Chapter LI: Bella (49)

Defn: Capable of being put in opposition. Bp. Hall.

OPPRESS Op*press", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Oppressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Oppressing.] Etym: [F. oppresser, LL. oppressare, fr. L. oppressus, p. p. of opprimere; ob (see Ob-) + premere to press. See Press.]

1. To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload; hence, to treat with unjust rigor or with cruelty. Wyclif. For thee, oppressèd king, am I cast down. Shak. Behold the kings of the earth; how they oppress Thy chosen ! Milton.

2. To ravish; to violate. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. To put down; to crush out; to suppress. [Obs.] The mutiny he there hastes to oppress. Shak.

4. To produce a sensation of weight in (some part of the body); as, my lungs are oppressed by the damp air; excess of food oppresses the stomach.

OPPRESSION Op*pres"sion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. oppressio.]

1. The act of oppressing, or state of being oppressed.

2. That which oppresses; a hardship or injustice; cruelty; severity; tyranny. "The multitude of oppressions." Job xxxv. 9.

3. A sense of heaviness or obstruction in the body or mind; depression; dullness; lassitude; as, an oppression of spirits; an oppression of the lungs. There gentlee Sleep First found me, and with soft oppression seized My drowsed sense. Milton.

4. Ravishment; rape. [Obs.] Chaucer.

OPPRESSIVE Op*press"ive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. oppressif.]

1. Unreasonably burdensome; unjustly severe, rigorous, or harsh; as, oppressive taxes; oppressive exactions of service; an oppressive game law. Macaulay.

2. Using oppression; tyrannical; as, oppressive authority or commands.

3. Heavy; overpowering; hard to be borne; as, oppressive grief or woe. To ease the soul of one oppressive weight. Pope. -- Op*press"ive*ly, adv. -- Op*press"ive*ness, n.

OPPRESSOR Op*press"or, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: One who oppresses; one who imposes unjust burdens on others; one who harasses others with unjust laws or unreasonable severity. The orphan pines while the oppressor feeds. Shak. To relieve the oppressed and to punish the oppressor. Swift.

OPPRESSURE Op*pres"sure, n.

Defn: Oppression. [Obs.]

OPPROBRIOUS Op*pro"bri*ous, a. Etym: [L. opprobriosus, fr. opprobrium. See Opprobrium.]

1. Expressive of opprobrium; attaching disgrace; reproachful; scurrilous; as, opprobrious language. They . . . vindicate themselves in terms no less opprobrious than those by which they are attacked. Addison.

2. Infamous; despised; rendered hateful; as, an opprobrious name. This dark, opprobrious den of shame. Milton. -- Op*pro"bri*ous*ly, adv. -- Op*pro"bri*ous*ness, n.

OPPROBRIUM Op*pro"bri*um, n. Etym: [L., fr. ob (see Ob-) + probrum reproach, disgrace.]

Defn: Disgrace; infamy; reproach mingled with contempt; abusive language. Being both dramatic author and dramatic performer, he found himself heir to a twofold opprobrium. De Quincey.

OPPROBRY Op*pro"bry, n.

Defn: Opprobrium. [Obs.] Johnson.

OPPUGN Op*pugn", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Oppugned; p pr. & vb. n. Oppugning.] Etym: [OF. oppugner, L. oppugnare; ob (see Ob-) + pugnare to fight. See Impugn.]

Defn: To fight against; to attack; to be in conflict with; to oppose; to resist. They said the manner of their impeachment they could not but conceive did oppugn the rights of Parliament. Clarendon.

OPPUGNANCY Op*pug"nan*cy, n. Etym: [See Oppugnant.]

Defn: The act of oppugning; opposition; resistance. Shak.

OPPUGNANT Op*pug"nant, a. Etym: [L. oppugnans, p. pr. of oppugnare. See Oppugn.]

Defn: Tending to awaken hostility; hostile; opposing; warring. "Oppugnant forces." I. Taylor. -- n.

Defn: An opponent. [R.] Coleridge.

OPPUGNATION Op`pug*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. oppugnatio: cf. OF. oppugnation.]

Defn: Opposition. [R.] Bp. Hall.

OPPUGNER Op*pugn"er, n.

Defn: One who opposes or attacks; that which opposes. Selden.

OPSIMATHY Op*sim"a*thy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Education late in life. [R.] Hales.

OPSIOMETER Op`si*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter: cf. F. opsiomètre.]

Defn: An instrument for measuring the limits of distincts vision in different individuals, and thus determiming the proper focal length of a lens for correcting imperfect sight. Brande & C.

OPSONATION Op`so*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. opsonatio.]

Defn: A catering; a buying of provisions. [Obs.] Bailey.

OPTABLE Op"ta*ble, a. Etym: [L. optabilis.]

Defn: That may be chosen; desirable. [Obs.] Cockeram.

OPTATE Op"tate, v. i. Etym: [L. optatus, p. p. of optare.]

Defn: To choose; to wish for; to desire. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

OPTATION Op*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. optatio. See Option.]

Defn: The act of optating; a wish. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

OPTATIVE Op"ta*tive, a. Etym: [L. optativus: cf. F. optatif.]

Defn: Expressing desire or wish. Fuller. Optative mood (Gram.), that mood or form of a verb, as in Greek, Sanskrit, etc., in which a wish or desire is expressed.

OPTATIVE Op"ta*tive, n. Etym: [Cf. F. optatif.]

1. Something to be desired. [R.] Bacon.

2. (Gram.)

Defn: The optative mood; also, a verb in the optative mood.

OPTATIVELY Op"ta*tive*ly, adv.

Defn: In an optative manner; with the expression of desire. [R.] God blesseth man imperatively, and man blesseth God optatively. Bp. Hall.

OPTIC Op"tic, n. Etym: [From Optic, a.]

1. The organ of sight; an eye. The difference is as great between The optics seeing, as the object seen. Pope.

2. An eyeglass. [Obs.] Herbert.

OPTIC; OPTICAL Op"tic, Op"tic*al, a. Etym: [F. optique, Gr. oculus eye. See Ocular, Eye, and cf. Canopy, Ophthalmia.]

1. Of or pertaining to vision or sight. The moon, whose orb Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views. Milton.

2. Of or pertaining to the eye; ocular; as, the optic nerves (the first pair of cranial nerves) which are distributed to the retina. See Illust. of Brain, and Eye.

3. Relating to the science of optics; as, optical works. Optic angle (Opt.), the angle included between the optic axes of the two eyes when directed to the same point; -- sometimes called binocular parallax. -- Optic axis. (Opt.) (a) A line drawn through the center of the eye perpendicular to its anterior and posterior surfaces. In a normal eye it is in the direction of the optic axis that objects are most distinctly seen. (b) The line in a doubly refracting crystal, in the direction of which no double refraction occurs. A uniaxial crystal has one such line, a biaxial crystal has two. -- Optical circle (Opt.), a graduated circle used for the measurement of angles in optical experiments. -- Optical square, a surveyor's instrument with reflectors for laying off right angles.

