Chapter CXCI: Foreword: Fore"word`, n (12)

Defn: To investigate or apprehend geometrical quantities or laws; to make geometrical constructions; to proceed in accordance with the principles of geometry. Nature geometrizeth, and observeth order in all things. Sir T. Browne.

GEOMETRY Ge*om"e*try, n; pl. Geometries Etym: [F. géométrie, L. geometria, fr. Gr. Geometer.]

1. That branch of mathematics which investigates the relations, properties, and measurement of solids, surfaces, lines, and angles; the science which treats of the properties and relations of magnitudes; the science of the relations of space.

2. A treatise on this science. Analytical, or Coördinate, geometry, that branch of mathematical analysis which has for its object the analytical investigation of the relations and properties of geometrical magnitudes. -- Descriptive geometry, that part of geometry which treats of the graphic solution of all problems involving three dimensions. -- Elementary geometry, that part of geometry which treats of the simple properties of straight lines, circles, plane surface, solids bounded by plane surfaces, the sphere, the cylinder, and the right cone. -- Higher geometry, that pert of geometry which treats of those properties of straight lines, circles, etc., which are less simple in their relations, and of curves and surfaces of the second and higher degrees.

GEOPHAGISM Ge*oph"a*gism, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The act or habit of eating earth. See Dirt eating, under Dirt. Dunglison.

GEOPHAGIST Ge*oph"a*gist, n.

Defn: One who eats earth, as dirt, clay, chalk, etc.

GEOPHAGOUS Ge*oph"a*gous, a.

Defn: Earth-eating.

GEOPHILA Ge*oph"i*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The division of Mollusca which includes the land snails and slugs.

GEOPONIC; GEOPONICAL Ge`o*pon"ic, Ge`o*pon"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. géoponique.]

Defn: Pertaining to tillage of the earth, or agriculture.

GEOPONICS Ge`o*pon"ics, n. Etym: [Gr. géoponique.]

Defn: The art or science of cultivating the earth; agriculture. Evelin.

GEORAMA Ge`o*ra"ma, n. Etym: [Gr. géorama.]

Defn: A hollow globe on the inner surface of which a map of the world is depicted, to be examined by one standing inside.

GEORDIE Geor"die, n.

Defn: A name given by miners to George Stephenson's safety lamp. Raymond.

GEORGE George, n. Etym: [F. George, or Georges, a proper name, fr. Gr. work. See Work.]

1. A figure of St. George (the patron saint of England) on horseback, appended to the collar of the Order of the Garter. See Garter.

2. A kind of brown loaf. [Obs.] Dryden.

GEORGE NOBLE George" no`ble. Etym: [So called from the image of St. George on it.]

Defn: A gold noble of the time of Henry VIII. See Noble, n.

GEORGIAN Geor"gi*an, a.

1. Of or pertaining to Georgia, in Asia, or to Georgia, one of the United States.

2. Of or relating to the reigns of the four Georges, kings of Great Britan; as, the Georgian era.

GEORGIAN Geor"gi*an, n.

Defn: A native of, or dweller in, Georgia.

GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE Georgian architecture.

Defn: British or British colonial architecture of the period of the four Georges, especially that of the period before 1800.

GEORGIC Geor"gic, n. Etym: [L. georgicum (sc. carmen), and georgica, pl., Gr. géorgiques, pl. See Georgic, a.]

Defn: A rural poem; a poetical composition on husbandry, containing rules for cultivating lands, etc.; as, the Georgics of Virgil.

GEORGIC; GEORGICAL Geor"gic, Geor"gic*al, a. Etym: [L. georgicus, Gr. géorgique. See George.]

Defn: Relating to agriculture and rural affairs.

GEORGIUM SIDUS Geor"gi*um Si`dus. Etym: [NL., the star of George (III. of England).] (Astron.)

Defn: The planet Uranus, so named by its discoverer, Sir W. Herschel.

GEOSCOPY Ge*os"co*py, n. Etym: [Gr. -scopy: cf. F. géoscopie.]

Defn: Knowledge of the earth, ground, or soil, obtained by inspection. Chambers.

GEOSELENIC Ge`o*se*len"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Pertaining to the earth and moon; belonging to the joint action or mutual relations of the earth and moon; as, geoselenic phenomena.

GEOSTATIC Ge`o*stat"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. static.] (Civil Engin.)

Defn: Relating to the pressure exerted by earth or similar substance. Geostatic arch, an arch having a form adapted to sustain pressure similar to that exerted by earth. Rankine.

GEOSYNCLINAL Ge`o*syn*cli"nal, n. Etym: [Gr. synclinal.] (Geol.)

Defn: the downward bend or subsidence of the earth's crust, which allows of the gradual accumulation of sediment, and hence forms the first step in the making of a mountain range; -- opposed to geanticlinal.

GEOTHERMOMETER Ge`o*ther*mom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. thermometer.] (Physics)

Defn: A thermometer specially constructed for measuring temperetures at a depth below the surface of the ground.

GEOTIC Ge*ot"ic a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Belonging to earth; terrestrial. [Obs.] Bailey.

GEOTROPIC Ge`o*trop"ic, a. Etym: [See Geotropism.] (Biol.)

Defn: Relating to, or showing, geotropism.

GEOTROPISM Ge*ot"ro*pism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A disposition to turn or incline towards the earth; the influence of gravity in determining the direction of growth of an organ.

Note: In plants, organs which grow towards the center of the earth are said to be positively geotropic, and those growing in the opposite direction negatively geotropic. In animals, geotropism is supposed by some to have an influence either direct or indirect on the plane of division of the ovum.

GEPHYREA Ge*phyr"e*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of marine Annelida, in which the body is imperfectly, or not at all, annulated externally, and is mostly without setæ.

GEPHYREAN Ge*phyr"e*an, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Belonging to the Gephyrea. -- n. One of the Gerphyrea.

GEPHYREOID Ge*phyr"e*oid, a. & n. Etym: [Gephyrea + -oid.]

Defn: Gephyrean.

GEPOUND Ge*pound", n.

Defn: See Gipoun. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GERAH Ge"rah, n. Etym: [Heb. g, lit., a bean.] (Jewish Antiq.)

Defn: A small coin and weight; 1-20th of a shekel.

Note: The silver gerah is supposed to have been worth about three cents; the gold about fifty-four cents; the weight equivalent to about thirteen grains.

GERANIACEOUS Ge*ra`ni*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of pants (Geraniaceæ) which includes the genera Geranium, Pelargonium, and many others.

GERANIINE; GERANINE Ge*ra"ni*ine, Ger"a*nine, n. Etym: [See Geranium.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: A valuable astringet obtained from the root of the Geranium maculatum or crane's-bill.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: A liquid terpene, obtained from the crane's-bill (Geranium maculatum), and having a peculiar mulberry odor. [Written also geranium.]

GERANIUM Ge*ra"ni*um, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. géranium. See Crane, n.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants having a beaklike tours or receptacle, around which the seed capsules are arranged, and membranous projections, or stipules, at the joints. Most of the species have showy flowers and a pungent odor. Called sometimes crane's-bill.

