mazarine

măz'-ar-îne, s. & a. [After Cardinal Mazarin.]

A. As substantive:

1. A deep-blue color.

"The sky above was a bright mazarine.” Barham: Ingoldsby Legends; St. Romwold. 2. A particular mode of dressing fowls. *3. A gown, probably of a mazarine color. "Bring my silver'd mazarine."

B. As adjective:

Anstey: New Bath Guide, let. ix.

2. Of a deep blue color. Mazarine Bible, subst. An edition of the Latin Vulgate discovered in the library of Cardinal Mazarin. It was from this that John Guttenberg, between 1450 and 1455, printed the first book in the production of which cut metal types were used.

mazarine-gown, s. The gown of mazarine blue worn by a common councilman. [MAZARINE, 8.] Măz-de-ạn, adj. [MAZDEISM.] Pertaining or relating to Mazdeism, or the religion of the ancient Persians.

Măz-dě- Işm, subst. [From Ahuró-Mazdão= Hormusd, the good god of the Persian system, from Zend ahur lord, and mazda, as adj.-wise; as subst. a sage; Fr. mazdéisme.]

Religions: A name for Zoroastrianism (q. v.). măze, *măşe, subst. [A word of Scandinavian origin; cf. Norw. masast to fall into a slumber, to lose one's senses; Icel. masa to chatter, to prattle; Sw. dial. masa=(1) to warm, (2) to bask, (3) to be slow or lazy; mas slow, lazy; Eng. amaze.J

1. A labyrinth; a confusing and puzzling network, or intricacy of winding and turning paths or passages.

"It gains a safer bed, and steals, at last,
Along the mazes of the quiet vale."
Thomson: Summer, 606.

2. A puzzle, an intricacy.
The vast and intricate maze of Continental politics."

-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xi. 3. Confusion of thought; uncertainty, perplexity. "Others reason'd high And found no end, in wand'ring mazes lost." Milton: P. L., ii. 560. *maze, *mase, v. t. & i. [MAZE, 8.]

"Villain, I say, knock me at this gate, and rap me well." Shakesp.: Taming of the Shrew, i. 2. In older English we find the dative construed before the verb to be, and an adjective; as, me were leof= it would be lief to me; traces of which construction are to be found in Shakespeare; as, 66 me had rather." (Richard II., iii. 3.)

*me, indef. pron. [From men, by the falling away of n.] One, people, persons.

*mea-cock, *mea-cock, a. & s. [Etym. doubtful; perhaps from meek, a., with dimin. suff. -ock.] A. As adj.: Spiritless, pusillanimous, cowardly, tame, effeminate.

B. As subst.: A spiritless, effeminate, or timorous fellow; a coward.

"Fools and meacocks,

To endure what you think fit to put upon 'em.'
Beaum. & Flet.: Wild Goose Chase, v. i.

mead (1), mede (1), *meth, *methe, s. [A. S. medu, meodu, medo, meodo; cogn, with Dut. mede; Icel. mjodhr; Dan. miod; Sw. mjödh; Ger. meth; O. H. Ger. meto; Welsh medd; Lith. middus = mead, medus = honey; Russ. med'; Gr. methy = an intoxicating drink; Sansc. madhu=(a.) sweet, (s.) honey, sugar.]

confound.

"A little herd of England's timorous deer, Maz'd with a yelping kennel of French curs." Shakesp.: Henry VI., Pt. I., iv. 2. B. Intrans.: To be bewildered, to wander in mind. *mazed, *māşed, adj. [MAZE, v.] Bewildered, confused, confounded, perplexed.

"Many mazed considerings did throng
And press'd in with this caution."
Shakesp.: Henry VIII., ii. 4.

*māz'-ěd-něss, *maş -ĕd-nesse, s. [English mased; -ness.] The quality or state of being amazed, or in a maze; bewilderment, confusion, perplexity.

*maze-ful, a. [Eng. maze; ful().] Bewildering, perplexing, causing bewilderment.

*maz -ĕr,*mā§ -ēr, s. [So called from being made of maple, which is a spotted wood; M. H. Ger. mase; O. H. Ger. másá a spot; cf. Icel. mosurr a maple-tree, spot-wood, mösurr-bolli-a mazer-bowl, and Dut. maser a knot in a tree.] A large cup or drinking vessel.

"Bring here,' he said, 'the mazers four,
My noble fathers loved of
yore.'"

Scott: Lord of the Isles, v. 34. maz'-1-ly, adv. [Eng. mazy; ly.] In a mazy or winding manner; with perplexity or confusion. máz-i-ness, s. [Eng. mazy-ness.] The quality or state of being mazy; perplexity. mā-zo-log-l-cal, a. [Eng. mazology; -cal.] Of or pertaining to mazology.

ma-zŎl-ō-gist, s. [Eng. mazolog(y); -ist.] One versed in mazology.

má-zŏl -ō-ġỷ, s. [Gr. mazos the breast, and logos a discourse.] That department of zoology which treats of mammiferous animals.

ma-zur-ką, ma-zoũr -ką, s. [Pol.]

1. A Polish dance of lively grotesque character, the music of which is in or time with a peculiar rhythm. It is generally performed by four or eight pairs of dancers, is popular in Germany as well as in Poland. The mazurka, like the waltz, has been treated in a classical manner, notably by Chopin. 2. The music written for such a dance. maz -, a. [Eng. maz(e); -y.] Having the character or qualities of a maze; involved, winding, perplexing, intricate.

malt and a piece of toast dipped in yeast, and suffering the whole to ferment.

2. A drink composed of syrup with sarsaparilla, or other flavoring matter, and water, and sometimes impregnated with carbonic acid gas. mead (2), *mede (2). s. [A. S. med, from máwan to mow, and thus allied to math (q. v.). Cf. Ger. mahd a mowing; M. H. Ger. mát a mowing, a crop, a mead, mate, matte a meadow; Swiss matt = a meadow, in compound place names, as Zermatt, except in poetry. &c.] The same as MEADOW (q. v.). Seldom used

"From mead to mead with gèntle wing to stray." Thomson: Castle of Indolence, i. 9. mead-ōw, *med dow, *med-ew, *med-ow, s. [A. S. madu.] A level tract of land under grass, and generally mown for hay; grassland; low-lying, level land on the banks of a river or lake, but sufficiently dry to produce herbage of a superior quality. In this country the term is generally applied to the low ground on the banks of rivers formed of rich mold, or alluvial soil. In the Western States these lands are known as bottom-land or bottoms. meadow-beauty, s.

