Chapter LI: Bella (43)

The so-called nuraghi, conical monuments with truncated summits, 30- 60 ft. in height, 35-100 ft. in diameter at the base, constructed sometimes of hewn, and sometimes of unhewn blocks of stone without mortar. They are situated either on isolated eminences or on the slopes of the mountains, seldom on the plains, and usually occur in groups. They generally contain two (in some rare instances three) conically vaulted chambers, one above the other, and a spiral staircase constructed in the thick walls ascends to the upper stories. Baedeker.

NURL Nurl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nurled; p. pr. & vb. n. Nurling.] Etym: [Cf. Knurl.]

Defn: To cut with reeding or fluting on the edge of, as coins, the heads of screws, etc.; to knurl.

NURSE Nurse, n. Etym: [OE. nourse, nurice, norice, OF. nurrice, norrice, nourrice, F. nourrice, fr. L. nutricia nurse, prop., fem. of nutricius that nourishes; akin to nutrix, -icis, nurse, fr. nutrire to nourish. See Nourish, and cf. Nutritious.]

1. One who nourishes; a person who supplies food, tends, or brings up; as: (a) A woman who has the care of young children; especially, one who suckles an infant not her own. (b) A person, especially a woman, who has the care of the sick or infirm.

2. One who, or that which, brings up, rears, causes to grow, trains, fosters, or the like. The nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise. Burke.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A lieutenant or first officer, who is the real commander when the captain is unfit for his place.

4. (Zoöl.) (a) A peculiar larva of certain trematodes which produces cercariæ by asexual reproduction. See Cercaria, and Redia. (b) Either one of the nurse sharks. Nurse shark. (Zoöl.) (a) A large arctic shark (Somniosus microcephalus), having small teeth and feeble jaws; -- called also sleeper shark, and ground shark. (b) A large shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), native of the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, having the dorsal fins situated behind the ventral fins. -- To put to nurse, or To put out to nurse, to send away to be nursed; to place in the care of a nurse. -- Wet nurse, Dry nurse. See Wet nurse, and Dry nurse, in the Vocabulary.

NURSE Nurse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nursed; p. pr. & vb. n. Nursing.]

1. To nourish; to cherish; to foster; as: (a) To nourish at the breast; to suckle; to feed and tend, as an infant. (b) To take care of or tend, as a sick person or an invalid; to attend upon. Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age. Milton. Him in Egerian groves Aricia bore, And nursed his youth along the marshy shore. Dryden.

2. To bring up; to raise, by care, from a weak or invalid condition; to foster; to cherish; -- applied to plants, animals, and to any object that needs, or thrives by, attention. "To nurse the saplings tall." Milton. By what hands [has vice] been nursed into so uncontrolled a dominion Locke.

3. To manage with care and economy, with a view to increase; as, to nurse our national resources.

4. To caress; to fondle, as a nurse does. A. Trollope. To nurse billiard balls, to strike them gently and so as to keep them in good position during a series of caroms.

NURSEHOUND Nurse"hound`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Houndfish.

NURSEMAID Nurse"maid`, n.

Defn: A girl employed to attend children.

NURSEPOND Nurse"pond`, n.

Defn: A pond where fish are fed. Walton.

NURSER Nurs"er, n.

Defn: One who nurses; a nurse; one who cherishes or encourages growth.

NURSERY Nurs"er*y, n.; pl. Nurseries. Etym: [Cf. F. nourricerie.]

1. The act of nursing. [Obs.] "Her kind nursery." Shak.

2. The place where nursing is carried on; as: (a) The place, or apartment, in a house, appropriated to the care of children. (b) A place where young trees, shrubs, vines, etc., are propagated for the purpose of transplanting; a plantation of young trees. (c) The place where anything is fostered and growth promoted. "Fair Padua, nursery of arts." Shak. Christian families are the nurseries of the church on earth, as she is the nursery of the church in heaven. J. M. Mason.

(d) That which forms and educates; as, commerce is the nursery of seamen.

3. That which is nursed. [R.] Milton.

NURSERYMAN Nurs"er*y*man, n.; pl. Nurserymen (.

Defn: One who cultivates or keeps a nursery, or place for rearing trees, etc.

NURSING Nurs"ing, a.

Defn: Supplying or taking nourishment from, or as from, the breast; as, a nursing mother; a nursing infant.

NURSLING Nurs"ling, n. Etym: [Nurse + -ling.]

Defn: One who, or that which, is nursed; an infant; a fondling. I was his nursling once, and choice delight. Milton.

NURSTLE Nurs"tle, v. t.

Defn: To nurse. See Noursle. [Obs.]

NURTURE Nur"ture, n. Etym: [OE. norture, noriture, OF. norriture, norreture, F. nourriture, fr. L. nutritura a nursing, suckling. See Nourish.]

1. The act of nourishing or nursing; thender care; education; training. A man neither by nature nor by nurture wise. Milton.

2. That which nourishes; food; diet. Spenser.

NURTURE Nur"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nurtured; p. pr. & vb. n. Nurturing.]

1. To feed; to nourish.

2. To educate; to bring or train up. He was nurtured where he had been born. Sir H. Wotton.

Syn. -- To nourish; nurse; cherish; bring up; educate; tend. -- To Nurture, Nourish, Cherish. Nourish denotes to supply with food, or cause to grow; as, to nourish a plant, to nourish rebellion. To nurture is to train up with a fostering care, like that of a mother; as, to nurture into strength; to nurture in sound principles. To cherish is to hold and treat as dear; as, to cherish hopes or affections.

NUSTLE Nus"tle, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Nuzzle.]

Defn: To fondle; to cherish. [Obs.]

NUT Nut, n. Etym: [OE. nute, note, AS. hnutu; akin to D. noot, G. nuss, OHG. nuz, Icel. hnot, Sw. nöt, Dan. nöd.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The fruit of certain trees and shrubs (as of the almond, walnut, hickory, beech, filbert, etc.), consisting of a hard and indehiscent shell inclosing a kernel.

2. A perforated block (usually a small piece of metal), provided with an internal or female screw thread, used on a bolt, or screw, for tightening or holding something, or for transmitting motion. See Illust. of lst Bolt.

3. The tumbler of a gunlock. Knight.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: A projection on each side of the shank of an anchor, to secure the stock in place. Check nut, Jam nut, Lock nut, a nut which is screwed up tightly against another nut on the same bolt or screw, in order to prevent accidental unscrewing of the first nut. -- Nut buoy. See under Buoy. -- Nut coal, screened coal of a size smaller than stove coal and larger than pea coal; -- called also chestnut coal. -- Nut crab (Zoöl.), any leucosoid crab of the genus Ebalia as, Ebalia tuberosa of Europe. -- Nut grass (Bot.), a plant of the Sedge family (Cyperus rotundus, var. Hydra), which has slender rootstocks bearing small, nutlike tubers, by which the plant multiplies exceedingly, especially in cotton fields. -- Nut lock, a device, as a metal plate bent up at the corners, to prevent a nut from becoming unscrewed, as by jarring. -- Nut pine. (Bot.) See under Pine. -- Nut rush (Bot.), a genus of cyperaceous plants (Scleria) having a hard bony achene. Several species are found in the United States and many more in tropical regions. -- Nut tree, a tree that bears nuts. -- Nut weevil (Zoöl.), any species of weevils of the genus Balaninus and other allied genera, which in the larval state live in nuts.

