Chapter C · hap"ter, v. t. (continued 20)

3. A hint or intimation. Give them [the servants] their cue to attend in two lines as he leaves the house. Swift.

4. The part one has to perform in, or as in, a play. Were it my cueto fight, I should have known it Without a prompter. Shak.

5. Humor; temper of mind. [Colloq.] Dickens.

6. A straight tapering rod used to impel the balls in playing billiards.

CUE Cue, v. t.

Defn: To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.

CUE Cue, n. Etym: [From q, an abbreviation for quadrans a farthing.]

Defn: A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing. [Obs.]

Note: The term was formerly current in the English universities, the letter q being the mark in the buttery books to denote such a portion. Nares. Hast thou worn Gowns in the university, tossed logic, Sucked philosophy, eat cues Old Play.

CUERPO Cuer"po (kwr"p), n. Etym: [Sp. cuerpo, fr. L. corpus body. See Corpse.]

Defn: The body. In cuerpo, without full dress, so that the shape of the Body is exposed; hence, naked or uncovered. Exposed in cuerpo to their rage. Hudibras.

CUESTA Cues"ta, n. [Sp.]

Defn: A sloping plain, esp. one with the upper end at the crest of a cliff; a hill or ridge with one face steep and the opposite face gently sloping. [Southwestern U. S.]

CUFF Cuff (kf), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cuffed (k; p. pr. & vb. n. Cuffing.] Etym: [Cf. Sw. kuffa to knock, push,kufva to check, subdue, and E. cow, v. t. ]

1. To strike; esp., to smite with the palm or flat of the hand; to slap. I swear I'll cuff you, if you strike again. Shak. They with their quills did all the hurt they could, And cuffed the tender chickens from their food. Dryden.

2. To buffet. "Cuffed by the gale." Tennyson.

CUFF Cuff, v. i.

Defn: To fight; to scuffle; to box. While the peers cuff to make the rabble sport. Dryden.

CUFF Cuff, n.

Defn: A blow; esp.,, a blow with the open hand; a box; a slap. Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies; Who well it wards, and quitten cuff with cuff. Spenser. Many a bitter kick and cuff. Hudibras.

CUFF Cuff, n. Etym: [Perh. from F. coiffe headdress, hood, or coif; as if the cuff were a cap for the hand. Cf. Coif.]

1. The fold at the end of a sleeve; the part of a sleeve turned back from the hand. He would visit his mistress in a morning gown, band,short cuffs, and a peaked beard. Arbuthnot.

2. Any ornamental appendage at the wrist, whether attached to the sleeve of the garment or separate;especially, in modern times, such an appendage of starched linen, or a substitute for it of paper, or the like.

CUFFY Cuf"fy (k, n.

Defn: A name for a negro. [Slang]

CUFIC Cu"fic (k`fk), a. Etym: [So called from the town of Cufa, in the province of Bagdad.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the older characters of the Arabic language. [Written also Kufic.]

CUI BONO Cui` bo"no. [L.]

Defn: Lit., for whose benefit; incorrectly understood, it came to be used in the sense, of what good or use; and hence, (what) purpose; object; specif., the ultimate object of life.

CUINAGE Cuin"age (kwn`j), n.Etym: [Corrupted fr. coinage.]

Defn: The stamping of pigs of tin, by the proper officer, with the arms of the duchy of Cornwall.

CUIRASS Cui*rass" (kw-rs`, or kw`rs; 277), n.; pl. Cuirasses(-. Etym: [ F.cuirasse, orig., a breascuir, cuirie influenced by It. corazza, or Sp. cora, fr. an assumed LL. coriacea, fr. L. coriacevs, adj., of leather, fr. corium leather, hide; akin to Gr. skora hide, Lith. skura hide, leather. Cf. Coriaceous.]

1. (a) A piece of defensive armor, covering the body from the neck to the girdle. (b) The breastplate taken by itself.

Note: The cuirass covered the body before and behind. It consisted of two parts, a breast- and backpiece of iron fastened together by means of straps and buckles or other like contrivances. It was originally, as the name imports, made of leather, but afterward of metal. Crose.

2. (Zoöl)

Defn: An armor of bony plates, somewhat resembling a cuirass.

CUIRASSED Cui*rassed" (kw-rst` or kw`rst), a.

1. Wearing a cuirass.

2. (Zoöl)

Defn: Having a covering of bony plates, resembling a cuirass;- said of certain fishes.

CUIRASSIER Cui`ras*sier" (kw`rs-sr"), n. Etym: [F. cuirassier. See Curass.]

Defn: A soldier armed with a cuirass. Milton.

CUIR BOUILLI Cuir" bou`illi". [F.]

Defn: In decorative art, boiled leather, fitted by the process to receive impressed patterns, like those produced by chasing metal, and to retain the impression permanently.

CUISH Cuish (kws), n. Etym: [F. cuisse thigh, fr. L. coxa hip: cf. F. cuissard, OF, cuissot, armor for the thigh, cuish. Cf. Hough.]

Defn: Defensive armor for the thighs. [ Written also cuisse, and quish.]

CUISINE Cui`sine" (kw`zn"), n. Etym: [F., fr. L. coquina kitchen, fr. coquere to cook. See Kitchen.]

1. The kitchen or cooking department.

2. Manner or style of cooking.

CULASSE Cu`lasse" (ku`ls"), n. Etym: [F., fr. cul back.]

Defn: The lower faceted portion of a brilliant-cut diamond.

CULDEE Cul*dee" (k, n. Etym: [ Prob. fr. Gael.cuilteach; cf. Ir. ceilede.]

Defn: One of a class of anchorites who lived in various parts of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The pure Culdees Were Albyn's earliest priests of God. Campbell.

CUL-DE-SAC Cul`-de-sac" (ku`de-sk" or kul`de-sk"), n.; pl. Culs-de-sac (ku`- or kulz`-). Etym: [ F., lit., bottom of a bag.]

1. A passage with only one outlet, as a street closed at one end; a blind alley; hence, a trap.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: a position in which an army finds itself with no way of exit but to the front.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: Any bag-shaped or tubular cavity, vessel, or organ, open only at one end.

CULERAGE Cul"er*age (kl"r-j), n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Culrage.

CULEX Cu"lex (k"lks), n. Etym: [L., a gnat.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of dipterous insects, including the gnat and mosquito.

CULICID Cu"li*cid, a. [L. culex, -icis, gnat.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like or pertaining to the Mosquito family (Culicidæ). — n.

Defn: A culicid insect.

CULICIFORM Cu*lic"i*form (k-ls"i-frm). a. Etym: [L. culex a gnat + -form:cf. F. culiciforme.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Gnat-shaped.

CULINARILY Cu"li*na*ri*ly (k`l-n-r-l), adv.

Defn: In the manner of a kitchen; in connection with a kitchen or cooking.

CULINARY Cu"li*na*ry (k"l-n-r), a. Etym: [L. culinarius, fr. culina kitchen, perh. akin to carbo coal: cf. F. culinare.]

Defn: Relating to the kitchen, or to the art of cookery; used in kitchens; as, a culinary vessel; the culinary art.

CULL Cull (kl), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Culled (kld); p. pr.& Culling.] Etym: [OE., OF. cuillir, coillir, F.cueillir, to gather, pluck, pick, fr. L. colligere. See Coil, v. t., and cf. Collect.]

Defn: To separate, select, or pick out; to choose and gather or collect; as, to cuil flowers. From his herd he culls, For slaughter, from the fairest of his bulls. Dryden. Whitest honey in fairy gardens culled. Tennyson.

CULL Cull, n.

Defn: A cully; a dupe; a gull. See Gully.

CULLENDER Cul"len*der (kl"ln-dr), n.

Defn: A strainer. See Colander.

CULLER Cull"er (kl"r), n.

Defn: One who piks or chooses; esp., an inspector who select wares suitable for market.

CULLET Cul"let (kl"lt), n. Etym: [From Cull, v. t. ]

Defn: Broken glass for remelting.

CULLET Cul"let, n. Etym: [A dim. from F. cul back.]

Defn: A small central plane in the back of a cut gem. See Collet, 3 (b).

CULLIBILITY Cul`li*bil"i*ty (-l-bl"-ty), n. Etym: [From cully to trick, cheat.]

Defn: Gullibility. [R.] Swift.

CULLIBLE Cul"li*ble (kl"l-b'l), a.

Defn: Easily deceived; gullible.

CULLING Cull"ing (kl"ng), n

1. The act of one who culls.

2. pl.

Defn: Anything separated or selected from a mass.

CULLION Cul"lion (kl"yn), n. Etym: [OF. couillon, coillon, F. co, a vile fellow, coward, dupe, from OF. couillon, coillon, testicle, fr. il the scrotum, fr. L. coleus a leather bag, the scrotum.]

Defn: A mean wretch; a base fellow; a poltroon; a scullion. "Away, base cullions." Shak.

CULLIONLY Cul"lion*ly, a.

Defn: Mean; base. Shak.

CULLIS Cul"lis (k, n. Etym: [OF. coleïs, F. coulis, fr. OF. & F. couler to strain, to flow, fr. L. colare to filter, strain; cf. LL. coladicium. Cf. Colander.]

Defn: A strong broth of meat, strained and made clear for invalids; also, a savory jelly. [Obs.] When I am exellent at caudles And cullises . . . you shall be welcome to me. Beau. & Fl.

CULLIS Cul"lis, n.; pl. Cullises (-. Etym: [F.coulisse groove, fr. the same source as E. cullis broth.] (Arch.)

Defn: A gutter in a roof; a channel or groove.

CULLS Culls (klz), n. pl. Etym: [From Cull,, v. t.]

1. Refuse timber, from which the best part has been culled out.

2. Any refuse stuff, as rolls not properly baked.

CULLY Cul"ly (kl"l), n.; pl. Cullies (-l. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. cullion.]

Defn: A person easily deceived, tricked, or imposed on; a mean dupe; a gull. I have learned that . . . I am not the first cully whom she has passed upon for a countess. Addison.

CULLY Cul"ly, v. t. Etym: [See Cully,n., and cf. D. kullen to cheat, gull.]

Defn: To trick, cheat, or impose on; to deceive. "Tricks to cully fools." Pomfret.

CULLYISM Cul"ly*ism (-z'm), n.

Defn: The state of being a cully. Less frequent instances of eminent cullyism. Spectator.

CULM Culm (klm), n. Etym: [L. culmus stark, stem; akin to colasmus. SeeHalm.] (Bot.)

Defn: The stalk or stem of grain and grasses (including the bamboo), jointed and usually hollow.

CULM Culm, n. Etym: [Perh. from W. cwlm knot or tie, applied to this species of coal, which is much found in balls or knots in some parts of Wales: cf. OE. culme smoke, soot.] (Min.) (a) Mineral coal that is not bituminous; anthracite, especially when found in small masses. (b) The waste of the Pennsylvania anthracite mines, consisting of fine coal, dust, etc., and used as fuel. Raymond.

CULMEN Cul"men (kl"mn), n. Etym: [L., fr. cellere (in comp.) to impel; cf. celsus pushed upward, lofty.]

1. Top; summit; acme. R. North.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The dorsal ridge of a bird's bill.

CULMIFEROUS Cul*mif"er*ous (kl-mf"r-s), a. Etym: [L. culmus stalk or stem + - ferous: cf. F. culmif.]

Defn: Having jointed stems or culms.

CULMIFEROUS Cul*mif"er*ous (kl-mf"r-s), a.Etym: [2d culm + -ferous.] (Min.)

Defn: Containing, or abounding in, culm or glance coal.

CULMINAL Cul"mi*nal (kl"m-nal), a.

Defn: Pertaining to a culmen.

CULMINANT Cul"mi*nant (-nant), a.

Defn: Being vertical, or at the highest point of altitude; hence, predominant. [R.]

CULMINATE Cul"mi*nate (kl"m-nt), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Culminated (-n`td); p. pr. & vb. n. Culminating (-n Etym: [L. cuimen top or ridge. See Column.]

1. To reach its highest point of altitude; to come to the meridian; to be vertical or directly overhead. As when his beams at noon Culminate from the equator. Milton.

2. To reach the highest point, as of rank, size, power, numbers, etc. The reptile race culminated in the secondary era. Dana. The house of Burgundy was rapidly culminating. Motley.

CULMINATE Cul"mi*nate (kl"m-nt), a.

Defn: Growing upward, as distinguished from a laterral growth; — applied to the growth of corals. Dana.

CULMINATION Cul"mi*na"tion (kl`m-n"shn), n. Etym: [Cf. F.culmination]

1. The attainment of the highest point of altitude reached by a heavently body; passage across the meridian; transit.

2. Attainment or arrival at the highest pitch of glory, power, etc.

CULPA Cul"pa (kl"p), n. Etym: [L.] (Law)

Defn: Negligence or fault, as distinguishable from dolus (deceit, fraud), which implies intent, culpa being imputable to defect of intellect, dolus to defect of heart. Wharton.

