Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
- Pages
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- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Floun'der, n. p. 524(Ichth.) A fish of the genus Platessa (P. flesus), allied to the halibut.Floun'der, v. i. p. 524To fling the limbs and body, as in making efforts to move; to struggle, as a horse in the mire, or as a fish on land; to roll, toss, and tumble; to flounce. They have floundered on from blunder to…Flour, n. p. 524The finely ground meal of wheat, or of any other grain; especially, the finer part of meal separated by bolting; hence, the fine and soft powder of any other substance; as, flour of emery.Flour, v. t. p. 524To grind and bolt; to convert into flour; as, great quantities of wheat are floured in the interior country. 2. To sprinkle with flour.Floŭr'ish, v. i. p. 524To grow luxuriantly; to increase and enlarge, as a healthy growing plant; to thrive. A tree thrives and flourishes in a kindly and well-watered soil. Horne. 2. To be prosperous; to increase in…Floŭr'ish, v. t. p. 524To cause to thrive; to develop; to expand. Bacon. 2. To adorn with flowers or beautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with any thing showy; to embellish. Fenton. The day-book and…Floŭr'ish, n. p. 524A flourishing condition; prosperity; vigor. [Obs.] Rome ... was in that flourish that Saint Austin desired to see her in. Howell. 2. Decoration; ornament; beauty; showy splendor. The flourish of his…Flōur'ish-er, n. p. 524One who flourishes.Flour'ish-ing-ly, adv. p. 524In a flourishing manner.Flour'y, a. p. 524Of or resembling flour.Flout, v. t. p. 524To mock or insult; to treat with contempt. “Phillida flouts me.” Walton. “He flouted us downright.” Shak. Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky. Byron.Flout, v. i. p. 524To practice mocking; to behave with contempt; to sneer; — often with at. Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout. Shak.Flout, n. p. 524A mock; an insult. I could have given my uncle's grace a flout. Shak. Who put your beauty to this flout and scorn. Tennyson.Flout'er, n. p. 524One who flouts and flings; a mocker.Flout'ing-ly, adv. p. 524With flouting; insultingly.Flōw, v. i. p. 524To move by the power of gravity, and with a continual change of place among the particles or parts, as a fluid; to change place or circulate, as a liquid; as, rivers flow from springs and lakes…Flōw, v. t. p. 524To cover with water; to overflow; to inundate; to flood. 2. To cover with varnish.Flōw, n. p. 524A stream of water or other fluid; a current; as, a flow of water; a flow of blood. 2. Any gentle, gradual movement or procedure of thought, diction, music, &c., resembling the quiet, steady movement…Flōw'age, n. p. 524An overflowing with water; the water which thus overflows.Flow'er, n. p. 524A circle of leaves or leaflets on a plant usually of some other color than green; a bloom or blossom; as, the dog-wood flower. 2. (Bot.) That part of a plant destined to produce seed, and hence…Flow'er, v. i. p. 524To blossom; to bloom; to expand the petals, as a plant; to produce flowers; as, a flowering plant. 2. To come into the finest or fairest condition. When flowered my youthful spring. Spenser. 3. To…Flow'er, v. t. p. 524To embellish with flowers; to adorn with imitated flowers.Flow'er-age, n. p. 524State of flowers; flowers in general. [Obs.] Bailey.Flow'er-bŭd, n. p. 524An unopened flower.Flower-de-lūce, n. p. 524(Bot.) A plant of several species of the genus Iris, especially the I. pseudacorus, or yellow lily of Great Britain, and the I. sambucina, which is the common iris, or flower-de-luce, and is much…Flow'er-ět, n. p. 524A small flower; a floret. And that same dew which sometime on the buds Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls, Stood now within the pretty floweret's eyes Like tears. Shak.Flow'er-fēnce, n. p. 524(Bot.) The Poinciana pulcherrima, a tropical leguminous bush, with prickly branches, and showy yellow or red flowers;—so named from its having been sometimes used for hedges in the West Indies. Baird.Flow'er-ful, a. p. 524Abounding with flowers.Flow'er-gĕn' tle, n. p. 524(Bot.) A species of amaranth; Amaranthus spinosa.Flow'er-hēad, n. p. 524(Bot.) A compound flower in which all the florets are sessile on their receptacle, as in the case of the daisy. Craig.Flow'er-i-ness, n. p. 524The state of being flowery, or of abounding with flowers. 