CASSICAN Cassican (kas'si-kan), n. 1. An insessorial bird of the genus Cassicus (which see) 2. Sometimes improperly applied to the barita, an Australasian bird. The Cassicus (kas'si-kus), n. [Probably from L. casses, a net, a spider's web, from their woven nests.] An American genus of insessorial birds, family Icterida, allied to the starlings, remarkable for the ingenuity with which they weave their nests. C. cristatus, sometimes called the crested oriole, is about 20 inches long, and constructs a pouch-shaped nest of the length of 30 inches, of thin shreds of bark, which, with the view of ensuring its safety from monkeys and serpents, it suspends at the extremity of the branch of some smoothbarked tree. Cassideous (kas-sid'e-us), a. [L. cassis, a helmet.] In bot. helmet-shaped, like the upper sepal of the flower in the genus Aconitum. Cassidony (kas'si-don-i), n. 1. [A corruption of L. Stoechas sidonia, the stochas of Sidon, where the plant is indigenous.] The popular name of Lavandula Stochas, or French lavender, and also of a species of Gnaphalium or cudweed.-2. [A corruption of chalcedony] A mineral of which vases are often made. Cassimere (kas'si-mer), n. [Fr. cassimir, same word as cashmere.] A kind of thin twilled woollen cloth woven in imitation of Cashmere shawls. Called also Kerseymere. Cassine (kas-si'ne), n. [The name given to an allied plant by the Indians of Florida.] An ornamental genus of evergreen shrubs bearing white flowers, nat. order Aquifoliaceæ, mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope. One species, C. excelsa, a native of Nepaul, grows to the height of 18 feet. Cassinette (kas-si-net'), n. [Sp. casinete, G. cassinet, a sort of dim. of cassimere.] A cloth made of a cotton warp and the woof of very fine wool, or wool and silk, used for waistcoats. Called also Kerseynette. Cassino (kas-se'no), n. [It. casino, a small house, a gaming-house; L. casa, a cottage.] A game at cards somewhat resembling whist, in which eleven points constitute the game. Great cassino, the ten of diamonds, which counts two.-Little cassino, the two of spades, which counts one. Written also Casino. Cassio-berry (kas'si-o-be-ri), n. The popular name of the fruit of Viburnum lævigatum. Cassiopeia, Cassiopea (kas'si-o-pe"a), n. [In class. myth. the wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and mother of Andromeda. She was afterwards placed among the stars.] A constellation in the northern hemisphere, situated near to Cepheus. It contains fiftyfive stars. Cassis (kas'sis), n. [L., a helmet.] A genus of gasteropodous molluscs, including the species known by the name of helmet-shells. They belong to the family Buccinidæ. Cassiteria (kas-si-te'ri-a), n. [Gr. kassiteros, tin.] A kind of crystals which appear to have an admixture of tin. The colour is brown or whitish. Cassiterite (kas'si-tér-it), n. [Gr. kassiteros, tin.] (Sn O.) The most common ore of tin, occurring in Cornwall, Sweden, Greenland, France, Spain, Germany, North and South America, Australia, and the Island of Banca near Sumatra, generally in large irregular masses disseminated in granite, gneiss, clayslate, mica-slate, and porphyry, but also fibrous, crystallized in prisms, in rolled pieces, in grains as sand, in which last condition it is known as stream-tin. It is a peroxide, consisting of tin 79, and oxygen 21. See TIN. Cassius (kas'si-us), n. [Named from its discoverer, a German physician.] A purple pigment, used in porcelain and glass painting, prepared from the muriate of gold by adding to it a mixture of the protochloride and perchloride of tin. More usually called Purple of Cassius. Ure. Cassock (kas'sok), n. [Fr. casaque, from It. casacca, from casa, a house, L. casa, a cottage.] 1. Any loose robe or outer coat, but particularly a military one. The muster file, rotten and sound, upon my life amounts not to fifteen thousand poll, half of the which dare not shake the snow from off their cassocks lest they shake themselves to pieces. Shak. 2. A tight-fitting garment worn under the gown by clergymen. In the Church of Rome it varies in colour with the dignity of the wearer. Priests wear black; bishops, purple; cardinals, scarlet; the pope, white. 408 Cassocked (kas'sokt), a. Clothed with a cassock. The cassock'd huntsman.' Cowper. Cassolette (kas'so-let), n. [Fr.] A gold, silver, or ivory box for containing perfumery, having its lid pierced with holes for the escape of the odour; the part of a censer perforated for the emission of the perfumes. Cassonade (kas-son-ad'), n. [Fr.] Raw sugar; sugar not refined. Cassoon (kas'sön), n. [It. cassone, a large chest.] A deep panel or coffer in a ceiling or soffit. Cassowary (kas'sō-wa-ri), n. [Malay casuwaris.] A large cursorial bird of the genus Casuarius (C. galeatus), family Struthionidae, inhabiting the islands in the Indian Archipelago, much resembling, and nearly as large as, the ostrich, but with legs thicker and stronger in proportion, and three toes on the foot. The wings are of rudimentary Crested Cassowary (Casuarius galeatus). nature, being hid under the feathers, and are armed with strong spines for combat or defence. The head is surmounted with a helmet-like bony protuberance, covered with horn, consisting of plates one over another. It runs with great rapidity, outstripping the swiftest horse. The cassowary lays a few eggs, which it leaves to be hatched by the heat of the sun. Cassumunar (kas-su-mu'när), n. [Hind.] An aromatic root used as a tonic and stimulant, obtained from Zingiber Cassumunar. Cass-weed (kas'wed), n. [O.E. cass, cash, a money-box] A weed (Capsella Bursapastoris) called Shepherd's-pouch or Shepherd's-purse. See SHEPHERD'S-PURSE. Cast (kast), v. t. pret. & pp. cast; ppr. casting. [Dan. kaste, Sw. and Icel. kasta, to throw: a Scandinavian word.] 1. To throw, fling, or send; to drive off by force; to hurl; to impel. And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea. Exod. x. 19. Uzziah prepared for them... slings to cast stones. 2 Ch. xxvi. 14. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground. Mark iv. 26. 2. To shed; to impart; to communicate; as, to cast light on a subject; to cast a lustre on posterity. And storied windows richly dight, Casting a dim religious light. Milton. 3. To bestow; to confer or transfer. The government I cast upon my brother. Shak. 4. To turn; to direct; as, to cast a look or glance of the eye. Cast her fair eyes to heaven.' Shak.-5. To discard; to dismiss; to reject. The state cannot with safety cast him. Shak. 6. To shed or throw off; as, trees cast their fruit; a serpent casts his skin. To cast the rags of sin. Dryden. Shak. Your colt's tooth is not cast yet. [Shakspere has the pp. casted in this sense: Casted slough.'1-7. To emit or give out. This casts a sulphureous smell. Woodward. 8. To throw out or up; to eject; to vomit. We all were sea-swallowed though some cast again. Shak. Shak. His filth within being cast he would appear 9. To form by throwing up earth; to raise. 10. To throw on the ground, as in wrestling. 'I made a shift to cast him.' Shak.