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WRENCH

closely allied to the warblers, distinguished by their small size, slender beak, short, rounded wings, mottled plumage, and the habit of holding the tail erect. They are all insectivorous. The common wren (Troglodytes vulgaris) is, with the exception of the golden-crowned or golden-crested wren, the smallest bird in Europe, averaging about 4 inches in length. It is a well-known favourite little bird, of very brisk and lively habits, with a comparaDurtively strong and agreeable song. ing winter it approaches near the dwellings of man, taking shelter in the roofs of houses, barns, and in hay-stacks. In spring it betakes itself to the woods, where it builds its nest. The American house-wren (T. domesticus) is also a very familiar bird, and a general favourite in America. The name wren has also been given to certain dentirostral birds of the warbler family, such as the golden-crested wren (Regulus cristatus), so called from its orange crown or crest. This bird has its haunt in tall trees, suspending its neat and elegant nest, in which it lays nine or ten eggs, from a branch, being the only example of a nest thus supported in Britain. The names yellow and willow wren are given to the willow-warbler.

The poor wren,

The most diminutive of birds, will fight, Her young ones in her nest, against the owl. Shak. Wrench (rensh), n. [Evidently the same word as O. E. wrenche, A. Sax.wrence, wrenc, deceit, a trick, fraud, these meanings being no doubt figurative; allied to G. rank, intrigue, an artifice, and provincially crookedness, and to renken in verrenken, to sprain, to wrench; O.D. wronck, contortion; akin to wring, wrong, wrinkle.] 1. A deceit; a fraud; a stratagem.

His wily wrenches thou ne mayst not flee. Chaucer. 2. A violent twist, or a pull with twisting. If one straine make them not confesse, let them be stretched but one wrench higher, and they cannot be silent. Bp. Hall.

3. A sprain; an injury by twisting, as in a joint. Locke.-4. An instrument consisting essentially of a bar of metal having jaws adapted to catch upon the head of a bolt or

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1, Screw-wrench.

3. Angle-wrench.

Wrenches.

2. Tap-wrench.

4. Tube-wrench.

5. Monkey-wrench for hexagonal and square nuts.

a nut to turn it; a screw-key. Some wrenches have a variety of jaws to suit different sizes and shapes of nuts and bolts, and others, as the monkey-wrench, have an adjustable inner jaw.-5. Means of compulsion.

He resolved to make his profit of this business... of Naples as a wrench and mean for peace. Bacon. Wrench (rensh), v.t. 1. To pull with a twist; to wrest, twist, or force by violence. Wrench his sword from him.' Shak.

A sapling pine he wrenched from out the ground. Dryden.

2. To affect with extreme pain or anguish; to rack.

Through the space
Of twelve ensuing days his frame was wrenched,
Till nature rested from her work in death.
Wordsworth.

3. To strain; to sprain; to distort.
You wrenched your foot against a stone.
4. Fig. to pervert; to wrest.

Swift.

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Hence 2. To extort, bring out, as by a twisting, painful force; to obtain, as by torture.

But fate has wrested the confession from me. Addison.

3. To subject to an improper strain; to apply unjustifiably to a different use; to turn from truth or twist from the natural meaning by violence; to pervert; to distort.

Shak.

Wrest once the law to your authority. To do a great right do a little wrong. Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. 2 Pet. iii. 16.

Wrest (rest), n. 1. The act of one who wrests or wrenches; a twist.-2. Distortion; perversion. Hooker. 3. An instrument of the wrench, screw-key, or spanner kind; specifically, a key to tune stringed musical instruments with, as the harp.

The minstrel wore round his neck a silver chain, by which hung the wrest or key with which he tuned his harp. Sir W. Scott.

4. The partition in an overshot wheel, which determines the form of the buckets. Wrester (rest ́ér), n. One who wrests or per

verts.

Wrestle (res'l), v. i. pret. & pp. wrestled; ppr. wrestling. [A freq. of wrest, A. Sax. wræstlian, D. wrastelen, worstelen, to wrestle.] 1. To contend by grappling, and trying to throw down; to strive with arms extended, as two men, who seize each other by the arms, each endeavouring to throw the other by tripping up his heels and twitching him off his balance.

You have wrestled well, and overthrown
More than your enemies.

Shak.

2. To struggle; to strive; to contend. 'Great affections wrestling in thy bosom.' Shak. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Eph. vi. 12. 3. To strive earnestly by means of supplication; to make earnest supplication. Wrestle (res'l), v.t. To contend with in wrestling.

Wrestle (res'l), n. A bout at wrestling; a wrestling match.

Corineus whom, in a wrestle, the giant catching aloft, with a terrible hug broke three of his ribs. Milton.

Wrestler (resler), n. One who wrestles, or one who is skilful in wrestling.

Waller.

Great Julius on the mountains bred, A flock perhaps, or herd, had led; He that the world subdued had been But the best wrestler on the green. Wretch (rech), n. [A. Sax. wræcca, one who is driven out, an outcast, an exile, from wrecan, to banish, to punish, to wreak. See WREAK, WRECK.] 1. A miserable person; one sunk in the deepest distress; one who is supremely unhappy; as, a forlorn wretch. 'The wretch that lies in woe.' Shak.

Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son,
Wretch even then, life's journey just begun?
Cowper.

2. A worthless mortal; a sorry creature; a mean, base, or vile person.

Base-minded wretches, are your thoughts so deeply bemired... as for respect of gain to let so much time pass? Sir P. Sidney.

Fie on thee wretch! 'tis pity that thou livest To walk where any honest men resort. Shak. Title of honour, worth, and virtue's right, Should not be given to a wretch so vile. 3. Often used by way of slight or ironical pity or contempt, like thing or creature.

Daniel.

Poor wretch was never frighted so. Drayton.

4. It was often used formerly to express
tenderness.

Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul
But I do love thee.
Shak.

She reckons that she hath above one hundred and fifty pounds' worth of jewels of one kind or other; and I am glad of it, for it is fit the wretch should have something to content herself with. Pepys. Wretchcock, Wrethcock (rech'kok, reth'kok), n. A stunted or abortive cock; hence,

a stunted or imperfect creature. Shak

Sir John, Sir John, I am well acquainted with your manner of wrenching the true cause the false way. Wrench-hammer (rensh'ham-mér), n. A wrench with the end shaped so as to admit of being used as a hammer. Goodrich. Wrenning-day (ren'ing-dā), n. A name given in the north of England to St. Stephen's day, from the custom of stoning a wren to death in commemoration of the martyrdom of that saint. Wrest (rest), v.t. [A. Sax, wrastan, to writhe, to twist; Icel. reista, for vreista, Dan. vriste, to wrest, to twist. Akin to writhe, wreathe, wrist; wrestle is a derivative.] 1. To twist; to wrench; to apply a violent twisting force to, so as to move from a fixed position. Our country's cause That drew our swords, now wrests them from our hands. Addison.

