a. Having the appearance of bran; consisting of or containing bran. Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having crannies, chinks, or fissures; as, a crannied wall. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ From Celtic; cf. Gael. crann a tree. ] One of the stockaded islands in Scotland and Ireland which in ancient times were numerous in the lakes of both countries. They may be regarded as the very latest class of prehistoric strongholds, reaching their greatest development in early historic times, and surviving through the Middle Ages. See also Lake dwellings, under Lake. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Crannies [ F. cran notch, prob. from L. crena (a doubful word). ] 1. A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

In a firm building, the cavities ought not to be filled with rubbish, but with brick or stone fitted to the crannies. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

He peeped into every cranny. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Glass Making) A tool for forming the necks of bottles, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Crannied p. pr. & vb. n. Crannying. ] 1. To crack into, or become full of, crannies. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The ground did cranny everywhere. Golding. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To haunt, or enter by, crannies. [ 1913 Webster ]

All tenantless, save to the crannying wind. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Perh. for cranky. See Crank, a. ] Quick; giddy; thoughtless. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A grandam. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A grandmother; a grandam; familiarly, an old woman. [ 1913 Webster ]

Granny's bend, or
Granny's knot (Naut.), a kind of insecure knot or hitch; a reef knot crossed the wrong way. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A prostitute. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. araneus mus, a kind of small mouse. ] (Zool.) The erd shrew. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. Scrawny. ] Slight; thin; lean; poor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Scrannel. ] Thin; lean; meager; scrawny; scrannel. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Superannuated p. pr. & vb. n. Superannuating. ] [ Pref. super- + L. annus a year. ] 1. To impair or disquality on account of age or infirmity. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give a pension to, on account of old age or other infirmity; to cause to retire from service on a pension. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To last beyond the year; -- said of annual plants. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being superannuated, or too old for office or business; the state of being disqualified by old age; decrepitude. [ 1913 Webster ]

The world itself is in a state of superannuation. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

Slyness blinking through the watery eye of superannuation. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) A treenail. [ R. ] Moxon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A female tyrant. [ Obs. ] “That proud tyranness.” Spenser. Akenside. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. tyrannicus, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. tyrannique. See Tyrant. ] Of or pertaining to a tyrant; suiting a tyrant; unjustly severe in government; absolute; imperious; despotic; cruel; arbitrary; as, a tyrannical prince; a tyrannical master; tyrannical government. “A power tyrannical.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our sects a more tyrannic power assume. Roscommon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The oppressor ruled tyrannic where he durst. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Ty*ran"nic*al*ly, adv. -- Ty*ran"nic*al*ness, . [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to tyrannicide, or the murder of a tyrant. Booth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. tyrannicidium the killing of a tyrant, tyrannicida the killer of a tyrant; tyrannus a tyrant + caedere to kill: cf. F. tyrannicide. ] 1. The act of killing a tyrant. Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who kills a tyrant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like a tyrant; tyrannical. [ Obs. ] “The proud tyrannish Roman.” Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tyrannized p. pr. & vb. n. Tyrannizing ] [ Cf. F. tyranniser, Gr. tyranni`zein to take the part of tyrants. ] To act the tyrant; to exercise arbitrary power; to rule with unjust and oppressive severity; to exercise power over others not permitted by law or required by justice, or with a severity not necessary to the ends of justice and government; as, a prince will often tyrannize over his subjects; masters sometimes tyrannize over their servants or apprentices. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To subject to arbitrary, oppressive, or tyrannical treatment; to oppress. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tyrannical; arbitrary; unjustly severe; despotic. Sir P. Sidney. -- Tyr"an*nous*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. [ OE. tirannye, OF. tirannie, F. tyrannie; cf. It. tirannia; Gr. tyranni`a, tyranni`s, L. tyrannis. See Tyrant. ] 1. The government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government. [ 1913 Webster ]

“Sir, ” would he [ Seneca ] say, “an emperor mote need
Be virtuous and hate tyranny.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Severity; rigor; inclemency. [ 1913 Webster ]

The tyranny of the open night's too rough
For nature to endure. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. (Zool.) The common wren. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]