing bird of
the genus Motacilla; a wagtail.
Motation
Mo*ta"tion (?), n. [L. motare, motatum, to keep moving.] The act of
moving; motion. [Obs.]
Mote
Mote (?), v. See 1st Mot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mote
Mote, n. [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. The flourish sounded on a horn by a huntsman. See Mot, n., 3,
and Mort. Chaucer.
Mote
Mote, n. [OE. mot, AS. mot.] 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. Filled with motes, or fine floating dust; as, the air.
"Moted sunbeams." Tennyson.
Motet
Mo*tet" (?), n. [F., a dim. of mot word; cf. It. mottetto, dim. of
motto word, device. See Mot, Motto.] (Mus.) A composition adapted to
sacred words in the elaborate polyphonic church style; an anthem.
Moth
Moth (m&ocr;th), n. A mote. [Obs.] Shak.
Moth
Moth, n.; pl. Moths (m&ocr;thz). [OE. mothe, AS. mo&edh;&edh;e; akin
to D. mot, G. motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to E. mad an earthworm.
Cf. Mad, n., Mawk.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included
among the butterflies; as, the luna moth; Io moth; hawk moth.
2. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and
fur goods, etc., esp. the larv\'91 of several species of beetles of
the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the
larv\'91 of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes,
Anthrenus.
4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any
other thing.
Moth blight (Zo\'94l.), any plant louse of the genus Aleurodes, and
related genera. They are injurious to various plants. -- Moth gnat
(Zo\'94l.), a dipterous insect of the genus Bychoda, having fringed
wings. -- Moth hunter (Zo\'94l.), the goatsucker. -- Moth miller
(Zo\'94l.), 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. 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. Full of moths. [Obs.] Fulke.
Mother
Moth"er (?), n. [OE. moder, AS. m\'d3dor; akin to D. moeder, OS.
m\'d3dar, G. mutter, OHG. muotar, Icel. m\'d3&edh;ir, Dan. & Sw.
moder, OSlav. mati, Russ. mate, Ir. & Gael. mathair, L. mater, Gr.
mh`thr, Skr. m\'bet&rsdot;; cf. Skr. m\'be to measure. \'fb268. 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), the giant
fulmar of the Pacific. See Fulmar. -- Mother's mark (Med.), a
congenital mark upon the body; a n\'91vus.
Mother
Moth"er, a. 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.]
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. [Akin to D. modder mud, G. moder mold, mud, Dan. mudder
mud, and to E. mud. See Mud.] 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: &hand; Th e fi lm is composed of a mass of rapidly developing
micro\'94rganisms of the genus Mycoderma, and in the mother of
vinegar the micro\'94rganisms (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. To become like, or full of, mother, or thick matter, as
vinegar.
Mothered
Moth"ered (?), a. Thick, like mother; viscid.
They oint their naked limbs with mothered oil. Dryden.
Motherhood
Moth"er*hood (?), n. The state of being a mother; the character or
office of a mother.
Mothering
Moth"er*ing, n. 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. The mother of one's husband or wife.
Motherland
Moth"er*land` (?), n. The country of one's ancestors; -- same as
fatherland.
Motherless
Moth"er*less, a. [AS. m\'d3dorle\'a0s.] Destitute of a mother; having
lost a mother; as, motherless children.
Motherliness
Moth"er*li*ness (?), n. The state or quality of being motherly.
Motherly
Moth"er*ly, a. [AS. m\'d3dorlic.] 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. In a manner of a mother.
Mother-naked
Moth"er-na`ked (?), a. Naked as when born.
Mother-of-pearl
Moth"er-of-pearl` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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.) An aromatic plant (Thymus
Serphyllum); -- called also wild thyme.
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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 948
Mothery
Moth"er*y (?), a. Consisting of, containing, or resembling, mother (in
vinegar).
Mothy
Moth"y (?), a. Infested with moths; moth-eaten. "An old mothy saddle."
Shak.
Motif
Mo"tif (?), n. [F.] Motive.
Motific
Mo*tif"ic (?), a. [L. motus motion (fr. movere to move) + facere to
make.] Producing motion. [R.]
Motile
Mo"tile (?), a. [See Motive.]
1. (Biol.) 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. [Cf. F. motilit\'82.] (Physiol.) Capability of
motion; contractility.
Motion
Mo"tion (?), n. [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) 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.) 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: &hand; Co njunct mo tion is th at by si ngle 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: &hand; 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. <-- impossible, according to the law of
conservation of energy --> 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. One who makes a motion; a mover. Udall.
Motionist
Mo"tion*ist, n. A mover. [Obs.]
Motionless
Mo"tion*less, a. Without motion; being at rest.
Motive
Mo"tive (?), n. [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.) 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) 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. 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. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to
move.
Motiveless
Mo"tive*less, a. Destitute of a motive; not incited by a motive. --
Mo"tive*less*ness, n. G. Eliot.
Motivity
Mo*tiv"i*ty (?), n. [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. [It. See Motive, n.] See Motive, n., 3, 4.
Motley
Mot"ley (?), a. [OE. mottelee, motle; cf. OF. mattel\'82 clotted,
curdled, OF, ciel mattonn\'82 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. Having a mind of a jester; foolish. Shak.
Motmot
Mot"mot (?), n. [Cf. Momot.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [It.] (Mus.) 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.
Moton
Mo"ton (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Anc. Armor) A small plate
covering the armpit in armor of the 14th century and later.
Motor
Mo"tor (?), n. [L., fr. movere, motum, to move.]
1. One who, or that which, imparts motion; a source of mechanical
power.
2. (Mach.) 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. [L. motorius that has
motion. See Motor, n.] 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.
Motorman
Mo"tor*man (?), n. A man who controls a motor.
Motorpathic
Mo`tor*path"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to motorpathy.
Motorpathy
Mo*tor"pa*thy (?), n. [L. motor a mover + Gr. (Med.) Kinesiatrics.
Motte
Motte (?), n. [Cf. F. motte a clod, clump, or hillock.] A clump of
trees in a prairie. [Local, U.S.]
Mottle
Mot"tle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mottled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mottling
(?).] [From Mottled.] To mark with spots of different color, or shades
of color, as if stained; to spot; to maculate.
Mottle
Mot"tle, n. A mottled appearance.
Mottled
Mot"tled (?), a. [From Motley.] Marked with spots of different colors;
variegated; spotted; as, mottled wood. "The mottled meadows." Drayton.
Motto
Mot"to (?), n.; pl. Mottoes (#). [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.) 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. Bearing or having a motto; as, a mottoed coat or
device.
Motty
Mot"ty (?), a. Full of, or consisting of, motes. [Written also
mottie.] [Scot.]
The motty dust reek raised by the workmen. H. Miller.
Mouchoir
Mou`choir" (?), n. [F.] A handkerchief.
Mouazzin
Mou*az"zin (?), n. [F.] See Muezzin.
Mouflon
Mouf"lon (?), n. [F. mouflon.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. of May. Might.
Mouillation
Mouil*la"tion (?), n. [See Mouill\'82.] (Phon.) The act of uttering
the sound of a mouill\'82 letter.
Mouill\'82
Mouil`l\'82" (?), a. [F., lit., wet.] (Phon.) 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 \'a4; in Portuguese, lh and nh.
Mould, Moulder, Mouldy
Mould (?), Mould"er (?), Mould"y (?), etc.See Mold, Molder, Moldy,
etc.
Moule
Moule (?), v. i. [OE. moulen. See Mold.] 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. [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. See Molt.
Moulten
Moult"en (?), a. Having molted. [Obs.] "A moulten raven." Shak.
Moun
Moun (?), v., pl. of Mow, may. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Mounch
Mounch (?), v. t. To munch. [Obs.]
Mound
Mound (?), n. [F. monde the world, L. mundus. See Mundane.] 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. [OE. mound, mund, protection, AS. mund protection, hand;
akin to OHG. munt, Icel. mund hand, and prob. to L. manus. See
Manual.] 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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.] To
fortify or inclose with a mound.
Mount
Mount (?), n. [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. [See Mont de pi\'82t\'82.] A bank; a fund.
Mount of piety. See Mont de pi\'82t\'82.
Mount
Mount, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mounted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mounting.]
[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: &hand; A fo rt 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. [From Mount, v.] 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. Such as can be mounted.
Mountain
Moun"tain (?), n. [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. 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.
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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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), the sewellel. -- Mountain
blue (Min.), blue carbonate of copper; azurite. -- Mountain cat
(Zo\'94l.), the catamount. See Catamount. -- Mountain chain, a series
of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive
lines or curves. -- Mountain cock (Zo\'94l.), 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), the twite. --
Mountain magpie. (Zo\'94l.) (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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), a ground pigeon of
Jamaica, of the genus Geotrygon.
Mountaineer
Moun`tain*eer" (?), n. [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. 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. A mountaineer. [Obs.]
Mountainet
Moun"tain*et (?), n. A small mountain. [R.]
Mountainous
Moun"tain*ous (?), a. [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. The state or quality of being mountainous.
Mountance
Mount"ance (?), n. [OF. montance.] Amount; sum; quantity; extent.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Mountant
Mount"ant (?), a. [F. montant, p.pr. of monter. See Mount, and cf.
Montant.] Raised; high. [Obs.]
Mountebank
Mount"e*bank (?), n. [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. To cheat by boasting and false pretenses; to gull.
[R.] Shak.
Mountebank
Mount"e*bank, v. i. To play the mountebank.
Mountebankery
Mount"e*bank`er*y (?), n. The practices of a mountebank; quackery;
boastful and vain pretenses.
Mountebankish
Mount"e*bank`ish, a. Like a mountebank or his quackery. Howell.
Mountebankism
Mount"e*bank*ism (?), n. 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. 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. In an ascending manner.
Mountlet
Mount"let (?), n. A small or low mountain. [R.]
Mounty
Mount"y (?), n. [F. mont\'82e, fr. monter. See Mount, v.] The rise of
a hawk after prey. Sir P. Sidney.
Mourn
Mourn (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mourned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mourning.]
[AS. murnan; akin to OS. mornian, OHG. mornen, Goth. ma\'a3rnan.]
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. [See 2d Morne.] 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. 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. [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
(Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.),
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. In a mourning manner.
Mournival
Mour"ni*val (?), n. See Murnival.
Mouse
Mouse (mous), n.; pl. Mice (m&imac;s). [OE. mous, mus, AS. m&umac;s,
pl. m&ymac;s; akin to D. muis, G. maus, OHG. & Icel. m&umac;s, Dan.
muus, Sw. mus, Russ. muishe, L. mus, Gr. my^s, Skr. m&umac;sh mouse,
mush to steal. \'fb277. Cf. Muscle, Musk.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging
to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Murid\'91.
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 (Zo\'94l.), a coly. -- Mouse deer (Zo\'94l.), a chevrotain, as
the kanchil. -- Mouse galago (Zo\'94l.), 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. (Zo\'94l.)
(a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; -- called also mouse
owl. -- Mouse lemur (Zo\'94l.), 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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) See Frogfish.
Mousehole
Mouse"hole` (?), n. 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. 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.) 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. Diminutive for Mouse. Burns.
Mousing
Mous"ing (?), a. Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome.
"Mousing saints." L'Estrange.
Mousing
Mous"ing, n.
1. The act of hunting mice.
2. (Naut.) 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. To sport with roughly; to rumple. [Written also
mouzle.] [Obs.] Wycherley.
Mousseline
Mousse`line" (?), n. [F.] Muslin. Mousseline de laine (. [F., muslin
of wool.] Muslin delaine. See under Muslin. -- Mousseline glass, a
kind of thin blown glassware, such as wineglasses, etc.
Moustache
Mous`tache" (?), n. [F.] Mustache.
Mousy
Mous"y (?), a. Infested with mice; smelling of mice.
Moutan
Mou"tan (?), n. (Bot.) The Chinese tree peony (P\'91onia Mountan), a
shrub with large flowers of various colors.
Mouth
Mouth (?), n.; pl. Mouths (#). [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: 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) 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.
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Page 950
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
C\'91sar, 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. One who mouths; an affected speaker.
Mouth-footed
Mouth"-foot`ed (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [AS. m&umac;&edh;le\'a0s.] Destitute of a mouth.
Mouth-made
Mouth"-made` (?), a. 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.<-- hence (slang) a person's lawyer
-->
Egmont was imprudent enough to make himself the mouthpiece of their
remonstrance. Motley.
