Chapter CLXVIII: Epilogue: Ep"i*logue, n. Etym: F. épilogue, L. epilogus, fr. Gr. Legend (15)

FECUNDATE Fec"un*date, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fecundated; p. pr. & vb. n. Fecundating.] Etym: [L. fecundare, fr. fecundus. See Fecund.]

1. To make fruitful or prolific. W. Montagu.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: To render fruitful or prolific; to impregnate; as, in flowers the pollen fecundates the ovum through the stigma.

FECUNDATION Fec`un*da"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fécondation.] (Biol.)

Defn: The act by which, either in animals or plants, material prepared by the generative organs the female organism is brought in contact with matter from the organs of the male, so that a new organism results; impregnation; fertilization.

FECUNDIFY Fe*cun"di*fy, v. t. Etym: [Fecund + -fy.]

Defn: To make fruitful; to fecundate. Johnson.

FECUNDITY Fe*cun"di*ty, n. Etym: [L. fecunditas: cf. F. fécondité. See Fecund.]

1. The quality or power of producing fruit; fruitfulness; especially (Biol.), the quality in female organisms of reproducing rapidly and in great numbers.

2. The power of germinating; as in seeds.

3. The power of bringing forth in abundance; fertility; richness of invention; as, the fecundity of God's creative power. Bentley.

FED Fed,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Feed.

FEDARY Fed"a*ry, n.

Defn: A feodary. [Obs.] Shak.

FEDERAL Fed"er*al, a. Etym: [L. foedus league, treaty, compact; akin to fides faith: cf. F. fédéral. see Faith.]

1. Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or covenant between parties, especially between nations; constituted by a compact between parties, usually governments or their representatives. The Romans compelled them, contrary to all federal right, . . . to part with Sardinia. Grew.

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

FEDERAL Fed"er*al, n.

Defn: See Federalist.

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

Defn: the principles of Federalists or of federal union.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. (Feud. Law)

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

4. (Eng. Law)

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

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

5. (Amer. Law)

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEEBLE Fee"ble, v. t.

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

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

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

FEEBLENESS Fee"ble*ness, n.

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

FEEBLY Fee"bly, adv.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEED Feed, v. i.

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

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

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

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

FEED Feed, n.

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

2. A grazing or pasture ground. Shak.

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

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

5. The water supplied to steam boilers.

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

FEEDER Feed"er, n.

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

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

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

4. One who fattens cattle for slaughter.

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

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

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

8. (Mach.)

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

9. (Steam Engine)

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

FEEDING Feed"ing, n.

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

2. That which is eaten; food.

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

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

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

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

Defn: See Fijian.

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEEL Feel, v. i.

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

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

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

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

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

FEEL Feel, n.

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

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

FEELER Feel"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, feels.

2. (Zoöl.)

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

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

FEELING Feel"ing, a.

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

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

FEELING Feel"ing, n.

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEELINGLY Feel"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feeling manner; pathetically; sympathetically.

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

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

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

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

FEET Feet, n. pl.

Defn: See Foot.

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

Defn: Fact; performance. [Obs.]

FEETLESS Feet"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of feet; as, feetless birds.

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

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

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

FEEZE Feeze, n.

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

FEHLING Feh"ling, n. (Chem.)

Defn: See Fehling's solution, under Solution.

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

Defn: Same as Vehm, Vehmgericht.

FEHMIC Feh"mic, a.

Defn: See Vehmic.

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

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

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

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

FEIGNED Feigned, a.

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

FEIGNER Feign"er, n.

Defn: One who feigns or pretends.

FEIGNING Feign"ing, a.

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

FEINE Feine, v. t. & i.

Defn: To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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

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

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

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

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

FEINT Feint, v. i.

Defn: To make a feint, or mock attack.

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

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

FEIZE Feize, v. t.

Defn: See Feeze, v. t.

FELANDERS Fel"an*ders, n. pl.

Defn: See Filanders.

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

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

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

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

Defn: Pertaining to, or consisting of, feldspar.

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

Defn: Many. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Syn. -- See Congratulate.

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

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

FELICITOUS Fe*lic"i*tous, a.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. (Zoöl.)

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

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

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

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

FELL Fell,

Defn: imp. of Fall.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. A wild field; a moor. Dryton.

