n. [ Cf. F. ajustement. See Adjust. ] 1. The act of adjusting, or condition of being adjusted; act of bringing into proper relations; regulation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Success depends on the nicest and minutest adjustment of the parts concerned. Paley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Settlement of claims; an equitable arrangement of conflicting claims, as in set-off, contribution, exoneration, subrogation, and marshaling. Bispham. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The operation of bringing all the parts of an instrument, as a microscope or telescope, into their proper relative position for use; the condition of being thus adjusted; as, to get a good adjustment; to be in or out of adjustment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Suiting; fitting; arrangement; regulation; settlement; adaptation; disposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. agistement. See Agist. ] (Law) (a) Formerly, the taking and feeding of other men's cattle in the king's forests. (b) The taking in by any one of other men's cattle to graze at a certain rate. Mozley & W. (c) The price paid for such feeding. (d) A charge or rate against lands; as, an agistment of sea banks, i. e., charge for banks or dikes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. arrestement. ] 1. (Scots Law) The arrest of a person, or the seizure of his effects; esp., a process by which money or movables in the possession of a third party are attached. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A stoppage or check. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of intrusting, or the thing intrusted. [ Obs. ] Chipman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A sudden stroke or injury produced by some destructive cause. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Christ + mass. ] An annual church festival (December 25) and in some States a legal holiday, in memory of the birth of Christ, often celebrated by a particular church service, and also by special gifts, greetings, and hospitality. [ 1913 Webster ]

Christmas box. (a) A box in which presents are deposited at Christmas. (b) A present or small gratuity given to young people and servants at Christmas; a Christmas gift. --
Christmas carol, a carol sung at, or suitable for, Christmas. --
Christmas day. Same as Christmas. --
Christmas eve, the evening before Christmas. --
Christmas fern (Bot.), an evergreen North American fern (Aspidium acrostichoides), which is much used for decoration in winter. --
Christmas flower,
Christmas rose, the black hellebore, a poisonous plant of the buttercup family, which in Southern Europe often produces beautiful roselike flowers midwinter. --
Christmas tree, a small evergreen tree, set up indoors, to be decorated with bonbons, presents, etc., and illuminated on Christmas eve. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a spiny evergreen shrub of southeastern U. S. (Lycium carolinianum) having spreading branches with usually blue or mauve flowers and red berries.
Syn. -- Christmas berry, Lycium carolinianum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. an ornamental evergreen treelike shrub of US Pacific coast (Photinia arbutifolia) having large white flowers and red berrylike fruits; often placed in genus Photinia.
Syn. -- toyon, tollon, Christmas berry, Heteromeles arbutifolia, Photinia arbutifolia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Christmas + tide time. ] The season of Christmas. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Mutual adjustment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. costum an Oriental aromatic plant (Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, cf. Ar. kost, kust) + Maria Mary. Cf. Alecost. ] (Bot.) A garden plant (Chrysanthemum Balsamita) having a strong balsamic smell, and nearly allied to tansy. It is used as a pot herb and salad plant and in flavoring ale and beer. Called also alecost. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of dismasting; the state of being dismasted. [ R. ] Marshall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of divesting. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. dustmen One whose employment is to remove dirt and refuse; a garbage man. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a dry mop for dusting floors.
Syn. -- dust mop, dry mop. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. That which is formed as a crust; incrustment; incrustation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Disengaging truth from its encrustment of error. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Biol.) A process which, among some of the lower forms of life, precedes reproduction by budding, fission, spore formation, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The animal (a) first contracts its body to a globular mass (b) and then secretes a transparent cyst (c), after which the mass divides into two or more parts (as in d e), each of which attains freedom by the bursting of the cyst, and becomes an individual animal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zoöl.) A process by which many internal parasites, esp. in their larval states, become inclosed within a cyst in the muscles, liver, etc. See Trichina. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or enlisting, or the state of being enlisted; voluntary enrollment to serve as a soldier or a sailor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The writing by which an enlisted man is bound. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Exhaustion; drain. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A mill for grinding grain; especially, a mill for grinding grists, or portions of grain brought by different customers; a custom mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Harvestmen 1. A man engaged in harvesting. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) See Daddy longlegs, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Incrustation. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of investing, or the state of being invested. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That with which anyone is invested; a vestment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose white investments figure innocence. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) The act of surrounding, blocking up, or besieging by an armed force, or the state of being so surrounded. [ 1913 Webster ]

The capitulation was signed by the commander of the fort within six days after its investments. Marshall. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The laying out of money in the purchase of some species of property; also, the amount of money invested, or that in which money is invested. [ 1913 Webster ]

Before the investment could be made, a change of the market might render it ineligible. A. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

An investment in ink, paper, and steel pens. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Mal- + adjustment. ] A bad adjustment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Wrong adjustment; unsuitable arrangement. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The popular name for a poem by Clement Clarke Moore titled A Visit from St. Nicholas, a popular poem with the theme of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) coming to bring gifts to children on Christmans eve. [ PJC ]

☞ The full text of the poem follows: T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads;
And Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer!, Now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!, On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!!” As the dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas, too. And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but went staight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk,
And laying a finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” [ PJC ]

n. pl.; sing. Ostman. [ See East, and Man. ] East men; Danish settlers in Ireland, formerly so called. Lyttelton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Postmen 1. A post or courier; a letter carrier. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eng. Law) One of the two most experienced barristers in the Court of Exchequer, who have precedence in motions; -- so called from the place where he sits. The other of the two is called the tubman. Whishaw. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The mark, or stamp, of a post office on a letter, giving the place and date of mailing or of arrival. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Postmarked p. pr. & vb. n. Postmarking. ] To mark with a post-office stamp; as, to postmark a letter or parcel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who has charge of a station for the accommodation of travelers; one who supplies post horses. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who has charge of a post office, and the distribution and forwarding of mails. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Postmasters-general. The chief officer of the post-office department of a government. In the United States the postmaster-general is a member of the cabinet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office of postmaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. postmeridianus; post after + meridianus. See Meridian. ] 1. Coming after the sun has passed the meridian; being in, or belonging to, the afternoon. (Abbrev. P. M.) [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig., belonging to the after portion of life; late. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Previous adjustment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Questmen One legally empowered to make quest of certain matters, esp. of abuses of weights and measures. Specifically: (a) A churchwarden's assistant; a sidesman. Blount. [ Obs. ] (b) A collector of parish rents. Blount. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who lays informations, and encourages petty lawsuits. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A second adjustment; a new or different adjustment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A renewed enlistment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of investing anew; a second or repeated investment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Suggestion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They fancy that every thought must needs have an immediate outward suggestment. Hare. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person who presides at a public dinner or banquet, and announces the toasts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. vestement, vestiment, OF. vestement, vestiment, F. vêtement, fr. L. vestimentum, fr. vestire to clothe, fr. vestis a garment, clothing. See Vest. ] A covering or garment; some part of clothing or dress; specifically (Eccl.), any priestly garment. “Royal vestiment.” Chaucer. “Priests in holy vestments.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The sculptor could not give vestments suitable to the quality of the persons represented. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

See under Assembly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Lying farthest to the west; westernmost. [ 1913 Webster ]