v. t. [ L. infuscatus, p. p. of infuscare; pref. in- in + fuscare to make dark, fr. fuscus dark. ] To darken; to make black; to obscure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Darkened with a blackish tinge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of darkening, or state of being dark; darkness; obscurity. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Infused p. pr. & vb. n. Infusing. ] [ L. infusus, p. p. of infundere to pour in or into; pref. in- in + fundere to pour: cf. F. infuser. See Found to cast. ] 1. To pour in, as a liquid; to pour (into or upon); to shed. [ 1913 Webster ]

That strong Circean liquor cease to infuse. Denham. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To instill, as principles or qualities; to introduce. [ 1913 Webster ]

That souls of animals infuse themselves Into the trunks of men. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why should he desire to have qualities infused into his son which himself never possessed? Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To inspire; to inspirit or animate; to fill; -- followed by with. [ 1913 Webster ]

Infuse his breast with magnanimity. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Infusing him with self and vain conceit. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To steep in water or other fluid without boiling, for the propose of extracting medicinal qualities; to soak. [ 1913 Webster ]

One scruple of dried leaves is infused in ten ounces of warm water. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To make an infusion with, as an ingredient; to tincture; to saturate. [ R. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Infusion. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. [ From Infuse. ] Capability of being infused, poured in, or instilled. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. in- not + fusibility: cf. F. infusibilité. ] Incapability or difficulty of being fused, melted, or dissolved; as, the infusibility of carbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Infuse, v. ] Capable of being infused. [ 1913 Webster ]

Doctrines being infusible into all. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. in- not + fusible: cf. F. infusible. ] Not fusible; incapable or difficult of fusion, or of being dissolved or melted. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best crucibles are made of Limoges earth, which seems absolutely infusible. Lavoisier (Trans. ). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Infusibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. infusio a pouring in: cf. F. infusion. See Infuse, v. t. ] 1. The act of infusing, pouring in, or instilling; instillation; as, the infusion of good principles into the mind; the infusion of ardor or zeal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our language has received innumerable elegancies and improvements from that infusion of Hebraisms. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is infused; suggestion; inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

His folly and his wisdom are of his own growth, not the echo or infusion of other men. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The act of plunging or dipping into a fluid; immersion. [ Obs. ] “Baptism by infusion.” Jortin. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Pharmacy) (a) The act or process of steeping or soaking any substance in water in order to extract its active principles. (b) The liquid extract obtained by this process. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sips meek infusion of a milder herb. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The doctrine that the soul is preexistent to the body, and is infused into it at conception or birth; -- opposed to traducianism and creationism. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the power of infusion; inspiring; influencing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The infusive force of Spirit on man. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL.; -- so called because found in infusions which are left exposed to the air for a time. See Infuse. ] (Zool.) One of the classes of Protozoa, including a large number of species, all of minute size. Formerly, the term was applied to any microbe found in infusions of decaying organic material, but the term is now applied more specifically to one of the classes of the phylum Ciliophora, of ciliated protozoans. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ (From 1913 dictionary): They are found in all seas, lakes, ponds, and streams, as well as in infusions of organic matter exposed to the air. They are distinguished by having vibrating lashes or cilia, with which they obtain their food and swim about. They are devided into the orders Flagellata, Ciliata, and Tentaculifera. See these words in the Vocabulary. Formely the term Infusoria was applied to all microscopic organisms found in water, including many minute plants, belonging to the diatoms, as well as minute animals belonging to various classes, as the Rotifera, which are worms; and the Rhizopoda, which constitute a distinct class of Protozoa. Fossil Infusoria are mostly the siliceous shells of diatoms; sometimes they are siliceous skeletons of Radiolaria, or the calcareous shells of Foraminifera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the Infusoria; composed of, or containing, Infusoria; as, infusorial earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Infusorial earth (Geol.), a deposit of fine, usually white, siliceous material, composed mainly of the shells of the microscopic plants called diatoms; also called diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr, and diatomite. It is used in polishing powder, and in the manufacture of dynamite. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. (Zool.) One of the Infusoria. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Infusorial. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Infusories (Zool.) One of the Infusoria; -- usually in the pl. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. super- + infuse: cf. L. superinfundere, superinfusum, to pour over. ] To infuse over. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]