Chapter LI: Bella (3)

Defn: Gutters or conduits on each side of the keelson to afford a passage for water to the pump well. Limber boards (Naut.), short pieces of plank forming part of the lining of a ship's floor immediately above the timbers, so as to prevent the limbers from becoming clogged. -- Limber box or chest (Mil.), a box on the limber for carrying ammunition. -- Limber rope, Limber chain or Limber clearer (Naut.), a rope or chain passing through the limbers of a ship, by which they may be cleared of dirt that chokes them. Totten. -- Limber strake (Shipbuilding), the first course of inside planking next the keelson.

LIMBER Lim"ber v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Limbering.] (Mil.)

Defn: To attach to the limber; as, to limber a gun. To limber up, to change a gun carriage into a four-wheeled vehicle by attaching the limber.

LIMBER Lim"ber, a. Etym: [Akin to lim, a. Limp, a.]

Defn: Easily bent; flexible; pliant; yielding. Milton. The bargeman that doth row with long and limber oar. Turbervile.

LIMBER Lim"ber, v. t.

Defn: To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant. Richardson.

LIMBERNESS Lim"ber*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being limber; flexibleness. Boyle.

LIMBLESS Limb"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of limbs.

LIMBMEAL Limb"meal`, adv. Etym: [See Limb, and Piecemeal.]

Defn: Piecemeal. [Obs.] "To tear her limbmeal." Shak.

LIMBO; LIMBUS Lim"bo, Lim"bus, n. Etym: [L. limbus border, edge in limbo on the border. Cf. Limb border.]

1. (Scholastic Theol.)

Defn: An extramundane region where certain classes of souls were supposed to await the judgment. As far from help as Limbo is from bliss. Shak. A Limbo large and broad, since called The Paradise of fools. Milton.

Note: The limbus patrum was considered as a place for the souls of good men who lived before the coming of our Savior. The limbus infantium was said to be a similar place for the souls of unbaptized infants. To these was added, in the popular belief, the limbus fatuorum, or fool's paradise, regarded as a receptacle of all vanity and nonsense.

2. Hence: Any real or imaginary place of restraint or confinement; a prison; as, to put a man in limbo.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: A border or margin; as, the limbus of the cornea. Etym: Jamaican E limba to bend, fr. E. limber (1950)]. Often performed at celebrations, such as weddings. (1950-1996)

LIMBOUS Lim"bous, a. Etym: [See Limbus.] (Anat.)

Defn: With slightly overlapping borders; -- said of a suture.

LIMBURG CHEESE; LIMBURGER; LIMBURGER CHEESE Lim"burg cheese, Lim"burg*er, n., Lim"burg*er cheese.

Defn: A soft cheese made in the Belgian province of Limburg (Limbourg), and usually not eaten until the curing has developed a peculiar and, to most people, unpleasant odor.

LIME Lime, n. Etym: [See Leam a string.]

Defn: A thong by which a dog is led; a leash. Halliwell.

LIME Lime, n. Etym: [Formerly line, for earlier lind. See Linden.] (Bot.)

Defn: The linden tree. See Linden.

LIME Lime, n. Etym: [F. lime; of Persian origin. See Lemon.] (Bot.)

Defn: A fruit allied to the lemon, but much smaller; also, the tree which bears it. There are two kinds; Citrus Medica, var. acida which is intensely sour, and the sweet lime (C. Medica, var. Limetta) which is only slightly sour.

LIME Lime, n. Etym: [AS. lim; akin to D. lijm, G. leim, OHG. lim, L. limus mud, linere to smear, and E. loam. . Cf. Loam, Liniment.]

1. Birdlime. Like the lime That foolish birds are caught with. Wordsworth.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Oxide of calcium; the white or gray, caustic substance, usually called quicklime, obtained by calcining limestone or shells, the heat driving off carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming slacked lime, and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar, etc.CaO

Note: Lime is the principal constituent of limestone, marble, chalk, bones, shells, etc. Caustic lime, calcium hydrate or slacked lime; also, in a less technical sense, calcium oxide or quicklime. -- Lime burner, one who burns limestone, shells, etc., to make lime. -- Lime light. See Calcium light under Calcium. -- Lime pit, a limestone quarry. -- Lime rod, Lime twig, a twig smeared with birdlime; hence, that which catches; a snare. Chaucer.

LIME Lime, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limed; p. pr. & vb. n. Liming.] Etym: [Cf. AS. geliman to glue or join together. See Lime a viscous substance.]

1. To smear with a viscous substance, as birdlime. These twigs, in time, will come to be limed. L'Estrange.

2. To entangle; to insnare. We had limed ourselves With open eyes, and we must take the chance. Tennyson.

3. To treat with lime, or oxide or hydrate of calcium; to manure with lime; as, to lime hides for removing the hair; to lime sails in order to whiten them. Land may be improved by draining, marling, and liming. Sir J. Child.

4. To cement. "Who gave his blood to lime the stones together." Shak.

LIMEHOUND Lime"hound`, n. Etym: [Lime a leash + hound.]

Defn: A dog used in hunting the wild boar; a leamer. Spenser.

LIMEKILN Lime"kiln`, n.

Defn: A kiln or furnace in which limestone or shells are burned and reduced to lime.

LIMELIGHT Lime"light`, n. (Theat.)

Defn: That part of the stage upon which the limelight as cast, usually where the most important action is progressing or where the leading player or players are placed and upon which the attention of the spectators is therefore concentrated. Hence, consspicuous position before the public; as, politicians who are never happy except in the limelight.

LIMENEAN Li*men"e*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Lima, or to the inhabitants of Lima, in Peru. -- n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Lima.

LIMER Lim"er, n.

Defn: A limehound; a limmer. Chaucer.

LIMERICK Lim"er*ick, n. [Said to be from a song with the same verse construction, current in Ireland, the refrain of which contains the place name Limerick.]

Defn: A nonsense poem of five anapestic lines, of which lines 1, 2, and 5 are of there feet, and rime, and lines 3 and 4 are of two feet, and rime; as --

There was a young lady, Amanda, Whose Ballades Lyriques were quite fin de Siècle, I deem But her Journal Intime Was what sent her papa to Uganda.

LIMESTONE Lime"stone`, n.

Defn: A rock consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate or carbonate of lime. It sometimes contains also magnesium carbonate, and is then called magnesian or dolomitic limestone. Crystalline limestone is called marble.

LIME TWIG Lime twig

Defn: . See under 4th Lime.