NUT Nut, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Nutted; p. pr. & vb. n. Nutting.]

Defn: To gather nuts.

NUTANT Nu"tant, a. Etym: [L. nutans, p. pr. of nutare to nod, v. intens. fr. nuere (in comp.) to nod; cf. Gr.

Defn: Nodding; having the top bent downward.

NUTATION Nu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. nutatio a nodding, fr. nutare to nod: cf. F. nutation.]

1. The act of nodding. So from the midmost the nutation spreads, Round and more round, o'er all the sea of heads. Pope.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: A very small libratory motion of the earth's axis, by which its inclination to the plane of the ecliptic is constantly varying by a small amount.

3. (Bot.) (a) The motion of a flower in following the apparent movement of the sun, from the east in the morning to the west in the evening. (b) Circumnutation.

NUTBREAKER Nut"break`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The European nuthatch. (b) The nutcracker.

NUT-BROWN Nut"-brown`, a.

Defn: Brown as a nut long kept and dried. "The spicy nutbrown ale." Milton.

NUTCRACKER Nut"crack`er, n.

1. An instrument for cracking nuts.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A European bird (Nucifraga caryocatactes), allied to the magpie and crow. Its color is dark brown, spotted with white. It feeds on nuts, seeds, and insects. (b) The American, or Clarke's, nutcracker (Picicorvus Columbianus) of Western North America.

NUTGALL Nut"gall`, n.

Defn: A more or less round gall resembling a nut, esp. one of those produced on the oak and used in the arts. See Gall, Gallnut.

NUTHATCH Nut"hatch`, n. Etym: [OE. nuthake. See 2d Hack.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of birds of the genus Sitta, as the European species (Sitta Europæa). The white-breasted nuthatch (S. Carolinensis), the red-breasted nuthatch (S. Canadensis), the pygmy nuthatch (S. pygmæa), and others, are American.

NUTHOOK Nut"hook`, n.

1. A hook at the end of a pole to pull down boughs for gathering the nuts.

2. A thief who steals by means of a hook; also, a bailiff who hooks or seizes malefactors. Shak.

NUTJOBBER Nut"job`ber, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The nuthatch. [Prov. Eng.]

NUTLET Nut"let, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A small nut; also, the stone of a drupe.

NUTMEG Nut"meg, n. Etym: [OE. notemuge; note nut + OF. muge musk, of the same origin as E. musk; cf. OF. noix muguette nutmeg, F. noix muscade. See Nut, and Musk.] (Bot.)

Defn: The kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans), a native of the Molucca Islands, but cultivated elsewhere in the tropics.

Note: This fruit is a nearly spherical drupe, of the size of a pear, of a yellowish color without and almost white within. This opens into two nearly equal longitudinal valves, inclosing the nut surrounded by its aril, which is mace The nutmeg is an aromatic, very grateful to the taste and smell, and much used in cookery. Other species of Myristica yield nutmegs of inferior quality. American, Calabash, or Jamaica, nutmeg, the fruit of a tropical shrub (Monodora Myristica). It is about the size of an orange, and contains many aromatic seeds imbedded in pulp. -- Brazilian nutmeg, the fruit of a lauraceous tree, Cryptocarya moschata. -- California nutmeg, tree of the Yew family (Torreya Californica), growing in the Western United States, and having a seed which resembles a nutmeg in appearance, but is strongly impregnated with turpentine. -- Clove nutmeg, the Ravensara aromatica, a laura ceous tree of Madagascar. The foliage is used as a spice, but the seed is acrid and caustic. -- Jamaica nutmeg. See American nutmeg (above). -- Nutmeg bird (Zoöl.), an Indian finch (Munia punctularia). -- Nutmeg butter, a solid oil extracted from the nutmeg by expression. -- Nutmeg flower (Bot.), a ranunculaceous herb (Nigella sativa) with small black aromatic seeds, which are used medicinally and for excluding moths from furs and clothing. -- Nutmeg liver (Med.), a name applied to the liver, when, as the result of heart or lung disease, it undergoes congestion and pigmentation about the central veins of its lobules, giving it an appearance resembling that of a nutmeg. -- Nutmeg melon (Bot.), a small variety of muskmelon of a rich flavor. -- Nutmeg pigeon (Zoöl.), any one of several species of pigeons of the genus Myristicivora, native of the East Indies and Australia. The color is usually white, or cream-white, with black on the wings and tail. -- Nutmeg wood (Bot.), the wood of the Palmyra palm. -- Peruvian nutmeg, the aromatic seed of a South American tree (Laurelia sempervirens). -- Plume nutmeg (Bot.), a spicy tree of Australia (Atherosperma moschata).

NUTMEGGED Nut"megged, a.

Defn: Seasoned with nutmeg.

NUTPECKER Nut"peck`er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The nuthatch.

NUTRIA Nu"tri*a, n. Etym: [Sp. nutria an otter, fr. L. lutra, lytra.]

Defn: The fur of the coypu. See Coypu.

NUTRICATION Nu`tri*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. nutricatio, fr. nutricare, nutricari, to suckle, nourish, fr. nutrix a nurse.]

Defn: The act or manner of feeding. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

NUTRIENT Nu"tri*ent, a. Etym: [L. nutriens, p. pr. of nutrire. See Nourish.]

Defn: Nutritious; nourishing; promoting growth. -- n.

Defn: Any substance which has nutritious qualities, i. e., which nourishes or promotes growth.

NUTRIMENT Nu"tri*ment, n. Etym: [L. nutrimentum, fr. nutrire to nourish. See Nourish.]

1. That which nourishes; anything which promotes growth and repairs the natural waste of animal or vegetable life; food; aliment. The stomach returns what it has received, in strength and nutriment diffused into all parts of the body. South.

2. That which promotes development or growth. Is not virtue in mankind The nutriment that feeds the mind Swift.

NUTRIMENTAL Nu`tri*men"tal, a.

Defn: Nutritious.

NUTRITIAL Nu*tri"tial, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or connected with, nutrition; nutritious. [Obs.] Chapman.

NUTRITION Nu*tri"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nutrition. See Nutritious.]

1. (Physiol.)

Defn: In the broadest sense, a process or series of processes by which the living organism as a whole (or its component parts or organs) is maintained in its normal condition of life and growth.