2. (Floriculture)

Defn: A cultivated pelargonium.

Note: Many plants referred to the genus Geranium by the earlier botanists are now separated from it under the name of Pelargonium, which includes all the commonly cultivated "geraniums", mostly natives of South Africa.

GERANT Ge"rant, n. Etym: [F. gérant.]

Defn: The manager or acting partner of a company, joint-stock association, etc.

GERBE Gerbe, n. Etym: [F., prop. a sheaf.] (Pyrotechny)

Defn: A kind of ornamental firework. Farrow.

GERBIL; GERBILLE Ger"bil, Ger`bille", n. Etym: [F. gerbille. Cf. Jerboa.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several species of small, jumping, murine rodents, of the genus Gerbillus. In their leaping powers they resemble the jerboa. They inhabit Africa, India, and Southern Europe.

GERBOA Ger*bo"a, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The jerboa.

GERE Gere, n.

Defn: Gear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GERENT Ge"rent, a. Etym: [L. gerens, p. pr. of gerere to bear, manage.]

Defn: Bearing; carrying. [Obs.] Bailey.

GERFALCON Ger"fal`con, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Gyrfalcon.

GERFUL Ger"ful, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. girer to twirl, E. gyrate.]

Defn: Changeable; capricious. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GERLAND; GERLOND Ger"land, Ger"lond, n.

Defn: A garland. [Obs.]

GERLIND Ger"lind, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A salmon returning from the sea the second time. [Prov. Eng.]

GERM Germ, n. Etym: [F. germe, fr. L. germen, germinis, sprout, but, germ. Cf. Germen, Germane.]

1. (Biol.)

Defn: That which is to develop a new individual; as, the germ of a fetus, of a plant or flower, and the like; the earliest form under which an organism appears. In the entire process in which a new being originates . . . two distinct classes of action participate; namely, the act of generation by which the germ is produced; and the act of development, by which that germ is evolved into the complete organism. Carpenter.

2. That from which anything springs; origin; first principle; as, the germ of civil liberty. Disease germ (Biol.), a name applied to certain tiny bacterial organisms or their spores, such as Anthrax bacillus and the Micrococcus of fowl cholera, which have been demonstrated to be the cause of certain diseases. See Germ theory (bellow). -- Germ cell (Biol.), the germ, egg, spore, or cell from which the plant or animal arises. At one time a part of the body of the parent, it finally becomes detached,and by a process of multiplication and growth gives rise to a mass of cells, which ultimately form a new individual like the parent. See Ovum. -- Germ gland. (Anat.) See Gonad. -- Germ stock (Zoöl.), a special process on which buds are developed in certain animals. See Doliolum. -- Germ theory (Biol.), the theory that living organisms can be produced only by the evolution or development of living germs or seeds. See Biogenesis, and Abiogenesis. As applied to the origin of disease, the theory claims that the zymotic diseases are due to the rapid development and multiplication of various bacteria, the germs or spores of which are either contained in the organism itself, or transferred through the air or water. See Fermentation theory.

GERM Germ, v. i.

Defn: To germinate. [R.] J. Morley.

GERMAIN Ger*main", a. [Obs.]

Defn: See Germane.

GERMAN Ger"man, a. Etym: [OE. german, germain, F. germain, fr. L. germanus full, own (said of brothers and sisters who have the same parents); akin to germen germ. Cf. Germ, Germane.]

Defn: Nearly related; closely akin. Wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion. Shak. Brother german. See Brother german. -- Cousins german. See the Note under Cousin.

GERMAN Ger"man, n.; pl. Germans Etym: [L. Germanus, prob. of Celtis origin.]

1. A native or one of the people of Germany.

2. The German language.

3. (a) A round dance, often with a waltz movement, abounding in capriciosly involved figures. (b) A social party at which the german is danced. High German, the Teutonic dialect of Upper or Southern Germany, -- comprising Old High German, used from the 8th to the 11th century; Middle H. G., from the 12th to the 15th century; and Modern or New H. G., the language of Luther's Bible version and of modern German literature. The dialects of Central Germany, the basis of the modern literary language, are often called Middle German, and the Southern German dialects Upper German; but High German is also used to cover both groups. -- Low German, the language of Northern Germany and the Netherlands, -- including Friesic; Anglo-Saxon or Saxon; Old Saxon; Dutch or Low Dutch, with its dialect, Flemish; and Plattdeutsch (called also Low German), spoken in many dialects.

GERMAN Ger"man, a. Etym: [L. Germanus. See German, n.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Germany. German Baptists. See Dunker. -- German bit, a wood-boring tool, having a long elliptical pod and a scew point. -- German carp (Zoöl.), the crucian carp. -- German millet (Bot.), a kind of millet (Setaria Italica, var.), whose seed is sometimes used for food. -- German paste, a prepared food for caged birds. -- German process (Metal.), the process of reducing copper ore in a blast furnace, after roasting, if necessary. Raymond. -- German sarsaparilla, a substitute for sarsaparilla extract. -- German sausage, a polony, or gut stuffed with meat partly cooked. -- German silver (Chem.), a silver-white alloy, hard and tough, but malleable and ductile, and quite permanent in the air. It contains nickel, copper, and zinc in varying proportions, and was originally made from old copper slag at Henneberg. A small amount of iron is sometimes added to make it whiter and harder. It is essentially identical with the Chinese alloy packfong. It was formerly much used for tableware, knife handles, frames, cases, bearings of machinery, etc., but is now largely superseded by other white alloys. -- German steel (Metal.), a metal made from bog iron ore in a forge, with charcoal for fuel. -- German text (Typog.), a character resembling modern German type, used in English printing for ornamental headings, etc., as in the words,

Note: This line is German Text. -- German tinder. See Amadou.

GERMANDER Ger*man"der, n. Etym: [OE. germaunder, F. germandrée, It. calamandrea, L. chamaedrys, fr. Gr.Humble, and Tree.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the genus Teucrium (esp. Teucrium Chamædrys or wall germander), mintlike herbs and low shrubs. American germander, Teucrium Canadense. -- Germander chickweed, Veronica agrestis. -- Water germander, Teucrium Scordium. -- Wood germander, Teucrium Scorodonia.

GERMANE Ger*mane", a. Etym: [See German akin, nearly related.]

Defn: Literally, near akin; hence, closely allied; appropriate or fitting; relevant. The phrase would be more germane to the matter. Shak. [An amendment] must be germane. Barclay (Digest).

GERMANIC Ger*man"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, germanium.

GERMANIC Ger*man"ic, a. Etym: [L. Germanicus: cf. F. germanique. See German, n.]

1. Of or pertaining to Germany; as, the Germanic confederacy.

2. Teutonic. [A loose sense]

GERMANISM Ger"man*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. germanisme.]

1. An idiom of the German language.

2. A characteristic of the Germans; a characteristic German mode, doctrine, etc.; rationalism. J. W. Alexander.

GERMANIUM Ger*ma"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Germania Germany.] (Chem.)

Defn: A rare element, recently discovered (1885), in a silver ore (argyrodite) at Freiberg. It is a brittle, silver-white metal, chemically intermediate between the metals and nonmetals, resembles tin, and is in general identical with the predicted ekasilicon. Symbol Ge. Atomic weight 72.3.

