E- E- (part 6)

2. Specifically: (a) Composed of states or districts which retain only a subordinate and limited sovereignty, as the Union of the United States, or the Sonderbund of Switzerland. (b) Consisting or pertaining to such a government; as, the Federal Constitution; a Federal officer. (c) Friendly or devoted to such a government; as, the Federal party. see Federalist. Federal Congress. See under Congress.

FEDERAL
Fed"er*al, n.

Defn: See Federalist.

FEDERALISM
Fed"er*al*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fédéralisme.]

Defn: the principles of Federalists or of federal union.

FEDERALIST
Fed"er*al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fédéraliste.]

Defn: An advocate of confederation; specifically (Amer. Hist.), a friend of the Constitution of the United States at its formation and adoption; a member of the political party which favored the administration of president Washington.

FEDERALIZE
Fed"er*al*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Federalized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Federalizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. fédéraliser.]

Defn: To unite in compact, as different States; to confederate for political purposes; to unite by or under the Federal Constitution. Barlow.

FEDERARY
Fed"er*a*ry, n. Etym: [See Federal.]

Defn: A partner; a confederate; an accomplice. [Obs.] hak.

FEDERATE Fed"er*ate, a. Etym: [L. foederatus, p.p. of foederare to establish by treaty or league, fr. foedus. See Federal.]

Defn: United by compact, as sovereignties, states, or nations; joined in confederacy; leagued; confederate; as, federate nations.

FEDERATION
Fed`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fédération.]

1. The act of uniting in a league; confederation.

2. A league; a confederacy; a federal or confederated government. Burke.

FEDERATIVE
Fed"er*a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fédératif.]

Defn: Uniting in a league; forming a confederacy; federal. "A federative society." Burke.

FEDITY
Fed"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. foeditas, fr. foedus foul, fikthy.]

Defn: Turpitude; vileness. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

FEE Fee, n. Etym: [OE. fe, feh, feoh, cattle, property, money, fiet, AS. feoh cattle, property, money; the senses of "property, money," arising from cattle being used in early times as a medium of exchange or payment, property chiefly consisting of cattle; akin to OS. feuh cattle, property, D. vee cattle, OHG. fihu, fehu, G. vieh, Icel. f cattle, property, money, Goth. faíhu, L. pecus cattle, pecunia property. money, Skr. pa cattle, perh. orig., "a fastened or tethered animal," from a root signifying to bind, and perh. akin to E. fang, fair, a.; cf. OF. fie, flu, feu, fleu, fief, F. fief, from German, of the same origin. the sense fief is due to the French. Feud, Fief, Fellow, Pecuniary.]

1. property; possession; tenure. "Laden with rich fee." Spenser. Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee. Wordsworth.

2. Reward or compensation for services rendered or to be rendered; especially, payment for professional services, of optional amount, or fixed by custom or laws; charge; pay; perquisite; as, the fees of lawyers and physicians; the fees of office; clerk's fees; sheriff's fees; marriage fees, etc. To plead for love deserves more fee than hate. Shak.

3. (Feud. Law)

Defn: A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.

4. (Eng. Law)

Defn: An estate of inheritance supposed to be held either mediately or immediately from the sovereign, and absolutely vested in the owner.

Note: All the land in England, except the crown land, is of this kind. An absolute fee, or fee simple, is land which a man holds to himself and his heirs forever, who are called tenants in fee simple. In modern writers, by fee is usually meant fee simple. A limited fee may be a qualitified or base fee, which ceases with the existence of certain conditions; or a conditional fee, or fee tail, which is limited to particular heirs. Blackstone.

5. (Amer. Law)

Defn: An estate of inheritance belonging to the owner, and transmissible to his heirs, absolutely and simply, without condition attached to the tenure. Fee estate (Eng. Law), land or tenements held in fee in consideration or some acknowledgment or service rendered to the lord. — Fee farm (Law), land held of another in fee, in consideration of an annual rent, without homage, fealty, or any other service than that mentioned in the feoffment; an estate in fee simple, subject to a perpetual rent. Blackstone. — Fee farm rent (Eng. Law), a perpetual rent reserved upon a conveyance in fee simple. — Fee fund (Scot. Law), certain court dues out of which the clerks and other court officers are paid. — Fee simple (Law), an absolute fee; a fee without conditions or limits. Buy the fee simple of my life for an hour and a quarter. Shak. — Fee tail (Law), an estate of inheritance, limited and restrained to some particular heirs. Burill.

FEE
Fee, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feed; p. pr. & vb. n. Feeing.]

Defn: To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to
recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.
The patient . . . fees the doctor. Dryden.
There's not a one of them but in his house I keep a servant feed.
Shak.

FEEBLE
Fee"ble, a. [Compar. Feebler; superl. Feeblest.] Etym: [OE. feble,
OF. feble, flebe, floibe, floible, foible, F. faible, L. flebilis to
be wept over, lamentable, wretched, fr. flere to weep. Cf. Foible.]

1. Deficient in physical strenght; weak; infirm; debilitated. Carried all the feeble of them upon asses. 2 Chron. xxviii. 15.

2. Wanting force, vigor, or efficiency in action or expression; not full, loud, bright, strong, rapid, etc.; faint; as, a feeble color; feeble motion. "A lady's feeble voice." Shak.

FEEBLE
Fee"ble, v. t.

Defn: To make feble; to enfeeble. [Obs.]
Shall that victorious hand be feebled here Shak.

FEEBLE-MINDED
Fee"ble-mind"ed, a.

Defn: Weak in intellectual power; wanting firmness or constancy;
irresolute; vacilating; imbecile. "comfort the feeble-minded." 1
Thess. v. 14.
— Fee"ble-mind"ed*ness, n.

FEEBLENESS
Fee"ble*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or condition of being feeble; debility; infirmity.
That shakes for age and feebleness. Shak.

FEEBLY
Fee"bly, adv.

Defn: In a feeble manner.
The restored church . . . contended feebly, and with half a heart.
Macaulay.

FEED
Feed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fed; p. pr. & vb. n. Feeding.] Etym: [AS.
f, fr. f food; akin to C. f, OFries f, f, D. voeden, OHG. fuottan,
Icel. fæ, Sw. föda, Dan. föde. Food.]

1. To give food to; to supply with nourishment; to satisfy the
physical huger of.
If thine enemy hunger, feed him. Rom. xii. 20.
Unreasonable reatures feed their young. Shak.

2. To satisfy; grafity or minister to, as any sense, talent, taste,
or desire.
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. Shak.
Feeding him with the hope of liberty. Knolles.

3. To fill the wants of; to supply with that which is used or wasted; as, springs feed ponds; the hopper feeds the mill; to feed a furnace with coal.

4. To nourish, in a general sense; to foster, strengthen, develop,
and guard.
Thou shalt feed people Israel. 2 Sam. v. 2.
Mightiest powers by deepest calms are feed. B. Cornwall.

5. To graze; to cause to be cropped by feeding, as herbage by cattle; as, if grain is too forward in autumn, feed it with sheep. Once in three years feed your mowing lands. Mortimer.

6. To give for food, especially to animals; to furnish for consumption; as, to feed out turnips to the cows; to feed water to a steam boiler.

7. (Mach.) (a) To supply (the material to be operated upon) to a machine; as, to feed paper to a printing press. (b) To produce progressive operation upon or with (as in wood and metal working machines, so that the work moves to the cutting tool, or the tool to the work).

FEED
Feed, v. i.

1. To take food; to eat. Her kid . . . which I afterwards killed because it would not feed. De Foe.

2. To subject by eating; to satisfy the appetite; to feed one's self (upon something); to prey; — with on or upon. Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon. Shak.

3. To be nourished, strengthened, or satisfied, as if by food. "He feeds upon the cooling shade." Spenser.

4. To place cattle to feed; to pasture; to graze. If a man . . . shall put in his beast, and shall feed in anotheEx. xxii. 5.

FEED
Feed, n.

1. That which is eaten; esp., food for beasts; fodder; pasture; hay; grain, ground or whole; as, the best feed for sheep.

2. A grazing or pasture ground. Shak.

3. An allowance of provender given to a horse, cow, etc.; a meal; as, a feed of corn or oats.

4. A meal, or the act of eating. [R.] For such pleasure till that hour At feed or fountain never had I found. Milton.

5. The water supplied to steam boilers.

6. (Mach.) (a) The motion, or act, of carrying forward the stuff to be operated upon, as cloth to the needle in a sewing machine; or of producing progressive operation upon any material or object in a machine, as, in a turning lathe, by moving the cutting tool along or in the work. (b) The supply of material to a machine, as water to a steam boiler, coal to a furnace, or grain to a run of stones. (c) The mechanism by which the action of feeding is produced; a feed motion. Feed bag, a nose bag containing feed for a horse or mule. — Feed cloth, an apron for leading cotton, wool, or other fiber, into a machine, as for carding, etc. — Feed door, a door to a furnace, by which to supply coal. — Feed head. (a) A cistern for feeding water by gravity to a steam boiler. (b) (Founding) An excess of metal above a mold, which serves to render the casting more compact by its pressure; — also called a riser, deadhead, or simply feed or head Knight. — Feed heater. (a) (Steam Engine) A vessel in which the feed water for the boiler is heated, usually by exhaust steam. (b) A boiler or kettle in which is heated food for stock. — Feed motion, or Feed gear (Mach.), the train of mechanism that gives motion to the part that directly produces the feed in a machine. — Feed pipe, a pipe for supplying the boiler of a steam engine, etc., with water. — Feed pump, a force pump for supplying water to a steam boiler, etc. — Feed regulator, a device for graduating the operation of a feeder. Knight. — Feed screw, in lathes, a long screw employed to impart a regular motion to a tool rest or tool, or to the work. — Feed water, water supplied to a steam boiler, etc. — Feed wheel (Mach.), a kind of feeder. See Feeder, n., 8.

FEEDER
Feed"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, gives food or supplies nourishment; steward. A couple of friends, his chaplain and feeder. Goldsmith.

2. One who furnishes incentives; an encourager. "The feeder of my riots." Shak.

3. One who eats or feeds; specifically, an animal to be fed or fattened. With eager feeding, food doth choke the feeder. Shak.

4. One who fattens cattle for slaughter.

5. A stream that flows into another body of water; a tributary; specifically (Hydraulic Engin.), a water course which supplies a canal or reservoir by gravitation or natural flow.

6. A branch railroad, stage line, or the like; a side line which increases the business of the main line.

7. (Mining) (a) A small lateral lode falling into the main lode or mineral vein. Ure. (b) A strong discharge of gas from a fissure; a blower. Raymond.

8. (Mach.)

Defn: An auxiliary part of a machine which supplies or leads along the material operated upon.

9. (Steam Engine)

Defn: A device for supplying steam boilers with water as needed.

FEEDING
Feed"ing, n.

1. the act of eating, or of supplying with food; the process of fattening.

2. That which is eaten; food.

3. That which furnishes or affords food, especially for animals; pasture land. Feeding bottle. See under Bottle.

FEE-FAW-FUM
Fee`-faw`-fum", n.

Defn: A nonsensical exclamation attributed to giants and ogres; hence, any expression calculated to impose upon the timid and ignorant. "Impudent fee-faw-fums." J. H. Newman.

FEEJEE
Fee"jee, a. & n. (Ethnol)

Defn: See Fijian.

FEEL Feel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felt; p. pr. & vb. n. Feeling.] Etym: [AS. f; akin to OS. gif to perceive, D. voelen to feel, OHG. fuolen, G. fühlen, Icel. falma to grope, and prob. to AS. folm paim of the hand, L. palma. Cf. Fumble, Palm.]

1. To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body, especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs. Who feel Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel. Creecn.

2. To touch; to handle; to examine by touching; as, feel this piece of silk; hence, to make trial of; to test; often with out. Come near, . . . that I may feel thee, my son. Gen. xxvii. 21. He hath this to feel my affection to your honor. Shak.

3. To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or sensetive to; as, to feel pleasure; to feel pain. Teach me to feel another's woe. Pope. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. Eccl. viii. 5. He best can paint them who shall feel them most. Pope. Mankind have felt their strength and made it felt. Byron.

4. To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to have an inward persuasion of. For then, and not till then, he felt himself. Shak.

5. To perceive; to observe. [Obs.] Chaucer. To feel the helm (Naut.), to obey it.

FEEL
Feel, v. i.

1. To have perception by the touch, or by contact of anything with the nerves of sensation, especially those upon the surface of the body.

2. To have the sensibilities moved or affected. [She] feels with the dignity of a Roman matron. Burke. And mine as man, who feel for all mankind. Pope.

3. To be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, persuasion, physical condition, etc.; to perceive one's self to be; - - followed by an adjective describing the state, etc.; as, to feel assured, grieved, persuaded. I then did feel full sick. Shak.

4. To know with feeling; to be conscious; hence, to know certainly or without misgiving. Garlands . . . which I feel I am not worthy yet to wear. Shak.

5. To appear to the touch; to give a perception; to produce an impression by the nerves of sensation; — followed by an adjective describing the kind of sensation. Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth. Dryden. To feel after, to search for; to seek to find; to seek as a person groping in the dark. "If haply they might feel after him, and find him." Acts xvii. 27. - To feel of, to examine by touching.

FEEL
Feel, n.

1. Feeling; perception. [R.] To intercept and have a more kindly feel of its genial warmth. Hazlitt.

2. A sensation communicated by touching; impression made upon one who touches or handles; as, this leather has a greasy feel. The difference between these two tumors will be distinguished by the feel. S. Sharp.

FEELER
Feel"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, feels.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the sense organs or certain animals (as insects), which are used in testing objects by touch and in searching for food; an antenna; a palp. Insects . . . perpetually feeling and searching before them with their feelers or antennæ. Derham.

3. Anything, as a proposal, observation, etc., put forth or thrown out in order to ascertain the views of others; something tentative.

FEELING
Feel"ing, a.

1. Possessing great sensibility; easily affected or moved; as, a feeling heart.

2. Expressive of great sensibility; attended by, or evincing, sensibility; as, he made a feeling representation of his wrongs.

FEELING
Feel"ing, n.

1. The sense by which the mind, through certain nerves of the body, perceives external objects, or certain states of the body itself; that one of the five senses which resides in the general nerves of sensation distributed over the body, especially in its surface; the sense of touch; nervous sensibility to external objects. Why was the sight To such a tender ball as the eye confined, . . . And not, as feeling, through all parts diffused Milton.

2. An act or state of perception by the sense above described; an act of apprehending any object whatever; an act or state of apprehending the state of the soul itself; consciousness. The apprehension of the good Gives but the greater feeling to the worse. Shak.

3. The capacity of the soul for emotional states; a high degree of susceptibility to emotions or states of the sensibility not dependent on the body; as, a man of feeling; a man destitute of feeling.

4. Any state or condition of emotion; the exercise of the capacity for emotion; any mental state whatever; as, a right or a wrong feeling in the heart; our angry or kindly feelings; a feeling of pride or of humility. A fellow feeling makes one wondrous kind. Garrick. Tenderness for the feelings of others. Macaulay.

5. That quality of a work of art which embodies the mental emotion of the artist, and is calculated to affect similarly the spectator. Fairholt.

Syn.
— Sensation; emotion; passion; sentiment; agitation; opinion. See
Emotion, Passion, Sentiment.

FEELINGLY
Feel"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feeling manner; pathetically; sympathetically.

FEERE
Feere, n. Etym: [See Fere, n.]

Defn: A consort, husband or wife; a companion; a fere. [Obs.]

FEESE Feese, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. fesien to put to flight, AS. fesian, fysian, fysan, fr. fus, prompt, willing.]

Defn: the short run before a leap. [Obs.] Nares.

FEET
Feet, n. pl.

Defn: See Foot.

FEET
Feet, n. Etym: [See Feat, n.]

Defn: Fact; performance. [Obs.]

FEETLESS
Feet"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of feet; as, feetless birds.

FEEZE Feeze, v. t. Etym: [For sense 1, cf. F. visser to screw, vis screw, or 1st E. feaze, v.t.: for sense 2, see Feese.]

1. To turn, as a screw. [Scot] Jamieson.

2. To beat; to chastise; to humble; to worry. [Obs.] [Written also feaze, feize, pheese.] Beau. & Fl. To feeze up, to work into a passion. [Obs.]

FEEZE
Feeze, n.

Defn: Fretful excitement. [Obs.] See Feaze.

FEHLING
Feh"ling, n. (Chem.)

Defn: See Fehling's solution, under Solution.

FEHM; FEHMGERICHT
Fehm, n., Fehm"ge*richt`, n.

Defn: Same as Vehm, Vehmgericht.

FEHMIC
Feh"mic, a.

Defn: See Vehmic.

FEIGN
Feign, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feigned; p. pr. & vb. n. Feigning.] Etym:
[OE. feinen, F. feindre (p. pr. feignant), fr. L. fingere; akin to L.
figura figure,and E. dough. See Dough, and cf. Figure, Faint, Effigy,
Fiction.]

1. To give a mental existence to, as to something not real or actual; to imagine; to invent; hence, to pretend; to form and relate as if true. There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. Neh. vi. 8. The poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods. Shak.

2. To represent by a false appearance of; to pretend; to counterfeit; as, to feign a sickness. Shak.

3. To dissemble; to conceal. [Obs.] Spenser.

FEIGNED
Feigned, a.

Defn: Not real or genuine; pretended; counterfeit; insincere; false.
"A feigned friend." Shak.
Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips. Ps.
xvii. 1.
— Feign"ed*ly, adv.
— Feign"ed*ness, n.
Her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole
heart, but feignedly. Jer. iii. 10.
Feigned issue (Law), an issue produced in a pretended action between
two parties for the purpose of trying before a jury a question of
fact which it becomes necessary to settle in the progress of a cause.
Burill. Bouvier.

FEIGNER
Feign"er, n.

Defn: One who feigns or pretends.

FEIGNING
Feign"ing, a.

Defn: That feigns; insincere; not genuine; false.
— Feign"ing*ly, adv.

FEINE
Feine, v. t. & i.

Defn: To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEINT
Feint, a. Etym: [F. feint, p.p. of feindre to feign. See Feign.]

Defn: Feigned; counterfeit. [Obs.]
Dressed up into any feint appearance of it. Locke.

FEINT
Feint, n. Etym: [F. feinte, fr. feint. See Feint, a.]

1. That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem; a fetch. Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off. Spectator.

2. A mock blow or attack on one part when another part is intended to be struck; — said of certain movements in fencing, boxing, war, etc.

FEINT
Feint, v. i.

Defn: To make a feint, or mock attack.

FEITSUI
Fei`tsui", n. (Min.)

Defn: The Chinese name for a highly prized variety of pale green jade. See Jade.

FEIZE
Feize, v. t.

Defn: See Feeze, v. t.

FELANDERS
Fel"an*ders, n. pl.

Defn: See Filanders.

FELDSPAR; FELDSPATH Feld"spar`, Feld"spath`, n. Etym: [G. feldspath; feld field + spath spar.] (Min.)

Defn: A name given to a group of minerals, closely related in crystalline form, and all silicates of alumina with either potash, soda, lime, or, in one case, baryta. They occur in crystals and crystalline masses, vitreous in luster, and breaking rather easily in two directions at right angles to each other, or nearly so. The colors are usually white or nearly white, flesh-red, bluish, or greenish.

Note: The group includes the monoclinic (orthoclastic) species orthoclase or common potash feldspar, and the rare hyalophane or baryta feldspar; also the triclinic species (called in general plagioclase) microcline, like orthoclase a potash feldspar; anorthite or lime feldspar; albite or soda feldspar; also intermediate between the last two species, labradorite, andesine, oligoclase, containing both lime and soda in varying amounts. The feldspars are essential constituents of nearly all crystalline rocks, as granite, gneiss, mica, slate, most kinds of basalt and trachyte, etc. The decomposition of feldspar has yielded a large part of the clay of the soil, also the mineral kaolin, an essential material in the making of fine pottery. Common feldspar is itself largely used for the same purpose.

FELDSPATHIC; FELDSPATHOSE
Feld*spath"ic, Feld*spath"ose, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or consisting of, feldspar.

FELE
Fele, a. Etym: [AS. fela, feola; akin to G. viel, gr. Full, a.]

Defn: Many. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FELICIFY
Felic"ify, v. t. Etym: [L. felix happy = -fy.]

Defn: To make happy; to felicitate. [Obs.] Quarles.

FELICITATE Fe*lic"i*tate, a. Etym: [L. felicitatus, p.p. of felicitare to felicitate, fr. felix, -icis, happy. See felicity.]

Defn: Made very happy. [Archaic]
I am alone felicitate In your dear highness' love. Shak.

FELICITATE Fe*lic"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felicitated; p. pr. & vb. n. felicitating.] Etym: [Cf. F. féliciter.]

1. To make very happy; to delight. What a glorius entertainment and pleasure would fill and felicitate his spirit. I. Watts.

2. To express joy or pleasure to; to wish felicity to; to call or consider (one's self) happy; to congratulate. Every true heart must felicitate itself that its lot is cast in this kingdom. W. Howitt.

Syn.
— See Congratulate.

FELICITATION
Fe*lic`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. félicitation.]

Defn: The act of felicitating; a wishing of joy or happiness; congratulation.

FELICITOUS
Fe*lic"i*tous, a.

Defn: Characterized by felicity; happy; prosperous; delightful;
skilful; successful; happily applied or expressed; appropriate.
Felicitous words and images. M. Arnold.
— Fe*lic"i*tous*ly, adv.
— Fe*lic"i*tous*ness, n.

FELICITY Fe*lic"i*ty, n.; pl. Felicities. Etym: [OE. felicite, F. félicité, fr. L. felicitas, fr. felix, -icis, happy, fruitful; akin to fetus.]

1. The state of being happy; blessedness; blissfulness; enjoyment of
good.
Our own felicity we make or find. Johnson.
Finally, after this life, to attain everlasting joy and felicity.
Book of Common Prayer.

2. That which promotes happiness; a successful or gratifying event; prosperity; blessing. the felicities of her wonderful reign. Atterbury.

3. A pleasing faculty or accomplishment; as, felicity in painting portraits, or in writing or talking. "Felicity of expression." Bp. Warburton.

Syn.
— Happiness; bliss; beatitude; blessedness; blissfulness. See
Happiness.

FELINE Fe"line, a. Etym: [L. felinus, fr. feles, felis, cat, prob. orig., the fruitful: cf. F. félin. See Fetus.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Catlike; of or pertaining to the genus Felis, or family Felidæ; as, the feline race; feline voracity.

2. Characteristic of cats; sly; stealthy; treacherous; as, a feline nature; feline manners.

FELIS
Fe"lis, n. Etym: [L., cat.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of carnivorous mammals, including the domestic cat, the lion, tiger, panther, and similar animals.

FELL
Fell,

Defn: imp. of Fall.

FELL Fell, a. Etym: [OE. fel, OF. fel cruel, fierce, perfidious; cf. AS. fel (only in comp.) OF. fel, as a noun also accus. felon, is fr. LL. felo, of unknown origin; cf. Arm fall evil, Ir. feal, Arm. falloni treachery, Ir. & Gael. feall to betray; or cf. OHG. fillan to flay, torment, akin to E. fell skin. Cf. Felon.]

1. Cruel; barbarous; inhuman; fierce; savage; ravenous. While we devise fell tortures for thy faults. Shak.

2. Eager; earnest; intent. [Obs.] I am so fell to my business. Pepys.

FELL
Fell, n. Etym: [Cf. L. fel gall, bile, or E. fell, a.]

Defn: Gall; anger; melancholy. [Obs.]
Untroubled of vile fear or bitter fell. Spenser.

FELL
Fell, n. Etym: [AS. fell; akin to D. vel, OHG. fel, G. fell, Icel.
fell (in comp.), Goth fill in Þrutsfill leprosy, L. pellis skin, G.
Film, Peel, Pell, n.]

Defn: A skin or hide of a beast with the wool or hair on; a pelt; — used chiefly in composition, as woolfell. We are still handling our ewes, and their fells, you know, are greasy. Shak.

FELL Fell, n. Etym: [Icel. fell, fjally; akin to Sw. fjäll a ridge or chain of mountains, Dan. fjeld mountain, rock and prob. to G. fels rock, or perh. to feld field, E. field.]

1. A barren or rocky hill. T. Gray.

2. A wild field; a moor. Dryton.

FELL
Fell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felled; p. pr. & vb. n. Felling.] Etym:
[AS. fellan, a causative verb fr. feallan to fall; akin to D. vellen,
G. fällen, Icel. fella, Sw. fälla, Dan. fælde. See Fall, v. i.]

Defn: To cause to fall; to prostrate; to bring down or to the ground;
to cut down.
Stand, or I'll fell thee down. Shak.

FELL
Fell, n. (Mining)

Defn: The finer portions of ore which go through the meshes, when the ore is sorted by sifting.

FELL
Fell, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Gael. fill to fold, plait, Sw. fåll a hem.]

Defn: To sew or hem; — said of seams.

FELL
Fell, n.

1. (Sewing)

Defn: A form of seam joining two pieces of cloth, the edges being folded together and the stitches taken through both thicknesses.

2. (Weaving)

Defn: The end of a web, formed by the last thread of the weft.

FELLABLE
Fell"a*ble, a.

Defn: Fit to be felled.

FELLAH
Fel"lah, n.; pl. Ar. Fellahin, E. Fellahs. Etym: [Ar.]

Defn: A peasant or cultivator of the soil among the Egyptians,
Syrians, etc. W. M. Thomson.

FELLER
Fell"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, fells, knocks or cuts down; a machine for felling trees.

FELLER
Fell"er, n.

Defn: An appliance to a sewing machine for felling a seam.

FELLFARE
Fell"fare`, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. fealafor, and E. fieldfare.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The fieldfare.

FELLIFLUOUS
Fellif"lu`ous, a. Etym: [L. fellifluus; fel gall + fluere to flow.]

Defn: Flowing with gall. [R.] Johnson.

FELLINIC
Fel*lin"ic, a. Etym: [L. fel, fellis, gall.]

Defn: Of, relating to, or derived from, bile or gall; as, fellinic acid.

FELLMONGER
Fell"mon`ger, n.

Defn: A dealer in fells or sheepskins, who separates the wool from the pelts.

FELLNESS
Fell"ness, n. Etym: [See Fell cruel.]

Defn: The quality or state of being fell or cruel; fierce barbarity.
Spenser.

FELLOE
Fel"loe, n.

Defn: See Felly.

FELLON
Fel"lon, n.

Defn: Variant of Felon. [Obs.]
Those two were foes the fellonest on ground. Spenser.

FELLOW Fel"low, n. Etym: [OE. felawe, felaghe, Icel. felagi, fr. felag companionship, prop., a laying together of property; fe property + lag a laying, pl. lög law, akin to liggja to lie. See Fee, and Law, Lie to be low.]

1. A companion; a comrade; an associate; a partner; a sharer. The fellows of his crime. Milton. We are fellows still, Serving alike in sorrow. Shak. That enormous engine was flanked by two fellows almost of equal magnitude. Gibbon.

Note: Commonly used of men, but sometimes of women. Judges xi. 37.

2. A man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble or mean man. Worth makes the man, and want of it, the fellow. Pope.

3. An equal in power, rank, character, etc. It is impossible that ever Rome Should breed thy fellow. Shak.

4. One of a pair, or of two things used together or suited to each other; a mate; the male. When they be but heifers of one year, . . . they are let go to the fellow and breed. Holland. This was my glove; here is the fellow of it. Shak.

5. A person; an individual. She seemed to be a good sort of fellow. Dickens.

6. In the English universities, a scholar who is appointed to a foundation called a fellowship, which gives a title to certain perquisites and privileges.

7. In an American college or university, a member of the corporation which manages its business interests; also, a graduate appointed to a fellowship, who receives the income of the foundation.

8. A member of a literary or scientific society; as, a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Note: Fellow is often used in compound words, or adjectively, signifying associate, companion, or sometimes equal. Usually, such compounds or phrases are self-explanatory; as, fellow-citizen, or fellow citizen; fellow-student, or fellow student; fellow-workman, or fellow workman; fellow-mortal, or fellow mortal; fellow-sufferer; bedfellow; playfellow; workfellow. Were the great duke himself here, and would lift up My head to fellow pomp amongst his nobles. Ford.

FELLOW
Fel"low, v. t.

Defn: To suit with; to pair with; to match. [Obs.] Shak.

FELLOW-COMMONER
Fel"low-com"mon*er, n.

Defn: A student at Cambridge University, England, who commons, or dines, at the Fellow's table.

FELLOW-CREATURE
Fel"low-crea"ture, n.

Defn: One of the same race or kind; one made by the same Creator. Reason, by which we are raised above our fellow-creatures, the brutes. I. Watts.

FELLOWFEEL
Fel"low*feel", v. t.

Defn: To share through sympathy; to participate in. [R.] D. Rodgers.

FELLOW-FEELING
Fel"low-feel"ing, n.

1. Sympathy; a like feeling.

2. Joint interest. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.

FELLOWLESS
Fel"low*less, a.

Defn: Without fellow or equal; peerless.
Whose well-built walls are rare and fellowless. Chapman.

FELLOWLIKE
Fel"low*like`, a.

Defn: Like a companion; companionable; on equal terms; sympathetic.
[Obs.] Udall.

FELLOWLY
Fel"low*ly, a.

Defn: Fellowlike. [Obs.] Shak.

FELLOWSHIP
Fel"low*ship, n. Etym: [Fellow + -ship.]

1. The state or relation of being or associate.

2. Companionship of persons on equal and friendly terms; frequent and familiar intercourse. In a great town, friends are scattered, so that there is not that fellowship which is in less neighborhods. Bacon. Men are made for society and mutual fellowship. Calamy.

3. A state of being together; companionship; partnership; association; hence, confederation; joint interest. The great contention of the sea and skies Parted our fellowship. Shak. Fellowship in pain divides not smart. Milton. Fellowship in woe doth woe assuage. Shak. The goodliest fellowship of famous knights, Whereof this world holds record. Tennyson.

4. Those associated with one, as in a family, or a society; a
company.
The sorrow of Noah with his fellowship. Chaucer.
With that a joyous fellowship issued Of minstrels. Spenser.

5. (Eng. & Amer. Universities) A foundation for the maintenance, on certain conditions, of a scholar called a fellow, who usually resides at the university.

6. (Arith.) The rule for dividing profit and loss among partners; — called also partnership, company, and distributive proportion.

FELLOWSHIP
Fel"low*ship, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fellowshiped (; p. pr. & vb. n..
Fellowshiping.]

Defn: (Eccl.) To acknowledge as of good standing, or in communion according to standards of faith and practice; to admit to Christian fellowship.

FELLOWSHIP; GOOD FELLOWSHIP
Good fel"low*ship

Defn: companionableness; the spirit and disposition befitting
comrades.
There's neither honesty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee. Shak.

FELLY
Fel"ly

Defn: , adv. In a fell or cruel manner; fiercely; barbarously; savagely. Spenser.

FELLY Fel"ly, n.; pl. Fellies (. Etym: [OE. feli, felwe, felow, AS. felg, felge; akin to D. velg, G. felge, OHG. felga felly (also, a harrow, but prob. a different word), Dan. felge.]

Defn: The exterior wooden rim, or a segment of the rim, of a wheel, supported by the spokes. [Written also felloe.] Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel. Shak.

FELO-DE-SE Fe"lo-de-se`, n.; pl. Felos-de-se. Etym: [LL. felo, E. felon + de of, concerning + se self.] (Law)

Defn: One who deliberately puts an end to his own existence, or loses his life while engaged in the commission of an unlawful or malicious act; a suicide. Burrill.

FELON
Fel"on, n. Etym: [OE., adj., cruel, n., villain, ruffian, traitor,
whitlow, F. félon traitor, in OF. also, villain, fr. LL. felo. See
Fell, a.]

1. (Law)

Defn: A person who has committed a felony.

2. A person guilty or capable of heinous crime.

3. (Med.)

Defn: A kind of whitlow; a painful imflammation of the periosteum of a finger, usually of the last joint.

Syn.
— Criminal; convict; malefactor; culprit.

FELON
Fel"on, a.

Defn: Characteristic of a felon; malignant; fierce; malicious; cruel;
traitorous; disloyal.
Vain shows of love to vail his felon hate. Pope.

FELONIOUS
Fe*lo"nious, a.

Defn: Having the quality of felony; malignant; malicious; villainous; traitorous; perfidious; in a legal sense, done with intent to commit a crime; as, felonious homicide. O thievish Night, Why should'st thou, but for some felonious end, In thy dark lantern thus close up the stars Milton. — Fe*lo"ni`ous*ly, adv. — Fe*lo"ni`ous*ness, n.

FELONOUS
Fel"o*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. feloneus. Cf. Felonious.]

Defn: Wicked; felonious. [Obs.] Spenser.

FELONRY
Fel"on*ry, n.

Defn: A body of felons; specifically, the convict population of a penal colony. Howitt.

FELONWORT
Fel"on*wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The bittersweet nightshade (Solanum Dulcamara). See
Bittersweet.

FELONY
Fel"o*ny, n.; pl. Felonies. Etym: [OE. felonie cruelty, OF. felonie,
F. félonie treachery, malice. See Felon, n.]

1. (Feudal Law)

Defn: An act on the part of the vassal which cost him his fee by forfeiture. Burrill.

2. (O.Eng.Law)

Defn: An offense which occasions a total forfeiture either lands or goods, or both, at the common law, and to which capital or other punishment may be added, according to the degree of guilt.

3. A heinous crime; especially, a crime punishable by death or imprisonment.

Note: Forfeiture for crime having been generally abolished in the United States, the term felony, in American law, has lost this point of distinction; and its meaning, where not fixed by statute, is somewhat vague and undefined; generally, however, it is used to denote an offense of a high grade, punishable either capitally or by a term of imprisonment. In Massachusetts, by statute, any crime punishable by death or imprisonment in the state prison, and no other, is a felony; so in New York. the tendency now is to obliterate the distinction between felonies and misdemeanors; and this has been done partially in England, and completely in some of the States of the Union. The distinction is purely arbitrary, and its entire abolition is only a question of time.

