Chapter C: G. T (14)

COLLOCATE Col"lo*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Collocated; p. pr. & vb. n. Collocating.]

Defn: To set or place; to set; to station. To marshal and collocate in order his battalions. E. Hall.

COLLOCATION Col`lo*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. collocatio.]

Defn: The act of placing; the state of being placed with something else; disposition in place; arrangement. The choice and collocation of words. Sir W. Jones.

COLLOCUTION Col`lo*cu"tion, n. Etym: [L. collocutio, fr. colloqui, -locutum, to converse; col- + loqui to speak. See Loquacious.]

Defn: A speaking or conversing together; conference; mutual discourse. Bailey.

COLLOCUTOR Col"lo*cu`tor, n. Etym: [L. collocutor]

Defn: One of the speakers in a dialogue. Derham.

COLLODION Col*lo"di*on, n. Etym: [Gr. Colloid.] (Chem.)

Defn: A solution of pyroxylin (soluble gun cotton) in ether containing a varying proportion of alcohol. It is strongly adhesive, and is used by surgeons as a containing for wounds; but its chief application is as a vehicle for the sensitive film in photography. Collodion process (Photog.), a process in which a film of sensitized collodion is used in preparing the plate for taking a picture. -- Styptic collodion, collodion containing an astringent, as tannin.

COLLODIONIZE Col*lo"di*on*ize, v. t.

Defn: To prepare or treat with collodion. R. Hunt.

COLLODIOTYPE Col*lo"di*o*type, n.

Defn: A picture obtained by the collodion process; a melanotype or ambrotype.

COLLODIUM Col*lo"di*um, n.

Defn: See Collodion.

COLLOGUE Col*logue", v. i. Etym: [Cf. L. colloqui and E. dialogue. Cf. Collocution.]

Defn: To talk or confer secretly and confidentially; to converse, especially with evil intentions; to plot mischief. [Archaic or Colloq.] Pray go in; and, sister, salve the matter, Collogue with her again, and all shall be well. Greene. He had been colloguing with my wife. Thackeray.

COLLOID Col"loid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid. Cf. Collodion.]

Defn: Resembling glue or jelly; characterized by a jellylike appearance; gelatinous; as, colloid tumors.

COLLOID Col"loid, n.

1. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: A substance (as albumin, gum, gelatin, etc.) which is of a gelatinous rather than a crystalline nature, and which diffuses itself through animal membranes or vegetable parchment more slowly than crystalloids do; -- opposed to crystalloid.

2. (Med.)

Defn: A gelatinous substance found in colloid degeneration and colloid cancer. Styptic colloid (Med.), a preparation of astringent and antiseptic substances with some colloid material, as collodion, for ready use.

COLLOIDAL Col*loid"al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or of the nature of, colloids.

COLLOIDALITY Col`loi*dal"i*ty, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being colloidal.

COLLOP Col"lop, n. Etym: [Of uncertain origin; cf. OF. colp blow, stroke, piece, F. coup, fr. L. colophus buffet, cuff, Gr. [Written also colp.]

1. A small slice of meat; a piece of flesh. God knows thou art a collop of my flesh. Shak. Sweetbread and collops were with skewers pricked. Dryden.

2. A part or piece of anything; a portion. Cut two good collops out of the crown land. Fuller.

COLLOPED Col"loped, a.

Defn: Having ridges or bunches of flesh, like collops. With that red, gaunt, and colloped neck astrain. R. Browning.

COLLOPHORE Col"lo*phore, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) A suckerlike organ at the base of the abdomen of insects belonging to the Collembola. (b) An adhesive marginal organ of the Lucernariae.

COLLOQUIAL Col*lo"qui*al, a. Etym: [See Colloqui.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or used in, conversation, esp. common and familiar conversation; conversational; hence, unstudied; informal; as, colloquial intercourse; colloquial phrases; a colloquial style. -- Col*lo"qui*al*ly, adv. His [Johnson's] colloquial talents were, indeed, of the highest order. Macaulay.

COLLOQUIALISM Col*lo"qui*al*ism, n.

Defn: A colloquial expression, not employed in formal discourse or writing.

COLLOQUIALIZE Col*lo"qui*al*ize, v. t.

Defn: To make colloquial and familiar; as, to colloquialize one's style of writing.

COLLOQUIST Col"lo*quist, n.

Defn: A speaker in a colloquy or dialogue. Malone.

COLLOQUY Col"lo*quy, n.; pl. Colloquies. Etym: [L. colloquium. See Collocution.]

1. Mutual discourse of two or more persons; conference; conversation. They went to Worms, to the colloquy there about religion. A. Wood.

2. In some American colleges, a part in exhibitions, assigned for a certain scholarship rank; a designation of rank in collegiate scholarship.

COLLOTYPE Col"lo*type, n. [Gr. glue + -type.]

Defn: A photomechanical print made directly from a hardened film of gelatin or other colloid; also, the process of making such prints. According to one method, the film is sensitized with potassium dichromate and exposed to light under a reversed negative. After the dichromate has been washed out, the film is soaked in glycerin and water. As this treatment causes swelling in those parts of the film which have been acted on by light, a plate results from which impressions can be taken with prepared ink. The albertype, phototype, and heliotype are collotypes.

COLLOW Col"low, n.

Defn: Soot; smut. See 1st Colly. [Obs.]

COLLUCTANCY Col*luc"tan*cy, n. Etym: [L. colluctari to struggle with.]

Defn: A struggling to resist; a striving against; resistance; opposition of nature. [Obs.]

COLLUCTATION Col`luc*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. colluctatio, fr. colluctari to struggle with; col- + luctari to struggle.]

Defn: A struggling; a contention. [Obs.] Colluctation with old hags and hobgoblins. Dr. H. More.

COLLUDE Col*lude", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Colluded; p. pr. & vb. n. Colluding.] Etym: [L. colludere, -lusum; col- + ludere to play. See Ludicrous.]

Defn: To have secretly a joint part or share in an action; to play into each other's hands; to conspire; to act in concert. If they let things take their course, they will be represented as colluding with sedition. Burke.

COLLUDER Col*lud"er, n.

Defn: One who conspires in a fraud.

COLLUM Col"lum, n.; pl. Colla. Etym: [L., neck.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: A neck or cervix. Dunglison.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Collar. Gray.

COLLUSION Col*lu"sion, n. Etym: [L. collusio: cf. F. collusion. See Collude.]

