F F (êf) (continued 4)

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The state or condition of being fenestrated.

FENESTRULE Fe*nes"trule, n. Etym: [L. fenestrula a little window, dim. of fenestra a window.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the openings in a fenestrated structure.

FENG-HWANG Fêng"-hwang`, n. [Chin. feng + 'huang.] (Chinese Myth.)

Defn: A pheasantlike bird of rich plumage and graceful form and movement, fabled to appear in the land on the accession of a sage to the throne, or when right principles are about to prevail. It is often represented on porcelains and other works of art.

FENGITE Fen"gite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A kind of marble or alabaster, sometimes used for windows on account of its transparency.

FENG-SHUI Fêng"-shu`i, n. [Chin. feng wind + shiu water.]

Defn: A system of spirit influences for good and evil believed by the Chinese to attend the natural features of landscape; also, a kind of geomancy dealing with these influences, used in determining sites for graves, houses, etc.

FENIAN Fe"ni*an, n. Etym: [From the Finians or Fenii, the old militia of Ireland, who were so called from Fin or Finn, Fionn, or Fingal, a popular hero of Irish traditional history.]

Defn: A member of a secret organization, consisting mainly of Irishment, having for its aim the overthrow of English rule in ireland.

FENIAN Fe"ni*an, a.

Defn: Pertaining to Fenians or to Fenianism.

FENIANISM Fe"ni*an*ism, n.

Defn: The principles, purposes, and methods of the Fenians.

FENKS Fenks, n.

Defn: The refuse whale blubber, used as a manure, and in the manufacture of Prussian blue. Ure.

FENNEC Fen"nec, n. Etym: [Ar. fanek.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small, African, foxlike animal (Vulpes zerda) of a pale fawn color, remarkable for the large size of its ears.

FENNEL Fen"nel, n. Etym: [AS. fenol, finol, from L. feniculum, faeniculum, dim. of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. fenouil. Cf. Fenugreek. Finochio.] (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial plant of the genus Fæniculum (F.vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds. Smell of sweetest fennel. Milton. A sprig of fennel was in fact the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex. S. G. Goodrich. Azorean, or Sweet, fennel, (Fæniculum dulce). It is a smaller and stouter plant than the common fennel, and is used as a pot herb. — Dog's fennel (Anthemis Cotula), a foul-smelling European weed; — called also mayweed. — Fennel flower (Bot.), an herb (Nigella) of the Buttercup family, having leaves finely divided, like those of the fennel. N.Damascena is common in gardens. N.sativa furnishes the fennel seed, used as a condiment, etc., in India. These seeds are the "fitches" mentioned in Isaiah (xxviii. 25). — Fennel water (Med.), the distilled water of fennel seed. It is stimulant and carminative. — Giant fennel (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus. — Hog's fennel, a European plant (Peucedanum officinale) looking something like fennel.

FENNISH Fen"nish, a.

Defn: Abounding in fens; fenny.

FENNY Fen"ny, a. Etym: [AS. fennig.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or inhabiting, a fen; abounding in fens; swampy; boggy. "Fenny snake." Shak.

FENOWED Fen"owed, a. Etym: [AS. fynig musty, fynegean to become musty or filthy: cf. fennig fenny, muddy, dirty, fr. fen fen. Cf. Finew.]

Defn: Corrupted; decayed; moldy. See Vinnewed. [Obs.] Dr. Favour.

FENSI-BLE Fen"si-ble, a.

Defn: Fencible. [Obs.] Spenser.

FEN-SUCKED Fen"-sucked`, a.

Defn: Sucked out of marches. "Fen-sucked fogs." Shak.

FENUGREEK Fen"u*greek ( or ), n. Etym: [L. faenum Graecum, lit., Greek hay: cf. F. fenugrec. Cf. Fennel.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (trigonella Foenum Græcum) cultivated for its strong- smelling seeds, which are "now only used for giving false importance to horse medicine and damaged hay." J. Smith (Pop. Names of Plants, 1881).

FEOD Feod, n.

Defn: A feud. See 2d Feud. Blackstone.

FEODAL Feod"al, a.

Defn: Feudal. See Feudal.

FEODALITY Feo*dal"i*ty, n.

Defn: Feudal tenure; the feudal system. See Feudality. Burke.

FEODARY Feod"a*ry, n.

1. An accomplice. Art thou a feodary for this act Shak.

2. (Eng. Law)

Defn: An ancient officer of the court of wards. Burrill.

FEODATORY Feod"a*to*ry, n.

Defn: See Feudatory.

FEOFF Feoff

Defn: , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feoffed; p. pr. & vb. n.. Feoffing.] Etym: [OE. feffen, OF. feffer, fieffer, F. fieffer, fr. fief fief; cf. LL. feoffare, fefare. See Fief.] (Law)

Defn: To invest with a fee or feud; to give or grant a corporeal hereditament to; to enfeoff.

FEOFF Feoff, n. (Law)

Defn: A fief. See Fief.

FEOFFEE Feof*fee", n. Etym: [OF. feoffé.] (Law)

Defn: The person to whom a feoffment is made; the person enfeoffed.

FEOFFMENT Feoff"ment, n. Etym: [OF. feoffement, fieffement; cf. LL. feoffamentum.] (Law) (a) The grant of a feud or fee. (b) (Eng. Law) A gift or conveyance in fee of land or other corporeal hereditaments, accompanied by actual delivery of possession. Burrill. (c) The instrument or deed by which corporeal hereditaments are conveyed. [Obs. in the U.S., Rare in Eng.]

FEOFOR; FEOFFER Feo"for, Feof"fer, n. Etym: [OF. feoour.] (Law)

Defn: One who enfeoffs or grants a fee.

FER Fer, a. & adv.

Defn: Far. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERACIOUS Fe*ra"cious, a. Etym: [L. ferax, -acis, fr. ferre to bear.]

Defn: Fruitful; producing abudantly. [R.] Thomson.

FERACITY Fe*rac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. feracitas.]

Defn: The state of being feracious or fruitful. [Obs.] Beattie.

FERAE Fe"ræ, n. pl. Etym: [L., wild animals, fem. pl. of ferus wild.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of mammals which formerly included the Carnivora, Insectivora, Marsupialia, and lemurs, but is now often restricted to the Carnivora.

FERAE NATURAE Fe"ræ na*tu"ræ. Etym: [L.]

Defn: Of a wild nature; — applied to animals, as foxes, wild ducks, etc., in which no one can claim property.

FERAL Fe"ral, a. Etym: [L. ferus. See Fierce.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Defn: Wild; untamed; ferine; not domesticated; — said of beasts, birds, and plants. feral child, not raised by humans

FERAL Fe"ral, a. Etym: [L. feralis, belonging to the dead.]

Defn: Funereal; deadly; fatal; dangerous. [R.] "Feral accidents." Burton.

FERDE Ferde, obs.

Defn: imp. of Fare. Chaucer.

FER-DE-LANCE Fer`-de-lance", n. Etym: [F., the iron of a lance, lance head.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, venomous serpent (Trigonocephalus lanceolatus) of Brazil and the West Indies. It is allied to the rattlesnake, but has no rattle.

FERDING Fer"ding, n. Etym: [See Farthing.]

Defn: A measure of land mentioned in Domesday Book. It is supposed to have consisted of a few acres only. [Obs.]

FERDNESS Ferd"ness, n. Etym: [OE. ferd fear. See Fear.]

Defn: Fearfulness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE Fere, n. Etym: [OE. fere companion, AS. gefera, from feran to go, travel, faran to travel. sq. root78. See Fare.]

Defn: A mate or companion; — often used of a wife. [Obs.] [Written also fear and feere.] Chaucer. And Cambel took Cambrina to his fere. Spenser. In fere, together; in company. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE Fere, a. Etym: [Cf. L. ferus wild.]

Defn: Fierce. [Obs.]

FERE Fere, n. Etym: [See Fire.]

Defn: Fire. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE Fere, n. Etym: [See Fear.]

Defn: Fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERE Fere, v. t. & i.

Defn: To fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERETORY Fer`e*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. feretrum bier, Gr. ferre, E. bear to support.]

Defn: A portable bier or shrine, variously adorned, used for containing relics of saints. Mollett.

FERFORTH Fer"forth`, adv.

Defn: Far forth. [Obs.] As ferforth as, as far as. — So ferforth, to such a degree.

FERFORTHLY Fer"forth`ly, adv.

Defn: Ferforth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERGUSONITE Fer"gu*son*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a brownish black color, essentially a tantalo- niobate of yttrium, erbium, and cerium; — so called after Robert Ferguson.

FERIA Fe"ri*a, n.; pl. Feriæ (. (Eccl.)

Defn: A week day, esp. a day which is neither a festival nor a fast. Shipley.

FERIAL Fe"ri*al, n.

Defn: Same as Feria.

FERIAL Fe"ri*al, a. Etym: [LL. ferialis, fr. L. ferie holidays: cf. F. férial. See 5th Fair.]

1. Of or pertaining to holidays. [Obs.] J. Gregory.

2. Belonging to any week day, esp. to a day that is neither a festival nor a fast.

FERIATION Fe`ri*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. feriari to keep holiday, fr. ferie holidays.]

Defn: The act of keeping holiday; cessation from work. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FERIE Fe"rie, n. Etym: [OF. ferie, fr. L. ferie holidays. See 5th Fair.]

Defn: A holiday. [Obs.] Bullokar.

FERIER Fe"ri*er, a.

Defn: , compar. of Fere, fierce. [Obs.] Rhenus ferier than the cataract. Marston.

FERINE Fe"rine, a. Etym: [L. ferinus, fr. ferus wild. See Fierce.]

Defn: Wild; untamed; savage; as, lions, tigers, wolves, and bears are ferine beasts. Sir M. Hale. — n.

Defn: A wild beast; a beast of prey. — Fe"rine*ly, adv. — Fe"rine*ness, n.

FERINGEE Fer*in"gee, n. Etym: [Per. Farangi, or Ar. Firanji, properly, a Frank.]

Defn: The name given to Europeans by the Hindos. [Written also Feringhee.]

FERITY Fer"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. feritas, from ferus wild.]

Defn: Wildness; savageness; fierceness. [Obs.] Woodward.

FERLY Fer"ly, a. Etym: [AS. f sudden, unexpected. See Fear, n.]

Defn: Singular; wonderful; extraordinary. [Obs.] — n.

Defn: A wonder; a marvel. [Obs.] Who hearkened ever such a ferly thing. Chaucer.

FERM; FERME Ferm, Ferme, n.Etym: [See Farm.]

Defn: Rent for a farm; a farm; also, an abode; a place of residence; as, he let his land to ferm. [Obs.] Out of her fleshy ferme fled to the place of pain. Spenser.

FERMACY Fer"ma*cy, n. Etym: [OE. See Pharmacy.]

Defn: Medicine; pharmacy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERMENT Fer"ment, n. Etym: [L. fermentum ferment (in senses 1 & 2), perh. for fervimentum, fr. fervere to be boiling hot, boil, ferment: cf. F. ferment. Cf. 1st Barm, Fervent.]

1. That which causes fermentation, as yeast, barm, or fermenting beer.

Note: Ferments are of two kinds: (a) Formed or organized ferments. (b) Unorganized or structureless ferments. The latter are also called soluble or chemical ferments, and enzymes. Ferments of the first class are as a rule simple microscopic vegetable organisms, and the fermentations which they engender are due to their growth and development; as, the acetic ferment, the butyric ferment, etc. See Fermentation. Ferments of the second class, on the other hand, are chemical substances, as a rule soluble in glycerin and precipitated by alcohol. In action they are catalytic and, mainly, hydrolytic. Good examples are pepsin of the dastric juice, ptyalin of the salvia, and disease of malt. globular proteins, capable of catalyzing a wide variety of chemical reactions, not merely hydrolytic. The full set of enzymes causing production of ethyl alcohol from sugar has been identified and individually purified and studied. See enzyme

2. Intestine motion; heat; tumult; agitation. Subdue and cool the ferment of desire. Rogers. the nation is in a ferment. Walpole. in a ferment in a state of agitation, applied to human groups.

3. A gentle internal motion of the constituent parts of a fluid; fermentation. [R.] Down to the lowest lees the ferment ran. Thomson. ferment oils, volatile oils produced by the fermentation of plants, and not originally contained in them. These were the quintessences of the alchenists. Ure.

FERMENT Fer*ment", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fermented; p. pr. & vb. n. Fermenting.] Etym: [L. fermentare, fermentatum: cf. F. fermenter. See Ferment, n.]

