n. [ AS. hōfe ground ivy; the first part is perh. a corruption: cf. OE. heyhowe hedgehove, ground ivy, “in old MSS. heyhowe, heyoue, haihoue, halehoue.” Prior. ] Ground ivy (Nepeta Glechoma). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) Same as Alewife. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + loof, fr. D. loef luff, and so meaning, as a nautical word, to the windward. See Loof, Luff. ] 1. At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our palace stood aloof from streets. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Without sympathy; unfavorably. [ 1913 Webster ]

To make the Bible as from the hand of God, and then to look at it aloof and with caution, is the worst of all impieties. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

prep. Away from; clear from. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Rivetus . . . would fain work himself aloof these rocks and quicksands. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. State of being aloof. Rogers (1642). [ 1913 Webster ]

The . . . aloofness of his dim forest life. Thoreau. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Approve, and Proof. ] 1. Trial; proof. [ Archaic ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Approval; commendation. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Incapable of being penetrated by balls from firearms; bulletproof. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. to bihove for the use of, AS. beh&unr_;f advantage, a word implied in beh&unr_;flīc necessary; akin to Sw. behof, Dan. behov, G. behuf, and E. heave, the root meaning to seize, hence the meanings “to hold, make use of.” See Heave, v. t. ] Advantage; profit; benefit; interest; use. [ 1913 Webster ]

No mean recompense it brings
To your behoof. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Secure against the explosive force of bombs. -- n. A structure which heavy shot and shell will not penetrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Capable of resisting the force of a bullet; resistant to penetration by a bullet; armored; as, a bulletproof vest; a bulletproof window. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. designed so as to be resistant to abuse or misuse and incapable of malfunction under normal use; as, a bulletproof computer program. [ PJC ]

3. so well thought out as to be resistant to criticism or certain to succeed; as, a bulletproof plan. [ PJC ]

adj. secure against burglary.
Syn. -- burglar-proof. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ , a. Having the foot or hoof divided into two parts, as the ox. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A species of Cardamine (Cardamine pratensis), or lady's smock. Its leaves are used in salads. Also, the ragged robin (Lychnis Flos-cuculi). [ 1913 Webster ]

A roof having a double slope, or composed, on each side, of two parts which have unequal inclination; a gambrel roof. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. dis- + proof. Cf. Disprove. ] A proving to be false or erroneous; confutation; refutation; as, to offer evidence in disproof of a statement. [ 1913 Webster ]

I need not offer anything farther in support of one, or in disproof of the other. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To unroof. [ R. ] Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a person who is stupid or inept; -- used contemptuously. [ Also spelled dufus. ] [ Slang ]
Syn. -- dingdong, ding-a-ling. [ PJC ]

a. Proof against fire; incombustible. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or process of rendering anything incombustible; also, the materials used in the process. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. not susceptible to burning; noncombustible; fireproof; -- of artifacts. Opposite of combustible.
Syn. -- flame-retardant. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a stupid fool. [ Colloq. ]
Syn. -- fathead, jackass, goose, cuckoo, zany. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. to commit a faux pas or fault.
Syn. -- sin, commit an offence, blunder, boob. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. To shirk one's duties; to avoid work by relaxing or performing idle activities. [ Informal ] [ PJC ]

n. A person who habitually shirks his duties or avoids work; an idle worthless person. [ Informal ]
Syn. -- goldbrick, ne'er-do-well, good-for-nothing, good-for-naught. [ WordNet 1.5 + PJC ]

a. such as will function properly even if treated badly or ineptly; foolproof; -- of devices, plans, recipes, etc.; as, nothing running under Windows is completely goofproof.
Syn. -- foolproof. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

v. t. To design (a device or plan of action) so that it will function properly even if treated badly or executed ineptly; foolproof.
Syn. -- foolproof. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. foolish and silly, or appearing silly; as, he wore a goofy hat.
Syn. -- cockamamie, cockamamy, fool(prenominal), sappy, silly, wacky, zany, unreasonable. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. resistant to penetration by grease or oil or wax; as, greaseproof wrapping paper. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Highly rectified; very strongly alcoholic; as, high-proof spirits. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. So as to stand any test. “We are high-proof melancholy.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a hip roof. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Hoofs very rarely Hooves [ OE. hof, AS. hōf; akin to D. hoef, G. huf, OHG. huof, Icel. hōfr, Sw. hof, Dan. hov; cf. Russ. kopuito, Skr. çapha. √225. ] 1. The horny substance or case that covers or terminates the feet of certain animals, as horses, oxen, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

On burnished hooves his war horse trode. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A hoofed animal; a beast. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind. Ex. x. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geom.) See Ungula. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To walk as cattle. [ R. ] William Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be on a tramp; to foot. [ Slang, U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To hoof it, to foot it. --
On the hoof, of cattle, standing (on the hoof); not slaughtered. --
beef on the hoof, live cattle. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Far.) Having a dry and contracted hoof, which occasions pain and lameness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with hoofs. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer. [ Show business slang ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a dance in which the steps are more important than gestures or postures.
Syn. -- step dancing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Destitute of hoofs. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. resembling a hoof. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a visible impression on a surface made by the hoof of an animal. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. (Zool.) The eland. [ Written also impoofoo. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ D. See Clove a cleft. ] A glen; a ravine closed at its upper end. [ South Africa ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. resistant to runs or (in Britain) ladders; -- of hosiery.
Syn. -- runproof, run-resistant. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. having no leaks.
Syn. -- watertight. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) The spongelike fibers of the fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Luffa Aegyptiaca); called also vegetable sponge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Luff. ] [ Also written luff. ] (Naut.) (a) Formerly, some appurtenance of a vessel which was used in changing her course; -- probably a large paddle put over the lee bow to help bring her head nearer to the wind. (b) The part of a ship's side where the planking begins to curve toward bow and stern. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. (Naut.) See Luff. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ So called from its inventor, François Mansard, or Mansart, a distinguished French architect, who died in 1666. ] (Arch.) A hipped curb roof; that is, a roof having on all sides two slopes, the lower one being steeper than the upper one. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing more alcohol than proof spirit; stronger than proof spirit; that is, containing more than 49.3 per cent by weight of alcohol. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pente slope + E. roof, or from penthouse roof. ] See Lean-to. [ 1913 Webster ]