1. A secret agreement and cooperation for a fraudulent or deceitful purpose; a playing into each other's hands; deceit; fraud; cunning. The foxe, maister of collusion. Spenser. That they [miracles] be done publicly, in the face of the world, that there may be no room to suspect artifice and collusion. Atterbury. By the ignorance of the merchants or dishonesty of the weavers, or the collusion of both, the ware was bad and the price excessive. Swift.

2. (Law)

Defn: An agreement between two or more persons to defraud a person of his rights, by the forms of law, or to obtain an object forbidden by law. Bouvier. Abbott.

Syn. -- Collusion, Connivance. A person who is guilty of connivance intentionally overlooks, and thus sanctions what he was bound to prevent. A person who is guilty of collusion unites with others (playing into their hands) for fraudulent purposes.

COLLUSIVE Col*lu"sive, a.

1. Characterized by collusion; done or planned in collusion. "Collusive and sophistical arguings." J. Trapp. "Collusive divorces." Strype.

2. Acting in collusion. "Collusive parties." Burke. -- Col*lu"sive*ly, adv. -- Col*lu"sive*ness, n.

COLLUSORY Col*lu"so*ry, a. Etym: [L. collusorius.]

Defn: Collusive.

COLLUTORY Col"lu*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. colluere, collutum, to wash.] (Med.)

Defn: A medicated wash for the mouth.

COLLUVIES Col*lu"vi*es, n. [L., a collection of washings, dregs, offscourings, fr. colluere to wash; col-+ luere to wash.]

1. A collection or gathering, as of pus, or rubbish, or odds and ends.

2. A medley; offscourings or rabble.

COLLY Col"ly, n. Etym: [From Coal.]

Defn: The black grime or soot of coal. [Obs.] Burton.

COLLY Col"ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Collied; p. pr. & vb. n. Collying.]

Defn: To render black or dark, as of with coal smut; to begrime. [Archaic.] Thou hast not collied thy face enough. B. Jonson. Brief as the lighting in the collied night. Shak.

COLLY Col"ly, n.

Defn: A kind of dog. See Collie.

COLLYBIST Col"ly*bist, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A money changer. [Obs.] In the face of these guilty collybists. Bp. Hall.

COLLYRIUM Col*lyr"i*um, n.; pl. E. Collyriums, L. Collyria. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: An application to the eye, usually an eyewater.

COLOBOMA Col`o*bo"ma, n. [NL. fr. Gr. , the part taken away in mutilation, fr. to mutilate.] (Anat. & Med.)

Defn: A defect or malformation; esp., a fissure of the iris supposed to be a persistent embryonic cleft.

COLOCOLO Col`o*co"lo, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American wild cat (Felis colocolo), of the size of the ocelot.

COLOCYNTH Col"ocynth, n. Etym: [L. colocynthis, Gr. Coloquintida.] (Med.)

Defn: The light spongy pulp of the fruit of the bitter cucumber (Citrullus, or Cucumis, colocynthis), an Asiatic plant allied to the watermelon; coloquintida. It comes in white balls, is intensely bitter, and a powerful cathartic. Called also bitter apple, bitter cucumber, bitter gourd.

COLOCYNTHIN Col`o*cyn"thin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. colocynthine.] (Chem.)

Defn: The active medicinal principle of colocynth; a bitter, yellow, crystalline substance, regarded as a glucoside.

COLOGNE Co*logne", n. Etym: [Originally made in Cologne, the French name of Köln, a city in Germany.]

Defn: A perfumed liquid, composed of alcohol and certain aromatic oils, used in the toilet; -- called also cologne water and eau de cologne.

COLOGNE EARTH Co*logne" earth`. Etym: [From Cologne the city.] (Min.)

Defn: An earth of a deep brown color, containing more vegetable than mineral matter; an earthy variety of lignite, or brown coal.

COLOMBIER Col"om*bier, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A large size of paper for drawings. See under Paper.

COLOMBIN Co*lom"bin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: See Calumbin.

COLOMBO Co*lom"bo, n. (Med.)

Defn: See Calumba.

COLON Co"lon, n. Etym: [L. colon, colum, limb, member, the largest of the intestines, fr. Gr. colon. Cf. Colic.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: That part of the large intestines which extends from the cæcum to the rectum.

Note: [See Illust of Digestion.]

2. (Gram.)

Defn: A point or character, formed thus [:], used to separate parts of a sentence that are complete in themselves and nearly independent, often taking the place of a conjunction.

COLONEL Colo"nel, n. Etym: [F. colonel, It. colonello, prop., the chief or commander of a column, fr. colonna column, L. columna. See Column.] (Mil.)

Defn: The chief officer of a regiment; an officer ranking next above a lieutenant colonel and next below a brigadier general.

COLONELCY Colo"nel*cy, n. (Mil.)

Defn: The office, rank, or commission of a colonel.

COLONELSHIP Colo"nel*ship, n.

Defn: Colonelcy. Swift.

COLONER Col"o*ner, n.

Defn: A colonist. [Obs.] Holland

COLONIAL Co*lo"ni*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. colonial.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a colony; as, colonial rights, traffic, wars.

COLONIALISM Co*lo"ni*al*ism, n.

1. The state or quality of, or the relationship involved in, being colonial.

The last tie of colonialism which bound us to the mother country is broken. Brander Matthews.

2. A custom, idea, feature of government, or the like, characteristic of a colony.

3. The colonial system or policy in political government or extension of territory.

COLONICAL Co*lon"i*cal, a. Etym: [L. colonus husbandman.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to husbandmen. [Obs.]

COLONIST Col"o*nist, n.

Defn: A member or inhabitant of a colony.

COLONITIS Col`o*ni"tis, n. (Med.)

Defn: See Colitis.

COLONIZATION Col`o*ni*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. colonisation.]

Defn: Tha act of colonizing, or the state of being colonized; the formation of a colony or colonies. The wide continent of America invited colonization. Bancroft.

COLONIZATIONIST Col`o*ni*za"tion*ist, n.

Defn: A friend to colonization, esp. (U. S. Hist) to the colonization of Africa by emigrants from the colored population of the United States.

COLONIZE Col"o*nize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Colonized; p. pr. & vb. n. Colonizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. coloniser.]

Defn: To plant or establish a colony or colonies in; to people with colonists; to migrate to and settle in. Bacon. They that would thus colonize the stars with inhabitants. Howell.