The famous imp yet grew a wretchcock, and tho' for seven years carried at his mother's back,... yet looks as if he never saw his quinquennium. B. Jonson. In every large breed of domestic fowls, there is usually a miserable little stunted creature This unfortunate abortive the good wives... call a wrethcock. Gifford. Wretched (rech'ed), a. [From wretch; a word similar in formation to wicked; and as in O. E. we have wikke, wicked, so we have wreche, wrecche, wretched.] 1. Miser. able or unhappy; sunk into deep affliction or distress, as from want, anxiety, or grief.

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Affected noise is the most wretched thing That to contempt can empty scribblers bring. Roscommon. 4. Despicable; hatefully vile and contemptible. 'Wretched ungratefulness.' Sir P. Sidney. Wretchedly (rech'ed-li), adv. In a wretched manner; as, (a) miserably; unhappily. Nor yet by kindly death she perished, But wretchedly before her fatal day. Surrey (b) Meanly; poorly; contemptibly; despicably.

How poorly and wretchedly must that man sneak who finds himself guilty and baffled too.

South.

Through hopes of contradiction oft she'll say, Methinks I look so wretchedly to-day. Young. Wretchedness (rech'ed-nes), n. The state or quality of being wretched; as, (a) extreme misery or unhappiness, either from want or sorrow; as, the wretchedness of poverty. Are ye all gone

And leave me here in wretchedness behind ye? Shak We have, with the feeling, lost the very memory of such wretchedness as our forefathers endured by those wars, of all others the most cruel. Raleigh. The prodigal brought nothing to his father but his rags and wretchedness. Dwight.

(b) Meanness; despicableness; as, the wretchedness of a performance. Wretchful † (rech'ful), a. Wretched. Wickliffe.

Wretchless + (rech'les), a. [A corruption of retchless or rechless. In the sixteenth century there was a great disposition to prefix w to certain words beginning with an h or an r. This seems to have been due to association, as there existed a large group of familiar words beginning with wh, wr, as when, what, wheel, whale, who, wrath, wrist, wretch, wrong, &c., and then contagion seems to have spread to words beginning with simple h or r. Thus we find in Spenser whot for hot, and in Raleigh wrediness for readiness, &c.] Reckless. A wretchless, careless, indevout spirit.' Jer. Taylor. Wretchlessness † (rech'les-nes), n. Recklessness; carelessness.

The Devil doth thrust them either into desperation or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation. Thirty-nine Articles. Wreye,t v.t. See WRAIE Chaucer. Wrie, v.t. [A. Sax. wrigan.] To array; to cover; to cloak.

Wrig, tv.i. and t. [See WRIGGLE.] To wriggle; to rub to and fro.

The bore his tail wrygges against the hye bench. Skelton. Worms... do wrigge and wrest their parts divorced by knife. Dr. H. More. Wriggle (rig1), v.i. pret. & pp. wriggled; ppr. wriggling. [Freq. from wrig, wrigge, older form wrikke, to wriggle; so Ď. wriggel en, to wriggle, a freq. from wrikken, to move or shake; L.G. wricken, wrickeln, to move to and fro; Dan. vrikke, to wriggle. The word probably appears nasalized in wring] 1. To move the body to and fro with short motions like a worm or an eel; to move with writhing, contortions, or twistings of the body; to squirm.

Restless he tossed, and tumbled to and fro, And rolled and wriggled farther off from wee. Dryden. Both he and his successors would often wriggle in their seats as long as the cushion lasted. Swift. Hence-2 Fig. to proceed in a mean, grovelling, despicable manner; to gain one's end by paltry shifts or schemes; to make way by contemptible artifice or contrivance; as, to wriggle out of a difficulty or scrape.

And now does he wriggle into acquaintance with all the brave gallants about the town. B. Jensen, Wriggle (rig'l), v. t. To put into a wriggling motion; to introduce by writhing or twisting.

Wriggling his body to recover

His seat, and cast his right leg over. Hudibras A slim, thin-gutted fox made a hard shift to wrig gle his body into a hen-roost. Sir R. L'Estrange Wriggle + (rig'l), a. Pliant; flexible. They wagg their wriggle tails. Spenser. Wriggle (rig1), n. The motion of one who wriggles: a quick twisting motion or contortion like that of a worm or an eel.

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WRIGHT

to attain his ends by unremitted employment of base means.

For Providence...

In spite of all the wrigglers into place, Still keeps a seat or two for worth and grace. Cowper. Wright (rit), n. [A. Sax. wyrhta, a worker, a maker, from wyrht, a work, from wyrcan, to work. See WORK.] One whose occupation is some kind of mechanical business; an artificer; a workman; especially in Scotland, and some parts of England, a worker in wood; a carpenter. This word is now chiefly used in compounds, as in shipwright, wheelwright, and, in a somewhat figurative sense, playwright. Wrights usefull and skilfull.' Chaucer.

Wrightia (rit'i-a), n. [After William Wright, M.D., a Scotch physician and botanist resident in Jamaica.] A genus of plants, nat. order Apocynaceae. The species are chiefly natives of the East and West Indies; they are erect shrubs or small trees, with opposite leaves and corymbs of mostly white

W.

flowers. W. antidysenterica furnishes conessi-bark, a valuable astringent and febrifuge. The wood is used by the turner and cabinet-maker. W. coccinea yields a very light and firm wood, used by turners. tomentosa yields when wounded a yellow juice, which, when mixed with water, dyes clothes, dipped into it, of a yellow colour. W. tinctoria yields an excellent dye, which is used as a substitute for indigo. Wring (ring), v. t. pret. & pp. wrung (wringed is an obsolete and rare form; wrang is the original preterite, but is now only provincial); ppr. wringing. [A. Sax. wringan, to wring, to strain, to press; pret. wrang, pp. wrungen; L. G. and D. wringen, Dan. vrænge, also vringle, Sw. vränga, G. ringen, to wring, to twist, &c., all no doubt nasalized forms of stem seen in wriggle, and in A. Sax. wrigian, to bend (whence wry), and akin to wrong.] 1. To twist and squeeze or compress; to turn and strain with violence; as, to wring clothes in washing. He wrings her nose.' Shak.

The silly owner of the goods Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless hands... While all is shared and all is borne away Shak

2. To pain, as by twisting, squeezing, or racking; to torture; to torment; to distress. Let me wring your heart.' Shak. 'Much grieved and wrung by an uneasy and strait fortune." Clarendon.

The king began to find where his shoe did wring him. Bacon. Didst thou taste but half the griefs That wring my soul, thou couldst not talk thus coldly. Addison. 3. To wrest from the true meaning or purpose; to distort; to pervert.

