Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
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.
Pre-cĕn’tor-ship, n. p. 1024The employment or office of a precentor.Prĕ'cept, n. p. 1024Any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; especially, a command respecting moral conduct; an injunction; a direction to be followed. No arts are without their precepts.…Pre-cĕp'tial, a. p. 1024Consisting of precepts. [Obs.] Shak.Pre-cĕp'tion, n. p. 1024A precept. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.Pre-cep'tive, a. p. 1024Giving precepts or commands for the regulation of moral conduct; containing precepts; as, the preceptive parts of the Scriptures. 2. Directing in moral conduct; of the nature of precepts; didactic.…Pre-cĕp'tor, n. p. 1024A teacher; an instructor; the head of a school; a principal teacher. 2. The head of a preceptory, among the Knights Templars.Prē'cep-tō'ri-al, a. p. 1024Pertaining to a preceptor.Præ-cĕp'to-ry, a. p. 1024Giving precepts; preceptive. Anderson.Pre-cep'to-ry, n. p. 1024A religious house of the Knights Templars, subordinate to the temple or principal house of the order at London, under the government of an eminent knight. It usually stood on a manor or estate…Pre-cep'tress, n. p. 1024A female teacher.Pre-cĕs'sion, n. p. 1024The act of going before, or forward. Luni-solar precession, that part of the precession which depends on the sun and moon alone.—Planetary precession, that part which depends on the action of the…Pre-çĕs'sion-al, a. p. 1024Belonging to precession; as, the precessional movement of the equinoxes.Pre-çĕs'sor, n. p. 1024A predecessor. [Obs.] Fuller.Prĕ'çi-dā'ne-oŭs, a. p. 1024Cut off before. [Obs.]Prē'çinct, n. p. 1024The limit, or exterior line encompassing a place; boundary; confine; limit of jurisdiction or authority. “The precincts of light.” Milton. 2. A district within certain boundaries; a minor territorial…Prĕ'ci-ŏs'i-ty, n. p. 1024Preciousness; value. [Obs.] Browne.Prĕ'ciŏŭs, a. p. 1024Of great price; costly; as, a precious stone. 2. Of great value or worth; very valuable; highly esteemed. She is more precious than rubies. Prov. iii. 15. Many things which are most precious are…Pré'ciōüs-ly, adv. p. 1024Valuably; to a great price. 2. Contemptibly;—in irony.Prē'cioüs-ness, n. p. 1024Valuableness; great value; high price. Wilkins.Pré'çi-píçe, n. p. 1024A sudden or headlong fall. [Obs.] “Whose precipice they suspected.” Fuller. 2. Hence, a headlong descent; a very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging place; an abrupt declivity. “Where wealth, like…Pre-cĭp'i-ent, a. p. 1024Commanding; directing.Pre-çip'i-ta-bil'i-ty, n. p. 1024The quality or state of being precipitable.Pre-cip'i-ta-ble, a. p. 1024Capable of being precipitated or cast to the bottom, as a substance in solution.Pre-çip'i-tan-çe or Pre-çip'i-tan-cy, n. p. 1024The quality of being precipitant or precipitate; headlong hurry; haste in resolving, forming an opinion, or executing a purpose; precipitation. “Hurried on by the precipitance of youth.” Swift.…Pre-çip'i-tant, a. p. 1024Falling or rushing headlong; rushing down with velocity. They leave their little lives Above the clouds, precipitant to earth. Philips. 2. Urged with violent haste; hasty. Should he return, that…Pre-çip'i-tant, n. p. 1024(Chem.) A liquor which, when poured on a solution, separates what is dissolved, and makes it precipitate, or fall to the bottom, in a concrete state.Pre-cĭp'i-tant-ly, adv. p. 1024With great haste; with rash, unadvised haste; with tumultuous hurry.Pre-çip'i-tant-ness, n. p. 1024The quality of being precipitant; precipitation.Pre-çip'i-tāte, v. t. p. 1024To throw headlong; to cast down from a steep declivity, or precipice, or height. She and her horse had been precipitated to the pebbled region of the river. W. Irving. 2. To urge or press with…Pre-cip'i-tāte, v. i. p. 1024To fall headlong. 2. To hasten without preparation. Bacon. 3. To fall to the bottom of a vessel, as sediment, or any substance in solution. Bacon.Pre-cip'i-tate, a. p. 1024Falling, flowing, or rushing, with steep descent. Precipitate the furious torrent flows. Prior. 