COLONIZE Col"o*nize, v. i.

Defn: To remove to, and settle in, a distant country; to make a colony. C. Buchanan.

COLONIZER Col"o*ni`zer, n.

Defn: One who promotes or establishes a colony; a colonist. Bancroft.

COLONNADE Col`on*nade", n. Etym: [F. colonnade, It. colonnata, fr. colonna column. See Colonel.] (Arch.)

Defn: A series or range of columns placed at regular intervals with all the adjuncts, as entablature, stylobate, roof, etc.

Note: When in front of a building, it is called a portico; when surrounding a building or an open court or square, a peristyle.

COLONY Col"o*ny, n.; pl. Colonies. Etym: [L. colonia, fr. colonus farmer, fr. colere to cultivate, dwell: cf. F. colonie. Cf. Culture.]

1. A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state; as, the British colonies in America. The first settlers of New England were the best of Englishmen, well educated, devout Christians, and zealous lovers of liberty. There was never a colony formed of better materials. Ames.

2. The district or country colonized; a settlement.

3. A company of persons from the same country sojourning in a foreign city or land; as, the American colony in Paris.

4. (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: A number of animals or plants living or growing together, beyond their usual range.

COLOPHANY Col"o*pha`ny ( or ), n.

Defn: See Colophony.

COLOPHENE Co"lo*phene ( or ), n. (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless, oily liquid, formerly obtained by distillation of colophony. It is regarded as a polymeric form of terebenthene. Called also diterebene.

COLOPHON Col"o*phon, n. Etym: [L. colophon finishing stroke, Gr. culmen top, collis hill. Cf. Holm.]

Defn: An inscription, monogram, or cipher, containing the place and date of publication, printer's name, etc., formerly placed on the last page of a book. The colophon, or final description, fell into disuse, and . . . the title page had become the principal direct means of identifying the book. De Morgan. The book was uninjured from title page to colophon. Sir W. Scott.

COLOPHONITE Col"o*pho*nite ( or ), n. Etym: [Cf. F. colophonite. So named from its resemblance to the color of colophony.] (Min.)

Defn: A coarsely granular variety of garnet.

COLOPHONY Col"o*pho`ny ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Rosin.

COLOQUINTIDA Col`o*quin"ti*da, n.

Defn: See Colocynth. Shak.

COLOR Col"or, n. [Written also colour.] Etym: [OF. color, colur, colour, F. couleur, L. color; prob. akin to celare to conceal (the color taken as that which covers). See Helmet.]

1. A property depending on the relations of light to the eye, by which individual and specific differences in the hues and tints of objects are apprehended in vision; as, gay colors; sad colors, etc.

Note: The sensation of color depends upon a peculiar function of the retina or optic nerve, in consequence of which rays of light produce different effects according to the length of their waves or undulations, waves of a certain length producing the sensation of red, shorter waves green, and those still shorter blue, etc. White, or ordinary, light consists of waves of various lengths so blended as to produce no effect of color, and the color of objects depends upon their power to absorb or reflect a greater or less proportion of the rays which fall upon them.

2. Any hue distinguished from white or black.

3. The hue or color characteristic of good health and spirits; ruddy complexion. Give color to my pale cheek. Shak.

4. That which is used to give color; a paint; a pigment; as, oil colors or water colors.

5. That which covers or hides the real character of anything; semblance; excuse; disguise; appearance. They had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship. Acts xxvii. 30. That he should die is worthy policy; But yet we want a color for his death. Shak.

6. Shade or variety of character; kind; species. Boys and women are for the most part cattle of this color. Shak.

7. A distinguishing badge, as a flag or similar symbol (usually in the plural); as, the colors or color of a ship or regiment; the colors of a race horse (that is, of the cap and jacket worn by the jockey). In the United States each regiment of infantry and artillery has two colors, one national and one regimental. Farrow.

8. (Law)

Defn: An apparent right; as where the defendant in trespass gave to the plaintiff an appearance of title, by stating his title specially, thus removing the cause from the jury to the court. Blackstone.

Note: Color is express when it is asverred in the pleading, and implied when it is implied in the pleading. Body color. See under Body. -- Color blindness, total or partial inability to distinguish or recognize colors. See Daltonism. -- Complementary color, one of two colors so related to each other that when blended together they produce white light; -- so called because each color makes up to the other what it lacks to make it white. Artificial or pigment colors, when mixed, produce effects differing from those of the primary colors, in consequence of partial absorption. -- Of color (as persons, races, etc.), not of the white race; -- commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. -- Primary colors, those developed from the solar beam by the prism, viz., red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, which are reduced by some authors to three, -- red, green, and violet-blue. These three are sometimes called fundamental colors. -- Subjective or Accidental color, a false or spurious color seen in some instances, owing to the persistence of the luminous impression upon the retina, and a gradual change of its character, as where a wheel perfectly white, and with a circumference regulary subdiveded, is made to revolve rapidly over a dark object, the teeth, of the wheel appear to the eye of different shades of color varying with the rapidity of rotation. See Accidental colors, under Accidental.

COLOR Col"or, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Colored; p. pr. & vb. n. Coloring.] Etym: [F. colorer.]

1. To change or alter the bue or tint of, by dyeing, staining, painting, etc.; to dye; to tinge; to aint; to stain. The rays, to speak properly, are not colored; in them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color. Sir I. Newton.

2. To change or alter, as if by dyeing or painting; to give a false appearance to; usually, to give a specious appearance to; to cause to appear attractive; to make plausible; to palliate or excuse; as, the facts were colored by his prejudices. He colors the falsehood of Æneas by an express command from Jupiter to forsake the queen. Dryden.

3. To hide. [Obs.] That by his fellowship he color might Both his estate and love from skill of any wight. Spenser.

COLOR Col"or, v. i.

Defn: To acquire color; to turn red, especially in the face; to blush.

COLORABLE Col"or*a*ble, a.

Defn: Specious; plausible; having an appearance of right or justice. "Colorable pretense for infidility." Bp. Stillingfleet. -- Col"or*a*ble*ness, n. -- Col"or*a*bly, adv. Colorable and subtle crimes, that seldom are taken within the walk of human justice. Hooker.

