v. t. [ L. aspernari; a (ab) + spernari. ] To spurn; to despise. [ Obs. ] Sir T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to Copernicus, a Prussian by birth (b. 1473, d. 1543), who taught the world the solar system now received, called the Copernican system. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a word that is more generic or more abstract than a given word; a word designating a class of which the given word is a member. Inverse of subtype and hyponym.
Syn. -- superordinate, superordinate word. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the relation of being superordinate or belonging to a higher (more abstract) rank or class. Inverse of hyponymy.
Syn. -- superordination. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A name given to earthnuts of several kinds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. G. knopper. See Knop. ] (Zool.) A kind of gall produced by a gallfly on the cup of an acorn, -- used in tanning and dyeing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Lamprey. ] (Zool.) The river lamprey (Ammocœtes fluviatilis syn. Lampetra fluviatilis). [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is also applied to other river lampreys. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF. main hand + pernable, for prenable, that may be taken, pregnable. See Mainpernor. ] (Law) Capable of being admitted to give surety by mainpernors; able to be mainprised. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. main hand + pernor, for preneor, a taker, F. preneur, fr. prendre to take. ] (Law) A surety, under the old writ of mainprise, for a prisoner's appearance in court at a day. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Mainpernors differ from bail in that a man's bail may imprison or surrender him before the stipulated day of appearance; mainpernors can do neither; they are bound to produce him to answer all charges whatsoever. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Pernancy. ] To take profit of; to make profitable. [ Obs. ] Sylvester. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The honey buzzard. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. prenance, fr. prendre, prenre, penre, to take, L. prendere, prehendere. ] (Law) A taking or reception, as the receiving of rents or tithes in kind, the receiving of profits. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Pimpernel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 2d Pernicious. ] Destruction; perdition. [ Obs. ] hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. pernix, -icis. ] Quick; swift (to burn). [ R. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. perniciosus, from pernicies destruction, from pernecare to kill or slay outright; per + necare to kill, slay: cf. F. pernicieux. Cf. Nuisance, Necromancy. ] Having the quality of injuring or killing; destructive; very mischievous; baleful; malicious; wicked. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let this pernicious hour
Stand aye accursed in the calendar. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pernicious to his health. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Destructive; ruinous; deadly; noxious; injurious; baneful; deleterious; hurtful; mischievous. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Per*ni"cious*ly, adv., -- Per*ni"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pernicitas. See 1st Pernicious. ] Swiftness; celerity. [ R. ] Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Finical or fussy; full of petty details. [ Colloq. ]
Syn. -- finical, finicky, fussy, meticulous, painstaking, persnickety, punctilious. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. + WordNet 1.5 + PJC ]

‖n. [ L. ] (Med.) A chilblain. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who watches or keeps awake all night. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pernoctatio, fr. pernoctare to stay all night; per + nox, noctis, night. ] The act or state of passing the whole night; a remaining all night. “Pernoctation in prayer.” Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Pern, v. ] (Law) One who receives the profits, as of an estate. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ So called from Charles Pernot, its inventor. ] A reverberatory furnace with a circular revolving hearth, -- used in making steel. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A silk-producing moth (Attacus Pernyi) which feeds upon the oak. It has been introduced into Europe and America from China. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pimprenelle; cf. Sp. pimpinela, It. pimpinella; perh. from LL. bipinnella, for bipinnula two-winged, equiv. to L. bipennis; bis twice + penna feather, wing. Cf. Pen a feather. ] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Anagallis, of which one species (Anagallis arvensis) has small flowers, usually scarlet, but sometimes purple, blue, or white, which speedily close at the approach of bad weather. [ 1913 Webster ]

Water pimpernel. (Bot.) See Brookweed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The quality of being proper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Tallness; comeliness. [ Obs. ] Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G. ] A sort of bread, made of unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants. It is acid but nourishing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Probably of American Indian origin. ] (Bot.) An American grape, a form of Vitis vulpina, found in the Southern Atlantic States, and often cultivated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Slipperiness. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like supernaculum; first-rate; as, a supernacular wine. [ R. ] Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & n. [ NL., from L. super over + G. nagel, a nail, as of the finger, or a corruption of L. super and ungulam claw. ] 1. A kind of mock Latin term intended to mean, upon the nail; -- used formerly by topers. Nares. [ 1913 Webster ]

Drinking super nagulum [ supernaculum ], a device of drinking, new come out of France, which is, after a man hath turned up the bottom of the cup, to drop it on his nail and make a pearl with that is left; which if it slide, and he can not make it stand on by reason there is too much, he must drink again for his penance. Nash. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Good liquor, of which not enough is left to wet one's nail. Grose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. supernus, from super above: cf. F. supernel. See Super-. ] 1. Being in a higher place or region; locally higher; as, the supernal orbs; supernal regions. “That supernal judge.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Relating or belonging to things above; celestial; heavenly; as, supernal grace. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not by the sufferance of supernal power. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. supernatanus, p. pr. of supernatare to swim above; super above + natare to swim. ] Swimming above; floating on the surface; as, oil supernatant on water. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of floating on the surface of a fluid. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. super- + natural: cf. OF. supernaturel, F. surnaturel. ] Being beyond, or exceeding, the power or laws of nature; miraculous. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Preternatural. -- Supernatural, Preternatural. Preternatural signifies beside nature, and supernatural, above or beyond nature. What is very greatly aside from the ordinary course of things is preternatural; what is above or beyond the established laws of the universe is supernatural. The dark day which terrified all Europe nearly a century ago was preternatural; the resurrection of the dead is supernatural. “That form which the earth is under at present is preternatural, like a statue made and broken again.” T. Burnet. “Cures wrought by medicines are natural operations; but the miraculous ones wrought by Christ and his apostles were supernatural.” Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

That is supernatural, whether it be, that is either not in the chain of natural cause and effect, or which acts on the chain of cause and effect in nature, from without the chain. Bushnell. [ 1913 Webster ]

We must not view creation as supernatural, but we do look upon it as miraculous. McCosh. [ 1913 Webster ]

The supernatural, whatever is above and beyond the scope, or the established course, of the laws of nature. “Nature and the supernatural.” H. Bushnell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The quality or state of being supernatural; supernaturalness. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Theol.) The doctrine of a divine and supernatural agency in the production of the miracles and revelations recorded in the Bible, and in the grace which renews and sanctifies men, -- in opposition to the doctrine which denies the agency of any other than physical or natural causes in the case. [ Written also supranaturalism. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who holds to the principles of supernaturalism. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to supernaturalism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being supernatural. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To treat or regard as supernatural. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a supernatural manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being supernatural. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. supernumerarius: cf. OF. supernuméraire, F. surnuméraire. See Super-, and Numerary, Number. ] 1. Exceeding the number stated or prescribed; as, a supernumerary officer in a regiment. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Exceeding a necessary, usual, or required number or quality; superfluous; as, supernumerary addresses; supernumerary expense. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Supernumeraries 1. A person or thing beyond the number stated. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person or thing beyond what is necessary or usual; especially, a person employed not for regular service, but only to fill the place of another in case of need; specifically, in theaters, a person who is not a regular actor, but is employed to appear in a stage spectacle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being taper; tapering form; taper. Shenstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) A small white-flowered shrub; brookweed. [ 1913 Webster ]