Movability
Mov`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. Movableness.
Movable
Mov"a*ble (?), a. [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) Property not attached to the soil.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rd 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. The quality or state of being movable; mobility;
susceptibility of motion.
Movably
Mov"a*bly, adv. In a movable manner or condition.
Move
Move (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Moving.] [OE.
moven, OF. moveir, F. mouvoir, L. movere; cf. Gr. m\'c6v, p.p.
m&umac;ta, 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.) 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. <-- fld=board games -->
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.) 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.) 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. Motionless; fixed. "Moveless as a tower." Pope.
Movement
Move"ment (?), n. [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.) 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. [L. movens, p.pr. of movere. See Move.] Moving. [R.]
Grew.
Movent
Mo"vent, n. 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.
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. 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. In a moving manner. Addison.
Movingness
Mov"ing*ness, n. The power of moving.
Mow
Mow (?), n. [Written also moe and mowe.] [F. moue pouting, a wry face;
cf. OD. mouwe the protruded lip.] A wry face. "Make mows at him."
Shak.
Mow
Mow, v. i. To make mouths.
Nodding, becking, and mowing. Tyndale.
Mow
Mow, n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Mew, a gull.
Mow
Mow, v. [pres. sing. Mow, pl. Mowe, Mowen, Moun.] [AS. magan. See May,
v.] 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.] [OE. mowen, mawen, AS. m\'bewan; akin to D. maaijen, G.
m\'84hen, OHG. m\'bejan, 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. To cut grass, etc., with a scythe, or with a machine; to
cut grass for hay.
Mow
Mow (?), n. [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. 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. To heat and ferment in the mow, as hay when
housed too green.
Mowe
Mowe (?), v. See 4th Mow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mowe
Mowe, n. & v. See 1st & 2d Mow. [Obs.]
Mower
Mow"er (?), n. 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. Cut down by mowing, as grass; deprived of grass
by mowing; as, a mown field.
Mowyer
Mow"yer (?), n. A mower. [Obs.]
Moxa
Mox"a (?), n. [A corruption of Japan. mogusa (pronounced mongsa), an
escharotic made from the plant yomigi: cf. F. moxa.]
1. (Med.) 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.) A plant from which this substance is obtained, esp.
Artemisia Chinensis, and A. moxa.
Moxie
Mox"ie (?), n. [fr. Moxie, a trade name for a beverage.]
1. energy; pep.
2. courage, determination.
3. Know-how, expertise. MW10.
Moya
Moy"a (?), n. Mud poured out from volcanoes during eruptions; -- so
called in South America.
Moyle
Moyle (?), n. & v. See Moil, and Moile.
Mozarab, Mozarabic
Moz"a*rab (?), Moz`a*rab"ic (?). Same as Muzarab, Muzarabic.
Mozetta, Mozzetta
Mo*zet"ta (?), Moz*zet"ta (?), n. [It. mozzetta: cf. F. mosette. Cf.
Amice a hood or cape.] (Eccl.) A cape, with a small hood; -- worn by
the pope and other dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mr.
Mr.. (. The customary abbreviation of Mister in writing and printing.
See Master, 4.
Mrs.
Mrs. (. The customary abbreviation of Mistress when used as a title of
courtesy, in writing and printing.<-- abbr. of Misses -->
Mucamide
Mu*cam"ide (?), n. [Mucic + amide.] (Chem.) The acid amide of mucic
acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
Mucate
Mu"cate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mucic acid.
Muce
Muce (?), n. See Muse, and Muset.
Mucedin
Mu*ce"din (?), n. [From Mucus.] (Bot. Chem.) 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.] [OE. moche, muche, miche, prob. the same
as mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr. AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr.
mj\'94k, adv., much. \'fb103. 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: &hand; Mu chin th is se nse ca n 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. [Cf. Icel. mj\'94k. See Much, a.] 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. [\'fb103. See Mickle.] Much. [Obs.]
Muchness
Much"ness, n. 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. Nearly; almost; much. [Obs.] "Muchwhat after the
same manner." Glanvill.
Mucic
Mu"cic (?), a. [L. mucus mucus: cf. F. mucique.] (Chem.) 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. [L. mucidus, fr. L. mucus mucus. See Mucus, and cf.
Moist.] Musty; moldy; slimy; mucous. -- Mu"cid*ness, n.
Mucific
Mu*cif"ic (?), a. [Mucus + L. -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
1. (Med.) Inducing or stimulating the secretion of mucus;
blennogenous.
2. (Physiol.) Secreting mucus.
Muciform
Mu"ci*form (?), a. [Mucus + -form.] (Physiol.) Resembling mucus;
having the character or appearance of mucus.
Mucigen
Mu"ci*gen (?), n. [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.) A substance which is
formed in mucous epithelial cells, and gives rise to mucin.
Mucigenous
Mu*cig"e*nous (?), a. (Physiol.) 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. [F., from L. mucilago a musty juice, fr. mucus
mucus, slime. See Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.) 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. [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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 951
Mucin
Mu"cin (?), n. [From Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.) See Mucedin. [Obs.]
2. (Physiol. Chem.) 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. [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.) Same as Mucigen.
Muciparous
Mu*cip"a*rous (?), a. [Mucus + L. parere to produce.] (Physiol.)
Secreting, or producing, mucus or mucin.
Mucivore
Mu"ci*vore (?), n. [L. mucus slime, mucus + vorare to devour.]
(Zo\'94l.) An unsect which feeds on mucus, or the sap of plants, as
certain Diptera, of the tribe Mucivora.
Muck
Muck (?), abbreviation of Amuck. To run a muck. See Amuck.
Muck
Muck, n. [Icel. myki; akin to D. m\'94g. 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. Like muck; mucky; also, used in collecting or distributing
muck; as, a muck fork.
Muck
Muck, v. t. To manure with muck.
Muckender
Muck"en*der (?), n. [Sp. mocador. Cf. Mokadour.] A handkerchief.
[Obs.] [Written also muckinder, muckiter, mockadour.]
Mucker
Muck"er (?), n. A term of reproach for a low or vulgar labor person.
[Slang]
Mucker
Muck"er, v. t. To scrape together, as money, by mean labor or shifts.
[Obs.] Udall.
Muckerer
Muck"er*er (?), n. A miser; a niggard. [Obs.]
Muckiness
Muck"i*ness (?), n. The quality of being mucky.
Muckle
Muc"kle (?), a. [See Mickle.] Much. [Obs.]
Muckmidden
Muck"mid`den (?), n. A dunghill. [Scot.]
Mucksy
Muck"sy (?), a. Somewhat mucky; soft, sticky, and dirty; muxy. [Prov.
Eng.] R. D. Blackmore.
Muckworm
Muck"worm` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) A larva or grub that lives in muck or manure; -- applied
to the larv\'91 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. [Mucus + Gr. (Med.) 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. [Mucus + -oid.] 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.) A salt of muconic acid.
Muconic
Mu*con"ic (?), a. [Mucic + itaconic.] (Chem.) 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. [Mucus + purulent.] (Med.) Having the
character or appearance of both mucus and pus. Dunglison.
Mucor
Mu"cor (?), n. [L., fr. mucere to be moldy or musty.] (Bot.) A genus
of minute fungi. The plants consist of slender threads with terminal
globular sporangia; mold.
Mucosity
Mu*cos"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being mucous or slimy;
mucousness.
Mucous
Mu"cous (?), a. [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. The quality or state of being mucous; sliminess.
Mucro
Mu"cro (?), n. [L.] (Bot. & Zo\'94l.) 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. [L. mucronatus, fr. mucro a
sharp point: cf. F. mucron\'82.] 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. Having, or tipped with, a small point or
points.
Muculent
Mu"cu*lent (?), a. [L. muculentus, fr. mucus.] Slimy; moist, and
moderately viscous.
Mucus
Mu"cus (?), n. [L. mucus, muccus; cf. mucere 8be moldy or musty, Gr.
muc to release. Cf. Match for striking fire, Moist, Mucilage.]
1. (Physiol.) 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.) Any other animal fluid of a viscid quality, as the
synovial fluid, which lubricates the cavities of the joints; --
improperly so used.
3. (Bot.) A gelatinous or slimy substance found in certain alg\'91 and
other plants.
Mucusin
Mu"cus*in (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) Mucin. [R.]
Mud
Mud (?), n. [Akin to LG. mudde, D. modder, G. moder mold, OSw. modd
mud, Sw. modder mother, Dan. mudder mud. Cf. Mother a scum on
liquors.] Earth and water mixed so as to be soft and adhesive. Mud
bass (Zo\'94l.), 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
(Zo\'94l.), any one of several American marine crabs of the genus
Panopeus. -- Mud dab (Zo\'94l.), the winter flounder. See Flounder,
and Dab. -- Mud dauber (Zo\'94l.), a mud wasp. -- Mud devil
(Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), a European frog (Pelobates fuscus). --
Mud hen. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The American coot (Fulica Americana). (b) The
clapper rail. -- Mud lark, a person who cleans sewers, or delves in
mud. [Slang] -- Mud minnow (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), the menobranchus. -- Mud scow, a heavy scow,
used in dredging; a mud boat. [U.S.] -- Mud turtle, Mud tortoise
(Zo\'94l.), any one of numerous species of fresh-water tortoises of
the United States. -- Mud wasp (Zo\'94l.), any one of numerous species
of hymenopterous insects belonging to Pep\'91us, 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. [Hind. mad\'ber.] (Bot.) 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.) A brown, amorphous, bitter substance having
a strong emetic action, extracted from the root of the mudar.
Muddily
Mud"di*ly (?), 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
(?).] [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. 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. A stupid person. [Colloq.] C. Reade. --
Mud"dle-head`ed, a. [Colloq.] Dickens.
Muddler
Mud"dler (?), n. 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. Dull; stupid.
Muddy-mettled
Mud"dy-met`tled (?), a. Dull-spirited. Shak.
Mudfish
Mud"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (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) A hole near the bottom, through which the sediment
is withdrawn.
Mudir
Mu"dir (?), n. Same as Moodir.
Mudsill
Mud"sill` (?), n. 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. (Zo\'94l.) A woodcock.
Mudwall
Mud"wall` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European bee-eater. See Bee-eater.
[Written also modwall.]
Mudwort
Mud"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A small herbaceous plant growing on muddy
shores (Limosella aquatica).
Mue
Mue (?), v. i. To mew; to molt. [Obs.] Quarles.
Muezzin
Mu*ez"zin (?), n. [Ar.] A Mohammedan crier of the hour of prayer.
[Written also mouezzin, mueddin, and muwazzin.]
Muff
Muff (?), n. [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.) A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object, as a pipe.
3. (Glass Manuf.) A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward
flattened out to make a sheet.
4. [Perhaps a different word; cf. Prov. E. maffle to slammer.] A
stupid fellow; a poor-spirited person. [Colloq.] "A muff of a curate."
Thackeray.
5. [See 4.] (Baseball) A failure to hold a ball when once in the
hands.
6. (Zo\'94l.) The whitethroat. [Prov. Eng.]
Muff
Muff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muffed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Muffing.] To
handle awkwardly; to fumble; to fail to hold, as a ball, in catching
it.
Muffetee
Muf`fe*tee" (?), n. A small muff worn over the wrist. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Muffin
Muf"fin (?), n. [From Muff.] A light, spongy, cylindrical cake, used
for breakfast and tea.
Muffineer
Muf`fin*eer" (?), n. A dish for keeping muffins hot.
Muffish
Muff"ish (?), a. [See Muff, 4 & 5.] Stupid; awkward. [Colloq.]
Muffle
Muf"fle (?), n. 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
(?).] [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. [Cf. F. maffle, mumble, D. moffelen.] To speak
indistinctly, or without clear articulation.
Muffle
Muf"fle, n. [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.) 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) 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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) See Mouflon.
Mufti
Muf"ti (?), n.; pl. Muftis (#). [Ar. mufti.] An official expounder of
Mohammedan law.
Mufti
Muf"ti, n. 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. [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. [Cf. G. mucker a sulky person, muckish sullen,
peevish, mucken to mutter, grumble.] Sullen; displeased. [Obs.]
Mugget
Mug"get (?), n. The small entrails of a calf or a hog.
Mugginess
Mug"gi*ness (?), n. The condition or quality of being muggy.
Muggish
Mug"gish (?), a. See Muggy.
Muggletonian
Mug`gle*to"ni*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) 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.] [Cf. Icel.
mugga mist, mugginess. Cf. 4th Mold.]
