Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

NUMBER

division of a book published in parts; a part of a periodical; as, the current number of Blackwood.-5. pl. A succession of metrical syllables; poetical measure; poetry; verse. I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came. Pope. 6. In gram. that distinctive form which a word assumes according as it is spoken of or expresses one individual or several individuals. The form which denotes one or an individual is the singular number; the form that is set apart for two individuals (as in Greek and Sanskrit) is the dual number; while that which refers indifferently to two or more individuals or units constitutes the plural number. Hence we say a noun, an adjective, a pronoun, or a verb is in the singular or, the plural number. 7. In phren. one of the perceptive faculties, whose alleged organ is situated a little to the side of the outer angle of the eye, and whose function is to give a talent for calculation in general.-Cardinal, cubic, even, golden, imperfect, irrational, odd, ordinal, perfect, prime, rational, &c., numbers. See under the adjectives.-Number one, self.

No man should have more than two attachments, the first, to number one, and the second to the ladies. Dickens.

Number (num'bér), v.t. [Fr. nombrer. See above.] 1. To count; to reckon; to ascertain the units of; to enumerate.

If a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Gen. xiii. 16. 2. To reckon as one of a collection or multitude.

He was numbered with the transgressors.
Is. liii. 12.

3. To equal in number.

Weep, Albyn, to death and captivity led,
Oh, weep! but thy tears cannot number the dead.
Campbell.

4. To put a number or numbers on; to give the number of; to assign the place of in a numbered series; as, to number a row of houses, or a collection of books.-5. To possess to the number of.

It was believed that the Emperor Nicholas numbered almost a million of men under arms.

Kinglake. 6. To amount to; to reach the number of; as, the force under the command of Cæsar numbered 45,000 men.-SYN. To count, enumerate, calculate, tell.

Numberer (num'bér-er), n. One that num

bers.

[blocks in formation]

Numbering-machine (num'ber-ing-mashen), n. A machine for impressing consecutive numbers on account-books, coupons, railway tickets, bank-notes, &c. One of the principal forms of the apparatus consists of disks or wheels decimally numbered on their peripheries, the whole mounted on one axle upon which they turn freely, acting upon each other in serial order. The first wheel of the series containing the units is moved one figure between each impact, and when the units are exhausted the tens come into action, and act in coincidence with the units; so on of the hundreds, thousands, &c. E. H. Knight.

Numberless (num′ber-les), a. That cannot be counted; innumerable.

I forgive all;

There cannot be those numberless offences 'Gainst me that I cannot take peace with. Shak. Numberoust (num'bèr-us), a. Numerous. Worcester.

Numbers (num'bėrz), n. The title of the fourth book of the Pentateuch: so called because it begins with an account of the numbering of the Israelites in the beginning of the second year after they left Egypt. Numb-fish (num'fish), n. The torpedo, a fish of the ray family, and popularly so called from the numbing effects of the electric shocks it can give. See TORPEDO. Numbles (num'blz), n. pl. [Fr. nombles, numbles, from L. lumbulus, a dim. of lumbus, a loin. Comp. humbles, umbles.] The entrails of a deer.

Numbles, liver, kidneys, &c. . . . The word was variously written nombles, numbles, and very commonly umbles or humbles. Old cookery books gave receipts for 'umble pie,' whence came the saying that a man is made 'to eat humble pie'-to content himself with inferior meat while another may dine from the haunch. The numbles, with the skin, head, chine, and shoulders, used to be the keeper's perquisites. Morley.

280

Numbness (num'nes), n. The state of being numb; that state of a living body in which it has not the power of feeling or motion, as when paralytic or chilled by cold; torpidity; torpor.

Cold numbness straight bereaves
Her corse of sense.
Sir F. Denham.

[Gr. noumeNumenius (nū-mē'ni-us), n. nios, a kind of curlew, from neos, new, and men, the moon, perhaps from its crescentshaped beak.] The genus to which the curlews are referred. They belong to the longirostral family; they have an arcuated beak, slender and round throughout; the tip of the upper mandible extends beyond the end of the lower one, and projects a little downwards in front of it. The toes are palmated at the base. See CURLEW. Numerable (nū'mér-a-bl), a. [L. numerabilis.] Capable of being numbered or counted. 'So numerous in islands that they are scarce numerable.' Sir T. Herbert. Numeral (nu'mèr-al), a. [L. numeralis, from numerus, a number.] 1. Pertaining to number; consisting of number. The dependence of a long train of numeral progressions.' Locke.-2. Expressing number; representing number; as, numeral letters or characters, such as V or 5 for five. Numeral (nu'mèr-al), n. 1. A figure or character used to express a number; as, the Arabic numerals, 1, 2, 3, &c., or the Roman numerals, I, V, X, L, C, &c.-2. In gram. a word expressing a number, as one, two, three, &c.

Numerally (nú’mėr-al-li), adv. In a numeral manner; according to number; in number.

Numerary (nữ'mèr-a-ri), a. Belonging to a certain number.

A supernumerary canon, when he obtains a prebend, becomes a numerary canon. Ayliffe. Numerate (nū'mėr-āt), v.t. and i. pret. & pp. numerated; ppr. numerating. [L. numero, numeratum, to number. See NUMBER.] To count; to reckon; to read according to the rules of numeration. Numeration (nu-mér-a'shon), n. [L. numeratio. See NUMERATE.] 1. The act or art of numbering.

Numeration is but still the adding of one unit more, and giving to the whole a new name or sign. Locke.

2. In arith. notation; the art of expressing in characters any number proposed in words, or of expressing in words any number proposed in characters; the act or art of writing or reading numbers. See NOTA

TION.

Numerator (nū’mėr-āt-ér), n. [L.] 1. One that numbers.-2. In arith, the number in vulgar fractions which shows how many parts of a unit are taken. Thus when a unit is divided into 9 parts, and we take 5, we express it thus, &, that is, five-ninths5 being the numerator and 9 the denominator.

Numeric (nu-mer′ik), a. Same as Numerical. The same numeric crew.' Hudibras. Numerical (nu-mer'ik-al), a. [Fr. numérique, from L. numerus, number.] 1. Belonging to number; denoting number; consisting in numbers not letters; as, numerical characters; a numerical equation; a numerical value. 2. The same in number; hence, identically the same; identical. [Rare.]

Would to God that all my fellow brethren which with me bemoan the loss of their books, with me might rejoice for the recovery thereof, though not the same numerical volumes.

Fuller.

In alg. numerical, as opposed to literal, applies to an expression in which numbers have the place of letters; thus a numerical equation is one in which all the quantities except the unknown are expressed in numbers. As opposed to algebraical it applies to the magnitude of a quantity considered independently of its sign. Thus, the numerical value of -10 is said to be greater than that of -5, though it is algebraically less.

