n. [ F. embuscade, fr. It. imboscata, or Sp. emboscada, fr. emboscar to ambush, fr. LL. imboscare. See Ambush, v. t. ] 1. A lying in a wood, concealed, for the purpose of attacking an enemy by surprise. Hence: A lying in wait, and concealed in any situation, for a like purpose; a snare laid for an enemy; an ambush. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A place in which troops lie hid, to attack an enemy unexpectedly. [ R. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) The body of troops lying in ambush. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Ambuscaded p. pr. & vb. n. Ambuscading ] 1. To post or conceal in ambush; to ambush. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lie in wait for, or to attack from a covert or lurking place; to waylay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To lie in ambush. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ambuscade. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

p. p. Posted in ambush; ambuscaded. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Horol.) (a) The common recoil escapement. (b) A variety of the lever escapement with a wide impulse pin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; bear. ] (Zool.) A group of Arachnida. See Illust. in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Acronym: American Society of Composers, Authors and Puplishers. ] 1. the American Society of Cinematographers. Syn. -- American Society of Composers, Authors and Puplishers [ PJC ]

n. 1. 1 a natural family containing only one species of frog: the tailed frog.
Syn. -- family Ascaphidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the type genus of the Ascaphidae; in some classifications included in the family Leiopelmatidae.
Syn. -- genus Ascaphus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; an intestinal worm. ] (Med.) A disease, usually accompanied by colicky pains and diarrhea, caused by the presence of ascarids in the gastrointestinal canal. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n.; pl. Ascarides r Ascarids. [ NL. ascaris, fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] (Zool.) A parasitic nematoid worm, especially the roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, often occurring in the human intestine, and allied species found in domestic animals; also commonly applied to the pinworm (Oxyuris), often troublesome to children and aged persons. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a natural family of large roundworms parasitic in intestines of vertebrates.
Syn. -- family Ascaridae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a roundworm having a preanal sucker.
Syn. -- genus Ascaridia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the type genus of the family Ascaridae: roundworms with a three-lipped mouth.
Syn. -- genus Ascaris. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. auris ear + scalpere to scrape. ] An earpick. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. navigable deep diving vessel for underwater exploration.
Syn. -- bathyscape. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Meteor.) A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The full scale is as follows: -- 0, calm; 1, light air; 2, light breeze; 3, gentle breeze; 4, moderate breeze; 5, fresh breeze; 6, strong breeze; 7, moderate gale; 8, fresh gale; 9, strong gale; 10, whole gale; 11, storm; 12, hurricane. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30°-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. 1. To scatter over. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cover sparsely by scattering (something); to strew. “With flowers bescattered.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Biscay in Spain. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Biscay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. boscage grove, F. bocage, fr. LL. boscus, buscus, thicket, wood. See 1st Bush. ] 1. A growth of trees or shrubs; underwood; a thicket; thick foliage; a wooded landscape. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (O. Eng. Law) Food or sustenance for cattle, obtained from bushes and trees; also, a tax on wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. cascabel a little bell, also (fr. the shape), a knob at the breech end of a cannon. ] The projection in rear of the breech of a cannon, usually a knob or breeching loop connected with the gun by a neck. In old writers it included all in rear of the base ring. [ See Illust. of Cannon. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cascade, fr. It. cascata, fr. cascare to fall. ] A fall of water over a precipice, as in a river or brook; a waterfall less than a cataract. [ 1913 Webster ]

