Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
- Pages
- 1,538
- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Brit, n. p. 166(Ichth.) A fish of the herring kind (Clupea minima), from one to four inches long, found, at some seasons, in immense numbers, on the eastern coast of New England.Bri-tăn'ni-ă, n. p. 166A metallic compound or alloy, consisting of 100 parts of block-tin, with 8 of antimony, 2 of bismuth, and 2 of copper.Bri-tăn'nĭc, a. p. 166Pertaining to Great Britain; British.Brite or Bright, v. i. p. 166To be or become over-ripe, as wheat, barley, or hops. [Prov. Eng.]Brit'ish, a. p. 166Pertaining to Great Britain or its inhabitants; — sometimes restricted to the original inhabitants.Brĭt'ish-gŭm, n. p. 166A substance of a brownish color, and very soluble in cold water, formed by heating dry starch at a temperature of about 600° Fahr. It corresponds, in its properties, with dextrine, and is used, in…Brĭt'on, n. p. 166A native of Britain.Brĭt'on, a. p. 166British. [Obs.] Spenser.Brĭt'tle, a. p. 166Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or tenacious. Farewell, thou pretty, brittle piece Of fine-cut crystal. Cotton.Brit'tle-ly, adv. p. 166In a brittle manner. Sherwood.Brit'tle-ness, n. p. 166Aptness to break; fragility; want of tenacity.Britz'skā, n. p. 166A long carriage, with a calash top, so constructed as to give space for reclining atBrīze, n. p. 166The gadfly. See BREEZE. Shak.Brōach, n. p. 166A spit. [Obs.] And some failed not to take the child and bind it to a broach, and lay it to the fire to roast. Sir T. More. 2. An awl; a bodkin. [Prov. Eng.] 3. (Mech.) (a.) A tool of steel…Brōach, v. t. p. 166To spit; to pierce as with a spit. I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point. Shak. 2. To tap; to pierce, as a cask, in order to draw the liquor; hence, to let out. He bravely broached his…Brōach'er, n. p. 166A spit; a broach. On five sharp broachers ranked, the roast they turned. Dryden. 2. One who broaches, opens, or utters; a first publisher or promoter. “Some such broacher of heresy.” Atterbury.Broad, a. p. 166Wide; extended in breadth, or from side to side. “A broad area.” Prescott. “Broad, gnarled arms.” Scott. 2. Extended, in the sense of diffused; spread abroad; open. “Broad and open day.” Porteus. 3.…Broad'-ăx or Broad'-ăxe, n. p. 166A military weapon. [Obs.] 2. An ax with a broad edge, for hewing timber.Broad'-bill, n. p. 166(Ornith.) A wild duck (Anas marila), which appears in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in October. On the Chesapeake, it is called black-head, and in Virginia raft-duck.…Broad'-blown, a. p. 166Full blown. [Obs.] Shak.Broad'-brim, n. p. 166A particular kind of hat for men, like those worn by the members of the society of Friends. Simmonds. 2. A member of the society of Friends; a Qua-Broad'cast, n. p. 166(Agric.) A casting or throwing seed from the hand for dispersion in sowing.Broad'cast, adv. p. 166By scattering or throwing at large from the hand; as, to sow broadcast.Broad'cast, a. p. 166Cast or dispersed upon the ground with the hand, as seed in sowing. 