2. Floridness of speech; abundance of figures.Flow'er-ing, n. p. 524The act of blossoming, or the season when plants blossom; florification. 2. The act of adorning with flowers.Flow'er-ing-fērn, n. p. 524(Bot.) A variety of fern (Osmunda regalis), growing in boggy and wet places. Gray.Flow'er-kir'tled, a. p. 524Dressed with garlands of flowers. Milton.Flow'er-less, a. p. 524Having no flowers. Chaucer.Flow'er-less-ness, n. p. 524State or quality of being without flowers.Flow'er-piēçe, n. p. 524A picture of flowers.Flow'er-stalk, n. p. 524(Bot.) The peduncle of a plant, or the stem that supports the flower or fructification.Flow'er-y, a. p. 524Full of flowers; abounding with blossoms. 2. Highly embellished with figurative language; florid; as, a flowery style. Milton. The flowery kingdom, China.Flōw'ing-ly, adv. p. 524In a flowing manner.Flōw'ing-ness, n. p. 524The state of being fluent; fluency. Nichols.Flōwk, n. p. 524A kind of fish; a fluke. Carew.Flōwn, p. p. p. 524of fly; — often used with the auxiliary verb to be.Flōwn, a. p. 524Flushed; inflated;—supposed by some to be a mistake for blown or swoln. Pope. Then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine. Milton.Flōxed'-silk, n. p. 524The same as FLOSS-SILK.Flū'ate, n. p. 524(Chem.) A salt once supposed to be formed by fluoric acid combined with a base; as, fluate of alumina or of soda. These are properly fluorides.Flūc'ean, n. p. 524(Mining.) The softened rock which often forms the walls of metallic veins. Weale.Fluc-tif'er-ous, a. p. 524Tending to produce waves. Blount.Fluc-tis'o-nous, a. p. 524Sounding like waves. Bailey.Flūct'ū-a-bil'i-ty, n. p. 524The quality of being able to fluctuate. [Obs.] H. Walpole.Flūct'ū-ant, a. p. 524Moving like a wave; wavering.Flūc'tū-āte, v. i. p. 524To move as a wave; to roll hither and thither; to wave; to float backward and forward, as on waves; as, a fluctuating field of air. Blackmore. 2. To move now in one direction and now in another; to…Flūc'tū-āte, v. t. p. 525To cause to move as a wave; to put in motion. [Rare.] A breeze began to tremble o'er The large leaves of the sycamore And fluctuate all the still perfume. Tennyson.Flūc'tu-ā'tion, n. p. 525The act of fluctuating; the state of being undetermined or wavering; unsteadiness; a sudden rise or fall. In their fortune there has been some fluctuation. Burke. 2. (Med.) The undulation of a fluid…Flūe, n. p. 525An air-passage; especially, one for conveying smoke and flame from a fire; a vertical compartment or division of a chimney. 2. (Steam-boilers.) A passage surrounded by water, for the gaseous products…Flūe, n. p. 525Light down, such as rises from beds, cotton, &c.; soft down; fur or hair. [Obs.] Dickens.Flu'ence, n. p. 525Fluency. [Obs.] Milton.Flū'en-cy, n. p. 525The quality of being fluent; smoothness; readiness of utterance; volubility; affluence. The art of expressing with fluency and perspicuity. Macaulay.Flu'ent, a. p. 525Flowing or capable of flowing; liquid; gliding; easily moving; current. Fluent as the flight of a swallow is the sultan’s letter. De Quincey. 2. Ready in the use of words; voluble; copious; having…Flū'ent, n. p. 525A current of water; a stream. [Obs.] Philips. 2. [Fr. fluente.] (Math.) A variable quantity, considered as increasing or diminishing; — called, in the modern calculus, the function or integral.