n. a temporary bridge for getting on and off a vessel at dockside.
Syn. -- gangplank, gang plank, gangway. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) The Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula); -- so called because its nest is suspended from the limb of a tree. See Baltimore oriole. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or like, the spine of a herring; especially, characterized by an arrangement of work in rows of parallel lines, which in the alternate rows slope in different directions. [ 1913 Webster ]

Herringbone stitch, a kind of cross-stitch in needlework, chiefly used in flannel. Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.), any bird of the family Trochilidæ, of which over one hundred genera are known, including about four hundred species. They are found only in America and are most abundant in the tropics. They are mostly of very small size with long slender bills adapted to sucking nectar from flowers, and are noted for the very brilliant iridescent colors of their plumage and their peculiar habit of hovering about flowers while vibrating their wings very rapidly with a humming noise; the wings are specialized for hovering flight, but they can also dart forward and fly quite rapidly. They feed both upon the nectar of flowers and upon small insects. The common humming bird or ruby-throat of the Eastern United States is Trochilus colubris. Several other species are found in the Western United States. See Calliope, and Ruby-throat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) 1. A small American bird (Tyrannus tyrannus, or Tyrannus Carolinensis), noted for its courage in attacking larger birds, even hawks and eagles, especially when they approach its nest in the breeding season. It is a typical tyrant flycatcher, taking various insects upon the wing. It is dark ash above, and blackish on the bead and tail. The quills and wing coverts are whitish at the edges. It is white beneath, with a white terminal band on the tail. The feathers on the head of the adults show a bright orange basal spot when erected. Called also bee bird, and bee martin. Several Southern and Western species of Tyrannus are also called king birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The king tody. See under King. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A vertical iron bolt, by which the forward axle and wheels of a vehicle or the trucks of a railroad car are connected with the other parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The American redbellied snipe (Macrorhamphus scolopaceus); -- called also long-billed dowitcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a fat-bellied stoneware drinking jug with a long neck; decorated with a caricature of Cardinal Bellarmine (17th century).
Syn. -- bellarmine, graybeard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Naut.) Formerly, the largest boat carried by a merchant vessel, corresponding to the launch of a naval vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The ordinary bow, not mounted on a stock; -- so called in distinction from the crossbow when both were used as weapons of war. Also, sometimes, such a bow of about the height of a man, as distinguished from a much shorter one. [ 1913 Webster ]

To draw the longbow, to tell large stories. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.), A long-tailed gray-and-white songbird of North America (Mimus polyglottos), remarkable for its exact imitations of the notes of other birds. Its back is gray; the tail and wings are blackish, with a white patch on each wing; the outer tail feathers are partly white. Originally its range was confined mostly to the southern states, but by late 19th century it had migrated as far north as New York. The name is also applied to other members of thee same and related genera, found in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, such as the blue mockingbird of Mexico, Melanotis caerulescens.
Syn. -- mocker, Mimus polyglottos . [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) (a) The springbuck. (b) The pronghorn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The ring-necked scaup duck; -- called also ring-billed blackhead. See Scaup. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The reed bunting. It has a collar of white feathers. Called also ring bunting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An eyebolt having a ring through the eye. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Far.) A morbid growth or deposit of bony matter between or on the small pastern and the great pastern bones. J. H. Walsh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An elastic board, secured at the ends, or at one end, often by elastic supports, used in performing feats of agility or in exercising. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ D. springbok; springen to spring, leap + bok a he-goat, buck. ] (Zool.) A South African gazelle (Gazella euchore) noted for its graceful form and swiftness, and for its peculiar habit of springing lightly and suddenly into the air. It has a white dorsal stripe, expanding into a broad patch of white on the rump and tail. Called also springer. [ Written also springboc, and springbock. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The European greater weever fish (Trachinus draco), which is capable of inflicting severe wounds with the spinous rays of its dorsal fin. See Weever. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Stringpiece. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A box of rigid and durable construction fitted with a lock, used for the purpose of protecting valuable items, such as jewelry or money.
Syn. -- lockbox. [ PJC ]

n. (Shipbuilding) A bolt used by shipwrights, to bend and secure the planks against the timbers till they are fastened by bolts, spikes, or treenails; -- not to be confounded with ringbolt. [ 1913 Webster ]