Chapter C: G. T (16)

2. An officer having charge of some department or bureau of the public service. Herbert was first commissioner of the Admiralty. Macaulay. The commissioner of patents, the commissioner of the land office, the commissioner of Indian affairs, are subotdinates of the secretary of the interior. Bartlett. Commissioner of deeds, an officer having authority to take affidavits, depositions, acknowledgment of deeds, etc., for use in the State by which he is appointed. [U. S.] -- County commissioners, certain administrative officers in some of the States, invested by local laws with various powers in reference to the roads, courthouses, financial matters, etc., of the county. [U. S.]

COMMISSIONNAIRE Com*mis`sion*naire" (; F. ), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. commissio.]

1. An agent or factor; a commission merchant.

2. One of a class of attendants, in some European cities, who perform miscellaneous services for travelers.

COMMISSIONSHIP Com*mis"sion*ship, n.

Defn: The office of commissioner. Sir W. Scott.

COMMISSIVE Com*mis"sive, a.

Defn: Relating to commission; of the nature of, or involving, commission. [R.]

COMMISSURAL Com*mis"su*ral ( or ), a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a commissure.

COMMISSURE Com*mis"sure ( or ; 134-6), n. Etym: [L. commissura a joing together: cf. F. commissure. See Commit.]

1. A joint, seam, or closure; the place where two bodies, or parts of a body, meet and unite; an interstice, cleft, or juncture.

2. (Anat. & Zoöl.) (a) The point of union between two parts, as the angles of the lips or eyelids, the mandibles of a bird, etc. (b) A collection of fibers connecting parts of the brain or spinal marrow; a chiasma.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: The line of junction or cohering face of two carpels, as in the parsnip, caraway, etc.

COMMIT Com*mit", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Commited; p. pr. & vb. n. Commiting.] Etym: [L. committere, commissum, to connect, commit; com- + mittere to send. See Mission.]

1. To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to intrust; to consign; -- used with to, unto. Commit thy way unto the Lord. Ps. xxxvii. 5. Bid him farewell, commit him to the grave. Shak.

2. To put in charge of a jailor; to imprison. These two were commited. Clarendon.

3. To do; to perperate, as a crime, sin, or fault. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Ex. xx. 14.

4. To join a contest; to match; -- followed by with. [R.] Dr. H. More.

5. To pledge or bind; to compromise, expose, or endanger by some decisive act or preliminary step; -- often used reflexively; as, to commit one's self to a certain course. You might have satisfied every duty of political friendship, without commiting the honor of your sovereign. Junius. Any sudden assent to the proposal . . . might possibly be considered as committing the faith of the United States. Marshall.

6. To confound. [An obsolete Latinism.] Committing short and long [quantities]. Milton. To commit a bill (Legislation), to refer or intrust it to a committee or others, to be considered and reported. -- To commit to memory, or To commit, to learn by heart; to memorize.

Syn. -- To Commit, Intrust, Consign. These words have in common the idea of transferring from one's self to the care and custody of another. Commit is the widest term, and may express only the general idea of delivering into the charge of another; as, to commit a lawsuit to the care of an attorney; or it may have the special sense of intrusting with or without limitations, as to a superior power, or to a careful servant, or of consigning, as to writing or paper, to the flames, or to prison. To intrust denotes the act of committing to the exercise of confidence or trust; as, to intrust a friend with the care of a child, or with a secret. To consign is a more formal act, and regards the thing transferred as placed chiefly or wholly out of one's immediate control; as, to consign a pupil to the charge of his instructor; to consign goods to an agent for sale; to consign a work to the press.

COMMIT Com"mit, v. i.

Defn: To sin; esp., to be incontinent. [Obs.] Commit not with man's sworn spouse. Shak.

COMMITMENT Com*mit"ment, n.

1. The act of commiting, or putting in charge, keeping, or trust; consigment; esp., the act of commiting to prison. They were glad to compound for his bare commitment to the Tower, whence he was within few days enlarged. Clarendon.

2. A warrant or order for the imprisonment of a person; -- more frequently termed a mittimus.

3. The act of referring or intrusting to a committee for consideration and report; as, the commitment of a petition or a bill.

4. A doing, or preperation, in a bad sense, as of a crime or blunder; commission.

5. The act of pledging or engaging; the act of exposing, endangering, or compromising; also, the state of being pledged or engaged. Hamilton.

COMMITTABLE Com*mit"ta*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being committed.

COMMITTAL Com*mit"tal, n.

Defn: The act of commiting, or the state of being committed; commitment.

COMMITTEE Com*mit"tee, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. comité company, and LL. comitatus jurisdiction or territory of a count, county, assize, army. The word was apparently influenced by the verb commit, but not directly formed from it. Cf. County.]

Defn: One or more persons elected or appointed, to whom any matter or bussiness is referred, either by a legislative body, or by a court, or by any collective body of men acting together. Commitee of the whole [house], a committee, embracing all the members present, into which a legislative or deliberative body sometimes resolves itself, for the purpose of considering a particular measure under the operation of different rules from those governing the general legislative proceedings. The committee of the whole has its own chairman, and reports its action in the form of recommendations. -- Standing committee. See under Standing.

COMMITTEE Com`mit*tee", n. Etym: [From Commit, v. t.] (Law)

Defn: One to whom the charge of the person or estate of another, as of a lunatic, is committed by suitable authority; a guardian.

COMMITTEEMAN Com*mit"tee*man, n.

Defn: A member of a committee.

COMMITTER Com*mit"ter, n.

1. One who commits; one who does or perpetrates. South.

2. A fornicator. [Obs.] T. Decker.

COMMITTIBLE Com*mit"ti*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being committed; liable to be committed. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

COMMIX Com*mix", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Commixed; p. pr. & vb. n. Commixing.] Etym: [Pref. com+ + mix: cf. L. commixtus, p. p.of commiscere. See Mix.]

Defn: To mix or mingle together; to blend. The commixed impressions of all the colors do stir up and beget a sensation of white. Sir I. Newton. To commix With winds that sailors rail at. Shak.

COMMIXION Com*mix"ion, n. Etym: [See Commix.]

Defn: Commixture. Shak.

COMMIXTION Com*mix"tion, n. Etym: [L. commixtio.]

Defn: Commixture; mingling. [R.] An exact commixtion of the ingredients. Boyle.

COMMIXTURE Com*mix"ture, n. Etym: [L. commixtura.]

1. The act or process of mixing; the state of being mingled; the blending of ingredients in one mass or compound. In the commixture of anything that is more oily or sweet, such bodies are least apt to putrefy. Bacon.

