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2. The branch of science which treats of this property and its conditions or laws.

3. The attractive power itself.

The property of magnetism was first discovered in the natural oxide of iron, called Magnetite (q. v.), or the Loadstone. The earth itself having magnetic properties, such a natural magnet pointed nearly north and south, when freely suspended, and also attracted small pieces of iron. It was subsequently discovered that pieces of steel rubbed with natural magnets also became magnets; and these artificial magnets, besides being more convenient, may be made much more powerful, so that natural magnets are now only sought as curiosities. The attraction of a magnet for iron filings is most intense at a short distance from the ends, and decreases toward the middle; at the center there is no attraction, and this center is termed the equator of the magnet. The points at which the magnetism is most intense are termed the poles. It is evident that the magnetism at the two poles is different; and that pole which points to the north is termed the north-seeking pole, while that which points to the south is called the south-seeking pole. If two magnets are taken, and the north-seeking pole of one is brought near the north-seeking pole of the other, they repel each other; but if the north-seeking end of one is brought near the south-seeking end of the other, then they attract each other. Therefore similar poles repel, dissimilar poles attract each other. It is impossible to obtain a magnet with only one pole. If a magnetized needle is broken into a number of small pieces, each little piece is a mag net having a north-seeking and a south-seeking pole. Hence it would appear that every particle of a magnetized body is a little magnet, all having their south-seeking poles set in one direction, and their north-seeking poles in the opposite direction. Bodies may be divided into two classes: viz., mag; netic bodies, which are attracted by magnets, and non-magnetic bodies, which are not attracted. The

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as the declination, dip, and intensity of magnetic force are termed, vary not only in different places, from month to month, and even from hour to but also in the same place, from year to year, hour. Those changes which proceed gradually for turbances occur which produce a temporary irregseveral years are termed secular. Frequently disular effect on all the needles over a considerable area; these are termed magnetic storms, and are often connected with manifestation of electrical phenomena, such as the aurora borealis, or a violent thunderstorm, and still more generally with those solar outbursts known as spots on the sun. All such changes in the earth's magnetism are now daily recorded at many stations by self-registering apparatus. Professor Ersted, of Copenhagen, discovered that if an electric current were passed along a wire parallel to a freely-balanced magnetic needle, the needle was deflected to a position at right angles to the current. Subsequently it was discovered that a current passed at right angles to an iron wire magnetized the wire so long as the current passed. This effect was easily multiplied by coiling the wire conveying the current round the iron rod or wire in the form of a helix, thus producing magnetism enormously more powerful than could be contained in any permanent magnets. Still later it was found that the wire helix alone possessed nearly all the properties of a magnet. At a subsequent period Faraday discovered the converse relative phenomena, that the production, or cessation, or any variation in the intensity of magnetism caused the production of an electric current, the developments of which are comprised in the subject of magneto-electricity, Animal magnetism: [ANIMAL-MAGNETISM, MESMERISM.] skilled in magnetism; a magnetician. măg-net-ist, s. [English magnet; -ist.] One măg'-nět-ite, s. [Eng. magnet; suff. -ite (Min.).] Min.: An ore of iron sometimes found well crystallized in forms belonging to the isometric system, the octahedron being the most frequent, though the rhombic dodecahedron also is found uncoinbined with others. Dodecahedral faces striated

magnificence

Magneto-electric light: An electric light produced by means of powerful magnets. [Magneto-electric machine.]

electric current is generated by the revolution of one Magneto-electric machine: A machine in which an about the poles of a magnet or magnets; or an armaor more soft iron cores surrounded by coils of wire, ture (keeper) may rotate before the poles of sta tionary coils.

Used medically in uterine hemorrhage, asphyxia, &c. In many cases it can be employed by the patient without the aid of a doctor. [FARADI ZATION.]

treats of the production of electricity by means of magneto-electricity, subst. The science which a magnet. It was discovered in 1831 by Faraday, who succeeded in generating an electric spark by suddenly separating a coiled keeper from a permanent magnet. He subsequently discovered that between the poles and a magnet. This is not to be an electric current existed in a copper disc rotated confounded with electro-magnetism, discovered by Ersted, which investigates the action of an electric

current on a magnet, the process being the converse one to that in the former case.

măg-nět -o-graph, s. [Eng. magnet, and Gr. grapho to write, to draw.] An instrument which registers automatically the condition and changes of terrestrial magnetism.

măg-nět ŏm -ě-ter, s. [Eng. magnet, and Gr. metron=a measure.] An instrument for measuring any of the magnetic elements, as the dip, inclination, and intensity. A magnetized needle, isolated from all disturbing influences and suspended by untwisted silk, is used to detect the declination, and the delicate mode of adjustment permits any variation in this element to be observed. observing the dip or inclination, the magnetized needle is balanced by knife-edges upon agate planes.

For

Eng. metric.] Pertaining to or employed in the măg-nět o mět -ric, a. [Pref. magneto-, and measurement of magnetic force; obtained by the use of a magnetometer. măg-nět-o-mō'-tor, s.

[Pref. magneto-, and

most magnetic bodies are the metals, iron, nickel parallel to the longer diagonal; octahedrons fre- Lat. motor a mover; moveo to move.] A voltaic and cobalt. Some other metals, salts of iron and of quently twinned. Hardness, 55-65; specific grav- series of two or more large plates, which produce a

a

other metals, porcelain, paper, oxygen gas, and ozone, are feebly magnetic. Other substances, as, for example, bismuth, antimony, copper, silver, gold, lead, sulphur, phosphorus, and water, are not only not attracted by a magnet, but are actually repelled; these are said to be diamagnetic. When a magnetic substance is brought near to or in contact with a magnet, it becomes converted into a magnet by magnetic induction (q. v.), just as a charge is induced in a conductor by an electrified body. The nearest pole thus induced is a dissimilar pole to the inducing pole, and the attraction of the magnet is thus due to the action already described of two dissimilar poles. When the inducing magnet is removed, most substances lose their magnetism, and hence are said to be temporarily magnetic; the perfection of this property in soft iron is of great importance to magneto-electric and dynamoelectric machines, which depend entirely for their effects upon rapid reversals of magnetic polarity. Steel and nickel retain the greater part of the induced magnetism, and are said to be permanently magnetic. Cast-iron also retains a large proportion of the magnetism imparted to it. Even so-called permanent magnets, however, lose portion of their power gradually; but by "closing their poles with pieces of soft iron, which thus become induced magnets with dissimilar poles in contact, the inducing effect of these pieces strength; ens the magnetism; such pieces of iron are termed armatures. If magnetized steel is heated to redness, or is subjected to violent blows, it loses its magnetism. That a magnetic needle points approximately north and south is due to the fact that the earth itself is a huge magnet, whose conditions accordingly relate to what is called Terrestrial Magnetism. Thus, the North magnetic pole is not at present identical with the true North pole, but is situated within the Arctic circle in latitude 75° 5' N., and long. 96 46 W. The position of the South magnetic pole has not yet been ascertained. In consequence of the different positions of the magnetic North pole and the geographical North pole, a magnetic needle does not point true north and south, but a little to the east or west, according to the locality. When a needle is balanced on a horizontal axle, so that it can turn in a vertical plane, and is then magnetized, it is found to set itself at an angle depending on the locality, with the northseeking pole pointing downward if north of the equator, and the south-seeking pole pointing downward if south of the equator. This is termed the inclination or dip of the needle, and a needle thus arranged is termed a dipping-needle. Magnetic charts are maps on which are marked lines showing the distribution of the earth's magnetism. It is found that the three magnetic elements,