CULPABILITY Cul`pa*bil"i*ty (kl`p-bl`-t), n.; pl. Culpabilities (-t. Etym: [Cf. F. culpabilité.]

Defn: The state of being culpable.

CULPABLE Cul"pa*ble (kl"p-b'l), a. Etym: [OE. culpable, coulpable, coupable, F. coupable, formerly also coupable, formerly also coulpable, culpable, fr. L. culpabilis, fr. culpare to blame, fr. culpa fault.]

1. Deserving censure; worthy of blame; faulty; immoral; criminal. State Trials (1413). If he acts according to the best reason he hath, he is not culpable, though he be mistaken in his measures. Sharp.

2. Guilty; as, clpable of a crime. [Obs.] Spenser. — Cul"pa*ble*ness, n. — Cul"pa*bly, adv.

CULPATORY Cul"pa*to*ry (-t-r), a.

Defn: Expressing blame; censuring; reprehensory; inculpating. Adjectives . . . commonly used by Latian authors in a culpatory sense. Walpole.

CULPE Culpe (klp), n. Etym: [F. coulpe, fr.L.culpa.]

Defn: Blameworthiness. [Obs.] Banished out of the realme . . . without culpe. E. Hall.

CULPON Cul"pon (kl"pn), n. Etym: [See Coupon.]

Defn: A shered; a fragment; a strip of wood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

CULPRIT Cul"prit (kl"prt), n. Etym: [Prob. corrupted for culpate, fr. Law Latin culpatus the accused, p. p. of L. culpare to blame. See Culpable.]

1. One accused of, or ar An author is in the condition of a culprit; the public are his judges. Prior.

2. One quilty of a fault; a criminal.

CULRAGE Cul"rage (kl"rj), n. Etym: [OE. culrage, culrache; prob. fr. F. cul the buttok + F. & E. rage; F. curage.] (Bot.)

Defn: Smartweed (Polygonum Hydropiper).

CULT Cult (klt) n .Etym: [F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]

1. Attentive care; homage; worship. Every one is convinced of the reality of a better self, and of. thecult or homage which is due to it. Shaftesbury.

2. A system of religious belief and worship. That which was the religion of Moses is the ceremonial or cult of the religion of Christ. Coleridge.

CULTCH Cultch (klch;224), n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: Empty oyster shells and other substances laid down on oyster grounds to furnish points for the attachment of the spawn of the oyster. [Also written cutch.]

CULTER Cul"ter (kl"tr), n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A colter. See Colter.

CULTIROSTRAL Cul`ti*ros"tral (-t-rs"tral), a. Etym: [See Cultirostres.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a bill shaped like the colter of a plow, or like a knife, as the heron, stork, etc.

CULTIROSTRES Cul`ti*ros"tres (-trz), n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. culter colter of a plow, knife + rostrum bill.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tribe of wading birds including the stork, heron, crane, etc.

CULTIVABLE Cul"ti*va*ble (kl"t-v-b'l), a. Etym: [Cf. F. cultivable.]

Defn: Capable of being cultivated or tilled. Todd.

CULTIVATABLE Cul"ti*va`ta*ble (kl"t-v`t-b'l), a.

Defn: Cultivable.

CULTIVATE Cul"ti*vate (kl"t-vt), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cultivated (-v`td); p.pr. & vb. n. Cultivating (-v`-t*ng).] Etym: [LL. cultivatus, p.p. of cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p.p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.]

1. To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil.

2. To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish. Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature. Wordsworth.

3. To seek the society of; to court intimacy with. I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and cultivated him accordingly. Burke.

4. To improve by labor, care, or study; to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine. To cultivate the wild, licentious savage. Addison. The mind of man hath need to be prepared for piety and virtue; it must be cultivated to the end. Tillotson.

5. To raise or produce by tillage; to care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or grass.

CULTIVATION Cul`ti*va"tion (kl`t-v"shn), n. Etym: [Cf. F. cultivation.]

1. The art or act of cultivating; improvement for agricultural purposes or by agricultural processes; tillage; production by tillage.

2. Bestowal of time or attention for self-improvement or for the benefit of others; fostering care.

3. The state of being cultivated; advancement in physical, intellectual, or moral condition; refinement; culture. Italy . . . was but imperfectly reduced to cultivation before the irruption of the barbarians. Hallam.

CULTIVATOR Cul"ti*va`tor (kl"t-v`tr), n. Etym: [Cf. F. cultivateur.]

1. One who cultivates; as, a cultivator of the soil; a cultivator of literature. Whewell.

2. An agricultural implement used in the tillage of growing crops, to loosen the surface of the earth and kill the weeds; esp., a triangular frame set with small shares, drawn by a horse and by handles.

Note: In a broader signification it includes any complex implement for pulverizing or stirring the surface of the soil, as harrows, grubbers, horse hoes, etc.

CULTRATE; CULTRATED Cul"trate (kl"trt), Cul"tra*ted (-tr-td), a. Etym: [L. cultratus knife-shaped, fromculter, cultri, knife.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Defn: Sharp-edged and pointed; shaped like a pruning knife, as the beak of certain birds.

CULTRIFORM Cul"tri*form (-tr-frm), a. Etym: [L. culter, cultri, knife + -form.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Defn: Shaped like a pruning knife; cultrate.

CULTRIVOROUS Cul*triv"o*rous (kl-trb"-rs), a. Etym: [L. culter, cultri, knife + vorare to devour.]

Defn: Devouring knives; swallowing, or pretending to swallow, knives; — applied to persons who have swallowed, or have seemed to swallow, knives with impunity. Dunglison.

CULTURABLE Cul"tur*a*ble (kl"tr—b'l; 135), a.

Defn: Capable of, or fit for, being cultivated; capable or becoming cultured. London Spectator.

CULTURAL Cul"tur*al (kl"tr-al), a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to culture.

CULTURE Cul"ture (kl"tr; 135), n. Etym: [F. culture, L. cultura, fr. colere to till, cultivate; of uncertain origin. Cf. Colony.]

1. The act or practice of cultivating, or of preparing the earth for seed and raising crops by tillage; as, the culture of the soil.

2. The act of, or any labor or means employed for, training, disciplining, or refining the moral and intellectual nature of man; as. the culture of the mind. If vain our toil We ought to blame theculture, not the soil. Pepe.

3. The state of being cultivated; result of cultivation; physical improvement; enlightenment and discipline acquired by mental and moral training; civilization; refinement in manners and taste. What the Greeks expressed by their humanitas, we less happily try to express by the more artificial word culture. J. C. Shairp. The list of all the items of the general life of a people represents that whole which we call its culture. Tylor. Culture fluid, a fluid in which the germs of microscopic organisms are made to develop, either for purposes of study or as a means of modifying their virulence.

CULTURE Cul"ture, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cultured (-trd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. Culturing.]

Defn: To cultivate; to educate. They came . . . into places well inhabited and cultured. Usher.

CULTURED Cul"tured (kl"trd), a.

1. Under culture; cultivated. "Cultured vales." Shenstone.

2. Characterized by mental and moral training; disciplined; refined; well-educated. The sense of beauty in nature, even among cultured people, is less often met with than other mental endowments. I. Taylor. The cunning hand and cultured brain. Whittier.

CULTURE FEATURES Culture features. (Surv.)

Defn: The artificial features of a district as distinguished from the natural.

CULTURELESS Cul"ture*less, a.

Defn: Having no culture.

CULTURE MYTH Culture myth.

Defn: A myth accounting for the discovery of arts and sciences or the advent of a higher civilization, as in the Prometheus myth.

CULTURIST Cul"tur*ist, n.

1. A cultivator.

2. One who is an advocate of culture. The culturists, by which term I mean not those who esteem culture (as what intelligent man does notJ. C. Shairp

CULTUS Cul"tus (kl"ts), n. sing. & pl.; E. pl.Cultuses (-. Etym: [L., cultivation, culture. See Cult.]

Defn: Established or accepted religious rites or usages of worship; state of religious development. Cf.Cult, 2.

CULTUS COD Cul"tus cod` (kd`). Etym: [Chinook cultus of little worth.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Cod, and Buffalo cod, under Buffalo.

CULVER Cul"ver (k"vr), n. Etym: [AS. culfre, perh. fr. L. columba.]

Defn: A dove. "Culver in the falcon's fist." Spenser.

CULVER Cul"ver, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. Culverin.]

Defn: A culverin. Falcon and culver on each tower Stood prompt their deadly hail to shower. Sir W. Scott.

CULVERHOUSE Cul"ver*house` (-hous`), n.

Defn: A dovecote.

CULVERIN Cul"ver*in (kl"vr-n), n.Etym: [F. coulevrine, prop. fem. of couleuvrin like a serpent, fr. couleuvre adder, fr. L. coluber, colubra.]

Defn: A long cannon of the 16th century, usually an 18-pounder with serpent-shaped handles. Trump, and drum, and roaring culverin. Mac

CULVERKEY Cul"ver*key` (-k`), n.

1. A bunch of the keys or samaras of the ash tree. Wright.

2. An English meadow plant, perhaps the columbine or the bluebell squill (Scilla nutans). [Obs.] A girl cropping culverkeys and cowslips to make garlands. Walton.

CULVER'S PHYSIC; CULVER'S ROOT Cul"ver's phys"ic, or Cul"ver's root`. [So called after a Dr. Culver, who used it.] (Bot.)

Defn: The root of a handsome erect herb (Leptandra, syn. Veronica, Virginica) common in most moist woods of North America , used as an active cathartic and emetic; also, the plant itself.

CULVERT Cul"vert (kl"vrt), n. Etym: [Prob. from OF. coulouere, F. couloir, channel, gutter, gallery, fr. couler to flow. See Cullis.]

Defn: A transverse drain or waterway of masonry under a road, railroad, canal, etc.; a small bridge.

CULVERTAIL Cul"ver*tail` (kl"vr-tl`), n. (Carp.)

Defn: Dovetail.

CULVERTAILED Cul"ver*tailed` (-tld`), a.

Defn: United or fastened by a dovetailed joint.

CUMACEA Cu*ma"ce*a (k-m"sh- or -s-), n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of marine Crustacea, mostly of small size.

CUMBENT Cum"bent (km"bent), a. Etym: [Cf. Recumbent, Covey.]

Defn: Lying down; recumbent. J. Dyer.

CUMBER Cum"ber (km"br), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cumbered (-brd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cumbering.] Etym: [OE. combren, cumbren,OF. combrer to hinder, from LL. cumbrus a heap, fr. L. cumulus; cf. Skr. to increase, grow strong. Cf. Cumulate.]

Defn: To rest upon as a troublesome or useless weight or load; to be burdensome or oppressive to; to hinder or embarrass in attaining an object, to obstruct or occupy uselessly; to embarrass; to trouble. Why asks he what avails him not in fight, And would but cumber and retard his flight Dryden. Martha was cumbered about much serving. Luke x. 40. Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground Luke xiii. 7. The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, . . . but cumbers the memory. Locke.

CUMBER Cum"ber (km"br), n. Etym: [Cf. encombre hindrance, impediment. See Cuber,v.]

Defn: Trouble; embarrassment; distress. [Obs.] [Written also comber.] A place of much distraction and cumber. Sir H. Wotton. Sage counsel in cumber. Sir W. Scott.

CUMBERSOME Cum"ber*some (k, a.

1. Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag; embarrassing; vexatious; cumbrous. To perform a cumbersome obedience. Sir. P. Sidney.

2. Not easily managed; as, a cumbersome contrivance or machine. He holds them in utter contempt, as lumbering, cumbersome, circuitous. I. Taylor. — Cum"ber*some*ly, adv. — Cum"ber*some*ness,n.

CUMBRANCE Cum"brance (km"brans), n.

Defn: Encumbrance. [Obs.] Extol not riches then, the toil of fools, The wise man's cumbrance, if not snare. Milton.

CUMBRIAN Cum"bri*an (km"br-an), a.

Defn: Pertaining to Cumberland, England, or to a system of rocks found there. Cumbrian system (Geol.), the slate or graywacke system of rocks, now included in the Cambrian or Silurian system; — so called because most prominent at Cumberland.

CUMBROUS Cum"brous (km"brs), a.

1. Rendering action or motion difficult or toilsome; serving to obstruct or hinder; burdensome; clogging. He sunk beneath the cumbrous weight. Swift. That cumbrousand unwieldy style which disfigures English composition so extensively. De Quincey.

2. Giving trouble; vexatious. [Obs.] A clud of cumbrous gnats. Spenser. — Cum"brous*ly, adv. — Cum"brous*ness, n.

CUMENE Cu"mene (k"mn), n. Etym: [From Cumin.] (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless oily hydrocarbon, C6H5.C3H7, obtained by the distillation of cuminic acid; — called also cumol.

CUMFREY Cum"frey (km"fr), n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Comfrey.

