MAST

keel of a ship or other vessel, and intended to support the yards, sails, and rigging in general. A mast is composed either of a single piece or of several pieces united by iron bands. When it is of several pieces it is called a built-mast or a made-mast. In all large vessels the masts are composed of several lengths, called lower, top, and topgallant masts; sometimes there is a fourth, called a royal mast; a mast consisting of a single length is called a pole-mast. In a full-rigged ship with three masts, each of three pieces, the masts are distinguished as the foremast, the mainmast, and the mizzenmast; and the pieces as the foremast (proper), foretopmast, foretop-gallant mast, &c.-To spend or expend a mast, to have a mast broken in foul weather. Mast (mast), v.t. To fix a mast or masts in; to supply with a mast or masts; to erect the masts of; as, to mast a ship. Mast (mast), n. [A. Sax. most, mast, food; G. mast, from stem of Goth, metan, O. H.G. mazan, to nourish; Goth. mats, food, E. meat; comp. also Ir. mais, meas, an acorn; maise, food; W. mes, acorns, a portion, a meal.] The fruit of the oak and beech or other forest trees; nuts; acorns. [This word has no plural.]

They feed and grow like swine under an oak filling themselves with the mast. South.

Mastax (mas'taks), n. [Gr., a mouth.] The muscular pharynx or 'buccal funnel' into which the mouth opens in most of the Rotifera.

Mast-carling (mast'kär-ling), n. In shipbuilding, one of the large timbers at the side of the mast-rooms that are left deep enough to receive the cross-chocks. Weale. Mast-coat (mast'kōt), n. A conical canvas covering fitted over the wedges round the mast to prevent water oozing down from the decks.

Masted (mast'ed), a. Furnished with a mast or masts; having masts: chiefly used in composition; as, a three-masted vessel. Master (mas'tér), n. [O.E. maister, maistre, O. Fr. maistre, from L. magister, master. See MAGISTER.] 1. One who is placed in authority; one who exercises the chief control over something or some one; one who rules, governs, or directs. More specifically: (a) one who has others under his immediate control; an employer; correlative to slave, servant, assistant, &c.; as, a man who owns slaves is their master; he who has servants is their master; he who has apprentices is their master. It is often used in such compounds as master-printer, master-builder, &c.

Ames.

Our master and mistress seek you. Shak. O thou my friend, my genius, come along, Thou master of the poet and the song. Pope. Nations that want protectors will have masters. (b) One who has possession and the power of controlling or using at pleasure; the owner; proprietor. 'Prospero, master of a full poor cell.' Shak. 'Master of a hundred thousand drachmas.' Addison.

Let every man be master of his time. Shak. It would be believed that he rather took the horse for his subject than his master. Dryden. (c) A chief; a principal; head; leader. Being then appointed master of this design.' Shak. Often used in this sense adjectively; as, a master spirit. 'Her quirks, her reasons, her master reasons.' Shak. (d) In the merchant service, the person intrusted with the care and navigation of a ship: otherwise called Captain.

An unhappy master is he that is made cunning by many shipwrecks. Ascham.

(e) In the royal navy, the officer who navigates the ship under the direction of the captain. He ranks with lieutenants according to date of appointment, but is subordinate to all lieutenants in command. (f) The head of or a teacher in a school; an instructor.

There, in his noisy mansion skilled to rule, The village master taught his little school. Goldsmith. 2. Formerly a respectful title of address, but now hardly so used except to a boy, or by the uneducated to a superior, or by a superior to an inferior, especially ironically. Master doctor, have you brought those drugs? Shak. [This word has assumed the form mister (always written Mr.) when used as a word of civil address before a person's name; as, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones.]-3. A young gentleman; a boy of the better class. 'Little masters and misses in a house.' Swift.

130

4. A man eminently or perfectly skilled in anything, as in any occupation, art, or science; a man eminently skilled in the use of any power, natural or acquired; a proficient, an adept; as, a master of his business, of music, of the violin, of his subject; the old masters.'

Spenser and Fairfax, great masters of our language. Dryden. Never surely did such a controversialist (as St. Paul), such a master of sarcasm and invective, commend with such manifest sincerity and such persuasive emotion, the qualities of meekness and gentleness.

MASTERSHIP

5. A title of dignity: (a) a degree in colleges and universities; as, Master of Arts. (b) The title of the head of some societies or corporations; as, the grand master of the Knights of St. John; the master of Balliol; the master of a lodge of freemasons, &c. (c) A legal title; as, Master of the Rolls; a master in chancery. -The old masters, ancient painters of emi

nence.

The prints hanging round the walls were all engraved from devotional subjects by the old masters. W. Collins.

The little masters, certain German engravers of the sixteenth century, so called from the smallness of their prints.-Master attendant, the officer next in rank to the superintendent of the royal dockyard. Master at arms, a petty officer of the navy, who may be considered the head of the police of the ship; his assistants are called ship's corporals.Master in lunacy, a judicial officer appointed by the lord-chancellor for the purpose of conducting inquiries into the state of mind of persons alleged to be lunatics.-Master of ceremonies. See under CEREMONY.-Master of the horse, the third great officer in the British court. He has the management of all the royal stables and bred horses, with authority over all the equerries and pages, coachmen, footmen, grooms, &c. In solemn cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign.-Master of the household, an officer employed under the treasurer of the household to survey accounts.-Master of the mint. See MINT.— Master of the ordnance,a great officer who has the command of the ordnance and artillery. -Master of the robes. See ROBES.-Master of the Rolls, one of the judges of the chancery division of the High Court of Justice, the keeper of the rolls of all patents and grants that pass the great seal, and of all records of the Court of Chancery. He ranks next after the Lord Chief-justice of the Queen's Bench, and above the Lord Chief-justice of the Common Pleas.-Master of the Temple, the chief ecclesiastical minister of the Temple Church, London.-To be master of one's self, to have the command or control of one's own passions.