Note: In this wide sense it comprehends digestion, absorption, circulation, assimilation, etc., in fact all of the steps by which the nutritive matter of the food is fitted for incorporation with the different tissues, and the changes which it undergoes after its assimilation, prior to its excretion. See Metabolism.

2. (Physiol.)

Defn: In a more limited sense, the process by which the living tissues take up, from the blood, matters necessary either for their repair or for the performance of their healthy functions.

3. That which nourishes; nutriment. Fixed like a plant, on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Pope.

NUTRITIONAL Nu*tri"tion*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to nutrition; as, nutritional changes.

NUTRITIOUS Nu*tri"tious, a. Etym: [L. nutricius, nutritius, from nutrix, -icis, a nurse, nutrire to nourish. See Nurse, Nourish.]

Defn: Nourishing; promoting growth, or preventing decay; alimental. -- Nu*tri"tious*ly, adv. -- Nu*tri"tious*ness, n.

NUTRITIVE Nu"tri*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. nutritif.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to nutrition; as, the nutritive functions; having the quality of nourishing; nutritious; nutrimental; alimental; as, nutritive food or berries. Nutritive plasma. (Biol.) See Idioplasma. -- Nutritive polyp (Zoöl.), any one of the zooids of a compound hydroid, or coral, which has a mouth and digestive cavity. -- Nu"tri*tive*ly, adv. -- Nu"tri*tive*ness, n.

NUTRITURE Nu"tri*ture, n. Etym: [L. nutritura, fr. nutrir to nourish.]

Defn: Nutrition; nourishment. [Obs.] Harvey.

NUTSHELL Nut"shell`, n.

1. The shell or hard external covering in which the kernel of a nut is inclosed.

2. Hence, a thing of little compass, or of little value.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A shell of the genus Nucula. To be, or lie, in a nutshell, to be within a small compass; to admit of very brief or simple determination or statement. "The remedy lay in a nutshell." Macaulay.

NUTTER Nut"ter, n.

Defn: A gatherer of nuts.

NUTTING Nut"ting, n.

Defn: The act of gathering nuts.

NUTTY Nut"ty, a.

1. Abounding in nuts.

2. Having a flavor like that of nuts; as, nutty wine.

NUX VOMICA Nux` vom"i*ca. Etym: [NL., fr. L. nux vomere to vomit.]

Defn: The seed of Strychnos Nuxvomica, a tree which abounds on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts of the East Indies. From this seed the deadly poisons known as strychnine and brucine are obtained. The seeds are sometimes called Quaker buttons.

NUZZLE Nuz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nuzzied;p. pr. & vb. n. Nuzzling.] Etym: [See Noursle.]

1. To noursle or nurse; to foster; to bring up. [Obs.] The people had been nuzzled in idolatry. Milton.

2. Etym: [Perh. a corruption of nestle. Cf. Nustle.]

Defn: To nestle; to house, as in a nest.

NUZZLE Nuz"zle, v. i. Etym: [Dim. fr. nose. See Nozzle.]

1. To work with the nose, like a swine in the mud. And nuzzling in his flank, the loving swine Sheathed, unaware, the tusk in his soft groin. Shak. He charged through an army of lawyers, sometimes . . . nuzzling like an eel in the mud. Arbuthnot.

2. To go with head poised like a swine, with nose down. Sir Roger shook his ears, and nuzzled along. Arbuthnot.

3. Etym: [Cf. Nuzzle, v. t., 2.]

Defn: To hide the head, as a child in the mother's bosom; to nestle.

4. To loiter; to idle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

NY Ny. Etym: [Contr. fr. ne I.]

Defn: Not I; nor I. [Obs.]

NY; NYE Ny, Nye, a. & adv.

Defn: Nigh. [Obs.] Chaucer.

NYAS Ny"as, n.

Defn: See Nias.

NYCTALOPIA Nyc`ta*lo"pi*a, n. Etym: [L. nyctalopia, fr. nyctalops a nyctalops, Gr. (Med.) (a) A disease of the eye, in consequence of which the patient can see well in a faint light or at twilight, but is unable to see during the day or in a strong light; day blindness. (b) See Moonblink.

Note: Some writers (as Quain) use the word in the opposite sense, night blindness. See Hemeralopia.

NYCTALOPS Nyc"ta*lops, n. Etym: [L., from Gr.

Defn: One afflicted with nyctalopia.

NYCTALOPY Nyc"ta*lo`py, n.

Defn: Same as Nyctalopia.

NYCTHEMERON Nyc*the"me*ron, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The natural day and night, or space of twenty-four hours.

NYCTIBUNE Nyc"ti*bune, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American bird of the genus Nyctibius, allied to the goatsuckers.

NYCTITROPIC Nyc`ti*trop"ic, a. Etym: [From Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Turning or bending at night into special positions.

Note: Nyctitropic movements of plants usually consist in a folding or drooping of the leaves, the advantage being in lessening the radiation of heat.

NYCTITROPISM Nyc*tit"ro*pism, n. [From Gr. , , night + to turn.] (Plant Physiol.)

Defn: The tendency of certain plant organs, as leaves, to assume special "sleeping" positions or make curvatures under the influence of darkness. It is well illustrated in the leaflets of clover and other leguminous plants.

NYCTOPHILE Nyc"to*phile, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any Australian bat of the genus Nyctophilus, having a very simple nasal appendage.

NYE Nye, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. F. nid nest, brood, L. nidus nest. See Nest, and cf. Eye brood, Nide.]

Defn: A brood or flock of pheasants.

NYENTEK Ny*en"tek, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A carnivorous mannual (Helictis moscatus, or H. orientalis), native of Eastern Asia and the Indies. It has a dorsal white stripe, and another one across the shoulders. It has a strong musky odor.

NYLGHAU; NYLGAU Nyl"ghau, Nyl"gau, n. Etym: [Hind. & Per. nilgaw, prop., a blue cow; Per. nil blue + gaw cow. See Lilac, and Cow the animal.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large Asiatic antelope (Boselaphus, or Portax, tragocamelus), found in Northern India. It has short horns, a black mane, and a bunch of long hair on the throat. The general color is grayish brown. [Written also neelghau, nilgau, and nylghaie.]

NYMPH Nymph, n. Etym: [L. nympha nymph, bride, young woman, Gr. nymphe. Cf. Nuptial.]

1. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: A goddess of the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters. Where were ye, nymphs, when the remorseless deep Closed o'er the head of your loved Lycidas Milton.

2. Hence: A lovely young girl; a maiden; a damsel. Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remembered. Shak.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The pupa of an insect; a chrysalis.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of a subfamily (Najades) of butterflies including the purples, the fritillaries, the peacock butterfly, etc.; -- called also naiad.

NYMPHA Nym"pha, n.; pl. Nymph. Etym: [L. See Nymph a goddess.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Nymph, 3.

2. pl. (Anat.)

Defn: Two folds of mucous membrane, within the labia, at the opening of the vulva.

