M M (em). (continued 8)

METROSIDEROS Met`ro*si*de"ros, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A myrtaceous genus of trees or shrubs, found in Australia and the South Sea Islands, and having very hard wood. Metrosideros vera is the true ironwood.

METROTOME Met"ro*tome, n. Etym: [See Metrotomy.] (Surg.)

Defn: An instrument for cutting or scarifying the uterus or the neck of the uterus.

METROTOMY Me*trot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. métrotomie.] (Surg.)

Defn: The operation of cutting into the uterus; hysterotomy; the Cæsarean section.

-METRY -me*try. Etym: [See -meter.]

Defn: A suffix denoting the art, process, or science, of measuring; as, acidmetry, chlorometry, chronometry.

METTE Mette, obs. imp.

Defn: of Mete, to dream. Chaucer.

METTLE Met"tle, n. Etym: [E. metal, used in a tropical sense in allusion to the temper of the metal of a sword blade. See Metal.]

Defn: Substance or quality of temperament; spirit, esp. as regards honor, courage, fortitude, ardor, etc.; disposition; — usually in a good sense. A certain critical hour which shall… try what mettle his heart is made of. South. Gentlemen of brave mettle. Shak. The winged courser, like a generous horse, Shows most true mettle when you check his course. Pope. To put one one's mettle, to cause or incite one to use one's best efforts.

METTLED Met"tled, a.

Defn: Having mettle; high-spirited; ardent; full of fire. Addison.

METTLESOME Met"tle*some, a.

Defn: Full of spirit; possessing constitutional ardor; fiery; as, a mettlesome horse. — Met"tle*some*ly, adv. — Met"tle*some*ness, n.

MEUM Me"um, n. [L., neut. of meus mine.]

Defn: Lit., mine; that which is mine; — used in the phrase meum et tuum, or meum and tuum; as, to confound meum and tuum, to fail to distinguish one's own property from that of others; to be dishonest.

Ancestors . . . generally esteemed more renowned for ancient family and high courage than for accurately regarding the trifling distinction of meum and tuum. Sir W. Scott.

MEUTE Meute, n.

Defn: A cage for hawks; a mew. See 4th Mew, 1. Milman.

MEVE Meve, v. t. & i.

Defn: To move. [Obs.] Chaucer.

MEW Mew, n. Etym: [AS. m, akin to D. meeuw, G. möwe, OHG. m, Icel. mar.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A gull, esp. the common British species (Larus canus); called also sea mew, maa, mar, mow, and cobb.

MEW Mew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mewed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mewing.] Etym: [OE. muen, F. muer, fr. L. mutare to change, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf. Mew a cage, Molt.]

Defn: To shed or cast; to change; to molt; as, the hawk mewed his feathers. Nine times the moon had mewed her horns. Dryden.

MEW Mew, v. i.

Defn: To cast the feathers; to molt; hence, to change; to put on a new appearance. Now everything doth mew, And shifts his rustic winter robe. Turbervile.

MEW Mew, n. Etym: [OE. mue, F. mue change of feathers, scales, skin, the time or place when the change occurs, fr. muer to molt, mew, L. mutare to change. See 2d Mew.]

1. A cage for hawks while mewing; a coop for fattening fowls; hence, any inclosure; a place of confinement or shelter; — in the latter sense usually in the plural. Full many a fat partrich had he in mewe. Chaucer. Forthcoming from her darksome mew. Spenser. Violets in their secret mews. Wordsworth.

2. A stable or range of stables for horses; — compound used in the plural, and so called from the royal stables in London, built on the site of the king's mews for hawks.

MEW Mew, v. t. Etym: [From Mew a cage.]

Defn: To shut up; to inclose; to confine, as in a cage or other inclosure. More pity that the eagle should be mewed. Shak. Close mewed in their sedans, for fear of air. Dryden.

MEW Mew, v. i. Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. G. miauen.]

Defn: To cry as a cat. [Written also meaw, meow.] Shak.

MEW Mew, n.

Defn: The common cry of a cat. Shak.

MEWL Mewl, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mewled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mewling.] Etym: [Cf. F. miauler to mew, E. mew to cry as a cat. Cf. Miaul.]

Defn: To cry, as a young child; to squall. [Written also meawl.] Shak.

MEWLER Mewl"er, n.

Defn: One that mewls.

MEWS Mews, n. sing. & pl. Etym: [Prop. pl. of mew. See Mew a cage.]

Defn: An alley where there are stables; a narrow passage; a confined place. [Eng.] Mr. Turveydrop's great room… was built out into a mews at the back. Dickens.

MEXAL; MEXICAL Mex*al", Mex"i*cal, n. Etym: [Sp. mexcal.]

Defn: See Mescal.

MEXICAN Mex"i*can, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Mexico or its people. — n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Mexico. Mexican poppy (Bot.), a tropical American herb of the Poppy family (Argemone Mexicana) with much the look of a thistle, but having large yellow or white blossoms. — Mexican tea (Bot.), an aromatic kind of pigweed from tropical America (Chenopodium ambrosioides).

MEXICANIZE Mex"i*can*ize, v. t.

Defn: To cause to be like the Mexicans, or their country, esp. in respect of frequent revolutions of government.

MEXICANIZE Mex"i*can*ize, v. i.

Defn: To become like the Mexicans, or their country or government.

MEYNE Meyn"e, n. [Obs.]

Defn: Same as Meine.

MEZCAL Mez*cal", n.

Defn: Same as Mescal.

MEZEREON Me*ze"re*on, n. Etym: [F. mézéréon, Per. mazriyun.] (Bot.)

Defn: A small European shrub (Daphne Mezereum), whose acrid bark is used in medicine.

MEZQUITA Mez*qui"ta, n. Etym: [Sp.]

Defn: A mosque.

MEZUZOTH Mez"u*zoth, n. Etym: [Heb. mêzuzoth, pl. of mêzuzah doorpost.]

Defn: A piece of parchment bearing the Decalogue and attached to the doorpost; — in use among orthodox Hebrews.

MEZZA MAJOLICA Mez"za ma*jol"i*ca. [It. See Mezzo; Majolica.] (Ceramics)

Defn: Italian pottery of the epoch and general character of majolica, but less brilliantly decorated, esp. such pottery without tin enamel, but painted and glazed.

MEZZANINE Mez"za*nine, n. Etym: [F. mezzanine, It. mezzanino, fr. mezzano middle, fr. mezzo middle, half. See Mezzo.] (Arch.) (a) Same as Entresol. (b) A partial story which is not on the same level with the story of the main part of the edifice, as of a back building, where the floors are on a level with landings of the staircase of the main house.

MEZZA VOCE Mez"za vo"ce. Etym: [It., fr. mezzo, fem. mezza middle, half + voce voice, L. vox.] (Mus.)

Defn: With a medium fullness of sound.

MEZZO Mez"zo, a. Etym: [It., from L. medius middle, half. See Mid, a.] (Mus.)

Defn: Mean; not extreme.

MEZZO-RELIEVO Mez"zo-re*lie"vo, n.

Defn: Mezzo-rilievo.

MEZZO-RILIEVO Mez"zo-ri*lie"vo, n. Etym: [It.] (a) A middle degree of relief in figures, between high and low relief. (b) Sculpture in this kind of relief. See under Alto-rilievo.

MEZZO-SOPRANO Mez"zo-so*pra"no, a. (Mus.)

Defn: Having a medium compass between the soprano and contralto; — said of the voice of a female singer. — n. (a) A mezzo-soprano voice. (b) A person having such a voice.

MEZZOTINT Mez"zo*tint, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mezzo-tinto.]

Defn: A manner of engraving on copper or steel by drawing upon a surface previously roughened, and then removing the roughness in places by scraping, burnishing, etc., so as to produce the requisite light and shade. Also, an engraving so produced.

MEZZOTINT Mez"zo*tint, v. t.

Defn: To engrave in mezzotint.

MEZZOTINTER Mez"zo*tint`er, n.

Defn: One who engraves in mezzotint.

MEZZOTINTO Mez`zo*tin"to, n. Etym: [It. mezzo half + tinto tinted, p. p. of tingere to dye, color, tinge, L. tingere. See Mezzo.]

Defn: Mezzotint.

MEZZOTINTO Mez`zo*tin"to, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mezzotintoed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mezzotintoing.]

Defn: To engrave in mezzotint; to represent by mezzotint.

MHO Mho, n. [Anagram of ohm.] (Elec.)

Defn: A unit of conductivity, being the reciprocal of the ohm.

MHOMETER Mhom"e*ter, n. [Mho + -meter.] (Elec.)

Defn: An instrument for measuring conductivity.

MHORR Mhorr, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Mohr.

MI Mi, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)

Defn: A syllable applied to the third tone of the scale of C, i. e., to E, in European solmization, but to the third tone of any scale in the American system.

MIAMIS Mi*a"mis, n. pl.; sing. Miami (. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A tribe of Indians that formerly occupied the country between the Wabash and Maumee rivers.

MIARGYRITE Mi*ar"gy*rite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of an iron-black color, and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and silver.

MIAS Mi"as, n. Etym: [Malayan.]

Defn: The orang-outang.

MIASCITE Mi*asc"ite, n. Etym: [Named from Miask, in the Ural Mountains.] (Min.)

Defn: A granitoid rock containing feldspar, biotite, elæolite, and sodalite.

MIASM Mi"asm, n. Etym: [Cf. F. miasme.]

Defn: Miasma.

MIASMA Mi*as"ma, n.; pl. Miasmata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.

Defn: Infectious particles or germs floating in the air; air made noxious by the presence of such particles or germs; noxious effluvia; malaria.

MIASMAL Mi*as"mal, a.

Defn: Containing miasma; miasmatic.

MIASMATIC; MIASMATICAL Mi`as*mat"ic, Mi`as*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. miasmatique.]

Defn: Containing, or relating to, miasma; caused by miasma; as, miasmatic diseases.

MIASMATIST Mi*as"ma*tist, n.

Defn: One who has made a special study of miasma.

MIASMOLOGY Mi`as*mol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Miasma + -logy.]

Defn: That department of medical science which treats of miasma.

MIAUL Mi*aul", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Miauled; p. pr. & vb. n. Miauling.] Etym: [Cf. F. miauler, of imitative origin, and E. mew. Cf. Mewl.]

Defn: To cry as a cat; to mew; to caterwaul. Sir W. Scott.

MIAUL Mi*aul", n.

Defn: The crying of a cat.

MICA Mi"ca, n. Etym: [L. mica crumb, grain, particle; cf. F. mica.] (Min.)

Defn: The name of a group of minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. They differ widely in composition, and vary in color from pale brown or yellow to green or black. The transparent forms are used in lanterns, the doors of stoves, etc., being popularly called isinglass. Formerly called also cat-silver, and glimmer.

Note: The important species of the mica group are: muscovite, common or potash mica, pale brown or green, often silvery, including damourite (also called hydromica); biotite, iron-magnesia mica, dark brown, green, or black; lepidomelane, iron, mica, black; phlogopite, magnesia mica, colorless, yellow, brown; lepidolite, lithia mica, rose-red, lilac. Mica (usually muscovite, also biotite) is an essential constituent of granite, gneiss, and mica slate; biotite is common in many eruptive rocks; phlogopite in crystalline limestone and serpentine. Mica diorite (Min.), an eruptive rock allied to diorite but containing mica (biotite) instead of hornblende. — Mica powder, a kind of dynamite containing fine scales of mica. — Mica schist, Mica slate (Geol.), a schistose rock, consisting of mica and quartz with, usually, some feldspar.

MICACEO-CALCAREOUS Mi*ca`ce*o-cal*ca"re*ous, a. (Geol.)

Defn: Partaking of the nature of, or consisting of, mica and lime; — applied to a mica schist containing carbonate of lime.

MICACEOUS Mi*ca"ceous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. micacé.]

Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, mica; splitting into laminæ or leaves like mica.

MICE Mice, n.,

Defn: pl of Mouse.

MICELLA Mi*cel"la, n.; pl. Micellæ. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. mica a morsel, grain.] (Biol.)

Defn: A theoretical aggregation of molecules constituting a structural particle of protoplasm, capable of increase or diminution without change in chemical nature.

MICH; MICHE Mich, Miche, v. i. Etym: [OE. michen; cf. OE. muchier, mucier, to conceal, F. musser, and OHG. muhhen to waylay. Cf. Micher, Curmudgeon, Muset.]

Defn: To lie hid; to skulk; to act, or carry one's self, sneakingly. [Obs. or Colloq.] [Written also meach and meech.] Spenser.