Defn: To cause ferment of fermentation in; to set in motion; to excite internal emotion in; to heat. Ye vigorous swains! while youth ferments your blood. Pope.

FERMENT Fer*ment", v. i.

1. To undergo fermentation; to be in motion, or to be excited into sensible internal motion, as the constituent oarticles of an animal or vegetable fluid; to work; to effervesce.

2. To be agitated or excited by violent emotions. But finding no redress, ferment an rage. Milton. The intellect of the age was a fermenting intellect. De Quincey.

FERMENTABILITY Fer*ment`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: Capability of fermentation.

FERMENTABLE Fer*ment"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentable.]

Defn: Capable of fermentation; as, cider and other vegetable liquors are fermentable.

FERMENTAL Fer*ment"al, a.

Defn: Fermentative. [Obs.]

FERMENTATION Fer`men*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentation.]

1. The process of undergoing an effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense (Physiol. Chem.), the transformation of an organic substance into new compounds by the action of a ferment, either formed or unorganized. It differs in kind according to the nature of the ferment which causes it.

2. A state of agitation or excitement, as of the intellect or the feelings. It puts the soul to fermentation and activity. Jer. Taylor. A univesal fermentation of human thought and faith. C. Kingsley. Acetous, or Acetic, fermentation, a form of oxidation in which alcohol is converted into vinegar or acetic acid by the agency of a specific fungus or ferment (Mycoderma aceti). The process involves two distinct reactions, in which the oxygen of the air is essential. An intermediate product, aldehyde, is formed in the first process. 1. C2H6O + O = H2O + C2H4O

Note: Alcohol. Water. Aldehyde. 2. C2H4O + O = C2H4O2

Note: Aldehyde. Acetic acid. — Alcoholic fermentation, the fermentation which saccharine bodies undergo when brought in contact with the yeast plant or Torula. The sugar is converted, either directly or indirectly, into alcohol and carbonic acid, the rate of action being dependent on the rapidity with which the Torulæ develop. — Ammoniacal fermentation, the conversion of the urea of the urine into ammonium carbonate, through the growth of the special urea ferment. CON2H4 + 2H2O = (NH4)2CO3

Note: Urea. Water. Ammonium carbonate.

Note: Whenever urine is exposed to the air in open vessels for several days it undergoes this alkaline fermentation. — Butyric fermentation, the decomposition of various forms of organic matter, through the agency of a peculiar worm-shaped vibrio, with formation of more or less butyric acid. It is one of the many forms of fermentation that collectively constitute putrefaction. See Lactic fermentation. — Fermentation by an unorganized ferment or enzyme. Fermentations of this class are purely chemical reactions, in which the ferment acts as a simple catalytic agent. Of this nature are the decomposition or inversion of cane sugar into levulose and dextrose by boiling with dilute acids, the conversion of starch into dextrin and sugar by similar treatment, the conversion of starch into like products by the action of diastase of malt or ptyalin of saliva, the conversion of albuminous food into peptones and other like products by the action of pepsin-hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice or by the ferment of the pancreatic juice. — Fermentation theory of disease (Biol. & Med.), the theory that most if not all, infectious or zymotic disease are caused by the introduction into the organism of the living germs of ferments, or ferments already developed (organized ferments), by which processes of fermentation are set up injurious to health. See Germ theory. — Glycerin fermentation, the fermentation which occurs on mixing a dilute solution of glycerin with a peculiar species of schizomycetes and some carbonate of lime, and other matter favorable to the growth of the plant, the glycerin being changed into butyric acid, caproic acid, butyl, and ethyl alcohol. With another form of bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) ethyl alcohol and butyric acid are mainly formed. — Lactic fermentation, the transformation of milk sugar or other saccharine body into lactic acid, as in the souring of milk, through the agency of a special bacterium (Bacterium lactis of Lister). In this change the milk sugar, before assuming the form of lactic acid, presumably passes through the stage of glucose. C12H22O11.H2O = 4C3H6O3

Note: Hydrated milk sugar. Lactic acid.

Note: In the lactic fermentation of dextrose or glucose, the lactic acid which is formed is very prone to undergo butyric fermentation after the manner indicated in the following equation: 2C3H6O3 (lactic acid) = C4H8O2 (butyric acid) + 2CO2 (carbonic acid) + 2H2 (hydrogen gas). — Putrefactive fermentation. See Putrefaction.

FERMENTATION THEORY Fer`men*ta"tion the"o*ry. (Med.)

Defn: The theory which likens the course of certain diseases (esp. infectious diseases) to the process of fermentation, and attributes them to the organized ferments in the body. It does not differ materially from the accepted germ theory (which see).

FERMENTATIVE Fer*ment"a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fermentatif.]

Defn: Causing, or having power to cause, fermentation; produced by fermentation; fermenting; as, a fermentative process. — Fer*ment"a*tive*ly, adv. — Fer*ment"a*tive*ness, n.

FERMERERE Fer"mer*ere, n. Etym: [OF. enfermerier, fr. enfermerie infirmary. See Infirmary.]

Defn: The officer in a religious house who had the care of the infirmary. [Obs.]

FERMETURE Fer"me*ture, n. [F., fr. fermer to close.] (Mil.)

Defn: The mechanism for closing the breech of a breech-loading firearm, in artillery consisting principally of the breechblock, obturator, and carrier ring.

FERMILLET Fer"mil*let, n. Etym: [OF., dim. of fermeil, fermail, clasp, prob. fr. OF. & F. fermer to make fast, fr. ferme fast. See Firm.]

Defn: A buckle or clasp. [Obs.] Donne.

FERN Fern, adv.

Defn: Long ago. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERN Fern, a. Etym: [AS. fyrn.]

Defn: Ancient; old. [Obs.] "Pilgrimages to . . . ferne halwes." [saints]. Chaucer.

FERN Fern, n. Etym: [AS. fearn; akin to D. varen, G. farn, farnkraut; cf. Skr. parna wing, feather, leaf, sort of plant, or Lith. papartis fern.] (Bot.)

Defn: An order of cryptogamous plants, the Filices, which have their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves. They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain a gigantic size.

Note: The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia, containing minute spores, which germinate and form prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and the polypody are all well known ferns. Christmas fern. See under Christmas. — Climbing fern (Bot.), a delicate North American fern (Lygodium palmatum), which climbs several feet high over bushes, etc., and is much sought for purposes of decoration. — Fern owl. (Zoöl.) (a) The European goatsucker. (b) The short- eared owl. [Prov. Eng.] — Fern shaw, a fern thicket. [Eng.] R. Browning.

FERNERY Fern"er*y, n.

Defn: A place for rearing ferns.

FERNTICLE Fern"ti*cle, n.

Defn: A freckle on the skin, resembling the seed of fern. [Prov. Eng.]

FERNY Fern"y, a.

Defn: Abounding in ferns.

FEROCIOUS Fe*ro"cious, a. Etym: [L. ferox, -ocis, fierce: cf. F. féroce. See Ferocity.]

Defn: Fierce; savage; wild; indicating cruelty; ravenous; rapacious; as, ferocious look or features; a ferocious lion. The humbled power of a ferocious enemy. Lowth.

Syn. — Ferocious, Fierce, Savage, Barbarous. When these words are applied to human feelings or conduct, ferocious describes the disposition; fierce, the haste and violence of an act; barbarous, the coarseness and brutality by which it was marked; savage, the cruel and unfeeling spirit which it showed. A man is ferocious in his temper, fierce in his actions, barbarous in the manner of carrying out his purposes, savage in the spirit and feelings expressed in his words or deeds. — Fe*ro"cious*ly, adv. — Fe*ro"cious*ness, n. It [Christianity] has adapted the ferociousness of war. Blair.

FEROCITY Fe*roc"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. ferocitas, fr. ferox, -ocis, fierce, kin to ferus wild: cf. F. ferocité. See Fierce.]

Defn: Savage wildness or fierceness; fury; cruelty; as, ferocity of countenance. The pride and ferocity of a Highland chief. Macaulay.

FEROHER Fer*o"her, n. (Archæol.)

Defn: A symbol of the solar deity, found on monuments exhumed in Babylon, Nineveh, etc.

FEROUS Fe"rous, a. Etym: [L. ferus. See Fierce.]

Defn: Wild; savage. [R.] Arthur Wilson.

-FEROUS -fer*ous. Etym: [L. -fer. fr. ferre to bear. See Bear to support.]

Defn: A suffix signifying bearing, producing, yielding; as, auriferous, yielding gold; chyliferous, producing chyle.

FERRANDINE Fer*ran"dine ( or ), n. Etym: [F.; cf. OF. ferrant iron-gray, from L. ferrum iron.]

Defn: A stuff made of silk and wool. I did buy a colored silk ferrandine. Pepys.

FERRANTI CABLES; FERRANTI MAINS Fer*ran"ti ca"bles, Fer*ran"ti mains". (Elec.)

Defn: A form of conductor, designed by Ferranti, for currents of high potential, and consisting of concentric tubes of copper separated by an insulating material composed of paper saturated with black mineral wax.

FERRANTI PHENOMENON Fer*ran"ti phe*nom"e*non. (Elec.)

Defn: An increase in the ratio of transformation of an alternating current converter, accompanied by other changes in electrical conditions, occurring when the secondary of the converter is connected with a condenser of moderate capacity; — so called because first observed in connection with the Ferranti cables in London.

FERRARA Fer*ra"ra, n.

Defn: A sword bearing the mark of one of the Ferrara family of Italy. These swords were highly esteemed in England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

FERRARESE Fer`ra*rese", a.

Defn: Pertaining to Ferrara, in Italy. — n., sing. & pl.

Defn: A citizen of Ferrara; collectively, the inhabitants of Ferrara.

FERRARY Fer"ra*ry, n. Etym: [L. ferraria iron works. See Ferreous.]

Defn: The art of working in iron. [Obs.] Chapman.

FERRATE Fer"rate, n. Etym: [L. ferrum iron.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferric acid.

FERRE; FERRER Fer"re, Fer"rer, a. & adv. Obs.

Defn: compar. of Fer.

FERREOUS Fer"re*ous, a. Etym: [L. ferreus, fr. ferrum iron. Cf. Farrier, Ferrous.]

Defn: Partaking of, made of, or pertaining to, iron; like iron. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FERREST Fer"rest, a. & adv. Obs.

Defn: superl. of Fer. Chaucer.

FERRET Fer"ret, n. Etym: [F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela or Putorius furo), about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive rabbits and rats out of their holes.

FERRET Fer"ret, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferreted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ferreting.] Etym: [Cf. F. fureter. See Ferret, n.]

Defn: To drive or hunt out of a lurking place, as a ferret does the cony; to search out by patient and sagacious efforts; — often used with out; as, to ferret out a secret. Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him. Shak.

FERRET Fer"ret, n. Etym: [Ital. foretto, dim. of fiore flower; or F. fleuret. Cf. Floret.]

Defn: A kind of narrow tape, usually made of woolen; sometimes of cotton or silk; — called also ferreting.

FERRET Fer"ret, n. Etym: [F. feret, dim. or fer iron, L. ferrum.] (Glass Making)

Defn: The iron used for trying the melted glass to see if is fit to work, and for shaping the rings at the mouths of bottles.

FERRETER Fer"ret*er, n.

Defn: One who ferrets. Johnson.

FERRET-EYE Fer"ret-eye`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The spur-winged goose; — so called from the red circle around the eyes.

FERRETTO Fer*ret"to, n. Etym: [It. ferretto di Spagna, dim. of ferro iron, fr. L. ferrum.]

Defn: Copper sulphide, used to color glass. Hebert.

FERRI- Fer"ri- (. (Chem.)

Defn: A combining form indicating ferric iron as an ingredient; as, ferricyanide.

FERRIAGE Fer"ri*age (; 48), n. Etym: [From Ferry.]

Defn: The price or fare to be paid for passage at a ferry.

FERRIC Fer"ric, a. Etym: [L. ferrum iron: cf. F. ferrique. See Ferrous.]

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or containing iron. Specifically (Chem.), denoting those compounds in which iron has a higher valence than in the ferrous compounds; as, ferric oxide; ferric acid. Ferric acid (Chem.), an acid, H2FeO4, which is not known in the free state, but forms definite salts, analogous to the chromates and sulphates. — Ferric oxide (Chem.), sesquioxide of iron, Fe2O3; hematite. See Hematite.

