Defn: One who writes shorthand; a stenographer; esp., an ancientGreek or Roman notary.
TACHYGRAPHIC; TACHYGRAPHICAL Tach`y*graph"ic, Tach`y*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. tachygraphique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to tachygraphy; written in shorthand.
TACHYGRAPHYTa*chyg"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. -graphy: cf. F. tachygraphie.]
Defn: The art or practice of rapid writing; shorthand writing; stenography. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
TACHYLYTETach"y*lyte, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: A vitreous form of basalt; — so called because decompposable by acids and readily fusible.
TACHYMETERTa*chym"e*ter, n. [Tachy- + -meter.]
1. (Surveying) An instrument, esp. a transit or theodolite with stadia wires, for determining quickly the distances, bearings, and elevations of distant objects.
2. A speed indicator; a tachometer.
TACHYMETRYTa*chym"e*try, n.
Defn: The science or use of the tachymeter. — Ta`chy*met"ric (#), a.
TACHYSCOPETach"y*scope, n. [Gr. quick + -scope.]
Defn: An early form of antimated-picture machine, devised in 1889 by Otto Anschütz of Berlin, in which the chronophotographs were mounted upon the periphery of a rotating wheel.
TACITTac"it, a. Etym: [L. tacitus, p.p. of tacere to be silent, to passover in silence; akin to Goth. to be silent, Icel. , OHG. dagen: cf.F. tacite. Cf. Reticent.]
Defn: Done or made in silence; implied, but not expressed; silent;as, tacit consent is consent by silence, or by not interposing anobjection.— Tac"it*ly, adv.The tacit and secret theft of abusing our brother in civil contracts.Jer. Taylor.
TACITURNTac"i*turn, a. Etym: [L. taciturnus: cf. F. taciturne. See Tacit.]
Defn: Habitually silent; not given to converse; not apt to talk orspeak.— Tac"i*turn*ly, adv.
Syn. — Silent; reserved. Taciturn, Silent. Silent has reference to the act; taciturn, to the habit. A man may be silent from circumstances; he is taciturn from disposition. The loquacious man is at times silent; one who is taciturn may now and then make an effort at conversation.
TACITURNITYTac`i*tur"ni*ty, n. Etym: [L. taciturnitas: cf. F. taciturnité.]
Defn: Habilual silence, or reserve in speaking.The cause of Addison's taciturnity was a natural diffidence in thecompany of strangers. V. Knox.The taciturnity and the short answers which gave so much offense.Macaulay.
TACKTack, n. Etym: [From an old or dialectal form of F. tache. SeeTechy.]
1. A stain; a tache. [Obs.]
2. Etym: [Cf. L. tactus.]
Defn: A peculiar flavor or taint; as, a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.]Drayton.
TACK Tack, n. Etym: [OE. tak, takke, a fastening; akin to D. tak a branch, twig, G. zacke a twig, prong, spike, Dan. takke a tack, spike; cf. also Sw. tagg prickle, point, Icel. tag a willow twig, Ir. taca a peg, nail, fastening, Gael. tacaid, Armor. & Corn. tach; perhaps akin to E. take. Cf. Attach, Attack, Detach, Tag an end, Zigzag.]
1. A small, short, sharp-pointed nail, usually having a broad, flat head.
2. That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix. See Tack, v.t., 3. Macaulay.Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles's time. Bp.Burnet.
3. (Naut.) (a) A rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel is closehauled (see Illust. of Ship); also, a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom. (b) The part of a sail to which the tack is usually fastened; the foremost lower corner of fore-and-aft sails, as of schooners (see Illust. of Sail). (c) The direction of a vessel in regard to the trim of her sails; as, the starboard tack, or port tack; — the former when she is closehauled with the wind on her starboard side; hence, the run of a vessel on one tack; also, a change of direction.
4. (Scots Law)
Defn: A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease. Burrill.
5. Confidence; reliance. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Tack of a flag(Naut.), a line spliced into the eye at the foot of the hoist forsecuring the flag to the halyards.— Tack pins (Naut.), belaying pins; — also called jack pins.— To haul the tacks aboard (Naut.), to set the courses.— To hold tack, to last or hold out. Milton.
TACKTack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Tacking.] Etym:[Cf. OD. tacken to touch, take, seize, fix, akin to E. take. See Tacka small nail.]
1. To fasten or attach. "In hopes of getting some commendam tacked to their sees." Swift. And tacks the center to the sphere. Herbert.
2. Especially, to attach or secure in a slight or hasty manner, as by stitching or nailing; as, to tack together the sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another; to tack on a board or shingle; to tack one piece of metal to another by drops of solder.
3. In parliamentary usage, to add (a supplement) to a bill; to append; — often with on or to. Macaulay.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: To change the direction of (a vessel) when sailing closehauled, by putting the helm alee and shifting the tacks and sails so that she will proceed to windward nearly at right angles to her former course.
Note: In tacking, a vessel is brought to point at first directly to windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side.
TACKTack, v. i. (Naut.)
Defn: To change the direction of a vessel by shifting the position of the helm and sails; also (as said of a vessel), to have her direction changed through the shifting of the helm and sails. See Tack, v. t., 4. Monk, . . . when he wanted his ship to tack to larboard, moved the mirth of his crew by calling out, "Wheel to the left." Macaulay.
TACKERTack"er, n.
Defn: One who tacks.
TACKETTack"et, n. Etym: [Dim. of tack a small nail.]
Defn: A small, broad-headed nail. [Scot.] Jamieson.
TACKEYTack"ey, a. & n.
Defn: See Tacky.
TACKINGTack"ing, n. (Law)
Defn: A union of securities given at different times, all of which must be redeemed before an intermediate purchaser can interpose his claim. Bouvier.
Note: The doctrine of tacking is not recognized in American law.Kent.
TACKLE Tac"kle (; sometimes improperly pronounced , especially by seamen), n. Etym: [OE. takel, akin to LG. & D. takel, Dan. takkel, Sw. tackel; perhaps akin to E. taw, v.t., or to take.]
1. Apparatus for raising or lowering heavy weights, consisting of a rope and pulley blocks; sometimes, the rope and attachments, as distinct from the block.
2. Any instruments of action; an apparatus by which an object is moved or operated; gear; as, fishing tackle, hunting tackle; formerly, specifically, weapons. "She to her tackle fell." Hudibras.
