Words whose 6th letter is A

Abdicant (a.) Abdicating; renouncing; -- followed by of.

Abdicate (v. t.) To renounce; to relinquish; -- said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc.

Abrogate (v. t.) To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or his successor; to repeal; -- applied to the repeal of laws, decrees, ordinances, the abolition of customs, etc.

Absonant (a.) Discordant; contrary; -- opposed to consonant.

Abstract (a.) Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; -- opposed to concrete; as, honesty is an abstract word.

Abundance (n.) An overflowing fullness; ample sufficiency; great plenty; profusion; copious supply; superfluity; wealth: -- strictly applicable to quantity only, but sometimes used of number.

Abundant (a.) Fully sufficient; plentiful; in copious supply; -- followed by in, rarely by with.

Acacia (n.) The inspissated juice of several species of acacia; -- called also gum acacia, and gum arabic.

Accusable (a.) Liable to be accused or censured; chargeable with a crime or fault; blamable; -- with of.

Acephala (n. pl.) That division of the Mollusca which includes the bivalve shells, like the clams and oysters; -- so called because they have no evident head. Formerly the group included the Tunicata, Brachiopoda, and sometimes the Bryozoa. See Mollusca.

Acephalocyst (n.) A larval entozoon in the form of a subglobular or oval vesicle, or hydatid, filled with fluid, sometimes found in the tissues of man and the lower animals; -- so called from the absence of a head or visible organs on the vesicle. These cysts are the immature stages of certain tapeworms. Also applied to similar cysts of different origin.

Acephalous (a.) Without a distinct head; -- a term applied to bivalve mollusks.

Adjutant (n.) A species of very large stork (Ciconia argala), a native of India; -- called also the gigantic crane, and by the native name argala. It is noted for its serpent-destroying habits.

Admirable (a.) Having qualities to excite wonder united with approbation; deserving the highest praise; most excellent; -- used of persons or things.

Aeroyacht (n.) A form of hydro-aeroplane; a flying boat.

Agreeable (a.) Agreeing or suitable; conformable; correspondent; concordant; adapted; -- followed by to, rarely by with.

Agreeable (a.) In pursuance, conformity, or accordance; -- in this sense used adverbially for agreeably; as, agreeable to the order of the day, the House took up the report.

Agreeableness (n.) Resemblance; concordance; harmony; -- with to or between.

Agreeably (adv.) In accordance; suitably; consistently; conformably; -- followed by to and rarely by with. See Agreeable, 4.

Alborak (n.) The imaginary milk-white animal on which Mohammed was said to have been carried up to heaven; a white mule.

Alienate (a.) Estranged; withdrawn in affection; foreign; -- with from.

Alienate (v. t.) To withdraw, as the affections; to make indifferent of averse, where love or friendship before subsisted; to estrange; to wean; -- with from.

Allegation (n.) A statement by a party of what he undertakes to prove, -- usually applied to each separate averment; the charge or matter undertaken to be proved.

Allemande (n.) A dance in moderate twofold time, invented by the French in the reign of Louis XIV.; -- now mostly found in suites of pieces, like those of Bach and Handel.

Allocation (n.) The admission of an item in an account, or an allowance made upon an account; -- a term used in the English exchequer.

Allogamy (n.) Fertilization of the pistil of a plant by pollen from another of the same species; cross-fertilization.

Allopathy (n.) That system of medical practice which aims to combat disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the special disease treated; -- a term invented by Hahnemann to designate the ordinary practice, as opposed to homeopathy.

Alloxanic (a.) Of or pertaining to alloxan; -- applied to an acid obtained by the action of soluble alkalies on alloxan.

Aliphatic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, fat; fatty; -- applied to compounds having an openc-hain structure. The aliphatic compounds thus include not only the fatty acids and other derivatives of the paraffin hydrocarbons, but also unsaturated compounds, as the ethylene and acetylene series.

Amalgamation (n.) The act or operation of compounding mercury with another metal; -- applied particularly to the process of separating gold and silver from their ores by mixing them with mercury.

Ambiparous (a.) Characterized by containing the rudiments of both flowers and leaves; -- applied to a bud.

Ambulator (n.) An instrument for measuring distances; -- called also perambulator.

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.

Ampliation (n.) A postponement of the decision of a cause, for further consideration or re-argument.

Amygdaliferous (a.) Almond-bearing.

Amygdaloidal (a.) Almond-shaped.

Anacharis (n.) A fresh-water weed of the frog's-bit family (Hydrocharidaceae), native to America. Transferred to England it became an obstruction to navigation. Called also waterweed and water thyme.

Anaclastics (n.) That part of optics which treats of the refraction of light; -- commonly called dioptrics.

Anagram (n.) Literally, the letters of a word read backwards, but in its usual wider sense, the change or one word or phrase into another by the transposition of its letters. Thus Galenus becomes angelus; William Noy (attorney-general to Charles I., and a laborious man) may be turned into I moyl in law.

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.

Antibacterial (a.) Inimical to bacteria; -- applied esp. to serum for protection against bacterial diseases.

Anastate (n.) One of a series of substances formed, in secreting cells, by constructive or anabolic processes, in the production of protoplasm; -- opposed to katastate.

Angular (a.) Relating to an angle or to angles; having an angle or angles; forming an angle or corner; sharp-cornered; pointed; as, an angular figure.

Angular (a.) Fig.: Lean; lank; raw-boned; ungraceful; sharp and stiff in character; as, remarkably angular in his habits and appearance; an angular female.

Annotate (v. i.) To make notes or comments; -- with on or upon.

Artifact (n.) A product of human workmanship; -- applied esp. to the simpler products of aboriginal art as distinguished from natural objects.

Annotation (n.) A note, added by way of comment, or explanation; -- usually in the plural; as, annotations on ancient authors, or on a word or a passage.

Annular (a.) Pertaining to, or having the form of, a ring; forming a ring; ringed; ring-shaped; as, annular fibers.

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.

Antipathetical (a.) Having a natural contrariety, or constitutional aversion, to a thing; characterized by antipathy; -- often followed by to.

Aphilanthropy (n.) Want of love to mankind; -- the opposite of philanthropy.

Aphthae (n. pl.) Roundish pearl-colored specks or flakes in the mouth, on the lips, etc., terminating in white sloughs. They are commonly characteristic of thrush.

Aplanatic (a.) Having two or more parts of different curvatures, so combined as to remove spherical aberration; -- said of a lens.

Approaching (n.) The act of ingrafting a sprig or shoot of one tree into another, without cutting it from the parent stock; -- called, also, inarching and grafting by approach.

Apteral (a.) Without lateral columns; -- applied to buildings which have no series of columns along their sides, but are either prostyle or amphiprostyle, and opposed to peripteral.

Aquiparous (a.) Secreting water; -- applied to certain glands.

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.

Arietation (n.) The act of butting like a ram; act of using a battering-ram.

Arrogance (n.) The act or habit of arrogating, or making undue claims in an overbearing manner; that species of pride which consists in exorbitant claims of rank, dignity, estimation, or power, or which exalts the worth or importance of the person to an undue degree; proud contempt of others; lordArrogant (a.) Making, or having the disposition to make, exorbitant claims of rank or estimation; giving one's self an undue degree of importance; assuming; haughty; -- applied to persons.

Arrogant (a.) Containing arrogance; marked with arrogance; proceeding from undue claims or self-importance; -- applied to things; as, arrogant pretensions or behavior.

Arrogantly (adv.) In an arrogant manner; with undue pride or self-importance.

Asparagine (n.) A white, nitrogenous, crystallizable substance, C4H8N2O3+H2O, found in many plants, and first obtained from asparagus. It is believed to aid in the disposition of nitrogenous matter throughout the plant; -- called also altheine.

Asparagus (n.) The young and tender shoots of A. officinalis, which form a valuable and well-known article of food.

Assurance (n.) Firmness of mind; undoubting, steadiness; intrepidity; courage; confidence; self-reliance.

Ascocarp (n.) In ascomycetous fungi, the spherical, discoid, or cup-shaped body within which the asci are collected, and which constitutes the mature fructification. The different forms are known in mycology under distinct names. Called also spore fruit.

Autocatalysis (n.) Self-catalysis; catalysis of a substance by one of its own products, as of silver oxide by the silver formed by reduction of a small portion of it.

Autogamous (a.) Characterized by autogamy; self-fertilized.

Autogamy (n.) Self-fertilization, the fertilizing pollen being derived from the same blossom as the pistil acted upon.

Autolatry (n.) Self-worship.

Automath (n.) One who is self-taught.

Automatical (a.) Pertaining to, or produced by, an automaton; of the nature of an automaton; self-acting or self-regulating under fixed conditions; -- esp. applied to machinery or devices in which certain things formerly or usually done by hand are done by the machine or device itself; as, the automatic feed of a lathe; automatic gas lighting; an automatic engine or switch; an automatic mouse.

Automatism (n.) The state or quality of being automatic; the power of self-moving; automatic, mechanical, or involuntary action. (Metaph.) A theory as to the activity of matter.

Automaton (v. i.) A self-moving machine, or one which has its motive power within itself; -- applied chiefly to machines which appear to imitate spontaneously the motions of living beings, such as men, birds, etc.

Avestan (n.) The language of the Avesta; -- less properly called Zend.

Avesta (n.) The Zoroastrian scriptures. See Zend-Avesta.

Avoidance (n.) The act of becoming vacant, or the state of being vacant; -- specifically used for the state of a benefice becoming void by the death, deprivation, or resignation of the incumbent.

Axiomatical (a.) Of or pertaining to an axiom; having the nature of an axiom; self-evident; characterized by axioms.

Bacchant (a.) Bacchanalian; fond of drunken revelry; wine-loving; reveling; carousing.

Backgammon (n.) A game of chance and skill, played by two persons on a "board" marked off into twenty-four spaces called "points". Each player has fifteen pieces, or "men", the movements of which from point to point are determined by throwing dice. Formerly called tables.

Backhand (a.) Sloping from left to right; -- said of handwriting.

Backwardation (n.) The seller's postponement of delivery of stock or shares, with the consent of the buyer, upon payment of a premium to the latter; -- also, the premium so paid. See Contango.

Bandeau (n.) A narrow band or fillet; a part of a head-dress.

Baraca (n.) An international, interdenominational organization of Bible classes of young men; -- so named in allusion to the Hebrew word Berachah (Meaning blessing) occurring in 2 Chron. xx. 26 and 1 Chron. xii.

Bedplate (n.) The foundation framing or piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the bed; -- called also baseplate and soleplate.

Bequeath (v. t.) To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property.

Beverage (v. t.) Liquid for drinking; drink; -- usually applied to drink artificially prepared and of an agreeable flavor; as, an intoxicating beverage.

Bifilar (a.) Two-threaded; involving the use of two threads; as, bifilar suspension; a bifilar balance.

Billiards (n.) A game played with ivory balls o a cloth-covered, rectangular table, bounded by elastic cushions. The player seeks to impel his ball with his cue so that it shall either strike (carom upon) two other balls, or drive another ball into one of the pockets with which the table sometimes is furnished.

