n. [ AS. land, lond; akin to D., G., Icel., Sw., Dan., and Goth. land. ] 1. The solid part of the surface of the earth; -- opposed to water as constituting a part of such surface, especially to oceans and seas; as, to sight land after a long voyage. [ 1913 Webster ]

They turn their heads to sea, their sterns to land. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any portion, large or small, of the surface of the earth, considered by itself, or as belonging to an individual or a people, as a country, estate, farm, or tract. [ 1913 Webster ]

Go view the land, even Jericho. Josh. ii. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the expressions “to be, or dwell, upon land, ” “to go, or fare, on land, ” as used by Chaucer, land denotes the country as distinguished from the town. [ 1913 Webster ]

A poor parson dwelling upon land [ i.e., in the country ]. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Ground, in respect to its nature or quality; soil; as, wet land; good or bad land. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The inhabitants of a nation or people. [ 1913 Webster ]

These answers, in the silent night received,
The king himself divulged, the land believed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The mainland, in distinction from islands. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The ground or floor. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Herself upon the land she did prostrate. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Agric.) The ground left unplowed between furrows; any one of several portions into which a field is divided for convenience in plowing. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Law) Any ground, soil, or earth whatsoever, as meadows, pastures, woods, etc., and everything annexed to it, whether by nature, as trees, water, etc., or by the hand of man, as buildings, fences, etc.; real estate. Kent. Bouvier. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Naut.) The lap of the strakes in a clinker-built boat; the lap of plates in an iron vessel; -- called also landing. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. In any surface prepared with indentations, perforations, or grooves, that part of the surface which is not so treated, as the level part of a millstone between the furrows, or the surface of the bore of a rifled gun between the grooves. [ 1913 Webster ]

Land agent, a person employed to sell or let land, to collect rents, and to attend to other money matters connected with land. --
Land boat, a vehicle on wheels propelled by sails. --
Land blink, a peculiar atmospheric brightness seen from sea over distant snow-covered land in arctic regions. See Ice blink. --
Land breeze. See under Breeze. --
Land chain. See Gunter's chain. --
Land crab (Zool.), any one of various species of crabs which live much on the land, and resort to the water chiefly for the purpose of breeding. They are abundant in the West Indies and South America. Some of them grow to a large size. --
Land fish a fish on land; a person quite out of place. Shak. --
Land force, a military force serving on land, as distinguished from a naval force. --
Land, ho! (Naut.), a sailor's cry in announcing sight of land. --
Land ice, a field of ice adhering to the coast, in distinction from a floe. --
Land leech (Zool.), any one of several species of blood-sucking leeches, which, in moist, tropical regions, live on land, and are often troublesome to man and beast. --
Land measure, the system of measurement used in determining the area of land; also, a table of areas used in such measurement. --
Land of bondage or
House of bondage, in Bible history, Egypt; by extension, a place or condition of special oppression. --
Land o' cakes, Scotland. --
Land of Nod, sleep. --
Land of promise, in Bible history, Canaan: by extension, a better country or condition of which one has expectation. --
Land of steady habits, a nickname sometimes given to the State of Connecticut. --
Land office, a government office in which the entries upon, and sales of, public land are registered, and other business respecting the public lands is transacted. [ U.S. ] --
Land pike. (Zool.) (a) The gray pike, or sauger. (b) The Menobranchus. --
Land service, military service as distinguished from naval service. --
Land rail. (Zool) (a) The crake or corncrake of Europe. See Crake. (b) An Australian rail (Hypotænidia Phillipensis); -- called also pectoral rail. --
Land scrip, a certificate that the purchase money for a certain portion of the public land has been paid to the officer entitled to receive it. [ U.S. ] --
Land shark, a swindler of sailors on shore. [ Sailors' Cant ] --
Land side (a) That side of anything in or on the sea, as of an island or ship, which is turned toward the land. (b) The side of a plow which is opposite to the moldboard and which presses against the unplowed land. --
Land snail (Zool.), any snail which lives on land, as distinguished from the aquatic snails are Pulmonifera, and belong to the Geophila; but the operculated land snails of warm countries are Diœcia, and belong to the Tænioglossa. See Geophila, and Helix. --
Land spout, a descent of cloud and water in a conical form during the occurrence of a tornado and heavy rainfall on land. --
Land steward, a person who acts for another in the management of land, collection of rents, etc. --
Land tortoise,
Land turtle (Zool.), any tortoise that habitually lives on dry land, as the box tortoise. See Tortoise. --
Land warrant, a certificate from the Land Office, authorizing a person to assume ownership of a public land. [ U.S. ] --
Land wind. Same as Land breeze (above). --
To make land (Naut.), to sight land.
To set the land, to see by the compass how the land bears from the ship. --
To shut in the land, to hide the land, as when fog, or an intervening island, obstructs the view. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To come to the end of a course; to arrive at a destination, literally or figuratively; as, he landed in trouble; after hithchiking for a week, he landed in Los Angeles. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. Specifically: To go on shore from a ship or boat; to disembark. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Specifically: To reach and come to rest on land after having been in the air; as, the arrow landed in a flower bed; the golf ball landed in a sand trap; our airplane landed in Washington. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Landed; p. pr. & vb. n. Landing. ] 1. To set or put on shore from a ship or other water craft; to disembark; to debark. [ 1913 Webster ]

I 'll undertake to land them on our coast. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To catch and bring to shore; to capture; as, to land a fish. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To set down after conveying; to cause to fall, alight, or reach; to bring to the end of a course; as, he landed the quoit near the stake; to be thrown from a horse and landed in the mud; to land one in difficulties or mistakes. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Specifically: (Aeronautics) To pilot (an airplane) from the air onto the land; as, to land the plane on a highway. [ PJC ]

n. Urine. See Lant. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G. Landamman; land land, country + amimann bailiff. See Land, and Ambassador. ] 1. A chief magistrate in some of the Swiss cantons. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The president of the diet of the Helvetic republic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From the town Ladau in Germany; cf. F. landau. See Land, Island. ] A four-wheeled covered vehicle, the top of which is divided into two sections which can be let down, or thrown back, in such a manner as to make an open carriage. [ Written also landaw. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. landaulet, dim, of landau. See Landau. ] A small landau. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having an estate in land. [ 1913 Webster ]

The House of Commons must consist, for the most part, of landed men. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Consisting in real estate or land; as, landed property; landed security. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who lands, or makes a landing. “The lander in a lonely isle.” Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mining) A person who waits at the mouth of the shaft to receive the kibble of ore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A sudden transference of property in land by the death of its owner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) Sighting or making land when at sea. [ 1913 Webster ]

A good landfall (Naut.), the sighting of land in conformity with the navigator's reckoning and expectation. [ 1913 Webster ]