Chapter CXCII: Foreword: Fore"word`, n (13)

Defn: Befitting a giant; bombastic; magniloquent. The sort of mock-heroic gigantesque With which we bantered little Lilia first. Tennyson.

GIGANTIC Gi*gan"tic, a. Etym: [L. gigas, -antis, giant. See Giant.]

1. Of extraordinary size; like a giant.

2. Such as a giant might use, make, or cause; immense; tremendous; extraordinarly; as, gigantic deeds; gigantic wickedness. Milton. When descends on the Atlantic The gigantic Strom wind of the equinox. Longfellow.

GIGANTICAL Gi*gan"tic*al, a.

Defn: Bulky, big. [Obs.] Burton. -- Gi*gan"tic*al*ly, adv.

GIGANTICIDE Gi*gan"ti*cide, n. Etym: [. gigas, -antis, giant + caedere to kill.]

Defn: The act of killing, or one who kills, a giant. Hallam.

GIGANTINE Gi*gan"tine, a.

Defn: Gigantic. [Obs.] Bullokar.

GIGANTOLOGY Gi`gan*tol"og*y, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. gigantologie.]

Defn: An account or description of giants.

GIGANTOMACHY Gi`gan*tom"a*chy, n. Etym: [L. gigantoma, fr. Gr. gigantomachie.]

Defn: A war of giants; especially, the fabulous war of the giants against heaven.

GIGE; GUIGE Gige, Guige, n. Etym: [OF. guide, guiche.] (Anc. Armor)

Defn: The leather strap by which the shield of a knight was slung across the shoulder, or across the neck and shoulder. Meyrick (Ancient Armor).

GIGERIUM Gi*ge"ri*um, n.; pl. Gigeria. Etym: [NL., fr. L. gigeria, pl., the cooked entrails of poultry.] (Anat.)

Defn: The muscular stomach, or gizzard, of birds.

GIGGET Gig"get, n.

Defn: Same as Gigot. Cut the slaves to giggets. Beau. & Fl.

GIGGLE Gig"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Giggled; p. pr. & vb. n. Giggling.] Etym: [Akin to gaggle: cf. OD. ghichelen, G. kichern.]

Defn: To laugh with short catches of the breath or voice; to laugh in a light, affected, or silly manner; to titter with childish levity. Giggling and laughing with all their might At the piteous hap of the fairy wight. J. R. Drake.

GIGGLE Gig"gle, n.

Defn: A kind of laugh, with short catches of the voice or breath; a light, silly laugh.

GIGGLER Gig"gler, n.

Defn: One who giggles or titters.

GIGGLY Gig"gly, a.

Defn: Prone to giggling. Carlyle.

GIGGOT Gig"got, n.

Defn: See Gigot. [Obs.] Chapman.

GIGGYNG Gig"gyng, n. Etym: [See Gige.]

Defn: The act of fastending the gige or leather strap to the shield. [Obs.] "Gigging of shields." Chaucer.

GIGLOT; GIGLET Gig"lot, Gig"let, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. gikkr a pert, rude person, Dan. giek a fool, silly man, AS. gagol, gægl, lascivious, wanton, MHG. gogel wanton, giege fool, and E. gig a wanton person.]

Defn: A wanton; a lascivious or light, giddy girl. [Obs.] The giglet is willful, and is running upon her fate. Sir W. Scott.

GIGLOT Gig"lot, a.

Defn: Giddi; light; inconstant; wanton. [Obs.] "O giglot fortune!" Shak.

GIGOT; GIGGOT Gig"ot, Gig"got (, n. Etym: [F., fr. OF. gigue fiddle; -- on account of the resemblance in shape. See Jig, n.]

1. A leg of mutton.

2. A small piece of flesh; a slice. [Obs.] The rest in giggots cut, they spit. Chapman.

GIGUE Gigue (zheg), n. [F.]

Defn: A piece of lively dance music, in two strains which are repeated; also, the dance.

GILA MONSTER Gi"la mon"ster. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large tuberculated lizard (Heloderma suspectum) native of the dry plains of Arizona, New Mexico, etc. It is the only lizard known to have venomous teeth.

GILD Gild, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gilded or Gilt (p. pr. & vb. n. Gilding.] Etym: [AS. gyldan, from gold gold. sq. root234. See Gold.]

1. To overlay with a thin covering of gold; to cover with a golden color; to cause to look like gold. "Gilded chariots." Pope. No more the rising sun shall gild the morn. Pope.

2. To make attractive; to adorn; to brighten. Let oft good humor, mild and gay, Gild the calm evening of your day. Trumbull.

3. To give a fair but deceptive outward appearance to; to embellish; as, to gild a lie. Shak.

4. To make red with drinking. [Obs.] This grand liquior that hath gilded them. Shak.

GILDALE Gild"ale`, n. Etym: [AS. gilgan to pay + E. ale. See Yield, v. t., and Ale.]

Defn: A drinking bout in which every one pays an equal share. [Obs.]

GILDEN Gild"en, a.

Defn: Gilded. Holland.

GILDER Gild"er, n.

Defn: One who gilds; one whose occupation is to overlay with gold.

GILDER Gil"der, n.

Defn: A Dutch coin. See Guilder.

GILDING Gild"ing, n.

1. The art or practice of overlaying or covering with gold leaf; also, a thin coating or wash of gold, or of that which resembles gold.

2. Gold in leaf, powder, or liquid, for application to any surface.

3. Any superficial coating or appearance, as opposed to what is solid and genuine. Gilding metal, a tough kind of sheet brass from which cartridge shells are made.

GILE Gile, n. Etym: [See Guile.]

Defn: Guile. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GILL Gill, n. Etym: [Dan. giælle, gelle; akin to Sw. gäl, Icel. gjölnar gills; cf. AS. geagl, geahl, jaw.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: An organ for aquatic respiration; a branchia. Fishes perform respiration under water by the gills. Ray.

Note: Gills are usually lamellar or filamentous appendages, through which the blood circulates, and in which it is exposed to the action of the air contained in the water. In vertebrates they are appendages of the visceral arches on either side of the neck. In invertebrates they occupy various situations.

2. pl. (Bot.)

Defn: The radiating, gill-shaped plates forming the under surface of a mushroom.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The fleshy flap that hangs below the beak of a fowl; a wattle.