Note: In Chaucer, it denotes usually an arrow or arrows.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: The rigging and apparatus of a ship; also, any purchase where more than one block is used. Fall and tackle. See the Note under Pulley. — Fishing tackle. See under Fishing, a. — Ground tackle (Naut.), anchors, cables, etc. — Gun tackle, the apparatus or appliances for hauling cannon in or out. — Tackle fall, the rope, or rather the end of the rope, of a tackle, to which the power is applied. — Tack tackle (Naut.), a small tackle to pull down the tacks of the principal sails. — Tackle board, Tackle post (Ropemaking), a board, frame, or post, at the end of a ropewalk, for supporting the spindels, or whirls, for twisting the yarns.
TACKLETac"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tackled; p. pr. & vb. n. Tackling.]Etym: [Cf. LG. takeln to equip. See Tackle, n.]
1. To supply with tackle. Beau. & Fl.
2. To fasten or attach, as with a tackle; to harness; as, to tackle a horse into a coach or wagon. [Colloq.]
3. To seize; to lay hold of; to grapple; as, a wrestler tackles his antagonist; a dog tackles the game. The greatest poetess of our day has wasted her time and strength in tackling windmills under conditions the most fitted to insure her defeat. Dublin Univ. Mag.
Defn: To begin to deal with; as, to tackle the problem.
TACKLEDTac"kled, a.
Defn: Made of ropes tacked together. My man shall be with thee, And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair. Shak.
TACKLINGTac"kling, n. (Naut.)
1. Furniture of the masts and yards of a vessel, as cordage, sails, etc.
2. Instruments of action; as, fishing tackling. Walton.
3. The straps and fixures adjusted to an animal, by which he draws a carriage, or the like; harness.
TACKSMANTacks"man, n.; pl. Tacksmen (. (Scots Law)
Defn: One who holds a tack or lease from another; a tenant, orlessee. Sir W. Scott.The tacksmen, who formed what may be called the "peerage" of thelittle community, must be the captains. Macaulay.
TACKYTack"y, a. Etym: [Cf. Techy, Tack a spot.]
Defn: Sticky; adhesive; raw; — said of paint, varnish, etc., when not well dried. [U. S.]
TACONICTa*con"ic, a. (Geol.)
Defn: Designating, or pertaining to, the series of rocks forming theTaconic mountains in Western New England. They were once supposed tobe older than the Cambrian, but later proved to belong to the LowerSilurian and Cambrian.
TACT Tact, n. Etym: [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See Tangent.]
1. The sense of touch; feeling.Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as wellas sight Southey.Now, sight is a very refined tact. J. Le Conte.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: The stroke in beating time.
3. Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances. He had formed plans not inferior in grandeur and boldness to those of Richelieu, and had carried them into effect with a tact and wariness worthy of Mazarin. Macaulay. A tact which surpassed the tact of her sex as much as the tact of her sex surpassed the tact of ours. Macaulay.
TACTABLETac"ta*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being touched; tangible. [R.] "They [women] being created to be both tractable and tactable." Massinger.
TACTFULTact"ful, a.
Defn: Full of tact; characterized by a discerning sense of what is right, proper, or judicious.
TACTIC; TACTICALTac"tic, Tac"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. tactics.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the art of military and naval tactics.— Tac"tic*al*ly, adv.
TACTICTac"tic, n.
Defn: See Tactics.
TACTICIANTac*ti"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tacticien.]
Defn: One versed in tactics; hence, a skillful maneuverer; an adroit manager.
TACTICSTac"tics, n. Etym: [Gr. tactique.]
1. The science and art of disposing military and naval forces in order for battle, and performing military and naval evolutions. It is divided into grand tactics, or the tactics of battles, and elementary tactics, or the tactics of instruction.
2. Hence, any system or method of procedure.
TACTILETac"tile, a. Etym: [L. tactilis, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf.F. tactile.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the organs, or the sense, of touch; perceiving, or perceptible, by the touch; capable of being touched; as, tactile corpuscles; tactile sensations. "Tactile sweets." Beaumont. "Tactile qualities." Sir M. Hale. Tactile sense (Physiol.), the sense of touch, or pressure sense. See Touch. The delicacy of the tactile sense varies on different parts of the skin; it is geatest on the forehead, temples and back of the forearm. H. N. Martin.
TACTILITYTac*til"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tactilité.]
Defn: The quality or state of being tactile; perceptibility by touch; tangibleness.
TACTIONTac"tion, n. Etym: [L. tactio, from tangere, tactum, to touch.]
Defn: The act of touching; touch; contact; tangency. "External taction." Chesterfield.
TACTLESSTact"less, a.
Defn: Destitute of tact.
TACTUALTac"tu*al, a. Etym: [See Tact.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the sense, or the organs, of touch; derivedfrom touch.In the lowest organisms we have a kind of tactual sense diffused overthe entire body. Tyndall.
TADPOLE Tad"pole`, n. Etym: [OE. tadde toad (AS. tadie, tadige) + poll; properly, a toad that is or seems all head. See Toad, and Poll.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The young aquatic larva of any amphibian. In this stage it breathes by means of external or internal gills, is at first destitute of legs, and has a finlike tail. Called also polliwig, polliwog, porwiggle, or purwiggy.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hooded merganser. [Local, U.S.] Tadpole fish. (Zoöl.) SeeForkbeard (a).
TAEDIUMTæ"di*um, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: See Tedium.
TAELTael, n. Etym: [Malay ta, a certain weight, probably fr. Hind. tola,Skr. tula a balance, weight, tul to weigh.]
Defn: A denomination of money, in China, worth nearly six shillings sterling, or about a dollar and forty cents; also, a weight of one ounce and a third. [Written also tale.]
TAEN; TA'ENTaen, or Ta'en,
Defn: p. p. of Ta, to take, or a contraction of Taken. [Poetic &Scot.] Burns.
TAENIATæ"ni*a, n.; pl. Tæniæ. Etym: [L., a ribbon, a tapeworm.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of intestinal worms which includes the common tapeworms of man. See Tapeworm.
2. (Anat.)
Defn: A band; a structural line; — applied to several bands and lines of nervous matter in the brain.
3. (Arch.)
Defn: The fillet, or band, at the bottom of a Doric frieze, separating it from the architrave.
TAENIACIDE; TENIACIDETæ"ni*a*cide`, n. Also Te"ni*a*cide` . [Tænia + -cide.] (Med.)
