2. (Her.)
Defn: See Cottise.
COSTCost (kst; 115), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cost; p. pr. & vb. n. Costing.]Etym: [OF. coster, couster, F. co, fr. L. constare to stand at, tocost; con- + stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Constant.]
1. To require to be given, expended, or laid out therefor, as in barter, purchase, acquisition, etc.; to cause the cost, expenditure, relinquishment, or loss of; as, the ticket cost a dollar; the effort cost his life. A d'amond gone, cost me two thousand ducats. Shak. Though it cost me ten nights' watchings. Shak.
2. To require to be borne or suffered; to cause. To do him wanton rites, whichcost them woe. Milton. To cost dear, to require or occasion a large outlay of money, or much labor, self-denial, suffering, etc.
COSTCost, n. Etym: [OF. cost, F. co. See Cost, v. t. ]
1. The amount paid, charged, or engaged to be paid, for anything bought or taken in barter; charge; expense; hence, whatever, as labor, self-denial, suffering, etc., is requisite to secure benefitt. One day shall crown the alliance on 't so please you, Here at my house, and at my proper cost. Shak. At less cost of life than is often expended in a skirmish, [Charles V.] saved Europe from invasion. Prescott.
2. Loss of any kind; detriment; pain; suffering. I know thy trains, Though dearly to my cost, thy gins and toils. Milton.
3. pl. (Law)
Defn: Expenses incurred in litigation.
Note: Costs in actions or suits are either between attorney and client, being what are payable in every case to the attorney or counsel by his client whether he ultimately succeed or not, or between party and party, being those which the law gives, or the court in its discretion decrees, to the prevailing, against the losing, party. Bill of costs. See under Bill. — Cost free, without outlay or expense. "Her duties being to talk French, and her privileges to live cost free and to gather scraps of knowledge." Thackeray.
COSTACos"ta (ks"t), n. Etym: [L., rib. See Coast.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: A rib of an animal or a human being.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A rib or vein of a leaf, especially the midrib.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) The anterior rib in the wing of an insect. (b) One of the riblike longitudinal ridges on the exterior of many corals.
COSTAGECost"age (kst"j; 115), n. Etym: [OF. coustage.]
Defn: Expense; cost. [Obs.] Chaucer.
COSTALCos"tal (ks"tal), a. Etym: [Cf. F. costal. See Costa.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the ribs or the sides of the body; as, costal nerves.
2. (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Relating to a costa, or rib. Costal cartilage. See Cartilage, and Illust. of Thorax.
COSTAL-NERVEDCos"tal-nerved` (ks"tal-nrvd`), a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the nerves spring from the midrib.
COSTARD Cos"tard (ks"trd), n. Etym: [Prob. fr. OF. coste rib, side, F. côte, and meaning orig., a ribbed apple, from the ribs or angles on its sides. See Coast.]
1. An apple, large and round like the head. Some [apples] consist more of air than water . . . ; others more of water than wind, as your costards and pomewaters. Muffett.
2. The head; — used contemptuously. Try whether your costard or my bat be the harder. Shak.
COSTARDMONGERCos"tard*mon`ger (-mn`gr), n.
Defn: A costermonger.
COSTATE; COSTATED Cos"tate (ks"tt), Cos"ta*ted (-t-td), a. Etym: [L. costatus, fr. costa rib.]
Defn: Having ribs, or the appearance of ribs; (Bot.) having one or more longitudinal ribs.
COSTEANCos"tean` (ks"tn`), v. i. Etym: [Cornish cothas dropped + stean tin.]
Defn: To search after lodes. See Costeaning.
COSTEANINGCos"tean`ing, n.
Defn: The process by which miners seek to discover metallic lodes. It consist in sinking small pits through the superficial deposits to the solid rock, and then driving from one pit to another across the direction of the vein, in such manner as to cross all the veins between the two pits.
COSTELLATECos*tel"late (ks-tl"lt), a. Etym: [L. costa rib.]
Defn: Finely ribbed or costated.
COSTERCos"ter (ks"tr), n.Etym: [Abbrev. of costermonger.]
Defn: One who hawks about fruit, green vegetables, fish, etc.
COSTERMONGERCos"ter*mon`ger (ks"tr-mn`gr), n. Etym: [See Costard.]
Defn: An apple seller; a hawker of, or dealer in, any kind of fruit or vegetables; a fruiterer. [Written also costardmonger.]
COSTIFEROUSCos*tif"er*ous (ks-tf"r-s), a. Etym: [Costa + -ferous.] (Anat.)
Defn: Rib-bearing, as the dorsal vertebræ.
COSTIVE Cos"tive (ks"tv), a. Etym: [OF. costev, p. p. of costever, F. constiper, L. constipare to press closely together, to cram; con- + stipare to press together, cram. See Stipulate, Stiff, and cf. Constipate.]
1. Retaining fecal matter in the bowels; having too slow a motion of the bowels; constipated.
2. Reserved; formal; close; cold. [Obs.] "A costive brain." Prior. "Costive of laughter." B. Jonson. You must be frank, but without indiscretion; and close, but without being costive. Lord Chesterfield.
3. Dry and hard; impermeable; unyielding. [Obs.] Clay in dry seasons is costive, hardening with the sun and wind. Mortimer.
COSTIVELYCos"tive*ly, adv.
Defn: In a costive manner.
COSTIVENESSCos"tive*ness, n.
1. An unnatural retention of the fecal matter of the bowels; constipation.
2. Inability to express one's self; stiffness. [Obs.] A reverend disputant of the same costiveness in public elocution with myself. Wakefield.
COSTLESSCost"less (kst"ls; 115), a.
Defn: Costing nothing.
COSTLEWECost"lewe (-l), a.
Defn: Costly. [Obs.] Chaucer.
COSTLINESSCost"li*ness (-l-ns), n.
Defn: The quality of being costy; expensiveness; sumptuousness.
COSTLYCost"ly (kst"l; 115), a. Etym: [From Cost expense.]
1. Of great cost; expensive; dear. He had fitted up his palace in the most costly and sumptuous style, for the accomodation of the princess. Prescott.
2. Gorgeous; sumptuous. [Poetic.] To show how costly summer was at hand. Shak.
COSTMARYCost"ma*ry (kst"m-r), n. Etym: [L. costum an Oriental aromatic plant(Gr. kost, kust) + Maria Mary. Cf.Alecost.] (Bot.)
Defn: A garden plant (Chrysanthemum Balsamita) having a strong balsamic smell, and nearly allied to tansy. It is used as a pot herb and salad plant and in flavoring ale and beer. Called also alecost.