GERMANIZATION Ger`man*i*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act of Germanizing. M. Arnold.

GERMANIZE Ger"man*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Germanized; p. pr. & vb. n. Germanizing.]

Defn: To make German, or like what is distinctively German; as, to Germanize a province, a language, a society.

GERMANIZE Ger"man*ize, v. i.

Defn: To reason or write after the manner of the Germans.

GERMARIUM Ger*ma"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Germ.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An organ in which the ova are developed in certain Turbellaria.

GERM CELL Germ cell. (Biol.)

Defn: A cell, of either sex, directly concerned in the production of a new organism.

GERMEN Ger"men, n.; pl. E. Germens, L. Germina. Etym: [L.]

Defn: See Germ.

GERMICIDAL Ger"mi*ci`dal, a.

Defn: Germicide.

GERMICIDE Ger"mi*cide, a. Etym: [Germ +L. caedere to kill.] (Biol.)

Defn: Destructive to germs; -- applied to any agent which has a destructive action upon living germs, particularly bacteria, or bacterial germs, which are considered the cause of many infectious diseases. -- n.

Defn: A germicide agent.

GERMINAL Ger"mi*nal, a. Etym: [See Germ.]

Defn: Pertaining or belonging to a germ; as, the germinal vesicle. Germinal layers (Biol.), the two layers of cells, the ectoblast and entoblast, which form respectively the outer covering and inner wall of the gastrula. A third layer of cells, the mesoblast, which is formed later and lies between these two, is sometimes included. -- Germinal membrane. (Biol.) Same as Blastoderm. -- Germinal spot (Biol.), the nucleolus of the ovum. -- Germinal vesicle, (Biol.) , the nucleus of the ovum of animals.

GERMINAL Ger`mi*nal", n. Etym: [F. See Germ .]

Defn: The seventh month of the French republican calendar [1792 -- 1806]. It began March 21 and ended April 19. See VendÉmiaire.

GERMINANT Ger"mi*nant, a. Etym: [L. germinans, p. pr.]

Defn: Sprouting; sending forth germs or buds.

GERMINATE Ger"mi*nate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Germinated; p. pr. & vb. n. Germinating.] Etym: [L. germinatus, p. p. of germinare to sprout, fr. germen. See Germ.]

Defn: To sprout; to bud; to shoot; to begin to vegetate, as a plant or its seed; to begin to develop, as a germ. Bacon.

GERMINATE Ger"mi*nate, v. t.

Defn: To cause to sprout. Price (1610).

GERMINATION Ger`mi*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. germinatio: cf. F. germination.]

Defn: The process of germinating; the beginning of vegetation or growth in a seed or plant; the first development of germs, either animal or vegetable. Germination apparatus, an apparatus for malting grain.

GERMINATIVE Ger"mi*na*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. germinatif.]

Defn: Pertaining to germination; having power to bud or develop. Germinative spot, Germinative vesicle. (Biol.) Same as Germinal spot, Germinal vesicle, under Germinal.

GERMIPARITY Ger`mi*par"i*ty, n. Etym: [Germ + L. parere to produce.] (Biol.)

Defn: Reproduction by means of germs.

GERMLESS Germ"less, a.

Defn: Without germs.

GERMOGEN Ger"mo*gen, n. Etym: [Germ + -gen.] (Biol.) (a) A polynuclear mass of protoplasm, not divided into separate cells, from which certain ova are developed. Balfour. (b) The primitive cell in certain embryonic forms. Balfour.

GERM PLASM Germ" plasm`, (Biol.)

Defn: See Plasmogen, and Idioplasm.

GERM THEORY Germ theory.

1. (Biol.)

Defn: The theory that living organisms can be produced only by the development of living germs. Cf. Biogenesis, Abiogenesis.

2. (Med.) The theory which attributes contagious and infectious diseases, suppurative lesions, etc., to the agency of germs. The science of bacteriology was developed after this theory had been established.

GERMULE Germ"ule, n. Etym: [Dim. fr. germ.] (Biol.)

Defn: A small germ.

GERN Gern, v. t. Etym: [See Grin.]

Defn: To grin or yawn. [Obs.] "[/He] gaped like a gulf when he did gern." Spenser.

GERNER Ger"ner, n.

Defn: A garner. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GEROCOMIA Ger`o*co"mi*a, n. Etym: [NL.]

Defn: See Gerocomy.

GEROCOMICAL Ger`o*com"ic*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to gerocomy. Dr. John Smith.

GEROCOMY Ge*roc"o*my, n. Etym: [F. gérocomie, fr. Gr.

Defn: That part of medicine which treats of regimen for old people.

GERONTES Ge*ron"tes, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: Magistrates in Sparta, who with the ephori and kings, constituted the supreme civil authority.

GERONTOCRACY Ger`on*toc"ra*cy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Government by old men. [R.] Gladstone.

GEROPIGIA Ger`o*pig"i*a, n. Etym: [Pg. geropiga.]

Defn: A mixture composed of unfermented grape juice, brandy, sugar, etc., for adulteration of wines. [Written also jerupigia.]

-GEROUS -ger*ous. Etym: [L. -ger, fr. gerere to bear, carry. See Jest.]

Defn: A suffix signifying bearing, producing; as, calcigerous; dentigerous.

GERRYMANDER Ger`ry*man"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gerrymandered; p. pr. & vb. n. Gerrymandering.]

Defn: To divide (a State) into districts for the choice of representatives, in an unnatural and unfair way, with a view to give a political party an advantage over its opponent. [Political Cant, U. S.]

Note: This was done in Massachusetts at a time when Elbridge Gerry was governor, and was attributed to his influence, hence the name; though it is now known that he was opposed to the measure. Bartlett.

GERUND Ger"und, n. Etym: [L. gerundium, fr. gerere to bear, carry, perform. See Gest a deed, Jest.] (Lat. Gram.)

1. A kind of verbal noun, having only the four oblique cases of the singular number, and governing cases like a participle.

2. (AS. Gram.)

Defn: A verbal noun ending in -e, preceded by to and usually denoting purpose or end; -- called also the dative infinitive; as, "Ic hæbbe mete tô etanne" (I have meat to eat.) In Modern English the name has been applied to verbal or participal nouns in -ing denoting a transitive action; e. g., by throwing a stone.

GERUNDIAL Ge*run"di*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a gerund; as, a gerundial use.

GERUNDIVE Ge*run"dive, a. Etym: [L. gerundivus.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or partaking of, the nature of the gerund; gerundial. -- n. (Lat. Gram.)

Defn: The future passive participle; as, amandus, i. e., to be loved.

GERUNDIVELY Ge*run"dive*ly, adv.

Defn: In the manner of a gerund; as, or in place of, a gerund.

GERY Ger"y, a. Etym: [See Gerful.]

Defn: Changeable; fickle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GESLING Ges"ling, n.

Defn: A gosling. [Prov. Eng.]

GESSE Gesse, v. t. & i.

Defn: To guess. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GESSO Ges"so, n. [It., chalk, plaster.]