Note: There is no lawyer who would undertake to tell what a felony is, otherwise than by enumerating the various kinds of offenses which are so called. originally, the word felony had a meaning: it denoted all offenses the penalty of which included forfeiture of goods; but subsequent acts of Parliament have declared various offenses to be felonies, without enjoining that penalty, and have taken away the penalty from others, which continue, nevertheless, to be called felonies, insomuch that the acts so called have now no property whatever in common, save that of being unlawful and purnishable. J. S. Mill.

FELONY; TO COMPOUND A FELONY
To compound a felony

Defn: . See under Compound, v. t.

FELSITE
Fel"site, n. Etym: [Cf. Feldspar.] (Min.)

Defn: A finegrained rock, flintlike in fracture, consisting essentially of orthoclase feldspar with occasional grains of quartz.

FELSITIC
Fel*sit"ic, a.

Defn: relating to, composed of, or containing, felsite.

FELSPAR; FELSPATH
Fel"spar`, Fel"spath`, n. (Min.)

Defn: See Feldspar.

FELSPATHIC
Fel*spath"ic, a.

Defn: See Feldspathic.

FELSTONE
Fel"stone`, n. Etym: [From G. feldstein, in analogy with E. felspar.]
(Min.)

Defn: See Felsite.

FELT
Felt,

Defn: imp. & p. p. or a. from Feel.

FELT
Felt, n. Etym: [AS. felt; akin to D. vilt, G. filz, and possibly to
Gr. pilus hair, pileus a felt cap or hat.]

1. A cloth or stuff made of matted fibers of wool, or wool and fur, fulled or wrought into a compact substance by rolling and pressure, with lees or size, without spinning or weaving. It were a delicate stratagem to shoe A troop of horse with felt. Shak .

2. A hat made of felt. Thynne.

3. A skin or hide; a fell; a pelt. [Obs.] To know whether sheep are sound or not, see that the felt be loose. Mortimer.

FELT
Felt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felted; p. pr. & vb. n. Felting.]

1. To make into felt, or a feltike substance; to cause to adhere and mat together. Sir M. Hale.

2. To cover with, or as with, felt; as, to felt the cylinder of a steam emgine.

FELTER
Felt"er, v. t.

Defn: To clot or mat together like felt.
His feltered locks that on his bosom fell. Fairfax.

FELT GRAIN
Felt grain

Defn: , the grain of timber which is transverse to the annular rings or plates; the direction of the medullary rays in oak and some other timber. Knight.

FELTING
Felt"ing, n.

1. The material of which felt is made; also, felted cloth; also, the process by which it is made.

2. The act of splitting timber by the felt grain.

FELTRY
Fel"try, n. Etym: [OF. feltre.]

Defn: See Felt, n. [Obs.]

FELUCCA
Fe*luc"ca (, n. Etym: [It. feluca (cf. Sp. faluca, Pg. falua), fr.
Ar. fulk ship, or harraqah a sort of ship.] (Naut.)

Defn: A small, swift-sailing vessel, propelled by oars and lateen sails, — once common in the Mediterranean.

Note: Sometimes it is constructed so that the helm may be used at either end.

FELWORT
Fel"wort`, n. Etym: [Probably a corruption of fieldwort.] (Bot.)

Defn: A European herb (Swertia perennis) of the Gentian family.

FEMALE Fe"male, n. Etym: [OE. femel, femal, F. femelle, fr. L. femella, dim. of femina woman. See Feminine.]

1. An individual of the sex which conceives and brings forth young, or (in a wider sense) which has an ovary and produces ova. The male and female of each living thing. Drayton.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organs which are capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.

FEMALE
Fe"male, a.

1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed. Shak.

2. Belonging to an individual of the female sex; characteristic of woman; feminine; as, female tenderness. "Female usurpation.'b8 Milton. To the generous decision of a female mind, we owe the discovery of America. Belknap.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Having pistils and no stamens; pistillate; or, in cryptogamous plants, capable of receiving fertilization.

FEMALE FERN
Female fern (Bot.),

Defn: a common species of fern with large decompound fronds
(Asplenium Filixfæmina), growing in many countries; lady fern.

Note: The names male fern and female fern were anciently given to two common ferns; but it is now understood that neither has any sexual character.

Syn. — Female, Feminine. We apply female to the sex or individual, as opposed to male; also, to the distinctive belongings of women; as, female dress, female form, female character, etc.; feminine, to things appropriate to, or affected by, women; as, feminine studies, employments, accomplishments, etc. "Female applies to sex rather than gender, and is a physiological rather than a grammatical term. Feminine applies to gender rather than sex, and is grammatical rather than physiological." Latham.

FEMALE RHYMES
Female rhymes (Pros.),

Defn: double rhymes, or rhymes (called in French feminine rhymes because they end in e weak, or feminine) in which two syllables, an accented and an unaccented one, correspond at the end of each line.

Note: A rhyme, in which the final syllables only agree (strain, complain) is called a male rhyme; one in which the two final syllables of each verse agree, the last being short (motion, ocean), is called female. Brande & C. — Female screw, the spiral-threaded cavity into which another, or male, screw turns. Nicholson.

FEMALIST
Fe"mal*ist, n.

Defn: A gallant. [Obs.]
Courting her smoothly like a femalist. Marston.

FEMALIZE
Fe"mal*ize, v. t.

Defn: To make, or to describe as, female or feminine. Shaftesbury.

FEME
Feme ( or ), n. Etym: [OF. feme, F. femme.] (Old Law)

Defn: A woman. Burrill. Feme covert (Law), a married woman. See Covert, a., 3. — Feme sole (Law), a single or unmarried woman; a woman who has never been married, or who has been divorced, or whose husband is dead. — Feme sole trader or merchant (Eng. Law), a married woman, by the custom of London, engages in business on her own account, inpendently of her husband.

FEMERAL
Fem"er*al, n. (Arch.)

Defn: See Femerell.

FEMERELL
Fem"er*ell, n. Etym: [OF. fumeraille part of a chimney. See Fume.]
(Arch.)

Defn: A lantern, or louver covering, placed on a roof, for ventilation or escape of smoke.

FEMINAL
Fem"i*nal, a.

Defn: Feminine. [Obs.] West.

FEMINALITY
Fem`i*nal"i*ty, n.

Defn: Feminity.

FEMINATE
Fem"i*nate, a. Etym: [L. feminatus effeminate.]

Defn: Feminine. [Obs.]

FEMINEITY
Fem`in*e"ity, n. Etym: [L. femineus womanly.]

Defn: Womanliness; femininity. C. Read

FEMININE
Fem"i*nine, a. Etym: [L. femininus, fr. femina woman; prob. akin to
L. fetus, or to Gr. fæmme woman, maid: cf. F. féminin. See Fetus.]

1. Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic of a
woman; womanish; womanly.
Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.
Macaulay.

2. Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful, affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak, nerveless, timid, pleasure- loving, effeminate. Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine. Milton. Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy. Sir W. Raleigh.

FEMININE
Fem"i*nine, n.

1. A woman. [Obs. or Colloq.] They guide the feminines toward the palace. Hakluyt.

2. (Gram.)

Defn: Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found in such words; as, actress, songstress, abbess, executrix. There are but few true feminines in English. Latham.

FEMININELY
Fem"i*nine*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feminine manner. Byron.

FEMININENESS
Fem"i*nine*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being feminine; womanliness; womanishness.

FEMININE RHYME
Feminine rhyme. (Pros.)

Defn: See Female rhyme, under Female, a.

Syn.
— See Female, a.

FEMININITY
Fem`i*nin"i*ty, n.

1. The quality or nature of the female sex; womanliness.

2. The female form. [Obs.] O serpent under femininitee. Chaucer.

FEMINITY
Fe*min"i*ty, n.

Defn: Womanliness; femininity. [Obs.] "Trained up in true feminity."
Spenser.

FEMINIZATION
Fem`i*ni*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act of feminizing, or the state of being feminized.

FEMINIZE
Fem"i*nize, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. féminiser.]

Defn: To make womanish or effeminate. Dr. H. More.

FEMINYE Fem"i*nye, n. Etym: [OF. femenie, feminie, the female sex, realm of women.]

Defn: The people called Amazons. [Obs.] "[The reign of] feminye."
Chaucer.

FEMME
Femme ( or ), n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A woman. See Feme, n. Femme de chambre. Etym: [F.] A lady's maid; a chambermaid.

FEMORAL
Fem"o*ral, a. Etym: [L. femur, femoris, thigh: cf. F. fémoral.]

Defn: Pertaining to the femur or thigh; as, the femoral artery.
"Femoral habiliments." Sir W. Scott.

FEMUR Fe"mur, n.; pl. Femora (. Etym: [L. thigh.] (Anat.) (a) The thigh bone. (b) The proximal segment of the hind limb containing the thigh bone; the thigh. See Coxa.

FEN
Fen, n. Etym: [AS. fen, fenn, marsh, mud, dirt; akin to D. veen,
OFries. fenne, fene, OHG. fenna, G. fenn, Icel. fen, Goth. fani mud.]

Defn: Low land overflowed, or covered wholly or partially with water,
but producing sedge, coarse grasses, or other aquatic plants; boggy
land; moor; marsh.
'Mid reedy fens wide spread. Wordsworth.

Note: Fen is used adjectively with the sense of belonging to, or of
the nature of, a fen or fens. Fen boat, a boat of light draught used
in marshes.
— Fen duck (Zoöl.), a wild duck inhabiting fens; the shoveler.
[Prov. Eng.] — Fen fowl (Zoöl.), any water fowl that frequent fens.
— Fen goose (Zoöl.), the graylag goose of Europe. [Prov. Eng.] —
Fen land, swamp land.

FENCE
Fence, n. Etym: [Abbrev. from defence.]

1. That which fends off attack or danger; a defense; a protection; a cover; security; shield. Let us be backed with God and with the seas, Which he hath given for fence impregnable. Shak. A fence betwixt us and the victor's wrath. Addison.

2. An inclosure about a field or other space, or about any object; especially, an inclosing structure of wood, iron, or other material, intended to prevent intrusion from without or straying from within. Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold. Milton.

Note: In England a hedge, ditch, or wall, as well as a structure of boards, palings, or rails, is called a fence.

3. (Locks)

Defn: A projection on the bolt, which passes through the tumbler gates in locking and unlocking.

4. Self-defense by the use of the sword; the art and practice of fencing and sword play; hence, skill in debate and repartee. See Fencing. Enjoy your dear wit, and gay rhetoric, That hath so well been taught her dazzing fence. Milton. Of dauntless courage and consummate skill in fence. Macaulay.

5. A receiver of stolen goods, or a place where they are received. [Slang] Mayhew.

FENCE
Fence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fenced ( Fencing.]

1. To fend off danger from; to give security to; to protect; to guard. To fence my ear against thy sorceries. Milton.

2. To inclose with a fence or other protection; to secure by an inclosure. O thou wall! . . . dive in the earth, And fence not Athens. Shak. A sheepcote fenced about with olive trees. Shak. To fence the tables (Scot. Church), to make a solemn address to those who present themselves to commune at the Lord's supper, on the feelings appropriate to the service, in order to hinder, so far as possible, those who are unworthy from approaching the table. McCheyne.

FENCE
Fence, v. i.

1. To make a defense; to guard one's self of anything, as against an attack; to give protection or security, as by a fence. Vice is the more stubborn as well as the more dangerous evil, and therefore, in the first place, to be fenced against. Locke.

2. To practice the art of attack and defense with the sword or with the foil, esp. with the smallsword, using the point only. He will fence with his own shadow. Shak.

3. Hence, to fight or dispute in the manner of fencers, that is, by thrusting, guarding, parrying, etc. They fence and push, and, pushing, loudly roar; Their dewlaps and their sides are batDryden. As when a billow, blown against, Falls back, the voice with which I fenced A little ceased, but recommenced. Tennyson.

FENCEFUL
Fence"ful, a.

Defn: Affording defense; defensive. [Obs.] Congreve.

FENCELESS
Fence"less, a.

Defn: Without a fence; uninclosed; open; unguarded; defenseless.
Milton.

FENCE MONTH
Fence month (Forest Law),

Defn: the month in which female deer are fawning, when hunting is prohibited. Bullokar. — Fence roof, a covering for defense. "They fitted their shields close to one another in manner of a fence roof." Holland. Fence time, the breeding time of fish or game, when they should not be killed. — Rail fence, a fence made of rails, sometimes supported by posts. — Ring fence, a fence which encircles a large area, or a whole estate, within one inclosure. — Worm fence, a zigzag fence composed of rails crossing one another at their ends; — called also snake fence, or Virginia rail fence. — To be on the fence, to be undecided or uncommitted in respect to two opposing parties or policies. [Colloq.]

FENCER
Fen"cer, n.

Defn: One who fences; one who teaches or practices the art of fencing
with sword or foil.
As blunt as the fencer's foils. Shak.

FENCI-BLE
Fen"ci-ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being defended, or of making or affording defense.
[Obs.]
No fort so fencible, nor walls so strong. Spenser.

FENCIBLE
Fen"ci*ble, n. (Mil.)

Defn: A soldier enlisted for home service only; — usually in the pl.

FENCING
Fen"cing, n.

1. The art or practice of attack and defense with the sword, esp. with the s,allword. See Fence, v. i., 2.

2. Disputing or debating in a manner resembling the art of fencers. Shak.

3. The materials used for building fences. [U.S.]

4. The act of building a fence.

5. To aggregate of the fences put up for inclosure or protection; as, the fencing of a farm.

FEN CRICKET
Fen" crick`et. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The mole cricket. [Prov. Eng.]

FEND
Fend, n.

Defn: A fiend. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEND
Fend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.] Etym:
[Abbrev. fr. defend.]

Defn: To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; — often with off; as, to fend off blows. With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. Dryden. To fend off a boat or vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence.

FEND
Fend, v. i.

Defn: To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry;
to shift off.
The dexterous management of terms, and being able to fend . . . with
them, passes for a great part of learning. Locke.

FENDER
Fen"der, n. Etym: [From Fend, v. t. & i., cf. Defender.]

Defn: One who or that which defends or protects by warding off harm; as: (a) A screen to prevent coals or sparks of an open fire from escaping to the floor. (b) Anything serving as a cushion to lessen the shock when a vessel comes in contact with another vessel or a wharf. (c) A screen to protect a carriage from mud thrown off the wheels: also, a splashboard. (d) Anything set up to protect an exposed angle, as of a house, from damage by carriage wheels.

FENDLICHE
Fend"liche, a.

Defn: Fiendlike. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FENERATE Fen"er*ate, v. i. Etym: [L. faeneratus, p.p. of faenerari lend on interest, fr. faenus interest.]

Defn: To put money to usury; to lend on interest. [Obs.] Cockeram.

FENERATION
Fen`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. faeneratio.]

Defn: The act of fenerating; interest. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FENES-TELLA
Fen`es-tel"la, n. Etym: [L., dim. of fenestra (Arch.)

Defn: Any small windowlike opening or recess, esp. one to show the relics within an altar, or the like.

FENESTRA
Fe*nes"tra, n.; pl. Fenestræ. Etym: [L., a window.] (Anat.)

Defn: A small opening; esp., one of the apertures, closed by membranes, between the tympanum and internal ear.

FENESTRAL
Fe*nes"tral, a. Etym: [L. fenestra a window.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: Pertaining to a window or to windows.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a fenestra.

FENESTRAL
Fe*nes"tral, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A casement or window sash, closed with cloth or paper instead of glass. Weale.

FENESTRATE Fe*nes"trate, a. Etym: [L. fenestratus, p.p. of fenestrare to furnish with openings and windows.]

1. Having numerous openings; irregularly reticulated; as, fenestrate membranes; fenestrate fronds.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having transparent spots, as the wings of certain butterflies.

FENESTRATED
Fe*nes"tra*ted, a.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: Having windows; characterized by windows.

2. Same as Fenestrate.

FENESTRATION
Fen`es*tra"tion, n.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: The arrangement and proportioning of windows; — used by modern writers for the decorating of an architectural composition by means of the window (and door) openings, their ornaments, and proportions.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The state or condition of being fenestrated.

FENESTRULE Fe*nes"trule, n. Etym: [L. fenestrula a little window, dim. of fenestra a window.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the openings in a fenestrated structure.

FENG-HWANG
Fêng"-hwang`, n. [Chin. feng + 'huang.] (Chinese Myth.)

Defn: A pheasantlike bird of rich plumage and graceful form and movement, fabled to appear in the land on the accession of a sage to the throne, or when right principles are about to prevail. It is often represented on porcelains and other works of art.

FENGITE
Fen"gite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A kind of marble or alabaster, sometimes used for windows on account of its transparency.

FENG-SHUI
Fêng"-shu`i, n. [Chin. feng wind + shiu water.]

Defn: A system of spirit influences for good and evil believed by the Chinese to attend the natural features of landscape; also, a kind of geomancy dealing with these influences, used in determining sites for graves, houses, etc.

FENIAN
Fe"ni*an, n. Etym: [From the Finians or Fenii, the old militia of
Ireland, who were so called from Fin or Finn, Fionn, or Fingal, a
popular hero of Irish traditional history.]

Defn: A member of a secret organization, consisting mainly of Irishment, having for its aim the overthrow of English rule in ireland.

FENIAN
Fe"ni*an, a.

Defn: Pertaining to Fenians or to Fenianism.

FENIANISM
Fe"ni*an*ism, n.

Defn: The principles, purposes, and methods of the Fenians.

FENKS
Fenks, n.

Defn: The refuse whale blubber, used as a manure, and in the manufacture of Prussian blue. Ure.

FENNEC
Fen"nec, n. Etym: [Ar. fanek.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small, African, foxlike animal (Vulpes zerda) of a pale fawn color, remarkable for the large size of its ears.

FENNEL
Fen"nel, n. Etym: [AS. fenol, finol, from L. feniculum, faeniculum,
dim. of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. fenouil. Cf. Fenugreek. Finochio.]
(Bot.)

Defn: A perennial plant of the genus Fæniculum (F.vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds. Smell of sweetest fennel. Milton. A sprig of fennel was in fact the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex. S. G. Goodrich. Azorean, or Sweet, fennel, (Fæniculum dulce). It is a smaller and stouter plant than the common fennel, and is used as a pot herb. — Dog's fennel (Anthemis Cotula), a foul-smelling European weed; — called also mayweed. — Fennel flower (Bot.), an herb (Nigella) of the Buttercup family, having leaves finely divided, like those of the fennel. N.Damascena is common in gardens. N.sativa furnishes the fennel seed, used as a condiment, etc., in India. These seeds are the "fitches" mentioned in Isaiah (xxviii. 25). — Fennel water (Med.), the distilled water of fennel seed. It is stimulant and carminative. — Giant fennel (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus. — Hog's fennel, a European plant (Peucedanum officinale) looking something like fennel.

FENNISH
Fen"nish, a.

Defn: Abounding in fens; fenny.

FENNY
Fen"ny, a. Etym: [AS. fennig.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or inhabiting, a fen; abounding in fens; swampy; boggy. "Fenny snake." Shak.

FENOWED Fen"owed, a. Etym: [AS. fynig musty, fynegean to become musty or filthy: cf. fennig fenny, muddy, dirty, fr. fen fen. Cf. Finew.]

Defn: Corrupted; decayed; moldy. See Vinnewed. [Obs.] Dr. Favour.

FENSI-BLE
Fen"si-ble, a.

Defn: Fencible. [Obs.] Spenser.

FEN-SUCKED
Fen"-sucked`, a.

Defn: Sucked out of marches. "Fen-sucked fogs." Shak.

FENUGREEK
Fen"u*greek ( or ), n. Etym: [L. faenum Graecum, lit., Greek hay: cf.
F. fenugrec. Cf. Fennel.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (trigonella Foenum Græcum) cultivated for its strong- smelling seeds, which are "now only used for giving false importance to horse medicine and damaged hay." J. Smith (Pop. Names of Plants, 1881).

FEOD
Feod, n.

Defn: A feud. See 2d Feud. Blackstone.

FEODAL
Feod"al, a.

Defn: Feudal. See Feudal.

FEODALITY
Feo*dal"i*ty, n.

Defn: Feudal tenure; the feudal system. See Feudality. Burke.

FEODARY
Feod"a*ry, n.

1. An accomplice. Art thou a feodary for this act Shak.

2. (Eng. Law)

Defn: An ancient officer of the court of wards. Burrill.

FEODATORY
Feod"a*to*ry, n.

Defn: See Feudatory.

FEOFF
Feoff

Defn: , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feoffed; p. pr. & vb. n.. Feoffing.] Etym: [OE. feffen, OF. feffer, fieffer, F. fieffer, fr. fief fief; cf. LL. feoffare, fefare. See Fief.] (Law)

Defn: To invest with a fee or feud; to give or grant a corporeal hereditament to; to enfeoff.

FEOFF
Feoff, n. (Law)

Defn: A fief. See Fief.

FEOFFEE
Feof*fee", n. Etym: [OF. feoffé.] (Law)

Defn: The person to whom a feoffment is made; the person enfeoffed.

FEOFFMENT Feoff"ment, n. Etym: [OF. feoffement, fieffement; cf. LL. feoffamentum.] (Law) (a) The grant of a feud or fee. (b) (Eng. Law) A gift or conveyance in fee of land or other corporeal hereditaments, accompanied by actual delivery of possession. Burrill. (c) The instrument or deed by which corporeal hereditaments are conveyed. [Obs. in the U.S., Rare in Eng.]

FEOFOR; FEOFFER
Feo"for, Feof"fer, n. Etym: [OF. feoour.] (Law)

Defn: One who enfeoffs or grants a fee.

FER
Fer, a. & adv.

Defn: Far. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERACIOUS
Fe*ra"cious, a. Etym: [L. ferax, -acis, fr. ferre to bear.]

Defn: Fruitful; producing abudantly. [R.] Thomson.

FERACITY
Fe*rac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. feracitas.]

Defn: The state of being feracious or fruitful. [Obs.] Beattie.

FERAE
Fe"ræ, n. pl. Etym: [L., wild animals, fem. pl. of ferus wild.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of mammals which formerly included the Carnivora, Insectivora, Marsupialia, and lemurs, but is now often restricted to the Carnivora.

FERAE NATURAE
Fe"ræ na*tu"ræ. Etym: [L.]

Defn: Of a wild nature; — applied to animals, as foxes, wild ducks, etc., in which no one can claim property.

FERAL
Fe"ral, a. Etym: [L. ferus. See Fierce.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Defn: Wild; untamed; ferine; not domesticated; — said of beasts, birds, and plants. feral child, not raised by humans

FERAL
Fe"ral, a. Etym: [L. feralis, belonging to the dead.]

Defn: Funereal; deadly; fatal; dangerous. [R.] "Feral accidents."
Burton.

FERDE
Ferde, obs.

Defn: imp. of Fare. Chaucer.

FER-DE-LANCE
Fer`-de-lance", n. Etym: [F., the iron of a lance, lance head.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, venomous serpent (Trigonocephalus lanceolatus) of Brazil and the West Indies. It is allied to the rattlesnake, but has no rattle.

FERDING
Fer"ding, n. Etym: [See Farthing.]

Defn: A measure of land mentioned in Domesday Book. It is supposed to have consisted of a few acres only. [Obs.]

FERDNESS
Ferd"ness, n. Etym: [OE. ferd fear. See Fear.]

Defn: Fearfulness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE Fere, n. Etym: [OE. fere companion, AS. gefera, from feran to go, travel, faran to travel. sq. root78. See Fare.]

Defn: A mate or companion; — often used of a wife. [Obs.] [Written
also fear and feere.] Chaucer.
And Cambel took Cambrina to his fere. Spenser.
In fere, together; in company. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE
Fere, a. Etym: [Cf. L. ferus wild.]

Defn: Fierce. [Obs.]

FERE
Fere, n. Etym: [See Fire.]

Defn: Fire. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE
Fere, n. Etym: [See Fear.]

Defn: Fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE
Fere, v. t. & i.

Defn: To fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERETORY Fer`e*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. feretrum bier, Gr. ferre, E. bear to support.]

Defn: A portable bier or shrine, variously adorned, used for containing relics of saints. Mollett.

FERFORTH
Fer"forth`, adv.

Defn: Far forth. [Obs.] As ferforth as, as far as.
— So ferforth, to such a degree.

FERFORTHLY
Fer"forth`ly, adv.

Defn: Ferforth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERGUSONITE
Fer"gu*son*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a brownish black color, essentially a tantalo- niobate of yttrium, erbium, and cerium; — so called after Robert Ferguson.

FERIA
Fe"ri*a, n.; pl. Feriæ (. (Eccl.)

Defn: A week day, esp. a day which is neither a festival nor a fast.
Shipley.

FERIAL
Fe"ri*al, n.

Defn: Same as Feria.

FERIAL Fe"ri*al, a. Etym: [LL. ferialis, fr. L. ferie holidays: cf. F. férial. See 5th Fair.]

1. Of or pertaining to holidays. [Obs.] J. Gregory.

2. Belonging to any week day, esp. to a day that is neither a festival nor a fast.

FERIATION Fe`ri*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. feriari to keep holiday, fr. ferie holidays.]

Defn: The act of keeping holiday; cessation from work. [Obs.] Sir T.
Browne.

FERIE
Fe"rie, n. Etym: [OF. ferie, fr. L. ferie holidays. See 5th Fair.]

Defn: A holiday. [Obs.] Bullokar.

FERIER
Fe"ri*er, a.

Defn: , compar. of Fere, fierce. [Obs.]
Rhenus ferier than the cataract. Marston.

FERINE
Fe"rine, a. Etym: [L. ferinus, fr. ferus wild. See Fierce.]

Defn: Wild; untamed; savage; as, lions, tigers, wolves, and bears are ferine beasts. Sir M. Hale. — n.

Defn: A wild beast; a beast of prey.
— Fe"rine*ly, adv.
— Fe"rine*ness, n.

FERINGEE
Fer*in"gee, n. Etym: [Per. Farangi, or Ar. Firanji, properly, a
Frank.]

Defn: The name given to Europeans by the Hindos. [Written also
Feringhee.]

FERITY
Fer"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. feritas, from ferus wild.]

Defn: Wildness; savageness; fierceness. [Obs.] Woodward.

FERLY
Fer"ly, a. Etym: [AS. f sudden, unexpected. See Fear, n.]

Defn: Singular; wonderful; extraordinary. [Obs.] — n.

Defn: A wonder; a marvel. [Obs.]
Who hearkened ever such a ferly thing. Chaucer.

FERM; FERME
Ferm, Ferme, n.Etym: [See Farm.]

Defn: Rent for a farm; a farm; also, an abode; a place of residence; as, he let his land to ferm. [Obs.] Out of her fleshy ferme fled to the place of pain. Spenser.

FERMACY
Fer"ma*cy, n. Etym: [OE. See Pharmacy.]

Defn: Medicine; pharmacy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERMENT Fer"ment, n. Etym: [L. fermentum ferment (in senses 1 & 2), perh. for fervimentum, fr. fervere to be boiling hot, boil, ferment: cf. F. ferment. Cf. 1st Barm, Fervent.]

1. That which causes fermentation, as yeast, barm, or fermenting beer.

Note: Ferments are of two kinds: (a) Formed or organized ferments. (b) Unorganized or structureless ferments. The latter are also called soluble or chemical ferments, and enzymes. Ferments of the first class are as a rule simple microscopic vegetable organisms, and the fermentations which they engender are due to their growth and development; as, the acetic ferment, the butyric ferment, etc. See Fermentation. Ferments of the second class, on the other hand, are chemical substances, as a rule soluble in glycerin and precipitated by alcohol. In action they are catalytic and, mainly, hydrolytic. Good examples are pepsin of the dastric juice, ptyalin of the salvia, and disease of malt. globular proteins, capable of catalyzing a wide variety of chemical reactions, not merely hydrolytic. The full set of enzymes causing production of ethyl alcohol from sugar has been identified and individually purified and studied. See enzyme

2. Intestine motion; heat; tumult; agitation. Subdue and cool the ferment of desire. Rogers. the nation is in a ferment. Walpole. in a ferment in a state of agitation, applied to human groups.

3. A gentle internal motion of the constituent parts of a fluid; fermentation. [R.] Down to the lowest lees the ferment ran. Thomson. ferment oils, volatile oils produced by the fermentation of plants, and not originally contained in them. These were the quintessences of the alchenists. Ure.

FERMENT
Fer*ment", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fermented; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fermenting.] Etym: [L. fermentare, fermentatum: cf. F. fermenter. See
Ferment, n.]

Defn: To cause ferment of fermentation in; to set in motion; to excite internal emotion in; to heat. Ye vigorous swains! while youth ferments your blood. Pope.

FERMENT
Fer*ment", v. i.

1. To undergo fermentation; to be in motion, or to be excited into sensible internal motion, as the constituent oarticles of an animal or vegetable fluid; to work; to effervesce.

2. To be agitated or excited by violent emotions. But finding no redress, ferment an rage. Milton. The intellect of the age was a fermenting intellect. De Quincey.

FERMENTABILITY
Fer*ment`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Capability of fermentation.

FERMENTABLE
Fer*ment"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentable.]

Defn: Capable of fermentation; as, cider and other vegetable liquors are fermentable.

FERMENTAL
Fer*ment"al, a.

Defn: Fermentative. [Obs.]

FERMENTATION
Fer`men*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentation.]

1. The process of undergoing an effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense (Physiol. Chem.), the transformation of an organic substance into new compounds by the action of a ferment, either formed or unorganized. It differs in kind according to the nature of the ferment which causes it.

2. A state of agitation or excitement, as of the intellect or the feelings. It puts the soul to fermentation and activity. Jer. Taylor. A univesal fermentation of human thought and faith. C. Kingsley. Acetous, or Acetic, fermentation, a form of oxidation in which alcohol is converted into vinegar or acetic acid by the agency of a specific fungus or ferment (Mycoderma aceti). The process involves two distinct reactions, in which the oxygen of the air is essential. An intermediate product, aldehyde, is formed in the first process. 1. C2H6O + O = H2O + C2H4O

Note: Alcohol. Water. Aldehyde. 2. C2H4O + O = C2H4O2

Note: Aldehyde. Acetic acid. — Alcoholic fermentation, the fermentation which saccharine bodies undergo when brought in contact with the yeast plant or Torula. The sugar is converted, either directly or indirectly, into alcohol and carbonic acid, the rate of action being dependent on the rapidity with which the Torulæ develop. — Ammoniacal fermentation, the conversion of the urea of the urine into ammonium carbonate, through the growth of the special urea ferment. CON2H4 + 2H2O = (NH4)2CO3

Note: Urea. Water. Ammonium carbonate.

Note: Whenever urine is exposed to the air in open vessels for several days it undergoes this alkaline fermentation. — Butyric fermentation, the decomposition of various forms of organic matter, through the agency of a peculiar worm-shaped vibrio, with formation of more or less butyric acid. It is one of the many forms of fermentation that collectively constitute putrefaction. See Lactic fermentation. — Fermentation by an unorganized ferment or enzyme. Fermentations of this class are purely chemical reactions, in which the ferment acts as a simple catalytic agent. Of this nature are the decomposition or inversion of cane sugar into levulose and dextrose by boiling with dilute acids, the conversion of starch into dextrin and sugar by similar treatment, the conversion of starch into like products by the action of diastase of malt or ptyalin of saliva, the conversion of albuminous food into peptones and other like products by the action of pepsin-hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice or by the ferment of the pancreatic juice. — Fermentation theory of disease (Biol. & Med.), the theory that most if not all, infectious or zymotic disease are caused by the introduction into the organism of the living germs of ferments, or ferments already developed (organized ferments), by which processes of fermentation are set up injurious to health. See Germ theory. — Glycerin fermentation, the fermentation which occurs on mixing a dilute solution of glycerin with a peculiar species of schizomycetes and some carbonate of lime, and other matter favorable to the growth of the plant, the glycerin being changed into butyric acid, caproic acid, butyl, and ethyl alcohol. With another form of bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) ethyl alcohol and butyric acid are mainly formed. — Lactic fermentation, the transformation of milk sugar or other saccharine body into lactic acid, as in the souring of milk, through the agency of a special bacterium (Bacterium lactis of Lister). In this change the milk sugar, before assuming the form of lactic acid, presumably passes through the stage of glucose. C12H22O11.H2O = 4C3H6O3

Note: Hydrated milk sugar. Lactic acid.

Note: In the lactic fermentation of dextrose or glucose, the lactic acid which is formed is very prone to undergo butyric fermentation after the manner indicated in the following equation: 2C3H6O3 (lactic acid) = C4H8O2 (butyric acid) + 2CO2 (carbonic acid) + 2H2 (hydrogen gas). — Putrefactive fermentation. See Putrefaction.

FERMENTATION THEORY
Fer`men*ta"tion the"o*ry. (Med.)

Defn: The theory which likens the course of certain diseases (esp. infectious diseases) to the process of fermentation, and attributes them to the organized ferments in the body. It does not differ materially from the accepted germ theory (which see).

FERMENTATIVE
Fer*ment"a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentatif.]

Defn: Causing, or having power to cause, fermentation; produced by fermentation; fermenting; as, a fermentative process. — Fer*ment"a*tive*ly, adv. — Fer*ment"a*tive*ness, n.

FERMERERE
Fer"mer*ere, n. Etym: [OF. enfermerier, fr. enfermerie infirmary. See
Infirmary.]

Defn: The officer in a religious house who had the care of the infirmary. [Obs.]

FERMETURE
Fer"me*ture, n. [F., fr. fermer to close.] (Mil.)

Defn: The mechanism for closing the breech of a breech-loading firearm, in artillery consisting principally of the breechblock, obturator, and carrier ring.

FERMILLET Fer"mil*let, n. Etym: [OF., dim. of fermeil, fermail, clasp, prob. fr. OF. & F. fermer to make fast, fr. ferme fast. See Firm.]

Defn: A buckle or clasp. [Obs.] Donne.

FERN
Fern, adv.

Defn: Long ago. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERN
Fern, a. Etym: [AS. fyrn.]

Defn: Ancient; old. [Obs.] "Pilgrimages to . . . ferne halwes." [saints]. Chaucer.

