TORMENTING

A genus of plants, nat. order Rosacea, by most botanists included under Potentilla (which see). Common tormentil (Tormentilla erecta or Potentilla Tormentilla) is common in Britain in heathy or waste places, and over the greater part of Europe. Its large woody roots are sometimes used medicinally as an astringent and also in tanning leather. It has small yellow flowers. Tormenting (tor-ment'ing), p. and a. Causing torment; as, a tormenting pain. Tormentingly (tor-ment'ing-li), adv. In a tormenting manner; in a manner tending to produce distress or anguish. Tormentor (tor-ment'er), n. 1. One who or that which torments; one who inflicts penal anguish or tortures.

Let his tormentor, conscience, find him out. Milton. 2. In agri. an instrument for reducing a stiff soil. It is somewhat like a harrow, but runs on wheels, and each tine is furnished with a hoe or share that enters and cuts up the ground.

Tormentress (tor-ment'res), n. A female who torments.

Fortune ordinarily cometh after to whip and punish them, as the scourge and tormentress of honour. Holland.

Tormina (tor'mi-na), n. pl. [L.] Severe griping pains in the bowels; gripes; colic. Torminous (tor'mi-nus), a. Affected with tormina; characterized by tormina; griping. Torn (tōrn), pp. of tear.

Tornado (tor-na'do), n. pl. Tornadoes (torna'döz). [Pg., from tornar, to turn. Same origin as turn.] A violent whirling wind, or a tempest: more especially applied to those whirlwind hurricanes prevalent in the West Indies and on the western coast of Africa about the time of the equinoxes, and in the Indian Ocean about the changes of the mon

TORQUE

torpedo against the hostile vessel. Stationary or defensive torpedoes, such as one placed in channels or coasts to prevent the approach of the enemy's vessels, usually consist of a strong metal case containing an effective explosive, such as gun-cotton, &c., and having a fuse or cap which will explode the charge on the slightest contact; or the explosion may be effected by means of electricity, the operator firing it at will from the shore.-3. A name sometimes applied to various other explosive agents, such as a shell buried in the path of a storming party, having a percussion or friction device which explodes the charge when the ground over the torpedo is trod on; a fog-signal laid on the metals of a railway and exploded by the wheels of a passing train; a kind of firework or toy in the shape of a small ball. which explodes on being dashed against a hard object.

Torpedo-boat, Torpedo-vessel (tor-pe'dōbot, tor-pe'dō-ves-el), n. A vessel carrying one or more torpedoes, and exploding them against another vessel. The torpedo-boat is usually a small, swift steamer, lying low in the water, and meant to approach the enemy either by surprise or under the cover of darkness. See TORPEDO, 2. Torpent (tor'pent), a. [L. torpens, torpentis, ppr. of torpeo, to be numb.] Having no motion or activity; incapable of motion; benumbed; torpid. A comprehensive expedient to assist the frail and torpent memory.' Evelyn.

Torpent (tor pent), n. A medicine that diminishes the exertion of the irritative motions.

Torpescence (tor-pes'ens), n. The state of being torpescent; a becoming torpid, insensible, or benumbed.

Torpescent (tor-pes'ent), a. [L. torpescens. torpescentis, ppr. of torpesco, to grow stiff or numb, inchoative from torpeo, to be numb.] Becoming torpid or numb, or incapable of motion or feeling.

Of gold tenacious, their torpescent soul
Clutches their coin.
Shenstone.

Torpid (tor'pid), a. [L. torpidus, from torpeo, to be numb, motionless; connected with A. Sax. theorf, unfermented.] 1. Having lost motion or the power of exertion and feeling: numb; as, a torpid limb.

Without heat all things would be torpid. Ray. 2. Dull; stupid; sluggish; inactive; as, the mind as well as the body becomes torpid by indolence.

Torpid (tor'pid), n. A second-class racingboat at Oxford, corresponding to the slogger of Cambridge. [University slang.]

