n. [ L. Alpes the Alps, said to be of Celtic origin; cf. Gael. alp a high mountain, Ir. ailp any huge mass or lump: cf. F. Alpes. ] 1. A very high mountain. Specifically, in the plural, the highest chain of mountains in Europe, containing the lofty mountains of Switzerland, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor breath of vernal air from snowy alp. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hills peep o'er hills, and alps on alps arise. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: Something lofty, or massive, or very hard to be surmounted. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The plural form Alps is sometimes used as a singular. “The Alps doth spit.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A bullfinch. Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. alpaca, fr. the original Peruvian name of the animal. Cf. Paco. ] 1. (Zool.) An animal of Peru (Lama paco), having long, fine, wooly hair, supposed by some to be a domesticated variety of the llama. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wool of the alpaca. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thin kind of cloth made of the wooly hair of the alpaca, often mixed with silk or with cotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the Alps. [ R. ] “The Alpen snow.” J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains; specif., a reillumination sometimes observed after the summits have passed into shadow, supposed to be due to a curving downward (refraction) of the light rays from the west resulting from the cooling of the air. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ G.; Alp, gen. pl. Alpen + stock stick. ] A long staff, pointed with iron, used in climbing the Alps. Cheever. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Alpestris. ] 1. Pertaining to the Alps, or other high mountains; as, Alpestrine diseases, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Growing on the elevated parts of mountains, but not above the timber line; subalpine. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. alpha, Gr. 'a`lfa, from Heb. āleph, name of the first letter in the alphabet, also meaning ox. ] The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning. [ 1913 Webster ]

In am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Rev. xxii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

Formerly used also denote the chief; as, Plato was the alpha of the wits. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In cataloguing stars, the brightest star of a constellation in designated by Alpha (α); as, α Lyræ. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. alphabetum, fr. Gr. &unr_; + &unr_;, the first two Greek letters; Heb. āleph and beth: cf. F. alphabet. ] 1. The letters of a language arranged in the customary order; the series of letters or signs which form the elements of written language. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The simplest rudiments; elements. [ 1913 Webster ]

The very alphabet of our law. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deaf and dumb alphabet. See Dactylology. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A learner of the alphabet; an abecedarian. Abp. Sancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. F. alphabétique. ] 1. Pertaining to, furnished with, expressed by, or in the order of, the letters of the alphabet; as, alphabetic characters, writing, languages, arrangement. English has an alphabetical writing system. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Literal. [ Obs. ] “Alphabetical servility.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. in alphabetical order.
Syn. -- abecedarian [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In an alphabetic manner; in the customary order of the letters. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The science of representing spoken sounds by letters. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The expression of spoken sounds by an alphabet. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To arrange alphabetically; as, to alphabetize a list of words. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To furnish with an alphabet. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to alphanumerics.
Syn. -- alphanumeric, alphameric, alphamerical [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Computers) using or consisting of only alphabetical and numerical characters; -- contrasting with binary or control. alphanumeric characters
Syn. -- alphanumeric, alphanumerical, alphameric, alphamerical [ PJC ]

n. 1. a character set that includes letters and digits and punctuation marks. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. (Photog.) A sensitized paper for obtaining positives by artificial light. It is coated with gelatin containing silver bromide and chloride. [ Eng. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Physics & Chem.) a particle emitted at high velocity from certain radioactive substances. It is identical to the helium nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Rays of such particles are called alpha rays. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

. (Physics & Chem.) Rays of relatively low penetrating power emitted by radium and other radioactive substances, and shown to consist of positively charged alpha particles (helium nuclei) having enormous velocities but small masses. They are slightly deflected by a strong magnetic or electric field. Compare beta ray and gamma ray. Because the rays penetrate only a small distance in dense matter such as living tissue, small pellets of radioactive substances emitting alpha rays have been used to cause local destruction of tissue, as in cancer therapy. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; barley meal + -mancy: cf. F. alphitomancie. ] Divination by means of barley meal. Knowles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Alpha- + -ol as in alcohol. ] (Pharm.) A crystalline derivative of salicylic acid, used as an antiseptic and antirheumatic. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. Of or relating to Alphonso X., the Wise, King of Castile (1252-1284). [ 1913 Webster ]