MICHAELMAS Mich"ael*mas, n. Etym: [Michael + mass religious service; OE. Mighelmesse.]

Defn: The feat of the archangel Michael, a church festival, celebrated on the 29th of September. Hence, colloquially, autumn. Michaelmas daisy. (Bot.) See under Daisy.

MICHER Mich"er, n. Etym: [OE. michare, muchare. See Mich.]

Defn: One who skulks, or keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc. [Obs.] Shak.

MICHERY Mich"er*y, n.

Defn: Theft; cheating. [Obs.] Gower.

MICHING Mich"ing, a.

Defn: Hiding; skulking; cowardly. [Colloq.] [Written also meaching and meeching.]

MICKLE Mic"kle, a. Etym: [OE. mikel, muchel, mochel, mukel, AS. micel, mycel; akin to OS. mikil, OHG. mihil, mihhil, Icel. mikill, mykill, Goth. mikils, L. magnus, Gr. mahat. sq. root103. Cf. Much, Muckle, Magnitude.]

Defn: Much; great. [Written also muckle and mockle.] [Old Eng. & Scot.] "A man of mickle might." Spenser.

MICMACS Mic"macs, n. pl.; sing. Micmac (. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A tribe of Indians inhabiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. [Written also Mikmaks.]

MICO Mi"co, n. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. mico.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small South American monkey (Mico melanurus), allied to the marmoset. The name was originally applied to an albino variety.

MICRACOUSTIC Mi`cra*cous"tic, a.

Defn: Same as Microustic.

MICRASTER Mi*cras"ter, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: A genus of sea urchins, similar to Spatangus, abounding in the chalk formation; — from the starlike disposal of the ambulacral furrows.

MICRENCEPHALOUS Mi`cren*ceph"a*lous, Etym: [Micr- + Gr.

Defn: Having a small brain.

MICRO-; MICR- Mi"cro-, Mi"cr-. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A combining form signifying: (a) Small, little, trivial, slight; as, microcosm, microscope. (b) (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.) A millionth part of; as, microfarad, microohm, micrometer.

MICROAMPERE Mi`cro*am`père", n. Etym: [Micr- + ampère.] (Elec.)

Defn: One of the smaller measures of electrical currents; the millionth part of one ampère.

MICROANALYSIS Mi`cro*a*nal"y*sis, n. [Micro-+ analysis.]

Defn: Analysis of the structure of materials from careful observation of photomicrographs.

MICROBACTERIA Mi`cro*bac*te"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Bacterium.] (Biol.)

Defn: In the classification of Cohn, one of the four tribes of Bacteria.

Note: In this classification bacteria are divided into four tribes: 1. Spherobacteria, or spherical bacteria, as the genus Micrococcus. 2. Microbacteria, or bacteria in the form of short rods, including the genus Bacterium. 3. Desmobacteria, or bacteria in straight filaments, of which the genus Bacillus is a type. 4. Spirobacteria, or bacteria in spiral filaments, as the genus Vibrio.

MICROBAROGRAPH Mi`cro*bar"o*graph, n. [Micro-+ barograph.]

Defn: An instrument for recording minor fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, as opposed to general barometric surges.

MICROBE; MICROBION Mi"crobe, Mi*cro"bi*on, n. Etym: [NL. microbion, fr. Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A microscopic organism; — particularly applied to bacteria and especially to pathogenic forms; as, the microbe of fowl cholera.

MICROBIAN Mi*cro"bi*an, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or caused by, microbes; as, the microbian theory; a microbian disease.

MICROBIC Mi*crob"ic, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a microbe.

MICROBICIDE Mi*crob"i*cide, n. Etym: [Microbe + L. caedere to kill.] (Biol.)

Defn: Any agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or bacterial organisms.

MICROBIOLOGY Mi`cro*bi*ol"o*gy, n. [See Microbe; -logy.]

Defn: The study of minute organisms, or microbes, as the bacteria. — Mi`cro*bi`o*log"ic*al (#), a. — Mi`cro*bi*ol"o*gist (#), n.

MICROCEPHALIC; MICROCEPHALOUS Mi`cro*ce*phal"ic, Mi`cro*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Micro- + cephalic, cephalous.] (Anat.)

Defn: Having a small head; having the cranial cavity small; — opposed to Ant: megacephalic.

MICRO-CHEMICAL Mi`cro-chem"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to micro-chemistry; as, a micro-chemical test.

MICRO-CHEMISTRY Mi`cro-chem"is*try, n. Etym: [Micro- + chemistry.]

Defn: The application of chemical tests to minute objects or portions of matter, magnified by the use of the microscopy; — distinguished from macro-chemistry.

MICROCHRONOMETER Mi`cro*chro*nom"e*ter, n.

Defn: A chronoscope.

MICROCLINE Mi"cro*cline, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of the feldspar group, like orthoclase or common feldspar in composition, but triclinic in form.

MICROCOCCAL Mi`cro*coc"cal, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to micrococci; caused by micrococci. Nature.

MICROCOCCUS Mi`cro*coc"cus, n.; pl. Micrococci. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Coccus.] (Biol.)

Defn: A genus of Spherobacteria, in the form of very small globular or oval cells, forming, by transverse division, filaments, or chains of cells, or in some cases single organisms shaped like dumb-bells (Diplococcus), all without the power of motion. See Illust. of Ascoccus.

Note: Physiologically, micrococci are divided into three groups; chromogenic, characterized by their power of forming pigment; zymogenic, including those associated with definite chemical processes; and pathogenic, those connected with disease.

MICROCOSM Mi"cro*cosm, n. Etym: [F. microcosme, L. microcosmus, fr. Gr.

Defn: A little world; a miniature universe. Hence (so called by Paracelsus), a man, as a supposed epitome of the exterior universe or great world. Opposed to macrocosm. Shak.

MICROCOSMIC; MICROCOSMICAL Mi`cro*cos"mic, Mi`cro*cos"mic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. microcosmique.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the microcosm. Microcosmic salt (Chem.), a white crystalline substance obtained by mixing solutions of sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate, and also called hydric-sodic- ammonic-phosphate. It is a powerful flux, and is used as a substitute for borax as a blowpipe reagent in testing for the metallic oxides. Originally obtained by the alchemists from human urine, and called sal microcosmicum.

MICROCOSMOGRAPHY Mi`cro*cos*mog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Microcosm + -graphy.]

Defn: Description of man as a microcosm.

MICROCOULOMB Mi`cro*cou`lomb", n. Etym: [Micro- + coulomb.] (Elec.)

Defn: A measure of electrical quantity; the millionth part of one coulomb.

MICROCOUSTIC Mi`cro*cous"tic, a. Etym: [Micro- + acoustic: cf. F. microcoustique, micracoustique.]

Defn: Pertaining, or suited, to the audition of small sounds; fitted to assist hearing.

MICROCOUSTIC Mi`cro*cous"tic, n.

Defn: An instrument for making faint sounds audible, as to a partially deaf person.

MICROCRITH Mi`cro*crith", n. Etym: [Micro- + crith.] (Chem.)

Defn: The weight of the half hydrogen molecule, or of the hydrogen atom, taken as the standard in comparing the atomic weights of the elements; thus, an atom of oxygen weighs sixteen microcriths. See Crith. J. P. Cooke.

MICROCRYSTALLINE Mi`cro*crys"tal*line, a. Etym: [Micro- + crystalline.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: Crystalline on a fine, or microscopic, scale; consisting of fine crystals; as, the ground mass of certain porphyrics is microcrystalline.

MICROCYTE Mi"cro*cyte, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: One of the elementary granules found in blood. They are much smaller than an ordinary corpuscle, and are particularly noticeable in disease, as in anæmia.

MICRODONT Mic"ro*dont, a. Etym: [Micr- + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Having small teeth.

MICROFARAD Mi`cro*far"ad, n. Etym: [Micro- + farad.] (Elec.)

Defn: The millionth part of a farad.

MICROFORM Mi"cro*form, n. Etym: [Micro- + form, n.] (Biol.)

Defn: A microscopic form of life; an animal or vegetable organism microscopic size.

MICRO-GEOLOGICAL Mi`cro-ge`o*log"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to micro-geology.

MICRO-GEOLOGY Mi`cro-ge*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Micro- + geology.]

Defn: The part of geology relating to structure and organisms which require to be studied with a microscope.

MICROGRAPH Mi"cro*graph, n. Etym: [See Micrography.]

Defn: An instrument for executing minute writing or engraving.

MICROGRAPHIC Mi`cro*graph"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to micrography.

MICROGRAPHY Mi*crog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Micro- + -graphy: cf. F. micrographie.]

Defn: The description of microscopic objects.

MICROHM Mi*crohm", n. Etym: [Micr- + ohm.] (Elec.)

Defn: The millionth part of an ohm.

MICROLEPIDOPTERA Mi`cro*lep`i*dop"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Lepidoptera.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tribe of Lepidoptera, including a vast number of minute species, as the plume moth, clothes moth, etc.

MICROLESTES Mi`cro*les"tes, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: An extinct genus of small Triassic mammals, the oldest yet found in European strata.

MICROLITE Mi"cro*lite, n. Etym: [Micro- + -lite.] (Min.)

1. A rare mineral of resinous luster and high specific gravity. It is a tantalate of calcium, and occurs in octahedral crystals usually very minute.

2. (Min.)

Defn: A minute inclosed crystal, often observed when minerals or rocks are examined in thin sections under the microscope.

MICROLITH Mi"cro*lith, n. Etym: [Micro- + lith.] (Min.)

Defn: Same as Microlite, 2.

MICROLITHIC Mi`cro*lith"ic, a.

Defn: Formed of small stones.

MICROLOGIC; MICROLOGICAL Mi`cro*log"ic, Mi`cro*log"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to micrology; very minute; as, micrologic examination. — Mi`cro*log"ic*al*ly, adv.

MICROLOGY Mi*crol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Micro- + -logy.]

1. That part of science which treats of microscopic objects, or depends on microscopic observation.

2. Attention to petty items or differences. W. Taylor.

MICROMERE Mi"cro*mere, n. Etym: [Micro- + -mere.] (Biol.)

Defn: One of the smaller cells, or blastomeres, resulting from the complete segmentation of a telolecithal ovum.

MICROMETER Mi*crom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + -meter: cf. F. micromètre.]

Defn: An instrument, used with a telescope or microscope, for measuring minute distances, or the apparent diameters of objects which subtend minute angles. The measurement given directly is that of the image of the object formed at the focus of the object glass. Circular, or Ring, micrometer, a metallic ring fixed in the focus of the object glass of a telescope, and used to determine differences of right ascension and declination between stars by observations of the times at which the stars cross the inner or outer periphery of the ring. — Double image micrometer, a micrometer in which two images of an object are formed in the field, usually by the two halves of a bisected lens which are movable along their line of section by a screw, and distances are determined by the number of screw revolutions necessary to bring the points to be measured into optical coincidence. When the two images are formed by a bisected objects glass, it is called a divided-object-glass micrometer, and when the instrument is large and equatorially mounted, it is known as a heliometer. — Double refraction micrometer, a species of double image micrometer, in which the two images are formed by the double refraction of rock crystal. — Filar, or Bifilar, micrometer. See under Bifilar. — Micrometer caliper or gauge (Mech.), a caliper or gauge with a micrometer screw, for measuring dimensions with great accuracy. — Micrometer head, the head of a micrometer screw. — Micrometer microscope, a compound microscope combined with a filar micrometer, used chiefly for reading and subdividing the divisions of large astronomical and geodetical instruments. — Micrometer screw, a screw with a graduated head used in some forms of micrometers. — Position micrometer. See under Position. — Scale, or Linear, micrometer, a minute and very delicately graduated scale of equal parts used in the field of a telescope or microscope, for measuring distances by direct comparison.

MICROMETRIC; MICROMETRICAL Mi`cro*met"ric, Mi`cro*met"ric*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. micrométrique.]

Defn: Belonging to micrometry; made by the micrometer. — Mi`cro*met"ric*al*ly, adv.

MICROMETRY Mi*crom"e*try, n.

Defn: The art of measuring with a micrometer.

MICROMILLIMETER Mi`cro*mil"li*me`ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + millimeter.]

Defn: The millionth part of a meter.

MICRON Mic"ron, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Physics)

Defn: A measure of length; the thousandth part of one millimeter; the millionth part of a meter.

MICRONESIAN Mi"cro*ne"sian, a. Etym: [From Micronesia, fr. Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Micronesia, a collective designation of the islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, embracing the Marshall and Gilbert groups, the Ladrones, the Carolines, etc.