Defn: A remedy to destroy tapeworms.
TAENIADATæ*ni"a*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Tænioidea.
TAENIAFUGE; TENIAFUGE Tæ"ni*a*fuge`, n. Also Te"ni*a*fuge`. [Tænia + L. fugare to drive away.] (Med.)
Defn: A remedy to expel tapeworms.
TAENIASIS; TENIASISTæ*ni"a*sis, n. Also Te*ni"a*sis. [NL. See Tænia.] (Med.)
Defn: Ill health due to tænia, or tapeworms.
TAENIATATæ`ni*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. taenia a ribbon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Ctenophora including those which have a long, ribbonlike body. The Venus's girdle is the most familiar example.
TAENIDIUM Tæ*nid"i*um, n.; pl. Tænidia. Etym: [NL., dim. fr. L. taenia a ribbon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The chitinous fiber forming the spiral thread of the tracheæ of insects. See Illust. of Trachea.
TAENIOGLOSSATæ`ni*o*glos"sa, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive division of gastropod mollusks in which the odontophore is long and narrow, and usually bears seven rows of teeth. It includes a large number of families both marine and fresh- water.
TAENIOGLOSSATETæ`ni*o*glos"sate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Tænioglossa.
TAENIOIDTæ"ni*oid, a. Etym: [Tænia + -oid.]
1. Ribbonlike; shaped like a ribbon.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to Tænia.
TAENIOIDEATæ`ni*oi"de*a, n. pl. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The division of cestode worms which comprises the tapeworms.See Tapeworm.
TAENIOLATæ*ni"o*la, n.; pl. Tæniolæ. Etym: [L., dim. of taenia a ribbon.](Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the radial partitions which separate the internal cavities of certain medusæ.
TAENIOSOMITæ`ni*o*so"mi, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of fishes remarkable for their long and compressed form. The ribbon fishes are examples. See Ribbon fish, under Ribbon.
TAFFERERTaf"fer*er, n. (Naut.)
Defn: See Taffrail.
TAFFETA; TAFFETY Taf"fe*ta, Taf"fe*ty, n. Etym: [F. taffetas, It. taffetà, from Per. taftah, originally, twisted, woven, from taftan to twist, to spin.]
Defn: A fine, smooth stuff of silk, having usually the wavy luster called watering. The term has also been applied to different kinds of silk goods, from the 16th century to modern times. Lined with taffeta and with sendal. Chaucer.
TAFFRAIL Taff"rail, n. Etym: [D. tafereel a panel, picture, fr. tafel table, fr. L. tabula. See Table.] (Naut.)
Defn: The upper part of a ship's stern, which is flat like a table on the top, and sometimes ornamented with carved work; the rail around a ship's stern. [Written also tafferel.]
TAFFYTaf"fy, n. Etym: [Prov. E. taffy toffy.]
1. A kind of candy made of molasses or brown sugar boiled down and poured out in shallow pans. [Written also, in England, toffy.]
2. Flattery; soft phrases. [Slang]
TAFIA Taf"i*a, n. Etym: [Cf. F. & Sp. tafia, It. taffia; fr. Malay tafia a spirit distilled from molasses. Cf. Ratafia.]
Defn: A variety of rum. [West Indies]
TAG Tag, n. Etym: [Probably akin to tack a small nail; cf. Sw. tagg a prickle, point, tooth.]
1. Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely; specifically, a direction card, or label.
2. A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.
3. The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.
4. Something mean and paltry; the rabble. [Obs.] Tag and rag, the lowest sort; the rabble. Holinshed.
5. A sheep of the first year. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
Defn: A sale of usually used items (such as furniture, clothing, household items or bric-a-brac), conducted by one or a small group of individuals, at a location which is not a normal retail establishment.
Note: Frequently it is held in the private home or in a yard attached to a private home belonging to the seller. Similar to a yard sale or garage sale. Compare flea market, where used items are sold by many individuals in a place rented for the purpose.
TAGTag, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tagged; p. pr. & vb. n. Tagging.]
1. To fit with, or as with, a tag or tags.He learned to make long-tagged thread laces. Macaulay.His courteous host . . . Tags every sentence with some fawning word.Dryden.
2. To join; to fasten; to attach. Bolingbroke.
3. To follow closely after; esp., to follow and touch in the game of tag. See Tag, a play.
TAGTag, v. i.
Defn: To follow closely, as it were an appendage; — often with after; as, to tag after a person.
TAGTag, n. Etym: [From Tag, v.; cf. Tag, an end.]
Defn: A child's play in which one runs after and touches another, and then runs away to avoid being touched.
TAGALTa*gal", n.
1. One of a Malayan race, mainly of central Luzon, next to the Visayans the most numerous of the native peoples of the Philippines. Nearly all are Christians and many are highly educated.
2. The language of the Tagals; Tagalog.
TAGALOGTa*ga"log, n.
1. (Ethnol.) Any member of a certain tribe which is one of the leading and most civilized of those native of the Philippine Islands.
2. The language of the Tagalogs. It belongs to the Malay family of languages and is one of the most highly developed members of the family.
TAGBELTTag"belt`, n. (Far.)
Defn: Same as Tagsore. [Obs.]
TAG DAYTag day.
Defn: A day on which contributions to some public or private charity or fund are solicited promiscuously on the street, and tags given to contributors to wear as an evidence of their having contributed. Such solicitation is now subject to legal restriction in various places.
TAGGERTag"ger, n.
1. One who, or that which, appends or joins one thing to another.
2. That which is pointed like a tag. Hedgehogs' or procupines' small taggers. Cotton.
3. pl.
Defn: Sheets of tin or other plate which run below the gauge. Knight.
4. A device for removing taglocks from sheep. Knight.
TAGLETTag"let, n.
Defn: A little tag.
TAGLIATagl"ia, n. Etym: [It., a cutting, a pulley, from tagliare to cut.See Tailor.] (Mech.)
Defn: A peculiar combination of pulleys. Brande & C.
TAGLIACOTAINTagl`ia*co"tain, a. (Surg.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tagliacozzi, a Venetian surgeon; as, theTagliacotian operation, a method of rhinoplasty described by him.[Also Taliacotian, and Tagliacozzian.]
TAGLIONITagl*io"ni, n.
