Chapter CLXIV: Epilogue: Ep"i*logue, n. Etym: F. épilogue, L. epilogus, fr. Gr. Legend (11)

Defn: The face of a bird, or the front of the head, excluding the bill. Facies Hippocratica. (Med.) See Hippocratic.

FACILE Fac"ile a. Etym: [L. facilis, prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr. facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and cf. Faculty.]

1. Easy to be done or performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little labor. Order . . . will render the work facile and delightful. Evelyn.

2. Easy to be surmounted or removed; easily conquerable; readily mastered. The facile gates of hell too slightly barred. Milton.

3. Easy of access or converse; mild; courteous; not haughty, austere, or distant; affable; complaisant. I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet. B. Jonson.

4. Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding; ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible. Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve, Lost Paradise, deceived by me. Milton. This is treating Burns like a child, a person of so facile a disposition as not to be trusted without a keeper on the king's highway. Prof. Wilson.

5. Ready; quick; expert; as, he is facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen. -- Fac"ile-ly, adv. -- Fac"ile*ness, n.

FACILITATE Fa*cil"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Facilitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Facilitating.] Etym: [Cf. F. faciliter. See Facility.]

Defn: To make easy or less difficult; to free from difficulty or impediment; to lessen the labor of; as, to facilitate the execution of a task. To invite and facilitate that line of proceeding which the times call for. I. Taylor.

FACILITATION Fa*cil`i*ta"tion, n.

Defn: The act of facilitating or making easy.

FACILITY Fa*cil"i*ty, n.; pl. Facilities. Etym: [L. facilitas, fr. facilis easy: cf. F. facilitFacile.]

1. The quality of being easily performed; freedom from difficulty; ease; as, the facility of an operation. The facility with which government has been overturned in France. Burke .

2. Ease in performance; readiness proceeding from skill or use; dexterity; as, practice gives a wonderful facility in executing works of art.

3. Easiness to be persuaded; readiness or compliance; -- usually in a bad sense; pliancy. It is a great error to take facility for good nature. L'Estrange.

4. Easiness of access; complaisance; affability. Offers himself to the visits of a friend with facility. South.

5. That which promotes the ease of any action or course of conduct; advantage; aid; assistance; -- usually in the plural; as, special facilities for study.

Syn. -- Ease; expertness; readiness; dexterity; complaisance; condescension; affability. -- Facility, Expertness, Readiness. These words have in common the idea of performing any act with ease and promptitude. Facility supposes a natural or acquired power of dispatching a task with lightness and ease. Expertness is the kind of facility acquired by long practice. Readiness marks the promptitude with which anything is done. A merchant needs great facility in dispatching business; a bunker, great expertness in casting accounts; both need great readiness in passing from one employment to another. "The facility which we get of doing things by a custom of doing, makes them often pass in us without our notice." Locke. "The army was celebrated for the expertness and valor of the soldiers." "A readiness obey the known will of God is the surest means to enlighten the mind in respect to duty."

FACING Fa"cing, n.

1. A covering in front, for ornament or other purpose; an exterior covering or sheathing; as, the facing of an earthen slope, sea wall, etc. , to strengthen it or to protect or adorn the exposed surface.

2. A lining placed near the edge of a garment for ornament or protection.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: The finishing of any face of a wall with material different from that of which it is chiefly composed, or the coating or material so used.

4. (Founding)

Defn: A powdered substance, as charcoal, bituminous coal, ect., applied to the face of a mold, or mixed with the sand that forms it, to give a fine smooth surface to the casting.

5. (Mil.) (a) pl.

Defn: The collar and cuffs of a military coat; -- commonly of a color different from that of the coat. (b) The movement of soldiers by turning on their heels to the right, left, or about; -- chiefly in the pl. Facing brick, front or pressed brick.

FACINGLY Fa"cing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a facing manner or position.

FACINOROUS Fa*cin"o*rous, a. Etym: [L. facinorous, from facinus deed, bad deed, from facere to make, do.]

Defn: Atrociously wicked. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Fa*cin"o*rous*ness, n. [Obs.]

FACOUND Fac"ound, n. Etym: [F. faconde, L. facundia. See Facund.]

Defn: Speech; eloquence. [Obs.] Her facound eke full womanly and plain. Chaucer.

FACSIMILE Fac*sim"i*le, n.; pl. Facsimiles (-l. Etym: [L. fac simile make like; or an abbreviation of factum simile made like; facere to make + similes like. See Fact, and Simile.]

Defn: A copy of anything made, either so as to be deceptive or so as to give every part and detail of the original; an exact copy or likeness. Facsimile telegraph, a telegraphic apparatus reproducing messages in autograph.

FACSIMILE Fac*sim"i*le

Defn: , (

FACT Fact, n. Etym: [L. factum, fr. facere to make or do. Cf. Feat, Affair, Benefit, Defect, Fashion, and -fy.]

1. A doing, making, or preparing. [Obs.] A project for the fact and vending Of a new kind of fucus, paint for ladies. B. Jonson.

2. An effect produced or achieved; anything done or that comes to pass; an act; an event; a circumstance. What might instigate him to this devilish fact, I am not able to conjecture. Evelyn. He who most excels in fact of arms. Milton.

3. Reality; actuality; truth; as, he, in fact, excelled all the rest; the fact is, he was beaten.

4. The assertion or statement of a thing done or existing; sometimes, even when false, improperly put, by a transfer of meaning, for the thing done, or supposed to be done; a thing supposed or asserted to be done; as, history abounds with false facts. I do not grant the fact. De Foe. This reasoning is founded upon a fact which is not true. Roger Long.

Note: TheTerm fact has in jurisprudence peculiar uses in contrast with low; as, attorney at low, and attorney in fact; issue in low, and issue in fact. There is also a grand distinction between low and fact with reference to the province of the judge and that of the jury, the latter generally determining the fact, the former the low. Burrill Bouvier. Accessary before, or after, the fact. See under Accessary. -- Matter of fact, an actual occurrence; a verity; used adjectively: of or pertaining to facts; prosaic; unimaginative; as, a matter-of- fact narration.