COLORADO BEETLE Col`o*ra"do bee"tle. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A yellowish beetle (Doryphora decemlineata), with ten longitudinal, black, dorsal stripes. It has migrated eastwards from its original habitat in Colorado, and is very destructive to the potato plant; -- called also potato beetle and potato bug. See Potato beetle.

COLORADO GROUP Col`o*ra"do group. (Geol.)

Defn: A subdivision of the cretaceous formation of western North America, especially developed in Colorado and the upper Missouri region.

COLORADOITE Col`o*ra"do*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: Mercury telluride, an iron-black metallic mineral, found in Colorado.

COLORATE Col"or*ate, a. Etym: [L. coloratus, p. p. of colorare to color.]

Defn: Colored. [Obs.] Ray.

COLORATION Col`or*a"tion, n.

Defn: The act or art of coloring; the state of being colored. Bacon. The females . . . resemble each other in their general type of coloration. Darwin.

COLORATURE Col"or*a*ture, n. Etym: [Cf. G. coloratur, fr. LL. coloratura.] (Mus.)

Defn: Vocal music colored, as it were, by florid ornaments, runs, or rapid passages.

COLOR-BLIND Col"or-blind, a.

Defn: Affected with color blindness. See Color blindness, under Color, n.

COLORED Col"ored, a.

1. Having color; tinged; dyed; painted; stained. The lime rod, colored as the glede. Chaucer. The colored rainbow arched wide. Spenser.

2. Specious; plausible; aborned so as to appear well; as, a highly colored description. Sir G. C. Lewis. His colored crime with craft to cloke. Spenser.

3. Of some other color than black or white.

4. (Ethnol.)

Defn: Of some other color than white; specifically applied to negroes or persons having negro blood; as, a colored man; the colored people.

5. (Bot.)

Defn: Of some other color than green. Colored, meaning, as applied to foliage, of some other color than green. Gray.

Note: In botany, green is not regarded as a color, but white is. Wood.

COLORIFIC Col`or*if"ic, a. Etym: [L. color color + facere to make: cf. F. colorifique.]

Defn: Capable of communicating color or tint to other bodies.

COLORIMETER Col`or*im"e*ter, n. Etym: [Color + -meter: cf. F. colorimètre.]

Defn: An instrument for measuring the depth of the color of anything, especially of a liquid, by comparison with a standard liquid.

COLORIMETRY Col`or*im"e*try, n. [See Colorimeter.]

1.

Defn: The quantitative determination of the depth of color of a substance.

2. A method of quantitative chemical analysis based upon the comparison of the depth of color of a solution with that of a standard liquid.

COLORING Col"or*ing, n.

1. The act of applying color to; also, that which produces color.

2. Change of appearance as by addition of color; appearance; show; disguise; misrepresentation. Tell the whole story without coloring or gloss. Compton Reade. Dead coloring. See under Dead.

COLORIST Col"or*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. coloriste.]

Defn: One who colors; an artist who excels in the use of colors; one to whom coloring is of prime importance. Titian, Paul Veronese, Van Dyck, and the rest of the good colorists. Dryden.

COLORLESS Col"or*less, a.

1. Without color; not distinguished by any hue; transparent; as, colorless water.

2. Free from any manifestation of partial or peculiar sentiment or feeling; not disclosing likes, dislikes, prejudice, etc.; as, colorless music; a colorless style; definitions should be colorless.

COLORMAN Col"or*man, n.; pl. Colormen.

Defn: A vender of paints, etc. Simmonds.

COLOR SERGEANT Col"or ser"geant.

Defn: See under Sergeant.

COLOSSAL Co*los"sal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. cossal, L. colosseus. See Colossus.]

1. Of enormous size; gigantic; huge; as, a colossal statue. "A colossal stride." Motley.

2. (Sculpture & Painting)

Defn: Of a size larger than heroic. See Heroic.

COLOSSEAN Col`os*se"an, a.

Defn: Colossal. [R.]

COLOSSEUM Col`os*se"um, n. Etym: [Neut., fr. L. coloseus gigantic. See Coliseum.]

Defn: The amphitheater of Vespasian in Rome. [Also written Coliseum.]

COLOSSUS Co*los"sus, n.; pl. L. Colossi, E. Colossuses. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. A statue of gigantic size. The name was especially applied to certain famous statues in antiquity, as the Colossus of Nero in Rome, the Colossus of Apollo at Rhodes. He doth bestride the narrow world Like a colossus. Shak.

Note: There is no authority for the statement that the legs of the Colossus at Rhodes extended over the mouth of the harbor. Dr. Wm. Smith.

2. Any man or beast of gigantic size.

COLOSTRUM Co*los"trum, n. Etym: [L., biestings.] (Med.) (a) The first milk secreted after delivery; biestings. (b) A mixture of turpentine and the yolk of an egg, formerly used as an emulsion.

COLOTOMY Co*lot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)

Defn: An operation for opening the colon

COLOUR Col"our, n.

Defn: See Color.

COLP Colp, n.

Defn: See Collop.

COLPORTAGE Col"por`tage, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: The distribution of religious books, tracts, etc., by colporteurs.

COLPORTER Col"por`ter, n.

Defn: Same as Colporteur.

COLPORTEUR Col"por`teur, n. Etym: [F. colporteur one who carries on his neck, fr. colporter to carry on one's neck; col (L. collum) neck + porter (L. portare) to carry.]

Defn: A hawker; specifically, one who travels about selling and distributing religious tracts and books.

COLSTAFF Col"staff`, n. Etym: [F. col neck + E. staff. Cf. Coll.]

Defn: A staff by means of which a burden is borne by two persons on their shoulders.

COLT Colt (; 110), n. Etym: [OE. colt a young horse, ass, or camel, AS. colt; cf. dial. Sw. kullt a boy, lad.]

1. The young of the equine genus or horse kind of animals; -- sometimes distinctively applied to the male, filly being the female. Cf. Foal.

Note: In sporting circles it is usual to reckon the age of colts from some arbitrary date, as from January 1, or May 1, next preceding the birth of the animal.

2. A young, foolish fellow. Shak.

3. A short knotted rope formerly used as an instrument of punishment in the navy. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Colt's tooth, an imperfect or superfluous tooth in young horses. -- To cast one's colt's tooth, to cease from youthful wantonness. "Your colt's tooth is not cast yet." Shak. -- To have a colt's tooth, to be wanton. Chaucer.

COLT Colt (; 110), v. i.

