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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

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.

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  1. Me-trŏp'o-līte, n.p. 835A metropolitan. [Obs.]
  2. Mēt'ro-pōl'i-tie, a.p. 835The same as METROPOLITICAL. [Obs.]
  3. Mēt'ro-po-lit'ie-al, a.p. 835Pertaining to a metropolis; chief or principal of cities; pertaining to a metropolitan, or to his see.
  4. Mĕt'ro-sĭ-dē'rŏs, n.p. 835(Bot.) A genus of dicotyledonous plants, including a number of trees or shrubs, found in Australia and the South Sea Islands, and having very hard wood. M. vera is the true ironwood. [Written also…
  5. Mĕtt, v. t. & i.p. 835To think during sleep; to dream. [Obs.] The lover mett he hath his lady won. Chaucer.
  6. Mĕt'tle, n.p. 835That which goes to form any thing; element; material. Shak. 2. That temperament which is susceptible of high excitement; constitutional ardor; spirit. “Gentlemen of brave mettle.” Shak. “A spirit of…
  7. Mĕt'tled, a.p. 835Having mettle; high-spirited; ardent; full of fire.
  8. Mĕt'tle-sŏme, a.p. 835Full of spirit; possessing constitutional ardor; easily excited; fiery; brisk; as, a mettlesome horse.
  9. Mĕt'tle-sōme-ly, adv.p. 835In a mettlesome manner; with sprightliness, or high spirit.
  10. Mĕt'tle-sōme-ness, n.p. 835The state of being mettlesome.
  11. Meute, n.p. 835A place where hawks are confined; a mew. The cloisters became the camps of their retainers, the stables of their coursers, the kennels of their hounds, the meutes of their hawks. Milman.
  12. Mew, n.p. 835(Ornith.) A sea-fowl of the genus Larus; a gull.
  13. Mew, v. t.p. 835To shed or cast; to change; to molt, as a bird, its feathers; as, the hawk mewed his feathers. Nine times the moon had mewed her horns. Dryden.
  14. Mew, v. i.p. 835To cast the feathers; to molt; hence, to change; to put on a new appearance.
  15. Mew, v. t.p. 835To shut up; to inclose; to confine, as in a cage or other inclosure. “More pity that the eagle should be mewed.” Shak. “Close mewed in their sedans, for fear of air.” Dryden.
  16. Mew, n.p. 835A cage for hawks while mewing; hence, an inclosure; place of confinement. [Written also mews.] “Violets in their secret mews.” Wordsworth. 2. A place for inclosing or confining horses; a stable; —…
  17. Mew, v. i.p. 835To cry as a cat. [Written also meaw.] Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed. Shak.
  18. Mew, n.p. 835The cry of a cat. I'd rather be a kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same meter-ballad-mongers. Shak.
  19. Mewl, v. i.p. 835To cry from uneasiness, as a child; to squall. [Written also meawl.]
  20. Mewl'er, n.p. 835One that mewls.
  21. Mews, n.p. 835(sing.) An inclosed or confined space; an inclosure. See MEW. Mr. Turveydrop’s great room . . . was built out into a mews at the back. Dickens. 2. (pl.) See MEW.
  22. Mēx'i-can, n.p. 835(Geog.) A native or inhabitant of Mexico.
  23. Mēx'i-can, a.p. 835(Geog.) Of, or pertaining to, Mexico, or its inhabitants.
  24. Me-zē're-on, n.p. 835(Bot.) A small European shrub (the Daphne mezereum), whose extremely acrid bark is used in medicine.
  25. Mēz'ū-zoth, n.p. 835A piece of parchment anciently attached to the door-post of a house. Weale.
  26. Mĕz'za-nīne, n.p. 835A story of small height introduced between two higher ones. 2. A low window, less in height than in breadth.
  27. Mezza-vocep. 835(Mus.) With a medium fullness of sound.
  28. Mēz'zo, a.p. 835(Mus.) Middle; mean; not extreme.
  29. Mēz'zo-rĭ-lĭ-e'vo, n.p. 835A middle degree of relief in figures, between high and low relief.
  30. Mĕz'zō-so-prā'no, a.p. 835(Mus.) Having a medium compass between the soprano and contralto; — said of the voice of a female singer.
  31. Mēz'zo-so-prā'no, n.p. 835(Mus.) (a.) A female voice intermediate in compass between the soprano and contralto. (b.) A person having such a voice.
