[ See Exodus vii. 9 and Numbers xvii. 8 ] 1. (Arch.) A rod with one serpent twined around it, thus differing from the caduceus of Mercury, which has two. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A plant with a tall flowering stem; esp. the great mullein, or hag-taper, and the golden-rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) A North American herb (Heuchera Americana) of the Saxifrage family, whose root has astringent properties. [ 1913 Webster ]

A room formerly in the Czar's Summer Palace in Russia, which was richly decorated with walls and fixtures made from amber. The amber was removed by occupying German troops during the Second World War and has, as of 1997, never been recovered. The room is being recreated from old photographs by Russian artisans. [ PJC ]

(Mining) The solid rock underlying superficial formations. Also Fig. [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) the usher to the Chapter of the Garter, so called from the black rod which he carries. He is of the king's chamber, and also usher to the House of Lords. [ Eng. ] (b) An usher in the legislature of British colonies. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Committed to the custody of the Black Rod. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ It., prop. “good stuff.” ] A showy wanton; a courtesan. Shak [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ F. ] The red cap adopted by the extremists in the French Revolution, which became a sign of patriotism at that epoch; hence, a revolutionist; a Red Republican. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

[ Written also cainca root. ] [ See Cahincic. ] (Bot.) The root of an American shrub (Chiococca racemosa), found as far north as Florida Keys, from which cahincic acid is obtained; also, the root of the South American Chiococca anguifuga, a celebrated antidote for snake poison. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

[ Tamil shāya. ] The root of the Oldenlandia umbellata, native in India, which yieds a durable red dyestuff. [ Written also choy root. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

See Chay root. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a bird of the Andes (Rupicola peruviana) similar to Rupicola rupicola.
Syn. -- Rupicola peruviana. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. tropical bird of Northern South America (Rupicola rupicola), the male having brilliant red or orange plumage and an erectile disklike crest.
Syn. -- cock of the rock, Rupicola rupicola. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a room, usually at a school or university, set aside for the common use of everyone. It usually has comfortable chairs for reading or conversation, and some provision for obtaining refreshments.
Syn. -- . [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

See congreve and cf. Rocket. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. a North American herb (Dentaria diphylla) with pungent scaly or toothed roots; -- called also toothwort.
Syn. -- pepper root, toothwort, Cardamine diphylla, Dentaria diphylla. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ or . [ So called after a Dr. Culver, who used it. ] (Bot.) The root of a handsome erect herb (Leptandra Virginica syn. Veronica Virginica) common in most moist woods of North America , used as an active cathartic and emetic; also, the plant itself. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

A roof having a double slope, or composed, on each side, of two parts which have unequal inclination; a gambrel roof. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a room used for dining. In a residence, it usually contains a dining table and some furniture, such as a buffet or sideboard, for storing tableware and dining utensils. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ or }. (Aëronautics) A guide rope. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖ [ F. ] On the way or road. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a recreation room for noisy activities (parties or children's play etc) or for table games.
Syn. -- rumpus room, playroom, game room. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. See Gauge rod, under Gauge, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or }. (Finance) Certain railroads whose traffic largely consists in carrying the produce of farmers or grangers; -- specifically applied to the Chicago & Alton; Chicago, Burlington & Quincey; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; and Chicago & Northwestern, railroads. [ U. S., obsolescent ]. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

(Naut.) A guess warp. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Naut.) The line by which a boat makes fast to the swinging boom. Ham. Nav. Encyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Aëronautics) A rope hung from a balloon or dirigible so as trail along the ground for about half its length, used to preserve altitude automatically, by variation of the length dragging on the ground, without loss of ballast or gas. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The most ethical and honest method; -- used mostly in the phrase to take the high road (as in an election campaign). Contrasted with low road. [ PJC ]

n. 1. Robbery committed on the public roads. [ PJC ]

2. An excessively high price or fee; -- used especially in situations where the buyer has little or no choice but to buy the item offered. [ PJC ]

[ Cf. Gin an engine, Ginnycarriage. ] (Mining) An inclined road in a coal mine, on which loaded cars descend by gravity, drawing up empty ones. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The larva of any tortricid moth which makes a nest by rolling up the leaves of plants and tying the leaves with spun silk; aalso, the moth itself. See Tortrix. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