D. was bent on training some of the torpids for next year. Macmillan's Mag. Torpidity (tor-pid'i-ti), n. 1. The state of being torpid; numbness. Torpidness may amount to total insensibility or loss of sensation.-2. Dulness; inactivity; sluggishness; stupidity. Genius likely to be lost in obscurity, or chilled to torpidity in the cold atmosphere of extreme indigence.' Dr. Knox. In a torpid

Torpidly (tor'pid-li), adv. manner; numbly; dully. Torpidness (tor'pid-nes), n. pidity.

The exercise of this faculty... keeps it from rust and torpidness. Sir M. Hale.

Torpify (tor'pi-fi), v.t. pret. & pp. torpified; ppr. torpifying. [L. torpeo, to be torpid, and facio, to make.] To make torpid, dull, insensible, or stupid.

(Sermons) are not harmless if they torpify the understanding. Southey. Torpitude + (tor'pi-tud), n. State of being torpid; torpidity; torpidness. (Insects) able to exist in a kind of torpitude or sleeping state without any food at all.' Derham. Torpor (tor'por), n. [L.] 1. Loss of motion or of the power of motion; torpidity; numbness; inactivity. Torpor may amount to a total loss of sensation or complete insensibility. It may, however, be applied to the state of a living body, or any part of it, which has not lost all power of feeling and motion. 2. Dulness; laziness; sluggishness; stupidity. Torporific (tor-po-rif'ik), a. [L. torpor, and facio, to make.] Tending to produce torpor. Torquated (tor kwät-ed), a. Having or wearing a torque.

Torque (tork), n. [From L. torques, a twisted neck-chain, from torqueo, to twist.] In archæol. a personal ornament worn by certain ancient nations, as by the ancient Britons, Gauls, and Germans. It consisted of a stiff collar, formed of a number of gold

Torqued (torkt), p. and a. [L. torqueo, to wreathe, to twist. ] In her. wreathed, as a dolphin haurient, twisted into a form nearly resembling the letter S reversed. The term torgant or targant is used to signify the same thing. Torques (tor'kwěz), n. [L. Same as Torque (which see).

A dolphin haurient torqued.

Torreador (tor-re-ador'),n. Same as Toreador. Torrefaction (tor-re-fak'shon), n. [Fr. torréfaction. See TORREFY.] 1. The operation of torrefying or of drying or parching by a fire; the state of being dried.

Here was not a scorching or blistering, but a vehement and full torrefaction. Bp. Hall.

2. In metal. the operation of roasting ores. 3. In phar. the drying or roasting of drugs on a metallic plate till they become friable to the fingers or till some other desired effect is produced.

Torrefy (torre-fi), v.t. pret. & pp. torrefied; ppr. torrefying. [Fr. torréfier, L. torrefacio

torreo, to dry by heat, and facio, to make. See TORRENT.] 1. To dry, roast, scorch, or parch by a fire. Torrefied sulphur makes bodies black.' Boyle.-2. In metal. to roast or scorch, as metallic ores.-3. In phar. to dry or parch, as drugs, on a metallic plate till they are friable or are reduced to any state desired.

Torrelite (tor'ré-lit), n. [Named from Dr. Torrey, lite being from Gr. lithos, a stone.] A red-coloured variety of columbite from New Jersey. Torrent (torrent), n. [Fr. torrent, from L. torrens, torrentis, a torrent, from torrens, burning, roaring, ppr. of torreo, to dry by heat, to burn (whence torridus, torrid): same root as E. thirst (which see).] 1. A violent stream, as of water, lava, or the like; a stream rising suddenly and flowing with rapidity, as down the side of a hill or over a precipice.

The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it With lusty sinews. Shak. So the loud torrent and the whirlwind's roar But bind him to his native mountains more. Goldsmith.

2. Fig. a violent or rapid flow; a flood; as, a torrent of vices and follies; a torrent of corruption; a torrent of wild or abusive words. Erasmus, that great injur'd name, Stemm'd the wild forrent of a barb'rous age. Pope." Torrent (tor'rent), a. Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.

Fierce Phlegethon, Whose waves of torrent are inflame with rage. Milton. Torrent-bow (tor' rent-bo), n. A bow or arch of rainbow-like or prismatic colours formed by the refraction and reflection of rays of light from the spray of a torrent; an iris.