1. Moist; damp; moldy; as, muggy straw.
2. Warm, damp, and close; as, muggy air, weather.
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Mughouse
Mug"house` (?), n. An alehouse; a pothouse. Tickel.
Mugiency
Mu"gi*en*cy (?), n. A bellowing. [Obs.]
Mugient
Mu"gi*ent (?), a. [L. mugiens, p.pr. of mugire to bellow.] Lowing;
bellowing. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Mugil
Mu"gil (?), n. [L., a sort of fish.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of fishes
including the gray mullets. See Mullet.
Mugiloid
Mu"gi*loid (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to the genus Mugil,
or family Mugilid\'91.
Mugweed
Mug"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A slender European weed (Galium Cruciata); --
called also crossweed.
Mugwort
Mug"wort` (?), n. [AS. mucgwyrt. Cf. Midge.] (Bot.) A somewhat
aromatic composite weed (Artemisia vulgaris), at one time used
medicinally; -- called also motherwort.
Mugwump
Mug"wump` (?), n. [Cf. Algonquin mugquomp a chief.] 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. The acts and views of the
mugwumps. [Political Cant, U.S.]
Muhammadan, Muhammedan
Mu*ham"mad*an (?), Mu*ham"med*an (?), a. & n. Mohammedan.
Muhammadanism
Mu*ham"mad*an*ism (?), n. Mohammedanism.
Mulada
Mu*la"da (?), n. A moor. [Scot.] Lockhart.
Mulada
Mu*la"da (?), n. [Sp. Amer., fr. Sp. mulo, mula, a mule.] A drove of
mules. [Southwest. U.S.]
Mulatto
Mu*lat"to (?), n.; pl. Mulattoes (#). [Sp. & Pg. mulato, masc.,
mulata, fem., of a mixed breed, fr. mulo mule, L. mulus. See Mule.]
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. A female mulatto. G. W. Gable.
Mulberry
Mul"ber*ry (?), n.; pl. Mulberries (#). [OE. moolbery, murberie, AS.
murberie, where the first part is fr. L. morum mulberry; cf. Gr.
Murrey, Sycamore.]
1. (Bot.) 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` (-f&amac;st`), a. Having a face of a mulberry color,
or blotched as if with mulberry stains.
Mulch
Mulch (?), n. [Cf. mull dirt, also Prov. G. mulsch, molsch, rotten,
soft, mellow, as fruit.] 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.] To
cover or dress with mulch.
Mulct
Mulct (?), n. [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.] [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. Imposing a pecuniary penalty;
consisting of, or paid as, a fine.
Fines, or some known mulctuary punishments. Sir W. Temple.
Mule
Mule (?), n. [F., a she-mule, L. mula, fem. of mulus; cf. Gr. m, fr.
L. mulus. Cf. Mulatto.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A hybrid animal; specifically, one generated between an
ass and a mare, sometimes a horse and a she-ass. See Hinny.
NOTE: &hand; Mu les ar e mu ch us ed as dr aught animals. They are
hardy, and proverbial for stubbornness.
2. (Bot.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), a long-eared armadillo (Tatusia hybrida),
native of Buenos Ayres; -- called also mulita. See Illust. under
Armadillo. -- Mule deer (Zo\'94l.), 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. See Mule, 4.
Muleteer
Mu`le*teer" (?), n. [F. muletier, fr. mulet a mule, dim. fr. L.
mulus.] One who drives mules.
Mulewort
Mule"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A fern of the genus Hemionitis.
Muley
Mu"ley (?), n. (Sawmills) 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. See Mulley.
Muliebrity
Mu`li*eb"ri*ty (?), n. [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. [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. In the manner or condition of a mulier; in wedlock;
legitimately. [Obs.]
Mulierose
Mu"li*er*ose` (?), a. [L. mulierosus.] Fond of woman. [R.] Charles
Reade.
Mulierosity
Mu`li*er*os"i*ty (?), n. [L. mulierositas.] A fondness for women. [R.]
Dr. H. More.
Mulierty
Mu"li*er*ty (?), n. (Law) Condition of being a mulier; position of one
born in lawful wedlock.
Mulish
Mul"ish (?), a. Like a mule; sullen; stubborn. -- Mul"ish*ly, adv. --
Mul"ish*ness, n.
Mull
Mull (?), n. [Perh. contr. fr. mossul. See Muslin.] A thin, soft kind
of muslin.
Mull
Mull, n. [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. [Prob. akin to mold. \'fb108. See Mold.] Dirt; rubbish.
[Obs.] Gower.
Mull
Mull, v. t. [OE. mullen. See 2d Muller.] To powder; to pulverize.
[Prov. Eng.]
Mull
Mull, v. i. 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. 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.] [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. Same as Mollah.
Mullagatawny
Mul`la*ga*taw"ny (?), n. [Tamil milagu-tann\'c6r pepper water.] An
East Indian curry soup.
Mullah
Mul"lah (?), n. See Mollah.
Mullar
Mul"lar (?), n. A die, cut in intaglio, for stamping an ornament in
relief, as upon metal.
Mullein
Mul"lein (?), n. [OE. moleyn, AS. molegn.] (Bot.) 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.) 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. [OE. mullen to pulverize, bruise; cf. Icel. mylja; prob.
akin to E. mold soil. See Mold soil, and cf. Mull dirt.] 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.
M\'81llerian
M\'81l*le"ri*an (?), a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by,
Johannes M\'81ller. M\'81llerian ducts (Anat.), a pair of embryonic
ducts which give rise to the genital passages in the female, but
disappear in the male. -- M\'81llerian fibers (Anat.), the
sustentacular or connective-tissue fibers which form the framework of
the retina.
Mullet
Mul"let (?), n. [OE. molet, mulet, F. mulet, fr. L. mullus.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of the genus Mullus, or family Mullid\'91;
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. [F. molette.] (Her.) A star, usually five pointed and
pierced; -- when used as a difference it indicates the third son.
Mullet
Mul"let, n. [Cf. F. molet a sort of pinchers.] Small pinchers for
curling the hair. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Mulley, Moolley
Mul"ley (?), Mool"ley, n. [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. 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. See Mullagatawny.
Mulligrubs
Mul"li*grubs (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) See Duck mole, under Duck. [Written
also mollingong.]
Mullion
Mul"lion (?), n. [A corruption of munnion, F. moignon stump of an
amputated limb, stump, OF. moing mutilated; cf. Armor. mo\'a4,
mou\'a4, 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. To furnish with mullions; to divide by mullions.
Mullock
Mul"lock (?), n. [From Mull dirt: cf. Scot. mulloch, mulock, crumb.
\'fb108.] Rubbish; refuse; dirt. [Obs.]
All this mullok [was] in a sieve ythrowe. Chaucer.
Mulliod
Mul"liod (?), a. [NL. Mullus, generic name (fr. L. mullus surmullet) +
-oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to the genus Mullus, which
includes the surmullet, or red mullet.
Mulmul
Mul"mul (?), n. A fine, soft muslin; mull.
Mulse
Mulse (?), n. [L. mulsum (sc. vinum), fr. mulsus mixed with honey,
honey-sweet, p.p. of mulcere to sweeten, soften.] Wine boiled and
mingled with honey.
Mult-
Mult-. See Multi-.
Multangular
Mul*tan"gu*lar (?), a. [L. multangulus; multus much, many + angulus
angle: cf. F. multangulaire.] Having many angles. --
Mul*tan"gu*lar*ly, adv. -- Mul*tan"gu*lar*ness, n.
Multanimous
Mul*tan"i*mous (?), a. [Mult- + L. animus mind.] Many-minded;
many-sided.
The multanimous nature of the poet. J. R. Lowell.
Multarticulate
Mul`tar*tic"u*late (?), a. [Mult- + articulate.] Having many
articulations or joints.
Multeity
Mul*te"i*ty (?), n. [L. multus much, many.] Multiplicity. [R.]
Coleridge.
Multi-, Mult-
Mul"ti- (?), Mult- (?). [L. multus much.] A prefix signifying much or
many; several; more than one; as, multiaxial, multocular.
Multiaxial
Mul`ti*ax"i*al (?), a. [Multi- + axial.] (Biol.) Having more than one
axis; developing in more than a single line or plain; -- opposed to
monoaxial.
Multicapsular
Mul`ti*cap"su*lar (?), a. [Multi- + capsular: cf. F. multicapsulaire.]
(Bot.) Having many, or several, capsules.
Multicarinate
Mul`ti*car"i*nate (?), a. [Multi- + carinate.] (Zo\'94l.) Many-keeled.
Multicavous
Mul`ti*ca"vous (?), a. [L. multicavus; multus much, many + cavum,
cavus, a cavity, hole, fr. cavus hollow.] Having many cavities.
Multicellular
Mul`ti*cel"lu*lar (?), a. Consisting of, or having, many cells or more
than one cell.
Multicentral
Mul`ti*cen"tral (?), a. [Multi- + central.] 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. [Multi- + L. caput head.] (Bot.) Having many
heads or many stems from one crown or root. Gray.
Multicolor
Mul"ti*col`or (?), a. [See Multi-, and Color.] Having many, or
several, colors.
Multicostate
Mul`ti*cos"tate (?), a. [Multi- + costate.] Having numerous ribs, or
cost\'91, as the leaf of a plant, or as certain shells and corals.
Multicuspid
Mul`ti*cus"pid (?), a. [See Multi-, and Cuspid.] Multicuspidate; --
said of teeth.
Multicuspidate
Mul`ti*cus"pi*date (?), a. [Multi- + cuspidate.] Having many cusps or
points.
Multidentate
Mul`ti*den"tate (?), a. [Multi- + dentate.] Having many teeth, or
toothlike processes.
Multidigitate
Mul`ti*dig"i*tate (?), a. [Multi- + digitate.] Having many fingers, or
fingerlike processes.
Multifaced
Mul"ti*faced` (?), a. [Multi- + face.] Having many faces.
Multifarious
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous (?), a. [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.) Having parts, as leaves, arranged in many vertical rows.
Multifariously
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ly, adv. With great multiplicity and diversity; with
variety of modes and relations.
Multifariousness
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ness, n.
1. Multiplied diversity.
2. (Law) The fault of improperly uniting in one bill distinct and
independent matters, and thereby confounding them. Burrill.
Multiferous
Mul*tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. multifer; multus much, many + ferre to
bear.] Bearing or producing much or many. [R.]
Multifid
Mul"ti*fid (?), a. [L. multifidus; multus much, many + findere to
split: cf. F. multifide.] (Bot.) Having many segments; cleft into
several parts by linear sinuses; as, a multifid leaf or corolla.
Multiflorous
Mul`ti*flo"rous (?), a. [L. multiflorus; multus much, many + flos,
floris, flower: cf. F. multiflore.] (Bot.) Having many flowers.
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Multiflue
Mul"ti*flue (?), a. [Multi- + flue.] Having many flues; as, a
multiflue boiler. See Boiler.
Multifoil
Mul"ti*foil (?), n. [Multi- + foil.] (Arch.) An ornamental foliation
consisting of more than five divisions or foils. [R.] See Foil.
Multifoil
Mul"ti*foil, a. Having more than five divisions or foils.
Multifold
Mul"ti*fold (?), a. [Multi- + fold.] Many times doubled; manifold;
numerous.
Multiform
Mul"ti*form (?), a. [L. multiformis; multus much, many + forma shape:
cf. F. multiforme.] Having many forms, shapes, or appearances.
A plastic and multiform unit. Hare.
Multiformity
Mul`ti*form"i*ty (?), n. [L. multiformitas.] The quality of being
multiform; diversity of forms; variety of appearances in the same
thing. Purchas.
Multiformous
Mul`ti*form"ous (?), a. Multiform. [Obs.]
Multigenerous
Mul`ti*gen"er*ous (?), a. [L. multigenerus; multus + genus, generis,
kind.] Having many kinds.
Multigranulate
Mul`ti*gran"u*late (?), a. [Multi- + granulate.] Having, or consisting
of, many grains.
Multijugate
Mul*tij"u*gate (?), a. Having many pairs of leaflets.
Multijugous
Mul*tij"u*gous (?), a. [L. multijugus; multus + jugum yoke.]
1. Consisting of many parts.
2. (Bot.) Same as Multijugate.
Multilateral
Mul`ti*lat"er*al (?), a. [Multi- + lateral.] Having many sides;
many-sided.