LIME-TWIGGED Lime"-twigged`, a.

Defn: Beset with snares; insnared, as with birdlime. L. Addison.

LIMEWATER Lime"wa`ter, n.

Defn: Water impregnated with lime; esp., an artificial solution of lime for medicinal purposes.

LIMICOLAE Li*mic"o*læ, n. pl. Etym: [L. limicola a dweller in the mud; limus mud + colere to dwell.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of shore birds, embracing the plovers, sandpipers, snipe, curlew, etc. ; the Grallæ.

LIMICOLINE Li*mic"o*line, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Shore-inhabiting; of or pertaining to the Limicolæ.

LIMINESS Lim"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being limy.

LIMIT Lim"it, n. Etym: [From L. limes, limitis: cf. F.limite; -or from E. limit, v. See Limit, v. t.]

1. That which terminates, circumscribes, restrains, or confines; the bound, border, or edge; the utmost extent; as, the limit of a walk, of a town, of a country; the limits of human knowledge or endeavor. As eager of the chase, the maid Beyond the forest's verdant limits strayed. Pope.

2. The space or thing defined by limits. The archdeacon hath divided it Into three limits very equally. Shak.

3. That which terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent. The dateless limit of thy dear exile. Shak. The limit of your lives is out. Shak.

4. A restriction; a check; a curb; a hindrance. I prithee, give no limits to my tongue. Shak.

5. (Logic & Metaph.)

Defn: A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic a differentia.

6. (Math.)

Defn: A determinate quantity, to which a variable one continually approaches, and may differ from it by less than any given difference, but to which, under the law of variation, the variable can never become exactly equivalent. Elastic limit. See under Elastic. -- Prison limits, a definite, extent of space in or around a prison, within which a prisoner has liberty to go and come.

Syn. -- Boundary; border; edge; termination; restriction; bound; confine.

LIMIT Lim"it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limited; p. pr. & vb. n. Limiting.] Etym: [F. limiter, L. limitare, fr. limes, limitis, limit; prob. akin to limen threshold, E. eliminate; cf. L. limus sidelong.]

Defn: To apply a limit to, or set a limit for; to terminate, circumscribe, or restrict, by a limit or limits; as, to limit the acreage of a crop; to limit the issue of paper money; to limit one's ambitions or aspirations; to limit the meaning of a word. Limiting parallels (Astron.), those parallels of latitude between which only an occultation of a star or planet by the moon, in a given case, can occur.

LIMIT Lim"it, v. i.

Defn: To beg, or to exercise functions, within a certain limited region; as, a limiting friar. [Obs.]

LIMITABLE Lim"it*a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being limited.

LIMITANEOUS Lim`i*ta"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. limitancus. See Limit, v. t.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a limit. [Obs.]

LIMITARIAN Lim`i*ta"ri*an, a.

Defn: Tending to limit.

LIMITARY Lim"i*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L.limitaris. See Limit , v. t.]

1. Placed at the limit, as a guard. "Proud limitary cherub." Milton.

2. Confined within limits; limited in extent, authority, power, etc. "The limitary ocean." Trench. The poor, limitary creature calling himself a man of the world. De Quincey.

3. Limiting, or tending to limit; restrictive. Doctrines limitary, if not subversive of the papal power. Milman.

LIMITARY Lim"i*ta*ry, n.; pl. -ries (.

1. That which serves to limit; a boundary; border land. [Obs.] Fuller.

2. A limiter. See Limiter, 2.

LIMITATE Lim"i*tate, a. Etym: [L. limitatus, p. p. of limitare to limit. See Limit, v. t. ]

Defn: Bounded by a distinct line.

LIMITATION Lim`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. limitatio: cf. F. Limitation. See Limit, v. t.]

1. The act of limiting; the state or condition of being limited; as, the limitation of his authority was approved by the council. They had no right to mistake the limitation . . . of their own faculties, for an inherent limitation of the possible modes of existence in the universe. J. S. Mill.

2. That which limits; a restriction; a qualification; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception; as, limitations of thought. The cause of error is ignorance what restraints and limitations all principles have in regard of the matter whereunto they are applicable. Hooker.

3. A certain precinct within which friars were allowed to beg, or exercise their functions; also, the time during which they were permitted to exercise their functions in such a district. Chaucer. Latimer.

4. A limited time within or during which something is to be done. You have stood your limitation, and the tribunes Endue you with the people's voice. Shak.

5. (Law) (a) A certain period limited by statute after which the claimant shall not enforce his claims by suit. (b) A settling of an estate or property by specific rules. (c) A restriction of power; as, a constitutional limitation. Wharton. Bouvier. To know one's own limitations, to know the reach and limits of one's abilities. A. R. Wallace.

LIMITED Lim"it*ed, a.

Defn: Confined within limits; narrow; circumscribed; restricted; as, our views of nature are very limited. Limited company, a company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited by the number of shares he has taken, so that he can not be called on to contribute beyond the amount of his shares. [Eng.] Mozley & W.

LIMITEDLY Lim"it*ed*ly, adv.

Defn: With limitation.

LIMITEDNESS lim"it*ed*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being limited.

LIMITER Lim"it*er, n.

1. One who, or that which, limits.

2. A friar licensed to beg within certain bounds, or whose duty was limited to a certain district. [Formerly written also limitour.] Chaucer. A limitour of the Gray Friars, in the time of his limitation, preached many times, and had one sermon at all times. Latimer.

LIMITIVE Lim"it*ive, a.

Defn: Involving a limit; as, a limitive law, one designed to limit existing powers. [R.]

LIMITLESS Lim"it*less, a.

Defn: Having no limits; unbounded; boundless. Davies (Wit's Pilgr.).

LIMITOUR Lim"it*our, n.

Defn: See Limiter, 2.

LIMMER Lim"mer, a.

Defn: Limber. [Obs.] Holland.

LIMMER Lim"mer, n. Etym: [F. limier. See Leamer.]

1. A limehound; a leamer.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A mongrel, as a cross between the mastiff and hound.

3. A low, base fellow; also, a prostitute. [Scot.] Thieves, limmers, and broken men of the Highlands. Sir W. Scott.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: A man rope at the side of a ladder.

LIMN Limn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limned; p. pr. & vb. n. Limning.] Etym: [OE. limnen, fr. luminen, for enluminen, F. enluminer to illuminate, to limn, LL. illuminare to paint. Illuminate, Luminous.]

1. To draw or paint; especially, to represent in an artistic way with pencil or brush. Let a painter carelessly limn out a million of faces, and you shall find them all different. Sir T. Browne.

