n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] (Astron.) A constellation of the northern hemisphere, situated between Cepheus and Perseus; -- so called in honor of the wife of Cepheus, a fabulous king of Ethiopia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cassiopeia's Chair, a group of six stars, in Cassiopeia, somewhat resembling a chair. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of numerous soft-finned schooling food fishes of the family Clupeidae, inhabiting the shallow waters of northern seas. The group includes the herrings, menhaden, sardines, and shad.
Syn. -- herring, clupeid fish. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a natural family of teleostean marine fishes which includes the herrings, shad, sardines, menhaden, and others.
Syn. -- family Clupeidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. clupeus shield + -form. ] Shield-shaped; clypeate. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } v. i. See Compear. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Depaint. ] To paint. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. ] (Zoöl.) A genus of spiders, including the common garden spider (E. diadema). They spin geometrical webs. See Garden spider. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Named after Professor Hope, of Edinburgh. ] (Min.) A hydrous phosphate of zinc in transparent prismatic crystals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, voice + e'i^dos form + -scope. ] (Physics) An instrument, consisting of a tube having one end open and the other end covered with a thin flexible membrance to the center of which is attached a small mirror. It is used for exhibiting upon a screen, by means of rays reflected from the mirror, the vibratory motions caused by sounds produced at the open end of the tube, as by speaking or singing into it. A. E. Dolbear. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the otoscope or to otoscopy. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., fr. peigner to comb, L. pectinare. See Pectinate. ] A woman's loose dressing sack; hence, a loose morning gown or wrapper. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. See Peen. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. pei^ra a trial + -meter. ] A dynamometer for measuring the force required to draw wheel carriages on roads of different constructions. G. Francis. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. peirastiko`s, fr. peira^n to try, fr. pei^ra a trial. ] Fitted for trial or test; experimental; tentative; treating of attempts. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To poise or weigh. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lest leaden slumber peise me down. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Poise. ] A weight; a poise. [ Obs. ] “To weigh pence with a peise.” Piers Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Anc. Armor) See Peytrel. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Pompeianus. ] Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, Pompeii, an ancient city of Italy, buried by an eruption of Vesuvius in 79 a. d., and partly uncovered by modern excavations. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Art) A brownish red approaching maroon, supposed to be imitated from the color of the wall panels of houses in Pompeii, which were decorated during the last age of the Republic. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ G. specht, probably akin to L. picus: cf. D. specht. √169. See Pie a magpie. ] (Zool.) A woodpecker; -- called also specht, spekt, spight. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To ask. See Spere. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G. ] Smaltite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. G. speise food, mixed metal for bells, etc. ] 1. (Metal.) A regulus consisting essentially of nickel, obtained as a residue in fusing cobalt and nickel ores with silica and sodium carbonate to make smalt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Metal.) Impure metallic arsenides, principally of iron, produced in copper and lead smelting. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ L. Tarpeius, prop., pertaining to Tarpeia. ] Pertaining to or designating a rock or peak of the Capitoline hill, Rome, from which condemned criminals were hurled. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Chem.) Any one of a series of artificial ethereal salts derived from the alkaloidal base tropine. [ 1913 Webster ]