1. Plaster of Paris, or gypsum, esp. as prepared for use in painting, or in making bas-reliefs and the like; by extension, a plasterlike or pasty material spread upon a surface to fit it for painting or gilding, or a surface so prepared.

2. A work of art done in gesso. [Obs.]

GESSO DURO Ges"so du"ro. [It., hard plaster.]

Defn: A variety of gesso which when dried becomes hard and durable, often used in making bas-relief casts, which are colored and mounted in elaborate frames.

GEST Gest, n.

Defn: A guest. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GEST Gest, n. Etym: [OF. geste exploit. See Jest.]

1. Something done or achieved; a deed or an action; an adventure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. An action represented in sports, plays, or on the stage; show; ceremony. [Obs.] Mede.

3. A tale of achievements or adventures; a stock story. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

4. Gesture; bearing; deportment. [Archaic] Through his heroic grace and honorable gest. Spenser.

GEST Gest, n. Etym: [Cf. Gist a resting place.]

1. A stage in traveling; a stop for rest or lodging in a journey or progress; a rest. [Obs.] Kersey.

2. A roll recting the several stages arranged for a royal progress. Many of them are extant in the herald's office. [Obs.] Hanmer.

GESTANT Ges"tant, a. Etym: [L. gestans, p. pr. of gestare.]

Defn: Bearing within; laden; burdened; pregnant. [R.] "Clouds gestant with heat." Mrs. Browning.

GESTATION Ges*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. gestatio a bearing, carrying, fr. gestare to bear, carry, intens. fr. gerere, gestum, to bear: cf. F. gestation. See Gest deed, Jest.]

1. The act of wearing (clothes or ornaments). [Obs.]

2. The act of carrying young in the womb from conception to delivery; pregnancy.

3. Exercise in which one is borne or carried, as on horseback, or in a carriage, without the exertion of his own powers; passive exercise. Dunglison.

GESTATORY Ges"ta*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. gestatorius that serves for carrying: cf. F. gestatoire.]

1. Pertaining to gestation or pregnancy.

2. Capable of being carried or worn. [Obs. or R.]

GESTE Geste, v. i.

Defn: To tell stories or gests. [Obs.]

GESTIC Ges"tic, a. Etym: [See Gest a deed, Gesture.]

1. Pertaining to deeds or feats of arms; legendary. And the gay grandsire, skilled in gestic lore. Goldsmith.

2. Relating to bodily motion; consisting of gestures; -- said especially with reference to dancing. Carried away by the enthusiasm of the gestic art. Sir W. Scott.

GESTICULATE Ges*tic"u*late, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gesticulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Gesticulating.] Etym: [L. gesticulatus, p. p. of gesticulari to gesticulate, fr. gesticulus a mimic gesture, gesticulation, dim. of gestus gesture, fr. gerere, gestum, to bear, carry, peform. See Gestic.]

Defn: To make gestures or motions, as in speaking; to use postures. Sir T. Herbert.

GESTICULATE Ges*tic"u*late, v. t.

Defn: To represent by gesture; to act. [R.] B. Jonson.

GESTICULATION Ges*tic`u*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. gesticulatio: cf. F. gesticulation.]

1. The act of gesticulating, or making gestures to express passion or enforce sentiments.

2. A gesture; a motion of the body or limbs in speaking, or in representing action or passion, and enforcing arguments and sentiments. Macaulay.

3. Antic tricks or motions. B. Jonson.

GESTICULATOR Ges*tic"u*la`tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: One who gesticulates.

GESTICULATORY Ges*tic"u*la*to*ry, a.

Defn: Representing by, or belonging to, gestures. T. Warton.

GESTOUR Ges"tour, n. Etym: [See Gest a deed.]

Defn: A reciter of gests or legendary tales; a story-teller. [Obs.] Minstrels and gestours for to tell tales. Chaucer.

GESTURAL Ges"tur*al, a.

Defn: Relating to gesture.

GESTURE Ges"ture, n. Etym: [LL. gestura mode of action, fr. L. gerere, gestum, to bear, behave, perform, act. See Gest a deed.]

1. Manner of carrying the body; position of the body or limbs; posture. [Obs.] Accubation, or lying down at meals, was a gesture used by many nations. Sir T. Browne.

2. A motion of the body or limbs expressive of sentiment or passion; any action or posture intended to express an idea or a passion, or to enforce or emphasize an argument, assertion, or opinion. Humble and reverent gestures. Hooker. Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, In every gesture dignity and love. Milton.

GESTURE Ges"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gestured; p. pr. & vb. n. Gesturing.]

Defn: To accompany or illustrate with gesture or action; to gesticulate. It is not orderly read, nor gestured as beseemeth. Hooker.

GESTURE Ges"ture, v. i.

Defn: To make gestures; to gesticulate. The players . . . gestured not undecently withal. Holland.

GESTURELESS Ges"ture*less, a.

Defn: Free from gestures.

GESTUREMENT Ges"ture*ment, n.

Defn: Act of making gestures; gesturing. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

GET Get, n.

Defn: Jet, the mineral. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GET Get, n. Etym: [OF. get.]

1. Fashion; manner; custom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. Artifice; contrivance. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GET Get, v. t. [imp. Got (Obs. Gat (); p. p. Got (Obsolescent Gotten); p. pr. & vb. n. Getting.] Etym: [OE. geten, AS. gitan, gietan (in comp.); akin to Icel. geta, Goth. bigitan to find, L. prehendere to seize, take, Gr. Comprehend, Enterprise, Forget, Impregnable, Prehensile.]

1. To procure; to obtain; to gain possession of; to acquire; to earn; to obtain as a price or reward; to come by; to win, by almost any means; as, to get favor by kindness; to get wealth by industry and economy; to get favor by kindness; to get wealth by industry and economy; to get land by purchase, etc.

2. Hence, with have and had, to come into or be in possession of; to have. Johnson. Thou hast got the face of man. Herbert.

3. To beget; to procreate; to generate. I had rather to adopt a child than get it. Shak.

4. To obtain mental possession of; to learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; as to get a lesson; also with out; as, to get out one's Greek lesson. It being harder with him to get one sermon by heart, than to pen twenty. Bp. Fell.

5. To prevail on; to induce; to persuade. Get him to say his prayers. Shak.

6. To procure to be, or to cause to be in any state or condition; -- with a following participle. Those things I bid you do; get them dispatched. Shak.

7. To betake; to remove; -- in a reflexive use. Get thee out from this land. Gen. xxxi. 13. He . . . got himself . . . to the strong town of Mega. Knolles.

Note: Get, as a transitive verb, is combined with adverbs implying motion, to express the causing to, or the effecting in, the object of the verb, of the kind of motion indicated by the preposition; thus, to get in, to cause to enter, to bring under shelter; as, to get in the hay; to get out, to make come forth, to extract; to get off, to take off, to remove; to get together, to cause to come together, to collect. To get by heart, to commit to memory. -- To get the better of, To get the best of, to obtain an advantage over; to surpass; to subdue. -- To get up, to cause to be established or to exit; to prepare; to arrange; to construct; to invent; as, to get up a celebration, a machine, a book, an agitation.