2. To illumine, as books or parchments, with ornamental figures, letters, or borders.

LIM NAEA Lim *næ"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of fresh-water air-breathing mollusks, abundant in ponds and streams; -- called also pond snail. [Written also Lymnæa.]

LIMNER Lim"ner, n. Etym: [F. enlumineur, LL. illuminator. See Limn, and cf. Alluminor.]

Defn: A painter; an artist; esp.: (a) One who paints portraits. (b) One who illuminates books. [Archaic]

LIMNIAD Lim"ni*ad, n. Etym: [Gr. (Myth.)

Defn: See Limoniad.

LIMNING Lim"ning, n.

Defn: The act, process, or art of one who limns; the picture or decoration so produced. Adorned with illumination which we now call limning. Wood.

LIMOGES Li*moges", n.

Defn: A city of Southern France. Limoges enamel, a kind of enamel ware in which the enamel is applied to the whole surface of a metal plaque, vase, or the like, and painted in enamel colors. The art was brought to a high degree of perfection in Limoges in the 16th century. -- Limoges ware. (a) Articles decorated with Limoges enamel. (b) Articles of porcelain, etc., manufactured at Limoges.

LIMONIAD Li*mo"ni*ad, n. Etym: [L. limoniades, pl., Gr. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: A nymph of the meadows; -- called also Limniad.

LIMONIN Li*mo"nin, n. Etym: [From NL. Citrus Medica, var. Limonum, the scientific name of the lemon.] (Chem.)

Defn: A bitter, white, crystalline substance found in orange and lemon seeds.

LIMONITE Li"mon*ite, n. Etym: [Gr. limonite, G. limonit.] (Min.)

Defn: Hydrous sesquixoide of iron, an important ore of iron, occurring in stalactitic, mammillary, or earthy forms, of a dark brown color, yellowish brown powder. It includes bog iron. Also called brown hematite.

LIMOSIS Li*mo"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A ravenous appetite caused by disease; excessive and morbid hunger.

LIMOUS Li"mous, a. Etym: [L. limosus, fr. limus slime, mud.]

Defn: Muddy; slimy; thick. Sir T. Browne.

LIMOUSINE Li`mou*sine", n. [Cf. F. limousine a kind of cloak, fr. Limousin, an old province in central France.]

Defn: An automobile body with seats and permanent top like a coupé, and with the top projecting over the driver and a projecting front; also, an automobile with such a body.

LIMP Limp, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Limped; p. pr. & vb. n. Limping.] Etym: [Cf. AS. lemphealt lame, OHG. limphen to limp, be weak; perh. akin to E. lame, or to limp, a

Defn: To halt; to walk lamely. Also used figuratively. Shak.

LIMP Limp, n.

Defn: A halt; the act of limping.

LIMP Limp, n. (Ore Washing)

Defn: A scraper for removing poor ore or refuse from the sieve.

LIMP Limp, a. Etym: [Cf. Icel. limpa limpness, weakness, and E.lap, n., lop, v. t. Cf. Limber, a.]

1. Flaccid; flabby, as flesh. Walton.

2. Lacking stiffness; flimsy; as, a limp cravat.

LIMPER Limp"er, n.

Defn: One who limps.

LIMPET Lim"pet, n. Etym: [Prob. through French fr. L. lepas, -adis, Gr. (Zoöl.)

1. In a general sense, any hatshaped, or conical, gastropod shell.

2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order Docoglossa, mostly found adhering to rocks, between tides.

Note: The common European limpets of the genus Patella (esp. P. vulgata) are extensively used as food. The common New England species is Acmæa testudinalis. Numerous species of limpets occur on the Pacific coast of America, some of them of large size.

3. Any species of Siphonaria, a genus of limpet-shaped Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks.

4. A keyhole limpet. See Fissurella.

LIMPID Lim"pid, a. Etym: [L.limpidus; akin to Gr. limpide. Cf. Lamp.]

Defn: Characterized by clearness or transparency; clear; as, a limpid stream. Springs which were clear, fresh, and limpid. Woodward.

Syn. -- Clear; transparent; pellucid; lucid; pure; crystal; translucent; bright.

LIMPIDITY Lim*pid"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. limpiditas: cf. F. limpidité.]

Defn: The quality or state of being limpid.

LIMPIDNESS Lim"pid*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being limpid; limpidity.

LIMPIN Lim"pin, n.

Defn: A limpet. [Obs.] Holland.

LIMPINGLY Limp"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a limping manner.

LIMPITUDE Limp"i*tude, n.

Defn: Limpidity. [Obs.]

LIMPKIN Limp"kin, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Either one of two species of wading birds of the genus Aramus, intermediate between the cranes and rails. The limpkins are remarkable for the great length of the toes. One species (A. giganteus) inhabits Florida and the West Indies; the other (A. scolopaceus) is found in South America. Called also courlan, and crying bird.

LIMPNESS Limp"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being limp.

LIMPSY; LIMSY Limp"sy, Lim"sy, a. Etym: [See Limp, a., and cf. W. llymsi having a fickle motion, weak. Cf. Flimsy.]

Defn: Limp; flexible; flimsy. [Local, U. S.]

LIMU Li"mu, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The Hawaiian name for seaweeds. Over sixty kinds are used as food, and have species names, as Limu Lipoa, Limu palawai, etc.

LIMULE Lim"ule, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A limulus.

LIMULOIDEA Lim`u*loi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Limulus, and -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of Merostomata, including among living animals the genus Limulus, with various allied fossil genera, mostly of the Carboniferous period. Called also Xiphosura.

Note: There are six pairs of leglike organs, surrounding the mouth, most of which terminate in claws; those of the first pair (probably mandibles) are the smallest; the others have the basal joints thickened and spinose, to serve as jaws, while the terminal joints serve as legs. This group is intermediate, in some characteristics, between crustaceans and certain arachnids (scorpions), but the respiration is by means of lamellate gills borne upon the five posterior abdominal appendages, which are flat and united in pairs by their inner edges, and are protected by the lidlike anterior pair, which also bear the genital orifices.

LIMULUS Lim"u*lus, n.; pl. Limuli (-li). Etym: [L., dim. of limus sidelong, askance.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The only existing genus of Merostomata. It includes only a few species from the East Indies, and one (Limulus polyphemus) from the Atlantic coast of North America. Called also Molucca crab, king crab, horseshoe crab, and horsefoot.