2. The mass formed by mingling different things; a compound; a mixture. Bacon.

COMMODATE Com"mo*date, n. Etym: [L. commodatum thing lent, loan.] (Scots Law)

Defn: A gratuitous loan.

COMMODE Com*mode", n. Etym: [F. commode, fr. commode convenient, L. commodus; com- + modus measure, mode. See Mode.]

1. A kind of headdress formerly worn by ladies, raising the hair and fore part of the cap to a great height. Or under high commodes, with looks erect. Granville.

2. A piece of furniture, so named according to temporary fashion; as: (a) A cheat of drawers or a bureau. (b) A night stand with a compartment for holding a chamber vessel. (c) A kind of close stool. (d) A movable sink for a wash bowl, with closet.

COMMODIOUS Com*mo"di*ous, a. Etym: [LL. commodiosus, fr. L. commodum convenience, fr. commodus. See Commode.]

Defn: Adapted to its use or purpose, or to wants and necessities; serviceable; spacious and convenient; roomy and comfortable; as, a commodious house. "A commodious drab." Shak. "Commodious gold." Pope. The haven was not commodious to winter in. Acts. xxvii. 12.

Syn. -- Convenient; suitable; fit; proper; advantageous; serviceable; useful; spacious; comfortable.

COMMODIOUSLY Com*mo"di*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: In a commodious manner. To pass commodiously this life. Milton.

COMMODIOUSNESS Com*mo"di*ous*ness, n.

Defn: State of being commodious; suitableness for its purpose; convience; roominess. Of cities, the greatness and riches increase according to the commodiousness of their situation. Sir W. Temple. The commodiousness of the harbor. Johnson.

COMMODITY Com*mod"i*ty, n.; pl. Commodities. Etym: [F. commodit, fr. L. commoditas. See Commode.]

1. Convenience; accommodation; profit; benefit; advantage; interest; commodiousness. [Obs.] Drawn by the commodity of a footpath. B. Jonson. Men may seek their own commodity, yet if this were done with injury to others, it was not to be suffered. Hooker.

2. That which affords convenience, advantage, or profit, especially in commerce, including everything movable that is bought and sold (except animals), -- goods, wares, merchandise, produce of land and manufactures, etc.

3. A parcel or quantity of goods. [Obs.] A commodity of brown paper and old ginger. Shak.

COMMODORE Com"mo*dore`, n. Etym: [Prob. a corruption of commander, or Sp. comendador a knight of a military order who holds a commandery; also a superior of a monastery;, fr. LL. commendare to command. Cf. Commend, Command, Commander.]

1. (U. S. Navy)

Defn: An officer who ranks next above a captain; sometimes, by courtesy, the senior captain of a squadron. The rank of commodore corresponds with that of brigadier general in the army.

2. (Brititsh Navy)

Defn: A captain commanding a squadron, or a division of a fleet, or having the temporary rank of rear admiral.

3. A title given courtesy to the senior captain of a line of merchant vessels, and also to the chief officer of a yachting or rowing club.

4. A familiar for the flagchip, or for the principal vessel of a squadron or fleet.

COMMON Com"mon, a. [Compar. Commoner; superl. Commonest.] Etym: [OE. commun, comon, OF. comun, F. commun, fr. L. communis; com- + munis ready to be of service; cf. Skr. mi to make fast, set up, build, Coth. gamains common, G. gemein, and E. mean low, common. Cf. Immunity, Commune, n. & v.]

1. Belonging or relating equally, or similary, to more than one; as, you and I have a common interest in the property. Though life and sense be common to men and brutes. Sir M. Hale.

2. Belonging to or shared by, affecting or serving, all the members of a class, consired together; general; public; as, propertis common to all plants; the common schools; the Book of Common Prayer. Such actions as the common good requereth. Hocker. The common enemy of man. Shak.

3. Often met with; usual; frequent; customary. Grief more than common grief. Shak.

4. Not distinguished or exceptional; inconspicuous; ordinary; plebeian; -- often in a depreciatory sense. The honest, heart-felt enjoyment of common life. W. Irving. This fact was infamous And ill beseeming any common man, Much more a knight, a captain and a leader. Shak. Above the vulgar flight of common souls. A. Murpphy.

5. Profane; polluted. [Obs.] What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. Acts x. 15.

6. Given to habits of lewdness; prostitute. A dame who herself was common. L'Estrange. Common bar (Law) Same as Blank bar, under Blank. -- Common barrator (Law), one who makes a business of instigating litigation. -- Common Bench, a name sometimes given to the English Court of Common Pleas. -- Common brawler (Law), one addicted to public brawling and quarreling. See Brawler. -- Common carrier (Law), one who undertakes the office of carrying (goods or persons) for hire. Such a carrier is bound to carry in all cases when he has accommodation, and when his fixed price is tendered, and he is liable for all losses and injuries to the goods, except those which happen in consequence of the act of God, or of the enemies of the country, or of the owner of the property himself. -- Common chord (Mus.), a chord consisting of the fundamental tone, with its third and fifth. -- Common council, the representative (legislative) body, or the lower branch of the representative body, of a city or other munisipal corporation. -- Common crier, the crier of a town or city. -- Common divisor (Math.), a number or quantity that divides two or more numbers or quantities without a remainder; a common measure. -- Common gender (Gram.), the gender comprising words that may be of either the masculine or the feminine gender. -- Common law, a system of jurisprudence developing under the guidance of the courts so as to apply a consistent and reasonable rule to each litigated case. It may be superseded by statute, but unless superseded it controls. Wharton.