Bot.: Dianthus armeria. [Deptford-pink.] meadow-pipit, meadow-titling, s.

Ornith.: Alauda pratensis, the Titlark (q. v.). meadow-queen, s. [MEADOW-SWEET.] meadow-rue, s.

Bot. The genus Thalictrum (q. v.). Three are British, the Common Meadow-rue (Thalictrum fla vum), Lesser Meadow-rue (T. minus), and the Alpine Meadow-rue (T. alpinum). Many others are cultivated in gardens, being ornamental in a bor

der or a shrubbery.

meadow-saffron, s.

1. Bot.: The genus Colchicum, and specially Col chicum autumnale. The roots are poisonous. 2. Pharm.: The fresh corm and the seeds of Col chicum are cathartic, emetic, diuretic, and chola gogue. They are used in gout, acute rheumatism, dropsy, and obstinate skin diseases. meadow-sage, s.

Bot.: Salvia pratensis.

meadow-saxifrage, meadow pepper-saxifrage, s.

Bot. The genus Seseli, which is not a real saxi. frage, but an umbelliferous plant. meadow-sweet, s.

Meadow-sweet, Meadow-queen, and Queen of the Bot.: Spiraea ulmaria. Called also Mead-sweet, Meadows. [SPIRÆA.]

meadow-titling, s. [MEADOW-PIPIT.]

mead -ōw-er, s. [Eng. meadow; -er.] One who waters meadow-lands to increase or preserve their verdure.

mead -ōw-wort, s. [Eng. meadow, and wort.] [MEADOW-SWEET.]'

mĕad -ōw-y, a. [Eng. meadow; -y.] Pertaining to or consisting of meadow; resembling meadow. "Thy breasts, which in their meadowy pride Are branch'd with rivery veines meander-like that glide." Drayton: Polyolbion, s. 10. mēad -sweet, subst. [Eng. mead (2), and sweet.]

Bot.: Rhexia, a genus of Melastomaceae, consist- [MEADOW-SWEET.] ing of low herbs. Called also Deer-grass. meadow-brown, s.

Entom.: A butterfly, Hipparchia janira, of a dull-brown color. The male has a fulvous ring, with a black spot and a white center; the female a fulvous patch. Expansion of wings, from one and a half to two inchies; flight slow; larva green, with a white stripe on each side; feeding on grasses. meadow-clover, s.

Bot.: A name for the common purple clover, Trifolium pratense.

meadow-crake, meadow-gallinule, s.
Ornith.: Crex pratensis, the Corn-crake or Land-

rail.

"meadow-cranesbill, s.

meadow-crowfoot, s.

[MEADOW-GERANIUM.]

Bot.: Any species of Ranunculus growing, as several do, in meadows. The Upright Meadow-crowfoot is Ranunculus acris.

meadow fox-tail, s. Bot.: Alopecurus pratensis. meadow-gallinule, s. [MEADOW-CRAKE.]

mead -wõrt, subst. [Eng. mead (2), and wort.} [MEADOW-SWEET.]

mea -ger, mea -gre (gre as ger), *me-gre, adj. [Fr. maigre=thin, from Lat. macrum, accus. of macer-thin; Icel. magr; Dan., Sw., & Ger. mager; Sp., Port., & Ital. magro.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. Lean; wanting flesh; thin.
"Thou art so lean and meager waxen late,
That scarce thy legs uphold thy feeble gate."
Spenser: Mother Hubberds Tale.

2. Poor, hungry; destitute of richness, fertility, or productiveness; barren.

"Canaan's happy land, when worn with toil,
Requir'd a Sabbath year to mend the meager soil."
Dryden. (Todd.)

3. Poor, mean, insignificant, scanty.
"The meager abridgements or florus, Eutropius, and
Aurelius Victor furnish our only means of comparison.'
-Lewis: Cred. Early Roman Hist. (1855), ii. 363.
mea-ger, mea-gre (gre as ger), v. t. [MEA
GER, a.] To make meager, lean, or thin.
"His ceaseless sorrow for the unhappy maid
Meagered his look."
Dryden: Ovid; Metamorphoses xi.

chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this; sin, aş; expect, Xenophon, exist. ph = L

meagerly

mea -ger-ly, mea-gre-ly (gre as ger), adverb. (Eng. meager; -ly. In a meager or poor manner; poorly, feebly, thinly, sparsely.

"O physick's power, which (some say) hath restrain'd Approach of death, alas! thou helpest meagerly." Sidney: Arcadia, iv. mēa'-ger-ness, mēa'-gre-ness (gre as ger), s. [Eng. meager; -ness.]

1. The quality or state of being meager or thin; leanness, thinness; want or absence of flesh. "Many a burning sun has stampt a meagerness Upon my figure."

Beaum. & Flet.: Island Princess, iv. 1.

2656

Dangerfield was prepared to swear were found in the meal-tub belonging to a Mrs. Cellier, one of his friends. Ultimately he confessed his crime, was whipped, and condemned to stand in the pillory. On January 1, 1685, he was mortally injured by a lawyer named Robert Frances, for which the assailant was executed.

meal-worm, s.

ness.

3. Scantiness, insignificance, poorness.

"But Poynings (the better to make compensation of the meagernesse of his service in the warres, by acts of peace) called a parliament."-Bacon: Henry VII., p. 138. *mēak, *mēake, s. [A. S. mece a sword.] A hook with a long handle.