Bilocation (n.) Double location; the state or power of being in two places at the same instant; -- a miraculous power attributed to some of the saints.

Bimana (n. pl.) Animals having two hands; -- a term applied by Cuvier to man as a special order of Mammalia.

Bimetallism (n.) The legalized use of two metals (as gold and silver) in the currency of a country, at a fixed relative value; -- in opposition to monometallism.

Biorgan (n.) A physiological organ; a living organ; an organ endowed with function; -- distinguished from idorgan.

Bluecap (n.) A Scot; a Scotchman; -- so named from wearing a blue bonnet.

Bobstay (n.) A rope or chain to confine the bowsprit of a ship downward to the stem or cutwater; -- usually in the pl.

Bongrace (n.) A projecting bonnet or shade to protect the complexion; also, a wide-brimmed hat.

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.

Brantail (n.) The European redstart; -- so called from the red color of its tail.

Brassage (n.) A sum formerly levied to pay the expense of coinage; -- now called seigniorage.

Brassart (n.) Armor for the arm; -- generally used for the whole arm from the shoulder to the wrist, and consisting, in the 15th and 16th centuries, of many parts.

Bretwalda (n.) The official title applied to that one of the Anglo-Saxon chieftains who was chosen by the other chiefs to lead them in their warfare against the British tribes.

Breviary (n.) A book containing the daily public or canonical prayers of the Roman Catholic or of the Greek Church for the seven canonical hours, namely, matins and lauds, the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours, vespers, and compBrinjaree (n.) A rough-haired East Indian variety of the greyhound.

Brochantite (n.) A basic sulphate of copper, occurring in emerald-green crystals.

Buckra (n.) A white man; -- a term used by negroes of the African coast, West Indies, etc.

Buddha (n.) The title of an incarnation of self-abnegation, virtue, and wisdom, or a deified religious teacher of the Buddhists, esp. Gautama Siddartha or Sakya Sinha (or Muni), the founder of Buddhism.

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.

Buzzsaw () A circular saw; -- so called from the buzzing it makes when running at full speed.

Cacajao (n.) A South American short-tailed monkey (Pithecia (/ Brachyurus) melanocephala).

Camara (n.) Chamber; house; -- used in Ca"ma*ra dos Pa"res (/), and Ca"ma*ra dos De`pu*ta"dos (/). See Legislature.

Cadmean (a.) Of or pertaining to Cadmus, a fabulous prince of Thebes, who was said to have introduced into Greece the sixteen simple letters of the alphabet -- /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /. These are called Cadmean letters.

Caltrap (n.) A genus of herbaceous plants (Tribulus) of the order Zygophylleae, having a hard several-celled fruit, armed with stout spines, and resembling the military instrument of the same name. The species grow in warm countries, and are often very annoying to cattle.

Camisard (n.) One of the French Protestant insurgents who rebelled against Louis XIV, after the revocation of the edict of Nates; -- so called from the peasant's smock (camise) which they wore.

Cantharidin (n.) The active principle of the cantharis, or Spanish fly, a volatile, acrid, bitter solid, crystallizing in four-sided prisms.

Cantharis (n.) A beetle (Lytta, / Cantharis, vesicatoria), havin1g an elongated cylindrical body of a brilliant green color, and a nauseous odor; the blister fly or blister beetle, of the apothecary; -- also called Spanish fly. Many other species of Lytta, used for the same purpose, take the same name. See Blister beetle, under Blister. The plural form in usually applied to the dried insects used in medicine.

Cappeak (n.) The front piece of a cap; -- now more commonly called visor.

Capybara (n.) A large South American rodent (Hydrochaerus capybara) Living on the margins of lakes and rivers. It is the largest extant rodent, being about three feet long, and half that in height. It somewhat resembles the Guinea pig, to which it is related; -- called also cabiai and water hog.

Caravan (n.) A covered vehicle for carrying passengers or for moving furniture, etc.; -- sometimes shorted into van.

Carinaria (n.) A genus of oceanic heteropod Mollusca, having a thin, glassy, bonnet-shaped shell, which covers only the nucleus and gills.

Carinatae (n. pl.) A grand division of birds, including all existing flying birds; -- So called from the carina or keel on the breastbone.

Carucate (n.) A plowland; as much land as one team can plow in a year and a day; -- by some said to be about 100 acres.

Casehardened (a.) Hardened against, or insusceptible to, good influences; rendered callous by persistence in wrongdoing or resistance of good influences; -- said of persons.

Cataian (n.) A native of Cathay or China; a foreigner; -- formerly a term of reproach.

Catamaran (n.) A kind of raft or float, consisting of two or more logs or pieces of wood lashed together, and moved by paddles or sail; -- used as a surf boat and for other purposes on the coasts of the East and West Indies and South America. Modified forms are much used in the lumber regions of North America, and at life-saving stations.

Catamaran (n.) Any vessel with twin hulls, whether propelled by sails or by steam; esp., one of a class of double-hulled pleasure boats remarkable for speed.

Cataract (n.) A kind of hydraulic brake for regulating the action of pumping engines and other machines; -- sometimes called dashpot.

Cayugas (n. pl.) A tribe of Indians formerly inhabiting western New-York, forming part of the confederacy called the Five Nations.

Chacma (n.) A large species of African baboon (Cynocephalus porcarius); -- called also ursine baboon. [See Illust. of Baboon.]

Chapfallen (a.) Having the lower chap or jaw drooping, -- an indication of humiliation and dejection; crestfallen; discouraged. See Chopfallen.

Chartaceous (a.) Resembling paper or parchment; of paper-like texture; papery.

Chickadee (n.) A small bird, the blackcap titmouse (Parus atricapillus), of North America; -- named from its note.

Chickaree (n.) The American red squirrel (Sciurus Hudsonius); -- so called from its cry.

Chouka (n.) The Indian four-horned antelope; the chikara.

ChrysaniChrysaurin (n.) An orange-colored dyestuff, of artificial production.

Cineraceous (a.) Like ashes; ash-colored; cinereous.

Cineraria (n.) A Linnaean genus of free-flowering composite plants, mostly from South Africa. Several species are cultivated for ornament.

Cinematograph (n.) A machine, combining magic lantern and kinetoscope features, for projecting on a screen a series of pictures, moved rapidly (25 to 50 a second) and intermittently before an objective lens, and producing by persistence of vision the illusion of continuous motion; a moving-picture machine; also, any of several other machines or devices producing moving pictorial effects. Other common names for the cinematograph are animatograph, biograph, bioscope, electrograph, electroscope, > Clairaudience (n.) Act of hearing, or the ability to hear, sounds not normally audible; -- usually claimed as a special faculty of spiritualistic mediums, or the like.

Cleavage (n.) Division into laminae, like slate, with the lamination not necessarily parallel to the plane of deposition; -- usually produced by pressure.

Cluniac (n.) A monk of the reformed branch of the Benedictine Order, founded in 912 at Cluny (or Clugny) in France. -- Also used as a.

Clypeastroid (a.) Like or related to the genus Clupeaster; -- applied to a group of flattened sea urchins, with a rosette of pores on the upper side.

Coaita (n.) The native name of certain South American monkeys of the genus Ateles, esp. A. paniscus. The black-faced coaita is Ateles ater. See Illustration in Appendix.

Cobaea (n.) A genus of climbing plants, native of Mexico and South America. C. scandens is a conservatory climber with large bell-shaped flowers.

Colorado (a.) Reddish; -- often used in proper names of rivers or creeks.

Colorado (a.) Medium in color and strength; -- said of cigars.

Contraption (n.) A contrivance; a new-fangled device; -- used scornfully.

Cocleariform (a.) Spoon-shaped.

Cocktail (n.) A mean, half-hearted fellow; a coward.

Cocktail (n.) A species of rove beetle; -- so called from its habit of elevating the tail.

Colorado beetle () A yellowish beetle (Doryphora decemColoradoite (n.) Mercury telluride, an iron-black metallic mineral, found in Colorado.

Complacent (a.) Self-satisfied; contented; kindly; as, a complacent temper; a complacent smile.

Complain (v. i.) To give utterance to expression of grief, pain, censure, regret. etc.; to lament; to murmur; to find fault; -- commonly used with of. Also, to creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.

Complaint (n.) Expression of grief, regret, pain, censure, or resentment; lamentation; murmuring; accusation; fault-finding.

Congiary (n.) A present, as of corn, wine, or oil, made by a Roman emperor to the soldiers or the people; -- so called because measured to each in a congius.

Constant (v. t.) Firm; solid; fixed; immovable; -- opposed to fluid.

Constant (n.) A quantity that does not change its value; -- used in countradistinction to variable.

Contrabass (n.) Double bass; -- applied to any instrument of the same deep range as the stringed double bass; as, the contrabass ophicleide; the contrabass tuba or bombardon.

Contraction (n.) Something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; -- as, plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc.

Contraposition (n.) A so-called immediate inference which consists in denying the original subject of the contradictory predicate; e.g.: Every S is P; therefore, no Not-P is S.

Copula (n.) The stop which connects the manuals, or the manuals with the pedals; -- called also coupler.

Coronated (a.) Having the coronal feathers lengthened or otherwise distinguished; -- said of birds.

Coronated (a.) Girt about the spire with a row of tubercles or spines; -- said of spiral shells.

Couchant (v. t.) Lying down with the head raised, which distinguishes the posture of couchant from that of dormant, or sleeping; -- said of a lion or other beast.

Covenant (n.) An agreement made by the Scottish Parliament in 1638, and by the English Parliament in 1643, to preserve the reformed religion in Scotland, and to extirpate popery and prelacy; -- usually called the "Solemn League and Covenant."

Crania (n.) A genus of living Brachiopoda; -- so called from its fancied resemblance to the cranium or skull.

Cronian (a.) Saturnian; -- applied to the North Polar Sea.

Crustacea (n. pl.) One of the classes of the arthropods, including lobsters and crabs; -- so called from the crustlike shell with which they are covered.

Crystal (n.) The material of quartz, in crystallization transparent or nearly so, and either colorless or slightly tinged with gray, or the like; -- called also rock crystal. Ornamental vessels are made of it. Cf. Smoky quartz, Pebble; also Brazilian pebble, under Brazilian.

Crystallogenical (a.) Pertaining to the production of crystals; crystal-producing; as, crystallogenic attraction.

Crystalloid (a.) Crystal-like; transparent like crystal.

Crystalloid (n.) A body which, in solution, diffuses readily through animal membranes, and generally is capable of being crystallized; -- opposed to colloid.

Crystalloid (n.) One of the microscopic particles resembling crystals, consisting of protein matter, which occur in certain plant cells; -- called also protein crystal.

Cultrated (a.) Sharp-edged and pointed; shaped like a pruning knife, as the beak of certain birds.

Cumshaw (n.) A present or bonus; -- originally applied to that paid on ships which entered the port of Canton.

Cumulative (a.) Given by same testator to the same legatee; -- said of a legacy.