-11. To decide against in a lawsuit; to condemn, as a criminal. Were the case referred to any competent judge they would inevitably be cast. Dr. H. More. CAST Both were cast, And this irrevocable sentence past. Dryden. -To be cast in £30, to be condemned to pay £30. Cornhill Mag.-12. To thrust; as, to cast into prison; to put or set in a particular state. Clarence whom I have cast in darkness. Shak. Both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Ps. lxxvi. 6. 13. To bring forth abortively. Thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young. Gen. xxxi. 38. 14. To find or ascertain by computation; to compute; to reckon; to calculate; as, to cast accounts; to cast a nativity. You cast the event of war, my noble lord, And summed the account of chance. Shak. 15. To contrive; to plan. Cast it also that you may have rooms both for summer and winter. Bacon. The cloister ... would have been proper for an orange-house; and had, I doubt not, been cast for that purpose. Sir IV. Temple. 16. To fix or distribute (the parts of a play) among the actors; as, to cast the Merchant of Venice.' Addison; also, to assign a cer tain part or role to; as, to cast an actress for the part of Portia.-17. To found; to form into a particular shape by pouring liquid metal into a mould; to run; as, to cast cannon. Thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it. Ex. xxv. 12. Fig. Some have been tempted to cast all their learning into this method. Watts. 18. In printing, to throw off, as a proof or revise. To cast anchor, to moor a vessel by letting the anchor or anchors drop.-To cast aside, to dismiss or reject as useless or inconvenient. To cast away, (a) to reject. Lev. xxvi. 44. (b) To throw away; to lavish or waste by profusion; to turn to no use; as, to cast away life; to cast away a golden opportunity. (c) To wreck; as, the ship was cast away on the coast of Africa. Cast away and sunk on Goodwin Sands.' Shak. -To cast the balance, to turn the scale; to cause one scale to preponderate: often used figuratively. South; Dryden.-To cast by, to reject; to fling or throw by Shak; Locke. To cast down, to throw down; fig. to deject or depress the mind. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Ps. xlii. 5. -To cast the draperies, in the fine arts, to dispose the folds of the garments with which the figures in the pictures are clothed; to dispose the main lines of a picture generally. To cast forth, to throw out or reject, as from an inclosed place; to emit or send out. He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. Hos, xiv. 5. -To cast in, to throw into the bargain. Such an omniscient church we wish indeed; 'Twere worth both Testaments, cast in the creed. Dryden. -To cast off, (a) to discard or reject; to drive away. The prince will in the perfectness of time (b) Naut. to loosen from or let go; as, to cast off a vessel in tow. (e) In hunting, to leave behind, as dogs; to set loose or free. 'Away he scours, casts of the dogs, and gains a wood.' Sir R. L'Estrange.-To cast the lead, to heave the lead. See LEAD, 2To cast lots. See under LOT.-To cast out, (a) to reject or turn out. The brat hath been cast out... no father ownShak ing it. Addison(b) To speak or give vent to. To cast up, (a) to compute; to reckon; to calculate; as, to cast up accounts. Casting up the cost beforehand.' Dryden. (b) To eject; to vomit. Their villany goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up. Shak. Throws down Cast up the poison that infects thy mind. Dryden (c) To twit or upbraid with; to recall to one's notice for the purpose of annoying. Lady W.'s maid is always casting up to me how happy her lord and ladyship is. Lever. (d) To raise; to throw up. one mountain to cast up a higher. Shak.To cast on, to refer or resign to. South.-To cast one's self on or upon, to resign or yield one's self to the disposal of, without reserve; as, to cast one's self upon a person's mercy.To cast in one's lot with, to share the fate or fortune of. To cast in the teeth, to upbraid; to charge; to twit.-To cast upon, to refer If things were cast upon this issue, that God should never prevent sin till man to. CAST deserved it.' South.-To cast off copy, in printing, to ascertain accurately how many pages in print a given quantity of manuscript copy will make; or how many pages a given quantity of printed copy will make when the size of the book and type are changed; also when a given quantity of manuscript copy is delivered, with directions that it is to make a certain number of pages in print, to determine the size of the page and the size of the type.-To cast a shoe, to lose a shoe: said of a horse. To cast a person's water, to examine his urine in diagnosing a disease. 'A If thou couldst, doctor, cast The water of the land, find her disease. Shak. Cast (kast), p. and a. 1. Condemned. cast criminal.' South. Hence, condemned by the public; unsuccessful. 'So may cast poets write.' South.-2. Made by founding or casting; as, cast iron; cast steel. Cast (kast), v. i. 1. To throw or fling; specifically, in angling, to throw the line; to swing the rod so as to throw the line on the water. 2. To work arithmetical calculations; to sum accounts. Oh! who would cast and balance at a desk? Tennyson. 3. To turn or revolve in the mind; to calculate; to consider. The best way to represent to life the manifold use of friendship is to cast and see how many things there are which a man cannot do himself. Bacon. This way and that I cast to save my friends. Pope. 4. To receive form or shape. 'A mass that is immediately malleable, and will not run thin, so as to cast and mould.' Woodward. 5. To warp; to twist from regular shape. Stuff is said to cast or warp when it alters its flatness or straightness. Moxon. make 6. To vomit. These verses too me ready to cast.' B. Jonson.-7. Naut. to fall off or incline, so as to bring the side of a ship to the wind: applied particularly to a ship riding with her head to the wind when her anchor is first loosened.-To cast about, (a) in hunting, to go about in different directions in order to discover a lost scent. But not a sign of them (the hares in the game of hare-and-hound) appears, so now... there is nothing for it but to cast about for the scent. T. Hughes. (b) To consider; to search in the mind for some contrivance by which to accomplish one's end; to scheme. To cast about how to perform or obtain.' Bacon. 'Contrive and cast about how to bring such events to pass.' Bentley. To cast back, to throw the memory back; to refer to something past. You cast back for hundreds of years, and rake up every bit of pleasure I ever had in my life. Mrs. Riddell. Cast (kast), n. 1. The act of casting; a throw; specifically, in angling, the act of throwing the line on the water.-2. The distance passed by a thing thrown, or the space through which a thing thrown may ordinarily pass; as, about a stone's cast. rest are measuring casts.' Waller.-3.† A stroke; a touch; a trick. The 4. Motion or turn of the eye; direction, look, or glance. They let you see by one cast of the eye. Addison. 