"A meake for the pease, and to swing up the brake." Tusser: Husbandry. -meal, *-mele, suff. [A. S. malum; dat. pl. of mál, a portion.] A suffix denoting division into portions or parts; as, limb-meal = limb by limb, parcel-meal bit by bit, piece-meal-piece by piece. (MEAL (1), s.)

meal (1), *mele (1), s. [A. S. mál (1) time, (2) a portion of food; cogn. with Dut. maal=(1) time, (2) a meal; Icel. mál=(1) a measure, (2) time, (3) a meal; Dan. maal measure, dimension; maaltid= (mealtime) a meal; Sw. mål-measure, the size, meal; Goth. mel-time, season; Ger. mahl a meal; mal a time. From the same root as mete, v.] A portion of food taken at one of the regular or customary times of eating: a repast; an occasion of taking food. [-MEAL, suff.]

"A rude and hasty meal was set before the numerous guests."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xiii.

meal-time, *meal-tide, s. The ordinary or customary time of taking food.

"The morrow came, and nighen gan the time
Of meal-tide."
Chaucer: Troilus and Cresseide, bk. ii.

meal (2), *mele (2), s. [A. S. melo, melu (genit. melewes); cogn. with Dut. meel; Icel. mjöl, mél; Dan. meel; Sw. mjöl; Ger. mehl, from the root mal, seen in Icel. mala, Goth. malan, O. H. Ger. malan= to grind; Wel. malu, Lat. mola, Eng. mill.]

1. The edible portion of grain, as of wheat, oats, rye, barley, pease, pulse of various sorts, &c., ground into a fine powder or flour. Fifteen pounds of oat-grain yield eight of meal.

2. Any powdery substance resembling meal or flour.

meal-ark, s. A chest or box for holding meal. meal-beetle, s.

Entom.: Tenebrio molitor, the larva of which is the meal-worm (q. v.).

meal-berry, s.

Bot.: Arctostaphylos uva ursi. meal-house, *meale-house, s. A place where meal is stored.

"The pastire, meale-house, and the roome Whereas the coles do ly.' Breton: Forte of Fansie, p. 16. meal-man, s. One who deals in meal. meal-monger, s. A meal-man. meal-moth, s.

Entomology:

1. Asopia farinalis. [AsOPIA.] The name was given because it was believed that the larvæ fed upon meal; this, however, has not been confirmed. The perfect insect is common from July to September on out-houses, palings, trunks of trees, &c.

2. Pyralis farinalis, a small, brightly-variegated moth, expanding its wings about an inch. The larva feeds on flour, corn, &c., in April and May, the perfect insect appearing in June. (Stainton.) meal-rent. s. Rent paid in grain or meal. meal-sieve, s.

to remove portions of hulls from the former, lumps Domestic: A sieve for sifting corn-meal and flour, and weevils from the latter. The frame which rotates above the surface of the sieve is journaled in a frame attached by a clamp and set-screw to the edge of the sieve.

meal-tub, s. A large tub or barrel for holding meal.

Meal-tub Plot:

Hist.: A fictitious plot concocted in 1679 by an informer, Dangerfield, with the view of cutting off those who were opposed to the succession of James II. after he had embraced Roman Catholicism. Dangerfield also intended to make money by his revelations. It was the year after the infamous Titus Oates had sworn to a Roman Catholic plot quite as fictitious.

mean-moon

mean-born, a. Of low or humble birth.

'Inquire me out some mean-born gentleman, Whom I will marry straight to Clarence's daughter." Shakesp.: Richard III., iv. 2. mean-spirited, a. Spiritless; destitute of honor or principle.

"He was at best a mean-spirited coward."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xvii.

mean (2), *meane, *mene (2), a. & s. [0. Fr. meien (Fr. moyen), from Lat. medianus, from medius=middle; Sp. & Port. mediano; Ital. mezzano.]

A. As adjective:

I. Ordinary Language:

1. Occupying a middle place or position; moder ate, middle; not excessive.

2. Intervening; as, in the mean time, in the mean II. Technically:

1. To grind into meal; to reduce to powder, to while. pulverize.

2. To sprinkle with meal; to mix meal with.
3. To sprinkle, to taint.
"Were he mealed

With that which he corrects, then were he tyrannous."
Shakesp.: Measure for Measure, iv. 2.
mealed, pa. par. or a. [MEAL, v.]
mealed-powder, s. Gunpowder pulverized by
treating with alcohol.

meal -er, s. [Eng. meal, v.; -er.] A wooden rubber for mealing powder.

South Africa to maize, or Indian corn.
meal-leş, s. pl. [MEALY.] A name given in

speaking countries from being used in newspapers
The word came into prominence in English-
in connection with the Zulu war of 1879.

mēal'-i-ness, s. [Eng. mealy; -ness.]

1. The quality or state of being mealy, or like meal. 2. The quality or state of being mealy-mouthed. mēal -ỹ, *mēal'-iě, a. [Eng. meal (2), s.; -y.] I. Ordinary Language:

1. Having the qualities of meal; resembling meal; soft, friable, and dry to the touch or taste. viscid an aliment."-Arbuthnot: On Aliments. "The mealy parts of plants dissolved in water make too

2. Covered or besprinkled with any substance resembling meal. "The finest Sunday that the autumn saw, With all its mealy clusters of ripe nuts." Wordsworth: The Brothers.

3. Mealy-mouthed. II. Bot.: Covered with a white scurfy substance, farinose; as the leaves of Primula farinosa, and of some poplars.

mealy-bug, s.

Entom.: Coccus adonidum, an insect very injurious to pineapples and other exotics. It is reddish, and covered with a white powdery substance. [Coccus.] mealy-mouthed, a. Unwilling to tell the truth in plain language; soft-mouthed; indisposed or afraid to speak frankly, openly, and freely. "She was a fool to be mealy-mouthed where ncture

speaks so plain."—L'Estrange.

mealy-mouthedness, s. The quality or state of being mealy-mouthed. mealy-redpole, s.

Ornith.: Linota canescens. [LINOTA.] mealy-tree, s.

Bot.: Viburnum lantana.

mealy-winged, a. Having wings covered with a fine powder.

mealy-zeolite, s.

1. Math. Having a value intermediate between two extremes, or between the several successive values of a variable quantity during one cycle of variation.

*2. Music: The name formerly given to the tenor part as being the mean in pitch between the bass and treble. The middle strings of instruments were also called mean.