2. Headlong; over-hasty; rashly hasty; as, the king was too precipitate in declaring war. 3. Lacking…Pre-cip'i-tate, n. p. 1024(Chem.) A substance which, having been dissolved, is again separated from its solvent, and thrown to the bottom of the vessel, by pouring in another liquor. Red precipitate, the red oxide or…Pre-cĭp'i-tate-ly, adv. p. 1024In a precipitate manner; headlong; hasty.Pre-cĭp/ĭ-tā'tion, n. p. 1024The act of precipitating, or the state of being precipitated. “In peril of precipitation from off the rock.” Shak. 2. A falling, flowing, or rushing down with violence and rapidity. “The hurry…Pre-cĭp'ĭ-tā'tor, n. p. 1024One who precipitates, or urges on with vehemence or rashness. Hammond.Prēc'i-pī'tious, a. p. 1024Precipitous. [Obs.]Pre-cip'i-tous, a. p. 1024Very steep; as, a precipitous cliff or mountain. “Hills as steep as they could be, without being precipitous.” W. Scott. 2. Headlong; directly or rapidly descending; as, a precipitous fall. 3. Hasty…Pre-cip'i-toŭs-ly, adv. p. 1024With steep descent; in violent haste.Pre-cip'i-tōus-ness, n. p. 1024Steepness of descent. 2. Rash haste. Hammond.Précis, n. p. 1024A precise or abridged statement or view; hence, an abstract; summary. “Containing, in the moderate compass of two folio pages, the précis of a supplementary quarto manuscript.” W. Scott.Pre-cise’, a. p. 1024Not loose, vague, uncertain, or equivocal, either in thought or expression; having determinate limitations; definite; exact; nice; as, precise rules of morality. The law in this point is precise.…Pre-cise'ly, adv. p. 1024In a precise manner; with exact conformity to truth or rules; nicely; accurately. When more of these orders than one are to be set in several stories, there must be an exquisite care to place the…Pre'ciṣe'ness, n. p. 1025The quality of being precise; rigid nicety; exactness; accuracy; as, the preciseness of words or expressions. I will distinguish the cases; though give me leave, in handling them, not to sever them…Pre·cis’ian, n. p. 1025One who limits or restrains. [Obs.] Shak. 2. An over-precise person; one rigidly or ceremoniously exact in the observance of rules; a formalist. The most dissolute cavaliers stood aghast at the…Pre·ci'sian-ism, n. p. 1025The quality of being a precisian; the act or conduct of a precisian; excessive exactness; superstitious rigor. Milton.Pre-cĭs'ĭ-an-ist, n. p. 1025A very precise person.Pre·ci'sion, n. p. 1025The quality of being precise; exact limitation; exactness; accuracy. Syn. — Preciseness; exactness; accuracy; nicety. — PRECISION, PRECISENESS. Precision denotes a strict conformity to rule as…Pre·ci′sive, a. p. 1025Exactly limiting; producing precision or accuracy; as, precisive abstraction. [Obs.] Watts.Pre-clūde′, v. t. p. 1025To shut up or shut out; to stop. [Rare.] The valves preclude the blood from entering the veins. Darwin. 2. To shut out by anticipative action; to prevent by necessary consequence or implication; to…Pre·clu'sion, n. p. 1025The act of precluding, or the state of being precluded; a shutting out.Pre-clu'sive, a. p. 1025Shutting out. 2. Precluding, or tending to preclude; hindering by previous obstacles. Burke.Pre·clu'sive-ly, adv. p. 1025In a preclusive manner.Pre-cōce', a. p. 1025Precocious. [Obs.] “Divers forward and precoce youths.” Evelyn.Pre-cō'cioŭs, a. p. 1025Ripe before the proper or natural time; early or prematurely ripe or developed; as, precocious trees. [Rare.] Browne. 2. Having the faculties developed more than is natural or usual at a given age…Pre-cō'cioŭs-ly, adv. p. 1025In a precocious manner; with premature ripeness or forwardness.Pre-cō'cioŭs-ness or Pre-cŏç'i-ty, n. p. 1025The quality or state of being precocious; untimely ripeness; premature development; prematureness. I can not learn that he gave, in his youth, any evidence of that precocity which sometimes…Pre-cō'e-tā'ne-an, n. p. 1025One belonging to age or time previous to that of another; one who lives before another. [Obs. and rare.] Fuller.Pre-cŏg'-i-tāte, v. t. p. 1025To consider or contrive beforehand. [Rare.] Sherwood.Pre-cŏg/i-tā'tion, n. p. 1025Previous thought or consideration. Bailey.Prē-cŏg'nĭ-tă, n. pl. p. 1025See PRÆCOGNITA.