5. A throw of dice; hence, a state of chance or hazard. I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die. Shak. It is an even cast whether the army should march this way or that way. South. 6. The form or shape into which anything is cast or moulded; anything formed in a mould; an impression in bronze, plaster, &c.; fig. shape; mould; impression generally. Cunning casts in clay.' Tennyson. Weepest thou to take the cast Of those dead lineaments that near thee lie. Shak. 7. A tube of wax used by founders, which is fitted into a mould to give shape to metal. Also, a cylindrical piece of brass or copper, slit in two lengthwise, to form a canal or conduit in a mould for conveying metal.-8. Among plumbers, a little brazen funnel at one end of a mould for casting pipes without soldering, by means of which the melted metal is poured into the mould. 9. Feathers, fur, or other indigestible matters ejected from the stomach by a hawk or other bird of prey. And where the two contrived their daughter's good Lies the hawk's cast, the mole has made his run. Tennyson. 409 10. A tinge; a slight colouring or slight degree of a colour; as, a cast of green. The native hue of resolution Shak Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. 11. Manner; outward appearance; air; mien; style. New names, new dressings, and the modern cast. Sir J. Denham. Something of a neat cast of verse.' Pope.-12. A couple: now used in this sense only in the language of hawking; as, a cast of hawks.-13. An assignment of the parts of a play to the several actors; the company of actors to whom the parts of a play are assigned; as, the play was produced with a very strong cast.-14. One of the worm-like coils of sand produced by the lugworm.--15. Help lent; a helping hand; especially, the act of helping a pedestrian on his way by giving him a place in a vehicle; a lift. [Scotch.] We bargained with the driver to give us a cast to the next stage. Smollett. 16. † Occasion; opportunity. The end whereof I'll keep until another cast. Spenser, -The last cast, (a) the last throw of the dice; the last stake; the venturing of all that remains to one on one throw or one effort; the last chance. Will you turn recreant at the last cast) Dryden. (b) The last gasp. Sir Thomas Bodley is even now at the last cast, and hath lain speechless and without knowledge since yesterday at noon. Letter dated 1612. Castanea (kas-ta'ně-a), n. [L.] A genus of plants, nat. order Cupuliferæ, consisting of trees or shrubs, with strongly straightveined leaves and naked unisexual flowers, the males in catkins and the females solitary. Two or three nuts are contained in each prickly four-valved fruit. The most familiar example is the Spanish or common chestnut-tree (C. resca), which has long been introduced into and thrives well in this country. See CHESTNUT-TREE. re Castanet(kas'ta-net), n. [Sp. castañeta, from L. castanea, a chestnut, from sembling that fruit.] An instrument composed of small concave shells of ivory or hard wood, shaped like spoons, placed together, fastened to the thumb, and beat with the middle finger. This instrument is used by the Spaniards and Moors as an accompaniment to their dances and guitars. The crotalum of the ancients was similar to the castanet. Castanospermum (kas'ta-nõ-spér"mum), n. [Gr. kastanon, a chestnut, and sperma, a seed.] A genus of leguminous plants, containing a single species (C. australe), a na Castanets. tive of sub-tropical Australia. The trees are from 40 to 50 feet high. The pea-like flowers are of a bright yellow colour, and are succeeded by a tapering cylindrical pod containing three or four seeds about the size and aspect of chestnuts. They are eaten by the natives, but are not very palatable. Castaway (kast'a-wā), n. One who or that which is cast away; one who is shipwrecked; one who is ruined in fortune or character. She there remains a hopeless castaway. Shak. 1 Cor. ix. 27. Castaway (kast'a-wā), a. Thrown away; rejected; useless; of no value. We only remember, at our castaway leisure, the imprisoned immortal soul. Raleigh. Caste (kast), n. [Fr. caste, from Pg. casta, breed, race, caste: said to have been first applied to the classes of the Hindus by the Portuguese, who were the earliest colonists of India. It is comparatively of late that CASTIGATOR the word has come to be spelled caste, being by old authors written cast.] 1. One of the tribes or classes into which the Hindus are divided according to the religious law of Brahmanism. These castes are four in number: 1st, the Brahmans, or the sacerdotal caste; 2d, the Kshatriyas, or military caste; 3d, the Vaisyas, or husbandmen and merchants; 4th, the Sudras, or labourers and mechanics. Men of no caste are called Pariahs and regarded as outcasts. In Sanskrit castes are called Varnas, colours, colour being, no doubt, the chief distinction at first. Besides the original castes numerous mixed classes or castes have sprung up in the progress of time, and are dependent upon a man's trade, occupation, or profession. The same term is also used of somewhat similar classes in other countries. 2. A rank or grade of society: especially used of the upper grades. Tennyson. Her manner had not that repose Which stamps the caste of Vere de Vere. He had returned to his own home when the ascendency of his own caste had been re-established; and he had been chosen to represent the University of Dublin in the House of Commons. Macaulay. -To lose caste, to get degraded from one caste to an inferior one; to lose social position. Castellan (kas'tel-lan), n. [L.L. castellanus, from castellum, a castle. See CASTLE.] A governor or constable of a castle. Castellany (kas'tel-lan-i), n. The jurisdiction of a castellan; the lordship belonging to a castle, or the extent of its land and jurisdiction. Earl Allan has within his castellany, or the jurisdiction of his castle, 200 manors, all but one. Kelham. Castellated (kas'tel-lāt-ed), a. 1. Furnished with turrets and battlements like a castle; built in the style of a castle; as, a castellated mansion.-2. Inclosed in a building, as a fountain or cistern. Johnson. Castellation (kas-tel-la'shon), n. 1. The act of fortifying a house and rendering it a castle.-2. The act of providing a building with battlements. Castellet (kas'tel-let), n. A small castle. [Rare.] Caster (käs'tér), n. [From cast. As regards meaning 2 the term was no doubt originally applied to a pepper-caster, with which pepper is cast or sprinkled.] 1. One who casts; as (a) one who computes; a calculator. (b) One who makes castings; a founder. (e) One who assigns the parts of a play to the actors. 2. A phial, cruet, or other small vessel, used to contain condiments for the table; as, a set of casters; also, a stand containing a set of casters.