B. As substantive:

I. Ordinary Language:

1. That which is intermediate or has a valne intermediate between two extremes; the middle or excess; mediocrity, moderation. rate, degree, or point of place; absence of extremes

"The mean is the vertue, and not to go too far in this, as in all other things besides, it is the best."-North Plutarch, p. 116. 2. Intervening time; the mean time; the mean season. "In the meane vouchsafe her honorable toombe." Spenser: F. Q., II. i. 58. *3. A mediator, a medium, a go-between. 4. That which is used to effect an object; the medium through which anything is done or carried out; a measure or measures employed for the carry. ing out of an object; agency, medium, instrumentality. (Generally used in the plural.)

"God intends repentance to be the means to purify the heart from that corruption."-South: Sermons, vol. ix, ser. 7.

5. (Pl.): Revenue, resources, income, substance, estate. "Fortune made sad havoc of my means." Shakesp.: Much Ado about Nothing, iv. L *6. A plan, a method. ney."-Shakesp.: Two Gentlemen of Verona, ii. 7. "Tell me some good mean how I may undertake a jour *7. An opportunity; power, liberty.

"Let me have open means to come to them." Shakesp.: Richard III., iv. 2 II. Technically:

tity lying between them and connected with them by 1. Math. The mean of two quantities is a quan some mathematical law.

(1) [ARITHMETICAL-MEAN.]

(2) The geometrical mean of two quantities is the square root of their product: thus, the geometrical mean of 2 and 8 is 16=4. The greater of the given quantities is as many times greater than the mean, as the mean is greater than the less quantity. [PROGRESSION.]

(3) [HARMONICAL-MEAN.]

*2. Music: A term applied to the intermediate voice or part; the tenor or alto.

¶ (1) By all means: Certainly, undoubtedly; without fail or hesitation.

(2) By any means: In any way; by any plan; possibly; at all.

(3) By means of: By or through the agency or instrumentality of.

(4) By no manner of means: By no means; not the least. (5) By no means: On no account; not at all; not in any degree.

out.

marîne; gō, pot,

mean-motion

mean-motion, s. [MOTION, 8.]

mean-noon, s.

Astron. The time when the mean-sun (q. v.) would reach the meridian.

mean-proportional, s.

Math. The second of any three quantities in continued proportion.

mean-sun, s.

Astron. A hypothetical sun assumed to move through the sky at a uniform rate.

mean-time, s.

clock moving at a uniform rate, such as would be Astron. & Hor.: Time as measured by a perfect if all the days of the year were of a uniform length. It is distinguished from apparent time as measured by the sun or sidereal time as measured by the stars.

mean (1), *mene (1), *men-en, v. t. & i. [A. S. manan-to intend; cogn. with Dut. meenen to think, to believe, to fancy, to mean; Dan. mene to mean, to think; Sw. mena to mean, to think; Ger. meinen; O. H. Ger. meinjan to think upon, to mean, to signify; M. H. Ger. meine; O. H. Ger. meina thought, signification. From the same root as mind (q. v.).]

A. Transitive:

1. To have in the mind, view, or intention; to intend, to purpose, to signify; to desire or intend to convey or denote.

"Your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?"-Exodus xii. 26.

2. To purpose, to design, to intend.

"No man means evil but the devil."-Shakesp.: Merry Wives of Windsor, v. 2.

3. To be intended to signify, convey, or denote; to denote, to signify, to import, to indicate.

"We wot not what it [submission] means." Shakesp.: Henry VI., Pt. I., vi. 7.

B. Intransitive:

1. To purpose, to intend; to have in the mind or view.

2. To imply; to wish to convey or declare; to have a meaning.

*3. To think; to have the power of thought. "And he who now to sense, now nonsense leaning, Means not, but blunders round about a meaning." Pope: Prol. to Satires, 186.

4. To have a mind, disposition, or intention; as, to mean well.

*mean (2), *mene (2), v. i. & t. [MOAN, v.] Mě-ǎn-děr, s. [Lat. Mœander, Meandrus, from Gr. Maiandros the name of a river in Phrygia, remarkable for its circuitous course.]

I. Ordinary Language:

1. Lit.: A winding or circuitous course; intricate windings and turnings; a maze, a labyrinth.

2. Fig.: An intricacy, a maze; anything resembling a labyrinth.

II. Art: A peculiar style of ornamental design, in which the lines interlace; it is often used in deco

"To viewless harpings weave the meanless dance." Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin, p. 126. mean -ly, meane-liche, *mene-liche, mænelike, a. & adv. [Eng. mean; -ly.] A. As adj.: Humble, poor, mean. B. As adverb:

*1. Moderately; in a moderate manner or degree; not excessively.

"In the reign of Domitian, poetry was but meanly cul. tivated, but painting eminently flourished."- Dryden: Dufresnoy.

2. Without dignity or rank; humbly, lowlily. "His daughter have I meanly matched in marriage." Shakesp: Richard III., iv. 3. 3. Poorly, shabbily. "The heaven-born child, All meanly wrapped, in the rude manger lies." Milton: Ode on the Nativity.

4. Without dignity or greatness of mind; without honor or principle; disparagingly; as, He acted very meanly.

5. In a sordid or niggardly manner; sordidly. 6. Without respect; disrespectfully; as, to speak meanly of a person.

mēan'-ness, s. [Eng. mean, a.; -ness.]

1. Want of dignity or rank; low state; humble

Take of the crimson stream meandering there, And catechise it well." Cowper: Task, iii. 202. *mě ǎn'-dered, *mě ăn-dred (dred as dĕrd), a. [Eng. meander; ed.] Formed or moving in meanders or intricate windings.

"Of whose meandred ways And labyrinth-like turns (as in the moors she strays) She first received her name.'

Drayton: Polyolbion, s. 12. mě-ǎn'-dri-an, adj. [English meander; -ian.] Winding, meandering, intricate, serpentine; full of

meanders.

mě-ǎn-dri-na, s. [Lat. meandrus, genit. meand(ri); neut. pl. adj. suff. -ina.]