Numerically (nu-mer'ik-al-li), adv. 1. In a numerical manner; in numbers; with respect to numerical quantity; as, parts of a thing numerically expressed; an algebraic expression_numerically greater than another.-2. Individually; as, a thing is numerically the same, or numerically different. Numerist+ (nü'mér-ist), n. One that deals

in numbers.

We cannot assign a respective fatality unto each which is concordant unto the doctrine of the numer ist. Sir T. Browne.

NUMISMATOGRAPHY

Numero (nü'mĕr-ō), n. [Fr. and It.] Number. The figure or mark by which any number of things is distinguished: abbreviated to No.

Numerosityt (nu-mèr-os'i-ti), n. 1. The state of being numerous. Sir T. Browne.2. Harmonious flow; poetical rhythm; harmony.

The numerosity of the sentence pleased the ear. Dr. Parr. [Fr. nuNumerotage (nu'mêr-o-täzh), n. mérotage.] The numbers or system of numbering yarns according to fineness. Numerous (nü'mêr-us), a. [L. numerosus, from numerus, a number.] 1. Being many, or consisting of a great number of individuals; not few; as, a numerous army; a numerous people; numerous objects; attacked by numerous enemies.

Such and so numerous was their chivalry. Milton. 2. Consisting of poetic numbers; rhythmical; melodious; musical. Numerous verse more tuneable than needed lute or harp to add more sweetness.' Milton.

Numerously (nü'mer-us-li), adv. 1. In or with great numbers; as, a meeting numerously attended. 2. † Harmoniously; musically. See NUMEROUS. Numerousness (nū’mēr-us-nes), n. 1. The quality of being numerous or many; the quality of consisting of a great number of individuals; as, the numerousness of an army or of an assembly. L. Addison.2. The quality of consisting of poetic numbers; melodiousness; musicalness.

That which will distinguish his style is the numerousness of his verse. Dryden. Numida (nu'mi-da), n. [From Numidia. See NUMIDIAN.] A genus of gallinaceous birds, including the guinea-fowls. The N. meleagris is the common guinea-hen, originally from Africa. See GUINEA-FOWL. Numidian (nu-mid'i-an), a. Of or pertaining to Numidia, the central tract of country on the north coast of Africa which forms the largest part of the territory now called Algeria. - Numidian crane, a grallatorial bird of the genus Anthropoides, the A. Virgo. It is a native of many parts of Asia and Africa, and is remarkable for the grace and symmetry of its form, and the elegance of its deportment. It measures 3 feet 3 inches in length, its beak is 24 inches long, and the general colour of the plumage is bluegray. It is also termed the Demoiselle. Numidian (nu-mid'i-an), n. A native or inhabitant of Numidia.

Numismatic (nu-mis-mat'ik), a. [L. numisma, money, coin, from Gr. nomisma, coin, lit. what is sanctioned by law, from nomizō, to sanction, to establish by law, from nomos, law or custom.] Pertaining to coins or medals.

Numismatical (nu-mis-matʼik-al), a. Same as Numismatic.

[blocks in formation]

GE IN-SCRIP

-TION

EXERGUE

Ancient coins, however, are often

or

termed medals. The parts of a coin or medal are, the obverse or face,containing generally the head, bust, or figure of the sovereign person in whose honour the medal was struck, or some emblematic figure relating to him; and the reverse, containing various figures or words. The words around the border form the legend, those in the middle or field the inscription. The lower part of the coin, separated by a line from the figures or the inscription, is the basis or exergue, and contains the date, the place where the coin was struck, &c. Numismatist (nu-mis'mat-ist), n. One versed in numismatics; a numismatologist. Numismatography (nu-mis'ma-tog'ra-fi), n. [Gr. nomisma, a coin, and graphō, to write, to describe.] The science which

NUMISMATOLOGIST

treats of coins and medals in their relation to history; numismatics.

Numismatologist (nu-mis'ma-tol"o-jist), n. One versed in numismatology.

Numismatology (nu-mis'ma-tol"o-ji), n. Same as Numismatography. Nummary (num'a-ri), a. [L. nummus, a coin.] Relating to money. Arbuthnot. Nummular (num'u-lér),a. [L. nummularius, from nummus, a coin.] 1. Pertaining to coin or money.-2. Having the character or form of a coin. Sir T. Watson.

Nummulary (num'ū-la-ri), a. [See above.] Pertaining to coin or money; resembling a coin. In med. a term applied to the sputa or expectorations in phthisis, when they flatten at the bottom of the vessel like a piece of money.

Nummuline (num'ü-lin), a. Resembling a nummulite in structural features. H. A. Nicholson.

Nummulite (num'u-lit), n. [L. nummus, money, and Gr. lithos, a stone.] A name common to the members of an extensive class of fossil polythalamous foraminifera, having externally somewhat the appearance of a piece of money (hence their name) without any apparent opening, and internally a spiral cavity, divided by partitions into numerous chambers, communicating with each other by means of small openings. They vary in size from less than th inch to 1 inch in diameter. Nummulites occupy an important place in the history of fossil shells, on account of the prodigious extent to which they are accumulated in the later members of the secondary, and in many of the tertiary strata. They are often piled on each other nearly in as close contact as the grains in a heap of corn. They occur so abundantly in some parts of the miocene formation that the name of nummulitic limestone is given to the strata so characterized. The pyramids of Egypt are eonstructed of stone composed of nummulites. Nummulitic (num-u-lit'ik), a. Pertaining to nummulites; containing nummulites; composed of nummulites.

Numpst (numps), n. [Contr. from numpskull for numskull.] A dolt; a blockhead. Take heart, numps! here is not a word of the stocks. Bp. Parker. Numskull (num'skul), n. [Num or Numb and skull. See NUMB.] A dunce; a dolt; a stupid fellow. They have talked like numskulls.' Arbuthnot.

Numskulled (num'skuld), a. Dull in intellect; stupid; doltish. Swift.

Nun (nun), n. [A. Sax. nunne, a nun; like Dan. nunne, Sw. nunna, G. nonne, Fr. nonne, from Eccles. L. (fifth century) nonna, a nun, nonnus, a monk, L.Gr. nonna, nonnos, supposed to be from Coptic or Egypt. nane, nanu, good, beautiful. Monasteries and convents first arose in Egypt.] 1. A woman devoted to a religious life, and who lives in a cloister or nunnery, secluded from the world, under a vow of perpetual chastity.— 2. A name sometimes given to the bird otherwise called the smew.-3. The blue titmouse.-4. A kind of pigeon of a white colour having its head almost covered with a veil of feathers.

[L.]

