‖n. pl. [ L., nourishes, pl. of altrix. ] (Zool.) Nursers, -- a term applied to those birds whose young are hatched in a very immature and helpless condition, so as to require the care of their parents for some time; -- opposed to præcoces. [ 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 ]

n. the initial price of something (goods or services) without the additional charges that may be added, such as handling or shipping charges, sales tax, optional equipment charges, etc. [ PJC ]

‖n. [ It. ] (Mus.) A female professional singer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. caprice, It. capriccio, caprice (perh. orig. a fantastical goat leap), fr. L. caper, capra, goat. Cf Capriole, Cab, Caper, v. i. ] 1. An abrupt change in feeling, opinion, or action, proceeding from some whim or fancy; a freak; a notion. “Caprices of appetite.” W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) See Capriccio.

Syn. -- Freak; whim; crotchet; fancy; vagary; humor; whimsey; fickleness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. cicatrix. ] A cicatrix. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. cocatrice crocodile, F. cocatrix, cocatrice. The word is a corruption from the same source as E. crocodile, but was confused with cock the bird, F. coq, whence arose the fable that the animal was produced from a cock's egg. See Crocodile. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A fabulous serpent whose breath and look were said to be fatal. See Basilisk. [ 1913 Webster ]

That bare vowel, I, shall poison more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) A representation of this serpent. It has the head, wings, and legs of a bird, and tail of a serpent. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Script.) A venomous serpent which which cannot now be identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

The weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's [ Rev. Ver. basilisk's ] den. Is. xi. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Any venomous or deadly thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

This little cockatrice of a king. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An index of the cost of all goods and services to a typical consumer, calculated and published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics; abbreviated CPI, and usually referred to by that acronym. The Bureau maintains several indices for different groups of consumers, but the most commonly referred to is the index for “All urban consumers”, called the CPI-U. The increase of this value each year is one measure of monetary inflation.
Syn. -- CPI, cost-of-living index. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

☞ For a table of values from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the CPI over time, see CPI-U from 1913 to 1998. [ PJC ]

adj. prenom. same as cut-rate. [ Chiefly British ]
Syn. -- cut-rate(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. dentifricium; dens, dentis, tooth + fricare to rub: cf. F. dentifrice. See Tooth, and Friction. ] A powder or other substance to be used in cleaning the teeth; tooth powder. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ L. desertrix. ] A feminine deserter. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An empress. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a price much lower than normal market price; as, the Reagan administration sold off valuable mineral and timber resources at fire-sale prices. [ PJC ]

‖n. pl. [ It. fraticelli, lit., little brothers, dim. fr. frate brother, L. frater. ] (Eccl. Hist.) (a) The name which St. Francis of Assisi gave to his followers, early in the 13th century. (b) A sect which seceded from the Franciscan Order, chiefly in Italy and Sicily, in 1294, repudiating the pope as an apostate, maintaining the duty of celibacy and poverty, and discountenancing oaths. Called also Fratricellians and Fraticelli. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. frictrix, fr. fricare to rub. ] A lewd woman; a harlot. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gris, grise; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. gr?ss, Sw. gris, Dan. grus, also Gr. &unr_;, Skr. ghrshvi, boar. Cf. Grise, Griskin. ] A little pig. [ Written also grise. ] [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Gree, a step. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. See Improvvisatrice. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Improvvisatrici [ It. See Improvise. ] A female improvvisatore. [ Written also improvisatrice. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] A female interlocutor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. licoris, through old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. glyky`rriza; glyky`s sweet + "ri`za root. Cf. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza, Wort.] [Written also liquorice.] 1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza (Glycyrrhiza glabra), the root of which abounds with a sweet juice, and is much used in demulcent compositions. [1913 Webster]

2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a confection and for medicinal purposes. [1913 Webster]

Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor. --
Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin. --
Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania dulcis. --
Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover (Trifolium alpinum), found in the Alps. It has large purplish flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock. --
Wild licorice. (Bot.) (a) The North American perennial herb Glycyrrhiza lepidota. (b) Certain broad-leaved cleavers (Galium circæzans and Galium lanceolatum). (c) The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose scarlet and black seeds are called black-eyed Susans. Its roots are used as a substitute for those of true licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). [1913 Webster]

n. See Licorice. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. same as low-cost.
Syn. -- inexpensive, low-cost. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. matrice. See Matrix. ] See Matrix. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. centered upon the mother. [ Narrower terms: matriarchal (vs. patriarchal) ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. See Morisco. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as 1st Morris. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Dancing the morrice; dancing. [ 1913 Webster ]

In shoals and bands, a morrice train. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A morris dancer. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Nurse. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A nurse. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. centered upon the father. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Anat.) Surrounding a cell; as, the pericellular lymph spaces surrounding ganglion cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pris, OF. pris, F. prix, L. pretium; cf. Gr. &unr_; I sell &unr_; to buy, Skr. pa&unr_; to buy, OI. renim I sell. Cf. Appreciate, Depreciate, Interpret, Praise, n. & v., Precious, Prize. ] 1. The sum or amount of money at which a thing is valued, or the value which a seller sets on his goods in market; that for which something is bought or sold, or offered for sale; equivalent in money or other means of exchange; current value or rate paid or demanded in market or in barter; cost. “Buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isa. lv. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