-3. A small wheel on a swivel, attached to the leg of a piece of furniture, in order to facilitate its being moved about without lifting. The word in this use is frequently written Castor. Caster, Chester (kas'tér, ches'ter). [A. Sax. ceaster, from L. castrum, a fort.] A common suffix in place-names; as, Doncaster, the fort on the Don; Colchester, the fort on the Colne; Exeter (Execester), the fort on the Exe: Cirencester, the fort of Ciren (Corineum). In Chester, the town, it appears as an independent word. [This is one of the six words recognized as directly inherited from the Roman invaders. For others see STREET.] Castification (kas-ti-fi-kā'shon), n. The making chaste; purification in a moral sense; chastity; purity. Let no impure spirit defile the virgin purities and castifications of the soul. Fer. Taylor. Castigate (kas'ti-gat), v. t. pret. & pp. castigated; ppr. castigating. [L. castigo, castigatum, from castus, pure.] 1. To chastise; to punish by stripes; to correct or punish in general. 'If thou didst put this sour-cold habit on to castigate thy pride.' Shak.— 2. To subject to a severe and critical scrutiny; to criticise for the purpose of correcting; to emend; as, to castigate the text of an author. Had adjusted and castigated the then Latin Vulgate.' Bentley. Castigation (kas-ti-ga'shon), n. The act of castigating: (a) punishment by whipping; correction; chastisement; discipline. The keenest castigation of her slanderers.' Irving. Violent events do not always argue the anger of God; even death itself is, to his servants, a fatherly castigation. Bp. Hall. (b) Critical scrutiny and emendation; correction of textual errors. Castigator (kas'ti-gå-têr), n. One who castigates or corrects. CASTIGATORY Castigatory (kas'ti-ga-to-ri), a. Serving to castigate; tending to correction; corrective; punitive. 'Punishments, either probatory, castigatory, or exemplary. Bp. Bramhall. Castigatory (kas'ti-ga-to-ri), n. Something that serves to castigate; specifically an apparatus formerly used to punish and correct arrant scolds, called also a ducking-stool or trebucket. Castile-soap (kas-tel'sōp), n. A kind of fine hard, white or mottled soap, made with olive-oil and a solution of caustic soda. Called also Spanish-soap. Castilian (kas-til'i-an), a. Pertaining to Castile in Spain. Castilian (kas-til'i-an), n. An inhabitant or native of Castile in Spain. Casting (käst'ing), n. 1. The act of throwing; the act of casting or founding.-2. That which is cast in a mould; anything formed by casting melted metal into a mould or in sand.-3. Contrivance; distribution; arrangement. Distributio is that useful casting of all rooms for office, entertainment, or pleasure. Wotton. 4. Vomit. The hound turnyde agen to his castyng. Wickliffe. Casting-net (käst'ing-net), n. A net which is cast and drawn, in distinction from a net that is set and left. Casting-vote, Casting-voice (käst'ing-võt, käst'ing-vois), n. The vote of a presiding officer in an assembly or council which decides a question when the votes of the assembly or house are equally divided between the affirmative and negative. Casting-weight (käst'ing-wat), n. A weight that turns the scale of a balance or makes it preponderate. Cast-iron (käst'i-ern), n. Iron melted and run into moulds. See IRON. Cast-knee (käst'ně), n. A hanging knee used in a ship of war for arching over the corner of a gun-port, &c. Cast-knitting (kast'nit-ing), n. That kind of knitting in which the needle is passed through the mesh from the inside of the piece of hosiery which is being knitted, and the yarn with which the new mesh is made is held on the outside. Castle (kas'l), n. [L. castellum, dim. of castrum, a fort.] 1. A building, or series of Château de Coucy.-From Viollet-le-Duc. connected buildings, fortified for defence against an enemy; a fortified residence; a fortress. Castles, in the sense of fortified residences, were an outgrowth or institution of feudalism, and were first brought to a high pitch of strength and completeness by the Normans. In England there were few or no castles, properly speaking, till the time of William the Conqueror, after which a great many were constructed on the Norman model. At first the donjon or keep was the only part of the castle of great strength, and the other buildings in connection with it were more or less of a temporary nature. In the thirteenth century, however, the design of the castle became more fully developed, and the keep formed only the central part of a group of buildings, all supporting each other, and mutually contributing to 410 the strength and commodiousness of the whole. The cut shows the castle of the Sires de Coucy, France, built in the thirteenth century. In the foreground is the outer bailey or esplanade, fortified, and containing a chapel, stables, and other buildings. The outer entrance to this was formed by the barbican. a is the fosse, 20 yards broad; b, the gateway, approached by two swing bridges, defended by two guard-rooms, and having a double portcullis within, giving entrance to vaulted guard-rooms with sleeping apartments, &c., above, c; d, inner bailey or courtyard; e, covered buildings for the men defending the walls or curtains; f, apartments for the family, entered by the grand staircase, g; h, great hall, with storerooms and vaults below; i, donjon or keep (the chapel is seen behind it), the strongest part of the castle, with walls of immense thickness, suited to form the last retreat of the garrison. At k was a postern leading from the donjon and communicating with an outer postern, drawbridge, &c.; l, m, n, o, towers or bastions flanking the walls. Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn. Shak. A man's house is his castle. Sir E. Coke. The house of every one is to him as his castle and fortress, as well for defence against injury and violence as for his repose. Sir E. Coke. 2. The house or mansion of a person of rank or wealth: somewhat vaguely applied, but usually to a large and more or less imposing building.-3. Naut. a part at either end of a vessel. See FORECASTLE, AFTCASTLE. 4. A piece made in the form of a castle, used in the game of chess; the rook.-Castle in the air, a visionary project; a scheme that has no solid foundation. When I build castles in the aire.' Burton. So also castle in the sky. I build great castles in the skies, ... rear'd and raz'd yet without hands. E. of Stirling -Castle influence, a term used in Ireland to denote the political influence of the court, Dublin castle being the official residence of the lord-lieutenant. Castle (kas'l), v.i. In chess, to move the king two squares to the right or left and bring up the rook or castle to the square the king has passed over. Castle-builder (kas'l-bild-ér), n. One who builds castles; one who forms visionary schemes (castles in the air). I am one of that species of men who are properly denominated castle-builders, who scorn to be beholden to the earth for a foundation. Steele. Castle-building (kas'l-bild-ing), n. The act of building castles in the air. Steele. Castle-crested (kas'l-krest-ed), a. Surmounted by a castle or castles. mountains. The sun sinks behind the great castle-crested Thackeray. Castled (kas'ld), a. Furnished with a castle or castles. The castled crag of Drachenfels Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine. Byron. Castle-guard (kas'l-gård), n. 1. The guard which defends a castle.-2. A feudal tenure, or knight service, which obliged the tenant to perform service within the realm, without limitation of time.