How dare these men thus wring the Scriptures?
Whitgift.

4. To extract or obtain by twisting, pressing, or squeezing; to squeeze or press out; as, to wring water from a wet garment; hence, to draw forth or bring out with violence, or against resistance or repugnance; to force from; to extort.

He hath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave
By laboursome petition.
Shak.

I had rather coin my heart
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash.
Shak.

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Thirty spies... compelled the bride
To wring from me, and tell to them my secret.
Milton.

5. To subject to extortion; to persecute for the purpose of enforcing compliance.

These merchant adventurers have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. Hayward.

6. To bend or strain out of its position; as, to wring a mast.-To wring off, to force off or separate by wringing.

The priest shall ... wring of his head. Lev. i. 15. -To wring out, (a) to force out; to squeeze out by twisting.

He... thrust the fleece together and wringed the dew out of the fleece. Judg. vi. 38.

(b) To free from a liquor by wringing; as, to wring out clothes. 'A compress wrung out.' Wiseman.

Wring (ring), v.i. To writhe; to twist, as with anguish.

'Tis all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow. Shak. Wringt (ring), n. Action expressive of anguish; writhing. The sighs, and tears, and wrings of a disconsolate mourner.' Bp. Hall.

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Wring-bolt (ring bolt), n. A bolt used by shipwrights to bend and secure the planks against the timbers till they are fastened by bolts, spikes, and treenails. Wringer (ring'ér), n. 1. One who wrings.

His washer and his wringer.' Shak. Specifically-2. An apparatus for forcing water out of anything, particularly for wringing, pressing, or straining water from clothes after they have been washed. The effective part of such a machine generally consists of a pair of adjustable rollers between which the wet fabrics are passed.-3. An extortioner.

Wringing-wet (ring'ing-wet), a. So wet as
to require wringing, or that water may be
wrung out. A poor fisherman . . . with
his cloaths wringing-wet.' Hooker.
Wring-staff (ring'staf), n. A strong bar of
wood used in applying wring-bolts for the
purpose of setting-to the planks. Called
also Wrain-staff
Wrinkle (ring'kl), n. [A. Sax. wrincle, a
wrinkle, whence wrinclian, to wrinkle; O.D.
wrinckle, a wrinkle, wrinckelen, to wrinkle;
Dan. rynke, Sw. rynka, a wrinkle, to wrinkle;
closely akin to wring, wrench, &c.; A. Sax.
wrincle is perhaps for wrencle, and a dim.
from wrenc in its original sense of wrench.
See WRENCH.] A small ridge or prominence
or a furrow, formed by the shrinking or con-
traction of any smooth substance; a corru-
gation; a crease; a fold; as, wrinkles in the
face or skin. Not the least wrinkle to de-
form the sky.' Dryden.

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.
Shak,
Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow;
Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now.
Byron.

A million wrinkles carved his skin. Tennyson. Wrinkle (ring'kl), n. [Dim. from A. Sax. wrenc, wrence, a trick. See WRENCH, as also the above noun.] A short pithy piece of information or advice; a valuable hint; a bit of useful instruction as to a course to be pursued; a new or good idea; a notion; a device. [Colloq.]

'They say mocking is catching.-'I never heard that before.'-'Why then, Miss, you have one wrinkle more than ever you had before.' Swift. Wrinkle (ring'kl), v. t. pret. & pp. wrinkled; ppr. wrinkling. [See the noun.] To contract into furrows and prominences; to corrugate; to furrow; to crease; to make rough or uneven; as, to wrinkle the skin; to wrinkle the brow. Hollow eye and wrinkled brow.' Shak. Wrinkled care.' Milton. A keen

North wind that blowing dry,

Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decay'd. Milton. Wrinkle (ring'kl), v. i. To become contracted into wrinkles; to shrink into furrows and ridges.

Wrinkly (ring'kli), a. Somewhat wrinkled; having a tendency to be wrinkled; puckered; creasy. 'Dry wrinkly indications of crying." George Eliot.

Wrist (rist), n. [O.E. wriste, wirste, handwriste, A. Sax. wrist, handwrist, handwyrst, the wrist; Dan. & Sw. vrist, Icel. rist (for vrist), the instep; G. rist, the wrist, the instep; from the stem of wreathe. The primary sense is the joint employed in wresting or twisting, or (in Scandinavian) the joint on which the body turns. See WRITHE, WREST.] 1. The joint by which the hand is united to the arm, and by means of which the

WRITE

hand moves on the forearm; the carpus. It consists of eight bones disposed in two rows, four in each row. These bones are connected to each other, and to the metacarpal bones, by numerous ligaments. Their motions on the forearm may be described as those of flexion, extension, abduction, and circumduction.-2. In mach, a stud or pin.-Bridle wrist, in the manege, the wrist of the horseman's left hand.

Wristband (rist'band), n. That band or part of a sleeve, especially of a shirt sleeve, which covers the wrist.

He wore very stiff collars and prodigiously long wristbands. Dickens. Wrist-drop (rist'drop), n. In pathol. paralysis of the muscles of the forearm induced by the poison of lead. Dunglison. Wristlet (rist'let), n. An elastic bandlet worn round a lady's wrist to confine the upper part of a glove.

Writ (rit), n. [From write; A. Sax. writ, ge-
writ, a writing, a writ.] 1. That which is
written. In this sense writ is particularly
applied to the Scriptures or books of the Old
and New Testament; as, holy writ; sacred
writ.
Trifles light as air,

Are to the jealous confrmations strong
As proofs of holy writ.

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Shak.

2. In law, a precept under seal in the name of the sovereign or highest authority of the state, a judge, or other person having jurisdiction in the particular subject-matter, and directed to some public officer or private person, commanding him to do a certain act therein specified. A writ may be considered the document connected with the origin and progress of a civil or criminal proceeding. Civil writs were formerly divided into origi nal and judicial. Original writs issued out of the Court of Chancery and gave authority to the courts in which they were returnable to proceed with the cause, but all such have now been abolished. Judicial writs, now the only form, issue out of the court in which the action is pending. Writs in English law were formerly very multifarious, but a great number have been abolished. Some of the more important are, the writ to the sheriff of a county to elect a member or members of parliament, and those described in this work under the headings CAPIAS, ERROR, HABEAS CORPUS, MANDAMUS, PROHIBITION, SUBPOENA, &c.-3. A formal instrument or writing of any kind.

I folded the writ up in form of th' other. Shak.

Writ (rit). A form of the preterite and past participle of write (which see). Writability (rit-a-bil'i-ti), n. Ability or disposition to write. [Rare.]

