Words whose 4th letter is H

Alphonsine (a.) Of or relating to Alphonso X., the Wise, King of Castile (1252-1284).

Amphiaster (n.) The achromatic figure, formed in mitotic cell-division, consisting of two asters connected by a spindle-shaped bundle of rodlike fibers diverging from each aster, and called the spindle.

Amphiblastic (a.) Segmenting unequally; -- said of telolecithal ova with complete segmentation.

Amphibrach (n.) A foot of three syllables, the middle one long, the first and last short (~ -- ~); as, h/b/r/. In modern prosody the accented syllable takes the place of the long and the unaccented of the short; as, pro-phet#ic.

Amphicoelous (a.) Having both ends concave; biconcave; -- said of vertebrae.

Amphidisc (n.) A peculiar small siliceous spicule having a denticulated wheel at each end; -- found in freshwater sponges.

Amphidromical (a.) Pertaining to an Attic festival at the naming of a child; -- so called because the friends of the parents carried the child around the hearth and then named it.

Amphigamous (a.) Having a structure entirely cellular, and no distinct sexual organs; -- a term applied by De Candolle to the lowest order of plants.

Amphigen (n.) An element that in combination produces amphid salt; -- applied by Berzelius to oxygen, sulphur, selenium, and tellurium.

Amphioxus (n.) A fishlike creature (Amphioxus lanceolatus), two or three inches long, found in temperature seas; -- also called the lancelet. Its body is pointed at both ends. It is the lowest and most generalized of the vertebrates, having neither brain, skull, vertebrae, nor red blood. It forms the type of the group Acrania, Leptocardia, etc.

Amphipoda (n. pl.) A numerous group of fourteen -- footed Crustacea, inhabiting both fresh and salt water. The body is usually compressed laterally, and the anterior pairs or legs are directed downward and forward, but the posterior legs are usually turned upward and backward. The beach flea is an example. See Tetradecapoda and Arthrostraca.

Amphistylic (a.) Having the mandibular arch articulated with the hyoid arch and the cranium, as in the cestraciont sharks; -- said of a skull.

Amphora (n.) Among the ancients, a two-handled vessel, tapering at the bottom, used for holding wine, oil, etc.

Anthracnose (n.) Any one of several fungus diseases, caused by parasitic species of the series Melanconiales, attacking the bean, grape, melon, cotton, and other plants. In the case of the grape, brown concave spots are formed on the stem and fruit, and the disease is called bird's-eye rot.

Anthracosis (n.) A chronic lung disease, common among coal miners, due to the inhalation of coal dust; -- called also collier's lung and miner's phthisis.

Anchor (n.) Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; -- a part of the ornaments of certain moldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also egg-and-dart, egg-and-tongue) ornament.

Anchor (n.) One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges; also, one of the calcareous spinules of certain Holothurians, as in species of Synapta.

Anchorate (a.) Anchor-shaped.

Arthrospore (n.) A bacterial resting cell, -- formerly considered a spore, but now known to occur even in endosporous bacteria.

Antheridium (n.) The male reproductive apparatus in the lower, consisting of a cell or other cavity in which spermatozoids are produced; -- called also spermary.

Antheriform (a.) Shaped like an anther; anther-shaped.

Anthology (n.) A collection of flowers of literature, that is, beautiful passages from authors; a collection of poems or epigrams; -- particularly applied to a collection of ancient Greek epigrams.

Anthophagous (a.) Eating flowers; -- said of certain insects.

Anthraconite (n.) A coal-black marble, usually emitting a fetid smell when rubbed; -- called also stinkstone and swinestone.

Anthrax (n.) An infectious disease of cattle and sheep. It is ascribed to the presence of a rod-shaped bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), the spores of which constitute the contagious matter. It may be transmitted to man by inoculation. The spleen becomes greatly enlarged and filled with bacteria. Called also splenic fever.

Anthropocentric (a.) Assuming man as the center or ultimate end; -- applied to theories of the universe or of any part of it, as the solar system.

Anthropoid (a.) Resembling man; -- applied especially to certain apes, as the ourang or gorilla.

Anthropology (n.) The science of man; -- sometimes used in a limited sense to mean the study of man as an object of natural history, or as an animal.

Arch (n.) Usually a curved member made up of separate wedge-shaped solids, with the joints between them disposed in the direction of the radii of the curve; used to support the wall or other weight above an opening. In this sense arches are segmental, round (i. e., semicircular), or pointed.

Archaeolithic (a.) Of or pertaining to the earliest Stone age; -- applied to a prehistoric period preceding the Paleolithic age.

Archaism (a.) An ancient, antiquated, or old-fashioned, word, expression, or idiom; a word or form of speech no longer in common use.

Archbutler (n.) A chief butler; -- an officer of the German empire.

Archchamberlain (n.) A chief chamberlain; -- an officer of the old German empire, whose office was similar to that of the great chamberlain in England.

Archchancellor (n.) A chief chancellor; -- an officer in the old German empire, who presided over the secretaries of the court.