Note: It is by others defined as the unwritten law (especially of England), the law that receives its binding force from immemorial usage and universal reception, as ascertained and expressed in the judgments of the courts. This term is often used in contradistinction from statute law. Many use it to designate a law common to the whole country. It is also used to designate the whole body of English (or other) law, as distinguished from its subdivisions, local, civil, admiralty, equity, etc. See Law. -- Common lawyer, one versed in common law. -- Common lewdness (Law), the habitual performance of lewd acts in public. -- Common multiple (Arith.) See under Multiple. -- Common noun (Gram.), the name of any one of a class of objects, as distinguished from a proper noun (the name of a particular person or thing). -- Common nuisance (Law), that which is deleterious to the health or comfort or sense of decency of the community at large. -- Common pleas, one of the three superior courts of common law at Westminster, presided over by a chief justice and four puisne judges. Its jurisdiction is confined to civil matters. Courts bearing this title exist in several of the United States, having, however, in some cases, botth civil and criminal jurisdiction extending over the whole State. In other States the jurisdiction of the common pleas is limited to a county, and it is sometimes called a county court. Its powers are generally defined by statute. -- Common prayer, the liturgy of the Church of England, or of the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States, which all its clergy are enjoined use. It is contained in the Book of Common Prayer. -- Common school, a school maintained at the public expense, and open to all. -- Common scold (Law), a woman addicted to scolding indiscriminately, in public. -- Common seal, a seal adopted and used by a corporation. -- Common sense. (a) A supposed sense which was held to be the common bond of all the others. [Obs.] Trench. (b) Sound judgment. See under Sense. -- Common time (Mus.), that variety of time in which the measure consists of two or of four equal portions. -- In common, equally with another, or with others; owned, shared, or used, in community with others; affecting or affected equally. -- Out of the common, uncommon; extraordinary. -- Tenant in common, one holding real or personal property in common with others, having distinct but undivided interests. See Joint tenant, under Joint. -- To make common cause with, to join or ally one's self with.

Syn. -- General; public; popular; universal; frequent; ordinary; customary; usual; familiar; habitual; vulgar; mean; trite; stale; threadbare; commonplace. See Mutual, Ordinary, General.

COMMON Com"mon, n.

1. The people; the community. [Obs.] "The weal o' the common." Shak.

2. An inclosed or uninclosed tract of ground for pleasure, for pasturage, etc., the use of which belongs to the public; or to a number of persons.

3. (Law)

Defn: The right of taking a profit in the land of another, in common either with the owner or with other persons; -- so called from the community of interest which arises between the claimant of the right and the owner of the soil, or between the claimants and other commoners entitled to the same right. Common appendant, a right belonging to the owners or occupiers of arable land to put commonable beasts upon the waste land in the manor where they dwell. -- Common appurtenant, a similar right applying to lands in other manors, or extending to other beasts, besides those which are generally commonable, as hogs. -- Common because of vicinage or neighborhood, the right of the inhabitants of each of two townships, lying contiguous to each other, which have usually intercommoned with one another, to let their beasts stray into the other's fields. -- Common in gross or at large, a common annexed to a man's person, being granted to him and his heirs by deed; or it may be claimed by prescriptive right, as by a parson of a church or other corporation sole. Blackstone. -- Common of estovers, the right of taking wood from another's estate. -- Common of pasture, the right of feeding beasts on the land of another. Burill. -- Common of piscary, the right of fishing in waters belonging to another. -- Common of turbary, the right of digging turf upon the ground of another.

COMMON Com"mon, v. i.

1. To converse together; to discourse; to confer. [Obs.] Embassadors were sent upon both parts, and divers means of entreaty were commoned of. Grafton.

2. To participate. [Obs.] Sir T. More.

3. To have a joint right with others in common ground. Johnson.

4. To board together; to eat at a table in common.

COMMONABLE Com"mon*a*ble, a.

1. Held in common. "Forests . . . and other commonable places." Bacon.

2. Allowed to pasture on public commons. Commonable beasts are either beasts of the plow, or such as manure the ground. Blackstone.

COMMONAGE Com"mon*age, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. communage.]

Defn: The right of pasturing on a common; the right of using anything in common with others. The claim of comonage . . . in most of the forests. Burke.

COMMONALTY Com"mon*al*ty, n.; pl. Commonalties. Etym: [Of. communalté; F. communauté, fr. communal. See Communal.]

1. The common people; those classes and conditions of people who are below the rank of nobility; the commons. The commonalty, like the nobility, are divided into several degrees. Blackstone. The ancient fare of our kings differed from that of the commonalty in plenteousness only. Landon.

2. The majority or bulk of mankind. [Obs.] Hooker.

COMMONER Com"mon*er, n.

1. One of the common people; one having no rank of nobility. All below them [the peers] even their children, were commoners, and in the eye law equal to each other. Hallam.

2. A member of the House of Commons.

3. One who has a joint right in common ground. Much good land might be gained from forests . . . and from other commonable places, so as always there be a due care taken that the poor commoners have no injury. Bacon.

4. One sharing with another in anything. [Obs.] Fuller.

5. A student in the university of Oxford, Eng., who is not dependent on any foundation for support, but pays all university charges; -- at Cambrige called a pensioner.

6. A prostitute. [Obs.] Shak.

COMMONISH Com"mon*ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat common; commonplace; vulgar.

COMMONITION Com`mo*ni"tion, n. Etym: [L. commonitio. See Monition.]

Defn: Advice; warning; instruction. [Obs.] Bailey.

COMMONITIVE Com*mon"i*tive, a.

Defn: Monitory. [Obs.] Only commemorative and commonitive. Bp. Hall.

COMMONITORY Com*mon"i*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. commonitorius.]

Defn: Calling to mind; giving admonition. [Obs.] Foxe.

COMMONLY Com"mon*ly, adv.

1. Usually; generally; ordinarily; frequently; for the most part; as, confirmed habits commonly continue trough life.

2. In common; familiary. [Obs.] Spenser.

COMMONNESS Com"mon*ness, n.

1. State or quality of being common or usual; as, the commonness of sunlight.

2. Triteness; meanness.

COMMONPLACE Com"mon*place`, a.

Defn: Common; ordinary; trite; as, a commonplace person, or observation.

COMMONPLACE Com"mon*place`, n.

1. An idea or expression wanting originality or interest; a trite or customary remark; a platitude.

2. A memorandum; something to be frequently consulted or referred to. Whatever, in my reading, occurs concerning this our fellow creature, I do never fail to set it down by way of commonplace. Swift. Commonplace book, a book in which records are made of things to be remembered.

COMMONPLACE Com"mon*place`, v. t.

Defn: To enter in a commonplace book, or to reduce to general heads. Felton.

COMMONPLACE Com"mon*place`, v. i.

Defn: To utter commonplaces; to indulge in platitudes. [Obs.] Bacon.

COMMONPLACENESS Com"mon*place`ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being commonplace; commonness.

COMMONS Com"mons, n. pl.,

1. The mass of the people, as distinguished from the titled chasses or nobility; the commonalty; the common people. [Eng.] 'T is like the commons, rude unpolished hinds, Could send such message to their sovereign. Shak. The word commons in its present ordinary signification comprises all the people who are under the rank of peers. Blackstone.

2. The House of Commons, or lower house of the British Parliament, consisting of representatives elected by the qualified voters of counties, boroughs, and universities. It is agreed that the Commons were no part of the great council till some ages after the Conquest. Hume.

