Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Mā, n. p. 797Mother; an abbreviation of mamma, a child's title for mother.Mā, adv. p. 797(Mus.) But;—used in cautionary phrases; as, “Vivace, ma non troppo presto”—Lively, but not too quick. Moore.Mă'am, n. p. 797Madam; my lady;—a colloquial and usual contraction of madam.Ma-āsh'a, n. p. 797An East Indian coin, of about one tenth of the weight of a rupee.Māb, n. p. 797A childish or negligent person; a slattern. [Prov. Eng.] 2. (Northern Myth.) The queen of the imaginary beings called fairies.Măb, v. i. p. 797To dress negligently; to be slovenish. [Prov. Eng.]Māb'ble, v. t. p. 797To wrap up. [Obs.]Māb'by, n. p. 797A spirituous liquor or drink distilled from potatoes, used in the Barbadoes.Māc p. 797A prefix, in names of Scotch origin, signifying son.Ma-cā'cus, n. p. 797(Zoöl.) A genus of apes, found in Asia, characterized by having short tails and very prominent eyebrows. Baird.Mac-ăd'am-i-zā'tion, n. p. 797The process or act of covering roads with broken stone.Mac-ăd'ăm-īze, v. t. p. 797To cover, as a road, way, or path, with small, broken stones, so as to form a smooth, hard surface.Mac-ād'am-rōad, n. p. 797A road or path covered with small, broken stones, so as to form a smooth, hard surface.Ma-cā'o, n. p. 797See MACAW.Măc'a-rīze, v. t. p. 797To bless; to wish joy to, on account of some success or happy event; to congratulate. [Rare.]Māc'a-rō'nī, n. p. 797[Prov. It. macaroni, It. maccheroni, Sp. maccarrones, from Gr. μακαρία, βρῶμα ἐκ ζωμοῦ καὶ ἀλφίτων, Hesych., properly happiness, bliss, i. e., a very dainty food, from μάκαρ, μακάριος, blessed…Măc'a-rō'nĭ-an or Măc'a-rōn'ĭe, a. p. 797Pertaining to, or like, a macaroni; empty; trifling; vain; affected. 2. Consisting in the addition of Latin terminations to the vernacular roots of some one modern language, combined with the…Măc'a-rōn'ie, n. p. 797A heap of things confusedly mixed together; a jumble. 2. A kind of burlesque composition, in which the vernacular words of any one modern language are intermixed with genuine Latin words, and also…Măc'a-rōon', n. p. 797A small cake, composed chiefly of almonds and sugar. 2. A finical fellow, or macaroni.Mā-căs'sar Oil p. 797A kind of oil used in the toilet for the hair;—so called from Macassar, a district of the Island of Celebes, in the Eastern Archipelago, from which it was originally obtained. The name is very…Ma-caw', n. p. 797(Ornith.) A large bird, allied to the parrots, but having a deep lower mandible, a long tail, and the cheeks bare. It is a very showy bird, and is a native of the warmer parts of America. The green…Ma-caw'-tree, n. p. 797(Bot.) A species of thorny palm-tree, of the genus Nerocomia (N. aculeata sclerocarpa). From the fruit a fragrant, golden-yellow butter, of a sweetish taste, is obtained. It is found in the West…Măc'ea-bē'an, a. p. 797Pertaining to the Jewish princes called Maccabees, who rescued Judea from the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, and rendered it independent for about a century.Măc'ca-bees, n. pl. p. 797Two apocryphal books of the Old Testament, which give an account of Jewish affairs in the time of the Maccabean princes.Măc'e'a-boy or Măc'e'o-boy, n. p. 797A kind of snuff.Māçe, n. p. 797A heavy staff or club of metal, used as a weapon in the days of chivalry. “A leaden mace.” Shak. “A heavy iron mace.” Knolles. 2. Hence, a staff borne by, or carried before, a magistrate as an ensign…Māçe, n. p. 797A certain spice; the second coat or aril which covers the nutmeg, a thin and membranaceous substance, of an oleaginous nature and yellowish color, being in flakes divided into many ramifications. It…Māce'-āle, n. p. 797Ale spiced with mace. Wiseman.Māce'-bear'er, n. p. 797A person who carries a mace before men in authority.Măç'e-dō'ni-an, a. p. 797(Geog.) Belonging, or relating, to Macedonia.Măç'e-dō'ni-an, n. p. 797(Geog.) A native or an inhabitant of Macedonia. 