Nun-buoy (nun'boi or nun'bwoi), n. A buoy large in the middle and tapering toward each end. See BUOY. Nunc dimittis (nungk di-mit'tis), n. The name given to the canticle of Simeon (Luke ii. 29-32), from the first two words in the Latin version. Nuncheon (nun'shun), n. [Perhaps a form of luncheon (which see), but it has been plausibly derived from noon and shun. 'Richardson notes that it is spelled noon-shun in Browne's Pastorals, which must suggest as plausible, if nothing more, that the 'nuntion' was originally the labourer's slight meal, to which he withdrew for the shunning of the heat of noon: above all when in Lancashire we find noon-scape, and in Norfolk noon-miss, for the time when labourers rest after dinner.' Trench.] 1. A meal eaten about noon, or a portion of food taken between meals. Lamb.

Laying by their swords and truncheons, They took their breakfasts or their nuncheons.

Hudibras. 2. A supply or piece of food such as might serve for a luncheon. Halliwell. Nunciate (nun'shi-āt), n. [See NUNCIO.] One who announces; a messenger; a nuncio. Nunciature (nun'shi-at-ür), n. The office of a nuncio. Clarendon. Nuncio (nun'shi-ō), n. [Sp. nuncio, It. nun

281

zio, from L. nuncius, a messenger, O.L. nountius, contr. for noventius, from novus, new, lit. one who brings news.] 1. An ambassador of the first rank (not a cardinal) representing the pope at the court of a sovereign entitled to that distinction. A papal ambassador of the first rank, who is at the same time a cardinal, is styled a legate. (See LEGATE.) Since the time of the Council of Trent the nuncios have acted as judges of appeal from the decisions of the respective bishops in those countries which are subject to the decretals and discipline of the Council of Trent. In other Catholic kingdoms and states holding themselves independent of the court of Rome in matters of discipline, the nuncio has merely a diplomatic character like the minister of any other foreign power.-2. A messenger; one who brings intelligence. Shak. Nunclet (nung'kl), n. A contraction for Mine Uncle. This was the licensed appellation given by a fool to his master or superior. 'How now, nuncle?' Shak. Nuncupatet (nun'kū-pāt), v.t. [L. nuncupo, to call by name, to nominate, to vow in public-nomen, name, and capio, to take.] 1. To vow publicly and solemnly.

The Gentiles nuncupated vows to them (idols). Dr. Westfield. 2. To dedicate; to inscribe. You should, on my advice, have nuncupated this handsome monument of your skill and dexterity to Evelyn. some great one.

3. To declare orally (a will or testament). Barrow.

Nuncupation + (nun-kū-pā'shon), n. The act of nuncupating or of naming or dedicating. Chaucer.

Nuncupative (nun-kū'pāt-iv), a. [From L. nuncupo, to declare.] 1. t Pertaining to naming, nominating, vowing, or dedicating. Fotherby.-2. In law, oral; not written. A nuncupative will, one made by the verbal declaration of the testator, and depending merely on oral testimony for proof, though afterwards reduced to writing. Nuncupative wills are now abolished, but with a proviso, that any soldier in actual military service, or any mariner or seaman at sea, may dispose of his personal estate by an oral testament, before a sufficient number of witnesses. In Scots law, a nuncupative legacy is good to the extent of £100 Scots, or £8, 68. 8d. sterling. If it exceed that sum it will be effectual to that extent, if the legatee choose so to restrict it, but ineffectual as to the rest. A nuncupative or verbal nomination of an executor is ineffectual.

Nuncupatory (nun-ku'pa-to-ri), a. Nuncupative; oral. Swift.

Nundinal, Nundinary (nun'din-al, nun'din-a-ri), a. [L. nundinalis, from nundina, a fair or market; originally one held every ninth day, from novem, nine, and dies, a day, every nine days.] Pertaining to a fair or to a market day.-Nundinal letter, among the ancient Romans, one of the eight first letters of the alphabet, which were repeated successively from the first to the last day of the year. One of these always expressed the market-days, which returned every nine days.

Nundinal (nun'din-al), n. A nundinal

letter.

Nundinate + (nun'din-āt), v.i. To buy and sell at fairs. Cockeram.

Nundination + (nun-di-nā'shon), n. Traffic at fairs. "Their common nundination of pardons.' Abp. Bramhall.

Nung (nung), n. A large package or bale; specifically, a package of cloves. Simmonds. Nunnation (nun-na'shon), n. In Arabic gram., from the name of N, the pronunciation of n at the end of words. Nunnery (nun'èr-i), n. [From nun.] A house in which nuns reside; a cloister in which females, under a vow of chastity and devoted to religion, reside during life. Nunnishness (nun'ish-nes),n. The habits or manners of nuns. Worcester. Nup,t n. Same as Nupson. Nuphar (nü'fär), n. [Ar. nufar, a waterlily.] A genus of plants of the nat. order Nymphæaceæ; the yellow water-lily. The species are natives of northern climates. Two of them are British, N. lutea or yellow water-lily, and N. pumila, least yellow water-lily. The first has golden yellow flowers having a strong smell resembling some kinds of wine. It grows in rivers and pools, and is one of the most beautiful of our native plants. N. pumila grows in lakes in Scotland. N. advena is the common North American species.

NURSE-POND

Nupsont (nup'son), n. A fool; a simpleton. 'Having matched with such a nupson.' B. Jonson.

Nuptial (nup'shal), a. [L. nuptialis, from nuptiæ, marriage, from nubo, to marry.] Pertaining to marriage; used or done at a wedding; as, nuptial rites and ceremonies; nuptial torch; the nuptial knot or band. Nuptials (nup'shalz), n. pl. [L. nuptiæ (pl.), a wedding. ] Marriage. This word has now always the plural ending; but the old writers generally, and Shakspere invariably, used nuptial.

This looks not like a nuptial. Shak.

Her should this Angelo have married; was affianced to her by oath and the nuptial appointed. Shak. -Marriage, Wedding, Nuptials, Matrimony, Wedlock. See under MARRIAGE.

Nur, Nurr (ner), n. [Probably should have an initial k or g; comp. knur, knurl, gnarl.] A hard knot in wood; a knob; a wooden ball used in the game of hockey and that of nurr-and-spell (which see). Nuraghe (ny-rä'gā), n. Same as Noraghe. Nuremberg-egg (nö'rm-berg-eg), n. A peculiar watch or pocket clock, originally of an oval form, and generally believed to have been invented at Nuremberg. Nurr-and-spell (ner'and-spel), n. A game like trap-ball, played with a wooden ball called a nurr. The ball is released by means of a spring from a little brass cup at the end of a tongue of steel called a spell or spill. Nurse (ners), n. [O.E. nourse, norse, nourrice, &c., Fr. nourrice, a nurse, from L. nutrix, nutricis, a nurse; nutrio, to nourish, to suckle. See NOURISH.] 1. One who tends or takes care of the young, sick, or infirm; more specifically, (a) a female who suckles the infant of another, or who has the care of a child or children.

Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? Ex. ii. 7. (b) One having the care of sick persons; an attendant (generally a female) in an hospital.

Sat with her, read to her, night and day,
And tended her like a nurse.

Tennyson.

2. One who or that which nurtures, trains, cherishes, or protects. The country, our dear nurse.' Shak. 'Sleep, nature's soft nurse.' Shak. 'The nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise.' Burke.

O Caledonia! stern and wild,

Meet nurse for a poetic child. Sir W. Scott. 3. The state of being nursed; as, to put a child to nurse. Put out her £1000 at nurse.' Lord Lytton.

Can wedlock know so great a curse

As putting husbands out to nurse. Cleaveland. 4. In hort. a shrub or tree which protects a young plant. See DRY-NURSE, WET-NURSE. Nurse (nėrs), v.t. pret. & pp. nursed; ppr. nursing. 1. To feed and tend generally in infancy; to suckle; to nourish at the breast. O, that woman that cannot make her fault her husband's occasion, let her never nurse her child herself, for she will breed it like a fool. Shak.

2. To rear; to nurture; to bring up. Is. lx. 4.

The Niseans in their dark abode Nursed secretly with milk the thriving god. Addison.

3. To tend in sickness or infirmity; to take care of; as, to nurse an invalid or an aged person.

nurse me.'

'Certainly not,' said John, 'she shall never help to Dickens. to

4. To promote growth or vigour in; as, nurse a feeble animal or plant. To nurse the saplings tall.' Milton. He found his father nursing a bright fire.' T. Hughes. 5. Fig. to foment; to encourage; to foster. 'Have nursed this woe.' Shak.

By what hands has vice been nursed into so uncontrolled a dominion? Locke.

6. To manage with care and economy, with a view to increase; as, to nurse our national resources.-7. To caress; to fondle; to dandle.

(She) hung upon her father, and nursed his cheek against hers as if he were some poor dull child in pain. Dickens. The doctor turned himself to the hearth-rug, and putting one leg over the other, he began to nurse it. Trollope. Nurse-child (ners'child), n. A child that is nursed; a nursling. Sir J. Davies. Nurse-maid (ners mad), n. A maid-servant employed in nursing children. Nurse-name (nėrs'nām), n. A nickname. Camden.

Nurse-pond (nèrs'pond), n. A pond for young fish. A nurse-pond or feeding-pond.' Iz. Walton.

[blocks in formation]

5. The place where anything is fostered and the growth promoted. To see fair Padua, nursery of arts.' Shak.-6. That which forms and educates.

This keeping of cows is of itself a very idle life, and a fit nursery for a thief. Spenser.

-Nursery gardener, a nursery-man. Nursery-governess (nèrs'èr-i-gu-vèrn-es), ገ. A governess for young children. Nursery-man (ners'èr-i-man), n. One who owns a nursery of plants; one employed in the cultivation of a nursery. Nursing-bottle (ners'ing-bot-1), n. A bottle fitted with a tube and teat to enable an infant to draw milk from it by the natural action of sucking.

'I

Nursling (ners'ling), n. [Nurse, and dim. term. ling.] One who or that which is nursed; an infant; a child; a fondling. was his nursling once.' Milton. Nurstlet (ners), v.t. Same as Noursle. Nurture (nertür), n. [Fr. nourriture, from nourrir, to nourish. See NOURISH.] 1. The act of nursing or nourishing.-2. Education; training; discipline; good-breeding.

[blocks in formation]

Nut (nut), n.

[A. Sax. hnut, hnyt, Icel. hnot, O.H.G. hnuz, Dan. nöd, G. nuss, Gael. enudh.] 1. The fruit of certain trees and shrubs which have the seed inclosed in a bony, woody, or leathery covering, not opening when ripe. Among the best known and most valuable nuts are the hazel-nut, the Brazil-nut (the fruit of the Bertholletia excelsa), the walnut, chestnut, and cocoa-nut, all of which are edible. Other nuts are used in medicine, and for purposes connected with the arts. Specifically-2. In bot. a bony pericarp containing a single seed, to which it is not closely attached.

The strawberry has a fleshy succulent torus, covered with small nuts. This form of the pericarp must not be confounded with the fruit usually called a nut. Henslow.

3. In mach. a small cylinder or other body, with teeth or projections corresponding with the teeth or grooves of a wheel.-4. The projection near the eye of an anchor.-5. A small block of metal or wood, with an internal or female screw, used for a great variety of purposes, but most commonly put upon the end of a screw-bolt to keep it firmly in its place. In this way beams of wood or metal are joined together and held by compression, the bolt between the head and the nut being a tie. See SCREW.-6. In firearms, the tumbler of a gun-lock. - Axle-nut, a block or nut screwed on to the ends of the spindles or arms of carriage axles to hold the wheels on

282

the spindles.-A nut to crack, a difficult problem to solve; a puzzle to be explained.

No wonder that to others the nut of such a character was hard to crack. Lord Lytton.

Nut (nut), v.i. To gather nuts.

A. W. went to angle with Will. Staine of Merton College to Wheatley-bridge, and nutted in Shotover by the way. A. Wood. Nutant (nu'tant), a. [L. nutans, nutantis, ppr. of nuto, to nod.] In bot. drooping or nodding: applied to stems, &c., when bent towards the end near the flower, as in the narcissus, Scilla nutans, &c.

Nutation (nu-ta'shon), n. [L. nutatio, a nodding, from nuto, freq. from nuo, to nod.] 1. A nodding.

So from the midmost the mutation spreads, Round and more round, o'er all the sea of heads. Pope.

2. In astron. a small subordinate gyratory movement of the earth's axis, in virtue of which, if it subsisted alone, the pole would describe among the stars, in a period of about nineteen years, a minute ellipsis, having its longer axis directed towards the pole of the ecliptic, and the shorter, of course, at right angles to it. The consequence of this real motion of the pole is an apparent approach and recess of all the stars in the heavens to the pole in the same period; and the same cause will give rise to a small alternate advance and recess of the equinoctial points, by which, in the same period, both the longitudes and right ascensions of the stars will be also alternately increased or diminished. This nutation, however, is combined with another motion, viz. the precession of the equinoxes, and in virtue of the two motions the path which the pole describes is neither an ellipsis nor a circle, but a gently undulated ring; and these undulations constitute each of them a nutation of the earth's axis. Both these motions and their combined effect arise from the same physical cause, viz. the action of the sun and moon upon the earth. See PRECESSION.-3. In pathol. a constant nodding or oscillation of the head, by which it moves involuntarily in one or more directions. Dunglison.