1. Zoology: Brain-coral, Brain-stone; a tropical genus of Madreporia (q. v.). Increase is effected by ission, the coral-structure becoming massive by the union of several rows or tufts of corallites throughout the whole or a portion of their height, the calicine region of the combined corallites winding in such a manner as to suggest the resemblance to the convolutions of the brain, to which the popu lar name has reference. 2. Paleont.: Principally from the Oolitic formation.

mě-ăn-drine, adj. [MEANDRINA.] Resembling the genus Meandrina in its characteristic growth. "By this serial growth the corallum becomes gyrate or meandrine."-Encyc. Brit. (ed. 9th), vi. 373. boll, boy; pout, jowl; cat,

2. Want of dignity or elevation of mind; want of "That meanness which marked them out as fit implements of tryanny.”—Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. iv. 3. Mean, low, or dishonorable thoughts or actions. "Lives there a man so dead to fame, who dares To think such meanness, or the thought declares?" Pope: Homer's Iliad, xiv. 103.

4. Want of excellence of any kind; poorness, inferiority. "This figure is of a later date, by the meanness of the workmanship."—Addison: On Italy. 5. Sordidness, niggardliness. *mean'-õr, s. [DEMEANOR.] Behavior, demeanor. "As if his meanor were not a little culpable." -Hacket: Life of Williams, i. 108. meang, s. pl. [MEAN, 8., I. 4, 5.] měant, pret. & pa. par. of v. [MEAN, v., mean-time, adv. & s. [Eng. mean (2), a., and time.]

A. As adv.: In the intervening time; in or during the interval; meanwhile.

"Meantime, kind Wycliffe, wilt thou try?" Scott: Rokeby, v. 12. B. As subst.: An intervening time, an interval. "The Lords had, in the meantime, discussed several important questions."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. iv. mean'-while, adv. & s. [Eng. mean (2), a., and while.]

A. As adv.: In the interval; in the meantime; meantime.

"The enemy meanwhile had made his way up the pass." -Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xiii.

B. As subst.: The meantime. (Used only in the phrase, in the meanwhile.)

mear (1), s. [MERE.] A pool, a mere.
chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this;
-tion, -gion

measurably

mëar (2), s. [MERE.] A bound, a boundary, a limit.

mëar (3), s. [MARE.] A mare. (Scotch.)

"It's a red half-guinea to him every time he munts his mear."-Scott: Antiquary, ch. xv.

*mëar, *mëare, v. t. [MEAR (2), s.] To bound, to divide.

"When that brave honour of the Latine name Which mear'd her rule with Africa." Spenser: Ruines of Rome. *mëare, a. [MERE.] *mëarş-man, *mëreş -man, s. [Eng. mear (2), S., and man.] One who has charge of or points out

boundaries.

mēaşe (1), s. [Perhaps a corruption from mecsure (q. v.).] A measure of herrings, 500 in number. *mēaşe (2), *meese, *meyse, s. [O. Fr. metz.] A messuage.

*meaş-le (1) (le as el, *meselle, s. [MESEL.] *mēaş -le (2) (le as el), s. [MEASLES.]

infect with measles. *meaş-le (le as el), v. t. [MEASLE (2), 8.] To

mēaş-led (led as eld), a. [Eng. measl(e); -ed.] Infected with measles; measly.

mēaş'-led-ness (led as eld), s. [Eng. measled; -ness.] The quality or state of being measled or measly; measliness.

mēaş-les (les as els), s. [Dut. mazelen; Dan. meslinger; Sw. messling; Ger. masern, pl. of maser =a spot, a speckle, specially one on the skin; O. H. Ger. masa, masar, masor, maser.]

Pathology:

nose.

1. Human: An infectious disease, called also rubeola, most frequently attacking children, although sometimes occurring in old age, as in the case of George III. and of Otho, ex-king of Greece, who died of this affection. The period of incuba tion is about eight days, when the rash appears, accompanied by catarrhi, watery eyes, acrid watery discharge from the nose, sneezing, and often pain in the forehead, with, occasionally, bleeding at the The bronchi are frequently affected, this forming the chief danger. The spots are small red, papular, and crescent-shaped, commencing on the face and passing downward, disappearing in the same order. The old-fashioned remedy is saffrontea, but the chief necessity is to ward off any respi ratory mischief, or to combat it when present. A form of measles known as rotheln, or German measles, is distinct from measles or from scarlatina, with which it has often been confounded. The eruption lasts longer, never less than four or five days, sometimes eight or ten, and differs slightly from that of measles or scarlatina. It is usually a very mild disease, requiring only an aperient saline, with liquid food, and keeping in bed for a few days. "From whence they start up chosen vessels, Made by contact, as men get measles." Butler: Hudibras, i. 8.

2. Of the Lower Mammalia: (1) Of the Pig: What is known as measles in pigs is really the effects of a cystic worm, Cysticercus cel lulosa.

(2) Of the Ox: The presence of a cystic worm, which, when eaten by man, develops into Tania mediocanellata.

3. Hort.: A popular name vaguely used for any diseases of trees characterized by the appearance of spots on the stem.

"Fruit-bearers are often infected with the measles, by being scorched with the sun."-Mortimer: Husbandry. mēaş-ly, a. [Eng. measl(e); -y.] Infected with the measles; measled.

the scolex will develop itself into a tapeworm."-Nichol "If a portion of measly pork be eaten by a man, then son: Zoology (1878), p. 220.

*mea-son-due, s. [A corruption of Fr. maison de Dieu a house of God.] A monastery; a religi ous house or hospital. (39 Eliz., c. 5.)

měas -ûr-a-ble (s as zh), *mes-ur-a-ble, adj. [Fr. & Sp. mesurable; Ital. misurabile.] 1. Moderate; not in or done to excess. *2. Not acting or living to excess; moderate. "Of his diete measurable was he."

Chaucer: C. T., 437. 3. Capable of being measured or computed. "God's eternal duration is permanent and invisible, not measurable by time and motion."-Bentley: Sermons. measureable; -ness.] The quality or state of being meas-ur-a-ble-ness (meas as mězh), s. [Eng. measurable or computable.

měas-ur-a-bly (s as zh) *mes-ur-a-bly, adu [Eng, measurab(le); -ly.]