FERN
Fern, n. Etym: [AS. fearn; akin to D. varen, G. farn, farnkraut; cf.
Skr. parna wing, feather, leaf, sort of plant, or Lith. papartis
fern.] (Bot.)

Defn: An order of cryptogamous plants, the Filices, which have their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves. They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain a gigantic size.

Note: The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia, containing minute spores, which germinate and form prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and the polypody are all well known ferns. Christmas fern. See under Christmas. — Climbing fern (Bot.), a delicate North American fern (Lygodium palmatum), which climbs several feet high over bushes, etc., and is much sought for purposes of decoration. — Fern owl. (Zoöl.) (a) The European goatsucker. (b) The short- eared owl. [Prov. Eng.] — Fern shaw, a fern thicket. [Eng.] R. Browning.

FERNERY
Fern"er*y, n.

Defn: A place for rearing ferns.

FERNTICLE
Fern"ti*cle, n.

Defn: A freckle on the skin, resembling the seed of fern. [Prov.
Eng.]

FERNY
Fern"y, a.

Defn: Abounding in ferns.

FEROCIOUS
Fe*ro"cious, a. Etym: [L. ferox, -ocis, fierce: cf. F. féroce. See
Ferocity.]

Defn: Fierce; savage; wild; indicating cruelty; ravenous; rapacious; as, ferocious look or features; a ferocious lion. The humbled power of a ferocious enemy. Lowth.

Syn. — Ferocious, Fierce, Savage, Barbarous. When these words are applied to human feelings or conduct, ferocious describes the disposition; fierce, the haste and violence of an act; barbarous, the coarseness and brutality by which it was marked; savage, the cruel and unfeeling spirit which it showed. A man is ferocious in his temper, fierce in his actions, barbarous in the manner of carrying out his purposes, savage in the spirit and feelings expressed in his words or deeds. — Fe*ro"cious*ly, adv. — Fe*ro"cious*ness, n. It [Christianity] has adapted the ferociousness of war. Blair.

FEROCITY Fe*roc"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. ferocitas, fr. ferox, -ocis, fierce, kin to ferus wild: cf. F. ferocité. See Fierce.]

Defn: Savage wildness or fierceness; fury; cruelty; as, ferocity of
countenance.
The pride and ferocity of a Highland chief. Macaulay.

FEROHER
Fer*o"her, n. (Archæol.)

Defn: A symbol of the solar deity, found on monuments exhumed in
Babylon, Nineveh, etc.

FEROUS
Fe"rous, a. Etym: [L. ferus. See Fierce.]

Defn: Wild; savage. [R.] Arthur Wilson.

-FEROUS -fer*ous. Etym: [L. -fer. fr. ferre to bear. See Bear to support.]

Defn: A suffix signifying bearing, producing, yielding; as, auriferous, yielding gold; chyliferous, producing chyle.

FERRANDINE Fer*ran"dine ( or ), n. Etym: [F.; cf. OF. ferrant iron-gray, from L. ferrum iron.]

Defn: A stuff made of silk and wool.
I did buy a colored silk ferrandine. Pepys.

FERRANTI CABLES; FERRANTI MAINS
Fer*ran"ti ca"bles, Fer*ran"ti mains". (Elec.)

Defn: A form of conductor, designed by Ferranti, for currents of high potential, and consisting of concentric tubes of copper separated by an insulating material composed of paper saturated with black mineral wax.

FERRANTI PHENOMENON
Fer*ran"ti phe*nom"e*non. (Elec.)

Defn: An increase in the ratio of transformation of an alternating current converter, accompanied by other changes in electrical conditions, occurring when the secondary of the converter is connected with a condenser of moderate capacity; — so called because first observed in connection with the Ferranti cables in London.

FERRARA
Fer*ra"ra, n.

Defn: A sword bearing the mark of one of the Ferrara family of Italy. These swords were highly esteemed in England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

FERRARESE
Fer`ra*rese", a.

Defn: Pertaining to Ferrara, in Italy.
— n., sing. & pl.

Defn: A citizen of Ferrara; collectively, the inhabitants of Ferrara.

FERRARY
Fer"ra*ry, n. Etym: [L. ferraria iron works. See Ferreous.]

Defn: The art of working in iron. [Obs.] Chapman.

FERRATE
Fer"rate, n. Etym: [L. ferrum iron.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferric acid.

FERRE; FERRER
Fer"re, Fer"rer, a. & adv. Obs.

Defn: compar. of Fer.

FERREOUS
Fer"re*ous, a. Etym: [L. ferreus, fr. ferrum iron. Cf. Farrier,
Ferrous.]

Defn: Partaking of, made of, or pertaining to, iron; like iron.
[Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FERREST
Fer"rest, a. & adv. Obs.

Defn: superl. of Fer. Chaucer.

FERRET Fer"ret, n. Etym: [F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela or Putorius furo), about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive rabbits and rats out of their holes.

FERRET
Fer"ret, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferreted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ferreting.]
Etym: [Cf. F. fureter. See Ferret, n.]

Defn: To drive or hunt out of a lurking place, as a ferret does the cony; to search out by patient and sagacious efforts; — often used with out; as, to ferret out a secret. Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him. Shak.

FERRET Fer"ret, n. Etym: [Ital. foretto, dim. of fiore flower; or F. fleuret. Cf. Floret.]

Defn: A kind of narrow tape, usually made of woolen; sometimes of cotton or silk; — called also ferreting.

FERRET
Fer"ret, n. Etym: [F. feret, dim. or fer iron, L. ferrum.] (Glass
Making)

Defn: The iron used for trying the melted glass to see if is fit to work, and for shaping the rings at the mouths of bottles.

FERRETER
Fer"ret*er, n.

Defn: One who ferrets. Johnson.

FERRET-EYE
Fer"ret-eye`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The spur-winged goose; — so called from the red circle around the eyes.

FERRETTO
Fer*ret"to, n. Etym: [It. ferretto di Spagna, dim. of ferro iron, fr.
L. ferrum.]

Defn: Copper sulphide, used to color glass. Hebert.

FERRI-
Fer"ri- (. (Chem.)

Defn: A combining form indicating ferric iron as an ingredient; as, ferricyanide.

FERRIAGE
Fer"ri*age (; 48), n. Etym: [From Ferry.]

Defn: The price or fare to be paid for passage at a ferry.

FERRIC
Fer"ric, a. Etym: [L. ferrum iron: cf. F. ferrique. See Ferrous.]

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or containing iron. Specifically (Chem.), denoting those compounds in which iron has a higher valence than in the ferrous compounds; as, ferric oxide; ferric acid. Ferric acid (Chem.), an acid, H2FeO4, which is not known in the free state, but forms definite salts, analogous to the chromates and sulphates. — Ferric oxide (Chem.), sesquioxide of iron, Fe2O3; hematite. See Hematite.

FERRICYANATE
Fer`ri*cy"a*nat, n. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferricyanic acid; a ferricyanide.

FERRICYANIC
Fer`ri*cy*an"ic, a. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, a ferricyanide. Ferricyanic acid (Chem.), a brown crystalline substance, H6(CN)12Fe2, obtained from potassium ferricyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferricyanides; — called also hydro-ferricyanic acid, hydrogen ferricyanide, etc.

FERRICYANIDE
Fer`ri*cy"a*nide (; 104), n. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanide.] (Chem.)

Defn: One of a complex series of double cyanides of ferric iron and some other base. Potassium ferricyanide (Chem.), red prussiate of potash; a dark, red, crystalline salt, K6(CN)12Fe2, consisting of the double cyanide of potassium and ferric iron. From it is derived the ferrous ferricyanate, Turnbull's blue.

FERRIER
Fer"ri*er, n.

Defn: A ferryman. Calthrop.

FERRIFEROUS Fer*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. ferrum iron + -ferous: cf. F. ferrifère.]

Defn: Producing or yielding iron.

FERRIPRUSSIATE Fer`ri*prus"si*ate ( or ; see Prussiate, 277), n. Etym: [Ferri- + prussiate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A ferricyanate; a ferricyanide. [R.]

FERRIPRUSSIC Fer`ri*prus"sic ( or ; see Prussik, 277), a. Etym: [Ferri- + prussic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Ferricyanic. [R.]

FERRIS WHEEL
Fer"ris wheel.

Defn: An amusement device consisting of a giant power-driven steel wheel, revolvable on its stationary axle, and carrying a number of balanced passenger cars around its rim; — so called after G. W. G. Ferris, American engineer, who erected the first of its kind for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

FERRO-
Fer"ro- (. (Chem.)

Defn: A prefix, or combining form, indicating ferrous iron as an ingredient; as, ferrocyanide.

FERROCALCITE
Fer`ro*cal"cite, n. Etym: [Ferro- + calcite.]

Defn: Limestone containing a large percentage of iron carbonate, and hence turning brown on exposure.

FERRO-CONCRETE
Fer"ro-con"crete, n. (Arch. & Engin.)

Defn: Concrete strengthened by a core or foundation skeleton of iron or steel bars, strips, etc. Floors, columns, piles, water pipes, etc., have been successfully made of it. Called also armored concrete steel, and reënforced concrete.

FERROCYANATE
Fer`ro*cy"a*nate, n. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanate: cf. F. ferrocyanate.]
(Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferrocyanic acid; a ferrocyanide.

FERROCYANIC
Fer`ro*cy*an"ic, a. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanic: cf. F. ferrocyanique.]
(Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, a ferrocyanide. ferrocyanic acid (Chem.), a white crystalline substance, H4(CN)6Fe, of strong acid properties, obtained from potassium ferrocyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferrocyanides; — called also hydro- ferrocyanic acid, hydrogen ferrocyanide. etc.

FERROCYANIDE
Fer`ro*cy"a*nide ( or ; 104), n. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanide.] (Chem.)

Defn: One of a series of complex double cyanides of ferrous iron and some other base. Potassium ferrocyanide (Chem.), yellow prussiate of potash; a tough, yellow, crystalline salt, K4(CN)6Fe, the starting point in the manufacture of almost all cyanogen compounds, and the basis of the ferric ferrocyanate, prussian blue. It is obtained by strongly heating together potash, scrap iron, and animal matter containing nitrogen, as horn, leather, blood, etc., in iron pots.

FERROPRUSSIATE Fer`ro*prus"si*ate ( or or; see Prussiate, 277), n. ) Etym: [Ferro- + prussiate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A ferrocyanate; a ferocyanide. [R.]

FERROPRUSSIC Fer`ro*prus"sic ( or ; see Prussic, 277), a. Etym: [Ferro- + prussic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Ferrocyanic.

FERROSO-
Fer*ro"so- (. (Chem.)

Defn: See Ferro-.

FERROTYPE
Fer"ro*type, n. Etym: [L. ferrum iron + -type.]

Defn: A photographic picture taken on an iron plate by a collodion process; — familiarly called tintype.

FERROUS
Fer"rous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. ferreux. See Ferreous.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, iron; — especially used of compounds of iron in which the iron has its lower valence; as, ferrous sulphate.

FERRUGINATED
Fer*ru"gi*na`ted, a. Etym: [See Ferrugo.]

Defn: Having the color or properties of the rust of iron.

FERRUGINEOUS
Fer`ru*gin"e*ous, a.

Defn: Ferruginous. [R.]

FERRUGINOUS Fer*ru"gi*nous, a. Etym: [L. ferruginus, ferrugineus, fr. ferrugo, - ginis, iron rust: cf. F. ferrugineux. See Ferrugo.]

1. Partaking of iron; containing particles of iron. Boyle.

2. Resembling iron rust in appearance or color; brownish red, or yellowish red.

FERRUGO
Fer*ru"go, n. Etym: [L., iron rust, fr. ferrum iron.]

Defn: A disease of plants caused by fungi, commonly called the rust, from its resemblance to iron rust in color.

FERRULE Fer"rule ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [Formerly verrel, F. virole, fr. L. viriola little bracelet, dim. of viriae, pl., bracelets; prob. akin to viere to twist, weave, and E. withe. The spelling with f is due to confusion with L. ferrum iron.]

1. A ring or cap of metal put round a cane, tool, handle, or other similar object, to strengthen it, or prevent splitting and wearing.

2. (Steam Boilers)

Defn: A bushing for expanding the end of a flue to fasten it tightly in the tube plate, or for partly filling up its mouth.

FERRUMINATE Fer*ru"mi*nate, v. t. Etym: [L. ferruminatus, p.p. of ferruminare to cement, solder, fr. ferrumen cement, fr. ferrum iron.]

Defn: To solder or unite, as metals. [R.] Coleridge.

FERRUMINATION
Fer*ru`mi*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. ferruminatio: cf. F. ferrumination.]

Defn: The soldering ir uniting of me [R.] Coleridge.

FERRY
Fer"ry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferried; p. pr. & vb. n. Ferrying.] Etym:
[OE. ferien to convey, AS. ferian, from faran to go; akin to Icel.
ferja to ferry, Goth. farjan to sail. See Fare.]

Defn: To carry or transport over a river, strait, or other narrow water, in a boat.

FERRY
Fer"ry, v. i.

Defn: To pass over water in a boat or by a ferry.
They ferry over this Lethean sound Both to and fro. Milton.

FERRY Fer"ry, n.; pl. Ferries. Etym: [OE. feri; akin to Icel. ferja, Sw. färja, Dan. færge, G. fähre. See Ferry, v. t.]

1. A place where persons or things are carried across a river, arm of the sea, etc., in a ferryboat. It can pass the ferry backward into light. Milton. To row me o'er the ferry. Campbell.

2. A vessel in which passengers and goods are conveyed over narrow waters; a ferryboat; a wherry.

3. A franchise or right to maintain a vessel for carrying passengers and freight across a river, bay, etc., charging tolls. Ferry bridge, a ferryboat adapted in its structure for the transfer of railroad trains across a river or bay. — Ferry railway. See under Railway.

FERRYBOAT
Fer"ry*boat`, n.

Defn: A vessel for conveying passengers, merchandise, etc., across streams and other narrow waters.

FERRYMAN
Fer"ry*man, n.; pl. Ferrymen (.

Defn: One who maintains or attends a ferry.

FERS
Fers, a.

Defn: Fierce. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERTHE
Ferthe, a.

Defn: Fourth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERTILE Fer"tile ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [L. fertilis, fr. ferr to bear, produce: cf. F. fertile. See Bear to support.]

1. Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination. Though he in a fertile climate dwell. Shak.

2. (Bot.) (a) Capable of producing fruit; fruit-bearing; as, fertile flowers. (b) Containing pollen; — said of anthers.

3. produced in abundance; plenteous; ample. Henceforth, my early care . . . Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease Of thy full branches. Milton.

Syn. — Fertile, Fruitful. Fertile implies the inherent power of production; fruitful, the act. The prairies of the West are fertile by nature, and are turned by cultivation into fruitful fields. The same distinction prevails when these words are used figuratively. A man of fertile genius has by nature great readiness of invention; one whose mind is fruitful has resources of thought and a readiness of application which enable him to think and act effectively.

FERTILELY
Fer"tile*ly ( or ; 277), adv.

Defn: In a fertile or fruitful manner.

FERTILENESS fer"tile*ness, n.

Defn: Fertility. Sir P. Sidney.

FERTILITATE
Fer*til"i*tate, v. t.

Defn: To fertilize; to fecundate. Sir T. Browne.

FERTILITY
Fer*til"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. fertilitas: cf. F. fertilité.]

Defn: The state or quality of being fertile or fruitful; fruitfulness; productiveness; fecundity; richness; abundance of resources; fertile invention; quickness; readiness; as, the fertility of soil, or of imagination. "fertility of resource." E. Everett. And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps Corrupting in its own fertility. Shak. Thy very weeds are beautiful; thy waste More rich than other climes' fertility. Byron.

FERTILIZATION
Fer`ti*li*za"tion, n.

1. The act or process of rendering fertile.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: The act of fecundating or impregnating animal or vegetable germs; esp., the process by which in flowers the pollen renders the ovule fertile, or an analogous process in flowerless plants; fecundation; impregnation. Close fertilization (Bot.), the fertilization of pistils by pollen derived from the stamens of the same blossom. — Cross fertilization, fertilization by pollen from some other blossom. See under Cross, a.

FERTILIZE
Fer"ti*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fertilized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fertilizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. fertiliser.]

1. To make fertile or enrich; to supply with nourishment for plants; to make fruitful or productive; as, to fertilize land, soil, ground, and meadows. And fertilize the field that each pretends to gain. Byron.

2. To fecundate; as, to fertilize flower. A. R. Wallace.

FERTILIZER
Fer"ti*lizer, n.

1. One who fertilizes; the agent that carries the fertilizing principle, as a moth to an orchid. A. R. Wallace.

2. That which renders fertile; a general name for commercial manures, as guano, phosphate of lime, etc.

FERULA Fer"u*la, n. Etym: [L. ferula giant fennel (its stalks were used in punishing schoolboys), rod, whip, fr. ferire to strike; akin to OHG. berjan, Icel. berja. Cf. Ferule.]

1. A ferule. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

2. The imperial scepter in the Byzantine or Eastern Empire.

FERULACEOUS Fer`u*la"ceous, a. Etym: [L. ferulaceus, fr. ferula rod: cf. F. férulacé.]

Defn: Pertaining to reeds and canes; having a stalk like a reed; as, ferulaceous plants.

FERULAR
Fer"u*lar, n.

Defn: A ferule. [Obs.] Milton.

FERULE
Fer"ule ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [L. ferula: cf. F. férule. See Ferula.]

Defn: A flat piece of wood, used for striking, children, esp. on the hand, in punishment.

FERULE
Fer"ule, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feruled; p. pr. & vb. n. Feruling.]

Defn: To punish with a ferule.

FERULIC
Fe*ru"lic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, asafetida (Ferula asafoetida); as, ferulic acid. [Written also ferulaic.]

FERVENCE
Fer"vence, n.

Defn: Heat; fervency. [Obs.]

FERVENCY
Fer"ven*cy, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. fervence. See Fervent.]

Defn: The state of being fervent or warm; ardor; warmth of feeling or
devotion; eagerness.
When you pray, let it be with attention, with fervency, and with
perseverance. Wake.

FERVENT Fer"vent, a. Etym: [F. fervent, L. fervens, -entis. p.pr. of fervere o the boiling hot, to boil, glow.]

1. Hot; glowing; boiling; burning; as, a fervent summer. The elements shall melt with fervent heat. 2 Pet. iii. 10.

2. Warm in feeling; ardent in temperament; earnest; full of fervor;
zealous; glowing.
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit. Rom. iii. 11.
So spake the fervent angel. Milton.
A fervent desire to promote the happiness of mankind. Macaulay.
— Fer"vent*ly, adv.
— Fer"vent*ness, n.
Laboring fervently for you in prayers. Col. iv. 12.

FERVESCENT Fer*ves"cent, a. Etym: [L. fervescens, p.pr. of fervescere to become boiling hot, incho., fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

Defn: Growing hot.

FERVID
Fer"vid, a. Etym: [L. fervidus, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

1. Very hot; burning; boiling. The mounted sun Shot down direct his fervid rays. Milton.

2. Ardent; vehement; zealous.
The fervid wishes, holy fires. Parnell.
— Fer"vid*ly, adv.
— Fer"vid*ness, n.

FERVOR Fer"vor, n. [Written also fervour.] Etym: [OF. fervor, fervour, F. ferveur, L. fervor, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

1. Heat; excessive warmth. The fevor of ensuing day. Waller.

2. Intensity of feeling or expression; glowing ardor; passion; holy zeal; earnestness. Hooker. Winged with fervor of her love. Shak.

Syn. — Fervor, Ardor. Fervor is a boiling heat, and ardor is a burning heat. Hence, in metaphor, we commonly use fervor and its derivatives when we conceive of thoughts or emotions under the image of ebullition, or as pouring themselves forth. Thus we speak of the fervor of passion, fervid declamation, fervid importunity, fervent supplication, fervent desires, etc. Ardent is used when we think of anything as springing from a deepseated glow of soul; as, ardent friendship, ardent zeal, ardent devotedness; burning with ardor for the fight.

FESCENNINE
Fes"cen*nine, a. Etym: [L. Fescenninus, fr. Fescennia, a city of
Etruria.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, the Fescennines.
— n.

Defn: A style of low, scurrilous, obscene poetry originating in fescennia.

FESCUE Fes"cue, n. Etym: [OE. festu, OF. festu, F. fétu, fr. L. festuca stalk, straw.]

1. A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read. "Pedantic fescue.' Sterne. To come under the fescue of an imprimatur. Milton.

2. An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum. [Obs.] Chapman.

3. The style of a dial. [Obs.]

4. (Bot.)

Defn: A grass of the genus Festuca. Fescue grass (Bot.), a genus of grasses (Festuca) containing several species of importance in agriculture. Festuca ovina is sheep's fescue; F. elatior is meadow fescue.

FESCUE
Fes"cue, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Fescued; p. pr. & vb. n. Fescuing.]

Defn: To use a fescue, or teach with a fescue. Milton.

FESELS
Fes"els, n. pl. Etym: [Written also fasels.]

Defn: See Phasel. [Obs.] May (Georgics).

FESS; FESSE Fess, Fesse, n. Etym: [OF. fesse, faisse, F. fasce, fr. L. fascia band. See Fascia.] (Her.)

Defn: A band drawn horizontally across the center of an escutcheon, and containing in breadth the third part of it; one of the nine honorable ordinaries. Fess point (Her.), the exact center of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

FESSITUDE
Fes"si*tude, n. Etym: [L. fessus wearied, fatigued.]

Defn: Weariness. [Obs.] Bailey.

FESSWISE
Fess"wise, adv.

Defn: In the manner of fess.

FEST
Fest, n. Etym: [See Fist.]

Defn: The fist. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEST; FESTE
Fest, Fes"te, n.

Defn: A feast. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FESTAL
Fes"tal, a. Etym: [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive.
You bless with choicer wine the festal day. Francis.

FESTALLY
Fes"tal*ly, adv.

Defn: Joyously; festively; mirthfully.

FESTENNINE
Fes"ten*nine, n.

Defn: A fescennine.

FESTER
Fes"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Festered; p. pr. & vb. n. Festering.]
Etym: [OE. festern, fr. fester, n.; or fr. OF. festrir, fr. festre,
n. See Fester, n.]

1. To generate pus; to become imflamed and suppurate; as, a sore or a wound festers. Wounds immedicable Rankle, and fester, and gangrene. Milton. Unkindness may give a wound that shall bleed and smart, but it is treachery that makes it fester. South. Hatred . . . festered in the hearts of the children of the soil. Macaulay.

2. To be inflamed; to grow virulent, or malignant; to grow in intensity; to rankle.

FESTER
Fes`ter, v. t.

Defn: To cause to fester or rankle. For which I burnt in inward, swelt'ring hate, And fstered ranking malice in my breast. Marston.

FESTER
Fes"ter, n. Etym: [OF. festre, L. fistula a sort of ulcer. Cf.
Fistula.]

1. A small sore which becomes inflamed and discharge corrupt matter; a pustule.

2. A festering or rankling. The fester of the chain their necks. I. Taylor.

FESTERMENT
Fes"ter*ment, n.

Defn: A festering. [R.] Chalmers.

FESTEYE
Fest"eye, v. t. Etym: [OF. festier, festeer, F. festoyer.]

Defn: To feast; to entertain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FESTINATE
Fes"ti*nate, a. Etym: [L. festinatus, p.p. of festinare to hasten.]

Defn: Hasty; hurried. [Obs.] — Fes"ti*nate*ly, adv. [Obs.] Shak.

FESTINATION
Fes`ti*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. festinatio.]

Defn: Haste; hurry. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FESTIVAL Fes"ti*val, a. Etym: [OF. festival, fr. L. festivum festive jollity, fr. festivus festive, gay. See Festive.]

Defn: Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful. I cannot woo in festival terms. Shak.

FESTI-VAL
Fes"ti-val, n.

Defn: A time of feasting or celebration; an anniversary day of joy,
civil or religious.
The morning trumpets festival proclaimed. Milton.

Syn.
— Feast; banquet; carousal. See Feast.

FESTIVE Fes"tive, a. Etym: [L. festivus, fr. festum holiday, feast. See feast, and cf. Festivous.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or becoming, a feast; festal; joyous; gay;
mirthful; sportive.
— Fes"tive*ly, adv.
The glad circle round them yield their souls To festive mirth and wit
that knows no gall. Thomson.

FESTIVITY Fes*tiv"i*ty, n.; pl. Festivities. Etym: [L. festivitas: cf. F. festivité.]

1. The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety. The unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth. Bp. Hurd.

2. A festival; a festive celebration. Sir T. Browne.

FESTIVOUS
Fes"ti*vous, a. Etym: [See Festive.]

Defn: Pertaining to a feast; festive. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

FESTLICH
Fest"lich, a. Etym: [See Feast, n.]

Defn: Festive; fond of festive occasions. [Obs.] "A festlich man."
Chaucer.

FESTOON Fes*toon", n. Etym: [F. feston (cf. Sp. feston, It. festone), prob. fr. L. festum festival. See Feast.]

1. A garland or wreath hanging in a depending curve, used in decoration for festivals, etc.; anything arranged in this way.

2. (Arch. & Sculp.)

Defn: A carved ornament consisting of flowers, and leaves, intermixed or twisted together, wound with a ribbon, and hanging or depending in a natural curve. See Illust. of Bucranium.

FESTOON
Fes*toon", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Festooned; p. pr. & vb. n.
Festooning.]

Defn: To form in festoons, or to adorn with festoons.

FESTOONY
Fes*toon"y, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, festoons. Sir J.
Herschel.

FESTUCINE
Fes*tu*cine ( or ), a. Etym: [L. festula stalk, straw. Cf. Fescue.]

Defn: Of a straw color; greenish yellow. [Obs.]
A little insect of a festucine or pale green. Sir T. Browne.

FESTUCOUS
Fes"tu*cous, a.

Defn: Formed or consisting of straw. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FESTUE
Fes"tue, n. Etym: [See Fescue.]

Defn: A straw; a fescue. [Obs.] Holland.

FET
Fet, n. Etym: [Cf. feat, F. fait, and It. fett slice, G. fetzen rag,
Icel. fat garment.]

Defn: A piece. [Obs.] Dryton.

FET
Fet, v. t. Etym: [OE. fetten, feten, AS. fetian; akin to AS. fæt a
journey, and to E. foot; cf. G. fassen to seize. sq. root 77. See
Foot, and cf. Fetch.]

Defn: To fetch. [Obs.]
And from the other fifty soon the prisoner fet. Spenser.

FET
Fet, p. p. of Fette.

Defn: Fetched. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETAL
Fe"tal, a. Etym: [From Fetus.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus; as, fetal circulation; fetal membranes.

FETATION
Fe*ta"tion, n.

Defn: The formation of a fetus in the womb; pregnancy.

FETCH Fetch (; 224), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fetched 2; p. pr. & vb. n.. Fetching.] Etym: [OE. fecchen, AS. feccan, perh. the same word as fetian; or cf. facian to wish to get, OFries. faka to prepare. sq. root 77. Cf. Fet, v. t.]

1. To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get. Time will run back and fetch the age of gold. Milton. He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bred in thine hand. 1 Kings xvii. 11, 12.

2. To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for. Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices. Macaulay.

3. To recall from a swoon; to revive; — sometimes with to; as, to fetch a man to. Fetching men again when they swoon. Bacon.

4. To reduce; to throw. The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground. South.

5. To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh. I'll fetch a turn about the garden. Shak. He fetches his blow quick and sure. South.

6. To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing. Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetched The siren's isle. Chapman.

7. To cause to come; to bring to a particular state. They could n't fetch the butter in the churn. W. Barnes. To fetch a compass (Naut.), to make a sircuit; to take a circuitious route going to a place. — To fetch a pump, to make it draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle. — To fetch headway or sternway (Naut.), to move ahead or astern. — To fetch out, to develop. "The skill of the polisher fetches out the colors [of marble]" Addison. — To fetch up. (a) To overtake. [Obs.] "Says [the hare], I can fetch up the tortoise when I please." L'Estrange. (b) To stop suddenly.

FETCH fetch, v. i.

Defn: To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward. Totten. To fetch away (Naut.), to break loose; to roll slide to leeward. — To fetch and carry, to serve obsequiously, like a trained spaniel.

FETCH
Fetch, n.

1. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice. Every little fetch of wit and criticism. South.

2. The apparation of a living person; a wraith. The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp. Dickens. Fetch candle, a light seen at night, superstitiously believed to portend a person's death.

FETCHER
Fetch"er, n.

Defn: One wo fetches or brings.

FETE
Fete, n. Etym: [See feat.]

Defn: A feat. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETE
Fete, n. pl. Etym: [See Foot.]

Defn: Feet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETE
Fête, n. Etym: [F. See Feast.]

Defn: A festival. Fête champêtre ( Etym: [F.], a festival or entertainment in the open air; a rural festival.

FETE
Fête, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fêted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fêting.] Etym: [Cf.
F. fêter.]

Defn: To feast; to honor with a festival.

FETICH; FETISH
Fe"tich, Fe"tish, n.Etym: [F. fétiche, from Pg. feiti, adj., n.,
sorcery, charm, fr. L. facticius made by art, artifical, factitious.
See Factitious.]

1. A material object supposed among certain African tribes to represent in such a way, or to be so connected with, a supernatural being, that the possession of it gives to the possessor power to control that being.

2. Any object to which one is excessively devoted.

FETICHISM; FETISHISM fe"tich*ism, Fe"tish*ism ( or ); 277), n.Etym: [Cf. F. fétichisme.] [Written also feticism.]

1. The doctrine or practice of belief in fetiches.

2. Excessive devotion to one object or one idea; abject superstition; blind adoration. The real and absolute worship of fire falls into two great divisions, the first belonging rather to fetichism, the second to polytheism proper. Tylor.

FETICHIST; FETISHIST
Fe"tich*ist, Fe"tish*ist, n.

Defn: A believer in fetiches.
He was by nature a fetichist. H. Holbeach.

FETICHISTIC; FETISHISTIC
Fe`tich*is"tic, Fe`tish*is"tic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or involving, fetichism. A man of the fifteenth century, inheriting its strange web of belief and unbelief, of epicurean levity and fetichistic dread. G. Eliot.

FETICIDE Fe"ti*cide ( or ), n. [Written also foeticide.] Etym: [Fetus + L. caedere to kill.] (Med. & Law)

Defn: The act of killing the fetus in the womb; the offense of procuring an abortion.

FETICISM
Fe"ti*cism, n.

Defn: See Fetichism.

FETID Fet"id ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [L. fetidus, foetidus, fr. fetere, foetere, to have an ill smell, to stink: cf. F. fétide.]

Defn: Having an offensive smell; stinking.
Most putrefactions . . . smell either fetid or moldy. Bacon.

FETIDITY
Fet*id"i*ty ( or ), n.

Defn: Fetidness.

FETIDNESS
Fet"id*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being fetid.

FETIFEROUS
Fe*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Fetus + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing young, as animals.

FETIS
Fe"tis, a. Etym: [OF. fetis, faitis. Cf. Factitious.]

Defn: Neat; pretty; well made; graceful. [Obs.]
Full fetis was her cloak, as I was ware. Chaucer.

FETISELY
Fe"tise*ly, adv.

Defn: Neatly; gracefully; properly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETISH; FETISHISM; FETISHIST; FETISHISTIC
Fe"tish, n., Fe"tish*ism, n., Fe"tishist, n., Fe`tish*is"tic (, a.

Defn: See Fetich, n., Fetichism, n., Fetichistic, a.

FETLOCK
Fet"lock, n. Etym: [OE. fetlak, fitlock, cf. Icel. fet pace, step,
fit webbed foot of water birds, akin to E. foot. sq. root 77. See
Foot.]

Defn: The cushionlike projection, bearing a tuft of long hair, on the back side of the leg above the hoof of the horse and similar animals. Also, the joint of the limb at this point (between the great pastern bone and the metacarpus), or the tuft of hair. Their wounded steeds Fret fetlock deep in gore. Shak.

FETOR
Fe"tor, n. Etym: [L. fetor, foetor. See Fetid.]

Defn: A strong, offensive smell; stench; fetidness. Arbuthnot.

FETTE
Fet"te ( or ), v.t. [imp. Fette, p.p. Fet.] Etym: [See Fet, v. t.]

Defn: To fetch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETTER
Fet"ter, n. Etym: [AS. fetor, feter; akin to OS. feter, pl., OD.
veter, OHG. fezzera, Icel. fjöturr, L. pedi, Gr. foot. sq. root 77.
See Foot.] [Chiefly used in the plural, fetters.]

1. A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle. [They] bound him with fetters of brass. Judg. xvi. 21.

2. Anything that confines or restrains; a restraint. Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound. Dryden.

FETTER
Fet"ter, v. t. Etym: [imp. & p.p. Fettered (n. Fettering.]

Defn: 1. To put fetters upon; to shakle or confine the feet of with a
chain; to bind.
My heels are fettered, but my fist is free. Milton.

2. To reastrain from motion; to impose restrains on; to confine; to enchain; as, fettered by obligations. My conscience! thou art fettered More than my shanks and wrists. Shak.

FETTERED
Fet"tered, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Seeming as if fettered, as the feet pf certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.

FETTERER
Fet"ter*er, n.

Defn: One who fetters. Landor.

FETTERLESS
Fet"ter*less, a.

Defn: Free from fetters. Marston.

FETTLE Fet"tle, v. t. Etym: [OE. & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle, n., order, repair, preparation, dress; prob. akin to E. fit. See Fit, a.]

Defn: 1. To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [Prov. Eng.]
Carlyle.

2. (Metal.)

Defn: To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.

FETTLE
Fet"tle, v. i.

Defn: To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. [Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

FETTLE
Fet"tle, n.

Defn: The act of fettling. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. In fine fettle, in good spirits.

FETTLING
Fet"tling, n.

1. (Metal.)

Defn: A mixture of ore, cinders, etc., used to line the hearth of a puddling furnace. [Eng.] [It is commonly called fix in the United States.]

2. (Pottery)

Defn: The operation of shaving or smoothing the surface of undried clay ware.

FETUOUS
Fet"u*ous, a.