Master (master), v. t. 1. To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.

Every one can master a grief but he that has it. Shak. Obstinacy and wilful neglects must be mastered even though it cost blows. Locke.

2. To make one's self master of; to master or overcome the difficulties of; to understand so as to be able to apply or use; as, to master a science.-3. To treat or handle with skill or thoroughness.

I do not take myself to be so perfect in the transactions and privileges of Bohemia as to be fit to handle that part: and I will not offer at that I cannot master. Bacon.

4. To be a master to. 'Rather father thee than master thee.' Shak.-5.† To own or possess. 'Such a beauty as you master now.' Shak. Mastert (mas'tèr), v.i. To be skilful; to excel. Master (mas'ter), a. Belonging to a master; 'Mastering skill.' B. Jonson. chief; principal: often used as the first element in a compound word; as, master-piece, master-mind, &c.

Master-builder (mas'tér-bild-ér), n. 1. The chief builder.

As a wise master-builder I have laid the foundation. 1 Cor. iii. 10.

2. One who employs workmen in building. Master-chord (mas'tér-kord), n. The chief chord; the chord of the dominant. Masterdom (mas'tér-dum), n. Dominion; rule; mastery. [Rare.]

Two spirits of a diverse love Contend for loving masterdom. Tennyson. Masterful (mas'ter-ful), a. 1. Having the skill of a master; indicating or expressive of power or mastery. His masterful, pale face.' E. B. Browning.—2. Inclined to ex

Music resembles poetry, in each

Are nameless graces which no methods teach, And which a master-hand alone can reach. Pope. Master-jest (mas'tèr-jest), n. Principal jest.

Master-joint (mas'tèr-joint), n. In geol. the name given to one of the larger planes of partition which traverse rock-masses, running parallel to each other for considerable distances, as distinguished from the smaller joints which cut the rock in all directions. They are called by quarrymen backs, while the term cutters is applied to the ordinary joints.

Master-key (mas'ter-ke), n. 1. The key that opens many locks, the subordinate keys of which open only one each.-2. Fig. a general clue to lead out of many difficulties. Dryden. Masterless (mas'tèr-les), a. 1. Destitute of

a master or owner.

Spenser.

His silver shield now idle, masterless. 2. Ungovernable; beyond control. Such vast heath-fires are lighted up that they often get to a masterless head. Gilbert White.

The Masterlessness (mas'tèr-les-nes), n. state or quality of being without a master; unrestrainedness. To make such a parade of masterlessness.' Hare. Masterliness (mas'ter-li-nes), n. The condition or quality of being masterly; masterly skill.

Master-lode (mas'tér-lōd), n. In mining, the principal vein of ore in a mine.

Masterly (mas'ter-li), a. 1. Formed or executed with superior skill; indicating thorough knowledge; suitable to a master; most excellent; skilful; as, a masterly design; a masterly performance; a masterly stroke of policy.

The Commons, faithful to their system, remained in a wise and masterly inactivity. Sir J. Mackintosh. 2. Imperious; domineering; arbitrary. JohnMasterly (mas'tér-li), adv. of a master.

son.

With the skill

Thou dost speak masterly.

Shak. Swift.

I think it very masterly written. Master-mariner (mas'tèr-mar-in-ér), n. The commander or captain of a merchant vessel; a skilled mariner holding a certificate of competency to take charge of a vessel. Simmonds.

Master-mind (mas'tër-mind), n. The chief mind; a predominant intellect; a masterspirit.

Master-note † (mas'tër-nōt), n. In music, the leading note (seventh) of the scale. Masteroust (mas'tèr-us), a. Characteristic of a master; masterly; skilful. Milton. Master-passion (mas'ter-pa-shon), n. A predominant passion; as, ambition was his master-passion.

And hence one master-passion in the breast,
Like Aaron's serpent swallows up the rest. Pope.

Master-piece (mas'tér-pes), n. 1. A per

formance superior to anything of the kind or to anything by the same person; anything done or made with superior or extraordinary

skill.

This wondrous master-piece I fain would see. Dryden. It is a master-piece of outward show, and when examined it gives the people little or nothing but the name of constitution. Brougham.

2. Chief excellence or talent. Dissimulation was his master-piece. Clarendon. Mastership (mas'tėr-ship), n. 1. The state or office of a master; as, the mastership of a college.-2. Superior skill; mastery; superiority; pre-eminence.

Where noble youths for mastership should strive. Dryden. 3. Chief work; master-piece.

Two youths of royal blood, renown'd in fight, The mastership of heav'n in face and mind. Dryden. 4. Term of address.

How now, Signior Launce! what news with your mastership! Shak.

MAT

Mat (mat), v.t. pret. & pp. matted; ppr. matting. 1. To cover or lay with mats.-2. To twist together; to interweave like a mat; to entangle.

