| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| maalin | noun | The sparrow hawk., The kestrel. |
| maasha | noun | An East Indian coin, of about one tenth of the weight of a rupee. |
| mabble | verb t. | To wrap up. |
| mabolo | noun | A kind of persimmon tree (Diospyros discolor) from the Philippine Islands, now introduced into the East and West Indies. It bears an edible fruit as large as a quince. |
| macaco | noun | Any one of several species of lemurs, as the ruffed lemur (Lemur macaco), and the ring-tailed lemur (L. catta). |
| mackle | noun | Same Macule., To blur, or be blurred, in printing, as if there were a double impression. |
| macled | adjective | Marked like macle (chiastolite)., Having a twin structure. See Twin, a., See Mascled. |
| macro- | A combining form signifying long, large, great; as macrodiagonal, macrospore. | |
| macron | noun | A short, straight, horizontal mark [-], placed over vowels to denote that they are to be pronounced with a long sound; as, a, in dame; /, in s/am, etc. |
| mactra | noun | Any marine bivalve shell of the genus Mactra, and allied genera. Many species are known. Some of them are used as food, as Mactra stultorum, of Europe. See Surf clam, under Surf. |
| macula | noun | A spot, as on the skin, or on the surface of the sun or of some other luminous orb., A rather large spot or blotch of color. |
| macule | noun | A spot., A blur, or an appearance of a double impression, as when the paper slips a little; a mackle., To blur; especially (Print.), to blur or double an impression from type. See Mackle. |
| madded | imp. & past participle | of Mad |
| madams | plural | of Madam |
| madame | noun | My lady; — a French title formerly given to ladies of quality; now, in France, given to all married women. |
| madcap | adjective | Inclined to wild sports; delighting in rash, absurd, or dangerous amusements., Wild; reckless., A person of wild behavior; an excitable, rash, violent person. |
| madden | verb t. | To make mad; to drive to madness; to craze; to excite violently with passion; to make very angry; to enrage., To become mad; to act as if mad. |
| madder | noun | A plant of the Rubia (R. tinctorum). The root is much used in dyeing red, and formerly was used in medicine. It is cultivated in France and Holland. See Rubiaceous. |
| madefy | verb t. | To make wet or moist. |
| madmen | plural | of Madman |
| madman | noun | A man who is mad; lunatic; a crazy person. |
| madnep | noun | The masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium). |
| maenad | noun | A Bacchante; a priestess or votary of Bacchus., A frantic or frenzied woman. |
| maffle | verb i. | To stammer. |
| magged | adjective | Worn; fretted; as, a magged brace. |
| maggot | noun | The footless larva of any fly. See Larval., A whim; an odd fancy. |
| maghet | noun | A name for daisies and camomiles of several kinds. |
| magian | adjective | Of or pertaining to the Magi., One of the Magi, or priests of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia; an adherent of the Zoroastrian religion. |
| magilp | noun | Alt. of Magilph |
| magnes | noun | Magnet. |
| magnet | noun | The loadstone; a species of iron ore (the ferrosoferric or magnetic ore, Fe3O4) which has the property of attracting iron and some of its ores, and, when freely suspended, of pointing to the poles; — called also natural magnet., A bar or mass of steel or iron to which the peculiar properties of the loadstone have been imparted; — called, in distinction from the loadstone, an artificial magnet. |
| magnum | noun | A large wine bottle., A bone of the carpus at the base of the third metacarpal bone. |
| magpie | noun | Any one of numerous species of the genus Pica and related genera, allied to the jays, but having a long graduated tail. |
| maguey | noun | The century plant, a species of Agave (A. Americana). See Agave. |
| magyar | noun | One of the dominant people of Hungary, allied to the Finns; a Hungarian., The language of the Magyars. |
| maholi | noun | A South African lemur (Galago maholi), having very large ears. |
| mahone | noun | A large Turkish ship. |
| mahori | noun | One of the dark race inhabiting principally the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Also used adjectively. |
| mahout | noun | The keeper and driver of an elephant. |
| mahovo | noun | A device for saving power in stopping and starting a railroad car, by means of a heavy fly wheel. |
| maiden | noun | An unmarried woman; a girl or woman who has not experienced sexual intercourse; a virgin; a maid., A female servant., An instrument resembling the guillotine, formerly used in Scotland for beheading criminals., A machine for washing linen., Of or pertaining to a maiden, or to maidens; suitable to, or characteristic of, a virgin; as, maiden innocence., Never having been married; not having had sexual intercourse; virgin; — said usually of the woman, but sometimes of the man; as, a maiden aunt., Fresh; innocent; unpolluted; pure; hitherto unused., Used of a fortress, signifying that it has never been captured, or violated., To act coyly like a maiden; — with it as an indefinite object. |
| maiger | noun | The meagre. |
| maigre | adjective | Belonging to a fast day or fast; as, a maigre day. |
| maihem | noun | See Maim, and Mayhem. |
| maikel | noun | A South American carnivore of the genus Conepatus, allied to the skunk, but larger, and having a longer snout. The tail is not bushy. |
| mailed | imp. & past participle | of Mail, Protected by an external coat, or covering, of scales or plates., Spotted; speckled. |
| maimed | imp. & past participle | of Maim |
| mainly | adverb | Very strongly; mightily; to a great degree., Principally; chiefly. |
| mainor | noun | A thing stolen found on the person of the thief. |
| maioid | adjective | Of or pertaining to the genus Maia, or family Maiadeae. |
| majoun | noun | See Madjoun. |
| making | present participle & vb. noun | of Make, The act of one who makes; workmanship; fabrication; construction; as, this is cloth of your own making; the making of peace or war was in his power., Composition, or structure., a poem., That which establishes or places in a desirable state or condition; the material of which something may be made; as, early misfortune was the making of him., External appearance; from. |
| malady | noun | Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder., A moral or mental defect or disorder. |
| malaga | noun | A city and a province of Spain, on the Mediterranean. Hence, Malaga grapes, Malaga raisins, Malaga wines. |
| malate | noun | A salt of malic acid. |
| maleic | adjective | Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the ethylene series, metameric with fumaric acid and obtained by heating malic acid. |
| maleyl | noun | A hypothetical radical derived from maleic acid. |
| malgre | preposition | See Mauger. |
| malice | noun | Enmity of heart; malevolence; ill will; a spirit delighting in harm or misfortune to another; a disposition to injure another; a malignant design of evil., Any wicked or mischievous intention of the mind; a depraved inclination to mischief; an intention to vex, annoy, or injure another person, or to do a wrongful act without just cause or cause or excuse; a wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others; willfulness., To regard with extreme ill will. |
| malign | adjective | Having an evil disposition toward others; harboring violent enmity; malevolent; malicious; spiteful; — opposed to benign., Unfavorable; unpropitious; pernicious; tending to injure; as, a malign aspect of planets., Malignant; as, a malign ulcer., To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong; to injure., To speak great evil of; to traduce; to defame; to slander; to vilify; to asperse., To entertain malice. |
| malkin | noun | Originally, a kitchenmaid; a slattern., A mop made of clouts, used by the kitchen servant., A scarecrow., A mop or sponge attached to a jointed staff for swabbing out a cannon. |
| malled | imp. & past participle | of Mall |
| mallet | noun | A small maul with a short handle, — used esp. for driving a tool, as a chisel or the like; also, a light beetle with a long handle, — used in playing croquet. |
| mallei | plural | of Malleus |
| mallow | noun | Alt. of Mallows |
| malmag | noun | The tarsius, or spectral lemur. |
| malted | imp. & past participle | of Malt |
| maltha | noun | A variety of bitumen, viscid and tenacious, like pitch, unctuous to the touch, and exhaling a bituminous odor., Mortar. |
| maltin | noun | Alt. of Maltine |
| mammae | plural | of Mamma |
| mammal | noun | One of the Mammalia. |
| mammee | noun | A fruit tree of tropical America, belonging to the genus Mammea (M. Americana); also, its fruit. The latter is large, covered with a thick, tough ring, and contains a bright yellow pulp of a pleasant taste and fragrant scent. It is often called mammee apple. |
| mammer | verb i. | To hesitate; to mutter doubtfully. |
| mammet | noun | An idol; a puppet; a doll. |
| mammon | noun | Riches; wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified. |
| mamzer | noun | A person born of relations between whom marriage was forbidden by the Mosaic law; a bastard. |
| manned | imp. & past participle | of Man |
| manace | noun & verb | Same as Menace. |
| manage | noun | The handling or government of anything, but esp. of a horse; management; administration. See Manege., To have under control and direction; to conduct; to guide; to administer; to treat; to handle., Hence: Esp., to guide by careful or delicate treatment; to wield with address; to make subservient by artful conduct; to bring around cunningly to one’s plans., To train in the manege, as a horse; to exercise in graceful or artful action., To treat with care; to husband., To bring about; to contrive., To direct affairs; to carry on business or affairs; to administer. |
| manche | noun | A sleeve. |
| manchu | adjective | Of or pertaining to Manchuria or its inhabitants., A native or inhabitant of Manchuria; also, the language spoken by the Manchus. |
| mancus | noun | An old Anglo Saxon coin both of gold and silver, and of variously estimated values. The silver mancus was equal to about one shilling of modern English money. |
| mander | verb t. & i. | See Maunder. |
| mandil | noun | A loose outer garment worn the 16th and 17th centuries. |
| manege | noun | Art of horsemanship, or of training horses., A school for teaching horsemanship, and for training horses. |
| manful | adjective | Showing manliness, or manly spirit; hence, brave, courageous, resolute, noble. |
| mangan | noun | See Mangonel. |
| manger | noun | A trough or open box in which fodder is placed for horses or cattle to eat., The fore part of the deck, having a bulkhead athwart ships high enough to prevent water which enters the hawse holes from running over it. |
| mangle | verb t. | To cut or bruise with repeated blows or strokes, making a ragged or torn wound, or covering with wounds; to tear in cutting; to cut in a bungling manner; to lacerate; to mutilate., To mutilate or injure, in making, doing, or pertaining; as, to mangle a piece of music or a recitation., A machine for smoothing linen or cotton cloth, as sheets, tablecloths, napkins, and clothing, by roller pressure., To smooth with a mangle, as damp linen or cloth. |
| mangue | noun | The kusimanse. |
| maniac | adjective | Raving with madness; raging with disordered intellect; affected with mania; mad., A raving lunatic; a madman. |
| manila | adjective | Alt. of Manilla |