Archebiosis (n.) The origination of living matter from non-living. See Abiogenesis.

Archiater (n.) Chief physician; -- a term applied, on the continent of Europe, to the first or body physician of princes and to the first physician of some cities.

Arching (n.) Hogging; -- opposed to sagging.

Architecture (n.) The art or science of building; especially, the art of building houses, churches, bridges, and other structures, for the purposes of civil life; -- often called civil architecture.

Archilute (n.) A large theorbo, or double-necked lute, formerly in use, having the bass strings doubled with an octave, and the higher strings with a unison.

Archwise (adv.) Arch-shaped.

Arthropleura (n.) The side or limb-bearing portion of an arthromere.

Asphaltum (n.) A composition of bitumen, pitch, lime, and gravel, used for forming pavements, and as a water-proof cement for bridges, roofs, etc.; asphaltic cement. Artificial asphalt is prepared from coal tar, lime, sand, etc.

Authentics (n.) A collection of the Novels or New Constitutions of Justinian, by an anonymous author; -- so called on account of its authenticity.

Bachelor (n.) A kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (Pomoxys annularis) of the southern United States.

Bashaw (n.) A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the Mississippi valley; -- also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat.

Beshow (n.) A large food fish (Anoplopoma fimbria) of the north Pacific coast; -- called also candlefish.

Bethink (v. t.) To call to mind; to recall or bring to recollection, reflection, or consideration; to think; to consider; -- generally followed by a reflexive pronoun, often with of or that before the subject of thought.

Bethlehem (n.) A hospital for lunatics; -- corrupted into bedlam.

Bichloride (n.) A compound consisting of two atoms of chlorine with one or more atoms of another element; -- called also dichloride.

Bichromate (n.) A salt containing two parts of chromic acid to one of the other ingredients; as, potassium bichromate; -- called also dichromate.

Bishop (n.) A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a bishop's miter; -- formerly called archer.

Boohoo (n.) The sailfish; -- called also woohoo.

Boxhaul (v. t.) To put (a vessel) on the other tack by veering her short round on her heel; -- so called from the circumstance of bracing the head yards abox (i. e., sharp aback, on the wind).

Brahma (n.) A valuable variety of large, domestic fowl, peculiar in having the comb divided lengthwise into three parts, and the legs well feathered. There are two breeds, the dark or penciled, and the light; -- called also Brahmapootra.

Brahmoism (n.) The religious system of Brahmo-somaj.

Bushel (n.) A dry measure, containing four pecks, eight gallons, or thirty-two quarts.

Bushelman (n.) A tailor's assistant for repairing garments; -- called also busheler.

Bushhammer (n.) A hammer with a head formed of a bundle of square bars, with pyramidal points, arranged in rows, or a solid head with a face cut into a number of rows of such points; -- used for dressing stone.

Bushing (n.) A bush or lining; -- sometimes called a thimble. See 4th Bush.

Cachinnation (n.) Loud or immoderate laughter; -- often a symptom of hysterical or maniacal affections.

Cacholong (n.) An opaque or milk-white chalcedony, a variety of quartz; also, a similar variety of opal.

Cachucha (n.) An Andalusian dance in three-four time, resembling the bolero.

Cashew (n.) A tree (Anacardium occidentale) of the same family which the sumac. It is native in tropical America, but is now naturalized in all tropical countries. Its fruit, a kidney-shaped nut, grows at the extremity of an edible, pear-shaped hypocarp, about three inches long.

Catharist (n.) One aiming at or pretending to a greater purity of like than others about him; -- applied to persons of various sects. See Albigenses.

Cathay (n.) China; -- an old name for the Celestial Empire, said have been introduced by Marco Polo and to be a corruption of the Tartar name for North China (Khitai, the country of the Khitans.)

Cathetus (n.) One Cathode (n.) The part of a voltaic battery by which the electric current leaves substances through which it passes, or the surface at which the electric current passes out of the electrolyte; the negative pole; -- opposed to anode.

Catholic (a.) Not narrow-minded, partial, or bigoted; liberal; as, catholic tastes.

Cephalaspis (n.) A genus of fossil ganoid fishes found in the old red sandstone or Devonian formation. The head is large, and protected by a broad shield-shaped helmet prolonged behind into two lateral points.

Cephalata (n. pl.) A large division of Mollusca, including all except the bivalves; -- so called because the head is distinctly developed. See Illustration in Appendix.

Cephalotomy (n.) Craniotomy; -- usually applied to bisection of the fetal head with a saw.

Cephalous (a.) Having a head; -- applied chiefly to the Cephalata, a division of mollusks.

Cushion (n.) A riotous kind of dance, formerly common at weddings; -- called also cushion dance.

Cyphonautes (n.) The free-swimming, bivalve larva of certain Bryozoa.

Dachshund (n.) One of a breed of small dogs with short crooked legs, and long body; -- called also badger dog. There are two kinds, the rough-haired and the smooth-haired.

Dash (v. t.) To throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; -- often used with against.

Dash (v. t.) To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless haste; -- with off; as, to dash off a review or sermon.

