Words whose 9th letter is I

Ablastemic (a.) Non-germinal.

Acetabulifera (n. pl.) The division of Cephalopoda in which the arms are furnished with cup-shaped suckers, as the cuttlefishes, squids, and octopus; the Dibranchiata. See Cephalopoda.

Acetabuliform (a.) Shaped like a shallow cup; saucer-shaped; as, an acetabuliform calyx.

Acetanilide (n.) A compound of aniAchromatic (a.) Uncolored; not absorbing color from a fluid; -- said of tissue.

Acroamatical (a.) Communicated orally; oral; -- applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound.

Acutifoliate (a.) Having sharp-pointed leaves.

Adventitious (a.) Accidentally or sparingly spontaneous in a country or district; not fully naturalized; adventive; -- applied to foreign plants.

Aestivation (n.) The state of torpidity induced by the heat and dryness of summer, as in certain snails; -- opposed to hibernation.

Affirmation (n.) The act of affirming or asserting as true; assertion; -- opposed to negation or denial.

Affirmative (a.) That affirms; asserting that the fact is so; declaratory of what exists; answering "yes" to a question; -- opposed to negative; as, an affirmative answer; an affirmative vote.

Affirmative (a.) Positive; -- a term applied to quantities which are to be added, and opposed to negative, or such as are to be subtracted.

Affirmative (n.) That which affirms as opposed to that which denies; an affirmative proposition; that side of question which affirms or maintains the proposition stated; -- opposed to negative; as, there were forty votes in the affirmative, and ten in the negative.

Affirmatively (adv.) In an affirmative manner; on the affirmative side of a question; in the affirmative; -- opposed to negatively.

Aggravation (n.) The act of aggravating, or making worse; -- used of evils, natural or moral; the act of increasing in severity or heinousness; something additional to a crime or wrong and enhancing its guilt or injurious consequences.

Agnosticism (n.) The doctrine that the existence of a personal Deity, an unseen world, etc., can be neither proved nor disproved, because of the necessary limits of the human mind (as sometimes charged upon Hamilton and Mansel), or because of the insufficiency of the evidence furnished by physical and physical data, to warrant a positive conclusion (as taught by the school of Herbert Spencer); -- opposed alike dogmatic skepticism and to dogmatic theism.

Alkekengi (n.) An herbaceous plant of the nightshade family (Physalis alkekengi) and its fruit, which is a well flavored berry, the size of a cherry, loosely inclosed in a enlarged leafy calyx; -- also called winter cherry, ground cherry, and strawberry tomato.

Amylogenic (a.) Forming starch; -- applied specif. to leucoplasts.

Altruistic (a.) Regardful of others; beneficent; unselfish; -- opposed to egoistic or selfish.

Amygdaloidal (a.) Almond-shaped.

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

Anaglyphical (a.) Pertaining to the art of chasing or embossing in relief; anaglyptic; -- opposed to diaglyptic or sunk work.

Anaseismic (a.) Moving up and down; -- said of earthquake shocks.

Anorthosite (n.) A granular igneous rock composed almost exclusively of a soda-lime feldspar, usually labradorite.

Anatreptic (a.) Overthrowing; defeating; -- applied to Plato's refutative dialogues.

Ancistroid (a.) Hook-shaped.

Anelectric (a.) Not becoming electrified by friction; -- opposed to idioelectric.

Anemorphilous (a.) Fertilized by the agency of the wind; -- said of plants in which the pollen is carried to the stigma by the wind; wind-Fertilized.

Anglicanism (n.) The principles of the established church of England; also, in a restricted sense, the doctrines held by the high-church party.

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

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

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.

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

Arreptitious (a.) Snatched away; seized or possessed, as a demoniac; raving; mad; crack-brained.

Arterialization (n.) The process of converting venous blood into arterial blood during its passage through the lungs, oxygen being absorbed and carbonic acid evolved; -- called also aeration and hematosis.

Assertorial (a.) Asserting that a thing is; -- opposed to problematical and apodeictical.

Assignation (n.) An appointment of time and place for meeting or interview; -- used chiefly of love interviews, and now commonly in a bad sense.

Augustinian (a.) Of or pertaining to St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa (b. 354 -- d. 430), or to his doctrines.

Aurocyanide (n.) A double cyanide of gold and some other metal or radical; -- called also cyanaurate.

Autostability (n.) Automatic stability; also, inherent stability. An aeroplane is inherently stable if it keeps in steady poise by virtue of its shape and proportions alone; it is automatically stable if it keeps in steady poise by means of self-operative mechanism.

Berthierite (n.) A double sulphide of antimony and iron, of a dark steel-gray color.

Biodynamics (n.) The branch of biology which treats of the active vital phenomena of organisms; -- opposed to biostatics.

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.

Bipinnaria (n.) The larva of certain starfishes as developed in the free-swimming stage.

Brankursine (n.) Bear's-breech, or Acanthus.

Breastrail (n.) The upper rail of any parapet of ordinary height, as of a balcony; the railing of a quarter-deck, etc.

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

Cahenslyism (n.) A plan proposed to the Pope in 1891 by P. P. Cahensly, a member of the German parliament, to divide the foreign-born population of the United States, for ecclesiastical purposes, according to European nationalities, and to appoint bishops and priests of like race and speaking the same language as the majority of the members of a diocese or congregation. This plan was successfully opposed by the American party in the Church.

