n. [ L. agaricum, Gr. &unr_;, said to be fr. Agara, a town in Sarmatia. ] 1. (Bot.) A fungus of the genus Agaricus, of many species, of which the common mushroom is an example. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An old name for several species of Polyporus, corky fungi growing on decaying wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The “female agaric” (Polyporus officinalis) was renowned as a cathartic; the “male agaric” (Polyporus igniarius) is used for preparing touchwood, called punk or German tinder. [ 1913 Webster ]

Agaric mineral, a light, chalky deposit of carbonate of lime, sometimes called rock milk, formed in caverns or fissures of limestone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Amhara, a division of Abyssinia; as, the Amharic language is closely allied to the Ethiopic. -- n. The Amharic language (now the chief language of Abyssinia). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Arica, in Chile. ] (Chem.) An alkaloid, first found in white cinchona bark. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. avaritia, fr. avarus avaricious, prob. fr. avēre to covet, fr. a root av to satiate one's self: cf. Gr. 'a`menai, 'a^sai, to satiate, Skr. av to satiate one's self, rejoice, protect. ] 1. An excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness for wealth; covetousness; cupidity. [ 1913 Webster ]

To desire money for its own sake, and in order to hoard it up, is avarice. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An inordinate desire for some supposed good. [ 1913 Webster ]

All are taught an avarice of praise. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. avaricieux. ] Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. -- Avaricious, Covetous, Parsimonious, Penurious, Miserly, Niggardly. The avaricious eagerly desire wealth with a view to hoard it. The covetous grasp after it at the expense of others, though not of necessity with a design to save, since a man may be covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious, parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful self-denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living, niggardly in dispensing. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Av`a*ri"cious*ly, adv. -- Av`a*ri"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. baliarei^s the Balearic Islands. ] Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Balearic crane. (Zool.) See Crane. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. barbaricus foreign, barbaric, Gr. barbariko`s. ] 1. Of, or from, barbarian nations; foreign; -- often with reference to barbarous nations of east. “Barbaric pearl and gold.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to, or resembling, an uncivilized person or people; barbarous; barbarian; destitute of refinement. “Wild, barbaric music.” Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to barium; as, baric oxide. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; weight. ] (Physics) Of or pertaining to weight, esp. to the weight or pressure of the atmosphere as measured by the barometer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the type genus of the Caricaceae; consisting of tropical American trees; the papayas.
Syn. -- genus Carica. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a natural family of trees native to tropical America and Africa with milky juice and large palmately lobed leaves.
Syn. -- family Caricaceae, papaya family. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ It. caricatura, fr. caricare to charge, overload, exaggerate. See Charge, v. t. ] 1. An exaggeration, or distortion by exaggeration, of parts or characteristics, as in a picture. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A picture or other figure or description in which the peculiarities of a person or thing are so exaggerated as to appear ridiculous; a burlesque; a parody. [ Formerly written caricatura. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The truest likeness of the prince of French literature will be the one that has most of the look of a caricature. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

A grotesque caricature of virtue. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Caricatured p. pr. & vb. n. Caricaturing. ] To make or draw a caricature of; to represent with ridiculous exaggeration; to burlesque. [ 1913 Webster ]

He could draw an ill face, or caricature a good one, with a masterly hand. Lord Lyttelton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who caricatures. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. carica a kind of dry fig. ] Of the shape of a fig; as, a caricous tumor. Graig. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to cleanse, fr. &unr_; pure; akin to F. chaste. ] 1. (Med.) Cleansing the bowels; promoting evacuations by stool; purgative. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to the purgative principle of senna, as cathartic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. (&unr_;) &unr_; a treatise of Archimedes on finding the center of gravity, fr. &unr_; gravitating toward the center; &unr_; center + &unr_; weight. ] Relating to the center of gravity, or to the process of finding it. [ 1913 Webster ]

Centrobaric method (Math.), a process invented for the purpose of measuring the area or the volume generated by the rotation of a line or surface about a fixed axis, depending upon the principle that every figure formed by the revolution of a line or surface about such an axis has for measure the product of the line or surface by the length of the path of its center of gravity; -- sometimes called theorem of Pappus, also, incorrectly, Guldinus's properties. See Barycentric calculus, under Calculus. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or derived from, the lichen, Iceland moss (Cetaria Islandica). [ 1913 Webster ]

Cetraric acid. See Cetrarin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. clatocorde, fr.L. clarus clear + chorda string. See Chord. ] A musical instrument, formerly in use, in form of a spinet; -- called also manichord and clavichord. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to, derived from, or like, the Dipterix odorata, a tree of Guiana. [ 1913 Webster ]

