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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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Tōr'pent, a. p. 1395Having no motion or activity; incapable of motion; benumbed; torpid. [Obs. or rare.] A frail and torpent memory. Evelyn.Tor-pĕs'cence, n. p. 1395The state of being torpescent; torpidness; numbness; stupidity.Tor-pēs'cent, a. p. 1395Becoming torpid or numb. Shenstone.Tōr'pid, a. p. 1395Having lost motion, or the power of exertion and feeling; numb; as, a torpid limb. Without heat all things would be torpid. Ray. 2. Dull; stupid; sluggish; inactive. Syn.—Dull; stupid; sluggish…Tor-pĭd'i-ty, n. p. 1395Torpidness.Tōr'pīd-ly, adv. p. 1395In a torpid manner; sluggishly.Tôr'pid-ness or Tôr'pi-tūde, n. p. 1395The state of being torpid; numbness. 2. Dullness; inactivity; sluggishness; stupidity.Tōr'pi-fy, v. t. p. 1395To make torpid; to numb, or benumb.Tōr'por, n. p. 1395Loss of motion, or of the power of motion; numbness; inactivity. 2. Dullness; laziness; sluggishness; stupidity.Tōr′por-īf′ic, a. p. 1395Tending to produce torpor.Tōr'quā-ted, a. p. 1395Having or wearing a torque.Tōrque, n. p. 1395A collar or neck-chain, formed of thick gold wires twisted together, worn originally by the Persians, and afterward by other nations, particularly the Gauls, Germans, and Britons. Fairholt.Tōr'qued, a. p. 1395Wreathed; twisted. 2. (Her.) Twisted; bent; — said of a dolphin haurient, which forms a figure like the letter S.Tōr're-fäct'ed, a. p. 1395Dried by a fire. [Obs.]Tŏr're-făc'tion, n. p. 1395The operation of torrefying, or the state of being torrefied.Tŏr're-fy, v. t. p. 1395To dry by a fire. Browne. 2. (Metall.) To roast or scorch, as metallic ores. 3. (Pharmacy.) To dry or parch, as drugs, on a metallic plate till they are friable, or are reduced to the state desired.Tŏr'rent, n. p. 1395A violent stream, as of water, lava, or the like; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice. The roaring torrent is deep and wide. Longfellow. 2. A violent or rapid flow; a…Tŏr'rent, a. p. 1395Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream. “Waves of torrent fire.” Milton.Tor-rĕn′tial, a. p. 1395Having the character of a torrent; caused by a torrent. [Rare.]Tor-rĕn′tĭne, a. p. 1395Pertaining to, or resembling, a torrent; running like a torrent. [Rare.]Tŏr'ri-çĕl'li-an, a. p. 1395Of, or pertaining to, Torricelli, an Italian philosopher and mathematician, who discovered the principle on which the barometer is constructed. Torricellian tube, a glass tube thirty or more inches…Tŏr'rid, a. p. 1395Parched; dried with heat; as, a torrid plain or desert. “Barca or Cyrene’s torrid soil.” Milton. 2. Violently hot; burning or parching. “Torrid heat.” Milton. Torrid zone (Geog.), that space or broad…Tor-rĭd'ĭ-ty, n. p. 1395Torridness. [Rare.]Tŏr'rid-ness, n. p. 1395The state of being torrid or parched.Tōr'ril, n. p. 1395A worthless woman, or horse. Halliwell.Tŏr'rock, n. p. 1395(Ornith.) A bird of the genus Larus, and of the gull kind. [Prov. Eng.]Tôrse, n. p. 1395(Her.) A wreath.Tôr'sel, n. p. 1395Any thing in a twisted form; as, torsels for mantel-trees. Moxon.Tôr'si-bil'i-ty, n. p. 1395The disposition to untwist after being twisted; as, the torsibility of a rope.Tôr'sion, n. p. 1395The act of turning or twisting; the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of a lateral force tending to turn one end or part of it about a longitudinal axis, while the other is held fast or…Torsion balance p. 1395an instrument for estimating very minute forces, as