From these four jets four currents in one swell
Across the mountain stream'd below
In misty folds, that floating as they fell
Lit up a torrent-bow.
Tennyson.

Torrential, Torrentine (tor-ren'shal, torrent'in), a. Of or pertaining to, caused by,

398

or resembling a torrent; as, torrential rains; a torrential river. Torricellian (tor-ri-sel'li-an or tor-richel'li-an), a. Pertaining to Torricelli, an Italian physicist and mathematician, who, in 1643, discovered the principle on which the barometer is constructed by means of an experiment called from him the Torricellian experiment. This experiment consisted in filling with mercury a glass tube closed at one end and then inverting it; the open end was then brought under the surface of mercury in a vessel, when the column of mercury in the tube was observed to descend till it stood at a height equal to about 30 inches above the level of the mercury in the vessel, leaving a vacuum at the top, between the upper extremity of the column and that of the tube. This experiment led to the discovery that the column of mercury in the tube is supported by the pressure of the atmosphere acting on the surface of the mercury in the vessel, and that this column is an exact counterbalance to the atmospheric pressure. See BAROMETER. - Torricellian tube, a glass tube 30 or more inches in length, open at one end and hermetically sealed at the other, such as is used in the barometer. -Torricellian vacuum, a vacuum such as that produced by filling a barometer tube with inercury, as in the Torricellian experiment; the vacuum above the mercurial column in the barometer.

Torrid (tor'rid), a. [L. torridus, from torreo, to roast. See TORRENT.] 1. Dried with heat; parched; as, a torrid plain or desert. Barca or Cyrene's torrid soil.' Milton.-2. Violently hot; burning or parching. Torrid heat.' Milton.-Torrid zone, in geog. that space or broad belt of the earth included between the tropics, over every part of which the sun is vertical at some period twice every year (being always so at the equator), and where the heat is always great. Torridity (tor-rid'i-ti), n. State of being

Torsibility (tor-si-bil'i-ti), n. The tendency to untwist after being twisted; as, the torsibility of a fibre or rope. [Rare.] Torsion (tor'shon), n. [L. L. torsio, from L. torqueo, to twist. See TORTURE.] 1. The act of twisting; the twisting, wrenching, or straining of a body by the exertion of a lateral force tending to turn one end or part of it about a longitudinal axis, while the other is held fast or twisted in an opposite direction. 2. In mech. the force with which a body, such as a thread, wire, or slender rod resists a twist, or the force with which it tends to return to its original state on being twisted. The resistance which cylinders and prisms formed of different substances oppose to torsion, furnishes one of the usual methods of determining the strength of materials. Such machines as capstans and windlasses, also axles which revolve with their wheels, are, when in action, subject to be twisted, or undergo the strain of torsion. If a slender rod of metal be suspended vertically, so as to be rigidly fixed at the point of suspension, and then twisted through a certain angle, it will, when the twisting force ceases to act, untwist itself or return in the opposite direction with a greater or less force or velocity until it come to rest in its original position. The limits of torsion within which the body will return to its original state depend upon its elasticity, and the force with which it tends to recover its natural state is called elasticity of torsion. This force is always proportional to the angle through which the body has been twisted. If a body is twisted so as to exceed the limit of its elasticity, its particles will either be wrenched asunder, or it will take a set, and will not return to its original position on the withdrawal of the twisting force.-Torsion balance, or balance of torsion.