| manioc | noun | The tropical plants (Manihot utilissima, and M. Aipi), from which cassava and tapioca are prepared; also, cassava. |
| manito | noun | Alt. of Manitu |
| manitu | noun | A name given by tribes of American Indians to a great spirit, whether good or evil, or to any object of worship. |
| manner | noun | Mode of action; way of performing or effecting anything; method; style; form; fashion., Characteristic mode of acting, conducting, carrying one’s self, or the like; bearing; habitual style., Customary method of acting; habit., Carriage; behavior; deportment; also, becoming behavior; well-bred carriage and address., The style of writing or thought of an author; characteristic peculiarity of an artist., Certain degree or measure; as, it is in a manner done already., Sort; kind; style; — in this application sometimes having the sense of a plural, sorts or kinds. |
| manred | noun | Alt. of Manrent |
| mantel | noun | The finish around a fireplace, covering the chimney-breast in front and sometimes on both sides; especially, a shelf above the fireplace, and its supports. |
| mantic | adjective | Of or pertaining to divination, or to the condition of one inspired, or supposed to be inspired, by a deity; prophetic. |
| mantis | noun | Any one of numerous species of voracious orthopterous insects of the genus Mantis, and allied genera. They are remarkable for their slender grotesque forms, and for holding their stout anterior legs in a manner suggesting hands folded in prayer. The common American species is M. Carolina. |
| mantle | noun | A loose garment to be worn over other garments; an enveloping robe; a cloak. Hence, figuratively, a covering or concealing envelope., Same as Mantling., The external fold, or folds, of the soft, exterior membrane of the body of a mollusk. It usually forms a cavity inclosing the gills. See Illusts. of Buccinum, and Byssus., Any free, outer membrane., The back of a bird together with the folded wings., A mantel. See Mantel., The outer wall and casing of a blast furnace, above the hearth., A penstock for a water wheel., To cover or envelop, as with a mantle; to cloak; to hide; to disguise., To unfold and spread out the wings, like a mantle; — said of hawks. Also used figuratively., To spread out; — said of wings., To spread over the surface as a covering; to overspread; as, the scum mantled on the pool., To gather, assume, or take on, a covering, as froth, scum, etc. |
| mantra | noun | A prayer; an invocation; a religious formula; a charm. |
| mantua | noun | A superior kind of rich silk formerly exported from Mantua in Italy., A woman’s cloak or mantle; also, a woman’s gown. |
| manual | adjective | Of or pertaining to the hand; done or made by the hand; as, manual labor; the king’s sign manual., A small book, such as may be carried in the hand, or conveniently handled; a handbook; specifically, the service book of the Roman Catholic Church., A keyboard of an organ or harmonium for the fingers, as distinguished from the pedals; a clavier, or set of keys., A prescribed exercise in the systematic handing of a weapon; as, the manual of arms; the manual of the sword; the manual of the piece (cannon, mortar, etc.). |
| manure | verb t. | To cultivate by manual labor; to till; hence, to develop by culture., To apply manure to; to enrich, as land, by the application of a fertilizing substance., Any matter which makes land productive; a fertilizing substance, as the contents of stables and barnyards, dung, decaying animal or vegetable substances, etc. |
| manway | noun | A small passageway, as in a mine, that a man may pass through. |
| maoris | plural | of Maori |
| mapped | imp. & past participle | of Map |
| mapach | noun | The raccoon. |
| marred | imp. & past participle | of Mar |
| maraud | verb i. | To rove in quest of plunder; to make an excursion for booty; to plunder., An excursion for plundering. |
| marble | noun | A massive, compact limestone; a variety of calcite, capable of being polished and used for architectural and ornamental purposes. The color varies from white to black, being sometimes yellow, red, and green, and frequently beautifully veined or clouded. The name is also given to other rocks of like use and appearance, as serpentine or verd antique marble, and less properly to polished porphyry, granite, etc., A thing made of, or resembling, marble, as a work of art, or record, in marble; or, in the plural, a collection of such works; as, the Arundel or Arundelian marbles; the Elgin marbles., A little ball of marble, or of some other hard substance, used as a plaything by children; or, in the plural, a child’s game played with marbles., Made of, or resembling, marble; as, a marble mantel; marble paper., Cold; hard; unfeeling; as, a marble breast or heart., To stain or vein like marble; to variegate in color; as, to marble the edges of a book, or the surface of paper. |
| marbly | adjective | Containing, or resembling, marble. |
| macher | noun | One who marches. |
| marcid | adjective | Pining; lean; withered., Characterized by emaciation, as a fever. |
| marcor | noun | A wasting away of flesh; decay. |
| mareis | noun | A Marsh. |
| marena | noun | A European whitefish of the genus Coregonus. |
| margay | noun | An American wild cat (Felis tigrina), ranging from Mexico to Brazil. It is spotted with black. Called also long-tailed cat. |
| margin | noun | A border; edge; brink; verge; as, the margin of a river or lake., Specifically: The part of a page at the edge left uncovered in writing or printing., The difference between the cost and the selling price of an article., Something allowed, or reserved, for that which can not be foreseen or known with certainty., Collateral security deposited with a broker to secure him from loss on contracts entered into by him on behalf of his principial, as in the speculative buying and selling of stocks, wheat, etc., To furnish with a margin., To enter in the margin of a page. |
| marian | adjective | Pertaining to the Virgin Mary, or sometimes to Mary, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII. |
| mariet | noun | A kind of bellflower, Companula Trachelium, once called Viola Mariana; but it is not a violet. |
| marine | adjective | Of or pertaining to the sea; having to do with the ocean, or with navigation or naval affairs; nautical; as, marine productions or bodies; marine shells; a marine engine., Formed by the action of the currents or waves of the sea; as, marine deposits., A solider serving on shipboard; a sea soldier; one of a body of troops trained to do duty in the navy., The sum of naval affairs; naval economy; the department of navigation and sea forces; the collective shipping of a country; as, the mercantile marine., A picture representing some marine subject. |
| marish | noun | Low, wet ground; a marsh; a fen; a bog; a moor., Moory; fenny; boggy., Growing in marshes. |
| marked | imp. & past participle | of Mark, Designated or distinguished by, or as by, a mark; hence; noticeable; conspicuous; as, a marked card; a marked coin; a marked instance. |
| markee | noun | See Marquee. |
| marker | noun | One who or that which marks., One who keeps account of a game played, as of billiards., A counter used in card playing and other games., The soldier who forms the pilot of a wheeling column, or marks the direction of an alignment., An attachment to a sewing machine for marking a line on the fabric by creasing it. |
| market | noun | A meeting together of people, at a stated time and place, for the purpose of traffic (as in cattle, provisions, wares, etc.) by private purchase and sale, and not by auction; as, a market is held in the town every week., A public place (as an open space in a town) or a large building, where a market is held; a market place or market house; esp., a place where provisions are sold., An opportunity for selling anything; demand, as shown by price offered or obtainable; a town, region, or country, where the demand exists; as, to find a market for one’s wares; there is no market for woolen cloths in that region; India is a market for English goods., Exchange, or purchase and sale; traffic; as, a dull market; a slow market., The price for which a thing is sold in a market; market price. Hence: Value; worth., The privelege granted to a town of having a public market., To deal in a market; to buy or sell; to make bargains for provisions or goods., To expose for sale in a market; to traffic in; to sell in a market, and in an extended sense, to sell in any manner; as, most of the farmes have marketed their crops. |
| markis | noun | A marquis. |
| marled | imp. & past participle | of Marl |
| marlin | noun | The American great marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa). Applied also to the red-breasted godwit (Limosa haematica). |
| marmot | noun | Any rodent of the genus Arctomys. The common European marmot (A. marmotta) is about the size of a rabbit, and inhabits the higher regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. The bobac is another European species. The common American species (A. monax) is the woodchuck., Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog. |
| marone | noun | See Maroon, the color. |
| maroon | noun | In the West Indies and Guiana, a fugitive slave, or a free negro, living in the mountains., To put (a person) ashore on a desolate island or coast and leave him to his fate., Having the color called maroon. See 4th Maroon., A brownish or dull red of any description, esp. of a scarlet cast rather than approaching crimson or purple., An explosive shell. See Marron, 3. |
| marque | noun | A license to pass the limits of a jurisdiction, or boundary of a country, for the purpose of making reprisals. |
| marram | noun | A coarse grass found on sandy beaches (Ammophila arundinacea). See Beach grass, under Beach. |
| marrer | noun | One who mars or injures. |
| marron | adjective | A large chestnut., A chestnut color; maroon., A paper or pasteboard box or shell, wound about with strong twine, filled with an explosive, and ignited with a fuse, — used to make a noise like a cannon. |
| marrot | noun | The razor-billed auk. See Auk., The common guillemot., The puffin. |
| marrow | noun | The tissue which fills the cavities of most bones; the medulla. In the larger cavities it is commonly very fatty, but in the smaller cavities it is much less fatty, and red or reddish in color., The essence; the best part., One of a pair; a match; a companion; an intimate associate., To fill with, or as with, marrow of fat; to glut. |
| marshy | adjective | Resembling a marsh; wet; boggy; fenny., Pertaining to, or produced in, marshes; as, a marshy weed. |
| martel | verb i. | To make a blow with, or as with, a hammer. |
| marten | noun | A bird. See Martin., Any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus Mustela, closely allied to the sable. Among the more important species are the European beech, or stone, marten (Mustela foina); the pine marten (M. martes); and the American marten, or sable (M. Americana), which some zoologists consider only a variety of the Russian sable., The fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc. |
| martin | noun | A perforated stone-faced runner for grinding., One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. |
| martyr | noun | One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, Stephen was the first Christian martyr., Hence, one who sacrifices his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause., To put to death for adhering to some belief, esp. Christianity; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession., To persecute; to torment; to torture. |
