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.
Pol-līge'tor, n. p. 1008(Antiq.) A servant of an undertaker, who prepared a corpse for burial by washing and anointing it. (Obs.)Pŏl-lĭ-nĭf’er-oŭs, a. p. 1008Producing pollen.Pŏl'lin-ōse', a. p. 1008Covered with a mealy powder somewhat resembling the pollen of flowers.Pŏl'li-wĭg, n. p. 1008A tadpole. [Written also purwiggy and porwigle, and in the United States vulgarly written and pronounced polliwog.] Forby. That which is engendered and brought forth is, as it were, some little mites…Pŏl'lock, n. p. 1008(Ichth.) A fish, the whiting, or pollack.Pōll'-tăx, n. p. 1008A tax levied by the head or poll; a capitation tax.Pol-lūte', v. t. p. 1008To make foul or unclean; to render impure; to taint. 2. To defile morally; to destroy the perfection or purity of; to corrupt; to impair; to profane. Ye pollute yourselves with all your idols. Ezek.…Pol-lūte', a. p. 1008Polluted; defiled. Milton.Pol-lūt'ed-ly, adv. p. 1008In a polluted state or manner.Pol-lūt'ed-ness, n. p. 1008The state of being polluted; defilement.Pol-lū'ter, n. p. 1008One who pollutes or profanes; a defiler.Pol·ī̆t'ing, p. a. p. 1008Adapted or tending to defile or infect.Pol-lūt'ing-ly, adv. p. 1008Corruptingly.Pol-lū'tion, n. p. 1008The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted; defilement; uncleanness; impurity. 2. (Jewish Antiq.) Legal or ceremonial uncleanness, which disqualified a person for sacred services or for…Pŏl'lux, n. p. 1008(Astron.) A fixed star, of the second magnitude, in the constellation Gemini, or the Twins. 2. (Min.) A colorless, transparent variety of feldspar, resembling quartz, found on the island of Elba.…Pō'lo-nā'īse', a. p. 1008Pertaining to, or derived from, the Poles or Poland. [Written also Polonese.]Pō'lo-nēse', n. p. 1008The Polish language. 2. A robe, or dress, adopted from the Poles, worn by ladies. 3. A musical movement of three crotchets in a bar, with the rhythmical cæsura on the last; also, a dance adapted to…Pō'lo-nēse', a. & n. p. 1008See POLONAISE.Pō'lo-noiṣé', n. p. 1008See POLONAISE.Po-lō'ny, n. p. 1008A kind of dry sausage made of meat partly cooked. Thackeray.Pōl'ron, n. p. 1008See POWLDRON.Pōlt, n. p. 1008A blow, stroke, or striking. Halliwell.Pōlt'-fōot, n. p. 1008A distorted foot. [Obs.] Herbert.Pōlt'-fōōt or Pōlt'-fōōt'ed, a. p. 1008Having distorted feet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Pōl'tin, n. p. 1008A Prussian silver coin of the value of about 1s. 7d. sterling, or about $0.38. Simmonds.Pol-trōon', n. p. 1008An arrant coward; a dastard; a wretch without spirit or courage. Syn.—Coward; craven; dastard. See COWARD.Pol-trōon', a. p. 1008Base; vile; contemptible.Pol-trōon'er-y, n. p. 1008Cowardice; baseness of mind; want of spirit.Pol-trōon'ish, a. p. 1008Of, or resembling, a poltroon; cowardly.Pōl've-rīne, n. p. 1008The calcined ashes of a plant, of the nature of pot and pearl ashes, brought from the Levant and Syria. In the manufacture of glass, it is preferred to other ashes, as the glass made from it is…Pō'ly, n. p. 1008(Bot.) An evergreen undershrub of the genus Teucrium, found near the Mediterranean; poley-mountain. Loudon.Pōl'y p. 1008A prefix from the Greek πολύς, used in many compound words, and signifying many, as in polygon, a figure of many angles.Pŏl'y-a-cous'tic, a. p. 1008Tending to multiply or magnify sound.Pōl'y-a-cous'tic, n. p. 1008An instrument to multiply sounds.Pōl'y-a-cous'tics, n. sing. p. 1008The art of multiplying, or