n. 1. 1 a family of fishes consisting of the surgeonfishes. fish family
Syn. -- family Acanthuridae [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. type genus of the family Acanthuridae; doctorfishes.
Syn. -- genus Acanthurus [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. E. Acanthuses /plu>, L. Acanthi [ L., from Gr. &unr_;. Cf. Acantha. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Ailantus. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. Same as Amaranth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. amiantus, Gr. &unr_; &unr_; (lit., unsoiled stone) a greenish stone, like asbestus; 'a priv. + &unr_; to stain, to defile; so called from its incombustibility. ] (Min.) Earth flax, or mountain flax; a soft silky variety of asbestus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of plants of the parsley family having aromatic seeds and finely divided leaves, including the dill Anethum graveolens.
Syn. -- genus Anethum. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. Of or pertaining to King Arthur or his knights. J. R. Symonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

In magnitude, in interest, and as a literary origin, the Arthurian invention dwarfs all other things in the book. Saintsbury. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ L. aspalathus, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Bot.) (a) A thorny shrub yielding a fragrant oil. Ecclus. xxiv. 15. (b) A genus of plants of the natural order Leguminosæ. The species are chiefly natives of the Cape of Good Hope. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To handle; to wear or soil by handling; as books. Poe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bethumped or Bethumpt; p. pr. & vb. n. Bethumping. ] To beat or thump soundly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a noisy boisterous parade.
Syn. -- callithump, callithump parade. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple.
Syn. -- shivaree, chivaree, charivari, callithump. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A somewhat riotous parade, accompanied with the blowing of tin horns, and other discordant noises; also, a burlesque serenade; a charivari. [ U. S. ] [ Also spelled callathump. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a callithump. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Canthi [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] (Anat.) The corner where the upper and under eyelids meet on each side of the eye. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. Cartusianus, Cartusiensis, from the town of Chartreuse, in France. ] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of an exceeding austere religious order, founded at Chartreuse in France by St. Bruno, in the year 1086. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to the Carthusian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of southern European herbs and subshrubs.
Syn. -- genus Centranthus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a small genus of Asian deciduous or evergreen shrubs having fragrant flowers: winter sweet.
Syn. -- genus Chimonanthus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a genus of deciduous trees or shrubs: fringe tree.
Syn. -- genus Chionanthus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. kompo`s elegant, pretty + gna`qos jaw. ] (Zool.) A genus of carnivorous Dinosauria found in the Jurassic formation with a slender body, and remarkable for having several birdlike features. It reached a length of 30 inches when adult. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ L. cothurnus, Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;. Cf. Cothurnus. ] A buskin anciently used by tragic actors on the stage; hence, tragedy in general. [ 1913 Webster ]

The moment had arrived when it was thought that the mask and the cothurn might be assumed with effect. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. 1. Wearing a cothurn. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Relating to tragedy; solemn; grave. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. ] Same as Cothurn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, gen. &unr_;, Zeus + 'a`nqos flower. ] (Bot.) A genus of plants containing some of the most popular of cultivated flowers, including the pink, carnation, and Sweet William. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. To make or become enthusiastic. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; , fr. &unr_; to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. &unr_;, &unr_;, inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism. ] 1. Inspiration as if by a divine or superhuman power; ecstasy; hence, a conceit of divine possession and revelation, or of being directly subject to some divine impulse. [ 1913 Webster ]

Enthusiasm is founded neither on reason nor divine revelation, but rises from the conceits of a warmed or overweening imagination. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A state of impassioned emotion; transport; elevation of fancy; exaltation of soul; as, the poetry of enthusiasm. [ 1913 Webster ]

Resolutions adopted in enthusiasm are often repented of when excitement has been succeeded by the wearing duties of hard everyday routine. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

Exhibiting the seeming contradiction of susceptibility to enthusiasm and calculating shrewdness. Bancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Enkindled and kindling fervor of soul; strong excitement of feeling on behalf of a cause or a subject; ardent and imaginative zeal or interest; as, he engaged in his profession with enthusiasm. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Lively manifestation of joy or zeal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Philip was greeted with a tumultuous enthusiasm. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. enthousiaste. ] One moved or actuated by enthusiasm; as: (a) One who imagines himself divinely inspired, or possessed of some special revelation; a religious madman; a fanatic. (b) One whose mind is wholly possessed and heated by what engages it; one who is influenced by a peculiar; fervor of mind; an ardent and imaginative person. [ 1913 Webster ]

Enthusiasts soon understand each other. W. Irving.

Syn. -- Visionary; fanatic; devotee; zealot.

n. An enthusiast; a zealot. [ Obs. ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_; . ] Filled with enthusiasm; characterized by enthusiasm; zealous; as, an enthusiastic lover of art. “Enthusiastical raptures.” Calamy. -- En*thu`si*as"tic*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

A young man . . . of a visionary and enthusiastic character. W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

a. Epithumetical. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to long for, lust after; 'epi` + qymo`s soul, heart, desire. ] Pertaining to sexual desire; sensual. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of reedlike grasses having spikes crowded in a panicle covered with long silky hairs.
Syn. -- genus Erianthus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a genus including the bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus.
Syn. -- genus Erignathus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

ety>[ Ether + Gr. &unr_; substance, base. Cf. Ethyl, and see -yl. ] (Chem.) Ethyl. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ OE. See Fiddle. ] A fiddle. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. gyro`s round + 'a`kanqa spine. ] (Paleon.) A genus of fossil fishes, found in Devonian and carboniferous strata; -- so named from their round, sculptured spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A genus of fossil plants of the Oligocene having flowers resembling those of the witch hazel; found in Baltic region.
Syn. -- genus Hamamelidanthum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays.
Syn. -- sunflower. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. holothuria, pl., a sort of water polyp, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Zool.) A holothurian. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the Holothurioidea. -- n. One of the Holothurioidea. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Some of the species of Holothurians are called sea cucumbers, sea slugs, trepang, and bêche de mèr. Many are used as food, esp. by the Chinese. See Trepang. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Holothure, and -oid. ] (Zool.) One of the classes of echinoderms. They have a more or less elongated body, often flattened beneath, and a circle of tentacles, which are usually much branched, surrounding the mouth; the skin is more or less flexible, and usually contains calcareous plates of various characteristic forms, sometimes becoming large and scalelike. Most of the species have five bands (ambulacra) of sucker-bearing feet along the sides; in others these are lacking. In one group (Pneumonophora) two branching internal gills are developed; in another (Apneumona) these are wanting. Called also Holothurida, Holothuridea, and Holothuroidea. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, n. A very diminutive person. [ Colloq. ] liwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Hop-o'-my-thumb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physiol. Chem.) A substance from the yolk of salmon's eggs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'ichqy`s. ] In early Christian and ecclesiastical art, an emblematic fish, or the Greek word for fish, which combined the initials of the Greek words Ihsoy^s, Christo`s, Qeoy^ Gio`s Swth`r, Jesus, Christ, Son of God, Savior. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Imposthume. ] To apostemate; to form an imposthume or abscess. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Imposthumated p. pr. & vb. n. Imposthumating ] To affect with an imposthume or abscess. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Imposthumated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of forming an abscess; state of being inflamed; suppuration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An abscess; an imposthume. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]