Defn: Neat; feat. [Obs.] Herrick.

FETUS Fe"tus, n.; pl. Fetuses. Etym: [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing forth, brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled with young; akin to E. fawn a deer, fecundity, felicity, feminine, female, and prob. to do, or according to others, to be.]

Defn: The young or embryo of an animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also foetus.]

FETWAH
Fet"wah, n. Etym: [Ar.]

Defn: A written decision of a Turkish mufti on some point of law.
Whitworth.

FEU
Feu, n. Etym: [See 2d Feud, and Fee.] (Scots Law)

Defn: A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money. Burrill.

FEUAR
Feu"ar, n. Etym: [From Feu.] (Scots Law)

Defn: One who holds a feu. Sir W. Scott.

FEUD Feud, n. Etym: [OE. feide, AS. f, fr. fah hostile; akin to OHG. f, G. fehde, Sw. fejd, D. feide; prob. akin to E. fiend. See Foe.]

1. A combination of kindred to avenge injuries or affronts, done or offered to any of their blood, on the offender and all his race.

2. A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed. Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds. Purchas.

Syn.
— Affray; fray; broil; contest; dispute; strife.

FEUD
Feud, n. Etym: [LL. feudum, feodum prob. of same origin as E. fief.
See Fief, Fee.] (Law)

Defn: A stipendiary estate in land, held of superior, by service; the right which a vassal or tenant had to the lands or other immovable thing of his lord, to use the same and take the profists thereof hereditarily, rendering to his superior such duties and services as belong to military tenure, etc., the property of the soil always remaining in the lord or superior; a fief; a fee.

FEUDAL
Feu"dal, a. Etym: [F. féodal, or LL. feudalis.]

1. Of or pertaining to feuds, fiefs, or feels; as, feudal rights or services; feudal tenures.

2. Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military services; as, the feudal system.

FEUDALISM
Feu"dal*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. féodalisme.]

Defn: The feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the kind or feudal superior; feudal principles and usages.

FEUDALIST
Feu"dal*ist, n.

Defn: An upholder of feudalism.

FEUDALITY
Feu*dal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. féodalité.]

Defn: The state or quality of being feudal; feudal form or constitution. Burke.

FEUDALIZATION
Feu*dal*i*za/tion, n.

Defn: The act of reducing to feudal tenure.

FEUDALIZE
Feu"dal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feudalized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Feudalizing.]

Defn: To reduce toa feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.

FEUDALLY
Feu"dal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feudal manner.

FEUDARY
Feu"da*ry, a. Etym: [LL. feudarius, fr. feudum. See 2d Feud.]

Defn: Held by, or pertaining to, feudal tenure.

FEUDARY
Feu"da*ry, n.

1. A tenant who holds his lands by feudal service; a feudatory. Foxe.

2. A feodary. See Feodary.

FEUDATARY
Feu"da*ta*ry, a. & n. Etym: [LL. feudatarius: cf. F. feudataire.]

Defn: See Feudatory.

FEUDATORY
Feu"da*to*ry, n.; pl. Feudatories (.

Defn: A tenant or vassal who held his lands of a superior on
condition of feudal service; the tenant of a feud or fief.
The grantee . . . was styled the feudatory or vassal. Blackstone.
[He] had for feudatories great princes. J. H. Newman.

FEUDATORY
Feu"da*to*ry, a.

Defn: Held from another on some conditional tenure; as, a feudatory title. Bacon.

FEU DE JOIE
Feu` de joie". Etym: [F., lit., fire of joy.]

Defn: A fire kindled in a public place in token of joy; a bonfire; a firing of guns in token of joy.

FEUDIST
Feud"ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. feudiste.]

Defn: A writer on feuds; a person versed in feudal law. Spelman.

FEUILLANTS
Feu`illants", n. pl.

Defn: A reformed branch of the Bernardines, founded in 1577 at
Feuillans, near Toulouse, in France.

FEUILLEMORT
Feuille"mort`, a. Etym: [F. feuille morte a dead leaf.]

Defn: Having the color of a faded leaf. Locke.

FEUILLETON
Feu`ille*ton" ( or ), n. Etym: [F., from feulle leaf.]

Defn: A part of a French newspaper (usually the bottom of the page), devoted to light literature, criticism, etc.; also, the article or tale itself, thus printed.

FEUILLTONIST
Feuill"ton*ist, n. Etym: [F. feuilletoniste.]

Defn: A writer of feuilletons. F. Harrison.

FEUTER feu"ter (, v. t. Etym: [OE. feutre rest for a lance, OF. feutre, fautre, feltre, felt, cushion, rest for a lance, fr. LL. filtrum, feltrum; of German origin, and akin to E. felt. See Felt, and cf. Filter.]

Defn: To set close; to fix in rest, as a spear. Spenser.

FEUTERER
Feu"ter*er, n. Etym: [Either fr. G. fütterer feeder, or corrupted fr.
OF. vautrier, vaultrier; fr. vaultre, viautre, a kind of hound, fr.
L. vertragus, vertraga, a greyhound. The last is of Celtic origin.]

Defn: A dog keeper. [Obs.] Massinger.

FEVER
Fe"ver, n. Etym: [OE. fever, fefer, AS. fefer, fefor, L. febris: cf.
F. fièvre. Cf. Febrile.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: A diseased state of the system, marked by increased heat, acceleration of the pulse, and a general derangement of the functions, including usually, thirst and loss of appetite. Many diseases, of which fever is the most prominent symptom, are denominated fevers; as, typhoid fever; yellow fever.

Note: Remitting fevers subside or abate at intervals; intermitting fevers intermit or entirely cease at intervals; continued or continual fevers neither remit nor intermit.

2. Excessive excitement of the passions in consequence of strong emotion; a condition of great excitement; as, this quarrel has set my blood in a fever. An envious fever Of pale and bloodless emulation. Shak. After life's fitful fever he sleeps well. Shak. Brain fever, Continued fever, etc. See under Brain, Continued, etc. — Fever and ague, a form of fever recurring in paroxysms which are preceded by chills. It is of malarial origin. — Fever blister (Med.), a blister or vesicle often found about the mouth in febrile states; a variety of herpes. — Fever bush (Bot.), the wild allspice or spice bush. See Spicewood. — Fever powder. Same as Jame's powder. — Fever root (Bot.), an American herb of the genus Triosteum (T. perfoliatum); — called also feverwort amd horse gentian. — Fever sore, a carious ulcer or necrosis. Miner.

FEVER
Fe"ver, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fevered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fevering.]

Defn: To put into a fever; to affect with fever; as, a fevered lip.
[R.]
The white hand of a lady fever thee. Shak.

FEVERET
Fe"ver*et, n.

Defn: A slight fever. [Obs.] Ayliffe.

FEVERFEW
Fe"ver*few, n. Etym: [AS. feferfuge, fr. L. febrifugia. See fever,
Fugitive, and cf. Febrifuge.] (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial plant (Pyrethrum, or Chrysanthemum, Parthenium) allied to camomile, having finely divided leaves and white blossoms; — so named from its supposed febrifugal qualities.

FEVERISH
Fe"ver*ish, a.

1. Having a fever; suffering from, or affected with, a moderate degree of fever; showing increased heat and thirst; as, the patient is feverish.

2. Indicating, or pertaining to, fever; characteristic of a fever; as, feverish symptoms.

3. Hot; sultry. "The feverish north." Dryden.

4. Disordered as by fever; excited; restless; as, the feverish condition of the commercial world. Strive to keep up a frail and feverish bing. Milton. — Fe"ver*ish*ly, adv. — Fe"ver*ish*ness, n.

FEVEROUS
Fe"ver*ous, a. Etym: [Cf.F. fiévreux.]

1. Affected with fever or ague; feverish. His heart, love's feverous citadel. Keats.

2. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, fever; as, a feverous pulse. All maladies . . . all feverous kinds. Milton.

3. Having the tendency to produce fever; as, a feverous disposition of the year. [R.] Bacon.

FEVEROUSLY
Fe"ver*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: Feverishly. [Obs.] Donne.

FEVERWORT
Fe"ver*wort`, n.

Defn: See Fever root, under Fever.

FEVERY
Fe"ver*y, a.

Defn: Feverish. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

FEW
Few, a. [Compar. Fewer; superl. Fewest.] Etym: [OE. fewe, feawe, AS.
feá, pl. feáwe; akin to OS. fah, OHG. f*, Icel. far, Sw. få, pl.,
Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. Paucity.]

Defn: Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; — indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituing a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. "Are not my days few" Job x. 20. Few know and fewer care. Proverb.

Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them. A few, a small number. — In few, in a few words; briefly. Shak. - No few, not few; more than a few; many. Cowper. - The few, the minority; — opposed to the many or the majority.

FEWEL
Fe"wel, n. Etym: [See Fuel.]

Defn: Fuel. [Obs.] Hooker.

FEWMET
Few"met, n.

Defn: See Fumet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

FEWNESS
Few"ness, n.

1. The state of being few; smallness of number; paucity. Shak.

2. Brevity; conciseness. [Obs.] Shak.

FEY
Fey, a. Etym: [AS. f, Icel. feigr, OHG. feigi.]

Defn: Fated; doomed. [Old Eng. & Scot.]

FEY
Fey, n. Etym: [See Fay faith.]

Defn: Faith. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEY
Fey, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Feague.]

Defn: To cleanse; to clean out. [Obs.] Tusser.

FEYNE
Feyne, v. t.

Defn: To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEYRE
Feyre, n.

Defn: A fair or market. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEZ
Fez, n. Etym: [F., fr. the town of Fez in Morocco.]

Defn: A felt or cloth cap, usually red and having a tassel, — a variety of the tarboosh. See Tarboosh. B. Taylor.

FIACRE
Fia"cre, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A kind of French hackney coach.

FIANCE
Fi"ance, v. t. Etym: [F. fiancer. See Affiance.]

Defn: To betroth; to affiance. [Obs.] Harmar.

FIANCE
Fi`an`cé", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A betrothed man.

FIANCEE
Fi`an`cée", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A betrothed woman.

FIANTS
Fi"ants, n. Etym: [F. fiente dung.]

Defn: The dung of the fox, wolf, boar, or badger.

FIAR
Fi"ar ( or ), n. Etym: [See Feuar.]

1. (Scots Law)

Defn: One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a life renter. I am fiar of the lands; she a life renter. Sir W. Scott.

2. pl.

Defn: The price of grain, as legally fixed, in the counties of
Scotland, for the current year.

FIASCO
Fi*as"co, n.; pl. Fiascoes. Etym: [It.]

Defn: A complete or ridiculous failure, esp. of a musical performance, or of any pretentious undertaking.

FIAT Fi"at, n. Etym: [L., let it be done, 3d pers. sing., subj. pres., fr. fieri, used as pass. of facere to make. Cf. Be.]

1. An authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. His fiat laid the corner stone. Willis.

2. (Eng. Law) (a) A warrant of a judge for certain processes. (b) An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature. Fiat money, irredeemable paper currency, not resting on a specie basis, but deriving its purchasing power from the declaratory fiat of the government issuing it.

FIAUNT
Fi*aunt", n.

Defn: Commission; fiat; order; decree. [Obs.] Spenser.

FIB
Fib, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. fable; cf. Prov. E. fibble-fabble nonsense.]

Defn: A falsehood; a lie; — used euphemistically.
They are very serious; they don't tell fibs. H. James.

FIB
Fib, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fibbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Fibbing.]

Defn: To speak falsely. [Colloq.]

FIB
Fib, v. t.

Defn: To tell a fib to. [R.] De Quincey.

FIBBER
Fib"ber, n.

Defn: One who tells fibs.

FIBER; FIBRE
Fi"ber, Fi"bre, (, n. Etym: [F. fibre, L. fibra.]

1. One of the delicate, threadlike portions of which the tissues of plants and animals are in part constituted; as, the fiber of flax or of muscle.

2. Any fine, slender thread, or threadlike substance; as, a fiber of spun glass; especially, one of the slender rootlets of a plant.

3. Sinew; strength; toughness; as, a man of real fiber. Yet had no fibers in him, nor no force. Chapman.

4. A general name for the raw material, such as cotton, flax, hemp, etc., used in textile manufactures. Fiber gun, a kind of steam gun for converting, wood, straw, etc., into fiber. The material is shut up in the gun with steam, air, or gas at a very high pressure which is afterward relieved suddenly by letting a lid at the muzzle fly open, when the rapid expansion separates the fibers. — Fiber plants (Bot.), plants capable of yielding fiber useful in the arts, as hemp, flax, ramie, agave, etc.

FIBERED; FIBRED
Fi"bered, Fi"bred, a.

Defn: Having fibers; made up of fibers.

FIBER-FACED; FIBRE-FACED
Fi"ber-faced`, Fi"bre-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a visible fiber embodied in the surface of; — applied esp. to a kind of paper for checks, drafts, etc.

FIBERLESS; FIBRELESS
Fi"ber*less, Fi"bre*less, a.

Defn: Having no fibers; destitute of fibers or fiber.

FIBRIFORM
Fi"bri*form ( or ), a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -form.] (Biol.)

Defn: Having the form of a fiber or fibers; resembling a fiber.

FIBRIL
Fi"bril, n. Etym: [F. fibrille, dim. of fibre, L. fibra.]

Defn: A small fiber; the branch of a fiber; a very slender thread; a fibrilla. Cheyne.

FIBRILLA
Fi*bril"la, n.; pl. FibrillÆ. Etym: [NL. See Fibril.]

Defn: A minute thread of fiber, as one of the fibrous elements of a muscular fiber; a fibril.

FIBRILLAR
Fi"bril*lar, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to fibrils or fibers; as, fibrillar twitchings.

FIBRILLARY
Fi"bril*la*ry ( or ), a.

Defn: Of of pertaining to fibrils.

FIBRILLATED
Fi"bril*la`ted ( or ), a.

Defn: Furnished with fibrils; fringed.

FIBRILLATION
Fi`bril*la"tion, n.

Defn: The state of being reduced to fibers. Carpenter.

FIBRILLOSE
Fi*bril"lose ( or ), a.

Defn: Covered with hairlike appendages, as the under surface of some lichens; also, composed of little strings or fibers; as, fibrillose appendages.

FIBRILLOUS
Fi*bril"lous ( or ), a. Etym: [Cf. F. fibraleux.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or composed of, fibers.

FIBRIN
Fi"brin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fibrine. See Fiber.] (Physiol. Chem.)

1. A white, albuminous, fibrous substance, formed in the coagulation of the blood either by decomposition of fibrinogen, or from the union of fibrinogen and paraglobulin which exist separately in the blood. It is insoluble in water, but is readily digestible in gastric and pancreatic juice.

2. The white, albuminous mass remaining after washing lean beef or other meat with water until all coloring matter is removed; the fibrous portion of the muscle tissue; flesh fibrin.

3. An albuminous body, resembling animal fibrin in composition, found in cereal grains and similar seeds; vegetable fibrin. Fibrin factors (Physiol.), the albuminous bodies, paraglobulin and fibrinigen in the blood, which, by the action of the fibrin ferment, are changed into fibrin, in coagulation. — Fibrin ferment (Physiol. Chem.), a ferment which makes its appearance in the blood shortly after it is shed, and is supposed to be the active agent in causing coagulation of the blood, with formation of fibrin.

FIBRINATION
Fi`bri*na"tion, n. (Med.)

Defn: The state of acquiring or having an excess of fibrin.

FIBRINE
Fi"brine, a.

Defn: Belonging to the fibers of plants.

FIBRINOGEN
Fi*brin"o*gen, n. Etym: [Fibrin + -gen.] (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: An albuminous substance existing in the blood, and in other animal fluids, which either alone or with fibrinoplastin or paraglobulin forms fibrin, and thus causes coagulation.

FIBRINOGENOUS
Fi`bri*nog"e*nous, a. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: Possessed of properties similar to fibrinogen; capable of forming fibrin.

FIBRINOPLASTIC
Fi`bri*no*plas"tic, a. (Physiol.Chem.)

Defn: Like fibrinoplastin; capable of forming fibrin when brought in contact with fibrinogen.

FIBRINOPLASTIN
Fi`bri*no*plas"tin, n. Etym: [Fibrin + Gr. (Physiol.Chem.)

Defn: An albuminous substance, existing in the blood, which in combination with fibrinogen forms fibrin; — called also paraglobulin.

FIBRINOUS
Fi"bri*nous ( or ; 277), a.

Defn: Having, or partaking of the properties of, fibrin; as, fibrious exudation.

FIBROCARTILAGE
Fi`bro*car"ti*lage, n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + E. cartilage.]
(Anat.)

Defn: A kind of cartilage with a fibrous matrix and approaching fibrous connective tissue in structure. — Fi`bro*car`ti*lag"i*nous, a.

FIBROCHONDROSTEAL
Fi`bro*chon*dros"te*al, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Partly fibrous, partly cartilaginous, and partly osseous. St.
George Mivart.

FIBROID
Fi"broid, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -oid.] (Med.)

Defn: Resembling or forming fibrous tissue; made up of fibers; as, fibroid tumors. — n.

Defn: A fibroid tumor; a fibroma. Fibroid degeneration, a form of degeneration in which organs or tissues are converted into fibroid tissue. — Fibroid phthists, a form of pulmonary consumption associated with the formation of fibrous tissue in the lungs, and the gradual atrophy of the lungs, from the pressure due to the contraction of this tissue.

FIBROIN
Fi"bro*in ( or ), n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber.] (Chem.)

Defn: A variety of gelatin; the chief ingredient of raw silk, extracted as a white amorphous mass.

FIBROLITE Fi"bro*lite ( or ), n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -lite: cf. F. fibrolithe.] (Min.)

Defn: A silicate of alumina, of fibrous or columnar structure. It is like andalusite in composition; — called also sillimanite, and bucholizite.

FIBROMA
Fi*bro"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Fiber, and -oma.] (Med.)

Defn: A tumor consisting mainly of fibrous tissue, or of same modification of such tissue.

FIBROSPONGIAE Fi`bro*spon"gi*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fibra a fiber + spongia a sponge.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of sponges having a fibrous skeleton, including the commercial sponges.

FIBROUS
Fi"brous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fibreux.]

Defn: Containing, or consisting of, fibers; as, the fibrous coat of the cocoanut; the fibrous roots of grasses. — Fi"brous*ness, n.

FIBROVASCULAR
Fi`bro*vas"cu*lar, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + E. vascular.] (Bot.)

Defn: Containing woody fiber and ducts, as the stems of all flowering plants and ferns; — opposed to cellular.

FIBSTER
Fib"ster, n.

Defn: One who tells fibs. [Jocular]

FIBULA
Fib"u*la, n.; pl. FibulÆ. Etym: [L., clasp, buckle.]

1. A brooch, clasp, or buckle. Mere fibulæ, without a robe to clasp. Wordsworth.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The outer and usually the smaller of the two bones of the leg, or hind limb, below the knee.

3. (Surg.)

Defn: A needle for sewing up wounds.

FIBU-LAR
Fib"u-lar, a.

Defn: Pertaining to the fibula.

FIBULARE
Fib`u*la"re, n.; pl. Fibularia. Etym: [NL. See Fibula.] (Anat.)

Defn: The bone or cartilage of the tarsus, which articulates with the fibula, and corresponds to the calcaneum in man and most mammals.

FICE
Fice, n.

Defn: A small dog; — written also fise, fyce, fiste, etc. [Southern
U.S.]

FICHE
Fi*ché, a. (Her.)

Defn: See FitchÉ.

FICHTELITE
Fich"tel*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A white crystallized mineral resin from the Fichtelgebirge,
Bavaria.

FICHU
Fich"u, n. Etym: [F., neckerchief.]

Defn: A light cape, usually of lace, worn by women, to cover the neck and throat, and extending to the shoulders.

FICKLE
Fic"kle, a. Etym: [OE. fikel untrustworthy, deceitful, AS. ficol, fr.
fic, gefic, fraud, deceit; cf. facen deceit, OS. f, OHG. feichan,
Icel. feikn portent. Cf. Fidget.]

Defn: Not fixed or firm; liable to change; unstable; of a changeable
mind; not firm in opinion or purpose; inconstant; capricious; as,
Fortune's fickle wheel. Shak.
They know how fickle common lovers are. Dryden.

Syn. — Wavering; irresolute; unsettled; vacillating; unstable; inconsonant; unsteady; variable; mutable; changeful; capricious; veering; shifting.

FICKLENESS
Fic"kle*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being fickle; instability; inconsonancy. Shak.

FICKLY
Fic"kly, adv.

Defn: In a fickle manner. [Obs.] Pepys.

FICO
Fi"co, n.; pl. Ficoes. Etym: [It., a fig, fr. L.ficus. See Fig.]

Defn: A fig; an insignificant trifle, no more than the snap of one's
thumb; a sign of contempt made by the fingers, expressing. A fig for
you.
Steal! foh, a fico for the phrase. Shak.

FICTILE
Fic"tile, a. Etym: [L. fictilis. See Fiction.]

Defn: Molded, or capable of being molded, into form by art; relating
to pottery or to molding in any soft material.
Fictile earth is more fragile than crude earth. Bacon.
The earliest specimens of Italian fictile art. C. Wordsworth.
Fictile ware, ware made of any material which is molded or shaped
while soft; hence, pottery of any sort.
— Fic"tile*ness, n.
— Fic*til"i*ty, n.

FICTION Fic"tion, n. Etym: [F. fiction, L. fictio, fr. fingere, fictum to form, shape, invent, feign. See Feign.]

1. The act of feigning, inventing, or imagining; as, by a mere fiction of the mind. Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. That which is feigned, invented, or imagined; especially, a feigned or invented story, whether oral or written. Hence: A story told in order to deceive; a fabrication; — opposed to fact, or reality. The fiction of those golden apples kept by a dragon. Sir W. Raleigh. When it could no longer be denied that her flight had been voluntary, numerous fictions were invented to account for it. Macaulay.

3. Fictitious literature; comprehensively, all works of imagination; specifically, novels and romances. The office of fiction as a vehicle of instruction and moral elevation has been recognized by most if not all great educators. Dict. of Education.

4. (Law)

Defn: An assumption of a possible thing as a fact, irrespective of the question of its truth. Wharton.

5. Any like assumption made for convenience, as for passing more rapidly over what is not disputed, and arriving at points really at issue.

Syn. — Fabrication; invention; fable; falsehood. — Fiction, Fabrication. Fiction is opposed to what is real; fabrication to what is true. Fiction is designed commonly to amuse, and sometimes to instruct; a fabrication is always intended to mislead and deceive. In the novels of Sir Walter Scott we have fiction of the highest order. The poems of Ossian, so called, were chiefly fabrications by Macpherson.

FICTIONAL
Fic"tion*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, fiction; fictitious; romantic."Fictional rather than historical." Latham.

FICTIONIST
Fic"tion*ist, n.

Defn: A writer of fiction. [R.] Lamb.

FICTIOUS
Fic"tious, a.

Defn: Fictitious. [R.] Prior.

FICTITIOUS
Fic*ti"tious, a. Etym: [L. fictitius. See Fiction.]

Defn: Feigned; imaginary; not real; fabulous; counterfeit; false; not
genuine; as, fictitious fame.
The human persons are as fictitious as the airy ones. Pope.
— Fic*ti"tious*ly, adv.
— Fic*ti"tious*ness, n.

FICTIVE
Fic"tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fictif.]

Defn: Feigned; counterfeit. "The fount of fictive tears." Tennyson.

FICTOR
Fic"tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: An artist who models or forms statues and reliefs in any plastic material. [R.] Elmes.

FICUS
Fi"cus, n. Etym: [L., a fig.]

Defn: A genus of trees or shrubs, one species of which (F. Carica) produces the figs of commerce; the fig tree.

Note: Ficus Indica is the banyan tree; F. religiosa, the peepul tree;
F. elastica, the India-rubber tree.

FID
Fid, n. Etym: [Prov. E. fid a small, thick lump.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A square bar of wood or iron, used to support the topmast, being passed through a hole or mortise at its heel, and resting on the trestle trees.

2. A wooden or metal bar or pin, used to support or steady anything.

3. A pin of hard wood, tapering to a point, used to open the strands of a rope in splicing.

Note: There are hand fids and standing fids (which are larger than the others, and stand upon a flat base). An iron implement for this purpose is called a marline spike.

4. (Mil.)

Defn: A block of wood used in mounting and dismounting heavy guns.

FIDALGO
Fi*dal"go, n. Etym: [Pg. See Hidalgo.]

Defn: The lowest title of nobility in Portugal, corresponding to that of Hidalgo in Spain.

FIDDLE
Fid"dle, n. Etym: [OE. fidele, fithele, AS. fi; akin to D. vedel,
OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel. fi, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. Viol.]

1. (Mus.)

Defn: A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a violin; a kit.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of dock (Rumex pulcher) with fiddle-shaped leaves; — called also fiddle dock.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A rack or frame of bars connected by strings, to keep table furniture in place on the cabin table in bad weather. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Fiddle beetle (Zoöl.), a Japanese carabid beetle (Damaster blaptoides); — so called from the form of the body. — Fiddle block (Naut.), a long tackle block having two sheaves of different diameters in the same plane, instead of side by side as in a common double block. Knight. — Fiddle bow, fiddlestick. — Fiddle fish (Zoöl.), the angel fish. — Fiddle head, an ornament on a ship's bow, curved like the volute or scroll at the head of a violin. — Fiddle pattern, a form of the handles of spoons, forks, etc., somewhat like a violin. — Scotch fiddle, the itch. (Low) — To play first, or second, fiddle, to take a leading or a subordinate part. [Colloq.]

FIDDLE
Fid"dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fiddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fiddling.]

1. To play on a fiddle. Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city. Bacon.

2. To keep the hands and fingers actively moving as a fiddler does; to move the hands and fingers restlessy or in busy idleness; to trifle. Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers. Pepys.

FIDDLE
Fid"dle, v. t.

Defn: To play (a tune) on a fiddle.

FIDDLEDEEDEE
Fid"dle*dee*dee`, interj.

Defn: An exclamatory word or phrase, equivalent to nonsense!
[Colloq.]

FIDDLE-FADDLE
Fid"dle-fad`dle, n.

Defn: A trifle; trifling talk; nonsense. [Colloq.] Spectator.

FIDDLE-FADDLE
Fid"dle-fad`dle, v. i.

Defn: To talk nonsense. [Colloq.] Ford.

FIDDLER
Fid"dler, n. Etym: [AS. fi.]

1. One who plays on a fiddle or violin.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A burrowing crab of the genus Gelasimus, of many species. The male has one claw very much enlarged, and often holds it in a position similar to that in which a musician holds a fiddle, hence the name; — called also calling crab, soldier crab, and fighting crab.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The common European sandpiper (Tringoides hypoleucus); — so called because it continually oscillates its body. Fiddler crab. (Zoöl.) See Fiddler, n., 2.

FIDDLE-SHAPED
Fid"dle-shaped`, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Inversely ovate, with a deep hollow on each side. Gray.

FIDDLESTICK
Fid"dle*stick`, n.

Defn: The bow, strung with horsehair, used in playing the fiddle; a fiddle bow.

FIDDLESTRING
Fid"dle*string`, n.

Defn: One of the catgut strings of a fiddle.

FIDDLEWOOD Fid"dle*wood`, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. F. bois-fidèle, lit., faithful wood; — so called from its durability.]

Defn: The wood of several West Indian trees, mostly of the genus
Citharexylum.

FIDEJUSSION
Fi`de*jus"sion, n. Etym: [L. fidejussio, from fidejubere to be surety
or bail; fides faith + jubere to order: cf. F. fidéjussion.] (Civil
Law)

Defn: The act or state of being bound as surety for another; suretyship.

FIDEJUSSOR
Fi`de*jus"sor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. fidéjusseur.] (Civil Law)

Defn: A surety; one bound for another, conjointly with him; a guarantor. Blackstone.

FIDELITY
Fi*del"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. fidelitas: cf. F. fidélité. See Fealty.]

Defn: Faithfulness; adherence to right; careful and exact observance of duty, or discharge of obligations. Especially: (a) Adherence to a person or party to which one is bound; loyalty. Whose courageous fidelity was proof to all danger. Macaulay. The best security for the fidelity of men is to make interest coincide with duty. A. Hamilton.

(b) Adherence to the marriage contract. (c) Adherence to truth; veracity; honesty. The principal thing required in a witness is fidelity. Hooker.

Syn.
— Faithfulness; honesty; integrity; faith; loyalty; fealty.

FIDES
Fi"des, n. Etym: [L., faith.] (Roman Muth.)

Defn: Faith personified as a goddess; the goddess of faith.

FIDGE
Fidge, n. & i.

Defn: See Fidget. [R.] Swift.

FIDGET
Fidg"et, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fidgeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fodgeting.]
Etym: [From Fidge; cf. OE. fiken to fidget, to flatter, Icel. fika to
hasten, Sw. fika to hunt after, AS. befician to deceive. Cf. Fickle.]

Defn: To move uneasily one way and the other; to move irregularly, or by fits and starts. Moore.

FIDGET
Fidg"et, n.

1. Uneasiness; restlessness. Cowper.

2. pl.

Defn: A general nervous restlessness, manifested by incessant changes of position; dysphoria. Dunglison.

FIDGETINESS
Fidg"et*i*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being fidgety.

FIDGETY
Fidg"et*y, a.

Defn: Restless; uneasy. Lowell.

FIDIA
Fid"i*a, n. Etym: [NL., prob. fr. L. fidus trusty.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of small beetles, of which one species (the grapevine
Fidia, F. longipes) is very injurious to vines in America.

FIDICINAL Fi*dic"i*nal, a. Etym: [L. fidicinus, fr. fidicen, -inis, a lute player.] (Mus.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a stringed instrument.

FIDUCIAL Fi*du"cial, a. Etym: [L. fiducia trust, confidence; akin to fides faith. See Faith.]

1. Having faith or trust; confident; undoubting; firm. "Fiducial reliance on the promises of God." Hammond.

2. Having the nature of a trust; fiduciary; as, fiducial power. Spelman. Fiducial edge (Astron. & Surv.), the straight edge of the alidade or ruler along which a straight line is to be drawn. — Fiducial line or point (Math. & Physics.), a line or point of reference, as for setting a graduated circle or scale used for measurments.

FIDUCIALLY
Fi*du"cial*ly, adv.

Defn: With confidence. South.

FIDUCIARY Fi*du"ci*a*ry ( or ), a. Etym: [L. fiduciarus, fr. fiducia: cf. F. fiduciaire. See Fiducial.]

1. Involving confidence or trust; confident; undoubting; faithful; firm; as, in a fiduciary capacity. "Fiduciary obedience." Howell.

2. Holding, held, or founded, in trust. Spelman.

FIDUCIARY
Fi*du"ci*a*ry, n.

1. One who holds a thing in trust for another; a trustee. Instrumental to the conveying God's blessing upon those whose fiduciaries they are. Jer. Taylor.

2. (Theol.)

Defn: One who depends for salvation on faith, without works; an
Antinomian. Hammond.

FIE Fie, interj. Etym: [OE. fi; cf. D. fif. G. pfui, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. fy, F. fi, L. fi, phy.]

Defn: An exclamation denoting contempt or dislike. See Fy. Fuller.

FIEF Fief, n. Etym: [F. fief; of German origin, and the same word as E. fee. See Fee, and cf. Feud, a tief.] (Law)

Defn: An estate held of a superior on condition of military service; a fee; a feud. See under Benefice, n., 2.

FIELD
Field, n. Etym: [OE. feld, fild, AS. feld; akin to D. veld, G. feld,
Sw. fält, Dan. felt, Icel. fold field of grass, AS. folde earth,
land, ground, OS. folda.]

1. Cleared land; land suitable for tillage or pasture; cultivated ground; the open country.

2. A piece of land of considerable size; esp., a piece inclosed for tillage or pasture. Fields which promise corn and wine. Byron.

3. A place where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself. In this glorious and well-foughten field. Shak. What though the field be lost Milton.

4. An open space; an extent; an expanse. Esp.: (a) Any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected. (b) The space covered by an optical instrument at one view. Without covering, save yon field of stars. Shak. Ask of yonder argent fields above. Pope.

5. (Her.)

Defn: The whole surface of an escutcheon; also, so much of it is shown unconcealed by the different bearings upon it. See Illust. of Fess, where the field is represented as gules (red), while the fess is argent (silver).

6. An unresticted or favorable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement; province; room. Afforded a clear field for moral experiments. Macaulay.

7. A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting.

8. (Baseball)

Defn: That part of the grounds reserved for the players which is outside of the diamond; — called also outfield.

Note: Field is often used adjectively in the sense of belonging to, or used in, the fields; especially with reference to the operations and equipments of an army during a campaign away from permanent camps and fortifications. In most cases such use of the word is sufficiently clear; as, field battery; field fortification; field gun; field hospital, etc. A field geologist, naturalist, etc., is one who makes investigations or collections out of doors. A survey uses a field book for recording field notes, i.e., measurment, observations, etc., made in field work (outdoor operations). A farmer or planter employs field hands, and may use a field roller or a field derrick. Field sports are hunting, fishing, athletic games, etc. Coal field (Geol.) See under Coal. — Field artillery, light ordnance mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army. — Field basil (Bot.), a plant of the Mint family (Calamintha Acinos); — called also basil thyme. — Field colors (Mil.), small flags for marking out the positions for squadrons and battalions; camp colors. — Field cricket (Zoöl.), a large European cricket (Gryllus campestric), remarkable for its loud notes. — Field day. (a) A day in the fields. (b) (Mil.) A day when troops are taken into the field for instruction in evolutions. Farrow. (c) A day of unusual exertion or display; a gala day. — Field driver, in New England, an officer charged with the driving of stray cattle to the pound. — Field duck (Zoöl.), the little bustard (Otis tetrax), found in Southern Europe. — Field glass. (Optics) (a) A binocular telescope of compact form; a lorgnette; a race glass. (b) A small achromatic telescope, from 20 to 24 inches long, and having 3 to 6 draws. (c) See Field lens. — Field lark. (Zoöl.) (a) The skylark. (b) The tree pipit. — Field lens (Optics), that one of the two lenses forming the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope or compound microscope which is nearer the object glass; — called also field glass. — Field madder (Bot.), a plant (Sherardia arvensis) used in dyeing. — Field marshal (Mil.), the highest military rank conferred in the British and other European armies. — Field mouse (Zoöl.), a mouse inhabiting fields, as the campagnol and the deer mouse. See Campagnol, and Deer mouse. — Field officer (Mil.), an officer above the rank of captain and below that of general. — Field officer's court (U.S.Army), a court-martial consisting of one field officer empowered to try all cases, in time of war, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts. Farrow. — Field plover (Zoöl.), the black-bellied plover (Charadrius squatarola); also sometimes applied to the Bartramian sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). — Field spaniel (Zoöl.), a small spaniel used in hunting small game. — Field sparrow. (Zoöl.) (a) A small American sparrow (Spizella pusilla). (b) The hedge sparrow. [Eng.] — Field staff (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun. — Field vole (Zoöl.), the European meadow mouse. — Field of ice, a large body of floating ice; a pack. — Field, or Field of view, in a telescope or microscope, the entire space within which objects are seen. — Field magnet. see under Magnet. — Magnetic field. See Magnetic. — To back the field, or To bet on the field. See under Back, v. t. — To keep the field. (a) (Mil.) To continue a campaign. (b) To maintain one's ground against all comers. — To lay, or back, against the field, to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers. — To take the field (Mil.), to enter upon a campaign.