Defn: To frisk or frolic like a colt; to act licentiously or wantonly. [Obs.] They shook off their bridles and began to colt. Spenser.

COLT Colt, v. t.

1. To horse; to get with young. Shak.

2. To befool. [Obs.] Shak.

COLTER Col"ter, n. Etym: [AS. culter, fr. L. culter plowshare, knife. Cf. Cutlass.]

Defn: A knife or cutter, attached to the beam of a plow to cut the sward, in advance of the plowshare and moldboard. [Written also coulter.]

COLTISH Colt"ish, a.

Defn: Like a colt; wanton; frisky. He was all coltish, full of ragery. Chaucer. -- Colt"ish*ly, adv. -- Colt"ish*ness, n.

COLT PISTOL Colt pistol. (Firearms)

Defn: A self-loading or semi-automatic pistol with removable magazine in the handle holding seven cartridges. The recoil extracts and ejects the empty cartridge case, and reloads ready for another shot. Called also Browning, and Colt-Browning, pistol.

COLT REVOLVER Colt revolver. (Firearms)

Defn: A revolver made according to a system using a patented revolving cylinder, holding six cartridges, patented by Samuel Colt, an American inventor, in 1835. With various modifications, it has for many years been the standard for the United States army.

COLTSFOOT Colts"foot`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial herb (Tussilago Farfara), whose leaves and rootstock are sometimes employed in medicine. Butterbur coltsfoot (Bot.), a European plant (Petasites vulgaris).

COLT'S TOOTH Colt's" tooth`.

Defn: See under Colt.

COLUBER Col"u*ber, n. Etym: [L., a serpent.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of harmless serpents.

Note: Linnæus placed in this genus all serpents, whether venomous or not, whose scales beneath the tail are arranged in pairs; but by modern writers it is greatly restricted.

COLUBRINE Col"u*brine, a. Etym: [L. colubrinus.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: like or related to snakes of the genus Coluber.

2. Like a snake; cunning; crafty. Johnson.

COLUGO Co*lu"go, n. Etym: [Prob. an aboriginal name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A peculiar East Indian mammal (Galleopithecus volans), having along the sides, connecting the fore and hind limbs, a parachutelike membrane, by means of which it is able to make long leaps, like the flying squirrel; -- called also flying lemur.

COLUMBA Co*lum"ba, n. (Med.)

Defn: See Calumba.

COLUMBAE Co*lum"bæ, n. pl.; Etym: [L. columba pigeon.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of birds, including the pigeons.

COLUMBARIUM Col`um*ba"ri*um, n.; pl. L. Columbaria Etym: [L. See Columbary.] (Rom. Antiq.) (a) A dovecote or pigeon house. (b) A sepulchral chamber with niches for holding cinerary urns.

COLUMBARY Col"um*ba*ry, n.; pl. Columbaries. Etym: [L. columbarium, fr. columba a dove.]

Defn: A dovecote; a pigeon house. Sir T. Browne.

COLUMBATE Co*lum"bate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. colombate. See Columbium.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of columbic acid; a niobate. See Columbium.

COLUMBATZ FLY Co*lum"batz fly`. Etym: [From Kolumbatz, a mountain in Germany.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Buffalo fly, under Buffalo.

COLUMBELLA Col`um*bel"la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. columba a dove. So called from a fancied resemblance in color and form, of some species.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of univale shells, abundant in tropical seas. Some species, as Columbella mercatoria, were formerly used as shell money.

COLUMBIA Co*lum"bi*a, n.

Defn: America; the United States; -- a poetical appellation given in honor of Columbus, the discoverer. Dr. T. Dwight.

COLUMBIAD Co*lum"bi*ad, n. Etym: [From Columbia the United States.] (Mil.)

Defn: A form of seacoast cannon; a long, chambered gun designed for throwing shot or shells with heavy charges of powder, at high angles of elevation.

Note: Since the War of 1812 the Columbiad has been much modified form now used in seacoast defense is often called the Rodman gun.

COLUMBIAN Co*lum"bi*an, a. Etym: [From Columbia.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the United States, or to America.

COLUMBIC Co*lum"bic, a. Etym: [From Columbium.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, columbium or niobium; niobic. Columbic acid (Chem.), a weak acid derived from columbic or niobic oxide, Nb2O5; -- called also niobic acid.

COLUMBIC Co*lum"bic, a. Etym: [From Columbo.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the columbo root. Columbic acid (Chem.), an organic acid extracted from the columbo root as a bitter, yellow, amorphous substance.

COLUMBIER Co*lum"bi*er, n.

Defn: See Colombier.

COLUMBIFEROUS Col"um*bif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Columbium + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing or containing columbium.

COLUMBIN Co*lum"bin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A white, crystalline, bitter substance. See Calumbin.

COLUMBINE Col"um*bine, a. Etym: [L. columbinus, fr. columba dove.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a dove; dovelike; dove-colored. "Columbine innocency." Bacon.

COLUMBINE Col"um*bine, n. Etym: [LL. columbina, L. columbinus dovelike, fr. columba dove: cf. F. colombine. Perh. so called from the beaklike spurs of its flowers.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of several species of the genus Aquilegia; as, A. vulgaris, or the common garden columbine; A. Canadensis, the wild red columbine of North America.

2. The mistress or sweetheart of Harlequin in pantomimes. Brewer.

COLUMBITE Co*lum"bite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. colombite. See Columbium.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a black color, submetallic luster, and high specific specific gravity. It is a niobate (or columbate) of iron and manganese, containing tantalate of iron; -- first found in New England.

COLUMBIUM Co*lum"bi*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Columbia America.] (Chem.)

Defn: A rare element of the vanadium group, first found in a variety of the mineral columbite occurring in Connecticut, probably at Haddam. Atomic weight 94.2. Symbol Cb or Nb. Now more commonly called niobium.

COLUMBO Co*lum"bo, n. (Med.)

Defn: See Calumba.

COLUMBUS DAY Co*lum"bus Day.

Defn: The 12th day of October, on which day in 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America, landing on one of the Bahama Islands (probably the one now commonly called Watling Island), and naming it "San Salvador"; -- called also Discovery Day. This day is made a legal holiday in many States of The United States.

COLUMELLA Col`u*mel"la, n. Etym: [L., dim. of columen column. See Column.]