1. In a measurable manner or degree; moderately not excessively, not to excess.

"Wine measurably drunk, and in season, bringeth gladness to the heart."-Ecclus. xxxi. 28.

2. So as to be measurable or computable.

167

measure

meas-ure. *měs -ure (s as zh), s. [Fr. mes ure, from Latin mensura-measure, fem. sing. of mensurus, fut. par. of metior to measure; Sp. mesura; Ital. misura.]

1. Ordinary Language: 1. The act of measuring.

2. The extent of anything in any one or more of the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness; or in circumference, capacity, or other respect.

"And their windows, and their arches, and their palmtrees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh towards the sea."-Ezekiel xl. 22.

3. The several measurements necessary to be taken by a tradesman in order to make an article of dress; as, to take one's measure for a suit of clothes.

4. A standard of measurement; a definite unit of capacity or extent, fixed by law or custom, in terms of which the relative sizes and capacities of things are ascertained and expressed; as, a foot, a yard, a mile are measures of length; a pint, a gallon, measures of capacity; a square foot, a measure of area; a cubic foot, a measure of volume, &c.

make 1 foot.

1 yard.

1 mile.

yards, or 16% feet.

1 rod.

66

1 chain.

66

8 furlongs, or 5,280 feet.

66

2658

to lead; an act, a step, or proceeding designed for the accomplishment of an object; as, wise measures, prudent measures, &c.

15. A law, a statute, an act of Parliament. II. Technically:

1. Geol. (pl.): A series of beds, strata; the word occurs chiefly in the term coal-measures."

2. Joinery: Single measure is square on both sides; double measure molded on both sides; measure and a half molded on one side, square on the other.

3. Math. The measure of a quantity in its extent, or its value, in terms of some other quantity of the same kind, taken as a unit of measure. 4. Mining: A stratum or bed of coal. 5. Music:

measurement-goods

A. Transitive:

1. To compute, determine, or ascertain the meas urement, extent, quantity, dimensions, area, or capacity of by reference to a certain standard or rule; as, to measure distance, to measure the capacity of a cask, to measure the degree of heat or cold, to measure the height of a man, &c.

2. To serve as the measure of; to serve to express the measurement or dimensions of.

3. To estimate by reference to any standard; to judge of the value, extent, magnitude, or greatness of; to appreciate.

"What thought can measure thee, or tongue Relate thee?" Milton: P. L., vii. 603. 4. To take or set apart a certain portion of by

7. Print.: The space in a composing-stick between the end and the slide; the length of a line, and so the width of a column or of a page of type. T (1) Lineal measure: The measure of lines or distances; the standard unit of lineal measure in this country and in England is the yard. The sys1 furlong. tem is based upon the law of nature that the force of gravity is constant at the same point of the earth's surface, and consequently that the length of a pendulum which oscillates a certain number of times in a given period is also constant. It is accordingly decreed by the law that the diss part of the length of a single-second pendulum in a vacuum at the Tower of London shall be regarded as the standard English foot, and from this, by multiplication and division, the entire system of lineal measures is established. The French system of measures is founded upon the length of an arc of the meridian. By a very minute survey of the length of an arc of the meridian from Dunkirk to Barcelona, the latitude of both places being determined by exact observation, the length of a quadrant of the meridian was computed, and it has been decreed by French law that the ten-millionth part of this length shall be regarded as a standard French meter, a from this by multiplication and divis

1 square chain.

1 square mile.

..make 1 cubic foot.

1 cubic yard.

1 standard gallon (U. S.). 1 standard bushel (U. S.).

27 cubic feet..

230 cubic inches

2150.42 cubic inches..

44

1 ton.

(2) Unit of measure: A given quantity, used as a standard of comparison in measuring a quantity of the same kind. Every kind of quantity has its own unit of measure, and under different circumstances, the same kind of quantity may have different units of measure.

(3) Line of measures: The line of intersection of the primitive plane, with a plane passing through the axis of the primitive circle and the axis of the circle to be projected.

(4) Measure of angles: The right angle being taken as the angular unit, its subdivisions are de

5. The quantity measured by or contained in such grees, minutes, and seconds. The right angle constandard of measurement.

"A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." "-Revelation vi. 6.

6. An estimate or estimation.

"He might take a measure of his own judgments, so curiously he had set this counterfeit."-Shakesp.: All's Well that Ends Well, iv. 3.

7. An instrument by which the extent or amount of capacity is measured or ascertained; a measuring-rod.

8. A rule or standard by which anything is measured, valued, or estimated.

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."-Ephesians iv. 7. 9. That which is measured out, allotted, or assigned.

10. Determined or allotted extent or length; limit.

"Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days."-Psalm xxxix. 4.

11. Moderation; just degree or amount. (Now only used in such phrases as within measure, beyond measure, &c.)

"There is measure in everything."-Shakesp: Much Ado about Nothing., ii. 1.

12. Full or sufficient quantity.

tains ninety degrees, the degree sixty minutes, and the minute sixty seconds. All smaller fractions are expressed decimally in terms of the second. The French have proposed to divide the right angle into 100 equal parts, called grades, but the suggestion has not been extensively adopted.

(5) Measure of a number or quantity: Math.: A number or quantity is said to be a measure of another when it is contained in it a certain number of times exactly.

(6) Measure of magnification: The measure of magnification, or magnifying power of any optical instrument, is the ratio of the magnitude of the precisely, the ratio of the apparent diameter of the image to the magnitude of the object, or, more image to that of the object. [MICROSCOPE, TELESCOPE.]

(7) Measures of merchandise and artificers' work: These vary according to custom and trade: the yard and its fractions for woven goods; the fathom for rope; the bushel, peck, and gallon for grain and roots; the gallon and its subdivisions for liquids.

tem of logarithms, or the exponent of the power to (8) Measure of a ratio: Its logarithm, in any sys which the ratio is equal, the exponent of some given ratio being assumed as unity. [RATIO.]

(9) Measure of surface: The unit of measurement is the square yard. The units employed in land measure are the perch, rood, and acre (q. v.).

(10) Measures of volume and capacity: Solids are estimated in cubic yards, feet, and inches; 1728 cubic inches make a cubic foot, and 27 cubic feet make a cubic yard.