FIELD
Field, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fielded; p. pr. & vb. n. Fielding.]

1. To take the field. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. (Ball Playing)

Defn: To stand out in the field, ready to catch, stop, or throw the ball.

FIELD
Field, v. t. (Ball Playing)

Defn: To catch, stop, throw, etc. (the ball), as a fielder.

FIELDED
Field"ed, a.

Defn: Engaged in the field; encamped. [Obs.]
To help fielded friends. Shak.

FIELDEN
Field"en, a.

Defn: Consisting of fields. [Obs.]
The fielden country also and plains. Holland.

FIELDER
Field"er, n. (Ball Playing)

Defn: A ball payer who stands out in the field to catch or stop balls.

FIELDFARE Field"fare`, n. Etym: [OE. feldfare, AS. feldfare; field + faran to travel.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: a small thrush (Turdus pilaris) which breeds in northern Europe and winters in Great Britain. The head, nape, and lower part of the back are ash-colored; the upper part of the back and wing coverts, chestnut; — called also fellfare.

FIELDING
Field"ing, n. (Ball Playing)

Defn: The act of playing as a fielder.

FIELDPIECE
Field"piece`, n.

Defn: A cannon mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army; a piece of field artillery; — called also field gun.

FIELDWORK
Field"work`, n. (Mil.)

Defn: Any temporary fortification thrown up by an army in the field;
— commonly in the plural.
All works which do not come under the head of permanent fortification
are called fieldworks. Wilhelm.

FIELDY
Field"y, a.

Defn: Open, like a field. [Obs.] Wyclif.

FIEND Fiend, n. Etym: [OE. fend, find, fiend, feond, fiend, foe, AS. feónd; akin to OS. fiond, D. vijand enemy, OHG. fiant, G. feind, Icel. fjand, Sw. & Dan. fiende, Goth. fijands; orig. p.pr. of a verb meaning to hate, AS. feón, feógan, OHG. fi, Goth. fijan, Skr. piy to scorn; prob. akin to E. feud a quarrel. *81. Cf. Foe, Friend.]

Defn: An implacable or malicious foe; one who is diabolically wicked or cruel; an infernal being; — applied specifically to the devil or a demon. Into this wild abyss the wary fiend Stood on the brink of Hell and looked a while. Milton. O woman! woman! when to ill thy mind Is bent, all hell contains no fouler fiend. Pope.

FIENDFUL
Fiend"ful, a.

Defn: Full of fiendish spirit or arts. Marlowe.
— Fiend"ful*ly, adv.

FIENDISH
Fiend"ish, a.

Defn: Like a fiend; diabolically wicked or cruel; infernal;
malignant; devilish; hellish.
— Fiend"ish*ly, adv.
— Fiend"ish*ness, n.

FIENDLIKE
Fiend"like`, a.

Defn: Fiendish; diabolical. Longfellow.

FIENDLY
Fiend"ly, a. Etym: [AS. feóndlic.]

Defn: Fiendlike; monstrous; devilish. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FIERASFER
Fi`e*ras"fer, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of small, slender fishes, remarkable for their habit of living as commensals in other animals. One species inhabits the gill cavity of the pearl oyster near Panama; another lives within an East Indian holothurian.

FIERCE Fierce, a. [Compar. Fiercer; superl. Fiercest.] Etym: [OE. fers, fiers, OF. fier, nom. fiers, fierce, savage, cruel, F. fier proud, from L. ferus wild, savage, cruel; perh. akin to E. bear the animal. Cf. Feral, Ferocity.]

1. Furious; violent; unrestrained; impetuous; as, a fierce wind. His fierce thunder drove us to the deep. Milton.

2. Vehement in anger or cruelty; ready or eager to kill or injure; of a nature to inspire terror; ferocious. "A fierce whisper." Dickens. "A fierce tyrant." Pope. The fierce foe hung upon our broken rear. Milton. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion. Job. x. 16.

3. Excessively earnest, eager, or ardent.

Syn.
— Ferocious; savage; cruel; vehement; impetuous; barbarous; fell.
See Ferocious.
— Fierce"ly, adv.
— Fierce"ness, n.

FIERI FACIAS
Fi"e*ri fa"ci*as. Etym: [L., cause it to be done.] (Law)

Defn: A judicial writ that lies for one who has recovered in debt or damages, commanding the sheriff that he cause to be made of the goods, chattels, or real estate of the defendant, the sum claimed. Blackstone. Cowell.

FIERINESS
Fi"er*i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being fiery; heat; acrimony; irritability; as, a fieriness of temper. Addison.

FIERY
Fi"er*y ( or ), a. Etym: [Formerly written firy, fr. fire.]

1. Consisting of, containing, or resembling, fire; as, the fiery gulf of Etna; a fiery appearance. And fiery billows roll below. I. Watts.

2. Vehement; ardent; very active; impetuous. Hath thy fiery heart so parched thine entrails Shak. The fiery spirit of his forefathers. W. Irwing.

3. Passionate; easily provoked; irritable. You kniw the fiery quality of the duke. Shak.

4. Unrestrained; fierce; mettlesome; spirited. One curbed the fiery steed. Dryden.

5. heated by fire, or as if by fire; burning hot; parched; feverish. Pope. The sword which is made fiery. Hooker. Fiery cross, a cross constructed of two firebrands, and pitched upon the point of a spear; formerly in Scotland borne by a runner as a signal for the clan to take up arms. Sir W. Scott.

FIESTA
Fies"ta, n. [Sp. See Feast, n.]

Defn: Among Spanish, a religious festival; a saint's day or holiday; also, a holiday or festivity.

Even . . . a bullfight is a fiesta.
Am. Dialect Notes.

Some fiesta, when all the surrounding population were expected to turn out in holiday dress for merriment. The Century.

FIFE
Fife, n. Etym: [F. fifre, OHG. pfifa, LL. pipa pipe, pipare to play
on the pipe, fr. L. pipire, pipare, to peep, pip, chirp, as a chiken.
See Pipe.] (Mus.)

Defn: A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music. Fife major (Mil.), a noncommissioned officer who superintends the fifers of a regiment. — Fife rail. (Naut.) (a) A rail about the mast, at the deck, to hold belaying pins, etc. (b) A railing around the break of a poop deck.

FIFE
Fife, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fifed; p. pr. & vb. n. fifing.]

Defn: To play on a fife.

FIFER
Fif"er, n.

Defn: One who plays on a fife.

FIFTEEN Fif"teen`, a. Etym: [OE. fiftene, AS. fift, fift. See Five, and Ten, and cf. Fifty.]

Defn: Five and ten; one more than fourteen.

FIFTEEN
Fif"teen`, n.

1. The sum of five and ten; fifteen units or objects.

2. A symbol representing fifteen units, as 15, or xv.

FIFTEENTH
Fif"teenth`, a. Etym: [OE. fiftenthe; cf. fiftethe, AS. fifte. See
Fifteen.]

1. Next in order after the fourteenth; — the ordinal of fifteen.

2. Consisting of one of fifteen equal parts or divisions of a thing.

FIFTEENTH
Fif"teenth`, n.

1. One of fifteen equal parts or divisions; the quotient of a unit divided by fifteen.

2. A species of tax upon personal property formerly laid on towns, boroughs, etc., in England, being one fifteenth part of what the personal property in each town, etc., had been valued at. Burrill.

3. (Mus.) (a) A stop in an organ tuned two octaves above the diaposon. (b) An interval consisting of two octaves.

FIFTH
Fifth, a. Etym: [OE. fifte, fifthe, AS. fifta. See Five.]

1. Next in order after the fourth; — the ordinal of five.

2. Consisting of one of five equal divisions of a thing. Fifth monarchy men (Hist.), a fanatical sect in England, of the time of the commonwealth, who maintained that there would be a fifth universal monarchy, during which Christ would reign on earth a thousand years. — Fifth wheel, a horizontal wheel or segment above the fore axle of a carriage and beneath the body, forming an extended support to prevent careening.

FIFTH
Fifth, n.

1. The quotient of a unit divided by five; one of five equal parts; a fifth part.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: The interval of three tones and a semitone, embracing five diatonic degrees of the scale; the dominant of any key.

FIFTHLY
Fifth"ly, adv.

Defn: In the fifth place; as the fifth in order.

FIFTIETH
Fif"ti*eth, a. Etym: [AS. fiftigo. See Fifty.]

1. Next in order after the forty-ninth; — the ordinal of fifty.

2. Consisting of one of fifty equal parts or divisions.

FIFTIETH
Fif"ti*eth, n.

Defn: One of fifty equal parts; the quotient of a unit divided by fifty.

FIFTY
Fif"ty, a. Etym: [AS. fiftig; akin to OHG. finfzug, fimfzug, G.
fünfzig, funfzig, Goth. fimftigjus. See Five, and Ten, and cf.
Fifteen.]

Defn: Five times ten; as, fifty men.

FIFTY
Fif"ty, n.; pl. Fifties (.

1. The sum of five tens; fifty units or objects.

2. A symbol representing fifty units, as 50, or l.

FIG Fig, n. Etym: [F. figue the fruit of the tree, Pr. figa, fr. L. ficus fig tree, fig. Cf. Fico.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A small fruit tree (Ficus Carica) with large leaves, known from the remotest antiquity. It was probably native from Syria westward to the Canary Islands.

2. The fruit of a fig tree, which is of round or oblong shape, and of various colors.

Note: The fruit of a fig tree is really the hollow end of a stem, and bears numerous achenia inside the cavity. Many species have little, hard, inedible figs, and in only a few does the fruit become soft and pulpy. The fruit of the cultivated varieties is much prized in its fresh state, and also when dried or preserved. See Caprification.

3. A small piece of tobacco. [U.S.]

4. The value of a fig, practically nothing; a fico; — used in scorn or contempt. "A fig for Peter." Shak. Cochineal fig. See Conchineal fig. — Fig dust, a preparation of fine oatmeal for feeding caged birds. — Fig faun, one of a class of rural deities or monsters supposed to live on figs. "Therefore shall dragons dwell there with the fig fauns." Jer. i. 39. (Douay version). — Fig gnat (Zoöl.), a small fly said to be injurious to figs. — Fig leaf, the leaf tree; hence, in allusion to the first clothing of Adam and Eve (Genesis iii.7), a covering for a thing that ought to be concealed; esp., an inadequate covering; a symbol for affected modesty. — Fig marigold (Bot.), the name of several plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum, some of which are prized for the brilliancy and beauty of their flowers. — Fig tree (Bot.), any tree of the genus Ficus, but especially F. Carica which produces the fig of commerce.

FIG
Fig, v. t. Etym: [See Fico, Fig, n.]

1. To insult with a fico, or contemptuous motion. See Fico. [Obs.] When Pistol lies, do this, and fig me like The bragging Spaniard. Shak.

2. To put into the head of, as something useless o [Obs.] L'Estrange.

FIG
Fig, n.

Defn: Figure; dress; array. [Colloq.] Were they all in full fig, the females with feathers on their heads, the males with chapeaux bras Prof. Wilson.

FIGARO
Fi`ga`ro", n. Etym: [From the name of the barber in Beaumarchais'
"Barber of Seville."]

Defn: An adroi

FIGARY
Fig"a*ry, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. vagary.]

Defn: A frolic; a vagary; a whim. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

FIGEATER Fig"eat`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A large beetle (Allorhina nitida) which in the Southern United States destroys figs. The elytra are velvety green with pale borders. (b) A bird. See Figpecker.

FIGENT
Fig"ent, a.

Defn: Fidgety; restless. [Obs.]
Such a little figent thing. Beau. & Fl.

FIGGUM
Fig"gum, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A juggler's trick; conjuring. [Obs.]
The devil is the author of wicked figgum. B. Jonson.

FIGHT Fight, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fought; p. pr. & vb. n. Fighting.] Etym: [OE. fihten, fehten, AS. feohtan; akin to D. vechten, OHG. fehtan, G. fechten, Sw. fäkta, Dan. fegte, and perh. to E. fist; cf. L. pugnare to fight, pugnus fist.]

1. To strive or contened for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; — followed by with or against. You do fight against your country's foes. Shak. To fight with thee no man of arms will deign. Milton.

2. To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance. To fight shy, to avoid meeting fairly or at close quarters; to keep out of reach.

FIGHT
Fight, v. t.

1. To carry on, or wage, as a conflict, or battle; to win or gain by struggle, as one's way; to sustain by fighting, as a cause. He had to fight his way through the world. Macaulay. I have fought a good fight. 2 Tim. iv. 7.

2. To contend with in battle; to war against; as, they fought the enemy in two pitched battles; the sloop fought the frigate for three hours.

3. To cause to fight; to manage or maneuver in a fight; as, to fight cocks; to fight one's ship. To fight it out, to fight until a decisive and conclusive result is reached.

FIGHT
Fight, n. Etym: [OE. fight, feht, AS. feoht. See Fight, v. i.]

1. A battle; an engagement; a contest in arms; a combat; a violent conflict or struggle for victory, between individuals or between armies, ships, or navies, etc. Who now defies thee thrice to single fight. Milton.

2. A struggle or contest of any kind.

3. Strength or disposition for fighting; pugnacity; as, he has a great deal of fight in him. [Colloq.]

4. A screen for the combatants in ships. [Obs.] Up with your fights, and your nettings prepare. Dryden. Running fight, a fight in which the enemy is continually chased; also, one which continues without definite end or result.

Syn. — Combat; engagement; contest; struggle; encounter; fray; affray; action; conflict. See Battle.

FIGHTER
Fight"er, n. Etym: [AS. feohtere.]

Defn: One who fights; a combatant; a warrior. Shak.

FIGHTING
Fight"ing, a.

1. Qualified for war; fit for battle. An host of fighting men. 2 Chron. xxvi. 11.

2. Occupied in war; being the scene of a battle; as, a fighting field. Pope. A fighting chance, one dependent upon the issue of a struggle. [Colloq.] — Fighting crab (Zoöl.), the fiddler crab. — Fighting fish (Zoöl.), a remarkably pugnacious East Indian fish (Betta pugnax), reared by the Siamese for spectacular fish fights.

FIGHTINGLY
Fight"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: Pugnaciously.

FIGHTWITE
Fight"wite`, n. Etym: [Fight + wite.] (O.Eng. Law)

Defn: A mulct or fine imposed on a person for making a fight or quarrel to the disturbance of the peace.

FIGMENT Fig"ment, n. Etym: [L. figmentum, fr. fingere to form, shape, invent, feign. See Feign.]

Defn: An invention; a fiction; something feigned or imagined.
Social figments, feints, and formalism. Mrs. Browning.
It carried rather an appearance of figment and invention . . . than
of truth and reality. Woodward.

FIGPECKER
Fig"peck`er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European garden warbler (Sylvia, or Currica, hortensis); — called also beccafico and greater pettychaps.

FIG-SHELL
Fig"-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A marine univalve shell of the genus Pyrula, or Ficula, resembling a fig in form.

FIGULATE; FIGULATED Fig"u*late, Fig"u*la`ted, a. Etym: [L. figulatus, p.p. of figulare to shape, fr. figulus potter, fr. fingere to shape.]

Defn: Made of potter's clay; molded; shaped. [R.] Johnson.

FIGULINE Fig"u*line ( or ), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. figulina pottery, fr. figulus. See Figulate.]

Defn: A piece of pottery ornamented with representations of natural
objects.
Whose figulines and rustic wares Scarce find him bread from day to
day. Longfellow.

FIGURABILITY
Fig`ur*a*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. figurabilité.]

Defn: The quality of being figurable. Johnson.

FIGURABLE Fig`ur*a*ble, a. Etym: [L. figurare to form, shape, fr. figura figure: cf. F. figurable. See Figure.]

Defn: Capable of being brought to a fixed form or shape.
Lead is figurable, but water is not. Johnson.

FIGURAL
Fig"ur*al, a. Etym: [From Figure.]

1. Represented by figure or delineation; consisting of figures; as, figural ornaments. Sir T. Browne.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: Figurate. See Figurate. Figural numbers. See Figurate numbers, under Figurate.

FIGURANT Fig"u*rant` ( or ), n. masc. Etym: [F., prop. p.pr. of figurer figure, represent, make a figure.]

Defn: One who dances at the opera, not singly, but in groups or figures; an accessory character on the stage, who figures in its scenes, but has nothing to say; hence, one who figures in any scene, without taking a prominent part.

FIGURANTE
Fig"u*rante` ( or ), n. fem. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A female figurant; esp., a ballet girl.

FIGURATE
Fig"ur*ate, a. Etym: [L. figuratus, p.p. of figurare. See Figure.]

1. Of a definite form or figure. Plants are all figurate and determinate, which inanimate bodies are not. Bacon.

2. Figurative; metaphorical. [Obs.] Bale.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: Florid; figurative; involving passing discords by the freer melodic movement of one or more parts or voices in the harmony; as, figurate counterpoint or descant. Figurate counterpoint or descant (Mus.), that which is not simple, or in which the parts do not move together tone for tone, but in which freer movement of one or more parts mingles passing discords with the harmony; — called also figural, figurative, and figured counterpoint or descant (although the term figured is more commonly applied to a bass with numerals written above or below to indicate the other notes of the harmony). — Figurate numbers (Math.), numbers, or series of numbers, formed from any arithmetical progression in which the first term is a unit, and the difference a whole number, by taking the first term, and the sums of the first two, first three, first four, etc., as the successive terms of a new series, from which another may be formed in the same manner, and so on, the numbers in the resulting series being such that points representing them are capable of symmetrical arrangement in different geometrical figures, as triangles, squares, pentagons, etc.

Note: In the following example, the two lower lines are composed of figurate numbers, those in the second line being triangular, and represented thus: —. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. . . . 1, 3, 6, 10, etc. . . . . . . . etc. 1, 4, 10, 20, etc . . . . . . . . . . . .

FIGURATED
Fig"ur*a`ted, a.

Defn: Having a determinate form.

FIGURATELY
Fig"ur*ate*ly, adv.

Defn: In a figurate manner.

FIGURATION
Fig`u*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. figuratio.]

1. The act of giving figure or determinate form; determination to a certain form. Bacon.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: Mixture of concords and discords.

FIGURATIVE
Fig"ur*a*tive, a. Etym: [L. figurativus: cf. F. figuratif. See
Figurative.]

1. Representing by a figure, or by resemblance; typical; representative. This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity. Hooker.

2. Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; — applied to words and expressions.

3. Ambounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a highly figurative description.

4. Relating to the representation of form or figure by drawing, carving, etc. See Figure, n., 2. They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form. J. A. Symonds. Figurative counterpointdescant. See under Figurate. — Fig"ur*a*tive*ly, adv. — Fig"ur*a*tive*ness, n.

FIGURE Fig"ure, n. Etym: [F., figure, L. figura; akin to fingere to form, shape, feign. See Feign.]

1. The form of anything; shape; outline; appearance. Flowers have all exquisite figures. Bacon.

2. The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting, modeling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a representation of the human body; as, a figure in bronze; a figure cut in marble. A coin that bears the figure of an angel. Shak.

3. A pattern in cloth, paper, or other manufactured article; a design wrought out in a fabric; as, the muslin was of a pretty figure.

4. (Geom.)

Defn: A diagram or drawing; made to represent a magnitude or the relation of two or more magnitudes; a surface or space inclosed on all sides; — called superficial when inclosed by lines, and solid when inclosed by surface; any arrangement made up of points, lines, angles, surfaces, etc.

5. The appearance or impression made by the conduct or carrer of a person; as, a sorry figure. I made some figure there. Dryden. Gentlemen of the best figure in the county. Blackstone.

6. Distinguished appearance; magnificence; conspicuous representation; splendor; show. That he may live in figure and indulgence. Law.

7. A character or symbol representing a number; a numeral; a digit; as, 1, 2,3, etc.

8. Value, as expressed in numbers; price; as, the goods are estimated or sold at a low figure. [Colloq.] With nineteen thousand a year at the very lowest figure. Thackeray.

9. A person, thing, or action, conceived of as analogous to another person, thing, or action, of which it thus becomes a type or representative. Who is the figure of Him that was to come. Rom. v. 14.

10. (Rhet.)

Defn: A mode of expressing abstract or immaterial ideas by words which suggest pictures or images from the physical world; pictorial language; a trope; hence, any deviation from the plainest form of statement. To represent the imagination under the figure of a wing. Macaulay.

11. (Logic)

Defn: The form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term.

12. (Dancing)

Defn: Any one of the several regular steps or movements made by a dancer.

13. (Astrol.)

Defn: A horoscope; the diagram of the aspects of the astrological houses. Johnson.

14. (Music) (a) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as a group of chords, which produce a single complete and distinct impression. Grove. (b) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a musical or motive; a florid embellishment.

Note: Figures are often written upon the staff in music to denote the kind of measure. They are usually in the form of a fraction, the upper figure showing how many notes of the kind indicated by the lower are contained in one measure or bar. Thus, 2/4 signifies that the measure contains two quarter notes. The following are the principal figures used for this purpose: —2/22/42/8 4/22/44/8 3/23/43/8 6/46/46/8 Academy figure, Canceled figures, Lay figure, etc. See under Academy, Cancel, Lay, etc. — Figure caster, or Figure flinger, an astrologer. This figure caster." Milton. — Figure flinging, the practice of astrology. — Figure-of-eight knot, a knot shaped like the figure 8. See Illust. under Knot. — Figure painting, a picture of the human figure, or the act or art of depicting the human figure. — Figure stone (Min.), agalmatolite. — Figure weaving, the art or process of weaving figured fabrics. — To cut a figure, to make a display. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott.

FIGURE
Fig"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Figured; p. pr. & vb. n. Figuring.]
Etym: [F. figurer, L. figurare, fr. figura. See Figure, n.]

1. To represent by a figure, as to form or mold; to make an image of, either palpable or ideal; also, to fashion into a determinate form; to shape. If love, alas! be pain I bear, No thought can figure, and no tongue declare.Prior.

2. To embellish with design; to adorn with figures. The vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o'er with burning meteors. Shak.

3. To indicate by numerals; also, to compute. As through a crystal glass the figured hours are seen. Dryden.

4. To represent by a metaphor; to signify or symbolize. Whose white vestments figure innocence. Shak.

5. To prefigure; to foreshow. In this the heaven figures some event. Shak.

6. (Mus.) (a) To write over or under the bass, as figures or other characters, in order to indicate the accompanying chords. (b) To embellish. To figure out, to solve; to compute or find the result of. — To figure up, to add; to reckon; to compute the amount of.

FIGURE
Fig"ure, v. t.

1. To make a figure; to be distinguished or conspicious; as, the
envoy figured at court.
Sociable, hospitable, eloquent, admired, figuring away brilliantly.
M. Arnold.

2. To calculate; to contrive; to scheme; as, he is figuring to secure the nomination. [Colloq.]

FIGURED
Fig"ured, a.

1. Adorned with figures; marked with figures; as, figured muslin.

2. Not literal; figurative. [Obs.] Locke.

3. (Mus.) (a) Free and florid; as, a figured descant. See Figurate, 3. (b) Indicated or noted by figures. Figured bass. See Continued bass, under Continued.

FIGUREHEAD
Fig"ure*head`, n.

1. (Naut.)

Defn: The figure, statue, or bust, on the prow of a ship.

2. A person who allows his name to be used to give standing to enterprises in which he has no responsible interest or duties; a nominal, but not real, head or chief.

FIGURIAL
Fi*gu"ri*al, a.

Defn: Represented by figure or delineation. [R.] Craig.

FIGURINE
Fi`gu`rine" ( or ), n. Etym: [F., dim. of figure.]

Defn: A very small figure, whether human or of an animal; especially, one in terra cotta or the like; — distinguished from statuette, which is applied to small figures in bronze, marble, etc.

FIGURIST
Fig"ur*ist, n.

Defn: One who uses or interprets figurative expressions. Waterland.

FIGWORT
Fig"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of herbaceous plants (Scrophularia), mostly found in the north temperate zones. See Brownwort.

FIJIAN
Fi"ji*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Fiji islands or their inhabitants.
— n.

Defn: A native of the Fiji islands. [Written also Feejeean, Feejee.]

FIKE
Fike, n.

Defn: See Fyke.

FIL
Fil, obs.

Defn: imp. of Fall, v. i. Fell. Chaucer.

FILACEOUS
Fi*la"ceous ( or ), a. Etym: [L. filum thread.]

Defn: Composed of threads. Bacon.

FILACER Fil"a*cer, n. Etym: [OE. filace a file, or thread, on which the records of the courts of justice were strung, F. filasse tow of flax or hemp, fr. L. filum thread.] (Eng. Law)

Defn: A former officer in the English Court of Common Pleas; — so called because he filed the writs on which he made out process. [Obs.] Burrill.

FILAMENT Fil"a*ment, n. Etym: [F. filament, fr. L. filum thread. See File a row.]

Defn: A thread or threadlike object or appendage; a fiber; esp.
(Bot.), the threadlike part of the stamen supporting the anther.

FILAMENTARY
Fil`a*men"ta*ry, a.

Defn: Having the character of, or formed by, a filament.

FILAMENTOID
Fil"a*men*toid`, a. Etym: [Filament + -oid.]

Defn: Like a filament.

FILAMENTOUS
Fil`a*men"tous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. filamenteux.]

Defn: Like a thread; consisting of threads or filaments. Gray.

FILANDER
Fil"an*der, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of kangaroo (Macropus Brunii), inhabiting New Guinea.

FILANDERS
Fil"an*ders, n. pl. Etym: [F. filandres, fr. L. filum thread.]
(Falconry)

Defn: A disease in hawks, characterized by the presence of small threadlike worms, also of filaments of coagulated blood, from the rupture of a vein; — called also backworm. Sir T. Browne.

FILAR
Fi"lar, a. Etym: [L. filum a thread.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a thread or line; characterized by threads stretched across the field of view; as, a filar microscope; a filar micrometer.

FILARIA
Fi*la"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. filum a thread.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of slender, nematode worms of many species, parasitic in various animals. See Guinea worm.

FILARIAL
Fi*la"ri*al, a.

1. (Zoöl. & Med.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or caused by, filariæ and allied parasitic worms.

2. Straight, as if in a line; as, the filarial flight of birds.

FILARIASIS
Fil`a*ri"a*sis, n. [NL.] (Med.)

Defn: The presence of filariæ in the blood; infection with filariæ.

FILASSE
Fi*lasse", n. [F., fr. fil thread, L. filum.]

Defn: Vegetable fiber, as jute or ramie, prepared for manufacture.

FILATORY Fil"a*to*ry, n. Etym: [LL. filatorium place for spinning, fr. filare to spin, fr. L. filum a thread.]

Defn: A machine for forming threads. [Obs.] W. Tooke.

FILATURE Fil"a*ture, n. Etym: [LL. filatura, fr. filare to spin: cf. F. filature. See Filatory.]

1. A drawing out into threads; hence, the reeling of silk from cocoons. Ure.

2. A reel for drawing off silk from cocoons; also, an establishment for reeling silk.

FILBERT Fil"bert, n. Etym: [Perh. fr. fill + bread, as filling the bread or husk; cf. G. bartnuss (lit., bread nut) filbert; or perh. named from a St.Philibert, whose day, Aug. 22, fell in the nutting season.] (Bot.)

Defn: The fruit of the Corylus Avellana or hazel. It is an oval nut, containing a kernel that has a mild, farinaceous, oily taste, agreeable to the palate.

Note: In England filberts are usually large hazelnuts, especially the nuts from selected and cultivated trees. The American hazelnuts are of two other species. Filbert gall (Zoöl.), a gall resembling a filbert in form, growing in clusters on grapevines. It is produced by the larva of a gallfly (Cecidomyia).

FILCH
Filch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filched; p. pr. & vb. n. Filching.] Etym:
[Cf. AS. feol to stick to, OHG. felhan, felahan, to hide, Icel. fela,
Goth. filhan to hide, bury, Prov. E. feal to hide slyly, OE. felen.]

Defn: To steal or take privily (commonly, that which is of little
value); to pilfer.
Fain would they filch that little food away. Dryden.
But he that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not
enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. Shak.

FILCHER
Filch"er, n.

Defn: One who filches; a thief.

FILCHINGLY
Filch"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: By pilfering or petty stealing.

FILE File, n. Etym: [F. file row (cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. fila), LL. fila, fr. L. filum a thread. Cf. Enfilade, Filament, Fillet.]

1. An orderly succession; a line; a row; as: (a) (Mil) A row of soldiers ranged one behind another; — in contradistinction to rank, which designates a row of soldiers standing abreast; a number consisting the depth of a body of troops, which, in the ordinary modern formation, consists of two men, the battalion standing two deep, or in two ranks.

Note: The number of files in a company describes its width, as the number of ranks does its depth; thus, 100 men in "fours deep" would be spoken of as 25 files in 4 ranks. Farrow. (b) An orderly collection of papers, arranged in sequence or classified for preservation and reference; as, files of letters or of newspapers; this mail brings English files to the 15th instant. (c) The line, wire, or other contrivance, by which papers are put and kept in order. It is upon a file with the duke's other letters. Shak.

(d) A roll or list. "A file of all the gentry." Shak.

2. Course of thought; thread of narration. [Obs.] Let me resume the file of my narration. Sir H. Wotton. File firing, the act of firing by file, or each file independently of others. — File leader, the soldier at the front of any file, who covers and leads those in rear of him. — File marching, the marching of a line two deep, when faced to the right or left, so that the front and rear rank march side by side. Brande & C. —Indian file, or Single file, a line of men marching one behind another; a single row. — On file, preserved in an orderly collection. — Rank and file. (a) The body of soldiers constituing the mass of an army, including corporals and privates. Wilhelm. (b) Those who constitute the bulk or working members of a party, society, etc., in distinction from the leaders.

FILE
File, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filed; p. pr. & vb. n. Filing.]

1. To set in order; to arrange, or lay away, esp. as papers in a methodical manner for preservation and reverence; to place on file; to insert in its proper place in an arranged body of papers. I would have my several courses and my dishes well filed. Beau. & Fl.

2. To bring before a court or legislative body by presenting proper papers in a regular way; as, to file a petition or bill. Burrill.

3. (Law)

Defn: To put upon the files or among the records of a court; to note on (a paper) the fact date of its reception in court. To file a paper, on the part of a party, is to place it in the official custody of the clerk. To file, on the part of the clerk, is to indorse upon the paper the date of its reception, and retain it in his office, subject to inspection by whomsoever it may concern. Burrill.

FILE
File, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. filer.] (Mil.)

Defn: To march in a file or line, as soldiers, not abreast, but one after another; — generally with off. To file with, to follow closely, as one soldier after another in file; to keep pace. My endeavors Have ever come too short of my desires, Yet filed with my abilities. Shak.

FILE File, n. Etym: [AS. feól; akin to D. viji, OHG. fila, fihala, G. feile, Sw. fil, Dan. fiil, cf. Icel. , Russ. pila, and Skr. pi to cut out, adorn; perh. akin to E. paint.]

1. A steel instrument, having cutting ridges or teeth, made by indentation with a chisel, used for abrading or smoothing other substances, as metals, wood, etc.

Note: A file differs from a rasp in having the furrows made by straight cuts of a chisel, either single or crossed, while the rasp has coarse, single teeth, raised by the pyramidal end of a triangular punch.

2. Anything employed to smooth, polish, or rasp, literally or figuratively. Mock the nice touches of the critic's file. Akenside.

3. A shrewd or artful person. [Slang] Fielding.
Will is an old file spite of his smooth face. Thackeray.
Bastard file, Cross file, etc. See under Bastard, Cross, etc.
— Cross-cut file, a file having two sets of teeth crossing
obliquely.
— File blank, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for cutting to
form a file.
— File cutter, a maker of files.
— Second-cut file, a file having teeth of a grade next finer than
bastard.
— Single-cut file, a file having only one set of parallel teeth; a
float.
— Smooth file, a file having teeth so fine as to make an almost
smooth surface.

FILE
File, v. t.

1. To rub, smooth, or cut away, with a file; to sharpen with a file; as, to file a saw or a tooth.

2. To smooth or polish as with a file. Shak. File your tongue to a little more courtesy.Sir W.Scott.

FILE File, v. t. Etym: [OE. fulen, filen, foulen, AS. f, fr. fFoul, and cf. Defile, v.t.]

Defn: To make f [Obs.]
All his hairy breast with blood was filed.Spenser.
For Banquo's issue have I filed mind.Shak.

FILE CLOSER
File" clos`er. (Mil.)

Defn: A commissioned or noncommissioned officer posted in the rear of a line, or on the flank of a column, of soldiers, to rectify mistakes and insure steadiness and promptness in the ranks.

FILEFISH
File"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any plectognath fish of the genera Monacanthus, Alutera, balistes, and allied genera; — so called on account of the roughly granulated skin, which is sometimes used in place of sandpaper.

FILEMOT
Fil"e*mot, n.

