Chapter LI: Bella (12)

5. Important; necessary. [Obs.] That which thou aright Believest so main to our success, I bring. Milton. By main force, by mere force or sheer force; by violent effort; as, to subdue insurrection by main force. That Maine which by main force Warwick did win. Shak. -- By main strength, by sheer strength; as, to lift a heavy weight by main strength. -- Main beam (Steam Engine), working beam. -- Main boom (Naut.), the boom which extends the foot of the mainsail in a fore and aft vessel. -- Main brace. (a) (Mech.) The brace which resists the chief strain. Cf. Counter brace. (b) (Naut.) The brace attached to the main yard. -- Main center (Steam Engine), a shaft upon which a working beam or side lever swings. -- Main chance. See under Chance. -- Main couple (Arch.), the principal truss in a roof. -- Main deck (Naut.), the deck next below the spar deck; the principal deck. -- Main keel (Naut.), the principal or true keel of a vessel, as distinguished from the false keel.

Syn. -- Principal; chief; leading; cardinal; capital.

MAIN Main, adv. Etym: [See Main, a.]

Defn: Very extremely; as, main heavy. "I'm main dry." Foote. [Obs. or Low]

MAINE Maine, n.

Defn: One of the New England States. Maine law, any law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages, esp. one resembling that enacted in the State of Maine.

MAIN-GAUCHE Main`-gauche" (mâN`gosh"), n. Etym: [F., the left hand.] (Ancient Armor)

Defn: The dagger held in the left hand, while the rapier is held in the right; -- used to parry thrusts of the adversary's rapier.

MAIN-HAMPER Main"-ham`per, n. Etym: [F. main hand (see Main a hand at dice) + E. hamper.]

Defn: A hamper to be carried in the hand; a hand basket used in carrying grapes to the press.

MAINLAND Main"land`, n.

Defn: The continent; the principal land; -- opposed to island, or peninsula. Dryden. After the two wayfarers had crossed from the peninsula to the mainland. Hawthorne.

MAINLY Main"ly, adv. Etym: [From main strong. See Main strength.]

Defn: Very strongly; mightily; to a great degree. [Obs.] Bacon. Shak.

MAINLY Main"ly, adv. Etym: [From main principal, chief.]

Defn: Principally; chiefly.

MAINMAST Main"mast`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The principal mast in a ship or other vessel.

MAINOR Main"or, n. Etym: [Anglo-Norm. meinoure, OF. manuevre. See Maneuver.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: A thing stolen found on the person of the thief.

Note: A thief was said to be "taken with the mainor," when he was taken with the thing stolen upon him, that is, in his hands. Wharton. Bouvier.

MAINPERNABLE Main"per*na*ble, a. Etym: [OF. main hand + pernable, for prenable, that may be taken, pregnable. See Mainpernor.] (Law)

Defn: Capable of being admitted to give surety by mainpernors; able to be mainprised.

MAINPERNOR Main"per*nor, n. Etym: [OF. main hand + pernor, for preneor, a taker, F. preneur, fr. prendre to take.] (Law)

Defn: A surety, under the old writ of mainprise, for a prisoner's appearance in court at a day.

Note: Mainpernors differ from bail in that a man's bail may imprison or surrender him before the stipulated day of appearance; mainpernors can do neither; they are bound to produce him to answer all charges whatsoever. Blackstone.

MAINPIN Main"pin, n. (Vehicles)

Defn: A kingbolt.

MAINPRISE Main"prise, n. Etym: [F. main hand + prise a taking, fr. prendre, p. p. pris to take, fr. L. prehendere, prehensum.] (Law) (a) A writ directed to the sheriff, commanding him to take sureties, called mainpernors, for the prisoner's appearance, and to let him go at large. This writ is now obsolete. Wharton. (b) Deliverance of a prisoner on security for his appearance at a day.

MAINPRISE Main"prise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mainprised; p. pr. & vb. n. Mainprising.] (Law)

Defn: To suffer to go at large, on his finding sureties, or mainpernors, for his appearance at a day; -- said of a prisoner.

MAINS Mains, n. Etym: [Scot. See Manse.]

Defn: The farm attached to a mansion house. [Scot.]

MAINSAIL Main"sail`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The principal sail in a ship or other vessel. [They] hoised up the mainsail to the wind. Acts xxvii. 40.

Note: The mainsail of a ship is extended upon a yard attached to the mainmast, and that of a sloop or schooner upon the boom.

MAINSHEET Main"sheet`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: One of the ropes by which the mainsail is hauled aft and trimmed.

MAINSPRING Main"spring`, n.

Defn: The principal or most important spring in a piece of mechanism, especially the moving spring of a watch or clock or the spring in a gunlock which impels the hammer. Hence: The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient cause of action.

MAINSTAY Main"stay`, n.

1. (Naut.)

Defn: The stay extending from the foot of the foremast to the maintop.

2. Main support; principal dependence. The great mainstay of the Church. Buckle.

MAINSWEAR Main"swear`, v. i. Etym: [AS. manswerian to forswear; man sin, crime + swerian to swear.]

Defn: To swear falsely. [Obs.] Blount.

MAINTAIN Main*tain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maintained; p. pr. & vb. n. Maintaining.] Etym: [OE. maintenen, F. maintenir, properly, to hold by the hand; main hand (L. manus) + F. tenir to hold (L.tenere). See Manual, and Tenable.]

1. To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation.

2. To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish. God values . . . every one as he maintains his post. Grew.

3. To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail. Maintain talk with the duke. Shak.

4. To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed. Glad, by his labor, to maintain his life. Stirling. What maintains one vice would bring up two children. Franklin.

5. To affirm; to support or defend by argument. It is hard to maintain the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it. South.

Syn. -- To assert; vindicate; allege. See Assert.

MAINTAINABLE Main*tain"a*ble, a.

Defn: That maybe maintained.

MAINTAINER Main*tain"er, n.

Defn: One who maintains.

MAINTAINOR Main*tain"or, n. Etym: [OF. mainteneor, F. mainteneur.] (Crim. Law)

Defn: One who, not being interested, maintains a cause depending between others, by furnishing money, etc., to either party. Bouvier. Wharton.

MAINTENANCE Main"te*nance, n. Etym: [OF. maintenance. See Maintain.]

1. The act of maintaining; sustenance; support; defense; vindication. Whatsoever is granted to the church for God's honor and the maintenance of his service, is granted to God. South.

2. That which maintains or supports; means of sustenance; supply of necessaries and conveniences. Those of better fortune not making learning their maintenance. Swift.

3. (Crim. Law)

Defn: An officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others, by assisting either party with money or means to carry it on. See Champerty. Wharton. Cap of maintenance. See under Cap.

MAINTOP Main"top`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The platform about the head of the mainmast in square-rigged vessels.

MAIN YARD Main" yard`. (Naut.)