Syn. -- To obtain; gain; win; acquire. See Obtain.

GET Get, v. i.

1. To make acquisition; to gain; to profit; to receive accessions; to be increased. We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get. Shak.

2. To arrive at, or bring one's self into, a state, condition, or position; to come to be; to become; -- with a following adjective or past participle belonging to the subject of the verb; as, to get sober; to get awake; to get beaten; to get elected. To get rid of fools and scoundrels. Pope. His chariot wheels get hot by driving fast. Coleridge.

Note: It [get] gives to the English language a middle voice, or a power of verbal expression which is neither active nor passive. Thus we say to get acquitted, beaten, confused, dressed. Earle.

Note: Get, as an intransitive verb, is used with a following preposition, or adverb of motion, to indicate, on the part of the subject of the act, movement or action of the kind signified by the preposition or adverb; or, in the general sense, to move, to stir, to make one's way, to advance, to arrive, etc.; as, to get away, to leave to escape; to disengage one's self from; to get down, to descend, esp. with effort, as from a literal or figurative elevation; to get along, to make progress; hence, to prosper, succeed, or fare; to get in, to enter; to get out, to extricate one's self, to escape; to get through, to traverse; also, to finish, to be done; to get to, to arrive at, to reach; to get off, to alight, to descend from, to dismount; also, to escape, to come off clear; to get together, to assemble, to convene. To get ahead, to advance; to prosper. -- To get along, to proceed; to advance; to prosper. -- To get a mile (or other distance), to pass over it in traveling. -- To get among, to go or come into the company of; to become one of a number. -- To get asleep, to fall asleep. -- To get astray, to wander out of the right way. -- To get at, to reach; to make way to. To get away with, to carry off; to capture; hence, to get the better of; to defeat. -- To get back, to arrive at the place from which one departed; to return. -- To get before, to arrive in front, or more forward. -- To get behind, to fall in the rear; to lag. -- To get between, to arrive between. -- To get beyond, to pass or go further than; to exceed; to surpass. "Three score and ten is the age of man, a few get beyond it." Thackeray. -- To get clear, to disengage one's self; to be released, as from confinement, obligation, or burden; also, to be freed from danger or embarrassment. -- To get drunk, to become intoxicated. -- To get forward, to proceed; to advance; also, to prosper; to advance in wealth. -- To get home, to arrive at one's dwelling, goal, or aim. -- To get into. (a) To enter, as, "she prepared to get into the coach." Dickens. (b) To pass into, or reach; as, " as, " a language has got into the inflated state." Keary. -- To get loose or free, to disengage one's self; to be released from confinement. -- To get near, to approach within a small distance. -- To get on, to proceed; to advance; to prosper. -- To get over. (a) To pass over, surmount, or overcome, as an obstacle or difficulty. (b) To recover from, as an injury, a calamity. -- To get through. (a) To pass through something. (b) To finish what one was doing. -- To get up. (a) To rise; to arise, as from a bed, chair, etc. (b) To ascend; to climb, as a hill, a tree, a flight of stairs, etc.

GET Get, n.

Defn: Offspring; progeny; as, the get of a stallion.

GETEN Get"en, obs.

Defn: p. p. of Get. Chaucer.

GETH Geth,

Defn: the original third pers. sing. pres. of Go. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GET-PENNY Get"-pen`ny, n.

Defn: Something which gets or gains money; a successful affair. [Colloq.] Chapman.

GETTABLE Get"ta*ble, a.

Defn: That may be obtained. [R.]

GETTER Get"ter, n.

Defn: One who gets, gains, obtains, acquires, begets, or procreates.

GETTERUP Get"ter*up`, n.

Defn: One who contrives, makes, or arranges for, anything, as a book, a machine, etc. [Colloq.] A diligent getter-up of miscellaneous works. W. Irving.

GETTING Get"ting, n.

1. The act of obtaining or acquiring; acquisition. With all thy getting, get understanding. Prov. iv. 7.

2. That which is got or obtained; gain; profit.

GET-UP Get"-up, n.

Defn: General composition or structure; manner in which the parts of a thing are combined; make-up; style of dress, etc. [Colloq.] H. Kingsley.

GEUSDISM Geusd"ism (ged"iz'm), n.

Defn: The Marxian socialism and programme of reform through revolution as advocated by the French political leader Jules Basile Guesde (pron. ged) (1845- ). -- Guesd"ist (#), n. & a.

GEWGAW Gew"gaw, n. Etym: [OE. gigawe, gugawe, gewgaude, prob. the same word as OE. givegove gewgaw, apparently a reduplicated form fr. AS. gifan to give; cf. also F. joujou plaything, and E. gaud, n. See Give, and cf. Giffgaff.]

Defn: A showy trifle; a toy; a splendid plaything; a pretty but worthless bauble. A heavy gewgaw called a crown. Dryden.

GEWGAW Gew"gaw, a.

Defn: Showy; unreal; pretentious. Seeing his gewgaw castle shine. Tennyson.

GEYSER Gey"ser, n. Etym: [Icel. geysir, fr. geysa to rush furiously, fr. gj to gush. Cf. Gush.]

Defn: A boiling spring which throws forth at frequent intervals jets of water, mud, etc., driven up by the expansive power of steam.

Note: Geysers were first known in Iceland, and later in New Zealand. In the Yellowstone region in the United States they are numerous, and some of them very powerful, throwing jets of boiling water and steam to a height of 200 feet. They are grouped in several areas called geyser basins. The mineral matter, or geyserite, with which geyser water is charged, forms geyser cones about the orifice, often of great size and beauty.

GEYSERITE Gey"ser*ite, n. Etym: [From Geyser.] (Min.)

Defn: A loose hydrated form of silica, a variety of opal, deposited in concretionary cauliflowerlike masses, around some hot springs and geysers.

GHARRY Ghar"ry, n. Etym: [Hind. ga.]

Defn: Any wheeled cart or carriage. [India]

GHAST Ghast, v. t. Etym: [OE. gasten. See Ghastly, a.]

Defn: To strike aghast; to affright. [Obs.] Ghasted by the noise I made. Full suddenly he fled. Shak.

GHASTFUL Ghast"ful, a. Etym: [See Ghastly, a.]

Defn: Fit to make one aghast; dismal. [Obs.] -- Ghast"ful*ly, adv.

GHASTLINESS Ghast"li*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being ghastly; a deathlike look.

GHASTLY Ghast"ly, a. [Compar. Ghastlier; superl. Ghastliest.] Etym: [OE. gastlich, gastli, fearful, causing fear, fr. gasten to terrify, AS. gæstan. Cf. Aghast, Gast, Gaze, Ghostly.]

1. Like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal. Each turned his face with a ghastly pang. Coleridge. His face was so ghastly that it could scarcely be recognized. Macaulay.

2. Horrible; shocking; dreadful; hideous. Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail. Milton.

GHASTLY Ghast"ly, adv.

Defn: In a ghastly manner; hideously. Staring full ghastly like a strangled man. Shak.

GHASTNESS Ghast"ness, n.