Dash (v. t.) To erase by a stroke; to strike out; knock out; -- with out; as, to dash out a word.

Dash (n.) A mark or Dash (n.) A short, spirited effort or trial of speed upon a race course; -- used in horse racing, when a single trial constitutes the race.

Dashboard (n.) A board placed on the fore part of a carriage, sleigh, or other vehicle, to intercept water, mud, or snow, thrown up by the heels of the horses; -- in England commonly called splashboard.

Dashboard (n.) A screen at the bow af a steam launch to keep off the spray; -- called also sprayboard.

Dephlegmate (v. t.) To deprive of superabundant water, as by evaporation or distillation; to clear of aqueous matter; to rectify; -- used of spirits and acids.

Dephlegmation (n.) The operation of separating water from spirits and acids, by evaporation or repeated distillation; -- called also concentration, especially when acids are the subject of it.

Dichroite (n.) Iolite; -- so called from its presenting two different colors when viewed in two different directions. See Iolite.

Dichromate (n.) A salt of chromic acid containing two equivalents of the acid radical to one of the base; -- called also bichromate.

Dichromic (a.) Furnishing or giving two colors; -- said of defective vision, in which all the compound colors are resolvable into two elements instead of three.

Diphthong (n.) A coalition or union of two vowel sounds pronounced in one syllable; as, ou in out, oi in noise; -- called a proper diphthong.

Diphthong (n.) A vowel digraph; a union of two vowels in the same syllable, only one of them being sounded; as, ai in rain, eo in people; -- called an improper diphthong.

Diphyodont (a.) Having two successive sets of teeth (deciduous and permanent), one succeeding the other; as, a diphyodont mammal; diphyodont dentition; -- opposed to monophyodont.

Diphyozooid (n.) One of the free-swimming sexual zooids of Siphonophora.

Dishevel (v. t.) To suffer (the hair) to hang loosely or disorderly; to spread or throw (the hair) in disorder; -- used chiefly in the passive participle.

Dishing (a.) Dish-shaped; concave.

Dishonor (v. t.) To refuse or decDochmius (n.) A foot of five syllables (usually / -- -/ -).

Dorhawk (n.) The European goatsucker; -- so called because it eats the dor beetle. See Goatsucker.

Durham (n.) One or a breed of short-horned cattle, originating in the county of Durham, England. The Durham cattle are noted for their beef-producing quality.

Each (a. / a. pron.) Every; -- sometimes used interchangeably with every.

Ecchymose (v. t.) To discolor by the production of an ecchymosis, or effusion of blood, beneath the skin; -- chiefly used in the passive form; as, the parts were much ecchymosed.

Eightieth (a.) The next in order after seventy-ninth.

Either (a. & pron.) One of two; the one or the other; -- properly used of two things, but sometimes of a larger number, for any one.

Either (a. & pron.) Each of two; the one and the other; both; -- formerly, also, each of any number.

Elohistic (a.) Relating to Elohim as a name of God; -- said of passages in the Old Testament.

Enchodus (n.) A genus of extinct Cretaceous fishes; -- so named from their spear-shaped teeth. They were allied to the pike (Esox).

Enchoric (a.) Belonging to, or used in, a country; native; domestic; popular; common; -- said especially of the written characters employed by the common people of ancient Egypt, in distinction from the hieroglyphics. See Demotic.

Eschscholtzia (n.) A genus of papaveraceous plants, found in California and upon the west coast of North America, some species of which produce beautiful yellow, orange, rose-colored, or white flowers; the California poppy.

Euchre (n.) A game at cards, that may be played by two, three, or four persons, the highest card (except when an extra card called the Joker is used) being the knave of the same suit as the trump, and called right bower, the lowest card used being the seven, or frequently, in two-handed euchre, the nine spot. See Bower.

Euphonious (a.) Pleasing or sweet in sound; euphonic; smooth-sounding.

Euphotide (n.) A rock occurring in the Alps, consisting of saussurite and smaragdite; -- sometimes called gabbro.

Euphuism (n.) An affectation of excessive elegance and refinement of language; high-flown diction.

Euphuist (n.) One who affects excessive refinement and elegance of language; -- applied esp. to a class of writers, in the age of Elizabeth, whose productions are marked by affected conceits and high-flown diction.

Exchange (n.) To part with give, or transfer to another in consideration of something received as an equivalent; -- usually followed by for before the thing received.

Exchequer (n.) One of the superior courts of law; -- so called from a checkered cloth, which covers, or formerly covered, the table.

Exclamation (n.) A mark or sign by which outcry or emphatic utterance is marked; thus [!]; -- called also exclamation point.

Fashion (v. t.) To fit; to adapt; to accommodate; -- with to.

Fashionable (a.) Genteel; well-bred; as, fashionable society.

Fashionable (n.) A person who conforms to the fashions; -- used chiefly in the plural.

Fashioned (a.) Having a certain style or fashion; as old-fashioned; new-fashioned.

Father (n.) A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors.

Father (n.) One of the chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers.