. A room in a house used by all or most of the family, where the family entertain guests or relax together for leisure activities. It usually contains at least one couch, and does not contain a dining table. [ PJC ]

pos>n. pl. (Geol.) The sparingly fossiliferous conglomerates, grits, schists, and slates of Great Britain, which lie at the base of the Cambrian system; -- so called, because typically developed in the Longmynd Hills, Shropshire. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ See Macadamize. ] A macadamized road. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A major road for any form of motor transport.
Syn. -- highway. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Aviation) The assembly of large rotating airfoils (blades) on a helicopter that produce the lift to support the helicopter in the air. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic; as a substance it is also called mandrake. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ So called from its inventor, François Mansard, or Mansart, a distinguished French architect, who died in 1666. ] (Arch.) A hipped curb roof; that is, a roof having on all sides two slopes, the lower one being steeper than the upper one. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A Japanese evergreen rose (Rosa wichuraiana) with creeping branches, shining leaves, and single white flowers. It is often planted in cemeteries. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ . A set of rods, made of bone or other material, each divided into nine spaces, and containing the numbers of a column of the multiplication table; -- a contrivance of Baron Napier, the inventor of logarithms, for facilitating the operations of multiplication and division. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A tall herb (Caulophyllum thalictroides) of eastern North America and Asia having blue berrylike fruit and a thick knotty rootstock formerly used medicinally; the Cohosh. See also Cohosh.
Syn. -- blue cohosh, blueberry root, papoose root, squawroot, squaw root, Caulophyllum thalictrioides, Caulophyllum thalictroides. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ etc. } 1. (Mining) Earth, rock, etc., which yields a profit to the miner. [ Western U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. a discovery, especially after an exploratory process, which yields a profit or sought-after benefit; -- used especially in the phrase “to hit pay dirt”. [ PJC ]

[ Provence the place + rose. ] (a) The cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia). (b) A name of many kinds of roses which are hybrids of Rosa centifolia and Rosa Gallica. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Arch.) An ovolo. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ For ragman roll a long list of names, the devil's roll or list; where ragman is of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. ragmenni a craven person, Sw. raggen the devil. Icel. ragmenni is fr. ragr cowardly (another form of argr, akin to AS. earg cowardly, vile, G. arg bad) + menni (in comp.) man, akin to E. man. See Roll, and cf. Rigmarole. ] The rolls of deeds on parchment in which the Scottish nobility and gentry subscribed allegiance to Edward I. of England, A. D. 1296. [ Also written ragman-roll. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Also . ] [ D. rolletje a little roll. ] A kind of sausage, made in a bag of tripe, sliced and fried, famous among the Dutch of New Amsterdam and still known, esp. in New Jersey. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. Any series or sequence of actions. [ PJC ]

2. A document circulated from one person to another in a group, often with comments added by each recipient. [ PJC ]

3. A petition or similar document, in which the signatures are arranged in circular form in order to conceal the order of signing. [ PJC ]

4. (Sports) A tournament in which each contestant plays against every other contestant at least once; a failure to win any contest does not result in elimination from the tournament. Contrasted with elimination tournament [ PJC ]

(a) An act of bravado played by loading one bullet into one chamber of a revolver in which the cylinder has five or six positions, spinning the cylinder (thus moving the bullet randomly to one of the six positions of the cylinder), pointing the gun to one's head, and pulling the trigger. If the bullet is in firing position, the "player" is usually killed. Such a "game" may be played on a dare, or, in some places, as part of a gamble. (b) (Fig.) Any dangerous act resembling Russian roulette in the acceptance of a high risk of serious negative consequences, usually unnecessarily. “The congress is playing Russian roulette with the economy by enacting such large tax reductions without spending cuts.” [ PJC ]

A pirate; a sea rover. [ 1913 Webster ]

See under Robin, and Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) See under Rocket. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Naut.) Room or space at sea for a vessel to maneuver, drive, or scud, without peril of running ashore or aground. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]