NYMPHAEA Nym*phæ"a, n. Etym: [L., the water lily, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of aquatic plants having showy flowers (white, blue, pink, or yellow, often fragrant), including the white water lily and the Egyptia lotus.

Note: Recent critics have endeavored to show that this genus should be called Castalia, and the name Nymphæa transferred to what is now known as Nuphar.

NYMPHAL Nymph"al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a nymph or nymphs; nymphean.

NYMPHALES Nym*pha"les, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An extensive family of butterflies including the nymphs, the satyrs, the monarchs, the heliconias, and others; -- called also brush-footed butterflies.

NYMPHEAN Nym*phe"an, a. Etym: [Gr. Nymph.]

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or appropriate to, nymphs; inhabited by nymphs; as, a nymphean cave.

NYMPHET Nymph"et, n.

Defn: A little or young nymph. [Poetic] "The nymphets sporting there." Drayton.

NYMPHIC; NYMPHICAL Nymph"ic, Nymph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to nymphs.

NYMPHIPAROUS Nym*phip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Nymph + L. parere to produce.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Producing pupas or nymphs.

NYMPHISH Nymph"ish, a.

Defn: Relating to nymphs; ladylike. "Nymphish war." Drayton.

NYMPHLIKE; NYMPHLY Nymph"like`, Nymph"ly, a.

Defn: Resembling, or characteristic of, a nymph.

NYMPHOLEPSY Nym"pho*lep`sy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A species of demoniac enthusiasm or possession coming upon one who had accidentally looked upon a nymph; ecstasy. [R.] De Quincey. The nympholepsy of some fond despair. Byron.

NYMPHOLEPTIC Nym`pho*lep"tic, a.

Defn: Under the influence of nympholepsy; ecstatic; frenzied. [Poetic]

NYMPHOMANIA Nym`pho*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Morbid and uncontrollable sexual desire in women, constituting a true disease.

NYMPHOMANY Nym"pho*ma`ny, n. Etym: [Cf. F. nymphomanie.] (Med.)

Defn: Same as Nymphomania.

NYMPHOTOMY Nym*phot"o*my, n. Etym: [Nympha + Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Excision of the nymphæ.

NYS Nys.

Defn: Is not. See Nis. Chaucer. Spenser.

NYSTAGMUS Nys*tag"mus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A rapid involuntary oscillation of the eyeballs.

NYULA Ny*u"la, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of ichneumon (Herpestes nyula). Its fur is beautifully variegated by closely set zigzag markings.

O

1. O, the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, derives its form, value, and name from the Greek O, through the Latin. The letter came into the Greek from the Phoenician, which possibly derived it ultimately from the Egyptian. Etymologically, the letter o is most closely related to a, e, and u; as in E. bone, AS. ban; E. stone, AS. stan; E. broke, AS. brecan to break; E. bore, AS. beran to bear; E. dove, AS. dufe; E. toft, tuft; tone, tune; number, F. nombre. The letter o has several vowel sounds, the principal of which are its long sound, as in bone, its short sound, as in nod, and the sounds heard in the words orb, son, do (feod), and wolf (book). In connection with the other vowels it forms several digraphs and diphthongs. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 107-129.

2. Among the ancients, O was a mark of triple time, from the notion that the ternary, or number 3, is the most perfect of numbers, and properly expressed by a circle, the most perfect figure. O was also anciently used to represent 11: with a dash over it (O O, n.; pl. O's or Oes (.

1. The letter O, or its sound. "Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes." Tennyson.

2. Something shaped like the letter O; a circle or oval. "This wooden O [Globe Theater]". Shak.

3. A cipher; zero. [R.] Thou art an O without a figure. Shak.

O' O', Etym: [Ir. of a descendant.]

Defn: A prefix to Irish family names, which signifies grandson or descendant of, and is a character of dignity; as, O'Neil, O'Carrol.

O' O', prep.

Defn: A shortened form of of or on. "At the turning o' the tide." Shak.

O O, a. Etym: [See One.]

Defn: One. [Obs.] Chaucer. "Alle thre but o God." Piers Plowman.

O O, interj.

Defn: An exclamation used in calling or directly addressing a person or personified object; also, as an emotional or impassioned exclamation expressing pain, grief, surprise, desire, fear, etc. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Ps. cxix. 89. O how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day. Ps. cxix. 97.

Note: O is frequently followed by an ellipsis and that, an in expressing a wish: "O [I wish] that Ishmael might live before thee !" Gen. xvii. 18; or in expressions of surprise, indignation, or regret: "O [it is sad] that such eyes should e'er meet other object !" Sheridan Knowles.

Note: A distinction between the use of O and oh is insisted upon by some, namely, that O should be used only in direct address to a person or personified object, and should never be followed by the exclamation point, while Oh (or oh) should be used in exclamations where no direct appeal or address to an object is made, and may be followed by the exclamation point or not, according to the nature or construction of the sentence. Some insist that oh should be used only as an interjection expressing strong feeling. The form O, however, is, it seems, the one most commonly employed for both uses by modern writers and correctors for the press. "O, I am slain !" Shak. "O what a fair and ministering angel !" "O sweet angel !" Longfellow. O for a kindling touch from that pure flame ! Wordsworth. But she is in her grave, -- and oh The difference to me ! Wordsworth. Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness ! Cowper. We should distinguish between the sign of the vocative and the emotional interjection, writing O for the former, and oh for the latter. Earle. O dear, and O dear me! Etym: [corrupted fr. F. O Dieu! or It. O Dio! O God! O Dio mio! O my God! Wyman], exclamations expressive of various emotions, but usually promoted by surprise, consternation, grief, pain, etc.

OAD Oad, n.

Defn: See Woad. [Obs.] Coles.

OAF Oaf, n. Etym: [See Auf.]

Defn: Originally, an elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins; hence, a deformed or foolish child; a simpleton; an idiot.

OAFISH Oaf"ish, a.

Defn: Like an oaf; simple. -- Oaf"ish*ness, n.

OAK Oak, n. Etym: [OE. oke, ok, ak, AS. ac; akin to D. eik, G. eiche, OHG. eih, Icel. eik, Sw. ek, Dan. eeg.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: Any tree or shrub of the genus Quercus. The oaks have alternate leaves, often variously lobed, and staminate flowers in catkins. The fruit is a smooth nut, called an acorn, which is more or less inclosed in a scaly involucre called the cup or cupule. There are now recognized about three hundred species, of which nearly fifty occur in the United States, the rest in Europe, Asia, and the other parts of North America, a very few barely reaching the northern parts of South America and Africa. Many of the oaks form forest trees of grand proportions and live many centuries. The wood is usually hard and tough, and provided with conspicuous medullary rays, forming the silver grain.