Fathom (n.) A measure of length, containing six feet; the space to which a man can extend his arms; -- used chiefly in measuring cables, cordage, and the depth of navigable water by soundings.

Fight (v. i.) To strive or contend for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; -- followed by with or against.

Fishhawk (n.) The osprey (Pandion haliaetus), found both in Europe and America; -- so called because it plunges into the water and seizes fishes in its talons. Called also fishing eagle, and bald buzzard.

Fishhook (n.) A hook with a pendant, to the end of which the fish-tackle is hooked.

Fuchsia (n.) A genus of flowering plants having elegant drooping flowers, with four sepals, four petals, eight stamens, and a single pistil. They are natives of Mexico and South America. Double-flowered varieties are now common in cultivation.

Fuchsine (n.) AniFuthork (n.) The Runic alphabet; -- so called from the six letters f, u, / (th), o (or a), r, c (=k).

Gash (v. t.) To make a gash, or long, deep incision in; -- applied chiefly to incisions in flesh.

Gephyrean (a.) Belonging to the Gephyrea. -- n. One of the Gerphyrea.

Gopher (n.) One of several western American species of the genus Spermophilus, of the family Sciuridae; as, the gray gopher (Spermophilus Franklini) and the striped gopher (S. tridecemGoshawk (n.) Any large hawk of the genus Astur, of which many species and varieties are known. The European (Astur palumbarius) and the American (A. atricapillus) are the best known species. They are noted for their powerful flight, activity, and courage. The Australian goshawk (A. Novae-Hollandiae) is pure white.

Gothamist (n.) A wiseacre; a person deficient in wisdom; -- so called from Gotham, in Nottinghamshire, England, noted for some pleasant blunders.

Gothic (a.) Of or pertaining to a style of architecture with pointed arches, steep roofs, windows large in proportion to the wall spaces, and, generally, great height in proportion to the other dimensions -- prevalent in Western Europe from about 1200 to 1475 a. d. See Illust. of Abacus, and Capital.

Gothic (n.) A kind of square-cut type, with no hair High (superl.) Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; -- used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection

High (superl.) Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; -- used in a bad sense.

High (superl.) Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.

High (superl.) Acute or sharp; -- opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.

Highfaluting (n.) High-flown, bombastic language.

Hithe (n.) A port or small haven; -- used in composition; as, Lambhithe, now Lambeth.

Hither (adv.) To this place; -- used with verbs signifying motion, and implying motion toward the speaker; correlate of hence and thither; as, to come or bring hither.

Hither (adv.) To this point, source, conclusion, design, etc.; -- in a sense not physical.

Hither (a.) Being on the side next or toward the person speaking; nearer; -- correlate of thither and farther; as, on the hither side of a hill.

Huchen (n.) A large salmon (Salmo, / Salvelinus, hucho) inhabiting the Danube; -- called also huso, and bull trout.

Hush (v. i.) To become or to keep still or quiet; to become silent; -- esp. used in the imperative, as an exclamation; be still; be silent or quiet; make no noise.

Hushing (n.) The process of washing ore, or of uncovering mineral veins, by a heavy discharge of water from a reservoir; flushing; -- also called booming.

Hyphen (n.) A mark or short dash, thus [-], placed at the end of a Imphee (n.) The African sugar cane (Holcus saccharatus), -- resembling the sorghum, or Chinese sugar cane.

Inch (n.) An island; -- often used in the names of small islands off the coast of Scotland, as in Inchcolm, Inchkeith, etc.

Inch (a.) Measurement an inch in any dimension, whether length, breadth, or thickness; -- used in composition; as, a two-inch cable; a four-inch plank.

Inched (a.) Having or measuring (so many) inches; as, a four-inched bridge.

Itch (n.) A sensation in the skin occasioned (or resembling that occasioned) by the itch eruption; -- called also scabies, psora, etc.

Jayhawker (n.) A name given to a free-booting, unenlisted, armed man or guerrilla.

Kosher (a.) Ceremonially clean, according to Jewish law; -- applied to food, esp. to meat of animals slaughtered according to the requirements of Jewish law. Opposed to tref. Hence, designating a shop, store, house, etc., where such food is sold or used.

Lachrymatory (n.) A "tear-bottle;" a narrow-necked vessel found in sepulchers of the ancient Romans; -- so called from a former notion that the tears of the deceased person's friends were collected in it. Called also lachrymal or lacrymal.

Lachrymiform (a.) Having the form of a tear; tear-shaped.

Lash (n.) A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough; as, the culprit received thirty-nine lashes.

Lasher (n.) A piece of rope for binding or making fast one thing to another; -- called also lashing.

Lathe (n.) Formerly, a part or division of a county among the Anglo-Saxons. At present it consists of four or five hundreds, and is confined to the county of Kent.

Lathe (n.) The movable swing frame of a loom, carrying the reed for separating the warp threads and beating up the weft; -- called also lay and batten.

Lecherous (a.) Like a lecher; addicted to lewdness; lustful; also, lust-provoking.