OPTICALLY Op"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: By optics or sight; with reference to optics. Optically active, Optically inactive (Chem. Physics), terms used of certain metameric substances which, while identical with each other in other respects, differ in this, viz., that they do or do not produce right-handed or left-handed circular polarization of light. -- Optically positive, Optically negative. See under Refraction.

OPTICIAN Op*ti"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. opticien. See Optic, a.]

1. One skilled in optics. [R.] A. Smith.

2. One who deals in optical glasses and instruments.

OPTICS Op"tics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. optique, L. optice, Gr. Optic.]

Defn: That branch of physical science which treats of the nature and properties of light, the laws of its modification by opaque and transparent bodies, and the phenomena of vision.

OPTIGRAPH Op"ti*graph, n. Etym: [Optic + -graph: cf. F. opticographe. See Optic, a. ]

Defn: A telescope with a diagonal eyepiece, suspended vertically in gimbals by the object end beneath a fixed diagonal plane mirror. It is used for delineating landscapes, by means of a pencil at the eye end which leaves the delineation on paper.

OPTIMACY Op"ti*ma*cy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. optimatie. See Optimate.]

1. Government by the nobility. [R.] Howell.

2. Collectively, the nobility. [R.]

OPTIMATE Op"ti*mate, a. Etym: [L. optimas, -atis, adj., optimates, n. pl., the adherents of the best men, the aristocrats, fr. optimus the best.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the nobility or aristocracy. [R.] -- n.

Defn: A nobleman or aristocrat; a chief man in a state or city. [R.] Chapman.

OPTIMATES Op`ti*ma"tes, n. pl. Etym: [L. See Optimate.]

Defn: The nobility or aristocracy of ancient Rome, as opposed to the populares.

OPTIME Op"ti*me, n. Etym: [L., adv. fr. optimus the best.]

Defn: One of those who stand in the second rank of honors, immediately after the wranglers, in the University of Cambridge, England. They are divided into senior and junior optimes.

OPTIMISM Op"ti*mism, n. Etym: [L. optimus the best; akin to optio choice: cf. F. optimisme. See Option.]

1. (Metaph.)

Defn: The opinion or doctrine that everything in nature, being the work of God, is ordered for the best, or that the ordering of things in the universe is such as to produce the highest good.

2. A disposition to take the most hopeful view; -- opposed to pessimism.

OPTIMIST Op"ti*mist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. optimiste.]

1. (Metaph.)

Defn: One who holds the opinion that all events are ordered for the best.

2. One who looks on the bright side of things, or takes hopeful views; -- opposed to pessimist.

OPTIMISTIC Op`ti*mis"tic, a.

1. (Metaph.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to optimism; tending, or conforming, to the opinion that all events are ordered for the best.

2. Hopeful; sanguine; as, an optimistic view.

OPTIMITY Op*tim"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. optimitas, fr. optimus the best.]

Defn: The state of being best. [R.] Bailey.

OPTION Op"tion, n. Etym: [L. optio; akin to optare to choose, wish, optimus best, and perh. to E. apt: cf. F. option.]

1. The power of choosing; the right of choice or election; an alternative. There is an option left to the United States of America, whether they will be respectable and prosperous, or contemptible and miserable, as a nation. Washington.

2. The exercise of the power of choice; choice. Transplantation must proceed from the option of the people, else it sounds like an exile. Bacon.

3. A wishing; a wish. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

4. (Ch. of Eng.)

Defn: A right formerly belonging to an archbishop to select any one dignity or benefice in the gift of a suffragan bishop consecrated or confirmed by him, for bestowal by himself when next vacant; -- annulled by Parliament in 1845.

5. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: A stipulated privilege, given to a party in a time contract, of demanding its fulfillment on any day within a specified limit. Buyer's option, an option allowed to one who contracts to buy stocks at a certain future date and at a certain price, to demand the delivery of the stock (giving one day's notice) at any previous time at the market price. -- Seller's option, an option allowed to one who contracts to deliver stock art a certain price on a certain future date, to deliver it (giving one day's notice) at any previous time at the market price. Such options are privileges for which a consideration is paid. -- Local option. See under Local.

Syn. -- Choice; preference; selection. -- Option, Choice. Choice is an act of choosing; option often means liberty to choose, and implies freedom from constraint in the act of choosing.

OPTIONAL Op"tion*al, a.

Defn: Involving an option; depending on the exercise of an option; left to one's discretion or choice; not compulsory; as, optional studies; it is optional with you to go or stay. -- n.

Defn: See Elective, n. If to the former the movement was not optional, it was the same that the latter chose when it was optional. Palfrey. Original writs are either optional or peremptory. Blackstone.

OPTIONALLY Op"tion*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In an optional manner.

OPTOCOELE; OPTOCOELIA Op"to*coele, Op`to*coe"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. optocoelia, fr. Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: The cavity of one of the optic lobes of the brain in many animals. B. G. Wilder.

OPTOGRAM Op"to*gram, n. Etym: [Optic + -gram: cf. F. optogramme.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An image of external objects fixed on the retina by the photochemical action of light on the visual purple. See Optography.

OPTOGRAPHY Op*tog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Optic + -graphy.] (Physiol.)

Defn: The production of an optogram on the retina by the photochemical action of light on the visual purple; the fixation of an image in the eye. The object so photographed shows white on a purple or red background. See Visual purple, under Visual.

OPTOMETER Op*tom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Optic + -meter.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for measuring the distance of distinct vision, mainly for the selection of eveglasses.

OPTOMETRIST Op*tom"e*trist, n.

Defn: One who is skilled in or practices optometry.

OPTOMETRY Op*tom"e*try, n.

1. (Med.) Measurement of the range of vision, esp. by means of the optometer.

2. As defined (with minor variations) in the statutes of various States of the United States: (a) "The employment of subjective and objective mechanical means to determine the accomodative and refractive states of the eye and the scope of its function in general." (b) "The employment of any means, other than the use of drugs, for the measurement of the powers of vision and adaptation of lenses for the aid thereof."

OPULENCE Op"u*lence, n. Etym: [L. opulentia: cf. F. opulence. See Opulent.]

Defn: Wealth; riches; affluence. Swift

OPULENCY Op"u*len*cy, n.

Defn: See Opulence. Shak.

OPULENT Op"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. opulens, opulentus, fr. ops, opis, power, wealth, riches, perh. akin to E. apt: cf. F. opulent. Cf. Copious, Couple, Office.]

Defn: Having a large estate or property; wealthy; rich; affluent; as, an opulent city; an opulent citizen. -- Op"u*lent*ly, adv. I will piece Her opulent throne with kingdoms. Shak.