| marvel | noun | That which causes wonder; a prodigy; a miracle., Wonder., To be struck with surprise, astonishment, or wonder; to wonder., To marvel at., To cause to marvel, or be surprised; — used impersonally. |
| marver | noun | A stone, or cast-iron plate, or former, on which hot glass is rolled to give it shape. |
| mascle | noun | A lozenge voided. |
| mascot | noun | Alt. of Mascotte |
| mashed | imp. & past participle | of Mash |
| masher | noun | One who, or that which, mashes; also (Brewing), a machine for making mash., A charmer of women. |
| masked | imp. & past participle | of Mask, Wearing a mask or masks; characterized by masks; cincealed; hidden., Same as Personate., Having the anterior part of the head differing decidedly in color from the rest of the plumage; — said of birds. |
| masker | noun | One who wears a mask; one who appears in disguise at a masquerade., To confuse; to stupefy. |
| maslin | noun | A mixture composed of different materials, A mixture of metals resembling brass., A mixture of different sorts of grain, as wheat and rye., A vessel made of maslin, 1 (a)., Composed of different sorts; as, maslin bread, which is made of rye mixed with a little wheat. |
| masora | noun | A Jewish critical work on the text of the Hebrew Scriptures, composed by several learned rabbis of the school of Tiberias, in the eighth and ninth centuries. |
| masque | noun | A mask; a masquerade. |
| massed | imp. & past participle | of Mass |
| masser | noun | A priest who celebrates Mass. |
| masted | imp. & past participle | of Mast, Furnished with a mast or masts; — chiefly in composition; as, a three-masted schooner. |
| mastax | noun | The pharynx of a rotifer. It usually contains four horny pieces. The two central ones form the incus, against which the mallei, or lateral ones, work so as to crush the food., The lore of a bird. |
| master | noun | A vessel having (so many) masts; — used only in compounds; as, a two-master., A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; — formerly used with much more extensive application than now. (a) The employer of a servant. (b) The owner of a slave. (c) The person to whom an apprentice is articled. (d) A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority. (e) The head of a household. (f) The male head of a school or college. (g) A male teacher. (h) The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast. (i) The owner of a docile brute, — especially a dog or horse. (j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being., One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one’s time., One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art., A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mister, except when given to boys; — sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr., A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy., The commander of a merchant vessel; — usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel., A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies., To become the master of; to subject to one’s will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue., To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in; as, to master a science., To own; to posses., To be skillful; to excel. |
| mastic | noun | A low shrubby tree of the genus Pistacia (P. Lentiscus), growing upon the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, and producing a valuable resin; — called also, mastic tree., A resin exuding from the mastic tree, and obtained by incision. The best is in yellowish white, semitransparent tears, of a faint smell, and is used as an astringent and an aromatic, also as an ingredient in varnishes., A kind of cement composed of burnt clay, litharge, and linseed oil, used for plastering walls, etc. |
| matted | imp. & past participle | of Mat, Having a dull surface; unburnished; as, matted gold leaf or gilding., Covered with a mat or mats; as, a matted floor., Tangled closely together; having its parts adhering closely together; as, matted hair. |
| mataco | noun | The three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutis tricinctus). See Illust. under Loricata. |
| mating | present participle & vb. noun | of Mate |
| mather | noun | See Madder. |
| mathes | noun | The mayweed. Cf. Maghet. |
| matico | noun | A Peruvian plant (Piper, / Artanthe, elongatum), allied to the pepper, the leaves of which are used as a styptic and astringent. |
| matrix | noun | The womb., Hence, that which gives form or origin to anything, The cavity in which anything is formed, and which gives it shape; a die; a mold, as for the face of a type., The earthy or stony substance in which metallic ores or crystallized minerals are found; the gangue., The five simple colors, black, white, blue, red, and yellow, of which all the rest are composed., The lifeless portion of tissue, either animal or vegetable, situated between the cells; the intercellular substance., A rectangular arrangement of symbols in rows and columns. The symbols may express quantities or operations. |
| matron | noun | A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children; a woman of staid or motherly manners., A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital; as, the matron of a school or hospital. |
| matter | noun | That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment., That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance., That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme., That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business., Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; — chiefly in the phrases what matter ? no matter, and the like., Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble., Amount; quantity; portion; space; — often indefinite., Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance., That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; — opposed to form., Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing., To be of importance; to import; to signify., To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate., To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. |
| mature | superl. | Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function, action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe., Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected; as, a mature plan., Of or pertaining to a condition of full development; as, a man of mature years., Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration., To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete; as, to mature one’s plans., To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, wine matures by age; the judgment matures by age and experience., Hence, to become due, as a note. |
| maudle | verb t. | To throw onto confusion or disorder; to render maudlin. |
| mauger | preposition | Alt. of Maugre |
| maugre | preposition | In spite of; in opposition to; notwithstanding., To defy. |
| maukin | noun | See Malkin., A hare. |
| mauled | imp. & past participle | of Maul |
| maumet | noun | See Mawmet. |
| maunch | verb t. | To munch., See Manche. |
| maungy | adjective | Mangy. |
| mawkin | noun | See Malkin, and Maukin. |
| mawmet | noun | A puppet; a doll; originally, an idol, because in the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Mohammedans worshiped images representing Mohammed. |
| maxima | plural | of Maximum |
| mayhap | adverb | Perhaps; peradventure. |
| mayhem | noun | The maiming of a person by depriving him of the use of any of his members which are necessary for defense or protection. See Maim. |
| maying | noun | The celebrating of May Day. |
| maypop | noun | The edible fruit of a passion flower, especially that of the North American Passiflora incarnata, an oval yellowish berry as large as a small apple. |
| mazama | noun | Alt. of Mazame |
| mazame | noun | A goatlike antelope (Haplocerus montanus) which inhabits the Rocky Mountains, frequenting the highest parts; — called also mountain goat. |
| mazard | noun | A kind of small black cherry., The jaw; the head or skull., To knock on the head. |
| mazing | present participle & vb. noun | of Maze |
| mazily | adverb | In a mazy manner. |
| meadow | noun | A tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay; any field on which grass is grown for hay., Low land covered with coarse grass or rank herbage near rives and in marshy places by the sea; as, the salt meadows near Newark Bay., Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow; produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. |
| meager | adjective | Alt. of Meagre, Alt. of Meagre |
| meagre | adjective | Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean., Destitute of richness, fertility, strength, or the like; defective in quantity, or poor in quality; poor; barren; scanty in ideas; wanting strength of diction or affluence of imagery., Dry and harsh to the touch, as chalk., To make lean., A large European sciaenoid fish (Sciaena umbra or S. aquila), having white bloodless flesh. It is valued as a food fish. |
| meanly | adverb | Moderately., In a mean manner; unworthily; basely; poorly; ungenerously. |
| measle | noun | A leper., A tapeworm larva. See 2d Measles, 4. |
| measly | adjective | Infected with measles., Containing larval tapeworms; — said of pork and beef. |
| meatal | adjective | Of or pertaining to a meatus; resembling a meatus. |
| meated | adjective | Fed; fattened., Having (such) meat; — used chiefly in composition; as, thick-meated. |
| meathe | noun | A sweet liquor; mead. |
| meatus | noun sing. & pl. | A natural passage or canal; as, the external auditory meatus. See Illust. of Ear. |
| meazel | noun | See 1st Measle. |
| mebles | noun pl. | See Moebles. |
| mecate | noun | A rope of hair or of maguey fiber, for tying horses, etc. |
| meddle | verb i. | To mix; to mingle., To interest or engage one’s self; to have to do; — / a good sense., To interest or engage one’s self unnecessarily or impertinently, to interfere or busy one’s self improperly with another’s affairs; specifically, to handle or distrub another’s property without permission; — often followed by with or in., To mix; to mingle. |
| mediae | plural | of Media |
| medial | adjective | Of or pertaining to a mean or average; mean; as, medial alligation., See 2d Media. |
| median | adjective | Being in the middle; running through the middle; as, a median groove., Situated in the middle; lying in a plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves; — said of unpaired organs and parts; as, median coverts., A median line or point. |
| medics | noun | Science of medicine. |
| medino | noun | Same as Para. |
| medium | noun | That which lies in the middle, or between other things; intervening body or quantity. Hence, specifically: (a) Middle place or degree; mean., See Mean., The mean or middle term of a syllogism; that by which the extremes are brought into connection., A substance through which an effect is transmitted from one thing to another; as, air is the common medium of sound. Hence: The condition upon which any event or action occurs; necessary means of motion or action; that through or by which anything is accomplished, conveyed, or carried on; specifically, in animal magnetism, spiritualism, etc., a person through whom the action of another being is said to be manifested and transmitted., An average., A trade name for printing and writing paper of certain sizes. See Paper., The liquid vehicle with which dry colors are ground and prepared for application., Having a middle position or degree; mean; intermediate; medial; as, a horse of medium size; a decoction of medium strength. |