FERRICYANATE Fer`ri*cy"a*nat, n. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferricyanic acid; a ferricyanide.

FERRICYANIC Fer`ri*cy*an"ic, a. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, a ferricyanide. Ferricyanic acid (Chem.), a brown crystalline substance, H6(CN)12Fe2, obtained from potassium ferricyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferricyanides; — called also hydro-ferricyanic acid, hydrogen ferricyanide, etc.

FERRICYANIDE Fer`ri*cy"a*nide (; 104), n. Etym: [Ferri- + cyanide.] (Chem.)

Defn: One of a complex series of double cyanides of ferric iron and some other base. Potassium ferricyanide (Chem.), red prussiate of potash; a dark, red, crystalline salt, K6(CN)12Fe2, consisting of the double cyanide of potassium and ferric iron. From it is derived the ferrous ferricyanate, Turnbull's blue.

FERRIER Fer"ri*er, n.

Defn: A ferryman. Calthrop.

FERRIFEROUS Fer*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. ferrum iron + -ferous: cf. F. ferrifère.]

Defn: Producing or yielding iron.

FERRIPRUSSIATE Fer`ri*prus"si*ate ( or ; see Prussiate, 277), n. Etym: [Ferri- + prussiate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A ferricyanate; a ferricyanide. [R.]

FERRIPRUSSIC Fer`ri*prus"sic ( or ; see Prussik, 277), a. Etym: [Ferri- + prussic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Ferricyanic. [R.]

FERRIS WHEEL Fer"ris wheel.

Defn: An amusement device consisting of a giant power-driven steel wheel, revolvable on its stationary axle, and carrying a number of balanced passenger cars around its rim; — so called after G. W. G. Ferris, American engineer, who erected the first of its kind for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

FERRO- Fer"ro- (. (Chem.)

Defn: A prefix, or combining form, indicating ferrous iron as an ingredient; as, ferrocyanide.

FERROCALCITE Fer`ro*cal"cite, n. Etym: [Ferro- + calcite.]

Defn: Limestone containing a large percentage of iron carbonate, and hence turning brown on exposure.

FERRO-CONCRETE Fer"ro-con"crete, n. (Arch. & Engin.)

Defn: Concrete strengthened by a core or foundation skeleton of iron or steel bars, strips, etc. Floors, columns, piles, water pipes, etc., have been successfully made of it. Called also armored concrete steel, and reënforced concrete.

FERROCYANATE Fer`ro*cy"a*nate, n. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanate: cf. F. ferrocyanate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of ferrocyanic acid; a ferrocyanide.

FERROCYANIC Fer`ro*cy*an"ic, a. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanic: cf. F. ferrocyanique.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, a ferrocyanide. ferrocyanic acid (Chem.), a white crystalline substance, H4(CN)6Fe, of strong acid properties, obtained from potassium ferrocyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferrocyanides; — called also hydro- ferrocyanic acid, hydrogen ferrocyanide. etc.

FERROCYANIDE Fer`ro*cy"a*nide ( or ; 104), n. Etym: [Ferro- + cyanide.] (Chem.)

Defn: One of a series of complex double cyanides of ferrous iron and some other base. Potassium ferrocyanide (Chem.), yellow prussiate of potash; a tough, yellow, crystalline salt, K4(CN)6Fe, the starting point in the manufacture of almost all cyanogen compounds, and the basis of the ferric ferrocyanate, prussian blue. It is obtained by strongly heating together potash, scrap iron, and animal matter containing nitrogen, as horn, leather, blood, etc., in iron pots.

FERROPRUSSIATE Fer`ro*prus"si*ate ( or or; see Prussiate, 277), n. ) Etym: [Ferro- + prussiate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A ferrocyanate; a ferocyanide. [R.]

FERROPRUSSIC Fer`ro*prus"sic ( or ; see Prussic, 277), a. Etym: [Ferro- + prussic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Ferrocyanic.

FERROSO- Fer*ro"so- (. (Chem.)

Defn: See Ferro-.

FERROTYPE Fer"ro*type, n. Etym: [L. ferrum iron + -type.]

Defn: A photographic picture taken on an iron plate by a collodion process; — familiarly called tintype.

FERROUS Fer"rous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. ferreux. See Ferreous.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, iron; — especially used of compounds of iron in which the iron has its lower valence; as, ferrous sulphate.

FERRUGINATED Fer*ru"gi*na`ted, a. Etym: [See Ferrugo.]

Defn: Having the color or properties of the rust of iron.

FERRUGINEOUS Fer`ru*gin"e*ous, a.

Defn: Ferruginous. [R.]

FERRUGINOUS Fer*ru"gi*nous, a. Etym: [L. ferruginus, ferrugineus, fr. ferrugo, - ginis, iron rust: cf. F. ferrugineux. See Ferrugo.]

1. Partaking of iron; containing particles of iron. Boyle.

2. Resembling iron rust in appearance or color; brownish red, or yellowish red.

FERRUGO Fer*ru"go, n. Etym: [L., iron rust, fr. ferrum iron.]

Defn: A disease of plants caused by fungi, commonly called the rust, from its resemblance to iron rust in color.

FERRULE Fer"rule ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [Formerly verrel, F. virole, fr. L. viriola little bracelet, dim. of viriae, pl., bracelets; prob. akin to viere to twist, weave, and E. withe. The spelling with f is due to confusion with L. ferrum iron.]

1. A ring or cap of metal put round a cane, tool, handle, or other similar object, to strengthen it, or prevent splitting and wearing.

2. (Steam Boilers)

Defn: A bushing for expanding the end of a flue to fasten it tightly in the tube plate, or for partly filling up its mouth.

FERRUMINATE Fer*ru"mi*nate, v. t. Etym: [L. ferruminatus, p.p. of ferruminare to cement, solder, fr. ferrumen cement, fr. ferrum iron.]

Defn: To solder or unite, as metals. [R.] Coleridge.

FERRUMINATION Fer*ru`mi*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. ferruminatio: cf. F. ferrumination.]

Defn: The soldering ir uniting of me [R.] Coleridge.

FERRY Fer"ry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferried; p. pr. & vb. n. Ferrying.] Etym: [OE. ferien to convey, AS. ferian, from faran to go; akin to Icel. ferja to ferry, Goth. farjan to sail. See Fare.]

Defn: To carry or transport over a river, strait, or other narrow water, in a boat.

FERRY Fer"ry, v. i.

Defn: To pass over water in a boat or by a ferry. They ferry over this Lethean sound Both to and fro. Milton.

FERRY Fer"ry, n.; pl. Ferries. Etym: [OE. feri; akin to Icel. ferja, Sw. färja, Dan. færge, G. fähre. See Ferry, v. t.]

1. A place where persons or things are carried across a river, arm of the sea, etc., in a ferryboat. It can pass the ferry backward into light. Milton. To row me o'er the ferry. Campbell.

2. A vessel in which passengers and goods are conveyed over narrow waters; a ferryboat; a wherry.

3. A franchise or right to maintain a vessel for carrying passengers and freight across a river, bay, etc., charging tolls. Ferry bridge, a ferryboat adapted in its structure for the transfer of railroad trains across a river or bay. — Ferry railway. See under Railway.

FERRYBOAT Fer"ry*boat`, n.

Defn: A vessel for conveying passengers, merchandise, etc., across streams and other narrow waters.

FERRYMAN Fer"ry*man, n.; pl. Ferrymen (.

Defn: One who maintains or attends a ferry.

FERS Fers, a.

Defn: Fierce. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERTHE Ferthe, a.

Defn: Fourth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FERTILE Fer"tile ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [L. fertilis, fr. ferr to bear, produce: cf. F. fertile. See Bear to support.]

1. Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination. Though he in a fertile climate dwell. Shak.

2. (Bot.) (a) Capable of producing fruit; fruit-bearing; as, fertile flowers. (b) Containing pollen; — said of anthers.

3. produced in abundance; plenteous; ample. Henceforth, my early care . . . Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease Of thy full branches. Milton.

Syn. — Fertile, Fruitful. Fertile implies the inherent power of production; fruitful, the act. The prairies of the West are fertile by nature, and are turned by cultivation into fruitful fields. The same distinction prevails when these words are used figuratively. A man of fertile genius has by nature great readiness of invention; one whose mind is fruitful has resources of thought and a readiness of application which enable him to think and act effectively.

FERTILELY Fer"tile*ly ( or ; 277), adv.

Defn: In a fertile or fruitful manner.

FERTILENESS fer"tile*ness, n.

Defn: Fertility. Sir P. Sidney.

FERTILITATE Fer*til"i*tate, v. t.

Defn: To fertilize; to fecundate. Sir T. Browne.

FERTILITY Fer*til"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. fertilitas: cf. F. fertilité.]

Defn: The state or quality of being fertile or fruitful; fruitfulness; productiveness; fecundity; richness; abundance of resources; fertile invention; quickness; readiness; as, the fertility of soil, or of imagination. "fertility of resource." E. Everett. And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps Corrupting in its own fertility. Shak. Thy very weeds are beautiful; thy waste More rich than other climes' fertility. Byron.

FERTILIZATION Fer`ti*li*za"tion, n.

1. The act or process of rendering fertile.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: The act of fecundating or impregnating animal or vegetable germs; esp., the process by which in flowers the pollen renders the ovule fertile, or an analogous process in flowerless plants; fecundation; impregnation. Close fertilization (Bot.), the fertilization of pistils by pollen derived from the stamens of the same blossom. — Cross fertilization, fertilization by pollen from some other blossom. See under Cross, a.

FERTILIZE Fer"ti*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fertilized; p. pr. & vb. n. Fertilizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. fertiliser.]

1. To make fertile or enrich; to supply with nourishment for plants; to make fruitful or productive; as, to fertilize land, soil, ground, and meadows. And fertilize the field that each pretends to gain. Byron.

2. To fecundate; as, to fertilize flower. A. R. Wallace.

FERTILIZER Fer"ti*lizer, n.

1. One who fertilizes; the agent that carries the fertilizing principle, as a moth to an orchid. A. R. Wallace.

2. That which renders fertile; a general name for commercial manures, as guano, phosphate of lime, etc.

FERULA Fer"u*la, n. Etym: [L. ferula giant fennel (its stalks were used in punishing schoolboys), rod, whip, fr. ferire to strike; akin to OHG. berjan, Icel. berja. Cf. Ferule.]

1. A ferule. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

2. The imperial scepter in the Byzantine or Eastern Empire.

FERULACEOUS Fer`u*la"ceous, a. Etym: [L. ferulaceus, fr. ferula rod: cf. F. férulacé.]

Defn: Pertaining to reeds and canes; having a stalk like a reed; as, ferulaceous plants.

FERULAR Fer"u*lar, n.

Defn: A ferule. [Obs.] Milton.

FERULE Fer"ule ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [L. ferula: cf. F. férule. See Ferula.]

Defn: A flat piece of wood, used for striking, children, esp. on the hand, in punishment.

FERULE Fer"ule, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feruled; p. pr. & vb. n. Feruling.]

Defn: To punish with a ferule.

FERULIC Fe*ru"lic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, asafetida (Ferula asafoetida); as, ferulic acid. [Written also ferulaic.]

FERVENCE Fer"vence, n.

Defn: Heat; fervency. [Obs.]

FERVENCY Fer"ven*cy, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. fervence. See Fervent.]

Defn: The state of being fervent or warm; ardor; warmth of feeling or devotion; eagerness. When you pray, let it be with attention, with fervency, and with perseverance. Wake.

FERVENT Fer"vent, a. Etym: [F. fervent, L. fervens, -entis. p.pr. of fervere o the boiling hot, to boil, glow.]

1. Hot; glowing; boiling; burning; as, a fervent summer. The elements shall melt with fervent heat. 2 Pet. iii. 10.

2. Warm in feeling; ardent in temperament; earnest; full of fervor; zealous; glowing. Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit. Rom. iii. 11. So spake the fervent angel. Milton. A fervent desire to promote the happiness of mankind. Macaulay. — Fer"vent*ly, adv. — Fer"vent*ness, n. Laboring fervently for you in prayers. Col. iv. 12.

FERVESCENT Fer*ves"cent, a. Etym: [L. fervescens, p.pr. of fervescere to become boiling hot, incho., fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

Defn: Growing hot.