1. (Bot.) (a) An axis to which a carpel of a compound pistil may be attached, as in the case of the geranium; or which is left when a pod opens. (b) A columnlike axis in the capsule of mosses.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: A term applied to various columnlike parts; as, the columnella, or epipterygoid bone, in the skull of many lizards; the columella of the ear, the bony or cartilaginous rod connecting the tympanic membrane with the internal ear.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) The upright pillar in the axis of most univalve shells. (b) The central pillar or axis of the calicles of certain corals.

COLUMELLIFORM Col`u*mel"li*form, a. Etym: [Columella + -form.]

Defn: Shaped like a little column, or columella.

COLUMN Col"umn, n. Etym: [L. columna, fr. columen, culmen, fr. cellere (used only in comp.), akin to E. excel, and prob. to holm. See Holm, and cf. Colonel.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A kind of pillar; a cylindrical or polygonal support for a roof, ceiling, statue, etc., somewhat ornamented, and usually composed of base, shaft, and capital. See Order.

2. Anything resembling, in form or position, a column an architecture; an upright body or mass; a shaft or obelisk; as, a column of air, of water, of mercury, etc. ; the Column Vendôme; the spinal column.

3. (Mil.) (a) A body of troops formed in ranks, one behind the other; -- contradistinguished from line. Compare Ploy, and Deploy. (b) A small army.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: A number of ships so arranged as to follow one another in single or double file or in squadrons; -- in distinction from "line", where they are side by side.

5. (Print.)

Defn: A perpendicular set of lines, not extending across the page, and separated from other matter by a rule or blank space; as, a column in a newspaper.

6. (Arith.)

Defn: A perpendicular line of figures.

7. (Bot.)

Defn: The body formed by the union of the stamens in the Mallow family, or of the stamens and pistil in the orchids. Attached column. See under Attach, v. t. -- Clustered column. See under Cluster, v. t. -- Column rule, a thin strip of brass separating columns of type in the form, and making a line between them in printing.

COLUMNAR Co*lum"*nar, a. Etym: [L. columnaris, fr. columna.]

Defn: Formed in columns; having the form of a column or columns; like the shaft of a column. Columnar epithelium (Anat.), epithelium in which the cells are priismatic in form, and set upright on the surface they cover. -- Columnar structure (Geol.), a structure consisting of more or less regular columns, usually six-sided, but sometimes with eight or more sides. The columns are often fractured transversely, with a cup joint, showing a concave surface above. This structure is characteristic of certain igneous rocks, as basalt, and is due to contraction in cooling.

COLUMNARITY Col`um*nar"i*ty, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being columnar.

COLUMNATED Co*lum"na*ted, a.

Defn: Having columns; as, columnated temples.

COLUMNED Col"umned, a.

Defn: Having columns. Troas and Ilion's columned citadel. Tennyson.

COLUMNIATION Co*lum`ni*a"tion, n.

Defn: The employment or arrangement of columns in a structure. Gwilt.

COLURE Co*lure", n.; pl. Colures. Etym: [F. colure, L. coluri, pl., fr. Gr. (Astron. & Geog.)

Defn: One of two great circles intersecting at right angles in the poles of the equator. One of them passes through the equinoctial points, and hence is denominated the equinoctial colure; the other intersects the equator at the distance of 90º from the former, and is called the solstitial colure. Thrice the equinoctial line He circled; four times crossed the car of night From pole to pole, traversing each colure. Milton.

COLY Co"ly, n.; pl. Colies. Etym: [NL. colius, prob. fr. Gr.

Defn: Any bird of the genus Colius and allied genera. They inhabit Africa.

COLZA Col"za, n. Etym: [F., fr. D. koolzaad, prob., cabbage seed; kool (akin to E. cole) + zaad akin to E. seed.] (Bot.)

Defn: A variety of cabbage (Brassica oleracea), cultivated for its seeds, which yield an oil valued for illuminating and lubricating purposes; summer rape.

COM- Com-.

Defn: A prefix from the Latin preposition cum, signifying with, together, in conjunction, very, etc. It is used in the form com- before b, m, p, and sometimes f, and by assimilation becomes col- before l, cor- before r, and con- before any consonant except b, h, l, m, p, r, and w. Before a vowel com- becomes co-; also before h, w, and sometimes before other consonants.

COMA Co"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Cemetery.]

Defn: A state of profound insensibility from which it is difficult or impossible to rouse a person. See Carus.

COMA Co"ma, n. Etym: [L., hair, fr. Gr.

1. (Astron.)

Defn: The envelope of a comet; a nebulous covering, which surrounds the nucleus or body of a comet.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A tuft or bunch, -- as the assemblage of branches forming the head of a tree; or a cluster of brachts when empty and terminating the inflorescence of a plant; or a tuft of long hairs on certain seeds. Coma Berenices ( Etym: [L.] (Astron.), a small constellation north of Virgo; -- called also Berenice's Hair.

COMANCHES Co*man"ches ( or ), n. pl.; sing. Comanche ( or ) . (Ethnol.)

Defn: A warlike, savage, and nomadic tribe of the Shoshone family of Indians, inhabiting Mexico and the adjacent parts of the United States; -- called also Paducahs. They are noted for plundering and cruelty.

COMART Co"mart`, n.

Defn: A covenant. [Obs.] Shak.

COMATE Co"mate, a. Etym: [L. comatus, fr. comare to clothe with hair, fr. coma hair.]

Defn: Encompassed with a coma, or bushy appearance, like hair; hairy.

CO-MATE Co"-mate`, n. Etym: [Pref. co- + mate.]

Defn: A companion. Shak.

COMATOSE Co"ma*tose` ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [From Coma lethargy.]

Defn: Relating to, or resembling, coma; drowsy; lethargic; as, comatose sleep; comatose fever.

COMATOUS Co"ma*tous, a.

Defn: Comatose.

COMATULA Co*mat"u*la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. comatulus having hair neatly curled, dim. fr. coma hair.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A crinoid of the genus Antedon and related genera. When young they are fixed by a stem. When adult they become detached and cling to seaweeds, etc., by their dorsal cirri; -- called also feather stars.

COMATULID Co*mat"u*lid, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any crinoid of the genus Antedon or allied genera.

COMB Comb (; 110), n. Etym: [AS.. camb; akin to Sw., Dan., & D. kam, Icel. kambr, G. kamm, Gr. jambha tooth.]

