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.
Flūte, n. p. 525[Fr. flûte, O. Fr. flaûte, flahute, flahuste, Pr. & Sp. flauta, Pg. frauta, It. flauto, from Lat. flatus, a blowing, from flare, flatum, to blow, sound; whence N. H. Ger. flöte, M. H. Ger. flöite…Flûte, v. i. p. 525To play on a flute. Chaucer.Flūte, v. t. p. 525To play or sing in a clear, soft note, like that of a flute. Knaves are men, That lute and flute fantastic tenderness. Tennyson. 2. To form flutes or channels in, as in a column or in a ruffle.Flūted, p. a. p. 526Thin; fine; flute-like; as, fluted notes. Busby. 2. Formed with flutes; as, a fluted column.Flū'ter, n. p. 526One who plays on the flute. 2. One who makes grooves or flutings.Flūte'-stōp, n. p. 526(Mus.) A range of wooden pipes in an organ, designed to imitate the flute.Flūt'ing, n. p. 526A channel or furrow in a column, or in the muslin of a lady's ruffle; fluted work. See FLUTE.Flāt'ing-plāne, n. p. 526(Carp.) A plane with curved face, used in grooving flutes.Flūt'ist, n. p. 526A performer on the flute; a flautist. Busby.Flŭt'ter, v. i. p. 526To move or flap the wings rapidly, without flying, or with short flights; to hover. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings. Deut. xxxii. 11. 2. To…Flŭt'ter, v. t. p. 526To vibrate or move quickly; as, a bird flutters its wings. 2. To drive in disorder; to hurry; to agitate; to disorder; to throw into confusion. Shak.Flŭt'ter, n. p. 526The act of fluttering; quick and irregular motion; vibration; undulation. The chirp and flutter of some single bird. Milnes. 2. Hurry; tumult; agitation of the mind; confusion; disorder. Pope.Flāt'ter-er, n. p. 526One who flutters.Flāt'ter-ing-ly, adv. p. 526In a fluttering manner.Flāt'y, a. p. 526Soft and clear in tone, like a flute.Flū'vi-al or Flū'vi-āt'ic, a. p. 526Belonging to rivers; growing or living in streams or ponds; as, a fluviatic plant.Flū'vi-al-ist, n. p. 526One who explains phenomena in geology or physical geography by the action of existing streams. [Rare.]Flū'vi-a-tīle, a. p. 526Belonging to rivers; existing in rivers; formed by rivers; fluvial; as, fluviatile strata. Lyell.Flū'vi-o-ma-rīne', a. p. 526(Geol.) Formed by the joint action of a river and the sea, as in the deposits at the mouths of rivers. Dana.Flūx, n. p. 526The act of flowing; the motion or passing as of a fluid; quick succession; change; a concourse, as of persons. “The flux of company.” Shak. The parts of the body, we know, are in a continual flux.…Flūx, a. p. 526Flowing; inconstant; variable. [Obs.] “The flux nature of all things here.” Barrow.Flŭx, v. t. p. 526To cause to melt or become fluid; to fuse. One part of mineral alkali will flux two of silicious earth with effervescence. Kirwan. 2. (Med.) To cause a discharge from; to salivate; to purge. [Obs.]…Flux-ā'tion, n. p. 526The act of fluxing. Leslie.Flŭx'i-bil'i-ty, n. p. 526The quality of being fluxible.Flūx'i-ble, a. p. 526Capable of being melted or fused, as a mineral.Flūx'i-ble-ness, n. p. 526The quality of being fluxible; fluxibility.Flāx'ile, a. p. 526The same as FLUXIBLE.Flux-īl'i-ty, n. p. 526The quality of admitting fusion; possibility of being fused or liquefied. [Obs.] Boyle.Flūx'ion, n. p. 526The act of flowing. Cotgrave. 2. The matter that flows. Wiseman. 3. A constantly varying indication. Less to be counted than the fluxions of sun-dials. De Quincey. 4. (Math.) The infinitely small…Flūx'ion-al or Flūx'ion-a-ry, a. p. 526Pertaining to, having the nature of, or solved by, fluxions; inconstant; variable. The merely human, the temporary and fluxional. Coleridge.Flūx'ion-ist, n. p. 526One skilled in fluxions. Berkeley.Flūx'ive, a. p. 526Flowing; wanting solidity; fluent. