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.
Cŭl'ver-kēy, n. p. 322A bunch of the pods of the ash-tree. 2. A plant, the columbine. Wright. A girl cropping culverkeys and cowslips to make a garland. Walton.Cŭl'vert, n. p. 322An arched drain for the passage of water under a road or canal, &c.Cŭl'ver-tāil, n. p. 322(Carp.) Dovetail.Cŭl'ver-tāiled, a. p. 322United or fastened by a dovetailed joint.Cū'mas, n. p. 322See CAMMAS.Cūm'bent, a. p. 322Lying down; recumbent. Dyer.Cŭm'ber, v. t. p. 322To hang or rest upon as a troublesome weight; to be burdensome or oppressive to; to load or crowd; to hinder or embarrass in attaining an object; to stand in the way of; to obstruct; to perplex; to…Cŭm'ber, n. p. 322Burdensomeness; oppression; trouble; embarrassment; distress. [Obs.] “A place of much distraction and cumber.” Wotton.Cūm'ber-sōme, a. p. 322Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag; oppressive; embarrassing; vexatious; cumbrous. “To perform a cumbersome obedience.” Sidney. 2. Not easily managed or administered; as, a cumbersome…Câm'ber-sôme-ly, adv. p. 323In a manner to encumber. Sherwood.Câm'ber-sôme-ness, n. p. 323The quality of being cumbersome.Câm'ber-world, n. p. 323That which burdens the world; that which is useless. [Rare.] Drayton.Câm'brance, n. p. 323That which obstructs, retards, or renders motion or action difficult and toilsome; encumbrance; hinderance; embarrassment. Extol not riches then, the toil of fools, The wise man's cumbrance, if not…Căm'bri-an, a. p. 323Pertaining to Cumberland, England, or to a system of rocks found there. Cambrian system (Geol.), the slate or graywacke system of rocks, now included in the Cambrian or Silurian system;—so called…Cŭm′brŏus, a. p. 323Rendering action or motion difficult or toilsome; serving to obstruct or hinder; burdensome; clogging. He sunk beneath the cumbrous weight. Swift. That cumbrous and unwieldy style which disfigures…Cŭm'broŭs-ly, adv. p. 323In a cumbrous manner.Cŭm'broŭs-ness, n. p. 323State of being cumbrous.Cŭm'bu-lū', n. p. 323(Bot.) A tree of Malabar, growing to a great height. The root is sometimes used in fevers and like diseases.Cŭm'frey, n. p. 323(Bot.) A genus of plants, the Symphytum. See COMFREY.Cūm'in, n. p. 323(Bot.) A dwarf umbelliferous plant, somewhat resembling fennel, Cuminum, Cuminum, cultivated for its seeds, which have a bitterish, warm taste, with an aromatic flavor, and are used like those of…Câm'shaw, n. p. 323A present or bonus; — originally applied to that paid on ships which entered the port of Canton. S. W. Williams.Câm'shāw, v. t. p. 323To give or make a present to.Cū'mu-çir'ro-strā'tus, n. p. 323(Meteor.) The nimbus, or rain cloud. [Rare.] See NIMBUS and CLOUD.Cū'mu-lāte, v. t. p. 323To gather or throw into a heap; to heap together. Shoals of shells, bedded and cumulated heap upon heap. Woodward.Cū'mu-lā'tion, n. p. 323The act of heaping together; a heap. See ACCUMULATION.Cū'mu-la-tīst, n. p. 323One who accumulates; one who collects. [Rare.]Cū'mu-la-tive, a. p. 323Composed of parts in a heap; forming a mass; aggregated. “Knowledge . . . cumulative, not original.” Bacon. 