LIMY Lim"y, a. Etym: [See 4th Lime.]

1. Smeared with, or consisting of, lime; viscous. "Limy snares.' Spenser.

2. Containing lime; as, a limy soil.

3. Resembling lime; having the qualities of lime.

LIN Lin, v. i. Etym: [AS. linnan. See Lithe.]

Defn: To yield; to stop; to cease. [Obs. or Scot.] Marsion.

LIN Lin, n. Etym: [Ir. linn, or Gael. linne; akin to W. llyn a pool, pond, lake, but in senses 2 and 3 prob. from AS.hlynn torrent. Cf. Dunlin.]

1. A pool or collection of water, particularly one above or below a fall of water.

2. A waterfall, or cataract; as, a roaring lin.

3. A steep ravine.

Note: Written also linn and lyn.

LINAGE Lin"age, n.

Defn: See Lineage. [Obs.] Holland.

LINAMENT Lin"a*ment, n. Etym: [L. linamentum, fr. linum flax.] (Surg.)

Defn: Lint; esp., lint made into a tent for insertion into wounds or ulcers.

LINARITE Li*nar`ite, n. Etym: [So called because formerly supposed to occur at Linares, in Spain.] (Min.)

Defn: A hydrous sulphate of lead and copper occurring in bright blue monoclinic crystals.

LINCH Linch, n. Etym: [AS. hlinc a hill.]

Defn: A ledge; a right-angled projection.

LINCHI Lin"chi, n. Etym: [Native Chinese name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An esculent swallow.

LINCHPIN Linch"pin`, n. Etym: [AS. lynis the axletree; akin to D. luns linchpin, OS. lunisa, LG. lunse, G. lünse, OHG. lun peg, bolt.]

Defn: A pin used to prevent the wheel of a vehicle from sliding off the axletree.

LINCOLN GREEN Lin"coln green"

Defn: . A color of cloth formerly made in Lincoln, England; the cloth itself.

LINCTURE; LINCTUS Linc"ture, Linc"tus, n. Etym: [L. lingere, linctum, to lick.]

Defn: Medicine taken by licking with the tongue.

LIND Lind, n.

Defn: The linden. See Linden. Chaucer.

LINDEN Lin"den, n. Etym: [Orig. an adj. from lind linden tree, AS. lind; akin to D. & G. linde, OHG. linta, Icel., Sw., & Dan. lind. Cf. Lime linden.] (Bot.) (a) A handsome tree (Tilia Europæa), having cymes of light yellow flowers, and large cordate leaves. The tree is common in Europe. (b) In America, the basswood, or Tilia Americana.

LINDIA Lin"di*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A peculiar genus of rotifers, remarkable for the absence of ciliated disks. By some zoölogists it is thought to be like the ancestral form of the Arthropoda.

LINDIFORM Lin"di*form, a. Etym: [Lindia + -form.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling the genus Lindia; -- said of certain apodous insect larvæ. [See Illust. under Larva.]

LINE Line, n. Etym: [OE. lin. See Linen.]

1. Flax; linen. [Obs.] "Garments made of line." Spenser.

2. The longer and fiber of flax.

LINE Line, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lined; p. pr. & vb. n. Lining.]

1. To cover the inner surface of; as, to line a cloak with silk or fur; to line a box with paper or tin. The inside lined with rich carnation silk. W. Browne.

2. To put something in the inside of; to fill; to supply, as a purse with money. The charge amounteth very high for any one man's purse, except lined beyond ordinary, to reach unto. Carew. Till coffee has her stomach lined. Swift.

3. To place persons or things along the side of for security or defense; to strengthen by adding; to fortify; as, to line works with soldiers. Line and new repair our towns of war With men of courage and with means defendant. Shak.

4. To impregnate; -- applied to brute animals. Creech. Lined gold, gold foil having a lining of another metal.

LINE Line, n. Etym: [OE. line, AS. line cable, hawser, prob. from L. linea a linen thread, string, line, fr. linum flax, thread, linen, cable; but the English word was influenced by F. ligne line, from the same L. word linea. See Linen.]

1. linen thread or string; a slender, strong cord; also, a cord of any thickness; a rope; a hawser; as, a fishing line; a line for snaring birds; a clothesline; a towline. Who so layeth lines for to latch fowls. Piers Plowman.

2. A more or less threadlike mark of pen, pencil, or graver; any long mark; as, a chalk line.

3. The course followed by anything in motion; hence, a road or route; as, the arrow descended in a curved line; the place is remote from lines of travel.

4. Direction; as, the line sight or vision.

5. A row of letters, words, etc., written or printed; esp., a row of words extending across a page or column.

6. A short letter; a note; as, a line from a friend.

7. (Poet.)

Defn: A verse, or the words which form a certain number of feet, according to the measure. In the preceding line Ulysses speaks of Nausicaa. Broome.

8. Course of conduct, thought, occupation, or policy; method of argument; department of industry, trade, or intellectual activity. He is uncommonly powerful in his own line, but it is not the line of a first-rate man. Coleridge.

9. (Math.)

Defn: That which has length, but not breadth or thickness.

10. The exterior limit of a figure, plat, or territory; boundary; contour; outline. Eden stretched her line From Auran eastward to the royal towers Of great Seleucia. Milton.

11. A threadlike crease marking the face or the hand; hence, characteristic mark. Though on his brow were graven lines austere. Byron. He tipples palmistry, and dines On all her fortune-telling lines. Cleveland.

12. Lineament; feature; figure. "The lines of my boy's face." Shak.

13. A straight row; a continued series or rank; as, a line of houses, or of soldiers; a line of barriers. Unite thy forces and attack their lines. Dryden.

14. A series or succession of ancestors or descand ants of a given person; a family or race; as, the ascending or descending line; the line of descent; the male line; a line of kings. Of his lineage am I, and his offspring By very line, as of the stock real. Chaucer.

15. A connected series of public conveyances, and hence, an established arrangement for forwarding merchandise, etc. ; as, a line of stages; an express line.

16. (Geog.) (a) A circle of latitude or of longitude, as represented on a map. (b) The equator; -- usually called the line, or equinoctial line; as, to cross the line.

17. A long tape, or a narrow ribbon of steel, etc., marked with subdivisions, as feet and inches, for measuring; a tapeline.

18. (Script.) (a) A measuring line or cord. He marketh it out with a line. Is. xliv. 13.

(b) That which was measured by a line, as a field or any piece of land set apart; hence, allotted place of abode. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes. I have a goodly heritage. Ps. xvi. 6.