COSTON LIGHTSCos"ton lights.
Defn: Signals made by burning lights of different colors and used by vessels at sea, and in the life-saving service; — named after their inventor.
COSTOTOMECos"to*tome (ks"t-tm), n. Etym: [Costa + Gr.
Defn: An instrument (chisel or shears) to cut the ribs and open the thoracic cavity, in post-mortem examinations and dissections. Knight.
COSTREL Cos"trel (ks"trl), n. Etym: [CF.W. costrel, OF. costrel, LL. costrellum, a liquid measure, costrellus a wine cup.]
Defn: A bottle of leather, earthenware, or wood, having ears by which it was suspended at the side. [Archaic] A youth, that, following with a costrel, bore The means of goodly welcome, flesh and wine. Tennyson.
COSTUMECos"tume` (ks"tm` or ks-tm"), n. Etym: [F. costume, It. costumecustom, dress, fr. L. consuetumen (not found), for consuetudo custom.See Custom, and cf. Consuetude.]
1. Dress in general; esp., the distinctive style of dress of a people, class, or period.
2. Such an arrangement of accessories, as in a picture, statue, poem, or play, as is appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances represented or described. I began last night to read Walter Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel . . . .I was extremely delighted with the poetical beauty of some parts . . . .The costume, too, is admirable. Sir J. Mackintosh.
3. A character dress, used at fancy balls or for dramatic purposes.
COSTUMERCos"tum`er (-tm`r), n.
Defn: One who makes or deals in costumes, as for theaters, fancy balls, etc.
CO-SUFFERERCo-suf"fer*er (k-sf"fr-r), n.
Defn: One who suffers with another. Wycherley.
COSUPREMECo`su*preme" (k`s-prm"), n.
Defn: A partaker of supremacy; one jointly supreme. Shak.
COSURETYCo*sure"ty (k-shr"t; 136), n.; pl. Cosureties (-t.
Defn: One who is surety with another.
COSYCo"sy (k"z), a.
Defn: See Cozy.
COT Cot (kt), n. Etym: [OE. cot, cote, AS. cot, cote, cottage; akin to D. & Icel. kot, G. koth, kot, kothe. Cf. Coat.]
1. A small house; a cottage or hut. The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm. Goldsmith.
2. A pen, coop, or like shelter for small domestic animals, as for sheep or pigeons; a cote.
3. A cover or sheath; as, a roller cot (the clothing of a drawing roller in a spinning frame); a cot for a sore finger.
4. Etym: [Cf. Ir. cot.]
Defn: A small, rudely-formed boat. Bell cot. (Arch.) See under Bell.
COT Cot (kt), n. Etym: [AS. cot cottage, bedchamber; or cf. OF. coite, F. couette (E. quilt), LL. cottum, cottus, mattress. See Cot a cottage.]
Defn: A sleeping place of limited size; a little bed; a cradle; a piece of canvas extended by a frame, used as a bed. [Written also cott.]
COTANGENT Co*tan"gent (k-tn"jent), n. Etym: [For co. tangens, an abbrev. of L. complementi tangens. See Tangent.] (Trig.)
Defn: The tangent of the complement of an arc or angle. See Illust. of Functions.
COTARNINE Co*tar"nine (k-tr"nn or -nn), n. Etym: [F., fr. narcotine, by transposition of letters.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white, crystalline substance, C12H13NO3, obtained as a product of the decomposition of narcotine. It has weak basic properties, and is usually regarded as an alkaloid.
COTECote (kt), n. Etym: [See 1st Cot.]
1. A cottage or hut. [Obs.]
2. A shed, shelter, or inclosure for small domestic animals, as forsheep or doves.Watching where shepherds pen their flocks, at eve, In hurdled cotes.Milton.
COTE Cote, v. t. Etym: [Prob. from F. c sode, OF. costet, LL. costatus, costatum, fr. L. costu rib, side: cf. F. c to go or keep at the side of. See Coast.]
Defn: To go side by side with; hence, to pass by; to outrun and get before; as, a dog cotes a hare. [Obs.] Drayton. We coted them on the way, and hither are they coming. Shak.
COTECote, v. t. Etym: [See Quote.]
Defn: To quote. [Obs.] Udall.
COTEAUCo`teau", n.; pl. Coteaux (#). [F., a hill.] [Canada & U. S.]
1. A hilly upland including the divide between two valleys; a divide.
2. The side of a valley.
COTEMPORANEOUSCo*tem`po*ra"ne*ous (k-tm`p-r"n-s), a. Etym: [See Contemporaneous.]
Defn: Living or being at the same time; contemporaneous.— Co*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ly, adv.— Co*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ness, n.
COTEMPORARYCo*tem"po*ra*ry (k-tm"p-r-r), a.
Defn: Living or being at the same time; contemporary.
COTEMPORARYCo*tem"po*ra*ry, n.; pl. Cotemporaries (-r.
Defn: One who lives at the same time with another; a contemporary.
COTENANTCo*ten"ant (k-tn"ant), n.
Defn: A tenant in common, or a joint tenant.
COTERIE Co`te*rie" (k`Te-r"; 277), n. Etym: [F., prob. from OF. coterie servile tenure, fr. colier cotter; of German origin. See 1st Cot.]
Defn: A set or circle of persons who meet familiarly, as for social, literary, or other purposes; a clique. "The queen of your coterie." Thackeray.
COTERMINOUSCo*ter"mi*nous (k-tr"m-ns), a. Etym: [Cf. Conterminous.]
Defn: Bordering; conterminous; — followed by with.
COTGARECot"gare` (kt"gr`), n.
Defn: Refuse wool. [Obs. or Prov.]
COTHURNCo"thurn (k"thrn), n. Etym: [L. cothurnus, Gr. Cothurnus.]
Defn: A buskin anciently used by tragic actors on the stage; hence,tragedy in general.The moment had arrived when it was thought that the mask and thecothurn might be assumed with effect. Motley.
COTHURNATE; COTHURNATEDCo*thur"nate (k-thr"nt), Co*thur"na*ted (-n-td), a.
1. Wearing a cothurn.
2. Relating to tragedy; solemn; grave.
COTHURNUSCo*thur"nus (-ns), n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: Same as Cothurn.
COTICULAR Co*tic"u*lar (k-tk"-lr), a. Etym: [L. coticula a small touchstone, dim. cos, cotis, whetstone.]
Defn: Pertaining to whetstones; like or suitable for whetstones.
COTIDALCo*tid"al (k-td"al), a.
Defn: Marking an equality in the tides; having high tide at the same time. Cotidal lines (Phys. Geog.), lines on a map passing through places that have high tide at the same time.