4. The flesh under or about the chin. Swift.

5. (Spinning)

Defn: One of the combs of closely ranged steel pins which divide the ribbons of flax fiber or wool into fewer parallel filaments. Etym: [Prob. so called from F. aiguilles, needles. Ure.] Gill arches, Gill bars. (Anat.) Same as Branchial arches. -- Gill clefts. (Anat.) Same as Branchial clefts. See under Branchial. -- Gill cover, Gill lid. See Operculum. -- Gill frame, or Gill head (Flax Manuf.), a spreader; a machine for subjecting flax to the action of gills. Knight. -- Gill net, a flat net so suspended in the water that its meshes allow the heads of fish to pass, but catch in the gills when they seek to extricate themselves. -- Gill opening, or Gill slit (Anat.), an opening behind and below the head of most fishes, and some amphibians, by which the water from the gills is discharged. In most fishes there is a single opening on each side, but in the sharks and rays there are five, or more, on each side. -- Gill rakes, or Gill rakers (Anat.), horny filaments, or progresses, on the inside of the branchial arches of fishes, which help to prevent solid substances from being carried into gill cavities.

GILL Gill, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A two-wheeled frame for transporting timber. [Prov. Eng.]

GILL Gill, n.

Defn: A leech. [Also gell.] [Scot.] Jameison.

GILL Gill, n. Etym: [Icel. gil.]

Defn: A woody glen; a narrow valley containing a stream. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

GILL Gill, n. Etym: [OF. gille, gelle, a sort of measure for wine, LL. gillo, gello., Cf. Gallon.]

Defn: A measure of capacity, containing one fourth of a pint.

GILL Gill, n. Etym: [Abbrev. from Gillian.]

1. A young woman; a sweetheart; a flirting or wanton girl. "Each Jack with his Gill." B. Jonson.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: The ground ivy (Nepeta Glechoma); -- called also gill over the ground, and other like names.

3. Malt liquor medicated with ground ivy. Gill ale. (a) Ale flavored with ground ivy. (b) (Bot.) Alehoof.

GILL-FLIRT Gill"-flirt`, n.

Defn: A thoughtless, giddy girl; a flirt-gill. Sir W. Scott.

GILLHOUSE Gill"house`, n.

Defn: A shop where gill is sold. Thee shall each alehouse, thee each gillhouse mourn. Pope.

GILLIAN Gil"li*an, n. Etym: [OE. Gillian, a woman's name, for Julian, Juliana. Cf. Gill a girl.]

Defn: A girl; esp., a wanton; a gill. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

GILLIE; GILLY Gil"lie Gil"ly, n. Etym: [Gael. gille, giolla, boy, lad.]

Defn: A boy or young man; a manservant; a male attendant, in the Scottish Highlands. Sir W. Scott.

GILLYFLOWER Gil"ly*flow`er, n. Etym: [OE. gilofre, gilofer, clove, OF. girofre, girofle, F. girofle: cf. F. giroflée gillyflower, fr. girofle, Gr. foliage. Cf. Caryophyllus, July-flower.] (Bot.)

1. A name given by old writers to the clove pink (Dianthus Caryophyllus) but now to the common stock (Matthiola incana), a cruciferous plant with showy and fragrant blossoms, usually purplish, but often pink or white.

2. A kind of apple, of a roundish conical shape, purplish red color, and having a large core. [Written also gilliflower.] Clove gillflower, the clove pink. -- Marsh gillyflower, the ragged robin (Lychnis Flos-cuculi). -- Queen's, or Winter, gillyflower, damewort. -- Sea gillyflower, the thrift (Armeria vulgaris). -- Wall gillyflower, the wallflower (Cheiranthus Cheiri). -- Water gillyflower, the water violet.

GILOUR Gil"our, n. Etym: [OF.]

Defn: A guiler; deceiver. [Obs.]

GILSE Gilse, n. Etym: [W. gleisiad, fr. glas blue.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Grilse.

GILT Gilt, n. Etym: [See Geld, v. t.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A female pig, when young.

GILT Gilt,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Gild.

GILT Gilt, p. p. & a.

Defn: Gilded; covered with gold; of the color of gold; golden yellow. "Gilt hair" Chaucer.

GILT Gilt, n.

1. Gold, or that which resembles gold, laid on the surface of a thing; gilding. Shak.

2. Money. [Obs.] "The gilt of France." Shak.

GILT-EDGE; GILT-EDGED Gilt"-edge`, Gilt"-edged`, a.

1. Having a gilt edge; as, gilt-edged paper.

2. Of the best quality; -- said of negotiable paper, etc. [Slang, U. S.]

GILTHEAD Gilt"head`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A marine fish. The name is applied to two species: (a) The Pagrus, or Chrysophrys, auratus, a valuable food fish common in the Mediterranean (so named from its golden-colored head); -- called also giltpoll. (b) The Crenilabrus melops, of the British coasts; -- called also golden maid, conner, sea partridge.

GILTIF Gilt"if, a. Etym: [For gilti, by confusion with -if, -ive, in French forms. See Guilty.]

Defn: Guilty. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GILTTAIL Gilt"tail`, n.

Defn: A yellow-tailed worm or larva.

GIM Gim, a. Etym: [Cf. Gimp, a.]

Defn: Neat; spruce. [Prov.]

GIMBAL; GIMBALS Gim"bal, or; Gim"bals (, n. Etym: [See Gimmal, n.]

Defn: A contrivance for permitting a body to incline freely in all directions, or for suspending anything, as a barometer, ship's compass, chronometer, etc., so that it will remain plumb, or level, when its support is tipped, as by the rolling of a ship. It consists of a ring in which the body can turn on an axis through a diameter of the ring, while the ring itself is so pivoted to its support that it can turn about a diameter at right angles to the first. Gimbal joint (Mach.), a universal joint embodying the principle of the gimbal. -- Gimbal ring, a single gimbal, as that by which the cockeye of the upper millstone is supported on the spindle.

GIMBLET Gim"blet, n. & v.

Defn: See Gimlet.

GIMCRACK Gim"crack`, n. Etym: [OE., a spruce and pert pretender, also, a spruce girl, prob. fr. gim + crack lad, boaster.]

Defn: A trivial mechanism; a device; a toy; a pretty thing. Arbuthnot.

GIMLET Gim"let, n. [Also written and pronounced gimbled (] Etym: [OF. guimbelet, guibelet, F. gibelet, prob. fr. OD. wimpel, weme, a bore, wemelen to bore, to wimble. See Wimble, n.]

Defn: A small tool for boring holes. It has a leading screw, a grooved body, and a cross handle. Gimlet eye, a squint-eye. [Colloq.] Wright.

GIMLET Gim"let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gimleted; p. pr. & vb. n. Gimleting.]

1. To pierce or make with a gimlet.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To turn round (an anchor) by the stock, with a motion like turning a gimlet.

GIMMAL Gim"mal, n. Etym: [Prob. the same word as gemel. See Gemel, and cf. Gimbal.]

1. Joined work whose parts move within each other; a pair or series of interlocked rings.

2. A quaint piece of machinery; a gimmer. [Obs.]

GIMMAL Gim"mal, a.