Defn: A kind of outer coat, or overcoat; — said to be so named after a celebrated Italian family of professional dancers. He ought certainly to exchange his taglioni, or comfortable greatcoat, for a cuirass of steel. Sir W. Scott.
TAGLOCKTag"lock`, n.
Defn: An entangled lock, as of hair or wool. Nares.
TAGNICATETag"ni*cate, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The white-lipped peccary.
TAG-RAGTag"-rag`, n. & a. Etym: [See Tag an end, and Rag.]
Defn: The lowest class of people; the rabble. Cf. Rag, tag, andbobtail, under Bobtail.If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him, I am no trueman. Shak.
TAGSORETag"sore`, n. (Far.)
Defn: Adhesion of the tail of a sheep to the wool from excoriation produced by contact with the feces; — called also tagbelt. [Obs.]
TAGTAILTag"tail`, n.
1. A worm which has its tail conspicuously colored.
2. A person who attaches himself to another against the will of the latter; a hanger-on.
TAGUANTag"u*an, n. Etym: [From the native name in the East Indies.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large flying squirrel (Pteromys petuarista). Its body becomes two feet long, with a large bushy tail nearly as long.
TAGUICATITa`gui*ca"ti, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The white-lipped peccary.
TAHATa"ha, n.
Defn: The African rufous-necked weaver bird (Hyphantornis texor).
TAHALEBTa*ha"leb, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fox (Vulpes Niloticus) of Northern Africa.
TAHITIANTa*hi"ti*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tahiti, an island in the Pacific Ocean.— n.
Defn: A native inhabitant of Tahiti.
TAHRTahr, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Thar.
TAITai, a.
Defn: Designating, or pertaining to, the chief linguistic stock ofIndo-China, including the peoples of Siamese and Shan speech.
TAITai, n.
Defn: A member of one of the tribes of the Tai stock.
The Tais first appeared in history in Yunnan, and from thence they migrated into Upper Burma. The earliest swarms appear to have entered that tract about two thousand years ago, and were small in number. Census of India, 1901.
TAILTail, n. Etym: [F. taille a cutting. See Entail, Tally.] (Law)
Defn: Limitation; abridgment. Burrill. Estate in tail, a limited, abridged, or reduced fee; an estate limited to certain heirs, and from which the other heirs are precluded; — called also estate tail. Blackstone.
TAILTail, a. (Law)
Defn: Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed; as, estate tail.
TAIL Tail, n. Etym: [AS. tægel, tægl; akin to G. zagel, Icel. tagl, Sw. tagel, Goth. tagl hair. *59.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The terminal, and usually flexible, posterior appendage of an animal.
Note: The tail of mammals and reptiles contains a series of movable vertebræ, and is covered with flesh and hairs or scales like those of other parts of the body. The tail of existing birds consists of several more or less consolidated vertebræ which supports a fanlike group of quills to which the term tail is more particularly applied. The tail of fishes consists of the tapering hind portion of the body ending in a caudal fin. The term tail is sometimes applied to the entire abdomen of a crustacean or insect, and sometimes to the terminal piece or pygidium alone.
2. Any long, flexible terminal appendage; whatever resembles, in shape or position, the tail of an animal, as a catkin. Doretus writes a great praise of the distilled waters of those tails that hang on willow trees. Harvey.
3. Hence, the back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything, — as opposed to the Ant: head, or the superior part. The Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail. Deut. xxviii. 13.
4. A train or company of attendants; a retinue. "Ah," said he, "if you saw but the chief with his tail on." Sir W. Scott.
5. The side of a coin opposite to that which bears the head, effigy, or date; the reverse; — rarely used except in the expression "heads or tails," employed when a coin is thrown up for the purpose of deciding some point by its fall.
6. (Anat.)
Defn: The distal tendon of a muscle.
7. (Bot.)
Defn: A downy or feathery appendage to certain achens. It is formed of the permanent elongated style.
8. (Surg.) (a) A portion of an incision, at its beginning or end, which does not go through the whole thickness of the skin, and is more painful than a complete incision; — called also tailing. (b) One of the strips at the end of a bandage formed by splitting the bandage one or more times.
9. (Naut.)
Defn: A rope spliced to the strap of a block, by which it may be lashed to anything.
10. (Mus.)
Defn: The part of a note which runs perpendicularly upward or downward from the head; the stem. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
11. pl.
Defn: Same as Tailing, 4.
12. (Arch.)
Defn: The bottom or lower portion of a member or part, as a slate or tile.
13. pl. (Mining)
Defn: See Tailing, n., 5. Tail beam. (Arch.) Same as Tailpiece. — Tail coverts (Zoöl.), the feathers which cover the bases of the tail quills. They are sometimes much longer than the quills, and form elegant plumes. Those above the quills are called the upper tail coverts, and those below, the under tail coverts. — Tail end, the latter end; the termination; as, the tail end of a contest. [Colloq.] — Tail joist. (Arch.) Same as Tailpiece. — Tail of a comet (Astron.), a luminous train extending from the nucleus or body, often to a great distance, and usually in a direction opposite to the sun. — Tail of a gale (Naut.), the latter part of it, when the wind has greatly abated. Totten. — Tail of a lock (on a canal), the lower end, or entrance into the lower pond. — Tail of the trenches (Fort.), the post where the besiegers begin to break ground, and cover themselves from the fire of the place, in advancing the lines of approach. — Tail spindle, the spindle of the tailstock of a turning lathe; — called also dead spindle. — To turn tail, to run away; to flee. Would she turn tail to the heron, and fly quite out another way; but all was to return in a higher pitch. Sir P. Sidney.
TAILTail, v. t.
1. To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded. [Obs.] Nevertheless his bond of two thousand pounds, wherewith he was tailed, continued uncanceled, and was called on the next Parliament. Fuller.
2. To pull or draw by the tail. [R.] Hudibras. To tail in or on (Arch.), to fasten by one of the ends into a wall or some other support; as, to tail in a timber.
TAILTail, v. i.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: To hold by the end; — said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; — with in or into.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To swing with the stern in a certain direction; — said of a vessel at anchor; as, this vessel tails down stream. Tail on. (Naut.) See Tally on, under Tally.
TAILAGETail"age, n. (O. Eng. Law)
Defn: See Tallage.
TAIL-BAYTail"-bay`, n.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: One of the joists which rest one end on the wall and the other on a girder; also, the space between a wall and the nearest girder of a floor. Cf. Case-bay.