OPUNTIA O*pun"ti*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of cactaceous plants; the prickly pear, or Indian fig.

OPUS O"pus, n.; pl. Opera. Etym: [L. See Opera.]

Defn: A work; specif. (Mus.), a musical composition.

Note: Each composition, or set of pieces, as the composer may choose, is called an opus, and they are numbered in the order of their issue. (Often abbrev. to op.)

Opus incertum. Etym: [L.] (Arch.) See under Incertum.

OPUSCLE; OPUSCULE O*pus"cle, O*pus"cule, n. Etym: [L. opusculum, dim. of opus work: cf. F. opuscule.]

Defn: A small or petty work.

OPUSCULUM O*pus"cu*lum, n.; pl. Opuscula. Etym: [L.]

Defn: An opuscule. Smart.

OPYE O"pye, n.

Defn: Opium. [Obs.] Chaucer.

OQUASSA O*quas"sa, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small, handsome trout (Salvelinus oquassa), found in some of the lakes in Maine; -- called also blueback trout.

-OR -or. Etym: [L. -or: cf. OF. -or, -ur, -our, F. -eur.]

1. A noun suffix denoting an act; a state or quality; as in error, fervor, pallor, candor, etc.

2. A noun suffix denoting an agent or doer; as in auditor, one who hears; donor, one who gives; obligor, elevator. It is correlative to -ee. In general -or is appended to words of Latin, and -er to those of English, origin. See -er.

OR Or, conj. Etym: [OE. or, outher, other, auther, either, or, AS. aw, contr. from ahwæ; a aye + hwæ whether. See Aye, and Whether, and cf. Either.]

Defn: A particle that marks an alternative; as, you may read or may write, -- that is, you may do one of the things at your pleasure, but not both. It corresponds to either. You may ride either to London or to Windsor. It often connects a series of words or propositions, presenting a choice of either; as, he may study law, or medicine, or divinity, or he may enter into trade. If man's convenience, health, Or safety interfere, his rights and claims Are paramount. Cowper.

Note: Or may be used to join as alternatives terms expressing unlike things or ideas (as, is the orange sour or sweet), or different terms expressing the same thing or idea; as, this is a sphere, or globe.

Note: Or sometimes begins a sentence. In this case it expresses an alternative or subjoins a clause differing from the foregoing. "Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone" Matt. vii. 9 (Rev. Ver. ). Or for either is archaic or poetic. Maugre thine heed, thou must for indigence Or steal, or beg, or borrow thy dispence. Chaucer.

OR Or, prep. & adv. Etym: [AS. ere, before. sq. root204. See Ere, prep. & adv.]

Defn: Ere; before; sooner than. [Obs.] But natheless, while I have time and space, Or that I forther in this tale pace. Chaucer. Or ever, Or ere. See under Ever, and Ere.

OR Or, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. aurum gold. Cf. Aureate.] (Her.)

Defn: Yellow or gold color, -- represented in drawing or engraving by small dots.

ORA O"ra, n. Etym: [AS. See 2d Ore.]

Defn: A money of account among the Anglo-Saxons, valued, in the Domesday Book, at twenty pence sterling.

ORABASSU O`ra*bas"su, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American monkey of the genus Callithrix, esp. C. Moloch.

ORACH; ORACHE Or"ach, Or"ache, n. Etym: [F. arroche, corrupted fr. L. atriplex, Gr. Arrach.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Atriplex) of herbs or low shrubs of the Goosefoot family, most of them with a mealy surface. Garden orache, a plant (Atriplex hortensis), often used as a pot herb; -- also called mountain spinach.

ORACLE Or"a*cle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. oraculum, fr. orare to speak, utter, pray, fr. os, oris, mouth. See Oral.]

1. The answer of a god, or some person reputed to be a god, to an inquiry respecting some affair or future event, as the success of an enterprise or battle. Whatso'er she saith, for oracles must stand. Drayton.

2. Hence: The deity who was supposed to give the answer; also, the place where it was given. The oracles are dumb; No voice or hideous hum Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. Milton.

3. The communications, revelations, or messages delivered by God to the prophets; also, the entire sacred Scriptures -- usually in the plural. The first principles of the oracles of God. Heb. v. 12.

4. (Jewish Antiq.)

Defn: The sanctuary, or Most Holy place in the temple; also, the temple itself. 1 Kings vi. 19. Siloa's brook, that flow'd Fast by the oracle of God. Milton.

5. One who communicates a divine command; an angel; a prophet. God hath now sent his living oracle Into the world to teach his final will. Milton.

6. Any person reputed uncommonly wise; one whose decisions are regarded as of great authority; as, a literary oracle. "Oracles of mode." Tennyson. The country rectors . . . thought him an oracle on points of learning. Macaulay.

7. A wise sentence or decision of great authority.

ORACLE Or"a*cle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Oracled; p. pr. & vb. n. Oracling.]

Defn: To utter oracles. [Obs.]

ORACULAR O*rac"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. oracularius. See Oracle.]

1. Of or pertaining to an oracle; uttering oracles; forecasting the future; as, an oracular tongue.

2. Resembling an oracle in some way, as in solemnity, wisdom, authority, obscurity, ambiguity, dogmatism. They have something venerable and oracular in that unadorned gravity and shortness in the expression. Pope. -- O*rac"u*lar*ly, adv. -- O*rac"u*lar*ness, n.

ORACULOUS O*rac"u*lous, a.

Defn: Oracular; of the nature of an oracle. [R.] "Equivocations, or oraculous speeches." Bacon. "The oraculous seer." Pope. -- O*rac"u*lous*ly, adv. -- O*rac"u*lous*ness, n.

ORAGIOUS O*ra"gious, a. Etym: [F. orageux.]

Defn: Stormy. [R.]

ORAISON Or"ai*son, n.

Defn: See Orison. [Obs.] Shak.

ORAL O"ral, a. Etym: [L. os, oris, the mouth, akin to Skr. as. Cf. Adore, Orison, Usher.]

1. Uttered by the mouth, or in words; spoken, not written; verbal; as, oral traditions; oral testimony; oral law.

2. Of or pertaining to the mouth; surrounding or lining the mouth; as, oral cilia or cirri.

ORALLY O"ral*ly, adv.

1. In an oral manner. Tillotson.

2. By, with, or in, the mouth; as, to receive the sacrament orally. [Obs.] Usher.

ORANG O*rang", n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Orang-outang.

ORANGE Or"ange, n. Etym: [F.; cf. It. arancia, arancio, LL. arangia, Sp. naranjia, Pg. laranja; all fr. Ar. naranj, Per. naranj, narang; cf. Skr. naranga orange tree. The o- in F. orange is due to confusion with or gold, L. aurum, because the orange resembles gold in color.]