Defn: See Feullemort. Swift.

FILER
Fil"er, n.

Defn: One who works with a file.

FILIAL Fil"ial, a. Etym: [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.]

1. Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience.

2. Bearing the relation of a child. And thus the filial Godhead answering spoke. Milton.

FILIALLY
Fil"ial*ly, adv.

Defn: In a filial manner.

FILIATE
Fil"i*ate, v. t.

Defn: To adopt as son or daughter; to establish filiation between.
[R.] Southey.

FILIATION Fil`i*a"tion, n. Etym: [LL. filiatio, fr. L. filius son: cf. F. filiation. See Filial.]

1. The relationship of a son or child to a parent, esp. to a father. The relation of paternity and filiation. Sir M. Hale.

2. (Law)

Defn: The assignment of a bastard child to some one as its ather; affiliation. Smart.

FILIBEG Fil"i*beg, n. Etym: [Gael. feileadhbeag, i.e., little kilt; feileadh kilt + beag little, small; cf. filleadh a plait, fold.]

Defn: Same as Kilt. [Written also philibeg.]

FILIBUSTER Fil"i*bus`ter, n. Etym: [Sp. flibuster, flibustero, corrupted fr. E. freebooter. See Freebooter.]

Defn: A lawless military adventurer, especially one in quest of plunder; a freebooter; — originally applied to buccaneers infesting the Spanish American coasts, but introduced into common English to designate the followers of Lopez in his expedition to Cuba in 1851, and those of Walker in his expedition to Nicaragua, in 1855.

FILIBUSTER
Fil"i*bus*ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fillibustered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Filibustering.]

1. To act as a filibuster, or military freebooter. Bartlett.

2. To delay legislation, by dilatory motions or other artifices. [political cant or slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

FILIBUSTERISM
Fil"i*bus`ter*ism, n.

Defn: The characteristics or practices of a filibuster. Bartlett.

FILICAL
Fil"i*cal, a.

Defn: Belonging to the Filices, r ferns.

FILICIC
Fi*lic"ic, a. Etym: [L. filix, -icis, a fern.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, ferns; as, filicic acid.

FILICIDE Fil"i*cide, n. Etym: [L. filius son, filia daughter + caedere to kill.]

Defn: The act of murdering a son or a daughter; also, parent who commits such a murder.

FILICIFORM Fi*lic"i*form, a. Etym: [L. filix, -icis, fern + -form: cf. F. filiciforme]

Defn: Shaped like a fern or like the parts of a fern leaf. Smart.

FILICOID Fil"i*coid, a. Etym: [L. filix, -icis, fern + -oid: cf. F. filicoiïde.] (Bot.)

Defn: Fernlike, either in form or in the nature of the method of reproduction.

FILICOID
Fil"i*coid, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A fernlike plant. Lindley.

FILIETY
Fi*li"e*ty, n. Etym: [L. filietas.]

Defn: The relation of a son to a father; sonship; — the correlative of paternity. J. S. Mill.

FILIFEROUS
Fi*lif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. filum a thread + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing threads. Carpenter.

FILIFORM
Fil"i*form, a. Etym: [L. filum thread + -form: cf. F. filiforme.]

Defn: Having the shape of a thread or filament; as, the filiform papillæ of the tongue; a filiform style or peduncle. See Illust. of AntennÆ.

FILIGRAIN; FILIGRANE
Fil"i*grain, Fil"i*grane, n. Etym: [Sp. filigrana (cf. It. filigrana,
E. filigrane), fr. L. filuma thread + granum grain. See File a row,
and Grain, and cf. Filigree.]

Defn: Filigree. [Archaic]
With her head . . . touches the crown of filigrane. Longfellow.

FILIGRANED
Fil"i*graned, a.

Defn: See Filigreed. [Archaic]

FILIGREE
Fil"i*gree, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. filigrane.]

Defn: Ornamental work, formerly with grains or breads, but now composed of fine wire and used chiefly in decorating gold and silver to which the wire is soldered, being arranged in designs frequently of a delicate and intricate arabesque pattern.

FILIGREE
Fil"i*gree, a.

Defn: Relating to, composed of, or resembling, work in filigree; as, a filigree basket. Hence: Fanciful; unsubstantial; merely decorative. You ask for reality, not fiction and filigree work. J. C. Shairp.

FILIGREED
Fil"i*greed, a.

Defn: Adorned with filigree. Tatler.

FILING
Fil"ing, n.

Defn: A fragment or particle rubbed off by the act of filing; as, iron filings.

FILIOQUE
Fil`i*o"que, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: The Latin for, "and from the Son," equivalent to et filio, inserted by the third council of Toledo (a. d. 589) in the clause qui ex Patre procedit (who proceedeth from the Father) of the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed (a. d. 381), which makes a creed state that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son as well as from the Father. Hence, the doctrine itself (not admitted by the Eastern Church).

FILIPENDULOUS Fil`i*pen"du*lous, a. Etym: [L. filum a thread + pendulus hanging, fr. pend to hang.] (Bot.)

Defn: Suspended by, or strung upon, a thread; — said of tuberous swellings in the middle or at the extremities of slender, threadlike rootlets.

FILIPINO
Fil`i*pi"no, n.; pl. Filipinos (#). [Sp.]

Defn: A native of the Philippine Islands, specif. one of Spanish descent or of mixed blood.

Then there are Filipinos, — "children of the country," they are called, — who are supposed to be pure-blooded descendants of Spanish settlers. But there are few of them without some touch of Chinese or native blood. The Century.

FILL
Fill, n. Etym: [See Thill.]

Defn: One of the thills or shafts of a carriage. Mortimer. Fill horse, a thill horse. Shak.

FILL Fill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filled; p. pr. & vb. n. Filling.] Etym: [OE. fillen, fullen, AS. fyllan, fr. full full; akin to D. vullen, G. füllen, Icel. fylla, Sw. fylla, Dan. fylde, Goth. fulljan. See Full, a.]

1. To make full; to supply with as much as can be held or contained; to put or pour into, till no more can be received; to occupy the whole capacity of. The rain also filleth the pools. Ps. lxxxiv. 6. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. Anf they filled them up to the brim. John ii. 7.

2. To furnish an abudant supply to; to furnish with as mush as is desired or desirable; to occupy the whole of; to swarm in or overrun. And God blessed them, saying. Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas. Gen. i. 22. The Syrians filled the country. 1 Kings xx. 27.

3. To fill or supply fully with food; to feed; to satisfy. Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fillso great a multitude Matt. xv. 33. Things that are sweet and fat are more filling. Bacon.

4. To possess and perform the duties of; to officiate in, as an incumbent; to occupy; to hold; as, a king fills a throne; the president fills the office of chief magistrate; the speaker of the House fills the chair.

5. To supply with an incumbent; as, to fill an office or a vacancy. A. Hamilton.

6. (Naut.) (a) To press and dilate, as a sail; as, the wind filled the sails. (b) To trim (a yard) so that the wind shall blow on the after side of the sails.

7. (Civil Engineering)

Defn: To make an embankment in, or raise the level of (a low place), with earth or gravel. To fill in, to insert; as, he filled in the figures. — To fill out, to extend or enlarge to the desired limit; to make complete; as, to fill out a bill. — To fill up, to make quite full; to fill to the brim or entirely; to occupy completely; to complete. "The bliss that fills up all the mind." Pope. "And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ." Col. i. 24.

FILL
Fill, v. i.

1. To become full; to have the whole capacity occupied; to have an abundant supply; to be satiated; as, corn fills well in a warm season; the sail fills with the wind.

2. To fill a cup or glass for drinking. Give me some wine; fill full. Shak. To back and fill. See under Back, v. i. — To fill up, to grow or become quite full; as, the channel of the river fills up with sand.

FILL
Fill, n. Etym: [AS. fyllo. See Fill, v. t.]

Defn: A full supply, as much as supplies want; as much as gives complete satisfaction. "Ye shall eat your fill." Lev. xxv. 19. I'll bear thee hence, where I may weep my fill. Shak.

FILLED CHEESE
Filled cheese.

Defn: An inferior kind of cheese made from skim milk with a fatty "filling," such as oleomargarine or lard, to replace the fat removed in the cream.

FILLER
Fill"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, fills; something used for filling.
'T is mere filer, to stop a vacancy in the hexameter. Dryden.
They have six diggers to four fillers, so as to keep the fillers
always at work. Mortimer.

FILLER
Fill"er, n. Etym: [From 1st Fill.]

Defn: A thill horse. [Prov. Eng.]

FILLET Fil"let, n. Etym: [OE. filet, felet, fr. OF. filet thread, fillet of meat, dim. of fil a thread, fr. L. filum. See Fille a row.]

1. A little band, especially one intended to encircle the hair of the head. A belt her waist, a fillet binds her hair. Pope.

2. (Cooking)

Defn: A piece of lean meat without bone; sometimes, a long strip rolled together and tied.

Note: A fillet of beef is the under side of the sirlom; also called tenderloin. A fillet of veal or mutton is the fleshy part of the thigh. A fillet of fish is a slice of flat fish without bone. "Fillet of a fenny snake." Shak.

3. A thin strip or ribbon; esp.: (a) A strip of metal from which coins are punched. (b) A strip of card clothing. (c) A thin projecting band or strip.

4. (Mach.)

Defn: A concave filling in of a reëntrant angle where two surfaces meet, forming a rounded corner.

5. (Arch.)

Defn: A narrow flat member; especially, a flat molding separating other moldings; a reglet; also, the space between two flutings in a shaft. See Illust. of Base, and Column.

6. (Her.)

Defn: An ordinary equaling in breadth one fourth of the chief, to the lowest portion of which it corresponds in position.

7. (Mech.)

Defn: The thread of a screw.

8. A border of broad or narrow lines of color or gilt.

9. The raised molding about the muzzle of a gun.

10. Any scantling smaller than a batten.

11. (Anat.)

Defn: A fascia; a band of fibers; applied esp. to certain bands of white matter in the brain.

12. (Man.)

Defn: The loins of a horse, beginning at the place where the hinder part of the saddle rests. Arris fillet. See under Arris.

FILLET
Fil"let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filleted; p. pr. & vb. n. Filleting.]

Defn: To bind, furnish, or adorn with a fillet.

FILLETING
Fil"let*ing, n.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: The protecting of a joint, as between roof and parapet wall, with mortar, or cement, where flashing is employed in better work.

2. The material of which fillets are made; also, fillets, collectively.

FILLIBEG
Fil"li*beg, n.

Defn: A kilt. See Filibeg.

FILLIBUSTER
Fil"li*bus`ter, n.

Defn: See Filibuster.

FILLING
Fill"ing, n.

1. That which is used to fill a cavity or any empty space, or to supply a deficiency; as, filling for a cavity in a tooth, a depression in a roadbed, the space between exterior and interior walls of masonry, the pores of open-grained wood, the space between the outer and inner planks of a vessel, etc.

2. The woof in woven fabrics.

3. (Brewing)

Defn: Prepared wort added to ale to cleanse it. Back filling. (Arch.)
See under Back, a.

FILLIP
Fil"lip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filliped; p. pr. & vb. n. Filliping.]
Etym: [For filp, flip. Cf. Flippant.]

1. To strike with the nail of the finger, first placed against the ball of the thumb, and forced from that position with a sudden spring; to snap with the finger. "You filip me o' the head." Shak.

2. To snap; to project quickly. The use of the elastic switch to fillip small missiles with. Tylor.

FILLIP
Fil"lip, n.

1. A jerk of the finger forced suddenly from the thumb; a smart blow.

2. Something serving to rouse or excite. I take a glass of grog for a filip. Dickens.

FILLIPEEN
Fil"li*peen`, n.

Defn: See Philopena.

FILLISTER
Fil"lis*ter, n.

1. The rabbet on the outer edge of a sash bar to hold the glass and the putty. Knight.

2. A plane for making a rabbet. Fillister screw had, a short cylindrical screw head, having a convex top.

FILLY
Fil"ly, n.; pl. Fillies. Etym: [Cf. Icel. fylia, fr. foli foal. See
Foal.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A female foal or colt; a young mare. Cf. Colt, Foal.
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal. Shak.

2. A lively, spirited young girl. [Colloq.] Addison.

FILM Film, n. Etym: [AS. film skin, fr. fell skin; akin to fylmen membrane, OFries. filmene skin. See Fell skin.]

1. A thin skin; a pellicle; a membranous covering, causing opacity; hence, any thin, slight covering. He from thick films shall purge the visual ray. Pope.

2. A slender thread, as that of a cobweb. Her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film. Shak.

FILM
Film, v. t.

Defn: To cover with a thin skin or pellicle.
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place. Shak.

FILMINESS
Film"i*ness, n.

Defn: State of being filmy.

FILMY
Film"y, a.

Defn: Composed of film or films.
Whose filmy cord should bind the struggling fly. Dryden.

FILOPLUMACEOUS
Fil`o*plu*ma"ceous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the structure of a filoplume.

FILOPLUME
Fil"o*plume, n. Etym: [L. filum a thread pluma a soft feather.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A hairlike feather; a father with a slender scape and without a web in most or all of its length.

FILOSE
Fi"lose`, a. Etym: [L. filum a thread.]

Defn: Terminating in a threadlike process.

FILOSELLE
Fil`o*selle", n. [F., floss silk.]

Defn: A kind of silk thread less glossy than floss, and spun from coarser material. It is much used in embroidery instead of floss.

FILS
Fils, n. [F., fr. L. filius. See Filial.]

Defn: Son; — sometimes used after a French proper name to distinguish a son from his father, as, Alexandre Dumas, fils.

FILTER Fil"ter, n. Etym: [F. filtre, the same word as feutre felt, LL. filtrum, feltrum, felt, fulled wool, this being used for straining liquors. See Feuter.]

Defn: Any porous substance, as cloth, paper, sand, or charcoal, through which water or other liquid may passed to cleanse it from the solid or impure matter held in suspension; a chamber or device containing such substance; a strainer; also, a similar device for purifying air. Filter bed, a pond, the bottom of which is a filter composed of sand gravel. — Filter gallery, an underground gallery or tunnel, alongside of a stream, to collect the water that filters through the intervening sand and gravel; — called also infiltration gallery.

FILTER
Fil"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filtered; p. pr. & vb. n. Filtering]
Etym: [Cf. F. filter. See Filter, n., and cf. Filtrate.]

Defn: To purify or defecate, as water or other liquid, by causing it to pass through a filter. Filtering paper, or Filter paper, a porous unsized paper, for filtering.

FILTER
Fil"ter, v. i.

Defn: To pass through a filter; to percolate.

FILTER
Fil"ter, n.

Defn: Same as Philter.

FILTH
Filth, n. Etym: [OE. filthe, fulthe, AS. f, fr. ful foul; akin to
OHG. fulida. See Foul, and cf. File.]

1. Foul matter; anything that soils or defiles; dirt; nastiness.

2. Anything that sullies or defiles the moral character; corruption; pollution. To purify the soul from the dross and filth of sensual delights. Tillotson. Filth disease (Med.), a disease supposed to be due to pollution of the soil or water.

FILTHILY
Filth"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a filthy manner; foully.

FILTHINESS
Filth"i*ness, n.

1. The state of being filthy. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. 2 Cor. vii. 1.

2. That which is filthy, or makes filthy; foulness; nastiness; corruption; pollution; impurity. Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 2 Chron. xxix. 5.

FILTHY
Filth"y, a. [Compar. Filthier; superl. Filthiest.]

Defn: Defiled with filth, whether material or moral; nasty; dirty; polluted; foul; impure; obscene. "In the filthy-mantled pool." Shak. He which is filthy let him be filthy still. Rev. xxii. 11.

Syn. — Nasty; foul; dirty; squalid; unclean; sluttish; gross; vulgar; licentious. See Nasty.

FILTRATE
Fil"trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filtrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Filtrating.
(] Etym: [Cf. LL. filtrare. See Filter.]

Defn: To filter; to defecate; as liquid, by straining or percolation.
Arbuthnot.

FILTRATE
Fil"trate, n.

Defn: That which has been filtered; the liquid which has passed through the filter in the process of filtration.

FILTRATION
Fil*tra"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. filtration.]

Defn: The act or process of filtering; the mechanical separation of a liquid from the undissolved particles floating in it.

FIMBLE; FIMBLE HEMP
Fim"ble, n., or Fim"ble hemp`.Etym: [Corrupted from female hemp.]

Defn: Light summer hemp, that bears no seed.

FIMBRIA Fim"bri*a, n.; pl. Fimbriæ. Etym: [L., fringe. See Fringle.] (Anat.) (a) pl.

Defn: A fringe, or fringed border. (b) A band of white matter bordering the hippocampus in the brain. — Fim"bri*al, a.

FIMBRIATE Fim*bri*ate, a. Etym: [L. fimbriatus fibrous, fringed, fr. fimbria fiber, fringe. See Fringe.]

Defn: Having the edge or extremity bordered by filiform processes thicker than hairs; fringed; as, the fimbriate petals of the pink; the fimbriate end of the Fallopian tube.

FIMBRIATE
Fim"bri*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fimbriated; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fimbriating.]

Defn: To hem; to fringe. Fuller.

FIMBRIATED
Fim"bri*a`ted, a.

1. Having a fringed border; fimbriate.

2. (Her.)

Defn: Having a very narrow border of another tincture; — said esp. of an ordinary or subordinary.

FIMBRICATE
Fim"bri*cate, a.

1. Fringed; jagged; fimbriate.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: fringed, on one side only, by long, straight hairs, as the antennæ of certain insects.

FIN
Fin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finned; p. pr. & vb. n. Finning.] Etym: [Cf.
Fin of a fish.]

Defn: To carve or cut up, as a chub.

FIN
Fin, n. Etym: [See Fine, n.]

Defn: End; conclusion; object. [Obs.] "She knew eke the fin of his intent." Chaucer.

FIN Fin, n.Etym: [OE. finne, fin, AS. finn; akin to D. vin, G. & Dan. finne, Sw. fena, L. pinna, penna, a wing, feather. cf. pen a feather.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles, and serving to balance and propel it in the water.

Note: Fishes move through the water chiefly by means of the caudal fin or tail, the principal office of the other fins being to balance or direct the body, though they are also, to a certain extent, employed in producing motion.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks.

3. A finlike organ or attachment; a part of an object or product which protrudes like a fin, as: (a) The hand. [Slang] (b) (Com.) A blade of whalebone. [Eng.] McElrath. (c) (Mech.) A mark or ridge left on a casting at the junction of the parts of a mold. (d) (Mech.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in the process of rolling. Raymond. (e) (Mech.) A feather; a spline.

4. A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats. Apidose fin. (Zoöl.) See under Adipose, a. — Fin ray (Anat.), one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes. — Fin whale (Zoöl.), a finback. — Paired fins (Zoöl.), the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals. — Unpaired, or Median, fins (Zoöl.), the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins.

FINABLE
Fin"a*ble, a. Etym: [From Fine.]

Defn: Liable or subject to a fine; as, a finable person or offense.
Bacon.

FINAL
Fi"nal, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. finalis, fr. finis boundary, limit, end.
See Finish.]

1. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; last; terminating; ultimate; as, the final day of a school term. Yet despair not of his final pardon. Milton.

2. Conclusive; decisive; as, a final judgment; the battle of Waterloo brought the contest to a final issue.

3. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view. Final cause. See under Cause.

Syn. — Final, Conclusive, Ultimate. Final is now appropriated to that which brings with it an end; as, a final adjustment; the final judgment, etc. Conclusive implies the closing of all discussion, negotiation, etc.; as, a conclusive argument or fact; a conclusive arrangement. In using ultimate, we have always reference to something earlier or proceeding; as when we say, a temporary reverse may lead to an ultimate triumph. The statements which a man finally makes at the close of a negotiation are usually conclusive as to his ultimate intentions and designs.

FINALE
Fi*na"le, n. Etym: [It. See Final.]

Defn: Close; termination; as: (a) (Mus.) The last movement of a symphony, sonata, concerto, or any instrumental composition. (b) The last composition performed in any act of an opera. (c) The closing part, piece, or scene in any public performance or exhibition.

FINALIST
Fi"nal*ist, n. (Sports)

Defn: Any of the players who meet in the final round of a tournament in which the losers in any round do not play again.

FINALITY
Fi*nal"i*ty, n.; pl. Finalities. Etym: [L. finalitas the being last.]

1. The state of being final, finished, or complete; a final or conclusive arrangement; a settlement. Baxter.

2. The relation of end or purpose to its means. Janet.

FINALLY
Fi"nal*ly, adv.

1. At the end or conclusion; ultimately; lastly; as, the contest was long, but the Romans finally conquered. Whom patience finally must crown. Milton.

2. Completely; beyond recovery. Not any house of noble English in Ireland was utterly destroyed or finally rooted out. Sir J. Davies.

FINANCE Fi*nance", n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. financia payment of money, money, fr. finare to pay a fine or subsidy (cf. OF. finer to finish, pay), fr. L. finis end. See Fine, n., Finish.]

1. The income of a ruler or of a state; revennue; public money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used in the plural for funds; available money; resources. All the finances or revenues of the imperial crown. Bacon.

2. The science of raising and expending the public revenue. "Versed in the details of finance." Macaulay.

FINANCIAL
Fi*nan"cial, a.

Defn: Pertaining to finance. "Our financial and commercial system."
Macaulay.

FINANCIALIST
Fi*nan"cial*ist, n.

Defn: A financier.

FINANCIALLY
Fi*nan"cial*ly, adv.

Defn: In a dfinancial manner. Burke.

FINANCIER
Fin`an*cier", n. Etym: [Cf. F. financier.]

1. One charged with the administration of finance; an officer who administers the public revenue; a treasurer. Burke.

2. One skilled in financial operations; one acquainted with money matters.

FINANCIER
Fin`an*cier", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Financiered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Financiering.]

Defn: To conduct financial operations.

FINARY
Fin"a*ry, n. (Iron Works)

Defn: See Finery.

FINATIVE
Fi"na*tive, a.

Defn: Conclusive; decisive; definitive; final. [Obs.] Greene (1593).

FINBACK
Fin"back`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any whale of the genera Sibbaldius, Balænoptera, and allied genera, of the family Balænopteridæ, characterized by a prominent fin on the back. The common finbacks of the New England coast are Sibbaldius tectirostris and S. tuberosus.

FINBAT KITE
Fin"bat kite.

Defn: = Eddy kite. [Eng.]

FINCH
Finch, n.; pl. Fishes. Etym: [AS. finc; akin to D. vink, OHG. fincho,
G. fink; cf. W. pinc a finch; also E. spink.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small singing bird of many genera and species, belonging to the family Fringillidæ.

Note: The word is often used in composition, as in chaffinch,
goldfinch, grassfinch, pinefinch, etc. Bramble finch. See Brambling.
— Canary finch, the canary bird.
— Copper finch. See Chaffinch.
— Diamond finch. See under Diamond.
— Finch falcon (Zoöl.), one of several very small East Indian
falcons of the genus Hierax.
— To pull a finch, to swindle an ignorant or unsuspecting person.
[Obs.] "Privily a finch eke could he pull." Chaucer.

FINCHBACKED
Finch"backed`, a.

Defn: Streaked or spotted on the back; — said of cattle.

FINCHED
Finched, a.

Defn: Same as Finchbacked.

FIND Find, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Found; p. pr. & vb. n. Finding.] Etym: [AS. findan; akin to D. vinden, OS. & OHG. findan, G. finden, Dan. finde, icel. & Sw. finna, Goth. fin; and perh. to L. petere to seek, Gr. pat to fall, fly, E. petition.]

1. To meet with, or light upon, accidentally; to gain the first sight or knowledge of, as of something new, or unknown; hence, to fall in with, as a person. Searching the window for a flint, I found This paper, thus sealed up. Shak. In woods and forests thou art found. Cowley.

2. To learn by experience or trial; to perceive; to experience; to discover by the intellect or the feelings; to detect; to feel. "I find you passing gentle." Shak. The torrid zone is now found habitable. Cowley.

3. To come upon by seeking; as, to find something lost. (a) To discover by sounding; as, to find bottom. (b) To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end; as, water is found to be a compound substance. (c) To gain, as the object of desire or effort; as, to find leisure; to find means. (d) To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire. Seek, and ye shall find. Matt. vii. 7. Every mountain now hath found a tongue. Byron.

4. To provide for; to supply; to furnish; as, to find food for workemen; he finds his nephew in money. Wages £14 and all found. London Times. Nothing a day and find yourself. Dickens.

5. To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish; as, to find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person. To find his title with some shows of truth. Shak. To find out, to detect (a thief); to discover (a secret) — to solve or unriddle (a parable or enigma); to understand. "Canst thou by searching find out God" Job. xi. 7. "We do hope to find out all your tricks." Milton. — To find fault with, to blame; to censure. — To find one's self, to be; to fare; — often used in speaking of health; as, how do you find yourself this morning

FIND
Find, v. i. (Law)

Defn: To determine an issue of fact, and to declare such a determination to a court; as, the jury find for the plaintiff. Burrill.

FIND
Find, n.

Defn: Anything found; a discovery of anything valuable; especially, a deposit, discovered by archæologists, of objects of prehistoric or unknown origin.

FINDABLE
Find"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of beong found; discoverable. Fuller.

FINDER
Find"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, finds; specifically (Astron.), a small telescope of low power and large field of view, attached to a larger telescope, for the purpose of finding an object more readily.

FIN DE SIECLE
Fin` de siè"cle. [F.]

Defn: Lit., end of the century; — mostly used adjectively in English to signify: belonging to, or characteristic of, the close of the 19th century; modern; "up-to-date;" as, fin-de-siècle ideas.

FINDFAULT
Find"fault`, n.

Defn: A censurer or caviler. [Obs.]

FINDFAULTING
Find"fault`ing, a.

Defn: Apt to censure or cavil; faultfinding; captious. [Obs.]
Whitlock.

FINDING
Find"ing, n.

1. That which is found, come upon, or provided; esp. (pl.), that which a journeyman artisan finds or provides for himself; as tools, trimmings, etc. When a man hath been laboring . . . in the deep mines of knowledge, hath furnished out his findings in all their equipage. Milton.

2. Support; maintenance; that which is provided for one; expence; provision.

3. (Law)

Defn: The result of a judicial examination or inquiry, especially
into some matter of fact; a verdict; as, the finding of a jury.
Burrill.
After his friends finding and his rent. Chaucer.

FINDY Fin"dy, a. Etym: [AS. finding heavy; cf. Dan. fyndig strong, energetical, fynd strength, energy, emphasis.]

Defn: Full; heavy; firm; solid; substemtial. [Obs.]
A cold May and a windy Makes the barn fat amd findy. Old Prover

FINE Fine, a. [Compar. Finer; superl. Finest.] Etym: [F. fin, LL. finus fine, pure, fr. L. finire to finish; cf. finitus, p.p., finished, completed (hence the sense accomplished, perfect.) See Finish, and cf. Finite.]

1. Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of admiration; accomplished; beautiful. The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold. Prov. iii. 14. A cup of wine that's brisk and fine. Shak. Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest scholars. Felton. To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats]. Leigh Hunt.

2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy. He gratified them with occasional . . . fine writing. M. Arnold.

3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous.
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Pope.
The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine
raillery. Dryden.
He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman. T. Gray.

4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as: (a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous. The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser. Bacon.

(b) Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine sand or flour. (c) Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread. (d) Thin; attenuate; keen; as, a fine edge. (e) Made of fine materials; light; delicate; as, fine linen or silk.

5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine.

6. (Used ironically.) Ye have made a fine hand, fellows. Shak.

Note: Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn, fine-featured, fine- grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun, etc. Fine arch (Glass Making), the smaller fritting furnace of a glasshouse. Knight. — Fine arts. See the Note under Art. — Fine cut, fine cut tobacco; a kind of chewing tobacco cut up into shreds. — Fine goods, woven fabrics of fine texture and quality. McElrath. — Fine stuff, lime, or a mixture of lime, plaster, etc., used as material for the finishing coat in plastering. — To sail fine (Naut.), to sail as close to the wind as possible.

Syn. — Fine, Beautiful. When used as a word of praise, fine (being opposed to coarse) denotes no "ordinary thing of its kind." It is not as strong as beautiful, in reference to the single attribute implied in the latter term; but when we speak of a fine woman, we include a greater variety of particulars, viz., all the qualities which become a woman, — breeding, sentiment, tact, etc. The term is equally comprehensive when we speak of a fine garden, landscape, horse, poem, etc.; and, though applied to a great variety of objects, the word has still a very definite sense, denoting a high degree of characteristic excellence.

FINE
Fine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fined; p. pr. & vb. n. Fining.] Etym: [From
Fine, a.]

1. To make fine; to refine; to purify, to clarify; as, to fine gold. It hath been fined and refined by . . . learned men. Hobbes.

2. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.; as. to fine the soil. L. H. Bailey.

3. To change by fine gradations; as (Naut.), to fine down a ship's lines, to diminish her lines gradually. I often sate at home On evenings, watching how they fined themselves With gradual conscience to a perfect night. Browning.

FINE Fine, n. Etym: [OE. fin, L. finis end, also in LL., a final agreement or concord between the lord and his vassal; a sum of money paid at the end, so as to make an end of a transaction, suit, or prosecution; mulct; penalty; cf. OF. fin end, settlement, F. fin end. See Finish, and cf. Finance.]

1. End; conclusion; termination; extinction. [Obs.] "To see their fatal fine." Spenser. Is this the fine of his fines Shak.

2. A sum of money paid as the settlement of a claim, or by way of terminating a matter in dispute; especially, a payment of money imposed upon a party as a punishment for an offense; a mulct.

3. (Law) (a) (Feudal Law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal. Spelman. (b) (Eng. Law) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease. Fine for alienation (Feudal Law), a sum of money paid to the lord by a tenant whenever he had occasion to make over his land to another. Burrill. — Fine of lands, a species of conveyance in the form of a fictitious suit compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party. Burrill. See Concord, n., 4. — In fine, in conclusion; by way of termination or summing up.

FINE
Fine, v. t. Etym: [From Fine, n.]

Defn: To impose a pecuniary penalty upon for an offense or breach of law; to set a fine on by judgment of a court; to punish by fine; to mulct; as, the trespassers were fined ten dollars.

FINE
Fine, v. i.

Defn: To pay a fine. See Fine, n., 3 (b). [R.] Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; women fined for leave to marry. Hallam.

FINE
Fine, v. t. & i. Etym: [OF. finer, F. finir. See Finish, v. t.]

Defn: To finish; to cease; or to cause to cease. [Obs.]

FINEDRAW
Fine"draw`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finedrawn; p. pr. & vb. n.
Finedrawing.]

Defn: To sew up, so nicely that the seam is not perceived; to renter.
Marryat.

FINEDRAWER
Fine"draw`er, n.

Defn: One who finedraws.

FINEDRAWN
Fine"drawn`, a.

Defn: Drawn out with too much subtilty; overnice; as, finedrawn speculations.

FINEER
Fi*neer", v. i.

Defn: To run in dept by getting goods made up in a way unsuitable for the use of others, and then threatening not to take them except on credit. [R.] Goldsmith.

FINEER
Fi*neer", v. t.

Defn: To veneer.

FINELESS
Fine"less, a. Etym: [Fine end + -less.]

Defn: Endless; boundless. [Obs.] Shak.

FINELY
Fine"ly, adv.

Defn: In a fine or finished manner.

FINENESS
Fine"ness, n. Etym: [From Fine, a.]

1. The quality or condition of being fine.

2. Freedom from foreign matter or alloy; clearness; purity; as, the fineness of liquor. The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion. Shak.

3. The proportion of pure silver or gold in jewelry, bullion, or coins.

Note: The fineness of United States coin is nine tenths, that of English gold coin is eleven twelfths, and that of English silver coin is

4. Keenness or sharpness; as, the fineness of a needle's point, or of the edge of a blade.

FINER
Fin"er, n.

Defn: One who fines or purifies.

FINERY
Fin"er*y, n.

1. Fineness; beauty. [Obs.] Don't choose your place of study by the finery of the prospects. I. Watts.

2. Ornament; decoration; especially, excecially decoration; showy clothes; jewels. Her mistress' cast-off finery. F. W. Robertson.

3. Etym: [Cf. Refinery.] (Iron Works)

Defn: A charcoal hearth or furnace for the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron, or into iron suitable for puddling.

FINESPUN
Fine"spun`, a.

Defn: Spun so as to be fine; drawn to a fine thread; attenuated; hence, unsubstantial; visionary; as, finespun theories.

FINESSE
Fi`nesse" ( or ), n. Etym: [F., fr. fin fine. See Fine, a.]

1. Subtilty of contrivance to gain a point; artifice; stratagem. This is the artificialest piece of finesse to persuade men into slavery. Milton.

2. (Whist Playing)

Defn: The act of finessing. See Finesse, v. i., 2.

FINESSE
Fi*nesse", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Finessed; p. pr. & vb. n. Finessing.]

1. To use artifice or stratagem. Goldsmith.

2. (Whist Playing)

Defn: To attempt, when second or third player, to make a lower card answer the purpose of a higher, when an intermediate card is out, risking the chance of its being held by the opponent yet to play.

FINESTILL
Fine"still`, v. t.

Defn: To distill, as spirit from molasses or some saccharine preparation.

FINESTILLER
Fine"still`er, n.

Defn: One who finestills.

FINEW
Fin"ew, n. Etym: [See Fenowed.]

Defn: Moldiness. [R.]

FINFISH Fin"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A finback whale. (b) (pl.) True fish, as distinguished from shellfish.

FINFOOT
Fin"foot`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American bird (heliornis fulica) allied to the grebes.
The name is also applied to several related species of the genus
Podica.

FIN-FOOTED Fin"-foot`ed, a. (Zoöl.) (a) Having palmate feet. (b) Having lobate toes, as the coot and grebe.

FINGER
Fin"ger, n. Etym: [AS. finger; akin to D. vinger, OS. & OHG. fingar,
G. finger, Icel. fingr, Sw. & Dan. finger, Goth. figgrs; of unknown
origin; perh. akin to E. fang.]

1. One of the five terminating members of the hand; a digit; esp., one of the four extermities of the hand, other than the thumb.