2. The part of a canal lock below the lower gates.
TAILBLOCKTail"block`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A block with a tail. See Tail, 9.
TAILBOARDTail"board`, n.
Defn: The board at the rear end of a cart or wagon, which can be removed or let down, for convenience in loading or unloading.
TAILEDTailed, a.
Defn: Having a tail; having (such) a tail or (so many) tails; — chiefly used in composition; as, bobtailed, longtailed, etc. Snouted and tailed like a boar. Grew.
TAILINGTail"ing, n.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: The part of a projecting stone or brick inserted in a wall.Gwilt.
2. (Surg.)
Defn: Same as Tail, n., 8 (a).
3. Sexual intercourse. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. pl.
Defn: The lighter parts of grain separated from the seed threshing and winnowing; chaff.
5. pl. (Mining)
Defn: The refuse part of stamped ore, thrown behind the tail of the buddle or washing apparatus. It is dressed over again to secure whatever metal may exist in it. Called also tails. Pryce.
TAILLETaille, n. Etym: [F. See Tally, Tailor.]
1. A tally; an account scored on a piece of wood. [Obs.] Whether that he paid or took by taille. Chaucer.
2. (O. F. Law)
Defn: Any imposition levied by the king, or any other lord, upon his subjects. The taille, as it still subsists in France, may serve as an example of those ancient tallages. It was a tax upon the profits of the farmer, which they estimate by the stock that he has upon the farm. A. Smith.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: The French name for the tenor voice or part; also, for the tenor viol or viola.
TAILLESSTail"less, a.
Defn: Having no tail. H. Spencer.
TAILLIETail"lie, n. (Scots Law)
Defn: Same as Tailzie.
TAILOR Tai"lor, n. Etym: [OF. tailleor, F. tailleur, fr. OF. taillier, F. tailler to cut, fr. L. talea a rod, stick, a cutting, layer for planting. Cf. Detail, Entail, Retail, Tally, n.]
1. One whose occupation is to cut out and make men's garments; also, one who cuts out and makes ladies' outer garments. Well said, good woman's tailor . . . I would thou wert a man's tailor. Shak.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The mattowacca; — called also tailor herring. (b) The silversides.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The goldfish. [Prov. Eng.] Salt-water tailor (Zoöl.), the bluefish. [Local, U.S.] Bartlett. — Tailor bird (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of small Asiatic and East Indian singing birds belonging to Orthotomus, Prinia, and allied genera. They are noted for the skill with which they sew leaves together to form nests. The common Indian species are O. longicauda, which has the back, scapulars, and upper tail coverts yellowish green, and the under parts white; and the golden-headed tailor bird (O. coronatus), which has the top of the head golden yellow and the back and wings pale olive-green.
TAILORTai"lor, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tailored; p. pr. & vb. n. Tailoring.]
Defn: To practice making men's clothes; to follow the business of atailor.These tailoring artists for our lays Invent cramped rules. M. Green.
TAILORESSTai"lor*ess, n.
Defn: A female tailor.
TAILORINGTai"lor*ing, adv.
Defn: The business or the work of a tailor or a tailoress.
TAILOR-MADETai"lor-made`, a.
Defn: Made by a tailor or according to a tailor's fashion; — said specif. of women's garments made with certain closeness of fit, simplicity of ornament, etc.
TAILPIECETail"piece`, n.
1. A piece at the end; an appendage.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: One of the timbers which tail into a header, in floor framing.See Illust. of Header.
3. (Print.)
Defn: An ornament placed at the bottom of a short page to fill up the space, or at the end of a book. Savage.
4. A piece of ebony or other material attached to the lower end of a violin or similar instrument, to which the strings are fastened.
TAILPINTail"pin", n. (Mach.)
Defn: The center in the spindle of a turning lathe.
TAILRACETail"race`, n.
1. See Race, n., 6.
2. (Mining)
Defn: The channel in which tailings, suspended in water, are conducted away.
TAILSTOCKTail"stock`, n.
Defn: The sliding block or support, in a lathe, which carries the dead spindle, or adjustable center. The headstock supports the live spindle.
TAIL-WATERTail"-wa`ter, n.
Defn: Water in a tailrace.
TAILZIE Tail"zie (-zî or -yî), n. Etym: [F. tailler to cut. See Tail a limitation.] (Scots Law)
Defn: An entailment or deed whereby the legal course of succession is cut off, and an arbitrary one substituted. [Written also tailzee.]
TAIN Tain, n. Etym: [OE. tein, teyne; cf. Icel. teinn a twig, akin to AS. tan, Goth. tains.]
Defn: Thin tin plate; also, tin foil for mirrors. Knight.
TAINTTaint, n. Etym: [Cf. F. atteinte a blow, bit, stroke. See Attaint.]
1. A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect. [Obs.] This taint he followed with his sword drawn from a silver sheath. Chapman.
2. An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner. [Obs.]
TAINTTaint, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tainting.]
Defn: To thrust ineffectually with a lance. [Obs.]
TAINTTaint, v. t.
1. To injure, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner. [Obs.] Do not fear; I have A staff to taint, and bravely. Massinger.
2. To hit or touch lightly, in tilting. [Obs.] They tainted each other on the helms and passed by. Ld. Berners.
TAINT Taint, v. t. Etym: [F. teint, p.p. of teindre to dye, tinge, fr. L. tingere, tinctum. See Tinge, and cf. Tint.]
1. To imbue or impregnate with something extraneous, especially with something odious, noxious, or poisonous; hence, to corrupt; to infect; to poison; as, putrid substance taint the air.
2. Fig.: To stain; to sully; to tarnish. His unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love. Shak.
Syn. — To contaminate; defile; pollute; corrupt; infect; disease; vitiate; poison.
TAINTTaint, v. i.
1. To be infected or corrupted; to be touched with something corrupting. I can not taint with fear. Shak.
2. To be affected with incipient putrefaction; as, meat soon taints in warm weather.
TAINTTaint, n.
1. Tincture; hue; color; tinge. [Obs.]
2. Infection; corruption; deprivation. He had inherited from his parents a scrofulous taint, which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove. Macaulay.
3. A blemish on reputation; stain; spot; disgrace.
TAINTLESSTaint"less, a.
Defn: Free from taint or infection; pure.
TAINTLESSLYTaint"less*ly, adv.