bổil, boy; pout, jowl; cat,

and streak, black, opaque, but when in excessively ity, 49-52; luster, metallic to submetallic; color thin films sometimes nearly transparent, and of a smoky-brown color: fracture subconchoidal and shining when pure. Strongly magnetic, and sometimes exhibiting polarity. Composition: Iron, 724; oxygen, 276, or sesquioxide of iron, 68.97; protoxide of iron, 31'03; represented by the formula FeOFe2O3. One of the most important of the ores of iron is found in beds often of immense extent in the Azoic rocks; that from Siberia and the Hartz district, Germany, afford the most powerfully magnetic varieties. Also found abundantly as sand, being derived from the weathering of crystalline and metamorphic rocks, in which it is distributed as minute crystals and grains.

măg-net-iz-a-ble, a. [Eng. magnetiz(e); -able.] Capable of being magnetized.

ation.] The act of magnetizing; the state of being măg-net-i-ză-tion, s. [English magnetiz(e); magnetized.

"The intensity of magnetization of a uniformly mag. netized body is the quotient of its moment by the volume."-Everett: C. G. S. System of Units (1875), ch. x.

This may be effected by the action of the earth or by currents.

măg-nět-ize, v. t. & i. [Eng. magnet; -ize; Fr. magnétiser; Sp. magnetisar; Ital. magnetizzare.]

A. Transitive:

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măg-nět-iz-er, s. [Eng. magnetiz(e); -er.] One
who or that which magnetizes, or communicates
magnetism.

măg -nět-kies, s. [Eng. magnet, and Ger. kies=
pyrites.]
Min.: The same as PYRRHOTITE (q. v.).
măg-ně-to-, pref. [Eng. magnet; -o connective.]
(See the compound.)

magneto-electric, a. Pertaining to magneto-
electricity (q. v.).

Magneto-electric induction: The production of an induced electric current in a metallic circuit by means of a magnet.

çell, chorus, chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this;

adapted to the exhibition of electro-magnetic great quantity of electricity of low intensity, phenomena.

magneto-, and Eng. pyrite (q. v.).] măg-nět-o-pyr'-ite (pyr as pïr), s. [Pref.

Min.: The same as PYRRHOTITE (q. v.). măg-nl-fi-a-ble, a. [Eng. magnify; -able.] Capable of being magnified; worthy to be extolled or praised.

its demonstrable affection."-Browne: Vulgar Errors, "Wonderful in itself, and sufficiently magniflable from bk. iv., ch. xii.

*măg-nif-ic, *mǎg-nif-Ick, *măg-nif-ic-al, a. [Lat. magnificus noble, splendid, from magnus great, and facio to make.] Noble, splendid, grand, illustrious.

"O parent, these are thy magnific deeds, Thy trophies !" Milton: P. L., x. 354. In a magnificent or splendid manner; nobly. *măg-nif-ic-al-ly, adv. [Eng. magnifical; -ly.] "He spake of the weale-publicke magnifically." -Savile: Tacitus; Hist., p. 139. Măg-nif-i-căt, s. [Lat. =doth magnify; 3d pers. sing. indic. of magnifico to magnify, to extol.] 1. The song of the Virgin Mary (Luke i. 46), so called from the first word in the Latin version. at vespers, proudly sat And heard the priests chant the Magnificat." Longfellow: Sicilian's Tale, i.

"[He]

2. A setting of the same to music. *măg-nif-1-cate, v. t. [Lat. magnificatus, pa.. par. of magnifico=to magnify (q. v.).] To magnify, to extol.

+măg-nif-I-ca-tion, s. [Lat. magnificatio, from magnificatus.] [MAGNIFICATION.]

1. Ord. Lang. The act of magnifying or exto ling.

"Words so often used in Scripture for the magnification of faith."-Bishop Taylor: Sermons, vol. iii., ser. 3. 2. Optics: The magnifying power of a telescope or microscope. (Ganot: Physics, § 502.)

măg-nif-I-çençe, s. [Fr., from Lat. magnifi centia, from magnificens=magnificent (q. v.); Sp. & Port. magnificenza.] +1. The act of doing great or noble works; great works of goodness.

"Then cometh magnificence, that is to say, when a man doth and performeth gret workes of goodness."--Chaucer: Persones Tale.

sin, aş; expect, Xenophon, exist. ph = f.

magnificent

*2. Large expenditure for others; munificence, generosity, liberality.

"Bounty and magnificence are virtues very regal; but a prodigal king is nearer a tyrant than a parsimonious."Bacon: Essays; Of a King.

3. The quality or state of being magnificent; splendor, grandeur of show or state; pomp,

"The infinite magnificence of heaven." Wordsworth: Excursion, bk. ix. Magnificence lies not only in the number and extent of the objects presented, but in their degree of richness as to their coloring and quality; splendor is but a characteristic of magnificence, attached to such objects as dazzle the eye by the quantity of light, or the beauty and strength of coloring; pomp is the appendage of power, when displayed to public view.

măg-nif-i-çent, a. [Latin magnificens=doing great things: magnus=great, and faciens, pr. par. of facio to do; Ital. magnificente.]

1. Doing great or noble deeds or works; munificent, generous.

2. Grand in appearance; splendid.

"Sunk in the quenching gloom, Magnificent and vast are heaven and earth, Order confounded lies."

Thomson: Autumn, 1,139.

*3. Fond of splendor, show, or pomp. 4. Noble, splendid; exceedingly praiseworthy. "This was thought and called a magnificent answer, down to the last days of Italian servitude."-Byron: Childe Harold, iv. 3. (Note.)

măg-nif-i-çent-ly, adv. [English magnificent; ly.] In a magnificent manner or degree; with magnificence; splendidly, grandly.

măg-nif-I-cō, s. [Ital., from Lat. magnificus.] 1. A grandee of Venice.

"The magnifico is much beloved, And hath in his effect a voice potential." Shakesp.: Othello, i. 2.

2. A rector of a German university. *măg-nif-i-cous, a. [Lat. magnificus=magnificent (q. v.).] Magnificent, grand, pompous. *mag-nif-i-cous-ly, adv. [Eng. magnificous; -ly.] Magnificently, grandly, pompously. (Hooker.) măg'-ni-fi-er, s. [Eng. magnify; -er.]