Cacophonious (a.) Harsh-sounding.

Campaniliform (a.) Bell-shaped; campanulate; campaniform.

Capellmeister (n.) The musical director in royal or ducal chapel; a choir-master.

Carvelbuilt (a.) Having the planks meet flush at the seams, instead of lapping as in a clinker-built vessel.

Cassiopeia (n.) A constellation of the northern hemisphere, situated between Cepheus and Perseus; -- so called in honor of the wife of Cepheus, a fabulous king of Ethiopia.

Chelidonius (n.) A small stone taken from the gizzard of a young swallow. -- anciently worn as a medicinal charm.

Chiastolite (n.) A variety of andalusite; -- called also macle. The tessellated appearance of a cross section is due to the symmetrical arrangement of impurities in the crystal.

Chinquapin (n.) A branching, nut-bearing tree or shrub (Castanea pumila) of North America, from six to twenty feet high, allied to the chestnut. Also, its small, sweet, edible nat.

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

Cinquefoil (n.) The name of several different species of the genus Potentilla; -- also called five-finger, because of the resemblance of its leaves to the fingers of the hand.

Circulation (n.) The movement of the blood in the blood-vascular system, by which it is brought into close relations with almost every living elementary constituent. Also, the movement of the sap in the vessels and tissues of plants.

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.

Clinanthium (n.) The receptacle of the flowers in a composite plant; -- also called clinium.

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

Cointension (n.) The condition of being of equal in intensity; -- applied to relations; as, 3:6 and 6:12 are relations of cointension.

Coloradoite (n.) Mercury telluride, an iron-black metallic mineral, found in Colorado.

Combination (n.) The result of combining or uniting; union of persons or things; esp. a union or alliance of persons or states to effect some purpose; -- usually in a bad sense.

Comparative (a.) Expressing a degree greater or less than the positive degree of the quality denoted by an adjective or adverb. The comparative degree is formed from the positive by the use of -er, more, or less; as, brighter, more bright, or less bright.

Competition (n.) The act of seeking, or endeavoring to gain, what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time; common strife for the same objects; strife for superiority; emulous contest; rivalry, as for approbation, for a prize, or as where two or more persons are engaged in the same business and each seeking patronage; -- followed by for before the object sought, and with before the person or thing competed with.

Composition (n.) A literary, musical, or artistic production, especially one showing study and care in arrangement; -- often used of an elementary essay or translation done as an educational exercise.

Conjugation (n.) A kind of sexual union; -- applied to a blending of the contents of two or more cells or individuals in some plants and lower animals, by which new spores or germs are developed.

Consecutive (a.) Having similarity of sequence; -- said of certain parallel progressions of two parts in a piece of harmony; as, consecutive fifths, or consecutive octaves, which are forbidden.

Consumption (n.) A progressive wasting away of the body; esp., that form of wasting, attendant upon pulmonary phthisis and associated with cough, spitting of blood, hectic fever, etc.; pulmonary phthisis; -- called also pulmonary consumption.

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

Corporality (n.) The state of being or having a body; bodily existence; corporeality; -- opposed to spirituality.

Correligionist (n.) A co-religion/ist.

Cottontail (n.) The American wood rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus); -- also called Molly cottontail.

Creationism (n.) The doctrine that a soul is specially created for each human being as soon as it is formed in the womb; -- opposed to traducianism.

Crescentic (a.) Crescent-shaped.

Crocidolite (n.) A mineral occuring in silky fibers of a lavender blue color. It is related to hornblende and is essentially a silicate of iron and soda; -- called also blue asbestus. A silicified form, in which the fibers penetrating quartz are changed to oxide of iron, is the yellow brown tiger-eye of the jewelers.

Cucurbitive (a.) Having the shape of a gourd seed; -- said of certain small worms.

Cultivation (n.) Bestowal of time or attention for self-improvement or for the benefit of others; fostering care.

Cylindroid (n.) A certain surface of the third degree, described by a moving straight line; -- used to illustrate the motions of a rigid body and also the forces acting on the body.

Decollation (n.) The act of beheading or state of one beheaded; -- especially used of the execution of St. John the Baptist.

Defalcation (n.) A lopping off; a diminution; abatement; deficit. Specifically: Reduction of a claim by deducting a counterclaim; set- off.

Democratic (a.) Befitting the common people; -- opposed to aristocratic.

Dereliction (n.) A retiring of the sea, occasioning a change of high-water mark, whereby land is gained.

Destructionist (n.) One who believes in the final destruction or complete annihilation of the wicked; -- called also annihilationist.

Destructive (a.) Causing destruction; tending to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; -- often with of or to; as, intemperance is destructive of health; evil examples are destructive to the morals of youth.

Diacoustics (n.) That branch of natural philosophy which treats of the properties of sound as affected by passing through different mediums; -- called also diaphonics. See the Note under Acoustics.

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.

Dipterygian (a.) Having two dorsal fins; -- said of certain fishes.

Disassimilation (n.) The decomposition of complex substances, within the organism, into simpler ones suitable only for excretion, with evolution of energy, -- a normal nutritional process the reverse of assimilation; downward metabolism.

Disposition (n.) Natural or prevailing spirit, or temperament of mind, especially as shown in intercourse with one's fellow-men; temper of mind.

Dispositioned (a.) Having (such) a disposition; -- used in compounds; as, well-dispositioned.

Distinguish (v. t.) To separate from others by a mark of honor; to make eminent or known; to confer distinction upon; -- with by or for.