FERVID Fer"vid, a. Etym: [L. fervidus, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

1. Very hot; burning; boiling. The mounted sun Shot down direct his fervid rays. Milton.

2. Ardent; vehement; zealous. The fervid wishes, holy fires. Parnell. — Fer"vid*ly, adv. — Fer"vid*ness, n.

FERVOR Fer"vor, n. [Written also fervour.] Etym: [OF. fervor, fervour, F. ferveur, L. fervor, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]

1. Heat; excessive warmth. The fevor of ensuing day. Waller.

2. Intensity of feeling or expression; glowing ardor; passion; holy zeal; earnestness. Hooker. Winged with fervor of her love. Shak.

Syn. — Fervor, Ardor. Fervor is a boiling heat, and ardor is a burning heat. Hence, in metaphor, we commonly use fervor and its derivatives when we conceive of thoughts or emotions under the image of ebullition, or as pouring themselves forth. Thus we speak of the fervor of passion, fervid declamation, fervid importunity, fervent supplication, fervent desires, etc. Ardent is used when we think of anything as springing from a deepseated glow of soul; as, ardent friendship, ardent zeal, ardent devotedness; burning with ardor for the fight.

FESCENNINE Fes"cen*nine, a. Etym: [L. Fescenninus, fr. Fescennia, a city of Etruria.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, the Fescennines. — n.

Defn: A style of low, scurrilous, obscene poetry originating in fescennia.

FESCUE Fes"cue, n. Etym: [OE. festu, OF. festu, F. fétu, fr. L. festuca stalk, straw.]

1. A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read. "Pedantic fescue.' Sterne. To come under the fescue of an imprimatur. Milton.

2. An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum. [Obs.] Chapman.

3. The style of a dial. [Obs.]

4. (Bot.)

Defn: A grass of the genus Festuca. Fescue grass (Bot.), a genus of grasses (Festuca) containing several species of importance in agriculture. Festuca ovina is sheep's fescue; F. elatior is meadow fescue.

FESCUE Fes"cue, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Fescued; p. pr. & vb. n. Fescuing.]

Defn: To use a fescue, or teach with a fescue. Milton.

FESELS Fes"els, n. pl. Etym: [Written also fasels.]

Defn: See Phasel. [Obs.] May (Georgics).

FESS; FESSE Fess, Fesse, n. Etym: [OF. fesse, faisse, F. fasce, fr. L. fascia band. See Fascia.] (Her.)

Defn: A band drawn horizontally across the center of an escutcheon, and containing in breadth the third part of it; one of the nine honorable ordinaries. Fess point (Her.), the exact center of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

FESSITUDE Fes"si*tude, n. Etym: [L. fessus wearied, fatigued.]

Defn: Weariness. [Obs.] Bailey.

FESSWISE Fess"wise, adv.

Defn: In the manner of fess.

FEST Fest, n. Etym: [See Fist.]

Defn: The fist. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEST; FESTE Fest, Fes"te, n.

Defn: A feast. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FESTAL Fes"tal, a. Etym: [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. You bless with choicer wine the festal day. Francis.

FESTALLY Fes"tal*ly, adv.

Defn: Joyously; festively; mirthfully.

FESTENNINE Fes"ten*nine, n.

Defn: A fescennine.

FESTER Fes"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Festered; p. pr. & vb. n. Festering.] Etym: [OE. festern, fr. fester, n.; or fr. OF. festrir, fr. festre, n. See Fester, n.]

1. To generate pus; to become imflamed and suppurate; as, a sore or a wound festers. Wounds immedicable Rankle, and fester, and gangrene. Milton. Unkindness may give a wound that shall bleed and smart, but it is treachery that makes it fester. South. Hatred . . . festered in the hearts of the children of the soil. Macaulay.

2. To be inflamed; to grow virulent, or malignant; to grow in intensity; to rankle.

FESTER Fes`ter, v. t.

Defn: To cause to fester or rankle. For which I burnt in inward, swelt'ring hate, And fstered ranking malice in my breast. Marston.

FESTER Fes"ter, n. Etym: [OF. festre, L. fistula a sort of ulcer. Cf. Fistula.]

1. A small sore which becomes inflamed and discharge corrupt matter; a pustule.

2. A festering or rankling. The fester of the chain their necks. I. Taylor.

FESTERMENT Fes"ter*ment, n.

Defn: A festering. [R.] Chalmers.

FESTEYE Fest"eye, v. t. Etym: [OF. festier, festeer, F. festoyer.]

Defn: To feast; to entertain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FESTINATE Fes"ti*nate, a. Etym: [L. festinatus, p.p. of festinare to hasten.]

Defn: Hasty; hurried. [Obs.] — Fes"ti*nate*ly, adv. [Obs.] Shak.

FESTINATION Fes`ti*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. festinatio.]

Defn: Haste; hurry. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FESTIVAL Fes"ti*val, a. Etym: [OF. festival, fr. L. festivum festive jollity, fr. festivus festive, gay. See Festive.]

Defn: Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful. I cannot woo in festival terms. Shak.

FESTI-VAL Fes"ti-val, n.

Defn: A time of feasting or celebration; an anniversary day of joy, civil or religious. The morning trumpets festival proclaimed. Milton.

Syn. — Feast; banquet; carousal. See Feast.

FESTIVE Fes"tive, a. Etym: [L. festivus, fr. festum holiday, feast. See feast, and cf. Festivous.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or becoming, a feast; festal; joyous; gay; mirthful; sportive. — Fes"tive*ly, adv. The glad circle round them yield their souls To festive mirth and wit that knows no gall. Thomson.

FESTIVITY Fes*tiv"i*ty, n.; pl. Festivities. Etym: [L. festivitas: cf. F. festivité.]

1. The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety. The unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth. Bp. Hurd.

2. A festival; a festive celebration. Sir T. Browne.

FESTIVOUS Fes"ti*vous, a. Etym: [See Festive.]

Defn: Pertaining to a feast; festive. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

FESTLICH Fest"lich, a. Etym: [See Feast, n.]

Defn: Festive; fond of festive occasions. [Obs.] "A festlich man." Chaucer.

FESTOON Fes*toon", n. Etym: [F. feston (cf. Sp. feston, It. festone), prob. fr. L. festum festival. See Feast.]

1. A garland or wreath hanging in a depending curve, used in decoration for festivals, etc.; anything arranged in this way.

2. (Arch. & Sculp.)

Defn: A carved ornament consisting of flowers, and leaves, intermixed or twisted together, wound with a ribbon, and hanging or depending in a natural curve. See Illust. of Bucranium.

FESTOON Fes*toon", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Festooned; p. pr. & vb. n. Festooning.]

Defn: To form in festoons, or to adorn with festoons.

FESTOONY Fes*toon"y, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, festoons. Sir J. Herschel.

FESTUCINE Fes*tu*cine ( or ), a. Etym: [L. festula stalk, straw. Cf. Fescue.]

Defn: Of a straw color; greenish yellow. [Obs.] A little insect of a festucine or pale green. Sir T. Browne.

FESTUCOUS Fes"tu*cous, a.

Defn: Formed or consisting of straw. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

FESTUE Fes"tue, n. Etym: [See Fescue.]

Defn: A straw; a fescue. [Obs.] Holland.

FET Fet, n. Etym: [Cf. feat, F. fait, and It. fett slice, G. fetzen rag, Icel. fat garment.]

Defn: A piece. [Obs.] Dryton.

FET Fet, v. t. Etym: [OE. fetten, feten, AS. fetian; akin to AS. fæt a journey, and to E. foot; cf. G. fassen to seize. sq. root 77. See Foot, and cf. Fetch.]

Defn: To fetch. [Obs.] And from the other fifty soon the prisoner fet. Spenser.

FET Fet, p. p. of Fette.

Defn: Fetched. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETAL Fe"tal, a. Etym: [From Fetus.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus; as, fetal circulation; fetal membranes.

FETATION Fe*ta"tion, n.

Defn: The formation of a fetus in the womb; pregnancy.

FETCH Fetch (; 224), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fetched 2; p. pr. & vb. n.. Fetching.] Etym: [OE. fecchen, AS. feccan, perh. the same word as fetian; or cf. facian to wish to get, OFries. faka to prepare. sq. root 77. Cf. Fet, v. t.]

1. To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get. Time will run back and fetch the age of gold. Milton. He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bred in thine hand. 1 Kings xvii. 11, 12.

2. To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for. Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices. Macaulay.

3. To recall from a swoon; to revive; — sometimes with to; as, to fetch a man to. Fetching men again when they swoon. Bacon.

4. To reduce; to throw. The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground. South.

5. To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh. I'll fetch a turn about the garden. Shak. He fetches his blow quick and sure. South.

6. To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing. Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetched The siren's isle. Chapman.

7. To cause to come; to bring to a particular state. They could n't fetch the butter in the churn. W. Barnes. To fetch a compass (Naut.), to make a sircuit; to take a circuitious route going to a place. — To fetch a pump, to make it draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle. — To fetch headway or sternway (Naut.), to move ahead or astern. — To fetch out, to develop. "The skill of the polisher fetches out the colors [of marble]" Addison. — To fetch up. (a) To overtake. [Obs.] "Says [the hare], I can fetch up the tortoise when I please." L'Estrange. (b) To stop suddenly.

FETCH fetch, v. i.

Defn: To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward. Totten. To fetch away (Naut.), to break loose; to roll slide to leeward. — To fetch and carry, to serve obsequiously, like a trained spaniel.

FETCH Fetch, n.

1. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice. Every little fetch of wit and criticism. South.

2. The apparation of a living person; a wraith. The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp. Dickens. Fetch candle, a light seen at night, superstitiously believed to portend a person's death.

FETCHER Fetch"er, n.

Defn: One wo fetches or brings.

FETE Fete, n. Etym: [See feat.]

Defn: A feat. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETE Fete, n. pl. Etym: [See Foot.]

Defn: Feet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETE Fête, n. Etym: [F. See Feast.]

Defn: A festival. Fête champêtre ( Etym: [F.], a festival or entertainment in the open air; a rural festival.

FETE Fête, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fêted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fêting.] Etym: [Cf. F. fêter.]

Defn: To feast; to honor with a festival.

FETICH; FETISH Fe"tich, Fe"tish, n.Etym: [F. fétiche, from Pg. feiti, adj., n., sorcery, charm, fr. L. facticius made by art, artifical, factitious. See Factitious.]

1. A material object supposed among certain African tribes to represent in such a way, or to be so connected with, a supernatural being, that the possession of it gives to the possessor power to control that being.

2. Any object to which one is excessively devoted.

FETICHISM; FETISHISM fe"tich*ism, Fe"tish*ism ( or ); 277), n.Etym: [Cf. F. fétichisme.] [Written also feticism.]

1. The doctrine or practice of belief in fetiches.

2. Excessive devotion to one object or one idea; abject superstition; blind adoration. The real and absolute worship of fire falls into two great divisions, the first belonging rather to fetichism, the second to polytheism proper. Tylor.

FETICHIST; FETISHIST Fe"tich*ist, Fe"tish*ist, n.

Defn: A believer in fetiches. He was by nature a fetichist. H. Holbeach.

FETICHISTIC; FETISHISTIC Fe`tich*is"tic, Fe`tish*is"tic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or involving, fetichism. A man of the fifteenth century, inheriting its strange web of belief and unbelief, of epicurean levity and fetichistic dread. G. Eliot.

FETICIDE Fe"ti*cide ( or ), n. [Written also foeticide.] Etym: [Fetus + L. caedere to kill.] (Med. & Law)

Defn: The act of killing the fetus in the womb; the offense of procuring an abortion.

FETICISM Fe"ti*cism, n.

Defn: See Fetichism.

FETID Fet"id ( or ; 277), a. Etym: [L. fetidus, foetidus, fr. fetere, foetere, to have an ill smell, to stink: cf. F. fétide.]

Defn: Having an offensive smell; stinking. Most putrefactions . . . smell either fetid or moldy. Bacon.

FETIDITY Fet*id"i*ty ( or ), n.

Defn: Fetidness.

FETIDNESS Fet"id*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being fetid.

FETIFEROUS Fe*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Fetus + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing young, as animals.

FETIS Fe"tis, a. Etym: [OF. fetis, faitis. Cf. Factitious.]

Defn: Neat; pretty; well made; graceful. [Obs.] Full fetis was her cloak, as I was ware. Chaucer.

FETISELY Fe"tise*ly, adv.

Defn: Neatly; gracefully; properly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETISH; FETISHISM; FETISHIST; FETISHISTIC Fe"tish, n., Fe"tish*ism, n., Fe"tishist, n., Fe`tish*is"tic (, a.