Defn: The yard on which the mainsail is extended, supported by the mainmast.

MAIOID Mai"oid, a. Etym: [Maia + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Maia, or family Maiadeæ.

MAISTER Mais"ter, n.

Defn: Master. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

MAISTER Mais"ter, a.

Defn: Principal; chief. [Obs.] Chaucer.

MAISTRE; MAISTRIE; MAISTRY Mais"tre, Mais"trie, Mais"try, n.

Defn: Mastery; superiority; art. See Mastery. [Obs.] Chaucer.

MAISTRESS Mais"tress, n.

Defn: Mistress. [Obs.] Chaucer.

MAITHES Mai"thes, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Maghet.

MAIZE Maize, n. Etym: [Sp. maiz. fr. mahiz or mahis, i (Bot.)

Defn: A large species of American grass of the genus Zea (Z. Mays), widely cultivated as a forage and food plant; Indian corn. Also, its seed, growing on cobs, and used as food for men animals. Maize eater (Zoöl.), a South American bird of the genus Pseudoleistes, allied to the troupials. -- Maize yellow, a delicate pale yellow.

MAJESTATIC; MAJESTATAL Maj`es*tat"ic, Maj`es*tat"*al, a.

Defn: Majestic. [Obs.] E. Pocock. Dr. J. Scott.

MAJESTIC Ma*jes"tic, a. Etym: [From Majesty.]

Defn: Possessing or exhibiting majesty; of august dignity, stateliness, or imposing grandeur; lofty; noble; grand. "The majestic world." Shak. "Tethys'grave majestic pace." Milton. The least portions must be of the epic kind; all must be grave, majestic, and sublime. Dryden .

Syn. -- August; splendid; grand; sublime; magnificent; imperial; regal; pompous; stately; lofty; dignified; elevated.

MAJESTICAL Ma*jes"tic*al, a.

Defn: Majestic. Cowley. An older architecture, greater, cunninger, more majestical. M. Arnold. -- Ma*jes"tic*al*ly, adv. -- Ma*jes"tic*al*ness, n.

MAJESTICNESS Ma*jes"tic*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being majestic. Oldenburg.

MAJESTY Maj"es*ty, n.; pl. Majesties. Etym: [OE. magestee, F. majesté, L. majestas, fr. an old compar. of magnus great. See Major, Master.]

Defn: The dignity and authority of sovereign power; quality or state which inspires awe or reverence; grandeur; exalted dignity, whether proceeding from rank, character, or bearing; imposing loftiness; stateliness; -- usually applied to the rank and dignity of sovereigns. The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty. Ps. xciii. 1. No sovereign has ever represented the majesty of great state with more dignity and grace. Macaulay.

2. Hence, used with the possessive pronoun, the title of an emperor, king or queen; -- in this sense taking a plural; as, their majesties attended the concert. In all the public writs which he [Emperor Charles V.] now issued as King of Spain, he assumed the title of Majesty, and required it from his subjects as a mark of respect. Before that time all the monarchs of Europe were satisfied with the appellation of Highness or Grace. Robertson.

3. Dignity; elevation of manner or style. Dryden.

MAJOLICA Ma*jol"i*ca, n. Etym: [It.]

Defn: A kind of pottery, with opaque glazing and showy, which reached its greatest perfection in Italy in the 16th century.

Note: The term is said to be derived from Majorca, which was an early seat of this manufacture. Heyse.

MAJOR Ma"jor, Etym: [L. major, compar. of magnus great: cf. F. majeur. Cf. Master, Mayor, Magnitude, More, a.]

1. Greater in number, quantity, or extent; as, the major part of the assembly; the major part of the revenue; the major part of the territory.

2. Of greater dignity; more important. Shak.

3. Of full legal age. [Obs.]

4. (Mus.)

Defn: Greater by a semitone, either in interval or in difference of pitch from another tone. Major axis (Geom.), the greater axis. See Focus, n., 2. -- Major key (Mus.), a key in which one and two, two and three, four and five, five and six and seven, make major seconds, and three and four, and seven and eight, make minor seconds. -- Major offense (Law), an offense of a greater degree which contains a lesser offense, as murder and robbery include assault. -- Major premise (Logic), that premise of a syllogism which contains the major term. -- Major scale (Mus.), the natural diatonic scale, which has semitones between the third and fourth, and seventh and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees; the scale of the major mode, of which the third is major. See Scale, and Diatonic. -- Major second (Mus.), a second between whose tones is a difference in pitch of a step. -- Major sixth (Mus.), a sixth of four steps and a half step. In major keys the third and sixth from the key tone are major. Major keys and intervals, as distinguished from minors, are more cheerful. -- Major term (Logic), that term of a syllogism which forms the predicate of the conclusion. -- Major third (Mus.), a third of two steps.

MAJOR Ma"jor, n. Etym: [F. major. See Major, a.]

1. (Mil.)

Defn: An officer next in rank above a captain and next below a lieutenant colonel; the lowest field officer.

2. (Law)

Defn: A person of full age.

3. (Logic)

Defn: That premise which contains the major term. It its the first proposition of a regular syllogism; as: No unholy person is qualified for happiness in heaven [the major]. Every man in his natural state is unholy [minor]. Therefore, no man in his natural state is qualified for happiness in heaven [conclusion or inference].

Note: In hypothetical syllogisms, the hypothetical premise is called the major.

4. Etym: [LL. See Major.]

Defn: A mayor. [Obs.] Bacon.

MAJORAT Ma`jo`rat", n. Etym: [F. majorat, LL. majoratus. See Major, a., and cf. Majorate.]

1. The right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe.

2. (French Law)

Defn: Property, landed or funded, so attached to a title of honor as to descend with it.

MAJORATE Ma"jor*ate, n.

Defn: The office or rank of a major.

MAJORATE Ma"jor*ate, v. t. Etym: [LL. majorare to augment. See Major, a.]

Defn: To augment; to increase. [Obs.] Howell.

MAJORATION Ma`jor*a"tion, n.

Defn: Increase; enlargement. [Obs.] Bacon.

MAJORCAN Ma*jor"can, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Majorca. -- n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Majorca.

MAJOR-DOMO Ma`jor-do"mo, n. Etym: [Sp. mayordomo, or It. maggiordomo; both fr. LL. majordomus; L. major greater + domus house.]

Defn: A man who has authority to act, within certain limits, as master of the house; a steward; also, a chief minister or officer.

MAJOR GENERAL Ma"jor gen"er*al

Defn: . An officer of the army holding a rank next above that of brigadier general and next below that of lieutenant general, and who usually commands a division or a corps.

MAJORITY Ma*jor"i*ty, n.; pl. Majorities. Etym: [F. majorité. See Major.]

1. The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically: (a) The military rank of a major. (b) The condition of being of full age, or authorized by law to manage one's own affairs.

