. Any of several acts forbidding the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States, originally from 1882 to 1892 by act of May 6, 1882, then from 1892 to 1902 by act May 5, 1892. By act of April 29, 1902, all existing legislation on the subject was reënacted and continued, and made applicable to the insular possessions of the United States. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ A corrupted spelling of cock's comb. ] 1. (a) A strip of red cloth notched like the comb of a cock, which licensed jesters formerly wore in their caps. (b) The cap itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The top of the head, or the head itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

We will belabor you a little better,
And beat a little more care into your coxcombs. Beau & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a fop. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy
Of powdered coxcombs at her levee. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some are bewildered in the maze of schools,
And some made coxcombs, nature meant but fools. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to Celosia cristata, or garden cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Befitting or indicating a coxcomb; like a coxcomb; foppish; conceited. -- Cox*comb"ic*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Studded all over in coxcombical fashion with little brass nails. W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

a. like a coxcomb. [ Obs. ] “You coxcombly ass, you!” Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The manners of a coxcomb; foppishness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Coxcombical. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Conceitedly. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excalceatus, p. p. of excalceare to unshoe. See Calceated. ] To deprive of shoes. [ Obs. ] Chambers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depriving or divesting of shoes. [ Obs. ] Chambers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excalfactio. ] A heating or warming; calefaction. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excalfacere to warm; ex out (intens.) + calfacere to warm. ] Serving to heat; warming. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excalfactorius. ] Heating; warming. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The name of King Arthur's mythical sword. [ Written also Excalibar, Excalibor, Escalibar, and Caliburn. ] Tennyson.

{ } v. t. [ LL. excambiare, excambire; L. ex out + cambire. See Change, and cf. Exchange. ] (Scots Law) To exchange; -- used with reference to transfers of land.

{ ‖‖ } n. [ LL. excambium. See Excamb. ] (Scots Law) Exchange; barter; -- used commonly of lands. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excandescentia. ] 1. A growing hot; a white or glowing heat; incandescence. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Violent anger; a growing angry. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excandescens, p. pr. of excandescere to take fire, glow; ex out (intens.) + candescere to begin to glisten or glow, fr. candere. See Candid. ] White or glowing with heat. [ R. ] Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excantare to charm out. See Ex&unr_;, and Chant. ] Disenchantment by a countercharm. [ Obs. ] Gayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ LL. excarnatus, p. p. of excarnare; L. ex out + caro, carnis, flesh. ] To deprive or clear of flesh. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depriving or divesting of flesh; excarnification; -- opposed to incarnation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. ex out + LL. carnificatus, p. p. carnificare to carnify; cf. L. excarnificare to tear to pieces, torment. See Carnify. ] To clear of flesh; to excarnate. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of excarnificating or of depriving of flesh; excarnation. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excavated p. pr. & vb. n. Excavating ] [ L. excavatus, p. p. of excavare to excavate; ex out + cavare to make hollow, cavus hollow. See Cave. ] 1. To hollow out; to form cavity or hole in; to make hollow by cutting, scooping, or digging; as, to excavate a ball; to excavate the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form by hollowing; to shape, as a cavity, or anything that is hollow; as, to excavate a canoe, a cellar, a channel. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) To dig out and remove, as earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The material excavated was usually sand. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excavating pump, a kind of dredging apparatus for excavating under water, in which silt and loose material mixed with water are drawn up by a pump. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excavatio: cf. F. excavation. ] 1. The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping. “A winding excavation.” Glover. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) (a) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel. (b) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The delivery of the excavations at a distance of 250 feet. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, excavates or hollows out; a machine, as a dredging machine, or a tool, for excavating. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excavare. ] To excavate. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excaecatus, p. p. of excaecare to blind; ex (intens.) + caecare to blind, caecus blind. ] To blind. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of making blind. [ Obs. ] Bp. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excedens, -entis, p. pr. of excedere. See Exceed, v. t. ] Excess. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Exceeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Exceeding. ] [ L. excedere, excessum, to go away or beyond; ex out + cedere to go, to pass: cf. F. excéder. See Cede. ] To go beyond; to proceed beyond the given or supposed limit or measure of; to outgo; to surpass; -- used both in a good and a bad sense; as, one man exceeds another in bulk, stature, weight, power, skill, etc.; one offender exceeds another in villainy; his rank exceeds yours. [ 1913 Webster ]

Name the time, but let it not
Exceed three days. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Observes how much a chintz exceeds mohair. Pope.