Defn: See Fetich, n., Fetichism, n., Fetichistic, a.

FETLOCK Fet"lock, n. Etym: [OE. fetlak, fitlock, cf. Icel. fet pace, step, fit webbed foot of water birds, akin to E. foot. sq. root 77. See Foot.]

Defn: The cushionlike projection, bearing a tuft of long hair, on the back side of the leg above the hoof of the horse and similar animals. Also, the joint of the limb at this point (between the great pastern bone and the metacarpus), or the tuft of hair. Their wounded steeds Fret fetlock deep in gore. Shak.

FETOR Fe"tor, n. Etym: [L. fetor, foetor. See Fetid.]

Defn: A strong, offensive smell; stench; fetidness. Arbuthnot.

FETTE Fet"te ( or ), v.t. [imp. Fette, p.p. Fet.] Etym: [See Fet, v. t.]

Defn: To fetch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FETTER Fet"ter, n. Etym: [AS. fetor, feter; akin to OS. feter, pl., OD. veter, OHG. fezzera, Icel. fjöturr, L. pedi, Gr. foot. sq. root 77. See Foot.] [Chiefly used in the plural, fetters.]

1. A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle. [They] bound him with fetters of brass. Judg. xvi. 21.

2. Anything that confines or restrains; a restraint. Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound. Dryden.

FETTER Fet"ter, v. t. Etym: [imp. & p.p. Fettered (n. Fettering.]

Defn: 1. To put fetters upon; to shakle or confine the feet of with a chain; to bind. My heels are fettered, but my fist is free. Milton.

2. To reastrain from motion; to impose restrains on; to confine; to enchain; as, fettered by obligations. My conscience! thou art fettered More than my shanks and wrists. Shak.

FETTERED Fet"tered, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Seeming as if fettered, as the feet pf certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.

FETTERER Fet"ter*er, n.

Defn: One who fetters. Landor.

FETTERLESS Fet"ter*less, a.

Defn: Free from fetters. Marston.

FETTLE Fet"tle, v. t. Etym: [OE. & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle, n., order, repair, preparation, dress; prob. akin to E. fit. See Fit, a.]

Defn: 1. To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [Prov. Eng.] Carlyle.

2. (Metal.)

Defn: To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.

FETTLE Fet"tle, v. i.

Defn: To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. [Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

FETTLE Fet"tle, n.

Defn: The act of fettling. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. In fine fettle, in good spirits.

FETTLING Fet"tling, n.

1. (Metal.)

Defn: A mixture of ore, cinders, etc., used to line the hearth of a puddling furnace. [Eng.] [It is commonly called fix in the United States.]

2. (Pottery)

Defn: The operation of shaving or smoothing the surface of undried clay ware.

FETUOUS Fet"u*ous, a.

Defn: Neat; feat. [Obs.] Herrick.

FETUS Fe"tus, n.; pl. Fetuses. Etym: [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing forth, brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled with young; akin to E. fawn a deer, fecundity, felicity, feminine, female, and prob. to do, or according to others, to be.]

Defn: The young or embryo of an animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also foetus.]

FETWAH Fet"wah, n. Etym: [Ar.]

Defn: A written decision of a Turkish mufti on some point of law. Whitworth.

FEU Feu, n. Etym: [See 2d Feud, and Fee.] (Scots Law)

Defn: A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money. Burrill.

FEUAR Feu"ar, n. Etym: [From Feu.] (Scots Law)

Defn: One who holds a feu. Sir W. Scott.

FEUD Feud, n. Etym: [OE. feide, AS. f, fr. fah hostile; akin to OHG. f, G. fehde, Sw. fejd, D. feide; prob. akin to E. fiend. See Foe.]

1. A combination of kindred to avenge injuries or affronts, done or offered to any of their blood, on the offender and all his race.

2. A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed. Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds. Purchas.

Syn. — Affray; fray; broil; contest; dispute; strife.

FEUD Feud, n. Etym: [LL. feudum, feodum prob. of same origin as E. fief. See Fief, Fee.] (Law)

Defn: A stipendiary estate in land, held of superior, by service; the right which a vassal or tenant had to the lands or other immovable thing of his lord, to use the same and take the profists thereof hereditarily, rendering to his superior such duties and services as belong to military tenure, etc., the property of the soil always remaining in the lord or superior; a fief; a fee.

FEUDAL Feu"dal, a. Etym: [F. féodal, or LL. feudalis.]

1. Of or pertaining to feuds, fiefs, or feels; as, feudal rights or services; feudal tenures.

2. Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military services; as, the feudal system.

FEUDALISM Feu"dal*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. féodalisme.]

Defn: The feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the kind or feudal superior; feudal principles and usages.

FEUDALIST Feu"dal*ist, n.

Defn: An upholder of feudalism.

FEUDALITY Feu*dal"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. féodalité.]

Defn: The state or quality of being feudal; feudal form or constitution. Burke.

FEUDALIZATION Feu*dal*i*za/tion, n.

Defn: The act of reducing to feudal tenure.

FEUDALIZE Feu"dal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feudalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Feudalizing.]

Defn: To reduce toa feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.

FEUDALLY Feu"dal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a feudal manner.

FEUDARY Feu"da*ry, a. Etym: [LL. feudarius, fr. feudum. See 2d Feud.]

Defn: Held by, or pertaining to, feudal tenure.

FEUDARY Feu"da*ry, n.

1. A tenant who holds his lands by feudal service; a feudatory. Foxe.

2. A feodary. See Feodary.

FEUDATARY Feu"da*ta*ry, a. & n. Etym: [LL. feudatarius: cf. F. feudataire.]

Defn: See Feudatory.

FEUDATORY Feu"da*to*ry, n.; pl. Feudatories (.

Defn: A tenant or vassal who held his lands of a superior on condition of feudal service; the tenant of a feud or fief. The grantee . . . was styled the feudatory or vassal. Blackstone. [He] had for feudatories great princes. J. H. Newman.

FEUDATORY Feu"da*to*ry, a.

Defn: Held from another on some conditional tenure; as, a feudatory title. Bacon.

FEU DE JOIE Feu` de joie". Etym: [F., lit., fire of joy.]

Defn: A fire kindled in a public place in token of joy; a bonfire; a firing of guns in token of joy.

FEUDIST Feud"ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. feudiste.]

Defn: A writer on feuds; a person versed in feudal law. Spelman.

FEUILLANTS Feu`illants", n. pl.

Defn: A reformed branch of the Bernardines, founded in 1577 at Feuillans, near Toulouse, in France.

FEUILLEMORT Feuille"mort`, a. Etym: [F. feuille morte a dead leaf.]

Defn: Having the color of a faded leaf. Locke.

FEUILLETON Feu`ille*ton" ( or ), n. Etym: [F., from feulle leaf.]

Defn: A part of a French newspaper (usually the bottom of the page), devoted to light literature, criticism, etc.; also, the article or tale itself, thus printed.

FEUILLTONIST Feuill"ton*ist, n. Etym: [F. feuilletoniste.]

Defn: A writer of feuilletons. F. Harrison.

FEUTER feu"ter (, v. t. Etym: [OE. feutre rest for a lance, OF. feutre, fautre, feltre, felt, cushion, rest for a lance, fr. LL. filtrum, feltrum; of German origin, and akin to E. felt. See Felt, and cf. Filter.]

Defn: To set close; to fix in rest, as a spear. Spenser.

FEUTERER Feu"ter*er, n. Etym: [Either fr. G. fütterer feeder, or corrupted fr. OF. vautrier, vaultrier; fr. vaultre, viautre, a kind of hound, fr. L. vertragus, vertraga, a greyhound. The last is of Celtic origin.]

Defn: A dog keeper. [Obs.] Massinger.

FEVER Fe"ver, n. Etym: [OE. fever, fefer, AS. fefer, fefor, L. febris: cf. F. fièvre. Cf. Febrile.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: A diseased state of the system, marked by increased heat, acceleration of the pulse, and a general derangement of the functions, including usually, thirst and loss of appetite. Many diseases, of which fever is the most prominent symptom, are denominated fevers; as, typhoid fever; yellow fever.

Note: Remitting fevers subside or abate at intervals; intermitting fevers intermit or entirely cease at intervals; continued or continual fevers neither remit nor intermit.

2. Excessive excitement of the passions in consequence of strong emotion; a condition of great excitement; as, this quarrel has set my blood in a fever. An envious fever Of pale and bloodless emulation. Shak. After life's fitful fever he sleeps well. Shak. Brain fever, Continued fever, etc. See under Brain, Continued, etc. — Fever and ague, a form of fever recurring in paroxysms which are preceded by chills. It is of malarial origin. — Fever blister (Med.), a blister or vesicle often found about the mouth in febrile states; a variety of herpes. — Fever bush (Bot.), the wild allspice or spice bush. See Spicewood. — Fever powder. Same as Jame's powder. — Fever root (Bot.), an American herb of the genus Triosteum (T. perfoliatum); — called also feverwort amd horse gentian. — Fever sore, a carious ulcer or necrosis. Miner.

FEVER Fe"ver, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fevered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fevering.]

Defn: To put into a fever; to affect with fever; as, a fevered lip. [R.] The white hand of a lady fever thee. Shak.

FEVERET Fe"ver*et, n.

Defn: A slight fever. [Obs.] Ayliffe.

FEVERFEW Fe"ver*few, n. Etym: [AS. feferfuge, fr. L. febrifugia. See fever, Fugitive, and cf. Febrifuge.] (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial plant (Pyrethrum, or Chrysanthemum, Parthenium) allied to camomile, having finely divided leaves and white blossoms; — so named from its supposed febrifugal qualities.

FEVERISH Fe"ver*ish, a.

1. Having a fever; suffering from, or affected with, a moderate degree of fever; showing increased heat and thirst; as, the patient is feverish.

2. Indicating, or pertaining to, fever; characteristic of a fever; as, feverish symptoms.

3. Hot; sultry. "The feverish north." Dryden.

4. Disordered as by fever; excited; restless; as, the feverish condition of the commercial world. Strive to keep up a frail and feverish bing. Milton. — Fe"ver*ish*ly, adv. — Fe"ver*ish*ness, n.

FEVEROUS Fe"ver*ous, a. Etym: [Cf.F. fiévreux.]

1. Affected with fever or ague; feverish. His heart, love's feverous citadel. Keats.

2. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, fever; as, a feverous pulse. All maladies . . . all feverous kinds. Milton.

3. Having the tendency to produce fever; as, a feverous disposition of the year. [R.] Bacon.

FEVEROUSLY Fe"ver*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: Feverishly. [Obs.] Donne.

FEVERWORT Fe"ver*wort`, n.

Defn: See Fever root, under Fever.

FEVERY Fe"ver*y, a.

Defn: Feverish. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

FEW Few, a. [Compar. Fewer; superl. Fewest.] Etym: [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. feá, pl. feáwe; akin to OS. fah, OHG. f*, Icel. far, Sw. få, pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. Paucity.]

Defn: Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; — indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituing a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. "Are not my days few" Job x. 20. Few know and fewer care. Proverb.

Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them. A few, a small number. — In few, in a few words; briefly. Shak. - No few, not few; more than a few; many. Cowper. - The few, the minority; — opposed to the many or the majority.

FEWEL Fe"wel, n. Etym: [See Fuel.]

Defn: Fuel. [Obs.] Hooker.

FEWMET Few"met, n.

Defn: See Fumet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

FEWNESS Few"ness, n.

1. The state of being few; smallness of number; paucity. Shak.

2. Brevity; conciseness. [Obs.] Shak.

FEY Fey, a. Etym: [AS. f, Icel. feigr, OHG. feigi.]

Defn: Fated; doomed. [Old Eng. & Scot.]

FEY Fey, n. Etym: [See Fay faith.]

Defn: Faith. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEY Fey, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Feague.]

Defn: To cleanse; to clean out. [Obs.] Tusser.

FEYNE Feyne, v. t.

Defn: To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEYRE Feyre, n.

Defn: A fair or market. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FEZ Fez, n. Etym: [F., fr. the town of Fez in Morocco.]

Defn: A felt or cloth cap, usually red and having a tassel, — a variety of the tarboosh. See Tarboosh. B. Taylor.

FIACRE Fia"cre, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A kind of French hackney coach.

FIANCE Fi"ance, v. t. Etym: [F. fiancer. See Affiance.]

Defn: To betroth; to affiance. [Obs.] Harmar.

FIANCE Fi`an`cé", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A betrothed man.