You see by my writability in my pressing my letters on you that my pen has still a colt's tooth left. H. Walpole. Writable (rit'a-bl), a. Capable of or fit for being written. [Rare.] The talk was by no means writable, but very pleasant. Miss Burney. Writative (rit'a-tiv), a. [Formed on the type of talkative.] Disposed or inclined to write; given to writing. [Rare.]

Increase of age makes men more talkative, but less writative. Pope. Write (rit), v.t. pret. wrote; pp. written. Writ for the pret. and part. was formerly in frequent use, but is now very rarely employed, and then most usually for the sake of rhyme, rhythm, or the like; wrote for the part. is also discontinued. [A. Sax. writan, pret. wrát, pp. writen, to engrave, write, compose; Icel. rita (for vrita), to scratch, cut, write, draw a line; Sw. rita, to draw, to trace, Goth. vrits, a stroke, a line; D. rijten, G. reissen, to tear, to split. Originally it meant the operation of scratching lines with some sharp pointed instrument.] 1. To form or trace by a pen, pencil, or the like, on paper or other material, or by a graver on wood or stone; as, to write the characters called letters; to write figures. The airy hand confusion wrought, Wrote Mene, Mene.'

Tennyson.

2. To produce, form, or make by tracing legible characters expressive of ideas; to transfer by pen or otherwise to paper or other materials the terms or import of; to trace by means of a pen or other instrument the constituent signs, characters, or words of; to set down or express in letters or words; to inscribe; as, to write a bill, an account, a cheque, a letter, or the like.

'She enjoined me to write some lines to one she loves. And have you?'-'I have.'-' Are they not lamely writ!' Shak.

WRITE

3. To cover with characters or letters traced by the pen, &c.

There she will sit in her smock till she have writ a sheet of paper. Shak.

4. To make known, express, announce, indicate, disclose, or communicate by means of characters formed by the pen, &c. What says Romeo?

Prior.

Or, if his mind be writ, give me his letter. Shak. I chose to write the thing I dare not speak. 5. To compose and produce, as an author; as, to write a novel or a poem. Write me a sonnet.' Shak.

I well remember that Dr. Johnson maintained that if a man is to write a panegyric he may keep vices out of sight; but if he professes to write a life he must represent it really as it was. Boswell.

6. To designate by writing; to style in writing; to entitle; to declare; to record.

O that he were here to write me down an ass. Shak. He who writes himself martyr by his own inscription is like an ill painter, who by writing on a shape. less picture which he had drawn, is fain to tell pas. sengers what shape it is which else no man could imagine. Milton.

7. Fig to impress deeply or durably; to imprint forcibly; to engrave; to indicate by any mark or sign. The last taste of sweets

writ in remembrance.' Shak. The record

Shak.

of injuries. . . written in our flesh.' Shak. There is written in your brow honesty and constancy. -To write down, (a) to trace or form with a pen, &c., the words of; to record. Hav. ing our fair order written down.' Shak. (b) To injure or depreciate the character, reputation, or quality of by writing unfavourably of; to criticise unfavourably; to put an end to by writing against; as, the young author was completely written down by the critics.-To write off, to note or record the deduction or cancelling or removal of; as, to write off discounts; to write off bad debts. To write out, (a) to make a copy ortranscription of; especially, to make a perfect copy of after being roughly drafted; to record in full; as, when the document is written out you may send it off. (b) To exhaust the ideas of or power of producing valuable literary work by too much writing: used reflexively; as, that author has written himself out.-To write up, (a) to commend, praise, or heighten the reputation, character, or value of by written reports or criticisms; to bring into public notice and esteem by writing favourable accounts of; as, that critic has written up both the play and the actors. (b) To give the full details of in writing to set down on paper with completeness of detail, elaborateness, fulness, or the like; as, to write up a story from a meagre outline. (c) To complete the transcription or inscription of; specifically, in book-keeping, to make the requisite entries in up to date; to post up; as, to write up a merchant's books.

Write (rit), v. i. 1. To trace or form characters with a pen, pencil, or the like, upon paper or other material; to perform the act of tracing or marking characters so as to represent sounds or ideas.

He can write and read and cast accompt. Shak. 2. To be regularly or customarily employed, occupied, or engaged in writing, copying, drawing up documents, accounts, bookkeeping, or the like; to follow the profession of a clerk, scribe, amanuensis, &c.; as, he writes in our chief public office.-3. To combine ideas and express them on paper for the information or enjoyment of others; to be engaged in literary work; to compose or produce articles, books, &c., as an author. The world agrees

That he writes well who writes with ease. Prior.
I live to write, and wrote to live. Rogers.

4. To conduct epistolary correspondence; to communicate by means of letter-writing; to convey information by letter or the like; as, I will write in a post or two.

I go, write to me very shortly.

Shak.

668

These unreal ways

Seem but the theme of writers, and, indeed.
Worn threadbare.
Tennyson.

(c) In Scotland, a term loosely applied to law agents, solicitors, attorneys, or the like, and sometimes to their principal clerks. Writer of the tallies. See TALLY.-Writer to the Signet. See SIGNET.-Writer's cramp, a spasmodic affection frequently attacking persons (generally middle-aged) who have been accustomed to write much. The patient loses complete control over the muscles of the thumb and the fore and middle finger, so that all attempts to write regularly, and in the severer cases even legibly, are unsuccessful. The various methods of treatment for this trouble (such as surgical operations, the application of electricity, &c.) have not generally produced very satisfactory results, entire cessation from writing for a considerable time seeming to be the only course open to the patient. Called also Scrivener's Palsy.

Writeress (rit'èr-es), n. A female writer or author. Thackeray.

Writerling (rit'èr-ling), n. A petty, mean, or sorry writer or author.

Every writer and writerling of name has a salary from the government. W. Taylor. The office of

Writership (rit'er-ship), n.

writer.

Writhe (гiTH), v. t. pret. & pp. writhed; an old form writhen is still occasionally used by our poets. [A. Sax. writhan, to writhe, wreathe, twist; pret. wrath, pp. writhen; Icel. ritha (for vritha), to writhe, twist, bind; Dan. vride, Sw. vrida, to writhe, wring; O.H.G. ridan; from same root as worth (verb), L. verto, to turn (see VERSE). Akin wrath, wreath, wrist, wrest.] 1. To twist with violence; to subject to contortion; to distort; to wring.

His features seen writhen as by a palsy stroke. Spenser. The monster hissed aloud, and raged in vain, And writhed his body to and fro with pain. Addison. The whole herd, as by a whirlwind writhen, Went dismal through the air like one huge python. Keats.

2. To pervert; to wrest; to misapply.

The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed. Hooker.

3. To deprive of by torture, extortion, or the like; to wring; to extort.

The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. Sir W. Scott. Writhe (rīTH), v.i. 1. To twist the body about, as in pain; as, to writhe with agony.