Alphonsine tables, astronomical tables prepared under the patronage of Alphonso the Wise. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, n. [ G. Alpenhorn. ] A curved wooden horn about three feet long, with a cupped mouthpiece and a bell, used by the Swiss to sound the ranz des vaches and other melodies. Its notes are open harmonics of the tube. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ } n. [ F.: cf. Sp. & Pg. alpiste. ] The seed of canary grass (Phalaris Canariensis), used for feeding cage birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Alpes Alps + -gen. ] Growing in Alpine regions. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Alpinus, fr. Alpes the Alps: cf. F. Alpin. ] 1. Of or pertaining to the Alps, or to any lofty mountain; as, Alpine snows; Alpine plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Like the Alps; lofty. “Gazing up an Alpine height.” Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of perennial rhizomatous herbs of Asia and Australia and Polynesia having ginger-scented rhizomes.
Syn. -- genus Alpinia, genus Zerumbet, genus Languas. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A climber of the Alps. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. auris ear + scalpere to scrape. ] An earpick. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the southern tip of Spain; associated with Britain.
Syn. -- Gibraltar, Rock of Gibraltar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From the language of the Indians of Carolina, where Catesby discovered this tree in the year 1726. ] (Bot.) A genus of American and East Indian trees, of which the best known species are the Catalpa bignonioides, a large, ornamental North American tree, with spotted white flowers and long cylindrical pods, and the Catalpa speciosa, of the Mississipi valley; -- called also Indian bean. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Cisalpinus; cis on this side + Alpinus Alpine. ] On the hither side of the Alps with reference to Rome, that is, on the south side of the Alps; -- opposed to transalpine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A pit where coal is dug. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A place where charcoal is made. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. dens tooth + scalpere to scrape. ] An instrument for scraping the teeth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Thermodynamics)A thermodynamic quantity equal to the internal energy of a system plus the product of its volume and pressure; “enthalpy is the amount of energy in a system capable of doing mechanical work”). [ WordNet 2.1 ]

v. i. To gape, ; to yawn. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Sport) One of two posts supporting a crossbar which forms a goal{ 3 }, especially in American football; also, in football the entire structure consisting of the posts, crossbar, and two uprights. To score a goal by kicking the football, the ball must pass above the crossbar and between the vertical lines formed by the uprights. [ PJC ]

imp. of Help. Helped. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Arch.) See Haut pas. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. impalpabilité. ] The quality of being impalpable. Jortin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. im- not + palpable: cf. F. impalpable. ] 1. Not palpable; that cannot be felt; extremely fine, so that no grit can be perceived by touch. “Impalpable powder.” Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not material; intangible; incorporeal. “Impalpable, void, and bodiless.” Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not apprehensible, or readily apprehensible, by the mind; unreal; as, impalpable distinctions. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an impalpable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Skr. ] (Hind. Myth.) One of the Brahmanic eons, a period of 4, 320, 000, 000 years. At the end of each Kalpa the world is annihilated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A labial palp. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n.; pl. Labipalpi [ NL. See Labium, and Palpus. ] (Zool.) One of the labial palpi of an insect. See Illust. under Labium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. longipalpe, fr. L. longus long + F. palpe a feeler, a palp. ] (Zool.) One of a tribe of beetles, having long maxillary palpi. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Sp. mal, malo, bad, and país country. ] (Geol.) The rough surface of a congealed lava stream. [ Southwestern U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ NL. See Malpighian. ] (Bot.) A genus of tropical American shrubs with opposite leaves and small white or reddish flowers. The drupes of Malpighia glabra (formerly Malpighia urens) are eaten under the name of Barbadoes cherries. [ 1913 Webster ]