3. Provisions; food; fare, -- as that provided at a common table in colleges and universities. Their commons, though but coarse, were nothing scant. Dryden.

4. A club or association for boarding at a common table, as in a college, the members sharing the expenses equally; as, to board in commons.

5. A common; public pasture ground. To shake his ears, and graze in commons. Shak. Doctors' Commons, a place near St. Paul's Chuchyard in London where the doctors of civil law used to common together, and where were the ecclesiastical and admiralty courts and offices having jurisdiction of marriage licenses, divorces, registration of wills, etc. -- To be on short commons, to have small allowance of food. [Colloq.]

COMMON SENSE Com"mon sense".

Defn: See Common sense, under Sense.

COMMONTY Com"mon*ty, n. (Scots Law)

Defn: A common; a piece of land in which two or more persons have a common right. Bell.

COMMONWEAL Com"mon*weal", n. [Common + weal.]

Defn: Commonwealth. Such a prince, So kind a father of the commonweal. Shak.

COMMONWEALTH Com"mon*wealth`, n. Etym: [Common + wealth well-being.]

1. A state; a body politic consisting of a certain number of men, united, by compact or tacit agreement, under one form of government and system of laws. The trappings of a monarchy would set up an ordinary commonwealth. Milton.

Note: This term is applied to governments which are considered as free or popular, but rarely, or improperly, to an absolute government. The word signifies, strictly, the common well-being or happiness; and hence, a form of government in which the general welfare is regarded rather than the welfare of any class.

2. The whole body of people in a state; the public.

3. (Eng. Hist.)

Defn: Specifically, the form of government established on the death of Charles I., in 1649, which existed under Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, ending with the abdication of the latter in 1659.

Syn. -- State; realm; republic.

COMMORANCE Com"mo*rance, n.

Defn: See Commorancy.

COMMORANCY Com"mo*ran*cy, n.

1. (Law)

Defn: A dwelling or ordinary residence in a place; habitation. Commorancy consists in usually lying there. Blackstone.

2. (Am. Law)

Defn: Residence temporarily, or for a short time.

COMMORANT Com"mo*rant, n. Etym: [L. commorans, p. pr. of commorari to abide; com- + morari to delay.]

1. (Law)

Defn: Ordinarily residing; inhabiting. All freeholders within the precinct . . . and all persons commorant therein. Blackstone.

2. (Am. Law)

Defn: Inhabiting or occupying temporarily.

COMMORANT Com"mo*rant, n.

Defn: A resident. Bp. Hacket.

COMMORATION Com`mo*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. commoratio.]

Defn: The act of staying or residing in a place. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

COMMORIENT Com*mo"ri*ent, a. Etym: [L. commoriens, p. pr. of commoriri.]

Defn: Dying together or at the same time. [R.] Sir G. Buck.

COMMORSE Com*morse", n. Etym: [L. commorsus, p. p. of commordere to bite sharply.]

Defn: Remorse. [Obs.] "With sad commorse." Daniel.

COMMOTE Com*mote", v. t. Etym: [See Commove.]

Defn: To commove; to disturb; to stir up. [R.] Society being more or less commoted and made uncomfortable. Hawthorne.

COMMOTION Com*mo"tion, n. Etym: [L. commotio: cf. F. commotion. See Motion.]

1. Disturbed or violent motion; agitation. [What] commotion in the winds! Shak.

2. A popular tumult; public disturbance; riot. When ye shall hear of wars and commotions. Luke xxi. 9.

3. Agitation, perturbation, or disorder, of mind; heat; excitement. "He could not debate anything without some commotion." Clarendon.

Syn. -- Excitement; agitation; perturbation; disturbance; tumult; disorder; violence.

COMMOVE Com*move", v. t. [inp. & p. p. Commoved; p. pr. & vb. n. Commoving.] Etym: [L. commovere, commotum; com- + movere to move.]

1. To urge; to persuade; to incite. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. To put in motion; to disturb; to unsettle. [R.] Straight the sands, Commoved around, in gathering eddies play. Thomson.

COMMUNAL Com"mu*nal ( or ), a. Etym: [Cf. F. communal.]

Defn: Pertaining to a commune.

COMMUNALISM Com"mu*nal*ism, n.

Defn: A French theory of government which holds that commune should be a kind of independent state, and the national government a confederation of such states, having only limited powers. It is advocated by advanced French republicans; but it should not be confounded with communism.

COMMUNALIST Com"mu*nal*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. communaliste.]

Defn: An advocate of communalism.

COMMUNALISTIC Com`mu*nal*is"tic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to communalism.

COMMUNE Com*mune", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Communed; p. pr. & vb. n. Communing.] Etym: [OF. communier, fr. L. communicare to communicate, fr. communis common. See Common, and cf. Communicate.]

1. To converse together with sympathy and confidence; to interchange sentiments or feelings; to take counsel. I would commune with you of such things That want no ear but yours. Shak.

2. To receive the communion; to partake of the eucharist or Lord's supper. To commune under both kinds. Bp. Burnet. To commune with one's self or one's heart, to think; to reflect; to meditate.

COMMUNE Com"mune, n.

Defn: Communion; sympathetic intercourse or conversation between friends. For days of happy commune dead. Tennyson.

COMMUNE Com"mune, n. Etym: [F., fr. commun. See Common.]

1. The commonalty; the common people. [Obs.] Chaucer. In this struggle -- to use the technical words of the time -- of the "commune", the general mass of the inhabitants, against the "prudhommes" or "wiser" few. J. R. Green.

2. A small terrotorial district in France under the government of a mayor and municipal council; also, the inhabitants, or the government, of such a district. See Arrondissement.

3. Absolute municipal self-government. The Commune of Paris, or The Commune (a) The government established in Paris (1792-94) by a usurpation of supreme power on the part of representatives chosen by the communes; the period of its continuance is known as the "Reign of Terror." (b) The revolutionary government, modeled on the commune of 1792, which the communists, so called, attempted to establish in 1871.

COMMUNICABILITY Com*mu`ni*ca*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. communicabilité.]

Defn: The quality of being communicable; capability of being imparted.

COMMUNICABLE Com*mu"ni*ca*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. communicable, LL. communicabilis.]

1. Capable of being communicated, or imparted; as, a communicable disease; communicable knowledge.

2. Communicative; free-speaking. [Obs.] B. Jonson. -- Com*mu"ni*ca*ble*ness, n. -- Com*mu"ni*ca"bly, adv.

COMMUNICANT Com*mu"ni*cant, n. Etym: [L. communicans, p. pr.]

