‖n. [ L., he is sick. ] (Camb. Univ.) A medical certificate that a student is ill. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. allégresse, fr. L. alacer sprightly. ] Joy; gladsomeness. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It., dim. of allegro. ] (Mus.) Quicker than andante, but not so quick as allegro. -- n. A movement in this time. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It., merry, gay, fr. L. alacer lively. Cf. Aleger. ] (Mus.) Brisk, lively. -- n. An allegro movement; a quick, sprightly strain or piece. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Aye ever + green. ] (Bot.) The houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum). Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a region where a battle is fought; same as battlefield.
Syn. -- battlefield, field of battle, field. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ Pref. be- + grave; akin to G. begraben, Goth. bigraban to dig a ditch around. ] To bury; also, to engrave. [ Obs. ] Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To soil or daub with grease or other oily matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Begrimed p. pr. & vb. n. Begriming. ] To soil with grime or dirt deeply impressed or rubbed in. [ 1913 Webster ]

Books falling to pieces and begrimed with dust. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, begrimes. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Begrudged p. pr. & vb. n. Begrudging. ] To grudge; to envy the possession of. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. being given reluctantly or with displeasure.
Syn. -- envious, grudging. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) a European foxtail naturalized in North America; it is often a troublesome weed.
Syn. -- green bristlegrass, green foxtail, rough bristlegrass, bottle grass, Setaria viridis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br&ymacr_;dguma (akin to OS. brūdigumo, D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. prūtigomo, MHG. briutegome, G. bräutigam); AS. br&ymacr_;d bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Icel. gumi, OHG. gomo, L. homo; the insertion of r being caused by confusion with groom. See Bride, and cf. Groom, Homage. ] A man newly married, or just about to be married. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. grasses of grasslands and woodlands having large gracefully arching spikes with long bristles beneath each spikelet.
Syn. -- bristle grass. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cable, n. + Gr. gra`mma a writing, a letter. ] A message sent by a submarine telegraphic cable. [ A recent hybrid, sometimes found in the newspapers. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n. Also . [ Cathode + -graph. ] (Physics) A picture produced by the Roentgen rays; a radiograph. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ , n. See Chigoe. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to choregraphy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; dance + -graphy. ] 1. The art of representing dancing by signs, as music is represented by notes; -- also called choreography. Craig. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ LL. degradatio, from degradare: cf. F. dégradation. See Degrade. ] 1. The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop. [ 1913 Webster ]

He saw many removes and degradations in all the other offices of which he had been possessed. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement. [ 1913 Webster ]

The . . . degradation of a needy man of letters. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deplorable is the degradation of our nature. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

Moments there frequently must be, when a sinner is sensible of the degradation of his state. Blair. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration. [ 1913 Webster ]

The development and degradation of the alphabetic forms can be traced. I. Taylor (The Alphabet). [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Geol.) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Biol.) The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration. [ 1913 Webster ]

The degradation of the species man is observed in some of its varieties. Dana. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Physiol.) Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole. [ 1913 Webster ]

Degradation of energy, or
Dissipation of energy (Physics), the transformation of energy into some form in which it is less available for doing work.

Syn. -- Abasement; debasement; reduction; decline. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Degraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Degrading. ] [ F. dégrader, LL. degradare, fr. L. de- + gradus step, degree. See Grade, and cf. Degree. ] 1. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Prynne was sentenced by the Star Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man. [ 1913 Webster ]

O miserable mankind, to what fall
Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet time ennobles or degrades each line. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her pride . . . struggled hard against this degrading passion. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geol.) To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.

Syn. -- To abase; demean; lower; reduce. See Abase. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. (Biol.) To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Reduced in rank, character, or reputation; debased; sunken; low; base. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Netherlands . . . were reduced practically to a very degraded condition. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Having the typical characters or organs in a partially developed condition, or lacking certain parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some families of plants are degraded dicotyledons. Dana. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. [ Cf. F. degré step. ] (Her.) Having steps; -- said of a cross each of whose extremities finishes in steps growing larger as they leave the center; -- termed also on degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Deprivation of rank or office; degradation. [ R. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. causing humiliation or degradation; as, a degrading surrender. [ PJC ]

adv. In a degrading manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖/mhw>, n. [ F.; cf. F. gras, a. & n., fat. ] A semisolid emulsion produced by the treatment of certain skins with oxidized fish oil, which extracts their soluble albuminoids. It was formerly solely a by-product of chamois leather manufacture, but is now made for its own sake, being valuable as a dressing for hides. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. degravare, degravatum, to make heavy. See Grave, a. ] The act of making heavy. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To remove grease or fatty matter from, as wool or silk. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F. degré, OF. degret, fr. LL. degradare. See Degrade. ] 1. A step, stair, or staircase. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

By ladders, or else by degree. Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of a series of progressive steps upward or downward, in quality, rank, acquirement, and the like; a stage in progression; grade; gradation; as, degrees of vice and virtue; to advance by slow degrees; degree of comparison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The point or step of progression to which a person has arrived; rank or station in life; position. “A dame of high degree.” Dryden. “A knight is your degree.” Shak. “Lord or lady of high degree.” Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Measure of advancement; quality; extent; as, tastes differ in kind as well as in degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

The degree of excellence which proclaims genius, is different in different times and different places. Sir. J. Reynolds. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Grade or rank to which scholars are admitted by a college or university, in recognition of their attainments; also, (informal) the diploma provided by an educational institution attesting to the achievement of that rank; as, the degree of bachelor of arts, master, doctor, etc.; to hang one's degrees on the office wall. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ In the United States diplomas are usually given as the evidence of a degree conferred. In the humanities the first degree is that of bachelor of arts (B. A. or A. B.); the second that of master of arts (M. A. or A. M.). The degree of bachelor (of arts, science, divinity, law, etc.) is conferred upon those who complete a prescribed course of undergraduate study. The first degree in medicine is that of doctor of medicine (M. D.). The degrees of master and doctor are also conferred, in course, upon those who have completed certain prescribed postgraduate studies, as doctor of philosophy (Ph. D.); the degree of doctor is also conferred as a complimentary recognition of eminent services in science or letters, or for public services or distinction (as doctor of laws (LL. D.) or doctor of divinity (D. D.), when they are called honorary degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

