n. 1. A period of immeasurable duration. See Eon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gnosticism) a divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe.
Syn. -- eon [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. the longest division of geological time; two or more eras.
Syn. -- eon [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. [ L. aeon, fr. Gr. a'iwn space or period of time, lifetime, age; akin to L. aevum. See Age. ] 1. An immeasurable or infinite space of time; eternity; a long space of time; an age. [ 1913 Webster ]

The eons of geological time. Huxley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gnostic Philos.) One of the embodiments of the divine attributes of the Eternal Being. [ 1913 Webster ]

Among the higher æons are Mind, Reason, Power, Truth, and Life. Am. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Eons were considered to be emanations sent forth by God from the depths of His grand solitude to fulfill various functions in the material and spiritual universe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;. ] Eternal; everlasting; lasting for an indefinitely long time; immortal; not subject to death. Opposite of mortal. “Æonian hills.” Tennyson.
Syn. -- eonian [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

2. of or pertaining to an eon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. Anacreonticus. ] Pertaining to, after the manner of, or in the meter of, the Greek poet Anacreon; amatory and convivial. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A poem after the manner of Anacreon; a sprightly little poem in praise of love and wine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] A cement or distemper paste (as of plaster and powdered freestone, or of sawdust and glue or lime) used by sculptors, builders, and workers in wood or stone, to fill holes, cover defects, finish a surface, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. Ir. blocan a little block, Gael. plocan a mallet, W. plocyn, dim. of ploc block; or perh. connected with E. blow a stroke. Cf. Block, Blow a stroke. ] A short stick, with one end loaded, or thicker and heavier that the other, used as an offensive weapon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ OE. burjoun a bud, burjounen to bud, F. bourgeon a bud, bourgeonner to bud; cf. OHG. burjan to raise. ] To sprout; to put forth buds; to shoot forth, as a branch. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gayly to bourgeon and broadly to grow. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To bud. See Bourgeon. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. relating to or resembling a hawk of the genus Buteo. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. any hawk of the genus Buteo. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. See Chaceleon. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astronomy) a small constellation in the southern skies between Hydrus and Musca.
Syn. -- Chameleon. [ PJC ]

n. [ L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile`wn, lit., “ground lion;” chamai` on the ground + le`wn lion. ] (Zool.) a lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color and having a projectile tongue.
Syn. -- chameleon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a natural family comprising the Old World chameleons; in some classifications Rhiptoglossa is considered a superfamily of Sauria.
Syn. -- family Chamaeleontidae, family Chamaeleonidae, Rhiptoglossa, family Rhiptoglossa. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile`wn, lit., “ground lion;” chamai` on the ground + le`wn lion. See Humble, and Lion. ] (Zool.) 1. A lizardlike reptile of the genus Chamæleo, of several species, found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The skin is covered with fine granulations; it has eyes which can move separately, the tail is prehensile, and the body is much compressed laterally, giving it a high back. It is remarkable for its ability to change the color of its skin to blend with its surroundings. [ Also sometimes spelled chamaeleon. ] [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ Its color changes more or less with the color of the objects about it, or with its temper when disturbed. In a cool, dark place it is nearly white, or grayish; on admitting the light, it changes to brown, bottle-green, or blood red, of various shades, and more or less mottled in arrangment. The American chameleons belong to Anolis and allied genera of the family Iguanidæ. They are more slender in form than the true chameleons, but have the same power of changing their colors. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. a person who changes opinions, ideas, or behavior to suit the prevailing social climate; an opportunist. [ PJC ]

Chameleon mineral (Chem.), the compound called potassium permanganate, a dark violet, crystalline substance, KMnO4, which in formation passes through a peculiar succession of color from green to blue, purple, red, etc. See Potassium permanganate, under Potassium. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To change into various colors. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. chirurgien, from chirurgie surgery, fr. Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; working or operating with the hand; chei`r hand + &unr_; work. Cf. Surgeon, Work. ] A surgeon. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Surgically. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., dim. of clerc. See Clerk. ] A chorister boy. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. cornmudgin, where -mudgin is prob. from OF. muchier, mucier, F. musser to hide; of uncertain origin; cf. OE. muchares skulking thieves, E. miche, micher. ] An avaricious, grasping fellow; a miser; a niggard; a churl. [ 1913 Webster ]

A gray-headed curmudgeon of a negro. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like a curmudgeon; niggardly; churlish; as, a curmudgeonly fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. deoneratus, p. p. of deonerare. See Onerate. ] To unload; to disburden. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to deontology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One versed in deontology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; gen. &unr_;, necessity, obligation (p. neut. of &unr_; it is necessary) + -logy. ] The science which relates to duty or moral obligation. J. Bentham. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To strip of burgeons or buds; to disbud. [ R. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The root of the box tree, of which hafts for daggers were made. Gerarde (1597). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The haft of a dagger. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A dudgeon-hafted dagger; a dagger. Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ W. dygen anger, grudge. ] Resentment; ill will; anger; displeasure. [ 1913 Webster ]