COTILLON; COTILLIONCo`til`lon" (k`t`yn" or k`tl`-;277), Co*til"lion (k-tl"yn), n. Etym:[F. cotillon, fr. OF. cote coat, LL. cotta tunic. See Coat.]
1. A brisk dance, performed by eight persons; a quadrille.
2. A tune which regulates the dance.
3. A kind of woolen material for women's skrits.
COTINGACo*tin"ga (k-tn"g), n. Etym: [Native South American name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A bird of the family Cotingidæ, including numerous bright- colored South American species; — called also chatterers.
COTISECot"ise (kt"s), n. (Her.)
Defn: See Cottise.
COTISEDCot"ised (-st), a. (Her.)
Defn: See Cottised.
COTLANDCot"land (kt"lnd), n.
Defn: Land appendant to a cot or cottage, or held by a cottager or cotter.
COTQUEANCot"quean` (kt"kwn`), n. Etym: [Cot a cottage + quean.]
1. A man who busies himself with affairs which properly belong to women. Addison.
2. A she-cuckold; a cucquean; a henhussy. [Obs.] What, shall a husband be afraid of his wife's face We are a king, cotquean, and we will reign in our pleasures. B. Jonson.
COTQUEANITYCot*quean"i*ty (kt-kwn"-t), n.
Defn: The condition, character, or conduct of a cotquean. [Obs.] B.Jonson.
COTRUSTEECo`trus*tee" (k`trs-t"), n.
Defn: A joint trustee.
COTSWOLD Cots"wold` (kts"wld`), n. Etym: [Cot a cottage or hut + wold an open country.]
Defn: An open country abounding in sheepcotes, as in the Cotswold hills, in Gloucestershire, England. Cotswold sheep, a long-wooled breed of sheep, formerly common in the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester, Eng.; — so called from the Cotswold Hills. The breed is now chiefly amalgamated with others.
COTTACot"ta, n. [LL. See Coat.]
1. (Eccl.)
Defn: A surplice, in England and America usually one shorter and less full than the ordinary surplice and with short sleeves, or sometimes none.
2. A kind of very coarse woolen blanket.
COTTAGECot"tage (kt"tj; 48), n. Etym: [From Cot a cotttage.]
Defn: A small house; a cot; a hut.
Note: The term was formerly limited to a habitation for the poor, but is now applied to any small tasteful dwelling; and at places of summer resort, to any residence or lodging house of rustic architecture, irrespective of size. Cottage allotment. See under Alloment. [Eng.] — Cottage cheese, the thick part of clabbered milk strained, salted, and pressed into a ball.
COTTAGEDCot"taged (-tjd), a.
Defn: Set or covered with cottages.Even humble Harting's cottaged vale. Collins.
COTTAGELYCot"tage*ly (-tj-l), a.
Defn: Cottagelike; suitable for a cottage; rustic. [Obs.] Jer.Taylor.
COTTAGERCot"ta*ger (kt"t-jr), n.
1. One who lives in a cottage.
2. (Law)
Defn: One who lives on the common, without paying any rent, or having land of his own.
COTTER; COTTAR Cot"ter, Cot"tar (kt"tr), n. Etym: [LL. cotarius, cottarius, coterius. See Cot.]
Defn: A cottager; a cottier. Burns.Through Sandwich Notch the West Wind sang Good morrow to the cotter.Whittier.
COTTERCot"ter (kt"tr), n.
1. A piece of wood or metal, commonly wedge-shaped, used for fastening together parts of a machine or structure. It is driven into an opening through one or all of the parts.
Note: [See Illust.] In the United States a cotter is commonly called a key.
2. A toggle.
COTTERCot"ter, v. t.
Defn: To fasten with a cotter.
COTTIERCot"ti*er (-t-r), n. Etym: [OF. cotier. See Coterie, and cf. Cotter.]
Defn: In Great Britain and Ireland, a person who hires a small cottage, with or without a plot of land. Cottiers commonly aid in the work of the landlord's farm. [Written also cottar and cotter.]
COTTISECot"tise (kt"ts), n. Etym: [Cf. F. c side, L. costa rib.] (Her.)
Defn: A diminutive of the bendlet, containing one half its area or one quarter the area of the bend. When a single cottise is used alone it is often called a cost. See also Couple-close.
COTTISEDCot"tised (-tst), a. (Her.)
Defn: Set between two cottises, — said of a bend; or between two barrulets, — said of a bar or fess.
COTTOIDCot"toid (kt"toid), a. Etym: [NL. cottus sculpin + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like a fish of the genus Cottus.— n.
Defn: A fish belonging to, or resembling, the genus Cottus. SeeSculpin.
COTTOLENECot"to*lene`, n.
Defn: A product from cottonseed, used as lard.
COTTON Cot"ton (kt"t'n), n. Etym: [F. coton, Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. Acton, Hacqueton.]
1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.
2. The cotton plant. See Cotten plant, below.
3. Cloth made of cotton.
Note: Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cottton bagging; cotton clotch; cotton goods; cotton industry; cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick. Cotton cambric. See Cambric, n., 2. — Cotton flannel, the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it is called swan's- down cotton, or Canton flannel. — Cotton gin, a machine to separate the seeds from cotton, invented by Eli Whitney. — Cotton grass (Bot.), a genus of plants (Eriphorum) of the Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton. — Cotton mouse (Zool.), a field mouse (Hesperomys gossypinus), injurious to cotton crops. — Cotton plant (Bot.), a plant of the genus Gossypium, of several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally Asiatic, is G. herbaceum. — Cotton press, a building and machinery in which cotton bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a press for baling cotton. — Cotton rose (Bot.), a genus of composite herbs (Filago), covered with a white substance resembling cotton. — Cotton scale (Zoöl.), a species of bark louse (Pulvinaria innumerabilis), which does great damage to the cotton plant. — Cotton shrub. Same as Cotton plant. — Cotton stainer (Zoöl.), a species of hemipterous insect (Dysdercus suturellus), which seriously damages growing cotton by staining it; — called also redbug. — Cotton thistle (Bot.), the Scotch thistle. See under Thistle. — Cotton velvet, velvet in which the warp and woof are both of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made wholly of cotton. — Cotton waste, the refuse of cotton mills. — Cotton wool, cotton in its raw or woolly state. — Cotton worm (Zool.), a lepidopterous insect (Aletia argillacea), which in the larval state does great damage to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on corn, etc., and hence is often called corn worm, and Southern army worm.
COTTONCot"ton, v. i.
1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.] It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty nap. Family of Love.