Cupola (n.) A revolving shot-proof turret for heavy ordnance.

Cynical (a.) Given to sneering at rectitude and the conduct of life by moral principles; disbelieving in the reality of any human purposes which are not suggested or directed by self-interest or self-indulgence; as, a cynical man who scoffs at pretensions of integrity; characterized by such opinions; as, cynical views of human nature.

Dagoba (n.) A dome-shaped structure built over relics of Buddha or some Buddhist saint.

Dakotas (n. pl) An extensive race or stock of Indians, including many tribes, mostly dwelling west of the Mississippi River; -- also, in part, called Sioux.

Datura (n.) A genus of solanaceous plants, with large funnel-shaped flowers and a four-celled, capsular fruit.

Decrease (n.) To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December.

Decreation (n.) Destruction; -- opposed to creation.

Decuman (a.) Large; chief; -- applied to an extraordinary billow, supposed by some to be every tenth in order. [R.] Also used substantively.

Dedicatee (n.) One to whom a thing is dedicated; -- correlative to dedicator.

Delaware (n.) An American grape, with compact bunches of small, amber-colored berries, sweet and of a good flavor.

Delicate (a.) Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.

Delicate (a.) Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.

Delicate (a.) Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.

Delicate (a.) Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue.

Delicate (a.) Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness.

Delicate (a.) Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health.

Demicannon (n.) A kind of ordnance, carrying a ball weighing from thirty to thirty-six pounds.

Derogate (v. t.) To annul in part; to repeal partly; to restrict; to limit the action of; -- said of a law.

Derogate (v. t.) To lessen; to detract from; to disparage; to depreciate; -- said of a person or thing.

Derogate (v. i.) To take away; to detract; to withdraw; -- usually with from.

Derogate (v. i.) To act beneath one-s rank, place, birth, or character; to degenerate.

Derogation (n.) The act of derogating, partly repealing, or lessening in value; disparagement; detraction; depreciation; -- followed by of, from, or to.

Derogatory (a.) Tending to derogate, or lessen in value; expressing derogation; detracting; injurious; -- with from to, or unto.

Dextrality (n.) The state of being on the right-hand side; also, the quality of being right-handed; right-handedness.

Diallage (n.) A dark green or bronze-colored laminated variety of pyroxene, common in certain igneous rocks.

Dilatability (n.) The quality of being dilatable, or admitting expansion; -- opposed to contractibility.

Dilatable (a.) Capable of expansion; that may be dilated; -- opposed to contractible; as, the lungs are dilatable by the force of air; air is dilatable by heat.

Dinosauria (n. pl.) An order of extinct mesozoic reptiles, mostly of large size (whence the name). Notwithstanding their size, they present birdlike characters in the skeleton, esp. in the pelvis and hind limbs. Some walked on their three-toed hind feet, thus producing the large "bird tracks," so-called, of mesozoic sandstones; others were five-toed and quadrupedal. See Illust. of Compsognathus, also Illustration of Dinosaur in Appendix.

Dioptase (n.) A hydrous silicate of copper, occurring in emerald-green crystals.

Dipetalous (a.) Having two petals; two-petaled.

Discharge (v. t.) To free of the missile with which anything is charged or loaded; to let go the charge of; as, to discharge a bow, catapult, etc.; especially, said of firearms, -- to fire off; to shoot off; also, to relieve from a state of tension, as a Leyden jar.

Disdiapason (n.) An interval of two octaves, or a fifteenth; -- called also bisdiapason.

Disepalous (a.) Having two sepals; two-sepaled.

Displayed (a.) With wings expanded; -- said of a bird of pray, esp. an eagle.

Disqualify (v. t.) To deprive of the qualities or properties necessary for any purpose; to render unfit; to incapacitate; -- with for or from before the purpose, state, or act.

Dissuade (v. t.) To divert by persuasion; to turn from a purpose by reasons or motives; -- with from; as, I could not dissuade him from his purpose.

Distract (v. t.) To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted.

Distrait (a.) Absent-minded; lost in thought; abstracted.

Diurna (n. pl.) A division of Lepidoptera, including the butterflies; -- so called because they fly only in the daytime.

Diurnal (a.) Relating to the daytime; belonging to the period of daylight, distinguished from the night; -- opposed to nocturnal; as, diurnal heat; diurnal hours.

Diurnal (a.) Opening during the day, and closing at night; -- said of flowers or leaves.

Diurnal (a.) Active by day; -- applied especially to the eagles and hawks among raptorial birds, and to butterflies (Diurna) among insects.

Domina (n.) Lady; a lady; -- a title formerly given to noble ladies who held a barony in their own right.

Domination (n.) A high order of angels in the celestial hierarchy; -- a meaning given by the schoolmen.

Doornail (n.) The nail or knob on which in ancient doors the knocker struck; -- hence the old saying, "As dead as a doornail."

Drawcansir (n.) A blustering, bullying fellow; a pot-valiant braggart; a bully.

Dulciana (n.) A sweet-toned stop of an organ.

Dustpan (n.) A shovel-like utensil for conveying away dust brushed from the floor.

Duograph (n.) A picture printed from two half-tone plates made with the screen set at different angles, and usually printed in two shades of the same color or in black and one tint.

Dyscrasia (n.) An ill habit or state of the constitution; -- formerly regarded as dependent on a morbid condition of the blood and humors.

Ecostate (a.) Having no ribs or nerves; -- said of a leaf.

Eczema (n.) An inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized by the presence of redness and itching, an eruption of small vesicles, and the discharge of a watery exudation, which often dries up, leaving the skin covered with crusts; -- called also tetter, milk crust, and salt rheum.

Edentata (n. pl.) An order of mammals including the armadillos, sloths, and anteaters; -- called also Bruta. The incisor teeth are rarely developed, and in some groups all the teeth are lacking.

Egesta (n. pl.) That which is egested or thrown off from the body by the various excretory channels; excrements; -- opposed to ingesta.

Eggplant (n.) A plant (Solanum Melongena), of East Indian origin, allied to the tomato, and bearing a large, smooth, edible fruit, shaped somewhat like an egg; mad-apple.

Eluctate (v. i.) To struggle out; -- with out.

Emydea (n. pl.) A group of chelonians which comprises many species of fresh-water tortoises and terrapins.

Encroach (v. i.) To enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another; to trespass; to intrude; to trench; -- commonly with on or upon; as, to encroach on a neighbor; to encroach on the highway.

Endecaphyllous (a.) Composed of eleven leaflets; -- said of a leaf.

Endogamous (a.) Marrying within the same tribe; -- opposed to exogamous.

Endogamy (n.) Marriage only within the tribe; a custom restricting a man in his choice of a wife to the tribe to which he belongs; -- opposed to exogamy.

Endoparasite (n.) Any parasite which lives in the internal organs of an animal, as the tapeworms, Trichina, etc.; -- opposed to ectoparasite. See Entozoon.

Epignathous (a.) Hook-billed; having the upper mandible longer than the lower.

Equipage (n.) A carriage of state or of pleasure with all that accompanies it, as horses, liveried servants, etc., a showy turn-out.

Equitant (a.) Overlapping each other; -- said of leaves whose bases are folded so as to overlap and bestride the leaves within or above them, as in the iris.

Equivalent (a.) Equal in measure but not admitting of superposition; -- applied to magnitudes; as, a square may be equivalent to a triangle.

Eristalis (n.) A genus of dipterous insects whose young (called rat-tailed larvae) are remarkable for their long tapering tail, which spiracles at the tip, and for their ability to live in very impure and salt waters; -- also called drone fly.

Escalator (n.) A stairway or incEssorant (a.) Standing, but with the wings spread, as if about to fly; -- said of a bird borne as a charge on an escutcheon.

Estimate (v. t.) To judge and form an opinion of the value of, from imperfect data, -- either the extrinsic (money), or intrinsic (moral), value; to fix the worth of roughly or in a general way; as, to estimate the value of goods or land; to estimate the worth or talents of a person.

Estreat (v. t.) To extract or take out from the records of a court, and send up to the court of exchequer to be enforced; -- said of a forfeited recognizance.

Eternal (a.) Exceedingly great or bad; -- used as a strong intensive.

Etesian (a.) Periodical; annual; -- applied to winds which annually blow from the north over the Mediterranean, esp. the eastern part, for an irregular period during July and August.

Exaltate (a.) Exercising its highest influence; -- said of a planet.

Exaltation (n.) An abnormal sense of personal well-being, power, or importance, -- a symptom observed in various forms of insanity.

Exedra (n.) Any out-of-door seat in stone, large enough for several persons; esp., one of curved form.

Exfetation (n) Imperfect fetation in some organ exterior to the uterus; extra-uterine fetation.

Expiration (n.) The act or process of breathing out, or forcing air from the lungs through the nose or mouth; as, respiration consists of inspiration and expiration; -- opposed to inspiration.

Extraaxillary (a.) Growing outside of the axils; as, an extra-axillary bud.

Faineancy (n.) Do-nothingness; inactivity; indolence.

Faineant (n.) A do-nothing; an idle fellow; a sluggard.

Falanaka (n.) A viverrine mammal of Madagascar (Eupleres Goudotii), allied to the civet; -- called also Falanouc.

Farctate (v. t.) Stuffed; filled solid; as, a farctate leaf, stem, or pericarp; -- opposed to tubular or hollow.

Fascia (n.) A broad well-defined band of color.

Favorable (n.) Beautiful; well-favored.

February (n.) The second month in the year, said to have been introduced into the Roman calendar by Numa. In common years this month contains twenty-eight days; in the bissextile, or leap year, it has twenty-nine days.

Fecula (n.) The nutritious part of wheat; starch or farina; -- called also amylaceous fecula.

Figurative (a.) Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; -- applied to words and expressions.

Firetail (n.) The European redstart; -- called also fireflirt.

Firewarden (n.) An officer who has authority to direct in the extinguishing of fires, or to order what precautions shall be taken against fires; -- called also fireward.

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.

Flyaway (a.) Disposed to fly away; flighty; unrestrained; light and free; -- used of both persons and things.

Footman (n.) A moth of the family Lithosidae; -- so called from its livery-like colors.

Forbear (n.) An ancestor; a forefather; -- usually in the plural.

Forbearance (n.) The quality of being forbearing; indulgence toward offenders or enemies; long-suffering.

Forbearing (a.) Disposed or accustomed to forbear; patient; long-suffering.

Foresail (n.) The sail bent to the foreyard of a square-rigged vessel, being the lowest sail on the foremast.

Foutra (n.) A fig; -- a word of contempt.

Frankalmoigne (a.) A tenure by which a religious corporation holds lands given to them and their successors forever, usually on condition of praying for the soul of the donor and his heirs; -- called also tenure by free alms.

Fromwards (prep.) A way from; -- the contrary of toward.

Funeral (n.) The solemn rites used in the disposition of a dead human body, whether such disposition be by interment, burning, or otherwise; esp., the ceremony or solemnization of interment; obsequies; burial; -- formerly used in the plural.

Funeral (n.) A funeral sermon; -- usually in the plural.