1. One who or that which magnifies, praises, or

extols.

2. That which makes great or increases; an in

creaser.

3. A magnifying-glass (q. v.).

"One of our microscopes has been counted by several of the curious as good a magnifier as, perhaps, any in the world."-Boyle: Works, ii. 543.

măg-ni-fy, *mag-ni-fi-en, v. t. & i. [Fr. mag. nifier, from Lat. magnifico-to make great; magnus =great, and facio to make; Ital. magnificare; Sp. & Port. magnificar.]

A. Transitive:

1. To make great or greater; to increase the apparent size or dimensions of.

2. To make or declare great, to extol; to declare the praises of; to glorify." "Let thy name be magnified for ever."-2 Samuel vii. 26. *3. To raise in pride or pretensions. "O Lord, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself."-Lamentations i. 9. 4. To exaggerate; to represent as greater than reality.

"Each vainly magnifies his own success, Resents his fellow's, wishes it were less." Cowper: Tirocinium, 477.

B. Intransitive:

1. To have the power or quality of causing things to appear larger than reality; to increase the apparent size or dimensions of objects; as, This glass magnifies too much.

*2. To have effect, to signify, to avail. măg -ni-fy-ing, pr. par., a., & s. [MAGNIFY.] A. & B. As pr. par. & particip. adj.: (See the verb.) C. As subst.: The act of making greater or larger in appearance; the act of praising or extolling. magnifying-glass, s.

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măg-nìl'-o-quent, a. [MAGNILOQUENCE.] Using pompous or bombastic language; bombastic, tumid, grandiloquent; speaking loftily or pompously.

"She was a trifle more magniloquent than usual."Thackeray: Newcomes, ch. xxiii.

măg-nil-o-quent-ly, adv. [English magnilo-
quently.] In a magniloquent manner; with pomp-
ous, tumid, or bombastic language; grandilo-
quently.

magnus great, and loquor to speak.] The same
*măg-nil-o-quoŭs, a. [Lat. magniloquus, from
as MAGNILOQUENT (q. v.).

*măg -ni-sōn-ant, a. [Lat. magnus=great, and
sonans, pr. par. of sono to sound. ] Great-sound-
ing, high-sounding.

"That strange and magnisonant appellation."-Southey:

The Doctor; Cats of Greta Hall.

măg -ni-tude, s. [Lat. magnitudo, from magnus
great.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. The comparative size, bulk, extent, quantity, or amount of anything that may be measured; size. 2. Anything that can be measured; any quantity that can be expressed in terms of a quantity of the same kind taken as a unit. [II. 2.]

3. Greatness, with reference to a moral or intel-
lectual standard.

"He with plain heroic magnitude of mind,
Their armories and magazines contemns."
Milton: Samson Agonistes, 1,279.

4. Importance, consequence, weight.
"We commonly find in the ambitious man a superior-
ity of parts, in some measure proportioned to the magni-
tude of his designs."-Bp. Horsley, vol. i., ser. 4.

II. Technically:

1. Astron. A term applied to the apparent size of stars viewed from the earth. There are six magnitudes. [STAR.]

2. Geom.: This term was originally applied to
signify the space occupied by a body. As thus used,
it applied only to those portions of space which
possessed the three attributes of extension-length,
breadth, and thickness, or height. By extension of
meaning, it has come to signify anything that can
be increased, diminished, and measured. Thus, a
line or a surface, an angle or a number, are magni-
general, anything of which greater or less can be
tudes. Time and weight are magnitudes; and, in
predicated is a magnitude.

3. Physics: The same as EXTENSION (q. v.).
Apparent magnitude of an object:
Optics: The angle which any object subtends
at the eye of an observer. If O B be the object, and
E the situation of the ob-
server's eye, then the ap-
parent magnitude of the
former is the angle E-i. e.,
OE B, formed by two visual rays drawn from the
center of the pupil to the extremities of the object.
*măg -ni-ŭm, s. [MAGNESIUM.]

E

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B

Chem. Davy's name for magnesium.
măg-no-chrō mīte, s. [Eng. magn(esia); o
connective, and chromite; Ger. magnochromit.]
Min.: A variety of chromite (q. v.), containing a
large percentage of magnesia. Physical characters
the same as chromite, excepting in the want of
luster and low density. From an analysis of a
mixture of the mineral and its matrix, Websky
deduces the following composition: Alumina, 2992;
chromic acid, 4078; protoxide of iron, 15:30; mag-
nesia, 14:00; which agrees with the formula,
4(Al2O3,Cr2O3), (3FeO, 5MgO). Found in rounded
grains in a green matrix at Grochau, Silesia.

magpie

are similarly used in China. The "cones" of M. frazeri, called also M. auriculata, and M. acuminata, called, in the United States, Cucumber-trees, are infused in brandy or whisky, and given in intermittent fevers and rheumatic affections. M. excelsa furnishes a valuable timber of fine texture, first greenish, then yellow.

"Faint was the air with the odorous breath of magnolia blossoms." Longfellow: Evangeline, ii. 2. măg-no-11-ã -çe-æ, s. [Mod. Lat. magnoli(a); Lat. fem. pl. adj. suff. -aceœ.]

Bot.: Magnoliads; an order of hypogynous exogens, alliance Ranales. It consists of trees or shrubs, having the scales of the leaf-bud face to face or rolled up; alternate, sometimes dotted, with the stem, leaves, distinctly articulated with deciduous stipules, lowers generally hermaphrodite, strongly odoriferous; sepals generally three to six; petals three or more; stamens indefi nite, hypogynous; carpels several, on a torus above the stamens; one-celled, one or more seeded. Fruit dry or succulent, dehiscent or indehiscent, sometimes collected upon a cone upon a lengthened axis; seeds one or more in each carpel of the fruit. They are found chiefly in this country, whence they wander to Japan, China, and India. Known genera, eleven; species, sixty-five. Most have a bitter, tonic taste. The order is divided into two tribes, Magnolies and Winteres (q. v.).

măg-no-11-ădş, s. pl. [Mod. Lat. magnoli(a); Eng. pl. suff. -ads.]

Bot.: The name given by Lindley to the order Magnoliaceae (q. v.).

măg-nō-l1-ē ́-æ, s. pl. [Mod. Lat. magnoli(a); Lat. fem. pl. adj. suff. -ec.]

Bot.: The typical tribe of the order Magnoliacere (q. v.). The carpels are arranged in a cone; the leaves scarcely, if at all, dotted. (Lindley.)

mag-no-lite, s. [Named after the Magnolia district, Colorado; suff. -ite (Min.).]

Min.: A white mineral, found in silky tufts of very minute acicular crystals. Contains mercury and tellurium, and inferred to be a telluride of mercury. Found in the Keystone mine, Colorado.

măg năm, s. [Lat, neut. sing, of magnus great, large.]

