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.
Mĕl'lōw, a. p. 827Soft; not hard, harsh, tough, or unyielding; as, (a.) Soft with ripeness; ripe; as, a mellow apple. (b.) Well broken and lying lightly; easily penetrated; not indurated; as, a mellow soil. “Mellow…Mĕl'lōw, v. t. p. 827To make mellow; to ripen; to bring to maturity; to soften by ripeness or age; to make rich and delicate. On foreign mountains may the sun refine The grape's soft juice, and mellow it to wine.…Mĕl'lōw, v. i. p. 827To become soft; to be ripened, matured, or brought to perfection; as, fruit, when taken from the tree, soon mellows; wine mellows with age. So now prosperity begins to mellow And drop into the rotten…Mĕl'lōw-ly, adv. p. 827In a mellow manner.Mĕl'lōw-ness, n. p. 827The quality of yielding easily to pressure; ripeness, as of fruit; softness. 2. Maturity; softness or smoothness from age, as of wine.Mĕl'lōw-tōned, a. p. 827Having soft tones.Mĕl'lōw-y, a. p. 827Soft; unctuous. Drayton.Mĕl/o-co-toon' or Mĕl/o-co-toon, n. p. 827A quince; also, a large kind of peach. [Written also malacatune, and melicotoon.]Me-lō'de-on, n. p. 827(Mus.) A wind instrument, furnished with a key-board, and portable, the bellows being moved by means of pedals worked by the feet of the performer. 2. A music-hall.Me-lōd'ic, a. p. 827Of the nature of melody; relating to, containing, or made up of, melody.Me-lōd'ies, n. sing. p. 827The department of musical science which treats of the pitch of tones, and of the laws of melody. [See Note under MATHEMATICS.]Me-lō'di-ōŭs, a. p. 827Containing melody; musical; agreeable to the ear by a sweet succession of sounds; as, a melodious voice; melodious strains. “And music more melodious than the spheres.” Dryden.Me-lō'di-ous-ly, adv. p. 827In a melodious manner; musically.Me-lō'di-ous-ness, n. p. 827The quality of being melodious; musicalness.Mĕl'o-dīst, n. p. 827A composer or singer of melodies.Mĕl'o-dīze, v. t. p. 827To make melodious; to form into, or set to, melody.Mĕl'o-dīze, v. i. p. 827To make melodies; to compose melodies.Mĕl'o-drā'mă, n. p. 827A dramatic performance in which songs are intermixed, and effect is sought, by startling, exaggerated, or unnatural sentiment or situation; a melodrame.Mĕl'o-dra-măt'ic, a. p. 827Pertaining to a melodrame; of the nature of melodrama; unnatural or exaggerated in situation or action; coarsely represented; done for effect merely; overstrained.Mēl'o-drām'a-tīst, n. p. 827One skilled in melodrames, or who prepares them.Mĕl′o-drāme, n. p. 827The same as MELODRAMA.Mĕl'o-dy, n. p. 827(Mus.) A rhythmical succession of single tones, ranging for the most part within a given key, and so related together as to form a musical whole, having the unity of what is technically called a…Mē'lōe, n. p. 827(Entom.) A genus of insects without wings, but having short, oval elytra, which lap over one another at the base of the suture; the oil-beetle. They are sometimes used for raising blisters, instead…Mĕl'on, n. p. 827(Bot.) The fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant, which is eaten raw. The plant is also so called. The musk-melon (Cucumis melo) has a small fruit, with a yellow pulp, and an agreeable flavor. The…Mĕl'on-thĭs'tle, n. p. 827(Bot.) A kind of cactus of the genus Melocactus, of a roundish form, resembling a melon, growing close to the ground, and having neither stems, branches, nor leaves.Mel-o-poe'ia, n. p. 827(Mus.) The art of forming melody; melody. Moore.Mē-lō'sis, n. p. 827(Surg.) The act of probing, as a wound, ulcer, and the like. Dunglison.Mēl'o-týpe, n. p. 827A daguerreotype process, valuable to tourists, for the reason that the dark chamber is not needed in the field, because the pictures can be developed at any subsequent time.Mel-pŏm'e-nē, n. p. 827(Myth.) The Muse who presides over tragedy. 