Fungia (n.) A genus of simple, stony corals; -- so called because they are usually flat and circular, with radiating plates, like the gills of a mushroom. Some of them are eighteen inches in diameter.

Fustian (n.) An inflated style of writing; a kind of writing in which high-sounding words are used,' above the dignity of the thoughts or subject; bombast.

Gainpain (n.) Bread-gainer; -- a term applied in the Middle Ages to the sword of a hired soldier.

Gangway (v. i.) That part of the spar deck of a vessel on each side of the booms, from the quarter-deck to the forecastle; -- more properly termed the waist.

Garibaldi (n.) A jacket worn by women; -- so called from its resemblance in shape to the red shirt worn by the Italians patriot Garibaldi.

Gastraea (n.) A primeval larval form; a double-walled sac from which, according to the hypothesis of Haeckel, man and all other animals, that in the first stages of their individual evolution pass through a two-layered structural stage, or gastrula form, must have descended. This idea constitutes the Gastraea theory of Haeckel. See Gastrula.

General (a.) The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to all, or the chief part; -- opposed to particular.

Generalissimo (a.) The chief commander of an army; especially, the commander in chief of an army consisting of two or more grand divisions under separate commanders; -- a title used in most foreign countries.

Generalship (n.) The office of a general; the exercise of the functions of a general; -- sometimes, with the possessive pronoun, the personality of a general.

Generator (n.) The principal sound or sounds by which others are produced; the fundamental note or root of the common chord; -- called also generating tone.

Generatrix (n.) That which generates; the point, or the mathematical magnitude, which, by its motion, generates another magnitude, as a Geneva (n.) A strongly alcoholic liquor, flavored with juniper berries; -- made in Holland; Holland gin; Hollands.

Gentian (n.) Any one of a genus (Gentiana) of herbaceous plants with opposite leaves and a tubular four- or five-lobed corolla, usually blue, but sometimes white, yellow, or red. See Illust. of Capsule.

Geophagous (a.) Earth-eating.

Gilttail (n.) A yellow-tailed worm or larva.

Gingham (n.) A kind of cotton or Glacial (a.) Resembling ice; having the appearance and consistency of ice; -- said of certain solid compounds; as, glacial phosphoric or acetic acids.

Gladiate (a.) Sword-shaped; resembling a sword in form, as the leaf of the iris, or of the gladiolus.

GlyoxaGoodman (n.) A familiar appellation of civility, equivalent to "My friend", "Good sir", "Mister;" -- sometimes used ironically.

Goodman (n.) A husband; the master of a house or family; -- often used in speaking familiarly.

Graduated (a.) Tapered; -- said of a bird's tail when the outer feathers are shortest, and the others successively longer.

Grallae (n. pl.) An order of birds which formerly included all the waders. By later writers it is usually restricted to the sandpipers, plovers, and allied forms; -- called also Grallatores.

Guacharo (n.) A nocturnal bird of South America and Trinidad (Steatornis Caripensis, or S. steatornis); -- called also oilbird.

Guinea (n.) A gold coin of England current for twenty-one shillings sterling, or about five dollars, but not coined since the issue of sovereigns in 1817.

Gwiniad (n.) A fish (Coregonus ferus) of North Wales and Northern Europe, allied to the lake whitefish; -- called also powan, and schelly.

Gyracanthus (n.) A genus of fossil fishes, found in Devonian and carboniferous strata; -- so named from their round, sculptured spines.

Habitant (v. t.) An inhabitant or resident; -- a name applied to and denoting farmers of French descent or origin in Canada, especially in the Province of Quebec; -- usually in plural.

Hackmatack (n.) The American larch (Larix Americana), a coniferous tree with slender deciduous leaves; also, its heavy, close-grained timber. Called also tamarack.

Hangman (n.) One who hangs another; esp., one who makes a business of hanging; a public executioner; -- sometimes used as a term of reproach, without reference to office.

Harikari (n.) See Hara-kiri.

Headwater (n.) The source and upper part of a stream; -- commonly used in the plural; as, the headwaters of the Missouri.

Hexabasic (a.) Having six hydrogen atoms or six radicals capable of being replaced or saturated by bases; -- said of acids; as, mellitic acid is hexabasic.

Hexavalent (p. pr.) Having a valence of six; -- said of hexads.

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

Hockday (n.) A holiday commemorating the expulsion of the Danes, formerly observed on the second Tuesday after Easter; -- called also hocktide.

Holdfast (n.) Something used to secure and hold in place something else, as a long fiat-headed nail, a catch a hook, a clinch, a clamp, etc.; hence, a support.

Homacanth (a.) Having the dorsal fin spines symmetrical, and in the same Homocategoric (a.) Belonging to the same category of individuality; -- a morphological term applied to organisms so related.

Homogamous (a.) Having all the flowers alike; -- said of such composite plants as Eupatorium, and the thistels.

Homogangliate (a.) Having the ganglia of the nervous system symmetrically arranged, as in certain invertebrates; -- opposed to heterogangliate.

Homomallous (a.) Uniformly bending or curving to one side; -- said of leaves which grow on several sides of a stem.

Homotaxis (n.) Similarly in arrangement of parts; -- the opposite of heterotaxy.

Honorable (a.) High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation.

Hoodman (n.) The person blindfolded in the game called hoodman-blind.

Hylobate (n.) Any species of the genus Hylobates; a gibbon, or long-armed ape. See Gibbon.

Hyperapophysis (n.) A lateral and backward-projecting process on the dorsal side of a vertebra.

Hypoxanthin (n.) A crystalHypural (a.) Under the tail; -- applied to the bones which support the caudal fin rays in most fishes.

Icequake (n.) The crash or concussion attending the breaking up of masses of ice, -- often due to contraction from extreme cold.

Idiolatry (n.) Self-worship; excessive self-esteem.

Idiopathical (a.) Pertaining to idiopathy; characterizing a disease arising primarily, and not in consequence of some other disease or injury; -- opposed to symptomatic, sympathetic, and traumatic.

Ignoramus (n.) We are ignorant; we ignore; -- being the word formerly written on a bill of indictment by a grand jury when there was not sufficient evidence to warrant them in finding it a true bill. The phrase now used is, "No bill," "No true bill," or "Not found," though in some jurisdictions "Ignored" is still used.

Ignorant (a.) Unacquainted with; unconscious or unaware; -- used with of.

Immanation (n.) A flowing or entering in; -- opposed to emanation.

Immolator (n.) One who offers in sacrifice; specifically, one of a sect of Russian fanatics who practice self-mutilatio and sacrifice.

Immovable (a.) Incapable of being moved; firmly fixed; fast; -- used of material things; as, an immovable foundatin.

Immovable (a.) Steadfast; fixed; unalterable; unchangeable; -- used of the mind or will; as, an immovable purpose, or a man who remain immovable.

Impanation (a.) Embodiment in bread; the supposed real presence and union of Christ's material body and blood with the substance of the elements of the eucharist without a change in their nature; -- distinguished from transubstantiation, which supposes a miraculous change of the substance of the elements. It is akin to consubstantiation.

Imperator (n.) A commander; a leader; an emperor; -- originally an appellation of honor by which Roman soldiers saluted their general after an important victory. Subsequently the title was conferred as a recognition of great military achievements by the senate, whence it carried wiht it some special privileges. After the downfall of the Republic it was assumed by Augustus and his successors, and came to have the meaning now attached to the word emperor.

Impedance (n.) The apparent resistance in an electric circuit to the flow of an alternating current, analogous to the actual electrical resistance to a direct current, being the ratio of electromotive force to the current. It is equal to R2 + X2, where R = ohmic resistance, X = reactance. For an inductive circuit, X = 2/fL, where f = frequency and L = self-inductance; for a circuit with capacity X = 1 / 2/fC, where C = capacity.

Initiative (n.) The right or procedure by which legislation may be introduced or enacted directly by the people, as in the Swiss Confederation and in many of the States of the United States; -- chiefly used with the. The procedure of the initiative is essentially as follows: Upon the filing of a petition signed by a required number or percentage of qualified voters the desired measure must be submitted to a popular vote, and upon receiving the required majority (commonly a majority of those vo> Incapable (a.) Not capable of being brought to do or perform, because morally strong or well disposed; -- used with reference to some evil; as, incapable of wrong, dishonesty, or falsehood.

Incapable (a.) Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; as, a man under thirty-five years of age is incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a person convicted on impeachment is thereby made incapable of holding an office of profit or honor under the government.

Increase (v. i.) To become greater or more in size, quantity, number, degree, value, intensity, power, authority, reputation, wealth; to grow; to augment; to advance; -- opposed to decrease.

Increase (v. i.) The period of increasing light, or luminous phase; the waxing; -- said of the moon.

Increated (a.) Uncreated; self-existent.

Indican (n.) An indigo-forming substance, found in urine, and other animal fluids, and convertible into red and blue indigo (urrhodin and uroglaucin). Chemically, it is indoxyl sulphate of potash, C8H6NSO4K, and is derived from the indol formed in the alimentary canal. Called also uroxanthin.

Indicavit (n.) A writ of prohibition against proceeding in the spiritual court in certain cases, when the suit belongs to the common-law courts.

Innovate (v. i.) To introduce novelties or changes; -- sometimes with in or on.

Inseparable (a.) Invariably attached to some word, stem, or root; as, the inseparable particle un-.

Instead (adv.) In the place or room; -- usually followed by of.

Instead (adv.) Equivalent; equal to; -- usually with of.

Insulated (p. a.) Situated at so great a distance as to be beyond the effect of gravitation; -- said of stars supposed to be so far apart that the affect of their mutual attraction is insensible.

Intimate (a.) Innermost; inward; internal; deep-seated; hearty.

Intonate (v. i.) To sound the tones of the musical scale; to practice the sol-fa.

Intonation (n.) Reciting in a musical prolonged tone; intonating, or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice, as of a priest. See Intone, v. t.

Irritability (n.) A natural susceptibility, characteristic of all living organisms, tissues, and cells, to the influence of certain stimuli, response being manifested in a variety of ways, -- as that quality in plants by which they exhibit motion under suitable stimulation; esp., the property which living muscle processes, of responding either to a direct stimulus of its substance, or to the stimulating influence of its nerve fibers, the response being indicated by a change of form, or contrac> Irritation (n.) The act of exciting, or the condition of being excited to action, by stimulation; -- as, the condition of an organ of sense, when its nerve is affected by some external body; esp., the act of exciting muscle fibers to contraction, by artificial stimulation; as, the irritation of a motor nerve by electricity; also, the condition of a muscle and nerve, under such stimulation.

Irrotational (a.) Not rotatory; passing from one point to another by a movement other than rotation; -- said of the movement of parts of a liquid or yielding mass.

Isodiametric (a.) Developed alike in the directions of the several lateral axes; -- said of crystals of both the tetragonal and hexagonal systems.

Isodiametric (a.) Having the several diameters nearly equal; -- said of the cells of ordinary parenchyma.

Jacaranda (n.) A genus of bignoniaceous Brazilian trees with showy trumpet-shaped flowers.