Defn: In a taintless manner.
TAINTURETain"ture, n. Etym: [F. teinture. See Taint to stain, and cf.Tincture.]
Defn: Taint; tinge; difilement; stain; spot. [R.] Shak.
TAINTWORMTaint"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A destructive parasitic worm or insect larva.
TAIPING; TAEPINGTai"ping", or Tae"ping", a. [Chin. t'aip'ing great peace.] (ChineseHist.)
Defn: Pertaining to or designating a dynasty with which one Hung-Siu- Chuen, a half-religious, half-political enthusiast, attempted to supplant the Manchu dynasty by the Taiping rebellion, incited by him in 1850 and suppressed by General Gordon about 1864.
TAIRATai"ra, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Tayra.
TAIRNTairn, n.
Defn: See Tarn. Coleridge.
TAITTait, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small nocturnal and arboreal Australian marsupial (Tarsipes rostratus) about the size of a mouse. It has a long muzzle, a long tongue, and very few teeth, and feeds upon honey and insects. Called also noolbenger.
TAJACU; TAJASSU Ta*jaç"u, Ta*jas"su, n. Etym: [Pg. tajaç\'a3, from Braz. tayaç\'a3 a hog or swine.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common, or collared, peccary.
TAJ MAHAL Taj Ma*hal" (täj ma*häl"). [Corruption of Per. Mumtaz-i-Mahsal, lit., the distinguished one of the palace, fr. Ar.]
Defn: A marble mausoleum built at Agra, India, by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife. In beauty of design and rich decorative detail it is one of the best examples of Saracenic architecture.
TAKETake, obs. p. p. of Take.
Defn: Taken. Chaucer.
TAKETake, v. t. [imp. Took; p. p. Takend; p. pr. & vb. n. Taking.] Etym:[Icel. taka; akin to Sw. taga, Dan. tage, Goth. tekan to touch; ofuncertain origin.]
1. In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one's hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey. Hence, specifically: — (a) To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as, to take am army, a city, or a ship; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; — said of a disease, misfortune, or the like. This man was taken of the Jews. Acts xxiii. 27. Men in their loose, unguarded hours they take; Not that themselves are wise, but others weak. Pope. They that come abroad after these showers are commonly taken with sickness. Bacon. There he blasts the tree and takes the cattle And makes milch kine yield blood. Shak.
(b) To gain or secure the interest or affection of; to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm. Neither let her take thee with her eyelids. Prov. vi. 25. Cleombroutus was so taken with this prospect, that he had no patience. Wake. I know not why, but there was a something in those half-seen features, — a charm in the very shadow that hung over their imagined beauty, — which took me more than all the outshining loveliness of her companions. Moore.
(c) To make selection of; to choose; also, to turn to; to have recourse to; as, to take the road to the right. Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. 1 Sam. xiv. 42. The violence of storming is the course which God is forced to take for the destroying . . . of sinners. Hammond.
(d) To employ; to use; to occupy; hence, to demand; to require; as, it takes so much cloth to make a coat. This man always takes time . . . before he passes his judgments. I. Watts.
(e) To form a likeness of; to copy; to delineate; to picture; as, to take picture of a person. Beauty alone could beauty take so right. Dryden.
(f) To draw; to deduce; to derive. [R.] The firm belief of a future judgment is the most forcible motive to a good life, because taken from this consideration of the most lasting happiness and misery. Tillotson.
(g) To assume; to adopt; to acquire, as shape; to permit to one's self; to indulge or engage in; to yield to; to have or feel; to enjoy or experience, as rest, revenge, delight, shame; to form and adopt, as a resolution; — used in general senses, limited by a following complement, in many idiomatic phrases; as, to take a resolution; I take the liberty to say. (h) To lead; to conduct; as, to take a child to church. (i) To carry; to convey; to deliver to another; to hand over; as, he took the book to the bindery. He took me certain gold, I wot it well. Chaucer.
(k) To remove; to withdraw; to deduct; — with from; as, to take the breath from one; to take two from four.
2. In a somewhat passive sense, to receive; to bear; to endure; to acknowledge; to accept. Specifically: — (a) To accept, as something offered; to receive; not to refuse or reject; to admit. Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer. Num. xxxv. 31. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore. 1 Tim. v. 10.
(b) To receive as something to be eaten or dronk; to partake of; to swallow; as, to take food or wine. (c) Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily; to clear; as, to take a hedge or fence. (d) To bear without ill humor or resentment; to submit to; to tolerate; to endure; as, to take a joke; he will take an affront from no man. (e) To admit, as, something presented to the mind; not to dispute; to allow; to accept; to receive in thought; to entertain in opinion; to understand; to interpret; to regard or look upon; to consider; to suppose; as, to take a thing for granted; this I take to be man's motive; to take men for spies. You take me right. Bacon. Charity, taken in its largest extent, is nothing else but the science love of God and our neighbor. Wake. [He] took that for virtue and affection which was nothing but vice in a disguise. South. You'd doubt his sex, and take him for a girl. Tate.