1. One who partakes of, or is entitled to partake of, the sacrament of the Lord's supper; a church member. A never-failing monthly communicant. Atterbury.

2. One who communicates. Foxe.

COMMUNICANT Com*mu"ni*cant, a.

Defn: Communicating. [R.] Coleridge.

COMMUNICATE Com*mu"ni*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Communicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Communicating.] Etym: [L. communicatus, p. p. of communicare to communicate, fr. communis common. See Commune, v. i.]

1. To share in common; to participate in. [Obs.] To thousands that communicate our loss. B. Jonson

2. To impart; to convey; as, to communicate a disease or a sensation; to communicate motion by means of a crank. Where God is worshiped, there he communicates his blessings and holy influences. Jer. Taylor.

3. To make known; to recount; to give; to impart; as, to communicate information to any one.

4. To administer the communion to. [R.] She [the church] . . . may communicate him. Jer. Taylor.

Note: This verb was formerly followed by with before the person receiving, but now usually takes to after it. He communicated those thoughts only with the Lord Digby. Clarendon.

Syn. -- To impart; bestow; confer; reveal; disclose; tell; announce; recount; make known. -- To Communicate, Impart, Reveal. Communicate is the more general term, and denotes the allowing of others to partake or enjoy in common with ourselves. Impart is more specific. It is giving to others a part of what we had held as our own, or making them our partners; as, to impart our feelings; to impart of our property, etc. Hence there is something more intimate in imparting intelligence than in communicating it. To reveal is to disclose something hidden or concealed; as, to reveal a secret.

COMMUNICATE Com*mu"ni*cate, v. i.

1. To share or participate; to possess or enjoy in common; to have sympathy. Ye did communicate with my affliction. Philip. iv. 4.

2. To give alms, sympathy, or aid. To do good and to communicate forget not. Heb. xiii. 16.

3. To have intercourse or to be the means of intercourse; as, to communicate with another on business; to be connected; as, a communicating artery. Subjects suffered to communicate and to have intercourse of traffic. Hakluyt. The whole body is nothing but a system of such canals, which all communicate with one another. Arbutnot.

4. To partake of the Lord's supper; to commune. The primitive Christians communicated every day. Jer. Taylor.

COMMUNICATION Com*mu`ni*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. communicatio.]

1. The act or fact of communicating; as, communication of smallpox; communication of a secret.

2. Intercourse by words, letters, or messages; interchange of thoughts or opinions, by conference or other means; conference; correspondence. Argument . . . and friendly communication. Shak.

3. Association; company. Evil communications corrupt manners. 1 Cor. xv. 33.

4. Means of communicating; means of passing from place to place; a connecting passage; connection. The Euxine Sea is conveniently situated for trade, by the communication it has both with Asia and Europe. Arbuthnot.

5. That which is communicated or imparted; intelligence; news; a verbal or written message.

6. Participation in the Lord's supper. Bp. Pearson.

7. (Rhet.)

Defn: A trope, by which a speaker assumes that his hearer is a partner in his sentiments, and says we, instead of I or you. Beattie.

Syn. -- Correspondence; conference; intercourse.

COMMUNICATIVE Com*mu"ni*ca*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. Communicatif, LL. communicativus.]

Defn: Inclined to communicate; ready to impart to others. Determine, for the future, to be less communicative. Swift.

COMMUNICATIVENESS Com*mu"ni*ca*tive*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being communicative. Norris.

COMMUNICATOR Com*mu"ni*ca`tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: One who communicates. Boyle.

COMMUNICATORY Com*mu"ni*ca"to*ry, a. Etym: [LL. communicatorius.]

Defn: Imparting knowledge or information. Canonical and communicatory letters. Barrow.

COMMUNION Com*mun"ion, n. Etym: [L. communio: cf. F. communion. See Common.]

1. The act of sharing; community; participation. "This communion of goods." Blackstone.

2. Intercourse between two or more persons; esp., intimate association and intercourse implying sympathy and confidence; interchange of thoughts, purposes, etc.; agreement; fellowship; as, the communion of saints. We are naturally induced to seek communion and fellowship with others. Hooker. What communion hath light with darkness 2 Cor. vi. 14. Bare communion with a good church can never alone make a good man. South.

3. A body of Christians having one common faith and discipline; as, the Presbyterian communion.

4. The sacrament of the eucharist; the celebration of the Lord's supper; the act of partaking of the sacrament; as, to go to communion; to partake of the communion. Close communion. See under Close, a. -- Communion elements, the bread and wine used in the celebration of the Lord's supper. -- Communion service, the celebration of the Lord's supper, or the office or service therefor. -- Communion table, the table upon which the elements are placed at the celebration of the Lord's supper. -- Communion in both kinds, participation in both the bread and wine by all communicants. -- Communion in one kind, participation in but one element, as in the Roman Catholic Church, where the laity partake of the bread only.

Syn. -- Share; participation; fellowship; converse; intercourse; unity; concord; agreement.

COMMUNISM Com"mu*nism, n. Etym: [F. communisme, fr. commun common.]

Defn: A scheme of equalizing the social conditions of life; specifically, a scheme which contemplates the abolition of inequalities in the possession of property, as by distributing all wealth equally to all, or by holding all wealth in common for the equal use and advantage of all.

Note: At different times, and in different countries, various schemes pertaining to socialism in government and the conditions of domestic life, as well as in the distribution of wealth, have been called communism.

COMMUNIST Com"mu*nist, n. Etym: [F. communiste.]

1. An advocate for the theory or practice of communism.

2. A supporter of the commune of Paris.

COMMUNISTIC Com`mu*nis"tic, a.

1. Of or pertaining to communism or communists; as, communistic theories.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Living or having their nests in common, as certain birds.

COMMUNITY Com*mu"ni*ty, n.; pl. Communities. Etym: [L. communitas: cf. OF. communité. Cf. Commonalty, and see Common.]

1. Common possession or enjoyment; participation; as, a community of goods. The original community of all things. Locke. An unreserved community of thought and feeling. W. Irwing.

2. A body of people having common rights, privileges, or interests, or living in the same place under the same laws and regulations; as, a community of monks. Hence a number of animals living in a common home or with some apparent association of interests. Creatures that in communities exist. Wordsworth.

3. Society at large; a commonwealth or state; a body politic; the public, or people in general. Burdens upon the poorer classes of the community. Hallam.

Note: In this sense, the term should be used with the definite article; as, the interests of the community.

