adv. [ Pref. a- + loft, which properly meant air. See Loft. ] 1. On high; in the air; high above the ground. “He steers his flight aloft.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) In the top; at the mast head, or on the higher yards or rigging; overhead; hence (Fig. and Colloq.), in or to heaven. [ 1913 Webster ]

prep. Above; on top of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Fresh waters run aloft the sea. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ Prop., a loft where cocks roost. ] An upper loft; a garret; the highest room in a building. Dryden. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A loft for corn; a granary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. croft; akin to D. kroft hillock; cf. Gael. croit hump, croft. ] A small, inclosed field, adjoining a house; a small farm. [ 1913 Webster ]

A few small crofts of stone-encumbered ground. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who rents and tills a small farm or holding; as, the crofters of Scotland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Croftland. [ Scot. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Textile Manuf.) Exposing linen to the sun, on the grass, in the process of bleaching. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Land of superior quality, on which successive crops are raised. [ Scot. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ After Sir Walter Crofton, Irish penologist. ] (Penology) A system of prison discipline employing for consecutive periods cellular confinement, associated imprisonment under the mark system, restraint intermediate between imprisonment and freedom, and liberation on ticket of leave. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A loft or scaffold for hay. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ Hind. koft garï goldbeating. fr. Per. koft beating + garï trade. ] Ornamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold, -- a variety of damascening much used in the arts of India. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Lofted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lofting. ] To raise aloft; to send into the air; esp. (Golf), to strike (the ball) so that it will go over an obstacle. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Icel. lopt air, heaven, loft, upper room; akin to AS. lyft air, G. luft, Dan. loft loft, Goth. luftus air. Cf. Lift, v. & n. ] 1. That which is lifted up; an elevation. Hence, especially: (a) The room or space under a roof and above the ceiling of the uppermost story. (b) A gallery or raised apartment in a church, hall, etc.; as, an organ loft. (c) A floor or room placed above another; a story. especially, an upper story located in a building with a business below, often having no partitions, and in cities sometimes converted into living quarters, or used as studios for artists. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Eutychus . . . fell down from the third loft. Acts xx. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Golf) Pitch or slope of the face of a club (tending to drive the ball upward). [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

On loft, aloft; on high. Cf. Onloft. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Lofty; proud. [ R. & Obs. ] Surrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make or furnish with a loft; to cause to have loft; as, a lofted house; a lofted golf-club head. [ 1913 Webster ]

A wooden club with a lofted face. Encyc. of Sport. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Golf) An iron club with a sloped face, used in lofting the ball; -- called also lofting iron. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. [ From Lofty. ] In a lofty manner or position; haughtily. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being lofty. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Golf) Same as Lofter. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Compar. Loftier superl. Loftiest. ] [ From Loft. ] 1. Lifted high up; having great height; towering; high. [ 1913 Webster ]

See lofty Lebanon his head advance. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: Elevated in character, rank, dignity, spirit, bearing, language, etc.; exalted; noble; stately; characterized by pride; haughty. [ 1913 Webster ]

The high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity. Is. lvii. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lofty and sour to them that loved him not. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme. Milton.

Syn. -- Tall; high; exalted; dignified; stately; majestic; sublime; proud; haughty. See Tall. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ AS. oft; akin to OS. & G. oft, OHG. ofto, Sw. ofta, Dan. ofte, Icel. opt, Goth. ufta; of uncertain origin. Cf. Often. ] Often; frequently; not rarely; many times. [ Poetic ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Oft she rejects, but never once offends. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Frequent; often; repeated. [ Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Compar. Oftener superl. Oftenest. ] [ Formerly also ofte, fr. oft. See Oft., adv. ] Frequently; many times; not seldom. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Frequent; common; repeated. [ R. ] “Thine often infirmities.” 1 Tim. v. 23. [ 1913 Webster ]

And weary thee with often welcomes. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Frequency. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Often + sith time. ] Frequently; often. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

For whom I sighed have so oftensith. Gascoigne. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Often + tide time. ] Frequently; often. [ Obs. ] Robert of Brunne. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Often + time. Cf. -wards. ] Frequently; often; many times. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Compar. of Oft. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Oft + time. Cf. -wards. ] Frequently; often. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Aloft; above ground. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

