n. [ AS. mealt; akin to D. mout, G. malz, Icel., Sw., & Dan. malt, and E. melt. √108. See Melt. ] Barley or other grain, steeped in water and dried in a kiln, thus forcing germination until the saccharine principle has been evolved. It is used in brewing and in the distillation of whisky. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to, containing, or made with, malt. [ 1913 Webster ]

Malt liquor, an alcoholic liquor, as beer, ale, porter, etc., prepared by fermenting an infusion of malt. --
Malt dust, fine particles of malt, or of the grain used in making malt; -- used as a fertilizer. “ Malt dust consists chiefly of the infant radicle separated from the grain.” Sir H. Davy. --
Malt floor, a floor for drying malt. --
Malt house, or
Malthouse, a house in which malt is made. --
Malt kiln, a heated chamber for drying malt. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Malted: p. pr. & vb. n. Malting. ] To make into malt; as, to malt barley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become malt; also, to make grain into malt. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A country on the island of Malta. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. An island south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Med.) An infectious disease contracted from meat or milk products from infected domestic animals; called also brucellosis and undulant fever. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. See Malice, and Talent. ] Ill will; malice. [ Obs. ] Rom. of R. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Biochem.) An enzyme, α-D-glucosidase, which hydrolyzes maltose with production of glucose, and also hydrolyzes certain other α-D-glucosides. [ PJC ]

n. 1. Same as malted milk{ 1 }. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A milkshake made with malt powder; also called simply a malted. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A powder made of dried milk and malted cereals. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. a. Of or pertaining to Malta or to its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or inhabitant of Malta; the people of Malta. [ 1913 Webster ]

Maltese cross. See Illust. 5, of Cross. --
Maltese dog (Zool.), a breed of small terriers, having long silky white hair. The breed originated in Malta. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.), A short-haired bluish-gray breed of the domestic cat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A Eurasian garden perennial (Lychins chalcedonica) having scarlet flowers in dense terminal heads.
Syn. -- scarlet lychnis, Lychins chalcedonica. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A cross with triangular or arrow-shaped arms and the points toward the center. See illustration under cross. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) A breed of toy dog having a long straight silky white coat; also called a Maltese. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The monetary unit of Malta. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. ma`lqa. ] 1. A variety of bitumen, viscid and tenacious, like pitch, unctuous to the touch, and exhaling a bituminous odor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Mortar. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist who argued that increases in population would outgrow increases in the means of subsistence (1766-1834).
Syn. -- Thomas Malthus, Thomas Robert Malthus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Of or pertaining to the political economist, the Rev. T. R. Malthus, or conforming to his views; as, Malthusian theories. See Malthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Malthus held that population tends to increase faster than its means of subsistence can be made to do, and hence that the lower classes must necessarily suffer more or less from lack of food, unless an increase of population be checked by prudential restraint or otherwise. The steadily increasing capacity of world economic systems and food production has proven this theory to be at least premature, since economic production has increased notably faster than population since the time of Malthus. The general notion that there is an ultimate limit on the ability of mankind to continue increasing food and goods in proportion to population is still held by many people, especially environmentalists, some of whom who feel that the chief limiting factor will be the inability to dispose of the waste products of industry, leading to a steady degradation of the environment in the absence of population limitation. However, even those that believe this differ widely in their estimates of when this limit will be reached. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. A follower of Malthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The system of Malthusian doctrines relating to population. See Malthusian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Malthus' theory that population increase would outpace increases in the means of subsistence; Malthusianism. See Malthusian. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. (Physiol. Chem.) The fermentative principle of malt; malt diastase; also, a name given to various medicinal preparations made from or containing malt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The process of making, or of becoming malt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An alcoholic drink made with malt. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Maltmen A man whose occupation is to make malt. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Maltose; malt sugar. [ PJC ]

a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, maltose; specif., designating an acid called also gluconic or dextronic acid. See Gluconic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Malt. ] (Biochem.) A crystalline disaccharide (C12H22O11) formed from starch by the action of diastase of malt, and the amylolytic ferment of saliva and pancreatic juice; called also maltobiose and malt sugar. Chemically it is 4-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucose. It rotates the plane of polarized light further to the right than does dextrose and possesses a lower cupric oxide reducing power. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Maltreated; p. pr. & vb. n. Maltreating. ] [ Mal- + treat: cf. F. maltraiter. ] To treat ill; to abuse; to treat roughly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; [ Cf. F. maltraitement. ] Cruel or inhumane treatment; ill usage; abuse.
Syn. -- ill-treatment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A maltman. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as maltose. [ PJC ]

n. A whiskey distilled in Scotland (esp. whiskey made from malted barley in a pot still); Scotch whisky.
Syn. -- Scotch, Scotch-whiskey, Scotch whisky. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A tippler. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing, or like, malt. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Designating, or pertaining to, a group of modern economists who hold to the Malthusianism doctrine that permanent betterment of the general standard of living is impossible without decrease of competition by limitation of the number of births. -- Ne`o-Mal*thu"sian, Ne`o-Mal*thu"sian*ism, n. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ It. smalto, LL. smaltum; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. smalz grease, butter, G. schmalz grease, OHG. smelzan to melt, G. schmelzen. See Smelt, v. t., and cf. Amel, Enamel. ] A deep blue pigment or coloring material used in various arts. It is a vitreous substance made of cobalt, potash, and calcined quartz fused, and reduced to a powder. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Deep blue, like smalt. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ See Smalt. ] (Min.) A tin-white or gray mineral of metallic luster. It is an arsenide of cobalt, nickel, and iron. Called also speiskobalt. [ 1913 Webster ]