Multilineal
Mul`ti*lin"e*al (?), a. [Multi- + lineal.] Having many lines.
Steevens.
Multilobar
Mul`ti*lo"bar (?), a. [Multi- + lobar.] Consisting of, or having, many
lobes.
Multilocular
Mul`ti*loc"u*lar (?), a. [Multi- + locular: cf. F. multiloculaire.]
Having many or several cells or compartments; as, a multilocular shell
or capsule.
Multiloquence
Mul*til"o*quence (?), n. Quality of being multiloquent; use of many
words; talkativeness.
Multiloquent, Multiloquous
Mul*til"o*quent (?), Mul*til"o*quous (?), a. [L. multiloquus; multus
much, many + loqui to speak.] Speaking much; very talkative;
loquacious.
Multiloquy
Mul*til"o*quy (?), n. [L. multiloquium.] Excess of words or talk. [R.]
Multinodate
Mul`ti*no"date (?), a. [Multi- + nodate.] Having many knots or nodes.
Multinodous
Mul`ti*no"dous (?), a. [L. multinodus.] Same as Multinodate.
Multinomial
Mul`ti*no"mi*al (?), n. & a. [Multi- + -nomial, as in binomial. See
Binomial.] (Alg.) Same as Polynomial.
Multinominal, Multinominous
Mul`ti*nom"i*nal (?), Mul`ti*nom"i*nous (?), a. [L. multinominis;
multus many + nomen nominis name.] Having many names or terms.
Multinuclear
Mul`ti*nu"cle*ar (?), a. [Multi- + nuclear.] (Biol.) Containing many
nuclei; as, multinuclear cells.
Multinucleate, Multinucleated
Mul`ti*nu"cle*ate (?), Mul`ti*nu"cle*a`ted (?), a. (Biol.)
Multinuclear.
Multiparous
Mul*tip"a*rous (?), a. [Multi- + L. parere to produce: cf. F.
multipare.] Producing many, or more than one, at a birth.
Multipartite
Mul*tip"ar*tite (?), a. [L. multipartitus multus much, many partitus
divided, p.p.: cf. F. multipartite. See Partite.] Divided into many
parts; having several parts.
Multiped
Mul"ti*ped (?), n. [L. multipes, multipeda; multus much, many + pes,
pedis, foot: cf. F. multip\'8ade.] (Zo\'94l.) An insect having many
feet, as a myriapod.
Multiped
Mul"ti*ped, a. Having many feet.
Multiple
Mul"ti*ple (?), a. [Cf. F. multiple, and E. quadruple, and multiply.]
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
am\'d2boid 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.) A quantity containing another quantity a number
of times without a remainder.
NOTE: &hand;
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. [L. multiplex, -plicis. See Multiply.] Manifold;
multiple.
Multipliable
Mul"ti*pli`a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. multipliable.] Capable of being
multiplied. -- Mul"ti*pli`a*ble*ness, n.
Multiplicable
Mul"ti*pli*ca*ble (?), a. [L. multiplicabilis.] Capable of being
multiplied; multipliable.
Multiplicand
Mul"ti*pli*cand` (?), n. [L. multiplicandus to be multiplied: cf. F.
multiplicande.] (Math.) The number which is to be multiplied by
another number called the multiplier. See Note under Multiplication.
Multiplicate
Mul"ti*pli*cate (?), a. [L. multiplicatus, p.p. of multiplicare. See
Multiply.] 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. [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.) 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: &hand; Th e wo rd mu ltiplication is so metimes us ed 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.) 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.<-- also, times table [used by students] -->
Multiplicative
Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. multiplicatif.] Tending to
multiply; having the power to multiply, or incease numbers.
Multiplicatively
Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive*ly, adv. So as to multiply.
Multiplicator
Mul"ti*pli*ca`tor (?), n. [L.: cf. F. multiplicateur. Cf. Multiplier.]
The number by which another number is multiplied; a multiplier.
Multiplicious
Mul`ti*pli"cious (?), a. [See Multiplex.] Manifold. [Obs.]
Multiplicity
Mul`ti*plic"ity (?), n. [Cf. F. multiplicit\'82.] 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. [Cf. F. multiplier. Cf. Multiplicator.]
1. One who, or that which, multiplies or increases number.
2. (Math.) The number by which another number is multiplied. See the
Note under Multiplication.
3. (Physics) 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 (?).] [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.) 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. [Multi- + polar.] (Biol.) Having many poles; --
applied especially to those ganglionic nerve cells which have several
radiating processes.
Multipotent
Mul*tip"o*tent (?), a. [L. multipotens; multus much + potens powerful.
See Potent.] Having manifold power, or power to do many things. "Jove
multipotent." Shak.
Multipresence
Mul`ti*pres"ence (?), n. The state or power of being multipresent.
The multipresence of Christ's body. Bp. Hall.
Multipresent
Mul`ti*pres"ent (?), a. [Multi- + present, a.] Being, or having the
power to be, present in two or more places at once.
Multiradiate
Mul`ti*ra"di*ate (?), a. [Multi- + radiate.] Having many rays.
Multiramified
Mul`ti*ram"i*fied (?), a. [Multi- + p.p. of ramify.] Divided into many
branches.
Multiramose
Mul`ti*ra*mose" (?), a. [Multi- + ramose.] Having many branches.
Multiscious
Mul*tis"cious (?), a. [L. multiscius; multus much + scius knowing, fr.
scire to know.] Having much or varied knowledge. [Obs.]
Multisect
Mul"ti*sect (?), a. [Multi- + L. sectus, p.p. of secare to cut.]
(Zo\'94l.) Divided into many similar segments; -- said of an insect or
myriapod.
Multiseptate
Mul`ti*sep"tate (?), a. [Multi- + septate.] (Bot.) Divided into many
chambers by partitions, as the pith of the pokeweed.
Multiserial
Mul`ti*se"ri*al (?), a. [Multi- + serial.] (Bot.) 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. [Multi- + siliquious.] (Bot.) Having many
pods or seed vessels.
Multisonous
Mul*tis"o*nous (?), a. [L. multisonus; multus much, many + sonus
sound.] Having many sounds, or sounding much.
Multispiral
Mul`ti*spi"ral (?), a. [Multi- + spiral.] (Zo\'94l.) Having numerous
spiral coils round a center or nucleus; -- said of the opercula of
certain shells.
Multistriate
Mul`ti*stri"ate (?), a. [Multi- + striate.] Having many streaks.
Multisulcate
Mul`ti*sul"cate (?), a. [Multi- + sulcate.] Having many furrows.
Multisyllable
Mul"ti*syl`la*ble (?), n. [Multi- + syllable.] A word of many
syllables; a polysyllable. [R.] -- Mul`ti*syl*lab"ic (#), a.
Multititular
Mul`ti*tit"u*lar (?), a. [Multi- + titular.] Having many titles.
Multitubular
Mul`ti*tu"bu*lar (?), a. [Multi- + tubular.] Having many tubes; as, a
multitubular boiler.
Multitude
Mul"ti*tude (?), n. [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. 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. [L. multivagus; multus much
+ vagus wandering; cf. vagans, p.pr. of vagari. See Vagary.] Wandering
much. [Obs.]
Multivalence
Mul*tiv"a*lence (?), n. (Chem.) Quality, state, or degree, of a
multivalent element, atom, or radical.
Multivalent
Mul*tiv"a*lent (?), a. [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. [Cf. F. multivalve.] (Zo\'94l.) Any mollusk which
has a shell composed of more than two pieces.
Multivalve, Multivalvular
Mul"ti*valve (?), Mul`ti*val"vu*lar (?), a. [Multi- + valve, valvular:
cf. F. multivalve.]
1. Having many valves.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Many-valved; having more than two valves; -- said of
certain shells, as the chitons.
Multiversant
Mul*tiv"er*sant (?), a. [Multi- + L. versans, p. pr. See Versant.]
Turning into many shapes; assuming many forms; protean.
Multivious
Mul*tiv"i*ous (?), a. & adv. [L. multivius; multus many + via way.]
Having many ways or roads; by many ways. [Obs.]
Multivocal
Mul*tiv"o*cal (?), a. [Multi- + vocal.] Signifying many different
things; of manifold meaning; equivocal. "An ambiguous multivocal
word." Coleridge. -- n. A multivocal word. [R.] Fitzed. Hall.
Multocular
Mul*toc"u*lar (?), a. [Multi- + L. oculus eye.] Having many eyes, or
more than two.
Multum
Mul"tum (?), n. 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. [Multi- + ungulate.] Having many hoofs.
Multure
Mul"ture (?), n. [OF. multure, moulture, F. mouture, fr. L. molitura a
grinding, molere to grind. See Mill the machine.]
1. (Scots Law) The toll for grinding grain. Erskine.
2. A grist or grinding; the grain ground.
Mum
Mum (?), a. [Of imitative origin. Cf. Mumble.] Silent; not speaking.
Thackeray.
The citizens are mum, and speak not a word. Shak.
Mum
Mum, interj. Be silent! Hush!
Mum, then, and no more. Shak.
Mum
Mum, n. Silence. [R.] Hudibras.
Mum
Mum, n. [G. mummere, fr. Christian Mumme, who first brewed it in
1492.] 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
(?).] [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.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 954
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. A talebearer. [Obs.]
Mumbler
Mum"bler (?), n. One who mumbles.
Mumbling
Mum"bling (?), a. Low; indistinct; inarticulate. -- Mum"bling*ly, adv.
Mumbo Jumbo
Mum"bo Jum`bo (?). 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. 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.]
[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.] To sport or make diversion in a mask or disguise; to
mask.
With mumming and with masking all around. Spenser.
Mummer
Mumm"er (?), n. [Cf. OF. mommeur. See Mumm, and cf. Momier.] 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 (#). [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. [Amer. Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [See Mummify.] The act of making a mummy.
Mummified
Mum"mi*fied (?), a. Converted into a mummy or a mummylike substance;
having the appearance of a mummy; withered.
Mummiform
Mum"mi*form (?), a. [Mummy + -form.] Having some resemblance to a
mummy; -- in zo\'94logy, said of the pup\'91 of certain insects.
Mummify
Mum"mi*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mummified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mummifying (?).] [Mummy + -fy: cf. F. momifier.] To embalm and dry as
a mummy; to make into, or like, a mummy. Hall (1646).
Mummy
Mum"my (?), n.; pl. Mummies (#). [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) 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.] To
embalm; to mummify.
Mummychog
Mum"my*chog (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mummichog.
Mump
Mump (?), v. i. [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. A beggar; a begging impostor.
Deceived by the tales of a Lincoln's Inn mumper. Macaulay.
Mumpish
Mump"ish, a. Sullen, sulky. -- Mump"ish*ly, adv. -- Mump"ish*ness, n.
Mumps
Mumps (?), n. [Prov. E. mump to be sulky. Cf. Mump, Mumble, and Mum.]
1. pl. Sullenness; silent displeasure; the sulks. Skinner.
2. [Prob. so called from the patient's appearance.] (Med.) A specific
infectious febrile disorder characterized by a nonsuppurative
inflammation of the parotid glands; epidemic or infectious parotitis.
Mun
Mun (?), n. [See Mouth.] 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.] [Prob. akin to mumble: cf. also F. manger to eat (cf.
Mange), and m\'83cher to cher (cf. Masticate). See Mumble.] 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. [So called in allusion to Baron Munchausen's
extravagant tales of travel.] An extravagant fiction embodying an
account of some marvelous exploit or adventure.
Muncher
Munch"er (?), n. One who munches.
Mund
Mund (?), n. See Mun.
Mundane
Mun"dane (?), a. [L. mundanus, fr. mundus the world, an implement,
toilet adornments, or dress; cf. mundus, a., clean, neat, Skr.
ma&nsdot;&dsdot; to adorn, dress, ma&nsdot;&dsdot;a adornment. Cf.
Monde, Mound in heraldry.] 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. Worldliness. [Obs.]
Mundation
Mun*da"tion (?), n. [L. mundatio, fr. mundare to make clean.] The act
of cleansing. [Obs.]
Mundatory
Mun"da*to*ry (?), a. [L. mundatorius.] Cleansing; having power to
cleanse. [Obs.]
Mundic
Mun"dic (?), n. Iron pyrites, or arsenical pyrites; -- so called by
the Cornish miners.
Mundificant
Mun*dif"i*cant (?), a. [L. mundificans, p.pr. of mundificare to make
clean, fr. mundus clean + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Serving to cleanse and heal. -- n. A mundificant ointment or plaster.
