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.
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…Măck'er-el, n. p. 798A pander or pimp; also, a bawd. [Obs.] Halliwell.Măck'in-tōsh, n. p. 798A water-proof outer garment; — so called from the name of the inventor.Măck'le, n. p. 798Same as MACULE, q. v.Măck'le, v. t. p. 798To sell to shopkeepers;—said only of weavers' goods. 2. To contrive. Wright.Māc'le, n. p. 798(Min.) (a.) A variety of chiastolite, the crystals of which present a tessellated appearance when cut transversely. (b.) A similar tessellated appearance in other crystals. Dana.Mac-lū'rite, n. p. 798(Min.) Same as CHONDRODITE, q. v.Mā'cro-bī-ōt'ic, a. p. 798Long-lived. Dunglison.