2. The greater number; more than half; as, a majority of mankind; a majority of the votes cast.

3. Etym: [Cf. L. majores.]

Defn: Ancestors; ancestry. [Obs.]

4. The amount or number by which one aggregate exceeds all other aggregates with which it is contrasted; especially, the number by which the votes for a successful candidate exceed those for all other candidates; as, he is elected by a majority of five hundred votes. See Plurality. To go over to, or To join, the majority, to die.

MAJORSHIP Ma"jor*ship, n.

Defn: The office of major.

MAJOUN Maj"oun, n.

Defn: See Madjoun.

MAJUSCULAE Ma*jus"cu*læ, n. pl. Etym: [L., fem. pl. fr. majusculus somewhat greater or great, dim. of major, majus. See Major.] (Palæography)

Defn: Capital letters, as found in manuscripts of the sixth century and earlier.

MAJUSCULE Ma*jus"cule, n. Etym: [Cf. F. majuscule. See Majusculæ.]

Defn: A capital letter; especially, one used in ancient manuscripts. See Majusculæ. Majuscule writing, writing composed wholly of capital letters, especially the style which prevailed in Europe from the third to the sixth century.

MAKABLE Mak"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being made.

MAKARON Mak"a*ron, n.

Defn: See Macaroon, 2. [Obs.]

MAKE Make, n. Etym: [AS. maca, gemaca. See Match.]

Defn: A companion; a mate; often, a husband or a wife. [Obs.] For in this world no woman is Worthy to be my make. Chaucer.

MAKE Make, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Made; p. pr. & vb. n. Making.] Etym: [OE. maken, makien, AS. macian; akin to OS. mak, OFries. makia, D. maken, G. machen, OHG. mahh to join, fit, prepare, make, Dan. mage. Cf. Match an equal.]

1. To cause to exist; to bring into being; to form; to produce; to frame; to fashion; to create. Hence, in various specific uses or applications: (a) To form of materials; to cause to exist in a certain form; to construct; to fabricate. He . . . fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. Ex. xxxii. 4.

(b) To produce, as something artificial, unnatural, or false; -- often with up; as, to make up a story. And Art, with her contending, doth aspire To excel the natural with made delights. Spenser.

(c) To bring about; to bring forward; to be the cause or agent of; to effect, do, perform, or execute; -- often used with a noun to form a phrase equivalent to the simple verb that corresponds to such noun; as, to make complaint, for to complain; to make record of, for to record; to make abode, for to abide, etc. Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. Judg. xvi. 25. Wealth maketh many friends. Prov. xix. 4. I will neither plead my age nor sickness in excuse of the faults which I have made. Dryden.

(d) To execute with the requisite formalities; as, to make a bill, note, will, deed, etc. (e) To gain, as the result of one's efforts; to get, as profit; to make acquisition of; to have accrue or happen to one; as, to make a large profit; to make an error; to make a loss; to make money. He accuseth Neptune unjustly who makes shipwreck a second time. Bacon.

(f) To find, as the result of calculation or computation; to ascertain by enumeration; to find the number or amount of, by reckoning, weighing, measurement, and the like; as, he made the distance of; to travel over; as, the ship makes ten knots an hour; he made the distance in one day. (h) To put a desired or desirable condition; to cause to thrive. Who makes or ruins with a smile or frown. Dryden.

2. To cause to be or become; to put into a given state verb, or adjective; to constitute; as, to make known; to make public; to make fast. Who made thee a prince and a judge over us Ex. ii. 14. See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh. Ex. vii. 1.

Note: When used reflexively with an adjective, the reflexive pronoun is often omitted; as, to make merry; to make bold; to make free, etc.

3. To cause to appear to be; to constitute subjectively; to esteem, suppose, or represent. He is not that goose and ass that Valla would make him. Baker.

4. To require; to constrain; to compel; to force; to cause; to occasion; -- followed by a noun or pronoun and infinitive.

Note: In the active voice the to of the infinitive is usually omitted. I will make them hear my words. Deut. iv. 10. They should be made to rise at their early hour. Locke.

5. To become; to be, or to be capable of being, changed or fashioned into; to do the part or office of; to furnish the material for; as, he will make a good musician; sweet cider makes sour vinegar; wool makes warm clothing. And old cloak makes a new jerkin. Shak.

6. To compose, as parts, ingredients, or materials; to constitute; to form; to amount to. The heaven, the air, the earth, and boundless sea, Make but one temple for the Deity. Waller.

7. To be engaged or concerned in. [Obs.] Gomez, what makest thou here, with a whole brotherhood of city bailiffs Dryden.

8. To reach; to attain; to arrive at or in sight of. "And make the Libyan shores." Dryden. They that sail in the middle can make no land of either side. Sir T. Browne. To make a bed, to prepare a bed for being slept on, or to put it in order. -- To make a card (Card Playing), to take a trick with it. -- To make account. See under Account, n. -- To make account of, to esteem; to regard. -- To make away. (a) To put out of the way; to kill; to destroy. [Obs.] If a child were crooked or deformed in body or mind, they made him away. Burton. (b) To alienate; to transfer; to make over. [Obs.] Waller. -- To make believe, to pretend; to feign; to simulate. -- To make bold, to take the liberty; to venture. -- To make the cards (Card Playing), to shuffle the pack. -- To make choice of, to take by way of preference; to choose. -- To make danger, to make experiment. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl. -- To make default (Law), to fail to appear or answer. -- To make the doors, to shut the door. [Obs.] Make the doors upon a woman's wit, and it will out at the casement. Shak. - To make free with. See under Free, a. -- To make good. See under Good. -- To make head, to make headway. -- To make light of. See under Light, a. -- To make little of. (a) To belittle. (b) To accomplish easily. -- To make love to. See under Love, n. -- To make meat, to cure meat in the open air. [Colloq. Western U. S.] -- To make merry, to feast; to be joyful or jovial. -- To make much of, to treat with much consideration,, attention, or fondness; to value highly. -- To make no bones. See under Bone, n. -- To make no difference, to have no weight or influence; to be a matter of indifference. -- To make no doubt, to have no doubt. -- To make no matter, to have no weight or importance; to make no difference. -- To make oath (Law), to swear, as to the truth of something, in a prescribed form of law. -- To make of. (a) To understand or think concerning; as, not to know what to make of the news. (b) To pay attention to; to cherish; to esteem; to account. "Makes she no more of me than of a slave." Dryden. -- To make one's law (Old Law), to adduce proof to clear one's self of a charge. -- To make out. (a) To find out; to discover; to decipher; as, to make out the meaning of a letter. (b) To prove; to establish; as, the plaintiff was unable to make out his case. (c) To make complete or exact; as, he was not able to make out the money. -- To make over, to transfer the title of; to convey; to alienate; as, he made over his estate in trust or in fee. -- To make sail. (Naut.) (a) To increase the quantity of sail already extended. (b) To set sail. -- To make shift, to manage by expedients; as, they made shift to do without it. [Colloq.]. -- To make sternway, to move with the stern foremost; to go or drift backward. -- To make strange, to act in an unfriendly manner or as if surprised; to treat as strange; as, to make strange of a request or suggestion. -- To make suit to, to endeavor to gain the favor of; to court. -- To make sure. See under Sure. -- To make up. (a) To collect into a sum or mass; as, to make up the amount of rent; to make up a bundle or package. (b) To reconcile; to compose; as, to make up a difference or quarrel. (c) To supply what is wanting in; to complete; as, a dollar is wanted to make up the stipulated sum. (d) To compose, as from ingredients or parts; to shape, prepare, or fabricate; as, to make up a mass into pills; to make up a story. He was all made up of love and charms! Addison. (e) To compensate; to make good; as, to make up a loss. (f) To adjust, or to arrange for settlement; as, to make up accounts. (g) To dress and paint for a part, as an actor; as, he was well made up. -- To make up a face, to distort the face as an expression of pain or derision. -- To make up one's mind, to reach a mental determination; to resolve. -- To make water. (a) (Naut.) To leak. (b) To urinate. -- To make way, or To make one's way. (a) To make progress; to advance. (b) To open a passage; to clear the way. -- To make words, to multiply words.