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

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

FELL Fell, n. (Mining)

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

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

Defn: To sew or hem; -- said of seams.

FELL Fell, n.

1. (Sewing)

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

2. (Weaving)

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

FELLABLE Fell"a*ble, a.

Defn: Fit to be felled.

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

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

FELLER Fell"er, n.

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

FELLER Fell"er, n.

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

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

Defn: The fieldfare.

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

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

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

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

FELLMONGER Fell"mon`ger, n.

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

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

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

FELLOE Fel"loe, n.

Defn: See Felly.

FELLON Fel"lon, n.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FELLOW Fel"low, v. t.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Sympathy; a like feeling.

2. Joint interest. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.

FELLOWLESS Fel"low*less, a.

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

FELLOWLIKE Fel"low*like`, a.

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

FELLOWLY Fel"low*ly, a.

Defn: Fellowlike. [Obs.] Shak.

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

1. The state or relation of being or associate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FELLOWSHIP; GOOD FELLOWSHIP Good fel"low*ship

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

FELLY Fel"ly

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. (Law)

Defn: A person who has committed a felony.

2. A person guilty or capable of heinous crime.

3. (Med.)

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

Syn. -- Criminal; convict; malefactor; culprit.

FELON Fel"on, a.

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

FELONIOUS Fe*lo"nious, a.

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

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

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

FELONRY Fel"on*ry, n.

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

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

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

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

1. (Feudal Law)

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

2. (O.Eng.Law)

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

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

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

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

FELONY; TO COMPOUND A FELONY To compound a felony

Defn: . See under Compound, v. t.

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

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

FELSITIC Fel*sit"ic, a.

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

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

Defn: See Feldspar.

FELSPATHIC Fel*spath"ic, a.

Defn: See Feldspathic.

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

Defn: See Felsite.

FELT Felt,

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

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

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

2. A hat made of felt. Thynne.

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

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

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

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

FELTER Felt"er, v. t.

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

FELT GRAIN Felt grain

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

FELTING Felt"ing, n.

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

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

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

Defn: See Felt, n. [Obs.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. (Bot.)

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

FEMALE Fe"male, a.

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

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

3. (Bot.)

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

FEMALE FERN Female fern (Bot.),

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

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

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

FEMALE RHYMES Female rhymes (Pros.),

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

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

FEMALIST Fe"mal*ist, n.

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

FEMALIZE Fe"mal*ize, v. t.

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

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

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

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

Defn: See Femerell.

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

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

FEMINAL Fem"i*nal, a.

Defn: Feminine. [Obs.] West.

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

Defn: Feminity.

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

Defn: Feminine. [Obs.]

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

Defn: Womanliness; femininity. C. Read

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

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

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

FEMININE Fem"i*nine, n.

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

2. (Gram.)

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

FEMININELY Fem"i*nine*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feminine manner. Byron.

FEMININENESS Fem"i*nine*ness, n.

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

FEMININE RHYME Feminine rhyme. (Pros.)

Defn: See Female rhyme, under Female, a.

Syn. -- See Female, a.

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

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

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

FEMINITY Fe*min"i*ty, n.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. (Locks)

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

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

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

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

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

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

FENCE Fence, v. i.

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

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

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

FENCEFUL Fence"ful, a.

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

FENCELESS Fence"less, a.

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

FENCE MONTH Fence month (Forest Law),

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

FENCER Fen"cer, n.

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

FENCI-BLE Fen"ci-ble, a.

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

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

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

FENCING Fen"cing, n.

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

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

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

4. The act of building a fence.

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

FEN CRICKET Fen" crick`et. (Zoöl.)

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

FEND Fend, n.

Defn: A fiend. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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

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

FEND Fend, v. i.

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

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

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

FENDLICHE Fend"liche, a.

Defn: Fiendlike. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. (Arch.)

Defn: Pertaining to a window or to windows.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a fenestra.

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

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

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

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

2. (Zoöl.)

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

FENESTRATED Fe*nes"tra*ted, a.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: Having windows; characterized by windows.

2. Same as Fenestrate.

FENESTRATION Fen`es*tra"tion, n.

1. (Arch.)

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

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The state or condition of being fenestrated.