And o'er his eyebrows hung his matted hair. Dryden. Mat (mat), v.i. To grow thick together; to become interwoven like a mat. Mat, Matt (mat), n. [Perhaps contr. of matter.] In copper-smelting, the alloy of copper, tin, iron, &c., otherwise called White-metal.

Matachin, n. See MATTACHIN.

Mataco (mat'a-kō), n. The three-banded armadillo; an edentate mammal of the genus Dasypus (D. tricinctus of Linn.), remarkable for its power of rolling itself into a ball when alarmed.

Matador, Matadore (mat'a-dōr), n. [Sp., from matar, L. mactare, to kill, to sacrifice.] 1. One who kills; the killer; the man appointed to kill the bull in bull-fights. He is handsomely dressed; in his right hand he carries a naked sword, and in his left the muleta, a small stick with a piece of scarlet silk attached. When the bull is excited to fury by the annoying attacks of the picadores and banderilleros, the matador steps gravely up and plunges his sword into the animal near the left shoulder-blade, when it drops dead at his feet. -2. One of the three principal cards in the games of ombre and quadrille, which are always two black aces and the deuce in spades and clubs, and the seven in hearts and diamonds. These are termed murdering cards, because they win all others.

Matafund (mat'a-fund), n. [Sp. matar, to kill, and L. funda, a sling.] A kind of sling. "That murderous sling the matafund.' Southey.

Matamata (mä-ta-mä'ta), n. A curious South American tortoise, with a small carapace and exposed head and feet. Its brown carapace is covered with pyramidal eminences, and its body is curiously fimbriated. It is the Chelys fimbriata.

Match (mach), n. [Fr. mèche, a match, Pr. mecha, It. miceia, L. and Gr. myxus, myxos, the nozzle of a lamp.] Anything that catches fire readily either from a spark or by friction, and is used for retaining, conveying, and communicating fire. Formerly, hemp, flax, cotton, or tow dipped in sulphur, coarse paper saturated with nitre, splints of wood tipped with sulphur, a species of dry wood called touchwood, were used as matches, but these have been almost entirely superseded for domestic purposes by lucifer or congreve matches, or varieties of them under the name of vesuvians, fusees, vestas, &c.-Quick match, a match made of threads of cotton, or cotton wick, steeped in gummed brandy or whisky, then soaked in a paste of mealed powder and gummed spirits, and afterwards strewed over with mealed powder. It burns at the rate of a yard in 13 seconds, and is used to prime heavy mortars, &c.-Slow match, a match made to burn very slowly, as at the rate of 4 or 5 inches an hour, and used for blasting purposes, artillery, &c.-To prime a match, is to prepare the match so as to be easily ignitible by putting on the end of it some wet bruised powder, made into a sort of paste.

Match (mach), n. [Another form of O.E. and Sc. make, a mate, companion, or equal; A. S. maca, gemaca, a mate, a wife. See MAKE and also MATE.] 1. A person equal or similar to another in quality; one able to mate or cope with another; an equal; a mate; a companion.

Government... makes an innocent man, though of the lowest rank, a match for the mightiest of his fellow-subjects. Addison.

2. The bringing together of two parties suited to one another, as for a union, a trial of strength or skill, a contest, or the like; specifically, (a) a competition for victory; a union of parties for contest, as in games or sports.

A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.
Dryden.

(b) Union by marriage.

Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than those of its own making. Boyle. 3. One to be married; one to be gained in marriage.

She inherited a fair fortune of her own, ... and was looked upon as the richest match of the West. Clarendon.

Match (mach), v. t. 1. To be a match or mate for; to be able to compete with; to equal.

Eternal might

To match with their inventions they presum'd So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn. Milton. 4. To suit; to make equal; to make to correspond or harmonize; to proportion. 'Matching of patterns and colours." Swift.

Let poets match their subject to their strength. Roscommon. 5. To marry; to give in marriage.

A senator of Rome, while Rome surviv'd,
Would not have match'd his daughter with a king.
Addison.

6. To join in any way; to combine; to couple. 'A sharp wit matched with too blunt a will.' Shak.

Match (mach), v.i. 1. To be united in marriage.

I hold it a sin to match in my kindred. Shak. Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep. Dryden.

2. To be of equal size, figure, or quality; to tally; to suit; to correspond. Match (mach), v.t. To purify, as vessels, by burning a match in them. Matchable (mach'a-bl), a. 1. Equal; suitable; fit to be joined; fit to be placed in competition or comparison; comparable.

Sir Walter Raleigh, so far as he hath gone in the History of the World, is matchable with the best of the ancients. Hakewill.

2. Correspondent. [Rare.]

Those at land that are not matchable with any upon our shores, are of those very kinds which are found nowhere but in the deepest parts of the sea. Woodward.

Matchableness (mach'a-bl-nes), n. The state or quality of being matchable; correspondence. B. Jonson.

Match-boarding (mach'bord-ing), n. A term applied to wall linings, executed in wood, in which each plank has a tongue along the edge to fit into a groove in the adjoining plank. Frequently each plank is beaded in front on the edge where the groove is, and in this case the lining is properly called matched and beaded boarding.

Brande & Cox.

A coarse

Match-cloth (mach'kloth), n. woollen cloth. [American.] Match-coat (mach'köt), n. A large loose coat made of match-cloth. [American.] Match-cord (mach'kord), n. A line or cord prepared as a match.