Jelerang (n.) A large, handsome squirrel (Sciurus Javensis), native of Java and Southern Asia; -- called also Java squirrel.

Joinhand (n.) Writing in which letters are joined in words; -- distinguished from writing in single letters.

Jubilate (n.) The third Sunday after Easter; -- so called because the introit is the 66th Psalm, which, in the Latin version, begins with the words, "Jubilate Deo."

Jubilate (n.) A name of the 100th Psalm; -- so called from its opening word in the Latin version.

Jugular (a.) Having the ventral fins beneath the throat; -- said of certain fishes.

Jugular (a.) One of the large veins which return the blood from the head to the heart through two chief trunks, an external and an internal, on each side of the neck; -- called also the jugular vein.

Kawaka (n.) a New Zealand tree, the Cypress cedar (Libocedrus Doniana), having a valuable, fine-grained, reddish wood.

Knitback (n.) The plant comfrey; -- so called from its use as a restorative.

Knockabout (n.) A small yacht, generally from fifteen to twenty-five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib. All knockabouts have ballast and either a keel or centerboard. The original type was twenty-one feet in length. The next larger type is called a raceabout.

Knockabout (a.) That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of hands or laborers on a sheep station.

Koftgari (a.) Ornamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold, -- a variety of damascening much used in the arts of India.

Kumquat (n.) A small tree of the genus Citrus (C. Japonica) growing in China and Japan; also, its small acid, orange-colored fruit used for preserves.

Lamina (n.) A thin plate or scale; a layer or coat lying over another; -- said of thin plates or platelike substances, as of bone or minerals.

Laminarite (n.) A broad-leafed fossil alga.

Landman (n.) A man who lives or serves on land; -- opposed to seaman.

Languaged (a.) Having a language; skilled in language; -- chiefly used in composition.

Langya (n.) One of several species of East Indian and Asiatic fresh-water fishes of the genus Ophiocephalus, remarkable for their power of living out of water, and for their tenacity of life; -- called also walking fishes.

Larboard (n.) The left-hand side of a ship to one on board facing toward the bow; port; -- opposed to starboard.

Larboard (a.) On or pertaining to the left-hand side of a vessel; port; as, the larboard quarter.

Laterad (adv.) Toward the side; away from the mesial plane; -- opposed to mesiad.

Lateral (a.) Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to mesial.

Latria (n.) The highest kind of worship, or that paid to God; -- distinguished by the Roman Catholics from dulia, or the inferior worship paid to saints.

Layshaft (n.) A secondary shaft, as in a sliding change gear for an automobile; a cam shaft operated by a two-to-one gear in an internal-combustion engine. It is generally a shaft moving more or less independently of the other parts of a machine, as, in some marine engines, a shaft, driven by a small auxiliary engine, for independently operating the valves of the main engine to insure uniform motion.

Leetman (n.) One subject to the jurisdiction of a court-leet.

Levitate (v. i.) To rise, or tend to rise, as if lighter than the surrounding medium; to become buoyant; -- opposed to gravitate.

Liberal (a.) Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver.

Liberality (n.) A gift; a gratuity; -- sometimes in the plural; as, a prudent man is not impoverished by his liberalities.

Ligulated (a.) Like a bandage, or strap; strap-shaped.

Lingual (n.) A consonant sound formed by the aid of the tongue; -- a term especially applied to certain articulations (as those of t, d, th, and n) and to the letters denoting them.

Literal (a.) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of fast; -- applied to persons.

Literalize (v. t.) To make literal; to interpret or put in practice according to the strict meaning of the words; -- opposed to spiritualize; as, to literalize Scripture.

Literature (n.) The class of writings distinguished for beauty of style or expression, as poetry, essays, or history, in distinction from scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge; belles-lettres.

Literatus (n.) A learned man; a man acquainted with literature; -- chiefly used in the plural.

Loggia (n.) A roofed open gallery. It differs from a veranda in being more architectural, and in forming more decidedly a part of the main edifice to which it is attached; from a porch, in being intended not for entrance but for an out-of-door sitting-room.

Longhand (n.) The written characters used in the common method of writing; -- opposed to shorthand.

Lymphadenitis (n.) Inflammation of the lymphatic glands; -- called also lymphitis.

Lyrical (a.) Fitted to be sung to the lyre; hence, also, appropriate for song; -- said especially of poetry which expresses the individual emotions of the poet.

Macavahu (n.) A small Brazilian monkey (Callithrix torquatus), -- called also collared teetee.

Madbrain (a.) Hot-headed; rash.

Madbrain (n.) A rash or hot-headed person.

Madbrained (a.) Disordered in mind; hot-headed.

Mainland (n.) The continent; the principal land; -- opposed to island, or peninsula.

Majorat (a.) The right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe.

Malleability (n.) The quality or state of being malleable; -- opposed to friability and brittleness.

Malleable (a.) Capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer, or by the pressure of rollers; -- applied to metals.

Maranatha (n.) "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.

Matagasse (n.) A shrike or butcher bird; -- called also mattages.

Mazdean (a.) Of or pertaining to Ahura-Mazda, or Ormuzd, the beneficent deity in the Zoroastrian dualistic system; hence, Zoroastrian.

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.

Meditation (n.) Thought; -- without regard to kind.

Merchantman (n.) A trading vessel; a ship employed in the transportation of goods, as, distinguished from a man-of-war.

Minorat (a.) A custom or right, analogous to borough-English in England, formerly existing in various parts of Europe, and surviving in parts of Germany and Austria, by which certain entailed estates, as a homestead and adjacent land, descend to the youngest male heir.

Militate (v. i.) To make war; to fight; to contend; -- usually followed by against and with.

Milliard (n.) A thousand millions; -- called also billion. See Billion.

Mimical (a.) Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; -- applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.

Misstayed (a.) Having missed stays; -- said of a ship.

Misurato (a.) Measured; -- a direction to perform a passage in strict or measured time.

Mitigate (v. t.) To make mild and accessible; to mollify; -- applied to persons.

Mixogamous (a.) Pairing with several males; -- said of certain fishes of which several males accompany each female during spawning.

Moderation (n.) The first public examinations for degrees at the University of Oxford; -- usually contracted to mods.

Mohicans (n. pl.) A tribe of Lenni-Lenape Indians who formerly inhabited Western Connecticut and Eastern New York.

Monobasic (a.) 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.

Monogamous (a.) Mating with but one of the opposite sex; -- said of birds and mammals.

Monogamy (n.) 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.

Moorball (n.) A fresh-water alga (Cladophora Aegagropila) which forms a globular mass.

Morula (n.) 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.

Monosaccharide () Alt. of -rid

Murexan (n.) A complex nitrogenous substance obtained from murexide, alloxantin, and other ureids, as a white, or yellowish, crystalMuskrat (n.) 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.

Mydriasis (n.) A long-continued or excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye.

Naturalism (n.) Specif., the principles and characteristics professed or represented by a 19th-century school of realistic writers, notably by Zola and Maupassant, who aimed to give a literal transcription of reality, and laid special stress on the analytic study of character, and on the scientific and experimental nature of their observation of life.

Natural (a.) Springing from true sentiment; not artifical or exaggerated; -- said of action, delivery, etc.; as, a natural gesture, tone, etc.

Natural (a.) Resembling the object imitated; true to nature; according to the life; -- said of anything copied or imitated; as, a portrait is natural.

Natural (a.) Belonging to, to be taken in, or referred to, some system, in which the base is 1; -- said or certain functions or numbers; as, natural numbers, those commencing at 1; natural sines, cosines, etc., those taken in arcs whose radii are 1.

nebulation (n.) The condition of being nebulated; also, a clouded, or ill-defined, color mark.

Neoplatonism (n.) A pantheistic eclectic school of philosophy, of which Plotinus was the chief (A. D. 205-270), and which sought to reconcile the Platonic and Aristotelian systems with Oriental theosophy. It tended to mysticism and theurgy, and was the last product of Greek philosophy.

Neutral (a.) Having neither acid nor basic properties; unable to turn red litmus blue or blue litmus red; -- said of certain salts or other compounds. Contrasted with acid, and alkaNoctuary (n.) A record of what passes in the night; a nightly journal; -- distinguished from diary.

Nominative (a.) Giving a name; naming; designating; -- said of that case or form of a noun which stands as the subject of a finite verb.

Nonplane (a.) Not lying in one plane; -- said of certain curves.

Nuptial (n.) Marriage; wedding; nuptial ceremony; -- now only in the plural.

Nymphales (n. pl.) An extensive family of butterflies including the nymphs, the satyrs, the monarchs, the heliconias, and others; -- called also brush-footed butterflies.

Obturator (n.) Any device for preventing the escape of gas through the breech mechanism of a breech-loading gun; a gas check.

Obdurate (a.) Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked.

Obligatory (a.) Binding in law or conscience; imposing duty or obligation; requiring performance or forbearance of some act; -- often followed by on or upon; as, obedience is obligatory on a soldier.

Octavalent (a.) Having a valence of eight; capable of being combined with, exchanged for, or compared with, eight atoms of hydrogen; -- said of certain atoms or radicals.

Omniparient (a.) Producing or bringing forth all things; all-producing.

Onagrarieous (a.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of plants (Onagraceae or Onagrarieae), which includes the fuchsia, the willow-herb (Epilobium), and the evening primrose (/nothera).

Ordinate (a.) Well-ordered; orderly; regular; methodical.

Orichalch (n.) A metallic substance, resembling gold in color, but inferior in value; a mixed metal of the ancients, resembling brass; -- called also aurichalcum, orichalcum, etc.

Osculant (a.) Adhering closely; embracing; -- applied to certain creeping animals, as caterpillars.

Outboard (a. & adv.) Beyond or outside of the Overeat (v. t. & i.) To eat to excess; -- often with a reflexive.

Overhand (a.) Over and over; -- applied to a style of sewing, or to a seam, in which two edges, usually selvedges, are sewed together by passing each stitch over both.

Ovoidal (a.) Resembling an egg in shape; egg-shaped; ovate; as, an ovoidal apple.

Palamate (a.) Web-footed.

Palisade (n.) A Pagoda (n.) A term by which Europeans designate religious temples and tower-like buildings of the Hindoos and Buddhists of India, Farther India, China, and Japan, -- usually but not always, devoted to idol worship.

Pailmall (n. & a.) See Pall-mall.

Palatal (a.) Uttered by the aid of the palate; -- said of certain sounds, as the sound of k in kirk.

Paleface (n.) A white person; -- an appellation supposed to have been applied to the whites by the American Indians.

Pancratic (a.) Having all or many degrees of power; having a great range of power; -- said of an eyepiece made adjustable so as to give a varying magnifying power.

Pancratium (n.) A genus of Old World amaryllideous bulbous plants, having a funnel-shaped perianth with six narrow spreading lobes. The American species are now placed in the related genus Hymenocallis.

Papboat (n.) A large spiral East Indian marine shell (Turbinella rapha); -- so called because used by native priests to hold the oil for anointing.