FIANCEE Fi`an`cée", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A betrothed woman.

FIANTS Fi"ants, n. Etym: [F. fiente dung.]

Defn: The dung of the fox, wolf, boar, or badger.

FIAR Fi"ar ( or ), n. Etym: [See Feuar.]

1. (Scots Law)

Defn: One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a life renter. I am fiar of the lands; she a life renter. Sir W. Scott.

2. pl.

Defn: The price of grain, as legally fixed, in the counties of Scotland, for the current year.

FIASCO Fi*as"co, n.; pl. Fiascoes. Etym: [It.]

Defn: A complete or ridiculous failure, esp. of a musical performance, or of any pretentious undertaking.

FIAT Fi"at, n. Etym: [L., let it be done, 3d pers. sing., subj. pres., fr. fieri, used as pass. of facere to make. Cf. Be.]

1. An authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. His fiat laid the corner stone. Willis.

2. (Eng. Law) (a) A warrant of a judge for certain processes. (b) An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature. Fiat money, irredeemable paper currency, not resting on a specie basis, but deriving its purchasing power from the declaratory fiat of the government issuing it.

FIAUNT Fi*aunt", n.

Defn: Commission; fiat; order; decree. [Obs.] Spenser.

FIB Fib, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. fable; cf. Prov. E. fibble-fabble nonsense.]

Defn: A falsehood; a lie; — used euphemistically. They are very serious; they don't tell fibs. H. James.

FIB Fib, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fibbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Fibbing.]

Defn: To speak falsely. [Colloq.]

FIB Fib, v. t.

Defn: To tell a fib to. [R.] De Quincey.

FIBBER Fib"ber, n.

Defn: One who tells fibs.

FIBER; FIBRE Fi"ber, Fi"bre, (, n. Etym: [F. fibre, L. fibra.]

1. One of the delicate, threadlike portions of which the tissues of plants and animals are in part constituted; as, the fiber of flax or of muscle.

2. Any fine, slender thread, or threadlike substance; as, a fiber of spun glass; especially, one of the slender rootlets of a plant.

3. Sinew; strength; toughness; as, a man of real fiber. Yet had no fibers in him, nor no force. Chapman.

4. A general name for the raw material, such as cotton, flax, hemp, etc., used in textile manufactures. Fiber gun, a kind of steam gun for converting, wood, straw, etc., into fiber. The material is shut up in the gun with steam, air, or gas at a very high pressure which is afterward relieved suddenly by letting a lid at the muzzle fly open, when the rapid expansion separates the fibers. — Fiber plants (Bot.), plants capable of yielding fiber useful in the arts, as hemp, flax, ramie, agave, etc.

FIBERED; FIBRED Fi"bered, Fi"bred, a.

Defn: Having fibers; made up of fibers.

FIBER-FACED; FIBRE-FACED Fi"ber-faced`, Fi"bre-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a visible fiber embodied in the surface of; — applied esp. to a kind of paper for checks, drafts, etc.

FIBERLESS; FIBRELESS Fi"ber*less, Fi"bre*less, a.

Defn: Having no fibers; destitute of fibers or fiber.

FIBRIFORM Fi"bri*form ( or ), a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -form.] (Biol.)

Defn: Having the form of a fiber or fibers; resembling a fiber.

FIBRIL Fi"bril, n. Etym: [F. fibrille, dim. of fibre, L. fibra.]

Defn: A small fiber; the branch of a fiber; a very slender thread; a fibrilla. Cheyne.

FIBRILLA Fi*bril"la, n.; pl. FibrillÆ. Etym: [NL. See Fibril.]

Defn: A minute thread of fiber, as one of the fibrous elements of a muscular fiber; a fibril.

FIBRILLAR Fi"bril*lar, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to fibrils or fibers; as, fibrillar twitchings.

FIBRILLARY Fi"bril*la*ry ( or ), a.

Defn: Of of pertaining to fibrils.

FIBRILLATED Fi"bril*la`ted ( or ), a.

Defn: Furnished with fibrils; fringed.

FIBRILLATION Fi`bril*la"tion, n.

Defn: The state of being reduced to fibers. Carpenter.

FIBRILLOSE Fi*bril"lose ( or ), a.

Defn: Covered with hairlike appendages, as the under surface of some lichens; also, composed of little strings or fibers; as, fibrillose appendages.

FIBRILLOUS Fi*bril"lous ( or ), a. Etym: [Cf. F. fibraleux.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or composed of, fibers.

FIBRIN Fi"brin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. fibrine. See Fiber.] (Physiol. Chem.)

1. A white, albuminous, fibrous substance, formed in the coagulation of the blood either by decomposition of fibrinogen, or from the union of fibrinogen and paraglobulin which exist separately in the blood. It is insoluble in water, but is readily digestible in gastric and pancreatic juice.

2. The white, albuminous mass remaining after washing lean beef or other meat with water until all coloring matter is removed; the fibrous portion of the muscle tissue; flesh fibrin.

3. An albuminous body, resembling animal fibrin in composition, found in cereal grains and similar seeds; vegetable fibrin. Fibrin factors (Physiol.), the albuminous bodies, paraglobulin and fibrinigen in the blood, which, by the action of the fibrin ferment, are changed into fibrin, in coagulation. — Fibrin ferment (Physiol. Chem.), a ferment which makes its appearance in the blood shortly after it is shed, and is supposed to be the active agent in causing coagulation of the blood, with formation of fibrin.

FIBRINATION Fi`bri*na"tion, n. (Med.)

Defn: The state of acquiring or having an excess of fibrin.

FIBRINE Fi"brine, a.

Defn: Belonging to the fibers of plants.

FIBRINOGEN Fi*brin"o*gen, n. Etym: [Fibrin + -gen.] (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: An albuminous substance existing in the blood, and in other animal fluids, which either alone or with fibrinoplastin or paraglobulin forms fibrin, and thus causes coagulation.

FIBRINOGENOUS Fi`bri*nog"e*nous, a. (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: Possessed of properties similar to fibrinogen; capable of forming fibrin.

FIBRINOPLASTIC Fi`bri*no*plas"tic, a. (Physiol.Chem.)

Defn: Like fibrinoplastin; capable of forming fibrin when brought in contact with fibrinogen.

FIBRINOPLASTIN Fi`bri*no*plas"tin, n. Etym: [Fibrin + Gr. (Physiol.Chem.)

Defn: An albuminous substance, existing in the blood, which in combination with fibrinogen forms fibrin; — called also paraglobulin.

FIBRINOUS Fi"bri*nous ( or ; 277), a.

Defn: Having, or partaking of the properties of, fibrin; as, fibrious exudation.

FIBROCARTILAGE Fi`bro*car"ti*lage, n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + E. cartilage.] (Anat.)

Defn: A kind of cartilage with a fibrous matrix and approaching fibrous connective tissue in structure. — Fi`bro*car`ti*lag"i*nous, a.

FIBROCHONDROSTEAL Fi`bro*chon*dros"te*al, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Partly fibrous, partly cartilaginous, and partly osseous. St. George Mivart.

FIBROID Fi"broid, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -oid.] (Med.)

Defn: Resembling or forming fibrous tissue; made up of fibers; as, fibroid tumors. — n.

Defn: A fibroid tumor; a fibroma. Fibroid degeneration, a form of degeneration in which organs or tissues are converted into fibroid tissue. — Fibroid phthists, a form of pulmonary consumption associated with the formation of fibrous tissue in the lungs, and the gradual atrophy of the lungs, from the pressure due to the contraction of this tissue.

FIBROIN Fi"bro*in ( or ), n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber.] (Chem.)

Defn: A variety of gelatin; the chief ingredient of raw silk, extracted as a white amorphous mass.

FIBROLITE Fi"bro*lite ( or ), n. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + -lite: cf. F. fibrolithe.] (Min.)

Defn: A silicate of alumina, of fibrous or columnar structure. It is like andalusite in composition; — called also sillimanite, and bucholizite.

FIBROMA Fi*bro"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Fiber, and -oma.] (Med.)

Defn: A tumor consisting mainly of fibrous tissue, or of same modification of such tissue.

FIBROSPONGIAE Fi`bro*spon"gi*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. fibra a fiber + spongia a sponge.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of sponges having a fibrous skeleton, including the commercial sponges.

FIBROUS Fi"brous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fibreux.]

Defn: Containing, or consisting of, fibers; as, the fibrous coat of the cocoanut; the fibrous roots of grasses. — Fi"brous*ness, n.

FIBROVASCULAR Fi`bro*vas"cu*lar, a. Etym: [L. fibra a fiber + E. vascular.] (Bot.)

Defn: Containing woody fiber and ducts, as the stems of all flowering plants and ferns; — opposed to cellular.

FIBSTER Fib"ster, n.

Defn: One who tells fibs. [Jocular]

FIBULA Fib"u*la, n.; pl. FibulÆ. Etym: [L., clasp, buckle.]

1. A brooch, clasp, or buckle. Mere fibulæ, without a robe to clasp. Wordsworth.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: The outer and usually the smaller of the two bones of the leg, or hind limb, below the knee.

3. (Surg.)

Defn: A needle for sewing up wounds.

FIBU-LAR Fib"u-lar, a.

Defn: Pertaining to the fibula.

FIBULARE Fib`u*la"re, n.; pl. Fibularia. Etym: [NL. See Fibula.] (Anat.)

Defn: The bone or cartilage of the tarsus, which articulates with the fibula, and corresponds to the calcaneum in man and most mammals.

FICE Fice, n.

Defn: A small dog; — written also fise, fyce, fiste, etc. [Southern U.S.]

FICHE Fi*ché, a. (Her.)

Defn: See FitchÉ.

FICHTELITE Fich"tel*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A white crystallized mineral resin from the Fichtelgebirge, Bavaria.

FICHU Fich"u, n. Etym: [F., neckerchief.]

Defn: A light cape, usually of lace, worn by women, to cover the neck and throat, and extending to the shoulders.

FICKLE Fic"kle, a. Etym: [OE. fikel untrustworthy, deceitful, AS. ficol, fr. fic, gefic, fraud, deceit; cf. facen deceit, OS. f, OHG. feichan, Icel. feikn portent. Cf. Fidget.]

Defn: Not fixed or firm; liable to change; unstable; of a changeable mind; not firm in opinion or purpose; inconstant; capricious; as, Fortune's fickle wheel. Shak. They know how fickle common lovers are. Dryden.

Syn. — Wavering; irresolute; unsettled; vacillating; unstable; inconsonant; unsteady; variable; mutable; changeful; capricious; veering; shifting.

FICKLENESS Fic"kle*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being fickle; instability; inconsonancy. Shak.

FICKLY Fic"kly, adv.

Defn: In a fickle manner. [Obs.] Pepys.

FICO Fi"co, n.; pl. Ficoes. Etym: [It., a fig, fr. L.ficus. See Fig.]

Defn: A fig; an insignificant trifle, no more than the snap of one's thumb; a sign of contempt made by the fingers, expressing. A fig for you. Steal! foh, a fico for the phrase. Shak.

FICTILE Fic"tile, a. Etym: [L. fictilis. See Fiction.]

Defn: Molded, or capable of being molded, into form by art; relating to pottery or to molding in any soft material. Fictile earth is more fragile than crude earth. Bacon. The earliest specimens of Italian fictile art. C. Wordsworth. Fictile ware, ware made of any material which is molded or shaped while soft; hence, pottery of any sort. — Fic"tile*ness, n. — Fic*til"i*ty, n.

FICTION Fic"tion, n. Etym: [F. fiction, L. fictio, fr. fingere, fictum to form, shape, invent, feign. See Feign.]

1. The act of feigning, inventing, or imagining; as, by a mere fiction of the mind. Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. That which is feigned, invented, or imagined; especially, a feigned or invented story, whether oral or written. Hence: A story told in order to deceive; a fabrication; — opposed to fact, or reality. The fiction of those golden apples kept by a dragon. Sir W. Raleigh. When it could no longer be denied that her flight had been voluntary, numerous fictions were invented to account for it. Macaulay.

3. Fictitious literature; comprehensively, all works of imagination; specifically, novels and romances. The office of fiction as a vehicle of instruction and moral elevation has been recognized by most if not all great educators. Dict. of Education.

4. (Law)

Defn: An assumption of a possible thing as a fact, irrespective of the question of its truth. Wharton.

5. Any like assumption made for convenience, as for passing more rapidly over what is not disputed, and arriving at points really at issue.