| medius | noun | The third or middle finger; the third digit, or that which corresponds to it. |
| medlar | noun | A tree of the genus Mespilus (M. Germanica); also, the fruit of the tree. The fruit is something like a small apple, but has a bony endocarp. When first gathered the flesh is hard and austere, and it is not eaten until it has begun to decay. |
| medley | noun | A mixture; a mingled and confused mass of ingredients, usually inharmonious; a jumble; a hodgepodge; — often used contemptuously., The confusion of a hand to hand battle; a brisk, hand to hand engagement; a melee., A composition of passages detached from several different compositions; a potpourri., A cloth of mixed colors., Mixed; of mixed material or color., Mingled; confused. |
| medusa | noun | The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked upon her were turned into stone., Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish. |
| meeken | verb t. | To make meek; to nurture in gentleness and humility. |
| meekly | adverb | In a meek manner. |
| meeten | verb t. | To render fit. |
| meeter | noun | One who meets. |
| meetly | adverb | Fitly; suitably; properly. |
| megass | noun | Alt. of Megasse |
| megerg | noun | One of the larger measures of work, amounting to one million ergs; — called also megalerg. |
| megilp | noun | Alt. of Megilph |
| megohm | noun | One of the larger measures of electrical resistance, amounting to one million ohms. |
| megrim | noun | A kind of sick or nevrous headache, usually periodical and confined to one side of the head., A fancy; a whim; a freak; a humor; esp., in the plural, lowness of spirits., A sudden vertigo in a horse, succeeded sometimes by unconsciousness, produced by an excess of blood in the brain; a mild form of apoplexy., The British smooth sole, or scaldfish (Psetta arnoglossa). |
| melada | noun | Alt. of Melado |
| melado | noun | A mixture of sugar and molasses; crude sugar as it comes from the pans without being drained. |
| melain | noun | The dark coloring matter of the liquid of the cuttlefish. |
| melena | noun | See Melaena. |
| melene | noun | An unsaturated hydrocarbon, C30H60, of the ethylene series, obtained from beeswax as a white, scaly, crystalline wax; — called also melissene, and melissylene. |
| mellay | noun | A melee; a conflict. |
| mellic | adjective | See Mellitic. |
| mellow | superl. | Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp; as, a mellow apple., Easily worked or penetrated; not hard or rigid; as, a mellow soil., Not coarse, rough, or harsh; subdued; soft; rich; delicate; — said of sound, color, flavor, style, etc., Well matured; softened by years; genial; jovial., Warmed by liquor; slightly intoxicated., To make mellow., To become mellow; as, ripe fruit soon mellows. |
| melody | noun | A sweet or agreeable succession of sounds., A rhythmical succession of single tones, ranging for the most part within a given key, and so related together as to form a musical whole, having the unity of what is technically called a musical thought, at once pleasing to the ear and characteristic in expression., The air or tune of a musical piece. |
| melted | imp. & past participle | of Melt |
| molten | past participle | of Melt, Melted; being in a state of fusion, esp. when the liquid state is produced by a high degree of heat; as, molten iron., Made by melting and casting the substance or metal of which the thing is formed; as, a molten image. |
| melter | noun | One who, or that which, melts. |
| melton | noun | A kind of stout woolen cloth with unfinished face and without raised nap. A commoner variety has a cotton warp. |
| member | verb t. | To remember; to cause to remember; to mention., A part of an animal capable of performing a distinct office; an organ; a limb., Hence, a part of a whole; an independent constituent of a body, A part of a discourse or of a period or sentence; a clause; a part of a verse., Either of the two parts of an algebraic equation, connected by the sign of equality., Any essential part, as a post, tie rod, strut, etc., of a framed structure, as a bridge truss., Any part of a building, whether constructional, as a pier, column, lintel, or the like, or decorative, as a molding, or group of moldings., One of the persons composing a society, community, or the like; an individual forming part of an association; as, a member of the society of Friends. |
| memnon | noun | A celebrated Egyptian statue near Thebes, said to have the property of emitting a harplike sound at sunrise. |
| memoir | noun | Alt. of Memoirs |
| memory | noun | The faculty of the mind by which it retains the knowledge of previous thoughts, impressions, or events., The reach and positiveness with which a person can remember; the strength and trustworthiness of one’s power to reach and represent or to recall the past; as, his memory was never wrong., The actual and distinct retention and recognition of past ideas in the mind; remembrance; as, in memory of youth; memories of foreign lands., The time within which past events can be or are remembered; as, within the memory of man., Something, or an aggregate of things, remembered; hence, character, conduct, etc., as preserved in remembrance, history, or tradition; posthumous fame; as, the war became only a memory., A memorial. |
| menace | noun | The show of an intention to inflict evil; a threat or threatening; indication of a probable evil or catastrophe to come., To express or show an intention to inflict, or to hold out a prospect of inflicting, evil or injury upon; to threaten; — usually followed by with before the harm threatened; as, to menace a country with war., To threaten, as an evil to be inflicted., To act in threatening manner; to wear a threatening aspect. |
| menage | noun | See Manage., A collection of animals; a menagerie. |
| menaia | plural | of Menaion |
| menald | adjective | Alt. of Menild |
| menild | adjective | Covered with spots; speckled; variegated. |
| mended | imp. & past participle | of Mend |
| mender | noun | One who mends or repairs. |
| meinte | of Menge | |
| menhir | noun | A large stone set upright in olden times as a memorial or monument. Many, of unknown date, are found in Brittany and throughout Northern Europe. |
| menial | noun | Belonging to a retinue or train of servants; performing servile office; serving., Pertaining to servants, esp. domestic servants; servile; low; mean., A domestic servant or retainer, esp. one of humble rank; one employed in low or servile offices., A person of a servile character or disposition. |
| mensal | adjective | Belonging to the table; transacted at table; as, mensal conversation., Occurring once in a month; monthly. |
| menses | noun pl. | The catamenial or menstrual discharge, a periodic flow of blood or bloody fluid from the uterus or female generative organs. |
| mental | adjective | Of or pertaining to the chin; genian; as, the mental nerve; the mental region., A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile., Of or pertaining to the mind; intellectual; as, mental faculties; mental operations, conditions, or exercise. |
| mentha | noun | A widely distributed genus of fragrant herbs, including the peppermint, spearmint, etc. The plants have small flowers, usually arranged in dense axillary clusters. |
| mentor | noun | A wise and faithful counselor or monitor. |
| mentum | noun | The front median plate of the labium in insects. See Labium. |
| menuse | verb i. | See Amenuse. |
| mercat | noun | Market; trade. |
| mercer | noun | Originally, a dealer in any kind of goods or wares; now restricted to a dealer in textile fabrics, as silks or woolens. |
| merely | adverb | Purely; unmixedly; absolutely., Not otherwise than; simply; barely; only. |
| merged | imp. & past participle | of Merge |
| merger | noun | One who, or that which, merges., An absorption of one estate, or one contract, in another, or of a minor offense in a greater. |
| meride | noun | A permanent colony of cells or plastids which may remain isolated, like Rotifer, or may multiply by gemmation to form higher aggregates, termed zoides. |
| merils | noun | A boy’s play, called also fivepenny morris. See Morris. |
| merino | adjective | Of or pertaining to a variety of sheep with very fine wool, originally bred in Spain., Made of the wool of the merino sheep., A breed of sheep originally from Spain, noted for the fineness of its wool., A fine fabric of merino wool. |
| merkin | noun | Originally, a wig; afterwards, a mop for cleaning cannon. |
| merlin | noun | A small European falcon (Falco lithofalco, or F. aesalon). |
| merlon | noun | One of the solid parts of a battlemented parapet; a battlement. See Illust. of Battlement. |
| mermen | plural | of Merman |
| merman | noun | The male corresponding to mermaid; a sea man, or man fish. |
| mescal | noun | A distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a species of agave. See Agave. |
| meshed | imp. & past participle | of Mesh, Mashed; brewed. |
| mesiad | adverb | Toward, or on the side toward, the mesial plane; mesially; — opposed to laterad. |
| mesial | adjective | Middle; median; in, or in the region of, the mesial plane; internal; — opposed to lateral. |
| meslin | noun | See Maslin. |
| mesole | noun | Same as Thomsonite. |
| messed | imp. & past participle | of Mess |
| messet | noun | A dog. |
| mestee | noun | The offspring of a white person and a quadroon; — so called in the West Indies. |
| mester | noun | See Mister, a trade. |
| metage | verb | Measurement, especially of coal., Charge for, or price of, measuring. |
| meting | present participle & vb. noun | of Mete |
| metely | adjective | According to measure or proportion; proportionable; proportionate. |
| meteor | noun | Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc., Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region. |
| methal | noun | A white waxy substance, found in small quantities in spermaceti as an ethereal salt of several fatty acids, and regarded as an alcohol of the methane series. |
| method | noun | An orderly procedure or process; regular manner of doing anything; hence, manner; way; mode; as, a method of teaching languages; a method of improving the mind., Orderly arrangement, elucidation, development, or classification; clear and lucid exhibition; systematic arrangement peculiar to an individual., Classification; a mode or system of classifying natural objects according to certain common characteristics; as, the method of Theophrastus; the method of Ray; the Linnaean method. |
| methol | noun | The technical name of methyl alcohol or wood spirit; also, by extension, the class name of any of the series of alcohols of the methane series of which methol proper is the type. See Methyl alcohol, under Methyl. |
| methyl | noun | A hydrocarbon radical, CH3, not existing alone but regarded as an essential residue of methane, and appearing as a component part of many derivatives; as, methyl alcohol, methyl ether, methyl amine, etc. |
| metive | noun f. | See Metis. |
| metope | noun | The space between two triglyphs of the Doric frieze, which, among the ancients, was often adorned with carved work. See Illust. of Entablature., The face of a crab. |
| metric | adjective | Relating to measurement; involving, or proceeding by, measurement., Of or pertaining to the meter as a standard of measurement; of or pertaining to the decimal system of measurement of which a meter is the unit; as, the metric system; a metric measurement. |