Distinguish (v. i.) To make distinctions; to perceive the difference; to exercise discrimination; -- with between; as, a judge distinguishes between cases apparently similar, but differing in principle.

Distinguished (a.) Separated from others by distinct difference; having, or indicating, superiority; eminent or known; illustrious; -- applied to persons and deeds.

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

Ekaluminium (n.) The name given to a hypothetical element, -- later discovered and called gallium. See Gallium, and cf. Ekabor.

Emmetropia (n.) That refractive condition of the eye in which the rays of light are all brought accurately and without undue effort to a focus upon the retina; -- opposed to hypermetropia, myopia, an astigmatism.

Empiristic (a.) Relating to, or resulting from, experience, or experiment; following from empirical methods or data; -- opposed to nativistic.

Entomophilous (a.) Fertilized by the agency of insects; -- said of plants in which the pollen is carried to the stigma by insects.

Epideictic (a.) Serving to show forth, explain, or exhibit; -- applied by the Greeks to a kind of oratory, which, by full amplification, seeks to persuade.

Epigastric (a.) Over the stomach; -- applied to two of the areas of the carapace of crabs.

Eudaemonics (n.) That part of moral philosophy which treats of happiness; the science of happiness; -- contrasted with aretaics.

Eudaemonism (n.) That system of ethics which defines and enforces moral obligation by its relation to happiness or personal well-being.

Evolutility (n.) The faculty possessed by all substances capable of self-nourishment of manifesting the nutritive acts by changes of form, of volume, or of structure.

Exothermic (a.) Characterized by, or formed with, evolution of heat; as, an exothermic reaction; -- opposed to endothermic.

Excarnation (n.) The act of depriving or divesting of flesh; excarnification; -- opposed to incarnation.

Extemporize (v. t.) To do, make, or utter extempore or off-hand; to prepare in great haste, under urgent necessity, or with scanty or unsuitable materials; as, to extemporize a dinner, a costume, etc.

Facultative (a.) Having relation to the grant or exercise faculty, or authority, privilege, license, or the like hence, optional; as, facultative enactments, or those which convey a faculty, or permission; the facultative referendum of Switzerland is one that is optional with the people and is necessary only when demanded by petition; facultative studies; -- opposed to obligatory and compulsory, and sometimes used with to.

Facultative (a.) Having the power to live under different conditions; as, a facultative parasite, a plant which is normally saprophytic, but which may exist wholly or in part as a parasite; -- opposed to obligate.

Fergusonite (n.) A mineral of a brownish black color, essentially a tantalo-niobate of yttrium, erbium, and cerium; -- so called after Robert Ferguson.

Fissipedia (n. pl.) A division of the Carnivora, including the dogs, cats, and bears, in which the feet are not webbed; -- opposed to Pinnipedia.

Fourdrinier (n.) A machine used in making paper; -- so named from an early inventor of improvements in this class of machinery.

Fulgurating (a.) Resembling lightning; -- used to describe intense lancinating pains accompanying locomotor ataxy.

Fulguration (n.) The sudden brightening of a fused globule of gold or silver, when the last film of the oxide of lead or copper leaves its surface; -- also called blick.

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

Generatrix (n.) That which generates; the point, or the mathematical magnitude, which, by its motion, generates another magnitude, as a line, surface, or solid; -- called also describent.

Geocentrical (a.) Having reference to the earth as center; in relation to or seen from the earth, -- usually opposed to heliocentric, as seen from the sun; as, the geocentric longitude or latitude of a planet.

Geosynclinal (n.) the downward bend or subsidence of the earth's crust, which allows of the gradual accumulation of sediment, and hence forms the first step in the making of a mountain range; -- opposed to geanticlinal.

Gonochorism (n.) Separation of the sexes in different individuals; -- opposed to hermaphroditism.

Haematitic (a.) Of a blood-red color; crimson; (Bot.) brownish red.

Hatchettite (n.) Mineral t/ low; a waxy or spermaceti-like substance, commonly of a greenish yellow color.

Heteroecious (a.) Passing through the different stages in its life history on an alternation of hosts, as the common wheat-rust fungus (Puccinia graminis), and certain other parasitic fungi; -- contrasted with autoecious.

Helianthin (n.) An artificial, orange dyestuff, analogous to tropaolin, and like it used as an indicator in alkalimetry; -- called also methyl orange.

Helleborin (n.) A poisonous glucoside found in several species of hellebore, and extracted as a white crystalHemimellitic (a.) Having half as many (three) carboxyl radicals as mellitic acid; -- said of an organic acid.

Heteroscian (n.) One who lives either north or south of the tropics, as contrasted with one who lives on the other side of them; -- so called because at noon the shadows always fall in opposite directions (the one northward, the other southward).

Histrionical (a.) Of or relating to the stage or a stageplayer; befitting a theatre; theatrical; -- sometimes in a bad sense.

Holosteric (a.) Wholly solid; -- said of a barometer constructed of solid materials to show the variations of atmospheric pressure without the use of liquids, as the aneroid.

Homoiousian (n.) One of the semi-Arians of the 4th century, who held that the Son was of like, but not the same, essence or substance with the Father; -- opposed to homoousian.

Hydrachnid (n.) An aquatic mite of the genus Hydrachna. The hydrachnids, while young, are parasitic on fresh-water mussels.