Leghorn (n.) A straw plaiting used for bonnets and hats, made from the straw of a particular kind of wheat, grown for the purpose in Tuscany, Italy; -- so called from Leghorn, the place of exportation.

Lichen (n.) One of a class of cellular, flowerless plants, (technically called Lichenes), having no distinction of leaf and stem, usually of scaly, expanded, frond-like forms, but sometimes erect or pendulous and variously branched. They derive their nourishment from the air, and generate by means of spores. The species are very widely distributed, and form irregular spots or patches, usually of a greenish or yellowish color, upon rocks, trees, and various bodies, to which they adhere with gre> Light (n.) The manner in which the light strikes upon a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; -- opposed to shade. Cf. Chiaroscuro.

Light (n.) To set fire to; to cause to burn; to set burning; to ignite; to kindle; as, to light a candle or lamp; to light the gas; -- sometimes with up.

Light (n.) To give light to; to illuminate; to fill with light; to spread over with light; -- often with up.

Light (v. i.) To be illuminated; to receive light; to brighten; -- with up; as, the room lights up very well.

Light (v. i.) To dismount; to descend, as from a horse or carriage; to alight; -- with from, off, on, upon, at, in.

Light (v. i.) To come down suddenly and forcibly; to fall; -- with on or upon.

Light (v. i.) To come by chance; to happen; -- with on or upon; formerly with into.

Lights (n. pl.) The lungs of an animal or bird; -- sometimes coarsely applied to the lungs of a human being.

Lithic (a.) Pertaining to the formation of uric-acid concretions (stone) in the bladder and other parts of the body; as, lithic diathesis.

Lithogenous (a.) Stone-producing; -- said of polyps which form coral.

Lithophagous (a.) Eating or destroying stone; -- applied to various animals which make burrows in stone, as many bivalve mollusks, certain sponges, annelids, and sea urchins. See Lithodomus.

Lithophane (n.) Porcelain impressed with figures which are made distinct by transmitted light, -- as when hung in a window, or used as a lamp shade.

Lithotypy (n.) The art or process of making a kind of hard, stereotypeplate, by pressing into a mold, taken from a page of type or other matter, a composition of gum shell-lac and sand of a fine quality, together with a little tar and linseed oil, all in a heated state.

Lightstruck (a.) Damaged by accidental exposure to light; light-fogged; -- said of plates or films.

Lophine (n.) A nitrogenous organic base obtained by the oxidation of amarine, and regarded as a derivative of benzoic aldehyde. It is obtained in long white crystalLophosteon (n.) The central keel-bearing part of the sternum in birds.

Lythe (n.) The European pollack; -- called also laith, and leet.

Machairodus (n.) 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 (n.) 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.

Math (n.) A mowing, or that which is gathered by mowing; -- chiefly used in composition; as, an aftermath.

Mechoacan (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.

Menhaden (n.) 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.

Methodist (n.) 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.

Methodist (n.) A person of strict piety; one who lives in the exact observance of religious duties; -- sometimes so called in contempt or ridicule.

Methylene (n.) 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.

Methysticin (n.) A white, silky, crystalMightiness (n.) Highness; excellency; -- with a possessive pronoun, a title of dignity; as, their high mightinesses.

Mishap (v. i.) To happen unluckily; -- used impersonally.

Mithridate (n.) 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.

Motherland (n.) The country of one's ancestors; -- same as fatherland.

Mothy (a.) Infested with moths; moth-eaten.

Mush (n.) A march on foot, esp. across the snow with dogs; as, he had a long mush before him; -- also used attributively.

Mushroom (n.) 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.

Mushroom (a.) Resembling mushrooms in rapidity of growth and shortness of duration; short-lived; ephemerial; as, mushroom cities.

Mushy (a.) Soft like mush; figuratively, good-naturedly weak and effusive; weakly sentimental.

Myohaematin (n.) A red-colored respiratory pigment found associated with hemoglobin in the muscle tissue of a large number of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate.

Naphthalenic (a.) Pertaining to , or derived from, naphthalene; -- used specifically to designate a yellow crystalNaphthalic (a.) Pertaining to, derived from, or related to, naphthalene; -- used specifically to denote any one of a series of acids derived from naphthalene, and called naphthalene acids.

Naphthazarin (n.) A dyestuff, resembling alizarin, obtained from naphthoquinone as a red crystalNaphthoic (a.) Pertaining to, derived from, or related to, naphthalene; -- used specifically to designate any one of a series of carboxyl derivatives, called naphthoic acids.

Nephew (n.) The son of a brother or a sister, or of a brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Nether (a.) Situated down or below; lying beneath, or in the lower part; having a lower position; belonging to the region below; lower; under; -- opposed to upper.

Nighttime (n.) The time from dusk to dawn; -- opposed to daytime.

Nothing (n.) Not anything; no thing (in the widest sense of the word thing); -- opposed to anything and something.

Nuchal (a.) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the back, or nape, of the neck; -- applied especially to the anterior median plate in the carapace of turtles.