Syn. -- Act; deed; performance; event; incident; occurrence; circumstance.

FACTION Fac"tion, n. Etym: [L. factio a doing, a company of persons acting together, a faction: cf. F. faction See Fashion.]

1. (Anc. Hist.)

Defn: One of the divisions or parties of charioteers (distinguished by their colors) in the games of the circus.

2. A party, in political society, combined or acting in union, in opposition to the government, or state; -- usually applied to a minority, but it may be applied to a majority; a combination or clique of partisans of any kind, acting for their own interests, especially if greedy, clamorous, and reckless of the common good.

3. Tumult; discord; dissension. They remained at Newbury in great faction among themselves. Clarendon.

Syn. -- Combination; clique; junto. See Cabal.

FACTIONARY Fac"tion*a*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. factionnaire, L. factionarius the head of a company of charioteers.]

Defn: Belonging to a faction; being a partisan; taking sides. [Obs.] Always factionary on the party of your general. Shak.

FACTIONER Fac"tion*er (-r), n.

Defn: One of a faction. Abp. Bancroft.

FACTIONIST Fac"tion*ist, n.

Defn: One who promotes faction.

FACTIOUS Fac"tious. a. Etym: [L. factiosus: cf. F. factieux.]

1. Given to faction; addicted to form parties and raise dissensions, in opposition to government or the common good; turbulent; seditious; prone to clamor against public measures or men; -- said of persons. Factious for the house of Lancaster. Shak.

2. Pertaining to faction; proceeding from faction; indicating, or characterized by, faction; -- said of acts or expressions; as, factious quarrels. Headlong zeal or factious fury. Burke. -- Fac"tious*ly, adv. -- Fac"tious-ness, n.

FACTITIOUS Fac*ti"tious, a. Etym: [L. factitius, fr. facere to make. See Fact, and cf. Fetich.]

Defn: Made by art, in distinction from what is produced by nature; artificial; sham; formed by, or adapted to, an artificial or conventional, in distinction from a natural, standard or rule; not natural; as, factitious cinnabar or jewels; a factitious taste. -- Fac-ti"tious*ly, adv. -- Fac*ti"tious-ness, n. He acquires a factitious propensity, he forms an incorrigible habit, of desultory reading. De Quincey.

Syn. -- Unnatural. -- Factitious, Unnatural. Anything is unnatural when it departs in any way from its simple or normal state; it is factitious when it is wrought out or wrought up by labor and effort, as, a factitious excitement. An unnatural demand for any article of merchandise is one which exceeds the ordinary rate of consumption; a factitious demand is one created by active exertions for the purpose. An unnatural alarm is one greater than the occasion requires; a factitious alarm is one wrought up with care and effort.

FACTITIVE Fac"ti*tive. a. Etym: [See Fact.]

1. Causing; causative.

2. (Gram.)

Defn: Pertaining to that relation which is proper when the act, as of a transitive verb, is not merely received by an object, but produces some change in the object, as when we say, He made the water wine. Sometimes the idea of activity in a verb or adjective involves in it a reference to an effect, in the way of causality, in the active voice on the immediate objects, and in the passive voice on the subject of such activity. This second object is called the factitive object. J. W. Gibbs.

FACTIVE Fac"tive, a.

Defn: Making; having power to make. [Obs.] "You are . . . factive, not destructive." Bacon.

FACTO Fac"to, adv. Etym: [L., ablative of factum deed, fact.] (Law)

Defn: In fact; by the act or fact. De facto. (Law) See De facto.

FACTOR Fac"tor, n. Etym: [L. factor a doer: cf. F. facteur a factor. See Fact.]

1. (Law)

Defn: One who transacts business for another; an agent; a substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who buys and sells goods and transacts business for others in commission; a commission merchant or consignee. He may be a home factor or a foreign factor. He may buy and sell in his own name, and he is intrusted with the possession and control of the goods; and in these respects he differs from a broker. Story. Wharton. My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled That owes me for a hundred tun of wine. Marlowe.

2. A steward or bailiff of an estate. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

3. (Math.)

Defn: One of the elements or quantities which, when multiplied together, from a product.

4. One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result; a constituent. The materal and dynamical factors of nutrition. H. Spencer.

FACTOR Fac"tor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Factored (-trd); p. pr. & vb. n. Factoring.] (Mach.)

Defn: To resolve (a quantity) into its factors.

FACTORAGE Fac"tor*age, n. Etym: [Cf. F. factorage.]

Defn: The allowance given to a factor, as a compensation for his services; -- called also a commission.

FACTORESS Fac"tor*ess, n.

Defn: A factor who is a woman. [R.]

FACTORIAL Fac*to"ri*al, a.

1. Of or pertaining to a factory. Buchanan.

2. (Math.)

Defn: Related to factorials.

FACTORIAL Fac*to"ri*al, n. (Math.) (a) pl.

Defn: A name given to the factors of a continued product when the former are derivable from one and the same function F(x) by successively imparting a constant increment or decrement h to the independent variable. Thus the product F(x).F(x + h).F(x + 2h) . . . F[x + (n-1)h] is called a factorial term, and its several factors take the name of factorials. Brande & C. (b) The product of the consecutive numbers from unity up to any given number.

FACTORING Fac"tor*ing, n. (Math.)

Defn: The act of resolving into factors.

FACTORIZE Fac"tor*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Factorized (-zd); p. pr. & vb. n. Factorizing (-"zng).] (Law) (a) To give warning to; -- said of a person in whose hands the effects of another are attached, the warning being to the effect that he shall not pay the money or deliver the property of the defendant in his hands to him, but appear and answer the suit of the plaintiff. (b) To attach (the effects of a debtor) in the hands of a third person ; to garnish. See Garnish. [Vt. & Conn.]

FACTORSHIP Fac"tor*ship, n.

Defn: The business of a factor.

FACTORY Fac"to*ry, n.; pl. Factories (-r. Etym: [Cf. F. factorerie.]

1. A house or place where factors, or commercial agents, reside, to transact business for their employers. "The Company's factory at Madras." Burke.