Hydrogenize (v. t.) To combine with hydrogen; to treat with, or subject to the action of, hydrogen; to reduce; -- contrasted with oxidize.

Hypnagogic (a.) Leading to sleep; -- applied to the illusions of one who is half asleep.

Hypnogenic (a.) Relating to the production of hypnotic sleep; as, the so-called hypnogenic pressure points, pressure upon which is said to cause an attack of hypnotic sleep.

Hypostasis (n.) Substance; subsistence; essence; person; personality; -- used by the early theologians to denote any one of the three subdivisions of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Hypostasis (n.) Principle; an element; -- used by the alchemists in speaking of salt, sulphur, and mercury, which they considered as the three principles of all material bodies.

Ichthyosis (n.) A disease in which the skin is thick, rough, and scaly; -- called also fishskin.

Iconodulist (n.) One who serves images; -- opposed to an iconoclast.

Iconomania (n.) A mania or infatuation for icons, whether as objects of devotion, bric-a-brac, or curios.

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.

Imagination (n.) The imagine-making power of the mind; the power to create or reproduce ideally an object of sense previously perceived; the power to call up mental imagines.

Importation (v. t.) The act or practice of importing, or bringing into a country or state; -- opposed to exportation.

Imprescriptible (a.) Not derived from, or dependent on, external authority; self-evidencing; obvious.

Improperia (n. pl.) A series of antiphons and responses, expressing the sorrowful remonstrance of our Lord with his people; -- sung on the morning of the Good Friday in place of the usual daily Mass of the Roman ritual.

Inauspicious (a.) Not auspicious; ill-omened; unfortunate; unlucky; unfavorable.

Incarnadine (a.) Flesh-colored; of a carnation or pale red color.

Infralabial (a.) Below the lower lip; -- said of certain scales of reptiles and fishes.

Infusionism (n.) The doctrine that the soul is preexistent to the body, and is infused into it at conception or birth; -- opposed to tradicianism and creationism.

Insinuation (n.) The act of gaining favor, affection, or influence, by gentle or artful means; -- formerly used in a good sense, as of friendly influence or interposition.

Inspiration (n.) The act of inspiring or breathing in; breath; specif. (Physiol.), the drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm; -- the opposite of expiration.

Intermediary (n.) One who, or that which, is intermediate; an interagent; a go-between.

Interradial (a.) Between the radii, or rays; -- in zoology, said of certain parts of radiate animals; as, the interradial plates of a starfish.

Intrapetiolar (a.) Situated between the petiole and the stem; -- said of the pair of stipules at the base of a petiole when united by those margins next the petiole, thus seeming to form a single stipule between the petiole and the stem or branch; -- often confounded with interpetiolar, from which it differs essentially in meaning.

Jackpudding (n.) A merry-andrew; a buffoon.

Jehovistic (a.) Relating to, or containing, Jehovah, as a name of God; -- said of certain parts of the Old Testament, especially of the Pentateuch, in which Jehovah appears as the name of the Deity. See Elohistic.

Kinnikinic (n.) Prepared leaves or bark of certain plants; -- used by the Indians of the Northwest for smoking, either mixed with tobacco or as a substitute for it. Also, a plant so used, as the osier cornel (Cornus stolonijra), and the bearberry (Arctostaphylus Uva-ursi).

Lammergeier (n.) A very large vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), which inhabits the mountains of Southern Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. When full-grown it is nine or ten feet in extent of wings. It is brownish black above, with the under parts and neck rusty yellow; the forehead and crown white; the sides of the head and beard black. It feeds partly on carrion and partly on small animals, which it kills. It has the habit of carrying tortoises and marrow bones to a great heig> Lazzaroni (n. pl.) The homeless idlers of Naples who live by chance work or begging; -- so called from the Hospital of St. Lazarus, which serves as their refuge.

Leadhillite (n.) A mineral of a yellowish or greenish white color, consisting of the sulphate and carbonate of lead; -- so called from having been first found at Leadhills, Scotland.

Legislative (a.) Making, or having the power to make, a law or laws; lawmaking; -- distinguished from executive; as, a legislative act; a legislative body.

Leptothrix (n.) Having the form of a little chain; -- applied to bacteria when, as in multiplication by fission, they form a chain of filiform individuals.

Leucopyrite (n.) A mineral of a color between white and steel-gray, with a metallic luster, and consisting chiefly of arsenic and iron.

Libethenite (n.) A mineral of an olive-green color, commonly in orthorhombic crystals. It is a hydrous phosphate of copper.

Loellingite (n.) A tin-white arsenide of iron, isomorphous with arsenopyrite.

Loosestrife (n.) The name of several species of plants of the genus Lysimachia, having small star-shaped flowers, usually of a yellow color.

Lotophagi (n. pl.) A people visited by Ulysses in his wanderings. They subsisted on the lotus. See Lotus (b), and Lotus-eater.

Lucernaria (n.) A genus of acalephs, having a bell-shaped body with eight groups of short tentacles around the margin. It attaches itself by a sucker at the base of the pedicel.

lucernarida (n. pl.) A division of acalephs, including Lucernaria and allied genera; -- called also Calycozoa.

Maidenhair (n.) A fern of the genus Adiantum (A. pedatum), having very slender graceful stalks. It is common in the United States, and is sometimes used in medicine. The name is also applied to other species of the same genus, as to the Venus-hair.

Malediction (n.) A proclaiming of evil against some one; a cursing; imprecation; a curse or execration; -- opposed to benediction.