-3. A tax laid upon those living within a certain distance of a castle, and getting less or more of protection from it, in aid of the maintenance of those who guard it.-4. The circuit round a castle subject to be taxed for its maintenance. [In the two last senses called also Castle-ward.] Castlery (kas'l-ri), n. The government of a castle. The castlery of Baynard's castle.' Blount. Castlet (kas'let), n. A small castle. Leland. Castle-ward (kas'l-ward), n. See CASTLEGUARD, 3, 4. Castling (kastling), n. [Cast, v. and dim. suffix -ling.] An abortion. We should rather rely on the urine of a castling's bladder. Sir T. Browne. Castlingt (kast'ling), a. Abortive. Hudibras. Castock (kas'tok), n. See CUSTOCK. Cast-off (kast'of), a. Laid aside; rejected; as, cast-off livery. Castor (kas'ter), n. [L. castor; Gr. kastor, a beaver.] 1. A reddish-brown substance, of a strong penetrating smell, secreted by two glandular sacs, closely connected with, but quite distinct from, the organs of reproduction of the beaver, at one time of high repute, and still largely used in some parts of the world, in medicine, though in this country it is now used chiefly by perfumers. Called also Castoreum.-2. A genus of rodent CASTRATE mammals of which the beaver is the type. See BEAVER.-3. A beaver hat. I have always been known for the jaunty manner in which I wear my castor. Sir IV. Scott. 4. A heavy quality of broad-cloth used for over-coats. Castor (kas'ter), n. See CASTER, 3. Castor (kas'tor), n. A mineral found in the island of Elba associated with another called Pollux. It is a silicate of aluminium and lithium, and probably a variety of petalite It is colourless and transparent with a Castor and Pollux (kas'tor, polluks), n. glistening lustre. 1. In astron. the constellation Gemini or the Twins, into which the sun enters annually about the 21st May. Castor, or a Geminorum, is also the name of one of the bright stars in the head of the Twins, being the nearer of the two to the pole. It is a double star, or consists of two stars so close together as to be indistinguishable by the naked eye.-2. In meteor. a fiery meteor, which at sea appears during a storm, sometimes adhering to a part of a ship, in the form of one, two, and even three or four balls. When one is seen alone it is called Helena; two appearing at once are denominated Castor and Pollux, or Tyndarida 3. The name given to two minerals found together in granite in the island of Elba. See the separate articles. Castorate (kas'ter-át), n. In chem. a salt produced from the combination of castoric acid with a salifiable base. Castor-bean (kas'ter-ben), n. The seed of the castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis). Castoreum (kas-to'ré-um), n. Same as Castor, 1. Castoric (kas-tor'ik), a. Of or pertaining to or derived from castor; as, castoric acid. Castorin, Castorine (kas'to-rin), n. An animal principle discovered in castor, and prepared by boiling castor in six times its weight of alcohol, and filtering the liquor. From this is deposited the castorin. Castorina, Castoride (kas-to-ri'na, kastor'i-dě), n. pl. The beaver tribe; a family of rodent animals, comprising the beaver, &c. See BEAVER. Castor-oil (kas'ter-oil), n. [Probably from some resemblance to the substance castor.] The oil obtained from the seeds of Ricinus communis, a native of India, but now distributed over all the warmer regions of the globe. The oil is obtained from the seeds by bruising them between rollers and then pressing them in hempen bags in a strong press. The oil that first comes away, called colddrawn castor-oil, is reckoned the best; an inferior quality being obtained by heating or steaming the pressed seeds. and again subjecting them to pressure. The oil is afterwards heated to the boiling point, which coagulates and separates the albumen and Nut of Castor impurities. Castor-oil is used medicinally as a mild but effcient purgative. It is chiefly imported from India. The plant is cultivated in this country as an ornamental plant under the name of Palma Christi It does not attain a greater height than 4 or oil Plant. 5 feet. Castory (kas'to-ri), n. Apparently a substance drawn from castoreum, used in the preparation of colours; hence used by Spenser as the name of a colour. With fair vermilion or pure castory." Castrametation (kas'tra-mê-tă"shon), n. [L. castrametor, to encamp-castra, camp, and metior, to measure or survey.] The art or act of encamping; the marking or laying out of a camp. Castrate (kas'trat), v.t. pret. & pp. castrated; ppr. castrating. [L. castro, castratum, to castrate.] 1. To geld; to deprive of the testicles; to emasculate. [Darwin applies the word to an analogous operation performed on flowers. ]-2. To remove something objectionable from, as obscene parts from a writing; to expurgate. The following letter, which I have castrated in some places. Addison.-3. To take out a leaf or sheet from, and render imperfect; to mutilate. A castrated set of Holinshed's chronicles. Todd.-4. Fig. to take the vigour or spirit from; to mortify. Ye castrate the desires of the flesh and shall obtain a more ample reward of grace in heaven. Dr. Martin. CASTRATION Castration (kas-trá'shon), n. The act of castrating in any of its senses. Castrato (kas-tra'to), n. [It. See CASTRATE.] A male person emasculated for the purpose of improving his voice as a singer; an artificial or male soprano. Castrelt (kas'trel), n. Same as Kestrel. Beau. & FI Castrensial (kas-tren'shal), a. [L. castrensis, from castra, a camp.] Belonging to a camp. Sir T. Browne. [Rare.] Castrensian (kas-tren'shan), a. Same as Castrensial. Bailey. [Rare.] Cast-shadow (kast'shad-ō), n. In painting, a shadow cast by an object within the picture, and serving to bring it out against the objects behind it. Cast-steel (käst'stel), n. Steel made by fusing the materials and running the pro duct into moulds. See STEEL. Casual (kazh'u-al), a. [L. casualis, from casus, a chance or accident, from cado, casum, to fall; whence case, chance, accident, &c.] 1. Happening or coming to pass, without design in the person or persons affected, and without being foreseen or expected; accidental; fortuitous; coming by chance; as, the parties had a casual rencounter. That which seemeth most casual and subject to fortune is yet disposed by the ordinance of God. Raleigh. 2. Occasional; coming at certain times, without regularity, in distinction from stated or regular; incidental; as, casual expenses. 'The revenue of Ireland certain and casual.' Sir J. Davies.-3. Taking place or beginning to exist without an efficient intelligent cause, and without design. Atheists assert that the existence of things is casual. Dwight. -Casual ejector, in law, the name given to the defendant in the fictitious action of ejectment formerly allowed by the law of England, where the real object of the action was to determine a title to land. To form the ground of such an action the person laying claim to the land granted a lease of it to a fictitious person, usually designated John Doe, and an action was then raised in the name of John Doe against another fictitious person, usually designated Richard Roe (the casual ejector), who was stated to have illegally ejected him from the land which he held on lease. As the prosecution of this action involved the proving of the lessor's right to grant a lease, the real object of the action thus came to be incidentally determined. This action was abolished by the Common Law Procedure Act, 15 and 16 Vict. lxxvi.