Mundification
Mun`di*fi*ca"tion (?), n. The act or operation of cleansing.
Mundificative
Mun*dif"i*ca*tive (?), a. Cleansing. -- n. A detergent medicine or
preparation.
Mundify
Mun"di*fy (?), v. t. [Cf. F. mondifier, L. mundificare. See
Mundificant.] To cleanse. [Obs.]
Mundil
Mun"dil (?), n. A turban ornamented with an imitation of gold or
silver embroidery.
Mundivagant
Mun*div"a*gant (?), a. [L. mundus the world + vagans wandering, p.pr.
of vagari. See Vagary.] Wandering over the world. [R.]
Mundungus
Mun*dun"gus (?), n. [Cf. Sp. mondongo paunch, tripe, black pudding.] A
stinking tobacco.
Munnerary
Mun"ner*a*ry (?), a. [L. munerarius, from munus a gift.] Having the
nature of a gift. [Obs.]
Munnerate
Mun"ner*ate (?), v. t. [L. muneratus, p.p. of munerare to give,
bestow, fr. munus a gift.] To remunerate.
Muneration
Mu`ner*a"tion (?), n. [L. muneratio.] Remuneration. [Obs.]
Mung
Mung (?), n. [Hind. m.] (Bot.) Green gram, a kind of pulse (Phaseolus
Mungo), grown for food in British India. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
Munga
Mun"ga (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bonnet monkey, under Bonnet.
Mungcorn
Mung"corn` (?), n. Same as Mangcorn.
Mungo
Mun"go (?), n. A fibrous material obtained by deviling rags or the
remnants of woolen goods.
NOTE: &hand; Mu ngo pr operly si gnifies th e 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. (Zo\'94l.) See Mongoose.
Mungrel
Mun"grel (?), n. & a. See Mongrel.
Municipal
Mu*nic"i*pal (?), a. [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. Municipal condition.
Municipality
Mu*nic`i*pal"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Municipalities (#). [Cf. F.
municipalit\'82.] A municipal district; a borough, city, or
incorporated town or village.
Municipally
Mu*nic"i*pal*ly (?), adv. In a municipal relation or condition.
Munific
Mu*nif"ic (?), a. [See Munificent.] Munificent; liberal. [Obs. or R.]
Munificate
Mu*nif"i*cate (?), v. t. [L. munificatus, p.p. of munificare to
present with a thing, fr. munificus. See Munificent.] To enrich.
[Obs.]
Munificence
Mu*nif"i*cence (?), n. [Cf. L. munire to fortify.] Means of defense;
fortification. [Obs.] Spenser.
Munificence
Mu*nif"i*cence, n. [L. munificentia: cf. F. munificence.] 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. [L. munificus; munus service, gift + -ficare (in
comp.) to make. Cf. Immunity, -fy.] 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. [See Munificate.] To prepare for defense; to
fortify. [Obs.]
Muniment
Mu"ni*ment (?), n. [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) 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. [L. munitus, p.p. of munire to wall, fortify.] To
fortify; to strengthen. [Obs.]
Munition
Mu*ni"tion (?), n. [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. [See Immunity.] Freedom; security; immunity. [Obs.]
W. Montagu.
Munjeet
Mun*jeet" (?), n. [Hind. maj\'c6&tsdot;h a drug used for dyeing red.]
See Indian madder, under Madder.
Munjistin
Mun"jis*tin (?), n. (Chem.) An orangered coloring substance resembling
alizarin, found in the root of an East Indian species of madder (Rubia
munjista).
Munnion
Mun"nion (?), n. See Mullion.
Muntin, Munting
Mun"tin (?), Mun"ting (?), n. [CF. Montant.] (Arch.) Same as Mullion;
-- especially used in joiner's work.
Muntjac
Munt"jac (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (?). See under Metal.
Mur\'91na
Mu*r\'91"na (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of large eels of
the family Mir\'91nid\'91. They differ from the common eel in lacking
pectoral fins and in having the dorsal and anal fins continuous. The
murry (Mur\'91na Helen\'91) of Southern Europe was the mur\'91na of
the Romans. It is highly valued as a food fish.
Mur\'91noid, Murenoid
Mu*r\'91"noid, Mu*re"noid (?), a. [NL. Mur\'91na, the generic name +
-oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to the genus Mur\'91na, or family
Mur\'91nid\'91.
Murage
Mu"rage (?), n. [F., fr. murer to wall, fr. mur wall, L. murus. See
Mure a wall.] A tax or toll paid for building or repairing the walls
of a fortified town.
Mural
Mu"ral (?), a. [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. [OE. morder, morther, AS. mor&edh;or, fr. mor&edh;
murder; akin to D. moord, OS. mor&edh;, G., Dan., & Sw. mord, Icel.
mor&edh;, Goth. ma\'a3rþr, OSlav. mr\'c7ti 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. m&rsdot; to die,
m&rsdot;ta death. \'fb105. Cf. Amaranth, Ambrosia, Mortal.] 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: &hand; 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.]
[OE. mortheren, murtheren, AS. myr; akin to OHG. murdiren, Goth.
ma\'a3r. 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.
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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. A woman who commits murder.
Murderment
Mur"der*ment (?), n. Murder. [Obs.] Farfax.
Murderous
Mur"der*ous (?), a. 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. A battlement in ancient fortifications with
interstices for firing through.
Mure
Mure (?), n. [L. murus; or F. mur, fr. L. murus. Cf. Munition.] A
wall. [Obs.] Shak.
Mure
Mure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mured (?).] [F. murer, L. murare. See Mure,
n.] 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. One who had charge of the wall of a town, or its
repairs.
Murex
Mu"rex (?), n.; pl. Murices (#). [L., the purple fish.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [From Murexide.] (Chem.) 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. [L. murex the purple fish, purple.] (Chem.) 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.
Murexo\'8bn
Mu*rex"o*\'8bn (?), n. (Chem.) A complex nitrogenous compound obtained
as a scarlet crystalline substance, and regarded as related to
murexide.
Muriate
Mu"ri*ate (?), n. [See Muriatic.] (Chem.) A salt of muriatic
hydrochloric acid; a chloride; as, muriate of ammonia.
NOTE: &hand; Th is te rm, as al so 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.) Combined or impregnated with muriatic or hydrochloric acid.
3. (Photog.) Prepared with chloride of silver through the agency of
common salt.
Muriatic
Mu`ri*at"ic (?), a. [L. muriaticus pickled, from muria brine: cf. F.
muriatique.] (Chem.) 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. [Muriatic + -ferous.] (Old Chem.) Producing
muriatic substances or salt. [Obs.]
Muricate, Muricated
Mu"ri*cate (?), Mu"ri*ca`ted (?), a. [L. muricatus, fr. murex a
pointed rock or stone.] 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. [Murex + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like, or pertaining to,
the genus Murex, or family Muricid\'91.
Muriculate
Mu*ric"u*late (?), a. Minutely muricate.
Muride
Mu"ride (?), n. [L. muria brine.] (Old Chem.) Bromine; -- formerly so
called from its being obtained from sea water.
Muriform
Mu"ri*form (?), a. [L. murus a wall + -form.] (Bot.) Resembling
courses of bricks or stones in squareness and regular arrangement; as,
a muriform variety of cellular tissue.
Murine
Mu"rine (?), a. [L. murinus, from mus, muris, mouse: cf. F. murin.]
(Zo\'94l.) Pertaining to a family of rodents (Murid\'91), of which the
mouse is the type.
Murine
Mu"rine, n. (Zo\'94l.) One of a tribe of rodents, of which the mouse
is the type.
Muringer
Mu"rin*ger (?), n. See Murenger. Jacob.
Murk
Murk (?), a. [See Murky.] Dark; murky.
He can not see through the mantle murk. J. R. Drake.
Murk
Murk, n. Darkness; mirk. [Archaic] Shak.
Murk
Murk, n. The refuse of fruit, after the juice has been expressed;
marc.
Murkily
Murk"i*ly (?), adv. Darkly; gloomily.
Murkiness
Murk"i*ness, n. The state of being murky.
Murky
Murk"y (?), a. [Compar. Murkier (?); superl. Murkiest.] [OE. mirke,
merke, AS. myrce, mirce; akin to Icel. myrkr, Dan. & Sw. m\'94rk.]
Dark; obscure; gloomy. "The murkiest den." Shak.
A murky deep lowering o'er our heads. Addison.
Murlins
Mur"lins (?), n. (Bot.) A seaweed. See Baddrelocks.
Murmur
Mur"mur (?), n. [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.]
[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. 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. [L. murmuratio.] The act of murmuring; a
murmur. [Obs.] Skelton.
Murmurer
Mur"mur*er (?), n. One who murmurs.
Murmuring
Mur"mur*ing, a. & n. Uttering murmurs; making low sounds; complaining.
-- Mur"mur*ing*ly, adv.
Murmurous
Mur"mur*ous (?), a. [Cf. L. murmuriosus, OF. murmuros.] 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. [Perh. fr. F. mornifle a game at cards.] 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. A potato. [Humorous] Thackeray.
Murr
Murr (?), n. [Prob. abbrev. from murrain.] A catarrh. [Obs.]
Gascoigne.
Murrain
Mur"rain (?), n. [OE. moreine, OF. morine, fr. OF. morir, murir, 8die,
L. mori, moriri.] (Far.) 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. Having, or afflicted with, murrain.
Murrayin
Mur"ray*in (?), n. (Chem.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species of sea birds of
the genus Uria, or Catarractes; a guillemot.
NOTE: &hand; 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. [Murre + -let.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [OF. mor\'82e a dark red color, mor blackish brown,
fr. L. morum mulberry, blackberry, or fr. Maurus a Moor. Cf. Mulberry,
Moor, Morelle.] A dark red color. -- a. Of a dark red color. Bacon.
Murrhine
Mur"rhine (?), a. [L. murrhinus, fr. murrha: cf. F. murrhin.] 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. [See Murrain.] Infected with or killed by murrain.
[Obs.] Shak.
Murrion
Mur"ri*on, n. A morion. See Morion.
Murry
Mur"ry (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mur\'91na.
Murth
Murth (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Plenty; abundance. [Obs. or Prov.
Eng.]
Murther
Mur"ther (?), n. & v. Murder, n. & v. [Obs. or Prov.] "The treason of
the murthering." Chaucer.
Murtherer
Mur"ther*er (?), n. A murderer. [Obs. or Prov.]
Murza
Mur"za (?), n. One of the hereditary nobility among the Tatars, esp.
one of the second class.
NOTE: &hand; Th is wo rd mu st no t be confounded with the Persian
Mirza, though perhaps of the same origin.
Mus
Mus (?), n.; pl. Mures (#). [L., a mouse.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of small
rodents, including the common mouse and rat.
Musa
Mu"sa (?), n.; pl. Mus\'91 (#). [NL., fr. Ar. mauz, mauza, banana.]
(Bot.) A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great
size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain (M.
paradisiaca of Linn\'91us, 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. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of the
genus Musa.
Musal
Mus"al (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Muses, or to Poetry. [R.]
Musang
Mu*sang" (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. An itinerant player on the musette, an instrument
formerly common in Europe.
Musard
Mu"sard (?), n. [F., fr. muser to loiter, trifle. See Muse, v. i.] A
dreamer; an absent-minded person. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
Musca
Mus"ca (?), n.; pl. Musc\'91 (#). [L., a fly.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of dipterous insects, including the common house
fly, and numerous allied species.
NOTE: &hand; Fo rmerly, a la rge part of the Diptera were included
under the genus Musca.
2. (Astron.) A small constellation situated between the Southern Cross
and the Pole.
Musc\'91 volitantes (. [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. [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.] See Muscatel, n.
Quaffed off the muscadel. Shak.
Muscadine
Mus"ca*dine (?), n. [See Muscadel.]
1. (Bot.) 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.) A fragrant and delicious pear.
3. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [NL., fr. L. muscus moss.] (Bot.) An old name
for mosses in the widest sense, including the true mosses and also
hepatic\'91 and sphagna.
Muscallonge
Mus"cal*longe (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Muskellunge.
Muscardin
Mus"car*din (?), n. [F., fr. muscadin a musk-scented lozenge, fr.
muscade nutmeg, fr. L. muscus musk. See Muscadel.] (Zo\'94l.) The
common European dormouse; -- so named from its odor. [Written also
muscadine.]