1. The fruit of a tree of the genus Citrus (C. Aurantium). It is usually round, and consists of pulpy carpels, commonly ten in number, inclosed in a leathery rind, which is easily separable, and is reddish yellow when ripe.

Note: There are numerous varieties of oranges; as, the bitter orange, which is supposed to be the original stock; the navel orange, which has the rudiment of a second orange imbedded in the top of the fruit; the blood orange, with a reddish juice; and the horned orange, in which the carpels are partly separated.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: The tree that bears oranges; the orange tree.

3. The color of an orange; reddish yellow. Mandarin orange. See Mandarin. -- Mock orange (Bot.), any species of shrubs of the genus Philadelphus, which have whitish and often fragrant blossoms. -- Native orange, or Orange thorn (Bot.), an Australian shrub (Citriobatus parviflorus); also, its edible yellow berries. -- Orange bird (Zoöl.), a tanager of Jamaica (Tanagra zena); -- so called from its bright orange breast. -- Orange cowry (Zoöl.), a large, handsome cowry (Cypræa aurantia), highly valued by collectors of shells on account of its rarity. -- Orange grass (Bot.), an inconspicuous annual American plant (Hypericum Sarothra), having minute, deep yellow flowers. -- Orange oil (Chem.), an oily, terpenelike substance obtained from orange rind, and distinct from neroli oil, which is obtained from the flowers. -- Orange pekoe, a kind of black tea. -- Orange pippin, an orange-colored apple with acid flavor. -- Quito orange, the orangelike fruit of a shrubby species of nightshade (Solanum Quitoense), native in Quito. -- Orange scale (Zoöl.) any species of scale insects which infests orange trees; especially, the purple scale (Mytilaspis citricola), the long scale (M. Gloveri), and the red scale (Aspidiotus Aurantii).

ORANGE Or"ange, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to an orange; of the color of an orange; reddish yellow; as, an orange ribbon.

ORANGEADE Or`ange*ade", n. Etym: [F., fr. orange.]

Defn: A drink made of orange juice and water, corresponding to lemonade; orange sherbet.

ORANGEAT Or`an*geat", n. Etym: [F., fr. orange.]

Defn: Candied orange peel; also, orangeade.

ORANGEISM Or"ange*ism, n.

Defn: Attachment to the principles of the society of Orangemen; the tenets or practices of the Orangemen.

ORANGEMAN Or"ange*man, n.; pl. -men (.

Defn: One of a secret society, organized in the north of Ireland in 1795, the professed objects of which are the defense of the regning sovereign of Great Britain, the support of the Protestant religion, the maintenance of the laws of the kingdom, etc.; -- so called in honor of William, Prince of Orange, who became William III. of England.

ORANGEROOT Or"ange*root`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: An American ranunculaceous plant (Hidrastis Canadensis), having a yellow tuberous root; -- also called yellowroot, golden seal, etc.

ORANGERY Or"an*ger*y, n. Etym: [F. orangerie, fr. orange. See Orange.]

Defn: A place for raising oranges; a plantation of orange trees.

ORANGETAWNY Or"ange*taw`ny, a. & n.

Defn: Deep orange-yellow; dark yellow. Shak.

ORANGITE Or"an*gite, (Min.)

Defn: An orange-yellow variety of the mineral thorite, found in Norway.

ORANG-OUTANG O*rang"-ou*tang`, n. Etym: [Malayan , i. e., man of the woods; man + a forest, wood, wild, savage.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An arboreal anthropoid ape (Simia satyrus), which inhabits Borneo and Sumatra. Often called simply orang. [Written also orang- outan, orang-utan, ourang-utang, and oran-utan.]

Note: It is over four feet high, when full grown, and has very long arms, which reach nearly or quite to the ground when the body is erect. Its color is reddish brown. In structure, it closely resembles man in many respects.

ORARIAN O*ra"ri*an, a. Etym: [L. orarius, fr. ora coast.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a coast.

ORATION O*ra"tion, n.Etym: [L. oratio, fr. orare to speak, utter, pray. See Oral, Orison.]

Defn: An elaborate discourse, delivered in public, treating an important subject in a formal and dignified manner; especially, a discourse having reference to some special occasion, as a funeral, an anniversary, a celebration, or the like; -- distinguished from an argument in court, a popular harangue, a sermon, a lecture, etc.; as, Webster's oration at Bunker Hill. The lord archbishop . . . made a long oration. Bacon.

Syn. -- Address; speech. See Harangue.

ORATION O*ra"tion, v. i.

Defn: To deliver an oration. Donne.

ORATOR Or"a*tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. orare to speak, utter. See Oration.]

1. A public speaker; one who delivers an oration; especially, one distinguished for his skill and power as a public speaker; one who is eloquent. I am no orator, as Brutus is. Shak. Some orator renowned In Athens or free Rome. Milton.

2. (Law) (a) In equity proceedings, one who prays for relief; a petitioner. (b) A plaintiff, or complainant, in a bill in chancery. Burrill.

3. (Eng. Universities)

Defn: An officer who is the voice of the university upon all public occasions, who writes, reads, and records all letters of a public nature, presents, with an appropriate address, those persons on whom honorary degrees are to be conferred, and performs other like duties; -- called also public orator.

ORATORIAL Or`a*to"ri*al, a.

Defn: Oratorical. [R.] Swift. --Or`a*to"ri*al*ly, adv.

ORATORIAN Or`a*to"ri*an, a.

Defn: Oratorical. [Obs.] R. North.

ORATORIAN Or`a*to"ri*an, n. Etym: [Cf. F. oratorien.] (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: See Fathers of the Oratory, under Oratory.

ORATORICAL Or`a*tor"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to an orator or to oratory; characterized by oratory; rhetorical; becoming to an orator; as, an oratorical triumph; an oratorical essay. -- Or`a*tor"ic*al*ly, adv.

ORATORIO Or`a*to"ri*o, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. oratorius belonging to praying. See Orator, and cf. Oratory.]

1. (Mus.)

Defn: A more or less dramatic text or poem, founded on some Scripture nerrative, or great divine event, elaborately set to music, in recitative, arias, grand choruses, etc., to be sung with an orchestral accompaniment, but without action, scenery, or costume, although the oratorio grew out of the Mysteries and the Miracle and Passion plays, which were acted.

Note: There are instances of secular and mythological subjects treated in the form of the oratorios, and called oratorios by their composers; as Haydn's "Seasons," Handel's "Semele," etc.

2. Performance or rendering of such a composition.

ORATORIOUS Or`a*to"ri*ous, a. Etym: [LL. oratorius.]

Defn: Oratorical. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Or`a*to"ri*ous*ly, adv. [Obs.]

ORATORIZE Or"a*tor*ize, v. i.

Defn: To play the orator. [Jocose or derisive] Dickens.