Supposing a case of tyranny the Tuscans will wriggle under it rather than writhe: and if even they should writhe yet they will never stand erect. Landor.

They detested; they despised; they suspected; they writhed under authority; they professed submission only to obtain revenge. Martineau.

2. To advance by vermicular motion; to wriggle. [Rare.]

And lissome Vivien holding by his heel Writhed toward him, slided up his knee and sat. Tennyson. Writhel, Writhle† (riTH'l), v. t. [Freq. from writhe.] To wrinkle. This weak and writhled shrimp.' Shak.

The skin that was white and smooth is turned tawnie and writhel'd Bp. Hall. Writing (rit'ing), n. 1. The act or art of forming letters and characters on paper, parchment, wood, stone, the inner bark and leaves of certain trees, or other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas which characters and words express, or of communicating them to others by visible signs. 2. Anything written or expressed in letters; as, (a) any legal instrument, as a deed, a receipt, a bond, an agreement, &c. (b) A literary or other composition; a manuscript; a pamphlet; a book; as, the writings of Addison. (c) An inscription. John xix. 19. Writing-book (rit'ing-buk), n. A blank paper book for practice in penmanship; a copy-book.

Writer (rit'èr), n. One who writes or has Writing-chambers (rit'ing-cham- bērz), written, or is in the habit of writing.

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psa. xlv. 1. Specifically, (a) one skilled in penmanship; one whose occupation is principally confined to wielding the pen; as, a clerk, a scribe, an amanuensis; particularly a title given to clerks in the service of the late East India Company. (b) A member of the literary profession; an author, journalist, or the like.

Tell prose writers stories are so stale

That penny ballads make a better sale. Breton.

n. pl. Apartments occupied by lawyers and their clerks, &c.

Writing-desk (rit'ing-desk), n. A desk with a broad sloping top used for writing on; also, a portable case containing writing materials as used for the same purpose. See DESK. See INK. Writing-ink (rit'ing-ingk), n. Writing-master (rit'ing-mas-tér), n. who teaches the art of penmanship. Writing-paper (rit'ing-på-pér), n. Paper finished with a smooth, generally sized, surface for writing on.

One

WRONG

Writing-school (rit ́ing-sköl), n. A school or an academy where hand-writing or caligraphy is taught.

Writing-table (rit'ing-ta-bl), n. A table used for writing on, having commonly a desk part, drawers, &c.

Written (rit'n), p. and a. Reduced to writing; committed to paper or the like by pen and ink or otherwise, as opposed to oral or spoken; as, written testimony, instructions, or the like.

Written language is a description of the said and ble signs, by signs visible. Holder. -Written law, law contained in a statute or statutes: as contradistinguished from unwritten law.

Wrizzled (riz'ld), a. Wrinkled. Her wrizzled skin.' Spenser. 'His wrizzled visage." Gay.

Wrōkent (rō'kn), pp. of wreak. Revenged Spenser.

Wanted nothing but faithful subjects to have ken himself of such wrongs as were done and offered to him by the French king. Holinaked.

Wrong (rong), a. [Properly the participle
of wring, though it occurs earliest (in 1124)
as a noun; Dan. vrang, wrong, erroneous,
incorrect; Icel rangr, vrangr, awry, wrong,
unrighteous; D. rang, sour, harsh (lit.
twisting the mouth). See WRING.] 1. Not
physically right; not fit or suitable; not ap-
propriate for use; not adapted to the end
or purpose; not according to rule, require-
ment, wish, design, or the like; not that
which is intended or ought to be.
He called me sot,

And told me I had turned the wrong side out.
Shak

2. Not morally right; not according to the
divine or moral law; deviating from recti-
tude; not equitable; unjust. A free de-
termination 'twixt right and wrong. Shak.
3. Not according to the facts or to truth;
inaccurate; erroneous.
A wrong belief
Shak. False intelligence or wrong surmis."
Shak.

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight,
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right.
Pope

4. Holding erroneous notions in regard to
matters of doctrine, opinion, or of fact; in
error; mistaken.
I was wrong.

I am always bound to you, but you are free. Tennyson SYN. Unjust, immoral, inequitable, erroneous, inaccurate, incorrect, faulty, detrimental, injurious, hurtful, unfit, unsuitable Wrong (rong), n. 1. What is wrong or not right; a state, condition, or instance in which there is something not right: without an article; as, to be unable to distinguish between right and wrong.-2. A wrong, unfair, or unjust act; any violation of right or of divine or human law; an act of injustice; a breach of law to the injury of another. whether by something done or left undone; injustice; trespass.

Do him not that wreng

Shak

To bear a hard opinion of his truth. As the king of England can do no wrong, so neither can he do right, but in his courts and by his courts. Mitton.

3. Any injury, mischief, hurt, pain, or damage; as, to have many wrongs to complain of.

All that are assembled in this place
That by this sympathized one day's error
Hath suffered wrong, go, keep us company.

Shak. Each had suffered some exceeding wrong. Tennyson. -In the wrong, (a) holding a wrong or unjustifiable position as regards another person; as, in a quarrel both parties may be in the wrong.

When people once are in the wrong,
Each line they add is much too long.

Prior

(b) In error; erroneously. Construe Cassio's smiles... quite in the wrong.' Shak. Wrong (rong), adv. In a wrong manner; not rightly; erroneously; incorrectly; amiss; morally ill.

Ten censure wrong for one that writes amiss. Pope. Wrong (rong), v.t. 1. To treat with injustice: to deprive of some right or to withhold some act of justice from; to deal harshly, cruelly, or unfairly with; to injure; to hurt; to harm; to oppress; to disgrace; to offend. If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought, pat that on mine account. Phile. 18. And my sword, Glued to its scabbard with wronged orphans' tears. Will not be drawn. Massinger.

2. To do injustice to by imputation; to impute evil unjustly; as, if you suppose me capable of a base act you wrong me. —

WRONG-DOER

3. Naut. to outsail, by going to windward of the ship, and thus taking the wind out of her sails.

We were very much wronged by the ship that had Smollett. us in chase.

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Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen. iv. 5.

And to be wroth with one we love,
Doth work like madness in the brain. Coleridge.
Wrought (rat), pret. & pp. of work. See
WORK.-Wrought iron. See IRON.

Wrong-doer (rong'dö-ér), n. 1. One who in- Wrung (rung), pret. & pp. of wring.
jures another or does wrong.

She resolved to spend all her years... in bewailing the wrong, and yet praying for the wrong. Sir P. Sidney. doer.

2. In law, one who commits a tort or trespass; a tort-feaser. Wrong-doing (rong'dö-ing), n.

The doing of wrong; behaviour the opposite of what is right; evildoing.

Wronger (rong'èr), n. One who wrongs; one who injures another. 'Caitiffs and wrongers of the world.' Tennyson.