Muscardine
Mus`car*dine" (?), n. [F.] 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. [L. muscarium fly brush + -form.] Having the
form of a brush.
Muscarin
Mus*ca"rin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) 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. [F. See Muscadel.] (Bot.) 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. 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. Finest raisins, dried on the vine; "sun raisins." [Variously
written moscatel, muscadel, etc.]
Muschelkalk
Musch"el*kalk` (?), n. [G., from muschel shell + kalk limestone.]
(Geol.) 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. [L. muscus moss.] (Bot.) An order or subclass of
cryptogamous plants; the mosses. See Moss, and Cryptogamia.
Muscicapine
Mus*cic"a*pine (?), a. [L. musca a fly + capere to catch.] (Zo\'94l.)
Of or pertaining to the Muscicapid\'91, a family of birds that
includes the true flycatchers.
Muscid
Mus"cid (?), n. Any fly of the genus Musca, or family Muscid\'91.
Musciform
Mus"ci*form (?), a. [Musca + -form.] (Zo\'94l.) Having the form or
structure of flies of the genus Musca, or family Muscid\'91.
Musciform
Mus"ci*form, a. [Muscus + -form.] (Bot.) Having the appearance or form
of a moss.
Muscle
Mus"cle (?), n. [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: &hand; Mu scles ar e 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. [AS. muscle, L. musculus a muscle, mussel. See above.] (Zo\'94l.)
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.
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Page 956
Muscled
Mus"cled (?), a. Furnished with muscles; having muscles; as, things
well muscled.
Muscling
Mus"cling (?), n. (Fine Arts) 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. See Muskogees.
Muscoid
Mus"coid (?), a. [Muscus + -oid: cf. F. muscoide.] (Bot.) Mosslike;
resembling moss.
Muscoid
Mus"coid, n. (Bot.) 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. [Muscus + -logy.] Bryology.
Muscosity
Mus*cos"i*ty (?), n. [L. muscosus mossy, fr. muscus moss.] Mossiness.
Jonhson.
Muscovado
Mus`co*va"do (?), a. [Corrupted fr. Sp. mascabado; cf. Pg. mascavado,
F. moscouade, n., formerly also mascovade, It. mascavato.] 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. Unrefined or raw sugar.
Muscovite
Mus"co*vite (?), n. [See Muscovy glass.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Muscovy or ancient Russia; hence, a
Russian.
2. (Min.) Common potash mica. See Mica.
Muscovy duck
Mus"co*vy duck` (?). [A corruption of musk duck.] (Zo\'94l.) 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` (?). [From Muscovy, the old name of Russia: cf. F.
verre de Moscovie.] Mica; muscovite. See Mica.
Muscular
Mus"cu*lar (?), a. [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. The state or quality of being muscular. Grew.
Muscularize
Mus"cu*lar*ize (?), v. t. To make muscular. Lowell.
Muscularly
Mus"cu*lar*ly, adv. In a muscular manner.
Musculation
Mus`cu*la"tion (?), n. (Anat.) The muscular system of an animal, or of
any of its parts.
Musculature
Mus"cu*la*ture (?), n. [Cf. F. musculature.] (Anat.) Musculation.
Muscule
Mus"cule (?), n. [L. musculus: cf. F. muscule.] (Mil.) A long movable
shed used by besiegers in ancient times in attacking the walls of a
fortified town.
Musculin
Mus"cu*lin (?), n. [L. musculus a muscle.] (Physiol. Chem.) See
Syntonin.
Musculocutaneous
Mus`cu*lo*cu*ta"ne*ous (?), a. [L. musculus + E. cutaneous.] (Anat.)
Pertaining both to muscles and skin; as, the musculocutaneous nerve.
Musculophrenic
Mus`cu*lo*phren"ic (?), a. [L. musculus muscle + E. phrenic.] (Anat.)
Pertaining to the muscles and the diaphragm; as, the musculophrenic
artery.
Musculosity
Mus`cu*los"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being musculous;
muscularity. [Obs.]
Musculospiral
Mus`cu*lo*spi"ral (?), a. [L. musculus muscle + E. spiral.] (Anat.) 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. [L. musculosus: cf. F. musculeux.] Muscular.
[Obs.] Jonhson.
Muse
Muse (?), n. [From F. musse. See Muset.] 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. [F. Muse, L. Musa, Gr. Mosaic, n., Music.]
1. (Class. Myth.) 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: &hand; Th e na mes of th e 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.] [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. Meditative; thoughtfully silent. "Museful mopings."
Dryden. -- Muse"ful*ly, adv.
Museless
Muse"less, a. Unregardful of the Muses; disregarding the power of
poetry; unpoetical. Milton.
Muser
Mus"er (?), n. One who muses.
Muset
Mu"set (?), n. [OF. mussette, dim. of musse, muce, a hiding place, fr.
F. musser, OF. mucier, muchier, to conceal, hide. Cf. Micher.] A small
hole or gap through which a wild animal passes; a muse. Shak.
Musette
Mu*sette" (?), n. [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. [L., a temple of the Muses, hence, a place of study,
fr. Gr. A repository or a collection of natural, scientific, or
literary curiosities, or of works of art. Museum beetle, Museum pest.
(Zo\'94l.) See Anthrenus.
Mush
Mush (?), n. [Cf. Gael. mus, muss, pap, porridge, any thick
preparation of fruit, OHG. muos; akin to AS. & OS. m\'d3s food, and
prob, to E. meat. See Meat.] Meal (esp. Indian meal) boiled in water;
hasty pudding; supawn. [U.S.]
Mush
Mush, v. t. [Cf. F. moucheter to cut with small cuts.] To notch, cut,
or indent, as cloth, with a stamp.
Mushroom
Mush"room (?), n. [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. <-- (b) any fungus developing a visible fruiting
body with a stem and cap, usu. of the basidiomycetes. -- a term used
most often for edible varieties -->
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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 cloud, a cloud of smoke
rising and then spreading laterally to take on the shape of a mushroom
-- caused by large fires or explosions, esp. nuclear explosions -->
<-- mushroom v. to grow or expand rapidly. mushroom into -- to grow so
much and so rapidly as to change qualitatively -->
Mushroom-headed
Mush"room-head`ed (?), a. (Bot.) Having a cylindrical body with a
convex head of larger diameter; having a head like that of a mushroom.
Mushy
Mush"y (?), a. 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. [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: &hand; No t 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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.<-- like hot and cold --> -- 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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]<-- esp. reprimand for an error or
misdeed -->
Musical
Mu"sic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. musical.] 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 (Zo\'94l.),
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.] <-- 3. A drama in which music and song are
prominent features = musical drama, musical play -->
Musicale
Mu`si`cale" (?), n. [F. Cf. Soir\'82e musicale.] A social musical
party. [Colloq.]
Musically
Mu"sic*al*ly (?), adv. In a musical manner.
Musicalness
Mu"sic*al*ness, n. The quality of being musical.
Musician
Mu*si"cian (?), n. [F. musicien.] 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. [Music + mania: cf. F. musicomanie.] (Med.) 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. [See Musmon.] (Zo\'94l.) See Mouflon.
Musingly
Mus"ing*ly (?), adv. In a musing manner.
Musit
Mu"sit (?), n. See Muset.
Musk
Musk (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.), muskrat (1). -- Musk beetle (Zo\'94l.), a
European longicorn beetle (Aromia moschata), having an agreeable odor
resembling that of attar of roses. -- Musk cat. See Bondar. -- Musk
cattle (Zo\'94l.), musk oxen. See Musk ox (below). -- Musk deer
(Zo\'94l.), 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.
(Zo\'94l.) (a) The Muscovy duck. (b) An Australian duck (Biziura
lobata). -- Musk lorikeet (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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 (Zo\'94l.),
the musk ox. -- Musk shrew (Zo\'94l.), 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 (Zo\'94l.), a small American
fresh-water tortoise (Armochelys, OR Ozotheca, odorata), which has a
distinct odor of musk; -- called also stinkpot.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 957
Musk
Musk (?), v. t. To perfume with musk.
Muskadel
Mus"ka*del` (?), n. See Muscadel.
Muskat
Mus"kat (?), n. See Muscat.
Muskellunge
Mus"kel*lunge (?), n. [From the Amer. Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [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. (Zo\'94l.) 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.<-- completely superseded -->
Musketeer
Mus`ket*eer" (?), n. [F. mousquetaire; cf. It. moschettiere.] A
soldier armed with a musket.
Musketo
Mus*ke"to (?), n. See Mosquito.
Musketoon
Mus`ket*oon" (?), n. [F. mousqueton; cf. It. moschettone.]
1. A short musket.
2. One who is armed with such a musket.
Musketry
Mus"ket*ry (?), n. [F. mousqueterie; cf. It. moschetteria.]
1. Muskets, collectively.
2. The fire of muskets. Motley.
Muskiness
Musk"i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being musky; the scent of
musk.
Muskmelon
Musk"mel`on (?), n. [Musk + melon.] (Bot.) 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.) 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. (Zo\'94l.) 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.<-- and sometimes water rat -->
2. (Zo\'94l.) The musk shrew.
3. (Zo\'94l.) The desman.
Muskwood
Musk"wood` (?), n. [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. Having an odor of musk, or somewhat the like. Milton.
Muslim
Mus"lim (?), n. See Moslem.
Muslin
Mus"lin (?), n. [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.] 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. [F. mousselinette.] A sort of coarse or light
cotton cloth.
Musmon
Mus"mon (?), n. [L. musmo, musimo, a Sardinian animal; cf. Gr.
(Zo\'94l.) See Mouflon.
Musomania
Mu`so*ma"ni*a (?), n. See Musicomania.
Musquash
Mus"quash (?), n. [American Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) See Muskrat.
Musquash root (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant (Cicuta maculata), having
a poisonous root. See Water hemlock.
Musquaw
Mus"quaw (?), n. [American Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) The American black
bear. See Bear.
Musquet
Mus"quet (?), n. See Musket.
Musquito
Mus*qui"to (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mosquito.
Musrole, Musrol
Mus"role, Mus"rol (?), n. [F. muserolle, fr. muserau a muzzle, OF.
musel. See Muzzle.] The nose band of a horse's bridle.
Muss
Muss (?), n. [Cf. OF. mousche a fly, also, the play called muss, fr.
L. musca a fly.] 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. 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.] To
disarrange, as clothing; to rumple. [Colloq. U.S.] <-- often used with
up = muss up -->
Muss
Muss, n. [Cf. OE. mus a mouse. See Mouse.] A term of endearment.
[Obs.] See Mouse. B. Jonson.
Mussel
Mus"sel (?), n. [See Muscle, 3.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of many species of marine bivalve shells of the
genus Mytilus, and related genera, of the family Mytid\'91. 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. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of Unio, and related
fresh-water genera; -- called also river mussel. See Naiad, and Unio.
Mussel digger (Zo\'94l.), the grayback whale. See Gray whale, under
Gray.
Mussitation
Mus`si*ta"tion (?), n. [L. mussitatio suppression of the voice, fr.
mussitare to be silent, to murmur.] A speaking in a low tone;
mumbling. [Obs.]
Mussite
Mus"site (?), n. (Min.) A variety of pyroxene, from the Mussa Alp in
Piedmont; diopside.
Mussulman
Mus"sul*man, n.; pl. Mussulmans (#). [Ar. muslim\'c6n, pl. of muslim:
cf. F. & Sp. musulman. See Moslem.] A Mohammedan; a Moslem.
Mussulmanic
Mus`sul*man"ic (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or like, the Mussulmans, or
their customs: Mohammedan.
Mussulmanish
Mus"sul*man*ish (?), a. Mohammedan.
Mussulmanism
Mus"sul*man*ism (?), n. Mohammedanism.
Mussulmanly
Mus"sul*man*ly, adv. In the manner of Moslems.
Mussy
Muss"y (?), a. [From 2d Muss.] Disarranged; rumpled. [Colloq. U.S.]
Must
Must (?), v. i. OR auxiliary. [OE. moste, a pret. generally meaning,
could, was free to, pres. mot, moot, AS. m\'d3ste, pret. m\'d3t,
pres.; akin to D. moetan to be obliged, OS. m\'d3tan to be free, to be
obliged, OHG. muozan, G. m\'81ssen to be obliged, Sw. m\'86ste must,
Goth. gam\'d3tan 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: &hand; Th e 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. [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. [Cf. Musty.] Mustiness.