We can afford no more at such a price. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Value; estimation; excellence; worth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her price is far above rubies. Prov. xxxi. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

New treasures still, of countless price. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Reward; recompense; as, the price of industry. [ 1913 Webster ]

'T is the price of toil,
The knave deserves it when he tills the soil. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Price current, or
Price list, a statement or list of the prevailing prices of merchandise, stocks, specie, bills of exchange, etc., published statedly or occasionally. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Priced p. pr. & vb. n. Pricing. ] 1. To pay the price of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

With thine own blood to price his blood. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To set a price on; to value. See Prize. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To ask the price of; as, to price eggs. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Rated in price; valued; as, high-priced goods; low-priced labor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Thomas Price of San Francisco. ] (Min.) A hydrous borate of lime, from Oregon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Too valuable to admit of being appraised; of inestimable worth; invaluable. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of no value; worthless. [ R. ] J. Barlow. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. L. qyattuor four + caput head. ] (Anat.) The great extensor muscle of the knee, divided above into four parts which unite in a single tendon at the knee. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. riz (cf. Pr. ris, It. riso), L. oryza, Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, probably from the Persian; cf. OPers. brīzi, akin to Skr. vrīhi; or perh. akin to E. rye. Cf. Rye. ] (Bot.) A well-known cereal grass (Oryza sativa) and its seed. This plant is extensively cultivated in warm climates, and the grain forms a large portion of the food of the inhabitants. In America it grows chiefly on low, moist land, which can be overflowed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ant rice. (Bot.) See under Ant. --
French rice. (Bot.) See Amelcorn. --
Indian rice., a tall reedlike water grass (Zizania aquatica), bearing panicles of a long, slender grain, much used for food by North American Indians. It is common in shallow water in the Northern States. Called also water oat, Canadian wild rice, etc. --
Mountain rice, any species of an American genus (Oryzopsis) of grasses, somewhat resembling rice. --
Rice bunting. (Zool.) Same as Ricebird. --
Rice hen (Zool.), the Florida gallinule. --
Rice mouse (Zool.), a large dark-colored field mouse (Calomys palistris) of the Southern United States. --
Rice paper, a kind of thin, delicate paper, brought from China, -- used for painting upon, and for the manufacture of fancy articles. It is made by cutting the pith of a large herb (Fatsia papyrifera, related to the ginseng) into one roll or sheet, which is flattened out under pressure. Called also pith paper. --
Rice troupial (Zool.), the bobolink. --
Rice water, a drink for invalids made by boiling a small quantity of rice in water. --
Rice-water discharge (Med.), a liquid, resembling rice water in appearance, which is vomited, and discharged from the bowels, in cholera. --
Rice weevil (Zool.), a small beetle (Calandra oryzae, or Sitophilus oryzae) which destroys rice, wheat, and Indian corn by eating out the interior; -- called also black weevil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) (a) The Java sparrow. (b) The bobolink. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of small white polished marine shells of the genus Olivella. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. sericus silken, sericum Seric stuff, silk, fr. Sericus belonging to the Seres, Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, a people of Eastern Asia, the modern Chinese, celebrated for their silken fabrics. Cf. Silk, Serge a woolen stuff. ] 1. Of or pertaining to silk; consisting of silk; silky. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Covered with very soft hairs pressed close to the surface; as, a sericeous leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Having a silklike luster, usually due to fine, close hairs. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. tegere, tectum, to cover. ] (Zool.) The wing coverts of a bird. See Covert, and Illust. of Bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ OE. thries; thrie thrice (AS. þriga, þriwa) + -s, the adverbal suffix. See Three, and -wards. ] 1. Three times. “Thrice in vain.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Verily I say unto thee. That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Matt. xxvi. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a threefold manner or degree; repeatedly; very. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thrice noble lord, let me entreat of you
To pardon me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Thrice is often used, generally with an intensive force, to form compounds which are usually of obvious meaning; as, in thrice-blessed, thrice-favored, thrice-hallowed, thrice-happy, thrice-told, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The missel thrush. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Torricelli, an Italian philosopher and mathematician, who, in 1643, discovered that the rise of a liquid in a tube, as in the barometer, is due to atmospheric pressure. See Barometer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Torricellian tube, a glass tube thirty or more inches in length, open at the lower end and hermetically sealed at the upper, such as is used in the barometer. --
Torricellian vacuum (Physics), a vacuum produced by filling with a fluid, as mercury, a tube hermetically closed at one end, and, after immersing the other end in a vessel of the same fluid, allowing the inclosed fluid to descend till it is counterbalanced by the pressure of the atmosphere, as in the barometer. Hutton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. trisen; of Scand. or Low German origin; cf. Sw. trissa a sheave, pulley, triss a spritsail brace, Dan. tridse a pulley, tridse to haul by means of a pulley, to trice, LG. trisse a pulley, D. trijsen to hoist. ] [ Written also trise. ] 1. To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Out of his seat I will him trice. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) To haul and tie up by means of a rope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. tris the noise made by the breaking of glass, an instant, en un tris in an instant; probably of imitative origin. ] A very short time; an instant; a moment; -- now used only in the phrase in a trice. “With a trice.” Turbervile. “ On a trice.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man shall make his fortune in a trice. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to thirty years; tricennial. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]