(f) To accept the word or offer of; to receive and accept; to bear; to submit to; to enter into agreement with; — used in general senses; as, to take a form or shape. I take thee at thy word. Rowe. Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command; . . . Not take the mold. Dryden. To be taken aback, To take advantage of, To take air, etc. See under Aback, Advantage, etc. — To take aim, to direct the eye or weapon; to aim. — To take along, to carry, lead, or convey. — To take arms, to commence war or hostilities. — To take away, to carry off; to remove; to cause deprivation of; to do away with; as, a bill for taking away the votes of bishops. "By your own law, I take your life away." Dryden. — To take breath, to stop, as from labor, in order to breathe or rest; to recruit or refresh one's self. — To take care, to exercise care or vigilance; to be solicitous. "Doth God take care for oxen" 1 Cor. ix. 9. — To take care of, to have the charge or care of; to care for; to superintend or oversee. — To take down. (a) To reduce; to bring down, as from a high, or higher, place; as, to take down a book; hence, to bring lower; to depress; to abase or humble; as, to take down pride, or the proud. "I never attempted to be impudent yet, that I was not taken down." Goldsmith. (b) To swallow; as, to take down a potion. (c) To pull down; to pull to pieces; as, to take down a house or a scaffold. (d) To record; to write down; as, to take down a man's words at the time he utters them. — To take effect, To take fire. See under Effect, and Fire. — To take ground to the right or to the left (Mil.), to extend the line to the right or left; to move, as troops, to the right or left. — To take heart, to gain confidence or courage; to be encouraged. — To take heed, to be careful or cautious. "Take heed what doom against yourself you give." Dryden. — To take heed to, to attend with care, as, take heed to thy ways. — To take hold of, to seize; to fix on. — To take horse, to mount and ride a horse. — To take in. (a) To inclose; to fence. (b) To encompass or embrace; to comprise; to comprehend. (c) To draw into a smaller compass; to contract; to brail or furl; as, to take in sail. (d) To cheat; to circumvent; to gull; to deceive. [Colloq.] (e) To admit; to receive; as, a leaky vessel will take in water. (f) To win by conquest. [Obs.] For now Troy's broad-wayed town He shall take in. Chapman. (g) To receive into the mind or understanding. "Some bright genius can take in a long train of propositions." I. Watts. (h) To receive regularly, as a periodical work or newspaper; to take. [Eng.] — To take in hand. See under Hand. — To take in vain, to employ or utter as in an oath. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Ex. xx. 7. — To take issue. See under Issue. — To take leave. See Leave, n., 2. — To take a newspaper, magazine, or the like, to receive it regularly, as on paying the price of subscription. — To take notice, to observe, or to observe with particular attention. — To take notice of. See under Notice. — To take oath, to swear with solemnity, or in a judicial manner. — To take off. (a) To remove, as from the surface or outside; to remove from the top of anything; as, to take off a load; to take off one's hat. (b) To cut off; as, to take off the head, or a limb. (c) To destroy; as, to take off life. (d) To remove; to invalidate; as, to take off the force of an argument. (e) To withdraw; to call or draw away. Locke. (f) To swallow; as, to take off a glass of wine. (g) To purchase; to take in trade. "The Spaniards having no commodities that we will take off." Locke. (h) To copy; to reproduce. "Take off all their models in wood." Addison. (i) To imitate; to mimic; to personate. (k) To find place for; to dispose of; as, more scholars than preferments can take off. [R.] Bacon. — To take on, to assume; to take upon one's self; as, to take on a character or responsibility. — To take one's own course, to act one's pleasure; to pursue the measures of one's own choice. — To take order for. See under Order. — To take order with, to check; to hinder; to repress. [Obs.] Bacon. — To take orders. (a) To receive directions or commands. (b) (Eccl.) To enter some grade of the ministry. See Order, n., 10. — To take out. (a) To remove from within a place; to separate; to deduct. (b) To draw out; to remove; to clear or cleanse from; as, to take out a stain or spot from cloth. (c) To produce for one's self; as, to take out a patent. (d) To put an end to; as, to take the conceit out of a man. (e) To escort; as, to take out to dinner. — To take over, to undertake; to take the management of. [Eng.] Cross (Life of G. Eliot). — To take part, to share; as, they take part in our rejoicing. — To take part with, to unite with; to join with. — To take place, root, sides, stock, etc. See under Place, Root, Side, etc. — To take the air. (a) (Falconry) To seek to escape by trying to rise higher than the falcon; — said of a bird. (b) See under Air. — To take the field. (Mil.) See under Field. — To take thought, to be concerned or anxious; to be solicitous. Matt. vi. 25, 27. — To take to heart. See under Heart. — To take to task, to reprove; to censure. — to take to the air, to take off. To take up. (a) To lift; to raise. Hood. (b) To buy or borrow; as, to take up goods to a large amount; to take up money at the bank. (c) To begin; as, to take up a lamentation. Ezek. xix. 1. (d) To gather together; to bind up; to fasten or to replace; as, to take up raveled stitches; specifically (Surg.), to fasten with a ligature. (e) To engross; to employ; to occupy or fill; as, to take up the time; to take up a great deal of room. (f) To take permanently. "Arnobius asserts that men of the finest parts . . . took up their rest in the Christian religion." Addison. (g) To seize; to catch; to arrest; as, to take up a thief; to take up vagabonds. (h) To admit; to believe; to receive. [Obs.] The ancients took up experiments upon credit. Bacon. (i) To answer by reproof; to reprimand; to berate. One of his relations took him up roundly. L'Estrange. (k) To begin where another left off; to keep up in continuous succession. Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale. Addison. (l) To assume; to adopt as one's own; to carry on or manage; as, to take up the quarrels of our neighbors; to take up current opinions. "They take up our old trade of conquering." Dryden. (m) To comprise; to include. "The noble poem of Palemon and Arcite . . . takes up seven years." Dryden. (n) To receive, accept, or adopt for the purpose of assisting; to espouse the cause of; to favor. Ps. xxvii. 10. (o) To collect; to exact, as a tax; to levy; as, to take up a contribution. "Take up commodities upon our bills." Shak. (p) To pay and receive; as, to take up a note at the bank. (q) (Mach.) To remove, as by an adjustment of parts; as, to take up lost motion, as in a bearing; also, to make tight, as by winding, or drawing; as, to take up slack thread in sewing. (r) To make up; to compose; to settle; as, to take up a quarrel. [Obs.] Shak. — To take up arms. Same as To take arms, above. — To take upon one's self. (a) To assume; to undertake; as, he takes upon himself to assert that the fact is capable of proof. (b) To appropriate to one's self; to allow to be imputed to, or inflicted upon, one's self; as, to take upon one's self a punishment. — To take up the gauntlet. See under Gauntlet.
TAKETake, v. i.
1. To take hold; to fix upon anything; to have the natural or intended effect; to accomplish a purpose; as, he was inoculated, but the virus did not take. Shak. When flame taketh and openeth, it giveth a noise. Bacon. In impressions from mind to mind, the impression taketh, but is overcome . . . before it work any manifest effect. Bacon.
2. To please; to gain reception; to succeed. Each wit may praise it for his own dear sake, And hint he writ it, if the thing should take. Addison.
3. To move or direct the course; to resort; to betake one's self; to proceed; to go; — usually with to; as, the fox, being hard pressed, took to the hedge.
