a. [ NL. apiculus, dim. of L. apex, apicis. ] Situated at, or near, the apex; apical. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ See Apicular. ] (Bot.) Terminated abruptly by a small, distinct point, as a leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. apis bee + E. culture. ] Rearing of bees for their honey and wax. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a farmer who keeps bees for their honey.
Syn. -- beekeeper, apiarist. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The state or quality of being clear or bright; brightness; conspicuousness. [ R. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conspicuus, fr. conspicere to get sight of, to perceive; con- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy ] 1. Open to the view; obvious to the eye; easy to be seen; plainly visible; manifest; attracting the eye. [ 1913 Webster ]

It was a rock
Of alabaster, piled up to the clouds,
Conspicious far. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conspicious by her veil and hood,
Signing the cross, the abbess stood. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Obvious to the mental eye; easily recognized; clearly defined; notable; prominent; eminent; distinguished; as, a conspicuous excellence, or fault. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man who holds a conspicuous place in the political, ecclesiastical, and literary history of England. Macaulay.

Syn. -- Distinguished; eminent; famous; illustrious; prominent; celebrated. See Distinguished.

-- Con*spic"u*ous*ly, adv. -- Con*spic"u*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. Epicurus, Gr. &unr_;, a famous Greek philosopher, who has been regarded, but erroneously, as teaching a doctrine of refined voluptuousness. ] 1. A follower of Epicurus; an Epicurean. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One devoted to dainty or luxurious sensual enjoyments, esp. to the luxuries of the table.

Syn. -- Voluptuary; sensualist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Epicureus, Gr. &unr_;: cf. épicurien. ] 1. Pertaining to Epicurus, or following his philosophy. “The sect Epicurean.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Given to luxury; adapted to luxurious tastes; luxurious; pertaining to good eating. [ 1913 Webster ]

Courses of the most refined and epicurean dishes. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Epicurean philosophy. See Atomic philosophy, under Atomic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A follower or Epicurus. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One given to epicurean indulgence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Attachment to the doctrines of Epicurus; the principles or belief of Epicurus. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Luxuriously. Nash. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Epicurean. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. épicurisme. ] 1. The doctrines of Epicurus. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Epicurean habits of living; luxury. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To profess or tend towards the doctrines of Epicurus. Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To feed or indulge like an epicure. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Lack of perspicuity or clearness; vagueness; ambiguity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not perspicuous; not clear; obscure; vague; ambiguous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. inconspicuus. See In- not, and Conspicuous. ] Not conspicuous or noticeable; hardly discernible. -- In`con*spic"u*ous*ly, adv. -- In`con*spic"u*ous*ness, n. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Transpicuous within or between. [ R. ] Shelley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. perspicuitas: cf. F. perspicuité. ] 1. The quality or state of being transparent or translucent. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The quality of being perspicuous to the understanding; clearness of expression or thought. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Sagacity; perspicacity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Clearness; perspicuousness; plainness; distinctness; lucidity; transparency. See Clearness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. perspicuus, from perspicere to look through. See Perspective. ] 1. Capable of being through; transparent; translucent; not opaque. [ Obs. ] Peacham. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Clear to the understanding; capable of being clearly understood; clear in thought or in expression; not obscure or ambiguous; as, a perspicuous writer; perspicuous statements. “The purpose is perspicuous.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Per*spic"u*ous*ly, adv. -- Per*spic"u*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Jav. & Malay pikul, fr. pikul to carry on the back, to carry a burden; n., a man's burden. ] A commercial weight varying in different countries and for different commodities. In Borneo it is 1355/8 lbs.; in China and Sumatra, 1331/2 lbs.; in Japan, 1331/3 lbs.; but sometimes 130 lbs., etc. Called also, by the Chinese, tan. [ Written also pecul, and pecal. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Dim. of Picus. ] (Zool.) Any species of very small woodpeckers of the genus Picumnus and allied genera. Their tail feathers are not stiff and sharp at the tips, as in ordinary woodpeckers. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Pici [ L., a woodpecker. ] (Zool.) A genus of woodpeckers, including some of the common American and European species. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Half transparent; imperfectly clear; semipellucid. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Spiculae [ NL., dim. of L. spica a spike, ear. ] (Bot.) (a) A little spike; a spikelet. (b) A pointed fleshy appendage. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. spiculum a dart: cf. F. spiculaire. ] Resembling a dart; having sharp points. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. spiculatus, p. p. of spiculare to sharpen, to point, fr. spiculum a dart. ] 1. Covered with, or having, spicules. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Covered with minute spiculae, or pointed fleshy appendages; divided into small spikelets. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To sharpen to a point. [ R. ] “With spiculated paling.” Mason. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. spiculum a little point, a dart. ] 1. A minute, slender granule, or point. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Same as Spicula. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Any small calcareous or siliceous body found in the tissues of various invertebrate animals, especially in sponges and in most Alcyonaria. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Spicules vary exceedingly in size and shape, and some of those found in siliceous sponges are very complex in structure and elegant in form. They are of great use in classification. [ 1913 Webster ]

Description of the Illustration: [ 1913 Webster ]

a Acerate; b Tricurvate, or Bowshaped; c d Hamate; e Broomshaped; f Scepterellate; g Spinispirulate; h Inequi-anchorate; i Sexradiate; j A Trichite Sheaf; k Six-rayed Capitate; l Rosette of Esperia; m Equi-anchorate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having the shape of a spicule. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. spiculum + -genous. ] (Zool.) Producing or containing spicules. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. ] (Zool.) A division of sponges including those which have independent siliceous spicules. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Spicula [ L., a little point. ] (Zool.) Same as Spicule. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. stirps, stirpis, stem, stock, race + cultura culture. ] The breeding of special stocks or races. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. transpicere to see or look through + specere, spicere, to see. Cf. Conspicuous. ] Transparent; pervious to the sight. [ R. ] “The wide, transpicuous air.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Inconspicuous. [ R. ] Ed. Rev. [ 1913 Webster ]