magnifying, sounds. [See Note under MATHEMATICS.]Pōl'y-a-dĕl'phi-ā, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A class of plants, in the Linnæan system, having stamens united in three or more bodies, or bundles, by the filaments.Pōl’y-a-dĕl’phi-an or Pōl’y-a-dĕl’phōus, a. p. 1008(Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyadelphia; having stamens united in three or more bundles.Pōl'y-ăn'dri-ă, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, in the Linnæan system, having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.Pŏl'y-ăn'dri-an or Pŏl'y-ăn'drōus, a. p. 1008(Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyandria; having many stamens, that is, any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.Pŏl'y-ăn'dry, n. p. 1008The possession by a woman of more husbands than one at the same time; plurality of husbands.Pŏl'y-ăn'thus, n. p. 1008(Bot.) (a.) An ornamental plant of the genus Primula, whose flower-stalks produce flowers in clusters. (b.) A bulbous, flowering plant of the genus Narcissus (N. tazetta, or N. polyanthus of some…Pŏl'y-ärch'ist, n. p. 1008One who favors, or supports, polyarchy.Pŏl'y-ärch'y, n. p. 1008A government by many persons, of whatever order or class. Cudworth.Pŏl'y-au-tŏg'ra-phy, n. p. 1008The act or practice of multiplying copies of one's own handwriting, or of manuscripts, by engraving on stone; a species, or particular application, of lithography.Pŏl'y-bā'sic, a. p. 1008(Chem.) Having, or combined with, several bases.Po-lĭb'a-site, n. p. 1008(Min.) An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.Pŏl'y-cär'pon, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A genus of plants, including but two species, the seeds of which are very numerous.Pŏl'y-căr'poŭs, a. p. 1008(Bot.) (a.) Bearing flowers repeatedly. (b.) Having several pistils in one flower.Pŏl'y-chœr'a-ny, n. p. 1008A government by many chiefs, princes, or rulers. [Obs. and rare.] Otherwise there would not be... one prince or monarch over the whole: but the world would be a polychœrany, or aristocracy of gods…Pŏl'y-chôrd, n. p. 1008(Mus.) (a.) A musical instrument used among the ancients, having ten strings. Roget. (b.) An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a piano or other keyed instrument.…Pŏl'y-chôrd, a. p. 1008Having many cords or strings.Pŏl'y-chrēst, n. p. 1008(Med.) A medicine that serves for many uses, or that cures many diseases. [Obs.] Polychrest salt (O. Chem.), the sulphate of potassa.Pŏl'y-chro-īsm, n. p. 1008The same as PLEOCHROISM, q. v.Pŏl'y-chro-īte, n. p. 1008The coloring matter of saffron. Ure.Pŏl'y-chro-măt'ic, a. p. 1008Exhibiting a variety of colors; colored with various tints. Polychromatic acid (Chem.), an acid obtained by the action of nitric acid upon aloes.Pŏl'y-chrōme, a. p. 1008Executed in the manner of polychromy; as, polychrome sculpture. Eng. Cyc.Pŏl'y-chrō'my, n. p. 1008(Anc. Art.) The practice of coloring statues to imitate nature, and also buildings, prints, &c., in harmonious, prismatic, or compound tints. Fairholt.Pŏl'y-chrō'ni-oŭs, a. p. 1008Enduring through a long time; chronic. [Rare.]Pŏl'y-cŏn'ic, a. p. 1008Pertaining to, or based upon, many cones; as, a polyconic projection. Polyconic projection (Map Projection), a projection or development of the earth's surface, or a portion of it, which supposes…Pŏl'y-cot-y-lē'don, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A plant that has many, or more than two, cotyledons or lobes to the seed. Martyn.