CUMIC Cu"mic (k"mk), a. (Chem.)

Defn: See Cuming.

CUMIDINE Cu"mi*dine (k"m-dn or -dn), n. Etym: [From Cumin.] (Chem.)

Defn: A strong, liquid, organic base, C3H7.C6H4.NH2, homologous with aniline.

CUMIN Cum"in (km"n), n. Etym: [OE.comin, AS. cymen, fr. L. cuminum, Gr.kamm, Heb. kamm; cf. OF. comin, F. cumin. Cf. Kummel.] (Bot.)

Defn: A dwarf umbelliferous plant, somewhat resembling fennel (Cuminum Cyminum), cultivated for its seeds, which have a bitterish, warm taste, with an aromatic flavor, and are used like those of anise and caraway. [Written also cummin.] Rank-smelling rue, and cumin good for eyes. Spenser. Black cumin (Bot.), a plant (Nigella sativa) with pungent seeds, used by the Afghans, etc.

CUMINIC Cu*min"ic (k-mn"k), a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, cumin, or from oil of caraway; as, cuminic acid. Cuminic acid (Chem.), white crystalline substance, C3H7.C6H4.CO2H, obtained from oil of caraway.

CUMINIL Cu"mi*nil (k"m-nl), n .

Defn: A substance, analogous to benzil, obtained from oil of caraway.

CUMINOL Cu"mi*nol (-nl), n. Etym: [Cuminic + L. oleum.]

Defn: A liquid, C3H7.C6H4.CHO, obtained from oil of caraway; — called also cuminic aldehyde.

CUMMERBUND Cum"mer*bund`, n. [Written also kummerbund, cummerband, etc.] [Hind. kamarband, fr. Per. Kamar loins + band fastening.]

Defn: A sash for the waist; a girdle. [India]

CUMMIN Cum"min (km"mn), n.

Defn: Same as Cumin. Ye pay tithe of mint, and cummin. Matt. xxiii. 23.

CUMQUAT Cum"quat, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Kumquat.

CUMSHAW Cum"shaw (km"sha), n. Etym: [Chin. kom-tsie.]

Defn: A present or bonus; — originally applied to that paid on ships which entered the port of Canton. S. Wells Williams.

CUMSHAW Cum"shaw, v. t.

Defn: To give or make a present to.

CUMU-CIRRO-STRATUS Cu"mu-cir`ro-stra"tus (k`m*-sr`r-str"ts), n. (Meteor.)

Defn: Nimbus, or rain cloud. See Nimbus, and Cloud.

CUMULATE Cu"mu*late (k"m-lt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cumulated (-l`td); p. pr. & vb. n. Cumulating (-l`tng).] Etym: [L. cumulatus, p. p. of cumulare to heap up, fr. cumulus a heap. See Cumber.]

Defn: To gather or throw into a heap; to heap together; to accumulate. Shoals of shells, bedded and cumulated heap upon heap. Woodward.

CUMULATION Cu`mu*la"tion (k`m-l"shn), n. Etym: [Cf. F. cumulation.]

Defn: The act of heaping together; a heap. See Accumulation.

CUMULATIST Cu"mu*la*tist (k"m-l-tst), n.

Defn: One who accumulates; one who collects. [R.]

CUMULATIVE Cu"mu*la*tive (k"m-l-tv), a. Etym: [Cf. F. cumulatif.]

1. Composed of parts in a heap; forming a mass; agregated. "As for knowledge which man receiveth by teaching, it is cumulative, njt original." Bacon

2. Augmenting, gaining, or giving force, by successive additions; as, a cumulative argument, i. e., one whose force increases as the statement proceeds. The argument . . . is in very truth not logical and single, but moral and cumulative. Trench.

3. (Law) (a) Tending to prove the same point to which other evidence has been offered; — said of evidence. (b) Given by same testator to the same legatee; — said of a legacy. Bouvier. Wharton.

Cumulative action (Med.), that action of certain drugs, by virtue of which they produce, when administered in small doses repeated at considerable intervals, the same effect as if given in a single large dose. — Cumulative poison, a poison the action of which is cumulative. — Cumulative vote or system of voting (Politics), that system which allows to each voter as many votes as there are persons to be voted for, and permits him to accumulate these votes upon one person, or to distribute them among the candidates as he pleases.

CUMULOSE Cu"mu*lose` (k"m-ls`), a. Etym: [From Cumulus.]

Defn: Full of heaps.

CUMULOSTRATUS Cu"mu*lo*stra"tus (k"m-l-str"ts), n. (Meteor.)

Defn: A form of cloud. See Cloud.

CUMULUS Cu"mu*lus (k"m-ls), n.; pl. Cumuli (-l. Etym: [L., a heap. See Cumber.] (Meteor.)

Defn: One of the four principal forms of clouds. SeeCloud.

CUN Cun (kn), v. t. Etym: [See Cond.]

Defn: To con (a ship). [Obs.]

CUN Cun, v. t. Etym: [See 1st Con.]

Defn: To know. See Con. [Obs.]

CUNABULA Cu*nab"u*la (k-nb"-l), n. pl. Etym: [L., a cradle, earliest abode, fr. cunae cradle.]

1. The earliest abode; original dwelling place; originals; as, the cunabula of the human race.

2. (Bibliography)

Defn: The extant copies of the first or earliest printed books, or of such as were printed in the 15th century.

CUNCTATION Cunc*ta"tion (knk-t"shn), n. Etym: [L. cunctatio, fr. cunctari, p.p. cunctatus, to delay.]

Defn: Delay; procrastination. [R.] Carlyle.

CUNCTATIVE Cunc"ta*tive (knk"t-tv), a.

Defn: Slow; tardy; dilatory; causing delay.

CUNCTATOR Cunc*ta"tor (knk-t"tr), n. Etym: [L., lit., a delayer; — applied as a surname to Q. Fabius Maximus.]

Defn: One who delays or lingers. [R.]

CUNCTIPOTENT Cunc*tip"o*tent (knk-tp"-tent), a. Etym: [L. cunctipotens; cunctus all + potens powerful.]

Defn: All-powerful; omnipotent. [R] "God cunctipotent." Neale (Trans. Rhythm of St. Bernard).

CUND Cund (k*nd), v. t. Etym: [See Cond.]

Defn: To con (a ship). [Obs.]

CUNDURANGO Cun`du*ran"go (kn`d-rn"g), n. (Med.)

Defn: The bark of a South American vine (Gonolobus Condurango) of the Milkweed family. It has been supposed, but erroneously, to be a cure for cancer. [Written also condurango.]

CUNEAL Cu"ne*al (k"n-al), Etym: [L. cuneus a wege. See Coin.]

Defn: Relating to a wedge; wedge-shaped.

CUNEATE; CUNEATED Cu"ne*ate (k"n-t), Cu"ne*a`ted (-`tEd), a. Etym: [L.cuneatus, fr. cuneus a wege SeeCoin.]

Defn: Wedge-shaped; (Bot.), wedge-shaped, with the point at the base; as, a cuneate leaf.

CUNEATIC Cu`ne*at"ic (k`n-t"k), a.

Defn: Cuneiform. "Cuneatic decipherment." Sayce.

CUNEIFORM; CUNIFORM Cu*ne"i*form (k-n"-frm), Cu"ni*form (k"n-frm), a. Etym: [L. cuneus a wedge + -form: cf. F. cunei-forme. See Coin.]

1. Wedge-shaped; as, a cuneiform bone; — especially applied to the wedge-shaped or arrowheaded characters of ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. See Arrowheaded.

2. Pertaining to, or versed in, the ancient wedge-shaped characters, or the inscriptions in them. "A cuneiform scholar." Rawlinson.

CUNEIFORM; CUNIFORM Cu*ne"i*form, Cu"ni*form, n.

1. The wedge-shaped characters used in ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

2. (Anat.) (a) One of the three tarsal bones supporting the first, second third metatarsals. They are usually designated as external, middle, and internal, or ectocuniform, mesocuniform, and entocuniform, respectively. (b) One of the carpal bones usually articulating wich the ulna; — called also pyramidal and ulnare.

CUNETTE Cu*nette" (k-nt"), n. Etym: [F.] (Fort.)

Defn: A drain trench, in a ditch or moat; — called also cuvette.

CUNNER Cun"ner (kn"nr), n. Etym: [Cf. Conner.] (Zoöl.) (a) A small edible fish of the Atlantic coast (Ctenolabrus adspersus); — called also chogset, burgall, blue perch, and bait stealer. [Written also conner.] (b) A small shellfish; the limpet or patella.

CUNNING Cun"ning (kn"nng), a. Etym: [AS. cunnan to know, to be able. See 1st Con, Can.]

1. Knowing; skillfull; dexterous. "A cunning workman." Ex. xxxviii. 23. "Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on. Shak. Esau was a cunning hunter. Gen xxv. 27.

2. Wrought with, or exibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious; curious; as, cunning work. Over them Arachne high did lift Her cunning web. Spenser.

3. Crafty; sly; artful; designid; deceitful. They are resolved to be cunning; let others run the hazard of being sincere. South.

4. Pretty or pleasing; as, a cunning little boy. [Colloq. U.S.] Barlett.

Syn. — Cunning, Artful, Sly, Wily, Crafty. These epithets agree in expressing an aptitude for attaining some end by peculiar and secret means. Cunning is usually low; as, a cunning trick. Artful is more ingenious and inventive; as, an artful device. Sly implies a turn for what is double or concealed; as, sly humor; a sly evasion. Crafty denotes a talent for dexterously deceiving; as, a crafty manager. Wily describes a talent for the use of stratagems; as, a wily politician. "Acunning man often shows his dexterity in simply concealing. An artful man goes further, and exerts his ingenuity in misleading. A crafty man mingles cunning with art, and so shapes his actions as to lull suspicions. The young may be cunning, but the experienced only can be crafty. Slyness is a vulgar kind of cunning; the sly man goes cautiously and silently to work. Wiliness is a species of cunning or craft applicable only to cases of attack and defence." Crabb.

CUNNING Cun"ning, n. Etym: [AS. cunnung trial, or Icel. kunnandi knowledge. See Cunning, a.]

1. Knowledge; art; skill; dexterity. [Archaic] Let my right hand forget her cunning. Ps. cxxxvii. 5. A carpenter's desert Stands more in cunning than in power. Chapman.

2. The faculty or act of using stratagem to accomplish a purpose; fraudulent skill or dexterity; deceit; craft. Discourage cunning in a child; cunning is the ape of wisdom. Locke. We take cunning for a sinister or crooked wisdom. Bacon.

CUNNINGLY Cun"ning*ly (kn"nng-l), adv.

Defn: In a cunning manner; with cunning.

CUNNINGMAN Cun"ning*man` (-mn`), n.

Defn: A fortune teller; one who pretends to reveal mysteries. [Obs.] Hudibras.

CUNNINGNESS Cun"ning*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being cunning; craft.

CUP Cup (kp), n. Etym: [AS. cuppe, LL. cuppa cup; cf. L. cupa tub, cask; cf. also Gr. k pit, hollow, OSlav. kupa cup. Cf. Coop, Cupola, Cowl a water vessel, and Cob, Coif, Cop.]

1. A small vessel, used commonly to drink from; as, a tin cup, a silver cup, a wine cup; especially, in modern times, the pottery or porcelain vessel, commonly with a handle, used with a saucer in drinking tea, coffee, and the like.

2. The contents of such a vessel; a cupful. Give me a cup of sack, boy. Shak.

3. pl.

Defn: Repeated potations; social or exessive indulgence in intoxicating drinks; revelry. Thence from cups to civil broils. Milton.

4. That which is to be received or indured; that which is allotted to one; a portion. O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Matt. xxvi. 39.

5. Anything shaped like a cup; as, the cup of an acorn, or of a flower. The cowslip's golden cup no more I see. Shenstone.

6. (Med.)

Defn: A cupping glass or other vessel or instrument used to produce the vacuum in cupping. Cup and ball, a familiar toy of children, having a cup on the top of a piece of wood to which, a ball is attached by a cord; the ball, being thrown up, is to be caught in the cup; bilboquet. Milman.- Cup and can, familiar companions. — Dry cup, Wet cup (Med.), a cup used for dry or wet cupping. See under Cupping. — To be in one's cups, to be drunk.

CUP Cup, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cupped (kpt); p. pr. & vb. n. Cupping.]

1. To supply with cups of wine. [R.] Cup us, till the world go round. Shak.

2. (Surg.)

Defn: To apply a cupping apparatus to; to subject to the operation of cupping. See Cupping.

3. (Mech.)

Defn: To make concave or in the form of a cup; as, to cup the end of a screw.

CUPBEARER Cup"bear`er (-br`r), n.

1. One whose office it is to fill and hand the cups at an enterainment.

2. (Antiq.)

Defn: One of the attendants of a prince or noble, permanently charged with the performance of this office for his master. "I was the king's cupbearer." Neh. i. 11.