Nuphar (n.) A genus of plants found in the fresh-water ponds or lakes of Europe, Asia, and North America; the yellow water lily. Cf. Nymphaea.

Omphalotomy (n.) The operation of dividing the navel-string.

Orchard (n.) An inclosure containing fruit trees; also, the fruit trees, collectively; -- used especially of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, or the like, less frequently of nutbearing trees and of sugar maple trees.

Orchestra (n.) The space in a theater between the stage and the audience; -- originally appropriated by the Greeks to the chorus and its evolutions, afterward by the Romans to persons of distinction, and by the moderns to a band of instrumental musicians.

Orchestra (n.) A band composed, for the largest part, of players of the various viol instruments, many of each kind, together with a proper complement of wind instruments of wood and brass; -- as distinguished from a military or street band of players on wind instruments, and from an assemblage of solo players for the rendering of concerted pieces, such as septets, octets, and the like.

Orchestration (n.) The arrangement of music for an orchestra; orchestral treatment of a composition; -- called also instrumentation.

Orthoclastic (a.) Breaking in directions at right angles to each other; -- said of the monoclinic feldspars.

Orthodox (a.) Sound in opinion or doctrine, especially in religious doctrine; hence, holding the Christian faith; believing the doctrines taught in the Scriptures; -- opposed to heretical and heterodox; as, an orthodox Christian.

Orthodoxy (n.) Soundness of faith; a belief in the doctrines taught in the Scriptures, or in some established standard of faith; -- opposed to heterodoxy or to heresy.

Orthodoxy (n.) Consonance to genuine Scriptural doctrines; -- said of moral doctrines and beliefs; as, the orthodoxy of a creed.

Orthodromics (n.) The art of sailing in a direct course, or on the arc of a great circle, which is the shortest distance between any two points on the surface of the globe; great-circle sailing; orthodromy.

Orthogamy (n.) Direct fertilization in plants, as when the pollen fertilizing the ovules comes from the stamens of the same blossom; -- opposed to heterogamy.

Orthognathous (a.) Having the front of the head, or the skull, nearly perpendicular, not retreating backwards above the jaws; -- opposed to prognathous. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.

Orthogonal (a.) Right-angled; rectangular; as, an orthogonal intersection of one curve with another.

Orthometric (a.) Having the axes at right angles to one another; -- said of crystals or crystalOrthospermous (a.) Having the seeds straight, as in the fruits of some umbelliferous plants; -- opposed to coelospermous.

Orthotone (a.) Retaining the accent; not enclitic; -- said of certain indefinite pronouns and adverbs when used interrogatively, which, when not so used, are ordinarilly enclitic.

Orthotropic (a.) Having the longer axis vertical; -- said of erect stems.

Ought (imp., p. p., or auxiliary) To be necessary, fit, becoming, or expedient; to behoove; -- in this sense formerly sometimes used impersonally or without a subject expressed.

Outhaul (n.) A rope used for hauling out a sail upon a spar; -- opposite of inhaul.

Pachonta (n.) A substance resembling gutta-percha, and used to adulterate it, obtained from the East Indian tree Isonandra acuminata.

Pachydermatous (a.) Thick-skinned; not sensitive to ridicule.

Pachyglossal (a.) Having a thick tongue; -- applied to a group of lizards (Pachyglossae), including the iguanas and agamas.

Pathos (n.) The quality or character of those emotions, traits, or experiences which are personal, and therefore restricted and evanescent; transitory and idiosyncratic dispositions or feelings as distinguished from those which are universal and deep-seated in character; -- opposed to ethos.

Pathogene (n.) One of a class of virulent microorganisms or bacteria found in the tissues and fluids in infectious diseases, and supposed to be the cause of the disease; a pathogenic organism; a pathogenic bacterium; -- opposed to zymogene.

Pauhaugen (n.) The menhaden; -- called also poghaden.

Phthongal (a.) Formed into, or characterized by, voice; vocalized; -- said of all the vowels and the semivowels, also of the vocal or sonant consonants g, d, b, l, r, v, z, etc.

Pooh (interj.) Pshaw! pish! nonsense! -- an expression of scorn, dislike, or contempt.

Pothook (n.) An S-shaped hook on which pots and kettles are hung over an open fire.

Prehnitic (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, a tetrabasic acid of benzene obtained as a white crystalPugh (interj.) Pshaw! pish! -- a word used in contempt or disdain.

Push (v. t.) To press against with force; to drive or impel by pressure; to endeavor to drive by steady pressure, without striking; -- opposed to draw.

Rathskeller (n.) Orig., in Germany, the cellar or basement of the city hall, usually rented for use as a restaurant where beer is sold; hence, a beer saloon of the German type below the street level, where, usually, drinks are served only at tables and simple food may also be had; -- sometimes loosely used, in English, of what are essentially basement restaurants where liquors are served.

Rechabite (n.) One of the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, all of whom by his injunction abstained from the use of intoxicating drinks and even from planting the vine. Jer. xxxv. 2-19. Also, in modern times, a member of a certain society of abstainers from alcoholic liquors.