(11) Measures of weight: [WEIGHT.]

měas -ûre (s as zh), *mes-ure, *mes-ur-en, v. t. & i. Fr. mesurer, from Lat. mensuro, from mensura = a measure (q. v.); Sp. mesurar; Ital.

14. Means to an end; anything done as a preparatory step toward the end to which it is intended misurare.1 fate, făt, färe, amidst, what, fâll, father; wē, wět, hëre,

"He measured six measures of barley and laid it on her."-Ruth iii. 15.

5. To allot or distribute by measure; to deal out,

to mete.

you again."-Matthew vii. 5. "With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to

6. To mark out in stated quantities; to apportion. "What thou seest is that portion of eternity called time, measured out by the sun."-Addison: Spectator, No. 159. *7. To adjust, to proportion, to accommodate. "All start at once: Ofleus led the race; The next Ulysses, measuring pace with pace." Pope: Homer's Iliad, xxxiii. 888. *8. To keep within measure or bounds; to moder ate, to restrain.

9. To consider; to take into consideration or thought.

"He comes o'er us with our wilder days,
Not measuring what use we made of them."
Shakesp.: Henry V., 12

*10. To pass over, to traverse, to travel.
"What seas they measured, and what fields they
fought."
Pope: Homer's Ilicd, xxiv. 14.

B. Intransitive:

1. To take a measure or measurements. This will measure well. +2. To result, or turn out on measurement; as,

3. To be in extent or quantity; as, The tree measures five feet in diameter.

(1) To measure one's length: To fall, lie, or ba thrown down. (2) To measure strength: To determine superiority by contest; to engage in a contest.

"The factions which divided the Prince's camp had an opportunity of measuring their strength."—Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. ix.

"When lusty shepherds throw The bar by turns, and none the rest out-go So far, but that the rest are measuring-casts." Waller. (Todd.) measuring-chain, s. [SURVEYOR'S-CHAIN.] measuring-faucet, s. A faucet which measures the amount of passing liquid.

measuring-funnel, s. One having graduations to indicate quantity at different degrees of fullness. measuring-instrument, s. An instrument or apparatus for measuring. measuring-machine, s. certaining length, or great exactness.

An instrument for asend measurement," with

measuring-pump, 8. A pump in which the piston operates in a chamber of known capacity, a train of wheels and dial registering the pulsations of the piston.

measuring-rod, measuring-line, measuringbar, s. A rod, line, or bar used for the purpose of measuring bases, &c., in practical trigonometry. To guard against the expansion of the measuringrod by heat and its contraction by cold, it is made of two bars, one of brass and the other of iron, united by a crosspiece at the middle, and at either end by projecting tongues. As brass expands by heat more than iron in the proportion of five to three, the projecting tongues are so constituted that the whole length of one is to that of the part outside the bars as five is to three. The metals then so work against each other that, at all temperatures, the distance between the projecting tongues remains the same.

measuring-tape, s. A tape divided into inches and fractions, and coiled around an axis in a box; retracted by a spring or winding handle.

measuring-wheel, s. A wheel for measuring the circumference of a carriage-wheel, in order to find the length of tire required. A circumferentor. The small wheel has a known circumferential measurement, and is divided into inches and fractions. The result is told in numbers of revolutions

and fraction of a revolution expressed in inches.

meat, *meate, *mete, s. [A. S. mete; cogn. with Dut. met; Icel. mato; Dan. mad; Sw. mat; Goth. mats; O. H. Ger. maz.]

1. Originally food of all kinds; food in general; anything fit for eating, or eaten by men or animals for nourishment. Horse-meat is still used locally for fodder, and green-meat is a term often applied to edible vegetables, such as lettuces, cresses, &c. (Matt. xxiv. 45.)

2. Limited now chiefly to animal food; the flesh of animals used as food.

"A trencher of meat half raw and half burned."-Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xvi.

3. The edible portion of anything; as, the meat of

an egg.

(1) Meat and drink: Life; perfect enjoyment. (Shakesp: As You Like It, v. 1.) (2) To sit at meat: To sit or recline at a table at meals.

meat-biscuit, s. portable, concentrated preparation of meat, pounded, dried, mixed with meal, and baked.

meat-chamber, s. An apartment between decks in ocean steamships, with a huge tank in the middle, capable of holding thirty or forty tons of ice for the purpose of transporting fresh meat to Europe. It is a gigantic refrigerator.

meat-chopper, s. A machine for mincing meat for sausages or for cooking. meat-crusher, s. A pair of rollers for rendering steak tender, one roller having circumferential and the other longitudinal corrugations.

meat-cutter, s. A machine for mincing flesh; a artificer. The term is used somewhat loosely, but sausage-machine.

meat-hook, s. A hook in a larder or on a butcher's stall, on which to hang joints of meat.

meat-knife, s. A knife the haft of whose blade passes through the handle, which consists of two pieces known as scales, and secured by rivets. meat-offering, s.

Judaism: Heb. minchhah=(1) a gift, (2) tribute, (3) an unbloody sacrifice offered to God, the word meat being used not as in the English phrase butch er's meat, but with a meaning not far from the opposite one. A meat-offering might be of fine flour with oil poured on it and frankincense put upon it; or of fine flour unleavened and mingled with oil baked in an oven, in a pan; or, thirdly, firstfruits of dried corn with oil and frankincense. In all meat offerings there was salt, but never leaven. A memorial portion of every meat-offering, including all the frankincense, was consumed by fire to Jehovah, the rest was eaten by the priests and every male descendant of Aaron (Lev. ii. 1-16; vi. 14-18).

meat-safe, s. A safe with perforated zinc or wire gauze front in which to keep meat.

meat-salesman, s. One who acts as an agent for breeders of cattle, receiving the carcasses, and selling them retail to the butcher.

meat-saw, 8. A saw resembling a tenon-saw, but with a steel or iron back.

meat-screen, s. A metallic screen placed behind roasting meat to reflect the heat of the fire. meat-spit, s. A spit for holding a roasting joint while turning in front of the fire. meat-tub, s. A tub for holding pickled meat. *mēat, v. t. [MEAT, 8.] To supply with meat or food; to feed."