-Accidental, Casual, Fortuitous, Contingent, Incidental. See ACCI DENTAL Casual (kazh'u-al), n. 1. A person who receives relief and shelter for one night at the most in the workhouse of a parish or union to which he does not belong.-Casual ward, the ward in a workhouse where casuals are received.-2. A labourer or artisan employed only irregularly. Mayhew. Casually (kazh'u-al-li), adv. In a casual manner; accidentally; fortuitously; without design; by chance; as, to meet a person casually; to remark casually. That it might casually have been formed so.' Bentley. Casualness (kazh'u-al-nes), n. The fact of being casual. Casualty (kazh'u-al-ti), n. 1. Chance, or what happens by chance; accident; contingency. Losses that befall them by mere casualty. Raleigh.-2. An unfortunate chance or accident, especially one resulting in death or bodily injury; loss suffered by a body of men from death, wounds, &c.; as, the casualties were very numerous.-3. In Scots law, an emolument due from a vassal to his superior, beyond the stated yearly duties, upon certain casual events.-Casualty of wards, the mails and duties due to the superiors in ward holdings.-4. Same as Casual, &c. Mayhew.-Casualty ward, the ward in an hospital in which the casualties or accidents are treated. Casuarinacea (kas'u-ar-i-nā"sē-ē), n. pl. [From the resemblance of the branches to the feathers of the cassowary (which see).] A nat. order of incomplete amentiferous exogens, consisting of a single genus, Casnarina (Botany-bay oak), with about twenty species, natives of Australia and northwards to the Indian Archipelago. They are jointed leafless trees or shrubs, very much like gigantic horse-tails or Equiseta; but they are nearly related to the birches, having their 411 male flowers in whorled catkins and their fruits in indurated cones. See BEEF-WOOD. Casuarius (kas-u-a'ri-us), n. See CASSO WARY. Casuist (kaz'u-ist or kazh'u-ist), n. [Fr. casuiste, It. Sp. and Pg. casuista, from L. casus, a case.] One versed in or using casuistry; one who studies and resolves cases of conscience, or nice points regarding conduct. The judgment of any casuist or learned divine concerning the state of a man's soul is not sufficient to give him confidence. South. Who shall decide, when doctors disagree, And soundest casuists doubt, like you and me? Pope. Casuist (kaz'u-ist or kazh'u-ist), v.i. To play Milton. the part of a casuist. Casuistic, Casuistical (kaz-ü-ist'ik or kazhu-ist'ik, kaz-u-ist'ik-al or kazh-u-ist'ik-al), a. Pertaining to casuists or casuistry; relating to cases of conscience, or to cases of doubtful propriety. Casuistically (kaz-u-ist'ik-al-li or kazh-uist'ik-al-li), adv. In a casuistic manner. Casuistry (kaz'u-ist-ri or kazh'u-ist-ri), n. The science, doctrine, or department of ethics dealing with cases of conscience; the science which decides as to right and wrong in conduct, determining the lawfulness or unlawfulness of what a man may do by rules and principles drawn from the Scriptures, from the laws of society, or from equity and natural reason. All that philosophy of right and wrong which has become famous or infamous under the name of casuistry had its origin in the distinction between mortal and venial sin. Cambridge Essays, 1856. Cat (kat), n. [A. Sax. cat, catt, a widely spread word: D. and Dan. kat, Sw. katt, Icel. köttr, G. katze, kater, O. Fr. cat, Mod. Fr. chat, It. gatto, L.L. catus, Ir. cat, W. cath, Rus. and Pol. kot, Tur. kedi, Ar. gitt -a cat. What is the origin and how far borrowing has taken place between the different languages is not known.] 1. A name applied to certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds, of the genus Felis. The domestic cat (F. domestica) is too well known to require description. It is uncertain whether any animal now existing in a wild state is the prototype of the domestic cat; probably it is descended from a cat originally domesticated in Egypt, though some regard the wild cat of Europe (F. catus) as the same species. The wild cat is much larger than the domestic cat. It is a strong ferocious animal, living in the forest, and very destructive to poultry and lambs.-2. A ship formed on the Norwegian model, having a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and a deep waist.-3. A strong tackle or combination of pulleys, to hook and draw an anchor perpendicularly up to the cat-head of a ship. 4. A double tripod having six feet: so called because it always lands on its feet as a cat is proverbially said to do.-5. A game. See TIP-CAT.-6. An abbreviation of cat-o'-ninetails (which see).-A cat in the pan, a falsehood given out as coming from one who did not originate it.-To turn a cat-in-pan, to make a sudden change of party in politics or religion from interested motives. The phrase seems to be the French tourner côte en peine (to turn sides in trouble).' Brewer. When George in pudding-time came o'er, And moderate men looked big, sir, I turned a cat-in-pan once more, Vicar of Bray. -To let the cat out of the bag, to disclose a trick; to let out a secret: said to have had its origin in a trick practised by country people of substituting a cat for a young pig and bringing it to market in a bag. The purchaser sometimes thought, however, of opening the bag before the bargain was concluded; and thus let out the cat and disclosed the trick. -Cat-and-dog, as an adjective, like a cat and dog; quarrelsome; disposed to fight; inharmonious; as, to lead a cat-and-dog life.-Cat-and-dog, as a noun. Same as Tip-cat (which see).-To rain cats and dogs, to pour down violently and incessantly. Cat (kat), v.t. To draw (an anchor) up to the cat-head. Cata- (kat'a). [Gr. kata.] A prefix in words of Greek origin, signifying against; opposed or contrary to; under, down, or downward; part by part; and sometimes, thoroughly, completely. Catabaptist (kat-a-bap'tist), n. [Gr. kata, against, and baptizo, to baptize.] One who opposes baptism. [Rare.] CATACOMB Catabasion (kat-a-ba'zi-on), n. [Gr. katabasion, a way leading downwards-kata, down, and baino, to go.] A chamber or vault under the altar of a Greek church, where relics are kept. Catabrosa (kat-a-bro'sa), n. [Gr. katabrōsis, a gnawing, from the fact that the glumes are truncated, appearing as if gnawed away at the top.] A small genus of grasses, with some half-a-dozen species, natives of cold and temperate regions. One species (C. aquatica) occurs in watery places throughout Britain. It is a soft bright-green flaccid grass, much sought after by aquatic birds. Catacaustic (kat-a-kas'tik), a. [Gr. katakausis, a burning.] In geom. a term denoting a species of caustic curves formed by reflection. Catacaustics (kat-a-kas'tiks), n. In optics, the caustic curves formed by the reflection of the rays of light, and so called to distinguish them from the diacaustic, which are formed by refracted rays. See CAUSTIC. Catachresis (kat-a-kre'sis), n. [Gr. katachrēsis, abuse-kata, against, and chraomai, to use.] 1. An abuse of a trope or of words; a figure in rhetoric, when one word is wrongly put for another, or when a word is too far wrested from its true signification; as, to speak of tones being made more palatable for 'agreeable to the ear.' So in Scripture we read of the blood of the grape. Deut. xxxii. 