Syn. -- To outdo; surpass; excel; transcend; outstrip; outvie; overtop. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To go too far; to pass the proper bounds or measure. “In our reverence to whom, we can not possibly exceed.” Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed. Deut. xxv. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be more or greater; to be paramount. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of exceeding or surpassing. [ Obs. ] Sherwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who exceeds. Bp. Montagu. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. More than usual; extraordinary; more than sufficient; measureless. “The exceeding riches of his grace.” Eph. ii. 7. -- Ex*ceed"ing*ness, n. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster]

adv. In a very great degree; extremely; exceedingly. [ Archaic. It is not joined to verbs. ] “The voice exceeding loud.” Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow. Mark ix. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Genoese were exceeding powerful by sea. Sir W. Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. To a very great degree; beyond what is usual; surpassingly. It signifies more than very. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excelled p. pr. & vb. n. Excelling. ] [ L. excellere, excelsum; ex out + a root found in culmen height, top; cf. F. exceller. See Culminate, Column. ] 1. To go beyond or surpass in good qualities or laudable deeds; to outdo or outgo, in a good sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excelling others, these were great;
Thou, greater still, must these excel. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. Eccl. ii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exceed or go beyond; to surpass. [ 1913 Webster ]

She opened; but to shut
Excelled her power; the gates wide open stood. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To surpass others in good qualities, laudable actions, or acquirements; to be distinguished by superiority; as, to excel in mathematics, or classics. [ 1913 Webster ]

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. Gen. xlix. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then peers grew proud in horsemanship t' excel. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. excellence, L. excellentia. ] 1. The quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

Consider first that great
Or bright infers not excellence. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An excellent or valuable quality; that by which any one excels or is eminent; a virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

With every excellence refined. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A title of honor or respect; -- more common in the form excellency. [ 1913 Webster ]

I do greet your excellence
With letters of commission from the king. Shak.

Syn. -- Superiority; preëminence; perfection; worth; goodness; purity; greatness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Excellencies 1. Excellence; virtue; dignity; worth; superiority. [ 1913 Webster ]

His excellency is over Israel. Ps. lxviii. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

Extinguish in men the sense of their own excellency. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A title of honor given to certain high dignitaries, esp. to viceroys, ministers, and ambassadors, to English colonial governors, etc. It was formerly sometimes given to kings and princes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. excellent, L. excellens, -entis, p. pr. of excellere. See Excel. ] 1. Excelling; surpassing others in some good quality or the sum of qualities; of great worth; eminent, in a good sense; superior; as, an excellent man, artist, citizen, husband, discourse, book, song, etc.; excellent breeding, principles, aims, action. [ 1913 Webster ]

To love . . .
What I see excellent in good or fair. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality; -- used with words of a bad significance. [ Obs. or Ironical ] “An excellent hypocrite.” Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their sorrows are most excellent. Beau. & Fl.

Syn. -- Worthy; choice; prime; valuable; select; exquisite; transcendent; admirable; worthy. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Excellently; eminently; exceedingly. [ Obs. ] “This comes off well and excellent.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an excellent manner; well in a high degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a high or superior degree; -- in this literal use, not implying worthiness. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

When the whole heart is excellently sorry. J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ a. [ L., compar. of excelsus elevated, lofty, p. p. of excellere. See Excel, v. t. ] More lofty; still higher; ever upward. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of stuffing for upholstered furniture, mattresses, etc., in which curled shreds of wood are substituted for curled hair. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. ex- + central. ] (Bot.) Out of the center.

{ } a. 1. Same as Eccentric, Eccentrical. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) One-sided; having the normally central portion not in the true center. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Math.) Same as Eccentricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excepted; p. pr. & vb. n. Excepting. ] [ L. exceptus, p. p. of excipere to take or draw out, to except; ex out + capere to take: cf. F. excepter. See Capable. ] 1. To take or leave out (anything) from a number or a whole as not belonging to it; to exclude; to omit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who never touched
The excepted tree. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wherein (if we only except the unfitness of the judge) all other things concurred. Bp. Stillingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To object to; to protest against. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To take exception; to object; -- usually followed by to, sometimes by against; as, to except to a witness or his testimony. [ 1913 Webster ]

Except thou wilt except against my love. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]