4. To admit of being pictured, as in a photograph; as, his face does not take well. To take after. (a) To learn to follow; to copy; to imitate; as, he takes after a good pattern. (b) To resemble; as, the son takes after his father. — To take in with, to resort to. [Obs.] Bacon. — To take on, to be violently affected; to express grief or pain in a violent manner. — To take to. (a) To apply one's self to; to be fond of; to become attached to; as, to take to evil practices. "If he does but take to you, . . . you will contract a great friendship with him." Walpole. (b) To resort to; to betake one's self to. "Men of learning, who take to business, discharge it generally with greater honesty than men of the world." Addison. — To take up. (a) To stop. [Obs.] "Sinners at last take up and settle in a contempt of religion." Tillotson. (b) To reform. [Obs.] Locke. — To take up with. (a) To be contended to receive; to receive without opposition; to put up with; as, to take up with plain fare. "In affairs which may have an extensive influence on our future happiness, we should not take up with probabilities." I. Watts. (b) To lodge with; to dwell with. [Obs.] L'Estrange. — To take with, to please. Bacon.
TAKETake, n.
1. That which is taken; especially, the quantity of fish captured at one haul or catch.
2. (Print.)
Defn: The quantity or copy given to a compositor at one time.
TAKE-INTake"-in`, n.
Defn: Imposition; fraud. [Colloq.]
TAKENTak"en,
Defn: p. p. of Take.
TAKE-OFFTake"-off`, n.
Defn: An imitation, especially in the way of caricature.
TAKERTak"er, n.
Defn: One who takes or receives; one who catches or apprehended.
TAKE-UPTake"-up`, n. (Mach.)
Defn: That which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a stitch.
TAKINGTak"ing, a.
1. Apt to take; alluring; attracting. Subtile in making his temptations most taking. Fuller.
2. Infectious; contageous. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.— Tak"ing*ly, adv.— Tak"ing*ness, n.
TAKINGTak"ing, n.
1. The act of gaining possession; a seizing; seizure; apprehension.
2. Agitation; excitement; distress of mind. [Colloq.] What a taking was he in, when your husband asked who was in the basket! Shak.
3. Malign influence; infection. [Obs.] Shak.
TAKING-OFFTak"ing-off`, n.
Defn: Removal; murder. See To take off (c), under Take, v. t.The deep damnation of his taking-off. Shak.
TALAPOINTal"a*poin, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small African monkey (Cercopithecus, or Miopithecus, talapoin) — called also melarhine.
TALARIA Ta*la"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [L., from talaris pertaining to the ankles, fr. talus ankle.] (Class. Myth.)
Defn: Small wings or winged shoes represented as fastened to the ankles, — chiefly used as an attribute of Mercury.
TALBOTTal"bot, n.
Defn: A sort of dog, noted for quick scent and eager pursuit of game.[Obs.] Wase (1654).
Note: The figure of a dog is borne in the arms of the Talbot family, whence, perhaps, the name.
TALBOTYPETal"bo*type, n. (Photog.)
Defn: Same as Calotype.
TALC Talc, n. Etym: [F. talc; cf. Sp. & It. talco, LL. talcus; all fr. Ar. talq.] (Min.)
Defn: A soft mineral of a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or grayish color, usually occurring in foliated masses. It is hydrous silicate of magnesia. Steatite, or soapstone, is a compact granular variety. Indurated talc, an impure, slaty talc, with a nearly compact texture, and greater hardness than common talc; — called also talc slate.
TALCOSE; TALCOUSTal*cose", Talc"ous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. talqueux.] (Min.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to talc; composed of, or resembling, talc.
TALCUMTal"cum, n. [NL.] (Min.)
Defn: Same as Talc.
TALETale, n.
Defn: See Tael.
TALE Tale, n. Etym: [AS. talu number, speech, narrative; akin to D. taal speech, language, G. zahl number, OHG. zala, Icel. tal, tala, number, speech, Sw. tal, Dan. tal number, tale speech, Goth. talzjan to instruct. Cf. Tell, v. t., Toll a tax, also Talk, v. i.]
1. That which is told; an oral relation or recital; any rehearsal of what has occured; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story. "The tale of Troy divine." Milton. "In such manner rime is Dante's tale." Chaucer. We spend our years as a tale that is told. Ps. xc. 9.
2. A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a number reckoned or stated. The ignorant, . . . who measure by tale, and not by weight. Hooker. And every shepherd tells his tale, Under the hawthornn in the dale. Milton. In packing, they keep a just tale of the number. Carew.
3. (Law)
Defn: A count or declaration. [Obs.] To tell tale of, to make accountof. [Obs.]Therefore little tale hath he told Of any dream, so holy was hisheart. Chaucer.
Syn. — Anecdote; story; fable; incident; memoir; relation; account; legend; narrative.
TALETale, v. i.
Defn: To tell stories. [Obs.] Chaucer. Gower.
TALEBEARERTale"bear`er, n.
Defn: One who officiously tells tales; one who impertinently or maliciously communicates intelligence, scandal, etc., and makes mischief. Spies and talebearers, encouraged by her father, did their best to inflame her resentment. Macaulay.
TALEBEARINGTale"bear`ing, a.
Defn: Telling tales officiously.
TALEBEARINGTale"bear`ing, n.
Defn: The act of informing officiously; communication of sectrts, scandal, etc., maliciously.
TALEDTa"led, n. (Jewish Antiq.)
Defn: A kind of quadrangular piece of cloth put on by the Jews when repeating prayers in the synagogues. Crabb.
TALEFULTale"ful, a.
Defn: Full of stories. [R.] Thomson.
TALEGALLATal`e*gal"la, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of Australian birds which includes the brush turkey.See Brush turkey.
TALENTTal"ent, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. talentum a talent (in sense 1), Gr.tolerare, tollere, to lift up, sustain, endure. See Thole, v. t.,Tolerate.]
1. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minæ or 6,000 drachmæ. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was £243 15s. sterling, or about $1,180. Rowing vessel whose burden does not exceed five hundred talents. Jowett (Thucid.).
2. Among the Hebrews, a weight and denomination of money. For silver it was equivalent to 3,000 shekels, and in weight was equal to about 93
3. Inclination; will; disposition; desire. [Obs.] They rather counseled you to your talent than to your profit. Chaucer.
4. Intellectual ability, natural or acquired; mental endowment or capacity; skill in accomplishing; a special gift, particularly in business, art, or the like; faculty; a use of the word probably originating in the Scripture parable of the talents (Matt. xxv. 14- 30). He is chiefly to be considered in his three different talents, as a critic, a satirist, and a writer of odes. Dryden. His talents, his accomplishments, his graceful manners, made him generally popular. Macaulay.