MICRONESIANS Mi`cro*ne"sians, n. pl.; sing. Micronesian. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A dark race inhabiting the Micronesian Islands. They are supposed to be a mixed race, derived from Polynesians and Papuans.

MICRONOMETER Mi`cro*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + chronometer.]

Defn: An instrument for noting minute portions of time.

MICROORGANISM; MICRO-ORGANISM Mi`cro*ör"gan*ism, n. Etym: [Micro- + organism.] (Biol.)

Defn: Any microscopic form of life; — particularly applied to bacteria and similar organisms, esp. such are supposed to cause infectious diseases.

MICROPANTOGRAPH Mi`cro*pan"to*graph, n. Etym: [Micro- + pantograph.]

Defn: A kind of pantograph which produces copies microscopically minute.

MICROPARASITE Mi`cro*par"a*site, n.

Defn: A parasitic microörganism. — Mi`cro*par`a*sit"ic (#), a.

MICROPEGMATITE Mi`cro*peg"ma*tite, n. Etym: [Micro- + pegmatite.] (Min.)

Defn: A rock showing under the microscope the structure of a graphic granite (pegmatite). — Mi`cro*peg`ma*tit"ic, a.

MICROPHONE Mi"cro*phone, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microphone.] (Physics)

Defn: An instrument for intensifying and making audible very feeble sounds. It produces its effects by the changes of intensity in an electric current, occasioned by the variations in the contact resistance of conducting bodies, especially of imperfect conductors, under the action of acoustic vibrations.

MICROPHONIC Mi`cro*phon"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pert. to a microphone; serving to intensify weak sounds.

MICROPHONICS Mi`cro*phon"ics, n. Etym: [See Microphone.]

Defn: The science which treats of the means of increasing the intensity of low or weak sounds, or of the microphone.

MICROPHONOUS Mi*croph"o*nous, a.

Defn: Serving to augment the intensity of weak sounds; microcoustic.

MICROPHOTOGRAPH Mi`cro*pho"to*graph, n. Etym: [Micro- + photograph.]

1. A microscopically small photograph of a picture, writing, printed page, etc.

2. An enlarged representation of a microscopic object, produced by throwing upon a sensitive plate the magnified image of an object formed by a microscope or other suitable combination of lenses.

Note: A picture of this kind is preferably called a photomicrograph.

MICROPHOTOGRAPHY Mi`cro*pho*tog"ra*phy, n.

Defn: The art of making microphotographs.

MICROPHTHALMIA; MICROPHTHALMY Mi`croph*thal"mi*a, Mi`croph*thal"my, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr.

Defn: An unnatural smallness of the eyes, occurring as the result of disease or of imperfect development.

MICROPHYLLOUS Mi*croph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Small-leaved.

MICROPHYTAL Mi*croph"y*tal, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or of the nature of, microphytes.

MICROPHYTE Mi"cro*phyte, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microphyte.] (Bot.)

Defn: A very minute plant, one of certain unicellular algæ, such as the germs of various infectious diseases are believed to be.

MICROPYLE Mi"cro*pyle, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. micropyle.] (Biol.) (a) An opening in the membranes surrounding the ovum, by which nutrition is assisted and the entrance of the spermatozoa permitted. (b) An opening in the outer coat of a seed, through which the fecundating pollen enters the ovule. — Mi*crop"y*lar, a.

MICROSCOPAL Mi*cros"co*pal, a.

Defn: Pertaining to microscopy, or to the use of the microscope. Huxley.

MICROSCOPE Mi"cro*scope, n. Etym: [Micro- + -scope.]

Defn: An optical instrument, consisting of a lens, or combination of lenses, for making an enlarged image of an object which is too minute to be viewed by the naked eye. Compound microscope, an instrument consisting of a combination of lenses such that the image formed by the lens or set of lenses nearest the object (called the objective) is magnified by another lens called the ocular or eyepiece. — Oxyhydrogen microscope, and Solar microscope. See under Oxyhydrogen, and Solar. — Simple, or Single, microscope, a single convex lens used to magnify objects placed in its focus.

MICROSCOPIAL Mi`cro*sco"pi*al, a.

Defn: Microscopic. [R.] Berkeley.

MICROSCOPIC; MICROSCOPICAL Mi`cro*scop"ic, Mi`cro*scop"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. microscopique.]

1. Of or pertaining to the microscope or to microscopy; made with a microscope; as, microscopic observation.

2. Able to see extremely minute objects. Why has not man a microscopic eye Pope.

3. Very small; visible only by the aid of a microscope; as, a microscopic insect.

MICROSCOPICALLY Mi`cro*scop"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: By the microscope; with minute inspection; in a microscopic manner.

MICROSCOPIST Mi*cros"co*pist, n.

Defn: One skilled in, or given to, microscopy.

MICROSCOPY Mi*cros"co*py, n.

Defn: The use of the microscope; investigation with the microscope.

MICROSEISM Mi"cro*seism, n. [Micro- + Gr. an earthquake, fr. to shake.]

Defn: A feeble earth tremor not directly perceptible, but detected only by means of specially constructed apparatus. — Mi`cro*seis"mic (#), *seis"mic*al (#), a.

MICROSEISMOGRAPH Mi`cro*seis"mo*graph, n. [Microseiem + -graph.]

Defn: A microseismometer; specif., a microseismometer producing a graphic record.

MICROSEISMOLOGY Mi`cro*seis*mol"o*gy, n. [Microseiem + -logy.]

Defn: Science or study of microseisms.

MICROSEISMOMETER Mi`cro*seis*mom"e*ter, n. [Microseism + -meter.]

Defn: A seismometer for measuring amplitudes or periods, or both, of microseisms. —Mi`cro*seis*mom"e*try (#), n.

MICROSEME Mi"cro*seme, a. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. microsème.] (Anat.)

Defn: Having the orbital index relatively small; having the orbits broad transversely; — opposed to Ant: megaseme.

MICROSPECTROSCOPE Mi`cro*spec"tro*scope, n. Etym: [Micro- + spectroscope.] (Physics)

Defn: A spectroscope arranged for attachment to a microscope, for observation of the spectrum of light from minute portions of any substance.

MICROSPORANGIUM Mi`cro*spo*ran"gi*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Micro-, and Sporangium.] (Bot.)

Defn: A sporangium or conceptacle containing only very minute spores. Cf. Macrosporangium.

MICROSPORE Mi"cro*spore, n. Etym: [Micro- + spore.] (Bot.)

Defn: One of the exceedingly minute spores found in certain flowerless plants, as Selaginella and Isoetes, which bear two kinds of spores, one very much smaller than the other. Cf. Macrospore.

MICROSPORIC Mi`cro*spor"ic, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to microspores.

MICROSTHENE Mi"cro*sthene, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of a group of mammals having a small size as a typical characteristic. It includes the lower orders, as the Insectivora, Cheiroptera, Rodentia, and Edentata.

MICROSTHENIC Mi`cro*sthen"ic, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a typically small size; of or pertaining to the microsthenes.

MICROTASIMETER Mi`cro*ta*sim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Micro- + ta.] (Physics)

Defn: A tasimeter, especially when arranged for measuring very small extensions. See Tasimeter.

MICROTOME Mi"cro*tome, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr.

Defn: An instrument for making very thin sections for microscopical examination.

MICROTOMIC; MICROTOMICAL Mi`cro*tom"ic, Mi`cro*tom"ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pert. to the microtome or microtomy; cutting thin slices.

MICROTOMIST Mi*crot"o*mist, n.

Defn: One who is skilled in or practices microtomy.

MICROTOMY Mi*crot"o*my, n.

Defn: The art of using the microtome; investigation carried on with the microtome.

MICROVOLT Mi`cro*volt", n. Etym: [Micro- + volt.] (Elec.)

Defn: A measure of electro-motive force; the millionth part of one volt.

MICROWEBER Mi`cro*we"ber, n. Etym: [Micro- + weber.] (Elec.)

Defn: The millionth part of one weber.

MICROZOA Mi`cro*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Infusoria.

MICROZOOSPORE; MICROZOOESPORE Mi`cro*zo"ö*spore, n. Etym: [Micro- + zoöspore.] (Bot.)

Defn: A small motile spore furnished with two vibratile cilia, found in certain green algæ.

MICROZYME Mi"cro*zyme, n. Etym: [Micro- + Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A microörganism which is supposed to act like a ferment in causing or propagating certain infectious or contagious diseases; a pathogenic bacterial organism.

MICTURITION Mic`tu*ri"tion, n. Etym: [L. micturire to desire to make water, v. desid. fr. mingere, mictum, to make water.]

Defn: The act of voiding urine; also, a morbidly frequent passing of the urine, in consequence of disease.

MID Mid, a. [Compar. wanting; superl. Midmost.] Etym: [AS. midd; akin to OS. middi, D. mid (in comp.), OHG. mitti, Icel. mi, Goth. midjis, L. medius, Gr. madhya. Amid, Middle, Midst, Mean, Mediate, Meridian, Mizzen, Moiety.]

1. Denoting the middle part; as, in mid ocean. No more the mounting larks, while Daphne sings, Shall list'ning in mid air suspend their wings. Pope.

2. Occupying a middle position; middle; as, the mid finger; the mid hour of night.

3. (Phon.)

Defn: Made with a somewhat elevated position of some certain part of the tongue, in relation to the palate; midway between the high and the low; — said of certain vowel sounds; as, a (ale), ê (êll), o (old). See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 10, 11.

Note: Mid is much used as a prefix, or combining form, denoting the middle or middle part of a thing; as, mid-air, mid-channel, mid-age, midday, midland, etc. Also, specifically, in geometry, to denote a circle inscribed in a triangle (a midcircle), or relation to such a circle; as, mid-center, midradius.

MID Mid, n.

Defn: Middle. [Obs.] About the mid of night come to my tent. Shak.

MID Mid, prep.

Defn: See Amid.

MIDA Mi"da, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The larva of the bean fly.

MIDAS Mi"das, n. Etym: [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had ass's ears.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of longeared South American monkeys, including numerous species of marmosets. See Marmoset.

MIDAS'S EAR Mi"das's ear". Etym: [See Midas.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A pulmonate mollusk (Auricula, or Ellobium, aurismidæ); — so called from resemblance to a human ear.

MIDBRAIN Mid"brain`, n. Etym: [Mid, a. + brain.] (Anat.)

Defn: The middle segment of the brain; the mesencephalon. See Brain.

MIDDAY Mid"day`, n. Etym: [AS. middæg. See Mid, a., and Day.]

Defn: The middle part of the day; noon.

MIDDAY Mid"day`, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to noon; meridional; as, the midday sun.

MIDDEN Mid"den, n. [Also midding.] Etym: [Cf. Dan. mögdynge, E. muck, and dung.]

1. A dunghill. [Prov. Eng.]

2. An accumulation of refuse about a dwelling place; especially, an accumulation of shells or of cinders, bones, and other refuse on the supposed site of the dwelling places of prehistoric tribes, — as on the shores of the Baltic Sea and in many other places. See Kitchen middens.

MIDDEN CROW Mid"den crow". (Zoöl.)

Defn: The common European crow. [Prov. Eng.]

MIDDEST Mid"dest, a.; superl. of Mid. Etym: [See Midst.]

Defn: Situated most nearly in the middle; middlemost; midmost. [Obs.] " 'Mongst the middest crowd." Spenser.

MIDDEST Mid"dest, n.

Defn: Midst; middle. [Obs.] Fuller.

MIDDING Mid"ding, n.

Defn: Same as Midden.

MIDDLE Mid"dle, a. Etym: [OE. middel, AS. middel; akin to D. middel, OHG. muttil, G. mittel. Mid, a.]

1. Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle house in a row; a middle rank or station in life; flowers of middle summer; men of middle age.

2. Intermediate; intervening. Will, seeking good, finds many middle ends. Sir J. Davies.

Note: Middle is sometimes used in the formation of selfexplaining compounds; as, middle-sized, middle-witted. Middle Ages, the period of time intervening between the decline of the Roman Empire and the revival of letters. Hallam regards it as beginning with the sixth and ending with the fifteenth century. — Middle class, in England, people who have an intermediate position between the aristocracy and the artisan class. It includes professional men, bankers, merchants, and small landed proprietors The middle-class electorate of Great Britain. M. Arnold. — Middle distance. (Paint.) See Middle-ground. — Middle English. See English, n., 2. — Middle Kingdom, China. — Middle oil (Chem.), that part of the distillate obtained from coal tar which passes over between 170º and 230º Centigrade; — distinguished from the light, and the heavy or dead, oil. — Middle passage, in the slave trade, that part of the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and the West Indies. — Middle post. (Arch.) Same as King-post. — Middle States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; which, at the time of the formation of the Union, occupied a middle position between the Eastern States (or New England) and the Southern States. [U.S.] — Middle term (Logic), that term of a syllogism with which the two extremes are separately compared, and by means of which they are brought together in the conclusion. Brande. — Middle tint (Paint.), a subdued or neutral tint. Fairholt. — Middle voice. (Gram.) See under Voice. — Middle watch, the period from midnight to four A. M.; also, the men on watch during that time. Ham. Nav. Encyc. — Middle weight, a pugilist, boxer, or wrestler classed as of medium weight, i. e., over 140 and not over 160 lbs., in distinction from those classed as light weights, heavy weights, etc.