1. A bottle holding two English quarts. "Between every two guests a portly magnum reared its zine, Dec., 1884, p. 152. golden head."-A. Forbes, in English Illustrated Maga

2. A dram, or drink of spirituous liquor. (Dick ens: Pickwick Papers.)

3. A bone at the base of the third metacarpal articulation.

magnum-bonum, s. [Lat.=great-good.]

1. A kind of large-sized barrel pen.

2. A large-sized oval plum, with a yellow skin, covered with a whitish bloom.

măg'-nŭs, a. [Latin = great, large.] (See the etym.)

magnus-hitch, s.

Naut.: A kind of knot used on board ship. ma-gō'-ni-a, s. [Don says that it is named after some botanist known to St. Hilaire.]

Bot.: A genus of Sapindacea, tribe Meliosmes. It consists of two trees, Magonia glabrata and M. pubescens, covering extensive tracts in Brazil. The leaves and an infusion of the bark of the roots are used for stupefying fish; the lat ter is employed also as a remedy in old ulcers, the stings of insects, &c.; the seeds are used in the manufacture of soap.

ma-goô -teě, s. [Hind.] An instru-
ment used by the Pambatees or snake-
charmers of the East Indies. It is com-
posed of a hollow calabash, to one end of
which is fitted a mouthpiece similar to
that of the clarinet. To the other extrem-
ity is adapted a tube perforated with sev-
eral holes, which are successively stopped
by the fingers, like those of the flute, while Magoo-
the player blows into the mouthpiece.
In the middle of the instrument is a small
mirror, on which the serpents fix their eyes while
dancing. Sometimes bright beads are attached,
which serve the same purpose as the mirror.
*măng -ốt (1), 8. [MAGGOT.]
magot-pie, s. A magpie (q. v.).
măg -ôt (2), s. [Fr.]

măg-no-fĕr-rite, s. [MAGNESIOFERRITE.]
măg-nō -li-a, s. [Named after Pierre Magnol
(1638-1715), professor of medicine at Montpellier,
and author of several botanical works.]
Bot. The typical genus of the tribe Magnolice
and the order Magnoliace. Sepals three, decid-
uous; petals, six to nine; stamens and pistils
many; carpels compacted in spikes or cones; seeds
baccate, somewhat cordate, pendulous, with a long
white umbilical thread. The species are trees or
shrubs, with alternate leaves and large, terminal,
odoriferous flowers. They are found in North
America and Asia. Magnolia grandiflora, the
Great-flowered Magnolia, or Laurel Bay, is a fine
evergreen tree, seventy feet high in America, and
from twenty to thirty in foreign gardens. The
species have large, beautiful, fragrant flowers.
Those of M. conspicua are snow-white, and those of
those of M. tripetala produce sickness and head-
M. pumila brownish-green. De Candolle says that
ache. Barton reports that M. glauca, the Dwarf
Sassafras, or Beaver-tree, produces paroxysms of
fever. The bark is intensely bitter, but has in it no
tannin or gallic acid; it has the properties of Cin-
chona. Its "cones' are employed as a remedy in
cases of chronic rheumatism. Those of M. yulan (1) A halfpenny. (Slang.)
father; wē, wět, hëre, camel, her, thêre; pine, pit, sïre, sir,

Optics: A popular term for a convex piece of glass or a lens which has the property of magnifying.

măg-nil-o-quence, s. [Lat. magniloquentia, from magnus great, and loquens, pr. par. of loquor =to speak.] Pompous or bombastic manner of speaking; a tumid or pompous style; grandiloquence, bombast.

"All the sects ridiculed this magniloquence of Epicurus."-Bentley: Remarks, § 44.

fate, făt, färe, amidst,

what, fâll,

tee.

Zool. The same as BARBARY-APE (q. V.). mǎg'-pie, s. [French Margot, a familiar form of margarites a pearl. The syllable pie-Fr. pie, is Marguerite-Margaret, from Lat. margarita; Gr. from Lat. pica a magpie.] [PIE (2), s.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. Lit. In the same sense as II. 1.
2. Figuratively:

marîne; gỗ, pot,

magpie-lark

(2) A bishop, from the mingled black and white of his robes.

"Let not those silkworms and magpies have dominion over us."-T. Brown: Works, i. 107.

II. Technically:

1. Ornith.: A well-known bird of the family Corvida. It is the Corvus pica of Linn., Pica caudata, melanoleuca, or rustica of later ornithologists. It is an extremely beautiful bird, the pure white of its scapulars and inner web of the flight-feathers contrasting vividly with the deep glossy black of the body and wings, while the long tail is lustrous with green, bronze, and purple reflections. It builds an almost impregnable nest, with a dome of firmlyinterwoven sticks, and lays from six to nine bluishgreen eggs, blotched with ash-color.

2. Mil. A shot striking the target in the division next to the outermost in a target divided into four sections; so called because signalled by the marker with a black and white disc.

magpie-lark, s.

Ornith.: [LITTLE-MAGPIE.] magpie-moth, s.

Entom.: The Gooseberry-moth, Abraxas grossulariata. Its expanded wings are about an inch and a half across. They are yellowish-white with black spots, and on the anterior pair a pale orange-colored band. The body is orange with black spots. The eggs are deposited on gooseberry or current bushes in July or August, and the caterpillars are hatched in September. They are yellowish-white, spotted with black, and have an orange stripe on each side. The chrysalis is black, relieved at the lip with orange circles. In addition to the September brood there is another at beginning of summer. If dusted with the powder of white hellebore, they are destroyed, but picking them off by hand is a more efficient process. [ABRAXAS.]

magpie-robin, s.

Ornith. The name given in Ceylon to the Copsychus saularis, kept in cages, and used by the natives to fight.

ma-gre-pha, s. [Heb.] An organ mentioned in the Talmud as having been in existence in the second century. It had ten ventages, each of which communicated with ten pipes, and it was played upon by means of a clavier.

măg -rums, s. [Etym. doubtful; perhaps a corruption of megrim (q. v.).] A popular name in the state of New York for a singular convulsive affection resembling chorea. It rarely occurs before the adult age, never ceases spontaneously, and when fully developed is devoid of any paroxysmal character. (Mayne.)

măgş-man, s. [English magg, v., and man.] A swindler, a thief.

mag-uay, măg-uey (uay, uey as wā), s. [Mexican maguei.]

Bot.: Agave americana. [AGAVE.]

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Mah'-a-dê-va, Mah-a-dê'-ō, s. [Sansc. maha,
mahat great, and deva= a god.]

Hindu Myth.: One of the many names given to
Shiva, the third person of the Hindu triad.
ma-ha-ra-jah, s. [Sansc., from mahat, maha=
great, and rajah-prince.] A title assumed by some
Indian princes.
ma-har-mah, s. [Turk.] A Turkish headdress.
Ma-hat-mah, s. [Sansc, great-souled one.] One
of a community of Buddhist adepts supposed to
be dwelling in the deserts of Tibet.

Mahratta

ma-hog'-an-ỹ, s. [From mohagoni, its Central American name.]

