v. t. To receive between or within. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of admitting into or within. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not receiving; incapable of receiving. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To receive wrongly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Preceding; antecedent; previous. [ Obs. ] Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Preceded; p. pr. & vb. n. Preceding. ] [ L. praecedere, praecessum; prae before + cedere to go, to be in motion: cf. F. préceder. See Pre-, and Cede. ] 1. To go before in order of time; to occur first with relation to anything. “Harm precedes not sin.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To go before in place, rank, or importance. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce; -- used with by or with before the instrumental object. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

It is usual to precede hostilities by a public declaration. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Cf. F. précédence. See Precede. ] 1. The act or state of preceding or going before in order of time; priority; as, one event has precedence of another. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or state of going or being before in rank or dignity, or the place of honor; right to a more honorable place; superior rank; as, barons have precedence of commoners. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which of them [ the different desires ] has the precedency in determining the will to the next action? Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Antecedence; priority; preëminence; preference; superiority. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praecedens, -entis, p. pr. of praecedere: cf. F. précédent. See Precede. ] Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. Shak. “A precedent injury.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Condition precedent (Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. [ 1913 Webster ]

Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Example; antecedent. -- Precedent, Example. An example in a similar case which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no authority out of itself. A precedent is something which comes down to us from the past with the sanction of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in literature, and precedents in law. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a precedent; authorized or sanctioned by an example of a like kind. Walpole. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of a precedent; having force as an example for imitation; as, precedential transactions. [ 1913 Webster ]

All their actions in that time are not precedential to warrant posterity. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Beforehand; antecedently. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Going before; -- opposed to following. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Astron.) In the direction toward which stars appear to move. See Following, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ See Precellence. ] To surpass; to excel; to exceed. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ L. praecellentia, from praecellens, p. pr. of praecellere to excel, surpass: cf. OF. precellence. ] Excellence; superiority. [ Obs. ] Sheldon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praecellens, p. pr. ] Excellent; surpassing. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praecentor, fr. praecinere to sing before; prae before + canere to sing. See Chant. ] A leader of a choir; a directing singer. Specifically: (a) The leader of the choir in a cathedral; -- called also the chanter or master of the choir. Hook. (b) The leader of the congregational singing in Scottish and other churches. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office of a precentor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praeceptum, from praecipere to take beforehand, to instruct, teach; prae before + capere to take: cf. F. précepte. See Pre-, and Capacious. ] 1. Any commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; esp., a command respecting moral conduct; an injunction; a rule. [ 1913 Webster ]

For precept must be upon precept. Isa. xxviii. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

No arts are without their precepts. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) A command in writing; a species of writ or process. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Commandment; injunction; mandate; law; rule; direction; principle; maxim. See Doctrine. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To teach by precepts. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Preceptive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Passion ] would give preceptial medicine to rage. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praeceptio. ] A precept. [ R. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praeceptivus. ] Containing or giving precepts; of the nature of precepts; didactic; as, the preceptive parts of the Scriptures. [ 1913 Webster ]

The lesson given us here is preceptive to us. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praeceptor, fr. praecipere to teach: cf. F. précepteur. See Precept. ] 1. One who gives commands, or makes rules; specifically, the master or principal of a school; a teacher; an instructor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The head of a preceptory among the Knights Templars. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. Preceptive. “A law preceptory.” Anderson (1573). [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Preceptories [ LL. praeceptoria an estate assigned to a preceptor, from L. praeceptor a commander, ruler, teacher, in LL., procurator, administrator among the Knights Templars. See Preceptor. ] A religious house of the Knights Templars, subordinate to the temple or principal house of the order in London. See Commandery, n., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A woman who is the principal of a school; a female teacher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praecedere, praecessum, to go before: cf. F. précession. See Precede. ] The act of going before, or forward. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lunisolar precession. (Astron.) See under Lunisolar. --
Planetary precession, that part of the precession of the equinoxes which depends on the action of the planets alone. --
Precession of the equinoxes (Astron.), the slow backward motion of the equinoctial points along the ecliptic, at the rate of 50.2″ annually, caused by the action of the sun, moon, and planets, upon the protuberant matter about the earth's equator, in connection with its diurnal rotation; -- so called because either equinox, owing to its westerly motion, comes to the meridian sooner each day than the point it would have occupied without the motion of precession, and thus precedes that point continually with reference to the time of transit and motion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to pression; as, the precessional movement of the equinoxes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praecessor. ] A predecessor. [ Obs. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Receded; p. pr. & vb. n. Receding. ] [ L. recedere, recessum; pref. re- re- + cedere to go, to go along: cf. F. recéder. See Cede. ] 1. To move back; to retreat; to withdraw. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like the hollow roar
Of tides receding from the insulted shore. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

All bodies moved circularly endeavor to recede from the center. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To withdraw a claim or pretension; to desist; to relinquish what had been proposed or asserted; as, to recede from a demand or proposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To retire; retreat; return; retrograde; withdraw; desist. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. re- + cede. Cf. Recede, v. i. ] To cede back; to grant or yield again to a former possessor; as, to recede conquered territory. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. receite, OF. recete, recepte, F. recette, fr. L. recipere, receptum, to receive. See Receive. ] 1. The act of receiving; reception. “At the receipt of your letter.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Reception, as an act of hospitality. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy kind receipt of me. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Capability of receiving; capacity. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