MAKE Make, v. i.

1. To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; -- often in the phrase to meddle or make. [Obs.] A scurvy, jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make. Shak.

2. To proceed; to tend; to move; to go; as, he made toward home; the tiger made at the sportsmen.

Note: Formerly, authors used to make on, to make forth, to make about; but these phrases are obsolete. We now say, to make at, to make away, to make for, to make off, to make toward, etc.

3. To tend; to contribute; to have effect; -- with for or against; as, it makes for his advantage. M. Arnold. Follow after the things which make for peace. Rom. xiv. 19. Considerations infinite Do make against it. Shak.

4. To increase; to augment; to accrue.

5. To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify. [Archaic] Chaucer. Tennyson. To solace him some time, as I do when I make. P. Plowman. To make as if, or To make as though, to pretend that; to make show that; to make believe (see under Make, v. t.). Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled. Josh. viii. 15. My lord of London maketh as though he were greatly displeased with me. Latimer. -- To make at, to go toward hastily, or in a hostile manner; to attack. -- To make away with. (a) To carry off. (b) To transfer or alienate; hence, to spend; to dissipate. (c) To kill; to destroy. -- To make off, to go away suddenly. -- To make out, to succeed; to be able at last; to make shift; as, he made out to reconcile the contending parties. -- To make up, to become reconciled or friendly. -- To make up for, to compensate for; to supply an equivalent for. -- To make up to. (a) To approach; as, a suspicious boat made up to us. (b) To pay addresses to; to make love to. -- To make up with, to become reconciled to. [Colloq.] -- To make with, to concur or agree with. Hooker.

MAKE Make, n.

Defn: Structure, texture, constitution of parts; construction; shape; form. It our perfection of so frail a make As every plot can undermine and shake Dryden. On the make,bent upon making great profits; greedy of gain. [Low, U. S.]

MAKE AND BREAK Make and break. (Elec.)

Defn: Any apparatus for making and breaking an electric circuit; a circuit breaker.

MAKEBATE Make"bate`, n. Etym: [Make, v. + bate a quarrel.]

Defn: One who excites contentions and quarrels. [Obs.]

MAKE-BELIEF Make"-be*lief`, n.

Defn: A feigning to believe; make believe. J. H. Newman.

MAKE-BELIEVE Make"-be*lieve`, n.

Defn: A feigning to believe, as in the play of children; a mere pretense; a fiction; an invention. "Childlike make-believe." Tylor. To forswear self-delusion and make-believe. M. Arnold.

MAKE-BELIEVE Make"-be*lieve`, a.

Defn: Feigned; insincere. "Make-believe reverence." G. Eliot.

MAKED Mak"ed, obs. p. p. of Make.

Defn: Made. Chaucer.

MAKE-GAME Make"-game`, n.

Defn: An object of ridicule; a butt. Godwin.

MAKELESS Make"less, a. Etym: [See 1st Make, and cf. Matchless, Mateless.]

1. Matchless. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. Without a mate. Shak.

MAKE-PEACE Make"-peace` (-pes`) n.

Defn: A peacemaker. [R.] Shak.

MAKER Mak"er (mak"er) n.,

1. One who makes, forms, or molds; a manufacturer; specifically, the Creator. The universal Maker we may praise. Milton.

2. (Law)

Defn: The person who makes a promissory note.

3. One who writes verses; a poet. [Obs.]

Note: "The Greeks named the poet poihth`s, which name, as the most excellent, hath gone through other languages. It cometh of this word poiei^n, make; wherein, I know not whether by luck or wisdom, we Englishmen have met well the Greeks in calling him a maker." Sir P. Sidney.

MAKESHIFT Make"shift`, n.

Defn: That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient. James Mill. I am not a model clergyman, only a decent makeshift. G. Eliot.

MAKE-UP Make"-up`, n.

Defn: The way in which the parts of anything are put together; often, the way in which an actor is dressed, painted, etc., in personating a character. The unthinking masses are necessarily teleological in their mental make-up. L. F. Ward.

MAKEWEIGHT Make"weight` (, n.

Defn: That which is thrown into a scale to make weight; something of little account added to supply a deficiency or fill a gap.

MAKI Ma"ki, n. Etym: [F., from native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A lemur. See Lemur.

MAKING Mak"ing, n.

1. The act of one who makes; workmanship; fabrication; construction; as, this is cloth of your own making; the making of peace or war was in his power.

2. Composition, or structure.

3. a poem.[Obs.] Sir J. Davies.

4. That which establishes or places in a desirable state or condition; the material of which something may be made; as, early misfortune was the making of him.

5. External appearance; from. [Obs.] Shak.

MAKING-IRON Mak"ing-i`ron, n.

Defn: A tool somewhat like a chisel with a groove in it, used by calkers of ships to finish the seams after the oakum has been driven in.

MAKING-UP Mak"ing-up`, n.

1. The act of bringing spirits to a certain degree of strength, called proof.

2. The act of becoming reconciled or friendly.

MAL- Mal-

Defn: . A prefix in composition denoting ill,or evil, F. male, adv., fr. malus, bad, ill. In some words it has the form male-, as in malediction, malevolent. See Malice.

Note: The formmale- is chiefly used in cases where the c, either alone or with other letters, is pronounced as a separate syllable, as in malediction, malefactor, maleficent, etc. Where this is not the case, as in malfeasance or male-feasance, malformation or male- formation, etc., as also where the word to which it is prefixed commences with a vowel, as in maladministration, etc., the form malis to be preferred, and is the one commonly employed.