2. Anything that does work of a finger; as, the pointer of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; especially (Mech.) a small projecting rod, wire, or piece, which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.

3. The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard. A piece of steel three fingers thick. Bp. Wilkins.

4. Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical
instrument. [R.]
She has a good finger. Busby.
Ear finger, the little finger.
— Finger alphabet. See Dactylology.
— Finger bar, the horizontal bar, carrying slotted spikes, or
fingers, through which the vibratory knives of mowing and reaping
machines play.
— Finger board (Mus.), the part of a stringed instrument against
which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone; the keyboard of
a piano, organ, etc.; manual.
— Finger bowl or glass, a bowl or glass to hold water for rinsing
the fingers at table.
— Finger flower (Bot.), the foxglove.
— Finger grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Panicum sanguinale) with
slender radiating spikes; common crab grass. See Crab grass, under
Crab.
— Finger nut, a fly nut or thumb nut.
— Finger plate, a strip of metal, glass, etc., to protect a painted
or polished door from finger marks.
— Finger post, a guide post bearing an index finger.
— Finger reading, reading printed in relief so as to be sensible to
the touch; — so made for the blind.
— Finger shell (Zoöl.), a marine shell (Pholas dactylus) resembling
a finger in form.
— Finger sponge (Zoöl.), a sponge having finger-shaped lobes, or
branches.
— Finger stall, a cover or shield for a finger.
— Finger steel, a steel instrument for whetting a currier's knife.
To burn one's fingers. See under Burn.
— To have a finger in, to be concerned in. [Colloq.] — To have at
one's fingers' ends, to be thoroughly familiar with. [Colloq.]

FINGER
Fin"ger, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fingered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fingering.]

1. To touch with the fingers; to handle; to meddle with. Let the papers lie; You would be fingering them to anger me. Shak.

2. To touch lightly; to toy with.

3. (Mus.) (a) To perform on an instrument of music. (b) To mark the notes of (a piece of music) so as to guide the fingers in playing.

4. To take thievishly; to pilfer; to purloin. Shak.

5. To execute, as any delicate work.

FINGER
Fin"ger, v. i. (Mus.)

Defn: To use the fingers in playing on an instrument. Busby.

FINGERED
Fin"gered, a.

1. Having fingers.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Having leaflets like fingers; digitate.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: Marked with figures designating which finger should be used for each note.

FINGERER
Fin"ger*er, n.

Defn: One who fingers; a pilferer.

FINGERING
Fin"ger*ing, n.

1. The act or process of handling or touching with the fingers. The mere sight and fingering of money. Grew.

2. The manner of using the fingers in playing or striking the keys of an instrument of music; movement or management of the fingers in playing on a musical instrument, in typewriting, etc.

3. The marking of the notes of a piece of music to guide or regulate the action or use of the fingers.

4. Delicate work made with the fingers. Spenser.

FINGERLING
Fin"ger*ling, n. Etym: [Finger + -ling.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young salmon. See Parr.

FINGLE-FANGLE
Fin"gle-fan`gle, n. Etym: [From fangle.]

Defn: A trifle. [Low] Hudibras.

FINGRIGO
Fin"gri*go, n.; pl. Fingrigos. Etym: [So called in Jamaica.] (Bot.)

Defn: A prickly, climbing shrub of the genus Pisonia. The fruit is a kind of berry.

FINIAL
Fin"*i*al, n. Etym: [L. finire to finish, end. See Finish.] (Arch.)

Defn: The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture; sometimes, the pinnacle itself.

FINICAL
Fin"i*cal, a. Etym: [From Fine, a.]

Defn: Affectedly fine; overnice; unduly particular; fastidious.
"Finical taste." Wordsworth.
The gross style consists in giving no detail, the finical in giving
nothing else. Hazlitt.

Syn. — Finical, Spruce, Foppish. These words are applied to persons who are studiously desirous to cultivate finery of appearance. One who is spruce is elaborately nice in dress; one who is finical shows his affectation in language and manner as well as in dress; one who is foppish distinguishes himself by going to the extreme of the fashion in the cut of his clothes, by the tawdriness of his ornaments, and by the ostentation of his manner. "A finical gentleman clips his words and screws his body into as small a compass as possible, to give himself the air of a delicate person; a spruce gentleman strives not to have a fold wrong in his frill or cravat, nor a hair of his head to lie amiss; a foppish gentleman seeks . . . to render himself distinguished for finery." Crabb. — Fin"i*cal*ly, adv. — Fin"i*cal*ness, n.

FINICALITY
Fin`i*cal"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being finical; finicalness.

FINICKING; FINICKY
Fin"ick*ing, Fin"ick*y, a.

Defn: Finical; unduly particular. [Colloq.]

FINIFIC
Fi*nif"ic ( or ), n. Etym: [L. finis end + facere to make.]

Defn: A limiting element or quality. [R.]
The essential finific in the form of the finite. Coleridge.

FINIFY
Fin"i*fy ( or ), v. t. Etym: [Fine, a. + -fy.]

Defn: To make fine; to dress finically. [Obs.]
Hath so pared and finified them [his feet.] B. Jonson.

FINIKIN
Fin"i*kin, a. Etym: [Fine, a. + -kin.]

Defn: Precise in trifles; idly busy. [Colloq.] Smart.

FINING
Fin"ing, n.

1. The act of imposing a fin

2. The process of fining or refining; clarification; also (Metal.), the conversion of cast iron into suitable for puddling, in a hearth or charcoal fire.

3. That which is used to refine; especially, a preparation of isinglass, gelatin, etc., for clarifying beer. Fining pot, a vessel in which metals are refined. Prov. xvii. 3.

FINIS
Fi"nis, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: An end; conclusion. It is often placed at the end of a book.

FINISH Fin"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finished; p. pr. & vb. n. Finishing.] Etym: [F. finir (with a stem finiss- in several forms, whence E. - ish: see -ish.),fr. L. finire to limit, finish, end, fr. finis boundary, limit, end; perh. for fidnis, and akin findere to cleave, E. fissure.]

1. To arrive at the end of; to bring to an end; to put an end to; to make an end of; to terminate. And heroically hath finished A life heroic. Milton.

2. To bestow the last required labor upon; to complete; to bestow the utmost possible labor upon; to perfect; to accomplish; to polish.

Syn. — To end; terminate; close; conclude; complete; accomplish; perfect.

FINISH
Fin"ish, v. i.

1. To come to an end; to terminate. His days may finish ere that hapless time. Shak.

2. To end; to die. [R.] Shak.

FINISH
Fin"ish, n.

1. That which finishes, puts an end to

2. (Arch.)

Defn: The joiner work and other finer work required for the completion of a building, especially of the interior. See Inside finish, and Outside finish.

3. (Fine Arts) (a) The labor required to give final completion to any work; hence, minute detail, careful elaboration, or the like. (b) See Finishing coat, under Finishing.

4. The result of completed labor, as on the surface of an object; manner or style of finishing; as, a rough, dead, or glossy finish given to cloth, stone, metal, etc.

5. Completion; — opposed to Ant: start, or Ant: beginning.

FINISHED
Fin"ished, a.

Defn: Polished to the highest degree of excellence; complete; perfect; as, a finished poem; a finished education. Finished work (Mach.), work that is made smooth or polished, though not necessarily completed.

FINISHER
Fin"ish*er, n.

1. One who finishes, puts an end to, completes, or perfects; esp. used in the trades, as in hatting, weaving, etc., for the workman who gives a finishing touch to the work, or any part of it, and brings it to perfection. O prophet of glad tidings, finisher Of utmost hope! Milton.

2. Something that gives the finishing touch to, or settles, anything. [Colloq.]

FINISHING
Fin"ish*ing, n.

Defn: The act or process of completing or perfecting; the final work upon or ornamentation of a thing.

FINISHING
Fin"ish*ing, a.

Defn: Tending to complete or to render fit for the market or for use. Finishing coat. (a) (Plastering) the final coat of plastering applied to walls and ceilings, usually white and rubbed smooth. (b) (Painting) The final coat of paint, usually differently mixed applied from the others. — Finishing press, a machine for pressing fabrics. — Finishing rolls (Iron Working), the rolls of a train which receive the bar from roughing rolls, and reduce it to its finished shape. Raymond.

FINITE
Fi"nite, a. Etym: [L. finitus, p.p. of finire. See Finish, and cf.
Fine, a.]

Defn: Having a limit; limited in quantity, degree, or capacity; bounded; — opposed to infinite; as, finite number; finite existence; a finite being; a finite mind; finite duration.

FINITELESS
Fi"nite*less, a

Defn: Infinite. [Obs.] Sir T. browne.

FINITELY
Fi"nite*ly, adv.

Defn: In a finite manner or degree.

FINITENESS
Fi"nite*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being finite.

FINITUDE
Fin"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. finire. See Finish.]

Defn: Limitation. Cheyne.

FINJAN
Fin*jan", n. [Also fingan, findjan, fingian, etc.] [Ar. finjan.]

Defn: In the Levant, a small coffee cup without a handle, such as is held in a cup or stand called a zarf.

FIN KEEL
Fin keel. (Naut.)

Defn: A projection downward from the keel of a yacht, resembling in shape the fin of a fish, though often with a cigar-shaped bulb of lead at the bottom, and generally made of metal. Its use is to ballast the boat and also to enable her to sail close to the wind and to make the least possible leeway by offering great resistance to lateral motion through the water.

FINLANDER
Fin"land*er, n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Finland.

FINLESS
Fin"less, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: destitute of fins.

FINLET
Fin"let, n. Etym: [Fin + -let.]

Defn: A little fin; one of the parts of a divided fin.

FINLIKE
Fin"like`, a.

Defn: Resembling a fin.

FINN
Finn, a.

Defn: A native of Finland; one of the FinnFinns.

FINNAN HADDIE
Fin"nan had"die. Etym: [See Haddock.]

Defn: Haddock cured in peat smoke, originally at Findon (pron. fìn"an), Scotland. the name is also applied to other kinds of smoked haddock. [Written also finnan haddock.]

FINNED
Finned, a.

Defn: Having a fin, or fins, or anything resembling a fin. Mortimer.

FINNER
Fin"ner, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A finback whale.

FINNIC
Finn"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Finns.

FINNIKIN
Fin"ni*kin, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A variety of pigeon, with a crest somewhat resembling the mane of a horse. [Written also finikin.]

FINNISH
Finn"ish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Finland, to the Finns, or to their language. — n.

Defn: A Northern Turanian group of languages; the language of the
Finns.

FINNS Finns, n. pl.; sing. Finn. (Ethnol.) (a) Natives of Finland; Finlanders. (b) A branch of the Mongolian race, inhabiting Northern and Eastern Europe, including the Magyars, Bulgarians, Permians, Lapps, and Finlanders. [Written also Fins.]

FINNY
Fin"ny, a.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having, or abounding in, fins, as fishes; pertaining to fishes.

2. Abounding in fishes. With patient angle trolls the finny deep. Goldsmoth.

FINOCHIO
Fi*no"chi*o, n. Etym: [It. finocchio fennel, LL. fenuclum. See
Fennel.] (Bot.)

Defn: An umbelliferous plant (Foeniculum dulce) having a somewhat tuberous stem; sweet fennel. The blanched stems are used in France and Italy as a culinary vegetable.

FINOS
Fi"nos, n. pl. Etym: [Sp., pl., fr. fino fine.]

Defn: Second best wool from Merino sheep. Gardner.

FINPIKE
Fin"pike`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bichir. See Crossopterygii.

FINSEN LIGHT Fin"sen light. [After Prof. Niels R. Finsen (b. 1860), Danish physician.] (Med.)

Defn: Highly actinic light, derived from sunlight or from some form of electric lamp, used in the treatment of lupus and other cutaneous affections.

FINT
Fint,

Defn: 3d pers. sing. pr. of Find, for findeth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FIN-TOED
Fin"-toed`, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having toes connected by a membrane; palmiped; palmated; also, lobate.

FIORD
Fiord (fyi or y consonant, § 272), n. Etym: [Dan. & Norw. fiord. See
Frith.]

Defn: A narrow inlet of the sea, penetrating between high banks or rocks, as on the coasts of Norway and Alaska. [Written also fjord.]

FIORIN
Fi"o*rin, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. fiothran a sort of grass.] (Bot.)

Defn: A species of creeping bent grass (Agrostis alba); — called also fiorin grass.

FIORITE
Fi"o*rite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A variety of opal occuring in the cavities of volcanic tufa, in smooth and shining globular and botryoidal masses, having a pearly luster; — so called from Fiora, in Ischia.

FIORITURE
Fio`ri*tu"re, n. pl. Etym: [It., pl. of fioritura a flowering.]
(Mus.)

Defn: Little flowers of ornament introduced into a melody by a singer or player.

FIPPENNY BIT
Fip"pen*ny bit` ( or ). Etym: [Corruption of five penny bit.]

Defn: The Spanish half real, or one sixteenth of a dollar, — so called in Pennsylvania and the adjacent States. [Obs.]

Note: Before the act of Congress, Feb. 21, 1857, caused the adoption of decimal coins and the withdrawal of foreign coinage from circulation, this coin passed currently for 6fourpence ha'penny or fourpence; in New York a sixpence; in Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc., a fip; and in Louisiana, a picayune.

FIPPLE
Fip"ple (fer), n. Etym: [perh. fr. L. fibula a clasp, a pin; cf.
Prov. E. fible a stick used to stir pottage.]

Defn: A stopper, as in a wind instrument of music. [Obs.] Bacon.

FIR Fir, n. Etym: [Dan. fyr, fyrr; akin to Sw. furu, Icel. fura, AS. furh in furhwudu fir wood, G. föhre, OHG. forha pine, vereheih a sort of oak, L. quercus (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Abies) of coniferous trees, often of large size and elegant shape, some of them valued for their timber and others for their resin. The species are distinguished as the balsam fir, the silver fir, the red fir, etc. The Scoth fir is a Pinus.

Note: Fir in the Bible means any one of several coniferous trees, including, cedar, cypress, and probably three species of pine. J. D. Hooker.

FIRE
Fire, n. Etym: [OE. fir, fyr, fur AS. fr; akin to D. vuur, OS. & OHG.
fiur, G. feuer, Icel. f, f, Gr. purus pure, E. pure Cf. Empyrean,
Pyre.]

1. The evolution of light and heat in the combustion of bodies; combustion; state of ignition.

Note: The form of fire exhibited in the combustion of gases in an ascending stream or current is called flame. Anciently, fire, air, earth, and water were regarded as the four elements of which all things are composed.

2. Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, or in

3. The burning of a house or town; a conflagration.

4. Anything which destroys or affects like fire.

5. Ardor of passion, whether love or hate; excessive warmth; consumingviolence of temper. he had fire in his temper.Atterbury.

6. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm; capacity for ardor and zeal. And bless their critic with a poet's fire.Pope.

7. Splendor; brilliancy; luster; hence, a star. Stars, hide your fires.Shak. As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires.Milton.

8. Torture by burning; severe trial or affliction.

9. The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were exposed to a heavy fire. Blue fire, Red fire, Green fire (Pyrotech.), compositions of various combustible substances, as sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames of which are colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony, strontium, barium, etc. — Fire alarm (a) A signal given on the breaking out of a fire. (b) An apparatus for giving such an alarm. — Fire annihilator, a machine, device, or preparation to be kept at hand for extinguishing fire by smothering it with some incombustible vapor or gas, as carbonic acid. — Fire balloon. (a) A balloon raised in the air by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire placed in the lower part. (b) A balloon sent up at night with fireworks which ignite at a regulated height. Simmonds. — Fire bar, a grate bar. — Fire basket, a portable grate; a cresset. Knight. — Fire beetle. (Zoöl.) See in the Vocabulary. — Fire blast, a disease of plants which causes them to appear as if burnt by fire. — Fire box, the chamber of a furnace, steam boiler, etc., for the fire. — Fire brick, a refractory brick, capable of sustaining intense heat without fusion, usually made of fire clay or of siliceous material, with some cementing substance, and used for lining fire boxes, etc. — Fire brigade, an organized body of men for extinguished fires. — Fire bucket. See under Bucket. — Fire bug, an incendiary; one who, from malice or through mania, persistently sets fire to property; a pyromaniac. [U.S.] — Fire clay. See under Clay. — Fire company, a company of men managing an engine in extinguishing fires. — Fire cross. See Fiery cross. [Obs.] Milton. — Fire damp. See under Damp. — Fire dog. See Firedog, in the Vocabulary. — Fire drill. (a) A series of evolutions performed by fireman for practice. (b) An apparatus for producing fire by friction, by rapidly twirling a wooden pin in a wooden socket; — used by the Hindoos during all historic time, and by many savage peoples. — Fire eater. (a) A juggler who pretends to eat fire. (b) A quarrelsome person who seeks affrays; a hotspur. [Colloq.] — Fire engine, a portable forcing pump, usually on wheels, for throwing water to extinguish fire. — Fire escape, a contrivance for facilitating escape from burning buildings. — Fire gilding (Fine Arts), a mode of gilding with an amalgam of gold and quicksilver, the latter metal being driven off afterward by heat. — Fire gilt (Fine Arts), gold laid on by the process of fire gilding. — Fire insurance, the act or system of insuring against fire; also, a contract by which an insurance company undertakes, in consideration of the payment of a premium or small percentage — usually made periodically — to indemnify an owner of property from loss by fire during a specified period. — Fire irons, utensils for a fireplace or grate, as tongs, poker, and shovel. — Fire main, a pipe for water, to be used in putting out fire. — Fire master (Mil), an artillery officer who formerly supervised the composition of fireworks. — Fire office, an office at which to effect insurance against fire. — Fire opal, a variety of opal giving firelike reflections. — Fire ordeal, an ancient mode of trial, in which the test was the ability of the accused to handle or tread upon red-hot irons. Abbot. — Fire pan, a pan for holding or conveying fire, especially the receptacle for the priming of a gun. — Fire plug, a plug or hydrant for drawing water from the main pipes in a street, building, etc., for extinguishing fires. — Fire policy, the writing or instrument expressing the contract of insurance against loss by fire. — Fire pot. (a) (Mil.) A small earthen pot filled with combustibles, formerly used as a missile in war. (b) The cast iron vessel which holds the fuel or fire in a furnace. (c) A crucible. (d) A solderer's furnace. — Fire raft, a raft laden with combustibles, used for setting fire to an enemy's ships. — Fire roll, a peculiar beat of the drum to summon men to their quarters in case of fire. — Fire setting (Mining), the process of softening or cracking the working face of a lode, to facilitate excavation, by exposing it to the action of fire; — now generally superseded by the use of explosives. Raymond. — Fire ship, a vessel filled with combustibles, for setting fire to an enemy's ships. — Fire shovel, a shovel for taking up coals of fire. — Fire stink, the stench from decomposing iron pyrites, caused by the formation of sulphureted hydrogen. Raymond. — Fire surface, the surfaces of a steam boiler which are exposed to the direct heat of the fuel and the products of combustion; heating surface. — Fire swab, a swab saturated with water, for cooling a gun in action and clearing away particles of powder, etc. Farrow. — Fire teaser, in England, the fireman of a steam emgine. — Fire water, ardent spirits; — so called by the American Indians. — Fire worship, the worship of fire, which prevails chiefly in Persia, among the followers of Zoroaster, called Chebers, or Guebers, and among the Parsees of India. — Greek fire. See under Greek. — On fire, burning; hence, ardent; passionate; eager; zealous. — Running fire, the rapid discharge of firearms in succession by a line of troops. — St. Anthony's fire, erysipelas; — an eruptive fever which St. Anthony was supposed to cure miraculously. Hoblyn. — St. Elmo's fire. See under Saint Elmo. — To set on fire, to inflame; to kindle. — To take fire, to begin to burn; to fly into a passion.

FIRE
Fire, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fired; p. pr. & vb. n. Fring.]

1. To set on fire; to kindle; as, to fire a house or chimney; to fire a pile.

2. To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln; as, to fire pottery.

3. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge. Love had fired my mind. Dryden.

4. To animate; to give life or spirit to; as, to fire the genius of a young man.

5. To feed or serve the fire of; as, to fire a boiler.

6. To light up as if by fire; to illuminate. [The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines. Shak.

7. To cause to explode; as, to fire a torpedo; to disharge; as, to fire a musket or cannon; to fire cannon balls, rockets, etc.

8. To drive by fire. [Obs.] Till my bad angel fire my good one out. Shak.

9. (Far.)

Defn: To cauterize. To fire up, to light up the fires of, as of an engine.

FIRE
Fire, v. i.

1. To take fire; to be kindled; to kindle.

2. To be irritated or inflamed with passion.

3. To discharge artillery or firearms; as, they fired on the town. To fire up, to grow irritated or angry. "He . . . fired up, and stood vigorously on his defense." Macaulay.

FIREARM
Fire"arm`, n.

Defn: A gun, pistol, or any weapon from a shot is discharged by the force of an explosive substance, as gunpowder.

FIREBACK
Fire"back`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several species of pheasants of the genus Euplocamus, having the lower back a bright, fiery red. They inhabit Southern Asia and the East Indies.

FIREBALL Fire"ball`, n. (a) (Mil.) A ball filled with powder or other combustibles, intended to be thrown among enemies, and to injure by explosion; also, to set fire to their works and light them up, so that movements may be seen. (b) A luminous meteor, resembling a ball of fire passing rapidly through the air, and sometimes exploding.

FIREBARE
Fire"bare`, n.

Defn: A beacon. [Obs.] Burrill.

FIRE BEETLE
Fire" bee`tle. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A very brilliantly luminous beetle (Pyrophorus noctilucus), one of the elaters, found in Central and South America; — called also cucujo. The name is also applied to other species. See Firefly.

FIREBIRD
Fire"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Baltimore oriole.

FIREBOARD
Fire"board`, n.

Defn: A chimney board or screen to close a fireplace when not in use.

FIREBOTE
Fire"bote`, n. (O.Eng.Law)

Defn: An allowance of fuel. See Bote.

FIREBRAND
Fire"brand`, n.

1. A piece of burning wood. L'Estrange.

2. One who inflames factions, or causes contention and mischief; an incendiary. Bacon.

FIRECRACKER
Fire"crack`er, n.

Defn: See Cracker., n., 3.

FIRECREST
Fire"crest`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small European kinglet (Regulus ignicapillus), having a bright red crest; — called also fire-crested wren.

FIREDOG
Fire"dog`, n.

Defn: A support for wood in a fireplace; an andiron.

FIREDRAKE
Fire"drake`, n. Etym: [AS. f; f fire + draca a dragon. See Fire, and
Drake a dragon.] [Obs.]

1. A fiery dragon. Beau. & Fl.

2. A fiery meteor; an ignis fatuus; a rocket.

3. A worker at a furnace or fire. B. Jonson.

FIRE-FANGED
Fire"-fanged`, a. Etym: [Fire + fanged seized.]

Defn: Injured as by fire; burned; — said of manure which has lost its goodness and acquired an ashy hue in consequence of heat generated by decomposition.

FIREFISH
Fire"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A singular marine fish of the genus Pterois, family Scorpænidæ, of several species, inhabiting the Indo-Pacific region. They are usually red, and have very large spinose pectoral and dorsal fins.

FIREFLAIRE
Fire"flaire`, n. Etym: [Fire + Prov. E. flaire a ray.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European sting ray of the genus Trygon (T. pastinaca); — called also fireflare and fiery flaw.

FIREFLAME
Fire"flame`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European band fish (Cepola rubescens).

FIREFLY
Fire"fly`, n.; pl. Fireflies (. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any luminous winged insect, esp. luminous beetles of the family
Lampyridæ.

Note: The common American species belong to the genera Photinus and Photuris, in which both sexes are winged. The name is also applied to luminous species of Elateridæ. See Fire beetle.

FIRELESS
Fire"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of fire.

FIRELOCK
Fire"lock`, n.

Defn: An old form of gunlock, as the flintlock, which ignites the priming by a spark; perhaps originally, a matchlock. Hence, a gun having such a lock.

FIREMAN
Fire"man, n.; pl. Firemen (-men).

1. A man whose business is to extinguish fires in towns; a member of a fire company.

2. A man who tends the fires, as of a steam engine; a stocker.

FIRE-NEW
Fire"-new`, a.

Defn: Fresh from the forge; bright; quite new; brand-new. Charles
reade.
Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current. Shak.

FIREPLACE
Fire"place`, n.

Defn: The part a chimney appropriated to the fire; a hearth; — usually an open recess in a wall, in which a fire may be built.

FIREPROOF
Fire"proof`, a.

Defn: Proof against fire; incombustible.

FIREPROOFING
Fire"proof`ing, n.

Defn: The act or process of rendering anything incombustible; also, the materials used in the process.

FIRER
Fir"er, n.

Defn: One who fires or sets fire to anything; an incendiary. [R.] R.
Carew.

FIREROOM
Fire"room`, n.

Defn: Same as Stokehold, below.

FIRE-SET
Fire"-set`, n.

Defn: A set of fire irons, including, commonly, tongs, shovel, and poker.

FIRESIDE
Fire"side`, n.

Defn: A place near the fire or hearth; home; domestic life or retirement.

FIRESTONE
Fire"stone` (; 110), n. Etym: [AS. f flint; f fire + stan stone.]

1. Iron pyrites, formerly used for striking fire; also, a flint.

2. A stone which will bear the heat of a furnace without injury; — especially applied to the sandstone at the top of the upper greensand in the south of England, used for lining kilns and furnaces. Ure.

FIRETAIL
Fire"tail`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European redstart; — called also fireflirt. [prov. Eng.]

FIREWARDEN
Fire"ward`en, n.

Defn: An officer who has authority to direct in the extinguishing of fires, or to order what precautions shall be taken against fires; — called also fireward.

FIREWEED Fire"weed`, n. (Bot.) (a) An American plant (Erechthites hiercifolia), very troublesome in spots where brushwood has been burned. (b) The great willow-herb (Epilobium spicatum).

FIREWOOD
Fire"wood`, n.

Defn: Wood for fuel.

FIREWORK
Fire"work`, n.

1. A device for producing a striking display of light, or a figure or figures in plain or colored fire, by the combustion of materials that burn in some peculiar manner, as gunpowder, sulphur, metallic filings, and various salts. The most common feature of fireworks is a paper or pasteboard tube filled with the combustible material. A number of these tubes or cases are often combined so as to make, when kindled, a great variety of figures in fire, often variously colored. The skyrocket is a common form of firework. The name is also given to various combustible preparations used in war.

2. pl.

Defn: A pyrotechnic exhibition. [Obs. in the sing.]
Night before last, the Duke of Richmond gave a firework. Walpole.

FIREWORM
Fire"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The larva of a small tortricid moth which eats the leaves of the cranberry, so that the vines look as if burned; — called also cranberry worm.

FIRING
Fir"ing, n.

1. The act of disharging firearms.

2. The mode of introducing fuel into the furnace and working it. Knight.

3. The application of fire, or of a cautery. Dunglison.

4. The process of partly vitrifying pottery by exposing it to intense heat in a kiln.

5. Fuel; firewood or coal. [Obs.] Mortimer. Firing iron, an instrument used in cauterizing.

FIRING PIN
Fir"ing pin`.

Defn: In the breech mechanism of a firearm, the pin which strikes the head of the cartridge and explodes it.

FIRK Firk, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OE. ferken to proceed, hasten, AS. fercian to bring, assist; perh. akin to faran to go, E. fare.]

Defn: To beat; to strike; to chastise. [Obs.]
I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him. Shak.

FIRK
Firk, v. i.

Defn: To fly out; to turn out; to go off. [Obs.]
A wench is a rare bait, with which a man
No sooner's taken but he straight firks mad.B.Jonson.

FIRK
Firk, n.

Defn: A freak; trick; quirk. [Obs.] Ford.

FIRKIN
Fir"kin, n. Etym: [From AS. feówer four (or an allied word, perh.
Dutch or Danish) + -kin. See Four.]

1. A varying measure of capacity, usually being the fourth part of a barrel; specifically, a measure equal to nine imperial gallons. [Eng.]

2. A small wooden vessel or cask of indeterminate size, — used for butter, lard, etc. [U.S.]

FIRLOT Fir"lot, n. Etym: [Scot., the fourth part of a boll of grain, from a word equiv. to E. four + lot part, portion. See Firkin.]

Defn: A dry measure formerly used in Scotland; the fourth part of a boll of grain or meal. The Linlithgow wheat firlot was to the imperial bushel as 998 to 1000; the barley firlot as 1456 to 1000. Brande & C.

FIRM Firm, a. [Compar. Firmer; superl. Firmest.] Etym: [OE. ferme, F. ferme, fr.L. firmus; cf. Skr. dharman support, law, order, dh to hold fast, carry. Cf. Farm, Throne.]

1. Fixed; hence, closely compressed; compact; substantial; hard; solid; — applied to the matter of bodies; as, firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood.

2. Not easily excited or disturbed; unchanging in purpose; fixed; steady; constant; stable; unshaken; not easily changed in feelings or will; strong; as, a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent. Under spread ensigns, moving nigh, in slow But firm battalion. Milton. By one man's firm obediency fully tried. Milton.

3. Solid; — opposed to fluid; as, firm land.

4. Indicating firmness; as, a firm tread; a firm countenance.

Syn. — Compact; dense; hard; solid; stanch; robust; strong; sturdly; fixed; steady; resolute; constant.

FIRM Firm, n. Etym: [It. firma the (firm, sure, or confirming) signature or subscription, or Pg. firma signature, firm, cf. Sp. firma signature; all fr. L. firmus, adj., firm. See Firm, a]

Defn: The name, title, or style, under which a company transacts business; a partnership of two or more persons; a commercial house; as, the firm of Hope & Co.

FIRM Firm, v. t. Etym: [OE. fermen to make firm, F. fermer, fr. L. firmare to make firm. See Firm, a.]

1. To fix; to settle; to confirm; to establish. [Obs.] And Jove has firmed it with an awful nod. Dryden.

2. To fix or direct with firmness. [Obs.] He on his card and compass firms his eye. Spenser.

FIRMAMENT
Fir"ma*ment, n. Etym: [L. firmamentum, fr. firmare to make firm: cf.
F. firmament. See Firm, v. & a.]

1. Fixed foundation; established basis. [Obs.] Custom is the . . . firmament of the law. Jer. Taylor.

2. The region of the air; the sky or heavens. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the miGen. i. 6. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament. Gen. i. 14.

Note: In Scripture, the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent; the great arch or expanse over out heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed, and are really seen.

3. (Old Astron.)

Defn: The orb of the fixed stars; the most rmote of the celestial spheres.

FIRMAMENTAL
Fir`ma*men"tal, a.

Defn: Pertaining to the firmament; celestial; being of the upper regions. Dryden.

FIRMAN
Fir"man ( or ), n.; pl. Firmans or. Etym: [Pers. ferman.]

Defn: In Turkey and some other Oriental countries, a decree or mandate issued by the sovereign; a royal order or grant; — generally given for special objects, as to a traveler to insure him protection and assistance. [Written also firmaun.]

FIRMER-CHISEL
Firm"er-chis"el, n.

Defn: A chisel, thin in proportion to its width. It has a tang to enter the handle instead of a socket for receiving it. Knight.

FIRMITUDE
Firm"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. firmitudo. See Firm.]

Defn: Strength; stability. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

FIRMITY
Firm"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. firmitas.]

Defn: Strength; firmness; stability. [Obs.] Chillingworth.

FIRMLESS
Firm"less, a.

1. Detached from substance. [Obs.] Does passion still the firmless mind control Pope.

2. Infirm; unstable. "Firmless sands." Sylvester.

FIRMLY
Firm"ly, adv.

Defn: In a firm manner.

FIRMNESS
Firm"ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being firm.

Syn. — Firmness, Constancy. Firmness belongs to the will, and constancy to the affections and principles; the former prevents us from yielding, and the latter from fluctuating. Without firmness a man has no character; "without constancy," says Addison, "there is neither love, friendship, nor virtue in the world."

FIRMS
Firms, n. pl. Etym: [From Firm, a.] (Arch.)

Defn: The principal rafters of a roof, especially a pair of rafters taken together. [Obs.]

FIRRING
Fir"ring, n. (Arch.)

Defn: See Furring.

FIRRY
Fir"ry, a.

Defn: Made of fir; abounding in firs.
In firry woodlands making moan. Tennyson.

FIRST
First, a. Etym: [OE. first, furst, AS. fyrst; akin to Icel. fyrstr,
Sw. & Dan. förste, OHG. furist, G. fürst prince; a superlatiye form
of E. for, fore. See For, Fore, and cf. Formeer, Foremost.]

1. Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest; as, the first day of a month; the first year of a reign.

2. Foremost; in front of, or in advance of, all others.

3. Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest; as, Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece. At first blush. See under Blush. — At first hand, from the first or original source; without the intervention of any agent. It is the intention of the person to reveal it at first hand, by way of mouth, to yourself. Dickens. — First coat (Plastering), the solid foundation of coarse stuff, on which the rest is placed; it is thick, and crossed with lines, so as to give a bond for the next coat. — First day, Sunday; — so called by the Friends. — First floor. (a) The ground floor. [U.S.] (b) The floor next above the ground floor. [Eng.] — First fruit or fruits. (a) The fruits of the season earliest gathered. (b) (Feudal Law) One year's profits of lands belonging to the king on the death of a tenant who held directly from him. (c) (Eng. Eccl. Law) The first year's whole profits of a benefice or spiritual living. (d) The earliest effects or results. See, Father, what first fruits on earth are sprung From thy implanted grace in man! Milton. — First mate, an officer in a merchant vessel next in rank to the captain. — First name, same as Christian name. See under Name, n. — First officer (Naut.), in the merchant service, same as First mate (above). — First sergeant (Mil.), the ranking non-commissioned officer in a company; the orderly sergeant. Farrow. — First watch (Naut.), the watch from eight to twelve at midnight; also, the men on duty during that time. — First water, the highest quality or purest luster; — said of gems, especially of diamond and pearls.

Syn. — Primary; primordial; primitive; primeval; pristine; highest; chief; principal; foremost.

FIRST
First, adv.