Botany & Commerce:

1. The timber of Swietenia mahagoni. It is closegrained and hard, susceptible of a fine polish, and is largely used for the manufacture of household furniture. It is fragrant and aromatic, and is considered febrifugal. Mahogany is said to have been first brought to England by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595, but not to have come into general use till about 1720.

2. The timber of Persea indica, a tree which grows in Madeira. It is very inferior to the genuine mahogany. mahogany-tree, s.

Bot.: Swietenia mahagoni, one of the Cedrelaces. It is a lofty, branching tree, with a large, handsome head, flowers like those of Melia, and fruits about the size of a turkey's egg. It grows in the warmest parts of Central America, in Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the Bahamas. [MADEIRAwoOD.]

*ma-hoitreş, s. pl. [Fr.] A term applied to the padded and upraised shoulders in fashion during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

ma-ho-li, s. [Native name.]

Mạ-hom-ě-dạn, Mạ-hom-ě-tạn, adj. & subst. [MOHAMMEDAN.]

Măh'-dî, Măh -dée, Muh'-dée (commonly pron. Ma-di), s. [Arab., as adj. = called (Catafago), as subst. a director or leader (Jaffur Shurreef).] 1. Mohammedan Theol.: The surname of a second Mohammed, the last or twelfth Imaum (Head, Chief, or Leader). According to the Sheeahs (Mohammedan Scripturalists) of Persia, he is now alive in the unseen world, and will appear with Elias the Prophet at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The generality of the Soonnees (Mohammedan Traditionalists) concur in the belief that the advent of the Mahdi is still future, while an Indian sect called Gyr Mahdis consider him to have already appeared in the person of Syud Mohammed, of Jounpoor. On the twenty-seventh night of the month Ramzan they recite the words "God is almighty, Moham- Zoology: Galago maholi, a diminutive African med is our prophet, and the Koran and Mahdi are Lemuroid, family Lemurida. The general coloring just and true; adding, "Imaum Mahdi has come of the upper parts is yellowish or brownish-gray, and gone: whoever disbelieves this is an infidel." with slightly darker brindling on the back, broad They are Soonnee Pathans, but there is a feud, some-nose-streak, cheeks and throat white, under parts times leading to bloodshed, between them and the white tinged with yellow. The ears are very large, ordinary Soonnees. Petitions are sometimes written and can be contracted at pleasure. to the Imaum Mahdi on Friday, the Mohammedan Sunday, and committed to any river in the confident expectation that they will reach their destination. 2. Hist.: Mohammed Ali, goyernor of Egypt (the murderer of the Mamelukes), commenced, about the year 1821, the conquest of the Soudan, which was completed about a half century later by General Gordon, who ruled it so well as to preserve peace for a time. On his departure, the incapacity of his Egyptian successors drove the Soudanese into revolt. At first the rebellion was political, but a religious element speedily arose, and ultimately asserted its predominance. An individual gave out that he was the divinely-promised Mahdi [1], the Mohammedan Messiah, come for the deliverance of the faithful, and to convert all their unbelieving foes to Islamism, or utterly to destroy them. At that time the constraining force of events had brought Great Britain into entanglement with the affairs of Egypt. A military revolt, headed by an Egyptian, Arabi Pasha, had been attended by the massacre of many European Christians at Alexandria, and the British fleet had been sent out to prevent a fresh outbreak, or, if one arose, to bring off as many of the Christians as possible. New forts being built to threaten the ships, the fleet had bombarded and captured them, with the older fortifications, on July 11, 1882, while an army sent out had heavily defeated the Egyptians in a short but very bloody fight at Tel-el-Kebir, on Sept. 13, 1882.

*mā -gus, s. [Lat.] One of the Magi (q. v.); a The British Government advised Egypt to give up

magian.

Măg-yar, s. [Hung.]

1. One of a race of Asiatic origin, which invaded or settled in Hungary about the end of the ninth century, and is still the predominant race there.

2. The language of Hungary. It belongs to the Ugrian family of the Turanian class of languages. *măg --däre, *mag-u-dere, s. [Latin magydarius, magudarius, from Gr. magydaris.] Laserwort. [LASERPITIUM.]

ma-ha, s. [Native name.]

Zool. Semnopithecus ursinus, a native of the wooded hill-country of Ceylon. Its specific name has reference to its general bear-like appearance. [WANDEROO.]

ma-ha-bha'-rat, s. [Sansc. maha, mahat-great, and Bharat (see def.).]

Hindu Literature: One of the two great epic of India, the other being the Ramayan. Its poems leading theme is the contest, perhaps, in the main, historic, between the Kurus and the Pandus, two dynasties of ancient India, both descended from Bharat, King of Hustinapoor. Dhritarashtra, the father of Duryodhana and the Kurus, was the legitimate heir to the throne, but being blind, he was supplanted by his cousin Yudhistiras, the eldest of the five Pandu princes. Ultimately, by the aid of Krishna, the usurping Pandus were firmly established in the sovereignty of Northern India. With this main theme are interwoven episodes, moral reflections, and digressions of all kinds, constituting about three-fourths of the present poem. The discourse between Krishna and Urjoon on the eve of a battle constitutes the Bhagavat gita (q. v.).

The roots of some portions of modern Hinduism are in the Mahabharat. The worship of Krishna, as one with Vishnu and the universe, has its origin

here.

all attempts to reconquer the Soudan, which was
about as large as France, Germany, and Spain taken
together, besides being mostly desert. The advice
was neglected, an Egyptian army, headed by an
Englishman, Hicks Pasha, was sent out, but was
almost immediately destroyed and its leader killed.
A second, under Baker Pasha (Colonel Valentine
Baker), was put to flight with great slaughter on
Feb. 4, 1884. The Egyptians were now willing to let
the Soudan go, and as originally advised, include
in it Khartoum, the capital of Nubia. But the
Soudanese, not contented to obtain their independ
ence, desired also to massacre the Egyptian garri-
sons of about 20,000 men. Humanity shuddered at
such a resolve, and public opinion urged that Gen-
eral Gordon should be sent out on a peaceful
mission to negotiate for the withdrawal of the gar-
risons. He went to Egypt, but failed in his endeavor,
and after defending himself in Khartoum for about
a year, was overcome by treachery on Jan. 26, 1885,
the Mahdi's troops being admitted within the forti-
fications, and Gordon and many others slain, just
as a relieving army was approaching for his deliver
ance.

Mah'-di-an, s. [Eng., &c., Mahdi; -an.] A fol-
lower or adherent of the Mahdi (q. v.).
Mah-dist, 8. [Eng., &c., Mahd(i); -ist.] The
same as MAHDIAN (q. v.).

mahl, s. [MAUL.]

mah -lib, ma-ha -lěb, s. [Native name.]

Bot.: The fragrant kernels of Cerasus mahaleb,

used by the Scindian and other native Indian
women as necklaces. The fruit affords a violet dye,
and can be made also into a fermented liquor like

kirschwasser.