(c) Instruction; doctrine. Their line is gone out through all the earth. Ps. xix. 4.

19. (Mach.)

Defn: The proper relative position or adjustment of parts, not as to design or proportion, but with reference to smooth working; as, the engine is in line or out of line or out of line.

20. The track and roadbed of a railway; railroad.

21. (Mil.) (a) A row of men who are abreast of one another, whether side by side or some distance apart; -- opposed to column. (b) The regular infantry of an army, as distinguished from militia, guards, volunteer corps, cavalry, artillery, etc.

22. (Fort.) (a) A trench or rampart. (b) pl.

Defn: Dispositions made to cover extended positions, and presenting a front in but one direction to an enemy.

23. pl. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: form of a vessel as shown by the outlines of vertical, horizontal, and obique sections.

24. (Mus.)

Defn: One of the straight horizontal and parallel prolonged strokes on and between which the notes are placed.

25. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: A number of shares taken by a jobber.

26. (Trade)

Defn: A series of various qualities and values of the same general class of articles; as, a full line of hosiery; a line of merinos, etc. McElrath.

27. The wire connecting one telegraphic station with another, or the whole of a system of telegraph wires under one management and name.

28. pl.

Defn: The reins with which a horse is guided by his driver. [U. S.]

29. A measure of length; one twelfth of an inch. Hard lines, hard lot. C. Kingsley. [See Def. 18.] -- Line breeding (Stockbreeding), breeding by a certain family line of descent, especially in the selection of the dam or mother. -- Line conch (Zoöl.), a spiral marine shell (Fasciolaria distans), of Florida and the West Indies. It is marked by narrow, dark, revolving lines. -- Line engraving. (a) Engraving in which the effects are produced by lines of different width and closeness, cut with the burin upon copper or similar material; also, a plate so engraved. (b) A picture produced by printing from such an engraving. -- Line of battle. (a) (Mil Tactics) The position of troops drawn up in their usual order without any determined maneuver. (b) (Naval) The line or arrangement formed by vessels of war in an engagement. -- Line of battle ship. See Ship of the line, below. -- Line of beauty (Fine Arts),an abstract line supposed to be beautiful in itself and absolutely; -- differently represented by different authors, often as a kind of elongated S (like the one drawn by Hogarth). -- Line of centers. (Mach.) (a) A line joining two centers, or fulcra, as of wheels or levers. (b) A line which determines a dead center. See Dead center, under Dead. -- Line of dip (Geol.), a line in the plane of a stratum, or part of a stratum, perpendicular to its intersection with a horizontal plane; the line of greatest inclination of a stratum to the horizon. -- Line of fire (Mil.), the direction of fire. -- Line of force (Physics), any line in a space in which forces are acting, so drawn that at every point of the line its tangent is the direction of the resultant of all the forces. It cuts at right angles every equipotential surface which it meets. Specifically (Magnetism), a line in proximity to a magnet so drawn that any point in it is tangential with the direction of a short compass needle held at that point. Faraday. -- Line of life (Palmistry), a line on the inside of the hand, curving about the base of the thumb, supposed to indicate, by its form or position, the length of a person's life. -- Line of lines. See Gunter's line. -- Line of march. (Mil.) (a) Arrangement of troops for marching. (b) Course or direction taken by an army or body of troops in marching. -- Line of operations, that portion of a theater of war which an army passes over in attaining its object. H. W. Halleck. -- Line of sight (Firearms), the line which passes through the front and rear sight, at any elevation, when they are sighted at an object. -- Line tub (Naut.), a tub in which the line carried by a whaleboat is coiled. -- Mason and Dixon's line, the boundary line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, as run before the Revolution (1764-1767) by two English astronomers named Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. In an extended sense, the line between the free and the slave States. -- On the line, on a level with the eye of the spectator; -- said of a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures. -- Right line a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures. -- Right line, a straight line; the shortest line that can be drawn between two points. -- Ship of the line, formerly, a ship of war large enough to have a place in the line of battle; a vessel superior to a frigate; usually, a seventy-four, or three-decker; -- called also line of battle ship. Totten. -- To cross the line, to cross the equator, as a vessel at sea. -- To give a person line, to allow him more or less liberty until it is convenient to stop or check him, like a hooked fish that swims away with the line. -- Water line (Shipbuilding), the outline of a horizontal section of a vessel, as when floating in the water.

LINE Line, v. t.

1. To mark with a line or lines; to cover with lines; as, to line a copy book. He had a healthy color in his cheeks, and his face, though lined, bore few traces of anxiety. Dickens.

2. To represent by lines; to delineate; to portray. [R.] "Pictures fairest lined." Shak.

3. To read or repeat line by line; as, to line out a hymn. This custom of reading or lining, or, as it was frequently called "deaconing' the hymn or psalm in the churches, was brought about partly from necessity. N. D. Gould.

4. To form into a line; to align; as, to line troops. To line bees, to track wild bees to their nest by following their line of flight. -- To line up (Mach.), to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running. See 3d Line, 19.

LINEAGE Lin"e*age, n. Etym: [OE. linage, F. lignage, fr. L. linea line. See 3d Line.]

Defn: Descent in a line from a common progenitor; progeny; race; descending line of offspring or ascending line of parentage. Both the lineage and the certain sire From which I sprung, from me are hidden yet. Spenser.

LINEAL Lin"e*al, a. Etym: [L. linealis belonging to a line, fr. linea line: cf. F. linéal. See 3d Line.]

1. Descending in a direct line from an ancestor; hereditary; derived from ancestors; -- opposed to collateral; as, a lineal descent or a lineal descendant. The prime and ancient right of lineal succession. Locke.

2. Inheriting by direct descent; having the right by direct descent to succeed (to). For only you are lineal to the throne. Dryden.

3. Composed of lines; delineated; as, lineal designs.

4. In the direction of a line; of a line; of or pertaining to a line; measured on, or ascertained by, a line; linear; as, lineal magnitude. Lineal measure, the measure of length; -- usually written linear measure.

LINEALITY Lin`e*al"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being linea

LINEALLY Lin"e*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a lineal manner; as, the prince is lineally descended from the Conqueror.

LINEAMENT Lin"e*a*ment, n. Etym: [L. lineamentum, fr. linea line: cf. F. linéament. See 3d Line.]

Defn: One of the outlines, exterior features, or distinctive marks, of a body or figure, particularly of the face; feature; form; mark; - - usually in the plural. "The lineaments of the body." Locke. "Lineaments in the character." Swift. Man he seems In all his lineaments. Milton.