CUPBOARD Cup"board (kb"brd), n. Etym: [Cup + board.]

1. A board or shelf for cups and dishes. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. A small closet in a room, with shelves to receive cups, dishes, food, etc.; hence, any small closet. Cupboard love, interested love, or that which has an eye to the cupboard. "A cupboard love is seldom true." Poor Robin. [Colloq.] — To cry cupboard, to call for food; to express hunger. [Colloq.] "My stomach cries cupboard." W. Irving.

CUPBOARD Cup"board, v. t.

Defn: To collect, as into a cupboard; to hoard. [R.] Shak.

CUPEL Cu"pel (k"pl), n. Etym: [LL. cupella cup (cf. L. cupella, small cask, dim. of cupa) : cf. F. coupelle. See Cup, and cf. Coblet.]

Defn: A shallow porus cup, used in refining precious metals, commonly made of bone ashes (phosphate of lime). [Written also coppel.] Cupel dust, powder used in purifying metals.

CUPEL Cu*pel" (k-pl"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cupelled (-pld"); p. pr. & vb. n. Cupelling.]

Defn: To refine by means of a cupel.

CUPELLATION Cu`pel*la"tion (k`pl-l"shn), n. Etym: [See Cupel.]

Defn: The act or process of refining gold or silver, etc., in a cupel.

Note: The process consist in exposing the cupel containing the metal to be assayed or refined to a hot blast, by which the lead, copper, tin, etc., are oxidized, dissolved, and carried down into the porous cupel, leaving the unoxidizable precious metal. If lead is not already present in the alloy it must be added before cupellation.

CUPFUL Cup"ful (kp"fl), n.; pl. Cupfuls (-f.

Defn: As much as a cup will hold.

CUP-GALL Cup"-gall` (-gl`), n.

Defn: A kind of oak-leaf gall. See Gall.

CUPID Cu"pid (k"pd), n . Etym: [L.Cupido, fr. cupido desire, desire of love, fr. cupidus. See Cupidity.] (Rom. Myth.)

Defn: The god of love, son of Venus; usually represented as a naked, winged boy with bow and arrow. Pretty dimpled boys, like smiling cupids. Shak.

CUPIDITY Cu*pid"i*ty (k-pd"-t), n. Etym: [F. cupidite, L. cupiditas, fr. cupidus longing, desiring, fr. cupere to long for, desire. See Covet.]

1. A passionate desire; love. [Obs.]

2. Eager or inordinate desire, especially for wealth; greed of gain; avarice; covetousness. With the feelings of political distrust were mingled those of cupidity and envy, as the Spaniard saw the fairest provinces of the south still in the hands of the accursed race of Ishmael. Prescott.

CUP-MOSS Cup"-moss` (kp"ms`; 115), n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of lichen, of the genus Cladonia.

CUPOLA Cu"po*la (k"p-l), n.; pl. Cupolas (-l. Etym: [It. cupola, LL. cupula, cuppula (cf. L. cupula little tub). fr. cupa, cuppa, cup; cf. L. cupa tub. So called on account of its resemblance to a cup turned over. See Cup, and cf.Cupule.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A roof having a rounded form, hemispherical or nearly so; also, a celing having the same form. When on a large scale it is usually called dome.

2. A small structure standing on the top of a dome; a lantern.

3. A furnace for melting iron or other metals in large quantity, — used chiefly in foundries and steel works.

4. A revoling shot-proof turret for heavy ordnance.

5. (Anat.)

Defn: The top of the spire of the cochlea of the ear.

CUPPER Cup"per (kp"pr), n. Etym: [Fropm cup.]

Defn: One who performs the operation of cupping.

CUPPING Cup"ping (kp"png), n. (Med.)

Defn: The operation of drawing blood to or from the surface of the person by forming a partial vacuum over the spot. Also, sometimes, a similar operation for drawing pus from an abscess. Cupping glass, a glass cup in which a partial vacuum is produced by heat, in the process of cupping. — Dry cupping, the application of a cupping instrument without scarification, to draw blood to the surface, produce counter irritation, etc. — Wet cupping, the operation of drawing blood by the application of a cupping instrument after scarification.

CUPPY Cup"py, a.

1. Hollow; cuplike; also, full of cups, or small depressions.

2. Characterized by cup shakes; — said of timber.

CUPREOUS Cu"pre*ous (k"pr-s), a. Etym: [L. cupreus, fr. cuprum.]

Defn: Consisting of copper or resembling copper; coppery.

CUPRIC Cu"pric (k"prk), a Etym: [From Cuprum.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, copper; containing copper; — said of those compounds of copper in which this element is present in its lowest proportion.

CUPRIFEROUS Cu*prif"er*ous (k-prf"r-s), a. Etym: [Cuprum + -ferous.]

Defn: Containing copper; as, cupriferous silver.

CUPRITE Cu"prite (k"prt), n. (Min.)

Defn: The red oxide of copper; red copper; an important ore of copper, occurring massive and in isometric crystals.

CUPROID Cu"proid (k"proid), n. Etym: [Cuprum + -oid.]

Defn: (Crystalloq.) A solid related to a tetrahedron, and contained under twelve equal triangles.

CUP-ROSE Cup"-rose (kp"rz), n.

Defn: Red poppy. See Cop-rose.

CUPROUS Cu"prous (k"prs), a. Etym: [From Cuprum.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or derived from, copper; containing copper; — said of those compounds of copper in which this element is present in its highest proportion.

CUPRUM Cu"prum (k"prm), n. Etym: [L.] (Chem.)

Defn: Copper.

CUP SHAKE Cup shake. (Forestry)

Defn: A shake or fissure between the annual rings of a tree, found oftenest near the roots.

CUPULATE Cu"pu*late (k"p-lt), a.

Defn: Having or bearing cupeles; cupuliferous.

CUPULE Cu"pule (k"pl), n. Etym: [See Cupola.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A cuplet or little cup, as the acorn; the husk or bur of the filbert, chestnut, etc.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A sucker or acetabulum.

CUPULIFEROUS Cu`pu*lif"er*ous (k`p-lf"r-s), a. Etym: [Cupule + -ferous: cf. F. cupulif.]

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants ot which the oak and the chestnut are examples, — trees bearing a smooth, solid nut inclosed in some kind of cup or bur; bearing, or furnished with, a cupule.

CUR Cur (kr), n. Etym: [OE. curre, kur; cf. dial. Sw. kurre dog, OD. korre watchdog, and Icel. kurra to murmur, grumble, Sw. kurra to rumble, croak, Dan. kurre to coo, whirr; prob. of imitative origin.]

1. A mongrel or inferior dog. They . . . like to village curs, Bark when their fellows do. Shak.

2. A worthless, snarling fellow; — used in contempt. What would you have, you curs, That like nor peace nor war Shak.

CURABILITY Cur`a*bil"i*ty (kr`-bl"-t), n.

Defn: The state of being curable; curableness.

CURABLE Cur"a*ble (kr"-b'l), a. Etym: [Cf. F. curable. See Cure, v. t.]

Defn: Capable of being cured; admitting remedy. "Curable diseases." Harvey. — Cur"a*ble*ness, n. — Cur`a*bly, adv.

CURACAO; CURACOA Cu`ra*çao", Cu`ra*çoa", (k`r-s"), n.

Defn: A liqueur, or cordial, flavored with orange peel, cinnamon, and mace; — first made at the island of Curaçcao.

CURACY Cu"ra*cy (k"r-s), n.; pl. Curacies (-s. Etym: [See Cure, Curate.]

Defn: The office or employment of a curate.

CURARE; CURARI Cu*ra"re Cu*ra"ri (k-r"r), n. Etym: [Native name. Cf. Wourall.]

Defn: A black resinoid extract prepared by the South American Indians from the bark of several species of Strychnos (S. toxifera, etc.). It sometimes has little effect when taken internally, but is quickly fatal when introduced into the blood, and used by the Indians as an arrow poison. [Written also urari, woorali, woorari, etc.]

CURARINE Cu"ra*rine (k"r-rn or k-r"rn; 104), n. (Chem.)

Defn: A deadly alkaloid extracted from the curare poison and from the Strychnos toxifera. It is obtained in crystalline colorless salts.

CURARIZE Cu"ra*rize (-rz), v. t.

Defn: To poison with curare.

CURASSOW Cu*ras"sow (k-rs"s), n. Etym: [Native name in Brazil.] (Zool.)

Defn: A large gallinaceous bird of the American genera Crax, Ourax, etc., of the family Cracidæ.

Note: The crested curassow (Crax alector) is black, and about the size of a small hen-turkey, with an erectile crest of curled feathers. It ranges from Mexico to Brazil. The galeated curassow or cushew bird (Ourax Pauxi) is similar in size, and has a large, hollow, blue, pear-shaped protuberance on the head.

CURAT Cu"rat (k"rt), n. Etym: [SeeCuirass.]

Defn: A cuirass or breastplate. [Obs.] Spenser.

CURATE Cu"rate (k"rt), n. Etym: [LL. curatus, prop., one who is charged with the care (L. cura) of souls. See Cure, n., and cf. Cur]

Defn: One who has the cure souls; originally, any clergyman, but now usually limited to one who assist a rector or vicar Hook. All this the good old man performed alone, He spared no pains, for curate he had none. Dryden.

CURATESHIP Cu"rate*ship, n.

Defn: A curacy.

CURATION Cu*ra"tion (k-r"shn), n. Etym: [Cf. OF.curacion.]

Defn: Cure; healing. [Obs.] Chaucer.

CURATIVE Cur"a*tive (kr"-tv), a. Etym: [Cf. F.curatif. See Cure, v. t.]

Defn: Relating to, or employed in, the cure of diseases; tending to cure. Arbuthnot.

CURATOR Cu*ra"tor (k-r"tr). n. Etym: [L., fr. curare to take care of, fr. cura care.]

1. One who has the care and superintendence of anything, as of a museum; a custodian; a keeper.

2. One appointed to act as guardian of the estate of a person not legally competent to manage it, or of an absentee; a trustee; a guardian.

CURATORSHIP Cu*ra"tor*ship, n.

Defn: The office of a curator.

CURATRIX Cu*ra"trix (-trks), n. Etym: [L.]

1. A woman who cures.

2. A woman who is a guardian or custodian. Burrill.

CURB Curb (krb), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curbed (krbd); p. pr. & vb. n. Curbing.] Etym: [F. courber to bend, curve, L.curvare, fr. curvus bent, curved; cf. Gr. Curve.]

1. To bend or curve [Obs.] Crooked and curbed lines. Holland.

2. To guide and manage, or restrain, as with a curb; to bend to one's will; to subject; to subdue; to restrain; to confine; to keep in check. Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed. Milton. Where pinching want must curbthy warm desires. Prior.

3. To furnish wich a curb, as a well; also, to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth.

CURB Curb, v. i.

Defn: To bend; to crouch; to cringe. [Obs.] Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg, Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good. Shak.

CURB Curb, n.

1. That which curbs, restrains, or subdues; a check or hindbrance; esp., a chain or strap attached to the upper part of the branches of a bit, and capable of being drawn tightly against the lower jaw of the horse. He that before ran in the pastures wild Felt the stiff curb control his angry jaws. Drayton. By these men, religion,that should be The curb, is made the spur of tyranny. Denham.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: An assemblage of three or more pieces of timber, or a metal member, forming a frame around an opening, and serving to maintain the integrity of that opening; also, a ring of stone serving a similar purpose, as at the eye of a dome.

3. A frame or wall round the mouth of a well; also, a frame within a well to prevent the earth caving in.

4. A curbstone.

5. (Far.)

Defn: A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness. James Law. Curb bit, a stiff bit having branches by which a leverage is obtained upon the jaws of horse. Knight. — Curb pins (Horology), the pins on the regulator which restrain the hairspring. — Curb plate (Arch.), a plate serving the purpose of a curb. — Deck curb. See under Deck.

CURBLESS Curb"less, a.

Defn: Having no curb or restraint.

CURB ROOF Curb" roof` (rf`).

Defn: A roof having a double slope, or composed, on each side, of two parts which have unequal inclination; a gambrel roof.

CURBSTONE Curb"stone` (krb"stn`), n.

Defn: A stone Curbstone broker.See under Broker.

CURCH Curch (krch), n.

Defn: See Courche.

CURCULIO Cur*cu"li*o (kr-r"l-), n.; pl. Curculios (-. Etym: [L., a grain weevil.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of a large group of beetles (Rhynchophora) of many genera; — called also weevils, snout beetles, billbeetles, and billbugs. Many of the species are very destructive, as the plum curculio, the corn, grain, and rice weevils, etc.

CURCULIONIDOUS Cur`cu*li*on"i*dous (kr`-k-l-n"-ds), a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Curculionideæ, or weevil tribe.