Defn: Made or consisting of interlocked rings, gimmal mail. In their pale dull mouths the gimmal bit Lies foul with chewed grass. Shak. Gimmal joint. See Gimbal joint, under Gimbal.

GIMMER; GIMMOR Gim"mer, Gim"mor (, n. Etym: [Cf. Gimmal, n.]

Defn: A piece of mechanism; mechanical device or contrivance; a gimcrack. [Obs.] Bp. Hall. Shak.

GIMP Gimp, a. Etym: [W. gwymp fair, neat, comely.]

Defn: Smart; spruce; trim; nice. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

GIMP Gimp, n. Etym: [OF. guimpe, guimple, a nun's wimple, F. guimpe, OHG. wimpal a veil G. wimpel pennon, pendant. See Wimple, n.]

Defn: A narrow ornamental fabric of silk, woolen, or cotton, often with a metallic wire, or sometimes a coarse cord, running through it; -- used as trimming for dresses, furniture, etc. Gimp nail, an upholsterer's small nail.

GIMP Gimp, v. t.

Defn: To notch; to indent; to jag.

GIN Gin, prep. Etym: [AS. geán. See Again.]

Defn: Against; near by; towards; as, gin night. [Scot.] A. Ross (1778).

GIN Gin, conj. Etym: [See Gin, prep.]

Defn: If. [Scotch] Jamieson.

GIN Gin, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gan, Gon (Gun (p. pr. & vb. n. Ginning.] Etym: [OE. ginnen, AS. ginnan (in comp.), prob. orig., to open, cut open, cf. OHG. inginnan to begin, open, cut open, and prob. akin to AS. ginan to yawn, and E. yawn. Yawn, v. i., and cf. Begin.]

Defn: To begin; -- often followed by an infinitive without to; as, gan tell. See Gan. [Obs. or Archaic] "He gan to pray." Chaucer.

GIN Gin, n. Etym: [Contr. from Geneva. See 2d Geneva.]

Defn: A strong alcoholic liquor, distilled from rye and barley, and flavored with juniper berries; -- also called Hollands and Holland gin, because originally, and still very extensively, manufactured in Holland. Common gin is usually flavored with turpentine.

GIN Gin, n. Etym: [A contraction of engine.]

1. Contrivance; artifice; a trap; a snare. Chaucer. Spenser.

2. (a) A machine for raising or moving heavy weights, consisting of a tripod formed of poles united at the top, with a windlass, pulleys, ropes, etc. (b) (Mining) A hoisting drum, usually vertical; a whim.

3. A machine for separating the seeds from cotton; a cotton gin.

Note: The name is also given to an instrument of torture worked with screws, and to a pump moved by rotary sails. Gin block, a simple form of tackle block, having one wheel, over which a rope runs; -- called also whip gin, rubbish pulley, and monkey wheel. -- Gin power, a form of horse power for driving a cotton gin. -- Gin race, or Gin ring, the path of the horse when putting a gin in motion. Halliwell. -- Gin saw, a saw used in a cotton gin for drawing the fibers through the grid, leaving the seed in the hopper. -- Gin wheel. (a) In a cotton gin, a wheel for drawing the fiber through the grid; a brush wheel to clean away the lint. (b) (Mining) the drum of a whim.

GIN Gin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ginned; p. pr. & vb. n. Ginning.]

1. To catch in a trap. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

2. To clear of seeds by a machine; as, to gin cotton.

GING Ging, n.

Defn: Same as Gang, n., 2. [Obs.] There is a knot, a ging, a pack, a conspiracy against me. Shak.

GINGAL Gin*gal", n.

Defn: See Jingal.

GINGER Gin"ger, n. Etym: [OE. ginger, gingever, gingivere, OF. gengibre, gingimbre, F. gingembre, L. zingiber, zingiberi, fr. Gr. zenjebil, fr. Skr. , prop., hornshaped; horn + vëra body.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and West Indies. The species most known is Z. officinale.

2. The hot and spicy rootstock of Zingiber officinale, which is much used in cookery and in medicine. Ginger beer or ale, a mild beer impregnated with ginger. -- Ginger cordial, a liquor made from ginger, raisins, lemon rind, and water, and sometimes whisky or brandy. -- Ginger pop. See Ginger beer (above). -- Ginger wine, wine impregnated with ginger. -- Wild ginger (Bot.), an American herb (Asarum Canadense) with two reniform leaves and a long, cordlike rootstock which has a strong taste of ginger.

GINGERBREAD Gin"ger*bread`, n.

Defn: A kind of plain sweet cake seasoned with ginger, and sometimes made in fanciful shapes. "Gingerbread that was full fine." Chaucer. Gingerbread tree (Bot.), the doom palm; -- so called from the resemblance of its fruit to gingerbread. See Doom Palm. -- Gingerbread work, ornamentation, in architecture or decoration, of a fantastic, trivial, or tawdry character.

GINGERLY Gin"ger*ly, adv. Etym: [Prov. E. ginger brittle, tender; cf. dial. Sw. gingla, gängla, to go gently, totter, akin to E. gang.]

Defn: Cautiously; timidly; fastidiously; daintily. What is't that you took up so gingerly Shak.

GINGERNESS Gin"ger*ness, n.

Defn: Cautiousness; tenderness.

GINGHAM Ging"ham, n. Etym: [F. guingan; cf. Jav. ginggang; or perh. fr. Guingamp, in France.]

Defn: A kind of cotton or linen cloth, usually in stripes or checks, the yarn of which is dyed before it is woven; -- distinguished from printed cotton or prints.

GINGING Ging"ing, n. (Mining)

Defn: The lining of a mine shaft with stones or bricks to prevent caving.

GINGIVAL Gin"gi*val, a. Etym: [L. gingiva the gum.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the gums. Holder.

GINGLE Gin"gle, n. & v. [Obs.]

Defn: See Jingle.

GINGLYFORM Gin"gly*form, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Ginglymoid.

GINGLYMODI Gin`gly*mo"di, n. Etym: [NL.; cf. Gr. Ginglymoid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of ganoid fishes, including the modern gar pikes and many allied fossil forms. They have rhombic, ganoid scales, a heterocercal tail, paired fins without an axis, fulcra on the fins, and a bony skeleton, with the vertebræ convex in front and concave behind, forming a ball and socket joint. See Ganoidel.

GINGLYMOID; GINGLYMOIDAL Gin"gly*moid, Gin`gly*moid"al, a. Etym: [Gr. ginglymoide, ginglymoïdal.] (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a ginglymus, or hinge joint; ginglyform.