LINEAR Lin"e*ar, a. Etym: [L. linearis, linearius , fr. linea line: cf. F. linéaire. See 3d Line.]

1. Of or pertaining to a line; consisting of lines; in a straight direction; lineal.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Like a line; narrow; of the same breadth throughout, except at the extremities; as, a linear leaf. Linear differential (Math.), an equation which is of the first degree, when the expression which is equated to zero is regarded as a function of the dependent variable and its differential coefficients. -- Linear equation (Math.), an equation of the first degree between two variables; -- so called because every such equation may be considered as representing a right line. -- Linear measure, the measurement of length. -- Linear numbers (Math.), such numbers as have relation to length only: such is a number which represents one side of a plane figure. If the plane figure is square, the linear figure is called a root. -- Linear problem (Geom.), a problem which may be solved geometrically by the use of right lines alone. -- Linear transformation (Alg.), a change of variables where each variable is replaced by a function of the first degree in the new variable.

LINEARENSATE Lin`e*ar*en"sate, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having the form of a sword, but very long and narrow.

LINEARLY Lin"e*ar*ly, adv.

Defn: In a linear manner; with lines.

LINEAR-SHAPED Lin"e*ar-shaped`, a.

Defn: Of a linear shape.

LINEARY Lin"e*a*ry, a.

Defn: Linear. Holland.

LINEATE; LINEATED Lin"e*ate, Lin"e*a`ted, a. Etym: [L. lineatus, p. p. of lineare to reduce to a straight line, fr. linea line.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Marked with lines.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Marked longitudinally with depressed parallel lines; as, a lineate leaf.

LINEATION Lin`e*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. lineatio the drawing of a line, fr. lineare.]

Defn: Delineation; a line or lines.

LINEATURE Lin"e*a*ture, n.

Defn: Anything having outline. [R.] Holland.

LINEMAN Line"man, n.; pl. Linemen (.

1. One who carried the line in surveying, etc.

2. A man employed to examine the rails of a railroad to see if they are in good condition; also, a man employed to repair telegraph lines.

LINEN Lin"en, a. Etym: [OE., fr. lin linen. See Linen, n.

1.]

Defn: Made of linen; as, linen cloth; a linen stocking.

2. Resembling linen cloth; white; pale.

LINEN Lin"en, n. Etym: [Prop. an adj. from OE. lin. flax, AS. lin flax, whence linen made of flax; akin to OS., Icel., & MHG. lin flax and linen, G. lein, leinen, linen, Sw. lin flax, Goth. lein linen, L. linum flax, linen, Gr. Line, Linseed.]

1. Thread or cloth made of flax or (rarely) of hemp; -- used in a general sense to include cambric, shirting, sheeting, towels, tablecloths, etc. "In linen white as milk." Robert of Brunne.

2. Underclothing, esp. the shirt, as being, in former times, chiefly made of linen. Linen draper, a dealer in linen. -- Linen prover, a small microscope for counting the threads in a given space in linen fabrics. -- Linen scroll, Linen pattern (Arch.), an ornament for filling panels, copied from the folds of a piece of stuff symmetrically disposed.

LINENER Lin"en*er, n.

Defn: A dealer in linen; a linen draper. [Obs.]

LINEOLATE Lin"e*o*late, a. Etym: [L. lineola, dim. of linea line.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Marked with little lines.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Marked longitudinally with fine lines. Gray.

LINER Lin"er, n.

1. One who lines, as, a liner of shoes.

2. A vessel belonging to a regular line of packets; also, a line-of- battle ship; a ship of the line.

3. (Mach.)

Defn: A thin piece placed between two parts to hold or adjust them, fill a space, etc., ; a shim.

4. (Steam Engine)

Defn: A lining within the cylinder, in which the piston works and between which and the outer shell of the cylinder a space is left to form a steam jacket.

5. A slab on which small pieces of marble, tile, etc., are fastened for grinding.

6. (Baseball)

Defn: A ball which, when struck, flies through the air in a nearly straight line not far from the ground.

LINE-UP; LINEUP Line"-up`, Line"up`, n.

Defn: The formation of football players before the start or a restart of play; hence (Colloq.),

Defn: any arrangement of persons (rarely, of things), esp. when having a common purpose or sentiment; as, the line-up at a ticket- office window; the line-up of political factions.

-LING -ling. Etym: [AS. -ling.]

Defn: A noun suffix, commonly having a diminutive or a depreciatory force; as in duck-ling, dosling, hireling, fosterling, firstling, underling.

-LING -ling

Defn: . An adverbial suffix; as, darkling, flatling.

LING Ling, n. Etym: [OE. lenge; akin to D. leng, G. länge, Dan. lange, Sw. l, Icel. langa. So named from its being long. See Long, a.] (Zoöl.) (a) A large, marine, gadoid fish (Molva vulgaris) of Northern Europe and Greenland. It is valued as a food fish and is largely salted and dried. Called also drizzle. (b) The burbot of Lake Ontario. (c) An American hake of the genus Phycis. [Canada] (d) A New Zealand food fish of the genus Genypterus. The name is also locally applied to other fishes, as the cultus cod, the mutton fish, and the cobia.

LING Ling, n. Etym: [Icel. lyng; akin to Dan. lyng, Sw. ljung.] (Bot.)

Defn: Heather (Calluna vulgaris). Ling honey, a sort of wild honey, made from the flowers of the heather. Holland.

LINGA; LINGAM Lin"ga, Lin"gam, n. Etym: [Skr. linga.]

Defn: The phallic symbol under which Siva is principally worshiped in his character of the creative and reproductive power. Whitworth. E. Arnold.

LING-BIRD Ling"-bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European meadow pipit; -- called also titling.

LINGEL Lin"gel, n. Etym: [F. ligneul, dim. of L. linea a linen thread.]

1. A shoemaker's thread. [Obs.]

2. A little tongue or thong of leather; a lacing for belts. Crabb.

LINGENCE Lin"gence, n. Etym: [L. lingere to lick.]

Defn: A linctus. [Obs.] Fuller.

LINGER Lin"ger, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lingered; p. pr. & vb. n. Lingering.] Etym: [OE. lengen to tarry, AS. lengan to prolong, put off, fr. lang long. Long, a.]

Defn: To delay; to loiter; to remain or wait long; to be slow or reluctant in parting or moving; to be slow in deciding; to be in suspense; to hesitate. Nor cast one longing, lingering look behind. Gray. Perhaps thou linger'st, in deep thoughts detained. Milton.