14.-2. In philol. the employment of a word under a false form through misapprehension in regard to its origin; thus causeway, and crayfish or crawfish, have their forms by catachresis. Čatachrestic, Catachrestical (kat-a-kres'tik, kat-a-kres'tik-al), a. In rhet. and gram. belonging to a catachresis; forced; farfetched; wrested from its natural sense, use, or form. Catachrestically (kat-a-kres'tik-al-li), adv. In a catachrestical manner. Cataclysm (kat'a-klizm), n. [Gr. kataklys mos, a deluge, from kataklyzo, to inundate -kata, against, down, and klyzo, to wash.] 1. A deluge or overflowing of water; a flood; specifically, the flood in Noah's days. 2. In geol, a term sometimes applied to denote various inundations or deluges, or physical catastrophes of great extent, supposed to have occurred at different periods, and to have been the efficient cause of various phenomena, as the deposition of different formations of diluvium or drift, rather than the gradual action of moderate currents, or that of ice. Cataclysmal, Cataclysmic (kat-a-kliz'mal, kat-a-klíz'mik), a. Of or belonging to a cataclysm. Catacomb (kat'a-kōm), n. [It. catacomba, L.L. catacumba, from Gr. kata, down, and kumbe, kumbos, a hollow or recess.] Catacomb of St. Agnes, Rome. A cave or subterraneous place for the burial of the dead, the bodies being deposited in graves or recesses called loculi, hollowed out of the sides of the cave. The term is said to have been originally applied to the chapel of St. Sebastian in Rome, where the ancient Roman calendars say the body of St. Peter was deposited. It is now applied to a vast number of subterraneous sepulchres, about 3 miles from Rome, on the Appian Way; supposed to be the cells and caves in which the primitive Christians concealed themselves, and in which were de CATACOUSTICS posited the bodies of the primitive martyrs. These are visited by devout people, and relics are taken from them, blessed by the pope, and dispersed through Catholic countries. Each catacomb is 3 feet broad and 8 or 10 high. The sepulchral niches (loculi) along the side walls are closed with thick tiles or pieces of marble. Catacombs are found also at Naples, Cairo, Paris, &c. Those in Paris are in abandoned stone quarries, and extend under a large portion of the city. Catacoustics (kat-a-kous'tiks), n. [Gr. katakous, to hear.] That part of acoustics, or the doctrine of sounds, which treats of reflected sounds, or of the properties of echoes; cataphonics. Catadioptric, Catadioptrical (kat'a-diop"trik, kat'a-di-op"trik-al), a. [Gr. kata, and dioptomai, to see through.] Pertaining to or involving both the refraction and reflection of light. -- Catadioptric telescope, the same as reflecting telescope. Catadrome (kat'a-drōm), n. (Gr. katadromos, a race-course-kata, down, and dromos, a race, a course.] 1. A race-course, 2. A machine used in building for raising and lowering heavy weights. Catadupe (kat'a-dūp), n. [Fr. catadupe, catadoupe, from Gr. katadoupoi, the cataracts of the Nile, from kata, down, and doupeo, to sound, from doupos, a dull sound as of a falling body.] A cataract or waterfall The Egyptian catadupes. Ant. Brewer. Catafalque, Catafalco (kat'a-falk, kat-afal'ko), n. [Fr. catafalque, from It. catafalco, a catafalque, from falco for O.H.G. palcho (G. balke), a beam, with cata (the verbal stem seen in Sp. catar, to view) prefixed. Scaffold is really the same word with French prefix es.] A temporary structure of carpentry, decorated with painting and sculpture, representing a tomb or cenotaph, placed over the coffin of a distinguished person at the altar in churches, as also sometimes over his grave, where it usually remains for some months after the interment. Catagmatic (kat-ag-mat'ik), a. (Gr. katagma, a fragment] In med. having the property of consolidating broken parts; promoting the union of fractured bones. Catagmatic (kat-ag-mat'ik), n. In med. a remedy believed to promote the union of fractured parts. Dunglison. Catagraph (kat'a-graf), n. [Gr. kata, down, and grapho, to write.] The first draft of a picture; also a profile. Cataian (ka-ta'an), n. A native of Cathay or China; a foreigner generally; and hence, in old writers, an indiscriminate term of reproach. I will not believe such a Cataian, though the priest of the town commended him for a true man. Shaki Catalan (kat'a-lan), a. Pertaining to Catalonia, a province of Spain, or to its inhabitants or language. Catalan (kat'a-lan), n. 1. A native of Catalonia.-2. The language of Catalonia, a language which holds a position similar to the Provençal, having been early cultivated and boasting a considerable literature. Catalectic (kat-a-lek'tik),a. [L. catalecticus; Gr. katalektikos, from katalego, to leave off, to stop.] In pros. having the measure incomplete. A catalectic verse is one which wants a syllable of its proper length, or which terminates in an imperfect foot. Catalectic (kat-a-lek'tik), n. In pros. a catalectic verse. Catalepsy, Catalepsis (kat'a-lep-si, kat-alep'sis), n. [Gr. katalepsis, a seizing, from katalambano, to take, seize, or invade.] A rare affection, generally connected with hysteria, in which there is a sudden suspension of the senses and volition, with statuelike fixedness of the body and limbs in the attitude immediately preceding the attack, while the action of the heart and lungs continues. Note the fetichism wrapped up in the etymologies of these Greek words. Catalepsy, a seizing of the body by some spirit or demon, who holds it rigid. Ecstacy, a displacement or removal of the soul from the body, into which the demon enters and causes strange laughing, crying, or contortions. It is not metaphor, but the literal belief in a ghost-world, which has given rise to such words as these, and to such expressions as a man beside himself or transported.' John Fiske. Cataleptic (kat-a-lep'tik), a. Pertaining to catalepsy. Silas's cataleptic fit occurred during the prayer. meeting. George Eliot. Catallactically (kat-al-lak'tik-al-li), adv. [See below.] In exchange; in return." 