MALA Ma"la, n.; pl. of Malum. Etym: [L.]

Defn: Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law. Mala in se Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. -- Mala prohibita Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses prohibited by statute, as distinguished from mala in se, which are offenses at common law.

MALABAR Mal"a*bar`, n.

Defn: A region in the western part of the Peninsula of India, between the mountains and the sea. Malabar nut (Bot.), the seed of an East Indian acanthaceous shrub, the Adhatoda Vasica, sometimes used medicinally.

MALACATUNE Mal`a*ca*tune", n.

Defn: See Melocoton.

MALACCA Ma*lac"ca, n.

Defn: A town and district upon the seacoast of the Malay Peninsula. Malacca cane (Bot.), a cane obtained from a species of palm of the genus Calamus (C. Scipionum), and of a brown color, often mottled. The plant is a native of Cochin China, Sumatra, and Malays.

MALACHITE Mal"a*chite, n. Etym: [Fr. Gr. malachite. Cf. Mallow.] (Min.)

Defn: Native hydrous carbonate of copper, usually occurring in green mammillary masses with concentric fibrous structure.

Note: Green malachite, or malachite proper, admits of a high polish, and is sometimes used for ornamental work. Blue malachite, or azurite, is a related species of a deep blue color. Malachite green. See Emerald green, under Green, n.

MALACISSANT Mal`a*cis"sant, a. Etym: [See Malacissation.]

Defn: Softening; relaxing. [Obs.]

MALACISSATION Mal`a*cis*sa"tion, n. Etym: [L. malacissare to make soft, Gr.

Defn: The act of making soft or supple. [Obs.] Bacon.

MALACOBDELLA Mal`a*cob*del"la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of nemertean worms, parasitic in the gill cavity of clams and other bivalves. They have a large posterior sucker, like that of a leech. See Illust. of Bdellomorpha.

MALACODERM Mal"a*co*derm, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of a tribe of beetles (Malacodermata), with a soft and flexible body, as the fireflies.

MALACOLITE Mal"a*co*lite, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of pyroxene.

MALACOLOGIST Mal`a*col"o*gist, n.

Defn: One versed in the science of malacology.

MALACOLOGY Mal`a*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. malacologie.]

Defn: The science which relates to the structure and habits of mollusks.

MALACOPODA Mal`a*cop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A class of air-breathing Arthropoda; -- called also Protracheata, and Onychophora.

Note: They somewhat resemble myriapods, and have from seventeen to thirty-three pairs of short, imperfectly jointed legs, two pairs of simple jaws, and a pair of antennæ. The trancheæ are connected with numerous spiracles scattered over the surface of the body. Peripatus is the only known genus. See Peripatus.

MALACOPTERYGIAN Mal`a*cop`ter*yg"i*an, n. Etym: [Cf. F. malacoptérygien.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Malacopterygii.

MALACOPTERYGII Mal`a*cop`te*ryg"i*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of fishes in which the fin rays, except the anterior ray of the pectoral and dorsal fins, are closely jointed, and not spiny. It includes the carp, pike, salmon, shad, etc. Called also Malacopteri.

MALACOPTERYGIOUS Mal`a*cop`ter*yg"i*ous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Belonging to the Malacopterygii.

MALACOSTEON Mal`a*cos"te*on, n. Etym: [NL., Gr. fr. (Med.)

Defn: A peculiar disease of the bones, in consequence of which they become softened and capable of being bent without breaking.

MALACOSTOMOUS Mal`a*cos"to*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having soft jaws without teeth, as certain fishes.

MALACOSTRACA Mal`a*cos"tra*ca, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A subclass of Crustacea, including Arthrostraca and Thoracostraca, or all those higher than the Entomostraca.

MALACOSTRACAN Mal`a*cos"tra*can, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Malacostraca.

MALACOSTRACOLOGY Mal`a*cos`tra*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Malacostracan + -logy.]

Defn: That branch of zoölogical science which relates to the crustaceans; -- called also carcinology.

MALACOSTRACOUS Mal`a*cos"tra*cous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Belonging to the Malacostraca.

MALACOTOON Mal`a*co*toon", n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Melocoton.

MALACOZOA Mal`a*co*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An extensive group of Invertebrata, including the Mollusca, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa. Called also Malacozoaria.

MALACOZOIC Mal`a*co*zo"ic, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Malacozoa.

MALADDRESS Mal`ad*dress", n. Etym: [Mal- + address.]

Defn: Bad address; an awkward, tactless, or offensive way of accosting one or talking with one. W. D. Howells.

MALADJUSTMENT Mal`ad*just"ment, n. Etym: [Mal- + adjustment.]

Defn: A bad adjustment.

MALADMINISTRATION Mal`ad*min`is*tra"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + administration.]

Defn: Bad administration; bad management of any business, especially of public affairs. [Written also maleadministration.]

MALADROIT Mal`a*droit", a. Etym: [F. See Malice, and Adroit.]

Defn: Of a quality opposed to adroitness; clumsy; awkward; unskillful. -- Mal"a*droit`ly, adv. -- Mal`a*droit"ness, n.

MALADY Mal"a*dy, n.; pl. Maladies. Etym: [F. maladie, fr. malade ill, sick, OF. also, malabde, fr. L. male habitus, i. e., ill-kept, not in good condition. See Malice, and Habit.]

1. Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder. The maladies of the body may prove medicines to the mind. Buckminster.

2. A moral or mental defect or disorder. Love's a malady without a cure. Dryden.

Syn. -- Disorder; distemper; sickness; ailment; disease; illness. See Disease.

MALAGA Mal"a*ga, n.

Defn: A city and a province of Spain, on the Mediterranean. Hence, Malaga grapes, Malaga raisins, Malaga wines.

MALAGASH Mal`a*gash", n.

Defn: Same as Malagasy.

MALAGASY Mal`a*gas"y, n. sing. & pl.

Defn: A native or natives of Madagascar; also (sing.), the language.

MALAISE Ma`laise", n. Etym: [F., fr. mal ill + aise ease.] (Med.)

Defn: An indefinite feeling of uneasiness, or of being sick or ill at ease.

MALAMATE Ma*lam"ate, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of malamic acid.

MALAMBO Ma*lam"bo, n. Etym: [Pg.]

Defn: A yellowish aromatic bark, used in medicine and perfumery, said to be from the South American shrub Croton Malambo.

MALAMETHANE Mal`am*eth"ane, n. Etym: [Malamic + ethane.] (Chem.)

Defn: A white crystalline substance forming the ethyl salt of malamic acid.

MALAMIC Ma*lam"ic, a. Etym: [Malic + amic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of or pertaining an acid intermediate between malic acid and malamide, and known only by its salts.

MALAMIDE Ma*lam"ide, n. Etym: [Malic + amide.] (Chem.)

Defn: The acid amide derived from malic acid, as a white crystalline substance metameric with asparagine.