The youth attained his bachelor's degree, and left the university. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Genealogy) A certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of blood; one remove in the chain of relationship; as, a relation in the third or fourth degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the 11th century an opinion began to gain ground in Italy, that third cousins might marry, being in the seventh degree according to the civil law. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Arith.) Three figures taken together in numeration; thus, 140 is one degree, 222, 140 two degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Algebra) State as indicated by sum of exponents; more particularly, the degree of a term is indicated by the sum of the exponents of its literal factors; thus, a2b3c is a term of the sixth degree. The degree of a power, or radical, is denoted by its index, that of an equation by the greatest sum of the exponents of the unknown quantities in any term; thus, ax4 + bx2 = c, and mx2y2 + nyx = p, are both equations of the fourth degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Trig.) A 360th part of the circumference of a circle, which part is taken as the principal unit of measure for arcs and angles. The degree is divided into 60 minutes and the minute into 60 seconds. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. A division, space, or interval, marked on a mathematical or other instrument, as on a thermometer. 11. (Mus.) A line or space of the staff. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The short lines and their spaces are added degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accumulation of degrees. (Eng. Univ.) See under Accumulation. --
By degrees, step by step; by little and little; by moderate advances. “I'll leave it by degrees.” Shak. --
Degree of a curve or
Degree of a surface (Geom.), the number which expresses the degree of the equation of the curve or surface in rectilinear coordinates. A straight line will, in general, meet the curve or surface in a number of points equal to the degree of the curve or surface and no more. --
Degree of latitude (Geog.), on the earth, the distance on a meridian between two parallels of latitude whose latitudes differ from each other by one degree. This distance is not the same on different parts of a meridian, on account of the flattened figure of the earth, being 68.702 statute miles at the equator, and 69.396 at the poles. --
Degree of longitude, the distance on a parallel of latitude between two meridians that make an angle of one degree with each other at the poles -- a distance which varies as the cosine of the latitude, being at the equator 69.16 statute miles. --
To a degree, to an extreme; exceedingly; as, mendacious to a degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

It has been said that Scotsmen . . . are . . . grave to a degree on occasions when races more favored by nature are gladsome to excess. Prof. Wilson. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>a. possessing a college degree or degrees. [ PJC ]

adj. 1. going down by steps. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. gradually decreasing in rate on sums below a certain amount. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ L. deintegrare to impair; de- + integrare to make whole. ] To disintegrate. [ Obs. ]

v. t. to eliminate laws, regulations, or customs which prohibit members of a specific racial or national group from using (certain locations, organizations, or facilities); to introduce members of a racial or religious group into (a community, facility, or organization from which they had been barred). [ PJC ]

n. the action of incorporating a racial or religious group into a community; the elimination of laws, regulations, or customs which prohibit members of a specific racial or national group from using certain locations, organizations, or facilities. In the 1960's and 1970's civil rights legislation was passed by the U. S. congress, prohibiting segregation by governmental agencies and in places of public accommodation, which resulteo in widospread besegregotion of schools and places of business. Some segregation remains in privately operated organizations.
Syn. -- integration, integrating. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. Capable of being disintegrated, or reduced to fragments or powder. [ 1913 Webster ]

Argillo-calcite is readily disintegrable by exposure. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disintegrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Disintegrating. ] [ L. dis- + integratus, p. p. of integrare to renew, repair, fr. integer entire, whole. See Integer. ] To separate into integrant parts; to reduce to fragments or to powder; to break up, or cause to fall to pieces, as a rock, by blows of a hammer, frost, rain, and other mechanical or atmospheric influences. [ 1913 Webster ]

Marlites are not disintegrated by exposure to the atmosphere, at least in six years. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To decompose into integrant parts; as, chalk rapidly disintegrates. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (a) The process by which anything is disintegrated; the condition of anything which is disintegrated. Specifically (b) (Geol.) The wearing away or falling to pieces of rocks or strata, produced by atmospheric action, frost, ice, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Society had need of further disintegration before it could begin to reconstruct itself locally. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mech.) A machine for grinding or pulverizing by percussion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. e- + granule. ] (Bot.) Having no granules, as chlorophyll in certain conditions. R. Brown. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, a. [ See Eager. ] Sharp; bitter; acid; sour. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The egre words of thy friend. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. See Eager, and Eagre. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. egregius; lit., separated or chosen from the herd, i. e., distinguished, excellent; e out + grex, gregis, herd. See Gregarious. ] Surpassing; extraordinary; distinguished (in a bad sense); -- formerly used with words importing a good quality, but now joined with words having a bad sense; as, an egregious rascal; an egregious ass; an egregious mistake. [ 1913 Webster ]

The egregious impudence of this fellow. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

His [ Wyclif's ] egregious labors are not to be neglected. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Greatly; enormously; shamefully; as, egregiously cheated. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. [ See Agrimony. ] Agrimony (Agrimonia Eupatoria). [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. egressus, fr. egredi to go out; e out + gradi to go. See Grade. ] 1. The act of going out or leaving, or the power to leave; departure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Embarred from all egress and regress. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gates of burning adamant,
Barred over us, prohibit all egress. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Astron.) The passing off from the sun's disk of an inferior planet, in a transit. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To go out; to depart; to leave. [ 1913 Webster ]