2. Augmenting, gaining or giving force by successive additions; as, a cumulative argument…Cū'mu-lōse', a. p. 323Full of heaps.Câ'mu-lo-strâ'tus, n. p. 323A form of cloud. See CLOUD.Cŭ'mu-lūs, n. pl. p. 323CŪ'MŪ-LĪ. [Lat., a heap, properly diminutive of culmus, allied to culmen, height. See CULMEN.] (Meteor.) One of the four principal forms of clouds. See CLOUD.Cûn, v. t. p. 323To know. [Obs.] See CON. 2. To direct the course of;—said of a ship. See COND.Cu-nāb'ū-lā, n. pl. p. 323The earliest abode or source; originals; as, the cunabula of the human race. 2. (Bibliography.) The extant copies of the first or earliest printed books, or of such as were printed in the fifteenth…Cune-tā'tion, n. p. 323Delay. [Rare.] Hayward.Cunc-ta'tor, n. p. 323One who delays or lingers;—applied as a surname to Q. Fabius Maximus. [Rare.]Cūnd, v. t. p. 323To give notice to. See COND. Carew.Cū'ne-al, a. p. 323Having the form of a wedge.Cū'ne-ate or Cū'ne-ā-ted or Cū'ne-āt'ic, a. p. 323Wedge-shaped; cuneiform. Cuneate Leaf.Cu-nē'i-fōrm or Cū'nī-fōrm, a. p. 323Having the shape or form of a wedge;—especially applied to the wedge-shaped or arrow-headed characters of ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. 2. Pertaining to, or versed in, the ancient…Cu-nêtte', n. p. 323(Fort.) A deep trench made in a dry ditch to drain off water. Campbell.Cŭn'ner, n. p. 323(Conch.) A small shell-fish; the limpet or patella. 2. (Ichth.) A small salt-water fish, known by various names, as burgall, blue-perch, and conner.Cŭn'ning, a. p. 323Well-instructed; knowing; skillful; experienced. “A cunning workman.” Ex. xxxviii. 23. 'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on. Shak. Esau was a…Cūn'ning, n. p. 323Knowledge; art; skill; dexterity. [Obs.] Let my right hand forget her cunning. Ps. cxxxvii. 5. A carpenter's desert. Stands more in cunning than in power. Chapman. 2. The faculty or act of using…Cūn'ning-ly, adv. p. 323In a cunning manner.Cūn'ning-mān, n. p. 323A man who pretends to tell fortunes, or teach how to recover stolen or lost goods.Cūn'ning-ness, n. p. 323Quality of being cunning; craft; deceitfulness.Cup, n. p. 323A small vessel used commonly to drink from; a chalice. There, take it to you, trenchers, cups and all. Shak. 2. The contents of such a vessel; the portion to be drunk; a cupful. “Give me a cup of…Cup and ball p. 323a familiar toy of children, having a cup on the top of a piece of wood to which a ball is attached by a cord; the ball, being thrown up, is to be caught in the cup. O that I were a child to play with…Cūp, v. t. p. 323To supply with cups. Cup us till the world go round. Shak. 2. (Surg.) To procure a discharge of blood from a scarified part of the body by atmospheric pressure.Cŭp'-beār'er, n. p. 323One whose office it is to fill and hand the cups at an entertainment. 2. (Antiq.) One of the attendants of a prince or noble, permanently charged with the performance of this office for his master.Cŭp'board, n. p. 323A small closet in a room, with shelves to receive cups, plates, dishes, and the like. Cupboard-love, interested love, or that which has an eye to the cupboard. “Cupboard-love is seldom true.” Poor…Cūp'board, v. t. p. 323To collect, as into a cupboard; to hoard. [Obs.] Shak.Cū'pel, n. p. 323A small cup or vessel used in refining precious metals, usually made of burnt bones, and on this account somewhat porous. [Written also coppel.]Cu-pēl', v. t. p. 323To separate by means of a cupel; to refine.Cū'pel-dūst, n. p. 323Powder used in purifying metals.Cū'pel-lā'tion, n. p. 323The analyzing or refining of gold, silver, and other metals, in a cupel. ☞ The process consists in adding a small piece of lead to an alloy containing the metal to be analyzed or refined, and then…Cŭp'ful, n. p. 323As much as a cup will hold.Cūp'-gall, n. p. 323A kind of gall found on the leaves of oaks, &c., and containing the worm of a small fly.Cū'pid, n. p. 323(Myth.) The god of love.Cu-pĭd'ĭ-ty, n. p. 323Eager desire to possess something; inordinate or unlawful desire, especially of wealth or power; covetousness; lust. With the feelings of political distrust, were mingled those of cupidity and envy…Cŭp'-mŏss, n. p. 323A sort of moss.