Mandibuliform (a.) Having the form of a mandible; -- said especially of the maxillae of an insect when hard and adapted for biting.

Marginicidal (a.) Dehiscent by the separation of united carpels; -- said of fruits.

Materialize (v. t.) To make visable in, or as in, a material form; -- said of spirits.

Megatherium (n.) An extinct gigantic quaternary mammal, allied to the ant-eaters and sloths. Its remains are found in South America.

Melampyrite (n.) The saccharine substance dulcite; -- so called because found in the leaves of cowwheat (Melampyrum). See Dulcite.

Menaccanite (n.) An iron-black or steel-gray mineral, consisting chiefly of the oxides of iron and titanium. It is commonly massive, but occurs also in rhombohedral crystals. Called also titanic iron ore, and ilmenite.

Metronymic (a.) Derived from the name of one's mother, or other female ancestor; as, a metronymic name or appellation. -- A metronymic appellation.

Megascopical (a.) Enlarged or magnified; -- said of images or of photographic pictures, etc.

Megascopical (a.) Large enough to be seen; -- said of the larger structural features and components of rocks which do not require the use of the microscope to be perceived. Opposed to microscopic.

Molluscoidea (n. pl.) A division of Invertebrata which includes the classes Brachiopoda and Bryozoa; -- called also Anthoid Mollusca.

Molybdenite (n.) A mineral occurring in soft, lead-gray, foliated masses or scales, resembling graphite; sulphide of molybdenum.

Monoclinic (a.) Having one oblique intersection; -- said of that system of crystallization in which the vertical axis is inclined to one, but at right angles to the other, lateral axis. See Crystallization.

Monophonic (a.) Single-voiced; having but one part; as, a monophonic composition; -- opposed to polyphonic.

Montgolfier (n.) A balloon which ascends by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire; a fire balloon; -- so called from two brothers, Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier, of France, who first constructed and sent up a fire balloon.

Morganatic (a.) Pertaining to, in the manner of, or designating, a kind of marriage, called also left-handed marriage, between a man of superior rank and a woman of inferior, in which it is stipulated that neither the latter nor her children shall enjoy the rank or inherit the possessions of her husband.

Multicarinate (a.) Many-keeled.

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

Neckerchief (n.) A kerchief for the neck; -- called also neck handkerchief.

Nullifidian (a.) Of no faith; also, not trusting to faith for salvation; -- opposed to solifidian.

Occultation (n.) The hiding of a heavenly body from sight by the intervention of some other of the heavenly bodies; -- applied especially to eclipses of stars and planets by the moon, and to the eclipses of satellites of planets by their primaries.

Officialism (n.) The state of being official; a system of official government; also, adherence to office routine; red-tapism.

Oscillaria (n.) A genus of dark green, or purplish black, filamentous, fresh-water algae, the threads of which have an automatic swaying or crawling motion. Called also Oscillatoria.

Ostentation (n.) The act of ostentating or of making an ambitious display; unnecessary show; pretentious parade; -- usually in a detractive sense.

Parallelism (n.) Similarity of construction or meaning of clauses placed side by side, especially clauses expressing the same sentiment with slight modifications, as is common in Hebrew poetry; e. g.: --//At her feet he bowed, he fell:/Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. Judg. v. 27.

Parethmoid (a.) Near or beside the ethmoid bone or cartilage; -- applied especially to a pair of bones in the nasal region of some fishes, and to the ethmoturbinals in some higher animals.

Paroccipital (a.) Situated near or beside the occipital condyle or the occipital bone; paramastoid; -- applied especially to a process of the skull in some animals.

Parumbilical (a.) Near the umbilicus; -- applied especially to one or more small veins which, in man, connect the portal vein with the epigastric veins in the front wall of the abdomen.

Parvanimity (n.) The state or quality of having a little or ignoble mind; pettiness; meanness; -- opposed to magnanimity.

Payndemain (n.) The finest and whitest bread made in the Middle Ages; -- called also paynemain, payman.

Pecopteris (n.) An extensive genus of fossil ferns; -- so named from the regular comblike arrangement of the leaflets.

Penitential (n.) A book formerly used by priests hearing confessions, containing rules for the imposition of penances; -- called also penitential book.

Pentabasic (a.) Capable of uniting with five molecules of a monacid base; having five acid hydrogen atoms capable of substitution by a basic radical; -- said of certain acids.

Perchloric (a.) Pertaining to, or designating, the highest oxygen acid (HClO4), of chlorine; -- called also hyperchloric.

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

Permutation (n.) The arrangement of any determinate number of things, as units, objects, letters, etc., in all possible orders, one after the other; -- called also alternation. Cf. Combination, n., 4.

Perspective (a.) The art and the science of so delineating objects that they shall seem to grow smaller as they recede from the eye; -- called also linear perspective.

Persulphide (n.) A sulphide containing more sulphur than some other compound of the same elements; as, iron pyrites is a persulphide; -- formerly called persulphuret.

Peucedanin (n.) A tasteless white crystalPhotoheliometer (n.) A double-lens instrument for measuring slight variations of the sun's diameter by photography, utilizing the common chord of two overlapping images.

Phalangoidea (n. pl.) A division of Arachnoidea, including the daddy longlegs or harvestman (Phalangium) and many similar kinds. They have long, slender, many-jointed legs; usually a rounded, segmented abdomen; and chelate jaws. They breathe by tracheae. Called also Phalangides, Phalangidea, Phalangiida, and Opilionea.