2. The body of factors in any place; as, a chaplain to a British factory. W. Guthrie.

3. A building, or collection of buildings, appropriated to the manufacture of goods; the place where workmen are employed in fabricating goods, wares, or utensils; a manufactory; as, a cotton factory. Factory leg (Med.), a variety of bandy leg, associated with partial dislocation of the tibia, produced in young children by working in factories.

FACTOTUM Fac*to"tum, n.; pl. Factotums (-t. Etym: [L., do everything; facere to do + totus all : cf. F. factotum. See Fact, and Total.]

Defn: A person employed to do all kinds of work or business. B. Jonson.

FACTUAL Fac"tu*al, a.

Defn: Relating to, or containing, facts. [R.]

FACTUM Fac"tum, n.; pl. Facta. Etym: [L. See Fact.]

1. (Law)

Defn: A man's own act and deed; particularly: (a) (Civil Law) Anything stated and made certain. (b) (Testamentary Law) The due execution of a will, including everything necessary to its validity.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: The product. See Facient, 2.

FACTURE Fac"ture, n. Etym: [F. facture a making, invoice, L. factura a making. See Fact.]

1. The act or manner of making or doing anything; -- now used of a literary, musical, or pictorial production. Bacon.

2. (Com.)

Defn: An invoice or bill of parcels.

FACULAE Fac"u*læ, n. pl. Etym: [L., pl. of facula a little torch.] (Astron.)

Defn: Groups of small shining spots on the surface of the sun which are brighter than the other parts of the photosphere. They are generally seen in the neighborhood of the dark spots, and are supposed to be elevated portions of the photosphere. Newcomb.

FACULAR Fac"u*lar a. (Astron.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the faculæ. R. A. Proctor.

FACULTATIVE Fac"ul*ta*tive, a. [L. facultas, -atis, faculty: cf. F. facultatif, G. fakultativ.]

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

2. Of such a character as to admit of existing under various forms or conditions, or of happening or not happening, or the like; specif.: (Biol.)

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

3. (Physiol.) Pertaining to a faculty or faculties.

In short, there is no facultative plurality in the mind; it is a single organ of true judgment for all purposes, cognitive or practical. J. Martineau.

FACULTY Fac"ul*ty, n.; pl. Faculties. Etym: [F. facult, L. facultas, fr. facilis easy (cf. facul easily), fr. fecere to make. See Fact, and cf. Facility.]

1. Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the mind or the soul. But know that in the soul Are many lesser faculties that serve Reason as chief. Milton. What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty ! Shak.

2. Special mental endowment; characteristic knack. He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous temperament. Hawthorne.

3. Power; prerogative or attribute of office. [R.] This Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek. Shak.

4. Privilege or permission, granted by favor or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license; dispensation. The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise. Fuller. It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops' dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit to alter among the colleges. Evelyn.

5. A body of a men to whom any specific right or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching (profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the medical faculty; the legal faculty, ect.

6. (Amer. Colleges)

Defn: The body of person to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors, and tutors in a college. Dean of faculty. See under Dean. -- Faculty of advocates. (Scot.) See under Advocate.

Syn. -- Talent; gift; endowment; dexterity; expertness; cleverness; readiness; ability; knack.

FACUND Fac"und, a. Etym: [L. facundus, fr. fari to speak.]

Defn: Eloquent. [Archaic]

FACUNDIOUS Fa*cun"di*ous, a. Etym: [L. facundiosus.]

Defn: Eloquement; full of words. [Archaic]

FACUNDITY Fa*cun"di*ty, n. Etym: [L. facunditas.]

Defn: Eloquence; readiness of speech. [Archaic]

FAD Fad, n. Etym: [Cf. Faddle.]

Defn: A hobby ; freak; whim. -- Fad"dist, n. It is your favorite fad to draw plans. G. Eliot.

FADAISE Fa`daise", n. [F.]

Defn: A vapid or meaningless remark; a commonplace; nonsense.

FADDLE Fad"dle, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Fiddle, Fiddle-faddle.]

Defn: To trifle; to toy. -- v. t.

Defn: To fondle; to dandle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

FADE Fade a. Etym: [F., prob. fr. L. vapidus vapid, or possibly fr,fatuus foolish, insipid.]

Defn: Weak; insipid; tasteless; commonplace. [R.] "Passages that are somewhat fade." Jeffrey. His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous. De Quincey.

FADE Fade, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Faded; p. pr. & vb. n. Fading.] Etym: [OE. faden, vaden, prob. fr. fade, a.; cf. Prov. D. vadden to fade, wither, vaddigh languid, torpid. Cf. Fade, a., Vade.]

1. To become fade; to grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant. The earth mourneth and fadeth away. Is. xxiv. 4.

2. To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color. "Flowers that never fade." Milton.

3. To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish. The stars shall fade away. Addison He makes a swanlike end, Fading in music. Shak.

FADE Fade, v. t.

Defn: To cause to wither; to deprive of freshness or vigor; to wear away. No winter could his laurels fade. Dryden.

FADED Fad"ed, a.

Defn: That has lost freshness, color, or brightness; grown dim. "His faded cheek." Milton. Where the faded moon Made a dim silver twilight. Keats.

FADEDLY Fad"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a faded manner. A dull room fadedly furnished. Dickens.

FADELESS Fade"less, a.

Defn: Not liable to fade; unfading.

FADER Fa"der, n.

Defn: Father. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FADGE Fadge, v. i. Etym: [Cf. OE. faden to flatter, and AS. f to join, unit, G. fügen, or AS. afægian to depict; all perh. form the same root as E. fair. Cf. Fair, a., Fay to fit.]

Defn: To fit; to suit; to agree. They shall be made, spite of antipathy, to fadge together. Milton. Well, Sir, how fadges the new design Wycherley.

FADGE Fadge, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A small flat loaf or thick cake; also, a fagot. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

FADING Fad"ing, a.

Defn: Losing freshness, color, brightness, or vigor. -- n.