His

Wrongful (rong'ful), a. Injurious; unjust; as, a wrongful taking of property. wrongful dealing.' Jer. Taylor.

I am so far from granting thy request That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit. Shak. Wrongfully (rong'ful-li), adv. In a wrongful manner; unjustly; in a manner contrary to the moral law or to justice; as, to accuse one wrongfully; to suffer wrongfully. Accusing the Lady Hero wrongfully.' Shak. Wrongfulness (rong'ful-nes), n. Quality of being wrong or wrongful; injustice. Wronghead (rong'hed), n. A person of a misapprehending mind and an obstinate charac

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Wrongless (rongles), a. Void of wrong.
Wronglesslyt (rong'les-li), adv.
injury to any one. Sir P. Sidney.
Wrongly (rong'li), adv. In a wrong man-
ner; unjustly; amiss.

Shak.

Thou... wouldst not play false And yet wouldst wrongly win. Wrongminded (rong'mind-ed), a. Having a mind wrongly inclined; entertaining erroneous or distorted views.

Wrongness (rong'nes), n. The state or condition of being wrong; error.

The best have great wrongnesses within themselves, which they complain of, and endeavour to amend. Butler.

Wrongous (rong'us), n. [O.E. wrongwis,
that is wrong-wise, the opposite of right-
wise or righteous.] In Scots law, not right;
unjust; illegal; as, wrongous imprisonment,
false or illegal imprisonment.
Wrote (rot), pret. and old pp. of write.
Lucius hath wrote already.' Shak.
Wrote, v.i. or t. [A. Sax. wrôtan, to grub
up. See ROOT.] To root or dig with the
snout, as swine do. Chaucer.
Wroth (rath), a. [A. Sax. wrath, angry,
engraged, lit. twisted, from writhan, to
twist or writhe. See WRATH, WREATH.]
Very angry; much exasperated.

Wry (ri), a. (A. Sax. wrigian, to bend, to
turn, to incline; akin to wriggle (which see).]
1. Abnormally bent or turned to one side;
in a state of contortion; twisted; distorted;
as, a wry neck; a wry mouth; a wry face or
distorted countenance frequently indicates
discontent, disgust, impatience, pain, or the
like. 'A wry nose.' B. Jonson.-2. Crooked;
bent; not straight. Many a wry meander."
W. Browne.-3. Deviating from what is right
or becoming; misdirected; out of place; as,
wry words. If he now and then make a wry
step.' W. Gilpin.-4. Wrested; perverted.
He mangles and puts a wry sense on Protestant
authors.
Atterbury.

Wryt (ri), v.i. 1. To swerve or go obliquely;
to go aside; to deviate from the right path,
physically or morally.

How many

. murder wives much better than

themselves,
For wrying but a little.

Shak.
2. To bend or wind; to move in a winding or
crooked course.

The first with divers crooks and turning wries.
Ph. Fletcher

3. To writhe or wriggle. Beau. & Fl.
Wryt (ri), v.t. 1. To distort; to wrest; to
make to deviate.

They have wrested and wryed his doctrine.
Ralph Robinson.

2. To writhe; to twist. 'Wries his back and
shrinks from the blow.' Jer. Taylor.
Wryly (ri'li), adv. In a wry, distorted, or

awkward manner.

Most of them have tried their fortune at some little
lottery-office of literature, and receiving a blank have
Landor
chewed upon it harshly and wryly.
Wry-mouthed (ri'mourнd), a. Having the
mouth awry.

A shaggy tapestry...
Instructive work! whose wry-mouth'd portraiture
Display'd the fates her confessors endure. Pope.
Wryneck (ri'nek), n. 1. A twisted or dis-
torted neck; a deformity in which the neck
is drawn to one side, and at the same time
somewhat forward.-2. A disease of the
spasmodic kind in sheep, in which the head
is drawn to one side.-3. A small migratory

Common Wryneck (Yunx torquilla). scansorial bird of the genus Yunx, allied to and resembling the woodpeckers: so called from the singular manner in which, when surprised, it turns its head over its shoulders. One species, the common wryneck (Yunx torquilla), is a summer visitant of England and the north of Europe, generally preceding the cuckoo a few days. It is remarkable for its long tongue, its power of

X

protruding and retracting it, and the writh-
ing snake-like motion which it can impart
to its neck without moving the rest of the
body. It is also known by the names of
Snake-bird, Cuckoo's Mate, &c.
Wrynecked (ri'nekt), a. Having a distorted
neck. Some commentators in noticing the
Shaksperean phrase, the wrynecked fife,'
are of opinion that the allusion is to the
player; others hold that the reference is to
the instrument, which they say is the old
English flute, or flute à bec: so called from
having a curved projecting mouthpiece like
a bird's beak.
Wryness (ri'nes), n. The state of being wry
or distorted.

Wud (wud), a. Mad. See WOOD. [Scotch.]
Wuddy (wud'i), n. See WOODIE.
Wullt (wul or wal), v. i. To will; to wish.
'Pour out to all that wull.' Spenser.
Wull (wul), n. Will. [Scotch.]
Wumil (wum'l), n. A wimble. [Scotch.]
A brick-red dye-
Wurrus (wur'rus), n.
powder, somewhat resembling dragon's-
blood, collected from the seeds of Rottlera
tinctoria.

Wusset (wus), adv. Probably a form of
the -wis of Y-wis, certainly. See Y-WIS.

Why, I hope you will not a-hawking now, will you? No, wusse; but I'll practise against next year, uncle. B. Jonson. Wucher (wUTH'èr), v.i. To make a sullen Written also Wudder. [Yorkshire.] The air was now dark with snow; an Iceland blast was driving it wildly. This pair neither heard the long wuthering' rush, nor saw the white burden it drifted. C. Bronte.

roar.

Wych. Same as Wich.
Wych-elm (wich'elm), n. [O.E. wiche,
wyche, A. Sax. wice, a name applied to vari-
ous trees. The sense is 'drooping' or bend-
ing, and it is derived from A. Sax. wic-en,
pp. of wican, to bend.' Skeat. See WICKER.]
A British plant of the genus Ulmus, the
U. montana. It is a large spreading tree
with large broadly elliptical leaves, and
grows in woods in England and Scotland.
Some varieties have pendulous branches,
and belong to the class of 'weeping' trees.
See ELM.

Wych-hazel (wich'ha-zl), n. [See WYCH-
ELM.] The common name of plants of the
genus Hamamelis, the type of the nat.
order Hamamelidaceae. They are small trees,
with alternate leaves on short petioles, and
yellow flowers, disposed in clusters in the
axils of the leaves, and surrounded by a
three-leaved involucrum. They are natives
of North America, Persia, or China.
HAMAMELIDACEE.