Syn. — Fabrication; invention; fable; falsehood. — Fiction, Fabrication. Fiction is opposed to what is real; fabrication to what is true. Fiction is designed commonly to amuse, and sometimes to instruct; a fabrication is always intended to mislead and deceive. In the novels of Sir Walter Scott we have fiction of the highest order. The poems of Ossian, so called, were chiefly fabrications by Macpherson.

FICTIONAL Fic"tion*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, fiction; fictitious; romantic."Fictional rather than historical." Latham.

FICTIONIST Fic"tion*ist, n.

Defn: A writer of fiction. [R.] Lamb.

FICTIOUS Fic"tious, a.

Defn: Fictitious. [R.] Prior.

FICTITIOUS Fic*ti"tious, a. Etym: [L. fictitius. See Fiction.]

Defn: Feigned; imaginary; not real; fabulous; counterfeit; false; not genuine; as, fictitious fame. The human persons are as fictitious as the airy ones. Pope. — Fic*ti"tious*ly, adv. — Fic*ti"tious*ness, n.

FICTIVE Fic"tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. fictif.]

Defn: Feigned; counterfeit. "The fount of fictive tears." Tennyson.

FICTOR Fic"tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: An artist who models or forms statues and reliefs in any plastic material. [R.] Elmes.

FICUS Fi"cus, n. Etym: [L., a fig.]

Defn: A genus of trees or shrubs, one species of which (F. Carica) produces the figs of commerce; the fig tree.

Note: Ficus Indica is the banyan tree; F. religiosa, the peepul tree; F. elastica, the India-rubber tree.

FID Fid, n. Etym: [Prov. E. fid a small, thick lump.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A square bar of wood or iron, used to support the topmast, being passed through a hole or mortise at its heel, and resting on the trestle trees.

2. A wooden or metal bar or pin, used to support or steady anything.

3. A pin of hard wood, tapering to a point, used to open the strands of a rope in splicing.

Note: There are hand fids and standing fids (which are larger than the others, and stand upon a flat base). An iron implement for this purpose is called a marline spike.

4. (Mil.)

Defn: A block of wood used in mounting and dismounting heavy guns.

FIDALGO Fi*dal"go, n. Etym: [Pg. See Hidalgo.]

Defn: The lowest title of nobility in Portugal, corresponding to that of Hidalgo in Spain.

FIDDLE Fid"dle, n. Etym: [OE. fidele, fithele, AS. fi; akin to D. vedel, OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel. fi, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. Viol.]

1. (Mus.)

Defn: A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a violin; a kit.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of dock (Rumex pulcher) with fiddle-shaped leaves; — called also fiddle dock.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A rack or frame of bars connected by strings, to keep table furniture in place on the cabin table in bad weather. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Fiddle beetle (Zoöl.), a Japanese carabid beetle (Damaster blaptoides); — so called from the form of the body. — Fiddle block (Naut.), a long tackle block having two sheaves of different diameters in the same plane, instead of side by side as in a common double block. Knight. — Fiddle bow, fiddlestick. — Fiddle fish (Zoöl.), the angel fish. — Fiddle head, an ornament on a ship's bow, curved like the volute or scroll at the head of a violin. — Fiddle pattern, a form of the handles of spoons, forks, etc., somewhat like a violin. — Scotch fiddle, the itch. (Low) — To play first, or second, fiddle, to take a leading or a subordinate part. [Colloq.]

FIDDLE Fid"dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fiddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fiddling.]

1. To play on a fiddle. Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city. Bacon.

2. To keep the hands and fingers actively moving as a fiddler does; to move the hands and fingers restlessy or in busy idleness; to trifle. Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers. Pepys.

FIDDLE Fid"dle, v. t.

Defn: To play (a tune) on a fiddle.

FIDDLEDEEDEE Fid"dle*dee*dee`, interj.

Defn: An exclamatory word or phrase, equivalent to nonsense! [Colloq.]

FIDDLE-FADDLE Fid"dle-fad`dle, n.

Defn: A trifle; trifling talk; nonsense. [Colloq.] Spectator.

FIDDLE-FADDLE Fid"dle-fad`dle, v. i.

Defn: To talk nonsense. [Colloq.] Ford.

FIDDLER Fid"dler, n. Etym: [AS. fi.]

1. One who plays on a fiddle or violin.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A burrowing crab of the genus Gelasimus, of many species. The male has one claw very much enlarged, and often holds it in a position similar to that in which a musician holds a fiddle, hence the name; — called also calling crab, soldier crab, and fighting crab.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The common European sandpiper (Tringoides hypoleucus); — so called because it continually oscillates its body. Fiddler crab. (Zoöl.) See Fiddler, n., 2.

FIDDLE-SHAPED Fid"dle-shaped`, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Inversely ovate, with a deep hollow on each side. Gray.

FIDDLESTICK Fid"dle*stick`, n.

Defn: The bow, strung with horsehair, used in playing the fiddle; a fiddle bow.

FIDDLESTRING Fid"dle*string`, n.

Defn: One of the catgut strings of a fiddle.

FIDDLEWOOD Fid"dle*wood`, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. F. bois-fidèle, lit., faithful wood; — so called from its durability.]

Defn: The wood of several West Indian trees, mostly of the genus Citharexylum.

FIDEJUSSION Fi`de*jus"sion, n. Etym: [L. fidejussio, from fidejubere to be surety or bail; fides faith + jubere to order: cf. F. fidéjussion.] (Civil Law)

Defn: The act or state of being bound as surety for another; suretyship.

FIDEJUSSOR Fi`de*jus"sor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. fidéjusseur.] (Civil Law)

Defn: A surety; one bound for another, conjointly with him; a guarantor. Blackstone.

FIDELITY Fi*del"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. fidelitas: cf. F. fidélité. See Fealty.]

Defn: Faithfulness; adherence to right; careful and exact observance of duty, or discharge of obligations. Especially: (a) Adherence to a person or party to which one is bound; loyalty. Whose courageous fidelity was proof to all danger. Macaulay. The best security for the fidelity of men is to make interest coincide with duty. A. Hamilton.

(b) Adherence to the marriage contract. (c) Adherence to truth; veracity; honesty. The principal thing required in a witness is fidelity. Hooker.

Syn. — Faithfulness; honesty; integrity; faith; loyalty; fealty.

FIDES Fi"des, n. Etym: [L., faith.] (Roman Muth.)

Defn: Faith personified as a goddess; the goddess of faith.

FIDGE Fidge, n. & i.

Defn: See Fidget. [R.] Swift.

FIDGET Fidg"et, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fidgeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fodgeting.] Etym: [From Fidge; cf. OE. fiken to fidget, to flatter, Icel. fika to hasten, Sw. fika to hunt after, AS. befician to deceive. Cf. Fickle.]

Defn: To move uneasily one way and the other; to move irregularly, or by fits and starts. Moore.

FIDGET Fidg"et, n.

1. Uneasiness; restlessness. Cowper.

2. pl.

Defn: A general nervous restlessness, manifested by incessant changes of position; dysphoria. Dunglison.

FIDGETINESS Fidg"et*i*ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being fidgety.

FIDGETY Fidg"et*y, a.

Defn: Restless; uneasy. Lowell.

FIDIA Fid"i*a, n. Etym: [NL., prob. fr. L. fidus trusty.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of small beetles, of which one species (the grapevine Fidia, F. longipes) is very injurious to vines in America.

FIDICINAL Fi*dic"i*nal, a. Etym: [L. fidicinus, fr. fidicen, -inis, a lute player.] (Mus.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a stringed instrument.

FIDUCIAL Fi*du"cial, a. Etym: [L. fiducia trust, confidence; akin to fides faith. See Faith.]

1. Having faith or trust; confident; undoubting; firm. "Fiducial reliance on the promises of God." Hammond.

2. Having the nature of a trust; fiduciary; as, fiducial power. Spelman. Fiducial edge (Astron. & Surv.), the straight edge of the alidade or ruler along which a straight line is to be drawn. — Fiducial line or point (Math. & Physics.), a line or point of reference, as for setting a graduated circle or scale used for measurments.

FIDUCIALLY Fi*du"cial*ly, adv.

Defn: With confidence. South.

FIDUCIARY Fi*du"ci*a*ry ( or ), a. Etym: [L. fiduciarus, fr. fiducia: cf. F. fiduciaire. See Fiducial.]

1. Involving confidence or trust; confident; undoubting; faithful; firm; as, in a fiduciary capacity. "Fiduciary obedience." Howell.

2. Holding, held, or founded, in trust. Spelman.

FIDUCIARY Fi*du"ci*a*ry, n.

1. One who holds a thing in trust for another; a trustee. Instrumental to the conveying God's blessing upon those whose fiduciaries they are. Jer. Taylor.

2. (Theol.)

Defn: One who depends for salvation on faith, without works; an Antinomian. Hammond.

FIE Fie, interj. Etym: [OE. fi; cf. D. fif. G. pfui, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. fy, F. fi, L. fi, phy.]

Defn: An exclamation denoting contempt or dislike. See Fy. Fuller.

FIEF Fief, n. Etym: [F. fief; of German origin, and the same word as E. fee. See Fee, and cf. Feud, a tief.] (Law)

Defn: An estate held of a superior on condition of military service; a fee; a feud. See under Benefice, n., 2.

FIELD Field, n. Etym: [OE. feld, fild, AS. feld; akin to D. veld, G. feld, Sw. fält, Dan. felt, Icel. fold field of grass, AS. folde earth, land, ground, OS. folda.]

1. Cleared land; land suitable for tillage or pasture; cultivated ground; the open country.

2. A piece of land of considerable size; esp., a piece inclosed for tillage or pasture. Fields which promise corn and wine. Byron.

3. A place where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself. In this glorious and well-foughten field. Shak. What though the field be lost Milton.

4. An open space; an extent; an expanse. Esp.: (a) Any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected. (b) The space covered by an optical instrument at one view. Without covering, save yon field of stars. Shak. Ask of yonder argent fields above. Pope.

5. (Her.)

Defn: The whole surface of an escutcheon; also, so much of it is shown unconcealed by the different bearings upon it. See Illust. of Fess, where the field is represented as gules (red), while the fess is argent (silver).

6. An unresticted or favorable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement; province; room. Afforded a clear field for moral experiments. Macaulay.

7. A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting.

8. (Baseball)

Defn: That part of the grounds reserved for the players which is outside of the diamond; — called also outfield.

Note: Field is often used adjectively in the sense of belonging to, or used in, the fields; especially with reference to the operations and equipments of an army during a campaign away from permanent camps and fortifications. In most cases such use of the word is sufficiently clear; as, field battery; field fortification; field gun; field hospital, etc. A field geologist, naturalist, etc., is one who makes investigations or collections out of doors. A survey uses a field book for recording field notes, i.e., measurment, observations, etc., made in field work (outdoor operations). A farmer or planter employs field hands, and may use a field roller or a field derrick. Field sports are hunting, fishing, athletic games, etc. Coal field (Geol.) See under Coal. — Field artillery, light ordnance mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army. — Field basil (Bot.), a plant of the Mint family (Calamintha Acinos); — called also basil thyme. — Field colors (Mil.), small flags for marking out the positions for squadrons and battalions; camp colors. — Field cricket (Zoöl.), a large European cricket (Gryllus campestric), remarkable for its loud notes. — Field day. (a) A day in the fields. (b) (Mil.) A day when troops are taken into the field for instruction in evolutions. Farrow. (c) A day of unusual exertion or display; a gala day. — Field driver, in New England, an officer charged with the driving of stray cattle to the pound. — Field duck (Zoöl.), the little bustard (Otis tetrax), found in Southern Europe. — Field glass. (Optics) (a) A binocular telescope of compact form; a lorgnette; a race glass. (b) A small achromatic telescope, from 20 to 24 inches long, and having 3 to 6 draws. (c) See Field lens. — Field lark. (Zoöl.) (a) The skylark. (b) The tree pipit. — Field lens (Optics), that one of the two lenses forming the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope or compound microscope which is nearer the object glass; — called also field glass. — Field madder (Bot.), a plant (Sherardia arvensis) used in dyeing. — Field marshal (Mil.), the highest military rank conferred in the British and other European armies. — Field mouse (Zoöl.), a mouse inhabiting fields, as the campagnol and the deer mouse. See Campagnol, and Deer mouse. — Field officer (Mil.), an officer above the rank of captain and below that of general. — Field officer's court (U.S.Army), a court-martial consisting of one field officer empowered to try all cases, in time of war, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts. Farrow. — Field plover (Zoöl.), the black-bellied plover (Charadrius squatarola); also sometimes applied to the Bartramian sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). — Field spaniel (Zoöl.), a small spaniel used in hunting small game. — Field sparrow. (Zoöl.) (a) A small American sparrow (Spizella pusilla). (b) The hedge sparrow. [Eng.] — Field staff (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun. — Field vole (Zoöl.), the European meadow mouse. — Field of ice, a large body of floating ice; a pack. — Field, or Field of view, in a telescope or microscope, the entire space within which objects are seen. — Field magnet. see under Magnet. — Magnetic field. See Magnetic. — To back the field, or To bet on the field. See under Back, v. t. — To keep the field. (a) (Mil.) To continue a campaign. (b) To maintain one's ground against all comers. — To lay, or back, against the field, to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers. — To take the field (Mil.), to enter upon a campaign.