4. Common character; likeness. [R.] The essential community of nature between organic growth and inorganic growth. H. Spencer.

5. Commonness; frequency. [Obs.] Eyes . . . sick and blunted with community. Shak.

COMMUTABILITY Com*mu`ta*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being commutable.

COMMUTABLE Com*mut"a*ble, a. Etym: [L. commutabilis.]

Defn: Capable of being commuted or interchanged. The predicate and subject are not commutable. Whately.

COMMUTABLENESS Com*mut"a*ble*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being commutable; interchangeableness.

COMMUTATION Com`mu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. commutatio: cf. F. commutation.]

1. A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation. [R.] So great is the commutation that the soul then hated only that which now only it loves. South.

2. The act of giving one thing for another; barter; exchange. [Obs.] The use of money is . . . that of saving the commutation of more bulky commodities. Arbuthnot.

3. (Law)

Defn: The change of a penalty or punishment by the pardoning power of the State; as, the commutation of a sentence of death to banishment or imprisonment. Suits are allowable in the spiritual courts for money agreed to be given as a commutation for penance. Blackstone.

4. A substitution, as of a less thing for a greater, esp. a substitution of one form of payment for another, or one payment for many, or a specific sum of money for conditional payments or allowances; as, commutation of tithes; commutation of fares; commutation of copyright; commutation of rations. Angle of commutation (Astron.), the difference of the geocentric longitudes of the sun and a planet. -- Commutation of tithes, the substitution of a regular payment, chargeable to the land, for the annual tithes in kind. -- Commutation ticket, a ticket, as for transportation, which is the evidence of a contract for service at a reduced rate. See 2d Commute, 2.

COMMUTATION TICKET Com`mu*ta"tion tick"et.

Defn: A ticket for transportation at a reduced rate in consideration of some special circumstance, as increase of travel; specif., a ticket for a certain number of, or for daily, trips between neighboring places at a reduced rate, such as are commonly used by those doing business in a city and living in a suburb. Commutation tickets are excepted from the prohibition against special rates contained in the Interstate Commerce Act of Feb. 4, 1887 (24 Stat. 379), and in 145 U. S. 263 it was held that party tickets were also excepted as being "obviously within the commuting principle."

COMMUTATIVE Com*mut"a*tive, a. Etym: [CF. F. commutatif.]

Defn: Relative to exchange; interchangeable; reciprocal. -- Com*mut"a*tive"ly, adv. Rich traders, from their success, are presumed . . . to have cultivated an habitual regard to commutative justice. Burke.

COMMUTATOR Com"mu*ta`tor, n. (Elec.)

Defn: A piece of apparatus used for reversing the direction of an electrical current; an attachment to certain electrical machines, by means of which alternating currents are made to be continuous or to have the same direction.

COMMUTE Com*mute", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Commuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Commuting.] Etym: [L. commutare, -mutatum; com- + mutare to change. See Mutation.]

Defn: To exchange; to put or substitute something else in place of, as a smaller penalty, obligation, or payment, for a greater, or a single thing for an aggregate; hence; to lessen; to diminish; as, to commute a sentence of death to one of imprisonment for life; to commute tithes; to commute charges for fares. The sounds water and fire, being once annexed to those two elements, it was certainly more natural to call beings participating of the first "watery", and the last "fiery", than to commute the terms, and call them by the reverse. J. Harris The utmost that could be obtained was that her sentence should be commuted from burning to beheading. Macaulay.

COMMUTE Com*mute", v. i.

1. To obtain or bargain for exemption or substitution; to effect a commutation. He . . . thinks it unlawful to commute, and that he is bound to pay his vow in kind. Jer. Taylor.

2. To pay, or arrange to pay, in gross instead of part by part; as, to commute for a year's travel over a route.

COMMUTER Com*mut"er, n.

Defn: One who commutes; especially, one who commutes in traveling.

COMMUTUAL Com*mu"tu*al, a. Etym: [Pref. com- + mutual.]

Defn: Mutual; reciprocal; united. [R.] There, with commutual zeal, we both had strove. Pope.

COMOSE Co"mose ( or ), a. Etym: [L. comosus hairy, from coma hair.] (Bot.)

Defn: Bearing a tuft of soft hairs or down, as the seeds of milkweed. Gray.

COMPACT Com*pact", p. p. & a Etym: [L. compactus, p. p. of compingere to join or unite; com- + pangere to fasten, fix: cf. F. compacte. See Pact.]

1. Joined or held together; leagued; confederated. [Obs.] "Compact with her that's gone." Shak. A pipe of seven reeds, compact with wax together. Peacham.

2. Composed or made; -- with of. [Poetic] A wandering fire, Compact of unctuous vapor. Milton.

3. Closely or firmly united, as the particles of solid bodies; firm; close; solid; dense. Glass, crystal, gems, and other compact bodies. Sir I. Newton.

4. Brief; close; pithy; not diffuse; not verbose; as, a compact discourse.

Syn. -- Firm; close; solid; dense; pithy; sententious.

COMPACT Com*pact", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Compacted; p. pr. & vb. n. Compacting.]

1. To thrust, drive, or press closely together; to join firmly; to consolidate; to make close; -- as the parts which compose a body. Now the bright sun compacts the precious stone. Blackstone.

2. To unite or connect firmly, as in a system. The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth. Eph. iv. 16.

COMPACT Com"pact, n. Etym: [L. compactum, fr. compacisci, p. p. compactus, to make an agreement with; com- + pacisci to make an agreement. See Pact.]

Defn: An agreement between parties; a covenant or contract. The law of nations depends on mutual compacts, treaties, leagues, etc. Blackstone. Wedlock is described as the indissoluble compact. Macaulay. The federal constitution has been styled a compact between the States by which it was ratified. Wharton.

Syn. -- See Covenant.

COMPACTED Com*pact"ed, a.

Defn: Compact; pressed close; concentrated; firmly united.

COMPACTEDLY Com*pact"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a compact manner.

COMPACTEDNESS Com*pact"ed*ness, n.

Defn: A state of being compact.

COMPACTER Com*pact"er, n.

Defn: One who makes a compact.

COMPACTIBLE Com*pact"i*ble, a.

Defn: That may be compacted.

COMPACTION Com*pac"tion, n. Etym: [L. compactio.]

Defn: The act of making compact, or the state of being compact. [Obs.] Bacon.

COMPACTLY Com*pact"ly, adv.

Defn: In a compact manner; with close union of parts; densely; tersely.

COMPACTNESS Com*pact"ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being compact; close union of parts; density.