Defn: Ghastliness. [Obs.] Shak.

GHAT; GHAUT Ghat Ghaut, n. Etym: [Hind. ghat.]

1. A pass through a mountain. [India] J. D. Hooker.

2. A range of mountains. Balfour (Cyc. of Ind. ).

3. Stairs descending to a river; a landing place; a wharf. [India] Malcom.

GHAWAZI Gha*wa"zi, n. pl. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: Egyptian dancing girls, of a lower sort than the almeh.

GHAZAL; GHAZEL Ghaz"al, Ghaz"el, n. [Ar. ghazal.]

Defn: A kind of Oriental lyric, and usually erotic, poetry, written in recurring rhymes.

GHAZI Gha"zi, n. [Ar. ghazi.]

Defn: Among Mohammedans, a warrior champion or veteran, esp. in the destruction of infidels.

GHEBER; GHEBRE Ghe"ber Ghe"bre, n. Etym: [Pers. ghebr: cf. F. Guèbre. Cf. Giaour.]

Defn: A worshiper of fire; a Zoroastrian; a Parsee.

GHEE Ghee, n. Etym: [Hind. ghi clarified butter, Skr. gh.]

Defn: Butter clarified by boiling, and thus converted into a kind of oil. [India] Malcom.

GHERKIN Gher"kin, n. Etym: [D. agurkje, a dim. akin to G. gurke, Dan. ag; cf. Pol. ogórek, Bohem. okurka, LGr. al-khiyar, Per. khiyar.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of small, prickly cucumber, much used for pickles.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Sea gherkin.

GHESS Ghess, v. t. & i.

Defn: See Guess. [Obs.]

GHETTO Ghet"to, n. Etym: [It.]

Defn: The Jews'quarter in an Italian town or city. I went to the Ghetto, where the Jews dwell. Evelyn.

GHIBELLINE Ghib"el*line, n. Etym: [It. Ghibellino; of German origin.] (It. Hist.)

Defn: One of a faction in Italy, in the 12th and 13th centuries, which favored the German emperors, and opposed the Guelfs, or adherents of the poses. Brande & C.

GHOLE Ghole, n.

Defn: See Ghoul.

GHOST Ghost, n. Etym: [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]

1. The spirit; the soul of man. [Obs.] Then gives her grieved ghost thus to lament. Spenser.

2. The disembodied soul; the soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death; an apparition; a specter. The mighty ghosts of our great Harrys rose. Shak. I thought that I had died in sleep, And was a blessed ghost. Coleridge.

3. Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image; a phantom; a glimmering; as, not a ghost of a chance; the ghost of an idea. Each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Poe.

4. A false image formed in a telescope by reflection from the surfaces of one or more lenses. Ghost moth (Zoöl.), a large European moth (Hepialus humuli); so called from the white color of the male, and the peculiar hovering flight; -- called also great swift. -- Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit; the Paraclete; the Comforter; (Theol.) the third person in the Trinity. -- To give up or yield up the ghost, to die; to expire. And he gave up the ghost full softly. Chaucer. Jacob . . . yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. Gen. xlix. 33.

GHOST Ghost, v. i.

Defn: To die; to expire. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

GHOST Ghost, v. t.

Defn: To appear to or haunt in the form of an apparition. [Obs.] Shak.

GHOST DANCE Ghost dance.

Defn: A religious dance of the North American Indians, participated in by both sexes, and looked upon as a rite of invocation the purpose of which is, through trance and vision, to bring the dancer into communion with the unseen world and the spirits of departed friends. The dance is the chief rite of the Ghost-dance, or Messiah, religion, which originated about 1890 in the doctrines of the Piute Wovoka, the Indian Messiah, who taught that the time was drawing near when the whole Indian race, the dead with the living, should be reunited to live a life of millennial happiness upon a regenerated earth. The religion inculcates peace, righteousness, and work, and holds that in good time, without warlike intervention, the oppressive white rule will be removed by the higher powers. The religion spread through a majority of the western tribes of the United States, only in the case of the Sioux, owing to local causes, leading to an outbreak.

GHOSTFISH Ghost"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A pale ubspotted variety of the wrymouth.

GHOSTLESS Ghost"less, a.

Defn: Without life or spirit. [R.]

GHOSTLIKE Ghost"like`, a.

Defn: Like a ghost; ghastly.

GHOSTLINESS Ghost"li*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being ghostly.

GHOSTLY Ghost"ly, a. Etym: [OE. gastlich, gostlich, AS. gastlic. See Ghost.]

1. Relating to the soul; not carnal or secular; spiritual; as, a ghostly confessor. Save and defend us from our ghostly enemies. Book of Common Prayer [Ch. of Eng. ] One of the gostly children of St. Jerome. Jer. Taylor.

2. Of or pertaining to apparitions. Akenside.

GHOSTLY Ghost"ly, adv.

Defn: Spiritually; mystically. Chaucer.

GHOSTOLOGY Ghost*ol"o*gy, n.

Defn: Ghost lore. [R.] It seemed even more unaccountable than if it had been a thing of ghostology and witchcraft. Hawthorne.

GHOUL Ghoul, n. Etym: [Per. gh an imaginary sylvan demon, supposed to devour men and animals: cf. Ar. gh, F. goule.]

Defn: An imaginary evil being among Eastern nations, which was supposed to feed upon human bodies. [Written also ghole .] Moore.

GHOULISH Ghoul"ish, a.

Defn: Characteristic of a ghoul; vampirelike; hyenalike.

GHYLL Ghyll, n.

Defn: A ravine. See Gill a woody glen. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wordsworth.

GIALLOLINO Gial`lo*li"no, n. Etym: [It., from giallo yellow, prob. fr. OHG. gelo, G. gelb; akin to E. yellow.]

Defn: A term variously employed by early writers on art, though commonly designating the yellow oxide of lead, or massicot. Fairholt.

GIAMBEUX Giam"beux, n. pl. Etym: [See Jambeux.]

Defn: Greaves; armor for the legs. [Obs.] Spenser.

GIANT Gi"ant, n. Etym: [OE. giant, geant, geaunt, OF. jaiant, geant, F. géant, L. gigas, fr. Gr. gender, genesis. See Gender, and cf. Gigantic.]

1. A man of extraordinari bulk and stature. Giants of mighty bone and bold emprise. Milton.

2. A person of extraordinary strength or powers, bodily or intellectual.

3. Any animal, plant, or thing, of extraordinary size or power. Giant's Causeway, a vast collection of basaltic pillars, in the county of Antrim on the northern coast of Ireland.

GIANT Gi"ant, a.

Defn: Like a giant; extraordinary in size, strength, or power; as, giant brothers; a giant son. Giant cell. (Anat.) See Myeloplax. -- Giant clam (Zoöl.), a bivalve shell of the genus Tridacna, esp. T. gigas, which sometimes weighs 500 pounds. The shells are sometimes used in churches to contain holy water. -- Giant heron (Zoöl.), a very large African heron (Ardeomega goliath). It is the largest heron known. -- Giant kettle, a pothole of very large dimensions, as found in Norway in connection with glaciers. See Pothole. -- Giant powder. See Nitroglycerin. -- Giant puffball (Bot.), a fungus (Lycoperdon giganteum), edible when young, and when dried used for stanching wounds. -- Giant salamander (Zoöl.), a very large aquatic salamander (Megalobatrachus maximus), found in Japan. It is the largest of living Amphibia, becoming a yard long. -- Giant squid (Zoöl.), one of several species of very large squids, belonging to Architeuthis and allied genera. Some are over forty feet long.