Parabanic (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, a nitrogenous acid which is obtained by the oxidation of uric acid, as a white crystalParamastoid (a.) Situated beside, or near, the mastoid portion of the temporal bone; paroccipital; -- applied especially to a process of the skull in some animals.

Paranaphthalene (n.) Anthracene; -- called also paranaphthaParataxis (n.) The mere ranging of propositions one after another, without indicating their connection or interdependence; -- opposed to syntax.

Pataca (n.) The Spanish dollar; -- called also patacoon.

Patela (n.) A large flat-bottomed trading boat peculiar to the river Ganges; -- called also puteli.

Patrial (a.) Derived from the name of a country, and designating an inhabitant of the country; gentile; -- said of a noun.

Patriarch (n.) The father and ruler of a family; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; -- usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses.

Pearlaceous (a.) Resembling pearl or mother-of-pearl; pearly in quality or appearance.

Pendragon (n.) A chief leader or a king; a head; a dictator; -- a title assumed by the ancient British chiefs when called to lead other chiefs.

Pericambium (n.) A layer of thin-walled young cells in a growing stem, in which layer certain new vessels originate.

Perigastric (a.) Surrounding the stomach; -- applied to the body cavity of Bryozoa and various other Invertebrata.

Permeable (a.) Capable of being permeated, or passed through; yielding passage; passable; penetrable; -- used especially of substances which allow the passage of fluids; as, wood is permeable to oil; glass is permeable to light.

Permeate (v. t.) To pass through the pores or interstices of; to penetrate and pass through without causing rupture or displacement; -- applied especially to fluids which pass through substances of loose texture; as, water permeates sand.

Petulant (a.) Capriciously fretful; characterized by ill-natured freakishness; irritable.

Pelota (n.) A Basque, Spanish, and Spanish-American game played in a court, in which a ball is struck with a wickerwork racket.

Phantascope (n.) An optical instrument or toy, resembling the phenakistoscope, and illustrating the same principle; -- called also phantasmascope.

Pharmacognosis (n.) That branch of pharmacology which treats of unprepared medicines or simples; -- called also pharmacography, and pharmacomathy.

Phassachate (n.) The lead-colored agate; -- so called in reference to its color.

Phryganeides (n. pl.) A tribe of neuropterous insects which includes the caddice flies; -- called also Trichoptera. See Trichoptera.

Piassava (n.) A fibrous product of two Brazilian palm trees (Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia Piassaba), -- used in making brooms, and for other purposes. Called also piacaba and piasaba.

Piraya (n.) A large voracious fresh-water fish (Serrasalmo piraya) of South America, having lancet-shaped teeth.

Piperazine () Alt. of -zin

Plateau (n.) A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.

Plumbago (n.) A genus of herbaceous plants with pretty salver-shaped corollas, usually blue or violet; leadwort.

Pneumatograph (n.) An instrument for recording the movements of the thorax or chest wall during respiration; -- also called stethograph.

Poachard (n.) A common European duck (Aythya ferina); -- called also goldhead, poker, and fresh-water, / red-headed, widgeon.

Podical (a.) Anal; -- applied to certain organs of insects.

Pokebag (n.) The European long-tailed titmouse; -- called also poke-pudding.

Poldway (n.) A kind of coarse bagging, -- used for coal sacks.

Polemarch (n.) In Athens, originally, the military commanderin-chief; but, afterward, a civil magistrate who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners. In other Grecian cities, a high military and civil officer.

Polonaise (n.) A stately Polish dance tune, in 3-4 measure, beginning always on the beat with a quaver followed by a crotchet, and closing on the beat after a strong accent on the second beat; also, a dance adapted to such music; a polacca.

Polybasic (a.) Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monacid base; having several hydrogen atoms capable of being replaced by basic radicals; -- said of certain acids; as, sulphuric acid is polybasic.

Polybasite (n.) An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.

Polycarpellary (a.) Composed of several or numerous carpels; -- said of such fruits as the orange.

Polygala (n.) A genus of bitter herbs or shrubs having eight stamens and a two-celled ovary (as the Seneca snakeroot, the flowering wintergreen, etc.); milkwort.

Polygamous (a.) Of or pertaining to polygamy; characterized by, or involving, polygamy; having a plurality of wives; as, polygamous marriages; -- opposed to monogamous.

Polygamy (n.) The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; -- opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry.

Polygastric (a.) Having several bellies; -- applied to muscles which are made up of several bellies separated by short tendons.

Polyhalite (n.) A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.

Populace (n.) The common people; the vulgar; the multitude, -- comprehending all persons not distinguished by rank, office, education, or profession.

Porbeagle (n.) A species of shark (Lamna cornubica), about eight feet long, having a pointed nose and a crescent-shaped tail; -- called also mackerel shark.

Postman (n.) One of the two most experienced barristers in the Court of Exchequer, who have precedence in motions; -- so called from the place where he sits. The other of the two is called the tubman.

Postmark (v. t.) To mark with a post-office stamp; as, to postmark a letter or parcel.

Poundage (n.) The sum allowed to a sheriff or other officer upon the amount realized by an execution; -- estimated in England, and formerly in the United States, at so much of the pound.

Praisable (a.) Fit to be praised; praise-worthy; laudable; commendable.

Preataxic (a.) Occurring before the symptom ataxia has developed; -- applied to the early symptoms of locomotor ataxia.

Procrastinate (v. t.) To put off till to-morrow, or from day to day; to defer; to postpone; to delay; as, to procrastinate repentance.

Prognathous (a.) Having the jaws projecting beyond the upper part of the face; -- opposed to orthognathous. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.

Prostate (a.) Standing before; -- applied to a gland which is found in the males of most mammals, and is situated at the neck of the bladder where this joins the urethra.

Protract (v. t.) To extend; to protrude; as, the cat can protract its claws; -- opposed to retract.

Protractor (n.) A muscle which extends an organ or part; -- opposed to retractor.

Psychanalysis (n.) A method or process of psychotherapeutic analysis based on the work of Dr. Sigmund Freud (1856- --) of Vienna. The method rests upon the theory that hysteria is characteristically due to repression of desires consciously rejected but subconsciously persistent; it consists in a close analysis of the patient's mental history, stress being laid upon the dream life, and of treatment by means of suggestion.

Puffball (n.) A kind of ball-shaped fungus (Lycoperdon giganteum, and other species of the same genus) full of dustlike spores when ripe; -- called also bullfist, bullfice, puckfist, puff, and puffin.

Punctator (n.) One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; -- applied to a Masorite.

Pupiparous (a.) Bearing, or containing, a pupa; -- said of the matured larvae, or larval skins, of certain Diptera.

Puritan (n.) One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England.

Puritan (n.) One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions.

Puritanical (a.) Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid; -- often used by way of reproach or contempt.

Pursuant (a.) Acting in consequence or in prosecution (of anything); hence, agreeable; conformable; following; according; -- with to or of.

Pyrocatechin (n.) A white crystalPyroxanthin (n.) A yellow crystalPyrula (n.) A genus of large marine gastropods. having a pear-shaped shell. It includes the fig-shells. See Illust. in Appendix.

Quadrable (a.) That may be sqyared, or reduced to an equivalent square; -- said of a surface when the area limited by a curve can be exactly found, and expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms.

Quadragesimals (n. pl.) Offerings formerly made to the mother church of a diocese on Mid-Lent Sunday.

Quadrant (n.) One of the four parts into which a plane is divided by the coordinate axes. The upper right-hand part is the first quadrant; the upper left-hand part the second; the lower left-hand part the third; and the lower right-hand part the fourth quadrant.

Quadrantal (n.) A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure.

Quadrat (n.) A block of type metal lower than the letters, -- used in spacing and in blank Quadrat (n.) An old instrument used for taking altitudes; -- called also geometrical square, and Quadrate (a.) To square; to agree; to suit; to correspond; -- followed by with.

Quartation (n.) The act, process, or result (in the process of parting) of alloying a button of nearly pure gold with enough silver to reduce the fineness so as to allow acids to attack and remove all metals except the gold; -- called also inquartation. Compare Parting.

Quebracho (n.) A Chilian apocynaceous tree (Aspidosperma Quebracho); also, its bark, which is used as a febrifuge, and for dyspn/a of the lung, or bronchial diseases; -- called also white quebracho, to distinguish it from the red quebracho, a Mexican anacardiaceous tree (Loxopterygium Lorentzii) whose bark is said to have similar properties.

Quinnat (n.) The California salmon (Oncorhynchus choicha); -- called also chouicha, king salmon, chinnook salmon, and Sacramento salmon. It is of great commercial importance.

Quintain (n.) An object to be tilted at; -- called also quintel.

Radical (a.) Hence: Of or pertaining to the root or origin; reaching to the center, to the foundation, to the ultimate sources, to the principles, or the like; original; fundamental; thorough-going; unsparing; extreme; as, radical evils; radical reform; a radical party.

Radical (n.) One who advocates radical changes in government or social institutions, especially such changes as are intended to level class inequalities; -- opposed to conservative.

Radical (n.) Specifically, a group of two or more atoms, not completely saturated, which are so linked that their union implies certain properties, and are conveniently regarded as playing the part of a single atom; a residue; -- called also a compound radical. Cf. Residue.

Radicated (a.) Having roots, or possessing a well-developed root.

Radula (n.) The chitinous ribbon bearing the teeth of mollusks; -- called also lingual ribbon, and tongue. See Odontophore.

Rapscallion (n.) A rascal; a good-for-nothing fellow.

Rarefaction (n.) The act or process of rarefying; the state of being rarefied; -- opposed to condensation; as, the rarefaction of air.

Recital (n.) A vocal or instrumental performance by one person; -- distinguished from concert; as, a song recital; an organ, piano, or violin recital.

Recitative (n.) A species of musical recitation in which the words are delivered in a manner resembling that of ordinary declamation; also, a piece of music intended for such recitation; -- opposed to melisma.

Recreant (a.) Crying for mercy, as a combatant in the trial by battle; yielding; cowardly; mean-spirited; craven.

Recreant (n.) One who yields in combat, and begs for mercy; a mean-spirited, cowardly wretch.

Redcoat (n.) One who wears a red coat; specifically, a red-coated British soldier.

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.

Redowa (n.) A Bohemian dance of two kinds, one in triple time, like a waltz, the other in two-four time, like a polka. The former is most in use.

Redsear (v. i.) To be brittle when red-hot; to be red-short.

Redshank (n.) A common Old World limicoRedshank (n.) A bare-legged person; -- a contemptuous appellation formerly given to the Scotch Highlanders, in allusion to their bare legs.

Redstart (n.) A small, handsome European singing bird (Ruticilla phoenicurus), allied to the nightingale; -- called also redtail, brantail, fireflirt, firetail. The black redstart is P.tithys. The name is also applied to several other species of Ruticilla amnd allied genera, native of India.

Redstart (n.) An American fly-catching warbler (Setophaga ruticilla). The male is black, with large patches of orange-red on the sides, wings, and tail. The female is olive, with yellow patches.