2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.] New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I would Lyly.
3. To unite; to agree; to make friends; — usually followed by with. [Colloq.] A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off, in which case it will not be easy to cotton with another. Swift. Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in with his beggarly companion Sir W. Scott.
4. To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; — used with to. [Slang]
COTTONADECot"ton*ade` (kt"t'n-d`), n. Etym: [F. cottonade.]
Defn: A somewhat stoun and thick fabric of cotton.
COTTONARYCot"ton*a*ry (—r), a.
Defn: Relating to, or composed of, cotton; cottony. [Obs.]Cottomary and woolly pillows. Sir T. Browne.
COTTON BATTINGCot"ton bat"ting.
Defn: Cotton prepared in sheets or rolls for quilting, upholstering, and similar purposes.
COTTONOUSCot"ton*ous (-s), a.
Defn: Resembling cotton. [R.] Evelyn.
COTTON SEED; COTTONSEEDCotton seed, or, usually collectively, Cot"ton*seed`, n.
Defn: The seed of the cotton plant.
COTTONSEED MEALCottonseed meal.
Defn: A meal made from hulled cotton seeds after the oil has been expressed.
COTTONSEED OILCottonseed oil.
Defn: A fixed, semidrying oil extracted from cottonseed. It is pale yellow when pure (sp. gr., .92-.93). and is extensively used in soap making, in cookery, and as an adulterant of other oils.
COTTON STATECotton State.
Defn: Alabama; — a nickname.
COTTONTAILCot"ton*tail` (kt"t'n-tl`), n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American wood rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus); — also calledMolly cottontail.
COTTONWEEDCot"ton*weed` (-wd`), n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Cudweed.
COTTONWOODCot"ton*wood` (-wd`), n. (Bot.)
Defn: An American tree of the genus Populus or polar, having the seeds covered with abundant cottonlike hairs; esp., the P. monilifera and P. angustifolia of the Western United States.
COTTONYCot"ton*y (-), a.
1. Covered with hairs or pubescence, like cotton; downy; nappy; woolly.
2. Of or pertaining to cotton; resembling cotton in appearance or character; soft, like cotton.
COTTRELCot"trel (kt"trl), n.
Defn: A trammel, or hook to support a pot over a fire. Knight.
COTYLA; COTYLECot"y*la (kt"-l), Cot"y*le (kt"-l), n. Etym: [Gr. cotyla a measure.](Anat.)
Defn: A cuplike cavity or organ. Same as Acetabulum.
COTYLEDONCot`y*le"don (kt`-l"dn), n. Etym: [Gr.Cotyle.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the patches of villi found in some forms of placenta.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A leaf borne by the caulicle or radicle of an embryo; a seed leaf.
Note: Many plants, as the bean and the maple, have two cotyledons, the grasses only one, and pines have several. In one African plant (Welwitschia) the cotyledons are permanent and grow to immense proportions.
COTYLEDONALCot`y*led"on*al (kt`-ld"n-al), a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a cotyledon.
COTYLEDONARYCot`y*led"on*a*ry (—r), a.
Defn: Having a cotyledon; tufted; as, the cotyledonary placenta of the cow.
COTYLEDONOUSCot`y*led"on*ous (-s; 277), a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a cotyledon or cotyledons; having a seed lobe.
COTYLIFORMCo*tyl"i*form (k-tl"-frm), a. Etym: [Cotyle + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Shaped like a cotyle or a cup.
COTYLIGEROUSCot`y*lig"er*ous (kt`-lj"r-s), a. Etym: [Cotyle + -gerous.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having cotyles.
COTYLOID Cot"y*loid (kt"-loid), a. Etym: [Cotyle + -oid] (Anat.) (a) Shaped like a cup; as, the cotyloid cavity, which receives the head of the thigh bone. (b) Pertaining to a cotyloid cavity; as, the cotyloid ligament, or notch.
COUCALCou"cal (k"kl), n. Etym: [Prob. native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, Old World, ground cuckoo of the genus Centropus, of several species.
COUCHCouch (kouch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Couched (koucht); p. pr. & vb. n.Couching.] Etym: [F. coucher to lay down, lie down, OF. colchier, fr.L. collocare to lay, put, place; col- + locare to place, fr. locusplace. See Locus.]
1. To lay upon a bed or other resting place. Where unbruised youth, with unstuffed brain, Does couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign. Shak.
2. To arrauge or dispose as in a bed; — sometimes followed by the reflexive pronoun. The waters couch themselves as may be to the center of this globe, in a spherical convexity. T. Burnet.
3. To lay or deposit in a bed or layer; to bed. It is at this day in use at Gaza, to couch potsherds, or vessels of earth, in their walls. Bacon.
4. (Paper Making)
Defn: To transfer (as sheets of partly dried pulp) from the wire clotch mold to a felt blanket, for further drying.
5. To conceal; to include or involve darkly. There is all this, and more, that lies naturally couched under this allegory. L'Estrange.
6. To arrange; to place; to inlay. [Obs.] Chaucer.
7. To put into some form of language; to express; to phrase; — usedwith in and under.A well-couched invective. Milton.I had received a letter from Flora couched in rather cool terms.Blackw. Mag.
8. (Med.)
Defn: To treat by pushing down or displacing the opaque lens with a needle; as, to couch a cataract. To couch a spear or lance, to lower to the position of attack; to place in rest. He stooped his head, and couched his spear, And spurred his steed to full career. Sir W. Scott. To couch malt, to spread malt on a floor. Mortimer.
COUCHCouch, v. i.
1. To lie down or recline, as on a bed or other place of rest; torepose; to lie.Where souls do couch on flowers, we 'll hand in hand. Shak.If I court moe women, you 'll couch with moe men. Shak.
2. To lie down for concealment; to hide; to be concealed; to be included or involved darkly. We 'll couch in the castle ditch, till we see the light of our fairies. Shak. The half-hidden, hallf-revealed wonders, that yet couch beneath the words of the Scripture. I. Taylor.
3. To bend the body, as in reverence, pain, labor, etc.; to stoop; tocrouch. [Obs.]An aged squire That seemed to couch under his shield three-square.Spenser.
COUCHCouch, n. Etym: [F. couche, OF. colche, culche, fr. colchier. SeeCouch, v. t. ]
1. A bed or place for repose or sleep; particularly, in the United States, a lounge. Gentle sleep . . . why liest thou with the vile In loathsome beds, and leavest the kingly couch Shak. Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. Bryant.
2. Any place for repose, as the lair of a beast, etc.
3. A mass of steeped barley spread upon a floor to germinate, in malting; or the floor occupied by the barley; as, couch of malt.