"Haste then and meat your men." Chapman: Homer's Iliad, xix. 196. *meat-ěd, *met-ed, a. [Eng. meat; ed.] Fed, foddered.

"Strong oxen and horses, wel shod and wel clad,
Wel meated and used."
Tusser: Husbandry.

meat -I-ness, s. [English meaty; -ness.] The quality or state of being meaty. meat-less, a. [Eng. meat; -less.] Destitute of meat.

mě a -tus, s. [Latin-a passage, going, motion, or course, from meo to go, to pass.]

Anat.: An opening or canal, as the meatus auditorius, extending from the concha to the tympanum; in its lining membrane are found the ceruminous glands, secreting the wax of the ear The meatuses and the nasal fosse, and in rushing through them of the nose are passages between the spongy bones the air deposits its odor on the mucous membrane. meatus-knife, s. A small knife with a triangular, concealed blade in a long, thin shaft; used in operations in the meatus auditorius, such as obliterating structures, opening pustules, scarifying, remov ing polypi, &c.

meat; resembling meat; fleshy, but not fat. meat-y, a. [English meat; y.] Abounding in meaw, meawl, v. i. [MEw, MEWL.]

is always understood as excluding agricultural la borers, or such as work with the pick, shovel, spade, or similar tools.

mechanics'-institute, s.. An institution for providing instruction and recreation to mechanics and artizans, by means of reading-rooms, libraries, lectures, classes, &c.

mě-chăn -I-cal, a. & s. [MECHANIC.] A. As adjective:

I. Literally:

1. Pertaining to, depending upon, or in accordance with the principles or laws of mechanics. "We have also divers mechanical arts, which you have not."-Bacon: New Atlantis, p. 28.

2. Acting by or resulting from weight or momen tum; as, mechanical pressure.

3. Pertaining to those changes in bodies in which they form compounds, without losing their identity in the compound substance, as opposed to chemical; as, a mechanical mixture.

II. Figuratively:

1. Resembling a machine; as

(1) Acting without thought, consideration, or independence of judgment. (Said of persons; as, a mechanical follower of a party.)

(2) Done without thought, intention, or deliber ate design, but by mere force of habit; as, a me chanical action or movement.

(3) Characterized by unthinking obedience or subserviency to external rule or guidance; not marked by individuality or freedom of thought. ordinary course of things. (4) Not designed or intended; happening in the

*2. Employed as a mechanic; following the trade or occupation of a mechanic.

"Is this a holiday? What! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk,
Upon a laboring day."

Shakesp.: Julius Caesar, i. L
*3. Of mean or low occupation; vulgar, common,
base, rude, mean.

him out of his wits; I will awe him with my cudgel.""Hang him, mechanical salt-butter rogue! I will stan Shakesp.: Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 2.

B. As subst.: A mechanic.

"A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,

That work for bread upon Athenian stalls." Shakesp.: Midsummer Night's Dream, iii. 2. (1) Mechanical solution of a problem: Solution by any means not strictly geometrical, as by means of a ruler and compasses or other instrument. (2) Mechanical theory of cleavage: Geol.: The theory that many beds have undergone compression in a direction perpendicular to the planes of cleavage, and a corresponding expansion in the direction of the dip of the cleavage. This hypothesis was brought forward by Mr. D. Sharpe, F. G. S., in 1847, following out the observations published by Prof. Philips in 1843. In 1853 Mr. Sorby proved the theory to be largely applicable to the slaty rocks of North Wales and Devonshire. (3) Mechanical theory of heat:

Phys.: The same as DYNAMICAL-THEORY (q. v.).
(4) Rocks of mechanical origin:

laid down by the action of running water, also the
Geol.: Rocks composed of mud, sand, or pebbles,
accumulations of stones, scoriæ, &c., thrown out by
a volcano, and arranged by the action of gravity,
of chemical origin. (Lyell.)
as distinguished from crystalline rocks, which are

mechanical-bronchitis, s.

Pathol.: Bronchitis produced by the inhalation of particles of matter, which irritate the tubes of the air sacs.

mechanical-broom, subst. A sweeping machine, usually drawn by horses, and having revolving fme-bles, s. pl. [Fr. meubles.] Movable goods. brooms actuated by the supporting wheels, and Měc-ca, s. [Arab.]

Geog. The sacred city of the Mohammedans.
Mecca-balsam, s.

Bot.: Balsamodendron opobalsamum.

mě chăn -lc, *me-chan -Ick, *me-chan-icke, *me-chan-ike, a. & s. [O. Fr. mechanique, mecan ique (Fr. mécanique), from Lat. mechanica, from Gr. mechanike (techné)=(the science of) mechanics; mechane-a machine; Sp. & Port. mecanico; Ital. meccanico.]

*A. As adjective:

delivering the dust and mud into the box of the wagon or into the gutter.

mechanical-curve, s. The same as TRANSCENDENTAL-CURVE (q. v.).

mechanical-dysmenorrhœa, s.

Pathol.: Obstruction to the menstrual discharge. mechanical-lamp, s. Another name for Carcel's clock-work lamp, in which the oil is pumped from a lower reservoir to the wick-tube by means of clock-work, so as to furnish a supply exceeding that consumed by the wick, the surplus flowing equal and ample supply of oil to the flame. mechanical-philosophy, s.

1. Lit.: Of or pertaining to mechanics; mechan. back outside of the burner. The object is to afford 2. Fig.: Vulgar, common, bare.

ical.

Hist. & Philos.: The name given to any theory which seeks to account for the phenomena of the universe by the movements of elementary bodies. The best example of mechanical-philosophy, either in ancient or modern times, is the Atomism of Leucippus, of Democritus, and of Epicurus.

B. As subst.: One who is employed or skilled in the construction of materials, as wood, metal, &c., into any kind of structure or machine; one who is skilled in the use of tools or instruments; an artizan; a handicraftsman; one who follows a mechanical trade for his living; a skilled workman; an chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this; sin, ag; expect, Xenophon, exist. ph = £ -tion, -şion = zhăn. -tious, -cious, -sious stŭs. -ble, -dle, &c.