CURCUMA Cur"cu*ma (kr"k-m), n. Etym: [Cf. F., It., & Sp. curcuma; all fr. Ar. kurkum. Cf. Turmeric.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants of the order Scitamineæ, including the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa). Curcuma paper. (Chem.) See Turmeric paper, under Turmeric.

CURCUMIN Cur"cu*min (-mn), n. (Chem.)

Defn: The coloring principle of turmeric, or curcuma root, extracted as an orange yellow crystalline substance, C14H14O4, with a green fluorescence.

Note: It possesses acid properties and with alkalies forms brownish salts. This change in color from yellow to brown is the characteristic reaction of tumeric paper. See Turmeric paper, under Turmeric.

CURD Curd (krd), n. Etym: [Of Celtic origin; cf. Gael. gruth, Ir, gruth, cruth, curd, cruthaim I milk.] [Sometimes written crud.]

1. The coagulated or thickened part of milk, as distingushed from the whey, or watery part. It is eaten as food, especially when made into cheese. Curds and cream, the flower of country fare. Dryden.

2. The coagulated part of any liquid.

3. The edible flower head of certain brassicaceous plants, as the broccoli and cauliflower. Broccoli should be cut while the curd, as the flowering mass is termed, is entire. R. Thompson. Cauliflowers should be cut for use while the head, or curd, is still close and compact. F. Burr.

CURD Curd (krd), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curded;p. pr. &* vb. n. Curding.]

Defn: To cause to coagulate or thicken; to cause to congeal; to curdle. Does it curd thy blood To say I am thy mother Shak.

CURD Curd, v. i.

Defn: To become coagulated or thickened; to separate into curds and whey Shak.

CURDINESS Curd"i*ness (—ns), n.

Defn: The state of being curdy.

CURDLE Cur"dle (kr"d'l), v. i. Etym: [From Curd.] [Sometimes written crudle and cruddle.]

1. To change into curd; to coagulate; as, rennet causes milk to curdle. Thomson.

2. To thicken; to congeal. Then Mary could feel her heart's blood curdle cold. Southey.

CURDLE Cur"dle, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curdled (-d'ld); p.pr. & vb. n. Curdling (-dlng).]

1. To change into curd; to cause to coagulate. "To curdle whites of eggs" Boyle.

2. To congeal or thicken. My chill blood is curdled in my veins. Dryden.

CURDLESS Curd"less (krd"ls), a.

Defn: Destitute of curd.

CURDY Curd"y (krd"), a.

Defn: Like curd; full of curd; coagulated. "A curdy mass." Arbuthnot.

CURE Cure (k, n. Etym: [OF, cure care, F., also, cure, healing, cure of souls, L. cura care, medical attendance, cure; perh. akin to cavere to pay heed, E. cution. Cure is not related to care.]

1. Care, heed, or attention. [Obs.] Of study took he most cure and most heed. Chaucer. Vicarages of greatcure, but small value. Fuller.

2. Spiritual charge; care of soul; the office of a parish priest or of a curate; hence, that which is committed to the charge of a parish priest or of a curate; a curacy; as, to resign a cure; to obtain a cure. The appropriator was the incumbent parson, and had the cure of the souls of the parishioners. Spelman.

3. Medical or hygienic care; remedial treatment of disease; a method of medical treatment; as, to use the water cure.

4. Act of healing or state of being healed; restoration to health from disease, or to soundness after injury. Past hope! pastcure! past help. Shak. I do cures to-day and to-morrow. Luke xii. 32.

5. Means of the removal of disease or evil; that which heals; a remedy; a restorative. Cold, hunger, prisons, ills without a cure. Dryden. The proper cure of such prejudices. Bp. Hurd.

CURE Cure, v. t. [imp.& p.p. Cured (krd); p. pr. & vb. n. Curing.] Etym: [OF. curer to take care, to heal, F., only, to cleanse, L. curare to take care, to heal, fr. cura. See Cure,.]

1. To heal; to restore to health, soundness, or sanity; to make well; — said of a patient. The child was cured from that very hour. Matt. xvii. 18.

2. To subdue or remove by remedial means; to remedy; to remove; to heal; — said of a malady. To cure this deadly grief. Shak. Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power . . . to cure diseases. Luke ix. 1.

3. To set free from (something injurious or blameworthy), as from a bad habit. I never knew any man cured of inattention. Swift.

4. To prepare for preservation or permanent keeping; to preserve, as by drying, salting, etc.; as, to cure beef or fish; to cure hay.

CURE Cure, v. i.

1. To pay heed; to care; to give attention. [Obs.]

2. To restore health; to effect a cure. Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles' spear, Is able with the change to kill and cure. Shak.

3. To become healed. One desperate grief cures with another's languish. Shak.

CURE Cu`ré" (k`r"), n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. curatus. See Curate.]

Defn: A curate; a pardon.

CUREALL Cure"*all` (kr"l`), n.

Defn: A remedy for all diseases, o

CURELESS Cure"less, a.

Defn: Incapable of cure; incurable. With patience undergo A cureless ill, since fate will have it so. Dryden.

CURER Cur"er (-r), n.

1. One who cures; a healer; a physician.

2. One who prepares beef, fish, etc., for preservation by drying, salting, smoking, etc.

CURETTE Cu*rette" (k-rt"), n.Etym: [F., fr. curer to cleanse.] (Med.)

Defn: A scoop or ring with either a blunt or a cutting edge, for removing substances from the walls of a cavity, as from the eye, ear, or womb.

CURFEW Cur"few (kr"f), n. Etym: [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.]

1. The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, — instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself. He begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock. Shak. The village curfew, as it tolled profound. Campbell.

2. A utensil for covering the fire. [Obs.] For pans, pots, curfews, counters and the like. Bacon.

CURIA Cu"ri*a (k"r-), n.; pl. Curle (-. Etym: [L.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.) (a) One of the thirty parts into which the Roman people were divided by Romulus. (b) The place of assembly of one of these divisions. (c) The place where the meetings of the senate were held; the senate house.

2. (Middle Ages)

Defn: The court of a sovereign or of a feudal lord; also; his residence or his household. Burrill.

3. (Law)

Defn: Any court of justice.

4. The Roman See in its temporal aspects, including all the machinery of administration; — called also curia Romana.

CURIAL Cu"ri*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the papal curia; as, the curial etiquette of the Vatican. — n.

Defn: A member of a curia, esp. of that of Rome or the later Italian sovereignties.

CURIALISM Cu"ri*a*lism (k"r—lz'm), n.

Defn: The wiew or doctrins of the ultramontane party in the Latin Church. Gladstone.

CURIALIST Cu"ri*a*list (k"r—lst), n.

Defn: One who belongs to the ultramontane party in the Latin Church. Shipley.

CURIALISTIC Cu`ri*a*lis"tic (-ls"tk), a. Etym: [L.curialis belonging to the imperial court, fr. curia, LL., also, counselors and retinue of a king.]

1. Pertaining to a court.

2. Relating or belonging to the ultramonate party in the Latin Church.

CURIALITY Cu`ri*al"i*ty (-l"-t), n. Etym: [Cf. LL. curialitas courtesy, fr. curialis.]

Defn: The privileges, prerogatives, or retinue of a court. [Obs.] Bacon.

CURIET Cu"ri*et (k"r-t), n.

Defn: A cuirass. [Obs.] Spenser.

CURING Cur"ing (kr"ng),

Defn: p. a. & vb. n. of Cure. Curing house, a building in which anything is cured; especially, in the West Indies, a building in which sugar is drained and dried.

CURIO Cu"ri*o (k"r-), n.; pl.Curios (-. Etym: [Abbreviation of curiosity.]

Defn: Any curiosity or article of virtu. The busy world, which does not hunt poets as collectors hunt for curios. F. Harrison.

CURIOLOGIC Cu`ri*o*log"ic (—lj"k), a. Etym: [Gr. Cyriologic.]

Defn: Pertaining to a rude kind of hieroglyphics, in which a thing is represented by its picture instead of by a symbol.

CURIOSITY Cu`ri*os"i*ty (k`r-s"-t), n.; pl. Curiosities (-t. Etym: [OE. curiouste, curiosite, OF. curioseté, curiosité, F. curiosit, fr. L. curiositas, fr. curiosus. See Currious, and cf. Curio.]

1. The state or quality or being curious; nicety; accuracy; exactness; elaboration. [Obs.] Bacon. When thou wast in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much curiosity. Shak. A screen accurately cut in tapiary work . . . with great curiosity. Evelin.

2. Disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge; a desire to gratify the mind with new information or objects of interest; inquisitiveness. Milton.

3. That which is curious, or fitted to excite or reward attention. We took a ramble together to see the curiosities of this great town. Addison. There hath been practiced also a curiosity, to set a tree upon the north side of a wall, and, at a little hieght, to draw it through the wall, etc. Bacon.

CURIOSO Cu`ri*o"so (k`r-"z or k`r-"s), n.; pl. Curiosos (-zor -s. Etym: [It. See Curious.]

Defn: A virtuoso.

CURIOUS Cu"ri*ous (k"r-s), a. Etym: [OF. curios, curius, F. curieux, L. curiosus careful, inquisitive, fr. cura care. See Cure.]

1. Difficult to please or satisfy; solicitous to be correct; careful; scrupulous; nice; exact. [Obs.] Little curious in her clothes. Fuller. How shall we, If he be curious, work upon his faith Bean &

2. Exhibiting care or nicety; artfully constructed; elaborate; wrought with elegance or skill. To devise curious works. Ex. xxxv. 32 His body couched in a curious bed. Shak.

3. Careful or anxious to learn; eager for knowledge; given to research or inquiry; habitually inquisitive; prying; — sometimes with after or of. It is a picurious after things that were elegant and beatiful should not have been as curious as to their origin, their uses, and their natural history. Woodward.

4. Exciting attention or inquiry; awakening surprise; inviting and rewarding inquisitiveness; not simple or plain; strange; rare. "Acurious tale" Shak. A multitude of curious analogies. Mocaulay. Many a quaint and curiousvolume of forgotten lore. E. A. Poe. Abstruse investigations in recondite branches of learning or sciense often bring to light curious results. C. J. Smith. Curious arts, magic. [Obs.] Many . . . which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them. Acts xix. 19.

Syn. — Inquisitive; prying. See Inquisitive.

CURIOUSLY Cu"ri*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: In a curious manner.

CURIOUSNESS Cu"ri*ous*ness, n.

1. Carefulness; painstaking. [Obs.] My father's care With curiousness and cost did train me up. Massinger.

2. The state of being curious; exactness of workmanship; ingenuity of contrivance.

3. Inquisitiveness; curiosity.

CURL Curl (krl), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curled (krld); p. pr. & vb. n. Curling.] Etym: [Akin to D. krullen, Dan. kr, dial. Sw. krulla to curl, crisp; possibly akin to E. crook. Cf. Curl, n., Cruller.]

1. To twist or form into ringlets; to crisp, as the hair. But curl their locks with bodkins and with braid. Cascoigne.

2. To twist or make onto coils, as a serpent's body. Of his tortuous train, Curled many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve. Milton.

3. To deck with, or as with, curls; to ornament. Thicker than the snaky locks That curledMegæra. Milton. Curling with metaphors a plain intention. Herbert.

4. To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple. Seas would be pools without the brushing air To curl the waves. Dryden.

5. (Hat Making)

Defn: To shape (the brim) into a curve.

CURL Curl, v. i.

1. To contract or bend into curis or ringlets, as hair; to grow in curls or spirals, as a vine; to be crinkled or contorted; to have a curly appearance; as, leaves lie curled on the ground. Thou seest it [hair] will not curl by nature. Shak.

2. To move in curves, spirals, or undulations; to contract in curving outlines; to bend in a curved form; to make a curl or curls. "Cirling billows." Dryden. Then round her slender waist he curled. Dryden. Curling smokes from village tops are seen. Pope. Gayly curl the waves before each dashing prow. Byron. He smiled a king of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor. Bret Harte. . 358

3. To play at the game called curling. [Scot.]

CURL Curl (krl), n. Etym: [Akin to D. krul, Dan. kr. See Curl, v. ]

1. A ringlet, especially of hair; anything of a spiral or winding form. Under a coronet, his flowing hair In curls on either cheek played. Milton.

2. An undulating or waving line or streak in any substance, as wood, glass, etc.; flexure; sinuosity. If the glass of the prisms . . . be without those numberless waves or curls which usually arise from the sand holes. Sir I. Newton.

3. A disease in potatoes, in which the leaves, at their first appearance, seem curled and shrunken. Blue curls. (Bot.) See under Blue.

CURLED Curled (lrld), a.

Defn: Having curls; curly; sinuous; wavy; as, curled maple (maple having fibers which take a sinnuous course). Curled hair (Com.), the hair of the manes and tails of horses, prepared for upholstery purposes. McElrath.

CURLEDNESS Curl"ed*ness, n.

Defn: State of being curled; curliness.

