n. [ L., fr. afflare. See Afflation. ] 1. A breath or blast of wind. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A divine impartation of knowledge; supernatural impulse; inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

A poet writing against his genius will be like a prophet without his afflatus. Spence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. alcoolature. ] (Med.) An alcoholic tincture prepared with fresh plants. New Eng. Dict. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. caelare to engrave in relief. ] Art of producing metal decorative work other than statuary, as reliefs, intaglios, engraving, chasing, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. capillatura. ] A bush of hair; frizzing of the hair. Clarke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. caelatura, fr. caelare to engrave in relief. ] 1. The act or art of engraving or embossing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is engraved. [ Obs. ] Hakewill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. colatura, from colare: cf. F. colature. See Colander. ] The process of straining; the matter strained; a strainer. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. entablature: cf. It intavolatura, fr. LL. intabulare to construct a basis; L. in + tabulatum board work, flooring, fr. tabula. See Table. ] (Arch.) The superstructure which lies horizontally upon the columns. See Illust. of Column, Cornice. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is commonly divided into architrave, the part immediately above the column; frieze, the central space; and cornice, the upper projecting moldings. Parker. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. filatura, fr. filare to spin: cf. F. filature. See Filatory. ] 1. A drawing out into threads; hence, the reeling of silk from cocoons. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A reel for drawing off silk from cocoons; also, an establishment for reeling silk. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ Cf. F. flatulence. ] The state or quality of being flatulent. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. flatus a blowing, flatus ventris windiness, flatulence, fr. flare to blow: cf. F. flatulent. See Blow. ] 1. Affected with flatus{ 2 } or gases generated in the alimentary canal; windy. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Generating, or tending to generate, wind in the stomach. [ 1913 Webster ]

Vegetables abound more with aërial particles than animal substances, and therefore are more flatulent. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Turgid with flatus; as, a flatulent tumor. Quincy. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Pretentious without substance or reality; puffy; empty; vain; as, a flatulent vanity. [ 1913 Webster ]

He is too flatulent sometimes, and sometimes too dry. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a flatulent manner; with flatulence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. flatuosité. ] Flatulence. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. flatueux. ] Windy; generating wind. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. E. Flatuses L. Flatus. [ L., fr. flare to blow. ] 1. A breath; a puff of wind. Clarke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Gas generated in the stomach, intestine, or other cavities of the body. Quincy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From L. gallus a cock. ] (Zool.) The tread, treadle, or chalasa of an egg. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. See Inflate, v. t. ] A blowing or breathing into; inflation; inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

The divine breath that blows the nostrils out
To ineffable inflatus. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖pos>n. [ L., the right side. ] (Conic Sections) The line drawn through a focus of a conic section parallel to the directrix and terminated both ways by the curve. It is the parameter of the principal axis. See Focus, and Parameter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. législature. ] The body of persons in a state or kingdom invested with power to make and repeal laws; a legislative body. [ 1913 Webster ]

Without the concurrent consent of all three parts of the legislature, no law is, or can be, made. Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The legislature of Great Britain consists of the Lords and Commons, with the king or queen, whose sanction is necessary to every bill before it becomes a law. The legislatures of most of the United States consist of two houses or branches; but the sanction or consent of the governor is required to give their acts the force of law, or a concurrence of two thirds of the two houses after he has refused his sanction and assigned his objections. [ 1913 Webster ]

The legislatures of some of the more important states having constitutional government are as follows, the general name (or a translation of it) of the legislative body collectively being given under the heading legislature, or parliament:

 StateLegislature, or parliamentUpper HouseNameNumber of members -- how chosen or composed -- term of officeLower HouseNameNumber of members -- suffrage -- term of office ----------------------------------------------------------------- ArgentinaNational CongressSenate30 -- 2 from each provincew and 2 from capital -- 9 yearsHouse of Deputies120 (1 to 33, 000) -- Manhood -- 4 years AustriaReichsrath BelgiumThe Chambers BrazilNational Congress ChileNational Congress DenmarkRigsdag FranceNational Assembly German EmpireImperial legislature *Great BritainParliamentHouse of LordsAbout 600House of CommonsAbout 670 -- 7 years, or until dissolution Greece HungaryOrzág-gyülés ItalyParliament JapanImperial Diet MexicoCongress NetherlandsStates-General #NorwayStorthing PortugalCortes Geraes (general Assembly) PrussiaLandtagHerrenhausNo limit -- very various classes -- For different termsAbgeordnetenhaus433 -- Indirect election, general suffrage§ -- 5 years, or until dissolution SpainCortes SwedenDiet SwitzerlandBundesversammlung United StatesCongressSenate92(1908) -- 6 yearsHouse of Representatives391 (1908) -- 2 years. 

---------------------------------------------------------------- *In the self-governing colonies of Great Britain the legislative body usually consists of two chambers, the names of the legislature and the chambers varying. Thus in Australia the Federal Parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Commons, in New Zealand the General Assembly is composed of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives, etc. #Members of the Storthing are chosen for three years by direct election by manhood suffrage, forty-one being elected from the towns and eighty-two from the rural districts. The Storthing on assembling divides into the Lagthing including one fourth and the Odelsthing including three fourths of the total membership of the Storthing. All new laws are laid first before the Odelsthing. If the two houses do not agree they vote in joint session, a majority of two thirds of those voting being necessary to a decision. § While theoretically general, the suffrage is so classified as often practically to disfranchise those who are not property holders. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Blotting paper. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. musculature. ] (Anat.) The muscular system of an animal, or of any of its parts; musculation. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining or according to a nomenclature. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. nomenclatura: cf. F. nomenclature. See Nomenclator. ] 1. A name. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A vocabulary, dictionary, or glossary. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The technical names used in any particular branch of science or art, or by any school or individual; as, the nomenclature of botany or of chemistry; the nomenclature of Lavoisier and his associates. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Oblata [ NL. See Oblate. ] (Geom.) An oblate spheroid; a figure described by the revolution of an ellipse about its minor axis. Cf. Oblongum. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem. & Pharm.) A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments. U. S. Pharm. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and consistency or fusibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Postulata [ L. See Postulate, n. ] A postulate. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, n. [ F. prélature, or LL. praelatura. ] The state or dignity of a prelate; prelacy. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Prolata [ NL. See Prolate. ] (Geom.) A prolate spheroid. See Ellipsoid of revolution, under Ellipsoid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. tablature ancient mode of musical notation. See Table. ] 1. (Paint.) A painting on a wall or ceiling; a single piece comprehended in one view, and formed according to one design; hence, a picture in general. Shaftesbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) An ancient mode of indicating musical sounds by letters and other signs instead of by notes. [ 1913 Webster ]

The chimes of bells are so rarely managed that I went up to that of Sir Nicholas, where I found who played all sorts of compositions from the tablature before him as if he had fingered an organ. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Anat.) Division into plates or tables with intervening spaces; as, the tablature of the cranial bones. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A tubulure. [ 1913 Webster ]