4. (Painting & Gilding)
Defn: A preliminary layer, as of color, size, etc.
COUCHANCYCouch"an*cy (kouch"an-s), n.
Defn: State of lying down for repose. [R.]
COUCHANT Couch"ant (kouch"ant), a. Etym: [F., p. pr. of coucher. See Couch, v. t.]
1. Lying down with head erect; squatting.
2. (Her.)
Defn: Lying down with the head raised, which distinguishes the posture of couchant from that of dormant, or sleeping; — said of a lion or other beast. Couchant and levant (Law), rising up and lying down; — said of beasts, and indicating that they have been long enough on land, not belonging to their owner, to lie down and rise up to feed, — such time being held to include a day and night at the least. Blackstone.
COUCHE Cou`ché" (k`sh"), a. Etym: [F., p. p. of coucher. See Couch, v. t. ] (Her.) (a) Not erect; inclined; — said of anything that is usually erect, as an escutcheon. (b) Lying on its side; thus, a chevron couché is one which emerges from one side of the escutcheon and has its apex on the opposite side, or at the fess point.
COUCHEDCouched (koucht), a. (Her.)
Defn: Same as Couch.
COUCHEE Cou"chee (k"sh; F. k"sh"), n. Etym: [F. couch a sleeping place from coucher. See Couch, v. t. ]
Defn: A reception held at the time of going to bed, as by a sovereign or great prince. [Obs.] Dryden. The duke's levees and couchees were so crowded that the antechambers were full. Bp. Burnet.
COUCHERCouch"er (kouch"r), n.
1. One who couches.
2. (Paper Manuf.)
Defn: One who couches paper.
3. Etym: [Cf. L. collectarius.] (O. Eng. Law) (a) A factor or agent resident in a country for traffic. Blount. (b) The book in which a corporation or other body registers its particular acts. [Obs.] Cowell.
COUCH GRASSCouch" grass` (grs`). (Bot.)
Defn: See Quitch grass.
COUCHINGCouch"ing, n.
1. (Med.)
Defn: The operation of putting down or displacing the opaque lens in cataract.
2. Embroidering by laying the materials upon the surface of the foundation, instead of drawing them through.
COUCHLESSCouch"less (kouch"ls), a.
Defn: Having no couch or bed.
COUDEECou"dee (k"d; F. k`d"), n. Etym: [F. coud, from coude elbow.]
Defn: A measure of length; the distance from the elbow to the end of the middle finger; a cubit.
COUGARCou"gar (k"gr), n. Etym: [F. couguar, from the native name in theSouth American dialects, cuguacuara, cuguacuarana.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American feline quadruped (Felis concolor), resembling the African panther in size and habits. Its color is tawny, without spots; hence writers often called it the American lion. Called also puma, panther, mountain lion, and catamount. See Puma.
COUGH Cough (kf), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Coughed (kft); p. pr. & vb. n. Coughing.] Etym: [Cf. D. kuchen, MHG. k to breathe, G. keuchen to pant, and E. chincough, the first part of which is prob. akin to cough; cf. also E. choke.]
Defn: To expel air, or obstructing or irritating matter, from the lungs or air passages, in a noisy and violent manner.
COUGHCough, v. t.
1. To expel from the lungs or air passages by coughing; — followed by up; as, to cough up phlegm.
2. To bring to a specified state by coughing; as, he coughed himself hoarse. To cough down, to silence or put down (an objectionable speaker) by simulated coughing.
COUGHCough, n. Etym: [Cg. D. kuch. See Cough, v. i. ]
1. A sudden, noisy, and violent expulsion of air from the chest, caused by irritation in the air passages, or by the reflex action of nervous or gastric disorder, etc.
2. The more or less frequent repetition of coughing, constituting a symptom of disease. Stomach cough, Ear cough, cough due to irritation in the stomach or ear.
COUGHERCough"er (kf"r), n.
Defn: One who coughs.
COUHAGECou"hage (kou"j), n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Cowhage.
COULD Could (kd), imp. of Can. Etym: [OF. coude. The l was inserted by mistake, under the influence of should and would.]
Defn: Was, should be, or would be, able, capable, or susceptible. Used as an auxiliary, in the past tense or in the conditional present.
COULEECou`lee" (k`l"), n. Etym: [F. coulée, fr. couler to run or flow.]
Defn: A stream; (Geol.)
Defn: a stream of lava. Also, in the Western United States, the bed of a stream, even if dry, when deep and having inclined sides; distinguished from a cañon, which has precipitous sides.
COULEURCou`leur", n. [F.]
1. Color; — chiefly used in a few French phrases, as couler de rose, color of rose; and hence, adjectively, rose-colored; roseate.
2. A suit of cards, as hearts or clubs; —used in some French games.
COULISSE Cou*lisse" (k-ls"; F. k`ls"), n. Etym: [F., fr. couler to flow, glide.]
1. A piece of timber having a groove in which something glides.
2. One of the side scenes of the stage in a theater, or the space included between the side scenes.
COULOIRCou`loir" (k`lwr"), n. Etym: [F., a strainer.]
1. A deep gorge; a gully.
2. (Hydraul. Engin.)
Defn: A dredging machine for excavating canals, etc.
COULOMB Cou`lomb" (k`ln"), n. Etym: [From Coulomb, a French physicist and electrican.] (Physics)
Defn: The standard unit of quantity in electrical measurements. It is the quantity of electricity conveyed in one second by the current produced by an electro-motive force of one volt acting in a circuit having a resistance of one ohm, or the quantitty transferred by one ampère in one second. Formerly called weber.
COULOMB METERCou`lomb" me"ter. (Elec.)
Defn: Any instrument by which electricity can be measured in coulombs.
COULOMB'S LAWCou`lomb's" law. (Physics)
Defn: The law that the force exerted between two electric or magnetic charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely to the square of the distance between them.
COULTERCoul"ter (kl"tr), n.
Defn: Same as Colter.
COULTERNEBCoul"ter*neb` (-nb`), n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The puffin.
COULURECou*lure", n. [F., prop., a dropping.] (Hort.)
Defn: A disease affecting grapes, esp. in California, manifested by the premature dropping of the fruit.
COUMARICCou*mar"ic (k-mr"k), a.
Defn: Relating to, derived from, or like, the Dipterix odorata, a tree of Guiana. Coumaric acid (Chem.), one of a series of aromatic acids, related to cinnamic acid, the most important of which is a white crystalline substance, HO.C6H4.C2H2.CO2H, obtained from the tonka bean, sweet clover, etc., and also produced artifically.