CURLER Curl"er (-r), n.

1. One who, or that which, curls.

2. A player at the game called curling. Burns.

CURLEW Cur"lew (kr"l), n. Etym: [F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A wading bird of the genus Numenius, remarkable for its long, slender, curved bill.

Note: The common European curlew is N. arquatus. The long-billed (N. longirostris), the Hudsonian (N. Hudsonicus), and the Eskimo curlew (N. borealis, are American species. The name is said to imitate the note of the European species. Curlew Jack (Zoöl.) the whimbrel or lesser curlew. — Curlew sandpiper (Zoöl.), a sandpiper (Tringa ferruginea, or subarquata), common in Europe, rare in America, resembling a curlew in having a long, curved bill. See Illustation in Appendix.

CURLINESS Curl"i*ness (krl"-ns), n.

Defn: State of being curly.

CURLING Curl"ing, n.

1. The act or state of that which curls; as, the curling of smoke when it rises; the curling of a ringlet; also, the act or process of one who curls something, as hair, or the brim of hats.

2. A scottish game in which heavy weights of stone or iron are propelled by hand over the ice towards a mark. Curling . . . is an amusement of the winter, and played on the ice, by sliding from one mark to another great stones of 40 to 70 pounds weight, of a hemispherical form, with an iron or wooden handle at top. The object of the player is to lay his stone as near to the mark as possible, to guard that of his partner, which has been well laid before, or to strike off that of his antagonist. Pennant (Tour in Scotland. 1772). Curling irons, Curling tong, an instrument for curling the hair; — commonly heated when used.

CURLINGLY Curl"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: With a curl, or curls.

CURLY Curl"y (krl"), a.

Defn: Curling or tending to curl; having curls; full of ripples; crinkled.

CURLYCUE Curl"y*cue (krl"-k), n. Etym: [Cf. F. caracole.]

Defn: Some thing curled or spiral,, as a flourish made with a pen on paper, or with skates on the ice; a trick; a frolicsome caper. [Sometimes written carlicue.] [ Colloq. U.S.] To cut a curlycue, to make a flourish; to cut a caper. I gave a flourishing about the room and cut a curlycue with my right foot. McClintock.

CURMUDGEON Cur*mudg"eon (kr-mj"n), n. Etym: [OE. cornmudgin, where -mudgin is prob. from OF. muchier, mucier, F. musser to hide; of uncertain origin; cf. OE. muchares skulking thieves, E. miche, micher.]

Defn: An avaricious, grasping fellow; a miser; a niggard; a churl. A gray-headed curmudgeon of a negro. W. Irving.

CURMUDGEONLY Cur*mudg"eon*ly, a.

Defn: Like a curmudgeon; niggardly; churlish; as, a curmudgeonly fellow.

CURMURRING Cur*mur"ring (kr-mr"rng), n.

Defn: Murmuring; grumbling; — sometimes applied to the rumbling produced by a slight attack of the gripes. [Scot.] Burns.

CURR Curr (kr), v. i. Etym: [Prob. imitative.]

Defn: To coo. [Scot.] The owlets hoot, the owlets curr. Wordsworth.

CURRANT Cur"rant (kr"rant), n. Etym: [F. corinthe (raisins de Corinthe raisins of Corinth) currant (in sense 1), from the city of Corinth in Greece, whence, probably, the small dried grape (1) was first imported, the Ribes fruit (2) receiving the name from its resemblance to that grape.]

1. A small kind of seedless raisin, imported from the Levant, chiefly from Zante and Cephalonia; — used in cookery.

2. The acid fruit or berry of the Ribes rubrum or common red currant, or of its variety, the white currant.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: A shrub or bush of several species of the genus Ribes (a genus also including the gooseberry); esp., the Ribes rubrum. Black currant,a shrub or bush (Ribes nigrum and R. floridum) and its black, strong-flavored, tonic fruit. — Cherry currant, a variety of the red currant, having a strong, symmetrical bush and a very large berry. — Currant borer (Zoöl.), the larva of an insect that bores into the pith and kills currant bushes; specif., the larvae of a small clearwing moth (Ægeria tipuliformis) and a longicorn beetle (Psenocerus supernotatus). — Currant worm (Zoöl.), an insect larva which eats the leaves or fruit of the currant. The most injurious are the currant sawfly (Nematus ventricosus), introduced from Europe, and the spanworm (Eufitchia ribearia). The fruit worms are the larva of a fly (Epochra Canadensis), and a spanworm (Eupithecia). — Flowering currant, Missouri currant, a species of Ribes (R. aureum), having showy yellow flowers.

CURRENCY Cur"ren*cy (kr"rn-c), n.; pl. Currencies (-s. Etym: [Cf. LL. currentia a current, fr. L. currens, p. pr. of currere to run. See Current.]

1. A continued or uninterrupted course or flow like that of a sream; as, the currency of time. [Obs.] Ayliffe.

2. The state or quality of being current; general acceptance or reception; a passing from person to person, or from hand to hand; circulation; as, a report has had a long or general currency; the currency of bank notes.

3. That which is in circulation, or is given and taken as having or representing value; as, the currency of a country; a specie currency; esp., government or bank notes circulating as a substitute for metallic money.

4. Fluency; readiness of utterance. [Obs.]

5. Current value; general estimation; the rate at which anything is generally valued. He . . . takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value. Bacon. The bare name of Englishman . . . too often gave a transient currency to the worthless and ungrateful. W. Irving.

CURRENT Cur"rent (kr"rent), a. Etym: [OE. currant, OF. curant, corant, p. pr. of curre, corre, F. courre, courir, to run, from L. currere; perh. akin to E. horse. Cf. Course, Concur, Courant, Coranto.]

1. Running or moving rapidly. [Archaic] Like the current fire, that renneth Upon a cord. Gower. To chase a creature that was current then In these wild woods, the hart with golden horns. Tennyson.

2. Now passing, as time; as, the current month.

3. Passing from person to person, or from hand to hand; circulating through the community; generally received; common; as, a current coin; a current report; current history. That there was current money in Abraham's time is past doubt. Arbuthnot. Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current. Shak. His current value, which is less or more as men have occasion for him. Grew.

4. Commonly estimated or acknowledged.

5. Fitted for general acceptance or circulation; authentic; passable. O Buckingham, now do I play the touch To try if thou be current gold indeed. Shak. Account current. See under Account. — Current money, lawful money. Abbott.

CURRENT Cur"rent, n. Etym: [Cf. F. courant. See Current, a. ]

1. A flowing or passing; onward motion. Hence: A body of fluid moving continuously in a certain direction; a stream; esp., the swiftest part of it; as, a current of water or of air; that which resembles a stream in motion; as, a current of electricity. Two such silver currents, when they join, Do glorify the banks that bound them in. Shak. The surface of the ocean is furrowed by currents, whose direction . . . the navigator should know. Nichol.

2. General course; ordinary procedure; progressive and connected movement; as, the current of time, of events, of opinion, etc. Current meter, an instrument for measuring the velocity, force, etc., of currents. — Current mill, a mill driven by a current wheel. — Current wheel, a wheel dipping into the water and driven by the current of a stream or by the ebb and flow of the tide.

Syn. — Stream; course. See Stream.

CURRENTLY Cur"rent*ly, adv.

Defn: In a current manner; generally; commonly; as, it is currently believed.

CURRENTNESS Cur"rent*ness, n.

1. The quality of being current; currency; circulation; general reception.

2. Easiness of pronunciation; fluency. [Obs.] When currentness [combineth] with staidness, how can the language . . . sound other than most full of sweetness Camden.

CURRICLE Cur"ri*cle (kr"r-k'l), n. Etym: [L.curriculum a running, a race course, fr. currere to run. See Current, and cf. Curriculum.]

1. A small or short course. Upon a curricle in this world depends a long course of the next. Sir T. Browne.

2. A two-wheeled chaise drawn by two horses abreast.

CURRICULUM Cur*ric"u*lum (kr-rk"-lm), n.; pl. E. Curriculums (-lCurricula (-l. Etym: [L. See Curricle.]

1. A race course; a place for running.

2. A course; particularly, a specified fixed course of study, as in a university.

CURRIE Cur"rie (kr"r), n. & v.

Defn: See 2d & 3d Curry.

CURRIED Cur"ried (-r, p.a. Etym: [See Curry, v. t., and Curry, n.]

1. Dressed by currying; cleaned; prepared.

2. Prepared with curry; as, curried rice, fowl, etc.

CURRIER Cur"ri*er (k"r-r), n. Etym: [From 1st Curry.]

Defn: One who curries and dresses leather, after it is tanned.

CURRISH Cur"rish (kr"rsh), a. Etym: [From Cur.]

Defn: Having the qualities, or exhibiting the characteristics, of a cur; snarling; quarrelsome; snappish; churlish; hence, also malicious; malignant; brutal. Thy currish spirit Governed a wolf. Shak. Some currish plot, — some trick. Lockhart. — Cur"rish*ly, adv. — Cur"rish*ness, n.

CURRY Cur"ry (kr"r), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curried (-rd); p.pr. & vb. n. Currying.] Etym: [OE. curraien, curreien, OF. cunreer, correier, to prepare, arrange, furnish, curry (a horse), F. corroyer to curry (leather) (cf. OF. conrei, conroi, order, arrangement, LL. conredium); cor- (L.com-) + roi, rei, arrangement, order; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. ready. See Ready, Greith, and cf. Corody, Array.]

1. To dress or prepare for use by a process of scraping, cleansing, beating, smoothing, and coloring; — said of leather.

2. To dress the hair or coat of (a horse, ox, or the like) with a currycomb and brush; to comb, as a horse, in order to make clean. Your short horse is soon curried. Beau. & FL.

3. To beat or bruise; to drub; — said of persons. I have seen him curry a fellow's carcass handsomely. Beau. & FL. To curry favor, to seek to gain favor by flattery or attentions. See Favor, n.

CURRY Cur"ry, n. Etym: [Tamil kari.] [Written also currie.]

1. (Cookery)

Defn: A kind of sauce much used in India, containing garlic, pepper, ginger, and other strong spices.

2. A stew of fowl, fish, or game, cooked with curry. Curry powder (Cookery), a condiment used for making curry, formed of various materials, including strong spices, as pepper, ginger, garlic, coriander seed, etc.

CURRY Cur"ry (kr"r), v. t.

Defn: To flavor or cook with curry.

CURRYCOMB Cur"ry*comb` (kr"r-km`), n.

Defn: A kind of card or comb having rows of metallic teeth or serrated ridges, used in curryng a horse.

CURRYCOMB Cur"ry*comb`, v. t.

Defn: To comb with a currycomb.

CURSE Curse (krs), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cursed (krst) or Curst; p. pr. & vb. n. Cursing.] Etym: [AS. cursian, corsian, perh. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. korse to make the sign of the cross, Sw. korsa, fr. Dan. & Sw. kors cross, Icel kross, all these Scand. words coming fr. OF. crois, croiz, fr. L. crux cross. Cf. Cross.]

1. To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate. Thou shalt not . . . curse the ruler of thy people. Ex. xxii. 28. Ere sunset I'll make thee curse the deed. Shak.

2. To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment. On impious realms and barbarous kings impose Thy plagues, and curse 'em with such sons as those. Pope. To curse by bell, book, and candle. See under Bell.

CURSE Curse, v. i.

Defn: To utter imprecations or curses; to affirm or deny with imprecations; to swear. Then began he to curse and to swear. Matt. xxi. 74. His spirits hear me, And yet I need must curse. Shak.

CURSE Curse, n. Etym: [AS. curs. See Curse, v. t.]

1. An invocation of, or prayer for, harm or injury; malediction. Lady, you know no rules of charity, Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Shak.

2. Evil pronounced or invoked upon another, solemnly, or in passion; subjection to, or sentence of, divine condemnation. The priest shall write these curses in a book. Num. v. 23. Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. Old Proverb.

3. The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment. The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance. Shak. All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget, Is propagated curse. Milton. The curse of Scotland (Card Playing), the nine of diamonds. — Not worth a curse. See under Cress.

Syn. — Malediction; imprecation; execration. See Malediction.

CURSED Curs"ed (krs"d), a.

Defn: Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable. Let us fly this cursed place. Milton. This cursed quarrel be no more renewed. Dryden.

CURSEDLY Curs"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a cursed manner; miserably; in a manner to be detested; enormously. [Low]

CURSEDNESS Curs"ed*ness, n.

1. The state of being under a curse or of being doomed to execration or to evil.

2. Wickedness; sin; cursing. Chaucer.

3. Shrewishness. "My wife's cursedness." Chaucer.

CURSER Curs"er (krs"r), n.

Defn: One who curses.

CURSHIP Cur"ship (kr"shp), n. Etym: [Cur +-ship.]

Defn: The state of being a cur; one who is currish. [Jocose] How durst he, I say, oppose thy curship! Hudibras.