MIDDLE Mid"dle, n. Etym: [AS. middel. See Middle, a.]

Defn: The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion; specif., the waist. Chaucer. "The middle of the land." Judg. ix. 37. In this, as in most questions of state, there is a middle. Burke.

Syn. — See Midst.

MIDDLE-AGE Mid"dle-age`, Etym: [Middle + age. Cf. Mediæval.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Middle Ages; mediæval.

MIDDLE-AGED Mid"dle-aged`, a.

Defn: Being about the middle of the ordinary age of man; between 30 and 50 years old.

MIDDLE-EARTH Mid"dle-earth`, n.

Defn: The world, considered as lying between heaven and hell. [Obs.] Shak.

MIDDLE-GROUND Mid"dle-ground`, n. (Paint.)

Defn: That part of a picture between the foreground and the background.

MIDDLEMAN Mid"dle*man, n.; pl. Middlemen (.

1. An agent between two parties; a broker; a go-between; any dealer between the producer and the consumer; in Ireland, one who takes land of the proprietors in large tracts, and then rents it out in small portions to the peasantry.

2. A person of intermediate rank; a commoner.

3. (Mil.)

Defn: The man who occupies a central position in a file of soldiers.

MIDDLEMOST Mid"dle*most`, a. Etym: [Cf. Midmost.]

Defn: Being in the middle, or nearest the middle; midmost.

MIDDLER Mid"dler, n.

Defn: One of a middle or intermediate class in some schools and seminaries.

MIDDLING Mid"dling, a.

Defn: Of middle rank, state, size, or quality; about equally distant from the extremes; medium; moderate; mediocre; ordinary. "A town of but middling size." Hallam. Plainly furnished, as beseemed the middling circumstances of its inhabitants. Hawthorne. — Mid"dling*ly, adv. — Mid"dling*ness, n.

MIDDLINGS Mid"dlings, n. pl.

1. A combination of the coarser parts of ground wheat the finest bran, separated from the fine flour and coarse bran in bolting; — formerly regarded as valuable only for feed; but now, after separation of the bran, used for making the best quality of flour. Middlings contain a large proportion of gluten.

2. In the southern and western parts of the United States, the portion of the hog between the ham and the shoulder; bacon; — called also middles. Bartlett.

MIDDY Mid"dy, n.; pl. Middies (.

Defn: A colloquial abbreviation of midshipman.

MIDFEATHER Mid"feath`er, n.

1. (Steam Boilers)

Defn: A vertical water space in a fire box or combustion chamber.

2. (Mining)

Defn: A support for the center of a tunnel.

MIDGARD Mid"gard`, n. Etym: [Icel. miedhgaredhr.] (Scand. Myth.)

Defn: The middle space or region between heaven and hell; the abode of human beings; the earth.

MIDGARD; MIDGARTH; MITHGARTHR Mid"gard (mid"gärd), n. Also Mid"garth (-gärth), Mith"garthr (Icel. meth"gärthr'). [Icel. miðgarðr.] (Teut. Myth.)

Defn: The middle space or region between heaven and hell, the abode of human beings; the earth.

MIDGE Midge, n. Etym: [OE. migge, AS. mycge; akin to OS. muggia, D. mug, G. mücke, OHG. mucca, Icel. m, Sw. mygga, mygg, Dan. myg; perh. named from its buzzing; cf. Gr. (Zoöl.)

1. Any one of many small, delicate, long-legged flies of the Chironomus, and allied genera, which do not bite. Their larvæ are usually aquatic.

2. A very small fly, abundant in many parts of the United States and Canada, noted for the irritating quality of its bite.

Note: The name is also applied to various other small flies. See Wheat midge, under Wheat.

MIDGET Midg"et, n. Etym: [Dim. of midge.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A minute bloodsucking fly. [Local, U. S.]

2. A very diminutive person.

MIDGUT Mid"gut`, n. Etym: [Mid, a. + gut.] (Anat.)

Defn: The middle part of the alimentary canal from the stomach, or entrance of the bile duct, to, or including, the large intestine.

MIDHEAVEN Mid"heav`en, n.

1. The midst or middle of heaven or the sky.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: The meridian, or middle line of the heavens; the point of the ecliptic on the meridian.

MIDLAND Mid"land, a.

1. Being in the interior country; distant from the coast or seashore; as, midland towns or inhabitants. Howell.

2. Surrounded by the land; mediterranean. And on the midland sea the French had awed. Dryden.

MIDLAND Mid"land, n.

Defn: The interior or central region of a country; — usually in the plural. Drayton.

MIDMAIN Mid"main`, n.

Defn: The middle part of the main or sea. [Poetic] Chapman.

MIDMOST Mid"most`, a. Etym: [OE. middemiste. Cf. Foremost.]

Defn: Middle; middlemost. Ere night's midmost, stillest hour was past. Byron.

MIDNIGHT Mid"night`, n. Etym: [AS. midniht.]

Defn: The middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night. The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Shak.

MIDNIGHT Mid"night`, a.

Defn: Being in, or characteristic of, the middle of the night; as, midnight studies; midnight gloom. "Midnight shout and revelry." Milton.

MIDNIGHT SUN Mid"night` sun.

Defn: The sun shining at midnight in the arctic or antarctic summer.

MIDRASH Mid*rash", n.; pl. Midrashim, Midrashoth. Etym: [Heb., explanation.]

Defn: A talmudic exposition of the Hebrew law, or of some part of it.

MIDRIB Mid"rib`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A continuation of the petiole, extending from the base to the apex of the lamina of a leaf.

MIDRIFF Mid"riff, n. Etym: [AS. midhrif; midd mid, middle + hrif bowels, womb; akin to OFries. midref midriff, rif, ref, belly, OHG. href body, and to L. corpus body. See Corpse.] (Anat.)

Defn: See Diaphragm, n., 2. Smote him into the midriff with a stone. Milton.

MID SEA; MID-SEA Mid" sea", or; Mid"-sea".

Defn: The middle part of the sea or ocean. Milton. The Mid-sea, the Mediterranean Sea. [Obs.]

MIDSHIP Mid"ship`, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to, or being in, the middle of a ship. Midship beam (Naut.), the beam or timber upon which the broadest part of a vessel is formed. — Midship bend, the broadest frame in a vessel. Weale.

MIDSHIPMAN Mid"ship`man, n.; pl. Midshipmen (.

1. (a) Formerly, a kind of naval cadet, in a ship of war, whose business was to carry orders, messages, reports, etc., between the officers of the quarter-deck and those of the forecastle, and render other services as required. (b) In the English naval service, the second rank attained by a combatant officer after a term of service as naval cadet. Having served three and a half years in this rank, and passed an examination, he is eligible to promotion to the rank of lieutenant. (c) In the United States navy, the lowest grade of officers in line of promotion, being graduates of the Naval Academy awaiting promotion to the rank of ensign.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An American marine fish of the genus Porichthys, allied to the toadfish. Cadet midshipman, formerly a title distinguishing a cadet line officer from a cadet engineer at the U. S. Naval Academy. See under Cadet. — Cadet midshipman, formerly, a naval cadet who had served his time, passed his examinations, and was awaiting promotion; — now called, in the United States, midshipman; in England, sublieutenant.

MIDSHIPS Mid"ships`, adv. Etym: [For amidships.] (Naut.)

Defn: In the middle of a ship; — properly amidships.

MIDSHIPS Mid"ships`, n. pl. (Naut.)

Defn: The timbers at the broadest part of the vessel. R. H. Dana, Jr.

MIDST Midst, n. Etym: [From middest, in the middest, for older in middes, where -s is adverbial (orig. forming a genitive), or still older a midde, a midden, on midden. See Mid, and cf. Amidst.]

1. The interior or central part or place; the middle; — used chiefly in the objective case after in; as, in the midst of the forest. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him. Luke iv. 35. There is nothing… in the midst [of the play] which might not have been placed in the beginning. Dryden.

2. Hence, figuratively, the condition of being surrounded or beset; the press; the burden; as, in the midst of official duties; in the midst of secular affairs.

Note: The expressions in our midst, in their midst, etc., are avoided by some good writers, the forms in the midst of us, in the midst of them, etc., being preferred.

Syn. — Midst, Middle. Midst in present usage commonly denotes a part or place surrounded on enveloped by or among other parts or objects (see Amidst); while middle is used of the center of length, or surface, or of a solid, etc. We say in the midst of a thicket; in the middle of a line, or the middle of a room; in the midst of darkness; in the middle of the night.

MIDST Midst, prep.

Defn: In the midst of; amidst. Shak.

MIDST Midst, adv.

Defn: In the middle. [R.] Milton.

MIDSUMMER Mid"sum`mer, n. Etym: [AS. midsumor.]

Defn: The middle of summer. Shak. Midsummer daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy.

MIDWARD Mid"ward, a.

Defn: Situated in the middle.

MIDWARD Mid"ward, adv.

Defn: In or toward the midst.

MIDWAY Mid"way`, n.

Defn: The middle of the way or distance; a middle way or course. Shak. Paths indirect, or in the midway faint. Milton.

MIDWAY Mid"way`, a.

Defn: Being in the middle of the way or distance; as, the midway air. Shak.

MIDWAY Mid"way`, adv.

Defn: In the middle of the way or distance; half way. "She met his glance midway." Dryden.

MIDWEEK Mid"week`, n.

Defn: The middle of the week. Also used adjectively.

MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, n.; pl. Midwives. Etym: [OE. midwif, fr. AS. mid with (akin to Gr. Meta-, and Wife.]

Defn: A woman who assists other women in childbirth; a female practitioner of the obstetric art.

MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, v. t.

Defn: To assist in childbirth.

MIDWIFE Mid"wife`, v. i.

Defn: To perform the office of midwife.

MIDWIFERY Mid"wife`ry, n.

1. The art or practice of assisting women in childbirth; obstetrics.

2. Assistance at childbirth; help or coöperation in production.

MIDWINTER Mid"win`ter, n. Etym: [AS. midwinter.]

Defn: The middle of winter. Dryden.

MIDWIVE Mid"wive`, v. t.

Defn: To midwife. [Obs.]

MIEN Mien, n. Etym: [F. mine; perh. from sane source as mener to lead; cf. E. demean, menace, mine, n.]

Defn: Aspect; air; manner; demeanor; carriage; bearing. Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen. Pope.

MIFF Miff, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. G. muff sullenness, sulkiness, muffen to be silky, muffïg sullen, pouting.]

Defn: A petty falling out; a tiff; a quarrel; offense. Fielding.

MIFF Miff, v. t.

Defn: To offend slightly. [Colloq.]

MIGHT Might,

Defn: imp. of May. Etym: [AS. meahte, mihte.]

MIGHT Might, n. Etym: [AS. meaht, miht, from the root of magan to be able, E. may; akin to D. magt, OS. maht, G. macht, Icel. mattr, Goth. mahts. May, v.]

Defn: Force or power of any kind, whether of body or mind; energy or intensity of purpose, feeling, or action; means or resources to effect an object; strength; force; power; ability; capacity. What so strong, But wanting rest, will also want of might Spenser. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. vi. 5. With might and main. See under 2d Main.

MIGHTFUL Might"ful, a.

Defn: Mighty. [Obs.] Shak.

MIGHTILY Might"i*ly, adv. Etym: [From Mighty.]

1. In a mighty manner; with might; with great earnestness; vigorously; powerfully. Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Col. i. 29.

2. To a great degree; very much. Practical jokes amused us mightily. Hawthorne.

MIGHTINESS Might"i*ness, n.

1. The quality of being mighty; possession of might; power; greatness; high dignity. How soon this mightiness meets misery. Shak.

2. Highness; excellency; — with a possessive pronoun, a title of dignity; as, their high mightinesses.

MIGHTLESS Might"less, a.

Defn: Without; weak. [Obs.]