It has become a place of great receipt. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Place of receiving. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom. Matt. ix. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Hence, a recess; a retired place. [ Obs. ] “In a retired receipt together lay.” Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A formulary according to the directions of which things are to be taken or combined; a recipe; as, a receipt for making sponge cake. [ 1913 Webster ]

She had a receipt to make white hair black. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A writing acknowledging the taking or receiving of goods delivered; an acknowledgment of money paid. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. That which is received; that which comes in, in distinction from what is expended, paid out, sent away, and the like; -- usually in the plural; as, the receipts amounted to a thousand dollars. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gross receipts. See under Gross, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Receipted; p. pr. & vb. n. Receipting. ] 1. To give a receipt for; as, to receipt goods delivered by a sheriff. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To put a receipt on, as by writing or stamping; as, to receipt a bill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To give a receipt, as for money paid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (O. Eng. Law) The receiving or harboring a felon knowingly, after the commission of a felony. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who receipts; specifically (Law), one who receipts for property which has been taken by the sheriff. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Receipt. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being receivable; receivableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. recevable. ] Capable of being received. -- Re*ceiv"a*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

Bills receivable. See under 6th Bill. [1913 Webster]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Received p. pr. & vb. n. Receiving. ] [ OF. receveir, recevoir, F. recevoir, fr. L. recipere; pref. re- re- + capere to take, seize. See Capable, Heave, and cf. Receipt, Reception, Recipe. ] 1. To take, as something that is offered, given, committed, sent, paid, or the like; to accept; as, to receive money offered in payment of a debt; to receive a gift, a message, or a letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Receyven all in gree that God us sent. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: To gain the knowledge of; to take into the mind by assent to; to give admission to; to accept, as an opinion, notion, etc.; to embrace. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our hearts receive your warnings. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The idea of solidity we receive by our touch. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To allow, as a custom, tradition, or the like; to give credence or acceptance to. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many other things there be which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots. Mark vii. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To give admittance to; to permit to enter, as into one's house, presence, company, and the like; as, to receive a lodger, visitor, ambassador, messenger, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

They kindled a fire, and received us every one. Acts xxviii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To admit; to take in; to hold; to contain; to have capacity for; to be able to take in. [ 1913 Webster ]

The brazen altar that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings. 1 Kings viii. 64. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To be affected by something; to suffer; to be subjected to; as, to receive pleasure or pain; to receive a wound or a blow; to receive damage. [ 1913 Webster ]

Against his will he can receive no harm. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To take from a thief, as goods known to be stolen. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Lawn Tennis) To bat back (the ball) when served. [ 1913 Webster ]

Receiving ship, one on board of which newly recruited sailors are received, and kept till drafted for service. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To accept; take; allow; hold; retain; admit. -- Receive, Accept. To receive describes simply the act of taking. To accept denotes the taking with approval, or for the purposes for which a thing is offered. Thus, we receive a letter when it comes to hand; we receive news when it reaches us; we accept a present when it is offered; we accept an invitation to dine with a friend. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who, if we knew
What we receive, would either not accept
Life offered, or soon beg to lay it down. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To receive visitors; to be at home to receive calls; as, she receives on Tuesdays. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Lawn Tennis) To return, or bat back, the ball when served; as, it is your turn to receive. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being received, accepted, or current; as, the receivedness of an opinion. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. receveur. ] 1. One who takes or receives in any manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) A person appointed, ordinarily by a court, to receive, and hold in trust, money or other property which is the subject of litigation, pending the suit; a person appointed to take charge of the estate and effects of a corporation, and to do other acts necessary to winding up its affairs, in certain cases. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who takes or buys stolen goods from a thief, knowing them to be stolen. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Chem.) (a) A vessel connected with an alembic, a retort, or the like, for receiving and condensing the product of distillation. (b) A vessel for receiving and containing gases. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Pneumatics) The glass vessel in which the vacuum is produced, and the objects of experiment are put, in experiments with an air pump. Cf. Bell jar, and see Illust. of Air pump. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Steam Engine) (a) A vessel for receiving the exhaust steam from the high-pressure cylinder before it enters the low-pressure cylinder, in a compound engine. (b) A capacious vessel for receiving steam from a distant boiler, and supplying it dry to an engine. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. That portion of a telephonic apparatus, or similar system, at which the message is received and made audible; -- opposed to transmitter. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Firearms) In portable breech-loading firearms, the steel frame screwed to the breech end of the barrel, which receives the bolt or block, gives means of securing for firing, facilitates loading, and holds the ejector, cut-off, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Exhausted receiver (Physics), a receiver, as that used with the air pump, from which the air has been withdrawn; a vessel the interior of which is a more or less complete vacuum. [ 1913 Webster ]

An acknowledgement of indebtedness made by a receiver under order of court to obtain funds for the preservation of the assets held by him, as for operating a railroad. Receivers' certificates are ordinarily a first lien on the assets, prior to that of bonds or other securities. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The state or office of a receiver. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To celebrate again, or anew. -- Re*cel`e*bra"tion n. [1913 Webster]

n. [ LL. recentia, fr. L. recens. See Recent. ] The state or quality of being recent; newness; new state; late origin; lateness in time; freshness; as, the recency of a transaction, of a wound, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. recensere; pref. re- again + censere to value, estimate: cf. F. recenser. ] To review; to revise. [ R. ] Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]