1. An instrument with teeth, for straightening, cleansing, and adjusting the hair, or for keeping it in place.

2. An instrument for currying hairy animals, or cleansing and smoothing their coats; a currycomb.

3. (Manuf. & Mech.) (a) A toothed instrument used for separating and cleansing wool, flax, hair, etc. (b) The serrated vibratory doffing knife of a carding machine. (c) A former, commonly cone-shaped, used in hat manufacturing for hardening the soft fiber into a bat. (d) A tool with teeth, used for chasing screws on work in a lathe; a chaser. (e) The notched scale of a wire micrometer. (f) The collector of an electrical machine, usually resembling a comb.

4. (Zoöl.) (a) The naked fleshy crest or caruncle on the upper part of the bill or hood of a cock or other bird. It is usually red. (b) One of a pair of peculiar organs on the base of the abdomen of scorpions.

5. The curling crest of a wave.

6. The waxen framework forming the walls of the cells in which bees store their honey, eggs, etc.; honeycomb. "A comb of honey." Wyclif. When the bee doth leave her comb. Shak.

7. The thumbpiece of the hammer of a gunlock, by which it may be cocked.

COMB Comb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Combed; p. pr. & vb. n. Combing.]

Defn: To disentangle, cleanse, or adjust, with a comb; to lay smooth and straight with, or as with, a comb; as, to comb hair or wool. See under Combing. Comb down his hair; look, look! it stands upright. Shak.

COMB Comb, v. i. Etym: [See Comb, n., 5.] (Naut.)

Defn: To roll over, as the top or crest of a wave; to break with a white foam, as waves.

COMB; COMBE Comb, Combe ( or ), n. Etym: [AS. comb, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. cwm a dale, valley.]

Defn: That unwatered portion of a valley which forms its continuation beyond and above the most elevated spring that issues into it. [Written also coombe.] Buckland. A gradual rise the shelving combe Displayed. Southey.

COMB Comb, n.

Defn: A dry measure. See Coomb.

COMBAT Com"bat ( or ; 277), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Combated; p. pr. & vb. n. Combating.] Etym: [F. combattre; pref. com- + battre to beat, fr. L. battuere to strike. See Batter.]

Defn: To struggle or contend, as with an opposing force; to fight. To combat with a blind man I disdain. Milton. After the fall of the republic, the Romans combated only for the choice of masters. Gibbon.

COMBAT Com"bat, v. t.

Defn: To fight with; to oppose by force, argument, etc.; to contend against; to resist. When he the ambitious Norway combated. Shak. And combated in silence all these reasons. Milton. Minds combat minds, repelling and repelled. Goldsmith.

Syn. -- To fight against; resist; oppose; withstand; oppugn; antagonize; repel; resent.

COMBAT Com"bat, n. Etym: [Cf. F. combat.]

1. A fight; a contest of violence; a struggle for supremacy. My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st. Shak. The noble combat that 'twixt joy and sorrow was fought in Paulina. Shak.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: An engagement of no great magnitude; or one in which the parties engaged are not armies. Single combat, one in which a single combatant meets a single opponent, as in the case of David and Goliath; also a duel.

Syn. -- A battle; engagement; conflict; contest; contention; struggle; fight, strife. See Battle, Contest.

COMBATABLE Com"bat*a*ble ( or ), a. Etym: [Cf. F. combattable.]

Defn: Such as can be, or is liable to be, combated; as, combatable foes, evils, or arguments.

COMBATANT Com"bat*ant, a. Etym: [F. combattant, p. pr.]

Defn: Contending; disposed to contend. B. Jonson.

COMBATANT Com"bat*ant, n. Etym: [F. combattant.]

Defn: One who engages in combat. "The mighty combatants." Milton. A controversy which long survived the original combatants. Macaulay

COMBATER Com"bat*er, n.

Defn: One who combats. Sherwood.

COMBATIVE Com"bat*ive or

Defn: (

COMBATIVENESS Com"bat*ive*ness, n.

1. The quality of being combative; propensity to contend or to quarrel.

2. (Phren.)

Defn: A cranial development supposed to indicate a combative disposition.

COMBATTANT Com`bat`tant", a. Etym: [F.] (Her.)

Defn: In the position of fighting; -- said of two lions set face to face, each rampant.

COMBBROACH Comb"broach`, n.

Defn: A tooth of a wool comb. [Written also combrouch.]

COMBE Combe ( or ), n.

Defn: See Comb.

COMBER Comb"er, n.

1. One who combs; one whose occupation it is to comb wool, flax, etc. Also, a machine for combing wool, flax, etc.

2. A long, curling wave.

COMBER Com"ber, v. t.

Defn: To cumber. [Obs.] Spenser.

COMBER Com"ber, n.

Defn: Encumbrance. [Obs.]

COMBER Com"ber, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The cabrilla. Also, a name applied to a species of wrasse. [Prov. Eng.]

COMBINABLE Com*bin"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. combinable.]

Defn: Capable of combinding; consistent with. [R.] M. Arnold. -- Com*bin"a*ble*ness, n.

COMBINATE Com"bi*nate, a. Etym: [LL. combinatus, p. p.]

Defn: United; joined; betrothed. [R.]

COMBINATION Com`bi*na"tion, n. Etym: [LL. combinatio. See Combine.]

1. The act or process of combining or uniting persons and things. Making new compounds by new combinations. Boyle. A solemn combination shall be made Of our dear souls. Shak.

2. The result of combining or uniting; union of persons or things; esp. a union or alliance of persons or states to effect some purpose; -- usually in a bad sense. A combination of the most powerful men in Rome who had conspired my ruin. Melmoth.

3. (Chem.)

Defn: The act or process of uniting by chemical affinity, by which substances unite with each other in definite proportions by weight to form distinct compounds.

4. pl. (Math.)

Defn: The different arrangements of a number of objects, as letters, into groups.

Note: In combinations no regard is paid to the order in which the objects are arranged in each group, while in variations and permutations this order is respected. Brande & C. Combination car, a railroad car containing two or more compartments used for different purposes. [U. S.] -- Combination lock, a lock in which the mechanism is controlled by means of a movable dial (sometimes by several dials or rings) inscribed with letters or other characters. The bolt of the lock can not be operated until after the dial has been so turned as to combine the characters in a certain order or succession. -- Combination room, in the University of Cambridge, Eng., a room into which the fellows withdraw after dinner, for wine, dessert, and conversation. -- Combination by volume (Chem.), the act, process, or ratio by which gaseous elements and compounds unite in definite proportions by volume to form distinct compounds. -- Combination by weight (Chem.), the act, process, or ratio, in which substances unite in proportions by weight, relatively fixed and exact, to form distinct compounds. See Law of definite proportions, under Definite.