2. The strong wood or timber of the oak.

Note: Among the true oaks in America are: Barren oak, or Black-jack, Q. nigra. -- Basket oak, Q. Michauxii. -- Black oak, Q. tinctoria: -- called also yellow or quercitron oak. -- Bur oak (see under Bur.), Q. macrocarpa; -- called also over-cup or mossy-cup oak. -- Chestnut oak, Q. Prinus and Q. densiflora. -- Chinquapin oak (see under Chinquapin), Q. prinoides. -- Coast live oak, Q. agrifolia, of California; -- also called enceno. -- Live oak (see under Live), Q. virens, the best of all for shipbuilding; also, Q. Chrysolepis, of California. -- Pin oak. Same as Swamp oak. -- Post oak, Q. obtusifolia. -- Red oak, Q. rubra. -- Scarlet oak, Q. coccinea. -- Scrub oak, Q. ilicifolia, Q. undulata, etc. -- Shingle oak, Q. imbricaria. -- Spanish oak, Q. falcata. -- Swamp Spanish oak, or Pin oak, Q. palustris. -- Swamp white oak, Q. bicolor. -- Water oak, Q. aguatica. -- Water white oak, Q. lyrata. -- Willow oak, Q. Phellos. Among the true oaks in Europe are: Bitter oak, or Turkey oak, Q. Cerris (see Cerris). -- Cork oak, Q. Suber. -- English white oak, Q. Robur. -- Evergreen oak, Holly oak, or Holm oak, Q. Ilex. -- Kermes oak, Q. coccifera. -- Nutgall oak, Q. infectoria.

Note: Among plants called oak, but not of the genus Quercus, are: African oak, a valuable timber tree (Oldfieldia Africana). -- Australian, or She, oak, any tree of the genus Casuarina (see Casuarina). -- Indian oak, the teak tree (see Teak). -- Jerusalem oak. See under Jerusalem. -- New Zealand oak, a sapindaceous tree (Alectryon excelsum). -- Poison oak, the poison ivy. See under Poison. -- Silky, or Silk-bark, oak, an Australian tree (Grevillea robusta). Green oak, oak wood colored green by the growth of the mycelium of certain fungi. -- Oak apple, a large, smooth, round gall produced on the leaves of the American red oak by a gallfly (Cynips confluens). It is green and pulpy when young. -- Oak beauty (Zoöl.), a British geometrid moth (Biston prodromaria) whose larva feeds on the oak. -- Oak gall, a gall found on the oak. See 2d Gall. -- Oak leather (Bot.), the mycelium of a fungus which forms leatherlike patches in the fissures of oak wood. -- Oak pruner. (Zoöl.) See Pruner, the insect. -- Oak spangle, a kind of gall produced on the oak by the insect Diplolepis lenticularis. -- Oak wart, a wartlike gall on the twigs of an oak. -- The Oaks, one of the three great annual English horse races (the Derby and St. Leger being the others). It was instituted in 1779 by the Earl of Derby, and so called from his estate. -- To sport one's oak, to be "not at home to visitors," signified by closing the outer (oaken) door of one's rooms. [Cant, Eng. Univ.]

OAKEN Oak"en, a. Etym: [AS. acen.]

Defn: Made or consisting of oaks or of the wood of oaks. "In oaken bower." Milton. Oaken timber, wherewith to build ships. Bacon.

OAKER Oak"er, n.

Defn: See Ocher. [Obs.] Spenser.

OAKLING Oak"ling, n.

Defn: A young oak. Evelyn.

OAKUM Oak"um, n. Etym: [AS. acumba; pref. er-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out) + cemban to comb, camb comb. See Comb.]

1. The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc.

2. The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling. Knight. White oakum, that made from untarred rope.

OAKY Oak"y, n.

Defn: Resembling oak; strong. Bp. Hall.

OAR Oar, n Etym: [AS. ar; akin to Icel. ar, Dan. aare, Sw. åra; perh. akin to E. row, v. Cf. Rowlock.]

1. An implement for impelling a boat, being a slender piece of timber, usually ash or spruce, with a grip or handle at one end and a broad blade at the other. The part which rests in the rowlock is called the loom.

Note: An oar is a kind of long paddle, which swings about a kind of fulcrum, called a rowlock, fixed to the side of the boat.

2. An oarsman; a rower; as, he is a good car.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An oarlike swimming organ of various invertebrates. Oar cock (Zoöl), the water rail. [Prov. Eng.] -- Spoon oar, an oar having the blade so curved as to afford a better hold upon the water in rowing. -- To boat the oars, to cease rowing, and lay the oars in the boat. -- To feather the oars. See under Feather., v. t. -- To lie on the oars, to cease pulling, raising the oars out of water, but not boating them; to cease from work of any kind; to be idle; to rest. -- To muffle the oars, to put something round that part which rests in the rowlock, to prevent noise in rowing. -- To put in one's oar, to give aid or advice; -- commonly used of a person who obtrudes aid or counsel not invited. -- To ship the oars, to place them in the rowlocks. -- To toss the oars, To peak the oars, to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat. -- To trail oars, to allow them to trail in the water alongside of the boat. -- To unship the oars, to take them out of the rowlocks.

OAR Oar, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Oared; p. pr. & vb. n. Oaring.]

Defn: To row. "Oared himself." Shak. Oared with laboring arms. Pope.

OARED Oared, a.

1. Furnished with oars; -- chiefly used in composition; as, a four- oared boat.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) Having feet adapted for swimming. (b) Totipalmate; -- said of the feet of certain birds. See Illust. of Aves. Oared shrew (Zoöl.), an aquatic European shrew (Crossopus ciliatus); -- called also black water shrew.

OARFISH Oar"fish` (or"fish`), n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The ribbon fish.

OARFOOT Oar"foot` (-foot`), n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any crustacean of the genus Remipes.

OAR-FOOTED Oar"-foot`ed a.

Defn: Having feet adapted for swimming.

OARLESS Oar"less, a.

Defn: Without oars. Sylvester.

OARLOCK Oar"lock` (or"lok`), n. (Naut.),

Defn: The notch, fork, or other device on the gunwale of a boat, in which the oar rests in rowing. See Rowlock.

OARSMAN Oars"man (orz"man), n.; pl. Oarsmen (-men).

Defn: One who uses, or is skilled in the use of, an oar; a rower.

At the prow of the boat, rose one of the oarsmen. Longfellow.

OARSWEED Oars"weed` (or"wed`), n. (Bot.)

Defn: Any large seaweed of the genus Laminaria; tangle; kelp. See Kelp.

OARY Oar"y (or"y), a.

Defn: Having the form or the use of an oar; as, the swan's oary feet. Milton. Addison.

OASIS O"as*is (o"a*sis or o*a"sis; 277), n.; pl. Oases (-sez). [L., fr. Gr. 'o`asis; cf. Copt. ouahe.]

Defn: A fertile or green spot in a waste or desert, esp. in a sandy desert.

My one oasis in the dust and drouth Of city life. Tennyson.

OAST Oast (ost), n. [OE. ost, AS. ast; cf. Gr. a'i^qos burning heat.]