TORT

If a piece of very fine wire, silk, or spun glass be suspended in the manner above stated, and then twisted, it will, when released, begin to untwist itself, and by the momentum acquired in the act of untwisting will twist in the opposite direction to a greater or less extent, according to the amount of twisting to which it has been subjected. It will then begin to return, and thus by a series of oscillations, continually diminishing in extent, it will at length gradually settle in its original position. Now if a needle or an index be attached to the lower extremity of the suspended wire or thread, and a graduated circle be placed immediately beneath the index in a horizontal position, so that the centre of the circle may be directly below the point of suspension of the index, the apparatus thus constructed will form the torsion balance. This balance has been employed to measure certain forces too minute to be estimated by the ordinary methods, and by means of it Coulomb was enabled to determine, by direct experiment, the laws which govern the variation of magnetic and electric forces. By means of the same instrument Cavendish afterward detected and measured the attraction of gravitation existing between balls of lead. To measure small forces, such as those of electricity, magnetism, &c., with the torsion balance, they are made to act upon one extremity of the index, and thus cause it to turn round, and when the force is in equilibrio with the tendency of the suspended wire to untwist, the angle which the index makes with its original position, which is called the angle of torsion, and which is measured by the graduated circle, is the measure of the force employed. In making experiments with the torsion balance the length of the suspended wire, its diameter, and the weights attached to its lower extremity must be taken into account. When the balance is adapted to measure electric forces it is called the torsion electrometer, when it is adapted to measure galvanic forces it is called the torsion galvanometer, and when applied to measure magnetic forces it receives the name of the torsion magnetometer.-3. In surg. the twisting of the cut end of a small artery in a wound or after an operation, for the purpose of checking hæmorrhage. The bleeding vessel is seized by a forceps, drawn out for about inch, and then twisted round several times till it cannot untwist itself. Torsional (tor'shon-al), a. Of or pertaining to torsion.

Torsive (tor'siv), a. In bot. twisted spirally. Torsk (torsk), n. [Sw. and Dan. torsk, a codfish or torsk.] A malacopterygious teleostean fish of the cod tribe, Brosmius vulgaris. It is found in great quantities among

Torsk (Brosmius vulgaris).

the Orkney and Shetland islands, where it constitutes a very considerable article of trade, as when salted and dried it is one of the most savoury of stock-fish. It varies from 18 to 30 inches in length, has a small head, a long body, with a long unbroken dorsal fin, an undivided tail, a long anal fin, and a single barbule or tentacle under the chin. The colour is dingy yellow above, and white below. Called also Tusk. Torso (tor'so), n. [It.] In sculp. the trunk of a statue, deprived of head and limbs; as, the torso of Hercules.

Tort (tort). n. [Fr., from L. tortus, twisted, from torqueo, to twist.] 1. Mischief; calamity; wrong.

'Gainst him that had them long oppress'd with tort, And fast imprisoned in sieged fort. Spenser. 2. In law, any wrong or injury. Torts are injuries done to the person or property of another, as trespass, assault and battery, defamation, and the like.

TORTURE

pounds of much less cost.-Tortoise-shell butterfly, a name given by collectors to Vanessa polychloros and V. urticæ.

Hawk's-bill Turtle, under side.

Tortoise-wood (tor'tois-wud or tor'tiz-wyd), Tortozon (tor-to-zon), n. A large Spanish n. A variety of zebra-wood (which see).

Tortricidae (tor-tris'i-de), n. pl. A family of heterocerous lepidoptera, named from the genus Tortrix. It comprises an extensive group of minute, generally dull-coloured moths, distinguished by their broad entire fore-wings, which form a triangle with the body when at rest. The larvae are often very destructive to fruit. Tortrix (tor'triks), n. [From L. tortus, pp. of torqueo, tortum, to twist. The larvæ of these insects twist and roll up leaves.] 1. A genus of lepidopterous insects, the type of the family Tortricidae. The T. pomonana, or apple-moth, in the larva state, feeds on the pulpy substance of the apple and plum. T. viridana feeds on the leaves of the oak; and T. vitana, in the larva state, attacks the leaves of the vines in France, rolling them up and fastening them together with threads. 2. A genus of serpents found in tropical America.

Tortulous (tortu-lus), a. Bulged out at intervals, like a cord with knots upon it: used chiefly in describing objects in natural history.

Tortuose (tor'tü-ös), a. [See TORTUOUS. ] In bot. wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuose leaf or corolla.-Tortuose stem, a stem that is bent in the manner of a flexuose stem, but less angularly, as in Cakile maritima.

Tortuosity (tor-tu-os'i-ti), n. The state of being tortuose, twisted, or wreathed; wreath; flexure.