Matcher (mach'èr), n. One who matches. Matchless (mach'les), a. 1. Having no equal; unequalled; unrivalled; as, matchless impudence; matchless love or charms. 'A matchless queen.' Waller. 2. Not paired; not alike.

Als as she double spake, so heard she double, With matchless eares deformed and distort. Spenser. Matchlessly (mach'les-li), adv. In a matchless manner; in a degree not to be equalled. Matchlessness (mach'les-nes), n. The state or quality of being matchless; without an equal.

Matchlock (mach'lok), n. Originally, the

1, Matchlock. 2, Lock: a, Slit for the match.

lock of a musket, containing a match for firing; hence, a musket fired by means of a match.

Matchlockman (mach'lok-man), n. A soldier armed with a matchlock. W.H. Russell. Match-maker (mach'mak-ér), n. One who makes matches for burning. One who Match-maker (mach'māk-ér), n. contrives or effects a union by marriage. Match-making (mach'māk-ing), n. The act of making matches. Match-making (mach'māk-ing),a. Tending

MATERIAL

to make matches; eager to make matches or bring about marriages.

Mingled with these groups were three or four match-making mammas. Dickens.

Match-plane (mach'plan), n. Either of the two planes used in joining boards by grooving and tonguing, one plane, called the plough, being used to form the groove, and the other plane to form the corresponding tongue.

Match-tub (mach'tub), n. In old war-vessels, a tub having a cover perforated with holes, in which lighted slow matches were kept inverted, and in which there was water to extinguish sparks that might fall from the match.

Mate (mat), n. [In some, perhaps all, of its meanings another form of make, a mate. See MAKE, n.; comp. also O.D. maet, D. maat, companion, mate; perhaps from same root as E. mete, to measure, Goth. mitan, to measure.] 1. One who customarily associates with another; a companion; an associate.-2. A husband or wife.

3. One of a pair of animals which associate for propagation and the care of their young. 4. A suitable companion; an equal; a match. Your pride is yet no mate for mine. Tennyson. 5. An officer in a ship whose duty is to assist the master or commander. In a merchant ship the mate, in the absence of the master, takes command of the ship. Large ships have a first, second, and third mate.-6. În general, a subordinate officer; an assistant; as, master's mate; surgeon's mate, &c. Mate (mat), v.t. pret. & pp. mated; ppr. mating. 1. To match; to marry.

The hind that would be mated by the lion
Must die for love.
Shak.

2. To match one's self against; to oppose as equal; to vie with; to cope with; to equal. For thus the mastful chestnut mates the skies. Dryden.

Mate (mat), n. [A contr. of checkmate (which see).] In chess, the state of the king when he is in check and cannot move out of check, the position by which the player whose king is so situated loses the game.

Like a stale at chess, where it is no mate, but yet the game cannot stir. Bacon.

Mate (mat), v.t. In chess, to checkmate (which see).

Mate (mat), v.t. [Fr. mater, to fatigue, enfeeble, from 0. Fr. mat, worn out or exhausted, which is the same word as D. mat, G. matt, It. matto, Sp. Pg. mate, all from the chess term, Per. shah mat = E. checkmate, lit. the king is dead.] To stupefy; to confound; to appal; to enervate; to subdue; to crush. Not mad but mated; how, I do not know.' Shak.

Audacity doth almost bind and mate the weaker sort of minds. Bacon.

Twenty years of depression and continual failure mated the spirits of the cavaliers. Hallam.

Matet (mat), v.i. To be insensate. Mate, pp. of mate. Dejected; crushed; struck dead. Chaucer.

Maté (mä'ta), n. [Properly yerba de maté, mate being originally the term applied in Brazil to the vessels, usually made of gourds or calabashes, in which the herb was infused for drinking. The Paraguay name of the Ilex paraguayensis of botanists, or Brazilian holly, whose leaves are used extensively in South America as a substitute for tea. Mateless (mat'les), a. Having no mate or companion. 'Some mateless dove.' Peacham. Matelote (mat'e-lot), n. [Fr., from matelot, a sailor.] A dish of food composed of many kinds of fish.

Mateology (mat-e-ol'o-ji), n. [Gr. mataios, vain, and logos, discourse.] A vain discourse or inquiry. Bailey. [Rare.] Mateotechny (mat'e-o-tek"ni), n. [Gr. mataios, vain, and techne, art.] Any unprofitable science. [Rare.]

Mater (ma'ter), n. [L.; one of those words that occur throughout the Indo-European or Aryan family. See MOTHER.] Mother. In anat. one of the two membranes that cover the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord, distinguished from each other by the epithets dura and pia. See DURA MATER, PIA MATER. Mater aceti, mother of vinegar; a fungus or mould-plant which appears on the surface of vinegar, forming thereon a thick leatherlike coat. It belongs to the genus Mycoderma.

Material (ma-te'ri-al), a. [L. materialis, material, from materia, matter. See MATTER.]

MATERIAL

1. Of or pertaining to matter; consisting of matter; not spiritual; as, material substance; material bodies. The material elements of the universe.' Whewell.-2. Pertaining to or affecting the physical nature of man, as distinguished from the moral or religious nature; relating to the bodily wants, interests, and comforts; as, the material well-being of a person.-3. Important; momentous; more or less necessary; having influence or effect.

I shall, in the account of simple ideas, set down only such as are most material to our present purpose. Locke.

The men of the north, for the sake of material interests, succumbed to a course of treatment which their more sturdy ancestors would not have endured from an English ministry. W. Chambers.