2. The eighteenth asteroid.Mēl'rōse, n. p. 827Honey of roses.Mĕlt, v. t. p. 827The old participle, molten, is used only as an adjective. Cf. SMELT. 1. To reduce from a solid to a liquid state by heat; to liquefy; to dissolve; as, to melt wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or…Mĕlt, v. i. p. 827To be changed from a fixed or solid to a flowing state; to become liquid; to dissolve. And whiter snow in minutes melts away. Dryden. 2. Hence, to be softened to love, pity, tenderness, or sympathy…Mĕlt'a-ble, a. p. 827Capable of being melted; fusible. [Rare.] Cudworth.Mĕlt'er, n. p. 827One who melts.Mēlt'ing, n. p. 827The act of softening; the act of rendering tender.Melting-point p. 827the temperature at which any fusible substance melts.Mēlt'ing-ly, adv. p. 827In a manner to melt or soften; like something melting.Mĕlt'ing-ness, n. p. 827The quality of being melting or softening.Mēlt'ing-pōt, n. p. 827A vessel in which any thing is melted; a crucible.Mēm'ber, n. p. 827A part of an animal body capable of performing a distinct office; a composing portion; a vital organ; a limb. 2. Hence, a part of a whole; an independent constituent of a body; as, (a.) A part of a…Mēm'bered, a. p. 827Having limbs;—chiefly used in composition. 2. (Her.) Having a different tint from that of the body;—said of the beak and legs of a bird so represented in a bearing.Mēm'ber-ship, n. p. 827The state of being a member. 2. The collective body of members; community; society.Mĕm'brāne, n. p. 827(Anat.) A thin, extended, soft, transparent tissue, formed by fibers interwoven like net-work, and serving to cover some part of the body, or to absorb or secrete certain fluids. The term is also…Mēm'bra-nā'ceōūs or Mem-brā'ne-oūs, a. p. 828Belonging to, or resembling, a membrane; consisting of membranes; as, a membranaceous covering. Birds of prey have membranaceous stomachs, not muscular. Aristot. 2. (Bot.) Thin, like membrane, and…Mēm'bra-nif'er-oūs, a. p. 828Having or producing membranes.Mem-brā'ni-fōrm, a. p. 828Having the form of a membrane or of parchment.Mēm'bra-nŏl'o-gy, n. p. 828The science which relates to membranes.Mĕm'bra-noŭs, a. p. 828Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling membrane; membranous.Me-mēn'to, n. p. 828A hint, suggestion, notice, or memorial, to awaken memory; that which reminds; a souvenir. He is but a man, and seasonable mementos may be useful. Bacon.Mĕm′non, n. p. 828(Antiq.) A celebrated Egyptian statue, supposed to have the property of emitting a harp-like sound at sunrise.Mĕm'oir, n. p. 828A memorial account; a history composed from personal experience and memory; an account of transactions in which the narrator bore a part; a history lacking method and completeness. 2. A memorial of…Mĕm'oir-ĭst, n. p. 828A writer of memoirs.Mĕm'o-ra-bĭl'i-ȧ, n. pl. p. 828Things remarkable and worthy of remembrance or record.Mĕm'o-ra-bĭl'i-ty, n. p. 828The state of being memorable.Mĕm'o-ra-ble, a. p. 828Worthy to be remembered; illustrious; celebrated; distinguished. “By tombs, by books, by memorable deeds.” Davies. Syn.—Illustrious; celebrated; signal; distinguished; extraordinary; remarkable…Mĕm'o-ra-ble-ness, n. p. 828The state or quality of being memorable.Mĕm'o-ra-bly, adv. p. 828In a memorable manner.Mēm'o-rān'dum, n. p. 828A record of something which it is desired to remember; a note to help the memory. I entered a memorandum in my pocket-book. Guardian. 2. (Law.) A brief note in writing of some transaction, or an…Mĕm'o-rāte, v. t. p. 828To mention for remembrance; to commemorate. [Obs.]Mĕm'o-ra-tĭve, a. p. 828Adapted or tending to preserve the memory of any thing. [Obs.] Hammond.