GINGLYMUS Gin"gly*mus, n.; pl. Ginglymi. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: A hinge joint; an articulation, admitting of flexion and extension, or motion in two directions only, as the elbow and the ankle.

GINHOUSE Gin"house`, n.

Defn: A building where cotton is ginned.

GINKGO Gink"go, n.; pl. Ginkgoes. Etym: [Chin., silver fruit.] (Bot.)

Defn: A large ornamental tree (Ginkgo biloba) from China and Japan, belonging to the Yew suborder of Coniferæ. Its leaves are so like those of some maidenhair ferns, that it is also called the maidenhair tree.

GINNEE Gin"nee, n.; pl. Ginn (.

Defn: See Jinnee.

GINNET Gin"net, n.

Defn: See Genet, a horse.

GINNING Gin"ning, n. Etym: [See Gin, v. i.]

Defn: Beginning. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GINNY-CARRIAGE Gin"ny-car`riage (, n.

Defn: A small, strong carriage for conveying materials on a railroad. [Eng.]

GINSENG Gin"seng, n. Etym: [Chinese.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the genus Aralia, the root of which is highly valued as a medicine among the Chinese. The Chinese plant (Aralia Schinseng) has become so rare that the American (A. quinquefolia) has largely taken its place, and its root is now an article of export from America to China. The root, when dry, is of a yellowish white color, with a sweetness in the taste somewhat resembling that of licorice, combined with a slight aromatic bitterness.

GINSHOP Gin"shop`, n.

Defn: A shop or barroom where gin is sold as a beverage. [Colloq.]

GIP Gip, v. t.

Defn: To take out the entrails of (herrings).

GIP Gip, n.

Defn: A servant. See Gyp. Sir W. Scott.

GIPOUN Gi*poun", n. Etym: [See Jupon.]

Defn: A short cassock. [Written also gepoun, gypoun, jupon, juppon.] [Obs.]

GIPSER; GIPSIRE Gip"ser, Gip"sire, n. Etym: [F. gibecière a game pouch or game pocket. Cf. Gibbier.]

Defn: A kind of pouch formerly worn at the girdle. Ld. Lytton. A gipser all of silk, Hung at his girdle, white as morné milk. Chaucer.

GIPSY Gip"sy, n. a..

Defn: See Gypsy.

GIPSYISM Gip"sy*ism, n.

Defn: See Gypsyism.

GIRAFFE Gi*raffe", n. Etym: [F. girafe, Sp. girafa, from Ar. zurafa, zarafa.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An African ruminant (Camelopardalis giraffa) related to the deers and antelopes, but placed in a family by itself; the camelopard. It is the tallest of animals, being sometimes twenty feet from the hoofs to the top of the head. Its neck is very long, and its fore legs are much longer than its hind legs.

GIRANDOLE Gir"an*dole, n. Etym: [F. See Gyrate.]

1. An ornamental branched candlestick.

2. A flower stand, fountain, or the like, of branching form.

3. (Pyrotechny)

Defn: A kind of revolving firework.

4. (Fort.)

Defn: A series of chambers in defensive mines. Farrow.

GIRASOLE; GIRASOL Gir"a*sole Gir"a*sol, n. Etym: [It. girasole, or F. girasol, fr. L. gyrare to turn around + sol sun.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: See Heliotrope. [Obs.]

2. (Min.)

Defn: A variety of opal which is usually milk white, bluish white, or sky blue; but in a bright light it reflects a reddish color.

GIRD Gird, n. Etym: [See Yard a measure.]

1. A stroke with a rod or switch; a severe spasm; a twinge; a pang. Conscience . . . is freed from many fearful girds and twinges which the atheist feels. Tillotson.

2. A cut; a sarcastic remark; a gibe; a sneer. I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio. Shak.

GIRD Gird, v. t. Etym: [See Gird, n., and cf. Girde, v.]

1. To strike; to smite. [Obs.] To slay him and to girden off his head. Chaucer.

2. To sneer at; to mock; to gibe. Being moved, he will not spare to gird the gods. Shak.

GIRD Gird, v. i.

Defn: To gibe; to sneer; to break a scornful jest; to utter severe sarcasms. Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me. Shak.

GIRD Gird, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girt or Girded; p. pr. & vb. n. Girding.] Etym: [OE. girden, gurden, AS. gyrdan; akin to OS. gurdian, D. gorden, OHG. gurten, G. gürten, Icel. gyr, Sw. gjorda, Dan. giorde, Goth. bigaírdan to begird, and prob. to E. yard an inclosure. Cf. Girth, n. & v., Girt, v. t.]

1. To encircle or bind with any flexible band.

2. To make fast, as clothing, by binding with a cord, girdle, bandage, etc.

3. To surround; to encircle, or encompass. That Nyseian isle, Girt with the River Triton. Milton.

4. To clothe; to swathe; to invest. I girded thee about with fine linen. Ezek. xvi. 10. The Son . . . appeared Girt with omnipotence. Milton.

5. To prepare; to make ready; to equip; as, to gird one's self for a contest. Thou hast girded me with strength. Ps. xviii. 39. To gird on, to put on; to fasten around or to one securely, like a girdle; as, to gird on armor or a sword. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. 1 Kings xx. 11. -- To gird up, to bind tightly with a girdle; to support and strengthen, as with a girdle. He girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab. 1 Kings xviii. 46. Gird up the loins of your mind. 1 Pet. i. 13. -- Girt up; prepared or equipped, as for a journey or for work, in allusion to the ancient custom of gathering the long flowing garments into the girdle and tightening it before any exertion; hence, adjectively, eagerly or constantly active; strenuous; striving. "A severer, more girt-up way of living." J. C. Shairp.

GIRDER Gird"er, n. Etym: [From Gird to sneer at.]

Defn: One who girds; a satirist.

GIRDER Gird"er, n. Etym: [From Gird to encircle.]

1. One who, or that which, girds.

2. (Arch. & Engin.)

Defn: A main beam; a stright, horizontal beam to span an opening or carry weight, such as ends of floor beams, etc.; hence, a framed or built-up member discharging the same office, technically called a compound girder. See Illusts. of Frame, and Doubleframed floor, under Double. Bowstring girder, Box girder, etc. See under Bowstring, Box, etc. -- Girder bridge. See under Bridge. -- Lattice girder, a girder consisting of longitudinal bars united by diagonal crossing bars. -- Half-lattice girder, a girder consisting of horizontal upper and lower bars connected by a series of diagonal bars sloping alternately in opposite directions so as to divide the space between the bars into a series of triangles. Knight. -- Sandwich girder, a girder consisting of two parallel wooden beams, between which is an iron plate, the whole clamped together by iron bolts.

GIRDING Gird"ing, n.

Defn: That with which one is girded; a girdle. Instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth. Is. iii. 24.