Syn. -- Cabal; alliance; association; league; union; confederacy; coalition; conspiracy. See Cabal.

COMBINE Com*bine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Combined; p. pr. & vb. n. Combining.] Etym: [LL. combinare, combinatum; L. com- + binus, pl. bini, two and two, double: cf. F. combiner. See Binary.]

1. To unite or join; to link closely together; to bring into harmonious union; to cause or unite so as to form a homogeneous, as by chemical union. So fitly them in pairs thou hast combined. Milton. Friendship is the which really combines mankind. Dr. H. More. And all combined, save what thou must combine By holy marriage. Shak. Earthly sounds, though sweet and well combined. Cowper.

2. To bind; to hold by a moral tie. [Obs.] I am combined by a sacred vow. Shak.

COMBINE Com*bine", v. i.

1. To form a union; to agree; to coalesce; to confederate. You with your foes combine, And seem your own destruction to design Dryden. So sweet did harp and voice combine. Sir W. Scott.

2. To unite by affinity or natural attraction; as, two substances, which will not combine of themselves, may be made to combine by the intervention of a third.

3. (Card Playing)

Defn: In the game of casino, to play a card which will take two or more cards whose aggregate number of pips equals those of the card played. Combining weight (Chem.), that proportional weight, usually referred to hydrogen as a standard, and for each element fixed and exact, by which an element unites with another to form a distinct compound. The combining weights either are identical with, or are multiples or multiples of, the atomic weight. See Atomic weight, under Atomic, a.

COMBINED Com*bined", a.

Defn: United closely; confederated; chemically united.

COMBINEDLY Com*bin"ed*ly, adv. In combination or coöperation

Defn: ; jointly.

COMBINER Com*bin"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, combines.

COMBING Comb"ing, n.

1. The act or process of using a comb or a number of combs; as, the combing of one's hair; the combing of wool.

Note: The process of combing is used in straightening wool of long staple; short wool is carded.

2. pl. (a) That which is caught or collected with a comb, as loose, tangled hair. (b) Hair arranged to be worn on the head. The baldness, thinness, and . . . deformity of their hair is supplied by borders and combings. Jer. Taylor. (c) (Naut.)

Defn: See Coamings. Combing machine (Textile Manuf.), a machine for combing wool, flax, cotton, etc., and separating the longer and more valuable fiber from the shorter. See also Carding machine, under Carding.

COMBLESS Comb"less, a.

Defn: Without a comb or crest; as, a combless ceck.

COMBOLOIO Com`bo*lo"io, n.

Defn: A Mohammedan rosary, consisting of ninety-nine beads. Byron.

COMB-SHAPED Comb"-shaped`, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Pectinate.

COMBUST Com*bust", a. Etym: [L. combustus, p. p. of comburere to burn up; com- + burere (only in comp.), of uncertian origin; cf. bustum fineral pyre, prurire to itch, pruna a live coal, Gr. plush to burn.]

1. Burnt; consumed. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: So near the sun as to be obscured or eclipsed by his light, as the moon or planets when not more than eight degrees and a half from the sun. [Obs.] Planets that are oft combust. Milton.

COMBUSTIBILITY Com*bus`ti*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being combustible.

COMBUSTIBLE Com*bus"ti*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. combustble.]

1. Capable of taking fire and burning; apt to catch fire; inflammable. Sin is to the soul like fire to combustible matter. South.

2. Ea Arnold was a combustible character. W. Irving.

COMBUSTIBLE Com*bus"ti*ble, n.

Defn: A substance that may bee set on fire, or which is liable to take fire and burn. All such combustibles as are cheap enough for common use go under the name of fuel. Ure.

COMBUSTIBLENESS Com*bus"ti*ble*ness, n.

Defn: Combustibility.

COMBUSTION Com*bus"tion, n. Etym: [L. combustio: cf. F. combustion.]

1. The state of burning.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: The combination of a combustible with a supporter of combustion, producing heat, and sometimes both light and heat. Combustion results is common cases from the mutual chemical action and reaction of the combustible and the oxygen of the atmosphere, whereby a new compound is formed. Ure. Supporter of combustion (Chem.), a gas as oxygen, the combination of which with a combustible, as coal, constitutes combustion.

3. Violent agitation; confusion; tumult. [Obs.] There [were] great combustions and divisions among the heads of the university. Mede. But say from whence this new combustion springs. Dryden.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER Com*bus"tion cham`ber. (Mech.) (a) A space over, or in front of , a boiler furnace where the gases from the fire become more thoroughly mixed and burnt. (b) The clearance space in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine where the charge is compressed and ignited.

COMBUSTIOUS Com*bus"tious, a.

Defn: Inflammable. [Obs.] Shak.

COME Come, v. i. [imp. Came; p. p. Come; p. pr & vb. n. Coming.] Etym: [OE. cumen, comen, AS. cuman; akin to OS.kuman, D. komen, OHG. queman, G. kommen, Icel. koma, Sw. komma, Dan. komme, Goth. giman, L. venire (gvenire), Gr. gam. *23. Cf. Base, n., Convene, Adventure.]

1. To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; -- opposed to go. Look, who comes yonder Shak. I did not come to curse thee. Tennyson.

2. To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive. When we came to Rome. Acts xxviii. 16. Lately come from Italy. Acts vviii. 2.

3. To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or form a distance. "Thy kingdom come." Matt. vi. 10. The hour is comming, and now is. John. v. 25. So quik bright things come to confusion. Shak.

4. To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another. From whence come wars James iv. 1. Both riches and honor come of thee! Chron. xxix. 12.

5. To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear. Then butter does refuse to come. Hudibras.

6. To get to be, as the result of change or progress; -- with a predicate; as, to come united. How come you thus estranged Shak. How come her eyes so bright Shak.

Note: Am come, is come, etc., are frequently used instead of have come, has come, etc., esp. in poetry. The verb to be gives adjectival significance to the participle as expressing a state or condition of the subject, while the auxiliary have expresses simply the completion of the action signified by the verb. Think not that I am come to destroy. Matt. v. 17. We are come off like Romans. Shak. The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year. Bryant.