Wych-waller (wich'wal-ér), n.
boiler at a wych. [Cheshire.]

[graphic]

See

A salt

Wye (wi), n. The supports of a telescope,
theodolite, or levelling instrument, so called
from their resembling the letter Y.
ten also Y.

Writ

Wylie-coat (wy'li-kōt), n. A boy's flannel
under-dress, next the shirt; a flannel petti-
coat. [Scotch.]

Wynd (wynd), n. An alley; a lane. [Scotch.]
Wynn (win), n. A kind

of timber truck or carriage. Simmonds. Wyvern (wi'vern), n. [O. Fr. wivre, vivre, a viper, a dragon or wyvern, from L. vipera, a viper. See VIPER, WEEVER. The n is an addition to the word, as in bittern.] In her, an imaginary animal, a kind of dragon with wings, but with only two legs, the termination of its body being somewhat serpentine in form.

Wyvern.

X.

X, the twenty-fourth letter of the English alphabet, was borrowed by the Romans in comparatively late times from the Greeks, and passed from the Roman into the AngloSaxon alphabet. The Greek X, however, was a guttural, probably like the Scotch or German ch, and why in Latin it should have assumed the functions of the Greek character (= x) is not very clear. Except when used at the beginning of a word, x in English

is a double consonant (as it was in Latin and
Greek), and has usually the sound of ks, as
in wax, lax, axis, &c.; but when terminat-
ing a syllable, especially an initial syllable,
if the syllable following it is open or ac-
cented, it often takes the sound of gz, as in
luxury, exhaust, exalt, exotic, &c. At the
beginning of a word it has precisely the
sound of z. Hence it is entirely a superflu-
ous letter, representing no sound that could

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XANGI

-As an abbreviation X. stands for Christ, as in Xn. Christian, Xmas. Christmas.-X on beer-casks is said to have originally indicated beer which had to pay ten shillings duty.

Xangi, Xangti (zan'gi, zang-ti'), n. In Chinese myth. the supreme ruler of heaven and earth; God.

Xanthate (zan'that), n. A salt of xanthic acid. Xanthein, Xantheine (zan-the'in), n. That portion of the yellow colouring matter in flowers which is soluble in water, as distinguished from xanthin, which is the insoluble part.

Xanthian (zan'thi-an), a. Of or belonging to Xanthus, an ancient town of Asia Minor; as, the Xanthian sculptures in the British Museum.

Xanthic (zan'thik), a. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.] Tending towards a yellow colour.-Xanthic acid (CH, OS), a name given to ethyldisulphocarbonic acid, from the yellow colour of its salts. It is a heavy oily liquid.-Xanthic flowers, flowers which have yellow for their type, and which are capable of passing into red or white, but never into blue. Those flowers of which blue is the type, and which are capable of passing into red or white, but never into yellow, have been termed cyanic flowers.-Xanthic oxide (C,H,N, O2), uric oxide, a very rare ingredient of urinary calculi, and said to occur in small quantities in the spleen and liver, in the muscular flesh of the horse and ox, and in some kinds of guano. Called also Xanthin. Xanthin, Xanthine (zan'thin), n. A name applied to more than one substance from its colour; as, (a) that portion of the yellow colouring matter of flowers which is insoluble in water. (b) The yellow colouring matter contained in madder. (c) A gaseous product of the decomposition of xanthates. (d) The name is now generally confined to xanthic oxide, the ingredient of urinary calculi; it is a white crystalline substance. Xanthite (zan'thit), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.] A mineral of a yellowish colour, a variety of vesuvian, composed of silica, lime, alumina, with small portions of the peroxides of iron and manganese, and also magnesia and water. It is found in a bed of limestone near Amity in New York. Xanthium (zan'thi-um), n.

[Gr. xanthos, yellow, from yielding a yellow dye.] Burweed, a genus of plants, nat. order Compositæ. X. Strumarium is a rank and weedlike plant occasionally met with in Britain, to which it has been introduced from the Continent. It is remarkable for the curious structure of its flowers and the prickly involucres which surround the fertile ones, enlarging and becoming part of the fruit. Another species, X. spinosum, has in recent times spread over a great part of western Europe, coming from the south of Russia. Xantho (zan'tho), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.] A genus of brachyurous crustaceans, including numerous species, and found in most seas.

Xanthocarpous (zan-tho-kär'pus), a. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and karpos, fruit.] In bot. having yellow fruit.

[Gr.

Xanthochroi (zan-thok'ro-i), n. pl. xanthochroos, yellow-skinned, from xanthos, yellow, and chroa, colour.] In ethn. one of the five groups into which Huxley classifies man, comprising the fair whites.

The Xanthochroi, or fair whites, ... are the prevalent inhabitants of Northern Europe, and the type may be traced into North Africa, and eastward as far as Hindostan. E. B. Tylor. Xanthochroic (zan-tho-kro'ik), a. Of or pertaining to the Xanthochroi. See under MAN.

X

Xanthochymus (zan-tho-ki'mus), n. (Gr. xanthos, yellow, and chymos, juice.] A genus of trees, nat. order Guttifera. pictorius, is a native of the East Indies, with white flowers, yellow fruit, and thick opposite leaves. The trunk yields a resinous juice of a yellow colour.

Xanthocon, Xanthocone (zan'tho-kōn), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and konis, dust.] An arsenio-sulphide of silver, of a dull-red or clove-brown colour, occurring in hexagonal tabular crystals, but commonly in crystalline reniform masses. When reduced to powder it becomes yellow, whence the

name.

Xanthophyll (zan'tho-fil), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, phyllon, a leaf.] In bot. a peculiar waxy matter to which some attribute the yellow colour of withering leaves. Nothing is known respecting its composition, or of

670

the manner in which it is formed from chlorophyll. Called also Xanthophylline. Xanthophylline (zan-thof'il-in), n. Same as Xanthophyll.

Xanthopicrin, Xanthopicrite (zan'thopik-rin, zan'tho-pik-rit), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and pikros, bitter.] In chem. names given by Chevallier and Pelletan to a yellow colouring matter from the bark of Xanthoxylum caribaum, afterwards shown to be identical with berberine. Xanthopous (zan'tho-pus), a. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and pous, a foot.] In bot. having a yellow stem.

A

Xanthoproteic (zan'tho-pro-te"ik), a. Applied to an acid formed when protein or any of its modifications is digested in nitric acid. It is of a yellow colour, and seems to combine both with acids and bases. Xanthoprotein (zan-tho-pro'te-in), n. yellow acid substance formed by the action of nitric acid upon fibrine. Xanthorhamnine (zan-tho-ram'nin), n. [ Gr. xanthos, yellow, and rhamnos, buckthorn.] A yellow colouring matter contained in the ripe Persian or Turkish berries and in Avignon grains. It imparts a yellow colour to fabrics mordanted with alumina and a black colour to those mordanted with iron salts. See RHAMNUS.