COUMARINCou"ma*rin (k"m-rn), n. Etym: [F., fr. coumarou, a tree of Guiana.](Chem.)
Defn: The concrete essence of the tonka bean, the fruit of Dipterix (formerly Coumarouna) odorata and consisting essentially of coumarin proper, which is a white crystalline substance, C9H6O2, of vanilla- like odor, regarded as an anhydride of coumaric acid, and used in flavoring. Coumarin in also made artificially.
COUMAROUCou"ma*rou, n. [See Coumarin.] (Bot.)
Defn: The tree (Dipteryx odorata) which bears the tonka bean; also, the bean itself.
COUNCIL Coun"cil (koun"sl), n. Etym: [F. concile, fr. L. concilium; con- + calare to call, akin to Gr. hale, v., haul. Cf. Conciliate. This word is often confounded with counsel, with which it has no connection.]
1. An assembly of men summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice; as, a council of physicians for consultation in a critical case.
2. A body of man elected or appointed to constitute an advisory or a legislative assembly; as, a governor's council; a city council. An old lord of the council rated me the other day. Shak.
3. Act of deliberating; deliberation; consultation. Satan . . . void of rest, His potentates to council called by night. Milton. O great in action and in council wise. Pope. Aulic council. See under Aulic. — Cabinet council. See under Cabinet. — City council, the legislative branch of a city government, usually consisting of a board of aldermen and common council, but sometimes otherwise constituted. — Common council. See under Common. — Council board, Council table, the table round which a council holds consultation; also, the council itself in deliberation. — Council chamber, the room or apartment in which a council meets. — Council fire, the ceremonial fire kept burning while the Indians hold their councils. [U.S.] Barilett. — Council of war, an assembly of officers of high rank, called to consult with the commander in chief in regard to measures or importance or nesessity. — Ecumenical council (Eccl.), an assembly of prelates or divines convened from the whole body of the church to regulate matters of doctrine or discipline. — Executive council, a body of men elected as advisers of the chief magistrate, whether of a State or the nation. [U.S.] — Legislative council, the upper house of a legislature, usually called the senate. — Privy council. See under Privy. [Eng.]
Syn. — Assembly; meeting; congress; diet; parliament; convention; convocation; synod.
COUNCILISTCoun"cil*ist (koun"sl-st), n.
Defn: One who belong to a council; one who gives an opinion. [Obs.]I will in three months be an expert counsilist. Milton.
COUNCILMANCoun"cil*man (koun`sl-man), n.; pl. Councilmen (-men).
Defn: A member of a council, especially of the common council of a city; a councilor.
COUNCILORCoun"cil*or (koun"sl-r), n.
Defn: A member of a council. [Written also councillor.]
Note: The distinction between councilor, a member of a council, and counselor, one who gives councel, was not formerly made, but is now very generally recognized and observed.
CO-UNECo`-une" (k`n"), v. t. Etym: [L. co- + unus one.]
Defn: To combine or unite. [Obs.] "Co-uned together." Feltham.
CO-UNITECo`-u*nite" (k`-nt"), v. t.
Defn: To unite. [Obs.]
CO-UNITECo`-u*nite", a.
Defn: United closely with another. [Obs.]
COUNSELCoun"sel (koun"sl), n. Etym: [OE. conc, F. conseil, fr. L. consilium,fr. the root of consulere to consult, of uncertain origin. Cf.Consult, Consul.]
1. Interchange of opinions; mutual advising; consultation. All the chief priest and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, to put him to death. Matt. xxvii. 1.
2. Examination of consequences; exercise of deliberate judgment; prudence. They all confess, therefore, in the working of that first cause, that counsel is used. Hooker.
3. Result of consultation; advice; instruction. I like thy counsel; well hast thou advised. Shak. It was ill counsel had misled the girl. Tennyson.
4. Deliberate purpose; design; intent; scheme; plan. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever. Ps. xxxiii. 11. The counsels of the wicked are deceit. Prov. xii. 5.
5. A secret opinion or purpose; a private matter. Thilke lord . . . to whom no counsel may be hid. Gower.
6. One who gives advice, especially in legal matters; one professionally engaged in the trial or management of a cause in court; also, collectively, the legal advocates united in the management of a case; as, the defendant has able counsel. The King found his counsel as refractory as his judges. Macaulay.
Note: The some courts a distinction is observed between the attorney and the counsel in a cause, the former being employed in the management iof the more mechanical parts of the suit, the latter in attending to the pleadings, managing the cause at the trial, and in applying the law to the exigencies of the case during the whole progress of the suit. In other courts the same person can exercise the powers of each. See Attorney. Kent. In counsel, in secret. [Obs.] Chaucer. — To keep counsel, or To keep one's own counsel, to keep one's thoughts, purposes, etc., undisclosed. The players can not keep counsel: they 'll tell all. Shak.
Syn.— Advice; consideration; consultation; purpose; scheme; opinion.
COUNSEL Coun"sel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counseled (-sld) or Counselled; p. pr. & vb. n. Counseling or Counselling.] Etym: [OE. conseilen, counseilen, F. conseiller, fr. L. consiliari, fr. consilium counsel.]
1. To give advice to; to advice, admonish, or instruct, as a person. Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you To leave this place. Shak.
2. To advise or recommend, as an act or course. They who counsel war. Milton. Thus Belial, with words clothed in reson's garb, Counseled ignoble ease and peaceful sloth. Milton.
COUNSELABLECoun"sel*a*ble (—b'l), a. Etym: [Written also counsellable.]
1. Willing to receive counsel or follow advice. [R.] Few men of so great parts were upon all occasions more counselable than he. Clarendon.
2. Suitable to be advised; advisable, wise. [Obs.] He did not believe it counselable. Clarendon.
COUNSELOR Coun"sel*or (koun"sl-r), n. [Written also counsellor.] Etym: [OE. conseiler, F. conseiller, fr. L. consiliarius, fr. consilium counsel.]
1. One who counsels; an adviser. Can he that speaks with the tongue of an enemy be a good counselor, or no Shak.
2. A member of council; one appointed to advise a sovereign or chief magistrate.
Note: [See under Consilor.]
3. One whose profession is to give advice in law, and manage causes for clients in court; a barrister. Good counselors lack no clients. Shak.
COUNSELORSHIPCoun"sel*or*ship (koun"sl-r-shp), n.
Defn: The function and rank or office of a counselor. Bacon.