Phillipsite (n.) A hydrous silicate of aluminia, lime, and soda, a zeolitic mineral commonly occurring in complex twin crystals, often cruciform in shape; -- called also christianite.

Phlogisticate (v. t.) To combine phlogiston with; -- usually in the form and sense of the p. p. or the adj.; as, highly phlogisticated substances.

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

Pinnipedia (n. pl.) A suborder of aquatic carnivorous mammals including the seals and walruses; -- opposed to Fissipedia.

Planifolious (a.) Flat-leaved.

Poecilitic (a.) Mottled with various colors; variegated; spotted; -- said of certain rocks.

Politzerization (n.) The act of inflating the middle ear by blowing air up the nose during the act of swallowing; -- so called from Prof. Politzer of Vienna, who first practiced it.

Polyarchist (n.) One who advocates polyarchy; -- opposed to monarchist.

Polychroite (n.) The coloring matter of saffron; -- formerly so called because of the change of color on treatment with certain acids; -- called also crocin, and safranin.

Polycrotism (n.) That state or condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve, or sphygmogram, shows several secondary crests or elevations; -- contrasted with monocrotism and dicrotism.

Polyphonic (a.) Consisting of several tone series, or melodic parts, progressing simultaneously according to the laws of counterpoint; contrapuntal; as, a polyphonic composition; -- opposed to homophonic, or monodic.

Porcelanite (n.) A semivitrified clay or shale, somewhat resembling jasper; -- called also porcelain jasper.

Portcullis (n.) An English coin of the reign of Elizabeth, struck for the use of the East India Company; -- so called from its bearing the figure of a portcullis on the reverse.

Postexilic (a.) belonging to a period subsequent to the Babylonian captivity or exile (b. c. 597 or about 586-about 537).

Preignition (n.) Ignition in an internal-combustion engine while the inlet valve is open or before compression is completed.

Proxenetism (n.) The action of a go-between or broker in negotiating immoral bargains between the sexes; procuring.

Preposition (n.) A word employed to connect a noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word; a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word; -- so called because usually placed before the word with which it is phrased; as, a bridge of iron; he comes from town; it is good for food; he escaped by running.

Prerogative (n.) An exclusive or peculiar privilege; prior and indefeasible right; fundamental and essential possession; -- used generally of an official and hereditary right which may be asserted without question, and for the exercise of which there is no responsibility or accountability as to the fact and the manner of its exercise.

Prochronism (n.) The dating of an event before the time it happened; an antedating; -- opposed to metachronism.

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

Procuration (n.) A sum of money paid formerly to the bishop or archdeacon, now to the ecclesiastical commissioners, by an incumbent, as a commutation for entertainment at the time of visitation; -- called also proxy.

Prodigality (n.) Extravagance in expenditure, particularly of money; excessive liberality; profusion; waste; -- opposed to frugality, economy, and parsimony.

Progressionist (n.) One who maintains the doctrine of progression in organic forms; -- opposed to uniformitarian.

Progressive (a.) Moving forward; proceeding onward; advancing; evincing progress; increasing; as, progressive motion or course; -- opposed to retrograde.

Prospective (n.) Looking forward in time; acting with foresight; -- opposed to retrospective.

Prosthesis (n.) The addition to the human body of some artificial part, to replace one that is wanting, as a log or an eye; -- called also prothesis.

Pusillanimous (a.) Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of weak spirit; mean-spirited; spiritless; cowardly; -- said of persons, as, a pussillanimous prince.

Pycnogonida (n. pl.) A class of marine arthropods in which the body is small and thin, and the eight legs usually very long; -- called also Pantopoda.

Pyramidoid (n.) A solid resembling a pyramid; -- called also pyramoid.

Pyrosmalite (n.) A mineral, usually of a pale brown or of a gray or grayish green color, consisting chiefly of the hydrous silicate of iron and manganese; -- so called from the odor given off before the blowpipe.

Pyrothonide (n.) A kind of empyreumatic oil produced by the combustion of textures of hemp, linen, or cotton in a copper vessel, -- formerly used as a remedial agent.

Quadrillion (n.) According to the French notation, which is followed also upon the Continent and in the United States, a unit with fifteen ciphers annexed; according to the English notation, the number produced by involving a million to the fourth power, or the number represented by a unit with twenty-four ciphers annexed. See the Note under Numeration.

Quercitrin (n.) A glucoside extracted from the bark of the oak (Quercus) as a bitter citron-yellow crystalRagamuffin (n.) The long-tailed titmouse.

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.

Rationalism (n.) The system that makes rational power the ultimate test of truth; -- opposed to sensualism, or sensationalism, and empiricism.

Rectiserial (a.) Arranged in exactly vertical ranks, as the leaves on stems of many kinds; -- opposed to curviserial.

Registering (a.) Recording; -- applied to instruments; having an apparatus which registers; as, a registering thermometer. See Recording.

Retardation (n.) The act of retarding; hindrance; the act of delaying; as, the retardation of the motion of a ship; -- opposed to acceleration.

Retardation (n.) The keeping back of an approaching consonant chord by prolonging one or more tones of a previous chord into the intermediate chord which follows; -- differing from suspension by resolving upwards instead of downwards.

Ricinolein (n.) The glycerin salt of ricinoleic acid, occuring as a characteristic constituent of castor oil; -- formerly called palmin.