| mettle | noun | Substance or quality of temperament; spirit, esp. as regards honor, courage, fortitude, ardor, etc.; disposition; — usually in a good sense. |
| mewing | present participle & vb. noun | of Mew |
| mewled | imp. & past participle | of Mewl |
| mewler | noun | One that mewls. |
| mezcal | noun | Same as Mescal. |
| miamis | noun pl. | A tribe of Indians that formerly occupied the country between the Wabash and Maumee rivers. |
| miasma | noun | Infectious particles or germs floating in the air; air made noxious by the presence of such particles or germs; noxious effluvia; malaria. |
| micher | noun | One who skulks, or keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc. |
| mickle | adjective | Much; great. |
| micro- | Alt. of Micr- | |
| micron | noun | A measure of length; the thousandth part of one millimeter; the millionth part of a meter. |
| midday | adjective | The middle part of the day; noon., Of or pertaining to noon; meridional; as, the midday sun. |
| midden | noun | A dunghill., An accumulation of refuse about a dwelling place; especially, an accumulation of shells or of cinders, bones, and other refuse on the supposed site of the dwelling places of prehistoric tribes, — as on the shores of the Baltic Sea and in many other places. See Kitchen middens. |
| middle | adjective | Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle house in a row; a middle rank or station in life; flowers of middle summer; men of middle age., Intermediate; intervening., The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion, the waist. |
| midget | noun | A minute bloodsucking fly., A very diminutive person. |
| midgut | noun | The middle part of the alimentary canal from the stomach, or entrance of the bile duct, to, or including, the large intestine. |
| midrib | noun | A continuation of the petiole, extending from the base to the apex of the lamina of a leaf. |
| midway | noun | The middle of the way or distance; a middle way or course., Being in the middle of the way or distance; as, the midway air., In the middle of the way or distance; half way. |
| mighty | noun | Possessing might; having great power or authority., Accomplished by might; hence, extraordinary; wonderful., Denoting and extraordinary degree or quality in respect of size, character, importance, consequences, etc., A warrior of great force and courage., In a great degree; very. |
| mignon | adjective | See 3d Minion., To flatter. |
| mikado | noun | The popular designation of the hereditary sovereign of Japan. |
| milage | noun | Same as Mileage. |
| milden | verb t. | To make mild, or milder. |
| mildew | noun | A growth of minute powdery or webby fungi, whitish or of different colors, found on various diseased or decaying substances., To taint with mildew., To become tainted with mildew. |
| mildly | adverb | In a mild manner. |
| milice | noun | Militia. |
| milked | imp. & past participle | of Milk |
| milken | adjective | Consisting of milk. |
| milker | noun | One who milks; also, a mechanical apparatus for milking cows., A cow or other animal that gives milk. |
| milled | imp. & past participle | of Mill, Having been subjected to some process of milling. |
| miller | noun | One who keeps or attends a flour mill or gristmill., A milling machine., A moth or lepidopterous insect; — so called because the wings appear as if covered with white dust or powder, like a miller’s clothes. Called also moth miller., The eagle ray., The hen harrier. |
| millet | noun | The name of several cereal and forage grasses which bear an abundance of small roundish grains. The common millets of Germany and Southern Europe are Panicum miliaceum, and Setaria Italica. |
| milli- | A prefix denoting a thousandth part of; as, millimeter, milligram, milliampere. | |
| milter | noun | A male fish. |
| milvus | noun | A genus of raptorial birds, including the European kite. |
| mimosa | noun | A genus of leguminous plants, containing many species, and including the sensitive plants (Mimosa sensitiva, and M. pudica). |
| minaul | noun | Same as Manul. |
| minced | imp. & past participle | of Mince |
| mincer | noun | One who minces. |
| minded | imp. & past participle | of Mind, Disposed; inclined; having a mind. |
| minder | noun | One who minds, tends, or watches something, as a child, a machine, or cattle; as, a minder of a loom., One to be attended; specif., a pauper child intrusted to the care of a private person. |
| mining | present participle & vb. noun | of Mine, The act or business of making mines or of working them., Of or pertaining to mines; as, mining engineer; mining machinery; a mining region. |
| mingle | verb t. | To mix; intermix; to combine or join, as an individual or part, with other parts, but commonly so as to be distinguishable in the product; to confuse; to confound., To associate or unite in society or by ties of relationship; to cause or allow to intermarry; to intermarry., To deprive of purity by mixture; to contaminate., To put together; to join., To make or prepare by mixing the ingredients of., To become mixed or blended., A mixture. |
| minify | verb t. | To make small, or smaller; to diminish the apparent dimensions of; to lessen., To degrade by speech or action. |
| minima | plural | of Minimum |
| minimi | plural | of Minimus |
| minion | noun | Minimum., A loved one; one highly esteemed and favored; — in a good sense., An obsequious or servile dependent or agent of another; a fawning favorite., A small kind of type, in size between brevier and nonpareil., An ancient form of ordnance, the caliber of which was about three inches., Fine; trim; dainty. |
| minish | adjective | To diminish; to lessen. |
| minium | noun | A heavy, brilliant red pigment, consisting of an oxide of lead, Pb3O4, obtained by exposing lead or massicot to a gentle and continued heat in the air. It is used as a cement, as a paint, and in the manufacture of flint glass. Called also red lead. |
| minnow | noun | A small European fresh-water cyprinoid fish (Phoxinus laevis, formerly Leuciscus phoxinus); sometimes applied also to the young of larger kinds; — called also minim and minny. The name is also applied to several allied American species, of the genera Phoxinus, Notropis, or Minnilus, and Rhinichthys., Any of numerous small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus, and related genera. They live both in fresh and in salt water. Called also killifish, minny, and mummichog. |
| minted | imp. & past participle | of Mint |
| minter | noun | One who mints. |
| minuet | noun | A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupee, a high step, and a balance., A tune or air to regulate the movements of the dance so called; a movement in suites, sonatas, symphonies, etc., having the dance form, and commonly in 3-4, sometimes 3-8, measure. |
| minute | noun | The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. m.; as, 4 h. 30 m.), The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds (Marked thus (‘); as, 10¡ 20’)., A nautical or a geographic mile., A coin; a half farthing., A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a tittle., A point of time; a moment., The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take minutes of a conversation or debate., A fixed part of a module. See Module., Of or pertaining to a minute or minutes; occurring at or marking successive minutes., To set down a short sketch or note of; to jot down; to make a minute or a brief summary of., Very small; little; tiny; fine; slight; slender; inconsiderable., Attentive to small things; paying attention to details; critical; particular; precise; as, a minute observer; minute observation. |
| mirage | noun | An optical effect, sometimes seen on the ocean, but more frequently in deserts, due to total reflection of light at the surface common to two strata of air differently heated. The reflected image is seen, commonly in an inverted position, while the real object may or may not be in sight. When the surface is horizontal, and below the eye, the appearance is that of a sheet of water in which the object is seen reflected; when the reflecting surface is above the eye, the image is seen projected against the sky. The fata Morgana and looming are species of mirage. |
| miring | present participle & vb. noun | of Mire |
| mirror | noun | A looking-glass or a speculum; any glass or polished substance that forms images by the reflection of rays of light., That which gives a true representation, or in which a true image may be seen; hence, a pattern; an exemplar., See Speculum., To reflect, as in a mirror. |
| miscue | noun | A false stroke with a billiard cue, the cue slipping from the ball struck without impelling it as desired. |
| misdid | imp. | of Misdo |
| misery | noun | Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe., Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune., Covetousness; niggardliness; avarice. |
| misfit | noun | The act or the state of fitting badly; as, a misfit in making a coat; a ludicrous misfit., Something that fits badly, as a garment. |
| misget | verb t. | To get wrongfully. |
| misgie | verb t. | See Misgye. |
| misgye | verb t. | To misguide. |
| mishap | noun | Evil accident; ill luck; misfortune; mischance., To happen unluckily; — used impersonally. |
| mishna | noun | A collection or digest of Jewish traditions and explanations of Scripture, forming the text of the Talmud. |
| misken | verb t. | Not to know. |
| miskin | noun | A little bagpipe. |
| mislay | verb t. | To lay in a wrong place; to ascribe to a wrong source., To lay in a place not recollected; to lose. |
| misled | imp. & past participle | of Misle, of Mislead, imp. & p. p. of Mislead. |
| mislin | noun & adjective | See Maslin. |
| mispay | verb t. | To dissatisfy. |
| misses | plural | of Miss |
| missed | imp. & past participle | of Miss |
| missae | plural | of Missa |
| missal | noun | The book containing the service of the Mass for the entire year; a Mass book., Of or pertaining to the Mass, or to a missal or Mass book. |
| missay | verb t. | To say wrongly., To speak evil of; to slander., To speak ill. |
| missel | noun | Mistletoe. |
| misset | verb t. | To set pr place wrongly. |
| missis | noun | A mistress; a wife; — so used by the illiterate. |
| missit | verb t. | To sit badly or imperfectly upon; to misbecome. |
| misted | imp. & past participle | of Mist |
| mister | noun | A title of courtesy prefixed to the name of a man or youth. It is usually written in the abbreviated form Mr., To address or mention by the title Mr.; as, he mistered me in a formal way., A trade, art, or occupation., Manner; kind; sort., Need; necessity., To be needful or of use. |
| mistic | noun | Alt. of Mistico |
| mistle | verb i. | To fall in very fine drops, as rain. |
| misuse | verb t. | To treat or use improperly; to use to a bad purpose; to misapply; as, to misuse one’s talents., To abuse; to treat ill., Wrong use; misapplication; erroneous or improper use., Violence, or its effects. |
| misway | noun | A wrong way. |
| miswed | verb t. | To wed improperly. |
| mitred | of Mitre | |
| mithic | adjective | See Mythic. |
| miting | noun | A little one; — used as a term of endearment. |
| mitome | noun | The denser part of the protoplasm of a cell. |
| mitral | adjective | Pertaining to a miter; resembling a miter; as, the mitral valve between the left auricle and left ventricle of the heart. |
| mitten | noun | A covering for the hand, worn to defend it from cold or injury. It differs from a glove in not having a separate sheath for each finger., A cover for the wrist and forearm. |