Defn: Loss of color, freshness, or vigor. -- Fad"ing*ly, adv. -- Fad"ing*ness, n.

FADING Fad"ing, n.

Defn: An Irish dance; also, the burden of a song. "Fading is a fine jig." [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

FADME Fad"me, n.

Defn: A fathom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FADY Fad"y, a.

Defn: Faded. [R.] Shenstone.

FAECAL Fæ"cal, a.

Defn: See Fecal.

FAECES Fæ"ces, n.pl. Etym: [L. faex, pl. faeces, dregs.]

Defn: Excrement; ordure; also, settlings; sediment after infusion or distillation. [Written also feces.]

FAECULA Fæc"u*la, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: See Fecula.

FAERY Fa"ër*y, n. & a.

Defn: Fairy. [Archaic] Spenser.

FAFFLE Faf"fle, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Famble, Maffle.]

Defn: To stammer. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

FAG Fag n.

Defn: A knot or coarse part in cloth. [Obs.]

FAG Fag, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fagged; p. pr. & vb. n. Fagging.] Etym: [Cf. LG. fakk wearied, weary, vaak slumber, drowsiness, OFries. fai, equiv. to fach devoted to death, OS. f, OHG. feigi, G. feig, feige, cowardly, Icel. feigr fated to die, AS. f, Scot. faik, to fail, stop, lower the price; or perh. the same word as E. flag to droop.]

1. To become weary; to tire. Creighton withheld his force till the Italian began to fag. G. Mackenzie.

2. To labor to wearness; to work hard; to drudge. Read, fag, and subdue this chapter. Coleridge.

3. To act as a fag, or perform menial services or drudgery, for another, as in some English schools. To fag out, to become untwisted or frayed, as the end of a rope, or the edge of canvas.

FAG Fag, v. t.

1. To tire by labor; to exhaust; as, he was almost fagged out.

2. Anything that fatigues. [R.] It is such a fag, I came back tired to death. Miss Austen. Brain fag. (Med.) See Cerebropathy.

FAGEND; FAG-END Fag"*end", n.

1. An end of poorer quality, or in a spoiled condition, as the coarser end of a web of cloth, the untwisted end of a rope, ect.

2. The refuse or meaner part of anything. The fag-end of business. Collier.

FAGGING Fag"ging, n.

Defn: Laborious drudgery; esp., the acting as a drudge for another at an English school.

FAGOT Fag"ot n. Etym: [F., prob. aug. of L. fax, facis, torch, perh. orig., a bundle of sticks; cf. Gr. Fagotto.]

1. A bundle of sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees, used for fuel, for raising batteries, filling ditches, or other purposes in fortification; a fascine. Shak.

2. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a welding heat; a pile.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: A bassoon. See Fagotto.

4. A person hired to take the place of another at the muster of a company. [Eng.] Addison.

5. An old shriveled woman. [Slang, Eng.] Fagot iron, iron, in bars or masses, manufactured from fagots. -- Fagot vote, the vote of a person who has been constituted a voter by being made a landholder, for party purposes. [Political cant, Eng.]

FAGOT Fag"ot v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fagoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fagoting.]

Defn: To make a fagot of; to bind together in a fagot or bundle; also, to collect promiscuously. Dryden.

FAGOTTO Fa*got"to, n. Etym: [It. See Fagot.] (Mus.)

Defn: The bassoon; -- so called from being divided into parts for ease of carriage, making, as it were, a small fagot.

FAHAM Fa"ham, n.

Defn: The leaves of an orchid (Angraecum fragrans), of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius, used (in France) as a substitute for Chinese tea.

FAHLBAND Fahl"band`, n. Etym: [G., fr. fahl dun-colored + band a band.] (Mining)

Defn: A stratum in crystalline rock, containing metallic sulphides. Raymond.

FAHLERZ; FAHLBAND Fahl"erz, Fahl"band, n. Etym: [G. fahlerz; fahl dun-colored, fallow + erz ore.] (Min.)

Defn: Same as Tetrahedrite.

FAHLUNITE Fah"lun*ite, n. Etym: [From Falhun, a place in Sweden.] (Min.)

Defn: A hydration of iolite.

FAHRENHEIT Fah"ren*heit a. Etym: [G.]

Defn: Conforming to the scale used by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in the graduation of his thermometer; of or relating to Fahrenheit's thermometric scale. -- n.

Defn: The Fahrenheit termometer or scale.

Note: The Fahrenheit thermometer is so graduated that the freezing point of water is at 32 degrees above the zero of its scale, and the boiling point at 212 degrees above. It is commonly used in the United States and in England.

FAIENCE Fa`ï*ence", n. Etym: [F., fr. Faenza, a town in Italy, the original place of manufacture.]

Defn: Glazed earthenware; esp., that which is decorated in color.

FAIL Fail v. i. [imp. & p. p. Failed; p. pr. & vb. n. Failing.] Etym: [F. failir, fr. L. fallere, falsum, to deceive, akin to E. fall. See Fail, and cf. Fallacy, False, Fault.]

1. To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail. As the waters fail from the sea. Job xiv. 11. Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign. Shak.

2. To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; -- used with of. If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size. Berke.

3. To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink. When earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail. Milton.

4. To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.

5. To perish; to die; -- used of a person. [Obs.] Had the king in his last sickness failed. Shak.

6. To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation. Take heed now that ye fail not to do this. Ezra iv. 22. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale. Shak.

7. To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated. Our envious foe hath failed. Milton.

8. To err in judgment; to be mistaken. Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps Shall grieve him, if I fail not. Milton.

9. To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

FAIL Fail, v. t.

1. To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert. There shall not fail thee a man on the throne. 1 Kings ii. 4.

2. To miss of attaining; to lose. [R.] Though that seat of earthly bliss be failed. Milton.

FAIL Fail, n. Etym: [OF. faille, from failir. See Fail, v. i.]

1. Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail. "His highness' fail of issue." Shak.

2. Death; decease. [Obs.] Shak.

FAILANCE Fail"ance, n. Etym: [Of. faillance, fr. faillir.]