Romanticism (n.) A fondness for romantic characteristics or peculiarities; specifically, in modern literature, an aiming at romantic effects; -- applied to the productions of a school of writers who sought to revive certain medi/val forms and methods in opposition to the so-called classical style.

Rosicrucian (n.) One who, in the 17th century and the early part of the 18th, claimed to belong to a secret society of philosophers deeply versed in the secrets of nature, -- the alleged society having existed, it was stated, several hundred years.

Sacchulmic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a dark amorphous substance by the long-continued boiling of sucrose with very dilute sulphuric acid. It resembles humic acid.

Saltirewise (adv.) In the manner of a saltire; -- said especially of the blazoning of a shield divided by two lines drawn in the direction of a bend and a bend sinister, and crossing at the center.

Santoninic (a.) Of or pertaining to santonin; -- used specifically to designate an acid not known in the free state, but obtained in its salts.

Sensibility (n.) The capacity of emotion or feeling, as distinguished from the intellect and the will; peculiar susceptibility of impression, pleasurable or painful; delicacy of feeling; quick emotion or sympathy; as, sensibility to pleasure or pain; sensibility to shame or praise; exquisite sensibility; -- often used in the plural.

Sensitivity (n.) The quality or state of being sensitive; -- used chiefly in science and the arts; as, the sensitivity of iodized silver.

Sesquiplicate (a.) Subduplicate of the triplicate; -- a term applied to ratios; thus, a and a' are in the sesquiplicate ratio of b and b', when a is to a' as the square root of the cube of b is to the square root of the cube of b', or a:a'::?b3:?b'3.

Sextodecimo (a.) Having sixteen leaves to a sheet; of, or equal to, the size of one fold of a sheet of printing paper when folded so as to make sixteen leaves, or thirty-two pages; as, a sextodecimo volume.

Sextodecimo (n.) A book composed of sheets each of which is folded into sixteen leaves; hence, indicating, more or less definitely, a size of a book; -- usually written 16mo, or 16?.

Semitontine (a.) Lit., half-tontine; -- used to designate a form of tontine life insurance. See Tontine insurance.

Sigillaria (n.) A genus of fossil trees principally found in the coal formation; -- so named from the seallike leaf scars in vertical rows on the surface.

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

Skeletonizer (n.) Any small moth whose larva eats the parenchyma of leaves, leaving the skeleton; as, the apple-leaf skeletonizer.

Sminthurid (n.) Any one of numerous small species of springtails, of the family Sminthuridae, -- usually found on flowers. See Illust. under Collembola.

Solmization (n.) The act of sol-faing.

Spatangoidea (n. pl.) An order of irregular sea urchins, usually having a more or less heart-shaped shell with four or five petal-like ambulacra above. The mouth is edentulous and situated anteriorly, on the under side.

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

Spiegel iron () A fusible white cast iron containing a large amount of carbon (from three and a half to six per cent) and some manganese. When the manganese reaches twenty-five per cent and upwards it has a granular structure, and constitutes the alloy ferro manganese, largely used in the manufacture of Bessemer steel. Called also specular pig iron, spiegel, and spiegeleisen.

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

Subconscious (a.) Occurring without the possibility or the fact of an attendant consciousness; -- said of states of the soul.

Subglottic (a.) Situated below the glottis; -- applied to that part of the cavity of the larynx below the true vocal cords.

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

Subtriplicate (a.) Expressed by the cube root; -- said especially of ratios.

Sulphindigotic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a sulphonic acid obtained, as a blue solution, by dissolving indigo in sulphuric acid; -- formerly called also cerulic sulphuric acid, but properly called indigo-disulphonic acid.

Superdominant (n.) The sixth tone of the scale; that next above the dominant; -- called also submediant.

Superficial (a.) Reaching or comprehending only what is obvious or apparent; not deep or profound; shallow; -- said especially in respect to study, learning, and the like; as, a superficial scholar; superficial knowledge.

Superlative (a.) Expressing the highest or lowest degree of the quality, manner, etc., denoted by an adjective or an adverb. The superlative degree is formed from the positive by the use of -est, most, or least; as, highest, most pleasant, least bright.

Suppression (n.) Complete stoppage of a natural secretion or excretion; as, suppression of urine; -- used in contradiction to retention, which signifies that the secretion or excretion is retained without expulsion.

Syndicalism (n.) The theory, plan, or practice of trade-union action (originally as advocated and practiced by the French Confederation Generale du Travail) which aims to abolish the present political and social system by means of the general strike (as distinguished from the local or sectional strike) and direct action of whatever kind (as distinguished from action which takes effect only through the medium of political action) -- direct action including any kind of action> Symplectic (a.) Plaiting or joining together; -- said of a bone next above the quadrate in the mandibular suspensorium of many fishes, which unites together the other bones of the suspensorium.

Synallaxine (a.) Having the outer and middle toes partially united; -- said of certain birds related to the creepers.

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.

Syngenesis (n.) A theory of generation in which each germ is supposed to contain the germs of all subsequent generations; -- the opposite of epigenesis.

Taguicati (n.) The white-lipped peccary.

Tautegorical (a.) Expressing the same thing with different words; -- opposed to allegorical.