The silver brook . . . pours the white cascade. Longjellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now murm'ring soft, now roaring in cascade. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To fall in a cascade. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To vomit. [ Slang ] Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Physics) A method of attaining successively lower temperatures by utilizing the cooling effect of the expansion of one gas in condensing another less easily liquefiable, and so on. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) A system or method of connecting and operating two induction motors so that the primary circuit of one is connected to the secondary circuit of the other, the primary circuit of the latter being connected to the source of supply; also, a system of electric traction in which motors so connected are employed. The cascade system is also called
tandem system, or
concatenated system; the connection a
cascade connection,
tandem connection, or
concatenated connection, or
a concatenation; and the control of the motors so obtained a
tandem control, or
concatenation control. In the cascade system of traction the cascade connection is used for starting and for low speeds up to half speed. For full speed the short-circuited motor is cut loose from the other motor and is either left idle or (commonly) connected direct to the line. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ Pg., a chip of stone, gravel. ] A deposit of pebbles, gravel, and ferruginous sand, in which the Brazilian diamond is usually found. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the dried bark of the cascara buckthorn used as a laxative; -- called also cascara sagrada.
Syn. -- chittam bark, chittem bark. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Bot.) The buckthorn (Rhamnus Purshiana) of the Pacific coast of the United States, which yields cascara sagrada. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖ [ Sp. ] Holy bark; the bark of the California buckthorn (Rhamnus Purshianus), used as a mild cathartic or laxative; -- called also cascara. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp., small thin bark, Peruvian bark, dim. of cáscara bark. ] (Bot.) A euphorbiaceous West Indian shrub (Croton Eleutheria); also, its aromatic bark. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cascarilla bark (or
Cascarilla) (Med.), the bark of Croton Eleutheria. It has an aromatic odor and a warm, spicy, bitter taste, and when burnt emits a musky odor. It is used as a gentle tonic, and sometimes, for the sake of its fragrance, mixed with smoking tobacco, when it is said to occasion vertigo and intoxication. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A white, crystallizable, bitter substance extracted from oil of cascarilla. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp. cascarón. ] Lit., an eggshell; hence, an eggshell filled with confetti to be thrown during balls, carnivals, etc. [ Western U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Cf. F. confiscable. ] Capable of being confiscated; liable to forfeiture. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. confiscatus, p. p. of confiscare to confiscate, prop., to lay up in a chest; con- + fiscus basket, purse, treasury. See Fiscal. ] Seized and appropriated by the government to the public use; forfeited. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Confiscated; p. pr. & vb. n. Confiscating. ] To seize as forfeited to the public treasury; to appropriate to the public use. [ 1913 Webster ]

It was judged that he should be banished and his whole estate confiscated and seized. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. taken without permission or consent, especially by or as if by a public authority; as, the confiscated liquor was poured down the drain; teh customs agents confiscated the banned fruits.
Syn. -- appropriated, confiscate, seized, taken over. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. confiscatio. ] The act or process of taking property or condemning it to be taken, as forfeited to the public use. [ 1913 Webster ]

The confiscations following a subdued rebellion. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., a treasurer. ] One who confiscates. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Effecting confiscation; characterized by confiscations. “Confiscatory and exterminatory periods.” Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. coruscans, p. pr. See Coruscate. ] Glittering in flashes; flashing. Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. coruscare to flash, vibrate. ] To glitter in flashes; to flash.

Syn. -- To glisten; gleam; sparkle; radiate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. coruscatio: cf. F. coruscattion. ] 1. A sudden flash or play of light. [ 1913 Webster ]

A very vivid but exceeding short-lived splender, not to call &unr_;t a little coruscation. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A flash of intellectual brilliancy. [ 1913 Webster ]

He might have illuminated his times with the incessant cor&unr_;&unr_;cations of his genius. I. Taylor.

Syn. -- Flash; glitter; blaze; gleam; sparkle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Counterbalance; balance, as of one scale against another. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See counterscarp. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ Counter- + scarp: cf. F. contrescarpe. ] (Fort.) The exterior slope or wall of the ditch; -- sometimes, the whole covered way, beyond the ditch, with its parapet and glacis; as, the enemy have lodged themselves on the counterscarp. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to reduce in intensity (a crisis or a war). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a reduction in intensity (of a crisis or a war). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖ A shortened form of Accademia della Crusca, an academy in Florence, Italy, founded in the 16th century, especially for conserving the purity of the Italian language. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The Accademia della Crusca (literally, academy of the bran or chaff) was so called in allusion to its chief object of bolting or purifying the national language. [ 1913 Webster ]