n. [ Cf. OF. assemblance. ] 1. Resemblance; likeness; appearance. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Care I for the . . . stature, bulk, and big assemblance of a man? Give me the spirit. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An assembling; assemblage. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To weete [ know ] the cause of their assemblance. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., white. ] 1. A white cosmetic. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A white sauce of fat, broth, and vegetables, used esp. for braised meat. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F., fr. blanc white. ] A kind of linen cloth made in Normandy, the thread of which is partly blanched before it is woven. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blanched p. pr. & vb. n. Blanching. ] [ OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F. blanchir, fr. blanc white. See Blank, a. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To take the color out of, and make white; to bleach; as, to blanch linen; age has blanched his hair. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gardening) To bleach by excluding the light, as the stalks or leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them together. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Confectionery & Cookery) (a) To make white by removing the skin of, as by scalding; as, to blanch almonds. (b) To whiten, as the surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into cold, so as to harden the surface and retain the juices. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To give a white luster to (silver, before stamping, in the process of coining.). [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of tin. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash; to palliate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things. Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To Blanch, Whiten. To whiten is the generic term, denoting, to render white; as, to whiten the walls of a room. Usually (though not of necessity) this is supposed to be done by placing some white coloring matter in or upon the surface of the object in question. To blanch is to whiten by the removal of coloring matter; as, to blanch linen. So the cheek is blanched by fear, i. e., by the withdrawal of the blood, which leaves it white. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To grow or become white; as, his cheek blanched with fear; the rose blanches in the sun. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Bones ] blanching on the grass. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Blench. ] 1. To avoid, as from fear; to evade; to leave unnoticed. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Ifs and ands to qualify the words of treason, whereby every man might express his malice and blanch his danger. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

I suppose you will not blanch Paris in your way. Reliq. Wot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause to turn aside or back; as, to blanch a deer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To use evasion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Books will speak plain, when counselors blanch. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mining) Ore, not in masses, but mixed with other minerals. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ After Thomas Blanchard, American inventor. ] (Mach.) A kind of wood-turning lathe for making noncircular and irregular forms, as felloes, gun stocks, lasts, spokes, etc., after a given pattern. The pattern and work rotate on parallel spindles in the same direction with the same speed, and the work is shaped by a rapidly rotating cutter whose position is varied by the pattern acting as a cam upon a follower wheel traversing slowly along the pattern. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who, or that which, blanches or whitens; esp., one who anneals and cleanses money; also, a chemical preparation for this purpose. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, frightens away or turns aside. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And Gynecia, a blancher, which kept the dearest deer from her. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

And so even now hath he divers blanchers belonging to the market, to let and stop the light of the gospel. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Scots Law) A mode of tenure by the payment of a small duty in white rent (silver) or otherwise. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 1st blanch + -meter. ] An instrument for measuring the bleaching power of chloride of lime and potash; a chlorometer. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. blancmanger, lit. white food; blanc white + manger to eat. ] (Cookery) A preparation for desserts, etc., made from isinglass, sea moss, cornstarch, or other gelatinous or starchy substance, with milk, usually sweetened and flavored, and shaped in a mold. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. See Blancmange. ] A sort of fricassee with white sauce, variously made of capon, fish, etc. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. blandus, of unknown origin. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Mild; soft; gentle; smooth and soothing in manner; suave; as, a bland temper; bland persuasion; a bland sycophant. “Exhilarating vapor bland.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having soft and soothing qualities; not drastic or irritating; not stimulating; as, a bland oil; a bland diet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. blanditia, blandities, fr. blandus. See Bland. ] Flattery. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. blandiloquentia; blandus mild + loqui to speak. ] Mild, flattering speech. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Fair-spoken; flattering. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Same word as Blandish. ] To blandish any one. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blandished p. pr. & vb. n. Blandishing. ] [ OE. blaundisen, F. blandir, fr. L. blandiri, fr. blandus mild, flattering. ] 1. To flatter with kind words or affectionate actions; to caress; to cajole. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make agreeable and enticing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mustering all her wiles,
With blandished parleys. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who uses blandishments. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. blandissement. ] The act of blandishing; a word or act expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart; soft words and artful caresses; cajolery; allurement. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cowering low with blandishment. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attacked by royal smiles, by female blandishments. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a bland manner; mildly; suavely. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem. blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E. blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. &unr_;98. See Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Of a white or pale color; without color. [ 1913 Webster ]

To the blank moon
Her office they prescribed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Utterly confounded or discomfited. [ 1913 Webster ]

Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank unconsciousness. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless; vacant. “Blank and horror-stricken faces.” C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness. G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed; -- called also common bar. --
Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing no ball. --
Blank deed. See Deed. --
Blank door, or
Blank window (Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window, either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of a door or window at a future time, should it be needed. --
Blank indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the name of the indorser on the back of the bill. --
Blank line (Print.), a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of quadrats. --
Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange. --
Blank tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind. --
Blank verse. See under Verse. --
Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead wall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a void. [ 1913 Webster ]