COMPACTURE Com*pac"ture, n. Etym: [L. compactura.]

Defn: Close union or connection of parts; manner of joining; construction. [Obs.] "With comely compass and compacture strong." Spenser.

COMPAGES Com*pa"ges, n. sing & pl. Etym: [L., fr. compingere. See Compact, v. t.]

Defn: A system or structure of many parts united. A regular compages of pipes and vessels. Ray.

COMPAGINATE Com*pag"i*nate, v. t. Etym: [L. compaginare, compaginatum.]

Defn: To unite or hold together; as, the side pieces compaginate the frame. [Obs.] W. Montagu.

COMPAGINATION Com*pag`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. compaginatio.]

Defn: Union of parts; structure. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

COMPANABLE Com"pa*na*ble, a. Etym: [OF. compaignable.]

Defn: Companionable; sociable. [Obs.] Chaucer.

COMPANATOR Com"pa*na`tor, n. Etym: [LL. companatores, pl.] (Eccl.)

Defn: Same as Impanator.

COMPANIABLE Com*pan"i*a*ble, a.

Defn: Companionable; sociable. [Obs.] Bacon.

COMPANION Com*pan"ion, n. Etym: [F. compagnon, OF. compaing, fr. as assumed LL. companio (cf. companium fellowship, a mess), fr. L. com- + panis bread. See Pantry.]

1. One who accompanies or is in company with another for a longer or shorter period, either from choice or casually; one who is much in the company of, or is associated with, another or others; an associate; a comrade; a consort; a partner. The companions of his fall. Milton. The companion of fools shall smart for it. Prov. xiii. 20 (Rev. Ver. ) Here are your sons again; and I must lose Two of the sweetest companions in the world. Shak. A companion is one with whom we share our bread; a messmate. Trench.

2. A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders; as, a companion of the Bath.

3. A fellow; -- in contempt. [Obs.] Shak.

4. Etym: [Cf. OSp. compaña an outhouse, office.] (Naut.) (a) A skylight on an upper deck with frames and sashes of various shapes, to admit light to a cabin or lower deck. (b) A wooden hood or penthouse covering the companion way; a companion hatch. Companion hatch (Naut.), a wooden porch over the entrance or staircase of the cabin. -- Companion ladder (Naut.), the ladder by which officers ascend to, or descend from, the quarter-deck. Totten. -- Companion way (Naut.), a staircase leading to the cabin. -- Knights companions, in certain honorary orders, the members of the lowest grades as distinguished from knights commanders, knights grand cross, and the like.

Syn. -- Associate; comrade; mate; compeer; partner; ally; confederate; coadjutor; accomplice.

COMPANION Com*pan"ion, v. t.

1. To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany. [R.] Ruskin.

2. To qualify as a companion; to make equal. [Obs.] Companion me with my mistress. Shak.

COMPANIONABLE Com*pan"ion*a*ble, a.

Defn: Fitted to be a companion; fit for good fellowship; agreeable; sociable. "Each companionable guest." Mallett. "Companionable wit." Clarendon. -- Com*pan"ion*a*ble*ness, n. -- Com*pan"ion*a*bly, adv.

COMPANIONLESS Com*pan"ion*less, a.

Defn: Without a companion.

COMPANIONSHIP Com*pan"ion*ship, n.

Defn: Fellowship; association; the act or fact of keeping company with any one. Shak. He never seemed to avail himself of my sympathy other than by mere companionship. W. Irwing

COMPANY Com"pa*ny, n.; pl. Companies. Etym: [F. compagnie, fr. OF. compaing. See Companion.]

1. The state of being a companion or companions; the act of accompaying; fellowship; companionship; society; friendly intercourse. Shak. Evil company doth corrupt good manners. 1 Cor. xv. 33. (Rev. Ver. ). Brethren, farewell: your company along I will not wish. Milton.

2. A companion or companions. To thee and thy company I bid A hearty welcome. Shak.

3. An assemblage or association of persons, either permanent or transient. Thou shalt meet a company of prophets. 1 Sam. x. 5.

4. Guests or visitors, in distinction from the members of a family; as, to invite company to dine.

5. Society, in general; people assembled for social intercourse. Nature has left every man a capacity of being agreeable, though not of shining in company. Swift.

6. An association of persons for the purpose of carrying on some enterprise or business; a corporation; a firm; as, the East India Company; an insurance company; a joint-stock company.

7. Partners in a firm whose names are not mentioned in its style or title; -- often abbreviated in writing; as, Hottinguer & Co.

8. (Mil.)

Defn: A subdivision of a regiment of troops under the command of a captain, numbering in the United States (full strength) 100 men.

9. (Naut.)

Defn: The crew of a ship, including the officers; as, a whole ship's company.

10. The body of actors employed in a theater or in the production of a play. To keep company with. See under Keep, v. t.

Syn. -- Assemblage; assembly; society; group; assembly; society; group; circle; crowd; troop; crew; gang; corporation; association; fraternity; guild; partnership; copartnery; union; club; party; gathering.

COMPANY Com"pa*ny, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Companied; p. pr. & vb. n. Companying.]

Defn: To accompany or go with; to be companion to. [Obs.]

COMPANY Com"pa*ny, v. i.

1. To associate. Men which have companied with us all the time. Acts i. 21.

2. To be a gay companion. [Obs.] Spenser.

3. To have sexual commerce. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

COMPARABLE Com"pa*ra*ble, a. Etym: [L. comparabilis: cf. F. comparable.]

Defn: Capable of being compared; worthy of comparison. There is no blessing of life comparable to the enjoyment of a discreet and virtuous friend. Addison. -- Com"pa*ra*ble*ness, n. -- Com"pa*ra*bly, adv.

COMPARATE Com"pa*rate, n. Etym: [L. comparatum, fr. comparatus, p. p. of comparare. See 1st Compare.] (Logic)

Defn: One of two things compared together.

COMPARATION Com`pa*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. comparatio. See Compare to get.]

Defn: A making ready; provision. [Obs.]

COMPARATIVE Com*par"a*tive, a. Etym: [L. comparativus: cf. F. comparatif.]

1. Of or pertaining to comparison. "The comparative faculty." Granvill.

2. Proceeding from, or by the method of, comparison; as, the comparative anatomy.

3. Estimated by comparison; relative; not positive or absolute, as compared with another thing or state. The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold. Whewell. The bubble, by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that incloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top. Bentley.

4. (Gram.)