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Flūx'üre, n. p. 526Quality of being flux, or flowing. [Obs.] Fielding. 2. A flowing or fluid matter. [Obs.] Drayton.Flȳ, v. i. p. 526To move in the air with wings, as a bird. 2. To float or move in the air, as the clouds, the sparks, or a flag. 3. To move with rapidity like a bird; to hasten away; as, a ship flies on the deep; a…Flȳ, v. t. p. 526To shun; to avoid; to decline. “Sleep flies the wretch.” Dryden. To fly the favors of so good a king. Shak. 2. To cause to fly; to start up, as a bird; to set floating, as a kite.Flȳ, n. p. 526(Entom.) A winged insect of various species, whose distinguishing characteristic is that the wings are transparent; especially, the house fly, the Musca domestica. The black fly and sand fly are…Fly'-bāne, n. p. 526(Bot.) A plant of the genus Silene; the catch-fly.Fly'-bit/ten, a. p. 526Marked by the bite of flies. Shak.Flȳ'-blōw, n. p. 526The egg of a fly.Fly'-blōw, v. t. p. 526To deposit an egg in, or upon, as a fly; to taint with the eggs which produce maggots. Like a fly-blown cake of tallow. Swift.Flȳ'bōat, n. p. 526A long, narrow boat, used on canals. Simmonds. 2. A large, flat-bottomed Dutch vessel, used chiefly in the coasting trade. Crabb.Flȳ'-bōōk, n. p. 526A case for fishing-flies, in the form of a book. C. Kingsley.Fly'-cātch'er, n. p. 526One who hunts flies. 2. (Ornith.) One of several species of birds, forming the Linnæan genus Muscicapa, and having a bill flatted at the base, almost triangular, notched or hooked at the upper…Flȳ'er, n. p. 526One who, or that which, flies or flees; — usually written filer. 2. One that uses wings. 3. The fly of a jack. 4. (Arch.) A step in a flight of stairs which are parallel to each other, as…Flȳ'-fish, v. i. p. 526To angle with flies for bait.Flȳ'-fish'ing, n. p. 526Angling; the art or practice of angling for fish with a bait of natural or artificial flies. Walton.Flȳ'-flāp, n. p. 526Something contrived or intended to drive away flies. Congress.Flȳ'-flāp'per, n. p. 526One who flaps away flies; one who uses a fly-flap. Landor.Flȳ'-hōn'ey-sŭck'le, n. p. 526(Bot.) A plant of the genus Lonicera (L. xylosteum).Flȳ'ing-ar-til'le-ry, n. p. 526(Mil.) Artillery trained to very rapid evolutions. In passing from one part of the field to another, the men spring upon their horses in horse-artillery, or on the ammunition chests in fort-artillery.Flȳ'ing-bridge, n. p. 526(Mil.) A contrivance used by armies for crossing rivers in rapid movements, being sometimes a bridge supported by light boats, and sometimes a ferry-boat anchored up stream, and made to cross by the…Flȳ'ing-būt'tress, n. p. 526(Arch.) A contrivance for strengthening a part of a building which rises considerably above the rest, consisting of a curved brace or half arch between it and the opposite face of some lower part, as…Flȳ'ing-cămp, n. p. 526(Mil.) A camp or body of troops formed for rapid motion from one place to another.Flȳ'ing-fish, n. p. 526(Ichth.) A fish which has the power of sustaining itself in the air for a certain length of time, by means of its long, pectoral fins; the Exocætus.Flȳ'ing-jib, n. p. 526(Naut.) A sail extended outside of the standing-jib, on the flying-jib-boom.Flȳ'ing-pär'ty, n. p. 526(Mil.) A detachment of men employed to hover about an enemy.Flȳ'ing-pīn'ion, n. p. 526The fly of a clock.Flȳ'ing-shōt, n. p. 526A shot fired at something in motion, as a bird on the wing; one who fires thus.Fly'ing-squir'rel, n. p. 526(Zoöl.) A squirrel (the Pteromys volucella) having an expansive skin on each side, reaching from the fore to the hind legs, by which it is borne up in leaping. ☞ The flying-squirrel of New South…Flȳ'-lēaf, n. p. 526A blank leaf at the beginning or end of a book.