MIGHTY Might"y, a. [Compar. Mightier; superl. Mightiest.] Etym: [AS. meahtig, mihtig; akin to G. mächtig, Goth. mahteigs. See Might, n.]

1. Possessing might; having great power or authority. Wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Job ix. 4.

2. Accomplished by might; hence, extraordinary; wonderful. "His mighty works." Matt. xi. 20.

3. Denoting and extraordinary degree or quality in respect of size, character, importance, consequences, etc. "A mighty famine." Luke xv. 14. "Giants of mighty bone." Milton. Mighty was their fuss about little matters. Hawthorne.

MIGHTY Might"y, n.; pl. Mighties.

Defn: A warrior of great force and courage. [R. & Obs.] 1 Chron. xi. 12.

MIGHTY Might"y, adv.

Defn: In a great degree; very. [Colloq.] "He was mighty methodical." Jeffrey. We have a mighty pleasant garden. Doddridge.

MIGNIARD Mign"iard, a. Etym: [F. mignard, akin to mignon. See Minion.]

Defn: Soft; dainty. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

MIGNIARDISE Mign"iard*ise, n. Etym: [F. mignardise.]

Defn: Delicate fondling. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

MIGNON Mi"gnon, a. Etym: [F.]

Defn: See 3d Minion.

MIGNON Mi"gnon, v. t.

Defn: To flatter. [R. & Obs.] Danie

MIGNONETTE Mi`gnon*ette", n. Etym: [F. mignonnette, dim. of mignon darling. See 2d Minion.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Reseda odorata) having greenish flowers with orange- colored stamens, and exhaling a delicious fragrance. In Africa it is a low shrub, but further north it is usually an annual herb. Mignonette pepper, coarse pepper.

MIGRAINE Mi*graine", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Same as Megrim. — Mi*grain"ous, a.

MIGRANT Mi"grant, a. Etym: [L. migrans, p. pr. of migrare. See Migrate.]

Defn: Migratory. Sir T. Browne. — n.

Defn: A migratory bird or other animal.

MIGRATE Mi"grate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Migrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Migrating.] Etym: [L. migratus, p. p. of migrare to migrate, transfer.]

1. To remove from one country or region to another, with a view to residence; to change one's place of residence; to remove; as, the Moors who migrated from Africa into Spain; to migrate to the West.

2. To pass periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding; — said of certain birds, fishes, and quadrupeds.

MIGRATION Mi*gra"tion, n. Etym: [L. migratio: cf. F. migration.]

Defn: The act of migrating.

MIGRATORY Mi"gra*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. migratoire.]

1. Removing regularly or occasionally from one region or climate to another; as, migratory birds.

2. Hence, roving; wandering; nomad; as, migratory habits; a migratory life. Migratory locust (Zoöl.) See Locust. — Migratory thrush (Zoöl.), the American robin. See Robin.

MIKADO Mi*ka"do, n. Etym: [Jap.]

Defn: The popular designation of the hereditary sovereign of Japan.

MIKMAKS Mik"maks, n.

Defn: Same as Micmacs.

MILADY Mi*la"dy, n. [F., fr. English.]

Defn: Lit., my lady; hence (as used on the Continent), an English noblewoman or gentlewoman.

MILAGE Mil"age (; 48), n.

Defn: Same as Mileage.

MILANESE Mil`an*ese", a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Milan in Italy, or to its inhabitants. — n. sing. & pl.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Milan; people of Milan.

MILCH Milch, a. Etym: [OE. milche; akin to G. melk, Icel. milkr, mj, and to E. milk. See Milk.]

1. Giving milk; — now applied only to beasts. "Milch camels." Gen. xxxii. "Milch kine." Shak.

2. Tender; pitiful; weeping. [Obs.] Shak.

MILD Mild, a. [Compar. Milder; superl. Mildest.] Etym: [AS. milde; akin to OS. mildi, D. & G. mild, OHG. milti, Icel. mildr, Sw. & Dan. mild, Goth. milds; cf. Lith. melas dear, Gr.

Defn: Gentle; pleasant; kind; soft; bland; clement; hence, moderate in degree or quality; — the opposite of harsh, severe, irritating, violent, disagreeable, etc.; — applied to persons and things; as, a mild disposition; a mild eye; a mild air; a mild medicine; a mild insanity. The rosy morn resigns her light And milder glory to the noon. Waller. Adore him as a mild and merciful Being. Rogers. Mild, or Low, steel, steel that has but little carbon in it and is not readily hardened.

Syn. — Soft; gentle; bland; calm; tranquil; soothing; pleasant; placid; meek; kind; tender; indulgent; clement; mollifying; lenitive; assuasive. See Gentle.

MILDEN Mild"en, v. t.

Defn: To make mild, or milder. Lowell.

MILDEW Mil"dew, n. Etym: [AS. meledeáw; akin to OHG. militou, G. mehlthau, mehltau; prob. orig. meaning, honeydew; cf. Goth. milip honey. See Mellifluous, and Dew.] (Bot.)

Defn: A growth of minute powdery or webby fungi, whitish or of different colors, found on various diseased or decaying substances.

MILDEW Mil"dew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mildewed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mildewing.]

Defn: To taint with mildew. He… mildews the white wheat. Shak.

MILDEW Mil"dew, v. i.

Defn: To become tainted with mildew.

MILDLY Mild"ly, adv.

Defn: In a mild manner.

MILDNESS Mild"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being mild; as, mildness of temper; the mildness of the winter.

MILE Mile, n. Etym: [AS. mil, fr. L. millia, milia; pl. of mille a thousand, i. e., milia passuum a thousand paces. Cf. Mill the tenth of a cent, Million.]

Defn: A certain measure of distance, being equivalent in England and the United States to 320 poles or rods, or 5,280 feet.

Note: The distance called a mile varies greatly in different countries. Its length in yards is, in Norway, 12,182; in Brunswick, 11,816; in Sweden, 11,660; in Hungary, 9,139; in Switzerland, 8,548; in Austria, 8,297; in Prussia, 8,238; in Poland, 8,100; in Italy, 2,025; in England and the United States, 1,760; in Spain, 1,552; in the Netherlands, 1,094. Geographical, or Nautical mile, one sixtieth of a degree of a great circle of the earth, or 6080.27 feet. — Mile run. Same as Train mile. See under Train. — Roman mile, a thousand paces, equal to 1,614 yards English measure. — Statute mile, a mile conforming to statute, that is, in England and the United States, a mile of 5,280 feet, as distinguished from any other mile.

MILEAGE Mile"age (; 48), n.

1. An allowance for traveling expenses at a certain rate per mile.

2. Aggregate length or distance in miles; esp., the sum of lengths of tracks or wires of a railroad company, telegraph company, etc. [Written also milage.] Constructive mileage, a mileage allowed for journeys supposed to be made, but not actually made. Bartlett.

MILEPOST Mile"post`, n.

Defn: A post, or one of a series of posts, set up to indicate spaces of a mile each or the distance in miles from a given place.

MILESIAN Mi*le"sian, a. Etym: [L. Milesius, Gr.

1. (Anc. Geog.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to Miletus, a city of Asia Minor, or to its inhabitants.

2. (Irish Legendary Hist.)

Defn: Descended from King Milesius of Spain, whose two sons are said to have conquered Ireland about 1300 b. c.; or pertaining to the descendants of King Milesius; hence, Irish.

MILESIAN Mi*le"sian, n.

1. A native or inhabitant of Miletus.

2. A native or inhabitant of Ireland.

MILESTONE Mile"stone`, n.

Defn: A stone serving the same purpose as a milepost.

MILFOIL Mil"foil, n. Etym: [F. mille-feuille, L. millefolium; mille thousand + folium leaf. See Foil a leaf.] (Bot.)

Defn: A common composite herb (Achillea Millefolium) with white flowers and finely dissected leaves; yarrow. Water milfoil (Bot.), an aquatic herb with dissected leaves (Myriophyllum).

MILIARIA Mil`i*a"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Miliary.] (Med.)

Defn: A fever accompanied by an eruption of small, isolated, red pimples, resembling a millet seed in form or size; miliary fever.

MILIARY Mil"ia*ry, a. Etym: [L. miliarius, fr. milium millet: cf. F. miliaire.]

1. Like millet seeds; as, a miliary eruption.

2. (Med.)

Defn: Accompanied with an eruption like millet seeds; as, a miliary fever.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Small and numerous; as, the miliary tubercles of Echini.

MILIARY Mil"ia*ry, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the small tubercles of Echini.

MILICE Mi`lice", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Militia. [Obs.]

MILIEU Mi`lieu", n. [F., fr. mi middle (L. medius) + lieu place. See Demi-, Lieu.]

Defn: Environment.

The intellectual and moral milieu created by multitudes of self- centered, cultivated personalities. J. A. Symonds.

It is one of the great outstanding facts of his progressive relation to the elements of his social milieu. J. M. Baldwin.

MILIOLA Mil"i*o`la, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. milium millet. So named from its resemblance to millet seed.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of Foraminifera, having a porcelanous shell with several longitudinal chambers.

MILIOLITE Mil"i*o*lite, n. (Paleon.)

Defn: A fossil shell of, or similar to, the genus Miliola.

MILIOLITE Mil"i*o*lite, a.

Defn: The same Milliolitic. Miliolite limestone (Geol.), a building stone, one of the group of the Paris basin, almost entirely made up of many-chambered microscopic shells.

MILIOLITIC Mil`i*o*lit"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the genus Miliola; containing miliolites.

MILITANCY Mil"i*tan*cy, n. Etym: [See Militant.]

1. The state of being militant; warfare.

2. A military spirit or system; militarism. H. Spencer.

MILITANT Mil"i*tant, a. Etym: [L. militans, -antis, p. pr. of militare to be soldier: cf. F. militant. See Militate.]

Defn: Engaged in warfare; fighting; combating; serving as a soldier. — Mil"i*tant*ly, adv. At which command the powers militant… Moved on in silence. Milton. Church militant, the Christian church on earth, which is supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies, and is thus distinguished from the church triumphant, in heaven.

MILITAR Mil"i*tar, a.

Defn: Military. [Obs.] Bacon.

MILITARILY Mil"i*ta*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: In a military manner.

MILITARISM Mil"i*ta*rism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. militarisme.]

1. A military state or condition; reliance on military force in administering government; a military system.

2. The spirit and traditions of military life. H. Spencer.

MILITARIST Mil"i*ta*rist, n.

Defn: A military man. [Obs.] Shak.

MILITARY Mil"i*ta*ry, a. Etym: [L. militaris, militarius, from miles, militis, soldier: cf. F. militaire.]

1. Of or pertaining to soldiers, to arms, or to war; belonging to, engaged in, or appropriate to, the affairs of war; as, a military parade; military discipline; military bravery; military conduct; military renown. Nor do I, as an enemy to peace, Troop in the throngs of military men. Shak.

2. Performed or made by soldiers; as, a military election; a military expedition. Bacon. Military law. See Martial law, under Martial. — Military order. (a) A command proceeding from a military superior. (b) An association of military persons under a bond of certain peculiar rules; especially, such an association of knights in the Middle Ages, or a body in modern times taking a similar form, membership of which confers some distinction. — Military tenure, tenure of land, on condition of performing military service.

MILITARY Mil"i*ta*ry, n. Etym: [Cf. F. militaire.]

Defn: The whole body of soldiers; soldiery; militia; troops; the army.

MILITATE Mil"i*tate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Militated; p. pr. & vb. n. Militating.] Etym: [L. militare, militatum, to be a soldier, fr. miles, militis, soldier.]

Defn: To make war; to fight; to contend; — usually followed by against and with. These are great questions, where great names militate against each other. Burke. The invisible powers of heaven seemed to militate on the side of the pious emperor. Gibbon.

MILITIA Mi*li"tia, n. Etym: [L., military service, soldiery, fr. miles, militis, soldier: cf. F. milice.]

1. In the widest sense, the whole military force of a nation, including both those engaged in military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies. The king's captains and soldiers fight his battles, and yet… the power of the militia is he. Jer. Taylor.

2. Military service; warfare. [Obs.] Baxter.

MILITIAMAN Mi*li"tia*man, n.; pl. Militiamen (.

Defn: One who belongs to the militia.

MILITIATE Mi*li"ti*ate, v. i.

Defn: To carry on, or prepare for, war. [Obs.] Walpole.

MILK Milk, n. Etym: [AS. meoluc, meoloc, meolc, milc; akin to OFries. meloc, D. melk, G. milch, OHG. miluh, Icel. mj, Sw. mjölk, Dan. melk, Goth. miluks, G. melken to milk, OHG. melchan, Lith. milszti, L. mulgere, Gr. Milch, Emulsion, Milt soft roe of fishes.]