Tenderloin (n.) In New York City, the region which is the center of the night life of fashionable amusement, including the majority of the theaters, etc., centering on Broadway. The term orig. designates the old twenty-ninth police precinct, in this region, which afforded the police great opportunities for profit through conniving at vice and lawbreaking, one captain being reported to have said on being transferred there that whereas he had been eating chuck steak he would > Tennysonian (a.) Of or pertaining to Alfred (Lord) Tennyson, the English poet (1809-92); resembling, or having some of the characteristics of, his poetry, as simplicity, pictorial quality, sensuousness, etc.

Telescopical (a.) Able to discern objects at a distance; farseeing; far-reaching; as, a telescopic eye; telescopic vision.

Temporality (n.) The state or quality of being temporary; -- opposed to perpetuity.

Temporality (n.) That which pertains to temporal welfare; material interests; especially, the revenue of an ecclesiastic proceeding from lands, tenements, or lay fees, tithes, and the like; -- chiefly used in the plural.

Temporariness (n.) The quality or state of being temporary; -- opposed to perpetuity.

Terebrating (a.) Boring; perforating; -- applied to molluskas which form holes in rocks, wood, etc.

Terebrating (a.) Boring; piercing; -- applied to certain kinds of pain, especially to those of locomotor ataxia.

Tetrabasic (a.) Capable of neutralizing four molecules of a monacid base; having four hydrogen atoms capable of replacement by bases; quadribasic; -- said of certain acids; thus, normal silicic acid, Si(OH)4, is a tetrabasic acid.

Tetradymite (n.) A telluride of bismuth. It is of a pale steel-gray color and metallic luster, and usually occurs in foliated masses. Called also telluric bismuth.

Thelphusian (n.) One of a tribe of fresh-water crabs which live in or on the banks of rivers in tropical countries.

Theobromine (n.) An alkaloidal ureide, C7H8N4O2, homologous with and resembling caffeine, produced artificially, and also extracted from cacao and chocolate (from Theobroma Cacao) as a bitter white crystalThimblerig (n.) A sleight-of-hand trick played with three small cups, shaped like thimbles, and a small ball or little pea.

Thrombosis (n.) The obstruction of a blood vessel by a clot formed at the site of obstruction; -- distinguished from embolism, which is produced by a clot or foreign body brought from a distance.

Thunderbird (n.) An Australian insectivorous singing bird (Pachycephala gutturalis). The male is conspicuously marked with black and yellow, and has a black crescent on the breast. Called also white-throated thickhead, orange-breasted thrust, black-crowned thrush, guttural thrush, and black-breasted flycatcher.

Thermophilic (a.) Heat-loving; -- applied esp. to certain bacteria.

Trachytoid (a.) Resembling trachyte; -- used to define the structure of certain rocks.

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.

Translation (n.) Motion in which all the points of the moving body have at any instant the same velocity and direction of motion; -- opposed to rotation.

Trigastric (a.) Having three bellies; -- said of a muscle.

Trimorphism (n.) The coexistence among individuals of the same species of three distinct forms, not connected, as a rule, by intermediate gradations; the condition among individuals of the same species of having three different shapes or proportions of corresponding parts; -- contrasted with polymorphism, and dimorphism.

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

Tropaeolin (n.) A name given to any one of a series of orange-red dyestuffs produced artificially from certain complex sulphonic acid derivatives of azo and diazo hydrocarbons of the aromatic series; -- so called because of the general resemblance to the shades of nasturtium (Tropaeolum).

Twelfthtide (n.) The twelfth day after Christmas; Epiphany; -- called also Twelfth-day.

Umbraculiform (a.) Having the form of anything that serves to shade, as a tree top, an umbrella, and the like; specifically (Bot.), having the form of an umbrella; umbrella-shaped.

Urogastric (a.) Behind the stomach; -- said of two lobes of the carapace of certain crustaceans.

Valentinian (n.) One of a school of Judaizing Gnostics in the second century; -- so called from Valentinus, the founder.

Voluntarism (n.) Any theory which conceives will to be the dominant factor in experience or in the constitution of the world; -- contrasted with intellectualism. Schopenhauer and Fichte are typical exponents of the two types of metaphysical voluntarism, Schopenhauer teaching that the evolution of the universe is the activity of a blind and irrational will, Fichte holding that the intelligent activity of the ego is the fundamental fact of reality.

Vincetoxin (n.) A glucoside extracted from the root of the white swallowwort (Vincetoxicum officinale, a plant of the Asclepias family) as a bitter yellow amorphous substance; -- called also asclepiadin, and cynanchin.

ViolaniVirgularian (n.) Any one of numerous species of long, slender Alcyonaria belonging to Virgularia and allied genera of the family Virgularidae. These corals are allied to the sea-pens, but have a long rodlike rhachis inclosing a slender, round or square, calcareous axis. The polyps are arranged in transverse rows or clusters along each side of the rhachis.

Volborthite (n.) A mineral occurring in small six-sided tabular crystals of a green or yellow color. It is a hydrous vanadate of copper and lime.

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.

Whistlefish (n.) A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.

Whistlewing (n.) The American golden-eye.

Whitsuntide (n.) The week commencing with Whitsunday, esp. the first three days -- Whitsunday, Whitsun Monday, and Whitsun Tuesday; the time of Pentecost.

Yellowtail (n.) Any one of several species of marine carangoid fishes of the genus Seriola; especially, the large California species (S. dorsalis) which sometimes weighs thirty or forty pounds, and is highly esteemed as a food fish; -- called also cavasina, and white salmon.

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

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".

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