*ma-hog'-an-ize, v. t. [Eng. mahogan (y); -ize.] To paint or grain in imitation of mahogany; to veneer with mahogany.

Ma-hom -ě-tan, a. & s. [MOHAMMEDAN.]
Ma-hom -ě-tan-işm, s. [MOHAMMEDANISM.]
Ma-hom -ě-tan-ize, v. t. [MOHAMMEDANIZE.]
*Ma-ho-mět -i-cal, a. [Eng. Mahomet; -ical.]
Mohammedan.

"The Mahometical Elysium of libertines."-Gentleman Instructed, p. 561.

*

Ma-hom -ět-ism, * Mạ-hòm -ě-triền * Ma- . hum-e-tisme, subst. [Eng. Mahomet; -ism, -ry.] Mohammedanism, idolatry.

"No dumme popetrie or superstitious Mahometrie."— Tyndall: Works, p. 257.

*Ma-hom -ět-ist, s. [Eng. Mahomet; -ist.] A follower of Mohammed; a Mohammedan.

"The king of the Mahometists sought his friendship." -Pedro Mexia: Hist. Roman Emperors, p. 525. *Ma'-ho-mite, s. [Eng. Mahom (et); ite.] A Mohammedan.

"The Mahomite With hundred thousands in Vienna plaine." Sylvester: Miracle of Peace, sonn. xxxviii. ma-hō'-nl-a, subst. [Named after Bernard McMahon.]

Bot.: Ash-barberry; a genus of Berberidaces consisting of elegant evergreen shrubs, and with pinnate leaves, and yellow flowers. Found in North America and Nepaul. Several are cultivated in gardens.

*ma-hound', *ma-hồùn', s. & a. [A corruption of Mohammed or Mahomet.]

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2. The devil. B. As adj.: A term applied to the devil or any very wicked person or spirit.

ma-hôut, s. [East Indian.] An elephant driver or keeper.

Mah-rǎt'-ta, a. &s. [Mahratta Maratha, as adj. belonging to the Maratha country; as subst.= a man of the cultivator caste. Maharashtra the great country, or perhaps Maharrashtra the country of the Mahars, now an outcast tribe, from Sansc. maha=great, or Mahar and rashtra=country.]

A. As adjective: Of or belonging to the Mahrattas. [B.]

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mahva

mah‍-va, mah'-wa, ma-hō-a, s. [Native Indian name.] The same as MADHUCA (q. v.).

Mā -I-a (1), s. [Gr. Maia, in Greek myth.=the daughter of Atlas, and mother of Hermes.]

Astron. An asteroid, the 66th catalogued.

mā -I-a (2), s. [Latin, from Greek maia=good mother; a large kind of crab, supposed by Cuvier to be Cancer pagurus (Linn.).]

Zool. Spider-crab; the typical genus of the family Maiidae. The type is Maia squinado. [SPIDERCRAB.]

mā-i'-a-dæ, s. pl. [MAIDE.]

mā -1-an, s. [Gr. maia=a crab.]

Zool. An individual of the tribe Maiidæ (q. v.). maid, *mayd, *mayde, s [A corrupt. of maiden (q. v.), by the loss of final'n; Å. S. mægdh, mægedh =a maiden.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. A girl; a young unmarried woman. "The Syrians had

brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife."-2 Kings v. 2.

2. A virgin; an unmarried woman who has preserved her chastity.

3. A female servant.

"Spinning amongst her maids.”—Shakesp.: Rape of Lucrece. (Argum.)

4. Used of a man who has not yet known woman. "You are betrothed both to a maid and man.' Shakesp.: Twelfth Night, v. II. Ichthy.: A popular name for a female of Raja batis.

1 Maid of Honor: [HONOR, ¶ 6.] 2. Maids of the Cross:

Ecclesiology and Church History:

(1) A sisterhood founded at Roye, in Picardy, in 1625, by four young women. They removed to Paris in 1640, and were created into a congregation by the Archbishop in 1640, and confirm.ed by letters patent in 1642.

(2) A similar sisterhood founded in 1668 by Eleonora de Gonzaga, wife of Leopold I., and confirmed the same year by Pope Clement IX. and the Emperor. Called also the Order of the Cross and Bethlehemites.

Maid of all work: A general servant. *maid-child, s. A female child; a girl.

"But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation."-Lev. xii. 5.

*maid-pale, a. Having the white and tender complexion of a virgin.

"Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace." Shakesp.: Richard II., iii. 3. maid's hair, s.

Bot.: Galium verum. maid-en, *mayd-en, *meid-en, s. & a. [A. S. mægden, mæden, maigden, an extension of mag, mage a female relation, a maid; mægden, mægeden =magedhen a dimin. of mægedh a maid. Mag, or mage, is the fem. of mag-a son, a kinsman; cogn, with Goth. magus=a boy, a child; Icel. möger =a boy, a son.]

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2. Figuratively:

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(1) An epithet applied to an effort made for the first time; as, a maiden speech; a maiden attempt. *(2) Fresh, unpolluted

"A maiden and an innocent hand." Shakesp.: King John, iv. 2. (3) That has never been taken by siege. "Every citizen considered his own honor as bound up with the honor of the maiden fortress."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xix.

II. Cricket: In which no runs have been made; as, a maiden over.

maiden-assize, s. An assize at which there are no criminal cases to be tried. (Eng.) *maiden-headed, a. Bearing the device of a maiden's head.

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"His qualities were beauteous as his form, For maiden-tongued he was, and thereof free." Shakesp. Lover's Complaint, 100. *maiden-widowed, a. Having become a widow while still a virgin.

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mā ieu -tic, a. & s. [Gr. maieutikos, from maia =a midwife.]

A. As adj.: Seeming to accelerate or assist childbirth; hence, fig., helping to bring forth, educe, or evolve.

B. As subst.: The system pursued by Socrates in his investigation of truth, in which he endeavored to lead on to the truth by continual questioning. mă-ieu-tic-al, a. [Eng. maieutic; -al.] The same as MAIEUTIC (q. v.).

mãi-gre (gre as ger), a. s. [Fr.=lean, thin A. As adjective:

*1. Ord. Lang.: Thin, lean.

"When he saw the young gentleman so maigre and indisposed."-Carlyle: Letters and Speeches of Cromwell,

iii. 132.

2. Cook. Applied to preparations of any kind made without butcher's meat, poultry, or game, and cooked with butter instead of lard or dripping. *B. As substantive:

1. Ord. Lang.: A fast.

"But I, a maid, die maiden-widowed." Mediterranean. Shakesp.: Romeo and Juliet, iii. 2. maiden's-blush, s. The garden rose.

"Maiden's-blush commixt with jessimine." Herrick: Hesperides, p. 281. *maid-en, mayd-en, v. i. [MAIDEN, 8.] To speak or act meekly or demurely, like a maiden.