2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a certain religious sect, so called from being followers of Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople, in the fourth century, who…Māçe'-pro͞of, a. p. 797Free from arrest. Shirley.Mā'çer, n. p. 797A mace-bearer; an officer of a court. “A macer, or officer in attendance on the supreme court.” W. Scott.Măç'er-āte, v. t. p. 797To make lean; to wear away; to cause to pine or waste away; to mortify; to harass. [Obs. or rare.] Out of excessive zeal they macerate their bodies and impair their health. Fiddes. 2. To steep almost…Măc'er-ā'tion, n. p. 797The act or process of macerating, or making thin or lean by wearing away, or by mortification. [Obs. or rare.] 2. The act, process, or operation of softening and almost dissolving by steeping in a…Māce'-reed, n. p. 797(Bot.) A plant of the genus Typha (T. latifolia); cat-tail; — called also reed-mace.Ma-chāi'ro-dūs, n. p. 797(Palæon.) A genus of extinct mammals allied to the bear, found fossil in strata of the miocene period.Machete, n. p. 797A large, heavy knife resembling a broadsword, often two or three feet in length, used by the inhabitants of Spanish America as a hatchet to cut their way through thickets, and for various other…Măch'i-a-vĕl'ian, a. p. 797Pertaining to Machiavel, or to his supposed principles; politically cunning; using duplicity or bad faith; crafty.Măch'i-a-vēl'ian, n. p. 797One who adopts the principles of Machiavel; a cunning, crafty, or unprincipled politician.Māch'i-a-vēl'i-an-īsm or Māch'i-a-vēl-īsm, n. p. 797The supposed principles of Machiavel, or practice in conformity to them; political cunning and artifice, intended to favor arbitrary power.Ma-chīc'o-lā'ted, a. p. 797Having machicolations.Māch'i-co-lā'tion, n. p. 797(Mil. Arch.) A parapet or gallery projecting from the upper part of the wall of a house or fortification, supported by corbels or brackets, and perforated or furnished with apertures in the lower…Machicoulis, n. p. 797The same as MACHICOLATION, q. v.Māch'i-nal, a. p. 797Pertaining to machines.Māch'i-nāte, v. t. p. 797To plan; to contrive; to form, as a plot or a scheme.Măch'i-nā'tion, n. p. 797The act of machinating, or of planning or contriving a scheme for executing some purpose, particularly an evil purpose. 2. That which is plotted or devised; a hostile or treacherous scheme; an artful…Māch'i-nā'tor, n. p. 797One who forms a scheme, or who plots with evil designs. He hath become an active and earnest agitator, a murmurer, and a machinator. W. Scott.Ma-chīne', n. p. 797In general, any body or assemblage of bodies used to transmit and modify force and motion, as a lever, pulley, wedge, screw, &c.; especially, a construction, more or less complex, consisting of a…Ma-chīne', v. t. p. 798To subject to the action of machinery; to effect by aid of machinery; especially, to print with a printing machine. [Rare.]Ma·chīne', v. i. p. 798To be employed in tending or managing a machine or machinery; to do work by aid of machinery. [Rare.]Ma·chīn'er-y, n. p. 798Machines in general, or collectively; as, machinery of war. 2. The working parts of a machine, engine, or instrument arranged and constructed so as to apply and regulate force; as, the machinery of a…Ma·chīne'-shŏp, n. p. 798A manufactory in which materials, especially metals, are dressed, and machinery is made.Ma-chīne'-tool, n. p. 798A complex machine for shaping materials; strictly, an adjustable machine with an automatic feed, for shaping metals by cutting;—called also engine-tool. [Eng.]Ma·chīn'ing, a. p. 798Pertaining to the machinery of a poem. [Obs.] Dryden.Ma·chīn’ist, n. p. 798A constructor of machines and engines; one versed in the principles of machines.Macigno (mā-chēn'yo), n. p. 798(Min.) A kind of silicious sandstone found in Italy. There are two varieties, one of a grayish-yellow color, the other of a bluish-gray color. Dana.Măç'i-len-cy, n. p. 798Leanness. [Obs.] Bailey.Măç'i-lent, a. p. 798Having little flesh; lean; thin. [Obs.] Bailey.Măck'er-el, n. p. 798(Ichth.) A marine fish of the genus Scomber (S. vulgaris or scomber), spotted with blue, and largely used for food. It is found in the North Atlantic. Mackerel-gale, either a gale that ripples the…