Defn: Fault; failure; omission. [Obs.] Bp. Fell.

FAILING Fail"ing, n.

1. A failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency; imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a mental failing. And ever in her mind she cas about For that unnoticed failing in herself. Tennyson.

2. The act of becoming insolvent of bankrupt.

Syn. -- See Fault.

FAILLE Faille, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A soft silk, heavier than a foulard and not glossy.

FAILURE Fail"ure, n. Etym: [From Fail.]

1. Cessation of supply, or total defect; a failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of crops.

2. Omission; nonperformance; as, the failure to keep a promise.

3. Want of success; the state of having failed.

4. Decau, or defect from decay; deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of sight.

5. A becoming insolvent; bankruptcy; suspension of payment; as, failure in business.

6. A failing; a slight fault. [Obs.] Johnson.

FAIN Fain, a. Etym: [OE. fain, fagen, AS. fægen; akin to OS. fagan, Icel. faginn glad; AS. fægnian to rejoice, OS. faganon, Icel. fagna, Goth. faginon, cf. Goth. faheds joy; and fr. the same root as E. fair. Srr Fair, a., and cf. Fawn to court favor.]

1. Well-pleased; glad; apt; wont; fond; inclined. Men and birds are fain of climbing high. Shak. To a busy man, temptation is fainto climb up together with his business. Jer. Taylor.

2. Satisfied; contented; also, constrained. Shak. The learned Castalio was fain to make trechers at Basle to keep himself from starving. Locke.

FAIN Fain, adv.

Defn: With joy; gladly; -- with wold. He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat. Luke xv. 16. Fain Would I woo her, yet I dare not. Shak.

FAIN Fain, v. t. & i.

Defn: To be glad ; to wish or desire. [Obs.] Whoso fair thing does fain to see. Spencer.

FAINEANCE; FAINEANCY Fai"ne*ance, Fai"ne*an*cy, n. [Cf. OF. faineance. See Fainéant.]

Defn: Do-nothingness; inactivity; indolence.

The mask of sneering faineance was gone. C. Kingsley.

FAINEANT Fai`né`ant", a. Etym: [F.; fait he does + néant nothing.]

Defn: Doing nothing; shiftless. -- n.

Defn: A do-nothing; an idle fellow; a sluggard. Sir W. Scott.

FAINEANT DEITY Fainéant deity.

Defn: A deity recognized as real but conceived as not acting in human affairs, hence not worshiped.

FAINT Faint, a. [Compar. Fainter (-r); superl. Faintest.] Etym: [OE. faint, feint, false, faint, F. feint, p.p. of feindre to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Faign, and cf. Feint.]

1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.

2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." Old Proverb.

3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound.

4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance. The faint prosecution of the war. Sir J. Davies.

FAINT Faint, n.

Defn: The act of fainting, or the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting, n. The saint, Who propped the Virgin in her faint. Sir W. Scott.

FAINT Faint, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fainting.]

1. To become weak or wanting in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with away. See Fainting, n. Hearing the honor intended her, she fainted away. Guardian. If I send them away fasting . . . they will faint by the way. Mark viii. 8.

2. To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Prov. xxiv. 10.

3. To decay; to disappear; to vanish. Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint before the eye. Pope.

FAINT Faint, v. t.

Defn: To cause to faint or become dispirited; to depress; to weaken. [Obs.] It faints me to think what follows. Shak.

FAINTHEARTED; FAINT-HEARTED Faint"*heart`ed, a.

Defn: Wanting in courage; depressed by fear; easily discouraged or frightened; cowardly; timorous; dejected. Fear not, neither be faint-hearted. Is. vii. 4. -- Faint"*heart`ed*ly, adv. -- Faint"*heart`ed*ness, n.

FAINTING Faint"ing, n.

Defn: Syncope, or loss of consciousness owing to a sudden arrest of the blood supply to the brain, the face becoming pallid, the respiration feeble, and the heat's beat weak. Fainting fit, a fainting or swoon; syncope. [Colloq.]

FAINTISH Faint"ish, a.

Defn: Slightly faint; somewhat faint. -- Faint"ish*ness, n.

FAINTLING Faint"ling, a.

Defn: Timorous; feeble-minded. [Obs.] "A fainting, silly creature." Arbuthnot.

FAINTLY Faint"ly, adv.

Defn: In a faint, weak, or timidmanner.

FAINTNESS Faint"ness, n.

1. The state of being faint; loss of strength, or of consciousness, and self-control.

2. Want of vigor or energy. Spenser.

3. Feebleness, as of color or light; lack of distinctness; as, faintness of description.

4. Faint-heartedness; timorousness; dejection. I will send a faintness into their hearts. Lev. xxvi. 36.

FAINTS Faints, n.pl.

Defn: The impure spirit which comes over first and last in the distillation of whisky; -- the former being called the strong faints, and the latter, which is much more abundant, the weak faints. This crude spirit is much impregnated with fusel oil. Ure.

FAINTY Faint"y, a.

Defn: Feeble; languid. [R.] Dryden.

FAIR Fair, a. [Compar. Fairer; superl. Fairest.] Etym: [OE. fair, fayer, fager, AS. fæger; akin to OS. & OHG. fagar, Isel. fagr, Sw. fager, Dan. faver, Goth. fagrs fit, also to E. fay, G. fügen, to fit. fegen to sweep, cleanse, and prob. also to E. fang, peace, pact, Cf. Fang, Fain, Fay to fit.]

1. Free from spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean; pure. A fair white linen cloth. Book of Common Prayer.

2. Pleasing to the eye; handsome; beautiful. Who can not see many a fair French city, for one fair French made. Shak.

3. Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a fair skin. The northern people large and fair-complexioned. Sir M. Hale.

4. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; favorable; - - said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.; as, a fair sky; a fair day. You wish fair winds may waft him over. Prior.

5. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; -- said of a road, passage, etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view. The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged. Sir W. Raleigh.

6. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; fowing; -- said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

7. Characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just; -- said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement. "I would call it fair play." Shak.

8. Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and confidence; -- said of words, promises, etc. When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty. L' Estrange.

9. Distinct; legible; as, fair handwriting.

10. Free from any marked characteristic; average; middling; as, a fair specimen. The news is very fair and good, my lord. Shak. Fair ball. (Baseball) (a) A ball passing over the home base at the height called for by the batsman, and delivered by the pitcher while wholly within the lines of his position and facing the batsman. (b) A batted ball that falls inside the foul lines; -- called also a fair hit. -- Fair maid. (Zoöl.) (a) The European pilchard (Clupea pilchardus) when dried. (b) The southern scup (Stenotomus Gardeni). [Virginia] -- Fair one, a handsome woman; a beauty, -- Fair play, equitable or impartial treatment; a fair or equal chance; justice. -- From fair to middling, passable; tolerable. [Colloq.] -- The fair sex, the female sex.

Syn. -- Candid; open; frank; ingenuous; clear; honest; equitable; impartial; reasonable. See Candid.

FAIR Fair, adv.

Defn: Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably. Fair and square, justly; honestly; equitably; impartially. [Colloq.] -- To bid fair. See under Bid. -- To speak fair, to address with courtesy and frankness. [Archaic]

FAIR Fair, n.

1. Fairness, beauty. [Obs.] Shak.

2. A fair woman; a sweetheart. I have found out a gift for my fair. Shenstone.

3. Good fortune; good luck. Now fair befall thee ! Shak. The fair, anything beautiful; women, collectively. "For slander's mark was ever yet the fair." Shak.

FAIR Fair, v. t.

1. To make fair or beautiful. [Obs.] Fairing the foul. Shak.

2. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: To make smooth and flowing, as a vessel's lines.

FAIR Fair, n. Etym: [OE. feire, OF. feire, F. foire, fr. L. fariae, pl., days of rest, holidays, festivals, akin to festus festal. See Feast.]

1. A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for trade.

2. A festival, and sale of fancy articles. erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army fair.

3. A competitive exhibition of wares, farm products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair. After the fair, Too late. [Colloq.]

FAIR CATCH Fair catch. (Football)

Defn: A catch made by a player on side who makes a prescribed signal that he will not attempt to advance the ball when caught. He must not then be interfered with.

FAIR-HAIRED Fair"-haired`, a.

Defn: Having fair or light-colored hair.

FAIRHOOD Fair"hood, n.

Defn: Fairness; beauty. [Obs.] Foxe.

FAIRILY Fair"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In the manner of a fairy. Numerous as shadows haunting fairily The brain. Keats.

FAIRING Fair"ing, n.

Defn: A present; originally, one given or purchased at a fair. Gay. Fairing box, a box receiving savings or small sums of money. Hannah More.

FAIRISH Fair"ish, a.

Defn: Tolerably fair. [Colloq.] W. D. Howells.

FAIR-LEADER Fair"-lead`er, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A block, or ring, serving as a guide for the running rigging or for any rope.

FAIRLY Fair"ly, adv.

1. In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly. Even the nature of Mr. Dimmesdale's disease had never fairly been revealed to him. Hawthorne.

2. Favorably; auspiciously; commodiously; as, a town fairly situated for foreign traade.

3. Honestly; properly. Such means of comfort or even luxury, as lay fairly within their grasp. Hawthorne.

4. Softly; quietly; gently. [Obs.] Milton.

FAIR-MINDED Fair"-mind`ed, a.

Defn: Unprejudiced; just; judicial; honest. -- Fair"*mind`ed*ness, n.

FAIR-NATURED Fair"-na`tured, a.

Defn: Well-disposed. "A fair-natured prince." Ford.

FAIRNESS Fair"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being fair, or free form spots or stains, as of the skin; honesty, as of dealing; candor, as of an argument, etc.

FAIR-SPOKEN Fair"-spo`ken, a.

Defn: Using fair speech, or uttered with fairness; bland; civil; courteous; plausible. "A marvelous fair-spoken man." Hooker.

FAIRWAY Fair"way`, n.

Defn: The navigable part of a river, bay, etc., through which vessels enter or depart; the part of a harbor or channel ehich is kept open and unobstructed for the passage of vessels. Totten. the rough.

FAIR-WEATHER Fair"-weath`er, a.

1. Made or done in pleasant weather, or in circumstances involving but little exposure or sacrifice; as, a fair-weather voyage. Pope.

2. Appearing only when times or circumstances are prosperous; as, a fair-weather friend. Fair-weather sailor, a make-believe or inexperienced sailor; -- the nautical equivalent of carpet knight.

FAIR-WORLD Fair"-world` n.

Defn: State of prosperity. [Obs.] They think it was never fair-world with them since. Milton.

FAIRY Fair"y, n.; pl. Fairies. Etym: [OE. fairie, faierie, enchantment, fairy folk, fairy, OF. faerie enchantment, F. féer, fr. LL. Fata one of the goddesses of fate. See Fate, and cf. Fay a fairy.] [Written also faëry.]

1. Enchantment; illusion. [Obs.] Chaucer. The God of her has made an end, And fro this worlde's fairy Hath taken her into company. Gower.

2. The country of the fays; land of illusions. [Obs.] He [Arthur] is a king y-crowned in Fairy. Lydgate.

3. An imaginary supernatural being or spirit, supposed to assume a human form (usually diminutive), either male or female, and to meddle for good or evil in the affairs of mankind; a fay. See Elf, and Demon. The fourth kind of spirit [is] called the Fairy. K. James. And now about the caldron sing, Like elves and fairies in a ring. Shak.

5. An enchantress. [Obs.] Shak. Fairy of the mine, an imaginary being supposed to inhabit mines, etc. German folklore tells of two species; one fierce and malevolent, the other gentle, See Kobold. No goblin or swart fairy of the mine Hath hurtful power over true virginity. Milton.

FAIRY Fair"y, a.