COUNT Count (kount), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counted; p. pr. & vb. n. Counting.] Etym: [OF. conter, and later (etymological spelling) compter, in modern French thus distinguished; conter to relate (cf. Recount, Account), compter to count; fr. L. computuare to reckon, compute; com- + putare to reckon, settle, order, prune, orig., to clean. See Pure, and cf. Compute.]
1. To tell or name one by one, or by groups, for the purpose of ascertaining the whole number of units in a collection; to number; to enumerate; to compute; to reckon. Who can count the dust of Jacob Num. xxiii. 10. In a journey of forty miles, Avaux counted only three miserable cabins. Macaulay.
2. To place to an account; to ascribe or impute; to consider oresteem as belonging.Abracham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.Rom. iv. 3.
3. To esteem; to account; to reckon; to think, judge, or consider. I count myself in nothing else so happy As in a soul remembering my good friends. Shak. To count out. (a) To exclude (one) will not particapate or cannot be depended upon. (b) (House of Commons) To declare adjourned, as a sitting of the House, when it is ascertained that a quorum is not present. (c) To prevent the accession of (a person) to office, by a fraudulent return or count of the votes cast; — said of a candidate really elected. [Colloq.]
Syn.— To calculate; number; reckon; compute; enumerate. See Calculate.
COUNTCount, v. i.
1. To number or be counted; to possess value or carry weight; hence, to increase or add to the strength or influence of some party or interest; as, every vote counts; accidents count for nothing. This excellent man . . . counted among the best and wisest of English statesmen. J. A. Symonds.
2. To reckon; to rely; to depend; — with on or upon. He was brewer to the palace; and it was apprehended that the government counted on his voice. Macaulay. I think it a great error to count upon the genius of a nation as a standing argument in all ages. Swift.
3. To take account or note; — with of. [Obs.] "No man counts of her beauty." Shak.
4. (Eng. Law)
Defn: To plead orally; to argue a matter in court; to recite a count.Burrill.
COUNT Count, n. Etym: [F. conte and compte, with different meanings, fr. L. computus a computation, fr. computare. See Count, v. t.]
1. The act of numbering; reckoning; also, the number ascertained bycounting.Of blessed saints for to increase the count. Spenser.By this count, I shall be much in years. Shak.
2. An object of interest or account; value; estimation. [Obs.] "All his care and count." Spenser.
3. (Law)
Defn: A formal statement of the plaintiff's case in court; in a more technical and correct sense, a particular allegation or charge in a declaration or indictment, separately setting forth the cause of action or prosecution. Wharton.
Note: In the old law books, count was used synonymously with declaration. When the plaintiff has but a single cause of action, and makes but one statement of it, that statement is called indifferently count or declaration, most generally, however, the latter. But where the suit embraces several causes, or the plaintiff makes several different statements of the same cause of action, each statement is called a count, and all of them combined, a declaration. Bouvier. Wharton.
COUNT Count, n. Etym: [F. conte, fr. L. comes, comitis, associate, companion, one of the imperial court or train, properly, one who goes with another; com- + ire to go, akin to Skr. i to go.]
Defn: A nobleman on the continent of Europe, equal in rank to anEnglish earl.
Note: Though the tittle Count has never been introduced into Britain, the wives of Earls have, from the earliest period of its history, been designated as Countesses. Brande & C. Count palatine. (a) Formerly, the proprietor of a county who possessed royal prerogatives within his county, as did the Earl of Chester, the Bishop of Durham, and the Duke of Lancaster. [Eng.] See County palatine, under County. (b) Originally, a high judicial officer of the German emperors; afterward, the holder of a fief, to whom was granted the right to exercise certain imperial powers within his own domains. [Germany]
COUNTABLECount"a*ble (—b'l), a.
Defn: Capable of being numbered.
COUNTENANCE Coun"te*nance (koun"t-nans), n. Etym: [OE. contenance, countenaunce, demeanor, composure, F. contenance demeanor, fr. L. continentia continence, LL. also, demeanor, fr. L. continere to hold together, repress, contain. See Contain, and cf. Continence.]
1. Appearance or expression of the face; look; aspect; mien. So spake the Son, and into terror changed His countenance. Milton.
2. The face; the features. In countenance somewhat doth resemble you. Shak.
3. Approving or encouraging aspect of face; hence, favor, good will, support; aid; encouragement. Thou hast made him . . . glad with thy countenance. Ps. xxi. 6. This is the magistrate's peculiar province, to give countenance to piety and virtue, and to rebuke vice. Atterbury.
4. Superficial appearance; show; pretense. [Obs.] The election being done, he made countenance of great discontent thereat. Ascham. In countenance, in an assured condition or aspect; free from shame or dismay. "It puts the learned in countenance, and gives them a place among the fashionable part of mankind." Addison. — Out of countenance, not bold or assured; confounded; abashed. "Their best friends were out of countenance, because they found that the imputations . . . were well grounded." Clarendon. — To keep the countenance, to preserve a composed or natural look, undisturbed by passion or emotion. Swift.
COUNTENANCE Coun"te*nance (koun"t-nans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Countenanced (- nanst); p. pr. & vb. n. Countenancing.]
1. To encourage; to favor; to approve; to aid; to abet. This conceit, though countenanced by learned men, is not made out either by experience or reason. Sir T. Browne. Error supports custom, custom countenances error. Milton.
2. To make a show of; to pretend. [Obs.] Which to these ladies love did countenance. Spenser.
COUNTENANCERCoun"te*nan*cer (-nan-sr), n.
Defn: One who countenances, favors, or supports.
COUNTERCoun"ter (koun"tr-).
Note: [See Counter, adv. ]
Defn: A prefix meaning contrary, opposite, in opposition; as, counteract, counterbalance, countercheck. See Counter, adv. & a.
COUNTER Count"er (koun"tr), n. Etym: [OE. countere, countour, a counter (in sense 1), OF. contere, conteor, fr. conter to count. See Count, v. t. ]
1. One who counts, or reckons up; a calculator; a reckoner.
2. A piece of metal, ivory, wood, or bone, used in reckoning, in keeping account of games, etc. The old gods of our own race whose names . . . serve as counters reckon the days of the week. E. B. Tylor. What comes the wool to . . . I can not do it witthout counters. Shak.
3. Money; coin; — used in contempt. [Obs.] To lock such rascal counters from his friends. Shak.
4. A prison; either of two prisons formerly in London. Anne Aysavugh . . . imprisoned in the Counter. Fuller.
5. A telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations. Knight.
COUNTER Coun"ter, n. Etym: [OE. countour, OF. contouer, comptouer, F. comptoir, LL. computatorium, prop., a computing place, place of accounts, fr. L. computare. See Count, v. t.]