"For had I mayden'd it, as many use; Loath for to grant, but loather to refuse." Hall: Satires, iii. 3. mãid-en-häir, s. [Eng. maiden, and hair.] Botany:

1. Adiantum capillus veneris, and the genus Adiantum. The former has many spreading capillary branches (whence the English name), a three to four pinnate frond, with the pinnules cuneate, lobed, crenate, glabrous. It is rare in Britain, but is found in this country, in continental Europe, Asia, Africa, and Polynesia. [ADIANTUM.]

"June is drawn in a mantle of dark grass green, upon his head a garland of bent, king's-cup, and maidenhair." -Peacham: On Drawing.

2. Passiflora adiantum. maidenhair-grass, s. Bot.: Briza media. maidenhair-tree, s.

Bot.: Salisburia adiantifolia, a Japanese tree. mãid-en-hĕad, mãid -ẹn-hood, *meid-en-hed, *meid-en-hede, *maid-en-hode, s. [A. S. mægdenhád.]

1. The quality or state of being a maiden or virgin; virginity.

2. The hymen or virginal membrane. 3. Newness, freshness.

"If that the devil and mischance look big Upon the maidenhead of our affairs" Shakesp.: Henry IV., Pt. I., iv. 1. *4. The head of the Virgin Mary. The word in this sense is only found as a tavern sign. (Eng.) a maid or virgin; maidenly, modest. maid-en-like, a. [Eng. maiden; -like.] Like

mãid -en-li-ness, s. [English maidenly; -ness.] The quality or state of being maidenly; that behavior which becomes or befits a maid; modesty. maid-en-ly, *mayd-en-ly, a. & adv. [English maiden; -ly.]

A. As adjective:

1. Like a maiden; modest, meek.

2. Becoming or befitting a maiden.

"It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly: Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it." Shakesp.: Midsummer Night's Dream, iii. 2. B. As adverb: Like a maiden; in a maidenly

manner.

2. Ichthy. Sciona aquila, an acanthopterygian fish of the family Scianidæ (q. v.), common in the Length seldom less than three, and sometimes as much as six feet. It is highly esteemed for the table. Its general appearance resembles that of the bass, but the head is shorter and more rounded, and the tongue and palate destitute of teeth. Fins brown, body bluish-white below and greenish-brown above. The maigre emits a peculiar sound, described as a purring or buzzing. Its otolites are very large, and were formerly in great repute as a charm for colics, provided they were received as a gift or actually removed by the sufferer from the head of the fish.

Catholics on days when flesh-meat is forbidden. maigre-dishes, s pl. Dishes eaten by Roman They include fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, omelets, &c.

maigre-food, s. The same as MAIGRE-DISHES

(q.v.).

mãi -hăm, s. [MAIM, 8.]

ma-i'-I-dæ, mă-i-a-dæ, s. pl. [Mod. Lat., &c., mai(a); Lat. fem. pl. adj. suff. -idæ, -ade.]

Zool. Sea-spiders. Short-tailed Crustaceans of the section Oxyrhynchi of Milne-Edwards. The carapace is much longer than it is wide, and generally spiny; the first pair of feet in s me males much longer than the second pair, and twice that of the carapace.

māik, s. [MAKE (2), s.] A companion, an equal, a mate. (Scotch.)

māil (1), *maille, *mayle, *male, (1), *maile, s. [Fr. maille a mesh of a net, mail, from Lat. macula a spot, a mesh of a net, a net; Ital. maglia.] I. Literally and Technically:

1. Armor: A flexible armor of rings or scales, covering the body, or body and limbs, according to its extent. Chain-mail consisted of steel or iron rings interlacing each other; of this sort were the shirts of mail. Plate-mail consisted of plates of

steel or brass overlapping and riveted together.
"To have done, is to hang
Quite out of fashion, like a rusty mail
In monumental mockery.

Shakesp.: Troilus and Cressida, iii. 3.

2. Naut.: A series of interwoven rings, like mailarmor or net-work, fastened on some stout substance, as canvas, used for rubbing off the loose fibers on cordage.

3. Weaving: One of the small brass eyes through which the end or worsted yarn passes in a Brussels carpet-loom, and by which it is lifted in order to form the loop which distinguishes the surface of that variety of carpet.

wē, wět, hëre, camel, her, thêre;

father;

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mailed (1), a. [Eng. mail (1), s.; -ed.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. Clad in a coat of mail; covered with armor.
"Thou beckonest with thy mailed hand,
And I am strong again."

2. Spotted, speckled.

3. Deposited in the mail.

Longfellow: Light of Stars.

main-guard

măim -ěd-17, *maym-ed-ly, adv. [English maimed; ly. In a maimed, crippled, or defective manner; deficiently.

"I am to crave pardon for that I rather leave it out altogether, then presume to doe it maymedly."-Hackluyt: Voyages, i. 614.

māim -ěd-ness, s. [Eng, maimed; -ness.] The quality or state of being maimed.

mäin, *mäine, a. & s. [O. Fr. maine, magne A. As adjective:

II. Zool. Protected by plates, or anything simi- from Lat. magnus=great.] lar. (See the compound.)

mailed-cheeks, s. pl.

Ichthy. A popular name for the acanthopterous family Sclerogenidæ, of which scientific term it is an almost literal translation. The name refers to the enlargement in fishes of this family of certain bones of the head and gillcovers to form a bony

mail-sheathed, a. The same as MAIL-CLAD armor for the cheeks. (q. v.).

māil (2), *māle (2), s. [O. Fr. male (Fr. malle), from O. H. Ger. malaha; M. H. Ger. malhe a leathern wallet; Gael. & Ir. mala=a bag, a sack; Icel. male a knapsack.]

*1. A bag; a box for holding goods or baggage; a trunk. a portmanteau. (Eng.)

2. A bag for the conveyance of letters; a mail-bag (q. v.).

3. The letters, papers, books, &c., conveyed by the post.

4. The person or conveyance by which the mail is

carried.

mail-bag, s. A letter-bag made of leather or canvas, for containing letters, newspapers, and other printed matter for conveyance through the post-office.

Mail-bag receiver and discharger: An apparatus for receiving mail-bags from or delivering them to railway-cars in motion at stations along the line. mail-boat, s. A vessel which carries the mail; a mail-steamer.

mail-carrier, s.

I. Gen.: One who or that which carries the mail: as, He was United States mail-carrier, or, Train No. 3 is a mail-carrier, &c.

II. Specif.: One of a corps of salaried servants of the general government attached to the Post-office Department, and employed in our larger cities and towns in the delivery of the mails to the persons business. Of late years this branch of the public addressed, either at their homes or at their places of service has become a most important and efficient department, and the free delivery of mail matter at the place addressed is a notable feature of American urban life. The carriers are all uniformed, and are controlled by the civil service regulations. mail-cart, s. A cart employed in postal service. mail-coach, 8. A stage coach which, prior to the introduction of railways, carried the mails.

mailed (2), a. [MELL (1), v.; Fr. méler.] Mixed.
hurt some gate."-Scott: Heart of Mid-Lothian, ch. xvii.
"Mailed wi' the bluid of a bit skirling wean that was
mail-in, mail-ing, s. [MAIL (3), 8.] A farm; a
piece of land for which rent or feu duty is paid.
(Scotch.)