Nut-bone (nut'bon), n. In farriery, a sesamoid bone at the posterior side of the pastern-joint. Goodrich.

Nut-breaker (nut'brak-ér), n. A name of the nut-cracker and of the nut-hatch. Nut-brown (nut'broun), a. Brown as a nut long kept and dried. The spicy, nut-brown ale. Milton.

Nut-cracker (nut'krak-ér), n. 1. An instrument for cracking hard-shelled nuts.-2. The name of an insessorial bird rarely seen in Britain. It is generally referred to the crow family, and so placed as to approximate either to the woodpeckers or starlings. Nucifraga caryocatactes, or European nutcracker, is about the size of the jackdaw, but with a longer tail. It combines to a considerable extent the habits of the woodpeckers and those of the omnivorous birds. It has received the name of nut-cracker from its feeding upon nuts. The N. hemispila is found in the Himalaya Mountains; and the N. columbiana, noted for the diversified beauty of its plumage, frequents rivers and sea-shores in America. Called sometimes Nut-breaker. Nut-fastening (nut'fas-n-ing), n. See NUT

LOCK.

Nut-gall (nut'gal), n. An excrescence of the oak. See GALL.

Nut-hatch (nut'hach), n. [The hatch is probably a softened form of hack.] The

Nut-hatch (Sitta europea). common name of birds of the genus Sitta. The common European nut-hatch (S. europaea) is a scansorial bird, of shy and solitary

NUTPE

habits, frequenting woods and feeding on insects chiefly. It also eats the kernel of the hazel-nut, breaking the shell with great dexterity. The female lays her eggs in holes of trees, and hisses like a snake when disturbed. Called also Nut-breaker, Nutjobber, and Nut-pecker.

Nuthetes (nu'thet-ez), n. [Gr. noutheteo, I admonish or put in mind. ] A fossil lizard from the Purbeck beds of the upper oolite, so called from its affinities to the monitors of India.

Nut-hook (nut'hök), n. 1. A pole with a hook at the end to pull down boughs for gathering the nuts.

She's the king's nut-hook, that when any filbert is ripe, pulls down the bravest boughs to his hand. Dekker. 2. A bailiff who hooks or seizes evil-doers; a catch-poll. Shak. Nut-jobber (nut'job-èr), n. Same as Nuthatch.

Nut-lock (nutlok), n. A device for fastening a bolt nut in place and preventing its becoming loose by the jarring or tremulous motion of the machinery. Called also Nutfastening, Jam-nut.

Nutmeg (nut'meg), n. [O.E. notemugge, the first part being nut, the second from O.Fr. muguette, from L. muscus, musk, in O.Fr. the nutmeg being called noix muguette, the scented nut.] The kernel of the fruit of Myristica moschata or fragrans. (See MYRISTICA.) This fruit is a nearly

[graphic]

Nutmeg (Myristica moschata). spherical drupe of the size and somewhat of the shape of a small pear. The fleshy part is of a yellowish colour without, almost white within, and 4 or 5 lines in thickness, and opens into two nearly equal longitudinal valves, presenting to view the nut surrounded by its arillus. (See MACE.) The nut drops out, and the arillus withers. The nut is oval, the shell very hard and darkbrown. This immediately envelops the kernel, which is the nutmeg as commonly sold in the shops. The tree producing this fruit grows principally in the islands of Banda, in the East Indies, and has been introduced into Sumatra, India, Brazil, and the West Indies. It reaches the height of 20 or 30 feet, producing numerous branches. The colour of the bark of the trunk is a reddish-brown; that of the young branches a bright green. The nutmeg is an aromatic, very grateful to the taste and smell, and much used in cookery.-Nutmeg butter, a solid oil extracted from the nutmeg by expression.— Nutmeg grater, a device in various forms for grating nutmegs. 'Rough as nutmeg grater. Aaron Hill.-Nutmeg oil, a transparent oil, having a specific gravity 948, an odour of nutmeg, and a burning, aromatic taste, got from the seeds of M. fragrans by distillation with water. Nutmegged (nut'megd), a. Seasoned with nutmeg.

Nutmeggy (nut'meg-i), a. Having the appearance or character of a nutmeg.

Again and again I met with the nutmeggy liver, strongly marked. Sir T. Watson. Nutmeg-tree (nut'meg-tre), n. Myristica fragrans or moschata. See NUTMEG. Nut-oil (nut'oil), n. An oil professedly obtained from walnuts, which is thought to be superior to the best linseed-oil for delicate pigments. When deprived of its mucilage it is pale, transparent, and limpid. Ure.

Nutpe (nut'pe), n. An Egyptian divinity, sister and wife of Seb, and mother of Osiris

[graphic]

NUT-PECKER

and Isis, and as such called the mother of the gods. She corresponds to the Greek Rhea.

Nut-pecker (nut'pek-ér), n. Same as Nut-hatch. Nut-pine (nut'pin), n. A species of pine (Pinus monophylla), found in the Rocky Mountains, bearing in its cones nutritious seeds. Simmonds.

Nutria, Neutria (nu'tri-a), n. [Sp. nutria, lutria, lutra, from L. lutra, an otter.] The commercial name for the skins of Myapotamus coypus, the coypou of Molina. See COYPOU. Nutrication t (nu-tri-kä'shon), n. Manner of feeding or being fed.

Besides the teeth, the tongue of this animal is a second argument to overthrow this airy nutrication. Sir T. Browne.

Nutrient (nu'tri-ent), a. [L. nutrio, to nourish.] Nourishing; nutritive; nutritious. Nutrient (nu'tri-ent), n. Any substance which nourishes; a nutritious substance. Nutriment (nu'tri-ment), n. [L. nutrimentum, from nutrio, to nourish.] 1. That which nourishes; that which promotes the growth or repairs the natural waste of animal bodies, or that which promotes the growth of vegetables; food; aliment.

The stomach returns what it has received in strength and nutriment diffused into all the parts of the body. South.

2. Fig. that which promotes development or improvement; pabulum. The nutriment that feeds the mind.' Swift. Nutrimental (nu-tri-men'tal), a. Having the qualities of food; nutritious; nourishing; alimental.

By virtue of this oil vegetables are nutrimental. Arbuthnot. Nutritial+ (nu-tri'shal), a. Connected with or pertaining to nutrition. 'Had nutritial rights.' Chapman.