MALANDERS Mal"an*ders, n. pl. Etym: [F. malandres, fr. L. malandria blisters or pustules on the neck, especially in horses.] (Far.)

Defn: A scurfy eruption in the bend of the knee of the fore leg of a horse. See Sallenders. [Written also mallenders.]

MALAPERT Mal"a*pert, a. Etym: [OF. malapert unskillful, ill-taught, ill-bred; mal ill + apert open, adroit, intelligent, L. apertus, p. p. of aperire to open. See Malice, and Aperient.]

Defn: Bold; forward; impudent; saucy; pert. Shak. -- n.

Defn: A malapert person. Are you growing malapert! Will you force me to make use of my authority Dryden. -- Mal"a*pert`ly, adv. -- Mal"a*pert`ness, n.

MALAPROPISM Mal"a*prop*ism, n. Etym: [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's drama, " The Rivals," who makes amusing blunders in her use of words. See Malapropos.]

Defn: A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.

MALAPROPOS Mal*ap"ro*pos`, a. & adv. Etym: [F. mal à propos; mal evil + à propos to the purpose.]

Defn: Unseasonable or unseasonably; unsuitable or unsuitably.

MALAPTERURUS Mal*ap`te*ru"rus, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of African siluroid fishes, including the electric catfishes. See Electric cat, under Electric.

MALAR Ma"lar, a. Etym: [L. mala the cheek: cf. F. malaire.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the region of the cheek bone, or to the malar bone; jugal.

MALAR Ma"lar, n. (Anat.)

Defn: The cheek bone, which forms a part of the lower edge of the orbit.

MALARIA Ma*la"ri*a, n. Etym: [It., contr. fr. malaaria bad air. See Malice, and Air.]

1. Air infected with some noxious substance capable of engendering disease; esp., an unhealthy exhalation from certain soils, as marshy or wet lands, producing fevers; miasma.

Note: The morbific agent in malaria is supposed by some to be a vegetable microbe or its spores, and by others to be a very minute animal blood parasite (an infusorian).

2. (Med.)

Defn: A morbid condition produced by exhalations from decaying vegetable matter in contact with moisture, giving rise to fever and ague and many other symptoms characterized by their tendency to recur at definite and usually uniform intervals.

MALARIAL; MALARIAN; MALARIOUS Ma*la"ri*al, Ma*la"ri*an, Ma*la"ri*ous, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining, to or infected by, malaria. Malarial fever (Med.), a fever produced by malaria, and characterized by the occurrence of chills, fever, and sweating in distinct paroxysms, At intervals of definite and often uniform duration, in which these symptoms are wholly absent (intermittent fever), or only partially so (remittent fever); fever and ague; chills and fever.

MALARIA PARASITE Malaria parasite.

Defn: Any of several minute protozoans of the genus Plasmodium (syn. Hæmatozoön) which in their adult condition live in the tissues of mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles (which see) and when transferred to the blood of man, by the bite of the mosquito, produce malaria. The young parasites, or sporozoites, enter the red blood corpuscles, growing at their expense, undergoing sporulation, and finally destroying the corpuscles, thus liberating in the blood plasma an immense number of small spores called merozoites. An indefinite but not ultimated number of such generations may follow, but if meanwhile the host is bitten by a mosquito, the parasites develop into gametes in the stomach of the insect. These conjugate, the zygote thus produced divides, forming spores, and eventually sporozoites, which, penetrating to the salivary glands of the mosquito, may be introduced into a new host. The attacks of the disease coincide with the dissolution of the corpuscles and liberation of the spores and products of growth of the parasites into the blood plasma. Several species of the parasite are distinguished, as P. vivax, producing tertian malaria; P. malariæ, quartan malaria; and P. (subgenus Laverania) falciferum, the malarial fever of summer and autumn common in the tropics.

MALASHAGANAY Ma`la*sha"ga*nay, n. Etym: [Indian name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The fresh-water drumfish (Haploidonotus grunniens).

MALASSIMILATION Mal`as*sim`i*la"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + assimilation.] (Physiol.) (a) Imperfect digestion of the several leading constituents of the food. (b) An imperfect elaboration by the tissues of the materials brought to them by the blood.

MALATE Ma"late, n. Etym: [L. malum apple: cf. F. malate. See Malic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of malic acid.

MALAX; MALAXATE Ma"lax, Ma*lax"ate, v. t. Etym: [L. malaxare, malaxatum, cf. Gr. malaxer.]

Defn: To soften by kneading or stirring with some thinner substance. [R.]

MALAXATION Mal`ax*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. malaxatio: cf. F. malaxation.]

Defn: The act of softening by mixing with a thinner substance; the formation of ingredients into a mass for pills or plasters. [R.]

MALAXATOR Mal"ax*a`tor, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, malaxates; esp., a machine for grinding, kneading, or stirring into a pasty or doughy mass. [R.]

MALAY Ma*lay", n.

Defn: One of a race of a brown or copper complexion in the Malay Peninsula and the western islands of the Indian Archipelago.

MALAY; MALAYAN Ma*lay", Ma*lay"an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Malays or their country. -- n.

Defn: The Malay language. Malay apple (Bot.), a myrtaceous tree (Eugenia Malaccensis) common in India; also, its applelike fruit.

MALAYALAM Ma"la*ya"lam, n.

Defn: The name given to one the cultivated Dravidian languages, closely related to the Tamil. Yule.

MALBROUCK Mal"brouck, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A West African arboreal monkey (Cercopithecus cynosurus).

MALCONFORMATION Mal*con`for*ma"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + conformation.]

Defn: Imperfect, disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of parts.

MALCONTENT Mal"con*tent`, a. Etym: [F., fr. mal ill + content. See Malice, Content.]

Defn: discontented; uneasy; dissatisfied; especially, dissatisfied with the government. [Written also malecontent.] The famous malcontent earl of Leicester. Milner.

MALCONTENT Mal"con*tent`, n. Etym: [F. malcontent.]

Defn: One who discontented; especially, a discontented subject of a government; one who express his discontent by words or overt acts. Spenser. Berkeley.

MALCONTENTED Mal`con*tent"ed, a.

Defn: Malcontent. -- Mal`con*tent"ed*ly, adv. -- Mal`con*tent"ed*ness, n.

MALDANIAN Mal*da"ni*an, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of marine annelids of the genus Maldane, or family Maldanidæ. They have a slender, round body, and make tubes in the sand or mud.

MALE- Male-

Defn: . See Mal-.

MALE Male, a. Etym: [L. malus. See Malice.]

Defn: Evil; wicked; bad. [Obs.] Marston.

MALE Male, n.

Defn: Same as Mail, a bag. [Obs.] Chaucer.

MALE Male, a. Etym: [F. mâle, OF. masle, mascle, fr. L. masculus male, masculine, dim. of mas a male; possibly akin to E. man. Cf. Masculine, Marry, v. t.]