1. (Physiol.)

Defn: A white fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young, consisting of minute globules of fat suspended in a solution of casein, albumin, milk sugar, and inorganic salts. "White as morne milk." Chaucer.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of juice or sap, usually white in color, found in certain plants; latex. See Latex.

3. An emulsion made by bruising seeds; as, the milk of almonds, produced by pounding almonds with sugar and water.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster. Condensed milk. See under Condense, v. t. — Milk crust (Med.), vesicular eczema occurring on the face and scalp of nursing infants. See Eczema. — Milk fever. (a) (Med.) A fever which accompanies or precedes the first lactation. It is usually transitory. (b) (Vet. Surg.) A form puerperal peritonitis in cattle; also, a variety of meningitis occurring in cows after calving. — Milk glass, glass having a milky appearance. — Milk knot (Med.), a hard lump forming in the breast of a nursing woman, due to obstruction to the flow of milk and congestion of the mammary glands. — Milk leg (Med.), a swollen condition of the leg, usually in puerperal women, caused by an inflammation of veins, and characterized by a white appearance occasioned by an accumulation of serum and sometimes of pus in the cellular tissue. — Milk meats, food made from milk, as butter and cheese. [Obs.] Bailey. — Milk mirror. Same as Escutcheon, 2. — Milk molar (Anat.), one of the deciduous molar teeth which are shed and replaced by the premolars. — Milk of lime (Chem.), a watery emulsion of calcium hydrate, produced by macerating quicklime in water. — Milk parsley (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum palustre) of Europe and Asia, having a milky juice. — Milk pea (Bot.), a genus (Galactia) of leguminous and, usually, twining plants. — Milk sickness (Med.), a peculiar malignant disease, occurring in some parts of the Western United States, and affecting certain kinds of farm stock (esp. cows), and persons who make use of the meat or dairy products of infected cattle. Its chief symptoms in man are uncontrollable vomiting, obstinate constipation, pain, and muscular tremors. Its origin in cattle has been variously ascribed to the presence of certain plants in their food, and to polluted drinking water. — Milk snake (Zoöl.), a harmless American snake (Ophibolus triangulus, or O. eximius). It is variously marked with white, gray, and red. Called also milk adder, chicken snake, house snake, etc. — Milk sugar. (Physiol. Chem.) See Lactose, and Sugar of milk (below). — Milk thistle (Bot.), an esculent European thistle (Silybum marianum), having the veins of its leaves of a milky whiteness. — Milk thrush. (Med.) See Thrush. — Milk tooth (Anat.), one of the temporary first set of teeth in young mammals; in man there are twenty. — Milk tree (Bot.), a tree yielding a milky juice, as the cow tree of South America (Brosimum Galactodendron), and the Euphorbia balsamifera of the Canaries, the milk of both of which is wholesome food. — Milk vessel (Bot.), a special cell in the inner bark of a plant, or a series of cells, in which the milky juice is contained. See Latex. — Rock milk. See Agaric mineral, under Agaric. — Sugar of milk. The sugar characteristic of milk; a hard white crystalline slightly sweet substance obtained by evaporation of the whey of milk. It is used in pellets and powder as a vehicle for homeopathic medicines, and as an article of diet. See Lactose.

MILK Milk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Milked; p. pr. & vb. n. Milking.]

1. To draw or press milk from the breasts or udder of, by the hand or mouth; to withdraw the milk of. "Milking the kine." Gay. I have given suck, and know How tender 't is to love the babe that milks me. Shak.

2. To draw from the breasts or udder; to extract, as milk; as, to milk wholesome milk from healthy cows.

3. To draw anything from, as if by milking; to compel to yield profit or advantage; to plunder. Tyndale. They [the lawyers] milk an unfortunate estate as regularly as a dairyman does his stock. London Spectator. To milk the street, to squeeze the smaller operators in stocks and extract a profit from them, by alternately raising and depressing prices within a short range; — said of the large dealers. [Cant] — To milk a telegram, to use for one's own advantage the contents of a telegram belonging to another person. [Cant]

MILK Milk, v. i.

Defn: To draw or to yield milk.

MILKEN Milk"en, a.

Defn: Consisting of milk. [Obs.]

MILKER Milk"er, n.

1. One who milks; also, a mechanical apparatus for milking cows.

2. A cow or other animal that gives milk.

MILKFUL Milk"ful, a.

Defn: Full of milk; abounding with food. [R.] "Milkful vales." Sylvester.

MILKILY Milk"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a milky manner.

MILKINESS Milk"i*ness, n.

Defn: State or quality of being milky.

MILK-LIVERED Milk"-liv`ered, a.

Defn: White-livered; cowardly; timorous.

MILKMAID Milk"maid`, n.

Defn: A woman who milks cows or is employed in the dairy.

MILKMAN Milk"man, n.; pl. Milkmen (.

Defn: A man who sells milk or delivers is to customers.

MILK SICKNESS Milk sickness. (Veter.)

Defn: A peculiar malignant disease, occurring in parts of the western United States, and affecting certain kinds of farm stock (esp. cows), and persons using the meat or dairy products of infected cattle. Its chief symptoms in man are uncontrollable vomiting, obstinate constipation, pain, and muscular tremors. Its origin in cattle has been variously ascribed to the presence of certain plants in their food, and to polluted water.

MILKSOP Milk"sop`, n.

Defn: A piece of bread sopped in milk; figuratively, an effeminate or weak-minded person. Shak. To wed a milksop or a coward ape. Chaucer.

MILK VETCH Milk" vetch`. (Bot.)

Defn: A leguminous herb (Astragalus glycyphyllos) of Europe and Asia, supposed to increase the secretion of milk in goats.

Note: The name is sometimes taken for the whole genus Astragalus, of which there are about two hundred species in North America, and even more elsewhere.

MILKWEED Milk"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the genera Asclepias and Acerates, abounding in a milky juice, and having its seed attached to a long silky down; silkweed. The name is also applied to several other plants with a milky juice, as to several kinds of spurge.

MILKWORT Milk"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants (Polygala) of many species. The common European P. vulgaris was supposed to have the power of producing a flow of milk in nurses.

Note: The species of Campanula, or bellflower, are sometimes called milkwort, from their juice.

MILKY Milk"y, a.

1. Consisting of, or containing, milk. Pails high foaming with a milky flood. Pope.

2. Like, or somewhat like, milk; whitish and turbid; as, the water is milky. "Milky juice." Arbuthnot.

3. Yielding milk. "Milky mothers." Roscommon.

4. Mild; tame; spiritless. Has friendship such a faint and milky heart Shak. Milky Way. (Astron.) See Galaxy, 1.

MILL Mill, n. Etym: [L. mille a thousand. Cf. Mile.]

Defn: A money of account of the United States, having the value of the tenth of a cent, or the thousandth of a dollar.

MILL Mill, n. Etym: [OE. mille, melle, mulle, milne, AS. myln, mylen; akin to D. molen, G. mühle, OHG. muli, mulin, Icel. mylna; all prob. from L. molina, fr. mola millstone; prop., that which grinds, akin to molere to grind, Goth. malan, G. mahlen, and to E. meal. Meal flour, and cf. Moline.]

1. A machine for grinding or commuting any substance, as grain, by rubbing and crushing it between two hard, rough, or intented surfaces; as, a gristmill, a coffee mill; a bone mill.

2. A machine used for expelling the juice, sap, etc., from vegetable tissues by pressure, or by pressure in combination with a grinding, or cutting process; as, a cider mill; a cane mill.

3. A machine for grinding and polishing; as, a lapidary mill.

4. A common name for various machines which produce a manufactured product, or change the form of a raw material by the continuous repetition of some simple action; as, a sawmill; a stamping mill, etc.

5. A building or collection of buildings with machinery by which the processes of manufacturing are carried on; as, a cotton mill; a powder mill; a rolling mill.

6. (Die Sinking)

Defn: A hardened steel roller having a design in relief, used for imprinting a reversed copy of the design in a softer metal, as copper.

7. (Mining) (a) An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained. (b) A passage underground through which ore is shot.

8. A milling cutter. See Illust. under Milling.

9. A pugilistic. [Cant] R. D. Blackmore. Edge mill, Flint mill, etc. See under Edge, Flint, etc. — Mill bar (Iron Works), a rough bar rolled or drawn directly from a bloom or puddle bar for conversion into merchant iron in the mill. — Mill cinder, slag from a puddling furnace. — Mill head, the head of water employed to turn the wheel of a mill. — Mill pick, a pick for dressing millstones. — Mill pond, a pond that supplies the water for a mill. — Mill race, the canal in which water is conveyed to a mill wheel, or the current of water which drives the wheel. — Mill tail, the water which flows from a mill wheel after turning it, or the channel in which the water flows. — Mill tooth, a grinder or molar tooth. — Mill wheel, the water wheel that drives the machinery of a mill. — Roller mill, a mill in which flour or meal is made by crushing grain between rollers. — Stamp mill (Mining), a mill in which ore is crushed by stamps. — To go through the mill, to experience the suffering or discipline necessary to bring one to a certain degree of knowledge or skill, or to a certain mental state.

MILL Mill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Milled; p. pr. & vb. n. Milling.] Etym: [See Mill, n., and cf. Muller.]

1. To reduce to fine particles, or to small pieces, in a mill; to grind; to comminute.

2. To shape, finish, or transform by passing through a machine; specifically, to shape or dress, as metal, by means of a rotary cutter.

3. To make a raised border around the edges of, or to cut fine grooves or indentations across the edges of, as of a coin, or a screw head; also, to stamp in a coining press; to coin.

4. To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.

5. To beat with the fists. [Cant] Thackeray.

6. To roll into bars, as steel. To mill chocolate, to make it frothy, as by churning.

MILL Mill, v. i. (Zoöl.)

Defn: To swim under water; — said of air-breathing creatures.

MILLBOARD Mill"board`, n.

Defn: A kind of stout pasteboard.

MILL-CAKE Mill"-cake`, n.

Defn: The incorporated materials for gunpowder, in the form of a dense mass or cake, ready to be subjected to the process of granulation.

MILLDAM Mill"dam`, n.

Defn: A dam or mound to obstruct a water course, and raise the water to a height sufficient to turn a mill wheel.

MILLED Milled, a.

Defn: Having been subjected to some process of milling. Milled cloth, cloth that has been beaten in a fulling mill. — Milled lead, lead rolled into sheets.

MILLEFIORE GLASS Mil`le*fi*o"re glass`. Etym: [It. mille thousand + flore flower.]

Defn: Slender rods or tubes of colored glass fused together and embedded in clear glass; — used for paperweights and other small articles.

MILLENARIAN Mil`le*na"ri*an, a. Etym: [See Millenary.]

Defn: Consisting of a thousand years; of or pertaining to the millennium, or to the Millenarians.

MILLENARIAN Mil`le*na"ri*an, n.

Defn: One who believes that Christ will personally reign on earth a thousand years; a Chiliast.

MILLENARIANISM; MILLENARISM Mil`le*na"ri*an*ism, Mil"le*na*rism, n.

Defn: The doctrine of Millenarians.

MILLENARY Mil"le*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. millenarius, fr. milleni a thousand each, fr. mille a thousand: cf. F. millénaire. See Mile.]

Defn: Consisting of a thousand; millennial.

MILLENARY Mil"le*na*ry, n.

Defn: The space of a thousand years; a millennium; also, a Millenarian."During that millenary." Hare.

MILLENNIAL Mil*len"ni*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the millennium, or to a thousand years; as, a millennial period; millennial happiness.

MILLENNIALISM; MILLENNIARISM Mil*len"ni*al*ism, Mil*len"ni*a*rism, n.

Defn: Belief in, or expectation of, the millennium; millenarianism.

MILLENNIALIST Mil*len"ni*al*ist, n.

Defn: One who believes that Christ will reign personally on earth a thousand years; a Chiliast; also, a believer in the universal prevalence of Christianity for a long period.

MILLENNIST Mil"len*nist, n.

Defn: One who believes in the millennium. [Obs.] Johnson.

MILLENNIUM Mil*len"ni*um, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. mille a thousand + annus a year. See Mile, and Annual.]

Defn: A thousand years; especially, thousand years mentioned in the twentieth chapter in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, during which holiness is to be triumphant throughout the world. Some believe that, during this period, Christ will reign on earth in person with his saints.

MILLEPED Mil"le*ped, n. Etym: [L. millepeda; mille a thousand + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. mille-pieds.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A myriapod with many legs, esp. a chilognath, as the galleyworm. [Written also millipede and milliped.]