Nutrition (nu-tri'shon), n. [L. nutritio, from nutrio, to nourish.] 1. The act or process by which organisms, whether vegetable or animal, are able to absorb into their system their proper food, thus promoting their growth or repairing the waste of their tissues; the function by which the nutritive matter already elaborated by the various organic actions loses its own nature, and assumes that of the different living tissues -a process by which the various parts of an organism either increase in size from additions made to already formed parts, or by which the various parts are maintained in the same general conditions of form, size, and composition, which they have already by development and growth attained. It involves and comprehends all those acts and processes which are devoted to the repair of bodily waste, and to the maintenance of the growth and vigour of all living tissues. 2. That which nourishes; nutriment.

Fixed like a plant on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Pope. Nutritious (nu-tri'shus), a. Containing or serving as nutriment; capable of promoting the growth or repairing the waste of organic bodies; nourishing; as, nutritious substances; nutritious food. O may'st thou often see Thy furrows whiten'd by the woolly rain Nutritious. F. Philips. The nutritious juice itself resembles the white of Arbuthnot. an egg in all its qualities.

The

Nutritiously (nu-tri'shus-li), adv. In a nutritious manner; nourishingly. Nutritiousness (nu-tri'shus-nes), n. quality of being nutritious. Nutritive (nu'tri-tiv), a. 1. Having the quality of nourishing; nutritious.

It cannot be very savoury, wholesome, or nutritive. Fer. Taylor.

2. Of, concerned in, or pertaining to nutrition. The nutritive functions.' Dunglison. Nutritively (nu'tri-tiv-li), adv. In a nutritive manner; nutritiously; nourishingly. Nutritiveness (nu'tri-tiv-nes), n. Quality of being nutritive. Nutrituret (nū'tri-tūr), n. The quality of nourishing.

Never make a meal of flesh alone; have some other meat with it of less nutriture. Harvey. Nut-shell (nut'shel), n. The hard shell of a nut; the covering of the kernel or the pericarp: sometimes used proverbially for a thing of little value.

A fox had me by the back, and a thousand pound to a nut-shell, I had never got off again. Sir R. L'Estrange. -To be or lie in a nutshell, to be in small compass; to admit of very brief or simple determination or statement.

283

A nervous patient who is never worried, is a nervous patient cured. There it is in a nut-shell. W. Collins. Nuttalite (nut'al-it), n. [In honour of Thomas Nuttal, an American professor of mineralogy.] Same as Scapolite (which see). Nutter (nut'èr), n. A nut-gatherer. 'Hazelwood, by autumn nutters haunted.' Tenny

son.

Nut-tree (nut'tre), n. The name given to the Corylus Avellana (Linn.), a well-known British hedge tree, of which there are several varieties, as the filbert, cob-nut, &c. Nutty (nut'i), a. 1. Abounding in nuts.2. Having the flavour of nuts; as, nutty wine. Nut-weevil (nut'we-vl), n. An insect, a species of Balaninus, which deposits its eggs in nuts. See BALANINUS. Nut-wrench (nut'rensh), n. An instrument for fixing or removing the nuts on screws. Nux-vomica (nuks-vom'i-ka), n. [A modern Latin name: nux, a nut, and vomeo, to vomit.] The fruit of a

species of Strychnos (S. nuxvomica), growing in various places in the East Indies. It is about the size and shape of a small orange, and has a very bitter acrid taste. It is known as a very virulent poison, and is remarkable for containing the vegeto alkali strychnia,

Strychnos nux-vomica.

Nuzzer, Nuzzerana (nuz'zér, nuz-zer-ä'na), n. In East India, a present or offering made to a superior.

Nuzzlet (nuz'l), v. t. [A form of noursle, from

nurse.] To nurse; to foster.

NYMPHÆА

Nycthemeron (nik-them'e-ron), n. [Gr. nyx, nyktos, night, and hemera, day.] The whole natural day, or day and night, consisting of twenty-four hours.

Nyctibius (nik-tib'i-us), n. [Gr. nyktos, night, and bios, life.] A genus of birds indigenous to South America, belonging to the family Caprimulgidæ, or, as they are now more commonly placed, to the Coraciadæ. Nycticebidæ, Nycticebinæ (nik-ti-se'bi-dē, nik-ti-se'bi-ne), n. pl. [Gr. nyx, nyktos, night, kebos, an ape, and eidos, likeness.] A sub-family of quadrumana, including the Loris. The tail is absent or rudimentary, the ears short and rounded, the eyes large and placed close together. They are nocturnal, slow in their motions, live mostly on trees, and feed on birds, fruit, and insects. They are natives of the eastern portion of the Old World, as Java, Ceylon, &c. Nycticebus (nik-ti-se'bus), n. The kukang or slow-paced loris, the typical animal of Nycticebidæ. See KUKANG.

Nycticorax (nik-ti-kō'raks), n. [Gr. nyktos, night, and korax, a crow or raven.] The night-heron, a genus of birds of the heron tribe. See NIGHT-HERON.

Nyctinomus (nik-tin'o-mus), n. [Gr. nyx, nyktos, night, and nomos, a habitation.] A genus of bats with very large outer ears and extensive wings. N. egyptiacus is of a reddish colour, and about 3 inches in length. It inhabits the tombs and vaults of the large ruins in Egypt.

Nyctipithecus (nik'ti-pi-the"kus), n. [Gr. nyx, nyktos, night, and pithēkos, a monkey.] A genus of American monkeys of the family Cebidae, of which one species is the wellknown douroucouli. They appear to represent the lemur tribe in America. Their habits are nocturnal and their movements cat-like.

Nyctisaura (nik-ti-sa'ra), n. pl. A group of nocturnal lizards belonging to the sub-order Pachyglossa.

Nyctophilus (nik-tof'il-us), n. [Gr. nyx, nyktos, night, and phileo, to love.] A genus of bats of the family Vespertilionidæ, subfamily Rhinolophinæ.

Nyet (ni), v.i. [See NIGH.] To advance; to approach; to draw near. Spenser. Nye (ni), n. [Contr. from nide.] A brood of pheasants.

[graphic]

The people had been nuzzled in idolatry ever so Milton. long before. Nuzzle + (nuz'l), v.i. [Corrupted from nestle.] To house as in a nest; to nestle. Nuzzle (nuz'l), v. t. [From nose.] 1. To put a ring into the nose of, as a hog.-2. To root up with the nose. 1. To work with the Nylgau (nil'ga), n. [Hind. and Per. nil-gau Nuzzle (nuz'l), v.i. nose, as a pig; to rub the nose closely against-nil, blue, and gau, a cow, ox.] The Portax anything, or push it into any soft substance. 2. To go with the nose towards the ground. Sir Roger shook his ears and nuzzled along, well satisfied that he was doing a charitable work. Arbuthnot.