4. In logic, pertaining to the matter of a thing and not to the form.-5. Possessing sense or ideas; not empty-headed; full of matter. A material fool!' Shak. [Rare.] SYN. Corporeal, bodily, important, weighty, momentous, essential.

Material (ma-tē'ri-al), n. Anything composed of matter or possessing the fundamental properties of matter; the substance or matter of which anything is made, fabricated, or constructed; as, wool is the material of cloth; rags are the material of paper. The plural materials is often used in this sense; as, stones, bricks, timber, mortar, slates, &c., are the materials used in building.-Raw material, unmanufactured material; material in its natural state.

The currier and tanner find their whole occupation in converting raw material into what may be termed prepared material. F. S. Mill. -Strength of materials, that power by which any substance, as a rod, bar, beam, chain, or rope, resists any effort to destroy the cohesion of its parts, whether by pulling or stretching, crushing, lateral or longitudinal pressure. The inquiry into the laws by which the materials employed in the construction of edifices or machines resist the strains to which they are subjected, is a branch of mechanical science of considerable importance, because upon a just adaptation of the strength at any one point to the strain there experienced (and an excess or deficiency of the former is nearly equally injurious) depends the stability of the whole. Material (ma-tē'ri-al), v.t. To materialize. Sir T. Browne.

Materialism (ma-te'ri-al-izm), n. 1. The doctrine which denies the existence of any spiritual substance, and holds that the mind is mere matter, or a product of the material organization: opposed to spiritualism.

The irregular fears of a future state had been supplanted by the materialism of Epicurus. Buckminster.

2. Matter; material substances in the aggregate. [Rare.]-3. The tendency to give undue attention and care to our material nature and its wants to the neglect of our spiritual.

Materialist (ma-te'ri-al-ist), n. One who holds the doctrine of materialism.

He who denies spirit in man or in the universe is a perfect materialist. Fleming. Materialistic, Materialistical (ma-të'rial-ist"ik, ma-te'ri-al-ist"ik-al), a. Relating to or partaking of materialism.

Kingsley.

But to me his very spiritualism seemed more materialistic than his physics. Materiality (ma-tē'ri-al”i-ti), n. The quality of being material: (a) material existence; corporeity; the fact of consisting of matter. Spinoza, ever systematically consistent, pursued the doctrine to its inevitable consequence, the materiality of God. F. S. Mill.

It will be observed that Laplace's hypothesis goes entirely upon the materiality of heat, and is inconsistent with any vibratory theory. Whewell.

(b) Importance; as, the materiality of facts. Materialize (ma-tē'ri-al-iz), v. t. pret. & pp. materialized; ppr. materializing. 1. To invest with matter; to reduce to a state of matter; to make material.-2. To regard as matter, or as proceeding from or dependent on matter; to explain by the laws appropriate to matter; as, to materialize thought, ideas, life, and the like.

Materializing (ma-te'ri-al-iz-ing), a. Directed towards materialism.

As the perception of a spiritual Deity can only be through the mind or the spirit, the mystery might seem more profound according to this view, which, while it repudiated the materializing tendencies of the former system, by its more clear and logical idealism kept up by the strong distinction between God and created things, between the human and divine mind, the all-pervading soul and the soul of Milman.

man.

133

Materially (ma-tē'ri-al-li), adv. In a material manner: (a) In the state of matter. (b) Not formally; substantially.

An ill intention is certainly sufficient to spoil and corrupt an act in itself materially good. South. (c) In an important manner or degree; essentially.

Whatever may be thought of the effect which the study of the law had upon the rights of a subject, it conduced materially to the security of good order by ascertaining the hereditary succession of the Hallam.

crown.

Materialness (ma-te'ri-al-nes), n. The state or quality of being material; import

ance.

Materia Medica (ma-te'ri-a med'i-ka), n. [L] 1. The name given to that branch of medical science which treats of the various substances, natural and artificial, which are employed in the practice of medicine, and embraces an explanation of the nature and modes of action of those substances to which recourse is had in the cure of disease, and which are usually called medicines. Thus defined, it includes both pharmacology and therapeutics.-2. A general term for all the curative substances employed in medicine.

A

Materiariant (ma-te'ri-ā"ri-an), n. materialist. Cudworth. Materiate, Materiated (ma-tē'ri-āt, ma-tē'ri-at-ed), a. [L. materiatus, pp. of materio, to build of matter. See MATERIAL.] Consisting of matter. Bacon. [Rare.] Materiatet (ma-tē'ri-āt), n. A material substance; a thing formed of matter. Materiationt (ma-te'ri-ä"shon), n. The act of forming matter. Sir T. Browne. Matériel (ma-ta-re-el), n. [Fr. See MATERIAL] That in a complex system which constitutes the materials or instruments employed, as the baggage, munitions, provisions, &c., of an army, in distinction from the personnel, or the men; or the buildings, libraries, and apparatus of a college, in distinction from its officers.

Materioust (ma-tē'ri-us), a. Same as Material. Milton.

Maternal (ma-ternal), a. [L. maternus, from mater, mother. See MATER.] Pertaining to a mother; becoming a mother; motherly; as, maternal love; maternal tenderness.

Maternally (ma-térʼnal-li), adv. In a maternal or motherly manner. Maternity (ma-tér'ni-ti), n. [Fr. maternité, from L. maternus. See MATERNAL, MATER.] The state, character, or relation of a mother. -Maternity hospital, a hospital for the reception of women about to give birth to children.