Defn: A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted; a long, narrow table or bench, on which goods are laid for examination by purchasers, or on which they are weighed or measured.
COUNTERCoun"ter, adv. Etym: [F. contre, fr. L. contra against. Cf. Contra-.]
1. Contrary; in opposition; in an opposite direction; contrariwise; - - used chiefly with run or go. Running counter to all the rules of virtue. Locks.
2. In the wrong way; contrary to the right course; as, a hound that runs counter. This is counter, you false Danish dogs! Shak.
3. At or against the front or face. [R.] Which [darts] they never throw counter, but at the back of the flier. Sandys.
COUNTERCoun"ter, a.
Defn: Contrary; opposite; contrasted; opposed; adverse; antagonistic; as, a counter current; a counter revolution; a counter poison; a counter agent; counter fugue. "Innumerable facts attesting the counter principle." I. Taylor. Counter approach (Fort.), a trench or work pushed forward from defensive works to meet the approaches of besiegers. See Approach. — Counter bond (Law), in old practice, a bond to secure one who has given bond for another. — Counter brace. See Counter brace, in Vocabulary. — Counter deed (Law), a secret writing which destroys, invalidates, or alters, a public deed. — Counter distinction, contradistinction. [Obs.] — Counter drain, a drain at the foot of the embankment of a canal or watercourse, for carrying off the water that may soak through. — Counter extension (Surg.), the fixation of the upper part of a limb, while extension is practiced on the lower part, as in cases of luxation or fracture. — Counter fissure (Surg.) Same as Contrafissure. — Counter indication. (Med.) Same as Contraindication. — Counter irritant (Med.), an irritant to produce a blister, a pustular eruption, or other irritation in some part of the body, in order to relieve an existing irritation in some other part. "Counter irritants are of as great use in moral as in physical diseases." Macaulay. — Counter irritation (Med.), the act or the result of applying a counter irritant. — Counter opening, an aperture or vent on the opposite side, or in a different place. -Counter parole (Mil.), a word in addition to the password, given in time of alarm as a signal. — Counter plea (Law), a replication to a plea. Cowell. — Counter pressure, force or pressure that acts in a contrary direction to some other opposing pressure. — Counter project, a project, scheme, or proposal brought forward in opposition to another, as in the negotiation of a treaty. Swift. — Counter proof, in engraving, a print taken off from another just printed, which, by being passed through the press, gives a copy in reverse, and of course in the same position as that of plate from which the first was printed, the object being to enable the engraver to inspect the state of the plate. — Counter revolution, a revolution opposed to a former one, and restoring a former state of things. — Counter revolutionist, one engaged in, or befriending, a counter revolution. — Counter round (Mil.), a body of officers whose duty it is to visit and inspect the rounds and sentinels. — Counter sea (Naut.), a sea running in an opposite direction from the wind. — Counter sense, opposite meaning. — Counter signal, a signal to answer or correspond to another. — Counter signature, the name of a secretary or other officer countersigned to a writing. . Tooke. — Counter slope, an overhanging slope; as, a wall with a counter slope. Mahan. — Counter statement, a statement made in opposition to, or denial of, another statement. — Counter surety, a counter bond, or a surety to secure one who has given security. — Counter tally, a tally corresponding to another. — Counter tide, contrary tide.
COUNTERCoun"ter, n. Etym: [See Counter, adv., Contra.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: The after part of a vessel's body, from the water line to the stern, — below and somewhat forward of the stern proper.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: Same as Contra. Formerly used to designate any under part which served for contrast to a principal part, but now used as equivalent to counter tenor.
3. (Far.)
Defn: The breast, or thet part of a horse between the shoulders and under the neck.
4. The back leather or heel part of a boot.
COUNTERCoun"ter (koun"tr), n.
Defn: An encounter. [Obs.]With kindly counter under mimic shade. Spenser.
COUNTERCoun"ter, v. i. (Boxing)
Defn: To return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing.His left hand countered provokingly. C. Kingsley.
COUNTERACT Coun`ter*act" (koun`tr-kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counteracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Counteracting.]
Defn: To act in opposition to; to hinder, defeat, or frustrate, by contrary agency or influence; as, to counteract the effect of medicines; to counteract good advice.
COUNTERACTIONCoun`ter*ac"tion (koun`tr-k"shn), n.
Defn: Action in opposition; hindrance resistance. [They] do not . . . overcome the counteraction of a false principle or of stubborn partiality. Johnson.
COUNTERACTIVECoun`ter*act"ive (-kt"v), a.
Defn: Tending to counteract.
COUNTERACTIVECoun`ter*act"ive, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, counteracts.
COUNTERACTIVELYCoun`ter*act"ive*ly, adv.
Defn: By counteraction.
COUNTERBALANCE Coun`ter*bal"ance (-bl"ans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counterbalanced (- anst); p. pr. & vb. n. Counterbalancing.]
Defn: To oppose with an equal weight or power; to counteract the power or effect of; to countervail; to equiponderate; to balance. The remaining air was not able to counterbalance the mercurial cylinder. Boyle. The cstudy of mind is necessary to counterbalance and correct the influence of the study of nature. Sir W. Hamilton.
COUNTERBALANCECoun"ter*bal`ance (koun"tr-bl`ans), n.
Defn: A weight, power, or agency, acting against or balancing another; as: (a) A mass of metal in one side of a driving wheel or fly wheel, to balance the weight of a crank pin, etc., on the opposite side of the wheel. (b) A counterpoise to balance the weight of anything, as of a drawbridge or a scale beam. Money is the counterbalance to all other things purchasable by it. Locke.
COUNTERBORECoun"ter*bore` (-br`), n.
1. A flat-bottomed cylindrical enlargement of the mouth of a hole, usually of slight depth, as for receiving a cylindrical screw head.
2. A kind of pin drill with the cutting edge or edges normal to the axis; — used for enlarging a hole, or for forming a flat-bottomed recess at its mouth.
COUNTERBORECoun`ter*bore" (koun`tr-br"), v. t.
Defn: To form a counterbore in, by boring, turning, or drilling; to enlarge, as a hole, by means of a counterbore.
COUNTER BRACECoun"ter brace` (brs`).
1. (Naut.)
Defn: The brace of the fore-topsail on the leeward side of a vessel.
2. (Engin.)
Defn: A brace, in a framed structure, which resists a strain of a character opposite to that which a main brace is designed to receive.
Note: In a quadrilateral system of bracing, the main brace is usually in the direction of one diagonal, and the counter brace in the direction of the other. Strains in counter braces are occasioned by the live load only, as, in a roof, by the wind, or, in a bridge, by a moving train.