Must
Must, v. t. & i. To make musty; to become musty.
Mustac
Mus"tac (?), n. [F. moustac.] (Zo\'94l.) A small tufted monkey.
Mustache
Mus*tache" (?), n.; pl. Mustaches (. [Written also moustache.] [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. (Zo\'94l.) A West African monkey (Cercopithecus cephus). It has
yellow whiskers, and a triangular blue mark on the nose.
3. (Zo\'94l.) Any conspicuous stripe of color on the side of the head,
beneath the eye of a bird.
Mustacho
Mus*ta"cho (?), n.; pl. Mustachios (. A mustache. Longfellow.
Mustachoed
Mus*ta"choed (?), a. Having mustachios.
Mustaiba
Mus`ta*i"ba (?), n. 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. [Sp. muste\'a4o belonging to the graziers, strayed,
wild.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [OF. moustarde, F. moutarde, fr. L. mustum must, --
mustard was prepared for use by being mixed with must. See Must, n.]
1. (Bot.) 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: &hand; 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. See Mestee.
Musteline
Mus"te*line (?), a. [L. mustelinus, fr. mustela weasel.] (Zo\'94l.)
Like or pertaining to the family Mustelid\'91, or the weasels and
martens.
Muster
Mus"ter (?), n. [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.]
[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. 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. In a musty state.
Mustiness
Mus"ti*ness, n. The quality or state of being musty.
Musty
Mus"ty (?), a. [Compar. Mustier (?); superl. Mustiest.] [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. [L. mutabilitas: cf. F. mutabilit\'82.] 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. [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. The quality of being mutable.
Mutably
Mu"ta*bly, adv. Changeably.
Mutacism
Mu"ta*cism (?), n. See Mytacism.
Mutage
Mu"tage (?), n. [F.] A process for checking the fermentation of the
must of grapes.
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Mutandum
Mu*tan"dum (?), n.; pl. Mutanda (#). [L., fr. mutare to change.] A
thing which is to be changed; something which must be altered; -- used
chiefly in the plural.
Mutation
Mu*ta"tion (?), n. [L. mutatio, fr. mutare to change: cf. F. mutation.
See Mutable.] 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. [Cf. D. mutse a cap, G. m\'81tze. Cf. Amice a cape.] The
close linen or muslin cap of an old woman. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Muchkin
Much"kin (?), n. A liquid measure equal to four gills, or an imperial
pint. [Scot.]
Mute
Mute (?), v. t. [L. mutare to change. See Molt.] To cast off; to molt.
Have I muted all my feathers? Beau. & Fl.
Mute
Mute, v. t. & i. [F. mutir, \'82meutir, OF. esmeltir, fr. OD. smelten,
prop., to melt. See Smelt.] To eject the contents of the bowels; --
said of birds. B. Jonson.
Mute
Mute, n. The dung of birds. Hudibras.
Mute
Mute, a. [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: &hand; In la w 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 (Zo\'94l.), a European wild white swan (Cygnus gibbus),
which produces no loud notes.<-- in distinction from the Trumpeter
swan --> 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.) 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.) 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. See Moot-hill. [Scot.]
Mutely
Mute"ly, adv. Without uttering words or sounds; in a mute manner;
silently.
Muteness
Mute"ness, n. The quality or state of being mute; speechlessness.
Mutic, Muticous
Mu"tic (?), Mu"ti*cous (?), a. [L. muticus, for mutilus. See
Mutilate.] (Bot. & Zo\'94l.) Without a point or pointed process;
blunt.
Mutilate
Mu"ti*late (?), a. [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. (Zo\'94l.) Having finlike appendages or flukes instead of legs, as
a cetacean.
Mutilate
Mu"ti*late, n. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [L. mutilatio: cf. F. mutilation.] 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. [Cf. F. mutilateur.] One who mutilates.
Mutilous
Mu"ti*lous (?), a. [L. mutilus. See Mutilate.] Mutilated; defective;
imperfect. [Obs.]
Mutine
Mu"tine (?), n. [F. mutin.] A mutineer. [Obs.]
Mutine
Mu"tine, v. i. [F. mutiner.] To mutiny. [Obs.]
Mutineer
Mu"ti*neer` (?), n. [See Mutiny.] One guilty of mutiny.
Muting
Mut"ing (?), n. Dung of birds.
Mutinous
Mu"ti*nous (?), a. [See Mutiny.] 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 (#). [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 re\'89nacted 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. The condition, state, or habit of being mute, or
without speech. Max M\'81ller.
Mutter
Mut"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Muttered (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Muttering.] [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. To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low
voice; as, to mutter threats. Shak.
Mutter
Mut"ter, n. Repressing or obscure utterance.
Mutterer
Mut"ter*er (?), n. One who mutters.
Mutteringly
Mut"ter*ing*ly, adv. With a low voice and indistinct articulation; in
a muttering manner.
Mutton
Mut"ton (?), n. [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 (Zo\'94l.), 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
(Zo\'94l.), 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. [A translation of a
phrase from a farce by De Brueys, revenons \'85 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. Like mutton; having a flavor of mutton.
Mutual
Mu"tu*al (?), a. [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: &hand; Th is us e of mu tual as sy nonymous wi th 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) 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. [Cf. F. mutualit\'82.]
1. The quality of correlation; reciprocation; interchange;
interaction; interdependence.
2. (Law) Reciprocity of consideration. Wharton.
Mutually
Mu"tu*al*ly (?), adv. In a mutual manner.
Mutuary
Mu"tu*a*ry (?), n. [L. mutuarius mutual.See Mutuation.] (Law) 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. [L. mutuatio, fr. mutuare, mutuari, to borrow,
fr. mutuus. See Mutual.] The act of borrowing or exchanging. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
Mutule
Mu"tule (?), n. [F., fr. L. mutulus.] (Arch.) 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. [Cf. Mixen.] Dirt; filth; muck. [Prov. Eng.] ose.
Mux
Mux, v. t. To mix in an unitidy and offensive way; to make a mess of.
[Prov. Eng.; Colloq. U.S.]
Muxy
Mux"y (?), a. Soft; sticky, and dirty. [Prov. Eng.] See Mucky.
Muzarab
Muz"a*rab (?), n. [Sp. mozarabe, fr. Ar. mosta'rib, a name applied to
strange tribes living among the Arabs.] (Eccl. Hist.) 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. Of or pertaining to Muzarabs; as, the Muzarabic
liturgy. [Written also Mozarabic.]
Muzziness
Muz"zi*ness (?), n. The state or quality of being muzzy.
Muzzle
Muz"zle (?), n. [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
(?).] [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. To bring the mouth or muzzle near.
The bear muzzles and smels to him. L'Estrange.
Muzzle-loader
Muz"zle-load`er (?), n. 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. Receiving its charge through the muzzle; as, a
muzzle-loading rifle.
Muzzy
Muz"zy (?), a. [Cf. F. muse.] 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. [OE. mi, fr. min. See Mine, and cf., for loss
of n, A, a., An, a.] 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. [L. mya a kind of mussel.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of bivalve
mollusks, including the common long, or soft-shelled, clam.
Myalgia
My*al"gi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Pain in the muscles; muscular
rheumatism or neuralgia.
Myall wood
My*all" wood` (?). (Bot.) 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. [NL.] (Zo\'94l.) A division of bivalve mollusks
of which the common clam (Mya) is the type.
Mycelium
My*ce"li*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. my`khs a mushroom.] (Bot.) 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. [Mycelium + -oid.] (Bot.) Resembling mycelium.
Mycetes
My*ce"tes (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. mykhth`s a bellower, fr. myka^sqai to
bellow.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of South American monkeys, including the
howlers. See Howler, 2, and Illust.
Mycetoid
Myc"e*toid (?), [Gr. my`khs, -htos, a fungus + -oid.] (Bot.)
Resembling a fungus.
Mycoderma
My`co*der"ma (?), n. [NL., from Gr. my`khs a fungus + de`rma skin.]
1. (Biol.) 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 zo\'94l\'d2a stage of
bacteria by not having the intermediary mucous substance.
2. A genus of micro\'94rganisms 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. Of or relating to mycology,
or the fungi.
Mycologist
My*col"o*gist (?), n. One who is versed in, or who studies, mycology.
Mycology
My*col"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. my`khs fungus + -logy.] That branch of
botanical science which relates to the musgrooms and other fungi.
Mycomelic
My`co*mel"ic (?), a. [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + (Chem.) 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. [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + E. protein.] (Biol.)
The protoplasmic matter of which bacteria are composed.
Mycose
My"cose (?), n. [Gr. (Chem.) A variety of sugar, isomeric with sucrose
and obtained from certain lichens and fungi. Called also trehalose.
[Written also mykose.]
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Page 959
Mycothrix
Myc"o*thrix (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (spurious) mucus) + (Biol.) The
chain of micrococci formed by the division of the micrococci in
multiplication.
Mydaleine
My*da"le*ine (?), n. [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.) A toxic alkaloid (ptomaine)
obtained from putrid flesh and from herring brines. As a poison it is
said to execute profuse diarrh\'d2a, vomiting, and intestinal
inflammation. Brieger.
Mydatoxin
Myd`a*tox"in (?), n. [Gr. toxic + in.] (Physiol. Chem.) A poisonous
amido acid, C6H13NO2, separated by Brieger from decaying horseflesh.
In physiological action, it is similar to curare.
Mydaus
Myd"a*us (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The teledu.
Mydriasis
My*dri"a*sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Physiol. & Med.) A long-continued
or excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye.
Mydriatic
Myd`ri*at"ic (?), a. Causing dilatation of the pupil. -- n. A
mydriatic medicine or agent, as belladonna.
Myelencephala
My`e*len*ceph"a*la (?), n. pl. [NL. See Myelencephalon.] (Zo\'94l.)
Same as Vertebrata.
Myelencephalic
My`e*len`ce*phal"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
myelencephalon; cerebro-spinal.
Myelencephalon
My`e*len*ceph"a*lon (?), n. [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. (Zo\'94l.)Of or pertaining to the
Myelencephala.
Myelin
My"e*lin (?), n. [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. [NL., from Gr. -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the
spinal marrow or its membranes.
Myeloc\'d2le
My"e*lo*c\'d2le` (?), n. [Gr. (Anat.) The central canal of the spinal
cord.
Myelogenic
My`e*lo*gen"ic (?), a. [Gr. (Physiol.) Derived from, or pertaining to,
the bone marrow.
Myeloid
My"e*loid (?), a. [Gr. -oid.] Resembling marrow in appearance or
consistency; as, a myeloid tumor.
Myeloidin
My`e*loid"in (?), n. [Myelin + -oid + -in.] (Physiol. Chem.) 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The spinal cord. (Sometimes
abbrev. to myel.)
Myelonal
My"e*lo`nal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the myelon; as, the
myelonal, or spinal, nerves.
Myeloneura
My`e*lo*neu"ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The Vertebrata.
Myeloplax
My*el"o*plax (?), n.; pl. E. Myeloplaxes (#), L. Myeloplaces (#).
[NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) 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. [L., a field mouse, Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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). <-- = the
trapdoor spiders; they are of the family Ctenizidae -->
Mylodon
Myl"o*don (?), n. [Gr. (Paleon.) An extinct genus of large slothlike
American edentates, allied to Megatherium.
Mylohyoid
My`lo*hy"oid (?), a. [Gr. hyoid.] (Anat.) Pertaining to, or in the
region of, the lower jaw and the hyoid apparatus; as, the mylohyoid
nerve.
Myna
My"na (?), n. [See Mino bird.] (Zo\'94l.) 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. [AS. mynecen, fr. munec monk. See Monk.] A nun.
[Obs.]
Mynchery
Myn"cher*y (?), n. A nunnery; -- a term still applied to the ruins of
certain nunneries in England.
Mynheer
Myn*heer" (?), n. [D. mijnheer.] The Dutch equivalent of Mr. or Sir;
hence, a Dutchman.
Myo-
My"o- (?). A combining form of Gr. muscle; as, myograph, myochrome.
Myocarditis
My`o*car*di"tis (?), n. [NL. see Myocardium.] (Med.) Inflammation of
the myocardium.
Myocardium
My`o*car"di*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) The main substance of the
muscular wall of the heart inclosed between the epicardium and
endocardium.
Myochrome
My"o*chrome (?), n. [Myo- + Gr. (Physiol.) 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 (#). [NL. See
Myo-, and Comma.] (Anat.) A myotome.