Defn: A kiln to dry hops or malt; a cockle. Mortimer.

OATCAKE Oat"cake, n.

Defn: A cake made of oatmeal.

OATEN Oat"en, a.

1. Consisting of an oat straw or stem; as, an oaten pipe. Milton.

2. Made of oatmeal; as, oaten cakes.

OATH Oath, n.; pl. Oaths. Etym: [OE. othe, oth, ath, AS. a; akin to D. eed, OS. e, G. eid, Icel. ei, Sw. ed, Dan. eed, Goth. ai; cf. OIr. oeth.]

1. A solemn affirmation or declaration, made with a reverent appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. "I have an oath in heaven" Shak. An oath of secrecy for the concealing of those [inventions] which we think fit to keep secret. Bacon.

2. A solemn affirmation, connected with a sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the temple, the altar, the blood of Abel, the Bible, the Koran, etc.

3. (Law)

Defn: An appeal (in verification of a statement made) to a superior sanction, in such a form as exposes the party making the appeal to an indictment for perjury if the statement be false.

4. A careless and blasphemous use of the name of the divine Being, or anything divine or sacred, by way of appeal or as a profane exclamation or ejaculation; an expression of profane swearing. "A terrible oath" Shak.

OATHABLE Oath"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of having an oath administered to. [Obs.] Shak.

OATHBREAKING Oath"break`ing, n.

Defn: The violation of an oath; perjury. Shak

OATMEAL Oat"meal`, n.

1. Meal made of oats. Gay.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the genus Panicum; panic grass.

OB- Ob-. Etym: [L. ob, prep. Cf. Epi-.]

Defn: A prefix signifying to, toward, before, against, reversely, etc.; also, as a simple intensive; as in oblige, to bind to; obstacle, something standing before; object, lit., to throw against; obovate, reversely, ovate. Ob- is commonly assimilated before c, f, g, and p, to oc-, of-, og-, and op-.

OBBE Ob"be, n.

Defn: See Obi.

OBCOMPRESSED Ob"com*pressed". a. Etym: [Pref. ob- + compressed.]

Defn: Compressed or flattened antero-posteriorly, or in a way opposite to the usual one.

OBCONIC; OBCONICAL Ob*con"ic, Ob*con"ic*al, a. Etym: [Pref. ob- + conic, conical.]

Defn: Conical, but having the apex downward; inversely conical.

OBCORDATE Ob*cor"date, a. Etym: [Pref. ob- + cordate.]

Defn: Heart-shaped, with the attachment at the pointed end; inversely cordate: as, an obcordate petal or leaf.

OBDIPLOSTEMONOUS Ob*dip`lo*stem"o*nous, a. Etym: [Pref. ob- + diplostemonous.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having twice as many stamens as petals, those of the outer set being opposite the petals; -- said of flowers. Gray.

OBDIPLOSTEMONY Ob*dip"lo*stem"o*ny, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The condition of being obdiplostemonous.

OBDORMITION Ob"dor*mi"tion, n. Etym: [L. obdormire to fall asleep.]

Defn: Sleep. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

OBDUCE Ob*duce", v. t. Etym: [L. obducere, obductum; ob (see Ob-) + ducere to lead.]

Defn: To draw over, as a covering. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.

OBDUCT Ob*duct" (, v. t. Etym: [See Obduce.]

Defn: To draw over; to cover. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

OBDUCTION Ob*duc"tion, n. Etym: [L.obductio.]

Defn: .The act of drawing or laying over, as a covering. [Obs.]

OBDURACY Ob"du*ra*cy, n.

Defn: The duality or state of being obdurate; invincible hardness of heart; obstinacy. "Obduracy and persistency." Shak. The absolute completion of sin in final obduracy. South.

OBDURATE Ob"du*rate, a. Etym: [L. obduratus, p. p. of obdurare to harden; ob (see Ob-)+ durare to harden, durus hard. See Dure.]

1. Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked. The very custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary. Hooker. Art thou obdurate, flinty, hard as steel, Nay, more than flint, for stone at rain relenteth Shak.

2. Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable. "Obdurate consonants." Swift.

Note: Sometimes accented on the second syllable, especially by the older poets. There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart. Cowper.

Syn. -- Hard; firm; unbending; inflexible; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; impenitent; callous; unfeeling; insensible; unsusceptible. -- Obdurate, Callous, Hardened. Callous denotes a deadening of the sensibilities; as. a callous conscience. Hardened implies a general and settled disregard for the claims of interest, duty, and sympathy; as, hardened in vice. Obdurate implies an active resistance of the heart and will aganst the pleadings of compassion and humanity. -- Ob"du*rate*ly, adv. -- Ob"du*rate*ness, n.

OBDURATE Ob"du*rate, v. t.

Defn: To harden. [Obs.]

OBDURATION Ob"du*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. obduratio.]

Defn: A hardening of the heart; hardness of heart. [Obs.]

OBDURE Ob*dure", v. t.

Defn: To harden. [Obs.] Milton.

OBDURE; OBDURED Ob*dure", Ob*dured", a.

Defn: Obdurate; hard. [Obs.] This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdured. Milton.

OBDURENESS; OBDUREDNESS Ob*dure"ness, n., Ob*dur"ed*ness, n.

Defn: Hardness. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

OBE Ob"e (o"be), n.

Defn: See Obi.

OBEAH O*be"ah. n.

Defn: Same as Obi. -- a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to obi; as, the obeah man. B. Edwards.

OBEDIBLE O*be"di*ble, a.

Defn: Obedient. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

OBEDIENCE O*be"di*ence, n. Etym: [F. obédience, L. obedientia, oboedientia. See Obedient, and cf.Obeisance.]

1. The act of obeying, or the state of being obedient; compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control. Government must compel the obedience of individuals. Ames.

2. Words or actions denoting submission to authority; dutifulness. Shak.

3. (Eccl.) (a) A following; a body of adherents; as, the Roman Catholic obedience, or the whole body of persons who submit to the authority of the pope. (b) A cell (or offshoot of a larger monastery) governed by a prior. (c) One of the three monastic vows. Shipley. (d) The written precept of a superior in a religious order or congregation to a subject. Canonical obedience. See under Canonical. -- Passive obedience. See under Passive.

OBEDIENCIARY O*be`di*en"ci*a*ry, n.

Defn: One yielding obedience. [Obs.] Foxe.

OBEDIENT O*be"di*ent, a. Etym: [OF. obedient, L. obediens, oboediens, -entis. p.pr. of obedire, oboedire, to obey. See Obey.]

Defn: Subject in will or act to authority; willing to obey; submissive to restraint, control, or command. And floating straight, obedient to the stream. Shak. The chief his orders gives; the obedient band, With due observance, wait the chief's command. Pope.

Syn. -- Dutiful; respectful; compliant; submissive.