I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French legislation. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

I was ill. I can't tell how long -- it was a blank. G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated. [ 1913 Webster ]

In Fortune's lottery lies
A heap of blanks, like this, for one small prize. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank ballot; -- especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form. [ 1913 Webster ]

The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed, release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names, date, descriptions, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let me still remain
The true blank of thine eye. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Aim; shot; range. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I have stood . . . within the blank of his displeasure
For my free speech. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V., and worth about 8 pence; also, a French coin of the seventeenth century, worth about 4 pence. Nares. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Mech.) A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a further operation, as a coin, screw, nuts. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Dominoes) A piece or division of a piece, without spots; as, the “double blank”; the “six blank.” [ 1913 Webster ]

In blank, with an essential portion to be supplied by another; as, to make out a check in blank. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blanked p. pr. & vb. n. Blanking. ] [ Cf. 3d Blanch. ] 1. To make void; to annul. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To blanch; to make blank; to damp the spirits of; to dispirit or confuse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Each opposite that blanks the face of joy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. blanchet, OF. also blanket, a woolen waistcoat or shirt, the blanket of a printing press; prop. white woolen stuff, dim. of blanc white; blanquette a kind of white pear, fr. blanc white. See Blank, a. ] 1. A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually of wool, and having a nap, used in bed clothing; also, a similar fabric used as a robe; or any fabric used as a cover for a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Print.) A piece of rubber, felt, or woolen cloth, used in the tympan to make it soft and elastic. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A streak or layer of blubber in whales. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The use of blankets formerly as curtains in theaters explains the following figure of Shakespeare. Nares. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry, “Hold, hold!” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blanket sheet, a newspaper of folio size. --
A wet blanket, anything which damps, chills, dispirits, or discour&unr_;ges. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blanketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanketing. ] 1. To cover with a blanket. [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll . . . blanket my loins. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To toss in a blanket by way of punishment. [ 1913 Webster ]

We'll have our men blanket 'em i' the hall. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To take the wind out of the sails of (another vessel) by sailing to windward of her. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blanket cattle. See Belted cattle, under Belted. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Law) A clause, as in a blanket mortgage or policy, that includes a group or class of things, rather than a number mentioned individually and having the burden, loss, or the like, apportioned among them. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. Cloth for blankets. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or punishment of tossing in a blanket. [ 1913 Webster ]

That affair of the blanketing happened to thee for the fault thou wast guilty of. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or }. One that covers a group or class of things or properties instead of one or more things mentioned individually, as where a mortgage secures various debts as a group, or subjects a group or class of different pieces of property to one general lien. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. A buttonhole stitch worked wide apart on the edge of material, as blankets, too thick to hem. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. 1. In a blank manner; without expression; vacuously; as, to stare blankly. G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Directly; flatly; point blank. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being blank. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. blanquette, from blanc white. ] (Cookery) A white fricassee. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp. blanquillo whitish. ] (Zool.) A large fish of Florida and the W. Indies (Caulolatilus chrysops). It is red, marked with yellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ F., fr. OF. carte paper + -blanc, blanche, white. See 1st Card. ] A blank paper, with a person's signature, etc., at the bottom, given to another person, with permission to superscribe what conditions he pleases. Hence: Unconditional terms; unlimited authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. dissemblance. See Dissemble. ] Want of resemblance; dissimilitude. [ R. ] Osborne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Dissemble + -ance. ] The act or art of dissembling; dissimulation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) See Pyroxanthin. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. em- + 1st blanch. ] To whiten. See Blanch. [ Obs. ] Heylin. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ . }[ From Mackinac, the State of Michigan, where blankets and other stores were distributed to the Indians. ] 1. A thick blanket formerly in common use in the western part of the United States. [ wns=2 ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. a heavy woolen cloth heavily napped and felted, often with a plaid design. [ wns=4 ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ Sp. blanco white. ] A West Indian food fish (Malacanthus plumieri) related to the tilefish. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. False resemblance or semblance. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Want of resemblance; unlikeness; dissimilarity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. ob- + lanceolate. ] Lanceolate in the reversed order, that is, narrowing toward the point of attachment more than toward the apex. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ Sp. blanco white. ] (a) A western American hackberry (Celtis reticulata), having light-colored bark. (b) A Mexican mimosaceous tree (Lysiloma candida), the bark of which is used in tanning. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F. point point + blanc white. ] 1. The white spot on a target, at which an arrow or other missile is aimed. [ Obs. ] Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mil.) (a) With all small arms, the second point in which the natural line of sight, when horizontal, cuts the trajectory. (b) With artillery, the point where the projectile first strikes the horizontal plane on which the gun stands, the axis of the piece being horizontal. [ 1913 Webster ]