GIANTESS Gi"ant*ess, n.

Defn: A woman of extraordinary size.

GIANTIZE Gi"ant*ize, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. géantiser.]

Defn: To play the giant. [R.] Sherwood.

GIANTLY Gi"ant*ly, a.

Defn: Appropriate to a giant. [Obs.] Usher.

GIANTRY Gi"ant*ry, n.

Defn: The race of giants. [R.] Cotgrave.

GIANTSHIP Gi"ant*ship, n.

Defn: The state, personality, or character, of a giant; -- a compellation for a giant. His giantship is gone somewhat crestfallen. Milton.

GIAOUR Giaour, n. Etym: [Turk. giaur an infidel, Per. gawr, another form of ghebr fire worshiper. Cf. Kaffir, Gheber .]

Defn: An infidel; -- a term applied by Turks to disbelievers in the Mohammedan religion, especially Christrians. Byron.

GIB Gib, n. Etym: [Abbreviated fr. Gilbert, the name of the cat in the old story of "Reynard the Fox". in the "Romaunt of the Rose", etc.]

Defn: A male cat; a tomcat. [Obs.]

GIB Gib, v. i.

Defn: To act like a cat. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

GIB Gib, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A piece or slip of metal or wood, notched or otherwise, in a machine or structure, to hold other parts in place or bind them together, or to afford a bearing surface; -- usually held or adjusted by means of a wedge, key, or screw. Gib and key, or Gib and cotter (Steam Engine), the fixed wedge or gib, and the driving wedge,key, or cotter, used for tightening the strap which holds the brasses at the end of a connecting rod.

GIB Gib, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gibbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Gibbing.]

Defn: To secure or fasten with a gib, or gibs; to provide with a gib, or gibs. Gibbed lathe, an engine lathe in which the tool carriage is held down to the bed by a gib instead of by a weight.

GIB Gib, v. i.

Defn: To balk. See Jib, v. i. Youatt.

GIBARO Gi"ba*ro, n.; pl. Gibaros (#). [Amer. Sp. jíbaro wild.] (Ethnol.)

Defn: The offspring of a Spaniard and an Indian; a Spanish-Indian mestizo. [Sp. Amer.]

GIBBARTAS Gib*bar"tas, n. Etym: [Cf. Ar. jebbar giant; or L. gibber humpbacked: cf. F. gibbar.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several finback whales of the North Atlantic; -- called also Jupiter whale. [Written also jubartas, gubertas, dubertus.]

GIBBER Gib"ber, n. Etym: [From Gib to balk.]

Defn: A balky horse. Youatt.

GIBBER Gib"ber, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gibbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Gibbering.] Etym: [Akin to jabber, and gabble.]

Defn: To speak rapidly and inarticulately. Shak.

GIBBERISH Gib"ber*ish, n. Etym: [From Gibber, v. i.]

Defn: Rapid and inarticulate talk; unintelligible language; unmeaning words; jargon. He, like a gypsy, oftentimes would go; All kinds of gibberish he had learnt to known. Drayton. Such gibberish as children may be heard amusing themselves with. Hawthorne.

GIBBERISH Gib"ber*ish, a.

Defn: Unmeaning; as, gibberish language.

GIBBET Gib"bet, n. Etym: [OE. gibet, F. gibet, in OF. also club, fr. LL. gibetum;; cf. OF. gibe sort of sickle or hook, It. giubbetto gibbet, and giubbetta, dim. of giubba mane, also, an under waistcoat, doublet, Prov. It. gibba (cf. Jupon); so that it perhaps originally signified a halter, a rope round the neck of malefactors; or it is, perhaps, derived fr. L. gibbus hunched, humped, E. gibbous; or cf. E. jib a sail.]

1. A kind of gallows; an upright post with an arm projecting from the top, on which, formerly, malefactors were hanged in chains, and their bodies allowed to remain asa warning.

2. The projecting arm of a crane, from which the load is suspended; the jib.

GIBBET Gib"bet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gibbeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Gibbeting.]

1. To hang and expose on a gibbet.

2. To expose to infamy; to blacken. I'll gibbet up his name. Oldham.

GIBBIER Gib"bier, n. Etym: [F. gibier.]

Defn: Wild fowl; game. [Obs.] Addison.

GIBBON Gib"bon, n. Etym: [Cf. F. gibbon.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any arboreal ape of the genus Hylobates, of which many species and varieties inhabit the East Indies and Southern Asia. They are tailless and without cheek pouches, and have very long arms, adapted for climbing.

Note: The white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar), the crowned (H. pilatus), the wou-wou or singing gibbon (H. agilis), the siamang, and the hoolock. are the most common species.

GIB BOOM Gib" boom`.

Defn: See Jib boom.

GIBBOSE Gib*bose", a. Etym: [L. gibbosus, fr. gibbus, gibba, hunch, hump. Cf. Gibbous.]

Defn: Humped; protuberant; -- said of a surface which presents one or more large elevations. Brande & C.

GIBBOSTITY Gib*bost"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. gibbosité.]

Defn: The state of being gibbous or gibbose; gibbousness.

GIBBOUS Gib"bous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. gibbeux. See Gibbose.]

1. Swelling by a regular curve or surface; protuberant; convex; as, the moon is gibbous between the half-moon and the full moon. The bones will rise, and make a gibbous member. Wiseman.

2. Hunched; hump-backed. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. -- Gib"bous*ly, adv. -- Gib"bous*ness, n.

GIBBSITE Gibbs"ite, n. Etym: [Named after George Gibbs.] (Min.)

Defn: A hydrate of alumina.

GIB-CAT Gib"-cat`, n.

Defn: A male cat, esp. an old one. See lst Gib. n. [Obs.] Shak.

GIBE Gibe, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gibed; p. pr. & vb. n. Gibing.] Etym: [Cf. Prov. F. giber, equiv. to F. jouer to play, Icel. geipa to talk nonsense, E. jabber.]

Defn: To cast reproaches and sneering expressions; to rail; to utter taunting, sarcastic words; to flout; to fleer; to scoff. Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout. Swift.

GIBE Gibe, v. i.

Defn: To reproach with contemptuous words; to deride; to scoff at; to mock. Draw the beasts as I describe them, From their features, while I gibe them. Swift.

GIBE Gibe, n.

Defn: An expression of sarcastic scorn; a sarcastic jest; a scoff; a taunt; a sneer. Mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns. Shak. With solemn gibe did Eustace banter me. Tennyson.

GIBEL Gib"el, n. Etym: [G. gibel, giebel.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of carp (Cyprinus gibelio); -- called also Prussian carp.

GIBER Gib"er n.

Defn: One who utters gibes. B. Jonson.