OBEDIENTIAL O*be`di*en"tial, a. Etym: [Cf. F. obédientiel.]

Defn: According to the rule of obedience. [R.] An obediental subjection to the Lord of Nature. Sir M. Hale.

OBEDIENTLY O*be"di*ent*ly, adv.

Defn: In an obedient manner; with obedience.

OBEISANCE O*bei"sance, n. Etym: [F. obéissance obedience, fr. obéissant. See Obey, and cf. Obedience, Abaisance.]

1. Obedience. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. A manifestation of obedience; an expression of difference or respect; homage; a bow; a courtesy. Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance unto the king. 1 Kings i. 16.

OBEISANCY O*bei"san*cy, n.

Defn: See Obeisance. [Obs.]

OBEISANT O*bei"sant, a. Etym: [F. obéissant, p.pr. of obéir to obey.]

Defn: Ready to obey; reverent; differential; also, servilely submissive.

OBELION O*be"li*on, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: The region of the skull between the two parietal foramina where the closure of the sagittal suture usually begins.

OBELISCAL Ob`e*lis"cal, a.

Defn: Formed like an obelisk.

OBELISK Ob"e*lisk, n. Etym: [L. obeliscus, Gr. obélisque.]

1. An upright, four-sided pillar, gradually tapering as it rises, and terminating in a pyramid called pyramidion. It is ordinarily monolithic. Egyptian obelisks are commonly covered with hieroglyphic writing from top to bottom.

2. (Print.)

Defn: A mark of reference; -- called also dagger [&dag;]. See Dagger, n., 2.

OBELISK Ob"e*lisk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obelisked; p. pr. & vb. n. Obelisking.]

Defn: To mark or designate with an obelisk.

OBELIZE Ob"e*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obelized; p. pr. & vb. n. Obelizing.] Etym: [Gr. Obelus.]

Defn: To designate with an obelus; to mark as doubtful or spirituous. [R.]

OBELUS Ob"e*lus, n.; pl. Obeli. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Print.)

Defn: A mark [thus ---, or ÷]; -- so called as resembling a needle. In old MSS. or editions of the classics, it marks suspected passages or readings.

OBEQUITATE Ob*eq"ui*tate, v. i. Etym: [L. obequitatus, p.p. of obequitare to ride about.]

Defn: To ride about. [Obs.] -- Ob*eq`ui*ta"tion, n. [Obs.] Cockerman.

OBERON Ob"er*on, n. Etym: [F., fr. OF. Auberon; prob. of Frankish origin.] (Mediæval Mythol.)

Defn: The king of the fairies, and husband of Titania or Queen Mab. Shak.

OBERRATION Ob`er*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. oberrate to wander about.]

Defn: A wandering about. [Obs.] Jonhson.

OBESE O*bese". a. Etym: [L. obesus eaten away, lean; also, that has eaten itself fat, fat, stout, p.p. of obedere to devour; ob (see Ob-) + edere to eat. See Eat.]

Defn: Excessively corpulent; fat; fleshy.

OBESENESS O*bese"ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being obese; obesity.

OBESITY O*bes"i*ty, n.Etym: [L. obesitas: cf.F. obésité.]

Defn: The state or quality of being obese; incumbrance of flesh.

OBEY O*bey", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obeyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Obeying.] Etym: [OE. obeyen, F. obéir, fr. L. obedire, oboedire; ob (see Ob-) + audire to hear. See Audible, and cf. Obeisance.]

1. To give ear to; to execute the commands of; to yield submission to; to comply with the orders of. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Eph. vi. 1. Was she the God, that her thou didst obey Milton.

2. To submit to the authority of; to be ruled by. My will obeyed his will. Chaucer. Afric and India shall his power obey. Dryden.

3. To yield to the impulse, power, or operation of; as, a ship obeys her helm.

OBEY O*bey", v. i.

Defn: To give obedience. Will he obey when one commands Tennyson.

Note: By some old writers obey was used, as in the French idiom, with the preposition to. His servants ye are, to whom ye obey. Rom. vi. 16. He commanded the trumpets to sound: to which the two brave knights obeying, they performed their courses. Sir. P. Sidney.

OBEYER O*bey"er, n.

Defn: One who yields obedience. Holland.

OBEYINGLY O*bey"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: Obediently; submissively.

OBFIRM; OBFIRMATE Ob*firm", Ob*firm"ate, v. t. Etym: [L. obfirmatus, p.p. of obfirmare to make steadfast. See Ob-, and Firm, v. t.]

Defn: To make firm; to harden in resolution. [Obs.] Bp. Hall. Sheldon.

OBFIRMATION Ob"fir*ma"tion, n. Etym: [LL. obfirmatio.]

Defn: Hardness of heart; obduracy. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

OBFUSCATE Ob*fus"cate, a. Etym: [L. obfuscatus, p.p. of obfuscare to darken; ob (see Ob-) + fuscare, fuscatum, to darken, from fuscus dark.]

Defn: Obfuscated; darkened; obscured. [Obs.] [Written also offuscate.] Sir. T. Elyot.

OBFUSCATE Ob*fus"cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obfuscated; p. pr. & vb. n. Obfuscating.]

Defn: To darken; to obscure; to becloud; hence, to confuse; to bewilder. His head, like a smokejack, the funnel unswept, and the ideas whirling round and round about in it, all obfuscated and darkened over with fuliginous matter. Sterne. Clouds of passion which might obfuscate the intellects of meaner females. Sir. W. Scott.

OBFUSCATION Ob`fus*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. obfuscatio.]

Defn: The act of darkening or bewildering; the state of being darkened. "Obfuscation of the cornea." E. Darwin.

OBI O"bi, n. Etym: [Prob. of African origin.]

1. A species of sorcery, probably of African origin, practiced among the negroes of the West Indies. [Written also obe and obeah.] De Quincey. B. Edwards.

2. A charm or fetich. [West Indies] B. Edwards.

OBIISM O"bi*ism, n.

Defn: Belief in, or the practice of, the obi superstitions and rites.

OBIMBRICATE Ob*im"bri*cate, a. Etym: [Pref. ob- + imbricate.] (Bot.)

Defn: Imbricated, with the overlapping ends directed downward.

OBIT O"bit, n. Etym: [OF. obit, L. obitus, fr. obire to go against, to go to meet, (sc.mortem) to die; ob (see Ob-) + ire to go. See Issue.]

1. Death; decease; the date of one's death. Wood.

2. A funeral solemnity or office; obsequies.

3. A service for the soul of a deceased person on the anniversary of the day of his death. The emoluments and advantages from oblations, obits, and other sources, increased in value. Milman. Post obit Etym: [L. post obitum]. See Post-obit.

OBITER Ob"i*ter, adv. Etym: [L., on the way; ob (see Ob-) + iter a going, a walk, way.]

Defn: In passing; incidentally; by the way. Obiter dictum (Law), an incidental and collateral opinion uttered by a judge. See Dictum, n., 2(a).