She kept her father's life onloft. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The beam in the angle of a roof; hence, the roof itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now for me the woods may wither, now for me the rooftree fall. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Softer superl. Softest. ] [ OE. softe, AS. sōfte, properly adv. of sēfte, adj.; akin to OS. sāfto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G. sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin. ] 1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also, malleable; -- opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth; delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin. [ 1913 Webster ]

They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. Matt. xi. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. “The soft, delicious air.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent contrast; as, soft hues or tints. [ 1913 Webster ]

The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . . . made the softest lights imaginable. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft were my numbers; who could take offense? Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible; gentle; kind. [ 1913 Webster ]

I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes. [ 1913 Webster ]

A soft answer turneth away wrath. Prov. xv. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

A face with gladness overspread,
Soft smiles, by human kindness bred. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Gentle in action or motion; easy. [ 1913 Webster ]

On her soft axle, white she paces even,
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Weak in character; impressible. [ 1913 Webster ]

The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad. Burton. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing. [ 1913 Webster ]

15. (Phonetics) (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard. (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as distinguished from the surd, and considered as involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v, etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft clam (Zool.), the common or long clam (Mya arenaria). See Mya. --
Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or hard, coal. --
Soft crab (Zool.), any crab which has recently shed its shell. --
Soft dorsal (Zool.), the posterior part of the dorsal fin of fishes when supported by soft rays. --
Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass. --
Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or hard money. [ Colloq. U.S. ] --
Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media. --
Soft palate. See the Note under Palate. --
Soft ray (Zool.), a fin ray which is articulated and usually branched. --
Soft soap. See under Soap. --
Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from hard-tack, or ship bread. --
Soft tortoise (Zool.), any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx. See Trionyx. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [ Colloq. ] G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

A knight soft riding toward them. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft, you; a word or two before you go. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Corruption of Per. sōkhtah one who burns, is ardent or zealous. ] Any one attached to a Mohammedan mosque, esp. a student of the higher branches of theology in a mosque school. [ Written also sophta. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Softened p. pr. & vb. n. Softening. ] To make soft or more soft. Specifically: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) To render less hard; -- said of matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their arrow's point they soften in the flame. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

(b) To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Diffidence conciliates the proud, and softens the severe. Rambler. [ 1913 Webster ]

(c) To palliate; to represent as less enormous; as, to soften a fault. [ 1913 Webster ]

(d) To compose; to mitigate; to assuage. [ 1913 Webster ]

Music can soften pain to ease. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

(e) To make calm and placid. [ 1913 Webster ]

All that cheers or softens life. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

(f) To make less harsh, less rude, less offensive, or less violent, or to render of an opposite quality. [ 1913 Webster ]

He bore his great commision in his look,
But tempered awe, and softened all he spoke. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

(g) To make less glaring; to tone down; as, to soften the coloring of a picture. [ 1913 Webster ]

(h) To make tender; to make effeminate; to enervate; as, troops softened by luxury. [ 1913 Webster ]

(i) To make less harsh or grating, or of a quality the opposite; as, to soften the voice. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become soft or softened, or less rude, harsh, severe, or obdurate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, softens. [ Written also, less properly, softner. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Soften, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

Softening of the brain, or
Cerebral softening (Med.), a localized softening of the brain substance, due to hemorrhage or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their color and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red, yellow, and white, softening. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having the fin rays cartilaginous or flexible; without spines; -- said of certain fishes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Weak in intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having softness or tenderness of heart; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection; gentle; meek. -- Soft"-heart`ed*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

a. Somewhat soft. De Witt Clinton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A soft, effeminate person; a voluptuary. [ R. ] Bp. Woolton. . [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a soft manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Softener. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. s&unr_;ftness, s&unr_;ftnyss. ] The quality or state of being soft; -- opposed to hardness, and used in the various specific senses of the adjective. [ 1913 Webster ]

} a. Having a soft or fragile shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft-shell clam (Zool.), the long clam. See Mya. --
Soft-shelled crab. (Zool.) See the Note under Crab, 1. --
Soft-shelled turtle. (Zool.) Same as Soft tortoise, under Soft. [ 1913 Webster ]