Defn: Expressing a degree greater or less than the positive degree of the quality denoted by an adjective or adverb. The comparative degree is formed from the positive by the use of -er, more, or less; as, brighter, more bright, or less bright. Comparative sciences, those which are based on a comprehensive comparison of the range of objects or facts in any branch or department, and which aim to study out and treat of the fundamental laws or systems of relation pervading them; as, comparative anatomy, comparative physiology, comparative philology.

COMPARATIVE Com*par"a*tive, n. (Gram.)

Defn: The comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs; also, the form by which the comparative degree is expressed; as, stronger, wiser, weaker, wore stormy, less windy, are all comparatives. In comparatives is expressed a relation of two; as in superlatives there is a relation of many.

2. An equal; a rival; a compeer. [Obs.] Gerard ever was His full comparative. Beau. & Fl.

3. One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit. [Obs.] "Every beardless vain comparative." Shak.

COMPARATIVELY Com*par"a*tive*ly, adv.

Defn: According to estimate made by comparison; relatively; not positively or absolutely. With but comparatively few exceptions. Prescott.

COMPARATOR Com"pa*ra`tor ( or ), n. Etym: [L., a comparater.] (Physics)

Defn: An instrument or machine for comparing anything to be measured with a standard measure; -- applied especially to a machine for comparing standards of length.

COMPARE Com*pare", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Compared; p. pr. & vb. n. Comparing.] Etym: [L.comparare, fr. compar like or equal to another; com- + par equal: cf. F. comparer. See Pair, Peer an equal, and cf. Compeer.]

1. To examine the character or qualities of, as of two or more persons or things, for the purpose of discovering their resemblances or differences; to bring into comparison; to regard with discriminating attention. Compare dead happiness with living woe. Shak. The place he found beyond expression bright, Compared with aught on earth. Milton. Compare our faces and be judge yourself. Shak. To compare great things with small. Milton.

2. To represent as similar, for the purpose of illustration; to liken. Solon compared the people unto the sea, and orators and counselors to the winds; for that the sea would be calm and quiet if the winds did not trouble it. Bacon.

3. (Gram.)

Defn: To inflect according to the degrees of comparison; to state positive, comparative, and superlative forms of; as, most adjectives of one syllable are compared by affixing "-er" and "-est" to the positive form; as, black, blacker, blackest; those of more than one syllable are usually compared by prefixing "more" and "most", or "less" and "least", to the positive; as, beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful.

Syn. -- To Compare, Compare with, Compare to. Things are compared with each other in order to learn their relative value or excellence. Thus we compare Cicero with Demosthenes, for the sake of deciding which was the greater orator. One thing is compared to another because of a real or fanciful likeness or similarity which exists between them. Thus it has been common to compare the eloquence of Demosthenes to a thunderbolt, on account of its force, and the eloquence of Cicero to a conflagration, on account of its splendor. Burke compares the parks of London to the lungs of the human body.

COMPARE Com*pare", v. i.

1. To be like or equal; to admit, or be worthy of, comparison; as, his later work does not compare with his earlier. I should compare with him in excellence. Shak.

2. To vie; to assume a likeness or equality. Shall pack horses . . . compare with Cæsars Shak.

COMPARE Com*pare", n.

1. Comparison. [Archaic] His mighty champion, strong beyond compare. Milton. Their small galleys may not hold compare With our tall ships. Waller.

2. Illustration by comprison; simile. [Obs.] Rhymes full of protest, of oath, and big compare. Shak. Beyond compare. See Beyond comparison, under Comparison.

COMPARE Com*pare", v. t. Etym: [L. comparare to prepare, procure; com- + parare. See Prepare, Parade.]

Defn: To get; to procure; to obtain; to acquire [Obs.] To fill his bags, and richesse to compare. Spenser.

COMPARER Com*par"er, n.

Defn: One who compares.

COMPARISON Com*par"i*son ( or ), n. Etym: [F. comparaison, L. comparatio. See 1st Compare.]

1. The act of comparing; an examination of two or more objects with the view of discovering the resemblances or differences; relative estimate. As sharp legal practitioners, no class of human beings can bear comparison with them. Macaulay. The miracles of our Lord and those of the Old Testament afford many interesting points of comparison. Trench.

2. The state of being compared; a relative estimate; also, a state, quality, or relation, admitting of being compared; as, to bring a thing into comparison with another; there is no comparison between them.

3. That to which, or with which, a thing is compared, as being equal or like; illustration; similitude. Whereto shall we liken the kingdom of God Or with what comparison shall we compare it Mark iv. 30.

4. (Gram.)

Defn: The modification, by inflection or otherwise, which the adjective and adverb undergo to denote degrees of quality or quantity; as, little, less, least, are examples of comparison.

5. (Rhet.)

Defn: A figure by which one person or thing is compared to another, or the two are considered with regard to some property or quality, which is common to them both; e.g., the lake sparkled like a jewel.

6. (Phren.)

Defn: The faculty of the reflective group which is supposed to perceive resemblances and contrasts. Beyond comparison, so far superior as to have no likeness, or so as to make comparison needless. -- In comparison of, In comparison with, as compared with; in proportion to. [Archaic] "So miserably unpeopled in comparison of what it once was." Addison. -- Comparison of hands (Law), a mode of proving or disproving the genuineness of a signature or writing by comparing it with another proved or admitted to be genuine, in order to ascertain whether both were written by the same person. Bouvier. Burrill.

COMPARISON Com*par"i*son, v. t.

Defn: To compare. [Obs.] Wyclif.

COMPART Com*part", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Comparted; p. pr. & vb. n. Comparting.] Etym: [L. compartiri; com- + partiri, partire to share, pars, partis, part, share: cf. OF. compartir. See Part, v. t.]

Defn: To divide; to mark out into parts or subdivisions. [R.] The crystal surface is comparted all In niches verged with rubies. Glover.

COMPARTITION Com`par*ti"tion, n. Etym: [LL. compartitio.]

Defn: The act of dividing into parts or compartments; division; also, a division or compartment. [Obs.] Their temples . . . needed no compartitions. Sir H. Wotton.

COMPARTMENT Com*part"ment, n. Etym: [F. compartiment, OF. compartir to divide. See Compart.]

1. One of the parts into which an inclosed portion of space is divided, as by partitions, or lines; as, the compartments of a cabinet, a house, or a garden. In the midst was placed a large compartment composed of grotesque work. Carew.

2. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: One of the sections into which the hold of a ship is divided by water-tight bulkheads.

COMPARTNER Com*part"ner, n.

Defn: See Copartner. [Obs.]