ORATORY Or"a*to*ry, n.; pl. Oratories. Etym: [OE. oratorie, fr. L. oratorium, fr. oratorius of praying, of an orator: cf. F. oratoire. See Orator, Oral, and cf. Oratorio.]

Defn: A place of orisons, or prayer; especially, a chapel or small room set apart for private devotions. An oratory [temple] . . . in worship of Dian. Chaucer. Do not omit thy prayers for want of a good oratory, or place to pray in. Jer. Taylor. Fathers of the Oratory (R. C. Ch.), a society of priests founded by St. Philip Neri, living in community, and not bound by a special vow. The members are called also oratorians.

ORATORY Or"a*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. oratoria (sc. ars) the oratorical art.]

Defn: The art of an orator; the art of public speaking in an eloquent or effective manner; the exercise of rhetorical skill in oral discourse; eloquence. "The oratory of Greece and Rome." Milton. When a world of men Could not prevail with all their oratory. Shak.

ORATRESS Or"a*tress, n.

Defn: A woman who makes public addresses. Warner.

ORATRIX Or"a*trix, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A woman plaintiff, or complainant, in equity pleading. Burrill.

ORB Orb, n. Etym: [OF. orb blind, fr. L. orbus destitute.] (Arch.)

Defn: A blank window or panel. [Obs.] Oxf. Gloss.

ORB Orb, n. Etym: [F. orbe, fr. L. orbis circle, orb. Cf. Orbit.]

1. A spherical body; a globe; especially, one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star. In the small orb of one particular tear. Shak. Whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled. Milton.

2. One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be inclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions.

3. A circle; esp., a circle, or nearly circular orbit, described by the revolution of a heavenly body; an orbit. The schoolmen were like astronomers, which did feign eccentrics, and epicycles, and such engines of orbs. Bacon. You seem to me as Dian in her orb. Shak. In orbs Of circuit inexpressible they stood, Orb within orb. Milton.

4. A period of time marked off by the revolution of a heavenly body. [R.] Milton.

5. The eye, as luminous and spherical. [Poetic] A drop serene hath quenched their orbs. Milton.

6. A revolving circular body; a wheel. [Poetic] The orbs Of his fierce chariot rolled. Milton.

7. A sphere of action. [R.] Wordsworth. But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe. Shak

8. Same as Mound, a ball or globe. See lst Mound.

9. (Mil.)

Defn: A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defense, esp. infantry to repel cavalry.

Syn. -- Globe; ball; sphere. See Globe.

ORB Orb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Orbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Orbing.]

1. To form into an orb or circle. [Poetic] Milton. Lowell.

2. To encircle; to surround; to inclose. [Poetic] The wheels were orbed with gold. Addison.

ORB Orb, v. i.

Defn: To become round like an orb. [Poetic] And orb into the perfect star. Tennyson.

ORBATE Or"bate, a. Etym: [L. orbatus, p. p. of orbare to bereave, fr. orbus bereaved of parents or children. See Orphan.]

Defn: Bereaved; fatherless; childless. [Obs.]

ORBATION Or*ba"tion, n. Etym: [L. orbatio.]

Defn: The state of being orbate, or deprived of parents or children; privation, in general; bereavement. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

ORBED Orbed, a.

Defn: Having the form of an orb; round. The orbèd eyelids are let down. Trench.

ORBIC; ORBICAL Or"bic, Or"bic*al, a. Etym: [L. orbicus, or orbitus, fr. orbis orb.]

Defn: Spherical; orbicular; orblike; circular. [R.] Bacon.

ORBICLE Or"bi*cle, n. Etym: [L. orbiculus, dim. of orbis orb.]

Defn: A small orb, or sphere. [Obs.] G. Fletcher.

ORBICULA Or*bic"u*la, n. Etym: [NL. See Orbicle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Discina.

ORBICULAR Or*bic"u*lar, a. Etym: [L. orbicularis, fr. orbiculus, dim. of orbis orb: cf. F. orbiculaire.]

Defn: Resembling or having the form of an orb; spherical; circular; orbiculate. -- Or*bic"u*lar*ly, adv. -- Or*bic"u*lar*ness, n. Orbicular as the disk of a planet. De Quincey.

ORBICULATE Or*bic"u*late, n.

Defn: That which is orbiculate; especially, a solid the vertical section of which is oval, and the horizontal section circular.

ORBICULATE; ORBICULATED Or*bic"u*late, Or*bic"u*la`ted, a. Etym: [L. orbiculatus. See Orbicular.]

Defn: Made, or being, in the form of an orb; having a circular, or nearly circular, or a spheroidal, outline. Orbiculate leaf (Bot.), a leaf whose outline is nearly circular.

ORBICULATION Or*bic`u*la"tion, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being orbiculate; orbicularness. Dr. H. More.

ORBIT Or"bit, n. Etym: [L. orbita a track or rut made by a wheel, course, circuit, fr. orbis a circle: cf. F. orbite. See 2d Orb.]

1. (Astron.)

Defn: The path described by a heavenly body in its periodical revolution around another body; as, the orbit of Jupiter, of the earth, of the moon.

2. An orb or ball. [Rare & Improper] Roll the lucid orbit of an eye. Young.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: The cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.

ORBITAL Or"bit*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to an orbit. "Orbital revolution." J. D. Forbes. Orbital index (Anat.), in the skull, the ratio of the vertical height to the transverse width of the orbit, which is taken as the standard, equal to 100.

ORBITAR Or"bit*ar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. orbitaire.]

Defn: Orbital. [R.] Dunglison.

ORBITARY Or"bit*a*ry, a.

Defn: Situated around the orbit; as, the orbitary feathers of a bird.

ORBITELAE Or`bi*te"læ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. orbis an orb + tela a web.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of spiders, including those that make geometrical webs, as the garden spider, or Epeira.

ORBITOLITES Or`bi*to*li"tes, n. Etym: [NL. See Orbit, and -lite.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of living Foraminifera, forming broad, thin, circular disks, containing numerous small chambers.

ORBITONASAL Or`bi*to*na"sal, a. Etym: [Orbit + nasal.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the orbit and the nose; as, the orbitonasal, or ophthalmic, nerve.

ORBITOSPHENOID Or`bi*to*sphe"noid, a. Etym: [Orbit + sphenoid.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the sphenoid bone and the orbit, or to the orbitosphenoid bone. -- n.

Defn: The orbitosphenoid bone, which is situated in the orbit on either side of the presphenoid. It generally forms a part of the sphenoid in the adult.

ORBITOSPHENOIDAL Or`bi*to*sphe*noid"al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the orbitosphenoid bone; orbitosphenoid.

ORBITUARY Or*bit"u*a*ry, a.

Defn: Orbital. [R.]

ORBITUDE; ORBITY Or"bi*tude, Or"bi*ty, n. Etym: [L. orbitudo, orbitas, fr. orbus: cf. F. orbité. See Orbate.]