1. Of or pertaining to fairies.

2. Given by fairies; as, fairy money. Dryden. Fairy bird (Zoöl.), the Euoropean little tern (Sterna minuta); -- called also sea swallow, and hooded tern. -- Fairy bluebird. (Zoöl.) See under Bluebird. -- Fairy martin (Zoöl.), a European swallow (Hirrundo ariel) that builds flask-shaped nests of mud on overhanging cliffs. -- Fairy rings or circles, the circles formed in grassy lawns by certain fungi (as Marasmius Oreades), formerly supposed to be caused by fairies in their midnight dances. -- Fairy shrimp (Zoöl.), a European fresh-water phyllopod crustacean (Chirocephalus diaphanus); -- so called from its delicate colors, transparency, and graceful motions. The name is sometimes applied to similar American species. -- Fairy stone (Paleon.), an echinite.

FAIRYLAND Fair"y*land` n.

Defn: The imaginary land or abode of fairies.

FAIRYLIKE Fair"y*like`, a.

Defn: Resembling a fairy, or what is made or done be fairies; as, fairylike music.

FAITH Faith, n. Etym: [OE. feith, fayth, fay, OF. feid, feit, fei, F. foi, fr. L. fides; akin to fidere to trust, Gr. th is perhaps due to the influence of such words as truth, health, wealth. See Bid, Bide, and cf. Confide, Defy, Fealty.]

1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.

2. The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth. Faith, that is, fidelity, -- the fealty of the finite will and understanding to the reason. Coleridge.

3. (Theol.) (a) The belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called historical and speculative faith. (b) The belief in the facts and truth of the Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, -- called a practical, evangelical, or saving faith. Without faith it is impossible to please him [God]. Heb. xi. 6. The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind which is called "trust" or "confidence" exercised toward the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior. Dr. T. Dwight. Faith is an affectionate, practical confidence in the testimony of God. J. Hawes.

4. That which is believed on any subject, whether in science, politics, or religion; especially (Theol.), a system of religious belief of any kind; as, the Jewish or Mohammedan faith; and especially, the system of truth taught by Christ; as, the Christian faith; also, the creed or belief of a Christian society or church. Which to believe of her, Must be a faith that reason without miracle Could never plant in me. Shak. Now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal. i. 23.

5. Fidelity to one's promises, or allegiance to duty, or to a person honored and beloved; loyalty. Children in whom is no faith. Deut. xxvii. 20. Whose failing, while her faith to me remains, I should conceal. Milton.

6. Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity; as, he violated his faith. For you alone I broke me faith with injured Palamon. Dryden.

7. Credibility or truth. [R.] The faith of the foregoing narrative. Mitford. Act of faith. See Auto-da-fé. -- Breach of faith, Confession of faith, etc. See under Breach, Confession, etc. -- Faith cure, a method or practice of treating diseases by prayer and the exercise of faith in God. -- In good faith, with perfect sincerity.

FAITH Faith, interj.

Defn: By my faith; in truth; verily.

FAITHED Faithed, a.

Defn: Having faith or a faith; honest; sincere. [Obs.] "Make thy words faithed." Shak.

FAITHFUL Faith"ful, a.

1. Full of faith, or having faith; disposed to believe, especially in the declarations and promises of God. You are not faithful, sir. B. Jonson.

2. Firm in adherence to promises, oaths, contracts, treaties, or other engagements. The faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him. Deut. vii. 9.

3. True and constant in affection or allegiance to a person to whom one is bound by a vow, be ties of love, gratitude, or honor, as to a husband, a prince, a friend; firm in the observance of duty; loyal; of true fidelity; as, a faithful husband or servant. So spake the seraph Abdiel, faithful found, Among the faithless, faithful only he. Milton.

4. Worthy of confidence and belief; conformable to truth ot fact; exact; accurate; as, a faithful narrative or representation. It is a faithful saying. 2 Tim. ii. 11. The Faithful, the adherents of any system of religious belief; esp. used as an epithet of the followers of Mohammed.

Syn. -- Trusty; honest; upright; sincere; veracious; trustworthy. -- Faith"ful*ly, adv. -Faith"ful*ness, n.

FAITHLESS Faith"less, a.

1. Not believing; not giving credit. Be not faithless, but believing. John xx. 27.

2. Not believing on God or religion; specifically, not believing in the Christian religion. Shak.

3. Not observant of promises or covenants.

4. Not true to allegiance, duty, or vows; perfidious; trecherous; disloyal; not of true fidelity; inconstant, as a husband or a wife. A most unnatural and faithless service. Shak.

5. Serving to disappoint or deceive; delusive; unsatisfying. "Yonder faithless phantom." Goldsmith. -- Faith"less*ly, adv.Faith"less*ness, n.

FAITOUR Fai"tour, n. Etym: [OF. faitor a doer, L. factor. See Factor.]

Defn: A doer or actor; particularly, an evil doer; a scoundrel. [Obs.] Lo! faitour, there thy meed unto thee take. Spenser.

FAKE Fake, n. Etym: [Cf. Scot. faik fold, stratum of stone, AS. fæc space, interval, G. fach compartment, partition, row, and E. fay to fit.] (Naut.)

Defn: One of the circles or windings of a cable or hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil.

FAKE Fake, v. t. (Naut.)

Defn: To coil (a rope, line, or hawser), by winding alternately in opposite directions, in layers usually of zigzag or figure of eight form,, to prevent twisting when running out. Faking box, a box in which a long rope is faked; used in the life-saving service for a line attached to a shot.

FAKE Fake, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Gael. faigh to get, acquire, reach, or OD. facken to catch or gripe.] [Slang in all its senses.]

1. To cheat; to swindle; to steal; to rob.

2. To make; to construct; to do.

3. To manipulate fraudulently, so as to make an object appear better or other than it really is; as, to fake a bulldog, by burning his upper lip and thus artificially shortening it.

FAKE Fake, n.

Defn: A trick; a swindle. [Slang]

FAKER Fak"er, n. [Often erroneously written fakir.]

Defn: One who fakes something, as a thief, a peddler of petty things, a workman who dresses things up, etc. [Slang]

FAKIR Fa"kir, n. Etym: [Ar. faqir poor.]

Defn: An Oriental religious ascetic or begging monk. [Written also faquir anf fakeer.]