GIRDLE Gir"dle, n.

Defn: A griddle. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

GIRDLE Gir"dle, n. Etym: [OE. gurdel, girdel, AS. gyrdel, fr. gyrdan; akin to D. gordel, G. gürtel, Icel. gyr. See Gird, v. t., to encircle, and cf. Girth, n.]

1. That which girds, encircles, or incloses; a circumference; a belt; esp., a belt, sash, or article of dress encircling the body usually at the waist; a cestus. Within the girdle of these walls. Shak. Their breasts girded with golden girdles. Rev. xv. 6.

2. The zodiac; also, the equator. [Poetic] Bacon. From the world's girdle to the frozen pole. Cowper. That gems the starry girdle of the year. Campbell.

3. (Jewelry)

Defn: The line ofgreatest circumference of a brilliant-cut diamond, at which it is grasped by the setting. See Illust. of Brilliant. Knight.

4. (Mining)

Defn: A thin bed or stratum of stone. Raymond.

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The clitellus of an earthworm. Girdle bone (Anat.), the sphenethmoid. See under Sphenethmoid. -- Girdle wheel, a spinning wheel. -- Sea girdle (Zoöl.), a ctenophore. See Venus's girdle, under Venus. -- Shoulder, Pectoral, and Pelvic, girdle. (Anat.) See under Pectoral, and Pelvic. -- To have under the girdle, to have bound to one, that is, in subjection.

GIRDLE Gir"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girdled; p. pr. & vb. n. Girdling.]

1. To bind with a belt or sash; to gird. Shak.

2. To inclose; to environ; to shut in. Those sleeping stones, That as a waist doth girdle you about. Shak.

3. To make a cut or gnaw a groove around (a tree, etc.) through the bark and alburnum, thus killing it. [U. S.]

GIRDLER Gir"dler, n.

1. One who girdles.

2. A maker of girdles.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An American longicorn beetle (Oncideres cingulatus) which lays its eggs in the twigs of the hickory, and then girdles each branch by gnawing a groove around it, thus killing it to provide suitable food for the larvæ.

GIRDLESTEAD Gir"dle*stead, n. Etym: [Girdle + stead place.]

1. That part of the body where the girdle is worn. [Obs.] Sheathed, beneath his girdlestead. Chapman.

2. The lap. [R.] There fell a flower into her girdlestead. Swinburne.

GIRE Gire, n. [Obs.]

Defn: See Gyre.

GIRKIN Gir"kin, n. [Obs.]

Defn: See Gherkin.

GIRL Girl, n. Etym: [OE. girle, gerle, gurle, a girl (in sense 1): cf. LG. gör child.]

1. A young person of either sex; a child. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. A female child, from birth to the age of puberty; a young maiden.

3. A female servant; a maidservant. [U. S.]

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A roebuck two years old. [Prov. Eng.]

GIRLHOOD Girl"hood, n.

Defn: State or time of being a girl.

GIRLISH Girl"ish, a.

Defn: Like, or characteristic of, a girl; of or pertaining to girlhood; innocent; artless; immature; weak; as, girlish ways; girlish grief. -- Girl"ish*ly, adv. -- Girl"ish*ness, n.

GIRLOND Gir"lond, n. Etym: [See Garland, n.]

Defn: A garland; a prize. [Obs.] Chapman.

GIRN Girn, v. i. Etym: [See Grin, n.]

Defn: To grin. [Obs.]

GIRONDIST Gi*ron"dist, n. Etym: [F. Girondiste.]

Defn: A member of the moderate republican party formed in the French legislative assembly in 1791. The Girondists were so called because their leaders were deputies from the department of La Gironde.

GIRONDIST Gi*ron"dist, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Girondists. [Written also Girondin.]

GIRROCK Gir"rock, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. F. chicarou.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A garfish. Johnson.

GIRT Girt,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Gird.

GIRT Girt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girted; p. pr. & vb. n. Girting.] Etym: [From Girt, n., cf. Girth, v.]

Defn: To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree. We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk, And girt thee with the sword. Shak.

GIRT Girt, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Bound by a cable; -- used of a vessel so moored by two anchors that she swings against one of the cables by force of the current or tide.

GIRT Girt, n.

Defn: Same as Girth.

GIRTH Girth, n. Etym: [Icel. gjör girdle, or ger girth; akin to Goth. gaírda girdle. See Gird to girt, and cf. Girdle, n.]

1. A band or strap which encircles the body; especially, one by which a saddle is fastened upon the back of a horse.

2. The measure round the body, as at the waist or belly; the circumference of anything. He's a lu sty, jolly fellow, that lives well, at least three yards in the girth. Addison.

3. A small horizontal brace or girder.

GIRTH Girth, v. t. Etym: [From Girth, n., cf. Girt, v. t.]

Defn: To bind as with a girth. [R.] Johnson.

GIRTLINE Girt"line`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A gantline. Hammock girtline, a line rigged for hanging out hammocks to dry.

GISARM Gis*arm", n. Etym: [OF. gisarme, guisarme.] (Mediæval Armor)

Defn: A weapon with a scythe-shaped blade, and a separate long sharp point, mounted on a long staff and carried by foot soldiers.

GISE Gise, v. t. Etym: [See Agist.]

Defn: To feed or pasture. [Obs.]

GISE Gise, n.

Defn: Guise; manner. [Obs.] Chaucer.

GISLE Gis"le, n. Etym: [AS. gisel; akin to G. geisel, Icel. gisl.]

Defn: A pledge. [Obs.] Bp. Gibson.

GISMONDINE; GISMONDITE Gis*mon"dine, Gis*mon"dite, n. Etym: [From the name of the discoverer, Gismondi.] (Min.)

Defn: A native hydrated silicate of alumina, lime, and potash, first noticed near Rome.

GIST Gist, n. Etym: [OF. giste abode, lodgings, F. gîte, fr. gésir to lie, L. jac, prop., to be thrown, hence, to lie, fr. jacre to throw. In the second sense fr. OF. gist, F. gît, 3d pers. sing. ind. of gésir to lie, used in a proverb, F., c'est là que gît le lièvre, it is there that the hare lies, i. e., that is the point, the difficulty. See Jet a shooting forth, and cf. Agist, Joist, n., Gest a stage in traveling.]

1. A resting place. [Obs.] These quails have their set gists; to wit, ordinary resting and baiting places. Holland.

2. The main point, as of a question; the point on which an action rests; the pith of a matter; as, the gist of a question.

GIT Git, n. (Founding)

Defn: See Geat.

GITANA; GITANO Gi*ta"na, n. fem.; Gi*ta"no, n. masc. [Sp., fr. (assumed) LL. Aegyptanus, fem. Aegyptana, Egyptian. Cf. Gypsy.]