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

ORBULINA Or`bu*li"na, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. orbis orb.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of minute living Foraminifera having a globular shell.

ORBY Orb"y, a. Etym: [From 2d Orb.]

Defn: Orblike; having the course of an orb; revolving. [Obs.] "Orby hours." Chapman.

ORC Orc, n. Etym: [L. orca: cf. F. orque.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The grampus. [Written also ork and orch.] Milton.

ORCADIAN Or*ca"di*an, a. Etym: [L. Orcades the Orkney Islands.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Orkney Islands.

ORCEIN Or"ce*in, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A reddish brown amorphous dyestuff,

ORCHAL Or"chal, n.

Defn: See Archil.

ORCHANET Or"cha*net, n. Etym: [F. orcanète.] (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Alkanet, 2. Ainsworth.

ORCHARD Or"chard, n. Etym: [AS. ortgeard, wyrtgeard, lit., wortyard, i. e., a yard for herbs; wyrt herb + geard yard. See Wort, Yard inclosure.]

1. A garden. [Obs.]

2. An inclosure containing fruit trees; also, the fruit trees, collectively; -- used especially of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, or the like, less frequently of nutbearing trees and of sugar maple trees. Orchard grass (Bot.), a tall coarse grass (Dactylis glomerata), introduced into the United States from Europe. It grows usually in shady places, and is of value for forage and hay. -- Orchard house (Hort.), a glazed structure in which fruit trees are reared in pots. -- Orchard oriole (Zool.), a bright-colored American oriole (Icterus spurius), which frequents orchards. It is smaller and darker thah the Baltimore oriole.

ORCHARDING Or"chard*ing, n.

1. The cultivation of orchards.

2. Orchards, in general.

ORCHARDIST Or"chard*ist, n.

Defn: One who cultivates an orchard.

ORCHEL Or"chel, n.

Defn: Archil.

ORCHESOGRAPHY Or`che*sog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. -graphy.]

Defn: A treatise upon dancing. [R.]

ORCHESTER Or"ches*ter, n.

Defn: See Orchestra.

ORCHESTIAN Or*ches"tian, n. Etym: [From Gr. Orchestra.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of amphipod crustacean of the genus Orchestia, or family Orchestidæ. See Beach flea, under Beach.

ORCHESTRA Or"ches*tra, n. Etym: [L. orchestra, Gr. orchestre.]

1. The space in a theater between the stage and the audience; -- originally appropriated by the Greeks to the chorus and its evolutions, afterward by the Romans to persons of distinction, and by the moderns to a band of instrumental musicians.

2. The place in any public hall appropriated to a band of instrumental musicians.

3. (Mus.) (a) Loosely: A band of instrumental musicians performing in a theater, concert hall, or other place of public amusement. (b) Strictly: A band suitable for the performance of symphonies, overtures, etc., as well as for the accompaniment of operas, oratorios, cantatas, masses, and the like, or of vocal and instrumental solos. (c) A band composed, for the largest part, of players of the various viol instruments, many of each kind, together with a proper complement of wind instruments of wood and brass; -- as distinguished from a military or street band of players on wind instruments, and from an assemblage of solo players for the rendering of concerted pieces, such as septets, octets, and the like.

4. (Mus.)

Defn: The instruments employed by a full band, collectively; as, an orchestra of forty stringed instruments, with proper complement of wind instruments.

ORCHESTRAL Or"ches*tral, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to an orchestra; suitable for, or performed in or by, an orchestra.

ORCHESTRATION Or`ches*tra"tion, n. (Mus.)

Defn: The arrangement of music for an orchestra; orchestral treatment of a composition; -- called also instrumentation.

ORCHESTRE Or"ches*tre, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: See Orchestra.

ORCHESTRIC Or*ches"tric, a.

Defn: Orchestral.

ORCHESTRION Or*ches"tri*on, n.

Defn: A large music box imitating a variety of orchestral instruments.

ORCHID Or"chid, n. Etym: [See Orchis.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the order Orchidaceæ. See Orchidaceous.

ORCHIDACEOUS Or`chi*da"ceous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order (Orchidaceæ) of endogenous plants of which the genus Orchis is the type. They are mostly perennial herbs having the stamens and pistils united in a single column, and normally three petals and three sepals, all adherent to the ovary. The flowers are curiously shaped, often resembling insects, the odd or lower petal (called the lip) being unlike the others, and sometimes of a strange and unexpected appearance. About one hundred species occur in the United States, but several thousand in the tropics.

Note: Over three hundred genera are recognized.

ORCHIDEAN Or*chid"e*an, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Orchidaceous.

ORCHIDEOUS Or*chid"e*ous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Orchidaceous.

ORCHIDOLOGIST Or`chid*ol"o*gist, n.

Defn: One versed in orchidology.

ORCHIDOLOGY Or`chid*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: The branch of botany which treats of orchids.

ORCHIL Or"chil, n.

Defn: See Archil.

ORCHILLA WEED Or*chil"la weed`. (Bot.)

Defn: The lichen from which archil is obtained. See Archil.

ORCHIS Or"chis, n.; pl. Orchises. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of endogenous plants growing in the North Temperate zone, and consisting of about eighty species. They are perennial herbs growing from a tuber (beside which is usually found the last year's tuber also), and are valued for their showy flowers. See Orchidaceous.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the same family with the orchis; an orchid.

Note: The common names, such as bee orchis, fly orchis, butterfly orchis, etc., allude to the peculiar form of the flower.

ORCHITIS Or*chi"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -itis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the testicles.

ORCHOTOMY Or*chot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)

Defn: The operation of cutting out or removing a testicle by the knife; castration.

ORCIN Or"cin, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain: cf. F. orcine.] (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless crystalline substance, C6H3.CH3.(OH)2, which is obtained from certain lichens (Roccella, Lecanora, etc.), also from extract of aloes, and artificially from certain derivatives of toluene. It changes readily into orcein.

ORD Ord, n. Etym: [AS. ord point.]

Defn: An edge or point; also, a beginning. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer. Ord and end, the beginning and end. Cf. Odds and ends, under Odds. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer. Halliwell.

ORDAIN Or*dain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ordained; p. pr. & vb. n. Ordaining.] Etym: [OE. ordeinen, OF. ordener, F. ordonner, fr. L. ordinare, from ordo, ordinis, order. See Order, and cf. Ordinance.]

1. To set in order; to arrange according to rule; to regulate; to set; to establish. "Battle well ordained." Spenser. The stake that shall be ordained on either side. Chaucer.

2. To regulate, or establish, by appointment, decree, or law; to constitute; to decree; to appoint; to institute. Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month. 1 Kings xii. 32. And doth the power that man adores ordain Their doom Byron.

3. To set apart for an office; to appoint. Being ordained his special governor. Shak.

4. (Eccl.)