Syn. -- To loiter; lag; saunter; delay; tarry; stop; hesitate.

LINGER Lin"ger, v. t.

1. To protract; to draw out. [Obs.] She lingers my desires. Shak.

2. To spend or pass in lingering manner; -- with out; as, to linger out one's days on a sick bed. Dryden.

LINGERER Lin"ger*er, n.

Defn: One who lingers. Guardian.

LINGERIE Lin`ge*rie, n. [F.]

Defn: Linen goods collectively; linen underwear, esp. of women; the clothing of linen and cotton with its lace, etc., worn by a women.

LINGERING Lin"ger*ing, a.

1. Delaying.

2. Drawn out in time; remaining long; protracted; as, a lingering disease. To die is the fate of man; but to die with lingering anguish is generally his folly. Rambler.

LINGERINGLY Lin"ger*ing*ly, adv.

Defn: With delay; slowly; tediously.

LINGET Lin"get, n. Etym: [F. lingot, perh. fr. L. lingua tongue (see Tongue). Cf. Ingot.]

Defn: An ingot. [Written also lingot.]

LINGISM Ling"ism, n.

Defn: A mode of treating certain diseases, as obesity, by gymnastics; -- proposed by Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swede. See Kinesiatrics.

LINGLE Lin"gle, n.

Defn: See Lingel.

LINGO Lin"go, n. Etym: [L. lingua tongue, language. See Lingual.]

Defn: Language; speech; dialect. [Slang]

LINGOA WOOD Lin*go"a wood`

Defn: . Amboyna wood.

LINGOT Lin"got, n.

Defn: A linget or ingot; also, a mold for casting metals. See Linget.

LINGUA Lin"gua, n.; pl. Linguæ. Etym: [L., the tongue.] (Zoöl.) (a) A tongue. (b) A median process of the labium, at the under side of the mouth in insects, and serving as a tongue.

LINGUACIOUS Lin*gua"cious, a. Etym: [L. linguax, -acis, loquacious, fr. lingua tongue.]

Defn: Given to the use of the tongue; loquacious. [Obs.]

LINGUADENTAL Lin`gua*den"tal, a. Etym: [L. lingua tongue + E. dental.] (Phonetics)

Defn: Formed or uttered by the joint use of the tongue and teeth, or rather that part of the gum just above the front teeth; dentolingual, as the letters d and t.

LINGUADENTAL Lin`gua*den"tal, n. (Phonetics)

Defn: An articulation pronounced by the aid or use of the tongue and teeth.

LINGUA FRANCA Lin"gua Fran"ca. Etym: [It., prop., language of the Franks.]

Defn: The commercial language of the Levant, -- a mixture of the language of the people of the region and foreign traders.

LINGUAL Lin"gual, a. Etym: [L. lingua tongue: cf. F. lingual. See Tongue, and cf. Language.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the tongue; uttered by the aid of the tongue; glossal; as, the lingual nerves; a lingual letter. Lingual ribbon. (Zoöl.) See Odontophore.

LINGUAL Lin"gual, n.

Defn: A consonant sound formed by the aid of the tongue; -- a term especially applied to certain articulations (as those of t, d, th, and n) and to the letters denoting them.

Note: In Sanskrit grammar certain letters, as t, th, d, dh, n, are called linguals, cerebrals, or cacuminals. They are uttered with the tip of the tongue turned up and drawn back into the dome of the palate.

LINGUALITY Lin*gual"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being lingual.

LINGUATULIDA Lin`gua*tu"li*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. lingua tongue.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Linguatulina.

LINGUATULINA Lin*guat`*u*li"na, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. lingua tongue.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of wormlike, degraded, parasitic arachnids. They have two pairs of retractile hooks, near the mouth. Called also Pentastomida.

Note: The adults of some species inhabit the nostrils and nasal sinuses of dogs and other carnivores. The young, after being swallowed by sheep, rabbits, etc., find their way to the lungs and liver and become encysted. These, when eaten by carnivores, develop into the adult forms.

LINGUIDENTAL Lin`gui*den"tal, a. & n.

Defn: Linguadental.

LINGUIFORM Lin"gui*form, a. Etym: [L. lingua tongue + -form: cf. F. linguiforme.]

Defn: Having the form of the tongue; tongue-shaped.

LINGUIST Lin"guist, n. Etym: [L. lingua tongue, speech, language: cf. F. linguiste.]

1. A master of the use of language; a talker. [Obs.] I'll dispute with him; He's a rare linguist. J. Webster.

2. A person skilled in languages. There too were Gibbon, the greatest historian, and Jones, the greatest linguist, of the age. Macaulay.

LINGUISTIC; LINGUISTICAL Lin*guis"tic, Lin*guis"tic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. linguistique.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to language; relating to linguistics, or to the affinities of languages.

LINGUISTICALLY Lin*guis"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a linguistic manner; from the point of view of a linguist. Tylor.

LINGUISTICS Lin*guis"tics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. linguistique.]

Defn: The science of languages, or of the origin, signification, and application of words; glossology.

LINGULA Lin"gu*la, n.; pl. -læ. Etym: [L., a little tongue.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: A tonguelike process or part.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of brachiopod shells belonging to the genus Lingula, and related genera. See Brachiopoda, and Illustration in Appendix. Lingula flags (Geol.), a group of strata in the lower Silurian or Cambrian system of Wales, in which some of the layers contain vast numbers of a species of Lingula.

LINGULATE Lin"gu*late, a. Etym: [L. lingulatus, fr. lingula a little tongue. Cf. Ligulate.]

Defn: Shaped like the tongue or a strap; ligulate.

LINIGEROUS Li*nig"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. linum flax + -gerous.]

Defn: Bearing flax; producing linen.

LINIMENT Lin"i*ment, n. Etym: [L. linimentum, fr. linire, linere, to besmear, anoint : cf. F. liniment. Cf. Letter, Lime a viscous substance.]

Defn: A liquid or semiliquid preparation of a consistence thinner than an ointment, applied to the skin by friction, esp. one used as a sedative or a stimulant.

LINING Lin"ing, n. Etym: [See Line to cover the in side.]

1. The act of one who lines; the act or process of making lines, or of inserting a lining.

2. That which covers the inner surface of anything, as of a garment or a box; also, the contents of anything. The lining of his coffers shall make coats To deck our soldiers. Shak.

LINK Link, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupted from lint and this for lunt a torch, match, D. lont match; akin to G. lunte, cf. MHG. lünden to burn. Cf. Lunt, Linstock.]