MILLEPORA Mil*le*po"ra, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of Hydrocorallia, which includes the millipores.

MILLEPORE Mil"le*pore, n. Etym: [L. mille thousand + porus pore: cf. F. millépore.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any coral of the genus Millepora, having the surface nearly smooth, and perforated with very minute unequal pores, or cells. The animals are hydroids, not Anthozoa. See Hydrocorallia.

MILLEPORITE Mil"le*po*rite, n. (Paleon.)

Defn: A fossil millepore.

MILLER Mill"er, n.

1. One who keeps or attends a flour mill or gristmill.

2. A milling machine.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) A moth or lepidopterous insect; — so called because the wings appear as if covered with white dust or powder, like a miller's clothes. Called also moth miller. (b) The eagle ray. (c) The hen harrier. [Prov. Eng.] Miller's thumb. (Zoöl.) (a) A small fresh-water fish of the genus Uranidea (formerly Cottus), as the European species (U. gobio), and the American (U. gracilis); — called also bullhead. (b) A small bird, as the gold-crest, chiff- chaff, and long-tailed tit. [Prov. Eng.]

MILLERITE Mil"ler*ite, n.

Defn: A believer in the doctrine of William Miller (d. 1849), who taught that the end of the world and the second coming of Christ were at hand.

MILLERITE Mil"ler*ite, n. Etym: [From W. H. Miller, of Cambridge, Eng.] (Min.)

Defn: A sulphide of nickel, commonly occurring in delicate capillary crystals, also in incrustations of a bronze yellow; — sometimes called hair pyrites.

MILLESIMAL Mil*les"i*mal, a. Etym: [L. millesimus, fr. mille a thousand.]

Defn: Thousandth; consisting of thousandth parts; as, millesimal fractions.

MILLET Mil"let, n. Etym: [F., dim. of mil, L. milium; akin to Gr. mil.] (Bot.)

Defn: The name of several cereal and forage grasses which bear an abundance of small roundish grains. The common millets of Germany and Southern Europe are Panicum miliaceum, and Setaria Italica.

Note: Arabian millet is Sorghum Halepense. — Egyptian or East Indian, millet is Penicillaria spicata. — Indian millet is Sorghum vulgare. (See under Indian.) — Italian millet is Setaria Italica, a coarse, rank-growing annual grass, valuable for fodder when cut young, and bearing nutritive seeds; — called also Hungarian grass. — Texas millet is Panicum Texanum. — Wild millet, or Millet grass, is Milium effusum, a tail grass growing in woods.

MILLI- Mil"li-. Etym: [From L. mille a thousand.] (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.)

Defn: A prefix denoting a thousandth part of; as, millimeter, milligram, milliampère.

MILLIAMPERE Mil`li*am`père", n. Etym: [Milli- + ampère.] (Elec.)

Defn: The thousandth part of one ampère.

MILLIARD Mil`liard", n. Etym: [F., from mille, mil, thousand, L. mille.]

Defn: A thousand millions; — called also billion. See Billion.

MILLIARY Mil"li*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. milliarius containing a thousand, fr. mille thousand: cf. F. milliaire milliary. See Mile.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a mile, or to distance by miles; denoting a mile or miles. A milliary column, from which they used to compute the distance of all the cities and places of note. Evelyn.

MILLIARY Mil"li*a*ry, n.; pl. Milliaries. Etym: [L. milliarium. See Milliary, a.]

Defn: A milestone.

MILLIER Mil`lier", n. Etym: [F., fr. mille thousand.]

Defn: A weight of the metric system, being one million grams; a metric ton.

MILLIFOLD Mil"li*fold`, a. Etym: [L. mille thousand + E. fold times.]

Defn: Thousandfold. [R.] Davies (Holy Roode).

MILLIGRAM; MILLIGRAMME Mil"li*gram, Mil"li*gramme, n. Etym: [F. milligramme; milli- milli- + gramme. See 3d Gram.]

Defn: A measure of weight, in the metric system, being the thousandth part of a gram, equal to the weight of a cubic millimeter of water, or .01543 of a grain avoirdupois.

MILLILITER; MILLILITRE Mil"li*li`ter, Mil"li*li`tre, n. Etym: [F. millilitre; milli- milli- + litre. See Liter.]

Defn: A measure of capacity in the metric system, containing the thousandth part of a liter. It is a cubic centimeter, and is equal to .061 of an English cubic inch, or to .0338 of an American fluid ounce.

MILLIMETER; MILLIMETRE Mil"li*me`ter, Mil"li*me`tre, n. Etym: [F. millimètre; milli- milli- + mètre. See 3d Meter.]

Defn: A lineal measure in the metric system, containing the thousandth part of a meter; equal to .03937 of an inch. See 3d Meter.

MILLIMICRON Mil"li*mi`cron, n. [Milli- + micron.]

Defn: The thousandish part of a micron or the millionth part of a millimeter; — a unit of length used in measuring light waves, etc.

MILLINER Mil"li*ner, n. Etym: [From Milaner an inhabitant of Milan, in Italy; hence, a man from Milan who imported women's finery.]

1. Formerly, a man who imported and dealt in small articles of a miscellaneous kind, especially such as please the fancy of women. [Obs.] No milliner can so fit his customers with gloves. Shak.

2. A person, usually a woman, who makes, trims, or deals in hats, bonnets, headdresses, etc., for women. Man milliner, a man who makes or deals in millinery; hence, contemptuously, a man who is busied with trifling occupations or embellishments.

MILLINERY Mil"li*ner*y, n.

1. The articles made or sold by milliners, as headdresses, hats or bonnets, laces, ribbons, and the like.

2. The business of work of a milliner.

MILLINET Mil`li*net", n.

Defn: A stiff cotton fabric used by milliners for lining bonnets.

MILLING Mill"ing, n.

Defn: The act or employment of grinding or passing through a mill; the process of fulling; the process of making a raised or intented edge upon coin, etc.; the process of dressing surfaces of various shapes with rotary cutters. See Mill. High milling, milling in which grain is reduced to flour by a succession of crackings, or of slight and partial crushings, alternately with sifting and sorting the product. — Low milling, milling in which the reduction is effected in a single crushing or grinding. — Milling cutter, a fluted, sharp-edged rotary cutter for dressing surfaces, as of metal, of various shapes. — Milling machine, a machine tool for dressing surfaces by rotary cutters. — Milling tool, a roller with indented edge or surface, for producing like indentations in metal by rolling pressure, as in turning; a knurling tool; a milling cutter.

MILLION Mil"lion, n. Etym: [F., from LL. millio, fr. L. mille a thousand. See Mile.]

1. The number of ten hundred thousand, or a thousand thousand, — written 1,000, 000. See the Note under Hundred

2. A very great number; an indefinitely large number. Millions of truths that a man is not concerned to know. Locke.

3. The mass of common people; — with the article the. For the play, I remember, pleased not the million. Shak.

MILLIONAIRE Mil`lion*aire", n. Etym: [F. millionnaire.]

Defn: One whose wealth is counted by millions of francs, dollars, or pounds; a very rich person; a person worth a million or more. [Written also millionnaire.]

MILLIONAIRESS Mil`lion*air"ess, n.

Defn: A woman who is a millionaire, or the wife of a millionaire. [Humorous] Holmes.

MILLIONARY Mil"lion*a*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to millions; consisting of millions; as, the millionary chronology of the pundits. Pinker

MILLIONED Mil"lioned, a.

Defn: Multiplied by millions; innumerable. [Obs.] Shak.

MILLIONNAIRE Mil`lion`naire", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Millionaire.

MILLIONTH Mil"lionth, a.

Defn: Being the last one of a million of units or objects counted in regular order from the first of a series or succession; being one of a million.

MILLIONTH Mil"lionth, n.

Defn: The quotient of a unit divided by one million; one of a million equal parts.

MILLIPED Mil"li*ped, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The same Milleped.

MILLISTERE Mil"li*stere, n. Etym: [F. millistère, from milli- milli- + stère.]

Defn: A liter, or cubic decimeter.

MILLIWEBER Mil`li*we"ber, n. Etym: [Milli- + weber.] (Physics)

Defn: The thousandth part of one weber.

MILLREA; MILLREE; MILLREIS Mill"rea`, Mill"ree`, Mill"reis`, n.

Defn: See Milreis.

MILLRIND; MILLRYND Mill"rind`, Mill"rynd`, n. Etym: [Mill + rynd.] (Her.)

Defn: A figure supposed to represent the iron which holds a millstone by being set into its center.

MILL-SIXPENCE Mill"-sixpence, n.

Defn: A milled sixpence; — the sixpence being one of the first English coins milled (1561).

MILLSTONE Mill"stone`, n.

Defn: One of two circular stones used for grinding grain or other substance. No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge. Deut. xxiv. 6.

Note: The cellular siliceous rock called buhrstone is usually employed for millstones; also, some kinds of lava, as that Niedermendig, or other firm rock with rough texture. The surface of a millstone has usually a series of radial grooves in which the powdered material collects. Millstone girt (Geol.), a hard and coarse, gritty sandstone, dividing the Carboniferous from the Subcarboniferous strata. See Farewell rock, under Farewell, a., and Chart of Geology. — To see into, or through, a millstone, to see into or through a difficult matter. (Colloq.)

MILLWORK Mill"work`, n.

1. The shafting, gearing, and other driving machinery of mils.

2. The business of setting up or of operating mill machinery.

MILLWRIGHT Mill"wright`, n.

Defn: A mechanic whose occupation is to build mills, or to set up their machinery.

MILORD Mi*lord", n. [F. (also It., Sp., Russ.), fr. E. my lord.]

Defn: Lit., my lord; hence (as used on the Continent), an English nobleman or gentleman.

MILREIS Mil"reis`, n. Etym: [Pg. mil reis, i. e., one thousand reis; mil a thousand + reis, pl. of real a rei.]

Defn: A Portuguese money of account rated in the treasury department of the United States at one dollar and eight cents; also, a Brazilian money of account rated at fifty-four cents and six mills.

MILT Milt, n. Etym: [AS. milte; akin to D. milt, G. milz, OHG. milzi, Icel. milti, Dan. milt, Sw. mjälte, and prob. to E. malt, melt. sq. root108. See Malt the grain.] (Anat.)

Defn: The spleen.

MILT Milt, n. Etym: [Akin to Dan. melk, Sw. mjölke, G. milch, and E. milk. See Milk.] (Zoöl.) (a) The spermatic fluid of fishes. (b) The testes, or spermaries, of fishes when filled with spermatozoa.

MILT Milt, v. t.

Defn: To impregnate (the roe of a fish) with milt.

MILTER Milt"er, n. Etym: [Cf. D. milter, G. milcher, milchner. See 2d Milt.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A male fish.

MILTONIAN Mil*to"ni*an, a.

Defn: Miltonic. Lowell.

MILTONIC Mil*ton"ic, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, Milton, or his writings; as, Miltonic prose.

MILTWASTE Milt"waste`, Etym: [1st milt + waste.] (Bot.)

Defn: A small European fern (Asplenium Ceterach) formerly used in medicine.

MILVINE Mil"vine, a. Etym: [L. milvus kite.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or resembling birds of the kite kind.

MILVINE Mil"vine, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A bird related to the kite.

MILVUS Mil"vus, n. Etym: [L., a kite.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of raptorial birds, including the European kite.

MIME Mime, n. Etym: [L. mimus, Gr. mime. Cf. Mimosa.]

1. A kind of drama in which real persons and events were generally represented in a ridiculous manner.

2. An actor in such representations.

MIME Mime, v. i.

Defn: To mimic. [Obs.] — Mim"er, n.

MIMEOGRAPH Mim"e*o*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. -graph.]

Defn: An autographic stencil copying device invented by Edison.

MIMESIS Mi*me"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Rhet. & Biol.)

Defn: Imitation; mimicry.

MIMETENE Mim"e*tene, n. (Min.)

Defn: See Mimetite.

MIMETIC; MIMETICAL Mi*met"ic, Mi*met"ic*al,Etym: [Gr.

1. Apt to imitate; given to mimicry; imitative.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Characterized by mimicry; — applied to animals and plants; as, mimetic species; mimetic organisms. See Mimicry.

MIMETISM Mim"e*tism, n. Etym: [From Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: Same as Mimicry.

MIMETITE Mim"e*tite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral occurring in pale yellow or brownish hexagonal crystals. It is an arseniate of lead.

MIMIC; MIMICAL Mim"ic, Mim"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mimicus, Gr. mimique. See Mime.]