Regular (a.) A soldier belonging to a permanent or standing army; -- chiefly used in the plural.

Reparation (n.) The act of renewing, restoring, etc., or the state of being renewed or repaired; as, the reparation of a bridge or of a highway; -- in this sense, repair is oftener used.

Resonance (n.) A prolongation or increase of any sound, either by reflection, as in a cavern or apartment the walls of which are not distant enough to return a distinct echo, or by the production of vibrations in other bodies, as a sounding-board, or the bodies of musical instruments.

Retiracy (n.) Retirement; -- mostly used in a jocose or burlesque way.

Revival (n.) Reanimation from a state of langour or depression; -- applied to the health, spirits, and the like.

Reactance (n.) The influence of a coil of wire upon an alternating current passing through it, tending to choke or diminish the current, or the similar influence of a condenser; inductive resistance. Reactance is measured in ohms. The reactance of a circuit is equal to the component of the impressed electro-motive force at right angles to the current divided by the current, that is, the component of the impedance due to the self-inductance or capacity of the circuit.

Resonator (n.) Any of various apparatus for exhibiting or utilizing the effects of resonance in connection with open circuits, as a device having an oscillating circuit which includes a helix of bare copper wire, a variable number of coils of which can be connected in circuit with a condenser and spark gap excited with an induction coil. It is used to create high-frequency electric brush discharges.

Resonator (n.) The antenna system and other high-frequency circuits of a receiving apparatus.

Rhamnaceous (a.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of shrubs and trees (Rhamnaceae, or Rhamneae) of which the buckthorn (Rhamnus) is the type. It includes also the New Jersey tea, the supple-jack, and one of the plants called lotus (Zizyphus).

Rhusma (n.) A mixtire of caustic lime and orpiment, or tersulphide of arsenic, -- used in the depilation of hides.

Rigsdaler (n.) A Danish coin worth about fifty-four cents. It was the former unit of value in Denmark.

Riksdaler (n.) A Swedish coin worth about twenty-seven cents. It was formerly the unit of value in Sweden.

Ringtail (n.) A light sail set abaft and beyong the leech of a boom-and-gaff sail; -- called also ringsail.

Rosebay (n.) An herb (Epilobium spicatum) with showy purple flowers, common in Europe and North America; -- called also great willow herb.

Rosulate (a.) Arranged in little roselike clusters; -- said of leaves and bracts.

Roundabout (n.) A horizontal wheel or frame, commonly with wooden horses, etc., on which children ride; a merry-go-round.

Rubican (a.) Colored a prevailing red, bay, or black, with flecks of white or gray especially on the flanks; -- said of horses.

Rumination (n.) The regurgitation of food from the stomach after it has been swallowed, -- occasionally observed as a morbid phenomenon in man.

Rytina (n.) A genus of large edentulous sirenians, allied to the dugong and manatee, including but one species (R. Stelleri); -- called also Steller's sea cow.

Sacalait (n.) A kind of fresh-water bass; the crappie.

Saccharin (n.) A bitter white crystalSaccharonic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, saccharone; specifically, designating an unstable acid which is obtained from saccharone (a) by hydration, and forms a well-known series of salts.

Salutatorian (n.) The student who pronounces the salutatory oration at the annual Commencement or like exercises of a college, -- an honor commonly assigned to that member of the graduating class who ranks second in scholarship.

Salutatory (a.) Containing or expressing salutations; speaking a welcome; greeting; -- applied especially to the oration which introduces the exercises of the Commencements, or similar public exhibitions, in American colleges.

Samara (n.) A dry, indehiscent, usually one-seeded, winged fruit, as that of the ash, maple, and elm; a key or key fruit.

Sandpaper (n.) Paper covered on one side with sand glued fast, -- used for smoothing and polishing.

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

Sapotaceous (a.) Of or pertaining to a natural order (Sapotaceae) of (mostly tropical) trees and shrubs, including the star apple, the Lucuma, or natural marmalade tree, the gutta-percha tree (Isonandra), and the India mahwa, as well as the sapodilla, or sapota, after which the order is named.

Sapucaia (n.) A Brazilian tree. See Lecythis, and Monkey-pot.

Saturated (a.) Having its affinity satisfied; combined with all it can hold; -- said of certain atoms, radicals, or compounds; thus, methane is a saturated compound. Contrasted with unsaturated.

Saturation (n.) Freedom from mixture or dilution with white; purity; -- said of colors.

Saxicavous (a.) Boring, or hollowing out, rocks; -- said of certain mollusks which live in holes which they burrow in rocks. See Illust. of Lithodomus.

Scylla (n.) A dangerous rock on the Italian coast opposite the whirpool Charybdis on the coast of Sicily, -- both personified in classical literature as ravenous monsters. The passage between them was formerly considered perilous; hence, the saying "Between Scylla and Charybdis," signifying a great peril on either hand.

Secularness (n.) The quality or state of being secular; worldSelenate (n.) A salt of selenic acid; -- formerly called also seleniate.

Semipalmated (a.) Having the anterior toes joined only part way down with a web; half-webbed; as, a semipalmate bird or foot. See Illust. k under Aves.

Separate (p. a.) Divided from another or others; disjoined; disconnected; separated; -- said of things once connected.

Separate (p. a.) Unconnected; not united or associated; distinct; -- said of things that have not been connected.

Septuagesima (n.) The third Sunday before Lent; -- so called because it is about seventy days before Easter.

Septuagint (n.) A Greek version of the Old Testament; -- so called because it was believed to be the work of seventy (or rather of seventy-two) translators.

Serenade (n.) Music sung or performed in the open air at nights; -- usually applied to musical entertainments given in the open air at night, especially by gentlemen, in a spirit of gallantry, under the windows of ladies.

Sergeant (n.) Formerly, in England, an officer nearly answering to the more modern bailiff of the hundred; also, an officer whose duty was to attend on the king, and on the lord high steward in court, to arrest traitors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms, and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery.

Sergeant (n.) A lawyer of the highest rank, answering to the doctor of the civil law; -- called also serjeant at law.

Setiparous (a.) Producing setae; -- said of the organs from which the setae of annelids arise.

Sexenary (a.) Proceeding by sixes; sextuple; -- applied especially to a system of arithmetical computation in which the base is six.

Seminar (n.) A group of students engaged, under the guidance of an instructor, in original research in a particular Sforzato (a.) Forcing or forced; -- a direction placed over a note, to signify that it must be executed with peculiar emphasis and force; -- marked fz (an abbreviation of forzando), sf, sfz, or /.

Shadrach (n.) A mass of iron on which the operation of smelting has failed of its intended effect; -- so called from Shadrach, one of the three Hebrews who came forth unharmed from the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. (See Dan. iii. 26, 27.)

Shagbark (n.) A rough-barked species of hickory (Carya alba), its nut. Called also shellbark. See Hickory.

Shagbark (n.) The West Indian Pithecolobium micradenium, a legiminous tree with a red coiled-up pod.

Shilfa (n.) The chaffinch; -- so named from its call note.

Siderated (a.) Planet-struck; blasted.

Sideration (n.) The state of being siderated, or planet-struck; esp., blast in plants; also, a sudden and apparently causeless stroke of disease, as in apoplexy or paralysis.

Simulacrum (n.) A likeness; a semblance; a mock appearance; a sham; -- now usually in a derogatory sense.

Simulation (n.) The act of simulating, or assuming an appearance which is feigned, or not true; -- distinguished from dissimulation, which disguises or conceals what is true.

Skewbald (a.) Marked with spots and patches of white and some color other than black; -- usually distinguished from piebald, in which the colors are properly white and black. Said of horses.

Skipjack (n.) A shallow sailboat with a rectiSnaphance (n.) A trifling or second-rate thing or person.

Snowball (n.) The Guelder-rose.

Solidago (n.) A genus of yellow-flowered composite perennial herbs; golden-rod.

Solitaire (n.) A game which one person can play alone; -- applied to many games of cards, etc.; also, to a game played on a board with pegs or balls, in which the object is, beginning with all the places filled except one, to remove all but one of the pieces by "jumping," as in draughts.

Solitaire (n.) Any species of American thrushlike birds of the genus Myadestes. They are noted their sweet songs and retiring habits. Called also fly-catching thrush. A West Indian species (Myadestes sibilans) is called the invisible bird.

Spectacle (n.) A spy-glass; a looking-glass.

Spectatrix (n.) A female beholder or looker-on.

Spermatogenous (a.) Sperm-producing.

Spermatophorous (a.) Producing seed, or sperm; seminiferous; as, the so-called spermatophorous cells.

Spermatozoid (n.) The male germ cell in animals and plants, the essential element in fertilization; a microscopic animalcule-like particle, usually provided with one or more cilia by which it is capable of active motion. In animals, the familiar type is that of a small, more or less ovoid head, with a delicate threadlike cilium, or tail. Called also spermatozoon. In plants the more usual term is antherozoid.

Spheral (a.) Rounded like a sphere; sphere-shaped; hence, symmetrical; complete; perfect.

Spiccato (a.) Detached; separated; -- a term indicating that every note is to be performed in a distinct and pointed manner.

Spinnaker (n.) A large triangular sail set upon a boom, -- used when running before the wind.

Spousal (n.) Marriage; nuptials; espousal; -- generally used in the plural; as, the spousals of Hippolita.

Squinancy (n.) A European perennial herb (Asperula cynanchica) with narrowly Staccato (a.) Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.

Stargaser (n.) Any one of several species of spiny-rayed marine fishes belonging to Uranoscopus, Astroscopus, and allied genera, of the family Uranoscopidae. The common species of the Eastern United States are Astroscopus anoplus, and A. guttatus. So called from the position of the eyes, which look directly upward.

Stargasing (n.) Hence, absent-mindedness; abstraction.

Stephanite (n.) A sulphide of antimony and silver of an iron-black color and metallic luster; called also black silver, and brittle silver ore.

Stigma (v. t.) A small spot, mark, scar, or a minute hole; -- applied especially to a spot on the outer surface of a Graafian follicle, and to spots of intercellular substance in scaly epithelium, or to minute holes in such spots.

Stigmatic (n.) A person bearing the wounds on the hands and feet resembling those of Jesus Christ caused by His crucifixion; -- for true stigmantics the wounds are supposed to have been caused miraculously, as a sign of great hoStumpage (n.) Timber in standing trees, -- often sold without the land at a fixed price per tree or per stump, the stumps being counted when the land is cleared.

Subbrachiales (n. pl.) A division of soft-finned fishes in which the ventral fins are situated beneath the pectorial fins, or nearly so.

Subulated (a.) Very narrow, and tapering gradually to a fine point from a broadish base; awl-shaped; Sulphacid (n.) An acid in which, to a greater or less extent, sulphur plays a part analogous to that of oxygen in an oxyacid; thus, thiosulphuric and sulpharsenic acids are sulphacids; -- called also sulphoacid. See the Note under Acid, n., 2.

Superannuate (v. i.) To last beyond the year; -- said of annual plants.