| mixing | present participle & vb. noun | of Mix |
| mixtly | adverb | With mixture; in a mixed manner; mixedly. |
| mizzen | adjective | Hindmost; nearest the stern; as, the mizzen shrouds, sails, etc., The hindmost of the fore and aft sails of a three-masted vessel; also, the spanker. |
| mizzle | verb i. | To rain in very fine drops., To take one’s self off; to go., Mist; fine rain. |
| moaned | imp. & past participle | of Moan |
| mobbed | imp. & past participle | of Mob |
| mobcap | noun | A plain cap or headdress for women or girls; especially, one tying under the chin by a very broad band, generally of the same material as the cap itself. |
| mobile | adjective | Capable of being moved; not fixed in place or condition; movable., Characterized by an extreme degree of fluidity; moving or flowing with great freedom; as, benzine and mercury are mobile liquids; — opposed to viscous, viscoidal, or oily., Easily moved in feeling, purpose, or direction; excitable; changeable; fickle., Changing in appearance and expression under the influence of the mind; as, mobile features., Capable of being moved, aroused, or excited; capable of spontaneous movement., The mob; the populace. |
| mobles | noun pl. | See Moebles. |
| mochel | adjective & adverb | Much. |
| mocked | imp. & past participle | of Mock |
| mocker | noun | One who, or that which, mocks; a scorner; a scoffer; a derider., A deceiver; an impostor., A mocking bird. |
| mockle | adjective | See Mickle. |
| modena | noun | A certain crimsonlike color. |
| modern | adjective | Of or pertaining to the present time, or time not long past; late; not ancient or remote in past time; of recent period; as, modern days, ages, or time; modern authors; modern fashions; modern taste; modern practice., New and common; trite; commonplace., A person of modern times; — opposed to ancient. |
| modest | adjective | Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one’s self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest youth; a modest man., Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; — said of a woman., Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy. |
| modify | verb t. | To change somewhat the form or qualities of; to alter somewhat; as, to modify a contrivance adapted to some mechanical purpose; to modify the terms of a contract., To limit or reduce in extent or degree; to moderate; to qualify; to lower. |
| modish | adjective | According to the mode, or customary manner; conformed to the fashion; fashionable; hence, conventional; as, a modish dress; a modish feast. |
| modist | noun | One who follows the fashion. |
| modius | noun | A dry measure, containing about a peck. |
| modocs | noun pl. | A tribe of warlike Indians formerly inhabiting Northern California. They are nearly extinct. |
| module | noun | A model or measure., The size of some one part, as the diameter of semi-diameter of the base of a shaft, taken as a unit of measure by which the proportions of the other parts of the composition are regulated. Generally, for columns, the semi-diameter is taken, and divided into a certain number of parts, called minutes (see Minute), though often the diameter is taken, and any dimension is said to be so many modules and minutes in height, breadth, or projection., To model; also, to modulate. |
| moduli | plural | of Modulus |
| moggan | noun | A closely fitting knit sleeve; also, a legging of knitted material. |
| mohair | noun | The long silky hair or wool of the Angora goat of Asia Minor; also, a fabric made from this material, or an imitation of such fabric. |
| mohawk | noun | One of a tribe of Indians who formed part of the Five Nations. They formerly inhabited the valley of the Mohawk River., One of certain ruffians who infested the streets of London in the time of Addison, and took the name from the Mohawk Indians. |
| mohock | noun | See Mohawk. |
| moholi | noun | See Maholi. |
| moider | verb i. | To toil. |
| moiety | adjective | One of two equal parts; a half; as, a moiety of an estate, of goods, or of profits; the moiety of a jury, or of a nation., An indefinite part; a small part. |
| moiled | imp. & past participle | of Moil |
| moisty | adjective | Moist. |
| molary | adjective | Same as 2d Molar. |
| molded | imp. & past participle | of Mould |
| molder | noun | Alt. of Moulder, Alt. of Moulder, Alt. of Moulder |
| mouldy | superl. | Overgrown with, or containing, mold; as, moldy cheese or bread., See Mold, Molder, Moldy, etc. |
| moling | present participle & vb. noun | of Mole |
| molech | noun | The fire god of the Ammonites, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Moloch. |
| molest | verb t. | To trouble; to disturb; to render uneasy; to interfere with; to vex., Molestation. |
| moline | noun | The crossed iron that supports the upper millstone by resting on the spindle; a millrind. |
| mollah | noun | One of the higher order of Turkish judges; also, a Turkish title of respect for a religious and learned man. |
| moloch | noun | The fire god of the Ammonites in Canaan, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Molech. Also applied figuratively., A spiny Australian lizard (Moloch horridus). The horns on the head and numerous spines on the body give it a most formidable appearance. |
| molted | imp. & past participle | of Moult |
| moment | noun | A minute portion of time; a point of time; an instant; as, at thet very moment., Impulsive power; force; momentum., Importance, as in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value; consideration., An essential element; a deciding point, fact, or consideration; an essential or influential circumstance., An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment or decrement., Tendency, or measure of tendency, to produce motion, esp. motion about a fixed point or axis. |
| momier | noun | A name given in contempt to strict Calvinists in Switzerland, France, and some parts of Germany, in the early part of the 19th century. |
| monday | noun | The second day of the week; the day following Sunday. |
| monera | noun pl. | The lowest division of rhizopods, including those which resemble the amoebas, but are destitute of a nucleus., of Moneron |
| monest | verb t. | To warn; to admonish; to advise. |
| moneth | noun | A month. |
| moneys | plural | of Money |
| monger | noun | A trader; a dealer; — now used chiefly in composition; as, fishmonger, ironmonger, newsmonger., A small merchant vessel., To deal in; to make merchandise of; to traffic in; — used chiefly of discreditable traffic. |
| mongol | noun | One of the Mongols., Of or pertaining to Mongolia or the Mongols. |
| monied | adjective | See Moneyed. |
| monish | verb t. | To admonish; to warn. See Admonish. |
| monism | noun | That doctrine which refers all phenomena to a single ultimate constituent or agent; — the opposite of dualism., See Monogenesis, 1. |
| monist | noun | A believer in monism. |
| monkey | noun | In the most general sense, any one of the Quadrumana, including apes, baboons, and lemurs., Any species of Quadrumana, except the lemurs., Any one of numerous species of Quadrumana (esp. such as have a long tail and prehensile feet) exclusive of apes and baboons., A term of disapproval, ridicule, or contempt, as for a mischievous child., The weight or hammer of a pile driver, that is, a very heavy mass of iron, which, being raised on high, falls on the head of the pile, and drives it into the earth; the falling weight of a drop hammer used in forging., A small trading vessel of the sixteenth century., To act or treat as a monkey does; to ape; to act in a grotesque or meddlesome manner. |
| monkly | adjective | Like, or suitable to, a monk. |
| monody | noun | A species of poem of a mournful character, in which a single mourner expresses lamentation; a song for one voice. |
| monome | noun | A monomial. |
| montem | noun | A custom, formerly practiced by the scholars at Eton school, England, of going every third year, on Whittuesday, to a hillock near the Bath road, and exacting money from all passers-by, to support at the university the senior scholar of the school. |
| monton | noun | A heap of ore; a mass undergoing the process of amalgamation. |
| mooing | present participle & vb. noun | of Moo |
| mooder | noun | Mother. |
| moodir | noun | The governor of a province in Egypt, etc. |
| moolah | noun | Alt. of Moollah |
| mooned | imp. & past participle | of Moon, Of or resembling the moon; symbolized by the moon. |
| mooner | noun | One who abstractedly wanders or gazes about, as if moonstruck. |
| moonet | noun | A little moon. |
| moonie | noun | The European goldcrest. |
| moored | imp. & past participle | of Moor |
| mooruk | noun | A species of cassowary (Casuarius Bennetti) found in New Britain, and noted for its agility in running and leaping. It is smaller and has stouter legs than the common cassowary. Its crest is biloted; the neck and breast are black; the back, rufous mixed with black; and the naked skin of the neck, blue. |
| mooted | imp. & past participle | of Moot |
| mooter | noun | A disputer of a mooted case. |
| mopped | imp. & past participle | of Mop |
| moping | present participle & vb. noun | of Mope |
| mopish | adjective | Dull; spiritless; dejected. |
| moplah | noun | One of a class of Mohammedans in Malabar. |
| moppet | noun | A rag baby; a puppet made of cloth; hence, also, in fondness, a little girl, or a woman., A long-haired pet dog. |
| mopsey | noun | Alt. of Mopsy |
| morale | adjective | The moral condition, or the condition in other respects, so far as it is affected by, or dependent upon, moral considerations, such as zeal, spirit, hope, and confidence; mental state, as of a body of men, an army, and the like. |
| morass | noun | A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen. |
| morate | noun | A salt of moric acid. |
| morbid | adjective | Not sound and healthful; induced by a diseased or abnormal condition; diseased; sickly; as, morbid humors; a morbid constitution; a morbid state of the juices of a plant., Of or pertaining to disease or diseased parts; as, morbid anatomy. |
| moreen | noun | A thick woolen fabric, watered or with embossed figures; — used in upholstery, for curtains, etc. |
| moresk | adjective & noun | Moresque. |
| morgay | noun | The European small-spotted dogfish, or houndfish. See the Note under Houndfish. |
| morgue | noun | A place where the bodies of persons found dead are exposed, that they may be identified, or claimed by their friends; a deadhouse. |
| morian | noun | A Moor. |
| morice | noun | See Morisco. |
| morion | noun | A kind of open helmet, without visor or beaver, and somewhat resembling a hat., A dark variety of smoky quartz. |
| morisk | noun | Same as Morisco. |
| morkin | noun | A beast that has died of disease or by mischance. |
| mormal | noun | A bad sore; a gangrene; a cancer. |
| mormon | noun | A genus of sea birds, having a large, thick bill; the puffin., The mandrill., One of a sect in the United States, followers of Joseph Smith, who professed to have found an addition to the Bible, engraved on golden plates, called the Book of Mormon, first published in 1830. The Mormons believe in polygamy, and their hierarchy of apostles, etc., has control of civil and religious matters., Of or pertaining to the Mormons; as, the Mormon religion; Mormon practices. |
| morone | noun | Maroon; the color of an unripe black mulberry. |
| morose | adjective | Of a sour temper; sullen and austere; ill-humored; severe., Lascivious; brooding over evil thoughts. |