1. Imitative; mimetic. Oft, in her absence, mimic fancy wakes To imitate her. Milton. Man is, of all creatures, the most mimical. W. Wotton.

2. Consisting of, or formed by, imitation; imitated; as, mimic gestures. "Mimic hootings." Wordsworth.

3. (Min.)

Defn: Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; — applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.

Note: Mimic often implies something droll or ludicrous, and is less dignified than imitative. Mimic beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle that feigns death when disturbed, esp. the species of Hister and allied genera.

MIMIC Mim"ic, n.

Defn: One who imitates or mimics, especially one who does so for sport; a copyist; a buffoon. Burke.

MIMIC Mim"ic, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mimicked; p. pr. & vb. n. Mimicking.]

1. To imitate or ape for sport; to ridicule by imitation. The walk, the words, the gesture, could supply, The habit mimic, and the mien belie. Dryden.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: To assume a resemblance to (some other organism of a totally different nature, or some surrounding object), as a means of protection or advantage.

Syn. — To ape; imitate; counterfeit; mock.

MIMICALLY Mim"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In an imitative manner.

MIMICKER Mim"ick*er, n.

1. One who mimics; a mimic.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal which imitates something else, in form or habits.

MIMICRY Mim"ic*ry, n.

1. The act or practice of one who mimics; ludicrous imitation for sport or ridicule.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Protective resemblance; the resemblance which certain animals and plants exhibit to other animals and plants or to the natural objects among which they live, — a characteristic which serves as their chief means of protection against enemies; imitation; mimesis; mimetism.

MIMOGRAPHER Mi*mog"ra*pher, n. Etym: [L. mimographus, Gr. mimographe.]

Defn: A writer of mimes. Sir T. Herbert.

MIMOSA Mi*mo"sa, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Mime.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of leguminous plants, containing many species, and including the sensitive plants (Mimosa sensitiva, and M. pudica).

Note: The term mimosa is also applied in commerce to several kinds bark imported from Australia, and used in tanning; — called also wattle bark. Tomlinson.

MIMOTANNIC Mi`mo*tan"nic, a. Etym: [Mimosa + tannic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a variety of tannin or tannic acid found in Acacia, Mimosa, etc.

MINA Mi"na, n.; pl. L. Minæ, E. Minas. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

Defn: An ancient weight or denomination of money, of varying value. The Attic mina was valued at a hundred drachmas.

MINA Mi"na, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Myna.

MINABLE Min"a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be mined; as, minable earth. Sir T. North.

MINACIOUS Mi*na"cious, a. Etym: [L. minax, -acis. See Menace.]

Defn: Threatening; menacing. [R.]

MINACITY Mi*nac"i*ty, n.

Defn: Disposition to threaten. [R.]

MINARET Min"a*ret, n. Etym: [Sp. minarete, Ar. manarat lamp, lantern, lighthouse, turret, fr. nar to shine.] (Arch.)

Defn: A slender, lofty tower attached to a mosque and surrounded by one or more projecting balconies, from which the summon to prayer is cried by the muezzin.

MINARGENT Min*ar"gent, n. Etym: [Prob. contr. from aluminium + L. argentum silver.]

Defn: An alloy consisting of copper, nickel, tungsten, and aluminium; — used by jewelers.

MINATORIALLY; MINATORILY Min`a*to"ri*al*ly, Min"a*to*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: In a minatory manner; with threats.

MINATORY Min"a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. minatorius, fr. minari to threaten. See Menace.]

Defn: Threatening; menacing. Bacon.

MINAUL Mi*naul", n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Manul.

MINCE Mince, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minced; p. pr. & vb. n. Minging.] Etym: [AS. minsian to grow less, dwindle, fr. min small; akin to G. minder less, Goth. minniza less, mins less, adv., L. minor, adj. (cf. Minor); or more likely fr. F. mincer to mince, prob. from (assumed) LL. minutiare. Minish.]

1. To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash; as, to mince meat. Bacon.

2. To suppress or weaken the force of; to extenuate; to palliate; to tell by degrees, instead of directly and frankly; to clip, as words or expressions; to utter half and keep back half of. I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say — "I love you." Shak. Siren, now mince the sin, And mollify damnation with a phrase. Dryden. If, to mince his meaning, I had either omitted some part of what he said, or taken from the strength of his expression, I certainly had wronged him. Dryden.

3. To affect; to make a parade of. [R.] Shak.

MINCE Mince, v. i.

1. To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner. The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes,… mincing as they go. Is. iii. 16. I 'll… turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride. Shak.

2. To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner.

MINCE Mince, n.

Defn: A short, precise step; an affected manner.

MINCE-MEAT Mince"-meat`, n.

Defn: Minced meat; meat chopped very fine; a mixture of boiled meat, suet, apples, etc., chopped very fine, to which spices and raisins are added; — used in making mince pie.

MINCE PIE Mince" pie`.

Defn: A pie made of mince-meat.

MINCER Min"cer, n.

Defn: One who minces.

MINCING Min"cing, a.

Defn: That minces; characterized by primness or affected nicety.

MINCINGLY Min"cing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a mincing manner; not fully; with affected nicety.

MIND Mind, n. Etym: [AS. mynd, gemynd; akin to OHG. minna memory, love, G. minne love, Dan. minde mind, memory, remembrance, consent, vote, Sw. minne memory, Icel. minni, Goth. gamunds, L. mens, mentis, mind, Gr. manas mind, man to think. Comment, Man, Mean, v., 3d Mental, Mignonette, Minion, Mnemonic, Money.]

1. The intellectual or rational faculty in man; the understanding; the intellect; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons; also, the entire spiritual nature; the soul; — often in distinction from the body. By the mind of man we understand that in him which thinks, remembers, reasons, wills. Reid. What we mean by mind is simply that which perceives, thinks, feels, wills, and desires. Sir W. Hamilton. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Rom. xiv. 5. The mind shall banquet, though the body pine. Shak.

2. The state, at any given time, of the faculties of thinking, willing, choosing, and the like; psychical activity or state; as: (a) Opinion; judgment; belief. A fool uttereth all his mind. Prov. xxix. 11. Being so hard to me that brought your mind, I fear she'll prove as hard to you in telling her mind. Shak.

(b) Choice; inclination; liking; intent; will. If it be your minds, then let none go forth. 2 Kings ix. 15.

(c) Courage; spirit. Chapman.

3. Memory; remembrance; recollection; as, to have or keep in mind, to call to mind, to put in mind, etc. To have a mind or great mind, to be inclined or strongly inclined in purpose; — used with an infinitive. "Sir Roger de Coverly… told me that he had a great mind to see the new tragedy with me." Addison. — To lose one's mind, to become insane, or imbecile. — To make up one's mind, to come to an opinion or decision; to determine. — To put in mind, to remind. "Regard us simply as putting you in mind of what you already know to be good policy." Jowett (Thucyd. ).

MIND Mind, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Minded; p. pr. & vb. n. Minding.] Etym: [AS. myndian, gemyndian to remember. See Mind, n.]

1. To fix the mind or thoughts on; to regard with attention; to treat as of consequence; to consider; to heed; to mark; to note. "Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate." Rom. xii. 16. My lord, you nod: you do not mind the play. Shak.

2. To occupy one's self with; to employ one's self about; to attend to; as, to mind one's business. Bidding him be a good child, and mind his book. Addison.

3. To obey; as, to mind parents; the dog minds his master.

4. To have in mind; to purpose. Beaconsfield. I mind to tell him plainly what I think. Shak.

5. To put in mind; to remind. [Archaic] M. Arnold. He minded them of the mutability of all earthly things. Fuller. I do thee wrong to mind thee of it. Shak. Never mind, do not regard it; it is of no consequence; no matter.

Syn. — To notice; mark; regard; obey. See Attend.

MIND Mind, v. i.

Defn: To give attention or heed; to obey; as, the dog minds well.

MINDED Mind"ed, a.

Defn: Disposed; inclined; having a mind. Joseph… was minded to put her away privily. Matt. i. 19. If men were minded to live virtuously. Tillotson.

Note: Minded is much used in composition; as, high-minded, feeble- minded, sober-minded, double-minded.

MINDER Mind"er, n.

1. One who minds, tends, or watches something, as a child, a machine, or cattle; as, a minder of a loom.

2. One to be attended; specif., a pauper child intrusted to the care of a private person. [Eng.] Dickens.

MINDFUL Mind"ful, a.

Defn: Bearing in mind; regardful; attentive; heedful; observant. What is man, that thou art mindful of him Ps. viii. 4. I promise you to be mindful of your admonitions. Hammond. — Mind"ful*ly, adv. — Mind"ful*ness, n.

MINDING Mind"ing, n.

Defn: Regard; mindfulness.

MINDLESS Mind"less, a.

1. Not indued with mind or intellectual powers; stupid; unthinking.

2. Unmindful; inattentive; heedless; careless. Cursed Athens, mindless of thy worth. Shak.

MINE Mine, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: See Mien. [Obs.]

MINE Mine, pron. & a. Etym: [OE. min, fr. AS. min; akin to D. mijn, OS., OFries., & OHG. min, G. mein, Sw. & Dan. min, Icel. minn, Goth. meins my, mine, meina of me, and E. me. Me, and cf. My.]

Defn: Belonging to me; my. Used as a pronominal to me; my. Used as a pronominal adjective in the predicate; as, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." Rom. xii. 19. Also, in the old style, used attributively, instead of my, before a noun beginning with a vowel. I kept myself from mine iniquity. Ps. xviii. 23.

Note: Mine is often used absolutely, the thing possessed being understood; as, his son is in the army, mine in the navy. When a man deceives me once, says the Italian proverb, it is his fault; when twice, it is mine. Bp. Horne. This title honors me and mine. Shak. She shall have me and mine. Shak.

MINE Mine, v. i. Etym: [F. miner, L. minare to drive animals, in LL. also, to lead, conduct, dig a mine (cf. E. lode, and lead to conduct), akin to L. minari to threaten; cf. Sp. mina mine, conduit, subterraneous canal, a spring or source of water, It. mina. See Menace, and cf. Mien.]

1. To dig a mine or pit in the earth; to get ore, metals, coal, or precious stones, out of the earth; to dig in the earth for minerals; to dig a passage or cavity under anything in order to overthrow it by explosives or otherwise.

2. To form subterraneous tunnel or hole; to form a burrow or lodge in the earth; as, the mining cony.

MINE Mine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mined; p. pr. & vb. n. Mining.]

1. To dig away, or otherwise remove, the substratum or foundation of; to lay a mine under; to sap; to undermine; hence, to ruin or destroy by slow degrees or secret means. They mined the walls. Hayward. Too lazy to cut down these immense trees, the spoilers… had mined them, and placed a quantity of gunpowder in the cavity. Sir W. Scott.

2. To dig into, for ore or metal. Lead veins have been traced… but they have not been mined. Ure.

3. To get, as metals, out of the earth by digging. The principal ore mined there is the bituminous cinnabar. Ure.

MINE Mine, n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. mina. See Mine, v. i.]

1. A subterranean cavity or passage; especially: (a) A pit or excavation in the earth, from which metallic ores, precious stones, coal, or other mineral substances are taken by digging; — distinguished from the pits from which stones for architectural purposes are taken, and which are called quarries. (b) (Mil.) A cavity or tunnel made under a fortification or other work, for the purpose of blowing up the superstructure with some explosive agent.

2. Any place where ore, metals, or precious stones are got by digging or washing the soil; as, a placer mine.gold mine

3. Fig.: A rich source of wealth or other good. Shak. Mine dial, a form of magnetic compass used by miners. — Mine pig, pig iron made wholly from ore; in distinction from cinder pig, which is made from ore mixed with forge or mill cinder. Raymond.

MINER Min"er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mineur.]

1. One who mines; a digger for metals, etc.; one engaged in the business of getting ore, coal, or precious stones, out of the earth; one who digs military mines; as, armies have sappers and miners.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) Any of numerous insects which, in the larval state, excavate galleries in the parenchyma of leaves. They are mostly minute moths and dipterous flies. (b) The chattering, or garrulous, honey eater of Australia (Myzantha garrula). Miner's elbow (Med.), a swelling on the black of the elbow due to inflammation of the bursa over the olecranon; — so called because of frequent occurrence in miners. — Miner's inch, in hydraulic mining, the amount of water flowing under a given pressure in a given time through a hole one inch in diameter. It is a unit for measuring the quantity of water supplied.

MINERAL Min"er*al, n. Etym: [F. minéral, LL. minerale, fr. minera mine. See Mine, v. i.]