3. To hide the head, as a child in its mother's bosom.-4. To loiter; to idle. [Provincial English.]

Nyas (ni'as), n. Same as Nias. Nyaya (nya'ya), n. [Skr., from ni, into, and aya, a going.] The name of a system of Hindu philosophy, which, amidst a mass of wholly unintelligible doctrines, embodies that of the transmigration of souls, and which makes the highest attainable good of man consist in the emancipation from the destiny of being born again after death. Nyctaginaceae, Nyctagineæ (nik'ta-ji-na"se-e, nik-ta-jin'e-e), n. pl. A nat. order of plants inhabiting the warmer parts of the world. In consequence of the generally purgative quality of the roots of species of this order, one of them was supposed to have been the true jalap plant, which is, however, now known to be a mistake. The Mirabilis, or marvel of Peru, Abronia, and Pisonia are genera. Nyctalopia (nik-ta-lo'pi-a), n. [Gr. nyktalopia, from nyktalõps, able to see by night only-nyx, nyktos, night, and ops, the eye.] 1. The faculty of seeing in darkness or in a faint light, with privation of sight in daylight. 2. The disorder from which this faculty proceeds. The term has also been applied to hemeralopia or night-blindness, the exactly opposite defect of vision. Nyctalops (nik'ta-lops), n. [Gr. nyktalops. See above.] One afflicted with nyctalopia. Same as NycNyctalopy (nik'ta-lō-pi), n. talopia. Nycteris (nik'ter-is), n. [Gr. nykteris, a bat.] A genus of bats belonging to the Rhinolophidae or horseshoe family, especially remarkable for the faculty of distending the skin by blowing through an aperture at the bottom of the cheek-pouch of each side, so that it looks like a balloon furnished with head, wings, and feet. The purpose of this is probably to diminish its specific gravity.

picta or tragocamelus, a species of antelope as large as or larger than a stag, inhabiting the forests of Northern India, Persia, &c. The horns are short and bent forward; there is a beard under the middle of the neck; the hair is grayish blue; there are strongly marked rings on all the feet, just above the hoofs. The female has no horns. The nylgau is much hunted as one of the noblest beasts of the chase. Spelled also Neelghau, Nilghau.

Nymt (nim), v.t. See NIM. Nymph (nimf), n. [L. nympha, Gr. nymphe, a nymph.] 1. In myth. one of a numerous class of inferior divinities, imagined as beautiful maidens, not immortal, but always young, who were considered as tutelary spirits not only of certain localities, but also of certain races and families. They occur generally in connection with some other divinity of higher rank, and they were believed to be possessed of the gift of prophecy and of poetical inspiration. Those who presided over rivers, brooks, and springs were called Naiads; those over mountains, Oreads; those over woods and trees, Dryads and Hamadryads; those over the sea, Nereids. 2. In poetry, a young and attractive woman; a maiden; a damsel.

Shak.

Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remembered. 3. Same as Nympha. Nympha (nim'fa), n. The pupa, chrysalis, or aurelia of an insect; the second state of an insect, passing to its perfect form. Nymphæ (nim'fe), n. pl. In anat. the labia minora, two semicircular glandular membranes situated within the labia majora of the vulva.

Nymphæa (nim-fe'a), n. [L. nympha, a water-nymph.] A genus of aquatic plants, nat. order Nymphæaceæ, of which it is the type. The N. alba, or white water-lily, grows in pools, lakes, and slow rivers in Britain, and in respect of beauty is considered the queen of British flowers. The stems are said to be better than oak-galls for dyeing gray, and they are employed for tanning leather.

NYMPHÆACEE

Nymphæaces (nim-fe-a'sē-e), n. pl. A nat. order of aquatic plants containing the waterlilies of various parts of the world. They are polypetalous polyandrous exogens, with the sides of the cells of the fruit covered

Nymphea Lotus (Egyptian water-lily).

with numerous seeds. The stems are bitter and astringent, and the seeds, which taste like those of the poppy, may be used as food, and hence the Victoria is called watermaize in South America. The species are most prized for the beauty of their flowers; as the Nymphaea alba (see NYMPHEA), the

284

Nuphar lutea (see NUPHAR), and the Victoria regia, the flowers of which measure as much as 4 feet in circumference. Some of the leaves of Victoria are 6 feet long. Nymphalt (nim'fal), n. One of the ten divisions (nymphals) of Drayton's poem, The Muse's Elysium.

This nymphal nought but sweetness breathes.
Drayton.

Nymphal (nim'fal), a. Relating to nymphs; nymphean. J. Philips.

Nymphal (nim'fal), n. A member of one of Lindley's alliances, the Nymphales, which includes the Nymphæacea, Nelumbiaceæ,

&c.

Nymphalidæ (nim-fal'i-dē), n. pl. [From Nymphalis, one of the genera.] A family of butterflies, among which are included those bearing the English names of the peacock, painted lady, Camberwell beauty, red admiral, &c.

Nymphean (nim-fe'an), a. Pertaining to nymphs; inhabited by nymphs. Cool nymphean grots. John Dyer. Nymphett (nim'fet), n. A little nymph.

The nymphets sporting there.' Drayton. Nymphic, Nymphical (nim'fik, nim'fik-al), a. Pertaining to nymphs.

Nymphiparous (nim-fip'a-rus), a. [L. nympha, a nymph, and pario, to bring forth.] Producing nymphs or pupæ. Nymphish (nim'fish), a. Relating to nymphs; nymph-like.

OAK

In this third song great threat'nings are, And tending all to nymphish war. Drayton. Nymph-like, Nymphly (nimf'lik, nimf'li), a. Resembling nymphs. Nymph-like step.'

Milton.

Nympholepsy (nim'fo-lep-si), n. [Gr. nymphe, a nymph, and lepsis, a taking, from lambano, to take.] A species of madness, possession, ecstasy, or fascination, seizing any one who looked on a nymph. De Quincey. The nympholepsy of some fond despair.' Byron. [Rare.] Nymphomany, Nymphomania (nim'fōma-ni, nim-fo-ma'ni-a), n. [Gr. nymphe, a bride, and mania, madness.] Morbid and incontrollable sexual desire in females. Nymphotomy (nim-fot'o-mi), n. [Gr. nymphe, a nymph, and temno, to cut.] In surg. the excision of the nymphæ; the circumcision of the female.

Nyroca (ni-ro'ka), n. A genus of ducks, containing the pochard (N. ferina). Nyst (niz). [Ne and is.] None is; is not. "Thou findest fault where nys to be found.' Spenser. Nyssa (nis'a), n. A genus of North American trees, including the tupelo or pepperidgetree and black-gum. Goodrich. Nystagmus (nis-tag'mus), n. [Gr. nystagmos, from nystazo, to nod, especially in sleep.] In med. a winking of the eyes such as happens when a person is very sleepy; also, a partial rotatory movement of the eyeball from side to side. Dunglison.