Matfelon (mat'fel-on), n. [W. madfelen.] A plant, Centaurea nigra; knapweed. Matgrass (mat'gras), n. A grass (Nardus stricta) which grows abundantly on moors and heaths in short tufts. It is worthless for agricultural purposes, except as a natural pasture for sheep.

Math (math), n. ̄[A. Sax. mæth, math, from mawan, to mow. See Mow.] A mowing, or what is gathered from mowing: used chiefly in composition; as, aftermath.

The first mowing thereof, for the king's use, is wont to be sooner than the common math. Bp. Hall. Mathematic (ma-the-mat'ik), a. Same as Mathematical, but less common. Mathematical (ma-the-mat'ik-al), a. [L. mathematicus. See MATHEMATICS.] 1. Pertaining to mathematics; as, mathematical knowledge; mathematical instruments. 2. According to the principles of mathematics; theoretically precise; very accurate; strict; rigid; as, mathematical exactness. Mathematically (ma-the-mat'ik-al-li), adv. In a mathematical manner; according to the laws or principles of mathematical science; with mathematical certainty; demonstrably.

Mathematician (ma'thē-ma-ti"shan), n. [Fr. mathématicien. See MATHEMATICS.] Öne versed in mathematics.

Mathematics (ma-the-mat'iks), n. [L. mathematica; Gr. mathematike (techně, art, understood), from math, root of manthano, mathesomai, to learn.] The science that treats of the properties and relations of quantities; the science in which known relations between quantities are subjected to certain processes which enable other relations to be deduced. This science (or group of sciences) is divided into pure, which considers quantity abstractly, without relation to matter, and comprehends such branches as arithmetic, geometry, algebra, trigonometry,

MATRASS

the differential and integral calculus, and quaternions; and mixed, which treats of magnitude as subsisting in material bodies, and is consequently interwoven with physical considerations, physical subjects being investigated and explained by mathematical reasoning. This branch comprehends mechanics, astronomy, optics, &c. These are sometimes called the physico-mathematical sciences. The science of mathematics is also distinguished into speculative and practical: in the former, the properties and relations of numbers and magnitudes are contemplated; in the latter, the knowledge of those properties and relations is applied to the solution of problems, and to a variety of practical purposes. [Names of sciences ending in ics, as mathematics, physics, metaphysics, mechanics, optics, exegetics, hermeneutics, &c., although in appearance plural, and in some cases really formed from old singulars (mathematic, mechanic, metaphysic, &c.), are now generally treated as singular, and connected with singular verbs and pronouns. It is probable that the plural form was introduced to indicate the complex nature of these sciences. The Germans and French still write such words in the singular, and we also have retained a number of similar words in the singular, as, arithmetic, logic, music, rhetoric, magic, &c. The singulars physic, metaphysic, &c., are also sometimes used for the more common plural forms.] A fish of the Mathemeg (math'e-meg), n. cod kind, inhabiting Hudson's Bay. Mather (maтH'ér), n. Same as Madder. Mathes (ma'thez), n. An herb: a kind of chamomile.

Mathesis (ma-the'sis), n. [Gr. mathesis, from mathein, 2 aor. inf. of manthano, to learn, to understand. See MATHEMATICS.] Mental discipline; learning or science in general, especially mathematics. Pope. Maticin, Maticine (mat'i-sin), n. A bitter principle obtained from the plant matico. Matico (ma-te kō), n. The Spanish name of Piper angustifolium, nat. order Piperaceæ. In Peru it has long enjoyed a high reputation for its styptic properties, and it has been introduced into this country to arrest hæmorrhages, to check other discharges, such as the profuse expectoration and also the night-sweats of consumptive patients. A species of Eupatorium (E. glutinosum) has the same name and similar properties. Matin (matʼin), a. [Fr. matin; It. mattino, morning, from L. matutinus, pertaining to the morning.] Pertaining to the morning; used in the morning.

Up rose the victor angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung.
Milton.

Matin (mat'in), n. 1.† Morning.

The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,
And gins to pale his uneffectual fire.

Shak.

2. pl. Morning worship or service; morning prayers or songs.

The vigils are celebrated before them, and the nocturn and matins, for the saints whose the relics Stilling fleet.

arc.

Cleaveland.

The winged choristers began
To chirp their matins.
The music and the sprightly scene
Invite us; shall we quit our road and join
These festive matins.
Wordsworth.

3. pl. Time of morning service; the first canonical hour in the Romish Church. Matinal (mat'in-al), a. 1. Relating to the morning or to matins.-2. A term applied by Prof. H. Rogers to the third of his fifteen subdivisions of the Paleozoic strata in the Appalachian chain of North America, the names of which suggest metaphorically the different natural periods of the day; it corresponds to a certain extent with our upper Cambrians.

Matin-dog (matʼin-dog), n. A large kind of dog, allied to the Danish dog, but now scarcely seen except in France, where it is supposed to have been introduced from the north.

Matinée (mat-in-a), n. [Fr., from matin, morning.] An entertainment or reception held early in the day.

Matire,t Matere, n. Matter. Chaucer. Matrass (mat'ras), n. [Fr. matras, a matrass; also, an arrow, a javelin, from L. materis, mataris, matara, a Celtic javelin, a pike of Celtic origin: so called from its long, straight, narrow neck.] A chemical vessel in the shape of an egg, or with a tapering neck open at the top, serving the purposes of digestion, evaporation, &c.; a cucurbit. It is now superseded by the Florence flask.