Defn: A Spanish gypsy.

GITE Gite, n.

Defn: A gown. [Obs.] She came often in a gite of red. Chaucer.

GITH Gith, n. Etym: [Prov. E., corn cockle; cf. W. gith corn cockle.] (Bot.)

Defn: The corn cockle; also anciently applied to the Nigella, or fennel flower.

GITTERN Git"tern, n. Etym: [OE. giterne, OF. guiterne, ultimately from same source as E. guitar. See Guitar, and cf. Cittern.]

Defn: An instrument like a guitar. "Harps, lutes, and giternes." Chaucer.

GITTERN Git"tern, v. i.

Defn: To play on gittern. Milton.

GITTITH Git"tith, n. Etym: [Heb.]

Defn: A musical instrument, of unknown character, supposed by some to have been used by the people of Gath, and thence obtained by David. It is mentioned in the title of Psalms viii., lxxxi., and lxxxiv. Dr. W. Smith.

GIUST Giust, n. [Obs.]

Defn: Same as Joust. Spenser.

GIUST Giust (just), n. [Obs.]

Defn: Same as Joust. Spenser.

GIUSTO Gius"to, a. Etym: [It., fr. L. justus. See Just, a.] (Mus.)

Defn: In just, correct, or suitable time.

GIVE Give, v. t. [imp. Gave; p. p. Given; p. pr. & vb. n. Giving.] Etym: [OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. g, OHG. geban, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth. giban. Cf. Gift, n.]

1. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow. For generous lords had rather give than pay. Young.

2. To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy. What shall a man give in exchange for his soul Matt. xvi. 26.

3. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks.

4. To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc.

5. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission. It is given me once again to behold my friend. Rowe. Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. Pope.

6. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship.

7. To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study.

8. (Logic & Math.)

Defn: To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason; -- used principally in the passive form given.

9. To allow or admit by way of supposition. I give not heaven for lost. Mlton.

10. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover. Sheridan.

11. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain.

12. To pledge; as, to give one's word.

13. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc. But there the duke was given to understand That in a gondola were seen together Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica. Shak. To give away, to make over to another; to transfer. Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. Atterbury. -- To give back, to return; to restore. Atterbury. -- To give the bag, to cheat. [Obs.] I fear our ears have given us the bag. J. Webster. -- To give birth to. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea. -- To give chase, to pursue. -- To give ear to. See under Ear. -- To give forth, to give out; to publish; to tell. Hayward. -- To give ground. See under Ground, n. -- To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith. -- To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage. -- To give the head. See under Head, n. -- To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party. -- To give the lie to (a person), to tell (him) that he lies. -- To give line. See under Line. -- To give off, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc. -- To give one's self away, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.] -- To give out. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare. One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. Shak. Give out you are of Epidamnum. Shak. (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors. -- To give over. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self). The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. Grew. -- To give place, to withdraw; to yield one's claim. -- To give points. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.] -- To give rein. See under Rein, n. -- To give the sack . Same as To give the bag. -- To give and take. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc. -- To give time (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. Abbott. -- To give the time of day, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as "good morning." "good evening", etc. -- To give tongue, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs. -- To give up. (a) To abandon; to surrender. "Don't give up the ship." He has . . . given up For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. Shak. (b) To make public; to reveal. I'll not state them By giving up their characters. Beau. & Fl. (c) (Used also reflexively.) -- To give up the ghost. See under Ghost. -- To give one's self up, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self. -- To give way. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent. -- To give way together, to row in time; to keep stroke.

Syn. -- To Give, Confer, Grant. To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior.

GIVE Give, v. i.

1. To give a gift or gifts.

2. To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet.

3. To become soft or moist. [Obs.] Bacon .

4. To move; to recede. Now back he gives, then rushes on amain. Daniel.

5. To shed tears; to weep. [Obs.] Whose eyes do never give But through lust and laughter. Shak.

6. To have a misgiving. [Obs.] My mind gives ye're reserved To rob poor market women. J. Webster.

7. To open; to lead. [A Gallicism] This, yielding, gave into a grassy walk. Tennyson. To give back, to recede; to retire; to retreat. They gave back and came no farther. Bunyan. -- To give in, to yield; to succumb; to acknowledge one's self beaten; to cease opposition. The Scots battalion was enforced to give in. Hayward. This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases. Pope. -- To give off, to cease; to forbear. [Obs.] Locke. -- To give on or upon. (a) To rush; to fall upon. [Obs.] (b) To have a view of; to be in sight of; to overlook; to look toward; to open upon; to front; to face. [A Gallicism: cf. Fr. donner sur.] Rooms which gave upon a pillared porch. Tennyson. The gloomy staircase on which the grating gave. Dickens. -- To give out. (a) To expend all one's strength. Hence: (b) To cease from exertion; to fail; to be exhausted; as, my feet being to give out; the flour has given out. -- To give over, to cease; to discontinue; to desist. It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame. Addison. -- To give up, to cease from effort; to yield; to despair; as, he would never give up.

GIVEN Giv"en,

Defn: p. p. & a. from Give, v.

1. (Math. & Logic)

Defn: Granted; assumed; supposed to be known; set forth as a known quantity, relation, or premise.

2. Disposed; inclined; -- used with an adv.; as, virtuously given. Shak.

3. Stated; fixed; as, in a given time. Given name, the Christian name, or name given by one's parents or guardians, as distinguished from the surname, which is inherited. [Colloq.]

GIVER Giv"er, n.

Defn: One who gives; a donor; a bestower; a grantor; one who imparts or distributes. It is the giver, and not the gift, that engrosses the heart of the Christian. Kollock.

GIVES Gives, n. pl. Etym: [See Give, n.]

Defn: Fetters.

GIVING Giv"ing, n.

1. The act of bestowing as a gift; a conferring or imparting.

2. A gift; a benefaction. [R.] Pope.

3. The act of softening, breaking, or yielding. "Upon the first giving of the weather." Addison. Giving in, a falling inwards; a collapse. -- Giving out, anything uttered or asserted; an outgiving. His givings out were of an infinite distance From his true meant design. Shak.

GIZZARD Giz"zard, n. Etym: [F. gésier, L. gigeria, pl., the cooked entrails of poultry. Cf. Gigerium.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: The second, or true, muscular stomach of birds, in which the food is crushed and ground, after being softened in the glandular stomach (crop), or lower part of the esophagus; the gigerium.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A thick muscular stomach found in many invertebrate animals. (b) A stomach armed with chitinous or shelly plates or teeth, as in certain insects and mollusks. Gizzard shad (Zoöl.), an American herring (Dorosoma cepedianum) resembling the shad, but of little value. -- To fret the gizzard, to harass; to vex one's self; to worry. [Low] Hudibras. -- To stick in one's gizzard, to be difficult of digestion; to be offensive. [Low]

GLABELLA Gla*bel"la, n.; pl. Glabell. Etym: [NL., fr. L. glabellus hairless, fr. glaber bald.] (Anat.)