Defn: To invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; to introduce into the office of the Christian ministry, by the laying on of hands, or other forms; to set apart by the ceremony of ordination. Meletius was ordained by Arian bishops. Bp. Stillingfleet.

ORDAINABLE Or*dain"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being ordained; worthy to be ordained or appointed. Bp. Hall.

ORDAINER Or*dain"er, n.

Defn: One who ordains.

ORDAINMENT Or*dain"ment, n.

Defn: Ordination. [R.] Burke.

ORDAL Or"dal, n.

Defn: Ordeal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

ORDALIAN Or*da"li*an, a. Etym: [LL. orda.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to trial by ordeal. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

ORDEAL Or"de*al, n. Etym: [AS. ordal, ord, a judgment; akin to D. oordeel, G. urteil, urtheil; orig., what is dealt out, the prefix or- being akin to a- compounded with verbs, G. er-, ur-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out. See Deal, v. & n., and cf. Arise, Ort.]

1. An ancient form of test to determine guilt or innocence, by appealing to a supernatural decision, -- once common in Europe, and still practiced in the East and by savage tribes.

Note: In England ordeal by fire and ordeal by water were used, the former confined to persons of rank, the latter to the common people. The ordeal by fire was performed, either by handling red-hot iron, or by walking barefoot and blindfold over red-hot plowshares, laid at unequal distances. If the person escaped unhurt, he was adjudged innocent; otherwise he was condemned as guilty. The ordeal by water was performed, either by plunging the bare arm to the elbow in boiling water, an escape from injury being taken as proof of innocence, or by casting the accused person, bound hand and foot, into a river or pond, when if he floated it was an evidence of guilt, but if he sunk he was acquitted. It is probable that the proverbial phrase, to go through fire and water, denoting severe trial or danger, is derived from the ordeal. See Wager of battle, under Wager.

2. Any severe trial, or test; a painful experience. Ordeal bean. (Bot.) See Calabar bean, under Calabar. -- Ordeal root (Bot.) the root of a species of Strychnos growing in West Africa, used, like the ordeal bean, in trials for witchcraft. -- Ordeal tree (Bot.), a poisonous tree of Madagascar (Tanghinia, or Cerbera, venenata). Persons suspected of crime are forced to eat the seeds of the plumlike fruit, and criminals are put to death by being pricked with a lance dipped in the juice of the seeds.

ORDEAL Or"de*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to trial by ordeal.

ORDER Or"der, n. Etym: [OE. ordre, F. ordre, fr. L. ordo, ordinis. Cf. Ordain, Ordinal.]

1. Regular arrangement; any methodical or established succession or harmonious relation; method; system; as: (a) Of material things, like the books in a library. (b) Of intellectual notions or ideas, like the topics of a discource. (c) Of periods of time or occurrences, and the like. The side chambers were . . . thirty in order. Ezek. xli. 6. Bright-harnessed angels sit in order serviceable. Milton. Good order is the foundation of all good things. Burke.

2. Right arrangement; a normal, correct, or fit condition; as, the house is in order; the machinery is out of order. Locke.

3. The customary mode of procedure; established system, as in the conduct of debates or the transaction of business; usage; custom; fashion. Dantiel. And, pregnant with his grander thought, Brought the old order into doubt. Emerson.

4. Conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance; general tranquillity; public quiet; as, to preserve order in a community or an assembly.

5. That which prescribes a method of procedure; a rule or regulation made by competent authority; as, the rules and orders of the senate. The church hath authority to establish that for an order at one time which at another time it may abolish. Hooker.

6. A command; a mandate; a precept; a direction. Upon this new fright, an order was made by both houses for disarming all the papists in England. Clarendon.

7. Hence: A commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods; a direction, in writing, to pay money, to furnish supplies, to admit to a building, a place of entertainment, or the like; as, orders for blankets are large. In those days were pit orders -- beshrew the uncomfortable manager who abolished them. Lamb.

8. A number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a group or division of men in the same social or other position; also, a distinct character, kind, or sort; as, the higher or lower orders of society; talent of a high order. They are in equal order to their several ends. Jer. Taylor. Various orders various ensigns bear. Granville. Which, to his order of mind, must have seemed little short of crime. Hawthorne.

9. A body of persons having some common honorary distinction or rule of obligation; esp., a body of religious persons or aggregate of convents living under a common rule; as, the Order of the Bath; the Franciscan order. Find a barefoot brother out, One of our order, to associate me. Shak. The venerable order of the Knights Templars. Sir W. Scott.

10. An ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or bishop; the office of the Christian ministry; -- often used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.

11. (Arch.)

Defn: The disposition of a column and its component parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in classical architecture; hence (as the column and entablature are the characteristic features of classical architecture) a style or manner of architectural designing.

Note: The Greeks used three different orders, easy to distinguish, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Romans added the Tuscan, and changed the Doric so that it is hardly recognizable, and also used a modified Corinthian called Composite. The Renaissance writers on architecture recognized five orders as orthodox or classical, -- Doric (the Roman sort), Ionic, Tuscan, Corinthian, and Composite. See Illust. of Capital.

12. (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: An assemblage of genera having certain important characters in common; as, the Carnivora and Insectivora are orders of Mammalia.

Note: The Linnæan artificial orders of plants rested mainly on identity in the numer of pistils, or agreement in some one character. Natural orders are groups of genera agreeing in the fundamental plan of their flowers and fruit. A natural order is usually (in botany) equivalent to a family, and may include several tribes.

13. (Rhet.)

Defn: The placing of words and members in a sentence in such a manner as to contribute to force and beauty or clearness of expression.

14. (Math.)

Defn: Rank; degree; thus, the order of a curve or surface is the same as the degree of its equation. Artificial order or system. See Artificial classification, under Artificial, and Note to def. 12 above. -- Close order (Mil.), the arrangement of the ranks with a distance of about half a pace between them; with a distance of about three yards the ranks are in Ant: open order. -- The four Orders, The Orders four, the four orders of mendicant friars. See Friar. Chaucer. -- General orders (Mil.), orders issued which concern the whole command, or the troops generally, in distinction from special orders. -- Holy orders. (a) (Eccl.) The different grades of the Christian ministry; ordination to the ministry. See def. 10 above. (b) (R. C. Ch.) A sacrament for the purpose of conferring a special grace on those ordained. -- In order to, for the purpose of; to the end; as means to. The best knowledge is that which is of greatest use in order to our eternal happiness. Tillotson. -- Minor orders (R. C. Ch.), orders beneath the diaconate in sacramental dignity, as acolyte, exorcist, reader, doorkeeper. -- Money order. See under Money. -- Natural order. (Bot.) See def. 12, Note. -- Order book. (a) A merchant's book in which orders are entered. (b) (Mil.) A book kept at headquarters, in which all orders are recorded for the information of officers and men. (c) A book in the House of Commons in which proposed orders must be entered. [Eng.] -- Order in Council, a royal order issed with and by the advice of the Privy Council. [Great Britain] -- Order of battle (Mil.), the particular disposition given to the troops of an army on the field of battle. -- Order of the day, in legislative bodies, the special business appointed for a specified day. -- Order of a differential equation (Math.), the greatest index of differentiation in the equation. -- Sailing orders (Naut.), the final instructions given to the commander of a ship of war before a cruise. -- Sealed orders, orders sealed, and not to be opended until a certain time, or arrival at a certain place, as after a ship is at sea. -- Standing order. (a) A continuing regulation for the conduct of parliamentary business. (b) (Mil.) An order not subject to change by an officer temporarily in command. -- To give order, to give command or directions. Shak. -- To take order for, to take charge of; to make arrangements concerning. Whiles I take order for mine own affairs. Shak.