FALANAKA Fa"la*na"ka, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A viverrine mammal of Madagascar (Eupleres Goudotii), allied to the civet; -- called also Falanouc.

FALCADE Fal*cade" (fâl*kad"), n. Etym: [F., ultimately fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe.] (Man.)

Defn: The action of a horse, when he throws himself on his haunches two or three times, bending himself, as it were, in very quick curvets. Harris.

FALCATE; FALCATED Fal"cate, Fal"ca*ted, a. Etym: [L. falcatus, fr. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe.]

Defn: Hooked or bent like a sickle; as, a falcate leaf; a falcate claw; -- said also of the moon, or a planet, when horned or crescent- formed.

FALCATION Fal*ca"tion, n.

Defn: The state of being falcate; a bend in the form of a sickle. Sir T. Browne.

FALCER Fal"cer, n. Etym: [From L. falx, falcis, a sickle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the mandibles of a spider.

FALCHION Fal"chion, n. Etym: [OE. fauchon, OF. fauchon, LL. fälcio, fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle, cf. Gr. falcon; cf. It. falcione. Cf. Defalcation.]

1. A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages.

2. A name given generally and poetically to a sword, especially to the swords of Oriental and fabled warriors.

FALCIDIAN Fal*cid"i*an, a. Etym: [L. Falcidius.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Publius Falcidius, a Roman tribune. Falcidian law (Civil Law), a law by which a testator was obliged to leave at least a fourth of his estate to the heir. Burrill.

FALCIFORM Fal"ci*form, a. Etym: [L. falx, falcis, a sickle + -form: cf. F. falciforme.]

Defn: Having the shape of a scithe or sickle; resembling a reaping hook; as, the falciform ligatment of the liver.

FALCON Fal"con, n. Etym: [OE. faucon, faucoun, OF. faucon, falcon, faucon, fr. LL. falco, perh. from L. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe, and named from its curving talons. Cf. Falchion.]

1. (Zoöl.) (a) One of a family (Falconidæ) of raptorial birds, characterized by a short, hooked beak, strong claws, and powerful flight. (b) Any species of the genus Falco, distinguished by having a toothlike lobe on the upper mandible; especially, one of this genus trained to the pursuit of other birds, or game. In the language of falconry, the female peregrine (Falco peregrinus) is exclusively called the falcon. Yarrell.

2. (Gun.)

Defn: An ancient form of cannon. Chanting falcon. (Zoöl.) See under Chanting.

FALCONER Fal"con*er, n. Etym: [OE. fauconer, OF. falconier, fauconier, F. fauconnier. See Falcon.]

Defn: A person who breeds or trains hawks for taking birds or game; one who follows the sport of fowling with hawks. Johnson.

FALCONET Fal"co*net, n. Etym: [Dim. of falcon: cf. F. fauconneau, LL. falconeta, properly, a young falcon.]

1. One of the smaller cannon used in the 15th century and later.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) One of several very small Asiatic falcons of the genus Microhierax. (b) One of a group of Australian birds of the genus Falcunculus, resembling shrikes and titmice.

FALCONGENTIL Fal"con*gen`til, n. Etym: [F. faucon-gentil. See Falcon, and Genteel.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The female or young of the goshawk (Astur palumbarius).

FALCONINE Fal"co*nine, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like a falcon or hawk; belonging to the Falconidæ

FALCONRY Fal"con*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fauconnerie. See Falcon.]

1. The art of training falcons or hawks to pursue and attack wild fowl or game.

2. The sport of taking wild fowl or game by means of falcons or hawks.

FALCULA Fal"cu*la, n. Etym: [L., a small sickle, a billhook.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A curved and sharp-pointed claw.

FALCULATE Fal"cu*late, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Curved and sharppointed, like a falcula, or claw of a falcon.

FALDAGE Fald"age, n. Etym: [LL. faldagium, fr. AS. fald, E. fold. Cf. Foldage.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: A privilege of setting up, and moving about, folds for sheep, in any fields within manors, in order to manure them; -- often reserved to himself by the lord of the manor. Spelman.

FALDFEE Fald"fee`, n. Etym: [AS. fald (E.fold) + E. fee. See Faldage.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: A fee or rent paid by a tenant for the privilege of faldage on his own ground. Blount.

FALDING Fald"ing, n.

Defn: A frieze or rough-napped cloth. [Obs.]

FALDISTORY Fal"dis*to*ry, n. Etym: [LL. faldistorium, faldestorium, from OHG. faldstuol; faldan, faltan, to fold (G. falten) + stuol stool. So called because it could be folded or laid together. See Fold, and Stool, and cf. Faldstool, Fauteuil.]

Defn: The throne or seat of a bishop within the chancel. [Obs.]

FALDSTOOL Fald"stool`, n. Etym: [See Faldistory.]

Defn: A folding stool, or portable seat, made to fold up in the manner of a camo stool. It was formerly placed in the choir for a bishop, when he offciated in any but his own cathedral church. Fairholt.

Note: In the modern practice of the Church of England, the term faldstool is given to the reading desk from which the litany is read. This esage is a relic of the ancient use of a lectern folding like a camp stool.

FALERNIAN Fa*ler"ni*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Mount Falernus, in Italy; as, Falernianwine.

FALK Falk (falk), n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The razorbill. [Written also falc, and faik.] [Prov. Eng.]

FALL Fall (fall), v. i. [imp. Fell; p. p. Fallen; p. pr. & vb. n. Falling.] Etym: [AS. feallan; akin to D. vallen, OS. & OHG. fallan, G. fallen, Icel. Falla, Sw. falla, Dan. falde, Lith. pulti, L. fallere to deceive, Gr. sfa`llein to cause to fall, Skr. sphal, sphul, to tremble. Cf. Fail, Fell, v. t., to cause to fall.]

1. To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Luke x. 18.

2. To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees. I fell at his feet to worship him. Rev. xix. 10.

3. To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; -- with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.

4. To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle. A thousand shall fall at thy side. Ps. xci. 7. He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell. Byron.

5. To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.