Defn: The space between the eyebrows, also including the corresponding part of the frontal bone; the mesophryon. -- Gla*bel"lar, a.

GLABELLUM Gla*bel"lum, n.; pl. Glabella. Etym: [NL. See Glabella.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The median, convex lobe of the head of a trilobite. See Trilobite.

GLABRATE Gla"brate, a. Etym: [L. glabrare, fr. glaber smooth.] (Bot.)

Defn: Becoming smooth or glabrous from age. Gray.

GLABREATE; GLABRIATE Gla"bre*ate, Gla"bri*ate, v. t. Etym: [See Glabrate.]

Defn: To make smooth, plain, or bare. [Obs.]

GLABRITY Glab"ri*ty, n. Etym: [L. glabritas.]

Defn: Smoothness; baldness. [R.]

GLABROUS Gla"brous, a. Etym: [L. glaber; cf. Gr.

Defn: Smooth; having a surface without hairs or any unevenness.

GLACE Gla`cé", a. [F., p.p. of glacer to freeze, to ice. Cf. Glacier.]

Defn: Coated with icing; iced; glazed; -- said of fruits, sweetmeats, cake, etc.

GLACIAL Gla"cial, a. Etym: [L. glacialis, from glacies ice: cf. F. glacial.]

1. Pertaining to ice or to its action; consisting of ice; frozen; icy; esp., pertaining to glaciers; as, glacial phenomena. Lyell.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Resembling ice; having the appearance and consistency of ice; - - said of certain solid compounds; as, glacial phosphoric or acetic acids. Glacial acid (Chem.), an acid of such strength or purity as to crystallize at an ordinary temperature, in an icelike form; as acetic or carbolic acid. -- Glacial drift (Geol.), earth and rocks which have been transported by moving ice, land ice, or icebergs; bowlder drift. -- Glacial epoch or period (Geol.), a period during which the climate of the modern temperate regions was polar, and ice covered large portions of the northern hemisphere to the mountain tops. -- Glacial theory or hypothesis. (Geol.) See Glacier theory, under Glacier.

GLACIALIST Gla"cial*ist, n.

Defn: One who attributes the phenomena of the drift, in geology, to glaciers.

GLACIATE Gla"ci*ate, v. i. Etym: [L. glaciatus, p. p. of glaciare to freeze, fr. glacies ice.]

Defn: To turn to ice.

GLACIATE Gla"ci*ate, v. t.

1. To convert into, or cover with, ice.

2. (Geol.)

Defn: To produce glacial effects upon, as in the scoring of rocks, transportation of loose material, etc. Glaciated rocks, rocks whose surfaces have been smoothed, furrowed, or striated, by the action of ice.

GLACIATION Gla`ci*a"tion, n.

1. Act of freezing.

2. That which is formed by freezing; ice.

3. The process of glaciating, or the state of being glaciated; the production of glacial phenomena.

GLACIER Gla"cier, n. Etym: [F. glacier, fr. glace ice, L. glacies.]

Defn: An immense field or stream of ice, formed in the region of perpetual snow, and moving slowly down a mountain slope or valley, as in the Alps, or over an extended area, as in Greenland.

Note: The mass of compacted snow forming the upper part of a glacier is called the firn, or névé; the glacier proper consist of solid ice, deeply crevassed where broken up by irregularities in the slope or direction of its path. A glacier usually carries with it accumulations of stones and dirt called moraines, which are designated, according to their position, as lateral, medial, or terminal (see Moraine). The common rate of flow of the Alpine glaciers is from ten to twenty inches per day in summer, and about half that in winter. Glacier theory (Geol.), the theory that large parts of the frigid and temperate zones were covered with ice during the glacial, or ice, period, and that, by the agency of this ice, the loose materials on the earth's surface, called drift or diluvium, were transported and accumulated.

GLACIOUS Gla"cious, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, consisting of or resembling, ice; icy. Sir T. Browne.

GLACIS Gla"cis, n. Etym: [F. glacis; -- so named from its smoothness. See Glacier.]

Defn: A gentle slope, or a smooth, gently sloping bank; especially (Fort.), that slope of earth which inclines from the covered way toward the exterior ground or country (see Illust. of Ravelin).

GLAD Glad, a. [Compar. Gladder; superl. Gladdest.] Etym: [AS. glæd bright, glad; akin to D. glad smooth, G. glatt, OHG. glat smooth, shining, Icel. gla glad, bright, Dan. & Sw. glad glad, Lith. glodas smooth, and prob. to L. glaber, and E. glide. Cf. Glabrous.]

1. Pleased; joyous; happy; cheerful; gratified; -- opposed to sorry, sorrowful, or unhappy; -- said of persons, and often followed by of, at, that, or by the infinitive, and sometimes by with, introducing the cause or reason. A wise son maketh a glad father. Prov. x. 1. He that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. Prov. xvii. 5. The Trojan, glad with sight of hostile blood. Dryden. He, glad of her attention gained. Milton. As we are now glad to behold your eyes. Shak. Glad am I that your highness is so armed. Shak. Glad on 't, glad of it. [Colloq.] Shak.

2. Wearing a gay or bright appearance; expressing or exciting joy; producing gladness; exhilarating. Her conversation More glad to me than to a miser money is. Sir P. Sidney. Glad evening and glad morn crowned the fourth day. Milton.

Syn. -- Pleased; gratified; exhilarated; animated; delighted; happy; cheerful; joyous; joyful; cheering; exhilarating; pleasing; animating. -- Glad, Delighted, Gratified. Delighted expresses a much higher degree of pleasure than glad. Gratified always refers to a pleasure conferred by some human agent, and the feeling is modified by the consideration that we owe it in part to another. A person may be glad or delighted to see a friend, and gratified at the attention shown by his visits.

GLAD Glad, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gladded; p. pr. & vb. n. Gladding.] Etym: [AS. gladian. See Glad, a., and cf. Gladden, v. t.]

Defn: To make glad; to cheer; to gladden; to exhilarate. Chaucer. That which gladded all the warrior train. Dryden. Each drinks the juice that glads the heart of man. Pope.

GLAD Glad, v. i.

Defn: To be glad; to rejoice. [Obs.] Massinger.

GLADDEN Glad"den, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gladdened; p. pr. & vb. n. Gladdening.] Etym: [See Glad, v. t.]