1. Of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized; not female; as, male organs.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; - - said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.

3. Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.

4. Consisting of males; as, a male choir.

5. (Mech.)

Defn: Adapted for entering another corresponding piece (the female piece) which is hollow and which it fits; as, a male gauge, for gauging the size or shape of a hole; a male screw, etc. Male berry (Bot.), a kind of coffee. See Pea berry. -- Male fern (Bot.), a fern of the genus Aspidium (A. Filixmas), used in medicine as an anthelmintic, esp. against the tapeworm. Aspidium marginale in America, and A. athamanticum in South Africa, are used as good substitutes for the male fern in medical practice. See Female fern, under Female. -- Male rhyme, a rhyme in which only the last syllables agree, as laid, afraid, dismayed. See Female rhyme, under Female. -- Male screw (Mech.), a screw having threads upon its exterior which enter the grooves upon the inside of a corresponding nut or female screw. -- Male thread, the thread of a male screw.

MALE Male, n.

1. An animal of the male sex.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant bearing only staminate flowers.

MALEADMINISTRATION Male`ad*min`is*tra"tion, n.

Defn: Maladministration.

MALEATE Ma*le"ate, n.

Defn: A salt of maleic acid.

MALEBRANCHISM Male*branch"ism, n.

Defn: The philosophical system of Malebranche, an eminent French metaphysician. The fundamental doctrine of his system is that the mind can not have knowledge of anything external to itself except in its relation to God.

MALECONFORMATION Male*con`for*ma"tion, n.

Defn: Malconformation.

MALECONTENT Male"con*tent`, a.

Defn: Malcontent.

MALEDICENCY Mal`e*di"cen*cy, n. Etym: [L. maledicentia. See Maledicent.]

Defn: Evil speaking. [Obs.] Atterbury.

MALEDICENT Mal`e*di"cent, a. Etym: [L. maledicens, p. pr. of maledicere to speak ill; male ill + dicere to say, speak. See Malice, and Diction.]

Defn: Speaking reproachfully; slanderous. [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.

MALEDICT Mal"e*dict, a. Etym: [L. maledictus, p. p. of maledicere.]

Defn: Accursed; abominable. [R.]

MALEDICTION Mal`e*dic"tion, n. Etym: [L. maledictio: cf. F. malédiction. See Maledicent.]

Defn: A proclaiming of evil against some one; a cursing; imprecation; a curse or execration; -- opposed to benediction. No malediction falls from his tongue. Longfellow.

Syn. -- Cursing; curse; execration; imprecation; denunciation; anathema. -- Malediction, Curse, Imprecation, Execration. Malediction is the most general term, denoting bitter reproach, or wishes and predictions of evil. Curse implies the desire or threat of evil, declared upon oath or in the most solemn manner. Imprecation is literally the praying down of evil upon a person. Execration is literally a putting under the ban of excommunication, a curse which excludes from the kingdom of God. In ordinary usage, the last three words describe profane swearing, execration being the strongest.

MALEFACTION Mal`e*fac"tion, n. Etym: [See Malefactor.]

Defn: A crime; an offense; an evil deed. [R.] Shak.

MALEFACTOR Mal`e*fac"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. malefacere to do evil; male ill, evil + facere to do. See Malice, and Fact.]

1. An evil doer; one who commits a crime; one subject to public prosecution and punishment; a criminal.

2. One who does wrong by injuring another, although not a criminal. [Obs.] H. Brooke. Fuller.

Syn. -- Evil doer; criminal; culprit; felon; convict.

MALEFACTRESS Mal`e*fac"tress, n.

Defn: A female malefactor. Hawthorne.

MALEFEASANCE Male*fea"sance, n.

Defn: See Malfeasance.

MALEFIC Ma*lef"ic, a. Etym: [L. maleficus: cf. F. maléfique. See Malefaction.]

Defn: Doing mischief; causing harm or evil; nefarious; hurtful. [R.] Chaucer.

MALEFICE Mal"e*fice, n. Etym: [L. maleficium: cf. F. maléfice. See Malefactor.]

Defn: An evil deed; artifice; enchantment. [Obs.]

MALEFICENCE Ma*lef"i*cence, n. Etym: [L. maleficentia. Cf. Malfeasance.]

Defn: Evil doing, esp. to others.

MALEFICENT Ma*lef"i*cent, a. Etym: [See Malefic.]

Defn: Doing evil to others; harmful; mischievous.

MALEFICIAL Mal`e*fi"cial, a.

Defn: Injurious. Fuller.

MALEFICIATE Mal`e*fi"ci*ate, v. t. Etym: [LL. maleficiatus, p. p. of maleficiare to bewitch, fr. L. maleficium. See Malefice.]

Defn: To bewitch; to harm. [Obs.] Burton.

MALEFICIATION Mal`e*fi`ci*a"tion, n.

Defn: A bewitching. [Obs.]

MALEFICIENCE Mal`e*fi"cience, n. Etym: [See Maleficence.]

Defn: The doing of evil, harm, or mischief.

MALEFICIENT Mal`e*fi"cient, a. Etym: [See Maleficent.]

Defn: Doing evil, harm, or mischief.

MALEFORMATION Male`for*ma"tion, n.

Defn: See Malformation.

MALEIC Ma*le"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. maléique. See Malic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the ethylene series, metameric with fumaric acid and obtained by heating malic acid.

MALENGINE Ma*len"gine, n. Etym: [OF. malengin; L. malus bad, evil + ingenium natural capacity. See Engine.]

Defn: Evil machination; guile; deceit. [Obs.] Gower.

MALEO Ma"le*o, n. Etym: [From its native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A bird of Celebes (megacephalon maleo), allied to the brush turkey. It makes mounds in which to lay its eggs.

MALE-ODOR Male-o"dor, n.

Defn: See Malodor.

MALEPRACTICE Male*prac"tice, n.

Defn: See Malpractice.

MALE-SPIRITED Male"-spir`it*ed, a.

Defn: Having the spirit of a male; vigorous; courageous. [R.] B. Jonson.

MALET Mal"et, n. Etym: [F. mallette, dim. of malle. See Mail a bag.]

Defn: A little bag or budget. [Obs.] Shelton.

MALETREAT Male*treat", v. t.

Defn: See Maltreat.

MALEVOLENCE Ma*lev"o*lence, n. Etym: [L. malevolentia. See Malevolent.]

Defn: The quality or state of being malevolent; evil disposition toward another; inclination to injure others; ill will. See Synonym of Malice.

MALEVOLENT Ma*lev"o*lent, a. Etym: [L. malevolens, -entis; male ill + volens, p. pr. of velle to be willing or disposed, to wish. See Malice, and Voluntary.]

Defn: Wishing evil; disposed to injure others; rejoicing in another's misfortune.