MATRESS

Matress (mat'res), n. Same as Mattress. Matricaria (mat-ri-ka'ri-a), n. [From L. matrix, matricis, the womb.] A genus of plants of the nat. order Compositæ. They are annual (rarely perennial), branched herbs, with much-divided leaves and yellow heads with white rays, the receptacle being conical, elongated, and flat-topped. There are about seventy species, natives of Europe, North and South Africa, and Western Asia. M. Chamomilla, or wild chamomile, is a British plant, resembling common chamomile in its flowers and smell, and common feverfew in its properties. It grows in cultivated and waste ground. The genus has its name from the supposed efficacy of some of its species in curing disorders of the uterus.

Matrice † (mā'tris), n. Same as Matrix. Matricidal (matʼri-sid-al), a. Pertaining to matricide.

Matricide (matʼri-sid), n. [L. matricidium -mater, matris, mother, and codo, to slay.] The killing or murder of one's mother. Matricide (matʼri-sid), n. [L. matricida.] The killer or murderer of one's mother. Matriculate (ma-trik'ü-lāt), v.t. pret. and pp. matriculated; ppr. matriculating. [L. matricula, a public register, dim. of matrix, matricis, a womb, a female kept for breeding, the parent stem, a public register, from mater, a mother.] To enter in a register; to register; to enrol; especially, to enter or admit to membership in a body or society, particularly in a college or university, by enrolling the name in a register.

In discovering and matriculating the arms of commissaries from North America. "Sir W. Scott. Matriculate (ma-trik'ū-lāt), v.i. To be entered as a member of any body or society. as a college, by having one's name entered in a register.

Matriculate (ma-trik'ū-lāt), a. Matriculated; admitted; enrolled.

Matriculate (ma-trik'ü-lāt), n. One who is matriculated or enrolled in a register, and thus admitted to membership in a society. Matriculation (ma-trik'ü-lä"shon), n. The act of matriculating, or of registering a name and admitting to membership. Matrimonial (mat-ri-mō'ni-al), a.~ [L. matrimonialis, pertaining to marriage. See MATRIMONY.] 1. Pertaining to marriage; connubial; nuptial; hymeneal; as, matrimonial rights or duties.-2. Derived from marriage.

If he (Henry VII.) relied upon that title, he could be but a king at courtesy, and have rather a matrimonial than a regal power. Bacon.

-Matrimonial causes, in law, suits for the redress of injuries respecting the rights of marriage. They were formerly a branch of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, but have been transferred to the jurisdiction of the court for divorce and matrimonial causes by 20 and 21 Vict. lxxxv.-SYN. Connubial, conjugal, sponsal, nuptial, hymeneal. Matrimonially (mat-ri-mo'ni-al-li), adv. In a matrimonial manner; according to the manner or laws of marriage. Matrimonious (mat-ri-mo'ni-us), a. Matrimonial. Foreseeing the miserable work that man's ignorance and pusillanimity would make in this matrimonious business." Milton. [Rare and obsolete.] Matrimony (mat'ri-mo-ni), n. [L. matrimonium, from mater, matris, à mother.] 1. Marriage; wedlock; the union of man and woman for life; the nuptial state.

If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in holy matrimony, ye are to declare it.

Common Prayer. 2. Wife. [Compare wedlock in same sense.] 'Restore my matrimony undefiled.' Beau. & Fl. [Rare.]-3. A game with cards.-4. A name given jocularly to raisins and almonds mixed, and various other common combinations.-Marriage, Wedding, Nuptials, MatSee under MARRIAGE. rimony, Wedlock. Matrix (ma'triks), n. pl. Matrices (mā'trisēz). [L. matrix, from mater, mother.] 1. The womb; the cavity in which the fetus of an animal is formed and nourished till its birth.

All that openeth the matrix is mine. Ex. xxxiv. 19. Hence-2. That which incloses anything, or gives origin to anything, like a womb; as, (a) a mould; as, the matrix of a type. (b) In mining and geol. the rock or main substance in which any accidental crystal, mineral, or fossil is imbedded. In mining, same as GANG, 3. (c) In osteology, the formative portion of a mammalian tooth, consisting of

is a rectangular matrix consisting of four columns and three lines or rows. Matron (mä'tron), n. [Fr. matrone; L. matrona, a married woman, wife, from mater, mother.] 1. A married woman, especially an elderly married woman, or a woman of years sufficient to be the mother of a family, whether actually so or not; a woman possessing the gravity suitable to a mother. 'Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother.' Fuller. 2. In a special sense, a head nurse in an hospital; the female head or superintendent of any institution.-Jury of matrons, in law, a jury of 'discreet and lawful women' impannelled to try whether a widow, who alleges herself to be with child by her late husband, is pregnant, and if so, to ascertain the time of conception and that of the expected delivery. A jury of matrons is also summoned to inquire into the fact of pregnancy in cases where a woman convicted of treason or felony, upon sentence of death being pronounced, pleads, in stay of execution, that she is with child. Matronage (mā'tron-āj), n. 1. The state of a matron.-2. Matrons collectively.

Can a politician slight the feelings and convictions of the whole matronage of his country? Hare. Matronal (ma'tron-al), a. [L. matronalis, from matrona. See MATRON.] Pertaining to a matron; suitable to an elderly lady or to a married woman; grave; motherly.