Myodynamics
My`o*dy*nam"ics (?), n. [Myo- + dynamics.] (Physiol.) 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. A myodynamometer.
Myodynamometer
My`o*dy`na*mom"e*ter (?), n. [Myo- + E. dynamometer.] (Physiol.) 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. [Myo- + epithelial.]
1. (Biol.) Derived from epithelial cells and destined to become a part
of the muscular system; -- applied to structural elements in certain
embryonic forms.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Having the characteristics of both muscle and
epithelium; as, the myoepithelial cells of the hydra.
Myogalid
My*og"a*lid (?), n. [Myo- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Myogalod\'91, a
family of Insectivora, including the desman, and allied species.
Myogram
My"o*gram (?), n. [Myo- + -gram.] (Physiol.) See Muscle curve, under
Muscle.
Myograph
My"o*graph (?), n. [Myo- + -graph.] (Physiol.) 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. Of or pertaining to
myography.
Myography
My*og"ra*phy (?), n. [Cf. F. myographie.] The description of muscles,
including the study of muscular contraction by the aid of registering
apparatus, as by some form of myograph; myology.
Myoh\'91matin
My`o*h\'91m"a*tin (?), n. [Myo- + h\'91matin.] (Physiol.) 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. [Myo- + -oid.] Composed of, or resembling, muscular
fiber.
Myolemma
My`o*lem"ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.) Sarcolemma.
Myolin
My"o*lin (?), n. [Gr. (Physiol.) The essential material of muscle
fibers.
Myologic, Myological
My`o*log"ic (?), My`o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to myology.
Myologist
My*ol"o*gist (?), n. One skilled in myology.
Myology
My*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Myo- + -logy: cf. F. myologie.] That part of
anatomy which treats of muscles.
Myoma
My*o"ma (?), n. [NL. See Myo-, and -oma.] (Med.) A tumor consisting of
muscular tissue.
Myomancy
My"o*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. -mancy.] Divination by the movements of mice.
Myomorph
My"o*morph (?), n. One of the Myomorpha.
Myomorpha
My`o*mor"pha (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) An extensive group
of rodents which includes the rats, mice, jerboas, and many allied
forms.
Myopathia
My`o*pa*thi"a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Any affection of the
muscles or muscular system.
Myopathic
My`o*path"ic (?), a. (Med.) Of or pertaining to myopathia.
Myopathy
My*op"a*thy (?), n. Same as Myopathia.
Myope
My"ope (?), n. [F., fr. Gr. A person having myopy; a myops.
Myophan
My"o*phan (?), n. [Myo- + Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A contractile striated layer
found in the bodies and stems of certain Infusoria.
Myopia
My*o"pi*a (?), n. [NL. See Myope.] (Med.) 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. 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.
Myips
My"ips (?), n. [NL.] See Myope.
Myopsis
My*op"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) The appearance of musc\'91
volitantes. See Musc\'91 volitantes, under Musca.
Myopy
My"o*py (?), n. [F. myopie.] (Med.) Myopia.
Myosin
My"o*sin (?), n. [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.) 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: &hand; My osin be longs to th e gr oup of gl obulins. 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. [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.) Long-continued contraction of
the pupil of the eye.
Myositic
My`o*sit"ic (?), a. (Med.) Myotic.
Myositis
My`o*si"tis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the
muscles.
Myosotis
My`o*so"tis (?), n. [NL.; Gr. (Bot.) A genus of plants. See Mouse-ear.
Myotic
My*ot"ic (?), a. [See Myosis.] (Med.) Producing myosis, or contraction
of the pupil of the eye, as opium, calabar bean, etc. -- n. A myotic
agent.
Myotome
My"o*tome (?), n. [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 protovertebr\'91; also, one of the
protovertebr\'91 themselves. (c) The muscular system of one metamere
of an articulate.
Myotomic
My`o*tom"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a myotome or myotomes.
Myotomy
My*ot"o*my (?), n. [Myo- + Gr. myotomie.] The dissection, or that part
of anatomy which treats of the dissection, of muscles.
Myrcia
Myr"ci*a (?), n. [NL.] (Bot.) 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- (?). [Gr. Myriad.] A prefix, esp. in the metric system,
indicating ten thousand, ten thousand times; as, myriameter.
Myriacanthous
Myr`i*a*can"thous (?), a. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having numerous spines, as
certain fishes.
Myriad
Myr"i*ad (?), n. [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. Consisting of a very great, but indefinite, number; as,
myriad stars.
Myriagram, Myriagramme
Myr"i*a*gram, Myr"i*a*gramme (?), n. [F. myriagramme. See Myria-, and
3d Gram.] 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. [F. myrialitre. See Myria-, and
Liter.] 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. [F. myriam\'8atre. See Myria-,
and Meter.] A metric measure of length, containing ten thousand
meters. It is equal to 6.2137 miles.
Myriapod
Myr"i*a*pod (?), n. [Cf. F. myriapode.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the
Myriapoda.
Myriapoda
Myr`i*ap"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zo\'94l.) 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
antenn\'91, three pairs of mouth organs, and numerous tracha\'91,
similar to those of true insects. The larv\'91, when first hatched,
often have but three pairs of legs. See Centiped, Galleyworm,
Milliped.
NOTE: &hand; Th e 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. [Gr. A captain or commander of ten thousand men.
Myriare
Myr"i*are (?), n. [F. See Myria-, and 2d Are.] 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. [L., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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. [Cf. F. myricine. Prob. so called from a fancied
resemblance to the wax of the bayberry (Myrica).] (Chem.) 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. [Myricin + -yl.] (Chem.) A hypothetical radical
regarded as the essential residue of myricin; -- called also melissyl.
Myriological
Myr`i*o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or relating to a myriologue.
Myriologist
Myr`i*ol"o*gist (?), n. One who composes or sings a myriologue.
Myriologue
Myr"i*o*logue (?), n. [F. myriologue, myriologie, NGr. 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. [Gr. (Bot.) Having an indefinitely great or
countless number of leaves.
Myriopoda
Myr`i*op"o*da (?), n. pl. See Myriapoda.
Myriorama
Myr`i*o*ra"ma (?), n. [Gr. 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. [Gr. -scope.] A form of kaleidoscope.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 960
Myristate
My*ris"tate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of myristic acid.
Myristic
My*ris"tic (?), a. (Chem.) 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.) The myristate of glycerin, -- found as a
vegetable fat in nutmeg butter, etc.
Myristone
My*ris"tone (?), n. [Myristc + -one.] (Chem.) The ketone of myristic
acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
Myrmicine
Myr"mi*cine (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to Myrmica, a genus of
ants including the small house ant (M. molesta), and many others.
Myrmidon
Myr"mi*don (?), n. [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. Consisting of, or like, myrmidons. Pope.
Myrmotherine
Myr`mo*the"rine (?), a. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Feeding upon ants; -- said of
certain birds.
Myrobalan, Myrobolan
My*rob"a*lan (?), My*rob"o*lan (?), n. [L. myrobalanum the fruit of a
palm tree from which a balsam was made, Gr. myrobolan.] 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. [Gr. (Chem.) 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. [Gr. One who sells unguents or perfumery. [Obs.]
Jonhson.
Myrosin
Myr"o*sin (?), n. (Chem.) A ferment, resembling diastase, found in
mustard seeds.
Myroxylon
My*rox"y*lon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.) 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. [OE. mirre, OF. mirre, F. myrrhe, L. myrrha, murra, Gr.
murr bitter, also myrrh, Heb. mar bitter.] 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. Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, myrrh.
Myrrhine
Myr"rhine (?), a. Murrhine.
Myrtaceous
Myr*ta"ceous (?), a. [L. myrtaceus.] (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or
resembling, a large and important natural order of trees and shrubs
(Myrtace\'91), of which the myrtle is the type. It includes the genera
Eucalyptus, Pimenta, Lechythis, and about seventy more.
Myrtiform
Myr"ti*form (?), a. [L. myrtus myrtle + -form: cf. F. myrtiforme.]
Resembling myrtle or myrtle berries; having the form of a myrtle leaf.
Myrtle
Myr"tle (?), n. [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from
myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. m.] (Bot.) 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: &hand; Th e na me is al so po pularly 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 (Zo\'94l.), 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 (. 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.<-- reflexive pron. -->
Myselven
My*selv"en (?), pron. Myself. [Obs.]
Mysis
My"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) 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. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the upper lip,
or mustache.
Mystagogic, Mystagogical
Mys`ta*gog"ic (?), Mys`ta*gog"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to
interpretation of mysteries or to mystagogue; of the nature of
mystagogy.
Mystagogue
Mys"ta*gogue (?), n. [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. The doctrines, principles, or practice of a
mystagogue; interpretation of mysteries.
Mysterial
Mys*te"ri*al (?), a. Mysterious. [Obs.]
Mysteriarch
Mys*te"ri*arch (?), n. [L. mysteriarches, Gr. One presiding over
mysteries. [Obs.]
Mysterious
Mys*te"ri*ous (?), a. [F. myst\'8arieux. See 1st Mystery.] 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. 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 (?).] To make mysterious; to make a mystery of.
Mystery
Mys"ter*y (?), n.; pl. Mysteries (#). [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. The consecrated elements in the eucharist.
4. Anything artfully made difficult; an enigma.
Mystery
Mys"ter*y, n.; pl. Mysteries. [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. m\'82tier,
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. [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. 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. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Any right whale, or whalebone
whale. See Cetacea.
Mysticism
Mys"ti*cism (?), n. [Cf. F. mysticisme.]
1. Obscurity of doctrine.
2. (Eccl. Hist.) 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.) 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. [Cf. F. mystification.] 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. One who mystifies.
Mystify
Mys"ti*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mystified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Mystifying (?).] [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. [Gr. Metacism.] Too frequent use of the letter m,
or of the sound represented by it.
Myth
Myth (?), n. [Written also mythe.] [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. See Myth. Grote.
Mythic, Mythical
Myth"ic (?), Myth"ic*al (?), a. [L. mythicus, Gr. Myth.] 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. [Gr. A composer of fables.
Mythologer
My*thol"o*ger (?), n. A mythologist.
Mythologian
Myth`o*lo"gi*an (?), n. A mythologist.
Mythologic, Mythological
Myth`o*log"ic (?), Myth`o*log"ic*al (?), a. [L. mythologicus: cf. F.
mytholigique.] Of or pertaining to mythology or to myths; mythical;
fabulous. -- Myth`o*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
Mythologist
My*thol"o*gist (?), n. [Cf. F. mythologiste.] One versed in, or who
writes on, mythology or myths.
Mythologize
My*thol"o*gize (?), v. i. [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. 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. [See Mythology.] 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 (#). [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. [Gr. A narration of mere fable.
Mythop\'d2ic
Myth`o*p\'d2"ic (?), a. [Gr. Making or producing myths; giving rise to
mythical narratives.
The mythop\'d2ic fertility of the Greeks. Grote.
Mythopoetic
Myth`o*po*et"ic (?), a. [Gr. Making or producing myths or mythical
tales.
Mytiloid
Myt"i*loid (?), a. [Mytilus + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Like, or pertaining
to, the genus Mytilus, or family Mytilid\'91.
Mytilotoxine
Myt`i*lo*tox"ine (?), n. [Mytilus + toxic.] (Physiol. Chem.) 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. [L., a sea mussel, Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of marine
bivalve shells, including the common mussel. See Illust. under Byssus.
Myxa
Myx"a (?), n. [L., a lamp nozzle, Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The distal end of the
mandibles of a bird.
Myxine
Myx"ine (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of marsipobranchs, including the
hagfish. See Hag, 4.
Myxinoid
Myx"i*noid (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Like, or pertaining to, the genus
Myxine. -- n. A hagfish.
Myxocystodea
Myx`o*cys*to"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A division of
Infusoria including the Noctiluca. See Noctiluca.
Myxoma
Myx*o"ma (?), n.; pl. Myxomata (#). [NL., fr. Gr. -oma.] (Med.) A
tumor made up of a gelatinous tissue resembling that found in the
umbilical cord.
Myxopod
Myx"o*pod (?), n. [Gr. -pod.] (Zo\'94l.) A rhizopod or moneran. Also
used adjectively; as, a myxopod state.
Myzontes
My*zon"tes (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The Marsipobranchiata.
Myzostomata
My`zo*stom"a*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. my`zein to suck + sto`ma,
-atos, mouth.] (Zo\'94l.) 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.
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