Swagman (n.) A bushman carrying a swag and traveling on foot; -- called also swagsman, swagger, and swaggie.

Symbranchii (n. pl.) An order of slender eel-like fishes having the gill openings confluent beneath the neck. The pectoral arch is generally attached to the skull, and the entire margin of the upper jaw is formed by the premaxillary. Called also Symbranchia.

Synclastic (a.) Curved toward the same side in all directions; -- said of surfaces which in all directions around any point bend away from a tangent plane toward the same side, as the surface of a sphere; -- opposed to anticlastic.

Syndyasmian (a.) Pertaining to the state of pairing together sexually; -- said of animals during periods of procreation and while rearing their offspring.

Taenia (n.) A band; a structural Tamarack (n.) The black pine (Pinus Murrayana) of Alaska, California, etc. It is a small tree with fine-grained wood.

Tapayaxin (n.) A Mexican spinous lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) having a head somewhat like that of a toad; -- called also horned toad.

Tartralic (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white amorphous deliquescent substance, C8H10O11; -- called also ditartaric, tartrilic, or tartrylic acid.

Tartrazine (n.) An artificial dyestuff obtained as an orange-yellow powder, and regarded as a phenyl hydrazine derivative of tartaric and sulphonic acids.

Tatouay (n.) An armadillo (Xenurus unicinctus), native of the tropical parts of South America. It has about thirteen movable bands composed of small, nearly square, scales. The head is long; the tail is round and tapered, and nearly destitute of scales; the claws of the fore feet are very large. Called also tatouary, and broad-banded armadillo.

Telega (n.) A rude four-wheeled, springless wagon, used among the Russians.

Tegulated (a.) Composed of small plates, as of horn or metal, overlapping like tiles; -- said of a kind of ancient armor.

Tertian (n.) A liquid measure formerly used for wine, equal to seventy imperial, or eighty-four wine, gallons, being one third of a tun.

Tertiary (a.) Growing on the innermost joint of a bird's wing; tertial; -- said of quills.

Thaliacea (n. pl.) A division of Tunicata comprising the free-swimming species, such as Salpa and Doliolum.

Thaumaturgus (n.) A miracle worker; -- a title given by the Roman Catholics to some saints.

Thecla (n.) Any one of many species of small delicately colored butterflies belonging to Thecla and allied genera; -- called also hairstreak, and elfin.

Theriaca (n.) An ancient composition esteemed efficacious against the effects of poison; especially, a certain compound of sixty-four drugs, prepared, pulverized, and reduced by means of honey to an electuary; -- called also theriaca Andromachi, and Venice treacle.

Thoria (n.) A rare white earthy substance, consisting of the oxide of thorium; -- formerly called also thorina.

Thousandth (a.) Next in order after nine hundred and ninty-nine; coming last of a thousand successive individuals or units; -- the ordinal of thousand; as, the thousandth part of a thing.

Thousandth (a.) Occurring as being one of, or the last one of, a very great number; very small; minute; -- used hyperbolically; as, to do a thing for the thousandth time.

Tipula (n.) Any one of many species of long-legged dipterous insects belonging to Tipula and allied genera. They have long and slender bodies. See Crane fly, under Crane.

Totipalmate (a.) Having all four toes united by a web; -- said of certain sea birds, as the pelican and the gannet. See Illust. under Aves.

TourmaTonneau (n.) In France, a light-wheeled vehicle with square or rounded body and rear entrance.

Trabea (n.) A toga of purple, or ornamented with purple horizontal stripes. -- worn by kings, consuls, and augurs.

Tractarian (n.) One of the writers of the Oxford tracts, called "Tracts for the Times," issued during the period 1833-1841, in which series of papers the sacramental system and authority of the Church, and the value of tradition, were brought into prominence. Also, a member of the High Church party, holding generally the principles of the Tractarian writers; a Puseyite.

Transalpine (a.) Being on the farther side of the Alps in regard to Rome, that is, on the north or west side of the Alps; of or pertaining to the region or the people beyond the Alps; as, transalpine Gaul; -- opposed to cisalpine.

Trespass (v. i.) To commit any offense, or to do any act that injures or annoys another; to violate any rule of rectitude, to the injury of another; hence, in a moral sense, to transgress voluntarily any divine law or command; to violate any known rule of duty; to sin; -- often followed by against.

Tridiapason (n.) A triple octave, or twenty-second.

Trigraph (n.) Three letters united in pronunciation so as to have but one sound, or to form but one syllable, as -ieu in adieu; a triphthong.

Triplasian (a.) Three-fold; triple; treble.

Trochantine (n.) The second joint of the leg of an insect, -- often united with the coxa.

Truncated (a.) Lacking the apex; -- said of certain spiral shells in which the apex naturally drops off.

Tubularida (n. pl.) An extensive division of Hydroidea; the tubularians; -- called also Athecata, Gymnoblastea, and Tubulariae.

Tunicated (a.) Having each joint buried in the preceding funnel-shaped one, as in certain antennae of insects.

Turntable (n.) A large revolving platform, for turning railroad cars, locomotives, etc., in a different direction; -- called also turnplate.

Tundra (n.) One of the level or undulating treeless plains characteristic of northern arctic regions in both hemispheres. The tundras mark the limit of arborescent vegetation; they consist of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, but support a dense growth of mosses and lichens, and dwarf herbs and shrubs, often showy-flowered.

Unamiable (a.) Not amiable; morose; ill-natured; repulsive.

Uncreate (a.) Uncreated; self-existent.

Uncreated (a.) Not existing by creation; self-existent; eternal; as, God is an uncreated being.

Undecane (n.) A liquid hydrocarbon, C11H24, of the methane series, found in petroleum; -- so called from its containing eleven carbon atoms in the molecule.

Undreamt (a.) Not dreamed, or dreamed of; not th/ught of; not imagined; -- often followed by of.

Undulation (n.) The pulsation caused by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison; -- called also beat.

Unequaled (a.) Not equaled; unmatched; unparalleled; unrivaled; exceeding; surpassing; -- in a good or bad sense; as, unequaled excellence; unequaled ingratitude or baseness.

Ungula (n.) A section or part of a cylinder, cone, or other solid of revolution, cut off by a plane oblique to the base; -- so called from its resemblance to the hoof of a horse.

Unmoral (a.) Having no moral perception, quality, or relation; involving no idea of morality; -- distinguished from both moral and immoral.

Unstratified (a.) Not stratified; -- applied to massive rocks, as granite, porphyry, etc., and also to deposits of loose material, as the glacial till, which occur in masses without layers or strata.

Ursula (n.) A beautiful North American butterfly (Basilarchia, / Limenitis, astyanax). Its wings are nearly black with red and blue spots and blotches. Called also red-spotted purple.

Urtical (a.) Resembling nettles; -- said of several natural orders allied to urticaceous plants.

Urtication (n.) The act or process of whipping or stinging with nettles; -- sometimes used in the treatment of paralysis.

Usurpation (n.) The act of usurping, or of seizing and enjoying; an authorized, arbitrary assumption and exercise of power, especially an infringing on the rights of others; specifically, the illegal seizure of sovereign power; -- commonly used with of, also used with on or upon; as, the usurpation of a throne; the usurpation of the supreme power.

Vaticanism (n.) The doctrine of papal supremacy; extreme views in support of the authority of the pope; ultramontanism; -- a term used only by persons who are not Roman Catholics.

Venerable (a.) Capable of being venerated; worthy of veneration or reverence; deserving of honor and respect; -- generally implying an advanced age; as, a venerable magistrate; a venerable parent.

Vengeance (n.) Punishment inflicted in return for an injury or an offense; retribution; -- often, in a bad sense, passionate or unrestrained revenge.

Ventrad (adv.) Toward the ventral side; on the ventral side; ventrally; -- opposed to dorsad.

Ventral (a.) Of, pertaining to, or situated near, the belly, or ventral side, of an animal or of one of its parts; hemal; abdominal; as, the ventral fin of a fish; the ventral root of a spinal nerve; -- opposed to dorsal.

Vinegarroon (n.) A whip scorpion, esp. a large Mexican species (Thelyphonus giganteus) popularly supposed to be very venomous; -- from the odor that it emits when alarmed.

Victual (n.) Food; -- now used chiefly in the plural. See Victuals.

Vivipara (n. pl.) An artificial division of vertebrates including those that produce their young alive; -- opposed to Ovipara.

Viviparous (a.) Producing young in a living state, as most mammals, or as those plants the offspring of which are produced alive, either by bulbs instead of seeds, or by the seeds themselves germinating on the plant, instead of falling, as they usually do; -- opposed to oviparous.

Watteau (a.) Having the appearance of that which is seen in pictures by Antoine Watteau, a French painter of the eighteenth century; -- said esp. of women's garments; as, a Watteau bodice.

Weismannism (n.) The theories and teachings in regard to heredity propounded by the German biologist August Weismann, esp. in regard to germ plasm as the basis of heredity and the impossibility of transmitting acquired characteristics; -- often called neo-Darwinism.

Whereabouts (adv.) About where; near what or which place; -- used interrogatively and relatively; as, whereabouts did you meet him?

Whereas (conj.) Considering that; it being the case that; since; -- used to introduce a preamble which is the basis of declarations, affirmations, commands, requests, or like, that follow.

Whereas (conj.) When in fact; while on the contrary; the case being in truth that; although; -- implying opposition to something that precedes; or implying recognition of facts, sometimes followed by a different statement, and sometimes by inferences or something consequent.

Whereat (adv.) At which; upon which; whereupon; -- used relatively.

Whereat (adv.) At what; -- used interrogatively; as, whereat are you offended?

Whiggamore (n.) A Whig; -- a cant term applied in contempt to Scotch Presbyterians.

Whiplash (n.) The lash of a whip, -- usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted.

Whipparee (n.) A large sting ray (Rhinoptera bonasus, or R. quadriloba) of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its snout appears to be four-lobed when viewed in front, whence it is also called cow-nosed ray.

Windjammer (n.) A sailing vessel or one of its crew; -- orig. so called contemptuously by sailors on steam vessels.

Windgall (n.) A soft tumor or synovial swelling on the fetlock joint of a horse; -- so called from having formerly been supposed to contain air.

Windward (n.) The point or side from which the wind blows; as, to ply to the windward; -- opposed to leeward.

Wink (v. i.) To avoid taking notice, as if by shutting the eyes; to connive at anything; to be tolerant; -- generally with at.

Witenagemote (n.) A meeting of wise men; the national council, or legislature, of England in the days of the Anglo-Saxons, before the Norman Conquest.

Xanthamide (n.) An amido derivative of xanthic acid obtained as a white crystalZinnia (n.) Any plant of the composite genus Zinnia, Mexican herbs with opposite leaves and large gay-colored blossoms. Zinnia elegans is the commonest species in cultivation.

Zonular (a.) Of or pertaining to a zone; zone-shaped.

Zygodactylous (a.) Yoke-footed; having the toes disposed in pairs; -- applied to birds which have two toes before and two behind, as the parrot, cuckoo, woodpecker, etc.

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.