Syn. -- Arrangement; management. See Direction.

ORDER Or"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ordered; p pr. & vb. n. Ordering.] Etym: [From Order, n.]

1. To put in order; to reduce to a methodical arrangement; to arrange in a series, or with reference to an end. Hence, to regulate; to dispose; to direct; to rule. To him that ordereth his conversation aright. Ps. 1. 23. Warriors old with ordered spear and shield. Milton.

2. To give an order to; to command; as, to order troops to advance.

3. To give an order for; to secure by an order; as, to order a carriage; to order groceries.

4. (Eccl.)

Defn: To admit to holy orders; to ordain; to receive into the ranks of the ministry. These ordered folk be especially titled to God. Chaucer. Persons presented to be ordered deacons. Bk. of Com. Prayer. Order arms (Mil.), the command at which a rifle is brought to a position with its but resting on the ground; also, the position taken at such a command.

ORDER Or"der, v. i.

Defn: To give orders; to issue commands.

ORDERABLE Or"der*a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being ordered; tractable. [R.] Being very orderable in all his sickness. Fuller.

ORDERER Or"der*er, n.

1. One who puts in order, arranges, methodizes, or regulates.

2. One who gives orders.

ORDERING Or"der*ing, n.

Defn: Disposition; distribution; management. South.

ORDERLESS Or"der*less, a.

Defn: Being without order or regularity; disorderly; out of rule.

ORDERLINESS Or"der*li*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being orderly.

ORDERLY Or"der*ly, a.

1. Conformed to order; in order; regular; as, an orderly course or plan. Milton.

2. Observant of order, authority, or rule; hence, obedient; quiet; peaceable; not unruly; as, orderly children; an orderly community.

3. Performed in good or established order; well-regulated. "An orderly . . . march." Clarendon.

4. Being on duty; keeping order; conveying orders. "Aids-de-camp and orderly men." Sir W. Scott. Orderly book (Mil.), a book for every company, in which the general and regimental orders are recorded. -- Orderly officer, the officer of the day, or that officer of a corps or regiment whose turn it is to supervise for the day the arrangements for food, cleanliness, etc. Farrow. -- Orderly room. (a) The court of the commanding officer, where charges against the men of the regiment are tried. (b) The office of the commanding officer, usually in the barracks, whence orders emanate. Farrow. -- Orderly sergeant, the first sergeant of a company.

ORDERLY Or"der*ly, adv.

Defn: According to due order; regularly; methodically; duly. You are blunt; go to it orderly. Shak.

ORDERLY Or"der*ly, n.; pl. Orderlies (.

1. (Mil.)

Defn: A noncommissioned officer or soldier who attends a superior officer to carry his orders, or to render other service. Orderlies were appointed to watch the palace. Macaulay.

2. A street sweeper. [Eng.] Mayhew.

ORDINABILITY Or`di*na*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Capability of being ordained or appointed. [Obs.] Bp. Bull.

ORDINABLE Or"di*na*ble, a. Etym: [See Ordinate, Ordain.]

Defn: Capable of being ordained or appointed. [Obs.]

ORDINAL Or"di*nal, a. Etym: [L. ordinalis, fr. ordo, ordinis, order. See Order.]

1. Indicating order or succession; as, the ordinal numbers, first, second, third, etc.

2. Of or pertaining to an order.

ORDINAL Or"di*nal, n.

1. A word or number denoting order or succession.

2. (Ch. of Eng.)

Defn: The book of forms for making, ordaining, and consecrating bishops, priests, and deacons.

3. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: A book containing the rubrics of the Mass. [Written also ordinale.]

ORDINALISM Or"di*nal*ism, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being ordinal. [R.] Latham.

ORDINANCE Or"di*nance, n. Etym: [OE. ordenance, OF. ordenance, F. ordonnance. See Ordain, and cf. Ordnance, Ordonnance.]

1. Orderly arrangement; preparation; provision. [Obs.] Spenser. They had made their ordinance Of victual, and of other purveyance. Chaucer.

2. A rule established by authority; a permanent rule of action; a statute, law, regulation, rescript, or accepted usage; an edict or decree; esp., a local law enacted by a municipal government; as, a municipal ordinance. Thou wilt die by God's just ordinance. Shak. By custom and the ordinance of times. Shak. Walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Luke i. 6.

Note: Acts of Parliament are sometimes called ordinances; also, certain colonial laws and certain acts of Congress under Confederation; as, the ordinance of 1787 for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River; the colonial ordinance of 1641, or 1647. This word is often used in Scripture in the sense of a law or statute of sovereign power. Ex. xv. 25. Num. x. 8. Ezra iii. 10. Its most frequent application now in the United States is to laws and regulations of municipal corporations. Wharton (Law Dict.).

3. (Eccl.)

Defn: An established rite or ceremony.

4. Rank; order; station. [Obs.] Shak.

5. Etym: [See Ordnance.]

Defn: Ordnance; cannon. [Obs.] Shak.

ORDINAND Or"di*nand`, n. Etym: [L. ordinandus, gerundive of ordinare. See Ordain.]

Defn: One about to be ordained.

ORDINANT Or"di*nant, a. Etym: [L. ordinans, p. pr. of ordinare. See Ordain.]

Defn: Ordaining; decreeing. [Obs.] Shak.

ORDINANT Or"di*nant, n.

Defn: One who ordains. F. G. Lee.

ORDINARILY Or"di*na*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: According to established rules or settled method; as a rule; commonly; usually; in most cases; as, a winter more than ordinarily severe. Those who ordinarily pride themselves not a little upon their penetration. I. Taylor.

ORDINARY Or"di*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. ordinarius, fr. ordo, ordinis, order: cf. F. ordinaire. See Order.]

1. According to established order; methodical; settled; regular. "The ordinary forms of law." Addison.

2. Common; customary; usual. Shak. Method is not less reguisite in ordinary conversation that in writing. Addison.