Xanthorrhæa (zan-tho-re'a), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and rheo, to flow, from its yellow resinous exudation.] A genus of plants, nat. order Liliaceæ. The species are called grass-trees, and are found in Australia. They have thick trunks like those of palms, long wiry grass-like leaves, and long dense flower-spikes. See GRASS-TREE. Xanthorrhiza (zan-tho-ri'za), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and rhiza, a root, the roots being of a deep yellow colour.] A genus of North American plants, nat. order Ranunculaceae. See YELLOW-ROOT.

Xanthosis (zan-tho'sis), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.] In med. a term applied to the yellow discoloration often observed in cancerous tumours.

Xanthospermous (zan-tho-sper'mus), a. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and sperma, a seed.] In bot. having yellow seeds. Xanthous (zan'thus), a. [Gr. xanthos, yellow.] A term applied by Dr. Prichard to that variety of mankind which includes all those individuals or races which have brown, auburn, yellow, flaxen, or red hair. Xanthoxylaceae (zan-thok'si-la'se-e), n. pl. A group of polypetalous exogenous plants, now usually combined with Rutacer, found chiefly in America, especially in the tropical parts The species are trees or shrubs, with exstipulate, alternate or opposite leaves, furnished with pellucid dots. The flowers are either axillary or terminal, and of a gray green or pink colour. All the plants of the group to a greater or less extent possess aromatic and pungent properties, especially the species belonging to the genera Xanthoxylum, Brucea, Ptelea, Toddalia, and

Ailanthus.

Xanthoxylum (zan-thok'si-lum), n. [Gr. xanthos, yellow, and xylon, wood; the roots are yellow.] A genus of plants, the type of the group Xanthoxylaces. The species are trees or shrubs, with the petioles, leaves, and branches usually furnished with prickles. On account of their aromatic and pungent properties they are known in the countries where they grow under the name of peppers. X. fraxineum is called toothache-tree, as its bark and capsular fruit are much used as a remedy for toothache.

Xebec (ze'bek), n. [Sp. xabeque, Fr. chebec,

Xebec of Barbary.

It. sciabecco, zambecco, from Turk. sumbeki, xebec; Ar. sumbúk, a small vessel.] A small

XIPHISTERNUM

three-masted vessel, formerly much used by the Algerine corsairs, and now used to a small extent in Mediterranean commerce. It differs from the felucca chiefly in having several square sails, as well as lateen sails, while the latter has only lateen sails. Xenelasia (zen-e-la'si-a), n. [Gr., the expulsion of strangers.] A Spartan institution which prohibited strangers from residing in Sparta without permission, and empowered magistrates to expel strangers if they saw fit to do so.

Xenium (ze'ni-um), n. pl. Xenia (zē'ni-a). [L., from Gr. xenion, a gift to a guest, from xenos, a guest.] 1. Anciently, a present given to a guest or stranger, or to a foreign ambassador.-2. A name given to pictures of still-life, fruit, &c., such as are found in houses at Pompeii. Fairholt. Xenodocheum, Xenodochium (zen'o-doke" um, zen'o-do-ki"um), n. [Gr. xenodocheion-xenos, a stranger, and dechomai, to receive.] A name given by the ancients to a building for the reception of strangers. The term is also applied to a guest-house in a monastery. Xenodochy (zen-od'o-ki), n. [Gr. xenodo chia. See above.] Reception of strangers; hospitality. Also, same as Xenodocheum. Xenogenesis (zen-o-jen'e-sis), n. [Gr. xenos, strange, and genesis, birth.] 1. Same as Heterogenesis, (b).-2. The production or formation of an organism of one kind by an organism of another, as was formerly believed of parasitic worms by their hosts. Huxley. Xenogenetic (zen'o-je-net"ik), a. Of or pertaining to xenogenesis.

I have dwelt upon the analogy of pathological modification which is in favour of the xenogenetic origin of microzymes. Huxley.

Xenops (zē'nops), n. [Gr. xenos, strange, and ops, the countenafice.] A genus of insessorial birds of South America, allied to the nuthatches.

Xenotime (zen'o-tim), n. A native phosphate of yttrium, having a yellowish brown colour.

Xerasia (ze-ra'si-a), n. [From Gr. zeros, dry.] In pathol. a disease of the hair, which be comes dry and ceases to grow.

Xeres (zer'es), n. [Sp.] Sherry: so called from the district of Spain where it is produced. Simmonds.

Xerif (ze-rif'), n. A shereef. The zerif of Mecca.' Landor.

Xeriff (ze-rif'), n. 1. A gold coin formerly current in Egypt and Turkey of the value of 98. 4d.-2. A name for the ducat in Morocco.

Xerocollyrium (ze'ro-kol-lir'i-um), n. [Gr. xēros, dry, and kollyrion.] A dry collyrium or eye-salve.

Xeroderma (ze-rō-dêr'ma), n. [Gr. zeros, dry, and derma, skin.] In pathol. general dryness of the surface of the skin, occasioned by abnormal diminution of the secretion of the sebiparous organs. In its severest form it constitutes ichthyosis, or fish-skin disease. Hoblyn.

Xerodes (ze-ro'dez), n. [Gr. xerodes, dryish, from xeros, dry.] Any tumour attended with dryness.

Xeromyrum (ze-ro-mi'rum), n. [Gr. zeros, dry, and muron, ointment.] A dry ointment.

Xerophagy (ze-rof'a-ji), n. [Gr. zeros, dry, and phago, to eat.] A term applied by early ecclesiastical writers to the Christian rule of fasting; the act or habit of living on dry food or a meagre diet.

Xerophthalmy, Xerophthalmia (zerofthal-mi, ze-rof-thal'mi-a), n. [Gr. zéros, dry, and ophthalmia, a disease of the eyes, from ophthalmos, the eye.] A dry, red soreness or itching of the eyes, without swelling or a discharge of humours.

Xerotes (ze'rō-tez), n. [Gr. xerotës, dryness ] In med. a dry habit or disposition of the body.

Xiphias (zif'i-as), n. [Gr., from riphos, a sword. 1. The genus of fishes to which the X. gladius, or common sword-fish, belongs See SWORD-FISH.-2. In astron. a constellation in the southern hemisphere. Called also Sword-fish and Dorado or Xiphias Dorado.

Xiphidium (zi-fid'i-um), n. [From Gr. ziphos, a sword, and eidos, resemblance.] A genus of plants with sword-shaped leaves, nat. order Liliacea. X. album is a native of the West Indies. Xiphisternum (zif-i-ster'num), n. [Gr. xiphos, a sword, and sternon, a breast-bone.] In compar. anat. the inferior or posterior

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