I drink it to thee in dudgeon and hostility. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sir T. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Homely; rude; coarse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

By my troth, though I am plain and dudgeon,
I would not be an ass. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To shut up in a dungeon. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. donjoun highest tower of a castle, tower, prison, F. donjon tower or platform in the midst of a castle, turret, or closet on the top of a house, a keep of a castle, LL. domnio, the same word as LL. dominus lord. See Dame, Don, and cf. Dominion, Domain, Demesne, Danger, Donjon. ] A close, dark prison, commonly, under ground, as if the lower apartments of the donjon or keep of a castle, these being used as prisons. [ 1913 Webster ]

Down with him even into the deep dungeon. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

Year after year he lay patiently in a dungeon. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Escutcheon. [ Obs. ]

n. [ OF. escusson, F. écusson, from OF. escu shield, F. écu. See Esquire, Scutcheon. ] 1. (Her.) The surface, usually a shield, upon which bearings are marshaled and displayed. The surface of the escutcheon is called the field, the upper part is called the chief, and the lower part the base (see Chiff, and Field.). That side of the escutcheon which is on the right hand of the knight who bears the shield on his arm is called dexter, and the other side sinister. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The two sides of an escutcheon are respectively designated as dexter and sinister, as in the cut, and the different parts or points by the following names: A, Dexter chief point; B, Middle chief point; C, Sinister chief point; D, Honor or color point; E, Fesse or heart point; F, Nombrill or navel point; G, Dexter base point; H, Middle base point; I, base point. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A marking upon the back of a cow's udder and the space above it (the perineum), formed by the hair growing upward or outward instead of downward. It is esteemed an index of milking qualities. C. L. Flint. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) That part of a vessel's stern on which her name is written. R. H. Dane, Jr. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Carp.) A thin metal plate or shield to protect wood, or for ornament, as the shield around a keyhole. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zoöl.) The depression behind the beak of certain bivalves; the ligamental area. [ 1913 Webster ]

Escutcheon of pretense, an escutcheon used in English heraldry to display the arms of the bearer's wife; -- not commonly used unless she an heiress. Cf. Impalement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having an escutcheon; furnished with a coat of arms or ensign. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. galeon, cf. F. galion; fr. LL. galeo, galio. See Galley. ] (Naut.) A sailing vessel of the 15th and following centuries, often having three or four decks, and used for war or commerce. The term is often rather indiscriminately applied to any large sailing vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

The galleons . . . were huge, round-stemmed, clumsy vessels, with bulwarks three or four feet thick, and built up at stem and stern, like castles. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) Same as Gudgeon, 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gojon, F. goujon, from L. gobio, or gobius, Gr. kwbio`s Cf. 1st Goby. ] 1. (Zool.) A small European freshwater fish (Gobio fluviatilis), allied to the carp. It is easily caught and often used for food and for bait. In America the killifishes or minnows are often called gudgeons. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. What may be got without skill or merit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fish not, with this melancholy bait,
For this fool gudgeon, this opinion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A person easily duped or cheated. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mach.) The pin of iron fastened in the end of a wooden shaft or axle, on which it turns; formerly, any journal, or pivot, or bearing, as the pintle and eye of a hinge, but esp. the end journal of a horizontal. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Naut.) A metal eye or socket attached to the sternpost to receive the pintle of the rudder. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ball gudgeon. See under Ball. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive fraudulently; to cheat; to dupe; to impose upon. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To be gudgeoned of the opportunities which had been given you. Sir IV. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. [ Obs. ] See Grudgeons. [ 1913 Webster ]

/mhw>, n. pl. [ Prob. from P. grugir to craunch; cf. D. gruizen to crush, grind, and E. grout. ] Coarse meal. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. gyrare to revolve + E. pigeon. ] A flying object simulating a pigeon in flight, when projected from a spring trap. It is used as a flying target in shooting matches. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. haubergeon a small hauberk, dim. of OF. hauberc, F. haubert. See Hauberk. ] Properly, a short hauberk, but often used loosely for the hauberk. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Habergeon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Heracleon of Alexandria, a Judaizing Gnostic, in the early history of the Christian church. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. On or upon this; hereupon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Her.) A small escutcheon borne within a shield. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A lion. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Her.) See Lionced. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Leon, in Spain. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Leon. [ 1913 Webster ]