electric or magnetic attractions and repulsions, by the torsion of a very slender wire conveying at its lower extremity an horizontal bar or…Tōr'sion-al, a. p. 1395Of, pertaining to, or resulting from, torsion, or the force with which a thread or wire returns to a state of rest after having been twisted round its axis; as, torsional force.Tōrsk, n. p. 1395(Ichth.) A species of cod (Brosmius vulgaris); it is found among the North British islands.Tôr'so, n. p. 1395(Sculp.) The trunk of a statue, mutilated of head and limbs; as, the torso of Hercules.Tōrt, n. p. 1395Mischief: calamity. [Obs.] Spenser. 2. (Law.) Any wrong or injury; a wrongful act, for which an action will lie; a form of action, in some States, for a wrong or injury. Blackstone.Tôr/teau, n. p. 1395(Her.) A roundel of a red color.Tōrt'-fēas'or, n. p. 1395(Law.) A wrong-doer; a trespasser. Wharton.Tôr'ti-cŏl'lis, n. p. 1395(Med.) A rheumatic affection of the muscles of one side of the neck; wry-neck.Tōrt'ile, a. p. 1395Twisted; wreathed; coiled. 2. (Bot.) Coiled like a rope; as, a tortile awn.Tor-tĭl'i-ty, n. p. 1395The state of being tortile, twisted, or wreathed.Tortillā, n. p. 1395A thin, unleavened cake of maize flour, baked on a heated iron or stone. Velasquez.Tōr'tion, n. p. 1395Torment: pain. [Obs.]Tōr'tious, a. p. 1395Injurious; done wrongfully, or by wrong. “Tortious wrong.” Spenser. 2. (Law.) Implying tort, or injury for which the law gives damages.Tôr'tiōŭs-ly, adv. p. 1395In a tortious manner; injuriously.Tōrt'ive, a. p. 1395Twisted; wreathed. Shak.Tōr'toise, n. p. 1395(Zoöl.) A reptile more or less flattened from above, and inclosed in a case formed by two leathery or scaly shields, and having horny jaws in the place of teeth. The upper shield is called the…Tôr'toise-shĕll, n. p. 1395The shell, or horny scutes or plates of the tortoise, used in inlaying and in various manufactures; especially, the shell of a species of sea-turtle, the hawk's-bill turtle (Chelōnia imbricata).…Tōr'trix, n. p. 1395(Zoöl.) A genus of serpents found in the tropical regions of America. Eng. Cyc. 2. (Entom.) A genus of lepidopterous insects, the larvæ of which live in cylindrical tubes, formed by rolling up the…Tōrt'ū-lōŭs, a. p. 1395(Nat. Hist.) Bulged out at intervals, like a cord having knots upon it. Buchanan.Tōrt'ū-ōse', a. p. 1395Wreathed; twisted; winding. London.Tōrt-ū-ōs'i-ty, n. p. 1395The state of being tortuous or twisted.Tôrt'ū-oŭs, a. p. 1395Bent in different directions; wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuous train; a tortuous leaf or corolla. The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on the side of every hill where the copse-wood…Tōrt'ū-oŭs-ly, adv. p. 1395In a tortuous or winding manner.Tōrt'ū-oŭs-ness, n. p. 1395The state of being tortuous or twisted.Tōrt'ūr-a-ble, a. p. 1395Capable of being tortured.Tōrt'ūre, n. p. 1395Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment. “Ghastly spasm or racking torture.” Milton. 2. Especially, severe pain inflicted judicially, either as a punishment for a crime, or for…Tört'üre, v. t. p. 1396To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex. 2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to torture an accused person. He may at pleasure whip, hang, or torture. Shak. 3. To keep…Tört'ür-er, n. p. 1396One who tortures; a tormentor. Bacon.Tôrt'ür-ing-ly, adv. p. 1396In a torturing manner; so as to torture or torment. Beau. & Fl.Tōrt'ūr-oüs, a. p. 1396Involving, or pertaining to, torture. [Rare.] “The spectators who shed tears at the torturous crucifixion.” Disraeli.