Redhead (n.) An American duck (Aythya Americana) highly esteemed as a game bird. It is closely allied to the canvasback, but is smaller and its head brighter red. Called also red-headed duck. American poachard, grayback, and fall duck. See Illust. under Poachard.

Redhead (n.) The red-headed woodpecker. See Woodpecker.

Rich (superl.) Having an abundance of material possessions; possessed of a large amount of property; well supplied with land, goods, or money; wealthy; opulent; affluent; -- opposed to poor.

Rich (superl.) Abounding in agreeable or nutritive qualities; -- especially applied to articles of food or drink which are high-seasoned or abound in oleaginous ingredients, or are sweet, luscious, and high-flavored; as, a rich dish; rich cream or soup; rich pastry; rich wine or fruit.

Richweed (n.) An herb (Pilea pumila) of the Nettle family, having a smooth, juicy, pellucid stem; -- called also clearweed.

Right (a.) Of or pertaining to that side of the body in man on which the muscular action is usually stronger than on the other side; -- opposed to left when used in reference to a part of the body; as, the right side, hand, arm. Also applied to the corresponding side of the lower animals.

Right (a.) The straight course; adherence to duty; obedience to lawful authority, divine or human; freedom from guilt, -- the opposite of moral wrong.

Rush (n.) A name given to many aquatic or marsh-growing endogenous plants with soft, slender stems, as the species of Juncus and Scirpus.

Ruthenium (n.) A rare element of the light platinum group, found associated with platinum ores, and isolated as a hard, brittle steel-gray metal which is very infusible. Symbol Ru. Atomic weight 103.5. Specific gravity 12.26. See Platinum metals, under Platinum.

Saphead (n.) A weak-minded, stupid fellow; a milksop.

Saphenous (a.) Manifest; -- applied to the two principal superficial veins of the lower limb of man.

Sash (n.) A scarf or band worn about the waist, over the shoulder, or otherwise; a belt; a girdle, -- worn by women and children as an ornament; also worn as a badge of distinction by military officers, members of societies, etc.

Sash (n.) In a sawmill, the rectangular frame in which the saw is strained and by which it is carried up and down with a reciprocating motion; -- also called gate.

Sawhorse (n.) A kind of rack, shaped like a double St. Andrew's cross, on which sticks of wood are laid for sawing by hand; -- called also buck, and sawbuck.

Sechium (n.) The edible fruit of a West Indian plant (Sechium edule) of the Gourd family. It is soft, pear-shaped, and about four inches long, and contains a single large seed. The root of the plant resembles a yam, and is used for food.

Sighted (a.) Having sight, or seeing, in a particular manner; -- used in composition; as, long-sighted, short-sighted, quick-sighted, sharp-sighted, and the like.

Siphonarid (n.) Any one of numerous species of limpet-shaped pulmonate gastropods of the genus Siphonaria. They cling to rocks between high and low water marks and have both lunglike organs and gills.

Siphoniferous (a.) Siphon-bearing, as the shell of the nautilus and other cephalopods.

Siphonophora (n. pl.) An order of pelagic Hydrozoa including species which form complex free-swimming communities composed of numerous zooids of various kinds, some of which act as floats or as swimming organs, others as feeding or nutritive zooids, and others as reproductive zooids. See Illust. under Physallia, and Porpita.

Siphonostomatous (a.) Having the front edge of the aperture of the shell prolonged in the shape of a channel for the protection of the siphon; -- said of certain gastropods.

Subhepatic (a.) Situated under, or on the ventral side of, the liver; -- applied to the interlobular branches of the portal vein.

Such (a.) Of that kind; of the like kind; like; resembling; similar; as, we never saw such a day; -- followed by that or as introducing the word or proposition which defines the similarity, or the standard of comparison; as, the books are not such that I can recommend them, or, not such as I can recommend; these apples are not such as those we saw yesterday; give your children such precepts as tend to make them better.

Such (a.) The same that; -- with as; as, this was the state of the kingdom at such time as the enemy landed.

Such (a.) Certain; -- representing the object as already particularized in terms which are not mentioned.

Suchospondylous (a.) Having dorsal vertebrae with long and divided transverse processes; -- applied to certain reptiles.

Tachyglossa (n. pl.) A division of monotremes which comprises the spiny ant-eaters of Australia and New Guinea. See Illust. under Echidna.

Tachylyte (n.) A vitreous form of basalt; -- so called because decomposable by acids and readily fusible.

Tachyscope (n.) An early form of antimated-picture machine, devised in 1889 by Otto Anschutz of Berlin, in which the chronophotographs were mounted upon the periphery of a rotating wheel.

Tephroite (n.) A silicate of manganese of an ash-gray color.

Tephrosia (n.) A genus of leguminous shrubby plants and herbs, mostly found in tropical countries, a few herbaceous species being North American. The foliage is often ashy-pubescent, whence the name.

Tewhit (n.) The lapwing; -- called also teewheep.

Tight (superl.) Close, so as not to admit the passage of a liquid or other fluid; not leaky; as, a tight ship; a tight cask; a tight room; -- often used in this sense as the second member of a compound; as, water-tight; air-tight.