Syn. -- Ill-disposed; envious; mischievous; evil-minded; spiteful; malicious; malignant; rancorous.

MALEVOLENTLY Ma*lev"o*lent*ly, adv.

Defn: In a malevolent manner.

MALEVOLOUS Ma*lev"o*lous, a. Etym: [L. malevolus; fr. male ill + velle to be disposed.]

Defn: Malevolent. [Obs.] Bp. Warburton.

MALEXECUTION Mal*ex`e*cu"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + execution.]

Defn: Bad execution. D. Webster.

MALEYL Ma*le"yl, n. Etym: [Maleic + -yl.] (Chem.)

Defn: A hypothetical radical derived from maleic acid.

MALFEASANCE Mal*fea"sance, n. Etym: [F. malfaisance, fr. malfaisant injurious, doing ill; mal ill, evil + faisant doing, p. pr. of faire to do. See Malice, Feasible, and cf. Maleficence.] (Law)

Defn: The doing of an act which a person ought not to do; evil conduct; an illegal deed. [Written also malefeasance.]

MALFORMATION Mal`for*ma"tion, n. Etym: [Mal- + forniation.]

Defn: Ill formation; irregular or anomalous formation; abnormal or wrong conformation or structure.

MALGRACIOUS Mal*gra"cious, a. Etym: [F. malgracieux.]

Defn: Not graceful; displeasing. [Obs.] Gower.

MALGRE Mal"gre, prep.

Defn: See Mauger.

MALIC Ma"lic, a. Etym: [L. malum an apple: cf. F. malique.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, apples; as, malic acid. Malic acid, a hydroxy acid obtained as a substance which is sirupy or crystallized with difficulty, and has a strong but pleasant sour taste. It occurs in many fruits, as in green apples, currants, etc. It is levorotatory or dextrorotatory according to the temperature and concentration. An artificial variety is a derivative of succinic acid, but has no action on polarized light, and thus malic acid is a remarkable case of physical isomerism.

MALICE Mal"ice, n. Etym: [F. malice, fr. L. malitia, from malus bad, ill, evil, prob. orig., dirty, black; cf. Gr. mala dirt. Cf. Mauger.]

1. Enmity of heart; malevolence; ill will; a spirit delighting in harm or misfortune to another; a disposition to injure another; a malignant design of evil. "Nor set down aught in malice." Shak. Envy, hatred, and malice are three distinct passions of the mind. Ld. Holt.

2. (Law)

Defn: Any wicked or mischievous intention of the mind; a depraved inclination to mischief; an intention to vex, annoy, or injure another person, or to do a wrongful act without just cause or cause or excuse; a wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others; willfulness. Malice aforethought or prepense, malice previously and deliberately entertained.

Syn. -- Spite; ill will; malevolence; grudge; pique; bitterness; animosity; malignity; maliciousness; rancor; virulence. See Spite. -- Malevolence, Malignity, Malignancy. Malice is a stronger word than malevolence, which may imply only a desire that evil may befall another, while malice desires, and perhaps intends, to bring it about. Malignity is intense and deepseated malice. It implies a natural delight in hating and wronging others. One who is malignant must be both malevolent and malicious; but a man may be malicious without being malignant. Proud tyrants who maliciously destroy And ride o'er ruins with malignant joy. Somerville. in some connections, malignity seems rather more pertinently applied to a radical depravity of nature, and malignancy to indications of this depravity, in temper and conduct in particular instances. Cogan.

MALICE Mal"ice, v. t.

Defn: To regard with extreme ill will. [Obs.]

MALICHO Mal"i*cho, n. Etym: [Sp. malhecho; mal bad + hecho deed, L. factum. See Fact.]

Defn: Mischief. [Obs.] Shak.

MALICIOUS Ma*li"cious, a. Etym: [Of. malicius, F. malicieux, fr. L. malitiosus. See Malice.]

1. Indulging or exercising malice; harboring ill will or enmity. I grant him bloody, . . . Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name. Shak.

2. Proceeding from hatred or ill will; dictated by malice; as, a malicious report; malicious mischief.

3. (Law)

Defn: With wicked or mischievous intentions or motives; wrongful and done intentionally without just cause or excuse; as, a malicious act. Malicious abandonment, the desertion of a wife or husband without just cause. Burrill. -- Malicious mischief (Law), malicious injury to the property of another; -- an offense at common law. Wharton. -- Malicious prosecution or arrest (Law), a wanton prosecution or arrest, by regular process in a civil or criminal proceeding, without probable cause. Bouvier.

Syn. -- Ill-disposed; evil-minded; mischievous; envious; malevolent; invidious; spiteful; bitter; malignant; rancorous; malign. -- Ma*li"cious*ly, adv. -- Ma*li"cious*ness, n.

MALIGN Ma*lign", a. Etym: [L. malignus, for maligenus, i. e., of a bad kind or nature; malus bad + the root of genus birth, race, kind: cf. F. malin, masc., maligne, fem. See Malice, Gender, and cf. Benign, Malignant.]

1. Having an evil disposition toward others; harboring violent enmity; malevolent; malicious; spiteful; -- opposed to benign. Witchcraft may be by operation of malign spirits. Bacon.

2. Unfavorable; unpropitious; pernicious; tending to injure; as, a malign aspect of planets.

3. Malignant; as, a malign ulcer. [R.] Bacon.

MALIGN Ma*lign", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maligned; p. pr. & vb. n. Maligning.] Etym: [Cf. L. malignare. See Malign, a.]

Defn: To treat with malice; to show hatred toward; to abuse; to wrong; to injure. [Obs.] The people practice what mischiefs and villainies they will against private men, whom they malign by stealing their goods, or murdering them. Spenser.

2. To speak great evil of; to traduce; to defame; to slander; to vilify; to asperse. To be envied and shot at; to be maligned standing, and to be despised falling. South.

MALIGN Ma*lign", v. i.

Defn: To entertain malice. [Obs.]

MALIGNANCE; MALIGNANCY Ma*lig"nance, Ma*lig"nan*cy , n. Etym: [See Malignant.]

1. The state or quality of being malignant; extreme malevolence; bitter enmity; malice; as, malignancy of heart.

2. Unfavorableness; evil nature. The malignancy of my fate might perhaps distemner yours. Shak.

3. (Med.)

Defn: Virulence; tendency to a fatal issue; as, the malignancy of an ulcer or of a fever.

4. The state of being a malignant.

Syn. -- Malice; malevolence; malignity. See Malice.

MALIGNANT Ma*lig"nant, a. Etym: [L. malignans, -antis, p. pr. of malignare, malignari, to do or make maliciously. See Malign, and cf. Benignant.]

1. Disposed to do harm, inflict suffering, or cause distress; actuated by extreme malevolence or enmity; virulently inimical; bent on evil; malicious. A malignant and a turbaned Turk. Shak.