Coumaric acid (Chem.), one of a series of aromatic acids, related to cinnamic acid, the most important of which is a white crystalline substance, HO.C6H4.C2H2.CO2H, obtained from the tonka bean, sweet clover, etc., and also produced artificially. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. dareiko`s, of Persian origin. ] 1. (Antiq.) (a) A gold coin of ancient Persia, weighing usually a little more than 128 grains, and bearing on one side the figure of an archer. (b) A silver coin of about 86 grains, having the figure of an archer, and hence, in modern times, called a daric. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any very pure gold coin. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Divaricated; p. pr. & vb. n. Divaricating. ] [ L. divaricatus, p. p. of divaricare to stretch apart; di- = dis- + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus straddling, fr. varus stretched outwards. ] 1. To part into two branches; to become bifid; to fork. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To diverge; to be divaricate. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To divide into two branches; to cause to branch apart. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. divaricatus, p. p. ] 1. Diverging; spreading asunder; widely diverging. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Forking and diverging; widely diverging; as the branches of a tree, or as lines of sculpture, or color markings on animals, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With divarication. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. divarication. ] 1. A separation into two parts or branches; a forking; a divergence. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An ambiguity of meaning; a disagreement of difference in opinion. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Biol.) A divergence of lines of color sculpture, or of fibers at different angles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) One of the muscles which open the shell of brachiopods; a cardinal muscle. See Illust. of Brachiopoda. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, fumitory (Fumaria officinalis). [ 1913 Webster ]

Fumaric acid (Chem.), a widely occurring organic acid, extracted from fumitory as a white crystallline substance, C2H2(CO2H)2, and produced artificially in many ways, as by the distillation of malic acid; boletic acid. It is found also in the lichen, Iceland moss, and hence was also called lichenic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to the Gemara. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Glutamic + tartaric. ] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid so called; as, glutaric ethers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Glutaric acid, an organic acid obtained as a white crystalline substance, isomeric with pyrotartaric acid; -- called also normal pyrotartaric acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] 1. A ragout or stew of meat with beans and other vegetables. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The ripe seeds, or the unripe pod, of the common string bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), used as a vegetable. Other species of the same genus furnish different kinds of haricots. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to Himyar, an ancient king of Yemen, in Arabia, or to his successors or people; as, the Himjaritic characters, language, etc.; applied esp. to certain ancient inscriptions showing the primitive type of the oldest form of the Arabic, still spoken in Southern Arabia. Brande & C. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ hyper- + baric. ] 1. Of, pertaining to, or using a pressure that is greater than normal atmospheric pressure; as, a hyperbaric chamber, where divers may decompress slowly to avoid the bends. [ PJC ]

2. Of, pertaining to, or using an oxygen pressure that is greater than that at normal atmospheric pressure; as, a hyperbaric tent to provide additional oxygen to patients with breathing difficulty. [ PJC ]

a. (Phys. Geog.) Denoting equal pressure; as, an isobaric line; specifically, of or pertaining to isobars. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. margarique. See Margarite. ] Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Margaric acid. (a) (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps) with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids. (b) (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, C17H34O2 of the fatty acid series, intermediate between palmitic and stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources. Called also heptadecanoic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Belonging, or pertaining, to Megara, a city of ancient Greece. [ 1913 Webster ]

Megarian school, or
Megaric school, a school of philosophy established at Megara, after the death of Socrates, by his disciples, and remarkable for its logical subtlety. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Meso- + tartaric. ] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid called also inactive tartaric acid. It is an optically inactive stereoisomer of tartaric acid due to internal compensation of the rotatory activity of the two asymmetric centers; it has a plane of symmetry in the molecule. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

‖n. (Zool.) The brown coati. See Coati. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ NL. pinum maritima, an old name for Pinum Pinaster, a pine which yields galipot. ] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid found in galipot, and isomeric with abietic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Pindaricus, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; (L. Pindarus) Pindar: cf. F. pindarique. ] Of or pertaining to Pindar, the Greek lyric poet; after the style and manner of Pindar; as, Pindaric odes. -- n. A Pindaric ode. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pindaric. [ 1913 Webster ]

Too extravagant and Pindarical for prose. Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Polar. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Prevaricated p. pr. & vb. n. Prevaricating. ] [ L. praevaricatus, p. p. of praevaricari to walk crookedly, to collude; prae before + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus straddling, varus bent. See Varicose. ] 1. To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement. [ 1913 Webster ]

He prevaricates with his own understanding. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To evade; equivocate; quibble; shuffle. -- Prevaricate, Evade, Equivocate. One who evades a question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside to some other point. He who equivocate uses words which have a double meaning, so that in one sense he can claim to have said the truth, though he does in fact deceive, and intends to do it. He who prevaricates talks all round the question, hoping to “dodge” it, and disclose nothing. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert. [ Obs. ] Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praevaricatio: cf. F. prévarication. ] 1. The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The august tribunal of the skies, where no prevarication shall avail. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) (a) (Roman Law) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. (b) (Common Law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praevaricator: cf. F. prévaricateur. ] 1. One who prevaricates. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Roman Law) A sham dealer; one who colludes with a defendant in a sham prosecution. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who betrays or abuses a trust. Prynne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pyro- + tartaric. ] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white crystalline substance by the distillation of tartaric acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pyro- + tri- + tartaric. ] (Chem.) Designating an acid which is more commonly called uric acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, saccharine substances; specifically, designating an acid obtained, as a white amorphous gummy mass, by the oxidation of mannite, glucose, sucrose, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Half barbarous or uncivilized; as, semibarbaric display. [ 1913 Webster ]