FIELD Field, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fielded; p. pr. & vb. n. Fielding.]

1. To take the field. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. (Ball Playing)

Defn: To stand out in the field, ready to catch, stop, or throw the ball.

FIELD Field, v. t. (Ball Playing)

Defn: To catch, stop, throw, etc. (the ball), as a fielder.

FIELDED Field"ed, a.

Defn: Engaged in the field; encamped. [Obs.] To help fielded friends. Shak.

FIELDEN Field"en, a.

Defn: Consisting of fields. [Obs.] The fielden country also and plains. Holland.

FIELDER Field"er, n. (Ball Playing)

Defn: A ball payer who stands out in the field to catch or stop balls.

FIELDFARE Field"fare`, n. Etym: [OE. feldfare, AS. feldfare; field + faran to travel.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: a small thrush (Turdus pilaris) which breeds in northern Europe and winters in Great Britain. The head, nape, and lower part of the back are ash-colored; the upper part of the back and wing coverts, chestnut; — called also fellfare.

FIELDING Field"ing, n. (Ball Playing)

Defn: The act of playing as a fielder.

FIELDPIECE Field"piece`, n.

Defn: A cannon mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army; a piece of field artillery; — called also field gun.

FIELDWORK Field"work`, n. (Mil.)

Defn: Any temporary fortification thrown up by an army in the field; — commonly in the plural. All works which do not come under the head of permanent fortification are called fieldworks. Wilhelm.

FIELDY Field"y, a.

Defn: Open, like a field. [Obs.] Wyclif.

FIEND Fiend, n. Etym: [OE. fend, find, fiend, feond, fiend, foe, AS. feónd; akin to OS. fiond, D. vijand enemy, OHG. fiant, G. feind, Icel. fjand, Sw. & Dan. fiende, Goth. fijands; orig. p.pr. of a verb meaning to hate, AS. feón, feógan, OHG. fi, Goth. fijan, Skr. piy to scorn; prob. akin to E. feud a quarrel. *81. Cf. Foe, Friend.]

Defn: An implacable or malicious foe; one who is diabolically wicked or cruel; an infernal being; — applied specifically to the devil or a demon. Into this wild abyss the wary fiend Stood on the brink of Hell and looked a while. Milton. O woman! woman! when to ill thy mind Is bent, all hell contains no fouler fiend. Pope.

FIENDFUL Fiend"ful, a.

Defn: Full of fiendish spirit or arts. Marlowe. — Fiend"ful*ly, adv.

FIENDISH Fiend"ish, a.

Defn: Like a fiend; diabolically wicked or cruel; infernal; malignant; devilish; hellish. — Fiend"ish*ly, adv. — Fiend"ish*ness, n.

FIENDLIKE Fiend"like`, a.

Defn: Fiendish; diabolical. Longfellow.

FIENDLY Fiend"ly, a. Etym: [AS. feóndlic.]

Defn: Fiendlike; monstrous; devilish. [Obs.] Chaucer.

FIERASFER Fi`e*ras"fer, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of small, slender fishes, remarkable for their habit of living as commensals in other animals. One species inhabits the gill cavity of the pearl oyster near Panama; another lives within an East Indian holothurian.

FIERCE Fierce, a. [Compar. Fiercer; superl. Fiercest.] Etym: [OE. fers, fiers, OF. fier, nom. fiers, fierce, savage, cruel, F. fier proud, from L. ferus wild, savage, cruel; perh. akin to E. bear the animal. Cf. Feral, Ferocity.]

1. Furious; violent; unrestrained; impetuous; as, a fierce wind. His fierce thunder drove us to the deep. Milton.

2. Vehement in anger or cruelty; ready or eager to kill or injure; of a nature to inspire terror; ferocious. "A fierce whisper." Dickens. "A fierce tyrant." Pope. The fierce foe hung upon our broken rear. Milton. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion. Job. x. 16.

3. Excessively earnest, eager, or ardent.

Syn. — Ferocious; savage; cruel; vehement; impetuous; barbarous; fell. See Ferocious. — Fierce"ly, adv. — Fierce"ness, n.

FIERI FACIAS Fi"e*ri fa"ci*as. Etym: [L., cause it to be done.] (Law)

Defn: A judicial writ that lies for one who has recovered in debt or damages, commanding the sheriff that he cause to be made of the goods, chattels, or real estate of the defendant, the sum claimed. Blackstone. Cowell.

FIERINESS Fi"er*i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being fiery; heat; acrimony; irritability; as, a fieriness of temper. Addison.

FIERY Fi"er*y ( or ), a. Etym: [Formerly written firy, fr. fire.]

1. Consisting of, containing, or resembling, fire; as, the fiery gulf of Etna; a fiery appearance. And fiery billows roll below. I. Watts.

2. Vehement; ardent; very active; impetuous. Hath thy fiery heart so parched thine entrails Shak. The fiery spirit of his forefathers. W. Irwing.

3. Passionate; easily provoked; irritable. You kniw the fiery quality of the duke. Shak.

4. Unrestrained; fierce; mettlesome; spirited. One curbed the fiery steed. Dryden.

5. heated by fire, or as if by fire; burning hot; parched; feverish. Pope. The sword which is made fiery. Hooker. Fiery cross, a cross constructed of two firebrands, and pitched upon the point of a spear; formerly in Scotland borne by a runner as a signal for the clan to take up arms. Sir W. Scott.

FIESTA Fies"ta, n. [Sp. See Feast, n.]

Defn: Among Spanish, a religious festival; a saint's day or holiday; also, a holiday or festivity.

Even . . . a bullfight is a fiesta. Am. Dialect Notes.

Some fiesta, when all the surrounding population were expected to turn out in holiday dress for merriment. The Century.

FIFE Fife, n. Etym: [F. fifre, OHG. pfifa, LL. pipa pipe, pipare to play on the pipe, fr. L. pipire, pipare, to peep, pip, chirp, as a chiken. See Pipe.] (Mus.)

Defn: A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music. Fife major (Mil.), a noncommissioned officer who superintends the fifers of a regiment. — Fife rail. (Naut.) (a) A rail about the mast, at the deck, to hold belaying pins, etc. (b) A railing around the break of a poop deck.

FIFE Fife, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fifed; p. pr. & vb. n. fifing.]

Defn: To play on a fife.

FIFER Fif"er, n.

Defn: One who plays on a fife.

FIFTEEN Fif"teen`, a. Etym: [OE. fiftene, AS. fift, fift. See Five, and Ten, and cf. Fifty.]

Defn: Five and ten; one more than fourteen.

FIFTEEN Fif"teen`, n.

1. The sum of five and ten; fifteen units or objects.

2. A symbol representing fifteen units, as 15, or xv.

FIFTEENTH Fif"teenth`, a. Etym: [OE. fiftenthe; cf. fiftethe, AS. fifte. See Fifteen.]

1. Next in order after the fourteenth; — the ordinal of fifteen.

2. Consisting of one of fifteen equal parts or divisions of a thing.

FIFTEENTH Fif"teenth`, n.

1. One of fifteen equal parts or divisions; the quotient of a unit divided by fifteen.

2. A species of tax upon personal property formerly laid on towns, boroughs, etc., in England, being one fifteenth part of what the personal property in each town, etc., had been valued at. Burrill.

3. (Mus.) (a) A stop in an organ tuned two octaves above the diaposon. (b) An interval consisting of two octaves.

FIFTH Fifth, a. Etym: [OE. fifte, fifthe, AS. fifta. See Five.]

1. Next in order after the fourth; — the ordinal of five.

2. Consisting of one of five equal divisions of a thing. Fifth monarchy men (Hist.), a fanatical sect in England, of the time of the commonwealth, who maintained that there would be a fifth universal monarchy, during which Christ would reign on earth a thousand years. — Fifth wheel, a horizontal wheel or segment above the fore axle of a carriage and beneath the body, forming an extended support to prevent careening.

FIFTH Fifth, n.

1. The quotient of a unit divided by five; one of five equal parts; a fifth part.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: The interval of three tones and a semitone, embracing five diatonic degrees of the scale; the dominant of any key.

FIFTHLY Fifth"ly, adv.

Defn: In the fifth place; as the fifth in order.

FIFTIETH Fif"ti*eth, a. Etym: [AS. fiftigo. See Fifty.]

1. Next in order after the forty-ninth; — the ordinal of fifty.

2. Consisting of one of fifty equal parts or divisions.

FIFTIETH Fif"ti*eth, n.

Defn: One of fifty equal parts; the quotient of a unit divided by fifty.

FIFTY Fif"ty, a. Etym: [AS. fiftig; akin to OHG. finfzug, fimfzug, G. fünfzig, funfzig, Goth. fimftigjus. See Five, and Ten, and cf. Fifteen.]

Defn: Five times ten; as, fifty men.

FIFTY Fif"ty, n.; pl. Fifties (.

1. The sum of five tens; fifty units or objects.

2. A symbol representing fifty units, as 50, or l.

FIG Fig, n. Etym: [F. figue the fruit of the tree, Pr. figa, fr. L. ficus fig tree, fig. Cf. Fico.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A small fruit tree (Ficus Carica) with large leaves, known from the remotest antiquity. It was probably native from Syria westward to the Canary Islands.

2. The fruit of a fig tree, which is of round or oblong shape, and of various colors.

Note: The fruit of a fig tree is really the hollow end of a stem, and bears numerous achenia inside the cavity. Many species have little, hard, inedible figs, and in only a few does the fruit become soft and pulpy. The fruit of the cultivated varieties is much prized in its fresh state, and also when dried or preserved. See Caprification.

3. A small piece of tobacco. [U.S.]

4. The value of a fig, practically nothing; a fico; — used in scorn or contempt. "A fig for Peter." Shak. Cochineal fig. See Conchineal fig. — Fig dust, a preparation of fine oatmeal for feeding caged birds. — Fig faun, one of a class of rural deities or monsters supposed to live on figs. "Therefore shall dragons dwell there with the fig fauns." Jer. i. 39. (Douay version). — Fig gnat (Zoöl.), a small fly said to be injurious to figs. — Fig leaf, the leaf tree; hence, in allusion to the first clothing of Adam and Eve (Genesis iii.7), a covering for a thing that ought to be concealed; esp., an inadequate covering; a symbol for affected modesty. — Fig marigold (Bot.), the name of several plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum, some of which are prized for the brilliancy and beauty of their flowers. — Fig tree (Bot.), any tree of the genus Ficus, but especially F. Carica which produces the fig of commerce.

FIG Fig, v. t. Etym: [See Fico, Fig, n.]

1. To insult with a fico, or contemptuous motion. See Fico. [Obs.] When Pistol lies, do this, and fig me like The bragging Spaniard. Shak.

2. To put into the head of, as something useless o [Obs.] L'Estrange.

FIG Fig, n.

Defn: Figure; dress; array. [Colloq.] Were they all in full fig, the females with feathers on their heads, the males with chapeaux bras Prof. Wilson.

FIGARO Fi`ga`ro", n. Etym: [From the name of the barber in Beaumarchais' "Barber of Seville."]

Defn: An adroi

FIGARY Fig"a*ry, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. vagary.]

Defn: A frolic; a vagary; a whim. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

FIGEATER Fig"eat`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A large beetle (Allorhina nitida) which in the Southern United States destroys figs. The elytra are velvety green with pale borders. (b) A bird. See Figpecker.

FIGENT Fig"ent, a.

Defn: Fidgety; restless. [Obs.] Such a little figent thing. Beau. & Fl.

FIGGUM Fig"gum, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: A juggler's trick; conjuring. [Obs.] The devil is the author of wicked figgum. B. Jonson.