Defn: To make glad; to cheer; to please; to gratify; to rejoice; to exhilarate. A secret pleasure gladdened all that saw him. Addison.

GLADDEN Glad"den, v. i.

Defn: To be or become glad; to rejoice. The vast Pacific gladdens with the freight. Wordsworth.

GLADDER Glad"der, n.

Defn: One who makes glad. Chaucer.

GLADE Glade, n. Etym: [Prob. of Scand. origin, and akin to glad, a.; cf. also W. golead, goleuad, a lighting, illumination, fr. goleu light, clear, bright, goleu fwlch glade, lit., a light or clear defile.]

1. An open passage through a wood; a grassy open or cleared space in a forest. There interspersed in lawns and opening glades. Pope.

2. An everglade. [Local, U. S.]

3. An opening in the ice of rivers or lakes, or a place left unfrozen; also, smooth ice. [Local, U. S.] Bottom glade. See under Bottom. -- Glade net, in England, a net used for catching woodcock and other birds in forest glades.

GLADEN Gla"den, n. Etym: [AS. glædene, cf. L. gladius a sword. Cf. Gladiole.] (Bot.)

Defn: Sword grass; any plant with sword-shaped leaves, esp. the European Iris foetidissima. [Written also gladwyn, gladdon, and glader.]

GLADEYE Glad"eye`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European yellow-hammer.

GLADFUL Glad"ful, a.

Defn: Full of gladness; joyful; glad. [R.] -- Glad"ful*ness, n. [R.] Spenser. It followed him with gladful glee. Spenser.

GLADIATE Glad"i*ate, a. Etym: [L. gladius sword.] (Bot.)

Defn: Sword-shaped; resembling a sword in form, as the leaf of the iris, or of the gladiolus.

GLADIATOR Glad"i*a`tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. gladius sword. See Glaive.]

1. Originally, a swordplayer; hence, one who fought with weapons in public, either on the occasion of a funeral ceremony, or in the arena, for public amusement.

2. One who engages in any fierce combat or controversy.

GLADIATORIAL; GLADIATORIAN Glad`i*a*to"ri*al, Glad`i*a*to"ri*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to gladiators, or to contests or combatants in general.

GLADIATORISM Glad"i*a`tor*ism, n.

Defn: The art or practice of a gladiator.

GLADIATORSHIP Glad"i*a`tor*ship, n.

Defn: Conduct, state, or art, of a gladiator.

GLADIATORY Glad"i*a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. gladiatorius.]

Defn: Gladiatorial. [R.]

GLADIATURE Glad"i*a*ture, n. Etym: [L. gladiatura.]

Defn: Swordplay; fencing; gladiatorial contest. Gayton.

GLADIOLE Glad"i*ole, n. Etym: [L. gladiolus a small sword, the sword lily, dim. of gladius sword. See Glaive.] (Bot.)

Defn: A lilylike plant, of the genus Gladiolus; -- called also corn flag.

GLADIOLUS Gla*di"o*lus, n.; pl. L. Gladioli, E. Gladioluses. Etym: [L. See Gladiole.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants having bulbous roots and gladiate leaves, and including many species, some of which are cultivated and valued for the beauty of their flowers; the corn flag; the sword lily.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The middle portion of the sternum in some animals; the mesosternum.

GLADIUS Gla"di*us, n.; pl. Gladii. Etym: [L., a sword.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The internal shell, or pen, of cephalopods like the squids.

GLADLY Glad"ly, adv. Etym: [From Glad, a.]

1. Preferably; by choice. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. With pleasure; joyfully; cheerfully; eagerly. The common people heard him gladly. Mark xii. 37.

GLADNESS Glad"ness, n. Etym: [AS. glædnes.]

Defn: State or quality of being glad; pleasure; joyful satisfaction; cheerfulness. They . . . did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Acts ii. 46.

Note: Gladness is rarely or never equivalent to mirth, merriment, gayety, and triumph, and it usually expresses less than delight. It sometimes expresses great joy. The Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. Esther viii. 17.

GLADSHIP Glad"ship, n. Etym: [AS. glædscipe.]

Defn: A state of gladness. [Obs.] Gower.

GLADSOME Glad"some, a.

1. Pleased; joyful; cheerful.

2. Causing joy, pleasure, or cheerfulness; having the appearance of gayety; pleasing. Of opening heaven they sung, and gladsome day. Prior. -- Glad"some*ly, adv. -- Glad"some*ness, n. Hours of perfect gladsomeness. Wordsworth.

GLADSTONE Glad"stone, n. Etym: [Named after Wm. E. Gladstone.]

Defn: A four-wheeled pleasure carriage with two inside seats, calash top, and seats for driver and footman.

GLADWYN Glad"wyn, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Gladen.

GLAIR Glair, n. Etym: [F. glaire, glaire d'clarus clear, bright. See Clear, a.]

1. The white of egg. It is used as a size or a glaze in bookbinding, for pastry, etc.

2. Any viscous, transparent substance, resembling the white of an egg.

3. A broadsword fixed on a pike; a kind of halberd.

GLAIR Glair, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Glaired; p. pr. & vb. n. Glairing.]

Defn: To smear with the white of an egg.

GLAIRE Glaire, n.

Defn: See Glair.

GLAIREOUS Glair"e*ous, a.

Defn: Glairy; covered with glair.

GLAIRIN Glair"in, n.

Defn: A glairy viscous substance, which forms on the surface of certain mineral waters, or covers the sides of their inclosures; -- called also baregin.

GLAIRY Glair"y, a.

Defn: Like glair, or partaking of its qualities; covered with glair; viscous and transparent; slimy. Wiseman.

GLAIVE Glaive, n. Etym: [F. glaive, L. gladius; prob. akin to E. claymore. Cf. Gladiator.]

1. A weapon formerly used, consisting of a large blade fixed on the end of a pole, whose edge was on the outside curve; also, a light lance with a long sharp-pointed head. Wilhelm.

2. A sword; -- used poetically and loosely. The glaive which he did wield. Spenser.

GLAMA Gla"ma, n. Etym: [NL.;cf. Gr. gramiae, Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A copious gummy secretion of the humor of the eyelids, in consequence of some disorder; blearedness; lippitude.

GLAMOUR Gla"mour, n. Etym: [Scot. glamour, glamer; cf. Icel. glámeggdr one who is troubled with the glaucoma; or Icel. glam-s weakness of sight, glamour; glamr name of the moon, also of a ghost + s sight akin to E. see. Perh., however, a corruption of E. gramarye.]

1. A charm affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are.

2. Witchcraft; magic; a spell. Tennyson.

3. A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are. The air filled with a strange, pale glamour that seemed to lie over the broad valley. W. Black.