CURSITATING Cur"si*ta`ting (kr"s-t`tng), a. Etym: [See Cursitor.]

Defn: Moving about slightly. [R.] H. Bushnell.

CURSITOR Cur"si*tor (kr"s-tr), n. Etym: [LL. cursitor, equiv. to L. cursor, fr. cursare to run hither and thither, fr. currere to run. See Current, and cf. Cursor.]

1. A courier or runner. [Obs.] "Cursitors to and fro." Holland.

2. (Eng.Law)

Defn: An officer in the Court of Chancery, whose business is to make out original writs.

CURSIVE Cur"sive (kr"sv), a. Etym: [LL. cursivus: cf. F. cursif See Cursitor.]

Defn: Running; flowing. Cursive hand,a running handwriting.

CURSIVE Cur"sive, n.

1. A character used in cursive writing.

2. A manuscript, especially of the New Testament, written in small, connected characters or in a running hand; — opposed to uncial. Shipley.

CURSOR Cur"sor (kr"sr), n. Etym: [L., a runner. See Cursitor.]

Defn: Any part of a mathematical instrument that moves or slides backward and forward upon another part.

CURSORARY Cur"so*ra*ry (-s-r-r), a.

Defn: Cursory; hasty. [Obs.] With a cursorary eye o'erglanced the articles. Shak.

CURSORES Cur*so"res (kr-s"rEz), n. pl. Etym: [L. cursor, pl. cursores, a runner.] (Zoöl.) (a) An order of running birds including the ostrich, emu, and allies; the Ratitaæ. (b) A group of running spiders; the wolf spiders.

CURSORIAL Cur*so"ri*al (kr-s"r-al), a. (Zoöl.) (a) Adapted to running or walking, and not to prehension; as, the limbs of the horse are cursorial. See Illust. of Aves. (b) Of or pertaining to the Cursores.

CURSORILY Cur"so*ri*ly (kr"s-r-l), adv.

Defn: In a running or hasty manner; carelessly.

CURSORINESS Cur"so*ri*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being cursory; superficial performance; as, cursoriness of view.

CURSORY Cur"so*ry (kr"s-r), a. Etym: [L. cursorius, fr. cursor. See Cursor.]

1. Running about; not stationary. [Obs.]

2. Characterized by haste; hastily or superficially performed; slight; superficial; careless. Events far too important to be treated in a cursory manner. Hallam.

CURST Curst (krst),

Defn: imp. & p.p. of Curse.

CURST Curst, a. Etym: [SeeCurse.]

Defn: Froward; malignant; mischievous; malicious; snarling. [Obs.] Though his mind Be ne'er so curst, his tonque is kind. Crashaw.

CURSTFULLY Curst"ful*ly (-fl-l), adv.

Defn: Peevishly; vexatiously; detestably. [Obs.] "Curstfully mad." Marston.

CURSTNESS Curst"ness (krst"ns), n.

Defn: Peevishness; malignity; frowardness; crabbedness; surliness. [Obs.] Shak.

CURT Curt (krt), a. Etym: [L. curtus; cf. Skr. kart to cut. Cf. Curtail.]

Defn: Characterized by exessive brevity; short; rudely concise; as, curt limits; a curt answer. The curt, yet comprehensive reply. W. Irving.

CURTAIL Cur*tail" (kr-tl"), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curtailed (-tld"); p.pr. & vb.n. Curtailing.] Etym: [See Curtal.]

Defn: To cut off the end or tail, or any part, of; to shorten; to abridge; to diminish; to reduce. I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion. Shak. Our incomes have been curtailed; his salary has been doubled. Macualay.

CURTAIL Cur"tail (kr"tl), n.

Defn: The scroll termination of any architectural member, as of a step, etc.

CURTAIL DOG Cur"tail dog` (d.

Defn: A dog with a docked tail; formerly, the dog of a person not qualified to course, which, by the forest laws, must have its tail cut short, partly as a mark, and partly from a notion that the tail is necessary to a dog in running; hence, a dog not fit for sporting. Hope is a curtail dog in some affairs. Shak.

CURTAILER Cur*tail"er (kr-tl"r), n.

Defn: One who curtails.

CURTAILMENT Cur*tail"ment (kr-tl"ment), n.

Defn: The act or result of curtailing or cutting off. Bancroft.

CURTAIN Cur"tain (kr"tn; 48), n. Etym: [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See Court.]

1. A hanging screen intended to darken or conceal, and admitting of being drawn back or up, and reclosed at pleasure; esp., drapery of cloth or lace hanging round a bed or at a window; in theaters, and like places, a movable screen for concealing the stage.

2. (Fort.)

Defn: That part of the rampart and parapet which is between two bastions or two gates. See Illustrations of Ravelin and Bastion.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: That part of a wall of a building which is between two pavilions, towers, etc.

4. A flag; an ensign; — in contempt. [Obs.] Shak. Behind the curtain, in concealment; in secret. — Curtain lecture, a querulous lecture given by a wife to her husband within the bed curtains, or in bed. Jerrold. A curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. W. Irving. — The curtain falls, the performance closes. — The curtain rises, the performance begins. — To draw the curtain, to close ot over an object, or to remove it; hence: (a) To hide or to disclose an object. (b) To commence or close a performance. — To drop the curtain, to end the tale, or close the performance.

CURTAIN Cur"tain, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curtained (-tnd; 48); p. pr. & vb. n. Curtaining.]

Defn: To inclose as with curtains; to furnish with curtains. So when the sun in bed Curtained with cloudy red. Milton.

CURTAL Cur"tal (kr"tal), a. Etym: [OF. courtault, F. courtaud, having a docked tail (cf. It. cortaldo), fr. court short, L. curtus. See Curt, and Curtail.]

Defn: Curt; brief; laconic. Essays and curtal aphorisms. Milton. Curtal dog. See Curtail dog.

CURTAL Cur"tal, n.

Defn: A horse with a docked tail; hence, anything cut short. [Obs] Nares.

CURTAL AX; CURTLE AX; CURTELASSE Cur"tal ax`, Cur"tle ax`, Curte"lasse (krt"las).

Defn: A corruption of Cutlass.

CURTAL FRIAR Cur"tal fri`ar (fr`r).

Defn: A friar who acted as porter at the gate of a monastery. Sir W. Scott.

CURTANA Cur*ta"na (kr-t"n), n.

Defn: The pointless sword carried before English monarchs at their coronation, and emblematically considered as the sword of mercy; — also called the sword of Edward the Confessor.

CURTATE Cur"tate (kr"tt), a. Etym: [L. curtatus, p.p. of curtare to shorten, fr. curtus. See Curt.] (Astron.)

Defn: Shortened or reduced; — said of the distance of a planet from the sun or earth, as measured in the plane of the ecliptic, or the distance from the sun or earth to that point where a perpendicular, let fall from the planet upon the plane of the ecliptic, meets the ecliptic. Curtate cycloid. (Math.) See Cycloid.

CURTATION Cur*ta"tion (kr-t"shn), n. (Astron.)

Defn: The interval by which the curtate distance of a planet is less than the true distance.

CURTEIN Cur*tein" (kr-tn"), n.

Defn: Same as Curtana.

CURTES Cur*tes" (kr-ts"), a.

Defn: Courteous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

CURTESY Cur"te*sy (kr"t-s), n.; pl. Curtesies (-s. Etym: [Either fr. courlesy, the lands being held as it were by favor; or fr. court (LL. curtis), the husband being regarded as holding the lands as a vassal of the court. See Court, Courtesy.] (Law)

Defn: the life estate which a husband has in the lands of his deceased wife, which by the common law takes effect where he has had issue by her, born alive, and capable of inheriting the lands. Mozley & W.

CURTILAGE Cur"ti*lage (k, n. Etym: [OF. cortillage, curtillage, fr. cortil court, courtyard, LL. cortis court. See Court.] (Law)

Defn: A yard, courtyard, or piece of ground, included within the fence surrounding a dwelling house. Burrill.

CURTLY Curt"ly (krt"l), adv.

Defn: In a curt manner.

CURTNESS Curt"ness, n.

Defn: The quality of bing curt.

CURTSY Curt"sy (krt"s), n.

Defn: Same as Courtesy, an act of respect.

CURULE Cu"rule (k"rl), a. Etym: [L. curulis, fr. currus a charoit: cf. F. curule.]

1. Of or pertaining to a charoit.

2. (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries; pertaining to, having, or conferring, the right to sit in the curule chair; hence, official.

Note: The curule chair was usually shaped like a camp stool, and provided with curved legs. It was at first ornamented with ivory, and later sometimes made of ivory and inlaid with gold. Curule dignity right of sitting in the curule chair.

CURURO Cu*ru"ro (k-r"r), n. Etym: [Chilian name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A Chilian burrowing rodent of the genus Spalacopus.

CURVAL; CURVANT Cur"val (kr"val), Cur"vant (-vant), a. Etym: [L. curvans, p. pr. ] (Her.)

Defn: Bowed; bent; curved.

CURVATE; CURVATED Cur"vate (kr"vt), Cur"va*ted (-v-td), a. Etym: [L. curvatus p. p. of curvare to curve, fr. curvus. See Curve.]

Defn: Bent in a regular form; curved.

CURVATION Cur*va"tion (kr-v"shn), n. Etym: [L. curvatio.]

Defn: The act of bending or crooking.

CURVATIVE Cur"va*tive (kr"v-tv), a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having the margins only a little curved; — said of leaves. Henslow.

CURVATURE Cur"va*ture (kr"v-tr; 135), n. Etym: [L. curvatura. See Curvate.]

1. The act of curving, or the state of being bent or curved; a curving or bending, normal or abnormal, as of a line or surface from a rectilinear direction; a bend; a curve. Cowper. The elegant curvature of their fronds. Darwin.

2. (Math.)

Defn: The amount of degree of bending of a mathematical curve, or the tendency at any point to depart from a tangent drawn to the curve at that point. Aberrancy of curvature (Geom.), the deviation of a curve from a curcular form. -Absolute curvature. See under Absolute. — Angle of curvature (Geom.), one that expresses the amount of curvature of a curve. — Chord of curvature. See under Chord. — Circle of curvature. See Osculating circle of a curve, under Circle. — Curvature of the spine (Med.), an abnormal curving of the spine, especially in a lateral direction. — Radius of curvature, the radius of the circle of curvature, or osculatory circle, at any point of a curve.

CURVE Curve (krv), a. Etym: [L. curvus bent, curved. See Cirb.]

Defn: Bent without angles; crooked; curved; as, a curve line; a curve surface.

CURVE Curve, n. Etym: [See Curve, a., Cirb.]

1. A bending without angles; that wcich is bent; a flexure; as, a curve in a railway or canal.

2. (Geom.)

Defn: A line described according to some low, and having no finite portion of it a straight line. Axis of a curve. See under Axis. — Curve of quickest descent. See Brachystochrone. — Curve tracing (Math.), the process of determining the shape, location, singular points, and other perculiarities of a curve from its equation. — Plane curve (Geom.), a curve such that when a plane passes through three points of the curve, it passes through all the other points of the curve. Any other curve is called a curve of double curvature, or a twisted curve.

CURVE Curve, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curved (krvd); p. pr. & vb. n. Curving.] Etym: [L. curvare., fr. curvus. See Curve, a., Curb.]

Defn: To bend; to crook; as, to curve a line; to curve a pipe; to cause to swerve from a straight course; as, to curve a ball in pitching it.

CURVE Curve, v. i.

Defn: To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the road curves to the right.

CURVEDNESS Curv"ed*ness (-d-ns), n.

Defn: The state of being curved.

CURVET Cur"vet (kr"vt or kr-vt"; 277), n. Etym: [OE. corvet, It.corvetta: cf. F. courbette. See Curve, and cf. Corvetto.]

1. (Man.)

Defn: A particular leap of a horse, when he raises both his fore legs at once, equally advanced, and, as his fore legs are falling, raises his hind legs, so that all his legs are in the air at once.

2. A prank; a frolic.

CURVET Cur"vet, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Curveted or -vetted; p.pr. & vb. n. Curveting or -vetting.] Etym: [Cf. It. corvettare. See Curvet, n.]

1. To make a curvet; to leap; to bound. 'Oft and high he did curvet." Drayton.

2. To leap and frisk; to frolic. Shak.

CURVET Cur"vet, v. t.

Defn: To cause to curvet. Landor.

CURVICAUDATE Cur`vi*cau"date (kr`v-k"dt), a. Etym: [L. curvus bent + E. caudate.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a curved or crooked tail.

CURVICOSTATE Cur`vi*cos"tate (kr`v-ks"tt), a. Etym: [L. curvus + E. costate.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having bent ribs.

CURVIDENTATE Cur`vi*den"tate (kr`v-dn"tt), a. Etym: [L. curvus + E. dentate.]

Defn: Having curved teeth.

CURVIFORM Cur"vi*form (kr"v-frm), a. Etym: [L. curvus + -form.]