412 You may grow for your neighbour, at your liking, grapes or grapeshot; he will also catallactically grow grapes or grapeshot for you, and you will each reap what you have sown. Ruskin. Catallactics (kat-al-lak' tiks), n. pl. [Gr. katallasso, to exchange money-kata, quite, and allasso, to exchange.] The science of exchange, a branch of political economy. The science of exchange, or, as I hear it has been proposed to call it, of catallactics, considered as one of gain is, therefore, simply nugatory. Ruskin. Catalogize (kat'a-lo-giz), v.t. To insert in a catalogue. Catalogue (kat'a-log), n. [Fr. catalogue, from Gr. katalogos, a counting up-kata, down, and logos, a reckoning] A list or enumeration of the names of men or things disposed in a certain order, often in alphabetical order; as, a catalogue of the students of a college, or of books, or of the stars. List, Catalogue. List means a mere enumeration of individual persons or articles, while catalogue properly supposes some description, with the names in a certain order. Thus we speak of a subscription list, but the catalogue of a museum or library. Catalogue raisonné, a catalogue of books, paintings, &c., classed according to their subjects. Catalogue (katʼa-log), v. t. pret. & pp. catalogued; ppr. cataloguing. To make a catalogue of. CATAPULT used also in short navigations along the sea-shore in the West Indies, and on the coast of South America catamarans of a very large size are employed. This name was also applied to the flat-bottomed boats constructed by Bonaparte for the invasion of England.-2. A quarrelsome woman; a vixen; a scold: most probably employed in this sense because supposed to be some sort of cat, or in some way connected with cat, as catamount is. At his expense, you catamaran!' Dickens. She was such an obstinate old catamaran. Macmillan's Mag. Catamenia (kat-a-mē’ni-a), n. [Gr. katamenios-kata, down, and men, a month.] The monthly flowings of females; menstrual discharge. Catamenial (kat-a-me'ni-al), a. Pertaining to the catamenia or menstrual discharges. Catamite (katʼa-mit), n. [L. catamitus.] A boy kept for unnatural purposes. Catamount, Catamountain (kat'a-mount, kat-a-mount'an or kat-a-mount'in), n. 1. The cat of the mountain; the wild cat. 'The glaring catamountain and the quill-darting porcupine. Martinus Scriblerus. — 2. In her. a charge always borne guardant.—3. In America, the North American tiger, the puma, cougar, or 'painter' (Felis or Puma concolor). Cat-a-mountain (kat-a-mount'an or kat-amount'in), a. Like a wild cat; ferocious; wildly savage. 'Cat-a-mountain looks." Shak Catanadromous, Catandromous (kat-anad'ró-mus, ka-tan'dro-mus), a. (Gr. kata, down, ana, up, and dromos, a course or race.] Passing once a year from salt water into fresh and returning: applied to such fish as the salmon. It (Scripture) cannot, as it were, be mapped or its contents catalogued. F. H. Newman. Catalpa (ka-tal'pa), n. [The Indian name in Carolina for the first species mentioned below.] A genus of plants, nat. order Bignoniaceæ. The species are trees with simple leaves and terminal panicled trumpetshaped flowers, which from their great beauty, large size, gay colours, and great abundance, are often among the most striking objects of a tropical forest. C. syringafolia, a North American species, is well adapted for large shrubberies; its branches are used for dyeing wool of a cinnamon colour. C. longissima contains much tannin in its bark, and is known in the West Indies by the name of French oak. Catalysis (ka-tal'i-sis), n. [Gr. katalysis, from kata, down, and lyō, to loose.] 1. Dissolution; destruction; degeneration; decay. Sad catalysis and declension of piety. Cataphonic (kat-a-fon'ik), a. Relating to Evelyn. The sad catalysis did come, and swept away eleven hundred thousand of the nation. Fer. Taylor. 2. A decomposition and new combination, supposed by Berzelius and other chemists to be produced among the proximate and elementary principles of one or more compounds, by virtue of the mere presence of a substance or substances which do not of themselves enter into combination. Liebig questions this theory, and refers the effects to other causes. Catalytic (kat-a-lit'ik), a. Relating to catalysis. Catalytic force, that modification of the force of chemical affinity in certain bodies by which they resolve others into new compounds merely by contact with them, or by an action of presence, as it has been termed.- Catalytic agent, (a) a body which produces chemical changes in another merely by contact; thus yeast resolves sugar, by contact, into carbonic acid and alcohol. (b) In med. a medicine which is presumed to act by the destruction or counteraction of morbid agencies in the blood. Catamaran (kat'a-ma-ran''), n. [Said to be from a Tamil word signifying 'tied logs.'] 1. A kind of float or raft used by some foreign Catamaran. peoples. It consists usually of three pieces of wood lashed together, the middle piece being longer than the others, and having one end turned up in the form of a bow. It is used on the coasts of Coromandel, and particularly at Madras, for conveying letters, messages, &c., through the surf to the shipping in the roads. Catamarans are Catapasm (kat'a-pazm), n. [Gr.katapasma.] A dry powder employed by the ancients to sprinkle on ulcers, absorb perspiration, &c. Catapeltic (kat-a-pel'tik), n. A catapult. Catapeltict (kat-a-pel'tik), a. Pertaining to the catapult. Catapetalous (kat-a-petʼal-us),a. [Gr. kata, against, and petalon, a petal ] In bot. having the petals held together by stamens which grow to their bases, as in the mallow, cataphonics. Cataphonics (kat-a-fon'iks), n. [Gr. kata, against, and phone, sound. The doctrine of reflected sounds, a branch of acoustics; catacoustics. Cataphora (ka-tafʼo-ra), n. [Gr. kataphora, from kata, down, and phero, to bear.] A variety of lethargy or somnolency attended with short remissions or intervals of imperCataphract (kat'a-frakt), n. [L. cataphrac fect waking, sensation, and speech. tes, Gr. kataphraktës, from kataphrassó, to cover.] 1. Milit. a piece of heavy defensive armour formed of cloth or leather strengthened with scales or links, used to defend the breast or whole body, or even the horse as well as the rider. Archers and slingers, cataphracts and spears.' Milton.-2. In zool. the armour of plates or strong scales protecting some animals. Cataphracted (kat'a-frakt-ed), a. In zool. covered with horny or bony plates or scales closely joined together, or with a thick hardened skin. Cataphracti (kat-a-frak'ti), n. pl. [See CATAPHRACT.] A group of acanthopterygious fishes, provided with strong face plates and spines, of which the gurnard is a wellknown example. See SCLEROGENIDE. Cataphractic (kat-a-frak'tik), a. Pertaining to a cataphract; resembling a cataphract Cataphrygian (kat-a-frij'i-an), n. One of a sect of Christian heretics of the second century who followed the errors of Montanus: so named because they first came out of Phrygia. See MONTANIST. Cataplasm (kat'a-plazm), n. [Gr. kataplasma, from kataplassó, to anoint or to spread as a plaster.] In med. a soft and moist substance to be applied to some part of the body; a poultice. Catapucet (kat'a-pús), n. [Fr. catapuce, Sp. and Pg. catapucia. The herb spurge. Chaucer. Catapult (kat'a-pult), n. [L. catapulta, from Gr. katapeltės - kata, against, and palló, to brandish, swing, hurl] 1. One of the great military engines used by ancient nations for discharging missiles against a besieged place: originally distinguished from the ballista as being intended for discharging heavy darts or lances, while the |