Defn: A torch made of tow and pitch, or the like. Shak.

LINK Link, n. Etym: [OE. linke, AS. hlence; akin to Sw. länk ring of a chain, Dan. lænke chain, Icel. hlekkr; cf. G. gelenk joint, link, ring of a chain, lenken to bend.]

1. A single ring or division of a chain.

2. Hence: Anything, whether material or not, which binds together, or connects, separate things; a part of a connected series; a tie; a bond. "Links of iron." Shak.

The link of brotherhood, by which One common Maker bound me to the kind. Cowper. And so by double links enchained themselves in lover's life. Gascoigne.

3. Anything doubled and closed like a link; as, a link of horsehair. Mortimer.

4. (Kinematics)

Defn: Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.

5. (Mach.)

Defn: Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (Steam Engine), the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.

6. (Surveying)

Defn: The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length. Cf. Chain, n., 4.

7. (Chem.)

Defn: A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; -- applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.

8. pl.

Defn: Sausages; -- because linked together. [Colloq.]

LINK Link, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Linked; p. pr. & vb. n. Linking.]

Defn: To connect or unite with a link or as with a link; to join; to attach; to unite; to couple. All the tribes and nations that composed it [the Roman Empire] were linked together, not only by the same laws and the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication. Eustace.

LINK Link, v. i.

Defn: To be connected. No one generation could link with the other. Burke.

LINKAGE Link"age, n.

1. The act of linking; the state of being linked; also, a system of links.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Manner of linking or of being linked; -- said of the union of atoms or radicals in the molecule.

3. (Geom.)

Defn: A system of straight lines or bars, fastened together by joins, and having certain of their points fixed in a plane. It is used to describe straight lines and curves in the plane.

LINKBOY; LINKMAN Link"boy`, Link"man, n. Etym: [See 1st Link.]

Defn: A boy or man that carried a link or torch to light passengers.

LINK MOTION Link" mo"tion. (Steam Engine)

Defn: A valve gear, consisting of two eccentrics with their rods, giving motion to a slide valve by an adjustable connecting bar, called the link, in such a way that the motion of the engine can be reversed, or the cut-off varied, at will; -- used very generally in locomotives and marine engines.

Note: The illustration shows a link motion for a vertical engine, c representing the shaft carrying two eccentrics, a and b, for making the engine run forward and backward, respectively, their rods e and d being jointed to opposite ends of the slotted link f, in the opening of which is a pin g which is attached to the valve rod h. The valve will receive the motion of the forward eccentric when is in the position shown, and the motion of the backward eccentric when the link is shifted so far to the right as to bring e in line with h, or a compound motion derived from both eccentrics when the link is shifted to intermediate positions, the compound motion causing the valve to cut off the steam at a point determined by the position to which the link may have been shifted.

LINKS Links, n. [The pl. form of Link, but often construed as a sing.]

Defn: A tract of ground laid out for the game of golf; a golfing green.

A second links has recently been opened at Prestwick, and another at Troon, on the same coast. P. P. Alexander.

LINKWORK Link"work`, n.

1. A fabric consisting of links made of metal or other material fastened together; also, a chain. And thou shalt make hooks of gold, and two chains of fine gold; linkwork and wreathed. Udall.

2. Mechanism in which links, or intermediate connecting pieces, are employed to transmit motion from one part to another.

LINNAEA BOREALIS Lin*næ"a bo`re*a"lis. Etym: [NL.Linnaeus Linnæan + L. borealis northern.] (Bot.)

Defn: The twin flower which grows in cold northern climates.

LINNAEAN; LINNEAN Lin*næ"an, Lin*ne"an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Linnæus, the celebrated Swedish botanist. Linnaean system (Bot.), the system in which the classes are founded mainly upon the stamens, and the orders upon the pistils; the artificial or sexual system.

LINNAEITE Lin*næ"ite, n. Etym: [See Linnæan.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of pale steel-gray color and metallic luster, occurring in isometric crystals, and also massive. It is a sulphide of cobalt containing some nickel or copper.

LINNE Linne, n.

Defn: Flax. See Linen. [Obs.]

LINNET Lin"net, n. Etym: [F. linot, linotte, from L. linum flax; or perh. shortened from AS.linetwige, fr. AS. lin flax; -- so called because it feeds on the seeds of flax and hemp. See Linen.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of fringilline birds of the genera Linota, Acanthis, and allied genera, esp. the common European species (L. cannabina), which, in full summer plumage, is chestnut brown above, with the breast more or less crimson. The feathers of its head are grayish brown, tipped with crimson. Called also gray linnet, red linnet, rose linnet, brown linnet, lintie, lintwhite, gorse thatcher, linnet finch, and greater redpoll. The American redpoll linnet (Acanthis linaria) often has the crown and throat rosy. See Redpoll, and Twite. Green linnet (Zoöl.), the European green finch.

LINOLEATE Li*no"le*ate, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of linoleic acid.

LINOLEIC Li*no"le*ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, linoleum, or linseed oil; specifically (Chem.), designating an organic acid, a thin yellow oil, found combined as a salt of glycerin in oils of linseed, poppy, hemp, and certain nuts.

LINOLEUM Li*no"le*um, n. Etym: [L. linum flax + oleum oil.]

1. Linseed oil brought to various degrees of hardness by some oxidizing process, as by exposure to heated air, or by treatment with chloride of sulphur. In this condition it is used for many of the purposes to which India rubber has been applied.

2. A kind of floor cloth made by laying hardened linseed oil mixed with ground cork on a canvas backing.

LINOTYPE Lin"o*type, n. [See Line ; Type.] (Print.) (a) A kind of typesetting machine which produces castings, each of which corresponds to a line of separate types. By pressing upon keys like those of a typewriter the matrices for one line are properly arranged; the stereotype, or slug, is then cast and planed, and the matrices are returned to their proper places, the whole process being automatic. (b) The slug produced by the machine, or matter composed in such lines. --Lin"o*typ`ist (#), n.

LINOXIN Li*nox"in, n. Etym: [Linoleic + oxygen.] (Chem.)

Defn: A resinous substance obtained as an oxidation product of linoleic acid. [Written also linoxyn.]

LINSANG Lin*sang", n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any viverrine mammal of the genus Prionodon, inhabiting the East Indies and Southern Asia. The common East Indian linsang (P. gracilis) is white, crossed by broad, black bands. The Guinea linsang (Porana Richardsonii) is brown with black spots.