Defn: Having a curved form.

CURVILINEAD Cur`vi*lin"e*ad (kr`v-ln"-d), n. (Geom.)

Defn: An instrument for drawing curved lines.

CURVILINEAL; CURVILINEAR Cur`vi*lin"e*al (-al), Cur`vi*lin"e*ar (-r), a. Etym: [L. curvus bent + E. lineal, linear.]

Defn: Consisting of, or bounded by, curved lines; as, a curvilinear figure.

CURVILINEARITY Cur`vi*lin`e*ar"i*ty (-r"-t), n.

Defn: The state of being curvilinear or of being bounded by curved lines.

CURVILINEARLY Cur`vi*lin"e*ar*ly (-r-l), adv.

Defn: In a curvilinear manner.

CURVINERVED Cur"vi*nerved` (-nrvd`), a. Etym: [L. curvus bent + E. nerve. ] (Bot.)

Defn: Having the ribs or the veins of the leaves curved; — called also curvinervate and curve-veined.

CURVIROSTRAL Cur`vi*ros"tral (-rs"tral), a. Etym: [L. curvus + E. rostral.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a crooked beak, as the crossbill.

CURVIROSTRES Cur"vi*ros"tres (-rs"trz), n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. curvus curved + rostrum beak, rostrum.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of passerine birds, including the creepers and nuthatches.

CURVISERIAL Cur`vi*se"ri*al (-s"r-al), a. Etym: [L. curvus bent + E. serial.] (Bot.)

Defn: Distributed in a curved line, as leaves along a stem.

CURVITY Cur"vi*ty (kr"v-y), n. Etym: [L. curvitas, from curvus bent: cf. F. curvité.]

Defn: The state of being curved; a bending in a regular form; crookedness. Holder.

CURVOGRAPH Cur"vo*graph (kr"v-grf), n. Etym: [L. curvus bent + -graph.] (Geom.)

Defn: An arcograph.

CUSCUS Cus"cus, n. [The same word as Couscous, fr. F. couscous couscous, Ar. kuskus.] (Bot.)

Defn: A soft grass (Pennisetum typhoideum) found in all tropical regions, used as food for men and cattle in Central Africa.

CUSCUS OIL Cuscus oil.

Defn: Same as Vetiver oil.

CUSHAT Cush"at (ksh"t), n. Etym: [AS. cusceote.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The ringdove or wood pigeon. Scarce with cushat's homely song can vie. Sir W. Scott.

CUSHEWBIRD Cush"ew*bird (ksh"-brd`), n. (Zoöl)

Defn: The galeated curassow. See Curassow.

CUSHION Cush"ion (ksh"n), n. Etym: [OE. cuischun, quisshen, OF. coissin, cuissin, F. coussin, fr. (assumed) LL. culcitinum, dim. of L. culcita cushion, mattress, pillow. See Quilt, and cf. Counterpoint a coverlet.]

1. A case or bag stuffed with some soft and elastic material, and used to sit or recline upon; a soft pillow or pad. Two cushions stuffed with straw, the seat to raise. Dryden.

2. Anything resembling a cushion in properties or use; as: (a) a pad on which gilders cut gold leaf; (b) a mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam engine to receive the impact of the piston; (c) the elastic edge of a billiard table.

3. A riotous kind of dance, formerly common at weddings; — called also cushion dance. Halliwell. Cushion capital.(Arch.) A capital so sculptured as to appear like a cushion pressed down by the weight of its entablature. (b) A name given to a form of capital, much used in the Romanesque style, modeled like a bowl, the upper part of which is cut away on four sides, leaving vertical faces. — Cushion star (Zoöl.) a pentagonal starfish belonging to Goniaster, Astrogonium, and other allied genera; — so called from its form.

CUSHION Cush"ion (ksh"n), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cushioned (-nd); p. pr. & vb. Cushioning.]

1. To seat or place on, or as on a cushion. Many who are cushioned on thrones would have remained in obscurity. Bolingbroke.

2. To furnish with cushions; as, to cushion a chaise.

3. To conceal or cover up, as under a cushion. Cushioned hammer, a dead-stroke hammer. See under Dead-stroke.

CUSHIONET Cush"ion*et (ksh"n-t), n. Etym: [OF. coissinet, F. coussinet. See Cushion, and cf. Coussinet.]

Defn: A little cushion.

CUSHIONLESS Cush"ion*less, a.

Defn: Hot furnished with a cushion. Rows of long, cushionless benches, supplying the place of pews. Hawthorne.

CUSHION TIRE Cushion tire.

Defn: A thick solid-rubber tire, as for a bicycle, with a hollow groove running lengthwise on the inside.

CUSHIONY Cush"ion*y (-), a.

Defn: Like a cushion; soft; pliable. A flat and cushiony noce. Dickens.

CUSHITE Cush"ite (ksh"t), n.

Defn: A descendant of Cush, the son of Ham and grandson of Noah.

CUSK Cusk (ksk), n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, edible, marine fish (Brosmius brosme), allied to the cod, common on the northern coasts of Europe and America; — called also tusk and torsk.

CUSKIN Cus"kin (ks"kn), n.

Defn: A kind of drinking cup. [Obs.]

CUSP Cusp (ksp), n. Etym: [L. cuspis, -idis, point, pointed end.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A triangular protection from the intrados of an arch, or from an inner curve of tracery.

2. (Astrol.)

Defn: The beginning or first entrance of any house in the calculations of nativities, etc.

3. (Astron)

Defn: The point or horn of the crescent moon or other crescent-shaped luminary.

4. (Math.)

Defn: A multiple point of a curve at which two or more branches of the curve have a common tangent.

5. (Anat.)

Defn: A prominence or point, especially on the crown of a tooth.

6. (Bot.)

Defn: A sharp and rigid point.

CUSP Cusp, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Cusped (kspt); p.pr. & vb. n. Cusping.]

Defn: To furnish with a cusp or cusps.

CUSPATED Cus"pa*ted (ks"p-td), a.

Defn: Ending in a point.

CUSPID Cus"pid (ks"pd), n. Etym: [See Cusp.] (Anat.)

Defn: One of the canine teeth; — so called from having but one point or cusp on the crown. See Tooth.

CUSPIDAL Cus"pi*dal (-p-dal), a. Etym: [From L. cuspis, cuspidis. See Cusp.]

Defn: Ending in a point.

CUSPIDATE Cus"pi*date (-dt), v. t.

Defn: To make pointed or sharp.

CUSPIDATE; CUSPIDATED Cus"pi*date (ks"p-dt), Cus"pi*da`ted (-d`td), a. Etym: [L. cuspidatus, p.p. of cuspidare to make pointed, fr. cuspis. See Cusp.]

Defn: Having a sharp end, like the point of a spear; terminating in a hard point; as, a cuspidate leaf.

CUSPIDOR Cus"pi*dor (-dr), n. Etym: [Pg. cuspideria, fr. cuspir to spit.]

Defn: Any ornamental vessel used as a spittoon; hence, to avoid the common term, a spittoon of any sort.

CUSPIS Cus"pis (ks"ps), n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A point; a sharp end.

CUSSEDNESS Cuss"ed*ness, n. [Cussed (for cursed) + -ness.]

Defn: Disposition to willful wrongdoing; malignity; perversity; cantankerousness; obstinacy. [Slang or Colloq., U. S.]

In her opinion it was all pure "cussedness." Mrs. Humphry Ward.

Disputatiousness and perversity (what the Americans call "cussedness"). James Bryce.

CUSTARD Cus"tard (ks"trd), n. Etym: [Prob. the same word as OE. crustade, crustate, a pie made with a crust, fr. L. crustatus covered with a crust, p. p. of crustare, fr. crusta crust; cf. OF. croustade pasty, It. crostata, or F. coutarde. See Crust, and cf. Crustated.]

Defn: A mixture of milk and eggs, sweetened, and baked or boiled. Custard apple (Bot.), a low tree or shrub of tropical America, including several species of Anona (A. squamosa, reticulata, etc.), having a roundish or ovate fruit the size of a small orange, containing a soft, yellowish, edible pulp. — Custard coffin, pastry, or crust, which covers or coffins a custard [Obs.] Shak.

CUSTODE Cus"tode (ks"td), n. Etym: [F. or It. custode, fr. L. custos, -odis.]

Defn: See Custodian.

CUSTODIAL Cus*to"di*al (ks-t"d-al), a. Etym: [Cf. F. custodial, fr. L. custodia. See Custody.]

Defn: Relating to custody or guardianship.

CUSTODIAN Cus*to"di*an (ks-t"d-an), n. Etym: [From Custody.]

Defn: One who has care or custody, as of some public building; a keeper or superintendent.

CUSTODIANSHIP Cus*to"di*an*ship, n.

Defn: Office or duty of a custodian.

CUSTODIER Cus*to"di*er (-r), n. Etym: [Cf. LL. custodiarus.]

Defn: A custodian. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

CUSTODY Cus"to*dy (ks"t-d), n. Etym: [L. custodia, fr. custos guard; prob. akin to Gr. hide. Seee Hide to cover.]

1. A keeping or guarding; care, watch, inspection, for keeping, preservation, or security. A fleet of thirty ships for the custody of the narrow seas. Bacon.

2. Judicial or penal safe-keeping. Jailer, take him to thy custody. Shak.

3. State of being guarded and watched to prevent escape; restraint of liberty; confinement; imprisonment. What pease will be given To us enslaved, but custody severe, And stripes and arbitrary punishment Milton.

CUSTOM Cus"tom (ks"tm), n. Etym: [OF. custume, costume, Anglo-Norman coustome, F. coutume, fr. (assumed) LL. consuetumen custom, habit, fr. L. consuetudo, -dinis, fr. consuescere to accustom, verb inchoative fr. consuere to be accustomed; con- + suere to be accustomed, prosuus one's own; akin to E. so, adv. Cf. Consuetude, Costume.]

1. Frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage; method of doing or living. And teach customs which are not lawful. Acts xvi. 21. Moved beyong his custom, Gama said. Tennyson. A custom More honored in the breach than the observance. Shak.

2. Habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, manufactory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support. Let him have your custom, but not your votes. Addison.

3. (Law)

Defn: Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage. See Usage, and Prescription.

Note: Usage is a fact. Custom is a law. There can be no custom without usage, though there may be usage without custom. Wharton.

4. Familiar aquaintance; familiarity. [Obs.] Age can not wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety. Shak. Custom of merchants, a system or code of customs by which affairs of commerce are regulated. — General customs, those which extend over a state or kingdom. — Particular customs, those which are limited to a city or district; as, the customs of London.

Syn. — Practice; fashion. See Habit, and Usage.

CUSTOM Cus"tom, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OF. costumer. Cf. Accustom.]

1. To make familiar; to accustom. [Obs.] Gray.

2. To supply with customers. [Obs.] Bacon.

CUSTOM Cus"tom, v. i.

Defn: To have a custom. [Obs.] On a bridge he custometh to fight. Spenser.

CUSTOM Cus"tom, n. Etym: [OF. coustume, F. coutume, tax, i. e., the usual tax. See 1st Custom.]

Defn: 1 the customary toll,tax, or tribute. Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom. Rom. xiii. 7.

2. pl.

Defn: Duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities, imported or exported.

CUSTOM Cus"tom, v. t.

Defn: To pay the customs of. [Obs.] Marlowe.

CUSTOMABLE Cus"tom*a*ble (—b'l), a. Etym: [Cf. OF. coustumable.]

1. Customary. [Obs.] Sir T. More.

2. Subject to the payment of customs; dutiable.

CUSTOMABLENESS Cus"tom*a*ble*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being customable; conformity to custom. [Obs.]

CUSTOMABLY Cus"tom*a*bly, adv.

Defn: Usually. [Obs.] Milton.

CUSTOMARILY Cus"tom*a*ri*ly (—r-l), adv.

Defn: In a customary manner; habitually.

CUSTOMARINESS Cus"tom*a*ri*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being customary.

CUSTOMARY Cus"tom*a*ry (ks"tm—r), a. Etym: [CF. OF. coustumier, F. coutumier. See Custom, and cf. Customer.]

1. Agreeing with, or established by, custom; established by common usage; conventional; habitual. Even now I met him With customary compliment. Shak. A formal customary attendance upon the offices. South.

2. (Law)

Defn: Holding or held by custom; as, customary tenants; customary service or estate.

CUSTOMARY Cus"tom*a*ry, n. Etym: [OF. coustumier, F. coutumier.]

Defn: A book containing laws and usages, or customs; as, the Customary of the Normans. Cowell.

CUSTOMER Cus"tom*er (ks"tm-r), n. Etym: [A doublet of customary, a.: cf. LL. custumarius toll gatherer. See Custom.]

1. One who collect customs; a toll gatherer. [Obs.] The customers of the small or petty custom and of the subsidy do demand of them custom for kersey cloths. Hakluyt.