| morpho | noun | Any one of numerous species of large, handsome, tropical American butterflies, of the genus Morpho. They are noted for the very brilliant metallic luster and bright colors (often blue) of the upper surface of the wings. The lower surface is usually brown or gray, with eyelike spots. |
| morris | noun | A Moorish dance, usually performed by a single dancer, who accompanies the dance with castanets., A dance formerly common in England, often performed in pagenats, processions, and May games. The dancers, grotesquely dressed and ornamented, took the parts of Robin Hood, Maidmarian, and other fictious characters., An old game played with counters, or men, which are placed angles of a figure drawn on a board or on the ground; also, the board or ground on which the game is played., A marine fish having a very slender, flat, transparent body. It is now generally believed to be the young of the conger eel or some allied fish. |
| morrot | noun | See Marrot. |
| morrow | noun | Morning., The next following day; the day subsequent to any day specified or understood., The day following the present; to-morrow. |
| morsel | noun | A little bite or bit of food., A small quantity; a little piece; a fragment. |
| mortal | adjective | Subject to death; destined to die; as, man is mortal., Destructive to life; causing or occasioning death; terminating life; exposing to or deserving death; deadly; as, a mortal wound; a mortal sin., Fatally vulnerable; vital., Of or pertaining to the time of death., Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly., Human; belonging to man, who is mortal; as, mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power., Very painful or tedious; wearisome; as, a sermon lasting two mortal hours., A being subject to death; a human being; man. |
| mortar | noun | A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle., A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45¡, and even higher; — so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described., A building material made by mixing lime, cement, or plaster of Paris, with sand, water, and sometimes other materials; — used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, etc., also for plastering, and in other ways., To plaster or make fast with mortar., A chamber lamp or light. |
| morula | noun | 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. |
| mosaic | noun | A surface decoration made by inlaying in patterns small pieces of variously colored glass, stone, or other material; — called also mosaic work., A picture or design made in mosaic; an article decorated in mosaic., Of or pertaining to the style of work called mosaic; formed by uniting pieces of different colors; variegated; tessellated; also, composed of various materials or ingredients., Of or pertaining to Moses, the leader of the Israelites, or established through his agency; as, the Mosaic law, rites, or institutions. |
| moslem | plural | of Moslem, A Mussulman; an orthodox Mohammedan. [Written also muslim.], Of or pertaining to the Mohammedans; Mohammedan; as, Moslem lands; the Moslem faith. |
| mosque | noun | A Mohammedan church or place of religious worship. |
| mossed | imp. & past participle | of Moss |
| mostic | noun | Alt. of Mostick |
| mostly | adverb | For the greatest part; for the most part; chiefly; in the main. |
| mostra | noun | See Direct, n. |
| mothen | adjective | Full of moths. |
| mother | noun | A female parent; especially, one of the human race; a woman who has borne a child., That which has produced or nurtured anything; source of birth or origin; generatrix., An old woman or matron., The female superior or head of a religious house, as an abbess, etc., Hysterical passion; hysteria., Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating., To adopt as a son or daughter; to perform the duties of a mother to., A film or membrane which is developed on the surface of fermented alcoholic liquids, such as vinegar, wine, etc., and acts as a means of conveying the oxygen of the air to the alcohol and other combustible principles of the liquid, thus leading to their oxidation., To become like, or full of, mother, or thick matter, as vinegar. |
| motile | adjective | Having powers of self-motion, though unconscious; as, the motile spores of certain seaweeds., Producing motion; as, motile powers. |
| motion | noun | The act, process, or state of changing place or position; movement; the passing of a body from one place or position to another, whether voluntary or involuntary; — opposed to rest., Power of, or capacity for, motion., Direction of movement; course; tendency; as, the motion of the planets is from west to east., Change in the relative position of the parts of anything; action of a machine with respect to the relative movement of its parts., Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or impulse to any action; internal activity., A proposal or suggestion looking to action or progress; esp., a formal proposal made in a deliberative assembly; as, a motion to adjourn., An application made to a court or judge orally in open court. Its object is to obtain an order or rule directing some act to be done in favor of the applicant., Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in the same part or in groups of parts., A puppet show or puppet., To make a significant movement or gesture, as with the hand; as, to motion to one to take a seat., To make proposal; to offer plans., To direct or invite by a motion, as of the hand or head; as, to motion one to a seat., To propose; to move. |
| motive | noun | That which moves; a mover., That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object., The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading., That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one., Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power., To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move. |
| motivo | noun | See Motive, n., 3, 4. |
| motley | adjective | Variegated in color; consisting of different colors; dappled; party-colored; as, a motley coat., Wearing motley or party-colored clothing. See Motley, n., 1., Composed of different or various parts; heterogeneously made or mixed up; discordantly composite; as, motley style., A combination of distinct colors; esp., the party-colored cloth, or clothing, worn by the professional fool., Hence, a jester, a fool. |
| motmot | noun | Any one of several species of long-tailed, passerine birds of the genus Momotus, having a strong serrated beak. In most of the species the two long middle tail feathers are racket-shaped at the tip, when mature. The bird itself is said by some writers to trim them into this shape. They feed on insects, reptiles, and fruit, and are found from Mexico to Brazil. The name is derived from its note. |
| motory | noun | Alt. of Motorial |
| mottle | verb t. | To mark with spots of different color, or shades of color, as if stained; to spot; to maculate., A mottled appearance. |
| mought | imp. | Might. |
| mounch | verb t. | To munch. |
| mounty | verb | The rise of a hawk after prey. |
| mourne | noun | The armed or feruled end of a staff; in a sheephook, the end of the staff to which the hook is attached. |
| moused | imp. & past participle | of Mouse |
| mouser | noun | A cat that catches mice., One who pries about on the lookout for something. |
| mousie | noun | Diminutive for Mouse. |
| mousle | verb t. | To sport with roughly; to rumple. |
| moutan | noun | The Chinese tree peony (Paeonia Mountan), a shrub with large flowers of various colors. |
| mouths | plural | of Mouth |
| moving | present participle & vb. noun | of Move, Changing place or posture; causing motion or action; as, a moving car, or power., Exciting movement of the mind; adapted to move the sympathies, passions, or affections; touching; pathetic; as, a moving appeal., The act of changing place or posture; esp., the act of changing one’s dwelling place or place of business. |
| movent | adjective | Moving., That which moves anything. |
| mowing | present participle & vb. noun | of Mow, The act of one who, or the operation of that which, mows., Land from which grass is cut; meadow land. |
| mowyer | noun | A mower. |
| mucate | noun | A salt of mucic acid. |
| muchel | adjective | Much. |
| mucker | noun | A term of reproach for a low or vulgar labor person., To scrape together, as money, by mean labor or shifts. |
| muckle | adjective | Much. |
| mucksy | adjective | Somewhat mucky; soft, sticky, and dirty; muxy. |
| mucoid | adjective | Resembling mucus. |
| mucous | adjective | Of, pertaining to, or resembling, mucus; slimy, ropy, or stringy, and lubricous; as, a mucous substance., Secreting a slimy or mucigenous substance; as, the mucous membrane. |
| muddle | verb t. | To make turbid, or muddy, as water., To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate partially., To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated., To mix confusedly; to confuse; to make a mess of; as, to muddle matters; also, to perplex; to mystify., To dabble in mud., To think and act in a confused, aimless way., A state of being turbid or confused; hence, intellectual cloudiness or dullness. |
| muffed | imp. & past participle | of Muff |
| muffin | noun | A light, spongy, cylindrical cake, used for breakfast and tea. |
| muffle | noun | The bare end of the nose between the nostrils; — used esp. of ruminants., To wrap up in something that conceals or protects; to wrap, as the face and neck, in thick and disguising folds; hence, to conceal or cover the face of; to envelop; to inclose; — often with up., To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen., To wrap with something that dulls or deadens the sound of; as, to muffle the strings of a drum, or that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock., To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation., Anything with which another thing, as an oar or drum, is muffled; also, a boxing glove; a muff., An earthenware compartment or oven, often shaped like a half cylinder, used in furnaces to protect objects heated from the direct action of the fire, as in scorification of ores, cupellation of ore buttons, etc., A small oven for baking and fixing the colors of painted or printed pottery, without exposing the pottery to the flames of the furnace or kiln., A pulley block containing several sheaves. |
| muflon | noun | See Mouflon. |
| muftis | plural | of Mufti |
| mugget | noun | The small entrails of a calf or a hog. |
| mulada | noun | A moor., A drove of mules. |
| mulier | noun | A woman., Lawful issue born in wedlock, in distinction from an elder brother born of the same parents before their marriage; a lawful son., A woman; a wife; a mother. |
| mulish | adjective | Like a mule; sullen; stubborn. |
| mulled | imp. & past participle | of Mull |
| mullah | noun | See Mollah. |
| mullar | noun | A die, cut in intaglio, for stamping an ornament in relief, as upon metal. |
| mullen | noun | See Mullein. |
| muller | noun | One who, or that which, mulls., A vessel in which wine, etc., is mulled over a fire., A stone or thick lump of glass, or kind of pestle, flat at the bottom, used for grinding pigments or drugs, etc., upon a slab of similar material. |