The widow of Ferdinando the younger, being then of matronal years of seven-andtwenty.' Bacon.

Matronhood (ma'tron-hud), n. State of a
matron. Miss Jewsbury.
Matronize (mä'tron-iz), v.t. 1. To render
matronlike.

Childbed matronizes the giddiest spirits.
Richardson.

2. To act as a mother to; to chaperon; as, she wants to matronize me in the streets. Matronlike (ma'tron-lik), a. Having the manners of an elderly woman; grave; sedate; becoming a matron. Matronlike both manners and attire.' Sir J. Harington. Matronly (ma'tron-li), a. Elderly; advanced in years; becoming a wife or matron. Painting, polishing, and pruning, beyond a matronly comeliness or gravity.' Jer. Taylor. Matross (mat-ros), n. [D. matroos, Dan. and Sw. matros, G. matrose, a sailor, perhaps from D. maat, a mate.] Formerly, one of the soldiers in a train of artillery, who were next to the gunners, and assisted them in loading, firing, and sponging the guns. They carried firelocks, and marched with the store-waggons as guards and assistants. Mattachin, Matachint (mat'a-chen), n. [Sp.matachin, a dance by grotesquely dressed figures.] A dance with swords in which the performers fenced and struck at each other as in real contest, receiving the blows on their bucklers. To dance a mattachin, to fight a duel. I'd dance a mattachin with you, Should make you sweat your best blood for't, I would, And, it may be, I will. Beau. & FL. Mattamore (mat'ta-mōr), n. [Fr. matamore, from Ar. metmur, a ditch, a cavern, or other subterranean place, in which corn is laid up.] In the East, a subterranean repository for wheat.

Paraguay tea.

Matte (mat), n. [G. matt, dim, dull: applied to metals.] Crude black copper ore reduced but not refined from sulphur, &c. Matte (mat'tā), n. See MATE. Matter (mat'èr), n. [O.E. mattere, matere, O. Fr. matere, Fr. matière, from L. materia, matter, from root of mother.] 1. Body; substance extended; anything perceptible by any of the senses; that of which the whole sensible universe is composed. Matter is usually divided into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and aeriform or gaseous. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone; liquids have free motion among their parts. and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. Aeriform or gaseous substances are

3. In logic and metaph. that which forms the subject of any mental operation, as distinguished from the form, which is that which constitutes the nature of the operation itself, as in the act of conception all that goes to form the concept 'man,' for example, is the matter of that concept, while the mode in which the mind works to produce that concept is the form; and in the act of imagination all that is united in an imaginative representation of 'a centaur' is the matter of that act, the form being the manner in which the mind works as often as it imagines.

The term matter is usually applied to whatever is given to the artist, and consequently, as given, does not come within the province of the art itself to supply. The form is that which is given in and through the proper operation of the art. In sculpture the matter is the marble in its rough state as given to the sculptor; the form is that which the sculptor in the exercise of his art communicates to it. The distinction between matter and form in any mental operation is analogous to this. The former includes all that is given to, the latter all that is given by, the operation. Dean Mansel.

4. Good sense; substance, as opposed to empty verbosity or frivolous jesting. "To speak all mirth and no matter.' Shak.— 5. Subject; thing treated; that about which we write or speak; that which employs thought or excites emotion; as, this is matter of praise, of gratitude, or of astonishment.

Hail, Son of God Saviour of men! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song. Milton, 6. Affair; business; event; course of things; as, matters have succeeded well thus far; observe how matters stand; thus the matter rests at present; thus the matter ended.

To help the matter, the alchemists call in many vanities out of astrology. Bacon.

If the matter should be tried by duel between two champions, the victory should go on the one side. Bacon.

7. Cause or occasion of any event, as of any disturbance, or of a disease, or of a difficulty: obsolete except in the phrase, what is the matter?

And this is the matter why interpreters in that passage in Hosea will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a harlot to wife. Milton.

8. Import; consequence; importance; moment.

A prophet some, and some a poet cry; No matter which, so neither of them lie. Dryden. 9. Thing, in a very general sense.

What impossible matter will he make easy next? Shak. 10. Indefinite amount, quantity, or portion. I have thoughts to tarry a small matter. Congreve. Away he goes to the market-town, a matter of sever Sir R. L'Estrange.

miles.

11. In printing, (a) manuscript to be set up in type; copy. (b) Type set up and ready to be used in printing.-12. [In this special sense our word corresponds with Fr. matière, D. G. materie, Sp. It. materia.] Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is discharged in a tumour, boil, or abscess; purulent substance collected in an abscess, the effect of suppuration more or less perfect; pus. - Matter of fact, a reality, as distinguished from what is fanciful, hypothetical, or hyperbolical. -Matter of record, that which is recorded or which may be proved by record.-Upon the matter, upon the whole matter, on the whole; taking all things into view. [Now rare.]

So that upon the matter, in a great wit, deformity is an advantage to rising. Bacon. Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon the whole matter, equal in foot. Clarendon,

Matter (mat'ér), v. i. 1. To be of importance; to import; to signify: chiefly used in negative and interrogative phrases; as, it does not matter; what does it matter?

It matters not how they were called, so we know who they are. Locke.

2. To form pus; to collect, as matter in an abscess. [Rare.] Each slight sore mattereth. Sidney. Matter (mat'èr), v.t. To regard; to care for. [Rare.]