  32. Mēz'zo-tint or Mez-zo-tin'to, n.p. 835A particular manner of engraving on copper, in imitation of painting in India ink. To perform this, the drawing is made on a surface previously roughened, and the roughness then removed by scraping…
  33. Mēz'zo-tint'er, n.p. 835One who engraves in mezzotint.
  34. Mēz'zo-tin'to, v. t.p. 835To engrave in mezzotinto; to represent by mezzotinto.
  35. Mhōrr, n.p. 835See MOHR.
  36. Mīp. 835A syllable applied to the third tone of the scale in solmization.
  37. Mi-är'gy-rite, n.p. 835(Min.) A mineral of an iron-black color, and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and silver. Dana.
  38. Mi'asm, n.p. 835The same as MIASMA. Harvey.
  39. Mi-ăṣ’ma, n.p. 835Infection floating in the air; the effluvia or fine particles of any putrefying bodies rising and floating in the atmosphere, and considered to be noxious to health; deadly exhalation.
  40. Mi-ăs'mal, a.p. 835Containing miasma; miasmatic.
  41. Mi'as-māt'ic or Mi'as-māt'ic-al, a.p. 835Pertaining to miasma; partaking of the qualities of noxious effluvia.
  42. Mi-ăs'ma-tist, n.p. 835One who is versed in the phenomena and nature of exhalations, or who understands the character and effects of miasmata.
  43. Mi-aul', v. i.p. 835To cry as a cat; to mew. I mind a squalling woman no more than a miauling kitten. W. Scott.
  44. Mi'că, n.p. 835(Min.) A mineral capable of being cleaved into elastic plates of extreme thinness. It is either colorless or presents some shade of light-brown, gray, smoky-brown, black, and occasionally green or…
  45. Mi-cā'ce-o-cal-cā're-oūs, a.p. 835(Geol.) Partaking of the nature of, or consisting of, mica and lime; — applied to a mica-schist containing carbonate of lime. Dana.
  46. Mi-cā'ceous, a.p. 835Pertaining to, or containing, mica; splitting into lamina or leaves like mica.
  47. Mi'ca-schist or Mi'ca-slāte, n.p. 835(Geol.) A schistose rock, consisting of mica and quartz, with, usually, some feldspar. Dana.
  48. Mice, n.p. 835pl. of mouse. See MOUSE.
  49. Mi'cha-el-ite, n.p. 835(Min.) A white, pearly, fibrous variety of opal; — so called from the Island of St. Michael's, Azores, where it is found. Dana.
  50. Mich'ael-mas, n.p. 835The feast of St. Michael, a festival of the Roman Catholic church, celebrated September 29th. 2. Hence, autumn. [Colloq.]
  51. Mich, v. i.p. 835
  52. Michep. 835To lie hid; to skulk; to retire or shrink from view; to loiter out of sight of others; hence, to play truant. [Obs.] Or miche in corners among their friends idly. Spenser. To miche, or secretly to…
  53. Mich'er, n.p. 835One who miches, or skulks, lies hid, or keeps out of sight; hence, a loiterer, a truant, an idler. [Obs.] Shall the blessed sun of heaven turn micher, and eat blackberries? Shak. 2. Hence, one who…
  54. Mich'er-y, n.p. 836Theft; cheating. [Obs.] Gower.
  55. Mich'ing, p. a.p. 836Retiring; skulking; creeping from sight; mean; cowardly. [Colloq.] [Written also meaching and meeching.]
  56. Mick'le, a.p. 836Much; great. [Obsolete, but retained in the Scottish language.] “A man of mickle might.” Spenser.
  57. Mī'co, n.p. 836(Zoöl.) A small, South American monkey, allied to the marmoset (Jacchus argentatus), with hair shining and entirely white, the tail black, and the face and hands of a deep flesh-color.
  58. Mi'cro-cĕph'a-loūs, n.p. 836Having a small or imperfectly developed cranium; having a small head.
  59. Mī'cro-cōsm, n.p. 836A little world; a miniature society or institution. “More judicious politicians of this micro-cosm.” W. Scott. 2. Hence, man, supposed to be an epitome of the universe or great world. Since God…
  60. Mi'cro-cōs'mic or Mi'cro-cōs'mic-al, a.p. 836Pertaining to the microcosm. Microcosmic salt (Chem.), a triple salt of soda, ammonia, and phosphoric acid;—so called in reference to man as the microcosm, it having been originally obtained from…