Tortuous (tor'tu-us), a. [L. tortuosus, from tortus, twisted, pp. of torqueo, to twist. See TORTURE.] 1. Twisted; wreathed; winding; as, a tortuous train.

The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on the side of every hill where the copse-wood grew thick. Macaulay.

2. Fig. proceeding in a circuitous and underhand manner; taking an oblique and deceitful course; not open and straightforward.

Such an opportunity could not but be welcome to a nature which was implacable in enmity, and which always preferred the tortuous to the straight path. Macaulay.

True it is that his policy was tortuous and guilty; but it must be remembered that he had to deal with men as guilty and almost as wily as himself. F. H. Jesse. 3. [From tort.] Tortious (which see). Tortuously (tor'tü-us-li), adv. In a tortuous or winding manner.

Tortuousness (tor'tu-us-nes), n. The state of being tortuous.

Torturable (tor'tür-a-bl), a. Capable of being tortured.

Torture (tor'tür), n. [Fr. torture, from L. tortura, a twisting, torture, from torqueo, tortum, to twist, rack, torture (whence also torment, torsion, tortoise, distort, extort, &c.); same root as E. to throw, G. drehen, to turn.] 1. Excruciating pain; extreme anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment. And that deep torture may be call'd a hell, When more is felt than one hath power to tell. Shak

2. Especially, severe pain inflicted judicially, either as a punishment for a crime, or for the purpose of extorting a confession from an accused person, as by the boot or thumbkins or by the rack.

Torture, which had always been declared illegal, and which had recently been declared illegal even by the servile judges of that age, was inflicted for the last time in England in the month of May, 1640. Macaulay

In Scotland, the application of torture for the dis

2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack or other instrument; as, to torture an accused person. -3. To put to a severe strain; to wrest from the right meaning; to put a wrong construction on.

This place had been tortured by interpreters and pulled to pieces by disputation. Fer. Taylor. 4. To keep on the stretch, as a bow.

The bow tortureth the string. Bacon. Torturer (tor'tür-ér), n. One who tortures; a tormentor.

I play the torturer, by small and small, To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken. Shak Torturingly (tor'tür-ing-li), adv. So as to torture or torment.

An host of furies

Could not have baited me more torturingly. Beau, & Fl Torturous (tor'tūr-us), a. Pertaining to or involving torture. The spectators who shed tears at the torturous crucifixion.' Disraeli. [Rare.]

Torula (tor'ú-la), n. [L. torulus, a little swelling or protuberance.] A genus of fungi, the type of the order Torulacei (which see), and comprising the yeast plant. Torulacei (tor-u-la'se-I), n. pl. A nat. order of naked-spored fungi, belonging to the division Coniomycetes, forming moulds and mildews on decaying organic substances, or acting as a ferment in decomposing vegetable and animal fluids and tissues. The mycelium is so imperfectly developed as to be scarcely apparent, and the whole plant seems to consist of a mass of simple or septate naked spores, generally united in chains. Reproduction goes on by gemmation on the spore reaching a suitable habitat, as well as by spores. The spores are present in infinite multitudes in the atmosphere. See GERM THEORY, YEAST.

Torulose, Torulous (tor'u-los, toru-lus), a. [From L. torulus, dim. of torus, a protuberance.] In bot. cylindrical, with several swells and contractions.

Torus (to'rus), n. [L., a round, swelling, or bulg ing place, an elevation, a protuberance.] 1. In arch. a large moulding used in the bases of columns. Its section is semicircular, and it differs from the astragal only in size, the

a

a, Torus.

astragal being much smaller. Sometimes called Tore.-2. In bot. the receptacle or part of the flower on which the carpels are seated.

Torvet (torv), a. Same as Torvous or Torved.
'A torve and tebrick countenance.' Fuller.
Torved (torved), a. Torvous; grim; stern.
But yesterday his breath
Awed Rome, and his feast forved frown was death.
Webster.

Torvity (tor'vi-ti), n. [L. torvitas, stern-
ness. See TORVOUS.] Sourness or severity
of countenance.
Torvoust (tor'vus), a. [L. torvus, stern, se-
vere, piercing: said of the eyes. ] Sour of
aspect; stern; of a severe countenance.
That torvous, sour look produced by anger
and hatred.' Derham.