2. Widely spread or diffused.Broad Church p. 166A portion of the church of England, comprising those who claim to hold a position, in respect to doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the old High Church party and the modern Low Church or…Broad'cloth, n. p. 166A fine kind of woolen cloth for men's garments, exceeding twenty-nine inches in width; all woolens of less width being known as narrow-cloths. Simmonds.Broad'en, v. i. p. 166To grow broad. “The broadening sun appears.” Wordsworth.Broad'en, v. a. p. 166To make broad; to render more broad or comprehensive.Broad'-ēyĕd, a. p. 166Having a wide view or survey. “Broad-eyed day.” Shak.Broad'-gāuge, n. p. 166A wide distance (usually six or seven feet) between the rails on a railway, in contradistinction from the narrow gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. Simmonds.Broad'-hŏrn, n. p. 166A flat-boat on the Mississippi and other Western rivers. [Obs. and local, U. S.] At Wheeling I embarked in a flat-bottomed family boat, technically called a broad-horn. W. Irving.Broad'-hôrnèd, a. p. 166Having wide- spread horns. Hulboet.Broad'ish, a. p. 166Rather broad; moderately broad.Broad'-leaf, n. p. 166(Bot.) A tree found in Jamaica (the Terminalia latifolia), the wood of which is used for boards, scantling, shingles, &c.; — sometimes called the almond-tree, from the shape of its fruit.Broad'-lĕafed or Broad'-lĕaved, a. p. 166Having broad leaves. Keats.Broad'ly, adv. p. 166In a broad manner.Broad'ness, n. p. 166Quality of being broad; breadth; extent from side to side; coarseness; grossness.Broad'-pĕn'/nant, n. p. 166(Naut.) A square piece of bunting carried at the mast-head of a commodore's vessel. Simmonds.Broad'-piece, n. p. 166A piece of gold coin broader than a guinea. Encyc. Brit.Broad'-sēal, n. p. 166The great seal of England; the public seal of a country or state.Broad'-sēal, v. t. p. 166To stamp with the broad seal; to make sure; to guarantee or warrant. [Obs.] Thy presence broad-seals our delights for pure. B. Jonson.Broad'side, n. p. 166A discharge of all the guns on one side of a ship, above and below, at the same time. “All his thunders roaring from his broad-sides.” Everett. 2. (Naut.) The side of a ship above the water, from the…Broad'-spread, a. p. 166Wide-spread.Broad'-spread'ing, a. p. 166Spreading widely.Broad'swōrd, n. p. 166A sword with a broad blade and a cutting edge. I heard the broadsword's deadly clang. W. Scott.Broad'-wīse, adv. p. 166In the direction of the breadth.Bro-cāde', n. p. 166Silk stuff, variegated with gold and silver, or raised and enriched with flowers, foliage, and other ornaments; — also applied to other stuffs wrought and enriched in like manner. A gala suit of…Bro-cād'ed, a. p. 166Woven or worked, as brocade, with gold and silver. Brocaded flowers o'er the gay mantua shine. Gay. 2. Dressed in brocade.Brō'kerage, n. p. 166Brō'kage p. 166The trade or business of a broker; the transaction of commercial business, as buying and selling, for other men. 2. The premium or commission of a broker; the gain or profit derived from transacting…Brō'card, n. p. 167An elementary principle or maxim; a short, proverbial rule, in law, ethics, or metaphysics; a canon. The scholastic brocard, “Nihil est in intellectu quod non prius fuit in sensu,” is the fundamental…Brō'ca-tĕl or Brō'ca-tĕl'lo, n. p. 167A kind of coarse brocade, or figured fabric, commonly made of silk and cotton, or sometimes of cotton only, used chiefly for tapestry, linings for carriages, &c. Bescherelle. 2. A marble, clouded and…Brŏc'co-lĭ, n. p. 167(Bot.) A variety of the common cabbage (Brassica oleracea) resembling the cauliflower.Brōch'an-tīte, n. p. 167(Min.) A basic sulphate of copper, occurring in emerald-green crystals.Brōche, n. p. 167See BROACH.Bro-chu're, n. p. 167A printed and stitched work containing only a few leaves; a pamphlet.Brŏck, n. p. 167A badger. See BADGER. Or with pretense of chasing thence the brock. B. Jonson. 2. A brocket. See BROCKET. Bailey.Brŏck'ish, a. p. 167Beastly; brutal. “Brockish boors.” Bale.Brŏck'et, n. p. 167A red deer two years old;—sometimes written brock.Brōdē'kin or Brōdē'quin, n. p. 167A buskin or half boot.