Defn: Before any other person or thing in time, space, rank, etc.; —
much used in composition with adjectives and participles.
Adam was first formed, then Eve. 1 Tim. ii. 13.
At first, At the first, at the beginning or origin.
— First or last, at one time or another; at the beginning or end.
And all are fools and lovers first or last. Dryden.

FIRST
First, n. (Mus.)

Defn: The upper part of a duet, trio, etc., either vocal or instrumental; — so called because it generally expresses the air, and has a preëminence in the combined effect.

FIRSTBORN
First"born`, a.

Defn: First brought forth; first in the order of nativity; eldest; hence, most excellent; most distinguished or exalted.

FIRST-CLASS
First"-class`, a.

Defn: Of the best class; of the highest rank; in the first division; of the best quality; first-rate; as, a first-class telescope. First- class car or First-class railway carriage, any passenger car of the highest regular class, and intended for passengers who pay the highest regular rate; — distinguished from a second-class car.

FIRST-HAND
First"-hand`, a.

Defn: Obtained directly from the first or original source; hence, without the intervention of an agent. One sphere there is . . . where the apprehension of him is first-hand and direct; and that is the sphere of our own mind. J. Martineau.

FIRSTLING
First"ling, n. Etym: [First + -ling.]

1. The first produce or offspring; — said of animals, especially domestic animals; as, the firstlings of his flock. Milton.

2. The thing first thought or done. The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand. Shak.

FIRSTLING
First"ling, a.

Defn: Firstborn.
All the firstling males. Deut. xv. 19.

FIRSTLY
First"ly, adv.

Defn: In the first place; before anything else; — sometimes improperly used for first.

FIRST-RATE
First"-rate`, a.

Defn: Of the highest excellence; preëminent in quality, size, or
estimation.
Our only first-rate body of contemporary poetry is the German. M.
Arnold.
Hermocrates . . . a man of first-rate ability. Jowett (Thucyd).

FIRST-RATE
First"-rate`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A war vessel of the highest grade or the most powerful class.

FIRTH
Firth, n. Etym: [Scot. See Frith.] (geog.)

Defn: An arm of the sea; a frith.

FIR TREE
Fir" tree`

Defn: . See Fir.

FISC Fisc, n. Etym: [F. fisc, fr. L. fiscus basket, money basket, treasury; prob. akin to fascis bundle. See Fasces.]

Defn: A public or state treasury. Burke.

FISCAL
Fis"cal, a. Etym: [F. fiscal, L. fiscalis, fr. fiscus. See Fisc.]

Defn: Pertaining to the public treasury or revenue.
The fiscal arreangements of government. A. Hamilton.

FISCAL
Fis"cal, n.

1. The income of a prince or a state; revenue; exhequer. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. A treasurer. H. Swinburne.

3. A public officer in Scotland who prosecutes in petty criminal cases; — called also procurator fiscal.

4. The solicitor in Spain and Portugal; the attorney-general.

FISETIC
Fi*set"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to fustet or fisetin.

FISETIN
Fis"e*tin, n. Etym: [G. fisettholz a species of fustic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A yellow crystalline substance extracted from fustet, and regarded as its essential coloring principle; — called also fisetic acid.

FISH
Fish, n. Etym: [F. fiche peg, mark, fr. fisher to fix.]

Defn: A counter, used in various games.

FISH Fish, n.; pl. Fishes, or collectively, Fish. Etym: [OE. fisch, fisc, fis, AS. fisc; akin to D. visch, OS. & OHG. fisk, G. fisch, Icel. fiskr, Sw. & Dan. fisk, Goth. fisks, L. piscis, Ir. iasg. Cf. Piscatorial. In some cases, such as fish joint, fish plate, this word has prob. been confused with fish, fr. F. fichea peg.]

1. A name loosely applied in popular usage to many animals of diverse characteristics, living in the water.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An oviparous, vertebrate animal usually having fins and a covering scales or plates. It breathes by means of gills, and lives almost entirely in the water. See Pisces.

Note: The true fishes include the Teleostei (bony fishes), Ganoidei, Dipnoi, and Elasmobranchii or Selachians (sharks and skates). Formerly the leptocardia and Marsipobranciata were also included, but these are now generally regarded as two distinct classes, below the fishes.

3. pl.

Defn: The twelfth sign of the zodiac; Pisces.

4. The flesh of fish, used as food.

5. (Naut.) (a) A purchase used to fish the anchor. (b) A piece of timber, somewhat in the form of a fish, used to strengthen a mast or yard.

Note: Fish is used adjectively or as part of a compound word; as,
fish line, fish pole, fish spear, fish-bellied. Age of Fishes. See
under Age, n., 8.
— Fish ball, fish (usually salted codfish) shared fine, mixed with
mashed potato, and made into the form of a small, round cake. [U.S.]
— Fish bar. Same as Fish plate (below).
— Fish beam (Mech.), a beam one of whose sides (commonly the under
one) swells out like the belly of a fish. Francis.
— Fish crow (Zoöl.), a species of crow (Corvus ossifragus), found
on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It feeds largely on fish.
— Fish culture, the artifical breeding and rearing of fish;
pisciculture.
— Fish davit. See Davit.
— Fish day, a day on which fish is eaten; a fast day.
— Fish duck (Zoöl.), any species of merganser.
— Fish fall, the tackle depending from the fish davit, used in
hauling up the anchor to the gunwale of a ship.
— Fish garth, a dam or weir in a river for keeping fish or taking
them easily.
— Fish glue. See Isinglass.
— Fish joint, a joint formed by a plate or pair of plates fastened
upon two meeting beams, plates, etc., at their junction; — used
largely in connecting the rails of railroads.
— Fish kettle, a long kettle for boiling fish whole.
— Fish ladder, a dam with a series of steps which fish can leap in
order to ascend falls in a river.
— Fish line, or Fishing line, a line made of twisted hair, silk,
etc., used in angling.
— Fish louse (Zoöl.), any crustacean parasitic on fishes, esp. the
parasitic Copepoda, belonging to Caligus, Argulus, and other related
genera. See Branchiura.
— Fish maw (Zoöl.), the stomach of a fish; also, the air bladder,
or sound.
— Fish meal, fish desiccated and ground fine, for use in soups,
etc.
— Fish oil, oil obtained from the bodies of fish and marine
animals, as whales, seals, sharks, from cods' livers, etc.
— Fish owl (Zoöl.), a fish-eating owl of the Old World genera
Scotopelia and Ketupa, esp. a large East Indian species (K.
Ceylonensis).
— Fish plate, one of the plates of a fish joint.
— Fish pot, a wicker basket, sunk, with a float attached, for
catching crabs, lobsters, etc.
— Fish pound, a net attached to stakes, for entrapping and catching
fish; a weir. [Local, U.S.] Bartlett.
— Fish slice, a broad knife for dividing fish at table; a fish
trowel.
— Fish slide, an inclined box set in a stream at a small fall, or
ripple, to catch fish descending the current. Knight.
— Fish sound, the air bladder of certain fishes, esp. those that
are dried and used as food, or in the arts, as for the preparation of
isinglass.
— Fish story, a story which taxes credulity; an extravagant or
incredible narration. [Colloq. U.S.] Bartlett.
— Fish strainer. (a) A metal colander, with handles, for taking
fish from a boiler. (b) A perforated earthenware slab at the bottom
of a dish, to drain the water from a boiled fish.
— Fish trowel, a fish slice.
— Fish weir or wear, a weir set in a stream, for catching fish.
— Neither fish nor flesh (Fig.), neither one thing nor the other.

FISH
Fish, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fished; p. pr. & vb. n. Fishing.]

1. To attempt to catch fish; to be employed in taking fish, by any means, as by angling or drawing a net.

2. To seek to obtain by artifice, or indirectly to seek to draw forth; as, to fish for compliments. Any other fishing question. Sir W. Scott.

FISH
Fish, v. t. Etym: [OE. fischen, fisken, fissen, AS. fiscian; akin to
G. fischen, OHG. fisc, Goth. fisk. See Fish the animal.]

1. To catch; to draw out or up; as, to fish up an anchor.

2. To search by raking or sweeping. Swift.

3. To try with a fishing rod; to catch fish in; as, to fish a stream. Thackeray.

4. To strengthen (a beam, mast, etc.), or unite end to end (two timbers, railroad rails, etc.) by bolting a plank, timber, or plate to the beam, mast, or timbers, lengthwise on one or both sides. See Fish joint, under Fish, n. To fish the anchor. (Naut.) See under Anchor.

FISH-BELLIED
Fish"-bel`lied, a.

Defn: Bellying or swelling out on the under side; as, a fish-bellied rail. Knight.

FISH-BLOCK
Fish"-block`, n.

Defn: See Fish-tackle.

FISHER
Fish"er, n. Etym: [AS. fiscere.]

1. One who fishes.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela Canadensis); the pekan; the "black cat."

FISHERMAN
Fish"er*man, n.; pl. Fishermen (.

1. One whose occupation is to catch fish.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A ship or vessel employed in the business of taking fish, as in the cod fishery.

FISHERY
Fish"er*y, n.; pl. Fisheries (.

1. The business or practice of catching fish; fishing. Addison.

2. A place for catching fish.

3. (Law)

Defn: The right to take fish at a certain place, or in particular waters. Abbott.

FISHFUL
Fish"ful, a.

Defn: Abounding with fish. [R.] "My fishful pond." R. Carew.

FISHGIG
Fish"gig`, n.

Defn: A spear with barbed prongs used for harpooning fish. Knight.

FISHHAWK
Fish"hawk`, n. (Zoöl.)

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

FISHHOOK
Fish"hook`, n.

1. A hook for catching fish.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A hook with a pendant, to the end of which the fish-tackle is hooked. Dana.

FISHIFY
Fish"i*fy, v. t.

Defn: To change to fish. [R.] Shak.

FISHINESS
Fish"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being fishy or fishlike. Pennant.

FISHING
Fish"ing, n.

1. The act, practice, or art of one who fishes.

2. A fishery. Spenser.

FISHING
Fish"ing, a. Etym: [From Fishing, n.]

Defn: Pertaining to fishing; used in fishery; engaged in fishing; as, fishing boat; fishing tackle; fishing village. Fishing fly, an artificial fly for fishing. — Fishing line, a line used in catching fish. — Fishing net, a net of various kinds for catching fish; including the bag net, casting net, drag net, landing net, seine, shrimping net, trawl, etc. — Fishing rod, a long slender rod, to which is attached the line for angling. — Fishing smack, a sloop or other small vessel used in sea fishing. — Fishing tackle, apparatus used in fishing, as hook, line, rod, etc. — Fishing tube (Micros.), a glass tube for selecting a microscopic object in a fluid.

FISHLIKE
Fish"like, a.

Defn: Like fish; suggestive of fish; having some of the qualities of
fish.
A very ancient and fishlike smell. Shak.

FISHMONGER
Fish"mon`ger, n.

Defn: A dealer in fish.

FISHSKIN
Fish"skin`, n.

1. The skin of a fish (dog fish, shark, etc.)

2. (Med.)

Defn: See Ichthyosis.

FISH-TACKLE
Fish"-tac`kle, n.

Defn: A tackle or purchase used to raise the flukes of the anchor up to the gunwale. The block used is called the fish-block.

FISH-TAIL
Fish"-tail`, a.

Defn: Like the of a fish; acting, or producing something, like the tail of a fish. Fish-tail burner, a gas burner that gives a spreading flame shaped somewhat like the tail of a fish. — Fish-tail propeller (Steamship), a propeller with a single blade that oscillates like the tail of a fish when swimming.

FISHWIFE
Fish"wife`, n.

Defn: A fishwoman.

FISHWOMAN
Fish"wom`an, n.; pl. Fishwomen (.

Defn: A woman who retails fish.

FISHY
Fish"y, a.

1. Consisting of fish; fishlike; having the qualities or taste of fish; abounding in fish. Pope.

2. Extravagant, like some stories about catching fish; improbable; also, rank or foul. [Colloq.]

FISK
Fisk, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Sw. fjeska to bustle about.]

Defn: To run about; to frisk; to whisk. [Obs.]
He fisks abroad, and stirreth up erroneous opinions. Latimer.

FISSIGEMMATION
Fis`si*gem*ma"tion, n. Etym: [L. fissus (p.p. of findere to split) +
E. gemmation.] (Biol.)

Defn: A process of reproduction intermediate between fission and gemmation.

FISSILE Fis"sile, a. Etym: [L. fissilis, fr. fissus, p.p. of findere to split. See Fissure.]

Defn: Capable of being split, cleft, or divided in the direction of
the grain, like wood, or along natural planes of cleavage, like
crystals.
This crystal is a pellucid, fissile stone. Sir I. Newton.

FISSILINGUAL Fis`si*lin"gual, a. Etym: [L. fissus (p.p. of findere to split) + E. lingual.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the tongue forked.

FISSILINGUIA Fis`si*lin"gui*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fissus (p.p. o f findere to split) + lingua tongue.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Lacertilia having the tongue forked, including the common lizards. [Written also Fissilingues.]

FISSILITY
Fis*sil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Quality of being fissile.

FISSION
Fis"sion, n. Etym: [L. fissio. See Fissure.]

1. A cleaving, splitting, or breaking up into parts.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: A method of asexual reproduction among the lowest (unicellular) organisms by means of a process of self-division, consisting of gradual division or cleavage of the into two parts, each of which then becomes a separate and independent organisms; as when a cell in an animal or plant, or its germ, undergoes a spontaneous division, and the parts again subdivide. See Segmentation, and Cell division, under Division.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A process by which certain coral polyps, echinoderms, annelids, etc., spontaneously subdivide, each individual thus forming two or more new ones. See Strobilation.

FISSIPALMATE Fis`si*pal"mate, a. Etym: [L. fissus (p.p. of findere to split) + palma palm.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Semipalmate and loboped, as a grebe's foot. See Illust. under
Aves.

FISSIPARA
Fis*sip"a*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Fissiparous.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Animals which reproduce by fission.

FISSIPARISM
Fis*sip"a*rism, n. Etym: [See Fissiparous.] (Biol.)

Defn: Reproduction by spontaneous fission.

FISSIPARITY
Fis`si*par"i*ty, n. (Biol.)

Defn: Quality of being fissiparous; fissiparism.

FISSIPAROUS Fis*sip"a*rous, a. Etym: [L. fissus (p.p. of findere to split) + parere to bring forth: cf. F. fissipare.] (Biol.)

Defn: Reproducing by spontaneous fission. See Fission.
— Fis*sip"a*rous*ly, adv.

FISSIPATION
Fis`si*pa"tion, n. (Biol.)

Defn: Reproduction by fission; fissiparism.

FISSIPED; FISSIPEDAL
Fis"si*ped, Fis*sip"e*dal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fissipède.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the toes separated to the base. [See Aves.]

FISSIPED
Fis"si*ped, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Fissipedia.

FISSIPEDIA Fis`si*pe"di*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fissus (p.p. of findere to cleave) + pes, pedis, a foot.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of the Carnivora, including the dogs, cats, and bears, in which the feet are not webbed; — opposed to Pinnipedia.

FISSIROSTRAL
Fis`si*ros"tral, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fissirostre.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the bill cleft beyond the horny part, as in the case of swallows and goatsuckers.

FISSIROSTRES Fis`si*ros"tres, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fissus (p.p. of findere to cleave) + rostrum beak.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of birds having the bill deeply cleft.

FISSURAL
Fis"sur*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to a fissure or fissures; as, the fissural pattern of a brain.

FISSURATION
Fis`su*ra"tion, n. (Anat.)

Defn: The act of dividing or opening; the state of being fissured.

FISSURE Fis"sure, n. Etym: [L. fissura, fr. findere, fissum, to cleave, split; akin to E. bite: cf. F. fissure.]

Defn: A narrow opening, made by the parting of any substance; a cleft; as, the fissure of a rock. Cerebral fissures (Anat.), the furrows or clefts by which the surface of the cerebrum is divided; esp., the furrows first formed by the infolding of the whole wall of the cerebrum. — Fissure needle (Surg.), a spiral needle for catching together the gaping lips of wounds. Knight. — Fissure of rolando (Anat.), the furrow separating the frontal from the parietal lobe in the cerebrum. — Fissure of Sylvius (Anat.), a deep cerebral fissure separating the frontal from the temporal lobe. See Illust. under Brain. — Fissure vein (Mining), a crack in the earth's surface filled with mineral matter. Raymond.

FISSURE
Fis"sure, v. t.

Defn: To cleave; to divide; to crack or fracture.

FISSURELLA
Fis`su*rel"la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. fissura a fissure.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of marine gastropod mollusks, having a conical or limpetlike shell, with an opening at the apex; — called also keyhole limpet.

FIST Fist, n. Etym: [OE. fist, fust, AS. f; akin to D. vuist, OHG. f, G. faust, and prob. to L. pugnus, Gr. Pugnacious, Pigmy.]

1. The hand with the fingers doubled into the palm; the closed hand, especially as clinched tightly for the purpose of striking a blow. Who grasp the earth and heaven with my fist. Herbert.

2. The talons of a bird of prey. [Obs.] More light than culver in the falcon's fist. Spenser.

3. (print.)

Defn: the index mark , used to direct special attention to the passage which follows. Hand over fist (Naut.), rapidly; hand over hand.

FIST
Fist, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fisted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fisting.]

1. To strike with the fist. Dryden.

2. To gripe with the fist. [Obs.] Shak.

FISTIC
Fist"ic, a. Etym: [From Fist.]

Defn: Pertaining to boxing, or to encounters with the fists; puglistic; as, fistic exploits; fistic heroes. [Colloq.]

FISTICUFF
Fist"i*cuff, n.

Defn: A cuff or blow with the fist or hand; (pl.)

Defn: a fight with the fists; boxing. Swift.

FISTINUT
Fis"ti*nut, n. Etym: [Cf. Fr. fistinq, fistuq. See Pistachio.]

Defn: A pistachio nut. [Obs.] Johnson.

FISTUCA
Fis*tu"ca, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: An instrument used by the ancients in driving piles.

FISTULA
Fis"tu*la, n.; pl. Fistulæ. Etym: [L.]

1. A reed; a pipe.

2. A pipe for convejing water. [Obs.] Knight.

3. (Med.)

Defn: A permanent abnormal opening into the soft parts with a constant discharge; a deep, narrow, chronic abscess; an abnormal opening between an internal cavity and another cavity or the surface; as, a salivary fistula; an anal fistula; a recto-vaginal fistula. Incomplete fistula (Med.), a fistula open at one end only.

FISTULAR
Fis"tu*lar, a. Etym: [L. fistularis: cf. F. fistulaire.]

Defn: Hollow and cylindrical, like a pipe or reed. Johnson.

FISTULARIA
Fis`tu*la"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fistula pipe.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of fishes, having the head prolonged into a tube, with the mouth at the extremity.

FISTULARIOID
Fis`tu*la"ri*oid, a. Etym: [Fistularia + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Fistularia.

FISTULATE Fis"tu*late, v. t. & i. Etym: [Cf. L. fistulatus furnished with pipes.]

Defn: To make hollow or become hollow like a fistula, or pipe. [Obs.]
"A fistulated ulcer." Fuller.

FISTULE
Fis"tule, n.

Defn: A fistula.

FISTULIFORM
Fis"tu*li*form ( or ), a. Etym: [Fistula + -form.]

Defn: Of a fistular form; tubular; pipe-shaped.
Stalactite often occurs fistuliform. W. Philips.

FISTULOSE
Fis"tu*lose`, a. Etym: [L. fistulosus.]

Defn: Formed like a fistula; hollow; reedlike. Craig.

FISTULOUS
Fis"tu*lous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fistuleux.]

1. Having the form or nature of a fistula; as, a fistulous ulcer.

2. Hollow, like a pipe or reed; fistulose. Lindley.

FIT
Fit,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Fight. [Obs. or Colloq.]

FIT
Fit, n. Etym: [AS. fitt a song.]

Defn: In Old English, a song; a strain; a canto or portion of a ballad; a passus. [Written also fitte, fytte, etc.] To play some pleasant fit. Spenser.

FIT
Fit, a. [Compar. Fitter; superl. Fittest.] Etym: [OE. fit, fyt; cf.
E. feat neat, elegant, well made, or icel. fitja to web, knit, OD.
vitten to suit, square, Goth. f to adorn.

1. Adapted to an end, object, or design; suitable by nature or by art; suited by character, qualitties, circumstances, education, etc.; qualified; competent; worthy. That which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualified in. Shak. Fit audience find, though few. Milton.

2. Prepared; ready. [Obs.] So fit to shoot, she singled forth among her foes who first her quarry's strength should feel. Fairfax.

3. Conformed to a standart of duty, properiety, or taste; convenient; meet; becoming; proper. Is it fit to say a king, Thou art wicked Job xxxiv. 18.

Syn. — Suitable; proper; appropriate; meet; becoming; expedient; congruous; correspondent; apposite; apt; adapted; prepared; qualified; competent; adequate.

FIT
Fit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fitting.]

1. To make fit or suitable; to adapt to the purpose intended; to qualify; to put into a condition of readiness or preparation. The time is fitted for the duty. Burke. The very situation for which he was peculiarly fitted by nature. Macaulay.

2. To bring to a required form and size; to shape aright; to adapt to a model; to adjust; — said especially of the work of a carpenter, machinist, tailor, etc. The carpenter . . . marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes. Is. xliv. 13.

3. To supply with something that is suitable or fit, or that is shaped and adjusted to the use required. No milliner can so fit his customers with gloves. Shak.

4. To be suitable to; to answer the requirements of; to be correctly shaped and adjusted to; as, if the coat fits you, put it on. That's a bountiful answer that fits all questions. Shak. That time best fits the work. Shak. To fit out, to supply with necessaries or means; to furnish; to equip; as, to fit out a privateer. — To fit up, to firnish with things suitable; to make proper for the reception or use of any person; to prepare; as, to fit up a room for a guest.

FIT
Fit, v. i.

1. To be proper or becoming. Nor fits it to prolong the feast. Pope.

2. To be adjusted to a particular shape or size; to suit; to be adapted; as, his coat fits very well.

FIT
Fit, n.

1. The quality of being fit; adjustment; adaptedness; as of dress to the person of the wearer.

2. (Mach.) (a) The coincidence of parts that come in contact. (b) The part of an object upon which anything fits tightly. Fit rod (Shipbuilding), a gauge rod used to try the depth of a bolt hole in order to determine the length of the bolt required. Knight.

FIT Fit, n. Etym: [AS. fit strife, fight; of uncertain origin. sq. root 77.]

1. A stroke or blow. [Obs. or R.] Curse on that cross, quoth then the Sarazin, That keeps thy body from the bitter fit. Spenser.

2. A sudden and violent attack of a disorder; a stroke of disease, as of epilepsy or apoplexy, which produces convulsions or unconsciousness; a convulsion; a paroxysm; hence, a period of exacerbation of a disease; in general, an attack of disease; as, a fit of sickness. And when the fit was on him, I did mark How he did shake. Shak.

3. A mood of any kind which masters or possesses one for a time; a temporary, absorbing affection; a paroxysm; as, a fit melancholy, of passion, or of laughter. All fits of pleasure we balanced by an equal degree of pain. Swift. The English, however, were on this subject prone to fits of jealously. Macaulay.

4. A passing humor; a caprice; a sudden and unusual effort, activity, or motion, followed by relaxation or insction; an impulse and irregular action. The fits of the season. Shak.

5. A darting point; a sudden emission. [R.] A tongue of light, a fit of flame. Coleridge. By fits, By fits and starts, by intervals of action and re

FITCH
Fitch (; 224), n.; pl. Fitches. Etym: [See Vetch.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A vetch. [Obs.]

2. pl. (Bot.)

Defn: A word found in the Authorized Version of the Bible, representing different Hebrew originals. In Isaiah xxviii. 25, 27, it means the black aromatic seeds of Nigella sativa, still used as a flavoring in the East. In Ezekiel iv. 9, the Revised Version now reads spelt.

FITCH
Fitch, n. Etym: [Contr. of fitched.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European polecat; also, its fur.

FITCHE Fitch"é, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fiché, lit. p.p. of ficher to fasten, OF. fichier to pierce. Cf. 1st Fish.] (Her.)

Defn: Sharpened to a point; pointed. Cross fitché, a cross having the lower arm pointed.

FITCHED
Fitched, a. (her.)

Defn: Fitché. [Also fiched.]

FITCHET; FITCHEW Fitch"et, Fitch"ew, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. fisseau, fissel, OD. fisse, visse, vitsche, D. vies nasty, loathsome, E. fizz.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European polecat (Putorius foetidus). See Polecat.

FITCHY
Fitch"y, a.

Defn: Having fitches or vetches.

FITCHY
Fitch"y, a. Etym: [See Fitché.] (Her.)

Defn: Fitché.

FITFUL
Fit"ful, a. Etym: [From 7th Fit.]

Defn: Full of fits; irregularly variable; impulsive and unstable.
After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well. Shak.
— Fit"ful*ly, adv.
— Fit"ful*ness, n.
The victorius trumpet peal Dies fitfully away. Macaulay.

FITHEL; FITHUL
Fith"el, Fith"ul, n. Etym: [OE. See Fiddle.]

Defn: A fiddle [Obs.] Chaucer.

FITLY
Fit"ly, adv.

Defn: In a fit manner; suitably; properly; conveniently; as, a maxim fitly applied.

FITMENT
Fit"ment, n.

Defn: The act of fitting; that which is proper or becoming; equipment. [Obs.] Shak.

FITNESS
Fit"ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being fit; as, the fitness of measures or laws; a person's fitness for office.

FITT
Fitt, n.

Defn: See 2d Fit.

FITTABLE
Fit"ta*ble, a.

Defn: Suitable; fit. [Obs.] Sherwood.

FITTEDNESS
Fit"ted*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being fitted; adaptation. [Obs.] Dr. H.
More.

FITTER
Fit"ter, n.

1. One who fits or makes to fit; esp.: (a) One who tries on, and adjusts, articles of dress. (b) One who fits or adjusts the different parts of machinery to each other.

2. A coal broker who conducts the sales between the owner of a coal pit and the shipper. [Eng.] Simmonds.

FITTER
Fit"ter, n.

Defn: A little piece; a flitter; a flinder. [Obs.]
Where's the Frenchman Alas, he's all fitters. Beau. & Fl.

FITTING
Fit"ting, n.

Defn: Anything used in fitting up; especially (pl.),

Defn: necessary fixtures or apparatus; as, the fittings of a church or study; gas fittings.

FITTING
Fit"ting, a.

Defn: Fit; appropriate; suitable; proper.
— Fit"ting*ly, adv.
— Fit"ting*ness, n. Jer. Taylor.

FITWEED
Fit"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Eryngium foetidum) supposed to be a remedy for fits.

FITZ
Fitz, n. Etym: [OF. fils, filz, fiz, son, F. fils, L. filius. See
Filial.]

Defn: A son; — used in compound names, to indicate paternity, esp.
of the illegitimate sons of kings and princes of the blood; as,
Fitzroy, the son of the king; Fitzclarence, the son of the duke of
Clarence.

FIVE Five, a. Etym: [OE. fif, five, AS. fif, fife; akin to D. vijf, OS. fif, OHG. finf, funf, G. fünf, Icel. fimm, Sw. & Sw. Dan. fem, Goth. fimf, Lith. penki, W. pump, OIr. cóic, L. quinque, Gr. pa. Fifth, Cinque, Pentagon, Punch the drink, Quinary.]

Defn: Four and one added; one more than four.

Five nations (Ethnol.), a confederacy of the Huron-Iroquois Indians,
consisting of five tribes: Mohawks, Onondagas, Cayugas, Oneidas, and
Senecas. They inhabited the region which is now the State of new
York.

FIVE
Five, n.

1. The number next greater than four, and less than six; five units or objects. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Matt. xxv. 2.

2. A symbol representing this number, as 5, or V.

FIVE-FINGER
Five"-fin`ger, n.

1. (Bot.)

Defn: See Cinquefoil.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A starfish with five rays, esp. Asterias rubens.

FIVEFOLD
Five"fold`, a. & adv.

Defn: In fives; consisting of five in one; five repeated; quintuple.

FIVE-LEAF
Five"-leaf`, n.

Defn: Cinquefoil; five-finger.

FIVE-LEAFED; FIVE-LEAVED
Five"-leafed`, Five"-leaved`, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having five leaflets, as the Virginia creeper.

FIVELING
Five"ling, n. (Min.)

Defn: A compound or twin crystal consisting of five individuals.

FIVES
Fives, n. pl.

Defn: A kind of play with a ball against a wall, resembling tennis; - - so named because three fives, or fifteen, are counted to the game. Smart. Fives court, a place for playing fives.

FIVES
Fives, n. Etym: [See Vives.]

Defn: A disease of the glands under the ear in horses; the vives.
Shak.

FIVE-TWENTIES
Five`-twen"ties, n. pl.

Defn: Five-twenty bonds of the United States (bearing six per cent interest), issued in 1862, '64, and '65, redeemable after five and payable in twenty years.

FIX Fix, a. Etym: [OE., fr. L. fixus, p.p. of figere to fix; cf. F. fixe.]

Defn: Fixed; solidified. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FIX
Fix, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fixed; p. pr. & vb. n. Fixing.] Etym: [Cf.
F. fixer.]

1. To make firm, stable, or fast; to set or place permanently; to
fasten immovably; to establish; to implant; to secure; to make
efinite.
An ass's nole I fixed on his head. Shak.
O, fix thy chair of grace, that all my powers May also fix their
reverence. Herbert.
His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Ps. cxii. 7.
And fix far deeper in his head their stings. Milton.

2. To hold steadily; to direct unwaveringly; to fasten, as the eye on an object, the attention on a speaker. Sat fixed in thought the mighty Stagirite. Pope. One eye on death, and one full fix'd on heaven. Young.

3. To transfix; to pierce. [Obs.] Sandys.

4. (Photog.)

Defn: To render (an impression) permanent by treating with such applications a will make it insensible to the action of light. Abney.

5. To put in prder; to arrange; to dispose of; to adjust; to set to rights; to set or place in the manner desired or most suitable; hence, to repair; as, to fix the clothes; to fix the furniture of a room. [Colloq. U.S.]

6. (Iron Manuf.)

Defn: To line the hearth of (a puddling furnace) with fettling.

Syn.
— To arrange; prepare; adjust; place; establis; settle; determine.

FIX
Fix, v. i.

1. To become fixed; to settle or remain permanently; to cease from
wandering; to rest.
Your kindness banishes your fear, Resolved to fix forever here.
Waller.

2. To become firm, so as to resist volatilization; to cease to flow or be fluid; to congeal; to become hard and malleable, as a metallic substance. Bacon. To fix on, to settle the opinion or resolution about; to determine regarding; as, the contracting parties have fixed on certain leading points.

FIX
Fix, n.

1. A position of difficulty or embarassment; predicament; dillema. [Colloq.] Is he not living, then No. is he dead, then No, nor dead either. Poor Aroar can not live, and can not die, — so that he is in an almighty fix. De Quincey.

2. (Iron Manuf.)

Defn: fettling. [U.S.]

FIXABLE
Fix"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being fixed.

FIXATION
Fix*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fixation.]

1. The act of fixing, or the state of being fixed. An unalterable fixation of resolution. Killingbeck. To light, created in the first day, God gave no proper place or fixation. Sir W. Raleigh. Marked stiffness or absolute fixation of a joint. Quain. A fixation and confinement of thought to a few objects. Watts.

2. The act of uniting chemically with a solid substance or in a solid form; reduction to a non-volatile condition; — said of gaseous elements.

3. The act or process of ceasing to be fluid and becoming firm. Glanvill.

4. A state of resistance to evaporation or volatilization by heat; — said of metals. Bacon.

FIXATIVE
Fix"a*tive, n.

Defn: That which serves to set or fix colors or drawings, as a mordant.

FIXED
Fixed, a.

1. Securely placed or fastened; settled; established; firm; imovable; unalterable.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Stable; non-volatile. Fixed air (Old Chem.), carbonic acid or carbon dioxide; — so called by Dr. Black because it can be absorbed or fixed by strong bases. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic. — Fixed alkali (Old Chem.), a non-volatile base, as soda, or potash, in distinction from the volatile alkali ammonia. — Fixed ammunition (Mil.), a projectile and powder inclosed together in a case ready for loading. — Fixed battery (Mil.), a battery which contains heavy guns and mortars intended to remain stationary; — distinguished from movable battery. — Fixed bodies, those which can not be volatilized or separated by a common menstruum, without great difficulty, as gold, platinum, lime, etc. — Fixed capital. See the Note under Capital, n., 4. — Fixed fact, a well established fact. [Colloq.] — Fixed light, one which emits constant beams; — distinguished from a flashing, revolving, or intermittent light. — Fixed oils (Chem.), non-volatile, oily substances, as stearine and olein, which leave a permanent greasy stain, and which can not be distilled unchanged; — distinguished from volatile or essential oils. — Fixed pivot (Mil.), the fixed point about which any line of troops wheels. — Fixed stars (Astron.), such stars as always retain nearly the same apparent position and distance with respect to each other, thus distinguished from planets and comets.

FIXEDLY
Fix"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a fixed, stable, or constant manner.

FIXEDNESS
Fix"ed*ness, n.

1. The state or quality of being fixed; stability; steadfastness.

2. The quality of a body which resists evaporation or volatilization by heat; solidity; cohesion of parts; as, the fixedness of gold.

FIXIDITY
Fix*id"i*ty, n.

Defn: Fixedness. [Obs.] Boyle.

FIXING
Fix"ing, n.

1. The act or process of making fixed.

2. That which is fixed; a fixture.

3. pl.

Defn: Arrangements; embellishments; trimmings; accompaniments.
[Colloq. U.S.]

FIXITY
Fix"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fixité.]

1. Fixedness; as, fixity of tenure; also, that which is fixed.

2. Coherence of parts. Sir I. Newton.

FIXTURE
Fix"ture, n. Etym: [Cf. Fixture.]

1. That which is fixed or attached to something as a permanent appendage; as, the fixtures of a pump; the fixtures of a farm or of a dwelling, that is, the articles which a tenant may not take away.

2. State of being fixed; fixedness. The firm fixture of thy foot. Shak.