Torvulæ (tor'vũ-lē), n. pl. Same as Mycoderma. See MYCODERM.

Tory (to'ri), n. [Said to be from the Irish tóruidhe, a hunter, a chaser, from toir, pursuit, and to have been applied by the English settlers in Ireland of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the original possessors of the soil, who, driven into the bogs and mountains, formed themselves into bands and made incessant raids on their despoilers; or from tora, tora, give, give (that is, your money or your life), the 'stand and deliver' of the Irish highwayman.] 1. An Irish outlaw, partly robber, partly rebel.

That Irish Papists who had been licensed to depart this nation, and of late years have been transplanted into Spain, Flanders, and other foreign parts, have nevertheless returned into Ireland, occasioning the increase of tories and other lawless persons, Irish State Papers, 1566.

400

Let such men quit all pretences to civility and breeding. They are ruder than tories and wild Americans. Glanville.

2. A political party name first used in England about 1679, and applied originally as an epithet of reproach to all who were supposed to be abettors of the imaginary Popish Plot; and then generally to those who refused to concur in excluding a Roman Catholic prince (in the particular instance James II.) from the throne. The nickname, like its contemporaneous opposite Whig, in coming into popular use became much less strict in its application, until at last it came simply to signify an adherent of that political party in the state who disapproved of change in the ancient constitution, and who supported the claims and authority of the king, church, and aristocracy, while their opponents, the Whigs, were in favour of more or less radical changes, and supported the claims of the democracy. In modern times the term has to some extent been supplanted by Conservative, and the Conservative may be considered as the modern representative of the ancient Tory. See CONSERVATIVE.

It is curious how often political parties have ended by assuming to theniselves names first fastened on them by their adversaries in reproach and scorn.... Tories was a name properly belonging to the Irish bogtrotters, who during our Civil War robbed and plundered, professing to be in arms for the mainten ance of the royal cause, and from them transferred about the year 1680, to those who sought to maintain the extreme prerogatives of the Crown. Trench. 3. A name given during the American war of independence to a member of the loyalist party, or those who favoured the claims of Great Britain against the colonists. Tory (to'ri), a. Pertaining to the Tories; constituted by or originating from the Tories; as, Tory principles; Tory measures; a Tory government; Tory rule. Toryism (to'ri-izm), n. The principles or practices of the Tories.

Nothing would illustrate the subject better than an inquiry into the rise and progress of our late parties; or a short history of Toryism and Whiggism froni their cradle to their grave, the introductory account of their genealogy and descent. Bolingbroke. Tosca-rock (tos'ka-rok), n. An arenaceous rock found in layers and boulders in the Pampas of South America. Mr. Darwin has adopted and so given currency to the name. To-schredde, v.t. To cut or shred in pieces.

Chaucer.

Tose (toz), v.t. local. J

To tease wool. [Obsolete or

Tosh (tosh), a. [0. Fr. tousé, shorn, clipped, pared round, from L. tonsus, clipped, from tondeo, to shear or clip.] Neat; trim. [Scotch.]

The hedges will do-I clipped them wi' my ain hand last back-end;-and, nae doubt, they make the avenue look a hantle tosher. Prof. Wilson.

Toshach, n. See TOISECH. Toss (tos), v. t. pret. & pp. tossed or tost. [Of doubtful origin. Wedgwood connects it with N. tossa, to strew, to scatter. Others take it from W. tosiaw, to toss, to jerk, from tos, a toss, a quick jerk; but the Welsh word may be from the English, as connected forms do not appear in Irish or Gaelic. Perhaps from D. tassen, Fr. tasser, to heap up (as the waves of a troubled sea); in the same way as we have both tossel and tassel.] 1. To throw with the hand; to pitch; to fling; particularly, to throw with the palm of the hand upward, or to throw upward; as, to toss a ball.-2. To hurl; to cast.