GIBFISH Gib"fish`, n.

Defn: The male of the salmon. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

GIBINGLY Gib"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a gibing manner; scornfully.

GIBLET Gib"let, a.

Defn: Made of giblets; as, a giblet pie.

GIBLETS Gib"lets, n. pl. Etym: [OE. gibelet, OF. gibelet game: cf. F. gibelotte stewed rabbit. Cf. Gibbier.]

Defn: The inmeats, or edible viscera (heart, gizzard, liver, etc.), of poultry.

GIBRALTAR Gi*bral"tar, n.

1. A strongly fortified town on the south coast of Spain, held by the British since 1704; hence, an impregnable stronghold.

2. A kind of candy sweetmeat, or a piece of it; -- called, in full, Gibraltar rock.

GIBSTAFF Gib"staff`, n. Etym: [Prov. E. gib a hooked stick + E. staff.]

1. A staff to guage water, or to push a boat.

2. A staff formerly used in fighting beasts on the stage. [Obs.] Bailey.

GID Gid, n. Etym: [Cf. Giddy, a.]

Defn: A disease of sheep, characterized by vertigo; the staggers. It is caused by the presence of the CC.

GIDDILY Gid"di*ly, adv.

Defn: In a giddy manner.

GIDDINESS Gid"di*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being giddy.

GIDDY Gid"dy, a. [Compar. Giddier; superl. Giddiest.] Etym: [OE. gidi mad, silly, AS. gidig, of unknown origin, cf. Norw. gidda to shake, tremble.]

1. Having in the head a sensation of whirling or reeling about; having lost the power of preserving the balance of the body, and therefore wavering and inclined to fall; lightheaded; dizzy. By giddy head and staggering legs betrayed. Tate.

2. Promoting or inducing giddiness; as, a giddy height; a giddy precipice. Prior. Upon the giddy footing of the hatches. Shak.

3. Bewildering on account of rapid turning; running round with celerity; gyratory; whirling. The giddy motion of the whirling mill. Pope.

4. Characterized by inconstancy; unstable; changeable; fickle; wild; thoughtless; heedless. "Giddy, foolish hours." Rowe. "Giddy chance." Dryden. Young heads are giddy and young hearts are warm. Cowper.

GIDDY Gid"dy, v. i.

Defn: To reel; to whirl. Chapman.

GIDDY Gid"dy, v. t.

Defn: To make dizzy or unsteady. [Obs.]

GIDDY-HEAD Gid"dy-head`, n.

Defn: A person without thought fulness, prudence, or judgment. [Colloq.] Burton.

GIDDY-HEADED Gid"dy-head`ed, a.

Defn: Thoughtless; unsteady.

GIDDY-PACED Gid"dy-paced`, a.

Defn: Moving irregularly; flighty; fickle. [R.] Shak.

GIE Gie, v. t.

Defn: To guide. See Gye . [Obs.] Chaucer.

GIE Gie, v. t.

Defn: To give. [Scot.] Burns.

GIER-EAGLE Gier"-ea`gle, n. Etym: [Cf. D. gier vulture, G. gier, and E. gyrfalcon.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A bird referred to in the Bible (Lev. xi. 18and Deut. xiv. 17) as unclean, probably the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus).

GIER-FALCON Gier"-fal`con, n. Etym: [Cf. Gier-eagle, Gyrfalcon.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The gyrfalcon.

GIESECKITE Gie"seck*ite, n. Etym: [Named after Karl Giesecke.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral occurring in greenish gray six-sided prisms, having a greasy luster. It is probably a pseudomorph after elæolite.

GIF Gif, conj. Etym: [AS. See If.]

Defn: If. [Obs.]

Note: Gif is the old form of if, and frequently occurs in the earlier English writers. See If.

GIFFARD INJECTOR Gif"fard in*ject"or. (Mach.)

Defn: See under Injector.

GIFFGAFF Giff"gaff, n. Etym: [Reduplicated fr. give.]

Defn: Mutial accommodation; mutual giving. [Scot.]

GIFFY Gif"fy, n. [Obs.]

Defn: See Jiffy.

GIFT Gift, n. Etym: [OE. gift, yift, yeft, AS. gift, fr. gifan to give; akin to D. & G. gift, Icel. gift, gipt, Goth. gifts (in comp.). See Give, v. t.]

1. Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; a present; an offering. Shall I receive by gift, what of my own, . . . I can command Milton.

2. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing; as, the office is in the gift of the President.

3. A bribe; anything given to corrupt. Neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise. Deut. xvi. 19.

4. Some quality or endowment given to man by God; a preëminent and special talent or aptitude; power; faculty; as, the gift of wit; a gift for speaking.

5. (Law)

Defn: A voluntary transfer of real or personal property, without any consideration. It can be perfected only by deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual delivery of possession. Bouvier. Burrill. Gift rope (Naut), a rope extended to a boat for towing it; a guest rope.

Syn. -- Present; donation; grant; largess; benefaction; boon; bounty; gratuity; endowment; talent; faculty. -- Gift, Present, Donation. These words, as here compared, denote something gratuitously imparted to another out of one's property. A gift is something given whether by a superior or an inferior, and is usually designed for the relief or benefit of him who receives it. A present is ordinarly from an equal or inferior, and is always intended as a compliment or expression of kindness. Donation is a word of more dignity, denoting, properly, a gift of considerable value, and ordinarly a gift made either to some public institution, or to an individual on account of his services to the public; as, a donation to a hospital, a charitable society, or a minister.

GIFT Gift, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gifted; p. pr. & vb. n. Gifting.]

Defn: To endow with some power or faculty. He was gifted . . . with philosophical sagacity. I. Taylor.

GIFTEDNESS Gift"ed*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being gifted. Echard.

GIG Gig, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. gigue. See Jig, n.]

Defn: A fiddle. [Obs.]

GIG Gig, v. t. Etym: [Prob. fr. L. gignere to beget.]

Defn: To engender. [Obs.] Dryden.

GIG Gig, n.

Defn: A kind of spear or harpoon. See Fishgig.

GIG Gig, v. t.

Defn: To fish with a gig.

GIG Gig, n. Etym: [OE. gigge. Cf. Giglot.]

Defn: A playful or wanton girl; a giglot.

GIG Gig, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. g fiddle, MHG. g, G. geige, Icel. geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and E. jig.]

1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play. Thou disputest like an infant; go, whip thy gig. Shak.

2. A light carriage, with one pair of wheels, drawn by one horse; a kind of chaise.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A long, light rowboat, generally clinkerbuilt, and designed to be fast; a boat appropriated to the use of the commanding officer; as, the captain's gig.

4. (Mach.)

Defn: A rotatory cylinder, covered with wire teeth or teasels, for teaseling woolen cloth. Gig machine, Gigging machine, Gig mill, or Napping machine. See Gig, 4. -- Gig saw. See Jig saw.

GIGANTEAN Gi`gan*te"an, a. Etym: [L. giganteus, fr. gigas, antis. See Giant.]

Defn: Like a giant; mighty; gigantic. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

GIGANTESQUE Gi`gan*tesque", a. Etym: [F.]