| mullet | noun | Any one of numerous fishes of the genus Mugil; — called also gray mullets. They are found on the coasts of both continents, and are highly esteemed as food. Among the most valuable species are Mugil capito of Europe, and M. cephalus which occurs both on the European and American coasts., Any species of the genus Mullus, or family Mullidae; called also red mullet, and surmullet, esp. the plain surmullet (Mullus barbatus), and the striped surmullet (M. surmulletus) of Southern Europe. The former is the mullet of the Romans. It is noted for the brilliancy of its colors. See Surmullet., A star, usually five pointed and pierced; — when used as a difference it indicates the third son., Small pinchers for curling the hair. |
| mulley | noun | Alt. of Moolley, Alt. of Moolley |
| mulmul | noun | A fine, soft muslin; mull. |
| multi- | Alt. of Mult- | |
| multum | noun | An extract of quassia licorice, fraudulently used by brewers in order to economize malt and hops. |
| mumble | verb | To speak with the lips partly closed, so as to render the sounds inarticulate and imperfect; to utter words in a grumbling indistinct manner, indicating discontent or displeasure; to mutter., To chew something gently with closed lips., To utter with a low, inarticulate voice., To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth., To suppress, or utter imperfectly. |
| mummed | imp. & past participle | of Mumm |
| mummer | noun | One who mumms, or makes diversion in disguise; a masker; a buffon. |
| mumped | imp. & past participle | of Mump |
| mumper | noun | A beggar; a begging impostor. |
| mundic | noun | Iron pyrites, or arsenical pyrites; — so called by the Cornish miners. |
| mundil | noun | A turban ornamented with an imitation of gold or silver embroidery. |
| munify | verb t. & i. | To prepare for defense; to fortify. |
| munite | verb t. | To fortify; to strengthen. |
| munity | noun | Freedom; security; immunity. |
| muntin | noun | Alt. of Munting |
| murage | noun | A tax or toll paid for building or repairing the walls of a fortified town. |
| murder | noun | The offense of killing a human being with malice prepense or aforethought, express or implied; intentional and unlawful homicide., To kill with premediated malice; to kill (a human being) willfully, deliberately, and unlawfully. See Murder, n., To destroy; to put an end to., To mutilate, spoil, or deform, as if with malice or cruelty; to mangle; as, to murder the king’s English. |
| muride | noun | Bromine; — formerly so called from its being obtained from sea water. |
| murine | adjective | Pertaining to a family of rodents (Muridae), of which the mouse is the type., One of a tribe of rodents, of which the mouse is the type. |
| murmur | verb i. | A low, confused, and indistinct sound, like that of running water., A complaint half suppressed, or uttered in a low, muttering voice., To make a low continued noise, like the hum of bees, a stream of water, distant waves, or the wind in a forest., To utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; — often with at or against., To utter or give forth in low or indistinct words or sounds; as, to murmur tales. |
| murphy | noun | A potato. |
| murrey | noun | A dark red color., Of a dark red color. |
| musang | noun | A small animal of Java (Paradoxirus fasciatus), allied to the civets. It swallows, but does not digest, large quantities of ripe coffee berries, thus serving to disseminate the coffee plant; hence it is called also coffee rat. |
| musard | verb i. | A dreamer; an absent-minded person. |
| muscae | plural | of Musca |
| muscat | noun | A name given to several varieties of Old World grapes, differing in color, size, etc., but all having a somewhat musky flavor. The muscat of Alexandria is a large oval grape of a pale amber color. |
| muscid | noun | Any fly of the genus Musca, or family Muscidae. |
| muscle | noun | An organ which, by its contraction, produces motion., The contractile tissue of which muscles are largely made up., Muscular strength or development; as, to show one’s muscle by lifting a heavy weight., See Mussel. |
| musing | present participle & vb. noun | of Muse |
| museum | noun | A repository or a collection of natural, scientific, or literary curiosities, or of works of art. |
| muskat | noun | See Muscat. |
| musket | noun | The male of the sparrow hawk., A species of firearm formerly carried by the infantry of an army. It was originally fired by means of a match, or matchlock, for which several mechanical appliances (including the flintlock, and finally the percussion lock) were successively substituted. This arm has been generally superseded by the rifle. |
| muslim | noun | See Moslem. |
| muslin | noun | A thin cotton, white, dyed, or printed. The name is also applied to coarser and heavier cotton goods; as, shirting and sheeting muslins. |
| musmon | noun | See Mouflon. |
| musrol | noun | The nose band of a horse’s bridle. |
| mussed | imp. & past participle | of Muss |
| mussel | noun | Any one of many species of marine bivalve shells of the genus Mytilus, and related genera, of the family Mytidae. The common mussel (Mytilus edulis; see Illust. under Byssus), and the larger, or horse, mussel (Modiola modiolus), inhabiting the shores both of Europe and America, are edible. The former is extensively used as food in Europe., Any one of numerous species of Unio, and related fresh-water genera; — called also river mussel. See Naiad, and Unio. |
| mustac | noun | A small tufted monkey. |
| mustee | noun | See Mestee. |
| muster | verb t. | Something shown for imitation; a pattern., A show; a display., An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service., The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army., Any assemblage or display; a gathering., To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like., Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together., To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force. |
| mutage | noun | A process for checking the fermentation of the must of grapes. |
| mutely | adverb | Without uttering words or sounds; in a mute manner; silently. |
| mutine | noun | A mutineer., To mutiny. |
| muting | noun | Dung of birds. |
| mutiny | noun | Insurrection against constituted authority, particularly military or naval authority; concerted revolt against the rules of discipline or the lawful commands of a superior officer; hence, generally, forcible resistance to rightful authority; insubordination., Violent commotion; tumult; strife., To rise against, or refuse to obey, lawful authority in military or naval service; to excite, or to be guilty of, mutiny or mutinous conduct; to revolt against one’s superior officer, or any rightful authority., To fall into strife; to quarrel. |
| mutism | noun | The condition, state, or habit of being mute, or without speech. |
| mutter | verb i. | To utter words indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; esp., to utter indistinct complaints or angry expressions; to grumble; to growl., To sound with a low, rumbling noise., To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low voice; as, to mutter threats., Repressed or obscure utterance. |
| mutton | noun | A sheep., The flesh of a sheep., A loose woman; a prostitute. |
| mutual | adjective | Reciprocally acting or related; reciprocally receiving and giving; reciprocally given and received; reciprocal; interchanged; as, a mutual love, advantage, assistance, aversion, etc., Possessed, experienced, or done by two or more persons or things at the same time; common; joint; as, mutual happiness; a mutual effort. |
| mutule | noun | A projecting block worked under the corona of the Doric corice, in the same situation as the modillion of the Corinthian and Composite orders. See Illust. of Gutta. |
| muzzle | verb i. | The projecting mouth and nose of a quadruped, as of a horse; a snout., The mouth of a thing; the end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun., A fastening or covering (as a band or cage) for the mouth of an animal, to prevent eating or vicious biting., To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating; hence, figuratively, to bind; to sheathe; to restrain from speech or action., To fondle with the closed mouth., To bring the mouth or muzzle near. |
| myaria | noun pl. | A division of bivalve mollusks of which the common clam (Mya) is the type. |
| mycose | noun | A variety of sugar, isomeric with sucrose and obtained from certain lichens and fungi. Called also trehalose. |
| mydaus | noun | The teledu. |
| myelin | noun | A soft white substance constituting the medullary sheats of nerve fibers, and composed mainly of cholesterin, lecithin, cerebrin, albumin, and some fat., One of a group of phosphorized principles occurring in nerve tissue, both in the brain and nerve fibers. |
| myelon | noun | The spinal cord. (Sometimes abbrev. to myel.) |
| mygale | noun | A genus of very large hairy spiders having four lungs and only four spinnerets. They do not spin webs, but usually construct tubes in the earth, which are often furnished with a trapdoor. The South American bird spider (Mygale avicularia), and the crab spider, or matoutou (M. cancerides) are among the largest species. Some of the species are erroneously called tarantulas, as the Texas tarantula (M. Hentzii). |
| myolin | noun | The essential material of muscle fibers. |
| myopia | noun | Nearsightedness; shortsightedness; a condition of the eye in which the rays from distant object are brought to a focus before they reach the retina, and hence form an indistinct image; while the rays from very near objects are normally converged so as to produce a distinct image. It is corrected by the use of a concave lens. |
| myopic | adjective | Pertaining to, or affected with, or characterized by, myopia; nearsighted. |
| myosin | noun | An albuminous body present in dead muscle, being formed in the process of coagulation which takes place in rigor mortis; the clot formed in the coagulation of muscle plasma. See Muscle plasma, under Plasma. |
| myosis | noun | Long-continued contraction of the pupil of the eye. |
| myotic | adjective | Producing myosis, or contraction of the pupil of the eye, as opium, calabar bean, etc., A myotic agent. |
| myrcia | noun | A large genus of tropical American trees and shrubs, nearly related to the true myrtles (Myrtus), from which they differ in having very few seeds in each berry. |
| myria- | A prefix, esp. in the metric system, indicating ten thousand, ten thousand times; as, myriameter. | |
| myriad | noun | The number of ten thousand; ten thousand persons or things., An immense number; a very great many; an indefinitely large number., Consisting of a very great, but indefinite, number; as, myriad stars. |
| myrica | noun | A widely dispersed genus of shrubs and trees, usually with aromatic foliage. It includes the bayberry or wax myrtle, the sweet gale, and the North American sweet fern, so called. |
| myrtle | noun | A species of the genus Myrtus, especially Myrtus communis. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head, thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the beautifully mottled wood is used in turning. |
| myself | pronoun | I or me in person; — used for emphasis, my own self or person; as I myself will do it; I have done it myself; — used also instead of me, as the object of the first person of a reflexive verb, without emphasis; as, I will defend myself. |
| mystic | adjective | Alt. of Mystical, One given to mysticism; one who holds mystical views, interpretations, etc.; especially, in ecclesiastical history, one who professed mysticism. See Mysticism. |
| mythic | adjective | Alt. of Mythical |
| myxine | noun | A genus of marsipobranchs, including the hagfish. See Hag, 4. |
| myxoma | noun | A tumor made up of a gelatinous tissue resembling that found in the umbilical cord. |