"A mailing that would be dear o' a pund Scots."-Scott:
Antiquary, ch. iv.

mail-ing, pr. par. or a. [MAIL (2), v.] (See the compound.)

mailing-machine, s. A machine for attaching addresses to newspapers, &c., for transmission by mail.

*maille (1), s. [MAIL (1), 8.]

*maille (2), *maile, s. [Fr., from O. Fr. meaille' from Lat. metallum metal.] A name given to sev eral coins of various denominations and values: (1) A small copper coin of the value of half a denier, current in France

under the kings
of the Capetian
halfpenny cur
race; (2) a silver
rent in the reign
of Henry V.

maille - noble,
subst.

Numis. The
English half-

Maille-noble.

1. Mighty, great, vast.

"You may as well go stand upon the beach, And bid the main flood bate his usual height." Shakesp.: Merchant of Venice, iv. 1. 2. Principal, chief; the first in rank, importance, size, &c.

"All perfectly agreeing in the main articles."-Porteus, vol. i., lec. 2. 3. Important, powerful, large.

4. Directly applied; direct, pure, simple. 5. Absolute, direct, pure; as, a main untruth. (Scotch.)

B. As substantive:

I. Ordinary Language:

1. That which is chief, principal, or first in importance, size, rank, &c.; the chief part, the gros the bulk.

2. Specif., the ocean, the high sea, the great sea.
"Then up and spake an old sailor,
Had sailed the Spanish main."
Longfellow: Wreck of the Hesperus.

*3. A continent, the mainland.
"Swell the curled waters 'bove the main."
Shakesp.: Lear, iii. 1.
4. The chief or principal point; the most impor-
tant point.

"Let's make haste away and look unto the main." Shakesp.: Henry VI., Pt. II., i. 1. II. Technically:

1. Bank.: A banker's shovel for coin. (Eng.) 2. Hydraul.: A large or principal water or gas pipe. The smaller are termed supply or service pipes or branches.

3. Naut.: The middle or principal mast, hatch-
way, &c., in a three-masted vessel. In all two-
masted vessels, except the yawl, galiot, and ketch,
has a fore and main mast. With a yawl or ketch
the forward mast is the larger, and is called the
†mail -măn, s. [Eng. mail (2), and man.] A man main-mast, the other being the mizzen.
employed to carry the mail.

value of 80 cents.
noble of the time of Edward III., a gold coin of the the main is the aftermost mast. A brig or schooner

"The mailman had... left a bottle of rum as he rode
by."-Gentleman's Magazine.

māim, *maime, *maym, *may-hem, *mey-
hem, v. t. [O. Fr. mehaigner to maim; Ital. magag-
nare, cf. Bret. machaña-to maim.] [MAIM, 8.]
1. Lit.: To deprive of the use of a limb; to dis-

mail-guard, s. An official in charge of a mail- able by mutilation; to cripple, to mutilate. coach. Eng.)

mail-master, 8. An officer in charge of a mail. mail-matter, s. Matter to be carried by mail, such as letters, papers, &c. mail-room, s.

A room or apartment in which the letters, papers, &c., composing a mail are

sorted.

mail-route, s. The route by which a mail is conveyed.

mail-steamer, s. A fast-sailing steamer chartered by government for the conveyance of mails. mail-train, 8. A fast train by which the mails are conveyed.

*mail (3), 8. [A. S. mál a portion, a share; Icel. mál; Dan. maal.] An old Scotch term for rent.

(1) Grass-mail: Rent paid for cattle sent to graze on the pastures of another.

(2) Black-mail: [BLACKMAIL.]

(3) Mails and duties: The rents of an estate, whether in money or grain.

mail-payer, s. One who pays rent. (Scotch.) *mail (1), *mayle, v. t. [MAIL (1), 8.]

1. To invest in a coat of mail; to arm with a coat of mail; to arm generally..

2. To invest with a covering of any kind; to cover up; to wrap up.

"Methinks I should not thus be led along,
Mailed up in shame, with papers on my back."
Shakesp.: Henry VI., Pt. II., ii. 4.

3. To pinion; to fasten down, as the wings of a hawk. (Beaum. & Flet.: Philaster, v.)

māil (2), v.t. [MAIL (2), 8.] To put into the mail; to send by mail; to post; to put into a post-office for transmission.

mail-a-ble, a. [Eng. mail (2), s. ; -able.] That may or can be mailed or carried in the mail.

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"Think what a maim you give the noble cause.'
Beaum, & Flet.: Tamer Tamed, ii. 2.

4. An essential defect.
"Such was Lucullus' imperfection and maim, either by
chiefest thing a general should have, which was, to be
or frowardness of fortune, that he lacked the
beloved."-North: Plutarch, p. 424.

nature

II. Old Law: An injury done to a man by violently depriving him of a member proper for his defense in fight, as a means either of defense or of offense.

"A man's limbs (by which for the present we only understand those members which may be useful to him in fight, and the loss of which alone amounts to mayhem by the common law) are also the gift of the wise Creator to enable him to protect himself from external injuries in a state of nature. -Blackstone: Comment., bk. i., ch. 1. maimed, *maymed, *y-maymed, pa. par. or a. [MAIM, v.]

[blocks in formation]

In the main, *For the main: For the most part. "These notions concerning coinage have, for the main, been put into writing above twelve months."-Locke. main-body, s.

Mil.: That part of an army which marches between the advance and rear guards; in camp, that body which lies between the two wings.

main-boom, 8.

Naut.: The lower spar of a small vessel on which the main-sail is extended. main-breadth, s.

Shipbuild.: The broadest part at any particular frame. Main-breadth line:

Shipbuild.: A line on the surface of a vessel cutting each of the cross sections at the point where its breadth is greatest. In vessels having a "straight of breadth" vertically, there are two main-bread h lines, at the upper and lower boundary of the straight of breadth respectively.

main-center, s.

Steam-engin. In side-lever engines, the strong shaft upon which the side-levers vibrate.

main-chance, s. One's own interests generally; self-interest.

"Desire him to have a care of the main-chance."-Howell: Letters, p. 205.

main check-valve, s.

Steam-eng.: A valve belonging to the Giffard boiler, should anything go wrong with the injector. injector, to prevent water running out of the main-couple, s.

Carp.: The principal truss in a roof.
*main-course, s.
The main-sail of a square-

rigged vessel.
"Down with the topmast; yare, lower, lower; bring her
to try with main-course."-Shakesp.: Tempest, i. 1.
main-deck, s.

Shipbuild.: The deck next above the lower deck.
main-guard, s.

Mil.: A body of horse posted before a camp for the safety of the army.

sin, aş; expect, Xenophon,

exist. ph = f.

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