Tight (superl.) Not slack or loose; firmly stretched; taut; -- applied to a rope, chain, or the like, extended or stretched out.

Tight (superl.) Pressing; stringent; not easy; firmly held; dear; -- said of money or the money market. Cf. Easy, 7.

Tights (n. pl.) Close-fitting garments, especially for the lower part of the body and the legs.

Trehalose (n.) Mycose; -- so called because sometimes obtained from trehala.

Tschego (n.) A West African anthropoid ape allied to the gorilla and chimpanzee, and by some considered only a variety of the chimpanzee. It is noted for building large, umbrella-shaped nests in trees. Called also tscheigo, tschiego, nschego, nscheigo.

Tuch (n.) A dark-colored kind of marble; touchstone.

Tush (n.) A long, pointed tooth; a tusk; -- applied especially to certain teeth of horses.

Unchancy (a.) Ill-fated; unlucky.

Urchin (n.) A pert or roguish child; -- now commonly used only of a boy.

Urchin (n.) One of a pair in a series of small card cylinders, arranged around a carding drum; -- so called from its fancied resemblance to the hedgehog.

Urohaematin (n.) Urinary haematin; -- applied to the normal coloring matter of the urine, on the supposition that it is formed either directly or indirectly (through bilirubin) from the haematin of the blood. See Urochrome, and Urobilin.

Vugh (n.) A cavity in a lode; -- called also vogle.

Waahoo (n.) The burning bush; -- said to be called after a quack medicine made from it.

Wash (v. t.) To remove by washing to take away by, or as by, the action of water; to drag or draw off as by the tide; -- often with away, off, out, etc.; as, to wash dirt from the hands.

Wash (v. i.) To be wasted or worn away by the action of water, as by a running or overflowing stream, or by the dashing of the sea; -- said of road, a beach, etc.

Washboard (n.) A broad, thin plank, fixed along the gunwale of boat to keep the sea from breaking inboard; also, a plank on the sill of a lower deck port, for the same purpose; -- called also wasteboard.

Washed (a.) Appearing as if overlaid with a thin layer of different color; -- said of the colors of certain birds and insects.

Washerwoman (n.) The pied wagtail; -- so called in allusion to its beating the water with its tail while tripping along the leaves of water plants.

Wash (n.) The dry bed of an intermittent stream, sometimes at the bottom of a ca?on; as, the Amargosa wash, Diamond wash; -- called also dry wash.

Washing (n.) The operation of simultaneously buying and selling the same stock for the purpose of manipulating the market. The transaction is fictitious, and is prohibited by stock-exchange rules.

Wich (n.) A street; a village; a castle; a dwelling; a place of work, or exercise of authority; -- now obsolete except in composition; as, bailiwick, Warwick, Greenwick.

Wight (n.) A human being; a person, either male or female; -- now used chiefly in irony or burlesque, or in humorous language.

Wishbone (n.) The forked bone in front of the breastbone in birds; -- called also merrythought, and wishing bone. See Merrythought, and Furculum.

With (prep.) To denote a close or direct relation of opposition or hostility; -- equivalent to against.

With (prep.) To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; -- sometimes equivalent to by.

Withal (prep.) With; -- put after its object, at the end of sentence or clause in which it stands.

Withernam (n.) A second or reciprocal distress of other goods in lieu of goods which were taken by a first distress and have been eloigned; a taking by way of reprisal; -- chiefly used in the expression capias in withernam, which is the name of a writ used in connection with the action of replevin (sometimes called a writ of reprisal), which issues to a defendant in replevin when he has obtained judgment for a return of the chattels replevied, and fails to obtain them on the writ of return.

Without (conj.) Unless; except; -- introducing a clause.

Xiphidium (n.) A genus of plants of the order Haemodraceae, having two-ranked, sword-shaped leaves.

Xiphiplastron (n.) The posterior, or fourth, lateral plate in the plastron of turtles; -- called also xiphisternum.

Xiphisternum (n.) The posterior segment, or extremity, of the sternum; -- sometimes called metasternum, ensiform cartilage, ensiform process, or xiphoid process.

Xiphophyllous (a.) Having sword-shaped leaves.

Zaphrentis (n.) An extinct genus of cyathophylloid corals common in the Paleozoic formations. It is cup-shaped with numerous septa, and with a deep pit in one side of the cup.

Zephyrus (n.) The west wind, or zephyr; -- usually personified, and made the most mild and gentle of all the sylvan deities.

Zither (n.) An instrument of music used in Austria and Germany. It has from thirty to forty wires strung across a shallow sounding-board, which lies horizontally on a table before the performer, who uses both hands in playing on it. [Not to be confounded with the old lute-shaped cittern, or cithern.]

About the author

Mark McCracken Author: Mark McCracken is a corporate trainer and author living in Higashi Osaka, Japan. He is the author of thousands of online articles as well as the Business English textbook, "25 Business Skills in English".

Copyright © 2011 Mark McCracken , All Rights Reserved.