4. To cause to rise and fall; to pitch or move from one place to another as with quick jerky motion; to dash about: often used of the sea; as, to be tossed on the waves. We being exceedingly tossed with a tempest.' Acts xxvii. 16.-5. To agitate; to make restless. So many troubles her did toss. Spenser. Madly toss'd between desire and dread.' Shak.

Calm region once, And full of peace, now fost and turbulent.

Milton.

6. To keep in play; to keep repeating.

That scholars should come to a better knowledge in the Latin tongue than most do, that spend four years in tossing all the rules of grammar in common schools. Ascham.

-To toss off, to swallow at one gulp; to drink hastily.

The corporal produced the bottle and the glass,

TOTAL

poured it out, made his military salute, and tossed it ef. Marryat. -To toss the oars (naut.), to throw the oars with their blades up, in a perpendicular direction, as a salute. The crews tossed their oars and cheered.' Macmillan's Mag. Toss (tos), v.i. 1. To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion; to writhe; to fling.

To toss and fling, and to be restless, only frets and enrages our pain. Tillotson.

2. To be flung or dashed about. We left behind the painted buoy

That tosses at the harbour mouth. Tennyson. -To toss, to toss up, to throw up a coin, and decide something by the side turned up when it falls.

Toss (tos), n. 1. A throwing upward or with a jerk; the act of tossing; as, the toss of a ball.-2. A throwing up of the head; a particular manner of raising the head with a jerk.

There is hardly a polite sentence in the following dialogues which doth not require some suitable toss of the head. Swift.

To

Tosser (tos'ér), n. One who tosses. send his tossers forth.' Beau. & FI Tossily (tos'i-li), adv. In a tossy manner; with affected indifference, carelessness, or contempt. She answered tossily enough." Tossing (tos'ing), n. Kingsley. [Provincial.]

1. The act of one who or that which tosses; a rising and falling suddenly; a rolling and tumbling; a violent commotion.

Dire was the tossing, deep the groans. Milton. 2. A mining process, which consists in suspending ores by violent agitation in water, for the purpose of separating the lighter or earthy particles.

Toss-pot (tos'pot), n. A toper; one habitually given to strong drink.

Toss-up (tos'up), n. The throwing up of a coin to decide something, as a wager or matter of dispute; hence, an even hazard; a matter which may be decided one way or other with equal result or advantage. [Colloq.]

I haven't the least idea,' said Richard, musing, 'what I had better be. Except that I am quite sure I don't want to go into the Church, it's a toss-up.

Dickens.

Tossy (tos'i), a. Tossing, especially tossing the head as in scorn or contempt; hence, affectedly indifferent; offhand; contemptuous. Some tossy commonplace.' Kingsley. [Provincial.]

Tost (tost). A contracted spelling of Tossed, the preterite and past participle of Toss. To-swinke,t v.i. [Prefix to, and swink.] To toil or labour hard; to drudge. Chaucer. Tot (tot), n. [Dan. tot, Icel. tottr, applied to dwarfish persons; perhaps allied to tit.] 1. Anything small or insignificant: used as a term of endearment.-2. A small drinking cup, holding about half a pint. [Local3. A small quantity, especially applied to liquor; as, a tot of gin. [Slang.]-4. A foolish fellow. [Provincial.]

Tot (tot), v.t. pret. & pp. totted; ppr. totting. [Abbrev. of total.] To sum: generally with up. [Slang or colloq,]

These totted together will make a pretty beginning of my little project. H. Brooke. Thackeray.

The last two tot up the bill. Tota (tō'ta), n. Same as Grivet (which see). Total (to'tal), a. [L. totalis, from totus, whole; derived by some from root tu, to swell, seen in tumid, tumult.] 1. Of or pertaining to the whole; comprehending the whole; complete in all its parts; entire; as, a total sum or amount.

Prior. With this gift reward my total care. 2. Complete in degree; absolute; thorough; as, a total wreck or rout; a total loss. Total darkness.' Milton.-3. Putting everything into a small compass; summary; curt; abrupt.

Do you mean my tender ears to spare, That to my questions you so total are? Spenser -Whole, Entire, Complete, Total. See under COMPLETE.

Total (total), n. The whole; the whole sum or amount; aggregate; as, these sums make