OBITUAL O*bit"u*al, a. Etym: [L. obitus death. See Obit.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to obits, or days when obits are celebrated; as, obitual days. Smart.

OBITUARILY O*bit"u*a*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: In the manner of an obituary.

OBITUARY O*bit"u*a*ry, a. Etym: [See Obit.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the death of a person or persons; as, an obituary notice; obituary poetry.

OBITUARY O*bit"u*a*ry, n.; pl. Obituaries. Etym: [Cf. F. obituaire. See Obit.]

1. That which pertains to, or is called forth by, the obit or death of a person; esp., an account of a deceased person; a notice of the death of a person, accompanied by a biographical sketch.

2. (R.C.Ch.)

Defn: A list of the dead, or a register of anniversary days when service is performed for the dead.

OBJECT Ob*ject", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Objected; p. pr. & vb. n. Objecting.] Etym: [L. objectus, p.p. of objicere, obicere, to throw or put before, to oppose; ob (see Ob-) + jacere to throw: cf. objecter. See Jet a shooting forth.]

1. To set before or against; to bring into opposition; to oppose. [Obs.] Of less account some knight thereto object, Whose loss so great and harmful can not prove. Fairfax. Some strong impediment or other objecting itself. Hooker. Pallas to their eyes The mist objected, and condensed the skies. Pope.

2. To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason. He gave to him to object his heinous crime. Spencer. Others object the poverty of the nation. Addison. The book ... giveth liberty to object any crime against such as are to be ordered. Whitgift.

OBJECT Ob*ject", v. i.

Defn: To make opposition in words or argument; -- usually followed by to. Sir. T. More.

OBJECT Ob"ject, n. Etym: [L. objectus. See Object, v. t.]

1. That which is put, or which may be regarded as put, in the way of some of the senses; something visible or tangible; as, he observed an object in the distance; all the objects in sight; he touched a strange object in the dark.

2. That which is set, or which may be regarded as set, before the mind so as to be apprehended or known; that of which the mind by any of its activities takes cognizance, whether a thing external in space or a conception formed by the mind itself; as, an object of knowledge, wonder, fear, thought, study, etc. Object is a term for that about which the knowing subject is conversant; what the schoolmen have styled the "materia circa quam." Sir. W. Hamilton. The object of their bitterest hatred. Macaulay.

3. That by which the mind, or any of its activities, is directed; that on which the purpose are fixed as the end of action or effort; that which is sought for; end; aim; motive; final cause. Object, beside its proper signification, came to be abusively applied to denote motive, end, final cause.... This innovation was probably borrowed from the French. Sir. W. Hamilton. Let our object be, our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country. D. Webster.

4. Sight; show; appearance; aspect. [Obs.] Shak. He, advancing close Up to the lake, past all the rest, arose In glorious object. Chapman.

5. (Gram.)

Defn: A word, phrase, or clause toward which an action is directed, or is considered to be directed; as, the object of a transitive verb. Object glass, the lens, or system of lenses, placed at the end of a telescope, microscope, etc., which is toward the object. Its office is to form an image of the object, which is then viewed by the eyepiece. Called also objective. See Illust. of Microscope. -- Object lesson, a lesson in which object teaching is made use of. -- Object staff. (Leveling) Same as Leveling staff. -- Object teaching, a method of instruction, in which illustrative objects are employed, each new word or idea being accompanied by a representation of that which it signifies; -- used especially in the kindergarten, for young children.

OBJECT Ob*ject", a. Etym: [L. objectus, p. p.]

Defn: Opposed; presented in opposition; also, exposed. [Obs.]

OBJECTABLE Ob*ject"a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be presented in opposition; that may be put forward as an objection. [R.]

OBJECTIFY Ob*jec"ti*fy, v. t. Etym: [Object + -fy.]

Defn: To cause to become an object; to cause to assume the character of an object; to render objective. J. D. Morell.

OBJECTION Ob*jec"tion, n. Etym: [L. objectio: cf. F. objection.]

1. The act of objecting; as, to prevent agreement, or action, by objection. Johnson.

2. That which is, or may be, presented in opposition; an adverse reason or argument; a reason for objecting; obstacle; impediment; as, I have no objection to going; unreasonable objections. "Objections against every truth." Tyndale.

3. Cause of trouble; sorrow. [Obs. or R.] He remembers the objection that lies in his bosom, and he sighs deeply. Jer. Taylor.

Syn. -- Exception; difficulty; doubt; scruple.

OBJECTIONABLE Ob*jec"tion*a*ble, a.

Defn: Liable to objection; likely to be objected to or disapproved of; offensive; as, objectionable words. -- Ob*jec"tion*a*bly, adv.

OBJECTIST Ob"ject*ist, n.

Defn: One who adheres to, or is skilled in, the objective philosophy. Ed. Rev.

OBJECTIVATE Ob*jec"ti*vate, v. t.

Defn: To objectify.

OBJECTIVATION Ob*jec`ti*va"tion, n.

Defn: Converting into an object.

OBJECTIVE Ob*jec"tive, a. Etym: [Cf.F. objectif.]

1. Of or pertaining to an object.

2. (Metaph.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to an object; contained in, or having the nature or position of, an object; outward; external; extrinsic; -- an epithet applied to whatever ir exterior to the mind, or which is simply an object of thought or feeling, and opposed to subjective. In the Middle Ages, subject meant substance, and has this sense in Descartes and Spinoza: sometimes, also, in Reid. Subjective is used by William of Occam to denote that which exists independent of mind; objective, what is formed by the mind. This shows what is meant by realitas objectiva in Descartes. Kant and Fichte have inverted the meanings. Subject, with them, is the mind which knows; object, that which is known; subjective, the varying conditions of the knowing mind; objective, that which is in the constant nature of the thing known. Trendelenburg. Objective means that which belongs to, or proceeds from, the object known, and not from the subject knowing, and thus denotes what is real, in opposition to that which is ideal -- what exists in nature, in contrast to what exists merely in the thought of the individual. Sir. W. Hamilton. Objective has come to mean that which has independent exostence or authority, apart from our experience or thought. Thus, moral law is said to have objective authority, that is, authority belonging to itself, and not drawn from anything in our nature. Calderwood (Fleming's Vocabulary).

3. (Gram.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, the case which follows a transitive verb or a preposition, being that case in which the direct object of the verb is placed. See Accusative, n.

Note: The objective case is frequently used without a governing word, esp. in designations of time or space, where a preposition, as at, in, on, etc., may be supplied. My troublous dream [on] this night make me sad. Shak. To write of victories [in or for] next year. Hudibras. Objective line (Perspective), a line drawn on the geometrical plane which is represented or sought to be represented. -- Objective plane (Perspective), any plane in the horizontal plane that is represented. -- Objective point, the point or result to which the operations of an army are directed. By extension, the point or purpose to which anything, as a journey or an argument, is directed.