[graphic]

0.

O is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel in the English alphabet. The shape of this letter seems to have been taken from the circular configuration of the lips in uttering the sound. The sound that was originally represented by this letter was no doubt a pure vowel sound, such as that in mortal, which is also the sound it generally has in the continental tongues. This was not one of the original Aryan vowel sounds (these being a, i, and u sounded as in Latin or Italian), but arose from the modification of an original a or u. (See A.) This sound is produced by protruding the lips with a rounded opening, and o is therefore called the labial vowel, i (e) being the palatal, and a (a) the guttural. In English O has seven distinct sounds and shades of sound: (1) as in note, which, as commonly pronounced in the South of England, is really a diphthongal sound, being composed of a long ō sound terminating in a slight o0 (as in proof) sound. This is the sound heard in go, blow, rove, &c.; also in the digraphs oa (boat, groan, &c.); oe (woe, goes); ou (though). (2) The similar short sound without the final oo sound, commonly heard in unaccented syllables where o forms the whole syllable, or terminates it, as in tobacco. (3) The sound of o in not, as in cost, gone, top; also in the digraph ou (hough). (4) The same sound lengthened through the influence of a following r; as in mortal; also in the digraph ou (brought, sought). (5) The sound of o in move; as in do, tomb, prove; also in the digraphs oo (woo, room), ou (through, wound). (6) The same sound but shorter (the sound of u in bull); as in wolf, woman; also in the digraphs oo (book, wood), ou (could). (7) The sound of u in tub; as in comfort, won, come, done, love; also in the digraphs oe (does), oo (blood), ou (country, enough). The ō sound in genuine English words commonly represents A. Sax. a; thus A. Sax. ga, ac, stân, na E. go, oak, stone, no: oo again commonly represents A. Sax. 6; thus A. Sax. fôt, blod, to = foot, blood, too, &c.-0 is the usual character for a cypher or nought; it was also sometimes used by the ancients for 11, and with a dash over it, O, for 11,000.-In old music, O was a mark of triple time (tempus perfectum), from the notion that the ternary, or number 3, is the most perfect of numbers, and properly expressed by a circle, the most perfect figure.

O,t n. pl. Oes (oz). 1. Anything circular or resembling the letter o; as, a round spot of any kind; a spangle, &c. 'Fiery oes and eyes of light.' Shak. 'Oes or spangs.' Bacon.

[blocks in formation]

2. The arithmetical cipher. Now thou art an O without a figure.' Shak. O', prep. An abbreviation of Of or On. 'Some god of the island.' Shak. Still you keep o' the windy side of the law.' Shak. O, interj. 1. An exclamation used in earnest or solemn address, appeal, or invocation, and prefixed to the noun of address. In practice authors do not always preserve a distinction between this particle and oh, a particle of emotion prefixed to a sentence or clause expressing sentiment or passion. As regards punctuation, when O is, or should be, the word, the mark of exclamation, if employed at all, is placed after the noun of address; as, 'Hear, O Israel!' but when oh is the proper word, the mark is placed immediately after it; thus, oh!-Oh, dear! and Oh, dear me! exclamations expressive of surprise, uneasiness, or exhaustion, fear, pain, and the like. They are regarded as corruptions of Fr. O Dieu! or It. O Dio! O God! and It. O Dio mio! O my God!-2. Used

as a noun.

Why should you fall into so deep an 01 Shak. 3.† Ho, an exclamation used to command a cessation of noise, fighting, &c. 'An heraud on a scaffold made an O." Chaucer. 0. [Ir. o, a descendant; Gael. ogha, Sc. oe, a grandson.] A common prefix in Irish surnames, and equivalent to Mac, son of, in Gaelic and many Irish names.

O,t a. One. 'He moste as wel sayn o word, as an other.' Chaucer. Oadt (od). For Woad.

Oaf (of), n. [O.E. ouphe, an elf, aulf, a changeling, an oaf, from Icel. alfr, an elf. See ELF.] 1. A changeling; a foolish child left by fairies in the place of another who is carried off by them.

The fairy left this oaf
And took away the other.

Drayton.

2. A dolt; an idiot; a blockhead. "The fear of breeding fools and oafs.' Beau. & Fl. Oafish (öf'ish), a. Like an oaf; stupid; dull; doltish. [Rare.]

Oafishness (öf'ish-nes), n. The state or quality of being oafish; stupidity; dulness; folly. [Rare.]

Oak (ök), n. [A. Sax. dc, a name of this tree common to the Teutonic tongues; Sc. aik, Icel. eik, D. eik, L.G. eeke, Dan. eeg, Sw. ek, G. eiche. Root meaning unknown.] The English name of the trees and shrubs belonging to the genus Quercus, nat. order Cupuliferæ; also its wood. The oak from the remotest antiquity has obtained a pre

eminence among trees, and has not unjustly been styled the monarch of the woods.' In the traditions of Europe and a great part of Asia the oak appears as a most important element in religious and civil ceremonies. It was held sacred by the Greeks and Romans, and no less so by the ancient Gauls and Britons. The species of oak are very numerous, generally natives of the more temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. They have alternate simple leaves, which are entire in some, but in the greater number variously lobed and sinuated or cut; evergreen in some, but more generally deciduous. The common oak attains a height of from 50 to 100 or even 150 feet, with a diameter of trunk of from 4 to 8 feet. Noble specimens of oak-trees, and some of them historically celebrated, exist in almost all parts of Britain; but are much more frequent in England than in Scotland. The oak subserves a greater number of useful purposes than almost any other kind of forest tree,

the wood being hard, tough, tolerably flexible, strong without being too heavy, not readily penetrated by water, and bearing alternations of wet and dry better than most other woods. For more than a thousand years British ships were mainly built of common oak (Q. robur). The American white oak (Q. alba) and the live-oak (Q.virens) were also much used for the same purpose. The bark of the oak-tree is very valuable, and is preferred to all other substances for the purpose of tanning. Gallic acid exists abundantly in the oak. The leaves of Q. falcata are employed, on account of their astringency, externally in cases of gangrene; and the same astringent principle which pervades all the species has caused them to be employed as febrifuges, tonics, and stomachics. Cork is the bark of Q.suber, or cork oak. (See CORK.) Galls are the produce of Q. infectoria. (See GALL.) The name oak is sometimes popularly applied to timber of very different genera; thus African teak is often called African oak; while in Australia

[graphic]

Oak (Quercus robur).

« AnteriorContinuar »